Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

"You can't see me, you can't see me..."

The next day, it was time for the long-awaited Potions class.

John huddled in a corner, his neck hunched, muttering to himself.

These past few days he's been avoiding Professor Snape, afraid of being caught by him in some deserted corridor.

Now, he can't run away from the temple; he still has to face that old bat in Potions class.

Just then, class started, and as soon as Professor Snape's black robe swayed in the classroom doorway, John reflexively held up his textbook to cover his face.

Professor Snape strode into the classroom.

He didn't even look up, but spoke coldly.

"John Merrick, get out and stand outside as punishment. The rest of you, turn to page 6 of your textbooks."

???

"Why should I?!"

Upon hearing this, John immediately dropped the book he was using to cover his face and cried out as if he had suffered a great injustice.

However, Professor Snape just stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"...Okay, I'll go."

John knew he was in the wrong, and after being stared at for a long time, he obediently gave in.

He tugged at his textbook and stood at the classroom door, not completely stepping out.

Professor Snape saw this but did not continue to drive them away.

"What did John do to offend Professor Snape this time...?"

"Who knows?"

Others either watched the spectacle or whispered amongst themselves, trying not to laugh.

It's not surprising that John was punished by Professor Snape by being made to stand.

This was the first time they had been punished by being made to stand in the corner without any explanation, but they weren't too surprised.

John had always been tormented by Professor Snape for various reasons, so his classmates were used to it.

The interlude ended, and class continued.

"Can anyone tell me how to safely handle the leaves of the fang geranium?"

Professor Snape stood on the podium and asked the question with his usual indifference.

John, who was standing at the door, immediately raised his hand eagerly.

But Professor Snape ignored him.

"Holder, you answer."

Snape directly called on Ethan to answer.

Seeing this, Ethan had no choice but to stand up.

"The sap of the poisonous geranium is highly corrosive, and conventional protective measures are ineffective. Therefore, gloves must be worn, and the poisonous geranium must be placed in water. The poisonous plant is picked in the water, and the water is used to dilute and resist the corrosiveness of the sap."

"This might cause some juice to be lost, but it's the safest method."

Ethan's answer was a standard one, but Professor Snape did not give a positive response.

He merely nodded slightly, but his gaze passed over Ethan and landed on John at the door: "Merrick, you fill in the blanks."

John, who was idly playing with his fingernails, paused for a moment, then smiled and spoke.

"I thought you couldn't see me raising my hand because of your glaucoma... Ahem! What I mean is, you can freeze the poisonous geranium completely to lock in the sap before harvesting it, which is the safest way to obtain the whole poisonous plant."

John started with his usual teasing remark, but upon seeing Professor Snape's murderous glare, he quickly straightened up and completed his answer.

Snape tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the podium, his voice as low as a snake's tongue: "Freezing—may destroy the venom's activity."

"Never mind that, just tell me if it's safe or not."

John, hands on his hips, responded confidently to Professor Snape's question.

"..."

Snape simply responded to John's rude reply.

"Get out."

"Alright."

John had anticipated this, so he shrugged and left the classroom.

Professor Snape waved his hand, and the door slammed shut, making the window frames vibrate.

John scratched his head in the hallway.

He felt that Professor Snape's attitude towards him was particularly strange, and he couldn't take a joke anymore.

He used to say some outrageous things in class, but at most he would be punished by standing or by doing chores afterwards.

But today, he was kicked out.

Ultimately, the feelings faded.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Professor Snape had a grudge against them.

He shrugged helplessly, conjured a sofa in the hallway, sank into the cushions lazily, and began to idly meditate.

Time quickly passed and it was time for get out of class to end.

The classroom door opened again, and Professor Snape strode out, his face darkening as he looked at John, who was slumped on the sofa by the door.

As if she could no longer tolerate it, she simply raised her hand, grabbed his collar, and dragged him to his studio like she was carrying a disobedient kitten.

"Hey! Wait a minute... Professor! What are you doing?!"

While I was meditating, a large hand lifted me up.

John was caught off guard and his feet were lifted off the ground. His head hit the door frame with a thud.

In pain, he frantically grabbed Snape's sleeve, but could only be dragged all the way back to his studio.

The other students in the classroom peeked out and watched John being dragged away, shaking their heads helplessly.

Oh, poor John.

This quickly became a topic of conversation among Hogwarts students.

......

As soon as the door to Professor Snape's studio opened, the scent of potions wafted out.

He released his grip and threw John in. John staggered to his feet and then quickly assumed a Tiga starting stance.

"just!"

Seeing John's expression, Professor Snape finally showed that familiar look of disgust.

They looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Give me back the potion you stole last semester."

Finally, Professor Snape stretched out a hand and coldly commanded John.

"Who told you to give me the silent treatment last semester... And what do you mean by stealing? I was partly responsible for those potions too..."

John knew he couldn't escape this day, so he muttered to himself as he reluctantly pulled a bag from his robes and placed it in Professor Snape's hand.

Professor Snape was taken aback when he received the bag. John had clearly taken several kinds of potions from him, so how come only this bag was left?

He weighed the bag in his hand; it was heavy, but it didn't feel like a potion.

More like... a money bag...

"Here it is, 208 Galleons in total."

"I used the other two Galleons to buy food."

Upon hearing this, Snape nearly fainted.

His anger now wasn't about John selling his potion anymore, but about the fact that the idiot only sold it for 210 Galleons.

Those potions could fetch at least 1000 Galleons if sold by themselves!

"Is everything here?"

"Hey! They're all here."

"Where did you sell it...?"

"The regular potions shops in Diagon Alley said my potion was of dubious origin and refused to take it, so I went to Bogin-Bock in Knockturn Alley to sell it."

This was sold by John before he went to Hermione's house during the summer vacation.

The so-called Turndown Alley is a relatively darker street in Diagon Alley, filled with all sorts of strange black market vendors and secondhand goods of dubious origin.

Bokin-Bock is one of those black shops that specializes in accepting goods of dubious origin.

"That shady merchant tried to rip me off because I was a student. He quoted me 150 Galleons, but I managed to get him to raise it to 210 Galleons."

Speaking of Borginborough, John proudly put his hands on his hips and recounted his experience selling potions.

"..."

Snape closes his eyes, Snape opens his eyes, Snape inhales, Snape exhales.

He once again questioned his own judgment and learned a profound lesson from his decision to let John use his workspace at will.