HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Ian followed Severus, grinning, and said, "Seeing them get their comeuppance makes me want to eat two extra bowls of rice for lunch."

Severus looked at Ian's self-righteous demeanor, his lips twitched slightly, and he said nothing more.

In early March, the match day arrived.

The practical competition will be held on Saturday afternoon in the Potions classroom.

There were more than a dozen students participating, ranging from first to third grade, with Slytherins making up nearly half of them.

The classroom was temporarily converted, and each workstation was separated by a magical barrier to prevent interference.

Professor Slughorn served as the referee, and two other Potions assistant professors were also present.

Ian, Kevin, and Aris sat in the observation area at the back of the classroom—a privilege granted by Slughorn so that "students aspiring to the art of potions could observe and learn."

Lily arrived too, sitting on the Gryffindor side, and quietly waved to Severus.

Severus stood calmly in front of the designated control panel, wearing his new dark green robe with the cuffs rolled up, revealing his pale wrists.

On the workbench, the equipment was neatly arranged, and the materials were covered with a cloth, awaiting announcement.

"Classmates," Slughorn said in a loud voice, standing on the podium, "the potion you will be making today is—'Awakening Potion'!"

A murmur arose from the audience.

The waking potion, a topic covered in the second semester of second year, isn't the most difficult, but the steps are intricate and require a high degree of precision in material processing and temperature control. The slightest mistake can reduce the potency by half or even cause drowsiness as a side effect.

"Time: Two hours. Now—begin!"

The tarpaulin was removed, revealing the material.

Severus's gaze swept quickly across the worktable: standard ingredients, medium quality.

He remained calm, first lighting the fire under the crucible and adjusting it to a low heat for preheating, then began processing the materials. His movements were slow but extremely methodical.

His operation was almost silent, a stark contrast to the other workstations where workers were frantically working, occasionally knocking over bottles or emitting suspicious odors.

Slughorn paced slowly between the control panels, his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes observing each student's movements.

He lingered unusually long in front of Severus, his smile growing increasingly satisfied.

An hour later, most of the crucibles were emitting smoke of various colors.

In Severus's crucible, the liquid was a clear, pale blue, slowly bubbling under a low flame.

He added the last portion of the processed Billiewig stinger venom gland extract, and the liquid instantly turned a clearer, more translucent blue, like a melted gemstone.

He began stirring counterclockwise, his movements steady, pausing for a second every seven rotations to allow the magic to fully infuse.

These are the improved steps he developed himself; they are not in the textbook.

From the observation deck, Kevin nervously gripped Ian's arm: "How was it? Doesn't it look amazing?"

"Don't pinch me." Ian pried his hand away, but his eyes remained fixed on Severus's movements. "Hmm, the color is perfect, even brighter than the 'clear blue' described in the textbook."

"He changed the standard method," Aristotle glanced at the color in the crucible, "It's more difficult, but his hand is very steady."

Lily kept looking in that direction, her green eyes filled with pride.

In the last ten minutes, Severus turned off the fire and let the potion cool naturally.

He used a glass rod to pick up a drop and put it on the prepared test strip.

The test strip quickly turns a uniform golden yellow—a sign that the drug has reached the "excellent" standard of efficacy.

His face remained expressionless as he carefully poured the medicine into a crystal bottle, sealed it with a cork, and attached a label with his name and the date.

Time's up.

Slughorn inspected each finished product, nodding or shaking his head from time to time.

When it was Severus's turn, he picked up the bottle of azure potion, examined it carefully against the light, then uncorked it, took a sniff, and his face showed undisguised admiration.

"Perfect, Mr. Snape! The color, clarity, and smell are all impeccable! May I see your test strips?"

Severus handed over the test strip. Slughorn's eyes crinkled with laughter when he saw the uniform golden color: "Excellent! Undoubtedly excellent! Even better than I expected! Tell me, son, did you adjust the stirring method after adding the drowsy bean juice? This color is beyond what standard procedures can achieve."

"Yes, Professor," Severus replied, explaining his operational and improvement ideas in a calm voice.

Slughorn nodded repeatedly, his smile widening. "Brilliant! Independent thinking and a willingness to improve! This is the true essence of the art of potions! Mr. Snape, without a doubt, you are the winner of the practical portion of this competition! Combined with your perfect score on the written theoretical exam—"

He turned to face all the participants and spectators, and announced in a loud voice, "I hereby declare the champion of this year's Hogwarts Underclass Potions Contest to be—Severus Snape!"

Applause erupted, especially from the Slytherin side. Kevin jumped up and cheered, while Ian clapped enthusiastically, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

Lily was laughing like she'd won an award in Gryffindor.

Severus stood there, accepting a small, exquisite silver badge pinned to his chest by Slughorn. It featured a steaming cauldron surrounded by stars.

His back remained straight, and his face remained expressionless, but Ian noticed that when he lowered his eyes to look at the badge, his eyelashes trembled very slightly.

"Furthermore," Slughorn patted Severus on the shoulder, lowering his voice but loud enough for those in the front row to hear, "my club's next gathering is next Friday night, and I look forward to your joining us, Mr. Snape."

A formal invitation.

Severus looked up, his dark eyes meeting Slughorn's, and after a few seconds, he nodded. "Thank you, Professor."

After the awards ceremony, the students gradually dispersed.

Ian and the others squeezed to the front, and he grabbed Severus's shoulder. Severus stiffened for a moment, but didn't pull away.

"Fantastic! I knew you could do it! Silver Badge! Slug Club! Merlin, Severus, you're going to be famous!"

"It's just a game," Severus said softly, but his fingers lightly touched the badge on his chest.

"Excellent performance," Aris said earnestly. "Your improvement ideas are very valuable. If I have time, I'd like to record the specific parameters."

"Congratulations, Severus," Lily squeezed in, her green eyes sparkling. "You looked just like a real Potions Master!"

Severus looked at Lily, but his gaze softened for a moment. "Thank you, Lily."

"Shall we go celebrate?" Kevin suggested. "The kitchen elf just baked some raspberry pies, I can smell them."