The schedule for first-year classes at Hogwarts was quite relaxed. For example, on Monday morning, Vid only had two consecutive sessions of Magic Potion Class.
After breakfast, a group of Ravenclaw freshmen walked together toward the underground classroom. As the environment gradually became colder, the students' faces also gradually turned a bit pale.
"I heard that the professor of Magic Potion Class, Professor Snape, is the head of Slytherin College," said Michael, who was walking next to Vid, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "Did you notice him during last night's sorting ceremony? He's the one with the black hair and hooked nose."
"Of course," Padma said. "I must say, we'd better not provoke him."
In silence, they arrived at the Potions Classroom, where cabinets against the walls held rows of glass jars containing various animal specimens. Some cowardly children looked as if they were about to cry from fright and sat as far from the specimens as possible. Vid chose a seat in the corner—he wasn't afraid of dead specimens; he was worried that some classmates might make mistakes that would affect him.
Before long, the Hufflepuff students also arrived in groups, reacting similarly to the Ravenclaw freshmen. However, the first-arriving Ravenclaw had already taken the advantageous spots, and the Hufflepuff students had to scatter to the edges.
Two Hufflepuff students joined the previously empty corner near Vid.
"Hello, I'm Theo, Theo Mancini. And he is Leian Caro," said a brown-haired Hufflepuff boy, first greeting Vid. "May I ask, who are you?"
"Vid Gray."
"Vid?" Theo Mancini curiously asked, "Do you know who our professor for this class is—"
The blond boy named Leian suddenly said, "Theo, stop talking." He added, "The professor is here."
Just as he finished speaking, the classroom door was pushed open with a bang, and a man in a black wizard's robe strode in. His expression was icy, and his demeanor was intimidating. Many students instinctively shrank their necks, and the classroom became silent.
Snape glanced around at the students in the classroom, took out the roster, and began calling names. Seeing that no one was late for the first class, his expression finally softened a bit.
"Magic Potion is a very precise course," Snape said in a low, whisper-like voice. "It requires adherence to strict procedures and precise proportions. If anyone arbitrarily alters the potion formula, randomly adds or reduces ingredients, or foolishly waves their magic wand attempting to cover up mistakes—"
His cold gaze swept over the silent freshmen, focusing particularly on those wearing yellow and black striped ties, the Hufflepuff students—
"They will come to realize the terrifying consequences of a botched potion."
Theo nervously swallowed, as if Snape's words were directed at him. Vid suddenly felt uneasy—he had chosen the corner to avoid disruptions, but it seemed like there was a potential problem right next to him.
Snape, as if he had a radar in his head, immediately detected some Hufflepuff's trepidation. He called out without looking at the roster, "Theo Mancini!"
"Yes!" Theo hurriedly stood up, almost knocking over his cauldron. "Yes, Professor."
"When preparing Scabies Potion, how should the slugs be handled?" Snape asked.
Seven or eight hands shot up in the air simultaneously in the classroom, most of them Ravenclaw students.
Good news—Snape wasn't deliberately giving students a hard time; the question he asked was straight from the first chapter of the textbook.
Bad news—Theo hadn't prepared by reading ahead in the textbook.
The boy stammered, "I—I don't know, sir."
"Sit down," Snape said coldly. "For not having read ahead, Hufflepuff will lose a point. Vid Gray!"
He randomly called on the Ravenclaw sitting nearby.
Vid immediately stood up. "Boil for five minutes, sir."
"Correct answer," Snape nodded, yet he didn't award points to Ravenclaw. Instead, he immediately posed another question. "Michael Corner, the use of nettle?"
"It can—it can help with inflammations, hair loss, and it stops bleeding," Michael stammered.
"Very good." Snape nodded, gesturing for him to sit down, and then asked, "Hanna Aber? When should the porcupine quills be added?"
The blonde girl stood up with teary eyes, as if she would burst into tears if Snape said another word.
Snape averted his gaze and called another name, "Leian Caro?"
Leian had quickly flipped through the book before the questioning began. The book had specially emphasized this question.
"—After turning off the heat, Professor," Leian said as steadily as possible.
Snape glanced down at his open textbook. "I hope you will put the knowledge in your head in advance rather than cramming during class, praying for Merlin's favor."
As Leian sat down, his lips tight, Theo gave him a comforting pat on the arm.
During this class, Snape wasn't targeting anyone specifically—he was targeting everyone. The barrage of questions gave the students a harsh awakening. By the time the formal lecture began, Hufflepuff had lost thirteen points, and Ravenclaw had lost five.
In the midst of silence, Snape began instructing the class on preparing Scabies Potion. He divided the students into pairs according to their seating and, with a wave of his magic wand, detailed steps appeared on the blackboard. Everyone hastily took notes. Vid noticed slight adjustments in the blackboard's content compared to the textbook, suggesting that following the book verbatim might not produce results satisfying to the professor.
"Sorry," Theo said quietly, as he and Vid were paired together according to seating. "I didn't prepare by reading ahead, but I'll do my best not to hold you back."
His amber eyes were very sincere, and Vid's annoyance at being paired with a "slow learner" eased.
"It's all right," Vid said. "The preparation of Scabies Potion is quite simple. As long as we follow the steps, there shouldn't be much of a problem."
Theo went to the shelf on the side to get the ingredients. Vid weighed them on a balance and pushed a snake's fang to Theo with a small knife. "You handle the ingredients; I'll take care of the brewing."
"Okay."
Theo responded, putting on protective dragon skin gloves before grinding the snake fang into powder in a mortar. Meanwhile, Vid used tweezers to disdainfully pick up four slugs and put them into the cauldron to steam while carefully controlling the heat with his magic wand.
A few minutes later, Vid took the discolored slugs out and set them aside, replacing the water and reheating while reviewing the brewing steps once more. Beside him, Theo had already processed the snake fang powder and was now cutting the dried nettle into small pieces.
Vid was somewhat surprised to find that this Hufflepuff student, though seemingly clumsy, was very meticulous; the processed powder was fine and uniform without any coarse particles or impurities.
Perhaps this partner wasn't so bad after all.
Vid thought.