Bab 60: Chapter 60: Potions Class
Friday was a crucial day for Albert.
The paths of the moving staircases and some of the corridors in the castle would change today. To avoid getting lost on their way to the Great Hall, they decided to go together with the older students.
"Which classes do we have in the morning?" Lee Jordan asked George as he added two sugar cubes to his cereal.
"We have Potions class for the first two periods," Albert replied after finishing his sausage on the plate. "We'll be with the Slytherin students."
"I remember the Potions professor is Snape," George suddenly said.
"Snape... Oh, the one Albert wanted to take a photo of last time?" Lee Jordan recalled something. "By the way, are you okay with that?"
"What are you talking about?" Albert looked at Lee Jordan, puzzled.
"Didn't Snape say he would question you?" Fred reminded.
"Oh, that thing. I should be fine," Albert said. He had specifically reviewed the book last night, and he could remember most of the contents. As long as it wasn't something overly tricky, there was no need to worry.
"I remember Snape seems to be the head of Slytherin house."
"Yes!" George leaned closer, whispering, "Everyone says he favors his own students and never gives points to students from other houses."
"Watch out, he's staring at you!" Albert whispered softly.
This startled George, and he quickly pulled his head back, cautiously looking around but didn't find Snape's presence. He realized he had been tricked and glared at Albert, displeased. "You..."
"Why can you make such jokes with a straight face?" Angelina walked over and sat down next to them, exhausted. She looked at the playful group and shook her head. "Today has been absolutely terrible. I got lost and almost couldn't find the Great Hall."
Albert turned his head and said to Angelina, "I heard you became the reserve player for Quidditch. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Angelina looked at Albert suspiciously. She had also heard about Albert from Lee Jordan and knew that Charlie intended to recruit him into the Quidditch team.
However, it seemed like Albert didn't care about his position, and there was a good chance she might snatch it from him.
"Don't forget to bring the things we need for Potions class later, and let's not be late. We shouldn't give Snape a chance to trouble us," Albert said after finishing his breakfast, taking out another book, "A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," from his backpack to flip through.
The Potions classroom was located in a basement beneath the castle. They entered through another door in the entrance hall and descended the stairs, making this area even colder and gloomier than the main castle.
As they walked into the classroom, they saw that the Slytherin students had already arrived.
The Potions classroom wasn't large, but it could accommodate over twenty students. The walls around the room were filled with glass jars containing various animal specimens, giving a creepy feeling to those who were easily scared.
"It feels a bit like Biology class, with bodies soaked in formalin," Albert commented, sitting next to Lee Jordan and surveying the glass jars around him.
As Albert scanned the classroom, he noticed a storage cabinet in the corner. It likely held various ingredients that students might use in potion-making or even the book "Advanced Potion-Making" belonging to the Half-Blood Prince.
On the platform, Snape stood, overseeing the students entering the classroom. Behind him was a blackboard filled with the ingredients and preparation methods for a potion to treat scabies.
Albert lifted his head and met Snape's gaze, politely smiling before shifting his eyes away. Snape's eyes were cold, empty, and their intense blackness made Albert uncomfortable.
Soon, the class bell rang, signaling the start of the lesson.
Snape picked up the roster and paused for a moment upon seeing Albert's name, then withdrew his gaze and continued with the roll call.
"Potion brewing is a precise and rigorous craft, and many people would not believe it is actually a form of magic," Snape's voice was cold, like a chilling winter wind. The combination of his indifferent face and emotionless voice made the students in the classroom refrain from misbehaving during the class.
"Every year, I encounter a few idiots who burn holes through their cauldrons," Snape surveyed the students in the classroom and said coldly, "I don't expect you to truly appreciate the wonders of potions. I simply hope that those fools are not among you."
After Snape finished his opening remarks, the entire class fell silent.
"Anderson!" Snape suddenly called out, "What would you get if I added powdered monkshood to a solution of wormwood?"
Albert exchanged a glance with Lee Jordan, shrugged his shoulders, and stood up. He could feel the entire class's gaze on him, but he felt no nervousness. He answered Snape's question promptly:
"You would obtain a highly potent sleeping draught known as the Draught of Living Death."
"If I asked you to fetch me some bezoar, where would you go to find it?" Snape swiftly walked over to Albert, exerting an invisible pressure on him.
"A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat. It has powerful antitoxin properties," Albert replied expressionlessly.
"So, tell me, what's the difference between Aconite and Wolfsbane?"
"Aconite and Wolfsbane are the same plant, both referred to as Aconite," Albert replied.
"Word for word from the book," Snape said disdainfully. "But it's mostly correct."
Albert sat back down, indicating that he had successfully answered Snape's question.
Lee Jordan discreetly raised his thumb next to him, while Fred and George behind them struggled to contain their laughter.
In reality, they all knew Snape's question wouldn't stump Albert in the slightest.
"What are you all waiting for? Why aren't you writing this down?" Snape returned to the platform and turned to address the class.
The sound of quills scratching parchment filled the classroom.
"You've memorized the entire book?" Shanna whispered, impressed that Albert could answer Snape's questions.
Anyone with eyes could see that Snape was trying to give Albert a hard time.
Albert didn't reply but raised his index finger to his lips, signaling for quiet, and then pointed at Snape.
Snape glared disapprovingly at Shanna and coldly said, "No talking during class. Gryffindor loses one point."
In reality, it wasn't just Shanna who was talking. The Gryffindor students had all realized that the Potions professor was targeting their house.
It was just an example. Albert's answer was perfect, at least in any other class, where other professors would have given Gryffindor five points. But Snape didn't.
They say Snape only favored his own students, and now it seemed that wasn't just a rumor.
Whether points were deducted or added, Albert didn't care. He was quietly observing the Potion professor in front of him, matching him up with his memories of Severus Snape:
Thin, hooked nose, gloomy enough, and a head of greasy hair?
Hmm, the hair might have been recently washed!
To sum it up in Tom's words: Snape certainly didn't look like a good person.
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(End of this chapter)
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