https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-616-The-Numerous-Clubs-of-Hogwarts/12538963/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-618-The-Professor-s-Strange-Behavior/12538970/
Chapter 617: Extra Credit in Potions Class?
Chapter 617: Extra Credit in Potions Class?
The weekend always seemed to fly by, and soon enough, Monday morning arrived, with sunlight streaming through the windows to rouse Kyle from his slumber in the dormitory. His roommates, Michael and Ryan, were still asleep, their breathing slow and steady. Not wanting to disturb them, Kyle quietly got dressed and left the room.
On his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, he ran into Filch. The castle's caretaker had undergone a noticeable change after the events of last year; gone was the gruff, almost vindictive attitude, always ready to drag rule-breakers down to the dungeons. Now, he seemed meek and cautious, his first instinct upon seeing someone being to hide behind a suit of armor. It was only after he recognized Kyle that he stepped back out. It seemed the incident with Barty Crouch Jr. had truly shaken him.
Despite this change, there was an upside: students of Hogwarts no longer had to worry about being scolded for something as minor as speaking a little too loudly.
The first class on Monday morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts. After breakfast, Kyle headed to the classroom with Connor. Initially, she had been worried that Kyle would continue his confrontation with Umbridge from the last class. While she didn't like the woman either, it was never a good idea for a student to be at odds with a teacher.
Surprisingly, Kyle remained quiet throughout the entire lesson, and Professor Umbridge herself seemed to have completely forgotten about the previous incident. This was a relief to Connor, but some students who had been hoping for more drama were left disappointed.
The Slytherins were taking class with Hufflepuff today, and ever since they had heard about Kyle's alleged dramatic exit, they had been eagerly anticipating this day, wanting to witness the action up close. However, this class turned out to be just as boring as the rest, with the only notable difference being Professor Umbridge's new habit of rubbing her wrists, perhaps due to an injury or some other unknown reason.
...
After Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was time for the advanced Potions class. There were sixteen students in total, half of whom were from Slytherin. Kyle knew that not all of them could have possibly met the O.W.L. requirements, as he was quite familiar with the academic capabilities of the former "frequent customers" of his shop.
A good portion of these students were only mediocre when it came to Potions; they weren't terrible, but they certainly weren't outstanding either. Yet, here they were, a clear testament to Snape's consistent bias.
The dungeon classroom was as chilly as ever, and so was Snape's expression. He looked even more haggard than usual, his face pale and his eyes sunken as if he hadn't slept in days.
As two Ravenclaws were about to sit down together at a table, Snape suddenly spoke up. "Separate," he said coldly. "Do not assume that in an advanced class, you will be working together on a potion. If you cannot brew potions independently, then you might as well leave now."
One of the Ravenclaws quickly moved to another table, and the rest of the students also took their own tables. Although the dungeon classroom had limited space and cauldrons, there were enough for each student to have their own due to the small class size.
"Advanced class," Snape said in his emotionless voice. "You are all here because I have deemed you to be the best of the best..."
He paused for a moment, glancing at Kyle in the corner of the room before continuing, "...but I expect you to perform accordingly. My standards are high, and I do not tolerate foolish mistakes in my classroom, or else I will be... displeased."
But Snape didn't pay them any mind.
"Today, we will be brewing the simplest potion in the 'Advanced Potion-Making' book, the Draught of Living Death.
"Who can tell me what the Draught of Living Death is?"
Nearly everyone raised their hands.
As expected, Snape picked Connor.
"The Draught of Living Death is also known as the Potion of Vivid Death. It is a powerful sleeping draught that can put the drinker to sleep within a minute," Connor replied.
"To be precise, it is half a minute," Snape said, "but that was still a good answer, five points to Gryffindor."
No one was surprised that Snape gave points to Connor.
"Although it is the simplest potion in the 'Advanced Potion-Making' book, it is more complex than anything you have brewed before."
Snape tapped the blackboard with his wand, and it immediately displayed the required ingredients and the brewing process.
Kyle was familiar with the Draught of Living Death, having brewed it successfully a few years ago in Potions class.
However, the steps on the blackboard seemed a little different from what he remembered.
In Snape's old book, both the Knotgrass roots and Powdered Bicorn Horn were included, but they were crossed out here, replaced by dried Datura flowers.
Reducing the ingredients from two to one undoubtedly simplified the process, and Datura flowers were easier to prepare—they just needed to be ground slightly and tossed into the cauldron without any special treatment.
Kyle gathered the ingredients and followed the instructions on the blackboard step by step. By the middle of the class, the potion in his cauldron had smoothly transformed into the standard "uniform light brown liquid."
Connor had also successfully reached this stage.
Aside from the two of them, the potions of the other students were either too dark or uneven in color and didn't meet the standard.
"Your cut Valerians aren't uniform in size..."
"Who told you to toss the whole Datura flower in..."
"You're half a stir short..."
Snape walked around the classroom, bluntly pointing out everyone's mistakes.
However, he didn't pass by Kyle even once, as if he didn't exist.
Snape stopped next to a Gryffindor student, frowning at the potion in their cauldron, about to say something when the door to the dungeon classroom was pushed open.
Before Kyle could turn to see who it was, a coy voice provided the answer.
"Professor Snape, I hope I'm not disturbing your class." Umbridge said from the doorway.
Snape's eyes twitched. It was obvious that she was disturbing the class by entering during the lesson, but after hesitating for a moment, he didn't say anything harsh. "Professor Umbridge, what brings you here?
Umbridge glanced at the students in the room. "Shall we speak outside?"
Snape nodded and left the classroom with her.
When he returned, his expression was even grimmer, as if he had lost something valuable, and he muttered under his breath, "Why didn't you go to the hospital wing... I'm not a healer," and other such remarks.
For the remainder of the class, everyone was extra cautious, afraid that a single mistake would set Snape off...
Half an hour passed in this tense atmosphere.
"Time's up!" Snape announced loudly. "Everyone put down your wands and stop stirring."
He began moving between the tables, inspecting each cauldron.
Kyle glanced around and noticed that according to the steps Snape had written on the blackboard, everyone's potion had turned into a light pink liquid after stirring, although the shades varied.
While the colors weren't uniform, ranging from light to dark, these were minor issues that wouldn't affect the potion's functionality.
Snape made his way around the room, unsparingly pointing out each student's mistakes. He didn't seem to think that successfully brewing the complex Draught of Living Death on the first try was something to be proud of; instead, he expected nothing less.
If they couldn't follow his instructions and brew the potion successfully, he had no reason to stay and teach them.
Soon, Snape reached Kyle's table.
Just like the last time, Kyle's potion was flawless.
"Well done," Snape said, his voice sounding as if it were being squeezed from his throat. "Five points to Gryffindor."
(End of Chapter)
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