Clearly, Another... Gryffindor!

Professor Snape walked through the place. Though he found it a little too... "bright," utterly unlike the dimness steeped in history that he was used to at Hogwarts, he did indeed sense an ancient and mysterious aura, one entirely different from the magical system.

He detected no trace of any disguising spells.

However, the subtlety with which Eastern cultivators used their divine sense was indeed far beyond a wizard's ability to perceive.

Just then, the swift sound of something cutting through the air drew closer!

The first time Professor Snape saw Chu Yao, she was riding a flying sword that gleamed with cold light and brimmed with spiritual energy, speeding toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Snape: ?!!!

Although reason told him that this future student could not and had no reason to attack a visiting professor in her own sect, instincts developed from previously living in a "dangerous" environment made him slip a hand into his black robe's pocket almost unconsciously. He gripped his birch wand tightly, his body tensing slightly.

His sharp gaze fixed on the figure atop the flying sword.

She was a little girl who looked about eleven or twelve.

It had to be said that, judging by appearance alone, she was exceptionally beautiful.

Her skin was almost translucent, like fine Eastern porcelain, and was even a little dazzling in the light.

Her hair was thick and pure black, simply tied back and streaming behind her as she flew.

Her features were as delicate as those of an immortal child in a painting, her lips red without rouge and her brows dark without powder.

Her eyes in particular were round and bright as obsidian. At that moment, they held a hint of curiosity and... recklessness? brought on by her rapid flight and the sight of a stranger.

Yet this delicate, doll-like appearance did nothing to conceal the nature revealed by her current behavior.

Rude! Reckless! Utterly unladylike! And...

Probably another... Gryffindor with a head full of gillyweed and far too much energy!

The conclusion was like cold water, instantly dousing the tiny bit of goodwill—an extremely tiny bit—that Snape had felt because of her appearance.

In an instant, Snape's already low initial impression of Chu Yao plummeted, as though it had been dosed with Shrinking Solution!

If it could be expressed in numbers, it probably plunged from the 60 points—neutral, leaning toward cool indifference—he had grudgingly maintained upon first meeting her because she was an international exchange student and Dumbledore had assigned him the task, straight down to 30 points—wary and impatient!

At the thought that he might have another Gryffindor to deal with in the future, Snape felt a familiar surge of irritation. His perpetually pursed lips grew even more rigid, and the oppressive air around him could almost have lowered the surrounding temperature by several degrees.

Damn Dumbledore! Couldn't he find a quieter student, a Ravenclaw type, for example?

This one looks like she could cause even more trouble than the Weasley twins!

Chu Yao had no idea that, simply because of her flashy entrance, she had been firmly labeled a "troublemaker in training" in the mind of her future Potions professor.

She nimbly jumped down from her flying sword and put away the magical artifact. Smiling at Snape in what she considered a well-behaved manner, she greeted him in a fluent London accent. "Good afternoon, sir. You must be the professor from Hogwarts? I'm Chu Yao."

Snape looked at her expressionlessly. His voice was low and silky, as though it had been steeped in a cellar for years, and carried undisguised coldness. "Obviously. I am Severus Snape, your Potions professor. I hope that in my classroom, you can demonstrate... caution to match your... flying skills."

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