Hogwarts had no parent-teacher conferences, especially not for Muggle-born students' parents. They simply could not find a place that could not be marked on any map.
"My dad thought our school was some kind of military facility." As she scraped a salamander spleen into fine powder with a grater, Joy spoke to Elena. She looked utterly relaxed, as though she had no idea she was about to head into a dark wizard's "den."
Pomona sighed as she watched her. She did not want anything else to happen to the twins and was just about to warn her when Snape came over to inspect their workbench.
"You should be using a silver grater," Snape told Joy coldly. "What is that thing you're using? Did you steal it from the kitchen?"
"No, Professor, because..."
"You should make your own tools." Snape cut Joy off. "Where is your wand?"
Joy had meant to reach for her wand, but both her hands were covered in blood.
"Pick it up," Snape said. "What are you hesitating for?"
Whether it was the pressure Snape put on Joy or something else, her hands were trembling, yet she did not reach for her wand.
"Godfather!" Draco Malfoy's smug voice rang out from a corner of the Potions classroom. "Look, I handled it like this. Is that right?"
Snape immediately headed toward Malfoy, leaving Joy behind. Elena at once handed Joy a handkerchief and had her wipe the blood from her hands.
"Don't be nervous," Pomona told Joy. "Treat it as extra pressure for the competition."
With tears in her eyes, Joy wiped the blood from her hands with the handkerchief, then transformed her little silver knife into something like a cheese grater. The holes in it were of uneven sizes, though, and Pomona felt that Snape would scold