"October 30th? The second class that afternoon is..." Harry had only just started to smile before he immediately reined it in.
He looked behind him, casting a few extra glances at the staircase leading down to the basement, then grinned and cheered, "The second class that afternoon is Potions Class! That's absolutely brilliant!"
Ron high-fived Harry. "That means he'll have one less chance to poison us! As long as we successfully survive until Christmas..."
"Poison?" Chris Moen asked curiously. "Who's going to poison you? Professor Snape?"
"Who else could it be?" Harry shrugged, then seemed to think of something and opened his mouth to ask, "Wait... he hasn't said that to you lot?"
The group of Ravenclaws, Vizet included, all shook their heads.
"You have class with Hufflepuff..." Ron looked rather pained. "Doesn't that mean... only we and Slytherin might get poisoned?"
"Probably only you Gryffindors..." Michael Corner analyzed. "Would Professor Snape poison Slytherin? Not really... absolutely impossible, right?"
"Is it because of those Broad-Spectrum Potion lessons?" Vizet asked. "Professor Snape plans to test whether your Broad-Spectrum Potions are up to standard?"
"Maybe that's the real purpose?" Ron scratched his head and said. "But the look Snape had..."
Harry picked up the thread. "It always felt like he was in a hurry, like he wanted to knock us all down before the Christmas Holiday."
Anthony Goldstein asked, "What if he was lying to you?"
A trace of hope flashed in Ron and Harry's eyes. "Could that be possible?"
"It could!" Anthony nodded very seriously. "When you stay at school over the Christmas Holiday, that's when he starts poisoning you..."
"That way there are fewer people, and the success rate goes up. Have you forgotten? Professor Moody mentioned this case in class."
"I don't want the holiday anymore..." Ron rubbed his