With eager anticipation, Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived at the Potions classroom in the basement.
The Ravenclaw students they had run into in the courtyard had delayed them for a while. By the time Harry and the others entered the classroom, it was already full of Slytherin and Gryffindor House students.
The classroom was very quiet. Harry guessed that no one had figured out Professor Slughorn's style yet, so they were all acting rather restrained.
One change Harry was very pleased to see was that, unlike Snape, Professor Slughorn was finally willing to draw back the curtains in this gloomy classroom.
Still, because of the dreadful weather and the various vapors filling the room, visibility remained poor.
And amid those mingled scents, Harry was startled to catch that floral fragrance he liked so much again.
His gaze swept back and forth around the room as he searched. Then, in the blink of an eye, he spotted Draco Malfoy at his usual seat, a trace of hesitation showing in his cold eyes.
Before Harry could figure out what Malfoy's strange look meant—
"Ah-ha, our most important 'guest' has finally arrived!"
Professor Slughorn's voice drifted through the vapor, instantly drawing everyone's attention to him.
Harry froze on the spot, somewhat at a loss, while Ron and Hermione "shamelessly" moved several steps away from him and quickly found seats.
"Come, Harry, sit here. There's an empty seat—"
Slughorn cheerfully beckoned Harry over, then pointed at the seats beside several cauldrons placed closest to the podium.
A few soft chuckles arose from the Slytherin side. They were delighted to see that even with a different professor, Harry was still receiving special attention.
Harry could only force himself to walk over and sit alone in that seat beneath Professor Slughorn's smiling gaze.
"Right, I think