Exchange Classes

Hogwarts' lunchtime, the Great Hall was filled with the tempting aroma of roast beef, broth, and fresh bread.

Students gathered in groups of three or five, especially the first-years, sharing the joys and troubles of their morning classes.

Yulian, carrying his tray, sat at a table with Edgar and Kayson. As soon as he sat down, he noticed a commotion at the next table.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Seamus were gathered around, their faces a mixture of anger, grievance, and disbelief. The marks of boils were still clearly visible on Neville's face.

Harry was stabbing at the mashed potatoes on his plate with his fork as if they were mortal enemies; Ron was gesticulating wildly as he spoke, his spittle nearly splashing Hermione across the face; and Hermione, the top student who always prioritized logic and facts, was frowning, a rare flicker of anger in her eyes.

"Hey, Yulian!" Harry was the first to spot him and waved immediately, "Come over here! You have to hear about the good deed that old bat Snape did!"

Yulian smiled and greeted his roommates before picking up his tray and walking over.

As soon as he sat down, Ron grabbed his arm like he'd found a kindred spirit, speaking so fast it was like a barrage of bullets: "Yulian, you won't believe it! That Snape, he's been targeting Harry from start to finish!"

"What happened?" Yulian put down his tray and asked in a hushed, concerned tone, glancing around to make sure the "old bat" Ron mentioned wasn't in the dining hall.

"It's about this morning's Potions class!" Hermione took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil.

"We were learning the Boil-Curing Potion today. The recipe was simple, the steps were clear, and I'd read them over several times in Beginner Potion Making. But..."

"Harry actually did very well," Neville chimed in softly, a hint of admiration in his voice, "Much better than me, I blew up my cauldron."

"Actually, it's partly my fault, I blow things up wherever I go," Seamus consoled Neville.

Yulian nodded, recalling Seamus's talent. Suddenly, a "ding" sounded in his mind, and a prompt from Murphy appeared: The Rational Application of Magic Power Explosion Talent generated.

"Yeah," Ron continued indignantly, "The old bat was just targeting Harry, saying things like 'fame can't be everything' when he called roll..."

Ron paused and took a sip of Pumpkin Juice, "Then he asked Harry some weird questions, like what you'd get if you put narcissus or something into wormwood liquid. How would you even know that?"

Hermione shot him a look, "You'd know if you'd read ahead in the textbook, but it was definitely too early. But no matter what, he shouldn't have said those sarcastic things."

"And later, when he was brewing the potion, I saw Harry follow the steps in the book exactly. Not a single mistake. But that Snape, he hovered around Harry's cauldron like a persistent bat, sniffing constantly as if smelling something foul."

Harry looked up, the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead seeming to redden slightly with his agitation. "Then he started asking questions," Harry's voice was low and suppressed, "questions about the reactions of moonstone powder and porcupine quills at different temperatures, things that weren't in the book at all. Of course, I couldn't answer."

"That was deliberate obstruction!" Ron slammed his fist on the table, making the plates clatter, "That's N.E.W.T.s level stuff beyond the curriculum! He was just looking for an excuse!"

"That was indeed excessive," the honest Neville chimed in excitedly. "Even if Harry had made a tiny mistake, he would have lost 5 points. In the end, even my mistake was blamed on Harry."

Hearing this, Yulian's eyebrows rose slightly. Snape's hostility towards Harry was far more naked and direct than he had read in his previous life. This was no longer just prejudice; it was like an ingrained hatred.

"The worst part," Hermione's voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of a few Gryffindor students nearby, "was that he kept calling Harry 'careless' and 'arrogant' throughout the entire class."

Ron's face turned red with anger, "Tell me, is there any justice in this?"

Harry lowered his head dejectedly, stirring his mashed potatoes into a paste with his fork. "I think he's disliked me from the very beginning. During the Sorting Ceremony, he kept staring at me, and my scar hurt terribly."

Seeing Harry's dejected look, Hermione's anger intensified. She had initially thought Snape was just eccentric and demanding, but now it seemed his malice towards Harry was real and premeditated.

She turned to Yulian, her eyes pleading, "Yulian, what do you think? You think he's targeting Harry too, right?"

Yulian didn't answer immediately. He chose his words carefully and said slowly, "Professor Snape... is indeed very strict. But I believe he might be targeting more than just Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry looked up at him, confused.

"Exactly, he's always picking on us Gryffindors," Padma Patil, one of the Patil twins sitting not far away, also spoke up, "Lavender and I just had the potion color in our cauldron slightly too dark, and he called us 'talentless trash.' But on the Slytherin side, Malfoy's potion was clearly bubbling with suspicious green bubbles, yet he just nodded and said, 'Not bad, Malfoy.'"

Lavender Brown agreed, "Yulian is right! He's biased! He only sees Slytherin students and nitpicks everything we Gryffindors do, especially Harry!"

Yulian nodded and continued his feigned analysis, "Perhaps the questions he asked Harry weren't to test his knowledge, but to prove Harry is 'all hype.' He wants to tear down the 'Savior' halo in front of everyone."

Harry's face turned even paler upon hearing this. He had never considered it from this angle. So Snape's goal was to humiliate him in front of everyone.

Hermione's expression also became solemn. She had always believed that as long as she was excellent enough, she could earn the professors' approval.

But Snape's actions told her that in the face of prejudice, facts and effort were futile. "So what should we do? Just let it go?" she asked helplessly, a hint of confusion in her voice for the first time.

"What can we do?" Ron sneered, "What else can we do? Avoid him! Anyway, from now on in his class, I won't say a word, so he doesn't find fault with me again."

"That's not a solution, Ron," Hermione retorted, "We can't give up learning just because of one professor's prejudice. Potions is important!"

"Then do you have a better idea?" Ron shot back impatiently.

Hermione was speechless for a moment. She had always been good at solving problems with knowledge, but facing such pure personal attacks, she felt helpless.

Yulian knew about Snape's past grievances with Harry's father, James Potter, and understood Snape's complex feelings for Lily. But revealing this truth now would only cause Harry more pain and confusion.

"This is no longer something we students can resolve, perhaps," Yulian slowly cut a piece of roast beef, his tone relaxed, "I think you should express your feelings to your Head of House, Professor McGonagall, or even Headmaster Dumbledore. I believe every Gryffindor here would be willing to testify for Harry."

Hermione's eyes lit up, realizing she had been complaining like a primary school student. "I'm already in big school!!" She should use adult methods.

"Okay, I'll write a letter demanding Professor Snape improve his teaching attitude and treat every student fairly and justly! You'll all sign it, right?"

"I will!" Ron was the first to jump up.

"I'm willing too!"

Seeing Hermione embark on her first step towards becoming Minister for Magic, Yulian quietly returned to his own table, his mission accomplished.