Potions Class

Matthew woke first that morning, while Jerry and Geralt were still fast asleep.

He woke Jerry and Geralt, changed his clothes, and went to the washroom to freshen up.

When he returned to the dormitory, he saw that Jerry and Geralt had climbed back into bed.

He took out an alarm clock he had bought from a Muggle and checked the time. It was 7:50. Breakfast at Hogwarts was from eight to nine, while the first class of the morning began at nine.

He set the alarm for 8:30, put the clock down, and left the dormitory.

As he passed the Slytherin Common Room, he heard someone greet him. "Good morning, Senior Matthew."

The person greeting him was a second-year Slytherin student named Griffin Everett.

Griffin was a Half-blood Wizard. There were relatively few Half-blood Wizards in his year, so they were often bullied by the Pure-blood Supremacist Followers in Slytherin.

During the previous term, Matthew had encountered several instances of Half-blood Wizards being bullied by Pure-blood Supremacists. He was a Half-blood Wizard himself, and had chosen not to turn a blind eye or stand by. Griffin was one of the students he had helped.

Matthew said gently, "Good morning, Griffin."

Griffin spoke to him in a low voice. "Senior Matthew, I heard that during the summer, Will Crabbe told a lot of upperclassmen that you were the 'New King of Slytherin.'"

"Oh?" Matthew became interested.

He had already learned of this title from the Weasley Brothers aboard the Hogwarts Express. So it was Will Crabbe who had come up with it for him.

This Will Crabbe was one of the people who had bullied Griffin. Once, while bullying Griffin, he had gone on a tirade against Half-blood Wizards. Matthew happened to overhear him while passing by and had given him a brutal lesson.

"He probably wants the upperclassmen to deal with you, Senior Matthew." Griffin paused, then said, "You should be careful."

Matthew lightly patted Griffin on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Thanks for the information. I'll be careful."

Matthew did not pay much attention to Will's little schemes. After experiencing so many things, the grudges at school were nothing more than seasoning in his school life.

Matthew asked him with a smile, "Want to get breakfast together?"

Griffin refused with an apologetic look. "I arranged to have breakfast with my girlfriend last night."

He had deliberately waited for Matthew in the Slytherin Common Room. After talking with Matthew, he still had to go to the Ravenclaw Common Room to find his girlfriend.

Matthew's smile froze. "All right."

Matthew went to the Great Hall alone.

Kids these days mature so early. He's only in his second year and he's already dating. No wonder you can't beat Will Crabbe if you don't study properly! Matthew sighed inwardly.

By the time he reached the Great Hall, quite a few students were already there.

Matthew observed the situation at the various long tables. Many of the first-years had yet to arrive, while the Hufflepuff students had arrived the earliest.

Among the Gryffindor first-years, only Hermione had come this early. She was eating breakfast alone.

"Good morning, Matthew."

At the entrance to the Great Hall, Matthew encountered Cedric Diggory, his Hufflepuff classmate and the second-ranked student in their year last term.

"Good morning, Cedric. Didn't you come with your roommates?"

Their year's Charms Class was shared by Slytherin House and Hufflepuff House. Cedric had asked him for advice on spellcasting techniques before, so they were fairly familiar with each other.

Cedric said, "They couldn't get up, so I'm bringing them breakfast."

Matthew was envious. "Can I switch dormitories with your roommates?"

Cedric smiled. "Professor Sprout would certainly be delighted. This year's House Cup should go to Hufflepuff."

Ever since Matthew had begun studying Potions under Professor Snape, he was called on to answer questions every time they had Potions Class.

Matthew suspected that Professor Snape was deliberately creating opportunities to award points.

Matthew bade him farewell, and they went to eat at their respective House tables.

After breakfast, with time to spare, Matthew went to the library.

The library was located on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle. Inside were thousands of bookshelves containing a millennium's worth of accumulated books.

The library's administrator, Madam Pince, was already at work. Madam Pince was a thin, elderly woman who looked like a malnourished vulture.

She glanced at Matthew. Seeing that he was not a first-year, she said nothing.

Matthew greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Madam Pince."

Madam Pince merely nodded expressionlessly. She disliked people saying unnecessary things in the library.

He went to the section containing manuscripts left behind by people of the past. The shelves there were arranged by era. Matthew searched all the shelves in the section but did not find Slytherin's Manuscript.

Matthew found Madam Pince and asked, "Madam Pince, I wanted to ask you something. Does the library have a manuscript left behind by Salazar Slytherin?"

Madam Pince stared at him for a moment before saying sternly, "The materials left behind by the four Founders are all kept in the Forbidden Section. If you want to consult them, you'll need a professor's signature."

"Thank you."

He had no way to enter the Forbidden Section for now, so he planned to ask Professor Snape for a signature after Potions Class.

There was still time, so he took an interesting book from the library to pass the time.

Potions Classroom.

"Matthew, answer this." Professor Snape spoke unhurriedly. "How do you extract the liquid from Salamander Horn?"

Matthew answered quickly. "Soak the Salamander Horn in Mugwort Infusion for ten minutes, then remove it and place it in a cauldron with Feldspar Powder, crushed Scarab Beetle, and Armadillo Bile. Simmer over low heat for fifteen minutes, then filter out the residue."

Snape nodded expressionlessly. "Correct! Two points to Slytherin."

Similar scenes had already occurred three times during this Potions Class.

Professor Snape seemed somewhat unusual today. Normally, he would only call on Matthew to answer one or two questions in a single class.

Snape returned to the lectern and said slowly, "Next is the practical exercise. I hope you didn't waste your summer."

He swept his deep, hollow gaze across the students beneath the lectern. Many students lowered their heads guiltily, afraid to meet his eyes.

He continued, "This practical exercise will be done in groups of three. Matthew, hand out the Potions ingredients."

At Professor Snape's command, the Slytherin and Gryffindor students began moving around and finding teammates.

Matthew took Salamander Horn, Feldspar, Scarab Beetles, and other Potions ingredients from the cabinet in the corner of the classroom, then distributed them among the groups.

Matthew formed a group with his two roommates. Geralt was responsible for crushing the Scarab Beetles, while Jerry ground the Feldspar into powder. They looked completely relaxed because their teammate was Matthew.

The Gryffindors at the neighboring table were in a different situation, with Snape constantly patrolling their side of the room.

When Snape reached George and Fred's table, he stopped.

Snape stared expressionlessly at Fred and said slowly, "Perhaps you should clean the Bezoar out of your brain, Fred Weasley! I believe I said that the Feldspar Powder and Scarab Beetle were to be processed separately!"