Targeting from Snape

As soon as the bell rang, Professor Baker hurried out of the classroom, leaving behind a group of first-years chattering away in discussion.

"Do you think the professor meant he's better than Mr. Lockhart?"

"Definitely! Only those who are weak need to rack their brains trying to solve problems; a powerful wizard can solve everything with a single spell!"

"But that's Lockhart, the famous adventurer!"

"That doesn't mean he's the strongest. He's certainly not stronger than Professor Dumbledore, right? Besides, Lockhart is only an honorary member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts League, while the professor is a board member—that's several ranks higher than Lockhart!"

Avada: ...

Sure enough, debating combat power is unavoidable in any world and any field.

Although there was really nothing to debate here; Lockhart was just a fame-seeking fraud. In Avada's schedule, there was already a plan to expose him once he started teaching, ensure he received the judgment he deserved, and return the honor to those he had victimized.

Furthermore, Professor Baker's strength was the real deal—in Avada's perception, the professor's vitality and mental energy were incredibly potent, on the same level as veteran powerhouses like McGonagall and Flitwick, second only to Dumbledore.

However, he didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the structure of Professor Baker's mental energy seemed somewhat strange, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"Hey, K!"

His roommate, Joel Stebbins, who was sitting next to him, poked him and asked, "What's the next class again? I forgot to bring my schedule."

Avada pulled out his schedule to check: "Potions, with Slytherin."

"Oh, how unfortunate."

Stebbins clutched his forehead and said, "I heard from the upperclassmen that the Potions professor is the Head of Slytherin. He's not only strict and harsh, but he's also incredibly biased toward his own house. It seems that ever since he started, Slytherin has won the House Cup every single year!"

Avada rolled his eyes. If even the Hufflepuffs, who didn't like gossiping behind people's backs, could evaluate Snape this way, it seemed that regardless of his personality, his teaching ability was truly abysmal.

"Relax, at least we don't have to face him as Gryffindors," Avada comforted him, then shouldered his bag and left the classroom, heading toward the Potions dungeon.

The Potions classroom was located in the dungeons of Hogwarts. It was said to have been converted from a prison cell, making it dark, damp, and much colder than anywhere else. Specimens soaked in unknown liquids were displayed on the walls, looking rather gruesome.

"Tell me, why is a place with almost no ventilation used as a Potions classroom? Aren't they worried that some student might have a slip of the hand, create a toxic gas, and wipe out everyone in the room?"

While they waited for Snape to arrive, Avada poked Baron, who was beside him, and asked in a low voice.

"Who knows."

Baron sighed helplessly: "This is actually not bad. Our common room and dorms are even worse; they're built directly under the Black Lake. That's what you call truly cold, damp, and poorly ventilated. I feel like if I live there for a semester, I'll end up with rheumatism!"

"Then perhaps you could try a Warming Potion, Mr. Shafiq. If you had managed to read through your first-year textbook even once before school started, you might have remembered it."

A low, monotonous voice rang out without warning right above Avada and Baron's heads. Both of them shivered, looked up sheepishly, and locked eyes with a pair of black orbs hidden beneath greasy hair.

"Furthermore, the Potions classroom has comprehensive safety measures, so please refrain from using your inexperienced brains to make reckless comments about things you don't understand. Ten points from Hufflepuff."

Avada's eyelid twitched: That's the flavor.

But he only took one point; it seemed Snape was still showing some restraint. If Harry had dared to discuss his classroom to his face like that, Gryffindor would probably have been decimated on the spot.

Avada and Baron were sitting in the front row, so it was only after Snape scolded them that the others in the classroom realized he had arrived, and they all sat down quietly—although it was their first class, they had more or less heard of this professor's "fame," so they were much more reserved.

"Now, roll call."

A piece of parchment appeared in Snape's hand out of nowhere. He stared at the contents, his brows furrowed so tightly that his expression looked almost ferocious—an expression none of the previous professors had ever shown.

"...K!"

He squeezed the name out through his teeth.

"Oh no!"

Avada's pupils dilated; he had just remembered that his name was the second culprit responsible for Snape losing his beloved!

He had been congratulating himself earlier for not being in Gryffindor, thinking it might make Snape a bit gentler, but he hadn't expected to be met with hell-level difficulty right away, and he might even get to experience the "Savior's" exclusive treatment.

"...Here."

He answered with trepidation.

Snape snorted through his nose, seemingly remembering that he shouldn't take his anger out on an innocent child who was a victim himself, so he composed his expression and continued reading: "Baron Shafiq!"

"Here!"

"John Macnair!"

"Here!"

After confirming everyone was present, Snape put away the roster and swept his gaze over everyone in the classroom with an oppressive intensity.

"Potions,"

He spoke softly, but in the quiet classroom, it was clear enough for everyone to hear: "is a precise and strict technical science. I know that in your previous classes, every professor has spared no effort to demonstrate the charm of their respective subjects to spark your interest..."

"But in my class, I'm afraid that most of you will fail to grasp the charm of the technique of potion-making. Since it rarely requires the use of a wand, some of you might not even believe this is magic."

"I don't expect you to truly appreciate the beauty of a simmering cauldron with its shimmering white smoke and delicate scents, nor will you truly understand the marvelous power of a liquid that flows into human veins, bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses... but I can still teach you how to increase your fame, brew glory, and even stop death..."

"But there is one condition: that you are not the kind of talentless dunderheads I so often encounter."

The unprecedented opening statement left the entire room in dead silence.

"K!" Snape suddenly called out to Avada: "You answer, what is the recipe for the Wideye Potion?"

It's over, it's starting.

Avada stood up in despair, recalling as he answered: "Fire Salamander blood, scurvy-grass, lovage..."

Then he got stuck. He had spent most of his summer vacation studying spells, Transfiguration, and the curses recorded in his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Although he had tried hard to memorize rote subjects like Potions and Herbology, his mediocre memory simply wouldn't allow him to memorize the entire book in the limited time he had.

"And powdered Fire Crab shell!"

Snape glanced at him: "You can't even answer such a basic question, sit down."

Somewhat unexpectedly, Snape did not deduct any points from him, likely out of consideration for the fact that he was not in Gryffindor.

"In this lesson, we will learn the Cure for Boils Potion. This is a very basic yet classic potion recipe, and the principles and techniques used within it run through the preparation of almost all potions."

Snape finally began to lecture in earnest, taking out a cauldron, scales, and various other instruments, as well as other bottles and jars from under the podium: "I will explain the process once, then demonstrate it myself, and then I will divide you into pairs to practice on your own."

"This potion uses porcupine quills, snake fangs, dried nettles... the proportions are... what you need to note is that when crushing the snake fangs, it is possible to... and there is the technique and order for the three boilings of the slugs; once the order is reversed, it will trigger... and if it is not cooled after the first boiling, then it will..."

Snape wrote on the blackboard quickly and methodically, while the students below took notes nervously, fearing that missing a single detail would incur his displeasure.

"...Therefore, the role of the slugs here is to regulate the conflict between the medicinal properties of the porcupine quills and the snake fangs, and according to the calculations of Beaumont's First Law, its own properties are not enough to... which is why it needs to undergo three boilings and the addition of..."

Snape finally finished explaining the production process and principles of the Cure for Boils Potion, then placed the cauldron in the center of the podium: "Now, I will demonstrate it myself."