After all of his first day's classes had ended, Harry followed Professor McGonagall's message from the headmaster and dutifully went to Filch's office to serve his detention.
He even made a trip back to the Ravenclaw boys' dormitory beforehand and packed up all his belongings under the astonished gazes of a few unimportant roommates!
After spending a day around them, Harry felt he wasn't suited to living with Ravenclaw's new students... No, to be precise, he simply didn't want to live with any students at all!
These children, whether they had already begun or were about to begin their magical education, had very different ways of thinking from Harry. Apart from Hermione, it was hard for him to find common ground with anyone else, and there was no need to keep forcing himself to fit in with them.
Instead, Harry thought that until he found a chance to drop out, he could do something more meaningful.
For instance, he could restore Mrs. Norris to a healthy weight through sensible feeding, ease Filch's mania and hostility toward students through counseling, and use (physical) reason to make Peeves stop picking on him~
As for Professor McGonagall going to see Dumbledore, that had gone exactly as Harry expected: nowhere at all.
Dumbledore already knew Harry was an Obscurial, so Professor McGonagall had made the trip for nothing. Her concern that other students might find out Harry was an Obscurial had turned out to be pointless, too.
A power as distinctive as an Obscurus was bound to be exposed sooner or later, so Harry had never intended to hide it in the first place.
As for Scamander, the day after meeting Harry at Highgrove House, he had already sold him out.
"Albus's thoughts are never simple. When he finds out you have an Obscurus and that I kept it from him, he'll definitely suspect there's something between us~"
Scamander had said that, and Harry had agreed wholeheartedly.
Time slipped by amid classes, arguments, and cat care. In the blink of an eye, Harry had been at Hogwarts for almost a week.
Unfortunately, over those days, he had grown no more attached to Hogwarts, aside from a handful of people like Hagrid and Professor Flitwick.
Likewise, once the novelty of the "Boy Who Lived with a new name" had worn off, all sorts of problems began to surface.
At Ravenclaw, for instance, Harry had already been branded a strange outcast.
Because of the Sorting Ceremony and a number of other things that followed, Harry wasn't popular there. Most of the students in his House didn't speak to him, and sometimes they even whispered and pointed at him behind his back.
"He's always causing trouble because he thinks being the Boy Who Lived gives him the right to do whatever he wants." "It's only because Professor Flitwick dotes on him that he can keep getting away with it." "He actually lives with someone like Filch"...
Harry had no intention of paying any attention to the malicious gossip. Besides, given his temperament, he might not have thought much of these so-called classmates anyway~
Ravenclaw's "intellectuals" weren't the studious types who "never cared about the world beyond their books," as outsiders and the Sorting Hat liked to boast. Instead, they had a clear tendency toward literary snobbery.
They were generally quick-witted, and while privately criticizing Harry for bringing shame on their House, they also resented the preferential treatment he received from Professor Flitwick. Similarly, they privately thought little of Hermione, who often liked to show off in class and helped the House win a great many points.
Even so, Harry had to admit that the students in Eagle House were tolerable.
Their thoughts stayed mostly private and didn't show too much on the surface. Gryffindor students, by contrast, were openly catty.
The two Houses shared Herbology, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. In these classes, which mostly involved identifying and memorizing things, none of the first-year Gryffindors could hold a candle to Hermione~
On top of that, Hermione had nearly been sorted into Gryffindor, which only made many of its students more resentful.
These first-year lions were angry that Harry had stolen the spotlight at the Sorting Ceremony, and they also disapproved of Hermione doing her utmost to earn points for Ravenclaw. So whenever Hermione answered a question, there were always a few louts nearby jeering and booing.
The Gryffindors had even given Hermione a nickname. They called her "Miss Know-it-all."
Heh, don't make the mistake of thinking that was a compliment. In Britain, a "know-it-all" was someone who thought they knew everything!
All in all, among the Gryffindors in his year, the only person Harry could say he thought well of was Neville, who was mild-mannered and honest. Ron, whom he'd met once, was a little better than the rest, too.
As for Slytherin, Harry didn't really have any conflicts with that House. It was only Malfoy, that big-mouthed troublemaker, who kept trying to pick fights with him~
Of course, all Malfoy dared to do now was run his mouth. After taking two beatings, he knew Harry was a force to be reckoned with, and he no longer dared to act too cocky.
On Friday afternoon, Harry finally got the class he'd been most interested in since arriving at Hogwarts: Potions.
Having worked in a similar field before, Harry was extremely curious about how potions worked. He'd been eager to see the ingredients described in his books and find out what happened when they were combined according to specific recipes.
So while the other students kept complaining that the Potions classroom in the dungeons was cold and gloomy, Harry was thinking first about how a constant low-temperature environment helped preserve certain samples, along with a whole series of related concepts that came flooding to mind.
The various animal specimens soaking in glass jars made him feel even more at home.
Mmm... He wondered if Potions involved any cutting up of ingredients. He hadn't wielded a knife in years, and his hands were starting to itch~
As an aside, Hufflepuff was the other House taking Potions with Ravenclaw. It was the only class the two Houses currently shared.
For Harry, having class with Hufflepuff was the most peaceful classroom experience he'd had so far.
Hufflepuff students were generally down-to-earth and unassuming, and liked to be kind to others. They weren't exactly warm toward Harry, but they certainly weren't unfriendly, either.
Hufflepuff was the kindest House, and compared with the other three, that reputation was well deserved.
The students were nice enough, but the teacher for this class was a bit difficult to deal with.
"Potter... no, Granger, are you using that obviously substandard cauldron just to show off?"
The gaunt professor with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and clothes that made him look like a bat was currently scrutinizing Harry with a gloomy gaze. His name was Severus Snape.
"Professor Snape, the cauldron Harry and I are using is..."
"Miss Granger, I wasn't asking you." Snape's voice was as cold as the Potions classroom, cutting Hermione off completely.
"Harry Evans P. Granger, our new... person of great renown."
Snape stared at Harry with hollow, dark eyes. When he reached Harry's middle name, his hand trembled almost imperceptibly, and his otherwise smooth delivery faltered for a moment.
"Because the other professors indulge you, you have been given all sorts of privileges at this school, and now you think you can ignore the rules and do as you please... Granger, perhaps you think it makes you look cool, but I must tell you that preparing potions is nothing like those classes you take, where you can pass easily by stupidly waving your wand!"
(P.S. Hermione's nickname, "know-it-all," first appeared in Chapter 47 of Chamber of Secrets. Snape called her "an insufferable know-it-all," while the other students had "all called Hermione a know-it-all at least once," and Ron did so "at least twice a week." In some other translations, the other students' attitude toward Hermione was even rendered as "everyone had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once." As you can see, "know-it-all" is definitely an insulting nickname.)
Snape Needs a Lesson, Too
Although he hated Harry's face, after learning his full name, Snape hadn't wanted to give Harry a hard time.
The Potions class had started off smoothly, too. Snape hadn't put on airs, and had gotten straight to the point: preparing potions.
But when Harry and Hermione both took out experimental equipment that Snape considered entirely inappropriate, his expression immediately darkened.
Just like that other fellow, he was a bastard who always liked to show off...
"Professor Snape... I think I really need to discuss with you the purpose of the equipment in front of me, as well as some details of how to prepare today's potion."
Facing Snape's intimidation, Harry slowly stood up and confronted him without a trace of fear.
Snape was clearly looking for trouble, so Harry had no reason to be polite to him. Besides, the issue now involved Harry's former field of expertise. There was no way he would back down even an inch!
And now, it was time for Science Lesson, Part Two!!
"First, the scales sold at Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment have a sensitivity of, at best, barely under one tenth of a gram. But the Mechanical Analytical Balance Hermione and I are using has a sensitivity of one thousandth of a gram, and can measure mass accurately to 0.001 g! So in the matter of weighing ingredients alone, we're already a hundred times more precise than everyone else!"
"Mm..." The corner of Snape's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Second, the potion you've instructed us to brew is for treating boils. A boil is an acute suppurative inflammation of a hair follicle and the surrounding tissue. Using slugs—or, to be precise, gastropods—can indeed treat it very effectively. The method you taught us is to boil the slugs in water. In effect, this is meant to prevent changes to the animal proteins in their bodily fluids from affecting the potion's medicinal properties."
"But boiling them for too long could also diminish the slugs' medicinal properties. A better method would be to wash them repeatedly, dry them slowly in an Evaporating Dish, then grind them into a powder together with snake fangs. That would preserve the full medicinal effect as much as possible!"
"Finally, let's talk about the cauldron you care about most." Harry paused, giving Snape, whose face was growing increasingly blank, a moment to digest it all before continuing. "The Pewter Cauldron required of first-years can indeed ensure safety by sacrificing brewing speed. But it's made of pewter alloy, which isn't particularly corrosion-resistant. That's why you keep emphasizing that the last ingredient—Porcupine Quills—must only be added after the cauldron has been taken off the heat!"
"Porcupine Quills and the potion being brewed are both acidic. Once dissolved, they'll mix with the potion to form an extraordinarily corrosive mixed acid. If that acid reacts rapidly at high temperatures, it could easily burn straight through the bottom of a Pewter Cauldron!!"
Crash!
As soon as Harry finished speaking, a cloud of sickly green smoke suddenly rose from one corner of the classroom, accompanied by a scream.
It was Anthony Goldstein from Eagle House. For some reason, a large hole had suddenly appeared in the cauldron in front of him!
A thick puddle of potion spilled out. The entire classroom was immediately filled with a pungent smell, and red, swollen boils were beginning to spread across Goldstein's legs and feet.
"Looks like we've already got an unlucky fool who tried to take a shortcut and failed~" Harry raised his eyebrows with a smile.
"Idiot!"
Snape glowered and waved his wand, sweeping the spilled potion off the floor. He didn't even bother with Goldstein, who was groaning nearby.
"Professor Snape, although the accident just now happened because Goldstein tried to be clever and handled things carelessly, the real cause was the limitations of the Pewter Cauldron's material."
As he spoke, Harry lifted the lid of his cauldron and threw in all the Porcupine Quills he had prepared earlier!
"But the Graphite Cauldron Hermione and I are using is made from natural flake graphite. It has excellent corrosion resistance and can withstand temperatures above three thousand degrees! Brewing potions in it allows you to skip the step of taking it off the heat, without any risk at all!!"
Snape looked down at the cauldron in front of him. Just as Harry had said, the pale green liquid was boiling and bubbling inside the Graphite Cauldron, but its inner walls showed no sign of damage!
And because the heat hadn't been interrupted during brewing, the potion had been brought to the perfect consistency.
At that moment, the pale blue potion was taking shape in Harry's cauldron at remarkable speed!
Once the ingredients had finally brewed into a transparent, pale blue liquid, Snape couldn't help giving a slight nod.
He knew Harry had successfully brewed the potion, and done a better job than many older students!
"That idiot over there should be grateful Granger managed to brew the potion!" Snape turned and barked coldly.
He tapped Harry's potion with his wand. The liquid, which had still been bubbling slightly, quickly cooled, and a faint pink vapor, almost like an illusion, suddenly rose above it.
Harry's thoughts shifted at the sight. He felt that Snape's final touch was what distinguished a potion from an ordinary medicine!
Like ordinary medicines, potions were made by combining various ingredients according to the principles of chief, deputy, assistant, and envoy. But magic was infused into them, giving them special properties ordinary medicines didn't have.
"Give the potion Granger brewed to that idiot. With injuries like his, there's no need to take him to the hospital!"
At Snape's order, two of Goldstein's roommates hurried over and carefully poured some of the potion into a glass bottle after getting Harry's permission.
It worked very well. Goldstein had barely finished drinking a bottle of boil cure when the widespread red swelling on his body began to fade.
"For Mr. Granger's impressive performance, Ravenclaw will be awarded five points!" Snape announced Harry's reward in a gloomy voice, though his eyes remained confrontational. "Mr. Granger, you must feel quite pleased... openly defying a professor in front of everyone and showing off your talent in such a vulgar way?"
"Quite the opposite!" Harry shook his head dismissively. "I thought Potions would be a life science that brought together countless fields of knowledge and encouraged exploration! But so far in this class, all I've seen is a biased professor and an inflexible attitude that clings to old ways and refuses to accept anything new!"
"Granger... do you know what you're saying?" Snape's black pupils contracted to pinpricks.
"Of course I do, because I'm talking about you, Professor Snape!" Harry retorted without the slightest politeness.
He was sure Snape couldn't do anything to him, and since the matter involved his field of expertise, Harry wasn't about to let his confidence falter!
"You say I'm showing off my talent, but I have to say, what I just demonstrated wasn't talent at all. It was... science!!"
(P.S. The parts about slugs and cauldrons are at least somewhat based on science. As for the Porcupine Quills, that was just Sanmiao's deduction from the original text. Don't take it too seriously~)
The Regret of an Absence Could Not Be Conveyed
Science... what a load of rubbish!
Snape nearly had his nose twisted with rage by Harry's retort. In his eyes, Harry was simply showing off his talent on purpose!
Did he think he could bluff Snape just by rattling off a bunch of nonsense about "sensitivity" and "protein denaturation"?
Don't make me laugh!
The only reason he could act so cocky in class was that he'd inherited Lily's talent for Potions, wasn't it?!
Lily...
The name of someone he'd lost suddenly came to mind, and a certain place in Snape's heart softened without him realizing it.
At the same time, his gaze toward Harry gradually softened as well.
He had to admit, aside from those lovable eyes, the boy's name did have a few redeeming qualities.
It had the pleasing "Evans," while all that was left of the detestable Potter was a P!
He almost wanted to award Ravenclaw a hundred points~
"Excellent, Mr. Granger... very good~" Snape circled in front of Harry like a bat. "It seems our Mr. Granger really does know a great deal about Potions. He's already become so overconfident that he doesn't even respect his professor! So... the contents of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi must be too easy for you by now. Could you tell me where I should look if I wanted you to find a Bezoar?"
Although Snape had seen the tiniest glimmer of something "good" in Harry, he wasn't going to let him off easily for that.
That little bastard had definitely inherited Potter's personality. He'd dared to defy a professor in his very first class just because he had a little cleverness. If he wasn't strictly disciplined, who knew what he'd get up to later?
"Sigh... I'd look in a goat's stomach, all right?" Harry answered with a sigh.
Tch, he made such a grand show of it, but in the end he couldn't save face, so he threw out a question to trip Harry up?
Harry wasn't fazed in the slightest. He'd memorized the whole book on the third day after getting it, and had even made a series of corrections and annotations~
Before you continue