Kyle hadn't expected Kanna to be surprisingly good at Potions.
Whether she was brewing the nettle solution or grinding snake fangs, she handled every step in an orderly fashion. He couldn't even help with anything, so he could only sit there bored, staring blankly at the cauldron.
Compared to the little wizards around them, who were all rushing about in a panic, Kyle looked as if he'd come here on vacation.
The main reason was that there really wasn't much to help with. Potions wasn't like other classes; there wasn't much hands-on work. Most of the time, they were just waiting for the potion to brew.
It was like making soup: ten minutes to prepare the ingredients, then two hours to simmer.
Of course, that was only if you got the steps right. Otherwise, even making a standard nettle infusion could keep some people busy for half the class.
Like the two Slytherin first-years at the station to their left. So far, they'd already gone to the storage cupboard for nettles seven times.
As a result, whenever Snape looked at them, his expression turned exceptionally grim. It was hard to tell whether he was upset about the nettles or angry that his House had produced two students with the intelligence of Trolls.
Kyle glanced to the left and saw one of the little snakes stand up again.
Great... eight times.
"Flada, Walker, I hope you'll try using those meager brains of yours." Snape had finally lost patience. He fixed them with a cold stare and said, "If you can't brew a standard yellow-green solution this time, I'll shove your heads into the cauldron!"
The two Slytherin first-years were terrified, especially the unlucky one sent to fetch the nettles. The way he walked made it look as if he were on his way to the gallows.
Snape glared at them, swept his robes around, and strode over to two other little wizards.
"What is this you're boiling, licorice syrup? Pour it out and start again!"
"It isn't yellow enough. Pour it out and start again!"
"Pour it out!"
Snape flitted from one corner of the classroom to another like a bat, and everywhere he went, cries of dismay followed.
Listening to the repeated orders to "pour it out and start again," everyone began to grow tense, their hands moving even more carefully.
But none of it affected Kyle. He watched the cauldron closely and, the moment the solution shifted from yellow-green to pale yellow, turned the flame down to its lowest setting.
At the same time, Kanna immediately added the ground snake-fang powder.
That step went perfectly. A moment later, an unpleasant, sweet-and-fishy smell drifted from the cauldron.
"Perfect." Kyle nodded and turned the flame up again.
After that came another long wait.
Kyle looked at Kanna and asked curiously, "Did you brew Potions before you started school?"
"No." Kanna blinked, then shook her head. "Why?"
"You have a real knack for Potions," Kyle said with a sigh. "For most first-years, their first experience with Potions is a disaster. Sometimes even the cauldrons explode."
"How could that be?" Kanna clearly didn't believe him.
Kyle didn't explain. He just gestured for her to look around.
Kanna raised her head, doubtfully, and only then noticed that the Potions Classroom had already descended into chaos.
The little wizards were dashing between their cauldrons and the storage cupboard, covered in soot and grime. Their clothes, once neat and proper, were now a mess, and some of them even had smoke rising from their hair.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they'd been hit by a Blasting Curse.
Different-colored smoke was billowing from many of the cauldrons. It gathered near the classroom ceiling and gradually formed a strange cloud of grayish-brown gas, accompanied by an indescribable stench.
The smell was distinctive, somewhere between rotten eggs and burning wool.
Kanna only had to smell it for two seconds before her stomach began to churn.
"How is this possible?" Kanna murmured to herself. "Potions is so simple..."
She turned her gaze toward the Slytherins. They were all Pure-bloods, and Professor Snape was their Head of House. Surely they'd be fine...
When Kanna turned her head, she saw a sight she would never forget.
The cauldron at the neighboring table had exploded!
No, it was the potion inside the cauldron that had exploded.
For some reason, the potion, which had been liquid, suddenly began bubbling furiously and swelling rapidly. In almost the blink of an eye, it filled the entire cauldron.
But that wasn't the end of it.
The next second, a mass of bubbles burst from the cauldron and shot straight into the classroom ceiling.
It was an incredible sight.
"Flada, Walker, you idiots!"
Snape looked ready to kill someone, but a professor's instincts took over. Instead of punishing the two culprits right away, he swiftly drew his wand and pointed it at the cauldron, which was still spewing bubbles.
"Scouring Charm!"
"Scourgify!"
Under Snape's spells, the cauldron and the bubbles were quickly cleared away.
Only after making sure no little wizard had been hurt did Snape angrily stride over to the two Slytherin students.
He didn't swear at them or take points. He simply grabbed them by their collars and threw them out of the Potions Classroom.
"Go find Filch. Detention!"
As Snape's furious shout rang through the room, silence returned. Everyone kept their mouths shut, trying their best not to make a sound.
Kyle didn't have anything to do, but to avoid looking idle, he decided to prepare some of the ingredients they'd need later.
In fact, Magical Drafts and Potions didn't mention this step. But Snape had instructed them to cut a thin, straight slit into the side of the Porcupine Quills. The slugs also had to be steamed first.
He hadn't explained why. Ryan had asked out of curiosity and lost three points for it, so no one dared ask another question.
Kyle picked up the bag of ingredients and chose a Porcupine Quill that looked decent, planning to start with the easy part.
Since he wanted to kill time, Kyle cut very slowly. It took him more than ten minutes to finish a Porcupine Quill that was less than thirty centimeters long.
But his blatant slacking soon caught Snape's attention.
Snape appeared silently beside Kyle and casually picked up one of the Porcupine Quills on the table. Looking at its crooked cut, he sneered. "I distinctly remember telling you to cut a straight line. What is this, a dried-up Flobberworm?
"Or do you not understand what 'straight line' means?"
Huh?
Kyle looked up blankly at Snape, then down at the Porcupine Quill he hadn't finished cutting.
He'd only taken one, hadn't he...?
Had he lost his memory?
Or had Snape deliberately taken someone else's Porcupine Quill just to find an excuse to scold him?
That didn't seem likely. Snape could be shameless when it came to taking points, but surely he wasn't that despicable.
Besides, Kyle wasn't a Potter.
"P-Professor..."
At that moment, Kanna suddenly raised her hand with a trembling voice, sounding close to tears. "I'm the one who cut that."
Before you continue