Snape's Bias

Once the storage cabinet was opened, everyone immediately crowded in as usual.

But then Snape suddenly noticed that some of them were hopping across with their legs taut, as if they were just playing around.

"Mr. Baggins... such foolish things are not allowed in my classroom!"

Snape, with a cold expression, called out to Ryan, who was stuck at the very edge but still trying to squeeze in.

"Don't tell me you're a fifth-grader and can't even break a Leg-Locker Curse... If that's the case, I suggest you go home right now; it'd be better for both you and Hogwarts..."

Without waiting for Ryan's reply, he waved his wand at him.

But the next second, Snape froze, because Ryan's legs were still stuck together tightly.

At first, Snape thought Ryan was faking it, until he went over and pulled him himself, and realized that his dispelling spell had indeed failed.

"What kind of tricks are you playing!" Snape's face darkened further, and he raised his wand again.

An orange light emerged from the tip of his staff, and this time Ryan's legs were finally separated.

"Hufflepuff, deduct ten points." He said coldly, "If I see you do that stupid thing again, deduct fifty points..."

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I didn't mean for this to happen," Ryan said. "Professor Moody did this in class to test our Shield Charm ..."

"Alastor Moody?" Snape's expression stiffened. "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"You didn't even give me a chance to speak," Ryan muttered under his breath. "But thank you for untying me, Professor Snape, otherwise I would have been jumping around like this all day."

Ryan was quite pleased. Snape and Kyle were not the same... They were both professors, and since Snape had broken the curse on him, Professor Moody probably couldn't say anything.

hey-hey.

Ryan stretched his slightly sore legs, then turned and squeezed his way toward the storage cabinet.

Snape stood there, his face alternating between red and white. He and Moody had never gotten along, and now he had broken Moody's spell... That neurotic old man would probably think he was provoking him.

Snape watched How About It's retreating figure, hesitating whether to relock his legs... but then he realized he didn't seem to know that special Leg-Locker Curse.

"Damn it!" Snape cursed inwardly. He should have asked more questions earlier!

What's even more troublesome is that, after Ryan's experience, the other bouncing students also gathered around, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Go back and prepare your Potions... Now, immediately!" Snape roared. "Before class ends, I'll randomly pick someone and have them drink their own Draught of Peace. If anyone gets the steps wrong... heh heh, I promise I'll arrange the most comfortable bed for them in the Hospital Wing."

With a sudden drop in air pressure, the students gathered there immediately scattered, silently grumbling that Snape was biased, only lifting the curse for Ryan and ignoring the others.

On the other side of the classroom, Kyle watched Snape's constantly changing expressions, his shoulders shrugging, until Kanna nudged him, at which point he stopped smiling.

"Ahem, I just found Ryan's inability to get a word in edgewise funny, that's why I laughed," Kyle explained. "It had nothing to do with Professor Snape... really!"

Whether Kanna believed it or not was unclear, but Kyle did, finding his excuse quite plausible.

After the little incident, it was time to prepare the Potions.

As a key potion that appears multiple times in Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations, the Draught of Peace is arguably the most difficult and time-consuming one in the fifth year.

The size and quantity of the ingredients, the order and number of stirrings, and even the temperature of the flame when boiling are all subject to strict requirements, and there can be no mistakes whatsoever.

For over an hour, not a single voice rang out in the classroom; everyone was intently watching the crucible in front of them.

"Your potion should be emitting a silvery-white vapor by now," Snape said with less than ten minutes left before class ended.

Then he started wandering around the classroom.

"Kurt, can you tell me what this is?"

"Bodean, if I were you, I'd read the third line of the instructions again..."

"Stir clockwise three times, not seven times..."

Snape, with a mocking expression, pointed out everyone's mistakes without hesitation... except for three people.

As he passed Kyle and Kanna's table, he said nothing, walked straight over, and stopped in front of Mikel's crucible.

If he couldn't find anything wrong with Kyle and Kanna's Potions, then Mikel was someone whose problems he couldn't figure out either.

The silvery steam was no problem at all, but the grayish-brown stuff in the crucible, which looked like a melted Quaffle, was something he had never heard of before.

However, Snape was already used to it. He didn't even mock Mikel, but calmly said, "You... never mind, five points deducted from Hufflepuff!"

In the last few minutes before class ended, after Snape finished assigning homework, Kyle poured the potion from the crucible into a bottle and put the cork on it.

Mikel was doing the same thing, but instead of lying down, he was scraping inside with a small slicing knife.

Kyle was genuinely worried about him getting it on his hands, since no one could say for sure what the unknown Potions might do.

Fortunately, Mikel was quite experienced in this area, and not a single drop of the Potions in the cauldron spilled.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

Everyone left the classroom happily, preparing for the upcoming weekend, which was also the first Hogsmeade Week for fifth graders.

When they arrived at the Entrance Hall, they found themselves unable to move any further, as a large crowd had gathered around the notice board next to the Marble Staircase.

"It's just going to Hogsmeade, is there really such a big deal?" Kanna asked, puzzled. "I've never seen so many people here before."

"No, it's not Hogsmeade..."

Using his height advantage, Kyle peered over the heads of the people in front of him and saw the large notice on the bulletin board, then read it aloud to Kanna.

[Triwizard Tournament]

Representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive at 6 p. m. on October 30th. Afternoon classes will end half an hour early. Please gather in front of the castle to greet our guests and then attend the welcome banquet.

"The Triwizard Tournament!" Kanna exclaimed, suddenly realizing, "I almost forgot about that..."

"Kyle, Kanna... I was just saying I was going to come find you."

Cedric pushed his way through the crowd, his eyes shining, and said, "One more week, I can't wait! I really hope I can become Champion..."

"Good idea." At that moment, Fred and George appeared out of nowhere.

"But you might be disappointed..." Fred shook his finger.

George laughed and said, "The Champion are definitely mine! You guys just wait and cheer from the stands!"

"No, it should be me!" Fred frowned.

"You still have a long way to go..."

"Ha, what utterly shameless..."

It's amazing how Kyle and Cedric haven't even said a word yet, but they've already started arguing, and it's getting more and more heated, almost like they're about to have a duel.

Everyone around turned to look, seemingly waiting to see a good show.

Kyle silently turned around, pretending not to know them, and walked quickly toward the Great Hall with Kanna.