A Blessing in Disguise? The Vanishing Cabinet Found by Malfoy

"Excellent, Harry..."

In Potions Class after Halloween, Slughorn looked at the cauldron in front of Harry, a flicker of pleasant surprise appearing on his face.

"The color is perfect, and the aroma is flawless. I dare say that even someone as temperamental as a dragon would calm down after taking three drops of the Draught of Peace you brewed."

"Thank you for the praise, sir." Unable to hide his excitement, Harry asked, "So, did I pass?"

"Pass? Are you joking?" Slughorn said theatrically. "This is a perfect potion, without a doubt. Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Harry was so excited he nearly jumped up. This was the first time in six years that he had earned points in Potions Class, and for a moment, Slughorn seemed much more agreeable to him.

"I knew it. You must have inherited your mother's outstanding talent for potions. Severus simply failed to bring it out in you," Slughorn said with a smile. "Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing how you perform next class."

Harry nodded emphatically.

Beside him, Hermione gave a cold snort through her nose.

Her potion was finished too, though its color was slightly paler than Harry's.

Ordinarily, that would not have been much of a problem, but with his potion there for comparison, that tiny flaw had been magnified beyond measure.

Slughorn glanced at her cauldron without offering any assessment. After merely saying it was good, he walked away.

That only made Hermione angrier.

"You're cheating!" Hermione said stiffly after class. "You shouldn't keep using that notebook."

"It's only a notebook. How can that count as cheating...?" Harry argued. "Besides, the results prove that the instructions in it are completely correct."

"But you didn't do it independently."

"But you read the textbook too. What's the difference?" Ron spoke