Breeze Likes Points

Soon, all the young wizards had found their seats. As luck would have it, Harry Potter was pushed to the very front by his fellow Gryffindors, right next to Malfoy and his cronies. The tension was palpable even before Professor Snape arrived; it was clear that Potter held no love for Malfoy.

Strangely, however, Malfoy did not lash out. He merely looked down his nose at Potter with an arrogant air. Brie felt that this was already an act of mercy on Malfoy's part.

"Bang!"

The heavy doors behind the students swung open, and a tall man in black robes strode in with long, swift strides. In the blink of an eye, he reached the podium—a speed far faster than Brie, who was limited by his short, stubby limbs and young age, could ever hope to achieve.

"Ah... yes, hmph."

Snape laced his fingers together, slowly sweeping his gaze over the face of every young wizard in the room before letting out a hum and picking up a roll of parchment.

As he called the names, the students trembled with anxiety, the Slytherins being no exception. Finding it amusing, Brie feigned a pitiful expression as he answered, which earned him an extra glance from Snape.

However...

"Harry Potter."

Snape was immediately drawn to Harry Potter. His gaze turned sharp, boring directly into Harry's face with a complex expression. To everyone else, his face seemed even gloomier, instantly extinguishing the warmth that had built up in the classroom.

Potter...

The same eyes as Lily, Snape thought, but apart from the eyes, there is not a trace of her. He is nothing but the image of that foolish James Potter!

The prolonged silence left Potter feeling deeply uneasy. He swallowed hard and ventured, "Is something wrong, Professor?"

Hearing Potter's voice, Snape snapped back to reality. He slipped effortlessly into his signature, unsettling, oily drawl, his tone cold and hollow: "Oh, yes."

Snape's voice rose from a low murmur.

"Harry Potter, our new—celebrity."

This mockery caused Malfoy to snicker, and the other Slytherins watched intently. As for the Gryffindors, they had heard rumors of Snape's prejudice against their house, and now it seemed those rumors were true: Snape had bared his fangs at their savior, Potter!

Yet, no one dared to speak. The cold pressure Snape radiated was so intense that they didn't even dare to meet his eyes.

Snape set down the roll call and looked at the students below. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making."

"As there is no foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you

The thick smoke wafting from the cauldron sent the young wizards into a panic, but Snape moved quickly, waving his wand to clear away the large spill of potion and the cauldron on the floor, causing the smoke overhead to slowly dissipate.

Snape looked coldly at Neville's partner and said, "Take him to the hospital wing on the second floor."

Then, as if remembering something, he glared at Potter not far away and snapped, "Potter, why didn't you warn him not to add the porcupine quills? Gryffindor loses one point because of you!"

"That's so unfair!" Potter couldn't help but retort.

Snape seemed to have been waiting for exactly those words, and he added slowly, "Talking back to a professor—that's another point deducted. If you don't repent, I'll take off another ten."

Potter's lips moved, but his partner, Ron Weasley, hurriedly pulled him back, preventing any further trouble. However, between this lesson and previous ones, Potter had likely already lost seven or eight points to Snape's constant nitpicking.

This had nothing to do with Breeze, though it did add a little more to his dislike of Snape. Setting aside the rights and wrongs, Breeze felt that Snape was indeed unfair, and he disliked such people and situations, even if he had neither the right nor the obligation to stop or change them.

"Put it in, Millicent, otherwise our potion will be ruined too."

"Oh, right."

Breeze moved the cauldron off the fire, let Millicent pour in the prepared slugs, and after Breeze stirred it a few times, he saw the potion turn a translucent, bright color.

"Excellent, now we just need to pour it into the vials."

Holding the Boil-Cure Potion in his hand, he could see its crystal-clear quality through the light; Breeze was very pleased, as was Millicent beside him.

"Oh, Mr. Order, please bring the potion in your hand over for me to see."

Clearly, Breeze's conspicuous actions had caught Snape's eye. Snape was never stingy with points for his little snakes, as he was the Head of Slytherin House, and the House Cup at the end of the year was his honor—the reward for his tireless efforts teaching a group of little trolls all year long.

"Certainly, Professor Snape."

Breeze handed the potion to Snape. Snape examined it carefully; he had been observing Breeze while he was busy giving Potter a hard time, so he understood the proportion of work Breeze had put into the brewing, as well as his cleverness. But that was irrelevant; he only cared about the results.

"Very good, Mr. Order, and... Miss Bulstrode. You have produced an excellent Boil-Cure Potion, which proves that you are not trolls with nothing but ditchwater in your brains. Therefore, you deserve five points for Slytherin... Potter, where is your potion? Oh, rotting in the cauldron, very well. Two points from Gryffindor, including your partner's share."

Snape ignored Potter's glare and walked straight up to the podium.

"Now, everyone, hand in your potions, and then go back and write a five-inch essay, due to me by next Wednesday."

"Potter, what are you doing? Are you trying to insult my eyes with the rancid sludge in your cauldron? Clean up your cauldron and get out!"

Potter's face went pale, then immediately flushed red. It was his worst day yet, and Snape's follow-up remark about Gryffindor's malicious intent—costing another point—made him too ashamed to be seen. He hurriedly grabbed his cauldron and dragged Ron Weasley out of the classroom.

COVID has appeared in Guiyang these past two days; I hope it gets better soon. I stayed up late getting a throat swab last night, and today I really don't want to open the computer...