Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Give More

"October thirtieth? The second class in the afternoon is..." Harry had barely smiled before his expression tightened again.

He looked over his shoulder, glancing several more times at the staircase leading down to the dungeons before cheering with a grin, "The second class that afternoon is Potions Class! This is brilliant!"

Ron high-fived Harry. "That means he has one less chance to poison us! As long as we survive until Christmas..."

"Poison?" Chris Moen asked curiously. "Who's poisoning whom? Professor Snape?"

"Who else could it be?" Harry shrugged. Seeming to recall something, he opened his mouth and asked, "Don't tell me... he never said that to you?"

All the Ravenclaws, Wizet included, shook their heads.

"You have classes with Hufflepuff..." Ron looked rather miserable. "Doesn't that mean... only us and Slytherin might get poisoned?"

"Probably only you Gryffindors..." Michael Corner analyzed. "Would Professor Snape poison Slytherin students? That's not... absolutely impossible, is it?"

"Is this because of those Broad-Spectrum Antidote lessons?" Wizet asked. "Does Professor Snape intend to test whether your Broad-Spectrum Antidotes meet the standard?"

"Maybe that really is the reason?" Ron said, scratching his head. "But the look on Snape's face..."

Harry picked up, "It always feels like he's in a hurry, like he wants to take all of us down before the Christmas holidays."

Anthony Goldstein asked, "What if he was lying to you?"

Hope flickered in Ron and Harry's eyes. "Is that possible?"

"It is!" Anthony nodded seriously. "He could wait until you stay at school over Christmas, then start poisoning people..."

"With fewer people around, his chances of success would go up. Have you forgotten? Professor Moody mentioned a case like that in class."

"I don't want to go home for the holidays anymore..." Ron raked a hand through his hair. "I still have to