His black robes dragged the floor, his sharp tongue cut deep; beneath his gleaming hair, he taught Potions. No one dared fool around in class, and Gryffindor lost points like leaves in a storm.
Everyone knew he favored Slytherin and singled out Harry Potter. Cold-faced and cutting, he never smiled, yet in secret he protected others and settled old debts.
Who else could the figure at the end of the corridor be but Snape?
The Slytherin Head of House was storming toward the light. He intended to see which rule-breaking student had the nerve to wander the halls so openly at night.
Lighting up an entire corridor with Lumos in the middle of the night? Even the Weasley twins would not dare do that!
But Snape soon stopped short. "Will?"
"Professor?" Will had not expected Snape to still be awake.
That was far from his only surprise. Snape's expression was frighteningly dark. Will had often seen him look like that in class, but this was the first time Snape had ever directed that look at him.
"What exactly have you done?! How did you exhaust yourself this badly?! Behrens! Do you think you're some kind of Muggle machine?" Snape's voice was not loud, but it was cold. Will could tell he was angry—very, very angry.
Will knew he had to show Snape something concrete, or Snape might truly remain upset.
"Professor, I transformed your Water of Despair!"
Snape did not budge.
"I even reversed it into a Happiness Charm! Its effect is the complete opposite!"
Snape's expression froze. "You... what did you say?"
He knew exactly what the Water of Despair did. After all, he had been the first to try it. He would never forget that heart-rending pain.
That potion, unknown to the wider world, was a pinnacle of