Potions Class

Jerry was surprised by what Hagrid said. He had thought Tom was just an uncommon kind of bird, but now it seemed there were questions about both Tom's origins and his species.

Then again, Jerry was used to mysteries. There were already far too many around him.

"Jerry, if you don't mind, I could write to Professor Newt Scamander. He's sure to know!"

Hermione grew excited at Hagrid's words. "Oh my goodness, Hagrid, do you mean Professor Newt Scamander, the expert on magical creatures?"

Harry, Ron, and the others looked puzzled by her excitement. Ron asked, "Is he famous?"

Hermione glared at him. "Could you at least look at your first-year textbooks? If you had, you wouldn't ask such a stupid question. Professor Newt Scamander wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Harry, Ron, and Neville: "..."

"Thank you so much, Hagrid," Jerry said. "Should I take a photo of Tom for you to send with the letter to Professor Newt Scamander?"

Hagrid waved a hand. "No need to go to all that trouble, Jerry. I'll describe Tom in the letter. Scamander's sure to know. Trust me, Jerry, he might even come to Hogwarts to find you."

"Squawk!" Tom broke free of Hagrid's hands, pecked him a few times, flapped his wings, and settled back on Jerry's shoulder.

Jerry tapped Tom on the head. "Damn it, Tom, you've gotten fat again. My shoulder can barely take your weight."

By evening, they had said goodbye to Hagrid and returned to Hogwarts. This time, Jerry didn't hand Tom over to Hermione. He had decided to put Tom on a diet, so he took him back to his dormitory. It was Tom's first time there, but judging by the way he flew about, he seemed to be settling in.

Friday arrived. For both Jerry and Harry, it was a "dangerous" day: they had Potions Class that morning.

The bad news was that Snape taught Potions Class. The good news was that Harry Potter would be there too.

After getting up and washing, Jerry brought Tom to the dining hall. He took the breakfast Hermione handed him and began to eat.

Hermione checked the time and urged him on. "Hurry up, Jerry. We have Snape this morning. We can't be late!"

Jerry nodded, but one look at the oatmeal in his bowl killed his appetite. After a couple of bites, he took Hermione to the classroom.

Potions Class was held in an underground classroom. The walls were lined with animal specimens preserved in solution, and a huge cabinet nearby held all sorts of ingredients students might need to brew potions.

At the front of the classroom, a blackboard listed the ingredients and detailed steps needed to prepare the potion.

The room, however, was nothing like the warm, comfortable main building of the Castle. A faint chill hung in the air, making it feel colder than the Castle above. In winter, the cold bit to the bone, and every breath formed a cloud of white mist.

The two jogged into the classroom. Jerry looked around. Snape hadn't arrived yet, but Harry, Ron, and Neville were already seated. Jerry glanced at their choice of seats and nodded. Right under Snape's nose. Excellent.

Rather than join Harry, Jerry led Hermione to an out-of-the-way corner and sat down, hoping to draw as little attention as possible.

Hermione was puzzled. Jerry had told them Snape wouldn't hurt students and had offered a whole string of dubious reasons. So why was he acting like this in Snape's class?

"Jerry, why are we sitting here? There are two empty seats beside Harry."

"Trust me, Hermione. You'll understand once class starts."

Hermione had her doubts, but she sat down anyway. As far as she could remember, Jerry had always been right about everything.

They had barely talked for a few minutes when Snape strode into the classroom, the sleeves of his black wizard's robe billowing with each step.

From the front of the room, Snape swept his sharp, penetrating gaze over the students. It felt as though he could see straight into their minds. The classroom fell silent.

"Roll call." Like the other professors, Snape took out the attendance list as soon as class began.

He stopped when he reached Harry. "Harry Potter. They say you defeated You-Know-Who. You're quite famous at Hogwarts now. I wonder whether your abilities live up to your reputation."

The Slytherin students covered their mouths and snickered.

Harry looked toward the Slytherins beside him and regretted sitting so close to the front. Now he understood why Jerry and Hermione had chosen an inconspicuous spot at the back.

Snape ignored the snickering and continued calling names.

"Jerry Green! Where are you?"

"I'm here, Professor." Jerry was certain Snape was doing it on purpose. The room was tiny. There was no way Snape had been inside this long without seeing him.

Snape continued in the same mocking tone. "If it isn't Slytherin's notorious Jerry Green. Why are you sitting in a little corner?"

"I like it here, Professor."

"Is that so? It seems Jerry Green only dares to hide in a corner!"

The Slytherin students wanted to laugh as they had before, but Jerry's reputation kept them quiet. Jerry wasn't Harry.

They had no desire to offend Jerry and end up lying naked and badly injured in the common room the next day. It would be too humiliating.

Snape looked at the Slytherins, who didn't dare make a sound, and grew irritated. Useless fools.

Hermione bristled at Snape's words. How could a professor talk about his own student like that? She was about to raise her hand and stand up for Jerry when he caught hold of her.

"Hermione, don't. Snape just has a nasty tongue. Pretend he's passing wind."

"I—I know. Could you let go of me first?" To stop her, Jerry had practically wrapped his arms around her.

When he realized how they were sitting, Jerry quickly let her go. An awkward silence settled between them.

"Sorry, Hermione. I panicked just now. Are you all right?" Jerry asked, embarrassed.

Hermione's face was bright red. She lowered her head, flipped through her book, and avoided his eyes.