"Harry, is Ginny any better?"
The next afternoon, just as Potion Class was about to begin, Hermione hurried into the classroom. After setting down her enormous book bag, she immediately asked after Miss Unicorn.
Harry looked somewhat gloomy. "Hagrid wrote that she's awake, but she still looks rather sickly... because she lost too much blood. I'm planning to visit her after class this afternoon. Do you want to come?"
"Of course!"
"Can't we give her some blood replenishment potion?"
Ron was stuffing cake into his mouth, his voice somewhat muffled.
Hermione shot him a reproachful look, though it was unclear whether it was because talking while eating was impolite or because his suggestion was rather ignorant.
"Ron!"
The witch pulled out Standard Potions from her bag and tapped it. "The main ingredient in blood replenishment potion is powdered unicorn horn! Unicorns can't consume powder made from their own horns... They rarely suffer from excessive blood loss, but when they do, they can only recover slowly through their own healing abilities... Professor Snape covered all of this in class! But now we know that she's recovering slowly because her 'Origin' was damaged..."
"Oh, Snape."
The red-haired boy silently rolled his eyes—Harry suspects he had choked on his cake, though perhaps he had been choked by the word "Snape" instead. He took a huge gulp of water, cleared his throat, then said in a strange voice, "Our only hope in Snape's classes is to survive... No one actually listens to what he says."
"Professor Snape!"
Hermione corrected his wording.
"Is there something you need?"
A greasy voice suddenly sounded behind the witch. The two young wizards in front of her went pale with fright, not knowing why the Potion Class professor had suddenly appeared beside them.
Hermione turned around.
She looked at