Professor Snape's gaze

Gerald soon recovered from his worries.

He felt he had been a little too nervous. After all, he looked like an ordinary boy in his teens.

Eating came first.

Gerald ate while leafing through One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.

Halfway through breakfast, he discovered that the spirit herbs he had picked yesterday were either entirely absent from the book or only vaguely described.

Although the wizarding world's system of herbology was well developed, its understanding of spirit herbs was clearly lacking.

He closed the book, stuffed the last piece of fried egg into his mouth, and stood up to head to the Potions classroom.

The Potions classroom was in the castle's dungeons, all the way down the Marble Staircase to the lowest level.

A few dim torches hung on the stone walls, their light dancing across the smooth surfaces. The whole classroom looked like the ancient tomb in The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Quite a few Ravenclaw students were already seated inside. Vivian Carrow sat in the second row and gave him a slight nod when she saw him enter.

Gerald chose a seat against the wall in the back row and stacked One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and Magical Drafts and Potions on his desk.

The spot offered a clear view of everyone while making him less likely to attract attention.

He had liked sitting in places like this when he went to school in his previous life, too.

Snape entered as the bell rang.

His entrance was exactly as described in the original novels.

His black robes billowed, his footsteps silent, as he glided across the classroom floor like an enormous bat.

He turned in front of the lectern, glanced at the students, and began taking attendance.

"Very good. Not a single person was late for the first lesson. In my classroom, I will not permit anyone to treat the exquisite discipline of potions lightly. Simpletons who can do nothing but wave their wands about do not deserve to enter this room."

His gaze settled on the Gryffindor side for a fraction of a second.

"Many of you may not believe that the beauty of potions surpasses magic in its literal sense. I can teach you how to bottle glory, preserve fame, and even create anything you might need to make a name for yourselves."

Gerald raised an eyebrow.

Snape had begun the intimidation routine he excelled at. Questions would come next.

He remembered that, in the original novels, Snape loved making examples of first-years, especially Gryffindors.

"Before today's lesson begins, I have a few questions for you."

Snape picked up a copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi from the lectern, casually leafed through it, then closed it.

"Mr. Fred Weasley."

Just as expected.

Fred stood up with great reluctance.

"If I asked you what effect mixing infusion of wormwood with valerian root would produce, how would you answer?"

"I don't know, Professor."

Gerald wanted to whisper the answer to him, but their seats were too far apart, so he had to abandon the idea.

"I had thought you might be as studious as your brother Percy. Two points from Gryffindor for your empty head."

"Vivian Carrow, answer the question."

"Mixing infusion of wormwood with valerian root produces a mild sedative. This mixture is commonly used to ease anxiety and treat mild insomnia, but an improperly controlled dose can send the drinker into a deep sleep from which they cannot be awakened for several hours."

Snape's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Next, Gerard Green. When should porcupine quills be added?"

"After extinguishing the flame or removing the cauldron from the heat, Professor."

Snape turned, fixing his black eyes on Gerald in the back row.

Gerald met his gaze calmly.

"Then where can a bezoar be found?"

"In a goat's stomach, Professor."

"And its effects?"

"It has powerful antidotal properties and can counteract the vast majority of common poisons."

"When brewing a Draught of Living Death, how many minutes after the potion begins boiling should the valerian root be added?"

"In the seventh minute, Professor. Adding it too early weakens the potion's effects, while adding it too late destroys the active components in the valerian root, causing sediment to form."

Snape fell silent.

He stared at Gerald for several seconds, his black eyes revealing neither satisfaction nor displeasure.

The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students all looked at Gerard Green in astonishment. A hint of something complicated flickered in Vivian Carrow's eyes as well.

"This Green is incredible."

"That's our boss!" Lee Jordan lowered his head and whispered to George.

"Why aren't you writing this down?"

Snape suddenly addressed the whispering students in an icy voice.

"Sit down, Green. Next, Kenneth Towler..."

For the next five minutes, Snape launched into a frenzy of questions and deducted points just as furiously.

Gryffindor lost sixteen points, while Ravenclaw lost seven.

Watching Snape operate like a point-deducting machine, Gerald mused to himself.

Without Harry Potter here, Snape seems a little gentler about taking points. In the original novels, once he got worked up, he started at five points a time.

He had to admit that Ravenclaw had more top students than Gryffindor.

Even with Snape's tricky questions, most of them could still answer.

When he had read the original novels as a child, he had thought Hermione was very clever.

But memorizing entire textbooks took far too much time and effort to be worth recommending.

The exam-oriented approach was more efficient: memorize only the key points.

That happened to be his specialty.

Snape turned and strode back to the lectern. With a flick of his wand, a potion recipe appeared on the blackboard.

"This is the method for brewing the Cure for Boils, an introductory potion for first-years. The ingredients include dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, porcupine quills, and flobberworm mucus."

The lesson Snape delivered next surprised Gerald.

He truly deserved his reputation as a Potions master.

Though harsh and cutting, he was undeniably a highly skilled teacher.

"The key to the Cure for Boils is when you add the porcupine quills."

Snape paused, then continued.

"Most of you will add the porcupine quills before the snake fangs have dissolved completely. Then your cauldrons will melt, your potions will turn into thick green smoke, and your grades will turn into Ts."

"..."

"Now,

pair up. The ingredients are in the storage cupboard. Begin."

Gerald paired up with Lee Jordan.

Following the steps Snape had explained, Gerald crushed the dried nettles, added the powdered snake fangs, poured in the standard potion, and stirred clockwise three times.

The steps were not particularly complicated, but they demanded exceptional patience and precision from beginners.

He did not move quickly, but every step was steady.

As he stirred, he noticed something he had never considered before.

Potions and the alchemy of cultivation systems shared similarities in their underlying principles.

The potion in the cauldron slowly turned pale pink, producing fine bubbles.

Snape walked around the classroom, checking the students' progress.

His footsteps paused when he reached Gerald's desk.

Gerald felt that icy gaze settle on him, but his hands remained steady, without a trace of panic.

Snape was silent for several seconds.

"The potion is too pale. You added too little powdered snake fang, so you must reduce the quantity of porcupine quills by one-third to compensate. If you use the proportions in the book, the finished potion will be forty percent less effective."

Gerald glanced at the potion in his cauldron.

"Thank you, Professor."

Snape did not respond. He turned and walked toward the Ravenclaw side.

As Lee Jordan weighed out the porcupine quills, he whispered, "Boss, I'm counting on you for everything."

"Just sit back and relax."