Harry's Fiery Little Temper

The first-years from both Gryffindor and Slytherin looked astonished. Malfoy's reaction was the most exaggerated of all: his mouth hung so wide open that Harry suspected he could fit a fist inside.

Harry and Hermione were not the only ones who had read their textbooks ahead of time. The little snakes of Slytherin, in particular, made a point of preparing for their own Head of House's class.

But something that clearly was not even in the textbook had actually been answered by a Gryffindor. They could hardly help being surprised.

"Then..." Seeming to hesitate briefly, Snape spoke again. "One final question, Mr. Potter. What is the recipe for Polyjuice Potion?"

At that moment, Harry became absolutely certain that Snape was deliberately picking on him.

Polyjuice Potion would never appear in a textbook. That did not just mean a first-year textbook; it was something students would never encounter throughout their school years. This potion could change a person's appearance, and it was classified as a forbidden potion.

Granted, it belonged to the lowest tier of forbidden potions, and even brewing it would not incur any punishment from the Ministry of Magic. Using it to commit fraud, however, was expressly prohibited under Ministry of Magic law and could result in fines and imprisonment.

As luck would have it, Harry had happened to hear about this potion from the Weasley family's twins. Just last night, he had found a book called Moste Potente Potions in the library and discovered the recipe inside.

It was ridiculously complicated!

Out of curiosity, Harry had made a small effort to memorize it. His memory was excellent, and he had managed to retain the recipe. Still, he was certain that even with a clear recollection of the ingredients and preparation method, succeeding once in ten attempts at brewing it himself would count as lucky.

Though he was not confident he could brew it, he did know the recipe...

"Fluxweed, which must be picked during the full moon; knotgrass..."

"Silence!" Snape's bark cut Harry off, and a distinct flash of malice crossed his face. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Mr. Potter has taken it upon himself to study forbidden potions while still a student. Now, sit down!"

Hermione: "???"

Ron: "???"

The other Gryffindor students: "???"

Every little lion in Gryffindor was stunned. If they could swear, they would surely have said, "What the fuck? That's allowed?"

Not only did answering a question earn no points, it could actually cost them points?

They had already known their Potions Class professor was a total bastard, but none of the Gryffindors had expected him to stoop this low.

The Slytherin students were visibly taken aback as well, but then they broke into a wave of stifled chuckles. Malfoy laughed the hardest, stopping just short of pounding his desk. Yet Snape remained completely indifferent to his behavior.

Harry's face darkened at once. He was getting angry.

Ever since he was little, his good grades and good looks had made him popular at school and in class. Most teachers and classmates liked him. The same had been true after he came to Hogwarts. The teachers were relatively restrained, but the young witches and wizards were often overjoyed just to exchange a few words with him.

In fact, several older girls had openly expressed their interest in Harry-in every sense of the word.

Now, faced with such unfair, downright nasty treatment from Snape, Harry's fiery little temper flared up. Instead of sitting down, he stared coldly at Snape.

"I told you to sit down, Potter." The sight of that defiant, reckless expression on Harry's face-a face that could only be called beautiful-made Snape inexplicably irritable. He looked at Harry as though he were some utterly irredeemable villain.

"Professor Snape," Harry said, his voice turning as cold as Snape's, though his cracking adolescent voice sounded rather worse. His eyes were just as icy, and he looked at Snape as though he were a heap of rubbish.

Snape frowned slightly and looked at Harry, seemingly waiting for him to continue.

Then Harry said something utterly shocking in a perfectly calm tone. "Did you forget to take your medication today?"

"Medication?" Snape froze. Although he had lived in the ordinary world as a child, he had barely interacted with Muggles since coming to Hogwarts, so the joke did not register immediately.

Snape might not have understood, but several Gryffindors in the class who had contact with ordinary people did. Hermione, for instance, was staring at Harry in horror.

Harry, however, adopted an earnest expression and tone. "Yes, the medication for that... sick head of yours!"

"Ah!" Hermione gasped, then immediately covered her mouth. Several other students reacted much the same way. In an instant, the classroom became so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.

"What did you say?" Snape's cold expression changed. Anger twisted his already unattractive face into something rather menacing. Clearly, he had never expected a student to dare say such a thing to him.

"Aren't you the Potions Class professor? You ought to be very good with potions." Harry paid no heed to Snape's vicious expression. His own face remained perfectly earnest, even as he continued his taunts:

"Or can wizarding medicine do nothing for a... sick head? In that case, I-I suggest you try a Muggle hospital instead. Have you heard of psychiatric hospitals? You'd be better off making an appointment as soon as possible."

"You-you dare insult a professor! Thirty points from Gryffindor!" Snape roared, his voice brimming with barely contained fury.