Anyway, at a time like this, there was certainly nothing wrong with meekly admitting he was wrong.
If he refused to admit it, given Miss Malfoy's headstrong nature...
Harry felt he could forget about Potions class and spend the whole time arguing with Malfoy instead.
Better not argue with Malfoy. There's no point, and it might cause more trouble...
Hogwarts had already seen enough trouble as it was!
He had been sorted into Ravenclaw. This was no longer the plot he had once known.
Harry was now a little unsure whether there would be any changes to the Quidditch team, or whether Dumbledore would still like him as he had in the original story.
That being the case, he had even more reason not to offend Malfoy.
No matter what, she would be a fallback for him...
"Hmph~"
Miss Malfoy raised her chin, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
In an excellent mood, she led Harry straight into the classroom and put her bag down right in the middle of the front row.
"No problem sitting here, right?"
"Anywhere's fine. I don't mind."
Harry had no objections. It was just a class, after all, and there were fewer than forty people in the room. What difference did it make where he sat?
He gave sporadic replies to Malfoy as she spoke.
Meanwhile, Harry took out all the textbooks and other materials required for Potions class and arranged them neatly on the desk...
Textbooks at the bottom, parchment neatly placed on top, quill and ink in front of him. Everything had to be arranged neatly...
Yes, it was simply a compulsion for tidiness. Nothing else.
Watching Harry arrange things as though laying out a magical formation, Malfoy's eyes flickered.
She would arrange hers too!
Soon, as the young witches and wizards filed into the classroom one by one.
In the final minute before class began, Professor Snape finally appeared in the Potions classroom like a great bat whose footsteps made no sound.
Removing his cloak, he looked expressionlessly at every young witch and wizard in the classroom, his coolly beautiful face framed by black hair.
Yes, without any warning, Snape had practically appeared out of nowhere and begun staring at every young witch and wizard.
Faced with that dark, utterly unruffled gaze, both the Ravenclaws and the "favored" Slytherins instinctively felt a little afraid.
Although class had not officially started, the mere sight of Professor Snape made every young witch and wizard instinctively fall into fearful silence...
Seriously, never mind how attractive she was, or how exaggerated this witch's figure might be.
Just imagine a professor with such a notorious reputation sweeping you over and over with a scrutinizing gaze...
Who wouldn't be scared?
Only Harry and Draco, sitting together, remained exceptions. They were still chatting away right in front of Snape...
Draco was not afraid of Snape. After all, there was the relationship Lucius had maintained.
Harry was not afraid of Snape either, and he had even more reason to feel secure...
After all, Professor, you wouldn't want me to be like James Potter rather than Lily, would you?
Class hasn't started, anyway. What's wrong with talking? Why should I be afraid of Snape?
Those narrow black eyes swept across the entire classroom without looking at Draco or Harry, leaving the two of them to chat freely right under his nose.
As long as they did not discuss anything strange or excessive, Snape would actually leave them alone.
Professor Snape had originally been in a terrible mood today because the new term had just begun.
Because, to Professor Snape, the words "start of term" were no different from having to face hundreds of new swamp trolls.
It was difficult to imagine how these children's brains had developed. Why were they as stupid as trolls? She had clearly mentioned armadillo bile, so why could they not even make Polyjuice Potion?
Baffling. Utterly baffling.
Facing these incurably stupid fools every day without developing severe depression really is a blessing from Merlin already...
But then again.
Having seen Lily's eyes yesterday had left Snape in a less foul mood now.
And precisely because of that, the pressure this year's new students would face was relatively mild compared with that of previous years...
After all, for Snape.
Being able to see traces of that girl in this Harry Potter was already very good indeed...
"Very well. Everyone is here..."
Professor Snape surveyed the classroom without any sign of satisfaction on his face.
Of course, there was no sign of displeasure either.
That made it difficult for the young witches and wizards to judge what Professor Snape was thinking, or what exactly he intended to do.
"Also..."
Snape's emotionless black eyes finally began turning toward Harry!
After all, it's definitely time for class now. Surely that Potter isn't still talking?
If he is, I wouldn't mind teaching Potter a little lesson he deserves in class!
How strange. A child of James Potter's actually gets along with Draco?
No, what the hell does this have to do with James Potter? This is Lily's child!
By the time Snape looked at Harry, Harry had already stopped talking and offered a very polite smile at just the right moment.
That face with its rosy lips and white teeth, those emerald-green eyes...
She remembered that when Lily had been at school, she had also liked to arrange her textbooks neatly on her desk, rather than pile everything into a mess like James Potter...
Parchment on top of the textbooks, with quill and ink always in front of her...
Yes, that was exactly how Lily used to arrange things!
And those glasses. Sigh...
Potter's life seems even worse than Lily's was. At least Lily wouldn't have let the glasses she wore get so battered, although Lily didn't wear glasses...
Poor thing. Lily is dead, and there's no one to look after him...
Looking at Harry's well-behaved manner, his tidy desk, and those emerald-green eyes so like Lily's.
Snape's earlier desire to give Harry a hard time for talking to Draco vanished all at once.
In fact, a trace of pity now rose in Professor Snape's heart.
She really did feel a little sorry for Potter. Such a well-behaved child, so like Lily...
The "Potter" that had already risen and lodged in his throat was forcibly swallowed back down by Snape.
In its place came some "special attention" from Snape for every young witch and wizard in the class...
Yes, I won't give Potter a hard time. He's so pitiful. I'll give you lot a hard time instead!
Before you continue