Remedial Potions Lessons

Based on everyone's feedback, I'll adjust the names of some of the gender-swapped characters to make them a little more suitable.

Draco Malfoy will be changed to Draco Malfoy.

Ron Weasley will be changed to Ron Weasley.

Also, Severus Snape will remain unchanged.

Sirius Black will later be changed to Silis Black to better fit.

As for our older schoolmate Riddle, I'll think about it and decide later~

Peter Pettigrew isn't very easy to change. I'll give it some thought and change it when I get to that part. He won't be appearing anytime soon anyway~

Back to the story:

Apparently, the famous first-year boy who had just enrolled this year, The Chosen One-Harry Potter-had been given quite a hard time by Professor Snape in Potions class!

In the end, Professor Snape seemed to have failed to stump him.

The questions grew harder and harder, and Harry's answers grew longer and longer.

By the last question, Harry's answer seemed to have left Professor Snape speechless. Only then had the professor grudgingly awarded Harry those few points...

Of course, awarding points to Ravenclaw was clearly a major exception for Snape.

That afternoon, according to the young Gryffindors, Professor Snape had been positively explosive.

Neville had failed to answer a question and lost five points.

Ron had slept in class and lost ten points.

Hermione had lost another five points to Snape for taking a few glances at the material further ahead...

The other young Gryffindors had each made their own mistakes, too. Professor Snape had caught every one and docked them heavily.

The Hufflepuff House students beside them had all been so frightened that they huddled in their seats. Not a trace of a honey badger's ferocity remained; they had all turned into timid quails...

There was nothing for it. Whoever dared to stick their neck out at a time like this would become Snape's next outlet...

Everyone wanted to enjoy their first day of school. They really didn't want to be hauled up for a scolding and lose their house a load of points...

The terrifying Professor Snape certainly lived up to the reputation...

The older students had lied before.

How was Snape remotely as kindly as they had claimed?

Snape was far more terrifying!

They would rather face a ghost from the depths than an enraged Snape...

"I heard about it too. Didn't Professor Snape also say something about Harry, like how fame apparently didn't equal ability?"

"Right, but wasn't it something Slytherin started?"

"Damn Slytherins. That old bat just favors her own students!"

"Shh, apparently the young Slytherins were jealous. Harry and Draco, ahem, you know..."

Well...

At any rate, Hogwarts had always had a fine tradition of spreading news exceptionally quickly.

Never mind how accurate the news was. Setting that issue aside, it certainly traveled very fast.

In short, Professor Snape had clearly looked after Harry that morning, only to have that reputation dragged through the mud yet again...

No matter. Once you had enough debts, another was no worry; once you had enough lice, another didn't itch.

These rumors could no longer shake Professor Snape's heart.

Harry and Draco, of course, were another matter.

Harry and Draco Malfoy's reputations were taking quite a beating now.

They were clearly just good friends, yet rumors were flying everywhere...

And thanks to certain busybodies spreading the word, Harry had gone from a noble, shining Chosen One to an unparalleled two-timing scumbag...

If Harry had been in the Ravenclaw common room right then and heard his roommates and the other Ravenclaws talking about him like that, he would definitely have flown into a rage.

What were they talking about?!

Since when was he only juggling two?!

He was even planning to get Snape...

Ahem, ahem, nothing of the sort. That was a slip of the tongue. In any case, Harry was a respectable person, and nobody was allowed to imagine otherwise, or they would get a taste of Densaugeo!

With the help of the pleasantly mellow evening breeze, Professor Snape had adjusted her mood a little.

Feeling the emotions within, Professor Snape finally found that they had settled somewhat.

Only then did she stride back to her office.

It was hard to imagine that her fury had been utterly uncontrollable just moments earlier...

After all, when Quirrell had done bad things before, she had faced them with a sneer. She had never been so angry.

It was probably because, through Legilimency, she had suddenly seen that Quirrell planned to kill Harry after using him, and that he had come this time to scout things out and learn more about Harry's situation.

Her temper had gotten away from her all at once...

Her fault, her fault...

Taking a few more deep breaths, Professor Snape unfastened her cloak and touched her fringe.

Good. I only washed my hair last night. Not bad.

I specifically found a shampoo that wasn't made by the Potter family. Very good.

It was already past six forty.

Once I've tidied up the office, it should be about time for Potter to arrive, shouldn't it?

No, calling him Potter always brings that damned James Potter to mind. I'll call him Harry from now on.

Harry, Lily...

Hmm, even their names sound a little alike, don't they?

Professor Snape took the photograph from inside her clothes again and locked it away deep inside a cabinet by her feet.

Her thoughts were tinged with melancholy.

In fact, even now, Professor Snape did not know exactly why she had asked Harry to come to her office tonight.

She couldn't say.

Remedial Potions lessons?

Snape did not think that was necessary.

Although the practical potion-making lessons had yet to begin, judging solely by his grasp of theory, Harry needed no remedial instruction in Potions whatsoever.

He truly had inherited his mother's talent perfectly.

In a single Potions lesson, Harry had actually learned what would previously have been six lessons' worth of material...

It had not been particularly friendly to the other young students, but it had been just right for Harry.

Besides, the way classes worked at Hogwarts was actually much like an ordinary university.

The professors did not have to take responsibility for very much. They only had to finish teaching their classes.

So even if Snape taught at an even faster pace, no one could say much about it.

Those who couldn't understand could study on their own after class. There was no obligation to coddle them.

Harry was different.

If Harry learned less than he should, that would be a failure on her part...

If I'm not giving him remedial Potions lessons, what else can I actually do after asking Harry to come to her office?

Looking at the greenish light in her office and its somewhat dirty, cluttered surroundings...

Snape's mood actually soured a little further.

Oh no. Lily always liked things clean and tidy, but ever since Lily died, she hadn't had the heart to deal with any of this...

What would Lily's child think of her if he saw this...?

"Sigh..."

Snape raised her wand, then let it droop somewhat helplessly a few seconds later...

It was so dirty and cluttered that she wasn't quite sure how to tidy it up...