The cellar was mainly lit by torches flickering on the walls and candles on each student's workbench. The dim, flickering firelight cast a play of light and shadow on the stone walls.
The temperature here is much lower than in the main castle building; a bone-chilling cold seeps up your clothes as soon as you enter.
The air was filled with the scents of various Potions ingredients.
Spicy, bitter, fishy, sweet, and musty flavors intertwine to create the unique aroma of this cellar.
The seating consists entirely of long tables and benches carved from single blocks of stone.
After all, Potions preparation is similar to Muggle chemistry, and the intense reactions and high temperatures are something a wooden table cannot withstand.
Draco and Hermione sat in the first row of the Gryffindor area as usual.
Each stone table is neatly set with bronze balances, weights, mortars and pestles, and each person's own small crucible.
Draco glanced down and saw a small heating source hidden under the table, specifically for heating the crucible.
The classroom is large enough to accommodate more than twenty students operating at the same time.
However, the room was filled with glass cabinets and shelves, making the aisle in the middle extremely narrow, and you could easily bump into the shelves if you weren't careful.
The podium was also made from a single massive rock and was deliberately raised high so that Snape could look down at the entire classroom as if he were examining prey.
Next to the podium stood a huge blackboard, and opposite the blackboard was a whole wall of storage, with huge display cases filled with glass jars containing all sorts of unsettling materials.
Animal entrails, shriveled organs, tangled plant roots and stems, and strangely shaped specimens gleamed with a cold, eerie luster in the firelight.
In the corner of the classroom, there was a stone trough, specifically for students to wash equipment and pour out failed Potions.
Everyone gradually took their seats, and the only sound in the classroom was the soft crackling of the torches.
The next second, Snape, like a giant bat, his black robes billowing, silently slid into the classroom.
The moment he appeared, the entire cellar fell into a deathly silence.
Those dark, cold eyes slowly swept across the entire room, their gaze sweeping over each person's face.
Ultimately, the focus lingered exceptionally long on Draco and Harry.
Draco was also watching him without moving.
For some reason, Draco didn't feel much aversion towards Snape; instead, he felt sorry for him.
Slytherin has always held Pure-blood in the highest esteem.
That era was more extreme and harsh than now, and Snape, being of Half-blood, already had a low status in Slytherin.
Perhaps he shouldn't have gone to Slytherin in the first place.
Perhaps it was the subtle influence of the college's atmosphere that gradually shaped me.
Perhaps it was because of an excessive obsession with Dark Magic.
Or perhaps it was because he was bullied too badly by James and his gang of school bullies back then.
This led to him even hurting his most cherished childhood sweetheart.
Draco deeply despised the way James used to bully others by forming cliques.
His family later fell apart, and his son Harry was bullied at school.
Of course, bullying is unacceptable; everyone is someone else's precious treasure.
Just as Draco was lost in thought, Snape's dark gaze suddenly fixed on him, and then he called out his name.
"Ah... Draco Malfoy."
Snape's voice was cold and sticky, filled with undisguised disgust and sarcasm.
His lips twisted into a cold, sarcastic smile.
"An ancient and noble surname, now... has donned the mane of a lion."
"Tell me, Malfoy, when you chose to associate with recklessness and folly, did those ancestral Slytherin silverwares in your father's study wail in the dead of night?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Slytherin table erupted in laughter, with many people glancing sideways at Draco, their eyes full of mockery and anticipation.
Draco remained calm, met his gaze, and began to speak:
"Professor, it's not that serious. My decision was made with my father's approval. Didn't you write to my father and ask him to take me back to reflect on my actions? I think you already know the result."
In short, neither too soft nor too hard, it directly blocked their advances.
Snape's face darkened instantly. He sneered, his tone as cold as ice. "Disrespecting a professor, openly provoking. Gryffindor —deduct five points."
The classroom fell silent instantly.
Hermione immediately frowned, instinctively gripping her pen tighter, wanting to retort but afraid of losing more points.
Harry looked up sharply, his eyes filled with anger, and muttered under his breath, "That's too much."
Ron immediately exploded, lowering his voice to shout angrily, "Why?! Draco was just telling the truth! Is this considered talking back? This favoritism is too obvious!"
Many people looked angry, but dared not speak loudly, fearing they would be the next target.
The Slytherin laughed even harder, looking at Draco as if he were a joke about someone who had betrayed the family.
Draco remained seated, his expression unchanged, only gently patting Hermione's hand to signal her not to get agitated.
Fine, deduct it then.
Anyway, we've accumulated quite a bit of savings in the past, so even if it's all deducted, Old Dumbledore will cover it.
In short, trying to reason with Snape in the cellar was a waste of time.
After Draco's little incident, when Snape called on Harry again, he didn't make things too difficult for him. He just gave him a cold glance and quickly read out Harry's name.
After all the roll call was finished, he did not give a single word of self-introduction like the other professors.
With a flick of his black robe, Snape stood a few decibels higher on the high stone platform, his voice rising several notches from before:
"You've come here to learn the precise science and rigorous craft of Potions- making."
"Because this place is full of fools who just wave their wands around randomly, many of you still don't understand what Potions is."
"I can teach you how to increase your reputation, cultivate glory, and even prevent death."
"But there's one condition: you have to be the kind of idiots and fools I usually encounter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Draco calmly raised his hand.
Snape's dark eyes immediately pierced through her, and he said coldly:
" Mr. Malfoy, I've noticed your eagerness to prove yourself. But in my classroom, impulsiveness and recklessness—"
He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping contemptuously over the Gryffindor badge.
"--This won't earn you any special privileges. Put your hand down."
Harry frowned and clenched his fists.
Snape went too far. He targeted Draco from the moment he walked in, even humiliating him for raising his hand to ask a question. This wasn't a class; it was deliberately picking a fight.
The Slytherin students were secretly delighted; some lowered their heads to stifle their laughter, while others gloated.
Malfoy has finally met his match. Daring to show off in front of Professor Snape, he deserves to be reprimanded. Those who betray Slytherin deserve to be taught a lesson.
Draco looked at Snape and said calmly, "Professor, I simply wanted to express my confusion; I meant no offense."
Snape's smirk grew even colder as he pronounced the verdict:
"Interrupting the professor's lecture and blatantly disregarding classroom discipline— Gryffindor, another five points deducted."
Draco rolled his eyes inwardly: Seriously, this works?