As the school bell rang, Snape, standing behind the podium, first scanned the classroom, his gaze lingering briefly on the Slytherin section, before speaking, his tone slightly gentler than usual:
"First of all, Miss Malfoy and Miss Potter greeted the professor upon entering, which is a sign of respect for his elders, and Slytherin greatly."
He spoke with his eyes never leaving the booklet in his hands, but the warmth in his tone was probably the highest level he could muster recently.
"In the field of Potions, a qualified guide is more important than anything else. You should understand that it is a privilege to be standing here listening to my explanation."
Herman sat listening below, feeling as if the words were addressed to Harry and Draco, yet also as an attempt to salvage his public image or to avoid revealing his bias towards Harry.
Next, the formal lesson began, Snape explained the basic concepts of Potions.
His voice was low, carrying a coldness that said, "I don't expect you to understand": " Potions aren't the kind of things you can just wave your wands and get by in Transfiguration or Charms. They require precision, patience, and a little bit of brains."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the classroom. "And most of you probably don't even possess that last one."
The classroom fell silent for a few seconds; no one dared to speak. He was about to continue his tirade, perhaps used to this rhythm, when a glance at Harry made him pause, abruptly changing the subject:
"Of course, as long as you take this course seriously, most people can get a decent grade on the final exam."
Herman, sitting below and listening to Snape's abrupt and unexpected words, almost couldn't resist turning to look at Harry's expression, wondering if Harry knew Snape's hard work and good intentions.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Snape asked a question about Infusion of Wormwood.
Hugo raised his hand straight up, almost standing up from his seat. Snape called on him, Hugo answered quickly and accurately, even reciting the dosage ratio word for word.
Snape was silent for a moment, as if trying to find fault but failing, and finally just nodded. " Gryffindor gets five points."
Several Gryffindor students nearby looked surprised, probably not expecting to score points so early in Potions Class.
Snape paced half a step in the classroom, his gaze sweeping over the few hands raised around him. Most people had their heads down, with only a handful still trying to raise their hands.
He acted as if he hadn't seen the others, and casually picked one. "Miss Harry, tell me about the role of moonstone powder in the Draught of Peace."
Harry was staring blankly at the table when she was called on. She only looked up when she heard her name called, paused for two seconds, and said, "I can't remember."
Harry's tone was flat, showing no intention of making any attempt to salvage the situation.
Snape glanced at her and nodded. "Very honest, Slytherin."
Herman, sitting next to Snape, twitched at the reason for this bonus. Before he could process the extent of the double standard, Snape continued, seemingly trying to justify his own double standard:
" Potions is a rigorous discipline. You either know it or you don't. Don't go with your gut feeling."
Herman, with his head down, couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard those words. He quickly turned his face away, pretending to look at the materials on the desk of the classmate next to him.
But it was too late; Snape's gaze had already shifted. " Mr. Horace, you answer this: explain the role of moonstone in the Swelling Solution, and the precautions to take when combining it with Mandrake Root."
Herman felt a chill run down his spine, but he had indeed prepared beforehand and was prepared for Snape's temper, so he made a point of reviewing the key points in the textbook.
He steadied his voice and answered the question about the stabilizing effect of moonstone in Potions; the first half went fairly smoothly.
Snape didn't interrupt, but nodded slightly after he finished speaking, and then immediately asked another question, "What are the differences in the cooking process for moonstone collected in different seasons? Is there a difference in the cooking time between moonstone collected in summer and moonstone collected in winter?"
Herman was stumped. He hadn't seen this question in the book, so he could only guess from memory. "Probably... the summer ones need to be released later?"
Snape's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds, his tone carrying a cold "I should have known" tone. "You don't even know this? You're just guessing based on your feelings? Moonstone has a high water content in summer, and putting it in the pot too early will cause the medicinal properties to evaporate. It should be added fifteen minutes later than in winter. This is the note on page thirty-seven of the textbook. You haven't even looked at it?"
His tone carried a sense of pity for their misfortune and anger at their lack of ambition. "Is this your attitude towards Potions? You haven't even prepared for the basics, yet you dare to come to class. Slytherin, deduct five points."
Herman turned his gaze back to the table, his fist clenching slightly on his knee.
Old man, you're something else! You wait and see! Things change every thirty years! Don't underestimate me just because I can't beat you now.
Soon after Snape explained how to prepare a simple Draught of Peace, the hands-on practice began.
Herman tried his best to standardize every step of the operation, cutting the roots and stems neatly, adding the ingredients in order, and strictly following the illustrations in the textbook in terms of the direction and speed of stirring.
But the color of the final Potions was always slightly different from the sample printed in the book. It was like the same dish, with the same ingredients, made by stir-frying and steaming. Everything looked the same, but something just wasn't right.
You could say one is Sprite and the other is Leibi. At first glance, it doesn't seem like a big problem, but upon closer inspection, you'll find it's a low-quality pirated product.
As Snape approached his desk, he glanced down at the pot of dark green liquid and said coldly, "No talent whatsoever, mechanical operation, no different from Troll." He paused, then added, "Wasted materials, deduct five points."
Although the evaluation was harsh, it was also quite accurate; Herman discovered yet another subject he wasn't interested in.
He looked down at the pot of indecently colored liquid. Perhaps influenced by his nine years of compulsory education, he couldn't understand how a bunch of random things could be made into Potions. What did it mean to use magic to stir it? How much magic was used was not specified; it was all based on personal feeling.
Herman took a deep breath and decided that from now on he would just aim for the bare minimum in this class, try to get as little criticism as possible, and just not get thrown out of the classroom.
He put his pot of substandard products aside and looked around the classroom.
Neville's movements were completely different from the clumsy ones in the original story; he was much more steady. Although his movements were slow, every step was precise. It seems that Neville has a lot of talent when he's confident. After finishing his Potions, he was helping Ron adjust the heat next to him.