Professor Snape's Favoritism

"Hey, don't you think Professor Snape plays favorites with Potter?" That was the conclusion one young badger had reached after watching for a long time.

"Professor Snape, playing favorites with Potter?" Another young badger gave her a look that said, Do you hear what you're saying?

"Oh, not that Potter. Mia Potter." The gossiping badger slapped her companion's arm.

"Does he? But isn't it perfectly normal for Professor Snape to favor Slytherin?" The other badger looked as though it went without saying.

"No, no, listen, I'll tell you all about it..."

First, there was Potions Class.

Because he disliked Draco, Snape had personally assigned Mia a different Potions prodigy, Theodore Nott, as her partner. Theodore was aloof and spoke little, and he was good at Potions, so Professor Snape was very pleased with his arrangement.

First-years mostly brewed the most basic things, and Mia had already gone through them all in front of Snape's office, so she and Theodore were given special permission to brew other, more advanced potions in class.

On the first-year schedule, Potions was generally a joint class for the lions and snakes, so the students present got to see the following scene.

"Miss Potter's technique for cutting ingredients is perfect. Two points."

"Mr. Potter! I'll be taking two points for letting your mind wander in class."

"Points to Miss Potter."

"Points off for Mr. Potter."

"That doesn't prove anything, does it? It just shows that Professor Snape really hates Gryffindor." After listening for a while, the young badger thought that, for two people both named Potter, they were treated very differently.

"Then what about this?"

Professor Snape was grading assignments in his office when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Professor, it's terrible! Potter's fighting with someone at the Black Lake again!"

"What? Take me there!" Snape hurried to his feet.

The fight had actually started because some upper-year Slytherins refused to accept Mia and had challenged her. In the end, she had beaten them into submission.

"Besides knowing a little magic, I also know how to fight." Mia looked at the students sprawled all over the ground and lifted her chin proudly.

That was the scene Snape found when he arrived.

"Ahem!"

Mia heard him and hurriedly stood up straight. "Professor, what brings you here?"

"I hear our Miss Potter has been fighting again?" Professor Snape sounded rather helpless.

"No, no, we just wanted to ask Potter for some pointers on magic!" The students on the ground scrambled up to explain. Mia had thoroughly beaten them into submission.

"That's right, Professor."

"Well, Hogwarts doesn't allow private duels. All of you have detention for a month. Miss Potter will serve hers in my office."

"What does that prove?"

"Here's the important part. Once, when I went to hand in my Potions assignment, guess what I saw?"

"What?"

"Professor Snape was guiding Potter through brewing a potion, and he was especially patient. He didn't say a single harsh word. Think about it, this is Professor Snape we're talking about, that venom-spitting snake, and he didn't say a word! And I also saw Potter accidentally get a step wrong, a really basic step. Even then, even then! Professor Snape didn't scold her. If that isn't favoritism, what is?" The young badger even stood up in excitement as she spoke.

At that, the others in the common room nodded in agreement. They had been secretly listening with their ears pricked up for a while now.

"Wow, that really is unbelievable." Dean Andre nudged Cedric beside him. "Even you've been mocked by Professor Snape."

"Miss Potter really is outstanding." Cedric smiled gently. He too had grown a little curious about the widely renowned Mia Potter.

"She's even more famous than her brother, the Chosen One, now."

Mia, who was serving detention in Snape's office and studying advanced potions, sneezed. "Achoo!"

Snape looked over at once. "Have you caught a cold?" As he spoke, he went to find a specially prepared potion on the shelf.

"Maybe someone's talking about me?" Mia rubbed her nose. Professor Snape firmly pressed the potion into her hand and told her to drink it.

Mm, it was sweet.

"Thank you, Professor."

After Mia drank the potion, Snape noticed her thin clothing. The weather had turned cold by now, so Professor Snape cast a Warming Charm on her as well.

Mia felt a little helpless. She really wasn't cold, but there was a kind of cold called Professor Snape thinking you were cold.

Felix Felicis did indeed have a very low success rate, but under Professor Snape's personal guidance, Mia finally managed to brew it.

"I did it, Professor!" Mia looked up in delight, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, our Miss Potter brewed the potion perfectly. Five points." Snape looked proudly at the Potions prodigy he had personally trained.

"Professor, I only succeeded thanks to you." Mia gave Snape the bottled Felix Felicis. "I hope you'll always be lucky."

"I should go back now. Goodbye, Professor! Good night!"

Snape stood holding the bottle of Felix Felicis, unable to come back to his senses. On it was a blessing written in Mia's somewhat sharp handwriting: May luck always favor you.

Now that Mia had successfully brewed Felix Felicis, Professor Snape allowed her a few days' rest. Taking advantage of the break, Mia went to the Room of Requirement on the Seventh Floor.

Lately, Mia had been practicing spells and Transfiguration and brewing potions here.

"Expecto Patronum." As Mia spoke the incantation, a wisp of white smoke emerged from the tip of her wand, but it failed to take shape.

"Failed again." Looking at the shapeless white smoke, Mia felt frustrated for the first time. She had been practicing Expecto Patronum for a week, but she still hadn't succeeded. Before this, magic had always come easily to her.

"To practice Expecto Patronum, you need to recall your happiest memories." But Mia had searched through all her memories and tried every one of them, and none had worked. The happiness those moments brought wasn't enough to bring forth a Patronus.

After failing so many times, Mia decided to give herself a break.

Mia lay on her back on the sofa, raising her wand in one hand and gazing idly in one direction. Her wand unleashed an attack, and a vase shattered.

Then she stirred up the magic within her, making it move as she willed. This time, Mia didn't use her wand. Under her gaze, the vase was restored.