Though only a few months remain until the O.W.L. exams, most students, fresh from the Christmas break, are still steeped in the holiday's leisure.
However, as a seasoned mentor and pressure expert, Professor Snape effectively cures the students' post-holiday syndrome—using his trademark sarcastic wit.
"I am truly honored to see that over the past year, your IQ has decreased by another year, Potter." Faced with Potter, who had poured all the moonstone powder meant for brewing a calming draught into the cauldron, causing it to emit a blinding white light, Snape sharply commented, "Perhaps the moonlight effect from the moonstone has left your brain blank as well. I can hardly believe that standing here is a student who will be taking the O.W.L. exams in just five months, yet commits such a basic mistake that even a first-year wouldn't make."
He was about to continue his sarcastic tirade on the seemingly mindless Potter when several loud sneezes erupted in the classroom—coming from Neville Longbottom, who had mistaken sneezeweed syrup for calming draught ingredients, causing him and two nearby Gryffindor students to start sneezing white, mucus-laden mist all over the table, prompting others to wrinkle their noses and step back.
"Idiot!" Snape flung his robes, quickly using a vanishing spell while harshly shouting at him, "How many times do I have to tell you, Longbottom? Sneezeweed is for confusion drafts, not calming draughts. Did the confusion draft muddle your brain too?"
No sooner had he sent off the sniffling Neville than he heard a "hissing" sound—coming from a melted cauldron, courtesy of Draco.
Snape's face darkened as he glared at his half-decent student. He felt as though his soul had left his body for a moment. This Slytherin prefect, whose potion grades were decent enough to escape the troll category in Snape's eyes, had ultimately delivered a heavy blow to his house's mentor in the first Potions class of the second half of their fifth year.
"Sorry, Professor, I was too engrossed!" Draco exclaimed in shock, his face pale as he defended himself, "I didn't notice—"
It must be said, seeing Gryffindors and Potter in trouble brought some amusement to his life, recently oppressed by the Dark Lord's events. So much so that he was engrossed, ultimately becoming the amusement in others' eyes.
With Ron's loud snicker as background noise, Snape's anger erupted, coldly mocking, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, a very good engrossment that makes me think Longbottom's confusion draft has filled your head, otherwise I wouldn't hear such a loud shaking sound in this small classroom."
After Draco was scolded into a daze, Snape took a deep breath of the classroom's air—it was murky, filled with the scent of potions... mixed with a burnt and smoky smell...
Wait, burnt and smoky?
He spun around abruptly, accurately pinpointing a very familiar spot and shouted angrily, "Damn it! Finnigan! Weasley!"
Halfway through the class, having dealt with a cauldron explosion, a cauldron melting incident, and countless potion accidents, Snape finally fully realized—the students, particularly the Gryffindors, were still lost in the holiday's aftertaste, unable to extricate themselves.
—And they showed no reverence for the impending O.W.L. exams.
In despair, Snape turned his head to look at his prized student, Jane Yu, who was required to attend Potions class due to O.W.L. exam preparation and was placed by him alone beside the podium, hoping to cleanse his eyes with the beautifully colored potion on her desk.
Unfortunately, he failed.
"What are you doing, Miss Yu?"
In the midst of enjoying the drama unfolding in class, Jane Yu paused, looked down—
Only to find the fire lizard tail under her mortar was almost ground to a pulp!
Though she wasted a fire lizard tail, she still gained something—such as confirming that her career plan would never include "Potions Professor."
A class spent either dealing with explosions or potion injuries... and having to stay alert, listening and watching to prevent students from causing their own demise...
Who could handle that?
Feeling she had exhausted all her means and strength, Snape made one last struggle, attempting to awaken the students by attacking himself:
"Very well, the potions you've brewed pose no threat in the academic world, but have successfully tarnished my reputation in the educational world."
His sharp gaze swept over each student, causing every person he looked at to lower their heads:
"I can't believe it. If the Wizarding Examinations Authority saw your performance, where would my face go? Of course, I don't mind losing face, but unfortunately, those of you who fail the exams will be barred from entering my advanced Potions class."
He slowly paced, soon picking out Potter and Weasley as examples:
"Especially you, Potter, Weasley, with your ability to empty moonstone powder and overcook potions, I think your journey in potion studies ends here."
At these words, the faces of the good brothers nearly drooped to the table.
Fortunately, Snape's reprimands awakened some of the students' senses, muddled by the holiday, allowing the class to proceed smoothly.
But unfortunately, his reprimands seemed to have awakened too much sense, leading to one wave after another.
In the second half of the class, among the crowd of students coming forward to collect potion materials, Snape successfully caught two little snakes—
Daphne and Blaise, who were committed to enhancing their brains to keep themselves in a study state 24/7!
When caught, they were holding frog brains used for brewing Baffling Brain Elixir.
"Detention! Detention!" Snape's nose was twisted in anger, and he glared fiercely at Jane Yu, "Crooked ways, lawlessness... I suppose all this is the result of learning from certain individuals?"
Jane Yu, who was inexplicably shot, blinked her eyes.
She pondered that she hadn't stolen potion ingredients many times... had she?
Perhaps it was just because she wasted a fire lizard tail, leading to Snape's increased aggression.
Knowing her mentor well, she relaxed.
"I suppose you've learned a lot from her." Snape sneered at her good roommate and little partner, "She single-handedly changed the punishment for stealing potion ingredients... otherwise, you'd already be on the train home."
He mercilessly confiscated Daphne and Blaise's frog brains and announced with a stern face:
"I sincerely hope your brains aren't as foolish as a frog's."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━