Chapter 20
The very next day after the scandalous events, the entire school was buzzing about the actions of the now former Professor Reikpik. It was rumored that she had been temporarily placed under house arrest, pending the imposition of penalties. What she had done was not as much as a prison sentence, so at least she was lucky, but she could forget about her future career as a professor.
In addition, the school was spreading rumors that I played a key role in exposing the deeds of the professor, in connection with which, my "popularity" so to speak, quite a lot soared, because of which I was always pestered with conversations to make friends, than distracted from reading books. Not that I mind talking to someone and making a couple new friends. But to do that, you have to talk about things that interest both parties, not talk about Quidditch and the latest broomstick. And at that pace, a few weeks flew by and winter arrived.
And although Christmas was getting closer and closer every day, no one was in a pre-holiday mood because of the lack of snow.
But one morning everything changed. The temperature dropped drastically during the night, the castle was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the huge lake froze. From such a sight everyone's mood was immediately lifted, and the joyful students of Hogwarts could not resist snowball fights. Along with the snow came a festive mood. So all the students were looking forward to the vacations, and it seemed they couldn't think about anything else. Or it was the fault of the cold that enveloped the whole school. Though the bedrooms and common living room were warm because of the fireplaces, the same couldn't be said for the classrooms, which were sometimes drafty from the wind that blew through the cracks in the windows and doors. And I honestly didn't understand why magic couldn't be used to close the gaps and heat all the rooms. Professor Snape's classes in the dungeon were especially hard. Because of the dampness, it was so cold there, and it seemed that the vapor coming from his mouth could freeze at any moment. As a consequence, the students, forgetting about burns and other dangers, almost pressed themselves against the cauldron, which gave off heat.
***
In today's potions class, we had an important task - to brew a potion that was very necessary at this time of the year, the "Bodroperz" potion, ideal for the season of colds and frostbite. This potion was a real lifesaver, for its use warmed a person dramatically, but there were always some side effects with such magical remedies. For example, those who drank it would have a slight smoke coming out of their nose and ears for a few hours.
The potion itself was not too difficult to prepare and consisted of only three ingredients, namely, bicorn horn, mandrake root, and hornwort.
Following the recipe, I first grinded the two-horned horn, then added it to the cauldron and started stirring strictly clockwise every two minutes.
And while the horn was simmering, I moved on to the next step - grinding the mandrake root in a mortar and then adding the resulting juice to the cauldron. This was pretty easy, considering the roots were fairly fresh. What's interesting is that we haven't studied mandrakes in class yet, and judging by the fact that the freshman books don't say anything about them, we won't. But that doesn't stop us from using their ingredients in potions. The last ingredient, however, was the underdrawer, a flower that, when touched, could simply disappear into the ground and appear elsewhere. That's why it got its name. You didn't have to do anything with it, just throw it into the cauldron, and then constantly stir the potion until it turned red.
- Mr. Malfoy, I see you've already finished your potion..." Professor Snape appeared behind me like a ghost as I put out the fire under the cauldron.
- Yes Professor, just finished brewing.
Professor Snape came closer, took a ladle and scooped some potion out of the cauldron and began to check it thoroughly, then nodded in satisfaction:
- You have brewed the perfect potion Mr. Malfoy, for which Slytherin gets ten points! - As soon as the professor had finished, one of the students' cauldrons exploded behind us. Turning around we saw the dirty face of a Gryffindor student, it was none other than Kenneth Towler. The student I had a beef with for spreading all sorts of rumors about me.
- Minus fifteen points to Gryffindor, and also Mr. Towler will be staying after class to clean up.
Laughter erupted throughout the dungeon at the professor's verdict, but as soon as Professor Snape gave the room a stern look, everyone looked down and continued brewing potions.
***
- Tsk, I hate the potions professor. He's always looking for ways to mess with Gryffindor and make us lose points. - Kenneth started whining as soon as we left the Potions room.
- And then there's Draco Malfoy. You've noticed Professor Snape's prejudice against him, too, haven't you? He's my favorite, too. It's probably because his father's on the board of trustees, so the teachers are trying to suck up to him. If things had gone a bit differently, he'd be rotting in Azkaban. I heard that he spent a lot of money to bribe his way out of being a Death Eater..." The guys kept talking as if I didn't exist, trashing my family. And if the stupid rumors were something I could temporarily put up with, this time I wasn't going to hold back any longer.
- Take it back and apologize! - I walked briskly over to Kenneth and gave him a piercing stare.
- Ha-ha, does it really hurt my eyes? Damn eater. I'm not going to apologize to anyone, and there's nothing you can do about it! - Kenneth laughed contemptuously while glaring at his companions. What can you take from him, an inhibited animal who can only show off in a crowd, people like him can only shit behind their backs.
- I'll say it again, take back your words and apologize, otherwise it will be too late to regret later! - This time, to make my intentions clear, I pulled out my wand and pointed it towards Kenneth.
- Pfft, go to hell, what can you do with your wand without knowing any spells....
- DEPULSE!
A spell flew out of the tip of his wand and hit Kenneth with a loud "BOOM" sound, knocking him away.
The student, who had not expected such an attack, was thrown five meters away, pinning him to the wall, from which he immediately slipped, losing consciousness.
- WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?! - Professor Snape came running out of his office, noticing the wand in my hands and the passed out student.
- Lee Jordan, tell me what happened here. No secrets and no deceit, believe me I know when I'm being deceived and you won't like the consequences if you do.
Jordan instantly turned pale and shook like an aspen leaf, but he was able to recount what happened word for word.
- Hmpf, take him to the infirmary. And you, Mr. Malfoy, please come to my office....
***
***
Early access on my Patreon. Chapter 26 is already available.
https://www.patreon.com/Ratnik