Hannah nodded. "Yes, he happened to be talking about it with some other people while we were having breakfast in the Great Hall..."
"Five points for Hufflepuff," Professor McGonagall said, adding encouragingly, "You can be patient, don't rush."
Hannah forced a smile. "Okay... Professor McGonagall!"
Professor McGonagall continued her tour, the layout of the Great Hall fading into her mind.
On either side of the Ravenclaw table were the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables.
She now understood why Ravenclaw had performed so well...
-------------------------------------
The Potions classroom in the basement of Hogwarts Castle.
"Luna Lovegood?"
"Present!"
Snape turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Luna who had just put her hand down, before continuing to call out names.
After taking attendance, as was his usual practice, he began with an opening speech to liven up the atmosphere in the classroom, successfully making it as gloomy and cold as the basement.
Most of the students sat upright with their bodies tense, their eyes fixed on the podium, their expressions showing a mix of fear and tension.
Luna, on the other hand, was quite relaxed, her eyes wide open as she curiously surveyed her surroundings, completely detached from the cold, gloomy atmosphere of the basement.
Snape shifted his gaze to the textbook in front of Luna, a very familiar hand-drawn textbook.
He remembered that Vizette also had a copy in his hand during the first class last year.
Snape narrowed his eyes slightly, curled his lip, and tsk...
Many students below the podium shivered, feeling that the atmosphere around them seemed... even colder than before.
Potions class continued, and Snape, as was his usual teaching method, outlined the ingredients of the Cure for Boils Potion and even wrote down the preparation process on the blackboard.
During this time, he also called out the names of several students and asked them questions.
"Mr. Brocklehurst, the dosage and preparation method for the slugs are..."
"Professor Snape… three… steamed…"
"Three horned slugs, Ravenclaw deduct two points!"
...
"Miss Dolby, what should we do with the snake fangs?"
"Professor Snape! Grind the snake fangs to powder."
"Grind it as finely as possible. Can't you see a single word on the blackboard? Hufflepuff, deduct two points!"
...
After a round of questions, Snape felt much better and turned his attention to Luna.
He paused for a moment after opening his mouth before continuing, "Miss Lovegood, what is the purpose of the Cure for Boils Potion?"
Luna stood up, her ethereal, clear voice ringing out, "Professor Snape, it can be used to treat various skin diseases."
"Like pustules, measles, boils... Oh, and it can also treat plant diseases; this medicine works very well!"
"Treat plants?" Snape frowned slightly and asked another question.
"Yes!" Luna shared with great interest, "It can be used on powdery mildew and black spot, and the effect is quite good."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "You've tried it?"
"I've tried it!" Luna nodded repeatedly. "Last year, Vizette would send me this often, and it worked just as well as the carbendazim I used before."
Upon hearing Vizette's name, Snape's cheeks puffed out, and his voice deepened.
"That's because you didn't consider the cost. The price of one bottle of Cure for Boils Potion can buy three bottles of carbendazim. Sit down!"
"Thank you, Professor Snape!"
Luna sat back down, and the students around her cast curious glances at her.
So far, she was the only one who had not had points deducted after answering the questions.
"Since it's not mentioned in the textbook, why don't you write it down?" Snape tapped the podium lightly. "Or do you need me to write it down for you?"
The rustling sound of writing gradually faded away, and he tapped the podium again. "Now... work in pairs to prepare the materials. I need you to hand in a finished potion before the end of class!"
Before he could finish speaking, the students had already started moving, and many of them were in a bit of a panic.
The chill in the classroom persisted, and even the students' efforts to light a fire and set up a crucible could not dispel the bone-chilling cold.
Perhaps Luna was the only one unaffected; she hummed a song softly and processed the materials at a leisurely pace.
This optimistic attitude influenced her deskmate, Amycus Miller, who took out a mortar and pestle and began grinding the snake's fangs, her expression becoming increasingly focused.
Amycus Miller was also Luna's roommate. Her skin wasn't as fair as Luna's, and she wore a black headband on her shoulder-length brown hair.
Snape stepped onto the stage at the opportune moment, his arms crossed and his steps quick, his flowing black robe billowing behind him as he surveyed the classroom.
His pace seemed to match the students' heartbeats; whenever he stopped, some students felt their hearts skip a few beats.
"Stir the crucible! Don't you know the medicine is going to burn?"
"Grind your snake fangs! These fangs are still fragments. Are you planning to study them until the end of the year to prepare for your final exams? I can give you a 'T' right now!"
"This tastes like a monstrous monster! Do you know what steaming or boiling means? Why not add water? Do you want to taste the flavor of a dry-fried slug?"
...
Snape's voice was short and cold, and each time he spoke, it was always accompanied by some unexpected event.
He wandered around the classroom and eventually came to Luna and Amycus's wooden table.
The two had finished their preparations, and all the materials had been added. They were now stirring the crucible clockwise.
The potion in the cauldron was a normal color. Snape shifted his gaze to the procedure notes.
Compared to the normal potion recipe, the entries in the notes seemed much stranger. Compared to the correct steps on the blackboard, it appeared messy and disorderly, giving the impression of being done arbitrarily.
In addition, the containers that held the materials were also arranged around the crucible.
If you connected these containers, you could form a pattern that looked like a constellation.
The decoction for treating boils was still being prepared, and the liquid gradually became clearer, with a small puff of pink smoke billowing out of the crucible.
Amycus lifted the crucible away from the flames.
Luna picked up a portion of porcupine quills and poured it into the cauldron. The porcupine quills quickly melted into tiny specks, which dotted the potion.
She didn't stop, but instead drew a line above the cauldron with her wand, and with her slender fingers, she picked up some snake fang powder and sprinkled it evenly on the surface of the potion.
Another small puff of pink smoke was emitted, and the medicine became even clearer.
Although it didn't reach the level of the potion that Vizette had made, it had already surpassed the other students in the classroom.
Luna stirred the crucible before saying to Amycus, "It seems... this is the best we can do."
Amycus glanced at Snape furtively and asked cautiously, "Professor Snape... is this alright?"
Snape said very briefly, "Put it in a vial, write the name on it, and send it to the front."
Amycus went to deliver the potion, and Snape scrutinized Luna. "Why didn't you follow the steps on the blackboard?"
"Because I didn't process the materials well." Luna's eyes were a little unfocused, as if she had just escaped her own little world. "Vizette did a much better job than me."
"So you've resorted to ritual magic?" Snape frowned slightly. "Is this the remedy Vizette told you about?"
….
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