"Audrey, you really get along well with the ghosts."
Ethellyn put down her cutlery, elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, and teased.
Audrey's mouth twitched. "Yeah… it's pretty cool. Want to try it, Ethellyn?"
"No, thanks, Audrey," Ethellyn smiled, covering her mouth. "We have Professor Snape's class soon. You've never done Potions before, right? Want to sit with me? I might be able to help you out."
Audrey nodded. "That would be great!" (With you here, I can slack off a bit!)
Dolcar Axley approached Audrey. "Miss Astley, would I have the honor of escorting you to the Potions classroom?"
Audrey looked up at the nearly 1.9-meter Axley and gave him a polite business smile. "No need, Senior Axley. Your seventh-year schedule is different from our fifth-year one. I wouldn't want to disrupt your class. Thank you, though!"
Axley opened his mouth, but Audrey pointed to Ethellyn. "Besides, I have a friend to guide me, so I won't get lost."
Axley nodded, tipped his hat, and left.
Ethellyn leaned close to Audrey, forcing the Fat Friar to drift twenty centimeters away, and whispered: "You're not interested in Dolcar Axley, are you?"
Audrey shook her head quickly. "Of course not!"
Ethellyn said, "Good. Don't let his polite manners fool you—he's got a bad reputation."
Seeing Audrey's confused look, Ethellyn blushed, hesitating over whether to spill more. Finally, she whispered, "He changes girlfriends every semester from first to seventh year. He's probably scouting for his thirteenth now."
Audrey smiled. "Don't worry, Ethellyn. I'm focusing on school for the next two and a half years—no time for nonsense."
Mainly because past heartbreaks had taught her never to trust love again.
After breakfast, the two headed to the Potions classroom.
Ethellyn walked ahead, leading the way, while Audrey drew glances along the corridor.
She was a star—no stage fright at all. But back then, she chose to sing and enjoyed the admiration.
Now, though, she was being watched not for talent but because she brought a parade of eerie attachments—over a dozen ghosts, including the Headless Hunt, trailing behind her.
The other students' gazes were not admiration—they were a mix of curiosity, shock, and schadenfreude.
Audrey couldn't shake off the clingy crew, and even upon entering the classroom, the ghosts scrambled in.
"This is the classroom! Everyone out!"
Professor Severus Snape, already at the podium, frowned and shouted at the ghosts.
But their respect for professors was overridden by the allure of absorbing magic, and they ignored him entirely.
"Out!"
Snape waved his wand. Every Hogwarts professor had the authority to expel ghosts, so they were forcibly pushed out. The only exception was Professor Binns, who himself was a ghost and immune.
"Miss Astley," Snape's expression was stern, "you are quite famous in the Muggle world, and perhaps somewhat known in the wizarding world, but that does not give you the right to bring chaos into my class!"
"Sorry, Professor!"
Knowing Snape's sharp tongue, Audrey didn't argue. For people like him, the best tactic was to stroke his ego—argument would only invite a barrage of ridicule.
"Take your seats."
Audrey obediently sat with Ethellyn.
Good grief, Snape's aura was terrifying. Not powerful, just intimidating. For real aura power, she only acknowledged Dumbledore and Grindelwald—and maybe Bode Gray, though childhood shadows may have influenced that impression.
"This year, you will take your O.W.L.s. If your scores do not reach O-level, I will not allow such incompetents to attend my advanced courses in sixth year."
He glanced at Audrey. "To ensure you have a clear understanding of what you've learned over the past four years, we'll review previously learned potions starting today."
Ignoring the students' disappointed looks, he continued, "Until you fully grasp the previous knowledge, I will not teach new potions!"
He prowled among the students like a beast surveying its territory. Then, turning to his podium, he shouted: "Today we will brew the first-year potion I taught you. Who can tell me what it is?"
Percy Weasley raised his hand—this was a combined Slytherin and Gryffindor Potions class, and as a top student, Percy's eagerness to answer rivaled Hermione's.
Snape ignored Percy and called on someone else.
"Miss Farley, answer."
Gemma Farley stood. "Scabious Draught, Professor!"
"Good. This is the kind of quality a student should have—once learned, never forgotten!"
"Yes, today we brew Scabious Draught. I hope none of you are foolish enough to forget a first-year potion!"
"Also, Miss Farley answered well. Slytherin gains 2 points."
Audrey was slightly surprised. Surely Snape could have given at least five or ten points, but just two seemed conservative.
Because it was a review, Snape didn't provide the recipe.
Ethellyn's grades weren't outstanding, but she wasn't a weakling either. A basic potion like Scabious Draught was easy for her.
They collected the ingredients and began work.
Snape silently approached. "Miss Windsor, do not touch anything. This potion is Miss Astley's alone."
Audrey: …Not even a chance to slack off a little?
"Understood, Professor."
Muttering under her breath, Audrey efficiently prepared the ingredients. She placed six snake fangs in a mortar and began grinding.
Her skill made Snape raise an eyebrow.
Once ground, Audrey, without prompting, preheated the cauldron. When it had warmed for a minute, the snake fangs were ready.
Snape was astonished. Every step, every technique—flawless. She didn't look like a beginner at all.
Once the potion boiled, Audrey stopped heating and moved the cauldron away from the flames, stirring with her wand to aid cooling.
When the exterior was warm, she added a measured amount of slug mucus.
Snape's eyes twitched—her quantity matched exactly what he would normally use, something years of practice would achieve.
Once fully cooled, Audrey added the final ingredient: porcupine quills. Then, she began stirring.
At that moment, a loud "BOOM" echoed through the classroom. Snape rushed over.
"Oliver Wood! Did you stuff your head with muscle training instead of brains?"
"First-years know to wait until the cauldron cools before adding porcupine quills!"
Oliver Wood, Gryffindor Quidditch captain, wasn't skilled at potions, though his charms were good. He had controlled the explosion before Snape's intervention, making the liquid vanish.
But this did not save Gryffindor points.
"Foolish operation. Gryffindor loses five points!"
Snape gave Wood a glare, then walked toward Audrey.
From a distance, he noticed pink smoke rising from her cauldron—a sign of correct brewing.
Up close, he saw the potion was a beautiful blue, with tiny magical sparkles floating in it, like a starlit sky.
A top-quality Scabious Draught!
Snape was delighted.
"Miss Astley, your first brew of Scabious Draught is perfect!"
"You should all take a look—maybe you'll feel ashamed!"
He glanced subtly at Gryffindor, a tiny smirk forming.
"Excellent talent, flawless brewing—Slytherin gains ten points!"