Potions Class

The next morning, Luke got ready to head to the Great Hall for breakfast. He had gradually adapted to life at Hogwarts over the past few days. Each day, he simply had to ask a house elf what he wanted to eat, and even his clothes were magically cleaned to look brand new.

As Luke approached the Gryffindor table, he noticed a large gathering of students. Drawing closer, he realized that they were surrounding Harry Potter and the new broom he had acquired.

It wasn't until Hermione explained that Harry had been selected as Gryffindor's Quidditch Seeker due to his exceptional performance in flying lessons. Gryffindor was soon going to have a match against Slytherin, and Harry was going to play in his first match.

However, Harry's demeanor didn't seem very cheerful, and Ron's expression was comically glum.

"I didn't expect Professor McGonagall to be a Quidditch player in her youth and even earn an honor badge," Hermione remarked, recalling the professor's composed demeanor in class and finding it hard to imagine her as a Quidditch enthusiast.

Luke nodded in agreement. Quidditch didn't particularly interest him either, mainly because he found the game's rules rather absurd. A single Seeker could determine the outcome of the entire match by capturing the Golden Snitch, effectively overshadowing the points earned by the rest of the team.

It seemed more sensible to him to search for the Golden Snitch as a group effort, as the rest of the players were essentially background characters.

Their first class of the day was Professor Snape's Potions class, and no one wanted to be late for his class. Professor Snape had a reputation for being stern.

Previously well-lit classrooms were now dark as Snape entered and automatically closed the windows one by one.

"Alright, let's begin brewing the potion," Snape announced. "Close all the books in your hands. We won't be needing the old and outdated knowledge written in them. All you need right now is your hands."

After giving this directive, Snape proceeded to explain the potion and the recipe they would be brewing in detail.

The studious Hermione perked up her ears and diligently took notes. There were definite advantages to sitting next to someone who paid attention in class, as Luke realized he could borrow her notes when his attention wandered.

The cauldrons required for potion-making had been set up and placed on each student's table, and the materials for the lesson had been prepared in advance.

Every young witch and wizard was earnestly working on brewing their potion, except for...

"Harry Potter, this is a classroom, not a bedroom. If you want to sleep, please leave immediately."

Snape's sharp eyes caught on to Harry's unusual behavior, and even Ron, seated beside him, wasn't spared from the professor's rebuke.

"Do you two have any idea how dangerous it is to fall asleep while brewing potions?"

Snape's voice was cold and swift as he added, "Clearly, you two with brains like trolls have no idea!"

"No, Professor, we were just up late last night—" Harry began to explain but suddenly stopped, his groggy mind snapping to attention.

Harry faltered, unsure of what to say. He couldn't reveal that he had spent the previous night in a wizarding showdown with Malfoy, only to have Malfoy not show up at all. Instead, he had been chased by Filch all night and startled by the three-headed dog again.

Speaking of which, if it hadn't been for Luke teaching him how to open the Araho cave yesterday, he and his two roommates might have been caught and locked up.

"What were you doing last night?" Snape narrowed his eyes, sensing that there was more to the story, and asked directly.

"Uh... I..."

"Professor, he had a stomachache last night, so he didn't sleep at all!" Ron, sitting nearby, hastily stood up and explained on Harry's behalf.

If Harry continued talking, it would reveal the escapade involving the three of them.

"Well said!" Snape sneered. "Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Hermione, who had been diligently working on her potion in the back row, suddenly shook her hand upon hearing this and almost dropped all the materials into her cauldron. She immediately opened her eyes wide in alarm.

If all these materials fell into the cauldron, it would ruin her potion.

Luckily, Luke, sitting nearby, swiftly caught the materials that were about to fall into the boiling liquid.

"You only need to add one-seventh of the aconite root; you don't have to throw it all in," Luke commented as he placed the aconite in front of Hermione.

"Phew, thank you!" Hermione quickly patted her chest in relief, thinking she had narrowly escaped disaster.

But as the tension subsided, she remembered that her house had just been docked ten points again.

"I suspect Professor Snape is singling out Harry," Hermione whispered in a low voice.

Without a doubt, Snape, that old bat, was targeting Harry Potter, and he wasn't shy about targeting others as well.

"Don't make baseless accusations without evidence, or I might just report you to the headmaster," Luke warned her.

"I don't believe you" Hermione retorted, rolling her eyes at him.

The potion Snape had assigned them to brew this time was still relatively simple, at least for both Luke and Hermione. However, Luke was one step ahead of Hermione.

"Excellent, Luke, 10 points for Slytherin," Snape remarked, looking at the well-made potion, and he unceremoniously awarded Slytherin house 10 points.

It was a stark contrast to Harry's recent experience. Frustrated, Harry couldn't help but crush the brewing ingredients in his hand.

"Professor, what about me?" Hermione raised her hand beside him, looking at Snape expectantly.

"A little too much aconite, but the effect is still present," Snape observed Hermione and Luke for a moment with narrowed eyes before declaring, "Gryffindor, 10 points."

Two houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin, had their points fluctuating wildly.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out. Snape rushed over to the source of the commotion. When he saw the familiar Gryffindor robes, Snape's face contorted with anger.

"Is your brain eaten by a troll?"

"Clean up this mess immediately!!"

"Furthermore, 10 points from Gryffindor!"

Hermione, who had been smiling just moments ago, found her expression freezing. Her smile wavered, the corners of her mouth twitched, and her entire demeanor turned despondent.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked Hermione softly, holding back a smirk.

"Can they sort me into another house now?"

"I wouldn't mind going to Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

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