54 Snakes and Cauldrons

The oak door creaked open and the shuffling first-years entered the gloomy Potions classroom. Torchlight flickered across dusty jars lining the shelves, their contents casting eerie shadows.

Lucas was glad for his Wristband of Air Purification - it blocked the various scents from infiltrating his nostrils. He made his way to an empty table, sleeves of his robe brushing the scarred wooden surface. Next to him, Justin grimaced, pinching his freckled nose shut as he dropped his satchel onto the floor with a dull thud.

"What on earth is that smell?" the blond boy muttered, his blue eyes watering.

Across the aisle, Hermione and Neville claimed a table, the latter looking slightly green. Behind them, Lily Moon's delicate features were pinched with disgust as her dark eyes darted around the shadowy room. Sally-Anne scurried to join her as copper hair swung in its plait.

Silence fell over the classroom as the heavy door banged open once more, the sound echoing harshly. Professor Snape stalked in, his billowing obsidian robes kicking up a faint breeze that carried the musty scent of potion fumes. Greasy black hair framed Snape's sallow face as his eyes roved over the students. He picked up the roster, studying it with thin pressed lips.

"Abbott, Hannah," he drawled.

"Present," a pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails squeaked.

Snape's lip curled in disdain. "Bones, Susan." His tone dripped condescension. A redheaded girl with an upturned nose offered a silent nod.

After some time, Snape's beady gaze flicked across the room before settling on Lucas. "Potter... Harry."

"Present, sir." Lucas said.

Snape's eyes narrowed slightly, likely realizing Lucas's prodigy status meant trying to humiliate him publicly would be unwise if he answered all his questions correctly. Not that it mattered - Lucas met the professor's stare evenly.

The Potions Master held Lucas's gaze for a heartbeat, something unreadable flickering across his sallow features. Then, he continued with the roll-call and tossed the roster aside when he was finished.

"There will be little foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class," Snape began in a soft, dangerous voice that seemed to slither through the air like a serpent. "As such, I don't expect many of you to truly appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making."

He stalked between the rows of tables, boots clicking on the stone floor. "However, for those select few who possess the… predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

A heavy silence hung over the room, the students enraptured by Snape's soft, silky tones. With an economical wave of his wand, Snape flicked it again, and spidery writing bloomed across the ancient blackboard.

"Today, you will attempt to brew a simple Cure for Boils potion," he said, and his voice was laced with boredom. "The instructions are on the board. You have two hours. Begin."

Instantly, the class erupted into chaos. Stools scraped against stone as students scrambled for their supplies. The clink of glass vials and jars filled the air, along with murmurs and hushed whispers as partners conferred over bubbling cauldrons.

Lucas reached into his bag, withdrawing a new potions kit with practiced ease. Beside him, Justin was already struggling with flushed cheeks as he fumbled with the ancient scales.

"Need a hand?" Lucas asked, sliding his kit closer.

"Thanks, mate," Justin said gratefully, using Lucas's polished marble mortar to grind the snake fangs into a fine powder.

Across the aisle, Hermione's hand shot up. "Professor Snape?"

Snape turned on her with a sneer. "What is it, Miss Granger?"

"The instructions say to heat the mixture for precisely ten seconds," she said, and her voice wavered only slightly. "But why ten seconds specifically? Wouldn't a few more or less make a difference?"

For a moment, Snape's gaze lingered on Hermione, expression unreadable. Then one corner of his mouth twitched upward fleetingly. "Because, Miss Granger, potion-making is an exact science. One second too long or too short, and your entire brew could be rendered useless. Or worse..." His voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "...explosive."

Hermione paled, but gave a shaky nod. Beside her, Neville gulped audibly, his hands trembling as he reached for the porcupine quills. Instantly, Hermione's hand shot out to still his.

"Neville, wait!" she hissed. "The quills don't go in until after the slugs!"

Flushing, Neville pulled his hand back, offering her a grateful look. "R-right, thanks Hermione."

Snape, having witnessed the exchange, scowled darkly before sweeping away to criticize another student's work.

This is just shoddy teaching, Lucas thought. No wonder so many struggle with potions. We've had no instruction on proper techniques - how to handle ingredients, prepare a workspace, use the equipment safely. Snape just expects us to know, or learn through inevitable mistakes.

He shook his head minutely, concentrating on the task at hand. With deft motions, he decanted the crushed snake fangs into their pewter cauldron and set it simmering over a low flame. The acrid scent of sulfur filled his nostrils as he tended the bubbling mixture with careful prods of his wand.

"Looking good, Harry," Justin murmured approvingly as the steam began to rise from their cauldron.

Lucas gave a curt nod as he focused intently on the shimmering surface as he tracked the seconds. Precisely at the ten second mark, he lifted his wand and gave it a flick over the bubbling mixture.

Instantly, the potion's surface shimmered with an iridescent glow as the latent magical properties within the ingredients were activated by the infusion of magic. Several students nearby turned to watch with wide eyes at how quickly they were making the potion.

Ignoring their stares, Lucas slid the cauldron smoothly off the burner with a subtle wave of his hand, the heavy iron vessel levitating effortlessly through the air before settling gently on the tabletop. He made a mental note of the time as the potion would need to brew untouched for the next 33 to 45 minutes.

Justin waved a hand in front of his nose, grimacing at the pungent fumes wafting from their cauldron.

"Wow, that's ripe," he muttered. "I don't know how you can just breathe that in like it's nothing, Harry."

Lucas shrugged, unconcerned by the unpleasant smells thanks to his Wristband of Air Purification. "I'm sure you'll get used to it," he said simply.

As the minutes ticked by, he divided his attention between monitoring their potion's progress and observing the rest of the class. Hermione and Neville seemed to be following the instructions carefully, if a bit slowly. Lily and Sally-Anne were whispering intently as they worked, occasionally glancing over at Lucas and Justin's table.

When the optimal brewing time had elapsed, Lucas gave Justin a nudge. "Let's finish it up, shall we?"

Justin nodded eagerly, already reaching for the jar of horned slugs as Lucas removed the cauldron from the tabletop and returned it to the burner's low flames. Following the instructions precisely, Justin decanted four of the plump, wriggling slugs into the shimmering brew.

Lucas waited for Justin to withdraw his hand before taking the cauldron off the heat once more. He added two porcupine quills, grimacing slightly at the way they caused the potion to hiss and froth alarmingly. Quickly, he stirred the mixture exactly five times in a clockwise motion as the quills dissolved.

On the final turn, he gave his wand another wave over the surface. The frothing immediately stilled, and the potion settled into a glossy, turquoise shade. Fragrant tendrils of steam wafted up, carrying the crisp scent of peppermint across the room.

Emerald eyes glinting, Lucas carefully decanted the turquoise potion into a glass phial. Justin let out a low whistle. "Brilliant, mate."

"Snape will have to give us top marks for that, for sure," the blond Hufflepuff said with a grin.

Justin's grin faded as a looming shadow fell across their worktable. Professor Snape had materialized beside them, his sallow face impassive as he stared down his hooked nose at their cauldron.

"Well, well," the Potions Master drawled silkily. "It seems someone has managed to produce a passable attempt at brewing a simple curative."

His cold, dark eyes flicked over the shimmering turquoise surface before settling on Lucas. "You, Potter. Explain the process you used to arrive at this..." He wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of the peppermint steam. "...result."

All eyes turned towards Lucas, but the young prodigy did not seem cowed in the slightest by Snape's piercing gaze. He met the professor's stare evenly with an expression of polite attentiveness.

"Certainly, sir," Lucas replied respectfully. "Justin and I began by crushing six snake fangs into a fine powder using the mortar and pestle. We then measured out precisely four portions and added them to the cauldron before heating the mixture to 250 degrees for ten seconds."

Snape's eyes narrowed fractionally at the precise details, but he said nothing as Lucas continued.

"After allowing the base to simmer for the allotted time of 33 to 45 minutes, we added four horned slugs directly to the heated solution," Lucas went on calmly. "We then removed the cauldron from the heat before adding two porcupine quills with five clockwise stirs to encourage full integration."

He gestured towards the shimmering turquoise liquid. "A final wave of the wand over the surface completely activated the latent magical properties and completed the brewing process per the instructions."

For a long moment, Snape stared at Lucas appraisingly. The rest of the class had fallen utterly silent, hanging on the exchange between student and teacher.

"And what, pray tell, is the precise function of porcupine quills in this particular potion, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked at last in a deceptively mild voice.

Lucas didn't even hesitate. "The quills act like magical lances, puncturing through the protective barriers erected by boils and infections," he replied with a neutral expression. "Their magically-imbued tips create openings, allowing the potion's other curative elements to penetrate and neutralize the noxious compounds causing the swelling and pus formation. The clockwise stirs are crucial for guiding the quills' piercing action in a harmonious, spiraling flow that maximizes their barrier-breaching potential."

The students around them looked mostly lost now as they absorbed this detailed response. Even Hermione looked impressed with her eyes wide.

Snape's lip curled ever so slightly, but it was impossible to tell if the expression was one of derision or grudging respect. "One point to Hufflepuff, Potter," he said at last, his voice flat. "For...adequately regurgitating the textbook."

With a dramatic swirl of his robes, Snape turned and moved on to the next table as his eyes roved over the other students' efforts with disdain.

Justin let out a low whistle as soon as the dour professor was out of earshot. "Harry, You made that look effortless." he whispered in an undertone, grinning at his friend. "I thought for sure Snape was going to take points like the older Hufflepuffs said he'd do."

Lucas allowed himself a small, casual shrug.

So much for Snape trying to make a fool of me like he did Harry in the books, he mused. He clearly wasn't prepared for me to actually understand the subject matter. Though I can't say I'm impressed with his teaching methods so far - simply reading instructions off a board is hardly a robust curriculum.

No matter. I've already read ahead in all the textbooks for the next seven years. Potions may prove a useful avenue to explore...perhaps I can devise new applications, improved recipes, or even original creations. Might be worth investing some time into mastering it properly.

Aloud, he simply said, "Thanks, Justin. But it's going to take more than that to rattle me."

oo0ooOoo0oo

The door thudded shut behind the cluster of Hufflepuff first-years as they spilled out of the gloomy Potions classroom. A collective sigh of relief escaped their lips, the dank chill of the dungeons quickly replaced by the warm, torchlit corridors of the upper castle.

"Finally, some fresh air!" Justin exclaimed, taking an exaggerated gulp of the pleasantly scented air wafting from the nearby gardens. He grinned at Lucas, falling into step beside his friend as they made their way towards the Grand Staircase. "I thought I was going to suffocate down there with all those nasty potion fumes."

"Ugh, wretched!" Lily's delicate features contorted in revulsion, and her soft voice took on a whining quality. "How does one breathe that foulness?"

"Aw, c'mon, you two!" Sally-Anne chimed in with a mischievous grin as her coppery braid swung merrily behind her. "I thought it added a nice...pungent sort of authenticity to the whole experience."

She nudged Neville playfully with her elbow, nearly overbalancing the round-faced boy. "Didn't it, Neville? Put you right in the potioneering spirit and all that?"

A deep crimson crept up Neville's round cheeks. He averted his gaze to the scuffed toes of his well-worn shoes, shuffling them against the stone floor. "I-I don't know," he mumbled. "I was just worried about mixing everything up and melting the cauldron..."

An indignant huff sounded from Hermione's direction as she pushed a wayward chestnut curl out of her eyes. "Well, of course you were nervous, Neville!" she exclaimed. "Professor Snape gave us absolutely no safety briefing or instructions whatsoever. He just expected us to know how to handle all those ingredients and equipment right off the bat!"

The curly-haired girl shook her head, her eyes flashing with a spark of frustration. "It's a wonder none of the cauldrons melted right through their bases with how little guidance he provided."

Lucas chuckled, the sound seeming to fill the corridor around them. "Now, now, Hermione, let's not be too hard on Professor Snape," he said mildly. "I'm sure he has his reasons for the...hands-off approach to teaching."

Hermione opened her mouth - likely to launch into a spirited debate - but Justin beat her to it with a derisive snort.

"Reasons?" the blond Hufflepuff repeated with a roll of his eyes. "More like he couldn't be bothered. Did you see how he critiqued everyone's work? Didn't seem interested in actually teaching us anything useful at all."

The five friends meandered down the sun-dappled corridor, their voices echoing off the ancient stone walls. Portraits lining the halls craned their necks curiously as the cluster of first-years passed by in a flurry of black robes and animated chatter.

"Perhaps that's just his way of weeding out the students who don't have a natural knack for it," Lucas suggested with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

He flashed his friends a sly smile, eyes glinting mischievously. "After all, Snape did say that potions is an 'exact art and subtle science'. Maybe he figures you need to have a certain...innate sense for it before any formal instruction can really begin?"

Neville made a small, uncertain noise in the back of his throat. "You mean like...like an inborn magical ability specifically for potions?" he asked hesitantly. "Because if that's the case, I'm really not sure I've got what it takes..."

A thoughtful furrow appeared between Hermione's brows as she mulled over Lucas's words. "A natural predisposition for the art of potion-making..." she mused, nibbling her lower lip. "I don't recall reading anything about that in our texts. Do you think it's even possible to be born with an innate skill like that?"

Lucas met each of their gazes, emerald eyes flickering with nonchalance. A heartbeat passed. "Take metamorphmagi, for instance - witches and wizards born with the power to change their physical appearance at will. Or Seers, with their inborn talents for divination and prophecy." Lucas ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke. "And then there are Animagi like Professor McGonagall, who can transform into animal forms. Though that can be gained through practice."

The others were nodding along, their initial confusion slowly giving way to understanding and interest. Even Neville looked intrigued despite his earlier uncertainty.

Sensing he had their undivided attention, Lucas lowered his voice conspiratorially as they approached the broad staircase that would take them up to the Entrance Hall.

"Those are just the well-known examples," Lucas said as his voice lowered conspiratorially. "But there are rarer abilities...stigmatized ones that have been pushed into obscurity over time."

A heavy silence fell over the group, broken only by the sound of their shoes scuffing against the stone underfoot. Lily leaned closer to Sally-Anne, her small hands gripping the other girl's sleeve as her dark eyes widened.

"You...you don't mean like dark magic or anything, do you Harry?" the petite girl asked in a small, slightly shaky voice.

Lucas was quick to shake his head, offering her a reassuring smile. "Nothing so sinister as outright curses or hexes, Lily," he assured her gently. "I'm referring more to innate traits or tendencies that have been unfairly misunderstood or demonized due to lack of information."

He allowed another pause, letting the weight of his words sink in as they began to climb the stairs towards the Entrance Hall. Just ahead, a group of older Slytherin students was descending with their heads bent together in hushed conversation.

"In fact," Lucas continued, and his voice dropped to just above a whisper, "I happen to possess one such ability myself."

The effect was instantaneous. Neville stumbled. Sally-Anne's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a small gasp of surprise. Even Hermione's shoulders tensed visibly as she whipped around to fix Lucas with an intense, searching look.

"You...you do?" she breathed, sounding almost breathless with curiosity.

A group of older Slytherins passed by, their conversation trailing off as curious looks were cast towards Lucas's group.

Lucas simply nodded with an expression of perfect calm and ease - the picture of childish innocence.

"I do," he confirmed with a small, lopsided smile. "Though it's honestly not that incredible, all things considered. Just a...unique little quirk, I suppose you could say."

He paused, letting his words hang tantalizingly in the air for a beat before continuing.

"You see, I have reason to believe that when Voldemort's killing curse rebounded off me all those years ago, it did more than simply leave me with this scar." One slim finger traced the faint, lightning-shaped line on his forehead. "I think...a piece of his power was transferred to me as well."

Neville paled at the mention of You-Know-Who's name. Lily's eyes widened, her hand gripping Sally-Anne's sleeve.

Even Justin and Hermione - the two unflappable Muggle-borns of the group - exchanged apprehensive looks at Lucas's revelation.

"His...power?" Hermione repeated in confusion.

The words seemed to suck all sound from the corridor around them, even the portraits going eerily still and silent. Somewhere behind them, one of the Slytherins let out a muffled gasp of shock.

Lucas, however, simply shrugged one shoulder in an easy, unbothered gesture - the picture of childlike nonchalance.

"So it would seem," he replied calmly. "Though I can't say I'm too fussed about it, honestly. After all..."

A slow, almost playful smile curved his lips.

"It did grant me a rather unique advantage. You see, I'm what's known as a Parselmouth - I have the ability to speak and understand the language of serpents."

The silence that followed was practically deafening, the weight of his words seeming to press down on them like a physical force. Neville looked utterly poleaxed and his mouth worked soundlessly as he stared at Lucas with something akin to horrified awe. Sally-Anne's face drained of color, and her freckles stood out even more.

As for Hermione and Justin, the two Muggle-borns were baffled as to why the wizard-raised were so shocked.

Finally, Lily found her voice, and her words were a little bit fearful.

"Parseltongue," she repeated, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "You...you can actually converse with snakes?"

Lucas's playful smile softened into something warm and reassuring as he met each of his friend's gazes in turn.

"I can," he confirmed with a small nod. "It's honestly not that incredible, I promise. Just a...unique little quirk, as I said."

Hermione's brow furrowed as she processed Lucas's reveal about being a Parselmouth. She opened her mouth, no doubt to ask one of her usual barrage of follow-up questions, but Justin once more beat her to it with a confused look.

"Hang on," the blond Hufflepuff said slowly. "I'm not sure I understand what the big deal is here. You can talk to snakes...so what?"

He shrugged and his blue eyes flicked between the pale, shaken faces of their wizard-raised friends. "It's a bit odd, sure, but why is everyone acting like Harry just admitted to being evil or something?"

"Because that's exactly what Parseltongue is associated with!" Neville burst out with an ashen face. "It's...it's an ability linked to Salazar Slytherin himself - one of the foulest, most twisted wizards to have ever lived!"

Sally-Anne was nodding fervently in agreement. "It's true," she said in a hushed voice. "Slytherin was a Parselmouth, and he could use snakes as weapons against people. It's why so many dark wizards have tried to learn it over the centuries."

Lily reached out, gripping Hermione's arm tightly as she stared at Lucas with wide, anxious eyes. "Harry...you can't really think you're...you know..." She swallowed hard, seeming unable to give voice to her fears.

But Lucas was already shaking his head, with his expression one of calm reassurance as he held up a placating hand.

"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said soothingly. "I know Parseltongue has...unfortunate connotations in our world, but I hardly think that makes me a dark wizard in the making."

He smiled then, the expression warm and genuine as he met each of their gazes in turn.

"After all, it's not as if I chose this ability, or went looking for a way to obtain it through nefarious means. No, this was simply...an unexpected consequence of my encounter with Voldemort all those years ago."

Neville flinched violently at the use of the Dark Lord's name, but Lucas pressed on, undeterred.

"From what I understand, Voldemort himself was a Parselmouth - one of the most accomplished ones in centuries, if the stories are to be believed. So perhaps when his curse backfired and struck me as an infant, some...essence of that rare ability was transferred to me as well."

Hermione was nodding quickly now, the furrow in her brow easing somewhat as understanding dawned across her features.

"That...does make a certain sort of sense, I suppose," she said carefully. "If You-Know-Who possessed this Parseltongue ability and then his curse rebounded, it could be that you could have inadvertently inherited it during that magical backlash."

She gnawed her lower lip thoughtfully. "Though I'll admit, I've never read anything about magical abilities being...transferable like that. I'd love to do some research into it to understand how it's possible..."

Lucas shot her an appreciative look. "An excellent suggestion, Hermione," he said warmly. "I would welcome the chance to understand this ability better myself. For now, though..."

He trailed off, emerald eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief as he caught the curious looks from Justin and Hermione.

"For now, I think a small demonstration might be in order - just to put any lingering doubts or fears to rest, yes?"

Without waiting for a response, Lucas fished his wand from the depths of his robe pocket and leveled it at the floor just ahead of their little group. The Slytherin students who had been not-so-subtly eavesdropping scrambled backwards as their eyes went wide with alarm.

Concentrating, Lucas focused his intent on conjuring a harmless serpent - but not just any snake. No, this one would be...special. Adorable, even.

In his mind's eye, he envisioned the creature taking shape, its scales a shimmering, iridescent rainbow of jewel-bright hues. He imagined its slender body no thicker than his thumb, its bright black eyes glinting with a curious sort of intelligence as its tiny forked tongue flicked out to taste the air.

"Serpensortia!" Lucas murmured, giving his wand a sharp flick.

At once, the air wavered before gathering into the serpentine form he had so vividly imagined. The slender snake materialized on the floor before them, its rainbow scales glittering like a kaleidoscope of gemstones in the torchlight.

Hermione actually gasped with her eyes going wide in wonder as she took in the diminutive creature. Even Neville seemed taken aback by the snake's almost...cute appearance as his shoulders lost a bit of their tension.

Lily's eyes went wide, a fearful reverence replacing her earlier nervousness. "It's...beautiful," she breathed, hand unconsciously gripping Sally-Anne's sleeve.

Lucas simply smiled, crouching down so that he was eye-level with the shimmering serpent. When he opened his mouth, a series of soft hisses and sibilant tones spilled from his lips in that strange, arcane language.

"Wrap around my arm, and then a couple of seconds later around my shoulders." he commanded the magical snake construct.

The tiny snake seemed to consider his words for a moment, and its bright black eyes flickered open and closed deliberately. With a flick of its jewel-toned scales, it slithered forward in a rippling, undulating motion. Once close enough, it began winding its way up Lucas's outstretched arm.

The first-years watched, utterly transfixed, as the iridescent serpent looped itself around Lucas's forearm in a series of loose coils. Its small head emerged from the center of the spiral to taste the air once more with its forked tongue, and Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Well?" he asked, turning his arm to show off the snake to his friends. "Still think I'm destined for the path of a dark wizard?"

Hermione was the first to shake her head in wonder once more. "That was...incredible, Harry," she breathed. "I had no idea you could actually communicate with them like that!"

Justin nodded in fervent agreement.

Sally-Anne and Lily exchanged a look, the former seeming to wrestle with her instinctive fear and misgivings about the ability. Finally, the redhead managed a small smile.

"I have to admit," she said slowly, "it is...rather adorable when you put it that way."

A sheen of sweat glistened on Neville's brow as he stared at the snake, his adam's apple bobbing with each nervous swallow. But even he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the hypnotic, shimmering coils currently draped over Lucas's arm.

"I...I suppose it's not quite as...ominous as I imagined," he conceded in a small voice.

As if sensing the shift in the atmosphere, the rainbow serpent lifted its head higher, flicking its tongue out once more in an almost curious manner. Lucas chuckled again, the sound warm and reassuring as he straightened to his full height once more.

"See?" he said with a fond smile. "Nothing to be afraid of at all. Just a...unique little quirk, like I said."

The serpent chose that moment to uncurl itself from Lucas's arm and begin slithering up towards his shoulders. Within moments, it had looped itself loosely around the back of his neck, its tiny head emerging to blink placidly at the cluster of first-years.

"Now then," Lucas continued brightly, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've definitely worked up an appetite after that little display. Who's hungry?"

With that, he spun on his heel and walked purposefully towards the open doors of the Great Hall, the iridescent snake bobbing gently with each step. His friends had no choice but to hurry after him as their earlier fears and apprehensions slowly went away while they admired the cute snake.

What almost none of them noticed, however, were the open-mouthed stares and frantic whispers now spreading through the group of Slytherin students they had passed. Nor did they see the way those whispers started to spread through the already-assembled clusters of students scattered throughout the Great Hall.

By the time Lucas reached the long table and slid onto the bench, a hush had fallen over the hall. Hundreds of eyes were fixed upon the young Hufflepuff, drinking in the sight of the small rainbow serpent currently draped over his shoulders.

At the Head Table, Professor McGonagall had gone rigid in her seat with her lips pressed into a thin, severe line. Beside her, Dumbledore too had frozen in shock for a moment before relaxing greatly, though his eyes were still curious. He shook his head after a moment and leaned over to murmur something in Mcgonagall's ear.

But Lucas paid none of it any mind. He simply helped himself to a platter of roast beef and potatoes, all the while chatting animatedly with his friends as the rainbow serpent tasted the air with a lazy flick of its forked tongue.

Good… Now the future reputational damage is greatly reduced. Even if this might cause a little bit of a conflict with some of the Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs, that can easily be managed through Legilimency to diffuse any situations.