Chapter:39 Start Of The Term(12): Day Two(3)

'Somethings seriously wrong with that woman.'

Thought Victoire as she wrapped her arms around the shoulders of her two friends who left her behind.

"Calm down, no need to do something like this." 

"Yes! What she said!"

Currently, Victoire was sitting at the Gryffindor table in the main hall. She had somehow managed to give Professor Thistlewood the slip after her strange comment on how she looked.

Surprisingly, the Professor was too busy shouting at her about her flirtatious comments to notice that Victoire was no longer there. Instead, the first-year student was rushing down the corridor toward the Great Hall for lunch where she found Angelina and Alicia, along with the Weasley twins, discussing what sort of punishment she was going through.

So, she did what any friend would do and got both the twin brothers in a chokehold.

"Come on now Victoire, it was just a joke!"

"We didn't realize you were asked to stay behind by the Professor."

Victoire rolled her eyes at the twins' scared responses.

"A joke? That wasn't a joke, that was..."

She struggled to find the right words, still baffled by Professor Thistlewood's peculiar behavior.

"That was just weird. I know that it's usually I who do the flirting but what the hell did she mean by 'taking a liking' to how I look? Is she okay?"

Fred and George exchanged glances, and then George spoke up.

"Well, you know, Thistlewood is a bit... eccentric. She says and does the weirdest things. Don't take it too seriously."

"Yeah, she's always been like that,"

added Fred, attempting to loosen Victoire's grip on him.

"Percy told me she tried to teach his class how to use a spoon as a wand! I tell you she's not right in the head."

Angelina and Alicia, who were witnessing the scene, couldn't help but chuckle. Angelina spoke,

"Victoire, you're not the first one to get on the wrong side of Professor Thistlewood. Megan tried to skip her class yesterday."

Victoire released the twins, giving them a disapproving look.

"Really now. What happened to her?"

Alicia answered her question,

"The professor declared that she would be taking DADA classes upside down from today till Halloween."

"Upside down? Is she serious?"

Victoire exclaimed, incredulous.

"Dead serious. Megan has to attend classes while doing handstands or something like that. It's bizarre, but apparently, all the previous DADA Professors were the same,"

Angelina explained with a smirk.

Victoire shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe I missed that part. Handstands in class? This woman is nuts."

The group continued their conversation, discussing the peculiarities of their teachers. But the conversation somehow returned to the parchment the twins found yesterday, something about the founders' treasure of something. Victoire zoned out once Fred said he suspected the treasure was buried in the forbidden forest.

'Yep, that's definitely a fake one.'

As they chatted, Victoire's eyes caught sight of Percy Weasley entering the Great Hall. He seemed a bit flustered, adjusting his robes and running a hand through his hair.

"What happened to you, Percy?"

George called out.

Percy sighed, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's none of your business."

But before he could escape to the corner of the table, another student from his year started to tell everyone about what happened in their divination class.

"Oh, you won't believe it. Percy knocked over Professor Trelawney's crystal ball in divination. She said that he somehow disrupted the cosmic balance or something."

Fred burst into laughter.

"You disrupted the cosmic balance? Percy, that's a new one even for you!"

Percy shot his brothers a stern look.

"It's not funny! I had to write her a formal apology, and she gave me a list of books on 'The Importance of Cosmic Harmony.' I don't have time for this nonsense."

Victoire couldn't help but join in the laughter. 

'Divination doesn't seem so bad.'

The laughter continued for a while as Percy reluctantly joined the group at the Gryffindor table. The students were enjoying their lunch break before the afternoon classes, exchanging stories and jokes. The atmosphere in the Great Hall was lively, and even the rain outside seemed to add a cozy touch to the scene.

As they chatted, Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall, signaling the end of the students' free time. The Head of Gryffindor approached Victoire and her friends.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you enjoyed your break. Please make your way to your next class now."

The students began to disperse, heading to their respective classrooms for the next set of lessons. Victoire and her friends gathered their belongings and made their way to the Potions classroom for their afternoon session.

Professor Snape's Potions class was located in the dungeons, and as the students descended the stairs, the air became cooler and damp. The classroom was filled with the distinct aroma of potion ingredients and the pungent smell of rot.

Their classroom looked more like a dungeon cell if anything, with no windows, and barely any ventilation. 

'Quite the surprise that he teaches 'Potions' here.'

In fact, it was more than just a surprise, it was an atrocity to teach potions in a closed-off room. What about the fumes? What about the safety measures? Victoire was pretty sure that read somewhere about the law against brewing potions in enclosed quarters such as this one. 

Snape was a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. He was dressed in a flowing black robe that lifted off the ground as he marched into the classroom.

'Overgrown bat indeed.'

He had shoulder-length, greasy black hair that framed his face with curled lips and dark, penetrating eyes that just made it impossible to deny a very important fact,

'Snape's an emo.'

Despite being a somewhat gothic emo teacher, he had a strong, authoritative presence. Even before he reached the podium, he began to speak in his soft, contained voice.

"Wands in your pockets. Take out your copy of magical 'Drafts and Potions.' I believe at least some of you have had the decency to open and read your textbooks before your first class."

The students hastily pulled out their textbooks, looking a bit apprehensive. Victoire had indeed thoroughly studied the book on the basics of potions but that was her personal copy. The one in her hands was the new one that her father ordered and she had yet to crack open its pages. she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that Snape was about to make things more complicated than necessary.

Snape's gaze swept across the room as he spoke, his eyes pausing on Victoire for a moment before moving on.

"Today, we will be brewing the Cure for Boils. I trust none of you needs an introduction to the rather basic nature of this potion. If you do, I suggest you reconsider your presence in this class."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. The students exchanged glances, and Victoire noticed that most of the Gryffindor students had an anxious look on their faces while the Hufflepuffs were shivering down to their boots.

"Now, get your ingredients from the cabinet, and ensure you follow the instructions precisely. I have no patience for mistakes, and neither does this potion."

The students hurried to the cabinets, gathering the required ingredients. Victoire partnered with the Weasley Twins, while Angelina and Alicia joined Lee Jordan to form their group of three.

As they set up their cauldron, Victoire couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. She had read all the books there were on beginners' potions but she had yet to try her hand at one. Her mother had been too strict about safety protocols.

As they began brewing the Cure for Boils, Snape circled the room, observing each pair with a scrutinizing eye. Victoire focused on measuring the ingredients precisely, ensuring the potion would turn out as intended.

However, Fred seemed a bit nervous, fumbling with the ingredients and occasionally glancing at Snape, who was now watching their progress.

"Careful with the Flobberworm Mucus, George. It's not something you want to spill,"

Victoire whispered, trying to assist her partner.

Snape, overhearing Victoire's remark, approached their table. His dark eyes narrowed as he observed their potion.

"Is there a problem, Miss Lefevre? Perhaps you would like to share your expertise with the class."

Victoire bit her lip, trying to gauge Snape's tone. It was clear he was expecting her to falter, but she decided to remain composed.

"No problem, Professor. We're just ensuring accuracy in our measurements."

Snape's gaze lingered on Victoire for a moment, but he didn't press further. Instead, he moved on to inspect another pair's potion.

The brewing continued, and as the potions simmered in the cauldrons, Snape circled the room, occasionally offering stern advice or criticism. Victoire and the twins worked diligently, and by the end of the class, their potion had turned out to be of satisfactory quality.

Snape, however, remained stoic.

"Barely passable,"

he commented as he moved on to the next table.

As the class concluded, Snape assigned homework on the properties of Flobberworm Mucus and dismissed the students. Victoire gathered her belongings, relieved that the first Potions class had gone relatively smoothly.

It was quite a surprise that he didn't knock off any points from either of the houses, which was in itself an unsettling premonition. Outside the dungeons, the students dispersed to their next classes. Victoire, along with Angelina, Alicia, and some other friends, made their way to the final class of the day.

However, just as they were passing by the Great Hall, they noticed a large crowd of red and yellow gathering around the score hourglasses. There was a hue and cry as Gryffindor students shouted protests while some of the Hufflepuff girls straight up broke down crying.

"You got to be kidding me!"