07: Snape's Questions

The next day, John headed to the Potions classroom.

As soon as he sat down, the area around him cleared out.

When the Gryffindor students arrived, they saw John standing out in the empty space as no one wanted to sit with him.

Hermione and Neville looked over worriedly, and John shrugged, giving them a reassuring look that said it was all fine.

Class began.

Snape, resembling a greasy, walking bat, strode in with a flourish, his robes billowing as if he had a built-in fan.

"This class doesn't require you to foolishly wave your wands around or mindlessly recite spells."

Standing firmly beside the podium, Snape crossed his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping over the students.

He then began his opening speech.

"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..."

John rolled his eyes at these words. If Snape could truly teach something about stopping death, the mad Voldemort who is always afraid of death wouldn't have needed Horcruxes.

He then let his mind wander, summoning his status panel.

After his workout, his magic had grown a bit.

...

[Magic: Level 1 (20/100)]

[Spells: Alohomora (Level 3)]

[Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (Level 7), Long Weapon Mastery (Level 6), Heavy Weapon Mastery (Level 3), Firearm Mastery (Level 1)]

[Blessings: Fitness, Quick Attack, Precision]

...

By his calculations, he could gain five magic points from a day's training.

He considered whether he should get some dumbbells to keep in his room.

As he daydreamed, Snape's gaze turned to John, undisguised loathing in his eyes.

In a mocking tone, Snape said, "Hmm, maybe some of you have already had some reputation when you first arrived at Hogwarts, and have shown some 'strength' at the great hall, but don't think you can be arrogant and not listen to my class seriously!"

John snapped out of his thoughts and noticed Malfoy's mocking expression. He picked up the quill on his desk with a blank expression and Snape also directed his attention towards someone else.

This simple action made Malfoy's smile vanish instantly.

Although Snape hated John, there was someone more annoying here.

Without hesitation, he directed his scorn towards the savior, Harry Potter.

"Mr. Potter."

"Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry, who had recently come from a Muggle household, naturally didn't know and shook his head innocently.

Ignoring Hermione's eagerly raised hand, Snape continued to press Harry.

"Mr. Potter, where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Ah, so Mr. Potter doesn't know? Let's try one more time. What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I.. I don't know."

The exchange made it clear to everyone that Snape had a particular disdain for the savior.

John watched the scene and couldn't help but laugh.

It was, after all, an iconic moment.

This laugh redirected Snape's ire.

 "Mr. Wick, maybe you can tell Mr. Potter the answer to the question just now." Snape turned his head and looked at John.

 John was confused, why did he have a role to play?

[Ding! Triggered Plot Mission: Answer Professor Snape's Questions and Gain Blessing: Scholar]

[Scholar: Enhances learning efficiency for 2 hours daily]

'Stuff like this can also trigger a mission?'

John's eyes glazed over briefly before he quickly gathered his thoughts and recalled the answers.

Coincidentally, though John had forgotten many things, he still remembered Snape's three famous questions.

So he stood up and, without any arrogance, replied, "Adding powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood creates the Draught of Living Death."

"You can find a bezoar in the stomach of a goat."

"There's no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane; they are the same plant also known as aconite."

Confidently answering all three questions, John flashed a modest smile.

For a moment, the entire classroom fell silent.

Malfoy, who had been hoping to see John embarrassed, had his smile frozen on his face. Snape was a bit surprised but mostly filled with annoyance at his thwarted attempt.

Coldly, he said, "Sit down. Five points to Slytherin and five points from Gryffindor."

Annoyed as he was, Snape still followed through with awarding points to Slytherin and deducting from Gryffindor.

John shrugged and sat down, while a notification in his mind informed him he had gained the Scholar's blessing.

Snape's unvented anger quickly turned on the rest of the students. Malfoy, who had just been gloating, was now as obedient as a frightened colt.

Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors looked at John with admiration, as if he were a hero.

After Potions class, the Slytherins filed out in groups, but John remained solitary in the crowd.

...

At the dining hall.

John sighed as he looked at the little wizards stuffing their mouths with blend and oily chicken drumsticks and boiled potatoes. Despite being in this world for many years, he occasionally couldn't help but miss the chicken wings from KFC or the burgers from Burger King.

Hermione came over and, seeing John struggle with his fork against the skin of a potato, asked worriedly, "John, are you alright?"

Hermione was concerned about John's situation in Slytherin, but she clearly underestimated him.

When John was struggling with why someone would eat potato skins together, he heard this and said casually, "Of course I'm fine. Didn't you see how they're all scared of me?"

But in order to comfort Hermione, John decided to let go of his grudge with Malfoy.

Glancing at Malfoy who was passing by, John reached out and called him.

"Malfoy."

Malfoy stopped and warily watched John approach, instinctively taking a step back.

Feeling embarrassed by his own reaction, Malfoy retorted angrily, "What do you want, Wick, you filthy Mu—"

"If you say it, I'll send you back to the infirmary," John said with a gentle smile that made Malfoy's hair stand on end.

John patted Malfoy's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry, after all, I'm not a devil. We're all classmates, we'll be seeing each other a lot. I won't be too harsh."

He then smiled at Crabbe and Goyle, who shivered and quickly nodded in agreement.

"See? Crabbe and Goyle agree. So let's make peace."

Malfoy looked at the two followers and said angrily, "You two idiots."

Looking at John's outstretched hand, he said stubbornly, "I refuse to be friends with you, and don't think you can be arrogant just because you defeated me by sneak attack. Wizards should use magic to decide the outcome, not fists!"

John nonchalantly withdrew his hand, "Alright then, let's duel properly. Isn't that what nobles prefer? I'll indulge you."

Malfoy, still nursing a sore neck, panicked and quickly walked away, pretending not to have heard anything.

John returned to his seat, telling Hermione, who was staring in amazement, "See? No problem at all."

Hermione, still puzzled, nodded. This was 'no problem'?

But, with the logic of a top student, she quickly initiated the topic of studies and started discussing Potions with John.

Feeling overwhelmed, John quickly finished his meal, leaving the potato behind, and escaped.

After all, aside from those three questions, he knew little else.

A flock of owls flew into the Great Hall, delivering many gifts to the little wizards. Neville got a Remembrall from his grandmother.

...

One great thing about Hogwarts was the short class hours and long breaks, including weekends off.

Using the weekend to exercise, John ran around the Black Lake with a head-sized rock on his back.

"The sensation of seeing my magic power increase is awesome."

Watching his stats grow, John felt like he was playing a game.

He hadn't forgotten the dangers of the Harry Potter world; school life wouldn't stay peaceful for long.

During class that week, he had already seen Professor Quirrell and recalled the choking stench, which left a lasting impression.

John had seen the movies in his previous life and had a limited understanding of the original books.

He had almost forgotten the rest of the plot, and the few things he remembered were that Voldemort was on Quirrell's head.

He hadn't recognized him previously in the Leaky Cauldron, but now he did.

He wondered how the fearsome Dark Lord could tolerate such a stench.

While he couldn't recall all the details, he remembered that Quirrell ended up being possessed by Voldemort and was defeated by Harry.

John thought, "I can't ignore this danger. I need to enhance my strength quickly."

In reality, any bit of danger could be fatal.

He threw the rock aside and, looking at his dirty clothes, considered where to find some weights.

...

Second week of school.

The second impressive course in the wizarding world is here:

Flying class!

_____