Ch52. Potion Lesson, make it Snappy

Hadrian sat next to Susan in the Potion classroom as he observed the class. Surprisingly or not, Hufflepuffs had the potions with Slytherins.

'What gives.' He thought sarcastically when he remembered originally it was Lions with Snakes.

It didn't take long for 'Professor' Snape to enter the classroom with his tirade about wand-waving while 'subtly' praising Draco.

'Well, time to be a complete git.' He thought.

Hadrian made sure to listen to it even though his eyes were drooping from boredom. Snape didn't care much about his attention, it seemed.

"Mr. Potter. Our... new... celebrity." He slowly intoned, emphasizing every word mockingly.

"Potter! What would I get if I added the powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

And while Hadrian knew the original Harry would be touched if he knew the meaning behind those words...

"The Draught of Living Death, sir." Hadrian answered and his melancholy was extinguished the second he felt the Legilimency probe smash into his mind. He quickly put fake thoughts on the forefront of his mind.

'What does he mean by those plants? Does he regret the death of some Lily? Well, what a jerk to pull his ineptitude and insufficient love life at me. Who cares about his failures as a man.'

He tried to make his thought as snarky while still appearing as if he didn't understand the meaning behind it.

Snape actually had a flash of recognition pass as he was about to sneer through his eyes but when he heard Hadrian's thoughts he quickly became enraged.

"Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat, Sir."

'Is he real? Of course, I would look into his cabinet first. He is the potion teacher here. What an utter dunderhead.'

Snape opened his mouth but could only silently stare at Harry, unable to even rebuke his thoughts. Legilimency was, after all, a highly forbidden magic. If he was caught performing it on a student...

Hadrian knew what Snape was thinking the second he saw his expression. He cursed his luck that the Professor didn't reveal himself. These lessons were a prime opportunity for that. Next to him was Susan, the niece of the head of the DMLE, around him were his loyal badgers, just ready to jump into a fight if it means protecting one of their own, and even among Slytherins the more grey inclined families would most probably help if it meant discreetly push Dumbledore down. Greengrass, the prime example among them.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked, keeping his cool only due to being strong Occlumens.

"They are the same." Hadrian answered, calmly staring into Snape's eyes with a serious demeanor.

'Seriously though, maybe his knowledge of potions really isn't up to par as I feared if he asks things such as this...'

His thoughts yet again viciously grated at Snape's nerves as they attacked his pride as Potion Master. Snape gritted his teeth as he sat down in his chair, looking at the classroom with fury in his eyes.

"Well? Do I have to write it for you?" He barked silently while making sure everybody heard him. "Why are you not writing it down yet?"

The class then went on and Hadrian was getting quite frustrated as Snape kept his cool pretty well. He was almost sorrowful as he thought about how to make him snap.

Hadrian was so distracted, he didn't notice Snape's eyes on him nor his brow twitching when he saw him cutting the ingredients down to small bite-sized squares instead of throwing it all intact into the cauldron as written in the instruction. Hadrian as he was reminiscing about his one month period of cooking for Dursleys started to cut even smaller triangles out of the small squares, humming to himself as he plotted his next move. Suddenly he heard the enraged voice of Snape snapping at him.

"Potter! What do you think you are doing! This is not a cooking class! That will be ten points from Gryffindor for making fun of Potions!" He hatefully snarled on reflex, as he glared at the bite-sized triangles on the chopping board, not thinking about what he just said.

Hadrian gaped at him, not expecting something like that to happen. Slowly, his face morphed into an uncaring look as he replied.

"Okay, I am sure Gryffindors will be pleased, then." He said cooly, making sure to meet Snape's stone-cold dark eyes containing bottomless fury.

'Stupid git. No wonder that Lily left him.'

It was at that time that Snape's anger boiled over and his mind was completely hazed by anger. He, in one swift, fluid motion, swished his hand out, a curse on his lips.

Hadrian didn't have much time as his eyes widened. He really didn't expect him to lose his cool so much he would actually attack. He pushed his magic, veering Snape's hand off of him, sending it to the right side.

All of that happened in a slit of a second and Snape was unable to stop his curse when it left his wand and to everybody's surprise, impacted Draco's cauldron. As Snape drew his wand from his left pocket in his robe, the motion seemed fluid and the redirection wasn't apparent. It all looked as if he targeted Draco from the start.

The boiling cauldron with half-finished potion blew up, covering Draco, his partner Parkinson and two closest students, which happened to be Goyle and Crabbe, in the boiling fluids as the children screamed in untold amounts of pain.

Next to Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass was gripping her right hand burned by the potion tightly to her chest, tearing up in pain as she was gritting her teeth, trying to not whimper.

The entire class looked at the scene completely horrified in silent bewilderment. Nobody expected this to happen and the kids did what kids do best. They got loud.

Wails, screams, and yells resounded through the classroom when suddenly the doors flew open and McGonagall rushed in. She quickly saw the scene of crying children and her eyes went cold when she spotted Professor Snape with his wand out, pointing in their direction.

One quick Expelliarmus later, Snape finally snapped out of it when he felt his wand leave his hand and found himself staring at the enraged Transfiguration Mistress. He didn't even manage to utter a coherent sentence before a stunner promptly sent him crashing to the ground, stunned.

Hadrian thanked all gods for having the foresight to send an anonymous letter to McGonagall's table via Rowena express, stating the twins are planning a prank during the potion class of the first years in order to welcome their brother in Hogwarts. He was also glad she decided to spend her free period patrolling around the classroom to prevent her Lions from angering Snape.

While not according to his plan, the results were better than he hoped.

Five Heirs and Heiresses of quite prominent families were wounded by Snape's wand.

Hadrian glanced at shocked Susan with the corner of his eyes. Maybe his 'advice' of, instead of writing a letter to her Aunt, she should call her to Hogwarts and talk to her in person, say, right after potion classes, will really come quite in handy.

Only a pang of regret went through his chest as he watched the pain-filled expression of Daphne Greengrass but he quickly squashed it for being irrational.

"Potions are hereby canceled." McGonagall firmly stated as she knocked Malfoy and Parkinson out.

Both were covered from head to toes in the boiling liquid, their screams the loudest as they tried to anyhow stop the pain. By the time he was stunned, Draco was thrashing on the floor, harshly scratching his face as blood pooled out of it while Pansy was shrieking and strongly banging her head on the wall in an attempt to knock herself out, leaving a bloody smear on it.

Grabbe and Goyle had mostly burned their backs as they managed to turn around before the potion hit them but both of them were also wailing, sobbing while pissing themselves from enormous amounts of pain. McGonagall applied some basic soothing charms and ordered them to follow her to the infirmary but it was obvious both boys were still out of it as they barely panted through the pain of their harsh red backs.

Daphnee was taking her burned hand as a real champ. Not even a whimper left her lips but her eyes were obviously clouded by tears as her entire body shook minutely. Hadrian had to give it to the girl. She really deserved the title of The Ice Queen if she still managed to act as if nothing bothered her with boiling potion on her hand.

Hadrian couldn't help but feel pity for these children as it was his redirection that caused their pain. They were not yet Death Eaters. Albeit arrogant and snobbish, they were still but children. He also couldn't believe his luck at making Snape hit Draco Malfoy's cauldron, of all things, with his curse.

His illogical remorse was swiftly put away when he understood one simple truth. Instead of Draco and Pansy, trying to get a sweet release from the pain, it might just have been him and Susan covered in the boiling potion. He snaked his hand around Susan's shoulders as he pulled her closer to him in a comforting notion as he decided to be more careful from now on.

Looking at Susan, he sighed. The girl definitely needed a shoulder to lean on after the horrid sight.

'Yes. Definitely gotta adjust her attitude sometimes soon.'