Chapter 94: "Bullied in the Classroom: Neville's Struggle with Snape's Taunts"

Harry couldn't help but wish that Snape would be poisoned by the leftover potion.

He and Hermione then helped Ron pack up the unused ingredients and went to the stone sink in the corner of the classroom to wash their hands and spoons.

"Well done, we may get a new specimen of toad today," Snape said, a cruel smile spreading across his face as he looked at Neville, who was shrinking in fear by the cauldron. "Just look at Longbottom. Who knows what will happen to his toad? If he makes a shrinking potion, it will turn into a tadpole. But if he messes it up, which I have no doubt he will, the toad will be poisoned and die, adding a new specimen to our collection in the laboratory."

The Gryffindor students watched in fear, while the Slytherin students watched excitedly. Snape held the toad rifle in his left hand and used a small spoon to scoop up some of Neville's potion. The black potion had a pungent odor and it was obvious that it was poison. He poured a few drops into the toad's throat.

The rifle began to twist frantically in Snape's palm before lying still.

"No!" Neville's eyes filled with tears as a mix of regret and hatred filled his eyes. He was frustrated with his own inability to make potions and with Snape constantly targeting him. He knew he wasn't good at this subject, but Snape always made things difficult for him.

Neville was usually submissive, but today he couldn't contain his anger. This toad had been his friend for the longest time and it never laughed at him. Although it often got lost, Neville could always find it again, but now it had been "poisoned" because of him. He knew he would never forgive himself or the "vicious" teacher in front of him.

"Class is dismissed," Snape said with a satisfied smile.

The Gryffindor students didn't know how to comfort Neville, who was staring at the motionless Trevor on the ground.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione silently climbed the stairs to the front hall. Ron said indignantly, "That old bat is really annoying."

Harry nodded in agreement.

Hermione hummed in response before saying, "I forgot something in the classroom. I'll go back and get it. You don't have to wait for me." Even though it seemed that the toad had been poisoned to death, she still wanted to try and save it, even if her antidote was probably useless. She knew Neville was probably still in shock, staring at the "corpse" of the toad in the classroom.

As she was trotting back to the potions classroom, she suddenly heard a voice she didn't want to hear. Hermione stopped in her tracks, not sure how to feel. She stood outside the door and listened.

"Are you just going to let yourself be bullied like this?"

"Even if your potion is poorly prepared, can't you at least speak up for yourself?"

"Can our dean really pour 'poison' into your pet's mouth without you objecting?"

"So, a large part of the toad's death is your fault. It died because of your cowardice."

"No, it's not my fault," Neville said frantically, shaking his head. He was already sad, and now he was being told that he was actually the cause of the toad's death. It was too cruel for him to bear.

"All you have to do is mention Dumbledore, just like your fellow Gryffindors. Your pet would be spared. Professor Snape would just deduct points from Gryffindor. That's it."

Hermione, standing outside the door, was mentioned but the speaker's voice was devoid of emotion, simply stating a fact.

"But you're the only one left. You watched your pet being killed with your own eyes. Do you regret it now?" the male voice continued to echo in the classroom.

"Regret," Neville whispered, but his tone was full of unwillingness.

"Then let go of any cowardice and stop being afraid. Is there anything sadder than your pet dying in front of you when you could have chosen to speak up?"

"What about your courage when facing your friends? You can stand firm then, but when facing people you don't like, do you still have to take it?"

"Your grandma might give you another owl, rat, or toad, and then they'll just poison it again. How does that sound?"

The successive questions made Neville's lips tremble, and he didn't dare to answer.

"Tell me, what's your answer?" Draco's voice became cold.

"Let that old bat go to hell," Neville yelled with all his strength, startling Hermione outside the door. She had never heard Neville speak with such disrespect for a teacher, whether it was in public or private.

"Very good," Draco said with satisfaction before adding, "Your eyes have changed. I hope the cringing Longbottom is gone for good. Today marks the start of your new life, right?"

"Yeah," Neville nodded. He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off of him and all the fog had been cleared by the sun. This was how he felt now.

"So, you have the right to take control again," Draco said with a smile before chanting a "spell" and pointing his wand at Trevor, who had been "dead" for a while.

"Go..." Neville was confused. This spell was confusing to him, but he trusted Draco and watched Trevor expectantly, hoping for a miracle to happen.

"Its legs are starting to move!" Neville exclaimed excitedly, his face flushing with excitement.

"If you were at a high enough level, you would know that it's very difficult to kill a toad. It's just a way for me to satisfy my own twisted sense of fun. The spell isn't actually necessary," Draco shrugged, admitting that the spell was just a way to satisfy himself.

"Thank you," Neville kept thanking him.

"Get up," Draco said with a smile before adding, "If you don't get up now, lunchtime will be over. We have to go." Neville quickly got up from the ground and realized that his stomach was protesting loudly. He had been so sad that he had forgotten about being hungry.

Hearing that they were about to leave the classroom, Hermione didn't want to stay any longer. She thought it would be awkward to face them after overhearing their conversation.

"I still have class. I have to hurry," she said to herself as she trotted away. She didn't want to think about the thoughts that were swirling in her head and chose to avoid them for now.

The conversation she had overheard had left her shaken.