Henry opened the small box that had arrived with the letter and took out a gold serpent ring set with an emerald.
He knew that this serpent ring had originally been the engagement ring Prince Albert had given Queen Victoria, symbolizing eternal love.
The ring was made of gold, with an emerald set into the serpent’s head.
Emerald was the birthstone for May, the month in which Victoria had been born.
The popularity of serpent designs originated from Queen Victoria’s serpent-shaped wedding ring.
From then on, snake-shaped jewelry became a must-have accessory for women of that era.
The Queen was so enamored with the meaning of “wisdom and eternity” represented by serpent jewelry that snake-shaped jewelry almost became her lifelong personal talisman.
Of course, the style was also very Slytherin.
Perhaps that was precisely why his great-grandmother had given him a serpent ring.
After breakfast came Potions.
If Henry had a hundred points’ worth of anticipation for Charms or Transfiguration, then this class had at least ten thousand.
Whether he could finally say goodbye to baldness depended on how well he did in Potions!
Potions class was held in an underground classroom.
It was colder and gloomier than the main castle above.
Glass jars lined the walls, filled with preserved animal specimens that made one shiver involuntarily.
Henry even spotted two grapes floating inside one of the jars.
He had no idea which giant they had been plucked from.
Not long after everyone sat down, the classroom door was suddenly thrown open with a bang.
Professor Snape swept inside with a gust of wind, his black robes billowing around him like the wings of a gigantic bat.
He walked to the front desk and picked up the attendance list.
Just like Professor Flitwick, he began calling the students’ names.
When he reached Harry Potter’s name, he paused.
“Oh, yes,” he murmured.
“Harry Potter. Our new… celebrity.”
Draco and his two followers, Crabbe and Goyle, covered their mouths and snickered, clearly delighted by Harry’s embarrassment.
Henry’s expression remained calm.
He merely rolled his quill between his fingers, his eyes resting on Snape’s sallow, stern face.
After taking attendance, Professor Snape looked up at the class.
His eyes were cold and hollow, devoid of even the slightest trace of emotion.
“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making.”
Like Professor McGonagall, Snape possessed an effortless presence that could bring an entire classroom into perfect order.
“Since there will be no foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you to truly appreciate the delicate beauty of a cauldron simmering over a gentle flame, its white steam rising while fragrant aromas fill the air. You will not truly understand the subtle magic of liquids flowing through human veins, enchanting the senses and clouding the will…”
“I can teach you how to enhance your reputation, brew glory, and even prevent death—but there is one condition: you must not be the kind of stupid fools I so often encounter.”
Daphne, sitting beside Henry, leaned forward slightly, as though eager to demonstrate that she was certainly not a stupid fool.
“Potter!”
Professor Snape suddenly spoke.
“If I add powdered asphodel root to an infusion of wormwood, what would I get?”
Harry clearly had no idea how to answer.
Not far away, Hermione’s hand shot straight into the air, desperately trying to get Snape to call on her.
“I don’t know, sir,” Harry said.
Professor Snape curled his lip disdainfully.
“Tsk, tsk. It seems fame isn’t everything.”
He completely ignored Hermione, even though the poor girl was practically waving her hand into the ceiling.
“Let us try again. Potter, if I told you to find me a bezoar, where would you look?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“I suppose you haven’t opened a book before coming here, have you, Potter?”
Snape curled his lip again.
“Potter, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?”
“I don’t know,” Harry said quietly.
“But I think Hermione knows the answer. Why don’t you ask her?”
Laughter erupted throughout the classroom.
Professor Snape looked displeased.
“Sit down.”
He turned and snapped at Hermione before looking back at Harry.
“Let me tell you, Potter.”
He leaned forward, looking down at Harry condescendingly.
“Powdered asphodel root and wormwood make a powerful sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and possesses powerful antidotal properties. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, also known collectively as aconite. Understood?”
With that, he suddenly changed direction.
“Now… why aren’t you writing all this down?” Get faster updates on novelping.com.
The students immediately lowered their heads, pulled out their quills and notebooks, and began taking notes.
Amid the scratching of quills, Professor Snape announced:
“Potter, for talking back to your teacher, Gryffindor will lose one point.”
Potions class continued.
Professor Snape divided the students into pairs and instructed them to prepare a simple potion for treating boils.
He then stalked around the classroom in his long black robes, watching as students weighed dried nettles and crushed snake fangs.
Almost everyone received an equal dose of his venomous criticism.
Everyone except Draco’s group and Henry’s group.
Henry had already previewed the textbook before class.
Guided by the theoretical knowledge he had acquired, he handled the ingredients with ease, while also correcting Daphne’s mistake.
“Remember, before adding the porcupine quills, you must first remove the cauldron from the flame,” he reminded her.
When Snape drifted over to their table like a ghost, pink steam was already rising from Henry’s cauldron.
Snape silently stared into the cauldron.
His gaze moved between Henry and Daphne.
Finally, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Properly prepared ingredients. Finished product meets the standard…”
He paused before announcing:
“Ten points to Slytherin.”
Not everyone was as successful as Henry’s group.
Over at the Gryffindor table, poor Neville had failed to remove his cauldron from the flame before adding the porcupine quills.
The cauldron burned straight through.
Worse still, several nearby students ended up with holes burned through their shoes.
Neville himself had it even worse.
A multitude of boils suddenly erupted across his face, even appearing on his nose.
Just as Henry had expected, after criticizing Neville, Professor Snape turned his attention toward Harry.
His invisible hand exerted its full force and ruthlessly deducted another point from Gryffindor.
Sigh.
They really were a pair of unfortunate star-crossed companions.