Mord flashed Hermione a smug smile.
See?
I told you so.
In Professor Snape’s class, Gryffindor students could lose points just for breathing too loudly.
“Today, we will be brewing the Boil Cure Potion,” Snape said in his slow, drawling voice.
“You will need dried nettles, snake fangs, horned slugs…”
He carefully explained the brewing process step by step.
As Mord listened, he noticed something.
Snape rarely explained why each step was necessary.
Instead, he simply instructed the students on what to do.
His explanations were also filled with vague phrases like “an appropriate amount” and “add it at the proper moment.”
Mord nearly sighed.
This feels exactly like learning Chinese cooking.
“Add a suitable amount.”
“Cook until it’s ready.”
“Season to taste.”
How was anyone supposed to know what that actually meant?
Snape was a true Potions genius.
To him, many things were simply common sense and didn’t require explanation.
Unfortunately, his students didn’t share that level of talent.
Mord and Hermione listened attentively while comparing every instruction with their textbooks.
Students like Terry Boot and Harry Potter listened with confused expressions, understanding only half of what they heard.
Meanwhile…
Ron wore a look of complete confidence.
Whether he actually understood anything was another matter entirely.
After barely fifteen minutes of explanation, Snape concluded the lecture.
“Begin.”
Everyone immediately started preparing their cauldrons.
Mord had experimented with potion brewing before coming to Hogwarts.
Although his experience was limited, he at least had a solid foundation.
He carefully added the horned slugs to the cauldron, allowing them to dissolve into a thick layer of mucus.
After adding water, he waited patiently before beginning to grind the dried nettles.
Potion-making was an extremely precise subject.
But unlike Charms, practical experience mattered just as much as theory.
Even if two people followed the same recipe perfectly, the results could differ dramatically.
Only those with exceptional practical talent could consistently brew high-quality potions.
Hermione was clearly one of those people.
Mord remembered that she would successfully brew Polyjuice Potion during her second year—a feat that astonished even experienced witches and wizards.
Fortunately…
His own talent wasn’t bad either.
The moment the potion began turning white, Mord immediately sprinkled in the powdered nettles.
The mixture smoothly changed into a light gray color.
Exactly as described in the textbook.
His timing was perfect.
Hermione completed the same step almost simultaneously.
The two exchanged satisfied smiles.
Across the room, Ron scratched his head in confusion.
His potion had somehow turned pitch black.
“I followed the recipe exactly…”
“Didn’t I?”
Suddenly—
Bang!
A violent explosion echoed through the classroom.
Neville Longbottom’s cauldron exploded.
Green potion splashed in every direction.
Hermione turned just in time to see the bubbling liquid flying toward her face.
“Ah!”
Before she could react, Mord grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
The potion narrowly missed her.
Only a few drops landed harmlessly on the floor.
Hermione let out a shaky sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Mord.”
“It’s nothing.”
Mord gently patted her shoulder.
Helping people was simply part of his nature.
Meanwhile…
“…”
Before anyone could say a word—
“Longbottom!”
“You complete idiot!”
Professor Snape roared.
With a flick of his wand, a whirlwind swept away the broken cauldron and spilled potion.
Hermione looked curiously at the spell.
“Was that Scourgify?”
Mord nodded.
“It is.”
“The Cleaning Charm only removes stains.”
“But Scourgify can completely clean away physical objects as well.”
He made a mental note.
That spell would definitely be useful in the future.
Especially when brewing potions.
Hermione smiled.
“Let’s learn it together in the library.”
“Sounds good.”
The two continued chatting happily.
Unfortunately…
Harry and Neville weren’t nearly as fortunate.
Snape berated Neville mercilessly before turning toward Harry.
“Potter.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“Did you think allowing your classmate to fail would somehow make you look more capable?”
“Gryffindor loses another five points.”
Harry nearly leaped from his chair in protest.
Fortunately, Ron grabbed him before he could speak.
Neville, now covered in painful boils, was escorted to the Hospital Wing by Seamus Finnigan.
After the commotion settled down, Mord and Hermione calmly completed their own Boil Cure Potions.
Professor Snape inspected Mord’s potion first.
He removed the stopper, examined the color, smelled it carefully…
Then gave a small nod.
“Not bad.”
Next came Hermione’s potion.
Although hers looked virtually identical—and its color was arguably even more precise—
Snape merely frowned.
“Barely acceptable.”
Mord almost laughed.
Professor Snape’s favoritism really was obvious.
Even so, everyone looked at Mord with admiration.
He was probably the first student outside Slytherin House to receive genuine praise from Snape.
The system chimed.
[Ding!]
The future Demon King has earned a professor’s recognition.
Darkness Points +10
Mord smiled politely toward Snape.
He could tell that Snape didn’t dislike him.
Perhaps it was because Snape had known his parents.
Maybe they had even worked together once.
Either way…
Receiving preferential treatment actually felt pretty good.
People who claimed to hate double standards usually just hadn’t benefited from them yet.
The system appeared again.
[Ding!]
Potion Learned: Boil Cure Potion
Darkness Trigger Activated
New Recipe Unlocked: Blistering Potion
Cost: 10 Darkness Points
Mord purchased it without hesitation.
The recipe instantly flooded into his mind.
After reviewing it, he discovered something interesting.
The ingredients were almost identical to those of the Boil Cure Potion.
Only the brewing method differed.
In fact…
It looked suspiciously similar to the disastrous potion Neville had accidentally created.
Perhaps Neville has hidden talent as a Dark Potion Master.
Their next lesson was Transfiguration, shared by Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
The moment Mord entered the classroom, Pansy Parkinson enthusiastically waved at him.
Daphne Greengrass sat beside her and gave him a polite nod.
Ignoring the curious looks from the surrounding Slytherins, Mord walked over and sat beside Pansy.
He immediately noticed something strange.
“You don’t look very well.”
Pansy’s face seemed even paler than usual.
She looked slightly embarrassed.
“I… used a little makeup.”
“It’s fashionable among pure-blood families.”
Mord stared at her for a moment.
He honestly couldn’t understand that particular fashion trend.
Her face was so pale it almost resembled fresh plaster.
Even a ghost probably had better color.
Pansy nervously asked,
“What do you think?”
Mord answered carefully.
“If you like it, that’s what matters.”
Then he added gently,
“But your skin is already naturally fair.”
“This makeup makes it look a little unnatural.”
“And we’re still young.”
“Wearing heavy makeup isn’t very good for your skin.”
Pansy’s eyes sparkled immediately.
“I understand.”
“I won’t wear it again.”
To her ears…
Mord’s concern sounded incredibly thoughtful.
Beside them, Daphne watched her best friend sink even deeper into admiration.
She could only sigh helplessly.
Professor McGonagall was already waiting at the front of the classroom.
Since she had already demonstrated her Animagus transformation during the opening ceremony, she didn’t repeat it today.
Mord felt slightly disappointed.
He had secretly hoped to see Professor McGonagall transform into a cat again.
Unlike Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall was strict but completely fair.
She treated every student equally.
Before class began, she looked around the room.
“In my classroom…”
“There will be no foolish behavior.”
“If anyone disrupts my lesson…”
“You will leave.”
“And you will not be invited back.”
The warning immediately silenced everyone.
She then began explaining the fundamentals of Transfiguration.
“Unlike Charms, beginner-level Transfiguration relies less on incantations.”
“The most important factors are concentration…”
“Confidence…”
“And a complete understanding of the object you wish to transform.”
As Mord listened carefully, many misconceptions he had carried from his previous life disappeared.
He had once believed Transfiguration could turn absolutely anything into anything else.
Now he realized it wasn’t nearly that simple.
For example…
Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration clearly stated that food could not be created from nothing.
Nor could truly magical objects be produced through ordinary Transfiguration.
If Transfiguration could accomplish everything…
There would be little reason for the countless specialized Charms taught at Hogwarts.
Even with its limitations, however…
Transfiguration remained one of the most powerful branches of magic in both everyday life and combat.
It also confirmed that the Advanced Introductory Card he had received would be best spent on a Transfiguration spell.
Mord glanced at Professor McGonagall with admiration.
Then he looked down at the single word he had quietly written in his notebook.
Animagus.