Chapter 121: The Wrath of Snape
“Jon, what are you grinning about?” Zacharias Smith asked curiously during dinner, waving a knife in front of Jon’s face.
“Nothing!” Jon quickly ducked his head and closed his eyes.
Once again, the scene from that afternoon replayed in his mind—
She nestled against him, lying together beneath the willow by the pond.
Their small hands were clasped tightly as they gazed at the fading sunset.
A Bowtruckle stood on them, dancing and singing joyfully...
Everything felt so perfect, as though the entire world was within his grasp.
How he wished time would simply stop...
Until a fierce-looking black hound suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
It bounded up to them, wagging excitedly and even licking Jon’s shoes.
Then, from afar, came Hagrid’s booming voice:
“Fang... Fang... Fang...”
The girl shot up like a startled bird, her face flushed red as she lowered her head and bolted toward the castle.
Jon wanted to chase after her, but first he tripped over the hound, then crashed headlong into Hagrid coming from the opposite direction...
Professor Hagrid caught Jon and greeted him warmly. “Didn’t hurt yourself, did you? No need to be so afraid of Fang—he’s actually very gentle and timid...”
“...Oh, and Hart, you know quite a bit about Magical Creatures, don’t you...”
“...Come by my hut sometime, I’ll treat you to rock cake...”
After finally managing to escape Hagrid’s grasp, Jon rushed back toward the castle—only to find that Astoria was already gone.
“What are you daydreaming about now?” Zacharias poked Jon’s arm with his fork, snapping him back to reality...
“Nothing. Just thinking I’d like some dog stew!” Jon muttered bitterly.
...
After dinner, a commotion broke out in the corridor.
It started when two fourth-year Gryffindors and three fourth-year Slytherins got into a shouting match.
One of the Slytherins, having lost the argument, flew into a rage. He drew his wand and tried to ambush a Gryffindor from behind.
But before the spell could land, Alastor Moody, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, caught him in the act.
Professor Moody, furious, declared that nothing disgusted him more than cowards who attacked from behind.
Then he used an impressive bit of Transfiguration, turning the Slytherin into a white stoat and forcing it to perform high jumps!
Only when Professor McGonagall arrived did she put a stop to Moody’s excessive punishment and restore the boy to human form.
Jon, of course, only heard the story secondhand, not having seen it himself. Still, since those Slytherins were notorious for their arrogance and bullying, Moody’s actions earned him no small amount of admiration among the Hufflepuffs.
And word had it that his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were quite well-regarded too...
“Moody... he’s really cool, isn’t he?”
“Cool? He’s awesome!”
When Jon returned to the Hufflepuff common room, he overheard Cedric Diggory and another sixth-year saying just that.
“What’s going on?” Zacharias asked curiously beside him.
“Professor Moody really knows his stuff,” Cedric said meaningfully. “He knows what Dark Magic truly is—and how to fight it.”
“Our Defense Against the Dark Arts class isn’t until two days from now!” Zacharias muttered with disappointment as he checked the timetable.
...
First period on Tuesday morning was Potions. Jon arrived early.
Professor Severus Snape looked even thinner than usual, his complexion worse than ever.
Perhaps failing to send Lupin and Black to Azkaban months ago had hit him hard. Or maybe it was because of that “Auror” Moody. Or perhaps something else entirely...
The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs soon filed in, seated according to their previous groupings.
Astoria sat down beside Jon with her head bowed, not daring to meet his eyes.
Once all were present, Snape began the lesson:
Today they would be brewing a new potion—the Shrinking Solution.
For Jon, this was hardly a challenge.
But Astoria seemed uncharacteristically flustered. First she chopped the daisy roots unevenly, then stabbed the fig multiple times while peeling it, wasting precious juice. Later, she even handed Jon the leech juice instead of the mouse bile...
“What’s wrong?” Jon leaned closer and asked in a whisper.
“Jon...” she stammered. “Yesterday... I’m sorry...”
“It’s nothing! I should be the one apologizing!” Jon said quickly. “I tried to catch up with you yesterday, but Professor Hagrid stopped me. He dragged me aside and talked forever, and by the time I got free, I couldn’t find you.”
“Is that so...” Astoria seemed relieved, her mood lightening. She whispered softly, “Actually, Jon... yesterday, I—”
“This is the Potions classroom!” a cold, ominous voice cut in from behind. “Not the corridor or the common room—this is no place for idle chatter!”
...
Jon and Astoria both stood up, facing Severus Snape’s dark, scowling face.
“Hart!” Snape barked. “Is your Shrinking Solution ready?”
“I... I’m sorry, Professor Snape,” Jon lowered his head. “Not yet.”
Thanks to Astoria’s repeated mistakes, their potion was a disaster. All that remained in the cauldron was a sloshing pool of orange liquid.
“Hmph!” Snape sneered, glaring coldly at the ruined brew. “And yet you still have the time to chat with Miss Greengrass?”
Jon kept his head down, not daring to speak.
“Detention! And twenty points from Hufflepuff!” Snape snapped mercilessly.
“But... Professor Snape...” Astoria’s voice trembled as she tried to speak up.
Jon quickly nudged her leg under the table, urging her to stop.
“Silence! Sit down!”
They had no choice but to sit, pour out the ruined potion, and start again.
Astoria’s eyes were red as she carefully chopped the daisy roots...
Jon, while stirring figs in the cauldron, stole glances at Snape, lost in thought.
There was something... unsettling about him that day.
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