On an ordinary winter day, the weather outside gradually turned colder.
For the sixth-year students at Hogwarts, the first class of the morning was Professor Snape's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Objectively speaking, it could not be said that he taught poorly. At most, it was simply a difference in teaching style that made him difficult to adapt to.
More than a teacher, he was a ruler, constantly issuing orders and exerting control.
Perhaps because of their prejudice and rebellious mentality, many students had been unable to adapt to the subject and had made little progress.
Especially the Saviour and his friends.
They had been practising non-verbal spells for a very long time.
Their previous attempts at practising silent spells in class had not been particularly effective, so Snape had established a rule requiring them to continue practising.
In addition, Snape taught them a more powerful Shield Charm. However, it required a lengthy preparation time and had to be cast non-verbally, making it considerably more difficult.
The students naturally split into pairs and began practising in various empty corners of the classroom.
Pansy angrily cast several minor curses at Malfoy, as though venting her dissatisfaction, but they seemed to have little effect.
He effortlessly deflected every single curse.
Some rebounded towards her.
"You spoke up, so I'll punish you."
Malfoy smiled.
Suddenly, a flash of light accompanied by a strange arc struck her arm.
The girl covered her forehead, then began to sway dizzily before drifting into sleep.
Malfoy caught the swaying girl and placed her on a chair beside the desk.
"Lie down and take a nap."
Of course, this was merely an excuse.
He simply wanted to sleep himself.
Malfoy was still extremely tired and was trying to make use of every moment of the day to recover his energy as quickly as possible.
"Draco, this is only practice."
Seeing Pansy knocked unconscious, Snape walked over to him and sternly emphasised the point.
"I know."
"I just want to rest for a while, so I suppose my sparring partner will have to rest too."
Malfoy shrugged.
He casually walked back to his desk, sat down heavily, leaned against the chair, and looked somewhat exhausted.
The non-verbal spell had been deliberately weakened, and he had controlled its power quite precisely—just enough to make someone drowsy.
As for himself, he really had been exhausted lately.
Dealing with a group of unintelligent beings was extremely tiring, especially when they were surrounded by a negative atmosphere.
Coping with that environment often required even more energy.
Chocolate was also said to help with sleep.
Meanwhile, Snape quickly resumed his usual habit of targeting Harry.
"Potter, if Hogwarts didn't forbid corporal punishment, I'd love to sew your mouth shut so you wouldn't keep making those whiny noises and cheating."
With his greasy, long black hair, Snape surveyed the classroom before soon walking over to Harry and Ron.
Viewed from the side, his hooked nose had an unusually sharp and sinister curve.
Combined with his cold tone and mocking words, it was difficult to feel any goodwill towards him.
He sneered at Harry's practice.
Having learned his lesson the hard way, Harry chose to endure it.
Rather than being locked up by Snape under some pretext, he decided that putting up with it was not such a bad choice.
Just as Snape revealed a smug smile, the man's left hand suddenly began trembling uncontrollably.
His gaze became extremely cold before instantly losing focus.
His tall figure suddenly hunched over.
His breathing grew heavy, and he gritted his teeth as though enduring something unbearable.
For a moment, it seemed as if his legs had lost their strength.
Realising that something was wrong, the man immediately placed one hand on the nearby table to prevent himself from collapsing to his knees.
He pulled out his wand and cautiously looked around.
Malfoy, who was not far away, suddenly opened his eyes.
He immediately noticed Snape's unusual behaviour.
"I need to go out for a bit."
Snape frowned, suppressing the intense pain in his eyes as he forced the words out.
His legs had also begun trembling from the pain, though his robes concealed it from view.
"I'll take you to the hospital wing."
Malfoy stood up, quickly walked to Snape's side, and spoke in a low voice.
He had an exceptionally keen eye for observation.
Unlike the other students, who merely assumed that Snape had something to deal with and needed to leave temporarily, Malfoy could tell that something was seriously wrong.
The two left the classroom side by side.
Malfoy helped Snape climb the cold stone steps one by one.
After reaching the corridor, however, they did not take the passage leading towards the hospital wing.
Instead, after navigating several turns, Snape tore open a portrait hanging on the wall.
The two descended a flight of stone steps into another dark basement.
It was Snape's office.
The man was breathing heavily, and sweat had even begun to bead on his hooked nose.
Snape forced himself towards the laboratory table covered with bottles and jars and grabbed several containers.
"Do you need my help? I can make painkillers too."
"No need."
Snape's hands trembled incessantly as the colours within the bottles shifted.
With another violent shudder, the Potions master was in so much pain that he could barely hold the cup.
His normally steady hands suddenly lost their strength.
With a tremor of his hand, he dropped the cup.
It smashed against the floor with a loud crack.
It was difficult to imagine that mere pain could reach such a level.
The intensity of the Dark Mark depended on Lord Voldemort's mood and the distance between him and the person bearing the mark.
The excruciating pain Snape had just experienced had made him feel, for a moment, as though the Dark Lord had actually come to Hogwarts.
That anger was something Snape was experiencing for the first time.
It was fierce and swift, filled with agonising rage.
It was like magma that had accumulated for countless years suddenly bursting through the restraints that had held it back.
Snape then exposed his left arm.
The green Dark Mark had now turned a terrifying blood red.
Moreover, this was already its appearance after the peak of the pain had subsided.
"I'll do it."
Malfoy frowned, feeling uneasy.
For a moment, he could not tell whether he was being affected by Snape's appearance or whether it was some kind of premonition from the unseen world.
After the viscous medicine transformed into a clear blue liquid, Malfoy forced it down Snape's throat.
After the brief sting subsided, Snape coughed several times.
"The Dark Lord is furious."
"Very much so."
Snape repeated it as though emphasising the severity of the situation.
His voice was slightly hoarse.
"All right. You can leave now. These things are none of your business."
"Listen to your mother."
Snape spoke coldly, only realising afterwards that he might have said more than he should.
"Just now, I gave you some painkillers."
Malfoy stared at the man in front of him, enunciating every word clearly.
"I can handle those things too."
"Remember, play your role as a student well."
Snape's voice remained cold.
"All right, Professor. I'm going back to class."
Malfoy shrugged.
Seeing that Snape clearly did not appreciate his help, he ended the conversation and left.
The conversation had ended unpleasantly.
A thin shadow fell over both their hearts.