The moment the bell rang and Snape's billowing robes vanished through the dungeon doorway, the Potions classroom exploded.
Students surged out like they'd been released from Azkaban.
The earth-shattering news—Snape gave Gryffindor ten points—spread through Hogwarts faster than a Firebolt.
Which meant the already-famous Boy-Who-Lived (now Girl-Who-Lived) suddenly became even more of a spectacle.
Every student who passed Harley in the corridor stopped to stare. Openly. Intensely.
It made her skin crawl.
The professors, upon hearing the rumor, mostly gave knowing nods… followed by quiet, regretful sighs.
Viktor caught the story amid the lunchtime chatter in the Great Hall.
He just raised an eyebrow and let out a soft sigh of his own.
He knew the messy history between the Marauders and Snape all too well.
After all, when Viktor was at Hogwarts, Snape and the others had only graduated five or six years earlier.
Their wartime heroics had made them legends in the magical world.
And now, judging by Harley's performance in Potions today…
She hadn't just inherited James Potter's flying talent.
She'd also inherited Lily Evans's almost frightening gift for Potions.
A little genuine effort, and she was already producing work far above average.
Then Viktor froze mid-thought.
Wait.
Snape wouldn't… "accidentally" slip something extra into Harley's antidote, would he?
Something that might make the gender-swap permanent?
…Nah. Surely not. Snape's not that twisted.
…Right?
Whatever. Let Dumbledore deal with that headache.
Viktor mentally shrugged the worry away.
Humming cheerfully, he picked up his suitcase, gave Tom a pat, and headed off to the Magical Creature Protection classroom.
The moment he stepped inside, dozens of eyes locked onto him.
Most of them, predictably, zeroed in on the suitcase.
Viktor met the eager stares of the seventh-years and grinned.
"Looks like everyone's ready. So what are we waiting for?"
He flicked the latches.
The suitcase sprang open.
A powerful suction roared out.
With a chorus of delighted whoops, every seventh-year—and Viktor and Tom—vanished from the classroom.
They dropped like dumplings from the sky above a dense jungle canopy.
Long, serpentine vines rose to catch them, lowering each student gently to the soft forest floor.
Once everyone had their feet under them, the seventh-years looked around in open wonder at the lush, towering woodland.
Viktor and Tom appeared in front of them with a casual flourish.
He snapped his fingers to get their attention, then smiled.
"I'm sure you've already heard from the fourth-years about the old days of this class—so I won't bore you with the history lesson again."
"If you're curious, go borrow A History of the Magical World from the library. It covers everything."
"You're seventh-years. Most of you already have plans for after graduation."
"So—quick show of hands. Who here wants a life that involves adventure? Raise them high."
The response was immediate.
Hands shot up like flags in a storm.
Almost the entire class.
Viktor wasn't surprised.
Given Kettleburn's famously wild teaching style, anyone who'd chosen the NEWT-level Magical Creature Protection elective was already infected with the adventure bug.
"Excellent. Looks like we've got a room full of free spirits."
"Now—let's talk about the kind of trouble you'll actually run into out there… and the spells and tricks that'll keep you alive."
The entire class straightened. Eyes brightened.
They'd heard about the fourth-years' gentle creature-observation lessons.
But compared to Kettleburn's Forbidden Forest romps, those sounded tame.
They'd come today mostly hoping to see the legendary suitcase and a few rare beasts.
But actual field survival knowledge? From a wizard who'd spent years traveling the world, fighting poachers, and studying creatures in the wild?
Now they were hooked.
Seeing their hunger, Viktor jumped straight in.
"First question: in your opinion, what's the single most dangerous magical creature you're likely to meet in the wild? Go on—shout it out."
"Dragon!"
"Sphinx!"
"Sea serpent!"
"Cerberus!"
"Thunderbird!"
"..."
The answers came fast—each one bigger and scarier than the last. All starting at XXXX or XXXXX danger ratings.
Viktor nodded, smiling like he was watching his younger self.
"Good answers. You've clearly done your reading on the heavy hitters."
"Now—everyone stand up. Wands out."
No one questioned it.
They rose, reached for their wands—
—and several startled yelps rang out.
A few boys turned bright red, frantically yanking up their trousers.
Because their wands—along with belts, buckles, hair clips, loose change, everything shiny—had mysteriously vanished.
"Alright, come collect your belongings," Viktor called cheerfully.
He was holding one very guilty-looking Niffler by the hind leg, shaking it up and down like a salt shaker.
Wands, belt buckles, shiny buttons, hairpins—everything rained out of the Niffler's pouch.
The students scrambled forward, snatching their property with mortified haste.
Viktor watched them with a grin.
"That, right there, was your first real lesson."
"Out in the wild, the thing that kills you isn't usually the XXXXX monster you read about in books. You'll almost never run into those."
"What actually gets adventurers is the Niffler hiding in the bushes, eyeing every shiny thing on your body."
"The Boggart lurking in the shadows, waiting to jump out and scare you to death."
"The Swampus lurking in the mud, ready to take a bite out of your ankle."
"Nifflers will quietly rob you blind—potions, gold, tools, everything."
"More wizards and Muggles die every year from heart failure caused by sudden Boggart frights than from actual XXXXX attacks."
"And a Swampus bite? The bacteria in their mouths are no joke. If you don't clean it immediately—amputation. Or death."
Viktor clapped his hands.
"Right. Now let's practice handling exactly these kinds of everyday threats."
"Boys over here. Girls over there."
The seventh-years moved quickly, already buzzing with anticipation.
This was going to be a very interesting lesson.