"Sorry?" Harry asked, scratching his head, confused. "What do I have to apologize for?"
"Enough! Back to your seats, class is starting!" Snape snapped, his voice cutting through the air.
While others might cower before Snape, Tom remained unfazed. How dare this little underling speak to his master like that? He knew that Snape had begun to understand his "younger master's" personality over the last few days. He was less overtly insane than before, but far more ruthless and driven by profit.
"Three bottles of Felix Felicis," Snape said, a hint of pleading in his eyes.
"I could brew that myself," Tom chuckled, implying that more money was needed.
"..." Snape's face soured. He pursed his lips, finally sighing in resignation. "What do you want?"
This meant Snape had accepted his fate. No matter how outrageous the demand, he would find a way to fulfill it. He didn't want to fight Tom, and even less did he want to earn the reputation of a "womanizer."
Seeing Snape's distress, Tom felt no remorse, only a hint of satisfaction. "I require the heart of an adult Hungarian Horntail, no more than three days deceased."
Tom wasn't asking for an exorbitant price, merely the potion ingredient he needed. But this was no ordinary ingredient. Hungarian Horntails were the most ferocious and brutal of all dragons. Hunting an adult Horntail was an exceptionally dangerous act, often requiring a dozen or more skilled wizards. Moreover, the stipulation that it be no more than three days dead meant it had to be freshly killed. Furthermore, the Horntail's habitat was far from England; typical Apparition wouldn't suffice, necessitating a specialized Portkey.
However, upon hearing Tom's request, Snape secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was far simpler than he had anticipated. The ingredients Tom required were undoubtedly troublesome, but as a renowned Potions Master, Snape had connections and channels that made obtaining a suitable Horntail heart quite feasible.
Thus, Tom and Snape struck their bargain right in front of the students—a truly joyous occasion for them both. Tom secured the potion ingredients he desired, and Snape avoided becoming a "womanizer."
The only one who suffered was Harry, who had been determined to understand the situation but remained in the dark. His subsequent classes were agonizingly slow, as he became Snape's relentless target.
"Potter! Why did you add fangs of a silver-ringed snake? It should be a white-banded snake!"
"Potter! Are you a troll?! What was I just teaching you?!"
"Potter! You blithering idiot! Wrong again! It's the tail of a wedge-toothed lizard, not a spotted lizard!"
Harry felt numb. Snape's vendetta aside, how was anyone supposed to differentiate between these ingredients? Tell me, what is the real difference between dark brown and dark tan? How do you distinguish between 'more slender' and 'relatively slender'? Aren't they the same thing? And besides, the fangs of the banded krait are sharper than the white-banded krait… so how am I supposed to tell? Let it bite me and see which hurts more?
Tormented for half the class, Harry felt as if he was dying, his mind swarming with snakes and lizards.
Seeing his best friend in such agony, Malfoy decided to intervene. "Scarface, you are utterly hopeless! Let me handle it! You go stir the potion."
Malfoy was a master of self-pity; he always had to be slightly arrogant before he helped others. Although Malfoy's potion skills were roughly on par with Harry's, he benefitted from his "father figure" buff—he'd already acknowledged Snape as his godfather—so he was spared much of Snape's torment. He hadn't given it much thought before, but now Malfoy genuinely wanted to thank Lucius Malfoy for paving the way, making his life so comfortable.
Harry, driven nearly insane by identifying potion ingredients, was more than happy to switch tasks with Malfoy. Thinking everything was finally over and he could relax, Harry cheerfully turned to stirring the simmering potion. It should be similar to making soup, right? I have years of soup-making experience; I am sure I can easily make a perfect potion.
However, that turned out to be wishful thinking. Snape seemed fixated on him, hovering nearby after each circuit of the classroom, as if afraid of missing a single mistake.
"Potter! Three stirs are enough! You've stirred it four times!"
"Potter! The fire needs to be smaller… smaller… smaller!"
Harry was incredibly frustrated. The fire was practically extinguished, and Snape wanted it even smaller?! This makes no sense!
Harry couldn't fathom why Snape was singling him out. It couldn't possibly be because he looked like the man who stole his wife, could it?
"Heh..."
The absurd notion made Harry chuckle. Oh well, being targeted is what it is. Rank had its limits, especially between student and teacher. Harry couldn't defy Snape, not yet. Besides, he didn't want to bother Tom. He'd try giving Snape a gift first, to see if he could improve their relationship.
What should I give him? ...Shampoo! His hair is so greasy; shampoo would definitely be a good choice!
Seeing Harry staring blankly, occasionally laughing or sighing, Snape suddenly worried that he might have scolded him too harshly and damaged Lily [Potter]'s… eyesight. Deciding to ease up on Harry for the time being, he thought, Hmm... I'll scold him again in three minutes.
Just then, Snape looked up and saw Tom giving Cassandra Vole and Hermione Granger extra lessons at the front of the classroom. The materials... weren't healing potions... nor were they adhesive sealants... they weren't even the potions he was teaching that day!
Intrigued, Snape curiously walked to the front of the classroom, craning his neck to see what potion Tom was teaching.
"Professor, is something the matter?" Hermione Granger asked, startling Snape.
"Uh... nothing, I just came to see... have you finished your classwork?" Snape's tone was much more pleasant than it had been with Harry Potter.
He couldn't help it. There was someone present who only cared about killing and not burying the dead. He couldn't win against someone like that. He didn't want to be "eaten up" without even knowing why.
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