"Of course, after this year, many of you will no longer be able to attend my class."
Snape continued, "I only select the best students to enter my ETS Potions class, which means that some of us will have to say goodbye."
He pouted slightly and his eyes fell on Harry's face.
Harry stared back at him without backing down. When he thought that after the fifth year, he would be able to give up his Potions class and get rid of Snape, he could not help but feel a fierce sense of satisfaction. This was probably the best news he had heard recently.
"But before that happy moment of farewell comes, we still have to hold on for another year." Snape said softly, looking away from Harry's face. "So, whether you plan to take the ETS exam or not, I suggest that you all concentrate on your studies and achieve the high passing level that I require of my OLS students.
He paused for a moment and waved his wand. The blackboard showed the formula and brewing method of the potion.
"Today, we are going to brew a potion that is often used in the Wizard Level Examination: Soothing Potion. It can calm and soothe restlessness and anxiety. Take note, if the ingredients are sloppy, it will cause the user to fall into a kind of deathly, and sometimes even irreversible, sleep, so you need to be extra careful of your actions. "
According to the method on the blackboard, Harry tried to brew the Soothing Potion. This potion was the most difficult one he had ever encountered. The ingredients had to be added into the crucible in strict order and quantity. The mixture had to be stirred a certain number of times, no more and no less. First, it was clockwise, then counterclockwise. When the crucible was boiling, the temperature of the flame had to be lowered to a certain level, no higher or lower, and it had to be maintained for a certain period of time. Only then could the last ingredient be added.
When there were ten minutes left, Snape said, "Your potion should be emitting a faint, silvery-white steam."
Harry was sweating profusely. He looked up and glanced at the classroom in despair.
His own crucible was emitting clouds of dark grey gas. Ron's crucible was sputtering green sparks. Seamus frantically poked the flames under his crucible with the tip of his wand, for they were about to go out.
Hermione's potion, on the other hand, was emitting a faint silvery white steam. When Snape walked past quickly, he lowered his eyes and looked at Hermione's crucible. He didn't make any comments, which meant that he couldn't find any problems with it.
However, beside Harry's crucible, Snape stopped and lowered his head to look at the crucible with a terrifying sneer on his face.
"Potter, what is this?"
The Slytherin students in the front row of the classroom raised their heads in interest. They loved to hear Snape mock Harry.
"Easing agent," Harry said nervously.
"Potter, tell me!" Snape said softly, "Do you know how to read?"
"Yes," Harry said, holding his wand tightly.
"That's amazing. In that case, read the third line of the instructions to me, Potter."
Harry squinted at the blackboard. It was difficult to read the instructions on the blackboard because of the colorful steam in the underground classroom.
"Add moonstone powder, stir counterclockwise three times. Let it boil for seven minutes. Then add two drops of vanilla syrup."
His heart sank. He didn't add vanilla syrup.
After letting the potion boil for seven minutes, he went straight to the fourth instruction.
"Did you do everything in the third instruction, Potter?"
"No," Harry said very softly.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly. Please say it again."
'No! 'said Harry, raising his voice.' I forgot to put in a straw. '
"I know you forgot, Potter. This means that this crucible of garbage is useless and will disappear without a trace."
Harry's potion suddenly disappeared. He stood stupidly beside an empty crucible.
"Students who read the instructions carefully, put your potion sample into a short-necked flask and mark it with your name carefully. Bring it to my podium for examination. Your performance in this decoction will affect your grades for the school year." Snape said, "Also, homework: write a twelve-inch essay on the properties of moonstone and its use in medicine on Thursday."
The students around Harry were filling the flasks with potions. He put them away one by one, feeling very angry.
His potion was no worse than Ron's. Ron's crucible smelled like rotten eggs, and it was no worse than Neville's. Neville's potion had become hard, like freshly mixed cement. He had to dig it out of the crucible with all his strength.
However, it was him, Harry, who got a zero for his homework.
He put his wand back into his bag and sat down in his seat. He watched the other students walk to Snape's podium one by one with the corked flasks full of potions. After a long time, the bell finally rang. Harry was the first to rush out of the underground classroom. He didn't want to stay there a moment longer.
When Elwyn and the others finished the dreary Defense Against Black Magic class and came to the auditorium, the sky above was dark and gloomy. The raindrops pattered on the windows high above. They were in as bad a mood as the fourth-grade students.
The only one who was in a worse mood was Harry. Elwyn could feel it when he approached.
"Snape was very unfair," Hermione said to Harry. "Your potion is not as bad as Gore's. When he was filling the flask, the whole pile suddenly splashed everywhere and burned his robe."
"Hmph, when has Snape ever treated me fairly?" Harry said sullenly, staring at the plate angrily.
"I thought he would be a little better this year!" Hermione said in a disappointed tone. "I mean, you know, well, he has now joined the Phoenix Society and everything."
She looked around carefully. There were six or seven empty seats on both sides of them, and no one walked past the table.
"Poisonous mushrooms won't change their spots." Ron hit the nail on the head. "Anyway, I always thought that Dumbledore was crazy to believe Snape. What evidence does he have to prove that he really doesn't work for the Mysteries anymore?"
"Dumbledore must have enough evidence, even if he didn't show it to you," Hermione said bluntly.
"Oh, shut up, you two," Harry said irritably. "Can't you stop for a while? It's been going on for the whole morning, and they've been fighting endlessly. It's driving me crazy. "
Hermione and Ron were both stunned, looking angry and aggrieved.
After Harry finished speaking, he threw down his mashed potato pie and threw his schoolbag over his shoulder. Just as he got up, he saw Elwyn and Corin coming over. He stopped for a moment, muttered a greeting, and walked away, leaving the four people in a daze.
"What's wrong with him?" Elwyn looked at Harry's back in surprise. Harry's mood was not very stable recently.
First, he had a quarrel with Ximo in front of the whole school last night, and now he was like this …
No matter how close they were, it was obvious that Harry's temper was much worse than before.
Maybe it was because he had accumulated too much pressure. At least, he was not like this last semester.
"It's that old bat Snape!" Ron said in disgust. "He deliberately targeted Harry and gave his potion a zero."
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