Returning to school with multiple agreements and blueprints in hand, Jane Yu could be described as radiant and triumphant.
In stark contrast, Draco Malfoy, who came back empty-handed, not only lost his voice at home but was also forced to endure several sleepless nights accompanying the adults, unable to play the video game console. Now, he looked haggard and utterly drained.
Unfortunately, his situation didn't improve after returning to school.
He found himself continuously subjected to his Head of House's icy glares.
This manifested in his meticulously brewed potion assignment receiving a grade of "P" (Poor), and he was ordered to rewrite an essay due to a few spelling errors.
He felt utterly restless. Staring at his assignment late into the night, he finally managed to decipher the hidden message between the lines—
Every word screamed "targeted!"
Desperate, he carefully reviewed his schedule and discovered that the next Potions class was still two days away. He sighed in relief.
A full 48+ hours—surely enough time for Snape to cool off... right?
Good news: there was indeed a gap before Potions class.
Bad news: today was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it was a full moon night.
Poor Draco had no idea.
Thus, when a figure in a billowing black robe stormed into the classroom with an ominous grin directed at him, only four words echoed in his mind—
"I'm doomed!"
Jane Yu wasn't surprised to see Snape taking over the class. She had heard about Harry's miserable experience learning about werewolves under Snape's tutelage just a month ago.
After all, among the Marauders, Lupin was the only one Snape hadn't yet vented his anger on.
What did surprise her, however, was Snape's attitude toward Draco.
It was as if he wasn't facing the heir of the Malfoy family, but a third-rate version of Harry Potter.
"Turn your textbooks to page 394," Snape commanded with an icy tone that sent shivers down the spines of the students.
Intimidated by the fearsome reputation of the man in black, everyone quickly complied.
Draco wisely kept his mouth shut, not daring to utter a single word or make any unnecessary movements.
But that didn't mean Snape would let him off so easily.
"Mr. Malfoy, can you tell us how to distinguish a werewolf from a regular wolf?"
Caught off guard, Draco scrambled to his feet, feeling as though all the blood in his body had rushed to his head, like he was on the verge of a stroke.
His eyes darted across the textbook, and he finally managed to locate the relevant passage:
"There are several differences between werewolves and regular wolves. The snout of a werewolf—"
"Hold it right there," Snape interrupted icily. "Reciting the textbook verbatim is of no use to our lesson. Why don't you share some insights of your own?"
Draco was left speechless.
"What a pity," Snape concluded. "I didn't expect your father to produce a son who can't tell the difference between a werewolf and a regular wolf. I suppose I'll have to prepare ten buckets of Flobberworm mucus for you in my office."
Draco slumped back into his seat, utterly defeated.
The last time he had been assigned twenty buckets of Flobberworm mucus, he hadn't even finished processing them. Now there were ten more!
He couldn't understand what this had to do with his father or Christmas.
All he did was bring Jane Yu home for a visit!
"Well then, Miss Yu, I'm sure this question is a breeze for you," Snape called out, turning his attention to Jane.
She had no choice but to stand up and answer:
"Werewolves and wolves are indistinguishable in appearance. However, werewolves may have slightly shorter snouts, smaller pupils, and tails that are tufted rather than bushy. The real difference lies in their behavior..."
Snape nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. For Miss Yu's explanation, Slytherin earns five points."
The Slytherins let out soft chuckles, unable to contain their joy.
Daphne Greengrass, in particular, covered her mouth as she laughed gleefully. She hadn't given Draco a kind look in days—
Why had Jane visited the Malfoy Manor first instead of the Greengrass estate?
No matter how she thought about it, it was all Draco's fault!
Hearing the laughter, Snape's gaze quickly swept over the classroom and landed on Daphne, who was laughing the hardest.
And then on Theodore Nott, seated to her right.
The two of them flanked Jane Yu on either side, sitting together in every class.
Wait—
Every class?
"Miss Greengrass, you seem to have a lot of opinions about my teaching methods."
"In that case, you can share the burden of the ten buckets of Flobberworm mucus with Mr. Malfoy."
Now there were two dejected souls in the classroom.
Snape then turned to Theodore, his already sharp tone reaching new heights as he said:
"Mr. Nott, since you seem so amused, you must have great insights about werewolves. Why don't you explain the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf?"
Caught off guard, Theodore froze for a moment. Fortunately, his habit of preparing in advance saved him from embarrassment:
"Animagi transform into animals voluntarily, while werewolves transform involuntarily during a full moon."
Snape's lips tightened into a straight line. Instead of commenting, he turned back to Jane:
"Miss Yu, please elaborate on this question."
Jane had no choice but to stand up again, answering a question she had already addressed months ago during one of Snape's detentions:
"Animagi retain their rationality during transformation, whereas werewolves lose theirs."
Snape gave her an approving look and added a jab:
"Why haven't the rest of you written this down?"
"And Nott, if you could provide complete answers, our class might progress much faster."
In short, by the end of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Snape had successfully "cured" Draco, Daphne, and Theodore of their low blood pressure—or perhaps, in his eyes, cured them of their habit of clustering around Jane.
Two days later, during Potions class, the drama didn't end so easily. Draco felt as though all the color had drained from his world, leaving him a shadow of his former self.
It had to be said that even the meticulous mind of Mr. Malfoy had its lapses. When he ignored Snape's warning-laden reply and sent Jane an invitation to the manor, he had clearly forgotten about the poor son of his who was still under Snape's tutelage.
Draco's miserable days continued until the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match.
That day, he arrived at the pitch early, hoping to see Potter fall off his broomstick.
He had considered dressing as a Dementor to scare Potter to death, but after witnessing his Slytherin friends suffer under the Dementors' influence, he decided it would be insensitive to their feelings.
Unfortunately, he saw Potter riding a Firebolt.
His own misfortune was bad enough, but his enemy's good fortune was even more infuriating.
Pouting, he wore an expression of utter gloom.
Little did he know, Jane Yu would soon find herself just as unhappy as he was.
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