Here's a bonus chapter for you all! Thank you so much for waiting. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I hope you have a wonderful time reading!
After spending a day and a half in nervous anticipation, Orli descended into the dungeons on Sunday afternoon, feeling as though she were marching to her doom.
The corridor outside Snape's office was silent. Both Slytherin and Gryffindor had Quidditch practice today, so no one would pass by the dungeons at this time. Orli's knock echoed loudly in the empty hallway.
# Snape
"Enter."
A low voice responded, and the arched door creaked open just a crack.
Taking a deep breath, Orli stepped inside. The office was just as it had been before the holidays—dim, cold, and eerie. The walls were lined with shelves holding large glass jars, their murky contents floating ominously.
Snape sat behind his desk, holding a thick book. When he saw Orli enter, his lips twitched slightly.
# Snape
"Miss Orli Waters, who squandered her entire summer holiday. I thought you might have forgotten which way the door to your Potions professor's office opens."
Orli had no idea what he was thinking and didn't dare to argue. She could only wait for him to continue.
# Snape
"Enjoyed your time at the Weasleys', did you? An entire holiday, and I suppose you didn't bother to revise even once?"
Snape asked coldly.
## Orli
"No, Professor! I did revise, and I practiced brewing potions as well. I even…"
Orli hurried to defend herself.
# Snape
"Oh, so Miss Waters is so naturally gifted that she has no questions at all, is that it?"
Snape pressed on.
## Orli
"No… I do have questions… I just thought you were too busy, and I didn't want to disturb you…"
Orli inwardly groaned. Merlin help her, how could she possibly dare to disturb this formidable man during the holidays? And yet he thought she was being lazy?
# Snape
"I didn't give you an owl so you could keep it as a pet."
Snape stood up.
# Snape
"Go fetch a cauldron and brew a Swelling Solution."
Obediently, Orli retrieved a cauldron and gathered the ingredients. She began peeling puffapods by hand. About an hour later, she finally poured out the completed potion, nervously awaiting Snape's inspection.
For the entire hour, Snape had stood across from her, his eyes fixed on her hands and the cauldron, making her so tense she could barely think straight. Even though the Swelling Solution was only second-year material, she kept replaying the steps in her mind, terrified she'd made a mistake.
# Snape
"Now brew a Herbicide Potion."
Snape glanced at the Swelling Solution and set it aside.
The Herbicide Potion was third-year material. Orli had asked him about it back in her first year and had been given detention as a result. Fortunately, she had successfully brewed it a few times over the holidays.
Another hour and a half later, Orli placed a bottle of Herbicide Potion on his desk. This potion was mildly corrosive and had to be stored in a special potion bottle.
# Snape
"It seems I should be grateful you didn't blow up the Weasleys' ramshackle house."
Snape finally looked at her properly.
# Snape
"There are two bundles of ginger root on the shelf. Wash them thoroughly; the fourth-years will need them in class tomorrow."
Orli let out a small sigh of relief—it seemed she had passed the test.
This task was much simpler, but after finishing it, Orli voluntarily began practicing brewing potions on her own. She lingered in the office until nearly dinnertime before finally excusing herself.
As she left the office, she felt elated. But when she reached the Great Hall and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, she realized her friends hadn't had such a pleasant afternoon.
Harry was staring gloomily at the roast beef on his plate, while Hermione was patting Ron on the back—he was clutching a metal bucket, hiccupping uncontrollably, and occasionally vomiting up a slug. The sight was making the other Gryffindors at the table a bit queasy.
## Orli
"What happened to you guys?"
Orli asked, sitting down next to Harry.
# Hermione
"Don't ask."
Hermione said in frustration.
# Hermione
"We had a row with Malfoy on the Quidditch pitch today. Ron's spell backfired, and he's been vomiting slugs all afternoon."
# Ron
"And Malfoy called Hermione a 'Mudblood'!"
Ron said angrily, only to double over and retch again.
# Harry
"And we all got detention. Ron has to polish trophies tonight, and I… I have to help Lockhart answer fan mail."
Harry looked utterly defeated.
# Fred
"Malfoy, huh? He bought his way onto the team."
Fred said, sitting down next to Ron with a plate of minced meat pies.
# George
"His family donated a Nimbus 2001 for every player on the Slytherin team."
George added, taking a seat as well.
# George
"And they even used a note from Snape to kick us off the pitch. We'd already booked it!"
Orli suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness, though no one else seemed to notice.