"What, is Professor Snape afraid that I, a teaching assistant, will discover his fault of misleading students, so he's trying to get rid of me before class?"
Dudley defiantly retorted to Snape, his sharp gaze piercing into the Old Bat's hollow eyes as he silently counted this as the second time.
"What did you say? Misleading students?!" Snape's eyes were no longer hollow but filled with extreme anger, as if flames were about to shoot out. "No one has ever questioned my mastery of Potions. Who do you think you are..."
"Don't get so worked up, Professor Snape," Dudley interrupted Snape with a faint smile. "If you're so confident, why are you afraid of me sitting in on your class?"
"Professor Snape, you'd better teach well and guide the students properly. If I find any mistakes or omissions, your reputation will..." Dudley clicked his tongue.
"You..."
Snape gritted his teeth in anger at Dudley but was helpless.
It's really like a venomous snake meeting a venomous lord, each with a sharper tongue than the other!
Over the years, Snape had always prided himself on his talent for sarcastic taunts.
Who would have thought that in this academic year, he would encounter such a powerful upstart like Dudley. He almost overwhelmed him completely.
However, he wouldn't give up easily.
His class wasn't that easy to attend! Moreover, this annoying little brat had a big weakness right beside him!
Some malicious tricks for deducting points flashed through Snape's mind, and his eyes shifted to Harry beside Dudley.
Then he saw... those emerald - green eyes.
They were so much like Lily's!
In an instant, the hostility in Snape's heart almost crumbled. A strong sense of guilt welled up in his heart, almost breaking through his poker face and making him shed tears.
When he had called Harry's name just now, he hadn't dared to look too closely at Harry's eyes. He had only focused on Harry's face, which resembled James', and maintained his slightly hostile high - handedness.
But now...
"How long are you gonna stare, Professor Snape?! If you don't start teaching, I have reason to suspect that you're just a blabbering professor with no real skills!"
Dudley stared at Snape with a sinister expression and reached out his hand to block Harry's eyes, silently counting this as the third time.
"Humph!"
Snape's mood instantly soured again.
He glared angrily at Dudley, shifted his gaze, and began his lecture with emphasis:
"Potions is an extremely precise and rigorous scientific craft. It is one of the most logical areas of magic, emphasizing material blending and the right temperature for brewing."
"In my class, you don't need to wave your wands like idiots, and you definitely don't need to talk back to your professor like Teaching Assistant Dursley."
"What you need to do is carefully feel the faint fragrance wafting from the cauldron when the flames are boiling it, or listen to the crackling sound of the bubbles bursting. Seize the right moment and add the ingredients with the correct techniques..."
"As long as you study and understand whole - heartedly, I'll teach you how to gain fame, how to create legends, and even how to prevent death!"
The prerequisite is that your wits should be as sharp as when Teaching Assistant Dursley confronted the professor. And you should use this cleverness in brewing potions, not in such stupid behavior as confronting the professor!"
Snape's "unique" classroom opening remarks made the expressions of the Slytherin first - years extremely pained.
They really wanted to follow the implications of their head of house's words, laugh at Dudley and show their disgust.
But they really didn't have the courage to laugh out loud in front of Dudley.
They could only lower their heads, cover their mouths, lie on the desks, and hold back from making a single sound.
Only Malfoy, who never intended to mock others from the start, had a slightly more natural expression.
This sight made Snape's expression even gloomier.
"Pfft!"
The Slytherin first - years didn't dare to laugh out loud, but Dudley didn't give a damn. He let out a snort when he saw the gloomy face of the Old Bat.
After laughing, he didn't forget to retort: "Professor Snape, it seems that everyone is very clear about who is the stupid one between me and you!
You even had the nerve to say you'd teach us to prevent death. Who have you helped prevent death? Oh! I forgot, you did help one person!
You helped that love - struck, crazy, beautiful female professor who charged forward for love, broke into The Forbidden Forest at night, and confronted a herd of unicorns, insisting on marrying only you, to prevent death!
Tsk tsk tsk... Since potions have such effects, it's really worth learning!"
"Enough! Dudley Dursley! If you keep talking about things unrelated to the class, get out! Get out!!!"
Snape was furious. When Dudley questioned that he hadn't helped anyone prevent death, the first person he thought of was Lily, whom he indirectly caused to die.
Just as he was about to feel sad, unexpectedly, Dudley changed the subject and brought it to that crazy woman, Professor Eris.
He was already struggling with how to deal with this big headache, Professor Eris!
Unexpectedly, before this crazy woman could do anything to him, Dudley had already attacked him on this point.
How could it not drive him crazy?
"I'm just stating the facts. Why is Professor Snape reacting so violently?
Didn't Professor Eris wake up thanks to the potions you brewed? Didn't Professor Eris... in front of all the professors and the Castle staff do something?"
Dudley continued his attack. His words were like knives, stabbing again and again, almost hitting Snape's 'carotid artery'. It seemed that he was about to expose a big secret in front of the first - years of the two houses. Snape completely lost his composure.
"Teaching Assistant Dursley, shut up! Now I'm going to ask Mr. Harry Potter to stand up and answer the question!"
At the critical moment, Snape interrupted Dudley's revelation with a series of high - pitched voices, shifting the target of the attack to Harry.
Dudley's expression darkened visibly.
Harry glanced at his cousin. In order not to hold his cousin back, he bravely stood up, faced Snape, and said confidently, "Professor, go ahead and ask!"
Different from the original story, Harry had really previewed and self - studied the textbooks of Potions and Herbology.
Snape looked at Harry as he stood up. He tried to calm his excitement and asked Harry the classic question with a complicated look in his eyes.
"Potter, what do you get when you add powdered asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"Draught of the Living Death!"
Harry answered crisply, taking less than a second to think, and then proudly glanced at Snape, looking just like a brave hero who had defeated the great evil.
Snape was shocked. He didn't expect Harry to answer so quickly and accurately. He was even a bit flustered.
He was about to ask other meaningless questions to keep putting Harry on the spot.
Unexpectedly, Dudley, who had been keeping a gloomy face and silent since just now, completely exploded.
"Strength Enhancement! Deliberate Fierce Punch!"
Dudley roared out the incantation and the name of the move. A red magic glow surrounded his body, adding power to his attack.
At the same time, with a smooth and swift jump and a dash, he aimed straight at Snape's chest on the podium and mercilessly threw a punch full of hatred.