Blaise Zabini returned to Hogwarts surprisingly quickly.
Just one day later, he appeared in the Slytherin common room and asked Daphne to call Jane Yu out.
Jane noticed that Blaise didn't show any signs of sadness. Instead, he seemed relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"I have to thank you," he said sincerely. "Fortunately, it was only my sixth stepfather who passed away... I really thought it was my mother..."
His narrow, slightly slanted brown eyes showed genuine gratitude—an expression Jane had never seen on him in the past two years.
"And for what you did on the train, thank you for your help."
He handed her an invitation card adorned with intricate designs.
"It's a bit early, but my mother heard about you and would like to invite you to her Christmas ball."
"By then, I might even have a seventh father."
After extending the invitation, Blaise walked away lightly, his head held high. His prominent cheekbones gave him back the usual haughty look he wore.
With this personal confirmation, Jane's reputation as a Seer spread even further, reaching students from other houses—
"Uh, Harry, I didn't spread the rumor!" Ron hastily explained to Harry. "I mean, sometimes I can't help myself, but this time it wasn't me! Those Slytherin snakes started it themselves—it's got nothing to do with me!"
Harry looked dejected, remorse filling his voice.
"Sigh, I believe you. It must've been Malfoy and his lot. That Zabini guy is close to him..."
He regretted mentioning during Care of Magical Creatures class that he had played on Jane's console, all because of a petty rivalry.
That must've been why Malfoy held a grudge and deliberately leaked Jane's family secret to retaliate!
It was his impulsiveness that had offended Malfoy, putting Jane in a tough spot within Slytherin.
He fell into a deep pit of self-recrimination.
And his guilt only grew stronger during Thursday's Potions class.
This was Malfoy's first appearance in class since the Care of Magical Creatures incident.
He swaggered into the dungeon classroom halfway through the lesson, his right arm bandaged and in a sling.
The injured Malfoy cast a smug glance at Harry before striding over to Jane and Theodore Nott's table.
He deliberately coughed twice and made as much noise as possible with his chair.
"Help me chop these daisy roots—" he said pitifully, plopping the daisy roots and figs onto their table in an attempt to force Jane's attention onto him. "You won't lend me the console anymore; can't you at least help an injured classmate chop some ingredients?"
Jane and Theodore froze momentarily, then, in perfect unison, tossed the materials back onto Malfoy's table.
Seeing that playing the victim didn't work, Draco immediately switched to his aggressive mode.
He threw the ingredients back onto their table and began to threaten and cajole Jane:
"You should consider it an honor to serve a Malfoy! Opportunities like this don't come around for just anyone!"
"Either lend me the console or chop the daisy roots—you choose!"
Harry, who had been keeping a close eye on them, felt deeply disgusted by Malfoy's behavior.
How dare Malfoy speak to Jane like that! She wasn't his lackey!
Harry wanted nothing more than to grab those daisy roots and hurl them at Malfoy's face.
Thankfully, Professor Snape noticed the commotion. After all, whispers in the quiet Potions classroom were magnified—
And it was happening at Jane and Theodore's table—two of his best students. The golden-haired boy causing the disturbance couldn't escape his notice.
Snape's lips curled downward, and his brows furrowed as he fixed his gaze on Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy, if you're so interested in tossing potion ingredients around, I wouldn't mind suggesting to your father that you take an apprenticeship at an apothecary to learn proper ingredient sorting."
"Now, disrupting the class and distracting your classmates—Slytherin loses 2 points."
Draco's glow instantly dimmed, even his platinum-blond hair seemed to lose its shine.
Harry couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. For the first time, Snape's class felt satisfying.
If not for the past two years of animosity, Harry might've applauded Snape for this.
But clearly, Snape wasn't about to let him off the hook either. After all, deducting points from Gryffindor would effectively cancel out the loss to Slytherin.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter," Snape's gaze shifted to Harry. "The famous Boy Who Lived must be eager to help others. Judging by your expression, you can't wait to lend a hand."
"In that case, you can help Malfoy chop the daisy roots."
Harry's face twisted as if he had just eaten a bogey-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.
The green-eyed Gryffindor lost his luster.
Under the table, Ron stomped his foot in frustration.
Snape's sharp eyes immediately zeroed in on him.
"Weasley, I assume you're just as eager. You can peel the figs for Malfoy."
Now, all three of them looked utterly defeated.
Draco switched to their side of the room.
Though the point deduction had left him flustered, seeing Potter and Weasley in trouble restored his mood.
The two Gryffindors deliberately chopped the ingredients into uneven, messy pieces right in front of him.
Watching their clumsy efforts, Draco's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Your friend Hagrid probably won't be teaching much longer."
"My father is furious about my injury—he's filed complaints with the school board and the Ministry of Magic."
Harry's hands trembled with anger. He wanted nothing more than to smash a cauldron over Malfoy's head.
But Draco wasn't done. Every time he thought about the gaming console, his frustration flared anew.
"And let me tell you, my gaming skills are far superior to yours!"
"Jane admitted it herself—you're nothing, Potter."
Harry's face darkened. He didn't believe a word Malfoy said.
This was clearly an attempt to sow discord!
If Malfoy managed to drive a wedge between them and then led the charge to bully Jane—
How could she possibly stay at Hogwarts?
Damn Malfoy!
Just as Harry was about to put his plan—smashing the cauldron—into action, Professor Snape approached.
He cast a disdainful glare at Harry before moving to the back of the room where Jane and Theodore were working. He began to lavish praise:
"Perfect. A bright, vibrant green, of the highest quality. Excellent technique."
He carefully scooped a spoonful of the potion and let it drip back into the cauldron, ensuring everyone could see.
Then, he awarded Slytherin 2 points, effectively canceling out Draco's earlier deduction.
Snape turned his attention to Neville, peering into his cauldron. With just a look, he left Neville gasping for air.
"Why don't you learn from Miss Yu? Especially you, Longbottom."
"Orange? Did you not hear me say that only one rat spleen and a tiny bit of leech juice were needed?"
Hermione, Neville's partner, tried desperately to defend him but was ruthlessly dismissed by Snape.
He then moved to Harry, Ron, and Draco's table, surveying the chaos before coldly remarking:
"Wasting ingredients—Gryffindor loses 5 points."
"Do you not understand the value of these ingredients? Do you think they're free?"
"Five buckets of Flobberworm mucus, Potter, Weasley. You have one week to extract it."
The class ended in a crushing defeat for Gryffindor. The little lions hobbled out of the classroom, leaning on each other for support.
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