HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

Fifth year

His gaze now fell upon Neville, who swallowed nervously.

"When you finish this year, of course, many of you will no longer be studying with me," he continued. "I only accept the best in my Advanced Potion-Making class for the N.E.W.T.s, which means that some of us will certainly say goodbye."

"But we still have one year before the joyous moment of parting ways. So whether or not you intend to attempt the N.E.W.T. exams, I advise you all to focus on achieving the high grade I always expect from my O.W.L. students."

Snape returned to his desk. "Today, we will learn how to brew a potion that is always requested in the Ordinary Wizarding Levels exam: the Calming Draught, a beverage to calm anxiety and soothe restlessness. But be warned: if you are heavy-handed with the ingredients, the person who drinks it will be plunged into a deep and sometimes irreversible sleep, so pay close attention to what you are doing."

Cassi sat up straight, paying absolute attention.

"The ingredients and the method are on the blackboard. You will find everything you need," he waved his wand again, "in the supply cupboard."

The mentioned cupboard door opened.

"You have an hour and a half... you may begin."

Cassi sighed with relief; she knew exactly how to brew that potion. Ignoring the desperate sighs of her classmates in the face of the difficulty level, she stood up to fetch the ingredients without needing to write anything down from the board.

Snape watched her closely. The ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in the exact order and quantity; the mixture had to be stirred a precise number of times, first clockwise and then counterclockwise; the heat and flames under which the potion was cooking needed to be reduced to an exact level for a certain number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

"A clear and silvery vapor should rise from the potion to indicate it is ready."

The surface of Cassi's potion displayed a silver mist of vapor. When Snape passed by her, he smiled discreetly and whispered, "Keep it up."

Cassi allowed to smile, feeling proud of herself. She filled a vial with a sample of the potion, affixed a label with her name, and brought it to Snape's desk.

(...)

After Divination class, Cassi headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As she was about to enter, Draco appeared by her side with a smile. When they entered, they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan from the previous night. The class entered in silence; until that moment, Umbridge was an unknown, and no one knew if she would enforce strict discipline.

"Well, good afternoon!" she finally said, once all the students were seated. Some murmured a "good afternoon" in response.

"Tsk-tsk," Umbridge made disapprovingly. "This won't do, will it? I would like all of you to respond, please: 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge'. Once again, please. Good afternoon, class!"
The students responded grudgingly, "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge."
"Now, that's better," the professor said sweetly. "Wasn't so difficult, was it? Put away your wands and take out your quills."
Many students exchanged gloomy looks; never before had the instruction of "put away your wands" been followed by a lesson they considered interesting. Cassi placed her wand in the leather sheath she had received from Sirius last Christmas. Umbridge opened her bag and took out her own wand, which was unusually short. With a strong stroke on the blackboard, the following was written:
Defense Against the Dark Arts
A Return to Basics
"Well, the education you have received in this subject has been somewhat interrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Professor Umbridge stated, turning to face the class with her hands perfectly folded in front of her body. "The constant change of teachers, many of whom did not seem to follow a curriculum approved by the Ministry, unfortunately resulted in a level below expectations for the O.W.L. year. However, you will be pleased to know that these issues will be corrected now. This year, we will follow a Ministry-approved Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum, carefully structured around theory. Please, copy the following."
She struck the blackboard again; the first message disappeared and was replaced by:
Course Objectives.