Harry Potter: The Rise Of Malfoy

Chapter 47.

After lunch, it was time for Care of Magical Creatures class with Gryffindor.

Hagrid had brought out a dozen Hippogriffs. Unlike in the original story, Draco had become much more serious about his studies this term; he bowed to one of the Hippogriffs according to Hagrid's instructions and successfully rode it for a lap in the air. However, not long after, everyone could see Hagrid hurriedly carrying Blaise Zabini to the hospital wing, with a deep and long cut on Blaise's arm, blood streaming down to the corridor.

The incident soon spread among the students, that Blaise had been attacked by a Hippogriff named Buckbeak during Hagrid's class.

If you are wondering why there was a Hippogriff in class, it was because it was Hagrid's first lesson in Care of Magical Creatures, and to make a strong impression, he brought twelve Hippogriffs to the class. Unsurprisingly, the lesson ended in complete failure.

Although the Gryffindor students could attest that Blaise had brought the attack upon himself, it still cast a bloody shadow over the already heavy atmosphere within the school.

As a member of Slytherin, Soren also followed them into the hospital wing. He saw Madam Pomfrey heal Blaise in just a minute, yet he still looked pale, complaining of pain in his arm and accusing Hogwarts' teaching methods of being faulty, disregarding students' safety, and shouting that he would definitely report the matter to the Ministry of Magic.

Blaise's mother, Mrs. Zabini, was a renowned and attractive widow who had undisclosed intimate relationships with many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, including supposedly even the Minister of Magic, Fudge. Soren snickered quietly but did not intend to stop the situation. Draco had wanted to inform Lucius to get involved, but was deterred by Soren and had to relent.

Soren was not on Gryffindor's side; he just knew that opposing Dumbledore in the current magical world was not a wise move, at least not until he had grown up.

It wasn't until Thursday breakfast that Blaise reappeared at the Slytherin table. He walked into the hall amidst cheers from the Slytherin students, his right arm wrapped in bandages, suspended by a strap around his neck, looking like a hero who had survived a terrifying battle.

Seeing him like this, Harry and Ron rolled their eyes in disdain, but Blaise himself was quite pleased.

Many people in the Great Hall were reading the Daily Prophet for the day. "What are you looking at?" Blaise asked curiously.

"It's the latest news about Sirius Black!" Pansy whispered, handing him a copy of the newspaper. Blaise read the headline: Black had been spotted by a Muggle appearing not far from Hogwarts, and by the time the Ministry officials arrived, he had already left and was currently being pursued. It was speculated that Sirius Black was attempting to enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Most of the little wizards in Slytherin had already received hints from their parents and were fully aware of what was going on.

Draco quietly said to Blaise, "Black's target should be Potter. I think that guy is about to have some bad luck; first, he saw something ominous in Divination class, then his giant friend might get expelled, and now it's Black..."

After saying this, Draco revealed a smug smile, stood up, and walked over to the Gryffindor table. He stood behind Harry, his eyes glinting with malice. "So, Potter, do you plan to go after Black all by yourself?"

"What does that have to do with you?" Harry retorted.

"Of course, if I were you..." Draco said, a thin, despicable smile forming on his lips, "I would have done something by now. I wouldn't just stay here at school and be a good boy; I'd definitely be out looking for him."

"What nonsense are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron snapped.

"Don't you know, Potter?" Draco lowered his voice, narrowing his gray eyes.

"Know what?"

Draco let out a soft, derisive laugh. "Maybe you don't want to risk your little life," he said, "and just want the Dementors to deal with him, right? If it were me, I would seek revenge; I'd personally hunt him down."

A cough that was clearly feigned sounded, and Soren walked over to the group.

Harry and Ron immediately showed a wary expression; after all, Soren's reputation was too great, and Harry did not think that him and Ron teaming up would be enough to confront Soren. Instead, it was Hermione who bravely stood up, looked Soren in the eye, and asked sharply, "Malfoy, this is the Great Hall; what do you plan to do in public?"

Soren frowned, and the scene fell into an awkward silence.

Ignoring Hermione's provocation, Soren turned to Draco and broke the silence, saying, "Brother, have you forgotten our father's instructions?"

Draco had actually said what he wanted to say, then pretended to be dissatisfied with a snort and turned to leave.

Soren showed an apologetic smile and handed Harry an invitation, saying, "As everyone knows, there will be Dementors patrolling outside Hogwarts this year, and the Patronus Charm is the only known spell that can repel them. I plan to organize a spell exchange event soon, where I will explain my various understandings of the Patronus Charm and help students practice and master this spell. Students from any house who are interested are more than welcome to participate. If you are interested, feel free to join." After saying this, Soren left the invitation and elegantly turned to leave, leaving Hermione looking embarrassed.

Hermione felt as if she had been punched in the stomach when she saw that Soren was ignoring her, and she felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn't know why she had reacted by confronting Soren directly; all she remembered was that when she saw Soren, an inexplicable anger surged within her, making it difficult for her to control her emotions.

A few days ago, when she saw Soren being close to three girls on the train, she felt an inexplicable discomfort. At that time, she thought she was influenced by the Dementors and didn't think much of it, but today she felt that discomfort again, and this time the anger was so clear and intense.

Seeing Hermione's fluctuating expression, Harry and Ron wisely refrained from provoking her further and quietly discussed this so-called "spell exchange" event.

Soren walked over to Percy, who was dining, and asked Percy to help spread the news about the event in the Gryffindor common room; then he sought Penelope's help to announce it in the Ravenclaw common room and Cedric's help for the Hufflepuff common room.

Though they were not particularly familiar with these three, they had shared some friendly conversations during the Trials of Merlin, and asking them to help post an announcement on the bulletin board was a small favor they likely wouldn't refuse.

Harry seemed surprised by the invitation and hesitated. Ron, on the other hand, pointed out dismissively that this must be a Slytherin plot, strongly advising everyone around not to go, suggesting that if they wanted to learn spells, they could directly consult the professors, and the library certainly had plenty of information on this, making participation in a Slytherin event unnecessary. Hermione stared at the invitation, lost in thought, making it hard to know her true feelings.

After breakfast, the Slytherins and Gryffindors gathered in the underground classroom for Potions.

"We will be making a Shrinking Solution today." Snape strode into the underground classroom like a dark cloud, his billowing black robes blooming in the air like a flower. He drew his wand and pointed at the blackboard, where the preparation process and key points for this potion quietly appeared.

"The most important ingredients for the Shrinking Potion include Daisy roots, Shrivelfig, Caterpillars, Rat spleen, and Leech juice.." Snape's tone was still dark, but the students could clearly sense the underlying displeasure. "Potter!" he suddenly called out.

Harry stood up, at a loss.

"Tell me, what is the difference between the Shrinking potion and the wolfsbane?"

"Sorry, I don't know, Professor," Harry replied innocently.

Snape's glare was frightening, as if he had been slighted somewhere. "You clearly haven't made any progress over these two years. It seems that fame really can make one lose sight of themselves..."

"Why don't you prepare to take down what I'm about to say!" he turned to shout at the entire class, prompting everyone to frantically take out their quills and parchment.

"The role of daisy root is a concentration of essence and is often used to enhance the concentration of potions; here, it is used for the extraction of raw material essence. The medicinal properties of shrivelfig are mild, which can prevent concentrated potions from causing excessive harm to the user due to their rapid effects, and it has a quite broad application in various oral recovery potions. As for wolfsbane, it is mainly used to assist in transformation. Since shrinking potions often involve changes in form, it is also indispensable. This herbal medicine is primarily applied in compound decoctions, transmogrifying bioreagents, wolfsbane potions, and so on..."

"Sorry, Professor!" Hermione raised her hand.

"Oh, Miss Granger? What is it?" Snape turned his face, his dark eyes fixed on her, his tone inexplicably strange. All the students present noticed his unusual behavior: when did he ever ask Hermione, "What is it?"

Hermione seemed completely oblivious to this. "Professor, what kind of potion is wolfsbane potion? I haven't seen it mentioned in any potion books."

"An excellent question, Miss Granger." Snape seemed determined to go beyond the ordinary, and he did something even more surprising.

"The fact that you can ask this question shows that you have been diligently studying the relevant knowledge. Gryffindor earns five points."

The room erupted in an uproar.

Everyone's mouths fell open. This was probably the first time Hermione, and even Gryffindor, had actively asked a question in Potions class and not only did not lose points but gained some instead. Ron was digging hard at his ears; Harry took off his glasses and began rubbing his eyes frantically; Neville held the shrivelfig in mid-air; Draco, while cutting the daisy root, accidentally cut his own index finger.

Soren probably guessed Snape's intention, letting out a low grunt.

Snape surveyed the room, and where his gaze landed, students straightened up, and after a moment's reflection on Soren, he said, "Soren, would you like to answer?"

After running through all the information he had about this potion in his mind, Soren replied in a loud voice: "The wolfsbane potion is a new potion invented last year by Damocles Belby, who was subsequently invited to join the Extraordinary Potion Masters Association and earned the qualification of Master Potion Maker. This potion is specifically designed to treat werewolves. While it cannot turn a werewolf back into an ordinary person, it allows a werewolf to maintain their sanity on the night of the full moon. This potion needs to be taken a full cup at regular intervals starting a week before the full moon to be effective. However, this potion also has its drawbacks; its ingredients are very expensive and almost unaffordable for any werewolf. Additionally, due to the extreme toxicity of aconite, the preparation process of this potion is very difficult, and any mistake can turn it into a deadly poison, making it incredibly challenging to find a Master Potion Maker capable of brewing it."

"Very well answered, Slytherin earns fifteen points!"

Watching Soren speak confidently, Hermione tightly pressed her lips together, her mind spinning with various thoughts, with a strong sense of competitiveness being the most fervent.

Soon, Snape made it clear that he was still the same Snape. Neville continued to face ridicule, Ron still bore the brunt of the blame, and Harry remained in hot water. All of this quickly made the students discard their speculation that "Snape had taken the wrong potion."

The preparation of shrinking potions was still quite challenging for third-year students—Neville nearly failed because he added too much leech juice and rat spleen, and Snape even threatened to feed Neville's potion to his pet Trevor, but fortunately, with Hermione's help, the mistakes were corrected, and during the potion testing, Trevor successfully turned back into a tadpole.

This discovery amazed Soren because he had always thought that the purpose of shrinking potions was simply to reduce the size of the user; he didn't expect that it could also revert creatures to their juvenile form, making him very interested in the other hidden uses of this potion.

*****

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