After having a good cry, Neville felt much better.
He embarrassingly apologized to everyone, and they all nodded understandingly, assuming he was just too upset from Professor Snape's harsh treatment.
Harry even joined Neville in venting about Snape for a while—
If they were in Gryffindor, he would have immediately gotten a lot of support. But now, Neville kept his head down and didn't say much, while Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry.
"Potions is a rigorous subject. Indeed, I also think Professor Snape is... well... a bit harsh, but being strict isn't a bad thing," Hermione said bluntly.
Harry retorted, "So you think it's okay for him to have Trevor test the potion?"
Hermione hesitated, then said uncertainly: "For Professor Snape, he can definitely tell at a glance whether a potion is poisonous or not..."
"Hermione!" Harry said angrily, "We are supposed to be friends!"
"Maybe Professor Snape is trying to force Neville to take Potions seriously in this way?"
Padma, resting her head on her arm, tilted her head and said, "Although it is indeed a bit excessive, even if it were poison, Professor Snape would surely have a way to save Trevor."
"I don't believe Snape is that kind-hearted!" Harry said indignantly, "He's just bullying Neville! It's too much! I must tell Dumbledore!"
"The Headmaster probably won't interfere with a professor's teaching methods, think about Lockhart from last year," Michael said.
Neville listened silently to the argument that started because of him but seemed to have little to do with him.
He knew Harry was on his side, not because Harry understood the real pain he felt, but because Harry was also a target; he hated Snape.
Hermione and Padma's rebuttals weren't because they had any issues with him, but because they objectively saw it as a minor incident.
Everyone was unaware of Neville's past and didn't understand his thoughts. Neville had no intention of opening up his wounds to tell everyone—
His parents had been tortured into insanity and had been in St. Mungo's Hospital for over a decade.
Both sympathy and humiliation were unbearable for Neville.
But when Wade silently stayed by his side, he felt a rare sense of comfort and warmth.
Thinking of Wade, Neville realized he hadn't heard Wade's voice.
He looked around but didn't see him, so he asked Theo next to him, "Where's Wade?"
"He said he had something to do and left first," Theo said.
"Oh."
Neville silently opened his book, ready to start on today's homework.
...
The green liquid in the cauldron bubbled– gurgle, gurgle. Seeing that the time was about right, Wade removed it from the fire, stirred it clockwise a few times, and let it sit to cool down.
As it cooled, the potion's color grew lighter and lighter, and it eventually became transparent.
Wade filled a small vial with the potion and tucked it into his pocket. The rest was poured into a large crystal bottle and stored in his wardrobe space.
Then, carrying the small vial of potion, he left the Room of Requirement and headed down the stairs.
It was close to curfew, and the corridors were empty. Most of the portraits had fallen asleep, and only the torches on the walls burned quietly.
Wade's footsteps echoed "clunk, clunk," and his shadow, stretched long by the torchlight, looked like a strange figure with a broad body and slender legs.
Two sneaky figures were startled by the footsteps and shadow, and they darted behind a nearby statue and pressed themselves against the wall, with their faces nearly squished.
Wade suddenly noticed two names on the castle's statue and was also startled. Then, spotting the two wriggling figures, he felt utterly exasperated.
"Fred, George, what are you two doing?" Wade asked.
His sudden voice startled the twins, but when they saw it was Wade, they let out a long sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's you, Wade! We thought it was Filch!" Fred calmly pushed George aside and dusted himself off.
George, meanwhile, made a gesture of raising a glass and said enthusiastically: "We're heading to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Wade, want to join?"
Wade shook his head. "I've got things to do—and isn't this your OWLs year? You're still going out for drinks? Don't you have classes tomorrow morning?"
"Oh no, Wade! Don't be like Hermione!" Fred pretended to clutch his head in pain. "Even in our OWLs year, we can't stop pursuing happiness!"
"Anyway, we're not aiming for the Ministry, nor do we care about getting a bunch of certificates. Study hard, Wade, we're off to have fun!" George said cheerfully. Then, the two brothers waved and headed toward the statue of the Humpbacked One-Eyed witch.
Wade listened as their voices grew fainter—
"I think we should bring the Marauder's Map next time. That really scared me just now!"
"Agreed—though Filch doesn't patrol much these days. He's busy playing with his crabs at night! Someone saw him trying to teach cleaning crabs to wipe cups..."
"No wonder our night-wandering skills have declined! It's been too long since we've been chased by Filch—George, I have a brilliant idea—"
"Funny, I was just thinking the same—"
The two whispered as they slipped into the secret passage, and their faint giggles echoed behind them.
Wade watched them leave, then continued downward. He descended a few stone steps, turned a corner, passed the painting of pears leading to the kitchen, and saw a few Hufflepuffs playing around by tapping barrels.
Soon, he found himself standing before the door to the Potions professor's office.
Wade touched the vial of potion in his pocket, raised his hand to knock, but the wooden door suddenly swung open.
Draco Malfoy, who was walking out with his head down, reeked of bitterness and nearly collided with Wade. He instinctively took a step back.
"Don't forget to process the Lovage tomorrow, Mr. Malfoy."
Snape's tone was relatively polite, but it still carried a chilling edge.
Malfoy's face darkened. Without a word, he turned and walked away.
It was then that Wade remembered—Malfoy had been sentenced to a full year of detention, helping the professor every night. He had probably processed quite a few potion ingredients for Snape.
If Harry and Neville knew that the leech juice they used in today's Shrinking Solution might have been squeezed by Malfoy, they'd probably forget all their sorrows.
The door was still open, so Wade stood at the entrance, knocked lightly, and said: "Professor, may I come in?"
Inside the office, Snape was waving his wand to tidy up the clutter on his desk.
Hearing the voice, he turned around, then frowned. "Grey, if I'm not mistaken about the time, it's already—"
He glanced at the clock.
"—five minutes until curfew?"
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