Alice could see Harry's face freeze. Whatever vibe Snape was giving off, it made the kid super uncomfortable.
Harry and Snape. Harry and Draco. Ugh.
Though Snape and Draco actually seemed tight.
Then Alice watched what had to be the most jaw-dropping "Snape Picks on People" show ever.
"Potter, do you know…"
"Oh, looks like you don't."
"Let's try a different question…"
"Seems our Mr. Potter didn't crack a single book before term."
Alice shifted in her seat and scratched her nose. She'd only previewed the Potions textbook—didn't memorize every answer Snape was firing off. Honestly? Potions wasn't her thing.
Snape kept zeroing in on Harry.
"Tsk tsk—fame clearly doesn't mean brains."
Alice frowned. She'd looked into Harry's story. Bottom line: total tragedy.
Harry's family went into hiding from some dark wizard named Voldemort. Voldemort found them, wiped them out—except Harry somehow survived. Boom: "The Boy Who Lived."
Alice was positive—if Harry had a choice, he'd trade all that fame for a normal, happy family in a heartbeat.
The whole thing was just sad.
So whatever beef Snape had with Harry, this wasn't how a teacher should act.
Alice glared at Snape. He felt the heat, glanced over, and locked eyes with her.
For a split second, he actually spaced out.
Then, pissed, he snapped at Harry: "Talking back to a professor—Gryffindor loses a point."
Harry's face fell. Ron grabbed his arm again.
Maybe because of Alice's interruption, Snape finally eased off Harry and got the lesson on track.
He started teaching the basics of Potions to the Gryffindors and Slytherins. Alice could tell—he loved this stuff. His voice was flat, but the passion leaked through.
If only he'd stop trashing kids' IQs and quit obsessing over Harry…
Snape paired everyone up to brew potions.
Alice scanned the room. She got along "fine" with her dorm mates, but nobody was rushing to partner with her—her station was empty.
Hermione gave a smug little told you so chin-lift to Neville, like her hunch was spot-on. Then she hesitated—wanted to invite Alice but wasn't sure if Snape would flip about a Slytherin and Gryffindor team-up.
While she waffled, Alice caught someone's eyes flicking her way.
She looked—Hermione again. Naturally, the girl's face went beet red.
Alice smiled, walked over, and asked, "Miss Granger, wanna team up?"
"…Huh? Us? Uh—yeah, totally, no problem at all."
Hermione stumbled over her words. Truth is, she didn't really have close friends yet either.
Snape glanced over, saw them prepping together, and frowned—but said nothing.
He just swooped around the room like a bat, roasting "idiots" left and right.
Eventually, the only kid he didn't trash-talk was Malfoy.
Malfoy was actually killing it, and Alice could tell he and Snape had some weird connection.
Lucky for them, Alice and Hermione's potion was solid too—Hermione nailed the theory, Alice wasn't half-bad at the hands-on stuff.
Some people weren't so lucky.
Alice noticed Neville and his partner's cauldron looking sketchy.
She barely had time to yank Hermione away from their own brew before—BOOM.
Snape, who'd been about to show off Malfoy's perfect horned slugs, had been watching Alice the whole time.
When he saw the commotion, he got mad—hated Slytherins and Gryffindors mixing and messing up his class.
Then Hermione yelled, "Everyone—jump on the desks, now!"
A nasty, eye-watering acid cloud filled the room. Neville's potion spilled, eating through the floor.
Snape realized Alice wasn't causing chaos—she was saving people.
He glared at Neville, whose arms and legs were covered in angry red boils from the splash.
With a flick of his wand, Snape vanished the mess on the floor, then roared at Neville's partner: "Get him to the hospital wing—NOW!"
Then he circled Harry and Ron like a shark.
"Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add porcupine quills?"
"Thought it'd make you look good if he screwed up?"
"Is that it, Potter?"
"Gryffindor—another point off!"
Without waiting for a reply, Snape looked at Alice and Hermione standing on their desk.
After a beat, he drawled, "Alice Norton spotted the danger and acted fast—decisive, sharp. Slytherin gains a point."
The Slytherins swapped looks—happy for the point, annoyed it was Alice who earned it.
But Alice spoke up: "Professor, Granger's the one who shouted the warning."
Snape froze, glanced at Alice, then—under the weight of those green eyes—looked away and muttered, "Granger… fine. Gryffindor gets a point."
Then, like a lightbulb went off, he stared at the ceiling and added:
"Norton—honest, fair, true to the facts. Exemplifies fine Slytherin values. Slytherin gets another point."
…What?
Alice blinked. Is our head of house okay?
Behind Snape, Harry pointed at him, stared at Ron in disbelief, and silently mouthed:
"Is this for real?"