In recent days, something unusual had begun happening at Hogwarts.
Professors noticed that several Slytherin students were dozing off in class. That was not particularly strange in History of Magic — or even in Defense Against the Dark Arts under Professor Quirinus Quirrell.
The real shock came in Potions.
When a Slytherin student fell asleep over his cauldron and spilled a bubbling potion onto the student in front of him, the dungeon fell silent.
Professor Severus Snape turned pale with fury.
He had never imagined a Slytherin would dare sleep under his supervision.
Points were deducted mercilessly — five to twenty per offense. Twenty for those who caused actual damage.
Since Potions was shared with Gryffindor, they suffered under Snape's heightened scrutiny as well. Even minor mistakes were punished.
Harry Potter lost one point for "overenthusiastic stirring."
As deductions mounted, both Slytherin and Gryffindor slipped in the House rankings.
And who led?
Hufflepuff.
The Slytherins were livid.
Yet despite their exhaustion, their academic performance in other subjects was extraordinary. Spells were mastered with unsettling speed and precision — as though they had practiced them countless times before.
The professors attributed it to overambitious study habits.
Snape chose not to look deeper.
He had other matters to attend to.
Each evening, Draco Malfoy stood near the Slytherin dormitory entrance with a small notebook.
He called names softly.
One student entered.
Later, the same student emerged pale and exhausted — but oddly confident.
Before bed, as promised, Merope granted Draco a larger share of energy than the others.
Draco vaguely remembered being taken once to the Chamber of Secrets, though the memory felt fogged and distant.
After that, Merope did not insist on returning.
Draco assumed she had reclaimed some ancient Slytherin secret.
He did not question it.
Meanwhile, in Gryffindor, Friday night training continued in the Room of Requirement.
Ron worked with Seamus.
Hermione coached Neville.
Harry practiced and observed.
After yet another explosive mishap, Harry stopped Seamus.
"Maybe we're trying the wrong spell."
"What do you mean?"
"Not every wizard excels at the same kind of magic. You… have a natural inclination toward explosive results."
Hermione approached cautiously.
"You're not suggesting—"
"Confringo."
"Harry!"
"It's worth a try."
Seamus hesitated.
"It's advanced magic…"
"Trust me."
Seamus raised his wand.
"Confringo!"
The explosion that followed was far stronger than expected.
"Protego!" Harry shouted.
Ron and Hermione ducked.
The dummy shattered. A stray piece struck Neville squarely on the head.
"Why is it always me?" Neville groaned.
But beneath the chaos, a quiet imbalance was forming.
Gryffindor advanced through effort and mistakes.
Slytherin advanced far too quickly.
And Hogwarts had not yet realized that something was feeding that difference.
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