To be honest, even if Raven had assigned Ryze the task of getting the highest score in Potions class, he wouldn't have been flustered at all. In fact, he might even have found the challenge a little amusing.
After all, everyone at Hogwarts knew Professor Snape's habits.
Snape almost never awarded points to other houses. At best, he ignored them. At worst, he deducted points mercilessly.
However, in this particular class, Snape ultimately didn't deduct any points from Ryze.
It seemed that even Snape understood that punishing someone over advanced theoretical questions would be unreasonable. His earlier questioning had simply been a form of provocation.
Snape wanted to see how the Black brat would react.
Would he panic?
Would he become angry?
Would he argue back?
Yet Ryze did none of those things. He completely ignored the provocation. Instead, he simply looked at Snape calmly, his expression almost curious, as if waiting for the professor to provide the answer himself.
Snape stared at him for a full five seconds.
Then he finally spoke.
His voice rose slightly so that everyone in the classroom could hear him.
"Similar in nature to Runespoor venom, leech saliva also has the effect of hindering wound healing," Snape said slowly. "However, it is far easier to obtain than Runespoor venom and significantly harder to detect."
He paused before continuing.
"Dark wizards of the past were quite fond of using anticoagulant potions brewed from leech saliva. When combined with certain Dark Arts, such potions could be used to torment their enemies for extended periods of time."
His black eyes swept across the classroom.
"If any of you dare to disobey discipline in my class," Snape continued coldly, "I will personally test these potions on you. Understood?"
The classroom fell silent.
Several young wizards looked visibly frightened.
Snape raised his voice again.
"So why aren't you writing this down?"
The students from both houses immediately lowered their heads and began scribbling notes as quickly as possible.
Ryze also picked up his quill and began recording the information carefully.
However, he remained standing.
Snape hadn't told him to sit down yet.
From the back of the classroom, standing actually gave him a better view of the blackboard and demonstration table.
As expected, Snape ignored him.
Once the students had more or less finished writing down the information—knowledge that most of them suspected they would never dare to use—Snape turned around and began the formal lesson.
"Now," he said coldly, "let us begin today's class."
The first potion they would learn to brew was the Boil-Curing Potion.
According to Snape, it was a very simple potion.
In reality, however, it was quite demanding in terms of technique.
First, the slugs needed to be stewed slowly. During that process, suitable dried nettles had to be selected and prepared. Meanwhile, the students also had to crush common snake fangs using a mortar and pestle.
Once the brewing began, the cauldron had to be removed from the flame immediately after the potion started boiling. Then, after exactly half a minute, the brewer had to sprinkle in porcupine quills.
The timing and sequence were crucial.
Any mistake could ruin the potion.
Snape demonstrated the entire brewing process smoothly and flawlessly.
Only after completing the demonstration did he pretend to notice Ryze still standing.
His expression immediately darkened.
"So why are you still standing there like an idiot?" Snape roared suddenly. "Do you not know how to sit down?"
Ryze showed no irritation.
"Sorry, Professor," he said calmly. "I was too focused. I'll sit down now."
He obediently took his seat.
Inwardly, however, Ryze couldn't help thinking that the old bat was truly unpleasant.
Even though Snape would eventually redeem himself in the future, that redemption was largely tied to his lingering love and regret for Lily Potter.
It didn't necessarily mean that Snape was inherently a pleasant or kind person.
Still, putting personality aside, Snape's ability in potion-making was beyond question.
The "Prince" nickname that Ryze carried had originally been nothing more than a playful title shouted by a Ravenclaw girl.
But the man standing in front of him was the true Half-Blood Prince.
The Prince family, though not included among the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families, was still a wizarding family with several centuries of history.
In the past, the Prince family had been quite well known in the wizarding world.
For generations, many members of the family possessed exceptional talent in potion-making. Over the last two hundred years alone, the family had produced several renowned Potion Masters.
Snape, a half-blood wizard who inherited the Prince bloodline, had clearly inherited that extraordinary talent.
His skill in potions was no less impressive than that of his ancestors.
Even a single textbook that Snape had annotated during his student years had once helped Harry Potter win the favor of Professor Slughorn during his sixth year at Hogwarts.
That alone was proof of Snape's brilliance.
However, Snape had only taken the position of Potions professor at Dumbledore's request.
In truth, he had little passion for teaching.
To him, Potions class was simply a job.
He never publicly shared the superior brewing methods he had discovered as a student.
Instead, he continued to teach from the same old textbooks.
At most, during lectures he would occasionally point out obvious mistakes in the book. When demonstrating potions, he deliberately followed the original methods written in the textbook rather than his own improved techniques.
Perhaps, in his mind, only truly exceptional young wizards—students like Lily Potter—were worthy of receiving his full knowledge.
Even so, the techniques he demonstrated were still valuable enough to study for a long time.
As Ryze worked, a thought crossed his mind.
Perhaps later he should search through the storage cabinet in the Potions classroom. If he was lucky, he might find a complete set of the textbooks Snape had used during his own time as a student.
Those might contain valuable clues.
While thinking about this, Ryze carefully followed the instructions in the textbook and the small details Snape had briefly mentioned during the demonstration.
Working together with Terry, he successfully completed the brewing of the Boil-Curing Potion.
From the perspective of a modern chemistry experiment, the entire process wasn't particularly complicated.
But the students sitting in this classroom were only eleven years old.
Most of them had never encountered anything resembling chemistry before.
On top of that, their very first experience with potion-making was taking place under the watchful gaze of a gloomy and intimidating teacher.
Any mistake could result in harsh scolding.
Under such pressure, it was no surprise that many students struggled.
In the end, only about one third of the class managed to complete their potion successfully on the first attempt.
Most of the others had run into trouble with the small details that Snape had glossed over.
Pink smoke rose gently from Ryze's cauldron.
Snape walked over and glanced inside.
His expression remained indifferent.
"Barely passing," he said coldly. "But anyone whose brain isn't that of a troll should at least be able to achieve this level."
The evaluation was unpleasant, but Ryze didn't mind.
In fact, he was quite satisfied.
He had never been the type to aim too high right from the beginning.
After all, his talent in potions was certainly nowhere near Snape's level.
Potions was a subject that required extensive theoretical knowledge, careful thinking, and precise technique.
For a beginner, simply following the instructions correctly and producing a passable potion was already a solid start.
Ryze had some experience with cooking in his previous life.
Because of that, he understood something important.
When encountering a new recipe for the first time, the best approach was always the same.
Follow the recipe exactly once.
Only after mastering the basics should one consider modifying it to suit personal taste.
This principle had been learned through many failed dishes.
Normally, the potion-brewing process would have ended there.
However, to Terry's horror, Ryze suddenly asked Snape another question.
"Professor," Ryze said calmly, "are there better methods to improve the quality of this potion?"
Snape frowned immediately.
Instead of answering directly, he replied coldly.
"Do not start thinking about crooked shortcuts."
His gaze was sharp.
"When your handling of ingredients and your control over brewing heat are no longer as clumsy as they currently are, you will naturally be able to produce better potions."
He snorted.
"Do not waste my time with foolish questions."
Ryze nodded slightly.
He understood the meaning behind Snape's words.
It wasn't that improved formulas didn't exist.
Rather, his current foundation wasn't strong enough yet.
Even if he learned the improved formulas now, he wouldn't be able to use them effectively.
Still, Ryze wasn't discouraged.
Instead, he asked another question.
"Professor, may I continue assisting other students with their potion brewing? I would like to gain more practice."
Snape looked at him again.
At that moment, Snape suddenly realized something.
This Black boy—who had grown up in an orphanage—showed absolutely no fear of his deliberate attempts to make things difficult.
Ryze simply treated him like an ordinary teacher.
More surprisingly, the boy's composure and mentality were far more mature than those of a typical eleven-year-old.
Most adult wizards probably didn't possess such calm stability.
The realization made Snape even more irritated.
He let out a heavy snort.
The sound was loud enough to startle a nearby student, whose hands trembled and nearly dropped the ingredients into the cauldron prematurely.
"You idiot!" Snape barked. "If you can't even hold the ingredients properly, be careful! Fail again and I'll dunk your head into the cauldron!"
The frightened student quickly steadied his hands.
Snape then turned back to Ryze.
"Do not disrupt classroom order," he said sharply. "And do not interfere directly."
He paused before adding,
"Stand by and guide them verbally."
His dark eyes narrowed slightly.
"If there are any problems with the potions they brew, I will hold you responsible."
With that, Snape turned away and continued inspecting the other students' cauldrons.
From that moment until the end of the Potions class, Snape did not actively speak to Ryze again.
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