Snape's mother was somewhat weak; ever since Snape's magical outburst in his childhood exposed his Wizard identity, his father started drinking and gambling, sometimes even physically abusing the mother and son.
His weak mother had a wand but dared not resist, only hugging Snape and crying.
Snape had had enough of this family; he wanted to escape.
...
Snape ultimately completed the key Potions content Alfrina had assigned. He didn't quite agree with this cramming method of studying just for the exam; he believed that thoroughly understanding the entire book was the correct way to learn.
In the second-year final exams, Lily and Alfrina still received all Os. Gary got an A in Potions this year, though he lost many points when Slughorn caught him performing an illegal operation during his practical exam.
Everyone else's grades were also good, but as the course difficulty increased, it was hard for them to get a bunch of Os like in their first year.
It's worth mentioning that Slytherin won the House Cup this year. Lockhart's one hundred points were crucial; the two houses were only thirty points apart in the end. "A Maverick Pig" did not receive any bonus points, as the Ministry of Magic seemed to be deadlocked on curriculum reform.
However, this did not stop Ravenclaw from disliking Lockhart.
When boarding the Hogwarts Express this year, Gary noticed a "security guard" had been added to the platform: the gamekeeper Hagrid. Gary hadn't seen him since he started his first year; Hagrid usually just holed up in his hut, tinkering with who-knows-what. His hut was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a place so remote that Gary had never been there.
Hagrid looked fierce, but in actual interaction, he turned out to be a very gentle giant, at least much kinder to young Wizards than Mr. Pringle.
Alfrina, Gary, Kona, and Howard, as usual, occupied a compartment. Now it was Kona's turn to be unlucky; Alfrina found that her Wizard Chess skill was much weaker than Gary's, making her a comparable opponent to Alfrina herself.
So the bad chess player found a new chess partner and immediately pulled Kona to sit by the window and started a match as soon as they got on the train. Kona seemed to enjoy it too.
Howard bought a pile of Chocolate Frogs as soon as he got on the train. These were newly released Wizard sweets, filled with cards of historically powerful Wizards. Collecting all one hundred cards could be exchanged for a trip to the United States.
Howard bought twenty Chocolate Frogs and a bunch of miscellaneous snacks at once. He distributed the Chocolate Frogs to his three friends, with only one request: to give him the Wizard cards after opening the packages.
"You're short on that much money?" Gary asked curiously. Ever since Howard self-published his book for thousands of Galleons, everyone had a general idea of his financial power. He didn't seem like someone who lacked money for a trip to the United States.
Gary held a lively Chocolate Frog in one hand and opened the card with the other. It was Dumbledore, winking at him.
The card also listed Dumbledore's achievements, such as the Philosopher's Stone and the twelve uses of dragon blood.
"I collect these cards just to satisfy my collecting urge. It's quite fulfilling to collect all hundred of them."
Alfrina shook her head; she couldn't understand Howard's thinking.
However, the three certainly wouldn't refuse the offered snacks. Gary ate two and felt they were a bit too sweet, so he gave the other three to Kona. This little foodie, with puffed cheeks, was locked in a fierce battle with Alfrina.
"Hey!" The compartment door opened, and James's head peered in. "We have big news to tell you guys!"
Sirius and Lupin followed him in; Peter was not present.
"Long time no see, Remus," Alfrina said cheerfully. "Where have you been lately?"
Ever since Lupin and Snape's relationship soured, he had rarely come to their gatherings. Alfrina thought it was related to Snape. "Severus just told me tonight that he doesn't plan to continue with us next year..."
She noticed Lupin's expression was off, his eyes downcast, seemingly a bit guilty, and she promptly stopped the topic.
"Uh... sorry, Al," Lupin said, looking at James and Sirius with an apologetic expression. "I think I have to quit too..."
After James and the others told him about their grand goal, they asked him to withdraw from "A Maverick Pig." After all, achieving that goal would consume a lot of time and energy, and he wouldn't have the opportunity to participate in Alfrina's organizational activities anymore.
"...Can you tell me why?" Alfrina watched Lupin's expression, asking cautiously.
"Al, what reason is needed?" James said. "It's just that Remus doesn't have time to play with you anymore; he has to follow us."
"...Alright." Alfrina was a bit dejected. Two partners quitting in one day at the end of the term was a big blow to her as a leader.
"Then it's settled!" Sirius put his arm around Lupin's shoulder, a wild smile on his handsome face. "We can finally do our own thing!"
After the three Gryffindors left, Alfrina's face was grim. She stared at the chessboard without speaking, and after a misplay, Kona captured two of her bishops consecutively. The knight on the board stomped and cursed.
She finally couldn't help but slap the table. "We will immediately set our goals for next year and show them our strength!"
"I'll make them regret it!" Alfrina gritted her teeth.
Gary knew Alfrina was currently furious, probably attributing the reason for the two leaving to herself, so her mood was inevitably sour. At this moment, he certainly wouldn't provoke her.
Howard went out and called the only remaining member, Lily. The three girls squeezed onto one chair, while Howard and Gary were on the other side, and the group started discussing animatedly.
"I think our next plan could be for Care of Magical Creatures," Lily seemed to have gotten addicted to curriculum reform this year.
"No, what is there to reform about Care of Magical Creatures?" Alfrina shook her head.
"Professor Kettleburn's magical creatures are too dangerous; Occamies are child's play," Lily said. "He's going to teach us this September. You wouldn't want him bringing dangerous creatures, would you?"
Professor Kettleburn had been at Hogwarts for who knows how many years; he was a teacher there even before Dumbledore enrolled. He now only had one arm and one leg left, and his body was covered in scars.
He held a historical record—sixty-one detentions, which was simply insane.
"This content can be done, but it shouldn't be our main focus," Alfrina said. "I prefer more challenging tasks."
Afterward, Howard and Kona proposed some other suggestions, all of which were rejected by Alfrina.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, clearly extremely annoyed. The cheerful Lily also fell silent after both of her proposals were shot down.
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