The Potions class was, as usual, a classic two-person group exercise. Professor Snape inspected everyone's work, and as was his custom, most of them got a scathing review.
The worst off was Neville Longbottom's group. Unsurprisingly, Seamus Finnigan had set his cauldron on fire again. And just as predictably, the cauldron exploded, and Seamus, as if by some magic, was unharmed, while Neville, once more, got hit. It was as though Seamus had a special "jinx-your-partner" charm on him.
It was quite strange, really. Whenever they were paired up, an accident was sure to happen, and Seamus was always left unscathed. Given the frequency of these incidents, it was hard to believe he wasn't doing it on purpose. Only he knew for sure.
Snape waved his wand to clean up the mess and, as he had many times before, took a bottle of potion from Dudley and poured it down Neville's throat. Neville's practiced, eyes-shut way of drinking the potion was enough to make you feel for him.
"Gryffindor, absolutely pathetic. One point from your house," Snape said coolly.
Seamus acted as if nothing had happened, completely unbothered. After all, he knew someone would get those points back. He even winked at some of the other Gryffindors as Snape turned away, while Neville just hunched his shoulders, saddened that he'd lost points for his house, and became even more terrified of Snape.
"Hey, look, Snape didn't yell at Weasley and Potter," an eagle-eyed Gryffindor noticed. Snape had only stopped for a moment at Harry and Ron's table before moving on, a rare moment of peace for them.
The other students assumed it was because Harry's potion had finally turned out well. Thanks to Dudley's instruction, Harry's potion-making skills, if not the very best, were certainly among the top of his year.
Of course, they were still far from Snape's own high standards, which was why the professor loved to find fault with Harry. Even when Harry did better than most, especially with Ron as his partner, the chances of them getting yelled at were always high. But still, the other students found it odd.
Today's Potions class was a double period. The first class was a group project, but the second was an individual one. This potion was even more difficult than the one they had brewed before.
Yet, Snape's standards didn't budge one bit.
Snape picked up Ron's potion, looked it over, and simply said one word: "Good." He didn't give points, but he quietly put the potion back down.
"That Weasley wasn't yelled at again!" the Gryffindors gasped as if they had discovered a new world.
The first class was a group project, so you could at least argue that he was just riding on Harry's coattails. But now he was working alone, and the potion was more difficult. In the entire classroom, only a handful of students weren't yelled at, and that included a good portion of the Slytherins.
Aside from Ron, only Hermione and Harry were left alone. Hermione's performance wasn't a surprise since she hadn't been yelled at all term. As for Harry... they conveniently forgot about Harry for a moment. But how was a simple Weasley getting through without being yelled at? Ron's potion-making skills were famously mediocre at best.
"Look, the equipment on Weasley's table is different from ours!"
The sharpest students had already spotted the key. The boy who pointed this out was immediately punished by Snape, who docked another point from Gryffindor for disrupting class. Still, the students saw that Ron's desk was covered in all sorts of strange instruments, none of which were standard Potions equipment.
"Harry has them, too..."
(Harry was quite popular in Gryffindor, and many students felt comfortable using his first name. He didn't mind at all.)
Another astute student pointed out a new development.
"So does Granger!"
"Wait a minute... even Malfoy has them!"
Even after losing a point, the students couldn't contain their curiosity. They began to whisper amongst themselves, and even the Slytherins were murmuring in small groups. No one liked being yelled at, even if it was their Head of House. Snape often showed favoritism to Slytherin, but when it came to Potions, he was relentless—if your potion was bad, he'd let you know. Goyle and Crabbe were perfect examples; they were a constant target of his criticism because their potions were truly awful. They were supposed to be brewing a simple antidote, but the liquid in their cauldrons looked like pure poison.
So when this new equipment was mentioned, it immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
New Potions equipment?
Who gave it to them?
Two questions hung in the air, but no one dared ask in Snape's class. They'd have to wait until class was over.
"Dursley, acceptable."
Snape walked up to Dudley and, as if by second nature, picked up the potion he had brewed. The liquid inside the glass vial was perfectly crystal clear.
Perfect. Snape nodded, pocketing the potion.
"One point to Slytherin."
And with that, he walked away.
The two-hour class was a total triumph for Ron, and he reveled in the admiring stares from his classmates. It was fantastic. He had never felt so relaxed and happy in a Potions class before. Even Snape's perpetually grim face didn't seem quite so awful.
He knew it was all thanks to the instruments Harry had given him, and ultimately, to Mr. Dursley.
The moment Snape announced class was over and left the dungeon, a crowd of students swarmed around them. Of all the people who used the new equipment, Ron was the easiest to get information from. The Slytherins, meanwhile, surrounded Draco.
Ron, basking in the sudden spotlight, felt a little overwhelmed, as if it were his lucky day. After much pleading from the other students, he cleared his throat and began to speak with a smug, self-satisfied tone.
"You all know that my Potions skills are worse than most of yours. Honestly, I'm just not good at it. I thought I was doomed to fail this class for the rest of my life... until today. I used this equipment, and it's incredible! It's so good!"
He went on and on, rambling until the students were on the verge of losing their patience. Finally, he got to the point.
"This is from Harry's cousin, Mr. Dursley. A product ahead of its time!" he announced. "It's an amazing way to improve your Potions skills. You saw the results for yourselves. It's so good, even Professor Snape approved!"
Harry mentally winced at Ron's over-the-top sales pitch. He sounded even more wooden than the telly infomercials Dudley used to watch.
But the other students didn't seem to notice.
Across the room, Draco was using the same exact tone as he explained the new equipment to the other Slytherins.
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According to the original story, Draco's Potions skills were quite good in his first year, and Snape would often praise him publicly. However, his skills were never mentioned again after that. Meanwhile, in her second year, Hermione was able to brew Polyjuice Potion on her own—a potion that many adult wizards can't even make.