The following morning, Maca was the first one to wake up.
He couldn't quite figure out how he had managed to wake up so early, considering he had fallen asleep in a daze until late into the night. He speculated that it was probably Luna's doing! During his stay at her house, he had faced all sorts of waking methods every morning, and that absent-minded young girl seemed to delight in it. Unbeknownst to him, he had developed the habit of waking up precisely on time.
Today, classes were about to begin.
Most of Hufflepuff's schedule was aligned with Ravenclaw's, and correspondingly, Gryffindor's courses were often shared with the Slytherins. This had its advantage—without Harry Potter present, Snape was comparatively less irritable.
"Now, let's take attendance..."
Snape still wore that uninviting expression, a perpetual lack of smile on his face. He read out the names on the roll call list one by one without even glancing at the students. Once he finished calling the names, he turned his cold and hollow black eyes toward the students. In his gaze, Maca saw a look somewhat similar to those lost, dreamless vagabonds on Diagon Alley.
"No," Maca silently denied to himself, "His gaze is even... more profound than that of vagabonds. It's just like the eyes of the dead—icy, empty, filled with death."
Having lived in the dark world of Britain for so long as a child, Maca relied on disguises and the ability to read others' minds. But now, he found that he couldn't glean any information from Snape, and for the first time, he felt the urge to distance himself from this man.
"Escaping unknown dangers is the most effective way to protect oneself," was a well-known saying in the dark world.
"Mr. McLean, it seems you have a different perspective on my lecture?" Just as Maca was staring into Snape's eyes, lost in thought, the latter seemed to have noticed something and looked back at him. Then, with a furrowed brow, he spoke.
"Oh, no, I mean, I quite enjoy the subject of potion-making, Professor Snape, but the theories involved are quite intricate. I genuinely hope, Professor Snape, that you could help me clarify some doubts I encountered during my pre-reading."
Caught off guard, Maca was led by his previous thoughts, and he found himself stumbling over his words. But he did indeed have many questions he wanted answers to, so he wasn't entirely bluffing.
Yesterday, in Hufflepuff's common room, Maca had asked Darren, an older student, for information about various professors. When it came to Snape, though hardly any students liked him, his accomplishments in Potions and Charms were undeniable.
Just the fact that he held the title of "Master Potioneer" recognized by the International Confederation of Wizards and awarded by the British Ministry of Magic was enough to establish his place in the global magical community. In the book "Advanced Potion-Making," there were many potion preparation methods improved by him, although currently, nobody knew about them.
However, Snape didn't seem to take kindly to Maca's words. He gave a cold smile— if that could be called a smile—before speaking with a scornful tone, "Oh? Is that so? Well, let's hear it then. But if they're just dull questions, Hufflepuff might lose some points. Let me reiterate, in my classroom, student questions are not welcome!"
Maca couldn't help but swallow nervously at his words. Fortunately, the other Hufflepuff students didn't seem concerned about point deductions. Instead, they looked at him with worried eyes, as if their classmates' safety was far more important than house points.
Maca glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a hint of goodwill towards his housemates. Until now, he had just formed the idea that "being in Hufflepuff doesn't seem too bad."
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, steadying himself,
He then presented the most perplexing question he had encountered while reading the book "Magical Potions and Elixirs."
"Professor Snape, while pre-reading the section on sleeping draughts, I found that one quantitative constant in the formula for its preparation wasn't clearly explained in the actual process. This has left me utterly perplexed. I'm not sure if I've made an error somewhere." As Maca spoke, he furrowed his brow, a sure sign of his deep involvement in the subject.
When discussing matters he cared about, he usually forgot his surroundings and the person he was conversing with. It was a bad habit of his.
Fortunately, Snape didn't appear impatient. He scrutinized Maca for a moment before speaking.
"I will address the issue of sleeping draughts later. As long as you pay close attention in class, you won't need to ask such questions again." Snape's voice was cold as he spoke, and he turned his attention away from Maca, using his wand to tap the blackboard. Immediately, lines of text and formulas appeared on it.
"Take your seats, you may sit now." Ernilda, who was sitting next to him, tugged at Maca's sleeve and whispered, "I can't believe it! I heard that Professor Snape is the strictest professor at Hogwarts. He threatens to deduct points, but they've never actually been taken away before!"
Maca, however, didn't feel any relief about this. He was genuinely concerned about that question!
Two Potions classes had passed coldly in the underground classroom. Once Professor Snape uttered the words "class dismissed," the students were eager to leave. In this classroom, apart from numerous samples of animal organs and Snape's ever-present cold demeanor, there was nothing else; the whole room exuded an unpleasant atmosphere.
"That quantitative constant doesn't serve any purpose. It's a historical mistake," Maca heard Snape say as he passed by the door. After leaving these words behind, Snape walked away with brisk steps.
Watching Snape's departing figure, Maca felt that his billowing cloak, caught in the wind, resembled a walking bat. The mental image made him suppress a chuckle.
"Communication with him doesn't seem as difficult as I'd imagined," Maca thought to himself.
Of course, in reality, things weren't as simple as Maca believed. The reason Snape had been waiting at the door and left that explanation was precisely because Maca's question had offered Snape a chance to delve into Potion-making. In other words, Snape had faced this very question during his student years.
The thought that this wasn't just a coincidence wouldn't cross Maca's mind at this point.
Following the Potions class was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell, whose extra flesh on the back of his head was hard to ignore. However, there wasn't much to say about that class. Besides Professor Quirrell himself, who reeked of garlic and stuttered while speaking, the course content was uninteresting and quite disheartening.
Maca truly couldn't understand how someone could make the story of defeating the Inferi so stammering and insincere. He had heard that Quirrell was a good student during his Hogwarts years.
Setting aside the uneventful Potions and practically useless Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, what Maca was truly interested in was the Charms class taught by Professor Flitwick, who had fairy blood running through his veins.
Though Professor Flitwick was short in stature due to his lineage, he was a professor worthy of respect by all.
In his class, there weren't strict requirements. Students could even move around freely, and he wouldn't be displeased even if they joked with him.
However, as Professor Flitwick meticulously explained to Maca the frustrating questions he had encountered in the book "Magical Theory," Maca's admiration for the professor soared.
This former Dueling Champion was indeed impressive. His insights and the application of his techniques gave Maca a different understanding of the world's foundational magical theories. After numerous explanations, it was as if Professor Flitwick had opened a new door for Maca.
"Thank you, esteemed Professor Flitwick." Maca always held genuine respect for those who shared their knowledge with him.
Professor Flitwick smiled and patted Maca's arm, saying cordially, "No need to be so serious. Theories can be dull; it's through practical application that deeper understanding comes. Nevertheless, you're still one of the most profound students in this year's class when it comes to the study of Charms, just like Miss Granger from Gryffindor. Quite excellent."
Later on, from Professor Flitwick, Maca learned some information about Hermione. When he heard about the range of Hermione's studies, he couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. She read too many books, which wasn't necessarily beneficial for understanding and practical application.
In Maca's view, mastering the fundamentals was crucial to lay a solid foundation for further learning and research. Even geniuses needed to progress step by step, and he was well aware that he wasn't a genius, and Hermione probably wasn't either.
As for the remaining classes, what Maca disliked the most wasn't the magical history that most students found incredibly tedious. Rather, it was the Astronomy class held every Wednesday night for stargazing—an established tradition for the subject. In Maca's opinion, aside from magical knowledge, the observation, recording, and calculation methods in the class were significantly inferior to Muggle research in this field.
Moreover, in today's magical world, this class had relatively little utility. This caused considerable distress for a pragmatist like Maca.
"Hey, I heard you challenged Snape's theories in his class. Is that true?"
During Herbology class, as everyone was fertilizing the harmless and healthy plants in Greenhouse One, Ron approached Maca with enthusiasm and asked him.
Maca noticed that not far away, Hermione, holding a small trowel, seemed to have also focused her attention on this conversation. Apparently, she was also quite interested in this matter.