The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

At lunchtime at Hogwarts, the Great Hall is filled with the enticing aroma of roast beef, broth, and fresh bread.

The students gathered in small groups, especially the freshmen, who shared the fun and troubles of their morning classes.

Julien, carrying his tray, sat down at a table with Edgar and Kayson. He had barely sat down when he noticed a commotion at the next table.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Seamus sat together, their faces bearing a mixture of anger, resentment, and disbelief. The boil on Neville's face was still clearly visible.

Harry was stabbing the mashed potatoes in his plate with his fork as if they were some heinous enemy; Ron was gesturing wildly, his spittle almost splattering onto Hermione's face; and Hermione, the top student who always respected logic and facts, had her brows furrowed and her eyes flashing with rare anger.

"Hey, Julien!" Harry spotted him first and immediately waved. "Come here! You need to hear what that old bat Snape has been up to!"

Julien greeted his roommates with a smile, picked up his plate, and walked over.

As soon as he sat down, Ron grabbed his arm as if he'd found a kindred spirit, and rattled off a rapid-fire monologue: "Julien, you won't believe it! That Snape, he was targeting Harry from beginning to end!"

"What happened?" Julien put down his plate and asked in a low voice with concern, while glancing around to make sure that the old bat Ron had mentioned wasn't in the restaurant.

"It's not potions class this morning yet!" Hermione took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner excitement.

"Today we're learning how to make a potion to treat boils. The recipe is simple, and the steps are clear; I've read it several times in 'Elementary Potion Making.' But..."

"Harry actually did a great job," Neville interjected quietly, a hint of admiration in his voice, "much better than me. I even set the cauldron on fire."

"Actually, I'm partly to blame too. I'll blow up wherever I go," Seamus comforted Neville.

Julien nodded, remembering Seamus's talent. Suddenly, a "ding" sounded in his mind, and Murphy's notification tone appeared: "On the Rational Application of the Magic Explosion Talent" generated.

“Yeah,” Ron chimed in indignantly, “Old Batman was just targeting Harry, saying things like ‘fame can’t be everything’ during roll call.”

Ron took a breath and took a sip of pumpkin juice. "Later, he asked Harry some strange questions, like what you'd get if you put daffodils or something into wormwood syrup. How did you know that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "You'll know if you preview the later parts of the textbook, but it's definitely earlier than expected. Regardless, he shouldn't have said those sarcastic things."

"And later, when it came to making potions, I saw Harry follow the steps in the book perfectly. But Snape, he was like a persistent bat, circling around Harry's cauldron, his nose twitching as if he were smelling something rotten."

Harry looked up, the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead appearing slightly red from the emotional turmoil. "Then he started asking questions," Harry's voice was low and subdued, "questions that weren't mentioned in the books, about the reactions of moonstone powder and porcupine quills at different temperatures. Of course, I couldn't answer them."

"This is blatant sabotage!" Ron slammed his fist on the table, making the plates rattle. "That's NEWTS (Ultimate Wizarding Exams) level material! He's just making excuses!"

"That's really going too far," Neville, the honest man, echoed excitedly. "Even if Harry's hand slips a little, he'll lose 5 points. In the end, even my mistake was pinned on Harry's name."

Julien raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this. Snape's hostility towards Harry was far more blatant and direct than anything he had read about in his previous life. It was no longer just prejudice; it was more like a deep-seated hatred.

"What's worse," Hermione's voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of several Gryffindor students around her, "he kept calling Harry 'careless' and 'arrogant' throughout the entire class."

Ron's face turned red with anger. "Tell me, is there any justice in this world?"

Harry lowered his head in frustration, mashing the potatoes into a paste with his fork. "I don't think he liked me from the start. He kept staring at me during the Sorting Ceremony, even though my scar hurt terribly."

Hermione's anger intensified as she saw Harry's dejected expression. She had initially thought Snape was merely eccentric and demanding, but now it seemed his malice towards Harry was real and premeditated.

She turned to Julien, a pleading look in her eyes: "Julien, what do you think? You also think he's targeting Harry, right?"

Julien didn't answer immediately. He carefully chose his words and said slowly, "Professor Snape... is indeed very strict. But I think he might be targeting more than just Harry."

"What do you mean?" Harry looked up at him, puzzled.

“That’s right, he’s always picking on us Gryffindors.” Padma, one of the Patil sisters sitting not far away, chimed in, “Lavender and I were just called ‘useless trash’ because the potion in our cauldrons was a little darker in color.”

Meanwhile, in Slytherin, Malfoy's potion was clearly producing suspicious green bubbles, yet he simply nodded and said, "Not bad, Malfoy."

Lavender Brown chimed in, "Julien's right! He's biased! He only sees the Slytherin students; he's nitpicking at us Gryffindors, especially Harry!"

Julien nodded and continued his feigned analysis, "Perhaps the questions he asked Harry weren't meant to test his knowledge at all, but rather to prove that Harry was 'unworthy of the title.' He wanted to tear down the 'savior' aura in front of everyone."

Harry's face paled even more upon hearing this. He had never considered it from this perspective before. So Snape's goal was to embarrass him in front of everyone.

Hermione's expression also turned serious. She had always believed that as long as she was good enough, she could win the professor's approval.

But Snape's actions taught her that facts and efforts are futile in the face of prejudice. "So what should we do? Just give up?" she asked helplessly, her voice filled with confusion for the first time.

"What to do?" Ron sneered. "What else can we do? Just avoid him! I won't say a word in his classes from now on, so he won't cause trouble again."

"That's not going to work, Ron," Hermione retorted. "We can't give up on our studies just because of one professor's prejudice. Potions is important!"

"So what good ideas do you have?" Ron asked irritably.

Hermione was speechless for a moment. She was always good at solving problems with knowledge, but she felt helpless in the face of this pure personal attack.

Julien knew about the feud between Snape and Harry's father, James Potter, and also understood Snape's complex feelings for Lily. But revealing this truth now would only cause Harry more pain and confusion.

"This is no longer something we students can solve. Perhaps," Julien said casually, cutting a piece of roast beef, "that you should tell your feelings to your Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, and even Headmaster Dumbledore. I think every Gryffindor would be willing to testify for Harry."

Hermione's eyes lit up, realizing that all she could do was complain, that she was still thinking like a primary school student. "I'm in kindergarten now!!" She should use an adult approach.

"Alright, I'll go write a letter asking Professor Snape to improve his teaching style and treat every student fairly and justly! You'll all sign it, right?"

"I will!" Ron was the first to jump out.

"I'd like to too!"

……

Seeing Hermione take her first steps toward becoming Minister of Magic, Julien silently returned to his table, having accomplished his mission.