𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 ━━ harry potter

chapter thirty-three

Professor Snape nearly broke the door by flinging it open as part of his dramatic entrance. Everyone turned around, confused. What was he doing there? They had Defense Against the Dark Arts, not Potions.

As he walked over to the front of the room, he flicked his wand at the windows, closing them and making the room unnecessarily dark. "Turn to page 394."

Some people opened their books at once, while others only stared at Snape in confusion, waiting for him to explain what had happened to Professor Lupin. Ben was part of the first group, not wanting to get in trouble for once. Harry, on the other hand, let curiosity win.

"Excuse me, sir," he said calmly. "Where's Professor Lupin?"

"That's not really of your concern, is it, Potter?"

"Sir, he just respectfully asked a question-" Ben spoke up, turning around from his table.

Snape immediately spun around to look at him. "Did I give you permission to speak, Walker?" 

Ben bit the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from answering something that would end up earning him detention. "No, sir, you didn't."

"Exactly, Walker. Therefore, you should keep quiet," said Snape, and turned to the rest of the class. "Open your books on page 394."

He walked back up to the front of the classroom before hitting the projector. Ron, sitting beside Ben, was turning the pages one by one wearily.

"Well done, Ron," he whispered. "At this pace, perhaps you will get to the page when we're twenty."

Ron rolled his eyes. All of a sudden, Snape threw a spell at the boy's book, making him jump back as the pages began flipping on their own. He got closer to the book to read it, before frowning. "Werewolves?"

"But, sir, we've just begun learning about Red Caps and Hinkypunks," said Hermione from beside Harry. "We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks."

"Quiet," snapped Snape.

"When did she come in?" Ron asked Ben in a hushed tone.

"I don't know," he replied. Something odd was happening regarding Hermione. She definitely wasn't there at the beginning of the class; she had told her friends she had to go to the toilet, and then she didn't come back. Ben knew the girl hadn't been sitting next to Harry before, because he had looked in that direction several times, and would've remembered.

"Now, which one of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a Werewolf?"

Hermione shot her hand up into the air, followed by Ben, who was sure he knew the answer. Snape blatantly ignored both of them, so Ben lowered his hand. Hermione, however, didn't.

"No one?" said Snape, looking around the students, and obviously seeing Hermione's hand. "How disappointing."

"An Animagus is a wizard who chooses to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice, which each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own king," explained Hermione.

Malfoy howled, making his cronies laugh. "Thank you, Malfoy," said Snape. "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"