The classroom was dim and foreboding as you shuffled to your seat, the air heavy with the scent of old parchment and faintly burning herbs. The quiet hum of student chatter was abruptly silenced when the door slammed open, and Snape swept in, his black robes billowing like shadows in his wake. He moved to the front of the room, his gaze cutting through the class like a blade.

“Get out your parchment,” he said, his voice low and menacing, dripping with impatience. “Let’s see if any of you are capable of producing something other than utter mediocrity today.”