Snape didn't intentionally want to eavesdrop on the little girls' conversation.

Although, in fact, he had been standing behind Erina and the others for a while, but frankly speaking, he just wanted to find a break in the girls' chatter to give Erina some instructions alone.

But after waiting for a while, Snape couldn't find a suitable opportunity to interject, and the four girls, focused on each other, didn't notice him walking over at all.

Helpless, Snape had to clear his throat loudly to indicate his presence.

Otherwise, if he continued to wait like this, the surrounding students would probably think he was eavesdropping, right? That would be too terrible.

Noticing the Potions professor suddenly appearing behind them, Erina and the others, who were chatting and playing, instantly stopped talking, turned around, and looked at the wizard who seemed to have something to say with great obedience.

After spending the past few days together, although Snape still had that same unchanging poker face.

And when teaching the students some basic cooking and knife skills in class, Snape would still habitually sneer from time to time, but the students didn't dislike or fear him much anymore—especially the first-year students led by Erina.

After all, scolding was scolding, and deducting points was deducting points, but those "simple demonstration dishes" that Professor Snape personally made were really quite delicious, significantly better than the streamlined Hogwarts kitchen.

Therefore, facing the black-robed wizard suddenly appearing behind her, Erina, who was serving as the Potions class assistant, naturally didn't have any fear or restraint, at most she just looked at Professor Snape with a bit of curiosity and politely greeted him.

"Good morning, Professor Snape. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Snape's gaze swept across the faces of the girls in front of him, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if trying to squeeze out a smile, but the final result looked more like a cold sneer.

"Erina Kaslana, I'm here to inform you that you don't need to come to Potions class this afternoon."

The Potions professor spoke quickly, at least twice as fast as when he usually lectured, his eyebrows raised slightly as he glanced at the little witches sitting next to Erina, and continued quickly.

"Go read in the library, or take a walk outside the castle, or fly around the Quidditch pitch—in short, don't let me see you in the classroom this afternoon. And, this is for you."

After a slight pause, Snape took a small glass bottle from his black robes and placed it on Erina's desk.

"Ten drops at a time, you know how to use it."

With that, Snape pursed his thin lips again, glanced at the girls huddled together, turned around and left the Hufflepuff table without hesitation, heading towards the dungeons.

"Eh? Erina, what is this... Shrinking Potion (d)?"

Hannah curiously reached out and picked up the small bottle Snape had placed on the table, reading the label on it with confusion.

Blinking her eyes in confusion, the little iron lady turned her head to look at the white-haired ball who was slightly shorter than her, then looked at the bottle in her hand, her face full of incomprehension.

"Shrinking... Erina, you're already not... um, I mean, if you use it again, you'll be too... Ouch!"

"Hm?!"

Erina's eyes turned fierce, and she casually delivered a chop to Hannah's head, turning her following words directly into a pitiful whimper—what she hated most was having to look up to talk to people!

"Idiot! What are you thinking? Of course it's not for me to use."

Ignoring the little iron lady clutching her head, Erina snatched the potion from Hannah's hand and said grumpily.

As she spoke, Erina glanced thoughtfully at the large bat staggering away in the distance, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a happy smile—what an unfrank tsundere, it wouldn't hurt to speak nicely.

Without a doubt, this bottle of Shrinking Potion was the potent Shrinking Potion that she had asked Professor Snape to help improve and brew a few weeks ago after Potions class, and it could be used on the three-headed dog Fluffy.

Obviously, Professor Snape knew from some source that today was her birthday.

It's just that this steel-skinned, awkward man was really bad at expressing his kindness, even wanting to give her a day off to have fun, he said it as if he was angrily chasing her away.

As for the afternoon's itinerary, Erina tossed the small bottle in her hand...

"How about... we go play next to the Forbidden Forest this afternoon? I'll introduce you to a cute little guy."

It was rare to have a birthday, and it would be too tragic if she just stayed in the library reading books.

As the chef of Hogwarts, and a little witch who loves nature, how could she not embrace nature, touch nature, and integrate into nature on such a memorable day?

For example, walking the dog, teasing the eagle, and maybe having some kebabs and grilling some big grass carp.

...

Soon, breakfast time ended.

The students picked up their textbooks, left the tables in small groups, and dispersed towards the various corners of Hogwarts Castle.

As usual, with the departure of the students, the professors at the faculty table also stopped talking, nodded and smiled at each other, then left the Great Hall through the side doors and began preparing for the new day's classes.

For Albus Dumbledore, these days were undoubtedly the most comfortable and peaceful time of the semester. Facts proved that Hogwarts was still the ordinary school he was familiar with—as long as he kept an eye on the source of trouble, everything would naturally be solved.

Even, in order to ensure that Erina wouldn't cause any trouble again this afternoon, Dumbledore specially invited Grindelwald to join him in preparing a simple birthday party for Erina in the Hogwarts faculty vegetable garden.

This not only ensured that nothing unexpected would happen to Erina while she was walking the dog and strolling around, but also served as a way to proactively show goodwill and cultivate feelings—for an old man who loved sweets, these days had been too difficult.

Therefore, after breakfast, Dumbledore dragged "Mr. Otto" out of Hogwarts Castle, and they were going to Diagon Alley and Gringotts together to see if there was anything suitable as a birthday gift that wouldn't be dangerous.

However, what no one noticed was.

After breakfast on this day, the Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw prefects, who should have dispersed to their respective classrooms, gathered together inadvertently, exchanging something in a low voice with flickering eyes.

A few minutes later, the three prefects, who had reached a tacit understanding for the last time, dispersed with satisfaction, returned to their respective houses, and began to whisper instructions to their trusted partners.

Silently, an undercurrent that had never appeared before had gradually formed, spreading like a wave throughout Hogwarts Castle. Except for the Hufflepuff house, which was still carefree, the little witches and wizards in the other three houses began to show bright expressions of eager anticipation in their eyes.

And the direction of most of their gazes was the Hogwarts Herbology greenhouses that Erina and the others were heading to.

More precisely, the large, lush, beautiful vegetable garden next to the greenhouses.

————

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Chapter 1, Guya.

It's a bit short today, I might not have Chapter 2~ Gonna rest a bit~

Because the timeline and story later on are relatively compact and concentrated, I need to think carefully about how to write this part well~