I am Harry Potter's Cousin, Big D

"What? Harry, you said you knew that was Professor McGonagall? Then why didn't you tell me?"

After class, Ron complained to Harry, his voice full of indignant misery. He had never felt so humiliated in his life, and in front of all four houses no less. He felt he probably wouldn't find a wife now.

"I wanted to say something, but it was too late," Harry said helplessly while packing his bag. "You were too fast."

"By the way, Harry," Ron asked, his mood shifting as quickly as it had soured, "what's our next class?" Fortunately, Ron had a thick-skinned personality; unpleasant emotions came and went quickly, and he immediately put the matter behind him. Rather than dwelling on embarrassing things, it was better to eat a few more pieces of meat at lunch. He was still growing, after all.

Harry looked at the timetable. "Potions Class, with Slytherin."

"Oh, no!" Ron wailed again. Potions Class was not a good subject for the entire Gryffindor house; it was, no exaggeration, a form of torture and agony. Apart from Hermione, no one in Gryffindor had escaped being yelled at by Snape, especially Seamus and Neville. Those two were often paired together, and although Seamus usually messed up, Neville was always the one who got hurt and scolded.

It was as if Gryffindor was naturally unsuited for Potions. And indeed, most Gryffindors were naturally active, restless, and impulsive, while the most important thing in Potions was to stay calm and not rush. This also led to Gryffindor's potion skills being almost at the bottom among the four houses. Why 'almost'? Because Hermione alone raised their overall level to be comparable to Hufflepuff.

Of course, this also had something to do with Snape being the Potions Class Professor. Although his criticisms were often accurate, his words were too harsh and sarcastic, or to put it simply, he had a foul mouth. This caused many Gryffindors to be dissatisfied with him, and they secretly gave him the nickname 'Greasy Old Bat' behind his back, mocking his hair, which always looked greasy.

"Don't worry," Harry said mysteriously to Ron. "This time I'll give you something good. It will definitely improve your potion grades, I promise." Ron immediately became interested, but no matter how much he pressed, Harry wouldn't say another word.

It was still that dungeon, still the chilly environment, and still Snape, like a great demon king. After being swept by Snape's gaze, Ron involuntarily shivered, instantly extinguishing all his little thoughts. He just wanted to get through the next four hours as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Harry. What are these?" Ron saw Harry taking out one item after another from his bag and placing them on the table. It was a set of tools he had never seen before.

"New potion equipment," Harry answered casually, and began to arrange them on his own.

"Professor Snape told us to buy new equipment? How come I didn't know?" Ron was stunned and said hesitantly. It is said that children from poor families mature early. Ron had known since childhood that his family's finances were not well-off, and he deeply understood the consequences of not being financially comfortable. He rarely asked his family for money, never actively burdened them, and had never had toys or anything like that since he was little. His clothes, trousers, shoes, and even textbooks and wands were all second-hand, things his older brothers had outgrown. Although he would occasionally complain a little, he never made a fuss or fought for things. Most of the time, he would just look at the new and interesting things in others' hands with envious eyes.

If Snape asked them to buy new potion equipment, it meant another expense for their family. Just looking at the style of the equipment on the table, it clearly wasn't cheap. "These must be expensive, right?" Ron complained in a low voice. "Why would Professor Snape suddenly ask us to buy these things? I haven't heard Percy or anyone else mention it."

Harry paused at the words and quickly explained, "No, Professor Snape didn't ask us to buy these. Brother D prepared them for us." Saying that, Harry pushed a set of assembled experimental equipment on the table to Ron. "This set is yours."

Dudley had prepared many sets of this equipment before coming to Hogwarts. The reason he waited so long to let Harry take them out was because he had only gotten Snape's permission to use these tools in Potions Class a few days ago. The price was that all other students could use them, except for him. So Dudley distributed these pieces of equipment: one set for Harry, one for Hermione, one for Ron, one for Malfoy, and one for Neville. Yes, Neville. Dudley had never forgotten the rather talented, portly young wizard.

Snape's demands on Dudley had reached a point that could be called harsh. However, it also reflected how much he valued him. He was truly teaching him as a successor. Fortunately, Dudley was also very promising; he truly had a talent for Potions. Although Snape always found some issues, he was actually very satisfied. Even Hogwarts' most excellent students couldn't do better than him. He was simply the perfect heir of Lily and him.

"Mr. Dursley?" Although the other was a Slytherin, Ron still trusted Harry's cousin very much. He was the only Slytherin he didn't have much ill will towards, but he still felt intimidated when facing Dudley directly. Ron unconsciously looked at Dudley, only to find that he wasn't using any of these tools. Did he give his to me? Ron was instantly a little touched.

"Ron, there's something I need your help with later," Harry whispered.

"What is it?"

"Like this... like this... and then like this..." Harry whispered the plan.

"No problem, leave it to me," Ron patted his chest hard.

"I'll teach you how to use these things," Harry began to instruct Ron. It wasn't anything particularly difficult to operate, and Ron quickly understood the purpose of these tools, instantly exclaiming how convenient they were.

At this moment, Snape began to explain the main content of the class: brewing a pot of Burn-Healing Paste. It was a common potion learned in the first year, a little more difficult than the Boil-Curing Potion.

After successfully brewing a potion with the new tools, Ron's eyes instantly changed; they were shining. These tools... they were incredibly useful. Mum no longer has to worry about me not being able to brew potions, he thought with a grin.

[Chapter Complete]

***

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