Headcanon that Snape can’t bully ANY Hufflepuffs because they just sort of close ranks around whoever he’s about to start in on.
Not in a combative, threatening Gryffindor-or-Slytherin way, either, but a pure Hufflepuff way that slides gleefully into passive-aggressive if need be.
If he gets too snappish with one student somebody else will pipe up “Professor Snape?” and they’ll have a perfectly reasonable, intelligent question that they probably sat on for most of the lesson so as to have it in reserve.
If he brushes it off or answers quickly and goes back to the first student somebody else will have a different question.
Once a second student asks their question it’s basically a heads-up to the rest of the class to come up with their own distractory questions.
Snape won’t be able to get near the student for the rest of the lesson because the whole class will keep him busy with questions.
If he snaps at any student for asking a stupid question somebody else will raise their hand and say they were wondering that too.
The person he started to bully is left to complete their potion in peace.
If Snape tries to shut them all up and make them wait until he’s finished yelling, someone will develop an emergency.
“Professor, my potion’s turning orange, why’s it turning orange?”
“Eeep! I accidentally dropped some knarl quills in too early, what should I do?”
They totally study volatiles and reactive ingredients in their off time so that they know how to produce a result Snape recognizes as a serious matter.
If all else fails Hufflepuffs will happily explode their own potions to draw Snape’s ire from whoever he’s tormenting.
The Ravenclaws happily take advantage of the distraction to do their own experimenting and research without being overly stymied by responsible adult supervision.
Snape has told Dumbledore that, their bargain and threats of Voldemort be damned, he will quit if he is ever made to pair the pre-NEWT Hufflepuff classes with Gryffindors.
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