After Professor Snape unleashed a full verbal assault on Harry and Ron, deducting ten points from Gryffindor as usual, the surrounding Gryffindor students barely reacted. They were long accustomed to these two troublemakers losing points for their house. In fact, it seemed like Harry and Ron couldn't go a day without causing some kind of mischief.
Both boys rubbed the spots where Snape had smacked them with his book, small bumps already forming. Seeing that Snape had moved on and wasn't going to continue his tirade, they exchanged a glance and resumed their discussion as if nothing had happened.
"But how are we supposed to get Malfoy to spill anything about the heir or the Chamber of Secrets? There's no way he'd tell us something so important," Ron grumbled, glaring daggers at Draco, who was stirring the mixture in his cauldron with an air of smug detachment. Ron's glare was so intense it looked like he wanted to set Malfoy on fire with his eyes.
"Yeah, I think so too," Harry agreed, nodding firmly. "There's no chance he'd reveal anything to anyone outside Slytherin. I mean, the writing on the wall already made it clear that the heir and the monster in the Chamber are targeting Muggle-borns. And since Slytherin is full of pure-bloods or half-bloods, they're safe. For all we know, they might even be helping the heir carry out a 'cleansing' of Hogwarts faster."
(As for why Glenn managed to get into Slytherin… the answer lies earlier in the story (￣▽￣). Stop asking me—it's a labor of love!)
"Exactly."
"Right."
...
The two stared at each other, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
"Don't you have any ideas?" Harry asked awkwardly.
"You too?" Ron replied with a wry smile, his face clouded with worry.
Both boys had been lost in their own fantasies, imagining themselves catching Malfoy red-handed as the heir, stopping his plans, and saving everyone. They saw themselves as Gryffindor heroes once again, earning back all the points they'd lost and leading their house to win the House Cup, basking in the admiration of their peers.
The thought was oddly exhilarating.
But reality was far less glamorous. Once they calmed down, Harry and Ron realized their heads were completely empty of any practical ideas for even the first step of their plan.
By the end of class, despite racking their brains, they hadn't come up with a single viable solution.
As they looked up, they saw Malfoy glaring at them with a malicious smirk, like a serpent lurking in the shadows, ready to strike. The sight sent shivers down their spines.
"I think we should avoid running into Malfoy until we figure something out," Harry said, lacking the confidence to keep a straight face around him. Malfoy's smug expression and sharp tongue were enough to make anyone lose their composure.
If either he or Ron gave away anything suspicious with their expressions, Malfoy would undoubtedly notice.
Ron glared back defiantly before nodding to Harry. "You're right. Honestly, I'd love to punch that smug face of his right now. That kid is definitely up to no good."
Though they were convinced Malfoy was the Slytherin heir, they decided to gather evidence and let the facts speak for themselves. For now, they couldn't risk alerting him.
Truly, they couldn't afford to "startle the snake."
Exchanging a glance, they quickly made their escape.
Watching them disappear, Draco withdrew his gaze, puzzled. "What's wrong with those two lately? Did they eat something bad?"
"I feel like they're avoiding me, but at the same time, they're always watching me from the shadows. It's really unsettling."
Standing beside Glenn, Hermione couldn't resist teasing, "Maybe they've had a change of heart and started liking you. Maybe they're looking for a chance to make up with you."
"?!"
Draco's face turned pale as he rubbed his arms nervously. "Stop, stop, stop. That's impossible. Don't say that, Hermione. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous."
The girl's mischievous prank had succeeded, and she burst into a fit of silvery laughter that Glenn found particularly pleasant.
Draco, however, felt a chill run down his spine.
Was Hermione secretly a demon? How could she come up with something so diabolical?!
As Draco replayed Harry and Ron's recent behavior in his mind—the sneaky glances, the way they avoided his gaze when caught—it all started to feel... off.
Draco couldn't help but imagine Harry and Ron approaching him shyly, apologizing with bashful expressions, and asking to make up...
Ugh!!!
No, no, no! He couldn't think about this anymore—it was going to kill him!
Bleh~
What if that image got stuck in his head...
"No, no way!" From Glenn and Hermione's perspective, Draco's expression shifted dramatically. He suddenly clutched his meticulously styled blond hair in horror, shouting, "Glenn! Quick, use an Obliviate on me! Make me forget that disgusting thought!"
Before he could finish, Glenn's wand was already aimed at him. The Obliviate spell hit Draco square in the face, giving him no time to react. His terrified expression gradually turned blank as Glenn expertly erased the past minute from his memory.
As the white light faded, Draco's vacant expression slowly returned to normal, his gaping mouth closing bit by bit.
"What's wrong? Why are you both staring at me?" After a moment, Draco rubbed his temples and looked at Glenn and Hermione, who was struggling to hold back her laughter.
Glenn shook his head. "Let's go. We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts next."
Seeing the mischievous glint in Hermione's eyes, Glenn didn't give her a chance to speak. With a blank expression, he covered her mouth and carried her away.
Left alone in the empty Potions classroom, Draco felt the cold sting of loneliness—and the metaphorical slap of dog food across his face.
Shaking his head, Draco sighed. He was used to their antics by now. "Weird. I don't feel quite right today. And it feels like I've forgotten something…"
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure it out and eventually gave up.
"Wasn't I planning to mess with Potter and Weasley?"
"Huh, I can't remember…"
"Whatever, I'll just head to class."
"""
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