"Out! Get out, now! This instant!" Severus Snape roared, jabbing a finger towards the door at a flustered Draco Malfoy.
"But Professor, I just wanted to—"
"Out!"
"Just one sentence…"
"OUT!"
Malfoy scrambled to his feet, one hand gripping the doorframe. "Hey, Scarface, let's grab a bite sometime!" he blurted, before Snape slammed the door in his face.
The sound echoed, sending a shiver down Harry's spine. He'd momentarily believed Malfoy's interruption might be his salvation, but the blond prat had been swatted down like a fly. Blast it… is this truly it, then? Am I to be Snape's test rat today? Harry slumped back, utterly defeated.
"Alright, Harry. Drink this tea." Snape offered the steaming concoction again.
But just as the cup neared Harry's lips, Snape's hand was seized.
"That's enough, Severus."
Tom Riddle's voice cut through the tension. He'd materialized seemingly from thin air. Snape and Harry both turned to see him.
"Waaah! Waaah…" a familiar voice whined.
Harry threw herself at Tom Riddle, clinging to him desperately as he tried to peel her off with thinly veiled disgust.
"Get off me, you shameless woman!"
Cassandra Vole's sharp voice followed as she, too, appeared suddenly, grabbing Harry and yanking her away from Tom. From the moment she'd laid eyes on her, Cassandra had instantly disliked her.
"Honestly! How could you?" Hermione Granger scolded Harry, barely concealing her impatience.
"What in the bloody hell? How did you all get in here?" Harry demanded, bewildered. Malfoy had closed the door on his way out! She hadn't heard anyone else enter!
"…"
Cassandra and Hermione exchanged a silent glance. What could they say? That they'd been hiding, watching Harry embarrass himself? They certainly couldn't reveal they lacked the skills to turn into an Animagus just to fool Snape.
It had been Tom Riddle leading them, revealing himself only after assessing the situation. But Harry couldn't know that, so…
"Who are you, classmate?" Cassandra asked innocently.
"You look familiar. Say, do you know Harry Potter?" Hermione added casually.
"…"
The cunning duo had latched onto the one thing Harry wanted to avoid, effectively silencing her.
Tom Riddle and Snape ignored the trio's playful banter.
Seeing Tom Riddle and the others appear, Snape knew his charade had been exposed, and he could only stand in sullen silence, his face a mask of embarrassment. Tom Riddle's knowing smile, as if to say, I saw right through you, only deepened Snape's discomfort.
Fortunately, Tom Riddle didn't drag Snape's secrets into the light. Instead, he redirected the conversation. "I've already developed the antidote, so… I'll be taking him with me."
"…"
You haven't even left the bloody room!
So, you had the antidote recipe all along, didn't you!
Snape's face darkened. He knew he'd been played from the start. All he could do was watch helplessly as Tom Riddle led Harry away. His eyes burned with a complex torrent of emotions, and he didn't look away until the office door clicked shut.
"He's taken him from you again."
Albus Dumbledore materialized as if from nowhere, arching an eyebrow at Snape. "That's what you think, isn't it?"
But Snape's reaction caught Dumbledore off guard.
"So, you were spying too?"
"…"
...
Deep within the bowels of Hogwarts Castle.
After a day of torment at Snape's hands, Harry finally returned to his male form, thanks to the antidote Tom Riddle had "always had but just hadn't felt like giving earlier." Exhausted, all he wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep for a week.
"Strength is paramount," he hissed, reciting the password. The black snake etched into the wall rippled, then vanished, revealing the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.
Harry stepped inside. The common room was nearly deserted, the flickering fire casting long shadows and providing a meager warmth.
"Hehehe…"
A faintly idiotic giggle echoed through the room.
Harry scanned the room, and despite the dim light, he immediately recognized the flamboyant blond hair.
There sat Malfoy on the sofa, hands on his knees, chin resting on his hands, staring blankly at the ceiling, a goofy, lovesick smile plastered on his face.
Had Malfoy been… possessed?
Seeing his friend's strange and unsettling demeanor, Harry felt a surge of concern. "You alright, Malfoy?""Should I take you to see Madam Pomfrey?" Harry waved a hand in front of Malfoy's face.
"Tch, you wouldn't understand!" Malfoy batted Harry's hand away. "You'll understand when you're my age."
"But… aren't we the same age?" Harry frowned, confused.
Malfoy simply stared ahead blankly.
Seeing that Malfoy didn't appear to be in any immediate danger, Harry gave up and headed to his dormitory to sleep.
...
The next day.
Hogwarts Infirmary.
Lying in bed, Harry regretted not investigating Malfoy's odd behavior more thoroughly.
During Transfiguration, Malfoy had been distracted, resulting in Professor Minerva McGonagall docking ten points from Slytherin. Then, during Charms, Malfoy had inexplicably turned morose. When Professor Filius Flitwick called on him, he'd responded with, "What is love in this world?"
Finally, during Potions, Malfoy, grinning like a loon and clearly not paying attention, added the wrong ingredient, causing an explosion that landed them both in the infirmary.
And that was just during classes…
"Hehehehe…"
The giggling from the next bed sent a fresh wave of irritation through Harry. He balled his uninjured hand into a fist.
"Damn it! If you don't give me an explanation today, you're going to get a piece of my mind!"
Harry knew his most potent "sleep-inducing spells", so voicing such a threat indicated he was truly livid.
Seeing Harry, one arm and both legs bandaged, crawling towards him with a wand clutched in his working hand, Malfoy finally abandoned his lovesick grin and frantically tried to stop him. "Wait! Wait, calm down Scarface! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything, alright?!"
Hearing Malfoy's words, Harry paused, fighting to regain his composure. "Don't talk nonsense! Spit it out!"
Malfoy took a deep breath, as if bracing himself before finally blurting out, "I…I've got my eye on someone."
"What?!"