"Intermediate Transfiguration, Dream Interpretation Unveiled, Seeing the Future Through the Fog..."
Harry scanned the spines at Flourish and Blotts, comparing them against the list in his hand.
They'd slipped into Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron's back entrance immediately after breakfast.
First on the agenda: procuring the new year's textbooks.
As their electives varied, so did their required reading.
Tom had instructed everyone to find what they needed, and then...Malfoy would foot the bill.
Turnabout was fair play after Harry's generosity last time.
Malfoy had no complaints; they were, after all, comrades in Slytherin's secret society.
Last year, Harry had even attempted to recruit Hermione to Tom's cause, spending three days cramming in the Muggle library to prepare for any persuasive resistance.
Surprisingly, Hermione had been eager to join, readily agreeing to Harry's proposal.
From that moment, Death Eaters had a presence in all four Hogwarts houses.
Back in the present, as Harry reached for Seeing the Future Through the Fog, Malfoy's yelp pierced the air.
"Ouch! Bloody hell, let go! I'll make you regret this!!"
Harry turned to see Malfoy's hand clamped in the jaws of a book!
He thrashed, trying to pry it loose with his other hand, but it was no use.
Harry rushed to assist.
With combined effort, they finally managed to yank the book free.
"Awooo! Awooo! Grrr…"
The strange book tumbled to the floor, snapping and snarling like a rabid dog, its gaping mouth lunging for their ankles.
Harry swiftly punted the book three meters down the aisle.
Hermione and Cassandra, alerted by the commotion, hurried over.
"What happened?"
"Are you both alright?"
Malfoy's cries had led them to believe they were under attack, presumably by an enemy of the Malfoy family; few dared openly challenge a known associate of Tom Riddle.
Seeing their concern, Malfoy explained that he had chosen Care of Magical Creatures as an elective and needed the corresponding textbook: The Monster Book of Monsters.
And the book currently trying to dismember him was The Monster Book of Monsters.
"I'm gobsmacked. This damn book BITES! What kind of twisted genius uses this as teaching material?"
Malfoy slumped, defeated, muttering, "No wonder the shopkeeper looked so shifty—just pointed and told me to help myself."
When he first picked up the book, it was securely bound.
Malfoy hadn't given it much thought, simply setting about untying the ropes when he'd been bitten.
Cassandra looked thoughtful. "I recall… Professor Kettleburn retired recently."
Sylvanus Kettleburn was the professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, but that was history.
She didn't know who the current professor was, nor did she care, not having chosen that subject.
Looking at Malfoy's bloodied hand, Cassandra was rather relieved by her decision.
Of those present, only Hermione had also chosen Care of Magical Creatures.
Although Malfoy looked worse for wear, according to his account, as long as the ropes remained tied, one should be safe.
So, under the watchful eyes of Harry, Malfoy, and Cassandra, Hermione retrieved The Monster Book of Monsters from the shelf.
At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary, unremarkable brown parchment tome, but as Hermione cradled it, the book trembled violently, nearly slipping from her grasp in fright.
Fortunately, exactly as Malfoy predicted, The Monster Book of Monsters remained subdued.
Stare
Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Hermione turned, puzzled.
Malfoy fixed her with a deadpan stare and blurted, "Aren't you going to open it?"
"..."
Everyone understood his line of thought.
"Never mind, no time to look now."
"You'll open it sooner or later, so let's get it over with."
Malfoy clearly resented being the only one to suffer a mauling, but his persuasive skills were lacking compared to Harry's.
Therefore, Hermione ignored him outright and dragged Cassandra off to find the remaining textbooks.
Seeing this, Malfoy threw his arms around Harry and burst into tears.
After the emotional outburst, he realized that, as the one who'd unleashed The Monster Book of Monsters, he was responsible for its recapture.
Malfoy's face soured.
Harry moved to comfort him when Malfoy suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Scarface, you won't abandon me, will you?"
Seeing Malfoy's somber expression, Harry paused before nodding.
Malfoy beamed, "That's the spirit! Let's go retrieve The Monster Book of Monsters!"
"..."
Now he acknowledged his rank?
Harry shrugged helplessly.
But when they turned to look, the book had vanished.
"This is bad!"
Malfoy knew instinctively something was wrong.
Given the book's nature, it was unlikely to leave without causing some damage, and since he was responsible, he would have to pay.
Not that he couldn't pay, but he resented being taken advantage of.
The two split up to scour the bookshelves.
"There!"
Malfoy shouted, pointing to a distant shelf.
Harry saw The Monster Book of Monsters apparently chewing on some object.
"Blast it! I'll skin that one alive…"
Malfoy reached for the book, but it toppled from the shelf, accompanied by two more identical volumes!
And the ropes had been chewed through!
"Awooo! Awooo! Awooo…"
The three Monster Books snarled at Harry and Malfoy.
Harry drew his wand, attempting to freeze them with a Petrificus Totalus (Petrify Charm), but their erratic movements made them difficult targets.
With no other option, Harry and Malfoy resorted to brute force.
The outcome was evident: all three books were swiftly subdued.
"The Monster Book of Monsters" was firmly grasped by Harry and Malfoy, their desperate struggles proving futile.
"Why do I have to change just to transform?"
Wearing a short blue skirt, Malfoy grumbled as he bound a Monster Book with rope.
"You should be grateful," Harry retorted. "I'm far worse off than you."
Harry, saddled with the other two books, spoke with undisguised displeasure.
After all, though both wore short skirts, at least Malfoy's was blue, while he was cursed with macho pink.
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