Watching the dead-serious expression on Draco's face, Goyle nearly choked on his cake, while Crabbe shrank back in fear. They had never seen Draco look quite like this.
Draco ignored the bewildered stares of his two lackeys. He took a deep breath to steady himself and sat back down. He needed to figure out why his emotions were spiraling just because someone mentioned that cat.
Right then, Pansy Parkinson came stomping into the common room. She gave Draco a look that held a rare hint of disdain.
"I heard you were chatting with that Hufflepuff pet cat in the corridor?"
Draco's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. "I was just passing by."
"Just passing by?" Pansy's voice turned shrill. "I hope so, Draco. Remember, you are a high-born pure-blood, a proud Slytherin! I don't want to hear news one day that you've been 'tamed' by a pet! Even if you don't care, I can't afford to lose face like that."
"Parkinson!" Draco looked up sharply, his eyes cold. He radiated the oppressive authority of a Malfoy heir. "Watch your tone. What I do is none of your business!"
He leaned forward, lowering his voice to a dangerous hiss. "If you're so bored that you have to live off gossip, why don't you go work on your Potions? Professor Snape said that if anyone fails to turn in a satisfactory result in the next class, he won't care if they're a Slytherin or not."
Pansy's face went pale. She let out a cold huff and hurried away. Crabbe and Goyle wisely retreated further into their corner to continue their battle with the cake.
Draco put the little incident out of his mind, turning back to the fireplace. The orange flames danced in his pupils. For a moment, he saw the image of himself and Tom staring at each other in the corridor again.
In Tom's yellow eyes, there was no fear, no flattery, and none of the calculating looks he saw in his "friends." There wasn't even the blatant loathing he got from Weasley.
In those eyes, he had seen only a vast calm... and perhaps a spark of pure curiosity?
The look was so foreign that it made his heart race with unease.
"Ridiculous," Draco muttered to himself. He, Draco Malfoy, the pride of his parents, was being rattled by the gaze of a cat? And more absurdly, he had actually thanked the creature?!
"This is completely absurd!"
---
Tom, of course, knew nothing about the drama in Slytherin. He had his own business to attend to. Fueled by curiosity about Hagrid and excitement for the night's adventure, Tom had actually behaved himself in classes that afternoon.
The main reason was that Herbology was currently focused on identifying plants, which didn't leave much room for Tom to show off.
The result? After class, Professor Sprout went straight to Dumbledore again. She couldn't understand it: Why was Tom so "brilliant" and "stunning" in every other class, but so "obedient" in hers? Aside from an incredible memory and solid basic knowledge, he hadn't shown any "monster-tier" talent. She wanted to experience teaching a genius too!
Faced with the gentle Head of House's "complaint," Dumbledore didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
---
Time crawled by until night finally fell. Hogwarts entered that special hour—the hour beloved by night-strollers.
In a dark corner outside the castle gates...
"Where are they?!" Ron, wrapped in a heavy dark cloak, tapped his foot impatiently. "Hermione and Ariana said they were coming. Did they get caught by Filch? Harry, do you think they'll rat us out if they did?"
Harry, dressed similarly, was anxious but more level-headed. "Relax, Ron. It's not even our meeting time yet. Besides, even if she got caught, Hermione wouldn't sell us out. If she gets caught alone, Filch only docks her points. If she tells on us, we all lose points!"
Harry wasn't sure about much, but he knew Hermione's dedication to House points was absolute.
"Fair point. She is basically a mini-McGonagall," Ron muttered.
"Who's a mini-McGonagall?"
A calm voice came from right above their heads, nearly making both boys jump out of their skins. They looked up to see Ariana and Hermione looking down at them. Under the moonlight, the girls almost seemed to glow.
"Oh, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Harry wheezed, clutching his chest. Ron looked equally traumatized.
"Serves you right! That's what you get for talking behind people's backs," Hermione rolled her eyes. She and Ariana hopped down nimbly and ducked into the shadows. She definitely didn't want to get caught by Filch.
"Where are Tom and Hannah?" Hermione asked, frowning at the empty corner. "The Hufflepuff common room is right near the Great Hall. They should have been here first."
[We're right here!]
Just as Ron was about to complain, a familiar whiteboard appeared behind them. They spun around to find Tom and Hannah already standing there. Ron swallowed his insult immediately.
Tom had a massive advantage when it came to night-strolling. Last time he'd almost been caught by Peeves because he forgot he could teleport. This time, he'd wised up and simply teleported Hannah directly to Harry's side.
Hermione opened her mouth to lecture them, but eventually just sighed. "Whatever. Now that everyone is here, let's make a plan to ensure everything goes smoothly."
"Of course, Miss Know-It-All is showing off her 'perfect logic' again," Ron drawled. "We're going to see Hagrid, not breaking into Gringotts. We don't need a plan!"
"(╬◣д◢) Ron!" Hermione really wanted to quit right then and there. But for the sake of her other friends, she bit back her anger. "Fine! Even if getting there is easy, what about the way back? If Filch catches us coming back, what then? Have you even thought about that?!"
[Actually, you really don't need to worry. Just tell me where Hagrid lives, or we can just walk over.]
As he wrote, Tom pulled out an extra-long bedsheet. Stealth? Easy, Tom thought. Just throw on a sheet and maybe stick some leaves on it.
Unfortunately, as they looked at the bedsheet in Tom's paws, everyone except Ariana looked away. No matter how you looked at it, it was just a regular bedsheet. Wandering the castle in that wasn't stealth—it was a direct provocation to Filch.
---