"Enter!"
Hermione walked into Professor Snape's office.
Thank goodness, Professor Snape didn't have his usual sour expression today.
While his gaze was as unfathomable as ever, you could tell his eyebrows were lifted by about 0.0001 degrees, and the corners of his mouth were 0.0002 degrees softer than usual.
Yep, he was in a good mood.
"Thank you, Professor. If you hadn't helped me that day, I'd probably still be lying in a hospital bed. I might have even gotten worse."
Snape's tone remained icy—even in a good mood, he wasn't one to show it. "You should consider yourself fortunate that your brain didn't melt from the fever. There is a chair over there. Go. Sit."
Is he finally going to teach me something?!
Hermione's heart leaped with joy. She sat down properly, full of anticipation.
"This is 3,000 Brewing Methods for Advanced Potions. Copy it ten times."
Hermione: "?"
"No, Professor, I was just discharged, I—"
Snape finally showed a shift in expression, pulling a smile that looked worse than crying. "I am well aware. But since you are capable of coming to find me, does that not indicate your body is fully recovered?
There is still some time before curfew. I hope you can finish in time."
No!
How could this happen!
I only have today! Today is my last chance!
Professor Snape, you can't do this!
...
That night, Hermione made it back to her dormitory right on the dot, narrowly avoiding getting caught by Mr. Filch.
Lying in bed, Hermione could barely even lift her arms.
Well, at least I'll swap back tomorrow...
Wait!
She bolted upright.
She had spent the entire time copying 3,000 Brewing Methods for Advanced Potions, which completely made her forget one crucial thing.
She went there to learn new magic from Professor Snape!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Whatever. Secondhand learning it is. Knowledge is knowledge, regardless of where it comes from. As long as I learn it, it's fine.
Hermione laid back down.
Sue started grinding his teeth in his sleep, while Terry was sleeping soundly.
Hermione gradually settled down, her breathing evening out.
"Mr. Tom, Mr. Tom..." A tiny voice whispered right by Hermione's ear, startling her.
"You—you—you—"
A House-Elf?
Hermione caught herself just in time. She was slightly shocked, but didn't overreact.
"Mr. Tom, Dobby smelled blood on Hermione!" Dobby whispered quietly, careful not to wake the other two boys in the dorm. "Dobby is very worried. Mr. Tom said that if Hermione is in danger, Dobby must tell Mr. Tom. So Dobby is here."
This little elf is named Dobby?
Why didn't Tom ever tell me about this?!
Wait, what he just said... did Tom actually assign a House-Elf to protect me?
Hermione's heart warmed for a second before she immediately went on high alert. "When did you notice this?"
"Just now!" Dobby stammered frantically. "Dobby was following Hermione, and then Hermione went into the bathroom. When she came out, she smelled of blood!
Dobby was afraid Hermione was in danger, but Dobby didn't dare intervene. Dobby was afraid of messing things up, so Dobby came to notify you."
It was already past curfew.
Why would Tom smell like blood? Did he get into a fight with someone again?
Hermione's stomach tied itself into knots. Curfew be damned. She rolled out of bed and threw on her shoes.
Watching Hermione leave, Dobby let out a sigh of relief.
Hopefully, Dobby didn't mess up this time.
Dobby actually knew that this was Miss Hermione.
The Tom in Gryffindor tower really did smell of blood. Dobby had no idea what Tom had gone through, but his expression and demeanor had seemed terribly wrong.
Mr. Tom always liked to shoulder everything by himself. So... Dobby decided to tell Hermione. Hermione was more mature and experienced than a House-Elf!
...
In the empty corridors of Hogwarts, a man and a cat were patrolling.
Mrs. Norris's nose twitched, and her eyes suddenly locked onto a specific direction.
"Who's there?!" Mr. Filch immediately raised his lantern and hurried forward.
The path ahead was silent. Not a single soul was in sight.
But the air held the faint scent of disturbed dust, and Filch caught it instantly.
"It's past curfew! Don't you run!" Filch spotted the fleeing figure's back and picked up his pace.
Hermione was more than familiar with the castle layout—she had snuck out at night before.
Take a left up ahead, and I'll be at Gryffindor Tower in no time.
"Kekekeke!" The obnoxious Peeves popped out of nowhere.
Peeves was Hogwarts' resident poltergeist, whose absolute favorite pastime was pulling pranks and terrorizing students.
Seeing a student out of bed after hours instantly piqued his interest!
"I saw you coming out of Ravenclaw, kekekeke!
Filch is chasing you! You can't run! There's no escaping that cat!"
Hermione snapped angrily, "Shut up!"
What a familiar voice!
Peeves froze for a second, then quickly floated around to get a good look at the person's face.
"Tom!" Peeves gasped. "Why didn't you say so?! If you were sneaking out tonight, you should have told me! I'll go distract Filch for you!"
Hermione: "?"
Just how much has Tom been doing behind my back? He even managed to buy off Peeves?!
It's only been one term, and Tom has practically bribed the entire school.
"Where are you heading?" Peeves asked.
"Never mind that! Lure Mrs. Norris and Mr. Filch toward the Slytherin dungeons. Keep them out of my way."
"You got it!" Peeves gave a thumbs-up. "Slytherin's that way, so try to avoid it. I'm on it!"
With a wild, cackling laugh, Peeves zoomed down the corridor and started making a massive racket.
A moment later, Hermione heard Filch cursing loudly. Peeves's distraction was clearly working.
Good job, Peeves!
For the first time ever, Hermione felt that Peeves wasn't completely unbearable.
But now she faced a new problem. How was she supposed to get into the girls' dormitory?
If she tried going up the stairs in this body, they would instantly turn into a stone slide.
She would fall right down!
No, no, I need a plan. If only I had some Polyjuice Potion.
"Hey there, looks like you've run into a bit of trouble."
Hermione couldn't even keep track of how many people she had bumped into tonight.
But fortunately, these two weren't here to catch her.
"George! Fred!"
"Tom?" George clapped his hands. "I remember you. Ravenclaw's little genius. Well, well, who knew the little genius broke the rules too?"
Hermione: "...I don't need a lecture from two people who are also out past curfew."
"Details, details." George shrugged. "Tom, looking at you, you're clearly stressing over something. How about..."
He held up a hand. "Five Galleons, and I can guarantee Mr. Filch won't bother you. Sound good?"
"No, that's not what I'm worried about."
George seemed to possess absolute confidence in himself. "Then what do you need? As long as it's not too crazy, we can handle it."
"I want to get into the Gryffindor dormitories."
"Easy!"
That was nothing. George agreed on the spot. "Come with us. We'll sneak you in."
"Uh... I want to go to the girls' dormitory. My friend is in trouble, and I need to help!"
The girls' dormitory?
George and Fred instantly took two steps back.
That wasn't a place you just strolled into.
What was the girls' dormitory? The absolute forbidden zone for boys!
George looked pained. "That's seriously against the rules, Tom. If we get caught doing that, we're looking at way worse than detention. Uh... if it's a real emergency, maybe you should tell Professor Dumbledore?
First off, what's your friend's name?"
"Hermione. Hermione Granger."
George and Fred's eyes instantly lit up. "Right this way. Rest assured, on our honor as the twins, we will absolutely get you into that dormitory!"
Why didn't you say so earlier!
Hermione Granger was their premium sugar mama!
The twins vividly remembered their previous two transactions with her.
The first time, they went through a massive hassle to borrow 100 Galleons, but after flipping the photos Hermione gave them, they made their money back instantly and turned a huge profit!
For the second transaction, Hermione was so incredibly generous that she let them do business with others first, then just deposited the Galleons directly into Gringotts.
In a way, Hermione single-handedly funded their current lavish lifestyle.
"You guys know Hermione?"
"Of course!" Fred declared loudly. "If we hadn't made that deal with Hermione before term started, how else could we—"
"Ahem!" George shot Fred a warning glance. "Hermione is our little brother's friend. Naturally, we know her."
Realizing he'd slipped up, Fred gave a sheepish grin and zipped his lips.
A deal?
What deal?!
Wait, before the term started!
Hermione still remembered that little incident perfectly—Gilderoy Lockhart's complete signed book collection and personal photos!
Damn you, Tom!
"This way! Fred, give me a hand!"
...
Gryffindor girls' dormitory.
Tom's complexion was indeed terrible. He was pale and completely drained of color, staggering slightly as he walked.
Just hold on a little longer.
He warmed a cup of water, cradling it in his palms and taking small sips.
The two roommates were still awake. They didn't have class tomorrow and were currently standing in front of the magical vanity mirror, testing out various makeup styles to see what looked best.
Knock, knock, knock—
The sudden knocking at the door startled all three of them.
"Who would be coming by at this hour?" Lavender asked, confused.
Parvati was still messing with her makeup. "Hermione, could you get the door?"
"Hermione isn't feeling well. Can't you get it yourself?!" Lavender lightly smacked her on the head. "Whatever, I'll do it."
When she opened the door, she saw a young, very familiar face.
A face they frequently discussed in this very dormitory.
"Tom?"
Sitting on his bed holding the hot water, Tom snapped his head up instantly.
Covered in sweat and panting heavily, Hermione breathed a massive sigh of relief when she saw that he was okay.