Hogwarts.
The Gryffindor students all wore expressions of sheer misery.
At first, they had genuinely thought Professor Snape was in a good mood today.
Hermione Granger hadn't shown up for class. Normally, even if Hermione had a perfectly valid excuse for an absence, Snape would have used it as an excuse to ruthlessly tear into Gryffindor's "lazy, undisciplined nature" before docking a massive chunk of points.
But today, he hadn't done that. Which was exactly why they thought he was in a good mood.
However, it quickly became apparent that these poor children were completely mistaken.
Professor Snape wasn't in a bad mood—he was in a terrible mood!
"Mis! Ter! Pot! Ter!" Snape struck his first blow. "Since Miss Granger has decided not to grace us with her presence today, I sincerely hope you possess enough luck to compensate for her absence! Do not let me catch you making a single mistake with your potion!"
"Mr. Weasley! I suggest you use whatever brain cells might be hiding under that red hair of yours and consider whether it is appropriate to add a bezoar at this stage! Are you and Potter deliberately wasting my ingredients?! Start over!!!"
Malfoy kept his head down, completely unable to suppress the smug smile creeping across his face.
He held absolutely zero goodwill toward Harry and Ron—not even a cocoa bean's worth. Especially after seeing the two of them constantly orbiting Hermione, he found them even more repulsive.
"Mr. Malfoy. I suggest you wipe that smile off your face. Do you honestly believe your brew is perfect?"
The third blow landed squarely on Slytherin House, right on Malfoy's head.
Instantly, every single student in the room subconsciously straightened their posture.
This Potions class wasn't a lesson; it was a trial by fire!
Even Malfoy was getting yelled at! No one could afford to relax for a second!
The class was only two hours long, but to the students, it felt like two agonizing years.
Professor Snape's hawkish gaze swept relentlessly over every student. The slightest, most microscopic mistake was met with brutal point deductions.
When the two hours finally passed and Snape swept out of the classroom, both Slytherin and Gryffindor students simultaneously slumped over their desks in sheer exhaustion.
"Did Professor Snape take the wrong potion today?!" Ron immediately started complaining. "Even when Tom was sick, he wasn't this furious! Did Tom die or something?"
Harry shot Ron a glare. "Don't say things like that. But do you have any idea why Hermione asked for leave?"
"No. Maybe we can go ask Lavender."
Lavender was Hermione's roommate, so Ron figured she would know.
But when they tracked her down, Lavender simply shook her head. "When I woke up this morning, Hermione was already fully dressed. She spent half an hour preening in front of the mirror! I've never seen her care so much about her appearance.
Maybe you should go ask Tom. Tom and Hermione are super close; they don't seem to keep any secrets from each other."
Wait, shouldn't I be the one who doesn't keep secrets from Hermione?
Harry felt a sudden surge of jealousy. He stubbornly shot back, "Hermione hangs out with us all day, and even we don't know! How could Tom possibly know?"
Parvati yawned loudly. "Hermione and Tom went on a trip to Hogsmeade... Oh wait, I mean, they went to accept their punishment together."
She had almost let it slip.
A trip? Professor Dumbledore had explicitly, with a completely straight face, told Hermione they were going out to run an "official errand."
He had even specifically reminded them to be back before curfew.
How long could one errand possibly take? An hour? Two hours? What were they going to do with the rest of their time...? It went without saying.
"Hogsmeade Village?!" Ron asked in disbelief. "How is that possible? They're only first-years! That's impossible!"
"For ordinary first-years like us, naturally, it's impossible. But if you don't believe me, go ask around about what's been happening the past two days. Oh, and while you're at it, you might want to ask who's going to be attending the upcoming Christmas Ball." After dropping that bombshell, Parvati yawned again and dragged her friend back to the dormitory to catch up on sleep.
...
In just one morning, several wild new rumors had completely taken over Hogwarts.
"Hey, did you hear? Professor Snape... yeah, the Head of Slytherin. Apparently, he has an illegitimate son! And his son just started his first year! What was his name again... Tom Riddle."
"But they don't even have the same last name! Who's Riddle?"
"That first-year Ravenclaw genius! You know, the adorable kid Professor Sprout is always talking about. You'll literally be able to see him at the Christmas Ball!"
"But he's a first-year!"
"Heh. As long as you get all the professors to agree, even a first-year can attend the ball."
"That's even more impossible! Professor McGonagall would never agree! I tried asking her when I was a first-year, and she looked like she wanted to give me detention for life!"
Two red-headed boys smiled mischievously, holding out their hands. "That will be one Galleon, please! For that, we will provide you with the most accurate, exclusive inside information that absolutely no one else knows."
After pocketing the Galleon, the twins' smiles grew even brighter. "We'll let you in on a little secret: even Professor McGonagall agreed to let Tom attend the ball! Rumor has it that all the other Heads of House, and even Headmaster Dumbledore himself, went and personally persuaded her to relent."
Rumors spread from person to person, and at Hogwarts, juicy gossip spread faster than ink dropped into clear water.
By the time the news reached Harry and Ron, it had mutated into something entirely unrecognizable.
"Tom? Oh, he's Professor Snape's illegitimate son, and also Professor Dumbledore's adopted son! He's been living with Professor Sprout since he was a baby!
Wait, isn't Tom super devoted to Hermione? Apparently, Hermione was feeling a bit down the past couple of days, so Tom pulled some strings and took her on a romantic getaway to Hogsmeade! Aren't you guys Hermione's friends? How did you not know this?
At Christmas, Hermione is going to wear a beautiful gown and walk arm-in-arm with Tom onto the dance floor. I heard they've been betrothed since they were kids!"
Ron: "?"
Harry: "???"
Fake! It's absolutely fake!
Harry gritted his teeth. What "betrothed since they were kids"?! He had never heard anything of the sort! Besides, Hermione had personally told him that the person she hated most in the entire school was Tom!
And Tom being Professor Snape's illegitimate son was even more impossible!
Just as Harry was wallowing in frustration, he spotted another boy looking equally miserable—Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy set his tray down right next to Harry and took a seat.
Harry had never in his life expected this obnoxious jerk to voluntarily sit next to him.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?!"
Malfoy took a bite of his honey crepe. Even with all the honey and sugar, it somehow tasted completely bitter in his mouth.
"Potter. I recall you and Hermione being quite close... Do you know what's going on between her and Tom?"
"It's all fake!" Harry snapped viciously. "We're Hermione's best friends! Hermione told us herself that she absolutely hates Tom! What do you care anyway, you coward?!"
"Is it really fake?" Instead of firing back an insult, Malfoy asked a surprisingly serious question. "Are you absolutely sure it's fake?"
Harry insisted stubbornly, "I'm positive!"
"Professor Snape never yells at me. You know this. But the moment Tom hits a snag, Snape loses his mind. He indiscriminately attacks everyone in the room, even Slytherins—and even me!
Do you remember where you first met Hermione? On the Hogwarts Express! And who was sitting right across from her in that compartment? Tom Riddle!
They've known each other for a very long time, and their relationship is incredibly close! Think about it carefully!"
A series of memories suddenly flashed through Harry's mind.
Wait... when the troll attacked the Potions lab, Hermione was the first one to charge in. She was waving her wand like she was desperately trying to protect something precious.
When she saw that pool of blood on the floor, Hermione literally threw herself onto it. Even though she always cared about looking neat, she didn't hesitate to drop to her knees right in the middle of a puddle of blood.
Harry's mouth twitched. He lowered his head, his bangs falling to cover his eyes.
"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Malfoy set his fork down. "I am not going to give up. The Malfoy family is pureblood nobility! While he—Tom Riddle—is just a mud... a half-blood!"
Harry looked confused. "What are you trying to say?"
"Just like you said, I am a coward. If that day in the Forbidden Forest... if I had stepped up instead of running, if I hadn't left Hermione to face that terrifying monster alone, maybe she would actually look at me differently. Maybe she wouldn't hate me so much." Malfoy held his hand out toward Harry. "Draco Malfoy."
"Harry Potter!"
In that moment, the two rivals shook hands, seemingly forming a united front against a common enemy.
Sitting next to them, Ron looked completely baffled.
What on earth are you two talking about...?
...
Hogsmeade Village.
"Tom, why is it so hot inside the Three Broomsticks?"
"I don't know if it's hot or not, but your face is completely red." Tom felt a sudden sense of impending doom.
No way. Are you actually drunk?!
"Hermione, how much did you drink?!"
Sitting across from him, Hermione's head was spinning. She held up three fingers. "One sip! You're so stingy! What's the big deal if I took one sip of your drink?! I'll just buy you another one!"
Drunk off one sip of Butterbeer?!
From now on, you're sitting at the kids' table! Lemonade only!
"Tom, I'm going to tell you a secret." Hermione let out a small hiccup and held up a single finger. "A massive secret. A secret only I know."
"Go ahead."
Madam Rosmerta had just walked over with a cup of sobering tea. Seeing the two adorable children seemingly sharing a secret, she covered her mouth with a soft smile, set the tea down, and quietly walked away without disturbing them.
"Thank you." After thanking the owner, Tom set the sobering tea in front of himself, planning to give it to Hermione right after she spilled her massive secret.
"Hic... I'm telling you... I'm a little thirsty. Can I have some water?"
Tom handed her his glass of mulled mead. "Here, this is plain water."