Tierra sat down beside Harry.
Even Ron stopped eating and stared at Tierra blankly.
Ron felt that Tierra seemed somehow different—more imposing than before, more likely to make people submit.
"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?" Tierra asked after sitting down.
"Oh, n-nothing." Perhaps because of the warm Christmas atmosphere in the Great Hall, Harry's little face had taken on a faint blush, like a ripe apple.
Tierra smiled at him again, picked up a fork, and speared a piece of roast meat from a platter in the middle of the table.
Tierra knew the reason.
In order to gain his trust, the Voldemort in the diary had used what little magic power he had left to cast a Love Potion Charm on Tierra. Voldemort had now fallen back into slumber.
The Love Potion Charm was an advanced spell, but it was not particularly effective. Its effects were far weaker than those of a Love Potion; it merely made Tierra more popular, and any clear-minded adult wizard could easily shake off its influence.
But it was remarkably effective on young wizards.
Tierra had noticed that, besides Harry and Ron, he had drawn the attention of quite a few young wizards when he entered.
There were quite a few Little Witches among them.
And one particularly cold, sinister gaze.
But after sweeping over Tierra, that gaze quickly shifted away.
Tierra knew that it came from the teachers' table, from the ever-timid Professor Quirrell.
Voldemort's little scheme was clicking away perfectly.
He believed that no matter how gifted or diligent a child of this age might be, their most fundamental desire would ultimately be to gain the recognition and admiration of other young wizards.
So Voldemort had simply placed a Love Potion Charm on Tierra.
Once Tierra became addicted to