The Giant Purple Toad's cave.
The uneven ground was covered with lake water, and a salty, fishy stench filled the air.
Thick patches of moisture clung to the walls, making them slick.
Clusters of stalactites pointed toward the dark ceiling of the cave. They gave off a faint purple glow, barely revealing the maze of passageways within.
"The Slytherin Prefect has already gone in," Penelope said. "We should hurry too—ah!"
She suddenly screamed, making Sean, who was in front of her, jump.
"Are you trying to wake every monster in here?"
Sean snapped, but then he saw Penelope with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.
She was staring behind him as if she'd seen some indescribable horror.
Sean's heart lurched.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
He slowly turned, trembling, to look behind himself—
There was nothing there.
"Are you crazy?!"
Sean immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then grew even angrier and more embarrassed.
"..."
Penelope was silent for two seconds. She bit her lip and said:
"...Sorry. I must have been mistaken."
Just now, she thought she'd seen an eyeball on Sean's back.
An eyeball that looked alive, spinning around.
But in the blink of an eye, it had disappeared.
Whenever Penelope recalled its terrifying appearance, she couldn't help shuddering.
It was probably... just her imagination.
Penelope shook her head, pushing down the fleeting chill of terror, and continued onward.
In the darkness where no one could see, a round eyeball emerged once more from Sean's back.
It slowly opened.
Deep in the cave.
Professor Snape stood in a cold, foul-smelling lair, his face so dark it blended into the surroundings.
Damn it.
Why had he left his nice, comfortable bed to come here in the middle of the night and "stand guard"...