No One Can Bully Me

Zabini and Nott thought to themselves, So you've just given up and decided to make the best of it? We're cursed to have fallen in with you!

After a long discussion, Rosier, Zabini, and Nott finally settled on tattling.

It was cheap and effective. They only had to ask Snape not to tell their families or classmates, and they could save face.

The three of them huddled in a corner of the common room, then immediately set off to intercept Snape.

They were so focused on plotting that they didn't notice Daphne nearby, listening to every word.

The little girl furrowed her brow, her face full of worry. What if Tom gets harshly punished by Snape? What should I do?

It was almost eight when Tom finally woke up, well-rested. He slowly got out of bed, gave himself a quick wash, slipped on his shoes, and wandered into the common room.

It had been dark last night, so he hadn't gotten a good look at the only view from the Slytherin dormitory: the depths of the Black Lake.

He wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling window. The morning light filtered through the water, reduced to just a few faint glimmers. He could see several fish blundering around among the seaweed, so carefree that it made his teeth itch.

Suddenly, a vast shadow swept over them. When it moved away, the fish were gone too.

From the last glimpse of a thick tentacle, Tom instantly identified it as the Giant Squid. He pursed his lips and thought, Being carefree isn't always a good thing. They're on the verge of death and can't even be bothered to put up a fight. All that size for nothing.

"Isn't it breathtaking?" Daphne had appeared beside him without him noticing. She gazed up at the view beyond the window. "I'd heard people say the underwater scenery here was amazing, but I didn't realize just how much the books downplayed it until I saw it for myself."

"It's all right." Tom nodded, sounding only mildly impressed. "It gives you the illusion that you're living in a luxury room overlooking the lake every day."

It's nothing special, he thought. This was the only good thing about the Slytherin Common Room. Everything else was awful: dark and damp, with no sunlight all day, and a gloomy dark-green color scheme.

Anyone cooped up in here for seven years would end up with a twisted personality. Of course, that didn't apply to a sunny boy like him.

The worst part for Tom was the damp. In the morning, his blanket was so heavy it could crush someone. If he wrung it out, he might actually get water.

Britain was damp enough already, and the wind and rain in the Scottish Highlands were even worse. Add in the fact that the dungeon was right next to the Black Lake, and it was practically unfit for human habitation.

The castle dungeons had usually been used to lock up prisoners. Tom couldn't understand why Salazar Slytherin had chosen this place, as if he'd wanted to drive his students mad.

On the way to the Great Hall, Daphne quietly told Tom what she'd overheard.

Tom waved it off, thanking the young witch for her concern. He didn't take the three of them seriously at all. "They're just three clowns. Why would I waste my time worrying about them?"

"Aren't you worried, Tom?" Daphne glanced discreetly at Snape, who was seated at the staff table, then lowered her voice and leaned close to Tom's ear. "I heard Professor Snape is really strict, and you did hit them yesterday."

"Even if he's strict, he still has to be reasonable, right?" Tom chewed on the Muggle chewing gum he'd snuck in, looking perfectly calm.

"Those three started it yesterday. I only fought back. That's self-defense. If Snape has any sense, he'll know who deserves to be punished."

"Really?" Daphne was still a little worried, but Tom looked so confident—and so annoyingly smug—that she could only set her concerns aside a little.

When they reached the long table, they found that in addition to breakfast, the first-years had timetables laid out in front of them.

Tom took one look and nearly laughed out loud. "This is way too easy! We have fewer classes than I did in Muggle primary school!"

The first year focused on the basics. There were no electives, and even the few core subjects were all "minor classes."

They had one Transfiguration class with Gryffindor in the morning and one Herbology class with Ravenclaw in the afternoon. All told, that was just a hundred minutes of classes. Once they were done today, they'd have the rest of the day free.

The rest of the timetable was much the same: two or three classes a day. It was practically a dream life, and the time he saved would be perfect for spending in the Study Space.

"After breakfast, let's go explore the castle," Tom said, patting Daphne on the arm. "I heard the staircases at Hogwarts move around on their own, like mischievous little brats. It's easy to get lost, so we should scout things out first."

The young witch nodded repeatedly. The two of them quickly finished breakfast. Worried he might get hungry along the way, Tom casually tucked away two pieces of bread and some butter before slowly leaving the long table.

At the Gryffindor table, Hermione watched them walk away and wanted to follow. They were both Muggle-born, after all; it would be nice to have a companion.

But her roommate, Lavender Brown, kept holding her there, chatting away without end. Hermione had no choice but to give up, secretly hoping she'd get the chance to talk to Tom next time.

As soon as Tom left, the three boys exchanged glances and waited like thieves.

The moment Snape got up from the table, the three of them hurried after him like his shadows and stopped him just outside the Entrance Hall.

"Rosier, what is it?" Snape frowned. His expression was already unpleasant, and having the three of them block his way made his voice even colder.

Of the three students, Rosier was the only one he remembered. Rosier's parents were both Death Eaters, so they were practically "old colleagues."

"Professor! You have to give us justice!" In his panic, Zabini's brain short-circuited.

Under Snape's utterly stunned gaze, Zabini suddenly tore open his robes with a swish, revealing his bony chest, still marked with the whip scars from last night.

"Ah!" A witch who had just arrived to eat saw the scene and screamed on the spot, her eyes full of curiosity.

It was the busiest time of the meal. People were coming and going outside the Entrance Hall, and a crowd instantly gathered, their eyes shining with the promise of gossip as they whispered among themselves.

"Idiot! Come with me!" Under the gaze of so many strange and suggestive eyes, Snape's face turned green. He snarled and practically fled toward the stairs leading down.

If he stayed any longer, who knew what ridiculous rumors would be spreading around Hogwarts tomorrow? This was Britain, after all. Gossip traveled faster than magic!

The three of them were so intimidated by Snape's presence that they stumbled after him in a hurry.

Once they were in his office, Snape slammed the door shut. He turned and fixed Zabini with a cold, piercing stare.

His anger was practically spilling over. "If you don't explain what you're trying to do, I'll give you detention and make you clean chamber pots in the Forbidden Forest, even if you are my student!"

"Professor! Look at these whip marks! Riddle did this to me!" Zabini hurriedly pointed at his chest.

His voice trembled, and he looked close to tears. "My mother and six stepfathers combined never beat me this badly in my whole life! This is a terrible disgrace!"

Nott and Rosier hurried forward too, talking over each other and embellishing the story. They made themselves out to be poor, bullied victims and painted Tom as utterly vile.

Snape's expression grew darker and darker. His brow furrowed so deeply it could have crushed a fly, and only one thought remained in his mind: This is outrageous! That Muggle-born boy dared to beat up Pure-blood students on Slytherin's own turf? He's gone too far!