Win Snape's Vote

He was just about to ask Andros about learning a few concealment spells when the dormitory door suddenly swung open.

The three boys from Zabini's group poked their heads in. Seeing that the room was empty, they were instantly delighted.

"Riddle's not here!"

"Snape must've punished him. He's probably in detention right now!"

"Bullshit!" Rosier snapped. "Why assume he's in detention? Maybe he's already been expelled!"

"Exactly!" Nott quickly chimed in. "He was out of control on the very first day. He deserves to be expelled!"

The three of them laughed uproariously as they spoke.

Tom laughed too, then silently left the Study Space.

The next second, the three boys, who'd been laughing so brazenly, suddenly floated into the air against their will. Invisible ropes bound their hands behind their backs, and their knees buckled. They hit the ground hard with a thump.

The Disillusionment Charm wore off. Staring in terror at Tom, who had suddenly appeared, Zabini, Rosier, and Nott were full of questions. What the hell? How was he here? Hadn't Snape dealt with him? Had Snape just let him come back?

Tom paid no attention to their shock. He was savoring the feeling of casting the spell just now. He hadn't said an incantation; he'd cast a Non-verbal Spell with only his wand, and his control had been about as precise as when he used an incantation.

Was this the power of will and emotion Andros had talked about?

It was a strange feeling. If he pushed too hard, his emotions got out of control; if he held back a little, he couldn't cast a spell.

He tried waving his wand. A tremendous force slammed the three kneeling boys into the wall, but Tom shook his head. "No, no, that didn't work. I meant to hang you on the wall."

He walked toward them step by step. Zabini's eyes went wide with fear, and he shook his head frantically, but there was nowhere to retreat. "D-don't come any closer!" They'd all seen Tom's wand turn into a whip again.

"Didn't we agree on this yesterday?" Tom tilted his head, his tone obnoxious. "You have the right to get revenge, but you have to accept the consequences of losing, too."

"Going to the teacher was a pretty clever move," Tom said with a click of his tongue. "Too bad Professor Snape thinks this is just a little squabble between dormmates. He didn't punish me."

The three boys' hearts sank. Snape had been so angry that morning. How had this become a little squabble?

Nott begged miserably, "Riddle, I know I was wrong. Could you please not hit me?"

"Of course not." Tom shook his head, smiling innocently. "None of you three are getting away today. Come on, each of you gets a guaranteed ten-pull. Plenty to go around!"

After a bout of wailing and howling, Zabini and the others obediently collected their "daily perks."

Their eyes brimmed with tears, yet their gazes were unusually clear. Each lowered his eyes meekly, not daring to make a sound.

They thought that was the end of it. Little did they know, it was only the beginning.

Tom toyed with his wand, which had returned to normal, and spoke casually. "Who can tell me who came up with the idea of reporting us? You took a problem between dormmates to the Head of House. I'm so hurt."

"Running to tattle to the Head of House? Is that the vaunted honor and tradition of the Pure-bloods? In plain terms, it's just bad manners."

The three boys flushed with anger and humiliation. They were all darlings of their families, and no one had ever spoken to them so mercilessly.

Even so, Nott and Zabini kept their mouths shut and didn't sell out Rosier.

"Not talking?" Tom raised an eyebrow and slowly aimed his wand at them. "Good. I've just learned a few nasty curses. Thanks for volunteering as my practice dummies."

Zabini's face turned deathly pale. Being beaten only hurt, but who knew how good Tom was at casting nasty curses? If a spell went wrong, it might be even more terrifying than if it worked!

"It was Rosier!" Zabini immediately caved. Under Rosier and Nott's incredulous stares, he decisively sold out his teammate.

"He came up with the idea! He also said Professor Snape was close to his parents, so he'd definitely take our side. He lied to all of us!"

"Zabini! You traitor!" Rosier was so furious he wanted to lunge at him. Nott glared at him in disgust, too. There was nothing more despicable than a traitor.

That was exactly what Tom wanted. He released Zabini and helped him up with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Blaise, you saw the error of your ways. Well done."

Zabini was too ashamed to look up, but a second later, all he felt was relief. Tom hoisted Nott and Rosier into the air and made him watch as he gave each of them another fifty lashes.

This time, he hit much harder than before. Their anguished screams made Zabini's scalp prickle and his whole body tremble.

Even more outrageous, Tom healed them as he whipped them. After a hundred lashes, there wasn't even a red mark on either of them. They had no evidence to report him with.

"Will you still run to the teacher?" Tom asked gently, though his eyes were fierce.

The two shook their heads frantically. They looked at Tom as if he were a demon.

"Then how are you going to compensate me for the trouble you caused?" Tom asked.

Rosier sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Y-you weren't punished. What trouble did we cause you?"

"You wasted my time." Tom sighed and proceeded to talk nonsense with a perfectly straight face.

"It took me half an hour to talk Professor Snape around. Add the time spent getting here and dealing with you, and you've wasted my entire precious afternoon. As the saying goes, every inch of time is worth an inch of gold. Shouldn't you compensate me a little?"

The three nodded instinctively. What he said seemed to make sense, but something still felt off.

"Riddle, are you asking us for money?" Zabini was the clearest-headed of the three and figured it out first.

Tom's expression darkened, and he pretended to be displeased. "What do you mean, asking for money? You're voluntarily lending me compensation for emotional distress! I'm a kind person, so I'll treat it as a loan. I've even prepared IOUs for you."

Three slips of paper floated into their hands. Each was for ten Galleons, with repayment due—after graduation?!

The three of them looked utterly speechless. Gringotts paid no interest on deposits, and lending money for seven years was practically the same as losing it. They might not even remember the debt by then.

They cursed Tom to high heaven in their hearts, but still handed over the money with pained expressions.

Don't assume every Pure-blood was rich. Not every family gave their children plenty of pocket money.

Zabini had the most pocket money, and even he only got fifty Galleons a term. Nott and Rosier had just twenty each, so half their money was gone in one fell swoop.

It was only the second day of term, and the two of them were utterly despairing.

They'd signed the IOUs. Even if they reported Tom for extortion, they had no evidence.

Besides, the fact that Tom had returned unharmed and dared to go right on tormenting them showed that Snape couldn't do anything to him.

All three could do was repeat to themselves: Stay calm. Don't provoke Riddle again.

Tom happily pocketed the money, secretly congratulating himself. "Being sorted into Slytherin isn't so bad after all. The other houses don't have students this stupid, and I'd be too embarrassed to extort them outright."

Thirty Galleons from three people each time. If he expanded his business to all of Slytherin, wouldn't he make a fortune?