The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. At the start of term, he had actually wanted to bully someone so reasonable. He really was awful.
It was not until Herbology that afternoon that Malfoy finally showed up, dragging his feet.
He appeared calm on the surface and deliberately ignored the strange looks around him, but every time he caught sight of Tom's back, his heart trembled, his father's warning echoing in his ears.
He only hoped Tom would keep his word and let the matter go. From now on, he would never provoke him again—unless Tom fell from grace, in which case he would gladly jump out and stomp on him.
"Look at these beans, they're so cute." Daphne pinched a knotgrass vine and gave it a gentle squeeze. The pod burst open, and scorching pink beans rolled out, bouncing all over the ground.
Everyone wore gloves, afraid of getting burned.
Tom bent down, picked one up, blew on it and wiped it clean, then tossed it into his mouth. His eyes lit up. "Not bad. Sweet and soft."
Daphne immediately squeezed out one to try. "It really is delicious! It tastes even better than Honeydukes' gummies."
Professor Sprout stood behind them, watching the two sneak snacks during class, and gave a light cough in warning.
"Riddle, Greengrass, you cannot eat too many of those beans. They can cause acne."
Tom did not care in the slightest. "What's there to be afraid of? Snape taught us an acne potion. We can just brew a bottle when the time comes."
Daphne's little face turned pale. She hurriedly spat out the bean and spat twice more. "No, no, no! I don't want acne. I want to stay pretty forever."
Professor Sprout watched them with a cheerful smile and did