Polyjuice Potion and the Infiltration Plan (7)

Harry broke out in a cold sweat at this sudden development. Neither of them had noticed anything unusual just now. Had these people been invisible or something?

Ignoring Harry's inner panic, Malfoy walked at the front, his platinum hair gleaming coldly under the eerie green firelight. A wholly undisguised, intensely unpleasant smile lingered on his lips. His gray eyes moved back and forth over "Crabbe" and "Goyle" like icy probes before settling on "Pansy" for a moment, a flicker of amusement passing through them.

Malfoy drew out his words, his voice carrying a deliberately surprised tone that broke the murmurs in the common room. The other Slytherin students turned to look as well, their gazes curious or gleefully malicious.

"Our dear Crabbe, and... Goyle?" He stopped before "Crabbe" (Harry), tilting his head slightly. His gaze seemed almost tangible as it scraped across Harry's face—Crabbe's face—which looked even more blank and stiff with nerves.

While Harry and Ron were so embarrassed their toes were practically clawing at the floor, Hermione encountered a sudden situation of her own.

"Pansy? What are you doing here?"

The voice came from around the corner of the girls' dormitory corridor, deliberately slow and lazy, like a cat stretching after waking up.

Hermione's body, disguised as Pansy, stiffened abruptly. She had just slipped out of the common room and into the short corridor leading to the girls' dormitories, intending to find an empty corner and check how much longer the potion would last. And if something really did go wrong, she could at least hide in Pansy's dormitory, lock the door, and figure out how to get out after changing back.

But before she even reached the first dormitory door, she was blocked.

Daphne Greengrass stepped out from around the corner. Two other girls followed behind her—Tracy