Luo Bin narrowed his eyes and studied his surroundings. The little band of villains—Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe—had been scattered across three long tables.
Lavender Brown craned her neck, exchanging looks with Parvati Patil across the room.
Neville sat beneath the green snake banner. Even though the students beside him were not Slytherins, he was still scared to death.
Fred and George, who were usually joined at the hip, had also been forced apart. Neither looked remotely upset, though. They kept winking and making faces at each other, seemingly plotting pranks from a distance.
"Er, why do you three still get to sit together?"
Luo Bin asked.
"Oh, the old windbag probably lost his mind. He said these four seats were specially arranged. Personally, I reckon he thought Harry Potter wasn't a big enough target on his own!"
Indeed, people resented inequality more than scarcity, no matter the setting. When one member of a group received special treatment, that person was very likely to become everyone else's target.
"I... never mind. Compared with being called the heir and an evil wizard, a little more mud won't hurt. Look, the first activity's starting!"
At the front of the four long tables, Lockhart swept his sparkling, approachable gaze over every student attending the Fun Club.
"What would the Fun Club be without fun and games? Let yourselves go tonight! I've spoken to several professors, and all your homework has been canceled."
A cold, ominous scoff came from behind him. Lockhart's eyelashes trembled in fright, but to keep his image from collapsing and his fans from turning on him, he decided to go all in.
"Our first activity will test how well you understand one another. You'll form teams of three. One person will hold up a sign, while the other two stand facing