Bang!.
The door to the Potions office slammed shut behind him.
Sean stood in the corridor, motionless, ten massive books stacked in his arms…
He stared blankly at the load he was carrying, struggling to piece together how a conversation that had started with a simple review of his potions somehow spiraled into a full academic interrogation.
First, it had been a routine check of his brewing work.Then Snape brought up his thesis.Then, his knowledge base.And finally—it had somehow all culminated in this:
Ten books.
Each one thick enough to be used as a shield.
Worse still, these weren't part of the Potions Club curriculum. No, Snape had dug these out separately and instructed Sean to finish them within a month.
At this point, Sean was fairly certain his chances of ever sleeping in again were officially gone.
He could already see his future: buried in books, drowning in ink, and living the rest of the semester like a dog chasing a howler.
"Well..."
Letting out a long sigh, Sean adjusted the weight in his arms and trudged back toward the Slytherin common room.
As soon as he opened the door, Sean immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He rushed to the snake's den—and sure enough, Kurkan was no longer in it.
Turning quickly, Sean scanned the room until he finally spotted Kurkan wedged tightly in the narrow gap between the desk and the wardrobe. The serpent looked unusually tense. Even after recognizing Sean, Kurkan remained visibly alert for a few seconds longer, muscles coiled as if still braced for danger.
Only when Sean reached out and gently touched him did Kurkan finally relax a little. Slowly, he slithered up Sean's arm, curled onto his shoulder, and nestled there quietly. He rubbed his head against Sean's neck, clearly seeking comfort.
Sean reached up and stroked him gently, whispering to calm the snake. It took quite a while before Kurkan fully settled down.
It was obvious—the basilisk's appearance and the attack last night had left a deep impression. While Kurkan might not be afraid of the basilisk, the difference in size and age between them was still vast.
That night, no words were exchanged.
The next morning, Kurkan had returned to normal.
Sean gave him food and water, then left the room to head for the library.
Today was Saturday—the day Sean had chosen to act.
He could clearly feel it—Barrett and his group were watching him closely. Even now, as he stepped into the library, someone from their group had followed and was pretending to study while keeping an eye on him.
Sean didn't mind. Everything had already been planned in detail. All that remained was to play his part and guide them step by step into the trap he had set.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Andy arrived at the library.
"Sean, is it just the two of us going tonight?"
"Yeah, just us," Sean replied.
"What about Blaise?"
Sean gave him a look. "Do you really think he'd skip out on Saturday?"
Andy blinked, then burst into a quiet laugh. "Right. I honestly admire Blaise's… dedication. His energy is kind of terrifying, in a way."
"Maybe he's got a gift for that sort of thing," Sean said with a half-smile.
The two of them exchanged a few more words, then quietly gathered their things and got ready to leave.
As they neared the gate connecting Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, Sean reached up and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. With a quick glance around, he retrieved a vial of Polyjuice Potion—this one infused with a strand of hair from one of Andy's friends—and took a deep gulp. By the time he approached Filch for inspection, Sean had completely assumed the appearance of that student.
Armed with the identity Andy had helped him prepare, Sean passed Filch's inspection without incident and merged into the stream of students heading toward Hogsmeade.
Unbeknownst to most, several of Barrett's lackeys had already been sent ahead. Two of them had clear orders: follow Sean and Andy from a distance. Once the targets reached Hogsmeade, they were to contact Barrett and set the plan in motion—to find the right opportunity to strike and end it swiftly.
After arriving in the village, Sean and Andy completed their errand first, acquiring the ingredients Harry and the others had requested. Then, casually, Sean proposed, "Let's stop by the Three Broomsticks for a bit."
Andy had no objections. The two found a table in the cozy warmth of the inn and ordered drinks and a bit of food. When Andy glanced away, Sean subtly slipped a dose of sleeping potion into his butterbeer.
Minutes later, Andy, blinking slowly and swaying slightly, began to nod off. Before long, he slumped forward and fell asleep right there on the table, unaware of everything that would soon unfold.
At this time, Barrett and his men were still waiting outside. They were worried that entering the Three Broomsticks prematurely would alert Sean, so they lingered out of sight—just as Sean had hoped.
He draped his hooded cloak over Andy, then subtly signaled to Marwood, who had been hiding nearby for some time. Marwood stepped forward, quietly pulled a strand of hair from the sleeping Andy, and drank the prepared Polyjuice Potion.
Shrouded in the same hooded cloak, Marwood quickly transformed into Andy. After completing the switch, he rose and walked out of the Three Broomsticks with Sean, deliberately making their departure visible to Barrett's watchers.
They headed toward the mountains outside Hogsmeade—the same secluded location where Sean had once dealt with a dark wizard.
Just as Sean and "Andy" (Marwood in disguise) reached the rocky clearing, two sharp cracks echoed in the cold air. Barrett and a seventh-year Slytherin boy appeared ahead of them, wands drawn. A moment later, behind them, Dickey and two others removed their Disillusionment Charms, surrounding Sean and Marwood from the rear.
Sean looked around at the ambush, then smiled coolly. "You're here."
At his words, Barrett's expression flickered, but he quickly composed himself and sneered, "I'll give you credit—you're calm. But it won't help. You're surrounded, Sean Bulstrode."
Sean's smile deepened. "You're right. I am calm. But there's a small mistake in your statement. We're not the ones surrounded."
He looked around meaningfully, his voice dropping an octave as he continued:
"You are."
As Sean finished speaking, the figure standing beside him began to change. "Andy" suddenly grew taller, and his face twisted grotesquely before smoothing out into its true form—Marwood.
Barrett's confident expression finally faltered.
In that very moment, the sharp sound of boots crunching over gravel echoed around them. From the shadows, a swarm of cloaked figures emerged—dark wizards under Marwood's control—swiftly surrounding Barrett and his companions.
The hunters had become the hunted.
Barrett's face turned pale as realization struck him. These weren't just hired wands—these were disciplined, dangerous men, and they seemed to be operating under Sean's command.
That was not something the Bulstrode family had warned him about.
"Dickey!" Barrett shouted in a mix of panic and fury, "Why didn't you tell me Sean Bulstrode had dark wizards under his control?!"
Dickey, clearly shaken, looked around in confusion, his wand trembling in his grip. "I—I don't know! Barnabas Bulstrode never mentioned anything like this!"
"Damn it!" Barrett hissed, eyes darting for an escape.
He whipped around, wand raised, preparing to Apparate away—
But a flash of red light hit him squarely in the chest before he could Disapparate, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt.
Marwood stepped forward, wand still raised, and said coldly, "You think you can run from the great Dark Lord?"
Barrett stared up at him, breath ragged.
Dark Lord?
Who?
Him?!