Draco stared wide-eyed in horror, instinctively looking toward Moaning Myrtle, only to see the ghost who had been helping him all the way now acting coy and surprised, seemingly oblivious to his predicament.
He hadn't had time to make a sound before something was stuffed into his mouth.
The sweet taste instantly spread, and Draco's eyes became a bit dazed.
It was a candy.
With no time to think or resist, the young wizard went "bang" and transformed into a fluffy, chubby lop-eared rabbit.
Then, his body was lifted off the ground, the entire rabbit was grabbed by a hand, and stuffed into the pocket of a wizard's robe.
The lop-eared rabbit's eyes widened into perfect circles, its body trembling, yet the person who caught him didn't take him out to be handed over to "Viper" for disposal, merely waved the magic wand twice, and then turned on the faucet to start washing hands.
"Oh, what are you doing here?"
Moaning Myrtle's voice said sweetly: "Are you here to see me?"
She completely ignored the fact that this was not the lavatory she usually stayed in.
Draco didn't hear the person's voice, his heart pounding, nostrils flaring anxiously as he tentatively clawed at the pocket to peek outside, seeing the bricks of the lavatory walls and the sink, water splashing noisily.
Freedom seemed close at hand, the person who caught him didn't restrict his movement.
Just as Draco prepared to leap courageously, someone banged the lavatory door open!
The lop-eared rabbit jerked its head around, spotting several familiar faces, who had just been practicing the Cruciatus Curse in the underground chamber, still sporting vicious expressions, scanning the room with their eyes.
Draco instantly let go, his body sliding back into the pocket, not daring to make a sound, hind legs muscles tightening, ready to escape at any moment.
But his heart was almost filled with despair.
Draco's movements were too quick; he didn't see their momentarily shocked expressions. But soon, he heard their voice filled with apprehension:
"—Why is it you?"
Footsteps shuffled into the lavatory again, followed by Viper Rosen's calm voice:
"It's not him—if he just came out of the pipes, even if he used the Scouring Charm, he couldn't have made himself so clean."
Draco heard the person who caught him ask with an extremely indifferent tone: "Who are you looking for?"
Instantly, the lop-eared rabbit felt as if struck by lightning, its entire body frozen, fur standing on end!
This voice...was Vid Gray!
No mistake, it couldn't be anyone else...even if the tone was similar, no one could imitate that guy's distinctive way of speaking!
Draco knew he was often accused of arrogance, but he felt that compared to him, Vid Gray was the truly incorrigibly arrogant one.
Huddled in the pocket, through the fabric's pores, he could vaguely see the wary and fearful expressions on Rosen and the others' faces.
"None of your business, Gray!"
Rosen said coldly, waving a hand, a group of people searched every compartment of the lavatory, even behind the door, but found no other figure.
When someone opened a certain door, Moaning Myrtle was sitting inside, eyes wide, letting out an angry cry, turning sharply and diving into the toilet, water splashing everywhere.
Drenched from head to toe, Goyle wiped his face, gagged a few times, and silently closed the compartment door.
Rosen looked up at the pipe entrance, saw the grating intact, even the dust on the edges remained undisturbed.
He turned his gaze, suspiciously glancing at Vid again, eyes sweeping over his clean collar and cuffs, fluffy hair, and the wizard's robe so neat it scarcely had extra wrinkles.
No matter how sophisticated Vid Gray's spell was, it couldn't have made him appear just crawled out of the pipes like this.
Of course, the main issue was—even with their numbers, if they fought, Rosen wasn't sure he could win.
Professor Snape's office was nearby; too much commotion would surely attract the head of their house.
Rosen wouldn't naïvely think that Snape would help them just because they were all Slytherin.
Given the professor's behavior, he's more likely to bury them without a word.
The teenager opposite wiped his hands, boldly allowing Rosen to scrutinize him, his eyes filled with interest as he looked over the group, revealing a thoughtful expression.
Rosen was afraid Vid might notice something, hurriedly leading the group out of the lavatory before pulling his companion aside to ask, "How's your Tracking Spell? Are you sure it pointed to this lavatory?"
"Not...not entirely..." The student, disturbed, said with difficulty: "The Tracking Spell got interrupted nearby; I can only say that the guy might have been around here earlier..."
Rosen's eyes scanned the surroundings.
The lavatory was the most direct target, but since it was empty...there were nearby classrooms, supply rooms, potion storages used for classes. Further were the Potions Classroom and Professor Snape's office.
"Search!" he said hoarsely: "We must find the guy!"
The group dispersed, Rosen hearing the sharp "squeak—" sound nearby.
Vid walked out of the lavatory, grabbed the door handle, opened and closed it twice.
"Creak, creak," among the sound, he turned his head saying, "The hinges of this door might've been bent by you; shouldn't you repair it?"