---
Chapter 234: Sneaking into the Lounge!!
"Darren… Hermione, you look exactly like Darren right now!"
Harry stared at her in astonishment.
The wizarding world really was unbelievable—someone could completely transform into someone else.
"Enough. Hurry up and follow me to Slytherin. The Polyjuice only lasts an hour," Hermione said sharply.
Harry opened his mouth.
He wanted to tell her that Darren didn't usually look like this—he almost always wore a gentle, warm smile.
That was why so many girls at Hogwarts called him their "Little Angel."
But Harry didn't dare to say it.
Because with Hermione's face pulled tight into a stern Darren-scowl, she was honestly intimidating.
"She isn't really going to walk into Slytherin looking like that, is she?" Ron muttered. "They'll see straight through her!"
Harry wanted to say the same thing, but Hermione was already marching down the corridor.
"Let's just keep up with her… Darren does get serious sometimes…" Harry muttered weakly.
But then he noticed Hermione stomping forward with full force—storming toward Slytherin like she was on her way to punch someone.
"D–Darren!" Harry called out to her.
He was about to warn her when Hermione snapped back, "Enough! I know what Darren acts like. And just now, three girls tried to come say hello to me."
She shot him a glare.
"Do you want to waste our whole hour greeting admirers?"
Oh.
Harry and Ron suddenly remembered that Darren… had a lot of girls who liked talking to him.
They always said hello, always wanted a moment with him.
Darren often returned to the Slytherin common room late because so many people stopped him along the way.
He said he wasn't good at dealing with girls and tried to avoid them.
"Girls are so annoying," Ron grumbled. "If I were Darren, I'd just blast them away!"
Hermione gave him the nastiest look of disdain.
"No one is pestering you at all."
Ron's soul left his body for a moment.
Head down, he trudged forward.
Then they hit another problem.
They didn't know the Slytherin password.
They were just debating whether to ask someone when they spotted Percy walking by.
"What are you doing here?" Ron blurted.
Why on earth was Percy near the dungeons?
"What's wrong with you?" Percy frowned. "You're… Crabbe, right?"
His expression immediately shifted to pompous superiority.
"Hurry back to your common room. Don't wander around here."
"You didn't complain last time when Darren told you—"
Ron started to say Darren had saved Percy from wandering into danger before.
"How do you know that? Have you been following Darren?" Percy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Then his gaze slid to Hermione—disguised as Darren.
"Darren? Why are you here? I think Crabbe is stalking you—be careful!"
Percy grabbed Hermione's arm and whispered urgently.
Hermione shot Ron a killing glare, then forced herself into Darren's usual gentle tone.
"Thank you. I'll be careful."
"Well then, I'll go. If they bully you, come to me. I am a prefect…"
"What are you all doing here?"
A slow, drawling voice cut Percy off.
Malfoy.
He glanced at Percy before his eyes landed on Hermione-as-Darren.
His brows knitted.
"What's wrong with you today?"
"N–Nothing!" Hermione snapped, trying to imitate Darren being upset.
Malfoy stared for a moment, then shifted his attention back to Percy.
"And what are you doing here? This is the Slytherin common room entrance."
"As a prefect, I can go wherever I want!" Percy glared back. Then he flicked Hermione a secret wink—apparently a promise to help if needed—before scurrying off.
"Hmph. He keeps lurking around here," Malfoy said darkly. "I bet he's trying to track down the Heir of Slytherin on his own."
Harry stiffened in excitement—maybe Malfoy was about to reveal something—
But instead Malfoy pointed at Hermione.
"Isn't the Heir standing right here? I'm telling you, that Weasley—"
"It's Percy Weasley!" Ron snapped automatically.
Malfoy blinked in surprise.
"You usually don't know anything… anyway, that Weasley should've just grabbed Darren Potter. He's the Heir of Slytherin."
Malfoy sneered and strode toward the stone wall.
"Pure-blood."
The wall slid open.
Harry and Ron hurried inside, Hermione following immediately.
"Oh look, the Slytherin disgrace is back."
"Planning to go play Harry Potter again?"
"Forgotten the pain of the last scar?"
"If you ask me, he should be kicked straight out of this House and thrown into Gryffindor."
Several Slytherin students lounged around the common room.
The moment Hermione walked in, they began jeering at her—at Darren.
If the real Darren had been here, he would've given them a guilty, embarrassed smile and let them talk.
But Hermione—facing this for the first time—froze.
The thought of Darren living like this every day…
Her eyes filled instantly.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
The entire Slytherin common room fell dead silent.
"Y–You—what's wrong with you?"
Malfoy stammered.
Why was Darren crying?
He frantically replayed what he had said.
Was it that bad?
Actually—yes.
He had mocked Darren almost every day.
And knowing Darren was his "brother," shouldn't he be nicer?
Darren was kind to Harry Potter simply because he didn't know his true family.
If he knew Malfoy was his brother, surely he'd treat him well too.
"I—I didn't mean it…"
One Slytherin muttered awkwardly.
Apologizing directly was beyond them, but this was the closest they could get.
"N–No, it's fine…" Hermione said quickly.
Only then did she realize the massive problem she'd created.
If Darren heard about this later…
He would know exactly what they had done today.
And these Slytherins might get suspicious.
"I'm sorry… I'm just in a bad mood today… that's all…"
---