Snape stood in his dimly lit office, arms crossed, his sharp eyes fixed on the four boys standing before him. Draco Malfoy, looking particularly ruffled, had taken the lead in recounting what had happened—or, rather, what he claimed had happened. Crabbe and Goyle stood dumbly to his side, while Theodore Nott, still scowling from the humiliation he had suffered, seemed to be fuming in silence.
"It was Dawson, sir!" Draco exclaimed, his voice filled with righteous indignation. "Who else could it be? He ambushed them, Obliviated them, and left them like that as some twisted joke! If that's not enough reason to expel him, I don't know what is!"
Snape remained unmoved, his expression unreadable. He let Draco rant for a few moments, the boy's dramatic flair growing with each passing sentence. He noted how the story shifted slightly as Draco spoke—small embellishments here and there.
A theory to Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott.
A story to Snape.
"Enough," Snape finally said, voice like a sharp blade cutting through the room.
Draco stopped mid-rant, looking slightly startled.
Snape leaned forward, hands resting on his desk. His voice dropped, dangerously soft. "Tell me the whole truth, Draco. Or I will not help you."
A tense silence followed.
Draco swallowed, his shoulders stiffening. His eyes darted to Crabbe and Goyle, who both looked blankly at him, and then to Nott, who had a clenched jaw, clearly unwilling to admit what had actually happened.
"I am telling the truth, sir," Draco said, but there was hesitation in his voice now.
Snape's expression didn't change. "Do not insult my intelligence, Malfoy."
Draco flinched.
Snape's voice remained cold, calculated. "You are not as clever as you think you are. I know when you are spinning a tale. Now, I will ask you again—tell me everything, or I will not waste my time protecting you."
Draco's face turned pale. He opened his mouth, closed it, then finally let out a slow breath.
"Fine," he muttered, shoulders sagging.
He shot a quick glance at the other three, then turned back to Snape.
"We planned to ambush Dawson."
There it was. The truth.
Snape did not react, but inside, he had already suspected as much.
Draco continued, albeit begrudgingly. "We knew he takes the same route from the library every night. It was Nott's idea. I wasn't going to get involved—my father told me not to engage Dawson directly. So I just let them handle it. I thought they'd… I don't know, rough him up a little. Teach him a lesson. But—" he hesitated, "—obviously, it went horribly wrong."
He scowled at Nott, who looked away in frustration.
"And you believe it was Dawson who retaliated?" Snape asked, still unreadable.
Draco nodded immediately. "Who else? He was the only one there, and he's the only one who would dare humiliate us like this!"
Snape didn't argue with that.
The method was too… calculated to be the work of anyone else. Dawson was disciplined, methodical, and above all, unforgiving when provoked. This was not an act of childish mischief. It was a statement.
Snape took a long, measured breath before finally speaking.
"There is no proof."
Draco's head snapped up. "What?"
"There is no proof that James Dawson did this to you," Snape repeated calmly.
Crabbe and Goyle looked even more confused than usual.
"But—but we know it was him!" Draco protested. "Why else would he Obliviate them? That's serious magic for a school fight! You can't just let him get away with it!"
Snape stared at Draco, then at the others.
"And what would you have me do, Malfoy?" he asked smoothly. "March into the Great Hall and accuse Dawson in front of the entire school? Based on what? Your word? The word of three students who, by their own admission, do not recall anything that happened? The moment I question Dawson, he will simply deny it, and that will be the end of it."
Draco clenched his fists. "So nothing happens to him?"
Snape's lip curled ever so slightly. "Oh, I did not say that."
That seemed to get their attention.
"Dawson is playing a dangerous game," Snape continued. "And while I do not have evidence to punish him, I can assure you… he has now made himself a target."
Draco's expression darkened.
"Go back to your dormitories," Snape instructed. "Do not act rashly. I will deal with this."
Draco looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance at Snape's piercing gaze made him think better of it. With a sharp nod, he turned on his heel and left, with Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott following behind.
As the door shut behind them, Snape let out a slow breath.
He had seen many feuds in his time at Hogwarts. This one, however, had dangerous potential. Dawson was not like the other Gryffindors. He did not seek glory. He did not act without calculation.
And worst of all…
This would only escalate.
He needed to inform Dumbledore.