He shakes his head. "It's no wonder Slytherin gets this rep, if this is the kind of thing the Head of House does, it's like he doesn't know anything at all—"

"Doesn't know what?"

"How to be a Slytherin. There is no sensible goal he could have possibly most effectively and efficiently achieved by bullying eleven-year-olds—he was just being plain old petty, that's not a conduct appropriate to an adult much less an adult in a position of authority over children, and he acted like some other kid jealous of Victor's fame."

"So, my goal here is making this stupid adult with institutional power stop abusing it even if his targets would prefer I not meddle. It's just wrong."

"Anyway yeah good night seeya gotta see if I can get an in with Crabbe or Goyle."

He skips off.

"Erm."

"I'm worried about him," says Victor quietly.

"Worried?"

"I think he might end up getting hurt."

"The teachers won't actually hurt us, they can't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there's rules about that, they haven't been allowed to for years."

"Sometimes things that aren't allowed to happen do anyway."

"I guess," he says dubiously, and here's the portrait.

Victor is tired. He goes to sleep early.

The next morning a confused-looking Hufflepuff walks to the Gryffindor table to give Victor a note.

...and what does the note say...?

Library, behind the Potions shelf, 10:30AM today. Bring the bird.

—A

Muninn steals the note and shreds it.

That makes the confused Hufflepuff even more confused!

"What was that?" asks Ron.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing important," sighs Victor.