Snape looked Potter up and down, saying gruffly, "I have an assignment for you, Potter."
Harry merely looked up at Snape, falling a few hairs short of respectful in the process. Finally, he asked, "Yes sir?"
"Figure out who did this. Who meant for you to come charging in here. Meant for you to accuse me of such nonsense."
"How do I do that, sir?"
"First, by thinking - something that seems in precious supply among Gryffindors - all those muscles cut off the brain's supply of oxygen."
Harry mottled, his breath coming quicker.
"Second, by finding - and eliminating - potential suspects." Snape paused for a moment, and said, "Someone finds this amusing. Figure out why."
Harry stood there, staring dumbfounded at Snape.
"Go on, scram!" Snape snapped, and Harry bolted for the door, out and halfway down the corridor before he realized he forgot to say "sir."
Draco Malfoy was still in the alcove, thinking about exactly what it meant that Snape had asked Harry to figure it out himself. His blood had run cold at the thought - surely his involvement wouldn't be a secret from the Slytherin House Master for long... if it was even still a secret at all.
Draco felt a sudden tug from behind (on the nape of his neck), and, as the world spun, found himself dangling five feet off the ground - spun level with Snape's inky eyes. "You," Snape purred.
Draco felt his already pallid complexion turning a strange shade of blue, not from asphyxiation, but from sheer terror.
"Have been listening," Snape said, "To a private conversation, in my office."
"If you ever dare to eavesdrop again, in such ridiculous fashion, this will not be a matter of school discipline." Snape paused, and then said softly, in a gentle voice, "You don't want to make me angry." Snape opened his hand, letting Malfoy drop to the floor, uncaring if the boy sustained minor injuries. With a swipe of his wand, he canceled the wordless silencing spell, and strode back to his office, slamming the door. For a long time, Draco Malfoy sat on the floor, limbs akimbo, breathing in pants.
[a/n: Snape doesn't always put up anti-eavesdropping spells. Sometimes he just puts up "detect eavesdropping" spells, and he had a pretty good idea that it was Draco.
Leave a review.]