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Conversations With Enemies
Draco looked round, then rolled his eyes as his two minions – if such a word could be applied to walking blocks of stone with a combined IQ that barely reached that of a flobberworm – strode down the corridor behind him.
“Where have you two been?” He called out.
“Bullying first Ravenclaws” Goyle replied “Stealing the Christmas presents”
“Anything good?” Draco arched an eyebrow.
“No” Crabbe shook his head “Chocolate. Sweets. Frogs" He rolled his eyes "Books”
“Pity” Draco turned and walked along the corridor until they reached the entrance to the common room, then entered when the door opened for them. He looked over his shoulder and realised the two human mountains were hanging back “Well – what are you waiting for?”
Without waiting for a response he strode into the common room and sat down in one of the comfortable chairs by the fire. Crabbe and Goyle followed, but as he watched them, something fired in his brain – something about the way Goyle was walking. The way he carried himself, the way he moved – it seemed……… familiar, but not right. As if it didn't fit the body it was in.
“Everyone’s talking about The Heir of Slytherin” Goyle said, leaning back against the sofa “People are saying it’s Potter” Draco let out a snort of amusement before he could stop himself.
“Potter? The Patron Saint of Gryffindor? Dumbledore’s Golden Boy?” He shook his head “He’s too good. Too noble. Too heroic. Too……… Potter to be our Founder’s Heir” He noticed a strange look cross Goyle’s face and – along with the way he walked – he filed it away for future consideration.
“So who?” Crabbe asked “It’s not any of us, right?” There was a moment’s silence, then Draco laughed.
“You’ve caught me – I’m The Heir of Slytherin. I’ve been sending out a monster to eat all my enemies and the mudbloods” He said, then laughed again “No, I’m not The Heir. I don’t know who it is, but it’s not me” Again there was an undecipherable expression on Goyle’s face.
“But I am sure about one thing” Draco continued “It’s not Harry Potter” He couldn’t tell them why he was so sure – he couldn’t tell them that the boy he had been watching for eighteen months was a true hero, a saviour, a paragon, a paladin and the embodiment of goodness and light.
And above all he couldn’t tell them that he didn’t want Harry to be The Heir, because that would break his heart.
xoxox
The next morning he walked into The Great Hall and sat down at the end of the Slytherin table.
He started his breakfast, then a moment later he looked up as Granger, Weasley and Potter walked in. And as Draco watched Harry walk across to the Gryffindor table he knew where he had seen that walk before – and where he had seen the expression on Harry’s face before……
“Goyle” He said to himself "Potter........ was pretending to be Goyle"
He continued to watch Harry for a few more moments, then he frowned.
"But..... why?"