The Slytherin Within
Chapter Three
What bothered Harry for the rest of the day was not what
Malfoy had said; his insults had run the usual gambit.
of that teased at the edges of Harry’s thoughts all day.
when Ron walked into the parlour with his chess set.
“Sure,” Harry replied pulling his chair over to a nearby
table. “Say Ron, did you notice anything
strange about Malfoy today?”
Ron glanced up from the chessboard for a minute.
me. Why do you want to know?”
“I don’t know. He
just did not seem the same. He seemed
more distant or something. Maybe I’m
just imagining things.”
“Must be Harry. Trust
me if he was more distant our lives would be a lot easier.”
board. “Check Harry. You may want to
keep your mind on the game and not that ferret.”
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The rest of the summer passed by much like the
beginning. Harry and everyone remained
at Grimmauld place with the same warnings as before.
and it was again deemed unsafe for Harry to be out and about.
keep him occupied but when the day arrived to board the train to Hogwarts,
everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry secured an empty compartment
at the back of the train. They had
passed many old friends on the way in and were cheered at the sight of so many
friendly faces. “Man is it good to be
going back,” Ron said lifting the lid on a chocolate frog.
“Honestly Ron you act like living in that place is a
burden. You should feel privileged you
get to be where all the action is. And
do you really have to begin eating all of that junk already?
Hermione chastised from behind her textbook.
“At least I am not sticking my nose in a book already.
start being obsessed with homework?” Ron
retorted.
Harry shook his head at the scene.
despite spending the summer practically inseparable.
shrugged it off as circumstances. “Not
enough testosterone around here you know?”
Harry smiled; he knew what was really up between the two of them.
almost seven years for nothing. He knew
when those telltale snores were present in the middle of the night and when
they were not.
Harry reached overhead and grabbed his bag.
chocolate that Harry took for a yes and Ginny nodded while staring dreamily
through the compartment window.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Night was beginning to fall when the game finally
ended. The entire compartment was filled
with laughter and the smell of smouldering clothing.
robes,” Hermione noted looking out the window.
“I believe we are almost there.”
Everyone was properly attired and Ron was hoisting his
suitcase back into the rack as the sliding door opened.
one. Tell me Potter what is a wizard
like yourself doing associating with such commoners?
elite friends over the summer. Or did
that dowdy Mrs. Weasley not let you see the light of day all summer?”
“I see you haven’t changed company either, Malfoy.
you just surround yourself with imbeciles to make yourself feel intelligent?”
Draco turned to his cronies.
“Crabbe, Goyle get lost.
Obviously they are unnecessary, Potter.
But if you ever get tired of talking to the poor or mudblood, you know
where to find me. I am sure another
moron following me around would always improve my image.”
Harry saw Ron reaching for his wand.
bastard.” He returned his gaze to
Draco. “You should probably return to
your pets, Malfoy. You never know what
kind of trouble those animals can get into.”
He took a step towards Draco, realizing for the first time just how much
he towered over the blond. With a smirk,
Draco pivoted and headed back into the hallway of the train.
“What a jerk. Why
can’s he just keep his mouth shut?”
Ginny sighed as she arranged herself in a seat by the window.
Hermione shook her head.
“Because people like him don’t know any better.
on a silver platter everyone should bow down and kiss his feet.”
in his head but something was bothering him.
That little idea forming in the back of his mind was growing.
wrong with Malfoy.