This is very important Vincent. It may be the most important thing you ever learn. You're going to school this September and I need you to remember this for the rest of your life. Be a minion. I know that seems like a horrible thing to be but you need to think about this rationally. No one watches what they say around minions. Once the hero or villain is defeated no one hunts down the minions. It's a crazy world we live in son, and being a minion is the best I can do for you to help you survive. Just remember to keep your head down and do this for me.
Vincent Crabbe's father was right of course. While Potter and his friends were chasing after Draco, they ignored him and Gregory completely. Draco never censored what he said in front of the pair like he did with the rest of the Slytherins. Every week Vincent would do two assignments for each class. One to make sure he understood the material and one that he turned in that was always barely enough to let him pass. In second year he knew that the cupcake was a trap and so did Gregory. But in order to maintain their personas they had to eat them. It was probably just Potter after all and the golden boy would never do anything to permanently harm a classmate.
Vincent and Gregory played the minions they're entire lives. Their fathers praising them for their poor grades and the "I'm better than you" looks they received from the rest of Slytherin house. It's easy to make everyone believe you're nothing but a thug when you look big. It really seemed like they were going to survive the war. They were going to go on and live normal lives. Draco would be a big shot wizard in the political scene and they would raise families and be able to read all the books they wanted without hiding. It was going to be perfect.
Then there was the Battle of Hogwarts. They needed to stay with Draco, Potter could do anything to him while if they left him alone. Things started going badly and he let the fiendfyre go. If it could just get bad enough it would distract Potter and his lackeys long enough for him Gregory and Draco to get out of there. Climbing the stack he looked at Gregory knowing that he had nothing left to grab but a loose chair. He was going to die. In his last moments he knew that Gregory would go on and make a life, raise a family, and read all the books he could ever want. And teach his son to be a minion.
Vincent Crabbe died crying as he smiled for his best friend.