Story :(so far:)
Harry Potter – Unsung legends
Meet Crabbe and Goyle – exactly as they were introduced into the Harry Potter world in the first book. It always surprised me how their last names were the only reference Malfoy gave them, signifying to me a lack of respect for their individualities. The blonde merely thought of them as expendable meatbags. (Apologies, I adore the meatbag wording from the lovable rascal Bender.)
In actual fact, I have never read a passable story where the boys are anything other than foolish, unthinking drones. Hopefully this non-profit work of fiction will change that.
My motivation for this story is just that, the two are always marginalised, used as a character from the story to die first, or some such thing. I do like the way J K Rowling managed their roles in the final book, that will be hopefully worked in near the end of the story, although that is leagues off yet.
Likely years, especially if I do not start writing the actual story soon.
This is (or soon shall be) your chance to see the life and times of Vince and Greg first hand.
Inicio y Comienzo
Vincent Crabbe yawned widely and stood up. He was large for a boy aged eleven years, with short brown hair, black eyes and a certain solidity about him even then – not necessarily of fat, merely as if he was literally a brick with arms and legs and a stump of a neck. A great football player's build.
The boy he had been sitting next to also stood up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with meaty hands. Gregory Goyle was also quite big, although in his case there was rather a large deal of fat.
Some thought to tease the large lad in the park some month's prior, when he had first met Crabbe. Goyle would usually ignore the emotional bludgeons, yet these fat-related comments fuelled his ire.
Gregory had taken a meat-filled swing at a particularly vocal tormentor, scoring a solid hit, in his thoughts 'mashed his face up good!'
The other children replied in kind, and it was on. Not much style or damage in a ten-year-olds brawl, but a fair amount of movement and flailing fists did make it resemble a cartoon character style scuffle.
After a bit of this lively fun, the children focussed on beating poor Gregory into lumpy mush, sad to say, they were doing a rather good job of it too. After his first blow, the child had made no resistance, as was his usual way.
Too bad that this attitude was merely infuriating the cruel children further, they started kicking him in an attempt to make him fight back. The originally vocal tormentor drew back his leg for a kick to the face when (again in Gregory's thoughts) 'a living train hit him!'
So it appeared to young Mr Goyle, although in reality it was an equally aged child named Vincent Crabbe who accomplished that particular act.
Vincent had been going home after a day at a 'friend' of his family's, the Malfoys.
Upon sighting the fight, his first reaction was to carry on home. Two things stopped the stocky lad, the first was a kid his own size being beat up, the second was the bloody-nosed sod doing the leading.
He knew that little scroat, an odious person if there ever was one. Accelerating like a solar powered freight train, the boy crash tackled blood-face right into the dirt. After that, it was on again, only this time the oppressed gave as good as he got, forcing the inexperienced opposition to eventually flee.
Vincent approached Gregory, still lying on the ground where the group had left him. They both showed little spoils of war, skinned knuckles, a black eye or two and so on. Vincent extended a hand, attached to his arm.
"Hey there, saw that little scroat going for you, us attractive people should stick together mate. My name is Vince, what's yours?
Gregory hesitated, finally taking the offered hand to haul his not-so-light carcass back off the ground.
"Its Greg, thanks for that."
Vince merely smiled broadly; not needing any more words for the moment the two went and sat down on a bench.
Vincent glanced over at Greg, a little warily, before asking:
"Hey Greg, why did you not fight back against them? I did see that bloody nose the scroat had, you did it right?"
The even more solid boy flinched a little, remembering a time of anger, in which a smaller child had been beaten senseless, and an old man admonishing him sternly on learning when not to fight, before strapping him soundly several times with a stout stick.
"Hate to fight Vince, parents say 'no fighting for you son'. I obey, most of the time, that… scroat annoyed me."
Vincent absorbed the obviously untruthful words for a minute, before replying
"Ok then, you hate to fight, I love it, we can temper the other, how about we fight for what is precious to the other?
Greg made a surprisingly articulate grunt (Hrrng?) with the intent of expressing his lack of understanding.
"Its like this, we fight for what we want, not what anyone else wants. Together, nobody can stop us; after all we can stomp that little scroat and his puny group into the ground together easily. What do you say, Friends?" Asked Vincent, seriously.
With another grunt (Ahhrrng) Greg accepted and took Vince's hand for the second time that day. Since then the two had become fast friends, learning that very night that their fathers were also very old friends, from their own school days.
When their parents learnt of the boy's friendship, they hatched a desperate plan to use their children to gamble their way back to power. Both the Crabbe and Goyle families were dwindling in size and money, due to some rather indulging recent ancestors and poor decisions in previous conflicts.
With years of loyal, if not particularly intelligent service, the fathers of the boys had integrated themselves firmly into the Malfoy family business, that is to say, dark wizardry.
They had hit on hard times after a mere baby had vanquished their dark lord, as of such they now needed a solid and rich cause to support with their meaty wand-arms.
Their plan was simple (luckily), stay in favour with the Malfoy patriarch Lucius by offering their sons to his when they attended school, to be sidekicks in a sense, as they were to Lucius back in their day.
It speaks of the level to which respectable pureblood families (Of which you had better be a part!) could fall, becoming mere wands for hire. At least the Patriarchs of the Crabbe and Goyle families were smart enough to throw their wands behind a rich and politically powerful pureblood family.
Two months would go by, with both boys slowly learning these facts, and their dual fate, to serve a rich child for the sake of their families continued existence.
They had both been selected to go to Hogwarts: school of witchcraft and wizardry, with the Malfoy family paying their tuition, providing they kept the Malfoy heir safe with their own lives if necessary.
Both children understood this to the bone, after all their fathers had wanted to prepare them best for the 'real world and its horrors.' So naturally Greg and Vince were subjected to many dark alleyways, watching the men they once respected above all threaten and injure political opponents to the Malfoy and general pureblood cause, under cover of a Disillusionment spell.
It sickened Goyle, who was a gentle one at heart; he saw violence as a loss of control, something to be generally avoided. The boy had developed somewhat of a block when it came to violence, looking intimidating was about all he was good for on most days.
Vince was of course eager enough to make up for it, as his family had already been sidling closer to the Malfoy line he had previously met young Draco and came up with the conclusion that he was a pompous brat.
Vince quietly advised Greg on what Draco was likely to be like.
"Now buddy, this kid is really a nasty little scroat, just like that bloody nosed one two months back, but you know we gotta be his virtual house-elves for our families. I know my mother and father are barely scraping along as it is."
Greg also spoke up
"Yes, the Malfoys are also generously paying for our scholarships to Hogwarts in exchange.
We will have to do this thing but I have an idea."
Vince paced ponderously in the small compartment while Greg sat back down. Vince looked down and spoke up.
"What kind of idea?"
Gregory Goyle smiled broadly, with a hint of cunning lurking in his broad, mushie features.
"We act like human trolls in public places, so this Draco and everyone else thinks less of us. Nobody will expect much of us and Draco will not ask any hard task of us for fear we will mess it up. Less work eh?"
"Yeah…" Replied Vincent, rubbing his solid chin thoughtfully
"Also once we start getting into real fights with wands and all, we will be expected to be slow, them BAM, we drop a Merlin sized bombshell on their heads!"
The two bought a lolly each from the cart, only just managing to use their hand me down wands to steal more candy from the near blind old cart lady.
Snacking happily on their treats, Greg reached hungrily for the last Chocolate frog, as the one previous had made a Gargantuan leap (for a frog) out the window, but it was snatched from his grasping paw by a slighter hand.
"Now now, I do not need you two getting fat… Well fatter anyway." Proclaimed a short blonde-haired kid who had just casually entered the compartment.
"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy and you two will be my… offsiders. Be good and we will get along fine, understood?"
Both boys nodded as Draco snacked on the doomed frog, ignoring one of its twitching legs being slowly sucked into the little prissy-boy's mouth.
"Good, my bag is outside, you can both go bring it in and stow it up in the overhead compartment."
The two nodded again and got up, tramping unsubtlety outside where the oversized trunk awaited. No other students were about yet; it was still only 10:25 after all.
Gregory softly said "Well, you were right, he is a little scroat, I hate him already. Seven years of this and I might be as stupid as we will pretend to be."
"Don't worry" Replied Vincent soothingly, for an eleven year old that is.
"We just put up with his irksomeness for school, then we will have the skills to really help out our families, put them into the spotlight of the purebloods."
Greg looked unconvinced. "Yeah, I suppose, but it is going to take so long."
To which Vince laughed, still softly. "Alright big-G, we just take it one step at a time then.
Looking ahead for goals works well, taking today, we move the no doubt heavy trunk inside, endure snotties presence, and then feast at Hogwarts later on. Sound good?"
Greg merely nodded impassively, adopting a look of minor constipation for use with Draco, proceeding to haul the trunk inside with Goyle.
The boys knew that the little shit must have had a dissipating weight charm n the dammed thing, being able to carry it to that point yet making it so dammed heavy now. Eventually they succeeded in packing the trunk away.
They sat down opposite the Malfoy, who was lying where the two had been sitting.
'Hope you like the smell of my ass' thought the rather uncouth but honest Vincent, as Gregory merely chanted in his head a kind of mantra for not losing his cool:
'Fighting is bad, think of the feast, fighting is bad…'
Thus the time passed, tortuously slowly, the train slowly started to puff smoke, then chuff off in small lengths… speeding up, the train and its passengers were now on their way to the prestigious Scottish school of magic: Hogwarts.
After around an hour of the boys putting up with some drawn out, extremely annoying snores, Draco Malfoy awoke from his not-so-beauty sleep.
"Well, its time to make some friends. Come along you two."
Malfoy added that last sentence almost as an afterthought, it was clear that the boy thought of the two as merely extensions of his own will, like dolls that need to be commanded.
The boys mutely followed Draco down the corridor, where they then 'stood guard' outside while the young Malfoy heir made allies, a young woman named Pansy was called upon and chatted with the blonde for some time.
Other visits, such as one to a compartment with a Blaise inside were not so lengthy or cordial, judging from the haste with which Draco left those with an impatient snap of his fingers for his reluctant cronies to follow.
After a few dreary hours of this the boys huffed off back to the compartment, Draco only pausing on the way to rudely reply a negative to a bushy-haired bespectacled girl asking after some boy's missing toad.
More staring at walls ensued inside the compartment, broken only by occasional bouts of Jan Ken Do (Paper Scissors Rock). Vince was more into Rock, although he would use Scissors Paper was nowhere to be found.
In response, Greg would use Rock (of course) and some Paper. Fascinating as these recurring games were, it had to end sometime, and it did so with the compartment door being slid open swiftly, the resulting bang even woke up Draco.
"Who the ruddy hell are you?" Asked the grumpy blonde, not realising his speech similarity to a certain bushy haired keeper of keys.
The strange boy who entered proved to be none other than a red haired older student, around fourteen or so. He grinned and said, "Now now little Malfoy, wouldn't want you to get off your pampered ass, feel free to sit back down, just livening things up a little…"
With that another red head elbowed his way into the now cramped room.
"I say Fred, you found a future Slytherin! We should go now, Percy is snooping about the place, the git."
With that the two identical Redheads vanished out the hastily closed compartment door. Barely ten seconds later a taller redhead half opened the door, glanced inside and then moved on, satisfied that his petty reign of order was ongoing.
"Bloody Weasleys, blood traitors; the lot of them, I don't know which is worse, those grinning twins or the pompous Percy Weasley. At least they are as poor as they should be, did you two see their tattered robes?"
At this the two forced their faces into somewhat of a smile, or at least a tightening of the facial features. The two had a little talk when Malfoy darked off to the snakes (Toilet).
"Well Greg, even those two Weasels ignored us, this is going to be both better and worse than I thought." Said Vincent, looking out the window at the idyllic countryside floating past.
"Yes" Replied Gregory. "It will be easy to appear stupid, if we always let the Malfoy talk we will be Lemmings by association."
At this point Vincent asked about Lemmings and Gregory explained: they were a muggle rodent-like creature that would literally follow their leader over a cliff, the daft things were known to do so oft occasion.
The only thing that saved them was their breeding rate. The goblins shared a similar fate; overcrowding leads to brutal wars that only occasionally spill out into the outer wizarding world.
The rest of the train ride was uneventful; the only remarkable thing happening was an evidently bewitched toad hopping along the outside of the train, in defiance of gravity and wind speed alike.
The soon to be students filed off the colourful train and onto the platform, where a giant of a man called out "Firs' years over 'ere, come on now don be shy."
Most of the kids stayed huddled near the train, as they were afraid of the rather intimidating large man calling for them to follow. Gregory and Vincent took a liking to the cheerful giant though, they led Malfoy and several others forward.
Eventually the rest followed suit, all of the first years moving down to a dock on the water's edge, murky and uninviting though it was. Their view was even blocked off by a low built bridge, denying them the no doubt magnificent sight of Hogwarts castle.
Many small boats were moored at the dock, mysterious they looked, and also slightly 'creepy'.
Once again Mr Crabbe and Mr Goyle were the first onto these little boats, or dinghy's if you will, the rest of the apprehensive group followed them.
The first years set off, the boats requiring no oars or direction, simply floating without even a tiny splash under the dark bridge looming ahead.
Long creepers underhanging the bridge brushed against Gregory's hair, seeming to cling for just a moment, letting go only reluctantly. So the boy fancied in any case.
Finally leaving the bridge behind, the two boys looked up, the first students that night to see the ancient and famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Turrets and spires abound, the castle would have been right at home in medieval Europe, at the time when castles were built for sturdiness and defensibility as well as looks. (A relatively short time, as cannons soon proved).
'Beautiful' Vincent thought as the boats drifted along the lake. After a few minutes of this and the bored kids starting to fidget, another dock loomed out of the night's gloom.
The boats floated up, five at a time and the now excited children clambered off with varying degrees of discomfort, many of them never being near any boat. Some couldn't even swim!
Hagrid waved them up the stairs to the castle with a "Alrigh' boys and girls" and knocked loudly on the huge doors once, twice, three times.
He then left the children standing before the door, saying that he needed to store the boats. (Apparently they only usually go to and from the docks magically, not into storage!)
Draco was studying the crowd around them carefully. Evidently he did not see anything of particular interest, for he snorted in disgust and turned back around, just in time to see the door open.
A tall, rather stern looking elderly woman peered out at the lot of them. She looked slightly puzzled, opening the door with a mutter of "Where the devil is Hagrid?"
She then addressed the crowd "Welcome to Hogwarts soon to be students, my name is Professor Mcgonagall and you will please follow me."
The entrance hall was so big you could have fitted the both of Greg and Vince's houses into it, with room to spare. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, which provided an eerie and flickering illumination at best.
The ceiling was subsequently lost in the shadow, although the magnificent marble staircase leading to the upper floors was clearly seen.
They followed professor Mcgonagall across the floor, which seemed to radiate cold – into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, cheek-to-jowl (like sardines in a can, etc).
"Inside awaits the rest of the school and your sorting into one of the various houses. The sorting is very important because it defines where you will live and eat, strive and sleep for the next seven years of your education. Your house will be like your family for this period of time, support it and it shall do the same for you.
If you break the rules your entire house suffers, any extraordinary effort will benefit all in that same house. Good luck to you all, be sure that you know which path to take when the time comes."
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own glorious history and has produced many strong, wise and just witches and wizards. The sorting will inform you of the best house according to your talents desires and needs.
It will take place soon, in front of the rest of the school, I suggest you take the time to make yourselves look presentable for them all.
I will return in a few minutes when we are ready for you, please wait quietly until then."
Vince looked over at Greg, visibly happy to be starting the magical journey, only to see his friend looking quite apprehensive at he overheard a few others speaking about a horrifying, difficult test to come.
He reached over and gave Greg a light punch on the shoulder and a look that said 'buck up' to any that recognised it. The brown haired boy relaxed a little, now no longer looking as though he was trying to pass a large kidney stone.
His look soon returned though, as several children at the back of the crown screamed and Draco nervously stood on his toes saying, "What is it?"
Both Gregory and Vincent were tall enough to see that it was merely a bunch of harmless ghosts, looking to scare some of the muggle-born children most likely.
Draco turned around and peered at the crowd of kids, as he had done before. This time though, he saw something of interest, as he went over to one bespectacled lad with long hair to say hello.
Greg watched their exchange, evidently Draco was making friends, as the four-eyes shook his hand. The two then walked over to Greg and Vince, Draco once again introducing them in an offhand manner as 'Crabbe' and 'Goyle'.
The two skinny boys were now talking about the different houses, the merits of Slytherin over Hufflepuff for example.
"Slytherin in for the smart people who know what they are doing, my father is a powerful man and his family have been in Slytherin for generations. Hufflepuff is just for duffers who are not smart or wily enough for any other house."
After a bit of this Greg tuned out again, focusing on the entrance doors to the hall. Vince was absently picking his nose, inciting a disgusted glance from Draco and a contemptuous toss of the head from the four-eyes.
Greg's eyes widened, as the four eyes moved his skull, his hair revealed a jagged lightning-shaped scar on his forehead! This boy was none other than Harry Potter – the boy who lived.
By association his persistent life was also what unmade the most powerful dark sorcerer to ever live, Lord Voldemort. It was unknown how he survived, most thought young Harry was a symbol of their saviour from dark times and ambitions. Greg remembered a different theory though…
His father had been discussing a wild theory with another heavy-set man, who Greg later recognised as Vince's father, a theory that involved Harry Potter.
Simple for an idea really, it was that Harry was in fact a dark wizard from birth, with enough hidden power to reflect a killing curse right back at the caster. The senior Goyle thought that harry would be one to watch for a potential leader, either in fact as a new dark wizard, or a figurehead, propped up by 'better men.'
The man had later told his son to watch 'this Harry Potter lad' while near, for signs of latent power or talent above the normal for a child in the first year of Hogwarts with no prior knowledge of the Wizarding world.
Greg promised to do as his father wished, being totally loyal to the family name and honour, as it was one of the few things left to the Goyle line. Pondering this, Gregory saw the doors finally open and Professor Mcgonagall swept through for another address.
"Form a line and follow me." She barked out, banishing the ghosts with a sharp hand sign.
They walked out into the Great hall, where four tables of students, one far off table of staff and a battered, patched hat on a platform in-between awaited.
Translation:
Cheek-to-jowl: like sardines in a can, etc. Packed tightly if you still do not get it.
Hogwarts: the name of the magical castle in which the English and Scottish learn their talents. Some others also come here, though there are schools in other countries for such things. Examples would be the rumoured Salem college in America, the French Beauxbatons academy and the Bulgarian Durmstrang institute.
Lemmings: actual 'muggle' creatures, possible of the weasel family, they are known for their occasionally suicidal leader-following tendencies.
Gargantuan: large, or extraordinary effort or object. Something of note due to its abnormal nature in the aforementioned aspects.
You should know the rest, if not this is a Harry Potter fanfiction, deal with the other names and places please. Thanks for reading, until a hopeful next time, have a good day or night ladies, gentlemen and anything else.
Tom.