"May I ask what you are doing here?" Malfoy asked, "You're supposed
to be dead by now."
"Funny, Malfoy!" Parvati near-screeched, "I can't believe you'd let your parents do-do that. And then you laugh! And you cursed Harry- permanently! How can you live with yourself? Do you have no guilt, no shame? How do you sleep--?" Malfoy interrupted her. His face had his usual sneer, but there was something else there too, something in his eyes, something like hurt.
"You haven't figured it out yet, have you? You still believe I cursed Harry?" he snorted, "It was to put old Dumbledore off the Dark Lord's trail. And as for my parents-as for them, it's not my fault what they do. I don't let them do anything; they do it all by themselves," he surveyed them, "I bet you thought you were so smart, escaping with the Slytherins like that."
"It was smart," Hermione said heatedly, but then her tone softened noticeably, "I'm sorry you got expelled, Malfoy."
The four other Gryffindors stared at her, gaping, but Malfoy did not seem phased by her sudden words of kindness.
"Yeah, you should be," a strange look came into his eyes and he looked past them, "Father said it was better for me to be blamed. . .but I think. . .his own son." He seemed to be talking to himself more than anyone else.
"We're sorry," said Lavendar, after a moment of awkward silence. Everyone except Ron nodded (some more reluctantly than others).
"Thanks," Malfoy said, but then, realizing who exactly he was talking to, he began to walk away. He was almost out of sight when Hermione spoke up.
"Wait!" she called, "What are we going to do?"
Malfoy shrugged, "Not my problem." With that he disappeared around a corner.
The five Gryffindors were silent for a moment.
"Poor guy," said Parvati.
"He seemed different," said Neville quietly.
"Yeah, yeah," said Ron, "Let's save the sob-stories for later. I'm hungry. Are there any House Elves in this place?" Hermione gave him a look so severe that he took a step back.
"You can go ahead and look, Ron," said Parvati, "But Lavendar and I are going to look around. See if we can't find some guest rooms." "I'm coming too!" Neville piped in. And the three went up the stairs, leaving Ron and Hermione to search for a kitchen. After several minutes of poking their heads into vast and grand rooms that were about the size of the entire Borrow and looked like they had no purpose at all, they found a dining room. At the far end of it was a swinging door. The door was very short and clearly made for House Elves. Hermione had to duck through it and Ron, being to tall, had to get on his hands and knees and crawl through. At there arrival, two House Elves careened towards them. "How cans we help sir and miss?" they asked in unison. "We are guests," said Hermione, clearly disapproving of how eager they were to serve, "And we would like some food." "Shepard's Pie, if you have it," Ron added helpfully, "And , maybe, some éclairs. . ." Hermione glared at him, he ignored her, "And we'll need some extra for our friends."
In a matter of seconds several trays of food were being shoved into their hands.
"Thank you!"
The others were not hard to find. They were on the third floor. The Manor was so huge that the third floor had eight guest rooms-more than enough for them all, so huge that it would be days before they ran into Malfoy again.
"This is too weird," said Ron as they sat on the floor eating lunch, "being in Malfoy's house and all. It's not right."
"Well it's certainly better than dead," said Hermione.
"Yes," said Neville, "But I still don't like it here. It's as big as Hogwarts, but desolate."
"But we can't leave," said Parvati.
"No," Hermione agreed, "First off, we have no idea where we are, and second, we're probably in the safest place in the world right now. Death Eaters are back on the attack, but they wouldn't come here. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy aren't home-at least I don't think so and, as we found out, he's upset with his parents for letting him be blamed so he probably wont tell them that we're here."
"He's upset?" asked Ron, who wasn't as quick as Hermione.
"Yeah, didn't you see him?"
"He looked sad," said Lavendar.
"Really sad," Neville said, "I almost pity him."
"His parents are really awful!" said Parvati, "They let him get expelled and then leave him all alone."
"Of course they're awful! They're Death Eater's!" said Hermione.
"Poor, poor Malfoy," Parvati said.
Ron stared at them like they were all crazy, "You do remember who we're talking about, right?" he asked, "You're not talking about just anyone. It's Malfoy! Evil, I-hate-Muggle-Borns, cheats-at-Quidditch Malfoy."
And, suddenly, they all remembered.
Hermione remembered the multiple times Malfoy called her a Mudblood.
Neville remembered the time he had to hop all the way to the Common Room with his legs bound.
Lavendar remembered the time Malfoy laughed when he heard her rabbit Binky died.
Parvati remembered they way Malfoy always adopted a mockery of an Indian accent when addressing her.
"Oh," they all said simultaneously. There was silence for a moment as they all chewed their food and then, seemingly out-of-the-blue, Parvati burst into tears and fled from the room.
"Par? What's--?" Lavendar began, but her best friend had already disappeared down the hall.
"Funny, Malfoy!" Parvati near-screeched, "I can't believe you'd let your parents do-do that. And then you laugh! And you cursed Harry- permanently! How can you live with yourself? Do you have no guilt, no shame? How do you sleep--?" Malfoy interrupted her. His face had his usual sneer, but there was something else there too, something in his eyes, something like hurt.
"You haven't figured it out yet, have you? You still believe I cursed Harry?" he snorted, "It was to put old Dumbledore off the Dark Lord's trail. And as for my parents-as for them, it's not my fault what they do. I don't let them do anything; they do it all by themselves," he surveyed them, "I bet you thought you were so smart, escaping with the Slytherins like that."
"It was smart," Hermione said heatedly, but then her tone softened noticeably, "I'm sorry you got expelled, Malfoy."
The four other Gryffindors stared at her, gaping, but Malfoy did not seem phased by her sudden words of kindness.
"Yeah, you should be," a strange look came into his eyes and he looked past them, "Father said it was better for me to be blamed. . .but I think. . .his own son." He seemed to be talking to himself more than anyone else.
"We're sorry," said Lavendar, after a moment of awkward silence. Everyone except Ron nodded (some more reluctantly than others).
"Thanks," Malfoy said, but then, realizing who exactly he was talking to, he began to walk away. He was almost out of sight when Hermione spoke up.
"Wait!" she called, "What are we going to do?"
Malfoy shrugged, "Not my problem." With that he disappeared around a corner.
The five Gryffindors were silent for a moment.
"Poor guy," said Parvati.
"He seemed different," said Neville quietly.
"Yeah, yeah," said Ron, "Let's save the sob-stories for later. I'm hungry. Are there any House Elves in this place?" Hermione gave him a look so severe that he took a step back.
"You can go ahead and look, Ron," said Parvati, "But Lavendar and I are going to look around. See if we can't find some guest rooms." "I'm coming too!" Neville piped in. And the three went up the stairs, leaving Ron and Hermione to search for a kitchen. After several minutes of poking their heads into vast and grand rooms that were about the size of the entire Borrow and looked like they had no purpose at all, they found a dining room. At the far end of it was a swinging door. The door was very short and clearly made for House Elves. Hermione had to duck through it and Ron, being to tall, had to get on his hands and knees and crawl through. At there arrival, two House Elves careened towards them. "How cans we help sir and miss?" they asked in unison. "We are guests," said Hermione, clearly disapproving of how eager they were to serve, "And we would like some food." "Shepard's Pie, if you have it," Ron added helpfully, "And , maybe, some éclairs. . ." Hermione glared at him, he ignored her, "And we'll need some extra for our friends."
In a matter of seconds several trays of food were being shoved into their hands.
"Thank you!"
The others were not hard to find. They were on the third floor. The Manor was so huge that the third floor had eight guest rooms-more than enough for them all, so huge that it would be days before they ran into Malfoy again.
"This is too weird," said Ron as they sat on the floor eating lunch, "being in Malfoy's house and all. It's not right."
"Well it's certainly better than dead," said Hermione.
"Yes," said Neville, "But I still don't like it here. It's as big as Hogwarts, but desolate."
"But we can't leave," said Parvati.
"No," Hermione agreed, "First off, we have no idea where we are, and second, we're probably in the safest place in the world right now. Death Eaters are back on the attack, but they wouldn't come here. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy aren't home-at least I don't think so and, as we found out, he's upset with his parents for letting him be blamed so he probably wont tell them that we're here."
"He's upset?" asked Ron, who wasn't as quick as Hermione.
"Yeah, didn't you see him?"
"He looked sad," said Lavendar.
"Really sad," Neville said, "I almost pity him."
"His parents are really awful!" said Parvati, "They let him get expelled and then leave him all alone."
"Of course they're awful! They're Death Eater's!" said Hermione.
"Poor, poor Malfoy," Parvati said.
Ron stared at them like they were all crazy, "You do remember who we're talking about, right?" he asked, "You're not talking about just anyone. It's Malfoy! Evil, I-hate-Muggle-Borns, cheats-at-Quidditch Malfoy."
And, suddenly, they all remembered.
Hermione remembered the multiple times Malfoy called her a Mudblood.
Neville remembered the time he had to hop all the way to the Common Room with his legs bound.
Lavendar remembered the time Malfoy laughed when he heard her rabbit Binky died.
Parvati remembered they way Malfoy always adopted a mockery of an Indian accent when addressing her.
"Oh," they all said simultaneously. There was silence for a moment as they all chewed their food and then, seemingly out-of-the-blue, Parvati burst into tears and fled from the room.
"Par? What's--?" Lavendar began, but her best friend had already disappeared down the hall.