Draco Malfoy was not having a good day. He still couldn't believe that any
Slytherins in their right minds would knowingly invite Muggles to Hogwarts,
but for some reason five of them had, and that meant he'd had eight Muggles
to show around on the tour that morning. He'd thought it would be no
trouble, since Granger and Weasley were apparently managing to handle
dozens without any fuss, but he'd forgotten one thing. These might be
lowly Muggles, but they were the kind of Muggles who were friends with
Slytherins. He'd spent the majority of his time trying to keep them from
peeking into cupboards and sneaking off into dangerous parts of the castle.
He was totally exhausted by the time he sat down to lunch.
To make matters worse, he knew there would be no rest for him any time soon. He'd been picked to play in the exhibition Quidditch match this afternoon, as part of the unlikeliest team he'd ever heard of. He'd said no at first, but his pride had gotten to him in the end. Why not show off his superior athletic ability? Even filthy Muggles should be able to appreciate a talent such as his when they saw it. Anyway, he knew that members of the winning team would earn points for their houses. Since most Slytherins were refusing to have anything at all to do with the day's festivities, someone had to make sure that the house got their fair share of the winnings.
The one good thing about the day was the uncrowded state of the Slytherin table. With only eight guests, and with many of his housemates boycotting the Great Hall and choosing to eat in their common room instead, there was plenty of room to spare and plenty of food. He could practically name everyone sitting at the table without even looking up. Of course, eventually he did look up, only to find himself looking right into the eyes of the biggest Muggle boy he'd ever seen.
"You aren't one of the Slytherin Muggles," he sneered. Slytherin Muggles? Had he actually just said that? "What are you doing here at this table?"
The kid looked up at him with a strange combination of fear and greed in his eyes. "You just had so much food over here, and I was hungry. My cousin doesn't seem to be paying much attention to me, so I figured I might just as well come over here for a while."
"And just who is this cousin of yours?" Draco demanded.
"Harry Potter," Dudley said softly.
If it weren't for his Slytherin poker face, Draco's jaw would have dropped. This huge blond kid was Harry Potter's cousin? Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was related to this dull-eyed Muggle? A huge Muggle, he reminded himself, who could probably take Draco easily in a fight, even without magic. Life just wasn't fair.
Even with his nimble Slytherin brain going full-tilt, the only thing Draco managed to say was a slightly sarcastic, "Well, you must be very proud of yourself then." There was no point in totally alienating the big bruiser, after all. If he played his cards right, it would never become apparent how Draco really felt about Harry.
Unsurprisingly, Dudley totally missed the hint of sarcasm. He knew that most kids here worshipped his cousin like some kind of a god, so it didn't surprise him to meet yet another of them. And this one looked even more dangerous than most. Dudley couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something in this prefect's eyes spoke of a cunning mind and constant watchfulness. There was no doubt about it that he could take Dudley easily in a fight through magic alone. He'd have to be extra careful around this one and make sure that he never figured out how Dudley really felt about Harry.
"Yeah, well, to me he's just my cousin, you know?" Dudley said noncommittally.
The two of them ate on in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Draco finally took it upon himself to speak. "So, what did you think of the tour this morning?" he asked.
"Well, it was kind of strange," Dudley began. He wasn't sure how honest he should be with this stranger, but they had to talk about something, after all. "I saw a lot of things I didn't understand."
Draco nodded. It was no surprise that the wonders of the wizarding world were far beyond the comprehension of this Muggle's brain. "Maybe I can help you," he said as politely as he could bear. "What exactly is confusing you?"
"Well," Dudley asked, "I was wondering if you could explain to me about the Chamber of Secrets."
Some surprises are too much for even Slytherin composure to conceal. This was one of them. Draco choked on his pumpkin juice, and it took a few minutes before he was able to speak. "The Chamber of Secrets? How do you know about that? That wasn't on the tour."
"No," Dudley said uncomfortably. He looked down at the table before continuing. "I sort of wandered off on my own. I met this girl who tried to show it to me, but I was scared."
"Let me get this straight," Draco said slowly and patiently, as if he were speaking to a five-year-old. "You know the location of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes," Dudley said. "But I promise I'll never tell anyone if I'm not supposed to know."
Draco's eyes glinted mysteriously. "That might be for the best," he said carefully. "But first of all, just to make sure you're telling the truth, why don't you show it to me?"
Just as Dudley was about to answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him jump.
"Oh, Dudders, I didn't mean to scare you," Petunia said. "It's just been so long since I've seen you, and we're all so worried about you. If you're done eating, why don't you come back over to our table now?" Without a word, Dudley got up and followed his mother back to the Gryffindor table. Draco barely noticed, as he was suddenly lost in thought.
To make matters worse, he knew there would be no rest for him any time soon. He'd been picked to play in the exhibition Quidditch match this afternoon, as part of the unlikeliest team he'd ever heard of. He'd said no at first, but his pride had gotten to him in the end. Why not show off his superior athletic ability? Even filthy Muggles should be able to appreciate a talent such as his when they saw it. Anyway, he knew that members of the winning team would earn points for their houses. Since most Slytherins were refusing to have anything at all to do with the day's festivities, someone had to make sure that the house got their fair share of the winnings.
The one good thing about the day was the uncrowded state of the Slytherin table. With only eight guests, and with many of his housemates boycotting the Great Hall and choosing to eat in their common room instead, there was plenty of room to spare and plenty of food. He could practically name everyone sitting at the table without even looking up. Of course, eventually he did look up, only to find himself looking right into the eyes of the biggest Muggle boy he'd ever seen.
"You aren't one of the Slytherin Muggles," he sneered. Slytherin Muggles? Had he actually just said that? "What are you doing here at this table?"
The kid looked up at him with a strange combination of fear and greed in his eyes. "You just had so much food over here, and I was hungry. My cousin doesn't seem to be paying much attention to me, so I figured I might just as well come over here for a while."
"And just who is this cousin of yours?" Draco demanded.
"Harry Potter," Dudley said softly.
If it weren't for his Slytherin poker face, Draco's jaw would have dropped. This huge blond kid was Harry Potter's cousin? Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was related to this dull-eyed Muggle? A huge Muggle, he reminded himself, who could probably take Draco easily in a fight, even without magic. Life just wasn't fair.
Even with his nimble Slytherin brain going full-tilt, the only thing Draco managed to say was a slightly sarcastic, "Well, you must be very proud of yourself then." There was no point in totally alienating the big bruiser, after all. If he played his cards right, it would never become apparent how Draco really felt about Harry.
Unsurprisingly, Dudley totally missed the hint of sarcasm. He knew that most kids here worshipped his cousin like some kind of a god, so it didn't surprise him to meet yet another of them. And this one looked even more dangerous than most. Dudley couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something in this prefect's eyes spoke of a cunning mind and constant watchfulness. There was no doubt about it that he could take Dudley easily in a fight through magic alone. He'd have to be extra careful around this one and make sure that he never figured out how Dudley really felt about Harry.
"Yeah, well, to me he's just my cousin, you know?" Dudley said noncommittally.
The two of them ate on in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Draco finally took it upon himself to speak. "So, what did you think of the tour this morning?" he asked.
"Well, it was kind of strange," Dudley began. He wasn't sure how honest he should be with this stranger, but they had to talk about something, after all. "I saw a lot of things I didn't understand."
Draco nodded. It was no surprise that the wonders of the wizarding world were far beyond the comprehension of this Muggle's brain. "Maybe I can help you," he said as politely as he could bear. "What exactly is confusing you?"
"Well," Dudley asked, "I was wondering if you could explain to me about the Chamber of Secrets."
Some surprises are too much for even Slytherin composure to conceal. This was one of them. Draco choked on his pumpkin juice, and it took a few minutes before he was able to speak. "The Chamber of Secrets? How do you know about that? That wasn't on the tour."
"No," Dudley said uncomfortably. He looked down at the table before continuing. "I sort of wandered off on my own. I met this girl who tried to show it to me, but I was scared."
"Let me get this straight," Draco said slowly and patiently, as if he were speaking to a five-year-old. "You know the location of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes," Dudley said. "But I promise I'll never tell anyone if I'm not supposed to know."
Draco's eyes glinted mysteriously. "That might be for the best," he said carefully. "But first of all, just to make sure you're telling the truth, why don't you show it to me?"
Just as Dudley was about to answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him jump.
"Oh, Dudders, I didn't mean to scare you," Petunia said. "It's just been so long since I've seen you, and we're all so worried about you. If you're done eating, why don't you come back over to our table now?" Without a word, Dudley got up and followed his mother back to the Gryffindor table. Draco barely noticed, as he was suddenly lost in thought.