A/N: Something a little different and I'm sure entirely unexpected. I'm going to throw some drama into this as well. The humor as promised in the description is mostly dramatic irony, not really jokes or slapstick, sorry if you feel misled.
Last chapter: Harry and Co. found out that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle are living in hiding, and Goyle has gone the extra steps to befriend Harry…
Gregory Goyle and Harry Potter walked through the halls of Hogwarts wrapped in an apprehensive silence for several minutes before realizing that they were alone together. This was something that put neither of them at ease because they were both well aware of what the other was capable of doing. Harry was eyeing Goyle suspiciously, once Goyle caught Harry's eyes, he stopped for a second enraptured in the beautiful green that held him enthralled. The moment past, and was anexhilarating moment for Goyle, seeing Harry eyeing him reminded him as to why he had asked for the walk.
"You see Potter, we never really disliked you, but you've made it really easy for us to act like we did; Malfoy mostly anyway. You see, we've been raised to be our fathers'. Never given a choice how to act, or who to be friends with... Butnow that our father's are out of the picture, we can do pretty much whatever we want." Goyle said, talking slowly as he always did. "I don't want to be enemies with you Potter, it justdoesn't seem right."
"Well, I don't know what to say Goyle." Harry said takenback a bit."You've been a huge prat to me and my friends for five years, and now you expectme to forgive you because of your father? Give me a break, you define who you are. I'll accept your apology, for whatever it's worth, but don't expect me to accept you and your hoodlum friends with open arms. Prove to me that you've changed!" Harry said a little more angrily than he had meant to.
Goyle looked at Harry in shock. Harry's words bit into his heart and soul. He was unsure as to why though. Wasn't Harry supposed to be his enemy? Confused Goyle looked away from Harry as the first tear rolled down his face. Goyle wanted to run away from Harry, but something held his feet to that spot on the ground. NowHarry was just as confused as Goyle was. Why was Goyle crying in front of him? This was very un-Slytherin of him.
"Goyle, I'm sorry, I don't want to be mean to you anymore either. I'm sure you've been through a lot this summer. I'm just, well, this is a complete change of pace and I'm not sure what to do about it, that's all. You're supposed to be the big, hulking bully terrorizing me, this is a complete change of position I think…" Harry said, unsure of what he meant. Harry removed a handkerchief from one of his pockets and began to dry Goyle's tears. Harry felt responsible for Goyle at that moment, and was trying to be a good person.
Rounding the corner, with a stern look on her face Professor McGonagall took one look at Harry and Goyle and said, "Mr. Goyle, please make your way to the Slytherin Common room, and Mr. Potter," she said curtly, "come with me." Harry left the handkerchief with Goyle as he walked away. With one last backward glance at Goyle, he followed Professor McGonagall to her office. The walk was short and silent. Harry was wondering what sort of punishment he would be dealt for whatever crime he had committed.
"Please take a seat Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall said politely as she offered Harry a ginger-snap which he gratefully accepted. Knowing by then it was much better to accept and eat the cookie than to have her force him to eat it. "Now, I don't know what was happening just now between you and Mr. Goyle, but I didn't see your wand or fists flying, so I'll assume you were being somewhat civilized. Don't tell me right now, later; right now I want to discuss Quidditch with you. As you know, Wood graduated from the school last year, leaving the Gryffindor team without a captain. As our Seeker and MVP I would like you to assume that role." She said smiling brightly.
"Thank you Professor that would be great! Quidditch captain... wow!" Harry was speechless. He hadn't been this happy since first year when she had told Harry that he would be on the team. "I've been looking forward to Quidditch ever since that Umbridge woman took it away from us last year."
Professor McGonagall smiled and then said, "I'm glad for you then. Now, this business about you and Mr. Goyle. What happened just now, and don't you dare tell me nothing." She glared at Harry in a manner that told him she already knew the truth; she just wanted Harry to tell her.
"Well Professor, we had a row of sorts. He was apologizing for treating us poorly over the last five years, and I was telling him that he needed to prove it in more than words. He also told me that he was hiding, the details of that are a little vague though. When he started to cry, I gave him my handkerchief." Harry explained hurriedly.
"The Malfoy's, Crabbe's and Goyle's have had a very rough summer. After their fathers were sent to Azkaban, their mothers wanted nothing to do with you-know-who, so they went into hiding. Goyle's mother in particular almost died during a get-away battle. I've been staying at the castle for the last week and he's been quite emotional about the entire situation." Professor McGonagall told Harry, noting the expression of worry that was crossing his face when she mentioned Goyle's mother almost dying. "It's getting late Mr. Potter, off to bed with you. Don't be late for curfew. I will deduct points from my own house you know."
Harry left her office and started heading back toward Gryffindor tower. As he walked toward the stairs, he saw Gregory Goyle waiting near the staircase. When Goyle noticed Harry, he walked over to meet him, his hulking mass now seeming to be collected from his emotional outburst. When Goyle was close enough for Harry to hear him, Goyle said, "Thanks for this Potter." As he tossed the tear stained handkerchief back at Harry. Harry caught it in mid-air deftly and about to walk up the stairs, he felt something on his arm. Stopping abruptly, Harry asked Goyle, as a strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, "Can I help you?" Harry croaked the words out weakly.
"Good night, I'll see you in class tomorrow?" Goyle asked, shyly. "Yeah, see you in class tomorrow." Harry responded, feeling a little more collected. With that Goyle stalked off towards the dungeons, head held high and dignified, now the proper Slytherin Harry knew him to be. Harry followed to stairs up to the Gryffindor common room. On his way up, the clock struck bells telling Harry it was 9:30, Ron and Hermione were going to wonder where he'd been for the last hour. What was Harry going to tell them? He couldn't tell them that Goyle had been crying in front of him that would be too embarrassing. Then Harry remembered that he was Gryffindor Quiditch Captain! He could easily get away from having to explain where he was for the last hour with that.
Harry entered the Common room greeted with quite a fanfare, as the students were celebrating being back at Hogwarts. Someone was passing around Butterbeer and there were sweets everywhere. Ron and Hermione came up to Harry and asked him about where he had been. He told them about being made team captain by Professor McGonagall and that he had Goyle had decided to make amends. He didn't add the part about Goyle crying.
"You're completely nutters trying to make friends with that one. I mean, he's a Slytherin. Completely nutters…" Ron rambled off, before Hermione could interrupt him.
"Well I think it's very mature of you Harry, I mean, after all we're sixteen now. Time to give up bad habits, I guess." She said with a smile and a hug for Harry.
"Hey, why does he get a hug?" Ron asked loudly, right before Hermione hugged him as well. "That's better." He didn't see Hermione as she rolled her eyes at him, but Harry knew what she meant.
After reuniting himself with a few of his house friends and enjoying the party a little, Harry, Ron and Neville wandered off to their dormitory for bed. The next day was the first day of classes, and Harry had the nagging suspicion that Snape was going to make his favorite class his least favorite class. Something else was tugging in the back of Harry's mind as well. For the first time in the last five and a half years Harry had noticed Goyle.
Noticed him the way one Quiditch player notices another Quiditch player, his mind thought rapidly. It's Goyle he's a Slytherin and a boy. You're just confused after having lost Sirius. You're not noticing the other boy, who also seems to be in a tumultuous emotional fix. He's so tall, large and when he touched me with his big, rough hand, I felt something Cho hadn't done for me last year. What if something is going on inside of me and I'm only just now realizing it?
Goyle was lying on his four-poster bed wondering what the hell he had been thinking earlier. He'd let Harry Potter see him cry. Potter was probably telling all of his Gryffindor friends about it too. When we touched our hands though, Goyle thought wildly. I felt a spark running through my body no one has ever done that for me, what is this feeling? Goyle was unsure of what was going on inside his head. But Harry Potter is a boy and a Gryffindor. Two things Goyle knew were off limits. Wait, I can't be thinking about Harry Potter, Goyle thought to himself. I'm just out of sorts right now, in a day or two I'll be thinking normal again.
The two boys fell asleep without any further thought about one another. They dreamt dreams of Quidditch, playing against one another on the field. Both of them awoke in the morning, unsure of whether they were dreaming about the sport or the other person. It was definitely going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts.
