Chapter 2.5: Grey Kit

Hogwarts - 1992

Edmund could sense the other boy's gaze on him, but he kept his own gaze out the window. Through a faint reflection on the window glass, Edmund could see the silhouette of Draco Malfoy steadily looking his way. The boy's light-coloured hair, like some sort of apparition, floated on the surface of the glass just above Edmund's own reflection.

He was aware that the Malfoy boy had become more relaxed around him over the year they had spent together. They made an odd couple in Hogwarts, the infamous pure-blood heir and the most unusual 'muggle-born' Slytherin, always walking side by side. Friends, they thought the two of them were. But were they?

Soon after Edmund shook Malfoy's hand the first time, he realised that the boy's family name meant much more than he had imagined in the magical society. The fact that the boy handled the two other pure blood boys, much bigger than him, no less, as if they were to serve him, showed that the value of the name Malfoy was great. Edmund immediately decided he could use it to his advantage. And how wonderfully that worked. Truly. He had to face a few bullies who were idiotic enough for him to defeat on his own, but otherwise, his stay in the house of snakes was quite pleasant. He could definitely thank Malfoy for that. The boy was looking out for him, even if it was, seemingly, to please his father.

That was the other thing, wasn't it? Edmund spotted Malfoy's interaction with his father's letters, how the boy was eager to satisfy and terrified to disappoint the man. If Edmund could define his emotions as he somewhat used to before the curse, he would say what he was feeling for the boy was something akin to pity or sympathy. After all, had he himself not found through the hard path that life is more than that? Over the year he had spent with Malfoy, or as the boy allowed him to be called, Draco, Edmund developed a faint sense of responsibility for the boy's morality and such. It wasn't a great sense, but nevertheless, it was there, a hint of Edmund's last bit of humanity. To keep it alive, Edmund would stick by Draco.

He remembered the day Draco had awakened a serious concern in regard to the progress of his curse.

...

"Well, isn't it obvious?" He was saying. "Harry Potter's the child of light. He's supposed to be the good. Dumbledore or Miner-" He caught himself quickly before continuing. "McGonagall will choose to coddle him until he's ready to fight against the true evil."

He hadn't even realised that he had said what he had said. It was only when Draco repeated after him, Edmund realised.

"True evil? Who?"

That had stilled him. He laid his fork down, his mind whirling with the image of the White Witch, every night invading his heart and soul. Aslan talked of the curse's consequences, but what would happen to him once the curse takes over his heart completely? Would he simply be the vessel of the Witch, or would it be his own cold, altered will that would destroy the world? In the end, Edmund could only try half a smile, though he doubted he made it look like a smile successfully. "We'll see, won't we?"

...

And that had also been the day they began to call each other by their given names. The day they began their conspiracy against the darling of Hogwarts, Harry Potter. It had eventually led Edmund to face the muggle-born witch, Hermione Granger, in the girls' lavatory that night the troll entered the school.

...

Edmund had separated from Draco's group and was looking for Miss Granger after the Charms lecture. The conflict between the clever little girl and the self-righteous Gryffindor boys was at its peak, and Edmund could sense that its resolution would mark the beginning of their unbreakable bond of a friendship. He had to infiltrate between the two now, or he would lose the chance forever. Luckily for him, Edmund soon heard a sniffling noise and some angry muttering from the girls' lavatory on the first floor. Not entering the toilets, Edmund, from the door, called out.

"Are you alright there?"

Instantly, the sniffling stopped with a surprised gasp. A few seconds later, a very unhappy voice answered. "Go away!"

"You know, Miss Granger, yielding sometimes helps."

There was a moment of silence.

"To do what?" The voice finally asked.

Smiling slyly, which he had been doing quite frequently recently, Edmund responded. "To make friends."

There was no answer, merely a soft grunt.

Edmund pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. It was the one with his initials "E.P." embroidered. He did not know this was how he would make it work, but evidently, luck seemed to be on his side tonight, for sure. He flicked his wand and muttered "Wingardium Leviosa" at the grey fabric. The handkerchief began to float forward, into the lavatory, and Edmund made sure to drop it in the stall that he was sure Miss Granger had been crying in. As soon as he let the spell loose and the kerchief dropped, there was a quiet gasp of surprise, not as offended as before. Then there was another gasp of recognition and then perhaps of realisation.

"You, you're-" The girl stuttered.

But before she could finish, Edmund spoke up. "The muggle-born in Slytherin."

"I, I mean, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's alright, Miss Granger." Edmund did his best to lace his every word with care and some sense of sincerity. "All I wanted to tell you was... that I know what it's like to want to feel like you belong somewhere."

A small huff sounded from inside.

"Well, it looked as if you've made yourself belong in there alright. I've seen you with Malfoy."

Edmund let out a sigh, audible but genuine enough. "I don't enjoy it, Miss Granger. But as I've said, yielding gives you friends."

A voice full of disdain replied. "I don't need friends so desperately."

"I did," Edmund retorted. "Do you know how it was to have been sorted into Slytherin when you're from some nameless muggle family? I had to survive. Fortunately, Malfoy somehow felt merciful and found me a good toy. But what about you? You're in a house where you can make genuine friends, Miss Granger. You only have to step down a little from the pedestal, and you'll see that."

There were no words in return. Edmund, nodding in satisfaction, walked away from the lavatory.

...

Later he heard that the Granger girl had lost some points for her house because she had acted out against the troll despite a very clear command from the professors that students were not to engage with the beastly creature. From the amiable change in the relationship among the three troublesome Gryffindors, Edmund knew Hermione Granger had sacrificed something to save the faces of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. It meant that she took his advice, which, in turn, meant that she tacitly agreed to give him a new perspective, beside the one that all Slytherins, especially those who hung out with Malfoy, were awful.

Since Edmund could not fathom accurately exactly when the two sides of war would definitively split and make enemies of each other, he had to work fast to worm his way into the trio. This would be the year to do that, he supposed. The faster the better. That would perhaps, possibly give him time to change the light's opinion regarding Draco Malfoy, an offspring of one of the darkest. Once Potter's group trusted Edmund fully, they would be ready to accept the possibility that Draco Malfoy could be on the side of the good.