Here is my second entry in Romancing the Wizards March Madness Challenge. This one features Gregory Goyle and Eloise Midgen, the prompt skin deep, and 500 words. This one didn't win an Enchanted Quill Award, but I think you'll enjoy it. Seriously, if I thought you would hate it, I would never have bothered to post it.
Summary: Now that his so-called friends have abandoned him, Gregory Goyle is left to find true friendship and possibly even true love. Takes place at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince.

STARTING OVER

You're stupid and worthless! Those had been Malfoy's parting words to Gregory Goyle. Now Malfoy was gone. On top of that, Blaise Zabini was avoiding him and Vincent. Zabini was comforting Pansy Parkinson since she couldn't drape herself over Malfoy anymore.

Gregory put the last few things in his trunk. Chances were that he wouldn't be able to come back to Hogwarts next year. He had trusted a Malfoy the same way his father had a generation earlier. He slammed the lid of his trunk closed. Malfoy had been right; he had been so stupid to believe in all of it.

Hours later on the train, Gregory lumbered up and down the nearly-empty train car. Vincent's parents had come to the school after Dumbledore's funeral to take him home, and Zabini had informed Gregory that he would rather not have his company during the trip home. This left the young man completely on his own for what might very well be his last trip on the Hogwarts Express. He shoved open the door of what he thought was an empty compartment.

"What do you want?" demanded a pimply-faced girl, who was sketching a picture of spring flowers.

"I thought it was empty."

"Wait. Aren't you friends with Draco Malfoy?"

He shook his head. "Not really."

"What do you mean 'not really'?"

"I mean, he's not really my friend— not anymore." He turned to leave the compartment.

"You may sit with me if you like." She indicated the vacant seat across from her. "By the way, I'm Eloise Midgen. And you're... Vincent Crabbe?"

"Gregory Goyle," he corrected. "Aren't you afraid to sit with a Slytherin after what happened at school?"

"If you don't count Draco Malfoy as your friend, you probably aren't dangerous," Eloise reasoned. "Now, what made you decide that you aren't really Malfoy's friend?"

"Uh..." Suddenly, every slight that he endured from Malfoy under the guise of friendship tumbled out of his mouth. Eloise sat, listening patiently, until he said, "I guess Malfoy was right; I'm just stupid and worthless after all."

"I don't think so. You're clever to figure it out." She sighed. "It's better than being pimply and ugly. Not to mention dense enough to think Extracto Mendum was a real spell."

He looked at his traveling companion. Eloise was homely. She was short-ish and plump-ish. Her stringy, brown hair was parted severely down the center and hung limply on either side of her pale, pock-marked face. Unfortunately, her acne seemed to be her only distinguishing feature. Gregory decided that he liked her eyes; they were a warm, honest brown. She had been nice enough to not only let him share her compartment, but she had also listened to his problems. Maybe beauty was only skin deep. Perhaps he had finally found a real friend. If he was really fortunate, he could even have something more.

"You're not ugly," he said, offering his hand. "I would like to get to know you better."

Eloise smiled, accepting it.

Author's Notes: Since we weren't given a name for the anti-acne spell Miss Midgen tried to use, I decided to give it a name. It comes from the Latin extractum, meaning "to remove" and mendum, meaning "blemish".

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