Chapter 5:
"That's it!" Daphne exclaimed. "You're not the Boy Who Lived."
"Yes, that's what I just said." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Shut up. You're not the Boy Who Lived, but Longbottom is! And if the past four years have told us anything, it's that the idiot will put himself in the middle of the situation!"
"He's going to try and take down Umbridge!" Pansy grinned.
"Exactly! And if he does anything, most of the Gryffindors will side with him."
"But they hate him right now," Blaise pointed out.
"Please, as if that's going to stick," Harry bit out. "Give them a month, and they'll be back to praising him as if he were a god."
"And they hate Umbridge much more."
"But what will Longbottom be able to do?" Theo asked. "I mean, not even Dumbledore could stop the Ministry from placing Umbridge here."
"He'll find a way," Daphne said dismissively. "How did he beat the Triwizard Tournament, or find the Chamber of Secrets, or protect the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Dumb luck."
"Most likely, but that doesn't change the fact that he's managed the impossible before."
"So what? You want us to team up with Longbottom?" Malfoy asked, disgusted.
"Of course not," Daphne glared at him. "But we can help behind the scenes, without anyone knowing. That way, when Longbottom makes his move, all the risk is on him and all the reward is on us."
"Even if that was true and even if he managed to somehow get rid of Umbridge, how are we supposed to know how to help without talking to them and knowing what they're planning?" Harry questioned.
"We learn what they're planning."
"No shit, Sherlock. But how do you plan on learning what the three most secretive and closed-off students Hogwarts has seen in the past hundred years are planning to do?"
"I haven't gotten to that part yet, Potter, and I don't see you coming up with any better ideas."
"Alright," Draco cut it. "Here's what we'll do. Daphne, you and I can work on finding a way to snoop on their conversations. There must be something in the library or even in our family grimoire's that should let us do that - maybe Snape knows of a spell or potion that could help too. Theo, Blaise, you guys start spreading the idea of getting rid of Umbridge around the school, I don't think it should be that hard given how no one seems to like her, so it's an easy job."
"Yessir." Blaise grinned.
"Potter and Parkinson-"
"Stop right there, Blondie." Harry chuckled. "You might have these guys fooled to be your goons, but I'm not. You're not calling the shots around here, and I'm certainly not taking orders from you."
"What's your deal, Potter? What's the big deal about who's leading?"
"If it's no big deal, then I'll take the reins."
"Over my dead body, you are. I'm the leader of our year, you're the good for nothing recluse we decided to include."
"It's as simple as this, Malfoy. Either I call the shots, or I'm gone."
"Then go! We don't need you."
"Finally," Harry stood up, grabbed his bag from the ground and turned to leave.
"Do you know what your problem is?" Draco asked.
"Enlighten me," Harry replied sardonically.
"You think you're better than us. Ever since you bloody got here, you've had this entitled attitude, and it's why you don't have any friends."
Harry turned back and slightly ducked so that he was looking right at the Slytherin's face.
"I don't think I'm better than you, Malfoy. I know I am."
With one last smirk, Harry took his leave and began walking out of the Great Hall. The Umbridge plan was a good idea, one that he massively supported, but it wasn't his problem. The other Slytherins could do it with or without his help, and the last thing he wanted was to become another one of Malfoy's gorillas. He was actually surprised that even the others were willing to do so themselves.
Since the start of the first year, there were stark contrasts between the six genuine Slytherins, and the other four who were only there because of familial ties. Crabbe and Goyle had the combined intellect of a brain-dead horse, Davis was what you would find if you looked up sycophant in the dictionary, and Bullstrode was as independent and cunning as she was attractive and smart.
It was the other five house-mates who Harry respected.
Daphne was not only one of the most beautiful girls in the school, but was extremely cunning and manipulative in the most subtle ways. Blaise was a social butterfly who was friends with everyone, there was no person who disliked him, no rumour he didn't know, and he used all of that for his advantage. Theo, while also superb in the social area, was a master in any sport he picked up - he was almost chosen as seeker in their first year, but Snape didn't allow for it since it broke the school rules, and was later picked for it in second.
Draco, for as much crap as Harry enjoyed giving him, was more than competent in all the academic areas, and a prodigy at potions, and clearly good enough a leader to rally the whole year behind him. And then there was Pansy, she wasn't the cleverest in the social area, though when she really wanted to, she would be even better at it than Daphne or even Blaise, and she was whip smart in everything out there - there wasn't a subject she didn't ace at and was the only competition for Granger in becoming Head Girl.
He respected, and to a certain extent admired, each and every one of them - but goddamn it, could they get on his nerves.
"Where do you think you're off to, Potter?" A voice called out to him from behind him.
"You can't take a hint, can you, Parkinson? You should really know when you're being rejected."
"People don't reject me," she told him with a patronizing smile.
*********
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