Shouldn't I Know Why?

Shouldn't I Know Why

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were troublemakers in their own right. Ignoring the fact that they were known more so for following around Draco Malfoy and acting like they were the biggest idiots in the world, they were pretty good when it came to pulling pranks.

What no one knew about them was that both Crabbe and Goyle were actually rather smart. The stupidity act was, according to them, helping them to slowly impress their Slytherin classmates when they would prove Draco wrong on small, but complicated facts. This was more prevalent in Transfiguration where Crabbe had to correct Draco's failed work. A lamp transfigured into a candle, that was easy for Crabbe, but Draco would have a candle with a tiny lampshade covering the flame.

Crabbe was more talented in Potions, thought he wouldn't admit it to anyone. He loved Potions but, like the Gryffindors, didn't particularly like Professor Snape. To him, it was something about Snape that didn't seem right, apart from his obvious bias towards the Slytherins, but he could never put his finger on it.

When it came to Harry Potter and his friends, that was one thing they could agree on with Malfoy. Neither boy could honestly stand them. The famous Harry 'The Boy Who Lived' Potter, Hermione 'Mudblood' Granger and Ron 'Weasel' Weasley were plain annoying. It never worried them that the trio existed, they just tried to ignore them.

Ever since Harry had rejected Draco's offer to be friends on their first day at Hogwarts, all the two boys ever heard from Draco was about being rejected by Potter. After the duelling club fiasco in second year, where Harry's gift of Parseltongue was exposed by Draco's 'Serpensortia', Malfoy whined that Harry had it too good with too much recognition.

Draco's whining only got worse after Quidditch matches against Gryffindor. They would lose all their games against them and all the blame would be put onto Draco because, once again, he missed the Snitch. Crabbe and Goyle would never play Quidditch, though it never really worried them. They liked playing the supporting role, so it wasn't much of a problem to sit on the sidelines. At least they weren't the ones getting the blame when the team lost.

They didn't much care when it came to Draco. As far as they were concerned, he could look after himself.

But one night he didn't come back to the Common Room. This wasn't normal for Draco to not turn up, but Crabbe and Goyle didn't think anything of it.

Instead they waited in the Transfiguration's classroom for him. Mainly to berate him for not turning up last night.

After a couple of minutes they started to transfigure parts of the room, mainly out of boredom. They made the bench that Pansy sat at a nice hollow wooden stool. The hole that Harry's ink bottle sat in became smaller and they made Neville's desk a little bit higher. They were about to turn Hermione's cat Crookshanks into a fluffy orange pillow, when they heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Malfoy?" Crabbe asked

"Nah," Goyle was looking out the door, "it's Potter and friends."

"We better hide."

Both boys hid behind a large bookcase, which luckily for them, was large enough to fit both of the robust boys.

As Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the room, Goyle hit Crabbe and told him to 'shush up'.

"All right Harry we're here, there's no one around so start talking."

"Honestly Ron, I'm sure that Harry will answer all of our questions."

"Sure Hermione, it's about time I told you anyway. So where do you want to start?"

"How about the beginning Harry?" Ron looked rather tired from Crabbe's point of view.

"Ron, don't be stupid."

"But Hermione it's logical to start at the beginning."

Harry was quick to chime in.

"Guys! I'll explain how we got together from the beginning."

Goyle tried to hold a snigger. "Potter's got a girlfriend."

Harry took a deep breath, then his words began to spill out like a fast flowing waterfall.

"Remember when Malfoy and I got that detention for our little fight during the Quidditch match?"

"Oh yeah," Ron said. "I remember that well. That was during the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw match wasn't it?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "I remember that. You called him a 'slimy, Pureblood sadist'."

She giggled at the memory of how Malfoy's smug face quickly fell.

"Well Snape made us clear out the student cupboard in the Potions classroom and then his own private stash."

Crabbe picked up a piece of scrap paper and a quill someone had dropped. He started to write a note to Goyle:

I remember that. Draco came back really late and seemed quite unlike his normal self. We though something had crawled into his brain.

Goyle grabbed the quill and continued:

He said he was okay but didn't he head out again later that night?

Snatching the quill back, Crabbe finished:

Yeah but he didn't say where he went to when he got back. He was rather messed up, kinda like he had a rough trip.

Their attention moved back to the trio.

"Didn't you and Malfoy get into another fight?" Hermione asked. "I heard you two did a bit of damage to each other."

"Not to mention the classroom," Harry added.

"Luckily you and Malfoy both knew the 'Repairo' charm. Snape would have had both of your guts for garters." Ron remembered that he and Harry had spent some time in the hospital ward while Harry got splinters taken out of his arm.

"Well, at the same time we were having this massive screaming match," Harry continued. "He kept screaming 'What have you got against me Potter? What in hell have you got against me?"

"What did you say?" asked Hermione.

"I told him that the main thing I had against him was his snobby, spoiled brat attitude."

"So basically," Ron concluded, "what you had against him was that he was a Malfoy, and a big pain in the ass one at that?"

"Pretty much," snickered Harry. "Wanna hear what else he said?"

"Okay, tell." both Hermione and Ron urged Harry.

Harry took another deep breath.

"He said that the day I rejected his hand of friendship, he felt like it was the worst day of his life."

By the time Harry had got to the end of the sentence, the trio were laughing hysterically. Ron had even fallen off his chair and onto the ground.

Crabbe and Goyle could confirm that Draco had actually said that to them, then promised to make Harry's life a living hell, which he failed to do.

Both of the boys remembered about Draco's father giving him hell for even offering a hand to the young orphan. Let alone the fact that he was 'The Boy Who Lived', but that fact that the Slytherin had tried to be friends with a Potter of any sort.

Goyle's parents had often told him about Harry and Draco's fathers hatred of each other. Just like the two boys, the fathers couldn't stand each other, but as the years wore on, they had developed an understanding of each other and started to be civil towards one another. They still hated each other; they weren't destined to be friends anyway.

"So," said Ron, who had laughed so hard that he was shedding a few tears. "Did you ask him the same thing?"

Harry smiled, his cheeks were red, but not only from the laughing.

"No I didn't actually. I did ask him a question though."

"What was it Harry?" Hermione had moved over closer to him.

"I asked him," Harry took a big breath, "why was he getting all upset over our rivalry."

He glanced around.

"I mean, he was getting really upset. Majorly upset."

Ron was trying not to laugh.

"So what was your response?"

"He said that there was so much I didn't know about him and that I was making decisions on hearsay."

Ron grunted.

"Hearsay! Stupid git, it's all true."

Hermione could see something in Harry's eye, which made her squeeze his hand re-assuringly.

"Go on, Harry," she urged.

"So I cut to the chase and asked him what he really thought of me, and he only said one thing."

"What?"

"That he hated me for the sole fact that he loved me."

At the end of the sentence, only two words were muttered: "Oh shit."

All of a sudden, a smaller bookcase that was shielding Goyle had fallen down. Ron waltzed over, muttered a few words and the bookcase flew back upright and the books put themselves back on the shelves.

Ron hadn't seen the two boys as he had come around the side of their hiding place because he had stood side on to their hiding place so that it was slightly obstructing his view.

"So Harry," Ron asked as he returned to his seat, a bemused look on his face. "Did you two get it on afterwards?"

Hermione slapped him on the head, hard.

"No," Harry chuckled. "Snape came along and told us to go. I promptly ran the opposite direction, away from Malfoy."

"Then you came back to Gryffindor Channel, and I took you to the hospital wing to get the splinters taken out of your arms."

Ron looked suddenly confused.

"You came back rather late. Where did you go to after I left you at the Hospital wing?"

"Simple," Harry smiled. "Down to the lake with my Invisibility Cloak on. I always go there to clear my head at night."

"Let me guess, you weren't the only one there?" Hermione asked.

"Actually I was, for a while."

"For a while?"

"Yeah, about ten minutes, then Malfoy showed up."

"He never gives up does he?" Ron was starting to look a bit more comfortable.

"I know," retorted Harry. "He sat down and said that he shouldn't have said what he said but he meant it. Then I told him that it shocked me to hear what he said, but I had to be honest. I told him that I liked him too."

Ron screwed up his face. "You never told us."

"I was going to but I was only going to if something happened, and only after a couple on months if it did. But after Pansy started to tell people that her and Malfoy were dating, I didn't see the need."

"So Harry," Hermione asked, "are you and Malfoy dating?"

Harry took a deep breath.

"Yes we are, Hermione. Draco and I are a couple."

It was at this point that Crabbe and Goyle actually started to listen. They had caught bits and pieces of the conversation but thought Potter was talking about someone else, not Draco. It was normally hard to comprehend that a Slytherin was going out with a Gryffindor, but Draco and Potter, that was different altogether.

Crabbe picked up the quill again:

"This is not good. Malfoy and Potter, a couple. We have to do something. Imagine the shame it would bring to us?"

Goyle's response was short:

"We are going to make him suffer big time."

Ron's face screwed up again.

"So why didn't you tell us Harry?"

Harry chuckled, "What would have happened if the news had got out, Ron? Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts' greatest enemies, going out, a couple. Lucius Malfoy would not have liked it."

"He would have been livid to be more precise," Hermione corrected.

"You've told us enough, Harry," Ron said. "But I have one question."

"Shoot."

"Who asked whom out?"

Both Harry and Hermione were almost floored by the question.

"He asked me a week later while passing notes in Charms class and no I didn't keep the note, Malfoy has it."

"That's all I wanted to know." Ron got up and headed towards that door.

"Where are you going Ron?" Hermione called after him. "Class starts soon."

"I have business to attend to. Take notes for me will you?"

With that, he exited the room.

Hermione turned to Harry, "I wish you had told us earlier."

"Sorry."

"How is he?"

"He'll be fine. Unless Ron gets to him, he'll be out tonight."

Harry and Hermione took their seats as the class started to pour in.

"Out tonight? What happened to Draco?" Goyle asked.

"How the hell should I know, dipstick?" hissed Crabbe.

As the class started to enter through the doors, Crabbe and Goyle slid in at the end of the group and sat themselves down for class.

The lesson seemed to go by quickly but Ron didn't show up.

"Wanna come up to the Hospital with me, Hermione?"

"Sure, Harry. Why the hell not?"

They didn't talk much as they walked up to the door of the ward that Malfoy was in, which in a way, was very lucky. The noise they heard on the other side of the door told them that something was wrong. Very wrong.

As they burst through the doors, the sight that greeted them made a cold shiver run down their spines.

"WHAT IN HELL ARE YOU DOING???" Harry yelled.

One of the figures turned around exposing Malfoy's face, which was white with fear.

"Harry, Hermione, help me!" Malfoy yelled. He never thought he'd ask Hermione to help him

While Harry was too scared to do anything, Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she yelled and the two figures fell onto the backs.

"Are you okay?" Harry ran to Malfoy's side and gave him a large hug.

"I am now. I think I owe you big time, Hermione."

Hermione smiled, "Just lay off the Mudblood comments for now will you?" she asked as she bent over the two figures and inspected them.

"I'll try."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Before Malfoy could start, Hermione interrupted.

Hermione straightened herself up and studied two vials.

"Is that....?" Malfoy asked

"Yes," Hermione answered. "It's a love potion found in Moste Potente Potions. It's also available by mail order if you want to sneak it into the school."

She opened the other vial, took a sniff and took it to Harry.

"Remind you of something?"

He took a whiff and his face screwed up.

"Yeah, it does."

"What is it Harry?" Malfoy asked

"Polyjuice Potion. It allows the person who drinks it to turn into anyone for around an hour. It's difficult to make but the last ingredient is often the hardest to get."

"What's that?"

"A hair from the person they want to change into."

Malfoy pointed to the large vial.

"My hair's in that."

"I think I know what was going to happen to Malfoy."

"What?" Both boys were desperate to know

Hermione started, "Well......"