The Beauty of Dark Arts

"Thinking about all the years we shared together makes me sick, as I know now that deep down, I should have known better...
"You were fake, man, you still are. Fake as Leprechaun gold. Not that I would ever compare you with gold anymore. Don't get me wrong, these goblets you have made of gold are quite impressive, even the Weasley twins would have given them a second look. I believe we all know how wealthy they are.

"Anyway, back to you. I met you ages ago, thinking we were the same kind, we could get along - become friends. Friends that could steal food from the kitchen, mess around with the House elves, do hexes at each other and everybody else, and not to speak about to put fire on that giant Hagrid's beard. Yes, I had plans for you and me.

"We were so close friends that we agreed that when were going to name our children after each other. To be perfectly honest, I never imagined you actually getting children, but I was young - I didn't know better.

"In years to come, you played along, mate, we were close like this . How did I, little stupid me, know that it was all a scenario? You pretended to be my friend, I never knew what it was that was going on in the back of your head, you had your own little plans, didn't you.

"Even today, I ask myself, why you ?

"I even gave you sweets from the packages I got every day at Hogwarts, I shared everything with you - yes - I even let you ride my Nimbus Two Thousand and One, even if I knew you were going to break it. Not that it mattered too much, though, as I got myself a Firebolt Maximum afterwards, and I'm telling you; that was a fantastic broom. I dived like I'd never dived before with it, and the speed - the speed - made a mess out of my hair and my ears went numb when I zoomed through the air, even if it was sun, rain, snow or if a tornado was around the next corner.

"But that's not the point. I was a star at my Nimbus, it was my everything. I let you as the only one to borrow it, you broke it - and what did I do? I forgave you, said it wasn't really your fault. It was those bloody Nimbus producers who made terrible brooms without any quality. It sure wasn't the only Nimbus that had been smashed during our time at Hogwarts. I knew then - and hopefully so did you know - that this was a complete lie. Nimbus made great brooms, and they still do, if I'm not mistaken. But still I lied, and said you were not to be blamed.

"Why? Because we were friends.

"The day you turned seventeen, I gave you a ring, something that had become a tradition in the inner circles of Lord Voldemort. It was a magnificent ring, it had once belonged to my great grandfather. My father would not let it go easily, but I convinced him in the end. He gave in because it was you .

"You seemed happy about my gift - people were jealous, and we both enjoyed our time in the spotlight. I was the great, rich boy who everybody wanted to befriend all of a sudden, and you were my lucky, best friend.

"All though all good times have to come to an end. So did our friendship.

"It is not with pride I stand here tonight, in front of your current friends. You betrayed me, you stuck a knife hard into my back, made sure it hurt - before you put salt into the graze, and rubbed it in.

"I don't hate you because you did what you did, no, I rather thank you. I thank you for opening my eyes to the real life. That's why I'm here, to thank you for opening the door for me to the brutal reality I've tried to hide from, which I pretended that didn't exist. I was living in a dream world, it was unreal and fake - like most of our friendship.

"When I saw your ring at her finger, my heart suddenly gave up beating for several seconds. If she had not spoken to me, it would probably never have started to beat again, and I would not be able to stand here today. But she did, and her silky voice tried to poison my mind again as it had done for six years already. I didn't know what to do, probably for the first time in my life.

"I pretended I didn't know anything. Me - Draco Malfoy, not knowing what is going on in his own House. I was the Slytherin House in our years at Hogwarts, for crying out loud. I knew everything from Zabini's Muggle girlfriend, to Bulstrode's eating- disorders, to Nott's secret meetings with his boyfriend in Ravenclaw - I knew about you and my girlfriend, but I let it pass.

"But whenever people say I'm cruel and doesn't own a heart, I ask them if they have ever met you.

"I wasn't invited to your wedding, since I wasn't supposed to know about it. I wasn't there when Pansy Parkinson cried her eyes out because she was so happy to be married with you . Two weeks earlier, she had told me she could hardly wait to marry me . Yes, I was dating Pansy when you two got married, now ask yourself how sick that is. But, as always, I didn't blame you, not then. I must admit, I was a bit disturbed when I wasn't invited, but then again; according to Pansy - she was at a Broomtrip across the continent with her beloving friends, not marrying you.

"I wasn't mad when Pansy told me she was a married woman. I didn't become mad before you got your third son, and none of them was named Draco. It was then I felt the betrayal, and you become a piece of garbage I never got rid off. Of course, in this magical world, anything is possible.

"Madness leads to a lot, my good friend, along with a trip or two to St. Mungo's. But madness also gives me strengths as I stand here, looking at your frightened face.

"Scared, Vincent? Now you're scared? You were never scared when I pointed my wand at you every other day while I pretended you were Potter, not when I tried out advanced Dark Art spells on you, giving you four legs or made you loose a finger or five. You just simply stood there, dumb and happy, with two empty eyes and a muffin in your hand.

"You said I only chose you as my friend because I imagined you were stupid. No, Crabbe, I didn't imagine you were stupid. I know.

"One thing is stealing my girlfriend. I never missed her too much, she was - after all - only a girl who just happened to share House with me at Hogwarts. That was about everything she meant to me. You could just have told me, you didn't have to give her the proof of our friendship so she could walk around with it around her finger. Just an idiot could do such a thing.

"Another thing is your promise of naming one of your sons after me - no, it's too late now. I don't like people who don't keep their promises. You got three sons, are there three names in this world that you fancy more than your own best friend's? Don't say this is all Pansy's fault, you're a Death Eater Crabbe. Even Goyle got a better grip on his wife, and that's saying something.

"And for making me believe that I actually had a friend... You were my first good friend, you were supposed to state an example. What kind of attitude do you think I got towards friends after you? You fucked up, Crabbe, you really did.

"I look at your friends you have gathered tonight, I'm so terribly sorry of ruining your evening. I would just be happy to say that Crabbe is doing a splendid job in spying at the Death Eaters, almost as good as Severus Snape himself. Oh, yes, there you are, Snape, having a pleasant time? Oh, now that I remember; the next Death Eater meeting is in the upcoming week, at Saturday, I think. Bring on all of your friends, we do have plenty of space in the Manor these days as both my parents are locked up in Azkaban.

"Now, I will stop talking, as I have spoken what's on my mind. I'm not here to kill any of you, as I suppose you thought I was. No, I'm not that cowardly, sneaking up behind your backs, killing you from behind. That's not me, that's Vincent Crabbe's style. As for me, I prefer to tell the truth, and it is what I've told you all now.

"It wasn't my father who created the evil me, it was my so called 'friend' who showed me there is nothing left in the good part of this world for me. I am your fault.

"So when all of you go back to your houses, to your family, and you find them at the floor, not moving, don't be afraid. Well, yes, they are dead, but they were not killed while they were looking away, or sleeping. No, they knew what was going to hit them, and they realised it, some of them even put up a real fight. Neither of them, however, managed to beat the beauty of Dark Arts.

"But I shall have this much; at least I knocked on the door first."