"Hey," said Vincent from where he was sitting next to Draco, "I don't understand, boss, why'd we do that?"
"We didn't do it, you dolt!" snapped Draco. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, if even you think we - didn't your father ever tell you any stories about Bellatrix Black? She tortured Father once, she tortured your father, she's tortured everyone, the Dark Lord once told her to Crucio herself and she did it! She didn't do crazy things to inspire fear and obedience in the populace, she did crazy things because she's crazy! She's a bitch is what she is!"
"Oh, really?" said an incensed voice from behind Draco.
Draco didn't look up. Gregory and Vincent would be watching his back.
"I would've thought you'd be happy -"
"- to hear that a Death Eater had been freed, Malfoy!"
Amycus Carrow had always been one of the other problem people; Father had once told Draco to make sure he was never alone in the same room with Amycus...
Draco turned around and gave Flora and Hestia Carrow his Number Three Sneer, the one that said that he was in a Noble and Most Ancient House and they weren't and yes, that mattered. Draco said in their general direction, certainly not deigning to address them in particular, "There's Death Eaters and then there's Death Eaters," and then turned back to his food.
There were two furious huffs in unison, and then two pairs of shoes stormed off toward the other end of the Slytherin table.
It was a few minutes later that Millicent Bulstrode ran up to them, visibly out of breath, and said, "Mr. Malfoy, did you hear?"
"About Bellatrix Black?" said Draco. "Yeah -"
"No, about Potter!"
"What?"
"Potter was going around with a phoenix on his shoulder last night, looking like he'd been dragged through ten leagues of mud, they say that the phoenix took him to Azkaban to try to stop Bellatrix and he fought a duel with her and they blew up half the fortress!"
"What?" said Draco. "Oh, there is just no way that -"
Draco stopped.
He'd said that a number of times about Harry Potter and had started to notice a trend.
Millicent ran off to tell someone else.
"You don't really think -" said Gregory.
"I honestly don't know anymore," said Draco.
A few minutes later, after Theodore Nott had sat down across from him and William Rosier had gone to sit with the Carrow twins, Vincent nudged him and said, "There."
Harry Potter had entered the Great Hall.
Draco watched him closely.
There was no alarm on Harry's face as he saw, no surprise or shock, he just looked...
It was the same distant, self-absorbed look Harry wore when he was trying to figure out the answer to a question Draco couldn't understand yet.
Draco hastily shoved himself up from the bench of the Slytherin table, saying "Stay behind," and walked with all decorous speed toward Harry.
Harry seemed to notice his approach just as the other boy was turning toward the Ravenclaw table, and Draco -
- gave Harry one quick look -
- and then walked right past him, straight out of the Great Hall.
It was a minute later that Harry peered around the corner of the small stony nook where Draco had waited, it might not fool everyone but it would create plausible deniability.
"Quietus," said Harry. "Draco, what -"
Draco took the envelope out of his robes. "I have a message for you from Father."
"Huh?" said Harry, and took the envelope from Draco, and tore it open in a rather un-neat manner, and drew forth a sheet of parchment and unfolded it and -
Harry gave a sharp intake of breath.
Then Harry looked at Draco.
Then Harry looked back down at the parchment.
There was a pause.
Harry said, "Did Lucius tell you to report on my reaction to this?"
Draco paused for a moment, weighing, and then opened his mouth -
"I see he did," said Harry, and Draco cursed himself, he should've known better, only it had been hard to decide. "What are you going to tell him?"
"That you were surprised," said Draco.
"Surprised," Harry said flatly. "Yeah. Good. Tell him that."
"What is it?" said Draco. And then, as he saw Harry looking conflicted, "If you're dealing with Father behind my back -"
And Harry, without a word, gave Draco the paper.
It said:
I know it was you.
"WHAT THE -"
"I was going to ask you that," said Harry. "Have you got any idea what's up with your Dad?"
Draco stared at Harry.
Then Draco said, "Did you do it?"
"What?" said Harry. "What possible reason would I - how would I -"
"Did you do it, Harry?"
"No!" Harry said. "Of course not!"
Draco had listened carefully, but he hadn't detected any hesitation or tremor.
So Draco nodded, and said, "I've got no idea what Father's thinking but it can't, I mean it can't possibly be good. And, um... people are also saying..."
"What," said Harry warily, "are they saying, Draco?"
"Did a phoenix really take you to Azkaban to try to stop Bellatrix Black from escaping -"
Aftermath: Neville Longbottom
Harry had only just sat down at the Ravenclaw table for the first time, hoping to grab a quick bite of food. He knew he needed to go off and think about things, but there was a tiny remaining bit of phoenix's peace (even after the encounter with Draco) that he still wanted to cling to, some beautiful dream of which he remembered nothing but the beauty; and the part of him that wasn't feeling peaceful was waiting for all the anvils to finish dropping on him, so that when he went off to think and be by himself for a while, he could batch-process all the disasters at once.
Harry's hand grasped a fork, lifted a bite of mashed potatoes toward his mouth -
And there was a shriek.
Every now and then someone would shout when they heard the news, but Harry's ears recognized this one -
Harry was up from the bench in an instant, heading toward the Hufflepuff table, a horrible sick feeling dawning in the pit of his stomach. It was one of those things he hadn't considered when he'd decided to commit the crime, because Professor Quirrell had planned for no one to know; and now, afterward, Harry just - hadn't thought of it -
This, Hufflepuff said with bitter intensity, is also your fault.
But by the time Harry got there, Neville was sitting down and eating fried sausage patties with Snippyfig Sauce.
The Hufflepuff boy's hands were trembling, but he cut the food, and ate it, without dropping it.
"Hello, General," Neville said, his voice wavering only slightly. "Did you fight a duel with Bellatrix Black last night?"
"No," Harry said. His own voice was also wavery, for some reason.
"Didn't think so," said Neville. There was a scraping sound as his knife cut the sausage again. "I'm going to hunt her down and kill her, can I count on you to help?"
There were startled gasps from the mass of Hufflepuffs who had gathered around Neville.
"If she comes after you," Harry said hoarsely, if it was all a terrible mistake, if it was all a lie, "I'll defend you even with my life," won't let you get hurt for what I did, no matter what, "but I won't help you go after her, Neville, friends don't help friends commit suicide."