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"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation." Malfoy pulled himself free of Filchs grip, looking furious. "All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily. "I was trying to gate crash, happy." "No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face.
"You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headma ster say that nighttime prowling ' s out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh." -=-"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving it 1.1 nd. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party . Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay , Draco.
Fil ich's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly pre di c t able; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy. And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and . . . was it p ossible. ... a lit tl afraid. But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy h ad composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.
"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy's t hanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all...." "He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known. ..." Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking-up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.
"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly.
"Now , Severus," said Slughorn, hiccuping again, "it's Christ mas, do n't be too hard —" "I am his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly. "Follow me, Draco." They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute, then said, "I'll be back in a bit, Luna — er — bathroom." "All right," she said cheerfully, and he thought he heard her, as he hurried off into the crowd, resume the subject of the Rotfang Conspiracy with Professor Trelawney, who seemed sincerely in terested. It was easy, once out of the party, to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, for the corridor was quite deserted.
What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor,
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