MORALITY ( HARRY POTTER )

THREE.

Draco Malfoy was sat in the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast as he did what he did best; rant about Harry Potter. Eridanus Lestrange listened to his cousin complain about The Boy Who Lived in disinterest, nodding his head in agreement as he played with his green and silver tie - having been sorted into Slytherin along with the first years earlier that evening. He hadn't been paying too much attention to the platinum haired boy, however, he did pick up on the fact Draco had talked to the trio about Eridanus, as he knew there were going to try something on Lestrange. He did find that interesting but he knew he would never give the information that the Gryffindor's were most likely eager to get.

Eridanus ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes in disinterest yet as he did he quickly picked up on the sensation as if someone were staring at him. The curly haired boy glanced up, searching for the culprits, before his eyes landed on three Gryffindors. Harry, Ron and Hermione whispered amongst themselves as they blatantly stared at the boy. The newly placed Slytherin slowly grew agitated as he didn't enjoy the feeling of multiple pairs of eyes on him at once.

A few things happened once the trio realized that Eridanus had caught onto their staring and was in turn staring at the three of them, tuning out the rambles of his cousin as he wondered why those that Draco hated so much had taken a special interest in him. Ron Weasley blushed a bright red, rivaling that of his hair, the freckles splattered along his face now hidden beneath the pink hue. Hermione Granger narrowed her dark brown eyes, not at all ashamed that she had been caught staring, scratching her head through her frizzled hair as she attempted to solve the enigma that was Eridanus Lestrange. And last, but certainly not least, Harry Potter continued to stare at him as well, thick eyebrows furrowing as he wondered what made Eridanus so special. So far, he hadn't seemed that much different than his cousin yet at the same time, Harry could already tell that he was kinder as he hadn't made fun of him or his friends like Draco had. Even so, Eridanus still had this dark and deathly aura that surrounded him and Harry wanted to find out what was the reason for that.

Eridanus leaned back on the wood bench that lined the Slytherin table, staring flatley at the two students who refused to look away. He raised one brow in a silent question, one that neither Harry or Hermione seemed to be able to answer as that is when they finally glanced away, but not before Harry and Eridanus made eye contact for a brief moment, stormy blue eyes meeting emerald green.

“Draco,” Eridanus spoke, noticing for the first time how his cousin had seemed to stop talking as he hungrily ate his plate of chicken and yam. Said boy glanced at Eridanus curiously, as this was the first time his cousin had spoken since arriving to Hogwarts. Draco nodded his head, silently urging the Lestrange to continue with what he had been planning to say. “Why does it seem as though Slytherin hates Gryffindor and vice versa?” He asked curiously, the question having been on his mind ever since the summer when he had heard both Draco and Lucius complaining about the so called ‘self righteous gits’. That was one of the ways that Draco was quite similar to Lucius. Like father, like son he supposed.

Draco's grey eyes darkened at the mention of the house of the lion as he began to rant, getting more and more riled up as he spoke. “Oh, those red and gold prats? They think they can run this school, never getting into trouble for anything, even with the Weasley Twins’ constant pranking and Potter, Weasley, and Granger's constant breaking of rules. They've got Dumbledore wrapped around their fingers and he lets them get away with it. It's totally unfair! At least Snape gives them the treatment they deserve, actually doing his job as a teacher and deducting points or assigning detention to those who disobey. They deserve much more in my opinion…”

Although Eridanus had asked the question, he only somewhat listened to his cousin's answer as he instead became lost in his thoughts. He began playing with his tie once more, slipping the silk material through his fingers as he thought deeply about Potter and their interaction. Eridanus could tell that the trio had been analyzing him and he didn't appreciate it one bit, it made him feel quite vulnerable as he worried that perhaps they would notice something that the boy was attempting so drastically to conceal. Eridnaus, however,  knew it would be impossible to do so as he was quite good at covering his tracks and thought long and hard before he spoke, making sure nothing slipped that he didn't want to slip. He remembered that Draco during his rant had mentioned how Hermione Granger was quite smart and not much went over her head, making him believe that perhaps if she was as smart as she seemed, she would have him figured out by the end of the week.