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C h a m b e r   of   S e c r e t s   S u b t e x t

Chapter 4
The man who followed could only be his father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical cold, grey eyes. Mr Malfoy crossed the shop, looking lazily at the items on display, and rang a bell on the counter before turning to his son and saying, "Touch nothing, Draco."
Malfoy, who had reached for the glass eye, said, "I thought you were going to buy me a present."
"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father...
"What's the good of that if I'm not in the house team?" said Malfoy, looking sulky and bad-tempered. " Harry Potter got a Nimbus 2000 last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous... famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead..." Malfoy bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls. "...everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick - "
"You have told me this at least a dozen times already," said Mr Malfoy, with a quelling look at his son, "and I would remind you that it is not - prudent - to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear - ah, Mr Borgin."
"Can I have that?" interrupted Draco, pointing at the withered hand on its cushion.
"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr Borgin, abandoning Mr Malfoy's list and scurrying over to Draco. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."
"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin" said Mr. Malfoy coldly, and Mr. Borgin said quickly, "No offense, sir, no offfense meant -"
"Though if his school marks don't pick up," said Mr Malfoy, more coldly still, "that may indeed be all he is fit for -"
"It's not my fault," retorted Draco. "The teachers all have favourites, that Hermione Granger -"
"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snapped Mr Malfoy.
"Ha!" said Harry under his breath, pleased to see Draco looking both abashed and angry.
Harry watched nervously as Draco drew nearer and nearer to his hiding place, examining the objects for sale. He paused to examine a long coil of hangman's rope and to read, smirking, the card propped on a magnificent necklace of opals: Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed - Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.
Draco turned away and saw the cabinet right in front of him. He walked forward - he stretched out his hand for the handle -
"Done," said Mr Malfoy... "Come, Draco!"

~

Chapter 7
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."
Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the 7 superb broomsticks in front of him.
"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep 5's, I expect a museum would bid for them."
The Slytherin team howled with laughter.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."
The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.
Harry knew at once that Malfoy had said something really bad because there was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulling out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointing it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.
Ron opened his ,outh to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.
The Slytherin team were paralysed with laughter... Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist.

~

Chapter ?
"Let's think," said Ron in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle- borns are scum?"
Hermione looked back, unconvinced. "If you're talking about Malfoy - "
"Of course I am. You heard him: "You'll be next, Mudbloods - come on, you've only got to look at his foul, rat face to know it's him - "
"Malfoy, the heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione skeptically.
"Look at his family," said Harry. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin, he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."
"They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!" said Ron. "Handing it down, father to son..."
"Well," said Hermione cautiously. "I suppose it's possible...".
"But how do we prove it?" said Harry darkly.
"There might be another way," said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance acrooss the room at Percy. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect -"
"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you? said Ron irritably.
"All right," said Hermione coldly. "What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

~

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