The magical object on the door announced the visitors: Goyle and Vincent, the original Draco's lackeys.
Draco instructed it to open the front door automatically.
The two entered the drawing room. Draco looked over and saw two tall figures standing there, burly and powerfully built, far bigger than other children their age.
Had their faces not still carried a trace of youthful awkwardness, with childishness lingering around their eyes and brows, anyone would have mistaken them for adult hired muscle.
With those towering figures standing before him, Draco had to tilt his head up slightly from his seat on the sofa to see their faces clearly.
"Who are you?" Draco asked, feigning confusion, though a hint of amusement lurked in his eyes.
The moment he spoke, the stockier boy on the left grinned, his thick voice rumbling like a muffled drum. "Stop joking, boss. It's me, Goyle! How come you don't recognize me?"
The boy on the right hurried to chime in, sounding a little anxious, as though afraid Draco really had forgotten him. "I'm Vincent, boss! We've been together since we were little. How could you not recognize us?"
Their eyes were full of genuine bewilderment. Neither realized Draco was deliberately teasing them.
Draco couldn't help laughing. He waved a hand and softened his tone. "I'm just teasing. Of course I recognize you. Come sit down. What are you still standing around for?"
Once they sat down, Draco looked them up and down and couldn't resist asking, "What on earth did you two eat growing up? You're so tall and bulky, a good deal bigger than ordinary kids your age."
Goyle scratched his head, an honest smile spreading across his face. "Um... just Mum's mashed potatoes with meat sauce. She gives me a huge plate every time, and I always finish it."
"Me too! Besides mashed potatoes with meat sauce, my mum's always making all kinds of cakes-chocolate, fruit. I can eat as much as I want. There's always plenty." Vincent hastily joined in, a hint of pride in his eyes, as though eating a lot were something to be proud of.
Hearing their straightforward answers, Draco shook his head helplessly and offered a warning. "You ought to eat less from now on. Learn to control your appetites. You're so fat and bulky that moving around will be inconvenient later. Even if you want to beat someone up, you won't be quick on your feet. You'll be more likely to come off worse instead."
Goyle's face immediately fell, his brows knitting together as he said with evident difficulty, "Boss, that's way too hard! Whenever I see something tasty, I can't help myself. I just can't hold back."
Vincent nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, boss. You might as well kill us as make us eat less! Eating's the best part of the day."
Both wore looks of bitter misery, as though eating even one bite less would be unbearable torture.
Seeing this, Draco knew they were simple and straightforward by nature, and that their gluttonous habits wouldn't change anytime soon.
He stopped trying to persuade them and asked instead, "Did you come all the way to my house today for something?"
Goyle hurriedly straightened his back and said with some excitement, "Didn't you tell us to come the day before yesterday, boss? You said you wanted to practice flying early to get ready for Quidditch at Hogwarts, and told us to come today to help you practice on your broom."
"Yeah, yeah! We made sure to come early so we wouldn't hold you up, boss. Whatever you want to do, we'll give you our full support," Vincent agreed.
Both looked eager to please as they waited for Draco's instructions.
Draco slowly shook his head. "I don't need you to help me practice today. I have something else important to do, so I won't be practicing broomstick flying with you. Some other day."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Goyle's face before eagerness flared up again. "If you've got something to do, boss, how could we stay out of it as your lackeys? Whatever it is, we'll come along and help. No questions asked."
"Exactly! Your business is our top priority, boss. We'd walk through fire for you, never mind lend a hand," Vincent said, his face equally full of loyalty.
Draco looked at them, torn between irritation and amusement, and raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you two get so good with words? You've even learned to suck up to people?"
An honest smile appeared on Goyle's face. He scratched his head bashfully. "We learned it from you, boss! You always know just what to say. We can't go wrong learning a bit from you."
Draco immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Am I the sort of person who likes hearing flattery and sucking up to people? Don't drag me into this."
Vincent hurried to back him up. "Exactly! There are loads of people sucking up to the boss, all falling over themselves to please him. Why would he need to suck up to anyone else? You've got it wrong, Goyle."
Draco was left speechless and grumbled inwardly, Vincent isn't wrong about that. With Lucius Malfoy's power and influence, there's always been a steady stream of people trying to curry favor with the Malfoy family. The original Draco really never had to bow and scrape to anyone.
It just sounded rather ostentatious when put so bluntly.
Draco pushed those thoughts aside and changed the subject. "Since neither of you has anything to do, go home and fetch the magic books you'll need for school. You'll learn some basic spells with me today."
At those words, Goyle and Vincent both froze, their bodies going rigid, their faces blank with bewilderment.
Goyle blinked, his voice incredulous. "Boss, you're going to study?"
Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "Why can't I study? Aren't wizards supposed to learn spells?"
Vincent hurriedly waved his hands. "You can, you can! Of course you can! It's just that you never used to touch magic books, boss. You couldn't even be bothered to pay attention in class. Why do you suddenly want to study on your own?"
Their eyes were filled with genuine confusion. Clearly, Draco's change had taken them completely by surprise.
Draco sighed helplessly and said with some impatience, "What nonsense are you talking about? Haven't I been to school before? Since I'm going to Hogwarts, naturally I should study ahead so I don't fall behind once I start."
Vincent hastily explained, "No, boss, I'm not saying you've never been to school. I mean, even when you went to school before, you never really put much effort into studying. You could never be bothered to bury yourself in books, so seeing you suddenly take the initiative today..."
"Enough nonsense!" Draco cut him off. "I told you to go home and fetch your books, so get going. What's with all the questions?"
Goyle scratched his head, looking troubled. "But boss, we haven't bought the magic books we need for school yet. Our families haven't had time to get them ready."
"Then hurry home and tell your families to take you shopping in Diagon Alley," Draco urged. "School's starting soon. You should've had these things ready ages ago. Stop putting it off."
Vincent looked at Draco and said with a touch of hurt and disappointment, "You've changed, boss. The three of us used to be inseparable. We did everything together, but you didn't even invite us when you went to buy your school supplies."
Draco choked with anger and immediately snapped, "What a load of crap! Do I have to take you along for everything I do? Do you have to stand beside me and sniff it when I take a shit, too?"
Those blunt, coarse words instantly put an end to their desire to keep rambling. Embarrassment appeared on both their faces, and they stammered, unable to say anything.
Once they had settled down, Draco softened his tone a little and came up with an excuse to brush them off. "I'm doing this to train you, too, so you can learn to handle things on your own. You can't rely on me for everything. That way, once you get to Hogwarts, you'll be able to take care of little everyday matters yourselves."
Goyle didn't appreciate it, however, and shook his head. "What's so great about books? They're dead boring. We can just learn from you, boss. With you, we improve by leaps and bounds every day. It's much more useful than burying ourselves in books."
"Exactly! Ever since I started following you, boss, I've been able to eat three extra bowls at every meal, and I keep getting bigger and stronger. That's progress!" Vincent also seized the moment to flatter Draco.
Draco was utterly speechless. Looking at their increasingly stocky figures, he grumbled inwardly, How is that progress? You've clearly just eaten yourselves fat. You're so fat you barely have waists anymore, and you've still got the nerve to say that.
Draco suppressed his helplessness and spoke more forcefully, telling them with an air of authority that brooked no argument, "Stop the fucking nonsense, both of you. Get your asses out there and buy your school gear. Textbooks, wand accessories-get everything you need. Come back and see me once you've bought it all."
"Otherwise, by the time I've learned loads of magic, you two will still be like Muggles, unable to cast even basic spells. Wouldn't you utterly embarrass me when you go out with me?"
Understanding immediately dawned on Vincent's face, and he nodded quickly. "That makes sense, boss! If we're too useless, we really will embarrass you. We'll go home right now and hurry our families along so we can get to Diagon Alley and buy our school supplies."
Goyle agreed as well. "That's right. We'll get everything as soon as we can, then come back and learn spells from you, boss. We definitely won't let you down."
Seeing their response, Draco nodded in satisfaction and urged them on. "Since you understand now, get moving. Make it quick. Each of you go home and find your own mum, and have them take you shopping right away."
"Right, boss! I'll go home and ask Mum and Dad to take me!" Goyle answered at once, turning to head outside.
Vincent hurried after him, calling as he went, "Wait for me! I'll come with you. We can keep each other company on the way!"
The two hurried off, leaving the manor in moments, their figures gradually disappearing at the end of the path.
With those two simpleminded followers finally sent on their way, peace returned to the manor.
Draco let out a breath of relief, returned to the drawing room, and sat down. He had only just opened his book, his fingers not yet touching the page, when the magical doorbell rang out with another clear ding-dong, announcing another visitor outside.
Draco frowned in puzzlement.
He had only just sent Goyle and Vincent away. Why had someone else come already?