Draco thought he had misheard Blaise.
“The Slug Club?” he said with undisguised contempt. “Really?”
Blaise shrugged. “That’s what he said it’s called. We have to meet in his carriage now. I heard he asks people that he thinks will grow up to be rich and famous, so that he can leech off of them later on.” He smirked. “Probably thinks my mother might fancy him if I introduce him. She wouldn’t give him the time of day.”
“Why wasn’t I invited?” Draco spat, not hearing Blaise’s comment about Slughorn meeting his mother. “My father is on the Board of Governors! And he’s one of the richest men in England.”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Draco shook his head sulkily, and Blaise threw him an exasperated glance. “He doesn’t want to be involved with the Death Eaters! Everyone knows your father’s one.”
“Father will be hearing about this,” Draco said darkly. He laughed. “He’ll convince the Board to kick old Sluggy out. And then maybe…maybe Slughorn might mysteriously disappear.”
“Oh, Draco,” simpered Pansy Parkinson, who was sitting beside Draco and was clinging to his arm. “You’re so evil!” She giggled.
Draco threw her a disgusted look and threw her arm off of him. He had realised that lately, he wasn’t very much interested in Pansy’s advances. It confused him, because he had been courting her since Third Year. What confused him even more was that he held no interest for other girls, either.
“Draco, don’t be mean,” Pansy pouted. She tried to put her hand on him again, but he threw it off more violently.
“Keep off me, Pansy,” he gritted out. He stood up. “C’mon, Blaise. I’m going to see if I can’t get into this Slug Club thing.”
Blaise looked at him with an unreadable ex
pression, and then turned and led the way down the Hogwarts Express. He knew that Draco wouldn’t be happy with what he saw, because unsurprisingly, Harry Potter was also invited.