Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Seventy-Seven

As soon as I got back to Hogwarts, I headed for the library. I headed to the very back by the floor-to-ceiling windows and sat down at one of the tables, facing the window. I'd originally wanted to sulk, but instead I was interested in the people walking around on the grounds below. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan messing around. Behind them, I saw Luke sprinting out to the woods. He was probably looking to do some training. He had to look suspicious going into the forest, but not as suspicious as he would with his sword out.

"Mouse." Malfoy's voice behind me made me jump.

"Seriously, dude?" I demanded. "Is it too much to ask to have ten minutes to sulk and stare out the window by myself?"

"I didn't really take you for a sulking and staring out the window kind of person."

"Well, today I am one."

"What's got your hippogriff in a cave?" Malfoy asked.

I froze. "What did you just say?"

"I asked you what's got your hippogriff in a —"

In a flash, I'd lunged from my chair and knocked Malfoy flat onto his back. "Who told you about him?"

Malfoy looked stunned. "What the hell, McKeon?"

"Who told you about Buckbeak?"

"What are you on about?" Malfoy tried to get up, but I pushed him back down with my foot.

"You asked me about a hippogriff in a cave."

"I was thinking about it and thought it was a good phrase!"

A cold tingle ran up my back. "You're lying."

"Okay, fine! You were thinking about it, and I thought it was a good catchphrase!"

"How did you know what I was thinking about?" I demanded. "What are you, some kind of mind..." I trailed off. A mind-reader.

"Sometimes I see pieces of what other people are thinking about," Malfoy said, but I was barely listening. "You were thinking about the hippogriff, and I saw it, and..."

"A mind-reader," I murmured.

"You're not even listening to me, are you?" Malfoy grumbled. "Could you at least let me —"

"Malfoy," I said suddenly. "Are you one of those... whatchamacallit... crap, I had it right there... Lego — leg —"

"Legilimens," Malfoy said, deep in thought.

"Yeah, one of those."

"A Legilimens," Malfoy repeated, still pondering. "I suppose... perhaps I could be..."

"You said you can see bits of what other people are thinking," I told him. "Sounds like mind-reader stuff to me."

"You're right," Malfoy said. "How could I not have realized...?"

"Tell me what I'm thinking about right now." As Malfoy looked at me, I thought extremely hard about Malfoy as a ferret.

It took a couple of seconds, but then Malfoy suddenly had an unimpressed look on his face. "Very funny, McKeon."

"Sweet Holy Hera!" I exclaimed, pointing excitedly at him. "You're a Legilimens!" Then the excitement faded. If he was a Legilimens, he could probably figure out what Harry was thinking about all the time. "You're a Legilimens."

"Not a very good one, though, unless I'm concentrating, I guess." He still seemed kind of excited about it, but his smile faded. "You can't tell anyone. Especially not my father."

"Well, I doubt I'd ever be in a position to — wait, Draco 'My Father Will Hear About This' Malfoy doesn't want his father to know that he can read people's minds? Dude, I'd've thought you of all people would want to brag about this to everyone!"