Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling. This is a series of one-shots based on the Seven Deadly Sins.
Pride n. "The quality of being proud. 11a. A high or overweening opinion of one's own qualities, attainments, or estate, which gives rise to a feeling of and attitude of superiority and contempt for others."- OED, online.
"A desire to be important or attractive to others or excessive love of self (holding self out of proper position towards God or fellows; Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbour"). In Latin lists of the Seven Deadly Sins, pride is referred to as superbia. In Jacob Bidermann's play Cenodoxus- superbia is the deadliest of all sins,"- Wikipedia
Pride
Sitting in His chair at the Slytherin table in the Main Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy surveyed his peers with barely disguised disgust. They were scarcely acceptable. Of all of them, the only one he could see himself willingly associating with, discounting house rivalry and birth, after Hogwarts was Hermione Granger, but she was a Mudblood. No Pureblood ever associated themselves with a Mudblood, at least not in public. Well, unless they were a Weasley and that said everything about that particular family.
He thought she might make a good Mistress, although never a wife. No Malfoy ever settled for less than the best, and he was not going to be an exception to the rules. She had the best brain in the year- all the professors said so, even Snape behind her back. Draco knew from experience how hard it was to gain his godfather's respect.
Malfoy's were the best. They collected the best- the best associates, the best stocks and shares, the best Mistresses, the best wives, the best children. The list was endless, just like the Malfoy vault. There was no one who was better than a Malfoy. There was no one whose blood was purer than a Malfoy's. They were the closest to a completely pure bloodline in the whole of the Wizarding world.
Draco wanted to be remembered, just like his father and his grandfather and his great-grandfather were. His father had kept the Malfoy name's power by aligning himself with the Half-Blood Dark Lord. His grandfather had sided with Dumbledore against Grindelwald. How he was going to do something as important as his forefathers Draco wasn't sure, but he was determined to do it. The key to his power and fame would be Granger.
Granger would be very useful, and it wouldn't matter which side won. If, by some miracle, Lord Voldemort lost he could say, with Granger's help, that he'd switched sides. If Lord Voldemort won then, maybe, he'd be allowed to keep her on the grounds he'd done his job well. Lord Voldemort was very fond of rewarding his followers when they had done well. Draco planned to do well; he was a Malfoy after all.
It was just a pity she and Potty insisted on handing around with the Weasley's. A good, old, Pureblood family that had degraded itself by willingly associating itself with Muggles and Mudbloods. Still, they looked atrocious and bred like rabbits and no amount of breeding would counter that. So perhaps it was a good thing that they had disgraced themselves in polite society because he could have found himself marrying into such ingrates. The mere thought of it made him feel nauseous. How anyone could disgrace themselves so, he had no idea.
He was the perfect Malfoy; the perfect Pureblood. His father had raised him in the proper Malfoy ways and etiquette; he was the Pureblood ideal- just like his father was for the previous generation. Anyone, who was anyone, dreamed of marrying into the Malfoy line- only a privileged few, of the highest pedigree, made it. He was willing to make an exception for Granger as she was the Malfoy ideal, apart from her heritage but that could be overlooked because she'd never be more than a Mistress. In her own way Granger was powerful, and all good Malfoy's and Purebloods coveted power whatever its source. In his opinion that was Lord Voldemort's one mistake; not accepting that purity didn't always equate power, and that sometimes bastards were very useful to a family's influence.
"All alone Granger? Is that safe?" He asked; she jumped, and threw a black look at him.
"What do you want Malfoy?" She demanded putting the book she had been reading down; a bit too casually, perhaps. He picked the book up before she had a chance to react and glanced at the title. Smirking he looked up at her.
"Interesting book you've got here Granger. If I'm not mistaken possession of this book would result in you being summoned to the Ministry."
"What do you want Malfoy?" she said again, attempting to snatch the book back. "I've got work to do."
"With this? I don't think so Granger. It's mine now, and if you want to use it you'll have to ask very, very nicely." His smirked widened as she stood fuming in front of him. "You should know by now Granger, I always get what I want."