The Magical and the Magnificent chapter 6

Disclaimer: Neither the delectable seven or the world of Draco Malfoy…err I mean Harry Potter belong to me, mores the pity.

A/N Just a few notes. Firstly for those familiar with Harry Potter fanfic this type of plotline will come as no surprise. It's (on the HP side) Draco centric with possibly some Dramione (Draco & Hermione). Manipulative though not evil Dumbledore. Ron bashing . For those familiar with the books or movies but not fanfic this departs from canon into AU territory - just go with the flow. And for those who are HP virgins most unusual terms and concepts are explained within the story but to avoid confusion I'll say now that the evil villain Lord Voldemort goes by many names - to those who oppose and fear him he is He Who Must Not Be Named or You Know Who; to those who oppose and don't fear him he is Voldemort or if you really want to annoy him Tom Riddle which was his pre despot name. To those who support and serve him he is The Dark Lord (and those who don't really support him but daren't let it show) His supporters are marked with a deaths head tattoo and are called death eaters. Purebloods are those born to a witch and wizard and especially those who can claim purity of blood for generations; halfbloods have one magic parent and one ordinary ie muggle ( like Ezra) and those born magical from two muggles are called muggle born or the more insulting mud blood ( Hermione Granger). See, that was simple wasn't it! Oh and the ability to talk to snakes is called parseltongue. It's rare but both Harry and Voldemort have the ability.

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Harry immediately spotted his friend and surrogate uncle Remus Lupin and called out a hello as did his friends. Draco also noticed his Godfather, Severus Snape and sent him a very small smile and a slight incline of the head in greeting. A motion that was returned in kind. It was the closest either dared come to showing emotion, after all emotions could so easily be exploited into fatal weaknesses.

Draco was grateful for the influx of strangers and Severus. He had been finding it increasingly difficult to keep , what was it the weasel had said? Oh yes, 'his vile trap shut' But keep it shut he had and it gave him a sense of satisfaction to successfully control his temper - a feat seldom managed by his autocratic father. Draco was determined that his seventh year would mark a new direction. He was sick and tired of the constant juvenile feuding, much of it he would freely admit being his own fault; he was sick of the blessed Harry Potter, of his father's tyranny and The Dark Lord's increasing influence over his family. But most of all he was sick and tired of…himself. He could not see himself surviving to old age, or even eighteen in this hostile world and he wanted to die as Draco Malfoy, not Lucius's heir, Voldemort's minion or Harry Potter's enemy.

The problem was working out just WHO Draco Malfoy was. Yes he was rich and yes he was a pureblood snob but that was how he was raised and over the years the bratty little eleven year old that had attended Hogwarts for the first time full of his father's prejudices had matured into a boy who in truth was no more prejudice against muggleborns and half bloods than anyone else - though he didn't dare to reveal it. He glanced across at the muggle born witch Hermione Granger and wondered if she realised that her pureblood though poor boyfriend Ron Weasley was almost as much of a snob as he was, though in a different way, seeing muggle borns as fascinating oddities rather than, as highborn purebloods did, a potential threat to the magical world. In their second year he had watched as the Weasley patriarch patronised Grangers muggle parents and nobody had blinked an eye. It was far more subtle than his own insulting behaviour which now made him cringe to remember but it was still insulting for all it's politeness and smiles. At least his own behaviour treated them as people and not some sort of fascinating and quaint museum exhibit.

Draco watched as Harry was introduced to the group as the Boy Who Lived and the Saviour of the wizarding world by Lupin. He wanted to laugh at the distinct lack of awe on the assembled faces but kept his 'mask' neutral. These men were not easily impressed which would hopefully stand them in good stead while they were in his world. As he watched the wizard among them, and presumably an impressive one given his Godfather's respect, not offered often or lightly, shake Harry's hand he wondered what might have been different if Potter had accepted his own hand of friendship that first time they had met. He was, in a way, relieved that it had been refused since it had been a ploy by his father to turn the boy who lived to the dark…but what if he had accepted and Potter had helped guide him to the light instead. He mentally rolled his eyes at the thought. With Weasley at his side telling him what to think and who to trust there was never going to be any friendship between himself and Potter. He doubted whether even the red haired Weasley's friends were aware just how deep the hatred of the Malfoys ran in the Weasels family. Well except for the twins he supposed. Fred and George Weasley didn't have the ability to take anything seriously enough to hate it. Draco thought that he envied the twins more than just about anyone he had ever met.

Draco stepped forward to greet the new arrivals who had just finished meeting the Trio. Although his thoughts had been partially elsewhere he had been aware of everything going on around him - to do anything less was to court disaster and personal injury, or worse.

"Draco. I would like you to meet a new wizard, Ezra Standish." Snape's voice carried it's usual disinterested tone but Draco knew his Godfather well and this dark haired and green eyed man had somehow managed to impress the taciturn professor..

"Draco Malfoy Sir, pleased to make your acquain…"

"DON'T SHAKE HIS HAND!"

Both wizards halted their movements and Ezra gave the red-headed boy a look of polite inquiry while Draco sighed softly. 'And so it begins again' he thought sadly.

"He's a Malfoy" explained Ron slowly and deliberately, as though speaking to someone who spoke a different language. Or someone who was a bit simple minded.

"And?" Ezra had an idea from his talks with Professor Snape where this was going, and he didn't like it. He had been in Draco's position too many times himself.

"and so he's bad" stated a confident Ron who was becoming surer by the minute that this wizard wasn't too bright - well how could he be if it had taken him this long to discover his powers!

"He's on the dark side like his father" agreed Harry although with a little less spitefulness in his voice.

Chris and the others waited. This was Ezra's call. Much as they wanted to interfere this wasn't their fight.

"Ah see." Ezra paused for a moment and then turned his back on the red head. He held out his hand once again and pretended not to notice the gratitude in the pale blond boy's silver grey eyes. They shook hands and Ezra proceeded to introduce his colleagues while Ron Weasley, blushing a colour to match his hair fumed silently. Harry Potter shook his head and made a mental note to have a talk with Remus about putting these people right on who they should and shouldn't mingle with.

Hermione kept quiet, as unusual as that was for her, and watched the introductions being made. She wanted to see what these outsiders made of the situation. She had been feeling rather out of sorts lately, like she had no room for her own thoughts and ideas anymore - not that she would ever consider going over to the dark side but things were seldom as black and white as they looked and that perhaps some issues and people belonged in the grey. People like Snape who was a death eater but whose loyalty lay with the side of light and had been a spy for more years than she had been alive. Or Draco who wasn't given any choice but to follow in his father's footsteps. The trouble was that being surrounded by those who refused to entertain any doubts she knew that if she tried to talk to Ron or Harry she would be shouted down or cast out of their circle and she didn't make friends easily; she couldn't afford to lose the ones she had just to satisfy her curiosity.

She watched as the good looking American with the exotic accent ignored Ron to offer greetings to Malfoy and her stomach gave a little flip. It just about broke her heart to see the fleeting look of gratitude on the Malfoy scion's face at the show of simple courtesy. That heart beat faster at the sudden thought - could that be the reason that Draco was so quick to lash out at them? Because it was easier to get his attack in before anyone else? Was there more to Draco Malfoy than a loud mouthed pureblood snob? Had they been misjudging him all this time? She wasn't stupid; she knew that as the most influential of the students in his school House of Slytherin Malfoy had an image to maintain but it had never occurred to her before that maybe that was, to some extent at least, all it was…an image.

Before she could take her thoughts any further she was being introduced to the odd bunch of men and blushed like the schoolgirl she was as they greeted her, her blush turning positively crimson at the compliments from the moustached man who was, she was sure, a natural born flirt who would compliment any female from schoolgirl to granny with equal sincerity. She almost burst into laughter as she saw Ron scowl. He seemed to be the only one taking it seriously.

Ron Weasley sucked in a deep breath as he advised the new wizard not to shake Malfoy's hand. He had done virtually the same for Harry years before but that had been different; they were the same age and Harry had automatically listened to him because he was the more experienced wizard having spent his whole life in the magical world. But these were grown men and pretty scary some of them looked too. The blond dressed in black looked almost as evil as He Who Must Not Be Named! Ron wondered if Prof Dumbledore was aware of them yet. He supposed he must be if Remus was with them, though he might just be keeping an eye on Snape. He didn't care how many times they told him that Snape was one of the good guys he would always be an oily evil git! No, he didn't trust these muggles one bit and as for the wizard with them…come on! Who hasn't discovered their powers by the time they go to school? He must either be thick or lying. He would get his dad to check them out at the Ministry. Arthur Weasley may only be a lowly cog in the Ministry, working in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts department but he had the ear of Dumbledore. In fact it was Dumbledore and his dad who had entrusted him with the task of befriending Harry that first day at school and guiding him in the right direction and he liked to think that he'd done a good job. At least he'd kept him from mixing with dark wizards like Malfoy even if he couldn't seem to keep him from risking his life every year in some fool stunt. But these men might be too much for him to handle and Harry was looking a little too impressed for his liking. He couldn't for the life of him see why though. They were just a bunch of muggles and a half brained wizard…probably not much more than a squib.

Harry was impressed despite himself. He hated Malfoy, although not as much as he hated the senior Malfoy or Voldemort and it rankled to see these newcomers treat him like a human being. It didn't bode well that they seemed to get on so well with Snape. The new wizard was obviously pretty powerful, he could feel the magic of the man. He smiled to himself as he realised that he was now not the only one to be ignorant of his magic until older - though the man who was obviously in his mid twenties at least had beaten him by a country mile since he had discovered his status at eleven, though he doubted if the American received the news in a disused lighthouse miles out at sea by a half giant with an umbrella! He sighed and hoped that they would prove to be on his side; he didn't want any more enemies and a few new friends would be good; especially ones who liked him for himself, like Ron and Hermione, rather than because he was The Boy Who Lived. Honestly it was hardly his achievement that he was part of a prophecy and had survived the killing curse cast by Voldemort when he was a baby. Dumbledore had told him that his parent's love for him and their sacrifice of their lives for him had protected him so it was their achievement not his. But what worried him the most was that he was getting used to the adulation. It had annoyed him that the newcomers hadn't been impressed by his title and yet surely that was what he had always wanted - to just be a normal boy, to just be Harry. He was confused…and from the look on Hermione's face she was confused about something too, only Ron seemed sure of his feelings though by the scowl on his face they weren't good feelings. Hell even Malfoy was looking bewildered. Who would have thought that he and Malfoy would have something in common….in fact what if they had more than just their confusion in common?!

To say that Draco Malfoy was surprised at the American's reaction to him was rather like saying that Buck Wilmington was friendly. It just didn't do the situation justice. Draco had never seen anyone not evil go against the wishes of the Golden Trio before and he could tell from his Godfather's expression that this wizard was not a supporter of The Dark Lord. Even so he was shocked though not, he noted with glee, as shocked as the weasel.

A polite cough from behind the shop counter broke into the meet and greet session and all eyes turned toward Mr Ollivander, the proprietor of the oldest and most prestigious wand emporium in the magical world. He was holding what until just a few days ago the seven would have presumed to be a wooden stick.

"Mr. Potter, your wand." Ollivander handed over the recalibrated wand with an air of polite exasperation. Honestly, he thought, when would the younger generation learn to take better care of their wands! Of course he had been thinking the same thing of each generation for the past several decades. But the trio were rougher on their wands than most though he supposed that they had more excuse than the general populous. As he was being thanked and paid he couldn't help but wonder about the strange group of men who had entered his shop. Professors Snape and Lupin he, of course, recognised; he had sold them both their first wands and he could also detect that while there was a lot of mystical energy in the shop only one of the newcomers was actually a wizard. Listening to the conversation he came to the conclusion that it was the dark haired wizard who was in need of his services. But first things first.

"Young Master Malfoy, what can I do for you today?" Ollivander held no great liking for Lucius Malfoy but his son was always polite and courteous, at least to him.

"Mr Ollivander, you should see to our visitors first. Malfoy can wait." Harry may not have been as outspoken in his loathing of Draco but he couldn't resist the opportunity to put the little prat in his place.

"Harry!"

"Way to go Harry!"

Hermione's rebuke and Ron's praise came at exactly the same moment but before Draco could offer his place in line to the visitors and good manners dictated that he should no matter what Potter's opinion Ezra was insisting that he take his proper turn in line.

"No, please, this all takes some getting used to; Ah insist that you go ahead while Ah orientate mahself."

Draco saw nothing but sincerity in the pale green eyes and nodded his thanks.

"My errand is quite simple and will only take a few moments" he acknowledged and then winced as a familiar voice spoke up.

"What's the matter ferret boy, Your Snake Lord shove your wand so far up your a…"

"RONALD BILLIOUS WEASLEY HOW DARE YOU!"

"But 'Mione…."

"I'm ashamed of you using that kind of talk" Honestly sometimes Hermione wondered whether she was Ron's mother rather than his girlfriend.

"But it's only Malfoy"

"I don't care if it's Voldemort himself you will show respect."

"Yes 'Mione." Ron dipped his head and thanked his stars that she didn't threaten to wash his mouth out with soap…his mum would have. He looked to Harry for support but frowned when all he saw was the same look that was on all the other men's faces….humour. That was so not fair! Even Snape's sneer had a jolly edge to it!

After Draco had retrieved the item that his mother, Narcissa Malfoy had ordered he decided to hang around and watch the new wizard get his wand…besides he wanted a word with Severus…Lucius was getting more and more insistent that he take the dark mark this year and he didn't know what to do.

Ollivander had to admit that this was a first. While he had sold many adults replacement wands he had never had to find the right first wand for one before. Of course at the end of the day it was the wand that chose the wizard but with several thousand wands in his stock it could become a time consuming task…….the wand that he had handed the wizard suddenly emitted a loud crack and the umbrella holder in the corner exploded….and often a destructive one.

"Dear Lord! Ah'm so sorry, I didn't mean…."

"Don't worry Mr Standish" Ollivander said with equanimity as he delicately retrieved the wand and placed another in the elegant hand "Wands can be tricky."

"Don't worry sir" Harry sympathized as Ezra reluctantly took the proffered wand "The same thing happened to me when I got my first wand."

"Me too." said Draco, much to Harry's surprise.

"Indeed" confirmed Ollivander "Mr Malfoy and Mr Potter were two of my most destructive customers.

Both boys blushed and Ezra waved the new wand, pretending not to notice as his friends took a couple of steps back.

Nothing.

"Hmm" muttered Ollivander.

Over half an hour later Ollivander was surrounded by a heap of wand boxes and his hmms had become even more distracted while Ezra was becoming positively embarrassed.

"He's obviously nearly a squib. It only took me ten minutes to find my first wand" whispered Ron to Harry and Hermione.

"I don't think so" Harry disagreed and Hermione nodded her agreement before adding,

"It's often the more powerful wizards who have the most trouble" she confirmed. "I took nearly twenty minutes…I was so embarrassed. That was a nice thing you did reassuring him Harry."

Harry blushed at the compliment and revealed that by the end of the half hour it had taken to choose his own first wand he had begun to doubt whether he was a wizard at all.

Ron wished he had never brought the subject up.

Suddenly, as yet another wand was consigned to the growing pile a rattling could be heard coming from deep within the storage shelves. With an "Excuse me a moment" Ollivander went off to investigate. Vin gave Ezra's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and Chris and Buck muttered comforting words. Further reassurance came from Remus and Professor Snape while almost everyone laughed, excluding Josiah who was caught up in his own dark thoughts and Ron who was still fuming over the time issue, as Draco told how he had blown his father's eyebrows off when he had wielded a particularly unsuitable wand. Ron's bad mood increased at Harry and Hermione's 'betrayal' in finding something that Malfoy said amusing.

Ollivander returned with a rather odd look on his face and an extremely old and dusty box in his hands. He held it almost reverently and the sight of the wand inside it drew a gasp from the normally unflappable potions professor. Harry didn't know what was going on but he could sense that something was up. Hermione picked up on Harry's sudden interest and shushed Ron as he began to suggest leaving to go get an ice cream.

"What is it Sir?" Ezra was an undercover agent and it didn't take him but a second to realise that something unusual was going on.

"Try this one Mr Standish. It isn't very often that a wand calls for it's wielder."

Ezra took the wand from the slim black box. He noted that unlike the others Mr Ollivander didn't touch this one. He also noticed that it wasn't quite as plain as the others. It was about eleven inches long and made of a dark wood, possibly ebony. Around the top were a series of runic symbols carved into the wood and embedded in a spiral pattern down it's length was a thin vein of silver. The tip was set with a small emerald. Fearing what this wand could do if the plain ones could make things explode he gave it a gentle wave. A shower of blue and green sparks shot out of the end of the wand and coalesced into an aqua cloud before dispersing.

"WOW!" JD's familiar exclamation made the rest of the seven chuckle.

"Trust you to have to have a fancy wand Ezra" Chris's gentle tease made them chuckle all the more but it soon died at the looks of shock on the faces of Remus, Severus, Draco and Hermione.

"What's wrong?" asked Chris. There was no way he would let Ezra take possession of anything that might hurt him.

"It's Salazar's wand." Hermione's voice held a trace of awe and as she identified the wand both Harry and Ron's expressions darkened. Draco, on the other hand, bowed slightly not quite knowing how to respond to the wielder of the wand that had once belonged to one of the four founders of Hogwarts…Salazar Slytherin. No-one had ever been the inheritor of a founders wand before.

"Um, is there perhaps something Ah should know?" asked Ezra worriedly as he stood among the stunned audience.

With a sudden sense of foreboding which mingled with more than a hint of excitement Harry said something to Ezra. If you had asked him later just what it was he couldn't have said. It was the fact that the other wizard answered him that was the shock.

"Why are ya hissin' Ez?" Buck was confused

"No he ain't" countered Vin as he moved closer to his mate in a protective stance.

While Harry, Hermione and the two professors looked stunned Ron looked plain menacing and soon had his wand pointing at Ezra.

On hearing Vin's comment Harry spoke to him as he had to Ezra. Vin shook his head. "Can understand the language of snakes but I can't speak it" he confirmed.

"What the hell's going on!" snapped Chris sensing that everything was about to go to hell in a handcart. Give him an arms raid any day.

"He's evil!" Ron replied with a sneer, not taking his wand off the southerner…well not until Hermione gave his arm a sharp slap and told him not to be an idiot. It was obvious to her that the man was confused not evil. Harry didn't know whether to be worried or delighted. He had never met anyone who spoke parseltongue before other than Voldemort.

"Gentlemen, children. I think we should all take a moment to calm down and assess the situation." Snape's commanding voice broke through the babble and just as his pupils at school did they obeyed instantly.

"Er, assess what may Ah ask and why did my answer to Mr Potter cause such a fuss?"

"Your answer weren't in English Ez" said Buck gently.

"Indeed Mr Standish. Your reply was in what your friend called the language of the snakes and what we in the magical world call parseltongue. It is very rare."

"And the situation y'all need to assess?" Ezra pressed. He looked again at his wand. It seemed to have caused all the furore.

"The situation that by the looks of things you seem to be the true heir to the House of Slytherin….a position claimed by Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard in the history of the magical world."

"Oh!" replied Ezra. There wasn't really much else he could say.

TBC

A/N Any problems figuring stuff out? Drop me a line and I'll endeavour to explain. Hope you enjoyed.