After four or five hours of sleep Harry was woken by Draco, "You still want breakfast, or would you rather sleep in?"
Harry grabs his blankets tighter but mumbles, "Breakfast. Definitely."
"You'd better wake up, then."
At breakfast Harry watches as Malfoy opens another package from his father. This one includes what looks to be a diary. "Why's he giving you that?" Harry found himself saying it too late, and with the sudden look he gets from Draco he really wishes that he had only thought it as he had initially intended.
It takes a second for Draco to speak, as he feels the need to read through the letter again, "My father thinks I might have a hard time, what with this being my first year away from the manor and all." He runs his hand over the simple, black leather, grateful his father decided not to get something which would have been carved or engraved. "He wants me to express myself regularly, claiming that whatever I decide to write or draw won't be seen by him."
"Isn't that a good thing," questions Harry.
Malfoy shrugs, "So long as he doesn't have my mother look at it for him."
"You could always come up with a code," Harry suggests.
Malfoy shakes his head, "I think I'll just stick with English." He looks at Harry expectantly, "Promise not to read or look?"
Harry laughs a smile, "Like I'd want to know all the messed up things you're thinking or may have gone through."
Draco smiles back, "Thanks." He looks between Crabbe and Goyle, "That goes for you too." They just nod, as they continue to eat from their plates.
The rest of the day drags on, and Harry almost thinks he shouldn't have gone to save them. Almost. I couldn't just leave them there to get into trouble, not when I knew what would happen, not when it was going to happen to a friend.
After Harry finishes his last class of the day, excluding Astronomy, he quickly walks outside and heads down to Hagrid's hut. He knocks, holding his Herbology and Charms materials in his other hand. Hagrid opens the door with surprise, "Oh. Harry. Is it Friday already?"
"No." He wets his lips, "I got detention tomorrow." and looks to the ground for a moment. "Actually, I got detention every Friday for the rest of the month, courteous of Malfoy and his need for acknowledgement and attention."
"Oh," comments Hagrid in slight disappointment. "Why don't you come in and sit down?" Harry does so, finding a seat at the small, circular table. "So, tell me, how does someone get a month of detention?"
Harry shrugs, "He took Nevil's remembral and challenged me to get it back from him. It was during flying class, while the teacher was out. Snape wasn't very pleased with Malfoy challenging a house member or with me for flying unsupervised without any experience."
Hagrid nods, "Well, live and learn. That's all any of us can do."
Harry nods, before he notices the newspaper reading Gringotts. He takes it and begins to read, as Hagrid pours each of them a cup of tea. "Somebody tried to steal the package you picked up for Dumbledore."
Hagrid sees Harry's surprise, "Ah, yes, but, um, you really don't need to be reading that." He takes it from him, "You're just a kid after all, and these are adult matters."
Harry recalls how Hermione saw the beast standing over a trapdoor, "The package. Is that what that three-headed dog is guarding?"
Hagrid gives a half-serious, half-curious look, "How do you know about Fluffy?"
Harry shrugs, "Malfoy was trying to get Hermione out of his way or something, by giving her a detention, I guess, so I went to save her and the couple people she happened to be with." He shakes his head, becoming more confused the more he tries to sort everything out, "To get away from Peeves and Filch we had to go into that locked room." He sees Hagrid's concern, "Don't worry. The door is locked again." Hagrid doesn't speak, so Harry repeats his question, "So, does that package— is that what Fluffy's guarding?"
Hagrid pours himself another cup, "Like I said, it's adult matters. No need to bother yourself with it." Harry becomes quiet, but he can't help but be curious as to what would be so important to be guarded by such a beast. "I have been meaning to apologize to you, Harry." He refills Harry's cup, "I made it seem like all Slytherins are evil, but that's just because some families have generations of Slytherins who hold these ideals." Hagrid said the word 'ideals' as if it were some disgusting pest. "But you're a nice kid, Harry, and if the hat says Slytherin will do you the most good, then I hope it will."
"Thank you," is all Harry could say. He doesn't really know what to think, or even if what Hagrid said could even be considered an apology. "Draco has mentioned how blood purity is important to his family, saying that mudblood is just a term used to encourage purebloods not to have connections with the muggleborn, but I just see how it hurts Hermione. And I just wish he would stop it and that they could get along."
Hagrid squints an eye, "Don't tell me this Malfoy is a friend of yours."
Harry kind of shrugs his shoulders, having a hard time putting it into words, "It's— it's complicated."
"Things are never complicated," Hagrid states. "People just make it so."
"What would you have me do," asks Harry.
"Well, if I were put in your position I wouldn't even have bothered speaking to him." Hagrid takes a sip of the tea, "But you're your own person, Harry, and you've got to make your own choices. I may not agree with all of them, but you're not going to get anywhere by doing only what you think others want of you."
It takes a moment for Harry to respond, "Draco thinks he will get somewhere if he does as his father says, but I can tell he'd rather make his own choices."
"One thing I will say about the pureblood families," comments Hagrid. "They are a close, tight-knit group. They rely on each other." He finishes his cup again, "I suppose someone as young as this Draco would feel pressured to be as the rest of his family is." Hagrid pours himself another cup, but after doing so he notices it has emptied. "It seems you've been here for a little while. You should go, do homework or whatever it is you kids do nowadays." Harry nods before he leaves, but otherwise doesn't say a word.
