The day before the Malfoy fete, Callidus had a meeting with Dumbledore. Both Callidus and Harry ran a risk by leaving the safety of Hogwarts, but while Harry could go as himself, Callidus needed to disguise his appearance.
Dumbledore was laughing at something that one of the portraits was saying when Callidus entered his circular office. When Callidus raised a black eyebrow, Dumbledore explained that they were sharing jokes in Old English.
"How has your Christmas break been thus far, Callidus?" the Headmaster asked. "Making your share of mischief?"
Callidus scowled. "I don't make mischief. It just finds me."
Dumbledore's eyes creased with merriment, and his lips quirked upwards.
Callidus huffed with irritation before his expression became sly. "Speaking of mischief - I wonder what people would think if they knew the headmaster of Hogwarts was capable of Legilimency - and uses it on his students at that."
A flicker of something crossed Dumbledore's eyes before the benign expression returned. "Have you worn those socks that I gave you for Christmas?"
"Don't change the subject," Callidus snapped. "I want you to teach me."
"Legilimency, and it's sister art Occlumency are highly intensive forms of magic, and I fear that at your tender age, it may do more harm than good to teach you." The headmaster's expression was unusually serious.
Callidus opened up his mouth to argue, but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him.
"I can see that you are quite intent on learning all you can about these two forms of magic," Dumbledore continued. "I cannot teach you Legilimency nor Occlumency now, but I can give you a book that provides meditative techniques that will pave the way towards strengthening your mind, and laying the groundwork for Occlumency."
Callidus pursed his lips, but then nodded in agreement. He could tell that the headmaster would be unwilling to compromise in this matter, as tempting as it might be to try and push further. An amusing thought must have crossed Dumbledore's mind because his expression quickly changed from serious to mirthful.
"It was quite clever of you to discover the true meaning of the Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore said, conversationally, his eyes asparkle.
Callidus blanched. "You - you were there?" he exclaimed and then groaned.
"Of course you were there," Callidus then grumbled. "Undoubtedly one of your other powers that you failed to mention to anyone. We certainly didn't see you. So you were - invisible?"
Dumbledore's smile was rather self-satisfied.
"Which means," Callidus continued, "you know about our Camouflage Potion." Callidus knit his brow, realizing that it would be much more difficult to get away with their sneaking about when Dumbledore knew all about their little tricks.
"You needn't fear," Dumbledore said, breaking into Callidus's thoughts. "I shan't tell a soul about the potion. It was clever work. Though not as clever as the potion you gave me, which I have yet to thank you for. I must say, it's quite the delight, when peas and carrots taste like Sherbet Lemons."
Callidus cringed at the thought. Personally, he thought the idea sounded disgusting, but at least the Headmaster was pleased. And in truth, it wasn't all that clever - all of the potions he made for Christmas were recipes he found, not recipes he created. If not for his prank related research, he wouldn't have come across many of the rather interesting potions that he gifted to his friends.
"And I must congratulate you too, on acquiring two new siblings," Dumbledore continued, causing Callidus's head to snap towards the headmaster in surprise. Though if Dumbledore had overheard their conversation in front of the Mirror of Erised, then he must have known what they planned to do.
"Having loved ones close to you can bring out the best in a person. Many -" (the unspoken word here is 'Slytherins') "- underestimate how much they need human connection." the headmaster added.
Callidus sighed. "Yes, yes, the power of love - I've heard your speech before."
Dumbledore smiled widely, ignoring Callidus's rudeness.
"So, I suppose we shall have to find a disguise for you, for the Malfoy Gala," Dumbledore said brightly. "What fun!"
Callidus felt a slight headache starting to form around his temples. Anything that the headmaster thought of as 'fun' was bound to be tiresome. With a sigh, he braced himself for what Dumbledore had in store.
By the time Callidus was trekking back down to the Slytherin dungeons, he had a fancy new appearance altering ring on one hand (on loan of course - he had to return it to Dumbledore after the party was over), a book on meditative techniques in the other hand, and a pounding headache. The effects of the magic ring were subtle - a slightly different shape of nose; eyes that were a bit further apart; hair more chestnut brown than black; skin more honey-brown than yellow; and a somewhat weaker jaw. They were all small differences, but the total effect made him look like an entirely different person.
When he entered the common room (where Harry and Malfoy were busy practicing prank-related charms), he was greeted by a look of confusion from the two boys.
"Who -" Harry squinted his green eyes. "No - is it - Cal?"
Malfoy was blinking rapidly in surprise. "When you said you would be wearing a disguise to the party, I was thinking more along the lines of a colour-change charm in your hair. I didn't realize the headmaster would change your whole face."
Callidus smirked and then winced (due to his headache.) "Dumbledore is rather serious about this threat against me."
"Evidently," Malfoy replied. "The Malfoy manor is one of the most protected homes in all of Magical Great Britain, you know. I feel like we should be offended that old Dumbledore has so little faith in our ability to keep our guests safe."
Callidus just shrugged.
"Your hair is still greasy though," Malfoy said with amusement. "I can't believe you still haven't used that potion that Pansy got for you. Do be sure to use a liberal amount tomorrow. I can't have you dirtying up my robes."
Since neither Callidus nor Harry had dress robes, Malfoy very, very grudgingly agreed to lend them each a set of his old dress robes. Initially, Malfoy had tried to wheedle them into a trade for the use of the dress robes, but both Callidus and Harry said they didn't care if they showed up at the party in casual robes (or worse, muggle clothing). Malfoy then decided it would be too humiliating for his own friends to show up looking scruffy, thus, the borrowed dress robes. For Callidus, he was loaned a deep black-green set of robes; for Harry, a lighter green that matched his eyes. Malfoy would be wearing silver with green trim.
The following day, they met with Professor McGonagall at her office. They would be travelling to the Malfoy manor by floo. Malfoy took even longer than usual to get ready (and Callidus thought that aside from the fancy dress robes, he really didn't look too different than usual). Malfoy had attempted to help Harry to tame his messy hair, but it was a futile endeavour and no amount of hair potions (no matter how expensive), seemed to help. As for Callidus, he used the Grease-B-Gone Hair Potion, and though he would never admit it out loud, the results were impressive. True, the face looking back at him in the mirror wasn't his own, but even the disguised version of himself had greasy hair, and after using the potion, his long, fine locks were silky, glossy and soft to the touch. When Malfoy saw the results, there was a glint of appreciation in his eyes.
Professor McGonagall was also in dress robes, but there wasn't a hint of liveliness in her face. She looked as though she were preparing herself for a long day of punishment. But this was no surprise - McGonagall's social circles did not overlap with the Malfoys at all. Though she was welcome at the party, she would not be among friends (though Slughorn was also attending, so at least she could speak to him.)
"Ready?" she asked the trio of boys, who stood in a line at her office. There was a resigned note in her voice, but McGonagall had always taken her responsibilities seriously, and she was more than aware of the dangers that could befall either Harry or Callidus. The boys nodded, and she herded them towards the fireplace, bringing down the container of floo powder from the mantle. Malfoy went first in a burst of green flames, followed by Harry and then Callidus in quick succession.
Callidus clumsily stepped out into a lavish drawing room in Malfoy manor, just as Malfoy was helping Harry to his feet. It appeared that Harry had been rather disoriented by floo travel, and all but flailed out of the fireplace in a mess of awkward limbs.
"That was awful," Harry groaned. "All that spinning and spinning."
Malfoy rubbed his back sympathetically. "You'll get used to it."
Callidus peered at his surroundings, noticing enormous, gold-framed works of art, and lush damask furniture. But his attention was pulled away from the room when a house elf, with long leathery ears, and very long nose greeted him. She appeared to be dressed in an embroidered table runner, and her amber coloured eyes were so big that they dominated the elf's face. He hadn't noticed the house elf, as focused as he had been on Harry and Malfoy, and then the room.
"Gilly welcomes Master Draco's brother to Malfoy manor," the diminutive house elf said, her expression bright and eager.
"What?" Callidus said in surprise, as Harry and Malfoy walked towards him.
"They know," Malfoy said to Callidus. "I guess that ritual worked. Gilly, do my parents know about this?"
Gilly shook her head. "Master and Mistress Malfoy do not know. But Malfoy manor magic recognizes Master Harry and Master -" Gilly looked at Callidus expectantly.
"Er - Callidus."
"- Callidus as kin to Master Draco," Gilly continued. "Gilly, Dobby, Lilty, Wiffim and Nori recognize Harry and Callidus as Masters."
The trio shared a bemused look, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Professor McGonagall. Gilly quickly walked over to greet her.
"Gilly is leading guests to the reception hall now, but Master and Mistress Malfoy is wanting to speak to Master Draco first," the house elf said, looking up at the four of them.
Malfoy bent down towards the house elf's ear. "Don't tell my parents about - uh - any of this brother business," Malfoy said to Gilly in a whisper before straightening up and turning to Callidus, Harry and Professor McGonagall.
"Follow Gilly, and make yourselves comfortable. Pansy, Zabini, Daphne and Nott might already be here" he told them. "I'm going to find my parents, and I'll meet you in the reception hall as soon as I can. I'm sure my parents will want to speak to you both - especially you, Harry."
Harry paled, but nodded. Because this party was considered one of the more 'casual' Malfoy events, their presence wasn't announced when they entered the vast reception hall (but announcements were made for those who entered the adjoining ballroom). The grandeur of the hall almost matched the immense entrance hall at Hogwarts. However, instead of ancient majesty, the Malfoy manor conveyed an opulent air of extravagance. Everything seemed to be gold or white. The marble beneath their feet was shining white with delicate veins of grey. Overhead was an enormous gilded chandelier with innumerable crystals dripping from its frame. Along the sides of the hall, were golden wall sconces, with intricate curling patterns, each holding brightly lit candles.
"Stay close, boys," McGonagall said, her voice tight. Callidus and Harry nodded, and then scanned the crowd, hoping to see a familiar face. The witches and wizards were wearing dress robes of every colour imaginable. If it were a muggle affair, the men would be in black and white, while the women would be decked in colourful gowns. But in wizarding society, there was no stricture that stated that men had to wear black, or other similarly dark colours.
"There's Professor Slughorn," Harry said, pointing to the short, rotund man, who was already flushed with drink.
"Oh! I see Pansy - there, by that huge gold vase. Come on, Cal," Harry said, pushing through the crowd. Callidus and Professor McGonagall trailed behind.
The other Slytherins had arrived, and all of them were shocked by Callidus's appearance. He explained that he needed to be disguised for safety, but all that earned him was speculative looks. Within the Slytherin House, most people were aware of each other's political affiliations, but Callidus had purposely remained vague about his beliefs. By telling the others that he needed protection, it was as though he was declaring himself in opposition to the Malfoy beliefs of pureblood supremacy. That said, they knew he was a half-blood anyway, so they weren't surprised.
Once McGonagall had ascertained that the first years weren't going to wander off, she left them to go chat with Slughorn. Though Slughorn and McGonagall weren't close by any means, it was still preferable to speak to an adult, than to have to mill about a group of eleven-year-olds. Malfoy eventually returned, only to drag Harry off.
"My parents wish to meet you," Malfoy explained, causing Harry chew his lip nervously.
"Oh, stop that!" Malfoy exclaimed. "My father is planning to help you, and my mother already likes you, if her letters are to be believed. You don't have to worry." Malfoy put a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder, and Harry sighed and nodded before following Malfoy.
"Have you been given a tour of the manor yet?" Zabini asked Callidus, once Harry and Malfoy had left.
Callidus shook his head. "No."
Zabini tsked. "Such dreadful manners on Malfoy's part. Well, Pansy? Daphne? Nott? Shall we show him around?"
"And miss out on seeing the cream of society get increasingly drunk and making fools of themselves?" Parkinson replied. "I think not."
"Is my company no longer sufficient to keep you entertained?" Zabini asked Pansy, a playful smile pulling at his lips.
Parkinson rolled her eyes and batted his arm gently. "Your company is always a pleasure, Blaise. But my parents are here. I have to keep an eye on things." A look seemed to pass between Parkinson and Zabini, and Zabini nodded, his expression curiously intense and serious. But once they broke eye contact, the demeanour of amused detachment returned.
"This is boring. I'll come," Nott said. Zabini nodded.
"I'll keep Pansy company," Greengrass said, though Callidus had a feeling that she was just adverse to his presence, rather than actually wanting to stand around the reception hall.
Callidus cast a quick glance towards McGonagall. She appeared distracted by her discussion with Slughorn (who had pulled in a few Ministry officials in to join their discussion). Standing around the reception hall, waiting for Harry to return sounded about as interesting as watching Gryffindors trying to do homework (that is to say, painful), so he agreed.
When they left the reception hall and entered into a quiet corridor, Zabini gave Callidus and Theo a half-smile and spoke. "It's a relief to get out of there. I'm not exactly keen on watching my mother ensnaring her fifth husband-to-be."
Callidus arched a black eyebrow, but Zabini offered no further elaboration.
"Still sounds better than life at my house," Nott said, but like Zabini, he did not provide any more information. But this was expected - Nott was one of the quietest of all their peers.
The three boys walked the length of the corridor in silence. Like the reception hall, it was lit with elegant candles, but there was much less illumination here. Callidus found his thoughts occupied by Zabini's and Nott's brief comments. Combined with what little Parkinson had told him about her family, he got the sense that many of the Slytherins were less than happy with their domestic situation. It shattered yet another one of his assumptions about the people around him - just because they were wealthy purebloods, it didn't mean that their lives were better, or that they were any happier.
"There's another drawing room up ahead," Zabini said. "Care to take a look?"
Callidus nodded, and he followed the other boy into a drawing room that was even larger and more extravagant than the one they had flooed into. It had an enormous marble mantlepiece, with a gilded mirror on top, and the furniture looked stately and ornate. It was clear that the room was used to impress more 'important' guests.
"Boring," Nott muttered.
Zabini smirked. "The most interest parts of the manor are well protected by spells, and are accessible only by family," Zabini replied.
"Like what?" Callidus asked, his curiosity piqued. With the brotherhood ritual, would he be able to access these areas, meant only for the Malfoys?
Zabini gave him a mysterious smile. "Their private library, for one. And whatever room they keep their powerful heirlooms and artefacts in."
"You seem to know a lot about the manor," Callidus said neutrally.
Zabini shrugged. "There are only so many pureblood families, and the wizarding world isn't a large one - not in Britain at least. We tend to be a tight knit group."
"You said there's a private library - so there must be a public one?" Callidus asked. Nott seemed to perk up at the mention of the library.
Zabini rolled his eyes. "I should have known better than to wander off with the two most bookish Slytherins of our year."
Callidus looked at Nott in slight surprise. He never paid much attention to the weedy boy - Nott had a tendency to disappear into the landscape, and all without the aid of a Camouflage Potion. It was just easy to forgot that Nott was ever there. But now that he thought about it, it was true that Nott often walked around with a book in hand.
Zabini sighed. "This way," he said, leading Callidus along the corridor, turning a corner, and making his way to the enormous set of doors at the end.
The library doors were slightly open, and the boys pushed the immense doors and made their way inside. Like the Hogwarts library, the Malfoy library was impressive, but in a different way. There weren't quite as many books (but that said, there were still a lot of books). Rather, the Malfoy library, like the rest of the manor, was the very image of unrestrained luxury. This room, like the others they had seen, had an enormous fireplace, and the mantle was sculpted with scrolling flourishes, and what looked like dragons. The library looked to have three levels, and the ceiling was so high that Callidus was getting a crick in his neck from looking up at it. Balconies ringed each of the levels.
"Don't tell me you plan to spend the rest of the party here," Zabini drawled.
Callidus shook his head. It was tempting, but if he cracked open a book, it was probable that he wouldn't leave.
"Where's the private library?" Callidus asked.
Zabini's dark eyes lit up with interest. "Why do you ask? Think you could sneak your way in?"
"Don't try it, mate," Nott muttered. "Unless you fancy losing consciousness for the rest of the night, and waking up covered in burns and boils."
Zabini groaned. "Don't give it away Nott."
Nott simply shrugged, while Callidus looked at him in surprise. He had never given Nott a reason to be nice to him, and Callidus didn't know what to make of the warning.
"How do you know where the private library is if you're not even allowed to access it?" Callidus asked the other two.
"Malfoy showed us a long time ago," Zabini replied. "Or I should say, he was trying to show off. Anyhow, one of the bookshelves is a secret door." Zabini shrugged. "Not very original."
Zabini walked towards one of the walls, trailed by Nott and Callidus. He scanned the bookshelves, looking for something.
"There - that figurine of a dragon," Zabini said, pointing to the elegant onyx sculpture. "You have to stroke it's head, and it'll show you the door."
Callidus stepped towards the figurine, which was close to eye level. He reached out a hand.
"Are you really that stupid?" Zabini asked, sounding almost alarmed.
Callidus looked towards the dark boy and gave him a knowing smile. It was a bit foolhardy to take a risk like this. But the house elf had said that the Malfoy manor recognized him as being kin. He just wanted to see if it was true or not.
"If anything happens to me, tell McGonagall," Callidus murmured, before reaching out and touching the cool surface of the dragon's head. His body was taut with tension, expecting the worst. Nothing happened.
"There!" Nott exclaimed, pointing. The two boys looked across the room, and one of the bookshelves had vanished, leaving an opening in the wall.
"I can't believe it," Zabini muttered.
"Should we?" Nott asked, sounding hopeful and as interested as Callidus felt. The allure of rare books pulled them forwards. The feeling of doing something forbidden had the three boys creeping along, darting cautious glances towards the library doors.
"Maybe they changed the location of the private library," Zabini speculated. "I don't see how Prince could have possibly opened the door."
The trio peeked through the entryway. Beyond was a large room, but it felt much cozier than the public library. The walls were lined from floor to ceiling with books, and the air smelled of old parchment and bindings. Callidus focused on his magical sensitivity, and he felt a thrum of ominous dark magic from the room, that made his guts coil with unease.
The sound of clicking footsteps broke the silence, and the boys jumped in surprise, pulling away from the private room. They shared nervous glances, and looked towards the library doors. Behind them, the bookshelf reappeared, hiding the secret entrance.
"Let's get out of here," Zabini muttered, feeling rattled. Neither Callidus nor Nott argued with him.
When they returned to the reception hall, Malfoy and Harry had joined Greengrass and Parkinson. Callidus was introduced to Malfoy's parents, and although Lucius Malfoy (thankfully) did not give him a second glance, Narcissa Malfoy played the role of the perfect hostess, both charming and graceful. In truth, Callidus was glad that Lucius Malfoy had overlooked him. Though the man radiated an icy politeness, he gave Callidus a bad feeling. The elder Malfoy had a sort of ambitious hunger in him, and Callidus had a feeling that he would willingly crush anyone who stood in his way - even if that someone was Harry.
After a decadent dinner that was fancier than anything that Hogwarts had ever served (with far too many utensils to make sense of), the group of young Slytherins had made their way to the hothouse filled with (well-behaved) magical plants. They were lounging on the ornate cast iron benches that looked uncomfortable, but were in fact charmed so that felt as though they were sitting on lush, silken pillows.
"Why does everyone have to wear formal robes if this is supposed to be a casual party?" Harry griped, pulling at the collar of his formal robes.
"Stop that!" Malfoy exclaimed. "Those are my robes that you're wrinkling. And people wear formal robes to Malfoy parties because it's a reflection of our refinement and our station."
"Malfoy," Zabini began. "Did your family change the location of your private library?"
"What are you talking about?" Malfoy asked.
Zabini gave Malfoy a long look, before shrugging.
"If this is a casual party, then what are formal parties like?" Harry asked.
"Formal parties include older traditions," Malfoy explained. "There are particular ways that you're supposed to dress - beyond formal robes - and particular ways that you need to address people. The Old Ways are taken into account during formal parties - they often take place during days of significance, or nights when the planets are aligned a certain way. Customs and rituals are particularly important - for example, the feast blessings, or the ritual dances. That's not to say that formal parties are stuffy - but unless you're born into wizarding culture, it can be hard to understand. I suppose one could say that formal parties are highly ceremonial."
"That sounds - pretty interesting actually," Harry admitted.
Malfoy lit up. "It is." He smiled widely. "I'd be happy to tell you more."
The Slytherins ended up being drawn into a discussion about Old Traditions, until McGonagall came to fetch them to bring them back to Hogwarts. McGonagall looked like someone who had just been forced to perform the twelve labours of Hercules, but Harry and Callidus ended up enjoying themselves, and were almost reluctant to leave. Nonetheless, when the trio of boys returned to their dormitories and climbed into bed, they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.