CHAPTER 23

Late summer days

Harry woke up early to find his essay had been jinxed back to normal and was waiting for him on his desk so he made his way down to breakfast wondering whether it had been Pan or Dobby who helped him out. It was no surprise to see Aries returning from jogging but after the reprimand last night he was surprised to see him smiling at him.

'You're up early.'

'I thought to finish my essay for Kingsley.'

'Ah, Pan told me what happened yesterday with Draco.'

'He did?'

'Yes, and I am proud of you.'

'You are?'

'The way Pan explained it, Draco had been bating you for a good while and even ruined your homework until you retaliated.'

'But I-'

'Everyone loses their temper once in a while, and young Draco is the type to get under your skin.'

'Does this mean he doesn't have to come to Quiddich today?'

'Unfortunately he will come. But I will be having a talk with him tomorrow once everyone has gone home.'

'He will think I told you about it.'

'But you didn't, it was Pan. And he should know better than to act rashly in front of an elf sworn to a head of house. There can be no secrets between Pan and me.'

'I guess in the end it doesn't really matter what he thinks.'

'No, it does not. Cheer up, you will be surrounded by your friends today, while he will be relatively alone. Try to not rub it in too much.'

'I won't but I'm not sure about the Weasleys though.'

'They should get their cue from you. Now, do you want to spar for a bit?'

'Sure.'

His friends started arriving a little after midday. The Weasleys were first but this time it was just the twins and Ron accompanied by Arthur. Charley had returned to Romania, Ginny stayed home with her Mother, while Percy was not a big Quiddich player. Hermione portkeyed with Susan and Hannah since the Bones were the closes family to where her parents lived. They came accompanied by Miss Bones. Mr. Scamander brought Neville and Terry along with his nephew Antony. The last to arrive were Oliver with the three chasers right after Narcissa brought Draco with her via Portkey.

Draco was fuming. He had gotten a scolding from his mother last night the likes of which he had never had before. He still didn't understand why him messing with Potter was such a bad thing. Lord Black surely didn't care about Scar-face. It had to be a sham. But his mother told him it was not their place to judge what their Lord wanted. Draco didn't think of Black as his Lord. He was a Malfoy. And he didn't have a Lord, just like his father. He had been thinking that all through the night and into their arriving at Potter Manor. He snorted internally seeing the ruin of the great house. Naturally everything Potter owned would be broken.

'What's Malfoy doing here?' Draco heard Weasley ask

'Long story. Just ignore him.' Potter answered.

'Draco, come here.' His mother called him from where he was just about to join the mass of people with brooms. Reluctantly he turned towards the adults.

'Draco, Lord Black needs a helping hand with preparing the barbeque and setting the table. I told him you would be more than happy to help, isn't that right?' his mother said in a sweet voice that the young Slytherin learnt to know as the voice before the storm if she didn't get her way. He flushed pink before nodding stiffly with every adult and even Granger there looking at him. He felt so humiliated.

Harry couldn't believe Aries somehow found a way to keep Draco well away from their game. But somehow the Slytherin remained close to the adults and they began their game unperturbed. They mixed themselves up to try and even the field a bit and to get the Gryffindor Team a challenge. So, Oliver was playing opposite his chasers with Harry as his Seeker and George and Fred were on opposite Teams. They were one beater short with Ron, Terry and Antony being Oliver's offence while Susan played once again Keeper and Hannah took the Seeker position since it was the most less likely to be bludgered up. Neville, with Dobby's help, ventured up on a broom to referee this time.

Draco watched the game unfold as he set the table for after the game. He had to admit the teams were well balanced and unlike any practice he had been to with the Slytherin team, this looked like fun. They were having fun while he was stuck on the ground doing chores. Servant's work, and that elf was supervising him, HIM, a wizard was being supervised by an elf.

'May I help you?' Granger startled him from his musings as she took half the cutlery and started setting it on either side of the plates.

'Bet you're enjoying this, aren't you, Granger? Seeing me do menial work.'

'Everyone here has to set a table every once in a while, Malfoy. Don't think yourself unique.' She said coldly.

'You might have had to do it, but we had servants for this.'

'You mean a house elf.'

'Obviously. Every respectable Pure Blood family has at least one.'

'Well, this family has many. And one of them used to be your House elf.'

'Dobby. That traitor playing around while his master works. Nothing like this would have happened had my father gone to that bloody Wizengamot session.'

'It's not like he left the country.' Hermione said.

'You wouldn't understand.'

'Try me.'

'Whatever, Granger, if you want to help, then hurry up with the knives and stop asking stupid questions.' With that he went to take some glasses to place near the plates. They set the table in silence for a while until a very impressive Bludger by Fred stopped Harry from getting the snitch and Terry, Tony and Ron cheered.

'At this rate we will be eating the food cold.' Snorted Draco

'Harry got the snitch from you last year didn't he?'

'Only because that Bludger was jinxed.'

'Yes, to hurt Harry.'

'It gave him motivation to fly faster.'

Hermione snorted 'So you're saying you would have gotten the snitch had your life been in danger.'

'I would have gotten the snitch had he not the advantage of adrenaline. Honestly Granger, you know nothing about Quiddich.' He said angrily.

'I know it's a sport not something to stake your whole life and happiness on.'

'Spoken like a true Muggle Born.'

'I believe that of football too.'

'What is football?'

'The equivalent of Quiddich in the muggle world.'

'I doubt it can be as exciting as Quiddich.'

'Well, it's not in the air, but it requires great skill too, and it fills stadiums with tens of thousands of fans.'

'Only because Muggles are so many and so stupid.'

'You don't know anything about Muggles, you shouldn't judge.'

'I know enough to know that wizards are superior.'

'Wizards may know magic, but Muggles have science.' Draco snorted, whatever that was, it could only be less than magic.

They were just about to finish setting the table when Granger spoke to him again. 'Why do you hate Muggles so much?'

'They are inferior to us, they destroy the world and think they own it.'

'They are different, but I wouldn't say they are inferior. And not all Muggles destroy, some try to save the world. There are organizations out there speaking for world peace and a clean environment. And they own some, but the world is big enough for everyone.'

'Can they make objects fly? Can they travel from one point to the other in the blink of an eye, can they conjure stuff out of thin air? No, they cannot. Ergo, inferior. And they may have organizations that try to save the world, but the threat they are fighting against is simply other muggles who wage war and cut forests. So you see, your argument cancels itself out. As for the world being big enough, we'll talk in a few years when it will be overpopulated.'

'Have you even been to the Muggle world to see how much their technology has advanced? Sure they can't make a broom fly, but they have planes that can fly not just one person but many, and they can't Aparate but they get by with cars and planes and trains, trains faster than the Hogwarts Express, which Wizards use to send their kids to school. You can't tell me it was a wizard that invented the train because I know for a fact it was Richard Trevithick and he was a Muggle engineer.'

'The Hogwarts Express has been kept in its original state to preserve tradition ever since 1850. But you're Muggle Born, you know nothing about tradition. You just come in and think to 'innovate' everything in your Muggle way. But you've hit a dead end, because Wizard society is run by Pure Bloods, and there is no respectable Wizarding family out there that would listen to Muggle nonsense.'

'Well, I think there is such a family out there, and it's not that far away as you would like. After all your uncle Lord Black does business with both wizards and muggles alike.'

'My uncle is an outsider. Growing up with the Black Squibs in Australia.'

'He is head of the house is he not? He is Harry's guardian.'

Draco snorted. 'Yes, he is Potter's guardian, for now. But Potter probably doesn't know that the family of his precious guardian is responsible for his family's death.'

It was a second of silence as Draco saw confusion and apprehension on Granger's face before the cheers from the Quiddich pitch grew very loud as Neville announced that Harry had caught the snitch. Draco took that distraction to retire to where his mother and Madam Bones were having a conversation. He didn't want to be questioned by the girl any longer.

Hermione was soon joined by a very happy Ron telling her about his two goals against Susan. He was just about to go back to explaining his first goal again when Terry and Tony came back from the temporary showers and changing rooms Dobby and Pan had prepared for them.

'Did you also tell her about the five times you dropped the Quaffle, butterfingers?' Terry said petting Ron's back.

Ron turned red.

'Hey, don't take it too hard, I also dropped it once or twice.' Said Antony.

'But it was fun to match skills with the Gryffindor chasers.' Nodded Terry.

'You dropped the Quaffle for Katie intentionally, didn't you?' Antony eyed his best friend shrewdly.

Terry shrugged 'It was a calculated move. I have nothing to gain from Wood. He's going away after next year, but a date with Miss Bell could be in the books later on.'

Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Oho, did my ears deceive me, oh brother of mine.' Fred and George flanked Terry. 'Or does this little Bookworm have ideas about our baby chaser?'

'We're Ravens, not Bookworms.' Protested Antony.

'Oh really?' Sue said as she and Hannah joined them freshly showered as well. 'By the amount of time you spend in the library with books, I'd never have imagined it.'

'You're just sour I scored four times, Susy. Not top of your game today.'

'You only scored two of those four goals because George sent Bludgers after me. Which he said he wouldn't do.' She glared at the right twin.

'That was Fred, he was sending Bludgers at Terry, but nearly got you instead.' George said.

'Oh please, my Aunty is head of the DMLE, I can spot diffrences and inconsistancies around me before you can blink. It was you, not Fred, and you were aiming at me, not Terry.'

'Feisty. You sure the hat sorted you right? You're more a Lion than a Badger.'

'Or a Raven.' Antony pointed out. 'It takes brains to deduce the twins.'

'Please.' Hannah rolled her eyes 'Just because Hufflepuff isn't flashy about brains or brawns doesn't mean Puffs aren't smart or won't stand up for themselves.'

'We just don't want to be labelled: brains, courage, cunning.' Sue started 'Being in any house would automatically make you act in a certain way to try and fit in. Hufflepuff doesn't have that, we can be all those things and more, whenever it suits us.'

'I guess it does make sense. That way you grow up more tolerant.' Hermione intervened.

'You're supposed to side with us.' Fred said dramatically.

'It's a girl thing. They have to stick together.' Said Terry

'It's not a girl thing.' The three girls said almost at once.

'It makes sense. It values cooperation and diversity.' Said Hannah

'Why are you lot still talking here, aren't you done showering, I'm starving?' Harry asked as he came out of the showers with Neville following him from where he had gone to see how the plants in the garden were doing.

'Harry, our impartial host.' Harry looked at the enthusiastic George, or was it Fred?, with apprehension.

'Tell us, between courage, cunning, brains and tolerance. What would you choose?'

Harry eyed his friends and realized that this was one of those moments when diplomacy lessons with Aries came in handy. 'Er, can we not have all of them?' asked Harry

'Yeah, I mean, diversity is good.' Added Neville.

Ron frowned at this as Hannah and Susan beamed 'YES! Diversity is good.'

Fred and George sent him evil mock glares between chuckles as the two Puff girls took Harry and Neville by one arm each and led them to the table. Harry felt he was missing something, but seeing Hermione's satisfied smirk, he said nothing more and resolved to ask his friend later.

'Got to hand it to our Seeker, he knows how to get the girls.' Angelina said as Alicia and Katie followed her.

'He gets it from us.' The twins made the Gryffindor girls snort.

'Neville too?' asked Terry

'Neville is very well spoken.' Katie noted. 'Haven't realized that until now.'

'That's because he's shy.' Alicia said.

They continued to bicker and laugh until Mr. Weasley sent his sons to the showers, the only ones who had not bathed yet, so that they would all be decent smelling for the late lunch.

A/N: Hello guys, that's it for this chapter. I did want it to continue a bit more into the next day, with Aries's discussion with Draco and all, but I decided to split it since next chapter won't only be about Malfoy, but about a revelation for Harry too. Sorry it took a while to update, but you know how it is, when life gets in the way. Also, I hope you all get to have a nice smooth start in the New Year and may you achieve everything you wish for in 2020, until then, let me know what you think. PS: I am still waiting for snow :]