In Continuation Part 6 - And Into The Frying Pan

The first shock was that Dumbledore, for a change, was not smiling. The twinkle had disappeared from his eyes. He looked Harry up and down, glancing at Snape as if for confirmation.

"Mr. Potter," he began, "I am very disappointed in you."

He sounded it, too. Harry's heart began to sink. Perhaps, this time, the rules would not be bent for his sake. He'd be expelled. Oh, one more chance…

"I have been informed that you have been not only disrespectful, but downright rude to a teacher. I have ample proof that you described Professor Snape as a… he peered at the parchment on the desk in front of him (Ron had been right, Harry resolved to tell him) 'biased, slimy scum whose hair looks as if it hadn't been washed in centuries'?"

"That's true sir…"

"But…"

"There is no room for excuses in this case, Mr. Potter, you do realise that. I do not want to hear 'but'."

"But I didn't say but," protested Harry.

"You've said it twice now," a strained voice said from the corner of the room. "I said it first, though."

Harry turned, slowly, facing the inevitable.

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the corner, stroking Fawkes's tail feathers with one hand. He looked pale and on the verge of collapsing.

"D… Malfoy," he corrected himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been expelled," Draco said. "Snape owled my father."

"Your father! But…"

"I believe this interview is about you, Potter, not Malfoy here," sneered Snape.

Harry turned on him. "You owled Lucius Malfoy and asked him to come here?"

"Naturally. He will want to personally remove his son from this school."

Harry swiveled back to Draco. "Didn't you explain?!"

"I tried," said Draco.

"Explain, then," Dumbledore conceded good-naturedly.

"Lucius Malfoy is working with Voldemort!" Harry practically yelled.

Snape flinched from the sheer volume. Harry continued, regardless. "Malfoy was supposed to join the Death Eaters this summer. But he didn't. And he had to run away and his father is after him and Voldemort too and they're going to kill him!"

Dumbledore frowned. "But why would Lucius Malfoy want to kill his only heir? And wouldn't Voldemort be better off trying to persuade young Draco here back to the Dark Side?"

"Not really," admitted Draco. "I mean, he has plenty of Death Eaters already. It's just because I'm a Malfoy. But I told him, in no uncertain terms, to fuck himself."

"Language!" hissed Snape.

Without pausing, Draco said, "Fuck you," then concluded to Dumbledore, "And he's kinda pissed off about that."

Snape was seething. Draco, who seemed to have got his nerve back, sneered, "You can't expel me again, Snape. Sorry about that."

Dumbledore said, "You have quite a way with words, young Malfoy."

Draco smirked. "What can I say? It's my burden to bear. And by the way, Harry did say that to Snape, but Snape called him a piece of shit. So I think they're pretty much even, don't you?"

"I'll consider that," Dumbledore mused. "Severus, is it true?"

Snape had gone sallow and seemed to have nothing to say. Dumbledore took his silence to mean a yes. Snape grumbled, but left.

"Well then Harry, I see no reason why you should leave this school. Guard your tongue a bit more carefully in future. You may go now. I wish to talk with Draco Malfoy."

"Please…" began Harry, and stopped, not knowing how to phrase his most unusual request.

"Yes?"

"What about Lucius Malfoy?"

"Voldemort will not enter this castle, you can stop worrying," Dumbledore assured him. "He would not even venture into the Forbidden Forest, as Draco here so correctly guessed."

"How did you…" Draco spluttered.

"Well, I am psychic you know," Dumbledore deadpanned. Seeing the poleaxed looks on everyone's faces, he quickly added, "It's a quote from a Muggle movie. Intriguing."

"X-Men," said Harry, nodding knowledgeably. "I've seen it."

"Why didn't you help me?" Draco asked, not pleading but curious.

"You wrote to Harry for help, in case it has slipped your memory, young Draco. It was up to him, really."

"You're scary sometimes, Professor," laughed Harry.

There was a sharp knocking on the door. McGonagall peeped round the door. "Albus, Lucius Malfoy is here to see you."

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Ha, ha, ha! Cliffhanger! Sorry, couldn't resist that…

DancingRain -- Yeah, "light angst" sounds good! Pity it isn't a choice for the genre! Maybe ff.net would consider putting in a new category…?

And thanks to:

MidnightUnicorn, Sage Mistress of Magic, DaigonAlley, Draco Malfoy N Harry Potter, Matura, Insane Squirrel, continue!, Morien Alexander, SoulSister, Katu, and whitebearwrites.

You guys keep me going to the end! See you there. In a few chapters' time… ;)