Chapter 3: A New Acquaintance
Authors Note: apologies for this taking so long, I will try to write and upload faster in future, really!
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognisable characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling and I'm not making any money off them, nor will I ever be.
"Race you!" Sirius yelled as they left Potions on a Thursday evening 3 weeks into the new term.
"You're on!" Lily was already half way down the corridor, followed by Remus.
"I can beat you anytime, Black!" James challenged, haring off after them.
"Where are we racing to?" Peter worried. When he got no answer, he pushed himself to chase after them.
Lily has caught up with Sirius, and was beginning to overtake him. Laughing, neck-and-neck, they careered around a corner, and Sirius crashed into Filch. He stumbled, James caught up with him, and they ran off whooping in exultation as Filch roared after them.
"Potter! Black! Get back here now! Detention!" Unfortunately, Filch's dignity, which was dubious at the best of times, literally went up in flames as Remus ran past and knocked him into a wall sconce. "ARRGH!" screamed Filch, trying to put out the flames.
"Serves you right!" Remus shouted recklessly, still smarting from all the times Filch had punished them.
Lily was by now far in the lead, and in an effort to lose the boys, she spun around two sharp corners and crashed through a secret hole in the wall. As she entered a small, cosy meeting room near the castle's entrance, she shuddered to a stop. For sitting in front of her…no…it couldn't be…it was-
James ran into the room behind he, mere seconds ahead of Sirius. Gangly and awkward with his new height, James tried to stop, but couldn't, tripped, and ended up in a pile at Lily's feet. Sirius, who had been born with a natural, easy grace, managed to avoid both Lily and the prone James, who he neatly jumped over. Straightening up, Sirius was just in time to turn and catch Remus as the light-haired boy virtually fell through the wall.
"Lily! Whatever possessed you to stop like that?" James demanded angrily.
"I do believe that your friend was somewhat surprised to see me here, which would explain why she halted." The voice that spoke was smooth and cultured, and coldly amused. The three boys, none of whom had noticed the stranger sitting in the high backed chair across the room, looked up suddenly, and were most startled to see someone who looked exactly like-
"Malfoy!" James spat out.
"Yes, I see you recognise me," Malfoy chuckled lightly, although he did not look at all amused. He looked so exactly like Lucius that they had to be father and son, although there were some minor differences; instead of Lucius' pale blue, lifeless eyes, this man had intense, grey eyes hidden behind thin glasses, as well as a few matching strands of grey in his perfectly arranged hair. James got to his feet, still glaring, an identical look now present on three other faces.
"Since I have been so rudely interrupted, may I have the ahh…pleasure of knowing who I was interrupted by?" Malfoy asked mockingly.
"Sirius black, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin and James Potter," James answered haughtily. "And you're Fiorex Malfoy."
"Well, I do meet with exalted company; Arcturus Black the famous Auror's son, and Angela Lupin, top broom mechanic is your mother. But Evans? I don't know that name. Muggle born, are we?" Fiorex asked with a sneer.
Lily bristled. "So what of it?"
"Nothing, of course. To me, Muggle borns are just as capable as the next wizard." Fiorex Malfoy paused, seemingly to suppress a laugh. "And of course," he continued. "A Potter. I should have known by the hair. Archie Potter, my good friend and Minister of Magical Law Enforcement. How is your father, James? And your mother? Happy, are they?" Malfoy smiled a satisfied, cat-like grin as James' face turned bright red, and his fists clenched.
"You should know," James said tightly, "He was at Malfoy Manor in the summer."
"A mere social visit," Malfoy said dismissively.
"So you're not hiding illegal Dark potions and artefacts there then?" James asked, eyes wide with mock innocence. Sirius laughed and hurriedly turned it into a cough.
This time, it was Malfoy's turn to go crimson. "Of course not," he snapped. "A Malfoy would never do such a thing." Sirius and Remus both fake-coughed, and Fiorex glared. "I'm bored of you now, please go," he demanded imperiously.
"But we want to stay here," Lily grinned, and sat down. A chance to annoy a Malfoy, any Malfoy, must not be passed up. Sirius and James joined her, and Remus sat down with a look reminiscent of a burning martyr. "I asked you to leave," Malfoy said through gritted teeth.
"And we said we wanted to stay here," Sirius replied with a hint of laughter in his voice.
The argument might have continued for quite a while in this vein if not for the sudden appearance of Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape. "Father!" cried Lucius, "why are you here with these…these…things?"
"Is that the best you can come up with, Lucy?" Remus asked coldly.
"Shut up, Lupin. You should just be glad my father hasn't blasted you all into a million pieces by now," 'Lucy' sneered.
"Oh, I think I would have found a more painful way of killing them than that," Fiorex grinned, looking almost feral.
"Twisted, sick," Sirius muttered.
"Sad and pathetic," Remus added. Both Malfoys, father and son, scowled at him, distorting their unusually perfect features.
"You'd both be so much prettier if you smiled," Lily said sweetly. Snape had to restrain Lucius from attacking her at that; his looks were his weak point.
"Lucius, come," Fiorex demanded curtly. Obviously used to obeying his father, the younger Malfoy followed, but before he left he turned to face the Gryffindors. "I will not forget this. And neither will my father, you may be sure. One day…" he shut the door softly, cutting off any retaliation that may have been made.
"Well," Lily said, after long moments of silence.
"Well, indeed," James muttered.
"That makes three Malfoys who hate us," Remus stated wearily.
"Are there any more? I think we should try collect 'em all. Like chocolate frog cards: 'Collect the Enmity of the Meanest Malfoy.'" Sirius joked, prompting quiet laughs from the others.
"We're only 13, and we have, how many? Four mortal enemies!" Lily grinned.
"Oh, more than that, surely," Sirius said, looking upset at the smallness of the number.
"At least five," James argued. "Three Malfoys, Snape and Headly."
"We should set targets," Sirius suggested.
"I don't think we need to, I think we do well enough without," Remus said logically.
"Good point," Lily agreed.
"Sirius and co., Mortal Enemy Makers!" cried Sirius.
"Cant we be Mischief Makers? It sounds better," Lily pleaded.
"The Magical Mischief Makers," James added.
"But not Sirius and Co.," Remus said hastily.
"No," James and Lily agreed.
"Magical Mischief Makers for Ever!" James cried. They all piled their hands and shouted "For Ever!" before falling over with laughter.
Standing in the doorway, Peter puffed and panted and peered curiously at his friends, who were now almost hysterical. "It took me so long to find you," he said apologetically. "What's going on?" they all laughed even harder, and Peter, once again driven to distraction by his mad friends, muttered "You're all nuts."
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The newly created Magical Mischief Makers thought that they would be lucky enough never to meet Fiorex Malfoy again, or that, if they did, it would definitely not be within Hogwart's' stone walls. This certainly had been one of the major facts behind their behaviour when they met him, as even they knew it was not clever to make an enemy of the head of one of the most powerful wizarding families in the country. But they had been sure they would never cross his path again, and had therefore deemed it safe to annoy him a little.
Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. A week after their meeting, Fiorex Malfoy was Dumbledore's guest at dinner. As they saw this, James and Remus, the more cautious members of the group, shared an apprehensive look. Seeing your mortal enemy rarely bodes well. But seeing your mortal enemy next to your Headmaster, the man with ultimate control over your life, was very, very bad. What could be going on?
Dinner progressed with seemingly more waiting than usual, and the Gryffindor table was tense. It was obvious to everyone who the man seated at Dumbledore's right hand was, and the sight of a Malfoy was never a good thing for Gryffindors. The Slytherin table, however, seemed to be in great spirits, laughing and joking with a joyfulness rarely seen in the menacing group. Finally, the meal ended, and Dumbledore stood up to speak.
"Good evening to you all. I hope you all enjoyed your meal," he beamed. "I'm sure many of you have noticed my guest, and are aware that this is Mr. Fiorex Malfoy." There was loud, enthusiastic clapping from the Slytherin table, and a few scattered claps from the rest of the room. Sirius was barely restrained from booing.
"He is here tonight because…well, I'll let him explain that himself." Dumbledore indicated Fiorex, who stood gracefully and inclined his head.
"Hogwarts," he said clearly, "had a fine history. It goes back, as I'm sure you know, about a thousand years, although the exact date is unknown. During that time, it has produced some of the world's finest witches and wizards. The Malfoy family have been educated here since the founding, as we are one of the eldest pureblood families in existence." Dumbledore's face remained passive at these obviously Slytherin remarks, although many of the other teachers frowned. "And we have constantly proved we are one of the most prominent wizarding families in Britain, constantly being at the centre of power."
"Dark power," James whispered loudly, and there was a mild disturbance at the Gryffindor table as the Gryffindors, and those Hufflepuffs near enough to hear, choked back their laughter.
"I myself was educated here of course," Fiorex continued, his cultured voice riding easily over the stifled giggles. "As were both my sons," he favoured the Slytherin table with a small smile, "And Hogwarts has made me into the wizard I am today."
"How come it didn't fuck up any one else then?" Sirius demanded quietly.
"It did, all the Slytherins," Lily returned with a grin.
"Therefore," Malfoy continued determinedly over a wave of similar whispers, "I feel that it is time for me, and the Malfoy family, to give something back. I am pleased to announce I will be making a large donation to Hogwarts, to be spent on whatever your esteemed Headmaster feels best." Fiorex smirked to himself, pleased with his generosity, and again, there was loud applause from the Slytherins, and polite clapping from the teachers. "I am glad Dumbledore gave me the opportunity to tell you this myself, but now I must leave, I have received news I have urgent business awaiting." With that, the plates cleared, and the students rose to leave."
When they reached the entrance hall, James and Sirius were surprised to hear Dumbledore and Fiorex Malfoy talking by the doors. They nudged the others, and discreetly, the five moved closer to hear.
"Charming speech, Mr Malfoy, I think it was very well received," Dumbledore was saying.
"You do realise it is a very hefty donation, Dumbledore, even for a Malfoy," Fiorex said, his eyes glittering with menace. "I trust that it will help my son with his…ah…teaching career?" Malfoy's tone left no room for doubt that this money wad intended as a bribe.
"Of course, one of the areas the money will be spent on will be Defence Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "But as for your son himself…it remains to be seen whether he will make a good teacher."
Malfoy glared, but decided to continue with trying to make a deal with Dumbledore. "I know you have a meeting with the Ministry soon, Albus, I hope it goes well. I know you have a lot of influence there…I am, unfortunately, not on good terms with them at present. I hope I can still afford my donation."
Dumbledore smiled at him. "It would be a great pity if you could not…"
"Follow my lead," James hissed, beginning to casually saunter towards the two adults. "The cheek of that Malfoy! Thinking he can buy off Dumbledore with that donation!" he exclaimed loudly.
"I know, I saw through him right away," Lily added.
"Do you think his 'pressing business is your father raiding the house again, Jamie?" Remus asked, grinning.
"I damn well hope so, the bastard deserves what he gets!"
"Mr. Black!" Dumbledore exclaimed loudly. "Apologise to Mr. Malfoy at once!"
Sirius knew immediately that he had gone too far, and said, with a simpering smirk, "I am most sorry, Mr. Malfoy, if I have offended in any way, I didn't mean it, honest!" Malfoy glared, aware Sirius was mocking him.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more. "I trust you have heard of Mr. Black and his friends?" he inquired of Fiorex.
"Yes, but I have also had the pleasure of meeting with them. I think we all understand each other very well." The five Gryffindors jumped slightly as Malfoy turned the full force of his glare on them. "Now, Dumbledore, I really must be going."
"I do believe it is nearly curfew," Dumbledore said mildly to his five students, who grinned at him and ran off. Dumbledore returned to his office, whistling merrily, buoyed up by the loyalty of five thirteen year-old Gryffindors.
A/N: again, apologies for the length of time this thing has taken me. Remember, reviews make me happy, and I write faster when I'm happy!