Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K.
Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Note (9/21/02): This chapter is a 'reunion interlude' (as the title says) which means there will be no flashbacks in it. There are a few more of these planned, and they will probably be relatively short, as they are bumps in the road to the next chapter, and allow the reader to know what's going on at the reunion in the midst of all the flashbacks. Essentially the story is about the flashbacks. Also, apologies on the space between updates - I'm working now and don't have as much free time as I did over the summer.
Chapter Thirteen: Reunion Interlude
"I was wondering if he'd show up," said Harry.
"Are you still feuding with him?" Neville asked.
"Truth is, I haven't seen him since the day we graduated," Harry said.
"You're not going to go over there, are you?" Ginny asked, concerned.
"No," said Harry.
"That won't stop him from coming over here though," said Ron, and he gestured towards Malfoy, who was walking towards them at that moment.
"I'm going to make myself scarce," said Neville, and he took Luna's hand and started to pull her along, but she wanted to stay and stood firmly in her place. Malfoy reached the group of six, and sneered.
"Well, if it isn't Potter and all his goody-goody friends," he said.
"Hello Malfoy," was all Harry said. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with his old enemy at his school reunion.
"And of course, the Weasleys," said Malfoy, and his eyes sweeping over Ron and Ginny. "I see you've married well, Ginny. All of Potter's money coming in handy with your family?"
Ginny turned red and put a step forward, seemingly to tell Malfoy off, but Harry stopped her. "You know it's not worth it," he said to her.
"What's that?" said Malfoy.
"I said, 'it's not worth it,' Malfoy," Harry said. "I'm not a child anymore, I know how to pick my battles."
Malfoy was very surprised by this. Generally in his run ins with Harry and his friends, he would find himself hexed after riling the crowd up. "I suppose they're going to give you a medal," Malfoy said. "Harry Potter, Most Successful Hogwarts Graduate."
"I don't know if I would be the most successful," said Harry, thinking the conversation had taken an odd turn. "I play Quidditch. I may have a lot of fans, but there are people here who are doing things to help others." He glanced at Hermione and then at Ginny, though Malfoy didn't seem to notice.
"You think that's success, Potter?" Malfoy asked. "Success is about money. Riches. Who cares if you're helping others?" He said the words 'helping others' with a particular tone of disgust in his voice. "You make more money than anyone in this room, I guarantee it. That's what defines success."
"And what have you been doing since you graduated, then?" Harry asked, suddenly curious about his arch-enemy. "I've heard nothing about you, or your family."
"No thanks to you, my family lost all their power when Voldemort was defeated. My father was arrested, and put in Azkaban, and our house and everything in it destroyed. My mother had to work for the first time in her life."
"That's a shame," Ron said under his breath. Luckily, Malfoy didn't seem to hear him because he kept on talking.
"And I had to work too. But the name of Malfoy means nothing these days. My mother and I went to America, where we were able to live without people sneering at us anytime they found out who we were."
Harry listened to the story, and found himself almost feeling sorry for his childhood enemy. ALMOST. But not quite.
"This is all thanks to you, Potter," Malfoy said with a definite note of hatred in his voice. "Therefore I must defend my father's honor and take care of you, once and for all!" He pulled out his wand and raised it, opened his mouth to speak and -
"DRACO MALFOY! Put that wand down now!" a shrill woman's voice sounded in the air. Malfoy put the wand down and looked around for the owner of the voice. A woman stormed towards them. "What did I tell you about this?" she demanded.
"Not to threaten people anymore," said Malfoy, suddenly seeming smaller, as he cowered from the woman's voice.
"My apologies," she said to the group of six. "I'm Mathilda Malfoy, Draco's wife." She shook s hands with each of them, and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She lowered her voice. "We've been having some trouble with Draco, these days. For the longest time, he was fine, but lately he's started to have some, disillusions. I realize that you have a long history with him, and I know about Voldemort and how you defeated him. Everything he told you was true, I imagine. How his family lost their money?" Harry nodded. "Well, Draco's story is not entirely true. His family DID lose all their money, but it had nothing to do with Voldemort's defeat, at least not directly. My father-in-law got caught with many of Voldemort's possessions in his basement. It seemed as though he wanted to start up a new Dark Arts Society. He was thrown into Azkaban and everything was destroyed."
"The house, too?" Harry asked.
"Well, yes," said Mathilda. "But not until later. Unfortunately there was fire."
"And Draco's mother?"
"Alive and well," said Mathilda. "Working as a seamstress in America. She had money for a while, but her spending habits soon took care of that. And it's true that the name of Malfoy has no power anymore, but that hasn't prevented him from working. He just uses it as an excuse."
Harry was speechless, and so said nothing in response to the story. Hermione, however, spoke to Mathilda. "You're a very patient woman," was all she said. Mathilda smiled at her.
"I'm glad we came here, though," she said. "He should be okay in a little while. Just got to have another talk with him, I suppose." She turned back to Malfoy and took his arm. "Come along, Draco, let's see if we can find Crabbe and Goyle. Won't it be nice to see your old cronies?" She walked through the Great Hall to where there was a large group of Slytherins gathering.
When she was out of earshot, the group of six looked at each other, but they didn't laugh. "That was.. weird," said Ginny.
"Do you think he's really gone nutters?" asked Ron.
"Seems like he's just angry," said Harry.
"Harry, it sounds like you feel bad for him," Hermione commented.
"I don't feel bad. Pity, maybe," said Harry. "But he's still the same prat he used to be, except now it seems he can't help himself."
"And how is that any different than the way he used to be?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Guess it's not." They were all silent for a few moments.
"I for one would like to get THAT meeting out of my mind," said Ginny. "Why don't we go and see-"
"Oh my goodness!" came a woman's voice from behind them, interrupting Ginny. "It's Harry Potter!"
Note (9/21/02): This chapter is a 'reunion interlude' (as the title says) which means there will be no flashbacks in it. There are a few more of these planned, and they will probably be relatively short, as they are bumps in the road to the next chapter, and allow the reader to know what's going on at the reunion in the midst of all the flashbacks. Essentially the story is about the flashbacks. Also, apologies on the space between updates - I'm working now and don't have as much free time as I did over the summer.
Chapter Thirteen: Reunion Interlude
"I was wondering if he'd show up," said Harry.
"Are you still feuding with him?" Neville asked.
"Truth is, I haven't seen him since the day we graduated," Harry said.
"You're not going to go over there, are you?" Ginny asked, concerned.
"No," said Harry.
"That won't stop him from coming over here though," said Ron, and he gestured towards Malfoy, who was walking towards them at that moment.
"I'm going to make myself scarce," said Neville, and he took Luna's hand and started to pull her along, but she wanted to stay and stood firmly in her place. Malfoy reached the group of six, and sneered.
"Well, if it isn't Potter and all his goody-goody friends," he said.
"Hello Malfoy," was all Harry said. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with his old enemy at his school reunion.
"And of course, the Weasleys," said Malfoy, and his eyes sweeping over Ron and Ginny. "I see you've married well, Ginny. All of Potter's money coming in handy with your family?"
Ginny turned red and put a step forward, seemingly to tell Malfoy off, but Harry stopped her. "You know it's not worth it," he said to her.
"What's that?" said Malfoy.
"I said, 'it's not worth it,' Malfoy," Harry said. "I'm not a child anymore, I know how to pick my battles."
Malfoy was very surprised by this. Generally in his run ins with Harry and his friends, he would find himself hexed after riling the crowd up. "I suppose they're going to give you a medal," Malfoy said. "Harry Potter, Most Successful Hogwarts Graduate."
"I don't know if I would be the most successful," said Harry, thinking the conversation had taken an odd turn. "I play Quidditch. I may have a lot of fans, but there are people here who are doing things to help others." He glanced at Hermione and then at Ginny, though Malfoy didn't seem to notice.
"You think that's success, Potter?" Malfoy asked. "Success is about money. Riches. Who cares if you're helping others?" He said the words 'helping others' with a particular tone of disgust in his voice. "You make more money than anyone in this room, I guarantee it. That's what defines success."
"And what have you been doing since you graduated, then?" Harry asked, suddenly curious about his arch-enemy. "I've heard nothing about you, or your family."
"No thanks to you, my family lost all their power when Voldemort was defeated. My father was arrested, and put in Azkaban, and our house and everything in it destroyed. My mother had to work for the first time in her life."
"That's a shame," Ron said under his breath. Luckily, Malfoy didn't seem to hear him because he kept on talking.
"And I had to work too. But the name of Malfoy means nothing these days. My mother and I went to America, where we were able to live without people sneering at us anytime they found out who we were."
Harry listened to the story, and found himself almost feeling sorry for his childhood enemy. ALMOST. But not quite.
"This is all thanks to you, Potter," Malfoy said with a definite note of hatred in his voice. "Therefore I must defend my father's honor and take care of you, once and for all!" He pulled out his wand and raised it, opened his mouth to speak and -
"DRACO MALFOY! Put that wand down now!" a shrill woman's voice sounded in the air. Malfoy put the wand down and looked around for the owner of the voice. A woman stormed towards them. "What did I tell you about this?" she demanded.
"Not to threaten people anymore," said Malfoy, suddenly seeming smaller, as he cowered from the woman's voice.
"My apologies," she said to the group of six. "I'm Mathilda Malfoy, Draco's wife." She shook s hands with each of them, and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She lowered her voice. "We've been having some trouble with Draco, these days. For the longest time, he was fine, but lately he's started to have some, disillusions. I realize that you have a long history with him, and I know about Voldemort and how you defeated him. Everything he told you was true, I imagine. How his family lost their money?" Harry nodded. "Well, Draco's story is not entirely true. His family DID lose all their money, but it had nothing to do with Voldemort's defeat, at least not directly. My father-in-law got caught with many of Voldemort's possessions in his basement. It seemed as though he wanted to start up a new Dark Arts Society. He was thrown into Azkaban and everything was destroyed."
"The house, too?" Harry asked.
"Well, yes," said Mathilda. "But not until later. Unfortunately there was fire."
"And Draco's mother?"
"Alive and well," said Mathilda. "Working as a seamstress in America. She had money for a while, but her spending habits soon took care of that. And it's true that the name of Malfoy has no power anymore, but that hasn't prevented him from working. He just uses it as an excuse."
Harry was speechless, and so said nothing in response to the story. Hermione, however, spoke to Mathilda. "You're a very patient woman," was all she said. Mathilda smiled at her.
"I'm glad we came here, though," she said. "He should be okay in a little while. Just got to have another talk with him, I suppose." She turned back to Malfoy and took his arm. "Come along, Draco, let's see if we can find Crabbe and Goyle. Won't it be nice to see your old cronies?" She walked through the Great Hall to where there was a large group of Slytherins gathering.
When she was out of earshot, the group of six looked at each other, but they didn't laugh. "That was.. weird," said Ginny.
"Do you think he's really gone nutters?" asked Ron.
"Seems like he's just angry," said Harry.
"Harry, it sounds like you feel bad for him," Hermione commented.
"I don't feel bad. Pity, maybe," said Harry. "But he's still the same prat he used to be, except now it seems he can't help himself."
"And how is that any different than the way he used to be?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Guess it's not." They were all silent for a few moments.
"I for one would like to get THAT meeting out of my mind," said Ginny. "Why don't we go and see-"
"Oh my goodness!" came a woman's voice from behind them, interrupting Ginny. "It's Harry Potter!"