Dark Legacy

Chapter 6

Silence fell over the Great Hall. Everyone seems transfixed at the new announcement, and then, thunderous applause broke out!

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the one that defeated the Dark Lord, was in Hogwarts! The students – Hogwarts, Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang - you can see from their faces, they were wild with glee!

Harry Potter smiled & nodded at the student body, and walked slowly towards Dumbledore.

The students could barely contain their excitement. One of them shouted "Professor Potter, could you please autograph my robe!"

Draco Jr. observed all these with interest. So the man was Harry Potter. Draco Jr. once asked Lucius Malfoy about him, and Lucius has provided a curt, albeit restrained reply "The fool-hardy mudblood lover". Draco Jr. knew better than to probe further, but Lucius' assessment of the man was enough for Draco Jr. to decide what he should think of Harry Potter.

Dumbledore had announced that the Wand Weighing ceremony would take place after breakfast. So immediately after the meal, Draco Jr. found himself, along with the other delegates, ushered into a classroom with windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, and showed a beautiful view of the lake outside.

A velvet carpet had been laid out on the floor. And at one end of the carpet was a mahogany table with four chairs behind it – on it sat Dumbledore, the Headmistress and Headmaster from Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang respectively, and, Harry Potter.

"Welcome students!" said Harry Potter. "In the past, the Triwizard Tournament traditionally had one delegate to represent each school, but as you know, for this year, we decided to have different delegates from each school to represent the different tasks that will be set forth in the Tournament."

"You were the Hogwarts champion in the last Triwizard Tournament!"

Harry Potter turned to a Hogwarts student who had a Gryffindor blazer on his robe.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. You are correct." Harry Potter smiled at him, but stopped at that.

The red-haired student beamed proudly back.

Draco Jr. observed the student out of the corner of his left eye. A Weasley……

"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the Tournament." Harry Potter stated.

An old wizard with large pale eyes was standing quietly by the window. He beckoned each student one by one and started to check on their wands solemnly, muttering a remark here and there and making the students' wands perform spells and charms until he was satisfied.

Draco Jr. has never met Mr. Ollivander. But he knew he was a much renowned wand-maker, one of the best in the wizarding world, in fact. Draco Jr. knew he made Voldemort's wand – and Harry Potter's.

Draco Jr. was the last to come forward. He handed his wand over to the old wand-maker. "Gregorovitch creation, a very fine wand indeed……you care for your wand well……however……"

Draco Jr. was bored with the wand-maker. He thought he looked batty, muttering to himself in the middle of a classroom. But suddenly Mr. Ollivander said something that caught his attention……

"Yes, Dragon heartstring…how befitting, to your name. Such a coincidence also…"

"What's coincidence, sir?" Draco Jr. asked sharply, although his tone remained respectful.

"Oh, I may be mistaken, it was a long time ago" And Mr. Ollivander proceed to ignore him, but still made his wand perform a starburst before handling it back.

It was almost break time when the wand weighing ceremony concluded.

One by one, the delegates streamed out of the classroom. Draco Jr., however, nodded to his schoolmates and made his way in the opposite direction.

The truth was his mind was swirling with curiosity. Lucius' reluctance for him to participate in the Triwizard Tournament…the remarks from the Sorting Hat…and most importantly, the initials on his bedpost D.Malfoy.

As far as Draco Jr. knew, there was only one Malfoy family in the whole of Europe. Who is D. Malfoy then?

But then, this would be easy to find out. He raised one hand on a brass knob and pushed the heavy oak door - and found himself in the Hogwarts Library.

He approached a rather stern Madam Pince "May I know where I could find the Hogwarts Year Books, please?"

Madam Pince looked at him and was struck by the similarities between him and a student from the past. "And what may be the purpose of this?" asked Madam Pince suspiciously.

"I'm interested to find out who were the Slytherin students that were made Prefects over the years." He answered her politely.

"I see. They are on the last shelves" She paused before adding "Let me show you."

"Thank you Madam. You are very kind."

Madam Pince's look softens. An unconscious thought came over her He is so very different from his father. Should I…? No, I must follow Dumbledore's instructions……

She stopped in front of a row of shelves and ran her fingers over a stretch of books. Unknown to Draco Jr., Madam Pince had muttered a spell under her breath before saying "Here they are. Take your time."

"Thank you Madam."

She proceeded to leave, but suddenly, Draco Jr. said "Madam, do you know of any Slytherin Prefects whose initials were D.Malfoy?"

She froze in her tracks. "I do not think so." She replied.

"Thank you Madam." Draco Jr. nodded at her politely before turning to the books.

Madam Pince nodded back and walked silently back to her desk.

Draco Jr. spent almost three hours in the Library, pouring over one Year Book after another. Nevertheless he could not find any Prefects or student, for that matter, whose initials were D. Malfoy. Of course, there was his grandfather, Lucius Malfoy, and his great-grandfather and so on. The Sorting Hat was not lying; the Malfoys who attended Hogwarts before were all Slytherins; and Prefects as well.

Was the Sorting Hat expecting him in Hogwarts five years before, which explains why it said that? Was he reading too much into the Sorting Hat's remarks?

"This is stupid. I'm wasting my time. D. Malfoy was probably my great-great-great grandfather from five thousand years before – that's why he could not be traced." Draco Jr. concluded before calling it a day. He decided to leave the matter as such. After all, there was no compelling reason to continue.

He made his way out of the Library towards the direction of the Great Hall. He was hungry & very much looking forward to dinner.

"Draco Malfoy?" a voice called from the spiral staircase.

Draco Jr. turned around.

"Professor Potter."

Harry Potter was smiling back at him. Draco Jr. eyed him suspiciously as he limped slowly down the steps towards Draco Jr.

"Well, I guess we need no proper introductions now"

"Yes sir."

"Well, just like to say hello. I am sorry that I did not make known to you who I was this morning"

"I understand sir." Draco Jr. replied politely. Inwardly he had no idea where this conversation was heading. It seemed to him that Harry Potter kept popping out in front of him today!

"Well" Harry said, rather awkwardly, "I hope you are settling well in Hogwarts. If there is anything you think I can, er, help in any way, please do come to me." He paused before adding "Or any of the Hogwarts teachers."

Draco Jr. raised an eyebrow. If he only knows what I think of him, Draco Jr. thought.

"Thank you, sir."

Harry nodded, not saying another word.

"Excuse me sir, I'll take my leave now." Draco Jr. said shortly and turned, leaving Harry standing alone in the corridor.

In Dumbledore's office

"He is so unlike his father, Headmaster. It is almost, unbelievable."

"Yes, indeed. And" here Dumbledore paused "much too reserved for a boy his age."

"He certainly was suspicious of me" Harry stated matter-of-factly.

Dumbledore peered at Harry through his half-moon glasses and said in a very kind voice "Harry, remember you have no obligations to the boy. Do not take that upon yourself."

Harry blinked and looked out the window.

But it was my fault, he thought sadly.

Author's Note: Hi, please leave me a review. What do you think of the story so far?