"Threats, intimidation and favors if I have to," Harry answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
Malfoy and Ron raised their eyebrows but made no immediate comment. "What's Stonewall High like anyway?"
"I'm not sure, I was supposed to go the year I went to Hogwarts instead," Harry shrugged. "The uniform has been revoked since I was supposed to go, so you won't have to wear the gray thing I was going to."
"Gray? A Malfoy's only gray things are his eyes, his silver and his castle walls," the blonde said in a superior voice.
"What about-"
"It's an expression Weasley, we have more gray things than just that, like all our ancient stone tablets and steel things and iron things and urns, all sorts of things."
"You have all sorts of everything Malfoy, you're just too rich." Ron said.
"There is no 'too rich', there's just too shopy," Malfoy responded.
Ron and Harry rolled their eyes and realized they should go downstairs for lunch. At the table sat their dishes, ready for the meal, as well as Piers, Malcolm and Dudley eating rice cakes from the bag and drinking sodas. They glared furiously at Harry but gave Ron and Malfoy stranger looks.
"Who are you?" Piers asked, looking at the blonde and red-head.
"I'm Ron, Ron Weasley."
"I'll have you know that you will not refer to me in the same way you refer to Weasley. I am Draco Malfoy, and no friend of yours," he gave them a hard glare and seated himself.
"Don't be a prat Malfoy, they're just stupid muggle boys," Blaise entered the room, sporting a gorgeous navy sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and a pair of sleet gray slacks to match. Blaise looked every bit as Slytherin as he did at school.
"Well don't let them near me, I don't want to be soiled by them," Malfoy flipped his blonde hair from his eyes and sneered at them.
"They can't soil you Draco, your too pure blooded, you'd have to marry one to do anything like that," Blaise said, he seated himself next to his friend.
Harry and Ron both sat down as well, disagreeing with the conversation topic, since Hermione was still their good friend. Harry looked down as his food appeared on his plate, luckily Piers and Malcolm were distracted by Dudley. The front door opened and a moment later Snape appeared in the kitchen door. He seated himself next to the blonde and sneered at Harry. "Leave," he instructed the three Muggle boys, they jumped up and left the room immediately. "Dipsy, bring me an Antipasto salad, with blue cheese and some Odgen's," Snape spoke to the small elf that had appeared with the tray of drinks.
"Yes Master," it set down the tray and popped away, only to reappear a second later with his food.
"Why are you here sir?"
"I came to see how you four were getting along, as well as to deliver your materials for the school year," Snape nodded over towards the door.
"You visit me, and you bring work?" Malfoy gave him an annoyed look.
"Yes, and it's for your own good," Snape answered, he then took a bite of his salad.
Malfoy shot him another look and dipped his spoon into his crab stew which smelt amazing in Harry's opinion, but the blonde continued his meal without really noticing Harry or anyone else.
A tapping caught the attention of the group and they looked up to see Hedwig tapping on the glass door and carrying three or four letters as well as a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry stood quickly and opened the door to let her in, Hedwig swooped over and landed on the table. Harry took the letters and set the newspaper aside. Ron offered the owl a slice of steak which she took gladly as well as a sip of Harry's soup and butterbeer before she took off upstairs to her cage.
"Who are the letters from Harry?" Ron asked.
"Hermione sent us each a letter," Harry handed one to Ron, "there's one for Snape from Dumbledore, and one from Lupin for me." Harry said as he gave Snape his letter and as Blaise stole the Prophet and opened it up.
"Look, the cover story is Fluer's break-up," Blaise pointed. There were two pictures, one of a Spanish boy dancing very close to a black haired girl coated in glitter and one of Fluer Delecuer and Malfoy sitting at a café, Fluer looking enraged and, in the picture, she continually started a screaming fit and ran inside, Malfoy sitting at the table sipping coffee.
"What does it say?" Malfoy asked, glancing over at it.
" 'Delecuer Disaster, Veela's heart broken break-up with Spanish sex-pot, On 14 July of this year, Raj Elihan's famous midsummer party was held on Crete. The party boasted such guests as Helena Fudge, Dorian Illix and Draco Malfoy, as well as drinks to spare. Here it happened that Juan Cortez, month long boyfriend to the famous and gorgeous Fluer Delecuer (17, Bexubuton Academy) was seen dancing with the hostess Ms. Elihan. Multiple eye-witness accounts retell the night of dancing, snogging and overall lecherous behavior performed by the pair. Mr. Cortez, the son of a well known Spanish Medi-wizard, and Ms. Elihan, the daughter of the Minister of Magic in India, were not available for comment on the incident after the party or the break-up. Ms. Delecuer had been unable to attend the mid-summer party because of her commitment to the Solstice Ball next week. She found out about the affair over lunch with the Malfoy heir in Paris. According to Mr. Malfoy "Fluer has never had such a thing happen to her and I personally am disappointed in the entire fiasco. Juan Cortez has no idea about what is coming to him for this." In the famous Malfoy style of protecting their own, as the two are cousins, it was reported that the pair entered a spell shop and exited having purchased The Book of Beauty Spells and soon performed an unknown charm. Later that day it was reported the Mr. Cortez found his family jewels shrunken to approximately the size of a Sickle and was admitted to Sualiano Magic Hospital to have the spell reversed and to recover from shock. That night Ms. Delecuer was seen leaving the Paris club Wild with another young woman while Helena Fudge, a close friend of the two, also left with a young woman but the Malfoy heir went back to his Paris Manor unaccompanied. See Page Seven for the gossip column with speculation on the heir's love life.' How very interesting Draco, you went home alone," Blaise said, turning to page seven.
"You really expected I would find anyone of interest at Wild?"
"Not really," Blaise shrugged and began his search for the gossip.
"How many times have you been chastised for ending up on the cover of the Prophet?" Snape asked.
"Only Narcissa ever chides me for it, and that's only because she thinks I never look perfect enough," Malfoy responded.
"Oh wow," Blaise's eyes widened to seemingly impossible sizes.
"What?" the table asked. Blaise folded the Prophet and moved it away from the suspicious looking Malfoy heir.
"Draco, I know how you're supposed to stay single since you're engaged to be engaged and everything, I don't agree with the Prophet at all, let me tell you that," Blaise leaned away.
"What did it say Blaise?"
"Nothing really interesting, nothing really at all, just a snippet, a sentence maybe," the Slytherin shook his head.
"Give it here."
"No need to see it Drake, no need at all, nothing to worry about."
"If you don't give it here, I'll do something very un-Malfoy and tackle you."
"Now Draco, I know-" Malfoy leapt up, tackled his friend and got the paper. It ended out that the blonde was straddling the nervous Zambini when he flipped open the paper.
Harry quirked an eyebrow and listened intently to Zambini babbling about what liars they were.
Malfoy began to read it and looked shocked. "They think I'm gay?" Snape's jaw dropped and both Ron and Harry's eyebrows shot up. Blaise cringed.
"They think I have a secret lover?" Snape's eyes bulged and both Gryffindors dropped their jaws, Blaise only cringed again.
"They think I'm sleeping with Dorian Illix? Where did they get that picture!" Malfoy screamed. Harry could see the picture, it was Malfoy and an attractive boy with long black hair walking with shopping bags and their arms linked.
Harry knew Ron could see it as well and looked over at him, both he and Snape had very similar shocked and estranged expressions. Blaise only cringed again, meaning it could only get worse.
"They're promising a full two-page article tomorrow?" Malfoy dropped the paper to the side and stood up, he blinked a few times and steadied himself against the counter.
Ron picked up the paper and put it between himself and Harry so they could read it through.
"Malfoy Heir's Secrets Revealed: We at the Daily Prophet have recently come across a great deal of evidence that young Draco Malfoy (16, Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry) is gay. It is believed that he returned home from Wild on the night of 15 July alone because he had a secret lover waiting for him at his family's Paris Manor. We have it on several accounts that he and Dorian Illix (16, Sparta School for Magic) are having a lust-filled and love-filled affair. The picture on left shows the two in Munich after a shopping spree before they went to Crete for Raj Elihan's mid-summer party. Full two page article in tomorrow's paper."
Harry looked up to see Malfoy paler than ever, Blaise had stood up and had a hand on Malfoy's shoulder.
"It's all right, I know you're not having a love affair with Dorian," Blaise said.
Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he straightened himself. "We'll see about this, come on Blaise, I need you to think up a proper threat."
Snape shook his head as he read the snippet over Harry's shoulder. "Try not to kill anyone Draco," he said as the two moved to leave.
"I can't promise you anything, I'm on a revenge mission."
The Slytherins left and they heard a slam above them.