Chapter 19: Dobby's Determination, Harry's Resolve
"No offense… But who and what are you?" Harry asked.
"Dobby is named Dobby. Dobby is House Elf," the small creature answered.
Harry knew a little bit about house elves, but not much. He did know you had to be careful with what you said to them. They would feel compelled to help a wizard, even if they weren't a part of the family the elf served. This could lead them to taking drastic actions if you were asking them to go against their family. The action they took could vary greatly depending on their family's rules and the Elf's interpretation on how to obey them.
"Can you tell me what family you belong to?" Harry asked carefully. His thinking was a yes or no question would be best. He was not forcing Dobby to say who his family was.
Dobby seemed relieved by the way Harry asked the question. "Dobby wishes he could tell Great Harry Potter Sir what family he works for, but he cannot," the small creature answered.
Harry accepted that answer and figured pushing further would be bad. "Why are you here?" he asked. This felt safe to ask and allowed Dobby to work within his family's rules.
"Dobby wishes to save Harry Potter Sir. Dobby wants to warn you there be danger at Hogwarts this year," Dobby said.
"More so than usual? We did have a troll break in last year. My friends and I also took on a lot of tough magical challenges the staff created. We even had a professor possessed by Voldemort who we faced at the end of the year," Harry said.
The creature flinched at the name of Voldemort. Harry was disappointed even magical creatures acted in such a way because of the name.
"Dobby… Is not sure… Dobby does know this danger be terrible and be very dangerous! Harry Potter Sir could die from it! Lots of good witches and wizards childs could die from it. Mister Harry Potter Sir's friends could dies from it," Dobby said.
"Can you tell me what this danger is?" Harry again asked carefully and managed to keep calm. He wanted to lash out and get defensive with Dobby saying his friends could die, and expecting Harry not to be there for them. He had a feeling that wouldn't work out though. All of those lessons from Boss kept paying off it seemed.
Dobby looked disappointed in himself, but answered the best he could. "Dobby cannots say! Dobby tells Mister Harry Potter Sirs it is really terrible! Harry Potter Sirs must not die!" he said.
"Why are you saying I in particular must not die?" Harry asked.
"Harry Potter Sir is too great too wonderful to dies! Harry Potter Sir beated bad dark lord wizard, but he is still in danger from this. Sir means a lot to House elves! Sir means lots to plenty of peoples!" Dobby said.
"Does this danger have anything to do with You-Know-Who?" Harry asked.
Dobby looked to mull over the question. He shook his head after a moment. "No, it does not do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Bad dark lord wizard is not only danger in magical world... There's others befores him," he said.
Harry almost would have sworn Dobby was trying to tell him something here with the way he answered that question. It was like he wanted to give Harry a hint.
"What exactly are you asking me to do here?" Harry asked.
"Dobby is askings Harry Potter Sir not return to Hogwarts! Dobby knows Harry Potter Sir great wizard. Great person! He would not lie and tricks Dobby. He would not breaks his word! Dobby wants Harry Potter Sir to promise he not returns to Hogwarts until it is safes!" Dobby said.
"Safe is rather vague…" Harry started.
"Safes from this dangers. It be bads! It be closings Hogwarts maybes!" Dobby said trying to further emphasize his point.
Harry thought what to say here. He could tell the house elf was earnest in his request. If it wasn't for his friends at Hogwarts, he might agree to it just to be done with this and simply go to one of the other well-known magical schools to finish studying. He was pretty sure he could manage that if he wanted.
Harry sighed. "I do appreciate your concern, Dobby. You are right about how I wouldn't go against a promise I made in earnest," he said.
Dobby looked hopeful. His large lamp like eyes seemed to glow. His large bat like ears seemed to perk up.
Harry hated he would be crushing the house elf's hopes.
"However… I can't turn my back on my friends there. I'm both a Street Knight and a Hufflepuff. Leaving them like that would go against everything I stand for," Harry said.
Dobby frowned and large tears seemed to well up in his eyes. He sniffed and frowned deeper. "Dobby was afriads of this. Dobby hoped he could do somethings about Great Harry Potter Sir's connection to friends. Dobby couldn't finds Harry Potter Sirs soon enough. Great Harry Potter Sirs is too wonderful. Too great. To leaves them. Dobby asks once more. Will Harry Potter Sir please not return to dangerous Hogwarts?" he asked.
"I can't and won't make that promise," Harry said seriously.
"Then Dobby must dos this. Harry Potter Sirs won't be betraying friends... If he's kicked outs of Hogwarts!" Dobby said.
Harry narrowed his eyes as the elf snapped his fingers. Harry's eyes widened as a few things on one of his shelves started to float up and hover above the floor. Harry's jaw opened as he watched them fall to the floor seemingly in slow-motion. They bounced back up a couple of times, in a way only magic could accomplish, before safely settling on the floor.
Dobby looked regretful as the things harmlessly landed on the floor. They wouldn't break, but they didn't need to break. Dobby was sure he accomplished what he wanted. "Dobby is sorrys!" he cried before snapping his fingers again and disappearing. He had to hope that was enough. Dobby wouldn't be able to return anymore this summer. There was only one last plan he had. Dobby hoped it didn't come to that.
Harry could only stand there in shock for a moment. He then jumped and frowned as he heard an owl hoot from nearby. It dropped off a letter before leaving again.
The young wizard held the letter in trembling hands. He feared what it meant. He was curious as to why there wasn't an official seal on the letter though.
Harry swallowed and opened it.
"Dear Harry. My father wishes to formally meet with you next week. He's also hoping to meet with Jett unofficially as well…" Harry read aloud.
He sighed in relief as he slumped on to his bed. He suddenly sat upright again and waited in silence. He was wondering if maybe it would take a moment for the Ministry to send him a notice regarding what just happened. Dobby used magic and Harry was sure he had done so in a way it would be detected.
Dobby's plan was obvious. Get Harry expelled for breaking the laws about underaged usage of magic and doing so near muggles. Harry wouldn't have betrayed his friends, but couldn't return to Hogwarts either. Had the house elf not wanted to force Harry out of Hogwarts, he would have appreciated the manner Dobby used to accomplish his goal.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry relaxed a little after an hour passed. He hadn't received any notice from the Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts. He was curious about that. He doubted Dobby messed up in what he planned to do. He could tell the elf was determined to keep Harry from returning and knew what he was doing. Harry did know the trace on his wand didn't trigger since it wasn't used. "Is that enough to keep me safe though?" Harry thought.
Harry doubted that was the case. The magic should have been sensed by the Ministry and there weren't any other magic users in the area, so they would assume it was Harry. Maybe the fact he wasn't with the Dursleys, where he was believed to be, meant they didn't know any magic had been done around him.
"Not likely…" Harry said to himself. He had a feeling sensing magic was a lot more precise, impersonal and couldn't be tricked so easily. He supposed there was a slim chance it wasn't precise enough to sense his magic compared to when Boss used his enchanted sword, but that probably wasn't it either. There would have been some problem with Boss using his sword sooner if that could be sensed at all. Especially, given how many enchanted items were rather illegal from what Tracey told him.
The only explanation he could think of was the Rust District was in a dead spot regarding the Ministry's magic sensing abilities. He wasn't sure about that either though. He decided to just take it as a stroke of good luck and leave it at that. "I'm not about to try using my wand to see if the Ministry picks it up or not," Harry mentally told himself.
He had a feeling he wouldn't be immediately expelled, but it could be possible. If it was only a warning he received the first time, he would rather not waste it. He had no need to use magic here. Using up his warning or getting in worse trouble was too much of a risk for something so trivial.
Harry instead sighed and relaxed fully. He was even more ready for sleep after the encounter with Dobby. He would read the letter from Tracey more thoroughly in the morning and speak to Boss about it before replying.
[-] [-] [-]
"I do like the sound of that," Jett said as Harry finished talking to him about Tracey's letter. "It would be nice to see him again. In a way, part of me wants to know what he thinks about how I've turned things around here. Go ahead and make the arrangements, Harry. We'll set up an appropriate place for such an important meeting," he said.
"Thanks, Boss. I feel this meeting will be key in what I do with my future in the wizarding world," Harry said.
"Making alliances is important if you intend to do more than just survive," Boss said in parting. He was impressed with Harry already taking such steps. He hoped he could help Harry in the ways he could. Some believed he was raising Harry to take over the Knights in the future. That was never his intention, but it wasn't something he discounted either.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry felt a little nervous as he made his way to meet Lord Davis. The Davis family may not be as powerful and wealthy as say the Malfoy family, but they were still one of the ancient and noble houses. Since this was an important meeting with allies, Harry wore some nicer clothes. He wasn't wearing a full-on suit or anything like that, but he was well dressed for someone his age.
"How may I help you, young man?" a well dressed man asked as Harry entered the place where the meeting was. It was clear the man was being polite, but didn't think Harry belonged there. Harry supposed this was understandable. He was alone in such a place.
"I'm Harry Potter. I believe you're aware of why I'm here," Harry said carefully.
The man's eyes lit up in recognition. "That would explain it," he said to himself. He turned and spoke to Harry, "If you will follow me, Young Mr. Potter." He then led Harry from the entrance Lobby.
The meeting was being held in a country club of sorts. It had a golf course and even a really nice pool. The place was usually seen as a finer dining establishment that occasionally held events for members. It also had plenty of meeting rooms that could be used.
They were going to have some lunch as part of the meeting so this was a great location. This decision was more of a business tactic and Harry did feel uncomfortable about it. At the same time, he was determined to get more used to such things. He was the heir to two, possibly three, houses that were very important.
If his parents were still alive, he would never be doing something like this so young, on his own. If he was just a regular kid, he would never be doing something like this period most likely. As Harry told Dumbledore though, any chance he had at being a regular kid ended when he was placed with the Dursleys. He may not be able to take up his lordship yet, but he was still the head of his family and had to start acting as such in some ways.
As the two walked through the halls, Harry was soon greeted by Tracey. "Good to see you made it," she said as she came up next to him. She looked to the man leading Harry and said, "I'll take him from here."
The man nodded in understanding. This whole thing was weird, but the club was loyal to the Knights. It seemed fitting to him in a way the Little Boss was involved in such situations. It was just hard for the man to wrap his head around how different some children could be. He was used to children either being nervous or the parents desperately trying to keep them under control. Two children arranging for some kind of fancy meeting was very different.
"Father is happy to have this meeting. Your dealings with him today should go well. I'll still help where I can, but while I will be entering the room with you, I will stay mostly quiet during the proceedings. I am to mostly be an observer as Heiress Davis today. As such, do not take offense if it seems to my father as if I'm not there. I felt I should warn you of that," she said.
"Thanks for the warning. I guess I should act the same way. Is that correct?" Harry asked.
Tracey nodded. "In the case of this meeting, Yes. You are Heir Potter the unofficial head of your house. My dad is Lord Davis, Head of his house. My getting too involved with such a meeting would be seen as an insult to you. You requesting I be more involved, would be seen as an insult to him. My father wouldn't take insult, but he sees it as his duty, through our alliance, to help prepare you for such things. So, he would lecture you for such a thing," she said.
Harry nodded to that. "Him doing such things is a bonus I had kind of hoped for," he admitted.
"Good to hear," Tracey said as she opened the doors.
Lord Davis was tall and fit for a wizard. He looked to be in his early forties, but still had the air and dignity of someone far older. This was something Harry had noticed seemed more common in the wizarding world. It seemed magic slowed the aging process in some ways after a certain point. The man gave a smile that was the right amount of approachable and polite. He was wearing dark blue and green dress robes designed to pass in both worlds, even if it meant he would extraordinarily well dressed in the muggle world.
Harry came forward and offered a hand to the man. "It is good to meet you in person, Lord Davis. Your Daughter Tracey, has told me about you," Harry said.
Lord Davis shook his hand firmly and smiled more friendly. "I'm glad to meet you as well, Harry Potter. May I refer to you as Heir Potter?" he asked politely.
"That will work fine in such a setting, Lord Davis," Harry said. The man nodded to him and the two took their seats at the table as Tracey took her own seat.
"I will admit I'm impressed with the setting for our first meeting. I expected to meet somewhere in the Rust District," Lord Davis said.
"Jett felt it was best to use something more appropriate for meetings that required formal or business settings," Harry informed him.
"I look forward to meeting Mr. Manton later. I could tell there was something about him back then. As I can tell there is something about you, Heir Potter. That is part of the reason I was keen on meeting like this so soon. I do admit I look forward to the meal first though. I kind of prefer muggle food," Lord Davis said with a slight smile to ease the atmosphere.
"The food here is rather excellent I'm told," Harry said as Tracey opened the doors for the staff to enter.
[-] [-] [-]
The meal had been pleasant enough. Tracey was more actively participating during that, even if she was partly in charge of alerting the staff when they were needed. It was a strange set up, but it allowed them to have more relaxed conversation without having to worry about keeping within the Statute of Secrecy as much.
Once they were finished, a pitcher of ice water was left and Tracey informed the staff she would let them know if they were further needed. This was also a bit of real practice for her duties as a future Lady of her house. Given her family's situation, she had to fulfill a bit of both roles as Lady and Heir in wizarding society.
"Now then, let us get to business," Harry said as Lord Davis nodded.
"I am here to formerly solidify our alliance. I am aware you have many questions and I will do my best to answer them. I do plan to leave some of it for the future to my daughter though. She will be the primary contact between us, since you are both at Hogwarts and established as friendly with each other. I'm also here to formally thank you for how you helped her and her friend during their visit to the Rust District those years ago," the Head of House Davis said.
Lord Davis then stood up and gave a slight bow to Harry. "Thank you for your aid during that time. The Knights have treated my family well and we wish to do the same in return," he said as he sat back down.
"What do you wish to ask first?" The lord asked Harry.
"I would like to better understand why you wished for this alliance and what you hope to gain from it," Harry said.
"I will not lie. We do hope this alliance will be very beneficial to us. We will do what we can to aid you in what you hope to accomplish in the future," Lord Davis said.
"Tracey tells me your family is in the neutral camp," Harry said.
Lord Davis nodded to that. "We are. We do tend to lean a little towards the Dark Alliance at times, depending on if what they are wishing to accomplish is actually for keeping traditions or not," he said.
"I'm under the impression a good number in the dark alliance are of similar stance. It seems some feel they have no other choice in the matter," Harry said.
"That is rather astute of you, Heir Potter. Sadly, much of the neutral camp are mostly there to protect themselves from having to choose a side though. We sort of see it as a place for those who don't see the world as just black and white. We wish that was how most in the neutral camp treated it," Lord Davis said.
"I prefer that interpretation. That is how we in the Street Knights see the world," Harry said.
"I wish to ask where you feel you will end up aligning yourself politically. You need not answer yet, but it would be good to think on it and start acting accordingly," Lord Davis said.
Harry gazed at Lord Davis thoughtfully. The man wouldn't admit it, but he felt as if Harry was reading him. It wasn't in the way of Legilimency, but he could tell Harry was thinking on something he seemed to see. It partly terrified Lord Davis someone so young could do that. More than that, it impressed him and made him feel even more certain aligning with Harry Potter was for the best, even without the prophecy.
"I am not familiar with such proceedings, but I do know vows and oaths exist in the magical world. How are such things handled when it comes to alliances usually?" Harry asked.
"It depends, but usually just a verbal vow with no magic is used. Some cases a vow or oath with magic may be used as a way to protect information. In very rare and usually frowned upon ways, a more permanent and deeper vow is made," he explained.
"There is what we call the Unbreakable Vow. These are rarely used and it is seen as very aggressive and even insulting to require such a thing. The Unbreakable Vow will take your life if it is broken. Magical binding Contracts can be similarly nasty, but those are more flexible in their use. If anyone ever asks you for such a contract, read it very carefully and have an expert you trust look it over as well," Lord Davis said.
Harry nodded to that.
"That all said. Vows and such can be used and worded in a way that simply protects those involved and does not result in harm to either party," Lord Davis further explained.
"Something of that nature may be best later on. I do intend to do some things that might require such protection. I have some plans I do wish to achieve in the magical world and feel I must do so as a Street Knight. There are problems I have already noticed I wish to fix," Harry said.
Lord Davis gave a slight grin to that. "As I said before, I knew there was something about you, Heir Potter."
Harry nodded to that. "To answer your question earlier, I plan on being a part of both the Light and Neutral Camps. I also plan on hopefully working with some in the Dark Alliance who feel it is their only choice and truthfully have more neutral leanings," Harry said.
"That will be tough," Lord Davis said.
"I feel Boss has taught me a lot to help with that. I am also hoping, given our alliance and others I may form in the future, I will be capable of doing so," Harry said.
"I do believe you could possibly learn to do such things from the shadows. I'm aware of how the Knights operate after all. Publicly, you will have to choose a side though. That will limit how much you can do and how much you will have to leave to others. House Davis can help with the neutral camp at least. It will still be tough though," he said to Harry.
Harry nodded to that, but then grinned. "I believe I am in a position that will allow me to be an active and open part of both the Light Side and the Neutral Camp," he said.
Lord Davis raised an eyebrow to that. Tracey blinked in surprise at Harry's claim. She knew his family was powerful and he did have the weight of his status as The-Boy-Who-Lived, but that would more or less force him to pick the light side.
Picking the neutral camp would limit what he could do. It is hard to explain and mostly just works due to the mental gymnastics the wizarding world takes, but if he could indeed be in both, that could work for the best and make him very powerful.
"That is a very unusual claim. What exactly do you mean?" Lord Davis asked.
"Before we move forward, is there anything we need to do to officially become allies? There are some big implications to the answer of your question," Harry said seriously.
Lord Davis would admit he was intrigued by this. He also felt maybe it would require a lighter form of a magical oath. He thought carefully on how to word it, but this was something he had prepared for. He nodded and spoke. "I do think I have an oath that will suit this situation. You do have your wand, correct?"
Harry nodded. "I do," he answered.
"I will give you a magical oath. Raising your wand and accepting it will not break any laws or rules. Giving an oath in return can be done, but I would have to use my own magic to first secure this room from detection. I could get away with it, but doing such an action too often would cause a few eyebrows to raise in the Ministry. I will word the oath in a way that is rather open and only requires your acceptance. Keep that latter information in mind for the future," Lord Davis said.
He was really taking a big risk here, but he doubted Harry would abuse what was about to take place. He also thought again over the prophecy for his family. Many would say he was being reckless, but he felt the rewards in this case would be more than worth it. Harry was a Street Knight and a Hufflepuff, so loyalty was not something he would take lightly or abuse.
"Thank you for explaining. This gesture means a great deal to me," Harry told him.
Lord Davis raised his wand and said, "I, Lord Nathaniel Davis, do hereby pledge to keep Harry James Potter's, Heir to House Potter, secrets so long as they do not harm my family magically or physically. My family and I will do the best we can to aid Heir Potter in his future endeavors. So, mote it be."
Harry raised his wand and said, "I, Harry James Potter, Heir to House Potter and Heir to House Peverell, do accept Lord Davis' oath."
There was a flash of light showing the oath was accepted by magic as well. When the light faded, Lord Davis sat still in shock but didn't show it. Tracey wasn't as practiced as her father, so her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in surprise. "That is an old and powerful name… Is it true? No Potter has used that name in the past," she couldn't help but ask.
"I went to Gringotts recently and spoke to my family's account manager. I took an inheritance test as well. Goldbite informed me I was heir to both houses and what it entails. He also explained to me, since none of my relatives in the past have taken up the name of Peverell, I have no choice in the matter for the sake of keeping the house alive," Harry explained.
"Oh…" was all Tracey could say in response.
Lord Davis couldn't help but smile in triumph. Harry having both of those names really did put him in a very strong position. "You could pull off what you said earlier with both of those names. There will even be a good few in the Dark Alliance who will not shy from positively interacting with you. You will still have to prove yourself, but I feel it won't be any more than you already would."
"With the right people, you could turn this world upside down and easily bring about change," Lord Davis said. Harry could probably even become Minister if he wanted with a few short years of political experience, if even that.
"That is part of what I plan to do eventually. Before that though, we will have to deal with Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Harry said.
"I've heard you already have some ideas on that. It is an interesting approach. Has there been any progress on that front?" Lord Davis asked.
"I have already gotten in contact with someone who I feel would be the best choice for looking into it. Not much other than that yet though. Not surprising with the little amount of time that has passed," Harry said.
"The fact you already have some ideas and started acting on them, puts you ahead of most of the magical world in that regard. There are some tricks I can use that would help with those plans and won't draw attention to me," Lord Davis said.
"That is more than I had hoped for at this point. I will keep you informed on my end," Harry said.
"I will do the same. I feel this is a meeting that will determine the fate of the magical world. The-Boy-Who-Lived not only intends to be active in our world and make changes, but he has even more tools at his disposal than most know," the older man said.
A part of him felt excited about this and couldn't help a smile forming. "I really look forward to how a magical, raised by the Street Knights, changes things up. I will start looking into others who can join us and keeping tabs on those who might be the biggest obstacles," he said.
"I appreciate that. I do hope to keep this from Dumbledore as much as possible. I don't feel he is truly an enemy, but I would prefer he not have an excuse to turn his eyes on us," Harry said.
"That will be a challenge, but it isn't impossible. I will keep that in mind. I can see him trying to reign you in if he learned too much too soon. I do hope you have a chance to get it across to him you aren't an enemy, but you aren't his tool either," the Lord said.
"He is a great man and very respected. He won't mention it and he tries to avoid it from happening, but he has a much larger ego than people realize. I fear that is what happens with old wizards like him," Lord Davis said.
"I agree with you on that. I've figured that since I first learned of the magical world and how he wished for me to stay with my relatives. They hated me in every way and my aunt despised my mother. Yet Dumbledore believes it was best for me to be raised by them and he wouldn't budge on matter when asked," Harry said. There wasn't anger in his voice it was just a fact.
"If you ever did wish to fight against him politically, that information could be a useful tool. That would be a fight best saved for after dealing with the Death Eaters and their master completely," Lord Davis said.
"I will keep that in mind. Though hopefully such a fight won't need to occur. Thank you, Lord Davis," Harry said as they started wrapping up the meeting.
[-] [-] [-]
"I must admit I'm really impressed with all you've done, Mr. Manton. I knew there was something about you and that's why I gave you the strength you needed to accomplish your goals. I did keep in touch and informed the best I could, but you still have impressed me. You've done a lot more than I thought you could by this point," Lord Davis said to Jett with a fond smile.
Jett smiled back. "It means a lot to me hearing you say that. A part of me felt I had to accomplish all I could and then some, so you wouldn't regret the chance you took," he said.
Lord Davis gave a chuckle. "I wish even half of the magical world had such a drive,"
Jett chuckled to that as well. "Harry's told me much about the magical world. I feel I can understand your sentiment," he said.
"Speaking of Harry. I had no idea you would end up being so important in his life. You've done more good taking him in as you have than you know. I've heard you saw him as a protege of sorts. Is that true?" Lord Davis asked.
Jett gave a fond smile. "I would have helped him as I have many others after meeting him and learning of his situation. However, just as you sensed something in me. I sensed something in him. I wasn't sure if he would end up leading the Knights one day or anything like that. But I could tell teaching him all I could was important. Learning of his position in the magical world. I feel the lessons I've taught and plan to teach to him, are even more important," he admitted.
Lord Davis nodded to that. "I think you're right there. I'll be helping him how I can, but learning from the leader of the Street Knights will give him an edge the magical world isn't prepared for. And that is a good thing. I'm not saying I wish we were like the muggle world, but we definitely need a kick in arse, as they say."
He let out a breath, "We are too stuck in our ways. I don't want to get rid of our traditions or heritage, but we need changes for our world to survive. The lessons you've taught Harry will only help him in that regard. I can tell he has big plans, even if he doesn't fully realize how big they are yet."
"I hope he brings the Street Knights' way to the magical world," Jett said.
"I do too," Lord Davis said gravely. Knowing how the Street Knights work, he felt the magical world could benefit from learning those ways as well. Harry was the only one at the moment who could accomplish such a feat.
The Head of the Davis Family then brightened up and said, "Let's continue. I feel there is still a lot you wish to show me."
Jett nodded to that. "There is," he replied.
The two men continued their tour. Lord Davis was grateful Tracey was staying with Harry currently. He just knew she would be too bored otherwise. She would never show or admit it to him, she took her position in the family seriously. He was still glad she got to hang out with a friend who wasn't in Slytherin over the summer break. He wanted her to experience as much as she could as a child.
[-] [-] [-]
"This place really is something," Tracey admitted to Harry. He gave her a short tour of the parts of the Rust District she hadn't seen last time. They also made a few stops as well on the way. One of those stops was the Arcade he and his friends liked to frequent.
That had been as amazing to her as learning of magic was to muggleborns. When she was here with Pansy, they had thought about going to the arcade before they ran into the trouble they did. After Harry and the others rescued them, the group did other things instead. She really did love going to that place to have a milk shake.
"I'll take that as the good kind of 'something'," Harry said with a chuckle.
"Well… I am a Slytherin. We always have to keep a certain distance from others. Seeming impressed, even around friends, is a big no-no," she explained with a smile.
"Does it get exhausting?" Harry asked.
Tracey was in thought for a moment. "It does. That's just how it is though. You get used to it and learn how to deal with it all in an appropriate manner," she said.
"I don't think I'd like being in Slytherin. I don't think I could handle it," Harry said.
Tracey looked him over intently. "I think you could. Merlin help the magical world if you had ended up there. A Slytherin you… Is kind of scary. Most would figure you were the next Dark Lord."
"If you still got on people's case for using less than polite language regarding muggleborns, the magical world wouldn't know what to do with you. If you ended up in Slytherin, you would also clearly have the ambition and cunning to use that to your advantage. If others knew what your plans were, they might think you actually were more of a true Slytherin than any others," she said.
Harry nodded to that. "I guess I could see that. There is reason to argue a truly ambitious and cunning person would avoid going to the House of the Cunning and Ambition. People would underestimate you if you weren't there and that could be very useful," he said.
Tracey gave a smirk as she said, "I'm beginning to think that you really are a true Slytherin, Harry Potter."
Harry frowned a little. "I wouldn't have admitted it, if that was my true character," he said flatly.
"Is that so?" Tracey started.
Harry remained impassive.
Tracey couldn't help but give an amused smile as she said, "Maybe you're admitting it to throw me off."
Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Try not to get too carried away with the Slytherin thing. That would lead to a life of paranoia," he said.
Tracey giggled. "Yes. It would," she said as they continued their way.