Chapter 24: Draco's Plan
Draco gave a frown as he looked at the newspaper clipping in front of him. It came with a letter from his father. He was sitting in one of the study halls as he looked both over again. He wanted to believe his father had the right of it, but he couldn't help feel this was a missed opportunity on his father's part. He knew his dad was worried, though he didn't show it, about Mr. Weasley's Muggle Protection Act. However, this seemed a less effective battle to wage here than the one to repeal Mr. Weasley's laws about muggle objects being illegal to enchant.
His dad already supposedly had options setup to circumvent the Muggle Protection Act. There wasn't really a benefit to fighting it either. There was no way anyone would find the 'possibly embarrassing' items in the Malfoy Family private collection. They were too well guarded and his dad had connections who would inform them of any searches for such items on their manor, surprise or otherwise.
Both Draco and his mother agreed this was the best opportunity to repeal or amend the law to allow for magic carpets or other forms of magical family travel. That would have been a boon to their finances. It didn't matter such a boon wasn't needed. A Malfoy should always be looking for an opportunity to prosper further, or so his father had kept telling him while his mother additionally emphasized this lesson.
Draco dared not dwell on it, but he felt his father might be losing his way. He didn't want a Weasley besting them in any way himself, but this seemed pointless. The Muggle Protection Act was already going to be reworded many times, which meant it could be easily fixed in such a manner it was mostly ineffective or benefited them.
Fighting it was something best done in secret. Mr. Weasley would push for it, but no one would bother to really look at the new wording they slipped in for the bill before it was made law. Mr. Weasley would have been too thrilled to even look it over in detail himself. The man was loony about all things muggle and immediately got behind anything that seemed to benefit muggles or safeguard them.
Arguing about this bill publicly was a mistake. It would force people to look at it in detail and pay more attention to it. The incident exposing Mr. Weasley's flying car after it was investigated by third parties, did hurt his character some, but it wouldn't do anything for fighting against his proposed bill.
In fact, it would do the opposite. It would make the law more set in stone and devoid of loopholes. An act done only for the Ministry to save face from one of their employees' blunders and open abuse of their laws regarding muggles.
Stressing instead how even Mr. Weasley saw the benefits of having a flying family vehicle, would allow for change to the laws banning such items. He wasn't officially the Head of his Department, but he was unofficially in charge of it, even if it was a rather pathetic department. One could also apply just the right amount of pressure on Mr. Weasley to get his endorsement of such an amendment. He would only do so to get everyone to overlook his embarrassment regarding the flying car.
Such a move would have allowed the Malfoy family to get in early as investors for a new market that could even go beyond just family transportation. There would be a possible market for collecting magical modes of transportation beyond just brooms. People loved collecting specialized items and would pay top dollar for them.
You could even have businesses all about personalizing such modes of transportation. Brooms were amazing, but very limited when it came to customization. That would not be the case with flying carpets or any other manner of vehicles.
"What is father getting at…" Draco thought to himself.
"Well. This is odd. It is rare to see you so focused on something," Harry said half-jokingly as he made his way over to Draco.
"Sometimes there are important matters that do require my full attention. Such matters are most certainly not many of our classes," Draco said with a dry laugh.
"What is it then?" Harry asked.
Draco seemed to debate if to say anything. He decided since it was Harry it would be okay. He just wouldn't say too much. "My father's recent actions," he answered.
"I read about that," Harry admitted.
"It was a wasted effort on his part. It didn't make a difference and never would have," Draco admitted.
"How so?" Harry asked.
"He shouldn't have been so focused on the Muggle Protection Act. That is too much of a stretch given the circumstances, even if it would have been a bigger win. The best action would have been going after the laws about using magic on muggle objects," Draco said.
"Well, he is a Slytherin. Maybe he was going for the bigger victory. Or maybe…" Harry started in an almost leading manner.
"Maybe what?" Draco asked quicker than he wished.
"Maybe he is focusing his ambition too much on getting at Mr. Weasley, personally," Harry said. He took a mental note of Draco's far too quick response. It was as if Draco feared he overlooked something regarding his father.
"I can see him doing that, even if it is disappointing... A Malfoy should never lose to a Weasley, ever… But we should pick the best battles. Not just any battle," Draco said.
Harry nodded in agreement to that. "Ambition is good, but should be tempered. With thinking like that, you could end up becoming a very definitive Lord Malfoy in the future, Draco," Harry said.
Draco smirked to that. Harry was right. Maybe he should pay more attention to his father, but not just to learn from his successes and words, but also his mistakes and failures. Draco decided he needed to start thinking more on the direction he wanted to take the Malfoy family in the future. He still had a lot to learn and plenty time before he was to take Lordship of the family, but having an idea about the path he would choose was a good thing.
Draco looked to Harry and smiled. "By the way. Since you're here, if you want to see my plan come to fruition. Go to the Quidditch Pitch this Saturday after breakfast," he said.
Harry looked Draco over and gave him a questioning look. "Would that be allowed, even though I'm in Hufflepuff?" he asked.
"Trust me. Flint's not about to say 'no' to me. You aren't on the Hufflepuff team and after that day it won't be a secret for long anyways," Draco drawled out. The truth was having Harry witness it first-hand would probably help spread the word even faster, or at least give more credence to what happened.
Harry thought it over and gave a nod. "I did have some plans, but they can be postponed a little. I have a feeling it won't take long for me to see how your plan has succeeded," Harry said. He and the girls were planning to pay Hagrid a visit. They could easily visit him after seeing Draco's plan in action.
"Then it is decided. You can bring along the others if you want as well. Tracey and Pansy will both be there and will appreciate the company," Draco said.
"The girls would like that too," Harry said as he dismissed himself.
[-] [-] [-]
The rest of the first week went by quickly. When it came to their second DADA class, Lockhart had students take turns reading from the books out loud. He would nod in satisfaction and make movements to help emphasize how amazing each of his supposed feats were. Many were starting doubt the truth of what he wrote in the books.
Transfiguration and Charms were as expected. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were probably the most consistent teachers. Professor Sprout was really good too, but she liked to spice the lessons up every now and then. You couldn't know exactly how her classes would go. This was a good thing in the eyes of the students. It kept things from getting too boring or routine.
Professor Snape was Professor Snape. Hufflepuff again had Potions with Ravenclaw this year. No one noticed, as they were busy with the lesson, but Professor Snape was giving Harry a glance every so often during their first class. His expedition to find out more about the boy over the summer had turned up only what Harry already told him. Harry was no longer staying with the Dursleys and from what Snape gathered hadn't been for many years.
Professor Snape did learn the boy spent time out on the street, but not exactly where specifically or what became of him after that. He would be looking into it more when he could. By this point though, Professor Snape hoped he didn't find Harry.
That would mean pretty much all who would be after the boy couldn't find him either. A fully revived Voldemort probably could with some work, but Voldemort wasn't anywhere near full power yet. Professor Snape also had a feeling Harry would take it into account and plan accordingly when that eventuality came to pass.
"I wouldn't be surprised after our meeting at the end of last year, if he already had a plan or two in action for such a situation," Professor Snape thought to himself. One of the things he enjoyed about his Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class was how he could relax and think about more than who would soon have an exploding cauldron or not.
The Hufflepuffs were never too much trouble in general, but the ones in this year were very exceptional as far as the Hufflepuffs go. The Potions Professor appreciated that. He had more than enough on his plate as it was, especially with this year's Gryffindor/Slytherin class.
Just as the Hufflepuffs this year were exceptional for their house, the Gryffindors were more dunderheaded compare to the other years. Ron and Draco being in the class made for a right mess. As much as Professor Snape wished was the case, he couldn't place all the blame on Weasley, even if Ron was usually the one responsible for their arguments.
Draco did his best to make the class hell for Weasley and his attempts could be less than safe. The worst part was Snape couldn't really call his Godson out in class. They did meet in his office outside class, but even then, Snape had to word things so it seemed he was critiquing the boy's methods rather than the action itself.
Professor Snape had no qualms about the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry. He just wished they wouldn't bring it to his class. Such things were best for outside of class and in the hallways, preferably out of sight so you wouldn't get caught.
Fortunately, despite how intense things could get, they rarely, if ever, had to worry about sexual interactions of the illegal sort happening at the Hogwarts level. It wasn't because there was some kind of sense of honor or unspoken rule that kept such unpleasantness from happening. It was simply the Slytherins usually detested the Gryffindors to a level they wouldn't engage in such activities.
The Gryffindors felt the same way more or less. There were also all of the portraits in the castle. Most didn't actually appreciate being used as the Headmaster's spy network, but in such a case they wouldn't mind seeking out the nearest member of staff to intervene.
One curious fact about such things, was how it was actually the most bigoted who were the least likely to get involved in such attacks. People like Theodor Nott, who at times complained how lax the other Slytherins were when it came to muggle-borns. Were less likely to have anything sexually to do with a so called Mudblood. They dared not taint their purity in such a manner.
Professor Snape thought on that a little more. He regretted using that vile term on Lily when she was alive. He had since then avoided such terms, even when interacting with such crowds. What stood out to him, was how while no one stopped Mr. Nott from using such a term, most didn't bother with using it themselves at Hogwarts.
That was unusual. There were usually a good few who did use it and others usually laughed at the term's usage. He wondered if that was again Potter's influence seeping into Slytherin. Draco wouldn't even use the term.
He of course, ever being the Slytherin he was, found a way to play that to his advantage. He often said using such a term gave them too much credit. After all, distasteful as it was and how they hated the term, it still was giving them special attention. It showed you were so disgusted by muggle-borns, you used a term outside of the acceptable vernacular when referring to them. Such an action implied more effort on your part when speaking to them. It also gained more reaction from others and thus put muggle-borns in even more spotlight than they deserved.
Privately, Professor Snape learned Draco was at a point, due to his time with Potter, he didn't see the reason for using such words. He was actually more neutral towards muggle-borns than he used to be. He was being a proper Malfoy and starting to look for possible opportunities muggle-borns could offer. Professor Snape wasn't sure if that was a good way of looking at things or not, but he internally preferred it to Lucius' outlook.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry, Hermione, Hannah and Susan made their way to the Quidditch Pitch for Draco's surprise. Draco came to Harry yesterday and clarified they should have an early breakfast. Harry and Hermione had no problems with this. They were usually early risers.
"And you're used to being up and awake this early?" Hannah asked after covering a yawn.
Hermione was the one who answered. "Harry likes to work out in the mornings before taking a shower and going to breakfast," she said.
"Ohhh? And you know this how?" Hannah asked with a teasing lilt in her voice.
"Of course, I do. We share the same bed—room," Hermione replied a little oddly.
If it wasn't so early on a weekend, Hannah might have noticed Hermione's slip. The blonde girl was too busy trying to cover another yawn though. Susan did notice and paused in her steps for a moment. She shook her head and continued. She had to of heard Hermione wrong just then. She was sure she did. Hermione was too strait laced for such things and they were too young. Right?
When they were about half way to the pitch, they heard a voice call out to them. "Hey! Wait up," Tracey said. She and Pansy made their way over to the others.
"Good Morning," Hermione greeted them.
"Morning," the girls replied together.
"So… I guess you two already know what Draco's Plan is," Harry said with an amused chuckle.
"I've known about it since he first came up with it," Pansy said proudly.
"You are his betrothed…" Tracey said with a playful roll of her eyes.
"Still doesn't change the fact I knew about it from the beginning," Pansy teased back. She then added, "It was a resounding success as well."
"I have an idea of what it is, and I look forward to being proven right," Harry said with a grin.
"What do you think it is?" Hannah asked curiously.
"We'll find out soon enough. I won't ruin his moment," Harry said. Hannah gave a cute pout in return. Harry wondered when she learned to give cute pouts as well. Did girls have classes on this kind of thing they all attended?
When they got to the stands, they were all six a bit surprised. They didn't see any green and silver. In fact, all they saw was red and gold. They were quickly noticed by the Weasley twins. Fred or George flew over to greet them.
"Harry! We knew you secretly loved us, since most of the school does. We didn't expect you bring a whole brigade of girls with you though," Fred said with a laugh.
George seemed to suddenly appear next to his twin. "We also didn't know you would come all the way out here just to watch the master beaters of Quidditch at practice," he said.
"Oliver isn't going to be happy about this. I'm pretty sure he didn't sleep at all last night and is extra cranky this morning. Why else would he come up with such an insane practice plan," Fred said.
"Even more so because two of them are Slytherins," George said a little less than jovial as he looked at Pansy, who tossed her hair to the side, and Tracey. Tracey was wondering how this would go down. It could get really bad with Slytherin and Gryffindor meeting like this.
"What's going on here?" a voice said as a burly sixth year boy flew over to them. "What are you doing here? Are you spying on us?" Oliver Wood asked accusingly.
"I don't know about Harry and the Puffs, but the Slytherins don't need to worry about spying on us for their team…" George started.
Oliver looked to him with a raised eyebrow in question.
"The whole team is already on the way," George finished and answered with a tilt of his head where a group in silver and green were walking their way.
"What?! I booked the pitch for today! We'll see about this," Oliver said just as the Slytherin team arrived.
"Well. This is interesting. Draco told me Potter and his friends would be here, but he didn't mention the whole team of Gryffindor losers," Flint said with a scoff at Oliver.
"What are you doing here, Flint? I booked the pitch for the whole day right after the opening feast," Oliver asked icily.
Harry, Hermione, Hannah, and Susan took a few steps back. They weren't about to get in the middle of this. They knew how Oliver was when it came to Quidditch and from what they had heard, Flint was more or less his Slytherin versioned equivalent. Pansy and Tracey took their places alongside the Slytherin team.
"Ah. About that," Flint said with a smirk. He handed Oliver a note.
Oliver took the note with suspicion and read it aloud. "I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need for training their new Seeker."
Oliver gave a frown and distractedly asked, "You've got a new Seeker? Where?"
Draco took that as his cue and stepped out from behind the older Slytherin boys with a smirk on his face and Pansy by his side. "Right here," he said confidently while causally holding his brand-new broom matching the rest of his teammates.
Harry hid a chuckle. It was just as he thought. He was pretty sure Draco learned about the new brooms in advance and got his father to buy them for the team. Draco was a pretty good flier, but he was a Slytherin. They didn't like relying on just one means of accomplishing their goals. They usually made sure to have a contingency or two. Something to get them over the edge.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" Fred asked not hiding his dislike of the new Slytherin Seeker.
"Funny you should mention my father," Draco started. All of the other Slytherins grinned and showed off identical brooms. "I'm not all that's new this year," Draco said as he brandished his own brand-new Nimbus 2001.
The broom was easily picked out as a masterpiece. It was highly polished with a silver and black finish and sweeping gold lettering saying the name. It was obvious right away the broom was well made and the whole team had them. This was a huge edge on the competition.
"It's the newest model. I believe it only came out last month," Flint said in a purposefully offhanded manner as he flicked an imaginary speck of dust from his broom. "I've heard it easily outstrips the Cleansweep 7. Let alone the old Fives," Flint said as he first eyed Oliver's broom and then twin's brooms.
Draco gave a chuckle. "They might as well auction those brooms off. I bet an antique collector or museum would bid on the fives," he added. That got the Slytherin team howling with laughter.
The Gryffindor team had no idea what to say to this. They were too shocked to see the whole team had the best broom available. Oliver begrudgingly led the Gryffindor team back to the lockers as the Slytherins howled in a new round laughter at the defeated looks the team had. Gryffindor had enough problems getting a decent Seeker. Having to face against a team full of Nimbus 2001s was pretty much guaranteeing Slytherin the Quidditch Cup this year in their eyes.
Once the lions were gone, Draco turned to Harry and the others. "So… Pretty impressive plan," he said.
Harry nodded. "It is. I had a feeling it might be something like this. I do have to admit it is impressive you seemed to know well in advance about the new brooms," he said. Draco had been teasing this plan of his a long while before the broom was announced.
Draco smirked to that. "A Malfoy knows information can be even more important than money at times," he said.
"I'm a little surprised its allowed," Hermione couldn't help but comment.
Draco somehow smirked more in response. "Students second year and above are allowed to buy their own brooms. I was deeply concerned something might happen to one. Father and I decided seven was the right number to buy and insure I was never forcibly grounded. I was so impressed with the new broom I decided to share the others with people who could appreciate them to an equal degree. It isn't our fault the rules say nothing about the amount of brooms you can own. They just say you have to be in your second year at least to buy any broom," he said to her as the Slytherin team laughed again.
Hannah and Susan were both looking at the brooms as much as they could. They now knew why Harry and them being here wasn't a problem. It wouldn't take long for the whole school to learn about the Slytherins' brooms. They gave it until after lunch for word to spread, at most.
"And how did you handle the situation with Oliver?" Harry asked wondering about that.
Draco gave a chuckle. "I will admit that was a bit of a potential problem. However, there is a bylaw that allows for a Head of House to provide a note to overwrite any bookings of the pitch once a school year for a new member of their house's team," Draco said.
"We have six total," Flint added with a dark laugh. He was the only returning member of the team.
"We probably won't need to worry about it again, but it does make for a good weapon," Draco said.
"Ha. Oliver is always a hopeless idiot when it comes to Quidditch. He gets booking happy, especially at the start of the year. This will teach him, and we can do this five more times, if needed," Flint said with a sneer at the lockers where Oliver was with his team.
"I suppose we best be going now," Harry started.
Draco gave a nod in agreement. "I was more than happy to share this plan's completion with you, Potter. But you are right. Quidditch practice is always held in private. That's why Oliver left. He wouldn't want to give anything away. Not that it matters," Draco said.
"Then I guess I'll wait for the grand reveal at Slytherin's first Quidditch match," Harry said as he and the others left.
[-] [-] [-]
"Hey. Wait up," Tracey called to the group of Hufflepuffs after a moment. She and Pansy made their way over to them again as they paused in their steps.
"They won't even let you watch?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"You heard Draco. Quidditch practice is private. We aren't like Gryffindor, who allow friends to watch a practice," Pansy said.
"Understandable, I guess. An audience could be distracting," Harry said. "We're actually going to visit Hagrid now. You could come along if you want, but you have been warned... Don't eat any rock cakes he offers you."
Tracey laughed to that and Pansy looked like she almost wanted to laugh as well.
"Seriously," Hannah started. "Don't. Anything else he offers is fine. For some reason, he can't get rock cakes right though."
"Duly noted," Tracey said. She turned to Pansy and asked, "Will you come too? I kind of want to actually meet Hagrid like this."
Pansy was in thought for a moment. She was torn on how to proceed. She wanted to go after hearing so much about him previously, but she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea for her situation.
Harry seemed to pick up on this. "Of the adults I've met in the magical world, I consider Hagrid the most interesting. I even consider him a good friend. I am careful in what I say around him, because he can blab, but I actually trust him the most of the adults at Hogwarts," he said seemingly in thought out loud.
It took the others a moment to realize what he was doing. Susan picked up on it first. "Hagrid knows a lot about all of the previous students while he's been here as Keeper of Keys and Grounds. It is rather surprising what he knows about people. I also think of him as a good friend," she said.
Pansy smiled warmer than she usually smiled for a brief moment. "Well. I suppose I should meet such an unofficially important person," she said. Harry and Susan provided her the perfect reasoning for visiting Hagrid with them. If questions were asked, she had an appropriate answer.
"You should also watch out for his dog, Fang. He can be… overly friendly," Hermione said.
Pansy frowned for a moment and nodded in thanks. She cast a spell on her robes under her breath as they came to the door and she heard the dog's booming barks. She used a spell that should hopefully repel any overly friendly dog slobber.
"Shut it, Fang. I heard ya the first twenty barks," Hagrid growled out. The Hufflepuffs snickered to that.
"Good ta see ya, Harry!" Hagrid started before he even fully opened the door. He was grinning widely as he added, "Good ta see you lot as well!" He then actually blinked for a moment after looking them all over. "I can't say I was expectin' you two," he said in shock.
He then grinned after a moment and said, "As they say though. More tha merrier. Come on in everyone. Tea will be a minute. Help yerselves to some rock cakes in the meantime."
"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said as he led the others to sitting down. It was surprising they all fit honestly, but they managed and weren't too crammed.
Once tea was served and Hagrid offered them something other than just rock cakes, he asked, "So. What brings two Slytherins here? Especially with a group of Hufflepuffs?"
"Is it wrong for Slytherins to come here?" Pansy asked sounding almost offended. She was too occupied with Fang to be full on offended. Fang seemed to decide the Slytherin Princess needed extra doggy affection. She wasn't sure if her spell would hold at this rate. She also wasn't exactly trying to shoo Fang away or anything either.
"Ain't nothing wrong wit that. Just ain't usual. Most usually ignore me best they can, and some snicker behind me back. Just find it strange you would all be here visiting together. Even if you lot are known to visit from time to time," Hagrid answered.
"Oh…" Pansy said. She wasn't really at the top of her game with Fang and everything. He was surprisingly warm and soft to the touch. You just had to watch out for doggy drool.
Tracey was a bit surprised by Pansy's behavior. She decided to elaborate. "We actually all came from the Quidditch Pitch together," Tracey said.
"Oh? Bit early for them to start practicing," Hagrid said.
"Draco had been telling us all about his plan to get on the team, so we went today to see the results," Harry started.
"He's on the team? Probably bought his way on," Hagrid couldn't help but mumble the last part.
Pansy frowned and did respond to that. "He merely assured his position in the most effective way he could," she said. She almost scoffed, but tried her best not to do so.
"If ye say so," Hagrid said.
"Pansy is right. I've flown with Draco before. He's good and he knows the game. Being in Slytherin he needed a little extra edge because that is how it is," Harry said matter of factly.
"I suppose I was just letting me old rivalries get the best of me. Sorry 'bout that. What was his plan exactly?" Hagrid asked in a manner showing he was trying to make peace and hadn't meant any offense.
Pansy seemed satisfied and because of that she wasn't too abrasive as she said, "He bought himself seven brooms. They just all happen to be Nimbus 2001s and he's lending the extras to the rest of the Slytherin team." She smiled in pride. Draco was her betrothed and it was a clever approach.
Hagrid blinked in disbelief for a moment. He then shook his head and said, "Trust a Slytherin to do something like that. Can't say I like it, especially because that means the season is more or less over before it began… But I guess in a way I have to admit it were a neat little trick that works." He still frowned at the thought of that.
Hagrid loved watching Quidditch games and he only really took sides when Gryffindor, his old house, was playing, but this year he would probably only watch one or two. It would be a race for second between Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Gryffindor would probably lose too. Their seeker wasn't too bad, but their performance was rather lackluster in games.
"There did end up being an issue today though," Hermione started.
"Oh? How So?" Hagrid asked.
"Apparently Oliver Wood booked the pitch for Gryffindor today. Slytherin ended up being allowed to practice instead due to their new Seeker and school bylaws," Hermione said.
"Really?! Oliver already had it booked?" Hagrid asked in surprise. He then hummed in thought. "That would explain why I heard that racket early this morning, but that was before the sun even rose up…"
"They had been out there that long?" Hermione asked in shock.
"It seems so," Hagrid said.
Pansy frowned to that. "Oliver made it seem like they just started practice though…" she said.
"Would Oliver use all of that other time just for a strategy meeting?" Harry asked.
Hagrid and both Slytherin girls were in thought for a moment before nodding together in sync. "I wouldn't put it past him. Even we've heard how he's infamous for his many and often bizarre strategies and love for team meetings," Tracey said.
"Really?" Hermione asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe someone would be that intense about Quidditch, especially at the school level.
"Yep," Tracey said.
Hermione then looked to Tracey and Pansy in question. "How do you all even know that?" she asked.
Pansy giggled. "The rest of the team is just as well known for grumbling about him. They aren't quiet about their complaints on the matter. They can easily be overheard in the halls or at meals," she said.
She then decided to actually move the conversation onward. "Susan said you knew a lot about previous students here. Is that true Hagrid?" she asked while rubbing Fang behind his ears. It was something the giant Boar hound fully approved of.
"Aye. To an extent you could say," he answered warily. He wasn't really one to give out people's secrets, at least not intentionally.
Pansy gave a nod and asked, "What were my parents like?"
Hagrid felt more at ease with that. He gave a friendly smile. "Your father wasn't very talkative and rather no nonsense, but seemed to be respected by his house," he started.
"That sounds like father. He's always been strict, but not to the point some parents are. He also has a belief that if you don't open your mouth too much. People can't learn something to use against you," she said.
"I can see that about him. Your mother was different though. She wasn't really the Pure Blood Princess type all the time," Hagrid said.
Pansy actually looked up surprised to hear that. Her mother usually made sure everyone thought she was the perfect pure blood wife and Lady. "Really?" she asked.
"Really," Hagrid started. He then grinned and said, "She knew how to play the role to perfection, but she had plenty of moments where she… as they say… let her hair down. She got away with it because she knew how to get others to do the same. She especially focused her methods on someone if they tried to call her out on her supposedly improper behavior. 'Cept in their cases it weren't always at tha best moments for such behavior. Most learned their lesson quick."
Hagrid spoke a little more about Pansy's mom and dad. Pansy was actually really happy for this trip. She liked getting to see her parents in a different light. She knew they too were students at one time, but she could never really picture them that way. Hagrid was good at painting them in such a light.
Hagrid eventually turned to Tracey and spoke to her. "Your dad was actually one the more interesting Slytherins in his day. He was careful about it, but he actually spent a good amount of time with muggle-borns," he said.
Tracey smiled to that and nodded. "He's always felt we shouldn't shun them. He's always been of the belief we should accept them and teach them about the magical world they were entering. That is actually one of the things my mom has said she always liked and respected about him. He knew how to save face in front of the house as well though," she said.
"Heh heh. Your mom was actually rather besotted with him from her first year at Hogwarts. He didn't really turn her away neither, despite her being three years behind him. Many suspected they already knew they would be married because of family contracts or such," Hagrid said.
"They weren't. Dad just didn't mind her presence for the most part. He figured she was just crushing on him because he was older and would soon move on. Eventually they became more friendly and then when she started growing up," she said.
"He was the one seemingly besotted with the other then. Oddly enough, her feelings had never really changed. She just got better at being more… Slytherin with them… I guess you could say. Keeping things to herself in private and all of that," Tracey said.
"Maybe you ought to be telling me more about your parents' time at Hogwarts," Hagrid said with a chuckle causing her to blush a little. He then discussed more things about her parents and this time they were new to her.
As they were finishing that discussion Hagrid gave a thoughtful hum. "Now that I think about it. Yer mum was also the type to talk ta muggle-borns in her later years. She must have really agreed with your father's choices," he said.
"She actually did. It took her a while to get the courage to talk to them like he did though. That's why it wasn't until her later years. At least that's what she told me," Tracey said.
"I wish more agreed with that approach," Pansy of all people said. She was currently giving Fang belly rubs on the floor.
"I agree, but why do you think that?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"I wouldn't have to be as careful when visiting with you all for starters. It just makes sense really. My mom even agrees in private and my dad doesn't disagree with such notions. The simple truth is that while muggle-borns are still the minority in our world, they are growing in number and won't stay that way," Pansy started.
"My mom complains about how if only people would pay attention and listen, they would realize why it was happening and it is one of the few things magic has made clear. Sometimes I have to remind her not everyone can listen to magic like we can. It comes very naturally to her and she's learned how to understand even the more confusing messages… if you will," Pansy said.
"I may have asked this before, but can anyone learn to listen?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. Listening isn't really the problem. Understanding what you hear from magic is. It can drive people mad if they try to listen and aren't careful. Some get lucky and it will only be confusing for them," Pansy said.
"How would it be confusing for them?" Hannah asked as the others listened intently.
Pansy was in thought for a moment. "It isn't like this, but for the sake of example this could work. Let's say I can see flows of energy around me and their different colors. That's how magic chooses to speak with me. I would have to learn how to read what the different color combinations mean and the movements to their flows. That is how I would listen to magic. Needless to say, it can be overwhelming seeing different colors and flows all the time," she said.
Hermione and the others nodded. They could easily see what she was saying.
"I've learned how to filter out all magic says. I can only listen when I concentrate at least a little bit. That is actually why true seers have so many and varied methods they use to try and focus their gift, even if they can't control the message that speaks from them," Pansy said.
She started to stroke Fang again. He had just nudged her with his nose. She had accidentally stopped the important duty of petting him.
"If you don't learn to do at least that, it is bad. You could walk around seemingly in a trance the whole time. You could even start mumbling to yourself and carrying on about things no one understands. Even if you learn how to listen without being overwhelmed, you still need to learn more. You could still come off similar to those who can't filter things out. Some people are born able to filter things out instinctively but not perfectly. They still have to learn to understand as well," she continued.
"What would it be like for someone in that case?" Harry asked curiously.
"What do you mean?" Pansy asked.
"What would it look like to them?" Harry clarified.
Pansy nodded in thought a little. "Again, it isn't necessarily like this. They could see magic communicating to them, but not understand it. Honestly, they probably have it worst of all people. From the start, they would see or hear things others didn't. Magic's whispers aren't overwhelming to them but not clearly communicated either."
"The messages could take the form of tiny flying pink elephants with fluffy squirrel tails. It could be anything really. Maybe they just always hear voices whispering to them constantly, or they just see a bunch of colorful tiny lights winking at them. Anything really," she said.
Pansy then frowned a little. "It is really difficult because the symptoms I spoke of are so similar to what people would describe as madness, even in our world. Someone in that situation could also be mistaken for experiencing side effects due to a bad magical accident."
"My family has been trying to see if there are ways of figuring out the difference. If nothing else, finding out which people are suffering would allow us to help them filter it out and they could at least better function in their lives. Maybe if some were gifted enough, they could learn how to listen and understand from us," she continued.
"Listening to magic has been in my family a long time, but it wasn't and isn't exclusive a gift to us. We just have a better knack for it and know how to teach ourselves to listen and understand without being overwhelmed," she said.
She then answered the question she knew Hermione would ask. "Sadly, our methods aren't guaranteed to work on others and could even make things worse for them, unless circumstances were right. It is very difficult to learn if those correct circumstances are present in someone or not. It would be a bit of a waste to try and refine our methods, so they could help others at this point. Since we can't even pick them out from others."
Hermione frowned to that. She was glad Pansy answered her unasked question. She wasn't bothered by this regarding her situation with Harry. They had long since figured out what they experienced was different from Pansy's listening to magic.
[-] [-] [-]
The rest of their time with Hagrid was light-hearted and enjoyable. It was actually later than they thought when they decided to return to the castle. Once Tracey and Pansy split while they were still outside, Susan turned to the others and giggled. "Does anyone else agree with me when I say Pansy might be Fang's favorite person apart from Hagrid?" she asked giggling more.
"I thought it was adorable," Hannah said trying to hide her own giggle.
"It was too funny considering how she seemed so opposed to the idea of meeting Fang at first. She even had that spell she used to doggy slobber proof her clothes," Hermione said giggling far too much to be appropriate.
"Yeah. I didn't know she used it because she planned on playing with him so much," Harry said with an amused chuckle.
"For some reason, I always thought she was a cat person," Susan said in thought. "That was impressive hearing what she had to say about the whole magic listening thing she's mentioned a couple of times before."
"I always thought it would be a gift. But she made it sound like it took a lot of work and even discipline. No wonder she's so good at playing the role of a Pure Blood Princess," Hannah said.
The others nodded in agreement and changed the subject once they stood before Hogwarts. They knew well enough to not speak of such things here. They may not like the role Pansy usually plays, but they respected her wishes not to expose it to others. Speaking of such things casually inside Hogwarts was only tempting trouble.
The Hufflepuffs did turn out to be right regarding the brooms. Everyone was already talking about Slytherin's new brooms. While most tried not to show it, the other Quidditch players were really worried for this season. It already looked like Slytherin would again grab the cup. Harry and others admitted they saw the brooms when one student asked if it was true they were there. Draco's Plan really was a resounding success.