Author's Note: Some of the dialogue in this chapter is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 8, "The Quidditch World Cup."
"What are we waiting for?" Draco grumbled as he watched the crowd of people walk past their tent. "I don't want to miss the start of the match."
"Don't worry, Draco, you won't," Narcissa replied. "We have plenty of time to get to our seats. I just don't want to risk one of us getting lost or trampled by that crowd. Look how rowdy they're acting. They're not worried at all about accidentally hurting someone."
The look of disgust on Narcissa's face was clear.
Lucius looked warningly at Draco, which was enough to encourage the teenage boy not to say anything further in complaint.
After most of the crowd had passed by, the Malfoys began to make their way down the lantern-lit trail that went through the woods.
Ahead of them, they could hear the crowd, openly and loudly expressing their excitement.
"There's so many people here," Narcissa remarked as she drifted closer to her husband.
"Are you all right?" Lucius asked in concern.
"I'm fine, Lucius," Narcissa responded. "I'm just so use to the quiet of the manor. I really need to get out more."
"Anytime you want to come with me somewhere, I would be more than happy to have you with me," Lucius returned.
"I'll keep that in mind," Narcissa smiled.
After about twenty minutes, the Malfoys finally found themselves at the entrance of a huge stadium surrounded by gold walls.
The Ministry witch at the entrance looked at their tickets. She then nodded her head for them to go on ahead, and she told them that she hoped they enjoyed the match.
The Malfoys then began to climb up the purple-carpeted stairs.
Draco looked around as they went higher and higher up. He noticed with great excitement the three gold hoops on both sides of the field. He also noticed, with not quite as much excitement, a huge blackboard that flashed various different types of advertisements.
"I can't believe it," the teenage boy suddenly spoke. "Is that the Weasleys in the Top Box? Pansy and her parents are going to be so upset when they find out about this. How did they get seats in the Top Box anyways? They don't have any money. Pansy and her parents are really going to be upset."
"Arthur Weasley helped Ludo Bagman's brother when he got in some trouble with the Ministry because of a magical lawnmower," Lucius explained.
"Lawnmower?" Draco asked in a confused, slightly hesitant voice. "What is a lawnmower?"
"A Muggle device that is used to cut grass," Lucius answered.
"How do you know so much about the Muggle World, Father?" Draco asked next. "First, there was the Muggle money with that Muggle. Now, it's this."
"I have had reasons to be in the Muggle World in the past," Lucius replied. "It wasn't something I really wanted to do, but it was necessary for reasons I do not wish to discuss at the moment. I couldn't help but pick up on some things. I'm not like Arthur Weasley, who claims to love Muggles but can't explain anything about them. If you're going to talk about something, even if it is unpleasant and disgusting, you ought to know a few things about it. If you don't, all you accomplish is looking like an idiot. Something that Arthur is a master at doing."
"Arthur Weasley is nothing more than a hypocrite," Narcissa spoke angrily. "He got tickets for getting someone out of trouble. Yet, he probably would have something negative to say about how Lucius got us our tickets."
Narcissa then looked at her husband. "At least you did something that the Wizarding World can easily consider worthwhile and important. Donating to St. Mungo's is much more honourable and noble than bailing out someone who's stupid enough to get in trouble because he wanted to mess around with a Muggle device. And I thought that Arthur Weasley was all about protecting Muggles from such magical misuse."
"Arthur Weasley likes to experiment," Lucius sneered.
"Yet he has problems when respectable Purebloods experiment," Narcissa responded. "When we do such things, we're putting the poor Muggles at risk."
The sarcasm, along with the disgust, was obvious in Narcissa's voice.
"That's why it's important that we fight for our kind, especially since the Blood-Traitors aren't going to do anything for us," Lucius replied, looking more at Draco than at Narcissa as he spoke. "We have to depend on ourselves."
Lucius suddenly heard the sound of Fudge's voice. He was talking to the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.
Lucius heard the name "Harry Potter."
"What a surprise," Lucius sneered. "Potter is here as well."
"Of course famous Harry Potter would have to have a seat in the Top Box," Draco muttered angrily. "Any other seat wouldn't be good enough for him."
"And you'll love this, Narcissa," Lucius spoke. "Look at how much Arthur Weasley loves his precious Muggles. He has that Mudblood Granger girl with him as well."
Draco looked up sharply. It wasn't hard for him to spot the brushy brown hair that belonged to Hermione Granger.
"Isn't it enough that they ruin Hogwarts for me?" Draco complained. "Now they have to ruin the World Cup for me as well. How typical of them."
"'Ah,'" Fudge suddenly spoke, "'and here's Lucius!'"
"'Ah, Fudge,'" Lucius returned, holding out his hand for the Minister to take. "'How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?'"
"'How do you do, how do you do?'" Fudge smiled as he bowed to Narcissa. "'And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk – Obalonsk – Mr. – well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind.'"
And this is our Minister of Magic, Lucius thought. He has no sense of tact, diplomacy, or propriety.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lucius could see the disgusted look on Narcissa' face, even though Fudge was clearly completely oblivious to it.
Well, that's not a surprise, Lucius mused. Fudge's wife could probably sleep with another man right in front of him, and he still he wouldn't be able to notice. Ah, Mrs. Fudge, I can't say that I blame you.
"'And let's see who else,'" Fudge spoke, interrupting Lucius's thoughts, "'you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?'"
Both Lucius's and Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as they looked at each other.
"'Good lord, Arthur,'" Lucius said softly. "'What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?'"
Arthur flushed in obvious anger and embarrassment.
Fudge, of course, was completely oblivious to what Lucius was saying to Arthur.
"'Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur,'" Fudge spoke proudly. "'He's here as my guest.'"
"'How – how nice,'" Arthur said with a strained smile, even though Fudge of course took no note of it.
Draco smirked at Ron Weasley, who face quickly flushed almost to the same exact shade of red as his hair.
Sometimes I really don't know why I bother with him, Draco thought. It's way too easy to make him angry. He's so bloody predictable.
Lucius's glance, meanwhile, had drifted to Hermione Granger. His lips curled slightly.
Hermione's face became slightly pink, but she stared back determinedly at him.
She dares, Lucius snarled in his mind. She dares to act like she's my equal.
Lucius suddenly felt Narcissa gently squeezing his hand.
Lucius squeezed his wife's hand back. He then nodded at Arthur with a sneer on his face before continuing on his way to his seat, closely followed by his wife and son.
Draco gave the Golden Trio, as he often liked to call them mockingly when talking about them in the Slytherin Common Room, a look of contempt before taking his seat between his parents.
"'Slimy gits,'" Draco heard Ron Weasley mutter.
Draco could feel the anger boiling inside. The Weasel's father was the one who was slimy. One only had to look at the way that Arthur Weasley had gotten tickets for him and his family to see just how slimy he was.
Bloody hypocrites, the whole lot of them, Draco thought.
It was at that moment that Ludo Bagman suddenly came running into the Top Box with, as was his norm, absolutely no sense of dignity or propriety.