A Second Chance

By S.L

Chapter Eleven: A Surfeit of Slytherins

He reappeared only moments later in Hogsmeade and took the time during the short walk back to the castle to think things through. Sirius really was very different from the man Harry had once known, but it wasn't in a bad way. Actually, Harry thought that he probably had a lot more in common with this Sirius, and they would probably end up closer than ever. At least he hoped so.

Harry was halfway through his next thought when he caught sight of a green-cloaked figure ahead of him. She was slim and had familiar red hair. Inwardly, Harry didn't know whether to smile or to groan. Instead he watched as Ginny threw a look over her shoulder, caught sight of Harry and paused to wait for him.

"Well, if it isn't the new Potter boy," she said in a silky tone. "Not up for a day in Hogsmeade with the rest of your family?"

Harry closed the rest of the distance between them with a few short steps and gestured for her to keep pace with him. "I had forgotten it was a Hogsmeade day actually," he said and he had. It wasn't like it mattered anyways, Hogsmeade usually lost its appeal around your sixth year, and after you'd been there so many times that nothing was really new anymore.

"Is that so," Ginny said, and rubbed her bottom lip gently with two fingers.

"What about you?" He asked, trying not to watch what she was doing. "No date scheduled with that boyfriend of yours at Madam Puddifoots?"

To his pleasure, Ginny seemed to loose her smile at that comment. "Yes, well, Puddifoot's really isn't my style. Besides Draco's father is at Hogwarts today for the press conference. He's on the Board of Governor's you know," she told him.

"Right," Harry said in understanding. "So he let you out to play all by yourself?"

She shot him a look and sneered. It was a disgusting habit that this Ginny had, and something the Ginny that Harry had known would never do. "Clever Potter, very nice. I didn't think you Gryffindor's were allowed to be rude."

Harry blinked, but didn't answer. Girls confused him enough as it was, but Ginny was just downright incomprehensible.

"Actually," Ginny admitted after a moment. "Draco doesn't know where I am right now. I wanted to meet an old friend of mine for tea."

"Who?" Harry asked, very interested. Who on earth would this Ginny give up Draco Malfoy for?

Ginny sucked in her cheeks, bit her lip, and had the decency to look hesitant. "If it's not my boyfriend's business, it's hardly yours."

"Fine, fine," Harry said, though his curiosity was only piqued. "Maybe you'll tell me when you're more comfortable around me," he smiled, but kept his gaze straight so he wouldn't have to look at her.

She missed a step and had to give a little hop to catch up. "More comfortable? What makes you think I want to be comfortable in your presence, Potter?"

This time he turned his head and flashed her the smile that had won him the Most Charming Smile Award for the past two years running, back in his world anyway. "Well, for one thing I'm a Gryffindor and you're still talking to me. For another, you like me."

A strange look crossed Ginny's features. At first she tried to look like she was very cross, then she looked a little amused, but she didn't settle on either one. She compromised by raising an eyebrow and walking faster so that Harry then had to hurry to keep up.

"So you seem to think I like you, Potter?" She said after a moment, they were on Hogwarts grounds now, nearing the castle.

Harry smiled widely again, it wasn't very often that he got to be the one with the upper hand in their brief talks. "Oh, I know you do. If you didn't like me, you wouldn't be talking to me at all."

She turned her head slightly so that he caught sight of her lips turning upwards. "You look like hell," she settled on, for her next comment.

Instead of taking offence Harry laughed and ran a hand through his messier-than-usual hair. "I'm afraid I was out all night at the pubs, and my dashing good looks weren't the first thing on my mind this morning."

Ginny snorted, but then composed herself quickly. "So you fancy yourself dashing do you?"

In response Harry just used one hand to toss his hair back. "Unbelievably so," he sighed as he spoke, then he smiled to see if she would laugh.

He hadn't quite managed a laugh, but she was smiling fully now, and her lips were parted just a bit. "Well maybe, but only just a little," she conceded, her voice was very soft, and lacked all of the harness that Harry had become used to hearing in her Slytherin trained tone. "If I were feeling generous of course," she added as an after thought, her voice back to normal.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The shout carried across the distance and both Harry and Ginny's gaze shot immediately to the front doors where Malfoy was standing, flanked by his usual lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle. He looked furious, his usually pale features were stained pink with anger, and his hands were balled up as fists at his side.

Ginny changed noticeably. All color drained out of her already pale face, and her express flickered to that of outright terror before amending itself into a blank sort of look.

They both paused in their walk to the front door and waited for the three Slytherins to stride forward instead.

"What are you doing out of the castle and with this ass, when I've been looking for you?" he snapped, and then he glared at Harry. "And what are you doing with my girlfriend, Potter?"

Up until that moment Harry and Malfoy had managed to avoid one another pretty completely. Malfoy had made a few passing comments about his family that Harry had ignored, but other than that the main Slytherin-Gryffindor, tenth-year feud was saved for Malfoy and Ron.

Shocked by how quickly events had managed to change, Harry rocked back on his heels. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was a problem with talking to her. Is it just Gryffindor's she's not allowed to converse with or people in general?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny look down at the ground in shame, he had touched on something there, maybe Malfoy really didn't let her talk to other people. Perhaps that was why they only ever spoke when no one else was around, not just because of the Slytherin-Gryffindor thing.

"I don't like your attitude Potter," Malfoy said, and gestured to the two bulging idiots behind him, "and neither do my friends. If you ever go near my girlfriend again, we're going to demonstrate just how much we don't like you. If you ever so much as speak to her again, you'll have me to deal with. I'm warning you Potter," he spat.

Then he reached forward and grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her over away from Harry and next to him. For her part Ginny looked completely embarrassed and ashamed. Harry watched this with a tinge of surprise; the Ginny he knew would never let someone treat her like that. She had been nothing, but a strong woman her entire life. This wasn't right at all.

Something inside Harry snapped, it had been a good long while since he had something like this to entertain himself with. His wand was in his hand in an instant and pressed across the distance, just inches away from Malfoy's throat. "And this is me warning you, Malfoy," Harry hissed, and when a parselmouth hisses, he hisses.

"Get your wands out you idiots," Malfoy growled to Crabbe and Goyle. The pair pulled theirs out on his orders and pointed them hesitantly at Harry.

"What spells do we use?" Goyle asked dumbly.

Harry chuckled as he watched Malfoy wince. "So sorry, do you want to wait and do this later, once you'd had the time to train up those pair of circus monkey's you've got? I sure hope the ringmaster didn't make you pay too much for 'em, I know the muscles look real, but they're really nothing without a bit of brain to back them up. This is the wizarding world after all."

Absolute hatred seeped from Malfoy's eyes.

"I'll tell you what," Harry continued through gritted teeth. "You can have your chance here and now," he took a step back and let his wand drop to his side. "Let's deal with one another today, in fact let's duel with one another now, get it all out of the way while we're both here, what do you say?"

If it was possible, Malfoy's face paled even more and he looked back for some support. He didn't find it from either Crabbe or Goyle, who were both the same lumbering idiots they always were, neither did he find it in his girlfriend. Ginny was being unusual quiet and seemed content to just stand off to the side and watch the show unfold. Though, Harry managed to catch her eye for moment, and was surprised to find that she gave him a worried little smile when he did so. Otherwise she just looked, plain scared.

"Well Malfoy?" Harry asked. "What was it you told me last week? Something about me being a pathetic excuse for a wizard… ah, you know, I really can't remember your eloquent wording. I think you were trying to tell me that since I had never been to school before that I wouldn't know my wand from my ass- but hey, I'm not sure I was able to grasp the delicacy of your subtle insults."

Decided, Malfoy pulled out his wand and walked towards Harry, looking angry once again.

"Oh, come on now," Harry said, clicking his tongue against the rough of his mouth, he was backing up as well, making sure that a distance would be put between them and the three onlookers. "It's generally customary to bow to your opponent, Malfoy. Or didn't your father teach you that?"

Harry demonstrated by bowing gracefully to Malfoy as he watched the other boy jerk his body forward as an afterthought.

Then somehow it had started. Though it was Malfoy who threw the first spell, he never had a chance. Harry had raised his wand, and then without a word a blue light had streaked across the distance and enveloped Malfoy. The other boy's wand immediately flew to Harry's hand and Malfoy was knocked a few feet backwards, landing on his back in the muddy, slushy remains of the winter's last snow.

Harry walked forward as Crabbe and Goyle rushed to their leader's aid. They lifted each of his arms and hauled him into a standing position again. Harry gave him a disappointed shake of his head. "You weren't even putting any effort into that, Malfoy," he said sadly, he really was disappointed. He had at least hoped that Malfoy would be able to come up with something a little more interesting; he really wasn't an unintelligent wizard if you got down to it.

"Give me my wand, Potter," Malfoy demanded with a snarl.

Harry took one more step forward so that only a few hand spans stood between the pair of them, he ignored Crabbe and Goyle entirely. "First allow me to make myself clear," he growled. "I can speak with whomever I want, and you have no effect what-so-ever on that, and next time you chose to pick a fight with me- or anyone," he added. "You had better be prepared to follow through." He gave Malfoy a nasty smile. "It's a wicked world out there, Malfoy, I'd hate to see you take on more than you can handle." In fact, Harry remembered quickly, the Malfoy in his world had done just that, and ended up getting himself killed for it.

Without a word Malfoy grabbed for the wand that Harry offered to him and started walking back to Ginny. Harry watched as he grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her along with him, she didn't even say a word as he dragged her back up the stairs and into the castle, she didn't even look back at him. Harry hung his head sadly, there were more differences to this Ginny than he had realized. It wasn't only that she was a Slytherin; there was something more than a bad relationship going on between her and Malfoy. She had lost her spirit.

Suddenly, Harry didn't much feel like going back into the castle. For the momentary amusement out of taunting and playing with Malfoy he had just managed to make himself feel worse. Maybe he shouldn't have done anything to him. Now, Harry just hoped that he wouldn't go and take his anger out on Ginny, if he did that, Harry didn't know how he would be able to forgive himself.

Harry was just getting ready to stand up and make his way inside when a new figure approached from around the school and started trudging up to the entrance. Recognizing her immediately, Harry decided to hang on a moment.

Luna Lovegood approached slowly, but waved as she noticed Harry sitting on the stairs outside the entrance.

"Good afternoon," she said hauntingly. "Have you seen Ginny Weasley?"

Startled at the question Harry nodded. "Yeah, a few minutes ago, I guess. She left with Malfoy, I think," he added.

Sighing heavily, Luna shook her head. "I figured she'd forget to wait for me, if you see her again can you tell her I came by?"

Harry promised Luna that he would and then watched her walk back into the castle.

So that was whom Ginny had gone to meet in Hogsmeade for tea. Interesting.

The press conference was ending by the time Harry made his way into the great hall. There were students milling about everywhere, watching the proceedings excitedly. Also the room was bursting with reporters, many of which Harry recognized. They were all crowding around some of the professors, Dumbledore and a few high ranking Ministry officials. So great were his old instincts, that Harry actually ducked behind a house table when Rita Skeeter walked by, raking her lime green manicured nails through the air to beckon her trailing photographer.

"Scared of getting your picture taken?" James asked with a laugh as he hauled Harry up from the back of his collar. "Can't say I blame you," he added, adjusting his own formal robes. The staff just had their picture taken with Dumbledore, and Lily made me play dress up."

Harry giggled a little nervously as he realized what he had just done. "Old habits die hard, I suppose," he said and glanced to where Rita Skeeter had drawn up next to a pinched faced McGonagall. From the sugary look on Rita's face Harry assumed that the fact that McGonagall wasn't giving much by means of answers wasn't settling her back. In fact, her familiar lime green quick quotes quill was dancing across the parchment book that was held open in Rita's hands. McGonagall was eyeing it angrily.

"What?" James asked, a little lost, he wasn't looking in Rita's direction at all. He seemed to have his gaze focused on his wife, who was standing attentively at Dumbledore's side, taking notes with a respectable, dark blue quick quotes quill.

"Rita Skeeter," Harry said absently as he realized, giddily, that he didn't have anything to hide from her anymore. "But, I guess I don't have to worry about her anymore. She won't have any reason to want to interview me."

James' attention seemed to snap back in Harry's direction. "You knew Rita Skeeter?" His tone was entirely dry and doubtful.

Harry didn't like to admit it, but he was rather offended that his father's voice sounded so skeptical. It was a passing feeling, however, and a pointless one at that, Harry then admitted to himself. It was possible that perhaps some of the vanity from being the Boy-Who-Lived for so long had managed to penetrate, if only slightly so. Harry wasn't sure he liked the realization, and shook it off to concentrate on his father's question again.

Quickly deciding that there was no point, and no real reason to explain, Harry just shrugged and dragged his eyes off the offending woman.

James didn't seem to care at Harry's lack of a response. "Anyways, I wanted to ask how Sirius' place was last night? Did you guys have fun?"

Again, Harry settled on a shrug, but then realized that a more adequate response would be necessary this time. "We went out for a bit to the Leaky Cauldron. It was fun, but nothing terribly special." In truth he had all but forgotten about Sirius since his interlude with Ginny and Malfoy. "It was nice to see Sirius again though, I really do want to be able to spend more time with him, when I can."

His mind focused back on Malfoy again, Harry recalled something from earlier that afternoon and glanced quickly around the room and pointed. "What is Lucius Malfoy doing here?" He asked his Dad bitterly.

Malfoy Senior, not looking any different than he had in Harry's world (before his Azkaban days that is), was chatting in a group of bored looking wizards. Though Harry did not immediately recognize them all, he did assume that they were the rest of the Governors from the Board, and he was almost positive that a good number of them were Death Eaters.

"Ah, so you know him, too," James said, his voice taking on a flat tone. "He's on the Board, so he is permitted on school property during any sort of authorized gathering that Dumbledore announces. None of the Governors miss out of press conferences, as rare as Dumbledore allows them. It's one of the perks of the job, I guess."

Perhaps it had something to do with the force of the glare that Harry was shooting in Malfoy's direction, but suddenly the man turned and gave him a long penetrating look. Then his eyes flickered away and Harry followed them to see Draco Malfoy enter the room and make his way towards his father through the crowd. Crabbe, Goyle and Ginny were all absent, Harry noted.

"Great," Harry said to his own father. "I think things are about to get nasty."

James shot Harry a look. "What are you talking about, Harry?"

Feeling a little guilty now about his earlier outburst, Harry turned to his Dad and gave him a nervous smile. "Er- I kind of lost control of my temper earlier."

Harry wasn't sure if the look on James' face was curious, or apprehensive, but obviously the older man didn't quite know how to react. Since Harry had been in this world, he hadn't really caused any real trouble and had been relatively passive in all activities. It was probably correct to assume that James wouldn't be sure how to handle reprimanding a son he had only just met, or even if he should. From past experience Harry knew that both James and Lily did not even hesitate to immediately confront Bran about any issues, they expected him to have numerous brushes with rule breaking.

"I mean," Harry went on. "That I had a run in with Draco Malfoy earlier and I think that judging by that exchange, he is playing tell-tattle with his father."

Indeed Draco did seem to be eagerly telling his father something and both father and son were shooting periodic glares in the Potter's direction.

"Merlin, Harry, tell me this happened with anyone other than Draco Malfoy," James groaned, though he too had noticed the Malfoy family's sudden interest in the two of them.

Feeling almost guilty, Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. Listen," he said a little hurriedly since Malfoy son and senior were making their way across the room. "Just let me talk to them both and ignore whatever I say, don't interrupt or contradict me, I have some experience with this lot."

A firmly gripping hand settled around Harry's shoulder, though Harry could sense the restraint that James was applying. "Harry, if you've had any entanglement with either Malfoy, then you'd better end it there and allow me to clean this mess up. I don't think you know what you've potentially done, or what you could potentially do and our family cannot afford any ill attention at this point." The words came out in a very low voice, James' fingers pointing out the stresses in his words through tight clenches.

"You will release me," Harry hissed, using the dangerous voice for the second time that day, and one he hadn't had to use since coming to this world. Though he realized that he had had an error in judgment in dueling with Malfoy, James did not know that Harry was more than capable of taking care of himself. Then Harry realized that the only reason James didn't know this, was because Harry had been taking all precaution in making sure that James had no way of knowing this. "Please," he added in a gentler tone, a little shocked with himself for jumping to anger so fast, and watched as James reluctantly removed his hand.

A moment later, before Harry and James even had the chance to break their heated gaze, and Lucius Malfoy drew up short of the pair of them. His son was a step behind him. They were both smiling. It looked like a strain on the delicate Malfoy features.

"Well, well," Lucius began in a tone Harry had hoped to never hear again. "If it isn't Potter and his new- nephew," the word was stretched through his lips, followed by a quirk of a smile.

Harry resisted the urge to smile at that. The clever little bastard, so Voldemort and his Death Eaters had figured out more than he had realized. How had they managed that, he wondered? His gaze flickered briefly to where Snape stood against the wall, sipping a goblet and watching the display with an interested smirk. Harry glared back.

"Malfoy," James addressed the other through tight lips, though he was being much more polite than Harry would have expected. Deciding not to say anything himself yet, Harry settled on exchanging a long look with Draco Malfoy. To his delight though the other boy looked utterly smug with himself, he recoiled slightly at the wink that Harry sent his way to unnerve him.

"It seems that our boys," again with the slight stress, "Exchanged words earlier this morning." James spared Harry one more look, which Harry pointedly ignored. "I am afraid," Lucius, continued, "That I must inform you that my son feels unsafe in any environment that contains your hostile nephew. As a Governor of the Hogwarts, I feel that I am going to have to report the altercation to the Board so that the other Governors can assess whether or not they want a loose cannon like Harry Potter among their sons and daughters." The smile got faker. "We have rules against dueling in place for a reason, and you of all people should be able to instill such values, Professor Potter. It was only a small miracle Draco wasn't more severely harmed. In fact," he glanced slyly down at his son. "Perhaps he might be harmed more than he has even had chance to realize."

Ah, Harry realized, so now we have the threat. He spared Draco Malfoy a look. So, he was willing to pull another incident such as he had during their third year when he declared that Buckbeak had attacked him.

Beside him, James opened his mouth to prepare a response, but when nothing immediately came out, Harry stepped forward.

"That, of course, would be entirely up to you Governor Malfoy," Harry said as politely as he was able to manage. "However, were it to come up, I'm afraid that I would have to explain the situation in entirely truthfulness. With a memory or a bout of veritaserum- I am entirely willing to admit to the truth, the fault was my own. Though," he smiled a little at the lock on Lucius' face. "I think that in doing so, your son's, let's say- less than ideal performance, would be revealed."

Draco stopped smiling and began scowling at Harry instead. To his delight, Lucius hesitated and the smile started to drop as he gave his son a look from the corner of his eye. "What about my son's performance?"

At that moment James chose to make a strangled sort of sound, so Harry held up a hand to silence him and smiled at the two Malfoys. "You know, I'm sure that you don't know this, but I have a great interest in dueling and the styles that certain types of people gravitate towards using." He paused so that his next sentence could achieve the full impact. "Your average Death Eater for instance," it hit the mark. James paled, Draco's eyes widened and Lucius' left eye had begun to twitch.

"Of course you wouldn't know about this, but while Death Eaters tend to work around the Unforgiveables and make their way to the killing curse, they would never even fathom starting out a duel with on. They start off gradual, using torture and pain curses, any hex that will cause their opponent the most discomfort, but at all times they strive to achieve and maintain control and when their victim is completely broken down, they finish it." Harry's voice had become very soft, until his listeners nearly had to strain to hear him.

He looked up again with renewed vigor. "Auror's on the other hand," he said, lips twitching back into a smile. "Auror's do the exact opposite. They never strive for death and would greatly hesitate to use any type of curse that would cause pain. Rather, defensive spells are used, anything that will hamper their opponent, that will immobilize them long enough to be taken into custody.

"And then, there is your son," Harry had an outright smile on his face now. "Clever little Draco Malfoy," he shook his head in amazement. "Like father like son, eh, Governor?" He told Lucius before continuing. "I didn't think he had it in him, but he was so angry he actually tried to kill me, didn't you Malfoy?"

Lucius was all but shaking in rage now, and Draco Malfoy cowered at his side. "I don't know what he's talking about father."

Thankfully James remained silent, so Harry took a step forward so his face was only inches from Lucius' own. "If you so decide to take this up with the Board, I will request that we take a look at the spells Draco used during our little exchange. If that were to happen I'm sure the rest of the Board would be startled to discover your son's use of the topmost Unforgiveable curse on a student who merely used a disarming charm to defend himself. On Hogwarts grounds no less. But that is only if that were to happen."

As Harry relaxed back, Lucius' lip curled up in disgust. "I think we are done here, Potter, for now. But don't think I won't forget this, the Malfoy family is a dangerous enemy."

Almost maniacally Harry smiled. "I look forward to our next meeting Malfoy, perhaps you will prove more of a challenge than your-" he smirked at Draco, "son."

The two Malfoy's exited their presence, and the Great Hall as quickly as possible. Without watching them leave, Harry turned and looked for a place to sit, and found one at the table James had caught him hiding behind only minutes before. Then he looked up at see James' reaction.

James Potter looked absolutely livid. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his cheeks were turning white. Harry winced as he waited for the inevitable onslaught.

"What did you think you were doing?" He managed after a moment's hesitation.

"I don't know yet," Harry said thoughtfully, and it was true, he didn't. He glanced around the room again, eyes falling back on Rita Skeeter, now assaulting a cheerful looking Dumbledore. Ideas were starting to click into his head, desperately trying to arrange themselves in the proper place until things started dropping into place. So much had happened this day, already, but he could make this work. His talk with Ginny, his duel with Draco, this press conference, his talk with Lucius… this could all work to his advantage, he just had to think quickly enough. That was what he was best at after all, right? Getting himself out of the sticky situations he didn't have the sense to avoid in the first place? It was part of being a Gryffindor.

"You don't know?" James continued, interrupting his thoughts. Harry knew he needed to be dealt with, but if he was going to salvage the situation he needed a moment to think. "What was all that you were spewing about Death Eaters and Auror's?"

"Oh, that," Harry said, it was an easy enough question. "That was absolutely rubbish, I made it up. Could you possible imagine Sirius holding back from using a few violent curses on a Death Eater given the opportunity? Of course not," he said answering his own question. "Auror's are defensive in the least- they're supposed to be, but they're not."

"Harry-" James started, threateningly.

Rather than let him continue, Harry held up a hand. "Not just yet," Harry said, things were starting to make sense now. "I've got to take care of something first and then you can yell your bloody head off at me, I promise."

Then without waiting for a response Harry sucked in a deep breath and ran across the room in an urgent manner, Rita Skeeter was just starting to turn away from Dumbledore.

"Headmaster!" He cried, arriving next to Dumbledore out of breath. "Headmaster, I need to talk to you immediately!" He didn't both to keep his voice down.

Lily stood at the Headmaster's side, putting away her quills into her satchel, but she looked up at Harry in surprise. Dumbledore raised his arm to keep her from saying anything, and nodded seriously at Harry instead.

"It's about," Harry looked off to one side and leaned in conspiringly. "Well it's about that thing we talked about earlier."

"Of course Harry," Dumbledore said, playing along. "Shall we talk in the hall, no need to follow us Lily, this is a highly privet manner."

Relieved that Dumbledore had caught on enough to be able to play along Harry followed Dumbledore out of the Great Hall and out into the corridor. He turned around in time to see his Mum and Dad come together, heads bent in concern as they watched Harry leave the room. His stomach clenched, Merlin he hoped he knew what he was doing.