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Stars
Chapter 2: The Dragon
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Summary: What if Harry wasn't taken in by Petunia? What if, instead, he was taken in by another wizard who moved into number four after Petunia forced her family to move to avoid taking in the freak? Neutral!Harry
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own character.
A/N: A lot of people are expecting Manipulative!Dumbledore. I'm going to say right now, Dumbledore is a lot sneakier than you give him credit for. And Cygnus doesn't really believe that he's pulled his fingers out of everything, which is why he was hesitant to let Harry go to Hogwarts.
And yes, there is a reason no one seems to recognize Harry as the Boy-Who-Lived. It will be explained in the next chapter, via Snape's point of view.
And as for why Cygnus didn't recognize the Hogwarts letter, well, the letter doesn't exactly state who it's from on the outside.
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Harry bounced from shop to shop, looking for the items on the list. Cygnus went to purchase a trunk as Harry browsed through the books in Flourish and Blotts. They had to make a stop in Gringotts first, but Cygnus had decided to buy the trunk first before going to the bank. After all, Cygnus could ward the trunk a lot better than any of the standard ones that could be bought.
Cygnus gestured for Harry to come out by the window and Harry scampered out of the bookstore to meet up with his adopted father. Cygnus took his hand and led him towards the bank, holding the empty trunk that he was planning on warding.
The minute Cygnus entered the bank, a goblin approached him. Cygnus gave a smile to the goblin and spoke.
"Morning, Nagnok. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help us," Cygnus said, smiling at the goblin.
The goblin, Nagnok, nodded back at the ward specialist. "And to you, Cygnus. You're here to withdraw gold, I assume?"
"For young mister Harry, here," Cygnus said, nodding. "Do you think we could get in touch with the Potter's vault holder?"
"Griphook will be happy to assist you once he's finished with our customer," Nagnok said, nodding. "May your vault continue to flow with gold."
"May you be blessed with the riches of the world," Cygnus replied. The goblin seemed pleased with this response and walked past them to assist another goblin with his gold. Harry looked up at Cygnus.
"You work with these people, dad?"
"That's right," Cygnus said, nodding at his ward. "I work with the goblins at Gringotts. I know most of the goblin's names and their customs." He ignored the bustle and pulled Harry away from the door so he wouldn't block it. "A lot of people don't treat goblins properly, Harry. Remember, goblins are people too. They have feelings and personalities. They're very clever. So be nice, alright?"
Harry nodded eagerly, grinning up at his father as he waited for their turn. Cygnus was humming under his breath, a tune that calmed Harry's nerves and had him relaxing against his father. Griphook took a few minutes longer before he was ready to help them.
"Come along," Griphook said, grinning at them, showing off his many sharp pointy teeth. Cygnus smiled at him and spoke.
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy work day to assist us, Griphook," Cygnus said, nodding.
"It's not a big problem," Griphook returned. "Young Mister Potter needs to claim his vault before we withdraw money."
"Harry, they'll need a blood sample from you," Cygnus explained. "It won't be much. Just a few drops."
"Er… well, okay," Harry said, getting apprehensive. "It… won't hurt, right?"
"It will sting, but it should stop bleeding soon after," Cygnus confirmed. "Don't worry. I'll be here to hold your hand." He smiled reassuringly at Harry, but Harry didn't seem to relax at all.
Griphook grinned at Cygnus and headed to a private room. Harry sat down on the empty chair in front of the desk and waited, looking up at Cygnus. Cygnus looked at Griphook.
"We would also like to see a copy of the Potter's will and a statement of his vaults. I have been receiving money for his care, as per the stipend every month, but I have not used it. As a result, I would like to open another account," Cygnus stated, looking at the goblin. Griphook nodded, showing off his impressive teeth.
"Anything for our warding specialist."
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Cygnus had Harry go buy his own books while he completed finances with Griphook and Gringotts. Harry had finished buying his books when he decided to go to get fitted for robes. He stepped up on the stool and a blond haired boy turned to him.
"Hogwarts too?"
Harry glanced at him and nodded. "Yes. And yourself?"
"Yes. I think I'm going to be in Slytherin. What about you?" The blond asked. Harry looked at him blinking slowly.
"I don't know. I was mostly homeschooled in magic by my dad," he said, feeling kind of foolish.
The blond grinned. "He's magic too, right? What about your mum?"
"Never knew her," Harry said, shrugging.
"Half. That's not so bad," the boy commented. Harry blinked at him.
"Am I right in saying that you're from one of the old pureblood lines then?" Harry asked, looking at the boy.
"That's right! My name is Draco Malfoy," the boy said, a sneer on his face. Harry returned it with a grim smile.
"Right then. So could you explain to me why the older pureblood lines don't like muggle borns? I'm a bit lost on that. I mean, magic is magic right? It's not like magic cares whether you have two parents who are muggles or not," Harry said, looking at Draco. "My dad says that old traditions aren't something exclusive to magicals. Muggles have traditions too and they've lasted years and years."
Draco seemed to be at loss. But then he straightened up and said, "Mudbloods don't understand old traditions like we do. The magical ones, anyway. Every time they try, they just make a mockery of our culture."
"Oh. Well, I suppose I can agree with you there. But that would be solved if we just taught it to them, right?" Harry asked, looking at Draco curiously. "After all, it's not really their fault if they never grew up around it."
Draco sneered. "Then it wouldn't be excusive to purebloods."
"Why should it be? It's not like magic cares whether you're pure or not. If you have it, then you have it. My dad says that in Asia, people don't care about blood status. It's what you do with it that really matters," Harry said, watching Madam Malkin arrive to set him up.
"Your dad is from Asia?" Draco asked, blinking, surprised.
"Yes," Harry responded. "Can you ask your dad for me? Maybe he'd know why it is that purebloods don't like muggle borns. I think muggles have made some really useful stuff."
"A muggle lover then?" The sneer was clear on Draco's face. Harry laughed.
"No. Someone who just likes to take advantage of the situation," Harry said. "Why isolate myself when there is a whole world I can take advantage of without them being any wiser?"
Draco had a contemplative look on his face when Harry was proclaimed done. Harry grinned and hopped off the stool.
"Before you ridicule muggles, remember that they have survived this long in a world without magic," Harry said, wagging his finger. "For that reason, they are quite adaptive to their situation. They can be quite clever in their own right, just like some wizards and witches can be quite stupid in their own right."
Harry left the shop, feeling accomplished. A confused Draco remained inside, staring at him as Cygnus walked up to Harry. Lucius Malfoy entered and Draco looked at him.
"Father? Who was that man with long white hair who just met up with the black haired kid?"
Lucius glanced out the clear window and then looked back at his son.
"I do not know."
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Harry smiled a little, watching Cygnus browse through Flourish and Blott's rune section before shaking his head in exasperation.
"This don't go anywhere beyond basic level. Do you have anything more advanced? Those that use blood magic and rituals?" Cygnus asked, looking at the woman tending the counter.
The entire bookstore hushed. People were staring at Cygnus like he had grown a second head or said something horribly offensive.
"What?" Cygnus asked, raising his eyebrows at them.
"That's… really Dark Magic," the woman stammered. "You're better off looking for something like that in Knockturn Alley."
"Dark magic? Really?" Cygnus shot the saleswoman a disbelieving look. "I'll never understand British Magicals. They're like a whole other species that I can't identify. Magic is magic. There is nothing inherently good about the levitation spell just like there is nothing inherently bad about blood rituals. For your information, I am searching blood rituals for warding purposes."
The shop seemed to relax at that, giving a soft laugh. The woman shook her head, smiling lightly.
"In that case, you can reach Knockturn Alley by going through the crack in the wall off Diagon. It's not too far from here," the woman replied. "You're foreign?"
"Came from Taiwan ten years ago," Cygnus grunted. "Visited Diagon once in that time. This is my second visit." He gestured Harry to pick up his books. "Go on, Harry. I'll wait for you and then we can head to Knockturn together."
"Really, so you've been living in the muggle world then?" a man asked, looking a bit relieved. "That's great! I'm a muggle and am still trying to wrap my head around the idea that this magic exists."
Cygnus glanced at him, and noted his wife next to him, whispering about books with what he assumed was her daughter. He sighed. "Magic is so segregated in Britain. It's actually really troublesome for me. In Taiwan, magic is a part of daily life. We don't have robes and owls. I hate the robes." He gestured to his dress shirt and pants.
The man laughed. "I quite agree with you on that. So how do they communicate?" The man's wife and daughter stood in line so they could purchase their items.
"With phone and internet. Like regular non-magicals," Cygnus said flatly. "We've also forgone parchment for actual paper. The magical properties in parchment aren't worth the cost of producing so we've given up on that. Same with quills and ink. We use pens and pencils. Any complex ward work I do is with brush and ink."
"But that's not possible!" the man's daughter burst out. "Electronics don't work in magical range."
"Just because the British have not found a way to do it doesn't mean it's impossible, child," Cygnus said patiently, unwilling to snap at a young girl. "That being said, if they stopped being so bloody reclusive and worked together with non-magicals instead of trying to hide from them, they'd have things done a lot faster."
"How do the magicals in Asia explain magic to the non-magicals?" the man asked, looking quite interested.
"We don't. We don't flaunt it off and don't tell our non-magical neighbors," Cygnus said. "They don't need to know, so we don't tell them. Our government is pretty synonymous with theirs so it doesn't matter. 'It's classified' usually works for any prying noses. And those who do find out… well, who would believe them? An upstanding citizen in Taipei doing magic is pretty unbelievable."
The man let out a small laugh. Cygnus watched as Harry paid for his books and even got a few more for leisure reading.
"Ready to go?" Cygnus asked. The man tapped him on the shoulder and added.
"By the way, here's my number. My name is Granger. That's how they do it in Asia, right? Last name first?" Mr. Granger said, extending a hand and a business card.
"That's right," Cygnus said, extending his own. "Rowan's my name. I'd give you my business card, but Gringotts don't give those out. So I'll give you my number instead."
Cygnus left the bookstore with Harry, feeling quite accomplished. Harry laughed at the look his dad was giving the business card.
"Feeling like you need to get some now?" Harry asked, looking amused. "What would you put on it for your job? 'Ward Specialist'?"
Cygnus laughed. "I bet that would attract a lot of unwanted attention." He looked at his ward and gestured for him to follow him into Knockturn.
Harry looked around at the supposedly 'Dark' books as Cygnus browsed the runes section.
"Well, well, a little boy shouldn't be here all by himself," a soft voice whispered right behind Harry. Harry turned to see a long fingered woman reaching towards him. "Lost dearie? I can help you find out where you need to go." Her fingers grasped the edge of his sleeve.
Harry gave a low sigh and snapped his fingers, willing the wards surrounding his cloak to trap the woman and hold her in place. Green chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around her figure, snapping her arms to her sides and causing her to topple unsteadily.
"Not lost. Don't touch me. My dad would have your head if you tried anything," Harry said shortly. "My cloak is warded to stop any potential kidnapping. Don't try it, or the next ward that will be set off is my dad's. As it is, mine is rather harmless. My dad's, on the other hand, is quite powerful and will do some serious damage to your person."
The woman gave a feeble nod and Harry willed his ward to drop on the woman. She scampered away murmuring about brats and how ungrateful they were. Harry did feel a little bad for doing that to her—she might have actually wanted to help—but his dad always did warn him about crazy people.
"That is some unique warding techniques I have never seen before," a cool, smooth voice said.
Harry turned to see the blond boy and who Harry presumed to be the blond boy's father. The blond boy shot his father a smile, but his father was looking at Harry with interest.
"I told you father, that even though he's a half-blood, he's a respectable one!" the boy said proudly. The father nodded a little.
"Yes, Draco, you did indeed say something along those lines," Draco's father said, smiling at his son. "Where would such a young boy learn such a powerful warding technique though? I am curious to find out."
Harry smiled at Draco and looked at his father. "My dad taught me. He helped me set up the wards on my cloak."
"Indeed," the man said, looking at Harry with a glint of approval in his eye. "And what does your dad do, exactly?"
"He is a ward specialist for Gringotts Bank," Harry answered proudly, glad that he could tell someone the whole truth instead of adapting to the muggle term of "he works in a bank". "What about your father, Draco? What does he do?"
"My father works in the Ministry," Draco said proudly. The boy's father gave his son an approving look and nodded.
"So, why is it that your father has… abandoned you here, young boy?"
Harry frowned a little. "Not abandoned. My dad's over there looking at the Rune section. He said the one in Flourish and Blotts was basic level and he wanted to go more into blood rituals. So they directed us here."
Both Malfoys seemed to approve of this and they gave each other a pleased look.
"Really?" the elder Malfoy seemed intrigued with this. "That's very interesting…"
"Harry, there's only intermediate stuff here," Cygnus sighed, walking out from the shelves. "I guess I'll just have to ask the Taiwanese Embassy to send me some. Oh, a new friend?"
Malfoy senior extended a hand. "Lucius Malfoy. A pleasure."
Cygnus blinked at the hand, but then took it. "Cygnus Rowan. Likewise."
"And this is your son?" Lucius asked, looking down at Harry. "Harry, was it?"
"That's right," Cygnus said, dropping the handshake. "And your son's name?"
"Draco," Lucius said, nodding. "It was a pleasure to meet you, but we really must be going."
"I'll see you at Hogwarts, Harry," Draco said, waving at Harry. Harry waved back and Cygnus watched them leave. Harry turned to Cygnus.
"You know, I don't think I liked them very much. They seemed a little too stuffy and high for my taste," Harry commented. Cygnus laughed, ruffling Harry's hair.
"They did, didn't they?" Cygnus said calmly. "Still, it would be best not to get on their bad side. Politics is a pain to deal with." He smiled a little and looked down at Harry. "I found out something worry some while I was at Gringotts."
"Worry some?" Harry asked.
"This is not the right place to talk about it. So let's head home," Cygnus said softly, looking around. "It's something that the goblins assured me they could fix, provided we took the correct actions."
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"As you know, you are not my blood child. You were adopted," Cygnus started, over a mug of tea. Harry looked at him, nodding along, holding an identical mug of tea. They had traveled back home to Surrey and were sitting in their living room. "I am your adopted father. The day I found you, quite literally on my doorstep, I was visited by a man."
Cygnus looked up at Harry. "This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. He is headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Harry's eyes widened in shock. "But… But why would he have been here? Why would he have cared where I had gone?"
"He seemed to take it upon himself that their savior was placed with his only living relatives," Cygnus answered. "You were supposed to go to your mother's sister. Your Aunt."
"So… Why didn't I?" Harry asked.
"Well, she seemed to think that moving away was a better option than moving you in the house. Which goes to show what kind of person she is," Cygnus answered. "You are young. But I know that this is something you need to know before you set foot in Hogwarts. I cannot put telling you off any longer since you'll be leaving in a month.
"Albus said some things that, quite frankly, worried me a little. He said he was going to take care of the paperwork for your adoption and he also mentioned that you were the only one able to defeat the Dark Lord, or Tom Riddle," Cygnus continued. "In other words, his intention was to make you his child weapon."
Harry was frozen stiff where he sat, his eyes wide and his mouth open in an uncomprehending 'O'. Cygnus sighed, looking up at him.
"Albus knew that I was not someone from this country. He knew of my wards," Cygnus said. "Over the years, I can conclude he simply agreed to the adoption because he knew that, had he refused, I would have moved back to Taiwan, taken you with me, and adopted you there. Taiwan magical adoption is much easier than the UK's. In Taiwan culture, one must be either a blood parent, or have successfully protected and shared magic with the child for a minimum of one year to be considered a parent. As such, my wards would have concealed us until the year was up."
Harry's hands had dropped from the cup and he was staring at Cygnus in shock.
"In that regard, in Taiwan magical law, I am considered your father legally and magically," Cygnus said, nodding. "I have, unfortunately, forgotten to check the UK magical adoption law. As it turns out, all orphans become a ward of the Headmaster. And you, though adopted in the non-magical world, are an orphan in the magical one."
"So… you're saying that the Headmaster… has control over me?" Harry asked, blinking. "But… Isn't Albus Dumbledore supposed to be the good person?"
Cygnus gave him a grim smile. "His actions speak louder than his words though, don't they? He is a pretty powerful manipulative player. But he has overlooked several key factors.
"He is correct that I am not a citizen, well, was not a citizen when I adopted you. Therefore, I was unable to claim you under Magical law in the UK standards," Cygnus said. "However, I have claimed you, rather successfully, in Taiwanese Magical standards. That is enough to say that, if we ever moved back to Taiwan, you would be recognized as my son.
"Second, Albus underestimates me. As I am an employee of Gringotts, the Ministry is forced to comply to Gringotts wishes. Gringotts has recognized me as your legal guardian, both magical and non-magical, due to the magic sharing when I bottle fed you as a baby. Gringotts simply didn't know that the Ministry had continued to list you as an orphan.
"Third, by listing you as an orphan, and thus a ward of the Headmaster, he has had access to your account funds," Cygnus said softly.
"He's been taking my money?!" Harry squeaked.
"No. He knows that I work at Gringotts and would have venomously fought him placing a single finger on your money. But the problem is, he has locked away your money and refuses access to you or to me. This would be problematic if we move back to Taiwan, because then the money you had would have been transferred over to him," Cygnus explained. "And it is, a lot of money. More than enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. But those vaults also contain artifacts passed down in your family bloodline, the Potters. Putting them in Albus' hands would be very dangerous."
Harry slowly sank back in his chair. He rubbed his head and whispered, "Can't you do something about it?"
"I will be working on it," Cygnus promised. "But before I can adopt you in the magical world, all three of the options that were listed in your parent's will needs to be unable to care for you. I will be doing research on these three." He gave a small smile. "I will take care of it. Don't worry about it. I am telling you this because I want to keep you aware of the external situation. Go to Hogwarts, have fun, but don't forget to watch yourself around Dumbledore. He isn't who he says he is. Keep an open mind and don't forget to keep an eye out. Ward yourself when necessary. Mind magic is not illegal in the UK, so he might attempt something. Remember the meditation techniques I taught you? Use them often.
"He may be limiting your mail, limiting my contact with you. He may try slipping you something, which is typically illegal, but as he is your magical guardian, it is not," Cygnus said softly. "You need to keep a sharp eye out."
Harry flinched. "Is it too late to withdraw?"
Cygnus sighed. "I would assume that, even if you had, Albus would attempt to force you into it regardless, using his powers as your magical guardian."
Harry nodded and sighed. Cygnus placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"I'll do my best to find a way around this problem. Trust me, okay?" Cygnus murmured.
"Okay, Dad."
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"Hey, Dad?"
Cygnus looked up at his son and then at King's Cross station. Platform nine and three quarters should be around here. They just needed to find it. It was only ten, so they were still quite early.
"Yes?" Cygnus asked, placing his hand on Harry's back to guide him.
"Why don't you get me a cell phone. You know, those that can be used in magical areas that you used to ward?" Harry asked, looking at Cygnus. Cygnus sighed.
"Taiwan is an island, son. The entire island has a ward that allows the use of technology, regardless of where they are," Cygnus replied. "To use a cellphone in Hogwarts, you must have a warded cellphone and a warded castle. Which wizards and witches will never agree to because it would cause them to break their tradition."
"Ah… I see," Harry seemed down about it. Cygnus looked at him and sighed.
"I'll look into it. But I'm fairly sure it's impossible until someone allows the wards to be shifted," Cygnus said, nodding.
Harry nodded back and stopped in front of platform nine and ten. Cygnus nodded to him and waved at him to get going. The wards were quite easy to spot.
"I'll see you later," Cygnus said, placing a hand on Harry's head. "Be careful out there."
Harry gave Cygnus one last hug before running into the barrier. Cygnus looked at the place where Harry had vanished, then turned to the snowy owl on his shoulder.
"Hedwig… protect him, okay?"
The snowy owl screeched and soared up into the bright blue sky. Cygnus turned away.
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Harry looked up at the large smoking steam train in surprise. He smiled, wheeling his items onto the train and pulling his trunk up so he could stack it in the compartment overhead. Then he sat down on the empty seat and looked back outside. Since he was early, Cygnus had insisted on him bringing a book.
Fifteen minutes later, Harry was swirling his tea gently without pulling away from the depths of his science fiction novel. The tea swished inside the clear container and his eyes remained firmly on the pages. The hustle and bustle caused by the oncoming students was getting louder and louder. Harry paused in his book when it became too loud and placed a bookmark inside to wait for the noise to die down.
He glanced at his tea and then wandlessly pulled a packet of sugar down from the front pocket of his trunk, tearing it open and dumping it in his tea. Then he picked up his tea and sipped it lightly, thinking about Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore.
He didn't even notice the door was open and a bushy haired girl staring at him.
"You… you…!" she stammered. "You can't do that! Wandless, non-verbal magic! At your age?!"
Harry looked up at her and gave her a smile. "Oh! It's you. My dad met yours in Flourish and Blotts, right? Granger?"
"Hermione Granger," she said in a daze. "Only the strongest wizards should be able to do what you just did! How?!"
"I've practiced with my dad since I was very little. My dad said it would help me control my magic so I wouldn't have any accidental outbursts in non-magical areas," Harry responded. "Nice to meet you. My name is Harry. Harry Potter-Rowan."
"Are you really?!" She seemed excited now. "Did you know that you're in several books?"
"I did," Harry said, nodding. "I also know that you shouldn't believe everything written in books." He smiled, sipping his tea again. "You've never learned to control your magic?"
Hermione gave him a strange look. "Not really. We're not allowed to do magic out of Hogwarts."
"How do you stop yourself from letting off accidental magic?" Harry asked.
"Well, I don't. The Ministry comes and makes things alright though," Hermione said, taking a seat and shutting the door. "Ah, but the Asian Ministry doesn't obliviate people anymore, so they?"
"It's a heavy crime to scramble people's brain," Harry said, nodding. "My dad doesn't feel like it's right to mess with anyone's brain, muggle or magical alike. He also finds the term 'muggle' rather degrading. In Asia, they call them non-magicals."
"Your dad sounds smart," Hermione said, nodding. "Err… but he's not your real dad, is he?"
"Adopted," Harry answered, nodding. "What do your parents do?"
"Oh… They're both dentists."
The door opened again and Draco Malfoy glanced in. "Oh! It's you. Harry, right?"
Harry nodded and gestured for Draco to sit down. "Hello Draco. Go ahead and take a seat. Did you ever ask your dad about it?"
Draco nodded and spoke, "The reason pureblood families don't like muggles or muggleborns is because the Ministry does absolutely everything in their power to appease them while banning our traditions as 'Dark'. It's really nothing to do with the muggles or muggleborns themselves."
"Okay, so it's the government, the Ministry at fault. Thanks," Harry said, nodding.
Hermione blinked. "Ah, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Draco Malfoy. Are you a friend of Harry's?" Draco asked.
"We met in Diagon Alley," Hermione said, nodding. "Malfoy. Are you really? I read that you're part of the Pureblood house of Lords."
Draco puffed up in pride and Harry smiled. "That's right! I haven't heard a Granger on the list though. Or a Rowan." He glanced at Harry and Harry shrugged.
"Rowan isn't on the list because my dad's from Taiwan," Harry said calmly. "Though Rowan isn't a Taiwanese surname either. I wonder how that came about."
"I'm the first witch in my family," Hermione explained. Draco nodded slowly and looked at Harry.
"So, Rowan, have you thought about which house you'll be in?" Draco asked. "You've read more about Hogwarts, right?"
"I think Ravenclaw would suit me, though rumor has it Dumbledore was in Gryffindor." Hermione chimed in, looking at Harry.
Harry thought about it before nodding slowly. "I think I would do well in Slytherin or Ravenclaw."
Hermione gave him a grin. "And you, Draco?"
"Slytherin, of course," Draco said, grinning. "My whole family was in Slytherin."
"Wow," Harry said. "I suppose the traits of Slytherin all run in your family then."
"We're Malfoys. Of course they do!"
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A/N: Read and review!