Draco Malfoy was unusually silent during breakfast, and seemed a bit pensive.

Not what Harry had been expecting after such athletic feats, to be sure.

Harry spent the time listening to Theo Nott, who didn't seem to be quite as sexist as Malfoy was.* Malfoy disdained talking to girls on general principle, it seemed (although he could simply be trying to 'hold himself aloof'). Theo was content to talk with Daphne and Millie (apparently Millicent was an Adult Name that Millie despised on general principle. It was certainly not because it reminded her of Sleeping Beauty, a story she'd undoubtedly never heard of.) Harry was sure, if he'd been a girl, that Millie would have been his best friend. She was ... solid and stalwart. And didn't like pink. Her family wasn't important, and she didn't seem to have designs on "marrying up."

As it was, Harry was loathe to even consider 'true friendship' in the Lair of the Snakes. This was a house of convenience, and Harry was a distinctly inconvenient boy, his awkward birth and first years notwithstanding. He was not about to apologize for living in the Muggle World, it was an advantage.

They'd figure out he was a Muggle Lover soon enough. And they'd be mostly mistaken, but Harry wouldn't correct them. Harry liked people, on general principle. Certain individuals were mean, nasty or downright ugly; but, in general, people were okay, magical or no.


After Sunday breakfast, Harry sat in the Common Room, idly working on History of Magic and sharply observing the dynamics in the room. Snape had been right to set this as a punishment - it gave Harry an impetus to look at his House, to study it from the inside.

There were large, important alliances and ancient enemies that Harry was quite sure he was missing.

It didn't matter that much, though, to a first year's eyes. Alliances and enemies were variable, during a student's Hogwarts years. At least Harry thought he'd seen some Known to be Light families associating with Known to be Dark families. Abbot had an older cousin who was in Slytherin. Harry didn't want to think what a Hufflepuff/Slytherin family dinner was like.

"Let's hit the library," someone said - Harry ambled over, and heard Priss** (never Prissy) pleading with her friends, "Come on, I need to finish my Potions assignment."

"You'll need to finish it tomorrow too, it's a toughie." Sonia said, flipping a page in her current grimoire.

Harry cleared his throat, "I could go up with you..."

Priss looked at him, frowning, "Why would you do that?"

Harry shrugged, "It's part of my punishment for walking around unsupervised."

Sonia finally looked up from her book, whistling lowly. "Who caught you?"

"Snape," Harry said, trying to look miserable.

Priss smiled at him, "Stop trying to pretend he beat you bloody. Snape's pretty level with the punishments. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise needs to be knocked down a peg."

Harry shrugged as they walked out of the common room, "Still got detention," he grumbled.

Priss gently pushed his shoulder, "You Broke A Rule. You had it coming."

"I know!" Harry snapped back. "Makes it worse, not better." And it really did. Harry had been known to nourish a sense of injustice with the Dursley's punishments, which would keep him working hard just to spite the poor benighted fools.


At the library, Harry had just begun to look around for Hermione - she had a habit of choosing out of the way tables that Harry hadn't remembered from when he'd known her. Thinking about it, Harry thought that she was probably trying to stay out of people's way, and not attract attention. He was very familiar with the concept, after all.

Rounding a corner, he nearly ran into Draco Malfoy, who it appeared had been looking for him. "What's rubber?" Draco demanded, in a low voice softer than a whisper.

Harry paused, taking a moment to appreciate Malfoy's show of vulnerability, "It's a Muggle material. Works like our impervious spells, but doesn't wear out. Very good against Scottish rain."

Draco Malfoy frowned, "And it bounces?"

Harry says, "Yeah."

Draco Malfoy asked, "Do you - is there any way I could learn more about it?"

Harry shrugged, a current of mischief running through his body, "Try Hermione Granger. She devours books by the dozen, after all."

Draco Malfoy's face was a study in - disgust, dismay, and amusement. It was very funny, but Harry kept his amusement buried deep. "You know she's a mudblood?" Draco Malfoy said, as if that wasn't obvious by the pens she preferred to use rather than quills.

"Yes. I suspect she's going to be first in our class - or die trying." Harry said this levelly. "Wiser not to throw insults at the wickedly clever. They may outsmart you."

Draco Malfoy nodded, and looked thoughtful.

That - had gone rather better than Harry had thought it would.

If only the rest of the day would go so well...

*This is a rather serious mistake Harry is making. He's judging an eleven year old with adult eyes. To many eleven year olds, girls are icky.

**Priscilla is the long name. Priss is favored because it sounds a little like hiss, and - with the right look - sounds more capable and even boyish.

[a/n: Leave a review? "the rest of the day" is the duel, of course.

Draco has been given a lot to think about, and Harry's managed to not blow a fuse at an eleven year old's actions, who really doesn't know any better.

Go Harry! Act like a 15 year old!]