"You want us to play muggle card games?" Draco Malfoy nearly spat. "When my father-"
Theo Nott jumped in, clapping a hand across Draco Malfoy's chest and his other across Malfoy's mouth. "He won't."
Zabini asked, "Why would you even want to play a muggle card game? The cards don't even explode."
Harry Potter smiled, "There's a lot you can learn about each other, while learning a game."
Theo said, "Oh, so this is about politics."
Harry raised his eyebrows at him. "Isn't everything?" A properly Slytherin answer.
Goyle shrugged, "Sounds boring, but better than letting Tracy braid my hair."
"Is she still on about that?" Vince asked.
"Yeah, she's got this whole plan."
"What," sputtered Draco Malfoy, "Does she want to be a hairdresser?"
Nott responded, "It's an honorable profession. And she's hardly rich."
Goyle said, slowly, "Seems unsporting..."
Vince responded even slower, "Oh?"
Goyle said, "Yeah, in this room we have two, maybe three or four 'prospects.' If she's going to bury her head in solvents and reagents, and not even try? That's unsporting."
Vince said, with a laugh, "Dude, you sound like a girl."
"Like my mother, maybe." Draco Malfoy said, more thoughtfully.
Goyle shrugged, "Don't got looks. Don't got galleons falling outta my pockets. Gotta work with what I do got."
"Well said!" Harry responded. He fished out a pack of playing cards, and pulled the wrapper off.
"What... what is that?" Draco said quickly, a shadow passing over his face.
"What? Oh, cards. Muggle cards." Harry said, looking at Draco... Something was bothering him.
"No, not those." Draco said, and picked up the wrapper.
"Oh, the wrapper," Harry said. "It's plastic."
"Muggles made this? It's folded so neatly..." Draco Malfoy said, "See-through too."
Zabini said wryly, "Bet that helps with selling them."
Hermione was right. Harry thought. Magicals really were strange people.
Draco nodded, and looked contemplative.
Face down, Harry shuffled the cards. It was something he'd picked up on Vice (which he hadn't been on long, infiltration was not his specialty, and there was only so much they'd wanted from a Very Visible Suspect. In retrospect, he'd been lucky they hadn't decided to have him seek out some "mostly illegal" impotence potions. That was the sort of prank that Lt. Knope would have enjoyed - razzing the Boy Who Lived, while getting something out of it.)
The sharp, chemical scent faded as Harry cut the deck. He dealt five cards to each of them. "Are you familiar with the concept of betting?"
"Yeah," Theo said, slowly.
"What are we going to bet?" Goyle said.
Vince said, "Hope it's not galleons. If so, I'd be out immediately."
"Buttons." Harry said, taking out a pouch and spilling them on the table. "Everyone starts with roughly a fair share. No need to count."
"Yourself?" Theo asked, Harry nodded companionably back.
[a/n: and so it begins. You wouldn't think it would be hard to discuss a card game, but... you're spanning the difference between "describe each round" and "show don't tell." You'll notice Harry's not explaining the rules. And yes, Draco has been unbelievably sheltered, and told he's so superior the sun comes outta his arse.
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