Harry is walking to the great hall. He just finished training for quidditch, and he is starving. Fortunately for him, the Gryffindors used the pitch after them, so the castle would be easier to manage.
After the whole incident with the Slytherin heir, the students outside the snake house started to put distance from him, something that Harry had to fix.
Harry had a plan, but before putting it into action, he wanted to eat something and have someone with him. He will appreciate it if Hermione is there to do it, as she part of the Gryffindor house. Unfortunately, the Gryffindor girl was not in the hall. 'Probably at the library', thought Harry. With that in mind, Harry decided to go without Pansy.
It needed to happen in a space where more people could see him, and the library it's not popular enough.
He knew that Hermione won't be able to help him, he decided to wait for Pansy. She should return from her extra credit time with Professor Sprout. Harry suggested this to Pansy, so she could spend her time doing something instead of just waiting for him.
This was something that was worrying to Harry. Pansy has not said anything, but she is not her usual self.
While sitting at the Slytherin table, he felt he was being watched. He looked around with a motion that made him believe that he was turning to see the door as waiting for someone. Almost immediately, Flint and Derrick entered the hall. When Harry returned to his food, he noted a red-haired girl looking at him.
The Weasley girl, as he knows her because she has not presented herself. He had tried to approach her several times, but she always ran away. After a while, Pansy showed up and looked at him with her arms crossed.
"I was hungry", said Harry. The girl only huffed and sat in front of him.
Small laughs were heard as the other two Quidditch players saw the scene. Harry ate all his food and looked around the great hall. The place was fuller and more lively. Harry smirked when he found the person he was looking for and stood up.
"We'll be going to the Hufflepuffs. You can come with us if you want. In fact, I will suggest you do it", said Harry to Flint and Derrick. The Slytherin captain only waved his hand to let Harry know he could leave, and Derrick kept eating.
Harry walked in the direction of the Hufflepuffs with Pansy on his side.
Some students looked at him when he essentially walked through the whole hall. They saw how Harry walked straight to one specific student.
"Hello, Justin", said Harry when he stopped. In front of the Suzuki heir was Justin Finch-Fletchley, a kid with a prominent chin. He looked a little afraid when he saw Harry. All the talk about Slytherin's heir had made him fear anyone from that house.
"I came here to thank you and your family for assisting to the charity party my parents had last week", said Harry with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, of course", said the Hufflepuff kid. "Charity party?" asked a blonde girl from the same house.
"Yes. Ainz Ooal Gown has a charity foundation called 'AOG Worldwide'. We create different gatherings to raise money and donate it to charity associations. The Finch-Fletchley family attended one of our parties to help the homeless", said the Suzuki heir.
"Yeah. My father talked to me about it", said Justin.
"Mine too, and asked me to extend our thanks. Anyone willing to help the people and the world is a friend of Ainz Ooal Gown".
Flint smiled as the other Hufflepuff students looked at him with bright eyes. "It's the normal thing to do," Justin shyly replied.
"Aren't your parents Muggle, Justin? How is it that they have much money, and how is it that they are helping wizards?" said Roger Malone, a short brown-haired boy.
"The association is for and to Muggles," said Harry. "Although, knowing my father, he will help the wizards and witches as soon as he can", finished the Suzuki heir.
"Roger, I already told you that muggles can also be rich. Some are even richer than many wizards", said Justin with his arms crossed.
"But you said that your house did not have a Quidditch pitch. That is something any rich family would have", replied the shorter Hufflepuff.
"We do have a Tennis pitch."
"What's Tennis?" asked more than one Hufflepuff. Thankfully, in the yellow house, many students came from a non-wizard family who explained to them about the sport.
Justin only shook his head, and when he was going to say something, Hannah Abbot spoke first. "So, you don't believe in this blood purity from your house?"
"May I ask if you are familiar with the non-wizarding world?"
"Well, of course. My last name may appear in this pure-blood directory, but my mother is a Muggle", said the girl defiantly.
"Then you know about my parents and their company. Do you think a family that decided to work with technology rather than magic will have that mentality?" Said Harry, and the blonde girl conceded with a nod.
This helped Justin to pass his shyness and started to speak with him. He right away started to ask if he was following the Wimbledon championship. Harry commented about it but felt short as he was not a fan of the sport, but Justin took that as an invitation to talk to him about it. Next to Harry was Pansy, with a forced smile that was getting harder and harder to maintain as the girls from Hufflepuff started to open conversations with her.
The picture of the Slytherin princess and the Slytherin seeker talking with a big group of Hufflepuffs took the attention of all the students in the hall.
A Slytherin student talking with a bunch of muggle-borns, the same Slytherin who openly challenged the transfiguration teacher and the same student that cast a powerful and dangerous spell in class.
If the whole picture wasn't enough, the petite blonde Gryffindor appeared again with his camera. He offered to take a photo and give it to them, saying that he still needed practice can make the photos move.
The whole noise coming from the Hufflepuff table and the flashes took the attention of everyone.
The headmaster looked at the scene and smiled while eating. The one that remained serious was the head of the Slytherin house. He only quickly looked to the core of the noise when he arrived at the hall and found Harry Suzuki in the centre of it. Hiding his disapproval, he walked to his seat and ate his meal.
To Severus Snape, Harry's behaviour is closer to his birth father. A boy who is seeking attention at any cost. He was grateful that he did not pursue it by bullying a fellow student. As such, Harry already outmatched James Potter as a human.
The potion master hates the kid, his appearance, and his attention-seeking behaviour. He even went as far as to create a small group like the marauders, but this group disappeared this year. 'An arrogant prat who believes he is above others, like how he mocks the Weasley youngest boy', thought Professor Snape. He would love to put him in his place, but he was asked to be in the good graces of the kid. Not only by Dumbledore but also by some ex-Death Eaters.
On the first day of his arrival, after the sorting ceremony, Dumbledore asked him to win his trust. The old headmaster even went to the lengths to tell McGonagall to be stricter with Harry; that way, his only option would be with his head of the house. Snape doubted that McGonagall knew why she was asked such a task. Probably, she was lied to and told that they need Harry not to fall into the dark side.
The Potions master only sighed and continued eating.
It was the first Saturday of November. Draco was inside the boy's bathroom on the first floor. He was breathing heavily, looking at the mirror. He turned on the water and wet his face. He breathed deeply to calm himself, and when he felt more in control, he opened the door.
"Hi, Draco."
"Wha-" yelled the blonde, surprised. He turned and saw a bushy-haired girl. The girl giggled at the reaction.
Draco composed himself and looked at the girl with a frown, "don't do that again, Hermione".
"What? Greeting you?"
"You know what I mean", said the Slytherin kid and continued walking. Behind him was the bushy-haired girl still with a smile.
"Are you nervous?"
"No"
"Really?" asked the girl playfully. "The scream from before did make me think that you were nervous".
"I am not. You just… am… coughed me by surprise."
They kept walking together in silence. Draco saw some students and stopped walking. Once he was sure that the students did not see him and had left, he turned to Hermione, "you may want to go your own way".
"What? Why?"
"If you are going to go to the game. You may want to find a spot with your Gryffindor friends."
"Don't worry. Crabbe and Goyle said they would save me a spot on the Slytherin side."
Draco made a mental note to speak with Vincent and Gregory at that moment.
They kept walking and left the castle.
The weather was moody. There were grey clouds in the sky, not letting the sun's light pass.
"You know about all the Slytherin thing. And that everybody is saying that is either Suzuki or me the heir."
"Actually. Harry did something about it yesterday. Not sure what, but now he is again like the golden boy or something. Seriously, sometimes it seems that he likes to be the centre of attention."
Draco could not do anything but smile at the last comment. Then Hermione continued talking, "besides, Ron was the one spreading the rumour. Or at least he used all his free time to try to convince everyone in the Gryffindor tower".
"Why does it not surprise me?" asked Draco rhetorically.
"Speaking of surprises. I have wanted to ask about your falling with Harry. You used to be best friends last year. What happened?"
"His family happened," said Draco and then stopped walking. From a distance, they could see some people walking to the Quidditch field that was visible on the horizon.
"Look, you are only reentering the British community…", Draco stopped when he saw Hermione's eyebrow up. "The British wizarding community", composed Draco and Hermione nodded.
Draco then continued, "what I want to say is that politics are an essential thing in my family and for many in the Slytherin who are thinking about the future. If they are going to work in the ministry, and if not, with whom they are going to make deals."
"But if that's the case, wouldn't the money of Harry's parents suffice to calm them?" asked Hermione. "Or is that the blood-thing does not let them?"
"Not sure about it. My parents are interested in the Suzuki's as far as I know, but they still do not share everything with me. But one thing is sure. None of the families liked that the Parkinson family openly aligned with them. Again, not sure why."
Draco tried to lie the best he could. He knew that Hermione would respond poorly if she knew that the whole problem was because they were considered blood traitors. But it was too soon to talk about it with her.
Hermione, on her part, already knew about the whole blood purity. She had listened to the soft aggressive comments of Draco. Comments usually against Ron Weasley and his family, which vary from, 'they'll backstab other wizards' to 'two-faced liars'. The last comment came when Draco said, 'if they loved Muggles so much, why they don't marry them?' It sounded childish at first, but Draco explained to her that, even when they called themselves Muggle lovers, they only marry other wizards and witches.
Draco continued walking, and Hermione sighed a little. The Gryffindor girl then asked, "and this situation won't affect you in the game?"
Draco shook his head. He really hoped it won't because his captain had given them a series of new tactics that would need the cooperation of the whole team. "Well… I hoped not, but I also hoped to be in the starting line today. So, I will only focus on the game if I make it. Believe me, I will need to focus completely."
"Are your parents coming?"
A shiver passed Draco's back, and he nodded. Hermione smiled at him and said, "don't worry. You will do it all right." He then turned to see the Gryffindor girl, but she walked in front of him, and as if that movement was an enchantment, the clouds started to move away, and the lights of the sun appeared.
Harry was already in his Quidditch uniform and was making some callisthenics. He was, for the first time, anxious about the game. He could talk with his captain about how they were playing. The captain approved some of his ideas, making the game more tactical and challenging. It was granted that it was not perfect but more enjoyable to play, at least for Harry.
"Ok, everybody! One last time", yelled Flint. "Derrick, you will be up and left. Farley, you are down and right. Stay in the back and on your side. Look where the other is and have fun with their chaser."
Peregrine Derrick and Gemma Farley fist-bumped and nodded to each other with confidence. Harry was satisfied with that, as they were significant to his captain's strategy.
"Pucey, Malfoy. I need you to watch out for the bludgers and with your reflexes to your max. I don't want any of you to been hit by the bludgers, understood?"
"Yes", answered both. Flint then looked at Draco, "Are you sure you want to use the Nimbus 2001? We still have the Pro PeroPeronchino from Graham."
"I am sure", Draco wanted to ask for the Pro PeroPeronchino room, but his parents were out there, and he could not play with the broom made by their rivals.
"Very well. Just remember that you are replacing him until he gets better from his broken ribs," said Flint.
"Bletchley! Move fast. Remember to make short passes." Said the captain, and the keeper only nodded.
"Suzuki! Forget about the Weasley boy and focus on our play. Unless he is chasing the snitch, got it?" said Flint and Harry only smiled.
The captain looked at everybody and then smirked, "AND REMEMBER. IF IT IS NOT IN THE RULES, IT IS ALLOWED!"
The whole team roared and walked outside the dressing room to the pitch.
/
Hermione was sitting between Crabbe and Goyle. Behind her were Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. When the teams showed up, Hermione smiled wide when she saw Draco. "Come on, Draco!"
"Go-go Draco! Go-go Draco!" sang Vincent and Gregory.
In the same section, but on the other side, were Satorou Suzuki and Albedo. Satorou was sitting close to the end of the line, and next to him was Albedo. She did that so no one could sit next to him. But next to Albedo was Pansy.
The three only clapped when the players showed up on the pitch. Before the game started, and while the referee was giving instructions to the players, Albedo talked to Pansy. "What happened to your hands, dear?"
Pansy felt shy and put her hands down, "nothing. It's just that I have been helping the herbology professor to get extra credits."
"I see. But that's not the reason for not taking care of yourself. I will try to procure some gloves for you", said Albedo with a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, but I do have my pair. It's only that managing Mandrakes is sometimes difficult", replied Pansy, trying to respectfully decline.
Albedo smiled and said, "Oh, but the gloves I will give you will have a special enchantment to always take care of your hands."
Pansy face got red a little, but she answered, "you are too kind to me. But it's really not necessary".
Albedo took one of her hands, "I can not let someone so close to my Harry have these hardships. But if it makes you feel better, I can give you the gloves in exchange for a Mandrake seed".
Pansy thought it would be rude to decline again, but she still had to ask, "is that ok? And for only a seed?"
"I have worked with mandrakes from America, and as far as I remember, both have different properties".
"All right. I will try to procure some seeds for you, Ms Suzuki. Thank you", replied Pansy, not wanting to sound disrespectful.
"Call me Albedo, please", said the beautiful woman. Pansy nodded, her face getting red.
Suddenly the place erupted in noise. The game started.
