Chapter Eleven: In Which Theodore Nott Smiles

Draco Malfoy, as the son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy; Pureblood elites, had pretty much been set for life since his birth. As a Malfoy, there were certain expectations for him as well. He was expected to act certain ways; talk a certain way; not associate himself with those below his status – unless of course they served him or his family.

Draco had fully expected to get Harry Potter on his side; after all, Harry shook his hand and had wanted to be allies. Instead, Harry had declared them "friends" and had dragged Draco along for the insane carriage ride. That included associating with Weasley – the son of his father's most hated nemesis – and a Muggle-born witch.

At first, Draco wanted to storm off and not deal with the inane nonsense that Harry brought with him. But because Harry wanted Draco there –– and Ronald was more than happy to see him leave - probably because Draco was quite petty if given the opportunity, he chose to stay if only to annoy Ron.

But it was also a matter of pride – and winning. What exactly had Draco won? Absolutely nothing, but it was the principle of the thing.

Unexpectedly, Weasley could keep up with Draco in terms of wit, and honestly, Draco enjoyed coming up with insults and arguing with Weasley. It made things interesting. And Weasley offered something that not even Crabbe and Goyle had: genuine concern and a place to escape to if he ever felt need of it.

Granger was intelligent, and Draco could go to her and discuss homework assignments. Some may have seen Granger as a know-it-all, but Draco saw her as a fount of wisdom that saved him the trouble of having to hunt down the answers himself. The fact that she asked questions that Draco never really would have thought of himself; and listened to him when he spoke, also made her a brilliant (and very pleasant) conversation partner.

Not that he'd ever openly admit such things to anyone.

Without ever really noticing it himself, Draco's world had opened just a bit more.

0000

Draco had simply made a quick stop at the bathroom, and was quickly on his way to Herbology. But a rather unfortunate run-in with Peeves left him covered in flour, and something sticky that had a sickly-sweet smell. He hoped it wasn't something too disgusting.

Annoying as it was, it either left him with running back to the dungeons to clean up and be late – and costing House Points, Peeves or no; or show up looking about as presentable no Malfoy worth their weight in galleons would ever want to be caught dead looking.

Professor Sprout was pretty lenient when it came to some things, and she'd probably be more understanding and forgiving than other Professors. But she'd probably dock a few points for being late on principle.

Sighing and resigning himself to the situation, Draco trudged to the greenhouses like a flour-covered, sticky, sickly-sweet-smelling champion.

He showed up only five minutes late. At least it wasn't twenty.

"Oh, dear…" Professor Sprout said upon seeing the state Draco was in.

She pulled out her wand to cast a spell, when suddenly someone ran into Draco. Both boys were knocked to the floor.

"Merlin's hairy balls!" Draco muttered very unintentionally. He heard Greengrass gasp in dignified horror. Maybe he was spending too much time with Weasley, his course language was rubbing off on him. "Watch where you're going, you oaf!"

Professor Sprout tutted at his language.

"S-sorry! I'm sorry!"

He recognized the voice of Neville Longbottom, and when Draco glanced up to glare in order to preserve whatever was left of his dignity, he paused, then asked in a flat tone, "You got caught by Peeves, too?"

Neville looked somewhat surprised to be addressed by Draco, but he nodded. "Caught me coming 'round the corner…"

A quick spell a second later, and Professor Sprout told them, "Well, since you both are late due to unforeseen circumstances, I won't take any points from either of you – but, everyone already has their partner. So you two will have to work together."

Neville looked miserable, as one of the Gryffindors loudly said, "Be careful Longbottom, you don't want Malfoy to sabotage you!"

Draco wasn't sure who it was, but he decidedly stood straight and ignored the Gryffindors – and Weasley loudly said, "Just shut it, Finnigan!"

At the same time, Professor Sprout said, "Now, now. Let's get along."

Finnigan immediately turned on Weasley. "Oh, you're defending a Snake?"

"I don't need to defend Malfoy, he can do that just fine on his own," Weasley replied with a wave of his hand. "I'm just trying to spare Gryffindor the embarrassment of your passing wind out the wrong end."

"Messrs. Weasley and Finnigan!" Professor Sprout's voice called out, "That is enough, please! One more comment out of either of you and you will lose 10 points each!" Turning her attention to Draco and Neville with a kind smile, "Go ahead and take a spot over there, please."

Draco didn't have high hopes for this, knowing how clumsy Neville could be. But surprisingly, Neville was a natural out here.

"You don't want to prune too close to the stem." Neville said quietly, and he immediately apologized when Draco looked at him. There was one part of him that was indignant at the thought of someone like Neville telling him that he was doing something wrong. But then, there was another part of him that was curious, and he would certainly be up for learning new information especially if it was being offered up for free.

"…why not?" Draco asked after a beat.

Looking a bit more relaxed but still uncomfortable, Neville muttered, "Pruning too close can cause the plant to go into shock…you just want to go about here…" Neville carefully motioned with his gardening shears on his own plant.

Draco pruned the plant where he was instructed to – and when it came to cutting and grinding the leaves that would be part of an herbal remedy – no potions involved here – Neville stopped Draco again.

"Sorry, but…um…it needs to be cut like this…otherwise it won't set right when you lay it out to dry."

Shrugging, Draco did as he was told. Offhandedly, he commented, "You really seem to know a lot about this sort of thing. And here I thought you were just a bumbling oaf."

"Uh…Thanks? I just like plants. They're easier to deal with than people."

Then, Neville looked incredibly embarrassed for saying such a thing. He acted as if he had said something to insult Draco personally.

Draco simply continued working. "I can certainly understand that."

Working with Longbottom wasn't actually that bad.

00000

Harry frowned as he listened to Ulquiorra read about Azkaban from one of the law books. Only Ministry officials could visit, and well…they didn't exactly have a Ministry official under their belt. But they potentially could.

On a weekday, a few more days before Christmas Break started, owls were delivering the post. Harry made sure to make an excuse as to why he had to leave.

When Harry was sitting in class, Theodore sat next to him and presented him with a fancy-looking envelope. It had his name, Harry J. Potter written with a fancy script; and the ink shined gold and green if he tilted it in the light.

Blaise sat just behind Theo, and mostly ignored Harry, which was fine.

"You left before all the post was delivered," Theo stated this as if Harry leaving was the most interesting thing to happen that morning in the most unenthusiastic way. "It's an invitation to my family's Christmas party."

Theo actually looked rather reviled at the thought.

"What, is my company really that bad?" Harry asked in a mocking-hurt tone.

"Ugh, you're fine," Theo whispered, "It's just my parents will want me to socialize with people…"

"You have an image to uphold." Blaise voiced. "There are also going to be officials there whom you will have to impress if you want to make it anywhere in the Ministry."

"It's the equivalent of a show pony," Theo said, slightly turning in his seat to face Blaise. "I'll be paraded around wearing fancy robes worth several hundred galleons that I'll only be wearing once – Merlin forbid a Nott is seen wearing the same robes twice." Theo sounded as if he'd be happy just wearing rags. "Besides, I'm eleven, why should I have to concern myself with impressing people now?" Theo sighed heavily at this. He turned back to Harry, "When you greet people, you have to bow and hold your arm like so, as to have to the light catch the fabric – show off your robes and the fine needlework. It's a waste of time and resources."

He made the task of bowing in greeting sound like it was as burdensome as pulling a large boulder up a hill by tying a rope around his waist.

Theo then seemed to go on a rant, and the expression on Blaise's face showed disinterest as if he had listened to this whole spiel before. In fact, Blaise just rolled his eyes and focused on his book for the class. There were even a few times Blaise silently mouthed Theo's argument.

"I have to pretend to be interested in what the adults are saying. I can't talk about any of my interests because it's all, 'you'll grow out of that eventually, my boy' and 'hor, hor, hor, you'll follow your father's footsteps to the Ministry soon enough!' It's aggravating, and makes me want to die."

Theo groaned, sounding miserable. "Can I count on both of you to get me out of any interactions and temporarily save me from my forced upon misery?" Theo sounded blandly hopeful as he added, "Maybe I can ask Malfoy for a potion from Professor Snape that'll make me sick. I could throw up in front of everyone. That'd be a spectacle."

"Actually, let's not do that." Harry said. He tapped his fingers thoughtfully. Harry had an idea. "Can I also ask a favor in return for pulling you away from the most boring conversations?"

"…Like what?" Theo asked, his voice boarded on suspicion. Likely because no-one asked for favors without expecting payment.

"Just spread a bit of gossip you happened to overhear. I'll give you more information later."

Theo just nodded. His expression conveyed nothing, and by now class was starting. Harry could only hope that Theo would agree.

0000

Later when classes were over, in a quiet portion of the school garden where no-one could possibly bother them, Harry and Ron waited for Theo to arrive. They sat on one of the large, flat stones that decorated the garden.

Theo showed up, looking entirely bored – and very ready and willing to walk away if whatever this was about didn't deliver on his interests.

"This is a conversation I'd like to keep between all of us," Harry said as he pulled out several Muggle science books from his bag.

Placing the books down, Harry slid the books towards Theo. Eyeing them – Theo was certainly curious. The concepts Muggles had were truly fascinating.

"I would like your help with something, Theo." Harry said with a mischievous smile. "Ron here, he's my advisor on matters like this."

Theo's interest perked up a little. "Advisor? For what?"

Harry shrugged. "Whatever I need, really."

Ron must have had something about him that warranted a Slytherin to take advice from a Gryffindor. Wait…advisor… did that mean that Ron worked for Harry? That made things a bit clearer and very interesting.

"Well, you should know that it could disrupt that super exclusive elitist party of yours," Ron said with a heavy dose of ridicule in his voice. It was as if Ron expected Theo to be insulted that a Pure-Blood party would probably be ruined on the recommendation of a blood-traitor Gryffindor.

Harry elbowed Ron and sent him a look.

This was amusing, really.

"I'll do it." Theo said.

"You haven't even heard what it's about, yet!" Ron protested, clearly not expecting Theo to agree so quickly and easily.

"I've been attending all manner of these inane parties since I was old enough to walk, and they're always so boring. Potter told me something about having to spread a rumor. This has the potential to cause a bit of pandemonium. It would be funny to see months of stress and planning go out the window because of one tiny oversight my mother didn't take into account."

Since throwing up and making his mother's party memorable in the worst way was out, then he'd have to take spreading scandalous rumors. His mother was quite proud of the fact that she could somewhat control people's conversations – by having artistic pieces; by easily integrating herself amongst the elite; by asking questions and gossiping. His mother always planned things like this out – and maybe she did or did not have subtle wards and charms that steered the conversations in directions she wished them to go.

She also had a few friends – or people or worked for her listen for and spread their own gossip. Harry Potter was an outlier.

Ron gaped at Theo before he buried his head into his hands and let out the heaviest of sighs. It was a bit overdramatic. Why would Ron be so bothered by this? It wasn't like he was affected. Perhaps he did advise Harry, but he was frustrating to work for?

Harry was smiling, with an all-too-pleased grin.

"I need to find out who sent Sirius Black to Azakaban."

Theo answered right away, "Oh, that was Barty Crouch…my parents hate him." Theo didn't emphasize beyond that, because to him the reasons were obvious. He did add, though, "My father even has him on his 'hate list.'"

"'Hate list?'" Ron repeated.

"It's a list of people who he considers to be untrustworthy, or Blood-Traitors and don't support his beliefs on the Dark Lord." Theo internally rolled his eyes at this. It was a petty grievance on his father's part. Theo considered Barty Crouch a benign thorn if anything in the side of anyone who actually cared.

"Well…he sent Sirius Black who is my godfather to prison without a trial…my godfather was accused of working for You-Know-Who."

"…Oh? Did he?" Theo's interest was definitely peaked, even though his expression didn't show it.

"I'm wondering if you can tell us who to talk to – to spread rumors in the right and worst ways. Ron can help us make a plan so that I can get access to the most important people, sew suspicion between allies, and get this terrible injustice to my family brought to light and rectified." Harry smirked as he added, "I want what's rightfully mine."

Theo pulled the books closer to himself with a small, eerie smile that showed mild amusement. "I can definitely help you with that."

0000

Ron felt a rather nasty headache coming on. For the first time in his short life, he worried that he was going to have gray hair by the end of the year. Theo was weird and just as bad as Harry, if not worse. His smile was bloody creepy! Which was probably why he never did so, though it suited a Slytherin perfectly.

And so, began their plans. Theo told them the names of the more important people and who and where they ranked in the Ministry; along with the worse gossipers.

Ron really had no idea what to think of Theo. The other boy got along well enough with Hermione, and enjoyed Muggle books, but was a Slytherin Pureblood. He also seemed to be annoyed by the fact that he was rich and hated all the perks that came with it.

If Ron had all that money, he thought of the things that he could buy!

Ron figured that Harry should mention how Sirius had no trial; how he was angry with those that failed him; how he had to live with Muggles; and that this was truly an insult to his Family. Milk the whole 'couldn't learn to be a proper wizard'.

Theo happily (or at least Ron assumed that the glint in Theo's eyes was happiness) suggested that Harry place subtle threats throughout via euphemisms, and that would get people asking questions and talking.

There was only so much they could do; they were just three kids. Ron didn't know how successful this plan would be.

00000

On a Saturday early in the morning when the shops were just opening, Ulquiorra went into Hogsmead with his disguise. A few people did stare at the mysterious stranger who walked into town and hardly spared anyone a glance.

Marvin whimpered when Ulquiorra entered his shop, and all the owls and ravens began to screech their protests about the hooded stranger in their presence.

"I need to get to Diagon Alley."

That was all the stranger demanded of him.

"There-there's a Floo in the back…" Marvin said, hoping his shaking voice didn't betray him and show his fear. Maybe he shouldn't charge the man. That would probably be hazardous to his health.

"Thank you," the stranger said, and several gold coins were placed upon the counter. This was hush money! Marvin was sure of it. If any Auror came asking about a mysterious stranger, Marvin just knew that he was being paid to keep his mouth shut. He would be killed if the mysterious stranger so much as caught wind that the Aurors or anyone from the Ministry were looking for him. It was best to pretend to be ignorant and say he hadn't seen a thing at all!

With a monotone, "Diagon Alley" and flash of the Floo, Marvin's birds calmed down – unlike his beating heart. Why did the mere presence of that stranger stress him out so? It wasn't just that he was connected to a notorious Death Eater. The man himself, short of stature that he was, was terrifying.

(Meanwhile…)

Did we really have to tip that man so much just to use his Floo? Ulquiorra asked incredulously. It seems like a service that is simply provided without tipping. It's a waste.

/"Because it's a nice thing to do!"/ Harry insisted. / "The fact that he simply lets people use his Floo without expectation of a tip separates you from his other customers. You'll be his favorite in no time! Besides, it's nearly Christmas."/

If you say so…

Harry didn't think it was possible for a voice to sound so flat and sarcastic at the same time.

00000

First off, Ulquiorra chose several large volumes of books at Harry's direction. These would be for Theo – because if he showed up taking into consideration his housemate's interests, that would certainly earn him "reputation points".

Tucking the books away into a bag, it was then a quick trip to Knocturn Alley.

The place was dark and grimy, even during this time of day. The people there were of the sort Harry could imagine having trench coats filled with goods like some sort of underground trader. The people glowered at Ulquiorra with hollow eyes and sneers.

One person purposefully bumped into Ulquiorra, likely hoping to try and steal something from him or try and claim that he had been stolen from.

"Watch it, stranger."

Ulquiorra easily grabbed the man's wrist when his hand had reached into his robes to try and find his money pouch.

"You've chosen your victim quite poorly." Ulquiorra replied coldly, and with a quick motion, Ulquiorra snapped the man's wrist and continued on his way – leaving the man collapsed and whimpering on the ground.

The potential thief cursed the stranger, and his cries were ignored by those who saw him. Served him right, getting caught. The others tightened their robes around themselves and prepared their wands just in case, eyeing the thief in case he try to steal from them. The stranger had been far too merciful, they thought, for sparing the man's life and not cursing him.

The thief quickly pulled himself up and went to patch up his wrist and wounded pride.

Taking a careful look at the ramshackle shops that lined the shadowy street, Ulquiorra entered one that he hoped seemed promising. He didn't want to be here for too long; and would much rather be in the room surrounded by his books. Internally, Ulquiorra cringed at the idea of him willfully turning into a shut-in.

While still grimy-looking, it was cleaner and more organized on the inside than the outside. Ulquiorra stared at the macabre selection that lined the walls, wondering if any of them suited his needs. He really wanted to only have to find one shop and be done with it.

"Welcome…" a woman's craggily voice said from the shadows. "How can I be of assistance?"

Words that Ulquiorra never thought he would say in his lifetime were spoken. Was this despair? Was this punishment?

"I've been invited to a certain party, and I wish to make an impression. Of the best sort. What do you recommend?"

A woman with gray, scraggly hair and so many wrinkles it was impressive that she was even still alive, gave Ulquiorra a grin filled with yellow-gray teeth. At least, of what remained of her teeth. It was a good thing that Ulquiorra's face was impassive, and that his face was pretty much covered; otherwise, he certainly would have made an expression of disgust.

He could smell the woman. Like a mix of body odor and rot.

Chipped, yellow nails motioned to the various magical items. "That sort of impression, eh? Who's the Family? I could probably recommend something if I knew."

"The Notts."

"Oh, I see…hmm-hmm…"

The old woman presented Ulquiorra with several unique items that she claimed an esteemed family like the Notts would possibly want.

Ulquiorra really had no idea what he was looking at. A cracked hand mirror, a black flame candle, a tacky-looking silver bracelet, a cursed golden rose, and a magical hairpin that had a hidden compartment…

Harry had a difficult time deciding, and thought that all the items seemed pretty cool. He kept going through the pros and cons of their selection, wondering which one they should take. Theo made it sound like a pretty big deal. Annoyed at Harry's indecisiveness, Ulquiorra ended up buying each of the items – something that made the old woman very happy.

Since they were here, Ulquiorra (with some insistence from Harry) stopped by a few shops for gifts.

With Harry's guidance, Ulquiorra picked out a few books and a bookmark for Hermione; and some Quidditch memorabilia for Ron and Draco. There were large, leather gloves for Hagrid. Harry also pointed out an interesting black-bead bracelet and begged Ulquiorra to get that too.

Afterwards, Ulquiorra then stalked to a dark corner of Diagon Alley and Harry stepped out to make his way to a robes shop. Since this was so close to Christmas, Harry didn't bother with customized robes but rather buying a premade robe that was customized to fit.

If anyone asked why Harry was here instead of school, Harry made the excuse that he was with his guardian – a decent half-truth – buying robes for a Christmas party. Thankfully, no-one asked him where this guardian was.

After only a few alterations, Harry left the shop and found a place to switch with Ulquiorra so that they could return to Hogwarts.

0000

Marvin flinched terribly when the mysterious stranger returned; entering so silently that if it hadn't been for the tell-tell green flames of the Floo, Marvin would not have noticed his arrival. Marvin's poor heart was nearly beating out of his chest. The birds squawked loudly and beat their wings.

The stranger went to leave, entirely ignoring Marvin (much to his relief). When the stranger suddenly stopped and stared at Marvin (much to his dismay) the poor man whimpered. The stranger didn't say anything at first, not helping the poor shop owner's mounting anxiety one bit.

"…Have a good day, and Merry Christmas," the stranger said in such a monotone voice that somehow also simultaneously sounded particularly vexed and Marvin could only interpret this as a threat of some kind.

"You-you too…" Marvin choked out, while mentally begging the stranger to leave.

When the stranger left, Marvin took in deep, gasping breaths which made him realize that he had been holding his breath.

0000

Ulquiorra was making his way back to the school, and was planning on entering via the abandoned observatory tower when he heard two people talking.

"Oh, Giles," a girl breathlessly whispered, followed by a moan.

Harry groaned and Ulquiorra masked his disdain as he stood off to the side of the tower out of sight. Two people having a snog-fest this early in the morning was inconvenient. Maybe there was an open window they could use?

There was an open window a few stories up, and Ulquiorra quickly moved towards it and checked the room before entering. The door was already shut, which was good. It was quiet enough, although there was someone shouting in the hall. Ulquiorra waited a few seconds, just to make sure that no-one was going to enter the room.

The shouting, whoever it was, ran by the classroom and their voices faded.

Ulquiorra climbed through and was about to switch with Harry when the door of the classroom burst open.

"Stupid, foolish, silly Filch can't ever hope to catch Peeves!"

Ulquiorra froze, as did the Poltergeist. Peeves began to screech, "DEATH! DEATH!"

The prankster ghost shot into a pipe and disappeared, just as Filch turned the corner yelling about Peeves' and his atrocious pranks.

Now Filch froze upon seeing Ulquiorra, and as if by providence, the classroom window faced the east and the weather was clear. The sun shone through, which somewhat blinded Filch.

"Who are you?!" Filch demanded, and he gasped when Ulquiorra shot forward and knocked the man out. Quickly switching with Harry, Harry then hit the floor and Filch with a Charm that made things slippery. Briefly switching again, Harry grabbed a hat stand (from when he was first practicing switching and messing with his relatives) and blanket from the room.

He put the stand by the window and threw the blanket over it, and then carefully stepped around the downed Filch and made his way down to the dungeons where he showered and changed.

Harry made his way to the Great Hall, and when asked where he had gone off to, Harry replied, "I was finishing my homework and plotting how I was going to overthrow the school. This much homework when I should be able to enjoy my weekend is corporal punishment."

"Oh, Harry…" Hermione replied, sounding as if she were disappointed.

"I'd love to not have to do homework on the weekends." Ron said approvingly.

"Ron!" Hermione sounded dismayed.

Draco just raised an eyebrow.

0000

Filch came to, looking up at the concerned expressions of Professors Sprout and Vector. A pair of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students lingered nervously to the side.

"Mr. Filch, are you quite alright?" Sprout asked.

Filch suddenly remembered seeing a figure in the classroom and yelled, "Someone broke into Hogwarts and attacked me!"

This was of course a cause for concern, and the women pressed for details.

"He was standing right…" Filch pointed at the open window and frowned when he saw the blanket-covered hat stand. "…there."

The women glanced at Filch, then Vector quietly replied, "Mr. Filch, er…your feet and the floor are wet…"

"Someone must have played a prank," Sprout provided gently.

Filch was very much confused. He was certain that there had been a person standing there, and that they had moved impossibly fast and hit him. But then he was questioning himself. He had briefly heard Peeves yelling, and then the pranking ghost was gone. Perhaps the Weasley Twins had conspired with him.

Filch growled, and cursed the Twins. They should be hung upside down until they were blue in the face! Filch tried to stand, only to slip backwards on the slick floor and fall down with a groan. He glared at the pair of students who did their best to not snort and muffle their laughter and fail.

The pair of witches cast a few Charms to clean Filch up and to make sure no-one else slipped. The house-elves took the hat stand elsewhere and dumped it off somewhere within Hogwarts.

0000

The gossip mill of Hogwarts was quickly filled with speculation within hours of Filch waking up. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students wasted no time in telling their peers about what happened to Filch. This of course spread quickly to the other two Houses, with speculation on who had done the prank and how it had been executed.

The Weasley Twins claimed no responsibility and stated how they were impressed.

"Whoever got one over on Filch deserves a reward!" Fred said.

"I want to shake this person's hand!" George said. "It was bloody genius."

The details were changed drastically the more the Tale of Filch Being Pranked with nothing more than a simple, blanket-covered hat stand and a slick floor spread around the school. Apparently, the hat stand had been charmed to attack Filch. Or the blanket had wrapped around him and threw Filch to the floor. In some versions, Peeves was present; in others, the Poltergeist didn't make an appearance at all.

As the variations spread, Filch had apparently slipped down the hallway and into the classroom; and was accosted by the dreaded hat stand. The blanket had wrapped around him and beat him up.

Then came the jokes. Likely, the only reason the jokes lasted for as long as they did was because no-one really liked Filch. Various students were sure to say these things just loud enough for Filch to hear if they spotted him. The Weasley Twins had taken to writing the jokes down on pieces of paper and making collectables out of them.

"I didn't know dark wizards were particular to hat stands."

"It's a dark wizard! Oh, never mind. It's just a hat stand."

"How do you spot a dark wizard? Find their hat stands."

"My parents own a hat stand, I have never felt so betrayed."

Someone even produced a very detailed guide on how to not be attacked should a person come across a hat stand in the wild.

Harry just nodded and laughed along with everyone else. "I don't think we need to worry about You-Know-Who, not when there are hat stands stalking our school. When I take over, I'll ban hat stands for everyone's peace of mind."

0000

When Draco went home for Christmas, on his first day back, his father called him into the study. It felt cold, imposing, and impersonal. His father was sitting in his chair with a glass of wine, and a nervous Dobby stood nearby with the bottle.

"I've been informed that you haven't been socializing with Vincent and Gregory for quite a while," his father said in a cool tone, "and their fathers have expressed their concern." Lucius swirled the wine in his glass. "But rather…" Draco could hear the sneer in his father's disapproving voice, "a mud-blood and one of the Weasley's brood."

Oh. It was at that moment that Draco realized that he hadn't spent much time with either Greg or Vincent. When was the last time he had actually spoken to them beyond in passing? He'd greeted them in the mornings and said the usual evening pleasantries…

But really, Draco hadn't even given much thought of the two. Before, they'd lumbered along behind him, giving threatening glances to anyone who dared not give Draco the respect he felt he had deserved. But now, he walked alongside the least likely people he would have never considered as being genuine friends.

"Potter is one thing; but those two…why are you associating yourself with them? Have you no pride?"

There was a dangerous edge to Lucius' voice, and Draco was sure that if he gave his father a dissatisfactory answer, he might get some sort of punishment. Because after all, the Crabbe and Goyle families were essentially servants of sorts to the Malfoy Family. If they felt that they were being replaced by a blood-traitor and a mud-blood… it was all about reputation and appearance.

"I…" Draco started. He was trying to think and fast. What was he supposed to say?

Since he was old enough to talk and comprehend words, Draco had simply repeated what his parents – mostly his father, had always said: that 'The Weasley's were no-good blood-traitors', and 'Mud-bloods had no place in Hogwarts – they needed to be eradicated' and then some. So Draco had proudly spouted off those words without a second thought.

But then being dragged around by Harry and being forced to socialize with the likes of Ron and Hermione, Draco slowly began to change. Seeing his true desire in the mirror was another factor. Draco was forced to break out of the mindset set upon him, and a voice whispered in the back of his mind more than once, 'what if father is wrong?'

Draco realized that he didn't want to lose the allies i.e. friends he had made, but at the same time, there was the Malfoy reputation to uphold. "I'm not replacing anyone…"

His voice sounded far too small for his liking and almost sounded like an excuse.

Resisting the urge to fiddle with his fingers or even so much as twitch since his father found it to be unsightly, Draco had a rather outlandish idea.

"I hired Weasley to work for the Malfoy Family!" Draco said quickly. Not too quickly he hoped. "I figured it would be advantageous. Because of the feud between our Families, no-one would ever expect it. I've already given him the pin saying that he works for us. As for Granger, she's quite useful to me. She has a lot of untapped potential as a Mug-mud-blood." Draco resisted grimacing as he said the word. When exactly had it become distasteful to say such things? "I can use her through Weasley."

Lucius arched his eyebrow.

"I was planting seeds, you see." Draco said. "If Potter thinks that I'm willing to get along with Weasley and the mud-blood, he'll be a more cooperative ally in the future.

"When I return to Hogwarts, I'll certainly make sure that Vincent and Gregory know that I don't intend to leave them behind. I may have…gotten a little ahead of myself, what with how easily Weasley agrees to do things for me… For the right price…"

"That's quite…ambitious of you, if not a little unorthodox." Lucius replied, though an eyebrow was raised, as if he wanted to ask more questions. "Just be sure to remember who your true allies are."

Draco nodded, of course. He let out a sigh of relief.

Lucius took a drink, then said after a moment, "Being able to work with someone from that family is certainly a feat in and of itself. Perhaps…" Lucius looked thoughtful, "that Weasley boy will prove to be useful in the future."

Draco politely excused himself and after he was in his room, he realized he'd actually have to give Ron the Malfoy Family pin. He didn't think Ron would appreciate being given the pin, but what choice did he have, really? Simply socializing with Ron and Hermione because he genuinely enjoyed their company wasn't a good enough reason anymore.

That night, he asked Dobby to retrieve a Family pin for him.