Another Niffler

Draco stared across Cousin Harry's shoulder into the herd of redheads to see one sandy blond crown. Not quite the same do as Harry's own but close enough for the purpose.

Wow, as a subtle mark of ownership, it was hilariously effective.

"Ugh, Sure Harry," said Draco, "I don't mind being seen with you and your second, It's your Weasel I don't want to hang out with."

"I'm fine with that," said Harry, "though I don't know how easy it would be to arrange, but I'll try, if that's what you want."

He headed off in that direction. Nim looked back and mewed softly at him, Draco sighed and followed slowly enough he'd be able to stop when Harry did and still be technically outside that tent site.

"Hermione, Draco just brought Nim back, do you and Crookshanks want to wander around with us for a bit, see the sights?"

"Of course," said Hermione, "How did Draco of all people have Nim … Oh, of course."

"Apparate I presume, whatever that's called in kneazles, though I thought that was only for going through magical shields, not for covering territory, but Nim is the sort of kneazle that learns to exploit everything."

"I don't think kneazles are the species you're thinking of," said Charlie, "Is this the specimen in question?"

"Yes," sighed Harry.

"Ron, do you want to come with, or catch up later? Draco will be along until he gets bored."

Nim hissed.

Charlie stopped.

She stopped hissing.

Charlie waited several seconds, then took another step forward.

Nim hissed again and laid her ears back, and kneaded her claws deeper into Harry's clothes. Draco winced. How Harry put up with that, Draco couldn't comprehend. No, that was right, he wore pads under his clothes.

"Charlie," said Harry, "Nim says, 'no.' Be a gentleman and give a lady her space."

Charlie glanced between them, then let his hands drop.

"Don't mind him, Lady Nim," said George, "Charlie has always been a sucker for dangerous women."

"Actually, That describes everyone in the family," said Fred.

They looked at each other. Then grinned and burst out singing, "We made Harry blush, we made Harry blush."

"Oi," said Harry, "See if I ever share my ideas again."

"Of course you will," scoffed George.

"You like having an appreciative audience."

"There is that," agreed Harry. Then he turned on his heel and walked back to Draco.

By which time Hermione had called her kneazle out of the tent and followed.

.

The next campsite was unimportant people and everyone was mutually ignored. At the following campsite a kid cooed over the Kneazles and after he managed to stroke the orange one, Lady Nim got down to harvest some attention for herself.

Harry got his name and what year he'd be starting Hogwarts, a year behind Tracy's little brother. And they wandered on. Crookshanks and Nim intermittently trailing behind or darting ahead.

Then they came up on the Ravenclaw side of the family. There was a riddle that Draco had only begun to piece together.

Unfortunately she generally added more layers of puzzle faster than Draco managed to decipher them. Like an onion.

She was even wearing onions for earrings, was she paranoid about vampires? … no not onions, dirigible plumbs, so … whatever?

It turned out that Hermione was also already on first name basis with Luna, and tried to make unnecessary introductions. Also weird that she introduced the nobles to the commoner, not the other way around. Whatever.

"Daddy! I should have brought Mr. Grey," she was calling out, "Then we could match. Harry, braid my hair?"

"No. Pumpkin," said Mr. Lovegood, "Mr. Grey is a mum right now, and needs to stay home with her kits. Also I don't think she'd be fond of crowds. Foxes generally aren't."

Luna responded to that with a pout, then noticed that everyone was watching her, and turned aside to the kneazle as the safer social interaction.

"Wait, Harry," said Luna after a moment, "Is your kneazle part niffler?"

How would that even work?

"I don't think so," said Harry.

"Kneazfler? Niffzeler? Nimzeller?" muttered Luna, apparently trying to form a portmanteau of kneazle, niffler, and Nim. Those didn't seem all that satisfying, what with all starting with 'n'.

Hermione looked around.

Was Hermione only just noticing that Lady Nim had fallen behind sniffing something and gotten lost?

Harry of course would know right where she was and might not imagine that the rest of them couldn't see her behind whatever obstacle she was investigating.

Wait, Hermione was staring at a spot in the path a bit ahead of Crookshanks.

"Yes, I believe you're correct," said Hermione.

"What?" said Harry.

"I know her coat doesn't look like it would blend in with anything," said Hermione, "But your kneazle does get very difficult to spot sometimes. At least for some people."

"Oh, that!" said Harry. He was glancing back along the path in a similar direction as Hermione.

Draco searched the sandy path for a yellow with white spotted lump on stilts but could see nothing.

But Luna was staring at the ground stalking this way.

Draco looked closer, there were paw prints, and then they stopped. Intriguing, part niffler indeed.

Luna crawled another step closer, then sniffed and crouched back. "What kind of niffler likes dragon-hide?"

"Well," temporised Harry, "my Nim for one. Though if you catch her stealing it without paying for it, please complain to me. I'll have to figure out how to get it back or make it right."

"Stealing is an ugly word," said Luna, "I'm not sure it properly applies to nifflers … or nargles."

"What are nargles?" said Harry.

Hermione started hinting the gossip about what was wrong in Ravenclaw tower, especially in their year and the year below, especially aimed at Luna. It seemed she hadn't deciphered the portmanteau.

Luna shrugged and kept stalking the invisible creature just past the end of Nim's paw prints.

"Auntie Nim," said Luna with a last burst of speed and her arms wrapped around something at waist height. A moment later she was crawling up off the ground to embrace the thing. And then the thing breathed and shifted its balance and the back of Luna's dress pressed in as if her embrace was being returned by the thing.

It muttered something incomprehensible, Harry shrugged and Luna pulled away with a gesture that immediately sent it into motion towards the Lovegood's tent. Harry and Hermione seemed content to follow.

"What have you found, Luna?" said Mr. Lovegood as they approached.

"Auntie Nimzler.'

"A what?" said Mr. Lovegood.

"My friend Harry's Nimfler, Auntie Nim."

"Oh, well don't let it take anything that isn't food."

"Alright daddy," said Luna, "I'll try."

Draco followed, he wasn't going to miss this. Mostly because Hermione looking consternated, and Harry's 'saving people' face were too desirable to observe. And they were normally so secretive while solving mysteries and rescuing people. This might be his first, maybe only, chance to observe them in action from up close. And without his usual cohort mocking them and trying to draw him into the game.

.

Inside the tent Luna directed the invisible Nim toward a seating area and they landed gracefully on a couch. It was almost impossible to detect that Luna wasn't just kneeling on the couch backwards. But if you looked in the right spot you could detect the otherwise unexplained air gap under her skirt and elbows. And he knew enough about clothes to know it wasn't pleats or elastic holding the fabric up.

"Oh, sit down everyone," said Luna and laid her head partly on her arm, and presumably partly on whatever it was.

"Harry," said Luna, "Will you braid my hair?"

"I don't braid just anyone's hair," said Harry.

"Just Hermione and your niffler, nargle, Nimzler?"

"Something like that.'

"Would you braid my hair if I was your nargle?"

"Maybe," sighed Harry.

"Would I be invisible too if I was your nargle?"

"Not completely invisible," said Harry, "but … much more than is usual."

"May I be your nargle?"

Harry sighed, "I'll have to think about it."

"If I was your nargle, could you help me get all my things back from the other nargles?"

"I plan to try to help you with that regardless," said Harry.

Luna gave Harry a worshipful look. If Harry fell for anything as simple as a worshipful expression, it was a wonder that Ginny didn't wear his old clothes yet.

Then again a lot of his old clothes weren't fit for wearing, and she did have a lot of older brothers.

Harry didn't look swayed, he looked concerned.

"What is a pride of nifflers called?"

"I haven't decided yet," said Harry, "And I don't quite trust you with naming rights, but feel free to notify me of any really good names you come up with."

"OK, but what does one call a nargle … a niffler king?" said Luna.

They stared at each other for several seconds, "I'd prefer," said Harry, "that you call me Harry most of the time, and by another title only when you need a Niffler Pride Specific favour from me."

"Yes, Harry," said Luna, "But, but will you be my niffler king?"

"Will you be my niffler?"

"Yes," said Luna.

Hermione had gone stiff and angry.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" said Harry, "It might be hard to make friends with people that can't see you."

"I only have three friends," said Luna, "Ginny and You and Auntie Nim."

Everyone sighed. Now we're all angry.

"How long have you been at Hogwarts?"

"Two years," said Luna.

"And the mean nargles try to keep everyone else from being your friends?"

"Yes," said Luna.

"What have you done in return?"

"Tried to stay out of their way, called them 'nargles,' tried to stay close enough to Ginny so that she could protect me, but usually she can't, we're not in very many classes together."

"I've seen you with her in gryffindor tower often enough on weekends, when uniforms are not required and the other gryffindors won't notice the difference."

Hermione looked shocked. Apparently that was news to her as much as it was to me.

"I think that was a very wise way for you to seek refuge and companionship," said Harry, "I approve of you taking care of yourself in a way that doesn't hurt anyone, even if in this case, it would annoy some of the gryffindors if they were observant enough to notice."

"Yeah," sighed Luna.

"I want to take care of my friends," said Harry, "and I want to take care of my nifflers, the difference is, what kind of magic I can use on each, and for each."

"Yeah," said Luna, "May I please be one of your nifflers?"

"Yes, you may," said Harry.

Luna and Hermione twitched.

Harry drew his wand.

"My nifflers, do not use their invisibility to steal, or eavesdrop," said Harry, "not for themselves, and not for me, and not for other people. You can't control what other people will say, but you can control how fast you keep walking when they're ignoring you and talking anyway."

"I understand," said Luna.

"Can you resist that temptation?"

"I think so," said Luna.

"I want you to try harder than that," said Harry.

"I'll try," said Luna, "I'll try my best."

"Good," said Harry, and levelled his wand at her forehead, but after a pause he lowered it to her left shoulder.

"Luna Lovegood," he said, "Please accept my protection and be one of my nifflers."

"Yes," said Luna and vanished.

Hermione twitched and stared with narrowed eyes for several seconds mouthing several things, then she relaxed.

"You can see her again already?" said Draco.

"I've been living around Harry's wards for a month now, I've found ways to compensate," said Hermione, "Harry what are you doing to her? She's not old enough for that."

Harry shook his head, "She was old enough before I was."

He turned back to Luna and his next words came out as an inarticulate mutter. Luna replied in the same. He lowered his wand and she moaned until even that choked off and she was silent, but the couch shook. Then Harry lifted his wand and everything was still. He muttered something else inarticulate and she responded.

Harry looked around, caught sight of Draco, gave him a shrug of apology and muttered something else, "Of course I don't mind," said Luna clearly.

"Draco Malfoy," said Harry, "I want you to know that Luna Lovegood is one of my nifflers now, and is under my protection."

Luna reappeared. They stared at each other.

Luna became self conscious and began smoothing her hair back behind her ears.

Harry noticed what she was doing and raised his wand toward the next curtain in, "Accio Luna's hairbrush.'

Something impacted the curtain, then kept being pulled until the curtain passed over it and trailed away. Harry caught the hairbrush, and gave Luna a look, she returned to her previous kneeling position and Harry brushed her hair a hundred strokes. Monitoring her and intermittently asking to make sure he wasn't hurting her.

Then he braided her a crown and protected it with an imperturbable.

"There," said Harry, "That should last until school, unless you pick at it a lot."

"If you couldn't tell," said Hermione, "That was an invitation to ask him or I for a re-braid every week or two."

Luna's attention snapped to Hermione, "Are you the niffler queen?"

"Maybe someday," said Hermione, "Not yet. Right now I'm just Harry's second about several things, braiding niffler hair can be one of them."

Luna smiled, "I think I'd like that."

"Good," said Hermione.

"There's one other thing," said Harry and he turned over Luna's left wrist, "What? Hmm."

"What?" said Luna.

"Um," said Harry, and grabbed something invisible from nearby and held it out to her, "Do you see this design?"

"Yes," said Luna.

"If you draw that on any of your things, and say that it is mine now, only you or my other nifflers will be able to see it."

"Hmm," said Luna.

"You might have to say you're giving it to him three times," said Hermione, "you have to mean it."

"Oh," said Luna, "so … then I won't have my thing?"

"No, you won't," agreed Hermione, "but since no one can see it, it will be harder for anyone to steal, and hopefully you'll keep being able to use it."

"Giving it to Harry, to keep it safe, so I'll actually be able to use it?"

"Yes," said Harry.

Luna looked like she was going to pout, but instead she got up and embraced Harry.

Harry returned the embrace.

"I must admit," said Hermione, "I was afraid she would have a thrall mark."

"I'm mildly surprised also," said Harry.

"I can feel it on the front of my shoulder," said Luna, "where you put your wand at the end. Right where a protective crest ought to be worn."

"Oh," said Harry.

Appropriate, thought Draco, Of course Harry would manage to convert and invent an ancient ritual by instinct. And the forehead branding that almost happened…

Draco shuddered, that meant something very specific too. There were lords and dark lords, and then there were the ancient tyrants from before Hammurabi tried to popularise social contracts for rulers, not that constitutional monarchies really became fashionable again until Hobbs.

.

"So, are you coming on walkabout with us?" said Hermione.

"Let me say goodbye to Dad first," said Luna. She darted away and greeted her father farewell, but he didn't respond. She got louder. Draco watched as she waved her hand in front of his eyes. He blinked and stared harder but didn't seem to notice Luna at all.

"Niffler king!" shouted Luna.

Harry tensed and turned to her, "What, Luna?"

"Daddy can't see me, or hear me."

"Oh, hell," said Harry and ran over. Draco and Hermione followed.

"Mr. Lovegood," said Harry.

"What Harry-Luna's-friend," Mr. Lovegood sized him up, "Oh, you're Harry Potter."

"I am."

"What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to inform you that your daughter Luna is now under my protection."

Mr. Lovegood jumped and stared at Luna, "I … didn't see you there."

"I'm turning into a niffler now," said Luna.

"Ah!" said Mr. Lovegood, "that would explain it."

"Yes," said Luna.

"Well, no taking things without permission, even if you are a niffler."

"Yes," said Luna, "Harry already told me."

"Good," said Mr. Lovegood.

"May I go walking with them?" said Luna.

Mr. Lovegood gave them all an assessing glare, and then agreed, and told her what time to be back for supper.

They hadn't gone a dozen meters before Nim was visible again.

.

Niffler on niffler violence

No, Nim, I don't want you to try to catch a veela for me, or even for us. And it's not because I don't think you could catch one, though I'm imagining a confundus would work better than a standing high jump as they go past. I'm also concerned about the ethics of surprising them during a performance, also witnesses. If they're what you're in the market for, try looking them up after the game. But … they're not what I'm looking for.

Alright, how about I hunt Crouch Jr.

Who?

The death eater who tortured Neville's parents into insanity with the cruciatus against my specific orders. He might have also used entailed family curses on them. I could never be certain, and I didn't have much time to examine the victims.

And was conspiracy to commit that crime the only thing they managed to pin on you?

Yes.

Because you came up with the mission, and were leading it, until he broke ranks?

Yes.

And executing him for insubordination would invalidate the conspiracy charge for that crime, while also proving that you were a higher ranking death eater than the law otherwise suspects?

I was not a high ranking death eater. My status was entertainment.

Oh, hell no. … really?

I thought I already explained this.

I think … you have my general permission to execute death eaters who would be executed by muggle law, if muggle law still used execution. But ask permission first anyway.

So, for kidnapping, murder, and treason?

Never mind, it was a clear idea in my mind until I tried to communicate it, to your mind or into English. The Crouch Jr. You just described seems an appropriate target, can you see him from here?

No, I can smell him from here, he's sitting in that empty seat that the house elf is 'saving'.

What?

Don't look at them, keep watching the veela. Oh, look they're close again, I think I'll catch one after all, help me jump.

NIM!

Nim jumped incredibly hard against his shoulder, she might have changed human and back just to give her legs that extra reach to power her jump that much farther. The Veela saw her coming and batted the cat away hard. Except Nim also saw that blow coming and twisted in the air to leap off the attacking limb and plummet back at a sharp angle.

"NIM!" Harry screamed as he recognised that she would not land in the stands.

Her legs and claws were out as wide as they could be. And she gave the most vicious snarl Harry had yet heard from her.

Not a snarl of fear, the snarl she used when defending her territory from dogs. She drew in her feet for a pounce and she morphed human, Her flight checked on nothing, and she was cat again, and her claws dug in and drew blood. A man grunted in pain even as the pair of them toppled over the back of the stands. Nim jumped again off the invisible mass of him, and morphed human just long enough to grab the back of the chair and pull herself up and get her feet on the railing, then she was cat again and darting between the seats to land in his lap and give an excellent outward imitation of having just survived a horrifying ordeal.

The man did not scream all the way down like in the movies, for those who could tear their eyes away from the veela to look over the railing, there was just a expanding patch of blood in the air, and then an almighty thump.

That was him?

Definitely, think I killed him with first kick, at least broke his neck, clawed the blood out of his neck in a probably fatal way, and he's going to have more problems from landing at terminal velocity. I planned to ride him down and guard him from help until he bled out, but after I felt him limp and broken, I figured that wasn't necessary.

So how have your plans changed?

Scold me loudly for hunting the big pretty birds. You want them to complain that you can't control your familiar in the presence of veela allure, not conspiracy for murder.

Right!

He hugged her tight, and wailed, "Nim, O god. Nim, I told you those birds aren't for hunting. You almost fell, you would have fallen, there must have been some miracle, no, a magical wall to keep us from falling out the back of the stands, I didn't think of that. Of course, but still it … it was foolish."

Your trembling is … not pretend, what is this?

First blood fever.

What?

I've duelled before, and I've hunted mice and rats. That was my first murder.

What about the muggle in your dementor dreams?

That was just a butchering ordered by my parents. So was most of the war, though there was more torture by my husband than fighting, at least until he tributed me to the dark lord, to regain enough favour to save his own skin.

Are you saying, Bellatrix, that I need to double down on 'the muggles are people too,' lessons?

No, I'm saying that they're working. Muggles are people, therefore wizards must also be people. That was the first time that killing one was murder for me.

Oh. … You were a lot worse off than I thought.

Yeah, I … had no idea anyone was people except my sisters, though I also had growing suspicions about each of my cousins Regulus and Sirius.

Oh, is that ? … that explains some things.

I don't think I'll do that again … except maybe my husband, I think I would manage to do that if it were a choice of murder or going back to him.

A heavy hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing and rubbing, "You're alright, I had to hold onto Ron to keep him from leaning out over the edge too."

It was Mr. Weasley.

"I just, I knew she likes watching birds, I knew she thought these, the 'veela?' were extra pretty, but I didn't think she'd act like that. I mean, I'm glad she didn't make one crash, but … she almost went over the edge."

"She's alright though, that's what counts."

Are you alright?

Not really. Why are you alright with me … murder isn't … please don't get rid of me.

Because, thought Harry, I didn't order you to murder, I ordered you to execute. Though I suppose to fully qualify, we might should have been … a lot more careful about identifying the suspect, and agreeing on what he was guilty of. And … well anyway, when one of us was not eyewitness to the crimes in question, I want us to be much more careful about verifying the evidence about who's actually done what.

Nim wasn't trembling anymore. Good.

I … begin to see, she thought, why that would be a good series of steps for when we only have the accusations of others.

Also, thought Harry, This time I accepted your memories as to his guilt, but perhaps I should not have so quickly accepted your identification of a wizard by smell alone.

No, never fear, it was definitely him.

I believe you, thought Harry, more than half. But I'd rather be more than 99% for executions that we have time to make verification's.

And when we don't?

Harry shrugged, I guess there's still self defence in combat situations.

Well obviously, but we've been training with stunners and bludgeons.

True. Thought Harry, But you sold me on training related to the honour duels I might need to be part of, as a lord. Not combat against death eaters. Though perhaps I should have considered that too.

Why do you think Narcissa and I have been insisting about wards.

Because you agree with Dumbledore that I'm a political target.

Exactly, but not counting your Malfoy and Black, allies, who's going to be targeting you?

Good point.

Good, now relax and enjoy the game.

.

"Did you see how fast the Irish chasers were? That was amazing."

"Yeah, and Victor Krum!"

"And—

"Harry?" murmured Draco under the cover of the excited babble, "are you alright?"

Harry shrugged.

"You're still not over almost losing your cat?"

Harry shook his head, "How can you tell?"

"You're hugging her and shivering. Not letting her ride on your shoulder. And I can't quite tell if you giving yourself allergies."

"If I'm what?"

"If you're crying," translated Hermione.

"Oh, yeah, on and off," said Harry, "we'll probably have nightmares for months."

"Oh," said Ron, "Oh … now I might also."

Hermione huffed.

"Well," temporised Draco, "self preservation is a good excuse to learn self control."

"Shut it," said Ron.

.

"Who's that?" said Ron.

"That is Mr. Bartemius Crouch," said Draco, "Head of Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Yeah, what he said," said Harry.

"You know him?" said Draco.

"No, but I've seen him around the ministry."

"Oh," said Draco, "remind me what you've been doing there?"

"Paperwork because Pettigrew demanded I hear his Plea for Mercy, because of favours from my dad or friendship or whatever. Mostly it's just been learning how to fill out such paperwork."

"Oh, right," said Draco, "So mostly Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Hall of Records, type things?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"Alright," said Draco.

"Why, were you afraid I was going to say something else?"

"No, just wondering how the minister feels about you coming and going and not speaking to him, after the publicity pictures last summer."

"Oh," said Harry, "Yeah … but I'd probably better owl him first before dropping in." Even if he didn't offer me the same courtesy.

"There are aurors over there now."

"Draco," said Mr. Malfoy, "why don't you go with your friends and I'll catch up with you later."

"Actually," said Draco, "knowing them, they'd like to go with you to observe Auror procedure in action."

"Ah!" said Mr. Malfoy, and after several seconds of thought, he nodded, "How many of you wish to observe, and can you hold your questions and comments until they or I are ready to field them?"

Lots of hands went up.

"Alright then," said Mr. Malfoy, "Come along, and remember the aurors do have the right to tell us to stay out of the way, or move away, either to protect our safety or anyone's privacy."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," said Harry. Several others echoed him.

.

"What's all this then? … Lord Malfoy?"

"Just a concerned citizen and potential citizens wishing to observe the labour you do in protecting the community."

The auror beamed and glanced them over, "Well, we're just about done here," said the Auror, "nothing left to do but guard his remains until his family makes arrangements to have the body taken away. And filing the paperwork reporting what we've found. A wizard wearing an invisibility cloak sneaked into the stands where he didn't have a ticket, and was accidentally pushed from high enough to snap his neck."

Everyone nodded gravely.

"If I have any budding coroners I can pull the invisibility cloak back and show you the gory details, but I recommend against it. That sort of thing takes more stomach strength than I normally like to exercise."

"I'd like to see," said Hermione.

No one else did, but in spite of Hermione's protests and the Auror's, none of them were willing to back away from looking at the remains, if 'a girl' or 'a muggleborn' were willing.

Mr. Malfoy tried to cover and ploy them into a different discussion first and then to leave anyway, by asking several other questions, but the auror didn't have much to go on, and couldn't aid his ploy.

So the invisibility cloak was pulled back.

The man's forehead was caved in, and his neck did bend at an impossible angle, and there were gashes along his neck from which copious blood had flowed.

Hermione moved forward and crouched, she didn't touch but she ripped up a blade of grass and held it in several places against the face.

"What are you testing?" said the Auror.

"Breath and pulse," said Hermione, "He's definitely dead. May I touch one of his hands?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Did he die of the blow to the head, of nerve damage in his spine, or blood loss."

By this time most every one had looked away and with only great reluctance steeled their interest enough to look again as Hermione picked up the corpse's hand to squeeze a fingernail. And watch the colours change as she let go.

"Well?" said the Auror.

"Nothing definite," said Hermione, "But I'm guessing that he died from the spinal injury. The brain injury might have left him a vegetable, the blood loss might have killed him in a few more minutes, but his heart stopped beating before it had a chance to pump his blood out of him."

"Hmm," said the Auror, "You've had healers' training?"

"Nothing so formal as that, but my parents are both dentists."

"I've heard the word before but not what's involved."

"Healers and surgeons of teeth and the mouth," said Hermione.

"Oh," or "I had no idea," said several of the observers and backed away.

Hermione glanced at them in surprise and irritation then folded the corpse's arm back over his chest.

"Is a real coroner coming?" said Hermione, "or may I help him lay more comfortably."

"What are you asking?" said the auror.

"The first respect to the dead is that they did not die in vain, murder investigation for the murder victim, engineering inquest for the accident victim, but only if there is knowledge to be gained by examining the corpse. After that a corpse is to be treated with the traditional respect, laid at comfortable angles, carried in respectful ways. Buried or cremated according to the wishes of the dead, or the traditions of the family or culture."

After several seconds the auror said, "You may lay it more comfortably if it would help you."

"I think it would help us all," said Hermione, and moved around the corpse, lifting its shoulders and pulling the neck straight and folding the other arm across his chest. Then pulling his legs straight, and his robes down.

"You can tell that he planned to stay under the invisibility cloak the whole time," said Hermione, "He wore robes instead of muggle clothes."

"An interesting observation," said the auror.

"Is there any question as to his identity," said Hermione.

"Not really," said the auror.

"Alright," said Hermione.

"Why do you ask?"

"He has a tattoo on his left arm."

"Yeah, we already knew about that."

"Alright," said Hermione.

"A dark mark?" said Draco.

"It appears to be," said Hermione.

"Yes, it is," said the Auror.

Hermione nodded and climbed to her feet. She looked around at the others, "I guess I'm ready to go wash my hands."

Everyone but Harry and the Lovegoods seemed to take another step back, though most of them did not move their feet away from her so much as their necks and eyes.

When the party was moving in the direction of their camping area, Mr. Malfoy said, "In future, Miss Granger, You may find it helpful to elide the fact that your own mother is a surgeon."

"Whatever for?" said Hermione, "most everything that doctors know about healing, was something that surgeons figured out and told them."

"That may be true," said Mr. Malfoy, "but in the magical world, at least in Europe, surgeons have a similar reputation to necromancers."

"Ah!" said Hermione, "And I presume that the most brilliant healers, have read the works of the great necromancers, even if they would never use the techniques themselves?"

"That is as it may be," said Mr. Weasley, "but it does not do to speak of such things except to others under the healers' vows."

"Oh," said Hermione, "Yes, I see."

"Another thing you might … consider," said Mr. Lovegood, "Is that while the muggleborn and half bloods sometimes hire the services of a coroner the practice of the old families is generally that only the close family prepares the body for the grave or the pyre. Usually a parent, spouse, or child of the deceased."

"Right, but … hmm," said Hermione, "I agree in principle that adhering to a beautiful tradition in the face of an ugly world is admirable. The practicalities of, for instance, a murder investigation or an engineering inquest, or both, should inspire us to help make the world a better and safer place."

"We get your logic," said Mr. Malfoy, "but it is only a muggle tradition and a relatively modern one at that, that examining a corpse by a professional rather than by a family member can yield better results than our tradition. Or even not examining it at all."

"If that man hadn't fallen, he'd have lived longer," said Hermione, "there could have been a better system of guard rails to keep him from falling. It could have been any of you. And you think that it would not be worthwhile to invest a little time and thought, and the emotional strength to examine one body, to determine that fact."

"I'm saying that was a fairly obvious conclusion without examining the body," said Mr. Malfoy, "Hence not evidence that one tradition is truer than another."

"Hmm," said Hermione, "I'm not trying to argue about comparative true-ness of traditions. I'm trying to get reassurance that rapid built sports stadiums in the future might not be death traps. I'm trying to say that his death might inspire us to better protect people in the future."

"I get it," said Harry.

"I don't get it," said Ron, "I mean I get the … I don't get it."

"Engineers can be heroes too," said Harry, "They just try to save everyone all the time, especially future people from future dangers. Instead of just this person from this danger."

"Exactly," said Hermione, "They're just really annoying about writing all their rules in arithmancy. And saying, 'I told you this would happen,' whenever you make a mistake about understanding what they meant."

"Well as insightful as this has been," said Mr. Malfoy, "I think I'd better get going, Draco are you coming or staying."

"Hmm," said Draco, "Staying I think."

"Alright, remember that the Lady Greengrass is expecting you for tea."

"Yes, father."

.

An afternoon of networking

They returned to the Weasleys' tent for Hermione to wash her hands.

While they were there Mr. Ludovic Bagman turned up to give the twins their winnings. Nim jumped down to circle him and give one of her warning mews.

Draco was impressed at the size of the bag, and asked something about whether the twins would count it or weigh it.

Harry was interested by how admirably Bagman held his composure given Nim's current agitation at his nervousness.

"I think you'd better count it," said Harry, "It's traditional, keeps either you or him from complaining later that the count was wrong. Then you write a receipt that you received it."

The twins didn't think any of that was necessary, but for the sake of being professional businessmen decided to go along with it.

But almost as soon as the gold was on the table, Draco jumped forward and grabbed one of the coins and stared at it.

"Hey now!" said everyone.

"WAIT," said Draco, "Ron, look at this."

"What about it?" said Ron.

"It's not a galleon," said Draco, "Didn't you get a hold of some of the leprechaun gold?"

"Yeah," said Ron and pulled a couple coins from his pocket. Draco laid two coins side by side.

They matched.

"What are you trying to accuse me of," said Mr. Bagman.

"Nothing yet," said Harry, "But it looks like someone somewhere did or is trying to welsh on a bet."

"Yeah," said Mr. Bagman, "I … I should have seen this coming, I'll be right back."

He swept the coins back into the bag and marched out, growling under his breath.

"He took mine too," mused Ron.

You should have ended the conjuration, thought Nim, Now he's just going to try to pull that on someone else.

I thought about it, but I didn't want to show off that I know enough about the trace to ignore it. Isn't he with the ministry too?

I think his position is more like a contractor, but yes, he could have made your life difficult, and if that ploy was intentional, he would have been motivated to do so.

.

Mr. Weasley gave them all permission to wander in search of their other friends. Charlie, Bill, and Percy immediately left in separate directions.

Fred and George decided to stay and await Mr. Bagman's return.

That left Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Harry, and Luna, though only Hermione had acknowledged her, and … Oh. That's my fault.

Harry caught Luna's eye, then nodded her to the next room. In the kitchen he said, "I think the Weasleys can't see you, how many of them would you like to be able to see you?"

"Ginny," said Luna, "Ron and I aren't particularly compatible, and I think nifflering around the twins is an excellent prank without making them mad enough to prank me back."

"Good point.'

"I don't care about the others, except Mrs. Weasley, but …" she sighed.

"That's fine," said Harry, "Let me go get Ginny."

"I can, it's fine."

"If you're sure."

Luna darted away, and came back dragging Ginny by the hand.

"Luna, What the hell?" said Ginny, "Why are you wearing an invisibility cloak, where did you get it?"

"From Harry," said Luna.

"Technically," said Harry, "It's a privacy ward that I gave her, not a cloak."

Ginny stared at Harry, "What's this about?"

"Do you know about the girls that have been bullying her in Ravenclaw?"

Ginny paused for several seconds before she sighed and nodded, "Yes."

"I thought so," said Harry, "and I don't want to discourage you in any way from continuing to help her."

"Ah, alright," said Ginny.

"What I do want, is to notify you that she is now under my protection, and I have given her a privacy ward."

Ginny looked at Luna.

"Which renders her invisible to most everyone."

"I understand," said Ginny. Ginny stared at Luna for several seconds, then looked heartbroken, "You do realise something like that could isolate her even more than she already was."

"Yes, I do," said Harry, "All the more reason for me to be careful to make sure that her real friends and acquaintances can see her."

"Well, yeah," said Ginny, "But …"

"But what?"

"What about making new friends," said Ginny.

"I might not be ready for that until I've had a longer break from watching my back than one summer hols can account for," said Luna.

"Alright," sighed Ginny.

"Ginny, I'm somewhat wishing to deputise you to help me in managing both her invisibility and who she lets through the protection to be able to see her. But I have not yet worked out the system."

"Oh," said Ginny, "I'll do that if you want, but …" she stared at Harry for several seconds, before she said, "Harry, you do realise that you can only ward places, not people. Whatever it is, probably isn't properly called a ward."

"I think you're wrong," said Luna, "I believe wards are for property, not people. Partly because carving runes on people isn't polite."

"But how would?" Ginny glanced back and forth between them.

"What the hell?" said Ginny, "are you … have you gone dark? Or is she your betrothed?"

"Neither, I hope," said Harry, "just a contract, for her protection."

"One of those fake 'tentative betrothal contracts' she can break whenever she decides to take your ring off?"

"No," said Luna and took her shirt off.

Ginny squealed and looked away.

"You've seen me naked before," said Luna.

"I've been in the same room or the same swimming hole with you naked before," said Ginny, "Doesn't mean I looked."

"Anyway, I'm not naked," said Luna.

Ginny looked.

"That's … are you sure you're not betrothed?" said Ginny, "That's in the right place on your shoulder for …"

"For crests on the livery of wards or of step children," said Luna, "soul mark runes start lower and farther in, over the heart."

"Or on the stomach, depending on the tradition," said Ginny, "If they even exist."

"If they even exist," agreed Luna.

"At least you didn't put it on her arm," said Ginny, "It looks like an upside down dark mark until you look close."

"That has been noted before," said Harry.

"I'm done looking," said Ginny, "you can put your shirt back on."

"Actually," said Luna, "I was just thinking, if no one can see me, why not take off my bloomers as well."

Ginny shivered, then shrugged, "are you proposing waltzing around starkers, or just in your knickers."

"Just in my knickers," said Luna.

Harry sighed, "Before you do that Luna, you should consider everyone who can see you."

"How many is that anyway?" said Ginny.

"Me, you, her dad, Hermione, and Nim," said Harry, "Actually I'm not clear how much Hermione can see, and whether that carries over to Crookshanks."

"Crookshanks can hear me, so I assume he can see me too."

"Oh," said Harry.

"If you're worried about her father," said Ginny, "This time of year, Luna usually wanders around their back yard in only her knickers and a witch's hat big enough to keep her nose and shoulders from burning. Except when she has tree climbing or rock scrambling in mind."

"And then I'm just as likely to put on safari armour as clothes," said Luna.

"True," agreed Ginny.

"Then I don't mind one way or the other," said Harry.

Ginny looked at Harry, "you really don't."

Harry shrugged. "She deserves to keep exactly as much of her privacy as she wishes. My ward helps her do that. I didn't expect that she'd take advantage of that fact by wandering around in her knickers, but she's welcome to, so far as I'm concerned."

Ginny stared.

"Conversely," said Harry, "all the boys that I think you're worried about watching her, also deserve the privacy of their own thoughts, and being intruded on by the sight of a pretty girl in a non-traditional amount of clothing might conflict with that. But as only girls can see her at the moment. And I and her father, who don't care. Yes, I say she may do as she likes."

"I stand corrected, Luna," said Ginny, "Harry might fit better in your family than in mine."

"If you two can stop trying to auction me off like a stud hippogriff, for just one moment, I think we could adjourn this meeting."

"Oh," said Ginny and glanced at him and waved her fingers in his general direction, "that's fine, you're excused."

Luna gave him a small smile, that he figured was both 'thanks for the meeting,' and 'what did you really expect me to be doing with my time, now that I have my one friend back,'

.

He wandered back into the front room.

"Did that go well?" said Hermione.

"Well enough," said Harry.

"You look dazed," said Ron, "What did my sister say to you?"

"That I remind her of Luna's father," said Harry.

"Better than Mr. Malfoy," said Ron, "which is who you were reminding me of earlier."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Draco.

"Oh, are you still here?" said Ron.

"Obviously," said Draco, "I've only spent the last ten minutes comparing notes on bookkeeping curricula with your brothers."

"I noticed," said Ron, "I merely had been trying not to."

Draco shrugged and turned to Harry, "Did you want to fol— go with me for a chance to observe my ravenclaw and slytherin friends in their natural habitat rather than in regimentation and uniform?"

"Oh," said the twins, "Is there a library around?" "That is the ravenclaw's natural habitat, right?"

"Probably two," said Harry, "Hermione's trunk is around somewhere."

Draco looked torn between … probably explaining what he meant about how slytherins and ravenclaws being normal people outside of school, or asking how Hermione's trunk counted, or complimenting Harry for trying to also diffuse stereotypes … or reinforce them.

"Yes, I would like to join you," said Harry, "Do you mind if—

"Dad!" called Ginny wandering through from the kitchen, "I'm going over to Luna's."

"Alright," said Mr. Weasley, "Be back in time for Tea.'

She left, Luna following right after. In fact she had taken off her bloomers.

Harry wasn't certain what the point of that was, given that her knickers were almost the same shade of powder blue, and stopped just above the knee instead of just below.

And she had her bloomers and her shirt each tied diagonally across her shoulders. Which gave the impression that she had on a vaguely off-symmetrical international kind of shirt, rather than no shirt at all.

Hermione poked him, "Bounce your eyes," she hissed.

Harry shrugged, "You're right, women's fashion never ceases to befuddle me, it is simpler if I just ignore it."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, then relaxed and smiled, "just like everything else, it's mostly about presentation, what look are you trying to achieve, what effect are you hoping that look will achieve. And you can do just about as much or more with body language as you can with the clothes themselves."

"Oh," said Harry.

"How did you not end up in slytherin Miss Granger?" said Draco.

"How did you not end up in Hufflepuff, Draco?" said Hermione.

"My father ordered me not to, and told me how much I'd have to sneak and elide and lie to outwit the teachers' committee to get put where I wanted. Instead of just where they had the most room, after all the students with names early in the alphabet had gotten placed where they wanted. So that's what I was prepared for."

"They told me I'd need to fight a troll," said Ron, "which turned out to be true, though not for sorting."

"Oh, is that why there's the tradition of never telling anyone about the hat?" said Draco, "enough families find it more convenient to control where their children end up by tricking the hat, via tricking the child into a particular state of mind."

"Interesting," said Harry, "how many of us were given inaccurate information about the sorting, and the houses, shortly before arriving at school?"

Everyone but Hermione raised their hand. Then slowly she did as well.

"This explains so many things," said Draco, "also, just to clarify, I should have been in ravenclaw, not hufflepuff."

"Same," said Hermione, "where did slytherin come from?"

Draco smirked, "you might be surprised, the distance between wit and cunning might not be as wide as you think."

"Humph," said Hermione.

"Now, I'm intrigued," said Draco, "What myths do the predominantly ravenclaw families tell their children to pass on that tradition? I think I saw Michael Corner earlier."

And with a mystery to investigate it wasn't at all hard to mobilise the golden trio once more out into the partying crowd.

.

Before they ran across any ravenclaws of Draco's acquaintance, they found Susan Bones hanging out near Ernest Macmillan and Wayne Hopkins who were going over the tournament, and discussing the prospects of seeing professional strategies imitated at Hogwarts this year, it took no more than Hermione greeting Susan Bones and Megan Jones, for the two girls to peel off and follow her instead.

"Who did your hair?" said Megan.

"Harry," said Hermione, "I barely stopped Luna and Ginny from stuffing it full of posies the day before yesterday evening. Though now that Harry did Luna's, I expect I'll have a chance to see how that would have turned out. Without needing me to let them."

"Will he do mine?" said Megan.

"I doubt it," said Hermione, "but you could ask, he claims to only do cousins, but allows me and Luna on the technicality of being honorary Weasleys."

"Ah, oh well," said Megan.

"I'm probably his fourth or fifth cousin," said Susan, "I'd have to check."

"I could braid it," said Hermione, "Like a civilised person, I accept money and barter, instead of only tokens of family or friendship."

"There are multiple traditions as to what counts as 'civilised'," mused Susan, and slowed just enough to let everyone pass her. When she'd caught them up again, she was on Harry's side of the crowd.

"So, did you already hear about the accident?" said Harry. Mostly he was wondering how closely tied Susan was to the auror gossip network, if there even was one.

"Which accident," said Susan seeming to divine his purpose, and choosing to show off anyway, "the lack of cultural awareness regarding muggle clothes, the muggle-baiting, the tent fire that almost ended in an explosion when the expansions failed in the wrong order, or the drama when some of the international fans organised a fist duel."

"Oh," said Harry, "Actually I meant about the death eater that fell out of the stands."

"It's being ruled suicide," said Susan, "obviously murdered, but under the circumstances, he was probably out to assassinate someone, so it was likely self defence on the part of whoever cut him and pushed him, but they're still looking for the murder weapon, it's not a normal sort of wound."

Luckily I've already cleaned my paws.

There is that.

"Also they'd like to interview the intended victim, of course."

"Of course," said Harry.

"How did you find out about it?"

"Mr. Crouch and some aurors seemed to be investigating 'a blob of blood floating in the air.' So we wandered over to see what they were up to. And Mr. Malfoy gave them some line I didn't quite understand about as potential citizens they'd want to let us see how aurors did their jobs. So they told us a bunch."

"Gracious," said Susan, "I'll bet that annoyed Mr. Crouch."

"Why?"

"It was his son, who supposedly died in prison 13 years ago."

"So that's what? Three escapes in two years," said Harry, "or three made public in two years, but one escape from thirteen years ago!"

"I know," said Susan, "Auntie's been under so much pressure about it; though she says she's managed to deflect most of it towards a decades worth of budget cuts and her ever stronger protests against them. Anyway, who was the third?"

"Sirius and Bellatrix Black."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about Mrs. Lestrange. I'm not sure she counts. Cases like that are why we put the prison on an island to start with."

"Makes sense," said Harry.

"You and your friends know a lot," said Susan, "and have an odd way of finding things out, do you know anything about Black?"

"I do not know anything about the whereabouts of Sirius Black," said Harry, "though given that he escaped the dementors in Azkaban, and eluded them well enough to visit Hogwarts at least twice while they were stationed around it. I'm surprised anyone trusts them with his capture."

"Oh," said Susan, "Interesting point.'

After several seconds she said, "I think there is also a lot of institutional inertia, no one wants to believe that anyone could co-opt them from the ministry treaty. Therefore, giving them a chance to redeem themselves was hoped to provide both an easy means to catch him, and a solution to the doubts about how he escaped to start with."

"Well," said Harry, "Let me make the disclaimers: I'm known to be on the pragmatic rather than philosophical end of things. And I suspect he's innocent. But regardless of those: I'm of the opinion that in the case of Sirius Black, dementors are useless. I don't claim that they're going to abandon the prison or turn on the ministry at the first provocation, just … I don't like them. And I have trouble comprehending how a treaty with them was proposed or agreed to to start with."

"That period was covered in history last year," said Susan, "Though I think that Binns skipped past that episode with only, 'and in that decade several more species of dark creatures were rounded up and moved to reservations.'"

"Wait," said Harry, "Azkaban is a concentration camp for dementors? I hadn't realised that. That makes me doubly certain that they'll turn at the earliest moment and try to escape."

Susan sighed, "are you about to propose genocide, because that is the other option."

"Why not export them to Antarctica, aren't they having a problem with the ice melting or something.'

"What?"

"Never mind, muggle science joke.'

"I can understand the urge to lighten the mood," said Susan, "one problem with the genocide option in this case is that we have no method of killing them."

"Oh," said Harry, "A lack of method could make any ethics question regarding goals fairly meaningless."

"True," said Susan. After a long pause she said, "Do you date cousins?"

"I've been given to understand by two of my cousins that if I date a pureblood, I'll probably be dating an eighth cousin or closer," said Harry, "though so far as I can tell, past third cousin the genetics don't really matter."

"Don't really matter how?"

"I mean, counting inbreeding, past third cousin, that's a sixteenth or less of matching genes. Therefore not going to cause problems, therefore safe for the children, therefore, why would I worry about marrying them? Therefore no special reason to worry about dating them."

"Alright," said Susan, "I understand all that. But … if you're already talking about purebloods, dating is about networking, about knowing yourself, establishing preferences, and several other things career related. Marriage is a destination that departs from a different station.

"Huh?"

"Though, as an orphan, I suppose you'll be arranging your own marriage."

"Ah, right," said Harry. So that was the topic and the discrepancy.

Susan Bones is also an orphan. Though from her tone, I expect she's counting on her Aunt to arrange or help arrange her marriage.

Good point. Which of my relatives are even candidates for helping with that?

Narcissa and I, Sirius, I assume not your muggle relatives.

If they could argue from a position of equality with other magicals, I might be more OK with that.

From the perspective of your own emotional development, you could offer the position to the Weasleys, but looking at their perspective, you'd likely end up married to Ginny immediately, unless you wait until she's happily married first.

Huh, hadn't thought that through.

Are you sure you don't want to just court and marry Hermione, muggle style? Or transfigure your current advantage over Luna into a betrothal?

I have the feeling the ideal mate for Hermione is someone as studious as me and as willing to engage in the Socratic style as Ron.

Justin Finch-Fletchly or Theodore Nott, in other words.

Maybe, but not sure either of them could give her the respect she deserves.

True.

Maybe we should find little ways to set them up to argue with her.

And compete over her.

That would just be a bonus.

Ugh, you are incorrigible.

But it would be so much fun to watch.

"Harry, Did I lose you?" said Susan.

"Yeah, sorry, my mind wandered to matchmaking."

"Oh? Who?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," said Susan, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Love triangle, Theodore Nott, Justin Finch-Flechly, and Hermione."

"Oh, hell no," said Susan, "I mean, those two compete about everything else, but … well neither of them would go near her."

"While I agree with, 'oh hell no!'" called Hermione meandering closer as they hiked, "Though I want to hear what they might have against me."

"Nott's family wouldn't let him have a dalliance with a muggleborn, let alone marry one," said Susan, "Justin is merely an arse."

Hermione nodded, "That was my assessment too," then she turned to Harry, "what were you thinking?"

"What an amalgamation of my learning style and Ron's argument style might look like, but Susan's right, and I'd already rejected them both as not personable enough or respectful enough to deserve you, then Susan pushed me to say what I'd been thinking about."

"Mm hmm," said Hermione, "well there's hope for Theo's personality. The only reason I'd ever marry Justin would be for his money, and I can't imagine needing money that badly except my parents dying, and also picking up an addiction, gambling probably, and for some reason not wishing to just pack all my things into a wizard tent somewhere, and selling their house."

"There is that," agreed Harry.

"So Theo's family would have to die for you to marry him, and your family would have to die to marry Justin?" said Susan, "luckily for you the most likely way for either of those things to be arranged is by the other, and they're rivals and aren't likely the help each other, so it won't happen."

Hermione snorted.

"Susan, Going back to the earlier discussion, or a mildly adjacent topic," said Harry, "Hermione and I might wish to consult with you some, would you be interested, or do legal matters bore you to tears?"

"It depends, what's the topic?"

"Whether Sirius Black could be persuaded to go to the ministry for a trial, or re-trial. What guarantees he might get, and or which ones he might want."

"What you're actually thinking about is seeking him out and giving him a trial yourself," accused Susan.

"Maybe," said Harry, "Not without knowing more about his case, but somehow 'we don't have trial records' has turned in to, 'we don't even have records of what he'd have been tried for if we had given him one, and we can't find anyone who remembers giving him one.'"

"Well," said Susan, "I can tell that your heart is in the right place, but, if he was actually a political prisoner, filing a plea sentence basically against the ministry just … doesn't happen. You'd be much safer staying out of it."

"Well," said Harry, "in a situation like that, I assume I'd have it printed in the Prophet, the Quibbler and the Wizengamot agenda, with a call for a vote of no confidence, but since this originally happened under Minister Bagnold, the vote of no confidence demand wouldn't really hold any weight."

"And Couch was head of the DMLE then," mused Susan, "You'd be better off, turning it in directly to the Minister and asking him to personally be responsible for righting the wrongs of the past administration."

"Ah," said Harry. And glanced at Hermione.

She shrugged, "Works for me."

Harry nodded, "That's why we need her."

Susan looked back and forth between them.

"What's this about?" said Susan.

"Isn't it obvious," said Draco, "They're opening a fourth position on the golden trio, and inviting you to apply."

"I thought that was your place, Draco," said Susan.

Draco shrugged, "fine, a fifth place, I'm still trying to figure out if Luna is their token Ravenclaw, or if I am."

"Don't be an arse," said Ron, "Hermione is our token Ravenclaw. And Harry is our token slytherin, we don't need you."

"Thanks, I think," said Harry, "That was kind of you to say."

Ron went red, "I didn't mean— I"

"Exactly," said Harry, "See, Draco, you're welcome to stay, if you can stand to put up with Ron."

Draco shrugged, "OK, but why is everyone else putting up with Ron?"

"Because he's the heart of the trio," said Harry, "without him we'd just do homework and ask idiotic questions that no one else bothers to ask. With Ron, we're a team. Someone who knows what purebloods know and cares about us, someone who judges as sharply as muggles judge and cares about the rules, and someone who … wait what is the point of me again?"

"Sticking your wand places where no one else will stick theirs," said Hermione.

"That sounded like innuendo," said Draco.

"It was a disgusting way of getting a troll's attention off his surroundings, also to get a wand covered in troll snot," said Harry.

Susan choked.

Draco stared, "the rumours about the troll getting into the dungeons in first year? Those were true? And you faced it?"

"He and Ron faced it," said Hermione, "To rescue me, then I faced the teachers to rescue them."

"And that's how the 'golden trio' got started," said Harry, "Why, if that story isn't well known, how does everyone think we got started?"

"Granger couldn't get along with the girls in gryffindor and started hanging out with the boys instead," said Draco, "Though now that I say it out loud I can see where first year simplifications for prejudices common to slytherins was involved with me believing it at first."

There was several seconds of profound silence, then he turned to Hermione.

"Miss Granger," he bowed, "I apologise for believing malicious gossip about you. I'm sorry, please forgive me. You may call me Draco." He extended his hand and waited.

Hermione stared at him for several seconds, then she nodded, "Alright Draco, I forgive you, I trust you've learned enough economics by this time to know how interchangeable most people are about most things."

"I know no such thing," said Draco, "I know how very very different people are, but that when you have a big enough crowd of them, they are predictable, by the sociology and economics equations you're thinking about."

"What?" said Hermione and Susan.

"Fundamental magical theory," said Draco, "nothing is deterministic on a small scale unless you measure it so carefully, you've probably already checked what its going to do already. And on a large scale everything is deterministic, not by the determinism of the small scale, but by the statistics of the several extremely chaotic scales in between."

"Quantum mechanics," said Hermione, "you're quoting the quantum mechanics to physics emergence about magic and sociology."

Draco shrugged, "The equation fits, why not use it. Also the analogy is that fundamental field theory is to physics, as fundamental magical theory is to magic, as psychology is to sociology and economics."

"I don't know what two thirds of those are," said Ron.

"Half," said Harry, "but not why they're talking about them."

"Hermione is trying to tell me that humans are fungible, which is only true in one moral way, but the very opposite of true in almost every other way. I'm trying to convince her not to use too much economics when dealing with individuals, unless she really does want people to treat her as a faceless corporation."

Hermione was very red, "Just how much muggle literature do you read?"

"Not so much literature," said Draco, "Unless you mean in the sense that propaganda can also be called literature. In which case, a lot, there isn't as much magical literature as you might think. And I ran out of Hungarian school a while ago, there's only French and German left, and sometimes I want a break from deciphering a different language at the same time as a different philosophy."

"Hence muggle philosophy that happens to be written in English or translated into English?" said Hermione.

"Yes," said Draco.

"Favourite philosopher?" said Hermione.

Draco blew out his breath, "Just one?"

Hermione shrugged, "top five then?"

"Mage: I'd once have said Bianca Russel, but Charles McGonagall refuted her most attractive conclusions. Hmm, Muggle? In economics, Carl Menger or Fredrich Hayek," Draco shrugged, "In mathematics, Nash or Schelling, in psychology, Polgar and Carnegie, I'll stop there unless you have a different topic you wanted. Perhaps Polgar if I had to choose just one."

"Laszlo Polgar?" said Hermione.

"Yes," smiled Draco, then blinked, "You've read something of his also?"

"Was what you've read, about chess or about pedagogy?" said Hermione.

"Some of each," said Draco. They stared at each other.

"Perhaps I need to learn German," said Hermione.

Draco nodded, then shrugged.

"How do you feel about his opinions on ethics," said Hermione, "Not that he supports his opinions, so much as defines them so he can move on to teaching."

Draco frowned, "Ethics is not what you absorb from observing your neighbours and their folktales, nor read from a book, (that is morals). Ethics is what you choose for yourself," said Draco, "to quote Theodore Sturgeon. Polgar differentiates differently, but that might be an effect of the vocabulary available to him while writing in German."

Hermione slumped in on herself, "And what do you choose, Draco Malfoy?"

"Currently, I choose to observe my neighbours," said Draco, "and not withhold advice unless it will not be heeded anyway."

"You're full of surprises today," said Hermione.

"Or have I merely seen you interacting enough, to be confident in my ability to communicate to you?"

Hermione frowned thoughtfully, "Normally you just pick on Ron, and observe how Harry and I react to him reacting to you?"

"Mostly," said Draco, "Now I have more options, and when I have something to say, I might say it."

"Why does that sound like a threat," said Megan Jones.

"Because with him, it probably is," said Ron.

"Ugh," said Hermione, "We were looking for Michael Corner, although I suppose we could just ask Luna later."

"Ask them what?"

"Did their parents give them something to meditate on that was a big influence on their state of mind when they put on the sorting hat?"

"No," said Susan, "Hannah and I wanted to be together, and realised that we didn't care where we ended up, then we realised that if we concentrated on that we would be in hufflepuff, and that was good enough, so we did that."

"Close enough," said Hermione, "What about you Megan?"

Megan opened her mouth, and then said, "Yes, they did, but I am not at liberty to discuss what it was."

Hermione shrugged, "That's fine."

"I need to go," said Megan, and walked hurriedly away.

"I should keep her company," said Susan, "I'll catch up with you lot later, alright?"

"That's fine," said Harry.

"What was that about," said Ron.

"Seemed like mens rea," said Draco, "But there wasn't enough context for me to say what about."

.

{End Chapter 5}

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