Chapter— No plan stands after contact with the enemy…

Breakfast passed just as uncomfortably as dinner had. Capricia was the only one who even attempted conversation, but as she was not a morning person herself, by any stretch of the imagination, it was no surprise when she submitted to their silence.

But, as always, she was a Slytherin woman and therefore determined to get her way. "I think it would be best if the four of you were to spend the day together." She said. "Your father and I want this unpleasantness between you to be cleared up. With Mr Potter here, it means you can even focus on any issues you might have had at school. Will you do this for me?"

She waited until she got four nods and then stood. "In that case, I will see you at lunch," she said, before heading back to her rooms for another nap. Were she not spending time with her children and potential son-in-law, she would have skipped the blasted meal in the first place and not have woken any time before noon. And since her darling ex-husband would be back in less than a week, she needed to get some sleep. When he got home, they wouldn't be getting any- she was getting some sort of compensation for leaving precious Italy.

Eager though they were not to upset a glowering Capricia, none of the children had any idea what to do with one another. They all put down their forks, not that any of them had really been eating, and regarded each other warily.

"Well, Hermione," Blaise said, careful to use the name he knew she liked best, hoping it would ingratiate him with her. "Do you have any ideas? Anything you were planning to do today?"

"Not really." She admitted, looking to Harry, who could only offer her a shrug.

"Okay, well, let's be sensible about this." Draco said, eager to push his plan through. If the Gryffs weren't even going to try, that was fine with him. "None of us are really comfortable together, so let's get comfortable. We'll go outside. Potter and I can fly, leave you two to get to know each other. You know, just as brother and sister." Plus, Draco thought privately, he could attempt once again to crush Potter.

Hermione didn't know what was going on in Draco's mind, but one look at Harry proved he had much the same sort of thoughts. He was always one for a challenge and at least it would keep them somewhat busy. "Sounds good." She said. "So, let us go grab Harry's broom and a book and we'll be right down."

When no objections were raised, the Gryffindors headed up to their rooms, while Draco and Blaise remained to go over their newest battle plans. "Okay, Blaise," Draco said, turning to his friend when they were finally alone. "Don't screw this up! Be academic- let your prat side have full reign. She used to talk to Percy Weasley. There's nothing that you can bring up that she won't be able to talk to you about. Use this; we can steal her away if we just play this right!"

"I can certainly do my part!" Blaise protested, highly affronted. He'd put up with teasing from his Slytherin classmates for years because of his bookish attitude. For a large part Second and Third Year, he'd been known as the Granger of Slytherin, before he'd started hexing. "This plan will not fail because of me. It's you that had better be smart. Don't you get into a fight with Potter. I don't care if he beats you or not. Do not taunt him. Potter has a bad habit of picking up on the tiniest of hints and figuring everything out- don't let him."

"You think I'd do something like that!" Draco protested, highly affronted. "Blaise, you know I-"

"I know when you get angry, your mouth starts spewing whatever you think." Blaise waved away any injured words Draco was throwing at him. "Be smart- be Slytherin. For once, this is not about beating Potter at Quidditch. This is about beating Potter in general. Come on, we better get down to the Pitch."

"I know what I'm doing." Draco continued pouting even as they walked. "I know how important this is."

"Draco, I know." As usual, Blaise gave in rather than fight with Draco. The blonde could be an absolute baby when he wanted to. "I just mean- I know how much emphasis your dad places on beating Potter. But Quidditch is just a game. We can steal Granger away from him- Granger! We all know without her he wouldn't be nearly as effective in his crazy little annual jaunts. If we can get her on our side, who's he going to use? Weasley's got even less of a brain than him."

Draco smirked. "I guess that's true."

As they walked out, Harry and Hermione could see the other two teens seated on a small bench placed under a large tree, which was close to the large pitch set aside for flying.

"They're plotting something." Harry said immediately as the two other boys came into sight, watching them intently. "They have to be."

"Harry, just calm down." Hermione rolled her eyes. He was always suspicious of Slytherins. "We expected them to be plotting- they're Slytherins. They aren't stupid; they know Snape- I mean, Father- is angry with them. They're going to do everything they can to make sure when he comes home they can safely say that they've made up for being idiots."

"Yeah," Harry said, shifting his shoulders uneasily. "But it's more than that. I don't know how to say it, but they're up to something more than that. They want you, Hermione. They're trying to turn you into a Slytherin!"

"Harry, I am a Gryffindor!" She said, smiling at his indignant tone. "They can try all they want, but they can't change that. All they're showing me is how scared they are of Father. They'll never replace my best friend, no matter what they do," she said reassuringly. "So let's just go have fun."

He felt relieved at her words, not that he'd ever let her know that. "Okay," he said reluctantly. It wasn't like he could argue with Hermione anyways. He'd just have to watch extra carefully for her. "So, are you going to be alright with Zabini? You aren't going to hit him again, right?"

In some ways, he thought it highly ironic that Hermione had been to Dumbledore's office more times than he and Ron had, outside of their unlucky streaks at the end of each year. She and Zabini had racked up a considerable number of detentions, far more than his and Ron's ventures to the kitchens.

"No, Harry. I won't hit him." Hermione said, firmly reminding herself to make sure such a statement remained true. "We'll be fine. You and Draco be good- hey guys!" She quickly put on a smile as they finally came close enough for the Slytherins to hear their conversation.

If she had thought that Harry's suspicions about the Slytherins were true, she certainly didn't get any evidence, though she could almost picture the two of them guiltily springing apart as they walked up on them.

Instead, both boys greeted her with smiles, full bright smiles. "Hey, Hermione!" They said as one, sounding far more cheerful than they deserved to.

"Hey." She greeted them, smiling herself. "So, you two go have fun trying to kill yourselves." She said, as the boys all looked awkwardly at one another. She knew nothing good could come of keeping the three of them together for any significant amount of time.

"That sounds great." Blaise agreed, pushing Draco off the bench. "Here, Hermione, Draco was keeping your seat safe for you. I'll share my bench with you." He broke off, cursing himself as he realized he'd slipped right back into their antagonistic games. Draco glared at him and he didn't even want to see Hermione's face.

Hermione was not surprised by the remark, to be perfectly honest. Many of their fights had started with no real reason, even when he could have just sat down at her table with her. They were fighting out of habit more than anything else now. She gripped Harry's arm before he said something stupid and ruined their neutrality.

"That's very kind of you." She said. "Thanks, Blaise. Now, Harry, Draco, try not to kill yourselves up there." She added cheekily as she took her assigned seat.

"And, if you do, try not to fall on us." Blaise added in his two Knuts. Hermione gasped, unable to help herself, but saw that Blaise was grinning up at Draco instead of glaring at Harry, as she'd expected.

"What?" Blaise defended himself as soon as she turned to him. "You've seen how they fly- the both of them. They deserve to fall off, taking all those stupid risks!"

It was hard to tell who looked angrier at his words, between Draco and Harry, although Draco's indignation was tempered with a lot of amusement; he'd obviously heard such things before from his friend's mouth. Sure enough, he turned to Harry, saying in a confiding tone, "The poor bugger can't fly worth a damn. Pathetic, isn't it? He has to be jealous of those who can."

A genial Draco Malfoy might have been noteworthy at another time, but Harry was still too stuck on the heinous insults that had been lobbed his way.

"That's so- so- I can't even come up with the words." He finally managed to sputter. "You can't-"

"Come on, Potter," Draco clapped the other Seeker on the shoulder. "Ignore him, that's my advice. It's how we've survived over a decade of friendship."

"Harry, go." Hermione encouraged. "You know not everyone likes to fly. I've said the same before."

"I know, but for the sake of our friendship, I've forgiven you." Harry teased, grinning as her jaw dropped. "Well, let's go then, Malfoy." He said quickly, before Hermione could recover.

Hermione recovered quickly, having become too immune to shocking statements from Harry and Ron over the years (which she still fully believed they only ever said to bother her) to let one more bother her. Still, the few seconds it took the brightest witch of her age to recover gave the two Seekers time to make it to the whole other side of the pitch.

"He's, uh, very defensive about Quidditch." Blaise could feel the blush staining his cheeks. He'd said his words, not as any true taunt, but because he usually threw such words at Draco before he went flying. It inspired the blonde to pull out his tricks to impress his friend, but also threw a bit of caution into his movements. Merlin help him, if anything actually happened to Draco, Blaise would be inconsolable.

"Nah, he's not really." Hermione admitted. "But flying, in general, means a lot to Harry. He sees it as his escape. No matter what, he can always get up on the broom and relax. I do wish you wouldn't tease him about it."

"I can apologize if you want." Blaise said, though he'd rather curse himself than apologize to Potter. "I really didn't mean to insult him. That was sort of directed at Draco, not Potter. Erm, Harry, I mean. I always hope if I insult him enough, he'll stop trying to make my heart stop with all his tricks."

Hermione laughed. "I certainly understand that. Harry scares me to death when he's flying. But still-"

Blaise held up a hand, as if to defend himself. He'd certainly had enough practice when it came to the girl beside him. "Never again." He promised. "So," he said, eager to change the subject so he could ignore his mistake, "What would you like to happen today? Would you actually care to talk or do you just want me to leave you alone so we can read?" He gestured to a book that was sitting at his feet. "Because, and don't take this the wrong way, but I'm fine with either option."

"Wasn't the whole point of this to figure out how we can live with one another and not try to kill each other?" Hermione asked, smiling. "We certainly had a habit of that happening on an almost weekly basis."

"Yeah," Blaise said, scratching his forehead as he tried to figure out how to prove his sincerity. "And, though I've apologized before, let me take this time to say once again how-"

"Blaise, stop." Hermione knew they were both playing a game, of sorts, but they really didn't need to rehash such ancient history. "We both know we didn't mean any of the apologies the Headmaster made us give each other. But since we're on the subject, I don't need an apology. But an explanation would be nice."

"An explanation?" Blaise asked, stunned. "Well, you see, Hermione, that library is public. That means, despite that lion on your robes, you don't own it! And those tables-"

"Are open to the whole school." Hermione finished impatiently. She'd certainly heard it enough times over the years. "I know, I know. But that's not what I meant. Obviously, they're open to everyone. But there were so many times when you could have just sat down, if you really thought you needed my table or you could have simply claimed a table of your own. Padma has her own table! Mostly because no one else cares about the history section, but she claimed it! I picked an out of the way table that was still close enough that I could easily get a hold of Madam Pince- there's nothing special about that table."

"There was." Blaise said, smiling as he realized what she was actually talking about. "There was a very important reason."

"Oh? And what was that?" Hermione challenged, folding her legs under her to get more comfortable. In spite of their new circumstances, this felt very familiar to her. It was just like they were back at her table, taunting one another.

Blaise noticed her movements and hid a smirk. She was relaxing, excellent! Even if it did mean he would have to bare himself to a girl who had the potential to humiliate himself. "I saw a girl who maybe wouldn't have cared about the green on my robes. I saw her interacting with Gryffs and being insulted. I saw her interacting with Ravens but not really fitting in. I thought maybe we could be friends."

"You become friends with people by insulting them?" She noticed his exaggerated pout and rolled her eyes. "Like the pranks?"

Blaise winced as the pranks were brought up. "No, not exactly." He protested. "I would never have pulled pranks on someone to befriend them- I don't like detentions that much. But, I thought we could be friends. I know in the beginning you weren't friends with any of the Gryffs. You were too smart for them. And, it was the same with the Ravenclaws. You interacted with them, but you weren't really friends with them. They were interested in different things than you and not very interested in befriending a Gryff. The Ravenclaws really close ranks. I thought we could be…"

He turned to check the progress of Draco, watching where they were. He and Potter were still eagerly dashing across the sky. "We were both outsiders." He said bluntly, knowing he could explain because Draco was out of sight. "Draco is my best friend and I love him more than I could ever love a brother. But Slytherin is his game. I'm sneaky, I admit it. I'm cunning and brilliant," he added without a trace of self-consciousness. "But, I would have gone to Ravenclaw if not for him. The Hat offered them both to me. I know Mother and Father wouldn't have cared which of the two Houses I was in. Father even said he half expected Hufflepuff because of how protective Drake and I are of each other."

He shrugged, half-laughing. "And yeah, in Slytherin I did have Draco with me, but when he goes all 'Prince of Slytherin', he's really annoying. And the others are okay…but I didn't really have anyone to talk academics with. I thought, here was another drifter in her house, maybe I could make a friend. I knew the Ravenclaws weren't going to accept a Slytherin into their ranks."

He chuckled, a smirk appearing on his face. "And then when my subtle attempts weren't getting through, I went to sit down with you one day and you didn't fall over when you saw my gorgeous face. I was horrified! How dare you! So, I had to show you that I was better than you."

"I had no idea why you were challenging me." Hermione confessed, shaking her head in amusement. "All I knew was that the Slytherins were making fun of me for being Muggle-born and the Gryffindors were ignoring me for being a know-it-all and the Ravenclaws weren't particularly thrilled that I was a know-it-all and scoring better than them. And then this Slytherin keeps trying to take a table that I grabbed because it was out of the way. I know you never said anything rude to me, but I saw you with Draco and-" She shrugged, embarrassed, but Blaise merely nodded.

"I know why you did what you did." He assured her, patting her arm. "It was one piece that you could control. I couldn't even imagine going into a whole new world, where you don't know anyone and can't even understand half the things that are going on around you. I could never bad mouth Muggle-borns, I have a lot of respect for them."

"Can I…ask you a question?" She said hesitantly. "I mean, I know you're best friends with Draco, but he doesn't think that at all," she went on when he nodded encouragingly. "I mean, especially now. You-Know-Who is back and-"

"Father has been more of a father to Draco than Lucius has." Blaise interrupted as she grew flustered. "And Narcissa, that damn Ice Queen, could care less about her son. Draco can't exactly flaunt the fact that he thinks his father is an idiot, not if he wants to survive his childhood. But he comes either here or to Italy with me and Mother as soon as he can every year, once his parents are done ensuring themselves that they're good parents."

"Well…" Hermione was getting her answers, which she always knew was a bad thing because it only encouraged her to keep asking questions. "I mean, I know he's your friend, but Draco's…" Okay, even she knew she couldn't be that blunt.

Luckily, Blaise just laughed. "Yeah, he's a bit of a bastard all the time." He admitted. "And, okay, some of that does have to do with his personality. He's sarcastic to a ridiculous degree and being around Father only encourages him. But there's something that you Muggle-borns don't understand too. We all grow up together. Families like the Malfoy's like to show off and throw big parties all the time. We grow up knowing what each other's parents expect. Pansy- great at Arithmency, for example. But that doesn't matter. Her father and Draco's father decided what she was going to do before she was even born. Draco was expected to follow his father's footsteps- even more so now that the Dark Lord has theoretically returned. Anyone could be a spy. One letter home talking about how Draco Malfoy is talking to a Muggle-born or a blood traitor and Draco has a very uncomfortable break when he gets home. Who knows if he'll even come back after that. So, despite whatever he might feel about Muggle-borns, which to be honest, isn't really anything, because he doesn't know any."

Hermione had honestly never heard such a claim. Ron had never brought up some big Pureblood network, but then again, she had to admit that the Weasley's weren't exactly on the same social level as the Malfoy's. She'd have to think it over. But in the meantime, she smirked at him. "So, what you're saying is I should just forgive him?" She teased.

"Well…that'd be great too." Blaise said without missing a beat. "But what I'd really like is if you really got to know my best friend. I consider him a brother, in many ways. Father considers him another son and even Mother likes him. You'll soon find out Mother doesn't like many people. But he's a great guy."

"Fair enough." Hermione admitted. "As long as you honestly take the time to get to know Harry. He's so much more than just the Boy-Who-Lived. I trust him completely. I love him."

"In a purely brotherly way?" Blaise asked, ever curious. The rumors about Potter and Granger had been going around since Halloween of their First Year. "Or…?"

Hermione laughed, blushing. "Harry's my very best friend." She said primly.

"And yet, that doesn't answer my question." He said, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the evasion. Gryffindors were horrible liars, hence why they had so very many detentions.

"Who've you been talking to?" She demanded, pouting. "This always comes up. I'm fifteen, much too young for declarations of love. Well, any sensible declarations."

"Ah, cara, love isn't sensible!" Blaise deliberately thickened his accent. "Love is…is… beautiful! And majestic and sneaks up on you!"

"Oh, dear Merlin, Blaise Zabini's a romantic. You know, I can break the hearts of half the girls at Hogwarts with this information." Hermione shot back. "The big, mysterious Blaise Zabini isn't dangerous at all. He's secretly writing sonnets in his dorm."

"I don't write sonnets!" Blaise protested, blushing heavily. "Don't think you're getting away with this; I know what you're doing. I'm Italian; I'm allowed to be romantic."

"And I'm female, which means I'm allowed to keep my secrets." Hermione said primly.

They stared at each other, challengingly, for just a minute.

Draco and Harry both pulled up abruptly when the sound of riotous laughter reached them. Blaise and Hermione both had their heads back, laughing hilariously.

"They seem to be getting along." Draco said, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice.

"They look so similar." Harry said, ignoring the other boy's words. "I know her hair has changed, but nothing else really has. But, how are they so similar? She hates him!"

"No one hates Blaise." Draco said, smiling fondly. "He's like…an overgrown Krup puppy. You can't stay angry with him and your feelings can never turn into hate. He's too happy, too interested in life. Not to mention the fact that he's a total bookworm. You think Granger's bad, but believe me, Blaise can definitely give her a run for her Sickles."

Harry watched them for a minute before turning back to Draco. "You're not going to win." He said. "Whatever game you two are playing. It's not going to work."

"Potter, please." Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't be so paranoid." He smirked. "They do look comfortable together, don't they?" He added smugly.

"Hermione is a very polite girl." Harry protested at once. "She wants to make nice with everyone because it has turned out that you're family. But that doesn't change things. You spent four years being hateful to her. Zabini spent four years taunting her. Then the two of you play tricks on her. That doesn't just give you a blank slate to work with. She has a lot of respect for Professor Snape."

"Potter, I don't get why you're so against this." Draco confessed, pulling his broom around so that he faced Harry directly. "They're family. Brother and sister. Neither of us has a sister, but come on. You're really against Blaise getting to know her? You don't think Weasley appreciates little Weaslette?"

"That's not the point." Harry snapped. "You're Slytherins. You're going to hurt her. We've gone through all sorts of adventures together; I know how Hermione thinks. She's going to try as hard as she can to make this work, but you're going to hurt her."

Draco laughed. "You know what, Potter, you're every bit as prejudiced as I am. You and your Gryffs have no problem being judgmental towards us. Blaise couldn't be more glad to finally have his sister back with him. I'm sorry that we hurt her- once we knew who she was! But, that's just us. We're all so used to being formal around one another; our parents expect that sort of thing from us. So we play sly jokes on each other and let us ourselves relax. That's all we were trying to do to Hermione. I don't know why you're so against that."

"Hermione means a lot to me." Harry said, sighing. "If you guys turn out to be good for her, I will be more than happy for you. But I don't want anything bad to happen to her. We've been there for her, for the last four years. I know that I can count on her for anything and she knows that there is nothing she can't count on me for. She has been there for me through everything. When everyone turned on me, even Ron, she was there for me. I'm going to be there for her, no matter what."

Draco laughed nastily. "Oh, Potter, give it up." He ordered. "You don't like it that Granger has someone new to pal around with. We all know if you didn't have Granger around, you wouldn't get away with nearly as many of your crazy adventures. You're afraid we're going to steal her away from you. And then where will you be? You'll be stuck with Weasley and Longbottom."

Harry sighed. "Of course you think I'm jealous." He said, shaking his head. "Of course you do. Why would you think something else? I have to have some ulterior motive. Slytherin."

"That isn't an insult to me, you know, Potter." Draco rolled his eyes. "What else am I supposed to think? You can't not want her to connect with her family. You want her to concentrate on the Muggle parents that she just lost instead?"

"No!" Harry protested at once. "Of course not."

"Then why does it matter so much to you, Potter?" Draco demanded. "Surely you didn't think you were the only close friend Granger was ever gonna have? Hell, she went to the Yule Ball with Krum- did that bother you?"

"Krum wasn't a Slytherin." Harry stated boldly. He felt awkward, even as he said it, so rather than stare at Draco's shocked face, he took off on another lap.

He flew fast, but smoothly enough that the blonde caught up without a problem once he'd recovered. "You know what, Potter. You are so fucking prejudiced! He's from Durmstrang! Slytherin's an evil House, huh? Well, their whole school is evil! They teach the Dark Arts there. And Krum was well known as one of Karkaroff's protégées. If you think he can't do some dangerous spells, you're an idiot. A naïve idiot. But no, Saint Potter only believes evil people come from Slytherin. A fact that I'm sure isn't influenced at all by the fact that your prat of a best friend hates us."

"No." Harry said, stopping abruptly to glare at the other boy. "It has something to do with the psychopath who killed my parents. The psychopath who keeps coming after me, year after year. And it has something to do with idiots like you. You know what really defined you, to me? "You'll be next, Mudbloods." Second Year. You wanted Hermione to die. Because of her blood. Because of an insignificant fact that she had nothing to do with! You think she chose her blood?"

"She's a Pureblood, Potter." Draco said, gritting his teeth.

"Yes, so that makes it better?" Harry shot right back. "Everything's okay now. It doesn't matter that when she was Petrified, your words of encouragement to me and Ron were "too bad it was only Petrification". Only! As if that wasn't enough! My best friend!"

Draco looked down, searching out the two teens below them, unable to refute Harry's points. "Look, Potter. There are things you don't-"

"No, fuck that." Harry interrupted. "There aren't things. There is no deeper meaning or some elaborate game. You took great pains to assure me that you regretted that my best friend hadn't had the courtesy to die for you and your Death Eater friends. There is no reason- no reason on this Earth- that you had to say something like that. I could forgive a lot of things. But not that. So, I don't know what Zabini thinks of you, I don't know what Snape thinks of you, but I know what I think of you. And I'm sure as hell not going to let Hermione get caught in some stupid game you're playing."

Draco sighed, pursing his lips. "Look, Potter, don't believe me. Frankly, I don't really give a damn what you think of me. But you're letting your opinion of me get in the way of things. This is about Blaise. Blaise is a good guy. He acknowledges what he has done is wrong. He wants to get to know his sister. He didn't say anything during the whole Petrification thing. He didn't even touch her table, the whole half-year she was gone, said it wouldn't be sporting."

"He's also your best friend. And not to mention the whole table thing. Hermione is not a girl that goes looking for trouble, believe me. We've been trying to wean her off that for years, but that's not the kind of person she is. He's spent the last four years taunting her about a table. She used to come back to the Common Room in tears because of him. He may not have been overly malicious about it, but he played just as big a part in her alienation as anyone."

"Including you, Potter." Draco, always happier to be on the offensive, slung back at once. "You sure were eager to be friends with her, weren't you? So much so that she was crying in the toilets on Halloween. How's she feel about the fact that your friendship developed because you felt guilty? Everyone knows what Weasley said to her. If not for the fact that you knew your best friend was idiot, you'd have scurried along to your Common room with everyone else. You still feel guilty. You know if she spent a modicum of time with someone else, she'd see you for the loser you are. How does she feel about Weasley? Ignoring the fact that he insults her at three times a week for doing things she loves! The fact that you count the boy who almost caused her death as your best friend- do you think she likes that? That despite being the 'Golden Trio', you're actually Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived, his best friend and the girl who tags along for the ride. The smart one of the bunch. You think that's how she likes being known?"

"Hermione's forgiven us for First Year." Harry said after taking a minute to wince over the wounds. Draco certainly knew how to draw blood.

"Then why can't she forgive us?" Draco demanded.

"Why?" Harry threw up his hands, momentarily forgetting where he was. "Because you're Draco Malfoy!" He said, quickly grabbing his broom. "Because we are currently in the house of Severus Snape! A man who favors you at each and every turn! Not to mention a woman known for killing her husbands. There's a role model Hermione can look up to!"

Draco raised one hand, rubbing his forehead. Potter's circular logic drove him crazy, it always had. "Potter, Snape does favor me." He said, trying out another part of the idiot Boy-Who-Lived's rant. "But he never favors his own son. Have you ever seen him favor Blaise?"

"No." Harry admitted warily, as if afraid for the trap the blonde was no doubt trying to catch him in.

"And you never thought there might be a reason for that?" Draco demanded. "I mean, hell, it's his son! That's nepotism at its finest. Especially if he's trying to keep Aunt Capricia happy. He is, after all, the only one of her husbands to become an ex and stay alive. Capricia is known far and wide throughout the world as being a protective mother. There is no evidence that she actually killed any of her husbands. But there is evidence of Antonio Bardelli. Do you know who that is?"

"No."

"Antonio Bardelli kidnapped Blaise when we were seven. Blaise was, at the time, declared the heir apparent of both the Zabini and Snape lines and that is quite of sum of Galleons. Bardelli thought he'd cash in on that. Aunt Capricia has a spy network that puts Uncle Severus's to shame. She found Bardelli in three days. Blaise was sent to Severus a day later and Bardelli's head appeared in the Italian Ministry of Magic three weeks later. Parts of his body are still being found. His right hand was found two years ago in France."

"And you know Capricia did this how?" Harry asked, horrified.

"She left her initials carved in his cheeks." Draco said. "And his eyes were gouged out with a spell that she patented a week afterwards."

"And she wasn't arrested why?" Harry scoffed. This story couldn't be true.

"Ah, here's where it gets interesting." Draco smirked at the look he was receiving from Harry. "The Zabini crest was imprinted on his forehead, upside down." His big revelation did not go over as well as he would have wished, as Harry stared blankly at him. "It's a sign of witchcraft, Potter," he said, rolling his eyes in disgust.

"And?" Harry didn't think it was possible to get more confused.

"Potter, do know what we learn at Hogwarts?" Draco asked, heaving a sigh. "We learn Wizardry. Starting in Sixth year, the girls will begin slightly different classes than we will. Some will be the same, but many of them will move onto Witchcraft. It's different than Wizardry, hence Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Girls can learn Wizardry, but boys can't learn Witchcraft. It's more ancient, it developed along maternal lines. They use Arithmency, inverting signs to strengthen the magic. When Witchcraft is used, there are different laws they fall under, laws that can't be changed. One of the laws of Witchcraft involves the protection of children. Aunt Capricia is a third level Sorceress. I don't know what that means, exactly, and I never will because it's not something men learn, but she's protected under that law. She killed Bardelli under that law. He's not the only one either."

"That's…" Harry didn't know how to reply, causing Draco to smirk. A silent Potter, how rare. "That's…"

"That's awesome beyond all measure." Draco finished easily. He was highly impressed with his aunt. His mother was only a first level Sorceress and she still went to Witchcraft meetings when she could. "Blaise is a very protected child. When the Dark Lord finds out Granger is a Zabini, she's off limits. It doesn't matter that she's part of the Golden Trio. He knows better than to go after Capricia Zabini, not to mention Severus. Everyone knows he's a wildcard, whatever side he's on. His love for Capricia is well known throughout the Wizarding World. If nothing else, Potter, Hermione is as protected as she's ever going to be. If you can't accept any of us individually, accept that."

"Harry!"

Before Harry could even attempt a response, Hermione was calling up to him. "Draco! Harry! Lunch, come on!"

"Potter." Draco grabbed Harry's broom before he could head to the ground. "I want Blaise to get to know his sister. Neither you nor I are going to mess that up. We hate each other, but that has nothing to do with them. Therefore, all we discussed up here was Quidditch. The Cannons suck, the Falcons are going to the Cup this year and the Harpies new Captain is hot. Capice?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Fair enough, Malfoy. Let's go."

They landed quickly, each momentarily retreating to their friend's side. Draco and Blaise immediately bent their heads together, scurrying towards the house, while Harry and Hermione took it slower. "So?" Hermione asked. "Did you have a good fly? Were you nice to Malfoy?"

"Yes," Harry said, quickly redefining the word 'nice' in his head. "Of course, I was. And it was an…interesting flight. What about you?" He asked, hefting his broom over one shoulder.

And, as he'd predicted, she happily chattered away. He walked beside her, smiling contently.

Hey, guys! After a really long hiatus, here we go. I hope to make these more regular. For any of you waiting for my other HP WIP, it'll be up sometime over the weekend, as it isn't coming as smoothly as this one. As always, please let me know what you guys think! Thanks, Minara.