Meles Malfoy

Chapter 6. The meetings by the lake.

The rest of the week went quite smoothly for Draco. Apart from a few nasty comments from some of the older Slytherins, none of the other first years from that house had much to say to him. He met with Crabbe and Goyle a number of times in the Great Hall and outside DADA. The Gryffindors, spurred on by the three youngest Weasleys, were all too delighted to take any opportunity to make fun of him, though never when there was anyone else from Draco's house around.

On Saturday morning, Draco rose quite late (for him) and began to get a head start on some homework. He didn't know how long his appointment later that day would be, but he knew that he probably wouldn't be in any sort of mood for schoolwork afterwards.

After a while he was joined by Justin and Ernie, who were carrying on a discussion of the differences between Quidditch and water-polo. Draco did not appreciate this interruption and abruptly got up and moved away to a quieter corner leaving a pair of rather stunned classmates wondering what they had said or done to merit such a cold shoulder.

Lucius Malfoy and the rest of the board of governors were present at the staff table for lunch but Draco wasn't even given a second glance by his father, who spent most of the meal in conversation with Snape.

After lunch Draco went back to The Sett and tried to continue his Charms homework but he couldn't concentrate. This time the distraction was caused by people playing chess, Mornington Crescent and gobstones. At quarter past one he could wait no longer, so he replaced his books in his room, had a shower and changed into a new set of robes. He wasn't sure whether arriving at the meeting in an immaculate set of Hufflepuff robes was likely to placate or enrage his father. However, since scruffiness was "certainly not a part of a Malfoy's sartorial lexicon" as Lucius had said on more than one occasion, he decided that freshly pressed house robes and no body odours would be his wisest choice.

At ten minutes to two, Draco emerged from under the rug (quietly berating himself for leaving it so long before getting ready) and made his way upstairs to the foyer where his father was already waiting.

"I see you are displaying house colours today," commented Lucius.

"Yes Father."

"Let's get this over with. Outside."

As they made their way around the lake Lucius explained at length how disappointed both he and Narcissa (Draco's mother) were that he had not been sorted into the 'right house'. Draco was reminded that in his mother's family there had been a number of people who were not Slytherins and had all met with humiliation in one way or another when they left Hogwarts, and if Draco was to be a member of Hufflepuff then he had better make very sure that he chose his friends very carefully or he could expect the same fate.

Lucius' lecture went on for over an hour before a carriage arrived to return him to the apparition point outside the school gates. His parting words to his son left Draco speechless. "I will be watching you very closely, Draco, and if I hear one word of you rejecting your heritage, you will wish you had grown up a Squib."

Draco returned from the meeting with his father and walked past his house-mates in the common room and straight to his bedroom where he flung himself on the bed in a fit of impotent rage.

Presently, he was joined in the room by Justin. "What did your father say?"

"He said that he had planned for me to be in Slytherin and that he couldn't see the point of me being in any other house. He said that he would almost prefer it if I were to have grown up a Squib."

"Well, there are over five billion people in the world and most of them aren't magical. Boys don't start at Eton until they are thirteen or fourteen so if this magic thing doesn't work out, I can probably still get my name back on the list. There's always another way. That's how I look at things."

On hearing this, Draco's temper was piqued. Mud-bloods were just like Father said they would be, he said to himself, remembering a lecture his father had given him before he came to Hogwarts. "They are mentally incapable of truly understanding the complexities of the Magical Arts and therefore, when one of them is able to show signs of magical ability, they treat it like a joke. You must associate yourself only with those who are able to show magic the respect it deserves, and only pure-bloods are able to do this, Draco." I don't need his pity. I'm going to have to introduce this mud-blood to a few home truths.

"Listen to me," said Draco, annunciating every syllable in a deathly stage-whisper. "Magic is not some irrelevant hobby of the leisured classes, nor is it some tawdry profession like an actuary or merchant, nor is it some undignified trade such as a mason or cook. It isn't even a vocation like that of a priest. It is an expression of who we are as a people. There is a reason why the mundane and magical worlds are separate: that reason is that we are able to become masters of our environment in ways that make Muggles look like the pathetic wretches they are. In time you will come to understand what I mean, but it's best that you learn sooner rather than later to reject the contemptible enthralments of Muggle society and realise that the only real way to influence the world is through magic," shouted Draco, his voice having reached a crescendo.

Justin's look of concern for his room-mate fell away and was replaced by one of bewildered embarrassment as he listened to Draco's diatribe. He started to babble. "Oh... erm... I'm sorry if I offended you..."

"Your existence offends me!" shouted Draco.

"It's all just so new to me... I'm sorry..." continued Justin in a vain attempt to pacify Draco. But Draco was not in a pacific mood, and gave Justin such a glare that the Muggle-born was sent scurrying from the room, leaving him alone.

Who did that mud-blood think he was? Just because he could snap his wand in two, go home and never need to think about magic again. This is all that stupid hat's fault. Draco stayed in the room for several hours thinking these sorts of thoughts and was eventually joined by Webley to ask him why neither he nor Justin had been at the table for dinner. "It's none of my concern what he gets up to," replied Draco.

"Did you two have some sort of argument? I know you met with your father this afternoon but that's no reason to take it out on your room-mate."

"That's none of your business!" screamed Draco.

"Well, when you go around starting fights with other people in this house, I make it my business!" replied Webley, in a tone even more forceful than Draco's. "And you had better go and find Justin and make it up to him. It's too early in the year for this kind of nonsense."

Draco found Justin walking around the lake. It was quite a cold day and Justin had been out for several hours without a cloak; he looked frozen.

"Hello," said Draco, as he approached.

"Oh. Hello," replied Justin, not quite meeting Draco's eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier, alright..." started Draco.

"No, it's my fault actually. I shouldn't have been so..."

"Don't start all that again. All I meant to say is that if you want to become a wizard, you need to start acting like one."

"What do you mean?"

"I can help you, show you how to comport yourself in accordance with your status as a wizard."

"You mean that?"

"Of course. It's always in one's best interests to help out one's friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes, why not?" said Draco, making it sound like a throwaway remark even though they both realised that there was a lot more to it than that. "You look frozen, have you been outside the whole time?"

"Yes it's been 'brass monkeys' out here," replied Justin, causing Draco to look to the sky with a worried expression.

"Anyway, friend, since you've been out here exploring for so long, what have you found?"

"This tree started tried to hit me with its branches when I got too close, and did you know there is some sort of giant sea-monster thing in the lake?"

"I've heard about that tree. There are a lot of stories about how and why it was planted. Anyway, you must be starving and I think we've both missed dinner. Let's go find a 'tidy-up fairy' to bring us something to eat." Laughing at their private joke and chatting amiably about their first week at school and the various peculiar discoveries they had made in the castle and its grounds, the pair headed back towards the castle.

Draco did not think that he was rejecting his heritage by showing Justin how to behave properly. He would need to explain it all to his father but that could wait until after they had eaten.