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Mr. Malfoy and Draco were waiting for Harry and Mrs. Malfoy outside of his new solicitor's office. Both Malfoys were staring at Harry with openly appraising expressions. Mr. Malfoy looked a bit less predatory than he had in Harry's second year and much more predatory than he had towards the end of the previous timeline.
"Good morning darling" Mrs. Malfoy said without an ounce of surprise as she pressed a brief kiss to Mr. Malfoy's cheek then took his arm. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Only a few minutes" Mr. Malfoy reassured her at the same time that Draco huffed an equally quick response.
"Forever!" Mr. Malfoy glared at his son. Draco hunched his shoulders and hurriedly added, "But we didn't mind."
Harry smirked. Draco flushed and glared at Harry.
"This is my husband, Lucius Malfoy."
Harry studied the man. He was tall and slim and proud. He did not look like he jumped at loud noises or cringed away from people. He was not sneering or even particularly cruel looking. He was simply… curious, cunning, and a bit imposing.
"Good morning sir."
"Harry this is my son Draco" Mrs. Malfoy said, her tone loving and indulgent when she said her son's name.
"That means he's my cousin too." This time around Harry offered Draco his hand. "It's nice to see you again."
Draco hesitated a moment the straightened his spine and shoulders. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance" he said stiffly, clearly falling back on his formal manners, as he shook Harry's hand.
It was such a difference from the train meeting that they were supposed to have that Harry actually laughed. Draco scowled and snatched his hand back.
"Don't be like that!" Harry said cheerfully. "It's just that you weren't like that a moment ago. It was like you flicked a switch or a manners charm or whatever."
"Manners are very important" Draco said snottily.
"It's too late to fool me with them" Harry retorted, relentlessly cheerful if only to aggravate Malfoy even more. "We've already met. What's your favorite quidditch team?"
Draco blinked as he automatically replied, "The Dragons."
"For their players or because they share your name?"
"Both!"
Harry laughed again. "I heard they were the eternal rivals of the Chudley Cannons."
Draco sniffed. "The Cannons are a joke. They should be drummed out of the league."
"The Dragons aren't much better!"
"You follow the Cannons?" Draco said in tones of vast and intense outrage.
"I don't have a favorite team yet. Haven't even been to a quidditch game yet. At least, not that I can remember."
"Really? They're amazing!"
The boys fell into step behind the adults as Draco began to describe the last Quidditch World Cup. It involved a lot of arm waving.
Harry grinned.
Malfoy wasn't truly nasty or spiteful yet. He wasn't even a baby Death Eater yet. He was just a spoilt child who wanted to be liked and hated being laughed at. His love of quidditch made him a lot more likeable though. Harry blamed Ron for that particular prejudice.
Lunch with Draco and his parents was exponentially more nerve wracking than with Mrs. Malfoy alone. Draco had perfect manners, of course. Harry tried to imitate him. Draco helpfully took his time selecting his silverware and in arranging his grip on it. The adults sat nearby and quietly gossiped, although they were probably eavesdropping on Draco and himself. He and Draco were still talking about quidditch.
"I want to be a Seeker at Hogwarts!"
"Really? You'd be happier as a chaser."
Draco blinked. "You've never even seen me fly."
Morgana's tits! Why did he always run off at the mouth? What was he going to say 'I've seen you play. You're a good Seeker – better than average. But you aren't a great one. That's why you had to buy your way onto your house team second year. Trust me – you'll be a better chaser.'
Harry shrugged. "I look at you and I think chaser. You're slim and quick and –" Harry flicked a pea at Draco's face. Draco's hand darted up and snatched it out of the air. He glared at Harry. " – and you have good hand-eye coordination."
"The same stuff is true about Seekers and Seekers are the most important players on the team!"
Draco put the pea on the very edge of his plate.
"I thought the captain was the most important player on the team 'cause he calls the shots. He's the only one you can't replace."
Draco paused, his mouth open, and then thoughtfully closed his mouth.
Harry grinned.
"You never said what house you want to be in" Draco suddenly remembered.
Harry squirmed. "I think – I think I belong in Slytherin –"
"We could be housemates!"
"But I'll probably choose Gryffindor."
"What!" Draco looked scandalized. "Why wouldn't you want to be in Slytherin? It's the best house!"
"My parents were in Gryffindor. How else am I supposed to get to know them?"
Draco blinked. "I don't understand."
"I think I'd do okay in either house. Maybe I'd be a bit better off in Slytherin but if I go with Gryffindor, I'll get to see and do the things my parents did. And I'll be able to meet their friends. I'll be able to get to know them."
Draco scrunched his nose up. "Why not just ask your relatives?"
"They hate my parents. I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid told me. My family told me I was just a freak."
"A freak! They don't even have magic!"
"Mmmm. Asking them for anything is a bad idea. Even if they answer, they'll probably just lie to me."
Draco actually looked thoughtful. "So you're going to pretend to be a Gryffindor so that the Gryffindors will tell you the truth about your parents?"
"I'll be a Gryffindor. When I join that house, my loyalty will be to them."
"That's a cunning plan" Lucius Malfoy interjected "worthy of a Slytherin. But the Sorting Hat is not so easily manipulated."
Harry's eyes flicked to Draco's parents. He focused on Mr. Malfoy.
"Then I'll make it do what I want."
The older man raised his eyebrows at Harry. "How?"
"I'll think of something" Harry said, aware that the confidence oozing from those four words was probably remarkably unattractive. He probably sounded a bit arrogant.
Mr. Malfoy smirked.
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Want to know what happens next?100+ advanced chapters await you on Patreon! Be the first to read what others will have to wait for. Join the community and read ahead today!
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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