The hum of conversation faded behind him as Harry stepped into the Floo room in order to personally meet the next set of guests. Exactly on time, the fire flared up, turned green and disgorged a trio of people, all of whom managed to exit as smoothly as if they had simply been walking between rooms.
"Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Heir Malfoy, welcome to The Pottery." Harry said formally and Lucius Malfoy inclined his head in acknowledgement.
"Lord Potter, it was very gracious of you to invite us." He replied, looking around. "I must say that the size of the windows here is quite unique. Most mansions do not have anything quite so… expansive."
"Small rooms lead to small thoughts." Harry stated, earning a raised eyebrow. "The larger the room, the bigger the thoughts you can pursue and having a room… or indeed a mansion that seems to be fully open encourages large thoughts."
"That would explain quite a bit of what happens in the Ministry." Lucius mused. "But surely having so much glass leaves you vulnerable should anyone choose to attack. Stone resists magic quite well, but glass tends to… shatter."
"This is special glass, created via a secret family technique to absorb any spell directed against it and using it to reinforce the wards." Harry countered with a sharp smile. "If anyone attacks the Pottery with magic, all they will accomplish is to reinforce my defenses. Even the Unforgivables would be diverted and used to enhance the wards. On the other hand, it is possible to cast spells outwards unimpeded once one has been keyed into the wards."
"Impressive." Lucius allowed. "Turning what would be a weakness into a true strength. Something worthy of a Slytherin."
"If you will please come with me?" Harry prompted and Lucius paused just long enough for Narcissa to take his arm, then they moved out of the Floo room.
"This is quite a spectacular building." Narcissa commented, looking round curiously. "Elegant simplicity… smooth lines… although I do not see much ornamentation."
"It's based an old style known as the Spartan style." Harry said as he led them towards the dining room. "The idea behind it is that the lack of distractions allow one to see the perfection of the item in question. Even the slightest flaw is obvious with this style…"
"Hence using it demonstrates that you can find or create things that are flawless!" Narcissa gasped in delight. "Whereas using lots of ornamentation implies that it's been added to hide the flaws… my beloved, perhaps we should consider re-decorating Malfoy Mansion in a similar way."
Harry hid a smirk as he led the trio into the dining hall and felt Lucius freeze at the sight of Augusta Longbottom turning to face them.
"Sister!"
"Sister!"
Narcissa glided past Harry to catch Andromeda Tonks in a hug.
"Come on, there are so many interesting people you need to meet." Andromeda urged Narcissa and Lucius looked at Draco.
"You may as well find the others your age." He stated. "I believe that this may be a long evening."
"I managed to hire a couple of professional players to watch over the Quidditch pitch, or…" Harry started, only for Draco to perk up.
"Quidditch? You have a private pitch?"
"It's over that way." Harry said, motioning to the path heading to a low building. "It's a sunken pitch…"
"Which is why the Ministry raised no objection." Lucius deduced. "Very well, Draco, I see no reason why you cannot practice your Chaser drills. Which team did you hire from?"
"The Wimborne Wasps." Harry replied. "Ludo Bagman was kind enough to put me in contact with them in exchange for an invitation."
"Is Mr Bagman here already?" Lucius asked, then he looked up as a loud laugh echoed in from outside. "I do believe that my question has just been answered."
Harry tilted his head slightly. "Ah, another guest is about to arrive. The buffet is over there with drinks at the far end while the entertainment is in the Marquee, along with a second bar area. If you will please excuse me?"
"Of course." Lucius said politely. As Harry walked off, Lucius made his way to the drinks area.
"Good afternoon." The Barkeeper said politely after handing an oddly-fizzing black drink to a camera-carrying wizard that Lucius thought looked somewhat familiar. "Would you prefer alcoholic or non-alcoholic?"
Lucius looked at the bottles, then at the odd T-shaped thing mounted on the bar, one with names on it he had never encountered before.
"What is a… seven-up?"
"A type of fizzy fruit squash. Lemon and lime, non-alcoholic." The barkeeper supplied and Lucius blinked.
"That sounds… intriguing. May I have some? I believe I will need to keep a clear head, after all."
.
"Minister Fudge, welcome to the Pottery." Harry said with a diplomatic smile. "And am I correct in assuming that this lovely lady is your wife?"
"She is indeed." Cornelius said with a matching smile while the woman on his arm giggled. "Quite a place you have here… I visited the Pottery once before it fell, you really have changed it. The windows used to be small and the walls quite thick to protect against cold winters. Won't the glass let all the heat out?"
"The windows are triple-paned, meaning that in summer, the heat stays out and in winter, the heat stays in." Harry shrugged as he gently ushered the Fudges towards the gathering. "There is plenty of food and drink available, while I was fortunate enough to be able to invite Celestine Warbeck to serenade us with a few of her more popular songs."
"You managed to persuade Celestina to perform?" Mrs Fudge gasped. "Incredible! Narcissa has complained that her husband has tried several times to hire her without success! How did you do it?"
"I said please." Harry snarked, then he sighed at the look he was receiving. "Okay, I met her and apologized for wasting her time since I was looking for entertainment for this event, but Celestina doesn't do private parties and I didn't find that out until one of her backing singers mentioned it. So, I apologized and asked who she would recommend, she decided I was cute and… and even now I'm still not certain what happened. She's like a force of nature when she gets going."
Mrs Fudge nodded happily. "I know… she's my ex-sister-in-law, but she and my brother parted amicably."
"You seem to have quite a gathering here." Cornelius noted as they walked into the dining room. "Why, I see quite a few members of the Wizengamot and several of my Department Heads… and is that Amelia Bones over there?"
"That is her." Harry confirmed, following the Minister's gaze. "Regent Longbottom was invaluable in helping to decide who to invite to this little do. Virtually everyone who holds a high-ranking position or is a notable public figure is here, except for Dumbledore. He graciously refused since he would overshadow me somewhat."
"He is quite a well-known person." Fudge agreed with considerable understatement.
"He is indeed." Harry said with a half-smile.
.
"Are all wizarding balls like this?" Ronald Granger asked as a passing wizard gave him a look somewhere between confusion and dislike.
"Usually, yes." Augusta replied before taking a small sip of her brightly-colored drink. To Ronald's carefully-hidden amusement, Augusta had tried several of the non-wizarding drinks before declaring that cherryade was undoubtedly the best drink ever and promptly having her champagne flute filled almost to the brim with it.
"It's very rare for someone without magic to attend one of these." She continued, nodding to Ronald and Joan almost apologetically. "And since only the wealthy hold balls and invite those they already know, it's incredibly rare for those who aren't part of Wizarding Society to attend. As a result, most wizards and witches who do attend Balls tend not to know how to react around Muggles."
"So, it's more confusion than anything." Joan summarized.
"Indeed." Augusta agreed, taking another sip of her fizzing drink.
.
"Quite a party this, isn't it?" Filius Flitwick laughed jovially.
"Indeed so." Amelia Bones replied as she nodded at a couple of passing Wizengamot members. "I see that young Lord Potter pulled off quite a social coup with the entertainment. I looked in on the room my niece was in and they were watching an odd portrait that had singing furniture in it. Something about serving food, but Susan seemed to be enjoying it, as were the others."
"Harry mentioned that Tonks had volunteered to watch over that room." Filius noted. "You may know of her, she's a Metamorphmagus who…"
"Oh, that Tonks." Amelia nodded. "Mad-eye's taken an interest in her and intends to train her personally."
Flitwick raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Do make sure you have her demonstrate the technique that she helped to come up with. She aided three of my Ravens in modifying the Duellist's Shield to make something quite impressive."
Amelia felt her own eyebrows lift at the information the Charms Master had provided.
"I'll make sure to watch that."
.
"She is amazing." Bagman sighed as on the temporary stage, Celestina Warbeck sang to the backing of her chorus line.
"You charmed the heart right out of me,
"Don't need no broom, I'm flying free,
"I think by now it's plain to see,
"I'm nothing without you."
"Indeed she is." Lucius Malfoy said in agreement, causing Ludo to jolt in shock, not having heard the man approach. "I find myself respecting Lord Potter for achieving something that I, so far, have failed to do. And at such a young age as well."
"Isn't your son in the same year?" Ludo asked and Lucius nodded.
"Indeed. He was sorted into Slytherin, just like I was all those years ago. He plans on applying to join the Slytherin Quidditch team."
Ludo blinked. "He doesn't seem to have the build for a Beater and is quite slim, so… Seeker?"
"He actually wishes to become a Chaser, although I am certain he would do well as a Seeker as well." Lucius replied, his voice calm but with hints of pride. "He is taking his duties as Heir Malfoy very seriously. Why, yesterday he asked if he could watch me balancing the Malfoy accounts."
"I never was very good with accounting." Ludo admitted with a shrug. "Of course, I have enough money that it doesn't really matter all that much."
"An advantage that we both share." Lucius smiled. "And those of us who do not need to worry too much about money are members of a truly blessed brotherhood, are we not?"
"We are indeed, my friend." Ludo agreed with a wide grin. "We are indeed!"
"This feeling's utter bliss,
"Yet something seems amiss,
"Like a Dementor's Kiss,
"You're consuming me!
"And now you've torn it quite apart,
"I'll thank you to give me back my heart!
.
"Catch!"
Draco caught the flicker of motion in the corner of his eyes and spun just enough to catch the incoming Quaffle.
"Excellent!" One of the three watching players called. "Now, pass!"
Assessing the positions of his two team-mates, Draco feinted left and then delivered a textbook-perfect backhand pass.
"Good one!" The same man called. "Okay, time, land and discuss!"
Draco spiraled down, careful to keep track of all the others rather than simply dive like he had the first time (and for which he had received a five-minute lecture on why grandstanding was a bad idea except when actually playing and even then it should be done sparingly). Touching down, he glanced round again before moving to join the ranks of the other Chaser-trainees.
"Most of you have done very well." The lone woman of the trio of players said, a smile on her face and Draco felt his chest swell with pride. "In fact, a few of you may even be able to go professional if you keep improving like this."
Draco's pride suddenly turned bittersweet. Although a career in Quidditch did appeal to him, it was becoming more and more apparent to him that his mother's critique of his father as finding it hard to plan for the long-term was accurate. Only the fact that his father trusted his mother as much as he did (even to the point of letting her create the long-term plans that had ensured the continued wealth of the Malfoys) had prevented his incarceration and the beggaring of the family.
If his father screwed up much more, then Draco would have no choice but to take over.
And that would prevent him from pursuing a career outside politics.
Pushing the unwanted thoughts aside, Draco returned his attention back to the player who was talking.