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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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Albus Dumbledore had claimed for ten years that Harry Potter was safe and well, did he know the child was living with the goblins - and what part did he play in that despicable decision?
The story then descended into hearsay about Harry's first week inside Hogwarts, a few facts stitched together to push whatever agenda the paper wanted. They correctly identified that Harry had been sorted into Ravenclaw though glossed over the whole Hogwarts champion thing. Their preference was clearly to concentrate on how he had 'apparently' deliberately spurned advances from children of prominent wizarding families. The troll incident was certainly covered, though again only the fact that Harry killed it with a goblin blade was considered worth the mentioning.
The paper certainly generated the reaction they wanted from Harry's best friend, but Hermione's outrage wasn't focused where the Prophet would expect. "This is utter rubbish! Can they get away with printing this?"
Padma was also shaking her head. "Oh, you obviously haven't read the best bit yet Hermione? The paragraph near the end where it calls on all the young witches of Hogwarts to show Harry the 'benefits' of rejoining wizarding society. As an extra incentive, it points out that the lucky young witch who lands the famous wizard would one day be incredibly wealthy - and Lady Potter!"
Hermione could hardly breath as she turned to Harry for some sort of confirmation, the young witch wasn't sure just what she wanted him to say.
Harry could only go with the truth. "The head of the Potter family will become Lord Potter, and be wealthy enough to make the Malfoys appear paupers. Not that they would ever flaunt their wealth - things like that are only done by people trying to impress."
Hermione sat there with her mouth open. The best friend, who she'd been crushing on since laying eyes on him, was some multi-millionaire lord, and one that every girl in the school would now be chasing after.
Harry could see what was happening and decided to put a stop to it at once, he stood and offered Hermione his hand. "My Lady?"
Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the double meaning now contained in those words. She took his hand to stand and was soon in her usual position, on Harry's arm.
"You said yourself Hermione, the whole thing is utter rubbish. I'm still Harry, and still your best friend."
Hermione held onto his arm with both hands and rested her head on Harry's shoulder in relief as they made their way out the hall. Hermione was so overcome with relief, she didn't care that every pair of female eyes were now on them - far less what kind of statement they were making. She was on Harry's arm and the world was once more fantastic in Hermione Granger's opinion.
Padma and Neville soon joined them, as did the rest of the first years who were all heading for the greenhouses.
Draco was also smiling, though for a far different reason. His father had cautioned him to sit back and observe, sending home any information he discovered. The head of the Malfoy family had decided he would wait until the story publicly broke before making his move, figuring that he would have more opportunities of manipulating things they way he wanted then. After seeing today's Prophet, Draco knew his father would shortly be bound for Hogwarts.
Albus was also expecting visitors after reading how the Prophet chose to break the news. Cornelius would soon be making his way to the castle and the headmaster didn't really know how he was going to deal with the problem. Nothing in all his years had prepared him for a situation like the one he now found himself in. Albus was going to have to play the entire thing on the fly - he couldn't remember when he'd last had to do that either.
Ron Weasley was the only first year not heading to herbology, rather the Gryffindor set off toward the owlery. Ron thought his meal time problems were far more important than any class about stupid plants. His twin brothers had told Ron what was expected of him to end this torture. He knew within himself that was never going to happen so it was time to call for reinforcements. Ron decided this time there would be no messing about, he was going straight to the top. It was time his mother found out just how much torture her youngest son was being forced to endure inside Hogwarts.
-oOoOo-
Professor Sprout soon had them all working so there was no time time for any comments about today's Prophet, Harry was quite happy with that. After the lesson, he overheard the other three Ravenclaw first year boys discussing what they thought was going to happen after lunch, it was now common knowledge that Professor Quirrell had 'left' Hogwarts.
Harry thought this might be good opportunity to start working on those 'snubbing' rumours. "Guys, my father is arranging a private defence tutor for me. If you want, I can ask them if it's okay to up the numbers a bit?"
Michael, Anthony and Terry were all keen but Malfoy had overheard. It was with a superior sneer he addressed Harry, loud enough though to ensure everyone else heard. "If you think any 'proper' pureblood witch or wizard would ever stand for a goblin teaching them, you really are as big an idiot as Weasley claims Crow."
Padma was quick to jump all over Malfoy at his implied insult. "My family were recognised as pureblood witches and wizards while your ancestors were still herding goats in the French mountains. We apparently have different opinions about what constitutes a proper pureblood. Daddy having plenty of money doesn't change the fact it was only a few generations ago that the British branch of the Malfoys were chased out of France with their tails between their legs."
Draco was livid and moved threateningly toward Padma, only to find his way blocked by both Neville and Harry. This was Hogwats first glimpse of Neville standing up for himself and it took everyone, including Malfoy, by surprise.
"Like Padma says, we have a different definition of what a proper pureblood is. While your ancestors were herding those goats, The Longbottoms and Potters were already magical lords in this country. By any definition you care to make, my blood is classed as purer than yours."
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Welcome to the world of our fanfic! Your support is the heartbeat of this story, allowing us to craft new adventures and explore deeper character arcs. With over 55 chapters ahead, becoming a patron gives you exclusive access to bonus content and the chance to influence the narrative's direction.
Join us on this thrilling ride—together, we can make every chapter unforgettable!
http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi
(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)
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