Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, 4/19/1992, 17:29
Harry stepped out of the fireplace and waited for Bella and the children to follow him into the arrival room at Malfoy Manor. Tonight was Narcissa's Easter Ball and Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't a little excited to be here.
The last few days had been one word... stressful.
Harry had been having to meet with officials from two different ministries to register his daughter's XXXXX familiar as well as explain to the Greek ministry how all of this had happened in the first place.
The Greek ministry in particular was livid and had already informed him that he was not allowed on the reserve for the foreseeable future. Harry was just pleased that they had already transferred his fee for the collections before he had contacted them about Citrine, otherwise, he doubted they would they wouldn't have gotten paid.
On the home front, the British ministry was forced to recognize Citrine as Carina's familiar since magical law stated that the magical government could not interfere with a familiar bond.
Even closer to the homefront, Harry's own familiar was very annoyed that yet another serpent was living in her nest and had been sulking since she learned of Carina bonding with Citrine.
Needless to say, Harry had been having a very trying few days and he was looking forward to dancing with Bella tonight.
As Harry looked around the room, he heard the fireplace 'woosh' three times very quickly as his children and then his wife appeared in flashes of green flame.
The kids were dressed in basic dress robes Carina's in emerald green and looked more like everyday robes than a dress. Iggy's robes were a soft blue and fit him nicely. Bella saw no reason to get them an elaborate wardrobe for tonight and Harry agreed with her, the basic robes were more comfortable and the kids preferred them to the more elaborate offerings sold at Twilfitt and Tattings.
Unfortunately, that did not apply to him as his robes were formfitting and had to have at least a hundred buttons on the front. They were black acronantula silk and looked like a cross between robes and a tuxedo with a very exaggerated tailcoat.
Amusingly, Bellatrix had gone for a muggle dress tonight which blew Harry's mind. The dress she had chosen was solid black which was a departure from her usual purple. It was so form-fitting that it looked to have been poured over her. The hem came to just above her knees showing off a generous amount of leg. The top had no sleeves and a modest 'V' cut showing off a generous amount of cleavage and she completed the outfit with a set of black strappy high-heels. The shoes had hundreds of diamonds set into the wide ankle straps, making Harry wonder how much that particular set of shoes must have cost.
Harry was pulled from observing his wife when he heard a fourth 'woosh' as the flames inside the fireplace turned bright green. Less than a second later Jennifer stepped out looking very nervous in her brand-new dress robes.
She had gone for a simple lemon-yellow dress that complimented her brown skin tone well. The dress was form-fitting at the top and came down to her ankles. Her dress resembled a traditional ballgown and actually kind of reminded him of a dress he had seen in a cartoon that came out a few years ago though Jennifer hadn't worn the gloves. Harry did not doubt that she would attract quite a bit of male attention tonight.
"Lord Peverell, welcome to Malfoy Manor please follow me to the ballroom," a familiar child's voice cut into his thoughts.
Harry turned to see Draco standing in front of them. His nephew was dressed in fine green acromantula silk robes and kept glancing at Jennifer and looking away quickly, his cheeks turning the slightest pink.
"Please lead the way, Heir Malfoy," Harry said knowing that Narcissa insisted on these formalities in the presence of strangers.
"Madam, welcome to Malfoy Manor," Draco said, his cheeks turning even darker pink when Jennifer smiled kindly at him.
"Thank you, Heir Malfoy," Jennifer said warmly.
The Peverells and their guest followed behind Draco as he led them into the ballroom where most of the guests were already milling about.
This Malfoy ballroom was decorated the opposite of the ball at Christmas. If there was one word to describe the decorations it was, spring. The ceiling was enchanted to look like a clear sunny blue sky.
There was also some type of transparent barrier over the room that separated the air over the ballroom from the guests. Above this barrier, hundreds of colourful birds fluttered about casting shadows over the ballroom below. The only way Harry even noticed the barrier was because he watched a bird dropping fall and then stop about five feet over Augusta Longbottom's head. The dropping looked like it landed on a clear pane of glass before it vanished a few seconds later.
Dozens of golden perches were mounted on the ballroom's walls. The perches were set very high some near the ceiling so the birds had somewhere to rest. Harry was almost certain that Cissa had brought the birds in from her aviary and he couldn't deny that it was a nice touch as children all around the room seemed to be fascinated with the colourful birds flying overhead.
The walls were decorated with flowers thousands and thousands of flowers in every colour imaginable seemed to be growing up the walls filling the air with their fragrance. There were also elaborate flower decorations on all of the tables that lined both sides of the ballroom making Harry feel like he was in a massive flower garden.
A string quartet was playing soothing music from the stage at the top of the hall filling the room with easygoing music as the guests mingled about sipping flutes of champagne and glasses of punch.
"This place is amazing," Jennifer muttered in awe as she looked around the ballroom l.
"Narcissa has a gift for decoration," Harry chuckled.
"Why to thank you, Harry," Narcissa said seeming to appear out of thin air and making his apprentice jump slightly.
"Narcissa, you look stunning this evening," Harry complimented as his sister-in-law came to stand in front of their party.
Tonight Narcissa had gone for a more traditional silver ballgown that seemed to flow over her like a waterfall, shimmering in the light every time she moved. The dress was sleeveless and showed a modest amount of skin.
"Why thank you, Harry," Narcissa said, giving Harry a winning smile before eyeing Jennifer curiously.
"Narcissa this is my former apprentice, Jennifer Martin," Harry said to her unasked question.
"Jennifer, this is my sister-in-law, Narcissa Malfoy," Harry said gesturing to the blonde.
"A pleasure to meet you dear, I do believe I know your uncle, Miguel," Narcissa said giving Jennifer a warm smile.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Lady Malfoy. I am currently Uncle Miguel's primary venom collector," Jennifer said proudly as she shook Narcissa's offered hand.
"Miguel and I have done a lot of business over the years," Narcissa said, giving Jennifer a thoughtful look.
"Narcissa runs Black Potion Supplies and is responsible for sending me to Africa every summer," Harry added helpfully.
"Indeed. While we're on the subject of collections, we need to have a word in the next few days, Harry," Narcissa said as she turned to lock eyes with Harry.
"I knew that was coming. You're going to yell at me aren't you?" Harry asked only half-jokingly.
"No, that would be most uncouth. I do want to discuss how we can resolve this little problem you've created with the Greek reserve but this is not the venue for that conversation," Narcissa said pleasantly.
"Very well," Harry said already dreading that particular conversation.
"Anyway, I am glad you all made it. Bellatrix, you look lovely tonight," Narcissa said before she glided away to mingle with her other guests.
"You are in trouble," Bella cooed from beside him as soon as she saw her sister begin talking with Lord Brown and his family.
"I don't think I'm in trouble but I believe I am in a similar position to Hercules right about now," Harry muttered darkly.
"Why do you say that?" Jennifer asked in confusion.
"Because whatever she wants to discuss will involve twelve labours. My sister loves coming up with the most difficult tasks she can think of and always finds a way to get Harry to complete them for her," Bellatrix said looking highly amused.
"She also has contacts in the Greek ministry that can sweep the matter with the basilisk under the rug, for a price," Harry elaborated as he snagged two glasses of wine from a hovering tray and offered one to Bellatrix.
"Our countries really aren't that different," Jennifer chuckled as she grabbed herself a glass of wine.
"Corruption is the tongue that is universal," Harry agreed.
"Daddy, I'm thirsty," Carina whined from his right.
"I'll take them to get some punch," Jennifer offered.
"Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't put anything into the punch bowl," Harry warned.
"Daddy, I would never," Carina protested looking scandalized.
"Neither would I, Aunt Cissa would skin me alive," Iggy sniggered.
Harry waited until Jennifer had led the kids over to the drinks table before turning to Bella.
"You wouldn't happen to know what your sister wants me to do?" Harry asked hopefully.
"No," Bella answered looking thoughtfully at her sister who was currently talking with the Selwyn ladies.
"She was right, you do look gorgeous tonight," Harry smiled as he looked at Bellatrix appreciatively.
"Thank you, Andi helped me pick this dress out," Bella said looking very pleased with the compliment.
Bella did look stunning in the little black dress she was wearing and was certainly getting a lot of appreciative glances from the other guests.
"I suppose I'll just have to wait and find out what she wants," Harry sighed.
"I would be more concerned with what she is discussing with the Selwyns," Bella said before taking a sip of her wine.
"Nothing good if Melanie's expression is anything to go by," Harry said as he glanced over at the paling girl talking to Narcissa.
Melanie Selwyn looked very uncomfortable and had an unmistakable look of fear on her face which was a contrast to the pleased look on Narcissa's face as she said something to the younger girl.
Before Bella could reply, a chime sounded over the hall getting the attention of every guest in the ballroom.
Narcisa quickly ended her whispered conversation with the Selwyns and gave a lazy wave of her wand most likely cancelling a privacy charm.
"If everyone will join me in the dining room, dinner will be served shortly," Narcissa said in a pleasant voice before a handsome young man appeared at her side and offered her his arm to escort her from the hall.
As soon as Narcissa left the hall on the arm of her escort, guests began following her, chatting excitedly among themselves.
Harry pushed his curiosity about Narcissa's conversation with the Selwyns' to the back of his mind so that he could gather his family.
Once his family and Jennifer were ready, the Peverells made their way to the dining room. They took a seat near the head of the table across from the Greengrasses much to Ignotus' delight.
"Harry old man, it's been a long time?" Jonathan said by way of greeting as soon as Harry had taken a seat at the table.
"Old, I'm younger than you," Harry quipped.
"Age is a state of mind," Jonathan shrugged, causing his wife to roll her eyes.
"Let me introduce you to Jennifer Martin my former apprentice," Harry said as Jennifer took a seat on Harry's right.
"Jennifer, this is Lord Jonathan Greengrass one of my colleagues in the Wizengamot," Harry said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Martin. Let me introduce my wife Roxanne and my daughters Daphne and Astoria," Jonathan continued each lady giving a slight bow of their head when Jonathan introduced them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Jennifer said nervously.
Harry let his mind wander as Jennifer talked with the Greengrass ladies idly noticing Bill Weasley taking a seat on Jennifer's other side
Dinner passed with pleasant conversation as they enjoyed another excellent meal courtesy of Dobby. Harry talked with Jonathan a bit but his mind kept drifting to the Selwyn ladies who were seated not far from the Peverells. Both mother and daughter looked very pale and Harry had a hunch that whatever Narcissa had discussed with them was weighing heavy on their minds.
Shortly after the dessert course was served, Narcissa gave a lighthearted speech and then invited the guests to join her in the ballroom to start the dance portion of the evening.
Harry led Bella and the children into the ballroom idly noticing that Jennifer was having an animated conversation with Bill as the two of them followed behind the Peverell family.
Harry couldn't help but notice how many more people were here tonight than at the Yule Ball a few months ago. Harry talked with a few of the guests and was surprised to learn that there were a lot of French citizens in attendance tonight.
"Care to dance, Bella?" Harry asked after Narcissa finished the opening dance and the onlookers clapped politely.
"I thought you would never ask," Bellatrix beamed.
"You two behave," Harry said, glancing over at the twins.
"I will, Daddy," Carina said as she allowed Citrine to slither out of the handbag she had brought with her.
They had little choice but to bring Citrine tonight, the little snake was into everything and the last few days had been a learning experience for Harry. He had worked with magical snakes over the years but he had very little experience with young magical serpents.
Non-magical serpents were far different when they were young, they hatched with the personality of an adult and were self-sufficient as soon as they left the egg hunting and taking care of themselves.
Magical serpents were also self-sufficient as soon as they hatched but they had a child's mentality and were curious to the point they could cause themselves trouble. In the wild, this wasn't a problem as Citrine had never left the little swamp she lived in but in the house there were all sorts of things that could be dangerous for her.
"Keep an eye on her," Harry warned as he looked between his daughter and the tiny basilisk coiled up on the table surveying the ballroom with interest.
"Yes, Daddy," Carina promised as she stroked the little snake's head.
§If I behave, can I have a frog§, Citrine asked hopefully.
§Yes, if you don't get into mischief I will give you a frog§, Harry promised.
§I promise to be good§, Citrine said eagerly.
"I want you to behave yourself as well, Ignotus," Bellatrix said as she fixed her eyes on their son.
"Yes Mother," Ignotus answered at once.
"Good, now be a good lad and go ask Astoria to dance," Harry instructed a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Yes Father," Ignotus answered, his cheeks flushing a bit.
Harry waited a minute as he watched his son approach Astoria before he offered Bella his arm which she happily took and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.
"I think Jennifer is enjoying herself," Bella smirked as she gestured to the girl in question dancing with Bill Weasley.
"She told me that she is already seeing someone," Harry shrugged as they began to dance to the calming tune.
"Well my sister looks annoyed," Bella giggled as she gestured to Narcissa who was shooting a glare at Bill.
"Bill had better watch himself," Harry muttered.
"Indeed," Bella said as she looked across the room.
The rest of the evening was quite nice, Harry had come to enjoy these balls even if he was forced to mingle with other Wizengamot members. Nothing exciting happened that evening other than Sirius having a bit too much and being escorted home by a very annoyed Amelia around ten o 'clock.
Harry took his own family home shortly after Sirius left unaware that the excitement at Malfoy Manor was just beginning.
Selwyn Property, 4/19/1992, 22:39
Hestia Carrow lay awake in Melanie's guest room thinking about how much trouble she and her sister had gotten themselves into last term.
Unfortunately, her aunt and uncle were out of the country so Hestia and her sister had been forced to stay at the Selwyn's over Easter.
Melanie had left her and Flora here tonight to go to the Malfoy ball which had Hestia on edge. She was almost certain that the attack on Melania a few months ago had something to do with the Malfoy matriarch.
Flora had similar thoughts and had been a bit out of sorts since Melanie and her mother left for the ball.
It still baffled Hestia how the Selwyn ladies could attend a ball at Malfoy Manor anyway when Lord Selwyn was killed at the Malfoy Easter ball back in eighty-three.
Hestia's thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps outside her door. It would seem that Melanie was back from the ball.
"I think they're back," Flora said from her place beside her sister in the queen-size bed they were sharing.
"I know, I hear them too," Hestia whispered as she heard the doorknob to their room turn.
Both Carrows twins looked up as the door opened and a very pale Melanie entered the room.
"Quickly, I have to get you two out of here," Melanie said in a borderline hysterical voice.
"What's the matter?" Hestia asked as she crawled out of bed followed seconds later by her twin.
"Narcissa Malfoy is coming over here!" Melanie exclaimed as she pulled out a quill from the pocket of her robe.
"So?" Hestia asked.
"She was the one who attacked me, she knows you two were the ones who attacked her son!" Melanie said talking a mile a minute.
"But you said you didn't remember who did it," Flora said as she stepped into a pair of fluffy slippers.
"I knew no one would believe me and I thought it would be over after she beat me to a pulp. She cornered Mother and me at the party demanding we allow her to come here to settle her score with you two. Mother will be bringing her here any minute!" Melanie said in a voice filled with panic.
"What do we do?" Hestia asked as she stepped into her own slippers.
"Take this portkey, it will take you to our summer home in Cornwall," Melanie said as she offered the sisters the quill.
"We just have to pack our-
"There is no time! I left ahead of her and Mother but they'll be here any minute!" Melanie hissed.
"Okay," Hestia said as she took the portkey from Melanie and Flora hastily grabbed ahold of it.
"I'll send your things after she leaves," Melanie promised, looking relieved they had agreed.
"Thanks for the warning," Hestia said, giving Melanie a grateful smile.
"I'm sorry about this, you two," Melanie said looking conflicted.
"Sorry about wha-"
"Doublecross," Melanie said, cutting off Hestia's question by activating the portkey.
Before Hestia could process what was happening, she felt a pull behind her navel a second before she and her sister were sucked into the blue vortex of portkey travel.
Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, 4/19/1992, 22:55
Hestia and her sister landed in a heap on a dirty stone floor in a pitch-black room.
"That dirty doublecrossing bint!" Hestia hissed in fury as the pieces fell into place.
"Selwyn sold us out!" Hestia growled as she shakily got to her feet only to grunt as the top of her head smacked the low ceiling of what she could only assume was a dungeon cell.
"Are we at Malfoy Manor, do you think?" Flora asked panic creeping into her voice
"I think so," Flora said gravely as she reached for her wand only to realize that it was still on the nightstand of the room she had just left.
"I d-didn't grab my wand," Flora stammered in a voice barely above a whisper.
Before Hestia could comment, they heard the sound of a heavy bolt and the room was filled with blinding light forcing them both to have to shield their eyes.
"Ah, the Carrow twins. I have been waiting a long time to meet you both," a refined female voice said causing Hestia's eyes to widen in recognition.
"Narcissa Malfoy," Hestia said feeling her stomach twisting in terror as she saw the woman standing in the open doorway
"I prefer Lady Malfoy but you are correct dear," Narcissa said pleasantly as she looked in at them with a victorious smile playing on her lips.
"Wh-what do you want?" Flora stammered her voice coming out much higher than normal.
"You two assaulted my son, I want compensation for the insult to House Malfoy," Narcissa said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"We'll do whatever you want, just let us out of here!" Hestia exclaimed feeling a sliver of hope that they might get out of this situation better than Melanie had a few months ago.
"In due time. For now, you are a guest in the Malfoy dungeons while I consider what it is you can do for me," Narcissa said her smile getting even wider.
"You're going to ke-keep us prisoner?!" Flora shrieked sounding almost hysterical.
"I am. You can work off your debt to House Malfoy in due time. While you're here, I will be settling a more personal score," Narcissa said all signs of playfulness disappearing from her features.
"What personal score?" Flora asked in a soft voice.
"You hurt my baby, you must be punished," Narcissa replied as she drew her wand from her arm holster.
"We were just following orders," Flora said looking frantically around for a way out of this room but finding the only exit blocked by Narcissa.
"Everberatius leviosa corpus," Narcissa said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Hestia watched in horror as her sister was pulled out of the cell into the hallway before she rose into the air, floating in front of Narcissa with her feet four inches off of the floor.
"Don't worry dear, I am a very good healer. Anything I break I can fix," Narcissa said in a soothing voice before the first invisible fist connected with Flora's face making her lip burst as Flora screamed in pain.
Hestia watched as her sister fell victim to the bludgeoning spell, her muffled screams and grunts echoing around the stone walls of her cell.
Hestia shrieked in rage and made to charge at the blonde who was mercilessly brutalizing her sister.
Hestia barely made it to the doorway of the cell before she collided with an invisible barrier. A split second later Hestia was flung upward through the air before, her body smacked painfully into the ceiling and then plummeted to the stone floor. Hestia shut her eyes, bracing herself to land painfully on the floor but that would have been preferable to what happened next.
The floor had a rebounding cushioning charm on it that flung her upward again so that she smacked into the ceiling with tremendous force. Hestia screamed as she felt her right knee connect with the stone ceiling followed by a nasty 'cracking' sound. Hestia exclaimed loudly as she fell to earth a second time and smacked the back of her head against the stone floor hard enough to see stars.
"My brother-in-law came up with these wards to keep his children out of the sea. I modified them slightly for my purposes," Narcissa said in a conversational tone as she flung Flora's unconscious body back into the cell with a lazy flick of her wand.
Before Hestia could respond a magical force lifted her off of the floor and she was pulled into the hallway, suspended by a magical force holding her up by her underarms.
Hestia squirmed and kicked sending her slippers flying across the cell but could she not escape the spell's hold on her as it carried her closer to Narcissa.
"Let me go!" Hestia screamed as she glared at the smirking woman in front of her.
"Oh dear, we have all night together," Narcissa giggled.
"Please, I'm sorry," Hestia begged as she continued to struggle
"I know you are, Hestia. I hope you girls learn a valuable lesson here tonight," Narcissa said as she looked over at the girl floating in front of her, the older woman appearing almost amused by her flailing.
"What's that? Never do business with the Selwyns," Hestia said, feeling very lightheaded from the earlier blow to the head.
"That and never follow orders blindly dear, sometimes it can get you into trouble," Narcissa corrected before an invisible fist connected with Hestia's face.
Hestia screamed as she was struck over and over again and tried to go somewhere else in her mind as the Malfoy matriarch ruthlessly beat her with the same spell she had used on Flora.
Hestia felt bones snapping almost every time the spell struck her and her voice had gone hoarse by the time one of the spells connected with the back of her head and she mercifully lost consciousness.
Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 4/21/1992, 13:49
Harry walked with Jennifer to the edge of the wardline so she could take her portkey back to South America. He was a bit sad to see her go but she had orders to fill and he had to be back to school tomorrow.
"I hope you had fun," Harry said as the two of them crossed the wardlines.
"I did, you have a wonderful family," Jennifer gushed.
"I am just sorry the weather isn't warm enough to have a cookout" Harry lamented.
"I may just pay you a visit this summer," Jennifer teased.
"You're more than welcome here anytime," Harry smiled.
"Thank you, I will see you soon," Jennifer said before pulling him into a hug.
Harry watched a moment later as her portkey activated taking her away in a flash of blue light.
Harry walked back to the house feeling a bit sad that she had to leave so soon but glad that she had finally gotten to meet his family.
Harry stepped through the front door to find Athena coiled up in his favourite chair watching Citrine chasing an animated toy mouse around on the floor as Carina directed it with her finger. Harry couldn't help but smile as Citrine struck at the mouse and Carina giggled cutely.
§She is very noisy§, Athena complained when she noticed Harry standing in the doorway.
§She is but she is still a hatchling§, Harry pointed out as he bent down and picked Athena up before draping her over his shoulders.
§She will be a very large serpent one day§, Athena conceded as Harry carried her up toward the jungle room.
§She will, but that will be a very long time from now§, Harry smiled.
§I like her though I wish she were calmer§, Athena confessed as Harry stepped into her jungle habitat.
§She will grow with Carina. They will grow up together§, Harry said as he leaned down and opened the cage with a live rabbit in it that was sitting on the earthen floor.
Harry and Athena watched the rabbit dart out of the cage before it disappeared into the thick undergrowth.
§Run little rabbit, Athena will find you§, His familiar crooned from her place on his shoulders.
Harry sat down cross-legged on the floor and let Athena slither to the ground before she coiled up, her tongue flicking to taste the air.
Harry hadn't been able to spend much time with Athena of late because of everything that had going on since the new year.
He made a note to spend more one on one time with her as he knew that she had been feeling neglected.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts as she darted into the undergrowth to begin her hunt and Harry watched her tail disappear. He stayed seated enjoying the peace of the jungle room and let himself relax as Athena stalked her prey.
Hogwarts, 4/25/1992, 12:39
Harry was making his way to the library to meet up with Susan so they could knock out their weekend homework. The return to school had been hectic, to say the least as the professors were trying to get the first years prepared for end-of-term exams.
Personally, Harry wasn't concerned about the exams themselves but the teachers seemed determined to pile on as much homework on them as possible making things more stressful after returning from Easter hos.
"GIVE ME MY BOOKS BACK!" Harry heard a familiar voice screech from farther down the hallway getting his attention.
"Shut it you annoying little mudblood," another female voice exclaimed followed by the sound of girls laughing.
Harry made his way to the sound of the commotion to find Hermione squaring off against three older Slytherin girls.
"Oi," Harry called out getting all of the girl's attention.
"Oh look, it's the boy who lived," a red-haired girl taunted.
"Do I know you?" Harry asked in confusion.
"I doubt it, I don't associate with lesser houses," the girl sneered.
"Are you sure about that? Because I've never seen you at the Wizengamot balls," Harry pointed out making the girl shoot him a venomous glare.
"Leave, this doesn't concern you," the girl snapped.
"Give Hermione her stuff back," Harry said as he let his wand slip into his hand.
"Oh Linderina, I think the firstie wants to fight," the dark-haired girl beside her giggled.
"I don't have to fight you," Harry smirked.
"Oh, if you don't scram I can almost bet that you will," the girl named Linderina sneered.
"Do you know what happened to that Slytherin girl who ordered the attack on me and Draco after Christmas?" Harry asked doing his best to sound casual.
Harry knew he struck gold when all three girls immediately paled and their eyes widened in alarm.
"What happened to her, Potter?" Linderina demanded her voice much sounding higher now.
"If you keep messing with my friend, you're going to find out firsthand," Harry said giving them a knowing look.
"Come on girls, I'm done associating with filth," Linderina drawled before dropping Hermione's books on the floor and stalking off.
Harry watched the girl leave before the other two girls hurried to catch her up.
"Thank you," Hermione said softly as she began bending down to pick up her books.
"Don't mention it, I hate people like that," Harry scowled as he picked up one of her textbooks and offered it to her.
"What did you mean?" Hermione asked after she straightened back up and accepted the book with a grateful smile.
"Draco and I were attacked after Christmas," Harry said as the two of them began walking towards the library.
"Yes, I remember," Hermione said.
"Well from what I know, a Slytherin seventh-year ordered the attack," Harry elaborated secretly wondering why she was walking around with so many books.
"Okay, but that doesn't explain how that scared them off," Hermione said.
"A few weeks after we were attacked, the girl was found very badly beaten in her dorms. The other Slytherins are terrified of that happening to them," Harry smirked.
"Do you know what happened?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry in alarm.
"Nope, I was bluffing," Harry beamed as they neared the library.
"Oh, well thank you. That Crane girl just snatched my books out of my arms as I was walking down the hall," Hermione sighed as Harry opened the library door and allowed her to step in before he followed her.
"You're welcome," Harry said as they parted ways upon entering the library.
Harry made his way over to the table where Susan was already working on her history of magic essay. As Harry sat down he noticed Hermione taking the stack of books up to the librarian which explained why she was carrying them.
"What kept you?" Susan asked when he had taken his seat.
Harry quickly explained what happened with Hermione making Susan grin when he had finished recounting the story.
"Oh that was brilliant," Susan said looking genuinely impressed.
"Thanks, I can't believe they fell for it," Harry admitted as Hermione came to stand next to their table.
"Is it okay if I sit with you?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Of course, we were just working on our history of magic homework," Susan said as she smiled at the other girl.
"Oh, I still need to finish that too," Hermione beamed.
"So I heard you ran afoul of Linderina Crane?" Susan asked.
"I did and I have no idea why, I've never even spoken to that girl before," Hermione huffed.
"Wannabe purebloods," Susan snorted.
"Wannabe?" Hermione asked in confusion.
"They are second or third-generation purebloods but their family isn't old enough to be recognized by the older families like the Malfoys so they try and make themselves out to be more important than they are," Susan explained.
"And muggleborns are easy targets," Harry added.
"Oh," Hermione said looking thoughtful.
"We might as well get started on this essay," Susan said after the three of them had sat there in silence for a few moments.
"Right, we have to write two feet on the reasons leading up to, the implementation of, and the long-reaching effects of the Statute of Secrecy," Harry said as he read the essay prompt he copied down in class.
The three first years spent the rest of the afternoon writing their essays but had all completed the assignment by dinner time.