Chapter 266
The key was his relationship with Potter. His father had made himself
indispensable to Black by being the liaison between the House of Black andthe rest of the pureblood Houses. He could provide the same service toPotter. The problem was building a relationship with someone he hated. He frownedheavily. Hate was a strong word but it worked. He had hated Potter sincehe'drefused Draco's hand on the Hogwarts Express because of a Weasley. Just
the memory of it had the power to make his blood boil. He had never beensohumiliated or rejected; he was a Malfoy – nobody refused him. Except Potter. Draco took a deep breath and forced himself to view his enmity with Potter
logically, objectively, dispassionately. There was the initial rejection; Potter had been defending his friend. Dracorolled his eyes. He could understand why even if he didn't see that Weasley
was worth defending. If he and Weasley had swapped roles in the train, Dracowould have been horrified if Potter had taken Weasley's hand. So…so maybehe understood why Potter had rejected him. Then there had just been an endless stream of confrontations, althoughinhindsight Draco could acknowledge that he had provoked most of them, Weasley the rest, and Potter was mostly just there. He glared out into thegardens. Why had he confronted Potter so much?
He'd wanted to prove he was better than Potter. He'd wanted to get the other
boy in trouble as revenge for not accepting him as a friend, for being a
Gryffindor, for being the Golden Boy. He'd wanted Potter's attention. Draco stared moodily out into the gardens. Just before going to Hogwarts, his father had pulled him into his study…"I am reliably informed that the Boy Who Lived will be on the train to
Hogwarts." His father eyed him speculatively across the desk. "I trust that youwill not fall into the adoring masses like so many of your school friends."
"Of course not, Father." Draco replied promptly. The thought of being a
sycophantic fan horrified him.
"There is, however, some benefit in cultivating a relationship." His father
mused, leaning back in his chair. "This boy will wield a lot of power in our
society in years to come not only the Boy Who Lived nonsense but he is thelast Potter. He has been away from the wizarding world for many years hiddenaway by Dumbledore. He will have need of guidance; you may wish to provideit."
"I understand." Draco said eagerly.
His father smiled coldly. "It is likely that he will be sorted to Gryffindor, Draco, but try not to let that alter your course." He paused, his expression turningcontemplative. "He may also be warned against us due to my past associationwith the Dark Lord. If that is the case, I will not be disappointed should youfail
to gain his regard." And obviously Draco had failed spectacularly and on his own account. But
he'd used the excuse his father had given him when he had written and toldhim Potter had refused his hand. He hadn't wanted to admit his failure; hadn't
wanted to disappoint his father. But perhaps there was an opportunity now to correct the mistakes of his
past…Potter had declared a truce on the basis of upholding family honour. Granger had even told Draco that Potter took it seriously enough he'd warnedthe Weasel off provoking Draco. With his own vow of neutrality, Draco wasprevented from the type of confrontations he'd made in the past anyway. Potter and Granger had even been surprisingly good company at the countryestate especially since they didn't have the Weasel hanging around them. So, a clean slate. Draco could take advantage of that. He could talk with Potter at Simeon'sfarewell meal on Friday and discuss how Draco could help himwith the
Slytherin students. He nodded slowly, acceptance finally creeping in andstealing over him. In a way it was a good thing he was part of the House of
Black. Maybe he wasn't the Heir but he had Black blood and that countedevenif his name was Malfoy. It would certainly help him see off any pretenderslikeNott trying to usurp his place…
But he was going to have to work with Nott that was clear. The House of
Black was allied and Nott clearly had intentions on making himself useful toPotter. Draco bit his lip and thought hard about how he could sway Nott, howhe could keep him under control…
"Well, that was a bloody waste of time!" The sound of Lord Wilkes's voicebooming out from the open window below the balcony had Draco almost
jumping out of his seat as his heartbeat accelerated alarmingly. He'd forgotten his father's study was directly below the music room. He sat still and silent, keenly listening.
"I hate to agree with Norman, but he's right, Lucius," Nott Senior's voice saidquietly, "that was a waste of time."
"Not a complete waste of time," Lucius argued calmly, "we did discover fromYaxley that whoever it is making these death threats owns a house elf."
"We already knew that!" Wilkes barked. "We knew that fromthe first deaththreat!" Death threats? Draco's eyes widened realising what they were discussing.
"No, we knew they had used one to send a letter the first time," Lucius said, "which meant it could have been any guest staying with someone who hadahouse elf. This tells us that whoever it was had the ability to call a house elf
themselves although I'm surprised Augusta doesn't have wards preventingany but her own elves from entry."
"Everyone who owns a house elf in our group has denied doing the deed!" Wilkes snapped back.
"And nobody in our group would stoop to lying?" questioned Lucius mildly. Draco almost snorted but he stopped himself, knowing if he gave away hisposition his father would be furious – more so that he'd been caught thanthat
he was eavesdropping.
"I don't think anyone is lying," Nott said with quiet authority, "everyone knowsnot to draw unwanted attention to us especially now."
"Travers is fuming because someone is stealing his limelight." Lucius
commented dryly. "You should read the letter I received."
"Do you think that this idiot, whoever it is, will disrupt the plan for the WorldCup?" Wilkes asked brusquely. There was a pause before his father responded.
"I am uncertain." Lucius admitted, and Draco could hear the chagrin, "but
whoever it is seems to be working against us rather than with us."
"Bloody idiot!" Wilkes snarled. "I'd like to get my hands on themand hex theminto next week! Do you know how close I am to securing a détente with Black?Selwyn too?"
"I shouldn't worry about that, Norman." Lucius soothed him. "I have already
hinted to Black that it wasn't any of us and I will assure himagain when wegoto the match tomorrow."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 267
"He's still intending to go to the World Cup?" Nott asked, surprise colouringhistone. Lucius laughed, low and dark. "Of course. You didn't think a Gryffindor wouldbe deterred by a death threat?"
"He sent the boy home last night." Nott pointed out.
"He could hardly keep him there knowing whoever had sent the death threat
had gained entry and was likely in the same room as Potter." Wilkes growled. "But he has balls of brass going to the match in the face of two threats."
"I'm sure he will arrange for some additional security." Lucius said. A silence fell and Draco's heart raced as he assimilated the information.
"Do you think it's Him?" Wilkes asked suddenly. "Or Pettigrew?"
"The Dark Lord had no serving house elves and neither did Pettigrew." Luciusreplied immediately. "I'm not certain these threats originate with the Dark
Lord."
"Then who?"
"Another party, obviously." Nott surmised. "Either another follower of the DarkLord's we did not know or someone else who has a grudge against Potter."
"The latter is more likely surely?" Wilkes asked. Lucius cleared his throat. "Pettigrew. Need we say more?"
"So, the Dark Lord had Pettigrew as a secret spy! That doesn't mean he hadadozen of them!" Wilkes retorted.
"There were also many associates of his followers that were kept secret but
known to the Dark Lord," Nott countered, "the Carrows had that vampire theykept secret until they went off to live with him after the war. The LeStrangeshad Crouch Junior living with Rab apparently…and those are the ones I knowabout now. I suspect Selwyn has someone who was his contact in the
werewolf community during those years and Mulciber probably had someonetucked away; he was rarely at home in the final days of the last War."
"You have a point." Lucius said. "Perhaps we should turn our attention tothose in Azkaban. There may be connections we have missed. Many of thoseincarcerated had house elves which may have remained loyal to a secret lover
or retainer."
"It's an avenue of investigation." Nott agreed. "You'll take it to Black?"
"Indeed." Lucius said. Wilkes snorted. "Well, if we're done talking about that, we should discuss thebloody Muggle Affairs Committee, Lucius…" Draco slumped back in his chair, thinking hard. Someone other than his
father's old crowd was sending the death threats? The old followers of theDark Lord weren't involved? And whoever it was owned a house elf? His headfelt stuffed with information. Silently, he made his way from the balcony and hurried back into the Manor. He wandered down the main stairs and froze at the sight of his mother inthe
hallway, evidently waiting on him.
"Mother." Draco said cautiously. His mother had always been kind to him, loving in his childhood before he had turned away from her hugs and comfort, but he knew she didn't like to be crossed.
"Tell me, Draco," his mother said softly, "where is your guest?" She was
already sketching a privacy bubble around them and Draco blanched as herealised his error. He had left Nott alone in the dining room – alone and free to roamaroundtheManor by himself without a Malfoy watching what he saw and what he heard. Not only that but he had disregarded his mother's orders and quite a fewmoreetiquette rules in abandoning a guest in their home.
"My apologies, Mother," Draco said hurriedly, bowing his blond head, "Nott andI argued and I made the mistake of leaving the room to calmmyself. I wasjust on my way to find him and make my apologies." Her expression didn't soften. "We will speak more of this later, Draco." Shepromised him. "For now, your guest is in the library." Draco acknowledged the information with a nod and escaped his mother'spresence before she could reprimand him further. The Manor's library hadbeen another of Draco's favourite places as a child. He could remember
curling up with his mother in one of the large leather chairs while she taught
him how to read; of evenings spent with his father in lessons at the polished
oak table in the centre of the room. He rarely entered it any more. Nott had taken up residence at the very same table. Draco grimaced at howat
home the other boy looked, but hurried over and sat down opposite him. Nott shot him a wary look from guarded dark eyes. "You found me then."
"You're always in some kind of library." Draco said, not admitting that his
mother had directed him. He smiled sharply. "How you didn't sort into
Ravenclaw I don't know." Nott actually laughed. "Actually I asked for Ravenclaw and the Hat said it
wouldn't suit me at all. Apparently wanting knowledge to achieve your
ambitions is ambition not a desire for knowledge." Draco frowned. Sometimes he regretted that his own sorting had taken
seconds not minutes. He hadn't even attempted a conversation with the Hat
or any kind of interaction. He had been chanting 'Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin' from the moment his name had been called to the instant that the grotty Hat
had made the merest contact with his head. He cleared his throat and swallowed down the snide retort he wanted tomake. "I wish to offer you a proposal."
"I'm not interested in you that way, Malfoy." Nott said in a bored tone.
"What?! No! I was…" Draco finally caught sight of the amusement in Nott'seyes and sighed, "very funny, Nott!"
"Oh, a Nott pun!" Nott smirked at him. "Like I haven't heard that one before!"
"Do you want to hear my proposal?" demanded Draco, trying to wrestle hisannoyance back. Nott shrugged and closed the book he was reading. He raised an eyebrowinexpectation. Draco cleared his throat again, unaccountably nervous. He knewhis usual 'I'ma Malfoy, you will do as I say' approach would not work and he would havetoattempt the politicking his father had once taught him. "I believe that youaregoing to attempt a coup in Slytherin. Your House is allied to Black albeit inadétente. You intend to make yourself useful to Potter by providing himwithaliaison to the other pureblood Heirs at Hogwarts assuming that I will not bethat liaison. In this way, you will achieve a position of power and authority."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 268
He leaned back and regarded Nott with what he hoped would appear tobecool equanimity. "I have no intention of allowing you to usurp my place. Perhaps I have been slow to adjust to the new dynamics now the House of
Black has been revived but…" he pinned Nott with a frank look of superiority, "you fail to understand that as much as I am a Malfoy, I amalso a Black. Potter and I share blood and a family. He takes that seriously. We've alreadydeclared a truce. In a wrangling match, who do you honestly think he would
choose; a family liaison who has taken an oath of loyalty or a Slytherin liaisonwho has simply taken an oath not to raise a wand against him?" Nott's dark eyes simmered with heat before his expression smoothed. "Well, well, well. Finally unearthed your Slytherin, Malfoy." He motioned at him. "Myturn. You may have Black blood and you may have agreed a truce but your
relationship with Potter has a bad history. He won't trust you very far. My
political agenda isn't very far off Potter's but I'd be surprised if you even knowwhat his is. I have allies in the Potter alliance; you don't. And a liaison needsthe trust of both sides; some of your peers may follow along after you likeapuppy, Malfoy, but not all of them. I think I stand a good chance of gainingPotter's trust no matter your family connection." Draco let his head incline a touch in acknowledgement even if his bloodheated in irritation at Nott's perfectly valid points. "So, we have a choice; wecan fight each other for the top position – in contradiction of the oaths of
alliances between our two Houses, or we can come up with a compromise."
"What are you offering?" asked Nott, not disagreeing with Draco's statement.
"I suggest we work together." Draco said. "It is what our parents wish andwill
have the benefit of underlining our Houses' positions politically. You assist mein retaining my position within Slytherin and I will assist you in gaining power
and authority of your own; we work as a team with Potter. My Black bloodandposition will give us credibility with the Slytherins, and your lack of history withPotter will help create a greater level of trust with him."
"Your idea has some merit." Nott said slowly, thinking it over. "I'll think about
it."
Draco nodded. It was as far as he had expected to get in one day. Nott wasnot impulsive. In the meantime, Draco intended to use the rest of the weekand time he had with Potter to his own advantage; to consolidate his newstart with the Gryffindor and begin laying down the groundwork for his newliaison position.
"Theodore!" Lord Nott's voice snapped their attention to the doorway of thelibrary. The elder Nott stepped into the room as his son hastened to his
father's side. Draco scrambled to stand and bowed slightly. "Lord Nott."
"Draco. Thank you for hosting my son this morning." Lord Nott said. A dignified silence was the better part of valour, Draco decided. He inclinedhis head a touch in acknowledgement of the thanks.
"Yes, thank you." Nott said dryly, but he didn't give away that Draco had all but
abandoned him. "I'll see you soon, Malfoy." Father and son departed and Draco let out a small sigh of relief. He wanderedout of the library and decided he'd head out for some practice on his broom. He went up to his suite of rooms to retrieve the Nimbus and change intoQuidditch gear.
He was just about to leave when his parents entered his sitting room. Hefroze in the adjoining doorway of his bedroom surprised to see themtogether. They rarely acted in partnership for discussions with him and he was
unnerved.
"Mother. Father." Draco hovered uncertainly. His mother chose an armchair and his father stood beside her.
"Come and sit down, Draco." His father ordered. Draco chose the sofa across from his mother. "If this is about what happenedthis morning with Nott…"
"No, although I was disappointed to hear from your mother that you allowedan argument to occur, and that you ignored a guest giving themunwarrantedfreedom in our home." His father said tersely. "However, that is not what thisis about." He looked to his wife. She adjusted her skirts and met Draco's eyes coolly. "Since July your father
and I have been discussing the possibility of having another child. We're
agreed that a daughter would be a nice addition to our family. We wish toknow your thoughts before we make a final determination."
A baby?!
His nose wrinkled automatically. Weren't babies noisy and smelly and…andbabies! Why would they want another child? Suddenly doubt assailed him. Why wasn't he enough?
"I always wanted a son and a daughter, Draco." His mother seemed to readhismind. "However, a son was of a greater priority for our first child and after theDark Lord's defeat in 'eighty-one, it was more important to re-establish our
position and status than to have another child."
"I had not realised your mother wished for a daughter quite so much," his
father added quietly, "otherwise we would have discussed the matter someyears ago."
"I see." Draco worried his lip before he stilled the movement. This was clearly his mother's desire. His father was apparently going alongwith it. He cocked his head and glanced at his father's expressionless face. His father was doing this to placate his mother – his mother who was theBlack and who had the primacy in their marriage. Understanding stampeded through Draco and he reined in the urge to smirkat
his father. Clearly he had missed a lot in his sulking period, Draco mused. Hehad failed to consider how the changed circumstance would affect his
parents' marriage. So, his mother held the balance of power. His father wasaware his mother wanted more children and now she had the power he was
giving into her demand – possibly to neutralise her and keep her in his corner
with Lord Black.
It also meant that it was more important to please his mother than his father
going forward, Draco thought absently. A baby sister perhaps wouldn't besobad. The age gap was such that there was no possible way that he wouldbeexpected to interact with her in a meaningful way or share anything withher –except for his parents and their home. That would be irritating but, on theother hand, she would probably get her own suite of rooms and the Manor
was otherwise large enough for them to avoid each other the majority of thetime. A sister would be a useful asset in negotiating alliances…arrangementswould be out but introductions would be allowed…
"If it pleases you, Mother, then I would be happy to have a sister." Dracosaidformally. His mother smiled; a genuine smile that lit up her eyes and made her look
infinitely younger. She got up from her chair and moved to hug himbriefly. "Thank you, Draco."
"Yes, thank you, Draco." His father drawled. "We shall let you knowif your
mother falls pregnant while you are away at school but you should be awareit
may be some months." Draco blushed a little at the allusion to his parents' sex life. He didn't really
want to think about that. "Thank you, Father."
"Well, we'll leave you to your flying practice." His mother said, squeezinghisarm gently. "Be careful."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 269
They swept out in much the same way as they swept in and Draco decidedtopush the whole thing to the back of his mind. He wanted to fly – fly andthinkabout how he could get Potter to trust him. He had planning to do. o-O-o
Harry smiled at the baby he was feeding with a strange kind of contentment. Jason's small hands waved at him as he greedily took another spoonful of
mashed vegetables.
"He likes you." Anna commented, swooping in to wipe Jason's face withadamp cloth before subsiding into a dining chair beside Harry.
"I like him." Harry said simply. "He's a great kid."
"And you're going to make a great Dad someday." Anna said, smiling warmlyat him. Harry felt himself blush, his cheeks heating under her regard. He thankedMerlin she'd forgiven him for the whole blessing thing on the day she andSimeon had arrived.
"Hopefully not for a long time," Remus cut in, surprising themboth with hispresence – he was leaning against the doorjamb with crossed legs andarms, a smirk on his face, "I think Sirius would have kittens if Harry made himaGrandfather any time soon." Anna laughed. "Don't you mean puppies?" She loved Sirius's animagus formtothe point where she had joked she'd freeze him as Padfoot and take himbackto Aussie as a pet.
"Well, as I don't intend to become a Dad just yet we can all stop worryingabout Sirius having any kind of infant animal." Harry retorted, his cheeks still
bright red. Merlin. He didn't want to think about the Talk again no matter howamazing it had been to see his Dad in the memory Sirius had provided. Remus pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Sirius is currently laying the lawdown to the reporters in his study. You're going to be needed soon." Harry nodded reluctantly, pulling a disgusted face as he got up fromthe tableand handed Anna the spoon. He didn't want to do an interview but he andSirius had discussed it and arranged it following the press coverage of theWizengamot session. The theory was that by giving the press a full interviewbefore Hogwarts started, it would reduce the focus on himwhen the presswere there with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. That was the theory.
They'd discussed cancelling in the wake of the latest death threat but Harrydidn't want to give whoever it was that was threatening himthe satisfactionof
knowing they'd upset any plans. Sirius had also agreed that they'd continuewith their plans for the World Cup too on the same basis but he had informedHarry and extracted a promise from him that Harry would stay with Sirius or
Remus or another approved adult (and Harry was guessing it would be Bill)
the entire time. Remus gave him a once over and nodded at his open smart forest greenrobes adorned with the crests of Black and Potter over smart black trousersand a silk shirt in a contrasting shade of green to his robes. Harry's hair hadbeen subjected to Sirius's Potter hair-calming charm and his gold-framedglasses sparkled. The Potter Lord ring and the Black Heir ring were
prominently on display on his right hand.
"I take it Sirius picked out the outfit." Remus said, amused.
"He wanted me to wear dragon-hide trousers." Harry complained as he
followed him down the corridor to the library. The silk shirt had been the
compromise piece because he hadn't really had a problemwith the robes. They both entered and stopped at the sight of a wisp of a girl stood in front
one of the bookshelves apparently talking to nothing. Her long blonde hair
gleamed under the lights and Harry could see she wore a plain pale blue robebut her wand was tucked behind one ear and she appeared to be wearinganecklace made out of butterbeer caps. Remus cleared his throat. "Luna, isn't it?"
The young girl turned around, her large silver eyes widening with surprise. "Professor Lupin!" She smiled happily. "It's wonderful to see you again!"
"And you, Luna." Remus said kindly. "This is Harry. Harry, this is Luna
Lovegood. I take it you're here with your father, Luna?"
"You're very right, Professor." Luna replied.
"I'm not a Professor anymore, Luna." Remus corrected her gently. "You maycall me Remus."
"You will always be a Professor, Professor." Luna answered in the same
gentle tone. "Nothing changes what you are and you will always be a
Professor no matter what job you may perform." She smiled brightly. Remus looked gobsmacked and Harry swallowed down a chuckle. As if she'd heard his thought, Luna's silvery gaze shifted to him. "I see theLumpy Glumpies have left you, Harry. You look much better."
"Thank you." Harry said politely, wondering what she meant – it was a gooddescription of Vernon and Dudley if that was who she was referring to but
how would she know? He recalled the rumour of Luna being a true Seer and
shook himself slightly. "You're a Ravenclaw, right?"
"Sometimes," answered Luna vaguely, "and sometimes I'mnot. Don't youfindbeing one thing all the time can get a little boring?" Harry smiled at her. "I guess. I've never really thought about it." Luna leaned into his space as though to confide something of great
importance. "I think being a raven suits you."
"A raven?" Harry asked taken aback. Did she mean he was being more of aRavenclaw? Well, he was studying more…
"Of course, a raven is both a trickster and a warrior, the one that defends
fiercely and brings death, without whom the world would fall…" Harry shivered as her eyes met his with strange intensity.
"They fly free but they'll play tag with wolves and dogs…" His eyes widened.
Luna suddenly smiled and broke the tension, "…and are also easily distractedby something shiny…" she head cocked to one side, "like a snitch." Harry couldn't help the small smile that escaped him. "I like snitches."
"Me too." Luna replied breezily. "But they're not as much fun as BlitheringHumdingers."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 270
"I haven't heard of those before." Harry said. He was beginning to realise whyher housemates thought her odd and disconcerting. But he liked her –andwho wasn't odd at the end of the day?
Luna hummed. "I could tell you about them?" She sounded hesitant.
"I'd like that." Harry replied immediately.
"But right now he has an interview to do." Sirius's voice broke in, rich withamusement. Harry almost jumped and he shot a glare at Sirius who stood just outsidethestudy with a grin on his face and his eyes sparkling with mirth. Harry blushedknowing that Sirius intended to tease him later about his talking with Luna.
"Don't worry, Harry," Luna advised in a loud whisper, "the fleas will distract
him." Sirius's eyebrow rose up at her words. She smiled serenely back at him. Siriusshook his head and gestured towards the study. "Ready, Harry?" Harry grimaced. "I guess." Remus reached over and patted his shoulder. "Rather you than me, Harry." Harry scowled. "Aren't you supposed to say something cheering like 'goodluck' or 'break a leg'?"
"That's Padfoot's job." Remus declared cheerfully.
"Why would he want you to break a leg?" asked Luna. Sirius snorted and motioned for Harry to get inside the study. Harry
straightened his shoulders and made his way over with a muttered goodbyetoLuna. He was ushered into the inner sanctum of Sirius's study and briefly
registered the occupants. In the cosy seating area, three reporters sat witheager anticipation along with a photographer. Sirius began the introductions and Harry went through the motions of greeting
them while taking in their appearances. Xeno Lovegood wore a bright yellow set of robes and a manic grin. Withhislong white hair he reminded Harry of a mad scientist. Rita Skeeter sat next tohim on the same stuffed sofa. Her hair was obviously dyed blonde unlikeLuna's natural colour and her lipstick was blood red. Her eyes behind her
oversize glasses were very calculating. Harry moved on quickly to the final
reporter – the representative from the International Press; Kurt Von Toot. Thegruff looking wizard with his dark hair and beard reminded Harry of a grizzlybear but he grinned at him warmly and Harry thought smiled back. The
photographer was a quiet young woman Sirius had hired for the occasion;
Opal Giddy. She had a collection on display at a café near to the BurrowandSirius had been taken by her work. She'd be taking candid shots while he wasquestioned rather than a posed picture. Sirius led Harry to an empty chair opposite the reporters. "Now, to remindyouall once again; you will all get to ask Harry three questions – that's nine intotal. Harry can refuse to answer any question or I can decide to step in anddisallow it, but you can ask an alternative. A clarifying question to Harry's replyis allowed and won't count as one of your three. Is everyone happy to begin?" Harry noted that Sirius didn't move from his place by Harry's side as the
reporters nodded.
"Alright then, as Ms Skeeter won coin toss…she will go first then Kurt thenXeno." Sirius waved a hand at Rita. Rita smiled and Harry tried not to blanch at the lipstick smeared teeth. "Harry, you were raised in the muggle world for many years before your godfather
was cleared of murdering your parents and allowed to have custody of you…" Her sweet tone contrasted sharply with the nasty phrasing of her words.
"…how do you like the wizarding world?"
"I love it." Harry said truthfully, trying to regroup from the cutting edge of thepreamble to the question. "I mean, I always have loved it ever since I foundout
that I was a wizard and had my first trip to Diagon Alley to buy my school
things for first year. But I love living in the wizarding world properly. Siriusandthe rest of my family now have shown me a lot of things about my heritageand wizarding culture this Summer and that's been great." Xeno cleared his throat. "A follow-up question from me then; what do youlikebest from everything you've seen, Harry?"
"Hmmm, that's a difficult question," Harry said, unsure how to answer, "I'dprobably say Quidditch and I'm really looking forward to the World Cup. But I
saw Broom Racing and that looked like a lot of fun and the Duelling finalswere fantastic."
"You didn't enjoy your time at the Wizengamot?" asked Xeno before Kurt couldspeak.
"The Wizengamot was very special for a lot of reasons," Harry replied, morecertain of his answer as it was something he and Sirius had discussed in
preparation for the interview, "it was an honour to sit in my family seat andtotake the vows of the Potter alliance. But I'm not ready to take my place thereyet and both Sirius and I think it would be good if I did something else beforeI
step fully into the political arena so I get a well-rounded view. At the moment, I'm thinking I might like to do something with Quidditch but I haven't truly
decided." Kurt leaped in before Xeno could ask another 'clarifying' question. "You stateyou love the wizarding world; what is your view on the muggle world andmuggles?" Harry wet his lips. "I think the muggle world is a different culture but different
isn't necessarily bad. Muggles are clever and inventive and have come upwithsome brilliant things. Their technology does pose a problemfor the wizardingworld and the Statute of Secrecy but I think if we work with the muggle
government more closely as the Muggle Affairs Committee is investigating, we can find a solution that protects both our worlds."
"But you would choose to live in the wizarding world despite being
muggle-raised?" Kurt asked quickly, throwing a look at Rita as she went toaskher next question.
"I think it's difficult for muggles to understand children with magic." Harry saidhonestly. "When my Aunt said goodbye, she said it would best if I was raisedby wizards and I think what she meant by that was it was good to be raisedbysomeone who understands magic and what's dangerous and what isn't, andhow to fix things when something accidentally goes wrong." He noticed all three reporters seemed glued to what he was saying as hetook
a breath.
"Plus, with me, there's a lot of extra knowledge about my family and the
politics of our world that I have to learn about so I can do the best I can whenI
assume the Potter seat which I just didn't get living with my muggle Aunt. But
that doesn't mean living in the muggle world is bad; it's just not right for me." Rita cleared her throat. "Moving on, Harry, tell me about your adoption by LordBlack." Harry looked at her warily. "Well, what do you want to know?"
"Everything!" declared Rita brightly. Harry exchanged a wry look with Sirius. "I'm very happy." He said simply. "It
was the best moment of my life when Sirius said he wanted to adopt me andhe's a great Dad."