20 May 1995
It was the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year. An early spring had come to Hogwarts. It had rained much of April and early May but had been dry for the past several days. This gave the students a beautiful warm weekend surrounded by the new green foliage. It was not an opportunity any of the students were likely to waste.
Harry and his friends had broken into the respective couples to enjoy the magical village. On the advice of Remus, Harry took Padma to a small restaurant that was outside the area the students normally visited. They had a nice lunch together and Harry mostly listened as Padma discussed her plans to become a Healer after leaving Hogwarts. She was particularly interested in the growing field of combining magical healing with new advanced Muggle surgical techniques.
"Yes, we do have a potion that can remove an infected appendix, but it takes 24 hours for the potion to completely work and it's rather messy for the next two days as the body expels what's left of the appendix. Muggles can now make a small incision, take out the appendix, stitch it back up and have you home the next day. If we could do the removal and then give a general healing potion you would be able to leave in the same hour!"
For Harry's part, he simply enjoyed the lunch and nodded in the appropriate place. He liked Padma's enthusiasm but he could do with a little less detail. He spent enough time in the hospital wing for his own injuries without having to know all the details. But it made Padma happy so he was willing to deal with it.
After lunch the young couple roamed around the village for a bit before heading to the Three Broomsticks to meet their friends. As they approached their meeting place they saw a small crowd gathered just outside. They heard a familiar voice yelling from inside the crowd. They quickly made their way through the crowd. Standing in the opening in the centre of the crowd was Hermione with Ernie standing behind her with his wand at the ready. The witch was confronting Draco Malfoy and his bookends.
"Let me ask you a question, Malfoy. What percentage of the Hogwarts students is Muggleborn?"
Malfoy sneered at the question. "Why would I want to count vermin?" Snickers were heard from the surrounding Slytherins.
"It's about 30 per cent; half-bloods makeup about 45 per cent with the rest being purebloods. When Voldemort started the first war, Muggleborn only made up 20 per cent of the Hogwarts students. Do you know why that per cent changed?"
"Obviously, the Dark Lord missed a few and you breed like the vermin you are. I guess we need to do some housecleaning again. "
Hermione ignored Draco's comment. "In absolute numbers we have one more Muggle-born in Hogwarts today than we did when Voldemort started his attacks. So if our numbers stayed the same but a percentage went up what does that mean? I'll tell you what it means; it means the number of purebloods is what went down. How many old pureblood families died or are down to only a few members left? The Potters, the Bones, the Blacks, the Longbottoms, the Crouches, the McKinnons, the Wilkes, the Prewetts; all of them are gone or down to one or two family members. Then you have the families where all the child-bearing age members in in Azkaban- not that that is any great loss. At the rate the Death Eaters were going there would be no one left in the magical world that was a Pureblood. Today, the average Pureblood family has 1.4 children - even less if you take out the Weasleys. That means you Purebloods aren't even reproducing your own numbers let alone making up for those lost on both sides in your Master's war. Meanwhile, new Muggle-born are born every year at the same rate as before the war. And every new Hogwart's class is left with have fewer Purebloods."
Draco was furious. "That's a LIE!" he screamed. "The Dark Lord was here to protect the pureblood way of life! Your lies won't change that!"
"Check the facts yourself, Malfoy," Hermione growled. "That is, unless you're too scared to learn the truth. In either case, I'm done with you." Hermione turned and started heading towards the Three Broomsticks. As she crossed in front of Ernie's field of vision, Malfoy struck.
Or, at least tried to.
The blonde Slytherin made a sudden motion and his wand appeared in his hand. He started to cast a curse directly at the witch's unguarded back when he suddenly found himself smashed to the ground.
"Don't try that again ya little ferret." Harry growled. The crowd unconsciously took a step back from the aura of menace that Harry was radiating. Harry glared down at the prone boy. "Do you want to try trading spells with me?"
Malfoy stared up at the Gryffindor in sheer terror. Somewhere in the bottom of that place where most have a heart, Draco Malfoy knew that Harry Potter would kill him given the opportunity. Father had told him stories when Draco was a child of the power and menace of the Dark Lord to those that opposed or failed Him. Nothing in his imagination matched the way Potter made him feel right now starring up into those green eyes that seemed to glow with repressed power.
"I'll take'm from here, Potter."
The crowd of students parted to allow their Defence professor passage. Moody stumped forward with his wand drawn. A silent spell shot out of his wand and connected with Malfoy tuning into him into a snowy white ferret. The creature let out a startled squeak and tried to run only to be levitated into the air by the former Auror.
"I think a ferret fits 'em, lad," Moody said to Harry with a disturbing grin.
"Professor," Hermione started, "Harry was just…"
"No need for that, lass," Moody interrupted her. "Saw the whole thing. Yon boyfriend of yours did a solid job of watching yer back till you blocked his line of sight from these idiots. Fortunately Potter was here to cover. Good team work. Would have made decent Aurors. Nice speech on the stupidity of those idiots' little war too.
"Well, I am going to take young Mr Malfoy here up so he can start serving his detentions. I'm sure Filch or Hagrid can find something appropriate for 'em to do." A few Slytherins started to protest but the Defence professor's glare silenced them as he stomped up towards the castle.
Harry walked over to where his friends were gathered around Hermione. Ron was standing there also but he just stood with a blissful zoned-out expression.
"Ron- you okay, mate?" Ernie asked. Ron nodded vacantly.
"Just trying to burn that into my memory. First Malfoy nearly wets himself because of Harry here and then Moody creates Malfoy, the Incredible Floating Ferret. Hey Harry, can you try to teach me the Patronus Charm again? I think I have a good memory for it now." The friends laughed and went into the Three Broomsticks to resume their day.