"Yes, Headmistress," Draco murmured standing stiffly as if to hold in a desire to fidget. He lifted his chin. If he had to do this he'd do it with his head held high. "Mr. Creevey, I apologize for my thoughtless words towards yourself and your family this afternoon. I didn't understand what I overheard and incorrectly leapt to conclusions not warranted by your words to your brother. Nor did I understand my personal manner of celebrating Yuletide is not yet Hogwarts policy. I was also rude and inconsiderate by inserting myself into a private family moment though public hallways aren't usually places for private family conversations." He stopped speaking and turned his head to look for permission to resume his seat only to see his Mother giving him an icy look. He frowned in confusion not understanding what else he was supposed to say or do.
Quietly she said, "I told you to give an apology worthy of your station, Mr. Malfoy. That was not it. Since when is it your place to determine where another can or can not speak to their own family members and expect a measure of privacy? Where is the apology for presuming you had the right to tell another what holidays they and their family can choose to celebrate? Where is the token for the threat of death you issued to him?"
Draco's eyes went wide. "I apologize, Mother. I have no token. I confess I didn't believe you meant that as he isn't of our station and wouldn't be expecting such a thing." He completely ignored her other stated questions as he truly didn't think they deserved comment. She let it slide, as the missing token was far more important to her.
"Face your peers and know we will be discussing this later in my chambers. You have shamed me, Draco," she quietly addressed Draco. Standing tall and proud, Narcissa then turned her attention to the student body. "As you just heard there are varying degrees of apologies in our society. This afternoon Mr. Malfoy grievously insulted and threatened Mr. Creevey with suffering the same death as his brother over a perceived insult to himself where no insult was either given nor intended by Mr. Creevey as Mr. Creevey was speaking neither to or about Mr. Malfoy."
"This is why Mr. Malfoy was instructed to issue a formal apology as befitting his station to Mr. Creevey tonight here in the Great Hall. As you have seen and heard, he has tried to renege on that obligation by turning his apology into a thinly veiled critique on what he feels Mr. Creevey and the school are doing inappropriately. This is not acceptable." To Denis she said, "Mr. Creevey, I ask that you not accept the apology as it was given. That apology still holds you more to blame for the conflict this afternoon than Mr. Malfoy who was the only one in the wrong during it." Denis was wide-eyed as he nodded his understanding.
To the students, Narcissa went on. "I understand that your former Headmaster let things like manners and customs common to this world slide while he was in charge here. Consequently, many of you will have no idea when or if you do or say something offensive. But Mr. Malfoy does know. This very situation was explained to him by both myself and my husband when he was eleven and another child unintentionally gave him insult. That child didn't know it was an insult not to shake an offered hand because in the muggle world it isn't an insult at all. Nor did Mr. Malfoy understand his own attitude at the time was why the child, his peer, refused to shake his hand."
"In the muggle world, shaking hands is an individual choice and not something everyone is required to do. You do not have to shake the hands of people you find personally repulsive or rude. Nor do you have to shake hands with people you don't like. Here, in this world if someone offers you their hand and you are male, it's rude not to shake it, or kiss the back of it if the offerer is female, regardless of what you think of them personally. If you are a female and someone offers you their hand it is your duty to take that hand in your own and curtesy to them while inclining your head. But the child, Mr. Malfoy had expected to shake his hand back then, didn't know he should. And Mr. Malfoy, nor any of the other children in that cabin at the time, didn't bother to explain the custom to him."
"As I said, my husband and I explained this to Draco when the incident occurred. So he does know the customs are different between the two societies. This is why, when I came upon him acting beneath his station and offending Mr. Creevey with his behavior, he was ordered to apologize formally to Mr. Creevey. Because he does understand what he did when he intruded on Mr. Creevey this afternoon. He knows he insulted another student for no honorable reason and in an uncalled for manner. And his insincere and insulting apology has only compounded the wrong he did to Mr. Creevey."
"In the coming weeks, each of you will find you have a new class listed on your schedules to teach you these manners and customs you are currently unfamiliar with. This class will be held here in the Great Hall after dinner where we will have room to move around and all of the staff will be assisting in teaching you. We won't be expecting you to fully display these manners or observe all the customs correctly though we do expect you to listen and learn and eventually adopt them yourselves as they will make your life in this world much easier to live. You need to know what is considered polite behavior in this society lest you unintentionally give insult to someone you wish to have the favor of. Just as we would need to do should we enter and try to live in the muggle world."
"For now, I will only say Mr. Malfoy has tarnished his own honor by not bringing Mr. Creevey an appropriate token of apology as he knew he should for the grievous insult he gave him this afternoon and by giving such an inappropriate apology. Until such a time as said token has been given along with an appropriate apology, Mr. Malfoy is without honor and undeserving of Mr. Creevey's respect. That isn't an excuse for any of you to insult or mistreat Mr. Malfoy. Should you do so, you can expect to find yourself in trouble just as he has."
To Draco she said, "There is a new table in the Hall. Please take your place at it now. That will be your seat until you have recovered your honor."