"You! You're The-Boy-Who-Lived!"
"But we'd heard you got kidnapped by Sirius Black and were being raised to be the next Dark Lord!"
"Go on then, show us some of your dark magic!"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Sorry fellas, no dark magic here. Magic in abundance, but if I ever tried dark magic Sirius and Beth would have my hide. Not to mention, my wand would probably rebel."
"Oh well, it was worth hoping. Come on Fred, Lee wanted to tell us about a way he'd found to exit the castle…" They left and Harry cancelled the spell on Draco.
Draco who had recognized the spell was furious. "Why for the love of Merlin did you do that to me!" he yelled at Harry. "Those boys were Weasleys! My father says they are stupid and have more children than can afford and they're blood traitors! They aren't the kind of riffraff proper wizards should associate with! Asking to see dark magic!"
"Draco-" Harry tried a quiet voice.
"There are two kinds of wizards, and you have to be careful what kind you associate with-"
"DRACO!" Harry's shout broke Draco's rant.
"First off, it doesn't matter who those boys were you were about to be rude and I stopped you. If you continue I will do it again. Second of all, wasn't you who at the station joked about me and dark magic? Finally Draco we-" Harry paused the other three in the compartment didn't need to be privy to the correction he intended to give Draco. "we will finish this a little later in private. But for now, if you have nothing nice to say, perhaps you should say nothing at all."
Draco got an enormous scowl, but said nothing. Knowing from his father's directions he was supposed to listen and to a degree obey the other boy.
Harry turned back to Susan, "You were saying before the interruption…"
"I… ahh"
"If we are going to be the next leaders of Magical Britain…" Harry tried to help her find her train of thought.
"Oh yes, it just that when you put Salazar Slytherin's feelings in context of the time he lived in, all of a sudden he makes so much more sense. All the fear that roughly a quarter of the populations is dark because they were in Slytherin seems so much more irrational. I was just thinking if we, the five of us, support one another regardless of house or blood status and maybe search out others who are more interested in peace and finding common ground than in maintaining the old prejudices maybe we could change things by challenging old beliefs. We could change Hogwarts and make the world better by helping everyone understand one another better."
Harry smiled at Susan. "Brava." He said firmly.
"Susan, I'm sure you're a shoo in for Hufflepuff." Draco said. It was closely followed by and "Ouch!" as Neville smacked the back of his head. "But it's true, Slytherins are never going to go for that hearts and flowers drivel." he protested.
"Of course not, " Harry agreed. "So tell us Draco how would you sell it to the Slytherins?"
Draco fell back shocked. "What?"
"How would you go about influencing the Slytherins into finding common ground with the other houses?"
"I don't know, I never thought about it."
"Maybe you should. The Malfoys have a old and powerful name and they're now tied to two even wealthier and more influential families. How will you act so build on that prestige and reputation? Will you act as those in the past have? Acting from fear. Or will you show the cunning Slytherin is famous for and build towards the new, more egalitarian era we live in, thereby maintaining your family's position in our society."
Neville broke in."You have a point Sue, and Harry, you make a compelling argument, but I'm too young to think long on politics. So what does everyone say to a round of exploding snap?"
"Oh yes! Let's!" Hannah chimed in. "Just because you three, love politics doesn't mean the rest of us do!"
Harry, Susan, and Draco all knew and accepted that their interest in politics made them different, so they allowed themselves to be pulled back into the realm of normal eleven year old pursuits.
Later when the snack trolley came by Neville's toad, Trevor, attempted to make a break for freedom. Harry didn't hesitate to summon him back, much to his friend's relief. Their trip to Hogwarts passed uneventfully for the most part, and it was only when Susan noticed the sun was setting that they all made to change into their robes. The boys stepping into the walkway while the girls used the compartment first then the girls returned the favor.
They filed off the train and gathered around one of the largest men Harry had ever seen. Then they were led down a dark path towards the lake where boats awaited them. Harry who out of habit had made a head count of the first years, hear the instruction no more than four to a boat and realized this would be a good time to get that private world with his cousin. He helped Susan, and Hannah into a boat where a brown bushy-haired girl sat, then encouraged Neville to join them. Then he pulled Draco to a boat at the back of the queue.
"Time for us to finish our discussion from earlier, cousin." Harry said quietly.
...
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