A clock chimed the half-hour and Harry took the distraction it provided to end the conversation. "I'm sorry, Miss Evans, but I'm afraid that I must cut this short," he announced, standing up.
Lily took the hint, stood and made for the door. "Perhaps we'll figure this out another time," she said. "Feel free to call me Lily, though."
Harry nodded gravely and shut the door behind her. He then quickly moved to the fireplace, threw some Floo powder into the fire, yelled "Malfoy Manor" and stepped into the green flames. Managing to come out of Malfoy Manor's fireplace standing was a difficult feat, but Harry accomplished it, though he felt ill from the effort.
"Mr. Ashworth," Romulus Malfoy called from a nearby door, "welcome to Malfoy Manor, my ancestral home."
"It's very beautiful," Harry acknowledged by way of greeting as he surveyed his surroundings. Compared to Grimmauld Place, the home of the Malfoys was very open and well lit. Harry wasn't really an expert on architecture, but he supposed that the style was French, to some extent.
"Yes, I've always thought so," Malfoy said. "Why don't I take you on a quick tour to show you the highlights of the place?"
Harry agreed to this and they were soon walking about. Romulus seemed very impressed with his own home, and Harry did have to agree, though he felt that the style was very overdone. Despite this, Harry did his best to seem astounded by the richness of the manor, paid Romulus several compliments, and thanked him for the opportunity to see his fine home. If Harry ever had to attack or raid the manor again, he could now say that he had inside knowledge.
The tour was soon over and Romulus led Harry back to a smaller sort of sitting room near the back of the house. "I'm afraid that my wife is not at home," Romulus commented, "and as you know, my son is at Hogwarts. Otherwise, I would see to introducing you to them. How is Lucius doing at school?"
"He's doing well," Harry replied, trying to remember something specific to say. Harry had not yet had to seriously interact with the young man. "He seems to get along well with his classmates. Rodolphus Lestrange seems to be a very good friend of his, though he does spend time with young Narcissa Black."
"Lestrange? Lucius hasn't mentioned him…" Romulus commented vaguely. "As I was saying, my family isn't home, but I've invited another friend of mine over for our quiet evening."
Upon entering the room, Harry discovered that the friend of Romulus was none other than Orion Black. The Black patriarch stood opposite the door in front of a mirror. He was studying his own reflection and those of Romulus and Harry too. Harry was once again struck by the regal bearing of him. Old age had not softened or weakened the man, it appeared to have simply made him tougher. He seemed quite old for having a child the age of Sirius, but Harry supposed that some wizards and witches were apt to marrying later in life.
"Orion, Mr. Ashworth has arrived," Malfoy announced.
Orion turned from the mirror and made direct eye contact with Harry. "Welcome, Mr. Ashworth."
Harry nodded to Orion, opting to say nothing because he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. He was saved from any awkward silence by Romulus negligently motioning for everyone to choose a seat from a collection of high-backed, leather armchairs around a small sort of table.
"I was just speaking with Harry here," Malfoy said with an odd smile on his face. "He mentioned that Lucius spends time with the Lestrange boy."
Harry wondered why Romulus would bother to mention that to Orion, but he supposed they might be friends and that Orion might know Lucius well as a consequence. Harry got no confirmation or denial of this assumption because Orion's reaction to the statement wasn't very revealing.
"It's good to see a professor who shows a personal interest in and gives notice to his students," Orion said gravely, leaning back into his chair, but not really relaxing.
Harry shrugged deprecatingly. "I'm around them on a constant basis; it's hard not to pick up on some things."
"You have a good point," Romulus commented as he snapped his fingers. A tray bearing and assorted collection of snack foods appeared and he proffered it Orion and Harry who each helped themselves. Another snap and a few tumblers appeared-filled halfway with some sort of amber liquid. Harry guessed it to be firewhiskey, but as he had never had the time to sample a wide assortment of beverages in the future, he couldn't guarantee that he could positively identify anything.
"We'd like to see how skilled you are at observing and thinking about things," Romulus stated casually.
"Yes," Orion added quietly.
Harry looked from one to the other, desperately trying to read their faces for a clue as to what would be the best way to respond. He should have been better prepared for interacting with the major players of the wizarding world, or at least should have come to the table with a strategy in mind. Did he want to infiltrate Voldemort's followers, or did he want to appear more neutral than not? "I don't know that I'm especially clever," he said, thinking of Hermione. "But I'd like to think that I'm not a dimwit."
"Don't we all," Malfoy said with a small smile. Harry was again reminded of Lucius, but the smile didn't seem as offensive as it had in times to come.
Orion reached into a pocket and produced a sheaf of papers. Harry's initial glance told him that the collection was composed of newspaper clippings and stray pieces of parchment. "Do me a favor and look over the newspaper clippings, Mr. Ashworth. Make some conclusions. Tell us what you think."
Harry took the small bundle of papers and started sorting through them as Romulus and Orion sipped their drinks and watched Harry intently. Each clipping detailed a fight or disturbance similar to the one Harry had been involved in-though it did seem that each was less severe than his. Some involved wounded wizards and witches being transported to the hospital while others had been broken up before anyone had gotten injured.
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