Lucius eyed the whole group of young people then sighed. “I am too angry.” And with that he whirled and left. After the door had shut with a decisive click, Johnny took over. “All right, who snuck out and who knew?” Greg shook his head. “No one tells me stuff like that. Sorry.” Johnny just pointed to a chair. “Go sit over there. You're not in trouble.” Harry just stepped forward, saying, “It was my idea. It's all my fault.” Frankie just snorted, “The idea might have been yours but everyone who went could have said 'no'.” Harry flushed and subsided. Draco, knowing that trying to hide anything from his father only made things worse, told the whole story quickly. He denied drinking hard liquor, telling Johnny that they'd all stuck to butter beer except for Millicent, who'd had tea. Johnny dismissed Daphne to sit by Greg. Frankie frowned at the rest of the party then went to speak to Johnny. After they conferred, Frankie went out the door Lucius had used. Johnny turned to Daphne. “Miss Greengrass, I don't know the proper procedure for something like this...” Daphne just interrupted him politely. “A dancing party usually breaks up after the afternoon dancing is over. In this case, I think it would be polite for Greg and I to leave as quietly as possible. If you don't mind?” She made a vague motion with one hand. “Please, help yourself to the services of an elf.” Draco stepped forward, playing host in his father's absence. Daphne smiled a bit then nodded. “I'll take care of Greg too, shall I?” Draco called his elf, Gerard and told him to help Daphne collect her belongings and Greg's. The three walked out a different door, Greg's plaintive, “But don't we get supper?” floating back into the room. Harry turned to Draco right in front of Johnny, and said, “You know it was my idea. We all agreed to sneak out but I had that invitation. You're not to take the blame for me.” Millicent announced to the whole room. “We're all just as guilty. We all could have said no; or even told.” She turned to Harry, pointing a finger right at his face. “So just shut it, Potter. You're not taking the blame all by yourself. You're too Gryffindor for your own good. Idiot.” this last was said without heat. She then seated herself in a chair and settled down to await her fate. The rest of the group joined her. Harry settled in his chair feeling like a total tosser. He'd managed to spoil the last of the dancing party and get himself, Draco, Ron, Vince, Neville and Millicent in trouble. After several nerve racking minutes of waiting, Lucius came back in, followed by Frankie. “Well, after consulting with Mr. James, I have come to a decision. Letters are already on the way to your fathers, I'll let them deal with you. Harry, Draco, you are confined to your rooms for the remainder of the day. Go.” Harry sighed, gave both Frankie and Johnny hugs that he was sure were farewell ones and left the room. Draco followed after a quick nod to Harry's friends and a bow to his father. Lucius saw the rest of the young people off home, luggage and all, with a house elf. He hoped that the letters got home before they did. . Lucius sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. “I swear, if I didn't have flaxen hair, I would surely be gray.” Johnny agreed, saying, “Very nice hair. I feel like pulling mine out. What are you going to do to them?” Lucius grumbled a bit then started laughing. Frankie soon followed with Johnny right behind. When they got themselves back together Lucius asked, “And what, may I ask, is a sprots bar?” Johnny shook his head, not having a clue. Frankie shrugged, “Not sure.” “Well, think about it while we go to my private lounge.” Lucius lead the way to a small lounge behind the library. This was his own private sitting room, one to which he rarely invited anyone. Severus was the only person who'd been in it in over ten years. Not even Narcissa intruded. “Sit down. The usual?” Both men nodded. Lucius made drinks and passed them around. “A bit early but still.” Johnny remarked, “I'm sure it's seven somewhere. Chin-chin.” Frankie sipped at his drink for a few moments, deep in thought. Suddenly he announced, “Sports bar. They went to a sports bar.” Lucius blinked, “A bar for sports?” “Sort of. Muggle sports bars are places you go to to watch sports on tv with other fans of the same teams. They sometimes show the same teams older games, have contests for team logo stuff. Harmless, really. And they did say they stuck to butter beer. Nasty stuff. And the Bulstrode girl had tea.” Lucius pushed a stray lock of hair out of his eye. “Oh, well ... the worst thing is that he put himself in danger. The English Aurors are not particularly cognizant of borders. And the French government ... I haven't gotten a feel for them yet. He could have been recognized, spirited away and ... I'd never have been able to find him. I could literally shake him.” “Won't do a bit of good. He's ... been abused, as I'm sure you're aware. He'll take absolutely no notice of it. You could beat him half to death and he'd just get up and go on.” Lucius gave Frankie a furious look. “I would never. We have a contract.” Johnny shrugged. “A contract can be breached.” Lucius smirked a bit. “Not a magical one. But that is a concern I have. The contract is self enforcing. I cannot breach it. It will not allow that. That means, if Harry misbehaves in particular ways, the punishment I must administer is set by contract. There is no way to avoid, delay or ameliorate it.” Frankie frowned for a moment then said, “Does Harry know this?” “Yes. I made sure that he understood it and read the appendix that cited all the offences covered by the contract and the minimum and maximum punishments allowed. The minimums have given me some concern.” Johnny remarked kindly, “Harry is so loving and forgiving ... I feel that, if worst comes to worst, if you explain exactly what he did wrong and why you're punishing him the way you are, he'll understand.” Lucius nodded. “I know. I will not betray that. But now, I have to decide how to punish both Harry and Draco fairly. I know neither one of them thought about what danger they were putting themselves in.” Johnny looked at Frankie who nodded, cleared his throat and said, “I know what Harry's like. I don't talk about it much and Johnny even less. But ... here's my take on it. Talk to Harry. He'll react better to having things explained. Draco, I don't know at all, so I'll leave him to you. Now...” He finished his drink and stood up. “I'm going up to our rooms and pack, we'll be out of your hair in no time.” Lucius shook his head. “I'd really rather you stayed. Harry needs to workout with you. Draco needs to know that Harry's friends can be his too. So, I think ... I'll have a talk with Harry. Draco will punish himself, worrying about what I'm going to do to Harry. Supper in quarters for both of them, I think. We will have a nice dinner in the family dining room, instead of the formal one. I'll send an elf for you when the meal is ready.” So they all went their own ways. Lucius to speak to his sons and Frankie and Johnny do to what lovers do when there's nothing else to do. . Harry went to his rooms with lagging steps, he was more worried about what was going to happen to Draco than his own punishment. He deserved anything his Papa wanted to do to him. The tap at his door presaged Lucius requesting entrance so Harry called, “Come in.” and rose to stand in the middle of his sitting room. Lucius walked to a comfortable chair and motioned for Harry to sit in the one opposite it. “Well, Harry, I can only say that I am truly disappointed in you. Do you have any idea what kind of danger you placed yourself in?” Harry gave Lucius a stunned look then stammered, “Danger? Sir?” Lucius tapped one finger on the arm of the chair to emphasize his list. “One, British Aurors have no compunction about violating borders, diplomatic courtesy is beyond their ken. Two, one of Vold ... er ... Tom's Death Eaters might have seen you and brought others down on you. Death Eaters would not have worried about the safety of the other people in the establishment. Three, I have no idea what the French Government might have gotten into their heads to do.” He stopped for a moment to think and realized that Harry was in tears, silent trickles of silver sliding down his cheeks. “So, enough I think. Come here.” Harry sidled over to Lucius, one shoulder hunched a bit, as if expecting a blow. Lucius pointed to Harry's desk. “I know how much you hate writing lines, so you will write, “I will not put myself or Draco in danger through foolishness again.” one hundred times. And no pudding for a week. Now, I have to go speak to Draco.” Lucius watched long enough to see Harry take a few pages of foolscap from his desk as well as a bottle of ink and a pen. Then he went to speak to Draco. He told Draco the same thing he'd told Harry. Draco surprised him by saying, “I'm responsible, not Harry. He regarded it as a simple prank. I should have known better. Merlin only knows what might have happened. I'm so sorry.” Then he too burst into tears. Lucius was very gratified by both his sons behaviour. They both showed a real understanding of what might have happened. He'd only had to point it out to them. They were both maturing quickly and well. Draco was also assigned lines, forbidden pudding for a week and told that Lucius expected better of him as he had been trained from birth to think before acting. Then Lucius went to his quarters to rest for a while before supper. He felt he deserved it. He felt as if he'd been crucioed. . Harry had figured out a way to put his mind on auto pilot and write his lines without thinking about them; so, as he wrote, his mind wandered. In this case it wandered to the display of the Blue Angels, The Snowbirds from Canada, The Russian Knights, The Red Arrows and others. He spent the time absently trying to figure out how to do the stunts on a broom. A tap at his door had him calling, 'Come in.' before returning to the last few lines. He had bought a nice pen holder and a whole box of steel nibs at the art store and was using them, so he was getting done a lot quicker than he'd thought. The nib had a shield so it held a lot more ink than a quill. He could write nearly four whole lines before he had to dip again. Draco peeked in, and said, “Harry! I'm done already. Thank you for giving me that steel pen thing. Are you nearly done?” “Just about. Only ... um ...” He counted. “Six more lines. Sit down before you fall down.” Draco snorted at this muggle-isim but settled in a comfortable chair. Harry finished his lines, stacked all his pages then turned to Draco to exclaim, “I want to fly like the Blue Angels!” just as Draco said, “I want to fly like the Red Arrows!” They both laughed, Harry said, 'Bread and butter.' which made Draco laugh more. Draco nodded to Harry, “You first.” Harry waved his hands in illustration as he rambled on and on about what he thought they could convert, Draco interjected objections and agreements. Then Harry started writing things down and drawing diagrams. Draco added a touch here and there as well as some stunts of his own. They quickly picked up their lines when Mimsey told them supper was to be served in ten minutes. . Frankie settled on the couch in lotus while Johnny flopped into a chair. “Well, I'm tremendously reassured. Lucius was furious and for good reason, but he didn't do anything untoward. But this contract makes me nervous. I'd really like to read it.” Johnny sighed, shifted and grumbled, “Not much chance of that. But Lucius seems to be trying very hard to do the right thing.” “Did you notice that Harry calls him Papa? That's reassuring too.” “Yeah, and he has his own servant. I'd love to get a good look at his closet. Those robes he was wearing must have cost a fortune.” Frankie rubbed one hand, picked at a dry cuticle then remarked, “I do have to have a word with him about wearing too many rings. That was a bit much, don't you think?” “I had a word with my dance partner. She said that he's entitled to wear three family rings and that it's a big deal in the wizarding world. He's the head of two families in his own right, remember?” Frankie nodded, remembering the conversation at the table. Speaking across the table or your neighbour was rude, but you could listen to whoever you wanted to. They continued to discus Harry, Lucius and Draco, as well as others in the party and concluded that, all in all, the dancing party had been a success until Pansy got so out of hand. Frankie finally said, “But I'd still like to teach Harry, Draco and Lucius some other dances. You could play piano?” “Yeah, but I really wish a CD player would work. It'd make it a lot easier if both of us could dance.” “I'll ask Harry, he did ask us for batteries and that solar recharger went over a treat.” And with that last remark an elf popped in to tell them they should start getting ready for supper. . Lucius dressed in what was, for him, a fairly casual robe, descended the stairs and called for service. An elf popped in at once and Lucius told it to check to see if everyone was coming down to supper. It popped back in almost at once and said that the 'muggle' gentlemen were just finishing dressing and Draco and Harry were in the corridor outside their rooms and headed in this direction. Lucius thanked the elf, making it giggle foolishly, and settled back in his chair. Harry slipped into his seat just as Lucius was beginning to think of calling the elf again. “I'm sorry, sir, here are my lines.” He put the pile of foolscap on the table next to Lucius' plate. Lucius picked it up, glanced at it then 'incendo'ed it  with a flick of his wand. “Very good. See that you think before you leave a residence again. I would at least like to know where you are going and how long you will be there.” Harry sighed, “Not like Frankie and Johnny didn't want the same thing.” He looked up as Draco entered followed closely by the two older men. Draco also handed over his lines, apologized again then sat down in his place. Frankie and Johnny settled in their seats while this was going on. They both had solemn looks on their faces. They knew that Harry had to be punished for sneaking out but wondered how he was going to take it. “Well, now that that is over, I think both of our guests deserve an explanation and some reassurance.” He turned and said, “Gentlemen, in this house there is one firm rule about punishments; once they are over, they are over, no nagging, no referring back to them for spite sake. They have both completed their lines and I have checked them. Please ... enjoy the meal.” Johnny gave both Harry and Draco a thorough visual once over, noted their ink stained fingers and relaxed. Then Lucius asked, “Now, what was so fascinating about that bar? And we are not discussing you punishment or transgression. I just want to know.” So Harry explained about the different sports and how they were shown on tv screens. Then Draco went on about the way all you had to do was point your wand and have the visual show near your table. Then they both tried to describe the stunts of the various combat jet groups, which led to descriptions of airplanes and air forces. Dinner ended on a high note even though both Draco and Harry left the table before desert was served. . Next morning Harry was awakened by Mimsey, who hissed, “Wake up. Your muggle friends is pranking you.” Harry slipped out of his bed and dropped to the floor on the side away from the door. Frankie peeked in then motioned for Johnny to follow him in, only to be hit right in the face with a blast of water from Harry's 'Aguamenti'. They both spluttered, then started laughing. Mimsey handed towels around saying, “If you is thinking Mimsey is letting silly muggle men prank her master you is sillier than she thought.” Frankie aimed a mock swat at her and got a totally unexpected result. Mimsey cringed and ducked behind Harry. “What? Harry?” Mimsey turned a funny shade of green, a house-elf's blush. “It's not unknown of for masters to abuse the elves horribly. Mimsey ... didn't mean anything, you just startled her.” He turned to Mimsey. “Don't be afraid of either of them. They won't really hit you. He aimed to miss and always will.” Mimsey sighed. “Mimsey is sorry. She is still getting used to not ... to being ...” she shrugged and made a vague gesture with one hand. Frankie shook his head. “No. It's my fault. I should have known better to tease someone I don't know well.” Johnny patted Frankie on the shoulder. “Neither one of you is at fault. It was a clear misunderstanding. Now, shake hands and make up.” They did with Mimsey offering a quick hug, which Frankie accepted with another soft 'sorry.' Mimsey gave a slightly grumpy snort and went to the closet, she came back a moment later with a pair of baggy shorts and a t-shirt. She handed them to Harry who pulled them on over the shorts he'd slept in without comment. Frankie and Johnny were both dressed in nearly the same sort of clothing. The weather on the island at this time of year was very nice during the day, slightly cool in the morning but warming up during the day. When the sun set again, however, it could get cool enough to need a jacket, especially if the breeze came in off the ocean. Mimsey nodded her head in satisfaction. “You is all looking very ... active. Mimsey will meet you at the beach with drinks and such after your run. Go now.” She made shooing motions with on hand. Harry laughed, “Bossy elf.” and led the way out to the back way. They all walked sedately until they were outside, knowing that it was not only rude but dangerous to run in the highly polished halls. Harry was a bit surprised to find both Draco and Lucius waiting for them on the veranda. Lucius raised an eyebrow, “What? I can run.” Harry just eyed Lucius' exercise garb with a doubtful eye but kept his mouth shut. Draco had placed a bit of trust in his elf and was dressed in shorts and t-shirt borrowed from Harry. Johnny glanced over the group then said, “Ok, let's get going.” Harry took lead so that no one got lost, leading them off at an easy jog. He knew that Frankie and Johnny had been to the beach, but he also knew that the route he'd figured out with Mimsey's help was circuitous, winding in and out of the landscape to add distance. He smiled as he realized that his father was right behind him with Frankie hot on his heels. Draco followed with Johnny brining up the rear. It took them ten minutes to make it to the beach where Lucius bent forward, panting heavily. “I didn't realize that I am that out of shape. Ugh!” Harry smirked a bit as he jogged in place. Then he took off down the beach with Draco on one side and Johnny on the other. Frankie kept to the harder sand nearer the water and on the other side of Johnny from Harry. It didn't take long for Draco to wear out too. He dropped out and squatted in the sand to wait for them to pick him up on their way back to the exercise area. Frankie and Johnny kept up with Harry easily and they turned around at the three mile marker. Johnny set the pace on the way back, breaking it up by going from a slow jog to a trot to a run, then back down to a slow jog. He mixed up the three paces to keep things lively until they met up with Draco again, then he settled them into a medium paced jog for the rest of the run. They returned to Lucius to find that he was ready with drinks and towels. Mimsey stood by with a grin on her face and winked at Harry when he glanced at her. They took a moment to drink some water then Harry stood back up. “Frankie, you want to lead the kata or just let everyone do their own.” “You do your own and Johnny and I will see what Lucius and Draco can do.” Lucius raised an eyebrow but Frankie just replied, “I'm a certified instructor. I took my certs under Liu-Sifu. Liu Wen.” Lucius looked a bit surprised then said, “I've heard of him. He is a muggle but his accomplishment are rather widely known in magical circles as one of his grandchildren is magical. I am impressed.” He motioned to an area of hard sand, “Shall we?” Frankie nodded, glanced at Harry, who was going through a quick warm up tai chi, then led the way. Both he and Johnny were surprised and pleased to see that Lucius was an accomplished and deadly street fighter. He had no martial arts training but Frankie admitted that he'd be hard pressed to beat him in an all out brawl. Draco was not as good. He was fairly accomplished for his age but seemed to be afraid to actually close with anyone. Lucius, when questioned, admitted that Draco had an inherited disease that made fighting problematic at best. They worked on basics together as Lucius admitted that he'd had few formal lessons in hand to hand combat. He did say that he was good at magical dueling, Draco's soft scoffing noise made him give his son an enquiring look. “I've never seen anyone as good as you are.” “Harry will be, when he grows into his powers. He's always a bit off balance.” Frankie watched Harry for a moment then said, “Growth spurt. Used to drive me nuts.” Draco nodded. “He is ... growing, I mean. His robes are all about half an inch too short. And we just bought them ... about a month ago.” The conversation was interrupted by Harry. He walked up to ask Johnny to watch him doing a form he was having difficulty with. Johnny went to watch Harry while Frankie continued working with Lucius. Finally, they were all done with their various routines and settled in chairs to relax a bit. Harry stripped off his soaking t-shirt and settled on his stomach to get a bit of the warm sun.  He felt happy and comfortable. Draco flopped onto a lounge and sighed, “This is nice.” He rolled his head. “Father, do you think someone could give Harry and I duelling lessons?” “I'll do it myself. And swordsmanship. Foil for you and ... Harry?” Harry had reared up on his elbows when duelling had been mentioned. “Swords? I think there's one in my devil's bag.” He turned to Frankie. “You're good with a sword, what sort of sword should I use?” “No idea. This is one of those things that I think need to be decided by experience. You should try as many different swords as you can and settle on what feels most natural.” Lucius nodded. “I think the same thing. I know that Draco is fair with a rapier. But I have an extensive collection of swords dating from the early middle ages, Norman conquest, to a sword that was made for my father. We shall just have to see what Harry's most comfortable with then train him with that. If you have a sword in your devils bag, you might want to try that one first.” Harry grunted as he rolled over onto his back, then said, “You're right. I'll take a look after lunch. Is it breakfast yet?” Lucius, who had firm ideas of eating on a 'hot' stomach, replied, “In about twenty more minutes, I don't want you cramping.” Frankie smirked at Johnny, who just grinned back. They'd been a bit worried about how Lucius might treat Harry and knew that Harry probably wouldn't complain. Now they were both reassured, Lucius treated Harry much as he treated Draco. Mainly, spoiled him. Harry noticed the exchange but ignored it as something the lovers just did. There was a series of pops as elves appeared with a table, food under covers and place settings. Lucius rose announcing, “Now that it is warm enough I thought breakfast on the beach might be nice.” Harry laughed happily. “A picnic!  As long as there's no sand in the fruit salad.” “Or ants. I hate ants in the eggs.” Johnny exclaimed. Lucius put on his most haughty expression. “No sand, I promise. As to ants ... they would not dare.” Draco just snickered and started to serve himself, passing the service to Lucius who took some or just passed it to Johnny, who was seated at his right. Johnny passed it on to Frankie who passed to Harry. Frankie, well aware of proper manners, asked, “Lucius, why did Draco serve himself first?” Draco, thinking about a potion, replied absently, “Poison.” and returned to his contemplation of the relative merits of wolfsbane versus amortentia in his experiment. Johnny nearly spit his tea out. “Poison! What?” Lucius watched in amusement as Harry poked Draco under the table. Draco blinked, said, “What?” in an aggrieved tone then glared at Harry. Harry snickered then said, “You don't just drop something like that into a conversation without explaining.” Lucius, Frankie and Johnny all laughed at the byplay then Lucius explained, “It is family tradition that the eldest son tastes all dishes first, to prevent the Head of the family being poisoned. Now, I know and you know, that there is no poison in anything, but it is tradition and, as this family is not only Old Traditionalist but Old Pureblood, we do tend to stay close to old traditions whenever possible.” “Ok, I see that, but ... the oldest son? I'd have thought the youngest would do it. Or the foster.” Lucius nodded. “If you consider them a spare; yes, it does make sense. But since Draco has been trained from earliest childhood, it is actually safer for him to do it. He can identify one part per hundred of over forty different poisons.” Lucius gave Draco a proud smile. Draco preened a bit then said, “Thank you, father. But, I can now identify sixty. Severus is very pleased with me.” “And so am I. He has not sent me any reports lately. Can you say why not?” “He's not well. His last visit with Tommy-boy left him in very ill health. Madam Pomfrey has him on some potions which make it ill advised for him to travel. And she wants him to rest as much as possible. Perhaps you could visit him?” “I believe I will, as soon as the house party is over.” Harry returned the conversation to the original subject. “Sixty poisons? Draco, I hope to hell Snape didn't teach you to identify them by taste.” “Professor Snape.” Lucius corrected. “He is your professor and deserves respect.” Harry got a look that no one had ever seen before, a combination of hauteur and pride that sat well on his face. “While I'm at school, I have to show respect to him to avoid loosing house points but ... he's a terrible teacher, a cold, bitter, cruel, petty man and not worthy of the title. So, while I'm not at school, I'll call him whatever I please. Sorry.” Lucius blinked once while Frankie murmured, “Oh, please, don't hold back, tell us what you think.” Draco sighed, “And that's another bone to pick between us. Severus is ... really, I do not know why he's so ... unpleasant to Harry. As well as other students.” Lucius took a sip of tea. “Severus never wanted to be a teacher, experimental potions is his forte. Dumbledore, however, had other ideas. Ideas that made his safety paramount. To the detriment of potions education at Hogwarts. He has no patience and little understanding of the needs of children. I do, however, think that he would be an excellent professor of potions for an institution of higher learning. As to Harry, there is a history between Severus and James that has bled over into his relationship with Harry.” Harry had expected Lucius to insist that he respect Snape, he was glad to find that he wasn't going to have a battle over the idiot. Lucius adroitly changed the subject again. This time to what training Harry needed in hand-to-hand combat. Frankie, the expert in training, said that all Harry really needed was experience. He knew enough forms, real combat was totally different from exhibition combat. His comparison was, “If you're in a contest, every point counts. If it's real life there's only one point that counts, don't die.” Everyone had nodded at that. Then Frankie asked, “I'd like to see Harry and you duel. Would that be possible?” Lucius looked at Harry who nodded and said, “Sure. I know you just love watching my arse get kicked.” But his grin was amused and willing. Draco sighed, “And I have to be the referee.” Lucius knew how much Draco hated that, now that he realized how powerful both contestants were. He was afraid that he wasn't good enough to control the arena. “Yes, but at the first sign of failure, call the match. Do not wait until there is real danger. Do you understand?” Draco looked relieved as he replied, “Yes, sir, I do.” Lucius called for 'service' and an elf appeared. He instructed it to remove the breakfast things back to the château and have someone prepare the duelling arena there for use. “I think walking back might be a good idea. That much activity on a full stomach isn't good.” So they walked back to the château, enjoying the bright, warm morning. . They all went to their rooms to clean up and change into something more appropriate. Frankie and Johnny into casual trousers, button down shirts and trainers. Draco changed into day robes while both Lucius and Harry changed into duelling robes. Harry was especially proud of his as Lucius had exchanged his first set for a set that were better than an Auror's combat robes. He hadn't understood why he had actually gotten underwear with it. Mimsey had explained that the acromantula silk would protect his skin from his second layer. This was dragon hide; trousers and tunic both constructed of hide tanned as softly as possible but it was still rough. His boots were also of dragon hide. Then he donned a knee length arming robe, Woven of a combination of acromantula and Chinese silk and spelled to repel hexes and jinxes of medium strength. These were the strongest that static magic could handle. The final layer was a loose cape of fine wool, fastened over his chest with four silver clasps, this would keep it from sliding up and choking him. The cape was lined with a mottled brownish green brocade and was spelled to flair out making it harder to target his body, it also was spelled to repel hexes and jinxes. Harry smoothed the front of his cloak with one hand then smiled at Mimsey. “Do I look fierce?” He tried a grimace out, but Mimsey just giggled at him. “Oi! Miss Impudence, how can I go fight when everyone just laughs at me?” Mimsey just shook her head, making her ears tremble. “Master Harry is having a very fierce glare ... when he is truly angry. Otherwise, he is just looking cross eyed. So, go, fight Master Lucius. Kick his bottom.” Harry just laughed at her and strode to the door leaving Mimsey to contemplate how grown her young master was becoming.  . Ron knew he was in trouble the second he stepped out of the floo. Molly met him and started in at once. Ron just hung his head and let her rant. It never did him any good to protest, explain or argue, she just went on louder and longer. When she was done raking him over hot coals she announced that he was grounded and was to de-gnome the garden completely by the end of his term of punishment or it would be extended until he was finished. He was also to show proof that he'd completed all his summer assignments. Finally, she huffed and said, “Trust that Malfoy boy to get you into trouble.” Ron decided it was time. “Actually, it was Harry. He had the invite and he suggested it. And Mr. Malfoy and I have made up. You and Dad don't have to have anything to do with him but we ended our blood feud. It's over, as far as I'm concerned. And that's final.” He got that mulish look on his face that Molly new meant he wouldn't be budged no matter what. “Very well. But I'm not inviting either of them here, for any reason.” “Fair enough. I'll take my stuff up and put it away. Oh, on that subject, I don't expect you to like it, but Mr. Malfoy bought me some stuff. I expect it to last me at least two years and no one is to borrow it. The last time I lent a robe to George he destroyed it.” “Ron, you should share things with your brothers.” Molly was trying hard to hold onto her temper, the dressing down had exhausted her. “Mother, everyone in the family has more money that I do, except for Ginny. I'd appreciate it if my new robes remained mine. If Fred, George or Percy need new, they can buy their own. Excuse me. Tactical retreat.” And with that Ron went up to his room and put his new robes away, gently stroking the fine nape of one before hanging it up. Molly watched as her youngest son ascended the stairs with his head high and knew that she'd better not interfere in this, no matter how much she didn't like it. She'd made that mistake with Percy and see how that had turned out. She decided that she'd better have a word with Arthur before he put his foot in it. . Neville Longbottom listened to his Gran as she called him very kind of fool under the sun, then he sighed, “Well, I'm sorry you feel like that. I've been as good a grandson as I knew how. I never complained about Uncle Algie nearly killing me on a regular basis, never said that Dad's wand made me feel less than adept. Never asked you to clean out the green houses for me. But, now ...” He drew a deep breath. “Am I the head of this house or are you? Tell me because I really want to know.” Augusta drew herself up and demanded, “Are you saying that I haven't taken care of the family fortune as I should?” “No, I'm asking a very simple question. Am I head of the house or not?” “Since your father is indisposed and not likely to recover, you are.” Neville nodded. “I see. I'll be moving into the master's quarters. I'd also like a run down on what's being done with what. And the next time you call me a fool, I'll move out. Good day.” Augusta Longbottom realized that she'd somehow produced something she hadn't expected, a true head of house. She sighed, now all she had to do was make sure that she quit offending him. She wondered if she wasn't the fool after all. . Hermione Granger smiled in satisfaction. She had completed her summer assignments, her extra credit essays and was now ready to find Harry. She didn't care what Dumbledore said anymore. She was going to find Harry. She settled down with several books on spells for finding things, lost possessions mostly. She also had a book on tracking spells, but she wasn't too sure about them, most of them needed a personal possession or even blood for the spell to work. Never the less, she read until she fell asleep with a book on her breast. He mother slipped in, took the book way and pulled up her covers, never noticing the slim volume that slipped under the bed. . Severus Snape threw down his knife and swept the ruined asphodel into a container. It was useless, as his hand had shaken so much that the slices were uneven, but it could be dried and powdered. He snarled softly then went to take his potions. Today was a bad day. On good days he could brew as efficiently as always, on a bad day he might as well stay in bed. He decided to go to his office and finish his lesson plans then do some research. One of his clients needed a more powerful nutrient potion that tasted good. His research had led him to believe that the addition of honey and vanilla would actually aid in its efficaciousness. He settled to read. . Frankie eyed the arena with curiosity. “I thought you said there were safety shields.” Draco nodded. “There are. You just can't see them until the duellists start. Then you'll be able to see the spells splashing on them. It wouldn't be good to obscure the sight of the observers and the referee, would it?” Johnny agreed, “Right. And there's some really nice seating too.” He wandered over to a comfy chair and settled in, an elf brought him a cup of tea. “Thank you.” The elf eeped and disappeared. Draco called the duel. “Duellists enter the arena.” Lucius and Harry entered the arena and climbed the steps to the raised platform. Draco called, “Duellists salute!” Harry and Lucius saluted each other as fencers would, except they used their wands instead of swords. “Begin!” Lucius tried a jelly legs jinx first but Harry cartwheeled out of the way, shooting a fainting hex at him as he did so. Lucius back stepped just enough that the hex ran out of power before it reached him. As the combat continued the power and severity of the spells increased until Harry snarled, 'reducto'. Lucius dodged that spell and the shields alarm went off. Draco snapped, “Stop!” and both duellists froze. “The shields have failed ... again.” Frankie took one look at both Lucius and Harry. They looked like they'd been through a meat grinder. Harry had a black eye caused by a light powered bombarda and his face was covered with small cuts from several hexes that he didn't know the name of. Lucius hadn't faired much better as he also had a black eye and a bloody nose from a simple punch in the face. His cloak was ripped nearly to shreds by something called 'sectumsempra'. Both of them were also sweating freely and breathing like twin steam engines. “Oh, my God! Look at you both. Doctor, we need to call a doctor. Now!” Harry realized that, what was to them not much of anything, was to both Frankie and Johnny, a real working over. Lucius realized the same thing and just remarked calmly, “Potions. Don't worry about us. Draco will give us both potions that will see us healed in seconds.” Just then Draco approached with a potion in each hand. “Here. Drink these, then we'll have tea and discuss the duel.” Harry took one and gulped it down in one go. Lucius accept the other and did the same a bit more slowly. Their mutual, stereo, “Blarg!” made everyone laugh. Even the elf that was setting up their light snack. Both of his friends stared at Harry as if he'd grown two heads. He figured they'd never let him hear the end of this. “Man, that's fantastic. I've never seen anyone heal that fast.” Harry took a towel from an elf and wiped his face off, removing the blood and sweat. “Thank you.” Lucius also wiped his face. “Now, much better. Tea?” Johnny settled back in the chair he'd been in before and Frankie sat next to him. Lucius, Harry and Draco took chairs also. Tea was poured and the five men, young and old, began to pick the duel apart. Harry was glad to see that Draco had turned on some sort of recording device which could show their moves right in the arena. Harry was a bit surprised that both Johnny and Draco took notes. The final decisions were made by Frankie and Lucius, the two acknowledged experts. Harry was to take duelling training with Lucius, drop his lessons with Madam, as they both felt that Lucius was more than adequate to teach Harry what he needed to know. And Harry's lessons in Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Transfiguration would begin as soon as they returned to England. Which would be in a week. The group realized that they'd somehow eaten lunch during their conversation. Lucius made a note of how much service had improved. Frankie looked at his watch and sword, “Oh, fuck, look at the time. We told Brick that we'd be back by three. We'll never make it.” Harry snorted in amusement. “Mimsey!” Mimsey popped in with a smirk. “Yes?” “Will you help Frankie and Johnny pack?” She smiled. “Is done. Mimsey is thinking you is getting involved in your conversation and forgetting. So ... Mimsey is packing for the nice muggle gentlemen.” “Thanks.” Harry turned to Frankie and realized that he suddenly had tears in his eyes. “Oh, hell. I swore I wouldn't do this. I hate to see you go.” Johnny walked over and hugged Harry from one side while Frankie hugged him from the other. “It's alright. We'll miss you too. But I will admit to needing to get home.” Harry wiped at his eyes. “Yeah, you left Brick in charge? What were you thinking?” “Um ... that he needed the experience?” Frankie wrinkled his nose. Johnny smiled gently at Harry. “Thanks for inviting us. Mr Malfoy ... you too. But we really do need to get back.” Lucius handed Harry a handkerchief then said, “You are very welcome. Feel free to return at any time.” Frankie hugged Harry again then said, “Probably not. I'm sorry Harry, but this is all just a bit much for us.” Johnny nodded his head, looking grave. “You come visit us. We'll be happy to have you any time.” Frankie and Johnny both hugged Harry again, bemoaned the fact that they hadn't had time for more dancing lessons, said good-bye and held out their hands to Mimsey who took them and popped away. Harry broke down slightly and found himself hugged again, from both sides but this time it was his Papa and brother who hugged him and comforted him. “Sorry. I'm sorry. I don't usually bawl over nothing” “It's not nothing to realize that you will miss your friends. Especially as they are so uncomfortable with magic that they don't want to come back. I'll see that you get to visit them once it is safe to do so.” Harry sniffled a bit then sighed. Draco patted his shoulder then wandered away. Lucius hugged him once more then eased away a bit. “Why don't you go to your rooms and rest a bit. This entire week has been ... wearying.” “Ok. I think I will rest after all that. Thanks.” He sighed and trudged to his rooms. . Harry picked up his devils bag and pulled the inventory out. He glanced over the pages until he found 'Swords'. He was quickly confused as he wasn't sure about any of them. He decided to ask Lucius at dinner. He looked at the list again and decided to write down the ones he felt were good choices. His list included; Claymore, Basket hilted Schiavona, Arming sword, Rapier, Flamberge, Saber. He looked up at a tap at his door. Draco stuck his head in to ask, “How are you doing?” “Ok. I'm sorry I was such a sad sister. I'm better now. Come on in.” Draco grinned. “I brought the diagrams for that routine we were working on. Want to go over them?” “Yeah!” Harry's face lit up. “That'd be brilliant. I think we could actually fly it soon.” “Half speed?” Harry bopped Draco on the back of the head. “Are you completely demented? Quarter speed, if we're lucky. We have to establish all the lines and horizon markers. We also have to make sure that some of the stunts can actually be done on a broom.” “Ok, ok. You don't have to get violent.” Draco grinned at Harry, who just grinned back. They turned their attention to the diagrams and plans again. They spent the majority of the afternoon working on their routine. Dinner was a fun affair, Draco spent most of it analysing Frankie and Johnny, their dancing, the group of attendees and various other things. Lucius added his own commentary and Harry spent most of the meal trying not to laugh with food in his mouth. The consensus was; Pansy was a slut, Millicent was smarter than she let on, Daphne was nice, Neville was going to kick over the traces soon, Ron was good hearted and deadly at chess, Vince was slow but fairly intelligent and Greg should be kept home for his own good. “Poor boy. I don't know what happened. He should have turned out twice as magical as his parents. But there you are.” Lucius shrugged and returned to his solitary slice of cake. Draco looked at Harry who shrugged, “I don't know. We could ask Hermione. She'll either know or know how to find out. I do know that it has something to do with genes and inbreeding.” Draco looked blank, as did Lucius. When dinner was done Lucius announced that tonight was a relaxing night and Draco would read to them from the Stories of Beedle the Bard. So they all went to the family lounge across the hall from the library and settled in to rest and take turns reading, as Draco said that he deserved a chance to listen and Lucius agreed.

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