Chapter - 44 : Politics and Pettiness part - 2

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That caught Harry's attention. "Lessons?"

"You know - lessons in Latin and basic Arithmancy and stuff," Draco said. "Aunt Cassie teaches us."

"We have to spend three hours every day learning everything we need to know before we go to Hogwarts in the autumn," Ernie elaborated. "It's quite boring, but at least we get to have fun after class."

"Is it just the two of you?" asked Harry.

"No, Vincent Crabbe's also taught along with us, since he's our second cousin twice removed," Draco said. "And then there's Daphne Greengrass and her little sister Astoria. They're not too bad, I suppose, even though they're girls. At least it's not Pansy Parkinson. Her mother insists on teaching her herself, thank Merlin."

Harry didn't know why he was so surprised by what he was hearing. He'd known that a lot of Purebloods were interrelated and knew each other long before they ever got to Hogwarts. He distinctly remembered Pansy Parkinson and Parvati Patil being on first name terms during their first flying lesson. He also knew there wasn't any such thing as a wizarding primary school. It was just that he hadn't combined those two ideas to realise that pureblood children were all home schooled together.

"You might be joining us," Ernie told him. "I heard Great-Aunt Melania say so. She said you needed to be taught proper manners."

"Huh," Harry said, not certain what to think of that. On the one hand, he didn't want to be stuck in classes with a bunch of immature children before he absolutely had to. On the other, he probably didn't know anything they were being taught. Latin? Harry had struggled to learn French in his old world, and that was just the very basics covered in muggle primary school. As for Arithmancy, basic or otherwise, Harry didn't know the first thing about the subject.

"It depends on your dad, I think," Ernie said. "But it would be great if he says yes."

"He probably will." Harry supposed he should agree to the lessons if they were offered. It would be useful – not just teaching him things he'd missed the first time round, but also letting him get to know the children who would later grow up to be influential members of society. "I suppose it could be quite fun," he said, trying to be optimistic.

Draco looked pleased. "It'll be such a relief to have you around. All the other cousins my age are really boring. They don't even like Quidditch!"

"Hey!" Ernie said indignantly.

"I wasn't talking about you." Draco waved off Ernie's protest. "I said other cousins, remember? I meant the ones on my dad's side - the Greengrass girls and that Yaxley brat."

"Oh, that's all right, then," Ernie said, his ruffled feelings soothed.

"It'll be nice getting to know my family for a change," Harry said cheerfully.

Ernie turned to him in surprise. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, before she died I lived with my mum and her family disowned her ages ago," Harry explained. "So I hadn't met any of my other relatives until I moved in with my dad. I don't even know if the main Aubrey family knows I exist."

"Well you've been blood adopted by the Blacks now so it's no business of the Aubreys what you do anymore. Although…is your dad really… all right?" Draco asked in a whisper, leaning in as if the portraits might want to eavesdrop on them. "I heard Azkaban drives people insane."

"He's doing surprisingly well actually," Harry answered truthfully. "He managed to keep his sanity intact by holding onto the knowledge that he was innocent. And of course the Mind Healers in Saint Mungo's have helped a lot as well."

Ernie nodded encouragingly. "I say, that's jolly good news, isn't it?"

"Mum was really happy when she heard he was being released," Draco said. "All her other close relatives are either dead or still in Azkaban."

"That's not true," Harry disagreed. "There's her sister Andromeda."

"Well she's a blood-traitor so she doesn't really count," Draco said dismissively.

Harry shook his head in disapproval. "Really, Draco, I can't believe you'd reject your own aunt just because she married a muggleborn!"

Draco looked shocked that Harry didn't agree with him. "She disgraced the name of Black!"

"How? She's called Tonks now that she's married," Harry pointed out.

"She muddied the bloodline by having a half-blood child," Draco said, sounding as if he was quoting someone – his father, Harry guessed.

"That half-blood has one of the rarest magical talents in Britain," Harry said. "So I really don't see why her birth is a bad thing. Imagine how useful it could be to have a Metamorphmagus in the family."

"I suppose…" Draco said reluctantly, too much of a Slytherin not to see the advantages of someone who could change their appearance at will.

"C'mon, let's not argue," Ernie said, ever the Hufflepuff. "Leave the stuffy politics to the adults."

"Fine, agreed," Harry said, with Draco nodding alongside him.

"So…" Ernie said, obviously uncertain as to what to do next. "What should we do now?"

"Flying," the Malfoy heir said at once.

"Flying," Harry nodded. They shared a grin and then both turned to look at Ernie.

"Do we have to? It's cold outside," Ernie complained.

"No it isn't – it's pretty warm for the middle of March," Draco said authoritatively. "And anyway, it's not as if it's raining," he added.

"Come on, Ernie, it'll be fun," Harry cajoled him.

Ernie sighed, not looking happy but apparently prepared to go along with them anyway. "Fine, flying it is."

"Yes!" Draco whooped and raced outside, the other two following more sedately behind him.

Ernie soon dropped out to simply sit on the grassy cliff overlooking the sea and watch the other two fly, but Harry and Draco spent over an hour dipping and diving and trying to outdo each other in spectacular airborne tricks. When Draco wasn't desperate to win a match and wasn't filling a position that didn't suit him, he was actually a very good flyer. They didn't have a Snitch to chase and there weren't any Quidditch hoops to toss a Quaffle through, so they ended up inventing a game of 'who can fly closer to the waves without getting wet' and 'who can make Ernie scream loudest by dive-bombing him'.

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