Chapter 6

Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson... not a very good company, but they completely satisfied Draco's past. Although, given his small circle of friends, as well as a very high position in society, attracting all sorts of sycophants, it is not surprising. Young Malfoy simply had no options. He could be friends with those whom his father approved of, or he could not be friends with anyone at all.

But I don't really like this band. No, after a month of house arrest, I was still glad to see them, especially since the feelings of Draco's past have not disappeared anywhere. It just could have been better. Being surrounded by idiot friends, trained by their fathers, and one fool who almost drools when looking at me, was a little boring.

This past Draco liked to command two fools and bask in Pansy's attention. I was a more mature and sophisticated person. The power over two idiots, even if they were pure-blooded in some generation, did not inspire me too much. And at the sight of Pansy, even my excitement began to give way…

Pansy was not openly scary, rather just a rather simple and awkward girl. And the outright superiority in height and weight confused me. It was at the estate that I was able to get used to the fact that Lucius and Narcissa surpass me in height, just as a half-giant surpasses an ordinary person. I've even come to terms with some physical infirmity and thinness of this body. I will definitely fix it later, but for now I can only accept it.

But the fact that some girl surpasses me in size infuriated me. And yes, I understand that it is at this age, and Pansy recently turned twelve, that girls begin to grow rapidly, overtaking boys of their peers, but this did not cancel my feelings.

It made me sick to think that a girl like Pansy could claim to be my wife. What can I say, we are not engaged yet just because of Lucius' desire to knock the wedges to the Greengrass. And that's good, the last thing I want is to marry an "average" girl. My own pride will strangle me if I don't get the best girl. Yes, for me, a wife is more like a trophy and an indicator of status, and one does not joke with such things.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this attitude that the conversation between our company did not go too far from the very beginning. I frankly ignored Pansy's joyful chirping, and I forgot to say hello to my "friends"... The conversation didn't go well from the very beginning, and the guys, apparently, also took offense at me.

I didn't give a damn about it. I just wanted to walk down the main shopping street of magical Britain without being distracted by all this childish nonsense. But a slight stinging spell performed by my mother quickly brought me back to reality... Now I am no longer Tom Riddle – a rootless orphan, limited only by my desires and aspirations. Now I am Draco Malfoy – the heir of an ancient family, limited by many rules and laws.

I was not allowed to spoil relations with these three. As long as Lucius is alive, it's better for me to play along with him, trying to maintain a good relationship with the children of his allies. It's not that it's that important, but we need to be patient for at least another year. And my efforts will not be completely useless. Even a frankly stupid pair of puppets can turn out to be a very convenient tool, and Pansy will do for something. She can collect rumors or introduce interesting girls. I can definitely benefit from it.

"Well, finally". I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled cheerfully.

I decided to cover up my embarrassment in a fairly standard way – to distract the interlocutors to something more interesting. With children, this tactic works almost a hundred percent of the time.

"Why are you so happy?" Pansy asked me suspiciously.

She was already going to take offense at my ignoring, if curiosity and some ability to read the situation had not overcome such petty impulses in her dim soul.

"You won't believe it!" Enthusiastically and childishly joyfully, I began my performance, "I have awakened the ancestral gift of the Blacks!" I almost shouted, so that no one else heard. The simplest method of fixing the interlocutor's attention on certain parts of the dialogue. Playing with intonations, face and whole body, I literally shouted about the amazing importance of this news.

That's just the audience I got ungrateful. The children did not immediately understand why I was so happy, and only when they understood… Well, or they pretended to understand, as my friends did, a real storm began. The Pansy Parkinson Storm. The little piglet broke loose, having heard such a sensation firsthand, and also from her beloved Draco Malfoy.

Questions rained down on me with amazing force, and I had to cover our company with a dome of distraction. These were simple repulsive charms, amplified dozens of times, perfectly helping to distract the attention of random passers-by from our company. And let them divert the directed attention with great difficulty, but I simply could not have cast a more powerful spell. My wand not only began to obey me worse, but Narcissa also took it away…

"Okay, Pansy, calm down. I was going to tell you everything and even show you, it's just not worth doing it right in the middle of the street. Father didn't really want me to spread the word about this case". I said in a conspiratorial tone. Although he was not particularly needed, knowing the amazing obedience of his friend-owner, the children already understood the seriousness of the situation. Draco never went against his father's will, but here it is.

In general, yes, the children almost went crazy with curiosity, and my embarrassment was safely forgotten. Right now, this trio was only concerned with finding the most secretive place. And they even found one, but I didn't really want to go to the dusty store of book. And a bunch of richly dressed children would look pretty strange in a place like this. Which I convinced Pansy of. I didn't even begin to crucify myself in front of the guys, and they didn't resist my decisions much.

Gregory and Vincent generally preferred to remain silent, accepting my position in any dispute. You can immediately see what they were raised for. They were perfect bodyguards, especially considering their age. I wouldn't be surprised if the older generation of these families are exactly the same "friends" for my father. But that's not the point, the main thing is that I was able to convince my "bride" to move our secret conversation to a cafe.

There were plenty of restaurants of all kinds on Diagon Alley, and our parents did not deprive us of pocket money. I don't know how the guys are doing there, but Pansy and I could definitely afford a lot. It is quite normal for a person in our position to spend a month's salary of a ministerial official for one lunch…

"Show me". Pansy demanded immediately, as soon as the waitress left. Before that, the girl still somehow could restrain herself, but the nature of the gossip girl still took its toll.

"Wait". I said to her, ostentatiously taking out a small keychain from my pocket.

It was a simple artifact given to me by my mother at my first request. It was supposed to make us more invisible. I didn't mind showing off only an expensive toy in front of my company. Purely for the sake of atmosphere and adding even more secrecy to the whole story.

"Now we can continue our conversation". I smiled, activating the artifact. I could do it without a wand, I learned how to release a simple pulse of magic even before I got to Hogwarts.

And let no one here appreciate my coolness, but I have already created a general atmosphere for a conversation. It's time to surprise the kids. I really wanted to sneak around in the heads of my new "friends"... Fortunately, no one is going to interfere with me, and our order will appear on the table without the help of any waitresses there. Magic…