Minerva's Promise

September 1994

Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

After finishing his little speech, Harry maintained an amused expression on his face.

Though Dumbledore's expression was unreadable, he maintained a curious expression on his face, his eyes moving to and fro between the Malfoys and Harry.

Meanwhile Lucius gritted his teeth in anger. How could he not be aware of these laws, after all he had been using the same laws against wizards and witches with lower status than him for years.

Narcissa took the reins of the conversation in her hands and spoke for the first time, "You are sure very knowledgeable about our laws, Mr. Potter."

She smiled and continued in a relaxed tone, "And even if reluctantly, I will have to agree that this time you have an upper hand against my son in this particular incident."

Harry chuckled, "Thank you for the acknowledgement Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa continued as if she did not heard Harry, "However, repeatedly claiming to be Lord apparent of Black Family can land you in more serious trouble than Draco would ever be for a firing a simple harmless spell against you."

She raised an eyebrow and her expression turned curious, "With all the knowledge you have, you must be aware that claiming to be Lord apparent of Black Family, when you are definitely not the first in the line of succession is serious crime, Mr. Potter."

Harry was amused and smiled, "Then Mrs. Malfoy, I would say this is a very interesting opportunity for you. Why don't you file a complaint against on this matter?"

He chuckled, "I am sure you would be very well aware of consequences if some is found to be pretending as Lord apparent of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House. I wonder if you would file this matter in Wizengamot."

Narcissa raised her eyebrow and stared at Harry for few seconds as if trying to find answers to some of her questions.

She stood up, "Thank you for the time headmaster. I think we should go, Draco, Lucius."

Draco sneered at Harry for one last time while Lucius snorted in anger and marched out of the room.

Harry also stood up, "I will also take my leave, headmaster."

Dumbledore sighed, "I am afraid Harry, that you would not be able to return to your dorms for now. You will have a three week detention starting now and a loss of 100 house point. Though house points are irrelevant this year, it will still serve as an example."

It took a moment for Harry to register what Dumbledore said and then he stared at Dumbledore as if he was looking an idiot moron.

He almost gritted his teeth in anger, "Didn't I clearly mentioned that I will not be accepting any punishment from the school for this incident?"

Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment, "It has nothing to do with your acceptance Harry. You injured a student on school premise and so you must serve the punishment."

"And what punishment will Draco serve for firing a spell on the back of a fellow student?" Asked Harry.

Dumbledore answered, "Since his spell caused no real damage it is a small matter. His head of the house will deal with Draco's punishment."

Harry's eyes automatically moved to Snape's face, who had returned to his normal self by now.

Snape was almost about to sneer at Harry but probably remembering Harry's warning, he immediately schooled his expression to normal.

"Then I have to disappoint you Professor. This incident involves spell firing and injury to a student. Both the parties involved in this incident belong to families holding seats in Wizengamot. This is not a small disciplinary Hogwarts matter or a classroom incident about not doing homework. If brought properly this incident will likely include criminal charges. So, this is no longer an issue which you can deal with as the Hogwarts headmaster," stated Harry.

He continued in firm tone, "If you want me to serve a punishment call the DMLE."

Without waiting for any answer Harry left the room and walked out of it.

Minerva also quickly stood up and followed behind Harry, leaving Dumbledore and Snape alone in the room.

September 1994

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Minerva called Harry, "A moment of your time, Mr. Potter."

Harry stopped and turned around to find Minerva walking towards him.

She quickly caught up with him and both of them started to walk towards the Gryffindor dorm.

Harry asked, "Is there any matter Professor?"

Minerva took a moment before she nodded, "About Lucius Malfoy."

Harry stared at her in curiosity and waited for her to continue.

Minerva started to speak, "I understand that you have matured a lot compared to previous year Mr. Potter. But Lucius Malfoy is not a man to be taken lightly or to trifled with nonchalantly. He is a dangerous man."

She continued, "Before the rise of He-who-must-not-be-named, Malfoys were a normal magical family. Though they were an ancient family they held no real power. There were families who surpassed Malfoys by a large margin in economic and political power, including yours."

"When Lucius was in the final years of his school, he started to associate with He-who-must-not-be-named. After some time, he formally became the head of his family and at that time the death eaters were at their peak."

She continued, "Malfoy's wealth and political influence rose massively during that time. He got himself related to the Lestranges and Blacks."

"Though the war ended and dark forces suffered a defeat, no family was left unscathed to properly take on Lucius Malfoy and added to the mix was the assumption of Draco Malfoy being next Lord Black. Lucius became the leader of the blood purist and now he controls a massive political influence."

Minerva sighed, "In his whole life Lucius Malfoy has hardly been defied Mr. Potter, and what you have done today is nothing less than a slap on his face."

Minerva stopped her steps and faced Harry, "As a wizard Lucius Malfoy may not be a powerful one, but his power lies in his shrewdness and manipulation. The three Lestranges were the attack head of He-who-must-not-be-named while Lucius was the chief architect of all the plans to gather the political influence."

She stared at Harry, dead in his eyes, "So be careful, Harry."

Harry blinked at the informal use of his name from Minerva McGonagall.

She continued, "I know you are having a lot of trust issues and I admit I failed you in the past, but I promise, if you ever need me in the future I will have your back."

With this she started her walk and let out a small chuckle, "I may not be a very good politician, Mr. Potter, but trust me when I say, that there are very few who could cross wands with in a fight."

Harry blinked again in surprise and replied with a genuine happiness, "I understand Professor."

[Share Opinion: In the cannon Narcissa was somewhat a grey character. She saved Harry's life once. Maybe since looking at the power fighting on Harry's side Voldemort's win was the easy guess, she had no other choice but to follow Lucius. What if there was a different chance available to her? To get herself a freedom? TELL ME DO YOU WANT AN EVIL NARCISSA MALFOY OR A NARCISSA WHO WANT HERSELF FREE FROM LUCIUS AND VOLDEMORT CLUTCHES]