Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 14: The Weight of a Wand

7 November 1994
The Three Broomsticks
Hogsmeade
4:30 p.m.

The better of the two Hogsmeade pubs was quite crowded, as one might expect on a Hogsmeade weekend, even though the students had been prevented from coming to town until the afternoon. Presently, the Silver Trio (Blaise was still working on the t-shirts) sat a table in a corner booth, which they jealously guarded while waiting for some more friends. The bell over the door rang as it opened, and Harry waved to the new arrivals: Hermione Granger and Viktor Krum. The two made their way over and joined the three Slytherins in the booth.

"Good afternoon, Harry Black and friends of Harry Black!" Viktor said gregariously as he pulled out a chair for Hermione. "Viktor has found Hogsmeade most charmful. Very impressed with quality of Quidditch supplies at ..." He turned to Hermione. "Vat was name of store?"

"Quality Quidditch Supplies," she replied.

Viktor nodded. "Logical."

"Well, I'm glad you've enjoyed our Hermione showing you the sights of Hogsmeade, such as they are," said Harry. "But have you by any chance seen Draco? I haven't seen him since the Imperius lecture. I am supposed to be his chaperone, after all."

The Bulgarian assumed a disgruntled look. "Viktor thinks that Dragon is off with his ... Dragon friends."

The three boys looked confused at that cryptic remark and turned to Hermione.

"At Durmstrang," she explained, "the term Dragon usually refers to a member of House Zmeyevich, whose members are traditional rivals to the Bogatyrs. House Bogatyr is very honorable and martial, while Zmeyevich is more ... chaotic. My impression is that if the Weasley Twins had gone to Durmstrang, they'd have been Sorted into Zmeyevich. Anyway, Viktor is suggesting that Draco is running with a bad crowd."

"Well," said Harry, "it's not like it's the first time for him. But he'd better get here soon. His father is coming tonight, along with my godfather. We'll be having dinner in a private room upstairs."

"Really?" said Hermione mildly. "Small world. I'll be having a private dinner upstairs as well. One of the Dagworth-Grangers invited me to meet with him."

"Oh?" inquired Blaise. "I thought we hated the Dagworth-Grangers for being blood-purist scum or something. Has that changed?"

The witch shrugged. "We'll see. The Dagworth-Granger Heir seemed mortified when I told him what his Aunt Cressida wrote to me a few years ago."

"Does ... blood purism make life difficult for ... Granger?" asked Viktor hesitantly. Harry noted that the Bulgarian had apparently abandoned all hope of pronouncing Hermione's given name, at least while they were in public.

"Well, yes," answered Hermione who obviously thought it a silly question. "There is entrenched bigotry in Wizarding Britain, with our Pureblood overlords permitted if not encouraged to look down on Muggleborns. And in the case of the Dagworth-Grangers, even Muggleborns who can prove their descent from old Pureblood families!"

"Viktor understands this," he replied placatingly. "Is terrible how British Purebloods ignore their obligations to their kin born of Muggles!"

Harry winced, immediately realizing that SPAM-founder Hermione would take that poorly.

"I hope, Viktor," she said coldly, "that you are not suggesting I should have been stolen away from my mother and father to be adopted into some Pureblood family. I love my parents, and they love me! I wouldn't trade them for anything, and certainly not for the chance to be fostered by a Pureblood family so that I could spend my life pretending to be something I'm not."