Pride and Polyjuice Potion

Chapter 26

The next day, Hermione was in one of her afternoon lessons, scribbling something down on her parchment when Minerva McGonagall stormed into the classroom.

"Miss Granger, you have a visitor. Come with me now, quickly."

The room fell silent and everyone turned their heads to look at Hermione. Nobody ever had visitors. It was incredibly rare. She said nothing, only gave Ginny, who was sitting next to her, a confused shrug as she walked out.

"Professor, please could you tell me what's going on? I'm not too sure who could possibly be here to visit me, this all so strange-"

"I'm afraid I'm not too sure what is going on myself, Miss Granger, but this person demanded to speak with you. Now if you would kindly refrain from asking further questions, that would be greatly appreciated."

With great pain did Hermione stop herself from bombarding McGonagall with an endless array of questions. However, she managed to control herself and silently followed the Professor all the way to just outside Dumbledore's office.

A tall and brooding figure was standing before the pair of them. He was facing away from her and so she could only see the back of his long ice white hair that was neatly pulled together with an elegant black bow.

"Miss Granger, a Mr Lucius Malfoy to see you," said McGonagall formally before curtseying and taking her leave.

Hermione felt as though she might burst out laughing. Lucius Malfoy, father to Draco Malfoy- here to visit her? It made absolutely no sense and her astonishment was entirely beyond her expectation. Whoever she had been expecting to see, this was most certainly not it.

While the silence between them was most uncomfortable, Hermione made no effort to begin conversation with the man, who was now more than usually insolent and disagreeable. He had had come to speak to her, and so let him speak.

"You can be at no loss, Miss Granger, to understand the reason of my visit," he said after he had exhausted every possible dirty look he could direct at Hermione.

"Indeed, you are mistaken, Sir. I cannot quite make sense of your asking to see me," Hermione replied with a confused frown. While the man did not deserve any of her kindness, she made her best attempt at addressing him with civility.

"Miss Granger, you ought to know that I am not to be trifled with. But however insincere you may choose to be, you shall not find me so.

I was called to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on a most alarming matter. That my son, Draco Malfoy, was facing imminent expulsion. You can imagine my shock and dismay at such news and thus came to Hogwarts immediately. I demanded to be told the reasons behind this expulsion for I knew there was no possibly way that my son, that a man of Malfoy lineage, could be expelled without some form of underlying reason, shall we say.

My instincts soon proved to be correct - as they often are - when it was revealed to me that my son had left Hogwarts without permission for almost two entire weeks in the search of an old acquaintance of ours and a Gryffindor half blood, a friend of yours I have been told and ought to mention. This was entirely news to me. I had been given no reason to believe that Draco had left Hogwarts at any time.

But it did not end there, unfortunately. Yesterday morning Draco got in a physical fight with that Hufflepuff boy, Mr Diggory. Ah yes, I knew his father. A shameful, traitorous family, entirely undeserving of its prestigious pureblood status. Much like that Weasley family you seem to be very well acquainted with.

When I came to ask the motive for this fight, Draco would not answer me. It was answered only by the Diggory boy who told me that you were the cause. He went on to say that Draco intended for the two of you to be in some way united, perhaps in attending the ball together. Though I know it must be a scandalous falsehood. Nonetheless, I wish to make it absolutely clear where I stand on the matter and my intense objections to it."