Here We Go

chapter 5

Chapter 5: Dumbledork

Usual disclaimers, no rights to any characters portrayed and this is neither the real world nor a Disney Princess tale. There will provably be changes in the first hour or so as I find things that didn't come out the way I wanted.
At Hogsmeade station, Efa, Emyr and Dobby turned up to take their familiars and trunks up to where the others were waiting.
Once out on the platform though, Harry frowned as he looked down to where Hagrid was calling the First years to him. "Hagrid has too good a heart to have been involved in this, and given the fact that the anti-giant feeling was even stronger back when he and Professor Flitwick attended Hogwarts, he would have had to be outstanding to even get in…. I'd lay money on the fact that Dumbledore's been interfering with him to keep him down at this level. We need to be putting more effort into helping Hagrid."
Hermione hugged him. "We will Harry, but at the moment our priority is to get a couple of boats so that the others can enjoy their first sight of Hogwarts in peace." Harry nodded, hugging her back, and they headed down to where Hagrid was.
It was fun watching Nev, Sue, Luna, Daph and Tori's awe as they first caught sight Hogwarts, but their enjoyment ended when they were waiting to be led into the Great Hall for the sorting, because Malfoy came up with Crabbe and Goyle and like Weasley, Malfoy sprouted the same lines as he had last time.
Harry looked down at the hand the Malfoy had stuck out at him and then looked back up at him.
"Are you really Draco Malfoy? Because I'm certain that I heard Duke Black order the annulment of your parents' marriage a few weeks ago."
Malfoy was livid. "Yes I am! Father corrected that error straight away!"
Harry chuckled. "Ooh, that must have cost him a bit, especially after the House of Malfoy lost so much to the House of Black…. but that doesn't explain how you can be so ignorant of the rules of our society…"

He looked at Sue, Nev, Daphne and Astoria (as the ones raised to observe House politics) in feigned confusion, but they just shrugged and shook their heads as if to say that they didn't understand either, so he turned back to Malfoy.

"After all, I have only been in this world for less than a month now but I've had time to learn the rules…. So I would have certainly expected someone who has been raised in what is rumoured to be, or at least was, one of the richer families in Magical Britain, and who's mother was part of the House of Black at one point, to understand that it is never acceptable for a social inferior to introduce themselves to their superiors unless their social status is within one or two levels at most of their superiors'…. Therefore, while it would have been acceptable for Countess Bones, Heir Longbottom, Heiress Greengrass or Heiress Lovegood to introduce themselves to me…."
(The fact that he had named them in the proper order of rank was noted by those who knew these things but Sue, Daphne, Luna and Nev tried to cover up their laughter at this by bowing their heads as they curtsied or bowed as applicable.)
"We all know that the Heir to the…." he gave a cough of laughter "Noble House of Malfoy would be at least six or seven levels below the Head of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter…. I am of course presuming that your father has completed the process to formally accept you as his heir again…. and ignoring all those ugly rumours that your family's elevation to Noble rank in Henry the Sixth's Second Reign was never actually formally confirmed, because otherwise you would be at least nine levels below me, as you would no more than an ordinary member of a Minor House…. If that, because if your father hasn't formally accepted you back into the House of Malfoy, you aren't even a part of House Malfoy…."
Most of the Purebloods were laughing openly now, because the ones who were informed about these things knew that what Duke Potter (it did stick in the craws of many of them to have to refer to a Half-Blood as that, but then the Potters had been blood traitors for centuries, it was even worse for the ones from the Dark Faction Houses to have to refer to him as Heir Black, because the Blacks had remained pure up until now) said was correct, and they were quite sure that Malfoy's father wouldn't have bothered doing those things. That titbit about the Nobility of House Malfoy being in question was delicious though, they had to look into that. Their fathers had been laughing about the fact that the only reason he'd given his wife and son the Malfoy name back was to save face in the Wizengamot after Duke Black backed him into a corner by ensuring that everyone in the court room witnessed the fact that he was powerless to do anything about the annulment of their marriage and the loss of so many of their holdings and so much of their fortune.
Crabbe and Goyle just looked confused about what in the seven hells was going on but Malfoy's face was turning an interesting shade of purple as he worked himself up to an explosion so Minerva hustled them all into the Great Hall before this could escalate any further…. and to stop herself bursting out laughing as Harry had obviously inherited both his mother's sharp wit and his father's sharp tongue…. Lily's tongue had been sharp enough too if someone irked her but that had definitely sounded like James, because Charlus and Dorea had ensured that he knew the rules of the Magical Houses.
Once inside, Harry flashed a smile over his shoulder at Hermione as she was repeating what she'd said last time about the magical ceiling to Luna, but at least the repeat was intentional this time. They all applauded when Sue was selected for Hufflepuff again, and waited to see what happened with Hermione, because the plan was for all of them to get into Hufflepuff with Sue. Auntie Mona had been crowing good naturedly about that to Auntie Minnie and Uncle Fili.
Harry he was drawn into Hermione's discussion with the Sorting Hat almost as soon as Minerva put the Hat on her head. 'I knew that I was right about the link between you two!…. Oh dear, I am so sorry for what you both had to go through….but Lady Hogwarts has requested that I formally welcome the true heirs of her Founders back to the school on her behalf…. and please allow me to do the same for myself!'