Luck of Nines

63

    It was a little odd, he noticed again later that day, when Malfoy, the older one that was, decided to sit on one of their joint lectures with the Ravenclaws.

      Sure the blonde board member had been making trips to the school more than the other board members had been, but none of them had ever deigned to sit in on any lectures except for Madam Longbottom who had trailed her grandson's classes for a day, when the board first started their visits, nitpicking the poor boy to the point that even the Slytherins had heard and commiserated the terrible experience. After a full day of ruthless dressing downs and revealing personal information that would have usually gotten a student laughed out of the dorms for at least a month, not one person had said even a single mocking word to the younger Longbottom, all he had received were looks of pity wherever he went.

       All the same, while at first people might have treaded carefully around Draco, with his father making frequent appearances, it became clear to the whole school fairly quickly that unlike Longbottom, Malfoy was showing little interest in his son, more attentive to pushing forward the removal of Dumbledore than anything.  And yet, as Harry had found out after break, the visits only increased after the old headmaster's removal.

      And now here he was, attending one of the classes. Draco lit up a little with happiness seeing his father sitting patiently in the corner, "Father." He greeted.

     Harry felt a twinge of pity for Draco now, the other Malfoy still wasn't here for them, he could tell they'd sat in on the class before theirs, with an older group of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, and he had heard older Slytherins talking about how he had sat in on the joint N.E.W.T.s  class for ancient runes.

       Malfoy carelessly waved the nervous Ravenclaw student he had been speaking with away, before turning and eyeing Draco for a full few seconds, "Draco," he finally greeted. A pause.  "It's good that you're well, hurry and take a seat, you haven't arrived with enough time for chitchat."

     A short, hurt pause.  "Of course, father." Draco rejoined them, the look of disappointment carefully masked away. The Slytherins sat as a group, filling up the back rows on the side closer to the wall. The Ravenclaws taking the front seats, pushing May to sit in a row by herself so that she sat in the row across from where Harry sat with Theo and Malfoy. 

      The lesson was a practical one and Harry held back so that Draco could be the first Slytherin to complete the task before he also completed it, they were both the most skilled in practical casting, a Ravenclaw who had been practicing even before class had started managed it first though, and it was them who Malfoy watched carefully, as Draco glanced nervously towards his father when he received praise from Flitwick for his flawless success. The older Malfoy didn't bat an eye.

       And it was them, the Ravenclaw, who Malfoy briefly stopped to speak with after class, waving Draco away to do so, before sweeping out of the room. Once more Draco masked the hurt and they left as a group. 

        Rumors circulated, they still lacked a new defense teacher, would they be getting other new travelers while the board had such power over the school? It seemed like a real possibility with the elder Malfoy attending a variety of classes and asking students prying questions about their education here.

     One day of these odd class visitations turned into two, and then finally Malfoy received a message brought in by one of the older Slytherin students. Draco read it over twice before glancing up at them, his turbulent emotions hidden from view, "My father wishes to see me, I will be back shortly."

        'I don't believe it,' Theo stated bluntly, or rather he wrote, as soon the door to their dorm room swung fully shut leaving the two of them in silence.