B.Q. Book One: Princess of the Blacks

Chapter 8: Reconnaissance

Disclaimer: In his six years in Hogwarts, did Harry ever "network" besides teaching the DA? If not, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.
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From far above, the Hogwarts express could be mistaken for a long scarlet snake, winding its way from London to an ancient castle in the Scottish highlands. On September first, it would repeat the same journey it had been making for almost a century and a half. Every year, students would use their time on the train to recount exaggerated tales of their summer adventures, eat their body weights in overpriced candy, and place bets on who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be and how they would be removed from the staff. On this particular train ride, two teenagers were plotting how best to improve their social standings.

"You said in Diagon Alley that you would elevate me in the Snake Pit if I gave you information on the other students, so what do you want to know?"

Jen cocked an eyebrow. "A Slytherin freely giving away her secrets? How strange this world has become today."

"Please. This isn't free and you know it. I just want to get my side of the bargain out of the way. So," Tracey leaned back into her seat, "who's first?"

"Let us pretend for a moment that I know no one at the school. Who are the major players? What have they done to earn their reputations? What strengths and weaknesses have you observed in them? You know, the basics."

The other girl groaned, "You're going to make me earn my keep, I can already tell. I'll start with my house, just because I know it best. Terrance Higgs is the role model for the older students. He's the Quidditch captain, and even though the team hasn't had a winning season since he started, that position still garners him some respect from the boys and propositions from the girls. His grades are like his flying and leadership, subpar. Honestly, if it weren't for his then-girlfriend Carol Runcorn, he would never have passed his OWLs, and I doubt he'll do well on his NEWTs this year."

"Much as I wish he weren't, Draco Malfoy is probably the main up-and-comer in Slytherin at the moment. He threw around enough of daddy's money to buy himself a spot on the Quidditch team as a Seeker, the same position as his 'rival', Danny Potter. If you ask me, it was a waste of his political capital; he's worse at playing the game than Higgs is at directing it. Of course, it's impossible to tell how much of the praise he gets in the House is due to his maneuvering his way into people's good graces behind the scenes and how much is their fear of his father Lucius."

"Based on what you've seen, which do you think it is?"

Tracey grinned. "Once Lucky Lucy is six feet under, it'll be fun to watch his son crash and burn. If he's already married to the 'Perfect Pureblood Princess Pansy Parkinson', so much the better. Her family has to have a male Head, so his fall will also bring down those bloody vultures."

"Bad blood between your family and theirs?"

"The worst. My great-great-uncle Reginald Davis created the recipe for Butterbeer, and one of the Parkinsons murdered him, stole it, and started marketing it. The Wizengamot passing a ban on Blood Feuds is the only reason we weren't at each other's throats." She sighed. "History lessons aren't what you're paying me for, though. Neither Higgs nor Malfoy have any real talent other than picking fights and running away before they get smacked down like naughty puppies, and Parkinson doesn't even have that. Weaknesses, where should I start? They're living stereotypes of the overly indulged, overly proud, overly confident, and overly inbred Purebloods. Insult their heritage, force them into a duel, be the instigator in any way, and you'll have total control of the encounter."