Hatred

Blood Matters and Blood Matters

"You mean, do I know him?" Draco asked, also reclaiming his seat.

Harry nodded, but had to respond verbally as Draco focused on his fingernails rather than him. "Yeah."

"Not personally, but he's a Weasley. One of the worst families around," Draco replied, glaring at his hand as if it had personally offended him, rather than Ron's presence.

The raven haired boy tilted his head. "Why?" Harry asked, honestly curious.

"Well, because they're blood traitors," Draco said, before continuing at Harry's blank look. "A few generations back, one of my relatives was set to marry a Weasley. Weasley not only cheated on my relative, but left them at the altar. It's an awful offense for a pureblood to be publicly disgraced that way, especially a Malfoy. Not to mention, Weasley cheated with a muggle!" Draco angrily spat, clenching his hands into fists on his lap.

"That's awful!" Harry exclaimed. While he didn't quite understand everything Draco was saying, he got the gist, and understood that cheating was bad, and mixing such blood was frowned upon by some wizards. "Can you tell me what a pureblood is? And what you called that scruffy girl?"

"Mudblood?" Draco asked, receiving a confirming nod from Harry. Draco hummed. "Mudblood means someone with tainted blood. For example, that girl? It was easy to tell she had muggle parents. Her surname, you see? Therefore, her blood is tainted. Purebloods however, are families that have always had witches or wizards. I, along with the rest of my family, am a pureblood. We've never been with muggles. Why would you want to?" At this, Harry nodded in agreement. The muggles he had meant hadn't been very nice. "We only marry other purebloods. I wonder if you're a pureblood? I'll mail father and ask."

"I hope I am," Harry said. "It'd be awful to be a mudblood."

"You might be pureblood, or at the very least almost. If anything, your grandparents could be muggles, since your... family is."

Harry hummed in agreement, going back to his collection of sweets.

"Why do you call them family?" Draco questioned. "You don't seem to like them much."

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe I won't anymore."

"You shouldn't," Draco pleasantly replied, returning to his own sweets.

A/N

Once Harry learns more about blood and wizarding culture, he won't be as keen on the derogatory term (mudblood). I plan to eventually touch on the effects of inbreeding, and how muggle-borns and half-bloods are actually quite beneficial to the wizarding world. Also, since Harry's parents are both magical, he shouldn't really be a half-blood. Rather, somewhere in-between a pureblood and a half-blood. At least that's how I see it.

Harry is obviously naïve. That is intentional. He's young and socially stunted. He has yet to grow. He is temporarily admiring Draco as Draco admires Lucius.

(P.S., Draco, we get it, you admire your father.)

(He won't form his own opinions for a while now, though. He's young still.)

Future pairing suggestions? Harry and any of the Malfoys is unlikely for this story, as they will all develop a more familial relationship. Slash for Harry. I was considering Draco and Luna, as well.