Chapter 40:

"I figured as much."

"You could always independent study for a different elective? Arithmancy, or Ancient Runes, or even both. You don't have to be enrolled in the class to take the OWL, if you contact the ministry about it. Your mother took an OWL in Muggle Studies without ever going to a single class. She said it was an easy O," Lupin informed him, a smile tugging at his lips.

Harry hadn't realised that was possible. "It'd be harder to teach myself Runes and Arithmancy, though. Muggle Studies is easy, especially if you grew up with them." A memory popped into his head. "You were top of your class in Runes, weren't you?" The yearbook had said so.

"Indeed I was. And third in Arithmancy — only your mother and Sirius beat me there. I'd be happy to help however I can if you chose to go down that route. No disrespect to any of my colleagues, but Divination and Care of Magical Creatures aren't the most… useful subjects in the world."

A thoughtful hum escaped Harry, and he leaned back in his chair. "Maybe after quidditch." The match against Slytherin was drawing ever closer, and he had little free time as it was. "Naturally. You just focus on beating Slytherin, for now," Lupin agreed with a chuckle. "I know we're not supposed to play favourites, but I bet Severus five galleons you'd win. He seems to think Mr Malfoy can pull it out of the bag, even after his time off for injury."

Harry tried to imagine Professor Snape placing a bet on the quidditch, even if it was in Slytherin's favour. "Y'know, Professor; I think the Snape you know and the Snape I know are two very, very different people."

That made Lupin laugh, the sound clear and somewhat raspy, unexpectedly loud in the quiet office. "I should certainly hope so, Harry," he agreed, a strange sort of look in his eyes. "Severus really isn't as bad as he makes out to be, though. He just has a reputation to uphold."

Harry made a face to show exactly what he thought of that. "If you say so, Professor."

"Speaking of reputations to uphold," Lupin drawled, sitting forward in his chair a little. "Draco Malfoy. Care to share?"

Harry's cheeks grew hot, and he almost spilled his tea. "What? I don't know what you mean. We're just friends."

.-.-.

Remus stared at the teenage boy in front of him, red-faced and staring at his hands, squirming evasively. Oh, no. "I'd say that 'just friends' is baffling enough in itself." Harry blushed even brighter. "You can tell me anything, Harry. There's no judgement here." Even if you're dating a Malfoy, he added in his head, trying to imagine what Lily would do in this situation. Just act the same way she did when she found out about Severus.

"There's not much to tell, really. I bumped into him in Diagon before school started, and he was… civil. I think, really, we just got off on the wrong foot as first years. Ron's always been worse at antagonising him than I have. And now there's no compulsion on me, I just… don't want to fight him? Then he found out about the whole heir thing — okay, he found out because I told him — and he's actually been really helpful with all that. Obviously, he was raised about as pureblood as it gets, he knows all about the old traditions, even more than Neville does. So we were civil, and then we kept bumping into each other, and we kinda just… became friends? Now we meet up when we can, which isn't that often because there's no way we could do it during the day when someone might walk in, but I promise I'm really careful when I'm out after curfew. I'm always wearing the cloak."

Remus' eyes grew wider as Harry rambled, hardly taking a breath, and the whole situation became inordinately clear. Oh, cub, you have no idea, do you?

Forget what Lily would do in the situation. Prongs would laugh himself sick at his oblivious little boy. "I'm glad to hear you're not letting all those prejudices about Slytherins get in your way," he said eventually. "More students could stand to do that. But Harry, you must be careful. He is still a Malfoy after all."

"That doesn't make him evil," Harry retorted angrily. Remus held up a placating hand.

"I didn't mean that. All I meant was, he's still Lucius Malfoy's son. You need to be careful for his sake as much as yours."

Harry's face fell, his green eyes darkening. "His father… his father is an awful man. I don't know much about his mum, but his dad…" Harry trailed off, shaking his head, and Remus wondered what sort of horrors Lucius Malfoy had inflicted on his poor son.

"Narcissa was never as cruel as Lucius. She was a Slytherin, and certainly no Light witch, but she was never needlessly cruel. And she always thought very highly of family." All the Blacks did, whatever the rest of their faults. Blood was important in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, in a number of ways.

"Draco really loves his mum," Harry agreed. "But… I think he's scared of his dad. I think she is, too."

Harry was much too young to have those sorts of shadows in his eyes, Remus thought sadly. But so were many children at the school. A generation that only knew the aftermath of war — for the state they lived in couldn't truly be called peace, not yet.

"I think your friendship with him is a good thing," he encouraged gently. It was certainly too late for him to do anything about it; Harry seemed to be in far, far deeper than even he realised. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be friends with him. Just have caution. There are any number of people out there who would be happy to hurt Mr Malfoy as a means to an end." The headmaster was one of them, no doubt.

"I won't let that happen," Harry declared stubbornly. The set of his jaw was every inch Lily Evans. Remus smiled at him. "Tell me about him," he urged. "The Draco Malfoy that you know. Not the one that everyone else sees."

If he was reading things right, Remus was going to be getting to know Draco Malfoy quite well in future.

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