Malfoy

Harry and the Weasley brothers finally squeezed their way out of the crowd of frenzied witches. As soon as Harry emerged, he saw Draco beside his sister and immediately scowled. He walked between them, separating the two.

"The famous Harry Potter! Even a trip to a bookshop gets you on the front page!" Draco said to Harry sarcastically.

Honestly, Mia had seen it so often that she was getting used to it. If those two met without taking jabs at each other, she would have had to wonder whether they were impostors.

But Ginny clearly didn't know that. Hearing her idol mocked, she set her cute little face in a fierce scowl and snapped at Draco, "Leave him alone!"

"Look, Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend." Draco wasn't one to take a jab lying down, and he immediately aimed his fire at Harry.

Mia shot him a glare. He could argue with Harry all he liked, but saying that about Ginny was going too far.

Draco knew Mia was angry and quickly fell silent.

"That's enough, Draco. Be nice."

Before the two could finish their battle, another person joined the conversation. He had the same platinum-blond hair and gray-blue eyes as Draco, handsome features, a black walking stick in his hand, and an arrogant bearing. He was Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy.

"Miss Potter. Lucius Malfoy." Lucius turned his attention first to Mia, who had defeated Quirrell in her first year, earned excellent grades, and shown extraordinary talent. More importantly, she was someone Draco cared about.

"Hello." Mia shook the hand Lucius held out. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She could tell he hadn't come with friendly intentions.

Lucius, shrewd as he was, could also sense Mia's resistance, but he didn't mind. He quickly turned his attention to Harry.

"Harry Potter, we meet at last. Excuse me." Lucius held out his hand to Harry, too. As soon as Harry took it, Lucius pulled him close.

Mia's gaze sharpened at once, and her wand slid out of her sleeve into her hand.

"Your scar is legend, as, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you." Lucius used his walking stick to lift Harry's hair, revealing the lightning-shaped scar.

"Voldemort killed my parents." Harry looked Lucius straight in the eye, hatred in his voice. Mia's expression darkened, too, and Draco grabbed hold of her.

"He was a murderer." Harry pulled free of Lucius's grasp.

Hermione came over to join them. The Weasley brothers, Mia, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all stared angrily at Lucius. Draco pressed his lips together as he looked at Mia, but he couldn't stop his father from continuing.

"You must be very brave to mention his name. Or very foolish."

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione wasn't afraid of Voldemort, and she knew that the less one dared to say his name, the more deeply one would fear him.

"You must be Miss Granger?" Lucius looked at Draco for confirmation as he spoke, but seeing his son staring at Mia so hopelessly, he turned his gaze back. "Draco has told me all about you, and about your parents. They're Muggles, aren't they?"

"Let me see. Red hair, vacant expressions, and shabby secondhand books. You must be the Weasley family." As he spoke, Lucius casually picked up Ginny's book.

Mr. Weasley noticed what was happening and hurried over, intending to take the children outside.

"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur, with all those extra raids. I hope they're paying you overtime. Though judging by the look of you, I'd say they aren't. Not only do you earn a poor wage, but you bring shame on wizardkind." Lucius looked down on the Weasleys for associating with Muggles. As members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, they had chosen to befriend lowly Muggles, making them pure-blood traitors without question.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces wizardkind, Malfoy," Arthur retorted, neither servile nor overbearing. He didn't consider Muggles lowly.

"Clearly, associating with Muggles as you do." With everyone's attention on him, Lucius slipped a black book into Ginny's cauldron as he put her book back. He turned to Arthur again. "I thought your family could sink no lower. See you at work."

"Miss Potter, I look forward to having you visit Malfoy Manor." Even as he left, Lucius didn't forget Mia.

Seeing his father leave, Draco prepared to follow. He opened his mouth as he went, but in the end, all he said was, "See you at school."

"Children, we've bought the books, so it's time we headed back!" Seeing everyone's unhappy expressions, Arthur hurried to ease the tension. Just then, Mrs. Weasley returned with an armful of signed books.

"Oh, Lockhart is so charming. What's wrong, children?" Mrs. Weasley, still gushing over him, noticed the atmosphere and hesitated.

"Nothing, Mum. It's time we went back."

"Yeah, we've been out all day, and we're hungry too." George and Fred took the things from Mrs. Weasley's arms with a grin.

"Are you? Mia, Harry, Ginny, are you hungry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking at the three children.

"A little. Let's go back."

"All right, then."

Hogwarts started on September 1, so Harry and Mia needed to stay at the Burrow for a month.

"Then, Harry, you can squeeze in with Ron. Mia, would it be all right for you to share a room with Ginny?"

Ginny was delighted and hugged Mia, unwilling to let go. Mia caught the girl, who was a little shorter than she was, and nodded helplessly.

That night, the two girls squeezed into one bed. Mia was about to go to sleep, but the intense gaze beside her kept her awake, so she finally asked, "What is it, Ginny?"

"Sorry, did I disturb you?" Ginny looked at Mia apologetically.

"No, I'm still awake." Mia shook her head.

"Um, can I ask you a question?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"Of course." Mia raised an eyebrow, curious what question was keeping the young witch awake.

"That Draco-do you like him?" Ginny had seen Mia receive a letter when they got back. Although Mia had quickly hidden it, Ginny had still seen the Malfoy family crest.

That afternoon, Mia had sat alone on the lawn outside reading the letter. Although her expression hadn't shown it, Ginny knew Mia might have been in a bad mood. She had stayed silent for a long time, and only smiled when George and Fred dragged her off to play with their newly developed prank products.

Mia fell silent. Draco had apologized in his letter that afternoon. Judging by the timing, he must have written to her as soon as he got home, but Mia hadn't replied. Lucius's words had been infuriating; it could be said that everyone present had been offended by him. His words had made the Malfoy family's position clear. Draco Malfoy was a Malfoy first, and Draco second.

Draco was good, but in the end, their positions were different.

"Then, if you don't like him, do you like my two brothers? If you can't choose, you can have both!" Seeing Mia look a little down, Ginny grew anxious. She really hoped Mia could become her sister-in-law, and from what she could see, George and Fred weren't entirely uninterested either. After all, Ginny had never seen them try to cheer a girl up before.

"!" Mia's eyes widened in disbelief at Ginny's words.

Mia: Do your brothers know you're selling them out like this?