composed. 'It's the house most known for diligence and hard work. I plan to take school very seriously.'
Rose rolled her eyes and soundlessly mimicked Louis' words. James smiled.
'What about you, Albus?' Louis said, nudging James' brother.
Albus sat back and glanced around. 'What's it matter, really?'
'What does it matter?' Louis repeated incredulously. 'It's only the single most defining thing about your school life. I mean, what if you get sorted into the wrong house?'
'And what house would that be?' Albus asked pointedly.
'Well, I don't know,' Louis answered, throwing up his hands. 'It's different for everybody, isn't it?'
'Albus Severus Potter,' Rose said meaningfully. 'Louis hasn't figured it out, yet. So much for diligence and hard work.'
Louis frowned at Rose. 'I figured out Albus' full name quite a few years ago, thanks.'
'It's his initials, you git,' Rose said primly. 'A. S. P. An asp is a kind of snake.'
'So what's that supposed to mean, then?'
'Albus is afraid he'll get sent to the Slytherins,' James said, rolling his eyes. 'It's been a bit of a family joke for some time. First Potter to go to the snakes.'
'Oh shut up, why don't you?' Albus said dourly.
'What?' James replied. 'It's possible, you know. I almost got sent there myself.'
'Yeah, that's what you keep saying,' Albus said quietly. 'But then, glory be, you ended up in Gryffindor. The first-born son of Harry Potter goes to his dear old dad's house. Who'd've thought it?'
'It's true, Al. But come on, Slytherin can't be all that bad anymore,' James reasoned. 'Ralph's there, and he's all right. Maybe you can join forces with him and turn the old Slytherin legends inside out, eh?'
Albus scowled, leaned forward, and rested his chin on his forearm.
'Green really is your color, Albus,' Rose said thoughtfully. 'Goes with your eyes and your darker hair.'
'Yeah,' Louis chimed in, 'and I hear their dormitories have hot and cold running dragon's blood.'
Albus suddenly stood and skulked away from the table as the others watched. Rose glanced aside at Louis, one eyebrow raised.
'What?' he said defensively. 'It was the best thing I could think of. Hot and cold running… you know, they say Slytherin families hunt dragons.' He rolled his eyes. 'Never mind, it's probably over your head.'
'It's unwise to believe everything you hear,' a voice said from directly behind them. James turned and looked up into the face of a man with pale skin and sharp features. A dark-haired woman stood next to him.
The man smiled tightly. 'Please forgive the interruption. I was about to ask if this was the correct home, but I see the evidence right here in front of me. I cannot but assume I am speaking to Mr. James Potter, yes?'
James nodded, looking back and forth between the man and the dark-haired woman. They were both good-looking in a rather cold way, and both were dressed in very tasteful black. James was suddenly sure that if Zane, his American friend, were present, he'd make some comment about how brave it was for them to be out in the daylight, or how they managed to comb their hair so nicely, not being able to see themselves in mirrors. Needless to say, he was quite glad Zane wasn't present.
'Perhaps,' the man went on, 'you'd be kind enough to direct me to your father, James. My name is —'
'Draco?'
James glanced aside and saw his mum approaching slowly. She looked at the newcomer with a mixture of disbelief and caution.
'Ginny,' the man said. There was a long, uncomfortable pause, and then the dark-haired woman spoke.
'We're very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Potter.' She tried to smile, but it was a rather strained attempt.
'Does Harry know you're…,' Ginny asked, still looking at the man.
'I think he does now,' Draco said, raising his chin slightly and glancing past Ginny.
Harry stepped next to his wife and looked the pale man up and down.
'It's good to see you, Draco.'
Draco nodded slowly, not quite making eye contact with Harry. 'Yes, it has been quite a long time. When we heard about Mr. Weasley's passing, I thought it would be… appropriate… for us to offer our condolences.'
James recognized the pale man now, even though he'd never seen him in person. He compared this grown man to the few pictures he'd seen of the young Draco Malfoy. The eyes were the same, and so was the white- blonde hair combed back from the temples. There was still the trace of a sneer there too, just like in the old school photos, but as James looked, he thought the sneer was no longer particularly mean, or even conscious. Draco had simply been doing it for so long that it was now just part of the topography of his face.
Harry studied Draco for a long moment, and then smiled. James recognized it as his dad's polite smile.
'Thank you, Draco. Ginny and I appreciate it. We really do. This must be your wife?'
Draco put an arm around the thin woman's waist. 'Of course, I apologize. This is Astoria.'
Harry bowed and Ginny shook the woman's hand lightly.
Ginny brightened and said, 'Would you like to come up to the house for some refreshments?'
Astoria half turned to Draco, raising her eyebrows.
'I'll have some of whatever
Ginny led the way between the tables and Astoria followed, glancing back once toward Harry and Draco.
'So how are things at Gringotts, Draco?' Harry asked, making no effort to lead the pale man into the throng gathered near the house. 'I understand humans are almost unheard of in the bank offices, and yet here you are, vice chairman of something or other, or so I've heard. We'd have had a good laugh back in our school days if someone had told us you'd end up a big wheel at the wizarding bank of England.'
'Back in our school days,' Draco said quietly, still not looking directly at Harry, 'we'd have had a good laugh if someone had told us we'd someday stand in the same yard without pointing wands at each other.'
Harry's smile faded. 'Yes,' he admitted in a lower voice. 'There is that.'
There was a long pause. James could hear the babble of subdued voices closer to the house and the twittering of birds in the orchard. He glanced over toward Rose, who was also watching the scene with rapt interest. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head minutely.
'You know,' Draco said in a different tone of voice, laughing a little humorlessly, 'to tell you the truth, there isn't a single thing about the way life looks today that I would have predicted during our last years at Hogwarts.'
Harry's smile had gone entirely. He stood and watched the pale man, his eyes unreadable.
'We are all taught things, growing up,' Draco went on. 'And rarely do we have the sheer audacity to question them. We grow to take the shape of whatever our families define for us. The weight of generations of
