Violet Potter and the Basilisk Plague (Year Two)

Chapter Five: Tiny Returns

Violet looked up at the elder Malfoy, unwilling to let any fear show, as uncomfortable as she already was with the man now in front of her and her brother. "I've heard about you, or rather, I've been warned about you from my godmother." Violet said to Lucius. "Something already tells me I'm going to have to be very guarded against you. I'd love to be wrong, but I know Emily would never lie about such important things."

Lucius only said to that, "My dear Miss Potter. I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. Perhaps you should learn not to set too much store by everything that Emily Spencer tells you. After all, she is only muggle-born, just like our Miss Granger." Lucius turned to face Hermione. "You might wish to take special care. Something is hidden and waiting to strike at Hogwarts. History is bound to repeat itself. Terrible accidents may yet happen."

"What are you on about?" Ron asked tensely while standing protectively next to Ginny. "You had better not be planning for anything dodgy to happen at Hogwarts. Yeah, I'm a Weasley, but I can see through you just like my Dad and Uncle Bilius always did." Ron added for good measure.

Draco laughed at that. "Oh sure, your old uncle who was a drunk and a lunatic! Father told me all about him. Ever since one of the few friends he ever had at school died, he used to drink until he stank and went ranting and raving all over Hogsmeade in a right drunken stupor---"

"That's enough, Draco. There's really no need to remind those children about their family's worth, which is of course, right next door to nothing. You Potters really ought to be more careful of the company you keep. So many thought your parents were so charming, kindhearted, and wonderful along with their lowlived little friends, and see what happened to them." Lucius continued on, just as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the other Weasley children stepped outside the bookshop, several mountains of new and previously used textbooks being carried between them.
"All right now children, now we've got all our shopping done, we should be heading back for the Burrow. I'll cook up a feast of everyone's favorites for the last night before..." Mrs. Weasley stopped speaking as soon as she saw both Malfoys. Mr. Weasley instantly took a protective stance in front of the Potter orphans, his wife, children, and the others in their party. "So, Lucius, out for a bit of school shopping for Draco are we...?"

"And you will have barely managed to scrape up enough Galleons, Sickles or Knuts to pay for your many children's school supplies, not to mention your next supper Arthur? I expect you and your wife shall go quite hungry for a few months now." Lucius jeered.

"We'll manage, we always do." Mr. Weasley said. "So long as we have each other, we shall see the weather through." But Lucius shook his head. "It's just like you fools to think love will always keep you all alive. Tell me Arthur, what's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard, if the Ministry won't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Mr. Weasley shot back.

"Clearly! I thought it was bad when you made it your living to protect the worthless non-magic population in any way you could, I thought it was bad when Victoria Maynard decided to betray her own family and sully her good name and reputation---" Lucius stopped his tirade only long enough to curl his lip and glare at the blonde girl. "---However, one with sense can plainly see there is no standard too low for any Weasley! Associating with muggles, you and Wolfe, and I thought you and your pitiful family could sink no lower---"

THUD.

Mr. Weasley suddenly threw down on Lucius Malfoy with a growl of anger at the other man, and both were on the ground, and it took the Flourish and Blotts shopkeeper and Hagrid to separate Mr. Weasley from Mr. Malfoy, who now had a bloodied lip. He stood back up with a very dark look that suddenly made Violet certain that if looks could kill, Lucius Malfoy might very well have murdered them all. He was also now holding a small and leather-covered diary.