“I really have to hit so many balls? I thought the one at Hogwarts back then was the only one. I don't like there are politicians and celebrities everywhere, they'll all stare at me. .dammit, I'll be sure to forget everything, ”Harry said, jumping up and pacing up and down the room while he recited all the etiquette he knew at breakneck speed. .besides, he was convinced that he would forget half of it and that too he communicated to everyone present. You didn't really understand the rest because Beast, who he was holding in his arms, seemed to be scolding too.
"Didn't I say it?" Draco sighed.
."It's not funny, you know how easily Harry can be upset. Especially when it comes to crowds, ”Astoria snapped.
“I don't make fun of him, I just don't understand why he's so nervous. .skunk knows all the rules and last time he behaved perfectly. He's just driving himself crazy, ”the blonde justified himself.
Sirius and Severus of course knew exactly why Harry was so nervous. .the boy was still suffering from his past, the childhood he had to spend with people who hated him. A time when he'd been persuaded to be useless. .a freak who had to or was not allowed to be considered because he would otherwise cause more harm. And now the boy wondered whether he would embarrass his parents.
.however, neither the Minister of Education nor the teacher wanted to reveal anything of Harry's past.
"Little one, calm down, you can do it," Sirius smirked.
"Then why did Dad drill me like that?" Harry asked.
.Oscar had almost fallen off his shoulder from the wild run.
“Because I knew you were going to drive yourself crazy. But there is no need to do so. You have better manners than most of the guests there, ”Severus said.
.Harry turned to his parents and examined them closely. Then he turned his gaze to Draco's parents, who only nodded in agreement. He got the same reaction from Lucius.
That seemed to really calm the boy down. .Embarrassed, he sat down again next to the blond host.
"Sorry, I didn't want to lose my temper," he confessed quietly.
"It doesn't matter, in this case your parents deserve a reprimand," explained Lucius.
."Of course, you two can't scare your son like that," said Ariel.
The two men looked embarrassed in the room around themselves. Hagrid looked at them disapprovingly. .but what surprised neither Severus nor Sirius, the man had simply devoured Harry.
"It won't happen again, I promise," Sirius said meekly.
."Like I said, you don't need to be afraid of misbehaving," Severus repeated.
"Understood, I still don't have to like it, do I?"
"No," came from everyone present.
“But you really have to do something about your fear of people. .you are just too much in public to be shy. "
"Thank you, Draco, that really helps me a lot," the young man grumbled.
“Unfortunately it's true, you won't escape all these parties. .not in other countries either, ”Daphne explained to him.
"Does that mean I have to get rid of my shyness and become a different person?"
"No, you just can't show it to anyone, they'd take advantage of you mercilessly," Percy said.
.Harry looked around very unhappy.
“Why are there so many festivals, balls and the like in the magical world? I mean, Muggles are only so busy in winter. There's ball season and then it's quiet again. .that's because there wasn't much else you could do in the past. And the people who had money drove away the long cold evenings with events like this. In the summer they all went to health resorts or similar holiday destinations. .but it was limited. With magicians, on the other hand, all life seems to consist of festivals. At least Hermione said something like that. Is there a reason for that?"
.those present, all but Severus, had listened to Harry with great interest. They didn't know the Muggle world that well. Even if the students weren't quite as ignorant. Her jailer had already made sure of that.
."Didn't you explain it to him?" Antonius wanted to know from Severus now.
“We weren't that far in class. So far I've only taught the students etiquette. And they were all allowed to create their coat of arms. .it's just so much, I can't cram everything you will need into a year later, ”the man sighed.
"Then explain it to me now," Harry pleaded.
.severus nodded and sat down like he always did in class when he wanted his students to listen carefully to him.
"It's boredom."
Harry stared at his father as if he'd told him to only wear yellow in the future.
."I'm sorry, what?"
"The reason for all the parties, balls and gatherings is boredom."
“Dad, please, would you explain this in more detail. I only ever understand the train station. "
"Why should you understand Bahnhof?" Draco wanted to know.
."It's a saying from the Muggle world, I'll explain it to you later," Harry promised, focusing back on his father.
He sighed, which is exactly why he hadn't gone through this subject in class. .he found it embarrassing for what stupid reason the magicians spent half their lives just partying. In his opinion that was not a life but pure waste.
."You can surely still remember why Dumbledore sent me to Diagon Alley back then?"
Harry almost rolled his eyes.
“Yes, because I puffed up my cousin's aunt. .although I didn't need any magic for that, at least that's what the minister said. "
The audience smiled.
Severus wasn't entirely happy with the answer.
"It was actually about your wild magic, I should help you master it."
."Which started with you setting a newspaper on fire yourself with YOUR wild magic," Harry recalled with a grin.
And again the audience started laughing.
"That must have been a fun class," said Ariel.
.“He was staring at Harry through the hole in the newspaper and talking to him. The smoke was still rising from the burned side, ”Sirius said.
"Thanks for the reminder," grumbled Severus.
."Why did you flambé the newspaper?" Asked Hagrid.
"Because there was an article on the front page about the hero of the wizarding world and his manager," Severus swore to himself.
“I can still remember that very well. .mum and dad had a fit when they saw this. They really wanted us to take care of Harry so he wouldn't let his fame go to his head, "Percy said now.
.“Can we get back to the subject now? What does my wild magic have to do with balls? ”Harry asked.
"Nothing at first, but you know what is most important to a magician in our world?"
.Harry looked confused at his father.
“Unless it's a Squib, it's magic. Through them the wizard or the witch gains respect. The higher the level, the greater the professional opportunities. .one is only defined by one's magical power. "
Severus nodded approvingly at his son's answer.
“That's right, wizards define themselves almost exclusively by their magical power. That's why it is so difficult for Squibs. .even if you were in a magic school up to the fifth grade, if the magic doesn't grow any further you have next to no possibility to get a decent job in our world. .Filch has the strength of a second grade student at the moment, but most people would still laugh at him. Especially those who have no manners. "
Harry grimaced at the explanation.
."That's mean, he tries so hard," he scolded.
“And because the caretaker knows how to treat him outside of school, he's still so bad at all wizards. .Even now, argus would not get a job anywhere with his fortified magic. So he's stuck in school whether he wants to or not, just like me. But unlike Filch, I love dealing with the children. .I would never leave the castle, ”said Hagrid.
“Well, let's summarize, the wizards are snobs, what counts for them is what you can do with the help of a magic wand. Anyone who is unable to hex is a failure. .nice, ”Harry snorted.
“You could put it that way, that's why people are after you so much.they all know about your wild magic, after all, that was often enough in the newspaper, together with your heroic deeds, you are a dream come true for them. .they hope that their magic will also increase when they are around you, ”Draco explained.
“So that's why I'm invited to every party, you see. Even if I certainly don't exude as much magic as my fathers. .only I still don't know what all of this has to do with boredom. "
Severus shook his head.
..“That's not what I wanted to get at, of course you are invited because of your strength and because of all the things Lucius mentioned earlier. Finding cities, however, do the festivals because most magicians are lazy. "
."Dad, you are speaking in riddles, would you please elaborate on that," Harry grumbled.
“In the magical world, people don't work more than they absolutely have to. And by 'working' I now mean using my hands. .magic is used for everything. I bet all my robes that there are a lot of people out there who couldn't even tie their shoes without their wand. And now that's not an exaggeration. .as soon as the people are of legal age only the staff is swung. Or have you ever seen an adult who would have done something Muggle-style? "
"Yes, you and Siri. Also Mr. ."Malfoy poured the drinks without magic earlier," Harry said.
“Because I don't believe in this laziness. My hands won't fall off when I use them, ”the man smiled.
“Our parents are just like that. .Mom and Dad raised us to leave our wand stuck sometimes. ”Daphne proudly looked over at her parents at these words.
“My former mother, on the other hand, found it beneath her dignity to do something by hand. .as a witch she has great powers at her disposal, so why waste energy? Those were her words, ”added Draco.
"As if magic didn't use up energy," snorted Antonius.
“It's the same in the Burrow. .Objects are constantly flying through the house. I haven't washed or dried a plate myself before moving out. For that matter, our parents really spoiled us. We didn't even have to make the bed ourselves. .as a magician that would be ridiculous, our father said, ”Percy added.
Harry grimaced at what he heard.
"What can wizards do anyway?" He wanted to know.
.“Not much, if you are too good for the household yourself, or if you don't have enough magic in you, you just buy a house-elf. Believe me, very few families really need one of these helpers. .most of them have nowhere near as big houses as I do, for example. It's pure laziness, ”Lucius explained dismissively.
Harry giggled.
“But I can understand it with you too. This house is gigantic. .it would certainly take forever to get everything clean by hand. "
"One month, and then you have to start all over again," the blonde agreed.
"I beg your pardon?" Came from his guests.
."I tried it once years ago," Lucius admitted.
"Why?" Sirius wanted to know.
“Curiosity,” said the landlord dryly.
"Nice experiment, what have your house-elves been doing in the meantime?"
Lucius looked at Severus with a grin.
."Probably cursed me."
The sentence caused the next outburst of amusement before Severus continued with his lesson.
“Wizards and witches use their magic mainly to make their work easier. .I know very few people who, for example, write themselves. They prefer to use a nifty pen for this. Why make an effort when it can be easier? "
"But, it'll make you forget how to write," Harry exclaimed, startled.
."Exactly. You should see what the handwriting of some of the ministry employees looks like. Some letters can only be guessed at. But I refuse to make life so much easier for my subordinates. .They ask the students to write by hand, so the adults should do it themselves too, ”Sirius fumed.
“I don't let my people use nippy pens either. .then some of them would stop working at all, ”agreed Antonius.
Everyone nodded in understanding.
“As you can see, everything that is possible is really done with magic. .it makes the work easier and you are finished faster, but what problem do you have with it? ”Severus wanted to know from Harry.
“That you don't know what to do with your time anymore because you have too much of it. .I suspect that not many magicians are interested in further training. "
"Right," came the same from the adults.
"And that is the case worldwide?" Daphne wanted to know.
.The girl was a pureblood, but it could be that other countries weren't so stupid.
"Yes, with a few exceptions it applies to all magicians in the world," Severus sighed.
.the teacher was quiet now, he motioned to shut up the other adults as well. Severus wanted Harry to find out for himself what this had to do with the festivals.
It didn't take the boy long, of course.
.“And because the magicians are bored because of a lack of work and diversion, they throw parties and overdo it with etiquette. Simply because they have nothing else to do. Like small children who cannot be self-employed. "
.“Quite right, kid. Because of this, there are a lot of mindless events throughout the year, whether for entertainment or to hold conferences, ”Severus praised.
Harry's expression darkened.
.“Damn it, is that why there is hatred of black magicians? And were magical beings hunted for this reason, although there was another way to get the ingredients? So without bloodshed? .did you just want to pass the time and all other reasons were put forward? "
And again Severus nodded.
“As I've told you before, boredom leads to stupid ideas. I don't think I need to say anything more. "
."And my former mother had the stupid idea of sleeping with half the aristocratic wizarding world," Draco said in disgust.
Everyone in the room grimaced, but not just at what Draco had just said.
.of course they all knew what it was like in their world, but being told so directly once put the whole thing in a completely different light.
"Does anyone else feel ridiculous?" Asked Astoria.
.the whole room nodded, or at least that's what it looked like.
"And we idiots also take part because we run good on every ball," Draco grumbled.
"Suddenly I have even less desire for the next event," said Antonius.
."But you should, this ball will be different, at least the minister said something like that," said Lucius soothed his friend.
Fortunately, the gloomy mood didn't last long as the house-elves brought cakes and hot drinks.
.even Storm got a piece. Lucius fed the animal on his lap.
Harry, meanwhile, made up his mind never to become a wizard who couldn't even wipe his butt without his magic. .and he would survive these events. He made up his mind to regard most adults as simply dependent children. With that he didn't seem that far from the truth either ..