Arthur Weasley's scandal involved his car's invisibility booster failing, exposing a flying car to Muggles, breaking laws against enchanting Muggle items and concealing magic. Slytherins mocked the Weasleys relentlessly, with some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws joining in. The Weasleys—known for excellence through Fred, George, Percy, and Ron—were targets for those resentful of their fame.
That morning, Draco ridiculed Ron as a criminal's son. That evening, Harry confronted Draco in his room to stop him from bullying Ron over Arthur's mistake. Harry couldn't stand watching Ron suffer. Draco dismissed Crabbe and Goyle; Theodore Nott left voluntarily, though Harry noticed Nott's unreadable stare.
Draco had high hopes for Harry and was willing to hear him out. But Harry's request disappointed him.
"Draco, straight to the point: don't go after Ron. He's not at fault here."
"Why do you care about him? What right do you have to tell me what to do?"
Draco bristled but didn't deny targeting Ron.
"For Slytherin's reputation. Last term ended well, but attacking Gryffindors excessively ruins the vibe."
Harry's true motive was protecting his friend, though the house's reputation was a factor. He didn't want Draco to become a bully—for Ron's sake and Draco's.
Last year, Harry could've been blunt. Now, matured, he used Slytherin tact, cloaking his plea in pretense.
"Lame excuse. You think he's your friend, don't you?"
Draco saw through it, coldly dismissing Harry's words.
"Listen, Potter. You saw Weasley's dad attack mine. They're our enemies. Their disdain for pure-bloodism shows in their actions—thinking they can do anything to Slytherins."
"You're saying it's revenge for your dad? That was Arthur, not Ron. And Ron's never come after us."
Harry stayed calm. Lucius provoked Arthur and Hermione's parents; the violence was his fault. Harry sympathized with Draco but saw targeting Ron as misdirected. He avoided mentioning Lucius's rudeness—Draco would shut down.
"So he's blameless? Potter, you don't get it. Weasleys love your hated Muggles. If they knew, they'd turn on you."
Harry faltered briefly, his Muggle hatred silencing him. Draco pressed on.
"Granger's the same. Her parents are Muggles. How do you stand them? I'm impressed by your patience to use them, but doesn't your conscience sting?"
"Hold on."
Harry had to retort. He wasn't using them.
"I'm not talking about Ron's dad or Hermione's parents. I hate Muggles, but they helped me last term. They're wizards, not Muggles. I'm not using them."
"Convenient. Maybe they're only with you because you're a hero."
Draco sneered. Harry fired back.
"If that's true, they wouldn't have done what they did last term."
Harry trusted Ron and Hermione's character, backed by evidence.
"Wrong," Draco declared. "They're not your friends because you're Slytherin. They're using your hero status. Ever seen them talk to other Slytherins?"
(I have…)
In the Magical Inquiry Club, Ron and Zabini got along. Hermione was friendly with Zabini (mostly his face) and spoke with Azrael and Falcas by term's end. But saying so might make them Draco's targets. Harry stayed silent.
"Gryffindor-Slytherin friendships don't exist, Potter."
"How can you be so sure?"
(They do exist…)
Harry saw Ron and Hermione as friends, despite their houses, and believed they felt the same.
"Weasley's proof," Draco said proudly. "When we met, he scorned me for being a Malfoy. I gave it back. Potter, Weasleys are lowly, poor scum. Their nature's cheap, so they lash out at the rich like us."
Both Ron and Draco were shaped by their parents. Harry's head ached—not from his scar. A younger Harry would've dismissed family influence. Now, raised briefly by Sirius, he faintly understood Draco.
"Even so, that's no reason to go overboard. Ron hasn't done anything to you directly."
"It's reason enough. His dad raided my home this summer, claiming dark artifacts. They think Father's a dark wizard."
Draco's voice trembled with anger. Harry, knowing false accusations, sympathized.
"Father donates heavily, contributes to the Ministry. And they…"
"Ignore it," Harry finished.
An awkward silence followed. Harry felt for Draco—no one wants their parent called evil.
"Someone preaching righteousness broke rules himself. How stupid is that?"
Harry didn't waver. This wasn't about rules but feelings. Draco couldn't control his resentment toward the Weasleys.
"Still, Ron's dad's the one at fault, not Ron."
Draco didn't listen.
"You wouldn't understand my fear and misery, hero."
"At the Muggle house, my parents were called mannerless trash."
Harry meant to comfort, unsure if it landed. Another silence.
"If you feel even a bit guilty, don't cross the line. You're Draco, not Lucius. Ron's not Arthur. My parents were Gryffindors, but I'm Slytherin. Emulate your dad's good traits, not all of them."
Dropping Occlumency, Harry spoke earnestly. Words wouldn't reach Draco otherwise.
"I'm just returning what they did. Don't interfere, Potter."
Draco turned away, fearing harsher words.
"Your words make me feel crazy."
Muttering, Draco buried himself in blankets. Harry returned to his room.
Theodore Nott, watching Harry leave, whispered venomously, "Annoying."
Nott, whose Death Eater parents marked him as a perpetrator's child, resented Harry. A hero's son standing out, changing old friends, wasn't amusing—Harry's actions invited victims' backlash.
＊＊＊
Seeing Harry's face, Zabini knew the talk failed.
(No surprise…)
Zabini thought Draco was beyond reasoning.
"Give it up, Harry. Talking to Draco's pointless."
"No, it's not."
Zabini sighed. Harry, irritated, explained, omitting the Malfoy raid but noting the family feud.
"Then it's hopeless," Azrael said, usually diplomatic but giving up. "Weasleys are pure-bloods' enemies. Draco won't back down; he has a position to uphold."
"Parents…" Harry muttered.
"It's not parents' fault," Falcas countered, rare in defending Ron. "Draco's the problem. Others endure parental jabs and avoid targeting parents."
Falcas was harsh on Draco. His Auror family likely saw Lucius, a former dark wizard, as an enemy.
"You defending Ron? Rare," Harry teased.
"Not defending Weasley," Falcas grumbled, looking away.
Azrael advised, "Forget changing Draco. Over-meddling in a housemate's stance is taboo in Slytherin—like telling you to drop your Muggle hatred."
The words stung. Harry couldn't fix his own bias, so demanding Draco change was unfair.
"Not everyone's rational like you, Azrael."
"But we can lessen the damage," Harry insisted.
"How?" Zabini asked.
"If Draco's hopeless, stop others from joining the bullying. He'll get bored eventually."
Harry wasn't giving up. He had ways to protect his friends.
＊＊＊
"Daphne, can you subtly convince the girls to stop bullying Ron?"
"Why me?!" Daphne snapped.
"I don't talk much with girls, and I'm not popular."
Harry's next move was curbing the girls' bullying. Pansy Parkinson led the pack, per Hermione.
"I don't owe Weasley anything…"
Daphne resisted. Harry pleaded, finally saying, "You're my only hope, Daphne. Just this once, please help. I'll do anything in return."
Daphne, unable to refuse, demanded, "Why go so far? It's not your problem. He's a traitor Weasley."
(Because they're my friends.)
Harry didn't say it, opting for pretense. "I don't want Slytherin's reputation to sink. Last term, we improved it. Bullying makes us hated again. We need to fix that."
His words struck a chord. Daphne disliked Slytherin's bad reputation but had never acted to change it.
"Fine… I'll nudge Pansy and the others. Small harassments might persist, though."
"That's enough. Thanks, Daphne. What do I owe you?"
Harry smiled, but Daphne fumed. "Think of payment first, Potter! Cooperation depends on rewards!"
"Oh, right. I'll plan next time."
Daphne calmed at Harry's sincerity. "Fine. Your payment is attending our tea party next Tuesday, 4 p.m. It's your penalty. Don't be late, or I won't forgive you."
"Okay, Daphne. Thanks!"
Daphne twirled her hair. "What a hassle for a traitor like Weasley. You see him as a friend? He'll betray you."
"Why's he a traitor?"
Harry pressed. Ron seemed targeted by pure-bloods like Draco, partly for poverty, but there was more.
"My father said Weasleys married pure-bloods but mocked pure-bloodism, picking fights with us."
Per Daphne, the Notts championed the Sacred Twenty-Eight, including Weasleys, but the Weasleys insisted on Muggle ancestry, demanding exclusion.
"They could've just excluded them."
"That's the problem! They're numerous, married into many families, so their rejection humiliated other pure-bloods!"
It was pure victimhood. Weasleys, historically Gryffindors, never embraced pure-bloodism. They simply refused their relatives' claims.
"I get it. But Ron's never betrayed me. That's no reason to stop being friends."
"You're stubborn…" Daphne sighed.
Harry was fine with that.
＊＊＊
On the third day's afternoon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione practiced magic at the Magical Inquiry Club, chatting. Azrael asked Ron if Arthur considered reemployment.
"Invisibility tech would be a hit anywhere. Arthur should join our firm, not the Ministry. Double the pay, plus patents."
Azrael, from a merchant family, valued Arthur's skill. Harry confirmed he was serious.
"Nah, Dad loves Muggle stuff, so he's fine where he is. Don't bring it up, Azrael. Mum's furious…"
Bullying was minimal so far. Ron looked okay, relieving Harry. He asked about their DADA class.
"Uh… yeah…" Ron's face said it all.
"Better or worse than Umbridge?"
"Like comparing cockroach jellybeans to Every Flavor Beans. Hermione's Team Lockhart, though."
"Rumor says he unleashed pixies, lost control, and it was a mess. Total rubbish teacher," Zabini added, already informed.
Harry braced for tomorrow's class.
"It's not just that…" Ron groaned.
"Worse than that? Seriously?" Harry was horrified. A teacher failing practicals was bad enough—what could be lower?
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione disarmed Falcas, smiling. "Don't be negative, Ron. Lockhart's testing us."
Ron, grim, said, "I pray Lockhart meets misfortune so Hermione snaps out of it."
"She's got it bad…" Harry remarked, ignoring his own tendency to judge by looks, like Zabini.
"We're no different around beauties," Azrael said coolly.
Harry didn't notice, but Ron was grateful. (Friends who don't change are great… Azrael's a bit annoying, though.)
Ron offered advice. "Be careful, guys. If Lockhart notices you, you're stuck in endless nonsense. Stay low. It's not a class—it's…"
"…a theater," Ron finished.
Harry took the warning to heart.
(Canon notes: Ron's a brat too, but his environment's rough—twins likely use the car often, parents bear responsibility yet he gets a Howler in front of everyone, his hand-me-down wand's stubborn, and he's bullied for his family despite never provoking Slytherins.)
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