Disclaimer: JKR owns all the character and world.. I'm just borrowing them for my own amusement.
Cultureed Left Foot
Chapter Two: Alex Explained
"So why not Theodore?" Draco asked, receiving no reply, he tried again. "Alex?"
"Hmm?" Alex looked up from his plate at the feast.
"Why not Theodore?"
"Why not Draconis?"
"Point taken," Draco acknowledged. "Though Alex seems quite the stretch compared to Theodore."
"My middle name is Alexander, so not really." He explained, stopping to take a sip of pumpkin juice. "Truthfully, it was my Grandmum's doing. My grandfather was also Theodore and to make it less complicated she always called me Alex. Even after he died, Alex stuck. Only my mates call me that though, and as I'm sure you're aware everyone else just calls me Nott. Seems much more fitting anyway, last names demand more respect in my opinion."
Draco nodded in agreement, very few witches and wizards he knew called him Draco, it was almost always Malfoy. Much less personal.
This also added a new bit of information about Nott to Draco's short list. It included precious little, Draco thought distractedly. Every Slytherin knew that in order to assess a wizard properly one needed as much information as possible. So far he knew that Nott's father was in Azkaban due to his unfortunate encounter at the Department of Mysteries, and had not been 'rescued' by the Dark Lord as his own father had been. Alex still had a grandmother in the picture whom he had mentioned the odd time in their conversations today, though he had yet to speak of his mother. Nothing about brothers or sisters had come up, but Draco vaguely recalled that when he first began Hogwarts, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters had been a Nott...brother maybe, or cousin? Interesting.
Alex was still an enigma. Perhaps a little less fuzzy now, but Draco was unsure whether he could trust the boy, there were just too many unknowns. The largest, of course, being which side he was on. His father's allegiances were obvious but that didn't necessarily mean he followed the same path. In fact, with all this interhouse mingling it seemed he hadn't, because of that Draco found it hard to believe that Nott's father was really an active participant in his son's life. Someone around him obviously had a more liberal attitude when it came to purity and so forth to let him get away with it and go unpunished. Very interesting.
"Oi, Draco," Nott spoke quietly across the table, "let's get out of here, Parkinson's about to tell about her trip to Paris for the fifth time tonight, and I'm interested in seeing our new chambers. Let's leave these harpies."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Draco rose and nodded good night to the Slytherins left at the table. Pansy was about to say something to him, but before she could get a word in, he was already on his way out of the Great Hall with Alex following not far behind.
A week into the school year and Draco was getting a clearer picture of Alexander Nott. He seemed to be every bit the shrewd Slytherin in conversation and action but Draco had watched him be slyly singled out by a couple of Ravenclaws and even one Hufflepuff in the hallways during breaks. Draco thought it a strange contradiction, that Alex would let himself be dragged into conversation with them, but shrugged it off, not bothering to ask Alex about it afterwards.
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“Merlin, they’re dull.” Draco mumbled as he retreated to his room late one Friday night after lolling about the Common room with Crabbe and Goyle. Nott was nowhere to be found, which was not an unusual occurrence, so Draco considered, for the umpteenth time that week, how to spend the time alone. Usually, he studied for his classes but tonight his unfinished Potions essay looked rather unappetizing. It was Friday night for Hades’ sake! He was supposed to be having a good time! His gaze shifted from his desk to his trunk, and more importantly to what was locked fast inside it. He had been very good so far, never taking it out, therefore, never risking his reputation by being found with a Muggle toy, but he was itching to go out and have a good play with it.
He considered his options carefully. Was anyone likely to be on the grounds tonight? He doubted it. It was rather chilly, but crisp and clear, with enough moonlight to make the pitch visible for him. No one would see him out there surely. With his mind made up, Draco willingly succumbed to temptation and grabbed the football out of the trunk. He hid it under his cloak, not entirely convincing but it would do the job for now, as he headed out of his room and then quickly through the quiet Common room. To get outside, he used an exit not known by most at Hogwarts. It was a small side door that attached to the kitchens, perfect for slipping out of without notice. He scanned the grounds cautiously before he started out to the pitch. There was no sign of any wizard activity that he could see. He was safe for tonight.
He broke the stillness by letting his football land with a soft ‘thump’ on the turf, he guided it quickly down to the pitch, and after throwing his cloak off into a corner he began to have some fun.
He had been out dribbling and shooting the ball for a couple of hours before he realized how late it had gotten, and decided to pack it in for the evening. With pink cheeks, and breath heavy from exertion, he threw his cloak over his shoulder and headed off the pitch. He continued kicking the ball casually in front of him as he made his way back up to the castle, blissfully drinking in quiet darkness surrounding him after a long practice.
As he entered Hogwarts he hid the ball under his cloak once again and hurried to Slytherin House. Creeping through the Common room he made it easily without notice all the way to his own bedroom door. Ripping off his cloak and palming his football, he nudged the door open.
“Oh, excuse me, I’ll be back later.” Draco said, startled, as he looked into the room and saw Alex and a beautiful dark-skinned girl sitting very close together, leaning up against the edge of his bed.
Draco turned quickly to go, but was brought back into the room by a call from Alex.
“Don’t go mate, forgive me, I forgot to mention that I was having company over tonight.” He smirked wisely at the blond-haired boy hovering in the doorway. His smirk didn’t last long though, Draco noticed, because the girl swatted Alex firmly in the shoulder for that remark.
“Ow, that hurt Padma!”
“Wuss.” She taunted back, rolling her eyes at him as he rubbed his now sore shoulder. She looked up at Draco with guarded eyes, not sure what to make of him. She didn’t know of him personally, and only remembered seeing him in passing at the odd all-house prefect meeting. Second-hand reports on his character seemed rather broad. Her best friend Terry had cursed him for his bad behavior on the train last spring, but Alex had spoken very highly of him the past few weeks. Her logical mind decided to see for herself.
“Are you a gentleman or what? Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
Startled once again, this time by the girl’s brazen behavior, Draco spoke apologetically.
“Sorry Miss..?”
“Patil.”
“Miss Patil. I’m Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. I’m Alex’s roommate for the year, I fear you’ll be seeing rather a lot of me if you continue hanging around with this sorry article.”
She let a small grin escape from her lips. “Indeed, I expect I will Draco, and call me Padma, I’m not too keen on formality, not like you two upperclassmen. You know, all that last name business, pulling out chairs, darn this and darn that...”
Alex butted in with his own comment. “I can’t help it Padma, I told you it’s my Grandmum’s fault that I can’t curse in front of girls. It’s not my prudish sensibilities, I’d have a crackin’ go at it if I could, but she’d find me, she’d string me up by my ears I tell you!”
Padma had a hard time not laughing outright at his excuse. “Oh, please! The things I’ve heard come out of that mouth when you think it’s just Terry, Blaise and Tony around. Well, I nev..”
The rest of her speech was cut off by Alex firmly clasping his hand over her mouth. Padma retaliated by reaching over to tickle her way out of it. They both stopped when they heard Draco clear his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the flirting going on in front of him.
“Err... I think I’ll go out to the Common room for awhile. It was a pleasure to meet you Padma.”
As he left the room he could hear another burst of giggles erupt from the two of them. He made a sour face as he went to sit in a chair by the fire, disgusted at Alex’s behavior. What was he doing wasting time with a girl like that? Someone so obviously strong-willed and opinionated was certainly not wife material. Women were supposed to be docile and agreeable, as his mother had always been, even how Pansy was, irritating though she might be, at least she acted respectfully. Padma was pretty though, very pretty, and he supposed he could forgive Nott for indulgences such as that. She wasn’t someone that would normally have caught his eye, but he wasn’t one to be unappreciative. He tossed his football in the air in contemplation, and spun it around with his hands, absentmindedly mulling over this new development. This must be the Ravenclaw Alex had mentioned.
A soft click made his head jerk in the direction on his room and he watched as Alex gave the girl a small kiss on the forehead before she skipped over to the exit and snuck out into the halls of Hogwarts, a shiny Prefect’s badge giving her easy run of the late night corridors.
Alex walked over to where Draco lay, sprawled out in a wing chair.
“Footie, eh?”
“What are you going on ab.. oh shit.” So concerned with catching his roommate, Draco had completely forgotten that he had been holding his football the entire time. Stupid, stupid boy. How was he going to cover this up? Would Nott pass on this information to someone at home, perhaps his father, or worse, Draco’s own father? He shuddered at the thought. Lucius had nearly finished him last time when he had gotten caught, and he had been only twelve at that time, Grendel knows what he would do this time.
Alex smiled knowingly, waiting for an explanation.
“It’s not what it looks like, I swear, I’ve got a really good explanation for this... Wait a minute,” Draco asked hesitantly, “how do you know what this is?” He held the football up for inspection.
“Let alone a slang term for it, Alex?” Draco inquired, feeling his worry decrease slightly.
Alex grabbed the ball and juggled it briefly with his knees. “I’m a winger.”
“Pardon me? You’re joking.”
“During the summer, on a team out of Devon.”
“But your dad, your mum, don’t they have anything to say about their pureblooded son playing Muggle sport? Your dad’s a condemned Death Eater for Hades’ sake, how do you get away with it? How do you get away with any of it? The Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuff!”
“A little louder next time Draco, I don’t think the entire castle heard you." Alex raised his eyebrows in censure. "To be honest, I couldn’t care less what Father thinks, he’s locked up, and according to a number of reliable sources, for a very long time. My mum, bless her soul is probably rolling in her grave thinking about it, but as I mentioned, cannot do anything about it, as she sadly, is no longer corporally with us. I answer to my Grandmum, and she allows me more freedoms than anyone ever did before. Family thinks she’s barmy, but she’s just clever if you ask me. It really is grand, mate. You wouldn’t believe all the great fun that can be had in a world like this once you open your eyes to it.
“Like the Ravenclaw?”
“Like the Ravenclaws, the Gryffs, even some Hufflepuffs are okay as mates once you get to know them.”
Draco looked at him sceptically. And his grandmother was barmy? The guy had obviously got it from somewhere. Kicking around a Muggle football by yourself from time to time was one thing, but intermingling with other houses, and liking it? Playing footie with Muggles? He liked the sport but to stoop as low as that, he had to be kidding.
“I don’t believe you.” Draco said finally, unable to comprehend his new friend’s lifestyle choice. It just went against everything they had been taught all these years.
“So don’t, it doesn’t bother me, just keep it to yourself if you don't mind. Hogwarts isn't full of the most understanding people in world, all right? Anyway, I’m of the opinion, ‘don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’ I mean, when was the last time you tried to make friends with a Gryff?”
Images came to Draco’s mind quickly. Yeah, I tried to make friends with a Gryff once; a handshake that was never accepted, the humility of being rejected...his one experience had rather tainted any future possibilities.
“Well, I’ve had enough for tonight, I’m off to bed, you coming?”
“Nah, I’m going to stay out here for awhile.”
Alex left the room without a second glance, leaving the boy to muse over what he had just revealed.
Draco sat long into the night contemplating Alex’s words, thinking about his own quiet rebellion with his parents. The harder he fought the darkness, the more he was sucked in to it, like his yelled threat to Potter last year on the train. It was a stupid move, but Draco had panicked upon learning of his father’s fate splashed across the Prophet. He would be watched wherever he went, whatever he did would be scrutinized, his house, including his room, would be searched. Draco had only been trying to keep his own secrets safe. His reputation within the wizarding world was paramount to him, and he did his very best to follow the rules his parents had set out for him, with a couple marked exceptions, of course, football being one of them.
Draco sighed distractedly. He liked Alex, he really did. He had felt he could relate to him fairly easily, same values, same background. He had never expected all of this. But then again, maybe he should have, he himself, had even thought of Alex as the quintessential Slytherin. He had shown himself to be shrewd and cunning, disappearing in a moment, and keeping himself an enigma to the general Hogwarts population. And considering what Draco had been told tonight, Alex had an ambition that reached much farther than his own House.
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Author's etc.: Thanks for reading and all the lovely reviews so far. It keeps me inspired! Cheers!-sweetp
Chapter Two: Alex Explained
"So why not Theodore?" Draco asked, receiving no reply, he tried again. "Alex?"
"Hmm?" Alex looked up from his plate at the feast.
"Why not Theodore?"
"Why not Draconis?"
"Point taken," Draco acknowledged. "Though Alex seems quite the stretch compared to Theodore."
"My middle name is Alexander, so not really." He explained, stopping to take a sip of pumpkin juice. "Truthfully, it was my Grandmum's doing. My grandfather was also Theodore and to make it less complicated she always called me Alex. Even after he died, Alex stuck. Only my mates call me that though, and as I'm sure you're aware everyone else just calls me Nott. Seems much more fitting anyway, last names demand more respect in my opinion."
Draco nodded in agreement, very few witches and wizards he knew called him Draco, it was almost always Malfoy. Much less personal.
This also added a new bit of information about Nott to Draco's short list. It included precious little, Draco thought distractedly. Every Slytherin knew that in order to assess a wizard properly one needed as much information as possible. So far he knew that Nott's father was in Azkaban due to his unfortunate encounter at the Department of Mysteries, and had not been 'rescued' by the Dark Lord as his own father had been. Alex still had a grandmother in the picture whom he had mentioned the odd time in their conversations today, though he had yet to speak of his mother. Nothing about brothers or sisters had come up, but Draco vaguely recalled that when he first began Hogwarts, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters had been a Nott...brother maybe, or cousin? Interesting.
Alex was still an enigma. Perhaps a little less fuzzy now, but Draco was unsure whether he could trust the boy, there were just too many unknowns. The largest, of course, being which side he was on. His father's allegiances were obvious but that didn't necessarily mean he followed the same path. In fact, with all this interhouse mingling it seemed he hadn't, because of that Draco found it hard to believe that Nott's father was really an active participant in his son's life. Someone around him obviously had a more liberal attitude when it came to purity and so forth to let him get away with it and go unpunished. Very interesting.
"Oi, Draco," Nott spoke quietly across the table, "let's get out of here, Parkinson's about to tell about her trip to Paris for the fifth time tonight, and I'm interested in seeing our new chambers. Let's leave these harpies."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Draco rose and nodded good night to the Slytherins left at the table. Pansy was about to say something to him, but before she could get a word in, he was already on his way out of the Great Hall with Alex following not far behind.
A week into the school year and Draco was getting a clearer picture of Alexander Nott. He seemed to be every bit the shrewd Slytherin in conversation and action but Draco had watched him be slyly singled out by a couple of Ravenclaws and even one Hufflepuff in the hallways during breaks. Draco thought it a strange contradiction, that Alex would let himself be dragged into conversation with them, but shrugged it off, not bothering to ask Alex about it afterwards.
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“Merlin, they’re dull.” Draco mumbled as he retreated to his room late one Friday night after lolling about the Common room with Crabbe and Goyle. Nott was nowhere to be found, which was not an unusual occurrence, so Draco considered, for the umpteenth time that week, how to spend the time alone. Usually, he studied for his classes but tonight his unfinished Potions essay looked rather unappetizing. It was Friday night for Hades’ sake! He was supposed to be having a good time! His gaze shifted from his desk to his trunk, and more importantly to what was locked fast inside it. He had been very good so far, never taking it out, therefore, never risking his reputation by being found with a Muggle toy, but he was itching to go out and have a good play with it.
He considered his options carefully. Was anyone likely to be on the grounds tonight? He doubted it. It was rather chilly, but crisp and clear, with enough moonlight to make the pitch visible for him. No one would see him out there surely. With his mind made up, Draco willingly succumbed to temptation and grabbed the football out of the trunk. He hid it under his cloak, not entirely convincing but it would do the job for now, as he headed out of his room and then quickly through the quiet Common room. To get outside, he used an exit not known by most at Hogwarts. It was a small side door that attached to the kitchens, perfect for slipping out of without notice. He scanned the grounds cautiously before he started out to the pitch. There was no sign of any wizard activity that he could see. He was safe for tonight.
He broke the stillness by letting his football land with a soft ‘thump’ on the turf, he guided it quickly down to the pitch, and after throwing his cloak off into a corner he began to have some fun.
He had been out dribbling and shooting the ball for a couple of hours before he realized how late it had gotten, and decided to pack it in for the evening. With pink cheeks, and breath heavy from exertion, he threw his cloak over his shoulder and headed off the pitch. He continued kicking the ball casually in front of him as he made his way back up to the castle, blissfully drinking in quiet darkness surrounding him after a long practice.
As he entered Hogwarts he hid the ball under his cloak once again and hurried to Slytherin House. Creeping through the Common room he made it easily without notice all the way to his own bedroom door. Ripping off his cloak and palming his football, he nudged the door open.
“Oh, excuse me, I’ll be back later.” Draco said, startled, as he looked into the room and saw Alex and a beautiful dark-skinned girl sitting very close together, leaning up against the edge of his bed.
Draco turned quickly to go, but was brought back into the room by a call from Alex.
“Don’t go mate, forgive me, I forgot to mention that I was having company over tonight.” He smirked wisely at the blond-haired boy hovering in the doorway. His smirk didn’t last long though, Draco noticed, because the girl swatted Alex firmly in the shoulder for that remark.
“Ow, that hurt Padma!”
“Wuss.” She taunted back, rolling her eyes at him as he rubbed his now sore shoulder. She looked up at Draco with guarded eyes, not sure what to make of him. She didn’t know of him personally, and only remembered seeing him in passing at the odd all-house prefect meeting. Second-hand reports on his character seemed rather broad. Her best friend Terry had cursed him for his bad behavior on the train last spring, but Alex had spoken very highly of him the past few weeks. Her logical mind decided to see for herself.
“Are you a gentleman or what? Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
Startled once again, this time by the girl’s brazen behavior, Draco spoke apologetically.
“Sorry Miss..?”
“Patil.”
“Miss Patil. I’m Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. I’m Alex’s roommate for the year, I fear you’ll be seeing rather a lot of me if you continue hanging around with this sorry article.”
She let a small grin escape from her lips. “Indeed, I expect I will Draco, and call me Padma, I’m not too keen on formality, not like you two upperclassmen. You know, all that last name business, pulling out chairs, darn this and darn that...”
Alex butted in with his own comment. “I can’t help it Padma, I told you it’s my Grandmum’s fault that I can’t curse in front of girls. It’s not my prudish sensibilities, I’d have a crackin’ go at it if I could, but she’d find me, she’d string me up by my ears I tell you!”
Padma had a hard time not laughing outright at his excuse. “Oh, please! The things I’ve heard come out of that mouth when you think it’s just Terry, Blaise and Tony around. Well, I nev..”
The rest of her speech was cut off by Alex firmly clasping his hand over her mouth. Padma retaliated by reaching over to tickle her way out of it. They both stopped when they heard Draco clear his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the flirting going on in front of him.
“Err... I think I’ll go out to the Common room for awhile. It was a pleasure to meet you Padma.”
As he left the room he could hear another burst of giggles erupt from the two of them. He made a sour face as he went to sit in a chair by the fire, disgusted at Alex’s behavior. What was he doing wasting time with a girl like that? Someone so obviously strong-willed and opinionated was certainly not wife material. Women were supposed to be docile and agreeable, as his mother had always been, even how Pansy was, irritating though she might be, at least she acted respectfully. Padma was pretty though, very pretty, and he supposed he could forgive Nott for indulgences such as that. She wasn’t someone that would normally have caught his eye, but he wasn’t one to be unappreciative. He tossed his football in the air in contemplation, and spun it around with his hands, absentmindedly mulling over this new development. This must be the Ravenclaw Alex had mentioned.
A soft click made his head jerk in the direction on his room and he watched as Alex gave the girl a small kiss on the forehead before she skipped over to the exit and snuck out into the halls of Hogwarts, a shiny Prefect’s badge giving her easy run of the late night corridors.
Alex walked over to where Draco lay, sprawled out in a wing chair.
“Footie, eh?”
“What are you going on ab.. oh shit.” So concerned with catching his roommate, Draco had completely forgotten that he had been holding his football the entire time. Stupid, stupid boy. How was he going to cover this up? Would Nott pass on this information to someone at home, perhaps his father, or worse, Draco’s own father? He shuddered at the thought. Lucius had nearly finished him last time when he had gotten caught, and he had been only twelve at that time, Grendel knows what he would do this time.
Alex smiled knowingly, waiting for an explanation.
“It’s not what it looks like, I swear, I’ve got a really good explanation for this... Wait a minute,” Draco asked hesitantly, “how do you know what this is?” He held the football up for inspection.
“Let alone a slang term for it, Alex?” Draco inquired, feeling his worry decrease slightly.
Alex grabbed the ball and juggled it briefly with his knees. “I’m a winger.”
“Pardon me? You’re joking.”
“During the summer, on a team out of Devon.”
“But your dad, your mum, don’t they have anything to say about their pureblooded son playing Muggle sport? Your dad’s a condemned Death Eater for Hades’ sake, how do you get away with it? How do you get away with any of it? The Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuff!”
“A little louder next time Draco, I don’t think the entire castle heard you." Alex raised his eyebrows in censure. "To be honest, I couldn’t care less what Father thinks, he’s locked up, and according to a number of reliable sources, for a very long time. My mum, bless her soul is probably rolling in her grave thinking about it, but as I mentioned, cannot do anything about it, as she sadly, is no longer corporally with us. I answer to my Grandmum, and she allows me more freedoms than anyone ever did before. Family thinks she’s barmy, but she’s just clever if you ask me. It really is grand, mate. You wouldn’t believe all the great fun that can be had in a world like this once you open your eyes to it.
“Like the Ravenclaw?”
“Like the Ravenclaws, the Gryffs, even some Hufflepuffs are okay as mates once you get to know them.”
Draco looked at him sceptically. And his grandmother was barmy? The guy had obviously got it from somewhere. Kicking around a Muggle football by yourself from time to time was one thing, but intermingling with other houses, and liking it? Playing footie with Muggles? He liked the sport but to stoop as low as that, he had to be kidding.
“I don’t believe you.” Draco said finally, unable to comprehend his new friend’s lifestyle choice. It just went against everything they had been taught all these years.
“So don’t, it doesn’t bother me, just keep it to yourself if you don't mind. Hogwarts isn't full of the most understanding people in world, all right? Anyway, I’m of the opinion, ‘don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’ I mean, when was the last time you tried to make friends with a Gryff?”
Images came to Draco’s mind quickly. Yeah, I tried to make friends with a Gryff once; a handshake that was never accepted, the humility of being rejected...his one experience had rather tainted any future possibilities.
“Well, I’ve had enough for tonight, I’m off to bed, you coming?”
“Nah, I’m going to stay out here for awhile.”
Alex left the room without a second glance, leaving the boy to muse over what he had just revealed.
Draco sat long into the night contemplating Alex’s words, thinking about his own quiet rebellion with his parents. The harder he fought the darkness, the more he was sucked in to it, like his yelled threat to Potter last year on the train. It was a stupid move, but Draco had panicked upon learning of his father’s fate splashed across the Prophet. He would be watched wherever he went, whatever he did would be scrutinized, his house, including his room, would be searched. Draco had only been trying to keep his own secrets safe. His reputation within the wizarding world was paramount to him, and he did his very best to follow the rules his parents had set out for him, with a couple marked exceptions, of course, football being one of them.
Draco sighed distractedly. He liked Alex, he really did. He had felt he could relate to him fairly easily, same values, same background. He had never expected all of this. But then again, maybe he should have, he himself, had even thought of Alex as the quintessential Slytherin. He had shown himself to be shrewd and cunning, disappearing in a moment, and keeping himself an enigma to the general Hogwarts population. And considering what Draco had been told tonight, Alex had an ambition that reached much farther than his own House.
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Author's etc.: Thanks for reading and all the lovely reviews so far. It keeps me inspired! Cheers!-sweetp
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