"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece."- Garry Kasparov
Harriet had expected the Malfoys to show up. She just hadn't expected them to wear their hostility this openly. She'd given them more credit than that. The younger Malfoy had clearly gotten the memo about not provoking her further, but the father apparently hadn't, too busy performing his own nobility as convincingly as he could manage. What actually interested her more was Narcissa. In the few times she'd seen her before, she'd read as strong, composed, sure of herself, maybe just a well-built facade, but even now, trying to hold that same posture, there were cracks showing through, and Harriet could see the discomfort underneath. Maybe it was simply standing in front of the person responsible for her family's recent run of bad luck, even if Harriet refused to take any actual responsibility for it, especially not responsibility belonging to a megalomaniac lich who treated his own followers like animals to be disciplined whenever the mood struck him.
"Thanks, I knew that. Didn't realize you cared so much, Lucius. Almost makes it sound like you're telling me this for my own good." Harriet replied, dry.
"No need to look for hidden motives, Miss Potter. These are simply lessons instilled into nobility from a young age. Since it seems no one bothered to teach you, I took it upon myself to correct that particular oversight." Lucius said it like he was doing her a favor.
"Oh, you want to play that game? Fine, I've got a question for you then, seeing as you're so eager to educate me on everything I've apparently missed." Harriet hadn't bothered listening to a word of his advice, still working through her plate with visible enjoyment.
At that, Lucius couldn't quite stop his eye from twitching at the blatant provocation from this half-blood upstart, though thankfully his rage stayed well hidden, something he'd apparently gotten remarkably good at perfecting lately. "If I can answer it, I certainly will. It falls to every noble to educate the young for whatever role they'll eventually be expected to hold."
Harriet took him at his word. "It's a bit personal, but... how does one go about disciplining a servant who's badly botched a task? I'm sure you've got your own methods, right? Say, hypothetically, a servant who's serving his all-powerful lord loses something entrusted to him. Or worse, disposes of it himself, just to avoid getting searched. Except the object in question turned out to matter quite a lot. What happens then? How do you discipline that?" And there it was, the exact crux of the problem, as far as Harriet could see. No matter how well Malfoy performed the role of nobleman, right now he was a prisoner himself, and that was simply the reality of things.
"You..." Lucius caught himself. "I'll excuse myself from this particular conversation. These are personal matters, and everyone handles them their own way. With that, it's been a pleasure seeing you here, I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening." He managed to get the words out, going a shade paler, holding onto what little composure he had left. Already realizing this had clearly not been the wisest idea, picking this particular fight. But before he could actually leave, gathering up his wife and son, he'd already drawn the attention of everyone nearby, none of whom were, of course, listening in 'discreetly.'
"It was a Horcrux." Harriet said it low, pitched only for the Malfoy family to hear.
At that, Lucius went even paler. He knew exactly what that meant, and understood, finally, why his family had been treated the way they had lately. In doing what he'd done, he'd quite literally and accidentally killed off a piece of the vile lich currently residing in his home. No, he corrected himself internally. His Lord.
Draco stayed silent through all of it, jaw tight, eyes fixed somewhere on the floor rather than on Harriet or his father. He'd learned that lesson already, the hard way, and clearly had no intention of relearning it tonight.
"By the way, Narcissa. You're a Black by blood." Harriet turned her focus to the mother now, her tone gone serious. "If you ever feel like reconnecting with that side of the family, I'd suggest doing it now. Unfortunately, just you." She turned back toward the buffet, letting the Malfoy family make their escape. It was a kind of exit she was deliberately leaving open for Narcissa. Harriet genuinely didn't want to know what a bunch of lawless Death Eaters did to their own "traitors," especially the women among them, so if Narcissa wanted a way out of all that, she don't mind helping her and only her.
After that brief interlude, Harriet took a moment to actually study the room, how everyone had arranged themselves. Most of the adults were clustered in small groups, catching up with acquaintances, trading talk over shared interests, but the divisions were unmistakable. Three groups, precisely. She accepted a glass of champagne from a passing server, made sure it hadn't been tampered with, and got a much clearer view once she had it in hand.
The Dark Faction kept to themselves, plotting whatever they were plotting for the year ahead. At least their language stayed polite enough, no open talk of gutting "Mudbloods" left and right, clearly they knew how to hold themselves when the occasion called for it, even people like Goyle had apparently gotten some lessons on how to speak depending on the room.
The Light Faction was a little looser, though they too mostly stuck to their own. Better behaved than the Dark side, mostly trading talk about their careers, prospects for the coming year with the Ministry, or how much their support for Dumbledore was needed these days, clearly not shy about letting a little arrogance slip through here and there.
And then there was the Grey Faction, the most normal of the three by far, moving around freely, negotiating this way and that. This was the group Yuna had gravitated toward, unsurprisingly, the ones less interested in politics tended to lean toward trade instead, exactly the crowd Yuna would target. Given the current climate, though, it was just as clear that both other factions kept trying to get a word in with them too, hoping to pull them toward one side or the other, because if things went the way everyone expected, the Grey Faction wouldn't have much choice left soon enough: flee the country for somewhere safer, or pick a side and gamble on who'd come out on top.
So this was what a ball among the upper crust of magical society actually looked like, Harriet thought. Even in her past life, back when she'd been a banker, a man, at the time, she'd never climbed high enough up the ladder to get invited to anything remotely like this. Sure, there'd been the occasional boozy night out with colleagues at some exclusive spot, but that had mostly been about decompressing, talking money, mostly other people's money. Watching someone else's success or ruin play out up close never sat easy, no matter who you were. She'd been lucky enough to only ever deal with professionals in that line of work, and even then, reactions could get explosive, sometimes genuinely unsettling.
Still, she could see the appeal in all this scheming, found herself genuinely interested despite herself. Not exactly her cup of tea, but she could respect the craft of it, the way every single reaction had to be calibrated down to the millimeter to extract the right information, the right outcome. Pure, hard negotiation. None of these people were friends, not really, but everyone played along anyway, because here, the game just might be worth the candle. Honestly, every last one of them was an actor on a stage, and they all clearly knew how to play their part.
Most people, notably, kept their distance from her. They knew better than to walk straight up to whoever sat at the center of everything currently brewing, especially after watching the Malfoys try, and fail spectacularly, to get anything useful out of her.
"Interesting, isn't it? You have to actually be here to understand it, but these are the people deciding the future." A new voice spoke up beside her.
Augusta Longbottom had the kind of presence that made an entrance without ever raising her voice, tall for her age and unbent by it, a vulture perched atop her hat as if daring anyone present to comment. She carried a handbag that looked considerably more dangerous than decorative, and moved through the crowd like a woman who had, at some point, made several people regret underestimating her, and had no intention of letting anyone forget it.
"And aren't you one of them yourself?" Harriet asked, admiring the sheer composure the older woman carried despite her age. "Mmh, though I'll admit, I expected something a little different. How do I put it... more idiots? But it looks like a few of these people actually have brains after all."
"Oh, don't let it fool you. Most of them only use those brains for occasions exactly like this one. The rest of the time, they're about as sharp as their own feet, and I say that from experience." Augusta said, with the faintest hint of a smirk.
"That's about what I figured." Harriet took a sip of her champagne. "Anyway, thanks for confirming I don't have some contagious disease. I was starting to think everyone else knew something about me I didn't."
"Hard to blame them." Augusta's gaze swept briefly over the room. "You're a minefield, after all. The Dark Faction's clearly terrified of you. The Light side has no idea where you actually stand with Dumbledore anymore. Honestly, nobody in this room knows what you actually want, and given how much paler than usual Malfoy walked away just now, your age certainly isn't going to fool anyone into thinking you're harmless."
"So you came over to gather intel?" Harriet asked.
"That's exactly it." Augusta didn't bother denying it. "I'll be honest with you, I don't particularly care for Dumbledore, but he's better than the alternative, and I have very good reason to hold a grudge against certain people on the opposing side."
"I see. I've heard about what happened, and you have my condolences, for what it's worth." Harriet said, genuinely. "If it helps, I'm not in their camp. You probably already guessed that. Not really yours either, if we're being honest. The old guard should probably start making room for the next generation, don't you think?" She said it plainly, not bothering to hide her hand at all.
"I see. Perhaps you're right." Augusta studied her a moment longer. "A pleasure speaking with you, Mrs. Potter-Black. And it's rather late to say this, I never had the occasion before, but my condolences for your parents. They were friends of my son's. I was quite fond of them both." With that, she turned and left, leaving Harriet alone for a moment before someone else fell into step beside her, this time her good friend, Daphne Greengrass.
The two of them fell into step side by side, taking in the room, and it was Harriet who spoke first.
"Beautiful house, Daphne. Never got around to telling you that." Harriet observed, casual as commenting on the weather.
"Glad you like it. And glad you actually came, honestly. Wasn't sure you would." Daphne stayed composed.
"Oh, well, I didn't have anything better to do, so I figured why not. Plus, you don't really turn down an invitation from a girl as pretty as you." Harriet added a wink for good measure.
Daphne couldn't help rolling her eyes at that. "Still the charmer, I see."
"So why risk your position coming over to talk to me, anyway?" Harriet asked, curious.
"Well, you're a classmate. Looks a lot less loaded than if my parents had come over themselves. And I wanted to ask you the question." Daphne studied her seriously.
"I know what you're actually asking, even if it stings a little that you only come find me when it's convenient." Harriet pressed a hand to her chest in mock offense, amusement still very much alive in her eyes. "And yes. I'm going to win, whatever that ends up meaning exactly. Honestly, as long as Yuna's having fun and I don't lose my own money, I'm not too invested in the rest of it. The enemies I take out, that's personal to me. What happens politically after that, I couldn't tell you. Maybe I'll get interested in politics eventually, maybe not. Either way, my advice is to stay neutral a while longer."
That put Daphne visibly at ease. She wanted to bet on Harriet regardless, though convincing her parents would be an entirely different problem. Still, she'd finally gotten the I'm going to win out of her, and that was enough for now. She still felt obligated to point out, though, exactly who Harriet was actually up against. "Good to hear. I'm relieved, honestly. But we're still talking about Voldemort and Dumbledore here. And I don't just mean raw magical power. Is there any chance you lose?"
Her concerns turned out to be entirely wasted on Harriet, who answered, with total confidence, "Nah, I'd win."
They clinked champagne glasses at that. Harriet downed hers in one go and flagged down a passing server for another.
"Now..." Harriet started.
"Now?" Daphne asked, intrigued.
"Now's the part where I go crash every single conversation I've apparently been left out of." Harriet grinned. "Honestly, I can feel this being fun already. And I'm also going to go find your sulky little sister and convince her to join my fan club instead of that ferret Malfoy's."
Daphne let out a sigh she couldn't quite suppress, a small smile tugging at her mouth despite herself. She hadn't expected anything less. And honestly, she had to admit, there was something genuinely funny about watching every single group in the room nervously try to avoid Harriet as she wandered from cluster to cluster, all of them hoping she wouldn't drift their way, none of them able to actually exclude her if she decided she wanted to talk.