Ron Weasley, “They’re upto something, I tell you its the smile. Seeing that Malfoy smile blissfully chills my very bones. And he’s been quiet for too long. He’s upto something.”

Hermione, “Oh come on, you’re overreacting. I think he’s changing, for the last 3 years he’s been quiet, I even once saw him gardening and he actually flustered and ran away. It was kinda cute.”

Ron, “Oh please, he must be hunting for some new poison.”

Hermione, “if anything he was looking for recipes for female perfume, he was growing roses. Well black roses, but still roses.”

“See that’s the point, his heart is black. Who grows black roses!”, Ron.

Hermione, “Mr Weasley, black roses are beautiful too, what is this racism against blackness? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Whole of Africa went against this in an apartheid movement, human rights…”

“I have been following him, and over the last 3 years he’s slowly making home the room of requirements, but of late more and more shady folks are joining. I think he’s managed to recruit all the sons and daughters of Death Eaters. The usual suspects are already present — Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Astoria the entire crew and more. There must be atleast a 50 of the slyest bastards of Hogwarts, and what really freaked me out was that I saw Crabbe and Goyle cry and hug each other. Crabbe and Goyle cry and hug each other outside, that’s not right — what sinister tidings will bring them to such joy.”

Hermione, “Harry say something, you’ve been awfully quiet.”

Harry, “Well I don’t know what to think, but its Malfoy and if he has a team of fifty & whatever they’re up to made Crabbe cry with joy. Yikes, we atleast should check it out. We have an invisibility cloak and the Map. Let’s give it a shot.”

They made their floor to the 7th floor and did their 3 rounds thinking that they need to really find out what’s happening with Draco and gang.

The door appears. And they quietly turn the handle to enter.

What greets them is crazier than their wildest dreams….

3 years before

Hello, I am Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. From a rather high polished, bad ass, muggle hating, pure blooded family. My dad mingles with the likes of Voldemort and the dumb puppet that sits as the Minister of Magic. Yes I am what one would call a classy snob, and that’s part of the entitlement package that comes with being rich, and from a name of great renown and of course money.

All was well in my life, until I decided to fill a balloon with magical beard growth serum and throw it at that silly mudblood Hermione. It was all some good pure blood fun. Didn’t mean nothing by it. But I was observed in the act my Professor McGonagall and she being a mongrel that she is decided to detain me and the punishment of my detention was to be decided by the now bearded Hermione. And she gave me a fucking muggle book to read. And I shall appear for detention every Wednesday until I can answer all her questions to satisfaction.

I swear that mudblood is trying to kill me from dullness, but I do have to grudgingly give it to her ingenuity, a book by a muggle, not a single drop of magic in his veins. The book is called Ikigai, the art of living well. Like a muggle would know what constitutes living well. So as one would expect from me I threw the book in a corner, snuck in a story book from the forbidden section of the library — the best kind. Enchanted it to look like Ikigai and went to detention. After a month I was caught offguard by an impromptu test and my detentions were now Wednesday and Sunday.

I had no other option but to read this book. And don’t tell this to Coyle and Goyle it wasn’t as abysmal as I had expected or told them it was. It dealt with a different sort of magic of living longer and being happier. And I could use some of that living longer bit, we Death Eaters — yes not the most optimistic of names. And as one can guess all that Death Eating business leaves a lot of stress and negativity and our life expectancy is usually what 40–50 years!? That’s not much. Not much at all, and all these muggles are living to 120 with just some simple lifestyle changes. Now this is a great fear in my life, I know of very few relatives who die of old age, and those that do — die as shrewd, pessimists bastards, who hate everyone and fear everything. I had visited my great uncle who in his 5th decade looked like he was into his 5th century and I was pretty sure in his next life he would be a Dementor. For he sucked away all happiness and smiles from the room.

I suppose I must make notes about Ikigai.

Malfoy’s Notebook — Notes on Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being.” It is the intersection point where four things meet:

What you love What you’re good at What you can be paid for What the World needs

So now let’s see…. What I love — that’s easy, I love being rich & powerful. What I am good at — being a snob & kind of evil (let’s be honest) What can I be paid for — I don’t see myself being paid for any of these shit What the world needs — Hmmmm… my dad says its killing mudbloods, but can I really hate Hermione and gang. They’re fun to bully, but do I hate them? And who am I kidding my dad’s boss — Lord Voldemort is a half blood. So what can I do that the world needs, to make it a better place? Well I don’t know, I must think on this some more.

I stopped writing and turned around to see Professor McGonnal behind me, spying on my notes with a big grin on her face. I turned a shade of tomato and she walked away coughing, “your detention for the day is done.” And I swear I could hear the amusement in her voice. Amusement, yes but clearly no malice.

So I, Draco Malfoy went off pondering, “What the world needs”.

Chapter 2

That morning I woke up from the weirdest fucking nightmare I have ever had. Me and the 2 buffons Crab and Goyle were cooking thanksgiving dinner together, while I prepared the Turkey, Crab and Goyle tried their luck at making eggnog and completely drained that in alcohol and got us pissed drunk. After which we decided to have a showdown between a frog and a toad so I jinxed Crab and Goyle into their respective roles and we had a blast.

It was a ridiculous dream, stupid, silly, pointless and yet sadly it was the happiest dreams I ever remember having. I don’t know how to feel about all this, it seems like Hermione’s book is as jinxed as Voldemort’s Diary. Well if Voldemort was like a stupidly good wizard who went out of his way helping friends and doing things the world needs. Ah fuck.

Malfoy’s notebook second entry

Ikigai goes beyond just reason for living, it seems a Japanese village of ordinary muggles seems to outlive us magical wizards (well unless you’re Nicolas Flamel).

This book talks about living longer is connected to doing things with your friends, and cultivating a happy, active — not-hurried way of life. It also has 2 other aspects that’s fairly important. First, what you eat — food, second being quality time with your community.

Self note — A community of “Death Eaters” is probably the wrong sort of community for healthy eating.

Though is it really that bad to seek and do things that you love & are good at, while helping the world and better still getting paid for it. Its simple and even to me it sounds like a decent life. I would know, none of us seem to enjoy being evil Death Eaters except Bellatrix —she’s bat-shit insane.

Let’s start with food — its imperative to eat only till you’re 80% full. Eat more vegetables and fish and less meat, grains and salt. Eat a vast variety of food (super easy), and always try to add all the colours of rainbow to your plate (little gay, but okay). More colour the better. Eating slowly helps a ton too, and that’s a habit I sorely need to cultivate, and smaller plates help in doing just that . All people interviewed for this book were over a hundred years old, and they all have their own garden where they grow food & flowers, and they enjoy working in their gardens (Herbology stuff — bleh).

Now the friends or community, is being with a group of friends and doing things together, it could be getting together to sing, dance, play chess (okay…) And to care for and feel wanted as a part of the group, this is often done in their communities where each member contributes an amount for all group expenditures like food and sake. They also use this to care for any members of the community who have fallen in hard times, and this helps them get back. And they may later choose to repay it. This truly strenthens the feeling of well being within the community and they become like family who do things together and look out for each other. (this … actually seems kinda nice. But with who … Crab & Goyle? They’re more like my lackies rather than friends, and I think those bastards will disappear off from my sight the moment I went broke).

The community of friends is truly a wonderful thing, for it gives you a reason to grow old together and keep doing things with those you shared your life with. Have something to look forward to at the end of each day (stupid mud blood Hermione bringing tears to my eyes with your muggle magic).

I must agree that a great test of health & quality life can be gauged by a simple fact, how long do you live. If I am 102 years and still flying around on a broomstick, harassing Hermione and chugging Butterbeer — that sounds like a damn good life.

By these individuals who’ve managed to live past 100 and some past 115; here are some of their advises on life in no particular order:

Smile often Do not stress Keep your mind and fingers busy Walk often Eat little or no meat Eat variety nurture great friendships and meet them often Don’t burden your kids with things you can do Laugh and play with grandkids Sing and dance Drink alcohol in moderation Spend time in nature Do some light exercise/stretching/yoga DO NOT RETIRE Find hobbies, maybe something small as waving off children going to school

And above all find your Ikigai, you Ikigai could change a year from now, and that’s good. For now keep figuring out what makes you happy and the point where your passion, ambition, vocation, mission and vision intersect. Keep your fingers moving, keep doing things, it could be simple things like playing guitar to building a business that’ll save the planet. Find your Ikigai and keep doing.

Side note — I can’t believe I am taking notes on a muggle book … bleh! *

Back to present time

Harry, Ron & Hermione, quietly turn the door knob and enter the Room of Requirements. What greets them is crazier than their wildest dreams….

Crabbe and Goyle are dancing, Astoria cooking with friends and laughing. Some sinister looking Slytherin folks playing various magical games, drinking butterbeer and clearly having an innocently wonderful time. And in the center of it all Malfoy cooking what appears to be dumplings with a group of friends, laughing heartily. He wore a Tee Shirt, “Live Happy, Live Long.”

Ikigai — for those who haven’t read it, this is a wonderful book