A/N- First off, this is not a Drarry fic. There will be no slash in this story. There will however, be friendships, romance, drama, humor, drama and a plot which confuses even me. But that comes later. These first chapters are where it all begins, the choice that changes it all.
I will only be posting the first three chapters, partly to judge how people like it but mostly because that's all I have written. This story is limited to the plot JKR has set out, so events that would not have been affected by my story line will still happen.

Thanks to Gina, The Crazy Marshmallow for Beta'ing this first chapter, and my incredible star-like best friend feltsonflowers who is also co-author and is amazing and amazing and wrote the entire plot with me on starbucks flyers.

Please enjoy, and review! So sorry for the annoyingly long authors note :)

Disclaimer-I really do not own any characters, settings, plots or direct quotes which you recognise from the works of the legendary Miss Rowling.

This starts from the scene on the train where Draco comes into their compartment and is all "Be my friend!"


"You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there," Draco Malfoy smirked as he extended his pale hand for Harry to shake...


Harry just stood there numbly, wondering what he should do. He didn't know what the boy had meant by "the wrong sort", but he did know that Ron was one of the only people he felt he could talk to in the wizarding world. He didn't want to offend the boy, but he had just insulted Ron and Harry didn't want to alienate the only person on the train who he could call "friend". But Draco was still staring at him, holding out his hand expectantly. So Harry did the safe thing, the polite thing. He reached out and grasped Draco's hand.

Ron watched in horrified disbelief as his friend of a few hours reached out and shook the hand of the sneering boy who had just insulted his family. A strangled choking sound escaped from his lips. Harry turned to look at him in confusion, noting the startling red shade of his freckly face, and the look of shock upon it, before Ron turned sharply on his heel and strode furiously toward the compartment door.

"Ron…What…?" Harry began, startled by Ron's extreme reaction.

"I thought we were friends!" Ron accused, whirling around to face Harry and a smirking Draco. Anger was cutting through Harry's bewilderment, Ron was completely over-reacting.

"We are friends Ron, I don't know what your problem is, all I did was –"

"YOU BETRAYED OUR FRIENDSHIP!" Ron bellowed, his complexion becoming redder with every passing second.

"Yes Weasley, I'm sure you two have developed a very intimate friendship since this train left King's Cross," Draco said sarcastically, moving to stand next to Harry, facing Ron.

"Shut your mouth Malfoy, it's not like you have any experience in friendship," Ron growled.

Draco raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly towards Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing in the corridor outside, cracking their knuckles and doing a very good job of looking threatening.

"I would leave now if I were you, Weasel. Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself even more would you?" he sneered.

Ron glared at Malfoy as if he were wishing him a slow and painful death, which, Harry realised, he probably was, before stalking over to his abandoned seat and hastily grabbing Scabbers and a handful of unopened chocolate frogs.

Draco watched in amusement as Ron finally stormed out of the compartment, slamming to door as he left. Sinking slowly in to his seat, Harry glared after him, fuming over his ridiculous accusations.

Draco laughed, sounding surprisingly good natured. "If that's how vulgar his manners are here, I hate to think what he'll be like at the feast."

Harry looked at him still slightly dazed from Ron's dramatic exit. "Feast?" he asked his expression masked in confusion.

"Yes, feast Potter. It's where we eat food," he replied sarcastically, sitting down opposite Harry.

"I know what a feast is Malfoy, I'm not stupid," Harry snapped, wondering why Draco was still there.

Could've fooled me. Draco thought to himself.

"I know Potter, I was being sarcastic," he said patiently.

Harry didn't reply, but instead frowned out of the window at the darkening sky.

Not ten seconds had passed when suddenly the compartment door slid open once again, this time revealing Hermione Granger, looking very surprised to see Draco instead of Ron sitting there.

"Where did your friend go?" she asked Harry imperiously, looking around as if Ron might be hiding in one of the corners.

"Obviously he's not in here," Malfoy drawled. "Can we help you with something?" he continued in a tone that suggested he would do nothing of the sort.

"I…um…only wanted to remind Harry and Ron that we will be there soon, and that they should put on their robes," she said uncertainly.

"Thanks for that, now could you please leave?" he said in a bored voice, motioning towards the hallway.

"All right," she said stiffly. "I only came in here because people are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors.

"Duly noted," Malfoy said with a sarcastic wave as she left the compartment.

"I hope to God that she's not in Slytherin," said Malfoy emphatically, rolling his eyes at her bossiness.

"I doubt it; I heard that Slytherin is for people who like dark magic. As annoying as she is, I'm pretty sure she's not evil." Harry sighed and slumped back in his seat. The way things were going, he was sure he would never get any friends at Hogwarts.

"Evil, Potter? You seem sadly misinformed about the qualities of a Slytherin," he said with mock formality.

"So it's not true that there wasn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin?" Harry asked with disbelief.

"Of course that'strue," he said, and Harry could almost hear a note of pride in his voice, "but that's not because we're evil, it's because we're the most ambitious and talented," he said boastfully.

"You do realise you haven't actually been sorted yet?" Harry asked, a ghost of a smirk flitting across his features.

"Good smirk Potter, but it's going to need some work if you're going to be in Slytherin."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't want to be in Slytherin."

"Au Contraire Potter, You'd love being in Slytherin," he said with false enthusiasm.

"And why would I love it so much?" Harry inquired sceptically.

"The green matches your eyes," he said seriously, holding his solemn pose for a few seconds before his face cracked into an un-Malfoyish grin.

"Sorry, couldn't keep a straight face. But seriously, Slytherin is the best house for those who want to do well in the wizarding world. Whoever told you that Slytherin is only for those who are 'evil' or are interested in the dark arts must be very prejudiced to believe in those stereotypes."

Harry's mind flashed briefly to Hagrid, who he was sure was not prejudiced. Maybe he just didn't know any decent Slytherins?

To end the slightly awkward silence, Harry asked, "Where did Crabbe and Goyle go?"

"Oh," said Draco dismissively, "Probably still standing outside cracking their knuckles. I swear that they are even stupider than Weasley."

Harry, who still felt slightly guilty about offending Ron, didn't think that laughing at him with Draco was something that could be forgiven. Malfoy was clearly spoilt, and Harry wasn't sure he wanted him as a friend. But at least Draco seemed to be on Harry's side. And anyway, Ron had walked out, right? It wasn't Harry's fault, was it?

So Harry did the only thing that made sense. He laughed with Draco Malfoy, at the stupidity of Ron Weasley.