Well, hello and welcome. This is the first time I'm writing fanfiction, or anything at all really, or publishing it. I don't exactly know where this story will go, but I hope I can count on your company. Please have patience both with pace and language as English is not my first language.

Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns all characters, places and part of the storyline follows hers (from the Harry Potter series).

As the Hogwarts Express left platform 9 3/4, an eleven year old boy with slick blond hair pulled out his copy of Hogwarts; a history from his bag and started to read it for what might be the 50th time. The boy was the only one in the compartment, but he didn't mind. He was used to being alone.

"Hello!" The boy was abruptly interrupted at the sound of the greeting. A girl, with the bushiest hair he'd ever seen in his eleven years of life, was standing in the compartment doorway.

"Do you mind if I sit with you? All the other compartments are full." She fixated him with her chocolate eyes, and he couldn't say no.

"S-sure, I'm Draco Malfoy. Who are you?" He gave her a trying smile.

"I'm Hermione Granger." She answered as she sat down on the bench opposite of him. "Wait, are you reading Hogwarts; a history?"She leaned forward. "I've been reading it again and again and again ever since I bought it. It's really fascinating isn't it?" Her eyes sparkled as she continued her monologue about schoolbooks. He didn't mind her talking, in the manor it was usually deadly silent.

"Are you nervous? About the sorting?" Hermione looked curiously at him.

"Not at all, my mum has told me everything about it." Somehow he found it easy to talk to her. Whenever he met other children their parents would constantly keep an eye on them, as to make sure they didn't do anything they shouldn't. Whatever that meant. "I'll probably get sorted into Slytherin."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Almost everyone in my family has been in Slytherin."

"Is everyone in your family part of the wizarding world?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Of course they are. We, the Malfoy's are one of the oldest and richest pureblood families in Britain." My, did she ask odd questions! "Aren't you from a wizarding family?"

"No, I'm a...What did she call it...A muggleborn witch." Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, often talked about muggleborns, although he called them something else, as if they were abominations. He'd told Draco that muggleborns shouldn't be allowed to practice magic. He'd told Draco that muggleborns weren't real witches and wizards. But the Granger girl, Hermione, sitting in front of him looked like any other witch in her Hogwarts robes. He decided not to mention his father's ideas about muggleborns to Hermione.

Outside the train the rain had started pouring down. Inside the train, sat a boy and a girl, comfortably reading. Everything was quiet until Hermione spoke up again.

"Don't you think we'll arrive soon?"

"No, Mum said we won't be there until the evening." As he put away his copy of Hogwarts; a history only to pull out another book, a grey-haired witch knocked on their compartment door.

"Anything from the trolley dears?"

"Yes." Draco answered and started listing everything he wanted, as if he already knew what the witch had to offer them. Hermione guessed that his mother had told him. When Draco had finished, he turned to Hermione and asked with an eyebrow raised;

"Won't you have anything?"

"No, I don't have much money with me, besides, I don't even know what all that stuff is." She looked down. "My dad doesn't believe in magic so he wouldn't let me try any of it anyway."

"Well, he isn't here now, so you can have some of mine." He grinned at her and gave her a small purple box. "It's a chocolate frog. You'd better be quick when you open it, otherwise it'll escape."

Finally they arrived at the Hogsmeade train station. Hermione started to heave her trunk down and out, but Draco stopped her.

"Mum said they'll be taken directly from the train to Hogwarts, you don't have to worry about it."

"Oh, okay then." She pushed back the trunk onto the rack above them. "Did your mum also tell you what we're gonna do once we're off the train?"

"No," Draco admitted as he helped her onto the platform, "She said she didn't wanna spoil the sur-"

"First years, over 'ere!" At the end of the platform stood the biggest man Hermione and Draco had ever seen and he held a lantern and shouted again;

"C'mon first years, over 'ere by me!" Although he was absolutely enormous, and frankly, scary looking according to Draco, as they walked towards him they saw the kindest face partly hidden behind his unruly beard.

"Mah name's Rubeus Hagrid, I'm gamekeeper 'ere at the castle." He beamed down at them all, because now a crowd of first year students had gathered around Hagrid. "Are ye all 'ere now? Aye there's Harry! Did ye have a good trip, lad?"

Draco followed Hagrid's gaze and saw a skinny boy with black tousled hair standing beside a tall ginger boy. He had, through his father of course, known that Harry Potter - the boy who lived - would start Hogwarts alongside himself. But he hadn't seen the boy before. No one had. And the boy beside Potter could only be another Weasley.

"Is that Harry Potter?" Hermione whispered to him.

"Yeah, I think so, but I can't see the scar."

"All his hair is in the way." She was still standing rather close to him.

"You ought to know everything about hair being in the way!" He laughed.

"All right, that's everyone, let's get to the boats!" Hagrid shouted.

They picked a boat in wich two other people already sat.

"Hi Draco!" said the boy, who had jet black eyes and hair similar to Hermione's, but cut short. "Who's that you've got with you?"

"Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, this is Hermione Granger." He answered as Hermione jumped on board. When they had all sat down, after shaking hands, the small boats started to move across the dark lake.

"Granger, I don't think I've heard of that family before." said the girl who must obviously be Pansy Parkinson. "Are your family rich?"

"What, no, I'm muggleborn." Hermione spluttered. Pansy's eyes narrowed.

"I see..." The they all sat silently for the rest of the journey.

"There ye are! Hogwarts!" Hagrid suddenly bellowed, and woke almost everyone. Draco and Hermione were stunned. Even Pansy let slip a little gasp. Hogwarts was almost shimmering. From all the windows gleamed yellow light. It was bigger than anyone could have imagined, standing on ha cliff above the lake with all its towers and with a dark mass, that must be a forest, looming behind the castle.