There was a wizarding family shrouded in darkness and they liked it that way, thank you very much. However, not all was as it seemed. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were private folks who were only concerned with themselves and the resurrection of the greatest Dark Lord ever known in the wizarding world – Voldemort. They did not even care for their son half as much as they did for You-Know-Who.
Their son, Draco Lucius Malfoy, had just turned 11, the age where witches and wizards attend witchcraft and wizarding school. On the day they sent Draco to the nearest school, Hogwarts, his father had taken him aside earlier that day to talk to him. There were exactly two things Draco's father told him not to do. Exactly two. One, was to not get himself into the house of Gryffindor. The second, was to not befriend mudbloods.
Draco reflected on these commands as he tried to find a compartment to sit in on the Hogwarts Express. He didn't understand what was so bad about Gryffindor, one of the four houses at Hogwarts, nor what was so bad about befriending witches or wizards who didn't have magical parents. He tried to clear his mind as he entered a compartment on the train at random and spotted someone he had least expected. He had jet black hair that stuck up in the back, thick glasses that were taped in the middle, and bright green eyes. He had lifted his bangs to another student in the compartment, a ginger head. Draco paid no mind to the ginger head, automatically classifying him as a part of the Weasley family. What attracted his attention was the lightning scar on the student with glasses.
"Potter. Harry Potter," he said aghast. What would his father give to know about this.
Harry turned, his face flushing at a stranger gaping at him. He wasn't used to being known and it made him flustered. The boy who was gaping at him had beach blonde hair and grey eyes that looked almost silver. The boy shut his mouth abruptly, realizing that he was staring. He reached out his hand to shake Harry's and opened his mouth to introduce himself but before he could even say a word, the red head sneered, "Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater."
Draco snapped his eyes away from Harry and turned to the red head. He had a smudge on his nose and his blue eyes pierced his with a look of disgust. Draco's temper began to rise and he snapped, "Weasley, my father is not me. The next time you want to bring that up, I can bring up your family's poor state of affairs if you like."
He began to leave the compartment but just as he reached out his hand to the door, it opened to reveal a bushy brown haired girl poking her head through the door.
"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked. "I'm afraid a student, Neville, lost one."
Draco didn't respond for a moment as he looked into her brown eyes. He eventually shook his head to clear it and replied, "I'm sorry, I haven't."
Harry looked over at her and quietly said, "We haven't either."
"Why, you're Harry Potter," the girl said and flashed a bucktoothed smile. She stepped fully into the compartment and extended her hand out to Harry. He took it without the Weasley interrupting.
Draco sighed inwardly at the sight and was about to leave when the girl turned to him, stuck out her hand, and said, "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said as he took her hand in his.
Hermione looked surprised at his name but did not retract her hand from their shake. Everyone had forgotten the Weasley boy, who sat grumbling about not being seen. He eventually cleared his throat and said, "And I'm Ron Weasley."
"Pleasure, I'm sure," came Hermione's voice and turned to look at him. "You know, you have a smudge, right there, on your nose."
Draco could barely hold in his laughter as Ron's face turned bright red as he rubbed his nose in hope of getting rid of the smudge. Hermione then looked at all three of them and said sternly, "We're close to Hogwarts, you know. You should get your robes on."
She walked out of the compartment without another word. Draco looked at Ron and then at Harry. The corner of his lips turned up slightly as he said while heading out the door, "See you around, Harry."
Draco headed to the bathroom to change. He looked at himself in the mirror and brushed his fingers through his hair. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to face everyone eventually who hated or admired his family.
He stepped out of the bathroom and noticed that Hermione was still looking for the toad. He walked over to her and asked, "Do you need help looking for that toad?"
She stared at him, shock slightly crossing her face, but then it resumed to a frustrated look as she said, "It seems the toad isn't around here. I've looked everywhere!"
"Perhaps it will turn up once we get to Hogwarts. Maybe a professor could use a spell to find it," he suggested to her, trying to ease her frustration.
Hermione looked hard at him and bluntly said, "You do realize you're comforting a-a mudblood?"
Draco stiffened at the word and simply said after a moment's thought, "I see that I am comforting a frustrated girl, a potential friend."
She slightly smiled at him as the train stopped and walked out of the train. He followed behind and was met by a big burly man, his hands could easily engulf an adult's hand.
"All firs' years over 'ere!" came his large booming voice.
"Hagrid!" yelled Harry who had ended up on Draco's right side.
Hagrid greeted Harry and then yelled again at the first years, "Follow me, folks. Keep close!"
They went down an embankment and found themselves at a deep black lake. There were boats lining the shore that Hagrid pointed to and said, "Everyone on a boat! Mind, only four to each one."
The first years clambered to the boats. Harry and Ron ended up in one along with Hermione and Draco. Ron glared at Draco and turned his head to the left, not bothering to acknowledge anyone's presence. Hagrid made sure that everyone was aboard their boats and yelled even louder than before, "Forward!"
With a lurch the boats moved by themselves. As they turned a sharp right, gasps escaped the first years' mouths as they beheld Hogwarts for the first time. It was a castle with many towers and turrets built into it and its windows glistened with candlelight. The boats took them to a harbor on the other side of the lake. The first years clambered out, anxious to know what would come next.
"'Ey!" Hagrid said. "Did anyone lose a toad?"
"Trevor!" Exclaimed a boy. The boy, who Draco deduced was Neville, took the toad and clutched him to his chest, fearful that he would be lost again.
They all followed Hagrid as he walked up a flight of stone steps to a large oak door. He paused for a moment, looked to make sure Neville still had his toad, and wrapped loudly on the door.