Hi everyone! This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction… I hope it's up to par! I'm not entirely sure where this story is going to go, as the characters seem to go through their lives without any help from me. This story will most likely be Harry/Draco slash. That's right, slash. So if that's not your cup of tea, or coffee, or hot chocolate, or whatever sort of liquid you might like to drink, then don't read this story! So…. On to the first chapter!

This takes place during Order of the Phoenix… and several things are different from the books. Actually, many things are different from the books. That's the point, right?

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and his friends and enemies. Just joking! Get it? 'J.K.' as in 'jk' as in, just joking? No, I'm just joking about just joking about J.. (Confused yet?)

Chapter 1: Confusing Conversations

A high pitched whistle filled the air.

Harry scrambled aboard the Hogwarts Express, his best friends Ron and Hermione behind him, as it began to slowly chug out of the station. Harry grinned at Ron, who grumbled something about food, and simultaneously wondered how long they would have to wait for the food trolley to pass them by. Turning to Hermione, Harry watched as she rolled her eyes at Ron before starting to berate him about his eating habits. As the trio worked their way through the train, whispers, and not-so-subtly pointed fingers floated by them. Harry, of course, was used to this. One did not defeat the Dark Lord as a baby without severe repercussions; in Harry's case, immense, instant fame and his trademark lightning bolt scar.

Some didn't refer to these as negative consequences, but, as so regularly stated, Harry was not a normal 15 year old boy. Apart from being able to do magic, playing a sport on flying broomsticks, and being extremely famous, Harry had faced many dangers over his years at Hogwarts, something that he was constantly reminded of. These dangers included, but were not limited to:

-defeating a teacher possessed by the spirit of Voldemort, and acquiring the Sorcerer's Stone.

-killing a basilisk (a giant snake that can kill with a single glance from its giant yellow eyes).

-helping Sirius Black, an innocent who was convicted for multiple murderer, escape imprisonment.

-watching Voldemort come back from the dead, and winning the Triwizard-bloody-Tournament

Suffice to say, Harry could thought he was prepared take anything anyone decided to throw at him, literally and figuratively. That's what he thought, anyways.

By this time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were comfortably seated in a compartment, chatting about the coming year.

"I'm not sure, Harry," Hermione was saying, as she wrapped her arms around her in an effort to ward off the chill caused by the heavy rain thundering outside as they sped towards Hogwarts. "I think Dumbledore is quite capable of finding a suitable Defense professor. I mean–"

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron interrupted her, scowling. "I mean, look at who he's hired so far! We've had Professor Quirrel, who was possessed by You-Know-Who of all things. In our second year," he continued, ticking off the years on his fingers. "We had Lockhart! The bloke lied and cheated to make the front page of the Daily Prophet, for Merlin's sake! And he–" Before he could continue, Hermione

jumped up.

"He was not a total incompetent, Ronald!" she scoffed, pink tinting her cheeks. "And besides, his books were all–"

"Total lies!" And with that, they were back to bickering.

Harry sighed and looked out the window, the slight upturning at the corners of his mouth betraying his seeming indifference. He half listened to his best friends quarreling. Harry wondered idly how they would react if he told them that they were acting like an old married couple, but dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it had come. He didn't need them turning on him, after all.

Then his thoughts turned elsewhere. More specifically, to Draco Malfoy, Harry's rival at school. Harry frowned, lines bunching up across his forehead as he thought about the blond. He had been thinking a lot about him over the summer, and had been stumped as to what motivated Malfoy to confront Harry every other day. Their rivalry had, if anything, grown over the past year. But something in Harry couldn't help but hope that their rivalry could be made into a truce at the very least. He was sure that Draco, er, that is, Malfoy, wasn't half bad. Even if he did act like a ponce.

"Harry?" Harry was jolted out of his reverie by Hermione's voice and a gentle prod to his shoulder. He turned around and met a pair of worried brown eyes.

"Are you alright, Harry?" she asked, the worry in her eyes reflected in her voice.

"I'll be alright, 'Mione,"

Hermione still looked worried, and Harry sighed. "Everything's fine, really. I was just… thinking things over a bit." He gave her a half-hearted grin.

"If you're sure, Harry." She didn't sound convinced, but sat back, switching her gaze from Harry to Ron. "Honestly, Ronald," she added, seeing Ron scowling at the floor, a dark look adorning his face, "You don't have to win every time we argue."

"No, I don't!" grumbled Ron. "But I don't have to lose all the time either!"

As Hermione opened her mouth to retort, a familiar voice rose up from the hallway. Hermione froze, listening intently. "Malfoy," she mouthed.

Harry jumped up instantly, snagging his invisibility cloak from the overhead rack. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that this was going to be extremely important. "C'mon!" he motioned hurriedly for them to duck under the cloak. After they were sufficiently hidden, Harry peeked his head outside the compartment. It was getting dark, and all the doors were closed, up and down the hallway. He could make out the tall, slender silhouette of Malfoy standing with another boy as they strode down the aisle. Harry pulled the other two into the hallway and quickly shut the door behind them. They flattened themselves against the glass as the pair walked right past them, towards the back of the train. Harry motioned to the other two to follow.

As they crept behind Malfoy and the other boy, Ron muttered, "Why are we stalking Malfoy and Zabini?" earning a hard elbow to the ribs from Hermione.

Harry looked ahead just in time to see Malfoy peer through the glass to a compartment at the very end of the train, then pull the door open and walk in. Harry, Ron, and Hermione barely made it through the doorway after Zabini, and the tailing end of the Invisibility Cloak nearly got caught in the slamming door. Their relief at such a near miss was cut short by Malfoy.

"…if I had wanted to, Blaise, I would have done it already." Malfoy's distinctly arrogant voice permeated the cabin. "Don't meddle in things you don't understand."

"Honestly, Draco, listen to reason for once in your life!" Zabini looked worried. Ron and Harry shared an amused glance.

"Once in his life? Spot on, that one," Ron sniggered quietly, earning himself another elbow. Harry turned back to the conversation in front of them.

"…gryffindorish excuse for a plan! It's absolutely crazy!"

"Shut your trap, Zabini." Malfoy crossed his arms and gave the other boy a hard stare. "I don't expect to survive this year. What's to say I can't do some good, and have fun for once? At least I'll exit with a bang!"

Zabini looked thoroughly discomfited by now. "Draco if you won't listen to me… I'll… I'll…"

"Did you know the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Gryffindor, Zabini?" Malfoy said, changing the subject suddenly, hissing dangerously, unaware of three pairs of eyes widening and three mouths gaping at him. Zabini choked.

Harry felt as though he was hit by a hammer. Draco Malfoy in Gryffindor? Draco Malfoy in Gryffindor? The world had gone mad! He looked around wildly at Ron and Hermione and was rewarded with their stunned expressions.

"That's right, Zabini. Gryffindor. My father came here on some business the summer before first year, and I was left in Dumbledore's office. And I was bored. So I put on the Sorting Hat. It took a long time for it to decide on me, but before it could tell me its decision, it was yanked off of me by my furious father. He demanded to know what it told me, and when I said I would be in Gryffindor, he snapped…" Malfoy trailed off, wincing. "I got one of my worst punishments ever that night. Cruciatis and… other torture."

"Your father… beats you! And uses the Cruciatis? That's…" Zabini looked mildly sick. Harry agreed with his sentiments. He knew that Lucius Malfoy was a cruel and sadistic man, but for him to treat his own son that way was previously unthinkable to Harry.

"So… why aren't you in Gryffindor, Draco? I mean, especially if you got an early sorting, you should have been ensured to get into the Lion Den!"

Malfoy gave a humorless laugh, his features tightening. "Well, the Imperius didn't exactly give me a choice." He paused, and when no answer came, he continued. "I finally managed to throw it off over the summer. I never agreed with any of my father's ideals. I never wanted a life like this." He swept his arm vaguely through the air. "But now, I'm going to make everything as it should have been three years ago." Malfoy ran his hand through his hair in an action almost identical to what Harry did on a normal basis.

Harry was too shocked to move. It seemed that Malfoy was definitely not who he had thought he was.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Zabini shouted, looking angry. "I could have helped, I could have done… I don't know, something, anything!" He turned around, agitated.

"Were you listening at all, Blaise?" Malfoy hissed softly, his silvery eyes glaring. "I was under the Imperius! I had no idea what I was supposed to do! I had no control over my life!" By now, Malfoy was standing up with his fists clenched at his sides, venting his anger onto his friend. "You know what? Sod off, Zabini! I told you because you were getting too curious for your own good! But know…" Malfoy's eyes glittered.

"Draco?" Zabini asked.

Malfoy's wand was in his hand before the shocked Zabini could even twitch. "Sorry, Blaise."

"Obliviate!"

Harry watched in silence as the curse hit Zabini. Silence filled the room. Then…

"D-Draco? What happened?" Zabini asked, confused.

"Nothing, Blaise." Malfoy lied quietly. Harry and his friends watched in silence as he told Zabini to go back to their compartment and tell everyone there that he needed a walk. As soon as Zabini opened the door, Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped out, sprinting back to their compartment, not caring that the cloak was sliding around their feet.

When they reached the safety and light of their compartment, Harry tugged the cloak off and slumped down on the cushioned bench, not bothering to shut the door. Ron and Hermione mirrored his actions and they stared at each other in shock.

"Seriously?" Ron squeaked out.

They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like forever before a familiar drawling voice interrupted the silence.

In unison, three heads snapped to stare at the doorway.

"Back for another year at Hogwarts, Potter?"

"Malfoy."