Chapter 1

Harry awkwardly bumbled his way through the train's hallway, peering into each compartment, when he slammed into another body.

"Oh gosh, I'm really sorry," Harry apologized as he straightened his glasses. He groaned as he noticed a distinctive crack, marring his vision.

"Sorry, that was my fault. Should've looked where I was going," the other boy replied, and Harry looked up to see the same blonde boy he had run into at Madame Malkin's. The blonde stuck his hand out. "Draco Malfoy. We ran into each other at Madame Malkins?"

"Yes, I remember," Harry smiled, shaking his hand. "Harry Potter."

Draco's eyes widened, but seeing Harry's slightly disparaged expression, chose not to comment. "Oh no, I've broken your glasses!" Draco frowned.

"It's all right. They're pretty cheap, anyway," Harry grunted.

"Well, I'm sure one of the professors can fix it when we get to Hogwarts," Draco sighed. "Want to sit with me? I know a few other blokes, and we're just over there," Draco pointed to the compartment just behind Harry.

"Sure! I'd love to," Harry smiled. The boy didn't seem nearly as arrogant as he did in Madame Malkin's shop: the blonde was beginning to grow on him.

"C'mon then."

Draco opened the door, where three other boys were lying lazily about.

"Draco!" a very tanned boy smiled. "Glad you could make it."

The other boys merely grunted, and then returned to stuffing their faces with various sweets.

"Boys," Draco said authoritatively. "This is Harry Potter. That's Greg, Vince, and Blaise."

"Hello," Harry waved shyly.

"You're Harry Potter?" the boy, Blaise, asked with wonder.

"Yeah," Harry answered shyly.

"Well, welcome," Blaise grinned.

Harry fell into easy conversation with Draco and Blaise, who were both extremely curious about his life in the muggle world. Greg and Vince, however, seemed to be more content with eating their way through their pile of candies. They only paused in their furious chewing when the candy cart came around, continuing to add to their hefty goodies sack.

Harry was in the middle of asking Draco and Blaise about their families when the door slid open, and a girl with enormously bushy hair stood in front of them.

"Sorry, but has anyone seen a toad?" she asked, rather aloofly.

"A toad?" Harry asked confusedly.

"His name is Trevor," a voice piped up from behind the girl, and she moved out of the way. A small, sorry excuse of a boy stood there shyly, cowering under the five boys' stares.

"No, sorry. Unless you're looking for chocolate frogs," Draco rolled his eyes towards Vince and Greg's candy stash.

"Well, thanks," the brown haired girl sighed. As she was about to leave, she stopped, and frowning, turned towards Harry.

"Your glasses are broken," she stated.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Draco laughed, and Vince and Greg snickered.

"Well, why haven't you fixed it, then?" she asked Harry, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"I can't exactly glue my glasses back together to fix the crack," Harry frowned.

"No, silly, with magic! Here, Oculus Reparo!" she shouted, pointing her wand right between Harry's eyes. The cracked lens snapped back into place, and the crack suddenly disappeared. Looking immensely pleased with herself, the girl smiled. "That's better."

"Um, wow. Thanks," Harry stuttered a bit, still reeling from the display of magic.

Draco had been eying the girl carefully, and finally stood up, offering his hand.

"That was quite impressive. Draco Malfoy."

She took it a little arrogantly, smiling. "Hermione Granger."

"Hermione," the other boy, with the lost toad, shifted from foot to foot impatiently. "Trevor could be anywhere, by now."

Blaise, seeing Draco's gesture of friendship, smiled at Hermione's friend. "The name's Blaise Zabini, and you are?"

"Neville. Neville Longbottom," the boy almost whispered.

Vince and Greg snickered, but Draco, Harry, and Blaise shot the two a series of glares.

"Pleased to meet you, Neville. Good luck in finding your toad," Harry smiled.

"Th-thanks," Neville stuttered, and the two moved onto the next compartment.

"Draco," Vince began, speaking around a mouthful of sugar quills. "I've never heard of the last name Granger before."

"Think she's a mudblood?" Greg snickered. "Befriended a dirty one?"

Draco's lips pressed into a thin line.

Harry's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Sorry, what's a mudblood?"

"Someone who didn't originate from magical parents," Blaise explained, looking carefully at Draco.

"Seems kind of a rude word," Harry added.

"It's meant to be an insult," Vince sneered.

"That's not very nice," Harry noted.

"Duhh," Greg returned. Harry turned to Draco, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Tell me one thing, Greg, Vince" Draco began slowly. "If she is a mudblood, which is likely, how come she can already do spells that we've never heard of?"

Blaise nodded his assent, smiling at Draco approvingly. "She seems pretty powerful. It'd be stupid to have her as an enemy."

Vince and Greg, vacant as ever, frowned and returned to their candy.

"I wouldn't use the word 'mudblood' again," Draco also mentioned in a low voice, so only Harry and Blaise heard. Harry smiled slightly. Draco didn't seem like a bad guy at all.

"Are you sure about this?" Draco whispered to Harry.

"Positive," Harry grinned, and then leapt out from behind the brick wall.

Draco followed after him, blocking spells as Harry dashed towards the next home. Draco fired a few stunners on his way, but focused his energy on defense. After all, Harry wasn't doing any of the work. Quickly, he ducked behind the corner, taking down another Death Eater before settling in the next hiding place.

Harry had opened the door into the home, grinning cheekily. "After you, mi'Lord."

Draco rolled his eyes before quickly grabbing Harry and rushing into the hallway. The door slammed behind them.

"We're in the middle of a war zone, and you're frolicking about? Maybe next time I won't cover your sorry arse," Draco spat, moving deeper into the house.

Harry sighed. "You're just upset because they're here, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm upset!" Draco cursed. "Did you not see them? They were doing nonverbal magic. How the hell are we ever going to match their... their prowess? We're bloody dead if they see us."

"Come on," Harry sighed. "Let's just go evacuate this squib and her family."

"Don't understand what the bloody point is," Draco grumbled. "Remind me, why are we sacrificing our lives for a bloody muggle family?"

"They're not muggles," Harry stated exasperatedly. "They know about the magical world."

"Can they perform magic? No." Draco shot back as they climbed the stairs. "So what good are they? They're not going to help defend us, or join the Order."

"For your information, they're perfectly valuable informants. It's always good to have a pair of unseen eyes," Oliver Wood answered, stepping out of a bedroom. "Shut up, you lot. We could hear your bickering a mile away. Let's just get them evacuated, and then we can all go home for a nice cuppa tea. Paige, Harry, and I will take the boys and Damien. Draco and Alexandra, you take Athalia and Seraphine. We'll meet you at the house across from Snape's on Spinner's End. If any Death Eaters see you go anywhere near Snape's, obliviate them. If there are too many that see you there, kill them. That's an order. Remember, Voldemort tortures his own followers, and your obliviate spells will break. Keep Snape's cover at all costs. Move out," Oliver commanded, already leading the boys down the stairs. Athalia and Damien kissed each other quickly, before Paige and Harry ushered Damien in front of them.

Alexandra moved next to Draco, introducing Athalia and Seraphine.

"They're here," she whispered to Draco, and Draco nodded solemnly.

"I saw," he muttered, before directing Athalia and Seraphine down the staircase and out another exit.

Alexandra bent down to Seraphine's level, comforting the small girl. "Seraphine, I need you to be very, very quiet. And fast. Like a bunny. Do you think you can do that?" she asked the girl. Seraphine pulled on her mother's skirt, and then nodded quickly.

"Do whatever we tell you to, okay? It's very important that you follow our directions," Draco added.

"Like Simon says?" the girl asked softly.

"Exactly," Athalia smiled down at her daughter.

"All right, let's head on out," Draco said sternly, and opened the side door.

The four ducked quickly around corners, taking the back alleys to Spinner's End, only a few streets down from the house. Just as they rounded the last corner, however, Draco and Alexandra spotted two Death Eaters in the middle of the street, watching the premises.

"Shit," Draco muttered.

"Okay," Alexandra began. "Athalia and Seraphina, only run to that house, over there, when we've distracted both the Death Eaters and they have their backs to you. Be very quiet. Actually, here," Alexandra cast a Disillusionment charm on both Athalia and Seraphine.

"Hopefully, this will keep you safe. Be careful," Alexandra warned, before following Draco and attacking.

"Stupefy!" Alexandra shouted, and Draco shot the same spell towards the other spell. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters wordlessly blocked the spells.

"Sad, isn't it? How you're basically confined to a few spells, simply because of your... moral compass?" one of the Death Eaters drawled lazily. Alexandra and Draco froze, knowing that voice.

"Well," Blaise said, pulling off his mask, quickly followed by Hermione. "Long time, no see, love."