Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, I'd be a millionaire.

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PROLOGUE: I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED

The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present.
- Anais Nin

September 1st. That day always comes back to haunt me.

As a young wizard it was the day I would leave the Dursleys and go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Now, as I help to rebuild the school from the Battle of Hogwarts, I think of that first day in the wizarding world. Getting my supplies. A wand from Ollivander's, books from Flourish and Blott's, Hedwig from Eelope's Owl Emporium, and robes from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

I notice, from the corner of my eye, a certain blonde head going up to Dumbledore's office. I don't really bother, he didn't kill Dumbledore, he could have turned us in when we were taken to his Manor.

I've made my peace with Malfoy, but we will never be friends; there's seven years of bitterness and schoolboy resentment, then there's the difference in our beliefs. Wizards and witches classify themselves by which side they're on.

With me killing his master, that is certainly not an act of friendship.

Like the one he offered me that first day at Hogwarts...

"You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort, I can help you there."

Malfoy stuck out his hand, asking for Harry's friendship, but he denied.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."

He didn't like that.

That first train ride. The first September 1st that meant something. I remember that first ride; meeting Ron and being introduced to the simpler, more obvious things of the wizard's world, the things that Hagrid forgot. Ron and I were fast friends, and I proved that I wanted to stay friends. Malfoy came in, insulted Ron's family and lack of money, asked for my friendship, I said no. He wouldn't go away, they tried to take some food, and "Scabbers" bit Goyle.

Nice ride.

From the first day at Madam Malkin's I did not like him very much. His arrogance and bulling demeanour hardly appealed to me, and insulting my new friend wasn't a very smart move either.

Later growing up to be a Death Eater didn't exactly make his previous offer any more tempting.

I only admired one thing about him; Malfoy could never kill.

That may be cowardice, but I saw it as a sign that he could change, that he wasn't pure evil. Just a bastard.

I feel immensely sorry for him; Malfoy had talked the talk his whole life, but in our sixth year, he was asked to walk the walk for the first time and it was absolutely terrifying.

He was told to kill his Headmaster, he couldn't.

He was told to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts, under the threat of death of his family and himself, he complied.

He was told to torture and to be a loyal Death Eater, under threat of death of him and his family, he complied.

I've always wondered what would have happened if Ron didn't come into my compartment on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago.

What if Malfoy was there instead?

Would I tell him to go away?

Or would I be his friend?

Would he change, would he grow up to be a better person?

Or would I become a worse person, and follow him?

Would I be in Gryffindor or Slytherin, or somewhere else altogether?

And what of Ron and Hermione?

Would they still be my friends, or would I follow Malfoy's lead and make fun of them?

And how would I take on Tom?

How would I attempt to defeat him? I had done it by remembering all those that I loved that he killed, and all those that would continue to die.

But what if I went after him because I wanted him out of the way, for a new Dark Lord, Malfoy getting to me?

Would I be the next Dark Lord, another Tom Riddle?

Would I go on to make Horcruxes and kill the Dursleys, make my own Death Eaters, and take on Voldemort on a more even footing?

I'd like to think that I wouldn't, but I will never know what would have happened.

If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a damn thing, nothing.

I learned from Dumbledore's Pensieve, your childhood is very important. It shows who you are, and who you will grow to be.

I know I can't change the past.

I don't want to change the past, but it's something I've always wondered...

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Okay, I've been asked about what the hell this is. It's basically Harry, in the present, thinking about one of the many turning points in his life: if he'd taken Draco's friendship. The rest of the story is kind of his thoughts, about what could have happened. These are youtube links for songs I think fit the individual chapters. It's just how I write. Sometime after I finish Year 1, I'll also be rewriting the entire thing; I think it's crap. Sorry but the later chapters are MUCH better.

.com/watch?v=_MvpoixH0RU

CHAPTER ONE: PLATFORM 9¾

I have often dreamed
Of a far-off place
Where a hero's welcome
Will be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer
When they see my face
And a voice keeps saying
This is where I'm meant to be
- Lucas Grabeel "Go the Distance"

"Think you're being funny, do you?" the ticket man asked rather annoyed, and walked off muttering, "Platform 9 and ¾, what nonsense."

"-packed with Muggles, of course," a red haired mother said to her group of four boys and a girl clinging to her arm and who only Harry could guess as her husband on her other arm.

"Muggles?" Trying to be sneaky about it, Harry followed them. Getting closer he saw that they not only had a trunk on their trolleys but owls.

"What's the platform number, now?" the mother asked in a way that made it clear that she wanted to know if they did.

"Platform 9¾," the little girl piped up. "Please, Mum. Can't I go?"

"No, Ginny. Next year you can, this year it's Ron's turn."

They came to a stop before platforms 9 and 10, just as Harry did. "Alright, Arthur, you go on first."

A balding, red haired man detached himself from his wife and simply walked into the wall, disappearing.

"Percy, you next," she continued.

"Excuse me!" Harry called to the red haired mother, before Percy started.

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you... how do you..." Harry struggled trying to explain that her husband had disappeared through a brick wall and still sound sane.

"How do you get onto the Platform?" she prompted kindly.

"Yes!" exclaimed a relieved Harry.

"It's Ron's first time too," she pointed to the youngest boy of her group who was tall and gangling, having a long nose, big hands and feet and a smile aimed at Harry, "Just watch the twins. FRED!" she called.

"He's not Fred I am!" declared one of two that were clearly identical twins.

"Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother?" said the other twin, shaking his head in mock shame.

"Fred, George, may you go through the barrier to show this young man how it's done?" pompously asked another red haired boy. This one had on horn-rimmed glasses and a badge on his t shirt that had a large "P" on it, and some smaller writing that proclaimed him to be a 'Perfect Pinhead.'

"Well, certainly, my dear Percy," George said with a flourishing bow, adopting a posh, upper class accent and a slight smirk.

"It would be just spiffing, old chap," Fred exclaimed, following suit.

Percy turned as red as his hair, as Harry fought back laughter, "There's nothing wrong with speakingcorrectly."

"Indeed there isn't."

"George!" scolded the mother.

A kid ran up to Fred and whispered something to him. "George, let's go," Fred tapped his twin's shoulder. "Lee Jordon's got a giant tarantula."

After another deep bow to both Percy and their mother, the twins took a hold of their trolleys and ran full speed into the brick wall. Just before they smashed into it; they disappeared onto – what Harry hoped – Platform 9¾. "See. If you're nervous, start at a bit of a run and don't hesitate. That's very important, if you think that you'll crash, you will."

Harry's mouth went dry, as if he were going to take a driver's test at a hundred kilometres an hour.

He started walking fast...

The Muggles were staring at him...

The wall was ten feet away...

Harry broke into a run...

The Muggles abruptly ignored him, as if he were invisible...

The wall was five feet...

It was too late...

He was going to crash...

Prepared for impact, Harry shut his eyes and ducked. He counted down the last seconds and waited for the crash but it never came. He stopped and opened his eyes. A bright red steam engine was on the platform beyond the wall. Harry looked up and saw a large 9¾ signalling that he had made it. Remembering to flatten his fringe over his infamous scar, he started to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the platform.

There were kids from every age; little ones holding parents' hands, ones that seemed to be twenty who were in their last year at Hogwarts and ones that were in between. Many of them were carrying, or pushing animals on trolleys; cats of every colour, shape and size; owls from Hedwig's snowy white, to onyx black, to deep brown, and some that were bewitched to have all the colours of the rainbow; and rats and toads hopping and running everywhere. With all the animals there was the normal smells that they left in their midst, and there was the smell of fresh paint coming from the scarlet train. There was the whistle of the train; a large clock overhead read 10:45, the train would leave in fifteen minutes. There were kids talking, catching up with old friends and meeting new. There was the animals hooting, meowing, hissing and croaking-

"TREVOR!" yelled a boy about Harry's own age chasing a large green toad around the station, "COME BACK HERE!"

In addition, an older woman was chasing the boy, "NEVILLE!"

The procession of toad, boy and older woman made its way around the poles and groups of people for nearly ten minutes, catching odd looks and snickers from everyone. Harry looked on the sight slightly amused but looked down to see if there were more animals running about. He would hate to run over something before school started.

Taking care where to step Harry made his way over to the door where he handed over Hedwig to an older man to put in the Creatures' Carriage. Harry started looking for an empty compartment, he found one up near the front, but before settling down he dumped his trunk and started to walk the length of the train a few times; eager to see other witches and wizards.

Glancing in each of the compartments, he saw kids talking, reading, or just being bored. Nothing too exciting until he got to the back of the train; it seemed that the youngest were up front and the older in the back. A lot of the older kids were practicing magic; vanishing or conjuring something. One pair seemed to be having an argument and one of them whipped out their wand; there was a flash of blue light and his friend's hair was purple. Quite angry the other took out her wand, there was another flash of light, and he was on the floor, covered in boils. Moving on to the other compartments, there were kids who were practising jinxes and hexes on each other, duelling.

Then there was one girl who appeared to be Harry's age. He couldn't see her face because it was obscured by a large book, titled Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), and was waving her wand, saying some incantation. All that Harry could see was that she had quite a lot of bushy brown hair. Walking away he came across a compartment that said "Prefects' Carriage", deciding to move on he turned around and headed back to his own.

After returning to his compartment, which had remained empty – Harry learned on his walk that his was the last empty compartment – grabbed one end of his trunk and lifted it, heavy as it was, but Harry was used to worse at the Dursleys'. He struggled put his suitcase above. Heaving and pushing, trying to put it in a safe corner was harder than he thought. After a final shove, it fell off the rack and landed on the floor after bouncing off his head.

Harry swore loudly, rubbing the side of his head.

"Want a hand?" it was one of the red haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.

"Yes, please," Harry panted

"Oi! Fred, C'mere and help!"

With the twins' help Harry's trunk as tucked away in an above compartment.

"Thanks," said Harry pushing his damp hair out of his eyes.

"What's that?" asked one of the twins suddenly, looking at Harry's lightning scar.

"Blimey, are you-"

"He is." said the first twin "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.

"What?" asked Harry who was starting to get quite agitated.

"Harry Potter," chorused the twins.

"Oh, him. I mean, yes I am." The two boys gawped at him, and Harry felt himself turn red. Then to his relief, a voice came floating in the train door.

"Fred? George?"

"Coming Mum."

With one last look at Harry the twins hopped off the train.

Looking out his window, Harry saw the red haired family again, all but the Perfect Pinhead.

The mother had just taken out a handkerchief and was pulling Ron towards her, "Ron, you've got something on your nose."

"Mum – geroff." He struggled against his mother, and broke free.

"Aaah, has Ikle Ronniekinns got somefink on his nosie?" teased one of the twins in a mock baby voice.

"Shut up," Ron responded on reflex.

"Where's Percy?" asked the mother.

"He's coming now."

The oldest boy had changed into his swirling black Hogwarts robes, with red trimming. From where he was Harry could see that Percy hadn't noticed the change in his Prefect badge.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front with the Prefects and-"

"Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy?" asked one of the twins with a aura of fake surprise. "You should have told us, we had no idea!"

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it. Once-"

"Or twice-"

"A minute-"

"All summer-"

"Shut up," Percy advised, his ears turning red.

The mother kissed Percy on the cheek and he left to the Prefects' compartment. Then she looked sternly at the twins. "If I have one more letter, saying that you've – you've blown up a toilet or-"

"We've never blew up a toilet," said one twin indignantly.

"But thanks for the idea, Mum," the other twin put in.

"Not funny. And look after Ronald."

"Don't worry," said one of the twins seriously, before making fun of his younger brother, "Ikle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," Ron repeated, his ears turning red as well. He was as tall as his twin brothers and he tried to look intimidating, but his nose was still red where his mother had rubbed it.

"Guess who we saw on the train?"

Harry didn't want to watch as he was discussed like a celebrity. Harry sank into his seat and started to fall asleep. It was another flying motorcycle dream; Harry was starting to quite like these ones. He seemed to be held by someone or something as the flew throw the night sky, the stars swirled around and the midnight blue—

The jerk of the train pulled him out of the dream. Still quite tired and slightly annoyed he stretched his legs put his feet on part of the seat in front of him and closing his eyes, hoping he could fall back asleep. He started to think about what the school would be like; that boy in Madam Malkin's mentioned the houses and Hagrid had told him what they were about, Harry thought as he started to doze off again.

Sorted based on your personality and abilities.

"Hufflepuff is a load o' duffers," "I would leave, wouldn't you?"

"All my family's been in Slytherin." "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."

Too tired to make the connection he simply let it float by, as the dark sky and the pinpoints of stars came back into view.

Then Harry remembered that there were two others that neither the boy from Madam Malkin's – Something Malfoy, was that his name? – or Hagrid mentioned, or two others that he couldn't remember. Oh, well. Harry didn't care anymore; he'd find out when he got there.

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