The train was slowing down, as it was winding through tunnel-like scenery adorned with mountains on every side. Harry was standing very still, face to face with a superbly dressed blonde boy, who despite being awfully small, somehow seemed to take up half the doorway all by himself.
"You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort Potter, I can help you there"- and he extended his hand to shake Harry's. Very slowly, hesitantly Harry took it.
Draco's face instantly split into a huge grin. He quickly grabbed a chocolate off the floor and motioned Crabbe, Goyle and Harry to follow him out of the compartment.
They then proceeded to parade through the train, making stops at every single cluster of students whom Malfoy knew. That turned out to be a pretty hefty number, for despite being only a first year, Harry's new patron seemed to know just about everything and everyone. Every single Hogwarts student that Harry met that day was already dying from excitement and anticipation of meeting him and shaking his hand or of a possibility of spending a few seconds in his presence. Draco was enjoying himself quite a bit in the midst of it all; having a much better time than even Harry. Draco's face glowed with something between pride and jealousy. It was obvious that he marveled in this excellent "find" of his, named Potter. People were in awe of the Boy Who Lived, and they took and admired Draco by association.
Harry was more than pleased with such an outcome. After all he didn't ask for a lot; he would have been happy with the wizarding community even if they ignored him altogether, as long as they did not outright despise him for who he was. And as it turned out, not only did they not hate him - they all but worshipped him.
When the train finally came to a halt and Harry hustled back to the compartment to get his trunk and apologize to Ron for leaving so abruptly, he found it deserted, only the sweets and the luggage lying on the floor.
Harry could not remember the events of that night too well, for he was overcome with anxiety and excitement; thus the only fact even worth noting was him being sorted into the Slytherin House.
That part was forever etched into his memory, embedded so deep and so vividly as if it happened mere minutes ago. An overcrowded dining hall. An old talking hat. A never-ending chattering noise. Time dragging on and on. And then a distant shout "Harry Potter", and the entire school fell silent.
The older students who have not heard the news on the train, stopped talking and as one turned to face the front. Time slowed even more and then dragged on, as if it stopped altogether, as Harry stood up and carefully made his way up to the hat. For a good ten seconds he just stared at the old brim and the pointy worn top of this magical object. Then he sighed and put it on, not really dreading or hoping for anything.
It seemed like minutes, and then hours, as he sat there - waiting…waiting… when finally the old brim opened and the hat shouted "Slytherin". The hall exploded with shouts, whistles and catcalls, but eventually every other sound was drowned out by the applause.
Slytherin The word still echoed in his mind.
Harry remembered Draco looking quite beside himself. His face was overflowing with delight and happiness. He was on his feet, standing on top of the table, cheering louder that anyone. His friends, Crabbe and Goyle, sat on either side of him, looking grim, quite unhappy that their role model was being taken away from them. As soon as he was less than five feet from the table Draco pushed Crabbe unceremoniously out of the way so that Harry could take his spot… Even Crabbe and Goyle, being as thick as they were, knew that their lives were about to take a turn to never again be the same.
The next morning on the way to breakfast Harry tried to remember which turns they took and what stairs they used to get up to the main level, but it was pointless, the castle was simply too big. Consumed in thought, he wasn't paying attention to where his feet were taking him, and less than ten seconds later such carelessness led him to nearly killing a girl with very straight blond hair.
She was bent over a pile of books on the floor and wasn't paying attention also. Harry had an odd feeling that he knew her, but as he turned back to glance at the girls' face - she was gone. She was there and then she wasn't… Such a disappearance was beyond startling, and even in the middle of all this magic, he had a feeling that That was odd. He stopped and stared at the spot where her books were, and felt a chill run down his spine. There was nothing there but emptiness.
Quickly shaking it off, he suddenly remembered that he was on his way to the Great Hall. He turned around and saw Malfoy standing by the entrance, waiting for him. Without a second thought he scurried over to his friend and together they entered the dining room. By the time they reached the long narrow Slytherin table, the girl was gone from his mind. He immediately engaged in the most delightful conversation with the nearby Slytherins, and soon his friend Draco was the only thing around that he cared about.
Not even two weeks after that Harry Potter felt quite at home at Hogwarts; and he felt that he had his noble house of Slytherin to thank for that.
In fact, he felt at home everywhere else in the wizarding world as well; and he didn't only feel - he knew - that he had only Draco Malfoy to thank.
Their friendship became the most important thing for both of the boys in no time at all, and it grew, strengthened and developed along with them, year after year.
No one could have known back then, that it will be five long years before Harry Potter would ever question the relationship with his best friend, Draco Malfoy. The relationship, which took almost no time to build and appeared indestructible.