DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter, any of its characters or original plot.

It wasn't that I was remotely bothered about moving around Hogwarts from class to class and day to day with only one person it was more or less that I was angry that my two best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley had abandoned me, after finding out that they were only in it for the fame and fortune that I could bring them, although this is quite hard to understand, given Hermione and Ron were displayed as the most perfect friends of all. Though my choice of partner nowerdays isn't exactly popular with them, and to be quite honest I really don't care either. This is how it happened and I wouldn't have it any other way, now.

Sitting in Grimmauld place at the table in the kitchen, I watched as Molly Weasley rushed around the room preparing breakfast for all of the people here, who were Remus, Tonks, Ginny, Fred and George I had half expected Ron and Hermione to be down, but they had been acting strange all of the holidays and it was getting worse and worse every day.

Because of my mood swings, they tend to think I don't care, so to them their absense goes unnoticed by me but it isn't, to start with I thought it was because they were obviously in love and they didn't want to upset me, but it obviously wasn't that as Hermione started dating Neville, weirdly enough and Ron continued on with Lavender. Though to me whenever Neville is spending time with Hermione he seems like he is in pain, and throws longing glances towards the Ravenclaw table, a blonde haired girl, Luna Lovegood.

"Do you know where Hermione and Ron are?" I asked Ginny who was sitting to the left of me. She shook her head and laughed "I have no clue, probably upstairs, they are acting rather weird lately aren't they?" she asked, shaking her head and picking at the fry up Molly had prepared for her with her fork. "They are.." I replied, frowning and staring at the table, in thought. Getting up from my seat, I walked out of the kitchen, the only person that showed that they had noticed me leave was Ginny, mostly because I had just talked to her and I was sitting next to her.

I entered the Living Room area, which was untidy the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes collection spread out on the large dusty rug in the middle of the room, which was in front of the two armchairs either side of each other and beside the fire. I smiled slightly at the thought of the two twins becoming successfull due to their love for pranks. Walking up the creaky stairs, every step I took they squeeked, My footsteps as I reached the top of the stairs seemed awfully quiet as I approached the room that Ron occoupied I stood beside the door and frowned as I heard Hermione and Ron talking inside.

"And he's so annoying, if I have to listen to another 'My scar, it's burning!'" she said this with mock trying her best to make my own voice "I'll die, though we best not say too much I don't think I put a silencing charm up and he could hear us." she finished, I could almost see in my head Ron nodding, though I wished that mental image had never came. "I agree, lets go down to breakfast, I'm hungry." Ron replied, I heard the creek of someone getting off the bed, my face turned pale and I ran down the corridor and in to my bedroom as fast as I could, and as quiet as possible, I didn't want them to figure out I had heard what they were talking about.

As I reached my bedroom I ran in and closed the door quietly behind myself, walking over to my bed I sat down and looked at the floor, trying to figure out what I had just heard, and wonder if I wanted to believe thats what they had actually said.I chose in the end after what felt an eternity thinking about it that I would shrug it off they were probably just getting angry again it never cleared the curiousity in the back of my head that maybe they had meant it.

So throughout the holidays I carried on with what I was doing, I occasionally said hello to Hermione and Ron, though it was getting hard to do so when they seemed to go out all the time, and when I did they wouldn't reply or have forced smiles, in the end, I decided that I would try and listen out and see if I could hear anything else so every morning I creeped up to their doors, I even learnt a spell to take down silencing charms, I got snipits of "He's useless" and "I wish we would just grow up already" even "Maybe if we get him to make a will we can kill him off" it got worse and worse every day in the end I decided I didn't want to hear any more.

It was late morning and I was sat on the armchair in the Living Room area of Grimmauld staring in to the flames of the fire which never went out, as it was charmed to do so, I thought about all of the things that I had heard Hermione and Ron say, and I tried to piece them together, wonder what I ever did to them to make them hate me so much.

"Are you alright Harry?" I heard, from the side of me, looking up in to the eyes of Ginny, who was smiling at me. I nodded and frowned, wondering if Ginny was in on their plans too "Alright, thanks." I replied flatly, staring in to the fire once again. She seemed like she cared, but how could you be sure? She was known for being a good actor, she was popular and must have pretended to like people in the past, I felt like I could trust nobody.

"Would you like to come to Diagon Alley with me? I need to get a few supplies for the new school year" Ginny asked, she didn't go away which is probably what Ron or Hermione would have done. I looked up at her and nodded "Sure, I need some too." I replied, getting up from the seat. "Great, well I have a list of what I need, have you got your list?" she said, pulling out a piece of parchment from her pocket, it was quite small, I sighed and thought about how poor Molly and Arthur were, it then crossed my mind that maybe they were in it too.

"My lists upstairs." I said, looking around for my jacket.

Ginny nodded and bit her lip "Wanna go get it?" she asked, picking my jacket up from the coffee table to the side and passing it to me. "Thanks." I said smiling with appreciation towards her, the way she acted, it really wasn't like she hated me.

I ran up stairs quickly and searched my bedroom, grabbing my list of things I needed on a piece of parchment that was sat on my dressing table, I then exited and ran back down the stairs, reaching Ginny who had her coat and scarf on, and also was talking to Hermione. Great! I thought, rolling my eyes and reaching the fiery red headed girl. "Alright, I'm set Gin." I said, my eyes not once going towards Hermione.

"Can I come with you two?" I heard, from Ron who was behind Hermione "I need my stuff too, you alright Harry? Mate?" he walked towards me and put his hand on my shoulder. I tried my best not to cringe, or bat his hand way, or shout I know your secret stop acting! I just nodded and walked to the fireplace, grabbing my floo powder and getting inside "Meet you there." I said not a hint of emotion in my voice, which made Ginny frown. I noticed that, before I cleared my throat "Diagon Alley." I said clearly, after what happened in my before, I didn't want to end up in Knockturn Alley.

Waiting at the fireplace, I tapped my foot and frowned, but nobody was coming through. "Hmm.." I mumbled to myself turning around as I heard the obnoxious voice of Draco Malfoy, who seemed to walk in to the floo room and stand beside me. Now I thought about it, Malfoy's voice wasn't all that obnoxious, and the way he looked was different, I bit my lip and wondered why he was standing next to me, I sighed and waited for him to call me, but he didn't.

"Potter." he said unemotionally, not looking towards my direction. Though something was different about him, I wasn't sure what, I nodded to him "Malfoy." I replied, trying to be polite, if this was going to help and make him leave me alone this year, I would surely try it.

Another fifteen minutes had past and I was still waiting at the floo point for Ginny, Hermione and Ron. "Who are you waiting on?" came a voice from beside me, I was so in a world of my own it seemed I had forgotten that Malfoy had been standing next to me. "My frien.." I shook my head "Ginny, Hermione and Ron." He must have noticed me cut off my words from friends, because something flittered across his face, he raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Well, it doesn't look like they are coming." I grumbled, after waiting another five minutes. "I guess I'll have to buy my supplies alone." I then said, looking towards the blonde haired Slytherin, who looked much different than he did last year. He seemed to notice me staring because he turned his eyes towards me, raising his eyebrow, again. This must have been a habit of his, but I just never had noticed.

"There is another floo point in a different building down the road, maybe they are waiting for you there." He said, his voice was flawless, I seemed to stare at him, taking in his features, I then frowned and looked away. What are you doing? Staring at him like that? I thought, rolling my eyes, he noticed because I heard a slight sigh. He obviously thought I wanted him to go away, although I didn't, it was weird that, I was talking to him in the first place. "Do you know what building it is?" I asked, after what felt like an eternity. He simply nodded and gestured to follow.

My basic instinct and first thought in my head was, he wants to lead me to some dark wizard and get me taken to The, Voldemort. But he seemed to stride out of the floo point door and I just seemed to follow, although I should have ran away from him, or said I'd find it myself - because face it, Malfoy wasn't to be trusted, I don't know I guess I, kind of did trust him.

As we walked down the pathway in Diagon Alley, I got weird stares from other classmates and lower years who were there to buy their own supplies, I knew why, it was because I, Harry Potter was walking with Draco Malfoy. After five minutes of walking, we arrived at the second floo point, and right enough as he was, inside was Ginny, Ron and Hermione. They hadn't noticed me arrive because Hermione was rolling her eyes and Ron had a look of distain on his face, as they chatted without Ginny. Ginny; she looked worried, I bit my lip and walked inside, and Malfoy seemed to follow.

"Hey." I said, smiling towards Ginny. I waved also, slightly and cleared my throat, Hermione and Ron turned around and smiled, I could've punched Ron, his was so... Fake. It was the smile he always gave me, and now, It made me sick to my stomach to think he was a rotten backstabber. Malfoy seemed to note my discomfort as he put his hand on my shoulder, which made all three of the others frown. "Thanks." I said, turning to Draco who nodded and turned around "Any time." he simply said before exiting the second floo point.

"What was that all about?" Hermione said, a deep frown creasing her forehead.

"Nothing, he was helping me find the second floo point." I replied, not looking towards Hermione, and staring at Ginny. "So lets go?" I asked it was more or less to Ginny than the others, she smiled and nodded "Yeah, lets go."

.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Will hopefully get longer than this.

PREVIEW: As I walked through the back streets alone I felt as if I was being followed, I bit my lip and sighed, maybe it was just my imagination.

WORD COUNT: 2,226 Words

CHARACTER COUNT: 11,382