Chapter 2- Train rides

The next day came and went. Then came the time to go to Hogwarts. Draco sat with Briar in a compartment. Crab and Goyle had been expelled that summer.

"Ah, Draco, here you are." A tall boy, with short black spiky hair said while he walked into the compartment. Followed by a boy that was a head taller than the other one, with very short hair.

"Blaise, Rob, I'd like you to meet the newest Slytherin, Briar." Draco said nodding towards Briar. Briar smiled.

"Briar? What type of name is that?" The smaller one said.

"Shut up, Rob." The other one pulled the girl close to himself, his arms around her waist. "I'm Blaise, in my fifth year, do you want to be close friends?" Blaise said. His hand rubbed the girl's side until her shirt was pulled up and he was rubbing her side.

"God, Blaise, give it a rest." Draco groaned. Briar brook away from the spiky haired boy and took a seat next to Draco. Blaise sat down next to the girl and just smiled at her.

"Your friend is starting to scare me." Briar whispered to Draco.

"Sorry." Draco whispered.

"So, Malfoy, how was your summer?" Rob asked.

"Great. Finished my homework right away, played some Quidditch." Draco said. "What did you two do?"

"We had to visit our grandparents in France." Blaise groaned.

"It was the pits." Rob said.

"Are you two brothers?" Briar asked dumbly.

"Cousins." Blaise said. He leaned over and whispered something into the girl's ear, brushing his lips over her ear. Briar forced a smile and looked over at the Draco.

"Shit, I have to go sit with the prefects for about an hour." Draco said. "Sorry. Later." Draco ran out of the compartment.

"I'm gonna go find my friends." Rob said and then left.

"So, what's a sexy girl like you hanging out with Malfoy for?" Blaise asked.

"I'm new and he was the first person I met." Briar said.

"So, do you like him?" Blaise asked slinging an arm around the girl.

"As a friend yes, but nothing more." Briar said.

"And may I ask why a girl like you doesn't have a boyfriend?" Blaise said. "The last one didn't treat you right?" Briar blushed.

"You could say that." Briar said.

"How about you give me a try, I'll promise to treat you right." Blaise whispered. Briar looked at the boy, his deep brown eyes somewhat creepy. He placed his finger under the girl's chin, leaned over, and brushed his lips against the girl's. Briar pushed the boy away and started to walk out of the compartment.

Briar stopped, remembering that she had no where else to go. She sighed and sat down in the furthest corner away from Blaise, pulling out a book and starting to read. "A muggle book, you must be crazy." Blaise laughed. Briar rolled her eyes and ignored the boy.

For the next hour Briar tried to read but Blaise kept trying to hit on her. Briar just rolled her eyes and glared daggers at him.

"Hey, I'm back." Draco said walking back into the compartment.

"Thank the lord." Briar mumbled. She kept on reading while the two boys played a game. About a half an hour later Draco got curious about what the girl was reading.

"Briar?" Draco whispered. The girl put down her book and looked at the boy. "What are you reading?"

"Interview with a Vampire." She mumbled. Draco moved closer to the girl, reading, a page or two, over her shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" A pug-faced girl had walked into the compartment. She had short brown hair and was glaring at Briar.

"Pansy, this is Briar. She's a new Slytherin, fifth-year." Draco smiled, remaining close to the blonde.

Pansy sat down across from the other girl, continuing to glare at the girl that seemed so close to Draco.

"I'm going to find another compartment." Briar whispered to Draco, finally getting annoyed with the two people sitting across from her.

"Are you ok?" Draco asked softly.

"Not really, but we can talk later." Briar said and then left. She walked down the corridor until she felt far enough away from Blaise's harrasment and Pansy's stares. She knocked on the nearest door and slid it open. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Are you new?" A red haired boy asked.

"Sort of." Briar whispered. "I'm a transfer student."

"Come on in. What year are you in?" A black haired boy said.

"I'm a fifth year. The name is Briar." She smiled.

"I'm Hermione, the red head is Ron, and the other one is Harry. We're all fifth year Gryffindors. Have you been sorted yet?" The only girl smiled.

"Slytherin." Briar said. "My old school chose it for me."

"I bet if you want, Dumbledore will let you be sorted. You don't seem like a Slytherin." Hermione said.

"Ron, Hermione, it's your turn to patrol the corridor." Katie Bell, the head girl, said sticking her head into the compartment.

"We'll be back later." Ron said. Him and Hermione stood up and walked into the corridor.

"So, did your parents have to move for a job?" Harry asked.

"I never knew my parents, they didn't want me or they died, I don't know what to believe." Briar said.

"The same happened to me, I live with my muggle Aunt, Uncle, and cousin now." Harry said.

"I was adopted by muggles. They kicked me out when they found out I was a witch. They were big Christians and they thought I'd be practicing black magic." Briar said.

"So then, how did you end up here?" Harry asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Briar said.

"I understand." Harry said. "I don't like talking about my past either." Briar looked at the boy, feeling her heart skip as she met his emerald gaze.

A few hours past and soon everyone was sitting in the great hall. The last of the first years were done sorting, and a teacher went to grab the sorting hat.

"Minerva, wait just a minute before putting the sorting hat away." Dumbledore said, everyone was baffled. "We have a new transfer student in the fifth year, and her other school chose a house for her, but the sorting hat said it's a mistake to not sort her here. So, Miss Briar Autumn, please come up here."

Briar slowly stood up, from her seat beside Draco, -which Pansy quickly took- and walked up to the front of the great hall. She sat on the stool and shut her eyes as the worn out hat was placed on her head.

"Ay, there are things here not seen by others or even yourself." The hat whispered into the girl's ear. "You've lied, you do remember your first parents, abusive, and both muggles. Then you were adopted at age eight, just to be beaten, and raped by them at age eleven. Then to run off to a man, where it happened again. Your heart is filled with pain and hatred. You would make a great Slytherin, but your destiny is set." He whispered into the girl's ears. Briar had tears welling in her eyes. "GRYFFINDOR!" She heard the sorting hat yell.

All the Gryffindors stood up and yelled. Draco just sat there stunned. Briar stood up and set the hat on the stand before walking over to the three she met on the train. She glanced at Draco and felt her stomach lurched.

"I've got to go." Briar whispered.

"The password to the common room is 'Godric', it's behind the portrait of the fat lady in the pink dress." Hermione whispered. Briar nodded and walked off.

Draco soon stood up and left, hoping to catch the girl. He looked around and saw the front door closing, he took a deep breath and followed the girl.

"Briar." He whispered seeing the girl leaning against a tree.

"I'm a mudblood, I knew my real parents, they beat me until I was eight. Then I was adopted, and when I was eleven they started to beat and then rape me. I ran away to the guy I told you about and it happened all over again. I was only put in Slytherin because I was angry." Briar cried. "I hated my other school, the teachers hated me and they labeled me a bad egg, put me Slytherin because that's where the bad eggs go."

"Come here." Draco said pulling the girl into a hug. Briar just cried. "It'll be ok." Draco said.

"B-Briar." Harry whispered walking up to the two. Briar turned and looked at the raven haired boy. Draco uncoiled his arms from around the girl and took a step back.

"I'll let you Gryffindors talk." Draco said, walking off.

"Draco, Dumbledore wants to talk to the Gryffindor and Slytherin Prefects." Harry said.

"You called me Draco?" Draco said, cocking his eyebrow, looking at the boy. Harry just shrugged. Draco turned away and walked towards the school.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked touching the girl's cheek.

"The sorting hat just told me something I didn't want to hear. Something about my past." Briar said.

"Did you think about what I asked you on the train?" Harry whispered.

"Harry, you don't want me." Briar said looking at the lake. "I'm a mudblood and I've been raped and abused most of my life."

Harry stood in front of the girl and placed a finger under her chin. "Being alone and upset are a bad combination, and I don't care about your past or about you having muggle parents." Harry said.

Briar looked into Harry's green eyes and gulped. "Harry, the last time I had a boyfriend it didn't end to well."

"Please, take a chance on me. We spent hours on the train talking, and I know we both felt the chemistry." Harry pleaded. Briar gulped, closed her eyes, and nodded. She soon felt Harry's soft lips touch hers, they were like feathers. She opened her eyes and saw Harry staring at her.

"But why?" She whispered.

"Well, for the first time I felt like someone knew how I actually felt, and I just wanted to be with you. And when I really like someone I don't beat around the bush." Harry grinned.

He wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and held her closely.

"Don't you two look cozy." Hermione said walking up to them, Draco behind her.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore said that the Gryffindors and the Slytherins need to get along more, so he swapped the boy prefects in both houses. So, Ron's still a Gryffindor but he lives in the Slytherin dorms. And Draco takes Ron's place in the Gryffindor dorm but he's still a Slytherin." Hermione explained.

"So, I have to share a dorm with him?" Harry said pointing to Draco.

"No, I have a single dorm." Draco said. Harry nodded. "All prefects have their own dorms now."

"It's getting cold out here, can we go up to the common room?" Briar asked. Harry nodded. He took hold of the girl's hand and they all started to walk towards the school.

"Harry, I need to talk to you." Draco said at the bottom of the stairs leading to the entrance to the school.

"Ok." Harry said.

"Come on, Briar, lets leave them be." Hermione said, Briar nodded and they both walked into the school.

"What's going on?" Harry said sitting down on the steps.

"What's going on between you and Briar?" Draco asked sitting down next to the boy.

"You like her. That's why you care for her so much." Harry said.

"I met her three days ago, and I don't know, she became like a sister to me." Draco said. "She seemed lost in Diagon Alley and I couldn't help but help her out. She fainted and I sat with her for hours until she woke up."

"We met on the train ride here and I instantly liked her a lot." Harry said. "I asked her to be my girlfriend and she just said yes."

"Take care of her." Draco said.

"I think since we both really care for Briar, we should at least call a truce." Harry said.

"A Slytherin and Gryffindor friends?" Draco said stifling a laugh.

"Well, this year is going to be full of surprises, so why not?" Harry shrugged. "Besides, you're living in the Gryffindor dorms, and you're like a brother to my girlfriend, I think sooner or later it will happen."

"So, we're going to forget what happened in the past just like that?" Draco said.

"Yeah, why not?"

A/N- Ok, I know her Briar and Harry got together quickly but the plot doesn't have anything to do with Harry and Briar's relationship. But I do need reviews, I know people are reading, now review!!! Please!