This chapter has been entered to the If You Dare Challenge (911. New Truths)
"I expect you to do your best at Hogwarts," Lucius told his son sternly. "I don't want any owls home from Severus telling me you've gotten yourself into trouble."
"Of course, Father," Draco murmured obediently.
As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the platform, his mother drew him into her embrace. "I will miss you dearly, Draco," she whispered into his hair, arms tightening around him for a moment before she let him go.
"I will miss you too, Mother," Draco replied, not entirely truthfully. He was too excited at the prospect of finally going to Hogwarts to even think about missing his parents and home.
As soon as he got on the train, he quickly found Crabbe and Goyle. His father had informed him that the two larger boys would stay by his side at all times, protecting him from anyone with malicious intent and generally carrying out any orders he would give them.
The two boys were in a cabin with Pansy Parkinson, and Draco settled in for what he was sure would be a brilliant train ride.
And then Blaise came crashing in through the door, and everything started to go downhill, even though Draco didn't know that yet.
"They're saying that Potter – Harry Potter – is on the train!" he exclaimed as a greeting. "Can you believe it? We're starting Hogwarts the same year as Potter is!"
At the news, Draco let his lips curve into an interested smile. Getting friendly with Potter would be extremely advantageous for him; there was no doubt about it. "Where did they say he's sitting, Blaise?" he asked. "I think I'll go and ask him to join us. The poor boy will need someone to teach him about the wizarding world after Dumbledore dumped him at some Muggles' home, and who better to do that than us?"
Blaise shrugged, an elegant movement. "He's supposed to be somewhere at the back in a cabin with one of the Weasley brood."
"Well, he obviously needs to be rescued then," Draco sniffed. "Crabbe, Goyle, come with me."
It took him some time, but he finally managed to find the compartment the legendary Potter was in. And that, of course, was when things got bad.
When he entered, the first thing he saw was a mass of red hair. Wrinkling his nose at the boy who was undoubtedly a Weasley, he turned to the other person in the compartment, ready to rescue him from the red haired menace. Potter would be extremely grateful to him, and he could already picture the things he would get as the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived.
The first thing he noticed about Potter was the messy hair almost completely covering his scar.
And then he saw his face, and he couldn't hold back a wince. Suddenly, his father's orders to be cordial to everyone he didn't know made a lot more sense.
But he was Draco Malfoy, and he wasn't going to be cowed down so easily. He would get Potter on his side by any means possible.
He had no idea what he said to Potter during that talk – all he could hear was the resounding sound of failure in his ears.
How dare someone deny Draco Malfoy's hand in friendship? It was a chance that many would kill for, and the fact that Potter had chosen Weasley – Weasley of all people – over him was a huge dent in his ego.
And then the Sorting Hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" and Draco knew what he had to do. If he couldn't get Potter on his side, he'd make sure that Potter would never be able to forget him. He'd become the biggest thorn in Potter's side he could be, and when the Dark Lord rose again, like his father said he would, he would be honoured beyond all his other followers.
After all, if he couldn't get the notice of the world as the best friend of the boy-who-lived, he'd get it by being the right hand man of the Dark Lord when he took over the world.
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