Harry was relieved when, at long last, Ron came to get him for the beginning of the school year. He was packed three days before the Weasleys were due to arrive, but he had to go back to the house for one last thing while Arthur shoved the trunk into the magically enlarged car. When he was settled in the backseat again, Ron asked,
"What'd you forget, mate?"
"Oh, nothing. Just…" Harry gestured to the silky green twined around his wrist and waited.
"GAH!" Ron shouted, tensing against the car door. "Why d'you have that?" Harry smiled.
"He's my friend." How are you doing, Snake? It blinked sleepily at him.
Fine. Who is this?
My friend Ron. Remember?
Yes. Where are you taking me?
My school. The snake blinked once in acquiescence, and tucked its head back into its coils.
"Well… I better not wake up with that thing slithering all over me." Ron shivered.
"At least it's not a spider," Harry teased, and Ron cuffed his shoulder. "I'd toss you out of the bleedin' car if it was, mate. Sorry." Ron smiled and shrugged his shoulders unrepentantly.
The entrance onto platform nine and three quarters was as uneventful as running through a brick wall ever was, and Harry soon found himself sitting quietly in the train car. Ron and Hermione were off doing prefect things, Ginny was talking to Dean in another compartment, and Neville and Luna were muttering about some plant or another being useful for repelling some creature or another. He listened to the train bump along and mix with his friend's voices for a moment, then reached gently into his breast pocket for his snake.
He cupped its warm body in his hands as it awoke and flicked its tongue out drowsily. Are we there?
No, we are on the train. The snake didn't reply, but dipped his head as if he knew the travel procedure used to get to Hogwarts.
Where are your other friends? The ones you told me about?
Doing other things. Neville and Luna are here, though.
What about Draco?
Malfoy? Why would he be here?
You spoke of him to me as if you were friendly. Harry snorted at the thought. Malfoy and him, friends? They'd been anything but for years.
No. I admit to admiring his confidence and skill in potions, but we will never be friends. There is too much bad blood between us.
But you are not opposed to the idea. The snake sounded almost smug.
What?
You said there is too much bad blood, not that you didn't want to be friends.
Go back to sleep. Harry huffed, and slipped the snake back into his pocket. He looked up in time to see the compartment door slide shut, and a dash of platinum hair flash away down the corridor. Harry shot up out of his seat and burst into the hallway without a second thought.
"Malfoy!" he yelled, and the boy in question stopped with his hand in the air in front of him, obviously ready to open a different compartment door.
"Potter." His tone was expressionless.
"What were you doing, spying on my compartment like that?" Harry realized his hands were on his hips, and hastily crossed them across his chest. That was a Molly-ism, and Harry refused to play the henpecking wife to Malfoy. Or to anyone, really.
"Well, Potty," Malfoy sneered, facing Harry full on. "I had planned to hex you nine different ways to welcome your pathetic self back to Hogwarts, but you were having a nice conversation with the only friend you managed to make. I decided to leave you two to it." It was a weak excuse, and judging by the pinkness dusting Malfoy's cheeks, he knew it.
"You were listening to me speak in Parseltongue with my snake. Why?" Malfoy seemed to struggle for a moment, clinging to his sneer like a drowning man holds a buoy, but it dropped from his face as he said, "It was unexpected. Took me off guard."
"And?"
"I," Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck in a surprisingly plebian manner. "I like the way it sounds. I decided I didn't want to be the one who caused it to stop." He seemed to come back to himself. "But don't think this will get you off the hook in the future, Potter." Harry smiled.
"I look forward to it," he said, and Malfoy flung the door open and swirled into the compartment with a final sneer.
That was interesting. Said a sibilant voice from Harry's pocket.
Interesting and informative. Harry said, and walked back to his compartment with a contemplative smile.
Sorry for the super short chapters- It's how I keep myself motivated. I don't know yet exactly where this short story's going- We'll find out together, yeah? Read and review, please!