Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter: JKR does. Sad to say, I'm not her

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CHPATER TWO: DRACO, THE DARE & OPINIONS

I'm sick of all this waiting
And people telling me what I should be
What if I'm not so crazy
Maybe you're the one that's wrong, not me
So what you gonna do, what you gonna say
When we're standing on top and do it our way
You say we got no future
You're living in the past
So listen up, that's my generation!
- Simple Plan

"Generation"

"Hey, Zabini!" Malfoy called out as a dark skinned boy walked in, gesturing to the seat on his right. He took the seat next to the blonde silently. Everyone was obviously waiting for something and eventually a girl named Pansy Parkinson burst out, "What'd you find out?" They had sent Blaise out to find gossip and such, as he would do at home.

"Well, quite a bit. There's the gossip of who's marring whom, kids, scandals and something a bit closer to home. Which would you like first?"

Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson asked for marriage gossip.

Theodore Nott demanded scandals.

Crabbe and Goyle said nothing; they were bodyguards nothing more.

Draco Malfoy just waved Blaise on; he never cared for gossip.

Blaise ran through the marriage and kids crap that only the girls were interested in first, then the scandals and who was in Azkaban. Finally he said, "I heard a rumour that Harry Potter was on the train," they weren't all that surprised, Potter was meant to be eleven now, "He's in our year and in compartment C-7," Blaise smirked at his bored friends before drawling the final word: "Alone."

For the first time in an hour, Draco sat up and looked interested. "If he's alone, I've got an idea." Nott looked at the young Malfoy curiously. "I dare one of you spineless gits to go into Potter's compartment and try to get him to our side."

They looked at each other like, Malfoy's lost it, he's finally lost it. Daphne looked at him and asked, "Draco, are you serious?" at the same time Blaise asked, "What do we get if we do it?"

Malfoy looked amused, "Well," he pointed at Daphne, "You, yes, and," pointing at Blaise, "you, the honour of having the Harry Potter as your friend, and introducing him to the wizarding world. You wouldn't want him to get the wrong idea, hmm?" Draco drawled on. "Without us he might actually make friends with Mudbloods, or the Weasleys even." He shuddered for effect, which worked better than he expected.

"He stopped the Dark Lord!" cried Theodore Nott.

"That he may have, but he could also be the new one. Who knows how he defeated the greatest wizard of all time, he might have greater powers than even the Dark Lord himself." Draco added smirking at his friend, Theo, don't be an idiot. Potter might be as powerful as the Dark Lord was in his own Hogwarts years.

"This a dare?" questioned Zabini, pulling Malfoy out of his thoughts.

"Why, of course," Malfoy grinned evilly.

"Then 1, 2, 3. NOT IT!" they all cried. Malfoy stopped smiling when he saw that he would have to convince Potter.

"Fine." And with that Malfoy stopped out of their compartment, off to find C-7. When he looked at his compartment door, he groaned: Z-9. Could he get any farther away?

10 Minutes Later...

"Bloody hell!" he swore when he found C-7. The Potter boy had messy black hair, round framed glasses and even though his eyes were shut, Draco knew they were green. It was the boy from Madam Malkin's. He seemed to be sleeping though. Draco took a deep breath and opened the door, it seemed that Potter was just resting, for when the glass slid open he opened his eyes and looked at him, smiling slightly. "Hullo, can I sit here? Everywhere else's full."

Potter gestured to the seat opposite him and said, "Go ahead, the train's packed, I know." Draco took the seat and crossed his legs, "You might know this, but I'm Harry Potter."

Malfoy managed not to roll his eyes with some difficultly; he was totally Gryffindor. "Yeah, I know. My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He held out his right hand and Potter, somewhat hesitantly shook it.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Listen," Potter started, "I don't want to sound like an idiot—"

"You won't," Draco interjected. "Growing up with Muggles, you know almost nothing of magic. You're bound to sound like a Mudblood for a while."

"What's a Mudblood?" Harry mumbled the words at the floor, rather than speaking to Draco. Who, even thinking that Harry did sound like an idiot, took the question in stride.

"A Mudblood is a Muggle who somehow got a hold of magic. It's impossible; this kid has two Muggle, non-magical parents and is magical himself or herself. Then, there's the other side of this: pure-bloods. A pure-blood is a witch or wizard that has only magical people in their family tree; no Muggles up there. You probably have a couple a hundred questions for me but first, I don't know if you remember, but I was the boy-"

"In Madam Malkin's," Harry finished.

"Yeah, err... so what next? Quiz me," Draco smirked at Harry.

"Hogwarts; the houses," voicing what he was thinking about for the whole train ride.

"There's basically four houses that this old hat sorts you into based on your personality and abilities. A thousand years ago the four founders – Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor – would chose those that they wanted to teach, now the Sorting Hat does. Slytherin would only take those that were as cunning, crafty, smart, and as ambitious as he was. That house's colours are green and silver, the emblem is a snake, like my ring, although that snake is in an 'S'. Hufflepuff would take those that were loyal and true and all that bullshit, the colours: yellow and black, and a badger is the emblem. Ravenclaw valued wit, intelligence and smarts, and the colours are blue and silver, the emblem is an eagle, I believe. Gryffindor is where all those that are too brave, those that will get themselves in trouble for no reason, that just to show off. Godric had no taste in colours, red and gold, ghastly if you ask me. The emblem's a lion. I'm going into Slytherin, where do you wanna go?" Draco rattled off at high-speed, wondering how many more like this there were.

"Um ..." Harry was starting to like this boy; maybe he had judged him too quickly. But he could barely keep up. "Slytherin, too maybe."

"Is that what I want to hear, or what you want?" Draco shot at him.

"Both, I think," Harry replied coolly, looking away from Draco's silver eyes and seeing where they were, Harry wondered how long he was out. The train had taken them out of London and they were speeding by fields of sheep, cows and other livestock.

Their eyes flicked to the door when a great clattering from the hall came to their compartment. A smiling, dimpled woman pushing a cart asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?" Harry, who had no breakfast, jumped to his feet, realizing that he actually had money to spend, Draco looked up and walked a little slower smiling at Potter's eagerness. Harry picked out some of everything and sat back down, paying eleven sickles and seven knuts. Draco took some Drooble's Best Blowing Gum and Liquorice Wands, paying four sickles and nine knuts, Draco took his seat across from Harry who was looking at a box of Bertie Bot's Every Flavour Beans.

"Watch it," Draco warned. "Have you had any of that stuff that you just bought?"

Harry shook his head no. "I didn't want to miss out on anything."

Fighting back a smile, Draco continued, "Well, those Beans. They mean Every Flavour there's normal ones like chocolate, mint, blueberry. But then there's ear wax, bogey, vomit. So, buyer beware. And the Chocolate Frogs, toss me one." Harry picked one from his pile up and threw it, catching it, Draco nodded his thanks and pulled the tab off. Carefully prying it open, a literal chocolate frog jumped out at Harry, who let out a little shriek of surprise. "They have normally one good jump once you open them, then they're just chocolate. The cards--" Draco tapped the lid of the frog's container, whose head was being bitten off by Harry. "--are collectables, I have thousands, here's your first." He finished tossing the card back. "Who is it?" Draco asked smiling.

"Like you didn't look," Harry rolled his eyes as he looked down at the card:

Harry Potter

July 31st 1980 – the Present

The Boy-Who-Lived

Only person ever recorded to survive the Killing Curse.

"Very funny. What others are there?" Harry asked as he looked down at a picture of himself.

"Look through the pile, you have about twenty or so..."

"Knock yourself out," Harry told him, sweeping his hand over to the Chocolate Frogs.

"Thanks." Draco leaned over, picked about half of them, and started pulling tabs out. "Okay, let's see... You've got Dumbledore, Ravenclaw, Merlin, Gregory the Smarmy ..."

"Woah! Don't pop them all open!" Harry yelled at his new friend, who was being covered in jumping chocolates.

"Fine, here. I have all of these." Draco said tossing the four over. "Dumbledore is thought to be the greatest wizard but he's just being manipulative, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get to you in some way. And, Harry, look at me." Harry was surprised at Draco's serious tone and use of his first name, he dropped Dumbledore and looked at him, "There is no Dark magic, there's no Light magic. Those are two terms that you will often hear, but neither of them exist. Magic is magic; it's all in the intent. In what you believe and how you use your magic. Many people believe that the Dark Lord," Draco's eyes drifted towards Harry's scar, "isn't dead, that he'll come back. When he does, the entire wizarding world will believe that you will either be the killer or the killed, the murdered or the murderer. You would have to use the Killing Curse," Draco tapped the card, "an Unforgivable, that would land you a lifetime cell in Azkaban. Would using that 'Dark Curse' be evil?"

"No," Harry said without thinking. Voldemort had killed his parents, and lots of others. If he rose again, he had to be stopped.

"Exactly, it's all how you believe. If you forget all the bullshit that I've just said, just remember this 'light doesn't always equate to good, just as dark doesn't always equate to evil.' I've been brought up to believe in Blood-Purity, that pure-bloods are better than Mudbloods by a hundredfold, that they are only fit for slaves. If you don't or won't share this view, hey, that's fine. I won't kill you, but you would have to get used to me."

"I think I can, it makes sense; both parts. That there's only Grey magic, and that pure-bloods are better. If you have more magic in your blood that would make you more powerful... ?" Harry drifted off, hoping that he wasn't making him mad; Malfoy seemed to be a dangerous enemy.

"It should, but there are Mudblood that are more powerful, that are smarter than pure-bloods. But, I won't try to force this particular opinion down your throat. It's the most controversial opinion in the wizard world. We are in the middle of a war; on one side you have the Dark Lord's Death Eaters who believe what I just said, then on the other, there's Dumbledore, who believes that Mudblood and Muggles are fine, good even. You won't have to decide this today or tomorrow, but one day you will, and it will change wizardkind. You can either be on the Dark Lord's side, remember that he killed you 'rents, or side with Dumbledore and be their Golden Boy. Don't answer now, but one day I'd like to know." He spoke without emotion, but tried to convey the seriousness of his speech.

Harry relaxed and leaned back, wondering. Draco was obviously on Voldemort's side. However, he was saying that Harry could go against him and it wouldn't matter to him. He was the first one to speak outright to Harry about the underground War.

"Listen... Draco, I appreciate you telling me this, and actually speaking as a friend. But you've already chose your side, haven't you?"

"Well, yes and no. Yes, for now I'm behind the Dark Lord. No, I might change my mind."

"But you don't think you will?" Harry pressed.

"I might, there might be this reality check when I'm older, and an actual Death Eater that could change my mind. The closest thing to an answer that you'll get is maybe. I might, I've been told glory is involved but, like I said; there may be a reality check in my future. Speaking of a reality check, I have some friends that I'd like you to meet."

"What kind of friends?" Harry asked cautiously, not liking the change of subject.

"They are to-be Slytherins and most of them are Royals, they believe what I just said. I also had an idea where I could, not change your opinion or views per se, but show you the other side." Draco hoped he wasn't pissing Potter off; he seemed like a dangerous enemy. "You'll have a lot of Dumbledore's followers giving that side, and views and we thought that it would be good that you know both sides before you chose. And learn each side by those that believe in it, not by the prejudice of the other side."

"O-okay."

"First though, you should probably change into your school robes. You need to do so before you arrive and, well, I don't think that you'd like to in front of us." Malfoy stood up, "Oh, and we're in compartment Z-9, that's at the back of this train." Draco threw over his shoulder as he shut the door.

"Alrighty then," Harry said to himself as he took down the pain of a trunk. This time he ducked before it hit him, but he guessed that he couldn't get it back up without those twins. "Oh well." He took out his robes and changed, briefly worrying about his 'friend's' friends.

* * *