Draco's a first year.

Draco meets a boy in Madame Malkins. He likes this boy. The boy doesn't know much about Hogwarts. Draco tries to say nice things about each house. Like the boy, Draco doesn't know which house he wants to be in. Draco isn't sure he minds. Draco learns his name is Harry Potter. Draco's heard about him. Draco thinks his parents are wrong about Harry Potter. Draco likes Harry. Draco and Harry exchange letters through owl. Draco doesn't tell his parents about Harry. Justin doesn't get a letter to Hogwarts. Draco tells Justin about Hogwarts, he tells Justin about owls. Justin promises to keep it a secret. Justin promises to write. Draco doesn't tell his parents about Justin. Draco doesn't tell his parents a lot of things now, but most of all, Draco doesn't tell his parents.

Draco gets on the train to Hogwarts. He sits with Harry and a boy with red hair. Draco has heard of a family with red hair, but Draco's rubber band knows not to repeat anything his parents say. The redheaded boy doesn't like him. The redheaded twins are nice to him though, and he gives them a smile. The redheaded twins look at him weirdly. Then they mention a spider. The redheaded boy named Ron goes white. The twins laugh.

A girl and a boy enter the compartment. The boy has a toad. Draco offers them a seat. The girl sits in between Harry and him. Draco doesn't mind, he likes this girl immediately. She has bushy brown hair, pretty brown eyes, and very large teeth. She doesn't like Ron either. Unfortunately, Harry seems to.

Harry and Draco both get a lot of food from the cart. They split it up between everyone in the compartment. Draco gives a little extra to Hermione. Draco and Hermione talk the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Draco likes Hermione. She knows about the television and the microwave and she also knows about Hogwarts. Draco doesn't understand his parents anymore. How can they not like people like Neville, Harry, and Hermione?

Neville loses his toad. Hermione, Harry, and Draco help look for it. Ron's fallen asleep. They spend forever looking for it. Harry finds it in the bathroom. Nobody understands how it got there. Draco's glad he has an owl. A toad makes for a very bad pet. Justin agrees with him the next time they exchange letters. Of course, Justin has a pet frog, so he's a bit biased.

When they get off the train, Hagrid is waiting for them. Hagrid is huge. Draco met him in Diagon alley over the summer, but that doesn't stop him from feeling really small next to Hagrid. Draco gets into a boat with Hermione, Neville, and a girl named lavender. Lavender is very irritating. She refuses to stop talking and Draco deeply hopes that they won't be in the same house. He nudges Hermione and rolls his eyes. Hermione rolls her eyes back. Draco continues to look at Hermione even after this. He realizes something important. She hasn't had many friends and she's scared. He doesn't understand his feelings very well, but he knows this. He doesn't want her to be scared ever again. He decides something then and there. Hermione Granger is going to be his best friend no matter what. Draco knows his parents are wrong about muggleborns.

Draco, Hermione, Harry, Neville, and Ron cluster nervously together in the room that Professor Mcgonagall led them to. It's small and dark. Hermione stands right next to Draco. He can feel her shaking and reaches for her hand. Hermione takes it.

Draco's POV (POINT OF VIEW)

As I hold Hermione's hand in mine I know I don't want to be a Slytherin anymore. My family raised me to be a Slytherin. It hasn't ever occurred to them that I will be anything but a Slytherin. I've been raised on the ideals that you need to put yourself and your family in front of everything else. I can't help myself but wonder if that means the same thing to them as it does to me. I know that the day I spend at Diagon alley with my parents at the tender age of seven changed me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being looked at like that.

I hope I'll be in Ravenclaw. I don't want to be disowned. I love my family. I don't agree with them, but I love them. Ravenclaw is the one house other than Slytherin that my family will tolerate.

"Are you nervous" Hermione asks me, her eyes big and wide. I look at her.

"Yes." I tell her running my fingers through my hair. What if I don't get in Ravenclaw? What if I get in Slytherin? What if I'm in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."But only a little. I don't think it will be that hard. All we have to do is try on a hat." Hermione looks relieved and smiles at me.

"A hat? Why do we need to try on a hat?" She asks. I shrug my shoulders.

"I just know that we need to try on a hat, my father didn't say any more than that." She nods. In the next instance, ghosts burst through the wall. Hermione latches onto me. I pull her off. "They're ghosts. Don't Muggles have ghosts?"

"Y-yes, but m-most people d-don't believe in them!" She stutters staring open mouthed at the transparent dead people.

"Why not? You can see them clearly enough." She shakes her head at me.

"Not at all, most Muggles think they're fairy tales, fiction. Just like they think wizards aren't real." She whispers as Professor Mcgonagall enters the room.

The sorting hat finishes its song and everyone claps. I can't help but continue to worry about what house I'm in. Crabbe and Goyle are in Slytherin.

"Granger, Hermione." Hermione places the hat on, and for the few seconds she wears it I don't breathe. I don't think she breathes either.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yells and I sigh. She's in Gryffindor. I don't think we'll be housemates, but I hope she'll still be my friend. A few more people get sorted but I don't pay any attention.

"Malfoy, Draco" I hear my name and walk to the sorting hat.

A Malfoy I see, but you're different from the rest of your lot aren't you. Yes. Hmm, Slytherin would do you good in the short-term, but it isn't right for a mind like yours. You're the first of your family to see different from what your ancestors saw. Better be-

"RAVENCLAW!" I took the hat off and walked towards the Ravenclaw table. Hermione waves at me. I smiled and waved back. Harry and Ron were both in Gryffindor. I hope that it doesn't effect our friendship, but hey, at least I'm not a Slytherin!

A/N: I think this is going to be a series of different important moments throughout each book, following Hermione and Draco.

I would appreciate reviews. Reviewers will get imaginary cookies!