A/N:

This is where the divergence from canon really begins in earnest.

Remember, this Draco isn't nice. He doesn't see the light later on.

JKR owns all this. I'm just repurposing the characters.

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Harry walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and was greeted by the squat woman. She directed him to stand on a footstool next to a boy with blond hair who seemed to be about his age.

"Hi, my name is Draco. What's yours?" the boy asked nervously.

"I'm Harry. Are you starting Hogwarts this year too?"

"Yes, I am," the boy said with a smile. "So, are you new to our community?"

"I am, but my family isn't. My parents were a witch and a wizard, but they died when I was young so I was raised by some relatives who are Muggles."

Harry lowered his eyes when he thought of the parents he could not remember. If he had kept looking at Draco, he might have noticed an evil grin that quickly stole over Draco's face and just as quickly vanished.

"I guess you must know all about eklektricity and arrow planes, then."

Harry's face was still downcast when he replied: "Yeah, I guess I do."

Draco's voice became more forceful. "Harry, don't let anyone look down on you for having Muggle relatives. I know all about people looking down on you."

Oh, you have Muggle relatives too?" Harry asked, looking up.

"No, my family is what are called pure-bloods. To my knowledge, I have no Muggle relatives. Well, I have a cousin who is a squib, which is sort of like a Muggle who is born to wizards. I think he works as a solicitor or something."

Draco sighed. "No, some people look down on me because of some mistakes my father made when he was younger. Did anyone tell you about... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"I think so," replied Harry. "You mean Vol... I mean You-Know-Who?"

Everyone but Harry had winced when he began to say Voldemort's name.

"Yes, him," Draco continued. "He had fooled a lot of people into following him back when he started. No one knew that he was trying to take over the country or that he wanted to kill people. If they tried to get away, though, he would use an evil curse to take away their free will and make them follow him without question. By the time they realized that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was actually evil, it was too late. He would use the Imperius Curse to make them follow him against their will."

"That's terrible!" replied a shocked Harry.

"I know. Father and a lot of other wizards and witches began following him because they thought he was a reformer who wanted to fix some injustices in our society. Then when they finally saw that he was a madman, it was too late and he had cast the Imperius Curse on them forcing them to obey him. He was so powerful that once he put you under the Imperius, you were his forever. He probably had hundreds of people Imperiused. They were all freed from his control when he was destroyed by Harry Pot…ter."

Draco's eyes grew wide. "I say, you're not Harry Potter are you?"

Harry lifted the fringe of his hair to reveal his distinctive scar. "Yes, I am."

Draco's face filled with gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you for freeing my father from that madman's control! He was forced to do horrible things." Harry felt his cheeks blushing at Draco's gushing praise. The blond boy continued for a while before lapsing into awkward silence.

Harry was unsure of what to say after that, so when Madam Malkin indicated that he was done, he hopped down from the footstool and paid the witch. When she indicated Hagrid standing outside holding two large ice creams, Harry turned to Draco. "I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts, then."

"Look for me on the Hogwarts Express. It was really good to meet you!" Draco called after Harry as he was leaving.

As the door closed, Draco could hear Harry tell Hagrid: "Hagrid, I think I may've just made a friend in there."

"It was really good to meet you," Draco thought with a silent chuckle.

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As soon as the Malfoy family was back in the privacy of their own home, Draco turned to his father with a smug smile on his face. "You'll never guess what happened today. While I was in Madam Malkin's I actually met Harry Potter."

Lucius' eyes widened, first in surprise at the improbable event, then at the wonderful gift that he had just been given. "Draco, are you sure that it was actually Harry Potter?"

"Of course I am, Father. I asked him and he told me that he was. He also showed me his famous scar."

Lucius turned a cold and calculating gaze on his son. "Were you friendly to him?"

"Of course I was. I acted just like you taught me to be when meeting new children. I was shy, yet friendly. I told him the story you taught me about how you and others were fooled, then Imperiused by the Dark Lord. I also spoke in a positive manner about Muggles and managed to mispronounce a few Muggle words. Can you believe that he is actually in the care of Muggles? I can't imagine living with that filth." Draco shuddered.

Lucius smiled at his son. "Well done. Did he seem pleased to make your acquaintance?"

"He did. I overheard him telling someone as he left that he may have made a friend in Madam Malkin's. I think it was that oaf, Hagrid."

"Excellent, my son. You should seek him on the Hogwarts Express and make sure that he sees you as a friend. Be sure to be subtle as I have taught you. If you can help him to see the advantages to being in Slytherin House, it would be to our tremendous advantage.

Lucius smiled as he retreated to his study. It would be very good to gain influence over "The Boy Who Lived." This was even better than his original plans for teaching Draco and the other boys the Art of Deception. Yes, this deserved some contemplation. His plans might need to be altered. Having the Potter whelp under his control was too tempting a potential for him to resist. The rewards of success would be immeasurable, just as the cost of failure would be unbearable. Lucius would have to be cautious.

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A/N:

I felt like writing some more. Remember, just because I don't shamelessly beg for reviews doesn't mean that I don't like them.

What did you think of Draco's "Arrow planes" for aeroplanes/airplanes?

Constructive criticism and Brit picking is always appreciated. Flames will be laughed at.

Sorry the chapters are so short. I'm hoping to work up to longer chapters. I suppose I could have combined this with other planned chapters, but this seemed to be a natural ending point. In your opinion, what is a good length for a chapter to be? Obviously, I don't want them to be too long; I hate chapters that drag on and on. However, that is not a problem yet. I'm aiming for around 3000 words per chapter as my eventual goal.

Regards,
pleurocoelus