AN: This is a bit of a filler chapter, as Harry and co get ready for Hogwarts. Expect chapter 4 to be out in approximately 12 hours.

Also, the story truly starts in the next chapter, in which Harry and friends are off to a very different Hogwarts. Expect some surprises.

Harry Potter had been a relatively happy child throughout the week. It had been his birthday on Tuesday, and there had been a large celebration at Potter Manor to celebrate. Lily and Sirius had spared no expense; the house had been completely covered in birthday decorations, Harry's favorites foods had been ordered, and he had been allowed to do anything he wanted the whole day.

He sniggered loudly, remembering his mum incensed reaction at Sirius after the latter had charmed the cutlery to dance and run around the house.

All of his good friends had been there, and it had been a perfect day. Many rounds of Quidditch were played, and Harry won the small Snitch catching competition they had had. The rest of the day had been spent playing various wizarding games, eating, talking, and just enjoying the presence of friends and the festive mood. He had received many presents, all of which he appreciated. Best of all, his grinning godfather had presented him a wrapped present in the form of the new Nimbus 2000 broomstick, which he had bought for Harry the previous day. They had went outside for a trial run of the new broomstick, and Harry was amazed at how fast the Nimbus 2000 was. Even Draco, who could normally criticize anything, could not find anything bad about the broomstick.

Two days ago, his already happy mood had increased immensely when a tawny owl had arrived at the manor during breakfast, pecking on the glass window. The owl had been carrying a rather important letter: Harry's Hogwarts letter. Excited by knowing he had been accepted into Hogwarts, Harry had immediately Floo'd to Black Manor, where he had dashed up the stairs and ran into Sirius' bedroom. Needless to say, he had forgotten that it was only 8 o'clock, and that Sirius usually never woke before eleven. His godfather, while initially irritated at being woken up so early, had been as ecstatic as Harry had been when he found out what Harry had received.

Today, Harry was headed for Diagon Alley with the Malfoys, Sirius, and his mum. They would be shopping for Harry's and Draco's school supplies, since both of them had received their letters days prior and needed to purchase the necessary materials.

Harry stepped out of his room and made his way downstairs, where he found Sirius pacing around the entrance hall, evidently waiting for Harry. "Sirius," Harry grinned at his godfather. His grin was returned by Sirius, who chose that moment to walk over to Harry and affectionately ruffle his messy hair.

Lily Potter soon joined the pair, and all three of them Floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron. They had arranged to meet the Malfoys in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at exactly 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The two Potters and Sirius arrived there a minute early, and the Malfoys arrived exactly at one.

After all greetings had been made, it was decided that Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions would be their first stop (Both families had more than enough gold, which made Gringotts an unnecessary stop for the day). Draco and Harry had both been measured by Malkin's assistant and a magic measuring tape, complaining about the time it took to be measured and how uncomfortable they were. Both boys were measured within 10 minutes, and their robes were ordered not long after that, to both boys' relief. Harry had not enjoyed standing as still as possible for ten long minutes, and as a result had begun to fidget within five minutes, causing the shop assistant to gently chastise him for moving.

After getting their robes, it was agreed upon that Lucius and Sirius would take the boys to get their Potions supplies and then their wands, while Lily and Narcissa would purchase their books and stationary supplies from Flourish and Blotts and a stationary selling store called Scribbulus Writing Instruments. The two parties would then meet up again in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at around 3 o'clock.

"Stop your childish displays of behaviour at once!" Lucius snapped, his mouth pressed into a frown of disdain. Harry and Draco, who had briefly been engaged in a small shoving match, immediately, upon hearing the Malfoy patriarch's voice, stopped their horse playing. For the next minute and a half, both boys had walked slowly, with their heads high and slightly sneering, as they tried to crudely imitate Lucius. However, as soon as they had caught each other's eye, both boys had simultaneously burst into laughter, increasing the Malfoy Lord's ever-growing ire.

They had been walking for a few minutes when they reached their destination: Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, where they would buy their needed potions ingredients for the year. Lucius, fed up with the antics of his heir and his friend, stormed into the apothecary, briefly stopping to tell the two boys to stay put and not cause any type of disturbance. A protesting Sirius was virtually dragged deeper into the store by Lucius, who waspishly told him to find and purchase Harry's supplies, while he did the same for Draco. When Sirius protested yet again, Lucius merely raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the Potter and Malfoy heirs, who were snickering around a bin of who-knows-what. "Do you think they'll be doing anything productive for the next hour?" Lucius had inquired drily. Sirius had reluctantly agreed, and both men had set off to purchase the necessary potions ingredients and supplies.

A long half-hour later (In which Harry had narrowly avoided falling into a bin of dragon hearts after being tripped by a smirking Draco), the party of four left the apothecary and headed to Ollivanders.

"Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.," read Draco as he glanced at the inscription outside of the wand maker's shop. "Merlin, that's older than even Sirius!" Both boys snickered at Draco's joke as Sirius, who had overheard them, glared. Lucius, who had had to endure a full hour of the boys' jokes and stunts and Sirius being his normal childish self, strode past his son without a word and entered the shop.

The shop was narrow and shabby, with numerous shelves carrying many wand cases situated around the shop. Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste at the shabbiness of the shop, muttering to himself. "Creepy bugger," he had said to Harry, who grinned at his friend. Lucius wore his normal expression of polite disdain, but his lips twitched slightly at Draco's words.

Ollivander had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and had introduced himself in his usual mysterious way. Draco had volunteered first, and had received a 10 inch, Hawthorn, unicorn hair wand after a short period of time. It had taken Harry longer to receive a wand, eventually ending up with a holly and phoenix wand. Ollivander had commented that he was surprised that that particular wand had chosen Harry; the only other wand with a phoenix feather core belonged to none other than Emperor Riddle himself. Biding Ollivander goodbye, they had exited the shop, blinking as their eyes were exposed to the sudden brightness of being outside.

Lily and Narcissa had already been waiting for them when the four men arrived at the ice cream parlour. The two women had been sitting around a table chatting about their old days at Hogwarts. All six wizards and witches ordered ice cream, sitting down and enjoying the relaxing day.

Sirius led the two boys to their final destination of the day: Magical Menagerie, where he hoped Draco and Harry would be able to find and adopt their own pets. Lucius had departed shortly after everyone had met up at the ice cream parlour, saying he had business to conduct at Knockturn Alley. Narcissa and Lily had chosen to stay in the shade of their table at the ice cream parlour, chatting about various subjects. That had left Sirius, who had agreed to take the two boys to the pets shop.

"It bloody smells in here." The first observation that came out of Draco's mouth was coincidentally the loudest one, earning glares from the shopkeeper at the back of the shop and a teenage boy with red hair, who had been observing a tawny owl.

Harry had to agree, wrinkling his nose at the smell of so many animals in one place. He set off the owl section, dragging Draco along with him. Sirius elected to staying near the doorway of the menagerie, hands in the pockets of his expensive robes.

Harry ended up choosing a snow white owl as his pet, which he named Hedwig. Draco chose a fierce, sandy owl and had named it Ares, after the Greek god of war. Both paid for their respective pets and made to exit the shop.

As they exited the shop, Harry bumped into another red-haired boy, almost dropping Hedwig's cage. "What the hell, Harry," Draco complained, having bumped into Harry in turn.

"Ronald, are you okay? Dear, apologize to that young man this instant!" A woman, apparently the red haired boy's mother, scolded.

"All right, all right," Ronald grumbled. "Hello, my name's Ron. Sorry I bumped into you- I wasn't looking."

"That's obvious," Draco drawled, annoyed at the redhead for causing Harry to stumble.

Ron's face reddened, angered at the blonde's words and the way he had talked to Ron as if he was better than him. "Well, you don't have to be a git about it," Ron snapped, facing Draco.

"Ronald Weasley, that's enough," came the stern voice of another adult: a red haired male who seemed to be Ron's father. "Hello, my name's Arthur Weasley," he said warmly, approaching Sirius and sticking out his hand for Sirius to shake. "I see our boys have gotten off on the wrong foot, and I apologize for my son's actions and words."

"Sirius Black. Apology accepted," came Sirius' brisk answer. "And don't worry about Draco. He's a bit of a brat to begin with," the Black Head said easily, ignoring Draco's rather indignant glare and Harry's snigger of laughter.

Meanwhile, Harry and Draco were having their own conversation with Ron and his older brother Percy, who had been the redhead they had seen earlier in the pets shop. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is Draco Malfoy," Harry said, smiling politely at the two brothers.

"My name is Percy Weasley and this is my younger brother Ronald," came Percy's reply. Harry could tell that he wouldn't like the boy as soon as he heard the boy's pompous words. Unlike Draco, who merely snorted in disdain, Harry continued to smile at the two brothers, trying not to anger or offend anyone.

Unfortunately, Ron had heard Draco's snort of laughter and had taken it as an insult. "My father's told me about the Malfoys," he said, a sneer on his freckled face.

"Oh really," Draco drawled, raising an eyebrow in response. "What has your muggle-lover for a father told you about my family?"

His words seemed to offend the young Weasley even more, and Harry could see that his ears had reddened. "Your whole family consists of a bunch of pureblooded bigots," Ron spat. "I don't know what a person like Harry, the son of a famous Auror, is doing with the likes of you."

Harry grimaced, not liking how he was brought into the war of words between the Malfoy scion and the youngest male Weasley. He turned to Draco and pleadingly looked at him, hoping that Draco would understand that he was asking for him to stop insulting the Weasley Family.

Draco, having had his family insulted by a mere Weasley, who he viewed as no more than a common pauper, ignored Harry, contributing his share of insults against the Weasley clan. "You know, I knew you two were Weasleys before we were introduced," he said smirking. "After all, what other family has red hair, more kids than you can count, and is so poor they need to buy secondhand items for everything?"

Ron scowled in anger and he made to attack Draco. His brother Percy, seeing how close Ron was to snapping, restrained him. Percy also took offense at Draco's words, but was smart enough to realize that a fight with the heir of a prominent member of the Wizengamot in public view would not be the smartest decision.

The two Weasleys and the Malfoy settled for sneering at each other, and in Draco's case, sending contemptuous glances at the other side. Harry, not knowing exactly how to diffuse the situation, shuffled his feet and looked at the ground.

A few feet away, Sirius was engaged in conversation with Arthur and Molly, who had also introduced herself to the Black Lord. However, their conversation was also strained because of one reason: the Malfoy patriarch had decided to join in the conversation.

Lucius had, upon finishing his business at Knockturn Alley (which involved selling a few Dark artifacts to Borgin and Burkes and also buying a few rare potions ingredients that happened to be illegal), inquired as to where Draco was when he saw that Narcissa and Lily were the only ones at the ice cream parlour. Both ladies had informed him that the remaining men had set off for Magical Menagerie, and he had arrived there just in time to witness Ron Weasley crashing into Harry.

Lucius had recognized the Weasley family in an instant, and had grimaced briefly for having to meet with the, in his opinion, rather poor excuse for a wizarding family. In fact, he had briefly entertained the idea of leaving and heading back to the ice cream parlour to talk to his wife and Lily, but discarded the idea after realizing that Narcissa would not be too happy if he returned without Sirius and the two boys.

So, setting his facial features once again into his famous pureblood mask, he approached the group of adults. "Sirius, fancy seeing you out here," Lucius drawled. "I didn't know you knew such wonderful families as the Weasleys." The stress Lucius put on the word wonderful showed his sarcastic comment for what it truly was: an insult.

Arthur Weasley evidently recognized the insult for what it was, as he tensed and looked the Malfoy Lord in the eye. "And I was not aware of the fact that Sirius Black and the Potters associated with the likes of you," the Weasley patriarch retorted.

The only visible response to his jab at Lucius was the slight raising of a blond eyebrow. "We all know which families are poor excuses for wizards, don't we Arthur?" Lucius sneered, his distaste for the red haired patriarch clear in his voice.

"Lucius, Arthur, I'm sure we can continue this rather interesting conversation another day," Sirius charmingly smiled, trying to avoid a fight breaking out between the Weasley patriarch and the Malfoy patriarch. "In fact, Lucius were supposed to be gone with the boys a while ago." Sirius lied convincingly. However, he was out of luck that day, as neither of the other two men were paying attention to him. "Lucius,.." Sirius began again.

"Sirius, kindly go supervise the boys," Lucius said, never looking away from Arthur. His tone invited no response, and Sirius, giving up on preventing any sort of fight, went over to the boys. The Weasley matriarch, who had entered the pets shop with a shorter girl, most likely her daughter, chose that moment to exit the shop.

If you asked Sirius later who had cracked first and which comment had caused that person to crack first, he wouldn't be able to tell you. All Sirius knew is that as soon as the two female Weasleys exited the shop, both Lucius and Arthur had pulled out their wands, both aimed at the other.

"Awww…fuck," Sirius whispered, knowing that there would be hell to pay from Lily and Narcissa if the situation, while admittedly out of hand already, got even more out of hand. For Merlin's sake, they were on a public street. Sirius walked over to the two men, standing close to Lucius. "Lucius, Arthur, I do believe that this discussion should continue another day. In fact, I really don't think you two would like the publicity of being seen dueling on a public street, would you?" Sirius stated firmly.

As Molly Weasley and her daughter walked over to Arthur's side, both men lowered their wands. "You're right, Sirius," Arthur agreed, politely nodding at the Head of the House of Black. He pocketed his wand and added, "Of course, it isn't like the Malfoys haven't experienced their fair share of scandals."

Lucius also lowered his wand. He narrowed his eyes at Arthur's last jab. "As if the Weasleys could sink any lower," he sniffed. Arthur's mouth pressed into a hard line, but he refused to rise to the bait. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Sirius," he called out, turning to his family. "We'll be leaving now."

"Likewise, Arthur," Sirius returned, grabbing Draco and Harry by the shoulders. "We'll also be heading back."

On the way back, the party of four stopped off at a small shop that sold quality cauldrons, which Sirius had forgotten the boys needed.

"I wasn't expecting Father to react that strongly to the Weasleys," Draco commented to Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't either. And, to be fair, you were also quite rude to Ron."

"He was a git," Draco responded, face twisting into his customary sneer at hearing the name of the youngest male Weasley. "First tripping you and then trying to insult the Malfoy family."

"It's not like you didn't deserve it, you prat," Harry returned, grabbing a rare potions book off of one of the small shop's shelves.

"I'll admit to nothing, and I'm certainly better than the Weasleys." Draco tossed his head back. "Father did say they were one of the poorest excuses for a wizarding family here in Britain."

"Indeed, Draco," Lucius' voice came as he approached the two boys. He beckoned for Harry to hand his chosen book to Sirius, who had elected to pay for the cauldrons and supplies. "The Weasleys, especially Arthur Weasley, are disgraces to wizarding Britain. They're purebloods, but the worst sort of purebloods you could encounter here."

"What do you mean, Uncle?" Harry asked.

"They're purebloods but they love anything muggle. When the war broke out, they were one of the loudest supporters of Albus Dumbledore. They believe that purebloods and mudbloods should be equal." Lucius had flew into a rant.

"And of course, they've got more children than they do Galleons," Draco commented. His father nodded his head in agreement. "That to, of course. So basically, they're the opposites of what proper purebloods are supposed to be. Needless to say, Draco, if you ever become like one of them, I will most likely disown you." The last sentence was added casually after a brief pause.

"Don't worry, father," Draco assured him. "I didn't even like Weasel number six when we met him today."

"He wasn't that bad," Harry spoke up, causing Lucius and Draco to look at him in surprise. "You did start it first, Draco."

"After he bloody crashed into you like some uneducated troll," Draco replied heatedly. "I don't understand why you're still defending that sorry prat."

"I'm not defending anyone." Harry hurried to reassure his best friend. "I'm just saying, you could have been a bit nicer." The only response he received was a sniff of derision.

"…And then there's ole Minnie, Head of Gryffindor House-"said Sirius, looking at the two boys with undisguised mirth shining in his gray eyes.

"Professor McGonagall to you both," interjected Lily sharply, glaring at Sirius, who looked innocently back, raising his hands in a clear gesture of surrender.

They were at Malfoy Manor, tired after a long afternoon of shopping for school supplies at Diagon Alley. Lucius and Narcissa had invited the Potters and Sirius to dinner, which they accepted. Now, the three Malfoys, two Potters, and Sirius were sitting in the Malfoy's living room, where they entertained close family friends. Seeing how Draco and Harry were about to head off to Hogwarts within a few short weeks, the four adults had decided, after a bit of pleading from the two boys, to entertain said boys with stories of their old Hogwarts days.

Sirius had amused them greatly by beginning to tell them about a massive prank they had pulled on everyone, including the professors. "Everyone had bright pink hair for a whole two days, and Potions couldn't be taught in the dungeons for a solid week," Sirius exclaimed, causing the two boys to snigger appreciatively.

"And then you and James and the rest of your merry band of Gryffindors lost a hundred points from Gryffindor and had detention until the end of term," Lucius drawled, smirking at Sirius.

Sirius scowled back. "Let's not forget who turned us in to Slughorn, shall we?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," was Lucius' innocent reply. The two boys stifled a laugh at the indignant and wounded expression on Sirius' face.

"Git," Sirius accused, pointing at Lucius, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"I do believe it is time for us to retire," Lily interrupted the conversation. "Thank you for having us over, Narcissa, Lucius." She stood up, watching as Harry and Sirius did the same.

The trio said their goodbyes and Floo'd back to Potter Manor. Harry, who had been about to excuse himself upstairs, was stopped by both Lily and Sirius. "Harry, we need to have a short talk with you," Sirius explained at Harry's confused expression. The three of them walked into the living room and sat down.

"You will be heading to Hogwarts within the month," Lily started, eyes fixed on her son, who nodded in agreement to her statement. "There's important things you should know."

"Those important things are pranks and secret passages?" Harry asked, grinning at Sirius. Lily frowned briefly at Sirius, who managed a sheepish grin.

"Harry, this is serious," said Sirius, who lived up to his name in that moment. Harry, seeing how serious his godfather and mother were being, widened his eyes slightly and nodded his head once more.

"Hogwarts might seem to be a safe, fun place, but it has been a long time since it was only those two things. Danger roams free now in the hallways, and you must always be on your guard," Sirius started, talking without pause. "Be careful of what you say in Hogwarts, Harry. Walls have ears, so never say anything important unless you're in a safe spot or have multiple silencing charms and other wards."

"Be cautious of the Headmaster," Lily put in. "Headmaster Carrow was given that position by Riddle himself, but he hardly deserves it."

"Another bigoted fucker," Sirius grumbled, ignoring Lily's glare at the obscene language. "Listen to what he says, and do it. Don't kid around him- he won't take the joke. And don't give any of them, especially the headmaster, any reason to doubt that you don't truly believe in pureblood supremacy, all right kiddo?"

Harry silently agreed and memorized what Sirius had said, knowing it to be important advice. "Anything else?"

"There's only a few teachers you can trust," Lily said. "Professors Flitwick and Snape are the ones you should go to if you have any trouble."

"Don't ever go to my slimey git of a brother," Sirius said. "He'll probably turn you in himself."

"I'm sure Regulus wouldn't do that," Lily retorted, holding up a placating hand at Sirius, who had been about to say something rather rude about his younger brother. "But nonetheless, you shouldn't trust him with anything."

"Yes, mum," Harry agreed obediently. "And Harry?" his godfather questioned.

"Yes, Sirius," was the reply.

"Remember your promise- don't go seeking out those blasted Serpents. There might be a few of them who stop by at Hogwarts to do something. Hell, my brother's a former serpent. Stay away from him too. I know I can't stop you after you're of age, but please don't do anything rash," Sirius pleaded.

Harry wholeheartedly agreed, having seen the cruelty the Serpents had displayed in the past. But, he silently thought, they're better than the Order. And I'll be joining them once I turn 17.

"Well, if this delightful discussion is over, I think I'll head back to Black Manor and crash a bit," Sirius said, yawning. "It's probably past my dear godson's bedtime, anyways," he added with a smirk. Harry, caught off guard with the subtle taunt, spluttered indignantly.

Another round of goodbyes were said, and Sirius left for his ancestral home.

That night, Harry fell asleep, dreaming of flashes of dark green chasing wizards and witches dressed in red and blue robes. A smile crept onto his face and stayed there until he woke.

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