Remember! The more reviews I get the faster I write! They feed my plot bunny! Also, I will NOT be writing any lemon scenes, but if anyone wants to write a oneshot lemon scene for this story, go ahead, just be sure to put "Inspired by 'Shake My Hand' by Kitty Smith" somewhere on it please! Also, I'll include a link to it on my profile, or just type in the name of the author in a chapter...

Thank you to all who reviewed!!!!! *throws digital platters of magic cookies to reviewers*

Dedicated to njferrel.

DISCLAIMER: Own not. Claim not. Sue not.

5,937 words! This is my longest yet! I want to try longer but.... Would you, the readers, like shorter, faster updates, or longer, much slower updates? Review please!


Harry walked nervously next to Draco, close enough that they would probably bump into each other and cause a domino effect if Draco stopped suddenly. He edged closer still as they neared the crimson and gold train and the crowd thickened. They were on Platform 9 3/4, and heading for the train. Draco's father strode aloofly ahead of them, sneering at passerby without a care in the world, and occasionally nodding to a select few. Draco emanated an uncaring and cold arrogance, but Harry stuck to him all the same- well aware that it was just a mask, and Draco was nearly jumping up and down with excitement on the inside. Hedwig seemed to feel as Draco did and bobbed her head up and down in her cage. The snowy owl made up the whole of the conversation by hooting excitedly every few minutes. Draco remained silent. His father remained silent. Harry remained silent. And Hedwig hooted. Silent. Silent. Silent. Hoot. Silent. Silent. Sil-

"Draco dear!" A blonde flash threw itself at Draco. "I haven't seen you all summer! I know your father doesn't like to have people in the..." The girl trailed off, looking questioningly between Harry and Draco, her ponytail whipping furiously as her head turned. "And who is this?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and drawled, "My friend."

Harry nervously held out a hand and offered a weak smile, "I'm Harry." The girl looked at Harry's hand for a moment before snatching him up in a bone-breaking hug.

"Any friend of Draco's is a friend of mine!" She trilled happily, "I'm Pansy. Pansy Parkinson!" Pansy smiled and relaxed the hug so she was simply resting her arms around his neck.

Harry shifted uneasily. "Er..."

Draco let a small smile cross his face before leaning in to whisper in Harry's ear, "I guess you're her new hanger, you know, to hold up her big hea-"

Pansy whacked him with her purse before he could finish the sentence, "Draco Francine Malfoy!" Harry sniggered at the look of absolute fury on Draco's face, but quailed when Draco sent a quick glare his way.

"I told you not to call me that, you-"

"What's wrong, man-whore? Not enough man to override the-"

Draco took out his wand. "Shut up you slut!"

Pansy returned the gesture and the tension in the air was nearly visible when Pansy smiled. "No hard feelings, Draco, darling."

Draco grinned and clapped her on the back, "Of course not, Pansy."

Poor Harry glanced between them, and you could almost seehis head spinning. Pansy caught onto Harry's distress and giggled, "Oh, Harry, it's just a little game Draco and I play! Oh, look there's Theo! THEOOOOO!" Pansy whipped off into the crowd waving her purse violently above her head.

Draco's father had disappeared once they got within ten feet of the Hogwarts Express and Harry wondered if there was some kind of Anti-Lucius charm on the train- or maybe he just needed to get back to his "work." Harry doubted that a man could work for as long as Draco's father seemed to, after all, four days and nights without coming home or sending a note surely wasn't normal. Harry had asked Draco about it once- but Draco had clammed up, and gotten a sad sort of sparkle in his eyes. Harry never brought it up again.

Harry sighed as they put their luggage in the cargo car and Draco glanced at him concernedly, "Is something wrong?"

Harry sighed yet again. "No. I just realized that I would truly fit in with the Hufflepuffs."

"Just argue with the Hat, Harry, just argue with the Hat." In their studies, they had come across how the students were Sorted- turns out it wasn't nearly as secret as some wanted to believe.

Harry slowly turned to follow Draco onto the train, and gestured wildly with his hands, "But I'm not a bookworm, or underhanded, or noble. All I've got going for me is loyalty. And that is in small amounts for a smaller amount of people." Harry grew quiet and began muttering to himself about looking something up.

A shiver ran up Draco's spine at the mention of loyalty. Harry had been getting more and more dependent on him. Not needy- but still. They finally found an empty compartment and sat down. Draco was loath to admit it to himself, but he found that he too, was... Growing to be anxious and worried (he refused to classify it as "dependent") when apart from the brunette for any period of time he judged as "too long." (Five minutes and up when he was bored- no one ever said Malfoys were patient.) It scared him, especially since Harry seemed to be unaware of both developments. When Harry wasn't around it seemed like he was missing an arm or a leg. He silently pleaded with whatever was listening that they wouldn't be in separate Houses. Draco knew this kind of relationship hadto be unnatural; no one could get that close in just a month. And yet... Draco glanced away from the window and at the green-eyed boy reading quietly next to him. It wasn't truly closeness- it was more like... Insta-trust-and-familiarity. Just add water! He thought bitterly.

Harry looked up from his book and turned so he was facing Draco completely. "Are you alright?"

Draco whipped his head up and around, nearly clipping Harry's nose. "I'm fine. Why?"

Harry eyed him with a look that just screamed, 'I know that you're lying to me and I will find out why.' "You've been muttering under your breath to yourself for the past five minutes and just now you began strangling the air." Draco pursed his lips. "Fine. I know that look." Harry turned back to his book, leaving Draco to stare blankly at the boy.

"What look?"

Harry sighed and closed his book, sticking a blank piece of paper between the pages. Harry caught Draco's gaze. "Whenever we're talking, when we get to a topic you won't or can't talk about, you get this look on your face and you purse your lips."
Draco blinked. "What?"

Harry smirked, "You mean you don't even realize you're doing it?" He laughed at the befuddled look on Draco's face, which turned to a glare when the laughter didn't stop. "I- I can't help it. You just look so- so- un-Malfoyish!"
A red-headed boy paused, about to open the compartment door, No, he couldn't have said that. Dumbledore just sent Fawkes, and Harry Potter is supposed to be in this compartment with the child of whatever family he stayed with...You see, when Hagrid informed Albus Dumbledore that Harry had made a decision, he refused to tell the Headmaster which family Harry chose, saying it was "none o' yer beeswax, Albus." This would both help and harm Harry in the future.

The red-head scrunched up his nose, causing his freckles to dance across his cheeks. Here I go.

The boy slid open the door and poked a nervous head in, "Er, all the other compartments are full, can I sit here?"

Harry answered, cutting off whatever Draco was about to say. "Sure."

The boy sat down and held out a hand, "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley."

Harry shook it. "I'm Harry."

Ron decided that he couldn't say the rehearsed words, since Harry did not actually reveal his fame. "Er, right. Nice to meet ya, mate. And, er, who are you?" He nodded towards Draco, praying and hoping and begging in his mind that this was not in fact-

"Draco Malfoy." Draco spat, before leaning in closer to Harry and hissing in his ear, "Weasel here is a blood traitor. He actually likesMuggles. Even ones like that shit bag-" Harry whacked him on the shoulder but Draco continued, "-of a relative you've got. He believes that even Muggles like that-" Harry looked at him meaningfully and Draco changed his wording, "-uncle of yours deserve to live out their lives peacefully and beyond fear of retribution. Of justice."

"Well," Harry replied in a normal tone of voice, "I don't agree completely with your political views, and I don't agree completely with his. So we'll all just have to agree to disagree, right? Besides, my mumhad Muggle parents, I'm only a first-generation pureblood. So, if you think of it the way I do, technically I'm a halfblood, and I don't have any problems with Muggles." Draco raised and brow and Harry amended, "Most Muggles." Draco scowled and crossed his arms, huffing as he leaned violently against the back of the seat. "Now, just don't-" Harry yawned, "-Just don't start a- Oh wow that was a big yawn- Just don't fight- I'm- I'm going to sleep." Harry let loose another humongous yawn and Draco thought he felt his own jaw ache sympathetically. Harry, however, was out like a light. Draco frowned, the purply-black circles around Harry's eyes were getting larger and darker every day. Harry only seemed to sleep peacefully around Draco. Harry slumped over, falling against Draco, and he absentmindedly put his arm over Harry's shoulders. Now what to do about Mr. Weasel here...

"Weasley."

Ron's head shot up, and Draco thought he could see the gears in Ron's small, little, pea-sized mind working. "What?"

Draco sneered and later on Ron would swear the temperature dropped several degees. "I know for a fact that there are indeed compartments open other than this one, and I suggest you get your little blood traitor self into one before Harry wakes up or so help me I will hex you until you can't follow one train of thought for longer than five seconds." Draco jerked his head towards the door and his grip on Harry's shoulders tightened convulsively.

Ron flushed as red as his hair and he snarled angrily, "I have just as much right to be here as you do!"

Draco drawled quietly, but forcefully, "Oh yes, because you are the one who sat down in this compartment hoping to find some peace and quiet only to be disturbed by a filthy red head?"

Ron lept to his feet, "I have more right than you to be here! Dumbledore told me to do this-" Ron blanched as he realized just what had slipped out of his mouth, "I- I mean-"

Draco's eyes flashed and all of a sudden his wand was out and pointing at Ron's throat. "Out. Now." Harry shifted- subconsciously picking up the tension in the air, and Draco growled at the frozen red head, "Go."

In his hurry, Ron pushed past a bushy-haired witch, who exclaimed, "How rude!" and woke Harry from his slumber.

Harry slowly pried open his eyes- he felt warm and comfortable, and was loath to move, so he buried his face in his pillow. Pillow? Aren't I on the Hogwarts Express? Harry looked up, and silvery gray eyes met his. "Draco?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

The look of confusion on Harry's face passed, and he said simply, "Oh." Harry snuggled back down beside Draco, reasoning that if the blonde had wanted him to move he would've shoved him off the seat already. Draco was like that. "Where's that boy? The... Er... The red head?"

"Excuse me," The very same bushy-haired witch as before began politely, saving Draco from responding, "But has anyone seen a toad?" Noticing the book open on Harry's lap (he had been reading before he fell asleep), she exclaimed, "You read Hogwarts: A History, too?" She entered the compartment and sat down across from Harry, who had become very awake at the mention of books about magic.

"Of course! I just find it all so interesting, because I grew up not knowing magic existed." Harry explained.

"Me, too!" The two of them put their heads close together and began an earnest discussion of magic, books, catching up with the pure-bloods, and the history of the wizarding world.

The brunette witch confided, "I'm so worried I'll be behind, so I memorized all the textbooks and read a few extracurricular books as well. I have a feeling I'll be dreadful at Potions- I'm horried at cooking and Potions seems to be the same way."

Harry tilted his hands from side to side in a "so-so" gesture. "I'm pretty good with cooking, but with Potions if you add something at the wrong time it could explode, so I think I'll be just as bad, or probably worse than you. I don't even understand the different between cutting and chopping."

While the brown-eyed witch dove into the intricacies of cutting, slicing, chopping, and dicing with her (most likely first) rapt audience, Draco stared out the window, Harry still firmly attatched to his side, and his arm likewise to Harry's shoulders. I wonder if Harry even realizes how odd we look. It's not like he's had all that much experience with friends yet. Draco glanced at the starry-eyed wizard, intently listening and absorbing everything the brown-haired girl said. Draco quickly wiped the soft smile dancing on his lips off his face and turned back to the window. Maybe he thinks this is completely normal for friends. Most likely my mother's work, that. Draco sneered absentmindedly at the scenery. 'Mother,' yeah right. More like, 'Meddling-Mum-when-convenient.' It's not like she's even been there for the parties I throw for their birthdays. Or mine... Draco squeezed his eyes shut and willed the thought topic to change. Harry, surprisingly, considering his devotion to hearing out the witch's lecture, noticed this.

"Headache?" Harry asked sympathetically, cutting off the witch's flow. She blinked, and seemed to realize there was someone other than Harry in the compartment.

"I'm fine, it passed," Draco assured him.

A loud smack was heard throughout the train as the witch whacked herself in the forehead, "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Hermione Granger, and it's nice to meet you...?"

"Harry. I'm Harry." Harry reached out and shook her hand firmly, smiling. Hermione smiled, then turned to look expectantly at Draco.

Draco sighed, "I'm Draco Malfoy." Hermione smiled and held out her hand, only to have Draco sneer and look away. She tentatively began to bring it back, more than a bit put out.

Harry elbowed Draco, who sighed and grabbed the retreating hand, "Pleasure." Hermione smiled, a bit confused.

"L-likewise."

Harry grinned at Hermione as Draco pulled back his hand as swiftly as humanly possible. "Don't mind him. He's a purist, but he's a nice guy under all that sneering, snarling, grumpiness, and..." He trailed off under Draco's glare, "Well you get my point."

"Of course," Hermione nodded, then clasped her hands together, "Which House do you think you'll end up in? I think I'll be in Ravenclaw, or possibly Gryffindor. Hufflepuff seems okay, but Slytherin looks a little tetchy, I mean, nearly every successful Dark Lord came out of that House..."

Harry knew that trouble always followed that pinched, fury-harbinging look on Draco's face, and he slumped knowingly in Draco's grip and groaned. "I... Am so tired, pleasedon't get all pissy..."

Draco snapped out of his fury and sniffed disdainfully, putting his nose in the air. "Malfoys do not act... Pissy." Hermione laughed as Harry groaned again and Draco bopped him on the head. Draco turned to Hermione and stated matter-of-factly, "I knowI will be in Slytherin, and just because cunning and ambition make successful leaders does not mean we're 'tetchy.'"

Ignoring the second part of his statement, Hermione turned to Harry, "What about you, Harry, where do you think you'll be Sorted?"

Harry sighed, "Hoping for Slytherin. Probably Hufflepuff." He seemed to deflate even further into Draco's arm and the depressed aura around him could be cut with a knife. Draco stared unblinkingly at the brunette wizard for several moments, until Harry snapped, "What?"

"I'm waiting for the ghostly noises that will signify you've passed on."

"Why you-"

Hermione winced for the blonde git, and tried not to watch Harry's fury take the form of physical vengeance.

"Ow! What the-"

"AND WHY WOULD I BE DYING, HUH?"

Hermione rubbed her own head sympathetically; Draco, however, was undeterred, and laughed.

"Of despair, of course!"

Draco's maniacal laughter coupled with the steam whistling out of Harry's noise and ears caused Hermione to develop a splitting headache.

Draco continued to laugh at Harry's fury. "OW! Harry- OUCH! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!"

Harry stopped whacking Draco on the chest mid-hit. "Okay." At some point during Harry's rampage, Draco had fallen onto the floor and Harry had straddled his stomach- so Harry stood and helped Draco up before calmly taking a seat next to Hermione and coaxing her into another lecture on a book. Harry appeared just as fascinated as before with Hermione's opinions and cross-referencing and Draco eyed him with complete disbelief. What is wrong with this kid?

(o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o)

Eventually, Hermione excused herself to continue aiding the search for another wizard's toad, and Harry and Draco changed into their simple, black school robes. Harry had unabashedly taken Hermione's last suggestion as soon as she shut the door, and although Draco had protested at first (Malfoys do not change in the prescence of another), Harry had countered with the fact that not only were they both boys, but they weren't even taking everything off. Draco had flushed almost bright red at that, and spent the next few minutes pondering his own reaction before Harry distracted him...

"Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco turned, buttoning up his black vest, and felt like screaming when he saw the horrible scene set before him. Harry had managed to get the tie around his shoulder, the vest buttoned wrong, the robe inside out, and somehow had developed angry red hives up the side of his neck.

"Can I have help with the tie?"

Draco nearly fainted.

(o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o)

After sorting out Harry's dressing disaster and discovering Harry had an allergy to whatever material the tie was made of, the rest of their trip was passed in reviewing information on their class subjects and different Wizarding traditions and customs. (Draco insisted Qudditch was a ceritifiable tradition of the Wizarding world.) When the Hogwarts Express screeched to a halt, Harry was up and out in the hall before Draco could register the movement. Draco joined the slightly bouncing Harry in the hallway, and as soon as Harry knew Draco was next to him he took off again. Draco widened his stride and sped his steps, calling, "Wait up, Harry!"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and rolled his eyes, shifting from foot to foot in his excitement. The other students would have made it impossible to see him if it were not for his eternally messy hair sticking up like a black flag and guiding Draco in a style reminiscent to boat and light house. Not eager to repeat his mistake, Draco linked arms with Harry before he could escape, causing the green-eyed boy to trip due to the unexpected interference. Luckily(?), the cause of Harry's downfall also happened to keep his face from becoming close friends with the carpet. Harry glared momentarily at Draco before a grin stretched across his features, "I'm going to a school for magic. Magic!"

Draco grinned in response- he just couldn't help it, "Just realized this, eh?"

Harry scowled at him and promptly dragged Draco off the train to get their trunks from the luggage car. Just as Harry was about to open the door to the luggage car, Draco managed to get Harry to listen to him.

"HARRY! LISTEN! As you so eloquently put before, this is a school for magic, and our trunks are now magically in a room in Hogwarts, where they will stay until we are Sorted!" (1)

Harry paused, before he gave Draco a smile so large Draco swore he could see Harry's molars, "Wicked!"

"Firs' years o'er 'ere! Firs' years!" A familiar voice called over the crowd, "Firs' years 'ere!"

Harry's grin, if possible, widened further as he turned and ran through the crowd, hugging the waist of a certain half-giant. "Hagrid!"

"'Arry!" Hagrid smiled down at the boy fondly, and nodded kindly at Draco- who had followed at a more leisurely pace, "Malfoy."

Draco nodded curtly, "Hagrid."

Hagrid gently disentangled the brunette preteen from himself and bellowed, "Firs' years in the boats! Four studen's ter a boat! No more, no less!" The smaller students gravitated towards Hagrid's voice before scurrying into the wooden rowboats on the lake's edge. Harry caught sight of a brown, moving bush and pulled Draco swiftly through the crowd.

"Hermione! Can we join you?" Harry asked excitedly. Hermione was in the proccess of sitting in a boat with a plump, nervous-looking brunette who was throwing concerned glances (concentrated on Draco) at the two boys.

Hermione beamed, "You actua- I mean, sure!"

Draco rolled his eyes and began to mutter something to Harry, but Harry pushed Draco into the boat -where he sprawled gracelessly in the bottom- before getting in a bit more cautiously himself. Ignoring Draco's homicidal growlings, Harry learned that the sandy-haired boy's name was Neville Longbottom, and once again introduced himself as simply Harry. After a bit of confusion on Hermione's part about the lack of oars and the boats beginning their journey across the lake, Harry attempted to find some common ground with Neville. Eventually he drew the shy boy into a discussion of the different plays in Quidditch, which Hermione endured good-naturedly, and after a few minutes Draco reservedly joined the conversation.

Suddenly, Hagrid's voice rang out over the water, "Bit o' an o'erhang here, so- duck!" Three of the four immediately followed Hagrid's advice, while Draco was yanked down by Harry at the last minute. When the four righted themselves, the majestic view of Hogwarts met their eyes. All the students immediately hushed at their first sight of the castle. It towered over the lake on a slight hill and random windows were lit and darkened, creating puddles of light as the first years' boats silently made their way across the water. The stone building had several tall towers that would have overshadowed the rest of the school were it not for the intricate seal on the flags flying at equal intervals along the terraces. Despite himself, Draco kept finding his gaze straying towards the black-haired wizard in front of him, and the look of absolute awe and happiness on his face. I wish I could make him look like that. Draco frowned, where had that thought come from? Ignoring the twinge in his heart, Draco focused solely on the castle, his concentration so high, he didn't notice the minutes ticking by until the boat came to an abrupt stop. Looking around, he realized they had landed and hopped easily out of the rowboat. Harry, however, could not take his eyes off Hogwarts and Draco ended up making another record dash-and-catch when Harry tripped out of the boat. Hermione teased Harry about it for half the walk up the slope to the school and Neville snickered at Harry's vehement insistence that it was on purpose. Draco had slung an arm around Harry's shoulders and reassured him that Harry could always count on Draco to catch him when he fell... Until the thirteenth time because that was just unlucky.

Draco held the side of his head gingerly for the rest of the walk up to the school.

An elderly witch in an emerald-green dress robe with a no-nonsense attitude met them at the door of the castle. "Thank you Hagrid, I'll take it from here. Now then. The Sorting will commence shortly in the Great Hall and I expect every one of you to on your best behavior. Anyone caught misbehaving willl be assigned a suitable punishment by myself, regardless of whether or not you are Sorted into my House or not." With that out of the way she began a short lecture on rules that most students ignored.

"The Sorting? My brothers told me you have to fight a troll!" A nearby red-head exclaimed, just as Harry fell heavily onto his back due to the jostling nature of the crowd. Draco held out a hand to help Harry up just as the red-head turned around and Draco recognized the boy as the latest Weasley spawn to irritate him.

Ron turned when he heard a thump from behind him, and realized it was Harry Potter who had just fallen. "Harry, right?" Seeing Draco hold out a hand, he quickly held out his own, "Here. You shouldn't have to accept help from Death Eater scum like Malfoy here. See, some families are really Dark and evil, and you shouldn't be forced to be 'friends' with them. I can help you with that."

Harry, who had at first been pleased to see the heavily freckled boy, scowled darkly, "I think I can decide who my friends are for myself," Reaching up, he clasped Draco's hand and stood, "But thanks for stopping me from making a big mistake and being friendly with someone like you."

Ron's smirk turned to a shocked and angry expression. "YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU BLOODY GIT-"

"Mr. Weasley!" The female teacher began making her way through the crowd, "You will be docked five points from whichever House you are placed in for such disrespectful behavior amongst your peers." She shook her head and sighed wearily, "What are children coming to these days?" With that she strode back up the steps and turned to face the small crowd, "The Sorting will soon begin! Please walk calmly and orderly into the Great Hall!" The veritable wave of students flowed through the doors after the witch. The excitable chatter of the first years suddenly ceased when one of the young witches shrieked shrilly. Several pearly white people in clothing from several different time periods were floating through the air and walls of the entry chamber in front of the Great Hall.

"Those are ghosts?" Harry whispered to Draco, tickling his ear. Draco merely nodded, a light dusting of pink adorning his normally pale cheeks. What's wrong with me? The entry hall had many portraits and two large staircases that intersected but did not join halfway up between the first and second floor.

The emerald-clad witch leading the students paused and spoke clearly, "You would do well to take note of the fact that theses staircases are the only ones in the entire school that will not move around on you." Hermione took the statement literally and whipped out a notebook and Ever-Ink quill out of some concealed pocket in her robes and scribbled down the teacher's sentence.

The elderly witch then turned and opened the doors into the Grand Hall. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat at the beauty of it. The walls were a shade between gold and cream and had white marble pillars up the length of it to the arched ceiling- the prominant part of the Hall. It appeared as if there was actually no ceiling at all and was simply open to the cloud-speckled, bright blue sky.

Hermione whispered to Neville in the same tone of voice one would use in a sacred building or place, "It's an incredibly complicated enchantment to mirror the sky above it. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Neville nodded earnestly.

There were five tables in total, four were perpendicular to the door, while the furthest, and smallest, table was parallel with it. The four large tables had green, yellow, blue and red tablecloths, respectively from left to right. The head table had a crisp white tablecloth, as if to signify the unity of the other four. Sitting on a plain three-footed stool between the four student tables and the staff table (as Harry believed them to be) was a ragged brownish-gray witch hat. When a tear on the brim of the hat opened wide and a song issued from it, Harry was too startled to catch more than the aspects of the different Houses. He had realized they'd be Sorted by a hat but hadn't made the connection that the hat would haveto have the sentience and intelligence to Sort them. The same witch that led them into the Great Hall stood up and introduced herself as McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall directed them to walk up and place the Sorting Hat on their heads when she called their name and began listing off students alphabetically by last name. In a short time, Hermione's name was called, and she shot a nervous grin at Harry and Neville (Draco was just there) before running eagerly up and almost shoving the Hat on her head.

After a moment's pause, the Hat shouted, "GRYFF-" And stopped with a puzzled expression that was mirrored by the entire staff. "RAVENCLAW!" For a moment there was silence as Hermione placed the Hat back down on the stool, but eventually the Ravenclaw table burst into applause as theyhad done for all the other students they had received. The other three tables clapped politely, Gryffindor a bit grudgingly.

Harry grinned at Hermione, and sank back into a stupor that lasted throughout most of the alphabet and surfaced from his daze when, "Longbottom, Neville!" was called. Neville tentatively put the Hat on his head, his cheeks flaming at being the center of attention. This time, the Hat opened its mouth to speak and promptly shut it several times before shouting, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Neville nearly forgot to take the Hat off as he rushed in relief to his new table.

"Malfoy, Draco!" Harry wanted to bash his head against the wall. Now he'd be alone.

Draco seemed to sense where his train of thought was going and squeezed his shoulder, "It's just two more letters." He strode confidently to the stool and the Hat shrieked out the House before it even touched his blonde hair, "SLYTHERIN!"

Harry noticed only two more of the Sortings before his own, his self-confidence and happiness disappearing now that he didn't have Draco as support.

"Nott, Theodore!" was sorted into Slytherin with only a few seconds of deliberation, as was, "Parkinson, Pansy!" There were twins that were split up into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and then...

"Potter, Harry!" Murmurs broke out all over the Great Hall. Harry took a deep breath and focused on walking, but he couldn't help seeking out what his new friends' expressions would be. Neville gave him a grin right away, not seeming to care. Hermione looked shocked for a few seconds before smiling encouragingly. Surprisingly, Draco was leaning forward, so intent on watching Harry be Sorted, that he didn't notice Pansy and Theo badgering him for not saying exactly which Harry he was.

Harry felt his hands break out in a sweat and surreptitiously wiped them off on his pants before taking a seat on the wooden stool and placing the hat on his head.

Oh, you've got quite a bit of potential here... Harry jumped at the voice in his head, before recognizing the dusty tone as the Hat. Good brains, but not enough book-love for Ravenclaw... Gryffindor... Could work, but you would not truly fit in all that well... Hufflepuff, would be in line with your obvious loyalty to that Malfoy boy, and your self-sacrificing- wait, what's this? Harry fought the urge to squirm as the Hat delved deeper into his memories. Your cunning... Surpasses that of some of the more successful Slytherins... But your work ethic points towards Hufflepuff and your ambition is just lying beneath the surface- there's a need to prove yourself, and yet- I... You are evenly divided, yet both Houses could cause you just as much harm as help and... Suddenly the Hat spoke aloud. "Dumbledore? Trust me on this one." The entire Hall fell silent, before erupting in excited whispers and even a few shouts. "You, my boy, are a SLYTHERPUFF!"


Don't kill me! I really think the way I've written him, he belongs in both Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Also, I've always wondered what would happen if a student was evenly divided between two Houses....

Please review! If anyone has any ideas about the crest on his robe, you can pm me or just put it in a review!

(1) They never retrieved their trunks from the train in the books... And even if they did, where did they go in the boats and the Great Hall? So I made this part up.