The First Term- Harry

Harry's first day was a whirlwind of activity. While the other boys moaned about the early hour, he hurtled out of bed, and rushed to wash and get dressed. He inspected his class schedule at breakfast, while Neville moaned over a letter from his grandmother. She wasn't entirely pleased about his sorting, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

They had transfiguration first thing that morning, followed by a short break and later, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lunch would be right after that, and soon after they would head to Potions. History of Magic was the final class for the day. Between bites of sausage, fried eggs, baked beans and buttered toast, Harry began to scribble a letter to Aunt Petunia, telling her about Hufflepuff.

The dirty dishes and empty platters disappeared from the table, signalling the end of breakfast, so he tucked his unfinished letter into a notebook and rushed off to his first class. He and Neville got lost due to the moving staircases more than once that day, and they were only just on time for their classes. Transfiguration was interesting, but difficult. It was so hard to turn a match into a pin that Harry couldn't even begin to think about turning himself into an animal, the way McGonagall had transformed into a cat. Charms proved to be a fun class, and Flitwick a kind and effective teacher. Harry immediately knew that this would be one of his favourite classes. Professor Moody, who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, terrified and thrilled the first years by recounting duels with dark wizards. He did seem very paranoid though, and lectured them about being constantly vigilant.

By the time their lunch hour had arrived, Harry was exhausted. However, remembering the foreboding words of the older Hufflepuffs, he ate as quickly as he could, completed his letter to Aunt Petunia and made Neville and Hannah leave their table early to get to Potions on time. They were the first ones in the freezing dungeon classroom, and the Potions teacher, Professor Snape looked slightly surprised, and Harry fancied, a little impressed at their enthusiasm.

Harry was thoroughly fascinated with Professor Snape. His cloak billowed out dramatically behind him as he walked around the room, and Harry made up his mind to search for a charm that would do the same for his cloak. The rest of the class settled in; they would be partnered with Ravenclaw.

Snape glared at them, as though they had already ruined several potions. 'There will be no foolish wand waving, or stupid incantations in this class. This magic is far more subtle than that. As such, I do not expect many of you will succeed.'

He spoke slowly and softly. The room was silent. The students barely dared to breathe.

'For those of you with potential, I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory…and even put a stopper in DEATH.'

Harry was enthralled. The man was utterly theatrical. Harry now wanted nothing more than to learn to put a stopper in death.

'And now, a quiz. I shall see which of you dunderheads read ahead. I expect none of you bothered.' Snape ran a long, thin finger down the list of names on his register. 'Ah. Mr. Dursley. Tell me, where would I find a bezoar?'

Harry's thoughts raced; he had read this during the summer. 'The stomach of a goat, sir?'

Snape raised an eyebrow. 'Correct. Ms. Patil, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?'

Padma Patil, a Ravenclaw girl, started, and stared around panicked. 'Um, there is no difference? Sir? They're the same plant?'

Snape looked a bit put out that both students had managed to answer correctly. He waved his wand ('Aha! There IS wand waving in this class!' Harry thought) and the instructions for a Cure for Boils appeared on the board. He walked up and down the aisle, breathing down the students' necks, attempting to make them nervous. Having grown up with a teacher, Harry was well aware of these tactics and was not phased at all. Harry and Neville worked together, and managed to successfully brew the potion, much to Snape's surprise. Evidently, he had judged them as being amongst the foolish wand wavers. He grumpily accepted their samples and tested them.

'Your cure for boils is acceptable,' said Snape grudgingly. 'I suppose you may have five points for Hufflepuff.'

Harry and Neville grinned at each other and high fived. Snape rolled his eyes. When everyone was done, he assigned the class an essay on appropriate substitutes for the ingredients of the potion they had just made.

History of Magic followed Potions, and although Harry loved the subject, Professor Binns was thoroughly dull. It should have been exciting, being taught by a ghost, but Binns personified the phrase 'bored to death' perfectly. Harry was glad that he had Bathilda Bagshot's books. They were well written and reliable; he wouldn't need to pay too much attention to Binns.

Buoyed by his small victory in Potions class, he rushed off to the library to complete his homework before supper. He had almost completed everything when he ran into a small conundrum, and made a note to ask Snape about it after the next class. The recipe called for mucus from a slug, and his research told him that one could replace the slug mucus with that of a snail. But, Harry wondered, what if the snail was poisonous, as some were wont to be? The next day, he cautiously put his question to the professor, earning him a twitch of the mouth, which Harry took to be a smile.

'Yes, one must indeed be careful when choosing which snail they're using. The wrong one can exacerbate the boils. Good observation Mr. Dursley.'

Harry scrawled Snape's explanation in his notebook and made to leave the dungeon.

'Mr. Dursley.'

Harry turned around, wondering if he was in trouble. 'Yes, sir?'

Snape scrutinised him. 'It appears that you may be one of the few students with some capacity for this subject. I would like to offer you some extra practice, and perhaps have you try brewing some more complex potions.'

Pleased, Harry thanked him and left the dungeon. Aunt Petunia would be happy to hear that he was doing so well. Later that week, Harry made his way to the chilly Potions classroom for his extra class. Several other students from the other houses would be joining them. He knew at least one; Hermione Granger from Gryffindor had been boasting about it all over school. Padma Patil would also be there, and Harry hoped he could partner with her, as he already knew her from several of his classes. As he neared the classroom, he overheard some voices.

'Uncle Sev, Father will kill me if I'm not top of my year, please help!' a boy sniffled.

'Draco, your father won't kill you,' said Snape, his tone weary. 'He just wants you to do your best.'

Draco sounded as though he were on the verge of tears. 'You know that isn't true, he said if any muggleborn students beat me, I'm not worthy of the house of Malfoy!'

'Oh Draco. Your father just wants you to fulfil your potential. Nevertheless, these classes will advance your skills.'

Uncomfortable with what he had just heard, Harry paused before knocking. He had grown up in a loving home- despite technically being an orphan, he had had a solid and wonderful home life. That a parent figure would be anything but kind and encouraging towards him was a foreign concept to Harry. Aunt Petunia would never have said such a thing to him, even if he hadn't been doing well at school, and Dumbledore had always been gently encouraging. He had disliked Draco from their first meeting on the train, and thought him spoilt and snobbish, but now, he simply felt sorry for the boy. He knocked on the door, and was told to come in.

'Good evening, Mr. Dursley. This is Mr. Malfoy, of Slytherin house. You two will be partners today.' Snape flipped open the potions text. 'You'll find your assigned potion on page 45. You may begin.'

Padma and Hermione turned up a few minutes later and were paired up. Harry did not dare protest working with Draco. Besides, Draco didn't seem to be in the mood to start trouble; his eyes were red, and he was subdued. They worked together quietly and efficiently and produced the assigned potion.

'You did pretty well in there, for a mu- for someone who hasn't been around magic before,' said Draco as they walked out together.

'Thanks,' said Harry, surprised. 'You did really well, too.'

'Not well enough,' muttered Draco, miserably. 'See you, Dursley.'

He hurried off before Harry could ask him what he meant.

Their first year rushed by, a blur of classes and exploring the castle and grounds. Letters flew between Hogwarts and Cullfield often, and Harry was relieved to know that his aunt was doing well without him. He had been worried that she would be lonely. She had recently started a book club with some of her friends in the village and had resumed tutoring children who were sitting their O Level examinations. His extra classes with Snape continued, and he was partnered with Draco each time. When Draco wasn't being snippy and arrogant- which he frequently forgot to be during these classes- Harry quite liked him, and the two began a tentative friendship. All seemed to be going well, until Draco bumped into Ron Weasley one evening after class.

'Red hair, freckles, hand me down robes… you must be a Weasley,' sneered Draco.

Harry suppressed a groan. WHY on earth did Draco feel the need to provoke this boy?

'Malfoy.' Ron glared at him. 'What're you doing skulking about at this hour? Doing dark magic like your dad?'

Draco lunged at Ron. 'Shut up! Shut up you blood traitor!'

Harry hastily grabbed onto Draco's robes and dragged him away.

'Let me at him! How dare he!' shrieked Draco, as Harry propelled him away from Ron.

Harry rolled his eyes. 'You insulted him first, idiot.'

'He's just a Weasley!' protested Draco. 'They're the worst, his dad is always trying to have my father arrested for having dark objects.'

'And does he?' asked Harry, innocently.

Draco gave him a dirty look. 'That's beside the point.'

'Well, I don't see why you need to provoke Ron like that. It's between your fathers, isn't it, not you.' Harry continued dragging Draco away. 'Doesn't make any sense for you to get into trouble over that. 'sides, what would your dad think if you got detention?'

Draco stopped struggling.

'You're right,' he said quietly. 'Father would murder me.'

They parted ways as Draco neared the entrance of the Slytherin common room, and left Harry wondering about Lucius Malfoy. He didn't see Snape, lurking in the shadows, listening to the exchange.

The First Year- Severus Snape

'So, Severus, how are your little extra sessions going?' said Dumbledore, popping a lemon drop in his mouth.

'Quite well professor. The Granger girl is proving to be the brightest witch in her year and Ms. Patil is keeping up with her,' said Severus, bored with the conversation already.

'And the other two, Mr. Dursley and Mr. Malfoy? How are they doing? And I did wonder, why you paired Mr. Malfoy with a muggleborn student, given his family's views.'

Severus gritted his teeth. Why Dumbledore was interested in four silly first years was beyond him. 'They're doing well. Very well. I paired them simply because Draco and Hermione Granger are far too headstrong for each other, and Ms. Patil and Mr. Dursley are too quiet to work together.'

Dumbledore gazed at him expectantly, clearly wanting details. Severus suppressed a groan.

'Alright, I admit it,' snapped Severus.

Dumbledore opened a box of chocolates, looking mildly interested in his outburst.

'Have a cherry chocolate, Severus, they're lovely. Now, what do you admit?'

'I thought Dursley might temper Draco's worst impulses, and undo some of the damage his father has done to him,' said Severus quietly, thinking of his pale, distressed godson. 'Harry might be muggleborn, but he is smart, and I thought by having them work together, Draco would come to his own conclusions about muggleborns.'

'And is it working?' said Dumbledore, waving the box of chocolates in Severus' face.

He took one just to make Dumbledore shut up about the damned chocolates. 'I believe so, yes. Draco and Harry are friends now, and I heard Harry discouraging him from fighting the Weasley boy the other day.'

'Excellent!' said Dumbledore, clapping his hands.

'Is that all, professor?' said Severus, desperately hoping that the conversation was at an end. Dumbledore smiled and dismissed him.

He mused on the situation as he stalked down the freezing hallway to the dungeons. Severus was concerned about the path Lucius expected Draco to take. It was one of hatred, and he didn't want that for the boy; he didn't want the child to repeat his mistakes. At present, Draco was stuck in an echo chamber of bigotry; his parents preached fanatically about blood purity and his school mates reinforced it. Draco badly needed a new perspective.

Severus knew exactly where he had gone wrong as a teenager. Choosing his Slytherin friends over Lily, and calling her that word had been the first of a long line of missteps. Taking the dark mark and joining Voldemort had been another stupid decision. Fortunately, he had managed to right those wrongs by taking the biggest risk of his life and switching sides during the war. It had worked out, thanks to the little Potter boy. Severus sighed as he did whenever he remembered the child's untimely death. His heart had gone out to Lily, and he had written her a note of condolence, which he wasn't sure if she ever got. The terrible scandal with James happened shortly after, and it was rumoured that they had left the country. His mouth thinned when he thought of James Potter and what he did to Lily. If he was being honest with himself, he briefly harboured a fantasy of her leaving Potter and reuniting with him. But then she and James left the country. Time and age provided him with the tools to get over his childhood love, and now he could safely say that he no longer loved Lily, although he still cared for her and always would. He had done his part to ensure that she survived the war, and life went on after that.

Severus didn't want Draco to end up on such a convoluted path. The road to redemption was rocky, and better avoided altogether. He hoped that Harry Dursley's friendship with Draco would keep him off that road. Perhaps the Dursley child could be to Draco what Lily was to him. Harry was an escape route for his godson, if only Draco would take it.

AN: Thanks so much to all the feedback and follows and likes! Let me know how you felt about this update and look out for the next chapter next week!