"Hufflepuff!" The sorting hat at long last declared, giving an impatient Draco Malfoy time to concoct dozens of schemes that would involve burning the stupid hat to get it to give its answer sooner.

The 'Puffs, as they always did, applauded politely. Curt Finn was welcomed with open arms and grinning faces. As they did, Draco Malfoy relaxed, if only slightly (hopefully too slightly to be noticed).

The sorting ended, with the last girl headed to Ravenclaw (quelle surprise, she had the squinty look of a scholar about her), and the feast began.

Draco Malfoy ate with gusto and decorum, managing to eat nearly as much as Vince or Greg, and yet completely elegantly, with crossed silverware at the end. His eyes had sought out Potter at first opportunity, at first slightly disappointed that no one had managed to teach Potter manners, and then, with a bit more inspection, seeing that they had - it was just that the manners were shabby. Now who would take the time to instruct Potter in shabby manners, of all things? Draco blinked, finding himself wondering what they had been doing with Potter for months, now. Before seeing the boy, it had been easy enough to file the whole shenanigan under 'training' - but now Draco found himself suddenly markedly interested.

As the feast began to break up, Draco Malfoy was one of the first to leave, quietly signaling to his friends to stay seated. He strode with a graceful stride, quick and sure - the type that had people sliding out of his way despite his lack of hurry. He stood outside the Great Hall, and waited, leaning, as was his custom, against a stone statue of a dryad (a perplexing choice of medium, Draco had always thought).

Potter was one of the first to leave, which was a mistake - however, one that Potter was not going to get to see the consequences of. As Potter approached, Draco kicked off from the statue, standing tall. Potter's eyes focused intently on Draco, as Draco re-introduced himself, hand outstretched. "I'm Draco Malfoy. If you stick with me, I'll show you exactly who you should be friends with."

Potter's eyes had gone dark, for a second - undoubtedly remembering the first time Draco had given him this exact greeting. And then, they seemed to clear - as if he was reminding himself that he was a Hufflepuff, and that Draco was introducing himself to someone new.

"Pleasure to meet you." Potter said as he grasped Draco's hand.

"Always," Draco responded, and then tugged - catching Potter quite off-balance, as Draco's jerk sent him stumbling into the alcove, where Draco's back was now against the wall.

The hallway in front of the Great Hall had been more silent than was normal, but inside the enfolding, stultifying, silence of Draco's anti-eavesdropping spell, you could hear a pin drop. Potter, straightening, started to open his mouth - at which point, Draco precisely cut him off. "Potter, I know it's you."

A brown-eyed Blink, and then another. Finally, as if the word came bursting out like a river bursting its banks, Harry Potter shouted, "Howww?"

Draco Malfoy simply smirked, and said, "Now that would be telling. But we'll make such great friends, won't we?"

Harry Potter eyed his former? rival skeptically.

"You can do my Herbology homework, and I can keep your secrets." Draco Malfoy said calmly.

"You know better than to trust my Herbology homework." Harry snorted.

"I do, but - " here Draco smiled, "You're the new kid, remember?" Draco stuck his hands in his pockets, and smirked sideways at Potter, "Besides, nobody would believe I'd be friends with a Hufflepuff if I wasn't getting something out of it."

Potter's eyes were growing steadily more worried, Draco thought, eyeing the fretting boy. Best to make an exit before he switches over to fightin'. "It's left, left, two doors down, and then hang the first right. Go down the stairs and follow the yellow." Draco said quickly, turning to leave.

"What's that, again?" Potter asked.

"Directions to the Hufflepuff Common Room." Draco said, flashing a knife-quick smile, "Don't say I never did anything for you."

[a/n: Plot, meet Draco. Leave a review?]