Hogwarts Express, September 1st, 1991
Harry's Pov.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, nothing that's what! 'Are you sure you want to ride the train? You don't have to, if you don't want to.' Yeah, I'm sure, it will be a great opportunity to make friends and meet kids my own age, before the stress of school kicks in. How do you even make friends? Do you just go up to people and be, like, 'Hey you want to be friends?'? I say, berating myself. In my frustration I start to feel my magic start to stir, making my body itch and forcing me to sit and take a few calming breaths, to try and settle it.
Sitting in my compartment I take a moment to regain my composer. Thankfully I chose the last compartment, in the last car, just in case of this particular development. "Okay, okay. It's fine, I knew that this wouldn't be easy. I just need to find someone and start talking to them, right? Then, if we hang out regularly enough, we can be friends. But how do I know I found a potential friend? I guess, I'll get to that when I actually meet someone. The train just left the station, so should I leave and start exploring the train or should I stay and let them come to me? I am pretty famous so maybe I should let them come to me. I may be trampled by people wanting to meet me. You know what I'll wait a few hours and if someone doesn't show up by then I'll go." So, with that decided I grabbed one of my many times great grandfathers journal and started to read.
It's been a couple hours and since then I changed tasks and started to go through my bank statements and other family affairs, trying to organize the mess that was left behind since the end of the war. Thankfully the Potter Family was fairly well kept together. Things where clearly organized and kept track of. The Black's on the other hand, not so much. You can clearly see that the last Lord of the Family, Arcturus Black, was starting to lose his sanity towards the end of his life. Guess, all that inbreeding had to catch up sometime, thankfully he had enough clarity of mind to make Sirius his heir. With Sirius being unceremoniously thrown into Azkaban, I was able to activate the Last of Line clause in the Family charters. Doing so allowed me to have access things that I otherwise wouldn't have learned about till I turned seventeen. Best of which, it allowed me to start building a case for my imprisoned godfather.
Looking back to the bank statements for House Black, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer idiocy of Lucius Malfoy. It was at this moment when I heard someone enter the train car that I was in and start running in my direction. Knowing that I was the only one in this car, I knew that whoever it was, was either running from someone or was looking for me. So, quickly putting away the documents and taking out my grandfather's journal I had just opened it to where I left off when the door flew open, and a plump looking boy runs in and closes the door in a hurry. It's then that I hear more people enter the car.
"Search every compartment, he couldn't have gotten far. This is the last car, so he has to be hiding here somewhere." came the voice of what sounded like a young man. Not looking up from my book, I could feel the gaze of the boy, who had entered my compartment in a rush, clearly not expecting anyone to be this far back on the train. As the voices got closer, I could hear the mysterious boy stiffen as he finally was able to hear them as well.
"This is the last room, boss. He has to be in here." said a second boy, who from the tone of which, I could tell he wasn't the brightest of candles in the box. Then the door opens and there in the doorway was three young boys. The first was pale, skinny, and had platinum blonde hair, the second, tall, plump and had a buzz cut hair style, and lastly the third was small, plump, and also had a buzz cut.
"Ah, there you are Longbottom, we were looking for you." said the blonde with a cruel smile adorning his face. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to hide from someone who is looking for you? Oh wait, she didn't! Hahaha" the two goons on either side of him laughing along.
"Just leave me alone, Malfoy." shouted a clearly upset Longbottom, who had tears starting to tail down his face.
"Ah, I didn't mean to make you cry." Malfoy said with fake concern. "Weren't you saying a minute or two that you hoped to be in Gryffindor, just like your parents. I don't think they allow crybabies into the House of the Brave."
"If you want to talk about manners then clearly your own mother failed to teach you anything as well and since yours, Mr. Malfoy, is still alive and well I'd say that's an even greater failure than that of Mr. Longbottom. Then taking into account that Mrs. Malfoy was once a member of House Black that's an even worse transgression. Seeing how she was raised knowing how to behave in a manner befitting of a pureblood a lesson she clearly never imparted onto yourself." I say finally having enough of the blatant bullying. "Since it's polite to knock and wait to be allowed entry into someone's compartment, how about you exit and try that again?" I say slightly forcefully in order to get my point across and with some wandless magic I lightly push them out of the compartment and close the door. Never once looking up from the journal.
Then after a moment came a slow knock, I set the journal down, get up and answer the door. "Hello gents, what can I do you?" I say with a smile. "Hi... um... I'm Draco Malfoy and this is Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe and we were looking to talk with Neville Longbottom." The now introduced Draco manages to get out gesturing to the boys behind him, still somewhat stunned about the display of wandless magic.
"Hello Mr. Malfoy, I'm Harry Potter and I'm sorry to inform you but Mr. Longbottom doesn't wish to see anyone at this time. Poor boy ran in here clearly upset about something and I plan to allow him sanctuary for as long as he needs. I hope you understand, now is there anything I can help you with?" I politely respond.
"Wait, your Harry Potter? You'll come to find that some wizarding families are better than others I can help you in that regard and would like to offer my hand in friendship." Malfoy quicky spits out trying to recover the situation not expecting me to be the boy-who-lived and offering his hand.
Looking down at Draco's hand then back up at him, "I must decline your offer Mr. Malfoy." Putting up my hand in order to stop him from interjecting I continued, "For one what I witnessed earlier did nothing to endear me to you as a potential friend or ally, also as your probably aware I am very famous and therefore are many that would seek me out in order to try and become my friend by any means necessary. Therefore, I cannot accept your offer in good conscience. However, I will accept a stance of neutrality between ourselves, and maybe at a later date we can rediscuss the terms of our relationship."
Draco then gets a look of consideration to my words for a few moments then nods, "I leave you and yours alone and you do the same to same to me and mine?" asking for confirmation to his thoughts.
"For the most part yes. I don't want to catch you pulling the same stunt that brought you to this compartment, however, but yes." I say offering my own hand this time.
"That is about as fair as I'm going to get. Very well I accept your terms Mr. Potter." Shaking my hand and with that Draco and his friends left.