Chapter 1- A Different Attitude

"Are you sure you've eaten quite enough there Harry?"

"Can never have too much breakfast Mione, especially on Quidditch match days"

"Usually I would agree with you Harry, but throwing up over the other seeker doesn't necessarily mean he'll take pity on you and let you catch the snitch"

Ron was horrified.

"Harry doesn't need PITY Mione!" he was waving his spoon around and splatting Seamus with soggy bits of cereal.

They were at breakfast in the great hall as usual. It was a unusually bright autumn day and Harry was ready to get back on his broom.

"Harry barely ever loses a match! Pity?! Pfft"

"Yes Ron, we are all aware of Harry's talents but do you really have to attack me with your breakfast to prove your point?" Seamus was trying to control Ron's spoon waving with little success.

Harry just watched the familiar breakfast scene of his friends arguing with a small grin playing on his lips. Harry wasn't nervous, Harry was just hungry, but Hermione was always one to worry about unusual habits. Ron was always the one with complete confidence in Harry. Ron believed Harry always knew what he was doing, and Harry didn't like to break that trust. After all, it seemed the entire wizarding world had that same confidence in him as The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry may not always know exactly what he was doing, but he knew that he would always have people to guide him in the right direction.

Harry snapped out of his thoughtful trance when he noticed Draco Malfoy across the tables. He was chatting animatedly to Blaise Zabini who sat next to him, obviously fuming about some unjust punishment he had received or a grade that was too low for his liking because a frown was putting a dent in his graceful features. Blaise seemed uninterested and Draco soon realized this and continued to mutter quietly into his plate, his frown deepening.

Draco had grown up somewhat since first year. As an 11 year old Draco had been just like his father; obnoxious, spiteful and evil. He even had looked the same, blonde hair that was perfectly sculpted to his head, striking silver eyes that sparkled when inflicting pain and sharp pointed features. But Draco had changed in his 5 long years at Hogwarts and everyone was astonished at how different he had looked on their first day as 6th years.

His once slicked back hair was let loose to dangle about his face, his silver eyes still sparkled but they sparkled with a radiance nearly all the time, and not just when he was making someone angry or upset. His once pointed features had smoothed out making him easier on they eyes and much less...evil looking. Draco Malfoy was no longer an image of his father but something else. Something much different.

His personality had also changed dramatically over the summer. No one knew why, but Draco held back from provoking others as much as he could. He was quieter, less prominent in his house and seemed to draw back into the crowd.

Harry was even amazed to see that Draco hadn't once started a fight with him or any other Gryffindor for that matter. Not even Ron, who tried his very hardest to force Malfoy to insult him. Sometimes Draco fought back and it seemed he was back to normal but then he always managed to control himself at the last minute and walk away.

And now as Draco felt eyes on him and looked up into emerald pools of pity, Harry was sure that he didn't know Draco anymore. Draco wasn't evil. Who was he?

Draco looked up to see Harry looking at him, his spoon poised over his bowl, the other hand resting on his goblet. Draco would have usually sneered at him and made a cutting comment to get him to stop staring at him like that, but this year he told himself, was different.

Instead, Draco merely looked back to the contents of his plate and sighed. It wasn't just Draco that had changed for the better over the summer.

Draco knew about Potters bad childhood, he knew about the cupboard under the stairs, he knew about his Uncle and Aunt and had heard the horrible stories about that brute of a cousin he had, and so Draco knew when he looked at Harry he was glad to be back at Hogwarts. Draco thought Harry glowed when he arrived back at School for the first few weeks and right now that glow added to the beauty of the Gryffindor boy.

Harry was taller, darker and much more grown up. His hair was as unruly as ever but it was part of who Harry was and now looked more touchable than ever. His eyes had always been bright green and had always been something to admire about Harry. When you looked into them, you could read Harry like a book, everyone knew this. Harry had tanned over the summer and still held his colour which made his eyes stand out even more than usual. There was a difference about them this year though, they seemed somewhat empty, like something was missing.

"Black" Draco thought sadly to himself. He thought back over the events of last year, Sirius Blacks death must have hit Harry hard.

Draco looked back up from his plate and noticed Harry had turned back to Ron and was talking excitedly about the Match that afternoon against Slytherin.

Draco took the few minutes he had left before the golden Trio exited the Great Hall to notice Harry was now a handsome man, rather than a cute little boy.

"Nice to see he's wearing some nice clothes for once" Draco thought. He may not be allowed to provoke them out loud anymore but there was nothing stopping him in his head.

Harry was wearing muggle clothes that hugged him in all the right places. A tight black shirt and blue jeans showed off his toned body and Draco was pleased to see Harry finally had some taste.

"Now all he needs to do is get Granger to fix his eyesight for him and he'd be sex on legs"

Draco blinked as Harry left the hall. That cant be good. He knew his attitude towards the trio had to be different this year...but THAT different?

"I'm going slowly insane"Draco groaned audibly and pulled himself up from the table to follow Pansy and Blaise up to his common room.

This year was going to be tough.

Severus Snape drummed his fingers nervously on the arm of his seat as Dumbledore read over the letter from Lucius.

"You say this was sent this morning Severus?" Dumbledore didn't look up

"Yes Professor"

The office lapped back into stony silence as Dumbledore appeared to start back at the top and read over it once more.

"Very well Severus" Dumbledore looked up at him this time over his half moon spectacles and smiled "We shall do as Mr. Malfoy asks"

"But Pro-"

"Now, now Severus, I know what you are thinking but we cannot allow Lucius to think something is wrong. Besides, he is right. It is time for Draco to realize his full potential. He is a powerful weapon, we must make sure he is taught with the best intentions."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled like they usually did when he felt he was getting the better of someone and Snape couldn't help feeling reassured by this.

"Very well Professor"

"While we are at it Severus" Dumbledore continued, leaning back in his chair "We could begin training young Mr. Potter too. He also is in need of learning his full potential before the final battle and I cannot help feeling it isn't long now before that time is upon us"

Snape sighed and began to frown. The Potter boy. Of course.

Even though Snape detested Harry he couldn't deny that Dumbledore was right. Voldemort was now stronger and more powerful than ever and it was only a matter of time before he decided to strike. They needed to be prepared, and this meant Harry needed to start preparing himself.

"I will be glad to train them both Professor" he reluctantly replied after a few seconds.

"Excellent. I shall send them both a message tonight and they will begin on Monday evening after dinner. It will be up to you to arrange the meetings from then on. I trust you will tutor them well"

Dumbledore smiled then, and Snape knew this as his cue to leave.

"Might I suggest" Dumbledore added just as Snape opened the door "asking Professor Lupin for some assistance. I know he has some valuable knowledge that could come in useful for both boys, when the time comes."

"You seem intent on lumbering me with people I detest Headmaster" Snape growled, beginning to feel he was the unluckiest Wizard around "Couldn't I ask-"

"No Severus, Remus will do just fine" and Dumbledore turned to Fawkes and began to stroke him carefully.

"Goodnight Professor Snape" was all that he heard as he shut the door behind him and stormed quickly back to his office.

This year was going to be hell.

A/N: Sod it all! I forgot about the authors note at the end of the first bit. Meh well, gives me an excuse to post this one doesn't it? Sorry it starts off really slow, but it gets better I promise, and I know exactly what's going to happen. Kind of exactly...a little bit. I have a general idea.

Ahem AAAAnyways, in reply to my hundreds of reviews rolls eyes, I know Lucius was sent to Azkaban but you cant really have a good slashy H/D story without him can you?

Anything else I want to say? Oh yeah, I'm thinking of updating weekly so every Saturday. And everyone has to go read fics by Slytherin Snakes coz she is the best and she just rules.

There we are. So in the next chapter there's Quidditch, a fight, aaand...a lot of explaining. Geez I need to work on interesting openings.