Harry felt a tingling in his hand as the ring bound itself to his magical signature. Lucius raised a platinum eyebrow. The nausea was now starting to make his belly churn. Harry recalled nearly being sick the other time that he had visited Gringotts as well, silently cursing his fragile constitution.

"Curious. The ring is not supposed to bond to the recipient until he or she has recited the oath. At any rate, allow me to be the first to congratulate the new Lord Potter."

Harry's only response was to turn about quickly and empty his stomach all over the stone floor, finally passing out against the table. Had he been awake to see himself, he surely would have been positively disgusted at his unintentionally poor etiquette. At least he had managed not to soil his clothing or anybody else's. Narcissa cleaned the area with a few quick charms and Lucius levitated the unconscious Harry to the Malfoy family's carriage, in which he would be ferried to their Wiltshire manor in order to be treated properly. His favorite silken cape dragged unceremoniously along the dirty floor as they moved.

Chapter Four: A Malfoy's Machinations – Onward to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: If you've seen it before, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's mine. Naturally, I'm making no money off this. Am I the only one that finds these things to be extremely repetitive and pointless?


Late that evening, a pensive Lucius Malfoy sat alone in his private study, mulling over the day's events. The Potter boy had exhibited a frightening level of power during his altercation with Albus Dumbledore, and had done what even the late Dark Lord had never been able to do in forcing the old man to his knees. And he had a tangible aura. Very few wizards possessed enough magical strength to accomplish such a feat, even after a lifetime of study and training. And Potter, a mere child, had done it. The strain on his magic had pushed him into unconsciousness afterwards and he was now resting under Narcissa's care in another wing of the manor, but those facts had little bearing of the significance of what Lucius had seen and felt at Gringotts. The boy's power would no doubt increase exponentially as he grew into adulthood and beyond, and Lucius surmised that Potter should surpass both his former master and the old coot in terms of power by the time he reached his full threshold, given the proper stimulation.

Lucius intended to make it his business to provide that and much more. A plan was beginning to form in the aristocrat's mind. Many would call it a dangerous venture, but the potential rewards were astronomical. Potter had already taken well to Draco and the rest of the family, and harbored a keen dislike for the headmaster. In addition, the boy was an absolute glutton for praise and attention with a level of foolish naiveté that was in many respects comical. It would be possible to subvert him to the dark side. Lucius would worm his way even further into the boy's affections, and take him on as a sort of surrogate son. Not in the legal sense, as Potter was legally emancipated and would never part with that old Muggle grandmother of his regardless, but in an emotional sense. The boy's somewhat effeminate nature hinted strongly to the fact that he had never been blesses with a real father figure.

And that was only the beginning. Lucius had reached the conclusion in these past couple of hours that he could turn the boy's burgeoning power to his family's ultimate advantage. With such a power at his command, he could in due time establish himself as the next Dark Lord and bring the Malfoy family to the exalted glory that it had every right to enjoy. Lucius put on the front of remaining loyal to his old master in front of his Death Eater associates, but it was all an act. That creature, hardly even a proper wizard in the genealogical sense, treated his loyal followers no better than bloody House Elves. Lucius, the proud scion of one of the oldest and most prodigious wizarding lines in the entire world, had been forced to kneel like a dog and kiss that half-blood's robes. He had also been made to squander a large portion of his family's fortunes in funding Voldemort's fruitless ventures during the last rising. Neither was the man devoted to his supposed ideals. Voldemort had cared little for the purity of blood or the cleansing of the magical world. His efforts stemmed solely from a mindless drive for personal vengeance against Dumbledore and all Muggles for the abuse that he had suffered as a child. Lucius would never have taken the Dark Mark had he known the true nature of the lord to whom he was swearing fealty. He would be far happier never seeing his former master again.

And that was an additional reason for Lucius to bring the Potter boy over to the dark side, the aristocrat mused silently as he took a sip of his merlot. The possibility lingered that his old master was recuperating somewhere, gathering his energies and waiting to make his return to power. Were that to happen, Lucius would no doubt be forced into the same humiliating service as before, unless he had a stronger power of his own to protect him and his family. Dumbledore was not an option. Lucius would never lower himself to hiding behind that Muggle-loving fool. Upon reaching his majority, Potter could realistically battle against Voldemort and win. Many of the other prominent former Death Eaters would also line up behind Lucius were he to gain control over a power such as that. Most of them had surely been every bit as disenchanted with their former master as he himself had been, but all kept those feelings hidden behind their own masks.

Just as Lucius was about to begin working out the specific details as to how exactly he would put the early phases of his grand scheme into motion, the door opened and his wife entered the room. Narcissa gave her husband a brief kiss and settled down into the armchair opposite him, pouring herself a glass of wine from his bottle.

"Ah, Narcissa. How is our guest convalescing?"

"Well enough, dear. He regained consciousness almost an hour ago. Draco is currently keeping him company in the guest rooms. I have to admit that I was beginning to worry. He was comatose for well over eight hours. That outpouring of magic was really too much for the poor boy's fragile body to handle."

Lucius chuckled and smiled at his wife. They were a loving couple beneath the cold and unfeeling veneer that they exhibited in public. It was one of the admittedly rare cases of an arranged marriage that truly did work out perfectly. She had always had a strong maternal side, and was mostly at fault for Draco's spoiled demeanor. He and Harry Potter had that much in common, which is one of the reasons why they were able to make such fast friends. Ironically, what Lucius had long viewed as his son's most abysmal failing would now prove to be one of his greatest assets in the task to which he was to be set.

"You seem to have formed quite an attachment to the child."

"He's such a sweet boy, Lucius. I couldn't imagine a person not adoring him on sight. I had always expected that the Boy-Who-Lived would be a perfect clone of his father. Obnoxious and arrogant, and a Gryffindor to the core of his being. And I'm sure that's exactly how he would have ended up had Dumbledore been given his way. It's such good fortune that you happened upon him in the bank that morning. Imagine, the savior of our world growing up with only that small vault to sustain him."

"Indeed, being introduced to the respectable side of wizarding society from the start will do him nothing but good. I have every intention of keeping a close watch over him at Hogwarts and will instruct Draco to do the same. I'll not allow the headmaster to manipulate the child into becoming his golden boy."

"That's good. He should be perfectly well within the next few days, provided that he takes the restorative draughts that I've brewed. However, there will no doubt be several repeats of this afternoon's episode as Harry grows older and his magical reservoir continues to multiply and deepen. He is quite literally too powerful for his frame. An effective countermeasure would be to have him embark onto some sort of physical training program to augment his body's tolerance level. It would be best for us to assist him in finding an activity that he enjoys doing and arrange for him to have a private instructor while at Hogwarts. Perhaps Draco could get involved as well."

Lucius nodded his agreement.

"Draco has already informed me that Harry harbors a certain disdain for Quidditch."

"He does seem to be more inclined towards indoor activities. Well, I'm certain that we can help him to choose something."

"I think it would be best for him to simply remain here until the start of term, while his energies recover. I'm certain that his grandmother will approve, and it will afford us adequate time to handle all other arrangements pertaining to his and Draco's schooling."

Lucius naturally had his own personal reasons for wanting to keep Potter around the manor until Hogwarts. It would allow him a perfect opportunity to begin subtly indoctrinating him in the standard pureblooded dogma as he had Draco, and to give both boys some basic tutelage both in the Dark Arts and in proper dueling form. He particularly desired to establish a firm hold over Potter's loyalties before the old man could gain any access to him. Narcissa daintily shook her head in the negative, however.

"Actually, he has already requested that he be sent back to his own home. He apparently has his own retinue of personal attendants who are best suited to catering to his individual needs. He has agreed to remain overnight upon my insistence, but wishes to return to his grandmother's estate in Surrey after breakfast tomorrow morning."

The aristocrat was a bit annoyed at having his plans delayed, but knew full well that he could not keep Potter against his will. There would be time enough to train the boy, especially if Draco succeeded with what he was to be instructed to do.

"I see. I shall speak with him further in the morning. Better to let him rest for now."

"I'm going to go check up on him one last time before retiring for the evening. I'll see you in bed, Lucius."

"Inform Draco that I wish to speak with him here."

Narcissa turned and left with a smile. Lucius immediately turned his mind back to subverting Potter. The first order of business was to manipulate the boy's surroundings at Hogwarts to maximize his contact with suitable young wizards and witches, as well as to keep him as distanced from the old man and his Muggle-loving cronies as possible. In the best case scenario, Draco had and would continue to mold Potter's thoughts and feelings enough that he would be sorted into Slytherin. The next step would be to ensure that he received the proper education, both in terms of magic and doctrine. Lucius had made a preemptive strike on that front by smuggling a series of books he had purchased while the boys were at the clothier into Potter's things while the boy was testing wands at Ollivander's. Lucius had sent Narcissa to take care of the lunch reservations on her own that day and had himself patronized a bookstore in Knockturn Alley and purchased the tomes. He doubted that Potter had read them as of yet, but hoped that the boy would keep them with him and partake of the knowledge therein with some instigation from Draco. Lucius would encourage Potter's illicit studies as much as possible without drawing unnecessary suspicion onto himself.

Lucius drained the remainder of his glass, refilling it and swirling the red vintage around slowly as Draco came into the study, an eager expression adorning his pointed features. The boy was lacking in certain qualities that his father deemed appropriate for a Malfoy to possess, namely that he would never be anything more than average in terms of magical strength and that he, despite Lucius's best efforts to train him, possessed nothing remotely resembling tact. However, he was abnormally eager to serve his father and his bloodline, and was Slytherin enough to get along in everyday life.

"You summoned me, father?"

Lucius turned nonchalantly to regard his heir.

"Sit, Draco. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yes, father."

Draco took the seat that Narcissa had been occupying a few moments prior, her glass of merlot still sitting mostly full on the table in front of him. He had always been somewhat intimidated by his father despite the sheer reverence in which he held the older man. Lucius gazed at his only son with cold authority in his gray eyes and began his diatribe.

"Surely you have grasped the significance of the events at today's inheritance hearing. That a boy no older than yourself has managed to display a tangible magical aura and best Albus Dumbledore in combat. Harry Potter will one day surpass that old man as well as our former lord, and it will be sooner than you realize. It is generally the way of our society that the strongest wizards wield the most influence. Though Minister of Magic he may not be, make no mistake that Dumbledore is the most politically powerful wizard in the British Isles, and likely the rest of Europe as well. Potter will one day assume that same role. It is thus to our family's good fortune that I chanced upon him three weeks ago in the bank's lobby and that we have since forged amicable ties with him. The future glory of the Malfoy line is contingent upon our ability to properly exploit this golden opportunity, by keeping Potter staunchly in our corner and ensuring that he develops into a wizard with ideals and principles in line with our own. As his schoolmate at Hogwarts, it will fall largely into your domain to ensure that this takes place."

Draco nodded quickly, visibly pleased at having this great responsibility entrusted to him.

"I understand. I will do my best for the future glory of the Malfoy name. Does this mean that we no longer support the Dark Lord?"

Lucius could not answer his son's query directly. The boy was too prone to opening his mouth, and to declare open opposition to the Dark Lord, alive or otherwise, was tantamount to asking for death. Especially given the fact that Potter was still largely an untested entity. Lucius would begin preparing him for a possible future battle against his former master, but it was far too early to even consider making any moves overtly.

"The Dark Lord is dead and gone, you foolish boy. Now listen well to my instructions. First, you will make your primary objective while at Hogwarts to make flourish your friendship with Harry Potter. You will shadow him as often as he will allow you. You will sit with him on the train, during which time you will devote your energies to molding his opinions in favor of being placed into Slytherin. Failing that, you will also make every effort to ensure that he will look upon being placed into Gryffindor with disdain. Should he end up there, surrounded by Mudbloods and blood traitors, our plans will be compromised beyond salvation..."

Lucius paused for a moment so that he wouldn't lose his breath.

"...Regardless of where he is Sorted, you will employ the influence afforded you by your bloodline to ensure that he is always welcome within the Slytherin common room, and that your future housemates will be nothing less than fully accommodating. I shall deal with Severus Snape personally, so do not concern yourself with him. You will deflect any undesirables who might attempt to befriend him. I trust that you can use your own judgment in making those assignations. You will also be vigilant in seeing that the headmaster and his loyalists make no attempts to sway him into their favor, and will contact me immediately at even the slightest suspicion of such doings on their part. I trust that I am making myself clear thus far."

"Yes, father. I won't disappoint you."

"See to it that you do not, son. Now, regarding his education as well as your own. I have taken the liberty of clandestinely providing young Potter with certain tomes of my selection. You will make every effort to persuade him to learn from them. The Dark Arts are naturally at high priority, but foremost is Occlumency. Dumbledore is an accomplished Legilimens, Snape even more so. For either of them to gain insight into our plans through either of you would be disastrous. Therefore, you will learn to Occlude your mind through the book that I have provided him, and see that he does the same. This is to be done before embarking upon any other ventures. It would not due for the staff to gain insight onto the fact that the two of you are studying illegal sorceries. Also, you will attempt to indoctrinate him in the proper ideals for a young pureblooded lord. I have provided a leading treatise concerning the subject, but it will be up to you to convince him to read it and take its content for being the truth that it is. I will assist in these matters as I am able, but my ability to do so is limited, even though I am a school governor."

"I will see to it."

"Excellent. Now remember, you must be subtle in all matters. Do not attempt to force him into accepting our ideas, and do not argue so far as to provoke confrontation with him. To alienate him at this early juncture would be risking everything. Prod at him gently and consistently. Do so in a friendly, but still serious manner. Keep in mind that Potter had been raised in a Muggle household. His grandmother is as close to a respectable woman as one of her unworthy stock can be and he will defend her honor violently, as our esteemed headmaster can now attest. Any comments uttered regarding the inferiority of Muggles and their impure magical swine must be veiled carefully. Apprise your housemates of this in advance, and inform them that any related breaches of decorum in his presence will be met with my most extreme displeasure. His opinions will assuredly change in time, especially after reading the treatise, but it will be a slow and rather painstaking process."

"I will be careful, father."

Lucius was at least satisfied with the fact that his son was simply listening and not offering up inane comments of his own. It was important that he remember his place and show proper deference to his superiors. His current instructions were sufficient for the time being, as these first steps had to be made before larger ones could follow.

"Very well, that will be all. Do not fail me in these tasks, Draco."

Afraid to speak further after being dismisses, Draco bowed and left his father's study. Lucius downed his glass of merlot and poured himself a third, silently toasting himself and his cunning. The Malfoy family's ascendancy to power was not far from being at hand. Due to his efforts, Lucius and his descendants would rule over the magical world.


The first of September finally came around, and Harry was set to leave for Hogwarts. He was navigating his way through the mob at King's Cross, glancing about with disdain at all of the chattering people around him. He really did despise London, with all of the constant noise and horrible squalid air. His full entourage was present to see him onto the train and off to school. Harry led his grandmother, and all five of the girls created a sort of protective ring around them. One of the estate's more able bodied young men brought up the rear, toting the young wizard's loaded school trunk.

He had been more than a little surprised to awaken after his ordeal at the inheritance proceedings and find himself in a strange bed with Mrs. Malfoy staring directly into his eyes. Their ancestral home in Wiltshire was beautiful and even larger than both mansions of the Evans estate put together, but Harry found it to be rather gloomy. He was unsettled by the fact that all of the portraits on the walls were, for lack of a better term, alive and watching him at all times. He glimpsed several of those hideous creatures like the one that had been with the family at Diagon Alley peering at him from time to time. His stay had been short, however, and having both Narcissa and Draco keeping him company had helped tremendously in warding away the general aura of dread melancholy that seemed to be an inherent facet of the old manor.

Once home, his grandmother kept him bedridden for several more days, fearing that his condition might relapse. The girls doted on their infirm benefactor constantly, and Harry found himself wishing that the episode might repeat itself. The remaining week passed quickly, and Harry managed to finish Year with the Yeti, had read Traveling with Trolls in full, and was now a third of the way through Voyages with Vampires. He found Gilderoy Lockhart to be a truly fascinating author, and the man was obviously a great wizard given all of his accomplishments. Of course, that was only fitting for a man with such great beauty as his. But the day had finally come, and Harry was forced to depart for Hogwarts, leaving behind all that he had ever known. He was thoroughly depressed and irritable because of it. He was presently keeping an eye open for the supposed Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. It didn't seem to exist. Harry huffed in annoyance.

"I suppose this is designed to be some sort of joke. I'm not laughing."

The old lady placed a reassuring had on her grandson's shoulder.

"Keep your temper, Harry. It seems like only yesterday that your grandfather and I escorted Lily onto the train for the first time. I'll never forget the feeling as long as I live. Just walk into the barrier between the ninth and tenth platforms."

Harry flashed an incredulous look, but stepped forward anyway. He poked the seemingly solid brick wall with his finger, and nearly jumped backwards in fright when it went straight through. With a nod from his grandmother, he walked through, motioning for the others to follow. The platform was a bustling scene, with hundreds of Hogwarts students milling about with their parents, looking for their friends. Harry tried to locate the Malfoys for a few brief moments, but could not spot them. He received a few curious looks from the other children. With his long braided hair and odd clothing, consisting of a sleeveless cream sweater vest, khaki slacks, and his dragonhide boots, he presented a rather unusual sight to purebloods and Muggleborns alike. The boys seemed to find him laughable, but he got some appreciative glances from the girls. That was exactly how Harry wanted things, of course. When the rest came through and it came to light that he had five beautiful girls fawning over him, the ridicule turned into pure scorn. Harry reveled in the attention, sneering broadly at the envious sacks of flesh around him. He would have been content to savor the moment further, but his grandmother spoke.

"You should board the train as quickly as possible, Harry. Your mother always told me that the compartments fill up quickly."

Harry nodded sadly.

"Yes, grandma. But I really don't want to leave you."

"You have to step out into the world someday. Now perk up, it's only a few months. You'll be home for Yule before you know it."

Harry gave his grandmother a hug goodbye while Kim stepped behind him and fastened his cape around his neck, as he had requested her to do as soon as they reached the platform. He held his tears back with some effort, not wanting to upset the old lady.

"I understand, but I'll miss you all."

Azalea, however, could not keep her tears from flowing.

"Of course you will. Study hard, and become a wizard that your parents can look onto from above with pride in their eyes."

Harry hummed noncommittally, releasing his grandmother and taking up Melody in a warm embrace.

"Take care, and don't forget to write me at school."

She kissed him on the forehead in response.

"We'll write you several times each week, but you have to write back. I don't know what you're going to do without us. Or what we're going to do without you, for that matter. Just be strong and take good care of yourself, and we'll do the same."

The hugs and kisses and endearments went around until Alyssa's turn. His would-be lover held him gently, and his body felt on fire as he pressed into her curves. He only vaguely noticed the wet lips pressing against his ear until her breath followed in the form of a whisper drenched with honey lust. He felt that she was being a bit too forward with him given the presence of the other girls and especially the old lady, not to mention that they were in public. Still, he couldn't bring himself to stop her.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Harry. I'll have a very special present waiting for you when you return for Yule."

"I'll be looking forward to it. Take care, Alyssa."

She held him for a moment longer, before Harry untangled his body from hers and threw himself onto Kim. Aside from the old lady, she was the one that he was most saddened at having to be without. After all, Harry could not remember any time during which she hadn't been by his side taking care of him.

"It's going to be so lonely at the estate without you around..."

"I only wish you could come with me. I'll be lost without my big sister..."

"That's not true. You're going to do just fine, wait and see. Don't pine for us so much that you can't enjoy school. This is a great opportunity for you, Harry. Prove your Uncle Robert and the rest of them wrong and be successful. And you're going to make so many new friends and learn so much new magic that by the time Yule comes, you won't even want to leave. This is what you were born to do, so do it better than anybody else."

"For your sake, I'll try. Just promise me that you'll look out for the others. You and the rest of the girls have always enjoyed more prestige around the estate than even some members of the family, and they along with the rest of the staff resent it. But you've been around there for almost ten years and know the system. Please don't let anything bad happen while I'm away."

"Don't grieve over us. Your grandmother wouldn't ever let us be wronged. Just go to school and learn a whole bunch of new tricks to show us over the Yule holidays."

Harry smiled for the first time that day.

"All right then, I won't disappoint you. Get ready for the best show you'll ever see."

He got a beautiful smile in return.

"I can hardly wait. Burn bright, little phoenix."


After a final round of farewells, Azalea and the girls left Harry to his own devices. Ignoring the small crowd of adolescent males that had assembled to ogle the girls, he levitated his trunk and boarded the Hogwarts Express. As beautifully quaint as the exterior had been, the interior was even more so. Harry felt right at home in the luxurious surroundings. Some of the compartments were already occupied, but he found one that appeared to be empty close to the center of the train. Harry entered and took a seat by the window, withdrawing Voyages with Vampires from his extensive stack of personal reading materials and opening to where he had left off. He let Xiren out of her cage, the growing kitten curling happily onto his lap. Disenchantment had remained at the estate, as he desired for his grandmother and the girls to have a post owl to deliver their letters so him. He could always borrow Draco's owl for his replies if need be.

Thinking that he was alone, Harry yawned and rested his feet on the opposite seat. However, instead of landing on a leather cushion, they landed on another person's lap. He put his book down in surprise and looked over, locking onto a pair of surprised obsidian eyes. The other occupant was a Chinese girl. She was short, to the extent that her legs didn't even touch the compartment floor. She had very soft features, and would develop into a beautiful young lady before long. Harry had long possessed a certain sense about such things, and it was often quite accurate. She had been reading a book also, and had apparently been so engrossed in it that she hadn't noticed him entering. She looked vaguely familiar, and Harry remembered her after a few seconds of thinking.

"I remember you. You're the girl from the apothecary in Diagon Alley."

The girl ignored him and quickly returned to reading her book. Harry frowned. He had never been so callously dismissed in his entire life, and he didn't like it one bit. The book she was reading was apparently written in Chinese, judging from the title. He couldn't read it, but he did recognize the illustration beneath.

"That looks like A Dream of Red Mansions from the cover. It's probably my favorite book ever written, though I can't claim to have read it in its original language."

She sighed gently and put her book down again, regarding him momentarily before glancing down at her lap, where his feet still unceremoniously lay. She responded in a quiet and cautious, almost pained voice. Her voice held the slightest hint of a Chinese accent, but it was barely noticeable. Harry was able to get a full glimpse of her raven hair, admiring the way that it reflected the sunlight flooding in through the compartment window, giving it a radiant shine. It reminded him of Kim, who had the same trait.

"Please move your feet. My legs are beginning to hurt."

"My apologies. I deserve to be guillotined. Please forgive me..."

Harry moved his legs immediately, mentally slapping himself for his uncouth actions. The girl nodded curtly and returned to her book without so much as a word of acknowledgment. He was visibly irritated by this second silent rebuke.

"...You aren't being very polite, you know. I'm trying to talk to you here."

The reply he got wasn't even close to what he had been expecting.

"People treat me the same no matter how I treat them. I'm going to get picked on regardless, so there's no point in trying to be friendly. You're no different from the rest."

"I don't understand. I'm a first year, and I've don't even know your name. And I certainly don't want to make fun of you. You're far too beautiful for that."

She threw her book down and glared at him, tears springing to her eyes. Harry was completely nonplussed.

"So that's your game, then. Teasing me by telling me that I'm pretty. I haven't done anything at all to you and I don't need your cruel jokes to remind me that I'm ugly."

Harry, generally used to being comforted rather than the other way around, still decided to try his hand. For such a beautiful girl to have such a low valuation of herself struck a nerve in him. Fixing this travesty immediately became his prime directive. He quickly moved over to sit next to her, leaving Xiren on the seat.

"But...I was being serious. I don't know what other people have done to you, but I never wanted to hurt you at all. I'm honestly just trying to make friends with you."

She met his concerned gaze for a moment and then looked away.

"I don't have any friends. The few that I might have made last year shoved me aside when everybody else started picking on me. I hate it here so much..."

Harry chuckled and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him with eyes filled with hurt and distrust, and just the faintest glimmer of hope.

"Then we already have something in common. I haven't even seen the school yet, and I already want to leave it. As for you having no other friends here, that's just all the better for me, as I get to lay claim to the distinct privilege of being your first. And finally, any person who says that you're ugly is nothing more than a blind nincompoop and will emphatically hear as much from me."

Harry looked hopefully at her, hoping for a positive reply. Being able to look out for this girl and help mold her into the bombshell that she was destined to be would give him something constructive to do while at Hogwarts. Otherwise he had little to look forward to besides pointless study in courses that he either hated or were far beneath his level. The fact that she reminded him ever so much of Kim was a factor as well.

"You really mean this. I can tell, and I would be honored to have you as my friend. I'm Cho, by the way. Cho Chang. I'm just entering my second year in Ravenclaw."

Harry beamed at her, now truly happy with all thoughts of early homesickness forgotten. He adopted a mock imperious tone as he proceeded to rifle off his introductions.

"Well met, dearest friend Cho. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Harry James Potter, annointed lord of the great and illustrious house that is my namesake, accidental slayer of Lord Voldemort, unwilling hero of the magical world, avid reader of great literature, grand master of eclectic charms and transfigurations, and surely the most beautiful wizard that Hogwarts has ever seen. I'm just entering my first year in anywhere except Gryffindor. And before you ask, I had my scar removed ages ago."

Cho smiled back at him, a beautiful gesture capable of illuminating the darkest room.

"And surely the most humble wizard as well, judging from your speech."

Harry jovially continued with his ridiculous theatrics, intent on entertaining his new friend so that she might forget her past sorrows. Neither of them heard the compartment door sliding open and a trio of figures walking in.

"Alas, perhaps I am ill-suited for a place in House Hufflepuff. Such is fate."

"You're most definitely a Ravenclaw. At least I'll have some decent company now."

A cold drawling voice interjected into their banter.

"Afraid not. He's a Slytherin beyond any doubt, as the wizarding world will soon see."

Harry glanced over to the entrance, where Draco Malfoy stood in all of his smug glory. Behind him were two boys that could best be described as trained gorillas, their vacant facial expressions indicating that they had about that level of intelligence. Harry stood to greet his first and best friend, still keeping an arm on Cho's shoulder.

"There you are, Draco. I didn't catch you on the platform. I had almost worried that you hadn't made it, but surely your father would never have allowed for such a blunder."

"Yeah, we were a fair bit later than he would have preferred, but mother misplaced her favorite necklace and refused to leave until it was found. She was rather distressed upon realizing that she had missed you. I've been looking all over for you, Potter."

"I haven't exactly been hidden. I see you've brought company as well."

Draco glanced back at his two goons, not even pretending to be sorry for not having introduced them. He sprawled out all across his seat, forcing Xiren to abandon her place of rest and find a new perch on Cho's welcoming lap.

"Oh, right...them. Harry, these two are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle, this is Harry Potter. I've told you all about him already. Go stand guard outside the door and make sure that no Mudbloods or Weasleys disturb us while we talk. And come tell us when the snack trolley comes our way."

Crabbe and Goyle went to their assigned post without complaint. The two thugs rather painfully reminded Harry of his cousin Dudley, and he was thus inordinately pleased to see them being maltreated. After all, such creatures were deserving of nothing more. At least, it balanced out Draco's use of the derogatory term for Muggleborns. Harry liked the young aristocrat and considered him to be a good friend, but his prejudices were sometimes intolerable. The pale platinum blond shot Cho a dirty look upon noticing her, but said nothing due to the fact that Harry obviously wanted her present. She ignored it and returned to reading her book while Draco and Harry chatted about trivial matters. Draco shot her apprehensive looks every now and then, as if he wanted her gone for some reason or another. Harry didn't bother asking him what the problem was. Draco eventually decided to take a nap, withdrawing a pillow from his trunk and falling asleep.

Harry took advantage of the hostile future Slytherin's incapacitation to spend some more time getting to better know Cho as a person, as he already knew a good deal about her family from his conversation with her parents in Diagon Alley. He learned that she was a diehard Quidditch lover, even more so than Draco, and had been an avid Tutshill Tornadoes supporter practically ever since she could walk and talk. She wanted to try out for the Ravenclaw team herself, but feared that her outcast status would disincline them to allow her a fair shake. Raised as the daughter of a pair of apothecary owners, she naturally excelled in both Herbology and Potions, though her grades only marginally reflected the latter. The Potions Master, she explained, despised anybody not in Slytherin House. Harry had already surmised as much from hearing Draco describe him.

The conversation eventually turned to books, and it turned out that the two had strikingly similar tastes in literature. Cho was quite a bit more studious than Harry, though, which he understood. She was, after all, from a poor immigrant family, and her entire future livelihood relied upon her performance at Hogwarts. She did make plenty of time for pleasure reading, which wasn't particularly difficult at school where her complete and utter lack of a social life allowed her an abundance of leisure time. Harry felt every bit as much at ease with this girl as he did with Kim and the others back at home. The hours passed quickly as Draco continued to snooze, and the door slid open again. Harry smirked at the disgruntled looks adorning the two appointed guards' faces. The new intruder was a somewhat older girl, attractive with wavy black hair. She wore the same make of school robes as Cho, indicating to Harry that she was also in Ravenclaw, and had a silver Prefect's badge pinned to her breast.

"I'd like to take a seat if you lot don't mind. I just got out of the Prefect's Meeting and all of the other compartments are filled. And believe me, I don't much fancy remaining up there sharing with the likes of Percy Weasley and Marcus Flint."

Harry didn't know who the latter was, but remembered Percy as that pompous redhead from his birthday a few years back. This newcomer was pretty and female, and therefore met his initial social standards. He greeted her with a smile and extended his hand.

"Please, sit down. Harry Potter, by the way."

The girl took his hand with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not what I expected from the Boy-Who-Lived. I don't mean it negatively, just that you don't really fit the profile of a conquering hero. You are definitely cute, though. Anyway, I'm Penelope Clearwater, but please just call me Penny. Good morning, Cho. Just about didn't see you back there."

Cho responded with a smile as Harry blushed slightly at being called cute.

"Good morning, Penny. I hope you had a nice summer."

"Just fine, although my OWL's are going to eat me alive this year."

The Chinese girl nodded and commenced reading again, tired out from all the conversation with Harry. That left Penny for him to talk to, not that he minded.

"I hope the goon squad outside didn't give you any trouble. Malfoy insisted on having them stationed there. Better than having them in here, I suppose. You're much more attractive company."

Penny laughed and ruffled Harry's hair slightly. He didn't like having his perfectly plaited mane tampered with, but took it in good humor.

"Quite the little charmer. Give it a few years, and you'll have any girl in this school melting at your feet. No, they didn't pose a problem. I'm a Prefect, handsome. Those two don't seem the brightest sort, but they're apparently still smart enough to know not to pick a row with anybody wearing one of these badges."

At that point, Crabbe poked his head into the compartment.

"Trolley's comin'. Might want to wake Draco up."

Harry nodded his acknowledgment and nudged the pale boy until he awoke. It wasn't a difficult task, as Draco seemed to be a light sleeper. The younger Malfoy rubbed the dust out of his gray orbs and glared at Harry.

"I'll have you know that I was in the middle of a wonderful dream, Potter!"

"Stop whining, Malfoy. The food trolley's on the way."

"Oh...okay, then. About bloody time. I'm famished."

The concessions witch showed up with her trolley of food in due course. Draco bought a ridiculous amount of sweets for his own consumption, while Harry purchased a few Pumpkin Pasties and bottles of juice for himself, along with a large sampling of just about everything to share with the two girls. Cho likely couldn't afford to buy all that much for herself, and he didn't want to appear rude by treating her and not the other. The four ate in relative silence, and Draco seemed much less blatantly rude than he would have been under other circumstances. Harry supposed that he was holding his tongue due to there being a Prefect sitting in the compartment. Presently, Draco opened a Chocolate Frog, which went bounding out of its box and onto Harry's head. The latter had no idea that it was a mere confection, and naturally assumed it to be an actual toad. He responded with a shrill.

"My beautiful hair! Remove this creature from my beautiful hair! Get rid of it at once!"

When no help appeared forthcoming, as the other three occupants were too busy laughing at Harry, he swallowed his revulsion and grabbed the offending animated candy, hurling it from the compartment onto the hallway floor. None perturbed, Goyle retrieved it from the ground and ate it, grinning like the idiot that he was as he smacked his lips. Harry was even more horrified at seeing the big thug consuming a live frog. Penny eventually had the heart to end the joke.

"Harry, that wasn't a real frog. It was only a piece of chocolate charmed to move like one. They come with trading cards of famous wizards and witches."

Harry had the decency to look sheepish.

"Oh, I see. Still, the idea of modeling candy after such a thing is grotesque."

Meanwhile, Draco looked at his Chocolate Frog cards. He had bought three of them.

"Bugger, another Dumbledore. Agrippa...I've already got about ten of her. Oh, but look at this, Potter."

The young aristocrat wore a particularly nasty smirk as he handed Harry the final card, which was one of himself as a baby. The lightning bolt scar was tattooed onto "his" face at entirely the wrong spot. Harry scowled and tossed it back to Draco.

"Yes, quite hilarious. At least I'll be much more fetching as an adult than I was as a baby. I somehow doubt we'll be able to say the same for you."

"Oh, you wound me to the core...Scarhead."

Cho noticed the sky beginning to darken outside and checked her magical wristwatch.

"We ought to be coming on the school here before long. You two boys might want to get changed into your Hogwarts robes."

Penny agreed.

"Come with me, Cho. You can tag along on my rounds while they get dressed."

The two girls left, and Harry was faced with his first trial. He had no idea how to change into his school robes, or into anything else. Being pampered all of his life came with a price of its own, apparently. He gingerly removed his boots and stripped off his clothing, trying to mirror Draco's actions. He was able to get his trousers and shirt on without much difficulty, but got tangled up in his robes and stumbled into Draco, sending them both to the ground with a thud. The other boy was naturally none too pleased.

"Merlin, Potter. First you have the indecency to stare at me while I'm changing, and then you come barreling into me like a bloody clod. Get off me and finish dressing."

"I don't know how..."

Harry's reply was barely a whisper, but Draco heard it nonetheless. He laughed unsympathetically, to the point that he was practically rolling of his own volition.

"Tell me that I didn't just hear that. The great and legendary Harry Potter can't change into his school robes on his own. That is so pathetic."

"It's not my fault. My attendants have been doing these things for me all throughout my life. I've never needed to learn how to do them for myself."

Draco continued laughing for nearly a minute.

"And everybody thinks that I'M spoiled. Fine, Potter, I'll dress you. But if it ever leaves this room, Merlin help me, I will make you suffer for it. You might be strong enough to take down Dumbledore, but I will find some way to get back at you."

Harry smiled gratefully, knowing that a Malfoy would ever condescend to do something like this normally.

"It's more embarrassing for me anyway. I'm not going to talk, and I appreciate this."

"Good. Now pay attention to what I'm doing, because there will certainly not ever be a repeat of this."

Draco rather stiffly helped Harry into his Hogwarts robes, and replaced his boots and knee breeches as well. The final touch was the cape, which the dandy young wizard adamantly refused to leave without. The train was rolling into Hogsmeade Station by that point, and the platinum-haired boy started to leave, motioning for Harry to follow.


Upon exiting the Hogwarts Express, Harry took a moment to admire the beautiful Scottish countryside and breathe in the fresh mountain air. The sun was setting rapidly outside, but he was still able to appreciate the pure tranquillity of his surroundings. It was much akin to being in a dream. A loud cry snapped him from his temporary lull in concentration.

"Firs' years, o'er here!"

Harry followed the voice, falling in step with Draco, who was occupied with sneering at the titanic form of Rubeus Hagrid. The huge man led them towards the edge of a great lake, its water as black as sackcloth. A myriad of little boats bobbed in the water near the shore. Harry looked up, and saw it. The great stone castle, it appeared to be as old as time itself. He knew better, of course, but the simile seemed fitting. He could feel the pure magic radiating from the structure. Everything became clear to him at that moment. Despite all of the bellyaching and wheedling that he had done in a futile effort to avoid coming, this was where he truly belonged.

Harry Potter had arrived at Hogwarts.

(End Chapter Five)

Author's Note: This comes out a bit later than I would have like, but papers and finals for my summer courses dictated that I delay. A lot of you folks seem to be worried about Harry being too much of a wimp. He will be growing up, and he will not stay that way forever. It will be a process, however. He is not going to turn into some super mega archmage that knows every form of magic known to wizardkind and has twenty Animagus forms in his first year at Hogwarts. Well, I would never write him that way given infinite story time, but I hope that you get the point. As promised, we are at Hogwarts, and next chapter will be the Sorting Ceremony. It is still a toss-up between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and that decision will be huge, in that it will set the plot down one of two distinct roads. Give your opinions on which you prefer, if you like.

In Slytherin, Harry will eventually turn much darker, and eventually fall in with Lucius Malfoy's general plans. He will not be the man's pawn, nor will he accept being ruled over, but he will accept the alliance and move towards destroying Voldemort only to crush and obliterate the wizarding world in his stead. Magically, he will dabble heavily in the occult, learning only the blackest arts with little regard for anything else. In general terms, he will strive towards becoming an arcane sorcerer. In terms of personality, he will be an elitist, and a cruel and heartless bastard, though rest assured that he wouldn't be hurting the girls or his grandmother or anything. Their fates will be a catalyst for his transformation, rather than a result of it. This is the much angstier and far more disturbing path for this story to take.

In Ravenclaw, he will stay more aligned towards the neutral. He may agree with Lucius on some things, Dumbledore on others, but he will follow his own heart. He will likely orient his energies towards learning powerful magic that lies neither in the light or dark spectra. I'm mostly thinking along the lines of elemental magic, designed to inflict mass carnage on the field of battle. Naturally, he would have more traditional magic as well. This Harry would have a cosmopolitan attitude, befriending people from every house and doing as he pleases. Even here, he will grow up eventually and develop some guile. This is a somewhat lighter and more upbeat path, though it will certainly still have its rough and serious moments.

In either path, he will retain his personal charm, though it will manifest in different ways. Now, for my last note, I'm going to mention Cho. This is not a Harry/Cho fic, and they will not be ending up together. They will be good friends, and probably never anything more than that. I adore the pairing, but I will be doing something different. As for her characterization, I think it's very possible that she could have been far less popular before really growing into her good looks and having boys start to notice her. More of that story will unfold in the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy, and please review.