A/N: Another challenge response I dug up and revamped. Next update should be soon.
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'It's here,' Harry Potter thought listlessly, 'my fifth year at Hogwarts.' Don't get him wrong, the first four years of his schooling career had been more exciting than most people can handle. But in away things were just so… boring. There was nothing that ever caused a stir that didn't have to do with Voldemort and that was the good kind of stir when it was Voldemort it was a bad life threatening kind of stir.
The only people that could ever remotely hold his attention were his two best friends. There was no spark of interest of excitement with the rest of his peers. They were just so plain… so ordinary. The few girls he had dated were all the same, twitter-y and star struck. None lasted more than two dates or a week.
"Come on, Harry," the female third of his trio of best friends called, "we found an empty compartment." Not that it mattered weather it was empty or not. He was the most influential student in the school and had garnered enough respect over the years that kids would gladly give up their seat to please him.
He strolled down the platform like he owned it and jauntily hopped up the steps to the train and followed his friend's swaying skirt down the locomotive. When she slid the door open to a compartment the boy sitting by the window turned quickly to see who was intruding. He grinned at who it was; the trio was complete for the first time since the end of their fourth year.
Harry plopped down into a seat and stretched his back in a half twist, a large yawn escaping him. "Tired," he breathed out.
The curly haired witch next to him just smiled and patted the large expanse of seat not occupied by the three, "Have a nap." Harry glance over at his best mate and saw that he was predictably pulling out the latest Quidditch Weekly and fingering his battered chess pieces thoughtfully.
"Don't mind if I do," he stretched out lazily before resting his head on a balled up cloak that served as a makeshift pillow. "Wake me up in a couple of hours," he mumbled before his eyes fell shut comfortably.
The other boy in the compartment looked up from his magazine, and rolled his eyes at his friend. Well, at least he'd have some quiet time with his girlfriend.
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They snagged a carriage with some second year Ravenclaw boys who kept to them selves on the opposite bench. Harry peeked through the window and swore under his breath. The clouds that had been white and wispy throughout the journey were now an eerie black and swelled with water just waiting to drop on them.
Most students had their hoods pulled up before they jumped out of their respective carriage and scuttled to the schools front steps. Just as Harry was half way to the school the heavens opened up in a grand show of power and in two seconds he was soaked through to the bone.
He trudged through the packed Entrance Hall wringing out his robe sleeves while looking for his friends who he had been separated from in the hustle to get to the school. He huffed and was about to just go into the Great Hall without them when his hands where slapped away from his soaked robes and with a muttered incantation they were dry.
Harry looked up into the warm brown gaze of his friend and grinned goofily, "Thus proves my theory right, you have a spell for everything. What would I do without you?"
"I don't know, perish?" she teased.
"You know, it's not polite to answer a question with a question," he ribbed good-naturedly.
She stuck her tongue out but quickly pulled it back in with a yelp and spun around to glare at her boyfriend who's hand was in a compromising position.
He whistled innocently and saw his best mate dissolve into laughter. "Do not touch my arse right now. McGonagall is right there, do you want to start the year off with negative points?"
"Oh sorry, love," he grinned, "I thought you said 'Don't not touch my arse' before, ya know, double negatives and all."
"You're such a prat," she growled before stomping into the Great Hall.
Harry came up next to the other boy and clapped him on the shoulder, "Probably not the best thing to do the first five minutes we're here."
He sighed and shrugged the other shoulder, "She'll get over it, like always."
"You gotta stop thinking like that mate," he advised as he led the way to their usual seats in the middle of their table, the second from the right, "cause one day she won't." The boy gave a nervous look to his girlfriend across the table who had her arms crossed across her chest and was determinately looking the other direction, waiting for the sorting to get underway.
They watched from their seats surrounded by familiar friends as the familiar ritual got started and the first boy was called to the stool. A terrified looking boy with large ears stumbled to the Gryffindor table when the house was called out, face red with embarrassment.
"Looks like there's a large haul this year," he heard someone comment down his bench.
His house had always had a small to medium size and in his year there were five boys and three girls. Judging by the awaiting crowd there would probably be one or two more than that. His table erupted in cheers when a petite witch named Alexandra Callari joined it.
Looking back Harry was positive that he had ended up in the right house. At first he had been slightly apprehensive, but now things were great. Being a Slytherin was glorious. He remembered how Weasley had almost befriended him but had completely cut off all ties to the boy-who-lived when he had been sorted into the serpent house. He shuddered to think he could have been a thickheaded Gryffindor and sent a sneer to the redheaded boy across the hall for good measure.
After "Zeller, Rose!" was made a Hufflepuff, Harry snorted inwardly, the old headmaster stood up. Oddly the stool with the sorting hat wasn't taken away and McGonagall stood stiffly by it, seemingly uncomfortable. "I have a surprise for you this year," he announced, gesturing to a side chamber off the hall, "we have a fifth year student transfer from our brother school Durmstrang."
A hook nosed, square shouldered, bushy eye browed, Russian looking boy flashed through Harry's mind. "Draco Malfoy, would you join us?" All thoughts of a unibrowed Eskimo fled his mind when the boy entered the hall.
Whispers of 'Malfoy did he say?' and others in that same vein echoed trough the hall.
He had sleek slick backed back white blond hair and his face held chiseled cheekbones that practically got in your face and screamed 'WELL BRED!'. The tailored black cape on his back oozed wealth and a thick ancestry ring glinted in the candle light off his right hand. This was probably the first time in the castle but he walked with such an air of confidence that it gave off the impression that he had been raised in its halls.
Harry had only seen this accomplished by one other person, himself.
He placed himself on the stool and looked down at the hall like they weren't worthy of his presence. McGonagall had that uncomfortable look on her face again and now the source seemed to be the boy, she cautiously lowered the hat to his pristine head.
She hadn't needed to let go off it, before the weight was even firmly on his head the word Slytherin rang out through the silent hall. The people around Harry exploded in cheers so loud that it drown out the groans from the surrounding tables and made Harry try and cover his ears while he clapped. People at the head of the table were slowing the new boy down with handshakes and catcalls as he made his way down the bench.
The reception was only rivaled by Harry's own sorting.
"Is he famous or something?" Harry whispered hurriedly to Pansy.
The girl looked shocked that he didn't know, "The Malfoy family is only the richest family in the wizarding world, really old money along with the fact that his dad's a big shot in the ministry. Not to mention the Malfoys are some of the most gorgeous wizards I've ever seen."
"Hey!" Blaise squeaked indignantly, "What happened to only having eyes for me?"
Pansy glared at her boyfriend, obviously still peeved, then scooted over to make enough room for another person on her right side. "What are you-" Blaise started but was cutoff when the newest addition to their year slid into the spot. Harry snorted into his goblet at the look on his best friend's face.
The pale boy eyed Harry up and down and looked as if he had judged him worthy by his standards, "Draco Malfoy." He extended a hand over a plate that had just filled with Rosemary Chicken.
Harry took they hand and noted how it felt smooth under his fingers, like it was wrapped in silk and expensive oils, "Harry Potter."
"Are you really?" his voice held a note of indifference and his eyes didn't do the normal forehead flick but stayed focused on Harry's eyes.
Harry smirked, "I am, and this is Pansy and Blaise." He gestured to the two in turn as Draco shook Blaise's hand and lightly kissed the top of Pansy's knuckles. Harry had to force down a chuckle at the flash of jealousy Blaise's eyes and the flexing of fingers on his knife at Pansy's blush.
Draco laughed teasingly, "And let me guess, you're dating Mr. Protective over there."
Blaise looked sheepish, "How'd you know."
"I've got a thing for empathy," Draco shrugged, "although I would feel a lot safer if you but down the sharp object. I rather like not being permanently disfigured." Harry laughed and plucked the knife from his friend's hand and slid him some soup.
There was a silence filled but the chatter of the students around them and the clack of silverware. "So you're the infamous Harry Potter," Draco noted absent-mindedly.
Pansy choked on a potato and Blaise snickered into his drink. Harry swallowed his mouthful of chops, "Infamous am I?"
"Oh yeah," Draco said with a glint in his eyes, "the stories I've heard of your rule breaking have served for quite a bit of entertainment. A few transfer students claimed that they were with you most of the time but no one believed them."
Blaise snorted, "Yeah, like we'd let just anybody come with us."
Harry nodded in agreement with a smile, "I wouldn't call it rule breaking, just bending them to the point of snapping."
While Pansy stabbed the hand that was feeling her up under the table with a fork Harry and Draco went off on a discussion about their respective past adventures. It soon turned into a competition to see who had done the most daring thing.
"That's nothing!" And Harry went off about the time he and Blaise had nearly fallen off the astronomy tower during a scuffle in their first year when they fought and considered each other rivals not friends. They had been saved by the invisible wards that surrounded the turret, they had been suspended in midair; frozen.
Neither boy noticed half the hall staring at two of the most famous teenage wizards talking like old friends.
"You'll have to show me around and stuff," Draco said leaning back as Dumbledore introduced the new Defense teacher, Professor Lucy. "I only know a few vague things about the houses."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Ordering me around are you?"
Draco smirked and stood from the bench, "I might be."
Harry immediately started striding to the open hall doors, "You better watch yourself Draco," he purred the name as the boy scrambled to keep up with him, "I don't take kindly to being controlled."
Draco gave a winning smile, "Threatening me, are you?"
"I might be," Harry hummed with a grin and swiftly turned into a passage that lead to the dungeons.
"My parents were Slytherins," Draco commented offhandedly as he followed.
"Were they now?" Harry sighed, "Mine were Gryffindors, we can't all be perfect."
Draco snorted, "Judging by the look of the half the kids in this school I already figured that out." Harry lead the way down the swerving passages, taking shortcuts to avoid the bulk of people.
They stopped infront of a blank piece of dungeon wall, "Optimus Domus."
"Remember that," Harry called over his shoulder while going through the gap in the stones.
"What's with the Latin? And I'm supposed to remember where some bare stretch of wall is in the middle of a dungeon?" Draco squawked indignantly as they walked into the long low room devoid of any windows. High backed chairs and leather couches dotted about the room in small clusters, illuminated by green lanterns.
Harry threw him a look while settling down on an end of a couch by the fire, "What's the matter pretty boy? Can't do something the eleven year olds do every year? And besides, you could use some getting lost."
Draco shot him a glare and took the other end of the couch before reclining and propping his feet on Harry's lap. The dark haired wizard quirked an eyebrow but didn't do anything, "So why did you transfer schools?"
Draco seemed to get more comfortable as people started to filter into the common room, "Well I was originally set for Hogwarts, it being the closest to Malfoy Manor. But my father despises Dumbledore and the Hogwarts curriculum. He would rather me learn the Dark Arts than defense against them," Draco shrugged, "nothing overly evil and disturbing though. Mother wanted me at Hogwarts because she could stand the thought of me being as far away as Durmstrang."
Harry snorted, " A Mamma's Boy, surprise, surprise."
Malfoy shot him a dirty look before continuing, "But father finally convinced her to loosen her death grip on my leash and let me go to Durmstrang. I still shudder to think how he convinced her, mother was quite cheerful the next morning and the house elves couldn't look them in the eyes."
"Well that's fine and dandy, Draco, your father buggered your mother until she forgot about you, but I asked why you transferred here," Harry laugh while Pansy and Blaise came over to share an armchair adjacent to where they sat.
"I'm getting there you ungrateful cretin."
"Well then get on with it," Harry said with amusement at the name.
"Well what if I don't want to now?"
"Would you enjoy getting lost tomorrow?"
"I could find my way around."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes, I am."
"A little full of yourself aren't you, Draco?"
"I'm a Malfoy, I'm aloud to be full of myself."
From her perch on Blaise's knee Pansy rolled her eyes, "Harry's finally met his match."
"This could be scary," Blaise whispered. Pansy sighed, at this rate the pair would be ripping each other's clothes off by the next month, boys were so predictable.
"What do you mean you've never heard of the Malfoys!" Draco exclaimed making half the room turn in their direction.
Harry shrugged casually, "I mean what I say; I was raised by muggles so I know almost nothing about wizarding society."
"The Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, the boy-who-lived, lives with muggles?" Draco sounded disbelieving.
"I prefer just 'Harry'," the boy in question growled, he hated those nick names. "Why do you think no one reported about me until I was eleven? I didn't know I was a wizard 'til I got my Hogwarts letter."
"And on that disconcerting note I think I'm gonna turn in. Mind showing me the dorms?" Draco asked while standing up.
Harry flicked his wrist over his head and snapped his fingers. "Graham," he called and a nervous looking second year with side eyes appeared seemingly out of nowhere at his side.
"Yes, Harry?" The boy fidgeted where he stood as the fire cast shadows over his young face.
"Show Draco the fifth year dorms, would you? His things should be on his trunk," it was more of an order than a request. Harry spoke without looking at the boy; he grabbed a book off the marble coffee table and immersed himself in it.
Draco raised an eyebrow at the exchange, "You've got your own little minions." Harry waved them off and went back to the book.
"Someone's got a crush," Pansy sing-songed as she threw herself down next to her friend, startling him from his reading.
"Please, I don't get crushes," he rolled his eyes at the school girl concept, "I'm merely helping assimilate into the new school."
"Whatever you say sweetheart," she said patronizingly, "I'm going to bed." And with a kiss on the cheek she was gone. A few minutes later Harry followed suit and trudged to the dorms.
Coming into the room he noticed an immediate change. Where Vince, Greg, and Theo's beds were still on the left side of the rectangular room, the side with Harry and Blaise's beds now had another bed, making Harry's in the middle.
Draco came out of the door on the opposite end of the room; steam billowed out from the bathroom behind him. He was drying his face with a washcloth and was donning only a pair of black silk boxers.
Harry averted his eyes with and uncharacteristic blush.
Draco finally noticed Harry's presence. "Bloody cold down here," he complained gesturing around him.
"Well it is the dungeons," Harry chuckled softly as not to wake the other boys, "I would think you'd be used to the cold."
"I always hated it," Draco explained pulling on a pair of monogrammed flannel pajamas and crawling under his comforter, "Mother always had heating charms woven into my clothing."
As he was putting on his own pajamas Harry realized he was starting to feel envious of Draco, not because of his money; he was well off there, but of the way Draco spoke of the mother that cared for him and was at home missing him.
"Goodnight," Harry sighed, extinguishing his lamp and pulling shut his hangings.
"Night," Draco echoed.
