A/N: I just love this idea of Gryffindor Draco so much that I couldn't stop writing it 😂 So here's another chapter for you.

This is where Draco meets Harry and Ron for the first time. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 02

Out of the Snakehole

Draco couldn't help the excitement as he patiently waited for his father to pull out his wand and open up the archway into Diagon Alley. He was going off to Hogwarts ― away from his home and away from having to keep up with his pretense as a good heir of a sacred family. Once he reached Hogwarts, he was going to be free to do whatever he wanted ― whatever his parents had always forbidden him from. Of course, it did not mean that Draco was throwing away his dignity as a nobility entirely. But he was quite sure that he could have a different life from what he had in his parent's house.

When the Malfoys finally stepped into the street full of wizarding shops, Draco could see so many people filling the place. Many of them looked like students shopping for their own supplies for the new school year.

"We need to get the robes, first," his mother said. She directed Draco toward the store with the sign that said, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The three Malfoys entered.

"Good morning," a short and friendly-looking witch greeted them. She saw Draco and smiled. "Ah, going to Hogwarts, dear?"

She must be Madam Malkins, Draco thought.

"He will need the best robe in this shop," Mrs. Malfoy said in a demanding voice.

"Of course, of course," Madam Malkins answered. She pulled Draco further into the shop and had him stand on a footstool. She then pulled out a long silky black robe and put it around him, sticking pins to measure and match the right length for Draco.

Mrs. Malfoy called his son. Draco turned to look at her.

"Your father will get your books while I will be at the wandmaker's," she said. "We will come to get you once we are done."

"Sure, Mother," Draco answered. He watched his parents walk out through the door.

"Such a mature little boy, aren't you?" Madam Malkins commented as she continued her work.

Then, just a few minutes later, they heard the door of the shop open quite cautiously and hesitantly.

"Just a moment, dear," Madam Malkin said before she turned toward the back of the shop. "Rosie, dear? Could you come over and help set the length for this young man here?"

"Of course, Madam Malkin!" A young witch came out of a small room and walked over to Draco, taking over Madam Malkin's work as she hurried to the front door to greet a new customer.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Draco heard her say, although he could see neither her nor the new customer behind all the clothes filling the hangers. "Got the lot here ― another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

She then walked back to where Draco was standing. Behind her came a boy with black hair and a pair of broken glasses. He seemed to be around his own age. Madam Malkin had the boy stand on the footstool right next to Draco's before she put a long robe over his head and started pinning it.

Draco looked at the boy. He didn't seem like any of the boys that Draco had usually met. This boy was wearing a set of tattered-looking clothes that was way bigger than his body. And he looked quite unsure and nervous, for some reasons Draco could not know.

And he got curious.

"Hello," he said. The boy turned to look at him. Draco gave him a little smirk. "Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes," the boy answered in a rather small voice.

"Me, too," said Draco. "Got all your things yet?"

"No."

"Are you here alone?"

The boy seemed to ponder before he shook his head.

"I bet your family's looking at your things, too? My father's getting my textbooks and Mother said she'll be at the wand shop. Maybe I'll go and take a look at some broomsticks afterward, too. I know that we're not supposed to take one in our first year, which I don't really understand why. Maybe I can find some way to smuggle one in." Draco paused to look at the boy. "Do you have a broomstick of your own?"

The boy shook his head. "No."

"Ever ride one?"

"No."

"I did. I also played Quidditch from time to time with other boys. I want to play for the house team someday, too."

The boy remained quiet as he listened to him. Draco got a feeling that the boy seemed rather unsure ― even oblivious ― of what he was saying. Perhaps the boy was Muggle-born?

The idea intrigued Draco. If the boy was indeed from a Muggle family, it might be Draco's first time talking to a Muggleborn. His parents always told him not to engage anything or anyone that was associated with Muggles. If Draco was still as dumb and obedient as he had been when he was younger, he would have ignored the boy the moment he realized that he might be talking to a Muggle. However, he was now curious about this "forbidden race".

He was about to ask the boy about his family when he noticed a giant man standing outside the front window of the shop.

"I say, look at that man!" He exclaimed.

The boy turned his head to look at where Draco was looking. The man seemed like he was telling the boy that he couldn't come in because of the ice creams he was holding in his hands.

"That's Hagrid," he said. He sounded certain for the first time. "He works at Hogwarts."

Draco remembered his father talking about a giant savage that worked at Hogwarts ground. He had said that the man was more of a servant than a teacher.

"Oh," he said, "I've heard of him. He's sort of a servant, from what I've heard?"

"He's the gamekeeper," the boy replied. He frowned a little at Draco.

"Right," Draco said. "My father always has his way of describing things. But I suppose it is true that he lives in a hut on the school ground, does he not?"

"I think so," the boy answered.

Draco looked at the man again. It was clear that he was with the boy.

"Why is he with you, though?" Draco asked. "Is he one of your family?"

"No," the boy answered shortly.

"Then why is he here? Where are your parents?"

"They're dead," the boy replied.

Draco winced. It was probably a wrong subject to touch upon.

"Oh," he said. "Sorry."

Just then, Madam Malkin told the boy, "That's you done, my dear."

The boy hopped off the stool.

"See you at Hogwarts, then."

The boy only looked at him shortly before he left the shop without any word.

Draco wondered if he might have offended the boy in some way.

It was a month later from that day that the Malfoys were standing on the platform nine-and-three-quarters. Their house-elf Dobby was busily levitating Draco's trunk and belongings into the empty compartment while Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy stood before Draco to send their son off. Draco, already dressed neatly in his new school uniform and robe, looked up at his mother.

"Take care of yourself, Draco," Mrs. Malfoy said. She seemed reluctant to let go of her son's hand. "We will be writing to you often."

"Yes, Mother," said Draco. He was more or less eager to get on the train.

"Draco," his father said. His father looked at him with cold and stern eyes. "Do not forget who you are. You are not to disgrace the name of the Malfoys."

Just who am I, Father? Draco nearly questioned. Who are you ― who are we other than hypocrites?

Yet, he managed to hold himself back as he gave his father an affirming gaze. A gaze that showed that he did not want to become a hypocrite. A gaze that he was pretty sure that his father took as a sign of compliance.

The conductor shouted above the crowded station to alert everyone that the train would be leaving in five minutes. Draco turned around to get onto the compartment. Crabbe and Goyle were already inside, having finished saying goodbyes to their families. Draco got in and closed the door. He sat by the window and looked out toward his parents. Neither his mother nor father waved at him as other parents did. They were too proud to do anything they did not consider to be noble. Draco also looked back at them just as he knew his parents would expect him to.

A few moments later, the train finally began to move. Draco did not take his eyes off his parents until they were out of his sight. His parents also stood still in their spots and only turned to look at Draco.

The train soon left the platform completely as it ran down the tracks like a snake slithering out of a snake hole. Draco waited until the only things he could see were some buildings and trees around the Kings Cross Station moving past them. Then he got up from his seat, attracting both Crabbe and Goyle's attention. Draco ignored the two of them completely and slid open the compartment door to walk out into the long corridor. Crabbe and Goyle watched him before they exchanged questioning looks with each other.

Draco walked down the train toward its tail. He couldn't help the excitement and relief in his chest. It felt like he was being able to breathe for the first time ― as if he was starting a new life entirely. Maybe it was because he was done pretending ― he was now able to drop the act as a dumb puppet. Maybe it was because something, although he couldn't imagine what it was, was about to happen. Whatever it was, it was a good feeling.

Draco looked around the compartments. It had not been long since the train had started its journey and students were still settling down. Yet, some students, mostly older ones, seemed to be moving about to find their friends. Draco watched them moving from one compartment to another, greeting others with loud cheerful voices. He realized that this was not the kind of scene that he ever saw in the Pure-Blood families. Whenever they came to greet each other, they always used a calm and quiet tone, simply acknowledging the other person. Nothing was ever loud, cheerful, or energetic as what he was seeing now.

It didn't seem so bad.

Draco passed a few more compartments. Maybe it would be nice to find a new place to spend his time other than the one he was sharing with Crabbe and Goyle. Perhaps he could meet someone new ― someone different from the likes of his "family friends".

Draco was about to pass another compartment door when it opened abruptly. He nearly crashed into a small boy with a round face walking out.

"Oh," the boy said. "Sorry,"

Draco was about to brush off and walk away.

"Um," the boy said. Draco turned around. "Have you seen a toad? Trevor, he's― he ran away."

"Uh, no," Draco said, frowning. He had indeed not seen a toad that day. He didn't even know that people still bought toads as their pets.

"Oh, okay," the boy answered, disappointed. "Um― if you see him anywhere, though, could you―"

"Sure," Draco answered shortly and turned away from him. He didn't need to hear everything to know what the boy was asking for.

Draco then continued his way down the train. He passed by some compartments full of already wild students, a few groups of seniors talking in the corridor, a pair of twin boys with red hair….

He had almost reached the end of the train when he found a relatively empty compartment ― only two small boys were sitting inside. They were sitting in opposite seats, facing and talking to each other. One of them had black hair and a pair of glasses while the other had bright red hair. Both of them seemed around his age, either in their first or second year. Yet, most importantly, they didn't seem like the ones Draco was avoiding.

Thus, Draco decided that he could try them. He opened the compartment door.

The two boys stopped talking and turned to look at him.

"Hello, there," said Draco. "Are you two first-years, too?"

"Yeah," the red-haired boy answered.

"Would you mind me joining you? I can't seem to find an empty compartment. And I don't want to spend the entire time alone."

It was, of course, a lie. Draco already had a compartment. But it wasn't a complete lie, for he did not want to spend time with Crabbe and Goyle.

The two boys shared a glance. The red-haired one shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose not," said the one with the glasses, looking at Draco.

He looked quite familiar. The image of the said boy in a black robe came to Draco's mind.

"Hey," he said, tilting his head a little. "Weren't you at Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley?"

The boy looked rather indifferent as he answered, "Yes, that was me."

"I knew you looked familiar," Draco said with a grin.

He entered the compartment. The door slid close behind him when he let it go. He then sat down on an empty seat across from the black-haired boy and next to the red-haired one.

"I'm Draco," the boy said. "Draco Malfoy."

The red-haired boy snapped his head toward him and frowned.

"You're a Malfoy?" He asked.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you know my family?"

The red-haired boy looked at him unpleasantly. Draco then saw something. Red hair, freckles, and worn-out clothes.

"Are you a Weasley, by any chance?" Draco asked the boy.

The boy's frown deepened.

"How did you know?"

Draco chuckled.

"Perhaps in a similar way you know my name?" He said. "My father's talked about your family."

Weasley glared at him.

"And my dad talked about your family," he said.

"Oh?" Draco said. "What did he say?"

Weasley pursed his lips and chose not to answer. Draco could easily imagine that whatever was going through in his head, it was probably something rude.

So he decided to help him out a little bit.

"That we're evil? Traitors? Condescending? Hypocrites?"

Weasley's eyes widened as he gaped at Draco. Draco smirked.

"Don't worry, I won't tell my father about that," he said. "Honestly, it's not like I haven't thought of it myself."

Weasley briefly looked at the other boy as if he could answer the million questions he was having. Yet, the black-haired boy seemed as oblivious as him.

"I'm glad to get out of his miserable deceits."

"I'm sorry," Weasley said, "are you really a Malfoy?"

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Aren't you supposed to be, I don't know, snobbish?"

Draco smirked.

"I am supposed to be, yes," he said. "I'm just not. Bet I was too smart to be tricked by their stupid nonsense."

He looked at the black-haired boy, who was quietly listening to the two of them with a face that clearly said he did not understand anything.

"I'm sorry." Draco directed his attention to him. "I didn't get your names yet."

The boy looked at Weasley briefly before he looked at Draco.

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," he said.

Draco stared at him.

"You're Harry Potter?" He asked. "The Harry Potter?"

"Yes," Weasley answered. "The one who defeated You-Know-Who."

"So you're Harry Potter," he said, unable to hide his amazement and interest in his eyes and voice.

Harry Potter seemed a little uncomfortable under Draco's gaze.

"I've always wondered what happened to you," said Draco, "you know, after You-Know-Who disappeared? None of the books I've read said where you went off after your house was destroyed."

Potter looked at him.

"I'm living with my relatives now," he said. "They're Muggles."

Draco's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah, I heard you went to live with Muggles," Weasley said. "What are they like?"

"Horrible," Potter answered, "well, not all of them, but my aunt and uncle and cousin are horrible. Wish I had three wizard brothers like you."

Weasley shook his head.

"Five," he said. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already finished school, but Bill was the Head Boy and Charlie was the Quidditch captain. Now Percy's become a prefect. Fred and George, too ― they mess around and get in trouble a lot, but they still get rather good marks. And everyone thinks they're funny. With brothers like that, everyone expects me to do well, too, but even if I do great, it's just nothing, 'cause they all did it first, you know? And I just get hand-me-down things like Bill's old robe or Charlie's old wand or Percy's old rat―"

Weasley suddenly cleared his throat as he glimpsed at Draco and stopped talking. His ears went pink. Then he turned his head away from him, looking out the window.

Of course, it was all new to Draco. He had never met a boy that was not from a wealthy background. Not all the pure-bloods were as rich and dignified as the Malfoys, but at least they owned enough to eat and possess what they wanted without that much trouble.

"Well, I don't have that many family members, but I still only got used stuff, too," said Potter.

Both Draco and Weasley turned to look at him.

"My aunt and uncle don't like spending money on me, so I always got Dudley's old clothes. See this?" He picked the cloth of his baggy shirt. "These are the kinds of things I got from them. And I never had any money in my life until Hagrid took me to Gringotts. I didn't even know I was a wizard. My aunt and uncle never told me. I had no idea about magic and my parents and Voldemort―"

Draco's eyes widened as they could ever be. Weasley gasped. Potter blinked at the two of them.

"What?" He said.

"You said his name!" Weasley exclaimed. "You-Know-Who's name!"

"They don't even dare write it in the books!" Draco added. "I've only read one book or two that mentions his name directly."

"I'd have thought, you of all people―"

"See? I just don't know anything," said Potter. "I'm not trying to be brave or anything. I just didn't know that I shouldn't say the name! This is what I mean. I've got loads to learn. I bet― I bet I'm the worst one in the class."

"You won't be," said Weasley. "There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."

"And there are those from Pure-Blood families who are as dumb as a person can ever be," said Draco, shaking his head. "They're so stupid that they can't even think for themselves what is right and wrong."

Weasley looked at him with a suspicious look on his face.

"I still can't believe you're a Malfoy," he said. "I mean, your father was one of You-Know-Who's followers. Doesn't he tell you to― I don't know, hate the non-pure wizards?"

Potter reacted quite strongly to the mention of "You-Know-Who's followers".

"Oh, he always tells me not to engage with them," Draco answered, shrugging his shoulders. "He always tells me that I need to be superior to others, but really, I'm just sick of him telling me what to do. He's merely a hypocrite. He doesn't even realize that he is contradicting himself all the time." He shook his head. "I don't want to listen to any more of those lies. All the pure-blood families only interact among themselves as if they're the closest friends, but I know that they will just betray themselves if they see fit. That's why so many pure-bloods, including my father, turned away from You-Know-Who when he disappeared. We're used to betrayals. I won't be surprised if my father denies me for disgracing him. He actually might, though, because I don't think I'll live up to his expectations as the 'heir of the Malfoys'. He wants me to be in Slytherin, but I don't want to go there. They're all idiots and hypocrites."

"Which house do you want to go to, then?" Asked Weasley.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. Anywhere but Slytherin works, I suppose."

"Me, too," said Weasley. "My parents would flip out if I went to Slytherin. All my family's been to Gryffindor, so I don't know what they'll say if I go anywhere else, but Slytherin… that's just not an option."

"That was where V―" Potter corrected himself. "I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

"Yeah." Weasley nodded.

"Slytherins usually seek power," said Draco. "I know because everyone around me was all Slytherins. Well, I heard that some of them went to other houses, but that's really rare. I don't remember who exactly, but I heard that there was one that became a Gryffindor. Their parents crossed him out of the family permanently. That's all I heard from my parents. They don't really talk about those things. Those people are often considered a traitor and a disgrace to the family name."

"Then, if you go into a different house than Slytherin, wouldn't your parents be angry?" Weasley asked.

"Most likely," Draco said. "But I can't become a mindless puppet just to satisfy them. I'd rather face their fury."

While they continued talking, the train passed through the countryside and the time for lunch. The three boys were interrupted by a smiling dimpled woman pushing the trolley full of sweets.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" She said.

Potter jumped up from his seat and went to take a look. Draco followed him, pulling out the coins that his parents had given him that morning. Weasley, on the other hand, smiled awkwardly with pink ears and said, "No thanks, I'm all set."

Draco purchased some Chocolate Frogs, a Pumpkin Pasty, and a Cauldron Cake. He returned to his seat and watched as Potter bring an armful of sweets containing a bit of everything off the trolley. Draco enjoyed many sweets as well, but even he had to be a bit amazed at the amount of food the boy was tipping on the empty seat.

"That is a lot of sweets," Draco couldn't help saying. "I like sweets, but that seems a bit too much."

"Hungry, are you?" Weasley asked him.

"Starving," Potter replied. He opened up a pumpkin pasty and took a bite. "I haven't had anything since morning."

Weasley took out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. Four sandwiches were inside. He picked one up and checked its inside only to groan. "Mum always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"Your mum made that?" Draco asked.

Weasley nodded.

"I suppose it's inevitable," he said. "She's always busy, with the five of us. She always forgets things."

"Swap you for one of these," said Potter. He held out a pasty toward him. "Go on―"

"Can I try one, too?" Draco said. He never had any food that wasn't made by a house-elf. "You can have my pasty or Cauldron cake, whichever you like."

"You don't want these," Weasley said. "It's all dry."

True to his words, the sandwiches all looked quite dry and withered. Yet, it still intrigued Draco so much.

"Go on, have a pasty," said Potter. Weasley hesitated before he took it.

"Mine, too," he said. "I really want to try one of them, though."

Weasley gave him a strange look.

"Go on, if you'd like," he said. "But I'll warn you they're really dry."

Draco put aside his own lunch and picked up one sandwich. To be honest, it did not look too appetizing. Still, he just wanted to try it ― he had to try it. So he slowly took a bite out of it and chewed. It was indeed dry ― the bread was hardening from the outside. It wasn't like any of the fancy food that he was used to having back in his manor. Yet, there was something different; something other than the taste that felt different. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason, he was enjoying it.

"It's actually not so bad," said Draco. It wasn't even a polite, empty compliment that he would give out to please people. It was something genuine that came out of him without a conscious thought behind it.

Weasley raised his eyebrows.

"Uh," he said awkwardly, "thank you?"

Draco ended up finishing the piece of sandwich he picked up. The rest of it was forgotten, however, as the three boys moved onto the pile of sweets Potter had bought. Potter had no idea which sweet was which, so Weasley and Draco had to explain everything to him.

It was fun. Draco was genuinely having a good time talking to the two boys. He didn't have a moment to realize that he was merely a boy his age ― not the aristocratic, noble heir of the Malfoys, but simply a boy. He had completely forgotten all about how strict and collected his behaviour should be. He had forgotten about Crabbe and Goyle or how he had all his belongings in their compartment. He had forgotten that he was a Malfoy.

Just as the three boys were trying out different flavours of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, there was a knock on the compartment door. The round-faced boy Draco had passed by in the corridor earlier was standing with tear-filled eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

The three boys shook their heads. It made the boy wail, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up," Potter consoled him.

"Yes, well, if you see him…." The boy trailed off and left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," Weasley mumbled. "If I had a toad, I'd lose it as quickly as I could. Well, I can't really say, though. I have Scabbers."

He looked down at the rat that was sleeping on his lap.

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," he grunted. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work."

"You know a transfiguration spell?" Draco asked.

"George gave it to me," answered Weasley. He pulled out his wand. It was chipped in places. Weasley mumbled something along the line of, "The unicorn hair's nearly poking out," before he aimed it at the still slumbering rat.

The door slid open right then. The boy that lost his toad was back, but this time, he was standing behind a girl with bushy brown hair. Just like Draco, she was already in her Hogwarts robe.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" She asked, looking down at the three sitting boys. "Neville's lost one."

"We've already said that we didn't see it," said Draco, frowning a little. It hadn't been even five minutes since the boy left the compartment.

But the girl wasn't listening. She was looking at Weasley's wand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

Weasley looked at Draco and Potter before he answered, "All right." He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow― Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

Nothing happened.

Draco couldn't help but frown. It sounded nothing like any kind of spell that he had seen his parents using.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice, and they've all worked for me."

She then walked into the compartment, past Draco and Weasley, and stood before Potter. Potter looked both scared and baffled as he looked up at her, who pulled out her wand and aimed its tip at his glasses.

"For example," she said. "Oculus Reparo."

There was a small snapping sound and a spark of light as Potter's broken glasses came together as if they were new. The girl smiled triumphantly before she returned to the compartment door.

She turned to look at the boys inside. "Nobody in my family's magic at all. It was ever a surprise when I got my letter, but I was so pleased, of course. It's the very best school there is, I've heard. I've learnt all our set books by heart, of course. I just hope it will be enough. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. Who are you?"

She spoke everything so fast. Draco could already tell that the girl was very nosy and liked to show off.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said.

"Ron Weasley," muttered Weasley.

"Harry Potter," said Potter.

"Are you really?" Granger said. "I know all about you, of course. You're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

Draco remembered those titles. He had read them ― although partially ― when he was trying to find out more about You-Know-Who.

"Am I?" Potter said.

"Goodness, you didn't know? I would have found out everything I could if it was me. By the way, do you know what house you'll be in? I'm hoping Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was in it. I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, either." Granger then seemed to have remembered what she was here for. "Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. I see you've already changed. But you two," she looked at Potter and Weasley, "should change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."

Then she finally left.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," Weasley mumbled.

"You said your brothers were all in Gryffindor?" Potter said. "What do they do after they left school?"

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," answered Weasley. "Oh, right! Did you all hear? About Gringotts?"

Draco remembered the headline of the previous day's Daily Prophet. "About someone trying to steal something from there?"

"Yeah." Weasley nodded. He then looked at Potter. "I suppose you don't get that with Muggles."

"What's happened, exactly?" Potter asked.

"Someone tried to break into one of the vaults in Gringotts," Weasley explained. "But what's odd is, nothing happened. The thieves weren't caught, and nothing was stolen. Dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, and everyone gets scared when something like this happens. You know, in case You-Know-Who's behind it?"

Draco thought about it. His father seemed a bit disturbed about the news, but otherwise remained unaffected. What if it was actually connected to You-Know-Who? Did this mean You-Know-Who was coming back? What were his father and mother going to do if that was the case?

Draco was broken out of his thought when he heard Weasley say, "What's your Quidditch team, by the way?"

"Er― I don't have any," said Potter.

Weasley stared at him. "What!"

"He's lived with Muggles, remember?" Draco gave him a smirk.

Weasley was in the middle of fervently explaining the rules of Quidditch when the compartment door opened once again.

Draco groaned.

"What are you doing here?" Crabbe asked him, frowning.

"We were looking for you," added Goyle. "We've wondered where you went."

"What are you doing in here?" Draco asked. He refused to look at them.

"We've heard that Harry Potter's in here," Goyle said. He looked around the compartment. His eyes wandered from Weasley to Potter. "Which one of you is it?"

"I am," Postter answered. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"No," Crabbe said. "We were just thinking we might say hello."

"And who are you?" Weasley asked.

"I'm Crabbe."

"I'm Goyle. And you are?"

Weasley glared at them before he replied, "I'm Ron Weasley."

Crabbe sneered.

"Figured. Red hair and hand-me-down old clothes. Father said that you have more children than you can afford."

Weasley was fuming.

"Are you done?" Draco said, annoyed.

Goyle looked at him. "Are you gonna stay here? With a Weasley?"

"You of all people should know better than to hang around with the wrong sort," Crabbe said. Then he looked at Potter. "That goes for you, too, Potter."

Draco was about to snap at them when Potter cut in first.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," he said.

Draco smirked. Potter seemed to be more of a quiet sort.

Crabbe and Goyle frowned as they looked at the three boys.

"Haven't you heard? You are not welcome in here," Draco sniggered at them. "Wrong sort."

Crabbe looked at Goyle, confused. Draco felt as if he could hear his thoughts.

"What are you talking about?" Goyle said. "What are you doing in here, anyway? You're a Malfoy. You shouldn't be hanging around with riffraff like the Weasleys, it'll rub off on you."

Weasley and Potter stood up.

"Say that again," Weasley's face was turning redder by the minute.

"Oh you're going to fight us, are you?" Crabbe sneered at him, cracking his knuckles.

"No," Draco said. He also stood up, pulling out his wand. "You're going to leave. Now." He pointed the wand at just inches away from Crabbe's nose.

Crabbe gulped. His eyes looked at the tip of Draco's wand. He and Goyle glared at Draco. Draco glared back at them, which made them cower. They didn't say any more words as they simply backed off and walked away toward the front of the train.

"You know them?" Weasley asked him.

"Unfortunately," Draco said, sitting back down in his seat. "My parents made me befriend them before coming to Hogwarts. Said that I have to get used to them. I only pretended to because otherwise, my father was going to send me to Durmstrang."

"Durmstrang?" Potter asked.

"It's another wizarding school in Northern Europe," Draco replied. "They don't accept Muggle-borns there. You can think of it as a school with only Slytherins in it. I didn't want to go there, so I pretended like I'm a good son they wanted me to be."

"Sounds cheerful," Weasley remarked.

Draco snorted.

It was getting dark outside the window, and the train seemed to be slowing down little by little. Weasley and Potter changed into their robes while Draco was slightly lost in his thoughts.

It was truly a new beginning for him, wasn't it? He was out of his parents' shadows. He now got away from the people he just couldn't associate with. He was meeting new people ― possibly… new friends? And it felt good. Perhaps it was what he has been looking for, what he always wanted; to become himself as himself and not just some kind of symbol for his family that his parents wanted to make out of him. Perhaps it was the answer that he had been looking for or at least a way toward it.

The thought made Draco a little nervous ― a bit scared, even. He was about to make a new journey for himself. He was about to really get onto a path that his parents would never approve of. He was going to create his own self, outside his parents' influence ― possibly in the very opposite direction from what his parents wanted. He was about to really stand up to them.

It was nervous. But mostly, it was exciting.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Draco broke out of his train of thought and looked up. Weasley and Potter sat still in their seats, looking a bit nervous. Draco could also feel his heart racing in his chest. He wondered if he looked the way they did as well.

Just before the train entered the platform, Potter and Weasley began packing the leftover sweets in the pocket of their robes.

"Would you like to take some, too?" Potter said.

Draco shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks."

When the train stopped completely, everyone on the train got out of the train, pushing their way to find the right direction. Draco, Potter, and Weasley stayed together as tried to find their way out of the pack of crowds.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

A low voice shouted loudly over the students. Potter walked over to the giant of a man, Draco and Weasley following closely behind him.

"All right there, Harry?" The man asked.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Potter answered.

"Whoa!" Weasley said, looking at the man from his feet to head.

Hagrid gathered the first-years and led them off the platform, away from the other students. It appeared that the first-years were getting to Hogwarts by a different means.

Draco took a deep breath as he followed the man along with other students. Nervousness and excitement intensified within him.

He couldn't wait for whatever awaited him.

A/N: I based this chapter on the novel, but I also mixed a little bit of the film adaptation as well. I have to say that I kinda brought a lot of parts of the existing scenes and just added Draco in them. So it might kinda seem too familiar. But I'll try to be making a bit more differences in the upcoming chapters.

Thank you so much for reading the story!

I would love to hear what you thought, what you think can be better, and just about anything!

I hope you all stay safe and healthy and wish you a very good day, wherever you are!

Best,
Lisa :)