Disclaimer: I do not own HP. HP characters and universe are property of JKR.

Chapter 6

Harry Potter stood at the foot of platform 9 ¾ with his trunk and snow white owl, all set to start a new part of his life. White smoke was billowing from the train and the platform was packed with the chatter of many voices and students leaving for another year of school. He was very excited as today he would finally be going to Hogwarts. After all the exciting stories he had heard about it, he could hardly wait to see the magnificent castle. When he had gotten the official letter with the telltale Hogwarts ensign on his 11th birthday, he had been overjoyed. In a way, he was eager to get away from his home life. He loved his parents but he still found them a bit too overprotective and he had not had much opportunity to go out and explore the big wide world.

Lily gave him a big hug and a peck on the cheek, which was immediately followed by protests of "Mum, someone's going to see us!" James Potter just smiled at his son's antics and gave him a pat on the head and a hug, "We'll see you for Christmas, son. You can send Hedwig if you forgot anything."

"Now, remember to feed your owl and keep her clean. I've packed you an extra jacket in your trunk if you feel too cold." said Lily as she straightened his shirt and tie. "Don't worry mum, I can take care of myself !", Harry said indignantly as he wriggled out of her grasp.

"The train will be leaving soon. You better get going." James said with a wink at Harry.

Harry gave his dad an appreciative smile and hastily said his goodbyes before boarding the bright red train, out of reach of his mother's constant fussing.

As he boarded the train, he looked around for an empty compartment and soon found one somewhere near the middle of the train. He stowed his trunk and Hedwig's cage away and made himself comfortable on the maroon seats. Taking a look out of the window he spotted his parents and waved to them. His mother looked suspiciously as if she had been crying, but she quickly covered it up with a bright smile and waved. He felt a slight pang of guilt at how much he had been looking forward to leaving home.

As his glance swept across the crowded platform, he noticed a striking blond couple and their son. They were dressed in regal looking robes and were speaking in hushed tones to their son, who appeared to be a first year like him. The interaction seemed rather formal as the father just gave his son a nod spoke in formal tones while his mother smiled and gave him a small hug. He caught a few words of "be careful… stay away…" but soon disregarded it as the usual cautions of overly worried parents.

Shifting his glance, he heard the door to his compartment slide open and was met by a lanky looking boy with bright red hair. It didn't take him long to figure out that this must be one of the Weasley's. He hadn't seen them much but his dad worked with Mr. Weasley and sometimes had Mr. Weasley and his wife over to dinner. He would recognise the flaming red hair and freckles anywhere.

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley. Do you mind if I sit with you? Most of the compartments have filled up."

"Sure", Harry answered with a nod. "I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."

Ron voiced his thanks and took a seat opposite Harry. "So Harry, your name sounds rather familiar. I'm think I must have heard of you somewhere before."

"Errrr…." Harry felt awkward. He hadn't realised that he was that famous.

Suddenly it struck Ron. "Bloody hell! You're Harry Potter!" Ron exclaimed. They sat in stunned silence for a while as Ron seemed to take in the information. He fumbled about a bit before finally asking, "Do you mine if I have a look at your scar?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry said as he reluctantly parted his fringe. He couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable as Ron seemed to be staring at him in a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"Wow, wicked scar! I heard that you were going to start first year this year but I never expected to meet you so soon. Do you remember how it happened? Everyone was going on and on about how you are the only living person to have survived the killing curse. "

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea how to take Ron's sudden outburst. Fortunately, the silence was interrupted as the door to their compartment slid open once again. This time the blond boy he had seen earlier stood at the entrance.

He looked directly at Harry before asking politely, "Would you mind sharing the compartment with me as there are no other seats available in the train?" His clothes were perfectly prim and his hair was slicked back. He held himself arrogantly, every bit like the rich boy he appeared to be.

Harry nodded and gestured for him to come in with a small smile. He wondered if the boy was as arrogant as he looked.

"Draco Malfoy." he said holding out his hand. " I presume you may have heard of me?"

"Harry Potter," he answered and shook his head uncertainly "and this is Ron Weasley." Harry added just in time to see Ron's face turning a rather angry red while Draco had a scowl painted on his pale features when he noticed who was sitting across of Harry.

"I'd know the flaming red hair anywhere. Not to mention the hand me down robes. Don't know why your parents need to have so many children when they can barely afford to feed themselves."

Ron was barely hiding his anger and embarrassment and was starting to turn a startling tomato red.

"Why you arrogant prick…." He stuttered.

"Cat got your tongue, weasel?" Draco retorted.

Harry could feel the temperature in the cabin go down a few degrees as the two glared at each other. He had no idea what sort of feud had brought this on, but he could sense the tension rolling off the both of them in waves. 'I better do something to divert their attention or this is going to be a very long train ride. What a way to start the year.' He thought dully.

"So Ron, what house do you think you're going to be in?" he asked, trying to change the subject beyond the Weasley and Malfoy family feuds.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in Gryffindor. It sort of runs in the family I suppose, since my mum and dad and all my siblings have all come out of the house. Although my mum always complains at how my brothers Fred and George could possibly be pure Gryffindors with the amount of trouble they manage to get themselves into"

"Slytherins would not be dumb enough to get caught for something they did, unlike Gryffindorks who can't even defend themselves when someone insults their family. Not to mention that red is definitely your colour." Draco added throwing a glance at Ron's bright red hair. "You probably couldn't make it into any of the other houses anyway considering your merits." he said with a sneer.

Harry sighed and thought 'Here they go again. He couldn't imagine how two people who just met each other could 'hit it off' so well in muggle terms so to speak.'

They were roughly interrupted by the sounds of metal screeching as the train suddenly came to a grounding halt. In their surprise the two boys had dropped their argument and were looking around in surprise although Malfoy didn't seem nearly as surprised as Ron was. Ron was darting glances around their compartment in a slight panic.

Harry looked out the window and noticed several hooded figures moving into the train. They were entering the train from the two ends and seemed to be combing the carriages as if looking for someone or something he thought.

"There are deatheaters outside!" he whispered loudly the other two boys.

"Oh no, what are we going to do?" said Ron with a slight tremble in his voice. "Why would deatheaters want to attack us?"

Harry was thinking. Their compartment was towards the middle of the train and since the deatheaters were entering at the ends, it would probably be awhile before they reached here. Maybe they could hide or try to get out before they got here. Although, he realized there wasn't much they could do if help did not arrive soon. He had read a reasonable amount about defence against the dark arts and his mother had even thought him how to perform simple shielding charms with his practice wand but when faced with full grown adult deatheaters he was doubtful that he would be able to hold his own.

He could already hear screams erupting from the two ends of the train. Students were running everywhere and he noticed that they were clumped in groups outside each guarded by several deatheaters. Suddenly he saw one of the older students try to break away from the groups and immediately collapse to the ground convulsing and bleeding from his mouth. The boy looked horrible. He was shaking so hard as if he could not control himself and his head was lolling around uselessly. But, what really tore at Harry's heart was the screams that he emitted. They were so nerve racking and seemed to speak volumes of the immense pain he must be under. He could not tear his eyes away from the gruesome sight. Why would anyone want to put another person under such pain and torture? His young mind could not comprehend the cruelty that bestowed his eyes.

He tore his eyes away as he heard a crash and the door to their compartment burst open. One of the hooded figures stood there, his wand drawn. "Get out of the train and you will not be harmed." He pushed the boys into the hallway. Behind them a petite girl stumbled, falling to her knees. She seemed to have difficulty standing up again as the burly deatheater dragged her up again only to have a fall over again. "Get up, girl." he shoved her roughly again and started to raise his wand against her. "Crucio!"

"No!" Harry yelled as he lunged at the man. His mind still filled with the horrific images he had seen earlier. He felt a burst of speed and strength and long silver claws shot out of his fingers as he swiped at the man. Bright red angry gashes sprung forth against the black robes of the deatheater. The curse missed its target and bounced of the walls of the train. Harry fell in a heap between the girl and the man as he was roughly pinned to the ground.

"My, my what do we have here, a little hero to save the damsel in distress?" the deatheater taunted mockingly before raising his wand and casting the unforgivable again, this time at the boy who lay in front of him.

Harry felt a burning pain engulf him. He had never felt anything so painful before. It spread throughout his entire body, torturing the sensitive nerve endings and causing him to shake uncontrollably. He could barely think as a heavy haze shrouded his mind and senses, dulling everything except the searing pain that wracked his body in waves.

As quickly as it was there the pain was gone. His mind still reeling from the curse he heard many cracks and a loud commotion before he slowly faded into darkness.

"Harry, Harry… are you alright?" cried Ron anxiously as he shook Harry. He could not believe what had just happened. He just hoped that his new friend was alright as the mediwizards started coming in and levitated him away in a stretcher.

Malfoy just stood in a corner watching the proceedings, wondering about what he had just seen. He would be sure to write to his father about these things.

AN: Thanks MinaLynn, lady sakura cosmos, oracale, Smitten By Marauders, DarkMarkLV, fudgebaby, Mage-Alia, Bobboky, Nimeariel, neosildrake, AceZ-Shadow, eyeinthesky, AngelAriel, DestinyEntwinements, Never Odd Or EveN, bandgsecurtiyaw, Ravenclaw-heir for your reviews. You've been very encouraging! And for those who asked if Voldemort is going to know if Harry is his son... well i'm not planning on that anytime soon, but he will know eventually.

Personally i still don't like this chapter. I'm finding it rather hard to put my ideas into words lately although i have a rough map of what i have planned to happen. I can't quite get my flow back in place lately so my updates might be awhile.