A/N: Introducing our favourite Harry Potter character! Welcome, Blaise ZabiniAll right, all right... Hermione Granger. Hehe.

CHAPTER 4: The Hogwarts Express

The morning of September 1st was sunny and warm, contrary to Petunia's sullen mood. Not even her gloating laugh when she commented about their nonexisting trunks could make this day any less exciting. Today was the last day they had to see the Dursleys for months and that was worth celebrating.

"Why's only one of you got a backpack?" she asked before jumping into the car.

"Wouldn't you like to know," replied Henry.

Harry shook his head. "Wizard secrets."

That was all it took to get Petunia off their back. "Get in."

They didn't remember much of the car ride. It was spent in silence, because whenever they tried talking, Petunia hushed them. She didn't want to hear anything about magic and schools and spells. She didn't let them say goodbye before driving off, leaving them stranded on the train station. Not that they wanted to say goodbye to her, but it was still rude.

"Come on," said Harry. "Let's find the platform." He checked his ticket and did a double take. "Am I seeing this right? Platform 9 ¾?"

"Precisely." Henry put her arm around his shoulders. He automatically snaked his around her waist. "To infinity and beyond!"

"What?"

They walked hand in hand around and through groups of people. Henry had been here once before, though it was a vague memory. It hurt, thinking of her past, but at least the memory was a good one. She'd gone with her family to London one summer, visiting King's Cross and buying way too many Harry Potter related souvenirs. They'd gone on the Harry Potter Tour as well.

"You're not about to cry from seeing a train station, right?"

Henry took a deep breath. "No. Sorry."

"What's going on? And don't lie to me; I know when you do."

"It feels nostalgic," she said truthfully.

"Why? You've been her before?" He paused. "Have we?"

"I don't know. But everything feels familiar."

He nodded and stopped to take a look at a map. A woman passing by stared at Hedwig's cage. Her young son pointed at the owl and asked if he could also get one. She hurried away.

"Sad we can't put Hedwig in a backpack," Harry whispered and was on his way again.

"She'd be really mad if we tried. Where are we going?"

"Platform 9 ¾ of course. Or, well, it's not on the map, but platforms nine and ten are, so we're going there."

Henry grinned. Of course it wasn't on any maps, it was hidden from Muggles. When they finally arrived, Harry looked around. There was no platform 9 ¾ as long as the eye could see.

"I'm waiting for something magical to happen," he said dryly.

Henry snorted and led him to the column between the platforms. "When they said 9 ¾, they meant it literally."

"Are you suggesting we go through a wall?"

"What else?"

"Wizards."

Henry laughed and Harry couldn't help smiling. Seeing her happy was the best. They readied themselves to walk up to the wall when Henry suddenly pulled him to a stop. She was looking behind them. There stood that blond boy from Diagon Alley, nervously eyeing them.

"Hello?" Harry said with a frown. "What do you want?"

"I…"

"If you want to go first, be my guest." Henry pulled Harry out of the way. The boy didn't move.

"I wanted to… to apologise…" HIs voice got quieter and quieter with every word. "Because I was rude."

The twins eyed each other in surprise. Had he done something to Henry? Harry wondered bitterly. Henry was just surprised Draco had it in him to admit it.

"What did you do wrong?" Henry asked. "I want you to tell me."

His ears turned red. "I said… that your face looked odd. And insulted your mother." He took a deep breath, collected himself and looked her in the eye. "It's not becoming of a Malfoy to be so tactless. I deeply apologise for my wrongdoings."

Tactless! Henry wanted to laugh. Yes, because being blunt was the main problem. But she had to give him credit where credit's due.

"Thank you. I accept your apology." She turned away and Harry followed.

"Wait!" They looked at him. "Would you like to share a compartment?" He looked so uncomfortable Henry knew she couldn't refuse.

"Sure. Lead the way."

He gave a small smile before turning to nod at someone. Henry recognised his parents walking towards them.

"Good morning," Narcissa greeted. "I'm Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother."

"Lucius Malfoy," said her husband.

"Harry and Henry Potter. Nice to meet you."

Narcissa was a regal woman, with platinum blond hair, high cheekbones and glistering, warm eyes. The whole family actually had blond hair and Lucius' competed in terms of length with his wife's. If he hadn't been a Death Eater and old enough to be her father, she might have found him attractive. Long hair on men (if kept neat) was lovely.

"Draco told us about your meeting," said Lucius with half a sneer. "It's regretful about your parents."

The twins gave each other an impressed look.

Of course, it didn't last. "If only your father had chosen a more competent wife."

"Lily Potter was a nice young lady," said Narcissa and stomped her husband on the foot. He flinched but didn't make a sound. Harry and Henry bit their tongues to stop themselves from laughing. Draco gave his parents a long-suffering look.

"I hope you have a good time at Hogwarts," Lucius hissed, side-eyeing his wife.

"Yes, it is a wonderful place," she agreed without acknowledging him.

"Draco, be careful with whom you're mingling with. Even in Slytherin." Harry frowned at that. If Henry hadn't already known which House Draco was getting Sorted to, she'd look equally as befuddled.

Lucius made another comment about the political importance of proper allies. Draco nodded regally, even when Lucius not so subtly told him to stick with Harry and Henry. That earned him an elbow to the ribs.

"Aren't they lovely, dear?" Narcissa put her arm through his while he fought not to betray the pain he was in. "I hope you become friends. Let's go, love."

The trio waited until they disappeared to look at each other. The twins burst out laughing, earning them a small smile from Draco.

"Your dad, is he always like that?" asked Harry. "As subtle as a train, he is."

"I've never seen him so blunt. Or mother so violent. Maybe you have that effect on people." If it was smiles he wanted, he was dead wrong. "I'm sorry if I offended you," he said after taking a look at their dire expressions. "Did I say something wrong?"

They shook their heads, refusing to bring up the Dursleys.

"How about we find that train?" suggested Harry.

Draco gladly explained how they got to platform 9 ¾. He demonstrated by walking briskly through the wall with his luggage. Harry gave Henry one last doubtful look before taking Hedwig and followed suit.

Henry took one last look around her, took a deep breath and ran. The moment she went through the wall, it was like running straight into jelly. Her movements slowed and she didn't even stumble when exiting. To her left stood the Hogwarts train in all its red and old-fashioned glory.

"Falling in love?" teasted Harry.

"Funny." She followed him and Draco to the nearest door, where they helped the boy place his trunk. It was heavy and they barely got it up the steps.

"Next time," wheezed Harry, "charm it to resize with a password."

Draco gave him a tired look and pushed the trunk into place. When all of that was done, he led the way through the corridors until they found an empty compartment.

There was an awkward silence at first. No one really knew what to say. Harry opted to get the Herbology book from his trunk while Henry let Daycrusher poke his head out for fresh air.

"You've got a snake?" Draco stared at him. "You're going to get in trouble if they find out."

"Then best not to tell anyone," said Harry with a wink. "This is Daycrusher, by the way. We rescued him from the London Zoo."

"You did what now?" He looked at the snake again. It looked like it was licking Henry's cheek. Had they stolen it? Best not tell his parents about it. Or anyone, for that matter. He wasn't about to get them (and himself) in trouble before they reached Hogwarts.

"Doesn't matter now," said Henry. "Do you have any pets?"

"An owl."

"We got one too. Her name's Hedwig." Harry patted the cage and she made a quiet hoot. "She likes you."

Draco doubted that.

The conversation flowed better after that. The twins told him how excited they were about going to Hogwarts and Draco's jaw dropped upon hearing they'd finished most of the course literature. He prouded himself on a broom, which impressed Henry, who was afraid of heights, and made Harry laugh. He couldn't believe magical people actually flew on brooms.

Some time later, the trolley witch came for a visit. Draco helped them buy a few snacks. Henry was amazed to learn pumpkin pastries weren't as foul-tasting as she'd thought and Harry vowed to never taste Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans again. Draco allowed himself to laugh at the sight of Harry's disgusted grimace.

"And these are Chocolate Frogs," he explained and opened a box. The frog leapt to freedom. Harry instinctively caught it. "Thanks. Now, you see the bottom here? It's a card. A lot of people collect them."

"Cool," said Harry and opened one himself. "I got Rowena Ravenclaw."

"The Founders are very common." Draco bit off his frog's head. The twins looked at Harry's card again.

"Who's rarest?"asked Henry while Harry checked the three other cards he got.

"Who's Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Draco wrinkled his nose. "Famous. The rarest card you ask? Let's see…"

While Draco thought about it, Harry read Lockart's description out loud. "'Wizarding celebrity author, Gilderoy Lockhart, has written many books on his encounters with dark creatures and received many prestigious awards, including Order of Merlin, Third Class and Honorary member of the Dark Force Defence League.' He looks… yeah." Harry handed the card to Henry.

"Slimy?" she suggested.

"Yeah. I don't like him." Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Oh look, I got… Who's Thanatos Roserage?"

According to Draco, Thanatos Roserage was a Pureblood wizard famous for inventing the so-called Eternal Music spell, Musica Aeternam.

"So he single-handedly destroyed a whole industry, huh?" Harry looked at the picture. "Wait—he left! Where'd he go?"

"He's not about to sit in there all day—you don't think he's got better things to do?"

"Huh?"

"Actually," Draco mused, "Thanatos Roserage might be one of the rarest to get. He's not exactly known throughout Britain."

Harry's other two cards were Albus Dumbledore and Merlin. Pretty common, since they were incredibly famous. Henry got a young Salazar Slytherin, Dumbledore and—

"Why's your father on a card?"

"He's in the Ministry," Draco said with a shrug. "Everyone knows him."

"What's he famous for?" asked Harry.

"Beats me. He's famous for being a politician, I guess. What's the last one?"

Henry held up an empty card. "Guess they got tired of waiting."

They had a good laugh at that. Harry asked Draco about the broom-flying, which was how he learned about Quidditch. It sounded incredibly dangerous and incredibly fun. He was disappointed to learn first-years weren't allowed their own brooms, let alone on the House teams.

"I think the letter said that," Henry said and leaned against Harry. "All in caps lock." When they looked at her in confusion, she blushed. "I mean, big letters."

"I see… So, what's your favourite subjects?"

"I'm looking forward to Herbology and Charms the most," replied Henry. If it hadn't been for Snape, she'd said Potions, too.

"Transfiguration and Charms for me. What about you?"

"Probably Flying and DADA."

"What?" asked Harry.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Henry without missing a beat. "I wonder if there's a way to skip Flying altogether?"

"It's mandatory, so I doubt it," Draco said. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the toilet."

Harry waited until he was out of earshot before turning to Henry. "What do you think about him?"

"Less of a prick that I thought."

He snorted. "He's trying very hard to get us to like him. I kind of do, too. He's polite and doesn't ask about the scars."

Because he already had and knew that was a subject better left alone.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Harry propped himself up on the wall beside the window, kicked off his shoes and put his feet in Henry's lap.

Henry's mind was brimming with anticipation. Who'd have thought she would get this far? Hogwarts was right around the corner and excitement and dread filled her stomach. What if the plot derailed? What if she didn't get any friends?

What if we're separated? She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep without Harry. They had shared a bed for eleven years now and the thought of not doing so made her panic.

But it would be fine. She'd make sure Harry got along with Ron and Hermione too. Speaking of which, Henry hoped the girl would come soon.

"Her-what?" asked Harry.

Henry looked at him. "Huh?"

"You said something. Like 'I hope Her-something-something comes soon'. Who's that?"

She'd said that out loud? Drat. "Hermione Granger… a Muggleborn."

"Oh." Harry looked at the door. "If you saw her in a vision, I hope Draco wasn't in it." Truth to be told, she hadn't either, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "Why would she come here anyway?"

"Neville's lost his toad. She's helping him find it. I wonder if I can Accio it here?"

Harry gave her a look of concern. Accio wasn't a first-year spell and had only been mentioned in passing in the book. How could she possibly use it? "I'd reconsider, since the toad has to go through a lot of walls."

"Right… Well, he does find it eventually." She stuck her nose in her book again.

Harry sighed in frustration and did the same. "Someday I wish you'd tell me where all this information comes from." A lot of things could be explained by her visions, such as Her-whatever-it-was Ginger, but the Weasels being Pureblood?

"The books," he heard Henry mumble.

He froze. "Books? What books?"

Henry flinched. "I mean… Uh…"

"Tell me, tell me," Harry said in excitement. "And when'd you have time to read them? I've never seen you read anything strange."

How was she to explain this? "It's… it's nothing." She grimaced.

Harry blinked. Looked at her, then at her hands. "Wow. Alright." Hurt, he averted his gaze. Why wasn't she telling him? "It's strange, really. Books and visions of the future? Why do you have them? And why aren't you telling me? It's got to be real big if you can't even trust your own twin."

Henry looked at him in remorse. "You know, I… Uh. It's like… I… I can't… You'll think I'm mad."

Harry took a deep breath, held her gaze for a moment and then pointedly looked around the compartment and held up his wand. "Crazier than being magical, you mean?"

Henry glared at him. "This isn't funny, Harry! And I'm serious. As far as I know, no one's done what I've done before. It's not like I didn't get this knowledge from thin air."

"And that's what I'm asking! Where exactly did it come from?"

"I was born with it!" she exclaimed. "Okay? Ever since the day Voldemort appeared, I've known everything. Because… Because…" She bit her lip.

"Because what?" Harry leaned closer. "Don't shut me out, Henry. We're twins. And best friends. I believed you when you told us we were magical, I believed you when you told me about Diagon Alley, the train and Hogwarts… I'll believe this too, whatever it is."

"I… I'm—"

The door opened with a bang. The twins jumped at the loud sound. Angry at the interruption, Harry turned and snapped, "Are you blind? Can't you see we're in the middle of a conversation?"

The freckled girl, with the bushiest hair he'd ever seen, probably worse than the trolley witch, was staring at him with big, shocked eyes. She was dressed in a grey skirt, dark grey cardigan and an oversized… cape with arms?

"Is the world ending?" he growled.

The girl woke from her confusion and looked away. "Sorry. I just wondered… Have you seen a toad?"

"A boy named Neville's lost one," she and Henry said in unison.

She stared at her for a moment. "Yes… Have you seen it?"

"No," Harry grumbled, still glaring at her. "Can you go to your appointment now?" He pointedly looked at the girl's hair. She flushed, huffed indignantly and slammed the door shut.

Henry gaped at him. He hadn't just said that. Not to Hermione. Was he mad? "That was uncalled for, Harry!" She stood and followed the poor girl. "Hey, Hermione, wait! Can you stop for a moment?"

Hermione Granger stopped and turned, glaring at her through tear-filled eyes. "Is it because I'm a Muggleborn?" she asked.

"What?" How did she even know about that yet? "Um, no? My mum's a Muggleborn and me and Harry are Halfbloods. He got upset because you… kind of interrupted a really… really sensitive conversation."

"That doesn't mean he's allowed to be rude."

She was very much right about that. "And I apologise. I'll have him apologise later too, when he's not upset. As of now… I'm terribly sorry he said that. He had no right."

Hermione hesitantly looked at her. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry too, for barging in like that. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way." She extended her hand.

"I'm Henrietta Potter. Henry for short. Nice to meet you, Hermione."

The girl took another good look at her face and frowned. "Like that famous girl?"

Henry curtsied. "The one and only, I'm afraid."

"So your brother… is he…?"

"Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived? Yup." She pointed at her scar. "Not really hard to tell, right?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Like a bi—nocular." They looked at each other. "Please pretend you never heard that."

Hermione let out a small laugh. "You're a strange one, Henrietta."

"Ew, please call me Henry. And hey, are you really allowed to say that?" She grinned. "It really was nice to meet you, though. But I gotta get going. See you in the Great Hall."

It was when Hermione had found Neville again that she remembered something strange. Henry had said her name before she introduced herself. How had she known?

Henry was unaware of her thoughts as she made her way back to Harry. A voice calling her name stopped her, however. "Oh, hi George."

The red-head stopped short and blinked in surprise. "How'd you know?"

She shrugged. "It felt right."

"Wicked." He grinned. "Are you and Harry alone?"

"Nah, we met another boy our age too. He's gone to the toilet, though."

George laughed. "No details, thanks." He winked. "How are you adjusting?"

If he meant to the wizarding world, terrific. The tension that had always surrounded them had gone and was replaced by a sense of security. They were finally with their own kind. How Harry had lived alone like this for eleven years, she would never know.

"I'm glad you like it, though you haven't even seen half of it." He was about to ruffle her hair, but she moved out of the way. "Right. Sorry."

"Not your fault."

"Kind of is, but I promise I'll get better someday." They grinned at each other. "What House do you think you'll be in?" She shrugged. As long as she was with Harry, it didn't matter. "Boring. I hope you'll be in Gryffindor. Then we'll see more of each other."

"We'll see. I have to get back now, but it was nice seeing you again." She saw how his hand twitched and grinned.

George caught it and returned it. "I'll do better next time. See ya."

Back in the compartment, Harry pouted.

"You're going to apologise next time we see her," Henry said and returned to her seat. Harry moved his feet to her lap.

"Why? She was the rude one."

"Just because she interrupted us doesn't mean you're allowed to be such a prat."

"Whatever."

They were still ignoring each other when Draco returned. He took one look at them and determined it wasn't worth asking about. He sat down and asked, "So, which House do you think you'll be Sorted in?"

"As long as I'm with Henry, I don't care."

"Same."

Draco shook his head. "Don't be like that. Don't you have a preference at all?"

"Hufflepuff, maybe," Henry replied.

Draco spluttered indignantly. "What? No, as if the Potter twins can go to Hufflepuff! All the nobody's go there."

"That's mean," said Harry.

"It's true," argued Draco. "At least say Ravenclaw! Anything's better than Hufflepuff."

Wasn't he a bit unfair? What had Hufflepuff ever done to him? Henry couldn't stop herself from taking offence. It had been her Pottermore House, after all.

"Even Gryffindor?" she mused.

Draco hesitated. "Maybe not…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're taking this far too seriously. My preference is Henry, and that's that."

She nodded in agreement and explained they had never been truly separated before. Even when one of them was stuck in the cupboard, the other had been allowed to stay on the other side.

"I think you're the first I've heard of that still share a bed," said Draco. "That can't be normal."

"We've never been," Harry said with a shrug.

Draco didn't know what to say to that, so he changed the subject. "Speaking of nothing, a couple of my friends are coming to meet you." He gave them a sheepish look. "I walked past their compartment on my way back and one thing led to another and now they want to meet you. I'm sorry."

"No worries," Henry assured him. They were bound to be gawked at and interrogated anyway, might as well ease them into it already.

"Thank you."

They got him to tell them about his family and home while they waited. Draco formally invited them to the Malfoy Manor in summer, which they happily accepted. Some time later, Henry was ushered out of the compartment so Harry and Draco could change into their uniforms. The Pureblooded boy was scandalized when Harry hadn't told Henry to leave, just threw his shirt over his head.

"That's how we've always done things," Harry explained with a shrug.

"Yeah," said Henry. "We're twins."

When the boys were done, they switched with Henry so she could change too. Her uniform looked just like in the movies, with a dark grey cardigan, black robes and a thick skirt. She hated stockings but knew she'd get into trouble if she didn't wear them.

Harry laughed when she let them in. She was throwing her arms from side to side. The wide robe sleeves flowed around her arms like water.

"Having fun?" he asked endearingly and sat down.

"Very." She joined him and once again he put his feet in her lap.

"The two of you are something else," sighed Draco. He continued explaining Quidditch and expressed his desire to join the Slytherin team.

With a knock, the compartment door opened. Three children their age stood outside and looked at the trio.

"These are my friends," Draco said. "Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson." Everyone greeted them left to right. "Guys, these are Harry and Henrietta Potter."

Blaise sat down to Henry's right while Theodore and Pansy sat with Draco. Theodore had light brown hair and a baby face. Blaise was a black boy with black hair and high cheekbones. Pansy was a cute girl with dark blond hair, a sleek nose and doe eyes. And she was frowning slightly at Henry.

"Nice to meet you," Blaise said and offered Henry his hand.

"Likewise."

"You really don't look like twins."

"Theo," groaned Draco. "A little more tact, please."

The boys shrugged, sending the twins a sheepish smile in apology. "So, how many freckles do you have?"

"Dunno, stopped counting after a while," Henry said with a smile.

"I like her." Her hair turned the same shade of brown as his. "Hey, you're a Metamorphmagus! That's so cool."

She was a what now? Theodore gladly explained it was an inherited ability that let you change your appearance at will. So that's what Tonks' ability was called! Henry had forgotten that.

"Did you learn anything about our world before coming here?" asked Pansy.

"We did research the best we could, but we don't live in London and didn't have easy access to Diagon Alley," Henry said. Harry gave her an odd look. Why was she lying about her photographic memory?

"I see… Do you know the difference between Purebloods and Halfbloods and Muggleborns?"

"By the sound of the names, I guess Purebloods are born between wizards, Halfbloods between a wizard and a Muggle or something, and a Muggleborn doesn't have magical parents?"

All right, Harry was definitely asking her later. This was her time to shine, to make friends, so why was she hiding her knowledge? Photographic memory was unusual, sure, but not unheard of.

"Correct. Halfbloods come from one magical parent and a Muggle or Muggleborn. You're Halfbloods, right?"

Henry nodded. "Though I don't see why that's important. We're still magical all the same."

"It's not the same," sneered Pansy, earning her warning glares from Draco and Blaise. "Purebloods are more sophisticated and actually understand magic before they go to school. Mudbloods only serve to slow us down—why do you think first-years aren't allowed brooms?"

Harry and Henry looked at each other in silent disbelief. How did they go about this without offending one of Draco's friends?

"Isn't that rude to say?" Henry asked carefully. "Telling it to us face to face, I mean. And so bluntly. Didn't you say you were sophisticated?"

Pansy glared daggers at her. "I'm telling you this for your own good, Miss Potter. If you want to keep Pureblooded company, you have to know what to expect."

"So all of Draco's friends are brusque and candid?" asked Harry. He was already tired of the girl. So what if they weren't as in-the-know as them? She couldn't blame them for being out of the loop. They'd tried their best.

"Because that's what you just told us," continued Henry. She glanced at Draco, uncertainty shining in her eyes. It might not have been the best idea to ride with him.

"Pansy," the boy said sternly. "Apologise."

"What? Why? What did I say wrong?"

"It's how you said it. Haven't you learned anything from your parents?"

Red in the face, Pansy gave Henry a last nasty glare and dragged a complaining Theo out of the compartment. Draco waited a moment before apologising profusely. How dared Pansy talk like that to them? They were his friends too! Or he'd like them to be. If she made them want to avoid him, he'd never forgive her.

"Let's talk about something else," Harry suggested. "Blaise, what do you think about Quidditch?"


The train came to a stop hours later. It was already dark and rainy. The group of four exited the train carefully and followed the stream of first-years. They were all gathering around a giant man with the thickest beard Henry had ever seen. Seeing Hagrid up close was an experience. He really was giant, but looked as friendly as in the movies. Somehow he spotted her and Harry and gave a wide grin.

Beside her, Harry frowned. He didn't remember Hagrid and turned to Henry for an explanation. She whispered that he knew their parents and was the one that took them to the Dursleys.

"Then I have nothing to say to him," he hissed in reply.

She winced, but didn't continue the topic. If he got to see how nice Hagrid was then he'd change his opinion.

"Not all kinds of kindness are good," he whispered, guessing what she was thinking. "Sometimes they make more harm than good." Unexpectedly deep for an eleven-year-old.

They followed Hagrid to the Black Lake. Boats lined the shore, just like in the movie. Excitedly, Henry entered a boat with Harry, Draco and Blaise. All four gasped in surprise when it began moving on its own.

The lake was glistering in the moonlight. They couldn't see into the dark water, but it didn't matter. All of their eyes were on Hogwarts. The castle was massive, with high towers and lights in every window. It looked unreal, as if they had just entered a fairy tale. Henry supposed she actually had.

The boat came to a stop on the next shore. Harry jumped off without problems and caught Henry when her foot got stuck. Draco and Blaise managed not to fall flat on their faces without help and followed the twins back to Hagrid. He took them to an unsuspecting door, up what felt like a thousand stairs and all the way to the Great Hall. The doors were closed and from within Henry heard the cacophony of voices.

With a last fond smile the twins' way, Hagrid left. Before he disappeared, he announced that Professor McGonagall would be with them soon.

"Excited?" asked Blaise.

"Very," whispered Henry. Harry nodded in agreement. This was simply more than he ever thought he'd see in the school. It was an actual castle! They had magical boats too. It was amazing.

"I hope we end up in the same House," murmured Draco. Henry sent him a kind smile. Again, she didn't care where she was Sorted as long as she was with Harry.

What if we're like the Patil twins? She threw the treacherous thought in a mental trash can. There was no reason to work herself into a frenzy for something she couldn't control.

Harry grabbed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw her hair turn black.

"Now we look like twins," he grinned.

"Aw, shut it." She turned her head to look at the other students. She wanted to see if she could spot Ron or Neville or Hermione. Pansy met her gaze but looked away immediately. Theo shrugged and sent her an apologetic smile.

She locked eyes with another redhead. He was tall and lanky and looked a bit like Rupert Grint. And he was glaring at her. She frowned and cocked her head to the side in a silent, probing question. He looked away and spoke heatedly to Neville. At least he looked like Neville.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"No, nothing. I was just looking at the other students."

"See anyone you like?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was looking for Hermione, actually—"

"Look out for that guy, he's a Slytherin." Their small group collectively turned to stare at Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Had he just insulted Draco out loud?

Before Henry could intercept the disastrous conversation, Harry said, "We haven't been sorted yet."

Harry, shut up! She nearly face-palmed.

Draco patted Harry's arm. "I'll definitely be in Slytherin," he said. "My family's always been there."

So was Sirius' but here were are, Henry thought dryly.

"A slimy snake is what you are," muttered Ron.

"At least I'm not all talk and no bite, contrary to certain lions."

Kill me. Kill me now.

"You bloody—" Whatever Ron had to say disappeared out the window when he saw Henry covered Draco's mouth with her hand, stopping him from adding anything more, catching both boys off guard.

"I'm terribly sorry for his rude behaviour," she said and gave Draco a seething look. "How about you both apologise?"

"Me?" Ron almost shrieked. Or maybe it was early puberty. "Why me?"

"Because you started it."

"But I wasn't wrong, was I? He even said so himself!"

"Mr Weasley, you're behaving like a child. Whatever Draco said doesn't matter, the fact is you were rude first. Isn't it proper to apologise?"

Ron was about to say something, but his mind caught onto what she just said. "How'd you know my name?"

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit—

Before she blurted out something disastrous, Draco came to the rescue. He rolled his eyes and said with a sneer, "Everyone not blind knows who you are. Red hair and hand-me-down robes? You're obviously a Weasel."

"Weasley," Ron hissed.

"Wasn't that what he said?"

"Harry!" Henry wanted to hit them both over the head. How was Harry to befriend Ron now when he sided with Draco? Couldn't he just stay out of it!

"They're all Death Eaters, why are you siding with them?" was Ron's brilliant counterargument.

Shut up, all of you shut up!

Blaise walked into the conversation and calmly faced the redhead. "Let me remind you, Ronald Weasley," he spat, his eyes flashing dangerously, "that neither my mother nor any of my fathers ever allied themselves with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Be careful with what you say, or you might make half the school your bloody enemy."

Not Blaise too. What in the world was happening?

Ron's face turned an interesting shade of red. "Slytherin is full of them! They're all evil—they'll use you." The last statement was directed to the twins. "Don't listen to anything they say."

Harry glared daggers at him. "Who are you to decide what we do or don't do? And wow, really? Slytherin's the evil House because, what, they associate with snakes?" He was seething with anger at the bigotry. "I hope you at least know snakes symbolises rebirth, transformation, immortality and healing. They're a symbol of the creation of life and even the bloody mark of eternity is a snake. What about them is evil?"

No one replied. Everyone was busy staring at him in disbelief.

Ron's intelligent retort was, "They're slimy, selfish and calculating!"

"And your family is full of blood traitors."

"Draco," hissed Henry.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, fine, whatever." He bowed slightly. "I, Draco Malfoy, formally apologises for being rude to… whichever Weasley you are." He looked at her. "Happy now?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Harry gave Draco a proud smile before turning his attention to the redhead. "Well? Don't tell me you're not apologising."

"Never. I didn't do anything wrong and I didn't lie. There's nothing to apologise for. Come, Neville." He retreated to the back of the gathered students. Neville gave them an apologetic look before following.

"Can people just leave us alone?" Henry muttered under her breath.

Draco heard her and gave a humourless smile. "Welcome to the wizarding world."


A/N: This is, sadly, not a fanfic where Pansy is nice. She grew up with blood purity and supremacy, of course she wouldn't accept the twins so easily. As for Draco... take a guess.

Sorry not sorry about Ron, by the way. If you think about it, him hating Henry makes sense. It'll be explored further down the road, promise. There's a reason they both behave like this (and it's not because Harry and Henry should appear superior).