A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I have come, bearing a chapter for you cuties! Thank you all so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing. It inspires and motivates me to keep pursuing this story despite the major writer's block I occasionally have. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters recognized all belong to the perfect J.K Rowling!

Damon Potter boredly leaned on his arm, gazing at the throngs of people passing by the window in Fortescue's.

Ron and Neville sat at the table he occupied, scarfing down spoonful after spoonful of ice cream.

"Are you alright there mate?" Ron asked, his brown eyes still focused on the melting chocolate ice cream in his bowl.

Damon shrugged, his eyes focused on the witches and wizards.

"I'm good. Just bored."

Neville pushed Damon's ice cream closer to Damon.

"Eat."

Damon reluctantly picked up his spoon and started picking at the strawberry ice cream.

As he ate, his thoughts wondered off to his brother. Where was he? All his father had told him was that Harry had already left by the time he woke up.

"Hey Neville. Did you hear Damon's brother was at the World Cup with the Notts and the Malfoys? Slimy Death Eaters, those families are." Ron said.

Neville's brown eyes were saucer wide with surprise.

"I wonder why he would do that. Maybe he's just confused?" Neville questioned doubtfully.

Damon nodded his head, his mind made up.

"Yeah, I agree. All he is is confused, that's all."

Ron's eyes narrowed.

"I think he's already Dark. You could just see it in his eyes. Plus, your dad always says so. My dad is always right so I'd think your's would be too."

Damon shook his head, guilt flooding his heart at the offensive words.

"No, no. I think Dad is just mistaken. Harry isn't Dark. Plus, he was only with them once. He probably realized they were the wrong people to be with."

Ron shrugged, his eyes eyeing his empty cup with longing.

"Whatever you say. Just hope he gets Sorted into Gryffindor or your dad will probably kill him."

Damon was almost positive that Harry would be in Gryffindor. After all, they do come from two Gryffindor parents and the logic was a given.

"Harry will, I'm sure of it."

Ron was about to respond when his eyes slid past Damon, his mouth dropping open.

Damon, puzzled, turned around to see what Damon was gawking at.

His own mouth opened slightly, confusion evident in his gaze.

There, in the front of the frosted glass of the ice cream cooler, stood Harry surrounded by a posse. Damon recognized the obvious Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott among the group.

Ron wore a look of blatant disbelief while Neville looked both shocked and terrified at the same time. Damon was a mix of disbelief, wonder, and an underlying.. jealousy.

Damon knew he was not jealous at the fact Harry actually had friends, but of the truth that Damon thought he was all Harry had. Which was obviously not true.

He watched in a bewildered type of fascination as the others looked to Harry as he talked, considering his words as if they were something that mattered, a calculating gleam in their eyes.

Just as Ron loudly exclaimed,"No way!" did one of the members of the group turn around.

And of course, that person happened to be Draco Malfoy.

His silver eyes narrowed with recognition, a look of disgust plastered on his pointy features as he realized just who had caught his attention.

Malfoy softly tapped a slender red head on the shoulder, the boy turning to him with a look of question. As Malfoy gestured to the trio, his midnight blue gaze followed Malfoy's gesture and a look of mild repulsion appeared on his fine boned and sharp features.

Soon enough, the two young purebloods had captured the entire group's interest at what they were so enraptured with.

Damon saw the rest of the posse turn around, each registering Damon, Ron, and Neville with varying degrees of disgust and contempt.

Harry himself scowled at Ron and Neville, his emerald eyes.. narrowed. Exactly like Malfoy's and Zabini's. This observation did not bode well with Damon.

One of the two girls that was included narrowed her eyes and gave a malicious smile, her slightly pushed-in nose sticking in the air as she lifted her chin. She strolled over to the rounded and small table, the rest of the group silently following after a moment.

"One hopeless Gryffindor and two good-for-nothing Hufflepuffs. What a pleasure." Her tone was dripping a biting type of sarcasm.

Ron glared at the girl, his face growing a light crimson.

"Shut up Parkinson. All you are is Death Eater sum in training."

Pansy Parkinson gave a feral smile to hide how much that insult had actually stung.

"It's better than being a poorer-than-dirt Hufflepuff moron. My, I think I'd cast the Killing Curse on myself if I was one of you," she maliciously snapped, satisfied when Neville recoiled with hurt.

As Ron's face burned brighter, Malfoy's silver eyes taunted the three boys.

"If I were to be Sorted into either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff I would blast myself into oblivion with the disgrace," Draco put in snidely.

Crabbe and Goyle, the two looming giant boys grunted in affirmation.

Neville looked terrified, Ron looked bloody pissed, and Damon looked a mixture of both.

Harry remained silent although his eyes were hard as he surveyed Damon's choice of company. He gave a small shake of his head, disapproval and disgust evident in his gaze.

"Shut your bloody mouth before I shut it for you!" Ron roared, glaring at the group.

Finally, Harry stepped up next to Malfoy, his glowing green eyes hard chips as he dsigustedly stared at Ron.

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that, Weasley?" Harry sneered his name, his slender hand ghosting around his wand holster.

In an entirely predictable move, Ron whipped out his wand and pointed the tip at Harry. His face was almost as crimson as his hair.

Harry smirked, his eyes unnervingly taunting.

"S-stupefy!"

Harry swiftly retrieved his wand and effortlessly blocked the spell.

"Is that all your family had taught you? I'm not exactly surprised considering how unintelligent most of the Weasley's are," Harry taunted.

Before Ron could clumsily spout out another spell, Harry gave a simple,"Expelliarmus."

Ron's wand flew into Harry's waiting hand, Harry's eyes frigid and victorious.

"Before picking a duel, Weasel, I suggest you pick one with someone as incompetent and unintelligent as you. Longbottom, perhaps." Harry gave a resentful smirk.

Malfoy smirked himself, his eyes approving as he looked at harry.

Harry tossed back Ron's old wand, Ron not catching it in time as it clashed with the metal of the table. Ron glared hatefully up at Harry.

"Damon thought you were different. But apparently all you ever were was slimy, Death Eater in training scum. Just like Malfoy, Zabini, and the rest of you lot."

Harry narrowed his eyes and pointed the tip of his wand right at the spot Ron's heart would be, Harry coming so close to Ron's flushed face that the tip of his wand jabbed Ron.

"Insult me, my friends, or anyone else I care about one more time and I can do the liberty of promising you that you will heavily regret it. I only have so much self control, Weasel, and you don't have an idea of how much I want to curse you until even after you beg for mercy," Harry hissed in a low tone, his burning and alive eyes glaring into Ron's wide ones.

Harry felt a hand -most likely Theo's- on his shoulder, a silent calming motion and most likely warning.

Ron nodded a few times, too frightened of Harry's threat to even respond.

Harry leaned up slowly and put his wand away, watching as Ron flinched at his every movement.

"I will see you at the Potter residence, Damon." Harry turned to Damon and said, his emerald eyes a darkened and vibrant green.

Damon nodded, his eyes uncertainly on Harry as if he wasn't sure if he was his brother or not.

"Okay, Harry. Make sure you're either back by the time me and Dad gets home or long after so Dad won't lock-"

Harry cut him off, cringing inwardly at the statement. He was painfully aware of the silent soon-to-be Slytherins standing around him.

"I understand, Damon," Harry gave a smirk in the direction of the frightened yet furious Ron and Neville,"Goodbye now."

Ron surged forward with a howl, Neville and Damon almost narrowly being a moment too late from holding Ron back.

Draco stood next to Harry, his silver eyes mocking.

"See you later, Weasel."

Ron's brown eyes glinted with anger and his face was a bright red crimson. He struggled in Damon's and Neville's grasp.

The others followed Draco and Harry after making a few snide remarks and departing insults.

Only after the group was successfully out of the ice cream shop did Neville and Damon release Ron.

Damon looked worriedly at Harry's disappearing back, the similarities between Harry and the posse that was with him highly disconcerting.

"I hate that slimy Death Eater." Ron snapped, turning back to the table with a scowl.

"Malfoy?" Neville asked, his eyes painfully wide.

Ron glared at the sticky tabletop, his brown eyes hard. His tone was acidic.

"No. Harry."

Damon couldn't muster the strength to respond.

Although the day passed by quickly after the encounter with Damon and his idiotic friends, the warm, pleasant feeling that had settled into his belly had not faded, even as Harry stretched out on his springy yet comfortable bed, exhaustion settling deeply into his body.

Harry thought of the group he had met today. Charming yet deadly Pansy Parkinson, lovely and teasing Daphne Greengrass, humorous and beckoning Blaise Zabini, and blank yet following Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Draco Malfoy was especially one who clung to the edge of his thoughts. Harry was taken by surprise by the famed heir's ambitions and intentions, including his intelligence and knowledge in the Dark Arts.

Harry closed his eyes and bit his lip absently, grilling the idea of agreeing to a partnership with Draco. He didn't understand his own actions. Harry had always studied and practiced the Dark Arts alone, his Dark knowledge and unforgivable secrets always something he managed to hide and to keep to himself.

Draco somehow had managed to slip under Harry's nearly interpenetrated wall of coldness and indifference that Harry had built around himself in order to avoid getting hurt or getting attached. Even though Harry had barely met Draco, Draco already knew a few of his secrets that even Harry hadn't told Theo of.

Damon and Theo were the only other two who had managed to get close to Harry in his lifetime and that scared Harry.
Harry reopened his eyes and stared up at the smooth white of the ceiling, lost in thought.

After awhile, his eyes grew heavy. Harry surrendered to the tide of sleep that was gently pulling him in, his head sinking under the beconning waves and his taut body slowly relaxing into a painless, blissful abyss.

Platform 9 3/4 was calm and quiet, a rare change from the usual throngs and loud noise that was so commonly associated with the platform.

Harry had left the Potter residence early, having packed his trunk and belongings the night prior. He had wanted to claim a compartment of his own before they were all taken and Harry would have been forced to sit with his brother and his idiotic friends who, after that day, would most likely not be in the best of moods.

He boarded the Hogwarts Express quietly and calmly. Harry gazed at the very many compartments that lined the interior, his gaze thoughtful.

Harry walked to the very back of the train, avoiding the very few students that had had most likely the same idea as he and was now boredly either walking or laying around, waiting for their friends.

He picked the very last compartment to his right, smoothly gliding the glass door open and slipping in, unnoticeable.

The compartment itself was spacey and had enough room to fit eight people, though Harry sincerely hoped that Damon and his friends wouldn't take that as a silent invitation to infest his compartment.

Harry, having shrunk his luggage, withdrew the trunk and placed it on the shelf above. Retrieving his wand and murmuring the incantation to reverse the charm, the trunk enlarged to its original size.

Putting his wand away, Harry settled into the seat facing forward right next to the window, looking out at the vast open space right after the small portion of the platform.

Harry allowed his body to slowly relax as the morning sunlight filtered in through the large window, his mind simply wandering as he patiently waited. His eyes slipped close, the sunlight both warming and calming him into a light and pleasant doze.

A/N: Thank you for reading, I'll try to update sooner next time!