Harry Potter and the School for Pureblood Wizards
Summary: Before Harry Potter ever had a chance to go to school, Voldemort had taken over. Tauntingly, a cruel joke had been played as Harry received his first letter from Hogwarts. To make things worse, he catches the eye of the 'Prince' amongst pureblood wizards.
Chapter rating: K, I think there's a tiny bit of malexmale attraction if you squint, and there is reference to a malexmale couple, so rated for slightly controversial themes
Pairing: DMxHP with minor SBxRL
Warning: slash, fluff, lemon, power differentials (this story will contain gay relationships, so if you don't understand the implications, please refrain from reading).
Type: AU, romance, drama
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Raincoast Books and others.
Dedication: To Emi, beta and friend. May this fic be fluffy enough for you.
Chapter 2, Part A: Three Cheers for the Taranchula
"Harry Potter," Draco Malfoy smirked. "Come here." Harry didn't move, or more precisely, couldn't move if he ever wanted to live with himself again. If there was a way to wipe the arrogant smile off the other boy's face, Harry would've gladly begged for it. He clutched the white box tightly to him and stood his ground.
"Why?" He asked. "The view's just as nice over here." He plopped himself down in a nearby chair, clenching his teeth hard to expel the uneasiness in his stomach. For a moment, Malfoy said nothing, gaze growing colder by the second.
"Crabbe," he drawled. Harry felt his pulse quicken as one of the huge boulder-like boys responded. "Remedy this situation for me."
Not here, he prayed. Don't let me be beaten up here. I get enough of that back with the Dursleys. And he'd been naïve enough to believe that his fortunes would change. Not quite so easily.
The large boy named Crabbe didn't know what to do at first, and Harry would've found the blankly confused expression on his face funny any other time. One of Draco's other friends leaned in and whispered loudly, "He means bring Harry Potter over here, or beat him up, one of the two."
Crabbe didn't look any happier knowing that. Shifting his feet he slowly advanced towards Harry.
Harry's legs tensed, and he was sure he became paler.
Suddenly, Malfoy let out a long-suffered sighed. "Crabbe, just get out of the way."
Harry was able to breath again as Crabbe, mumbling dully, backed away. His wary eyes shifted to Malfoy as the other boy stood, stretching lazily like a cat. The giant eagle owl let out a screech of annoyance as its master brushed by, ruffling its feathers. It huffed once more before settling its unnerving predatory gaze on Harry's scared face.
"It seems," Malfoy drawled, leaning in close to Harry. "That we might've started off on the wrong foot." Harry frowned at the hand offered to him. "My name is Draco Malfoy, heir of Lord Voldemort. And you are Harry Potter, would-be savior of the world from said Dark Lord's clutches."
When Harry didn't react, Malfoy grabbed his wrist in a rough semblance to a handshake. His grip tightened as Harry tried to jerk his hand back. "And this," the older boy laughed. "Is a meeting that might one day be written in stories. You ought to say a few things to be remembered by."
"I'd rather not be remembered, or remember you at all, if it's all the same," Harry said coolly, finally succeeding in pulling his hand back. He'd probably pay for it, like life with the Dursleys had taught him, but at the moment, he didn't quite care.
Malfoy's eyes flashed. In one swift motion, he had snatched a small package from the basket beside the couch. "I'm prepared to forgive what you just said," his voice was nonchalant. "Take this."
Warily, Harry eyed the package he was given. "What is it?" He asked suspiciously. Perhaps it would explode when he opened it. He certainly wouldn't put it past the arrogant boy.
"That," Malfoy replied with a hint superiority, "is a Chocolate Frog. You eat it, Potter."
Harry resisted the question the bubbled up on his tongue. It isn't a real frog, is it?
His doubt must've shown on his face. "No it isn't a real frog, muggle," Malfoy sneered, eyes glued to his face. The room seemed tense in anticipation. "It's a perfectly normal piece of chocolate."
In retrospect, Harry shouldn't have trusted him. Shouldn't have trusted that amused, bored smile on the other boy's face. But he hadn't expected Draco Malfoy to be bored enough to lie about a frog.
When he slowly pulled the wrapping a part, the frog-shaped chocolate laid quietly between the plastic. Harry raised the frog to his lips and bit down. It was perfectly fine, the chocolate sweet and dark inside his mouth. He looked up to find Malfoy seated, and the rest of his friends had begun sharing frogs.
When he bit into the chocolate the second time, Harry felt the card. Carefully, he worked it loose from the wrapping and stared at the old man in the photo. A pair of half-moon glasses covered thoughtful eyes that stared pensively out at Harry. The man's long silver hair and beard seemed to glow in the lighting.
Harry's mouth dropped open as the old man blinked and smiled kindly out at him. He swallowed in astonishment as the old man slipped out of sight.
"What did you get?" Malfoy asked conversationally. Harry, figuring he meant the card, looked at the name.
"Albus… Dumbledore," he wasn't sure if he pronounced the name right when Malfoy's eyes bulged.
"Are you bloody serious?" He exclaimed. A couple of the other boys also jumped to their feet. In the next second, Harry found a crowd gathered around him. He clung on to the card as several heads leaned in to see it.
"It is!"
"I thought they took Dumbledore out of the cards years ago!"
"No, my friend got on, and wouldn't trade me for anything."
"Just the luck of Harry Potter," Malfoy sneered. "Getting the rarest card on his first try. Here, give it back. I've only got one of him, so I'll need a back-up. It's my Chocolate Frog, after all."
"No," Harry surprised himself by saying, pocketing the card protectively. He wasn't sure why, but the old man's kind smile, just like Mrs. Weasley back at Diagon Alley, gave him a warm feeling about his future. "The frog was a gift. What kind of people would give a gift then demand it back?"
Harry should've noted the dangerous glint in the other boy's eyes. Draco soon shrugged, stopped his friends angry words and went back to his seat. A few seconds later, he threw Harry another frog.
This frog looked the same as the first, and Harry didn't think twice about biting into it.
The frog croaked loudly, kicking its hind legs. Harry let out a loud screech as the frog crawled past his nose, knocking aside his glasses and settling into his hair. He was too busy trying to spit out the slimy, bitter taste in his mouth to care.
The room roared in laugher. The pretty girls in the corner giggled almost politely, the two huge boys laughed like broken steam trains, and Malfoy's other friends clutched at their sides, barely breathing through their mirth.
"Serves you right, stupid mudblood."
Malfoy himself was laughing loudly, elegant eyes gazing down at Harry in contempt. "I'm sorry, I must've given you one of the joke chocolates. You must be careful with those things, you never know what to expect in the Wizarding World."
Angrily, Harry wiped at his mouth. The frog fell from his hair, now bright green and slimy. It blinked a few times and quickly escaped under one of the couches.
He was seeing red. Bad enough to be informed that you'd be alone in a school full of pureblood wizards who hate you. He had to be hated by the 'prince' of the school as well.
Harry mustered as much dignity as his humiliation allowed him. It could've been a lot worse, he consoled himself. This was less painful than the regular jeers he received at school before.
Except here, there was no place to run. Climbing to his feet, Harry gathered the white box close to his side, he met Draco Malfoy's laughing gaze squarely. "Was there anything else you wanted, Malfoy?" He said stiffly. "If not, I'm going back to the back of the train."
"Not quite so fast, Potter," Malfoy waved. "Now that you're here, tell us of your muggle relatives, won't you? Is it true that they use people to deliver mail? How long does that take?"
Harry didn't answer, lips pressed tightly together. If he spoke right then, he would've started yelling at the boy who, in the new society he resided in, was ranked far higher than he.
"And what is this box? Something stolen from a pureblood, no doubt?" Wordlessly, throat tightening in anticipation, Harry let Malfoy take the box from him. His eyes trained themselves on Malfoy's pale fingers, digging under the lid and pulling.
The box seemed to open in slow motion, and for a moment nothing happened. Then Malfoy screamed, louder and higher than Harry had. His hand flailing, trying to dislodge the large hairy creature that clung to his fingers.
For a moment, everyone watched in horrified fascination as Malfoy struggled with the large spider, finally succeeding in flinging the creature to the floor. His scream stopped, and his wide eyes were locked on the disoriented orange bundle of legs frantically scampering around the floor.
Harry sprang into action as screams began erupting from the room. Snatching the white box Malfoy dropped, he scooped the taranchula off the carpet in a desperate, lucky move and tore out the door.
As the door slammed shut behind him, Harry distinctly heard Malfoy yell. "Blaise! I told you to lock the door!"
"I did! I don't-"
Dodging past a few inquisitive girls, Harry didn't stop until he was several carts away, panting hard. His heart was pounding hard. Already, he was imagining his next meeting with Draco Malfoy, in which he would most likely be killed. Harry let out a pained sigh, he really ought to have let Malfoy have the bloody card. But…
Harry took out the card once more and read:
Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Considered by many to be a wizard at the same level as
the Dark Lord, who is the greatest wizard of modern times.
Dumbledore is particularly famous for the discovery of the
twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy. Also
the only known wizard to have struck a deal with the Dark
Lord on equal footing. Professor Dumbledore enjoys
chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Harry's future brightened as he stared at Dumbledore's picture again. Surely… surely this kind looking man would not allow the casual cruelty and mistreatment of half bloods and muggleborn to go too far. He slipped the card away again.
"Harry, this is a miracle, you're still alive!" Harry's head snapped up at the voice, and his slightly foggy glasses showed him one of the Weasley twins, wide grin spreading from ear to ear. "Your friend Hermione would be ecstatic, she's been ranting like a textbook. Say, she doesn't like you, does she?"
"Why, you look awfully green," another voice piped up from behind the first Weasley. Harry reached up to clean his glasses. The other twin hoisted him up by his elbow, winking.
"You look like you've eaten one of our joke frogs, Harry, was Malfoy that repulsive?"
Chapter 2, Part B: Hogwart's Insane Gamekeepers
"Gamekeepers?" Harry echoed as he folded his T-shirt and jeans into his shabby suitcase. "Why would a school need Gamekeepers?"
"It's right next to the Forbidden Forest, that's why," Fred (or was it George?) said cheerfully. "Someone has to keep all those vampires and lethifolds and manticores from killing us in our sleep."
"Manticores are in Greece, and if there was a lethifold around, we wouldn't be going to school," Hermione shot back. Harry's head was beginning to hurt. He had no idea what they were talking about.
"So what are they like?" Harry asked.
"Insane," George said happily. "Utterly and completely insane. Snuck in so many illegal dangerous things. We got to see them too. Hogwarts is a better place for them."
"I would rather we have spells to protect us," Percy huffed. He was a prefect, and now saw all things fun as troublesome, according to the twins. "The Gamekeepers cause more danger than they prevent, remember those giant spiders last year?"
Ron accidentally caught his hand in his suitcase. "Ahhh!"
He blushed as everyone stared at him. "Bloody suitcase," he mumbled. "It always catches."
George nudged Fred. Fred nudged back. A wink passed between them. "Ron," Fred said pleasantly. "You forgot this."
Harry's eyes grew wide as George passed the white box to their brother, who absently took it.
Much to everyone's disappointment (Harry was sure that secretly, Hermione and Percy were a bit put off too), Ron merely glanced at the box before tossing it back at George. "Can't trick me this time. I don't remember a box like that."
The twins left the train in a huff. It was night then, and Harry's breath fogged in the chill. The platform was dark, with tiny blue lights wavering on the edges. Harry glanced to either side and saw that the front of the train, where most of the purebloods were, was brightly lit and cheerful. The other side was completely dark and the platform was tiny. Yelps reached them as several people fell off into the mud below.
Harry shivered.
Ahead of them, a lamp bobbed towards them. As it approached, Harry's eyes widened. The man bearing the lamp was a giant, standing almost twice Harry's height, face covered with thick beard.
"That's Hagrid, Rubeus Hagrid, Gamekeeper." One of the twins whispered to Harry.
"He's a half-giant," Ron said beside him. "The giants were all sent away, out of the country since the Dark Lord took over, but Hagrid's under the protection of Hogwarts. It's the only place in Britain that's not completely under the Dark Lord's thumb yet."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
Over the crowd, the half-giant waved to the students. "Secon' years and up! Follow me! Firs' years! Head down to the lake that way, mind yer step! Someone'll be there to pick you up!"
"Well, this is where we part," Percy said. "Ron, be careful."
"In case Malfoy bothers you," George said in a mock serious face. "Chuck this at him." Harry found himself holding the white box once more.
"Say hi to him for me," Fred ruffled Ron's hair and they were off, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and the other first years by the dock. Draco Malfoy and his entourage glanced around, before stumbling onto a steep, narrow path that was utterly dark on either side. Hesitantly, the others followed.
"'Bout what you asked earlier, Harry," Ron said. Harry could see his small frown in the dark. "It's kind of a miracle, really. The Dark Lord had taken over just about everywhere else, and Hogwarts was practically the only place left, when one day the Headmaster left to meet with the Dark Lord. Somehow, they worked something out or something, and Hogwarts was left alone with just a few changes."
"The book explains it better," Hermione sniffed. "The Headmaster, Dumbledore, is the one wizard the Dark Lord ever feared. It would've been impossible to take Hogwards without an all out fight. They got to avoid that."
They rounded a corner and gasps ran through the student crowd. The path had opened to reveal a beautiful black lake, stretching for miles on either side of them. Straight ahead, across the lake, a castle was nestled in the embrace of a high mountain. Its highest towers perched at the top, reaching well into the night. The windows caught the moon's light and winked back at them like the stars.
"That's Hogwarts?" Harry gasped. He hadn't imagined anyplace like this existing outside of storybooks. And this magnificent display of spiraling towers and arching walls before him was better than anything in books.
"It's beautiful…" Even Hermione seemed wordless. The students fanned out beside the lake. For a few seconds there was an awed silence, before a voice somewhere down the shore broke through.
"Malfoy Mansion is bigger," a distinct drawl floated over to them. Harry frowned. Malfoy again. Trust the other boy to ruin a moment like this.
"What are we supposed to do?" Hermione wondered. "There's nobody here."
As if on cue, a distant rumble from the direction of Hogwarts. "Look!" Somebody shouted.
Harry squinted. Through the night, there was a sleek black shape hurdling towards them, going far, far too fast. Within seconds the shape pulled to an abrupt stop next to them, barely inches from hitting Ron and Harry.
It had happened too fast for them to realize what happened. As his heart slowed down, Harry saw that the shape was a tall man atop a shiny black motorcycle. It had been gliding over the lake surface, leaving a trail of black water churning behind it.
The figure rose and a hand reached up to pull the hood back from his face.
A chorus of 'Oooh!'s from the first year girls (minus Hermione) greeted the man's face. Long, glossy black hair framed a handsome, aristocratic face. Sharp gray eyes floated over the crowd of hushed students.
"Sorry I'm late," the man laughed, voice deep and husky. "But of course, I am forgiven. Students, welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Sirius Black."
"The other Gamekeeper," Ron whispered excitedly. "He joined Hogwarts after the Dark Lord took over like a lot of the other witches and wizards. Couldn't stand the rules that were in the world outside, you know?"
"Now," Black said, "we'll be making our way across the lake on those boats over there shortly. But first of all, I would usually permit horseplay, but tonight's too cold for anyone to fall into the lake, so you'll have to refrain from that. Keep a tight hold on your belongings, because if they fall in, they belong to the squid, simple as that."
He paused, eyes scanning the crowd again. "Since my usual partner isn't here, who would like to ride on the bike with me?"
Most of the girls' hands shot up, even Hermione's, who lowered it just as quickly and looked sheepish.
Black stared at the many raise hands and promptly changed his mind. "Too bad," he grinned. "The backseat of my bike is reserved. Everyone get onto the boats. No more than four of you on one please."
Harry was about to follow Ron and Hermione onto a boat when a hand grabbed his wrist.
"Join me," Malfoy's slow drawl sent shivers down Harry's back. Harry looked back at the boat and saw Hermione staring at them in horror. Ron half rose.
"Malfoy, Harry wants to sit with us," Ron said bravely. "You- you ought to let him. Black would-"
"Black, over there," Malfoy's voice was silky, "is my cousin. He's gone rather insane at the moment to refuse the Dark Lord's job offers, but he'll come around soon."
Harry was half dragged to one of the boats further down the shore. He climbed in nervously, watching Malfoy's moves from the corner of his eyes. They were in a boat with two others of Malfoy's friends, the boy he was pretty sure was called Blaise, and the other one he didn't recognize.
"Still have your little guardian, I see," Malfoy said dryly, looking pointedly at the box containing Lee Jordan's taranchula. "Are you that scared of me, Potter?"
Harry said nothing, glancing out across the boats to where Ron and Hermione were both anxiously looking back at him.
"Hey," Malfoy noticed his gaze, irritated. "It's only polite to pay attention to the people you are with, Potter. Or did your parents never teach you that?"
"Shut up-" Harry gritted his teeth. "Don't talk about my parents."
Malfoy grinned. They were now in the middle of the lake. The black waters below them churned, and Harry had the uneasy feeling that some creature lurked in the depths.
Suddenly, without warning, Malfoy reached over and gave him a hard shove.
Crying out, Harry toppled into the water. The cold seeped into him. Desperately, Harry flung out his hand and grabbed at the boat's edge, legs kicking in the water. Choking, he tried to keep his head above the water as the boat kept moving forward. The box floated away, and Harry could hear the desperate scrambling of the spider as it sought to escape its flooding cage.
"So Potter," Malfoy leaned over to grab his arm. "Do you want me to save you?"
Harry coughed. His glasses were caught on his robe collar, precariously balanced. It lingered their for a brief moment before sinking out of sight beneath the water. He was cold… so cold…
"Well, if you beg me, I might consider pulling you up," Malfoy pretended to be in thought. "So what do you say?"
No, go kill yourself, was what Harry wanted to say, but his teeth were chattering too hard for him to speak. After a moment, Malfoy sighed and rolled up his robe sleeves.
"Stubborn prat, I'll bet you're going to be in Gryffindor."
Before Malfoy could pull him up, Harry felt someone grab his robes from behind. He coughed a few more times as he was effortlessly lifted clear of the water and settled in a hard leather seat.
"Same as ever, I see, Malfoy," Black's low voice rumbled. There was a hint of humor in it, but when Harry looked up, Black's eyes were flashing. "Blatant disregard for rules, picking on someone new to the Wizarding World, how very like you."
"Black," Malfoy replied in annoyance. "What are you doing here?"
Harry stopped shivering as his robes miraculously dried. The motorcycle under him was giving off waves of warmth as it rumbled. Black absently handed him the white box, also dried, but the taranchula inside scrambled wildly about, still jittery from its recent trauma.
"Playing hero, obviously," Black snorted. "Be careful, Malfoy. Here at Hogwarts, I don't care if you're the Dark Lord's heir, you're just another annoying student to me."
Malfoy glared. "Why are you here, anyways? You're a perfectly capable pureblood wizard from a good family. You could've had any job you wanted, but you're here being Hogwarts' bloody Gamekeeper."
"Ah, but what other job lets you wrestle with dragons and giant spiders?" Black's motorcycle slowly circled Malfoy's boat. His eyes were practically glowing. "You never know, Malfoy, when my hands would accidentally… slip… as I'm holding onto an enraged unicorn with you nearby. Wouldn't want your eyes to be gouged out, of course."
Harry decided he liked Black. He was a bit put out by the man's loud barking laugh and confidence at first, but the man, despite his rough attitude, seemed likable enough.
It was one of Malfoy's friends that said it, voice a loud whisper. "That's not it, Draco. My brother told me there's a rumor that Black's soft on one of the professors."
Harry squinted. Perhaps it was just him, but Black's face colored, before the natural grin was plastered back on.
"Really?" Malfoy was back in control, laughing again. "How very… sweet… Black, you'd think a person of your caliber would have no problem wooing said professor without lowering yourself to being a stupid Gamekeeper."
"You'll just have to wait to find out, Malfoy," Black replied easily. "Whether such a professor exists or not. But I don't suppose you'd be laughing once you fall in love, just wait for it."
Malfoy smirked. "Oh, I'd never have problems. You forget who I am, Black. I could just pass a law that says a proposal from a higher ranked pureblood cannot be turned down." He stared meaningfully at Harry. "And there's nobody ranked higher than I am besides the Dark Lord. Who knows, you might even reap some benefits from that law, Black."
Harry half expected Black to get angry, but the man merely laughed. "Oh, you'll have to wait, Malfoy. If you truly feel that way after you fall in love, then I applaud you. But hey, what do I know? I'm only an adult."
Before Malfoy could reply, Black had spurred the engines on his bike and sped ahead. Harry hastily grabbed onto the seat as the wind began whipping past him.
"So you're Harry, Harry Potter, right?" He heard Black call over the roar of the cold wind.
"Yeah," he managed to shout back. This man shouldn't hate him for it, right? The motorcycle slowed as they neared the ivy covered cliffs. Black turned to regard him.
"I knew your father," Black said quietly. It was the first time Harry heard the man speak seriously. "He was a good man, a good wizard. It was a pity you had to grow up without knowing him."
Harry swallowed. "I know," he said just as softly. "I wanted to meet them."
The taranchula chose that moment to jump around the box. Harry peered at the box worriedly. "It isn't dying, is it?"
"Let's see." Heedless of Harry's protest, Black opened the box entirely and reached his hand in. He withdrew his hand a moment later, with the spider nervously flicking hairs on his palm.
"Ah, this one," Black said good naturedly. "Don't worry, it's just a bit angry because there's no dirt around. It's a Gold Knee, gentle as a puppy."
"A puppy…" Harry said faintly. He could in no ways associate the large, hissing creature to puppies.
Black carefully lowered the taranchula back into the box. "Brings back memories," he said wistfully. "Used to have a spider myself. Cobalt Blue, she was meaner than the devil."
By then the other boats had also arrived. A couple people exclaimed to find Harry riding with the Gamekeeper, and he sent a sheepish grin to Ron and Hermione. 'I'll explain later,' he mouthed.
"Alright, everyone duck," Sirius said. The boats and the motorcycle carried them through a wide opening in the cliffs, hidden by ivy. They were quiet as they passed through a dark tunnel. Harry was aware of Malfoy's annoyed glare at his back.
He breathed a sigh of relief as they docked at a sort of underground harbor and climbed off Black's motorcycle. He thanked the man politely.
"Hang on," Black said, rummaging through his pack. He handed Harry a small envelope. "You can do something for me, right? Give this to one of your professors. Professor Lupin. You can read it if you want, but just make sure to deliver it."
"Oh," Harry stared at the crisp white envelope. He hesitated. "Is this… for that professor? The one you like?"
"Perhaps," Black smiled mysteriously.
"Harry!" Ron and Hermione ran up to him as they began climbing up a passageway in the rocks. "What happened? Where are your glasses."
"The squid has them," Harry sighed. "Malfoy pushed me into the lake." Hermione's mouth dropped open.
"And when Mr. Black specifically told us not to! The nerve of him," she said furiously.
"He's probably ranked higher than most of the professors here," Ron said dully. "Say, what did Black give you?"
"A note, he said to deliver it to one of the professors. He said we could read it, but-"
"Let's read it then," Ron said excitedly. Hermione stared at him in disapproval. "What? He said we could! We've got his permission!"
As curious as Ron was, Harry handed over the note:
Moony,
Told you you'd be surprised. Congratulate me.
Let's meet at the usual place tonight, I'll be waiting.
Sirius.
Ron stuck out his tongue. "It sounds like a love note. I guess Fred and George were right when they said that Black fancied someone from Hogwarts."
"I don't think so," Hermione said. "It sounds perfectly innocent. It could be just to a friend."
"'Meet at the usual place,'" Ron said. "'I'll be waiting.' Does that sound like something a bloke would say to a friend? I'll bet you anything that the rumors are true. That he does like this professor he's writing to."
"I think so too," Harry said as they exited the darkness and onto a grassy field covered in the shadows of the castle towers. "I asked him about it, but he just laughed."
"But if it was a love note," Hermione said, frowning, "why would he let us read it? It's kind of personal, isn't it?"
"Black's mental, that's all," Ron said. "That would be cool though, I've never heard of romances at Hogwarts before. But I hope the professor is young and pretty, Black's too cool to be paired up with an old hag."
"Everyone here?" Black called. "Very well, brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen."
With that said, Black climbed the broad stairs of the castle doors and knocked three times on the elegant oak panels.
Author's Note:
Ah… It's been a long time… I'm thankful I finally regained the will to write. I was quite looking forward to introducing Sirius, a cookie to anyone that guessed who the second Gamekeeper was before the motorcycle. To answer the one main question readers had, Draco only slightly older than Harry in this AU. He is also a first year.
But even in the books, he had Crabbe and Goyle on the train. It doesn't seem too unnatural for him to know a lot of people going with him to Hogwarts, does it?
And right now… I'm sorry to say, but there's not much attraction between Harry and Draco. I mean… they're eleven years old. And that's the age that, according to my experiences, many girls and guys start to see the other gender (or in this case, the same gender). Right now, what I'm trying to do is to portray Draco in that stage when boys pick on the girls they like. So he's really very mean to Harry isn't he? Meaner than in chapter one, at least. Though hopefully his meanness isn't coming off as malicious or hateful… just… almost harmless pranks that even the Weasley twins might've pulled. And we all love the twins, don't we?
And you'd have to note that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and most of the others don't know about Remus yet. They assumed that Black must like a girl. I just thought that'd be a little more natural this way. Not that any of them are homophobic or anything.
I don't claim to know anything about tarantulas besides what I read on the internet during my research. If I got the breed names or their tempers wrong, please tell me.
Anyways, thank you to everyone who was patient and waited for this update. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first.
Happy Emily: Hehehe… I was planning to update when you reviewed, so thank you!
DrOwNiNg In EbOnY: Oooh! Your name shortened is cool. I wish I'd thought of that. Mikril-dey… MD… well, that's a compliment. I'm not really a medical doctor… Aww… it'll be a while before Draco glomps Harry, I think. But we all must admit… that's SOOO cute!
Triola: Suspense over. Well… unless you'd consider this ending a cliff-hanger… It's not… really… Thank you, I hope you like this part too.
Life: Yay! I'm glad people enjoyed it. That's always nice. Tell me, though… would you consider this light-hearted?
Vanakuvixen: The more the merrier, right? So here's some more for you.
Rei0kitsune: Thank you! I hope I surprised you (both with my update and with what happened), and of course, I hope it was a pleasant surprise. XD.
Zooey: I haven't forgotten this story at all! Aww… I like the veela stories actually… Some of them are really, really good. But I'm glad you think my story is original. And know that there will be no veelas or girls-turned-boys in my story. Well, actually, I might mention the veelas, but that's about it. I… however, can't guarantee that Draco won't try to change Harry into a girl… emphasis on "try".
Bea: Never is a long time… ; I try… I really do… sorry about the really long wait. And I promise I will not abandon this fic.
Kagome: (sheepish smile) Draco is first year… like I tried to explain above. But I just thought that since, you know, he is the Dark Lord's heir, there'd be plenty of people trying to suck up and sending their children to meet him and stuff. And of course, Draco and the Malfoys… being who they are, are never resistant to attention.
Er… I actually didn't think it was that original. I mean… there are plenty of fics out there where Voldemort took over, right? And I'm actually trying to follow a lot of the things that happened in the original book. Hopefully, it won't make it boring though.
Addisonjade: Hopefully you aren't too disappointed, but Hogwarts hasn't changed that much from the books. It's just that… I hope to keep the same awe-inspiring and intriguing feeling that the books have, so the schools won't be full of torture chambers and whatnot.
And yes, the whole segregation thing will have a big, big impact on Sorting. You can probably guess what House is the most popular now… XP
Suckers love: Thank you!
Lita-2003: I fulfilled half of your demand, the update, but not soon. How's that? (wiggles eyebrows)
Sky: Yes… muaha… muahahahaha… The story will be centered around Harry, and he is definitely… definitely on the bottom. I'll try to make him a little bit in character though… but the whole anger thing… destroys the bottoming attitude, doesn't it?
Yams41: Yams… That is a cool name… Enjoy! (the story, not the yams, but yams are good too) And tell me how my story compares to yams… hm… yummy…
Brenna8: Nope, nope. After meeting with Draco, I think being Slytherin is at the bottom of Harry's list, don't you? Otherwise, it's far too easy for Draco to simply sneak over and-… you get my drift? (actually… that's kind of cute… in a sad… twisted way…)
Eli: Thank you, I will! And I'll try to keep up the quality while I'm at it. (sticks out tongue)
FlamencoPenguin: Fluffy because when (not if) Draco/Harry falls in love, there won't be anyone really trying to stop them, you know? And plus… they're kids. How evil can Draco as a kid be? He'll just 'be an arse' for a while longer.
And yeah, I've never really agreed with the fanfics that have Ron and Hermione going against Harry just because… oh… I don't know… he fell in love with Draco or whatever. Their friendship is a lot deeper than that, right?
And I thought this one was more possible than the Godfather Crisis too. That one was more… epic… and as you will have noted (laughs) I did update godfather crisis before this one.
TeeDee: Cruelty is second nature to writers. That's why we like angst so much, ne? However, this chapter is much more happy, don't you think? Hopefully you've enjoyed it.
Dairygirl: Draco interested in Harry means that he is slowly… very… slowly… falling… in… love… Hehe! Of course! What else?
Wolfawaken: Yay! So with any luck, it'll continue being good to the end!
Anonymous: One more order of fan fiction, coming right up! The chef… I mean muse… just decided to take a several month vacation… that's all. Sorry for the wait.
Ice: Nope, Voldi's alive, but you won't see much of him in this fic. Not planning Cedric's death either. He's one of the good guys, you know? And also, Draco's almost twelve.
Kurtisis Afart: Draco… Draco… he's quite a bit meaner and more child-like and less cool in this chapter, but hopefully you still like him. I know I do. The bad boys are irresistible, aren't they. XD.
Luna Pl: Oooh… Draco's control is slipping… he's not quite the ruler at Hogwarts anymore. As for why he chose to go there, it'll be revealed why a little later. And I think I've been converted. I was never a fan of too much fluff… but now… it's so cute! Thank you!
Mikril-dey