I realise I've barely posted the first chapter, but I was on a roll. Please don't let the quotations put you off - there'll be less of them as i deviate further from JK's plot. I'm writing this as I read, so you might want to do the same. Just as an idea - I don't think it's 100% necessary to do this, but I could be wrong. Thanks for reading!

["Maybe he's broken his Hand of Glory," said Ron vaguely, as he attempted to straighten his broomstick's bent tail twigs. "Remember that shrivelled-up arm Malfoy had?"

"But what about when he said 'Don't forget to keep that one safe'?" asked Harry for the umpteenth time. "That sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the objects, and Malfoy wants both."

"You reckon?" said Ron, now trying to scrape some dirt off his broom handle.

"Yeah, I do," said Harry. When neither Ron nor Hermione answered, he said, "Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?] p124-5 Besides, what was with that guy in Madam Malkin's? Do you reckon he's a Death Eater, keeping an eye on Malfoy while his father's locked up?" Ron and Hermione looked doubtful, but Harry still felt that the man was close to Malfoy somehow. He hadn't looked like a relative – Narcissa Malfoy was hardly likely to be scared of her own relatives, even if her son was. No, there was more to this, and Harry needed to know the truth. Even if his best friends thought he was raving mad. Yet even if the man was a mystery, Malfoy wasn't, he could be figured out. Did he give something away?...

["He's a Death Eater," said Harry slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"] p125

AN: Here it may be useful to read the interlude – I am writing as I read to ensure everything flows, but for the sake of not simply re-writing the book I have to miss bits out. Thanks : )

[There was a whistle behind them; nearly everyone had boarded the train and the doors were closing.] p130 But as he made his way onto the train, Harry looked back at the crowd of parents... and saw the stranger from Diagon Alley. The man saw him to; he locked eyes until Harry had to turn and get onto the train properly. When Harry finally got into a compartment and tried to look back, the man was gone.

Meanwhile, pretending to pay attention in the prefects meeting, Draco Malfoy clenched his fist tightly around a plain white envelope.

After spending several minutes in his compartment putting up with his 'friends', Draco gave up on curbing his curiosity. The letter in his fist burned, and he abruptly left for the luggage cart. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice that Blaise had been missing. The cart door slammed behind him, and after a quick series of wards he sat on a suitcase and began to read.

Dearest Draco,

Naturally, I am concerned about your behaviour of late. It would not do to give the Half-Blood any reason to eliminate you at this delicate stage of proceedings. Please maintain your usual demeanour amongst your schoolfellows – I do not wish to have to rescue from your own mess again.

JP.

Draco smiled ruefully to himself as the letter burned in his hand.

He was fortunate to make it back to the compartment well before Blaise Zabini and his unwelcome invisible 'friend'.

["Petrificus Totalus!"

Without warning, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry, who was instantly paralysed. As though in slow motion, he toppled out of the luggage rack and fell, with an agonising, floor-shaking crash, at Malfoy's feet, the Invisibility Cloak trapped beneath him, his whole body revealed with his legs still curled absurdly into the cramped kneeling position.] p146

"I saw your ankle, you know. Not one of your finer moments, Potter. Luckily for you, my Master wants you alive. But still... he didn't say unharmed..." An evil glint came to his eye, and he stepped forward. [He stamped, hard, on Harry's face. Harry felt his nose break; blood spurted everywhere.

"That's from my father. Now, let's see..." Malfoy dragged the Cloak out from under Harry's immobile body and threw it over him.] p147

"It might take them a while to find you Potter, but be greatful – I'm leaving you your Cloak." Not caring that he stepped on Harry's fingers, Malfoy left the compartment.

It turned out that Harry was lucky – he was quickly found by Tonks. But Malfoy had given him plenty to think about.

For Draco, dinner was nigh unbearable. He did his best to act normal, recounting a rather embellished tale of what had occurred between himself and Potter on the train. It was good enough for his fellow Slytherins, and not one of them commented on the haunted cast to his features. Yet there was one Slytherin who could not be so easily fooled...

Please review! I'll probably write a chapter tomorrow, but might not post if no-one reads this over the next few days...