Harry waved through the window of the carriage at Dad as the train pulled away. Dad waved back, and pulled a funny face. He giggled.

"Excuse me? Do you mind if I sit in here?" He was interrupted by a girl's voice. He stuck his tongue out at Dad, and as he disappeared from sight, turned to face her. Draco stuck up his nose.

"Depends? Are you a muggleborn? You look like it." Harry sighed, and rolled his eyes. He wacked Draco on the arm.

"Ouch." Draco grumbled.

"Stop being a prat. Yeah, course. Come in." The girl looked uncertain, but entered the carriage and sat opposite them.

"My name's Hermione. What's yours?" She asked.

"I'm Harry, and this idiot is Draco. Ignore him when he talks about blood, he doesn't know any better."

"My father says…" Draco started.

"My father says…" Harry mimicked in a high voice.

"Shut up Draco. We all know your father says a lot of nonsense. You won't make any friends with that attitude." Draco nudged him, and Harry flicked him back, and they both laughed.

"Alright, alright."

"What do you mean, muggleborn?" She asked. Well, at least they had their answer. Harry bit his lip trying to figure out how to explain best.

"Some people believe that witches and wizards born from other witches and wizards are better than those born from muggles. It's a load of rubbish of course. Papa did a study on it last year that showed there are no difference between purebloods, halfbloods and muggleborns. The only advantages purebloods have is that they're born into the magical world so have advance knowledge of it. But some people have a hard time accepting that." Hermione nodded.

"Okay. I am a muggleborn, but I've been reading loads of books, and I've even practised some spells!"

"Cool! Which ones?" Harry asked. He had been worried he was the only one who had practised before. She held up a piece of scrap paper, and ripped it in half.

"Reparo." She said, and waved her wand. The paper became whole again.

"Awesome! I haven't learnt that one yet." She smiled.

There was another knock at the door, and Neville walked in.

"Hey guys."

"Heya. This is Hermione. Hermione, meet Neville." Draco introduced them.

"Hi." Neville sat down, and greeted Harry's owl. She preened under his attention.

"Did you find a name for her?" Harry grinned.

"Yeah! Athena. She's the greek goddess of war and wisdom."

Athena screeched, and Trevor chose that moment to make a break for freedom.

"Oh no you don't!" Harry cried. He caught the toad mid jump. Hermione giggled.

"Thanks Harry. He keeps escaping." Neville explained. Draco grinned.

"You should try out for seeker! That was fast." Harry nodded. He really wanted to. He loved flying, and Dad was always going on about him joining the team.

"Dad says that Father was the best chaser Gryffindor ever had."

"First years can't play Quidditch. Besides, don't you need to know what house you'll be in?" Hermione said. Draco and Harry exchanged grins.

"I'll be Slytherin. Malfoys always are." Draco drawled.

"Papa says if I'm not a Slytherin then he'll eat his cauldron." Harry said. Hermione frowned.

"I read that evil wizards come from Slytherin, and that Gryffindor is the best house." Harry scoffed.

"Oh yeah? Who wrote that book? What a load of nonsense. I bet it was written by a Gryffindor. If you read one written by a Slytherin they'd claim theirs' was the best, and Gryffindors are a load of dunderheads. If you read one written by a Ravenclaw then they'd claim theirs' is the best, and all the other Houses are idiots." In Harry's opinion, the evilest wizard he knew of had been a Gryffindor; Peter Pettigrew. But he wasn't going to share his history with a stranger.

"And if you read one written by a Hufflepuff they'd probably say that all the houses are equally good, and each have their own advantages and disadvantages." Draco added. Hermione looked thoughtful. Good. What a silly thing to say!

"I guess I never thought about it like that."

"I'll probably be a Hufflepuff." Neville mumbled.

"Well if you are that's not a bad thing. Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal, and hard workers. Gryffindors are known for being brave and honest. Ravenclaws are known for being intelligent and witty. Slytherins are known for being resourceful and ambitious." Harry said. He was beginning to feel like a lecturer.

"Oh. Maybe I'll be a Ravenclaw then." Hermione pondered.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, and they spent most of it informing Hermione about the customs of the wizarding world. Part of the reason why purebloods didn't like muggleborns was because they often disrespected their culture, and Harry agreed that they could be kind of rude sometimes. Hermione vowed not to do that, and Draco didn't seem to have another problem with her blood status.

Hagrid ushered them across the lake, and Harry gazed star struck at the castle. He'd never seen it look quite so magnificent. Professor McGonagall greeted them, and then they waited to be sorted.

"I'll kill Fred, he was going on a wrestling a troll!" He heard Ron mutter. Harry snickered and he earned himself a glare from Ron. He smiled apologetically.

Draco seemed to be almost vibrating with nervous energy. He bit his lip, then tapped Harry.

"Whatever happens, promise we'll still be friends?" Draco whispered. Harry nudged Neville and Hermione.

"Guys. Let's make a pact. Whatever house we get, we'll still be best friends, okay?"

They agreed, and then they were lead into the Great Hall.

"It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione muttered. Harry gazed around. He'd never been allowed into the Great Hall when the other students were around. It was fantastic. Candles floated all around, and it was filled to the brim with students. Dumbledore spoke a few words, and then the sorting commenced.

Professor McGonagall called each student's name. Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw after what seemed like ages of her sitting on the stool. Neville and Ron were sorted into Gryffindor quite quickly. Draco was sorted into Slytherin the moment the hat touched his head, to everyone's amusement. Finally, it was Harry's turn. He sat on the stool.

I'd like Slytherin please. He thought.

My, my you're a determined one. Such loyalty to your friend Draco, are you sure you're not a Hufflepuff? Hmm, no that's not quite right. And plenty of knowledge, but it doesn't drive you. Ah, you'd do well in Gryffindor, but I have to agree, the house that will help you on your way to greatness is…

"SLYTHERIN." Harry grinned and the Slytherin table applauded. He practically skipped over to sit next to Draco. He was greeted cheerfully by most of his fellows. He looked over at Papa, who nodded regally at him. This year was going to be great.