The day had come for Harry, Hermione, and Ron to get back on the train for their eighth year at Hogwarts, something that Harry was both excited for and dreading all at once. For one, Harry didn't think he'd ever be returning and that thought made him sad, but it also meant coming back to people who were sure to gawk at him.

After the war had ended, Harry had become a bit of a recluse. He stayed at the Weasly's house for the summer because while he technically had a house, he just felt that Grimmauld Place was a bit too cold and empty and much preferred the warmness of the Weasley's house. Because of his stay at their house for the summer, it meant he didn't have to go out much. This meant that the papers where going nuts trying to get interviews with him, crazy rumors started, mail from all over was showing up at the house, and when people got wind that Harry Potter was returning to Hogwarts the media had a field day. For this very reason, Harry didn't want to go back.

Just as Harry suspected, as soon as he stepped foot onto platform 9 ¾, he was swarmed by reporters asking questions in rapid succession and taking his stunned silence as answers and drawing their own conclusions. "The Savior Of the Wizarding World: rendered mute from trauma" was sure to be a headline on some article by midday. Luckily Hermione was much better at keeping her head in a swarm of reporters and managed to yank them all onto the train and in a compartment before it got too bad.

"You woulda thought he had a missing limb by the way they all looked at him! Parading around him like he's a spectacle!" Ron groaned as they sat down, drawing the blinds to the windows.

"That's what happens when you try to disappear for a couple months," Harry sighed, propping his head up with his hand, "sorry that you didn't really get to say goodbye to your parents, Ron."

"Nah it's fine, I'm sure they understand and we can write a letter when we get to Hogwarts."

"Hey guys," Ginny said, walking into the compartment, sitting down beside Harry, "you took off so fast I lost you in the crowd!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Harry said apologetically, "didn't mean to ditch you."

"Oh don't worry about it, I understand that you'd want to get out of there.

"Yeah," Harry responded feeling slightly awkward. It had been months since the war and he still hadn't asked her out again, it just hadn't felt right. Harry had thought about it, and in all honesty, he felt as though he didn't really ever like her. Sure, he cared about her, loved her even, but just not like that; which then got him thinking about other girls he liked and realized the only other one had been Cho, which had been a whole mess on it's own, and he felt as though he might have never liked her either. That had him thinking again and he wondered why he ever felt like he liked her and ended up with a whole other conclusion that he might have wanted to be with her simply because Cedric Diggory had dated her, which brought up a whole other existential crisis that he decided he didn't want to think about while sleeping on the floor of Ron's bedroom.

Even though Ginny never said anything and went on like everything was normal, he still felt awkward and felt as though he should really talk to her and give an explanation. But then again, what would he even say? "Hey, sorry I haven't asked you out again, but I don't think we should get back together because I think I might be gay"? Like hell if he was going to say that! Hell, he didn't even know what he was feeling! Sure, he never really liked any girls before, but he also never had any crushes on guys either… at least he thought not.

"I wonder how the dormitories are going to work this year as there aren't many of us coming back and the dormitories aren't made for eighth years too," Hermione said, coming to his rescue.

"Hmmmm… I haven't really even thought about that actually," Ginny replied, looking over at Hermione, "think you all will have your own dormitories? Or maybe the dormitories will expand?"

"Who knows, I was reading on room expansion spells over the summer though and to expand all the house's dormitories like that would be pretty difficult," Hermione said.

"Leave it to you to read a book over the summer on room expansion spells just to try and figure out how we're going to be rooming," Ron said turning to Hermione with an exasperated look.

"I was only curious, It might do you some good to pick up a book once in a while-"

"If it isn't Harry Potter," a voice drawled from the compartment door, cutting off Hermione and causing the four of them to turn their heads.

"Malfoy," Harry said, ready to just have the impending argument over with.

"Shouldn't you be out there with all your adoring fans?" Draco said motioning to the window that was currently covered with the blinds, his eyes then found Ginny who was seated next to Harry and his lips quirked into a smirk. "Oh I see, wanted to get away and spend some time with your girlfriend."

"Shove off Malfoy," was all Harry managed, because while he was very annoyed that Malfoy decided he needed to barge in just to start an argument, he brought up the very subject that he was trying to avoid mentioning: himself and Ginny and dating- and now he just felt embarrassed.

"Go away Malfoy," Ron said, sending Malfoy a glare as he started to laugh and walk off, Goyle, Pansy, and Blaise following behind.

The train ride passed quickly and before they knew it Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated at the Gryffindor table in the great hall.

"Raine Anderson," McGonagall called from the front of the room where she was holding a piece of parchment and standing next to a stool with an old hat on it.

The terrified girl walked up to the stool and placed the hat on her head, "Hufflepuff!" it shouted and the girl immediately looked longingly at the Gryffindor table before walking towards the Hufflepuffs.

"No one seems to like what house they're being placed in this year," Harry finally said after the fifth person to be placed somewhere other than Gryffindor looked longingly after the Gryffindors.

"Well of course not, everyone wants to be in Gryffindor because you're in it," Hermione said, turning to look at Harry, "I mean how often is it that one gets to be in the same house as the one who saved the wizarding world?"

"It's not like it's all that great."

"Well they don't know that. They're young and impressionable right now and usually younger kids tend to turn to those who are popular and you are a prime candidate," Hermione said, turning back towards McGonagall who had finished sorting the new first years and was preparing to give the welcoming speech.

"Welcome to all those who are new, and welcome back to those who are returning students. I would like to start off by making it clear that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all, and make sure to check Filch's new list of banned items.

"Now, in light of recent events, I implore you all to be kind to everyone regardless of house, status, blood, or otherwise. It is no time to hold on to petty rivalries and the like because what we really need right now is unity. I hope you all take this into consideration.

"As you all know, we have eighth years for the first time this year, and as such accommodations have been made. At the end of the feast, all seventh years please follow your prefects to your dormitories and they have been combined this year. For the sake of keeping with the theme of inter-house unity this year, you will be allowed to choose your roommate. Though some rules apply: you may not room with someone of the opposite gender and your roommate needs to be someone of a different house. Now, enjoy the feast." Groans rang out at the news of having to room with someone from another house, but they quickly settled down at the sight of food.

"Will you ever learn to eat with some table manners?" Hermione asked, looking exasperatedly at the sauce from the chicken Ron was eating, dribble down his chin.

"Hey! Can't you just let me enjoy it for once!" Ron said, well tried to say anyway. What came out was just a mumbled mess around the food, but Hermione still understood him.

"I would if it didn't affect my enjoyment too!"

Harry chuckled to himself as he watched them bicker and was slightly startled by a small cough from a Ravenclaw girl who had walked up in front of Harry without him realizing. The girl didn't seem to be much younger than Harry but judging by the fact he had no clue who she was he guessed she was a sixth year.

Her cough had drawn the attention of not only Harry, but also those sitting around him and the girl's face colored as Ron and Hermione, turned to look at her.

"Um, I was just wondering… if um, well if you'd like to do something together sometime? Like study or-or something else too, if you don't want to," the girl was red up to her ears now and Harry didn't really want to turn her down in front of all the Gryffindors in their area, but he really didn't know what else to do, not to mention he was totally off guard.

"Uh- I'd love to, but I'm really not looking for a relationship right now," he settled on, it wasn't a complete lie as he didn't really want to date as he still wasn't sure if he wanted to date boys or girls, "I'm really sorry," he added in hopes to make her feel even slightly better because by now she seemed to have grabbed the attention of the entire table and some people from other tables had started to take notice as well.

"Oh! No, no, it's fine!" the poor girl managed to get out as her face seemed to color another shade darker, "I'll uh, head back to my table now… s-sorry to bother you." Harry felt extremely bad as he watched her retreating form return to her table.

"Dang, she was pretty! Why on earth did you turn her down? I mean- oof," Ron was cut off as Hermione elbowed him in the side and shot him a glare. "Not as pretty as you are though babe," Ron tried for a smile.

"Mmhmm," Hermione said.

"That's not what I meant!" Ron whined.

"Sure you didn't. Anyway, Harry shouldn't just go out with someone simply because they're pretty. He made a good decision by not saying yes simply because she was good looking."

"You're staring again,'' Pansy said as she looked towards Draco who was currently staring down some girl who was apparently confessing to Potter.

"What?" Draco said, finally tearing away his eyes from the Ravenclaw girl to give Pansy a reproachful look, to which Pansy only raised an eyebrow. "I am not."

"You totally are," Blaise said, receiving a glare from Draco.

"Are you actually going to do something this year?" Pansy asked.

"I have no idea what you mean," Draco replied as he turned back to glaring at the girl who was talking to Potter.

"Yes you do. You've been staring at him like an animal in heat for the last twenty minutes as you've been doing for the last seven years." Draco jumped at that and turned a pointed stare towards Pansy who sat next to him.

"I have not been looking at him like an animal in heat!"

"You have too and it's starting to grate on my nerves! Just ask him out already and get it over with, I can't take this anymore!" Pansy said, dramatically flopping forward onto the table to prove her point. "You're whipped and I'm sick of it!"

"I'm not Whipped! I don't even like him! He's a boy for one!"

"And that's a problem now? Cause you didn't care when I told you I like girls," Pansy shot back.

"I never said it was a problem, I just mean that I'm not gay!"

"You don't sound very straight when you're complaining about 'Potter this, Potter that'," Blaise said with a laugh.

"Whatever, I don't have to hear it from you, dinner's over anyway!"

"Who wants to bet he's going to try and room with Potter?" Balise said as they got up, earning a glare from Draco shot over his shoulder.

"I will not."

"You will, we'll go ahead of you so that you can mope in peace though," Blaise said with a snicker as he and Pansy headed out the doors and into the mass of students in the hall. Draco tried to follow and soon found himself bumping into none other than Potter.

"Watch it Potter!" Draco said, spitting his name like it was a curse word.

"You were the one who bumped into me in the first place!" Harry said, voice rising to match Draco's tone.

"Unlike you, I watch where I'm going. I don't slam into others, though I'm sure you are just used to bumping into others, living at the Weasley's cramped house all summer. That's where you were for the summer, I'm sure," he knew if Pansy where around she'd only say that that comment proved her point as who would pay such good attention to Potter to know where he was for the summer unless he cared about him, but right now Draco didn't care, "with so many kids, much more than they have the money to afford, things must have been cramped-"

Draco was cut off as Harry's fist connected with Draco's face and the next thing either of them knew, they were on the floor punching and hitting.

"Boys!" The two boys froze as they heard a loud shout from McGonagall from down the hall, "cut that out immediately! I invited you back here for another year believing you both were mature enough to put this petty behavior aside, and yet I find you two going at it in the hall and frightening the younger years!" McGonagall gestured to the students who were now retreating to the dormitories, following the prefects.

"But he-" Draco started as he got off the ground, but was cut off by a firm look from McGonagall.

"No buts. There's no excuses for your non-stop bickering! I've been thinking and the other professors and I have come up with a few ideas that might help promote better behavior from the two of you," Draco and Harry immediately shared frightened looks, whatever she was about to say, both of them knew they wouldn't like it, "in lue of inter-house unity, I've decided that you two will be those that set the example. I want you two to be spending at least an hour a day on school days and two on weekends in each others company. This can be simply studying together or actually doing something fun but you need to spend it together. Do I make myself clear?"

"That's not fair!" Draco immediately shouts, stricken by horror of the prospect of spending any time with Potter, let alone an hour.

"He started the whole thing! Why should I be punished too!" Harry shouted, finally voicing his own complaints.

"This is not a punishment, be happy that you're not both in detention. Now, do I make myself clear?"

"The detention would have been better," Draco mumbled.

"Do I make myself clear?" McGonagall repeated firmly, making it clear that there was no arguing and that they would be forever doomed with the task of hanging out.

"Yes, headmaster," they both responded with utter defeat.

"Great, this will start tomorrow," McGonagall said and turned away, leaving Draco and Harry to glare at her retreating form.