Harry let got of his hand and looked at his reflection sceptically.
"Not used to robes yet?
Potter blinked back at him and looked back at the mirror again. He touched the sleeves of his school robes softly like he still didn't think they were his.
Draco knew that Potter never got new clothes from his muggle family, he remembered seeing him on the first weekend of term dressed in revoltingly large and scruffy clothes. Back then he found it amusing but now, as a sixteen year old, it was just sad.
"Don't worry, they'll look nicer with your house logo and tie"
Harry stared again at Draco.
Merlin's beard, had that giant oaf really not told him anything outside the fact he was a wizard?
How did this timid innocent child become our world's saviour? In the last three minutes the boy had only said his name and looked like Draco had grown another five heads.
Draco knew though, he knew that Potter was a cocky bastard really; he was just incredibly good at making people fall for him.
The git.
Draco tried again at starting some form of conversation
"There's Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I for one would love to be in Slytherin, full of successful and kind wizards that one" He half lied
Harry hummed and Draco had to bite his tongue to stop himself yelling at the boy to actually say something
"Didn't Voldemort come from Slytherin?" he mumbled
"Well, yes, but his supporters came from all of them" that at least was true.
He remembered the shock at hearing some of the newer Death Eaters talk about their time at Hogwarts and realising that several were from Gryffindor. Bravery doesn't always mean you're not stupid enough to join the loosing side.
"Oh" Harry said simply
Draco raged internally. His robes had been finished and packed away for a while now but he was still standing on the tailoring stool.
There was a sudden tap at the window, Hagrid was peering in at Harry, brandishing a startled looking owl.
Harry's expression massively brightened at seeing the huge man and he hopped down from the stool, stuffing his new robes unceremoniously into a bag.
"Let's sit together on the train!" Draco hurriedly yelled at the boy's retreating back "Wait in front of the first carriage for me"
Harry nodded slowly and gave Draco a fleeting smile before running outside to accept a monstrosity of an ice cream from the giant.
It was like talking to a bloody wall, Draco thought miserably, as he marched back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with his mother.
It seemed that Potter was utterly hopeless at every age, but no matter. He was determined to find the git at the station before he gets a chance to be befuddled by Weasley chatter.
"Draco, what took you so long?" Narcissa whisked the bags out of his hands and send them back to the manor with her wand "Your father has been expecting us for the past half hour"
She offered Draco her arm to apparate home when Draco caught something in the corner of his eye. Harry was sitting in the corner with Hagrid, listening to him talk animatedly about, Draco guessed, utter rubbish.
He strained on his tiptoes until he came into the other boy's line of sight and gave a massive cheesy grin, which earned a small laugh from his mother. Draco felt something pleasant squeeze his stomach when Harry offered him a smaller genuine smile back. Perhaps seeing him with his mother made him look a bit less like a overenthusiastic lunatic than before.
Draco looped his arm with his mother and was swiftly pulled along side her, landing lightly inside the house. He had always loved appearing with her, she had such ease and grace that made the experience a lot less bumpy than with other wizards. He didn't realise how much he missed it.
"Who was that you were waving at Draco?" She asked softly, not wanting her husband to overhear just yet
"Harry Potter" he replied firmly "I thought it would be wise to befriend someone with such high profile"
Narcissa nodded slowly, almost disbelievingly. Draco forgot he was a little dense as a child and had to be steered by his family to offer Potter his friendship.
Harry.
Potter?
It was getting harder to refer to the boy the way he used to now that everything had been reversed.
"Do you think that's wise dear?" she stroked a stray bit of hair back into place
"Of course" with a jolt Draco noticed his father had been lingering in the doorway of the library
"D- darling, you're home" Narcissa fixed a smile onto her face and kissed her husband on the cheek
He placed his hand on the small of her back to reassure her that he was not angry.
"Draco is absolutely right" his face was etched with pride, that he had not seen for a few years "Befriending such a influential wizard would be a good start to our son's educational and professional future"
Draco gawped at the man, he had forgotten how hopeful they had all been. That their family name would be slowly, inch by inch, be tugged out of the mud.
"Your new clothes and wand should be in your school trunk by your bed. Please don't ruin how the elf packed it, we need to leave here sharp for the train tomorrow" his father said, retreating back into the library
He wondered up the stairs in a daze. He hadn't seen his family home like this in such a long time; lit up, lived in, happy.
Draco arrived the following week at the station with his mother, as he always did. His father said his farewells in the morning before he left for work.
The station was packed with children who were actually excited to go back to school. No one was dreading what mayhem Harry was going to attract to the school next. No one even knew that the kid was joining this year.
Narcissa sighed above him as she placed his luggage onto the train "He'll be here, don't worry"
He was pretty damn certain Harry would be here, just like he was sure Crabbe would drop his food on Pansy's new shoes at the feast. There were certain things about the past he just didn't have the heart to change.
The train doors were slamming shut all along the carriages; Draco must have missed him among all these people. He'll just have to repeat history a little and barge in on his and the Weasley's compartment.
Narcissa kissed Draco on the cheek "We'll send you a going away present soon sweetheart." the train started moving slowly away from the platform "Can't wait to hear everything at Christmas!"
Draco waved half-heartedly at his mother as she got smaller and smaller. He would hopefully do everything before the holidays, no matter how tempting a proper Malfoy Christmas was.
Marvelling at how short he was as he elbowed his way through the crowded carriages, Draco hurriedly peered into each compartment, avoiding Crabbe and Goyle as he went.
Finally he found the one he was looking for. Harry and the Weasley were talking energetically, which is more than he ever got out of him, he thought bitterly.
The moment the door slid open they both froze, Weasley visibly stiffened as he took in Draco's betraying Malfoy appearance. Harry, at least, smiled broadly and moved the bags on he seat next to him.
"Thought I'd never find you out there!" Draco patted his arm in greeting, noticing the boy recoil slightly at the sudden touch. Bugger, he had to remember that.
"Ron, this is-"
"I know who he is," the other boy said through gritted teeth.
This was going to be a challenge to act through.
"Oh, have you met before?" Harry looked happily between both of them. So naive.
"No."
"In our world certain family traits are very easily recognisable" Draco laughed, hopefully convincingly "For example I know just by the ginger hair and nose that this is Ron Weasley"
Draco leaned forward slightly and offered his hand to the still scowling boy
"I'm Draco Malfoy, not that I need to say by this point" he let his hand float in the air for an embarrassingly long time before retreating it again.
"I don't think our families have ever been in the same 'social circle', Malfoy" his ears and cheeks had a slow red flush developing across them "Nor would we want to"
"Well I know both our fathers are involved with the ministry together, you can't say that isn't somewhat social?" Draco was trying desperately to stop the distressed look on Harry's face getting worse
"What do they do?" Harry sat up at the mention of the ministry just as Weasley, Ron, opened his mouth to argue
"Mine donates a lot of money to support the Minister of Magic but he mainly helps in the board of governors at Hogwarts" Draco finished lamely
"Mine actually has a job" Ron said this like it made him superior, the hypocrite "He's the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He um... fixes muggle things that wizard's have fiddled with"
Neither sounded very interesting, he was going to get a bloody tongue from how much he's had to hold it.
However, Harry was looking riveted by the new information.
It kept like this for the whole journey, Ron trying constantly to get him to snap and show his true colours. It was only bearable when he saw Harry laugh softly when Draco snapped back at a particularly low blow.
Which was interesting. He liked them sassy it seemed.
This verbal rally was only interrupted when Hermione Granger poked her head in. He was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to talk to the muggle born girl than before.
Draco supposed she was the more reasonable one of the three; it was just difficult to ever talk to her when everyone thought he was a racist.
The sky gradually darkened, as the scenery grew more and more wild. Pretty little town houses were replaced by untidy villages with cosy pubs nestled in the middle.
The three boys changed into their robes at Draco's 'hunch' that they were almost at the station. He had a feeling he was going to be full of these 'hunches' this year.
A line of first years trailed out of the train to queue by the imposing half giant that was awaiting them. Some nervously chatting to each other but mostly silent as they gaped at Hagrid's imposing height.
"Draco" a girl hissed in his ear and pinched his arm sharply "Thanks for blowing us off there pal"
Pansy had shoved her way to them in the line and was glaring at the trio, which was a pretty good impersonation of her mother.
Draco inwardly groaned he had forgotten that his absence wouldn't go completely unnoticed by everyone. Having known Pansy since they were born she probably assumed they'd be traveling here together.
"Well, are you not going to tell me who you've replaced me with?" she continued, not breaking her scowl even as they started to walk to the lake
"This is Harry Potter and Ron Weasley" Draco said offhandedly
Pansy's eyebrows rose into her fringe as she searched Harry's head for the scar. Her mouth flapped open and shut a few times, looking from him and Harry to see if this was a joke.
"I'm sure your mother taught you that it's rude to stare" Draco smirked as she flushed
Pansy nodded, apparently deciding that she was apart of this group and squeezed onto the already too small boat to the castle with them.
Ron, Draco noticed, looked even moodier at the extra pure blood addition to their newly formed clique.
Shivering, the small pack of students made their way across the lake. At the impressive view of Hogwarts looming into view loud exclamations of delight were heard through the night air.
He wished that the view had not somewhat soured since fighting his way out of the castle in June.
Hagrid waved merrily at Harry as McGonagall filtered them into the hall to start the sorting ceremony.
Ron started to turn an unpleasant shade of green as the great hall came into view and hundreds of heads turned to watch them walk in.
"If you're worrying about the chances of you getting into Gryffindor don't" Draco hissed into his ear "I have more of a chance getting into Hufflepuff than you do being anything else"
Ron began to glower at him with a lot less feeling after that.
One after another the sorting hat was lifted onto students heads (and over their eyes in most cases), each table gradually getting louder.
When Harry's name was called the collective breath of the great hall stopped. Dumbledore sat up a little straighter. Draco saw Pansy pull a bored face at him from the Slytherin table.
McGonagall lifted the tattered old hat onto Harry's head and waited.
Draco frowned as the first minute passed by, then two, then three. The buzz of the great hall picked up again as students stood up to see what was taking so long.
A spike of anxiety shot through Draco's stomach, he was sure it had been a lot quicker to land the boy in Gryffindor before.
The rip in the old hat opened
"Slytherin!"
The noise level in the hall exploded and Draco burst into laughter.