It was quite busy the day Harry would be getting on the Hogwarts Express. Dudley was caught up in the frenzy as well, the adults scrambling to pack essentials after his acceptance letter from Smeltings arrived the day before, adding to the chaos.

After they had packed, Harry had made breakfast for the family as they all sat down to eat. It was strange, eating and talking during the meal. It was something he had to get used to, Harry supposed. Dudley was still a bit rough around the edges, but after being corrected a few times for his rudeness or cruelty towards Harry, Dudley seemed to catch on quickly and adjust his behavior.

As they finished eating, there was a light tapping at the door, and moments later, a letter slid into the mail slot. "I'll get it," Harry said as he set down some plates before heading to the front door.

He took the letter, and seeing the Hogwarts logo on it, he tore it open.

Dear Mr. Potter, There is indeed a special permission form for rare or otherwise magical pets, especially familiars. Many pureblood families get special permission for their children to keep such pets in the school. Attached is a copy of the form; all you require is that your guardians sign the paper and have it with you when you enter Hogwarts.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress

Harry grinned as he pulled the letter close before taking out the second page. "Uncle Vernon? Aunt Petunia?" He placed it on the table, sliding it over.

"Hmmm?" Vernon peered at the paper. "What's this, lad?"

"A permission slip for unique pets. I wanted to get a snake at Diagon Alley, and get permission to keep it at Hogwarts. It's a beautiful Burmese Python." Harry said, looking at Uncle Vernon.

Vernon's eyebrow rose for a second before his eyes sparkled with mirth. "Of course, lad. I see no problem with letting you have a pet. It sounds like an absolutely gorgeous snake."

"Hey! What about me?" Dudley shouted, as he seemed to pout a bit.

"Don't worry, Dudley, we had planned on getting you something to celebrate you getting into Smeltings, that is if your grades are good. I assume that won't be an issue?" Vernon looked over at the young boy.

Dudley's eyes went wide, and he nodded fiercely before rushing from the table up to his room. After a few minutes, they could hear paper moving. Dudley obviously had gone to study. Harry had only seen his cousin this driven a few times, one of them including Harry Hunting. It was strange to see his focus pointed to something else.

Turning back to Harry, Vernon nodded and took out a pen to write on the paper then handed it back to Harry. "Now, I expect you to keep it well tended when you come home from Hogwarts. Bathe it, feed it, and keep it out of trouble."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon!" Harry grinned and quickly pocketed the parchment.

"Let's get going to King's Crossing then. It's a bit of a drive, but thankfully we should be there early." Uncle Vernon stood up. "Dudley! We're leaving!"

Dudley came down with a book in his hands then all four of them got into the car. Vernon took their trunks toput them into the boot.

The drive took a while, but the small family soon arrived in the hustle and bustle of King's Crossing station. It was packed as always. Petunia accompanied Dudley to see him off to his train, while Vernon took Harry.

"Now, lad, where is this train? Is it just here on the tracks with the others?" Vernon asked. Harry took out his Hogwarts letter, peering at it.

"Mr. Hagrid said that it was on platform Nine and Three-Quarters, but the letter doesn't really say anything about it." Harry explained. "He… didn't say how to get to it."

Vernon sighed. "Poor man seemed out of his element. He might have forgotten to tell you, lad. Maybe we'll see some magicals while we're here." Vernon quickly quidded Harry to Platform 9. Once they arrived, they began to look around.

Not knowing who to look for, Harry sighed as they tried to find some evidence of the platform. As he walked around with his uncle, his gaze fell upon one of the platform's pillars, making Harry blink.

In front of one of the pillars was a haze, a slowly roiling twist of magic. It seemed similar to the portal of Diagon Alley, but at the same time, it was different. Every so often, the magic seemed to shimmer, as if waiting for someone to touch it. It didn't take long before someone did, and almostimmediately, they were gone!

Hurrying over to the pillar, Harry looked at where the person had disappeared. Curious, he reached up, touching the pillar, then jumped in surprise when his hand went through!

Knowing this must be it, Harry hurried over to Uncle Vernon. "Uncle Vernon! I found it! Right there." Harry gestured towards the pillar.

"I don't see anything, lad. Oh, I believe I may have left the car running. I'd better go check." Vernon turned, but then Harry saw the magic of the pillar shift again, sending wisps of magic around him.

"Uncle Vernon!" Harry grabbed the man's hand and pulled him back. "Uncle Vernon, I think there's magic to make non-magicals stay away." Harry squeezed his uncle's hand, his magic sliding around his uncle's body and chasing the wisps from him.

"Really? I'd never guessed, though it worries me that it's so easy to do such things." Vernon frowned. "You remember the project I gave you, right lad?"

Harry nodded without a word. To Harry, it was more evidence of the existence of mental magic—subtle, unseen forces shaping thoughts and emotions in ways he couldn't quite grasp. *Bringing his cart up, he slowly pushed it through while still holding Uncle Vernon's hand.

There was a wet feeling, and suddenly they were standing on a platform with a beautiful crimson and bronze train, steam pouring from its engine.

"That must be it!" Harry beamed as Vernon looked around.

"Well I'll be. This certainly is a sight." Uncle Vernon peered at the people going about. "Now, you'd best get on the train, lad. I do hope you enjoy this Hogwarts."

Harry beamed. "Thanks, Uncle Vernon! I'll make sure to write, too!"

"I'd appreciate that, lad. Just keep in touch and tell us how things have been going. And most importantly, learn well. This is your birthright, lad. Seize this opportunity with both hands. Don't worry about everything at home. Things will be changing from here on out. All thanks to you." Uncle Vernon smiled, touching Harry's nose with his finger.

Harry smiled and nodded, reaching for his trunk, but his attention was caught by a man holding a newspaper near the edge of the platform. Bold, prominent letters on the front page read, "Robbery at Gringotts!"

Harry froze, his grip slipping on the handle of his trunk. He nearly dropped it. Uncle Vernon immediately moved to help. "Careful, lad. Watch your grip, now."

Helping Harry pick up the trunk, Vernon gave Harry a final wave before turning and leaving once Harry was safely aboard.

Making his way through the train, Harry could feel the amount of magic on the cars. It felt strange, like the air was alive with electricity in a way Harry had never felt before.

Entering an empty compartment, he pulled his trunk inside and opened it slightly for Amber to come out. The large snake slithered and coiled up her huge length on Harry's lap, flicking her tongue for the new tastes. Oddly, Harry noticed some of her scales were a bit brighter, and she seemed almost faster, somehow, than the day before.

§§Sssspeaker, I feel I musssst warn you. I can sssspeak to you, but you musssst not speak back to me in the way we are usssssed to. The Tongue issssss consssssidered to be a gift for thossssse that abusssse magic.§§

Harry blinked as he looked at the snake. §§Oh, then I need to talk§§… "like this then?" It was strange for Harry to actively have to think about speaking in English. After all, to him, the snake language was the same as English!

Amber nodded, and then returned to resting. Had Amber been reading his books? Harry wasn't sure how the snake had known that. He certainly hadn't seen anything about a snake language.

Harry was about to ask when suddenly, the train's whistle sounded and alerted that it was about to embark. Harry could see out the window a rather large red-haired family was coming through at the last moment. The mother had a frown on her face as she looked around, almost like she was searching for someone. Harry thought that was rather strange. Had she lost one of her children?

When the large group of kids started to get onto the train, Harry turned back to the door as he heard it slide open. "Pardon me, do you mind if I sit-"

The young girl was around his age, with darker skin. She looked right at Amber, then screamed at the top of her lungs. It didn't take long for her sister, standing behind her, to start screaming a well, the two running off as the door slid closed behind them.

"Well, that was odd." Harry muttered to himself, staring at the closed door.

It didn't take much longer when an older student opened the door. He peered inside cautiously, his wand raised in a defensive posture. "Is everything alright in here? A pair of girls said that a boy was being attacked by a monster snake."

Harry couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Amber hissed in annoyance, raising her large head looking at the older boy. The older student immediately tensed up, holding his wand in a white-knuckled grip. The boy's face paled to a deathly white sheen.

"They saw my pet and freaked out. She's a bit big, but she's harmless." Harry explained.

"U-Um… a-alright t-then. I-I'll g-get back to m-my pa-patrols." The boy stammered, and quickly closed the door. Harry could have sworn he heard the boy not walk, but run away.

"What's with magicals and snakes?" Harry asked, mostly to himself. He reached down and pet Amber, the serpent leaning into the strokes. Thankfully, it took an entire ten minutes before the door opened again. As it did, the train began to move.

"Blimey! That's a right enormous snake, innit?"

Harry glanced up, seeing one of the red-haired boys he had noticed earlier through the train window. Harry thought he saw a trace of fear on his face that quickly washed away to a neutral one.

"Is this seat taken?" the boy asked. His magic swirled around him, vibrant and untamed, as though it was barely contained. Harry sensed the boy was trying to control it, yet it seemed to resist, almost fighting itself in a strange, restless way.

After a second, Harry shook his head. "I mean, if you're brave enough to sit with a 'monster snake', as a girl said earlier, feel free." Harry grinned mischievously as the red-haired boy looked a little nervous once again. After a second of consideration, he brought his trunk inside and pushed it onto the shelves above.

"Thanks mate. I think all the other cars are full." The red-haired boy sat back down, as Amber looked at him. "She won't eat my pet, will she? My rat, Scabbers, is sleeping in my pocket."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. She's a Burmese Python. She only needs to eat once a week or two, and she needs a lot more than just a single rat… Oh."

Harry was suddenly worried. He hadn't bought any food for Amber at Diagon Alley. Maybe he could ask Professor McGonagall if he can order some? He'd need to talk to her to give her his pet slip anyway. He quickly took out his list and wrote it down.

Harry's thought process was broken when the red-haired boy spoke up. "I'm Ronald Weasley. You can call me Ron."

He reached his hand out, as Harry took it and responded, "Harry. Harry Potter."

"Wicked! You're Harry Potter? Do you have that… you know…"

"Scar?" Harry asked, before pushing up his hair a bit to show it off. "Yeah, it's right here. See?"

"Double Wicked!" Ron said quickly with a grin.

The door opened again, making Harry groan. Just how many people were going to bother him today?

However, when he saw who was at the door his annoyance quickly turned to happiness. "Draco!"

Ron's face scrunched up like he had smelled something bad. "Malfoy?! What're you doing here?"

"Shut it, Weasley, and move over. Hurry! Before those two bookends come."

Ron barely had time to respond before Draco rushed into the compartment, his expression tense as he quickly shoved his trunk onto the shelf. He shut the door with a hurried click, as though trying to shut out whoever was behind him.

A few moments later, a pair of figures moved past the door, Draco's eyes watching them before he let out a sigh.

"Those two are utter morons. Nothing better than hired help. Their fathers owe my family an enormous amount of money, so their fathers tried to say their spawn will 'protect' me at Hogwarts." Draco explained, while Ron was glaring daggers at him.

"Sounds like a pain. So they're going to be shadowing you the entire year? Hopefully when you DO meet them, they won't be as bad as you think." Harry petted Amber.

"Who knows. They could be more than they seem, but I don't have the brainpower to deal with a pair of bookends right now. Thankfully, if they find me now, I'll say there's not enough space for th- you have a snake, Potter?" Draco's eyes had fallen on Amber, derailing his train of thought faster than a rat after a piece of cheese.

Harry grinned when he saw Draco do a double take at the sight of Amber. "Yeah, she's mine," Harry said proudly. "Her name's Amber. Want to pet her?"

Draco hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out. Amber watched his hand carefully, her forked tongue flicking out. Then, to Draco's surprise, the serpent pressed her head into his hand, almost like she was giving him permission.

"Wicked." Draco muttered under his breath. Ron looked like he was about to swallow a lemon.

"So why are you here, Malfoy? Don't you have some muggles to taunt?" Ron finally said, still glaring at the white-haired boy.

"What's it to you, Weasley? Still too poor to afford actual robes, or still wearing castoffs?" Draco countered, returning the glare.

As the two began to bicker, Harry could feel their magics clashing like oil and water, each one pushing against the other with intensity. The force of it, though invisible, was palpable, and Harry winced as the fury of their opposing energies collided. "Alright, ENOUGH!" Harry shouted, making the two immediately freeze in place.

"Ron, this is Draco. We met at Diagon Alley, and I would like him to be my friend. Draco, this is Ron, I just met him, but I would also like him to be my friend. If you have to argue, can you please do it somewhere NOT around me?" Harry looked at the two.

Draco and Ron both swallowed almost in unison. They turned and looked at each other, before they looked back to Harry. Neither of them wanted to leave, the fact was evident on their faces. It wasn't long before they both chose to ignore each other entirely, each retreating into their own world as the tension dissipated into a reluctant silence.

Harry grinned when he saw them looking pointedly away from each other. "That works." He teased a bit as he leaned back in his seat. "So, what House do you two think I'm going to be in?"

"Griffindor."

"Slytherin."

Both spoke at the same time before they turned to each other.

"How can you think he'll be a Gryffindor? He has a snake as a pet!" Draco said quickly.

"How can YOU think a Potter would ever be sorted into Slytherin?" Ron snapped back.

The two glared at each other for a second, and Harry thought they might start bickering again when the door opened.

Oh good. He had believed he'd found more than ten minutes of peace and was starting to worry that he wouldn't be disturbed again. Harry sighed and looked at the bushy-haired girl who had opened the door.

"Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his." She looked at he three boys.

Harry shook his head, gesturing at his snake. "I don't think any toad would be caught dead near Amber here." He snickered a bit, and Draco and Ron stopped their bickering to chuckle.

"Oh! You're the boy with the monster for a pet. I don't see why they're saying it's a monster. It seems like a beautiful Burmese Python to me." The Bushy haired girl walked inside, then she called out. "Come on in, Neville. I'm sure he'll turn up shortly. I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger."

Amber raised her head when Neville entered, making him stiffen in fright. §§Master, the boy's toad is currently in his right robe pocket.§§

Harry considered before he looked at Neville. "Amber says that your toad is in your right robe pocket."

All four of the other occupants of the car looked at Harry with wide eyes. There was an utter silence that hung over the room, one which Harry finally broke: "What? I can understand her fine."

The bushy-haired witch looked at Harry with wonder. "Don't you know? That means that she's not your pet; she's a familiar! Familiars are unusual in modern times," Hermione said.

"My father spoke about them once. Supposedly only wizards who are overwhelmingly strong in magical power can get familiars." Draco piped up.

"I didn't know that. I'll have to see if I can find out more in Hogwarts," Harry said before mentally reminding himself to add to his list later privately.

The four of them began chatting, with Draco and Hermione diving into a discussion about familiars. Neville remained a bit quiet, so Harry extended his hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter, by the way," he introduced himself, watching as Neville's eyes widened in surprise.

"N-Neville Longbottom."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Longbottom?!" His voice raised, making Neville wince a bit. Harry shook Neville's hand gladly. "One of the Eight? That's amazing!" Neville looked surprised, before blushing a deep crimson.

Draco laughed. "Potter, I already told you, you're one of the Eight too. You don't have to act like that for every single magical pureblood you meet."

Harry huffed a bit and crossed his arms. "So? It's still cool meeting real-life nobles."

Neville couldn't hold in his mirth and suddenly started to laugh. The tension in the boy's body melted away as he finally gave a grin. "I never expected Harry Potter to be a Noble House fanboy!"

Draco, Neville, and Harry exchanged glances before bursting into even louder laughter, while Hermione looked on in confusion. Ron muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed that Harry hadn't swooned over the House of Weasley as well.

"Noble Houses? What do you mean?" Hermione asked after the laugher died down.

Draco stopped and peered at her. "Are you serious? What? Are you a mud-muggleborn?" Draco seemed to catch himself as he was about to say something. Harry caught the mid-word correction though. He'd have to ask about that later.

"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with that?"

When Draco opened his mouth to speak, Harry beat him to it. "But you said your last name was Granger, right? There's a Dagworth-Granger family in the Noble Houses. Are you sure?"

Hermione frowned as she tapped her chin, obviously thinking. "I'm not sure. How would you even find out something like that?"

"Gringotts offers blood tests to see your ancestry. I highly recommend you take it when you can get to Diagon Alley," Draco said snootily. "After all, muggleborns are looked down upon by those of us who are pureblood."

Hermione noticed Draco's haughty expression and responded with a pout, her brows furrowing in mild irritation. "Fine! I will! But there's nothing wrong with being a muggleborn!"

With a few comments on Nobility that sparked between Draco and Hermione, Harry managed to push Draco into talking all about the purebloods and the history of wizardkind. When the topic changed to magical history, Hermione seemed fascinated. She even took out a parchment and quill and started taking notes, asking Draco questions. Draco basked in the praise and attention, going on and on about his knowledge of magical families.

Meanwhile, Amber started to doze off in Harry's lap, as he peered out the window. He could see they were approaching a valley, then a loud whistle sounded.

"That's the one hour warning." Ron spoke up. "We'd better get changed into our robes."

"Neville and I already have ours, but I'll step out so you boys can change," Hermione said, standing and leaving the compartment while Harry, Draco, and Ron got dressed. Once they finished, Hermione returned and sat back down.

"One last thing before we head off the train," Harry said, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yeah?"

"What's that?"

"Hm?"

The four spoke almost in unison.

"We have a good thing going here. You guys are the first friends I've ever made, and I don't want to lose that. Let's promise that no matter what house we're sorted in, we'll stay friends."

Ron and Draco both wore identical grimaces, as if they'd just shared a basket of lemons, while Hermione and Neville nodded.

"Sure thing, Harry," Neville said, and Hermione flashed a quick, encouraging smile.

"But what if you're a Gryffindork?"

"But what if you're a slimy Slytherin?"

Draco and Ron both spoke at the same time, which made Harry sigh. "I don't know WHAT I'll be. I might even be a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. But you guys are my first friends in the magical world. Can we at least make that promise to each other so we don't have to lose our friendship?"

Harry placed his hand in the middle of the room. Hermione was the first to lay hers atop it, and then Neville.

Draco was hesitant, and Ron even more so. They were both weighing the options within their minds.

"I'll allow it. But I won't be nice to other Gryffindorks if you're one of them. Just you," Draco said as he placed his hand on top.

Ron was quick to mumble something similar. "I don't think you're going to be a slimy snake, but if you are, I won't stop being your friend. I think."

With Ron's hand now in, the five exchanged grins. "And so the pact is sealed," Harry said playfully, wiggling his fingers theatrically over their joined hands. Hermione quickly pulled her hand back with a light huff, rolling her eyes but unable to hide her amused smile.

"We didn't just do a magical oath, did we? I read that those are something that can be done." Hermione looked at her hand as if it was an alien's.

"Of course not. We'd have to use our wands for that." Draco retracted his hand as well before he was followed by the others doing the same.

The train shuddered shortly after, and Harry moved to grab his trunk.

"Don't worry, they bring your things to the castle for you." Hermione told him while Draco, Ron, and Neville already left.

Harry nodded, and reached into his trunk for the pet slip before having Amber slither under his now-roomy robes. The snake seemed to enjoy it, especially when she found Harry had a rather large pocket on the inside that could hold a decent portion of her coils. The rest of her wrapped snugly around his waist. Harry stepped off the train to join his friends, catching a glimpse of the sun setting in the distance.

The sky was painted in vibrant hues of orange, pink, and purple, blending seamlessly as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. Wispy clouds caught the fading light, glowing like embers against the twilight canvas. The golden rays filtered through the trees lining the platform, casting long shadows on the ground. It was a beautiful end to their journey, and Harry felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of new adventures waiting just beyond the station.

-Author's Notes-

I'm VERY sorry for missing yesterday's extra chapter, especially when I promised I'd release it! I ended up completely forgetting it was Thursday due to some personal issues, and making sure some Floridian friends were alright.

But now we get to the meat of the story. Seems Harry has a nack for making friends, and such diverse ones as well! It seems he doesn't have the biases, and that's done him well. The major thing is, can Harry keep these ragtag friends together, or will their differences pull them apart?

Once more, if anyone would like to beta or proofread, just send me a PM.

Once more, Harry Potter is JK Rowling's story. I'm just adding my own twist.