AN: I own nothing, first fic! Constructivecriticism welcomed! Enjoy :)

Harry POV:

September 1st.

Finally.

I spent all summer waiting for this day, well in a way I'd waited my whole life, I'd waited 18 years to just have a normal life.

10:15am

I arrive at the station laden with bags but I don't mind, because the sight of so many familiar faces is already a comfort to me. Although my mind continues to wander back to the missing faces.

The war hadn't left a single wizarding family in Britain untouched but it had made the community stronger and more determined than before. Especially Hogwarts. Hogwarts was a family that could now only grow stronger from the losses we had suffered.

But that wasn't going to be the focus of this year, we weren't going to mope around, we would have the best year ever, for our fallen family.

I will have the best year!

That's the vow I have made to myself this year. It'll be like the ones in the movies.

I turn to my friend, Ron, but he was too busy beaming goofily at his girlfriend Hermione Granger. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for them but since I broke up with Ginny at the start of the summer I've felt like a third wheel. They've tried to include me but funnily enough sitting on my own whilst the two of them cuddle up and watch a movie isn't the way I want to spend my summer.

Instead of staying at the Burrow this summer, I renovated Grimauld place, I even managed to get rid of Mrs Black's painting (she didn't have any wards against a sledge hammer). I decided to scrap the old Black family tree and I replaced it with my own version- Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Teddy, Hermione, the Weasley's, Dobby, Mad eye and Dumbledore all included, I even included the Dursley's. Teddy Lupin has also joined me in Grimauld place this summer.

I have vowed to treat Teddy as my own son, he won't lack that figure in his life, and he'll be raised with tales of everyday hero's called Remus and Nymphadora (however much she hated that name). I'm leaving Teddy, reluctantly, in Mrs Weasley's very capable hands, I would rather he was with me all the time but Mrs Weasley needs to be occupied right now, she's still not the same, after Fred.

Anyway, back to the present, it's now 10:30am and we're on the platform talking to the Weasley's when something catches my eye further down the platform. Just a flash, vanishing just as quickly as it appeared, I don't know why I was so curious but something in me compelled me to follow it.

I followed it down the platform.

I followed it onto the train.

I followed it until it suddenly turned around and looked me dead in the eye.

Malfoy.

"What do you want Potter" What did I want? What was I doing? This year was going to be normal, I didn't want to go causing trouble before it had even begun!

"Erm, I-I-I don't really know" Stop stammering! What are you doing?! It's just Malfoy.

"Scared Potter?" Yes? Was I scared? Why?!

"Of course not Malfoy!" Lie.

"Haha sure" His signature smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. I couldn't help but smile back. All of a sudden Malfoy thrust his hand out into the space between us. "Truce, we're better than this. I was just trying to protect the people I love during the war, just like you."

I took his hand, his soft, warm hand. I hadn't expected him to be warm, I had always seen him as a cold blooded snake.

"Truce" We just stood there for a second, studying each other and then I dropped his hand "I guess I should be getting back to Ron and Mione"

"See you around Potter" and then no word of a lie, he winked at me.

I swiftly made my way to the compartment my friends were always in. When I got there the compartment had Ron, Mione, Nev, Luna and Gin in, I squeezed in between Ron and Hermione throwing my bag onto the rack above them.

"So what have I missed?" I addressed the group.

"Not a lot to be honest, Nev and Luna are still shacked up together, Gin is thinking about getting back with Dean but he's being a bit unresponsive and that's about it to be fair" Hermione replied. I wonder why Dean wasn't interested. He couldn't get enough of Ginny a couple of years ago, to a rather uncivilized degree.

"I'm sure he'll come around in no time Gin" I smiled reassuringly at her, our split had been rather amicable, neither of us were really feeling it anymore, it was just boring. "Oh well done Mione on becoming Head girl by the way, who's head boy?"

"Malfoy actually, rather surprising but I guess McGonagall is going for the whole house unity angle" I just nodded in response, I didn't really want to talk about Malfoy right now, I was thoroughly confused with how I'd behaved around him earlier.

The rest of the compartment continued to talk among themselves until there was a series of loud thuds and the side of the compartment vibrated. Then silence. A good 10 minutes passed and then, slowly tapping on our compartment door was a barely recognisable Malfoy.

Face bloodied and mutilated, clothes torn, I could just make out one word burnt onto his right forearm:

'Fag'

Normal year? I think not.