Harry Potter and all associated characters are the property of JK Rowling.

This story belongs to MinaandChao. I make no claim to ownership.

Chapter 1 : Express Lane

Year One :

King's Cross, Harry had decided, was a completely terrifying place. There were too many people coming and going who had no regard for a small boy like him, and his efforts to get help from one of the guards had gotten him nothing but scorn. So, as soon as he heard that red-headed woman talking about 'Muggles' and 'Platform 9 and ¾' he had latched onto her, relieved to find someone else who was part of this new world. If nothing else, it was proof that he wasn't simply crazy.

By this point, the woman - a Mrs. Weasley - had bustled her large family passed the magical barrier and onto the platform itself, and was now fussing over her youngest son, who looked irritated by the attention. Once she had finished adjusting his robes and rubbing at a stubborn spot on his nose, all the while chattering final bits of advice at him, she turned her focus onto Harry. He couldn't help but feel somewhat awkward - at the Dursley's it was best when he was ignored, after all. Mrs. Weasley patted his shoulder warmly, and then frowned when she felt how thin he was.

"You really should eat more, dear. It's like you haven't had a bite in days!" Her face wasn't judging, really, but a flash of shame ran through Harry all the same. It was closer to the truth than he cared to think about.

Harry's tone was only slightly defensive when he told her, "I'll keep that in mind." He could feel the embarrassment heating his cheeks and he ducked to the back of the train to stow his suitcase. He saw the twins from before loading their things, and tried to slip away before he was noticed, but one of them caught sight of him and waved.

"Want a hand? Get over here and help, Fred." Not waiting for his response, the two grabbed his trunk and heaved it into the train. As they turned back to him, the twin on the right's eyes widened as he noticed the scar on his forehead.

Sounding only slightly chocked, he blurted out, "Blimey, you're Harry Potter!"

That caught the attention of near everyone around them, and people began mumbling and craning to look at him. Already on edge, Harry choked out a thank you and dashed onto the train as fast as he could. Over the sounds of the crowd, he could just barely hear one of the twins shouting to their mother. "Mum, Mum! You told Harry Potter he was too skinny!"

His nerves had made him antsy, and instead of slipping into the first empty compartment he found, Harry decided to wander the train a bit. Brushing his bangs flat over his forehead, he wandered down the hallway, watching with wide eyes as the students chatted and produced items that were clearly magical in nature.

"Hey, you there!" A slightly familiar voice said, and Harry whirled around to see the blonde boy from the clothing shop staring after him. He didn't think he'd ever caught his name.

Smiling slightly awkwardly, Harry waved back at him. "Hello."

The boy bustled over to him, his own smile completely sure. "I remember you. We met in Madame Malkin's." Harry nodded. "You seemed alright then. Do you have a place to sit yet?" He shook his head no. The boy grabbed him arm in response and practically dragged him into the compartment he'd been in.

Inside were three other people - two large, stocky boys who were sharing some candy between them, and a girl with dark hair and an upturned nose. They all looked at him in surprise as the boy presented him to them with a flourish.

"This is Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle." He introduced, sounding very formal, as if he were at some kind of fancy party. As he spoke their names, each waved and gave slightly strained smiles. "And this is..." The boy blinked at him, suddenly realizing he didn't know his name. "I don't believe we exchanged names last time we met. I'm Draco Malfoy. What's your name?"

Swallowing, Harry ducked his head. "Harry Potter." He muttered, fighting the flush that threatened to creep up his face. Silence followed his proclamation.

Finally, it was broken by Pansy, whose face had taken on a suspicious quality. "You're lying. No way you're Harry Potter."

Indignation flashed through Harry, and he gave her a heated look. "Yes I am! Why would I lie about that?" Judging by the look on her face that was a rather stupid question, but before she could respond, a hand was thrust into his face.

"This is brilliant! I was just about to go and try to find Harry Potter. This saves quite a lot of time." Draco's smile had just the edge of a smirk.

Harry tilted his head, not taking the hand. "Why were you looking for me?"

Frowning, Draco slowly lowered his limb. "To become friends with you."

Green eyes narrowed. "You wanted to become friends with me before you even knew what I was like? Why is that?"

A scoff was his answer. "Because being friends with Harry Potter would put me in a good spot later. My Father recommended it." Seeing on his face that Harry was not impressed by that logic, Draco scoffed. "Oh, please. It's a smart thing to do. Besides, I wanted to be friends with you even before I knew you were Harry Potter, remember? So what does it matter?"

That was true enough. And he might not like it, but Harry could see the reasoning behind Draco's actions. Besides, this was the first time he'd ever had friends. Maybe that was how it worked. He stuck out his hand with a small smile, and Draco took it gleefully, shook it once hard, and then dragged him into the seat next to him. "So, what class are you looking forward to most?"

"Er..." Harry hesitated as he finally settled into the comfortable, plush seats. "Dunno, really. I didn't know about magic until I got my letter. I was raised by my aunt and uncle."

Pansy gave a squawk of noise, trapped somewhere between laughter and indignation, but she clamped her mouth shut at a hard look from Draco, who was frown in a displeased manner.

"They put you with Muggles?" Draco's voice was incredulous as he stared at Harry. "Why would they do that? Well... I guess I understand, but that's just barmy. Now I know why you were so quiet when we were getting our robes fitted!"

Harry nodded his head and stared down at the scuffed pair of shoes on his feet glumly, kicking them lightly. He felt like he really didn't belong. "Yeah."

"Well, you're going to love it!" Draco's voice was sure and smooth and Harry looked up to see him nodding and smiling. "I'm looking forward to Transfiguration, myself." Draco's mouth quirked a little when Harry gave him a blank look. "That's changing something into something else."

"Oh." Harry gave a dumb little nod. "I once made this sweater my aunt tried to put on me shrink, is that Transfiguration?"

Draco looked thoughtful a moment, tilting his sharply angular chin to the side as he pondered. "I don't think so. I think that would be a Shrinking Charm. If you had turned the sweater into a duck, that would have been Transfiguration. So, I bet you'll be good at Charms."

"I'm looking forward to Potions," Pansy drawled. Her voice was was high, but not unpleasant like Petunia's, and it was rather syrupy. "My dad's a fantastic potions maker."

Harry opened his mouth to ask the other two boys, Crabbe and Goyle, what they were looking forward to, but they were busy doing something that looked painful and unpleasant in their seats across the aisle. Shifting in slight discomfort, Harry looked out the windows to watch the sheep and cows and long, vast stretches of green. He had never really spent a lot of time around people before. He hadn't been allowed friends, and even if he had, he was pretty sure that no one would have been interested if asked.

"Tea trolley! Anything from the trolley?"

Harry looked over at the kind looking, older woman pushing a small trolley as she clanked her way into their cart. Crabbe and Goyle bought an assortment of items and Harry stood, interest peaked, and bought a bit of everything, figuring it would stave off his hunger and his curiosity. He ended up handing the witch a palmful of galleons, watching as she politely, quietly counted it out and handed him back his change and then dropped back into his seat.

"Hungry are you?" Pansy sneered slightly, looking over her copy of the Daily Prophet.

Harry grinned at her as he unwrapped a pumpkin pasty and bit into it. He offered his horde to the others, and Draco leaned forward and plucked up a chocolate frog. The frog leaped from the box and Draco plucked it off the arm rest before taking a box and examining the card with a curious expression.

"I've got Merlin again. Crabbe, don't you need Merlin?"

"Did you get 'im?"

Draco held out the card, and Crabbe took it and crammed it into the pockets of his trousers. Draco turned his eyes back to Harry as Harry opened a bottle of pumpkin juice. "Why are you so thin, anyway? You look thinner than me."

Harry coloured. "I, uh..." What was he supposed to say? 'Oh, my relations starve me, no big deal'? "Just am, I guess." He polished of the pastry and reached for a bag of Every Flavour Beans. He grabbed a white one, fairly certain that was a relatively safe bet, and bit into it. Thankfully it was marshmallow, and he swallowed happily. He held out the bag in offer, and Draco held out his hand for a handful. Upon getting them, the blonde started picking out the bad ones with practiced expertise.

"I bet lots of girls would like being that way." Pansy said. She exaggerated fluttering her eyelashes. "Oh, I look sooooo big in these robes, don't you think?" Her voice took on an even higher quality, and sounded somewhat akin to a siren. She rolled her eyes and broke out into giggles.

"I guess you don't like that stuff, then?" Harry asked.

Waving her hand dismissively, Pansy shook her head. "No, not really. I like to make people think I do, though. It's funny when they believe me. Daphene Greengrass - she's going to be in our year, by the way - enjoys that sort of thing, and every time I see her I make up some 'beauty tip'. Stuff like putting oatmeal in your hair makes it look prettier." The girl giggled again.

Harry frowned at her, brow furrowed slightly. "That seems rather mean."

"Oh, it's just a prank. Besides, she's mean anyway. She likes to spread rumors and talk about how ugly other girls are. She deserves a little pranking." Pansy shrugged and flipped the page in her paper.

Draco snorted and opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened and a girl with bushy brown hair peeked her head in. "Has anyone seen a toad running around?" The various occupants shook their head, and she frowned. "Okay, but if you see one, it's probably a boy named Neville's. If you would please let him or me know, that would be lovely." She ducked back out and closed the door with a click.

As soon as she did, Draco and Pansy shared a look over Harry's head. "What do you think?" The dark haired girl asked.

"Muggleborn, most likely." He scrunched up his nose like he'd smelled something awful, and the two laughed.

Between them, Harry frowned. "What's so funny about being Muggleborn?"

"Well, they're worse, aren't they?" Draco said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Bristling slightly, Harry sat up straight and looked the other boy in the eye. "My mother was a Muggleborn."

Pansy and Draco both blinked. Clearly they had forgotten that. Backtracking quickly, Draco held his hands up in a placating gesture. "That's what my Father says, is all. But everyone knows that Purebloods are better at magic."

With a frown, Harry pressed his bag of Every Flavour Beans to his chest, wondering if he should leave. "I'm not Pureblood, but I don't think it's fair to say that I'm not good at magic. I haven't even really tried yet, have I?"

Sharing one last slightly panicked look with Pansy, Draco shrugged. "I guess it's just a general rule, maybe? I don't know, I've never met anyone who isn't a Pureblood." He frowned as he considered that.

Silence ruled the compartment for a while, broken only by the sounds of Crabbe and Goyle grunting as they played around. Pansy looked out the window, seeming slightly desperate for something to do. "Oh, there's the station!" She exclaimed. "We'd better get our robes on - we'll be there in just a few minutes."

Pansy left the compartment to change in the loo and the boys changed quickly. Harry tugged his robe over his head and crammed his taped-together glasses back on his nose just in time to see Draco drape his robe over himself - the rest of his body was just as pale as his face and hair. Harry flopped down on the seat again and fiddled with a piece of licorice wand before he nibbled on it idly.

"You're alright, Harry."

Harry looked over at Draco and shrugged. "Thanks."

"I mean..." Draco hesitated a moment, and scratched at the back of his neck. "I mean you're all right by me."

Harry offered a small smile and nodded his head in thanks. "You're not so bad either. 'Cept for the face."

Draco made a weak, offended noise but it was countered by his over-dramatic eye roll. "I think that makes us even now, does it?"

"I'd say so."

"Good, now I can finally do this, since it's been driving me mad." Draco produced his wand and flourished it about in a way that looked skilled and eased. He gave a flick and gestured to Harry. "Reparo."

There was a snap as Harry's glasses mended and Harry took them off, squinting at them in astonishment. "Cool."

Pansy entered the compartment again, shoving her clothing into a small bag before she draped herself back in her seat. "That girl, the one who came in here earlier, is talking to someone. She sounds like she's eaten the textbooks."

Harry pulled a small face. He wasn't the greatest at remembering facts. History always tended to be his worst subject. "That's a bit intimidating."

"More annoying, really." Pansy stood when the train slowed before finally halting and they de-boarded the train.

Harry beamed when he saw Hagrid, and they chatted for a bit while they waited for all of the First Years. Draco whined a little, before finally giving in and joined the conversation, but still looked put off. They headed down to the boats, and were sectioned off, Harry, Draco and Pansy managed to climb into a boat with a boy named Blaise Zabini. With that, the boats headed off on the cool, still surface of the dark water.

When they finally rounded the cove and Harry looked up at Hogwarts for the first time, he couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. It was immense, and glowed in the darkness that surrounded it. Harry's heart hammered faster and he couldn't wait to walk inside. It was strange, but in a way, it felt like he finally had a place he belonged.