Here's the next update! Harry is not in this chapter, but he will be in the next one. Enjoy!

The First Alliance

Dobby could automatically tell Draco was in a foul mood when he entered the house. The house-elf continually glanced at him, worry shining in those big, bright eyes. Draco sneered in response, partially in attempt to keep up appearances for his father and partially due to his own frustrations at his failure today. It was his first attempt to actually make an ally, and he failed. No, not just failed. He humiliated himself. It was a foreign feeling, and Draco automatically detested it.

He wanted to run into his room and hide under his covers instead of go to that bloody school; however, he was a Malfoy, and a Malfoy always carried himself with dignity.

Besides, who cared if he could not entice a stupid mudblood?

Draco sighed, rubbing his forehead to ease his ever-growing headache. He never froze in front of another child before, and he never stumbled over his words like that. He felt fine before he saw those bright green eyes staring at him. What happened after that though? Why had the sight of those eyes stunned him?

"Draco," his father stated.

Draco froze and tried to hide his fear. Did his father somehow find out about his desire to befriend a mudblood? No, it was impossible. Right? Either way, Draco met his father's eyes with the blank expression he had been practicing over the years. "Yes Father?"

"I am going to tell you something important today. Since you are becoming a man, there are some hard truths that you need to know before leaving for school." He said.

His mother flinched but bowed her head respectively. Draco took in her expression and realized that they had both discussed this beforehand. "I understand, Father," Draco breathed out, nervousness spreading throughout his body. Somehow he knew it was going to be about the war. His father was finally going to confess his crimes and expect Draco to be on his side. It was a day Draco has prepared for since he first discovered the truth.

It was also a day that he was fully prepared for the moment his father would lie to him.

"Sit," his father gestured to their dining room table. Draco obediently walked over, and he sat down. His father and his mother sat across from him, both looking quite grim. Draco could still see Dobby in the corner of his eye, watching with distress. Still, Dobby kept up appearances by scrubbing the floors.

"Father?" Draco stared into the face that was almost identical to his own.

"We have not given you details about what transpired during the war," his father confessed. "You know that the Dark Lord attempted to keep blood purity by separating mudbloods and muggles from the Wizarding Community. You also know that your mother and I expressed support for his actions."

"I do, Father," Draco whispered, his eyes wide and heart pounding in his chest.

"The Dark Lord was faced with resistance to his plans, and he had to fight against that resistance," his father said. "Your headmaster was among that resistance as well as many of the parents of your classmates. They accepted weakness into their blood, and they fought against the Dark Lord because they did not want what was best for them. The Dark Lord fought back, and many of these students' parents perished during the war. You will be faced with many bitter children who do not fully understand the wrongness of their parents."

For some inexplicable reason, the green eyed boy flashed into Draco's mind.

"The Dark Lord appeared to be winning, and we truly thought he would conquer the Wizarding World," his father said. His eyes held a certain fondness and nostalgia for the Dark Lord, and Draco felt a queasiness rise in his stomach. It was the look of a man who was remembering when he could kill whenever he wished. It unsettled Draco, reminding him of the crimes that belonged to the man he loved.

"What happened?" Draco whispered. The lie was approaching. He could sense it.

"The Potters," his father confessed. "The Dark Lord heard a segment of a prophecy that predicted his downfall at the hands of a child. He concluded that the child was Harry Potter, and he set out to kill the child. The Dark Lord did not harm children, of course, only those who opposed him. This, however, was a necessary exception."

Liar.

"He entered the house, and he took care of the parents. The pureblood married a mudblood, you see. He accepted blood impurity into his home, and the Dark Lord felt it was necessary to extinguish such monstrosity. He went to the baby's room, and he attempted to kill the child as well… no one knows what happened in that room, but the Dark Lord was defeated." Anger seeped into his father's tone, and Draco tried to stop himself from flinching. "I believe that one day the Dark Lord will return, but for now he is gone. The child, however, remains."

"Harry Potter." The name felt powerful on Draco's lips.

"I did not want to tell you the details as a child for children do not understand the violence of the world," his father confessed. "I feared you would criticize the Dark Lord's methods of obtaining blood purity."

"I would never," Draco lied. "The mudbloods have been given too many freedoms, and they can no longer taint our blood with their filth. The Dark Lord only did what was necessary for the good of all wizards. I still respect him, Father. I understand he only did what he had to do."

His father smiled. "Yes, I am glad to hear that, Draco."

His mother beamed as well. "I knew you would understand, my dear, smart boy."

Draco smiled at the compliment, even though he felt suffocated by it. His parents believed his lies just as he had believed theirs as a child.

"Draco," the smile slid from his father's face. "There is something else I must tell you."

"Yes?"

His father looked grave. "That boy will be attending your school this year. The one who defeated the Dark Lord: Harry Potter."

Draco froze. He would meet the boy who defeated the Dark Lord? The boy whose name changed his life? The boy whose parents were killed without a care by a group his parents were proudly a part of?

He felt sick.

"I want you to stay away from him," his father said carefully. "He will most likely be sorted into Gryffindor like his worthless parents, so I do not believe you will have any interactions with him. If you do, then I do not want you to befriend that boy."

"I understand, Father," Draco nodded. "I have no wishes to do so."

That, at least, was true.

"There is someone I do want you to get close to," his father continued. "Severus Snape. I assume you've heard of him?"

"Yes," Draco nodded. "My godfather?"

"He was a friend during the war, and he saved your mother's life. We honored him with the title of your godfather as a way of repaying him. He was a loyal servant to the Dark Lord, and he is the head of the Slytherin house. We still exchange letters with each other," his father explained. "He will be a good ally to you."

"I will, Father."

His father smiled at him. "I am glad we had this conversation, son. You continue to impress me with every passing day. I cannot wait to see how successful you become at Hogwarts."

Draco thanked his father and excused himself from the dinner table. He lied about wanting to read his schoolbooks before classes started to be ahead of his classmates. Numbly, he walked up the stairs to his room and into the bathroom.

When Dobby entered the room a few minutes later, he found his master vomiting into the toilet.

Draco entered the train after his mother kissed his cheek goodbye and his father proudly patted him on the back. He yearned for a time where those gestures didn't suffocate him like they did now. He walked onto the train, feelings of dread boiling in his stomach. At home, he at least had Dobby that he could honestly talk to. He never realized how much he would miss the elf until he left the house. Dobby was Draco's first real friend, and he had to leave the elf behind.

Behind to suffer the abuse and ridicule of his father…

Draco sighed and continued walking through the train, eyeing all the students walking by. Which would be his allies? And which would be his enemies? It was something he wished he would never have to consider, but it was his role as a Malfoy.

He entered a random compartment and paused when he saw two very familiar looking boys sitting there, stuffing their faces with candy. He recognized them from the balls he was forced to go to as a child. Judging by the way they eyed him with suspicion, they did not recognize him.

Draco paused, considering his options. They were of a respectable family, and they were clearly dumb. Perfect for good allies. "Hello," he said politely.

"Hello," the boy replied, chewing with his mouth open.

Draco smirked and confidently strode into the compartment, sliding the door shut behind him. He gracefully sat down, crossing his legs and folding his hands on his lap. He eyed them with clear interest, and they just stared back at him, confused. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself smoothly, emphasizing his last name. "And you two are Crabbe and Goyle."

Their eyes widened at the same time. "Malfoy," Crabbe stated, understanding dawning in his eyes.

"How did you know who we were?" Goyle asked curiously.

"We met at the balls when we were children," Draco answered.

"I don't remember that…"

Of course you fools wouldn't, Draco thought to himself but said nothing. "I have a rather good memory," he shrugged. "I suppose you two expect to be in Slytherin, like myself."

"Yes," they answered at the same time.

"Then I suppose it would be rather beneficial if we stuck close to each other, considering the alliances of our parents," Draco smiled smoothly.

"Of course," Crabbe nodded.

Goyle just tilted his head to the side. "You're very thin, aren't you?"

Draco frowned. Was he supposed to be insulted by the observation? "Yes."

"But you're very smart?"

"Yes."

Goyle grinned. "If you tutor me, I'll protect you from getting beat up."

Crabbe paled at those words and immediately jammed his elbow into Goyle's side. Goyle gasped in pain, and Crabbe immediately talked over him. "I'm sorry! Goyle's an idiot! You wouldn't get beat up. You're a Malfoy!"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Of course."

He glanced at Goyle, who was still rubbing his side and pouting pathetically at Crabbe. They were both idiots, but Crabbe clearly understood the necessity behind alliances and powerful family titles far more than Goyle.

Which meant Crabbe would be loyal due to his last name, but Goyle may be a different story.

"Anyway," Crabbe sweated, clearly trying to change the subject. "I'm not looking forward to the homework. Did you see all the books we have to read? It's too much."

"Is it?" Draco blinked. "I already read all of our books."

Crabbe and Goyle both stared at him, open-mouthed. "Why?" Goyle questioned. "Don't you have other things to do than read?"

Crabbe once against paled in horror.

"I have to live up to the family name," Draco ignored the comment. "That involves being the best in all my classes. In order to do that, I have to get ahead early on."

"Oh," Goyle paused. "But isn't that lonely? Just reading all the time? I couldn't do it."

"Please shut up," Crabbe loudly hissed at Goyle.

Draco frowned, staring at Goyle, who clearly didn't realize the weight of what he just said. "Yes," Draco breathed out. "It is."

Goyle nodded, sympathy and pity flashing in his eyes. Draco flinched a bit yet at the same time felt relieved. It was a small emotional vulnerability but it still felt nice. Previously, he only spoke to Dobby about such topics. Now, he supposed he had a friend who didn't completely care about his family name.

He glanced at Crabbe only to freeze. Crabbe was staring at him with outright suspicion on his face. Clearly, he did not approve of such vulnerabilities. Still, he clearly did not possess the intelligence to hide what he was thinking, and Draco could use that to his advantage. "What?" He snapped at Crabbe. "I value my name and accept my responsibilities. I may not like everything that comes with it, but it does not mean I do not love my family and their name."

Crabbe immediately looked fearful and nodded in response. Draco smirked. Already he knew how he was going to be interacting with his new… allies? Friends? Bodyguards?

He supposed only time would tell.

Suddenly the compartment door slid open, and three giggling girls were standing there. They peered inside but pouted, clearly disappointed with what they say. Draco scowled, "What?" he snapped.

The girl frowned back. "Nothing. We were just looking for Harry Potter. He's here somewhere!"

"Harry Potter?" Draco frowned.

"Cathy!" A girl shouted from the train hallway. "I found which compartment he's in!"

The girls all gasped and shut the door, not bothering to say more to the boys. The three of them sat there in silence, and Draco narrowed his eyes. Harry Potter was on the train, and the girls knew where. Without hesitation, he stood up, walking towards the door. His father's warning of staying away flashed in his head, but he ignored it.

"Where are you going?" Crabbe asked.

"To meet Harry Potter," Draco replied.

"Why?"

Draco paused. He could hardly explain how the name and story of Harry Potter changed his life. Nor could he explain the feeling of power and awe at hearing the name of the baby who defeated the Dark Lord. "I want to see the face of the boy who ruined everything," Draco confessed with more honesty than he expected. That's right. Harry Potter shattered all of the illusions his father placed in front of him. Harry Potter's name stood out the most in all of the history textbooks as a cruel reminder of his father's beliefs.

Harry Potter was both his savior and his enemy.

"I'll come with," Goyle stood up. "I'm curious too."

Crabbe nodded. "I suppose I'll come as well."

Draco nodded, wishing he could be more appreciative of their loyalty; however, he knew it stemmed from his last name and not from him.

Together, they all exited the compartment and started asking around to which compartment Harry Potter resided in.

That's the end of the chapter! I'm not sure when I will update next, but hopefully it'll be within the week.