Harry woke up to the sound of the other boys still sleeping. He ended up rooming with Ernie, Justin and Zach. They met with the prefects and their Head of House last night for a warm welcome to Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout had explained the point system along with the buddy system. Every first year had a third year buddy. His buddy was Cedric Diggory. Poor Ernie's buddy was a girl named Nymphadora Tonks. She had tripped over her own feet and one of her flailing hands had given Ernie a bloody nose! Their prefect had healed it right away but Ernie had still kept his distance. Your chosen buddy was to help you settle into your new routine.
Harry sat up in bed and reached underneath his pillow. His latest gift from Draco was a set of matching journals. When you wrote in it, the other person was able to see it too! They had written to each other until they had fallen asleep. He opened the journal and wrote "Draco, are you awake?" He watched as the text disappeared, only for "Good morning Harry! Want to have breakfast together? I'll meet you by the kitchens!" to appear where his words had been. Harry scribbled out "yes!" before getting out of bed to change into some clothes. Mr. Malfoy had bought him a new wardrobe for getting into Hogwarts. Harry personally thought he didn't like his muggle clothes but would never say that out loud. At least these ones fit him properly! Yanking on a green sweater and a pair of trousers, he quietly exited the dorm so he didn't wake his roommates. Walking down the stairs he was surprised to see Cedric sitting on the couch knitting something. He noticed him right away and set his work down.
"Good morning Harry! It seems you're a bit of an early riser as well! Would you like to go to breakfast?"
"Um, I told Draco I would walk to breakfast with him." Harry said, a bit uncertain. He didn't want his buddy to think he hated him!
"Perfect! I'll join you so you don't get lost, if that's okay with you?" Harry thought about it and figured Draco wouldn't mind so he gave a nod. They left the common room and Harry couldn't help but walk a little faster, eager to see his dear friend.
~~~~~~
Cedric Diggory was a proud 'Puff. He knew what everyone thought of his House and he was determined to prove them wrong. He was surprised like everyone else by Harry Potter's sorting but he was happy to welcome the kid. The first rule of Hufflepuff was to always look out for your own so when he was assigned as Harry's buddy he didn't mind. The poor kid had seemed fidgety all night, probably due to half of the school staring at him. He still couldn't believe Harry announcing to all of Hufflepuff that he was going to marry Draco Malfoy. He had heard the rumors that the Malfoy Heir would tell anyone who stood still long enough that he was going to marry Harry but well, he didn't think Harry would agree! Everyone knew who the Malfoy's had sided with during the last war so it was a bit of a shock. He watched as Harry broke into a run and launched himself at the figure leaning against the wall.
"Draco!" Harry called out joyfully, grinning from ear to ear. Interesting. So far, Harry was quiet. Almost too quiet. When they were walking, his feet hadn't made any noise. Like a small ghost following behind him. So to see him so excited to see another person made Cedric reevaluate his opinion on the Malfoy boy. Harry was chatting away, his hand laced with Malfoy's. His grey eyes suddenly caught Cedric's as he asked "who is this, Harry?"
~~~~~~
Draco knew Harry woke up early so he had gotten up extra early so he would be awake when Harry wrote to him. Sneaking out of his dormitory had been easy and finding the kitchens even easier. He couldn't wait to explore Hogwarts with Harry after they had breakfast together. He looked Diggory up and down.
"He's my buddy! Professor Sprout said that he'll help me with homework and getting familiar with the castle." WHAT? Draco was going to do all of those things, not some pretty boy! What if he was trying to make a move on Harry? Draco would not stand for it.
"Hello Diggory, I am more than capable of taking care of Harry. If I need any heavy lifting, I will let you know" Before Diggory could respond, he led Harry up the corridor towards the Great Hall. He heard the other boy follow behind them and started walking a little faster. Turning the corner, he stopped and swore. Marcus Flint was resting his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily, looking like he had run across the Quidditch pitch.
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? You're the one who had disappeared from the common room! I've been chasing after you like a nanny elf!" Harry was looking between Flint and him. Letting out a puff of air, he introduced Harry to Flint.
"Harry, this is Marcus Flint. He was assigned as my buddy" he couldn't keep his distaste from his voice.
"Oh! Do all of the Houses use the buddy system?" He was annoyed when Diggory answered.
"Actually only the Slytherins and 'Puffs use the buddy system. The other Houses typically don't have the issues we do."
"Issues?"
"Well Potter, everyone knows all Slytherins are Dark wizards and all Hufflepuffs are losers." Harry blinked at Flint before saying "so what? Why do you care what anyone thinks?" All three of them looked at Harry before Flint grinned and said "you know what, Potter? I think you're alright! Do you like Quidditch?" Draco couldn't stop himself from stomping his foot.
"That is enough! I don't know what you guys are playing at but Harry and I are an item so stop trying to steal him!" As soon as the words came out, he was mortified. He couldn't believe he had just acted like Harry was a possession he could just keep to himself. He went to apologize to Harry and even grovel if he asked when someone's stomach growled loudly. Diggory turned beet red before he muttered something about breakfast.
"Draco, maybe Cedric and Marcus could escort us to the Great Hall? Kind of like a double date!" Flint started choking on his own spit as Diggory passionately denied dating anyone, let alone Marcus Flint. Rolling his eyes, he agreed and they finally made it outside the dining hall.
~~~~~~
Harry was worried about what Draco had said. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it but how could he not? Draco seemed to think that Cedric and Marcus both wanted to kidnap him! It was bad enough that everyone stared as soon as they walked through the doors but now he had to worry about his buddy stealing him away. Draco led him to the Slytherin table and started piling food on a plate for him. Harry wasn't sure if he was allowed to sit here but figured someone probably would have said something if it was against the rules. Unbeknownst to him, Greg and Vince were glaring at anyone who looked like they might have a problem with where their new friend sat.
"Harry! Congrats on getting into Hufflepuff! I heard they have great parties!" Vince clapped him on the back causing him to almost faceplant in the mountain of food Draco was giving him. "Thank you Vince! Congratulations to you and Greg on your Sorting as well!" Greg gave him a pat on the shoulder as he struggled to keep his eyes open, his head swaying from side to side.
"Ignore him, Harry! Poor thing can't function before 8 o'clock!" Harry laughed as he started eating, noticing one of the Professors looking at him.
"Who's that?" A girl around their age leaned forward and said "That's Professor Lupin. He teaches Defense. I heard he got those scars on his face from fighting a dragon!"
"Well I heard he got them from saving a unicorn from a poacher!" Another girl whispered.
"What utter nonsense." A voice drawled from right beside them. Harry whipped around and locked eyes with the Professor who had been hitting his head against the table last night.
"Uncle! How are you? Have you met Harry? Harry darling, this is my godfather, Severus Snape. He teaches Potions! You're going to love him!" Harry could hear multiple people coughing suddenly before he gave a soft "hello, sir" to Draco's Uncle. It made Harry uncomfortable that Mr. Snape had managed to sneak up behind him. Mr. Snape gave him a nod before heading to the Head table. A caw interrupted his staring as he turned to see Achilles chewing on some of the bacon hanging off his plate.
"Achilles! Get away from Harry's plate!" Draco was waving his hands around but the hawk just stared at him before dropping a letter and flying off.
"It's from Mother and Father!"
"Dear boys, congratulations on your Sorting. We are so proud of you both. Make sure you pay attention in class (Draco) and stay out of trouble!
Love Mother and Father" Harry felt rather emotional by the short letter. No one had checked up on him like the Malfoy's had and he decided that he would protect the older Malfoy's as well as Draco. They were his precious people. Draco turned and his smile was full of mischief.
"Are you ready to explore Harry?"
~~~~~~
Remus Lupin was following a student. Not just any student, but Harry Potter. He hadn't seen his poor cub since he was a baby. He still remembered all the gummy smiles and hand waves he had gotten from him. Lily used to say that he was Harry's favorite person and she wouldn't be surprised if his first words were Moony. Of course he never got the chance to hear if that was true or not. After that awful night, his life had fallen apart. His lov-friend had betrayed Lily and James and killed poor Peter. He had torn their pack apart and Moony would never forgive him for it. Azkaban was too kind to the traitor. He hated that he couldn't hate him so he pushed down the negative emotions and tried to forget that he had once been happy and content with his closest friends. Then Harry had gotten sorted into Hufflepuff! He knew he had no reason to be shocked but he was sure he would have followed his parents footsteps.
"I can't believe you've shacked up with a slimy snake!" A child's voice echoed down the hall. He quickly cast the disillusion charm and snuck around the corner. The sight that greeted him had him clutching his wand. The Malfoy boy was standing protectively in front of his cub as two older boys blocked their way.
"You're supposed to be the Boy-Who-Lived but you're hanging around Dark Wizards!" The other boy was nodding his head before he added "I bet your parents are rolling in their graves!" Remus felt the spell fall as he cleared his throat.
"What exactly is going on?" He knew his eyes were an amber color signaling that Moony was close to the surface but he could care less. How dare these little brats threaten his poor cub? Before the mongrels could get a word in, he gave them detention with Filch for a week and deducted 20 points for bullying. They scurried away before he could punish them more for their despicable actions.
~~~~~~
Harry couldn't believe those older boys had ruined their adventure. They were exploring the castle when the boys had cornered them. Harry was getting ready to fight when Draco had stepped in front of him. He didn't know why they thought they could get away with insulting Draco like that. Calling him slimy! He wasn't slimy at all! Harry made sure to memorize their faces so when the time came, he would make them regret targeting his fiancé.
"Thank you for helping us, sir" Draco's voice brought him out of his vengeance daydream. The Defense Professor had given the boys detention for their actions.
"It's what they deserve for their words. Honestly, bullying First Years on the second day back? Insane!" Harry didn't know why but the Professor seemed familiar. His eyes were a pretty amber shade. Perhaps he had a child at Hogwarts and that's why he seemed so familiar? Pushing the thought away he also gave his thanks before they went back to exploring. He could feel the Professor's eyes on them as they went on their way.
They eventually found the library and went in search of some books to rent. Mrs. Malfoy had sent Harry a wide array of books. One was 32 Different Ways to Shake Someone's Hand and another was the Best Way to Summon a Demon. He was pretty sure she picked them at random but it was the thought that counted. As he was wandering the shelves, he saw the girl who had been talking about the enchanted ceiling at the Sorting Ceremony. She was sitting on the floor with a pile of books surrounding her. Harry didn't know what prompted him to greet her but he found himself sitting down beside her.
"Hi, my name is Harry. What's yours?" She jumped before staring at him.
"Hello, my name is Hermoine Granger. I am eleven years and a Muggleborn. I was sorted into Gryffindor and my blood type is-" she cut herself off and cleared her throat. He watched as she wiped her hands on her skirt before going back to her book.
"I don't know my blood type." Harry thought out loud. She set her book down and cried out "you're making fun of me aren't you?" Harry looked at her and he could see how lonely she was. He would know what it looked like after all. He leaned over and patted her shoulder "Course I'm not making fun of you. That would be mean. I just thought we could be friends."
"You're not going to make me do your homework, are you?" Harry let out a laugh as he said "Hermione, we haven't got any homework!"
~~~~~~
Draco had to resign himself to the fact that Harry collected friends like people collected Chocolate Frog cards. He was sitting on the floor with him and his new friend, Granger. She was talking a mile a minute and he had no idea how Harry was following along.
"Harry, is it true that you're getting married right after we graduate?" Granger's question caught his attention. Harry gave him a smile before answering.
"Yes! Draco proposed to me when we were getting fitted for our robes and he gave me this!" Harry pushed his sleeve up to show off his bracelet.
Hermione gave a squeal as she gushed "how romantic! It's like a fairy tale!" Maybe she wasn't too bad.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to check this book out. It's a book about hexes!" Harry hurried off towards Madam Pince's desk. Granger looked at him before looking back down at the book in her hands. She did about four more times before saying "the Sorting Hat was really something. I heard it used to be Godric Gryffindor's hat before they enchanted it to Sort students. It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw but I thought Gryffindor would help me make some frie-" she cut herself off and wiped her hands on her skirt again. Draco figured it was something she did when she was nervous.
"I knew I was going to be in Slytherin. All Malfoy's are sorted there."
"You were taking a while to get sorted" Draco looked around before deciding to tell this odd girl why.
"I was trying to convince the Sorting Hat to have a house elf clean it before it was Harry's turn. Did you see how filthy it was? And they put it on my poor Harry's head? What if the person before Harry had lice? Or some kind of sickness?" Draco could feel himself blabbering on but he couldn't help it! He would write to his Father about either replacing the hat or getting someone to clean it. Granger was staring at him after his outburst before saying "that's what took almost five minutes? You were worried about Harry? That's so sweet! I think you two are the perfect couple! Please let me come to your wedding." Draco tilted his head, considering her question. Perhaps he had found a fellow Drarry lover!
"Granger, have you ever heard of a fan club?"