Over the next few weeks, Harry learned how things worked at Hogwarts. He and Draco found their way to classes, Draco's passed on knowledge from his parents helped them find their way to class on time. Harry grew to know which teachers to avoid, and which he could trust. He wasn't sure what to make about Professor Snape, because while he wasn't cruel exactly, he wasn't especially nice to Harry or Draco, either. He kept making comments to himself about how Draco was "so different" from his parents, to which Draco often looked at the ground sadly. This made Harry angry, but he couldn't do anything but glare at Snape behind his back. Snape had taken a liking to Weasley, too, which Harry was angry as well.
"Why does he like Weasley? He's such a prat!" Harry ranted to Draco.
Draco laughed slightly before replying, "Yeah, but he likes prats." Harry laughed and nodded, sprawling on the couch after a potions class that had seemed to last forever. Draco shoved him gently. "Move, you git, other people have to sit too!" He said, with no venom in his voice. Harry moved aside, sitting up with a leg under himself. Draco sat next to him, crossing his legs and pulling a book from his backpack to study. He started reading and Harry read over his shoulder, occasionally making a joke about something in the book.
Presently, a girl with bushy brown hair walked into the common room, scanning the room before noticing the book Draco and Harry were reading. Harry had just made a comment about Newt Scamander's name, and they were both giggling at Harry's joke. The girl made her way across the room, a smile on her face.
"Is that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, but it looks really good!" She said excitedly. "I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger."
Draco looked up at her in interest. "Hi, Hermione. I'm Draco."
"And I'm Harry!" Harry chimed in, trying to be polite.
She smiled at them before her expression changed suddenly, seeming to realize something, and she went darting to the corner with a desk. "It's nice to meet you both, but I should really study and get my homework done."
Harry and Draco exchanged glances. She seemed strange, but not in a bad way. They went back to what they'd been doing before, laughing and talking until it was time to go down to dinner.
The next day, they had Transfiguration in the morning, so they got up, got dressed, and went down to breakfast. Harry poured himself some orange juice and speared a sausage to put on his plate, when the mail came in, owls pouring in through the windows. Weasley frowned as an old, weak looking owl screeched to a halt in front of him. He hit the owl, taking the letter from it before shooing it away. The owl flew, jolting, across the room to the Gryffindor table. He landed next to the boy who was in Madam Malkin's before flopping over, eyes closed. Harry looked to the boy...Was his name Percy? "Is...Is he alright?" Harry asked, concerned.
Percy nodded, a flush of embarrassment on his face. "Yeah, he's just tired from the long flight. I can't imagine that Ron hitting him helped, either." He said, eyes darkening at the mention of his brother.
Harry nodded, looking over to Draco who was seated next to him. He noticed that he, too, had gotten something in the mail. "What'd you get, Draco?" Harry asked, curious.
Draco opened the package, a letter. His face was filled with worry as he opened the letter. "My parents won't be happy that I'm not in Slytherin..." He murmured, gingerly unfolding the letter. His eyes scanned the paper, eyes filling with tears. He folded the paper back up, placing it on the table silently. His hands shook as he picked up his fork to continue eating.
Harry's eyebrows knit with worry. "Draco? What did they say?" He asked, concerned. It wasn't like him to be quiet like this. Usually, he would talk and talk for ages, not that Harry minded.
Draco shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing, everything is absolutely fine." His voice cracked.
Harry frowned, now very scared for his friend. "Draco... It doesn't seem fine. Do you want to talk about it?"
Draco shook his head. "It's FINE. Come on, hurry up eating, we're going to be late for Transfiguration at this rate."
Harry wasn't sure he believed everything was 'fine,' but he decided not to push it. Draco seemed really distressed, and he didn't want to make Draco cry. They silently finished their breakfast and got up to go to class.
As they walked, Draco sighed and spoke. "Harry, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I was just upset and stressed. My...My parents don't approve of the fact I'm a Gryffindor. Everyone, for generations, has been a Slytherin in my family. The thing is, I was secretly hoping I'd be a Gryffindor. I don't want to be like the other Malfoys. I don't hate people because of how they were born, because I managed to read things that told me differently. I don't want to be seen as 'just another Malfoy, so narcissistic and spoilt' because that's not who I am. Not now, not ever. But...That's what they want me to be."
Harry looked at him sadly. "I'm so sorry, Draco. Families kind of suck like that. You shouldn't have to deal with that. How about this," He shifted, "We're now our own little family. We're not related, but we're here for each other as if we were. And, for the record, I'm glad you're a Gryffindor. Who else would I talk to, otherwise?" He smiled.
Draco grinned, a tear making its way down his cheek. "I'd love to be a family. And I'm glad too. I mean, if I was in Slytherin, I'd have to share a house with Weasley! Can you imagine?"
They both laughed, realizing they were already at Professor McGonagall's room, and walked in, sat next to each other. They watched the students file in and the lesson start.
After class, they grabbed their things and walked together to Defense Against the Dark Arts, sitting in their seats. Professor Quirrell walked into the room, avoiding eye contact with Harry. The lesson went on, and Harry kept sneaking looks at Draco whenever Professor Quirrell said anything funny. They locked eyes a few times, stifling laughter.
After class, they gathered their things and left the room. As soon as they were out of earshot, they started quoting the dumb things Quirrell had said, Draco pulling out his parchment to do so, which was riddled with notes in the margins of things that had been said. They giggled all the way to the common room. This had become a habit, because Professor Quirrell had the tendency to say very strange things in his lessons.
Eventually, they got to their common room, laughing the whole way. They plopped onto the couch together, tired from a long day of classes and emotions. Luckily, neither McGonagall or Quirrell had assigned homework, and tomorrow was Saturday, so they could relax.
Draco's head shot up. "I just remembered that we have broom lessons tomorrow."
Harry's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I'm excited! I've never even seen someone fly on a broom before!"
Draco smiled at Harry. "I have, but I can't wait for you to see!"
The next morning, Harry bolted out of bed and ran to Draco's. "Hey, wake up!" He exclaimed, smiling widely. Draco turned over groggily before smiling sleepily.
"Yeeaaahhhh!" Draco said, trying his best to be enthusiastic. "But, Harry, it's five in the morning and it doesn't start till like one. So, can I sleep? Please?"
Harry sighed and flopped back in bed. It would be impossible to sleep again. He pulled out his wand and a book. He settled down to read until it was a reasonable time for people to wake up.
As he read, he heard Draco tossing and turning, and he started talking in his sleep. "Dad....No....STOP! HARRY!! DAD STOP!" Harry rushed to Draco's side, shaking him awake.
Draco awoke, tears in his eyes. His eyes landed on Harry and he calmed down slightly. "Draco, it's okay, it's just a nightmare." Draco let out a deep breath.
"Oh, thank goodness..." Draco pulled Harry into a hug, causing Harry to fall onto Draco's bed.
Harry hugged back, suddenly feeling a lot more tired. He yawned, causing Draco to smile. "Somebody's tired, eh? 'S okay, so am I. We can just sleep here..."
With that, Draco drifted off to sleep, still holding Harry in a tight hug. Harry rolled his eyes, but fell asleep all the same.
Several hours later, Harry awoke, confused as to why there was something warm holding him. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing his blond friend sleeping. His face flushed, but he wasn't quite sure why. His best friend's hair gleamed in the sunlight from the window, and his expression was peaceful. Harry smiled slightly, admiring him. As he watched, Draco's eyes slowly slid open. "Wow, take a picture, Potter. It would last longer." He joked, a smile on his face. Harry blushed, looking aside. He started de-tangling himself from Draco, deciding to get ready to eat breakfast. Draco got up too, and got dressed. They made their way down to breakfast, talking about flying. Harry was still excited to learn to fly, and Draco was telling him what it was like.
After breakfast, they still had time to kill, so they went to the library. Draco grabbed a book called, "Quidditch Through the Ages" and checked it out of the library so they could read it together.
They went to the common room, sitting on the couch to read it. Harry was amazed by the pictures, all of which moved, of course. The seeker of the Holyhead Harpies winked at him and he blushed. Draco quickly turned the page, muttering something about, "We're only fifteen, that's gross, nonce."
Eventually, it was time for them to go learn to fly. They went to the quidditch pitch, standing with the other first years. Madam Hooch came from the castle, peering at the assembled students. "Alright, everyone!" She exclaimed, her hawklike eyes inspecting each student. Harry met her gaze anxiously. He wasn't sure exactly what to expect from her, but she looked intimidating.
She spoke, her eyes finally leaving the students. "So, to begin, each of you has a broom next to you on the ground, correct?" Upon seeing the nods of the assembled students, she continued. "Now, hold your hand above it, and say, 'UP!'" She exclaimed. The students followed her instructions, with varying levels of success. Harry's broom shot up into his hand, and Draco's did as well, after a moment of hesitation. Harry found joy in the fact that Weasley's didn't shoot up. After several tries, everyone in the class had gotten theirs up. Madam Hooch looked at all of them, looking pleased with them. "Now, all of you, straddle the broom, and-" She was cut off, because a boy with straight brown hair and a terrified expression suddenly rose into the air. "Mister Longbottom, come back down." She demanded sharply.
The boy shook his head frantically, shouting, "I can't, I'm trying!" Abruptly, his broom started shaking in air. He looked frightened momentarily before tumbling off, falling to the ground. There was a sickening thud noise, and Madam Hooch rushed forward. She took a hold of him, and lifted his arm, which he had landed on. It was tilted at an unnatural angle, and the elbow was bent inversely to how it was supposed to bend. She quickly escorted him to the hospital wing, with a warning to the students that if any of them flew when she wasn't there, she would find out and she would ensure that they got a swift detention. Harry decided to not test that, and simply stayed on the ground, talking to Draco.
Eventually, Madam Hooch came back without Neville, telling them that Madam Pomfrey would take care of him. She continued with the lesson, and eventually they were all flying in the air. Harry stayed close to Draco, but he loved the feeling of the air running through his hair and the feeling of freedom from being in the air. Eventually, they had to go down, but Harry was still smiling. When he touched the ground, he looked to Draco and smiled.
"That was AMAZING!" He exclaimed, smiling widely.
Draco smiled at him. "I'm glad it lived up to your expectation, it would be a shame to disappoint you after how excited you were this morning."
Harry smiled shyly. "Yeah... Sorry about that, I've just...Never flown before."
"I never said I didn't understand! It makes sense you'd be so excited, I know I was when my father said he'd teach me."
They continued laughing and talking until they reached the Great Hall for lunch. They sat next to each other, still talking. The girl from earlier, Hermione, sat next to them, but was too busy reading to talk to them, which Harry was grateful for.
A few months passed, with a new normal being established. Harry and Draco would get up, get dressed, go down to breakfast, go to classes, go to lunch, another class, then dinner, then rinse and repeat. It was now nearing the end of October, and all of Hogwarts was getting ready for the Halloween feast. Harry and Draco were excited, Harry more so than Draco. He'd never really been to a feast or a big party before, seeing as the Dursleys hid him away from everyone and he didn't really have any friends before he met Draco.
Hermione had the unfortunate luck of being paired with Weasley in Charms, and they sat behind Harry and Draco. Weasley was horrible to her, constantly berating her and calling her names. Harry felt bad for her, but didn't say anything.
After another class of Weasley being just generally the worst, Hermione ran off. Harry looked after her but didn't really care. She wasn't his friend, after all. He was too busy being excited for the feast later. He and Draco went to the library and read until it was time for dinner, and Draco had to physically grab the back of Harry's robe to stop him from running to the Great Hall.
When they got there, Harry noticed Hermione wasn't there and wondered where she was. Draco noticed his concern, and whispered in his ear that he'd heard from a childhood friend that she had been crying in the bathroom. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for her, but also didn't really worry too much. He was sure she'd come to the hall eventually.
The room looked amazing. There were jack-o'-lanterns everywhere, and there were bats flying high above everyone's heads. The food was all orange and black, thanks to hexes, and Dumbledore had a massive fake spider hanging from the tip of his hat. Harry looked around in amazement. Draco smiled at him.
"Shall we?" He asked, picking up some food and putting it on his plate. Harry nodded, grabbing some and placing it on his plate as well.
As they ate, they were suddenly disturbed by Professor Quirrell, running into the room.
"TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! I just...thought you should know..." He said, promptly fainting, his head being cushioned from impact by his turban.
Dumbledore stood, the decorative spider swinging comically. "Everyone, go to your dorms. Except for Slytherins, you should just go with your friends from other houses for the time being."
Weasley looked around frantically, and Harry groaned when he realized that since he didn't have many friends that he and Draco would be stuck with Weasley since his brothers were all in Gryffindor. He was walking, following Percy with the people going to the Gryffindor tower. As they passed the hallway that went to the bathrooms, Harry realized something. He turned to Draco, eyes wide with horror.
"Draco, I just realized... Hermione doesn't know. She's in the bathroom, she doesn't know about the troll."
Draco met his gaze with similar horror. "Oh my god, we have to go tell her. She could get hurt!"
They snuck off, rushing to the girls bathroom. When they got there, they heard a scream. They ran inside, worried. When they got inside, a terrible sight greeted them. A massive troll, facing away from them, and Hermione cowering in the corner. Her eyes flicked to them. Draco looked up at the troll, seeming dumbfounded. The troll stumbled towards Hermione. She squeaked in fear. Draco came about his wits and cast a spell, pulling on the troll's hair. The troll turned, looking confused. It teetered towards Draco and Harry now, and Hermione scrambled out of the corner. As it stumbled forward, it grabbed Harry. He writhed to try to escape, but the troll's grip remained. Hermione raised her wand, prepared to cast a spell, but Draco had already sprung to action, worry on his face.
"Harry!" He exclaimed, raising his wand. "Wingardium leviosa!" He yelled, in a panic. The club rose out of the troll's hand, and it looked up at it, confused. Draco brought his wand down, causing the club to follow his movements. The troll dropped Harry before tumbling to the ground with a loud thump. Draco rushed to Harry's side, helping him up. "Are you okay?" He asked, still concerned.
Harry nodded, smiling. "Draco, that was awesome. You were so cool! I wouldn't have been able to-"
He was cut off by a group of teachers rushing into the room, Professor McGonagall in the lead. Her eyes widened when she saw the scene that awaited her. She turned to look at Harry and Draco, narrowing her eyes. "Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy... I expected better of you two, really. Sneaking off to fight a fully grown troll? I thought you were more sensible than this."
Suddenly, there was a small voice from the back of the room. "Er... Professor? I... I was the one who snuck out to fight the troll, I'd read about them and I thought I could take it down. Harry and Draco saved me, if it weren't for them, I'd definitely be dead." Harry looked back to Hermione in shock. Surely she wasn't flat-out lying to a teacher to assist Harry and Draco? But there she was, looking Professor McGonagall in the eye and lying to her.
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened with shock at Hermione's admission. "I am truly shocked, Miss Granger. I expected better from you. Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Hermione's gaze fell to the ground, ashamed. Professor McGonagall then returned her gaze to Harry and Draco. "Well, I do suppose that some added points are in order, despite the fact that you snuck after her and didn't tell anyone. Five points, each. You both should just be proud that you didn't die in the attempt." She said, seeming utterly done. They nodded solemnly, Hermione walking over to them. McGonagall sighed, looking at the three students in front of her. "You all should go finish dinner in your common room. We'll take care of the troll from here."
They nodded and left, all sharing a small smile as they walked. Something had definitely changed between them, but Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it.
They arrived at the tower, Hermione immediately went and grabbed a plate, and Harry suddenly remembered why she'd been in the bathroom in the first place. He felt a rush of anger towards Weasley, finding himself subconsciously looking around the common room for him. Draco, who was seated next to Harry, noticed this.
"Harry, forget about him, okay? We just took down a freaking troll. Let yourself celebrate a little." He said, looking into Harry's eyes.
"Alright, I will. Thanks, Draco..." He said, smiling.
Upon that, Hermione returned. They sat together and talked, laughing. Harry then realized what had changed. They had become friends. He smiled. He wouldn't have it any other way.