Freckles || Drarry

iii

"Excuse me? Do you mind if I sit here?" A ginger boy says, moments after the train left the station. The boy had yet to actually look at the people in the compartment, he had only seen four free seats. Every other compartment had at least five people in already, and he would prefer to not have to make so many new friends at once. That's too many names to forget. When Draco looked towards the door, he recognised the boy and sneered.

"Every other compartment already has like five people in already. I don't want to have so many names to remember."
"Sure! Sit down. I'm Harry!" Harry says as the boy looks up. A slightly disgruntled look crosses his friend when he sees the Malfoy boy.
"Yeah, sit down Weasel. I can prove to Harry what a sod you are." The other ginger sneers as he puts up his trunk and sits opposite the pair.
"Piss off, Malfoy." He offered his hand to the ginger next to the boy he dislikes.

"I'm Ron Weasley. I hope you aren't as big of a git as he is. It will make this journey a bit too long for my taste." Harry shakes Ron's hand, albeit slightly reluctantly. Anguis begins to hiss at Harry.
"Draco is actually really nice you know... At least, he is to me. Speaking of, Draco please may I have Anguis? She's a bit disgruntled. Says she smells food." Draco put his hand under his jumper and gave Harry his snake.

~ - ♦ - ~

"Calm down. I'll get you some snacks. If the food you're smelling is this boy's pet, I'm afraid you're not allowed to eat it."
"Unless his pet is a rat, I think I'm okay. Let me at it!"
I sigh and decide to ask Ron, just so we know I'm not going to let my pet eat his.
"Would you happen to have a rat with you?" I notice Ron looks a mixture between awed and scared. Maybe I should have warned him I was going to have a casual chat with a snake?

"Um... Yeah. It's my pet, Scabbers! He belonged to my brother, but he's mine now." I smirk slightly.
"Ha! It's his pet. His name is Scabbers. You aren't allowed to eat him." She gave a snakey sigh and I brought some treats out of my trunk for her and Hedwig, giving Hedwig her treats myself and handing Anguis' treats to Draco. He happily have the reptile many treats, to her delight. Probably too many, but I'm not going to stop him. At least they'll be friends.

"Aaanything from the trolleyy?! Anything from the trolleyy?! Want anything from the trolley dears?" An old woman is pushing a large cart covered in many sweets. I recognised some from Honeydukes. I buy two of everything, so I know what's best to send back to Petunia. Draco buys some liquorice wands and a chocolate frog. Ron buys something as well before the woman pushes the trolley further down the isle, continuing her chant.
"Aaanything from the trolleyy?!"

Draco opens his chocolate frog and we laugh as it bounds around the compartment before he catches it and it turns to chocolate. He snaps off pieces and eats them carefully. He produces a card from the packet with a laugh.
"Look at that Harry! I got you!" I look down, and lo and behold there, in his pale hand, sits a trading card with my face on.
"I have my own chocolate frog card? Awesome!"

"Wait! You're Harry Potter?! The Harry Potter? Is it true then? About the scar?" I roll my eyes and push up my fiery fringe with a smile. He seems awed, yet not as much as Draco was. I feel like Draco may have been a bit of a fanboy...
"Harry, can I touch it? Like, would it hurt if I were to?... Just?... " Draco asked gently before running his fingers gently over the pale, scarred flesh. It sort of tingles, but not in a painful way. It's kind of soothing. He pulls his warm hand away with a smile and goes back to stroking Anguis. Definitely a fanboy, but with an affinity for snakes.

"He seems to prefer you over me Anguis."
"Very much so Harry. I think I prefer him over you too, to be completely honest. He's warmer than you, and he gave me treats."
"Wow, thanks girl. I feel totally better. Damned snake is sassing me, Draco. Says she prefers you. The cheek." He laughs gently and scratches her head.
"Well, maybe you should be warmer, in both senses of the word." I roll my eyes.
"Don't you start."

"Excuse me, have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville is looking for one." A boy has lost his pet? How sad...
"No, we haven't. I'll help you look! Stay here and look after Anguis, won't you Draco? We'll be back in a flash." I take the hand of the bushy haired girl and skip along to the next compartment before releasing it.
"What's your name? I'm Harry, Harry Potter." The girl smiles softly.
"Hermione Granger. You're The Boy-Who-Lived? That's cool." She knocks on the closed door of the compartment as I look about the hallway. They hadn't seen the poor thing either. A few minutes later I saw a toad sitting up against the wall. I scoop it up and stroke it.
"I found it Hermione! Let's bring it back to Neville, yeah?" She smiles and leads me back to a carriage where a lone, worried looking boy sits.
"Good job, Harry."

"Here you go, Neville! We found him down the hall. Hey, why don't you two join us? I'd love make friends!"
"If you wouldn't mind, that may be rather nice." Remembering the incident with Ron I laugh a little.
"Just a fair warning, I have a snake, called Anguis, and I can talk to her. I scared someone earlier, so I thought I should probably warn you."
"Cool!" And then our group of three became a group of five.

~ - ♦ - ~

All the new first years were waiting in The Great Hall. They had been rushed into boats and across The Black Lake once the train had stopped. After dawdling for a bit they were urged into The Great Hall. The students, though some didn't show it, were awed by the high, star covered ceiling. It was beautiful.

"I'm telling you Draco, I know you want to be a Slytherin but you could definitely be a Hufflepuff. You're so sweet!" Draco looked jokingly offended.
"H-Harry... You wound me so! I'm scary. I'm a scary Slytherin. I'm mean." Harry laughed.
"You're as scary as a basket full of kittens Dray, and about as soft as one too. You are an adorable little cinnamon roll."
"What the hell is a cinnamon roll?" Harry simply rolled his eyes. A woman he definitely recognised walked to the front of the hall and placed down a dusty old hat that started to sing about the four houses.

"It's Aunt Min!" Harry, on the occasions he had been shut out, had been instructed by his Aunt Petunia to go to a little house down the road. In said house lived Harry's 'Auntie Min', or as Hogwarts knew her Minerva McGonagall. She had moved in down the road when Petunia had gone through the rather large struggle of trying to get a letter to her without an owl. She explained that Harry may need a safe space and she knew of how well James had gotten along with McGonagall specifically.
"Who?"
"She lives down the road. I stay over with her sometimes. Petunia told me she worked here, but she didn't say I'd be able to see her right away!" Draco simply enjoyed his friend's excitement as the sorting began.

" MALFOY, DRACO. " He looked at Harry with no nerves present. He swaggered up to the chair, and sat with an air of grace. The hat pondered for a while, and taking his preference into consideration decided a house.
"SLYTHERIN!" Draco hopped down and headed over to the table with a smile directed at his proud friend. Neville and Hermione also clapped from the Gryffindor table, as Draco and them had really started to bond (once Draco had adjusted to the fact Hermione was a muggleborn). Ron, being stubborn, refused to clap for the 'slimy Slytherin git', despite all of Harry's best efforts to get them to bond on the train. A few people later Harry's name was called.

"POTTER, HARRY!" A bunch of whispers erupted from around the hall. Things like 'oh my Merlin, the Harry Potter?', 'do you think he really has the scar?' and 'dear Merlin, he's a ginger' were whispered throughout the hall. He sat on the wooden chair and the hat was placed on his head. It was telling Harry he could be in any of the houses, due to his characteristics. According to the hat he would do well in either Slytherin, or Hufflepuff. It took a few more moments before it yelled out its answer.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"