Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.

Authors Note: Here's the next chapter, and I hope it will at least satisfy all your Harry/Hermione needs for now, even thought they don't really meet. Either way, hope you all enjoy. I certainly had fun writing all the Slytherin interactions. Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter Four

Harry saw Dumbledore five more times during his stay at Grimmauld place. The first time was for another routine meeting, and then same again for the last three times. It was the second time that was most interesting, when Dumbledore enlisted Harry into coercing an old friend into coming back to teach at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore told Harry all about Horace Slughorn whilst on route to the old wizards current home. Harry quickly figured out why Dumbledore was bringing him along, so when he met Horace Slughorn for the first time, he made sure to be as charming as he could, and temped Slughorn just enough to get the old wizard to agree to come back to Hogwarts.

That was the only really interesting thing Harry did all summer, and to be honest, it wasn't all that interested. In fact, Harry began to wonder if he'd not just released an even bigger pain in his ass than Gilderoy Lockhart had been. No doubt Slughorn would try to collect him, so Harry would have to take pains to be even stealthier than he normally was.

The rest of the summer passed rather quickly. Harry did his best to avoid Ron and the rest of the Weasley family, save Mrs. Weasley, and did quite a good job, owing to his large experience in being invisible. The rest of Harry's time went to being with Sirius, either listening to Sirius talk about his father and the rest of the Marauders and their numerous pranks or playing wizards chest.

But it was finally time to leave Grimmauld place and head back to Hogwarts for another year. Like last year, Harry had to walk to Kings Cross with various guards, including Remus Lupin, Sirius, and Tonks. Again, like the year before, Mad Eye Moody was in charge of taking their possessions to the train. The Weasley family led the group, with Harry and Sirius in the middle and Remus and Tonks bringing up the rear. Every now and then Ron turned his head back at Harry and glared. Harry ignored him.

They reached the train station with no trouble and passed through the invisible barrier to platform 9 and 3/4. Sirius and Remus shook Harrys hand before he got on the train and left them behind. He didn't have a clue where the Weasleys had gotten too, and frankly, didn't care. He quickly spotted a familiar silver head over the crowd and pushed his way through the crowd, jostling people out of his way with annoyance. Before he could reach Draco the door to the compartment he was passing opened and a slightly bushy haired girl bumped into him. He took a step back and retightened his glassed, which had gone a little wonky in the collision, and stared at the girl before him.

"Sorry," she said, but she didn't meet his eyes, keeping her eyes down. Harry frowned, shrugged, and brushed past her.

"It's okay." He called back dismissively.

He completely missed the girl startle and turn, looking at his back. Hermione Granger stared at the back of Harry Potters head as he again disappeared in the crowd.

Harry finally met Draco towards the end of the train, walking up next to Draco, making his best friend jump a little.

"Bloody hell," Draco gasped, something that would have shocked most of the population of Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy do anything other than sneer? Yeah right. "I swear Potter, someone should put a ringing charm on you."

Harry smirked a little. "Or maybe you just need to pay more attention."

Draco scowled at him in good nature and pointed to an empty compartment. "Come on." He pushed open the door and took a seat near the door. Harry took one at the far side, by the window. He looked out, his eyes scanning the bustling crowd of parents, then turned his attention to Draco.

Harry and Draco sat in silence, each lost in their own heads, until finally the train started to move. Harry looked out the window, watching the parents left on the platform slowly get smaller, and then disappear around the bend.

"So Harry," Draco said. "Do anything interesting over the summer?"

"Interesting isn't the word." Draco raised a fine eyebrow at him. "I met our new Potions teacher."

"New Potions teacher?" Draco asked, curious. "What about Snape?"

"Seems he's finally got the Defence job." Harry replied.

"That'll be interesting," Draco said dryly. "So what's the new Potions Professor like?"

"Fat, Bold, Annoying." Harry said sardonically, locking eyes with Draco.

Draco burst out laughing. "Nice."

Before the conversation could continue a timid knock came at the door, before it opened to reveal what must have been a first year girl. She was extremely short, even for a first year, and had her hair drawn up in pigtails. She looked nervously between Harry and Draco, and then gulped when Draco glared at her.

"What?" Draco asked with a bored tone.

"I-I j-just need to t-tell..." the poor girl gulped again and her eyes darted to Harry, who wasn't even paying attention. Or at least it didn't look like he was. "Tell H-Harry P-P-Potter that Professor S-Slughorn wants t-to see him. Please." She looked down at her feet.

"No."

The girl looked up, looking at Harry, who was now reading a book he seemed to have pulled out of nowhere.

"I don't think he's interested." Draco said with a smirk. Draco pointed to the door.

"But - "

"Don't make me be mean." Draco drawled, narrowing his eyes at her. She squeaked and left the room, or rather, fled the room.

Draco turned to Harry with a smirk. "I bet you ten Galleons she's in Hufflepuff."

Harry snorted. "Okay then." Harry was pretty sure he'd loose, but what the hell, it'd be funny. "What about you?"

"Huh?" Draco looked at Harry, confused.

"Anything interested happen to you over the summer?" Harry explained.

"Oh," Draco ran a hand through his sleek hair. "You could say that." At Harrys imploring look, he continued. "My dad tried to get me to spill information on you. I didn't tell him anything, obviously. Not that I really know much. He said something about..." Draco trailed off, thinking.

Harry regarded hi with curiosity, sitting up in his seat now, his book forgotten.

"He said something about how he was going to recommend me as one of the new Death Eaters." Harry eyes got slightly larger. "And...something about a special assignment he was going to suggest me for. I'm figuring it's something at Hogwarts that the Dark Lord wants doing. What? I have no idea."

"That's really interesting." Harry said, sitting back and looking thoughtful. "Guess you win."

Draco smirked. "I guess. Sorry I couldn't get more out of him, but...let's just say father wasn't very pleased with me." Draco looked away from Harry's sympathetic eyes.

"Well," Harry finally said, knowing that pressing Draco for more would only embarrass his friend. "At least it's something. We'll have to keep an eye out."

"You going to tell Dumbledore?" Draco asked.

"Maybe."

They fell into another comfortable silence after that, Harry retreating to his book again and Draco taking out his wand, idling practising some little spells. They must have been nearing Hogwarts when the compartment door opened again and three people entered, a boy and two girls.

The boy was tall, coloured and had high cheekbones, with his hair spiked up a little at the front. His name was Blaise Zabini. The first girl was Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl who always showed excessive interest in Draco, much to Blaise's amusement. Finally, the second girl was named Heather Pritchard, a pretty Slytherin girl who was friends with Pansy. She had short black hair that framed her round face and startling blue eyes with scarily long eyelashes, or so Harry always thought.

"Malfoy." Blaise greeted them, sitting across from Draco. "Potter."

Harry nodded his head in greeting, but didn't take his eye of his book. Heather sat down next to him, way too close for Harrys comfort, and leant towards him, as if trying to read his book, though she wasn't even looking at it, but glancing straight at Harrys face, batting her scary eyelashes.

Meanwhile, Pansy perched herself on Draco lap, only to be pushed of irritably by the annoyed Malfoy. Blaise sniggered and leant back in his seat, watching with great amusement as the two girls practically threw themselves at Harry and Draco.

"Did you miss me Draco?" Pansy cooed, stroking his arm.

Draco sighed. "Not in a million year Parkinson."

"Oh, you're no fun." She pouted.

"Then piss off."

Blaise laughed out loud and Pansy glared at him. "Smooth Malfoy."

"And how are you Harry?" Heather asked in her best sweet voice. Harry ignored her.

"I don't think he's interested Pritchard." Blaise said with glee.

"What do you know?" Heather snapped at him, finally turning her attention to someone other than Harry. "Harry is very deep. You just don't understand him. Not like I do."

"Right." Blaise responded sarcastically.

Harry caught Draco's eye over the book, finding the young Malfoy smirking at him. He shook his head, amusement in his eyes, before turning back to his book and shutting out all conversation again.

Finally, it was time to leave the train, as the Hogwarts Express pulled up at the station in Hogsmeade. Harry put his boom away and dragged his robes on over his muggle attire, then left the compartment with Malfoy and Blaise. Pansy and Heather called out for them to wait, but none of the boys did. They got of the train, hearing the familiar call of 'firs'-years, firs'-years over here' coming from the half-giant Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Hagrid. Hagrid spotted Harry and smiled at him.

"Hiya 'Arry." Hagrid boomed.

"Hey Hagrid." Harry said as he passed by the giant of a man, on his way to the carriages.

They found an empty carriage just as Pansy and Heather came panting up behind them obviously having run all the way to catch up to them.

"Why didn't you wait?" Pansy whined.

"Gee, I don't know, do you Harry?" Draco said sarcastically. Harry just smirked as he took a seat again at the far side.

Draco jumped up next and sat next to him, followed by Blaise who took the seat across from Harry, and Heather who sat next to Blaise. Pansy attempted to climb in and sit on Draco's lap again, but again he pushed off and she fell out of the carriage, which at that precise moment began to move, leaving her behind. They could hear her screaming at them until the station disappeared from view.

"You're one mean git, you know that right?" Blaise asked, without even a hint of reprimand in his voice.

Draco just shrugged and looked forward, finding Heather glaring at him. He smirked at her and put his arm around Harrys shoulders. Harry cast him an odd glance, but then noticed Heather glaring at Draco and shook his head in amusement.

They quickly arrived at the Castle and jumped out of the carriage. A shrill voiced and red-faced Pansy Parkinson, who apparently had to sit with a bunch of second year Hufflepuffs, immediately confronted Draco. Harry led them into the Great Hall, Pansy shrill voice following him all the way. It was only when they reached the Great Hall that she shut up.

Harry took a seat at the end of the Slytherin table, scowling when Heather quickly dashed to sit next to him before Draco could sit down. Draco laughed and sat across from him instead.

They didn't have to wait long for the first years to arrive and the Sorting Ceremony to begin. As predicated, the nervous first year girl that had delivered Slughorns invitation (a Melissa Fargo) was sorted into Hufflepuff. Draco smirked at

Harry and held his hand out, into which Harry tipped ten Galleons. Blaise looked at them, confused.

"We'll tell you later." Draco stage whispered.

After that, Dumbledore stood and made his usual ridiculous speech and then the food arrived. Draco instantly began to stuff himself. Harry helped himself to some meat and potato pie and mushy peas and started to eat at his usual sedate pace, his eyes travelling around the Great Hall for anything out of the ordinary.

He didn't find anything he wasn't already expecting, but he did manage to spot a familiar bushy head of hair, belong to a Gryffindor girl sitting a few seats down from Ron Weasley, next to a chubby boy Harry didn't know. At the precise moment Harry spotted her she looked up, catching his eyes accidentally. Her mouth opened a little, but she didn't look away, at least not right way. But Harry didn't take any of this in, all he did was stare in a rather out of character fashion, at the girl with the amazingly beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"You okay Harry?" Draco asked, pointing a sausage speared fork at him.

Harry snapped out of his daze and met Draco's eyes. He cleared his throat. "Yeah." He looked up at the girl again, but she wasn't looking at him. She was, in fact, staring at her plate rather unnaturally. "Fine." Harry muttered distractedly.

"Come on then," Draco snapped impatiently. Harry snapped out his daze again, finding that the Great Hall was emptying. He looked at Draco confusedly, but Draco just shook his head and nodded his head towards the door. "Come on."

"Right." Harry stood up and followed Draco out of the Hall, not even hearing as Heather rattled on incessantly to him about who knows what. He couldn't get those chocolate brown eyes out his mind.

They reached the Slytherin common room and Draco said the password ('Serpensortia!') and then trailed up off to their sixth year dormitory as quickly as possible.

Three other boys were already in the room, checking through their things to see if anything was missing. The two biggest boys were Crabbe and Goyle. The last boy, a thin and regal looking wizard, was named Theodore Nott. They spared a few quick greetings before climbing into bed.

Draco and Harry choose beds beside each other and Blaise got the one across from Harrys. Blaise opened his trunk and started rifling through it as Harry sat on the end of his bed and did the same. Blaise looked up, catching Harrys eye.

"How come you didn't come to Slughorns meeting?" he asked.

"You got invited then." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Blaise said. "Big waste of time. So how come you didn't come?"

Harry gave him a look and Blaise laughed. "Right. Big waste of time."

"What was it all about?" Draco asked with some interest.

"Oh," Blaise closed his trunk with a snap; satisfied it hadn't been tampered with. "Nothing really. He just wanted to suck up to us. I'm surprised he didn't invite you."

"Yeah," Draco murmured, catching Harrys eye. They both knew why he didn't get an invite.

"Anyway," Blaise began again. "Complete waste of time. I wouldn't bother about it if I was you."

Blaise stretched and started shucking off his clothes, before climbing into bed and closing his eyes. "Night guys."

"Night." Draco said casually, getting out his own clothes and climbing into bed.

Harry put the book he was reading on the train into his trunk and shut it as well, locking it with a quick charm. He climbed out of his clothes and folded them on top of his locked trunk before copying the rest of the sixth year boys and getting into bed. He flicked his wand at the bed curtains and they swung closed. Sticking his wand under his pillow, Harry closed his eyes and slowly started to fall asleep, thinking of chocolate coloured eyes.

(----)

Piccolo999