Torqueo Fatalis

Potter and Malfoy. Malfoy and Potter.

We should be a team. Friends. Best Friends. Not Potter and Weasley. We were meant to be friends but Potter turned that down. He turned me down for Mudbloods and Muggle lovers. He didn't know then. He didn't know anything then. I'm going to change that...

Draco stirred the potion one last time and added the last ingredient. He turned to the skinny black-haired boy at his right, who was unconscious and chained to the wall.

"Drink up, Potter," Draco whispered as he poured the potion into the boy's mouth.

* * * * *

Harry Potter stepped onto the platform before the Great Hall, frightened and trembling. He didn't know what he was doing amongst all of these students, inside this great castle. He could see the blonde boy that he'd met in Diagon Alley a few feet away. Harry raised his hand to wave but the boy turned away, leaving Harry feeling very much alone. He sighed. Harry had spent the entire train ride alone, interrupted only twice- once by a small boy with a chubby face and once by a girl with bushy brown hair and large front teeth. Both had come in to ask Harry something- something about a frog- but upon seeing the scar on Harry's forehead they both squeaked and ran off. Harry could see that his scar was going to create some problems... He noticed that people were trying to sneak in looks at him, his scar...

'They could just come and talk to me,' Harry thought bitterly. He would have liked to make some friends on the train ride or maybe even before the train ride. There was no time for that, however, because it had taken Harry long enough to find Platform 9 ¾. He wandered the station for a while searching for any sign of a witch or wizard until he finally collapsed against the wall between platforms nine and ten, admitting defeat and wondering what to do next. Harry still wasn't sure exactly what happened but the platform just seemed to suck him in and Harry had just enough time to jump onto the leaving train. Then the only two people that even tried to talk to him had seemed almost scared and didn't even try to befriend Harry. So instead, he spent the entire train ride alone and miserable, lost in his thoughts of worry, frustration, and paranoia.

Now, finally, he stood before the Great Hall, alone as ever, waiting for the doors to open so that he and his classmates could enter. There was talk of a sorting ceremony of some kind but nobody was sure how it would be done. Sudenly Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a slow, drawling voice.

"Harry Potter," said the voice. Harry looked up, startled. It was the blonde boy that he'd met at Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley. Harry tried and failed to remember the boy's name.

"It is you, isn't it?" asked the boy.

Harry nodded, trying to remember if he ever had given the boy his name. Before he could ask, the blonde boy stuck out his hand.

"I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Harry smiled. Draco was such an interesting name. He tried to figure out what to say next but Draco had moved on. Harry was alone again until Draco swiftly turned around and addressed Harry once more.

"I expect I'll be seeing you," Draco said, nodding.

Harry was saved from responding when the doors opened and the first years were ushered in. Harry stepped into the Great Hall and looked around. He could hear the bushy-haired girl reciting facts from some book that she'd read over the summer. She was saying something about the ceiling, which Harry didn't bother to care about. Instead, he watched one of the professors, Professor McGonagall, putting a ragged old hat onto a stool at the front of the Great Hall. Harry was even more shocked when the hat opened what could only be its "mouth" and began to sing. It was singing a song about the school and its founders, however, which Harry found incredibly boring once the charm of watching a hat sing wore off. Harry looked around for the blonde boy, Draco was his name. He found him minutes later, walking deliberately to the stool upon which the hat sat. McGonagall had barely placed the hat on Draco's head when it called out.

"SLYTHERIN!" said the hat, and Draco walked boastfully over to the Slytherin table.

'I hope I'm in Slytherin,' Harry thought. He'd seen the bushy-haired girl, named Hermione, get sorted into Gryffindor. She had seemed scared of him before...or...not scared, but...maybe awed? Whatever it was, Harry didn't like it. Draco was much more natural with him and Harry figured that whatever house Draco was in was the house for him.

"Potter, Harry."

The silent mutterings and whispers of the crowd lessened, and then grew. 'Is it the Harry Potter? Is it really him?' Harry did his best to ignore the stares and began ascending up the staircase towards the McGonagall and the sorting hat. The professor placed the hat on his head and Harry heard the hat whispering in his ear.

'Not Gryffindor. Not Gryffindor. Not Gryffindor,' Harry thought.

"Not Gryffindor, eh?" the hat said into Harry's ear. "You have plenty of courage, you know. And a thirst to prove yourself I see too... hmm. You'd do well in Gryffindor but if you're sure... SLYTHERIN!"

Harry smiled and walked towards Draco. He caught a glimpse of the other students' faces as he walked past and was surprised to see shock. The Great Hall had gone eerily quiet, aside from the low cheers coming from the Slytherins.

'As though anyone else should care what house I'm in,' Harry thought.

Harry reached the table and sat next to Draco, who smiled, or rather smirked, at Harry.

"I see you've made it into Slytherin," Draco said.

Harry nodded.

"Great." Draco nodded back and stuck his hand out, which Harry grabbed and shook.

The headmaster's booming voice could be heard, first introducing himself as Professor Dumbledore, then warning all of the students of the dangers or the forbidden forest and the third floor corridor...

Harry stopped listening and reveled at the fact that he had finally found a new friend.