Defining Moment

Excerpt from the Diary of Draco Malfoy, July 31, 1991

Today was a pretty good day. We went to Diagon Alley to shop for my school stuff. I really wanted a racing broom -- the Nimbus 2000 is brilliant! But Father said we must obey the rules about first years not bringing their own brooms. He says he’ll get me a really good broom next year. I’ll make sure I remind him of that promise!

I got my wand, though. Really nice one, yew, with a dragon heartstring core. It feels just right in my hand. I’ve already managed to use it to make my bed curtains wave around a bit. I can’t wait to learn real magic. Everyone still treats me like a little kid. Once I learn magic, they’ll have to sit up and take notice of me.

Father felt guilty about not letting me get the racing broom, so he got me a really expensive owl. It’s an Eagle Owl, one of the largest kinds of owls in the world. Mum will be able to send me loads of goodies, because this owl is big enough to carry a small suitcase. I bet I’m the only one at Hogwarts with a fancy owl like this one!

We saw a Muggle family in Diagon Alley, of all places. They went right into Gringotts and exchanged their ridiculous Muggle money for a small pile of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. They sure looked unsure about it all. That just proves how out of place they are. It’s hard to believe people like that will be going to Hogwarts with me. Father says it’s because Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts, is a Muggle-lover. I surely hope he retires before I’m done at Hogwarts, or dies. Then we can get a better Headmaster, one who was in Slytherin, hopefully. Although, that Muggle girl was really pretty. . . .

Father didn’t say how they choose who gets into which house, but I know he wants me to be in Slytherin. When I first heard about them, I thought Gryffindor might be a good house. I mean, bravery is really cool, right? I want to be brave. I know Father wants me to be brave. Sometimes I get a little scared, though, thinking of all of the dangerous things wizards face in the world. But Father says the way to face it all is to be ambitious, to rise to the top and be in charge, to rule over those with less money, those who don’t come from good families like I do. Father says the name Malfoy is a highly-regarded, old wizarding family name and that I should be proud of it. I am proud, but sometimes I wonder if that’s what’s most important. . . .

Excerpt from the Diary of Draco Malfoy, August 15, 1991

Today Father told me something really interesting. Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts! Harry Potter! The Boy Who Lived! I’ve heard about him all my life. He was a baby when the Dark Lord killed his parents, and tried to kill him. But Harry Potter didn’t die, and the Dark Lord disappeared.

Father won’t say what he thinks happened to the Dark Lord. But it’s well known that Harry Potter got a scar on his forehead, shaped like lightning, from the Dark Lord’s killing spell. But the spell didn’t kill Harry Potter. He must be a really powerful wizard, to survive the Dark Lord’s killing spell and make the Dark Lord disappear.

I hope I get to be friends with Harry Potter. I bet he’ll be very popular, everyone will want to be his friend. If I’m his best friend, I’ll have it made at Hogwarts! I’ll be friends with the famous Harry Potter, everyone will look up to me. Harry Potter will teach me all of his magical secrets. Together, we’ll show everyone who’s boss!

I hope he’s in Slytherin, but I think I’d even want to be in Hufflepuff if it was the only way to be in the same house as Harry Potter. But, I can’t imagine they’d put Harry Potter in Hufflepuff. They’ll probably let him pick which house he wants to be in. I’ll have to try and meet him on the train and tell him all about Slytherin and how great it is, so he chooses Slytherin.

Going to Hogwarts is going to be great, now that I know Harry Potter will be there, too. I was kind of disappointed when I heard they let Muggles go there. But Father pointed out there are kids from good wizarding families there, too. And it will be brilliant if I’m best friends with famous Harry Potter!

Excerpt from the Diary of Draco Malfoy, September 1, 1991

Well, today turned out totally different from what I expected.

It started okay. I met Crabbe and Goyle and their parents at the train station, and we all grabbed a compartment together on the train. We were certainly among the most dignified there. Many of the older students were acting like little kids, running up and down the corridor and yelling. One of them had a tarantula in a box, and even some of the boys were screaming and shrieking when they saw it. Imagine being scared of a spider! I was just glad the boy with the spider wasn’t in my compartment. I’m not scared of spiders, but I don’t really want one near me. They have too many legs, and this one had too much hair as well.

We found Harry Potter in a compartment near the end of the train. He turned out to be one of the boys I met the day we went to Diagon Alley. That was my first mistake, not making a point to find him and invite him into my compartment before he’d had a chance to meet anyone else. I was so worried about getting a spot up front that I got there early and stayed put. I should have gotten Crabbe and Goyle to save my spot , and gone and looked for him before the train left the station. Come to think of it, if I’d have recognized him that day in Diagon Alley, I could have been sending him owls for the rest of the summer, maybe even invited him to visit at our house.

My father’s often told me about the Weasley family. They’re purebloods, like us, but the wrong sort of purebloods. They’re poor, and they make matters worse by having lots of kids. I think there are about a dozen of them, I saw one of them running after the train as it took off. They can’t even afford decent robes. I saw two of them, twins that look like they’re in their third year, in patched and faded robes that were not of very good quality when they were new. They all have flaming red hair and freckles.

It’s the worst sort of luck -- Harry Potter seems to have made friends with one of these Weasleys. When I saw the Weasley kid sitting in the same compartment with Potter, I thought it was just an accident, just a chance encounter. They can’t have known each other before today. Everyone says that Potter lived with Muggles and hasn’t had any contact with the wizarding world since his parents were killed.

I thought I’d introduce myself and invite Potter into my compartment, tell him all about Slytherin, explain what it takes to get to the top of the social ladder at Hogwarts. I offered him my hand, tried to make friends. But he wouldn’t shake my hand!

At first I thought maybe he was just shy. He didn’t talk much when I met him in Diagon Alley, either. I could sort of understand that. I mean, we’re both only first years, nearly everyone on the train is bigger than us. At least I come from a wizarding family, and Father has told me loads of things about Hogwarts. Potter must feel a bit uncomfortable since he hasn’t been with his own kind most of his life. He’s got a lot to learn. I was looking forward to teaching him, myself.

But it’s looking less and less likely that I’ll get that opportunity. Weasley laughed at my name, and then got all offended when I tried to explain to Potter how some wizarding families are more important than others. I’d expect that sort of behavior from a Weasley, his father has never been civil to Father, either. But what surprised me was that Potter stood up for him. They both were ready to take us on, me, Crabbe, and Goyle, all three of us, if we didn’t leave right then. Goyle helped himself to some candy and a rat actually bit him on the finger! The rat must be Weasley’s pet, I’m sure his family couldn’t afford an owl.

When we got off the train, it turned out that Hagrid, that awful gamekeeper who looks like he’s part giant, was in charge of bringing the first years to the castle. I don’t know why we couldn’t have gone in the horseless carriages like the rest of the students. Seeing Hogwarts Castle all lit up across the lake was quite a sight, though. It was almost worth having to rub shoulders with that kind. Almost. I’m really excited to be living in a real castle. I mean, our mansion is big, one of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen, but this castle is immense. Absolutely huge. I can’t wait to explore it.

I was sorted into Slytherin just like I expected. The Sorting Hat didn’t even have to think about it with me. I noticed it took a bit longer with some of the others. But, it put Potter in Gryffindor. I was listening to the song, it said Gryffindors are brave and chivalrous. Chivalrous! How disgusting can you get? The Weasleys probably belong there. But Potter, he might be a lost cause now he’s in Gryffindor.

It’s still very exciting to finally be at Hogwarts. But I was really looking forward to being Harry Potter’s best friend. Everyone was talking about him -- on the train, and in the Great Hall. They all wanted to see him, and the Gryffindors cheered really loudly when he got sorted into their house. They’re going to think they’re the best house now. But they’re not. I’ll show them, I’ll show Potter, I’ll show them all. Slytherin is the best house, and I’m the best student in Slytherin. Potter and Weasley and all the Mudbloods better learn that, and learn it good, if they know what’s good for them!