Hey everyone, please feel free to give any reviews after reading this chapter. Be honest, no need to tone anything down. I'm also looking for a proof reader, if anyone's interested.

As for pairings, I am conflicted. I was planning for it to be Harry/Daphne but now I don't want to leave Hermione. Let me know what you think. Also if you have any intresting ideas let me know too.

Chapter 1

He stood there watching as people ran past him, terror permanently etched on their faces. Their hands flailing around them, and their mouths wide open. He could see fire burning around him, flames burning bright, and licking everything close to it. He tried to reach for his wand, but his arms weren't obeying him. He looked up and saw the stars, but they seemed to be barely shining next to the green skull that put the entire world under a green glow. He felt trepidation rise within him as he watched the snake coil around it. He looked on as it gazed across the burning campground, its tongue flicking as if rejoicing in the fear that filled the air. Then he saw it look towards him. Scared and unable to do anything, he stared back as black slits locked on to his own. He could do nothing as it reared its head, looking to end his life. He could feel his heart in his throat, and just as the snake lunged, he looked away.

Gasping, he woke up. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest as he felt sweat trickle down his neck. He was holding on to the seat like a lifeline, his nails almost bending against them. He was about to brush his hair back when a voice startled him.

"Are you alright, Harry? "

Turning his head, he saw Hermione sitting cross-legged next to him. A thick tome resting on her lap, and a quill clutched on to her hand. She was staring at him, her eyes worried and hands twitching to reach out to him. Not for the first time, he felt affection swell within him for the bushy-haired girl next to him, he couldn't imagine coming to Hogwarts without having her next to him. Hell, he probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her. He gave her a wry smile and replied,

"Yea, it was just a nightmare."

She searched his face for a second before reaching her free for his and giving it a quick squeeze.

"Was it Voldemort?"

He was about to reply when a strangled gasp caught his attention. Looking across from where they sat, he could see Ron starting to get a little red in his face, his eyes flicking around the room as if expecting Voldemort to pop out of thin air.

"Blimey Hemione, do you really have to say his name?"

He felt his annoyance rise at that.

"It's just a name, Ron."

The red head didn't seem to care and just muttered something under his breath. Harry looked back at Hermione and she too seemed to be irked by the comment. She turned back towards him and gave him a smile and another squeeze before going back to the book she was reading, her question left unanswered. It must have been an interesting book for her to not push for some more answers, but he was thankful for it.

He looked outside of their compartment window as hills and trees flew by. He could see the sun in the distance, as it slowly hid behind the horizon, and the sky clear with no clouds to be seen. He kept his gaze outside for a moment before he felt his bladder calling to be relieved. After making sure he had his wand on him, he quickly got up and went out of the compartment. He then headed towards the back of the train where the loo was. Thankfully, there was no one there to bother him.

After having done his thing, he glanced at the mirror and made sure to cover his scar with his fringe before heading out again. He started walking back to his cabin, mulling over the new school year in his head. He was so lost in his thoughts he did not notice two people ahead of him until he was almost behind the girl with his back to him. The girl seemed to about his age, most likely in his year or the one above. She had straight blonde hair, and from where he could see, quite an amazing figure. She seemed to be consoling the little girl in front of her, a first-year by the looks of it. The smaller girl had tears tracks on her cheeks and seemed to be intently listening to the taller girl. She gave a couple of nods as they talked and after a while, she quickly hugged her consoler and scampered off. The blonde watched as the little girl went down the hallway, and after a small sigh, she turned around. Her eyes that were filled with compassion widened a little when she finally noticed him, but that lasted only a second before those violet eyes became hard, and her features became cold. Her demeanor switching from warm to arctic cold in a split second, her eyes now glaring daggers at him. Her scathing voice cut the silence that had settled in the hallway.

"What do you want Potter?"

Harry took a second before replying, his voice low and neutral.

"Nothing, I was just passing by when I saw you talking to the little girl. It's nice what you did for her, it seems the Ice queen does have a heart after all."

He saw her eyes narrow at him, and he had to make sure he didn't unintentionally take a step back from the vitriol he saw in them. She snapped her hand up, and the next thing he knew he was staring down the length of her wand. He had not remained immobile while she did this and had his own wand up and pointed at her. He quickly tried to defuse the situation before they actually got to cursing each other.

"I wasn't aggravating you, Greengrass, merely stating what the rumors have spread. Your aggression and coldness towards others outside of your two friends is well known in Hogwarts."

Her stance seemed to relax a little, and she brought down her arm. He too did the same. The blonde gave him a last glance before heading towards the back of the train. He too was about to leave when he heard her parting remark.

"I wouldn't believe everything I hear Potter. You should know that better than most." And with that, she was gone.

As he headed back, he realized the truth in her words. He had gone to Hogwarts for three years now and every year there seemed to be some kind of stupid rumor about him floating around. It never failed to irk him how people could be so fickle, believing every word they heard. He still remembered the isolation he felt at the hands of the rest of the school during his second year. Everyone seemed to believe that he was the heir of Slytherin, out to kill all muggle-borns. His best friend was a muggle-born for fuck's sake, how stupid could they be. He shook his head to clear his rouge thoughts as he reached the door to the cabin. He pulled it open, only to find Hermione there, and Ron nowhere in sight. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to Hermione. Speaking of whom, she still had not noticed him as she was so immersed in the book. Smiling at his friend's devotion to books, he went to go back to sleep.

Daphne too was lost in thought as she headed back to where Tracey and Theo were. Despite going to the same school, and having taken numerous classes together, she had never spoken a single word to Harry Potter. She too had been somewhat intrigued like the rest of the magical world when she had first heard that Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, was going to Hogwarts in the same year as her. She had wanted to see the boy who had apparently single-handedly finished off a dark lord. Suffice to say she had been severely disappointed at the first sight of him. He looked pale and skinny, his glasses big, and his hair a complete mess. He looked like he could be blown over with a gust of strong wind, let alone a dark lord. She wasn't a shallow girl and had been taught by her parents not to judge someone based on their appearance, but she couldn't help it. His unwillingness to put himself towards his studies also didn't help matters. She had simply concluded that Harry Potter was nothing exceptional.

She hadn't gotten any reason to believe otherwise, until the end of the year. Potter had earned a huge amount of points for his "great" deeds and had led his house to win the house cup. Her second and third too were filled with rumors about Harry Potter. From him being the heir of Slytherin, basilisks, chamber of secrets to the dementors, and his ability to produce a full Patronus. She didn't believe in all the rumors of course but they did tend to have at least an inch of truth behind them. He had also grown up significantly, long gone was the messy-haired rag muffin she had first laid eyes on, on the train. He was now as tall as any other boy in the year, and had filled out to look like a well built teenager. Quidditch had clearly done the boy good, and had given him muscles and strength where he had been severely lacking. His hair continued to remain messy, but now at least it looked like it was meant to be that way. Give him a couple years and he would be in every unattached witch's wet dream. Not her's of course, after all she was above such trivial things.

She put her thoughts on Potter away as she reached her cabin. She had better things to do than mull over an average wizard.

It felt like it was only a minute after which he was woken up by a hand on his shoulder. Thankfully, he had no nightmares this time. He blinked his eyes open and saw Hermione before him, dressed up and ready. He looked out and saw that it was already dark, and the train seemed to be beginning to slow down. Quickly getting up, he thanked Hermione for waking up and headed out to change into his robes. By the time he got back to the cabin, the train was already pulling in to the station. He saw Hermione waiting on him, Ron still nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Ron?"

At the boy's name, Hermione seemed to anger a little. She shrugged and replied.

"No clue. He stormed off earlier after I told him that I was not going to just let him copy my summer homework."

Harry shook his head at his friend's continued and growing disregard for anything related to studying. He knew that he too in the past had held a similar stance regarding his education, but his constant involvement in dangerous situations had made him realize his error. Although he had not made any additional efforts to study, he also had not fallen behind in his work.

"It's his own fall Mione. Come on let's head out."

He saw her smile as she heard what he had called her.

"Mione?"

He grinned back at her. "You don't like it?"

She said nothing, but the small smile on her face growing bigger spoke volumes. She took his hand and dragged him as she headed out the door, pulling him behind her.

Hermione smiled to herself as she dragged Harry behind her. She never liked people shortening her name, but she didn't mind Harry's new name for her. It made her feel proud that she was close enough to someone that it warranted a nickname. Growing up, she had never had friends, mostly due to her bossy nature, and desire to showcase her knowledge. When she had received her Hogwarts letter, hope had blossomed in her heart, that maybe having something like magic in common would help her make friends. Her hopes had been crushed when she had been unable to make any friends, and in some ways, it had been worse as purebloods would not even sit next to her because of her blood. She had almost begun to accept that she would never be able to make friends, and her interactions with the Red head slob also made it even worse. Then Halloween had happened, and despite her now being aware of Harry's hatred of the holiday, it held a special place in her heart. After all, it was the day that she had finally made a friend.

She had been sobbing her eyes out in the bathroom when a horrible stench had permeated the air. She had given it no mind, thinking it was probably Myrtle. She had been about to fix herself and leave when the door to the bathroom crashed open, and the ugliest thing she had ever laid eyes upon, entered swinging a huge club. It had taken a moment for her to register that this monstrosity before her was a mountain troll, but it hadn't taken much longer to figure out that it was looking to kill her. She had just barely avoided the troll's first swing at her, when she saw that the thing was already rearing to swing it again. She hadn't been able to do anything but stare as the troll brought it's arm down. She had known that there was no possible way she could survive that, so she simply looked on. But then it all changed when the messy raven-haired boy she had met on the train, came barreling in, his wand pointed at the troll. It was almost like the world had slowed down, as she watched Harry's wand do the familiar swish and flick. She watched amazed as the club flew from the troll's grasp right as it was about to make a pulp out of her. Thankfully she had enough control over her body to move out of the way, when the troll fell on it's face from having taken the club on it's head. She had looked up to meet Harry's eyes, and for the first time since she had arrived at Hogwarts, she saw concern in someone else's eyes, concern for her.

"Are you all right, Herm.."

That was all he had been able to say before she had her arms around him, clutching him like a lifeline. She had felt him stiffen at the contact but hadn't made any move to pull away from her, and had simply put his arms around her in a comfortable hug. It was also then that she had noticed that they were not alone. The very person who had made her come to the bathroom and cry, was standing awkwardly off to the side staring at them. She had given him no mind though, and had contented herself in taking comfort in Harry's arms. Then the professors had arrived, and they had been sent to their common room. When they had arrived at the common room, Ron had simply mumbled a half-hearted apology and gone up to his dorm. Harry on the other hand had stayed behind, and he too had apologized, but unlike Ron's apology, his had been sincere. In fact he had also apologized for not standing up for her in front of his friend and had promised not to ever let it happen again. And most importantly he wanted to be her friend.

Then her friendship with Harry had blossomed, and over the course of the year, he became her best-friend and secretly she believed him to be her only friend. Due to Harry's friendship with Ron, she was forced to tolerate the red head, but that was all she could do in regard to the boy. The boy was a complete opposite of all her beliefs, and his bias and sloppiness did not earn him any points either. If it weren't for Harry, she would have not given him a second thought.

Harry, on the other hand, became everything she wanted in a friend. He supported her when she needed it, but trusted her to hold her own. He never imposed on her, nor did he ever belittle her. His disregard for his education had annoyed her at first, as he had simply followed Ron's example and had desired to talk about Quidditch rather than study. Thankfully, she had been able to show him his errors and he had started to concentrate on his classes more. She knew he was incredibly smart, but he tended to not put himself into his work. She had just started to get an inkling that maybe he had never seen the need to put more effort.

A quick squeeze in her hands brought her out of her mind as Harry led her to one of the carriages. She reached up for Harry's hand as he got on and held out his hand for her. She then settled down beside him, never even considering sitting across.

"Wonder who's going to be the DADA professor this year?"

Harry's question was not an unusual one as she too had wondered the same question earlier on the train.

"Hopefully someone competent enough to actually teach the class. It's unfortunate that Professor Lupin had to leave."

"You know how fickle the people here are Mione, they would have never agreed to be taught by a werewolf. I'm surprised he managed to complete Hogwarts without anyone knowing that he was a werewolf."

"People probably noticed that he vanished every full moon, but probably just refused to believe that it was due to him being a werewolf. Thankfully, people simply don't want to face the truth when it is not something they thing will like. Your dad and Sirius also helped him a lot."

She had turned towards Harry to speak to him, and after her words, he seemed to be mulling over something in his head. She watched as his eyes lit up after a second, and he excitedly turned towards her.

"Wait! didn't Moony say that the rest of the marauders started learning how to become an Animagus since their fourth year.

She obviously realized where he was going with this, and she too grew excited at the thought.

"Yes! and he said they had managed complete their change by their fifth year."

Harry grinned at her at that.

"You thinking, what I'm thinking?"

She grinned right back at him.

"Are you thinking, what I'm thinking, that you're thinking?"

Harry burst out into laughter at that, his eyes shining bright. He eyed her cheekily and said, "Whatever happened to the dutiful bushy-haired witch from first hair, who would rather die than be expelled for breaking rules?"

She blushed as she remembered her bossy nature, and her tendency to follow all the rules from first year. She pretended to be upset and pinched him with her other hand as she replied, "Harry Potter happened, that's what. You've become a bad influence on me Potter, you've turned me into a delinquent like yourself."

"Ouch! Hey, I know you wouldn't want it any other way."

She had to smile at that, despite the dangerous aspect of their adventures, it also brought them closer. She quickly tried to hide her smile as she saw Harry looking at her, but as she saw his lips twitch, she knew he had already noticed it. He smiled at her and took his hand out of her grasp. She felt a twinge of disappointment at that, but that lasted only a second before Harry's arms came around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"I wouldn't want it any other way either, Mione."

She felt her heart swell at his words. She brought her free arm around his waist and decided to get comfortable for the ride.

It wasn't long before they were already at the front doors of the castle. He got off the carriage and held out his hand for Hermione. He could see Hagrid off in the distance with the first years and waved at him. As they were walking towards the great hall, he realized that Malfoy hadn't come to antagonize him this year. Maybe Malfoy learnt his lesson after all. Yeah right, and maybe Snape will declare me as his favorite student. He sniggered quietly to himself at that. He saw Hermione give him a glance but didn't say anything.

Soon they were walking down the great hall and towards their spot along the Gryffindor table. They quickly found it, and sat down. As he looked around, he noticed that there seemed be a lot of excitement in the air already this year, which was strange since the starting feast was always filled with restless tiredness. He noticed that it was mostly purebloods who were excited about something, the rest of the school seemed like they always did. Suddenly he remembered the conversation with the other Weasleys on the platform, they were being strangely vague about what was happening at Hogwarts this year.

"What do you think they're up to this year? Malfoy seems to be really excited about something."

He saw Hermione give a quick glance at the boy before answering.

"Who knows with Malfoy, maybe daddy dear finally taught him how to strut around like a peacock."

He was caught completely unaware by such an answer from his usually kind best friend and burst out in laughter. He had to take a minute to calm down before he could even say anything. He saw people around him were giving him strange glances at his outburst. He also saw Ron, who had apparently decided to sit with Seamus and Dean, giving both of them a glare. He finally managed to collect himself and looked at Hermione who seemed to be barely refraining from joining in if the twitching of her lips meant anything.

"Geez Mione, you're on roll today."

He saw her smirk at him at that.

"You know, I just feel a little feisty today. I guess being called an ugly prude really set me off."

He felt all the amusement leave at once when he heard that. His anger spiked and his hands snapped to Hermione's wrists. He just barely managed to keep his voice low when he spoke.

"Who said that?"

He saw her give a quick glance at where Ron sat down that table and looked at him in his eyes.

"You already know Harry."

He felt his neck stiffen, and his anger roared inside him. Ron's continued disregard for their mutual friend's feeling was really starting to get to him. He was aware that Ron was somewhat obtuse and ignorant, but as he had been one of his first friends, he had been able to look over those traits. But he wouldn't tolerate him throwing insults at Hermione. He was almost growling by the time he managed to get his thoughts together.

"He better not say anything in front of me when we got to bed, I won't be able to hold back. It's only the first day, and I don't want to be in trouble, but if he even utters a word against you, that's it. He better apologize too before he wants to hangout with us again, until then he is not a friends of ours."

He saw Hermione's eyes mist over and widen a little at his words. Even after three years of friendship, she still couldn't believe anybody would stand up for her. Well that was up to him to make her realize that she was someone that meant a lot to him. He watched her as she seemed to hide her reluctance as she spoke.

"Harry, you don't have to do that for me. I know that his friendship means a lot to you."

"Yes it does, but your friendship and happiness means just as much to me. In fact, your friendship means much more to me than his. He is just someone that I can relax with and talk quidditch with, but you are my best friend, the only person I trust more than myself. I'd rather be here with you than anybody else."

He saw the effect his words had on her and she quickly tried to wipe the tears that were polling at the corner of her eyes.

"Thank you Harry."

"Always Mione."

It was then that McGonagall strode into the great hall, a line of first years trailing behind her. He watched the hat sing it's song and soon the sorting began. Gryffindor claimed eight new members, and the rest went to the other houses. He saw that the little girl that he had seen getting comforted by Greengrass earlier, had gotten sorted to Gryffindor. When she was looking down the table at her new housemates, he gave her a warm smile, which she hesitantly returned. He heard his stomach growl in hunger, and barely even heard Dumbledore's words before the feast began.

It wasn't long before that the entire hall had it's fill and students were fighting not to fall asleep. He too was fighting the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him and turned this focus to the head table where saw Dumbledore get up again to speak. He also noticed that the spot that was usually reserved for DADA professor was empty.

"Now that all of us are fed and watered, I would like to give a few announcements. The forbidden forest is out of bounds for all students who do not wish for a most painful death. Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you that fanged frisbees, trick wands, and some other pranking products are strictly banned, students can view the complete list outside of Mr. Filch's office." He paused for a second and Harry could have sworn Dumbledore had winked towards the twins when he mentioned pranking. "Finally there will not be an inter-house quidditch tournament this year."

The entire hall went into an uproar at hearing this, students were standing and yelling all kinds of things. Harry too was shocked at this unexpected announcement and looked around the table at his teammates who too were making their disapproval heard very loud. They all had their eyes big and mouths wide open, the twins were yelling obscenities like a pair of sailors. This continued for a moment until, Dumbledore shot a bang into the ceiling, calling for attention once more.

"Like I said, there will be no inter-house quidditch this year, but there will be a Inter-school quidditch tournament. Hogwarts this year has the privilege of hosting the Triwizard tournament and students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be joining us in reopening this legendary tournament. Students from the three schools will also be competing in quidditch, dueling and a knowledge bowl. There will also be a champion from each school who will compete for eternal glory by going through three very rigorous magical tasks."

Students began to murmur excitedly at the prospect of competing. The Ravenclaws were looking excited at the prospect of a knowledge bowl, their egos' clearly hadn't taken enough hits after getting beaten by Hermione every year. The puffs just looked like they had already won the tournament, looking towards one of the seventh years, why they had so much faith in Diggory, he couldn't understand. The Slytherins were quiet as always, not joining in on the enthusiasm or gossip. The rest of the gryffs were cheering for the quidditch team and excitedly discussing the dueling tournament, but Harry felt conflicted about the whole thing, he had really been wishing for a normal year.

Hermione excitedly grabbed his hand, her eyes shining, excited at the prospect of competing in a knowledge bowl. He brought his arms around her and gave her a light squeeze, noticing the way Ron scowled at them again for his actions. Dumbledore continued on, as if not noticing the rising excitement.

"Your teachers will let you know of the tryout dates for the different tournaments. As for the champions, due to previous records of high death count in this tournament, only students 17 and above will be allowed to compete."

He was cut off by several students protesting this "unfairness". The twins were especially vocal in their disagreement. Dumbledore simply cleared his throat to get their attention and continued.

"As I was saying, only students 17 and above can compete, and there will be precautions in place to make sure no one under the age of 17 is able to enter."

"The other schools will arrive in about three weeks' time, by which time the teams will have been chosen and started preparation. Individual champions are not allowed to compete in the other tournaments. We expect you to make friends with students from other schools and treat them with the utmost respect when they arrive here, after all this is for the spirit of International cooperation. Finally, as you can see your defense against the dark arts professor is not here yet, but try not to worry, as he will be there to greet you in your classes when they begin. Now it's time for bed, and remember KitKats are my favorite. Pip pip off to bed students."

The students all rose and started heading towards their dormitories, excited for a new year filled with new events. Harry couldn't help but feel like the year was not going to be as easy and smooth as he was hoping. Sighing at the unfairness of his life, he too headed up to bed.