On September first a young boy clad in a black cloak entered platform Nine and Three-Quarters. As he strode towards the large steam train his presence began to garner attention.
"Who is that?"
"How should I know, looks small though, maybe a first year?"
"No way, no first year walks like that ."
"What's with his robes?"
"I've never seen clothing that dark before. It is like a new color."
"I wonder where he buys them from."
"Must be a Pureblood, only we can afford such high quality fabrics and shades."
"I wonder if he knows he can't have the owl on the train like that."
"Where are the rest of his things?"
"How should I know?"
"He has the most beautiful eyes…"
And so on until the boy finally reached the train itself, as he did so an older student called out to him. "Excuse me, you can't have your owl out like that."
Sure enough the snow-white owl was perched on the boy's shoulder, perfectly calm despite the other people and animals cluttering the platform.
"Hey, you there! Your owl has to be in a cage, it can't…"
The boy promptly ignored the older boy and stepped onto the train.
...
Two minutes.
It had taken all of two minutes for Harry Potter to become thoroughly annoyed with the Wizarding World. Who would have thought that they would be just a slightly different form of stupidity than the non- magical world.
They, at least he, wielded near limitless potential and yet they insisted on all wearing the same stupid outfits, carrying the same supplies, with the same animals, all locked in cages. Even worse were the scattered conversations he had already caught.
Apparently gossip was just as annoyingly important as it was at the orphanage. He was infinitely glad that he had remembered to hide his scar beneath his hair prior to arriving or he would have probably left by now.
...
"Excuse me."
The boy currently occupying Draco's reserved carriage glanced up, and his brilliant eyes stopped the blonde's heart for a second.
"Yes?"
"Y-you are…" Shaking free of the slight fascination that gripped him the Malfoy heir straightened his back and rose up to his maximum height, a trick his father had showed him before arriving that could be used as a sign of royalty and power. "You are in our carriage." Draco finished, gesturing back to the other future Slytherins that stood behind him.
The boy just looked a bit confused, ah definitely not a Pureblood then.
"I don't recall seeing your name on the door…"
"I don't recall asking if you did. Now leave ."
For a second, the faintest of seconds, Draco swore he saw something in that boy's eyes. A fire that spoke of power untold, of cruelty immeasurable that could, and would, be inflicted with the slightest of efforts.
But it was gone before the Pureblood could figure out what it was.
"Well I suppose…"
"Great, now get out you dirty Half-blood, or is it Mudblood?" Pansy sneered from behind.
The boy just stared back, and even Crabbe and Goyle shuffled back a step or two in discomfort. Before anything could escalate further a soft hoot from the window broke the silence, and for the first time Draco noticed a white owl sitting on the windowsill, gazing softly at the boy.
Letting out a sigh, and raising his hands in defeat, the boy replied back, "I can't say that I know what either of those terms mean… but if you are so insistent upon this carriage then I shall find a different one to sit in."
With that he departed.
Ten minutes later Draco would realize that the boy hadn't taken any luggage with him.
...
"I know, I know… I promised I wouldn't kill anyone the first day." the green-eyed boy scowled as he made his way further back onto the train.
A gentle hoot from his shoulder informed him that his companion was at least apologetic about restraining his retaliation, even if the intruders had certainly earned it. Another minute of walking and Harry had located another, nearly empty, cabin. Well it did have a few occupants but…
"Looking for a place to sit?"
The emerald-eyed boy shrugged
"Well come on in, we won't bite… okay maybe Ronnikins will when he is hungry but…"
The twins laughed, and the younger boy, who Harry could only assume was the target of their taunts, turned bright red in anger. As he took the offered seat a rather loud 'pop' went off, covering him, and his owl, in a cloud of colored ink and staining them both.
'Perhaps having him promise not to murder anyone was a mistake' Hedwig pondered, as she contemplated pecking out the eyes of the two older boys, who were falling over each other laughing at their 'prank'.
Harry merely blinked in confusion for a moment or two, before sighing and began wiping the color from his face, unfortunately this also allowed his scar to be revealed, and thus earned gaping from the youngest of the redheads.
"Y-y-your Harry Potter! Blimey mate why didn't you say so!?"
"You didn't ask my name" the raven-haired boy pointed out, as he continued to clean off his face.
"Your famous! What was it like?"
"What?"
"You know, defeating the Dark Lord!"
"What Dark Lord?"
"The one who murdered your parents!"
"A Dark Lord murdered my parents?"
"Of course!" now Ron was showing signs of anger and annoyance, was the celebrity being daft on purpose?
"News to me, I never knew what happened to them."
"B-b-but your Harry Potter!"
"I am well aware"
"You must be super rich and powerful!"
"Certainly not rich, no idea about powerful." okay that was a half lie. Technically Harry knew he was powerful but until he had a standard to judge by he wasn't quite sure how powerful.
"Oh come on mate! I bet you are gonna rule at Hogwarts! We should be best buds, I can show you…"
At this point Harry stood and left the carriage, ignoring the confused looks of the three redheads.