The Forgotten Potter Twin

Chapter eight: Friends on the train

Draco squinted slightly at the cards then a massive grin spread across his face.

"Harry!" he exclaimed in realisation and excitement.

Harry breathed a small, silent sigh of relief. "So you remember me? I was worried you'd forget," he left out 'like everybody else'.

"No! Of course I didn't!" he sat up more and looked a lot more comfortable. "To be honest, you were the first friend I ever had. How could I forget you, Harry Potter!"

Harry was very relieved that he was being referred to as his name and not as 'the other Potter twin', which everyone else seemed to use.

Draco had changed a bit. It was clear he was taller and his hair slightly longer, but his face still looked the same, if aged slightly.

"Mind if I join you, Drake?" he asked pointing at the seat in front of him.

"Go ahead!" Draco grinned. "It's great to see you again. Maybe this is a good omen for what's to come!"

Harry grinned back and sat down close to the window, he was facing the direction they would be going.

"I nearly didn't end up here. I nearly ended up at Durmstrang," Draco commented, he seemed very excited.

"Durmstrang?"

"Yeah, the one in Russia."

"Yeah, my cousin goes to that school. He says it's so exciting, full of exciting dark arts and wizards and witches of lots of nationalities."

"Yeah, I heard that to. Father wanted me to go because they do not accept muggle-borns. Or, as he calls them, 'mudbloods'," Draco seemed a little nervous when discussing his father.

Harry guessed Draco's relationship with his father hadn't improved much since the last time they talked, so he decided to try and avoid that conversation. At least for the first day.

"Well, according to my cousin, Romeo, not everyone there discriminates against muggle-borns."

"Your cousin? Is that where you vanished to? I went back to the house but never saw you again. Did you go and live with an aunt or uncle or something?"

"Not exactly."

Harry told Draco the story, starting from crying in his room about desperately wanting to be loved. Then finding himself miles away in Diagon Alley before being found by Allyssa Rose, the woman he now called mum.

"Wow. So you just found yourself in Diagon Alley? You didn't cast a spell or anything? You just found yourself there?"

"Yeah. I don't know how I got there, but I did. Strange isn't it?"

"Very weird. But it was a very good thing wasn't it?" he asked, as if he was really hoping he was right.

"Oh yes! Mum has been fantastic! I have a life, Dray, I know who I am and I'm happy! Which is a lot better than I had been a long time ago. Plus I have an owl now." answered Harry with passion.

"Like a happily ever after!" Draco grinned.

Suddenly the compartment door opened, standing outside the door was two boys and a girl. One of the boys cleared his throat and said

"Who's your friend, Draco?"

"Come in you three," Draco smiled in welcome, waving them inside.

They all entered quickly and closed the door behind them. One of the boys sat next to Harry and the other two sat next to Draco.

"Harry this is Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and Theodore Nott or, as we call him, Theo. Blaise, Pansy, Theo, this is Harry Potter, my best friend," Draco informed everyone.