novelraw Chapter 4: Draco's First Meeting with Potter
Chapter 4: Draco's First Meeting with Potter
Chapter Four: Draco's First Meeting with Potter
When the Malfoys emerged from the snow-white building that towered above the surrounding shops, the street was bathed in even brighter sunlight.
The goblin guards, dressed in scarlet and gold-trimmed uniforms, bowed to them and saw off Gringotts' VIP clients.
In Diagon Alley, the number of wizards coming and going had gradually increased, moving in an endless stream along the narrow cobblestone street.
With the start of term just around the corner, almost all young wizards in Britain were coming here to buy school supplies, making it difficult to walk while keeping your distance—you risked bumping into someone wherever you went.
The Malfoys didn't enjoy this level of excitement. They stood on the steps of Gringotts, none of them wanting to step into the bustling crowd immediately.
"These people have made Diagon Alley as crowded as a pigsty," Lucius said impatiently, squinting.
"We'll split up—that will be faster," Narcissa decided quickly.
"I'll go to Flourish and Blotts to buy books," Lucius said decisively, toying with his snake-headed cane.
"Isn't it ladies first? Don't I have a choice?" Narcissa glanced at her husband with haughty blue eyes, her tone slightly defiant.
"A proper gentleman wouldn't let his wife walk around carrying a stack of thick books. Cissy, why don't you go to Ollivanders and look at Draco's wand? Or see if they have any new witch's robes?" Lucius looked at Narcissa, a hint of tenderness flickering in his arrogant gray eyes.
"Lucius, I'm buying things for Draco today." Narcissa playfully pinched Lucius's arm. "I'm going to Ollivanders to get him the best wand. Draco, why don't you go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and order your school robes first, then come meet me?"
"I have no objection," Draco said calmly.
Why hadn't he noticed these details in his past life—their ubiquitous little gestures?
In this life, when he paid close attention, he discovered that his parents had been showing affection in front of him all along.
In his previous life, Draco Malfoy had been a blind, foolish son who lived in his own world.
Before long, Draco was standing on a footstool in Madam Malkin's shop, patiently having a young witch measure him with pins.
His attention wasn't on the robes. Through the shop window, he could vaguely see Potter and the gamekeeper named Hagrid walking toward the store.
There was no mistaking the hulking, elephant-like gamekeeper. His fierce, wild face and beetle-like eyes made him hard to miss in a crowd.
Before Potter arrived, Draco abandoned his usual arrogance and asked Madam Malkin gently, "Madam, may I ask if you sell Invisibility Cloaks here?"
"Child, why are you asking this? This isn't a question a little boy should ask..." Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed in mauve who greeted guests warmly.
But if you thought she was easy to manipulate, you were naive. Draco knew the seemingly gentle Madam Malkin was shrewd and discreet—she wouldn't easily sell such high-end, expensive magical fabric to a young boy just starting school.
She now looked at Draco with suspicion simply because he'd made such an inappropriate request for his age.
But a true Malfoy always knew how to use charm and cunning to achieve his goals.
"I'm asking on behalf of my mother. You know, she's busy buying other things for me and doesn't have time to come over." He gave an innocent smile, putting on an air of seriousness.
Madam Malkin believed his story. She smiled genuinely and said, "In that case, my dear boy, I'll give you my business card and catalog. Mrs. Malfoy can order anytime via owl post, just with her signature. We have the means to provide the finest magical clothing for wizarding families."
When Potter pushed open the door, the business cards and catalog were already tucked quietly in Draco's dragonhide pouch. This kind of Undetectable Extension Charm pouch was only palm-sized on the outside but had dozens of square meters of internal space. It was weightless to carry and very popular among wizards.
The Invisibility Cloak was something wizards coveted even more—neither cheap nor common. Draco remembered that in his first year, he'd caused Slytherin to lose fifty points because he'd been out of bed at night.
With this, doing something secretly at Hogwarts would be much more discreet. Draco vaguely remembered that Potter had an Invisibility Cloak, and he'd bet his hair Potter used it quite often.
While Draco was lost in thought, Madam Malkin had already positioned Harry Potter on another footstool beside him and begun taking his measurements.
Draco was determined to appear as amiable as possible. He wanted to ally with Potter, and he couldn't afford to mess things up again.
"Hello, are you going to Hogwarts too?" Draco asked tentatively.
"Yes," Potter said. He looked a little uneasy.
At this point, Potter was probably completely unaware of the wizarding world. It was said that before coming to Hogwarts, he'd lived with a Muggle family. That life... Draco subtly glanced at Harry's clothes and shoes beneath his robes... It seemed his Muggle family hadn't treated him well.
For a moment, Draco was at a loss for words to start a conversation. At a time like this, talking about anything would seem false.
When discussing parents, Potter was an orphan. When discussing family background, although the Potters were wealthy, it was clear the money had never actually reached Potter's pocket. When discussing pure-blood versus half-blood, Draco would swear on all the Galleons in his pocket that Potter would feel disgusted with him again, just as he remembered.
Let's talk about something Potter likes—Quidditch?
But had Potter ever touched a broomstick?
Even the most interesting topic could be a burden for someone excessively ignorant.
"Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?" After thinking, Draco could only pick a common, boring topic.
"I don't know." Potter seemed even more uneasy.
Clearly, Potter had no concept of "Sorting."
Draco suddenly felt a strange sense of sympathy for him.
Was it really okay to enroll at Hogwarts with no preparation?
What exactly had he gone through all these years?
Hadn't those irresponsible Muggle relatives told him anything?
Look at him—he looked like a lamb waiting for slaughter.
With a slight sigh, Draco tried to put on a friendly rather than mocking smile. He carefully added understanding to his tone. "Don't be nervous. I can tell you're not very familiar with Hogwarts. If you don't mind, I can tell you about it."
The dark-haired boy looked at him curiously and nodded.
"Hogwarts has four houses: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. These correspond to their respective founders." Draco glanced at him, noticing a look of sudden understanding.
"The four houses value different qualities. For example, Slytherin prefers students with ambition and cunning, while Gryffindor prefers students with courage and daring—" Draco noticed Potter remained silent but looked serious, as if memorizing these points.
How pitiful! These were things all young wizards knew, yet Potter treated them like treasures.
What had Dumbledore been doing all these years?
His beloved "Savior" was living like this, and he didn't even think to help?
Draco complained internally but continued dutifully. "Ravenclaw values wit and learning, while Hufflepuff prefers loyalty and hard work." Potter nodded.
"In mainstream opinion, most people want to go to Gryffindor. The current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, also came from Gryffindor." Draco observed Potter's thoughtful expression and guessed he must yearn for Gryffindor.
"Do you want to get into Gryffindor?" Potter suddenly asked.
"No," Draco said bluntly. "I'll probably go to Slytherin. My parents were both Slytherins."
Draco never considered attending any other house, not even after being reborn.
He was a true Slytherin through and through, and he never thought there was anything wrong with the house.
He said casually, "Some people think everyone who goes to Slytherin becomes a Dark wizard. Because the Dark Lord was also from Slytherin..."
As Draco expected, Potter finally looked at him properly.
"Vol—Voldemort also attended Hogwarts?" Potter's expression showed unease.
"Yes," Draco replied casually, though his words carried deeper meaning. "Hogwarts has been around for a thousand years, and it's only produced one person like him. Slytherin has also produced many excellent wizards over the centuries. Not all Slytherin students will become the Dark Lord. To use the Dark Lord's mistake to negate an entire house's achievements is a bit of an overgeneralization, isn't it?"
Potter didn't say anything more but nodded silently.
Draco concluded, "In short, I think it's not advisable to label someone based solely on superficial appearances before you truly understand them."
Potter, deep in thought, glanced at him, seemingly moved.
Draco smiled slightly, turned and gestured with his chin toward Hagrid holding two ice creams outside the shop window. "Like that fellow outside—ordinary people would be scared of such a big man and think he must be dangerous."
He noticed Potter's unconvinced expression, then changed tack. "But I don't think that's necessarily true. I'll bet you a Chocolate Frog he's actually quite nice to his friends."
"Of course." Potter seemed pleased, and he finally opened up. "I know him—he works at Hogwarts."
"The gamekeeper, right?" Draco said casually.
"You know him too?" Potter asked.
"He seems to have a way with magical creatures. Maybe one day we can learn something from him." Draco suddenly remembered that damned Hippogriff from third year.
He curled his lip, automatically ignoring the fact that he'd provoked the beast first.
And there were also those endless Blast-Ended Skrewts and Flobberworms.
Merlin... what could students possibly learn from Rubeus Hagrid? Useless trivia about Skrewts?
Potter didn't pick up on the subtle sarcasm. He took the initiative. "Oh, he's a good man—came with me to buy things."
"You'll make lots more friends at Hogwarts," Draco said.
He wisely refrained from asking why Harry's parents weren't accompanying him.
Potter was silent for a moment. He glanced at Draco, then asked cautiously, "What's a Chocolate Frog?"
"Merlin, he doesn't even know this?" Draco sighed internally.
"A kind of wizarding sweet. Frog-shaped chocolates, and you can collect the Famous Witches and Wizards cards inside..." Draco explained enthusiastically.
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered his past life, when he'd taken the initiative to befriend Potter on the Hogwarts Express, only to be rebuffed.
Potter must have really liked them, right? There'd been a huge pile of Chocolate Frogs on the table.
Goyle, that oaf, took Potter's Chocolate Frog without asking and got punched by Weasley's pet rat.
Actually, it was quite degrading—taking things without asking.
However, Draco had been too angry at that moment to stop Goyle.
At that time, he'd reached out his hand to Potter, but Potter refused, saying coldly, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."
That remark had really hurt his pride.
Thinking of this, Draco maintained a reserved smile, though a tightness in his chest ached.
"All done, dear," said Madam Malkin.
Let's end on a high note while the atmosphere was still pleasant. Draco lightly jumped off the footstool.
"Then we'll meet at Hogwarts. I am Draco Malfoy, and you are..." Though his heart pounded with trepidation, his face wore an expression of unwavering confidence as he extended his hand to Potter.
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Potter quickly extended his hand and shook Draco's.
"Well, nice to meet you, Harry Potter." Draco smiled faintly on his pale face and strolled out of Madam Malkin's shop.
It's going fairly smoothly, isn't it? He breathed a sigh of relief the moment the shop door closed behind him.
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Side Story One: My First Friend (Harry's Perspective)
During his eleven years in the Muggle world, Harry was often teased by his peers for his baggy clothes and glasses held together with tape.
Before his classmates even had a chance to understand what kind of person he was, they were scared away by his shabby appearance and the threats posed by Dudley and his gang. For example, when they divided into teams for PE in primary school, he was always the last one chosen.
The neighbors also thought he was abnormal—thanks to years of rumors spread by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
Draco was the first person to tell him, "You can't judge a book by its cover."
"It's not advisable to label someone based solely on superficial appearances before you truly understand them." Harry felt warmth in his heart when the platinum-haired boy said those words.
He could sense that Draco was different from him.
His attire, his tone of voice, and the elegance and refinement he exuded made Harry realize, in a daze, that they were from two different worlds.
His demeanor exuded the confidence characteristic of children from wealthy families.
He seemed to have never been mistreated by the world. This made Harry feel somewhat ashamed.
Draco extended a friendly gesture and even shook his hand. He was somewhat arrogant and self-important, but Harry didn't find him annoying when he spoke—in fact, he thought there was some truth to his words.
He'd even noticed Harry's embarrassment and explained a bit about the Hogwarts Sorting. This was new knowledge for Harry, and the boy wasn't impatient—Harry was rather grateful.
Moreover, when Draco heard his name, he showed neither the disgust of a Muggle child nor the astonishment of a wizarding child. Instead, he remained remarkably calm.
This was a kind of peace, tranquility, and equality Harry had never experienced before.
Hagrid was Harry's first friend in the wizarding world. But when it came to friends his own age, Draco was probably the first.
Even if he wanted to go to Slytherin, he was different from Voldemort, who came from Slytherin, wasn't he?