Chapter 2
Harry stops for a moment to fix a naive but excited expression on his face, before he enters Platform 9 3/4.
(“Smile, Harry! You can get anywhere you want as long as you give the world what they want to see” Gilderoy told him with his usual, teeth blinking PR smile. “Great way to get out of trouble, too!” Sirius had added, while Remus nodded wisely.)
He ogles the train with a perfectly measured amount of awe on his face - not that he isn’t actually impressed or anything, the Express is quite a sight. Gilderoy’s hand on his shoulder is the only warning he gets before people start noticing their entrance. But that is all their small family needs, really. Harry turns to the crowd as if surprised and a little intimidated by all the attention while Gilderoy and Sirius each take a half-step in front of him. One with a flamboyant swish of teal silk robes, the other like an overprotective dog. Measured out to be the perfect balance of worried guardian, vigilant war-hero and darkly attractive. As Gilderoy says, people love a bad boy persona. Remus meanwhile puts on his friendly but distant customer service smile and strikes up a conversation with a few uninvolved bystanders, all while unobtrusively moving Harry’s luggage closer to the train. He has always been more comfortable playing support while the three of them run the show so to speak.
There used to be a time, so long ago that Harry can barely remember it, when Sirius and Remus argued with Gilderoy about his ‘constant need for attention’ and ‘fame-grubbing’, but they eventually saw the light. Gilderoy’s words. There was nothing to be done about the fame Harry got for supposedly defeating the worst dark wizard of their time when he was a baby. He was always going to be in the focus of so many people. And of course it isn’t right to treat a child that way, for a boy his age to mold his life around how to properly manage fame. But it is also the only thing they can do. If Harry can control his image, he can control what exactly the people know about him. He can steer them away from his actual private life by feeding them a fake one. And, as Gilderoy says, they do not care if it’s real. As long as they believe in it, it becomes the truth.
It didn’t take Sirius very long to master the art of publicity, once he got over his stubbornness and accepted Gilderoy’s wisdom. He had always been a charmer, and wearing a mask wasn’t new territory for him either. He had built his persona with a sort of manic enthusiasm that not even Gilderoy could match. Currently he was known to the public eye as a free spirit, a lonely rebel cast out by his cruel family, a delinquent with a heart of gold. He was also trying to get acknowledged as the ‘true Lord Black’ as a bit of a social experiment, which was working a bit too well, much to the ire of Walburga. Harry has a standing bet with Remus about how Sirius will react when he eventually ends up with the title and all its responsibilities.
Gilderoy and Sirius handle the masses with ease, allowing Harry to slip away to the empty compartment Remus picked for him after only a few handshakes and well-wishes. All things considered, it’s a rather quick getaway. Quicker than usual at least.
The compartment doesn’t stay empty for long. Soon enough the sliding door is thrown open and a blond boy, flanked by to larger ones, struts in. It’s quite a good display of confidence and dominance, Harry muses. Not the kind of persona he himself would use, but well done nonetheless.
“Hello. I am Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And you are?” The boy tosses his head back and studies Harry, like he hasn’t yet decided on whether to talk down his nose or not. Smart. Even though he is clearly used to being the most high-ranked person among his peers, he clearly doesn’t assume that to still be the case at Hogwarts. At least not yet.
“Nice to meet you Malfoy. I’m Harry Potter.” Harry flashes his teeth in a bright, charismatic smile and offers his hand to shake.
Draco blinks, taken aback for a moment. “Potter?”
“Don’t you read the newspaper?” Harry smiles teasingly. Draco’s cheeks darken and his shoulders tense. He opens his mouth to give a no doubt defensive retort, but Harry interrupts him with a laugh. “Don’t worry about it – I avoid the papers as much as possible myself. Especially the Prophet. It’s either boring or complete speculation.”
“True.” Draco huffs and finally shakes Harry’s hand. “Mind if we sit down, then? That’s Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle by the way.”
“Not at all.” Harry waves his hand indicating all the empty seats. “You looking forward to Hogwarts?”
“Of course. I will be in Slytherin House, and so will Vince and Greg. What about you – you expect to follow your parents?” Draco says with a light sneer on his lips.
Harry sends him a carefree smile in response. “Oh, I don’t know. My guardians were in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor but I don’t really see myself as overly wise or brave. I will let the Hat decide for me.”
“You think Gilderoy Lockhart is wise?” Draco looks incredulous. Understandable, considering all he knows about him are his media-appearances and his (fake) autobiographic books.
“Gilderoy is the wisest person I ever met and that includes Dumbledore.”
Draco just stares. “You would know best I suppose. Anyways, personally I look forward to Potions the most. Severus – Professor Snape, that is – is my godfather, you know? Father says he is the best teacher at the school.”
“Oh yes, Potions sound really interesting! So does Transfiguration and Charms will be very useful…chosing a favorite is going to be impossible.” Harry sighs dramatically.
Draco rolls his eyes at him and begins a thorough lecture on why exactly Potions is objectively the best subject. It’s very entertaining, considering that none of them know what the classes are actually going to be like. Harry likes Draco. He likes the quiet presence of Vince and Greg too. Maybe they’ll one day be close enough friends to learn his real opinions and not just the entirely too smooth and agreeable front he puts on. Because like Gilderoy said: “Loving or hating something will just offer a target for them to attack you, Harry. Indifference to everything is a tad unrealistic and worse, it makes you entirely unapproachable. But if you like everything just a bit, with some variation here and there, no one can say or do anything about it.”
Harry knew the Hat was going to declare him a Slytherin long before he even boarded the train. There really was no other house he could possibly go to – not with how easily he manipulated anything and everyone in whatever way he needed. Gilderoy’s lessons on managing his fame were so useful in all kinds of situations.
The rest of the school seemed quite shocked though. Draco, who was already sitting at the Slytherin table looked like he was reevaluating every single interaction they had on the train. Judging from how he talked then, he probably assumed Harry would be a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.
He hands the Hat back to McGonnagal with a cheeky smile and a quiet “Thank You”, before he turns to the crowd. There he pauses for a short moment, as if caught off guard by the stares. Then he smiles a perfect mix of awkward and friendly, before he goes to sit next to Draco. The boy gives him a narrow-eyed look but decides against saying anything.
When the Sorting is over Harry takes the time to look over his classmates. Two boys sit directly in front of him. One has curly brown hair hanging over his ears and the other, with shoulder-length deep black cornrows, has his eyes fixed on Harry.
“What do we have here? The savior in the snake-pit?” He asks in a teasing tone.
Harry takes an exaggerated look over the table and the students surrounding him. “Huh. It sure looks like it.”
The dark-haired boy laughs. “My name is Blaise Zabini. I’m looking forward to sharing a dorm with you, Potter.”
“Theodore Nott.” The brown-haired bow next to Blaise says shortly.
“Likewise. But please – call me Harry.”
“Blaise then. And the grump here goes by Theo.” Blaise winks. “You met Draco already?”
“Of course he did. We sat together on the train.” Draco sniffs haughtily.
“Oh, so you know his entire life-story already. Good – that means I won’t have to hear it all again. Tonight at least.”
Draco’s mouth drops open in pure outrage while both Harry and Blaise burst into laughter. Even Theo chuckles a little.
“But enough about Draco – tell me about yourself, Harry!”
In the end they are so busy getting to know each other they almost entirely miss Dumbledore’s strange warnings. Not much of a loss, Harry decides. He has no intention of being seen in random places without always having a very good and very obvious reason. This, of course, does not mean he won’t explore to his hearts content once he has his father’s cloak back.