The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was nice but not much happened. They introduced Harry to Chocolate Frogs and Wizard Cards. No one visited them although they saw several people moving up and down the passageway.
Once they arrived in Hogsmeade, the older students went one direction while the First years were called over to a giant man. Ron guessed from Fred and George's stories that this was Hagrid. Hagrid led them to the Black Lake where a bunch of small boats were waiting.
It was during the walk to the lake that the whispering started. Some people had seen Harry's scar and guessing if it was really him. Ron looked over at the silent boy. He must have heard them also but he ignored them.
When they reached the boats Hagrid seated them four to a boat. Ron joined Harry and Tony. A fourth boy named Neville joined them with a toad grasped tightly in his hands. The girls were in the boat in front of them joined by a girl with long, auburn hair.
Hagrid delivered the First years to Professor McGonagall. He had definitely heard of her. For the last two years it didn't seem a week went by that Mum hadn't received an owl from the Gryffindor Head of House reporting on something the twins had done. Ron had caught the brunt of Molly Weasley's rants on their behaviour as the only Weasley son there. It left an impression on him.
The stern professor welcomed them to Hogwarts and then told them to wait until she returned. It was as they waited that the trouble started.
A boy with almost white blond hair strutted up to Harry. Just watching the boy walk made Ron want to hex him.
"They are saying you are Harry Potter."
"Are they?" Harry responded. "That's good to know."
The boy scowled briefly. "Are you?"
Harry shrugged. The other boy took is as confirmation though. He put out his hand.
"I'm Draco Malfoy. I can help you settle into our world. You don't want to make the mistake of taking up with the wrong sort now do you." The boy glanced at Ron with a sneer as he added the last part. Now Ron really wanted to smack him. Plus he had heard plenty about the Malfoy family from his dad.
To Ron's disbelief, Harry reached out to shake blonde ponce's hand!
"Nice to meet you Draco." Harry gave the boy's hand a firm shake but didn't let go.
"Wasn't your father forced to serve Voldemort by that mind curse? Thank goodness what happened to Voldemort was able to free his mind. Imagine being stuck under a curse that you weren't strong enough to fight! That would be horrible!"
Ron was confused. Harry seemed sympathetic but Malfoy seemed to be getting paler and seemed to be wincing a bit.
Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway and ordered them to line up. When Ron looked back, Harry had release Malfoy's hand. The Boy-Who-Lived said, "I am sure we can get together sometime soon and you can tell me all about who the right sort are. Good luck with your Sorting!" The blonde ponce disappeared without a word.
"Harry, be careful of him," Ron whispered earnestly. "The Malfoys are as Dark as they come. Every one of them have been in Slytherin!"
Ron felt someone smack his arm. He turned in surprise to see Daphne standing there. "Whadja do that for?" he demanded.
"My family has all been in Slytherin too! Including my father, you git!" The girl them stormed off in the direction the professor had gone.
Ron just stood in shock. Coach Steven was a slimy Slytherin?
....
Two months into school and Ron felt like his world was upside down. And it had started off so well.
The ride on the Express was brilliant; everything he had been told it would be. He was accepted into a compartment with a bunch of other new students. It was very different to be around a lot of people he wasn't related to. He was the only red-head in the compartment. Also during that ride, Ron met his first celebrity (Harry), his first Jew (Tony) and his first Indians (the Patil sisters). And then he met someone as excited about the Cannons as he was.
Like most eleven year-old boys, Ron still thought of girls as incomprehensible alien creatures that he really didn't want anything much to do with. But here was someone that knew as much about the Cannons' history as Ron did himself with the added bonus of inside information through her father. When Ron started in on his analysis of the Cannons Daphne was right there with him agreeing on some points while arguing back when she thought he was off base. Ron had never been so excited and happy in his life.
That was when it all came crashing down on him. First he saw Harry Potter shake Draco Malfoy's hand of all people. Then Daphne told him that her entire family including her father had been in Slytherin! Ten minutes later he watched her go to the Snake House.
He thought things were turning around when he was put into Gryffindor along with Harry and one of the Patil sisters. The pushy know-it-all from the Express, Granger, was there too but he just ignored her. His three older brothers had stood to welcome him to Gryffindor. It was fantastic.
Then classes started.
.....
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