The phone rang three times before Lupin managed to make his way over and answer. Harry stood idly at a window, peering outside into the bright lights of the parking lot. When Remus answered his voice was unsteady, "Harry?" He asked, as if the name didn't blink on his screen.

"The one and only." Harry responded, leaning his head against the mildly cold glass. "I figured you'd like to hear about the first day of living here." He said, but it sounded more like a hope than an obvious statement.

"If you feel comfortable—"

"When do I not feel comfortable speaking?" Harry joked, but a lump began to form in his throat down near his vocal chords. "I met a boy named Ron. There's this beautiful girl who's his sister and—"

"Harry," Lupin warned, "Now isn't the time to get involved with girls."

"Hello? Hello? My connection's bad. Hello?" Then Harry hung up, sighing with a painful rush of air. He feared that if he continued to be treated like glass he might actually become as invisible and transparent. Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he turned to see a blonde boy listening and watching him idly.

"You're a bad liar. You're ass is as fine as whatever girl you were speaking of." The boy bit on the end of a pen, twirling it slightly, "You have got to be one of mine."

"One of? So you're just a creep all of the time." Harry retorted, eying the boy with immediate distaste. Admittedly, the boy was angelic with sharp features and he sat yet his confidence made him seem like he was floating.

The boy's eyes narrowed, he looked a bit offended. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, and I don't particularly care to learn." Harry snapped, his eyes looking serpent green in the sunlight that shone through the nearby window. Harry took a step back, eying the situation objectively but decided against backing down.

The angelic adolescent slammed his textbook shut and flicked his pencil across the room, striding towards Harry. Harry didn't realize when he was sitting how much of a height difference there was between the two, but he stood his ground. "I'm Draco Malfoy. I'll let this mishap slide because you're new," His teeth gritted, "But learn to respect your superiors, boy."

"Nah, but im Harry Potter. You can learn to respect that."

"Why would I? That means nothing to—" Draco suddenly remembered his father speaking to his mother about how their old high school enemy, James Potter, passed away suddenly. A bit of guilt dwindled, but Draco quickly suppressed it. "T-to me."

"It will." Harry spoke confidently, turning on foot and speeding away from the arrogant boy.

Draco stood in shock for a moment. He remembered he'd seen the Potters before and was incredibly jealous of their intimacy. It was outside an ice cream parlor and his father pointed them out as monsters, but Draco only saw joy within them. But he no longer envied the boy because it's worse to never have something than to have it pulled from you. Plus, the boy's confidence only pissed Draco off. He wasn't the same joyful boy that laughed at his father's jokes outside the ice cream shop.

***

Harry didn't bring up his altercation with Ron, but instead pretended his world was perfect for a few moments. They laughed in Fred and George's dorm room over the twins making their friends sick with their food concoctions. Ginny sat in the corner with her beaux, but looked at Harry with a daring and curious gaze. Her blue eyes seemed to go right through him. My, was she beautiful. In Harry's eyes, she was the epitome of beauty and her fierceness intrigued him. She would challenge Fred and George, betting they couldn't mix solutions that would make someone instantly puke. Ron and Harry Gad an instant bond over their sarcasm, and he apparently was oblivious to a girl who was madly in love with him. She sat across the room, somewhere near Ginny, judging the fiasco but staying so she could peer at Ron.

"Harry." A soft voice spoke and Harry knew immediately it was time for rest because when he became weary he would hallucinate his mother's comforting voice.

"I need to go to bed, Ron."

"Adios." Ron respondes, saluting his new friend.

Harry crept up the staircase near the end of the hallway and stumbled to his room, which conveniently was near the staircase. When he walked in he saw his suitcase stuffed under his bed and and abundance of green. Many posters and banners repeated "Slytherin" which puzzled Harry. Harry crawled into bed, easily brushing off his new surroundings. "My beautiful son." The soft voice whispered and Harry swore he could feel his mother touch on his face, attempting to rub away a tear that streaked down Harry's smooth cheek.

"Mum." Harry whispered back, swallowing hard.

"Who are you talking to." A snide voice spoke, Harry quickly rose to see Draco standing firmly at the door. Harry rubbed away the tear, attempting to look tough. "Are you crying?"

"Never." Harry respondes, "I've got nothing to cry about." Harry assures, his eyes focusing on Draco's movements as he made his way to his own bed. Harry's guard was up now, stronger than ever. He didn't trust Draco. The creep had trouble written on his forehead, practically.

The boys slept on opposite sides of the room and stared in opposite directions, but neither could fall asleep. Every time Harry's eyes fluttered shut he would see his father and mother, happily in love. His dad would always look at his mum like she was as amazing as diamonds and as priceless as the world. "Harry." A deeper voice whispered.

"Get out of my head." Harry screamed, stuffing the pillow over his face.

"You may be hot, but you're crazy." Draco said, looking at Harry and shaking his head slightly. "Cry to your mum, not here." For a second Draco assumed it was a nice burn because Harry went silent, but then Draco recognized that Harry couldn't, in fact, cry to his mother. She was no longer here. Now he was stuck because apologies show weakness but bringing a person's dead parents into an insult is way too far. While he contemplated, he didn't recognize that Harry had gotten out of bed and headed towards the door. Draco watched helplessly, and heard the slam of the door as Harry exited.

"Cry to your mum. Cry to your mum. I've got no mum to cry to. I've got no dad. I've got no family." Harry grumbled, heading through the hall to Ron's room. He opened the door and witnessed a sight he'd partially expected but also couldn't imagine. The girl that judged the Weasley twins was laying in bed next to Ron.

Ron saw Harry, gave a thumbs up and motioned for him to come in. The girl's head and messy hair lied comfortably on Ron's chest, with Ron holding her protectively. "Hey, Harry, I just scored." Ron smiled and silently congratulated himself.

"Great." Harry respondes dryly.

"Someone's cranky. Blimey, you look like hell." Ron said.

"I feel like it too. I miss my patents." Harry said with remorse, looking at the floor near Ron's small cot. "And my roommates Draco Malfoy."

Ron lurched up, launching Hermione off his chest who awoke with a sudden gasp. She looked angrily at Ron, then blushed at Harry's presence. "No!" Ron answered, as if that'd reverse Dumbledore's choice. "But he's a Slytherin. You can't put Slytherins and Gryffindors together. That-that's not how this school works." Ron was fuming, his face becoming as red as his hair and in a cartoon smoke would be leaving his ears.

"What the hell? Are you speaking gibberish?" Harry's face contorted so that his eyebrow was so high in lifted his eye out of confusion.

"It's gangs, man. Not like the ones with drugs and fighting, but this entire school is comprised of gangs. There's Hufflepuff for kind, Ravenclaw for the smart, Gryffindor for the mighty and brave and wonderful," Ron boasted, causing Hermione to slap his chest, "And then there's Slytherin for the cunning. It's all straight up evil dudes who will do anything to get their way. All manipulative pricks."

"Do you get chosen?"

"No, you choose one. Technically, you haven't chosen yours yet, but Dumbledore normally knows who's leaning towards what and sorts appropriately. You were leaning towards Gryffindor and—"

"I am a Gryffindor." Harry confirmed. "I saw all of you guys today we're like a family. Not an evil group. I belong with you guys." Harry said firmly, Ron gave an understanding nod. "What's the point of the gangs?"

"It's like cliques but Gryffindors are connected to the Order of the Phoenix, which fights the wicked actions of the Death Eaters. Death Eaters associate with Slytherins." Ron spat, his blue eyes looking red with anger. "Death Eaters kill people for their own benefit and are prejudice, whereas Order of the Phoenix fights then every step of the way. Essentially, the Death Eaters are a cult." Ron explained, gently rubbing Hermione's pale shoulder. In the moonlight you could see Ron's eyes sparkling with love for her.

***

By the time he wandered out of Ron's room, his head span from the voices whispering sweet lies that both comforted and frightened the young boy. Once he was right outside his door, he gave in and slid down the wall. The voices felt so real that it seemed reality was simply a dream and the voices were the honest truth. Harry put his hands over his ears, his mouth opening in a silent scream. The walls felt like they were closing in and his head felt as if it was being bombed. His glasses dropped to the end of his nose because he began to sweat profusely. "Mum, Stop." Harry spoke, but the voice didn't listen. He closed his eyes and saw his mother, standing tall with her flowing red hair and glowing green eyes. Her facial expression was calm, too calm. She was relaxed, then in the blink of an eye he saw her lying dead in the car. Blood poured out. Harry screamed. It felt like he was reliving the moment. His screams resembled the ones on the day that his parents died, and his whole world was those few moments for what felt like eternity. He screamed and screamed, he felt people touching him but it didn't bring him back, and he heard voices but they weren't strong enough. His dad's glasses shattered in the incident and laid lifeless, like his soul had left his body.

Suddenly, his breathing staggered and his vision of his parents was quickly fading. The voices were quieting and for once, Harry was surrounded by complete silence.