The Boy Who Wanted to Live

Making friends

Harry made his way through crowded corridors searching for an empty place to sit. Some students stopped in their place and stared at him as he walked past and immediately started whispering after he had gone. He looked around nervously and sighed. Harry had been so worried about what the school would be like that he had completely forgotten about the fact that he was famous. Feeling the walls closing in on him he ducked into a nearby compartment without bothering to see who was in it.
"Oi!" A voice said behind him "What are you doin?"
Harry turned around to see a red headed boy sitting in one of the seats. The boy relaxed slightly and stood up.
"Sorry," Harry said "I thought this was empty."
"It's fine," the other boy returned and grabbed a comic from nearby and sat down to read it.
"Can I sit here?" Harry asked, quietly.
"Sure," the boy answered, not looking up.
Harry sat down and awkwardly looked around for a few minutes. He simply didn't know what to do in this situation. Suddenly the boy threw the comic down on the  bench with a loud groan.
"Come on!" He said loudly, making Harry jump.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, worried and slightly scared.
"The stupid comic ended on a cliffhanger!" The redhead said bitterly "I wont find out what happens until next month!"
Harry didn't see the big deal with having to wait a month, but then again he had never read a comic. Not wanting to appear stupid however he nodded as if he understood. The boy rubbed his neck and looked out the window for a second.
"Oh, I'm Ron by the way. Ronald Weasley." He stuck out his hand and Harry tensed.
"Harry. Harry Potter." He said, timidly shaking the sticky hand offered to him.
"Wow!" Ron said, starting to pay some attention to him. "That's cool!"
"Yeah," Harry laughed awkwardly, pulling his hand back.
Ron nodded once and leaned back to look out the window again.
"Want to share my sandwhich with me?" Ron asked, suddenly pulling out a squished sandwich from his pants. "Mum knows I hate Corned Beef."
Harry smiled and sat up more in his seat. He'd always wondered what a mother's cooking tasted like.
"Sure!" He said, gratefully taking half the sandwhich and munching happily on it.
They relaxed and began joking around after that. Sharing their suspicions of the school and laughing at the stories Ron told Harry about the pranks his brothers pulled all the time.
"Oh my parents were so angry with them!" Ron said through tears, sighing happily. "What are your parents like?"
Harry frowned for a second before smiling.
"Well my dad is rather fat," he said with a laugh "and he always goes on and on about these adventures he went on."
Harry picked up his wand as if it was a leg of some pig and pretended to take a bite out of it and through a mouthful of imaginary food he mimicked Newt's likeness.
"Back when I went to Hogwarts," he said in Newt's voice "All the house elves hated me because I would sneak into the kitchen and steal all the food to feed all my pets who I had smuggled in through a suitcase!"
Ron snorted and began to choke on the sandwhich, curling over to stop his stomach from hurting.
"Th-There is no way he actually did that" Ron cried through laughter.
"Agh! Away with ye!" Harry said, laughing too "You don' know what you are saying boy!"
By now both children were in tears and squealing with laughter. They stopped when suddenly the door opened and this brown haired girl stepped in and began to giggle.
"Have you seen a toad?" She asked, trying to hold back a smile. "A boy named Neville has lost one."
"No" both boys said, trying to catch their breath "Sorry" Harry added.
She pouted for a second before leaning on the door.
"No one knows where it's gone" she said, sadly.
"Maybe we can help," Harry offered, looking at Ron.
"Well, I guess that could be fun" Ron said, standing up and dusting himself off.
"Great!" She said perking right up. "I'm Hermione Granger!"
"Ron Weasley"
"Harry Potter"
Hermione smiled and turned to walk out, the two boys following and each scanning every nook and cranny. They met a bunch of people while searching for the toad, including two indian twins, Ron's older brothers who were also twins, a third year named Cedric who offered to help search with them and the Nevill who the toad belonged to. They entered about ten compartments before finally finding him in the hands of one Draco Malfoy.
"Trevor!" Neville said, rushing forward to take the toad from Draco's hands.
Draco looked disgusted with the creature and wiped his hands on the seat nearby earning chuckles from the kids he sat with. Ron stepped forward and looked over Draco with distaste.
"A malfoy holding a toad? Why I never thought I would see the day." He said, words laced with a deep resentment.
Draco sneered back at the other boy and looked him over with disgust.
"Oh, was that a toad? I was certaint that I had found a lost Weasley infant. I was going to put the disgusting thing out of it's misery before you arrived."
Nevillle held the toad closer to his chest protectively and Harry stepped forward.
"Thank you for finding Neville's toad, Draco." He said softly, and shyly looking at his feet.
Ron looked at Harry shocked and clenched his fist.
"Don't thank him, Harry! The slimy git was going to hurt-"
"Trevor"
"Trevor!" Ron said angrily.
"He didn't look-" Harry was cut off by Draco.
"As if I'd want anything to do with that reptile!" He growled.
"Actually," Hermione said "It is an amphibian"
"Actually-Actually!" Draco said in a squeaky voice "No one cares!"
Harry looked at his friend confused. Why was Draco being so rude to them?
"Draco if we did som-"
"Shut up Potter!" Draco said offhandedly to him before continuing his attack on the other two.
Harry winced at the biting tone and took a step towards Draco with concern.
"Draco if we did something to offend you-" he said softly
"You really are something else arent you potter?" Draco spat angrily, "Why don't you just leave and stop ruining everything?"
Harry felt tears enter his eyes and his throat closed painfully. Draco looked at Harry surprised and opened his mouth. Ron glared at Draco and turned to his new best mate to ask if he was alright. Harry however had turned and ran towards his compartment, tears streaming down his face. Ron looked at Neville and Hermione and growled at Draco angrily.
"This isn't over, Malfoy." He spat before they made their way out to find their friend.
Cedric looked uncomfortably at Draco and swallowed down his awkwardness.
"That went well"
Draco glared at him in response and Cedric looked down.
"I'm just gonna" he trailed off and ducked out "go"
Who knew Harry Potter was such a baby?