The rest of the ride passed quickly to Harry's surprise. He and Draco talked for a bit. Harry, however reluctantly, accepted that he was going to have to tolerate Draco's presence. Draco wasn't suddenly Harry's best friend. Nor were either of them entirely comfortable with one another. Too much history for that all to be erased in one conversation. But Harry realized with a chill, that the two of them had more in common now than he had with anyone else in the world but his owl. So the conversation was a start.
Draco and Harry spent most of the time talking about things that might be useful, but most of their plans remained fluid. They were both concerned about the sorting.
Harry was worried that the hat might shout to the rooftops about who he was. Draco was relatively certain that the hat would never spill secrets otherwise it might share anything it found out in the heads of the children of deatheaters. Eleven year olds they may be when they're sorted, but some still had knowledge of their parents' misdeeds.
Draco was equally certain that the hat would put Harry in Gryffindor, with an outside chance at putting him Hufflepuff. Harry on the other hand was not at all certain which house the hat was going to put him in. He had his suspicions, but for all he knew the hat might flat out refuse to sort him.
When the train signaled the five minute warning, Draco made his left to return to his compartment while Harry donned some robes and returned to glancing at his book. He waited until the train was nearly empty, to gather himself with a sigh and exit the train car. He heard Hagrid's voice in the distance already leading the first year's down to the lake for their crossing. Harry briefly debated going with them, before shaking his head and heading towards the carriages. He bowed his head slightly. The rain was threatening to come down at any moment. He didn't envy the first years their trip across the lake this year.
Thankfully for him, there was one carriage left as he climbed into one of the seats. He was just about to urge the thestral to go for the castle when the carriage shook slightly and someone else heaved themselves up into the cab.
Harry was rather surprised to find himself staring into eyes that were the deepest blue he had ever encountered. He realized that staring at a vaguely familiar looking girl, with dark hair, that seemed to have the slightest tinge of blue in it, though for all Harry knew it could have been the light. He also noted that she was wearing the silver and green trim of Slytherin robes. "Er… hello." Harry greeted eloquently in an attempt at politeness.
Daphne Greengrass for her part was surprised to find anyone in the last carriage. She had gotten back onto the train because her sister had left a book on there, and Daphne offered to get it because she preferred Astoria not go anywhere alone. Astoria had gone on to the castle with her friends and Daphne's best friend Tracey Davis. After a moment to get over her surprise, and another one making sure that he was no immediate threat. She sat down across from the stranger warily. After a moment, she nodded her head in greeting but said nothing else merely looked at him with an evaluating expression on her face.
Rather than take offense at the rather cold welcome, Harry shrugged internally. For just a moment he had forgotten himself. It was a good reminder for him. He wasn't here to make friends. He was here to prevent the catastrophe to come. Harry turned his attention away from her to view the path as the carriage began to move toward the castle. They both rocked slightly as the carriage began to move. "I've not seen you around before." Daphne stated. She had spent a full minute noting everything she could about the stranger. It wasn't often you met someone you had never seen before in Hogwarts. She had taken note of his calm expression, one that was undeterred by her presence after the initial surprise, nor was it bothered by her silent appraisal.
Harry shrugged lithely, "I'm not surprised, as I'm newly enrolled this year in Hogwarts."
Daphne raised an eyebrow curiously at this as she appraised Harry again. His school robes looked new, and expensive, though they were without house affiliation that all uniforms gain after a student had been sorted. What she had noticed most of all in the shadow of the evening sky, and the further shadow of the carriage were his piercing emerald eyes. Though they hadn't done more than glance at her when she entered the carriage. They hadn't acknowledged her since.
"Do you have a name?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. It was odd that he hadn't introduced himself yet.
Harry smiled a moment before nodding. "I do." He kept his gaze out the side of the carriage, looking at the surrounding area. He knew he was being silly, and possibly a little bit rude. But Harry's rather stunted social instincts were telling him to talk to her, and to have a dialogue with the beauty sitting across from him. However, Harry knew that might lead to more friendships, and more friendships inevitably meant more people ending up dead because of him.
Any teasing comment he was going to make was stopped as he felt the carriage pass through the outer most wards of the school. He was momentarily surprised that he could feel them, since he had never felt the wards before. However, Harry realized that by the time he had gotten a feel for that sort of thing in his world, Hogwarts had been destroyed and there was nothing to feel.
Now Harry was very aware of the feel of the wards, but he could also feel that they weren't as strong as he expected. The anti-apparition wards and anti-portkey wards alone, at the world cup, were stronger than the ones they had just passed through. Harry wondered if they just weren't powered up all the way at the moment.
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