Harry sleepily ate his breakfast, while everyone around him chattered excitedly. He had spent all night finishing up his homework, the DA had a longer meeting than planned the other night, and he was paying for it now. 

"You all right, mate?" Ron inhaled a piece of toast beside him, gazing at him with blue eyes. 

"Yeah, just had a late night." Harry yawned. 

"Ah, at least we finally got the Bat-Bogey Hex simmered down enough so Umbridge wouldn't suspect us." Harry nodded, yawning again. He continued to munch down the rest of his cereal, thinking about what the rest of the day might look like. Hermione marched up to them at the table just then, book in hand. 

"Where have you been?" Ron asked. Hermoine raised an eyebrow. 

"Studying, like we're supposed to. What about you?" 

"I just wanted some bloody sleep." 

"At least you got some, it doesn't seem you did, Harry." Harry nodded, nibbling at his cereal. 

"Potter!" A familiar, grueling voice demanded. Malfoy appeared, a look of smug determination spread across his face. 

"What is it, Malfoy? I'm not entirely in the mood..." Harry peered into Draco's cold, grey eyes. 

"I want a duel, just me and you, out back near the Quidditch field." He challenged. Harry sighed. 

"Really? It will only end up like last time, I don't see the point." 

"Then this will be the last. Just meet me there at lunch, Potter." He stormed off towards the Slytherin table, sitting next to Crabbe and Goyle. Hary let out a breath, shaking his head. 

"Isn't this the third time he's tried this?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry, who nodded glumly. 

"We tied last time so this will have to be the final one." Hermione gave him a questioning look. 

"Okay, okay, I promise this will be the last time we duel. He just can't sand getting beaten is all." 

"It'll have to be, with your luck Umbridge will only have more reason to expel you. Be careful, Harry. Or better yet, don't go at all." 

"Don't go?!" Ron said, flustered. "He won't hear the end of it from Malfoy if he doesn't!" 

"Ronald, it's for the best." Ron and Hermione looked to Harry, who's mouth was conveniently full of cereal. He swallowed, both the cereal and lump in his throat. 

"I'm going, Hermione." He said curtly, but added. "Sorry." A smug look spread on Ron's face. 

"Told you." 

"Don't blame me if you get in harms way then." Hermione sighed. 

The hours passed, and Harry went through his classes as normal. The only difference was he felt a huge weight upon his back all morning. Perhaps he shouldn't duel Malfoy, it was too risky. On the other hand, there was only so much of him he could stand. Missing it would only fuel more nasty comments and jokes his way.

"Mr. Potter." A sickly sweet voice grabbed his attention. Harry looked into the face of the toad-like woman, Dolores Umbrodge. 

"Yes?" He answered as politely as he could. 

"Were you paying the slightest bit of attention to my lesson?" She batted her eyelashes at him. 

"Er- no, sorry. I zoned out." 

"Hm." Umbridge's eyes lingered on him for a second too long. "That will be a lunch detention, for, let's say, tomorrow." Harry gritted his teeth. Oh, how he despised that woman. Not even hell itself could be worse than spending time with this wench. He kept these thoughts to himself, however, it was best not to get in any more trouble. Harry's mind returned to his doubt and concerns for the duel. 

At last, his class was over. It was also lunch, and Harry knew exactly what that meant. He made his way to behind the Quidditch field. Gazing around, it was apparent that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Had he chickened out after all?

"Good to see you, Potter." Well, it was a false hope to begin with. 

"As with you." Harry replied with the same amount of sarcasm, maybe a bit more. 

"Ready? This is our last duel, prepare to lose!" Malfoy took a pose, waiting for action. 

"Don't get overconfident." Harry readied himself. 

"Stupefy!" 

"Expelliarmus!" 

A stream of red light erupted from Malfoy's wand, at the same time a blue light from Harry's. The two boys struggled against each others power, neither willing to give up. Malfoy's spell started to get closer and closer to Harry. He pushed back, picturing Umbridge getting fired, or better, banished from the wizarding world. An odd sort of grin splattered on Harry's face. He felt the joy of a dove, the smell of victory near. But, something felt off. Something very, very off. Before either Malfoy or Harry could comprehend what was happening, a yellow light burst from where the two spells intersected, and hit each boy directly in the face. Harry staggered back, his disarming spell disappearing. Luckily, Malfoy suffered the same consequence, and fell to the ground with a thud. He felt woozy, and dizzy as he approached Malfoy. Harry could tell, even with the world rapidly swirling before him, that Malfoy was out cold. He made out footsteps pitter pattering near him. 

"What the devil is going on here?!" It was none other than Professor Snape. Great, that was exactly what he needed. The teacher he hated the most, not counting Umbridge. Harry took a couple steps forward, and backwards, until losing his footing, and collapsed forwards. His vision went black before he hit the ground. 

2: Stuck Together Like Glue

Harry's eyes blinked open, and he found himself staring at a rather bright ceiling. White curtains were draped around him, and he was laying in a bed that was unlike his own, which also held the decor of snow. Though the room was unfamiliar, Harry recognized it as the hospital wing. He'd been here enough times to set a school record, he bet. As soon as Harry tried to sit up, he felt an immense pressure on his chest, followed by a groggy voice.

"Wha-?! Stop that! That hurts! Just who- Potter?!" Out of all the voices that could have lingered in his head, Malfoy spoke as if he were right beside him.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a menacing tone.

"I should ask you the same thing! Where are you?"

"I'm right here, you idiot, on the bed!" Harry gazed down at his hands. They seemed perfectly normal. Before he could give this anymore thought, the curtains surrounding him were pulled back, Madam Pomfrey scanning his bed.

"Are you all right, dear?" She asked nicely.

"Fine. Just a little dizzy." Harry gulped.

"Well I'd imagine so, that was quite the blow you took. Thought you would've been out longer but here you are, lively as the morning sun!" Madam Pomfrey smiled, and fiddled with a few bottles of liquid, and handed Harry an ocean blue one.

"Take this, and I'll let you go. Can't say the same for Malfoy over there, he'll wake shortly." Harry took the vial, an drank from it quickly, draining the bottle.

"Thanks." He managed a small smile. On his way out, Harry took a look at the only other occupied bed in the hospital wing. Malfoy lay there, stiff as stone, appearing to be in a deep sleep.

"The hell am I doing over there? Take me to- er- myself, at once, Potter!" Malfoy's voice ordered Harry inside his head. Rolling his eyes, Harry set down for the corridor instead, and headed or Gryffindor tower. How was he going to deal with a constantly yammering Malfoy in his face? Surely, this was just a small side effect of the duel. It would be gone by tomorrow, and Harry would have a good nights sleep, end of story. Yes, he just had to put up with this temporarily.

"I heard that, Potter. I have feelings too, you know. It's not like I enjoy this any more than you do." He scoffed.

"I didn't say anything!" Harry spoke aloud. A small girl stared at him with wide eyes from the other side of the corridor. When she caught his eye, the quite flustered girl scooted away hurriedly.

"Better not speak, people will think itty baby Potter is loony~" Malfoy's constant teasing was already putting Harry on edge, he got closer and closer to boiling over every second.

When he finally reached Gryfindor Tower, Harry felt a sense of relief wash over him.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked in her usual tone, staring at Harry from behind her painting.

"Er- Heels over Hippogriff?" Harry scratched his brain. The Fat Lady nodded, and swung forward to reveal the bronze, reddish room. Decorated in Gryffindor's colours, the common room brought with it a home feel. Upon his entry, a voice came from across the room: 'Harry!'

Hermione enveloped him in a hug, much to Malfoy's detest.

"Ugh! Get this filthy mudblood off of yourself! You disgust me sometimes..." Harry chuckled, returning the hug.

"I wasn't gone that long, was I?" He smiled at her.

"Well, no, but you have us quite the scare, Ron especially."

"What?! No, I knew you'd make it out alive!" Ron protested. Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry thought he caught her whisper 'liar' under her breath. Following Hermione to the armchairs, and taking a seat in comfort, he dared to ask a question.

"So what happened?"

"Snape brought you and Malfoy to the hospital wing, dummy. What else do you think happened?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Did you hear if Dumbledore came to see me?" Hermione shook her head.

"Sorry Harry, no one was allowed to visit until you woke up, Madam Pomfrey's orders."

Harry nodded in disappointment. Malfoy, who had been rather quiet in his head, spoke to him again.

"What do you got going on with Dumbledore? Care to share? I'm all ears." Harry could almost feel Malfoy slump over in his seat.

"Uh," He started, then realized Ron an Hermione were right beside him. "I need some sleep, see you later." Harry stood up, and walked towards his dorm. They let him go, good thing too, Harry didn't know what to say if they found out about his little... Problem. He sat on his bed and sighed.

"Look, you need to be quiet when I'm with other people, okay? It's not helping having a stupid little voice whining in my ear all the time, so just cut it out!"

"Why should I, Potter?" Malfoy challenged.

"Because we'll both be in just as much trouble I you rat us out, how would you explain THIS?!" He went silent, and Harry knew he had triumphed.

"Fine. But I need to talk sometime so, go to the Room of Requirement alone and I'll have to talk with you I guess." Malfoy huffed a sigh. Still questioning his motives, Harry didn't have much other choice but to agree.

"Deal."

3: Classroom Shenanigans

"All right now, class, today we will be reviewing the Accio spell. I will be observing how well you all perform today, there will be a test soon." Professor Flitwick gave a wave of his hand, and several voices cried out the same incantation. Harry sighed, and looked at the pink cushion before him.

"Accio." He said simply, waving his wand. The cushion remained still. Harry furrowed his brow. Normally, he would be able to do this with ease, in his sleep! Perhaps he got off on a faulty start.

"Accio." Harry repeated, a little more firmly. The little cushion still refused to budge an inch.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, catching her cushion in the palm of her hand. "Isn't this just a review?"

"Yeah!" He snapped. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a little off. Sorry." Harry apologised.

"You've been on edge ever since that last duel with Malfoy." She gazed at Harry worriedly.

"I just got knocked on the head a little hard, Hermione. It will probably wear off by the time the days over."

"If you still don't feel well check with Madam Pomfrey, okay?"

"I'll be fine." Harry reassured her. Hermione smiled, and moved onto her next cushion.

"Potter." Malfoy grabbed his attention next. Harry remained silent, there was no way he was just going to talk to himself out loud in class.

"Let me try." Harry shrugged, as if to agree, and said the incantation again, only Malfoy spoke in unison with him.

"Accio!"

The little cushion flew straight towards Harry, hitting him squarely in the face.

"Dwa-!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, you got it!" Hermione cheered.

"Yeah, I did." Harry held the cushion in bewilderment.

"All right, how did you know that would work?" Harry demanded later in the Room of Requirement. The room had taken the simple form of a small place, roomy enough to hold a red armchair in the center. It was the same chair in which Harry sat in now, prying answers from Malfoy.

"No idea. I just wanted to try something, and it worked, didn't it?" He boasted.

"We- That's true, but what made you think that the both of us had to say the incantation in the first place?"

"I told you Potter, I don't know."

"Like hell you don't."

"Can't you just accept that I'm telling the truth?!"

"And you've always been so kind to me previously." Harry countered sarcastically.

"I- But- UGH!" Malfoy went silent for a minute. "I just wanted to help." He mumbled softly. Harry felt a lump in his throat, maybe he'd been a little harsh. Wait, this was Malfoy he was talking about! Only his biggest rival/enemy since he started going to Hogwarts! And now he was talking about helping him?!

"Well..." Harry struggled for the words. "Thanks. Just don't try anything stupid next time." He felt he at least should thank the guy- no matter how sick it made Harry to his stomach. He felt something inside his chest, what was it? A mixture of gratitude and happiness?

"I'll try." Malfoy breathed. "Oh, and Potter?"

"What?"

"Could we go visit the real me sometime? It might help, you know, send me back 'home', figuratively."

Harry felt surprised at the question, but agreed nevertheless.

"Sure."

Harry made it back to the common room without raising any eyebrows and somehow was able to avoid any questions from Ron and Hermione. He decided to get started on the Potions homework he had. Writing an essay on the effects and how to brew a Befuddlement Draught proved to be a little easier than expected, with Malfoy whispering small tidbits of info in his ear.

"Normally the taker gets reckless, kind of like you."

Well, almost all of it was nice anyway.

"Sneezewort is one of the main ingredients, not wolfsbang."

It felt like Malfoy was right there in the common room, breathing down his neck with Potion smarts.

"How did you know this much on Potions?" Harry whispered.

"It's my best class, Snape favours me too so that might have something to do with it."

That figures. Harry thought. I should've guessed that much.

About half on hour later Harry set down his quill and now completed essay. Stretching, he yawned and got ready to hit the hay for the night. As he pulled a

pajama shirt over his head, a voice came from the doorway.

"So you are here." It was Ron.

"Where else would I be?" Harry replied without thinking.

"That's a good question. Where were you earlier, mate?" Ron strolled over to his bed beside Harry's, and sat on it.

"Er- I just went into the Room of Requirement, that's all. No one saw me." He added, seeing the look on Ron's face.

"The RoR? For what?"

"Practice. I wasn't doing too well earlier in Charms."

"Wasn't that a review cla-"

"Yes. Yes it was, Ron. Guess I just needed a little more time to get my head in the game."

"Oh." Ron surveyed Harry for a second longer, shook his head, and got ready for bed himself.

"Whatever you say, mate. Here's hoping tomorrows a new day." He mumbled. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't quite sure how to tell Ron that Malfoy was speaking into his head yet, and didn't even know how to approach the subject.

"Where are you going now?" Ron pestered, as Harry got up to leave from the Great Hall the next morning.

"I'm just going to the hospital wing for a checkup. Be back before you know it." Harry stuffed a mouthful of toast into his mouth, setting down one of the many hallways of Hogwarts. He heard Ron sigh, very audibly, and Hermione telling him something about his well-being, which Ron protested by saying Harry was fine. Smiling, Harry turned to the corridor going to the hospital wing. He creaked open the door, and slipped inside.

"Potter? What are you doing here?" Madam Pomfrey questioned from a glass shelf containing various Potions and medicine.

"I, er, just came to visit."

"Visit who?"

"Malfoy."

He saw her eyes widen slightly, and she spoke in a lighter tone than before.

"Oh. Well, he's right at the end." Madam Pomfrey pointed to a bed concealed by curtains.

"Thanks." He strutted by the nurse, who stared at him shocked, as if she were trying to figure out a complex calculation in her head. Harry slipped in

through the curtains, and slightly hid behind them. Thankfully there were no other visitors in the wing, so Harry was in the clear to converse with Malfoy quietly.

"Now what?" He asked, gazing at the unconscious blonde boy before him.

"Er- I don't know. Maybe you have to touch me. Like, grab my hand or something."

"That's a little creepy, do I have to?"

"Do you ever want me to leave?" He had a fair point, Harry presumed, and reluctantly held Malfoy's hand. He hoped Madam Pomfrey was deep into her

medicine organizing work. This would be extremely hard to explain.

"Feel anything?" He whispered, starting to hate the seconds that passed by.

"I can feel your hand. You should lotion more, Potter."

Harry chuckled softly.

"Well you should wear hand warmers, yours are freezing." He felt heat rise into his cheeks.

"Not much I can do about it."

"So you don't have any sort of urge to leave my body? No light at the end of the tunnel, no pulling in your chest?"

"Nope. But jeez, do I need a shower."

Smiling, Harry gingerly let go of Malfoy's hand, letting it fall onto his chest. He felt Malfoy tense up in his head- or was that just an illusion? How could he feel...

Harry pushed the thought out of his mind.

"I'm cold again." Malfoy whined.

"What can I do about it?"

"Just stay, for a little longer, please? My hand is cold..."

"Wha- But, Malfoy," He protested, then sighed, taking his hand again. "Fine, but you owe me BIG time after this."

"I know. Thanks, Potter."

Harry wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, just sitting in silence, but soon it was time for classes to start, and Harry couldn't afford to be late,

especially with Umbridge. Madam Pomfrey gave him a wary look, but still smiled and said goodbye when he left. Half jogging, he was able to blend with the

crowd and get to Defense Against the Dark Arts a minute early, even. When he sat at his normal desk, and opened his textbook, he locked eyes with

Umbridge, who squinted at him. With her toad-like features, though, it made her look funny, and Harry stared at the page of his book to avoid laughing. Soon

the rest of the class arrived, as well as an utterly surprised Ron and Hermione, whom were still scratching their heads at how he got there so early. On the

bright side, he didn't feel as bad as he did the day before about having Malfoy occupying his brain 24/7. Perhaps he could deal with it until he left.

4: Dumbledore's Army

Harry lingered outside the Room of Requirement. Today was another meeting for the DA, but he wasn't quite as confident as he was last time. Taking a deep breath, he slipped inside and was instantly welcomed by a few other members who had come in early.

"Hey, Harry!" Colin Creevy bounced up to him energetically.

"Hullo." He replied with a smile.

"What are we gonna learn ab0ut today? A new hex? Or, or, even something completely mind-blowing!" Colin had started theorizing what they were going

to do, but Harry just shook his head at all the options.

"You'll just have to wait and see. It's a surprise." Harry teased.

"How come? That's no fair..." Colin pouted.

Harry chuckled. "It's completely fair, and don't worry, nobody else knows what we're doing today either."

Colin's shrugged in agreement, and trotted off to his brother, Dennis.

"Hello Harry." A softer voice greeted him, revealing itself to be Cho Chang. Harry's heart hammered in his chest, threatening to burst out.

"Hi Cho." He felt stupid, that hadn't sounded right. What if she just crinkled her nose at him, and ran away in disgust?

"I'm excited for tonight." She said. "I heard about what happened, and wasn't sure if you'd be well enough to teach us today, so..." Her words trailed off.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I was just knocked out for an hour or two. It wasn't fatal or anything."

"Yeah." A chunk of dark hair fell on her face, concealing one of her eyes. She tucked it behind her ear and continued. "Well, I'll look forward to your lesson

then." She waved, and walked away.

Once everyone else had arrived, Harry took his usual stance in front of the crowd, and cleared his throat.

"So, today we're going to try out the exploding spell, Confringo. The spell explodes whatever it comes into contact with, so today a bunch of dummies are

set up to withstand these hits. So, er, have fun, and don't blow anyone up." A round of soft laughter from the crowd, then people stated to form lines, and

tried out the spell.

"Confringo!" Seamus cried out, setting a dummy aflame.

"Good one!" Harry observed.

"Thanks, I have a talent with blowing things up." Seamus grinned, heading to the back of the line, as the dummy quickly rebuilt itself. The class went

smoothly, and not a single peep from Malfoy started to bother Harry.

"Malfoy? You still there?" He whispered, barely audible.

"Don't have anywhere else I could go. So this is what you lot were doing..."

"If you dare let a word of this reach Umbridge I will make sure you wish you stayed in my head forever." Harry threatened.

"Okay, okay, I'll keep it a secret."

"That's rich, coming from you."

"As of now, my lips are sealed."

"They better be." Harry whispered a final time, and went back to seeing how everyone was doing with the spell. It seemed they all were getting the hand

of it well enough. Perhaps he should try it out for himself, Harry pondered the thought.

"Excuse me, could I have a go?" Harry asked Hannah Abbott.

"Go for it."

And with that, Harry faced the dummy and shouted.

"Confringo!" The dummy exploded, and quickly rebuilt itself almost instantly.

"Nice one." Hannah complimented.

"Heh. Thanks."

The DA meeting had gone rather swimmingly, Harry figured, thinking about the class. Everyone was able to make their dummy explode, and all seemed to

enjoy themselves while doing it, especially Seamus. Even more gleeful was the fact that Harry was getting better at spell casting with Malfoy, they were more

in sync every time. When he told Ron and Hermione that they were in the clear to head back to the common room, Ron gave him a quick pat on the back.

"Good one, mate." Then he disappeared out the door, and out of sight. Leaving Harry alone with Malfoy- again. He checked the Marauder's map, watching

Ron and Hermione's dots reach Gryffindor Tower. They made it successfully, Harry smiled. Another meeting done without any complications. He was about to

head out himself, but Malfoy interrupted.

"So you teach them?" He sounded almost like Luna, completely in wonderment.

"Yes and no. We practice the spells that are most likely going to come up on the O.W.L's and I just kind of... lead them." Harry stared awkwardly.

"In other words, you teach."

"Somewhat."

"Everyone seems to like you."

"We've been doing this for a while." Harry scratched the back of his head.

"Especially that Cho girl. Isn't she a Ravenclaw?"

"Yes. Why does that matter?" Harry's voice turned stiff with anger.

"It, er, doesn't. I just thought I'd mention it. You're good at teaching." He finished weirdly. Harry hesitated before answering.

"Thanks." There was a long period of silence, in which Harry was just about to head back to the common room when Malfoy interrupted, again.

"Are you going to teach here once you finish seventh year?" The question was off-topic, so it took Harry a minute before he was able to come up with an

answer.

"No, actually. I was thinking of being an... well, an Auror." He shifted uncomfortably.

"Really?" Malfoy mused, surprised.

"What are you planning on doing?" Harry asked in return.

"I'm not sure, but I was thinking of something like a Healer."

"That seems unlike you." Harry chuckled. "I didn't know you liked medical things."

"You never really asked, with us being enemies and all."

"True."

Another pause.

"We don't have to be enemies, you know. We could be... er..." Malfoy fumbled for the words.

"Acquaintances?" Harry suggested, causing Malfoy to laugh.

"Something like that, yeah. Maybe even distant friends." He joked.

"But what would the others think if we hung out too often together?" Harry furrowed his brow.

"To hell with what everyone else thinks! We don't have to see each other every day, just occasionally. It could be nice instead of feuding." Malfoy said

firmly. Harry wasn't quite sure what to think. On one hand, perhaps being 'friends' with Malfoy would be better than constantly fighting and dueling. On the

other hand, he was almost certain that Ron and Hermione would give him the eye if they saw him with Malfoy voluntarily.

"I'll think about it, but I like the idea." Harry smiled, checked the map, and slipped into the corridor back to the common room. It could be better, or it could

be worse, being friendly with each other. For now it seemed that a friendly approach was best while he was attached to Malfoy, at least. Maybe things would be more clear in the future, like a sky after a storm, shining in the sun for once.

5: Let the Games Begin!

Harry gulped down his cereal while mentally conversing with Malfoy the next morning.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He would ask.

"I'm certain, I can't just make excuses." That's what Harry would always reply with, though the shifting in his head told him Malfoy still wasn't satisfied. He

chose to ignore this today, however, as he had more pressing matters to attend to that day. Finally finishing his breakfast, Harry took in a deep breath. In, and

out.

"Good luck today, mate." Ron gave him a pat on the back, nodding with a smile. He seemed a little shaken, Harry thought.

"I should say the same to you. Don't worry about today, all right?"

"Right." Ron sat beside him, taking a couple pieces of toast for himself, as well as eggs and bacon. "Better keep my strength up then." Harry's lip curled

into a smile.

"That's the Ron I know. I'm going to go get my gear on, see you soon." Harry rose from the table, and walked past the long tables. Several people shot

glances at him, but Harry stared straight ahead. He passed by Hermione, who gave a nod and a smile, like Ron did, though hers was more kind and a little less

shaky. Harry smiled back, and traveled the corridors until he reached the outside doors.

The crowd cheered, jeered, and shouted wildly. For once in his life, Harry felt ready for this match.

"It's not too late." Malfoy spoke quietly.

"We can do this." Harry said firmly. Grasping his broomstick by the handle, he swung a leg over it and prepared himself. Madam Hooch held the Quaffle in

her hands, counting down until the Quidditch match would start. Harry looked back to Ron, who's determined gaze met his. They could do this, he felt it in his

gut. The whistle sounded, and the players pushed off from the ground. At once, Harry scattered his eyes around for the Golden Snitch. It was just a touch bit

cloudy, the sun hidden well, but not too hidden. Perfect weather for a Quidditch match. He took a quick glance at the person with the Quaffle. Katie Bell flew by,

the Quaffle tucked under her armpit. A Hufflepuff Chaser tried to steal it with a quick swipe, but Katie threw it just in the nick of time to Angelina Johnson, who

continued towards the goal hoops. She threw it to Alicia Spinnet who took a shot-

"TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee Jordan screamed into the microphone, cheers from the entire crowd. (Except Slytherin of course) Harry let out a

whoop, beaming, and went back to scouting for the Snitch. He flew up higher above the other players, as to get a greater view. The scene before him was

beautiful, almost no clouds to obscure his vision, and the picture of the stadium from a birds eye view was locked in his memory forever. Harry almost had to

force himself to keep his eyes peeled away from the match and the scenery. After a few more minutes of searching, another roar from the crowd and a slightly

less enthusiastic comment from Jordan.

"Ten points to Hufflepuff!" Jordan still had his flair, but his true spirit was with his home team, Harry figured.

It had been awhile now since the match started, and Harry was beginning to grow worried and started fretting more about what would happen if they

lost. Gryffindor couldn't afford to lose another match, they needed to win. Harry gulped. He soared to the right, looking for something, anything that could be

related to the Golden Snitch. And then he saw it! A small glint of gold, hovering by the Ravenclaw stands. He bolted after it, gaining speed by the second. The

Snitch zoomed away, but Harry still had his eyes locked on it, oblivious to anything else around him. He outstretched his arm, the Snitch getting closer...

"Harry Potter has sighted the Snitch! It looks li- Oh, here comes Summerby for the recoil! Go Harry, GO!" Jordan was more cheering for Gryffindor than

anything, but Harry was too concentrated to notice. He saw a boy, dressed in the Hufflepuff uniform coming towards him, or more likely, the Snitch. Both boys

bumped into each other in their attempts, Harry's fingers were inches from the golden little ball...

"HARRY BEHIND YOU!" Malfoy's voice exploded in his head, causing Harry's concentration to break for a split second- a second long enough for him to see

the Bludger heading straight for him. He gasped, and tried to swerve, but his head met with a loud "clunk" and his vision went black.

Harry woke to a bright room, easily recognizable as the hospital wing. He groaned, rubbing his head, and tried to sit up. His head pounded fiercely,

causing him to grunt out loud, and Madam Pomfrey was at his side in an instant.

"Oh, I'll be right back," She said behind her, and then pulled back the curtains around his bed. "Potter! Glad you've came to, we seem to be seeing each

other a lot lately." She smiled faintly, and Harry half smiled back, still a little dazed. "You ought to stay in bed for the day, nasty concussion... quite the bump

you have..." Madam Pomfrey shook her head, but shined a light in Harry's eyes, examining them.

"Am I going to die?" Harry joked. Madam Pomfrey chuckled.

"Today's not your day, you'll be fine. I'd rather you stay here for the day, but feel free to go back to your dormitory after dinner."

Harry nodded, and Madam Pomfrey went to attend to another patient. He let out a sigh, and noticed a strange absence of annoyance in his head.

"Malfoy?" He whispered, barely audible. No response. His heart pace quickened. Where was he? What happened when that Bludger hit him? Had the little

part of Malfoy in him been diminished completely, or...

"Now, then, I'm sure everyone will be pleased to know you have woken up. I'll keep you here until supper, just to make sure nothing funky happened, all

right? Its... Draco, right?"

"Malfoy, yeah."

The sound of his voice sent a chill down Harry's spine. He was awake? That simple fact gave Harry a sense of relief, but at the same time a feeling of sorrow.

He found it difficult to admit that Malfoy- No, Draco's presence had been uplifting to his spirits. Sure, having your enemy locked in your head for while would

drive anyone mad, but he couldn't help wondering how things would be now. They seemed to get along... slightly. Harry couldn't help listening to the last bit of

their conversation.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. I'll leave you be, but no doing anything reckless."

"Heh, I'll try not to." Harry could hear the sarcasm in Draco's voice, and stifled a laugh. He heard the door close, Madam Pomfrey had gone into her office.

There was a long moment of silence, in which Draco took the liberty of breaking it.

"You're awake too, aren't you?" It was more a statement than a question, but Harry answered all the same.

"Yeah."

Another pause of awkward tension.

"Are you all right? That was quite the hit..."

"I'm fine. Besides, I've had worse."

"True." Malfoy chortled.

"So... why do you think is it you've woken up?" Harry asked.

"Dunno. Maybe you just needed a good hit like that to knock me out of your head. I don't move easily."

They both chuckled, and Harry decided to come out from behind the curtain. The Draco that he looked at now had very dark circles under his silvery eyes, and

his face seemed almost hollow. This was unlike any other time he had seen Draco, usually he was full of confidence, but today, today he seemed... weak. Draco

must have noticed Harry staring, and spoke with a smirk.

"Ain't I pretty, Harry?"

"Not really." He smiled, sitting on the bed opposite to him. "So what happens now?"

"What do you mean? We go back to how it was. Classes, normality, Umbridge..."

"I mean with us."

"Oh. Right." Draco bit his lip, and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. I'm not too sure that Weasely and the Mudblood will take too kindly to

having me on their list of friends."

"If you want to get anywhere, stop calling Hermione a "Mudblood"." Just saying the word made Harry cringe slightly. "At the very least call her Granger or

something." Malfoy scowled, but let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Then what if I want to see you? Er- like hang out?" Now it was Harry's turn to think.

"If not in public, then we'll just meet in the RoR like we did before."

"Last time I was in your head, now I need to know when."

"Er... how about this Tuesday at, say, 9 o'clock?"

"Deal. Do you think we ought to tell the people that we're not really enemies anymore?"

"We're not?" Harry felt surprised. He thought that since Draco was his normal self, he would act like his normal self as well. Arrogance and all the other perks.

"No. Not anymore. That's all right, isn't it Harry?"

"Y-Yeah." Harry grinned. "That's brilliant, Malfoy."

"Hey, you can call me Draco now."

"Oh," Harry cleared his throat. "Have it your way, Draco."

Draco smiled and nodded. Harry wasn't sure why he felt more comfortable around Mal- Draco now, but something about sharing the same head seemed to

have patched up the hole that was barricading them from actually being friends. Perhaps now they had a shot at making something of themselves.

Nevertheless, Harry turned to Draco once more.

"Better?" Draco pondered the thought, bobbing his head to the side for a few seconds, but still replied heartily.

"Better."

6: Stay With Me

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione's bushy hair enveloped him in a tight embrace.

"Her-mio-ne..." Harry choked out, smiling.

"Oh! Sorry, are you all right?" She let go of Harry, her eyes full of worry and happiness. Harry had only just returned to Gryffindor Tower moments ago,

and was already being swarmed by his friends.

"I'm fine. It was only a bump, nothing worse than what I've had before." Harry still found himself smiling as he looked between Ron and Hermione. He felt

closer to them, if anything, though he had no idea why.

"Harry?" Neville spoke from across the room. He smiled, and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're alive. Most of us thought you were a goner. Er- not

to be pessimistic or anything."

"Well, Harry always manages to surprise us." Ron grinned.

"I tend to surprise myself more often." Harry joked.

"Good to have you back, mate!" Seamus called from a cozy armchair. It was amazing, Harry thought, that all these people cared about him. He continued

to smile for the rest of the night, even when he changed into pajamas the smile never once left his face.

The next day classes resumed as normal for Harry, and Umbridge was just as demeaning as ever. She would gaze down at Harry as though he were a

rather rotten patch of tomatoes, and kept an unusually close eye on him the entire class. Harry managed to look up from his book periodically and shifted his

eyes until they laid themselves on Draco, who sat two rows away. His stare lingered, but he forced himself to return to the same paragraph he had been on

since the beginning of class when Umbridge's wary eyes snapped at him.

For the first time, Harry looked forward to his Potions class. He sat in the back row, as normal, but felt a slight tingle when Draco sat in front of him. Harry

watched as he took out a scrap piece of paper, scribbled something on it, and held it behind his back, motioning for Harry to grab it. He did, and unfolded the

paper, analyzing the words scrawled in Draco's astonishingly neat handwriting:

Are we still good for today at 9?

Harry glanced around to make sure no one was watching before writing down his answer:

Of course. I'll see you in the RoR, okay? Keep out of trouble until then.

He clandestinely slipped the note back into Draco's hand, and watched as he read the note. A trace of a smile was evident on his face, and Draco

pocketed the note. Snape summoned the classrooms attention then, and requested the previous nights homework. Harry gulped, pulling out his essay on the

properties of unicorn hair. He handed it in along with everyone else, but when he turned around Draco stared him right in the face, his grey eyes piercing

Harry's green ones. Harry wasn't sure how long he looked at Draco, though whether everyone else thought it was a burning glare or not was another story.

"Is there a problem boys?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all. Right, Potter?" Draco spat out Harry's name like venom, but Harry saw the hurt in his eyes.

"Right." Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco, and returned to his seat. After a minute, Draco did the same. Harry noticed he seemed a little more fidgety than

normal. Or, maybe he had never noticed how fidgety Draco was before. It seemed like eons before class was dismissed, and as Harry gathered his books, he

walked beside Draco on the way out of the classroom. He felt something against his hip, and made eye contact with Draco again. Draco slid something into

Harry's pocket, and shifted his gaze to the floor shortly after, speed walking down the corridor. Harry hung back from Ron and Hermione, saying he had to 'use

the loo' and came to a halt on the other side of the stone wall. Leaning against it, he grasped a piece of paper from within his pocket. Smiling to himself, he

pulled it out and read it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude earlier. See you at 9!

Below he had drawn a small cartoon of himself grinning broadly. The drawing waved happily at Harry, who had to stifle a giggle. He folded the note and

gently put it back in his pocket.

It was time. Harry took a deep breath and opened the door to the Room of Requirement. Stepping in, he didn't see anything, or anyone for that matter at

all. He felt a small twinge of sadness, until the relieving voice of Draco broke the silence.

"You came."

"Of course I came. I said I would, didn't I?" Harry beamed, seeing the pointed outline of Draco's face.

"Yeah. So... what now?"

"What do you want to talk about?" Draco shrugged.

"I just wanted to be able to talk freely to you."

"You seemed fidgety earlier in Potions." Harry brought up the subject as best he could without accidentally hurting Draco.

"Oh. Right." Pause. "You know I didn't mean-"

"Relax! We can't look like we're friends in public, I get it. No apology needed." Harry smiled at Draco, whom sighed in relief.

"Okay. Thanks."

The night went on as Harry and Draco kept each other company, and soon they ran out of ideas and started quizzing each other.

"Favourite colour?"

"Red."

"Same. Gryffindor colours?"

"You know it. Why do you like red?"

"No idea."

"Favourite food?" Harry started the next question.

"This might sound weird but... Tomato soup."

"Really? Why?"

"House elves used to make it when I was sick, guess I got used to the taste."

"Neat, I like Treacle Tarts." Harry chuckled and shrugged.

"Have you tried the Chocolate Frog Cheesecake? I love it!"

"Maybe sweet tooth's run in everyone's family, then." Harry laughed. Draco laughed too, the mixed sounds filling the room. Their laughter slowly died

down, and Draco took on a forlorn look.

"I wish it could always be like this."

"Yeah. Wouldn't it be easier to just go out and talk on the grass?"

"'Course it would. But people like us tend to like the hard way better."

"Heh, no kidding. We could try and see if subtly being kinder to each other would be noticed... Maybe just talk without having to be rude."

"Keep dreaming, Harry, we're 'enemies for life' or something like that. We'll never be accepted as friends."

"Not even acquaintances?" Harry rested his head on his hand, leaning his elbow on his knee.

"Doubt it."

Then an odd thought crossed Harry's mind, it was confusing at first, but as he thought more about it the more hot his face became.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked, concerned.

"Fine. Just a really strange thought."

"Well, what was it? Spill the beans." Draco repositioned himself so he sat cross legged.

"Er- I'd rather not-"

"It's just us here. And it's not like I'm going to tell anyone. I - I actually care about your feelings, if you haven't noticed." Draco averted his eyes for a

second.

"Well, I just thought that maybe... What if we weren't just friends..? I - I dunno it's really stupid. Forget I said anything."

Draco smiled.

"It's not a bad idea. It's just a little more peculiar than most. I kind of like it, anyway."

"So you...?"

"Yeah. Weird, right? Turns out being in someone's head for a few days really turns your perspective around. Sorry for being such a jerk in earlier years."

"The past doesn't matter anymo-"

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?!" Draco rose from his seat, suddenly enraged. "After all the things I did! What I've said to you! To Ron and Hermione!"

"Is all behind us. It's okay to start new, you know." Harry surprised himself, and apparently Draco as well that he was so calm.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter."

"I was so-"

"Shut up! Just drop it, okay? I've done some rotten things to you and you don't see me blubbering about it!"

Draco went silent, and nodded.

"I'll just go, then."

"Wait." Harry stood, blocking Draco's way out.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I... I don't know, honestly." Harry half laughed. "Maybe your feelings have started to spread into me. That sounds cheesy, doesn't it?"

Draco smirked.

"Not as much as this." Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to Harry's. A warm fire danced in Harry's heart, soul, and the pit of his stomach. He felt

slightly nauseous, in a good way, and his very being throbbed in delight.

They broke apart, leaving Harry to still feel bouncy on the inside.

"I'll see you later. Maybe tomorrow?"

"I'd love to, but there's a DA meeting. The day after is perfect though." Harry responded, feeling slightly dazed, tracing his fingers over his lips.

"Sounds good. Bye, Harry." And he left soundlessly. With Harry still trying to comprehend what happened, he trekked back to Gryffindor Tower and into his bed still thinking the same thing over and over.

Do I love him? No, what would everyone think? But we could make it work... No, that's impossible... These thoughts were the very things that kept Harry awake the rest of the night, sleeping barely a wink. He woke the next day still thinking to himself, all the while preparing the next DA lesson.

Harry felt like time moved faster that day. Faster than it should. His classes breezed by, supper only took a second, and before he knew it he was going

over spells with the usual group. Things were going well, until a loud bang was heard. Bang. There it was again. The entire room had gone quiet. Then, with

the force if a hurricane, the wall blew apart, revealing Umbridge who was accompanied by Marietta Edgecomb, along with Crabbe and Goyle, and... Draco.

A boiling pot of anger threatened to spill over inside of Harry. Did Draco blurt out his secret? After what happened the previous night?! Looking into Draco's eyes, Harry saw no emotion whatsoever. No hurt, nothing even hinting to an 'I'm sorry'. Had he been betrayed?

7: Broken

Harry wasn't quite sure what to think anymore. He sat in the Room of Requirement, which had taken its normal form for when Draco would be here with him. The only difference was that he was not here, nor did Harry want him to be. Dumbledore was gone, the DA disbanded, and his newly budded relationship with Draco had withered into a pile of dust. So here he sat, curled in a beanbag, thinking of a way out of this mess. The thought of going to the Ministry of Magic found itself bouncing around in his noggin. It seemed ridiculous, the thought in general. But it might be his only hope. Their only hope. Ron, Hermione, Sirius...

A sound came from the entrance. Harry froze, his heartbeat quickening. The door opened a crack, and a boy slipped through.

"Why are you here?" Harry spat.

"I should ask you the same thing. It's too dangerous with this place so heavily guarded." Draco fell into the beanbag across from him.

"It was empty when I last peeked at it."

"I asked ol' Umbridge if I could be the sole guard for a few hours. Took the feed right from my hand."

"That doesn't mean we're still okay." Harry averted his eyes and stared hard at the ground.

"I know. Is it a crime that I wanted to see you again?"

"Actually, yes."

Draco sighed, sitting up in his seat. He twiddled his thumbs for at least a minute before answering.

"Look, I know you hate me. I'd do the same if that's what I assumed happened. It was the Edgecomb girl that sold you out, not me! I lied to keep this place safe, I tried to make you happy, I-" Draco gulped, unaware of Harry's widened eyes fixed on him. "I'm sorry. It hurts me to know that that's all I can say at this point, but I can't help it anymore! Bloody hell Harry! I love you!" His words echoed across the walls. Draco intensely stared Harry in the eyes, almost in tears. "Do you have any idea how I bloody feel? Or are you as stuck up as the others say?"

"But you're the one who looked at me with such a stony face I thought you lost all thought for me!" Harry raged. "I think the stuck up one here is you! You never gave a damn about me before, so why now?!"

"Things have changed, Harry. I'm not the guy I used to be! Hell, I learned to love my greatest rival! I was just too daft to realize how much I cared for you, okay?!" Draco snapped.

"Well... I... AGH!" Harry threw his hands in the air. Draco watched as Harry started to pace around the room.

"We can fix this." He pitched in.

"I just don't know how, Draco. You seemed pretty glad about trashing the DA."

"What else could I do?! Crabbe, Goyle, Umbridge... They can't know about us!"

"I know, Draco, I know. I can't tell Ron or Hermione about any of this either. It hurts not to." The boys sat in silence for a minute.

"Harry, can we try again? Please?" Draco pleaded.

"I- I guess." Harry blushed, making eye contact with Draco. Upon saying these words his entire face lit up like a firework display.

"Really? You have no idea what this means to me. You won't regret this." Draco stepped close to Harry and gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled, momentarily gazing into Harry's eyes, but turned and left. Harry felt his cheek, still thinking over the conversation. Could things really be the same? It could have been a simple misunderstanding, but Harry was still uncertain of what to think.

8: Switched Up Again?!

Harry yawned and stretched. He had an unusually good sleep the previous night, which seemed odd given the circumstances. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed that the room around him seemed... Different.

"Draco! We're going to be late, get up." Goyle called from nearby.

"Go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute." Harry felt his mouth move, but only Draco's voice filtered through. That's when he noticed his bed sheets were a nice shade of green and silver...

"Draco?! What's going on?" Harry panicked. Draco flinched. Peeking around the room, he made sure no one was eavesdropping.

"Harry what the devil is going on? I thought we resolved this days ago."

"It's not like I wished for this. Agh- it's so cramped in here, how did you deal with this?"

"Well someone told me not to complain."

"Guess so. Oh man, I feel bad for Ron. It might be difficult dragging my body out of bed." Draco scratched his head, and started changing.

"Er- what are you doing?"

"One of us has to look presentable. Besides, I had to watch you change." Harry shrugged in agreement. He couldn't help watching as Draco peeled his shirt off. He wasn't that bad of a looker, Harry thought. Wait, what was he thinking? Sure, he had subtle feelings for him but nothing that compelled him quite like this. And yet, his heart fluttered just thinking about them together.

"You seem nervous." Draco coughed. Harry felt himself flush.

"What makes you think that?" He cleared his throat.

"It just feels that way."

"You're very descriptive, Draco." Harry felt Draco smile as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Off we go then, Harry dear."

It was odd, sitting at the Slytherin table during breakfast. Draco nibbled at his bacon and eggs, shooting suspicious glances cross the room at random. He seemed more on edge with Harry inside of him, so Harry did his best to comfort the lad.

"Don't worry, Draco. Nothing happened when you were in my head."

"It's a lot more peculiar when the Boy who Lived suddenly falls into a coma verses some average Slytherin after a duel." Draco whispered under his breath. Harry had no choice but to agree to that thought, but he couldn't help retaliate to one of his points.

"An average Slytherin? If you were on a scale of average you would skyrocket out of there so fast it would be a miracle if you lingered there a second. So don't sulk about yourself so much." Harry's face beamed when he saw the traces of a smile on Draco's lips again. God, he just got a thrill each time he made that boy smile. It was like seeing a small child accomplish a great height, you just couldn't help but be proud of them.

"What's so funny, Draco?" Crabbe looked at him in confusion.

"Oh, just thought of a cruel way to dispose of Potter. Perhaps even all the filth here." Draco lied with ease, but Harry felt a twang of unrest in Draco's heart.

"Is that how it was? Feeling all the emotions I felt?" Harry lowered his voice, which really he had no need to. Draco nodded, barely moving his head. It must have been agonizing, having to suddenly deal with two sets of emotions. Harry vaguely wondered how did he feel right now? Hmm... The best answer he could think of was 'liberated'. But how did Draco feel? He was able to tell how he felt instantly, so shouldn't Harry be able to do the same? Harry concentrated every fibre of his body, and felt something- blue. Blue? How odd. But that colour blue filled Harry's mind with an emotion that felt so powerful it was like he had been hit in the face. Empty, inferior, abandoned? What made Draco feel this way? Hadn't they concluded their feud just the other night? Perhaps Harry read it wrong... Draco rose from his seat, as well as every other person in the Great Hall. Time for classes.

All through out the day Harry resisted the urge to ask Draco what was wrong. It was infuriating, being cooped up like this! At least he knew how he had felt last time. How long would this last now? Days? Months? No, his friends needed him now more than ever. And he needed them. Draco gritted his teeth, and Harry felt a new wave of hostility.

Class ended shortly after, and while Draco was walking through the halls, a glint of red caught Harry's eye. Ron, accompanied by Hermione passed by Draco, glum looks on their faces. When they caught his eye, Ron's anger was apparent through narrowed eyes, while Hermione simply looked devastated, yet threatening. Their looks caught Harry by surprise, he had never seen such resentment from either of them. But of course he would. He was stuck to Draco, his 'worst enemy'. Suddenly, Harry felt Draco jerk to the side and speed down the corridor. Ahead loomed the wall where the Room of Requirement was. Zabini stood tall, guarding.

"Draco? Don't you have a meeting with-"

"Move." He snarled.

"I can't allow anyone in, not even you." Zabini pushed Draco away from the wall. Instantly, Draco had him pinned against the wall.

"I'm going in, like it or not. It's your responsibility to keep this a secret." Draco's cold, grey eyes penetrated into Zabini's dark ones. Without bothering to wait for a reply, Draco let go of him and slipped through the now visible door.

"Do you have a problem with me, Harry?!" He snapped, pacing around the room. The room had changed into his and Draco's hangout room, but it seemed Draco had no intention to sit down.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard what you said, or, felt! Do you really miss your friends that much? Am I just a burden on you?!"

"What? Where is this coming from? You're anything but a burden!"

"Tch. And that wistful look you gave Hermione didn't mean anything!"

"It's just a shock to be placed in your head, okay?!"

"And you think it wasn't the same for me? I held it all in so you wouldn't be inconvenienced by my emotions! Honestly, I accidentally let a drop of me escape and you get all mushy like a bruised apple!"

"I've even concerned about you, Draco! What kind of a friend would I be if I pretended not to care?! You may not realize it, but I love you just as much as you love me, if not more!"

"That's rich, coming from Harry Potter, the greatest wizard of them all." He waved his hands around sarcastically.

"You know just as well as I do that I'm not a great wizard! Hell, you've had better ideas than I have when you were in my head! The spell thing, reading my emotions, bloody hell you're brilliant!"

Silence. Harry bit his lip, figuratively. Had he gone a little far?

"I'm sorry." Draco spoke quietly, more faint than he ha e'er heard him speak before. His voice was almost hoarse.

"Draco?" No response. Only an overwhelming sense of despair. "What's ailing you?" Harry asked again.

"I can't keep this a secret anymore. As soon as you're out of my head I'm telling every soul I can."

"What?! Draco, you know you can't do that! Everyone will shame you, you'll be picked on en after the end of Hogwarts!"

"I don't care. I love you." Harry fell silent, there was nothing he could do to convince Draco out of this. All he could do was wait until he was back in his body, however long that would take. Draco exited the Room of Requirement, dragging his feet on the ground. Zabini glared at him, but remained in place. He went through the rest of the day just sulking around, keeping to himself. When it came time for bed, Draco was the first to crawl in.

"Goodnight." Harry said.

"Sleep tight." Draco shut his eyes. Soon Harry fell asleep also, and didn't wake once through the night.

The morning dawned, and with it another long day. But this time, Harry saw a scarlet and gold bedspread, as well as the startled faces of the people around him.

9: It's All About Us

[HOLD UP ON YOUR READING FOLKS! I need to give this chapter some credit, actually, a HELL of a lot of credit to Grace Thernstrom. They saved me from the dreaded writers block and brought to you this chapter of AToF! LOVE THEM IMMENSELY! This is what I politely command you to do. And Grace, THANK YOU for your help, even though I've said it like it's going out of style I honestly would give you a hug if I could. Internet hug? Anyway, I had to get this little spiel out of my system, though I hope it's clear my gratitude is apparent. Enjoy this long-awaited chapter of AToF. Peace.]

"Bloody hell, Harry." Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

"How long was I out for?" Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, looking at the people who surrounded him. Ron, Seamus, Dean, and even Neville had grins spread across their faces.

"Just the one day. Gave us a scare though, mate." Seamus said. "Madam Pomfrey came to check on you, too. Said it was most likely exhaustion and that you should rest for the day. At lest you're back it action again!"
Exhaustion? Ha, if only they knew. Harry had only seen them just yesterday, the only difference was that he was looking through a separate pair of lenses.

"All right, we better stop buggering you. We'll be late for breakfast at this rate!" Rob clapped Harry on the shoulder and went to his normal business.

"Late for BREAKFAST?" Seamus questioned. "Is THAT more important to you than anything?"

"It is the most important meal of the day, Seamus." Ron snickered. Harry felt happy to be here again with his friends. It was great being with Malfoy for a bit, but all good things must come to an end. Rubbing his temples, Harry stretched out of bed and nearly toppled over when a frightened voice stole his attention.

"Harry, we screwed up again."

"How does this keep happening?! And why is it tending to be me more often than not?!" Harry paced around the Room of Requirement hours later. He had long forgotten his cushiony and rather comfortable bean bag that he usually squashed in, his brain racing from theory to theory.

"Maybe the effects of the duel are still stuck with us?" Harry furrowed his brow.

"This could all be a test of fate. We could be destined for each other!" Draco spoke sarcastically near Harry's right ear.

"Draco, this isn't the time for jokes! We have to figure something out now!"

"Bummer. I was going to tell everyone about us today, too. This really ruined my plans." Harry sighed, obviously Draco was in a sickly sort of mood today. Hopefully this didn't drag out.

"It would really be nice if I could have some input on this, Draco." He said coldly.

"Alright, alright I'll help! Er- were you thinking about me last night?"

"I was inside your head. It's a little hard not to. I mean, sure, I think of you often... Wait, what does this have to do anything with you being in my head again?!" Harry fired up again.

"Just curious." Harry felt as though Draco would have a playful smirk dancing across his face like a sly villain sneaking through the darkness. It not only irritated him, but it made Harry all the more intrigued about Draco, or even more drawn to him. He sighed. This guy sure was a lot of work.

"You're a lot more difficult than you think you are, you know. Heh, but I guess not as difficult as Ch-" He stopped himself. Unfortunately, Draco was nipping at his tail immediately.

"As who, Harry? Who am I not as difficult as?!" Harry gulped the lump in his throat, well aware that Draco already knew the answer.

"Cho. We've been over for longer than I've known you. Well, really known you, I should say. I-it was a long time ago, we shouldn't dwell on it."

"A long time ago? Oh, you mean last Christmas?! I saw you two at Madam Pudifoot's even on Valentines Day! Sickening..." Draco mumbled the last part.

"In case you didn't get the memo, we broke up on Valentines Day, when she started blubbering everywhere over her dead boyfriend." A wave of dread and regret washed over Harry as soon as the words left his mouth. He did like Cho at the time, and Cedric had been a great guy. What was he thinking, letting his lips run freely like that? It was downright disrespectful and he knew it.

"I- I'm sorry." Harry croaked, a dry taste in his mouth. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"It's okay. I, er, may have overreacted to the idea that you've been with someone else before. My fault, okay?"

"Right." Harry looked down, though he needn't have done so. He still was the only living being within the solitary walls of the Room of Requirement. But of course, it was quite the contrary when you have a two-for-one package.

"Ugh, and I was planning on spilling out our secret today, too!" Draco fumed.

"And what makes you so certain that's a good idea?"

"It has to come out eventually. I mean, we are together, aren't we?" Harry hesitated. "Yes."

"Doesn't sound like it." Draco shifted around uncomfortably.

"It's not that easy of a decision. But I do think we could give it a shot..." Harry finished. He felt Draco swell in joy.

"Sounds good."

By now, Draco had become a part of Harry's daily life. It befuddled Harry's mind, to think of the days he had wasted feuding with him. If only they had been friends at the beginning, things could have been different. They wouldn't have to hide their friendship, or in this case, their relationship. Harry sat in a red armchair later that night in Gryffindor Tower, catching up on the classes he had missed.

"You spelled Polyjuice wrong."

"No i di-" Looking a few words back, Draco was right. He grumbled, removing the extra 'L' he had added by accident.

"You seem in a resentful mood." Draco commented. "What's ailing you?"

"Just stress, I guess." Harry whispered under his breath.

"Hey," Draco started again. "You don't have a problem with me telling everyone when I'm back in my own body again, right?"

"Not particularly. Though I still think it's a bad idea. At least have me there for it, okay?"

"Fine by me. Thanks." Draco radiated an aura of happiness for a while after that, and even when Harry crawled into bed late at night his brightness hadn't dimmed at all. Perhaps he really was serious about them. Then again, so was he.

The morning dawned upon Harry and with it a shivering chill. Winter wasn't entirely gone just yet, he figured. An unusual amount of silence told him that Draco was, yet again, gone. He didn't expect it to happen this fast. Was he ready? There was only one way to find out. Harry gulped, pulling on his jumper and mustering up all the courage he had to walk to the Great Hall. Draco sat at his table with the other Slytherins. He made eye contact with Harry and smiled. But then he turned back to his food and continued to eat. Now wasn't the time, then. A smaller crowd would definitely be easier than the whole school, even though word would travel fast enough. So Harry waited, until the right time would show itself. Waiting, waiting...

"Something wrong, Harry?" Hermione gazed over at him worriedly.

"Er- I was up all last night finishing up my homework. Just a little weary." He smiled, telling her to disregard his actions, though she would soon know regardless of how tired Harry was. She nodded, taking a bite of buttery toast. Harry didn't bother to ask why Hermione wasn't as persistent as normal, but other thought swam across his mind instead.

Then came Potions class. The first class that Harry and Draco shared that morning. Harry could hardly hear Snape's lecture through his heart pounding louder than a drum. The class ended, and while students were filing out of the room, Harry saw Draco stand, looking nervous himself.

"Excuse me." He said, loud enough to grab the attention of the class. "I- I want to say something. About Potter." Harry could see how much he shook, the fear of falling over his shaky knees almost a reality. Everyone had their eyes glued to him, some on Harry. Clearly they all thought another fight would commence. Harry glanced over at Snape, who was pretending not to notice what was happening.

"I-"

"We're together now. No more fighting or feuds, no more duels. We've decided to stick together." Harry interrupted. People whizzed their heads from him to Draco, all equally confused. There were murmurs among the crowd. Harry caught a 'they must be joking' and a 'this is some sort of trick, I know it!'.

"He's not lying!" Draco blurted. "We're done with fighting! We're friends now! No, not just friends-"

"Ew, you're gay?" A Slytherin girl stuck her tongue out in disgust. Draco shrunk down, blushing furiously.

"Does it matter what sexual orientation we deem ourselves to be?!" Harry snapped. "I don't see anyone throwing you down because you just got back together with your boyfriend for the fifth time this week! So don't put anyone down just because they think differently than you do!" The girl cowered before Harry, wiping away a tear. She lingered for only a second longer before turning on her heel and dashing out of the class, sobbing.

"Anyone else want to go?!" Harry challenged, suddenly out of breath. None dared to speak, or even move for that matter. Harry shot a glare at the crowd, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike and went to Draco's side.

"Thanks, Harry." Draco croaked.

"Not a problem. Are you all right? You're shaking..." Draco gave a wobbly chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm just disappointed I couldn't say it myself. Maybe I am a coward after a-"

"Now you need to shut it and stop thinking like that. You've done a hell of a lot more braver things than I have."

"Harry, you've gone up against the Dark Lord five times and come out alive. You're famous for it."

"So? I don't nearly as much skill in patience or thinking of other peoples feelings like you. That's brave."

"Sure." Draco shook his head, collecting his books. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?" With a smile, Draco gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek and left. Luckily most of the class had withdrawn to their own groups by now and only a few saw this. Harry picked up his textbooks, and turned to leave. He caught the eye of Ron and Hermione, who both looked utterly shocked. Feeling his face grow hot again, Harry walked a little faster than normal out of the class.

Lunch came around and with it a new opportunity. Draco had invited him out to relax. And so they sat in the shade of the trees, just spending the time with one another.

"But honestly, thank you for pitching in back there. I don't think I would've made it out alive." Draco chortled.

"I had to have my own say, it couldn't be all one sided!" Harry grinned. It sure seemed easy, sitting with Draco now just hanging out together, like they always wanted to.

"Coming from the one who claims to be right all the time."

"What? No, that can't be right..." Harry scratched his head, causing Draco to laugh.

"Believe it or not you have your own faults too, Mr. Harry Potter."

"But I'm the Boy who Lived, I can do anything!" Harry snickered at his own joke alongside Draco.

"All joking aside," Draco said after their laughter had calmed down a bit. "How've Ron and Hermione taken this?"

"Er- they haven't talked to me since then." He dropped his gaze.

"Or you haven't talked to them. They're your friends, aren't they? They'll support you with this, even if they don't particularly like it."

"You're sure?" Harry asked, uncertain himself.

"Positive. Crabbe and Goyle have already accepted us. Well, maybe a little forcefully. They seem skeptical about it."

"At least they talk to you."

"Then talk to Ron and Hermione tonight! Get their say on this! Don't just muck and bugger around about it! Honestly, you're a lot more lazy without me to boss you around." Harry roller his eyes.

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll fill you in tomorrow then." Draco nodded in agreement, a cheerful smile present on his face. How unlike him, or, so it was before. Draco was a whole different person now that Harry actually knew him.

"So, er, how are you?" Harry stated later in the common room, both Ron and Hermione present.

"How ARE we? Bloody hell, I'm more disappointed than anythi-" Hermione shoved a hand over Ron's mouth irritably.

"What Ronald's trying to say is why didn't you mention this to us before? Harry, you know we're your friends."

"I just tensed up." Harry twiddled his thumbs.

"Honestly. Don't be afraid to tell us anything, alright? We're here for you."

"But bloody hell, Harry, how did you keep that all in-"

"Ron! Shut it!" Hermione hissed. Harry couldn't help but smile. Thank goodness they didn't shun him or something ridiculous like that. The inner joy of having his friends able to accept whom he loved was a valuable thing, and such Harry didn't plan to shatter that trust anytime soon or in the future at all for that matter. This could patch up all the negativity that had lurked between Draco, Ron, Hermione and himself ever since they met. That could be pushing it, but it was okay to dream of what could happen. Especially when the future looked bright.

10: Heartbreak and Summer Days

Harry twirled strands of spaghetti on his fork lazily, hardly batting an eye when he was surrounded by fellow Gryffindors. But he did glance up after a moment, and everyone wore the same pale expression.

"Ready?" Ron asked.

Harry gulped. "As I'll ever be." And so Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna set off for the Ministry of Magic. After trial and error a prophecy was revealed, declaring Harry to be the only one who could slay Voldemort. A battle rages on between Lucius Malfoy's Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Army. In a state of tension, Sirius Black, otherwise known as Harry's godfather, is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. The blood pumping in his veins, Harry chases after the madwoman, only to come face to face with Voldemort himself. However, Dumbledore shows up, flesh and bone, to defend Harry. An epic and spectacular duel begins. Though during this time Voldemort tries to overtake Harry's very own mind. Harry was barely able to resist, and as the Minister gazed Voldemort in the eye, he fled into the darkness.

"Harry. Harry. Speak to me." Harry blinked, the memory fading away, and was brought back to reality. Reality being a very worrisome pair of grey eyes, that is.

"Draco, hello."

"Don't you 'hello' me, Harry Potter! Why won't you tell me what happened at the Ministry? Please, I want to help." Harry scratched the back if his head. "I dunno, it's a touchy subject."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Exactly. We're in this together now, and I know you feel like crap. I only ask you tell me why, that's all." Harry took a deep breath.

"My godfather died." He stated, feeling the pain wash over him for the umpteenth time that day. Draco didn't seem to fully understand.

"Your, er, godfather?" He sat there with his head cocked to the side like a bird. "Were you two close?"

"You have no idea." Harry shook his head back and forth, brow furrowing.

"Well, anyway we should get going. It looks as though it's about to rain." No sooner after Draco uttered these words a crack of lightning promptly glowed in the distance. Everyone hurried inside, many pouting as the lovely day was submerged in a downpour. "Just another reason to be glum, huh?" Draco shrugged. Harry looked as stale as ever. "Harry," he sighed. "Just think, that Umbridge woman got sacked the other day! And... Summer is just around the corner! Stop being such a daisy!" Harry looked up.

"Another stay with the Dursely's."

"They can't be that bad." Harry snorted. "They put bars on my window in second year, Draco, bars."

"I stand corrected. At least you'll have me to watch over you. Hedwig will have a tough time keeping up with all the mail."

"I suppose." Harry drifted into his thoughts, more than he would've liked. Draco moaned in agony. "Come on. Where's the Harry I know?"

"Gone."

When what horrid atrocities arrived with the end of Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, also stayed with him as he traveled, once again, into the cruel hands of his Aunt and Uncle. He would've thought by now that Dumbledore would have stepped in and taken him to some wizarding orphanage or another thing of the sort. But no such luck greeted Harry with the freedom of a birds wing, so he felt more like a fish out of water than anything as he trudged into the all-too-familiar house. Dudley greeted him with a kinder eye than anything, perhaps he finally realized that magic wasn't so bad after all. After all, Harry did save his life. Or, rather, his soul. Seeing as there weren't many other options, Harry dragged his trunk up to the second bedroom up several booming steps (which Harry emphasized) all the while sorting out the emotions that still raged in his head.

Weeks, no, maybe even a couple months passed, and the dreadful feeling had done anything but leave. Time heals all wounds! They say. Time only made the pain increase tenfold for Harry. He got dozens of letters, most of which were Draco bothering him, and of how he wished Harry could stay at Malfoy Manor for the rest of the summer. Of course Draco knew that his father would rather die in cold blood than have the so called 'Chosen One' reside in his house of all places. Harry would always respond, no matter how dull he thought he sounded, with the same I wish that could happen, too. And then he would proceed to say about how when everything was settled, when they were both stronger men, that then they could make their own decisions and not be forbidden by petty rules. Though these letters from Malfoy clogged Hedwig's beak, Ron and Hermione always gave their best wishes- every week.

Harry had gotten quite used to the standard procedure he used whilst at the Dursely's, be quiet and pretend you don't exist. Easy enough. So it was quite the shocker when Albus Dumbledore sent him a letter, inscribing that he would arrive on Harry's doorstep that coming Friday at eleven p.m! He had read the letter over and over, a new hope rising in his chest. Counting down the days until Dumbledore would show up, Draco did the same when he found out.He's coming to see YOU?! You better file all these papers! Clean up, dress yourself nice! (P.S. Tell me what he wanted afterwards, I'll keep it secret ) The little heart he drew always made Harry smile. Even the smallest, most subtle of smiles.

"Good evening, you must me Mr. Dursely..." Dumbledore spoke from the threshold to a flustered Uncle Vernon. And then down the road Albus & Harry went, until Dumbledore mentioned they needed to apparate. Now, Harry, whom had never apparated before, thought nothing of it and complied. Needless to say it was a gut-wrenching experience. Literally. Who knew teleportation would feel like squeezing through a tube much too small to fit any human? Harry sure didn't. After the much unpleasant experience, Harry had the... pleasure of meeting the hopefully Professor Horace Slughorn, whom had taught his mother, Lily, when she went to Hogwarts. In the end, Horace agreed to teach at Hogwarts for another year. The Burrow was their next stop, where Harry was happily going to reside until the start of term. After the initial 'How have you been?' from Ron and Hermione, their conversation died out and had to be replaced with new subject matter.

"So... are you still with Malfoy?" Ron brought up the subject, staring hard at the floorboards, which had a very interesting bug crawling across it. At least it wasn't a spider, Harry thought.

"Yeah. We've been sending letters back and forth all summer." Harry sure had lightened up since reuniting with his friends, even more so, his family.

"Well, I'm happy that you've found someone you can be chipper with, even if it is Draco. Right, Ron?" Hermione starred daggers at him.

"I don't necessarily have to like him... Er- I'm still all right with it and all. But,Malfoy?" Ron shook his head in wonderment.

"It's not like I planned it out or anything." Harry shrugged, feeling himself turn slightly pink.

"No way, mate. I get that. But onto a more exciting topic, have you heard about the Chudley Canons...?" Ron smirked, bringing up his favourite Quidditch team again. With Hermione's sigh of 'Ron!' Harry truly knew he was home again.

"Come! Have some more, Harry."

"Mrs. Weasely, I've had fourths already..."

"Nonsense! You're a growing boy, eat up." This had become the normal dinner chatter between Harry and Mrs. Weasely. Her always wanting him to eat the entire house away while Harry was left slightly embarrassed. It was when a knock came from the door- almost inaudible- that interrupted their conversation. 'I'll get it!' Mrs. Weasely sang, abandoning Harry's already full plate of food. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was a lovely woman, that Mrs. Weasely, but could take it to the extremes when it came to feeding her children, and Harry especially.

"Harry." She called to him now, a concerned look on her face. "It's for you." Confused, Harry got up from his seat beside Ron, accidentally scraping the legs of the wooden chair on the floor, and went to see what the commotion was about. He gasped when he saw a boy dressed in torn clothes, dripping in what looked like blood as well as some other liquids Harry couldn't identify smile at him through riveting, grey eyes.

"Long time no see." Draco said, before collapsing right in front of him.

11: Patience

"Hand me that towel, Ginny!" Mrs. Weasely beckoned, tending to Malfoy's injuries. A trail of blood was spouting from a large gash on his forehead, and he had bloody cuts everywhere on his body. "Harry, could you pass the gauze?" Mrs. Weasely asked politely.

"Oh, of course." Harry did so, still staring at Draco's wounds. Who could've done such a thing? Harry wished he could say Voldemort, though he was in hiding at the moment. But that didn't mean he could strike... What about his father? Would Mr. Malfoy do such a thing to his only son just because he fell for a Gryffindor? Well, perhaps Harry's case was special. His family did seem to have something against him, and the Weasely's. Though Mr. Malfoy was stuck in his prejudice ways with Mr. Weasely's job occupation, loathing him for it. Maybe Mr. Malfoy couldn't stand the thought of his son mingling with the boy who took down his 'Lord' time and time again.

But that wasn't the matter at hand right now. Draco was bleeding fairly badly, which only worried Harry more.

"Harry," Harry looked up, into the comforting eyes of Mrs. Weasely. "He will be fine, just give him a little rest. It won't take long for me to finish wrapping him up. His wounds may look severe, but it's nothing to concern yourself over. Go, I'm sure Ron and Hermione need to chat with you. It's all right." She reassured him. Harry nodded, and with a final glance at Malfoy, he got up and left.

"Bloody hell he looked really ravaged..." Ron muttered.

"I can't help but feel bad for the guy... Oh, poor Harry. This must be an awful time for something like this to happen." Hermione shook her head sadly.

"Mrs. Weasely said he would be all right. He's all patched up and just needs rest." Harry interrupted the scene. Ron and Hermione both sat on a worn couch just outside the room where Malfoy lay. They had been deep in conversation when Harry arrived, but didn't look startled or vexed when he suddenly popped in.

"Really? That's a relief. Who do you think could have done such a thing?" Hermione smiled thankfully.

"I'd already started thinking the same thing myself. Voldemort is a possibility-"

"Didn't he just come out of a nasty duel with Dumbledore and you?" Ron interjected hastily. Harry gave him a look and continued. "Yes, but he could have easily sent someone to do his dirty work. This is Voldemort we're talking about. The other theory I thought of, and it pains me to think this, but what if Draco's father had something to do with this? No, he could have been the sole brains for this. If Draco let it slip that he's with the guy who warded off Voldemort for the past 5 years running, I think he might've lost it on him." Harry gulped, letting the notion sink inside them like fresh ink on paper.

"Would Lucius Malfoy really go that far?" Hermione questioned.

"I wouldn't put it past him. Look at what he did to Dobby."

"House elves are different, in their own sense." Ron frowned.

"This is why I started SPEW..." Hermione casually mentioned.

"Not the time, Hermione. But, those were the only things I could think of. Do you guys have any thoughts?" Harry left the floor to Ron and Hermione. A long silence ensued, in which both of his friends opened their mouths several times as to say something, but thought better of it.

"D'ya think he just got jumped?" Ron suggested. Harry shook his head. "That could be, but with his family all up with Voldemort I don't think anyone would dare touch him if they wanted to live. Death Eaters are out of the question, unless..." An idea struck Harry hard in the gut.

"Harry, you look pale. Are you all right?" Hermione knitted her eyebrows together in concern.

"Unless it was one of us."

"Do you really think either me or Ron would do that to Draco?"

"You punched him in the face in our third year." Harry pointed out. Hermione rolled her eyes. "That was different. He was still a daft bump on a log then. But now he means something to you, so... he's our friend too, whether we like it or not." Harry smiled. "Thanks, that means a lot. But it could have been anyone, really."

"Maybe we should actually ask him when he wakes up." Ron shrugged.

"Good place to start." Harry agreed, nodding. All they could really do was wait until Draco woke up.

A loud yell provoked the silence that had ensued, the voice causing Harry to perk up. That didn't take very long, he thought. Harry scurried to the room where Draco lay. Only, this time he wasn't anywhere near laying down. Instead he was swinging his arms around at Mrs. Weasely, who was trying to calm him down.

"Stop fretting! You'll reopen your wounds!" She sternly raised her voice.

"Get away from me! I don't even know who you are, or where I-" He looked to the side, finally noticing Harry. A wave of relief washed over him, it was evident on his face as his arms slowed, and he got up, walking towards Harry. And then he threw his arms around him. "Thank God..." He whispered.

"Good to see you too." Harry hugged him lightly. Upon letting go, Draco winced slightly. "Guess I should relax." He said. Harry laughed. "No kidding."

After the huge commotion, Draco had calmed down enough to sit in the living room on the couch opposite Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Mrs. Weasely had also quickly gotten over Draco's sudden reaction to her and treated him just as she did her own children.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?" She offered.

"Um... hot chocolate would be splendid, thank you." He thanked her gratefully. No sooner had he answered that Mrs. Weasely dashed off towards the kitchen, humming a sweet tune as she worked. Draco looked from Ron, to Harry, to Hermione, and back to Harry. He bit his lip awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"So, uh, your mother is really nice." He started off, twiddling his thumbs.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Ron mumbled. Mrs. Weasely stuck her head back in the living room. "Ronald! Be nice. Thank you, by the way, Draco." And then she was gone, the sound of a kettle being put onto the stove the only sign she was there.

"Draco," Harry began. He locked eyes with him. "I was wondering if you were able to remember anything from before. How did you become this badly wounded and, if your memory provides, who did it?" He smiled. "Guess you're the paparazzi now?" He continued on after no response. "I can't tell you who did it, they were wearing a mask, but I can tell you that they must have misplaced their wand. Took me by surprise with only a kitchen knife. Needless to say I freaked out, and started firing spell after spell at the bloke. They Apparated before any of them could have hit. I was bleeding pretty badly, as I'm sure you noticed, and I started to wander around. I was dazed, had no idea where I was going. But then I saw a light. Many lights, actually. I followed them, and it turned out that they were attached to this house. I needed help, from anyone. So I sucked up the guts and knocked on the door. Mrs. Weasely opened the door, and I asked if Harry Potter was there. I'd seen her around Diagon Alley sometimes, and thought maybe you might be staying with them. Luck shined on me, and then I passed out. Woke up in an unfamiliar room with a blurry person beside me. Sorry for lashing out earlier, by the way." He addressed Mrs. Weasely, who was holding four cups of hot chocolate in her hands.

"Not a problem! Here's the cocoa, everyone. Thought I'd make some more for the rest of you. I'll be upstairs delivering some refreshments to Ginny. Call if you need anything, okay?" She handed everyone a steaming cup filled to the brim of chocolate, topped up with whipping cream.

"You're the best, Mrs. Weasely." Harry thanked her as she handed him a mug. She blushed faintly. "I'll be off then." And with a smile, she was. Everyone sat there, just sipping their cocoa for a few minutes. Then Draco asked why Harry was even at the Burrow in the first place. Harry went into the explanation about how he had been at the Dursely's, and how Dumbledore took him over to see Horace Slughorn and how he would be teaching at Hogwarts that year. Draco nodded every so often, listening intently.

"I can't believe Apparating hurts that much." He shook his head in wonderment.

"I know," Harry sighed. "I prefer riding a broom, to be honest." Draco stuck his tongue out. "No, no, definitely not. I'll get used to being unnaturally squeezed through small things in no time." A low chuckle circled the group.

"Going back a few minutes earlier," Hermione said. "When you said that the culprit of this was wearing a mask, it wasn't a Death Eater's mask, was it?"

"No," Draco shook his head. "It wasn't. Just a simple, black masquerade mask. Whoever it was only wanted their identity sealed, I've never seen anyone else wear that kind of mask around town 'just because.'"

"Hmm..." Hermione trailed off in her own thoughts. "Well, it was good talking with you anyway. Then again, we'll have a bit of time more to talk yet, I'd imagine." She grinned behind her now half-empty mug.

"You don't want me to leave?" He asked, surprised.

"Not if you don't want to." Harry pitched in. "I thought you would've realized that you're welcome here."

"I guess he could stay, if he wants." Ron said. A warm smile spread itself across Draco's face, the kind of smile that radiated the gratitude and happiness he felt inside. "Thank you," He breathed. "You won't regret this."

12: Betrayal

Harry sleepily munched on his toast that next morning, feeling a slight bit of déjà-vu. Ron sat next to him, going on and on about how the ghoul in the attic had kept him up all night. Harry had long since given up on speaking and just nodded every so often when Ron would break long enough to take a breath. Several times Hermione tried to change the subject to something more... suitable, but Ron remained as adamant as ever. What was surprising to Harry was Draco, of all things. He clung to every word of the conversation, vigorously nodding and shoving food down his throat all the same. The only one who seemed a bit confused was Ginny, who didn't seem to get the memo.

"What's he doing here?" She had asked upon noticing Draco at the table that morning. Mrs. Weasely just gave her a stern look and said: "Now Ginny, be nice to our guest. It's only temporary, we're not going to force him to leave or do anything he doesn't wish to. Unless it's having seconds- eat up, dear!" Mrs. Weasely had even taken it upon herself to feed Draco as she did Harry every year. By dumping heaps of food onto his plate and muttering about how she thought he was 'underfed' or 'needed to be more plump'. Harry smiled in these moments, happy that at he wasn't the only one that Draco could connect with.

Later that day, Harry had come across Draco who was sitting in an armchair, face in his hands.

"Are you all right?" He asked, approaching him.

"Fine. Just thinking, is all." Harry's brow kneaded into a concerned look. "You know you can tell me anything that's on your mind, right? Even if it's about a painful crap you had to take I'll bear through it." That got a chuckle and grin to crack through Draco's stony face, giving life to the statue.

"That's disgusting! I'll make sure to fill you in as soon as I have one." He winked, and it was Harry's turn to snort in laughter. It felt good, to have that lightness in his chest, freeing his wings so that he could fly with everyone else. But all good things must come to an end, and that applied to this light feeling as well. A forlorn look crossed Draco's face, as if he wanted to say something. Harry questioned him about it, Draco replying as vague as ever.

"I want to tell you something,"

"So tell me, I'm right here."

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Stop being so equivocal and tell me!" Harry gritted his teeth, trying to get Draco to spill the beans. Draco simply shrugged, and said: "I'll tell you later." This only infuriated Harry more, but he took a deep breath and agreed.

"Okay."

Harry yawned, stretching out his arms and gazing at his surroundings. It was dark, as to be expected in the middle of the night. Ron snored from the other bed, deep in sleep. However, Harry had woken from a noise. Not a quiet noise, or one too loud to wake even Ron, but a regular little 'clang' from downstairs. At first Harry dismissed it as Mrs. Weasely dropping a pan or something of the sort, but that's when he noticed the time. Who would make a cup of tea at three in the morning?

So he decided to investigate, creeping around on the creaky floor as to not wake Ron, no matter how difficult that might be in the first place. He stepped down the windy staircase all the way down to the main floor. Looking around, nothing or no one was to be seen. Harry scratched his head. He could have sworn he heard something here. What a bother. He was just about to go back upstairs when he heard a familiar noise- again. Clang. Someone swore under their breath. There was no mistaking that he had definitely heard that. Harry tiptoed across the wooden floor, concealing his movements as much as he could. It was surely a surprise when he stumbled upon none other than Draco, who was picking up a pan that had fallen from his hands. Harry stood there for a good minute until he saw the grey eyes focus on him, and widen in surprise. Draco gasped, taken off-guard, and held the pan towards him threateningly.

"Who's there," Draco beckoned. "Show yourself!" Harry gulped, stepping closer to his partner. "Draco, it's me, Harry." He held up his hands in surrender. "May I ask why you have a frying pan with you? And what's with the bag?" He saw the pan lower, swinging to Draco's side.

"Harry," He breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing... Answer my question, please."

"I... I'm leaving. That's all there is to it." Harry's gaze shifted to the floor. "Why?" He simply asked.

"I have my reasons."

"Your wounds haven't healed yet!"

"See you at school."

"Draco! Hey, wait!" Harry stormed after him, into the ebony night. He ran to catch up with him, but Draco was fast. He skittered off and Apparated in a flash. Harry stopped in the spot Draco had vanished. Panting, he did a full 360, pleading in his mind that somehow he would still be there. No such luck. He let out an irritated yell, clenching his fist. His hollow voice echoed in the night.

Why? Why? Why did he just up and leave like that? Why didn't he say something? Why couldn't he have been more clarion with his words? And why did he just let him go? Well, Harry thought, he did try. It was only too late by the time he did. Harry sighed, tucking his legs into his chest. He had been sitting in the same armchair for what felt like hours, replaying the scene over and over again, thinking of all the ways it could have gone better. The worried faces of his friends often drifted in and out of sight, but none of them quite knew what to say. Harry had been rather quiet about the entire ordeal, and spared several details when asked about Draco the following morning, simply saying that he had left. Nothing more, nothing less. Time seemed to be almost non-existent, only showing her face at random occasions. Ron called Harry to dinner, breakfast, and to bed. Everything else was a blur. Although everyone's OWL's arrived, which sent a momentary jolt of excitement through him, but all was dull until the day came that Harry was to return to Hogwarts once more.

"Come on, cheer up mate! Think about the raspberry tarts and chicken we'll have tonight!" Ron attempted, his mouth seeming to water at the thought. They had all been on the Hogwarts train for a while now, and Ron had finally had enough of Harry's silence. Hermione hit him on the arm. "Honestly, food isn't everyone's haven, as much as it may be yours." Ron scowled. "I thought I'd help."

"It was a good try." Harry smiled weakly. Ron nodded, his eyes trailing to his knees. Hermione changed the subject, conversing about how they thought this year might look. This lead to all of them wondering how Slughorn planned to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, and new ways of annoying Snape. Soon enough, Harry excused himself from their compartment, and went to spy on Draco. He had a rising suspicion that he was getting more and more involved with the Death Eaters and even Lord Voldemort himself. Just to be safe, Harry dragged his invisibility cloak along, swishing it on as soon as he was out of sight. He was able to slip in through a thin gap of the sliding door left by another Slytherin that was walking by. It only took a few feet until he could see him. Draco. Just sitting with some of the other students. Pansy Parkinson had her head rested in his lap, the trace of a smile playing across her lips. Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle sat around them.

"I'm so glad you abandoned that Potter boy, Draco. He was such a bother. Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do..." Pansy cooed, winking at Draco. Harry felt a burning sensation spread through his body, scowling. Draco gulped, pulling his collar. "Abandon is a strong word, Pansy. Though I must say it's good to be back." The fire turned into melting ice, Harry's heart figuratively broke. Was that just the end of them? He had to get to the bottom of this. Harry climbed onto the railing that contained other luggage and waited. He didn't find out much, but his suspicions were only raised even higher than they ever had before. The time came when the train came to a halt, and a wave of dread washed over Harry. How was he going to get out? He didn't have to wait long, the only problem was that Draco decided to hang back. Harry held his breath, his eyes lingering on Draco's.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Draco's loud shout caused Harry to jump, but not for long as he was completely paralyzed. The cloak had partially slid off of him, and Draco whipped the rest of it off. He glared down at him menacingly. Without warning, Draco smashed his foot into Harry's face, crushing and breaking his nose. Harry wanted to scream, to move away, but his body was entirely immobile from the spell.

"That was from my father." He spat, swiftly turning on his heel and exited the compartment. Harry lay there for a while, thoughts racing through his mind. After a what felt like a good hour a familiar blur of pink hair loomed over his head, and suddenly he was able to move again. Harry blinked, looking at the witch who grinned before him.

"Heya, Harry." Tonks' wand was pointed at him.

13: Home

"Thanks for helbing me out." Harry spoke through his bloodied up nose.

Tonks waved away his thanks. "Don't worry about it. Besides, it's that Luna girl you should thank- she did help me out with finding you and all. Why would you lay under your invisibility cloak of all things on the train?"

"Er- dat wasn't really my choice," Harry fixed his gaze to the grassy ground that gleamed with fresh dew as they walked towards Hogwarts. "Dra- Malfoy cursed me...

And broke my dose." He dabbed at the remaining spots of blood with a napkin Luna had given him.

"Didn't Luna fix your nose?"

"Well, yes. It's judt a liddle difficult to talk."

"It'll wear off." She shrugged. "Ah, here we are. Don't get your knickers all in a twist and break something else. Catch ya later, Harry!" Tonks smiled, waving a hand before leaving Harry in the custody of- Snape. How wonderful. The tall, metal bars of the Hogwarts gate stood between them.

Snape smirked smugly. "Potter,"

"Sir," Harry shifted uneasily on his feet. The metallic gates opened just enough so that Harry could slip in through and come face to face with dark eyes and long, greasy hair.

"Come," Snape turned abruptly on his heel and gave a swift wave of his hand for Harry to follow. Harry hastily caught up, staring at the ground. After a few minutes of walking, Harry could hear the jolly voices inside of Hogwarts, all laughing and guffawing as usual. Only he was out here, away from all that cheeriness and warmth. He went to pull open the door handle as soon as he saw it, but was cut off by Snape.

"Potter," he said in a menacing tone. "Keep quiet. Don't attract attention." Snape slid into the castle before Harry did. With a confused shrug, Harry stepped into a room of familiarity. Down a small hallway he went, up the staircase and into a whole new light.

The Great Hall shone with its warm, vibrant colours, mimicking the feeling of a toasty fire. The start-of-the-year drapes were hung up, the four Hogwarts House emblems proudly displayed. Ravenclaw, the watchful hawk. Hufflepuff, the relaxed badger. Gryffindor, the roaring lion. Lastly, Slytherin's snake leered down upon the people seated at the long tables. And there sat Dra- Malfoy, right underneath the snake. He seemed to take no notice of Harry, which sent a small 'twang' in his heart. Harry looked elsewhere, to the loudest table by far. Fred and George were cracking up jokes again, and as Harry approached he even saw Seamus snort out some milk from his nose. Hermione spotted him first, her lips mouthing "Harry!" as her eyes widened. Ron turned and locked eyes with him, seeming a little surprised by the blood on his face.

"He's covered in blood again. Why is he always covered in blood?" Ginny commented from beside Hermione. Harry had gathered a bit of attention on his way over, but most of the eyes had peeled away from him by now.

"What happened, Harry?" Hermione urged before he had even sat down. Harry scooted into his seat, muttering loud enough for them to hear. "Malfoy." Ron and Hermione nodded, but still poked at the topic until Harry spilled the rest of the details.

"Unbelievable," Ron grunted, taking a bite of chicken. "I thought you two were, you know."

"So did I," Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry mate, there are plenty of candles in the sky. Surely one of them can handle you."

"My, you were almost poetic, Ron." Hermione mused, her eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. Before Ron could badger her about her comment, Dumbledore gathered the attention of the school.

"Attention everyone! I have a couple of announcements to make. First of all, you may have noticed that there is a stranger dining with us. It is my pleasure to introduce Professor Slughorn, who will be resuming his old post of teaching Potions. This means that Professor Snape shall be taking the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts into his own hands. Furthermore, the forest just beyond the castle is out of bounds..." He went on describing the usual routine of Hogwarts, rules and such.

"Potions?" Ron's mouth gaped open. "I thought Slughorn was supposed to be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

"Odd, why would Dumbledore let him do that?" Hermione seemed confused herself. Harry felt befuddled. The level of information he was taking in was already at a peak, and it had just jumped off a cliff. Everything he knew seemed clouded, or false. These thoughts kept on bothering Harry even when he took the usual staircase up to Gryffindor Tower. For a moment he wondered where Ron and Hermione had gone off to, but then remembered they had to attend to the first years, as a part of their Prefect duties. He sighed. The portrait of the Fat Lady seemed a bit welcoming, at least.

"Password?" she asked, just like every other time.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Harry scratched his head. The painting swung open, revealing the all-too-familiar common room that he had spent so many hours in before. There was the seat that he always sat in, doing homework or just chatting. A girl with brown pigtails occupied the seat, reading a thick book, so he didn't bother her. Not that he would have ordered her to get out of that seat even if he did want to sit down, anyway. That would be rude. Instead, Harry hopped up the steps to the boys' bedroom. Inside, he saw that all of his belongings were already beside his bed, Hedwig chattering loudly when he came in. He went up to her, stroking her beak and digging in his suitcase for any owl treats he might have left over. There seemed to be none. Harry cursed under his breath.

"Sorry, Hedwig. You'll have to wait until later." Hedwig chirped in slight annoyance, but shuffled herself into a sleeping position. She kept one of her eyes a sliver open though, watching Harry. Harry flopped on his bed, his mind racing. What was he going to do this year? Would Voldemort try and launch an attack again? Probably. Rolling over to where his clothes lay, Harry changed into his jumper and pajama pants. It was quite comfortable, he thought. Comfortable enough, he could fall asleep quite easily. And so he did, quite easily so. He didn't think about what was in store for him tomorrow, though. The future could remain a mystery for a while.

Okay, okay, I'm a little turd. I get lazy when writing. One sentence a month is okay, right? Not right. I'd like to keep more of these chapters going, but once again, I'm running out of ideas on how to continue this story. I have a small idea but it isn't big enough to run several chapters on it (aside from the entire Draco hating on Harry for no reason thing) so, if you want to suggest something, go for it. I'm up for suggestions. Not just on this story, either. Don't be afraid to talk to me either, I like talking. A lot. That's why these little notes get written faster than the actual story. Whoops. I'll keep that one to myself, locked away in a Mystery Dungeon... done! Wait, everyone has already started reading this? They're seeing my thoughts? They know where that thought is?! Well this has been quite the adventure. Bye, invisible people.

 

14: Felix Felicis

"Now, can anyone tell me what this potion does?" Professor Slughorn asked the class. Harry and Ron had just awkwardly stumbled in and fought over which book to borrow. Ron took the new one, while Harry somehow got stuck with a tattered old book. Luckily, Slughorn accepted them into his class all the same. Currently they were all looking at a sweet-smelling silvery potion bubbling in a cauldron. As to be expected, Hermione's hand shot up in the air. Slughorn called on her, and she beamed.

"That is Felix Felicis, a luck potion. It gives the bearer good luck for a limited time."

"Perfect," Slughorn smiled. "Ten points to Gryffindor! And this, ladies and gents, will be the prize for whomever can brew the best Draught of Living Death by the end of the period. Off to your cauldrons, now, impress me!" His eyes gleamed with excitement as everyone bustled to their seats and started to slice up ingredients. One in particular, the Sopophorous bean, was bouncing everywhere as people tried cutting it. Harry opened his own book, dodging beans, and gazed at several little notes scribbled in small handwriting. The first of which read "This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince". Harry repeated the name in his head. Half-Blood Prince? Perhaps a nickname that the previous owner used. Weird.

Nevertheless, Harry had to get started at some point on his potion, and flipped to the page indicated by Professor Slughorn. Similar to just about every other page, things were crossed out in the book and a note would take its place instead. Harry squinted to read the note, which stated "The Sopophorous bean should be crushed with a silver dagger, not cut, releases juices more efficiently." Harry considered the book for a moment, determining if it was wise to follow the scrawling of a student long gone. But curiosity gnawed at him, so Harry did as the Half-Blood Prince told. As he crushed the Sopophorous bean (trying to not let it bounce from under his blade), a puddle of juice spilled as the bean flattened onto the table. He added the juice into the concoction, and looked to see what the next set of instructions read.

Again, where it said "Stir seven times counterclockwise" in the book, another note read "clockwise once" right after. Daring to test the skill of the book again, Harry stirred his potion seven times anticlockwise, took a breath, and turned once clockwise. Before his eyes, Harry's potion changed into a shade of lilac. Amazed, Harry went through as much of the directions as he could (using the Prince's notes, of course) and when Professor Slughorn yelled "Stop!" his potion was the dark shade of death described in the book. Slughorn went around testing everyone's potions, and when he came to Harry's a smile spread across his face.

"Ahh," he said. Gently, he dropped a leaf into the venomous brew. It disintegrated into nothing upon touching the surface of the liquid.

"I think we have a winner here. I dare to say one drop could kill us all! Well done, Harry." Slughorn reached into his robe and handed Harry a small bottle of silvery liquid. "One bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised. Use it well." He dismissed the class then, Harry grinning proudly to himself, but he caught the eye of Hermione who seemed quite flustered and befuddled herself. Ron caught up to him, an amusing grin plastered onto his face. "How did you do that, mate?!" Harry averted his eyes from Hermione, and spoke with Ron instead.

"No idea." he said.

Later, Harry sat outside, his legs dangling off of a tree branch. He wasn't quite sure how he managed to get up there, but it was a nice way to get through the bit of homework he had been assigned that day. Charms, he told himself, an essay on how to properly conjure a Confundus Charm...

"Potter." An all too familiar voice beckoned. If the sinking feeling in his gut was right, he was in for a rough meeting.

"What is it?"

"Come down here, I want to talk."

"About what? Paralyzing me and smashing my face in? No, thank you." Harry heard shuffling below him, but kept his eyes glued to his paper.

"Harry-"

"Don't call me that anymore!" He snapped, his neck cracking from how fast his head turned to the blond boy below him. Malfoy's face turned to a sneer. "Why not? I can call you whatever I please!" he spat.

"Argh... What's with you?" Harry growled.

"I should ask you the same thing."

"What have I done to you?!"

"Forget it then, you wouldn't understand. Being 'The Boy Who Lived' must really be nice, huh? Tch, I wonder why I ever liked you in the first place." He spun on his heel and stomped away to the castle. Harry thought about going after him, but decided against it. All he would do was make more of a ruckus than necessary. He sighed, returning to his essay, which remained blank.

Now Harry sat in the Room of Requirement, twiddling his thumbs. The armchair was as comfortable as usual, but his body felt more like a rock than anything. The door creaked open, and Harry ceased moving, staring at the person who hastily closed the door.

"You're alone?" he asked the boy.

"Yes," Malfoy said, sitting in the chair adjacent to Harry. "I read the note you sent me. What's this all about?"
Harry gulped. "Why do you hate me all of a sudden?" Malfoy said nothing for a while, leaving Harry in the dark. Harry clenched his fists tighter. Finally, he spoke up.

"This again?"

"Malfoy, please-"

"Don't bother using sympathy with me. It will get you nowhere. Besides, I have...new friends. I don't need you."

"Malfoy...what's going on? You know you can tell me-" Harry had gotten out of his chair by now, a worrisome look caressing his face. Malfoy jumped out of his chair and backed away from him. "No. This is something I have to do on my own, so...piss off." He gave one last look at Harry, and disappeared through the door and out into the castle. Harry smashed his fist into the wall, which didn't help him very much overall. He rubbed his hand, regretting the hit, lost in his own thoughts about Malfoy.

Harry walked the corridors of Hogwarts, feeling slightly down. Ever since his last meeting with Malfoy, he had given up on trying to talk some sense to him. At least, for a while. He started to keep track of him, though. Every night he would check the Marauder's map and find those same footprints residing in the Slytherin common room. Malfoy didn't ever do anything overly suspicious, but Harry kept an eye on him anyway. Things didn't seem to be going good in any way for Malfoy, and a mixture of worry and curiosity drove Harry to find out what he was up to.

But Harry had been elated when Dumbledore himself requested that he come to his office later that night to start their first private lesson. Tonight, Harry pushed his thoughts of Draco aside, traveled to the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, spoke the password (Sherbert Lemon) and learned about things he thought he would never learn about Voldemort's past. As far back as when he was born, in fact. The sad story remained with Harry the rest of the night, and he fell asleep a little uneasily.

A/N: So, I know this chapter is mostly stuff that just happens in the book. But we gotta get that stuff out of the way, right? Right. And if you don't know about Voldemort's past, I encourage you to read the Harry Potter series. So in writing this fic, I'm assuming that most, if not all of you have read or seen the Harry Potter movies and/or books. So I'm not gonna go all into detail about that stuff, J.K Rowling does a better job than me. Shameless advertising. More Drarry in the next chapter, I think. Maybe. Honestly, I'm mostly making this up as I go.

 

15: Sectumsempra

This was Harry's chance! What he had been waiting for! He stalked Malfoy down the corridors, watching him go into the bathroom. He had been following him for quite a while now, but his heart hammered against his chest now that he was in the moment. He pushed away his thoughts and slipped into the bathroom.

An awful sobbing met his ears, and it didn't take long for Harry to put two and two together, especially when he saw the boy right in front of him, bent over a sink.

"Malfoy?" he whispered under his breath. The sobbing stopped abruptly, and Harry was met with a tear-soaked face. Malfoy's eyes were red with tears, his face wet and his expression shocked.

"What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed, a horrified look melding with the surprise.

"I-" Harry stuttered.

Malfoy fumbled in his pockets, his hands shaking, and pulled out his wand. "Stupefy!" he yelled. A red beam narrowly missed Harry's left ear as he ducked behind the bathroom stalls, his wand in his hand instinctively. Harry searched for Malfoy in between the cracks visible in the stalls. A pale grey eye met his, and Harry saw another crimson jet aimed for him. He dodged it, firing back another spell. "Expelliarmus!"

"You need to brush up on your skills, Potter." Malfoy sneered. "Those kinds of spells are weak! Stupefy!"

Harry swerved to the side.

"Then face me like a man if you're so sure!" he fired back, dashing into back to the open near the sinks. A second of silence, and then Malfoy stormed to the other side.

"Fine then." He fired a spell swiftly, part of the wall behind Harry crumbled. Harry retaliated, a sink bursting open from behind Malfoy. Back and forth they went, each missing by a hair. Finally, Harry became fed up with it.

"Sectumsempra!" he bellowed, the spell hitting Malfoy directly in the chest. He fell to the ground, and Harry felt triumphant. He slowly approached Malfoy, only to feel a sense of dread sink deep into his stomach like ice. Gashes, both large and small, were appearing on Malfoy. Blood oozed out of each of them, a puddle quickly forming underneath him.

"No..." Harry muttered, falling to his knees. Malfoy stared at him, his eyes wide and fearful. His breaths were short and gagged. Harry could only watch, his mind racing and his body frozen. He caught a brief glance of Snape, who's eyes flicked from Malfoy to Harry and began healing Malfoy's cuts at once. Harry backed away, bumping into the wall and falling onto the wet floor. Snape stood from Draco's body, turning to Harry.

"I'll be taking Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing. Stay here until I get back." And so he held Draco in his arms and rushed out of the bathroom, his cloak swiveling behind him. Harry sat there, his knees tucked into his chest, the ice feeling festering in his stomach had now spread into his chest. What had he done? The spell had said 'For Enemies' but he didn't imagine that it would be that...grotesque. Sectumsempra...

Harry leaned back in his armchair. The events of that day had stressed him out to the point of exhaustion. He told himself that he would visit Draco that following day, just to make sure he was okay. He had already overheard that matron and Snape conversing, and it sounded like he would make a full recovery. But that didn't mean that Harry had gotten off scot-free. Detentions for every Saturday until the end of the term, as Snape had assigned. Meaning he would also have to miss the next Quidditch match. Harry ran his hand through his hair. What was he going to do?

"Harry!" Hermione sat in the chair next to him. Harry looked up at her. "I heard what happened," she said. "It's awful...but I'm sorry to say that I told you so. We need to get rid of that book."

Harry nodded in agreement. That book had brought enough pain with it already.

Silent, broken, and all his fault. Harry sat beside Malfoy, concealed by the curtain that thankfully prevented any onlookers from giving him odd looks. Sure, they were both known to be together, but lately things had seemed the exact opposite. He hoped it would get better. Harry squeezed Draco's hand lightly, scared of hurting him any more than he already had. He also felt guilty, having kissed Ginny Weasely in the Room of Requirement earlier, when he had put the book away - for good. Would Draco hate him? Discriminate him? These feelings swam in Harry, befuddling his mind and excluding any positive thoughts from taking away his nerves.

The next morning, Harry woke up bleakly. A weight had permanently tied itself to Harry, dragging him down and making him a nervous wreck. The nightmares had woken him up earlier that night, but otherwise he had had a fair sleep.

"As much as I enjoy your presence, Potter, this is getting ridiculous."
Harry jumped out of his bed in fright. Luckily, no one else still sleeping seemed to notice. Harry made a note in his head that Ron had already gone down to breakfast. He slipped out of his dorm room, finding somewhere more private to talk. He settled for a corner invisible by the common eye.

"What. The bloody hell. Did you do?" Harry seethed.

"Like I said, this is ridiculous. I'd much rather be with Pansy right now, but here I am with you. Again." Draco sighed.
Harry bit his lip. "Pansy?"

"Parkinson. We're uh, a thing now, you could say."

"Oh."

The quiet disturbed the boys, one curled in a corner, the other wrapped up in the contents of the others mind. Harry finally got the courage to speak up.

"So I guess that means we're over?"

"That's a harsh way of putting it...but I suppose so. I heard a rumour in my travels to your brain that you and Ginny Weasely were all caught up in each other's faces."

Harry cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. That did happen. Sorry, I guess."

"Don't apologize, it gives the enemy a chance to take over. We weren't meant for each other anyway, it was all a fluke." Draco sounded defeated.

"We can still-"

"Be friends? No. Acquaintances, maybe. We will never be friends. It's just how it has to be."

"You're making it that way."

"Enough. You should go before you get weird looks."

Harry stood with a deflated heart, dragging his feet down the staircase and into the halls. The Great Hall, while luminous and heart-warming, had no joyful effect on him like usual. It was like a Dementor had come and robbed him of all his happiness, sucking it dry. He didn't know what he could do, or if it would change anything. But...this could also be another chance to patch up the scars of their previous fights. He scoffed. That's likely, he thought.

A/N: Here you go, you scumbags. Joking aside, this story has been neglected...again. I seem to have a talent of pulling this off. So, while I may have a vague idea of what to do next, I'll probably put it off forever. That being said, I would love to keep this story going, so don't think it's just going to suddenly disappear and then you'll die blah blah blah.

Thanks for the support, guys. :)

16: Kiss and Make Up

"For goodness sake, it's A - gwa - menti, not a - gwo - menti. I thought you were good at spells."

I'd be better without you, Harry thought bitterly. He lifted his wand and jabbed it at the bowl, striking a firm "Aquamenti!" and grinning to himself when the glass bowl suddenly filled itself to the brim with crystal clear water. It shined like a diamond, casting a small beacon of hope upon Harry.

"About time," Draco sighed. Well, that feeling could only last so long, anyway.

"I'd like to see you try," Harry muttered under his breath.

"What?" Ron lifted his head. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry," he said. "it's nothing.

The day proved to be long and tedious for Harry, the constant nagging of Malfoy not helping matters. And yet here he sat in the Room of Requirement, in an all too familiar armchair, talking to himself.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to stop nagging at me!" Harry said, rubbing his temples.

"It's not like anyone else can hear me. Besides, I helped you back in Charms! You should take that as a sign that I'm not trying to make your life hell."

"Oh, you're not, are you? My life was fine before we got a little too friendly. Better than fine! I have two amazing friends that care about me and a family with the Weasley's that give a damn about the real me!"

"Hey, I'm sure if my family was more accepting they would welcome you in like their own son." Malfoy sounded bitter.

"What the bloody hell would your family care about me? They work for Voldemort! The only thing they would do to me is hand me over to him and watch as I got killed!"

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said, trailing off.

"Then what, Malfoy?!" Harry snapped. "What's so wrong with your perfect, rich family?!" He was silent for a moment. Harry's anger began to seep away, but a diligent throb still existed in the back of his head.

"My father, he...he didn't accept me,"

"Accept you? For what?" Harry asked curtly.

"I thought that part would be obvious. He doesn't like that I went gay for you, and threatened to disown me, even throw me out on the streets. There were a bunch of yelling matches. Especially howlers." Harry calmed down, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

"What about your mom?" he asked, after a second of hesitation.

"Well, she sent me a letter in secret, see, saying that I should pretend to abide to my father's wishes for now. But she also said that I should just be myself, even if it meant losing his respect and being with you."

Harry scratched his head. "I didn't think I meant that much to you."

"Same here. I figured that you still hated me."

"It's a mixture of love and hate," Harry said. Draco chuckled.

"I suppose that's only natural." They sat in silence for a while, until Draco spoke up again.

"Can we call a truce?"

"Truce."

Hiccoughing Solution

This potion has the ability to make its drinker fraught with a case of Hiccoughs. Ingredients of this potion include...

Harry sighed. He hated his Potions essays. Unfortunately, Slughorn and Snape must have saw eye to eye when it came to assigning papers. He had to finish this one on the Hiccoughing Solution, and then start the explanation of Non-Verbal Spells for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Then again, he was in his N.E.W.T years now, so more homework was to be expected. That didn't mean that Harry necessarily wanted to do it, though.

Ron and Hermione were off in the library, or something. Now that he really thought about it, Harry couldn't quite remember where they had gone. But he really would enjoy their company, or anyone's company. He hadn't heard much from Draco since their fight/truce earlier, but just assumed that he wanted some alone time. Now he was starting to wonder if Draco was ignoring him.

"Harry, did you hear?" Hermione strolled through the common room, placing a pile of books on the table and crashing into the armchair opposite of Harry's.

"No, what happened?" he asked out of mild interest.

"Draco's been released from the hospital wing. He's out roaming the halls right now, probably getting some of the work he's fallen behind on." Harry looked up at her in surprise.

"I...erm, thanks, Hermione." He smiled, rolling up the paper that he had and half jogging out the door. Hermione sat there, relaxing and fondly smiling to herself.

Harry stalked the corridors of Hogwarts, eyes scanning back and forth for Draco. In a classroom, maybe? He walked by several classrooms, seeing him in none of them. Finally, he glanced in the Transfiguration classroom, assuming he wouldn't see Draco there either, but to his surprise, there he was, talking to Professor McGonagall. Harry waited, back pressed against the wall, for him to finished. Would things be as they were before the Sectumsempra incident? Would anything change? Harry bit his lip, anticipating Draco's arrival. In a matter of minutes, he walked out of the classroom and caught Harry's eye. He leaned against the wall beside him and smiled.

"So, I'm awake again," he said.

"Yeah," Harry breathed. "That took me a little off-guard. So, are we okay?"

"For now," Draco said, adjusting his books. "I am still with Pansy right now, but if anything were to ever happen, I'd consider going out with you again." Harry grinned.

"I think I'd like that."

"Looks like I was wrong, Potter," he said. "Maybe we can be friends for a while." Harry couldn't stop the everlasting grin from remaining on his face. This year, he felt, they had grown closer than ever before. He just hoped that next year at Hogwarts, things would turn up for him even more.

But, as with all things, Voldemort happened.

17: The Deathly Hallows

It had been weeks, even months since Harry had felt the warm touches of Hogwarts. Then again, Hogwarts was fresh out of anything humble or comforting. Ever since Dumbledore died, things had darkened not just there, but everywhere in the world. Even Diagon Alley, which had once been riddled with flurries of good witches and wizards was now a barren wasteland where anyone caught with their guard down was torn to shreds. Harry knew that he couldn't have gone back to Hogwarts in the first place for his final year. But he felt his heart break whenever he heard stories of what was happening. 

Death Eaters torturing students, other teachers unable to do a thing...it made his gut rot. So he, Ron, and Hermione set themselves to finding the rest of the Horcruxes and destroying them. This proved to be more difficult than they originally thought, what with challenging the Dark Lord and all.
Harry thought of Malfoy, no, Draco. He had probably succumbed to his father's wishes and joined the Death Eaters, or at least got special treatment. Or maybe he was rebelling, trying at last to set things right. Would the Death Eaters hurt him? If even one of them laid a finger on Draco...Harry shook the fierce thought from his head. There was no way he could be in pain right now, right? With the connections he has, it should be nearly impossible. Right? The image of Draco, barely alive and bathed in blood, flashed across his eyes. He jumped out of his skin, the scar of the image still in the back of his head. That wouldn't happen, he assured himself. Not while he was around.

Harry leaned his head against the snowy, oak tree. He had been sitting there for a while, among the trees and innocence of a white, winter day. Each falling flake seemed to drift in slow-motion, glimmering in the crystal light. He gazed over to where Hermione was, emerging from the yellowish-brown tent. Ron was probably inside, trying to keep warm. He watched her take strides to where he was. Today she wore a salmon knit hat, a pink scarf, a tight winter jacket, jeans, and a pair of snow-encrusted boots.

"Harry," she said, her breath like fire in the cool air. "can you come inside? It's time to switch the locket, anyway. We need to get moving and discuss our next move." Harry nodded, brushing off the back of his legs as he stood. His pants were a little soggy now, which annoyed him, but it was his own fault for sitting in the snow in the first place.

He walked inside the tent, and was happily greeted by a wave of warmth. As Harry made his way through the tent, which was much bigger on the inside, a prickling feeling seeped its way through his spine. Ron wasn't here. The crushing pain came back to Harry, as the full realization of what had happened came to light. Ron had left after a heated argument and Harry hadn't seen him since. How long had it been? In reality, it was only a day, but it felt like an eternity. The absence of his best friend took away the comforting feeling of the tent, and instead implanted a seed of regret and worry. Most of all, Harry was worried sick. It seemed there was no end to the internal horror he had to face.

His heart beat frantically inside of his chest, the tips of his fingers pulsating with fear and anticipation. Harry leaned against the cool, brick walls of Hogwarts and tried to calm himself down. Spells flew all around him, his classmates dropping like flies. The Battle of Hogwarts had begun. Barely dodging a killing curse aimed by his ear, Harry sprinted again through the crowd of Death Eaters and students, yelling "Stupefy!" over and over. Harry tried swallowing to moisten his dry throat, but each new horror he saw turned his mouth into sandpaper. He knew what he had to do, and found himself in a dilemma. Voldemort had called upon him to meet face to face in the Forbidden Forest, and to be quite frank, Harry wasn't ready. He knew he had no chance. But if no one tried to stop him, then nothing would happen.

Harry miraculously managed to slip outside with only a few scratches. He passed by the body of a young, blonde boy, his face still and eyes wide open. He couldn't bear to look at it any longer. Harry knelt down and closed the dead boy's eyes, his mind already made up. He would face Voldemort. Of course, he had to. Only he could stop this madness. Harry marched by Hagrid's hut, the memories of his home flooding back to him in an instant. Hagrid hatching a dragon egg, Norbert causing havoc, Ron burping up slugs, Cornelius Fudge sacking Hagrid, saving Buckbeak from execution, caring for Blast-Ended Skrewts, Umbridge sacking Hagrid for his half-giant blood, the hut in flames on the night of Dumbledore's death, and yet it was still standing. Harry's eyes welled up with tears. Visions of Hermione and Ron flashed in his mind. Sitting in the common room, avoiding death, whatever it was. He thought of Draco, who was most likely somewhere in the castle. Forced to take Voldemort's side with his parents. Harry knew that Draco would much rather be out of this war and not have to take the side of evil. He looked up to the giant trees of the Forbidden Forest, ready to accept his fate.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?!" Harry's eyes widened. He knew that voice better than anything. He turned around and saw the tear-stained, cold, grey orbs of the man he loved more than love itself.

"Draco," Harry breathed, cracking a smile in spite of everything.

"Answer me!" he demanded, eyes glowing with a fierceness Harry had never seen before. Harry gave a fake laugh.

"You know I have to do this. There's no one else who can stop Voldemort from taking over. I'm going to the Forbidden Forest to take him on."

"Harry, you can't! He'll kill you, I know it! It's not a fair fight!"

"It never was, Draco! I can at least say goodbye to you while I have the chance?" Draco fired up angrily. "There's no damn way I'm going to let you go out there when I bloody well know how it's going to end!" He grabbed Harry's hand tightly, his hand shaking and sweating. Harry wiped the tears from his eyes, shaking his head sadly. Draco's gaze fell to the grassy ground as he squeezed Harry's hand.

"Draco?" He lifted his gaze. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like a lifetime. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry felt himself press his lips against Draco's. His lips were cold, chapped, yet inviting. They held the kiss, each of them savouring the other. Harry could feel the tears running down Draco's face as they broke apart, and once he opened his eyes Harry wanted to cry as well. It broke him to see Draco this way. Draco turned away, embarrassed.

"Promise that you'll come back," he said, unable to conceal the tears any longer. "Promise you'll stay with me forever."

"Until the very end," Harry said, squeezing Draco's hand in reassurance. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Harry let go of Draco's hand for good, slowly sinking into the trees. Draco stared after him, a hand clenched against his heart.

Harry walked through the Forbidden Forest, the pattern of trees and dirt melding together in his mind. He had no clear path, his only goal to seek out Voldemort and finish things once and for all. After a brief chat with all of the people who had previously died, Harry felt the courage roaring in his chest like a lion, pushing him forward.

"Is the boy here yet?" he heard Bellatrix Lestrange say.

"He has but a few minutes to arrive," the cold voice of Voldemort ran like a chill through his spine. "Perhaps I was...mistaken." This was it. Harry emerged from the trees, coming into view for Voldemort and his followers to see.

"You weren't," he said.

"Harry? NO!" Hagrid yelled, tied up by rope and at wandpoint.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said. His cool voice flickering like fire. "the boy who lived." He said nothing, watching as Voldemort raised his wand. He wanted it to be over quickly, so that he didn't go back on his word. Please, he thought. Harry's piercing green eyes stared into Voldemort's curious red ones. He saw the mouth move, and a flash of green light, and the sudden appearance of a body before he shut his eyes. A second passed, and Harry realized that he wasn't dead. He slowly opened them, and almost vomited. The body that had suddenly appeared, the body that had jumped in front of him to take the killing blow...Narcissa Malfoy screamed, her face becoming wretched with tears. In front of Harry was none other than the one he loved, the body of Draco Malfoy.

18: King's Cross

Harry was stunned. He had no words. He couldn't even scream. The corpse of Draco Malfoy, the man he loved, lay at his feet, struck down by Voldemort. He wasn't the only surprised one - Bellatrix's mouth was agape, Hagrid had the same what-just-happened look, and all was quiet, aside from Narcissa Malfoy's sobbing. The woman knelt over the body of her son, weeping as she held his stone-cold face that was stuck in time. The tears were still shining on his face, his eyes shut tightly. Though his face had relaxed now, there was no doubt that he had been crying as he ran in. 

"How unexpected." Voldemort twirled his wand in between his fingers. Harry could barely hear him through his own thoughts, which were beating on themselves. Why was Draco here? Why did he do that? He's not really dead, right? RIGHT? PLEASE?! Harry's face filled with tears, and he let them flow. He crawled over to Draco's body, placing his hand on his heart. Nothing. He felt nothing. Draco Malfoy was dead.

"As I was saying," Voldemort continued, obviously unaffected by the tragic turn of events. "Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Come to die." Harry's emerald eyes angrily burned at Voldemort, hating every part, every cell of the being that was Voldemort. The anger surged through his blood like a raging fire, pumping adrenaline through his veins. Harry yelled out angrily, as Voldemort sent his final doom upon Harry.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry felt his world go black in an instant.

Harry lay in nothing. Slowly coming to his senses, and thankfully wishing clothes upon himself, he was able to see what was around him. Or, at least, the lack of. Harry squinted through the mist, noticing something small had concealed itself within it. As soon as he saw what it was, he recoiled back, afraid of the being that was there. And yet, he felt the urge to comfort it, help it somehow.

"You cannot help." Albus Dumbledore walked towards him with leisure. "And I would not advise that either. That is the part of Voldemort that was within you. It has died now."

"W-Wait," Harry said, trying to process this. "but you're dead."

"Yes,"

"Then I'm dead?"

"Not quite." Dumbledore stroked his long, silvery beard.

"But...But I let him kill me! Voldemort, I mean."

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "and I think that has made all the difference." There was silence for a moment, until Harry spoke up again.

"Where are we?" he said.

"Well I was going to ask you that," Dumbledore said. "Where do you think we are?" Where did he wish to be? An odd idea planted itself within Harry, and suddenly he was somewhere familiar.

"King's Cross." Dumbledore chuckled, gazing around him. "But, I must digress for a moment, Harry. There is someone you must see." They walked a little, and Harry noticed the familiar shape of someone sitting on a bench. The blonde hair became apparent, and even his absent, grey eyes were a welcome. Harry broke into a run, catching the boy's attention.

"Harry!" he said, astonished.

"Draco!" Harry ran into him, embracing him in a tight hug. "I thought you were-"

"Oh, but I am," Draco said. "But why are you...?"

"Voldemort," Harry explained simply. He looked back to Dumbledore. "What happens now?" Dumbledore stroked his beard.

"What indeed," he said. "I suppose you have a choice, Harry. A choice to stay here with Draco or to go back to the world of the living." Harry let go of Draco, still holding his hand. Draco nodded.

"Go back," he said. "You need to save them." Harry shook his head slowly. "But I couldn't. How could I ever live without you?"

"I think it's more important that the world is saved, Harry."

"I can't leave you,"

"You must,"

"I won't." Harry said firmly, grabbing both of Draco's hands tightly. "Sorry, Professor." he added, frowning at Dumbledore.

"You need not apologize, Harry. I'm sure that the world can take care of itself. Miracles are never impossible." Harry smiled and nodded, not letting go of Draco's hand.

"You don't have to stay," Draco said, shaking his head. "after all, the world needs its Chosen One."

"There isn't just me," Harry said. "and I did promise you, after all."

"Until the end?"

"Until the end."

Neville Longbottom stared death in the face. More specifically, his red, blazing eyes.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Stupefy!"

Their wands battled against each other, Voldemort's emitting a string of green energy, and Neville's bursting a red stream. He pushed hard, using all of his will, the fire blazing in his chest to persevere. Suddenly, it was over. Voldemort's wand flew high above his head, and all that was left of him was a shell of a man who had destroyed the lives of many. Neville stood there, stunned and amazed at what he had done. The world was saved. He held the Elder Wand in his hands now, the highest power of any wand. And much to his own surprise, he snapped it in half right then and there. He took one piece, walking towards the ledge, and threw it to the left, and the other to the right. Cheers burst all around him, as the people of Hogwarts rejoiced of their much deserved peace. Neville was hailed as a champion, as nervous and amazed as he was.

And at last, the people of Hogwarts could rest.

Nineteen Years Later

Harry and Draco sat together on the couch, cuddling and enjoying each others presence.

"Have you heard?" Draco said, leaning against Harry's chest. "The Weasely's are taking their kids to Hogwarts today."

"That time already?" Harry said. "Wow, the years go by quickly. Want to go watch again?"

"Of course," Draco said, stretching his back out. "We should be off, it's almost eleven." Harry took Draco's palm in his own, and the two flew across the skies together, the mystic views of the world as breathtaking as always. They came to King's Cross Station, and flew through the walls, glancing to see if they were on the correct platform. Sure enough, the platform nine and ten were there, as always, waiting for new and old witches and wizards to dash through it.

"Come on, Rose, Hugo, we'll miss the train!" Hermione ushered her children along, Ron at her heels. "Oh, I knew we should have left earlier! Ronald Weasely, I swear if we miss that train..."

"Relax, Hermione! The platform's right there!"

"Then let's go!" she said urgently, holding Rose's hand and slipping into platform nine and three quarters. Ron and Hugo followed seconds after. Harry and Draco smiled to themselves, flying in after them.

"Is that all of your luggage? Alright...I love you, honey." Hermione gave Hugo a tight squeeze.

"Come on, Ted, the train's about to leave!" Ginny said.

"I'm coming," Teddy Lupin could barely keep up after her, his turquoise hair bobbing as he went.

"Grown up quite a bit, haven't we?" Hermione commented upon noticing him.

"They made me prefect now, Mrs. Weasely." Teddy winked, showing her his badge as he stepped aboard the train.

"Hufflepuff will never know what they have coming." She chuckled, taking Ron's hand in her own. Harry and Draco couldn't help but grin as they watched everyone board.

"She's right - that Teddy has become quite the lad," Draco said, pointing over at the young boy who had now found a seat beside a cute-looking girl.

"Before we know it he'll be out of Hogwarts and out into the world." Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it's been nineteen years already.

"Don't worry, Harry." Draco said. "You know that we'll be there with them every step of the way."

"Of course we will," he agreed. "until the end."

"Until the end."