A/N: Hello! If you are reading this, that means you have decided to give my story a chance, and I thank you. This is my first ever Drarry fanfic. I'm not sure how good it is, but I hope you don't hate it. I haven't been able to edit it yet, so there are probably a lot of problems with it. I just was dead tired when I finished this, and am barely able to write this A/N. I'll probably fix it up tomorrow, if I have the time. If you see something that you think needs to be changed, please tell me. ^-^

Also, I have two different section breaks. The ~X~X~X~X~X~ one, is meant for changing time and POV. The ~X~O~X~O~X~ One is for only POV changes. Another thing, at the end, I have a general POV, so when I change from Potter to Harry, it's for a reason. If you're lost right now, don't worry, it'll make sense later, hopefully.

So, please tell me what you think! I was thinking about making a second chapter for this, and was wondering what you all think. If no one liked this, I won't bother, but if you did… I might. OH! And this was thought up after a Roleplay I do on Facebook, ( www. facebook DracoMalfoyidk?ref=hl (No spaces) ) and I must credit a friend of mine, who played Harry. I changed a lot of the dialogue, and added the whole end part, and the dream scene, but I still must thank him for giving me the idea. ^-^ So, thanks, Daniel! Now, enjoy! Or not! Let me know which one! :D

~DracoMalfoy456~


He rushed through the halls of the school, his robes billowing behind him, making sure no one was around to see him. As it was well after curfew, he thought no one, not even Filch or his evil cat were still up, but it didn't hurt to be careful. He checked his watch, and cursed, noticing he was late.

It was almost Christmas, and the Dark Lord was not pleased with his progress. For the past couple months, he had had to leave the school at 3 AM, to meet with one of the inner circle to discuss his progress, or lack thereof. As he looked at his watch, it said 2:55, meaning he had less than five minutes to leave the school, and find the tree where he met the Death Eater in the forest. He was almost at the door, when he turned a corner, and slammed into something, getting knocked to the ground. With a grunt, he noticed another figure on the ground across from him. A familiar figure.

"Potter, what the hell are you doing out at this time?" Draco spat, angry at having been delayed. He stands up, and glares at the boy on the ground.

"None of your business, Malfoy." The raven haired boy spat back, "What are you doing out?"

"None of your business, Potter." He mockingly replied. "You'd better go back to your beddy-bye, before you come across a teacher, or, I don't know, a prefect?" A twisted grin made its way onto his face, as he pulled his robe back to show his prefect badge he had over his right breast.

"Go to hell Malfoy." Potter spat, before walking back to the staircases.

Draco waited for a few minutes, straining his ears to pick up the slightest sound. After making sure no one was there, he slipped out the door towards the forest. He didn't notice the sound of a cloak as it passed over the ground.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Not Harry! Please… have mercy...Have mercy. Not Harry! Not Harry! Please— I'll do anything—"

Suddenly a bright green light flashed, and a body dropped as if in slow motion. Harry stood, transfixed on the body as it made it's slow descent.

"It's your fault." A voice whispered from the corner of the room, as the dead eyed body finally hit the ground. Turning, Harry looked into the darkness, but saw nothing.

"Who-who's there?" He asked, his wand out.

"You know who it is Harry. You killed me." The voice rasped. A few minutes passed as Harry tried in vain to see who it was. The voice was familiar, but he just couldn't figure out who it was. Finally, the owner of the voice came out of the shadows, and showed itself. Gasping, Harry saw the form of his Godfather, Sirius Black, but it looked nothing like the man he knew.

One eye was missing, the other bloodshot and blind. His skin was rotting and peeling off, his hair in clumps. In his hand held a glass ball, which Harry knew was the prophecy.

"You did this to me, Harry. You killed me," His Godfather rasped, taking a step forward. "If you'd just left it alone, I wouldn't have come after you, and I'd still be alive. You killed me."

"Why Harry, why?" Another voice whispered into his ear. Turning, he saw the still, pale face of Cedric Diggory, his eyes blank, and unseeing. "Why did you kill me?" He whispered again.

"I-I didn't… I didn't mean to." Harry stammered, taking a step away from the boy, but backing into another body.

"Yes you did Harry. You got us killed. You got us all killed." A third voice whispered, feminine this time. Turning once more, he found himself staring into the dead eyes of his best friends, Ron and Hermione.

"N-no! I-I didn't!" He insisted, panic on his face as he took in the pale, dead faces of his two best friends.

"You did Harry. You did." She whispered back, and suddenly the whole room was filled with dead faces, some rotting like Sirius, some with blank stares like Cedric and his friends.

"It's all your fault Harry. You killed us. It's all your fault." The all whispered, closing in on him. They kept repeating those words, each time getting louder and louder, until they were screaming the words, leaving Harry crying on the ground, insisting he didn't mean to.

Shooting up, Harry gasped for breath, his heart pounding from his nightmare. He'd been having the same nightmare for the past several months. Most night as he laid his head down, this mind would plague him with the guilt he felt from his Godfather's death, waking him up every time hours before morning. He knew he looked like shit from lack of sleep, so he made sure to cast a glamour charm before heading out each morning, but that didn't stop him from being tired constantly.

Sighing, he got up, and got on his shoes, seeing no point in staying bed when he knew he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep. Stuffing his invisibility cloak in his pocket, he left the tower. He didn't know why, but he never wore his cloak when he went on his nighttime strolls, but was sure he had it, just in case.

Heading down the stairs to the outside, he was deep in thought, thinking of his dreams, shivering at the vividness of them. He could still make out every detail from the dream. Since he was so deep in thought, he didn't hear the sound of feet hitting the ground until the person running had slammed into him, making him fall down hard, winding him.

It took him a few second to gain his bearings, just in time to hear a familiar voice.

"Potter, what the hell are you doing out at this time?" An angry, haughty voice spat, one Harry knew very well.

"None of your business, Malfoy." Harry spat. Great, just my luck. Running into Malfoy… wait, why the hell is he up? Harry thought, before saying curiously, "What are you doing out?"

"None of your business, Potter." He mockingly replied, making Harry itch to punch him in his smug face. "You'd better go back to your beddy-bye, before you come across a teacher, or, I don't know, a prefect?" A twisted grin made its way onto his face, as he pulled his robe back to show his prefect badge he had over his right breast.

Right then, Harry almost pulled out his wand to hex him, but stopped himself just in time, as an idea popped into his head. "Go to hell Malfoy." He spat, before walking away to the staircases, taking out his cloak once he was out of sight. He waited with bated breath as Malfoy continued to stand there; staring in the direction Harry had walked off to. After minutes that passed like hours, Malfoy seemed to think he was gone, and continue walking outside, towards the forest. Waiting until he was far enough away, Harry followed as silently as he could, not good enough at nonverbal spells to silence his footsteps.

He followed Malfoy into the forest, and passed countless trees. He almost got lost many times, but always was able to find the shining silver head of his enemy. Finally, after many minutes, Malfoy stopped by a nearly dead tree, and waited there for a second, until a chilling voice called out to him.

"You're late."

~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~

His blood froze as he heard the voice. He knew who it was, and knew that the Dark Lord must have been angry at him to send her. He raised his head, and looked where the voice had called, not seeing anything but shadow.

"I know. I apologize, I got held up." He replied as casually as he could, even though his heart was pounding, almost deafening him.

He could practically hear the sneer in her voice as she said, "See to it that it doesn't happen again. Now, are you any closer to finishing your task?"

"No, I need more time."

"More time? How much more time will you need?" The woman in the shadows asked.

"It's not that easy to do. I've made some progress though." Draco replied, looking confident.

"How much progress?"

"Well, it no longer looks like a dragon decided to use it as a scratching post, I'd say that's progress." Draco said in a drawl, looking at ease, despite the pounding of his heart.

The shadow took a step forward, so part of her face could be seen. Fury showed, as the woman spat, "How dare you use that tone on me, boy? You are only a Death Eater because of your father's mistakes, so respect your elders, or the Dark Lord will hear of your insolence. And you don't want that, now do you?" A twisted smirk appeared on the face of the deranged woman, making Draco shiver lightly in fear, his face paling to a sickly white.

"N-no ma'am." Draco replied, cursing his wavering voice.

"Good. Now, let's give you a taste of what will happen should you not complete your task, now shall we?" With that, the Death Eater took out her wand, and pointed it at Draco. Draco stood straight, his face a blank mask, as he heard the anticipated "Crucio!" and fell to the ground, flailing slightly as pain racked his body, but he refused to shout out. This continued for many minutes, until Draco finally let out a strangled cry, and the curse was lifted.

"Now, wasn't that fun?" The woman asked condescendingly, grinning at the sight of the boy at her feet. "So, do you remember why you are to finish your task? Or, do you need more reminding?"

"N-no Aunt Bella. I remember." He whispered, feeling exhausted.

"Good." Bellatrix Lestrange said, before cursing Draco again, making him scream at the unexpected attack. Several more minutes passed before the curse was lifted once again, leaving Draco panting on the ground, shaking from the pain. "That was for making me wait. We will meet in two weeks Draco, and if you aren't almost done by then, this will seem like nothing. Remember that, dear nephew." With that, she turned, and walked off, leaving Draco on the ground. A minute later a soft crack resounded in the forest, and all was quiet, except for the sound of soft crying coming from Draco, as the pain mixed with fear.

How the hell am I going to survive this year? I'm going to fail, and be tortured to death, Draco thought as his sobs grew slightly louder with his despair.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

He was frozen, as he heard her voice. The voice that would haunt the nightmares that weren't produced by his guilt. He stared as he watched the darkness, barely taking in a word that was being said as his hatred grew, consuming him, making him itch to draw his wand to kill that twisted woman who killed his Godfather. He was about to charge out there, wand drawn, when what she was saying to Malfoy caught up to him.

"…Death Eater because of your father's mistakes, so respect your elders, or the Dark Lord will hear of your insolence. And you don't want that, now do you?"

This made him freeze again, as he switched his gaze from where the insane witch stood, to the place his enemy stood, also frozen in place. The one thought that made its way through his head was; I was right.

After weeks, and months of telling his friends Malfoy was a Death Eater and having the idea shot down, here was the proof. Malfoy is a Death Eater. Harry thought in wonder, trying to process the information. Before he had a chance though, he saw the boy in question fall to the ground, flailing around.

Harry watched wide eyed as his nemesis flailed, not knowing what to do. On one hand, he knew he should help him out, even though he was a no good Death Eater, but on the other a very small part of him got a sick sense of pleasure as he watched his tormentor for years get hurt. When the torture ended, Harry let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

When the tortured started up a second time, Harry was still frozen, staring at Malfoy as he screamed in pain, seeing the tears falling down his face. He was transfixed, and by the time he snapped out of it, and remembered the fact he wanted to kill Bellatrix, she was gone, and Malfoy was left crying silently on the ground. After a few minutes of just watching him cry, Harry stepped out of his hiding place, and took off his cloak.

"What the hell was that about?" He asked in a dangerous voice, trying not to feel pity for the pathetic boy in front of him, reminding himself that this boy was a Death Eater.

He looked up in shock, and groaned at seeing Harry. "Of course, just my luck." He muttered. "What the hell are you doing here, Potter?" He spat, trying to sound angry, but only coming out as tired.

"Oh, you know, just checking up on my favorite Death Eater." He said with a sneer, trying to hold onto his anger, but feeling it deflate as he heard the tiredness in the boy's voice.

Malfoy lifted his head, and glared at him for a few moments, before closing his eyes in defeat, and laying back down. "So, what are you going to do, Potter? Turn me in? Send me to Azkaban?" He asked wearily.

"That depends, Malfoy. What is this little plan of yours?" He asked, his anger almost completely gone as he looked at the pitiful boy on the ground.

"Can't tell you Potter," Malfoy said, his eyes still closed, looking almost dead when he wasn't talking. It was that that finally made his anger disappear, and make him feel bad for Malfoy, his enemy, the one who had tormented him for years.

"You look like crap Malfoy," he finally said, his eyes soft with pity.

Malfoy lifted his head up, and glared at Harry, before saying with heavy sarcasm, "Oh, gee, I wonder why. Couldn't be the fact I was just under the torture curse, could it?"

"Well don't forget that it's your choice!" He snapped, feeling his anger rise at the sarcasm.

"Right, definitely my choice," He said in a bitter tone, closing his eyes once more, his face changing from an almost angry expression into a miserable expression, his forehead lined with worry lines, looking as if he was about to cry. Harry felt his heart tug as he saw the proud, emotionless boy he knew turn into this pathetic, terrified creature. Not knowing what to say, he stayed quiet.

"Do you know what they do to Death Eaters who fail the Dark Lord, Potter?" Malfoy asked minutes later, breaking the tense silence.

"No… what do they do?" He asked, feeling both curious, and apprehensive.

"They kill them." He said simply. "Or worse. They usually torture them first; break their minds, making them go mad. Then they use them as a lesson to all other Death Eaters, to let them know that failure is unacceptable. It can go on for weeks, maybe months, depending on what you did wrong." He frowned, eyes still closed. "That's what they're doing to my father. He never wanted this for me. Wanted to keep me away from the Dark Lord. I never knew why. I thought it would be a great honor, to serve Him," He paused, and scoffed, shaking his head, "Now I know why. But then, I didn't know. I gladly took the mark, thinking He knew my potential, knew I was better, powerful. I waited my whole life to be viewed as powerful, to know I was better. There had always been something wrong with me, something I needed to fix. But the Dark Lord, he knew I was special. I was the youngest, because I was the best," he paused again, as a tear rolled down his closed eyes. A moment later, he started talking again. "But I was a fool. I was only chosen because my father failed. I was my father's punishment. He had to watch as his only son marched to his death, as he failed the Dark Lord and was tortured into madness, and he'd have to know it was his fault."

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and looked up at Harry without seeing him, who was watching him with a transfixed expression, not knowing how to feel. "I'm not going to live passed this year." He said simply, as if he was talking about the weather.

Minutes passed in silence, before Harry managed to find his voice. "It doesn't have to be that way, you know," He whispered in a strangled voice, "You could… I don't know, talk to Dumbledore, he could help you."

Shaking his head emphatically, Malfoy said forcefully, "No, I can't go to Dumbledore, h-he'll kill me. Or send me to Azkaban." After he said that, his eyes cleared, and he looked straight at Harry, horror on his face as he sat up sharply, making him hiss lightly in pain. "Shit, I shouldn't have said any of that. Not to anyone, least of all you." He whispered to himself, as he pulled his hair lightly.

Harry watched as the boy had his mini breakdown awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The things Malfoy had said… He didn't know if he should feel sorry for him or not. On one hand, he admitted he wanted to be a Death Eater, that he had been proud to be one; but on the other, it was clear the boy didn't want to be one anymore. He was tempted to just leave, and go back to his nightmares, but knew he had to something, whether it be tell Dumbledore that Malfoy was a Death Eater, or to, Merlin forbid, comfort the panicked boy. Watching the now sobbing boy on the ground, he knew what he had to do.

~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~O~X~

How could he be so stupid? How could he tell his worst enemy his fears? He was a Malfoy! He was supposed to be emotionless! Not telling his darkest fears to his enemy, the one who would be the reason he'd soon be in Azkaban next to his father. Because there was no way Potter would let him go now, that he wouldn't turn him in. As he thought this, tears of fear and frustration rolling down his face.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He shouldn't be lying on the dirty forest floor, crying. He should be in his bed, sleeping, or planning what to do for Quidditch, having been made captain before he was forced to give up anything fun in his life. He shouldn't be fearing for his life for a madman. He didn't even see why the Mudblood's needed to be killed anymore. It all seemed so pointless, so childish. After hearing countless Mudbloods scream in pain over the summer, and seeing their scarlet blood pour from their wounds, he didn't see why they needed to die.

It was a few minutes later when he nearly jumped out of his skin as a tentative hand rested on his back. Lifting his head, he saw an embarrassed Potter kneeling awkwardly next to him.

"It's, uh, alright Malfoy." He stated awkwardly, patting his back once that was obviously meant to be a comforting motion. Draco just stared at him for a few moments, before bursting out in full out laughter, the kind that made you double over, with tears of mirth streaming down your face.

A minute or two passed before Draco was able to control his laughter, but once he saw Potter's bewildered expression, his laughter started once more. It took him several more minutes until he could stop, and finally talk.

"Potter, did you seriously just try to comfort me?" He asked with mild amusement.

"Well, I was just trying to be nice!" Potter said with exasperation, his face beet red. "I could just get you sent to Azkaban, so shut up. I've never been good with people who are crying, especially my enemy."

Draco just chuckled and shook his head, a small grin on his face, which disappeared slowly, making Harry feel a small pang inside him he didn't understand.

"Potter, are you going to tell anyone?" Draco asked seriously, staring straight at Harry, making him blush lightly.

"No. No, I won't." Harry said after a minute, sighing lightly. "But I can't let you do whatever it is Voldemort wants you to do."

"I told you Potter, I can't. You don't just leave the Dark Lord, let alone betray him, and if I do, He won't stop until I'm dead. He doesn't take deserters lightly. He uses them as an example. Shows the others what happens if you betray him. Remember what I said about people who fail him? What he does to them seems like child's play compared to what he does to deserters, and those who dare to betray him."

"But Dumbledore could protect you! Go to him, and tell him what you told me, and ask for protection, he'd protect you, I know it."

"And my mother? What about her? She's trapped in that godforsaken house with that monster, and if he finds I've decided to leave his ranks, he will torture and kill her, to hurt me. I can't let him do that. Don't you see Potter? I have no choice." He finished with a sigh, placing his head in his hands.

The next few minutes were filled with a tense silence, before Harry broke it.

"So. We're at a standstill here." He said almost bitterly.

"So it seems." Draco said coolly, "But just so you know… If I could, I would change sides. It's not like I have anything on my current side, only pain and groveling. And Malfoys don't grovel. And I'm not so sure I believe in what they do anymore. Father always said Mud-Muggleborns were scum, and deserved to die, but I just don't know anymore."

Another silence passed between them, but this one was almost companionable. The silence lasted until Draco stood up, inhaling sharply in pain. He looked down at Harry.

"Well, I suppose we should be getting back to the castle. It's almost sunrise, and Filch is up at dawn. Not all of us have invisibility cloaks." He said with a small smirk. Harry returned it as he stood, stretching lightly.

"It is pretty late… or early, depending on how you look at it. Shall we?" He asked, gesturing out in the wrong direction, causing Draco's smirk to widen.

"You're pointing in the wrong direction, dumbass."

"I knew that."

"Right." Draco said, chuckling lightly. He pointed in the right direction. "The school is that way, about ten minutes. Since you have no idea where to go, and would just get lost, you should follow me."

"Why? How do I know you won't lead me to danger?" Harry asked wearily, not sure if he should trust Malfoy, since this could all be a trick. An elaborate trick, but still.

Shaking his head, Malfoy replied, "You don't. But would you prefer to stay out here until you got eaten by one of the many creatures in here?"

Hesitating for a second, Harry conceded. "Alright, fine. But I'm curious… When did you stop becoming afraid of the forest? I remember a time you were terrified to step foot in here." Harry said with a chuckle, which turned into a snicker as he saw the blush on Draco's face ad they started walking in the right direction.

"Shut up Potter. I was eleven. My father always told me not to enter the forest at our manor as a boy, and that stuck with me, especially since I almost died by disobeying my father at age eight. Got lost, and this huge… thing almost ate me. If Father hadn't showed up when he did, I probably wouldn't be here."

"Shame." Harry said with a light smile. Draco shot him a quick glare.

"Shut up Potter."

"So, why did you disobey your father? I thought you always just did what he said, no questions asked, like a good boy?"

"Shut up Potter." Draco said more forcefully, but not angrily, which Harry took as a good sign.

"Come on Malfoy, you can tell me. It's not like I can tell anyone, since, you know, I'd then have to explain why I was out here with you in the first place."

Sighing, he looks over at Harry. "You really want to know? Fine. It's because I was in what I like to call my… Gryffindor phase." He said with a slight sneer. "I had read some stories about knights, and old protectors of the wizarding world, and wanted to be like them. I would do everything on my own, do stupid reckless things, and would constantly disobey my parents. It drove them nuts. I think I broke my arm five times, my legs 3 times each, and dislocated my shoulder countless times during that year, between my eighth and ninth birthday. Hurt like hell, but I thought it was worth it. However, that all stopped after the time in the forest. That finally scared me enough to be the good little Slytherin I am today, and I couldn't be more relieved." He shakes his head, and looks over at Harry, noticing him laughing to hard his face was turning purple, and had actually stopped about a few feet back to try and regain his breath. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, laugh it up. Prat." He muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets, his eyes downward.

"You have to admit it's pretty funny." Harry pointed out once he caught his breath.

"Glad to know you find humor in my pain and stupidity." Draco said, with a soft smile on his lips. "Anyway, we're here."

Harry looked up in surprise, and saw that the castle was indeed there. He hadn't been paying attention to the walking, paying more attention to Draco. And if that wasn't a frightening thought, I don't know what is…

"So we are." He said, shooting a side glance at Draco, who was looking back at him. Harry looked away quickly, with a light blush on his face, not knowing why the hell he kept blushing like a schoolgirl around Malfoy.

"Well, I must say, you're not as bad as I once would have thought Potter. You're actually decent… And if you tell anyone I said that, I will kill you." Draco said seriously, still staring at Harry.

"Don't worry Malfoy, if I told anyone that, I'd also have to tell them that I feel the same way. It's weird, seeing you act human. It's nice."

Nodding, Draco smirked. "Regretting your choice of turning down my friendship in first year, are you Potter?"

"You wish Malfoy." Harry scoffed, though he wasn't so sure. Talking with Malfoy had been easy, almost like talking with Ron. If only he'd been less of a git during their first meeting, who knew, they could have been friends.

"You're right." Draco said, jarring Harry out of his thoughts, as he stared slack-jawed at Draco. He shrugged. "Why do you think I asked you in the first place? Yeah, you'd help my status, like my father told me, but you seemed like a decent bloke to me. When you turned down my friendship, it shocked me. I'd been used to getting whatever I wanted, and suddenly, there was this boy who turned me down." Draco shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair. "It made me hate you, especially since you chose Weasley over me. I didn't get it. And then, you had the one thing I never had, and never really understood…" He trailed off, and blushed lightly.

"What's that, Malfoy?" Harry whispered, transfixed on what Draco was saying.

"Friendship. I had few friends during my childhood, staying alone in my room most of the day. I would see a few children once in a while, like Pansy, or Blaise, but was usually alone. I never understood friendship, having never had a friend. When I got to school, I had Crabbe and Goyle, who were never really my friends. Blaise was the closest thing I ever had to a friend, and he was usually quiet." He shrugged again. "You, Weasley, and Granger… You always seemed happy. And I didn't get it. It was something I had always wanted, yet never had." He smiled bitterly. "'Malfoy's are above friendship. They make acquaintances at best,' Father always said. But I wanted it. I always hated being alone."

When he finished, he just looked down, an embarrassed look on his face, as Harry just stared at him. Silence enclosed them again, as Harry struggled to find something to say.

"Wow Malfoy… I never would have imagined that." Harry finally managed to say.

Draco just shrugged in reply. "We should get inside now. The dawn is breaking, and I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

"Uh, yeah. Well, it was nice to talk to you, Malfoy. It was… weird, but enlightening."

"Yeah. Now, let us never talk about this, alright? As far as either of us are concerned, we never met up, and are oblivious to the non-prat like qualities of the other. Deal?" Draco said, holding his hand out to Harry.

"Deal," Harry replied, taking Draco's hand in his, and giving it a firm shake, ignoring the light tingles the touch produced. After holding on for a second longer than necessary, Draco let go, and gave Harry a large smirk.

"Now, get to bed before I take house points away from you, and give you detention with Filch."

Laughing lightly, Harry backed away with a grin. "Alright, Malfoy. See you around." With that, Harry turned, and left, the grin still on his face. Draco watched as he left, a bittersweet grin on his face. He looked down at his hand, which was still tingling lightly from Harry's touch. Shaking his head, he set off towards his dorm in the dungeons, making sure he didn't get caught by any professors.

Neither knew it at that moment, but something changed between them. The hatred they both felt for each other had twisted, and now seemed almost gone. It is truly amazing, the difference a night makes.

~Fin~

A/N: REMEMBER, PLEASE REVIEW! :D Also, I apologize for that last line. Remember, I'm tired.