It all started when Harry Potter became good friends with Blaise Zabini.

Harry doesn't know how it happened or even why because blood hell - Blaise is a Slytherin! But he found his eleven year old self just wanting to make friends and Blaise and him were partnered up in Potions one day. Despite being a Slytherin, Blaise was pleasant. Harry started to hang out with Blaise just as much as he hung out with Ron.

Hanging out with Blaise meant hanging out with Draco Malfoy though and Harry and Draco don't get along at all.

For four years, all they ever did was fight.

They fought so much that when they started growing up, their fights turned physical. Most of the time it was Blaise that had to rip them apart but sometimes it was Ron.

Even though Harry did become very good friends with Blaise, Blaise really didn't get involved in the Philosophers Stone mystery or the Chamber of Secrets catastrophe. He didn't stray anywhere near a poster of Sirius Black, let alone help with saving the man. In year four, however, Blaise did help Harry a lot with the Triwizard Tournament because Blaise was really the only person who could make Harry do things that he would put off when Ron and Hermione couldn't even push him off his lazy arse.

And still, Harry and Draco only fought worse over the years.

Then came year five when Hermione and Harry formed the DA and Blaise forced Draco and Theo Nott to join with him. Draco had become Harry's partner every time it came to presenting a new spell to teach because Draco seemed to be the perfect opponent with all the hatred practically suffocating the two - the more power in the spell.

And that was when they started to get along.

After Christmas break, when Harry began to teach the Patronus Charm, he was almost always focused on Draco. Everyone, even Neville, had mastered the charm. Hermione's was an otter. Ron's was a terrier. Luna's was a rabbit. Blaise's was a panther. Neville's was a toad. Theo's was a king cobra and even Colin Creevey's was a lynx.

But Draco couldn't do it.

Harry caught sight of him sitting on one of the benches alongside the wall and started slowly making his way over. He weaved between the other students and smiled at whoever he made eye contact with. Blaise and Ron were laughing and making jokes, having fun with their patronuses and Harry grinned as he passed them. Hermione and Theo were smiling and talking quietly about school work no doubt while their patronuses were playfully fighting.

Harry was happy seeing that they were getting along well because honestly, he really likes Blaise and Theo. Ron and Hermione only came around halfway through last year when they realized that Blaise was helping Harry more then they could ever with the tournament. It took longer for Ron to get used to Blaise and Theo then Hermione, but eventually they became alright friends too. And with Blaise and Theo came Draco because those three were childhood friends and weren't planning on ending their friendship anytime soon. Theo is practically the guy version of Hermione with his short, wavy, light brown hair and chocolate eyes. He has a quiet voice and always has his nose in a book, although he lets his smarts show through assignments rather then answering every question during class. Theo quickly became better friends with Hermione then Harry and Ron, but neither minded to much. Ron would just roll his eyes at the two brainy teens and turn his attention to Harry and Blaise.

All through this, Draco remained quiet.

Either he kept quiet or he got into a fight with Ron and Harry.

But as Harry made his way across the large room to the blonde sitting on the bench with his head in his hands, Harry doesn't feel hate. Only curiosity. As he reaches Draco, he kneels down in front of him and furrows his brows.

"Given up, have you?" he asks quietly.

Quiet though he was, Draco still jumped as if Harry shouted in his ear. His hand's rip away from his face and he glares daggers at Harry.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco spits out his last name like it's poison.

"To know why you aren't trying to cast a patronus charm." Harry says bluntly, eyebrows raised and he nods once, defiantly. Almost like a silent challenge to Draco to try and deny him that he's given up.

Draco scoffs and drops his grey gaze to the wand on the floor in between his feet. Harry follows his gaze and picks up the discarded wand for him, handing it to him handle first. Draco takes it gently, teeth grinding together and Harry says; "Listen, I know we don't get along but a Patronus charm is important. Especially now that Voldemort - " Draco's left eye twitches " - is back. He can control Dementors and you'll never know when you'll turn a corner and find one. I know that accepting help from me, of all people, is 'discriminating' or whatever, so don't consider it help. Consider it, working alongside you. You know? Like a co-worker occasionally lending his partner a pen or parchment."

Draco stayed quiet for sometime, letting the sounds of laughter and murmurs of to many conversations at once rush over him. He toys with his wand and twists it in his fingers. The he looks up at Harry through his blonde lashes and sighs; "Fine."

Harry's eyes light up.

Almost as soon as Draco stands, the small ding rings out to indicate the end of the meeting and there's a series of harmonized groans. As everyone starts to file out one by one, saying good-bye to Harry and smiling at him, Harry holds onto the wrist of Draco. Draco had made a most to walk with Blaise and Theo when they had bid their good-byes but Harry would have non of it. When Ron and Hermione, the last two people left, walked out of the door, Harry turned to Draco.

"Shall we get started, then?" he let go of Draco's wrist long ago, and clapped both his hands together.

Draco frowned.

Harry told him to close his eyes and think of his most happiest memory. Some moment in his life when he felt most ecstatic and so happy that it felt like his face would split in two if he continued smiling like he did. Some moment in his life when the intense ecstatic feeling got so strong that it just turned everything inside him to warm content mush.

Harry could see Draco's eyes flickering back and forth under his eyelids, almost as if he were reading a book. A book chalk full of pictures of those memories, maybe?

Harry noticed that when Draco's eyes finally stopped moving, his shoulder's relaxed slightly.

Harry was standing behind him, just mere centimeters away from Draco's body. That was when Harry realized they were the same height - Harry's chin was at the exact level as Dracos, his mouth near his ear. When Draco's shoulder's relaxed slightly, Harry whispered; "Ready?"

Draco didn't jump. He didn't make a single move or noise or anything to indicate that he heard Harry. He only raised his wand, opened his eyes half-way, and whispered; "Expecto Patronum."

A light blue stream flickered out from his wand tip, and Draco groaned. He dropped his head backwards onto Harry's shoulder momentarily before leaning forward again and burying his head in his hands.

"Is there something bothering you?" Harry says quietly, not moving away from Draco.

"There always is."

"Even a moment ago, the way you felt before you attempted the charm?"

Draco dropped his hands and stared off into space, eyes glazing over, for a moment. It seemed a battle was going on in his head as he tried to think if there was anything nagging him. Then it dawned on him, and his eyes lit up and his eye brows furrowed and he whispered in a pained voice; "What will it look like?"

Harry frowned. It's true, though. Something so small like the form of your patronus can prevent you from being able to perform it. So Harry reassured Draco that it won't matter what it looks like, that it doesn't matter at all and it won't be anything pathetic like a turtle because Draco isn't a pathetic bloke.

That seemed to push the worry out his mind because with seven more tries, Draco finally managed a corporeal Patronus charm. His wand made a small exploding sound and what came galloping out of Draco's wand was a silvery stag.

Harry's jaw slackened and his lips formed a small 'o'

Still standing only centimeters behind the blonde, Harry raised his own wand slightly and whispered the incantation. His hot breath caressed Draco's ear, sending a shiver rolling down Draco's sine.

And out of Harry's wand galloped an equally handsome silver stag.

For a moment, both boys just stood and watched Harry's stag trot up to Draco's and nuzzle it's snout. The stag's antlers tangled and they made noises of contentment.

Without warning, or another coherent thought, Harry spun Draco around and pressed his lips against Draco's silk-soft pink ones. The stags flickered into nothingness as the boys lost concentration. Harry pulled away first, and his eyes bulged out of his head the second he realized what he just did.

In a blur of colors, Harry ran past Draco and out of the room.

Draco turned around, still slightly in a daze, and cast his Patronus once more. The stag trotted up to him, nuzzled his cheek and nudged him slightly.

Eventually, Draco went back to his dorm.

Three days went by without Harry. He didn't show up to classes or was anywhere near the Gryffindor tower. He wasn't in any bathrooms or secret passageways or anywhere Hermione and Blaise could think of. He wasn't around the lake, near the forest, at Hagrids or the greenhouses. He wasn't at the Quidditch pitch or the locker rooms or in the broomshed.

It took three days to find Harry in the hospital wing.

Blaise slammed opened the door and strode over to his bed. He stood at the end, raised an eyebrow, and started tapping his foot. Harry looked up from his lap and grinned sheepishly at the dark skinned man.

"Explain" demanded Blaise.

Harry clenched his teeth together tightly and averted his gaze, not saying a word. Blaise grabbed his chin roughly with his fingers and forced Harry's green gaze to meet his black one.

"Explain." he hissed.

Harry didn't hesitate. Terrified of what Blaise might do if he pisses him off any further, he said in a low whisper: "I am absolutely insane. I needed to be hospitalized. I mean, I kissed Draco! And liked it! I'd have to be out of my mind to like kissing Draco."

Blaise breathed heavily through his nose for a moment before he roughly let go of Harry and straightened his posture. Looking down his nose at Harry, he seethed; "Did you know how sick with worry Hermione, Ron, Theo and I all were when you missed three day's of classes?"

Harry didn't miss the way he left out Draco's name.

Harry smiled sheepishly again but as he went to reply, the school nurse, Poppy Pomfrey came bustling in. She held her dress up just a little but in one hand so she could walk faster. As she reached Blaise, she smiled and said lightly; "Oh good, you can take Potter out of here. There's really nothing wrong with him!"

Harry frowned at her, but Blaise dragged him out of there instantly and brought him straight to the Slytherin dungeons. He locked him in the same room as Draco and then went back downstairs to sit in front of the blazing fire. Draco and Harry were in there for an hour and a half. At first it was quiet, then they began yelling and arguing and the crashes were probably breaking objects. After the majority of the time wasted on screaming their hearts out at each other, it went silent again, and Blaise can't help but wonder whats going on up there.

It wasn't long after that that Draco and Harry started dated. They were together all hours of every day, acting like one of those love-sick couples you only see in the movies. They called each other 'Love' and 'Dear' and 'Darling' and Blaise still want's to know what went on in the room when he locked them in.

They were together for five months, 'til around the end of the year.

Until Harry fell into Voldemort's trap and landed him, Draco, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Blaise in the Department of Mysteries.

Draco's fathers eyes bulged out of his head when he saw Draco standing behind Harry, defiant and confident.

He was less impressed when his own son helped land him in Azkaban.

When they were back at Hogwart's for the last few weeks of school, Harry became distant and cold because of his godfathers death. Draco became distant, also - haunted by the fact that he had helped put his own father in wizards prison.

They stayed together, though, even when they were falling apart.

Until they eavesdropped on a conversation between Blaise and Hermione. Blaise was telling Hermione something relating to love, but they didn't catch the beginning of the conversation. They only caught a short snippet,

"You can't force yourself to love someone just because they're a good friend, Hermione." Blaise was saying.

"I know but he's just there and he's handsome and caring and it's what people expect." came Hermione's exasperated voice.

"But is it what you want? Does it make sense to you, loving someone who's more like a brother to you? Someone you argue with most of the time? Someone with different views on almost everything you believe in?"

Harry moved his emerald gaze slowly to Draco's silver one.

"No, it doesn't make sense at all."

Harry and Draco turned around and crept back down the corridor. They reached the wall to the Slytherin dorms and stood there, just watching each other.

Eventually, Harry broke the tense silence; "He's right."

Draco was too quick to reply; "He wasn't talking about us."

"But he's still right. I mean, who are we kidding? When we're alone, we argue so much."

Draco lowered his gaze. The only sound filling the corridor and dancing in the boys' ears was that o the muffed talking coming from inside the Slytheri common room. Harry took a step side-ways and leaned against the wall; "So this is it." he whispered, his voice carrying out all down the empty hall.

"It's mutual, though, right?" Draco asked, sounding defeated and looking up at Harry again.

"Of course."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief through his nose; "So, no trying to say who broke up with who and no water works to get a pity party or trying to turn friends against friends, right? And, we are going to stay friends, right?"

Harry grinned; "I promise."

Draco grinned back, and Harry's heart melted. He's really going to miss making Draco smile like that. Then Draco turned, whispered the password and they watched the wall in front of them morph into a doorway. Just as Draco was going to walk into the common room, Harry pushed off from the wall and said something they never told each other before; "I love you."

Draco turned around, searched Harry's green eyes for a moment before cupping his cheek, and kissing him oh-so-softly. He then whispered against Harry's red-rose lips; "I love you, too." and disappeared into the dim room hidden behind the stone wall.

Twenty year's later, Draco's patronus is still a stag.