Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters I'm just borrowing them and I'm not making any money from this.

Warnings: Ickle bit of swearing and general bad language, maybe some slash later on haven't decided yet.

Author's note: This is my first so be nice. Thanks for reading.


Although Harry was happy for his two best friends and wished them all the best in their relationship etc etc... it did get rather irritating when they sat next to each other in charms constantly giggling and chatting quietly together. Professor Flitwick hurrying up and down the rows of students, correcting their wand movements and pronunciation wasn't the most entertaining thing Harry had had to watch for an hour at a time. And so it came to this, Harry sat in between them in complete silence and tried in vain to get his piece of ribbon to tie itself neatly around the box, whilst Ron and Hermione made passing remarks to each other across him. Harry hadn't been the best conversationalist recently.

Harry looked up and Caught Malfoy's eye from across the room, Malfoy sniggered and the turned to Nott, no doubt to make some snide comment to him about Harry's hair or his glasses he thought, as he quickly turned away from Malfoy's smirk to Ron and Hermione.

"Bloody Malfoy," Harry muttered.

"Whats he gone and done now?" Ron said through gritted teeth as his ribbon twitched on the desk. "Oh this is too hard!" he fumed slamming his hand down on the desk making Harry jump.

"Feeling skittish, Potter?" sneered a voice from behind Harry making him jump again and choke on the words he was about to say to Ron.

Pansy sniggered when she saw this, "You'd think defeating the Dark Lord would've given you a little more courage, apparently not" Malfoy continued, "Perhaps you're better suited to Hufflepuff and it's all just been a big miss-understanding."

Harry rose quickly reaching for his wand that had rolled along the desk. Hermione snatched it up before Harry could get his hands on it.

"No Harry, stop it, I thought you'd got over all this stupid squabbling?" Hermione said holding Harry's wand out of reach as he dithered about whether to try and get his wand of just go for Malfoy with his bare hands. He quickly reassessed the situation noting that Malfoy's wand was gripped tightly in his right hand, not so brave either are you Malfoy Harry thought.

"Give me my wand, Hermione." Harry growled and Ron put his hand on his shoulder Harry shrugged it off.

"Calm down, mate, its just Malfoy." He said a little taken aback by Harry's behaviour.

"Yeah, bit of a short fuse today Potter, whats got your wand in a not, I'm sure it's something me and Panse would love to hear about and I'm sure we can find away to make all you troubles slip away" Malfoy said sarcastically.

"Yeah, along with his consciousness" Hermione muttered, "you won't try anything in front of a teacher, your to worried about your new found reputation as a deserter of the Death Eaters to do something as stupid as that." She said to Malfoy as she gestured to Flitwick who was talking to Lavender and Parvati about the homework nearby. Harry was shocked, he had never known Hermione to be so blunt. But, he supposed the war had changed all of them in different ways and no doubt Ron's attitude was starting to rub off on her as they were spending much more time together now. Hermione was still holding Harry's wand with a firm grip on the back of his shirt to stop him pouncing on Malfoy and beating him senseless,

"You try me, Granger." Hermione seemed to have stuck a nerve.

"Fuck off Malfoy" Ron said at least he hadn't called her a mudblood, he seemed to have grown out of that little habit.

"Language, Weasley" squeaked Flitwick, "five points from Gryffindor."

Malfoy sniggered, immediately dropping the threatening act and sauntered away picking up Nott and Pansy on his way out, "See you round Potter."

Harry shook Hermione off and started angrily shoving his books into his bags, accidentally knocking over Hermione's pile of neatly ribbon wrapped boxes and a couple of him and Ron's messier ones.

It seemed in their seventh year they missed some pretty simple magic that as it happens is crucial to them passing their NEWT's. So it was a mostly reluctant student body and a jubilant Harry, Ron and Hermione that returned for their eighth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

You'd think that their would be an overpopulation situation at hand. But unfortunately quite a lot more students than were originally thought to have died in the battle passed away soon after and parents were reluctant to part with their remaining children even though there was no doubt the Voldemort was completely gone for good. So under slightly less happy circumstances the five Gryffindor boys could return to their old dormitory and classes.

"What's gotten into you Harry," exclaimed Hermione, pulling Harry back to the present as the walked down the corridor back to Gryffindor common room, "I thought you and Malfoy were being civil now after the war, I mean he openly regretted all of that stuff and he's not been hexing random third years anymore, his grades have gone up dramatically, and you can tell that he's dropped most of that stupid blood status stuff..." said Hermione.

"Is this you ranting at Harry for snapping, or you trying to persuade us to be best buds with Draco Malfoy?" Ron said curling his lip at the name. "I know he regrets that stuff Hermione," said Ron taking her hand.

Harry subtly averted his gaze, every touch between them that Harry witnessed felt like he was eavesdropping on some secret that he wasn't supposed to be let in on. He felt positively guilty for not acting on that situation earlier, not to mention mightily left out when they went off to do their thing, whatever that was (Harry didn't like to think about it). Especially as he didn't have Ginny to occupy his free time anymore well he had mixed emotions on the topic, to say the least.

"But that doesn't stop him from being a complete dick head sometimes" Ron exclaimed, "you've got to give Harry a break, you know he's all stressed lately he has to let it out on someone. What with the absence of evil, dark wizards for him to defeat."

"Hey, I am here you know" said Harry indignantly.


"Alright you proved your point," Pansy Parkinson said tugging on Draco Malfoy's sleeve as he stalked out of the charms classroom.

"Oh! Because it wasn't already obvious that I didn't have a huge gay crush on 'saviour of the wizarding world' Harry Potter," Draco spat in a low voice as they passed a group of gossiping Hufflepuff girls. He didn't want this ridiculous rumour getting even more out of hand. "I just don't understand where Zabini got the idea from?!"

"Calm down, he was only messing with you. He just doesn't understand that it's a slightly more sensitive topic at the moment" Theo Nott chuckled from Draco's other side.

"Sensitive" Pansy stuttered half laughing, half shrinking away under Draco's glare, "More like a massive drama queen who doesn't know how to take a joke."

"I just thought that it would be easier than this what with father being in Azkaban and Aunt Bellatrix...gone," Draco said dropping his head, suddenly feeling completely defeated by the events of the day.

"I thought I could just tell everyone that I'm... what I feel about... what I am... and it would just be fine" Draco sighed, "I should have known better, you know, and I definitely should not have to you guys when Zabini was there."

"Hey he doesn't mean it you know, he's just teasing" said Pansy trying to comfort him.

"But why Potter, we were finally getting to be civil to one another after he went and saved my life" Draco grumbled, "and I have to go a ruin it by doing that and it's all his fault!"

"Hey! He's just having a laugh."

"I think you know why." Pansy and Theo said at the same time.

"Do I know?" Draco asked ignoring Pansy completely as the three of them turned a corner and descended a short flight of stairs into the dungeons that lead to Slytherin common room.

The stone walled corridors were cold and unwelcoming, especially in the current weather conditions. Despite it only being mid November, Hogwarts had been covered in a layer of snow for the last two weeks and the Slytherin's were far from happy about it. The dungeon floors were practically iced over and the students could see their breath clouding as they scuttled between their classes and the common room.

"Well" Theo said chuckling, "It's practically common knowledge that there was something going on between you two in sixth year."

"That wasn't anything romantic he cursed me in the bathroom, for merlin's sake, i still have the scars."

Draco winced at the memory , he didn't like to think about sixth year all to much and the hand he had played in the events that rolled out at the end of the year. Although, he couldn't pretend that at the time he didn't think that what he was doing was a good idea. He was just sick of everybody sucking up to Potter. He wanted to do something to hurt him, but that was also his, that he could be proud of. It wasn't his fault that he just happened to have some bad influences, who was he kidding, stop trying to make excuses, you were a dick in 6th year admit it, Draco thought.

"Draco, Draco!" Somebody clapped in his face and he looked up into Zabini's face from his favourite chair in the common room, one of two twin sofa's facing each other.

"What's wrong, lost in thought of your dreamboat of a second half, what was his name again Henry, no, Harry it was, that's what I heard"

"Oh grow up Zabini I haven't got time for this childish nonsense" Draco said pressing the balls of his hands into his eyes, wishing Zabini would just go away.

"Oh, that's not a denial I hear, did you meet up today, you're not arguing are you? Nah you probably met in a dark corner to get off away from the public eye" Zabini continued to taunt.

Draco practically growled as he reached for his wand pointing it at Zabini as he gathered up his bags and started heading towards the corridor that lead to the 8th year boys dorm.

"Alright too far, I get it, sorry Draco come back, I'll stop it now," Zabini called after him, "Draco come back."

"Draco where are you going?" Pansy called. Draco did growl this time but only quietly, Pansy couldn't help it that he was in one of his moods. So he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Finish the transfiguration questions and do the charms homework" He called nonchalantly, having lowered his wand, he didn't want the whole of Slytherin house to know that he was arguing with his friends.

Draco slammed his bag down on his bedside table. Kissing Potter, ludicrous, he thought. Those lips that so often uttered insults and hexes throughout their younger years pressed against his in a dark corner of the castle, people hurrying by but they remained unnoticed. Woah, okay too far Draco, think of what father would say.

Draco mentally scolded himself. He was determined to have his own thoughts now. The war was over and so were the years of him being prejudiced and persuaded by his father and Aunt Bellatrix. Even if that meant fantasising about Potter in his spare time...

Nope, definitely not. He would never fantasise about Potter. He turned to his charms homework in the hope that it would distract him from this distorted stream off consciousness.

It didn't work, Draco was determined to not talk to Zabini for at least till the end of the week. At least his infamous grudge holding was something he could be moderately proud of, now that his own thoughts had betrayed him.


Author's Note:

Hello, again this is my first story so be nice and any comments or advice would be muchly appreciated. Pointers, ideas or characters you would like me to include are also welcome.

Follow me on tumblr I post and re-blog lots of HP and other fandoms so go take a look. There's not much at the mo because I have just got a new account.

Thank you for taking the time to read it.