**FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF WORLDS APART, PLEASE VISIT MY PROFILE AND LOOK FOR THE TITLE "Worlds Apart – Original".**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I do, however, own Antonio… and there's nothing he can do about it.

So, I'm sure there is some confusion as to why another fic that I am writing has popped up with the same name as a fic that I have already written. Yes. You have guessed correctly.

I am rewriting Worlds Apart.

I am entirely aware that the published date says 2003 or whenever it was that this was published, so PLEASE DO NOT BUG ME ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT'S 2014 AND THERE'S NO CHAPTER 2. Look at this fic as essentially STARTING OVER. I wanted to do it this way so that people who were originally following Worlds Apart would get the updates for the rewrite. I just wanted to clear that up.

I'm not entirely sure what this adventure will hold for you all. Rest assured, I will do my best to stick with the story line I have already laid out, but…after having gone back and read what I wrote 6-9 years ago, I find the story rather…well…silly.

So! I am rewriting it not only to improve upon what I called 'prose' (apparently) when I was in high school, but to give the story line a more realistic flow, give the characters more depth, lengthen and restructure some chapters, and put some more friction in the relationships.

Also, I know I said I'd get this up last Friday, but as Murphy (in short, Murphy's Law) would have it, I actually had things to do at work on Friday, and then had a wedding to attend over the weekend. SO! 4 days late. Better late than never.

I do believe that any more blathering on my part is unnecessary! With that, please enjoy!

Rating: M …Why? Just read, baby.

Chapter 1

The room around them was nigh silent, the occasional gust of wind whistling through the stone, casting a cold draft through the room and wafting at the curtains. The astronomy tower was deserted save for the two boys inside, facing each other, green eyes glaring murder at silver from several feet away. This tower had long been abandoned; a layer of dust coated the random rugs, couches and desks that filled the room. For seven years since he'd come to this school, Draco had used this tower for this and that. He occasionally used it for practicing potions or curses, but more often than not, he used it for…other things.

Right now, one of those 'other things' was what he was using it for. He'd come up here for peace and quiet and discovered someone else sitting in his spot on the window ledge. Potter. The golden boy had been quick to get up and come to a defensive mood and they'd been fighting verbally now for about five minutes. They had to be quiet; it was almost two in the morning and it was well past curfew. If they were caught here, well… Detention was a sure thing.

"-Mudblood loving son of a-"

"That's it, Malfoy!"

Draco did not really see Harry move at all. All he knew was that a fist was in his stomach and he was back-peddling through the room. His lower back slammed against a desk behind him, and he sank a little, his arms moving to cover his abdomen while he fought to get his breath back.

"You're…going to regret that…Potter," he wheezed out before he sucked in a breath and pushed himself forward in a quick jerk. His hands came up and he curled them into the fabric of Harry's collar, shoving the other across the room and thrusting him against the wall. A hard punch landed to Harry's jaw. The surprise in those green eyes before Harry's head snapped to the side was beyond satisfactory when the golden boy felt the strength behind Draco's actions.

"You better finish what you started." Draco growled, his face lowering to his rival's in a taunting manner. His silver eyes were hard and cold, the green glaring back at him with molten heat, breath coming in pants from the sudden quick movements and the tense situation.

Then their lips crashed together in a bruising kiss, the action desperate and deep as Harry's hands came up to grip into Draco's sleeves. He tugged once and the cloak that Draco wore slid from his shoulders without hesitation. There wasn't a single thought about what was happening as Draco thrust his tongue past Harry's lips without permission, the slick muscles twining together and shining lightly in the moonlight as their lips parted for a quick breath between them and pressed together again.

Draco's hands left Harry's collar and slid down the fabric of the t-shirt that covered the golden boy's chest, his cloak catching on his arms at the elbows and then sliding off when he pulled his hands away. Harry reached down and gripped the blonde's hips, drawing him closer and forcing their groins together, allowing the friction to build between them as he ground his hips in circular motions over Draco's.

A shuddering, guttural moan sounded into the heated air around them.

"Malfoy…"

Draco's eyes snapped open, completely awake in a split second. He was sweating, his covers far too warm for the moment. He kicked them off and let out a hard breath when he felt the cooler air wrap around his body and caress his damp skin. The light of the new day outside filtered hazily through his window, the fifth floor having not been cleaned by the house elves in a while since he no longer occupied it as much as he had before school. Everything was as he'd left it before he'd gone to school last year. A king sized bed sat against one wall, a mahogany night stand sitting next to it, a glass of water and dog-eared book next to that on top of the surface. A large dresser and armoire flanked a door that led to his private bathroom. Two bookcases full of books and a high backed velvet chair for reading next to them sat on the opposite wall to the bathroom.

A shaking, pale hand lifted to his forehead to push his moist bangs from his forehead, silver eyes staring up to the green fabric canopy that hung above him.

What the fucking hell had that been?!

Draco's stomach turned as his eyes closed, feeling the hands over his hips, gripping them, pulling him closer. He could taste Harry on his lips and feel the other's tongue against his own. He could hear his heated breaths as they slipped past their open mouths and through his nose.

A shudder rocketed through his body.

A dream…no, a nightmare! Potter. Why would he ever, ever think of doing something like that with…him? The word was a sneer in his own mind as he pushed himself up and winced. He was hard. Not just hard…Incredibly hard. The tent in his emerald green silken boxers was easy enough to see, as was the darkened area where his arousal had stained the fabric.

A frustrated sound between a growl and a groan left his lips, and he swung his legs over the side of his bed. A shower was all he needed…A very cold shower.

A knock on the door made him jump slightly and he jerked the covers over his lap.

"What?" he snapped, cheeks flushed and hair disheveled as he looked to the door.

"Draco, one of the house elves told me that you are unwell. He heard you moaning as though you were sick."

Draco's cheeks turned several shades darker red and he grit his teeth together as his father, Lucius', voice sounded on the other side of the door. He'd been moaning out loud? How humiliating! Even more so because of who had caused the moans…

"I am perfectly fine. It was a nightmare."

The door handle rattled a couple of times and Draco jumped out of bed, ready to lunge forward and lock it. He could see the tent in his boxers without looking at it! He didn't need his father to come in and see him in this state.

"Why is your door locked, Draco?"

"I'm not decent, of course. I just woke up."

The door handle went still and there was an audible sigh on the other side of the door, to which Draco rolled his eyes.

"Make yourself decent and then come down for breakfast. Your mother and I will not wait much longer."

The sounds of Lucius' footsteps retreating made its way through the door and Draco waited until they faded completely before letting out a frustrated breath. Why were they waiting for him in the first place? Eating breakfast with them was horridly uncomfortable.

Even so, he went to his dresser and pulled out a set of clothing for the day, carrying them with him to his bathroom and setting them down on the marbled counter top. It was a large bathroom for one person, two sinks laid into the marble, opulent pure silver fixtures hovering over them. The mirrors were trimmed with dark wood, matching the cabinets below. A garden tub sat in one corner, the shower right next to it in a glass enclosure. Sometime during the last ten years, his parents had redone most of the bathrooms to meet modern standards.

He pulled his clothing off and let out a soft breath when the edge of his boxers caught on the head of his still throbbing erection.

"God dammit, why won't you go away?"

His bare body flexed as he kicked the boxers aside, lean muscles rolling below his pale skin. Thanks to Quidditch, he didn't need to work particularly hard to maintain a physically fit body. Just balancing on those brooms was a workout by itself.

He turned on the water to the shower as cold as he could get it, snapping a towel out from a standing cabinet in the corner of the room as he waited. What the hell had that dream meant? It could be that he'd been a whole summer without any kind of physical contact, and he was simply sexually frustrated. It wasn't necessarily that it was a guy he had been grinding on; it was well known through the houses that Draco Malfoy did not discriminate gender wise when it came to sexual partners. No. It was the fact that it had been Harry Fucking Potter he was grinding against.

The freezing water hit his skin without mercy as he stepped under it, the pale skin turning red as the cold liquid ran over him. Silver eyes squeezed closed and he let a hissing breath out from between his teeth as he leaned against the tiled wall behind him and waited. Any second now.

Malfoy…

The moaning, breathless word drifted through his mind and he winced. No. He was not going to fucking think about Potter while he waited. His fists clenched against the wall behind him and he forced other thoughts to his mind.

Granger…

Well shit, that wasn't helping. The know-it-all had gotten rather attractive over the past few years, even if she was still a Mudblood.

Severus.

Ah that was helping…Almost…Just a few more seconds.

Malfoy…

"Mother fucker!"

Draco jerked himself off of the wall and cranked the temperature of the water up to as hot as he could get it without blistering himself. This wasn't working. He'd just have to take care of it.

His hand wrapped around the hard, throbbing flesh and he squeezed, drawing a gasp from his lips at how sensitive he was already. His eyes closed and once again, glaring green eyes greeted him in his mind.

"God dammit."

His hand began to stroke regardless.

Books. Check. Robes. Check. Broom. Check. Wand. Check.

Green eyes slid down the list of items that Hermione had been so kind to send him of what he should bring for school, mentally checking off the list for the fourth time that day. If he forgot something that was on the list and Hermione found out about it, he would never hear the end of it. Really, she had done this for them every year. Harry didn't mind it. Ron found it a nuisance.

He let the list set down on his bed and gazed into the full trunk again. Everything on the list was in there…so why did it feel like he was forgetting something? Hedwig had gone out to hunt just several days ago and not returned, though he couldn't say he was particularly worried. She often went out for days at a time, returning only when she'd had her fill.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked around the room, lips puckering and pulling to the side as he tried to place what it was he thought he was missing. Well, if it wasn't on Hermione's list, he probably didn't need it anyway.

He reached forward and pulled the lid of the trunk down with a snap.

"KYAHHH!"

The scream pierced through the air and he just about jumped out of his skin. What in the hell…That was Aunt Petunia. His wand was out in a flash, heart pounding as he threw open the door to his bedroom and rushed down the stairs. There was a calamity downstairs; it sounded as though things were being knocked over and there was a scuffle.

An intruder? Here on Private Drive, that was nearly unheard of. Another scream reverberated through the house and Harry jumped down the last couple of steps to the first landing.

"Boy you get down here immediately!"

Vernon's shout followed the scream and then Harry paused. Oh. He was in trouble. Again. His eyes rolled. Whatever panic he felt for his Aunt died in an instant and he came down the stares with a frown, eyes searching to find his Aunt and Uncle.

"What did I do this time?"

Vernon spun around when he heard the voice at the stairs, his face red with anger and the effort it took to hold whatever was in his hands.

"I told you to keep this ruddy thing locked up!"

Locked up? Harry looked at the man's hands and then dashed forward in concern. The man had Hedwig clasped in his meaty fingers, squeezing her until she let out a shriek of pain.

"You'll hurt her!"

Upon hearing her master so close, Hedwig opened her beak and then brought it down hard on Vernon's hand, causing him to yelp with pain and retract his grip. The bird extended her wings and flew to Harry's shoulder, perching there and preening through her feathers.

"You will pay for this!" Vernon seethed, to which Harry lifted his chin.

"I'd like to see you try to get me back." Harry said in a light threat. Not like it was his fault that Hedwig had come in through a down stairs window. He let his hand reach up to stroke the bird's head lightly and then turned on heel, heading up the stairs again while Vernon's sputtering retort was lost behind him.

He didn't stop until he reached his room, and he closed the door behind him with a light click. Hedwig took off from his shoulder and landed on top of his trunk before lifting one wing and preening through the under side of it. Harry moved to sit down on the bed next to her, stroking her feathers lightly.

"Sorry, girl. I'd have hexed him if I could have."

Hedwig gave an appreciative hoot, pausing with her feathers and leaning into the touch to her head. Harry smiled at the affection and let out a light sigh, looking down to the bed. Well, he supposed he had the time to search through his room and find what it was he felt he was missing.

His hand slid down the feathers and his fingers trailed down one of her legs before he paused. His eyes snapped to the leg with a frown and then his head tilted. There was something attached to her. He shifted on the bed and reached forward to pull the rolled up parchment off of her, to which she gave another appreciative sound. Once it was free, she flew off to her cage, alighting on the perch inside and resting.

Harry frowned deeply and unrolled the parchment before unfolding it and glancing over the writing. His mouth dropped open. What….what the hell was this? It had to be some kind of a joke.

Potter-

Over the summer, I have had a chance to think over the past several years that you and I have spent at Hogwarts. It occurred to me that perhaps I have not been the most amicable of people toward you and your friends.

I would like to make amends for this, and perhaps, at the start of this new year, we can attempt to put our rivalry aside and spend at least this last year on better terms with one another.

I sincerely hope that you feel the same, but if not, I understand completely.

I will see you at Platform 9 ¾ regardless.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Harry stared at the letter with unabashed surprise and shock. Malfoy? A few seconds later, he began to laugh, the sound uneasy. There was no way this was from Malfoy. It had to be a joke. Surely he would have some of his goons waiting at the platform to take pictures and tease Harry for showing up. Besides, why the hell wait until their seventh year to send this? What an asshole. Seriously. There was no way it was real.

He rolled his eyes and crumbled up the letter into a ball, tossing it to the trash can where it bounced once and then lay still. He had other things to worry about. Now…what was he missing from his trunk? He picked up Hermione's list again, mentally checking things off with a frown.

No, it appeared he had everything. Harry gave a light sigh and then crossed his arms, the list still held between his fingers in a casual stance. Well, there was only one thing left to do.

He turned and headed toward his desk, opening the drawers and searching through for anything that might stand out as 'this is what was missing'. Harry's fingers ran over the items in a drawer, but he realized after a second that he wasn't actually looking through anything. His eyes were fixated on the trashcan.

His chest clenched in anxiety as he focused on that little ball of parchment in the can for a few seconds. Then he forced his eyes away with a shake of his head. It wasn't real. It was too weird. His eyes went back to the task at hand. Nothing in that drawer. He moved to the next one, finding that there was nothing in that one either.

He glanced back to the trashcan involuntarily, his eyes staying there again. But….what if it was real? Hell, even if it was real, it wasn't like he'd act on it. Malfoy was a git. He stood there with indecision for several seconds before giving a frustrated noise and moving to snatch the wad of parchment out of the trashcan. He unfolded it and smoothed it out, looking over the words again as he did so.

Even if he didn't want to give Malfoy that kind of satisfaction, he did want to know if this was real or not. He gazed at it for several seconds before his eyes hardened in resolve. He'd ask Malfoy about it when they got to the train. If Malfoy denied it, then fine. They could go on pretending like it never happened. If he said it was real, though….

Harry frowned a little to himself. He had no idea what to do if that happened. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it. He set the parchment down on his bed next to his bag and then turned to look through the room.

"AH!"

He moved to the dresser where his quill and ink lay, snatching them up and smiling. That was what he was missing. Problem solved.

A short beginning. Sorry for the lack of interaction between them, but there's LOTS MORE of that to come in the next couple of chapters, which will be longer. This was just intro. Hopefully this one is already looking better than the last one. I think it is.

I'm sure to come up with some kind of schedule here pretty soon, like a new chapter on the 1st and 15th of every month or something. I'll see what I can do. Like is mentioned in my profile, I'm a doctoral student who spends most of my time ignoring all of the sciencing I have to do, so that could either be very good or very bad.

Either way. Thanks for reading, and I hope to have the second chapter up relatively soon.