A/n: Me to Me: It'll be a slow write. Me to me: *writes 10,000 words in two days* It be like that. (It's good to be back, muh dudes.) ~kiz

Warnings: 8th Year Drarry AU, EWE, Language, Lack of consent (very small kiss at the end, I will * it.)

Draco Malfoy/Harry James Potter.

Draco stood at the castle doors, hands on his hips as he glanced at his wrist watch for the tenth time.

"Let me guess," Blaise drawled, "it's not even noon yet?"

"Piss off, I'm going on without you." Draco sniffed, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket and heading off in front of them.

"That's not a good way to start a relationship, Drakey," Pansy called after him and Draco froze whipping around so quick it was a wonder he didn't fall over.

"Don't you dare start your shit with me, Parkinson."

Pansy merely rolled her eyes, fixing him with a look, "oh don't get your panties in a twist, Draco, it's only a joke."

"It's not a joke," Draco sneered, his voice dropping slightly, "so don't start with me, Parkinson."

"It'd be a lot more meaningful if I was actually scared of you."

Draco's face darkened in anger, his hands bunching in a tight fist in his pocket, "I'm not dealing with this."

"You can't do anything," she winked, a playful smile spread across her dark red painted lips, "plus Potter's here now," she nodded towards the path spotting Potter with Granger attached to his side. "You can calm down now."

Blaise grabbed Pansy by the arm, "would you just stop?"

"Ah," she waved him off, glancing over her shoulder Neville slid through the castle doors. "He'll get over it."

Harry and Hermione met the three Slytherin's just as Neville did, Hermione giving a fleeting glance at the three faces and she watched Neville slid his arm around Pansy's shoulder as a greeting, "Pansy," he started, bending to kiss her cheek, "ready for that drink?"

"More than ever."

Hermione arched an eyebrow in question, giving Harry a look but Harry didn't even notice. All he could notice was the hurt look Draco had on his face. Well more appropriately, the hurt look that was mirrored in his eyes. Eyes that only met Harry's for a short moment before he glanced away and turned on his heel leading them towards Hogsmead.

"Hey, I'm Blaise Zabini, not sure if we've met before?" Harry heard from behind him, having hurried after Draco, only halfway paying attention as he heard Hermione introduce herself in return.

"Uh, Malfoy," Harry said coming beside him, "you okay?"

"Fine, Potter." He snapped, his head forward as he walked ignoring everyone behind them.

Harry cleared his throat, letting out a quiet sigh and shoving his hands through his hair before taking his glasses off and dragging his hand down his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Tired," Harry answered honestly, putting his glasses back in place, "I spent the morning with Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione." He continued glancing down at the road they were walking on, "which is lately an exhausting feat, put that on top of an improper nights sleep well..."

Draco looked over at Harry, his pose softening slightly. It was weird to hear Potter being so open, but it was nice. It was real. It almost felt real, like he could just reach out and touch him. "What's with you and Weasley this year?

"I broke it off with Ginny."

"He wanted you to stay with her? Or he didn't want you to be gay?" Draco asked bluntly, stopping in his tracks and turning to face Harry head on. It was too real to let it slip away, he needed the answers. He needed to know. He wanted to know this wasn't some sick, long, twisted dream. This was real, this was all real. Harry Potter was right in front of him, talking to him.

Harry came to a stop a few steps in front of Draco, turning back to face him when he realized he had stopped walking. "I..."

"He doesn't know?"

"Well, I mean, he knows I like you. Now." Harry lifted a shoulder, "but he didn't know that's why I broke it off with her."

"Why did you break it off with her?"

Harry gave him a pleading look, the wind whipping against his messy hair and untucked jumper, he looked lost as he stared at Draco's unwavering, empty expression. "She didn't get me." He finally answered, his voice soft, "I was... Harry Potter, The Savior, The Golden Boy, the celebrity."

"You think I get you?" Draco asked, his voice matching in tone. He was shocked, this was not the confession he was expecting.

Harry laughed, his head falling back with it, "yeah, I think you do."

"Why's that?"

"I've never been Harry Potter to you, I've always just been... Harry."

"Or, Potter," Draco answered, having recovered. He heard the others approaching and he cleared his throat to compose himself, "you may buy me lunch, Potter, I like to sit in a booth and towards the wall."

"Uh," Harry nodded dumbly, feeling Draco's jacket brush against his shoulder as he walked by him, "yeah, of course."

Draco crossed his legs under the table, sitting up properly on the hard bench and grabbing his hot mug tightly. He was on edge, Pansy was driving him crazy with her incessant flirting, and Potter was doing his best to not be so openly uncomfortable. Hermione was whispering under her breath towards Harry and Blaise, who had pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the table.

Harry glanced over when he shifted, his eyes falling on Draco's hands wrapped around the mug. "Malfoy?"

"Mm?"

"Are you okay?" Harry asked quietly, softly, searching his eyes for anything. But nothing was given, Draco merely nodded and gave him a small, forced smile. "I mean, is there anything I can do?"

"Potter," Draco turned towards him slightly, his voice quiet and soft - lost in the noise of the bar. But Harry read it from his lips, his eyes focused. "I'd just like to go."

Harry started to get up, giving Hermione a small push on her shoulder, "hey, uh, we're gonna go."

"Oh, let me grab my jacket," Hermione whispered, getting to her feet and stepping around Blaise.

Draco kept the displeased noise to himself, standing up and putting his coat over his shoulders, "you two can stay, I think I'll manage the walk to Hogwarts on my own."

"Oh," Harry muttered, giving a quick nod. "Right, of course."

"Not disappointed are you, Potter?" Draco smirked, leaning in towards Harry with a wink. He could roll with the best of them, he knew what did it for guys like Potter. A little teasing, a little ego stroking and they were putty. Putty enough Draco could get away, blame it on a bad afternoon and ignore all of this like he should have done that morning.

"Uh, n-no." He answered quickly, stepping back. "I-I just thought you'd want company?"

"Not unless it's company to warm my bed," Draco answered smoothly following with a wink. C'mon Potter, turn me down and get flustered so I can leave and you never see me again.

A wink that had Harry blushing and breathing out a sigh, "right, uh, I'm sure you'll manage."

"That's what I thought," Draco smirked, giving a slight nod of his head before standing straight and turning to leave. "I'll see you later," he added before making his way to the door.

Hermione had retaken her seat and was listening to Neville who was laughing as he told Pansy and her a joke, Harry stared towards the door in question. "He gets like that when he's stressed out." Blaise chuckled, taking a drink from his Butter Beer.

"What do you mean?"

"Avoiding things, running off, wanting to be alone..." Blaise hummed, "well, anyway, he'll be okay. Before you two showed up he had a small argument with Pansy and he was surely reeling from that."

"Right," Harry glanced down at the table and before anyone could say anything else he left.

Suddenly it didn't feel comfortable being in the bed next to Harry Potter, it felt anything but. Usually listening to him toss and turn and mumble in his sleep put Draco at ease. This night was different. Potter was too quiet, but he was there. Draco had been staring at his closed canopy for the past hour. He knew he hadn't left.

Draco slipped out of his bed, grabbing his robe from the back of his desk chair and wrapping it around himself. With his wand in hand he chanced a glance under Potter's canopy, lifting the left corner and peeking in, there he laid. Eyes closed and breathing deeply, his mouth opened just slightly and a clutch on the blankets.

He stepped back, letting the canopy fall shut and grabbed his school bag, heading down to the joint commons.

Harry sat up pushing the cover back after the door shut behind Draco, getting to his feet quietly so he didn't wake Neville or Blaise. He hadn't been able to sleep, the only thing he could do was think about Draco. He could usually hear Draco studying, whispering the words as he read and the scratch of the quill on the paper and that always put him to sleep. He rested easy, he was sure he hadn't even been having nightmares anymore. He always woke up well rested and relaxed, Draco Malfoy - of all people - gave that to him.

Tonight was different, Draco was tucked behind his canopy, the steam of a fresh shower lingering in the room when Harry got back from dinner. A dinner that Malfoy had skipped, showered through and went to bed. He didn't come out all evening not while Neville and Blaise played a loud game of Wizarding Chess, and then when Pansy 'snuck' in a little after Blaise went to clean up, nor when Neville failed to put up a silencing charm around his bed and Blaise gave him and Pansy shit about it for an hour, at least.

Draco stayed silent and tucked away all night, until twenty minutes ago when his feet shuffled across the carpeted floor and peeked in on him.

Harry frowned to himself, flopping back on his bed trying to get some rest.

"Po-oooootter," Pansy's voice woke him, and a hand brushed through his hair. He scowled, pulling back peeking an eye open. "Good morning sleeping beauty." She was looking down at him, her dark hair wet and clinging to her cheeks as her bright red lips grinned down at him.

"What do you want?" He growled scooting back away from her.

"You to get up, silly," she laughed sitting on his mattress.

"Why, so you can take my bed again?" Harry retorted, laying back on his pillow and throwing an arm over his face.

Pansy laughed softly, using her wand to dry her hair and put it in place before she laid back next to him, "I always knew we'd be quick friends."

"We're not friends, you're just incessantly annoying and don't know how to leave people alone." Harry grunted, "don't you have a boyfriend to bother?"

"We're not dating," Pansy drawled, "how elementary of you, Potter. Are you a romantic at heart?"

"What the bloody hell do you want Parkinson?"

"Company," Pansy answered, "and you looked warm and comfortable plus Neville is playing chess with Drakey, so I came over to annoy you."

"What time is it?" Harry asked jolting up in question and glancing around the bedroom. Sure enough, Draco was sitting at Harry's desk which had been butted up against Neville's and they were playing a game of Wizarding Chess.

"Almost 12," Pansy answered quietly, "waking up finally?"

"I didn't sleep much last night," Harry said, laying back again, running his hands through his hair. "It's Sunday, so bugger off."

"Is he always so annoying in the morning?"

"Are you?"

Neville chuckled looking over them both, "oh, c'mon Harry, she's harmless."

"Yeah, I'm harmless," Pansy smiled, "I just want attention, Potter."

"Because you're lacking it, hm?" Harry rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh, "fine, what?"

"You shouldn't give in to her that easily," Draco said after a moment, looking over his shoulder at them. His eyes fell on Pansy and with a quiet tut, he turned away, shaking his head.

"Tell me one of you Harry Potter stories," she asked, looking up at him.

Harry scowled down at her, "I don't have any stories, Parkinson."

"You do, and I want to hear one." She pouted, crossing her arms against her small waist. "Tell me something about the good 'ole days."

Harry snorted, "missed out on all the fun? Want to put yourself in my shoes?"

"Ooo," Pansy's lips turned up in a shocked smile, "I like when you get all feisty, Potter, it's a turn on."

"Pansy, leave the man alone." Draco snapped without looking away from the board, no one seemed bothered by the exchange. It was almost like they were all friends.

Pansy laughed quietly turning towards Harry on the bed. "So, a story?"

"Are you serious?"

"I want to get to know you better, Potter." She rolled her eyes, "you're not half bad, on the eyes and otherwise. And I happen to be quite into Neville, who claims he's your best mate. So for all intents and purposes, please... tell me more."

Harry chuckled, leaning back against the wall. He had a feeling she was just playing it up, the whole Harry Potter bit, but that she did want to know something. "What do you want to know?"

Neville glanced over at that, the piece he was holding slipping through his fingers and his eyes fell on Harry's face. There wasn't much about Harry's past that was talked about. Most of the things Neville knew was secondhand information from Hermione or Ron, anything else he knew was circulated information or things he lived through with Harry himself. Granted he had never asked for anything from Harry, but Harry never offered it either.

Pansy lifted a shoulder, "whatever you want to tell me."

Draco watched Neville's face curiously before turning in his chair to look towards them, Pansy was laying on her side against the bed looking up at Harry, who was leaned against the wall with his eyes closed and blanket laying across his lap. Draco never got a glimpse of Harry beneath his clothes. It wasn't an ugly sight by any means but there were marks. Marks and scars covered his body most were small and seemed insignificant - but they weren't. They were marks of his past of what the world gave to him. A few stood out like a sore thumb, one on his chest that looked like a burn, another down his side that looked like a cut, a set of three across his right ribs.

Neville started to get up to get Pansy and pull her away from the conversation but Harry spoke before he could.

"I've never had many friends, even when I came here." Harry said quietly, "it was hard to come here to Hogwarts. I came to think of it as my home, though, probably after the first week. I had never been in a better place, I was fed properly and treated well enough. I had clean clothes and a bed to sleep in and warmth and I was looked over..." Harry shrugged, "But, then I was worshiped and sometimes I think that was worse than being ignored. I just wanted to be a normal student. I didn't want to be the Harry Potter everyone fell all over. So, I kept a close-knit group of people. Just three or four, and I kept them close to me because it was better to hide that way. It was easier to blend in like that."

He paused, looking down at her after a moment, "I just wanted to be normal, and I didn't know how."

Pansy shifted so she was sitting, the other two forgotten in the room and sat in silence as they watched Pansy lean forward and wrap her arms around Harry in a tight hug. It didn't seem uncharacteristic of her to act that way with her friends, she seemed warm and welcoming as a person to people she cared about Harry realized as his arms enclosed around her waist, holding her in return.

"You can never be normal, Potter," she said once she sat back, a playful grinning tugging at her lips, "not with hair like that. I fear you'll always struggle with something."

Harry snorted, giving her a soft shove, "piss off Parkinson," he said before climbing to his feet with his wand and a towel.

"So I was thinking," Neville said, taking his seat next to Harry at the Potion's table.

"About?"

"A true double date, with you and Malfoy and me and Parkinson?"

"A double date?" Harry snorted, "Malfoy hasn't said but three words to me since our last 'double date' that mind you, he fled from."

Neville frowned, "have you actually tried talking to him?"

"Well, no, bu-."

"And that's his fault because?"

Harry huffed, crossing his arms against the table, "well, he could talk to him if he wanted!"

Neville shook his head, grabbing his Potion's Book from his bag and laying it flat on the table, "you're such a child."

"I'm a child?!" Harry snapped under his breath, "he's a child, he ran out in the middle of the date!"

"It wasn't like you were honestly paying attention to him." Neville didn't bother glancing over, he was too busy waving at Pansy as she entered the room.

"I.. well what the bloody hell am I supposed to talk to him about?" Harry muttered, leaning heavily into the table.

Neville lifted a shoulder about to warn him they were close, but Draco placed himself right in front of Harry before he could, "who are trying to talk to Potter?"

Harry's face shaded a color of red, his eyes growing wide, "n-no one." He finally managed to get out, looking away and down at his parchment.

Neville sighed before smiling across the table at Pansy, "hey beautiful."

"Hey, handsome." She grinned, blowing him a kiss, "I have to study after dinner tonight, you guys want to join me in the library?"

"Yes," Neville answered quickly, "I need to work on my Charm's essay."

"Potter?"

"No, I don't think so." Harry shook his head, without looking at her, his eyes trained to the left of Draco's head and towards the front of the room hoping against hope that Slughorn would just get in there already.

Malfoy quirked an eyebrow, sharing a look with Pansy before taking his own book out and laying it on the table. "We need you for the Defense homework." She whined, snapping her fingers to gather his attention.

"What? Me?"

"Well, yes you. We have most of the subjects covered if you join. Neville for Herbology, Drakey for Potion's, me for Charm's and Blaise for Ancient Runes."

"I'm not taking Ancient Runes," Harry answered, dragging his eyes from her to Draco before back to the front of the room.

Pansy sighed, "fine, be that way."

Harry frowned looking at her again before around the table, Neville was shaking his head and Pansy was actually frowning as she pulled her things out, Draco was staring at Harry unapologetically. "I do need some help with Charm's though, so I guess."

"Really?" Pansy clapped excitedly, reaching across the table to take his hand with a squeeze, "I'm so excited, so I always sneak in treats, and Blaise sneaks in drinks and Neville brings his portable radio and Draco knows a little hide-a-hole we duck into and no one bothers us."

"Awesome," Harry answered, giving her hand a soft squeeze, before finally looking away from Draco who had yet to pull back. "Sounds great."

"I'm so excited," Pansy gushed on, before taking her quill out and turning her attention to the front of the room to Slughorn when he finally joined the class.

Harry was the last one out, as usual. Once Slughorn got to talking to him it took a good amount of time to get away, and since he knew Harry didn't have any other classes after his - just dinner, he didn't mind keeping him for a bit after. Harry finally got out after twenty minutes of goodbyes and was hurrying down the hallway to dinner when someone grabbed him from a side corridor and pulled him into the darkened hallway.

Harry glanced around before jerking away and turning with his wand out. It was dimly lit and clearly one of the off-limit hallways of the dungeon. He gasped, quickly dropping his wand when he came face to face with Draco, "what the fuck Malfoy?" Draco seemed unfazed as he looked at Harry. "What the hell do you want?"

The blonde brushed Harry's wand away before speaking, "just because we didn't work out doesn't mean you get to be rude to my friends."

"I.. What?"

"She's really trying Potter, and I'll be damned if I sit there and watch you treat her like crap."

Harry stared in shock, "treat her like crap? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not bloody kidding you," Draco snapped, "don't do it again." He added before starting to leave.

"Yeah, or what?" The words came out before Harry could stop them, they came spilling from his lips and he watched Draco freeze before jerking around to face him.

"What is your fucking problem Potter?" Draco snapped, "what it isn't enough to be a good person, to give people a chance? You have to have a motive, too?"

"I didn't me-."

"Who do you fucking think you are? You went on and on the other morning, wishing you were a normal bloke with a normal life. Here's your bloody chance." Draco spoke over him, his voice rising, "and now you want a reason to be this person, to be normal?"

"Malfoy I-."

"Oh piss off, you're just as shitty as the rest of them, Potter. Every single one of you and your do-gooder Gryffindor bullshit, always going on about this and that and a better world but the moment you have a chanc-."

*Harry grabbed Draco by the shoulder, jerking him in for a kiss. A kiss that was heated and hot and bad. It was sloppy and Harry's mouth nearly swallowed Draco's, before Draco shoved him away and Harry stood paralyzed with fear. Oh Merlin, what have I done?*

"Stop it!" Draco screeched, his whole body red and his breathing heavy. "I mean seriously, are you kidding me?"

"I... I'm sorry, I just." Harry fumbled for the words his eyebrows knitting together, "uh, I just, I - I..." words failed him now, it was a mistake. "You wouldn't shut up." He finally got out watching Draco's face break into a glare, "look, I'm sorry okay? For everything, I shouldn't have done it."

"No, you shouldn't have," Draco growled, brushing the front of his jacket off and stepping back.

Harry took a small step towards him, "but you can't blame anything on us not working out when we didn't even get to try."

"You're honestly the worst," Draco grabbed his bag from the ground, "I'll tell them you're not feeling well." He added, before stomping off.