It was very strange how things changed so suddenly. Not an hour ago, Draco had been in the dining hall. 10 minutes after that he was hanging off the back of a ship, ready to let go, and now... now here he was, showered, dressed, fed, and sitting in front of his vanity.

A tune was playing from the music box his mother had given me, and Draco just looked at himself. Really, looked at himself.

There he was, heir to the largest fortune on this ship, and he was utterly miserable.

and then he had met a beautiful man whose eyes almost made him forget his misery.

Almost.

Perhaps Harry Potter shouldn't have saved him.

Harry Potter.

The man had not left Draco's mind since he had last seen him, and he didn't know what to think. He had saved his life. What more was there to think?

Draco's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, revealing his father. For a while he just stood by the doorway, and Draco ignored him.

"I know you've been melancholy," he said, "I don't pretend to know why."

He looked at his father through the mirror.

"I intended to save this until the engagement gala next week," said Lucius, walking into the room and to Draco's chair. He was carrying a decorated wooden box. He sat on the desk and closed the music box, abruptly cutting off the song.

"But I thought, tonight." He opened the box, and revealed a ring on which a deep blue stone cut in the shape of a heart was embedded.

"Good gracious," Draco gasped with wide eyes. No, it couldn't be.

"Perhaps as a reminder," continued Lucius, "Of our wealth."

"Is it a-"

"Diamond?" he interrupted, "Yes," he smirked "56 carats to be exact. It was worn by Slytherin the 16th. It was called Le Coa De La Mere.

"The heart of the ocean." Draco whispered.

"The heart of the ocean, yes." Smiled my father.

Draco stared at the ring. It was customary for a father to give his heir a ring to symbolize the passing on of the family wealth and name. Usually, it was done when the heir married and bore children. And usually it was passed on, from father to son to son to son. This... this was new, and Draco had no idea what to think of it.

"It's overwhelming," he said, once he realized that Lucius was expecting him to say something.

"Well it's royalty." smiled Lucius, "We are royalty Draco." He took the ring out of its box and slipped onto the pinky finger of Draco's right hand. After a moment, Lucius smiled at Draco and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Draco was left in a heavy silence, almost as heavy as the stone on his finger. He stared at the marvelous diamond. It was extraordinarily beautiful. The dim light reflected off the cut sides, casting a dull blue glow onto his face. He didn't know how long he stared, but soon, he realized that he wasn't breathing. He took in a shuddering breathe and let it out slowly. The heaviness of the ring weighed on his finger as well as his heart. Not for the first time, he wondered what was wrong with him. Every other man on thiis ship would be delighted to be gifted with a 56 carat diamond just for existing.

Why did it make Draco want to ruin to the hills and never come back?

Why did it make him want to scream and rant and tear off his expensive clothes and throw up the expensive food?

Not long ago, he had been ready to pitch himself off the back of a ship into the freezing ocean.

Why?

He tore the ring off and stood, taking several steps away from it.

Why did the idea of a blue diamond suffocate him, but the memory of emerald eyes fascinate him?

Why couldn't he be excited about marrying the beautiful Daphne Greengrass, yet crave to see the face of Harry Potter again?

Even if it meant going back to hanging off the back of the ship?

Why couldn't he stop thinking about him?

Was it because he had saved Draco's life?

Yea, definitely. That's it. He was feeling guilty for just walking away like that.

I'll thank him, Draco promised himself. Tomorrow.

He'd thank Harry Potter, and then he would go on about his wealthy, horrible life, without images of emerald eyes haunting him.

:::

This is a bad idea. Draco kept thinking to himself as he walked through the cramped space between the rooms of third class. Twice already he had turned back, deciding that a thank you wasn't all that necessary. And both times, he had stopped abruptly, mentally slapped himself, turned around, and carried on through steerage.

He had received his fair share of strange looks from other passengers. A young boy had even stopped dead in his tracks, looked him up and down, and ran to his father.

Perhaps he was improperly dressed. Draco lifted his hands to fix his tie. Again. But he let them drop. Again. He had to stop fussing about stupid things. Why did he even care? He shook my head, and kept going.

He didn't even know where he was going. Where he lived. This was absolutely, impossibly stupid. Out of all the foolish, ridiculous-

"Drago?"

His head whipped around. A few meters behind his on the narrow corridor, stood a gangly red headed man with a woman whose bushy hair was contained in a messy ponytail.

They were Harry Potter's friends from the deck.

"It's 'Draco', Ron," said the girl, "Not Drago." She rolled her eyes and came over to him.

"Hello Draco," she smiled, extending her hand, "I'm Hermione. Harry's friend. That's how we know your name. He keeps talking about you."

"Let the man breathe Hermione," chuckled the red head, "Hi. Are you looking for Harry? Of course you're looking for Harry, why else would you be in third class? Unless you aren't looking for Harry... are you looking for Harry?"

The girl... Hermione, sighed exasperated at the boy's babble.

"Uh, yes." Draco cleared his throat, "I was. Looking for Harry, I mean."

The man smiled, "Alright then, allow us to escort you." He smiled at his Hermione, "that sounded posh, didn't it." Hermione rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh.

They turned, and hesitantly, Draco followed

As Draco walked through steerage, he had never felt more like an outsider than he did right then.

In first class, children were proper. They bowed and curtsyed in greeting, and the adults nodded and shook hands and smiled small smiles and talked about politics.

Down here, children ran around, bumping into everyone and everything as if they had been raised in the wilderness. And they laughed. They laughed so much. In the five minute walk, Draco heard more laughter than he had on the whole trip in First Class.

There was no hand shaking here. There was hugging and slapping backs, and slapping... bottoms. As if it were nothing. The ladies ran around as much as the men, not giving a damn if their dresses flew up, showing their knees.

Draco's mother would be appalled, and the thought made him want to smile.

Finally, the three reached a door. Ron and Hermione had been whispering and casting back glances at Draco while he looked around in fascination.

He looked so lost, it was adorable.

The two walked into a room, and Draco waited outside, until Ron frowned at him.

"Well what are you waiting for, an invitation?"

Drao blinked, "Well... yes."

Ron frowned at him, "You posh folk are strange." he shook his head, "Come in then."

Still hesitant, Draco stepped into the room, where he saw the ginger twins sitting on a bed with a deck of cards, and a lump on another bed covered up in blankets.

Did they all sleep here? The room was smaller than Draco's bathroom.

Draco knew that he was being stared at, the twins having abandoned their game to gape at him.

"How do you do?" nodded Draco.

The pair looked at each other, and then back at him confused.

"I think he's saying hello, right Fred?"

"Is that how posh people say hello?" Fred blinked and then grinned, "Wicked."

George grinned back, "Around here, we just say hello," he said to Draco.

"Oh leave him alone," Hermione slapped their shoulders, and then went to thee lump on the bed, "Uh Harry?" she said, poking at the lump.

"Wha-" he heard a mumble, '"Go away it's early."

"uh... Hrarry," Hermione prodded, "You need to wake up."

"I don't want to-" he whined.

"But... but Harry. Someone's here to see you."

"Tell 'em to come back at a decent time-" he mumbled again, not caring that it was already 10 in the morning

Draco swallowed "It's alright really," he told Hermione, "I will come back later."

Not surprisingly, when Harry hear that voice, his eyes snapped open inder the covers. He shot up, almost bumping into Hermione as he did.

Draco's mouth fell open in shock when he saw Harry Potter staring up at him, his hair even messier than usual, half his face pressed with pillow marks, and squinting through the lack of his glaces.

"Draco?" he blinked dumbly.

Draco cleared his throat, "Uh, yes. I'm sorry to have woken you I just came to... I came to... never mind, it's fine."

He made to turn around, but Harry shouted out, "Wait!" he scrambled out of his bed, getting tangled in the covers and falling hard on the floor.

He didn't seem to care, "Wait, just give me a second, I'll be right out"

Draco blinked wide eyes at the struggling bundle on the floor, "Uh.. alright. Alright, I'll just be outside."

Draco quickly shuffled out of the room, followed by a smirking Hermione.

As soon as they were out and the door was shut, Draco heard bursts of loud laughter, and Harry's voice yelling at them to shut up.

Hermione smiled up at Draco, looking at him up and down.

He was used to being watched, but not like this.

"You have very nice clothes," said Hermione.

Draco looked down at his suit. It was cream coloured and had been tailored for him for his seventeenth birthday. It had three pieces, but he had left the blazer in his quarters, deciding it was far too hot for it.

"Thank you," he nodded at her. He wanted to return the compliment, but Hermione's dress was a dark red with a frayed hem and a few visible holes.

"You... look very nice too." he tried.

He wasn't necessarily lying. She was remarkably beautiful, if only she could keep her hair under control.

She laughed, "Thank you. You know, I have the strange urge to courtsey around you," she said, "Like you're a prince or something."

"Oh no, please don't." Draco shook his head, "I'm no prince. Just a Lord."

Hermione burst out laughing at that, "Just a Lord. Of course." she shook her her head, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Lord Malfoy. I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand, and laughed even harder when Draco bowed to kiss it, "My goodness, you're as proper as they come!"

Draco blinked, "Do you not do that?"

"When I meet a lad, he'll usually try to kiss my arse rather than my hand. I must say I prefer this a lot more."

Draco gaped at her vulgar language. A lady would never speak like this on his side of the boat. He had to say,he preferred this a lot more.

"So I've heard quite a bit about you, Lord Malfoy." She put emphasis on'Lord', and grinned when she saw Draco make a face at the Title.

"Like what?" he said nervously. Harry wouldn't have told them about the... incident, would he?

Hermione shrugged, "Oh, just that you have white blonde hair and pretty silver eyes." she batted her eyelashes dramatically, "That's why Harry's still sleeping. He was up all night talking about your white blonde hair and pretty silver eyes."

Draco blinked, surprised when he felt his face heating up. He couldn't held but wonder when Harry had stopped to notice his 'pretty silver eyes' while he was hanging off the back of a boat.

It was when he was thinking this when the door opened, and Harry came out, awake and dressed. His hair was slightly wet, as if he had splashed some water on it in an attempt to tame it.

It obviously hadn't worked at all.

When Harry walked out and saw Draco's pink cheeks and Hermione's huge shark like grin, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What did you say?" he hissed. He turned back to Draco, "Whatever she said, she lied."

Hermione just laughed, "Sure. Of course." She winked at Draco, and then went back into the room, "Alright boys, see you later, bye!" she shut the door behind her, leaving Harry and Draco standing in the hallway.

Harry cleared his throat, "Well. Shall we?"

The initial awkwardness didn't last long at all. The trek through third class wasn't as uncomfortable for Draco now that Harry was walking with him. They walked through the ship and up and around the deck, all the while talking.

"Well, I've been on my own since I was 11," said Harry, "That's when my parents died."

"How did they die?" asked Draco, before kicking himself, "I'm sorry, that was-"

"No it's alright," Harry smiled, "They were killed by Tom Riddle."

Draco's eyes widened, "The notorious serial killer that terrorized Britain for decades?"

Harry nodded, "That's the one. Anyway, I had to leave Godric's Hollow after that, since I had no brothers or sisters or close kin in that part, so I lit on out of there and I haven't been back since. I met Ron and Hermione a little while after that. They're basically my family now. It's a lot easier wondering the world when you've got family with you. You could just call us tumbleweeds blowing in the wind."

Draco smiled at that. It was strange hearing about Harry. It was strange thinking that there were people who had grown up so vastly differently than he.

"Well Draco," Harry said, pulling him out of his thoughts, "We've walked about a mile of this boat deck, chewed over how great the weather's been, and talked about how I grew up. But I don't reckon that's why you came to see me, is it."

Draco took a breath, "Well, Mr. Potter-"

"It's Harry."

He nodded, "Harry. I... I wanted to thank you for what you did. Not just for... for pulling me back, but for your discretion."

Harry smiled, "You're welcome."

Draco nodded. That's all he had wanted to say, but he found himself carrying on.

"Look, I know what you must be thinking." he shook his head at himself, "Poor little rich boy. What does he know about misery?"

"No," Harry said immediately, "No. What I was thinking was, what could have happened to this man to make him think that there was no way out?"

Draco blinked at him, swallowing. It was the eyes that got him. Those eyes that seemed to look so far into him that there was no point hiding anything anyway.

"It was everything," Draco found himself breathing out, "My whole life and everyone it it. And the inertia of my life. Just plunging ahead and me... powerless to stop it."

He took another breath, "I'm to marry Daphne Greengrass as soon as we arrive in London, and when I do I will take over as Lord Malfoy and be cemented to a life that I don't want."

"Lord Malfoy, huh?"

Draco nodded, "I've already been bestowed the honour," he held out his hand, showing the ring his father had given him the night before."

"Merlin!" Harry gasped, "Look at the size of that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom."

Draco scoffed, shaking his head, "All of London society will be there. To see me become a man. And all the while.. I feel like I'm screaming in the middle of a crowded room and no one even looks up."

Harry stayed silent for a while, just looking aat Draco. Draco looked back, blinking, not quite believing he had said so much, and waiting for Harry's reaction.

"Daphne Greengrass, huh."

He nodded.

"Do you love her?"

Draco's head snapped up, blinking, "Pardon me?"

Harry tilted her head, "Do you love her?"

Draco's mouth fell open. No one had ever asked him this before, "You.. you're being very rude."

"Well it's a simple question," Harry shrugged, "You're about to give up any little type of freedom you've got for this girl. You should at least love her, right?"

Draco couldn't quite belive this. He laughed nervously, "This.. this is not a suitable conversation!"

"Well why can't you just answer the question? Harry was trying not to smile. The bastard was enjoying this!

"This is absurd!" Draco exclaimed straightening himself up, "You don't know me, and I don't know you, and we are not having this conversation!" Harry just smirked, "You are rude and uncouth and presumptuous and... and I am leaving now!"

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and shook it. Quite angrily.

"Harry. Mr Potter. I sought you out to thank you, and now I have thanked you."

"And you've insulted me."

He scoffed, "Well... you deserved it!"

"Right."

"Right!" Draco said, with finality in his voice. How dare he? This rude, insufferable low class unbelievably presumptuous little-

"I thought you were leaving."

Draco's eyes flared, "Oh, I am!" he let go of Harry's hand, which he had somehow still been shaking.

He spun around angrily, and then stopped.

He huffed back, "You are so annoying!"

Harry just grinned at him. Draco glared.

"Wait. I'm not going anywhere, this is my part of the ship! You leave!"

"Oh ho ho," Harry laughed, "Now who's being rude?"

Draco just gaped at this insufferable man. He didnt know how to reply. No one had ever dared to speak to a Malfoy this way, and now here was this lowly third class man saying whatever the hell he wanted, and Draco didn't know how to reply.

So he deflected. He grabbed the rectangular bag like thing under Harry's arm.

"What is this stupid thing you've been carrying around anyway?" he said with a huff. He opened it, hoping to irritate Harry. But he just watched him with a smile. Draco glared at the thing in his hand, which he now saw was a sketchpad.

"So what are you, an artist or something?" He looked through more sheets, going slower as he went on.

He blinked at the drawings. "Well... there are rather good."

The more he looked, the greater the drawing became. Draco made to sit on a deck chair, his earlier anger fading.

"They're very good actually." he muttered, studying the drawing more carefully. He felt Harry sit down next to him.

"Harry, this is exquisite work."

"Well, they didn't think much of them in old Paree." said Harry.

"Paris?" Draco blinked, "Well, you do get around for a poor-" he stopped, "Uh... I mean a, a person of... limited means-"

Harry just chuckled, "Go on, I'm a poor guy. You can say it."

Draco smiled and looked back down.

"Wow." he kept saying. He came across a drawing of a nude woman laying on what seemed to be a velvet sheet.

"And... these were drawn from life?" Draco couldn't help but ask.

Harry nodded, "That's one of the best parts about Paris," he said with a grin," A lot of women are willing to take their clothes off."

Draco chuckled as he kept looking.

"You like this woman," he noticed, "You used her several times."

"Well, she had beautiful hands, you see." said Harry.

Draco smiled "I think you must have had an affair with her."

Harry laughed, "No no no no no. Just with her hands. She wasn't quite my type, you see."

Draco scorted, "you have a type, do you?"

Harry didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at Draco, and no matter how much he tried, Draco couldn't look away. Harry smiled, "I do."

Those two simple words, made Draco's face flush again, and the way he was looking at him...

He snapped his head away, looking back at the sketch pad and swallowing.

"You... you have a gift Harry," he said, "You... you see people."

"I see you," Harry nodded.

Draco smiled, straightening up, "And?"

Harry shrugged softly, "You wouldn't have jumped."

The smile on Draco's face faded away in favour of a scowl.

What a rude bastard.

:::

It didn't take long for Draco to get over the fact that this Harry Potter was as uncouth as any person he had ever met. He threatened to leave a few more times that day, but every time, he stayed.

They walked around the deck a few more times, finally resting at the highest deck, looking out at the ocean. Draco was surprised to see that the sun had already begun to set.

"And then after Los Angeles we worked on a Squid Boat." said Harry. He had been telling Draco of all his adventures with Ron and Hermione, and Draco was enthralled, "Ron and I worked fixing the boat every time something broke. Which was a lot. Hermione was the maid of the Ship Captains wife. After the boat docked, we went to Scotland, to this beautiful village called Hogsmead. That's the longest we've ever stayed in one place. There was this magnificent abandoned castle a few miles away. It was glorious, but no one ever went there. I could swear it was magic. We always said we'd go inside, but we never got around to it." Harry sighed with a smile, remembering, "we worked in a stable called 'The Theseral' tending to the biggest horses you'll ever see in your life. They ride so fast it feels like you're flying. I think that's the reason we stayed there so long. Because of the Theserals.'

Draco listened enraptured. He shook his head, "Why can't I be like you, Harry?" he sighed, looking out at the ocean, "Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it?"

"You can." said Harry, "Of course you can."

Draco smiled, knowing that it was impossosible. But still, just the thought...

"Say we'll go there one day, to Hogsmead. Even if we only just talk about it."

"No, we'll do it" Harry nodded eagerly, "We'll drink cheap beer. We'll explore that castle. We'll even ride those Theserals in the snow until you can't feel your face." he grinned, "But you know you'll have to ride like a real cowboy. None of that saddle stuff."

Draco gaped at him, "You mean... bareback?"

Harry grinned, nodding, and Draco laughed, "Well, I guess you'll have to teach me."

"It would be a pleasure."

Draco looked away, smiling. He didn't remember smiling so much.

He grinned at Harry again, "Alright Potter, teach me to ride like a man."

Harry grinned, "And chew tabacco like a man." he mocked an American accent.

Draco laughed, "And... spit like a man!"

Harry chuckled, "What, they didn't teach you that in Finishing school?"

"No!" he laughed.

"Well come on, I'll show you!"

Draco suddenly stopped laughing, "What?"

"Yeah!" Harry grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the edge of the boat, "Let's do it! Come on, I'll show you."

"What?" Draco gasped, "No! Harry, no!" Draco was pulling at his hand, but Harry was far stronger, "I couldn't possibly, Harry. No!" Despite his protests, Harry had dragged him to the edge, where there was nothing but ocean under them.

"Okay, watch closely."

Draco wanted to protest some more, but Harry was already making a sound with the back of his throat that sounded like he was choking.

The look on Draco's face was horrified as Harry drew his head back, and then threw it forward, spitting far out into the ocean.

He looked back at Draco with a grin.

"That's disgusting!"

Harry just laughed, "Alright your turn."

Draco did not want to participate in anything as vulgar as spitting, but he didn't want to back down. So he gathered as much saliva as he could in his mouth, and leaned over, spitting it out into the sea.

Harry was appalled, "That was pitiful!"

"Come on, you really have to hawk it back, you know?" he showed Draco again, who was suddenly concentrating very hard.

He nodded as Harry showed him again and again.

"Use your arms, see? Arch your neck."

Mimicking the sounds he made and the way he opened his mouth. When Draco tried again, the spit did more than just drop.

"Okay, that was better," Harry nodded, "Just work on your distance, but that was good."

"Really?" Draco grinned. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why the hell he was happy that his spitting was improving, but still, he was happy. He was well aware that they were still in first class, and people were glancing at this unacceptably rude behavior in public, but Draco found it so hard to care. He was having fun! When was the last time he'd had fun? He was so focused on his spitting, that he didn't notice the small group of women moving slowly toward them.

"Really," said Harry, "Just get some body into it you know? Try again." Harry demonstrated again, hawking back, and Draco following him. He followed his every move, and then tried again.

"That was far!" Draco beamed.

"It was!" Harry grinned, "Now this time just-" Draco was watching him with a grin, and then he saw them behind him. His eyes widened as his mother, stood there watching them, a horrified look on her face.

With wide eyes, Draco straightened up and nudged Harry, trying to tell him to stop. Harry didn't get the hint, still going on with his snorting and hawking until Draco hit him with a particularly sharp elbow in the back. He finally looked at him, saw the look on his face, and followed his gaze. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the woman he'd seen the night before. Draco's mother.

He straightened up, and tried not to make a face as he swallowed down the spit already in his mouth.

Draco stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Mother." he nodded, "You remember Harry Potter."

Narcissa looked at Harry, "Charmed, I'm sure."

Harry wasn't quite sure what that meant, but by Draco's face, he gathered it wasn't very nice. But still he smiled.

Draco was mortified. but still, a Malfoy never showed any of his emotions.

He'd somehow forgotten all about that that day though.

His mother was walking with Rita Skeeter, Draco's aunt, Bellatrix Black, and Tonks Lupin.

Draco explained to the others how he knew Harry, and sure enough, they were gracious and curious about the man who had saved his life.

His mother, however, looked at him like an insect. A dangerous insect that needed to be squashed quickly.

"Well Harry," Tonks was the first to speak, "It looks like you're a good man to have around in a sticky spot."

Harry smiled at her, "Thank you ma'am." even he was impressed at how proper he sounded.

Before anything else could be said, a loud trumpet sounded, causing Harry to jump.

Tonks groaned, "Why do they insist on announcing dinner like a damn cavalry charge?"

The others laughed. Well, except Narcissa. She was too busy scrutinizing every inch of Harry.

"Come Draco," she said, still looking at Harry, "Let's dress for dinner."

Draco nodded, following after her and the ladies.

As he walked, Harry stared after him, a smile on his face. Draco must have felt his gaze, because he turned around, their eyes meeting just before he rounded the corner.

"Son? Son!" Harry snapped out of it and turned around to see the woman introduced as Tonks. He hadn't noticed that she had stayed behind.

"Do you have the slightest comprehension of what you're doing?"

Harry blinked, "Not really," he said honestly.

Tonks sighed, "Well, what are you goin to wear?"

He blinked again, not understanding. "Uh... this?"

"I thought so." Tonks sighed sadly, "Come with me." She hooked her arm through Harry's and made her way towards the quarters.

He frowned, "I have to dress up for dinner?" he asked incredulously.

Before, he'd just been excited about good food and eating with Draco. But right now, Tonks looked like she felt sorry for him.

Well, it was too late to back out now, Harry thought to himself. So it was off to what Tonks dubbed the 'Snake Pit'. Harry had on idea how right she was.