Chapter 4

Maybe Malfoy isn't so bad

"I need a bloody shower and my toothbrush!" Ron moaned.

It was about noon. The students were taking a break for lunch. Harry and his two best friends were sitting on the ground, leaning on a tree, eating their poor lunch.

"I dunno about the toothbrush but if you need a shower, there's that lake of mud we passed a while ago," Harry smirked.

"Very funny, Harry, I'm dying with laughter…" Ron said sarcastically.

After this all three of them were quiet, each lost in their own world.

"You know," Hermione muttered quietly, "you could at least be friends with him. He has changed a lot."

Harry was confused. He followed Hermione's gaze. Then he figured what she was talking about. Malfoy was a few meters away from them, eating his meal, gazing into space, lost in thought.

"Oh Hermione, cut the crap, you know all he wants is to sleep with me!"

"Maybe or maybe not," Hermione answered.

"You sound like Dumbledore. I thought he was the only one who trusts anyone. How do you know he's changed?" he asked, a glare stuck on his face.

"Well first of all he doesn't make fun of us anymore…" she started.

"Because he wants to get close enough to me to shag me," Harry interrupted, his glare still on Malfoy.

"And second," Hermione continued as if she wasn't interrupted at all, "I had a little chat with him this morning, before you two woke up and he was quite friendly and he even called me 'Hermione'!"

"And what do you want me to do? Go snog him senseless just because he was nice to you?" Harry growled angry.

"No. Invite him to have lunch with us," Hermione said calmly.

"Sure… why don't I propose him too if I'm doing that…"

"Harry trust me in this one. Please." Hermione pleaded.

"Okay. But if tries something funny both you and him are dead."

"Deal," Hermione smiled.

Harry got up and started walking the few meters that were keeping him away from Malfoy. He already hated himself for making the "deal", especially since he knew Malfoy wanted to get in his pants. When Harry reached him, Malfoy turned his head to him, a blank expression on his face.

"Um… Malfoy…" Harry started.

"Yes?" Malfoy answered his expression still blank.

"Um… would you like to… you know… take lunch with me… I mean us, Ron and Hermione too…"

A smile appeared on Malfoy's fine features, he looked almost angelic. No! I did not just think that Malfoy is angelic' Harry thought desperately.

"Why not? I don't have much company," Malfoy continued smiling.

"Um… okay… follow me," Harry murmured and felt his face flush. Why am I blushing? he thought bitterly. It's only Malfoy! 'Yes, but it's like you're inviting him on a date' said a voice in his head that sounded like Hermione. 'Am not!' 'Are too!' 'Am not! Hell, I can't believe I'm arguing with myself! I must be going crazy!'

"Potter?" Malfoy asked from somewhere in Harry's back. "Hello, anybody home?"

Harry snapped out of his day-dreaming. "Um… yes, I'm awake, just thinking."

"If you say so," Malfoy said and started limping in the direction Harry had come from, leaning on his wooden came. "Come on, in your dreaming state I think you have to follow me."

"I am not in a 'dreaming state'," Harry pouted without realizing.

Harry started following Malfoy. 'He's such a dick!' he thought, gazing at said blondes back while he was limping his way to Ron and Hermione. When they reached, Ron glared at Malfoy and Hermione put a fake smile on her face.

"Hello Malfoy," she greeted.

"Granger," Malfoy nodded.

Ron muttered something that sounded like 'Hello ferret'. But was promptly elbowed in the ribs by Hermione.

Both Harry and Malfoy sat down, leaving a distance between them, followed by a long and awkward silence. 'This silence is killing me!' Harry's mind yelled. 'Come on somebody say a word, Ron, Malfoy fight for Heaven's sake! Some Griffindors…'

As if she had read his mind, Hermione decided to break the silence.

"So… um… Malfoy, we don't kinda know anything about you because, as you know, we haven't been best friends. So, for a start, what's your favourite colour?"

"Smooth Hermione, very smooth…' Harry thought sarcastically. But, surprisingly, Malfoy answered.

"Green and sometimes black, you?"

'Wow, when did Malfoy get so social?' Harry was impressed. 'Oh, I have to answer! What is my favourite colour? I never thought about it!'

"Red and purple and even blue when the mood strikes," Hermione smiled.

"Orange," Ron muttered.

It was Harry's turn and he still hadn't decided. So he said the first colour that passed his mind, which happened to be… "Pink." Realizing what he had just said, Harry clapped a hand over his mouth, shocked. Of course Ron and Hermione had to start laughing like the best friends they were. He wasn't even surprised that Malfoy was laughing along. 'Little buggers.'

What did surprise him was that Malfoy was the first one who stopped laughing and said, "Good joke, even fooled me for a second. Seriously, what is your favourite color?"

Harry was in state of shock. Malfoy was smiling. No, not smirking, actually smiling. And he had such a beautiful smile. 'No, bad Harry, it's not the time for this. Ooops… forgot to answer.'

"Um… I don't have a preference. I think green too." He faked a smile. 'Good. This time I didn't mess it up. Thank Lord.'

"Good," Hermione started, her smile not fake this time. "Favourite school subject?"

"You couldn't resist, could you, Hermione?" Ron muttered.

Hermione shoot him a deadly glare while Malfoy opened his mouth to answer.

"Potions, and Ancient Runes are okay too, I guess. How about you Granger?"

"Wow, I love Ancient Runes too! And I also like Transfiguration and Charms and…" Hermione was interrupted by Ron.

"Say everything…"

"Not everything!" Hermione said, looking insulted. "I hate Divination!"

"Okay, almost everything," Ron corrected himself.

"Whatever," Malfoy said. "Potter? Weasley?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts!" they both said in unison.

Hermione and Malfoy exchanged a weird look and said, also in unison, "Only?"

Harry groaned and Ron muttered "Bloody geeks". At this, Malfoy sent a very ugly glare at Ron for calling him a "geek". Hermione decided to say something before they started fighting.

"Um… so who'd like to give another topic?"

"How about Quidditch?" Ron grinned.

Hermione groaned and Malfoy almost yelled "Not Quidditch!"

"You don't like Quidditch?" To say Harry was surprised was a big understatement.

"The game is okay," Malfoy started, turning his piercing grey eyes to Harry, "But I can't stand all those bloody teams with all those weird names!"

"Hm… got a point there," Harry agreed.

"Of course I do." Malfoy smirked. "Potter, a topic. This conversation is actually getting interesting."

"A topic… um…" Harry babbled. 'Great' he thought. 'Something to talk about, something to talk about, something to talk about… Bingo!' "Favourite food?" 'Oh! I'm so pathetic!'

"Chocolate frogs! Ron answered happily.

"Why aren't I surprised?" Malfoy muttered silently. Then he turned his head to the floor and muttered even silenter, barely audible: "Mashed potatoes."

"Mashed potatoes? But that's muggle food!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Malfoy, is it me or are you a muggle lover?" Harry smirked.

"Ewwww… that's gross, Potter!" Malfoy said disturbed.

"What are mashed potatoes?" asked Ron.

The other three groaned. That was Ron alright. Their conversation lasted for another hour. Surprisingly Harry found out that Malfoy wanted to refuse the Dark Mark, which should have been given to him the last summer, that he's pretty good at drawing, that he likes romance novels and that he knows what a TV is.

After lunch everybody started walking north again. Hermione invited Malfoy to stay with them and Harry was surprised to realize that he didn't mind the very least. Not even Ron complained… too much. Hermione had started to explain to Malfoy about what she had read about the secret passages in Hogwarts.

"Wait a minute, Granger," Malfoy said surprised. "You're saying that there are dozens of passages in Hogwarts? I mean I knew they existed, but dozens?"

"Yes, dozens," Hermione sighed. "And you can call me Hermione."

"Um… okay Hermione." Malfoy said, his voice shaking a little. "I guess you could call me Draco then… But still dozens?"

"Yes, dozens, Malfoy," Harry said annoyed. "If you don't believe me, when we get to Hogwarts, I'll take you on a tour to a couple of them…"

"Really? Won't you forget once we get to Hogwarts?''

'Ooops…Malfoy actually believed it! It was just a joke!'

"Um… sure," He answered.

"We'll see. Oh, and we decided to be on first name basics, so you can call me Draco."

"Um… Okay Draco," Harry said. Draco's name sounded weird coming out of his mouth, but somewhat natural.

'Well,' he thought, 'maybe Malfoy isn't so bad.'

'Well,' Draco thought, 'stage two is working pretty well.'