Unfinished Business: Only the Beginning

DISCLAIMER: Look at first chapter.
WARNING: Look at first chapter.

What Are Friends For

As Harry opened his eyes, he became aware of footsteps and voices coming from downstairs. He recognized the voices as Ron and Hermione. Since they were here, Harry guessed that it was Christmas Eve. The three of them had planned to meet up at Grimmauld Place on that day before going over to the Burrow. Beyond that assumption, Harry had been oblivious to the comings and goings of the passing days.

Ever since he had left Draco's flat, fearing what would happen if their relationship got exposed, Harry had escaped to his room. He remembered little after that, choosing to stay in his bed in a daze of dread. But with the return of his two best friends, Harry knew he couldn't hide anymore.

"Do you think he's asleep?" Hermione asked as she took off her coat, sprinkles of snow falling from her hood and onto the floor.

"Most likely," Ron said as he took off his own coat. "He didn't mention any plans to me before we left."

"I'm up," Harry called out, still in his nightclothes, as he came down the stairs.

"Oh Harry," Hermione smiled, hugging her friend when he was close enough. "Did we wake you?"

"Not really," Harry shrugged. It was the truth since he had found it hard to hold onto sleep lately. "Did you guys enjoy your trip?"

"It was amazing," Hermione gushed, never noticing Ron's look of horror. "Ron's sore that he fell a few times because he can't ski very well."

"I almost died … several times," Ron said in explanation, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

"But we can both agree that the view from the top of the slopes was to die for."

"I can surely agree to that since I almost did die."

"He lost his balance and went down the slopes a little sooner than he was supposed to," Hermione explained, trying to hide a smile.

"And I almost died," Ron said, making sure to emphasise the crucial points of his near-death experience.

"That was never going to happen with the amount of spells you put on yourself," Hermione teased.

"That's beside the point," Ron brushed off the comment. "The food was good though," he said, causing Hermione to roll her eyes again before heading into the living room.

"So what have you been up to, Harry?" Hermione asked when the boys followed her. "Surely you haven't been hulled up here this entire time."

"No. Not the entire time," Harry said, a bundle of nerves as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I went to a movie after you guys left," he began. "Then I went to a restaurant for dinner, before going to a club."

"Did you meet anyone there?" Ron smiled, elbowing his friend playfully.

"Sort of," Harry said hesitantly as he sat down on the couch. "I went with someone," he admitted as Hermione sat down next to him.

"Who? Anyone we know?"

"Yes… Malfoy," Harry said, unable to look at his friends. When his words were met with silence, he continued. "He and I have been … fooling around for some time now."

"What?" Ron asked, not liking the meaning of his friend's words.

"Since when?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"June," Harry said, even as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest.

"Since we started rebuilding Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, surprised when Harry nodded.

"I don't believe this," Ron said, the disgust clear in his voice.

"Ron," Hermione said warningly.

"Your disappearances… Your solitary walks… It was to see him, was it?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"So you and that blight on existence have been dating … for months."

"Ron," Hermione said, trying to get the red head to calm down.

"No, not dating," Harry quickly corrected, chancing a glance at the red head, only to see that his face had turned a shade of red that matched his hair. "We were just…"

"Fucking," Ron guessed, causing Harry to flinch at the words.

"RON THAT'S ENOUGH!" Hermione snapped, standing up from the couch.

Ron was silent at that, but his lack of words stung Harry just as much. What hurt even more, however, was Ron refusing to even look at him.

"It didn't mean anything," Harry said, wanting Ron to at least look at him. "And I'm not going to see him anymore," he continued at Ron's silence. "Ron say something."

"I'm going to unpack my things," he said before turning and heading upstairs.

As Harry listened to his friend's retreating steps, he ran his hands over his face in distress.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Harry nodded as he looked towards the stairs. "Ron's mad now, but he'll get over it eventually."

"I mean with Draco," Hermione explained. "Are you sure what you two had meant nothing?"

"Of course," Harry scoffed, though he felt a pang in his chest at the words. "Malfoy and I are complete opposites, like oil and water. I know anything between us would end in complete disaster. I was just with him because I needed a little bit of a distraction. But I've come to my senses now," he said, trying to convince himself of his own words. Then he dashed up the stairs as well, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts.

"So you and Harry Potter?" Pansy said as she paced the living room in Draco's flat.

"I'm going to kill you, Blaise," Draco growled from his spot on the couch, causing the tall boy to take a step behind his girlfriend.

"Don't blame Blaise for this," Pansy said as she turned to the blonde. "You should have told me from the beginning what you two were doing. Do you know how many wasted hours I spent with Granger, trying to get you two to even be nice to each other? And all the while you were already shagging?"

"What?"

"Wait, you and Granger were trying to get them together?" Blaise asked. "Why would you do that? And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you would ruin things. And you did. I told you to leave Draco alone."

"I was worried about him," Blaise said in defense.

"Hang on a bloody minute," Draco snapped, causing his friends to turn to him. "Why were you trying to get Harry and me together?"

"It was the least I could do since I wanted out of our arranged marriage," Pansy shrugged. "Besides, I knew you fancied him since forever."

"I did not," the blonde huffed.

"Of course you didn't," Pansy said patronizingly. "You just talk about him non-stop, try to be the centre of his attention whenever you can, and cry out his name in your sleep because you didn't fancy him."

"I … do not cry out his name in my sleep," the blonde scoffed feebly.

"How would you know?" Pansy shot back, silencing the blonde.

"Is this why Hermione blackmailed me?"

"I refuse to delve into the mind of a Gryffindor," Pansy scoffed. "All I know is that she realized that Potter might have feelings for you as well and thought you two might be good for each other."

"How did she blackmail you?" Blaise asked, this bit of information peaking his interest.

"Even though my family didn't go to Azkaban, we still had to make reparations to those we held at our Manor. We were each given certain people. I got Granger, and she requested that I postpone taking my NEWTs. Instead, she wanted me to repeat the school year and take my NEWTs next year."

"Why?"

"She told me that it was because she wanted my help in her foolish attempt to bridge the gap between Slytherin and the other houses. But now I'm not so sure."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I need to speak to Hermione. If she thinks that we'd be good together then she'll help me get Harry back. Chances are Harry already told them about us, so it shouldn't be that difficult to talk to her."

"She might help, but what about the red head. He's not exactly your biggest fan."

"I'm sure she can get Weasley to back off. If I'm lucky, she's already started."

"And if she can't?"

Draco groaned at the question. He had just found out that Harry not only died for his friends, but came back from the dead for them as well. If the wayward teen was forced to choose between him and Weasley…

"I would say that I'm truly fucked."

"When are we expected at the Burrow?" Hermione asked when she walked into Ron's room and saw clothes zooming from his suitcase to his drawers and closet.

"After dinner," Ron said in a tight voice. "But we're supposed to meet everyone at Shell Cottage instead."

"Why?" Hermione asked, slightly surprised.

"Bill doesn't want Fleur to take such a long journey while she's pregnant."

"But she's only a few month along."

"Still," the red head shrugged. "Dad was like that when Mom had us. He was really protective of her. I guess it runs in the family. Bill also wanted to host Christmas this year. Mum will want to do everything herself. But this year, we wanted to do everything for her."

"You can't stay mad at him forever, you know," Hermione suddenly said, and was met with silence as Ron tightened his lips into a frown. "He's not looking too good."

"Then maybe he should visit Malfoy and lie about it," Ron said scathingly. "That seemed to help him before."

"You think Malfoy's the reason Harry was getting better?" Hermione asked and got a lazy shrug from the red head as a response. "I see," she said as if a light had just illuminated above her head. "Here I was thinking that you were mad at Harry for being with Draco. But you're not mad at Harry. You're jealous because Draco was the one to make your best friend happy again."

"That waste of space spent most of our school years taunting us and trying to make our lives miserable," Ron fumed. "Then he just turns around and does for Harry what his best friends couldn't?"

"He's changed, Ron. That's what I've been trying to get you guys to see."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked before realizing Hermione's part in all of this. "Did you want this to happen?"

"I wanted you guys to see that Draco wasn't our enemy anymore," Hermione said, choosing her words carefully. "If that so happened to turn into something more between Harry and Draco, I wouldn't have complained."

"Meaning that you not only wanted this to happen, you planned for it."

"I didn't know they had gotten together if that's what you think, but I'm not that surprised. They fit well together. Draco's the only one who's able to keep up with Harry, and his eyes aren't glazed over because he's the Boy-Who-Lived. And if Draco makes Harry happy, who are we to interfere?"

"It doesn't matter," Ron shrugged, brushing off Hermione's words. "Harry said that it meant nothing to him. It's over between them."

"Only because he knows that you hate Draco. But do you really want your best friend to be miserable for your sake?"

"You guys are here just in time," Bill said when he opened the door of his cottage to find Harry, Ron and Hermione on the other side. "Mum will be here tomorrow for breakfast so we've already started prepping. Charlie's in the kitchen now."

"I'll give him a hand," Harry said before dashing towards the kitchen.

"I'll go too," Ron said unenthusiastically after Hermione elbowed him in the side.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the red head's attitude. Even after talking to him in his room, Ron had been sullen for most of the day. Dinner at Grimmauld Place had been awkward to say the least. Ron had spent most of the time picking at his food, one of the rare times eating didn't appeal to him. Harry hadn't been much better, though he would shoot Ron sullen looks as he picked at his food. Hermione had watched them both, internally rolling their eyes at their stubbornness.

Hermione couldn't believe that Harry would put aside his own happiness in order to make Ron happy. Though now that she thought about it, she realized that she shouldn't have been surprised. Ron had made it clear, on several occasions while Hermione had tried to get the three boys to get along, that he didn't want Draco around them. But Hermione had suspected for a while that Draco might be the perfect thing for their friend.

She first suspected something after the Malfoy's had been exonerated from their involvement with Voldemort. Harry had left their side and gone up to the Malfoys as they were leaving the courtroom. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Draco. The blonde had been surprised at first. But Hermione noticed that Harry was holding the tip of the wand, with the other end pointing towards Draco.

Hermione quickly realized that the wand in Harry's hand wasn't his own, but the one he took from the blonde during their escape from Malfoy Manor. When the blonde realized this as well, he reached for it. But as he wrapped his hand around the wand, his fingers grazed against Harry's.

That's when Hermione noticed it.

There was a look in Draco's eyes, an almost longing look as he gazed, not at the wand, but at Harry. Harry didn't see the look though, since he was too busy looking down at the wand where Draco's fingers connected with his own.

The moment had been brief, maybe even for them, but Hermione had noticed it. She didn't know what would come of that look but swore that she would give the two of them every chance they had to find out. It had been the least she could do if it made Harry happy, even for a little while.

Though now she realized that she needn't have bothered. Harry and Draco had found a way to each other even before she had set her plans into motion. Now that everything was out in the open, Hermione hoped that Ron found a way to get over himself before it was too late.

"So is this going to be a habit between us?" Ron asked as he and Harry pealed sprouts and potatoes, with a flick of their wands.

Charlie had found the job of pealing daunting, even with magic. The moment Harry and Ron had arrived and started helping out, he had quickly made an excuse to help Bill out with the decorations, leaving Harry and Ron by themselves.

"We could do it by hand, but that would take forever," Harry said as a flick of his wand had several potatoes already peeled neatly in the bowl before him.

Even with magic it would take them a while. After all, over a dozen people were expected to come over tomorrow, including Fleur's family, Andromeda and Teddy.

"I don't mean the blasted potatoes. I mean hiding our relationships from each other. I bet if you and Hermione had gotten together, I never would have known about it."

"Hermione and I don't-"

"I know you two don't fancy each other," Ron interrupted. "She fancy's me and you fancy blokes. Namely Malfoy."

"I don't-"

"Don't lie to me, Harry," Ron interrupted again. "Hermione thinks I'm jealousy because Malfoy was the one who made you better again. She's wrong though," he said as a dozen sprouts fell into his bowl. "Well, she's right, but she's also wrong. I'm mostly just mad that you hid it from us. I hated hiding my relationship with Hermione from you. We're best friends. We should be happy that we're all finding happiness," he said turning to his friend.

"Even if it's with Malfoy?" Harry asked before realizing what his words meant.

"He's the reason you stopped taking Dreamless Sleep potions, isn't he?" Ron asked.

"You knew about that too?"

"Harry, I've been your best friend and roommate for over seventeen years. I know your sleeping habits. After you defeated Voldemort, I knew you were having trouble sleeping. I assumed you were having nightmares again, so I was going to talk to you about it. But when it suddenly stopped after we got back to Hogwarts, I figured it had passed."

"I didn't want you guys to worry."

"But friends should be allowed to worry. And you taking the potion didn't stop me from worrying. It just made me worry about something else. Did you know that Dreamless Sleep potions should only be taken sparingly?"

"I knew," Harry nodded. "But my alternative wasn't very appealing."

Harry had been taking the potion every night, too afraid of having one of his nightmares. He didn't realize that his lack of interest in anything was related to his frequent use of the Dreamless Sleep potion. But apparently, dreams were a way for a wizard's mind to work through its issues. When he was depriving his mind of those dreams, it was forced to shut down his emotions so that he wouldn't go insane.

"I noticed that your eyes lacked any emotions, and that you were only acting the way you thought everyone wanted you to act. I was going to talk to you about it that day we first went up to fly. But by then, you looked better. When you laughed, I believed you were actually happy. I guess you were already seeing Malfoy by then."

"I was," Harry admitted.

"Then if he's the one you want to be with, I will continue to refrain from punching him in the face. I would never want you to not be happy Harry, even if it is with that ferret-face."

Harry couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. Sprouts and potatoes long forgotten, he quickly wrapped his arms around the redhead. He really should have given his friend more credit. Even though he and Draco had never gotten along, Hermione's recent persistence that they should notwithstanding, Ron would never stop Harry from being happy. Now all he had to do was make things right with Draco.

No pressure.

End of Chapter: What Are Friends For