It was June and the weather was getting warmer. Too hot to argue, Draco had said. They'd called a temporary truce on their ongoing disagreement, saying they would settle it next year when it wasn't so hot. For now, they were labelling it a draw (although both said they were being generous to the other, as they were clearly the winner).
Harry was preparing final exams for his students, and was stressing out slightly, as the hinkypunks he'd finally managed to find on owl order still hadn't arrived yet. He didn't have most of the written portion for the fourth years made up yet either and, okay, so slightly stressing out may have been an understatement.
He was glad, at least, that May was over. The month that the final battle had taken place had been a hard one for him, even after so long, especially because he was living where it had taken place. And where he and so many others had just lost so much. The anniversary of the battle on the second had passed quietly and solemnly.
He'd used the floo in the headmistress's office to visit Teddy at Andromeda's that night, which was thoroughly depressing now that Teddy was old enough to really understand that his parents were dead and what that meant. That he would never remember them or get to meet them. That he never got the chance. His hair was bubblegum pink and his eyes were the same golden yellow color as Remus's had been - features of his parents that he only knew from pictures. Harry had almost started crying the moment he saw him, and immediately wrapped the eight year old boy in his arms.
He had sent Teddy a present for Christmas and his birthday, but he hadn't actually visited him since this time the year before. He felt like he was an awful godfather; he needed to spend more time with Teddy. He had stewed about that all month.
*****
Finally, it was the last day feast. Harry had packed up all of his things, and received many well wishes for the summer holidays. He'd also received many thanks for his good teaching, and much praise for his fun and interesting classes. It was difficult not to break his new truce with Draco over the weight of all the affirmation of his superior teaching, although he was sure Draco was tempted to brag as well - he didn't doubt that the students were showering him with praise as well. Harry could admit that he was well liked and a good teacher, he just wasn't better than Harry.
McGonagall announced that Ravenclaw was the winner of this year's house cup and the Great Hall was suddenly decorated in blue and bronze. Loud cheers rose from the Ravenclaw table in front of Harry.
He looked out over all of the students from his seat at the staff table. It was amazing how he thought he'd miss a lot of them - and some of them would be gone from Hogwarts for good. Harry sighed and turned to Draco.
"This is it. I've actually taught at Hogwarts for an entire school year. That's amazing."
"I know, isn't it? It's so weird. I think I'm gonna miss them, you know."
"Yeah. But we'll also get a whole new batch of hyperactive, timid Firsties next year."
Near the end of the meal, the Slytherin and Gryffindor Sixth Year prefects approached the staff table in front of Harry and Draco. All four of them were in Harry's Gryffindor/Slytherin Defense Against The Dark Arts class, as well as Draco's Sixth Year Advanced Potionmaking.
The Great Hall quieted down.
"Professor Potter, Professor Malfoy?" The Slytherin girl asked.
"Er- Yes?" Harry asked.
Malfoy merely nodded, looking inquisitive.
"Well, we really appreciated your teaching this year, especially since it's your first year and you guys are already our favorite teachers. And, so - well, we wanted to get you something. The four of us got together and asked anyone who wanted to to just contribute a few sickles if they could. So this is from everyone."
The Gryffindor boy pulled a small object from his pocket, and carefully set in on the floor in front of the table. The Gryffindor girl flicked her wand, and it enlarged to its full size. It was a trunk.
The boy who had held the trunk spoke.
"We wanted to get you something that would be useful to both of you. It has thirteen levels, all with different locks and they all expand."
Harry's eyes widened. It was just like Mad Eye Moody's! He figured something like that must be incredibly rare.
"Thank you, this is really amazing." He paused and frowned as he realised something. "Wait, it's for both of us?"
They all nodded eagerly.
He and Draco exchanged confused glances.
"But there are two of us. How are we supposed to share it?" Draco spoke slowly, as if trying to see if he was missing something.
The students looked confused.
"I mean, the compartments have different locks if you don't want to mix stuff." The Slytherin boy said confusedly.
Draco persisted. "But there are two of us. How could we both get to it?"
The Gryffindor girl's eyebrows drew together.
"Don't you two live together?"
Harry cocked his head and Draco's eye twitched as he stared at her.
"No," he responded carefully.
The Slytherin girl interjected.
"But you'll be seeing each other a lot," she stated firmly.
This time it was Harry who spoke, although his face still looked like he was trying to work out a particularly difficult arithmancy problem.
"No, not that I was aware of."
He looked askance at Draco, who merely shrugged.
"We're not even really friends...we're just sorta like..."
"Competitive acquaintances," Draco filled in, helpfully.
"Yes, thank you. We're like competitive acquaintances."
"But! What about...You're always around each other's classrooms, and you always sit together at meals, and talk in the hallways!" The Slytherin girl piped up.
"Yeah, and what about Valentine's Day?" The Slytherin boy added.
Harry and Draco looked at each other.
"What about Valentine's Day?" Harry asked.
"You two were all..." He made a vague gesture with his hands, "and then you were laughing and you put your hand on his arm!" he pointed at Draco accusingly, "and you were drinking from the same goblet!"
"Were you taking notes?" Draco asked drily.
"Draco," Harry said, gently chastising, looking over at him and trying not to smile.
"That! See! That!" The Gryffindor interjected exasperatedly, pointing at Harry.
"What?!" both Harry and Draco exclaimed.
"Merlin's beard!" he sighed and mopped his hands over his face. The Gryffindor girl took over.
"Well what about Christmas? All the people who stayed said you two did practically nothing besides talk to each other, and at the feast neither of you were paying attention to anything besides each other, and there was whispering and putting hats on each other...And the last day before the holidays Clara said she went into Professor Potter's office, and Professor Malfoy was sitting on the desk saying something about 'What's mine is yours' and you were holding hands!"
"Is the journal professionally bound?" Draco asked sarcastically.
"Draco." Harry said, in much the same way as the first time, placing a warning hand on his arm, and fiercely attempting to hold back his laughter.
"Aghh!" The girl practically screamed, pulling her hair and staring pointedly at Harry's hand.
"What?" Harry threw his hands up in exasperation.
"I'm ninety percent sure that thing in my office was just Draco making fun of me for being rude when he invited himself into my office."
He stopped to give her a look usually reserved for those who are absolutely, irredeemably raving mad.
"And I'm pretty sure I would remember if we were holding hands, that is not normal Malfoy-Potter behavior. Do you know how long we hated each other for? The only way we can communicate is through antagonising each other." He looked at Draco for affirmation.
"Don't look at me, Potter." He turned to the four prefects (and the entire student body that was silently spectating behind them). "I was Professor Potter's number one rival for six years at Hogwarts! I once stayed up the entire night charming badges by hand to say Potter Stinks when pressed."
"Wait, you stayed up the entire night? We had double Potions the next day, and didn't you have an Arithmancy test?"
"For Salazar's sake! How even- why aren't they married?" Someone called from the Slytherin table.
Harry and Draco appeared not to notice.
"You know you might have thought that was bad, but Ron and I polyjuiced ourselves into Goyle and...Crabbe. We put a sleeping draught into cupcakes, and stuffed them into a cupboard when they passed out."
"When on earth did you do that? And how didn't I notice? Well...I suppose they were never the most verbal..."
"Second year! I thought you were the heir of Slytherin."
"I think I remember that! And you're the parselmouth! You little sneak, you should've been sorted into Slytherin!"
"Actually the Sorting Hat told me it was an option. It told me I could be great there."
Whispers broke out all over the Great Hall.
"But in the end you were too Gryffindor." Draco finished.
"No - well I don't know. I just kept repeating 'not Slytherin' until it sorted me into Gryffindor. Don't look at me like that! That's where I thought all the bad wizards were, I obviously know better now, but I hardly knew anything about the wizarding world yet."
"Hmm, this makes me rethink a lot of things."
"Anyway, I'm not a parselmouth anymore. When Voldemort murdered me and the horcr-"
"Alright! While this conversation has been extremely enlightening, I think that's enough for now. You may continue it privately some other time. We'd all better head back to our quarters to get a good night's sleep before the journey home tomorrow." McGonagall finally put an end to the spectator sport that Harry and Draco's conversation had become.