A/N: Another chapter titled by the fantastic GypsyJade, damn, I really have to start coming up with titles on my own, but she's just so awesome!

Draco fought the urge to cling to Harry's hand as they entered the Three Broomsticks. He was a little nervous at how the six of them would be received when they took a table together. More importantly, though, he wanted to offer the comfort to Harry who would, no doubt, be uneasy with inevitable stares, no matter the intent.

"Let's find a table in the back," Granger - Hermione said, with a surreptitious glance at Harry.

"No, we should sit right out in the open," Pansy loved being the center of attention, no matter whether it was good or bad.

"What purpose would that serve? Anyone who doesn't see us will hear about it either way. I think we will all be more comfortable if there aren't eyes on us from all sides," Hermione started to lead them toward a corner as far away from the Hogwarts crowd as possible.

"Let them stare," Pansy started to pull Blaise in the other direction, but Draco stopped her.

"Pansy, please just do as Hermione says," He cut his eyes to Harry. She took note of Harry's pale, sweaty face and the look of almost horror he was wearing. Draco could tell she still wanted to argue, but thankfully kept her thoughts to herself and gave in with a tiny huff.

"Fine, we'll sit in the dark corner like we have something to hide," She turned her nose up and marched toward the almost isolated table.

"Thanks, Draco," Harry sounded a little relieved, but not entirely at ease.

Draco debated on whether to take a seat at the far side of the table with the wall to their back, or the front with the other patrons behind them. Draco hated to sit with his back to a door, if someone approached him; he wanted to be fully aware of it. If they sat at the back, Harry would be able to see every eye that drifted their way, but they would be able to secretly hold hands under the table. If they sat with their backs to everyone, Harry wouldn't be able to see everyone, but he'd still know they were looking.

Finally, he made his way around the table and motioned for Harry to follow. The moment they were seated, he placed his hand on Harry's knee and squeezed gently. Harry sighed and whispered his 'thanks' so low that even Hermione - who was on his other side - didn't hear it.

Madam Rosmerta eyed them curiously as she approached their table. Apparently, knowledge of Harry and Draco's feud stretched far and wide.

"What'll it be, kids?" She gave a small, polite smile and waited for their order.

"Oh, um, I think we'll all just have a butterbeer and maybe some fish and chips?" Hermione looked around the table for everyone's approval and nodded at Madam Rosmerta when no one protested.

Once they were alone again, silence slipped over them like a thick Scottish fog. Draco searched for something, anything to say, but came up short. If it had been just the two of them, he'd have no problem finding something to talk about, but this was strange and awkward.

Hermione sat with her hands in her lap, studying the tabletop as if there might be a quiz on the random scratches adorning it. Ron's hands were clasped together in front of him, elbows on the table, and he was watching Hermione then Blaise and Pansy in turn. Pansy was examining her nails and purposely ignoring the arm that Blaise was creeping over the back of her chair.

Harry was watching everyone watch him. He seemed to be dealing with the pressure quite nicely, and Draco let himself believe it was due to the hand still rhythmically kneading his thigh. Draco noticed his eyes linger over a table of Gryffindors who were nudging each other and pointing in their direction. Finnigan was eyeing the Slytherins with barely disguised disgust. Longbottom simply looked curious.

Pansy sighed, "If we at least try to enjoy ourselves it might help the image we are trying to create."

Hermione's head jerked up, "We aren't 'creating an image,' Pansy. We are here to support our friends and make this a little easier on them. I don't expect us to become best friends, nor do I expect them," she waved her hand toward the other patrons, "to believe that we are. I'd like for us to be able to act civilly toward each other, but that is the height of my expectation."

Hermione wouldn't know it for what it was, but Pansy gave her a look of grudging respect before replying, "Indeed. It seems we are on the same page."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by Longbottom, "Hey guys, mind if I join you?"

He didn't wait for an answer, just pulled a chair up and insinuated himself between Harry and Hermione. Draco started to pull his hand back, lest the intruder notice, but Harry grabbed on and held tight. Longbottom didn't seem interested in what was occurring beneath the table and instead turned his attention to Draco's face.

"Hey Malfoy, how did you do on the last Herbology quiz?" It was not secret that Longbottom was a herbology nut and Draco, being exceedingly good at potions, also excelled in the subject.

Draco bit back the urge to deliver a very scathing remark. He surprised himself with his almost friendly answer and the use of the boy's first name, "I think I did rather well, Neville. I must admit, though, she threw me off a little with the essay on lobelia."

"That was a little odd considering we only covered it briefly and don't grow it-" Hermione cut him off sharply.

"We don't grow it because it is deadly and due to that fact cannot be used safely in any potions," She shook her head as if any first year should know that.

"By itself, monkshood is deadly, but combined carefully with other ingredients-" Hermione interrupted Draco with a look of awe.

"It is the key to creating an effective Wolfsbane Potion," She nodded as if she should have realized the fact sooner, "Just because something can be evil or dark doesn't mean that it always is."

"Precisely, for instance, yew trees are poisonous. Did you know that it only takes about thirty yew berry seeds to kill an adult? It's not just the berries either, the whole bloody tree is deadly, with the exception of the flesh of the fruit. Anyone care to weigh in on how we put this deadly tree to good use?"

"Wands, of course," Harry piped in, "Though I'm not sure that's the best example to use, Draco. Do you know who had a wand made of yew?" Draco knew, but it didn't disprove his point.

"I'm aware, would you argue that His wand is evil?" Harry's eyes grew wide at Draco's use of the present tense, but Draco wasn't sorry. The sooner Harry dealt with the fact that Voldemort would soon rise again, the better.

"No, You-Know-Who's wand wasn't evil, but it was used to commit evil acts," Ron looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, "But, I guess in the wrong hands, pretty much anything can be evil. Or, in the wrong circumstances, anyone could turn out that way."

"That is very true Ron, but, at some point a person must take responsibility for their actions and seek to make their life what they want it to be rather than what has been thrust upon them," Hermione turned her head to give Draco a small smile, then quickly looked away.

Draco nodded and reclined in his chair, without knowing it, he'd revealed their joined hands to Neville. When he next looked over at Longbottom, the boy's eyes were glued to a spot just under the table and Draco realized his mistake. He started to lean up again, but Longbottom caught his eye and they shared a strange moment of understanding.

"It's the present that matters. The choices we make for ourselves are most important," Longbottom grinned sheepishly when he saw that every eye at the table was on him. He blushed slightly and went quiet.

It seemed that he was exactly what they'd needed. After the addition of Neville and the ensuing slightly philosophical discussion, everyone relaxed. Their food and drinks were delivered and they engaged in friendly conversation. They talked about everything from their classes to Quidditch and even shared some laughs.

Draco found himself pulled into a discussion regarding the connection between herbology and potions with Hermione and Neville. They were taking the piss out of Neville for being so miserable at one and brilliant at the other. He took it good naturedly and returned with quips about Draco's abysmal Defense marks and Hermione's short stint in Divination.

Amidst all the friendly chaos, Draco noted that Harry seemed completely at ease engaged in a conversation with Pansy, Blaise, and Ron. He also noticed how close Pansy and Blaise were sitting. He had his arm fully around her shoulders and she was leaning into his chest just a little.

What struck him as funny was the way Ron was studying each and every move Blaise made in regards to Pansy. Ron was slowly following his unvoiced advice. Draco was positive Blaise was willingly giving the boy pointers; they kept sharing odd looks and goofy grins. By the time their meal was finished and they were lamenting the fact that they had to return to the school, Ron and Hermione were a mirror image of Pansy and Blaise. The only difference was the fact that Pansy and Blaise looked completely at ease with their positions and the other two were blushing fiercely and stuttering occasionally.

When they stood and pushed up their chairs, Blaise's arm snaked around Pansy's waist and he looked pointedly from Ron's arm to Hermione's waist. When Ron ignored the suggestion, Blaise loudly cleared his throat, and Hermione voiced her annoyance as well.

"Oh for goodness sake, Ron," Still flushed, but smiling a little, she took hold of Ron's arm and put it where they both wanted it.

Blaise laughed, "And here I thought we were being discrete, mate," Draco didn't miss the friendly term and neither did Ron. He grinned almost as hugely as he had at Hermione's boldness.

"Not likely with this one," Ron tilted his head toward Hermione in feigned exasperation, but the look on his face was pure adoration.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Pansy rolled her eyes at Blaise's agreement, but laughed nonetheless.

Draco had let go of Harry's hand directly before standing, but seeing their friends so easily touching each other made him miss the warmth of Harry's fingers even more. He wished they could be so openly affectionate with each other. Harry must have felt the same way, because when they exited the pub, the other boy walked closer than he had earlier.

"Neville knows," Harry only had to lean in a little to mumble the words into Draco's ear. He shivered as Harry's warm breath ghosted over the skin of his neck.

"Yeah, what was your first clue?"

"Well, I kind of caught on when he said what he did about 'choices.' Then he looked at me funny when we left, like we were in on a huge secret together. Ha, I guess he's kind of right, huh?" Amazingly, Harry didn't sound stressed. The other boy sounded almost pleased.

"He saw us holding hands."

"Oh, don't worry, he won't say anything," Draco thought that maybe Neville didn't have to say anything. They'd been sitting close. It had been obvious that Pansy and Blaise were on a date, and the other two had been awful cuddly by the time they'd left. It wouldn't take a genius to figure it out. They'd hoped to 'come out' with their friendship, but they might have just revealed more than that.

"I'm not worried," He really wasn't; so what if everyone knew? That would just mean that they could hold hands. He'd be able to walk Harry to the classes they didn't share. He'd be able to sit with Harry during the ones they did share. They'd be able to sneak kisses and only worry about being caught by professors, just like everyone else.

Draco was feeling audacious; he glanced around to ensure that their friends - walking several feet ahead of them - were the only people around. Once he was pretty sure they were alone, he planted a quick kiss on Harry's cheek.

Harry's hand flew to the spot Draco's lips had touched he grinned, "Promise me we'll let the cat out of the bag soon. I think I liked that - a lot."

"I think that, after today, you have assuaged my fears. It is entirely up to you what we reveal and when, Harry."

"Good, soon then. It's still quite early, did you want to disappear with me for a while when we get back?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

A/N 2: Busy, busy, busy weekend at work, so it may be a few days longer than usual for the next chapter, sorry guys.

harborseal54: Lol, don't you get a special thanks every chapter? I have to stop playing favorites. Anyhoo, thanks for your suggestions and tips for the last chapter, I took some and left others. Lol, you actually pointed out a line that I stressed over a little while I was writing it. It was the 'me/I' thing with Harry. I kept wanting to put 'I' but when I said it out loud (which is what I do to see if it feels like something that character would say) it sounded more like Draco with the 'I.' So, I went with 'me' even though it wasn't correct, it seemed more 'Harry' that way.

Thanks bunches to all of you who are sticking with me, as well as any newcomers. Did you know that 157 of you get alerts for this story? 82 of you have favorited (still not a word) it! Woohoo, you guys are awesome and I love ALL of you muchly!