I owe Harry more than my life, I thought as my hand tightened in his. But I hope he doesn't think I'm doing this because I feel like I owe him. I mean, I do owe him, but that's not… Only why I'm doing this.

I glanced sideways at him, and saw a frown creasing his brow. Once class ended, we followed the rest of the class toward McGonagall's classroom, and I asked him about it.

"What's wrong?"

His introspective frown was quickly replaced with false ease as he turned a curious grin toward me.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Harry." I admonished.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he passed a hand through his hair.

"It's just… Something Hooch said…"

"What did she say?"

Harry made a dismissive gesture, but at this point, I could read his emotional cues too well to accept it.

"If you'd rather not talk about it-"

"Do you see me as an equal?"

This question shocked me enough that my legs stopped. Harry stopped with me, and I cast my eyes downward as I tried to form an answer.

"W-well… I mean…" So lost for words was I that my free hand came up to run through my own hair. "I guess… No. Not really."

Harry's answering frustration twisted at my heart as the hallway bustled around us, still leaving us a wide berth.

"I mean, Harry…" His eyes found mine, and my words stuck in my throat. "I… How could I? After all you've done? After all I've done?"

Agitation creased his brow even deeper and he tore his hand from mine, continuing toward Transfiguration.

"Harry…" I called after him as I hastily followed. His irritated march forward wasn't fast enough to outpace me, and I caught up with him soon enough, my outstretched fingers wrapping around his wrist. "Stop." He did, but didn't look back at me. A sigh leaked through my lips. "Neither of us can change the past, but we don't need to constantly compare ourselves to it. You're… Just Harry. And I'm…" I swallowed, unable to come to any conclusion that would ease this tension.

Thankfully, Hermione and Ron walked by, the former halting her partner to assess the situation.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing," Harry answered as he, once again, tore his hand from my grasp. My heart slightly splintered, but I didn't try to reach out to him again.

With a sigh, she tugged Harry's sleeve down a nearby hallway, and left me and Ron to awkwardly continue to Transfigurations together.

"What is it now?" Hermione asked, arms folded, as per usual.

"Do you see me as an equal?"

Her surprise seemed answer enough to me, and I instantly turned on my heel.

"Of course." Her answer stopped me in my tracks, and I turned back hesitantly. "Is that what this is about?" As I turned to appraise her expression, I saw exasperation and immediately felt childish. "Harry, you can't expect someone as self-loathing as Draco Malfoy to immediately see you as an equal. Honestly, are you thick?"

A flush crept into my cheeks as I realized the tantrum I'd thrown, and the probable hurt I'd caused Draco. Still, my ego sought to defend itself.

"It's just frustrating knowing that even he sees me as some kind of… God." My wording made me wince, as I'd become more and more sensitive to the Gryffindor arrogance he'd suggested. "I just don't want him to see himself as less than me."

"Well, that has nothing to do with you, does it?" When I flushed at my feet silently, she reiterated, "Does it?"

"N-no…"

"Right. You'll just have to be patient with him. Jesus, Harry, you've only been dating for what, two days?" Again, I squirmed internally as regret pierced my heart. "You have to cut him a break."

I was surprised to hear her defending him, but my discomfort eased somewhat.

"You're right. Th-thanks, Hermione."

"Of course I'm right. Come on, let's not be late."

Again, she tugged me by my sleeve, and we were off to Transfiguration.

My splintered heart was steadily leaking into my gut, but as Harry dropped into the empty desk beside me, it seemed to seize up.

"Sorry," he uttered. "I… You didn't deserve that."

I cast a wild glance around the room until I'd found Hermione's stern observation of us. My grateful nod toward her was answered with raised eyebrows, and she turned her haughty attention away from us. McGonagall began her lecture as I sat, uncomfortably, at my desk.

A mere few moments into the lesson, Harry's note slid onto my desk.

'It's just frustrating knowing everyone worships me,'

I gulped as I scanned his message. I wish I could say I didn't… I poised my quill over the Horcrux page, intending to pen 'Sounds like quite a hardship,' but the sarcasm nor the venom were anywhere to be found in me. Instead, what I watched myself reply was,

'I'm sorry, too' After a long pause, during which I assumed Harry read this message, I continued. 'If it makes any difference, you being you means more to me than you being Harry Potter'

I couldn't bring myself to watch him read my message as I handed the page back to him, but the tension between us seemed to ease slightly, and I exhaled shakily. Once he'd written his response and sent it back to me, I'd nearly worked myself up into a frenzy.

'It makes a world of difference'

This message squeezed my heart, and the splinter from before started to knit itself back together.

'I'm really sorry, Harry. I honestly didn't know how to respond back there'

'Not your fault. Herm pointed out some key points I'd somehow missed' I barely perceived his terrible penmanship before it vanished, and he continued. 'I'm the one who should be sorry. Make it up to you tonight?'

As this fading message landed on my desk, my cheeks warmed. I was about to reply, 'You don't have to do that,' when I realized this would only frustrate him further. Instead, I made an uncomfortable mental shift and wrote back,

'I expect liquor'

Harry's quiet chuckle warmed my face further, and the splintered pieces of my heart seemed to meld back together.

'Ask and you shall receive' was his answer.