Title: Harry Potter and the Seventh Year Carriage Ride

Author: Chibi Strawberry

Author's e-mail: chibinekomanda@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters… but I love to PLAY! ^_^

Pairing: Draco/Harry

Rating: right now I think PG or PG-13

Feed Back: YES!! PLEASE!!

Author's notes: I don't know how but this story just popped into my head. This is most likely going to be just this one chapter. But I hope you enjoy it. ^_^

Oh, no Bata for this story. So, sorry for all the bad grammar and spelling and whatnot.

Harry Potter and the Seventh Year Carriage Ride

Harry Potter; you know him, The-boy-who-lived. Well it's the beginning of Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. He's a little older, wiser, and is still clumsy as hell when it comes to walking on the long legs he's grown over the years. True he his seventeen and should be used to walking on his legs by now, but Harry's never been a normal boy.

Stumbling out of the Hogwarts Express, Harry still has to catch his breath when he sees the image of the majestic castle of Hogwarts shimmer in the lake, where the first years fallow Hagrid. Standing on the platform, Harry no matter how much he wishes it, well never get to take the first year trip across the lake. Sighing to himself Harry made his way with his best friends Ron and Hermione, to the horseless carriages, which are now his only transportation to the castle.

Thinking of what this year will bring to them; Harry barely noticed that the carriage that Ron and Hermione climbed in to was full. Upon poking his head through the carriage door, Harry noticed. "Sorry, mate." Ron whispered to him.

"S'alright, Ron." Harry chuckled. "I'll see you guys in the hall." Harry beamed his natural smile, the one that could melt chocolate but only gets Hermione to roll her eyes.

Such as Harry's luck the only carriage that was not full of staff members and students, was at the very back, housing only one other. Through the glassless windows Harry couldn't make out the person setting in the dark corner. Shrugging it off, Harry started to climb in to the carriage when his foot caught the footstool sending him face first in to the floor, knocking his glasses away.

From the dark corner a small chuckle was heard, but not recognized. "Here," the voice from the dark said. Who ever it was helped Harry to one of the sets across from the them selves

Searching for his glasses on the floor, Harry squinted his eyes; trying to make the stranger across from him, take shape. "Do you see me glasses?"

Again the voice chuckled, sounding a little familiar. "Stay still." Harry listened to the friendly command as the blurred person in front of him carefully picked up his glasses and put them on the famous, blushing boy. "There now, you can see."

Harry's eyes widened as the blurred stranger became as sharp and as familiar as day. Pale skin so close, glowing hair perfectly brushed back. His sliver eyes holding a sparkle that seemed very Dumbledore, just in a darker shade and his lips turned up wards in a perfect smirk that made the boy in front of Harry look almost… friendly?

"Malfoy?" Harry's voice choked out.

"A loss for words, Potter?" Draco's smirk faded a bit. "It doesn't surprise me. Your wit is about as big as Neville's ego."

Yep that was Draco Malfoy, The-Boy-Who-Was-Missing. Rumors were that Draco Malfoy was killed the summer before sixth year since he wasn't at school. But Harry and a few others knew that the Malfoy's went into hiding. His father a spy, like Snape, wanted to protect his family and did until his very last breath. Draco spent that year of The Dark Lords downfall, in morning at Malfoy manner.

Harry still stared at his school nemeses. "I…I… When did you get back?"

"Well apparently today, since I'm in this bloody carriage with you." As sharp as his words sounded they didn't sting Harry, like so many times before.

Harry blinked back his surprise and looked out of the window, ignoring Malfoy. Well tried to ignore, anyways. Harry tried not to sneak glances at his school bully, but he was having a hard time of it. Draco was simply stunning. Sitting there with perfect posture, his never-ending legs crossed which his pale hands rested upon. His snowy-gray eyes clouding Harry's and that's when Harry realized he was staring at Malfoy and he was staring right back. Quickly Harry looked down, blushing. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"Potter," Harry looked up to see Malfoy gazing out of his window. "I'm sorry." Draco looked way from his view to see Harry's cute confused look. Slowly Draco shook his head. "We have a long ways to go Potter." Draco looked out of the window again.

"Huh?"

Draco sighed once again looked back to the emerald depth he missed. "It's our seventh year and we are taking the annual trip through the Forbidden Forest . So as I said we have a long ways to go." Harry blinked once and looked to his window. They were indeed ridding through the forest. "The carriages are enchanted so nothing will approach us but this is a rare glance for students that do not hide in an invisible cloak, to see why the forest is forbidden. Dumbledore just loves these hour long trips."

"Hour long!" Harry quickly turned to Draco. "But won't we miss the Sorting Ceremony?"

"Potter," Draco chuckled. "Do we or do we not attend a Wizarding school?"

"Oh." Harry slouched in his chair thinking about his third year. Hermione and her Time Turner.

Harry so involved in his thoughts did not see the frown on Draco's face as he sunk back in to the darkness of the carriage, hiding his face. It amazed Draco that Harry was so… quite. Their sixth year must have cooled Harry off. After all Draco wasn't there to bother him, but Harry was with Draco.

Those damn hunting eyes, his messy dark hair. They were almost complete opposites. Harry was a Gryffindor and Draco was a Slytherin, but if only the school could see them now. Just setting in silence and of course, not showing it; enjoying each other's presents.

"Harry," Harry snapped his head to Draco with again the cute confused look. 'Ah, the hell with it.' Draco thought. "Do you know why I hated you for five years?"

"N—no." Harry looked, well; startled would be one word to describe it.

Draco still looming in the darkness, smiled at the boys nervousness. "I first saw you at Madam Malkin's. You were standing there all nervous as hell, looking around with these bright, innocent green eyes. This skinny, half starved little boy that looked like he just had his very first ice-cream cone. I knew it was Harry Potter that was standing there.

"Again I met you on the train. I thought that if this boy was going to be our saver, then maybe, just maybe he could see through my mask. So I let it fall for the first time, I dropped it." Draco's eyes seemed to glow out of the darkness as Harry watched him, not making a sound. He didn't want Draco to stop whatever he was telling him "I wanted a friend, Harry. I was never aloud to make them because of my father's dealings with Voldemort. But I wanted one. One that my father didn't appoint to me.

"I reached out my hand and was denied friendship from the person I wanted it from the most. Not because you were The-Boy-Who-Lived, but because I wanted to keep you that way." Draco paused taking in a deep breath. "From the first time I laid my eyes on you, I wanted to protect you. So with my mask gone, my friendship denied, I did the only thing my little mind could think of, hate." Draco lifted his hand to wipe away something on his check. Harry to stunned to notice the tear. "So," Draco breathed out reaching out his hand to Harry. "With my mask gone again, will you, Harry Potter be my friend?"

Harry starred at the long pale fingers that reminded him of claws. Harry has had many dreams about those fingers, good and bad. More good of course and now they were there in front of him. Slowly the hand pulled away and Harry realized he had waiting to long. "NO!" He yelled jumping for the hand. Enter-twining his fingers with Draco's, Harry looked into Draco's eyes with longing. "I… Draco. Yes of course. Yes!" He yelled one more time for good measure as a real smile snaked its way on Draco's face.

Their hands still wrap around each other, both boys looked out at the forest. Staying in silence the rest of the trip.

***

High up on one of Hogwart's many towers, Professor Sirius Black stood on the balcony watching the seventh years ride through the Forbidden Forest. His long shaggy hair blew wildly in the wind.

Long strong arms snaked their way around Sirius's waste as he leaned in to the body behind him. "It's to cold for you to be out here alone." The black silk voice behind him poured into his ears. "What are you doing out here anyways, Black?"

Sirius chuckled. "I was thinking about our seventh year houseless carriage ride, Severus."

"As I recall you gave me a bloody nose."

"Yes, but I made it up to you later." Snape's body shook as he laughed.

"You did indeed." Severus hugged Sirius tightly as he remembered their seventh year carriage ride, as well.