* Again I don't own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling. *
I'm not really sure where this story is going to go, but I liked the idea of Harry and Draco being friends, and the slash idea complicates it all a bit. The second chapter takes place as everyone returns from holiday.
Harry stood in the great hall looking for any sign of his friends. He spotted Ron's red hair (of course Ron's a head taller than everyone else so it wasn't hard) and called to him. Hermione followed Ron over to Harry.
"How was it in Romania?"
"It was all right, a bit boring without Fred and George though." Ron still acted a little anxious around him; Hermione was better, but still a bit weird.
"How was home, Hermione?"
"Good, but I couldn't wait to come back; we're starting a really interesting chapter in Muggle Studies." Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes.
"Hermione, you have got to be the only person who would actually rather be in school that at home."
"Well I like home and all, but I can't do magic there, now can I?"
"Aww, look Weasel and miss-know-it–all are back." Crabbe and Goyle laughed "Good one Draco". Ron's face turned red, as it usually did when Malfoy insulted him.
"Wow, I didn't know monkeys could talk. 'Specially the really thick ones." Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles. Malfoy struggled to keep a straight face, as did Harry, Draco eventually couldn't help it and let out a laugh.
"What are you laughing at, Malfoy?"
"That was pathetic, not very funny either. I bet Granger could come up with a better one." Hermione ignored him.
"So Harry, how was it here?"
"Well, I didn't really do much, sat around, did some homework. Nothing fun." CRACK Ron and Hermione, and almost everyone else turned around at a loud crash somewhere near the staircase. Neville had been trying to push a trunk up the stairs, and obviously didn't succeed.
Draco caught Harry's eye, while everyone else was looking at Neville. He mouthed "Nothing fun?" and raised an eyebrow. Harry replied with a shrug of his shoulders, and mouthed back "What was I supposed to say?"
Neville lost his audience as soon as he cleaned up his mess. "You're still here Malfoy? Shouldn't you be…I don't know writing your Death-eater of a Father a letter? Or have the dementors already given him a kiss?"
Draco's eyes went from a cold glare, to a watery sheen in an instant. He looked at Harry a moment, then turned and stomped off. Harry turned away and started up the stairs for the common room. He was already to the top of the first staircase before Ron and Hermione realized it.
"Wait, Harry." They ran up the stairs after him. "What? What's your problem?" Ron was breathing hard from the run up the stairs, Harry quickened his step.
"That was really low, Ron."
"You're standing up for Malfoy?"
"He didn't ask for Lucius to be a death-eater. You think it's not hard for him? His father is in Azkaban, how would you like it?" Ron's face fell as he caught on.
"Well … um … I guess… it would …um…sorry." Hermione caught up with them in the common room.
"Harry, why didn't Malfoy tease you, in the hall?"
"I don't know, probably got sick of teasing me all holiday. Teasing one person too much gets boring, even for Malfoy." They stayed in the Common room and caught up; Harry even beat Ron at Wizard Chess two times. They finally went up to their dorms.
"You're really quite Ron." Dean Thomas was hanging up his poster on the wall, a different one from last year though.
"Huh? Oh yeah. Um… just thinking." They turned in for the night, but neither Harry nor Ron got much sleep. Ron couldn't stop thinking about what Harry said. What if it were my dad?
Harry couldn't sleep at all, he tossed and turned. He finally got up and searched through his trunk for his invisibility cloak. He made sure he was quite, so he didn't wake anyone up, as he arranged pillows on his bed to look like he was still there. He snuck out of the room quietly, luckily for him someone was late getting to the common room, and he went out as they came in. There were some late-niters up at the Slytherin House too. Draco was in the corner of the room, by the fireplace. Harry waited until everyone was in the dormitories. He accidentally bumped into a chair and it slid noisily across the floor. Draco looked around.
"Is someone there?" He squinted into the shadows, looking for someone he couldn't see. Harry stopped right next to him.
"Draco, its me." He still couldn't see Harry, so naturally he was a little alarmed.
"What? Harry?" his whispered back. Harry slid the cloak off, and Draco gave a jump.
"Don't do that, you could give someone a heart attack doing that."
"Sorry. Why are you still up? "
"Ron's little comment. What about you?"
"Couldn't sleep. Don't worry; Ron's paying for what he said. I asked him how he'd feel if it were his dad. That got him thinking." They were both whispering, not wanting to wake anyone up.
"You really shouldn't worry about what Ron said; Dumbledore said that they won't let the dementors do that anymore. They're still around, but no kisses. Draco looked instantly relieved.
"I really hate him sometimes, but I wouldn't want to lose him."
"I don't blame you, but he's better than not having one." Draco sat there staring into the fire. Harry sat down on the sofa and was fidgeting with the cloak. Draco moved over by Harry and sat a half-foot from him. He watched the shadows from the flames on Harry's face. They gave a dark, dangerous look to him. Harry turned toward him and they sat silent for a while. All of Draco's muddled up feelings of the past few months surfaced.
"Let's get out of here."
"And go where exactly?"
"I don't know, somewhere, we can use your cloak." They threw the cloak over themselves as they walked through the door. They went through the halls trying doors, when they found an open one that they didn't recognize they ducked into it. The room was basically empty, but there were elaborate carpets on the floor. Harry pulled off the cloak and they walked around.
Draco stopped in front of a large mirror and squinted at it in he dim light. Harry could immediately tell what it was, The Mirror of Erised. Draco's expressions changed rapidly, from confusion, to amazement, to embarrassment. What does he see?
"Have any idea what this is?"
"The Mirror of Erised, it reveals your deepest desires. I came across it first year. I saw my parents next to me." Draco continued to stare into the mirror. Harry didn't bother to look, he knew what he'd see.
Harry dropped Draco off at the Slytherin common room. As he pulled the cloak on to leave, Draco called him back.
"Harry, wait." He whispered loudly, louder that they had been before. Draco ducked under the cloak. They were nose to nose, their faces were inches from each other. Draco moved forward; Harry, not knowing what he was going to do ( still a little weary of him, being his ex-enemy and all), put his hands up. Draco pushed down Harry's hands with his own, lingering at his wrists then moving up the length of Harry's arms, Harry caught on, it was blatant, this wasn't simply a friendly gesture. Draco's hands stopped on his shoulders, he pulled Harry to him. Harry let out a small gasp as their lips met. Draco pulled back, squeezed Harry's hand and slipped out from under the cloak.
Harry didn't even remember going back to the Gryffindor common room, but he was there in bed the next morning.
"Up, Harry?" He turned over to see Ron. "Better hurry, don't want to miss breakfast."
Harry forced himself out of bed. They met Hermione in the common room. Harry's first class was potions with the Slytherins. He wasn't really sure how to act around Draco, especially in front of other people. It was blatant the he didn't either. They ran into each other at the door, first Draco smiled, then he turned red, then he simply ignored them. Ron and Hermione were surprised the Malfoy didn't say anything to them.
Harry could feel Draco staring at him while they worked on their potions that were supposed to prevent something, he wasn't really listening.
"Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you'd like to join us." Everyone looked up surprised at what they heard. Snape was right in front of Draco.
"S-sorry, Professor Snape."
"Maybe you'd like to tell us what is more important than potions class?" Draco's face turned red.
"No sir, nothing. I'm just tired."
'Well, from what I heard you should be." Draco quickly looked at Harry, and they shared a look of fear. "Up in the common room until midnight. "Draco exhaled sharply, glad he wasn't found out. That was close. He snuck another look at Harry, and couldn't help smiling.
"So, what was with Malfoy today, he didn't even insult me once." They were on their way out of class.
"So, maybe he's changed." Ron and Hermione both stopped and stared slack-jawed at Harry.
"Are you defending him?"
"Maybe I am, he's been through a lot. Not that you would understand though."
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat outside on the grass. They'd been talking about what Harry said all day.
"So what exactly are you saying?"
"Over holiday, Draco and I talked. We talked about everything. We're a lot alike." Hermione closed her eyes trying to let it all sink in.
"So you're what? Friends now?" Harry looked at them, all expecting an answer. What should I say?
"Yes, we are." Harry caught sight of Draco, everyone else was talking about lessons now. Harry got up and followed Draco.
Draco knew Harry was behind him, he could feel it; he could feel it when Harry looked at him, they had a connection. He went into an empty room, Harry followed. The second they were in the room, Draco started talking.
"About what happened, lets forget it."
"Why?"
"Huh? Don't you want to?"
"Well didn't you mean it?"
"Mean it? The kiss…I meant…I don't know."
"Is that what you saw in the mirror?" Harry moved closer. Draco turned red.
"Yes. I saw…you and me and that. It's not like I didn't know though. Why didn't you look?" Harry leaned in and kissed him, like Draco had him last night.
"I knew what I'd see, this or my parents."
They kissed again, but this time it was real, they both knew how they felt. As they kissed more and more they grew less embarrassed. They tugged at each other's robes. Harry watched Draco's face as he pulled Draco's robe from his shoulders; Draco's pale skin had a pink tinge to it. He never really turned red, he was too pale for it, he turned pink. Draco did the same with Harry's robe. They stopped there though, didn't want too much at once.
They continued to kiss, their hands teasingly moving across each other. Harry brushed Draco's long silvery-blonde hair from his face. It was almost as messed up as Harry's. Draco took one of Harry's hands in his own; their fingers locked together, with his other he traced the scar on Harry's forehead. His hand moved to Harry's lips, then jaw, then down the front of his shirt and finally rested on Harry's leg.
Harry ran his hand down the front of Draco's shirt; he loosened his tie and undid the top two buttons and spread the shirt revealing the pale skin beneath. He ran his fingers across Draco's collarbone and neck. Draco lay down on his back, Harry followed lying next to him Harry turned on his side and ran his hand over Draco's stomach that had been uncovered when he lay down. He watched as Draco's eyes filled with tears, then spilled down his cheeks, soaking his hair. Draco squeezed Harry's hand, and he smiled. For the first time in a while Draco knew he was loved.
Neither of then cared if anyone found out now