Author's Note: Yay! More! ^_^
Harry felt someone shaking him lightly, a hand brushing his bangs away from his eyes. A soft voice was calling his name. "Harry... Harry? Wake up." He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. "Harry? The voice sounded worried. "Potter! Get up! Please, Harry, you said you wouldn't leave... You promised, you jerk."
Draco! Harry struggled to open his eyes or something. Apparently he succeeded in letting out a moan, because the next thing he felt was a cool hand on his forehead.
"You're awake."
He finally opened his eyes. The lights were back on and the Hogwarts Express was moving again. Draco regarded him anxiously, although Harry could tell that, now that the danger - or whatever it had been - had passed, the boy was trying to look superior and cold again.
"Save it, Draco," he murmured weakly. "I'm the only one here. You can be yourself. Don't act." Their eyes met. Draco's eyes widened and his mouth opened, but, at that moment, there was a soft knock on the door.
It slid quietly open and a man stood there. He looked fairly young, Harry thought, maybe early thirties, but he had a lot of gray hair. His face was smooth, but tired, and his robes were badly in need of either repair or replacement. He appeared kind, however, and his eyes were alert.
Harry saw the sneer come back into place on Draco's face, and he sighed inwardly. He was, however, intrigued. Why was there an adult onboard the Express, and who was he? And, more importantly, why was he at their door?
The stranger entered and smiled at them both. His eyebrows shot up as his gaze landed on Harry, but he didn't mention the scar on his forehead.
Instead, he asked, "Are you boys alright? You look a bit pale." He knelt beside Harry. "I'm Professor Lupin. I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he explained, seeing their confusion. "Here," he offered them both a piece of chocolate. "Eat it."
Harry struggled to sit up. Lupin helped him, then pushed a small piece of chocolate between his lips. "Chew, Harry. It'll help," Lupin told him. He did, and was surprised to feel warmth spreading through his body. Eagerly, he accepted more. Draco ate his, now, too, apparently trusting Lupin now that Harry hadn't been poisoned.
"Professor," Harry began after he had swallowed, "how did you know my name?"
"And what just happened?" added Draco.
Lupin smiled. "I know your name, Harry, because you look extraordinarily like James Potter. I went to school with him. I would assume that you," he continued, turning to Draco, "are Lucius Malfoy's son." Draco nodded. Lupin's smile left his face. "And that," he jerked his head towards the door, "was a dementor. One of the dementors of Azkaban."
"A dementor? But what are they doing out here if they're from Azkaban?"
"Probably looking for Sirius Black, Harry," said Lupin quietly. He looked almost sad, although Harry couldn't fathom why. The professor stood up. "Well, you two seem to be okay. I'm going to check on the other students. It was nice to finally meet you, Harry. I'll be seeing you around. You too, Mr. Malfoy..." he looked at the quiet, pale boy.
"Draco," Draco answered the unasked question. He looked down at the floor.
Lupin smiled. "Nice to have met you, Draco." He turned and stepped back into the corridor, sliding the door closed behind him.
Harry looked at Draco. "I passed out." The other nodded. "It was really cold and I felt like I'd never be happy again. I..." he hesitated. "I heard someone - a woman - screaming."
Draco lifted startled eyes to Harry's face. "Screaming?"
Harry nodded. "How about you? What happened?"
"It got really cold," he said after a moment. "It - the dementor - kind of smelled us, I suppose, then just turned and left. I shut the door and noticed you were lying on the floor, and tried to wake you up."
They both fell silent. Harry's mind reeled. He'd fainted? And heard screaming? He shuddered, pushing it from his mind. When had he gotten so pitiful? He also wondered about Sirius Black. Lupin had sounded sad when he had mentioned him, and had said he was the reason the dementors had stopped the train. Dementors. He wondered what was under those cloaks, and what they would do when they found Black. Why had they made him so cold, and faint? He also pondered Professor Lupin. It was strange for a professor to ride the Hogwarts Express. He seemed nice, though. Harry hoped he would last longer than Quirrel or Lockhart. He sighed; how would Professor Snape take not getting the DADA position - again? Harry's mind drifted to Slytherin, and to the boy beside him. All the Slytherins had seemed so cruel, and yet here was Draco Malfoy, their infamous ringleader, being kind and caring towards Harry. He didn't get it. Or maybe, a thought occurred to him, it was like Snape? A mask, a façade, a reputation to maintain? But then, what were Slytherins like to each other? The one time he and Ron had been insiders - using the Polyjuice Potion last year - Draco had been in a bad mood, but certainly civil to the two whom he thought to be Crabbe and Goyle. Now, though...
Harry's thoughts were interrupted, and both his and Draco's heads snapped up as the door burst open for the third time in the past ten minutes. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and one of the twins - Harry thought it was Fred - stood in the doorway.
"The new professor, Lupin, came back through just now and we asked him where you were and he said in here with a friend -" Ron exclaimed breathlessly, then abruptly stopped as he caught sight of the 'friend.' "Malfoy," he sneered, doing a very good impression of said Slytherin. "A friend, huh? You were probably trying to hex Harry in the dark." Ron's wand was out. It was new, Harry noted as he snatched it away. Ron and the others gasped. Hermione eyed Draco warily, but left her wand in her pocket.
"I'm glad you were all worried about me," he said frowning, "but Draco here was the one who really helped me. And Professor Lupin, of course." Harry realized this sounded a bit cold. "How are you guys?" he asked more warmly, handing Ron his wand back with a look and a shake of his head.
"Fine, now, Harry," Hermione answered timidly. "But something - Lupin called it a dementor - the dementor was terrible. It was so cold..."
"But nothing happened, no one was hurt or... or reacted oddly to it?" he pressed, glancing at Draco, whose face was an unreadable mask.
"No..." she replied slowly. "Why? Are you ok, Harry?" she took her eyes off of Draco to question Harry.
"Fine," he replied shortly. He got up off the floor and sat in one of the seats next to Draco. "But I'd like to stay here for a while. I'd like to talk to Draco about something," he said casually.
"You WANT-" Hermione kicked Ron and pulled him back into their compartment. Ginny followed.
Fred stayed a moment. "Malfoy?" he said after a moment, tilting his head to one side.
"What, Weasley?" Draco looked at him with distaste, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Thanks. For whatever you did." Fred suddenly grinned. "You're usually an ass, Malfoy, but I'll bet you're nice to your friends. So - thanks." He closed the door to the compartment quietly.
Draco stared. "He - He -" he spluttered in disbelief, "He thanked me?"
Harry chuckled. "Yes. The Weasleys may be poor, but they're - usually - some of the nicest people I know." He looked pointedly at the pale boy, who scowled sulkily.
After a moment, though, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh. That. Well... d'you remember our other conversation? After I bumped into you at the Apothecary..." Draco smirked, nodding. "Well, I said something about Slytherins being okay, at least to their friends. What are Slytherins like?" He bit his lip, hoping he didn't sound to eager. It was still a bit awkward to be talking civilly, much less being friendly to, Draco Malfoy of all people.
Draco looked thoughtful. "Well, we're loyal. We stick together, and it's almost like... a family, I suppose. A real one," he said softly, and Harry wondered what he meant by that, but didn't interrupt. "We're sneaky, too. We can get around unnoticed when we want, and only a Slytherin can see us - if they know how to look." He smirked, and Harry stuck his tongue out at him. "We tend to think before we do something, I think... in that aspect we're the opposite of you Gryffindors. You're brave and rush headlong into things without caring what could happen to you or your House points. Slytherins consider their actions. If they will benefit - either personally or as a whole House - and the benefits outweight the losses, then they do it. If not, they don't." He stopped to catch his breath. "Another thing - we're honest, when at all possible. Yes, we'll lie to protect someone, but we usually only bend the truth in those cases. We're honest, but brutally so. We don't hold back. If you asked... oh, I don't know..."
"How does my hair look?" Harry offered, smiling.
Draco snickered. "I'd say 'Harry, your hair's a mess, like it always is.'" He smirked. "But it's the truth, and not necessarily a bad thing. Fact is not opinion."
"So, you admit that Hermione's kind and intelligent?" he asked.
Draco sneered. "Yes, I can't argue that. But I could also add that her teeth are big, her hair's frizzy, her parents are muggles, and that she's a know-it-all. None of which you could argue, either."
Harry harumphed. "Well, the know-it-all's my friend, despite all that. Just like you're my friend, despite being an ass towards me for two years, insulting my friends for things they have no control over, and getting me into trouble at every opportunity," he said firmly.
"Well," said Draco, wincing, "when you put it that way - very Slytherin of you, Potter, very Slytherin - why were you so... nice to me? In the Apothecary, I mean," he asked, looking a bit annoyed. "It would be much easier to go on hating each other."
Harry mumbled something before he could stop himself.
"What?"
He took a deep breath. "Not if I'm in Slytherin this year," he repeated quietly. He didn't look at Draco.
"If you're what?" gasped Draco incredulously.
Sighing, Harry told him how the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin. He told him about his conversation with Dumbledore , and the chess game with Snape, at which point Draco looked like his jaw would break from hanging open so long." Harry left out, however, Dumbledore's theory about the transfer of powers from Voldemort. He didn't know how Draco, or any of the Slytherins, would react, and he didn't really want it to matter. So he didn't mention it. He grinned wryly to himself - the downsides outweighed the benefits. When Harry got to the part where he bumped into Draco, he paused.
"When I saw who it was I'd bumped into, my first though was, Does he remember our conversation from the last day of school? I figured that you would probably be my biggest problem if I was put into Slytherin this year, so I might as well try to improve our relationship then. So I tried. I was afraid it wasn't working until you told me to call you Draco." He said softly, "I'm glad we're friends, even if I don't get put into Slytherin." He looked away. "At this point, I don't know if I have any friends left, other than you. Ironic, isn't it?"
Draco had felt a bit hurt when he'd heard that Harry only tried to be friends to prevent all Hell from breaking loose, but admonished himself. It didn't matter what the initial incentive was, only how he felt now. And what Draco felt now was outrage.
"You mean Weasley and Granger are... are abandoning you? Just because of what the Sorting Hat might say? I thought they were your best friends...!" he hissed. His gray eyes narrowed.
Harry quickly spoke up for them. "No! Yes! Well, no, not yet at any rate. They'll be fine just as long as I'm put into Gryffindor again. They're sure I will be, and they're probably right, too. I mean..."
"You don't think so," Draco said quietly. "Be honest. Whether they're Slytherin or not, we're honest with our friends, and loyal."
Harry's voice caught in his throat. Was this Draco Malfoy? "I..." he began. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I... I don't know. I don't think I'd be put in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, I'm not... I'm not sure. I tried the Sorting Hat on again," he confessed, "in Dumbledore's office, before he came in to talk with me. It said it stood by what it had said before - that I would have done well in Slytherin." He was silent for a moment. "I'm confused. Why would it matter to Ron and Hermione? I'm still the same guy. I've been Harry all along. Maybe... they think that I don't like Gryffindor? That's not true; I love it. But... I want to be where I'm supposed to be. Obviously, the reason I gave for not wanting to be in Slytherin no longer exists."
Draco glanced at him, lips momentarily twisting into a wry sneer, and they sat quietly for a moment before Harry continued. "I just have to know. I just -" he bit his lip. "I don't want to lose my friends. They were the first ones to get to know me, The-Boy-Who-Was-Really-Like-Everyone-Else, not The-Boy-Who-Lived. I hate that. I don't even know what I did - if anything - and it's supposed to make me great? How can I live up to that? I'm not some all-powerful wizard, just a boy with a bit of luck. I'm not great."
"Yes you are," Draco broke in, growling.
"What? Not you too... I'm just -"
"You're a great Seeker. You're a great friend. You're a great person," he half sneered. "Just because you're not some boy-genius or some almighty savior doesn't mean you've FAILED anyone, Harry Potter. You've made your way in this world without any parents, and with everyone expecting you to do so much. You're important, more important than you know," he glared at Harry. "You're an important symbol of hope to wizards who fight the Dark Lord. You're an important person to the teachers here - they love you! You're important to your Quidditch team. You're important to your friends. You're important to m - to a lot of people." He sat back and crossed his arms across his chest, his ash gray eyes boring into Harry's own emerald depths.
The two lapsed into silence again for several long minutes as the train began to slow again. They must have been nearing Hogsmeade. Harry was startled out of his reverie when a soft hand wiped a tear off his cheek. He wasn't even aware that he'd been crying.
"Harry." It was soft, almost warm. "Harry, it's okay. At least in Slytherin, we look at what you do, and who you are." He grimaced. "But don't expect us to apply that to Mud - Muggleborns or Muggles. Some prejudices were ingrained to us from day one." He sneered, although Harry couldn't tell whether it was at Muggles or at... himself?
Impulsively, Harry hugged Draco. It shocked both himself and Draco, who stiffened in surprise. Harry quickly let go. "Thanks, Draco," he said quietly.
Draco's lips slowly tugged upwards until Harry barely convinced himself he wasn't dreaming. Draco Malfoy was actually smiling at him.
Harry felt someone shaking him lightly, a hand brushing his bangs away from his eyes. A soft voice was calling his name. "Harry... Harry? Wake up." He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. "Harry? The voice sounded worried. "Potter! Get up! Please, Harry, you said you wouldn't leave... You promised, you jerk."
Draco! Harry struggled to open his eyes or something. Apparently he succeeded in letting out a moan, because the next thing he felt was a cool hand on his forehead.
"You're awake."
He finally opened his eyes. The lights were back on and the Hogwarts Express was moving again. Draco regarded him anxiously, although Harry could tell that, now that the danger - or whatever it had been - had passed, the boy was trying to look superior and cold again.
"Save it, Draco," he murmured weakly. "I'm the only one here. You can be yourself. Don't act." Their eyes met. Draco's eyes widened and his mouth opened, but, at that moment, there was a soft knock on the door.
It slid quietly open and a man stood there. He looked fairly young, Harry thought, maybe early thirties, but he had a lot of gray hair. His face was smooth, but tired, and his robes were badly in need of either repair or replacement. He appeared kind, however, and his eyes were alert.
Harry saw the sneer come back into place on Draco's face, and he sighed inwardly. He was, however, intrigued. Why was there an adult onboard the Express, and who was he? And, more importantly, why was he at their door?
The stranger entered and smiled at them both. His eyebrows shot up as his gaze landed on Harry, but he didn't mention the scar on his forehead.
Instead, he asked, "Are you boys alright? You look a bit pale." He knelt beside Harry. "I'm Professor Lupin. I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he explained, seeing their confusion. "Here," he offered them both a piece of chocolate. "Eat it."
Harry struggled to sit up. Lupin helped him, then pushed a small piece of chocolate between his lips. "Chew, Harry. It'll help," Lupin told him. He did, and was surprised to feel warmth spreading through his body. Eagerly, he accepted more. Draco ate his, now, too, apparently trusting Lupin now that Harry hadn't been poisoned.
"Professor," Harry began after he had swallowed, "how did you know my name?"
"And what just happened?" added Draco.
Lupin smiled. "I know your name, Harry, because you look extraordinarily like James Potter. I went to school with him. I would assume that you," he continued, turning to Draco, "are Lucius Malfoy's son." Draco nodded. Lupin's smile left his face. "And that," he jerked his head towards the door, "was a dementor. One of the dementors of Azkaban."
"A dementor? But what are they doing out here if they're from Azkaban?"
"Probably looking for Sirius Black, Harry," said Lupin quietly. He looked almost sad, although Harry couldn't fathom why. The professor stood up. "Well, you two seem to be okay. I'm going to check on the other students. It was nice to finally meet you, Harry. I'll be seeing you around. You too, Mr. Malfoy..." he looked at the quiet, pale boy.
"Draco," Draco answered the unasked question. He looked down at the floor.
Lupin smiled. "Nice to have met you, Draco." He turned and stepped back into the corridor, sliding the door closed behind him.
Harry looked at Draco. "I passed out." The other nodded. "It was really cold and I felt like I'd never be happy again. I..." he hesitated. "I heard someone - a woman - screaming."
Draco lifted startled eyes to Harry's face. "Screaming?"
Harry nodded. "How about you? What happened?"
"It got really cold," he said after a moment. "It - the dementor - kind of smelled us, I suppose, then just turned and left. I shut the door and noticed you were lying on the floor, and tried to wake you up."
They both fell silent. Harry's mind reeled. He'd fainted? And heard screaming? He shuddered, pushing it from his mind. When had he gotten so pitiful? He also wondered about Sirius Black. Lupin had sounded sad when he had mentioned him, and had said he was the reason the dementors had stopped the train. Dementors. He wondered what was under those cloaks, and what they would do when they found Black. Why had they made him so cold, and faint? He also pondered Professor Lupin. It was strange for a professor to ride the Hogwarts Express. He seemed nice, though. Harry hoped he would last longer than Quirrel or Lockhart. He sighed; how would Professor Snape take not getting the DADA position - again? Harry's mind drifted to Slytherin, and to the boy beside him. All the Slytherins had seemed so cruel, and yet here was Draco Malfoy, their infamous ringleader, being kind and caring towards Harry. He didn't get it. Or maybe, a thought occurred to him, it was like Snape? A mask, a façade, a reputation to maintain? But then, what were Slytherins like to each other? The one time he and Ron had been insiders - using the Polyjuice Potion last year - Draco had been in a bad mood, but certainly civil to the two whom he thought to be Crabbe and Goyle. Now, though...
Harry's thoughts were interrupted, and both his and Draco's heads snapped up as the door burst open for the third time in the past ten minutes. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and one of the twins - Harry thought it was Fred - stood in the doorway.
"The new professor, Lupin, came back through just now and we asked him where you were and he said in here with a friend -" Ron exclaimed breathlessly, then abruptly stopped as he caught sight of the 'friend.' "Malfoy," he sneered, doing a very good impression of said Slytherin. "A friend, huh? You were probably trying to hex Harry in the dark." Ron's wand was out. It was new, Harry noted as he snatched it away. Ron and the others gasped. Hermione eyed Draco warily, but left her wand in her pocket.
"I'm glad you were all worried about me," he said frowning, "but Draco here was the one who really helped me. And Professor Lupin, of course." Harry realized this sounded a bit cold. "How are you guys?" he asked more warmly, handing Ron his wand back with a look and a shake of his head.
"Fine, now, Harry," Hermione answered timidly. "But something - Lupin called it a dementor - the dementor was terrible. It was so cold..."
"But nothing happened, no one was hurt or... or reacted oddly to it?" he pressed, glancing at Draco, whose face was an unreadable mask.
"No..." she replied slowly. "Why? Are you ok, Harry?" she took her eyes off of Draco to question Harry.
"Fine," he replied shortly. He got up off the floor and sat in one of the seats next to Draco. "But I'd like to stay here for a while. I'd like to talk to Draco about something," he said casually.
"You WANT-" Hermione kicked Ron and pulled him back into their compartment. Ginny followed.
Fred stayed a moment. "Malfoy?" he said after a moment, tilting his head to one side.
"What, Weasley?" Draco looked at him with distaste, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Thanks. For whatever you did." Fred suddenly grinned. "You're usually an ass, Malfoy, but I'll bet you're nice to your friends. So - thanks." He closed the door to the compartment quietly.
Draco stared. "He - He -" he spluttered in disbelief, "He thanked me?"
Harry chuckled. "Yes. The Weasleys may be poor, but they're - usually - some of the nicest people I know." He looked pointedly at the pale boy, who scowled sulkily.
After a moment, though, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh. That. Well... d'you remember our other conversation? After I bumped into you at the Apothecary..." Draco smirked, nodding. "Well, I said something about Slytherins being okay, at least to their friends. What are Slytherins like?" He bit his lip, hoping he didn't sound to eager. It was still a bit awkward to be talking civilly, much less being friendly to, Draco Malfoy of all people.
Draco looked thoughtful. "Well, we're loyal. We stick together, and it's almost like... a family, I suppose. A real one," he said softly, and Harry wondered what he meant by that, but didn't interrupt. "We're sneaky, too. We can get around unnoticed when we want, and only a Slytherin can see us - if they know how to look." He smirked, and Harry stuck his tongue out at him. "We tend to think before we do something, I think... in that aspect we're the opposite of you Gryffindors. You're brave and rush headlong into things without caring what could happen to you or your House points. Slytherins consider their actions. If they will benefit - either personally or as a whole House - and the benefits outweight the losses, then they do it. If not, they don't." He stopped to catch his breath. "Another thing - we're honest, when at all possible. Yes, we'll lie to protect someone, but we usually only bend the truth in those cases. We're honest, but brutally so. We don't hold back. If you asked... oh, I don't know..."
"How does my hair look?" Harry offered, smiling.
Draco snickered. "I'd say 'Harry, your hair's a mess, like it always is.'" He smirked. "But it's the truth, and not necessarily a bad thing. Fact is not opinion."
"So, you admit that Hermione's kind and intelligent?" he asked.
Draco sneered. "Yes, I can't argue that. But I could also add that her teeth are big, her hair's frizzy, her parents are muggles, and that she's a know-it-all. None of which you could argue, either."
Harry harumphed. "Well, the know-it-all's my friend, despite all that. Just like you're my friend, despite being an ass towards me for two years, insulting my friends for things they have no control over, and getting me into trouble at every opportunity," he said firmly.
"Well," said Draco, wincing, "when you put it that way - very Slytherin of you, Potter, very Slytherin - why were you so... nice to me? In the Apothecary, I mean," he asked, looking a bit annoyed. "It would be much easier to go on hating each other."
Harry mumbled something before he could stop himself.
"What?"
He took a deep breath. "Not if I'm in Slytherin this year," he repeated quietly. He didn't look at Draco.
"If you're what?" gasped Draco incredulously.
Sighing, Harry told him how the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin. He told him about his conversation with Dumbledore , and the chess game with Snape, at which point Draco looked like his jaw would break from hanging open so long." Harry left out, however, Dumbledore's theory about the transfer of powers from Voldemort. He didn't know how Draco, or any of the Slytherins, would react, and he didn't really want it to matter. So he didn't mention it. He grinned wryly to himself - the downsides outweighed the benefits. When Harry got to the part where he bumped into Draco, he paused.
"When I saw who it was I'd bumped into, my first though was, Does he remember our conversation from the last day of school? I figured that you would probably be my biggest problem if I was put into Slytherin this year, so I might as well try to improve our relationship then. So I tried. I was afraid it wasn't working until you told me to call you Draco." He said softly, "I'm glad we're friends, even if I don't get put into Slytherin." He looked away. "At this point, I don't know if I have any friends left, other than you. Ironic, isn't it?"
Draco had felt a bit hurt when he'd heard that Harry only tried to be friends to prevent all Hell from breaking loose, but admonished himself. It didn't matter what the initial incentive was, only how he felt now. And what Draco felt now was outrage.
"You mean Weasley and Granger are... are abandoning you? Just because of what the Sorting Hat might say? I thought they were your best friends...!" he hissed. His gray eyes narrowed.
Harry quickly spoke up for them. "No! Yes! Well, no, not yet at any rate. They'll be fine just as long as I'm put into Gryffindor again. They're sure I will be, and they're probably right, too. I mean..."
"You don't think so," Draco said quietly. "Be honest. Whether they're Slytherin or not, we're honest with our friends, and loyal."
Harry's voice caught in his throat. Was this Draco Malfoy? "I..." he began. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I... I don't know. I don't think I'd be put in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, I'm not... I'm not sure. I tried the Sorting Hat on again," he confessed, "in Dumbledore's office, before he came in to talk with me. It said it stood by what it had said before - that I would have done well in Slytherin." He was silent for a moment. "I'm confused. Why would it matter to Ron and Hermione? I'm still the same guy. I've been Harry all along. Maybe... they think that I don't like Gryffindor? That's not true; I love it. But... I want to be where I'm supposed to be. Obviously, the reason I gave for not wanting to be in Slytherin no longer exists."
Draco glanced at him, lips momentarily twisting into a wry sneer, and they sat quietly for a moment before Harry continued. "I just have to know. I just -" he bit his lip. "I don't want to lose my friends. They were the first ones to get to know me, The-Boy-Who-Was-Really-Like-Everyone-Else, not The-Boy-Who-Lived. I hate that. I don't even know what I did - if anything - and it's supposed to make me great? How can I live up to that? I'm not some all-powerful wizard, just a boy with a bit of luck. I'm not great."
"Yes you are," Draco broke in, growling.
"What? Not you too... I'm just -"
"You're a great Seeker. You're a great friend. You're a great person," he half sneered. "Just because you're not some boy-genius or some almighty savior doesn't mean you've FAILED anyone, Harry Potter. You've made your way in this world without any parents, and with everyone expecting you to do so much. You're important, more important than you know," he glared at Harry. "You're an important symbol of hope to wizards who fight the Dark Lord. You're an important person to the teachers here - they love you! You're important to your Quidditch team. You're important to your friends. You're important to m - to a lot of people." He sat back and crossed his arms across his chest, his ash gray eyes boring into Harry's own emerald depths.
The two lapsed into silence again for several long minutes as the train began to slow again. They must have been nearing Hogsmeade. Harry was startled out of his reverie when a soft hand wiped a tear off his cheek. He wasn't even aware that he'd been crying.
"Harry." It was soft, almost warm. "Harry, it's okay. At least in Slytherin, we look at what you do, and who you are." He grimaced. "But don't expect us to apply that to Mud - Muggleborns or Muggles. Some prejudices were ingrained to us from day one." He sneered, although Harry couldn't tell whether it was at Muggles or at... himself?
Impulsively, Harry hugged Draco. It shocked both himself and Draco, who stiffened in surprise. Harry quickly let go. "Thanks, Draco," he said quietly.
Draco's lips slowly tugged upwards until Harry barely convinced himself he wasn't dreaming. Draco Malfoy was actually smiling at him.