Disclaimer: The usual…all characters are copyright to j.k Rowling.
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Lunchtime for Harry had been far from enjoyable. After Divination he was already in a considerable bad mood, his mood wasn't improved by the fact that Ron and Hermione hardly spoke to him all the way through lunch. They were too caught up in each other it seemed to even bother to acknowledge his existence. Ginny had been attempting to talk to Hermione at the beginning of lunch, but hadn't got a reply because Hermione was so engrossed in a conversation with Ron. Harry had shared an annoyed look with Ginny and continued his lunch.
He'd never realised they had feelings for each other before, the pair of them probably wouldn't admit it to each other but it was incredibly obvious to everyone around them. He didn't mind that, it didn't bother him in the slightest, but they could at least include him in the conversation.
After lunch Harry walked alone down to History of Magic, one of the dullest lessons he had. He took a seat next to Seamus and Dean by the window. Ron and Hermione entered shortly after. Hermione shot him a concerned look, whereas Ron just looked confused. Harry gave them a small smile before getting his books from his bag.
"Are them two a couple?" Seamus asked turning to Harry. Dean also leaned over to hear.
"I don't think so. They haven't said anything at least." Harry replied.
"It's obvious they like each other, they practically ignore everyone else." Dean said.
"Don't I know it." Harry muttered.
The rest of the lesson dragged by slowly, as Professor Binns wasn't exactly one of the most exciting teacher's in the school. Harry spent most of the lesson gazing out of the window like most of the other students except for Hermione who was the only one in the class taking notes. Relief spread through him when the lesson ended, they had no homework either which improved his mood slightly.
After the lesson, Harry decided he'd go up to the common room for a while to relax before dinner. Ron and Hermione seemed to have disappeared so he strolled up on his own. Seemed like they hadn't even bothered to wait. On top of everything now his own friends didn't even want to be in his company. Harry sighed; he couldn't help the way he was feeling. He didn't know who to talk to about all this, Ron would just tell him not to worry and Hermione would probably over worry. He couldn't think of anyone else he could talk to right now, let alone anyone who would understand. There was always Sirus, but he was busy helping Dumbledore and Hagrid probably wouldn't understand. He had considered going to see Dumbledore, but had decided against it as there was a lot more serious issues at hand than a troubled teenage wizard.
Muttering the password to the fat lady portrait, Harry entered the common room and went straight up to the boy's dormitory. Pulling the curtains closed around his bed, Harry lay down and stared up at the ceiling with glassy eyes, wishing someone would comfort him and tell him everything was going to be ok, however, nobody came and he lay there alone until dinnertime.
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Draco cursed quietly. Just as he'd though he was going to be able to enjoy some peace and quiet in the common room before dinner, Pansy had decided to come over and entertain him with her presence. She walked over and took a seat next to him by the fire.
"Yes?" Draco said without looking from the book he was reading. The fact he was sitting alone to him said he didn't want to be bothered; obviously some people had problems taking hints.
"So, what were you doing talking to Potter earlier?" She asked.
"Nothing much, just calling a truce." Draco said casually still not looking up from his book.
Pansy's mouth almost dropped open but she stopped herself, then she began to laugh, it was more of a cackle then a laugh though. Draco cringed, he'd always hated her laugh it drove him up the wall.
"What's the plan then?" Pansy asked, after she'd stopped laughing.
"Plan?" He said, giving her a confused look.
"Yeah the plan, it's not like you called a truce with Potter for no reason."
"Actually I did, there is no plan." Draco said smirking as she looked at him as if he'd gone mad.
"You can't be serious?" Pansy said incredulously.
"Believe it or not Pansy, I have grown up. I can't be bothered insulting Potter anymore, so I just decided calling a truce was the best idea. Now if you'll excuse me I'm trying to read." Draco said signalling the end of the conversation. Pansy once again didn't take the bait.
"Where are Crabbe and Goyle then?" She said changing the subject.
"How the hell should I know?" Draco said beginning to get annoyed.
"Well you always used to bother with them, you don't seem to be together as much lately though."
"That is because I decided I didn't need any mindless louts following me around, especially ones I couldn't even hold a conversation with." Draco answered heatedly.
"How can you say that about your friends?" Pansy asked him, looking shocked.
"Friends?" Draco laughed sarcastically. "They're not friends, they're merely people my father wanted me to bother with. They just followed me round; we never did anything as friends, never talked or had fun. I've never had a friend in my life."
Pansy was now staring at him at him wide eyed.
"Well…maybe it would help if you sat in the middle of the table at meal times?" She asked quietly.
"I moved from the middle of the table because I wanted to be alone, I sat by here reading my book because I wanted to be alone. I want to be alone because I am surrounded by people who will never be my friends and people I don't want to be friends with because most of them are obsessed with the dark lord and take delight in making other people's lives hell. I used to be the same, but I've had an awakening over the summer and I've decided I am not going to be surrounded by people my father wants me to bother with, people who remind me of him, and if that means I have to distance myself and be alone then so be it."
Draco slammed his book shut, and exited the common room briskly, leaving an upset Pansy and some of the other slytherins in the common room staring after him in shocked silence.
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Harry entered the hall for dinner and immediately noticed that Ron and Hermione were already there in their usual places eating. Lengthening his stride, Harry took his seat at the table.
"Where did you two disappear off to earlier?" He asked them as he sat down.
"Oh Harry didn't we tell you lunchtime? We went to the library to work on our potion." Hermione answered.
"No, you didn't tell me lunchtime, seen as you or Ron didn't talk to anyone except each other." Harry answered, sounding bitter.
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry shocked by his tone.
"Sorry mate, I didn't realise you didn't know." Ron said apologetically.
Harry nodded. "It's ok. Forget it."
There was a tense silence between the three. Without looking at them Harry filled his plate and poured himself some juice, while Hermione and Ron just looked at him somewhat concerned.
"So what did Malfoy want earlier?" Ron said changing the subject, hoping to break the silence.
Harry shrugged. "He just wanted to call a truce."
Ron began to roar with laughter, while Hermione just looked curious.
"I bet you told him where to go!" Ron said, grinning.
"Actually, I agreed." Harry said quietly, knowing that Ron was probably going to explode any second now.
Instead there was another silence. Ron just stared at him as if he had four heads. Hermione just looked on with a mixture of emotions on her face.
"You agreed? Are you serious?! After everything that's happened, the amount of times he's tried to get us into trouble, not to mention calling Hermione a mudblood and almost getting buckbeak killed! What the hell is up with you?" Ron shouted. Everyone on their table had gone quiet and was now looking at Harry and Ron. People on other tables were also turning round to look.
"There's nothing up with me Ron. I know Malfoy's caused problems for us in the past, but there's no point of the grudge anymore, it's not as if I'm best friends with him Ron. I just don't see the problem." Harry said speaking normally.
"You don't see the problem! Well then maybe you've been walking around blind for the last four years. I can't believe you accepted a truce with him, that's like saying everything he's done is ok, well it's not ok Harry, it's damn well not ok!" Ron shouted at him red in the face. Everyone in the hall was looking at them now, including Draco who was just staring blankly at the scene in front of him.
"You've changed Harry." Ron said slightly quieter.
That was it for Harry though, he had gone deathly pale and looked like he would either burst into tears or explode.
"Changed have I Ron?" Harry said giving a sarcastic laugh, which didn't suit him. "Maybe you'd have changed as well if you saw what I did last year! Maybe if you had the life of famous Harry Potter, the boy who lived, maybe you'd bloody see why I've changed! It's not as perfect as you or everyone else thinks, so maybe you'll keep that in mind before you say that again!" Harry shouted at Ron losing his temper, his emerald green eyes flashed. Looking around him, Harry saw he had the attention of most of the hall. Ron was looking at him in shock and Hermione was looking at him in concern.
"Hope you've enjoyed the show!" He shouted to everyone who was looking, they all quickly looked down at their plates as Harry strode out of the hall in a rage, his eyes filling up with tears.
Everyone in the hall quickly broke into excited chatter after Harry had left. Ron who was still furious, if a little shocked turned back to his food muttering darkly. Hermione, however, stared after her friend feeling immense concern. She'd noticed Harry had been different since the moment she'd seen him at the train station yesterday, but had assumed he would come around. He only seemed to have got worse though. She knew she hadn't been paying much attention to him lately but that was because she'd realised she had feelings for Ron and had been spending more time with him, hoping he felt the same. Hermione knew she should go after Harry but didn't know what to do. She was on the edge of her seat, glancing towards the doorway continuously.
"Going to go after him are you?" Ron snarled at her.
"Ron this is stupid!" Hermione said to him.
"I don't think it's stupid at all." Ron said angry. "Accepting a truce with Malfoy…he must have gone mad. I'd have thought you'd agree after all that's happened."
Hermione sighed giving up on the conversation. Hopefully the two of them will have cooled down by tomorrow, she thought to herself.
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Draco couldn't believe he had just seen Harry Potter explode in front of the entire hall. The last person he expected him to have a blazing argument with was Weasley. He'd realised the argument had been about him though and felt slightly guilty about it, but he still thought he had made the right decision. Potter must have thought so as well because he'd agreed. Seems like he wasn't the only one who was having problems with 'friends'.
Most of the slytherin's had taken to not talking to him now and were being careful not even to glance at him. He didn't care in the slightest, what did they think he was sitting at the end of the table for?, to gain their attention? Most of them had finally got it through their thick skulls that he wanted to be left alone. Pansy, however, was still having trouble coming to terms with it and had spent most of dinnertime, when not watching the argument between Potter and Weasley, shooting hurt looks in his direction.
Finishing his meal, Draco stood up and made for the exit. He'd had the urge to go after Potter when he'd ran out, but had decided against it thinking it would probably be a bad idea. He didn't fancy being on the receiving end of potter's rage along with Weasley. He had enough people hating him as it was. Pansy and all the other people in the common room earlier had happily spread his opinions to everyone else in Slytherin and they'd all decided to ignore him. He didn't mind this new development one bit; it saved him having to bother to make the point of 'I want to be alone'.
Well he didn't want to be alone exactly he just wanted a friend. Draco had spent most of his life being alone, even though he'd always had people around him. None of them had ever loved him or cared for him, least of all his family.
Draco headed straight for the dormitories after entering the Slytherin common room. He wasn't hanging around in the common room area until the rest of the slytherins arrived back from dinner because they'd probably harass him.
Settling down on his bed after closing the curtains, Draco put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. His eyelids began to droop but he forced himself to stay awake. Even though he was tired he didn't plan on sleeping. Sleeping meant dreams. Dreams of things he didn't want to think about, so he was going to stay awake. It was going to be a very long night indeed he thought to himself.
However, two hours later, unable to keep himself awake any longer Draco's eyes closed and he drifted off into the world of dreams.
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A/N – Sorry this chapter took so long I forgot to upload it, got to work on the next chapter now, so look out for that.
Thanks once again to everyone who has reviewed, please keep reviewing because I like to know what you all think to encourage me to write more.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
