A/N: Sorry, Harry was quite ooc in the last chapter. My bad. Anyway, I will try to improve him in this latest installment. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

****Harry****

Something carried me to the common room that night. Something told me that I needed to talk to Hermione. I didn't want to be mad at her. My heart told me I needed to straighten this out.

Draco steps out of her room and immediately I am suspicious. Why was he in her room? What was he doing in there? He looks innocent enough, but I know he has had some practice with that. He slowly descends the stairs never breaking eye contact. If he wants a staring contest than that is what he will get.

"I came to talk to Hermione" I tell him with force. I can't let this bastard rattle my nerves.

"Well, she is sleeping. Maybe you could talk to me" he responds. Is this a joke? Is he kidding? "And no, Potter, I am not joking. Sit down". I follow him over to the couch and neither of us begin to talk. I take charge of the situation.

"What the hell have you been doing to her?" I ask him fiercely. There is a passion in my heart and I want so badly to protect my best friend. He looks taken aback by my question.

"Look, Potter, I haven't done anything to her! You are the one that is making her miserable!"

"I am not making her miserable! I can make her happy!"

"You can't make her happy! She doesn't love you!" he shouts at me. His words are strong. Love? No way.

"Out with it Malfoy, what's going on?" The argument is getting more and more heated. It's hard to tell who is angrier at this point.

"Is it so hard to believe that she may love me?" he asks. I know this can't be true, but the look on his face is serious. His expression does not falter.

"Screw you, if you can't even tell me what's going on!" I shout back.

"Please don't yell I don't want her to wake up. Maybe we are going about this the wrong way".

"And what would be the right way?" I ask him suspiciously.

"I love her, Harry. I love her with all my heart and soul. Believe me or not, it's the truth". Stunned. That is the only word that can describe what is going through my mind at this moment. Pure shock.

"Don't tell her you love her. Don't mess with her emotions like that".

"I love her, Harry. I honestly love her" he says again. He says my name. He isn't calling me Potter, he is calling me Harry.

"You called me Harry" I say suspiciously.

"Well, that is your name. This is how much I love her. I am sitting here in the middle of the night talking to you. I am calling you Harry. I am willing to call a truce. I love her". Could he really be serious?

"You really love her?" I question him. I can't believe he is saying this.

"I love her. It's that simple".

"How do you know?"

"Look, I just know okay?"

"It's just . . . well I thought it would be me to be honest".

"Oh honesty from Mr. Potter? You trust me with that information?"

"I probably shouldn't have" I admit with a cringe. What's he going to do with that information?

"Well, I didn't think she would ever love a guy like me either. But she does. Are you okay with that?"

I sit there for a moment. His face is so serious. I am convinced he is not lying. I don't know why, but something tells me he is being honest.

"I loved her too" I admit as I look into the flames. "I lost her. Sure, I have Lavender and I love Lavender. But with Hermione, it was like everyone thought we were meant to be. Which meant I thought we were meant to be too" I gush out.

"I'm sorry" is all he can say. "She does love you, though. You know that". Is he trying to comfort me with these words? Maybe I shouldn't fall for it. But then again, maybe I should.

"Yeah, I know she loves me. So, how did you manage to capture her heart?" I ask him with curiosity.

"I don't exactly know. I told her the truth about me. I told her who I am. I let her in. She has a way of changing people . . . for the better".

"Yeah she does. There is something different about you tonight. Is there something up?" I ask him once more.

"There has been something different about me all summer. I don't expect you to trust me in one night, but no nothing is up. Come on Harry, let's talk. I'll show you that you can trust me as well".

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?" I ask him still eyeing his facial expressions.

"Let me tell you about me. My father is dead, I killed him. My mother is dead, I killed her. But I did not kill her by choice I promise you. I have had a difficult life, which can't be compared to yours. It's on a different scale. While I did have parents, I still wished I hadn't. My mother did love me. But my father's power was too strong. I was beaten everyday for as long as I can remember. The Death Eaters had a lot of fun with me, in ways you don't even want to hear about. I was abused".

"You know I was abused too" I tell him, as though he thinks my life has been so easy.

"Were you repeatedly molested? Did grown men mess with you? . . . I didn't think so!" he yells at me. He looks away and his face holds more anger than I have ever seen on it before in my life. "You are seeing me Harry. Don't piss me off now!" His face softens again and he continues with his story. "I told Hermione about my life, but I left out certain horrible parts. I will tell her about it later. I don't want to upset her too much. So there you have it. That's why I was an asshole. I think you can understand that" he finishes.

I stare at him with a look of horror. I can't believe what I just heard. I can't believe that any human had to go through that.

The clock was nearing the 3:00 am mark. I can't believe it's so late. But I am not tired. I am interested.

"I wish I had a mother that loved me" I whisper. "I mean, I know my parents loved me, but I wish I still had them. Even if I had to be beaten every night, only because I was beaten every night anyway. But that's not what this is about. This is about Hermione and you. And, crazy as it might seem, I'm starting to realize it's not as bad as I may think".

"I'm not looking to be best friends. I want a truce. You are Harry, and I am Draco. I think we can agree to this. I told you who I am tonight. You know the real me, and there are only two people who know me. You should feel honored". He smirks at me. He always has that damned Malfoy attitude. But I see through it. He is honest, and I appreciate it.

"So, Draco, what are the strawberries for?" I ask with a smile.

****Draco****

I can't believe I just spilled all that information to my enemy of six years. I can't believe that I am trusting him. I have to remind myself that he trusts me as well. My father must be turning over in his grave right now.

I feel differently towards Wonderboy, and I'm sure he feels differently toward me. I have been nothing but completely honest with him. I want him to know how much I love her.

As 4:00 am hits I am hit with a wave of sleepiness.

"Look, I'm glad we talked and everything, but I'm getting really tired" he says to me. "Tell Mione I'm sorry, and I will talk to her tomorrow". He stands up and starts to walk away. "And by the way, I'm glad you trust me with all that stuff" he says quietly as he steps outside. I hear his footsteps become more and more feint as he heads up to his dorm. Tomorrow will be a long day due to lack of sleep but for once, it's worth it.

A/N: Ok I hope you didn't think that was lame. I'm really sorry if you did, but here's my thoughts. Draco and Harry need to have a talk so they understand one another and Harry finally understands. I promise that more will happen later. As you read this I am hard at work on the next chapter, as I am aware this one is kinda short. Anyway, more action to come. And as always any and all suggestions are encouraged! Please review and tell me how to improve my story!