Broken

Harry skipped every other step as he raced down to the dining hall, his tie clamped in his teeth and only one arm in his robe. He forgot about the disappearing step and was forced to take a third step or fall through and nearly did so anyway. Skidding through the dining halls door he pulled his robe on and flung his tie around his neck. As he walked towards his friends he pulled his hair out he deftly tided it back into a ponytail. By the time he had reached the dining hall almost everyone had already finished and tables were half empty, those that were left ate quickly and few talked leaving the hall eerily quiet. Harry grabbed a piece of toast as he sat, Hermione leaning over and tying his tie as he quickly ate.

Ron handed him a glass of juice shaking his head, "You know you could always try and just get up on time."

"Or go to bed earlier." Hermione input helpfully as she finished with his tie, "There, now you're set for class."

"Thanks Herm." Harry said smiling, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Go to class with a crooked tie." Hermione said playfully but Harry wasn't listening, he was looking across the hall.

Draco looked up from his parchment where he was hastily scribbling an assignment that he needed to turn in the next that day and found Harry looking at him. When their eyes met Harry smiled and Draco ducked his head as a flush rose to his cheeks. He felt his hopes rising where they had no right to and yet he wanted it to be everything.

The soft chime for the start of classes echoed through the castle like a mournful song that faded into the reality. Draco gathered his things and hurried to Potions, anxious because he knew that Harry had that class with him. Harry and his friends and Draco and his friends. Such horrible things could happen and Draco wasn't sure, if the time came, which side he should stand to. Could he even fathom risking everything just for his own foolish desires? Then again, all he risked was himself and that he risked already just as it was.

He sat down in the dank classroom choosing a seat as far away from the front of the class as he could, he didn't want any attention to be drawn to him. He needed time to think. Others filed in following Draco, filling the room with an overwhelming sense of presence. The Slytherins sat at the same row as he, abet leaving a gap between themselves and Draco. They had learned over time when it was best to leave Draco alone. No one else sat by him because of who he was and as a result when Harry finally entered the room, seconds before the bell rang, the only place remaining for him and his comrades to sit was by Draco.

Draco looked up at the three. Hermione and Ron could only manage to look disgusted at their predicament while Harry only looked down and met Draco's eyes with a smile upon his lips.

"May I sit here?" Harry asked quietly and even so it seemed to amplify to a hundred fold and everyone turned to watch, everyone waited for the conflict they assumed to come.

Draco took a deep breath, chewing on his lip absently before he nodded and hesitantly gestured to the seat beside him. Harry slipped into the seat just as Snape entered the room, Hermione and Ron sitting across from the two hurriedly at his entrance so as not to be reprimanded. Soon the entire class's attention was diverted to the front as Snape started his lesson.

Harry only listened vaguely, recognizing the potion Snape was talking about from his summer reading, and instead watched the boy sitting next to him. Draco's attention was riveted to the front, his quill scratching away furiously as he took notes. Harry noted that his notes were perfect just like the rest of his writing and not only the penmanship but that he seemed to write down even the minutest detail and all the while he never actually looked at what he was writing, his eyes scanning the board at the front and all else. Harry shifted his gaze and refocused it upon Draco's face, marveling at it's sculpted lines and pale skin. He mused that Draco would be better suited for a gallery than a dungeon like this one. Several hairs drifted down from his maticulate slicked back hair and drifted down into his eyes, he pushed them back instinctively.

"You may now begin, your partners for this experiment will be the one you sat beside, now get to work before I stop feeling so generous." Snape said coldly as he disappeared into his office.

Draco turned and found himself once again under Harry penetrating gaze, "Don't you have something better to do than stare at me?" he asked quietly.

Harry pursed his lips, "Nope."

"Oh" ,Draco said and turned away, focusing his attention on Hermione in front of him.

She looked up from her ingredients and glared at him, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Draco started to reply them cut short and looked back over at Harry who was watching him still, "Maybe we should get started?" Draco said as he began sorting ingredients.

"Certainly," Harry replied easily, " I'm no good at potions, as you well know, so if you could just direct me as to what you want me to do it would be a lot easier than me trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do on my own."

"You're going to let him order you around?" Ron bridled.

Harry frowned in confusion, "Why not? I can't afford to screw up my grades anymore, there's no point in being stubborn for some imaginary stake on my pride."

Draco coughed light, instantly diverting their attention back to him, "Um, could you get a bulb of werewolf's bane from the herb drawers? We're one short."

"Sure" Harry replied shortly, slipping from his seat next to Draco he made his way to get the bulb.

To Draco's left Pansy worked with Blaise or more accurately, Blaise worked while Pansy cast around in boredom.

She leaned over onto Draco, "Where were you last night, Dacy-poo?" she said in her nasally, baby voice, "you didn't come back after you went outside."

Draco squirmed and finally shoved Pansy off of himself, "It's none of your business and don't touch me."

"Dracy-poo!" she wailed, tugging on Draco's robe, "You were with someone weren't you! You were seeing someone and not me!"

Now the most of the class was watching, their attentions drawn by Pansy's irritating voice.

"Yes, I was with someone and to be honest I would rather spend time in a morgue with a corpse as my only company rather than you." Draco snapped, pulling his robe away from her.

Pansy sat fish faced for several moments as if she couldn't believe what Draco had said and probably didn't.

"But, but I'm your fiancé, you can't be with anyone else! Only me!" She cried, her reaction best described in kind to that of a child having a temper tantrum.

Draco watched her darkly, "It was an arranged marriage and I was two years old at the time and really had no say in the matter, now I do and I would sooner marry a pig of which you are a very close likeness, only pigs aren't as disgusting."

"What?" she gasped in dismay, then it was as if a balloon had popped and she was screaming and crying and she beat upon Draco's arm with her fists. Everyone in the class that wasn't a Slytherin laughed at the two. Draco tried to move away from her but couldn't do so and protect himself from her flailing fists at the same time. Then Harry was there, he placed the bulb he had been sent to get upon the table and grabbed Pansy's flailing arms and pushed her back allowing Draco to back away from her.

The noise attracted the attention of Snape who stormed out of his office and took the situation the way he liked it best, which was always in Harry's worst interest, "Let go of the girl, Mr. Potter." Snape demanded.

He did so and stepped back.

Upon being released Pansy shrieked, "He attacked me, Professor!"

"I have no doubt." Snape said, a malicious glint in his eye.

Hermione interjected, "Professor it was Pansy who started it and-"

"Ms. Granger please refrain from interrupting me, five points from Gryffindore."

"But!"

"Ten points and not another word." He snarled.

Draco stepped out from behind Harry, "She's right, Proffessor. Pansy attacked me and…Potter, was just assisting me in pulling her off of me. She should be punished and he should be gaining points for assisting me."

Snape looked at Draco curiously for several seconds before nodding, "Detention for Ms. Parkinson and ten points to Gryffindore. Now back to your potions, Parkinson please switch seats with your partner as you obviously are have an issue sitting by each other at the moment."

The classroom fell eerily quiet as everyone got back to work.

"Cut that up as finely as you can." Draco said softly, pointing at the bulb.

Harry did as he was told and chopped the bulb, later he stirred as Draco prepared the final ingredients but little was said between them except directions. The final step was allowing the potion to simmer for five to ten minutes in which it should change in hue to a darker more distinct shade.

Draco dropped his hands to his lap and leaned back against the wall behind him with a sigh, "Now we just wait."

Harry nodded and turned on the bench slightly to face Draco, "Thank you for helping me out back there."

Draco opened his eyes, blushing lightly, "It was nothing."

"It was a lot more than nothing." Harry said softly, whispering so that his friends couldn't hear what he was saying, hoping not to draw their notice at all. He reached out and gasped Draco's hand, threading their fingers before the other boy could react and squeezed his hand gently.

Draco looked down at his hand and back up at Harry, he opened his mouth to say something but closed it abruptly as Hermione butted in.

"Harry what are you talking to Malfoy about?" her voice was accusatory.

Harry faced Hermione, letting go of Draco's hand as he did so, "I was simply giving to him my sincerest thanks for his assistance and was about to invite him to a private luncheon and tea in my chamber so that we could discuss our where our relationship might be headed."

Ron quirked and eyebrow and Hermione shook her head, "That's what I get for trying to get an honest answer."

"It could be true." Harry said lightly.

"Yeah and hell could freeze over too."

Harry shrugged and grabbed a quill and a shred of parchment from his bag, he quickly wrote, Well? Have lunch with me?, and pushed it in front of Draco. He frowned at it and casting a sidelong look before replying, You were serious? Harry answered, Well, not about the tea part. Draco chewed his lip and wrote, If there's no tea then there is no way I can attend. A proper luncheon should have tea. Harry read over what Draco had written and laughed attracting the attention of some of his classmates, he had to wait before replying, Then there shall be tea. and passing it to Draco. Draco smiled and scribbled just as the bell rang, I'll be there.