The dry fall air filled his lungs as Draco heaved a huge sigh and made himself comfortable against his favorite rock. The boulder was crudely shaped in a somewhat distorted form of a chair but was quite comfortable and located only a few feet from the lake. Leaves swirled around him from the nearby tree as he lost himself in thoughts. Suddenly he could hear footsteps coming towards him, but he sat very still instead of turning around, hoping not to be spotted by whoever it was.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone walk under the tree and flop down onto the ground. Curious about the new presence, he gave in and turned his head.
Draco let out a groan, "Fuck..."
The person under the tree jumped a little and turned to look at him.
"Can't I have three minutes to myself without having to see your stupid mug Potter?"
Harry scowled at him, "For your information I come out here a lot, and I don't plan on leaving for the likes of you. So you can just shove it Malfoy."
They sat in a harsh silence for a few minutes, looking out onto the lake. Draco steadily grew bored with the silence.
"You ever wonder..." Draco piped up thoughtfully, "how different things could've been?"
"I don't follow you." Harry answered only half-interested.
"Well if you had joined me in my compartment instead of siding with the weasel, that first day on the train. If you had become a Slytherin instead. If you had-"
"-had joined forces with Voldemort?" Harry cut in, his tone was bitter.
Draco blinked, slightly taken back, "I was going to say if you had become my friend."
"Well I was pretty close then." Harry muttered, loud enough that Draco heard.
When Draco didn't reply, Harry looked over at him. The boy looked deeply wounded, and was so infuriated by the comment he had lost all words.
Harry felt like he was looking at another person entirely. He started feeling guilt, like he would if he had deeply insulted Ron or Hermione. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he bit his lower lip, not sure what to make of this new predicament.
This is how we always do it. He offends me, I say something nasty back, and it goes back and forth. Why is he acting like he's all sensitive suddenly?
"I'm nothing like him." Draco suddenly spoke, sadness lingering in his words, "I may be sadistic and mean, but I'm nothing compared to him. You should even know that." The blonde paused then continued with an air that showed he was telling something that had plagued him for a long time. "I was supposed to be the one to cut you, two years ago when Voldemort needed your blood to come back completely, but I backed out. As much as I hated you, the thought of me cutting into flesh was too much for me." He paused then continued, "Though it was highly entertaining to watch you squirm. Anyways, after you got away the dark lord said I wasn't fit to be a death eater, so I failed the initiation and never got the dark mark. Course I got many dark marks later that night..." His voice trailed off then picked back up, "father used to call me by my name, but since then I was usually addressed as "the walking disappointment" by him. I hate you for landing him in Azkaban, though I must say its rather nice being able to walk around without those cold blue eyes watching my every move and deciding each one is a bigger mistake than the last."
The cold distant look on Draco's face gave Harry chills. He rose from the ground and moved closer to the rock where the boy sat.
"So..." Harry piped up softly, "If you had the chance to be a death eater, help kill me off and do your father proud. Would you?"
The blonde shook his head slowly, and seemed to be biting back bitter tears as he spoke through gritted teeth, "He tried so bloody hard to mold me into the ideal son, but I just can't bring myself be who he wants me to be."
"Why not?"
"Because..."
"Because why?"
Draco jumped to his feet "Because of a lot of things alright Potter?"
With a flustered look he walked closer to the lake. He stopped at the shoreline and gazed into the murky water. Soon he felt Harry walk up next to him, and they stood there in silence peering out onto the lake. The situation was feeling far too comfortable to his liking.
After a few minutes he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "Well whatever you're reason is, I'm glad you're not exactly who I thought you were."
Draco shrugged Harry's hand off and turned to him with a severe look. "And just what makes you think I'm not?" Harry gave him an amused stare, "No need to get all testy. I'm just saying your not the heartless conceited tormenting lil' prick I thought you were. You're not a ray of sunshine, but your not as bad as you act like you are."
With a "hmph" Draco looked away, hoping the conversation wasn't going in the direction it appeared to be headed in.
"You think we could be friends now?"
Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews so far! : D Ya'll are the best. : )