Ways of the Friendship Potion

By: Ashie

Chapter Six: A Wonderful Thing

Harry woke up hours later, lying on his usual bed in the hospital wing. He felt sore and drained; it was difficult just to open his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear his vision a little. He heard whispers coming from Madame Pomfrey's office.

Harry looked over to his side and was surprised to see Draco sitting in a chair by his bed, asleep. He was leaning onto Harry's bed, his head on his arms. Harry studied how angelic he looked asleep, before shaking him gently.

Draco's eyes blearily opened, and he looked up at Harry.

"Harry! Are you feeling alright?" Draco asked worriedly, sitting up in his chair.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Harry stretched slowly. "How long have you been here?"

"About six hours. What happened? No one will tell me."

Harry scowled, and looked up at the ceiling. "Ron said something that angered me, and I sort of…went off on him."

"What do you mean?"

"My magic erupted. I struck out at Ron, and then I passed out. I feel really drained."

"I heard Pomfrey talking to Dumbledore about it. She said that you used an extreme amount of magic, for not using a wand. She sounded horrified. No one's ever heard of someone being able to do that." Draco shuddered. "What could Weasley have said that would make you want to hurt him?"

Harry recalled the conversation they had had, and felt tears coming to his eyes again. Draco sensed this, and crawled into Harry's bed.

"It's okay, Harry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Draco wiped one of Harry's tears with his thumb. Harry pulled Draco to him and buried his head in his chest.

"Draco, will you promise me something?"

"Anything, Harry,"

"Will you promise that we'll be friends, no matter what happens? Even if a romantic relationship doesn't work, that we'll at least stay best friends?" Harry shook in Draco's embrace.

Draco kissed the top of Harry's head. "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry fell asleep shortly after, and then Draco followed.

Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey walked out of the office, and stared in surprise at the two lying together. Madame Pomfrey made a move to wake Harry to see how he was doing, and get Draco out of the bed, but Dumbledore stopped her.

"Leave them be, Poppy." He whispered. "This is a wonderful thing, to see two of the greatest rivals to ever come to Hogwarts, embrace each other so dependently." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled behind his half-moon spectacles. Poppy frowned.

"But surely not in the same bed, and when Harry is so weak," Poppy shook her head. "They are two teenage boys with raging hormones, Albus. Are you sure it's wise?"

"The more they learn to care for one another, the better for the both of them. When the potion's effect wears off, it's going to take a lot of work on their parts to remain the way they are now. Let them cherish these times." With that, Dumbledore bid Madame Pomfrey a good night, and walked out of the room. Pomfrey sighed, cast one look at Harry and Draco, and went to her own room.

Harry woke up the next morning, feeling drained, yet content. He blearily opened his eyes, to be graced with Draco's perfect sleeping face barely an inch from his own. Draco's arms were wrapped around Harry, holding him to his chest, almost protectively. Harry smiled and planted a kiss on Draco's forehead.

Draco moaned, and blinked one eye open. Harry giggled.

"Morning, sunshine." Harry said. Draco just groaned and buried his face in Harry's pajamas.

"S'morning already?" Draco mumbled. Harry just barely heard him.

"Yep. Come on, we have to get ready for classes."

Draco looked up at Harry. "How are you felling?"

"Fine, I guess." Harry shrugged. "Tired, but I think it's to be expected. Now let's hurry, I want to get out of here before Pomfrey comes in and demands me to stay." Harry gave Draco a slight shove to get off the bed.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Draco stood up and started to collect his clothes from the chair next to him. Harry got up slowly. His head swam and the room began to spin. He quickly sat back down, and put his head in his hands. Draco rushed over.

"Harry, are you sure you're alright?" Draco worriedly rubbed Harry's back.

"I should be okay once I start walking around. Maybe it's just too much sleep."

"Or maybe it's the fact that you're magically drained." Draco said dryly. Harry sighed.

"Well, I'm not sitting in here all day, so let's get going." Harry stood and managed to get dressed without much trouble, although he was still dizzy and weak. Draco kept his arm around his waist while they walked to their class, just incase he got too tired. Harry couldn't help but smile at his worried antics.

Harry and Draco entered the Potions Classroom, and made their way to their seats. Harry kept himself from looking to the back of the room where he knew Ron, Hermione, and Blaise would be watching him. Harry wondered if Ron had told Hermione and Blaise about the potion.

To Harry, the worst part of Ron's story was the fact that he wasn't sure if he disbelieved him. While he felt that there was no way that he and Draco could have been enemies, he also found it weird that neither of them could remember when they had become friends. Neither of them seemed to have any past memories of them hanging out, or just talking. They were all of arguing and fighting. If they had taken a potion to be convinced of their friendship, that would explain why the entire school seemed to watch their every move, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Harry also considered what Ron had said about he and Harry being best friends. That certainly made sense; his entire memories of Hogwarts were filled with Ron and Hermione by his side. He spent every summer holiday with them, and he was certain he had never spent one with Draco.

Harry blanched at the thought of the potion's end result. When the potion's effects wore off, would Draco still want to be his boyfriend, or even his friend at all? Would Harry still feel the same way about Draco when he found out the truth about their real relationship? Harry tried to push these thoughts to the back of his mind, wishing Ron had never told him these things. He wished that he wasn't reminded of the possibility that he once hated his boyfriend every time he looked at Draco.

Harry and Draco sat down at the front of the room, with Draco casting worried glances at Harry every few minutes. Harry grabbed Draco's hand from under the table.

"Please stop worrying about me," Harry said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine," Draco nodded and dropped Harry's hand as Snape walked into the room.

Snape dimmed the lights and turned on a projector from the back of the room. Harry cursed Snape under his breath, knowing it was going to be hard for him to stay awake. Not even ten minutes later, Harry was dozing off, his elbow on the table and his head resting on his hand. He'd fall asleep for a minute, only to wake up with his nose barely an inch away from the tabletop.

After doing this for a few minutes, he was awakened by Snape hitting the table with his wand.

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor, Potter. Fall asleep again and it will be fifty more." Snape sneered and was about to walk away when Draco raised his hand.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"It's not Harry's fault, sir." Draco said, throwing a nasty look back at Ron. "He was at the hospital wing and hasn't fully recovered yet." Draco lowered his hand. Snape looked like he was going to be ill.

"Be as it may, Mr. Malfoy, Potter has been administered to the hospital wing many times before, and he didn't fall asleep then…amazingly. If it was too much for him to stay awake in class, he should have stayed in the hospital wing." Snape glared at Harry and walked away.

Harry only managed to stay awake the rest of the class was by Draco's ever constant prodding and poking. By the time class was over, Harry was still very tired and now very irritable.

The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Ron, but it didn't seem like it was avoidable. As Harry and Draco were walking out of class, Ron followed them a few steps behind. They were halfway down the hall when Ron called.

"Harry, wait." Ron quickly walked to catch up with them, and Harry couldn't help but turn and wait. Draco's arm around his waist tightened.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Draco hissed. Ron glared at him.

"Did you tell him?" Ron asked, his question directed at Harry. Harry scowled.

"That 'him' has a name. And no, I didn't. Even if you are telling the truth, it won't matter anyway. Nothing will change."

"You're so blinded, Harry." Ron shook his head. "Do you honestly think it'll stay this way? You're mad."

Harry pulled out his wand from his pocket, and pointed it at Ron. Ron flinched in surprise, his eyes wide in shock and fear. Draco also took out his wand, and positioned it parallel with Harry's.

"I want you to leave me alone," Harry hissed dangerously. "Even if you are telling the truth, it gives you no right to tell me these things. Since you are the first to tell me such a thing, I know you mustn't be allowed." Harry smiled at Ron's guilty look. "And I am not blinded; I know Draco much more than you ever will. Nothing will happen."

"Fine, Harry. Believe what you want. But when you get crushed, I just want you to remember what you've just told me." Ron cast one more look at the both of them and walked away.

Harry lowered his wand, his body shaking with anger and fatigue. Draco also put his wand away, and returned his arm to Harry's waist.

"I'm taking you to Gryffindor," Draco said quietly. "You can't go all day like this." Harry nodded and they made their way to the seventh floor.

"So, are you ever going to tell me what's going on? It has something to do with me, doesn't it?" Draco asked, slightly irritated that he had no idea what was causing Harry so much anguish.

"Sorry, Draco, but it'll just make things worse if I tell you. Just wait a little while, okay? I'll eventually tell you." Harry yawned. "Hold on a minute, will you? I'm tired." Draco slowly let go of Harry, and he sat down on the stairs, putting his head in his hands. Draco looked down at him worriedly.

"Here, stand up for a second." Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up slowly. Harry was about ask him what he was doing when Draco bent over and scooped Harry up in his arms, cradling him.

"D-Draco! What are you doing?" Harry gasped, his face turning red.

"I'm carrying you, what does it look like?" Draco rolled his eyes and started up the stairs.

"You can't carry me all the way to Gryffindor! It's on the seventh floor, and I'm too heavy! Put me down, I'll be fine."

"You are most definitely not too heavy. You're too thin, Harry. And besides, you'll never make it all the way. Now be quiet, you don't have to fuss about everything." Draco rolled his eyes. Harry rested his head on Draco's chest and was asleep within seconds.

A.N. Be warned that I've already written chapter seven (that's why it took so long for this one to come out; I wanted to write what happened next.) and it is when the potion's effect wears off. It's absolutely dreadful…