Draco glanced over at Harry as they walked towards the kitchens. Sure, he was hungry, but he was unsure why Harry was so adamant that they not go to Snape before they got some food. For that matter, why didn't they just ask that Dobby for food again; why did they have to come to the kitchen at all? Harry's face was strangely blank.

"Is there something wrong, Harry?" Draco asked.

"What? No. Nothing's wrong with me. Why?"

"It's just, you didn't want to go and see Snape. I'd think you'd be eager to get us separated, I know I am. We could eat anytime."

Harry grimaced inwardly. Draco wanted to be rid of him as soon as possible. The flimsy pact of friendship they'd made in the bathroom would dissolve, and they'd go back to the hatred that they knew best; Harry was sure of it. Their truce only covered interaction while they were connected. He didn't know who he was trying to fool, Draco hated him; he always would.

"There's nothing wrong with me Malfoy," he said carefully. "I'm just hungry as hell. We haven't eaten all day."

Draco winced inwardly. It was Malfoy was it? Well that was fine. He knew Potter was incapable of really having a truce with him. Now that there was some prospect of getting rid of him Harry was reverting to the comfortable hatred they had cultivated the past six years. Yes. It would be fine. He didn't want anything to do with Potter anyway. He was stupid to think that Harry would want to remain friends outside of the bonds of this connection. Only, he had kind of hoped they would. Vin and Greg were great, but they kept to themselves; they weren't really his friends. Pansy was gone, she'd attended Beauxbatons during the war because it was safer, but she had never come back to him. It had been crushing. They had been friends all of their life, and she hadn't loved him enough to come back to him. Draco cursed himself. He knew perfectly well that he was dwelling and that he was taking things far too personally, but it didn't really make a difference in the way it felt.

At Beauxbatons Pansy had made a whole new group of friends, and forgotten whatever bond they had. Draco couldn't blame her, not more than a little, because he realized they weren't as close as they could have been. How was he supposed to know how to show her what she meant to him? He hadn't had any point of reference. All the same, she was all he had. Well if Potter wanted nothing to do with him, then he would just seek out friendship with some other person. He was capable of doing that, wasn't he? It wasn't as if he was a social leper. Maybe he would try to find a boyfriend. He hadn't really dated since the war, but it didn't seem like he was entirely unattractive. Weasley didn't seem to mind hitting on him, scars and all. Absentmindedly Draco rubbed the scar on his cheek, and his hand smoothed across his face and fell to rubbing the one behind his ear.

Harry looked over nervously, for some reason Draco was petting himself. Harry thought that he looked really put out, and he tried to figure out what would have made Draco mad. What had he said? Nothing really, just that he was hungry. Most likely Malfoy was just annoyed that he didn't want to go right away to get them separated. It was a weakness, but as fleeting as he knew this connection was—Harry wasn't willing to rush towards the finish line.

"It's not as if Snape could get us apart right away you know," Harry said. "He'll need some time to make the new potion."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Yeah," I know that."

"Well then I don't see what the big deal is about getting some food. First Ron looks at me weird then you. I thought you'd understand. I mean we haven't had food all day. I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry? I mean if you're not hungry then we don't have to go and get food, we can go and talk to Snape."

"Jesus Potter, take a breath would you?" Draco said.

Harry sighed.

Draco grinned. "That's more like it," he said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do you want to get food or not?"

"I don't think that's even what you were asking me," Draco said thoughtfully.

"What? You're mental Malfoy."

"No, I don't think I am. You were going on and on about whether I was hungry and wanted food and if I didn't want food then we could just hurry along to Snape. I think you're worried about getting separated from me."

Harry scoffed. "Don't be fucking ridiculous, Malfoy. I couldn't be happier that I'll be rid of you soon."

Draco frowned. Ok, so that hurt. He gave in to the urge to hurt Harry back. He smacked him in the back of the head as hard as he could. Unfortunately when Harry flew forward Draco went with him, and their combined momentum sent them sprawling onto the floor of the corridor outside the kitchens.

"Malfoy! Why the fuck did you hit me?"

"Because you're a fucking bastard."

"I'm a bastard? You're the one that can't wait to be rid of me. You're the one being you again right after you said you wanted to be friends with me."

Draco hit him again.

"Ow!" Harry said. "What was that for?"

Draco's face was red. "I can't be me and still be friends with you?" he asked.

Harry frowned, had he really said that? That was awful. "I didn't mean that," he said. "I meant that you were being mean to me again, not that you were being yourself. I don't think you're really like that."

"Yes. I. Am!" Draco was practically shouting. "I am mean, I am rude, I am sarcastic, I am a bastard. I LIKE ME."

"Draco, shhhh," Harry said, "someone's going to hear you."

"I don't give a bloody fuck. You know what Harry Potter," Draco sneered, "if you can't like me the way that I am then I don't want to be friends with you either. So you can have your wish, and we'll just get apart as soon as possible and go back to hating each other."

Harry hit Draco.

"You stupid bastard! Why did you hit me?" Draco said.

Draco lunged at Harry (as best he could) and they spent some time rolling around on the floor pulling hair and biting any exposed flesh they could. Harry got one good punch to Draco's kidney in and Draco screamed in pain, then he started crying.

"Oh my God. Draco I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard," he said, pulling Draco into his arms, resting his head on his shoulder.

Draco leaned into the hug. "You didn't you stupid git, I just—you're not the only one that still has problems from the war," he said.

"I'm so sorry."

"I wish you'd stop saying that. Do you have any idea how often you say it? It doesn't mean anything at all to you. Get off of me Potter." Draco shoved Harry roughly and tried to stand up but Harry continued to sit, so they couldn't. "Get up!" Draco screamed in his frenzy. "Get up!"

"No," Harry said stubbornly.

"I will kick you, you stupid git." Draco said.

"Fine. Kick me. You hate me. I want you to kick me, it would be better than the fake friendship thing you were doing earlier. That's just cruel Malfoy. Why did you bother? Is it that fun to torture me?"

"Me!" Draco said. "You're the one that's so eager to break off our truce."

"You're so stupid, Malfoy. Why did you think I didn't want to go to Snape? I don't want you to leave me, and I know that as soon as we're apart you'll hate me again. Why be so fake? If you're going to hate me, just hate me; don't toy with me."

"Fuck you Harry. You don't know anything about me. Did I say that I wanted to be rid of you?"

"You said you were eager to get us separated."

Draco looked confused. "Yeah," he said, "Because I don't relish having my ass stuck to some git. Not because I didn't want to be friends with you, or because I hate you."

"But," Harry said, "the only reason we were going to be friends is because we were stuck together."

"You twit," Draco said, rubbing his temples. "You have to make everything so difficult. Let's try this truce again, shall we? Harry, I would like to be friends with you, no matter what happens with our—predicament."

Harry sulked. "I'm not a twit," he said.

Draco smiled. "A prat then."

Harry shook his head.

"A gormy relish-eater."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Relish?" he asked.

Draco shrugged. "I hate the stuff."

Harry nodded, and they struggled to their feet. "I'm—" Harry started. He had been about to say sorry, but the look of murder on Draco's face made him stop. "I'm a relish-eater," he finally said.

Draco nodded and smiled happily. "I'm glad we finally see eye-to-eye Potter, but you never answered my implied question."

"Which was?" Harry baited.

Draco pinched him.

"Ow! Ow! Ok, ok, I want to be friends with you Malfoy," he giggled.

Draco looked satisfied, and they walked towards the painting of the bowl of fruit.

"Draco wait a minute," Harry said, stopping. "I really mean this. Please don't leave me."

Draco was tempted to mock Harry for his melodrama, but the truth was that he deathly feared the same thing, so he nodded. "Don't abandon me, Harry," he demanded in return.

They shared a look of understanding and peace. "I wouldn't dare," Harry said.

"Damn right." Draco said. Not looking, he reached forward to tickle the pear, but got a shock when his finger connected with cloth and beneath that cloth, a human stomach. A male stomach. He gasped.

"Remus!" Harry said.

Draco was jostled around, and watched resignedly as Remus and Harry embraced. The werewolf had shaved his head, Draco noticed. It didn't look bad on him, but you could still see the smoother spots where his hair had been pulled out. Other than that though, he looked in the peak of health. For that matter, far healthier than Draco had ever seen the haggard man look before.

Ugh, they were sill hugging. What was it with Potter and all this embarrassing cuddling? It made Draco incredibly uncomfortable. He just wasn't a physically affectionate person, that was all. It wasn't as if he'd made any sort of choice, it was just how things were. That fake hug with Vin this morning had been the first time he'd touched his friends since the war. Before the war, they had shook hands, or had rare brushes accidentally, but they just didn't do this—display. Gryffindors were such pansies, he thought disgustedly.

God finally, the werewolf had let Potter go. Draco had begun to think that they were going to become stuck together as well. Then Remus turned to Draco. Oh no! he thought, a second before he too was enfolded in a tight hug. Reluctantly Draco threw his arms around Remus as well. He might as well enjoy it if it was going to happen, and honestly it wasn't that bad. Harry's new godfather was very fit, firm in all kinds of nice places. He was a good hugger too; he put his whole body into it. He smelled so good—like the woods and fresh air which was fitting, but struck Draco as really amusing. It was the same smell that his pet dog at home always had when it came in from outside on a cold day. Draco tightened his arms and leaned into the hug a bit more; it was becoming a bit excessively long, but he didn't care that much.

Harry cleared his throat. Draco was minutes from humping Remus, he was almost sure. He had just seen the blonde burrow his nose into Remus' shoulder, and he had a vacant smile on his face that smacked eerily of pleasure. It was extremely uncomfortable to watch, not to mention be only a foot or so from.

Remus finally pulled back. He put one hand of each of the boys' shoulders and smiled at them. "What were you two doing out after curfew, and coming into the kitchens?" he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

"It's nothing like that," Harry said. "We were just hungry. We haven't, uh, eaten today."

Remus immediately looked concerned. "Not at all?"

They both shook their heads. He quickly ushered them into the kitchen. On a big wooden table at one side of the room there was a huge assortment of meats and cheeses and various leftovers laying around. The boys looked at Remus curiously.

"I was uhm, a little hungry," he said with a smile.

When they got to the door of Snape's private quarters, Ron looked at Crabbe nervously. "You knock mate, I don't like my chances of a good reception."

Crabbe shook his head. "No way," he said. "He hates me."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Like he hates me less?"

"Dunno, but I'm not willing to risk it."

"Well I'm not either," Ron said.

Crabbe nodded, like he thought that was a good idea.

"What're we going to do then?" Ron asked.

"Maybe we should go back. We could make Harry and Draco come back later and tell him."

Ron smiled slightly, that sounded like a good idea. But, he couldn't do that to Harry. It seemed like he was having a hard enough time adjusting to life with Draco. Ron didn't want to put him through the added torture of having to deal with an irate, sleepy, Snape. No matter how sympathetic he was to their plight, Ron doubted he would be pleased to see them out after curfew.

"No mate," Ron said finally. "I think we have to do this."

Crabbe looked displeased. "Fine, but you're knocking."

"Why?" Ron whined.

"Because I'm not going to do it, that's why."

"Would you two blathering idiots kindly shut-up!" they heard Snape scream from the other side of the door. "I'm coming, and when I get there you had better have something severely important that you want," he threatened.

Ron gulped. Crabbe shook his head in dismay.

Remus had loaded Harry and Draco up with food and sent them back to their own rooms to eat it. Harry hadn't had a chance to speak to Remus about his trip to the veil, but his upbeat mood had relieved Harry greatly. There had been a couple of understanding and sad looks, but nothing like the dismal depression that Harry imagined would be required to commit suicide. He was hopeful that things might actually turn out ok for him and Remus in the future. He had even offered Harry and Draco the opportunity to stay with him at Grimmauld Place over Christmas break, that is, if they weren't separated. Harry was extremely grateful, though he knew he had no intention of ever entering that house again. Draco had looked gobsmacked.

Back in their room they dumped all the food onto the coffee table and pulled it close to their love seat. They spent a few minutes eating as much as they could shove into their mouths and swilling pumpkin juice by the pint, before they sat back in unison. They glanced at each other and laughed. Harry was struck with a surreal sort of peace.

"So what do you want to do before bed?" Harry asked.

Draco's lips twitched in a smile. He was tempted to say something off-color, but he wasn't comfortable enough with Harry to know how it would be taken. He wasn't willing to risk a rift over his homosexuality just yet. No matter what he had told Harry earlier about wizarding society being fine with it, it was still a person-to-person issue—much as it was in the muggle world.

"I was thinking about doing some reading," Draco said.

"But tomorrow's Saturday," Harry whined.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Not for class you dumbass."

"Oh," Harry said. "What're you reading?"

Uncomfortably, Draco looked away from Harry. "It's nothing," he said, "just a novel."

"Just a novel? I love stories," Harry said. "Which is it?"

Draco sighed. He motioned for Harry to get up and follow him over to his trunk. When they were there he rummaged through it and came up with a paperback muggle novel.

Harry smiled. "Pride and Prejudice?" he said, delighted. "I love this book."

Draco looked surprised, pleasantly.

"You know, Austen wouldn't be pleased with your 'Just a novel' comment," Harry said.

Draco scowled at him.

Harry smiled. "Do you want to read it together?" he asked.

Draco felt a strange warm flush overtake him. "Uh," he said bemusedly, "yeah."

Harry took the book from his hand, briefly making contact with Draco's fingers. Draco felt the melty warmth again. At that moment he realized what was going on, why he was so reluctant to be separated from Harry, why he felt so good about their future friendship, why he was putting up with Harry's irritating thickness. He was forming a crush on Potter. He groaned.

"Did I hurt you again?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Draco said bitterly. "Don't worry about it."

Harry wrinkled his brow, but decided to let it go. They walked back over to the couch, and Harry started to read from the spot where Elizabeth was visiting Charlotte at Hunsford. They were to Mr. Darcy's first proposal before Draco started to squirm.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked. "Am I not reading it right?"

"No. You're fine." Draco said.

"Why are you all squirmy then?"

"It's uncomfortable to sit straight up and read, listen, whatever. I always lay down to read, or at least slouch."

"Oh," Harry said amicably. He leaned into the side of the couch, forcing Draco to lean on his shoulder. "Is that better?" he asked.

"Yes and no." Draco said quietly.

"Malfoy what is the matter with you?" Harry said, a little peeved.

"Nothing Harry. Just eager to get back to the story." He smiled weakly.

Harry smiled back; he started reading again.

You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

Harry read it, speaking for Mr. Darcy, but it still made Draco flinch. How could he do this to himself? How could he do it to Harry after he'd promised to be friends with the git? How could he get a crush on him and ruin everything? Harry would never want that sort of relationship with him. Everyone was right. He really was a bastard. No wonder people steered clear of him.

Harry noticed that Malfoy was a little morose, but he figured that he must be sleepy or just not enjoying the way that Harry was reading the book. Maybe he didn't like this part of the book. It was a little emotionally uncomfortable to read the first proposal between Elizabeth and Darcy. Honestly though, the second proposal was the one that made Harry more uncomfortable. The openness, the willingness to be injured again, that Darcy exposed when he told Elizabeth that his feelings hadn't changed and waited for her to reject him again scared Harry. He couldn't imagine leaving yourself open to that deep a hurt.

Draco shifted again. He was stiffly leaning against Harry, and Harry was tempted to stop reading so that they could sit up and Draco could be comfortable. But physical touch had always comforted Harry, and if Draco was displeased with him but still willing to touch him, he didn't want to break it off. Thankfully Ron and Crabbe returned to the room then and took the decision from Harry's hands, because Draco shot straight up when the door opened.

"Mate!" Ron said, "You won't believe it!"

"You couldn't," Crabbe said.

Red hair and shaved head turned to each other and giggled.

"You two are annoying," Draco snarked.

Ron screwed his face up. "And you're a gormless prat," he said. "Anyway Harry," Ron said. "Guess what Snape did!"

"What?" Harry asked impatiently; Draco's bad mood was catching.

Ron was oblivious. "He thanked me! He said, and I quote, 'Thank you very much for informing me of this development right away, Mr. Weasley. Well done.' He actually said that!"

Harry smiled slightly. "That's nice Ron, amazing really."

"Isn't it! It was brilliant. It's amazing to have his approval, isn't that twisted? I mean I hate the snarky bastard, but to have him say 'Well done.' That's amazing, it's like being high!"

Crabbe looked at Ron askance. "Have you got a crush on him now?" he asked.

Ron laughed and used their joined hands to conk Crabbe on the forehead. They both laughed good-naturedly at each other.

Draco scowled.

Ron glanced around; he took in the food, and the book. "So what were you two doing?" he asked.

"We ate, now we're reading," Harry said.

"Brill, look at all this food," Ron said. "What're you reading?"

Draco made a grab for the book, but Harry held it up before he could get to it.

Ron squinted. "Again Harry! Honestly," he said.

Harry blushed. "It's not mine this time. It's Draco's, and he was already reading it."

Ron snorted. "Great," he said, "another one. What do you think Vin," he said, "wanna join the pansies in reading their romance novel."

Crabbe shrugged. "Lizzy's really hot," he said.

"That settles it then," Ron laughed.

Ron and Crabbe settled in to their love seat and tucked into the food. When they'd finished they leaned back on opposite arms of the couch, their joined hands resting in the center of the couch between them. They looked for all the world like a couple. Harry started to have a giggle fit. He snickered so hard that he couldn't read, and Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed the book from him. He started reading and Harry leaned back against the arm of the couch, pulling Draco back so that he was laying on Harry's chest. Draco was very proud that his voice only faltered once or twice.

Ron grinned evilly. He squeezed Crabbe's hand, and nodded slightly towards Harry and Draco. Crabbe winked; he shifted on the couch so that he could lay his head in Ron's lap. When Ron's eyebrows rose in surprise Crabbe leaned up and whispered to him, "It'll make Draco more comfortable to see us like this too."

Ron looked thoughtful. He stared a Draco a moment, then he nodded.

Harry looked over and raised an eyebrow at Ron, pointedly looking down at Crabbe's head in Ron's lap. Ron shrugged at him and grinned. Harry smiled back.