A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I had a bit of writer's block while trying to figure out how to create a friendship naturally. Anyway, enjoy and thanks to the three people that have reviewed at the point that I'm writing this. It means a lot to know that you like my first story, especially since I'll be the first to admit that it has plenty of flaws. I'll try and get the next out sooner, but considering that i'm sick and haveto do that whole college thing that might not happen.Thanks again and just to fulfill the author's note requirements let me include this: Please read and review. Love.

The more Harry thought about what he should do for Draco, the more he realized that he was doing exactly the opposite of what he was supposed to. It hit him that something like a picnic would be seen as a date so that was out. He knew it had to be something simple, but at the same time he didn't know if Draco wanted to make this friendship thing public so he couldn't just go talk to him in the hall. He tried to think about the things he did with Ron, but there was no way he was going to play quidditch or chess with Draco. In the end, the problem was solved by Hermione, as usual. She and Ron were going on a date next Saturday during the Hogsmeade weekend and she had suggested that he hang out with Seamus instead of them that day. From that point, Harry had no trouble substituting Draco for Seamus so he sent an owl off asking Draco whether he wanted to spend the day hanging out either in the castle or at Hogsmeade and waited for a reply. It wasn't long before he got one and so it was that he found himself waiting for Draco outside of the castle while everyone else went to Hogsmeade.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Both boys stared at each other for a minute before Draco spoke.

"What have you got planned?"

"Planned? I didn't plan. I figured we could just go for a walk and talk or something."

Draco gave Harry a skeptical look as if to ask why he had decided that this was a good idea.

"Oh, come on, Draco. What are we supposed to do? We don't really know what we have in common. I couldn't do anything special because that would seem like a date. I didn't want to end up competing with you over quidditch or some game. I didn't know if I was allowed to talk to you in public. What do you expect?"

Draco looked a bit sheepish.

"You're right. That's why I didn't talk to you sooner."

"Now that we've got that settled, let's just go walk around or something, maybe we'll think of something better while we're talking."

"Fine."

"So…what did you do today?"

Draco laughed.

"Great opener, Potter."

"Harry."

"Right, well, Harry, I did homework. I played chess with Blaise and I fended off the not so subtle come-ons of one Pansy Parkinson, disgusting cow."

"I thought Pansy was one of your friends."

"Pansy was all right until I realized I was gay and she refused to accept it. If it weren't for her fascination with me, we'd probably get along. I know everyone thinks it's just because of my money, but Pansy really does like me and if I were straight, I'd return the feelings."

"I know what you mean there. I had that problem with Ginny. She grew out of it though. Apparently, Neville was a better option."

"Neville?"

"Yeah. I mean he's got one big thing going for him that I don't."

"What?"

"He actually likes girls."

Draco chuckled and Harry smiled, glad to have made the blonde laugh.

"How'd you know?"

"I just assumed that since he's dating Ginny…"

"Not that, I meant, how did you know you were gay?"

"Oh. I went to this concert during the summer. This local band was playing and the crowd was insane. I was in the front and got pushed into the stage by the crowd. The lead vocalist stopped in the middle of the song to help me up and warn the crowd to calm down. He led me to backstage and told me to wait until they were done with their set. In the minute I was next to him, I felt the strongest attraction I had ever felt in my life. He was sweaty and his hair was all over his face and his soaking shirt covered his lean, muscled chest. He had these beautiful chocolate eyes."

"Harry! I get the picture."

"Oh, sorry, so I waited for the set to end and he came back to apologize to me. We talked a little about music and he invited me to hang out with the band that night. We all got drunk and sometime during it he kissed me. We couldn't keep our hands off each other. The next morning, I couldn't remember much, but I remembered kissing him. Good thing too. He was still in my bed. We hadn't done anything, just fallen asleep there. Anyway, the rest of the summer was filled with concerts and him. It ended when I went off to school and he left to go on tour. The band was finally starting to get some recognition."

"Jeez. You sound like a cheesy movie."

"I know, but that's just an overview. There was a lot to that relationship that wasn't said and there was a lot about me that changed over the summer. You can't tell it all in a few hundred words, can you?"

"Maybe you can't, but I can. I didn't have a relationship. I discovered my sexuality in a much more mundane way. I realized that I kept getting erections around the guys in the quidditch locker room."

"Ugh, your quidditch team is not hot."

"Hey! I didn't say I was looking at their faces."

Harry laughed.

The boys walked around talking about school until they sat down under a few trees. Silence fell until finally, Draco broke it.

"What happened this summer? You've changed."

"We all grow up, don't we? You've changed too.

"You didn't just grow up and neither did I. Let's be honest, we've both done more than age a year. I'm following a path that I detested for years and you're losing a lot of the glowing hero aura that you've always had. What happened to you?"

"I was lied to for years and finally I got tired of it. It cost me the first real family I had and I lost it. I started drinking, smoking, cutting, fucking, you name it, and I probably did it. It took me a long time to get over it, but nearly dying does that to you. That and the guy I told you about were the only things that opened my eyes. Still, after that you can't go back to before. I'm not that boy anymore and it's not worth pretending to be him."

"I hated you for so long after you put my father in jail. I hated you before that, but never so much. It took my mother to change what I saw as reality. Once my father was gone, she came alive. She became a part of my life. She never pushed me, but she always told me I was too good to waste my life hiding and serving. She began to ask me questions. I couldn't answer them with my father's dogma and it scared me. Finally, I knew I couldn't follow him when so much of what he has said didn't make sense to me. I had to become my own person so that I could live my own life, wherever that led me."

"I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too which brings me to something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I want to apologize for all the things I've done to you over the past few years."

"Don't do it, Draco. We've both done some awful, childish things to each other. I don't need an apology from you. You were a different person before. We both were and the old Draco and Harry couldn't have been friends. Let's forget it and go with what we've got now."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me like I'm being the bigger person. I was horrible to you."

"But I started it."

"Let it go. Besides, I refused to be your friend, if that wasn't a big enough insult I don't know what is."

"But…"

"Enough. We're new people and new friends. Let's not keep digging into our past."

"You're right."

"I know."

The skies began to darken as the two boys talked.

"Harry, I just felt a raindrop on my nose," Draco said while looking cross-eyed at said feature.

And with that it began to pour.

"Race you back to the castle." Harry jumped up and started for Hogwarts with Draco calling out that he was cheating from a few feet behind. When he'd caught up to within a step of Harry, the blonde launched himself at the Gryffindor, tackling him into a huge, newly formed mud puddle. Harry rolled over and found himself nose to nose to a wet, mud-splattered Draco. Their eyes locked and neither moved for what seemed like an eternity until slowly they inched toward one another, eyes beginning to close.

"Mr. Malfoy! Mr. Potter! Stop that at once. I thought you too had gotten over your childish fights. That will be ten points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor. If I catch you again, you'll both be in detention."

"But, Professor McGonagall..." Both boys began.

"No buts. Get up and into the castle. If you say anything more, I'll take another five points."

Draco and Harry got up and walked sullenly back to the castle.

"I can't believe it. The one time we're not fighting and she takes points."

"I know how we can shock her and prove her wrong at the same time."

"How?"

"We can sit together at dinner."

"Oh that's funny, Harry, and where are we going to sit?"

"Leave that to me. Meet me at the entrance to the Great Hall in half an hour."

"Why then?"

"Do you want to eat in your mud soaked clothes?"

"Ah."

Exactly thirty minutes later, Draco was waiting at the entrance to the Great Hall. Harry arrived a few minutes after.

"Come on, let's go."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."

Harry strode into the hall with Draco beside him and to the shock of both the teachers and students, conjured another table in the middle of the room. Sitting down at it, he motioned for Draco who was laughing to do the same.

"What do you think?"

"It will certainly get the point across."

Dobby popped up next to the table.

"Hello, Dobby. Draco and I would like to eat here, can that be arranged?"

"Whatever you is wishing, Harry Potter, sir."

"Thanks, Dobby."

The house elf disappeared and within a few minutes food appeared on the table.

"Was that Dobby, my old house elf?"

"Yes."

"How do you…"

Draco stopped mid-sentence as a group of Gryffindors approached Harry and he saw the Slytherins rise as well. Harry seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he was eating with Draco Malfoy, his "enemy".

"Harry, mate, what are you doing? Is this some sort of dare?"

"No, Ron. I'm eating with Draco?"

"Draco?" Ron asked with the squeak of a pre-pubescent boy.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Ron fell silent.

"Draco, darling, what are you doing over here?"

"I'm eating dinner, Pansy. I told you not to call me darling."

"Sorry, sugar."

Draco sighed in disgust.

Blaise sat down at the table.

"Pass the potatoes please."

Harry smiled, Draco looked incredulous and Blaise served himself some potatoes.

Following Blaise's example, Seamus took a seat as well and began eating.

"Why, Finnegan, when did you get so open minded?"

"Seamus. The truth is, Blaise, I figured since the three hottest guys in Hogwarts were sitting at this table, I, as the fourth, had better sit down."

Everyone laughed.

Ron found himself standing alone as Ginny and Neville had returned to the Gryffindor table after finding out what was going on and Hermione had left for the library, earlier.

"Harry, we'll talk later, ok mate?"

"Fine, Ron."

Ron turned and walked slowly back, glancing over his shoulder at the newest table in the hall.

Pansy stood uncertainly for a few minutes before going back to Slytherin.

"Seamus, where's Dean?"

"Over there talking to some Ravenclaw boy."

"But I thought…"

"No, it turns out we're much better friends than anything else.

Blaise glanced up, suddenly interested in the conversation, which didn't escape Harry's notice. Unfortunately, Seamus was unable to elaborate as Professor McGonagall had turned up.

"Excuse me, boys, but it seems I owe Gryffindor and Slytherin a few points so ten points to each house for promoting school unity."

And leaving as abruptly as she had come, McGonagall was gone.