The four marauders soon settled into the routine; in the morning, they had animagus training. Harry, who had mastered it on the third day, tutored the others. So far everyone but Hermione had managed to transform into their animagi forms. Apparently this was something books could not help with.
"Hermione," Harry said, coming out of his animagus form – a large, black dog – with a pop, "just stop trying, and focus your mind on what embodies you as a person."
Harry had read that a person's emotional connections and self-image had a lot of influence on the form an animagi took. Clearly, Sirius had meant a lot to Harry if his animagus form was similar.
Hermione closed her eyes, and suddenly in her place there was a graceful looking eagle. She only managed to hold it for a few moments before she returned to her human form, grinning excitedly.
"Wonderful. Now, we can move on to different training tomorrow morning, but I want you all to practice your animagi forms at least three times a day until you've mastered it." Harry said, smiling.
"What training's next?" Ron wondered aloud.
"Defense," Harry said simply, signalling by his depature that the training session was over. The others got to their feet and followed him to the kitchen for breakfast.
"Harry," Draco said quietly after Ron and Hermione had stacked their plates and left for their morning's jobs: Hermione to research potentially useful spells and Ron to continue sifting through Dumbledore's memories.
"Yeah?" Harry asked, looking Draco in the eye. Draco gasped and momentarily forgot what he wanted to say; he was suddenly struck by Harry's beauty.
"Why haven't you looked into my mind?" Draco asked, breaking himself free of his stupor and looking at the ground embarrassedly.
"Draco, I'm not going to invade your privacy like that." Harry said stubbornly, sounding annoyed. Draco wondered why Harry would be so reluctant to enter his mind.
"Well, I've given you permission, haven't I? It must be something else," Draco prodded.
"Just drop it." Harry growled.
"No! Why won't you do it?" Draco asked desperately.
"I thought you understood. I thought we had an understanding," Harry said, sounding indignant.
"I do understand, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!"
"Well if you understand why are you asking me?"
"Maybe I just want you to tell me for yourself. Be open, upfront. For once," Draco mumbled.
"And what is that supposed to mean!" Harry asked, rising from his chair and raising the volume of his voice.
"Nothing, just that you're hiding something. From me."
"Draco, I hide lots of things. What makes you think-"
"I can see it in your eyes, Harry. There's something that you want to tell me but won't. Or can't." Draco said, deliberately lowering the tone of his voice and speaking without anger.
"You'll find out, without me having to tell you. I won't be able to hide it forever," Harry said softly, lowering his gaze. Draco watched Harry leave the room, noticing his shoulders drooping and feeling decidedly guilty for bringing it up in the first place.
Draco waited for a few minutes, deciding to let Harry calm down on his own, before heading to their study room. On his way down the corridor, Ron stuck his head out of the room where he was working.
"Everything ok, mate?" Ron asked, looking genuinely concerned. Draco smiled wryly – a few weeks ago he would never have dreamed of discussing his private life with Ron Weasley, but now it didn't seem so far fetched.
"Not really, but thanks for caring," he said in a sarcastic tone but smiling in a friendly manner nonetheless.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nah, I'll be ok, it's just… Harry."
"He tends to have that effect on people," Ron commented, grinning knowingly.
"Not this effect, I'm sure," Draco muttered.
"It's not that bad, surely?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows. Draco gave him a look full of his frustration and longing. Ron lowered his eyebrows, frowning in sudden comprehension. Draco laughed.
"Yeah, well. It'll be fine. Promise. Don't worry, I won't corrupt him. I know you would hate that."
"Well, maybe I would, but I'm not the one who gets to choose who he falls for, unfortunately. You know his happiness means the world to me, Draco," Ron said. The understood but unspoken addition to his phrase was and if you fuck up his chance at being happy I'll kill you in your sleep.
"Yeah. Me too, ironically."
"Shit, you really mean that."
Draco didn't bother to reply; he knew Ron understood. Instead, he continued to the end of the corridor where his and Harry's study room was.
Draco raised his fist to knock on the door before he realised what he was doing. Pushing the door open, he stepped into the room and closed it softly behind him. Harry turned around immediately.
"Draco, I'm sorry, it's just… There are some things about me that no one knows, and I'm not ready to tell anyone yet. Most people have never even seen the real me."
"I know," Draco said, knowing without having to ask that somehow he was included in the minority that had seen Harry completely at ease with himself, and completely aware of the weight that rested on his shoulders.
"And… I will tell you… eventually. Just not now. Not yet." He continued, sighing and turning back to his notes.
"I know. It's ok, I'm sorry for pushing the subject. I realise you don't want to know all my secrets when you aren't ready to tell me yours yet. It goes against your Gryffindor morals, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess it does go against my morals. But I was placed in Gryffindor because of my morals; I didn't adopt my morals because of being in Gryffindor."
"I know. But you really are the typical Gryffindor."
"Oh really?" Harry asked cheekily, grinning at Draco and beckoning him forwards.
Draco smiled confusedly and walked over to Harry. Harry bent close to Draco and whispered into his ear. As much as Draco tried to suppress it, he couldn't help but shiver at the feeling.
"I'm going to tell you a secret. Ron and Hermione are the only two people still alive who know this."
Draco felt his breath hitch as he took in Harry's scent; the proximity of the other boy made him feel slightly giddy. He smells like a woody forest.
"I was almost put in Slytherin."
Draco, snapping out of his reverie, pulled back from Harry and stared at him in shock for a moment, before he burst out laughing.
"Ha! That was funny, Harry, almost too funny. You had me convinced for about a second, but-"
"Draco, I'm not joking. The sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I asked it not to so it put me in Gryffindor instead."
Draco expelled a large amount of air through his nose and closed his eyes in a slightly pained expression. If Harry had been in Slytherin… Merlin, his life could have been so different. They would have been best friends, Draco was sure. He might have even had the courage to stand up to his father, with the Boy-Who-Lived as his best friend.
"Things might have been so different."
"I know. I think about it a lot, actually. Geez, Malfoy, if I was in Slytherin I would have turned you years ago!" Harry joked.
Draco blushed slightly at the subtle and no doubt unintended and unnoticed second meaning of that comment, thinking that he had been turned – in more ways than one – by Harry Potter.
"What is it with you? You always have some trick hidden up your sleeve," Draco said, to cover up his embarrassment.
"Is that so?" Harry asked, rolling up his sleeve to expose his arm. "Hmmm… nothing there, but oh, wait!" He said dramatically, turning his back to Draco and lifting his shirt up over his shoulders to expose his shoulder blades. Coiled on his right shoulder blade was a snake tattoo.
Harry sucked in a breath as he felt Draco's fingers ghost over his tattoo. Then, as suddenly as they were there, they were gone again, as if Draco had suddenly realised what he was doing.
"My, my," Draco said amazedly as Harry shrugged and pulled his shirt back down, "you really are full of surprises, Harry Potter."
"Yeah, well so are you, Draco." Harry said, looking embarrassed at the way Draco seemed to be admiring him. Draco raised his eyebrows in question. "I mean, come on. Who would ever have thought you'd be here right now? Helping me? Being civil to me?"
"Harry, I'd like to think we're more than just civil to each other."
"Yeah, ok then. Who'd have thought we'd be friends?"
Draco sighed. Friends. "I don't know," he said, "It seems crazy, really, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Harry said, sighing slightly, "crazy."
"We'd better get to work," Draco commented.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." As Harry turned to his desk and sat down again, Draco thought he looked a little sad.
"Cheer up, Potter, it's only work."
"Hmph," Harry mumbled and began reading some of Lucius' old letters.