A/N: Thanks to all those people who are reading this fic, but thanks even more to those who have reviewed! Hint hint, review more, hint. :D

"And I will receive somebody with open arms, open eyes"

Meat Loaf (For Crying Out Loud)

My eyes open to the grey and miserable morning and the sounds of my friends rising around me. "Morning Harry!" Ron shouts across the room at me. "Bloody oath 'arry! You look dreadful!" I sit up from my tangled covers and my temples pound like a procession of drums. I reach to my side table for my glasses and the morning becomes clear. Ron's face pops up right in front of mine, concern all over his freckled face. "Didn't you sleep well Harry?" alleges Neville. I attempt to flatten my twisted brown hair while trying to ignore this seemingly simple question. Neville's face falls as he realises that his answer is not going to come. The others busy themselves once again with dressing in their robes, one by one heading down to the great Hall for breakfast. The last one left is Ron. "Harry? Are you coming Harry?" I tilt my head towards Ron, my puffy red eyes tingle with tears once again. "In a minute" I manage to breathe out.

Ron leaves the room and with the closing of the door I am alone in my prison. The silence settles over me and I brush back the coming tears. I do not feel like going down to breakfast and facing Draco, after the night before. I resign myself to missing breakfast until my stomach grumbles out a protest. After a good ten minutes of these objections I give in. My feet slowly carry me out of my dorm, down the stairs and out of the common room. I now decide to hurry through the hallways, hoping to run into as little resistance as possible. I pick up speed, hoping that everyone is already down in the Great Hall and that I'll be able to rush in, eat and leave, no questions being asked.

I run full speed, turning corners without hesitation. I round the final corner and there he is. My legs stop still in the centre of that final hallway. Draco, the amazing, Draco the wonderful, standing stock still not two metres away from me. Maybe he hasn't seen me; he is after all facing in the opposite direction. I take one step backwards, thinking that maybe I can get to the Great hall another way. Another step, and another after that, slowly I reach the corner from which I have just come around. "Harry…" Draco's voice, barely a whisper stops me once again. "I know you're there Harry, you made such a noise running, how could I not." My body remains as still as a mannequin, I don't know what I can do to make this confrontation go away.

Draco turns towards me and his steel grey eyes meet my mine. An electric current runs through my body, from head to toe. "I…" My voice falters in my throat and I wonder whether or not it will ever return. My eyes blur as tears well once again in my eyes, but past those I see Draco, moving slowly towards me. And then he is there, next to me, his warm and slender hand resting on my chest. Our eyes never leave each others as we stand there, sharing for the second time an intimate moment. Draco's hand moves ever so slowly up my chest, his hand pausing to touch my tear stained cheek. I close my eyes, relishing this moment. But then the warmth is gone, Draco's hand is no longer touching my face. My eyes shoot open to see that he has taken a step back and now stares relentlessly at me, his face unchanging. "Why did you kiss me?" His steel grey eyes seem to get a little sharper as he asks me this question and I swallow uncomfortably at his bluntness. "Because….because…i…" His eyes narrow as waits for my answer. His folded arms, barely containing his impatience. "Oh for god's sake Harry, do you like me or not!"

I blink a few times as I think of what I'm going to say. Can I really be honest with Draco, who has been my enemy since that day, seven years ago when I rejected his friendship? Or do I lie….and maybe ruin the little chance I ever had with him? "I…" my throat contracts and the words are once again stopped from being said. Draco turns away from me and begins to walk towards the Great Hall. His head hangs low and I can bear no longer to see him like this. "I do!" the ferocity with which I shout this surprises even me. Draco swings around to look at me and now it is his turn to stumble over his words. "I…I…" His face maintains a view of utter shock, good or bad I can not tell. I stand and wait for confirmation of his feelings; I brace myself for the worst. I take a step towards him and reach out my hand as if to repeat his motions of just moments before. "Mr. Potter…what do you think you are doing reaching for Mr. Malfoy?" I spin around, and there before me is Snape. "I was just heading to breakfast and Potter apprehended me Professor". "I see…" Snape's beady black eyes stare harshly at me as I stand, helpless. "I better not find you…apprehending…Mr. Malfoy again do you understand?" His bony hand grips my shoulder, like there's no tomorrow and through the pain I manage a feeble reply. "Perfectly, Sir." "Then get to breakfast, both of you!" Draco and I take off running at the same time, through the large doors and into the Great Hall.

"Bloody hell Harry, where've you been! Breakfast is nearly all gone!" "Only because you ate it all Ron" I heard Hermione add. I walk towards the table, away from Draco and take a seat between Ron and Seamus. "Here you go!" Ron lumps food onto my plate and pushes it towards me. "Thanks" I mumble. I pick up my fork and slowly choke down what would normally be a delicious breakfast. Finally my meal is gone and I push the plate away, my eyes already searching the Slytherin table for that snow haired god. Finally I located him, sitting as usual between Crabbe and Goyle, almost swallowed up by their bulk. The only difference was that this time he was staring straight at me.