Chapter 3 - Drama Queen

Harry took them to a secluded spot just inside the boundary of the forest. When they arrived, Harry took the cloak off, spread it out over the ground and sat on it. Draco sat the picnic down beside the cloak. Harry was the first to speak. He looked up at Draco and said, "Can you make me a promise?"

"What kind of promise Potter?" Draco said in his typically arrogant manner. Abruptly he realised what he had done. He immediately tried to make amends by changing his attitude. Draco said, "As long as it doesn't go against the beliefs and honour of my family and house."

Draco found that being a Malfoy was a constant battle with egotism. Draco realised and played on the fact that he was gorgeous, his teeth were perfect, his skin flawless and his hair was the talk of every Hairdresser in wizardom.

As much as he had inherited the Malfoy pomposity, he secretly wished he could just blend in to the background along with all the other 17 year olds. He wanted to go unshaven when he wanted. Not that the Malfoy's shaved. They just muttered an incantation and the hair disappeared from where it had sprouted. Sometimes the Malfoy arrogance even got on Draco's own nerves.

He quickly threw a genuine smile at Harry and said, "What promise Potter?"

"Well there are two now. Firstly, can we both stop calling each other by our surname?"

"That's going to be difficult. If I call you Harry, people will think I have gone soft."

"Well, is that all the great Malfoy is worried about? What other people think?
Have you never had a friend that you aren't telling what to do, or dictating the way the relationship will or will not develop?"

"No, I haven't."

Getting up off the ground where he had settled, Harry held his hand out to Draco and said, "Hi, my name is Harry, Harry Potter. I'm pleased to meet you."

Draco took Harry's hand. Harry's grip felt so strong, firm and warm. As soon as Draco touched Harry's hand, he looked in his eyes. For a brief moment, he saw the beautiful figure from his dream glowing red in Harry's eye. Astonished, he blinked and looked again into Harry's eyes that were looking straight into his own eyes. However, the image had vanished.

"Hello Harry, I'm Draco, Draco Luci……. Just Draco, I'm Draco pleased to meet you Harry"

The pair of them smiled and walked around in circles pondering the importance of that moment. Everything had just changed. Although neither of them realised, their lives had just become even more complicated than they had ever been.

"You said there were two promises Harry. What is the second one?"

For a moment, Harry had forgotten the second one. Returning to his place on the mat and offering a seat to Draco, Harry continued, "Will you … Can we promise that from this point on that we will not lie to each other?"

"That's a strange request Harry. You forget I am a Slytherin after all."

"If you want to be friends with me, there are a few things that we have to agree or there can be no basis to the friendship."

Draco knew that he was in a very vulnerable position. Moreover, the situation was of his making. Nevertheless, at this moment, one true friend was the most important aspiration in his life. He did not want to mess up this chance of having a friend he could trust. Therefore, he nodded in agreement.

Harry continued, "For us to be friends we need to start to trust each other. And you can't trust someone if they lie to you."

"Agreed, but everyone trusts the word of Harry Potter even Slytherins. You have a reputation as a hero to back you up."

"That's utter bollocks Draco. I have a dark side as well. You of all people should know that. It is not easy being me. You know how many times I have confronted Voldemort. Memories of him return every time I see my face in the mirror. He gave me this scar. I feel the weight of the wizarding world on my shoulders. Everyone thinks that I'm fucking invulnerable and that I can stop everyone from getting hurt or sacrifice myself so they can live. But I'm not invulnerable and I can't save everyone."

Draco's mind went back to last night's dream where Harry had died to save him. He looked at Harry's perfectly clear emerald eyes and felt his cheeks flush.

"Let's eat. I'm starved." Draco offered

"What time is it Draco" Harry asked happy that the subject had changed.

Draco cast a Temperas Spell showing that it was just passed 2 PM. They shared each other's company for four hours and not an unresolved situation or argument in site. With these thoughts going through his mind, Draco helped himself to some cake. Harry took out his wand and tapped the kettle twice, which heated the water for tea.

"Tell me again about Snape's liking of cookery please."

Draco laughed and said that he could not and that it was too embarrassing. Harry turned and put a hand on his and asked earnestly, "Please Draco, do it for me."

"Ok but if you tell anyone I'll kill you … hehehe."

Harry chuckled as Draco took out his wand and swished it back and forth. He created a imaginary Muggle TV set just like Snape conjured in what he thought was the secrecy of his Potions Lab. "He stood behind there and said this and looked like that and …"

"Act it out for me Draco, please. The thought of Snape acting like a woman cook makes me want to laugh until next week. Pretend you are him and do what he did."

"Ok but I'm not going to be any good. I don't act very well."

"Come Draco, you are a total drama queen … hehehe"

"Hey you"

He said trying to act aggrieved. He was not naturally. In fact, Draco was a very good actor. He gave the role a little thought and then tapping himself on the head three times altering his clothing to that of a middle-aged Muggle woman complete with Brown bobbed hairstyle.

Harry was in stitches as he saw his new friend take on the role of Snape doing Stealia Smith in front of his eyes. Ok here goes Draco thought.

Speaking in a squeaky but patronising accent Draco started, "Welcome to cooking the Stealia way. My name is Stealia Smith. Today I'm going to be showing you how to make inexpensive meals that are quick and easy to prepare."

Stealia turned toward the face of the imaginary TV and seductively fluttered her eyelashes a few times as if she was flirting with an audience. Harry loved Draco's imitation of Snape's impersonation. Harry could not remember the last time he laughed so hard. It seemed like ages since he had this much fun.

Continuing Stealia said, "Today we are going to make one of my personal favourites an Apian Omelette."

Stealia smiled sweetly at her audience. Then she seductively flicked her hair to the left, fluttered her eyelashes and continued. "Now some people say that I only use expensive, difficult to acquire ingredients for my dishes. This is simply not true."

Stealia moved her finger from side to side in synch with the flutter of her eyelashes to emphasis the point. She smiled sweetly and said, "You'll need three eggs. Phoenix eggs are best. However if you can't get them, Dodo eggs will suffice."

Harry was laughing so hard that he started rolling on the ground. "Hahahahahahahaha, stop, please stop. I'm getting a stitch in my side. That is so fucking funny… hahahaha … I love it."

Draco flicked his wand and was back to normal. He returned to his place on the cloak next to Harry while he waited for Harry to get over his spasms of laughter.

"I'm glad you said yes to coming with me today Harry. It has been really good fun."

Draco looked over at Harry. To his utter surprise, the boy-who-lived was now the boy who had laughed himself to sleep.

Draco did not say another word. He just sat there for the next two hours looking at his new friend. He studied every feature of the sleeping young man. He stared at the scar through the fringe of hair on Harry's forehead and was amazed that this was the only mark of the vicious attack he had survived as a baby. The tenderness that he felt for the sleeping Harry overwhelmed Draco at that moment. How could he have let five years go by before realising that the person next to him was worthy of his attention?

It seemed only moments later that Harry woke with a start, "Let me save him. Please don't make me watch him die again."

"Harry what's wrong? Don't let who die?"

Harry looked at Draco with tears running down his face. He could hardly resist the overwhelming urge to reach out and pull Draco to him. Yet, Harry just sat on the cloak and wept uncontrollably at the thought of losing his newfound friend.

Draco moved to Harry's side. He wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and held him close. He could not imagine his trying to soothe anyone. Nevertheless, he could not resist his need to soothe Harry's pain.

Knowing that it was best to get Harry talking he said, "Was it a nightmare Harry? Who was killed again? Was it your father?"

"No Draco, it was not my father" Harry felt amazing warmth come from his new friend. To his relief, Harry found that the tears were starting to slow down.

"Was it your friend the weasel?"

"Don't ever call Ron that. But no, it wasn't him"

"Sorry I'm being nosey, forgive me"

"That's ok. Don't apologise. I have seen the same person die countless times in my dreams but it hasn't affected me as much as it has today."

"Why, what's so different about today Harry?"

Harry cried again and could not stop. The emotions he had been battling over the last two months had risen to the surface and he could not stem the flood of tears.

"It's me isn't it? I'm the one you cannot save in your dreams. I'm the one who dies."

Draco did not require an answer. Harry's low sobbing was answer enough.