A/N: thank you for all the wonderful reviews. i hope you enjoy this chapter. much love. please read, review and enjoy.

Harry blinked and opened his eyes. He stretched out his arm and it connected with something warm. It was Draco except the boy had a dark bruise covering his left eye and a deep cut across his jaw.

"Draco, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your face is covered in scratches and your arm is covered in bruises."

"Wait a minute, we're in the hospital wing."

"Hello, boys."

"Professor Dumbledore, what's going on?"

"Well, let me ask you, what is the last thing you remember?"

The two boys squirmed.

"I remember going to bed with Draco," Harry mumbled.

"I remember that too."

"That is interesting."

"Why? We've been dating for a while."

"No, you haven't."

"Professor, you know we have, you came up with the password, Ice Prince."

"Sounds like something I would do, thought I'm much more fond of using candies as passwords, however I did not."

Harry started to get angry. The old man was doing it again. Obviously something bad had happened that he needed to tell them about and he was doing nothing, but let them get more confused.

"Come on, Dumbledore, what's going on? You wouldn't be here if something wasn't up."

Draco gasped. Was he hearing things?

"It seems, Mr. Potter, that Professor Snape happened upon a fight between yourself and Mr. Malfoy at the Sorting Ceremony and decided that he had had enough of the petty fights between the two of you. He decided to give you a special potion to cause you to exist in a dream reality together. You would be the same people with the same history, appearance and personalities, but for a few days unable to return to your current lives unless you resolved your differences in the dream."

"So why can't I remember the fight?"

At this question, Snape entered the room.

"Because, Mr. Potter, I placed a sort of removable patch on your memories so that when you saw Mr. Malfoy there would be no need for further hospital stay."

"Can you remove the patch?"

"Potter, this is the reason you do so abysmally in potions. I believe my exact words were "removable memory patch"."

"Oh."

"How very articulate. All you must do is think of a past altercation in which yourself and Mr. Malfoy participated and the patch will remove itself."

The boys looked at each other. Both wondering if they really wanted to remove the patch. Would the other hate them again when they left the hospital wing or would the dream have ended their long feud? Both sighed and made the same decision. The first to speak was Draco.

"I remember."

Harry gulped.

"Me too."

Dumbledore looked at each boy and saw the anxious looks on their faces.

"Then I will take my leave, along with Professor Snape, but let me say this one thing. Your dream solved your differences in the way your subconscious felt would suit you best. The point of this potion was to show you that you could be more than enemies, if that had not been possible, you would have woken up in three days and remembered everything. Take this opportunity to try the alternative. In days such as these, one should embrace any good life has to offer. Let's go, Severus. I'm sure the boys are ready to leave."

"One question."

"Yes."

"How long has it been since we were given the potion?"

That dangerous twinkle appeared in Dumbledore's eyes again.

"Ten minutes."

Draco and Harry were left alone and silence reigned, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Gathering all his Gryffindor courage, Harry spoke.

"What do we do now?"

"What do you mean, Potter?"

"Our dream."

"Our dream was just a dream."

"You heard Dumbledore, it was not just a dream."

"Fine, it was not just a dream, but do you think in real life things would work out that easily? Do you really think the Gryffindors would accept me that quickly or that the Weasel would decide he actually liked me? I don't."

"I didn't think of that."

"What do you think the Slytherins would do to me?"

"What else could they do? You've already been exiled. You might as well see if you can be resorted."

"Ok, you have a point there, a small one, but a point at least."

"And what about the ten minutes thing?"

"What about it?"

"We only dreamed for ten minutes before we solved our problem."

"So?"

"And here I thought you were the smart one. The point is that it only took us ten minutes out of a possible three days to wake up, meaning that we were already thinking of ending our fight."

"I never."

"Really? I know I did."

"You did?"

"Yes. Despite our arguing, I respect you. You don't treat me like the rest of this school, like the Golden Boy. To you, I'm just Potter. I like that."

"Ok, maybe I thought it would be advantageous to have a famous friend."

"Stop trying to sound the Slytherin for one minute, Draco. I bet you thought about more than that or the dream would have had us become friends. I've thought about being more than friends."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm tired. I have to prepare for this war and I need help. Your help. You heard Dumbledore; our dream selves were the same as our real selves. I need that kind of person to help me. I'd like that kind of person to be you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes."

"I don't know."

"Just give it a try. Give me a chance."

"Will you be able to handle all the suspicion, doubt and anger from your friends? Am I worth all the trouble we will face?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

"You'll give me a chance?"

"Did you ever have a doubt?"

"I had plenty of them."

At that Harry smiled and reached over and stroked the hair out of Draco's eyes, just like he had after their dream kiss. Draco leaned into the touch.

"I guess we'd better get out of here before Poppy comes in."

"Harry, you've been in here way too many times."

"How'd you figure that one out?"

"You called the nurse by her first name. That is never a good sign."

"I know. Let's go before Ron comes to attack you in your sleep and Mione comes to sit and worry about me."

"Those two really need to get together and find a life."

"Hey!"

"Admit it, Harry. They obsess over you way too much."

"You're right."

By this time, Harry and Draco had gotten out of bed and were walking through the corridors not realizing that they had passed several students while chatting quite amicably. They ended up at the Gryffindor common room.

"I don't think I'm ready for this, Harry."

"Draco, we've got to do this sometime."

"They don't even know we are friends though. They've never seen us together, not fighting. They'll attack me the minute I step in the door."

"Hmmm….what can we do that will get the message across?"

"Well, I seem to remember a plan involving kissing right outside this very portrait. Maybe we should try that again. It worked pretty well last time."

"There isn't anyone around."

"We could practice now and then give a performance after dinner."

"You know, that sounds like a good idea."

Harry had just pushed Draco against the wall and hesitated slightly, when the portrait swung open.

"Come on, Mione. Let's go see if Harry's up yet?"

"Professor Dumbledore didn't say that we could visit."

"He didn't say we couldn't either, come on."

"Fine."

Ron and Hermione struggled out of their favorite chairs in the common room and walked toward the portrait. It swung open and revealed Harry and a blond pressed against one another, the blonde's back to the wall."

"Way to go, Harry!"

"Ron!"

Harry jumped back and Draco came into view.

"Malfoy! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I…um…well…none of your business."

"Harry, please tell me you weren't kissing Malfoy."

"I…uh…not…yet."

"Would someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"Ron, calm down, I'm sure there is some reason for this."

"Shut up, Hermione."

Hermione burst into tears. Harry reached over and pulled her into a hug.

"Ron, I think you'd better go."

"Not until you explain yourself."

"I don't have to explain myself to you, but as I assume you'll leave after you hear this, I will, but first I need to clarify my relationship with Draco. Draco, by give me a chance, did you mean that you are my boyfriend?"

"That seems the easiest way to explain it."

"Well, then Ron, I can now tell you what is going on. Draco is my boyfriend."

"Your what?"

"Boyfriend."

"What the fuck, Harry. You know what, I don't want to know."

Ron climbed back through the portrait and the three standing outside could hear him stomping all the way back through the common room and into the boy's dorm. Hermione had stopped crying when Harry had said that Draco was his boyfriend.

"Harry, are you really dating Draco?"

"I wouldn't say dating, but he is my boyfriend. I'll tell you about it during dinner."

"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad. Lately, you looked like you were carrying around some huge burden, but you look so much happier and lighter now. If Draco is what caused this change, then he can't be all bad."

Harry hugged Hermione again.

"Thank you so much."

"Hermione, I know I've been a complete ass to you, but I would like to apologize. I was just trying to create the image expected of me. You must be a wonderful person to be so accepting of someone you have so much reason to hate."

"Apology accepted, Draco. I'm sure you'll make a much better friend than enemy, though if you hurt Harry, I will have to kill you."

"Sounds fair."

"Same goes for you, Harry. You hurt him, I hurt you."

"Hey! You said you'd kill me, but you'll only hurt Harry."

The threesome started toward dinner in the Great Hall, playfully bickering all the way.

Surprisingly, at dinner, the Gryffindors quickly recovered from the shock of seeing Harry and Hermione talking to Draco. Many of them accepted him because of Harry's influence in his house, unknowingly, he was their leader. None of them suspected that Harry and Draco were more than friends. Ron didn't make an appearance in the Great Hall or the common room that night.

"Hermione, I'm going to walk Draco back to his room before curfew."

"Ok. Don't be late coming back."

"I know."

"Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Draco."

Draco walked out of the common room with Harry following him. They both climbed through the portrait and started the long walk back to the dungeons. They walked back side by side, shoulders brushing occasionally and their hands, not even a centimeter apart. Harry gently took hold of Draco's hand and smiled when he had it in his. Draco blushed slightly and neither would look the other in the eye. They walked like that the whole way to the Slytherin common room. When they reached the door, Harry turned and wrapped his arms around Draco, who stiffened at first, but gradually relaxed into the hug. The blonde rested his head on Harry's shoulder and inhaled slowly, breathing in all the different scents that were uniquely Harry. He sighed as Harry pulled back.

"Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Harry."

Impulsively, Harry kissed Draco on the cheek and turned away, briskly walking all the way back to the Gryffindor tower.