DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own Harry Potter. All we own are crappy computers that obviously hate us (mainly Amaya and Spirit) and can't "read" the documents that you try to upload….

Chapter 11:

"MALFOY!"

Draco heard his name called with boiling rage yet again, making the grand total for the day going up to two. Great, just bloody great.

He turned around in his seat and saw the 'magnificent' boy wonder, Harry bloody Potter, heading towards him. His day was just getting better and better.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Draco almost felt relieved that it wasn't Amaya again. That girl was mean, but he reasoned (in a deep dark part of his brain, of course) that he deserved it.

"Can I help you, Potter?" he asked, irritation filling his normally emotionless voice. He was mad at himself already for the way that he treated Spirit and didn't need another person breathing down his neck making him feel even worse.

"Yeah, you can say that," was all Potter said.

Before Draco even registered what Harry was going to do, the boy-who-lived had hit him in the face and he was sprawled out on the floor, looking up at the messy haired teen that had obviously (in Draco's opinion) had never heard of a comb.

Harry's face was a mask of anger as he glared down at the self-proclaimed Slytherin Prince. He was still clinching his hands as if he preparing to strike again.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Potter?" Draco spat, wiping the blood off of his lip. Odd, it didn't appear any different than the blood that Granger had once bled…

"Who do you think you are?" Harry demanded, jaw clenched tightly. "How could you be so bloody stupid! You are an arrogant, selfish, worthless piece of…"

Draco held up a hand, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can stop right there, Potter, thank you very much." He paused and wiped some more blood from his lip to stop it from going into his mouth, the cool metallic taste almost making him gag.

"So I take it you heard about the incident with Spirit?" he asked finally.

"Yeah," Harry confirmed, his malice towards his long-time arch nemesis evident in his tone. "I have to say, it didn't surprise me really. I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed her what a worthless prat you are. But you had to do it now when everything was going so well!" Harry yelled.

Suddenly it dawned on Draco what Harry's anger was really directed at. "Wait a second, Golden Boy. This isn't about me and Spirit, is it?"

His smirk irked Harry further and he had to contain himself from hauling the other boy up by the front of his shirt and smashing his face into the nearest table.

"What?" Harry forced himself to ask, feigning confusion, his face going a bright shade of red that remarkably could have competed with Blaze's hair colour. "Of course it is, Malfoy. You treated Spirit like a piece of crap!" he yelled again.

Draco smirked. "So this has nothing to do with a certain ill-tempered, aggressive girl with jet black hair and abnormal coloured eyes then, does it?"

Harry's blush climbed further up his face, causing him to look at his feet before look ing up again defiantly into Draco's icy blue eyes.

"So," Draco pushed on, "one just has to wonder, Golden Boy, as to why you are so angry." He smirked, "Is the girl mad at you? She can be mean," he said as he grimaced slightly, remembering the earlier events and unconsciously lifting a hand to his bleeding lip.

"Everything was great until you had to go screw it up. But that's not the point, Malfoy! Why did you have to say that to Spirit? It's one thing to say them to Hermione because she's used to them and used to your childish antics, but Spirit…?" Harry ran a hand through his untidy hair and said, "I thought you liked her."

Now it was Draco's turn to blush and look down at his feet, ashamed at his actions.

"I did," he said softly, "I do." He drew his knees up to him, unaware of the stares that they were getting from the other occupants of the Dinner Hall. "But she's a mudblood, Potter. My father would kill me if he heard that I was…"

"Then don't worry about him!" Harry interrupted, his voice rising a notch. "He's a bloody Death Eater for Merlin's sake, Malfoy!"

Draco ignored the slight on his father and merely looked up at Harry calmly. "It's how I've been raised and I don't expect you to understand."

His pale hand ran through his neat platinum hair, making it ruffle slightly (an unusual occurrence for sure). "I hate being this cruel to people, whether you believe me or not, Potter. But you don't know. You can't understand how hard it was and still is in fact for me. Growing up with my father is not an easy task let me tell you."

"It's better than having no father at all," Harry muttered darkly but Draco didn't hear him.

"I've never had any true friends," Draco went on, unsure as to why he was sharing this with his nemesis but feeling a little better at his admissions. "I've only been allowed to surround myself with those with power or those that are weaker and will do as I ask."

His hand ran through his hair again, making the blond locks stand on end. "Besides, she'll never forgive me. She'll hate me just like the rest of you."

Harry sighed as he suddenly understood where Draco was coming from. The Slytherin Prince had been mean all this time because he knew no other way. All his life he had faced rejection and disappointment from those he had called his family. Not to mention the loneliness he had suffered. He and Draco were alike in a way.

"You don't know that," Harry heard himself saying while he offered a hand to Draco which the other boy took and hauled himself up. "And besides, I'm sure if you'd apologize to her (preferably in the near future), your chances would increase."

He paused and sneaked a glance at the other boy. "I'd forgive you a lot… a lot easier if you apologized to me," Harry said, hoping that he took the hint.

Draco looked around, appearing to be in thought. He reached up and straightened his hair as he noticed the looks they were receiving, by this time, from everyone.

"Well," he said finally, "we'll work on you and I later. But now, I have to go see a girl."

He turned on his heel and turned to leave, brushing past Harry who stood between him and the exit.

Harry turned to do the same, but as he did, he heard Draco call his name.

"Hey, Potter," he said.

Harry turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Harry was surprised. No, scratch that. He was utterly shocked. Draco had said thanks to him? And he actually meant it?

Maybe Spirit would do him some good after all, Harry thought with a small mental laugh.

"You're welcome, Malfoy. Anytime," he responded.

Malfoy merely nodded his head and then walked away.

As Harry walked to his room, he wondered what Amaya was doing at that exact moment.

A/N: Okay, so I humbly apologize for the delay…I thought I had uploaded, which I did, but obviously my computer had not read the document and I just thought it did…. Sorry, bout that. Have to upload this at school seeing as to how I will be disconnected from Internet while we are in the process of changing providers… Fun times….

Wrote by Blaze and typed by Amaya (who, stupid her, posted it wrongly...)