Chapter six: Training days

"Ow! That hurt!" Draco whined from the ground.

"Well, if you would simply. Block. The. Spell." Harry emphasized the last few words, "You wouldn't have a bruised arse right now,"

Draco glowered at him and muttered something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like 'bloody tyrant' as he pulled himself to his feet and brushed off his clothes and positioning himself once again.

"Ready?' Harry asked raising an eyebrow. Draco took a deep breath and nodded. With no further warning Harry quickly fired a spell at the blonde.

"Rictusempra!"

Draco tried to cast the shield charm but wasn't quick enough. The spell hit him and sent him to the ground in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Ok…ha ha ha…I wa-wasn't…hee hee…ready!" He cried through his chuckles. Harry watched as the blonde boy withered on the ground trying to escape the effects of his tickling charm. Draco was extremely ticklish.

"Take…it-it…of-f-f!" Tears were now leaking out of his eyes. "P-p-please!"

Harry seemed to come out of a trance and quickly obliged.

"Finite Incantatum," He said and the spell lifted. Draco lay back on the ground for a while breathing deeply trying to catch his breath and let his heart rate go down. After he recovered he looked up at Harry who was watching him.

"The tickling charm?" He asked amused. Harry smiled and Draco's stomach did a flip.

"I guess I'm not as malicious as you thought, hmm?" He said with a deep chuckle and Draco couldn't help but smile; "Besides it worked well enough. I didn't know you were ticklish," He said drooping cross-legged to the ground next to Draco who was still lying on his back.

"Oh, yeah, made it hell for my mum to bathe me when I was a child. Was always squirming and ended up soaking us both!" Draco exclaimed with another laugh. Harry smiled and a mischievous glint came to his eyes.

Before Draco could think about what was happening, Harry had lunged on him and began to tickle him. Lucky for Draco his immensely ticklish nature distracted him from the fact that Harry's hands were all over his abdomen.

"Ah! P-Potter stop!" He shouted and tried to wiggle free from Harry's attack but the raven-haired boy would have none of that. He quickly threw himself on to the Slytherin trapping him under his weight.

"Beg for mercy, Malfoy!" Harry cried with laughter as he increased his efforts.

Draco was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. His sides hurt, his legs were going numb from Harry's weight, his body was shooting up in temperature at the contact from the Gryffindor and tears of mirth were flowing from his eyes.

"H-Harry, please! Harry, s-stop!" He whined pitifully between fits of now-silent laughter. Harry took pity on the blonde and rolled off him.

Draco rolled a little away from the dark-haired boy in case of another attack and quickly gulped in air. He panted for sometime and willed his heart to stop pounding. When he felt he had recovered enough Draco sat up.

He looked down at Harry who was lying on his back looking up at the clouds deep in thought.

"Potter?" Draco called but Harry didn't seem to hear him. "Potter!" He shouted and snapped his fingers in front of the other boy's face.

Harry's green eyes regained focus and he looked at Draco.

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking." He said and Draco nodded not sure what to say. There were a few moments of silence before Harry spoke again.

"I liked that, y'know." He said softly.

"What?" Draco asked confused.

"Making you laugh, playing around, you calling me 'Harry'." He said the last part so quietly that Draco barely heard him. Draco was startled. He hadn't realized that he had indeed called Harry by his given name.

"Well," Draco said slowly, "if we're going to be working together, we might as well call a truce." He said wisely.

Harry looked at up at him.

"You mean it?" He asked trying to hide the hope in his voice. Draco smirked inwardly.

"Of course I mean it." He said with an extravagant amount of superiority trying to make light of the situation. Harry, however didn't respond the way Draco had thought he would. Instead of laughing or rolling his eyes Harry sat up and studied the blonde boy.

He stuck out his hand.

"Hullo, I am Harry James Potter, savior of the Wizarding world, Boy-Who-Lived and regular hormonal sixteen- almost seventeen- year old boy." He said. Draco looked at the hand that was offered to him. He understood what Harry was doing. He was starting over.

Draco gave him a small smile and took his hand. Refusing it never crossed his mind. This was all he had wanted in the first place: Harry's friendship (though now his feelings for the boy went beyond friendship).

"I am Draco Lu- Uh L. Malfoy, pureblooded prat, with daddy issues and a large bank account. Nice to meet you, Harry." Harry suppressed a giggle.

"And you too, Draco." He said and the two shook hands and let go. Harry looked at Draco for a minute. "That sounded like a pick up line. Use it often?"

Draco snorted. Like hell that I would ever need a pick up line! I'm Draco Bloody Malfoy.

He thought to himself and vocalized. This time Harry did roll his eyes.

"So, what's you middle name?" Harry asked nonchalantly.

"Oh no no no. Bad hero. You know the rules: I ask the questions. Beside we're not done training yet." Draco got to his feet.

Harry groaned and flopped back on to the ground.

"We've been at this for hours. Cant we take a break?" He asked. Draco shook his head.

"No, not until I master this spell. Now move your lazy arse and lets go." He ordered grabbing the other boy by the arm and attempted to pull him up. But when Harry Potter didn't want to move, he didn't move.

Draco stumbled as he received fierce resistance from the other boy and gravity.

"Fine!" Draco said exasperated. "I'll do it myself," and he fully intended to.

Harry watched Draco from his spot on the ground as the blonde moved away muttering to himself about what a git Harry was. He turned once he was about a yard from Harry and pouted, not sure what to do with himself.

He did his best to look pitiful. Normally Draco never resorted to such tactics to get what he wanted. He usually screamed and yelled and cursed until he got his way. But why strain his vocal cords when he could get his way just by batting his eye lashes and pushing out his lower lip. Draco usually hated other people's pity but he knew that if Harry did take pity on him it wasn't about anything important. Not like when people looked at him in pity when he picked his mother up from the pubs.

Harry rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Well I have this to say this for you, Mal- Draco," He said stumbling over Draco's given name. "You never give up until you get your way. I respect that, even if your methods are a bit …conniving."

Draco just smirked. He had gotten his way once again.

"You ready?' Harry asked again. Draco set a determined look on his face and nodded. Harry sighed and sent a spell his way.

"Expelliarmus!" He cried.

This time Draco was ready. He quickly said the spell for the shield charm. He watched as Harry's spell deflected off of the invisible wall and shoot back to Harry who quickly side-stepped it.

"Good job." Harry said with a smile and Draco smirked back.

"Of course," He said with an air of cockiness. Harry said nothing but Draco could see the annoyance in the other boy's eyes. Draco just smirked again (he never realized how much he does that)

Harry and Draco trained dutifully every day. Harry thought Draco loads of defensive spells.

"This one is the Patronus charm. It's used against Dementors. Lupin taught it to me in third year." Harry explained before casting the spell. A silver stag shot of his wand glowing in the waning light. It did a lap around the backyard before fading way.

"Is that what you sent at us during that Quidditch game?" Draco asked interested. Harry nodded.

"The Patronus creates a type of force field of happiness for the Dementor to feed on. It pushes them back." Harry informed him. Draco looked at Harry curiously.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Later." Harry answered shortly. "Now it will take you a while to learn how to do it correctly. Especially since we don't have a Dementor or Bogart to practice on, but just give it your best shot."

Draco set himself into a 'spell-casting' stance.

"What do I do?" He asked Harry.

"Think about a really happy memory then say the spell, Expecto Patronum." Draco once again nodded and began to think about a happy memory.

The storage of happy memories was rather limited.

Well I guess I could go with the first time I shagged anyone. That was a rather enjoyable experience. He thought to himself and decided to give it a try. He took a deep breath.

"Expecto Patronum" He called out with the memory playing in his mind. Nothing happened. There was no silvery animal spurting out from his wand. There wasn't even a light mist. Nothing.

He looked at Harry confused.

"You must need a strong memory." He suggested and Draco wracked his brain for another one. He finally settled on the first time he had rode a broom. Once again nothing happened. And nothing continued to happen.

No matter how many memories Draco dragged up from the depths of his mind he could not get the blasted spell to work. When it was too dark to see and he was too frustrated he dropped to the ground and sighed in defeat.

"I don't get it. I've tried everything!" He cried. Harry sat next to him his brows knitted together in thought. Draco turned to him.

"What do you think about when you cast the spell?" He asked. Harry looked up at him.

"Well the first time I thought about was when I was told I was a wizard. I remember feeling so happy thinking that I wouldn't have to see the Dursleys until summer. But it wasn't strong enough. I figured it's a bit marred by the fact that I hadn't escaped them fully.

My next memory was the first time I rode a broom but I think that too is damaged. Because it doesn't matter how high you go, you'll have to come down sometime." Harry stopped and Draco thought about what he had said.

"And now?" He asked quietly. "What do you think about now?"

Harry let a small but pained smile ghost over his lips.

"I think about my parents." Harry said simply. Draco didn't understand fully. Harry's parents were dead. Wouldn't think about them be an unhappy memory? But Draco didn't want to ask about Harry's parents because he didn't want to talk about his own.

"What have you thought a bout so far?" Harry asked the blonde. Draco looked away and reddened a little.

"Uh, the first time I thought about the first time I, um, shaggedsomeone." He blurted out. But despite the mumbling Harry understood but he kindly stayed quite. Draco hurried on. "Then I also thought about the first time I rode a broom." Harry nodded.

"But the rest were just…I don't know what they were. They're not exactly happy per se but they were the best I had." Draco said. His tone told Harry that he wasn't going to elaborate. Neither said anything for a while then Draco remembers his earlier question.

"Harry, why is your Patronus a stag?" He asked. Harry chuckled.

"I knew you were going to ask that. My father was an Animagus; my Patronus is his animal form, Prongs. A stag."

Draco nodded mutely and thought about what form his Patronus would take. He got the idea that it took the form of something that made you feel safe, would protect you. He knew his father defiantly didn't do that. In fact, the only one to ever make Draco feel truly safe was Harry. What a daft idea.

Harry had been keeping Dumbledore updated on their progress. He even claimed that he was writing about everything, to Ron and Hermione. Draco wondered if that included how he and Harry had been getting along.

It quite amazed Draco himself. They hadn't fought since they started training together. They were actually having fun. After each training session the boys devoted an hour or more to 'getting to know one another'.

Draco was still tight-lipped about a lot of things. He kept his questions to things like:

'What's your favorite color?'

"Black," Harry said after some thought.

"Black?" Draco asked. "Why black?'

Harry shrugged.

"I don't really know. I mean I never really thought about a favorite color before. What I like doesn't really matter much." He said in a blank tone that made Draco heart hurt. He wanted so much to ask the dark-haired boy what his childhood was like. Why he was so…numb but he couldn't. Because Draco himself wasn't ready to deal with those questions yet.

"Besides black is a mixture of all the colors together." He said with a small smile. "so what's you favorite color?"

"Green" Draco answered instantly without thought.

"Always the Slytherin," Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, that's not why it's my favorite color." Draco blurted out then turned pink as what he just said registered into his brain.

"Oh?' Harry raised an eyebrow. "Then what, pray tell is the reason?' he asked.

Draco shook his head.

"No, you can't ask that" Draco said clenching his teeth against the sudden pounding in his head.

"Yes I can," Harry replies seemingly oblivious to the blonde's discomfort. "You asked me 'why black' so I can ask 'why green?'" he replied smugly.

Draco growled as a wave of nausea hit him. It was the effects of trying to refuse to answer a direct question. Why did I ever do that stupid pact? Draco wondered to himself.

The words to answer Harry's question rose like bile on the back of his tongue. He had to spit them out.

"Because…it reminds me…of someone…I. Love." Draco bite out trying to keep it as vague as the pact would allow.

Harry looked shocked.

"Y-you're in love?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't sound so shocked." Draco muttered darkly. "even a Malfoy can fall in love. It's just not advisable. "

"Well, who is it?' Harry asked eagerly.

Draco shook his head.

"Oh come on!" Harry cried. "I must know,"

But Draco refused to be budged so Harry relented.

"Why are you friends with Granger and Weasley?' Draco asked one day.

"Because," Harry started, "Well, beside Hagrid, Ron was the first friend I have ever had of my own age."

Draco gawked at him.

"You never had any friends?" He asked in disbelief. Harry shook his head.

"I couldn't. Dudley and his gang made sure no one wanted to be friends with Me." he replied bitterly.

"Oh, "Draco said. "What about Granger?"

"Hermione just kind of happened. I first met her on the train when she came to me and Ron's compartment looking for Neville's toad. She fixed my glasses. However we really didn't hang out with her much during our first year. She was a bit of a know-it-all and she and Ron went at it like cats and dogs, thought they still do.

But I dunno. Hermione just always seems to know what to do. She knows how to help me with whatever I need help with. She's brilliant, kind and always surprises me," Harry smiled as he thought about his best friends.

"Ron's like that a lot too. He always knows what I need. Though he does tend to be a bit of a prat at times but aren't we all? He's loyal. Merlin! His whole family is really. You know they stand by what's right and they fight tooth and nail until the end."

Silence stretched between them as Draco thought about Harry's words. He had never thought of his friends as anything other than Harry Potter's side-kicks. The mudblood and the weasel.

"And you?" Harry asked after a while. "Why are you friends with Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Crabbe and Goyle are more than just side-kicks. I've known them all my life. Pansy and Blasie too. They may be Slytherins but so am I and their not all that bad." Draco said. "I mean, Crabbe and Goyle are extremely loyal and though they wouldn't know a hippogriff from a centaur they always seem to be able to understand me, or at least have the sense to act like they do.

I mean, I talk to them for hours, about everything and they just sit and listen and let me talk. Sometimes that's all a person needs. Someone to listen. And they do. As for Blasie and Pansy? Well, their different than Crabbe and Goyle.

They are who I go to when I have a problem. They always seem to know what to say to help me out of whatever mess I got myself into and they understand most of what goes on in my life seeing as they deal with the same shit. They've always been there for me." He added the last part in a whisper. Painful memories and reminders of his broken friendships flashed before his eyes. Harry must have realized this because he placed a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder.

One day a package arrived for the pair. It was from Dumbledore. The letter had said:

Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy

Harry's name was still first

I came across this while cleaning out one of the many cupboards in my office. Thought it would be helpful to the pair of you.

-Albus Dumbledore

The package was the size of a small trunk it was no more than two feet across and two feet high. A light-weight charm had been placed on it but it still took three school owls to deliver the thing.

After reading the note Draco stared at the trunk. He moved toward it to get a closer look. The trunk gave a violent shutter.

"Holy shit!" Draco cried jumping back. Harry laughed.

"We've got ourselves a Bogart." He pronounced happily. Draco looked at the trunk once more and it shook and trembled ominously. He wasn't too happy about the gift from Dumbledore. Daft old man.

Draco and Harry took the Bogart out to the garden. Setting the trunk down on the green lawn Harry turned to Draco.

"I will confront the Bogart first and show you how the spell works on a Dementor ok? Then you'll try." Draco nodded. Harry stepped in front of the trunk and Draco got behind it. "Ok now!"

Draco quickly opened the locks of the trunk.

"Hey Harry!" A voice called.

It all happened so fast. The sun was covered by dark clouds and the world grew dark. A cold clammy feel was in the air and it froze Draco's very lungs. He felt miserable and depressed.

He watched as a dark hooded figure stepped out of the trunk and headed toward Harry. Harry had turned around to the voice, but then he was on his knees. His face in his hands and he was yelling.

"no, no, NO!" he shouted as he struggled with the Dementor's hold on him. Draco watched as the Dementor advanced. The creature slowly lowered his hood preparing to kiss Harry.

Draco had no idea what came over him. An image of the first time he had met Harry flashed before his eyes. He had been a hopeful youth on his way to make a name for himself. He had seen Harry going around Diagon Alley with that oaf Hagrid. He had known from the second he had seen him that Harry was something special, before he even knew who he was or his name, he had known.

Draco flung himself in front of the Bogart-Dementor.

"Expecto Patronum!" He shouted and a large snake (go figure) slithered out of his wand and coiled it's self in front of the two boys. It hissed warningly and then it struck sinking its silvery fangs into the Bogart-Dementor who cried in pain and quickly retreated back to the trunk.

"Wha-what happened?" Harry croaked his voice strained. Draco looked up from where he sat at Harry's desk writing a letter to Dumbledore informing him what had happened.

"I'm not sure really," He answered slowly as he rolled up the parchment and gestured for Harry's owl to come to him. Draco tied the scroll to the snowy owl's leg. "Take it to Dumbledore."

The owl hooted softly, and ruffled her feathers in acknowledgement.

"That's a good girl," he cooed to the animal and stroked her feathers affectionately. The owl hooted a purr and nibbled the blonde boy's finger appreciatively before taking off out of the window. Draco gave a small laugh. "Y'know, the family owls would never stand for such actions. They're as prim, proper, cold and distant as a Malfoy should be."

Harry said nothing. He cleared his throats a few minuets later, pulling Draco from his musings.

"Oh right, sorry," He mumbled coming over to the bed. "Um, ok, the, uh Bogart-Dementor came out of the trunk. And that horrid cousin of yours distracted you, and then you shut your eyes and fell to your knees. You started scream 'no' over and over again.

I wasn't sure what to do. I was…concerned. When the Bogart-Dementor made to kiss you, I jumped in front of him and cast the Patronus." He explained to the other boy.

Harry closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"So you did it." he said more than asked, but Draco answered him anyway.

"Yes,"

Harry nodded again. The two boys sat in silence but Draco's curiosity became too much.

"Pot-Harry?" He asked

"Yeah?" The Gryffindor replied dully.

"Why do the Dementors effect you so badly? " The blonde asked glancing at the other boy.

Harry didn't answer. Draco was about to give up on getting an answer when he spoke.

"I hear my mother." He said his voice level and low. "I hear her begging for Voldemort to spare me. To kill her instead. I hear Voldemort telling her to move and when she doesn't, he kills her. She screams and he laughs. He laughs, Draco. Then I pass out."

Draco listened in shock.

"Wow, I am really a prat." Draco mumbled. Harry turns his head toward him, his green eyes looking at him in confusion. Draco shakes his head. "I harassed you about the Dementors, made fun of you for fainting. All the while you're listening to you mother begging for your life." Draco spat out disgusted at himself.

Harry was sitting up now.

"Draco, it's ok. You didn't know." Harry said putting a hand on the blonde's knee. Draco's head snapped up in surprise.

"Harry, how can you say that? How can you just let it go? I was bloody awful." Draco asked. He wished Harry would hate him. Wished he would yell at him. Without someone reminding Draco what a piece of shit he was he tended to allow himself to entertain delusions. There was so much that the blonde knew he didn't deserve. He didn't deserve what he wanted or a quick death or Harry.

But at least Draco knew he wouldn't get any of it, though sometimes he let himself believe he could.

"Draco, you didn't know. That's all there is to it. I forgive you, and I would expect you to forgive me when I hurt you out of ignorance. Maybe that's why Dumbledore wants us to talk. So we learn not only about each other but ourselves."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked miserably. Harry wasn't making any sense.

"Would you've ever felt bad about what you did in third year? Would you've ever apologized?" Harry asked. Draco thought about it.

"No, probably not." He finally answered.

"Exactly. But now that you learned this one bit of information you do feel bad and you did apologize. See? Our relationship has already changed a bit." Draco looked at him. He was right. Draco felt…closer to Harry now that he knew about the Dementors and he hoped Harry felt closer to him knowing that he was sorry.

Draco nodded and smiled at Harry who smiled back.

"Right, ok." He said then something struck him. "Harry, what do you write about in that notebook?"

Harry gave him a calculating look.

"I'm sorry Draco, but I can't tell you. Not yet." He said sounding truly apologetic. Draco was outraged.

"What?" He exclaimed leaping up from his chair by the bed and began to pace, Harry cut him off before he could say anything else.

"I know that you'll protect me but how am I to know that your not just looking out for yourself?" Harry cried. Draco stopped pacing and looked at him.

"By. Trusting. Me." He growled. Harry shook his head.

"Give me a reason to." Harry said quietly.

"Give you a-? Isn't saving your soul enough of a reason! What more do you want!" The blonde threw his hands up in frustration.

"Tell me something. Something about you that's real. Like what was your childhood like? What about your father? I know your hiding something Draco. I want to know why. Tell me without going by our arrangement. Willingly tell me without asking me first, without fighting the truth pact. How can I trust you if you don't trust me?"

Draco glared at him.

"I could say the same Potter." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You could," Harry said with a slow nod. "But you're the one asking for trust, so you have to take the first step."

Draco's glare intensified.

"Fine Potter," He hissed with a malicious glint in his eyes. "I'll tell you about my childhood, about my father, and about what I am hiding."

(A/n: yes, yes, yes, I know I am the evil mistress of cliff hangers but they are just so darn fun to write: D

Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you to all my reviewers! You guys help keep me going! Btw there is a warning for the next chapter.)