Chapter 8 – Stand By You

Two days later Harry and Draco left the hospital wing as friends. Ron and Hermione were there to greet them naturally but were so utterly confused and shocked at the way Harry and Malfoy appeared to be getting along that they left, Ron because he couldn't stand Malfoy and was failing to see how Harry could have forgiven him for a rivalry which had lasted as long as Ron and Harry's friendship had. Hermione followed Ron partly because she too couldn't forgive Malfoy for years of enmity and partly because she and Ron hardly went anywhere with each other anymore. It wasn't that Harry had forgiven Malfoy, the endless bickering just didn't seem to have a point any more, it was a relief not to have to fight the endless battles.

Together they went down to the grounds, ignoring the renewed whispers and comments, they couldn't seem to touch Malfoy now that he had someone to walk with, as if Harry had somehow put up a shield between them. "You're not yourself lately," Malfoy said quietly as they sat down by the lake, finally voicing the very thing that had compelled him to bury the hatchet in the first place. Harry glanced over with a bewildered expression on his face,

"and what I am I usually?" he asked curiously. Malfoy shook his head and held his hands up,

"Just something I noticed on the train on the first day and the first couple of days here until you settled into a routine here, something in you changed this year."

"Yeah this year I became a killer." Harry spat, but at the same time felt immense relief that finally he was sharing his burden, even if it was with Draco Malfoy. There was a silence between them as Harry's last word resonated in the air.

"Yeah but he was… he was Lord Voldemort…" Malfoy began,

"Yeah…I still killed him though, regardless of who or what he was I killed him, I took a life, do you have any idea how it feels to have killed someone and all it took was saying two words?"

"It was Voldemort, you had to kill him. He's killed so many people and he would continue to kill people. He had to die and you knew that you had to be the one to kill him."

"I know I know," Harry sighed, "but still," he paused for a moment and said finally, "I took a life." Malfoy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and understood that the conversation was over. He glanced up to see Professor Black swimming lengths of the freezing lake. Harry followed Malfoy's gaze and saw her, he smiled despite himself, "I don't know what'd I'd done without her," he murmured, "she was the only one I could talk to…not just about Voldemort but everything…Sirius and…and she knew my parents, she's good to talk to…"

"What about Ron and Hermione?" Malfoy asked, despite himself. Harry rolled his eyes,

"they only have eyes for each other these days. I doubt they'd notice if I hanged myself with my drapes." Malfoy flinched at the implication, but Harry brushed it off, "No it's not that bad, they just…they're just more interested in each other right now and I wouldn't have expected it to be any different, I'm just surprised that it took them this long…" he let his voice trail off and their comfortable silence resumed.

"What do you think you'll do after the NEWTS are over?" Harry asked suddenly, out of the blue, more out of realisation that after so many years of enmity he knew little or nothing about his new friend.

Malfoy thought for a moment, "I'd like to open a shop," he said simply, "An apothecary, somewhere I could make potions for a living, I could do quiet well with it I think…my father, " he broke off if only for a moment, "My father thought it was too simple a thing for a Malfoy to do, reduce themselves to a shopkeeper, but I can't imagine anything I'd rather do. What about you?"

"Oh I'm planning on becoming an Auror," Harry answered immediately, his mind had long been made up that he could happily devote his life to the dark arts, he had defeated the darkest wizard of all time and hadn't even been paid for it, on occasion he wondered how much he would have earned if he'd delayed the killing for a year or so, but that was a pointless thought.

"You'd be good at it," Malfoy replied with the same response he received from everyone who found out that the Boy who Lived, the Chosen One wanted to be an Auror.

"yeah and you'd be good at making potions, you can make potions for me," Harry laughed, "I'll be your best customer I promise, then you'll never have to worry about going bankrupt…I'll even advertise around the ministry for you."

They both laughed and were still laughing when Professor Black left the lake and found them under the tree at the lakeside, "Nice to see you laughing and not trying to curse each other into oblivion," she chuckled to herself, "maybe I'll see you dance together at the Christmas Ball."

"Ball?" they both asked in unison, then glancing at each other, Harry looked increasingly uncomfortable, he had spent the last ball sitting in a corner listening to Ron and Hermione argue over Viktor Krum. Malfoy had spent it dancing with Pansy Parkinson wondering if the nice bloke doing the music was single.

Black raised and eyebrow, "The Christmas Ball? You're in your last year so you have a ball to…celebrate kinda," she laughed, "wow, I doubt you looked that scared facing Voldemort," she said to Harry, she was still laughing when she walked away.

They were silent for a moment before Malfoy broke it with a heavy sigh, "Great, there's something I get to look forward too." The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable, yet another public event where everybody could display just how much of an outcast Malfoy had become and Harry would see just how much of a public figure he had become, exactly what they both didn't want.

But the final year students were soon humming about the ball, Hermione had already bought Ron new dress robes that complimented her new dress, when Ron complained about the expense she dismissed it as an early Christmas present, which made Ron flush at his lack of ability to buy her anything as nice. Harry had been flooded with hints at who he should take to the dance. He was surprised that Ginny was probably the only girl in the school who hadn't asked him, but then she kept Harry at a friendly distance these days, they were pleasant enough to each other but the love they once held for each other had died out long ago. Well on Harry's side it had, who knew what Ginny felt anymore, she had fallen in love, out of love, in love and then been told that they couldn't be together anymore. She must have been devastated when Harry came back from his battle, alive but not interested. Harry tried not to talk much to her anymore, it just made him feel worse about what he had done for her even though he stood by the belief it was for the right reasons.

Now she had even more reason to talk to him, since it became obvious that Harry was the only person who would talk to Malfoy the rumours had been quick to follow. Harry didn't pay them much attention, he refused to rise to them and give the school even more reason to think he was gay. Malfoy didn't listen either, but he would be lying if they didn't give him the slightest ounce of hope.

TBC