Disclaimer - Lyrics are not my own and this is not so much a songfic...I just genuinely needed a song.

Chapter 9 – Falling in to You

Harry picked up his pace; they were almost running after him now, but still he would not give in. He could hear the many footsteps slapping against the grassy ground as he tried to put more distance between them. They knew that he knew they were there; there was no way he couldn't have. There was a group of them and one of him and he had led them into the quiet lake area, there was no one else there. No one except Draco. The blond was sitting under a tree, waiting for Harry, now as he saw him his eyes widened in shock. He rose to his feet, "Run, Harry, Run faster," he willed him to escape them. Harry crossed the invisible line, the line that alerted them to Draco's presence and they all stopped in their tracks. Harry glanced back and saw the group of about twenty Ravenclaw girls glare at Malfoy with distaste and sigh as Harry made his way to him without them.

Harry dropped down beside Malfoy and watch the girls hang back as if waiting for Harry to realise who he had sat by and join them again. Malfoy was trying not to laugh, his face buried deeper in the book so that Harry wouldn't see his smirk. Harry looked over and threw his bag at him, "Shut up Malfoy," he growled. Malfoy burst into hysterics,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he said between laughs, "It's just…so funny!"

Harry tried not to laugh, he tried to make himself look more annoyed but it was no use, his laughter was infectious and within a few minutes both boys were doubled over struggling to breathe. "Think of all the hearts you're breaking," Malfoy said, still chuckling, "All these girls throwing themselves at you and you're not the slightest bit interested are you?"

"I'd just like to be left alone, you'd think the whole defeating Voldemort thing would have worn off by now. It'd be nice to meet someone who was interested in me for me and not for what I've done."

Malfoy opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it before he could destroy their friendship. That was the perfect opportunity for him to tell Harry that he was interested, that defeating Voldemort wasn't that big a deal to him, it just made Malfoy realise how brave Harry actually was. In a way it was sad that Harry would eye any potential relationship with suspicion, would every girl who came his way think of him as the destroyer of Voldemort or would they love Harry Potter? Malfoy would love Harry regardless…that would have been the perfect moment to tell him. That is if Malfoy fancied freaking the younger boy out and ending their newly found friendship forever.

"What?" Harry asked, seeing that Malfoy looked as though he were about to say something. Malfoy shook his head,

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, so still no date for tonight?"

Harry breathed heavily and leaned back against the tree, "No, there wasn't anyone I wanted to ask and everyone who asked me…well I'm not stupid enough to think that they actually like me."

"At least you got an invite, that camp Ravenclaw didn't even ask me out, I'm so offended, he looks like he'd sleep with anything male."

"And here you are ready for the taking," they both laughed again, Harry smiled at Draco, it was the first time that they had been able to make a joke of his leanings and it was the first time Malfoy had laughed at his lack of friends. Harry couldn't help but put a hand on his friend's shoulder, he was proud of him. This in turn led Harry's smile to broaden when he realised how close they had become considering just a week ago they would have killed each other with a glance if given the chance. Harry hugged Malfoy despite himself, and the girls finally dispersed at this so obvious display of affection. For Malfoy it came completely out of the blue and he savoured Harry's spontaneity for fear it wouldn't happen again. The embrace was over far too quickly for Draco's liking but inevitably they split apart. Draco blushed red but Harry thought of it as natural as it had been, "I'm glad we don't fight anymore," he smiled. For the first time in a long time Draco was lost for words.

They ate their dinner together in relative silence but it was an easy silence with neither of them feeling the need to break it. It came naturally and they didn't need to fill it with pointless small talk. They rarely ate in the Great Hall anymore, as it was so much more pleasant just to sit outside and eat whatever they could steal from the kitchens. The house elves were used to students in their last year getting so absorbed with work that they missed lunch and so had to come down after the tables had been cleared and take away food to nibble on. Dobby especially was always pleased to see Harry and gave him extra, which balanced out the fact that he always gave Draco less so they ended up with the same amount.

After dinner it was time for the thing they dreaded; the Ball. They went their separate ways to get ready and decided that due to their lack of date they would probably end up sitting together later on. Hermione and Ron were waiting for Harry in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Have you been with Malfoy again?" Ron asked, hardly able to disguise the distaste in his tone. Harry couldn't help but glare back; it was the reaction he had been getting from everyone and to have it off his best friend just infuriated him further.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ron, if Harry wants to spend more time with Malfoy then that's his decision. I think it's a good thing."

"How can it be a good thing?" Ron demanded, "He's spending more time with Malfoy!"

"So?" Harry snapped but then stopped. It wasn't right that they were fighting like this so he didn't say anything more and Ron dropped the interrogation about Malfoy. They had become quite distant since Ron and Hermione had got together; they didn't talk as much as they used to and when Ron brought up his constant attendance on Malfoy Harry couldn't help but bring up the fact that neither Ron or Hermione were around anymore. They held on to their friendship simply because it had always been there; but the fact was they were becoming distant.

They all made a silent agreement that they would work harder at their friendship but that could wait. They had more important matters on their hands…like the Ball.

The three of them went down together and for the first time in a long while they were as they always had been. Harry walking between Ron and Hermione laughing and joking about the event that was to come. They laughed at Harry's lack of date and poked fun at the choice of dress robes different Slytheryns had donned.

"Look at Crabbe and Goyle," Hermione whispered. Since the shunning of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle suddenly found themselves in a position where they could do what they wanted rather than follow the lead of someone else. This had rather comical repercussions as neither of them knew what they wanted to do and so they just clung to each other avoiding general conversation now that Malfoy wasn't there to speak for them. Tonight they had come in matching dress robes, something the rest of the school found amusing and they saw as reinforcing their friendship, "Maybe they came with each other?" Harry asked, "Like you," he nodded towards his two friends; Ron's robes a complement to Hermione's lilac dress.

Harry spotted Malfoy sitting at the furthest corner alone as they had predicted. Harry made to sit by him and was pleasantly surprised when Hermione decided to make the effort and come with him. Ron was clearly unimpressed by the change of events and tried to get away saying things like, "Oh look there's Dean," or, "Hey we better try some of that punch before it all runs out," but Hermione heard none of it and soon Malfoy had the pleasure of the trio's company. He didn't know what to make of this but saw from Harry's look that they should all try and make an effort.

"You look nice, Hermione," Malfoy managed to say sounding sincere enough to make Hermione beam and Ron realise that the 'mudblood' days were at an end.

Hermione smiled back at the blond, "You do too," she said admitting the truth. Malfoy was wearing dark blue robes that matched perfectly the shades of his eyes. Harry flinched, since when did he start noticing the shades of Draco Malfoy's eyes?

In the end they had a good laugh, the four of them discovering new things about the other, even Ron laughed a couple of times. From the dance floor Harry saw Professor Black wink at him she was proud at how they had buried their enmity and started what looked like a long and deep friendship. She was dancing with a tall man who nobody seemed to recognise. Draco studied him carefully and then noticed a flash of something sharp and pointed from under his lip and then he understood what Black had told him in the office once before; she was dancing with a vampire. Draco started laughing for apparently no reason and so Ron and Hermione saw this as a good chance to join the dance floor leaving Harry and Draco to it.

The two of them watched them go before Draco turned to Harry, "Thank you…means a lot you know?"

Harry smiled back, "I know."

From there the night began to go downhill; Ron and Hermione didn't come back from the dance floor and rightly so, the slow dances were meant for couples. Harry and Malfoy made the best of each other's company but every time a Slytheryn passed Malfoy was on the receiving end of a snide comment. It hadn't mattered when the four of them had been there to laugh it off but after a couple of hours of it Harry was finding it increasingly difficult to make a joke of an endless stream of abuse. It was starting to get to Malfoy, Harry could see the hurt on his face as he strained to ignore the hatred of the people who had spent the last six years as his best friends. Crabbe and Goyle's remark about how they always knew Malfoy kept them with him so he could admire their good looks. This was probably the easiest thing Harry could turn into a joke but for Malfoy it was the last straw and not caring who gossiped about it tomorrow he got up and left. Crabbe and Goyle laughed as he picked up the pace until he was almost running out of the Hall doors. Harry shot them a glare and then went after his friend, he had only got into the foyer outside the Hall when he caught up with him.

Malfoy was distraught, he was leaning on the side of one of the staircases trying not to cry. Harry put a hand on his friend's shoulder but Malfoy just collapsed into his arms giving in to his distress and sobbing relentlessly into Harry's shoulder. Between sobs Harry could make out words like, "not my fault," and, "why me?" Harry lifted one hand and started stroking Malfoy's hair; it just seemed a way to soothe him.

'And in your eyes, I see ribbons of colour,

I see us inside of each other,' the live band had started up in the Hall and now the music, considerably louder was drifting out of the door.

'I feel unconsciousness merge with yours

and I hear voice say, 'What's his is hers,'

'I'm falling into you…'

Malfoy was beginning to calm down. The music and Harry's soothing motions were sending shivers down his spine added to Harry's comforting voice murmuring, "It's alright, you'll be alright," over and over again. They were almost dancing themselves to the music, rotating on the spot while Harry held Draco and Draco clung onto him as if for life itself.

Falling like a leaf, falling like a star
Finding a belief, falling where you are

Catch me, don't let me drop!
Love me, don't ever stop!

Draco pulled away reluctantly and smiled at Harry, his face still wet from his tears. Harry smiled affectionately back at him and taking away his hand from the back of Malfoy's head he wiped away the tears. "Sorry," Malfoy mumbled but it came out in little more than a whisper. Harry shook his head,

"Don't apologise," he whispered back.

So close your eyes and let me kiss you…

TBC