Big big love for my amazing Betas, Amber1015 and ShadowHeart175! Thank you for your hard work.

The characters and universe in this work are property of J.K Rowling.

Draco was back in the drawing room, a feeling of dread settling like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He sat in his chair by the fire, Father on edge in the seat next to him as Mother went to answer the door. He had had this nightmare many times before, and he knew that this time would end no differently. Draco sat frozen in his seat until the commotion behind him became unbearable. He and Father had stood at the same time, and as Draco's eyes fell on the trio being dragged into the room, his heart leapt into his throat.

Granger struggled against Greyback, and Weasley was thrashing in the grip of some man Draco did not know. Between them, although his face was swollen beyond recognition, had to be Potter. Fear gripped Draco's heart, and his palms began to sweat as Father took a closer step to the group.

"What's this?" Father asked, voice utterly bored, in that haughty manner of his.

"They say they've got Potter," Mother answered, and then turned to Draco. "Draco, come here."

Draco took as much time as he dared approaching them. Potter would not look at him, but Draco was secretly grateful for that. It made it much easier for him to avoid the guilt that would come with turning him in to the Dark Lord.

"Well, boy?" Greyback asked, impatient as ever.

Draco seemed to have lost his voice. His mouth would open, and then shut again, but no sound was coming out. He still stood quite far from them, eyes locked on Potter's face.

"Well, Draco?" Draco could hear the eagerness in Father's voice for this confirmation though he tried to hide it. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

"I can't be sure," he finally said, hating how his voice shook.

"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!" Draco flinched as Father beckoned him closer. "Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiven." He was beginning to sound impatient.

"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope Mr. Malfoy?" Greyback snarled.

"Of course not!" Father snapped back and approached Potter. He tilted his head to get a closer look, curling his lip back when it yielded no better results. "What did you do to him?" he asked Greyback. "How did he get into this state?"

"That wasn't us," Greyback answered.

"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me," said Father. "There's something there – it could be the scar, stretched tight…"

Draco began edging back toward Mother. He didn't want to go through this again. But he could no more easily change the outcome than he could have sprouted feathers and flown away.

"Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?" Father beckoned him closer once more.

Draco stepped forward until his face was beside Father's. His stomach churning, he looked dead into Potter's eyes and saw the defiance there. He couldn't turn Potter in, not even if he wanted to. And he did not want to.

"I don't know," he finally answered before he rose to his full height and moved to stand by Mother.

But Granger and Weasley were too easily recognized, and Aunt Bella was entering the drawing room before Draco knew what was happening. Then, all too quickly Potter and Weasley were being sent away, and Bella was doing horrible things to Granger while Draco could do nothing but watch. He felt the bile rise in his throat as she screamed again and again, but then Weasley was running into the room, and Bella was yelling at them all. His wand was gone soon after and before he could wrap his head around these sudden changes, the chandelier was hurtling down from the ceiling to shatter at their feet. Dobby was standing before them, and Bella was screaming, and then they were gone.

The Dark Lord appeared shortly after and unleashed his fury upon them all. Draco was soon screaming louder than Granger, every nerve of his body on fire with his punishment. He was not able to feel anything by the time the Dark Lord finished with him. He could do nothing but twitch and whimper on the floor.

...

Draco sat up and sucked in a breath, his hands flying to cover his eyes. They were shaking tremendously when he eventually peeled them off of his face, and upon looking around he found himself back in his new dormitory. Draco forced himself to take several deep breaths, and as his roommates slept soundly around him, he quietly pushed himself out of bed and gathered his toiletries to take a shower and prepare for the coming day.

He paused by the mirror in the bathroom, lip curling in disgust as he gazed at his reflection. Even though he had slept through the night, there were bags under his eyes and worry lines on his forehead. Draco struggled out of his robes and dropped them on a bench by the shower stall, taking care to hang his bag and towel on a hook before he stepped into the shower and turned it on. Steam quickly filled the bathroom as hot water cascaded down on Draco's back, allowing his muscles to relax, releasing the tension they constantly held nowadays. He reached his hands up to wash his hair and began to feel his bad mood wash down the shower drain with the suds that fell from his scalp.

"Good morning, Draco." Gregory's voice came from a shower nearby.

Draco jumped, having not heard the bathroom door open, and almost slipped before he caught himself against the wall. The shriek forming in his throat turned into nothing but a small squeak as he composed himself once more.

"What right have you got to sneak up on a man in the shower like that? You nearly killed me," Draco teased as calmly as he could manage, rinsing his hair. "Good morning."

"Sorry," came Gregory's sheepish voice. There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Did you sleep alright?"

Draco couldn't help the small laugh that left his lips, the awkwardness of the situation bringing a blush to his cheeks.

"I slept fine," he lied easily. "But could I wait to tell you about it until we're not naked?"

"Yeah, uh, that's probably a good idea."

Draco wasn't sure which was worse, the talking or the incredibly awkward silence that followed it. Either way, he rushed the rest of his shower and dried off before pulling on fresh slacks and his button up. He left his tie undone around his shoulders and performed an easy incantation to dry his hair as he looked at himself in the mirror once more, preferring what he saw there to what he'd seen earlier. Draco glanced over when Gregory finally joined him, a small smile tugging at his lips when he saw the tie he'd done up hanging around Gregory's neck. Draco quickly did up his own with deft fingers before he turned to look at him.

"What about you, then? How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Gregory gave the answer with a noncommittal shrug.

Draco recognized that it was incredibly likely that they were simply lying to each other but decided not to call his friend out on his dishonesty. Draco knew they both harboured demons after the year they'd had, and that if Gregory really wanted to talk about them, then he would.

"How are you feeling about your classes today?" Gregory asked.

"I'm not terribly worried about those. I've always made good marks, so I don't think catching up will be too hard. I'm more worried about the people I'm taking these classes with."

"You've got nothing to worry about, Draco."

He sounded so sure that Draco's interest was piqued immediately. What did Gregory know that he didn't?

"Why's that?"

The shrug Gregory gave him was both comforting and infuriating.

"This is going to be a good year," he said evasively.

"Yeah," Draco agreed, though he did not feel very certain. "It will. You're right."

"And we're in this together, you know that?" Gregory asked, laying a hand on Draco's shoulder. That was when it clicked.

"Is that your way of telling me you'll beat up everyone who's mean to me?" Draco asked with a little laugh.

"Absolutely. Eighth years, First years, doesn't matter. I will beat them all up for you," Gregory replied too seriously, dropping his hand and leaving his robes in the basket by the door for the elves to clean.

Draco followed his lead and rolled his eyes as he caught up to his friend.

"Even the First years? How valiant of you. I don't think anyone could top that level of chivalry."

"I try my best for you, Draco."

"Oh, this skill doesn't come naturally?" Draco looked up at Gregory before he opened the bathroom door for him. "I'm impressed. Tell me, how long did it take for you to hone it?"

"I'm not too sure...how long have we been friends again?"

"Almost eighteen years? You must be a master by now," Draco laughed, but sobered when they stopped outside of the entrance to the common room.

"Do you want to go back to the dormitory, or would you rather go on a walk?" Gregory asked, his voice softening.

"A walk sounds lovely," Draco answered, taking the option of escape gratefully.

The boys were quiet as they descended to the first floor and encountered no sign of life other than a brief glimpse of Mrs. Norris's tail as she rounded a corner.

"Where do you want to go?" Gregory asked.

"I think the clock turned seven just now. If we want to catch breakfast, we've probably got just enough time to walk down to the lake. We can say hello to the giant squid. I sort of miss him, you know."

"Sounds fun," Gregory answered and began down the path.

Draco struggled to keep up with his long-legged pace, and the two were quiet as they walked. Draco found himself taking in the nature around the castle and was quite impressed with how the staff had put everything back together. There were some new things as well. Imported, and probably illegal, plants had been spaced pleasingly across the green, and though they would have typically bothered Draco, he found them nice to look at.

"I think I missed this place more than I realized," Gregory said softly, almost as if he were reluctant to break the peace of the silence that had fallen over them.

Draco nodded, though he only partially agreed. He didn't miss Hogwarts itself, but he did miss the life he'd had there before the war started.

"I think it's the routine of it all," Gregory continued when Draco did not answer him. "I've found that I work much better when I've got a plan in place."

"What classes are you taking?" Draco asked as they approached the bank.

"I really wasn't even sure what I wanted to be when I got the letter. There were so many options on that list that they sent us, but I talked with my mum on one of her better days, and somehow, we landed on me being an Auror. So that's potions, defense against the dark arts, transfiguration, herbology, and charms. I'm also supposed to be getting my apparition license. What about you?"

"I'd thought about being an Auror for a while, but I'm tired of fighting, even if it is for the good guys. I've decided to be a healer. But it looks like we'll be in the same N.E.W.T. classes, though I'm sure they've split us up into our different profession tracks. That'll be nice for studying at least. I've also got an internship with Madame Pomfrey this year."

"Excellent, you'll be able to patch me up whenever I get hurt. When I'm on my deathbed, you'll be the first I send for."

Draco's head whipped up at the thought, his eyebrows knitting together as he stared at Gregory.

"You'd better not ever give me a reason to be, got it?" he answered. The thought of something happening to Gregory made him sick to his stomach.

"I was only joking, Draco," Gregory reassured him. "I'm always careful." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he slipped on a wet patch of grass. His hand shot out and grabbed Draco's arm, almost bringing them both down before he regained his balance. "Always careful."

"Apparently not careful enough," Draco said drily. "Even if dark wizards don't do you in, I wouldn't put it past you to break your neck on a flight of stairs."

"Stairs have always been my mortal enemy. I fell down them all the time at your manor when we were little."

Draco barked a laugh as he remembered a too small Gregory running around on short, stocky legs that had never gifted him with great coordination. However, Gregory had only fallen down the stairs of his own accord a handful of times. The others had occurred when he and Crabbe had gotten too rough.

"I seem to recall that not all of that was your fault," Draco answered, though his smile became sadder.

"Sometimes it was my fault," Gregory answered before folding himself to sit cross legged on the grass. "I miss him too," he added as Draco sat next to him. "It's very different to be here without him. Maybe every time I fall down the stairs, it's really just his ghost making sure we don't forget him."

"I'm afraid we won't be able to get back at him for it this time. It's a little hard to hex a ghost," Draco smiled a little and leaned back on his palms.

"And even worse, he can finally get back at us for all those pranks we used to pull on him. Like that time we made him think he'd slept through the whole weekend and missed his transfiguration exam."

"Or that time we convinced him that Millie was leaving him love notes in the girl's washroom? She gave him the meanest black eye when he went barrelling in!" The pair erupted in laughter. "Merlin, we were so mean to each other! They were funny though. I suppose I'll just have to turn my devious mind towards pranking you," Draco said slyly.

"Oi, if anything we should have a go at pranking Weasley. Get Potter in on it so he doesn't kill us."

"That's not a bad idea. Though I'm sure if Granger caught wind of it, she'd be up in arms about house peace."

"Maybe she'd be in on it too? They'd be harmless pranks, Draco. It's not like we're going to tie him up and toss him into the lake," Gregory shrugged.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Draco rubbed his chin, feigning deep thought before Gregory knocked his shoulder gently. "No, we shouldn't do that."

"Maybe it could be a possibility if they weren't trying so hard to be friends with us."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. If Weasley fires first, we'll have a plan at least."

Gregory was quiet for a moment, leaving Draco to muse as he looked out over the lake. If he squinted hard enough, Draco almost thought he could see the giant squid lifting its tentacles out of the water to wave at them.

"We seem to be making a lot of back up plans this year," Gregory finally said, his voice softer, more reserved.

"We've got to be cautious," Draco replied lightly. "Life is dangerous and unpredictable."

"Very true, my friend, very true." Gregory huffed a deep sign before he sprawled on his back in the grass. "It's so peaceful down here."

"It's almost possible to forget any of it ever happened," Draco agreed and wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees.

"If you put your mind to it, you can forget for a while. But then you fall asleep and every detail comes rushing back to you."

"'My mind has been both my best friend and my worst enemy'," Draco quoted, though he wasn't sure where he remembered the words from.

"Any enemy can be overcome when you have a good ally," Gregory answered and pushed himself up to wrap an arm around Draco's shoulders.

"When did you become so wise?" he asked, nudging Gregory playfully.

"Must be my old age. Wisdom floods upon me as my beauty begins to fade," Gregory laughed and nudged him back.

"I'm older than you, and I'm no wiser!" Draco nudged him again, harder that time.

"Maybe I've just aged better than you," Gregory teased.

"Maybe you're just cheesy."

"I suppose that is a possibility," Gregory answered and nudged him again.

Draco moved with it, using his momentum to come back and nudge him harder. He was surprised to find that Gregory did not move, a small "oof" leaving his lungs as Draco bounced off of him. His face began to heat up when Gregory laughed at him, and Draco reached over to push at him with his hands.

"What have you been doing all summer? Throwing cows around?"

"Not quite. I did have to carry my mum around for a bit in the beginning. So, I decided I should probably exercise to help out with that, and it was a good release, so I just kept doing it."

"Merlin, you're about as thick as a tree!" Draco answered, punching his chest softly.

"Thank you?"

"Remind me to never pick a fight with you. You'd probably kill me on accident."

"I'd never fight with you," Gregory answered, shaking his head. "But if you ever get into a fight and need someone to back you up, feel free to write me."

"Oh, believe me, you'll be the first person I ask," Draco reassured and glanced down at his wrist to check the time. "We've got about ten minutes until breakfast ends. Are you hungry?"

"Not really. I don't really eat breakfast anymore."

"Why not?" Draco asked, remembering how breakfast used to be Gregory's favourite meal.

"I probably picked up some bad habits when it came to taking care of myself over the summer. If I eat anything heavy, I start feeling sick."

"Haven't we all picked up some bad habits?" Draco reassured him, sitting quietly for a long moment. "If you had the chance to go back and change just one thing, what do you think it would be?" he asked, focusing his gaze on the ripples of the lake as the wind blew across its surface.

"I think this might be selfish, and there are lots of things I wish I could change. The whole bloody thing if I could. But I don't think there's any one thing I could have changed to stop any of it from happening," he paused, and Draco knew he was staring straight up into the sky – a habit of his when considering something deeply. "I wish I could have thought of a way to save him too. That's what I would have changed."

Draco nodded and understood exactly what he meant.

"Don't worry, there's at least one person out there who's more selfish than you," he answered quietly, pondering on his own choice.

"What about you? What would you change?"

"I wouldn't have gone home that summer," Draco answered immediately. "I would have made those same mistakes sixth year, but I wouldn't have gone home. Maybe it would have gotten me killed, maybe I could have hidden until it all had blown over. I'll never know the answer to that, but I wouldn't have had to stay in that house. That's for sure."

Draco was surprised to find tears in his eyes as Gregory began to rub his back, but he brushed them away with a nervous laugh and shrugged.

"But that's all just wishful thinking. I'm lucky to be where I am now."

"Everything happens for a reason, right?"

Draco nodded before he pushed himself up to his feet and brushed off his slacks.

"We'd better get back up to the castle before people begin to worry about what we're plotting, eh?" he asked, holding a hand out for Gregory and pulling him up.

"I don't think your reasoning is all that farfetched."

The walk back to the castle seemed much shorter to Draco, hands stuffed in his pockets. They had arrived back at its doors in record time, students bustling about the corridors to get to class on time. Draco began to feel the panic rising in his throat but forced a smile and turned towards Gregory.

"I'll see you at lunch, then?" Draco asked.

"Of course." But Gregory paused, and neither one of them made a move to walk away. "Do you want me to walk you to class?" he offered.

Draco only had to think for a moment before he was nodding.

"Alright, where to?"

"I've got potions first," Draco answered, taking a deep breath and moving towards the dungeons. They bobbed and weaved through lost First years until they found enough space on the stairs to walk comfortably. "What about you?"

"I've got charms."

Draco stopped in the middle of the staircase and hardly noticed when a couple of Hufflepuffs scooted nervously around them.

"That's all the way across the castle!" he admonished. "You'll be late."

"I've got long legs, I'll be fine," Gregory answered, grabbing Draco's hand and pulling him along. To Draco's surprise, his hand returned the grip with an eagerness Draco didn't know he had.

"If you're late, just tell them you were doing charity work. Flitwick will love you for it."

"Oh, certainly," Gregory laughed. "They'll think I'm a big brute with an even bigger heart."

"I mean, with the way Potter's been treating me, you could say it's me who's the charity case at this point."

"I don't know, Draco. Maybe Potter's genuinely trying to be our friend. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes? Potter and I hate each other, that's the way it's always been."

"You mean to say, 'That's the way it was,' Draco. Everything's changed now. Besides, if you truly were a charity case, Potter would have gotten Weasley on board with it."

"I suppose you're right. It's not like we can get rid of him without further sullying our reputations anyway," Draco said as he let the tension leave his shoulders.

"And we really can't afford to do that."

"No, my friend, no we cannot," Draco said, stopping outside the potions room. "I'll see you later then?"

"See you," Gregory answered, giving Draco's hand a squeeze before he disappeared back around the corner.

Draco took a deep breath as he stood outside the room and tried to will himself forwards. When he finally pushed open the door, he was not surprised by the wave of grief that hit him. Though his godfather had not occupied the room for two years, it was hard not to look at the places he'd once stood without thinking of Severus. Draco cast his eyes around the room and let them stop on Blaise and Pansy, who were sitting on either side of Theodore Nott. If it weren't for his pinched face, Draco might have thought Nott was glaring at him. Finally, something normal. He began walking towards them when a voice called out to him.

"Draco!"

Merlin, someone out there really hated him. He turned to look at Potter, who was sitting at another table with a skeptical looking Longbottom and a dreamy looking Lovegood. Draco forced a smile before glancing back at his friends, feeling as though he had no real choice in this matter. Potter had saved his life, after all, and he owed Mother's freedom to the prat. The least he could do was see what the guy wanted.

"Here, come sit with us," Potter said as Draco approached and moved his bag off the table to clear some room for him.

"Yes, welcome," Lovegood added and gave him a smile. Draco couldn't look her in the eye, not when she'd been trapped in his basement for a year.

Draco cast one last look toward his friends and was perturbed by the look Pansy and Blaise gave him. He sat down anyway.

"What're you doing here?" Draco directed the question toward Potter.

"I'm taking potions. Thought that may be rather obvious, considering where we're sitting and all-"

"No, that's not what I meant. You aren't supposed to have potions until third block," Draco interrupted.

"And why would I have them then?" Was Draco mistaken, or was Potter baiting him? He was certain that was the case.

"That's when the Auror track takes it," Draco said through gritted teeth. Honestly, had Potter not even bothered to look at his schedule?

"Yes, and healers and teachers have potions first block," Potter answered with a shrug.

Draco was momentarily struck dumb. He looked between the three at the table by them before he gathered himself again.

"So, you'll be healers?"

"No, just me," Lovegood answered him.

"Neville and I are on the professor track. A lot of the staff want to retire within the next year. They say they're ready for a peaceful life," Potter said and offered Draco a small smile.

"What is it you'll teach?" Draco asked, though he had an idea for both of them.

"Defense against the dark arts," Potter answered, just as Draco had thought.

"Herbology," Longbottom added.

That one surprised Draco. From what he remembered, Longbottom had made great progress in charms after he'd gotten a wand of his own. He did not have the chance to comment before Professor Slughorn waddled into the classroom and took his place near the front.

It was a long lecture, the approach different to the one he had taken on the first class of Sixth year. Draco brushed the thought away – of course Slughorn was different. It was likely that he hadn't expected to teach three more years; the man was most likely constantly knackered. Draco found the material easy, and he did not have to do much to follow along with the concept Slughorn was teaching that morning. Glancing over at Potter's notes, Draco found with surprise that the other boy had no trouble comprehending the lesson.

Perhaps it had been the influence of his godfather, but Draco had always thought of Potter as a bit of an idiot when it came to potions. Especially after that one evening he'd accidentally barged in on Potter receiving extra lessons. Maybe Slughorn was just that much easier than Severus had been, but maybe, and Draco was starting to suspect that this was the case, things were not how he had always believed them to be. Perhaps Potter wasn't an idiot, and perhaps Potter didn't hate him, and perhaps – wait. Why had so many people turned to look at him? And why was Slughorn frowning at him like that?

"I'm sorry, Professor, did you say something?"

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, since you seem to think you know enough to not pay attention in my class, maybe you'd like to tell us all what potion galanthus nivalis is primarily used in, and what the aforementioned potion can be used for?" Slughorn asked, but didn't seem angry. There was more challenge than annoyance behind the words, almost as if he wanted Draco to prove himself.

"Yes, Professor. Galanthus nivalis is a primary ingredient in the potion Exstimulo which will strengthen one spell cast by the drinker. The spell being cast will be strengthened differently depending on the quality of the potion. Strong and potent Exstimulo will yield the best results. The potion is sky blue in colour, when brewed correctly, and it should take about two hours to complete. It has also been said that galanthus nivalis can be used in the muggle world to treat memory illnesses, though wizard research does not yield much information in that regard."

Merlin, he sounded like Granger.

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy. I should award you points for such an in-depth answer, but as you were not paying attention to begin with, I think it will be more than fair of me to leave your points as they are. Now, turn to page fifteen. There we will find the recipe for the Exstimulo potion Mr. Malfoy was telling us about."

Draco's face was hot as he bent down toward his book. He was suddenly aware that this was likely how Potter had felt each time Severus had called him out in class. Draco had laughed then, and was more than happy to watch it happen, but when the sniggers had sprung up about the room, Draco could not help but notice Potter's were not among them. He risked a glance at the boy next to him, only to find that Potter was giving him an encouraging smile. His face even redder than before, Draco buried himself in his potions book and did not look up again until Slughorn dismissed them.

Draco managed to make it through his charms class without calling any more attention to himself, though it seemed that he would be stuck with Potter, Longbottom, and Lovegood for the rest of the year. Potter had informed him on their way to lunch that the healing and teaching tracks had been so sparse that the staff had no choice but to combine them together. Where there were ten students interested in healing, there were only five who wanted to teach. The other five who'd been tossed in to their classes were the ones with no plan at all. They just needed the basics to figure out what they wanted to do after they left Hogwarts. Draco did not think any of these options fit his old friends well, but then, he never would have thought he would be going down the path he was either.

Draco sat himself at the table they had eaten the night before and Potter plopped himself down across from him. The stiff conversation they had been making died when Weasley slid into the seat next to Potter and began to moan about how his course work was too hard, and that it wasn't fair that Potter had gone off and changed tracks on him. Draco found it hard to feel bad for Weasley, his fingers tapping nervously against the table as Gregory became later and later. He showed up only moments before Granger, sitting down and opening his mouth to say something before she interjected.

"So, how is everyone faring in their classes? I saw you in the infirmary earlier, Gregory. What happened?"

Draco read the plain irritation on Gregory's face and guessed that his friend had just been about to tell him about his trip to the infirmary himself. He wondered briefly if Granger could go longer than a minute without feeling the need to open her mouth, but as the thought was mean and vaguely unfair, Draco pushed it out of his mind and instead turned his full attention to Gregory.

"It was no big deal. I got a bit splinched during apparition and had to go get patched up," he said with a little shrug.

Draco let his eyes rake over him regardless, just to be sure for himself before he began scooping food onto his plate.

"I got splinched once," Weasley said around a mouthful of bread. "It was terrifying."

"Almost as terrifying as your lack of manners," Granger retorted dryly, drawing a surprised snort from Draco.

"It really wasn't that bad. I honestly prefer it to getting sick. I hate vomiting," Gregory finished and pulled a sandwich off the platter before him.

Draco took a large bite out of his food to avoid being asked any questions. He wanted to kick Granger when she asked them anyway.

"What about you, Draco? How were your classes?"

Draco heard the unspoken question behind it, and it annoyed him.

"They were fine."

"Fine?" Harry inserted himself. "Try brilliant. Slughorn tried to pull one on him, but Draco knew the answer anyway. It was really quite impressive."

Draco wanted to roll his eyes but took another bite of his sandwich instead.

"Well, mine were just terrible, thanks for asking," Weasley practically erupted.

He took that opportunity to go into what must have been a ten-minute tirade about his morning. Granger looked more and more horrified as Weasley went on, but Draco didn't mind it, as it gave him the opportunity to quickly scarf down his lunch. Draco stood up almost too quickly once he'd finished eating and was about to snatch up his bag when Weasley begrudgingly turned to look at him.

"Harry and I were going to go play some Quidditch. Do you want to come?"

"Oh, thanks, but Gregory and I found something very interesting on our walk this morning, and we really must go check it out," Draco answered as Gregory rose to his feet.

"Have fun," Harry called after them.

Draco linked his arm with Gregory's and pulled him a bit farther down the hall before Gregory leaned down to speak in his ear.

"What's this interesting thing we've found?"

"The beauty of not having to participate in awkward conversations," Draco answered quickly and felt his shoulders relax.

"So, what are we really doing?" Gregory asked.

"Anything we want," Draco answered.

For the first time since arriving back at Hogwarts, Draco was truly beginning to believe that this could be a good year.