Harry flopped down in a chair next to the sofa where Ron and Hermione were sat. Hermione was pouring over a book while Ron was flicking idly through a Quidditch magazine. If he weren't so tired he would have laughed at how they both looked up at him in perfect synchronisation.

"Alright, mate?" Harry looked up at his friend, fully ready to go on a long rant about how he wasn't, in fact, alright.

"I'd be a lot better if Malfoy wasn't bloody changeable," he stated, waiting for their questioning looks. At the quirk of Hermione's eyebrow he launched willingly into his explanation. "Okay, get this. One second he's being all smug and understanding and talking over the link and the next he's huffing and giving me the silent treatment. Honestly, it's so bloody tiring."

"He sounds pretty messed up," Ron agreed.

"What's your explanation, then?" he turned to Hermione.

"Why do you always presume I have the answer to everything?"

"Because you do," Harry and Ron together. They grinned at each other while Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Stop reading in to it, Harry. You know he's been having a hard time lately and anyway, I think he's always been like that. We just haven't noticed because we haven't spent time with him. Just be careful around him. Anyway, I'm going to bed, night."

"Night," Harry said, feeling a bit baffled at Hermione's response. Thinking back, he realised she was right. Draco had always been a bit... unpredictable.

"Game of chess?" Ron offered. Harry nodded, deciding to just not think about Draco in depth. Ever. He was much too complicated.

"Okay. This is too much of a coincidence." Draco looked up from the sink to Blaise. He spat his toothpaste into the sink. It was Friday morning and Draco was glad the weekend was in sight. This week had been long and tiring. His mind was a mess: a mix of emotions, worries, and schoolwork.

"What?" he asked, before resuming brushing his teeth.

"You're working with Potter again right?" Draco cautiously nodded. "Well, you're not having nightmares as often," he stated. Draco rinsed his toothbrush and shrugged.

"So?" he dried his face and walked out of the bathroom, Blaise following behind him.

"So, why do the nightmares get better when you've spent time with Potter and get bad when you're haven't?" Draco sighed. This again. He didn't know why Blaise cared so much about the nightmares. Draco had noticed the difference but thought nothing of it. He often went through periods of time when his nightmares would lessen, only to get bad again a week later. It was normal.

"Why does that matter?" Draco pulled off his pyjama top and replaced it with his school shirt. He was about to walk around his bed to get his tie when Blaise grabbed his arm. He sighed and turned to face Blaise. "Leave it, would you?"

"After what happened last year-" Draco bristled.

"I said, leave it," he growled, his passive mood fading.

"One day you're going to have to face it, Draco. And now your father isn't around, maybe now is the time." Draco shot him a glare.

"Blaise. I am not gay and I do not fancy Potter. Okay?"

"Fine. Sorry." Draco softened slightly.

"Just stop worrying, would you? Mother asked you to 'keep an eye' on me, not become my babysitter." Blaise smiled. "But thank you. I appreciate it."

"Wow, Draco Malfoy thanking someone! Potter has been a good influence on you," Blaise teased. Draco punched him on the arm playfully.

"Don't get used to it." Blaise laughed at him.

"Come on, I'm hungry." Blaise urged Draco to get dressed and they went down to breakfast together. Theo met them at the Slytherin table. He turned to Blaise.

"Did you talk to him?" Blaise nodded. "And?" thankfully, Blaise shook his head. Draco shot Theo a glare and he stuck out his tongue. Draco rolled his eyes but he didn't really care that his friends were talking about him behind his back. They were the only two people that he actually trusted and he knew they didn't mean any harm.

Draco left them to it and looked across the room idly. Potter was in his line of vision and the Gryffindor looked up at him. The idiot grinned when their eyes met.

Hello, Malfoy. Draco jumped when Potter's smug voice invaded his head. He instantly narrowed his eyes and broke the contact. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Theo nudge Blaise and raise his eyebrows. He sighed and made a mental note to get back at them later. He was silently pleased that the mind link was good enough for Potter to talk to him from that far away but it still wasn't good enough. They had to make it better.

An hour later and Draco's mood was declining rapidly. He had double potions first thing, which he normally enjoyed, and it was grating on him. Slughorn had made him catch up on all his missing work while everyone else brewed Veritaserum. Veritaserum wasn't needed for the exam but Draco still felt like he was missing out on vital information. What was worse was that he was made to share a table with Potter because he too needed to catch up with work due to Quidditch practise. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes as Potter once again tried to strike up a conversation with him.

"I don't know about you but I'd rather not spend every lesson for the next month catching up on work so could you please do me a favour and shut up," Draco ground out after trying, and failing, to concentrate on his work.

"I don't mind, I hate making potions," Potter added, though why he felt the need to was beyond Draco. Normally he could shut out people and distractions but there was something about Harry that he could not ignore, however hard he tried. "Have you got the notes on the uses of Star Grass?" Potter asked, his breath tickling the side of his face he was so close. Draco let out a frustrated groan and stuffed the parchment he was writing on into his book. He slung his bag onto his shoulder and went to persuade Slughorn to let him do his work somewhere else. Luckily Slughorn granted him permission to finish off his work in the library. Finally in the quiet, Draco sighed into the stone hallway. He made his way slowly down the library, knowing he had enough time to finish his work even if he dawdled.

The work didn't take him nearly as long as he thought so he made his way to the common room after showing Slughorn his work to spend the next half an hour doing what he liked. Unfortunately he was in the company of Pansy and she kept lifting her head to stare at him every five minutes. After she looked up for what must have been the tenth time he snapped at her.

"What do you want?" she smiled at him sweetly and came over, despite Draco's glaring.

"I heard Theo and Blaise talking about you," she stated, her eyes dipping down to his mouth. Draco knew what she was thinking.

"Just because I'm not gay it doesn't mean I'm suddenly attracted to you." Draco smirked as her face fell.

"But I'm Pureblood! I've been there for you since we've been at Hogwarts."

"I know and I love you." Pansy's face lit up. "But like a sister," Draco hastily added. "And that's not going to change so stop being so annoying." She smiled faintly at him before hugging him. Draco sighed in relief.

"So, what have you got next?"

After a chat with Pansy, Draco felt much more relaxed. He only had one more lesson until the end of the day and that was charms, which was his favourite lesson after potions. That evening Draco felt calm and happy. As he lay in bed he let his mind wander. For the first time in his life he thought about the future. He thought about what would happen when he left Hogwarts. He would stay at Malfoy Manor with his mother for three years until Lucius got out of Azkaban. Draco was pleased his father only got a short sentence because he would hate for his mother to be alone. He would then move out so he could start a family of his own. He remembered his father's deal. He had to marry before he was twenty five or his father would chose a wife for him. I don't want a wife, his mind added as he drifted off to sleep.

Draco was in his room at Malfoy Manor. He was getting changed into his pyjamas. His room was dark, the tip of his wand creating a pool of light that only just lapped at his bare chest. A noise had him wheeling around to peer into the darkness. A figure was moving towards him. The person came into the light and he gasped. It was Liam. Relief flooded through him.

"I thought you were asleep," he said, his voice sounding oddly husky in the dense darkness.

"I was waiting for you," Liam rumbled back, his voice reverberating through Draco's body and settling comfortably somewhere in the pit of his stomach. Liam moved forwards, boldly stepping closer to Draco. He inched backwards, sucking in a breath when his back hit the cold wall behind him. Liam came closer still, his body an inch from Draco's. He shivered, the hairs on his body standing up on end. The light picked out Liam's features and made his light blue eyes almost glow. Draco dragged his eyes down the boy's face, lingering on his perfectly emphasised mouth before flicking back up to his eyes to meet the massive black holes that were his pupils. Draco swallowed thickly, his body trembling and his stomach writhing. Liam closed the distance between them, pressing their chests together. He placed a hand on the wall behind Draco's head and the other lingered by his face. He was so close Draco could feel him breathing on his neck. Draco moved his head away from Liam's hand, tilting his head back to rest on the wall. Liam lent down and claimed Draco's mouth with his own, kissing him roughly. Draco's eyes went wide with surprise before, to his annoyance, flicking shut. He wanted to push Liam away but when a hand encircled the back of his neck and buried itself into his hair he went boneless. Liam released his mouth to gulp in a breath. Draco did the same, breathing through his mouth. Liam took the opportunity to flick his tongue inside and Draco moaned softly. It grew darker around him until he couldn't see a thing and the warm weight of Liam faded away until he was alone again.

Draco awoke that morning and remembered nothing of his dream. He felt happy, though, and knew he hadn't had a nightmare. He pushed his curtains back and got up. As he got dressed and ready for school he got several funny looks from the other boys in his dorm. He wondered why. He was used to getting annoyed looks after a particularly loud nightmare but last night he hadn't had one. He checked his face for any marks and his hair but he found nothing worthy of those looks. He looked the same as he did every morning. Before he could go down to the Great Hall Blaise pulled him aside. He had one word to say to him.

"Liam." Draco's stomach flipped over and he groaned. His dream came flooding back. He felt like yelling. He'd done his best to forget about Liam but it seemed he was destined to ruin his life forever. He slumped against the wall and dragged a hand through his hair.

"Draco, you need to face this now." Draco shook his head vigorously.

"No. not now," he said, pushing away from the wall and walking away. Blaise clutched at his sleeve.

"Don't do this to yourself," he murmured. Draco gave him a look and pulled his sleeve away. Instead of going to breakfast, he went to Madame Pomfrey to persuade her to give him some dreamless sleep potion. She gave him enough for a week after he promised it was only so he got enough sleep to catch up on all his late work from the past two weeks, even though he'd nearly done it all. He couldn't dream about Liam again. He couldn't cope with it. Not now.