AN: Here's an update, finally. I might actually finish this one, I'm not sure. I hope you're enjoying it. It's quite slow, I know, but things are about to pick up so stay tuned

Chapter 6

As Harry paced hastily through the halls, clutching onto his worn, leather bag strap, his heart was pounding heavily. His breath was rapid and his cheeks were flushed. Whether it was from total humiliation or anger, he didn't really want to know. All he knew was that he had enough for today and everything would be better if he just lay in bed for god knows how long.

He could hear the heavy door of the library close, swallowing thickly as he had a feeling as to who it was. As if for confirmation, he turned his head to see, halting in his steps.

There he stood, running his fingers through his luxurious platinum hair, looking both ways before freezing, silver eyes set on Harry. The look sent shivers rippling through his spine, Harry's fingers clenching around his satchel strap. This was stupid. It was some stupid crush which couldn't even be qualified as a crush.

Everything about this situation was just plain stupid.

And for some reason none of them moved, as if both wanted to say something, unspoken words drifting in the air between them before Harry finally broke Malfoy's gaze, beginning to walk away. His heart throbbed painfully, teeth sinking into his lower lip as he paced quickly through the halls, refusing to look back.

The week went by rather quickly. Harry continued to go to Snape's detentions, actually finding aggressively scrubbing away at dirty potions cauldrons to be quite therapeutic. However, he made sure to not let Snape know that. This was meant to be a punishment after all. He'd leave feeling a little calmer and quietly make his way back to the common room to sit and either read a book or just stare absently into the flames.

Not once did he bump into Malfoy.

The fact left Harry feeling disappointed yet relieved all at once. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deny the every time he left Snape's classroom, a large part of him hoped to see a blonde walking down the halls and notice him, for them to have some kind of encounter, good or bad. But what would he say? And that was where the relief came from. But the ratio of solace and disatisfaction was nowhere near even. It was like a yearning. He wanted Malfoy to notice him again.

Was this how Malfoy used to feel then? Was that why he always bothered Harry in previous years? To get a reaction? To get under his skin in a way only he knew how? Did that bring some sort of satisfaction? Did Harry no longer satisfy him? The number of stupid questions only rose and each time Harry found himself thinking such things, he felt ashamed.

How could he be so self centred? Malfoy was probably just being a prick like he was to everyone else and self satisfaction might have had something to do with it, but he doubted he himself was largely involved. Getting his father sent away seemingly put things into perspective then.

What was he thinking? It was like he almost missed the guy when he had no reason to. It was all in his head. Malfoy was a bigot. Just because he finally got a taste on what a hard life was like doesn't mean he changed. Sure he's quieter but when he opens his mouth, nothing but prejudice comments and hurtful insults came out. Harry decided from then on that Malfoy didn't deserve his sympathy and to get over this purely physical attraction.

That was friday night.

The next day was saturday so no lessons and that meant that Harry could sleep in at last. He ended up waking up at seven in the morning. So much for a great night's sleep. Like every other night, Harry had slipped in and out of consciousness, always in a semi-dreaming state. One moment there was Cedric, the next there was Sirius and at one point his father was laughing and his mother screaming with Voldemort laughing wickedly. Needless to say he woke up feeling utterly disoriented and unslept.

So he got up. It was useless to try and sleep any longer and he was currently drenched in sweat so a shower it was.

Washed and clothed, he walked out of the dorm and common room and began to walk around the hogwarts grounds. It was early so he wasn't surprised to find the hallways empty. He roamed around, appreciating the wake of dawn on an early autumn's morning and the peace and quiet of the place before it would soon burst into life with countless students stampeding towards the great hall for breakfast.

As he walked, his thoughts wondered and inevitably, they returned to Malfoy, a character who hadn't been too present throughout this week. It was just to wonder as to whether he was okay. He didn't bother to look at his table anymore out of embarrassment of how he caught him and Pansy…

Oh what did it matter? He could kiss Pansy all he wanted. Malfoy didn't even have to be a part of his life anymore. He's just depressed and grieving. If he wasn't involved with Voldemort, then they didn't have to associate themselves with each other anymore. He should purely focus on getting to Voldemort, on defeating him instead of some school crush. It wasn't even a crush!

"Potter?"

Harry opened his eyes and turned his head, having to calm down very quickly in order to face whoever was talking to him however as his eyes fell on a young man who was very handsome and looked particularly charming in the light of autumn dawn, everything he had just told himself became null.

"Malfoy. Hi." Hi? Idiot.

"I'm not here to bother you for long I just want to say something quickly and be done with it." Harry noticed that he was keeping a distance, his posture formal, his tone straight and his expression lacking much interest and not even in a rude way. In a genuine, close to bored fashion.

Harry frowned slightly. "Okay."

Malfoy took a breath before looking Harry in the eyes. "Madame Pomfrey said you brought me to her."

Harry could feel himself go red. Oh god, did he overstep his boundaries? Did Malfoy somehow know about his thoughts? No that's ridiculous it's fine. But why else would he bring it up? He swallowed thickly but did his best to mask the chaos erupted in his head. "She did?"

"Yeah." He looked away briefly and took a deep breath. "I just want to say thank you."

Harry froze. He wasn't expecting that at all.

"So, thank you."

"Oh. Right uh...well yeah. Of course. No need to thank me."

"Yes there is."

"Okay." The two fell silent and Harry felt his heart grow warm and he let a small smile come through as he looked up at Malfoy. "You're welcome and don't worry. I haven't mentioned anything to anyone."

"Good."

And with that, Malfoy turned around and left without another word, leaving Harry to be slightly confused but touched all at once. His heart pounded shamelessly, his stomach squirming yet full of warmth and relief almost. However, there was a poignancy to that interaction that bothered him. He had said thank you. He had done his part and Harry his. There was no reason to interact anymore. Did that mean they're rivalry had come to a civil end? Just like that? All over?

Yes. And he should be nothing but glad.

Harry continued his day feeling quite at ease, or as at ease as he could, content with how things between him and Malfoy had become. There had seemed to be a mutual respect between them, an unspoken agreement to let the other one be and it was nice to spend a day with one less worry.

That evening, he had finished scrubbing the cauldrons, surprisingly so, having developed a routine to keep on top of the ones that had been recently dirtied, the old ones practically spotless and the task became just renewing their pristine state and he was done within the space of a couple hours.

"I'm finished, sir."

Snape looked up from his book, frowning deeper than usual. "Finished?" His tone was unconvinced.

"Yes."

Getting up, Snape whipped his cloak around, pacing over to the cauldrons and doing an inspection. He hummed deeply and pointed out certain things Harry missed, miniscule details, and stated that once he was done, he should go dust the cupboards. Harry sighed. There went his chances of getting off detention early. What was he to expect with Snape anyway? That prick.

And so Harry did as he was asked. He finished up the small details, picked up a cloth and worked his way around the ridiculously dusty cupboards. In fact, when he opened the first one and took out the books, he was bombarded by a wave of dust, causing him to hack uncomfortably. As he did his best to work through the books, dusting each one as well as the shelves, there was one that struck his eye. It was unbelievably tattered by the spine, the font of the title faded and worn, the pages tinted beige , close to brown. It was very old and for some reason, it piqued his interest. Subtly turning to see if Snape was looking, which he wasn't, he cracked open the book with slight difficulty and brushed off the dust clustered on the front page, sneezing and sniffling, his glasses fogged. Placing the book down, he removed his glasses and cleaned them off with his shirt before putting them back on and reading messy faded handwriting at the corner of the page:

Property of the Half-Blood Prince

The half blood prince? What was this?

"Slacking off, are you Potter?"

"No, sir," he replied through gritted teeth, putting the book down and dusting the cupboard before restacking the books. He'd be back later for that. It looked interesting. The half blood prince.

After a few more hours, Harry was finally able to leave, his clothes coated in dust, his eyes and throat sore and his glasses filthy. Making his way back to the dorms, he briefly casted a glance towards the great hall. Was Malfoy in there? That was where this strange, unwelcome affection for him begun. Harry knew he could never befriend him, it wouldn't work. They were on different sides however now that Lucius was imprisoned...No. It wasn't even a consideration. It was a shame though. Had he been sorted into slytherin, had things gotten off at a different start…

No. No, no, no. He was not going to begin mourning an unfulfilled friendship. They were enemies for a reason. Whether there was an unspoken truce between them was unclear but that would be as far as it got.

For now, anyway.

He made his way to the common room to find that the majority of people had gone to bed. The fire burned dimly however, he could see the shadow of a head staring into on his own. With a small smile, Harry sat beside him, knowing without having to look that it was Ron.

"Snape sure made the most of you," he said with a snort, coughing slightly as a reaction to Harry's dusty state.

"Yeah, I know. What a prick. I finished one task and he set me on cleaning out cupboards that probably haven't been touched in years." He didn't mention the book.

"Yeah, I can tell. You smell ancient." Both broke into brief laughter before sitting in silence.

The silence was calm, the faint pop and crackle of flames contributing to the tranquil atmosphere. There wasn't much to be said however both boys felt similar about their friendship. It felt like they were growing apart yet moments like these proved why they were such great friends in the first place.

"Harry?" Ron broke the silence, still staring ahead.

"Yeah?"

"I know things have been hard for you. Well, 'hard' is an understatement. What I mean to say is I haven't been the most understanding friend recently."

"Ron-" Harry began but stopped as Ron shook his head.

"No it's true. I haven't. I can't really imagine what it's like to be you at the moment but I want you to know that you can talk to me. About anything. Even if you're uncomfortable with sharing it with Hermione, I won't tell her anything. I just..you can trust me. Okay? And I'll listen."

Harry listened intently to Ron, feeling his oaky gaze resting on him as he spoke.

"Thank you." Harry said sincerely, his heart feeling warm and bursting with appreciation. He was so lucky to have Ron, to still have Ron as a friend. "That means a lot." Lips breaking into a small smile, the two exchanged a small nod, an unspoken brotherly love shared between them without any hugs or words. They just knew.

"Anytime." Looking up at the clock, Ron yawned softly. "Well that's my cue. I'm off to bed. You coming?" Harry looked up at the time. It was close to midnight.

"No I think I'll stay up a little longer."

"Alright. Just don't stay in your own head for too long, okay?" and without needing an answer, Ron headed out of the common room, up into their dorm.

Harry looked at the clock and watched the handle strike midnight. Right. Standing up, he dusted himself off and quietly crept upstairs, hearing the light snores of everyone else in the room. Ron took no time to fall asleep at all. Grabbing his invisibility cloak and map, he quietly crept out, cringing as one of the boards croaked under his feet. He heard someone stir but nothing else. Leaving the dorm, he made his way to the potions classroom, checking his map to see where everyone was. Filch wasn't anywhere close. The coast was clear. When at the front of the door, he muttered 'alohomora' the door clicking open and silently slipped inside, the door clicking quietly behind him. Taking off his cloak, he lit up the end of his wand, illuminating the room and walked over to the cupboard where he last saw the book. Unlocking the cabinet, he searched, remembering that he put it slightly at the back to avoid anyone else potentially taking it. Navigating the tiny space with his wand, light dusted upon the extremely tattered book and with dilegency, Harry removed it, satisfied with his success. It was now in his possession and no one would even notice.

Closing the cabinet, he heard something click, the door cracking open and immediately his heart began to race. Turning around, he didn't have enough time to pick up his cloak before seeing Malfoy stand at the end of the room with a look of confusion. Harry frowned slightly. What was he doing here? (Yet, although he'd refuse to admit it, a part of him was almost happy to see him).

"What are you doing?" he asked, his low voice slightly crooked and perhaps attractive even but yet again, Harry was not going to think like that. His wand shone in Harry's face.

"Can you not shine that directly in my eye?"

"Yours isn't any better."

"Did you close to door behind you? People might hear us."

"Obviously. What do you take me for? An idiot?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Ha ha," Malfoy responded, drly.

"Alright, you know it's me. You don't need to shine that in my face anymore." It became uncomfortable, the light almost blinding from both ends of their wands.

Malfoy stepped further into the classroom. "Fine," he said, looking around. "I'll turn mine off if you turn yours off too. We'll get caught if there's too much light."

Harry lowered his wand. He was right. "Fine," he turned off his wand and the two of them were subject to darkness.

"So what are you doing here?"

"None of your business. You?"

"Same here."

The two were reduced to darkness, standing at either end of the room. Harry wasn't sure what to do. Honestly, he felt a little awkward. He wanted to say something but there was nothing to say.

"You looked like you were in quite the huff the other day," Malfoy spoke. He heard shuffling. Probably doing what he needed to do. How though? It was so dark, he could barely see.

"What do you mean?"

Malfoy muttered something and the end of his wand shone. Harry looked in his direction.

"Look away or leave. This doesn't concern you." Harry looked away but for some reason he didn't want to leave. However, he had what he had. He had no other reason to be in here.

He could be doing something suspicious though. He does sneak around a lot.

Yes but so do you.

"Right, I'll leave you to it."

"Wait, I haven't answered your question." He heard shuffling. Harry was tempted to look however, he felt like that would be unjust. Besides, they'd have to trade information and there was something about this book that he wanted to keep secret. "Don't leave just yet."

Harry felt his throat tighten slightly, his heart race. What was he doing? And it was odd. His tone was commanding but soft. He heard him whisper something, a small victory and the lights went out again. Harry had no idea where he was now.

"I saw you in the library and you stormed out. You looked quite bothered. What was that about?"

Harry felt himself go bright red. He was so relieved that it was dark.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious." He heard him mutter something. "I've locked the door. No one will come in and interrupt so you can start answering."

What was he doing? This was very odd. The look he gave him when they left the library that day had so many mixed messages. How would he answer without looking like an idiot? He wasn't even sure himself.

"If I answer this, you've got to answer something in return." He had a couple questions himself. For example, what did he mean by what he said that night when he found him drunk? Why was he drunk to begin with?

"Deal."

"Right, well, I saw something that bothered me and I wanted to leave. My turn. Why were you drunk the night I found you?"

A brief silence. "I felt like it. My turn."

"No, no. That's not even a proper answer."

"Well neither was yours."

"Alright fair enough," Harry admitted. Was he sure this wasn't some odd dream?

"What did you see?"

This was harder to answer. "Why should I answer to you? How do I know you won't just start spreading gossip?"

A small chuckle. "Come on, Potter. You have enough dirt on me for that to be a stupid idea. Let's agree that whatever is said in here stays in here."

"Why are we even doing this?"

"You got anything better and more exciting waiting for you?"

Harry couldn't come up with a response. His tongue was tied and his heart was pounding.

"That's what I thought. Now, what did you see?"

"I saw two people doing something that frustrated me. My turn. What did you mean when you told me that you'd be okay if I noticed you when you wanted to be noticed?"

A silence. "Fuck…" he muttered. "I hoped you'd forget that."

"Answer the question, Malfoy."

"Okay, okay. Just..promise me that we will not repeat a word of this, even to each other outside. I think it's fair to say we both want to get some things off our chest to clear this...odd tension."

So that's why. It was a clever plan, quite mature of Malfoy as well. He wouldn't have seen this coming from him of all people. So he felt the tension too…

"Alright. Promise."

"Okay. Good. Well then, what I meant was that this year, I can't be bothered with this stupid rivalry between us. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want a rivalry to begin with. I wanted nothing more than to be your.." he paused. "Your friend."

Harry said nothing.

"So when we got off at the wrong foot, I wanted to gain your attention the only way I knew how. To bother you. And I loved seeing the way I could get under your skin like no one else could but...I approached things the wrong way. The only thing I knew how to do was to push you away. I wanted you to get back at me, to pay attention to me, to become...for me to take up as much of your thoughts as you did to me. Only then would I be satisfied. That's what I meant."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Malfoy's tone remained monotonous, formal, unfazed pardoning the small gaps in his speech. He could feel him emotionally detaching himself from this entire experience. All he wanted was Harry's attention, a friendship perhaps but it all seemed irrational. However, he completely understood where he was coming from. That was what things were like now except Harry being in Malfoy's shoes.

"I see."

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Now tell me. Who did you see?"

"You know who I saw, Malfoy, don't pretend." He heard something move. It was him.

"I know but I want to hear you say it." His voice seemed closer.

"I saw you."

"And?"

"And Pansy." He swallowed thickly. He felt like such a fool. At least Malfoy's explanation made sense. It had no obvious hint of romantic intent. God, he felt like an idiot.

"And what? It made you jealous?" He was taunting him. He felt closer. Harry was tempted to step back but his entire body refused to.

"N-no. No it didn't."

Fuck, he stuttered.

"You stuttered."

"So what? That doesn't mean anything?"

"Were you jealous?"

"Why were you drunk?"

"Because life is pretty shit at the moment. You should try it sometime."

Another silence between them. Harry wasn't sure how much longer he could take this tension.

"Yes."

"What?"

Harry gritted his teeth. He knew exactly what he meant. God, he was a pain in the ass. "Yes. I was jealous. Happy?"

He could practically feel his smirk. Arrogant twat. "Why were you jealous?"

"Isn't it my turn to ask a question?"

"Do you have anything left to ask?"

Harry couldn't think of anything to say. All his questions were already answered.

"I don't understand why I was jealous none of it makes sense to even me."

He felt something touch his arm. He was so close. When did he get so close?

"Don't worry. What happens in here stays in here. Okay?" He felt his voice in his ear, soft and calm and it caused him to shudder slightly.

"Okay."

"Okay."

And with that, he felt soft fingers cup the back of his neck, running through his hair. He closed his eyes. It was like a heaven he didn't think he would experience.

"I guess I can assume by you not resisting that you feel the same way I do."

Harry wasn't sure how much longer his heart would stay in his chest, beating in his ears, causing him to involuntarily shake.

"You feel the same?" he whispered and he felt a nose against his, a breath against his lips, a hand cupping his cheek.

Malfoy said nothing. He didn't need to because a second later, Harry felt the gap between their lips close, a soft, careful kiss filled with hesitance and uncertainty. Malfoy may have been able to feign confidence but Harry could feel his nerves. So, he wasted little time and kissed him back, their lips dancing, his hand lightly gripping the blonde's jumper, another on his waist. They pulled each other closer, their bodies pressed against each other and refusing to pull away, their kiss going from hesitant to passionate, Malfoy's fingers gently gripping his locks, Harry hungrily tasting his sweet lips, adoring how soft they felt, adoring the feeling of his tongue gently slipping in and out of his own mouth, his body warm, heated, never wanting to pull away.

At that moment, countless thoughts rushed through his head. What was he doing? What would this mean? Why did this feel so oddly right? Why did he never want to pull away? He hoped this would never end. Oh, he smelt very nice. Harry probably smelt awful, being so dusty. Would things escalate?

However, despite the chaos in his head, his lips and body moved as if on autopilot, savouring every moment of this while he could, knowing that it was unlikely to happen again.

How long they spent together, they didn't know, losing track of time and making up for all the pent up frustration having built up between them. Eventually, someone pulled away and the only sound was their light breaths, their faces still close, their fingers intertwined, forehead pressed against each other.

"What-"

"Not. A. Word." Draco whispered, gently placing a finger over Harry's lips, causing him to swallow anything he might've said.

And with that, Draco pulled away from Harry completely, his footsteps becoming fainter and fainter before the door cracked open.

"Wait."

But he wasn't loud enough or perhaps Malfoy ignored him completely, suspending Harry in complete darkness.