Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
I woke up slowly, and let the smell of what I knew to be Harry surround me. After a moment, I shifted my position slightly, and continued to refuse to open my eyes. I felt arms surround me, and I fell back asleep to the gentle humming of a simply beautiful lullaby.
The next time I woke up, I opened my eyes only after realizing I was being watched. I found myself staring into emerald green eyes, and for once in my life I felt completely relaxed.
"Good morning." Harry's rough voice forced my mind into focus mode.
"Mmmmm..." My voice wouldn't produce more than that, so I didn't bother trying to make words come out.
"I figured you'd want coffee, so I made you some before you woke up." He unwound an arm from around me, an action I was not pleased about, and reached for a mug. He handed it to me, and to my pleasure, put it back around my waist.
"Thanks." He stared in astonishment while I wondered how he managed to perfect the extremely complex makings of my coffee. Even I messed it up at least twice a morning.
"You can talk before breakfast?"
"I didn't even know it was possible, so suck it up and deal with the surprise silently while I enjoy my morning caffeine." He chuckled.
"Well, should we get breakfast? It's five in the morning so no one'll be up until eight since it's Saturday." I nodded, and gently unwound my way off his lap where I had fallen into unconsciousness the night before. He helped me down, much to my displeasure. I was perfectly capable of getting down off a six-foot high shelf by myself.
We went to the Great Hall together, and sat down at the Slytherin table, as it was closest to the door.
Eating silently was always one of my strong suits. I never talked when I ate, but apparently not today.
"Can we stop fighting?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it, and I tried apologizing for asking it.
"Don't apologize for asking a question. As for the answer...I don't see why not." I nodded, and a few more minutes passed in comfortable silence.
When he was done eating, which wasn't much, he commenced conversation.
"May I ask why you want to stop fighting?"
"Because I'm tired of getting negative attention from you. I only teased you because I wanted attention, even if it wasn't positive. But in all honesty, I'd rather you talk to me because you want to, not because someone was hurt or being insulted." I shrugged. "Plus, if I was always insulting you, I'd just be wasting time that would be better spent making me look as hot as possible."
"A valid point. Now finish your waffles." I did, and we soon left the Great Hall.
"Where to?" I asked. After all, he wanted to seek me out first.
"Outside. It's nice out." I followed him into the Forbidden Forest, completely forgetting why it was forbidden, and we stopped by a little stream flowing through a patch of dew-covered roses and baby's breath. The spring sun shone sweetly through the leaves of the canopy above us, making a speckled light source in the warm air.
"So, why did you never mention you were sick of fighting?"
"Well, I thought I made it pretty clear when I stopped insulting you and your friends."
"You were ignoring us. There's a difference between ignoring and civil talking, you know." He smiled, and I nodded. I had to admit, I was slightly more than a little ashamed of my childish behavior and antics.
"You're right, I'm sorry." He took a step towards me.
"Don't be sorry for the past; accept it and move on. If there's anything I learned about defeating Voldemort, that would be it. Don't dwell on what you can no longer change, and what you cannot control. That's when you make mistakes." A hint of hurt flashes through his eyes, and I had the urge to ask why he never let anyone in; but I refrained, knowing that it would only push him away if I asked that particular question.
And so started our tentative truce.
For the remainder of the school year, two months to be exact, Harry and I continued to talk to each other.
Well, not exactly talking the whole time.
For the first week we met, it was on the 'Room of Requirement' as Harry called it, late at night. However, that soon proved to be unhealthy as our N.E.W.T.s were fast approaching and we were exhausted from our studies.
So, for the next five weeks, we wrote letters to each other. We delivered these letters with school owls, as ours were a bit ostentatious for us to use. We didn't exactly want other people knowing we were suddenly being friendly to each other yet. Sandy, my Eagle Owl, actually took this pretty well. Hedwig, apparently didn't take to this new system as well.
Harry had sent me a letter explaining his day, and right after that, he sent another one with dots of blood littering it. It read:
"Draco~
Hedwig isn't okay with this whole school-owl delivery system to each other. I must have explained it a million times, but she just won't listen to me! Any suggestions, you know, so I can keep my eyes and fingers?
~Harry"
Naturally I sent back a reply to both letters in one and suggested that he compliment her. All girl like compliments. He wrote back, relieved that compliments worked on his stubborn Snowy Owl. For the last three weeks, we separated our time with each other and our other friends. Late mornings and early afternoon we would spend with our other friends, and the rest of the time was for each other.
Our last meeting would be tonight.
I walked quickly down the hallways of the dungeons, and yelped when I was suddenly jerked to the side and through a door I didn't happen to notice.
"Hey, I thought we might converse here tonight." Recognizing the voice, I immediately stopped struggling.
"What the hell? I couldn't get a heads-up?"
"Well I kinda made up my mind a few minutes ago. No time to send an owl, I'm sorry." We caught up on the day's events as we ate a light meal, brought down by Dobby, and fairly soon we ran out of things to say. Neither one of us wanted the year to end.
I could clearly see that he knew that this was the last time we could be civil to each other for a few months.
"Look, Harry...I really enjoy being nice to you. You're not that bad...but I really don't want to have to continue hiding out friendship." He nodded and sat silently still for the better part of half of an hour.
"I know what you mean, I feel the same way."
"But...?"
"But you and I both know how out other friends will take it-not well. Pansy's always been jealous of Hermione and Ron will never forgive you for arguing with us. It's the way they are. I'm not sure I can drop my childhood friends, they're like family to me. Think about it; will Pansy accept it?" I stayed silent. "I thought not. And you won't do well without your friends either. You don't depend on them, but you like their company. They're a good distraction for you. And I know you need a distraction sometimes. And I can't always provide that for you.
"I can't live without my friends, I can't risk losing them. They're the only reason I'm still alive. They took care of me, whether I wanted them to or not. They were the first people to ever make me feel happy that I can remember."
My heart, which had forgotten the heaviness that used to weigh it down cause from emotional pain, felt like a hundred pounds in my chest. My once perfectly fine veins suddenly seized up with the effort of having to pump liquid lead through my body.
Needless to say, once I get attached, I really get attached. He could obviously see my internal struggle an took pity on me.
"Look, I don't want to hide our friendship either. Fuck, you know me as well as Ron and Hermione and we've only been talking for two months!" He took a deep breath and looked around before turning back to me, passion burning in his eyes. "I want to continue this, but if it means sacrificing Hermione and Ron, I can't. Not openly, at least. Look...let's try not to talk to each other this summer, and break it to our friends. We'll go from there I guess. It's only two months, after all."
I thought it over. Two months to tell Pansy and Blaise about my newest friend. I could do it. However, I couldn't help but wonder: could Harry do it?
Eventually I nodded.
"All right. But once we tell them we have to tell each other. Okay?" He nodded. "I'll be expecting to see Hedwig before August."
"Only fair." We spent the remaining two hours talking about out plans for the summer, mainly consisting of staying out of our houses. His had his relative and mine had reminders of my parents' deaths.
The next day I was up at five and packed my letters from Harry so no one would have the chance to ask about them. When I finished I packed everything else so I didn't have to deal with it later. I made my way to the door when I heard wings rustle. I stopped to let Sandy land on my shoulder.
But instead of the usual weight, I felt a much lighter owl landed on me. I turned my head to come face-to-beak with Hedwig with a letter tied to her leg.
"Hey pretty girl. Why aren't you with Harry, huh? Finally realized a pretty girl belongs with a hot guy?" She nipped my ear affectionately and held out her leg so I could untie the parchment from her leg.
"Draco~
I sent Hedwig this time because I want you to keep her over the summer as a reminder of me. It's a reminder of our friendship. Plus, she wanted to get to know you and wouldn't take no for an answer.
~Harry"
I grabbed my quill, ink, and parchment I had taken to keeping on my person no matter what. Sandy came to greet me as I finished writing, flying through the Great Hall windows like it was nothing.
"Harry~
I'd be delighted to watch Hedwig for the summer. In return, I'm sending Sandy home with you. She's well behaved and if she acts up just put her in a cage for the day. Can't wait until the summer's over, and good luck with your friends.
~Draco"
I explained the situation to Sandy and watched her fly back out the window determinedly.
"Finally agreed to get along, eh Draco?"
"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't know you were here, I-"
"Please, calm yourself. I'm just a person. Now, are you going to answer my question?"
"Well it's complicated to say the least."
"So I assumed. Why don't you and Harry's magnificent friend come with me so you can talk and I can listen in peace?" I hastily agreed and followed the Headmaster to his office. After politely declining a bunch of sweets, I let my heart pour out to him.
"I see. So, do you plan on doing anything if Harry's friends don't accept it?"
"Well, I...no. I'd like to hex them to see reason, but that would just make it worse."
"I daresay, it would. Well, as the muggles say, good luck!" I nodded my thanks and left to board the train home. Thank God that as a prefect an a Malfoy I got my own compartment.
I sat there, alone, waiting.