When Harry entered the common room the next morning, he could feel the whispers following him. It seemed that walking into a room alongside two of the alpha Slytherins without showing recent battle scars or glares was enough to fuel Hogwart's rumor mill for the next few days. Sure enough, when Harry sat down to breakfast, Neville leaned over and asked him; "Is it true that you saved Parkinson from a dragon and that's why she's being nice to you?"

"What? Er-no that's not what happened-"

"I heard that you messed up a Discord potion which Zabini and Parkinson drank from and are now your slaves." Seamus piped in from Neville's other side from his comfortable seat on Dean's lap.

"Excuse me?!" Pansy had arrived with Blaise in tow. "If I hear one more ridiculous rumor from you Gryffindors I will-"

"Later Pansy." Blaise swiftly cut off his friend who visibly deflated but still resembled a bullfrog. Blaise turned towards Harry, "We were heading to the Hospital Wing to check on Draco and we figured you should join us." Blaise pretended to be oblivious to the open-mouthed stares they were now receiving from all the Gryffindors in the vicinity and a few neighboring Ravenclaws, who had overheard him.

Harry couldn't think of a good excuse fast enough to not go with them so he nodded and got up. Immediately Pansy and Blaise fell in step on either side of him, chatting unconcernedly as if walking with Harry Potter through the Great Hall was an everyday occurrence. Though the Slytherins had agreed to Harry's truce, he was suspicious of their motives, especially right now.

The walk through the Great Hall had never seemed so long as it did right now. Blaise and Pansy seemed to be purposely setting a slow speed to allow the staring and new rumors to break out.

They reached the entrance to the Great Hall just as Ron and Hermione passed through it; both stopped and stared.

"Harry?" Ron was staring at Harry as though he hoped the latter was an imposter. Harry realized that he had forgotten to tell Ron and Hermione all about the events of last night which definitely made the current situation extremely suspicious to the two. Harry wanted to stop and explain but both Blaise and Pansy caught his elbows and pulled him along.

"I'll explain later!" Harry called back while Pansy's dagger-like nails dug into his arm. She and Blaise were steering him forcefully and had doubled their pace so that within five minutes they were standing outside the Hospital Wing. Both stopped, causing Harry to stop as well, and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Harry asked looking from one to the other; both were slightly smiling which heightened his suspicion.

"Well go on in then." Blaise said as Pansy gave him a little push forwards. Both stood facing him with their arms crossed like security guards.

"Wait, before you said we were all going…."

"It was your idea to befriend Draco, now we've given you the perfect opportunity to try said challenge." Pansy was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"And don't tell him we sent you." Blaise said before turning around and walking away. Pansy followed him with one last sarcastic wave to Harry who was now left all alone in front of the Hospital Wing.

Harry sighed. 'I mean how hard will befriending Draco be? Ok so we've had plenty of fights, duels and fistfights, he has attempted to make the whole school hate me more than one, hell more than 20 times; he's insulted my friends, my family, my appearance, my grades, my background, my flying…just about everything. He's also arrogant, rude, dramatic, vain, pompous, prideful, sarcastic, gets on my nerve, and overall just an annoying little shit. Why am I doing this again?' Harry sighed again and started pacing while thinking hard. 'Because he's changed and is now the victim. Because I saw how he was treated during the war and I saw how scared he was. Because he's stopped being obnoxious to me, well mostly, and did my homework once without asking for a favor in return. And I promised his mother…Ok I'll do it." Harry abruptly stopped pacing and hurriedly went into the Hospital Wing before he could change his mind.

When he entered he noticed that the curtains around Draco's bed were still closed, was he still asleep? Harry stepped closer and peered through the gap where two curtains met before leaping back feeling quite embarrassed; he had just caught a glimpse of Draco changing out of his pajamas. He quickly took a few steps back, quietly, and waited for his face cool. He didn't know what had just gotten into him; he had seen plenty of guys change before, in the dormitory or in the quidditch locker room, but somehow this was different. He hadn't seen much, just a very slender back that was paler than moonlight and where the bones were clearly visible. Harry closed his eyes and tried to picture his lost Firebolt but somehow his thoughts were straying elsewhere.

"Potter? What are you doing here?" Harry's eyes snapped open to find a fully dressed Draco Malfoy standing right in front of him and staring at him.

"Oh er-I was just, er-" Harry stammered while glancing wildly around the Hospital Wing to look at anything that wasn't part of the gray-eyed boy before whose eyes he really didn't want to meet right now.

"Madam Pomfrey is in her office, now excuse me, I need to get to class." Draco swept past him leaving Harry standing alone for the second time that day.

Harry snapped out of his stupor and shouted, "Mal-Draco, wait!"

Draco stopped in the doorway of the Hospital Wing and turned around slowly; "What?" He sounded weary and suspicious which didn't surprise Harry in the slightest.

'Be nice Harry!' His subconscious reminded him. "We have transfiguration together." Harry said while he caught up to Draco. Both started walking towards class, awkwardly and in silence. Harry wasn't sure what to talk about since he had never had a conversation with Draco without insults. 'I don't know anything about him', Harry realized, 'Wait, we both play quidditch so he likes flying.'

"So have you been out flying recently?" Harry said aloud.

"No." Came the short answer.

"Played quidditch over the summer?"

"No."

"Watched any matches?"

"No."

"What's your favorite quidditch team?"

"I don't have one."

'Crap…now what?' They were walking down several flights of stairs silently for several minutes while Harry's brain went into overdrive trying to think of something he knew Draco liked or was good at to talk about.

"So, I saw that you mother visited you yesterday-" He started.

"What are you trying to do? Befriend me out of pity?" Draco interrupted and stopped walking. Harry stopped too, he could picture Pansy saying "I told you so.".

"No."

Draco glared at him but Harry noticed that it had much less hatred in it than usually. He also noticed that Draco's face was slightly puffy but other than that he seemed completely recovered, besides for his pride most likely. They continued to stare at each other for a few more seconds before Draco started walking again. Harry fell into step next to him. He noticed that so far they hadn't met anyone else which he was glad because he felt that there were already too many rumors about him at the moment. However this lack of students meant that surely class was starting soon and they would be late. It seemed that Draco had had the same thought because both sped up. Both hurried on along various corridors and past busy classrooms.

As they were passing an unused classroom, two hands shot out of nowhere; grabbed Harry and turned him around roughly. He whipped out his wand but before he could raise it he recognized Ron who was staring at him and pointing his wand at him. Harry put his wand back in his pocket.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Ron demanded without lowering his wand.

"Ron it's ok, I'm still Harry-"

"The Harry I've known for eight years would never ditch me for Snakes!"

"Ok I know this looks strange but-"

"No you can't explain this!"

"Ron…." Hermione interjected, Harry turned slightly and saw Hermione lowering her wand which she had apparently been pointing at Draco. The latter lowered his wand an inch but didn't take his eyes for her wand.

"Ok fine, explain!"

The bell to start class rang and Hermione and Draco jumped.

"He can explain later, we need to get to class!" Hermione said before hurrying down the corridor with Draco close behind her.

Harry and Ron were left standing in the hallway with Ron looking at him suspiciously.

"So you're not a Slytherin using Polyjuice Potion?"

"No." Harry said and Ron put his wand away.

"And you're not under the Imperius Curse?"

"If I were I wouldn't say 'yes' but no I'm not."

"Then what did the Snakes do to you? Did they take you to their lair?"

"What? No, Ron, they didn't do anything to me. I suggested a truce to them."

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter stop yelling and get to class!" Came the very annoyed shout of a certain ex-potions master and headmaster.

"Aye Sir!" Harry and Ron shouted before heading to class.

"This conversation isn't over yet!" Ron muttered to Harry before they entered the classroom.