Screams, flashes of green light, and then the horrible, familiar, cold laugh. Harry woke up covered in sweat and tangled in his sheets. Ron was bending over him with a hand above his shoulder about to wake him with a worried expression on his face.
Harry pushed himself up and disentangled himself from his blankets. He wiped some of the sweat from his face and reached for the water pitcher on his nightstand. Without bothering to pour himself a glass, Harry just chugged the water from the pitcher with half the water splashing on his face and cooling down his body.
"Are you alright mate?" Ron asked worriedly as he sat down on the edge of Harry's bed.
"It's October 31st." Harry said rubbing his eyes and running his hands over his scar.
"Wha-oh." A shadow passed over Ron's face as he remembered the significance of the date to his friend. He awkwardly rested a hand on Harry's back as the latter put his face in his hands.
"I'm fine." Harry said and hurried into the bathroom leaving Ron.
At breakfast Harry was quiet and didn't eat much despite Ron and Hermione's pushing. As they were finishing up, Blaise and Pansy showed up with an annoyed looking Malfoy trapped between them. He seemed uncomfortable and avoided the curious eyes of the students.
"Hey Potter did you have some dragon tartare last night? You look even worse than usual." Blaise said with a cocky grin on his face.
Harry just shrugged and stood up, leaving behind his mostly untouched plate and started out. He had barely taken ten steps when Malfoy fell into step next to him but glared back at Blaise who seemed to have pushed him forward. Blaise just shrugged with an innocent expression on his proud features. Malfoy had been looking back while walking had to serve to the left to avoid walking into the doorway of the Great Hall and walked straight into Harry who was knocked out of his thoughts as he had to grab Malfoy's arm so he didn't fall. The whole group halted and it seemed like the Great Hall had fallen completely silent. Looking up, Harry met Malfoy's grey eyes which seemed unable to break contact with his own green ones. He was acutely aware of Malfoy's hand on his waist and his own hand still clutching Malfoy's arm. Someone coughed, both boys jumped and let go of each other while looking anywhere but at each other or their friends.
"Well that was sufficiently awkward." Blaise commented while giving Malfoy another push so he would start walking again. Next to Blaise, Ron did the same. The six walked through the entrance hall out to the grounds before Hermione tried to breach the silence by talking about homework. Harry tuned her out and felt his thoughts wander back towards the fateful night 17 years ago when a prophecy was fulfilled which marked him forever and led to the death of his parents.
Once inside the greenhouse, Harry tried to distance himself from the rest of his talkative classmates but he was still followed by Ron and Hermione. Luckily Professor Sprout walked in and started class before they could ask him any questions; he wasn't in the mood to talk. During double herbology they were harvesting and pruning Moon Sickle, whose petals were used in potions but which were lethally poisonous and delicate so had to be handled with extreme care. It was a taxing lesson and didn't leave much time for talking.
After herbology it was time for lunch which Harry decided to skip for a shower instead as well as more alone time. During his free period after lunch Harry walked around the lake and settled down at the same bank he had fought the dementors over four years ago. He pulled out the photo album Hagrid had given him back in first year. After the war he had looked through it almost every day and taped in some more photos including one of Tonks, Lupin, and newborn Teddy (in which Teddy's tufts of hair kept changing color while Tonks and Lupin smiled and look at him and each other lovingly) and an image of the four marauders arm in arm in front of the castle. On one of the last pages was an image of the original Order of the Phoenix; under it Harry had taped a picture of Dumbledore's Army. His heart felt heavier when he saw the twins with their arms around each other, Fred's smile lighting up his face, and Lavender Brown giggling with Parvati. Harry closed the album and walked slowly back to school. He hadn't realized he had been out for long but when he arrived in transfiguration Professor McGonagall had already started the lesson. The only free spot in the room was between Malfoy and Ron, both of whom were pointedly not looking at each other. Malfoy was taking notes and Ron was doodling something on his parchment that looked suspiciously like a boy (who strongly resembled Malfoy) rolling around in pain in front of a hippogriff. Harry sat down between them concentrating on pulling out his parchment, quill, and ink, and placing them on his desk.
"Where were you?!" Ron leaned closer to ask Harry. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Malfoy stop writing and glance over at him. Harry just shrugged and pretended to take notes. Ron continued to look worried and question Harry throughout the lesson but was told off by McGonagall. On his right, the slytherins were quiet.
After class Harry went back to his dormitory, dropped off his bag but picked up his invisibility cloak. He slowly made his way down to the dungeons where Slughorn was patiently waiting for him to start Potions Club.
"Harry m'boy!" Better than late than never! Come in and sit down, we were just getting started." Slughorn clapped Harry jovially on the back completely oblivious to the latter's less than enthusiastic demeanor.
Harry sat down at a table across from Malfoy.
"Well we finally have everyone here today so we are going to start liquid Moonshine potion. This potion will require ingredients to be picked under the full moon and new moon. So this Friday we will be meeting in the entrance hall and make sure to wear warm cloaks as it's getting cold already. Today however we will be preparing these special cauldrons," Slughorn held up five very fragile looking gray cauldrons, "You will be in pairs and prepare a tincture which you will spread on the cauldrons. This will be made from crushed Moon Sickle petals so be very careful as these can cause your skin to fall off if you come in contact with the juice. Once prepared make sure to cover both sides of the cauldron evenly. When we place them under the light of the full moon, the covering will become solid and become a coating which is necessary for brewing the actual potion. Instructions are on the board, remember to be careful with the Moon Sickle petals!"
Harry signed but picked up one of the cauldrons and place it in the center of the table. Malfoy returned with the ingredients. Harry watched him blankly as he pulled on protective gloves and place ten Moon Sickle petals into a town and began to crush them with a mortar. When Harry continued to stare blankly, Malfoy glared at him, "Why don't you make yourself for once and help?"
Harry glared halfheartedly back but stood up and began to listlessly scoop up some silver powder and throw it in an empty bowl. Almost at once Malfoy's hand reached out and closed on Harry's wrist, "Not that much Potter!"
"Is he bothering you Potter?" An unfamiliar Ravenclaw had come over and pushed Malfoy away from Harry. The bowl with the crushed Moon Sickle petals fell to the ground and broke, the juice seeping out towards the shoes of the Ravenclaw. Malfoy and the Ravenclaw were glaring at each other with their hands on their wands.
"No he's not." Harry said which brought the attention back on him.
"What's going on here boys, not fighting are we?" Slughorn asked. All boys shook their heads and Malfoy took to staring at his shoes.
"Good, clean up this mess and continue working then." Slughorn turned his back to leave and the Ravenclaw boy elbowed Malfoy harshly in the side.
"You could join my group if you like Potter, you don't have to work with the Death Eater."
Harry raised his eyebrow, "I would still rather work with him than with someone like you."
The Ravenclaw boy looked surprised to hear this but wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with the Boy Who Lived and went back to his table and whispered furiously with his friends.
"Reparo." Harry pointed his wand at the shards on the ground which sprang back together into a bowl while Malfoy vanished the dirty crushed petals and got fresh ones. A shout came from the other side of the room, it appeared the rude Ravenclaw boy had come in contact with the Moon Sickle poison and was now screaming in pain while clutching his feet. His two friends went with him while Slughorn urged them all to be careful again. Harry pulled himself together and worked on mixing together the various ingredients paying careful attention this time so when Malfoy came back and looked over Harry's shoulder at the mixture he didn't scowl but nodded in acknowledgment.
Both worked in silence for a few minutes until it was time to mix the two; Harry took a step back and let Malfoy do the work. Both watched as the tincture became smooth and shone bright silver under Malfoy's consistent and careful stirring. Harry slipped on his protective gloves and grabbed two black paintbrushes, the bristles seemed to be made with thestral hair and were quite soft. He handed one to Malfoy who had finished stirring the tincture. Both dipped their brushes into the mixture and attempted to paint the cauldron. For Harry it proved to be difficult as he kept dropping the mixture on the table or he put too much on the cauldron and it would drip down forming bumps.
"Not so much Potter just take a little bit at a time." The irritation showed through Malfoy's voice. Of course his side of the cauldron looked perfect with no gaps and completely smooth; he was nearly done too while Harry kept having to go back and fix the globs of mixture before they dried completely. Malfoy sighed exasperatedly but walked around the table until he was next to Harry and began fixing his mistakes. This left Harry little room to work without elbowing Malfoy in the side so his movements because smaller but somehow even messier much to Malfoy's displeasure. Harry couldn't help his thoughts wandering elsewhere and he nearly knocked over the cauldron.
"Careful boys!" Slughorn said hurrying by levitating two finished cauldrons in front of him. "And remember to mark you cauldrons when you have finished them."
"Let's hurry Potter, I don't want to miss the feast."
"I do." Harry said quietly but Malfoy heard him and stared at him. Harry finally finished his side and started working on the inside of the cauldron. This proved to be even more difficult as it was harder to access. Both boys continued to work in silence, with Malfoy correcting Harry's mistakes, until both sides of the cauldron shone and sparkled silver. Malfoy pointed his wand at the cauldron to levitate it and turn it over then looked pointedly at Harry who caught on and raised his own wand. He carefully carved the initials HJP & DLM into the bottom of the cauldron.
Malfoy levitated the cauldron onto the table in the back of the classroom and both boys cleaned up their station and left the classroom. As they walked up the stairs into the entrance hall Malfoy started to walk towards the Great Hall but stopped when he realized that Harry was no longer walking next to him but was instead walking up the stairs towards the rest of the school.
"Where are you going?" Malfoy called after him but Harry ignored him and kept walking. The hallways were still full of people heading down to the Halloween Feast and giving him strange looks for going the opposite direction. Harry ducked into a corner and pulled on his invisibility cloak to avoid all the stares. This way he made it all the way to the astronomy tower unnoticed. Once there he removed the cloak since he didn't need to anymore and walked, without realizing it, towards the exact spot where Albus Dumbledore had died. Just standing there and looking down brought back the image of the long, slender body falling over the edge and the feeling of abandonment at the death of his mentor. Breathing heavily Harry moved away from the edge of the tower and sat down in the middle.
He knew he had much to be thankful for but he couldn't help mourning the deaths of his parents, Dumbledore, Sirius, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Lavender, Colin, and all the others who had meant something to him. Though he still had his two best friends he couldn't help but distance himself sometimes when all the memories came up. Harry had never learned to grieve properly he supposed and his wandless/unintentional magic could still act up.
Harry had no idea how long he sat there wrapped up in his thoughts when quiet footsteps behind him told him he wasn't alone anymore. He stood up quickly and wiped his face barely surprised to find it was slightly wet and salty. When he turned around he expected to see Hermione, Ron, Ginny, or even Luna but not Malfoy. Yet there he stood, his skin as pale as the moon above them. He wasn't laughing at seeing Harry in a vulnerable state and Harry remembered that the tower held uncomfortable memories for Malfoy as well. Harry turned back around and walked to the edge again where he leaned against it and looked out at the grounds and the stars. A few seconds later Malfoy had joined him.
Both boys were silent for a few minutes before Harry decided to break the silence; "17 years ago on Halloween-" He began.
"Voldemort broke into your house and murdered your parents." Malfoy said a bit matter-of-factly without even looking at him.
"Yeah…." Harry said not bothering to ask how he knew, by now at least ten biographies had been printed about his life, all the authors claiming to know him personally and while many things were false, at least the main facts were true in each.
"So the holiday holds bad memories for you." Harry just nodded. "But…didn't the Golden Trio form the Halloween of first year?" This time Harry was surprised that Malfoy knew that and that he was right. He nodded slowly.
"You can't shut yourself out from your friends at times like these Harry, you need their support and they want to be there for you."
Harry frowned, "Did Hermione tell you to say that?"
A slight smile appeared on Malfoy's face. "She might have. But I will say that I agree with Muggleborn, she has her priorities straight."
Harry couldn't help but smile a bit too at the measures Hermione took to get her way. He started to head back down but had to ask, "So where are you here?"
Malfoy had still been looking at the stars but met his gaze quickly before looking away again and walking towards the exit. "I wanted to talk to you." He said stiffly.
Harry must have showed his skepticism on his face as he walked next to him because Malfoy sighed, "It'll be in the Prophet tomorrow anyway, my mom sent me a letter at dinner that my father just died in Azkaban." Slight pause. "Don't look at me like that Potter, I don't need your pity. I know he wasn't a good person nor was he a good father. At dinner your friends started pestering me to talk to you so I escaped to here to be alone but you were already here."
"You could have left." Harry pointed out.
"Your company isn't that bad Potter."
By now they had reached a seventh floor landing where Ron, Hermione, Pansy, and Blaise were waiting for them.
"Harry! We were looking all over for you, are you alright? I'm so sorry if we've been pestering you all day and you just wanted to be alone but you know we have been and always will be there for you! And-" She had to stop there because Harry went over and gave her a bug hug while Ron patted him on the back. Harry glanced over his shoulder at Malfoy and mouthed "thank you". He nodded and walked away with Blaise and Pansy.
The Golden Trio continued to hug for a while until Ron broke free and pulled something out of his robes, "Just in case you're hungry." Harry looked down and smiled; Ron had snuck him out a pumpkin cupcake with a fluttering bat on it and a treacle tart with a dancing skeleton on it. Just looking at the desserts made Harry's stomach growl, he had forgotten he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
They walked back to the eighth year common room, Harry munching all the way. He realized just how late it was that when they reached the common room it was that the common room was almost empty save for some Ravenclaws dutifully studying and in the back corner Malfoy was sitting with his head in his hands with Blaise and Pansy on either side of him. The sight made Harry drop his yet untouched treacle tart. Malfoy didn't seem to be crying but his usual facade had dropped. Before he realized what he was doing, he had walked over to where the Slytherins were sitting. Pansy saw him moved over so there was a small space between her and Malfoy. Harry squeezed in and Malfoy didn't even look up until Harry held him his treacle tart under his nose. He looked at Harry with an uncertain expression but then took the tart and muttered a quiet "thanks". Hermione sat down next to Blaise while Ron tried to balance awkwardly on the arm of the sofa. The soda was meant for three people maximum so Pansy's elbow was digging into Harry's side and he could feel Malfoy's sharp hipbone on his other side; the treacle tart would do him well. It wasn't precisely comfortable to be sandwiched inbetween two Slytherins he had once hated but it wasn't horrible either. Malfoy had his head in his hands again which cause his robes to slide back a bit exposing part of the Dark Mark still burned on his left arm. Harry couldn't help staring at it until Pansy slapped his own arm loudly. The noise brought Malfoy out of his reverie as well.
"We should go to bed, it's late." Hermione remarked quietly. Slowly they got up one by one, Malfoy and Harry being the last two.
"Potter?"
"Yeah?" Harry turned towards him.
Malfoy-Draco took a step closer and hugged Harry briefly before walking towards his dormitory. Harry stood there for a second more, a little stunned, before going to his dormitory as well, he wasn't sure exactly what had just happened but knew it would change his relationship with Draco.