Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters within! It's all J.K. Rowling's! It is quite fun to mess around with their brains though.

Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP (disregards other books)

Pairing: Draco/Harry

Warnings: Possible language, violence, a bit of a depressed Harry, OOC-ness, some romance, some fluff, some angst (just for fun), AU (nothing from book six or beyond)

A/N: Well…it's been what, five years since I last updated this story? Man I apologize. I'm not a big time writer, but that's really lame. What with the coming of the final HP film I suddenly got this impulse to finish writing this story. Hopefully I can make it half decent or something…we'll see where this takes me. Anyway, I'm sort of planning to really get this going this summer. I've also noticed the formatting in the earlier chapters has somehow removed all of my section breaks, making parts of it very difficult to read…I'll go about fixing that soon as well. Once again sorry for the huge wait for anyone who's actually stuck with it this long!

Beautiful in the Moonlight – Chapter 03

Draco stood on platform 9 3/4s looking off into the distance. He'd arrived early. Three hours early actually, blast his mother. She'd dropped him off and scurried away to 'mingle with some friends' with no more than a pat on his back. So much for loving support in his time of need. The train hadn't even arrived yet for Pete's sake! So here Draco stood, with nothing better to do than work himself up about his very near future. Where was Pansy when you needed her?

"Good morning, Draco."

"Gah!" Draco whipped around to see none other than Pansy Parkinson snickering at him. She looked him up and down then reached out to flatten his hair.

"You look despicable Draco! Your hair is in shambles!"

"What the hell Pansy, it's rather rude of you to sneak up on me like that. Why are you here so early? And I do NOT look despicable, I never look despicable," Draco stood up straight and madly flattened his hair down. He then noticed the wrinkled state of his robes and proceeded to straighten those as well. He most certainly wasn't blushing at all.

Pansy merely raised her eyebrow at him, "I'm not early Draco, love, the train leaves in ten minutes."

"What?" Draco turned, eyes wide, and sure enough, there was the train, ready and waiting. Pansy laughed, and walked towards one of the doors.

"Hurry up Draco, wouldn't want to be late! Oh and when we get inside, you're going to tell me all about what had your panties in a bunch," Pansy smirked evilly at him and continued in.

Draco, his jaw nearly on the pavement in shock, merely sputtered out loudly,

"I do NOT wear panties!"

Gregory Goyle liked having friends. Above all else he was loyal to them. The sorting hat hadn't wanted to put him in Slytherin, a whispered suggestion of Hufflepuff had been mentioned, but Vincent and Draco were his only friends back then and he was determined not to be separated. Not to mention his father would have most definitely killed him on their next meeting. Yes, Slytherin was definitely the better choice, and the hat understood.

So when Draco tumbled into his and Vince's compartment on the train that day he knew that he had to help. Draco's hair had never been in that state before, not publicly most certainly. Gregory wasn't the smartest in his class by any means, but he knew when his friends were troubled. Draco all but fell into the seat next to him, while Pansy sat across the row next to Vince.

After a brief mumbling about 'panties', Pansy spoke up.

"So tell me Draco, what on Earth is troubling you?"

To Gregory's shock, Draco didn't answer right away. If possible his face merely went a shade redder and his right eye twitched a bit. For someone who usually had an astounding way with words, this was quite different. Suddenly, right when it looked like Draco's face might explode, he burst out,

"I'm in love!"

Draco's eyes, which were shut while saying this slowly opened to find three completely blank faces looking back at him.

"That's it? No shocked looks? No invasive questions? Nothing at all?" Draco asked quickly.

"I'm not shocked. In fact, I rather expected it, you were so dazed this morning out there. Tell me though, who is it?" Pansy's face practically lit up with glee. She was far too mushy for her own good. Draco wanted nothing more than to run away, but he'd come this far, and he needed her help.

"err...P-Potter...well that is to say, his name, could be, similar to that, possibly,"

"Draco Malfoy, are you stuttering?" Pansy asked with the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face.

Draco looked completely horrified,

"I am absolutely, under no circumstances, stuttering! Are you mad? Malfoys don't stutter! You senile woman!"

"Oh Draco, this is true love! It's perfect! Love between rivals, a joining of the houses of Hogwarts! The Malfoy family reconciles with the Potter family! Have you told him?" She reached over and grasped his hands tightly.

"Are you mad? Gods no! I can't TELL him. He hates me! His friends hate me! And I don't stutter! Let go of me!" Pansy's grip on him merely tightened and her eyes became more frightening.

"Don't worry Draco, I have a plan!"

In that moment, Gregory discovered for the first time that Draco was a metamorphmagus. That was the only explanation for the speed at which Draco's face drained of all colour.

Pansy practically dragged Draco from his seat and pulled him past the compartments.

"Pansy! What in the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Obviously Draco, we're going to Potter's compartment," she stated easily as she whisked them around the candy cart and past a group of curious first years.

"What? Let go of me, take me back, Paaaansy!"

"Oh Draco, you'll never get anywhere with love if you don't take some initiative!"

"Actually, Pansy, come to think of it, I've changed my mind. There, you see, I'm not in love anymore. Let's go back," Draco sighed in relief when she finally let go of his arm only to find himself facing the point of a wand followed by a blast of yellow light.

Draco's face immediately formed a stricken sort of smile and a feeling of relative happiness washed over him.

"Oh, hmm. Pansy what did you do to me? I feel rather well despite my current troubles."

"A simple cheering charm. You were getting far too overemotional for even me. Oh look, there's Granger, perfect! Go on!" Pansy shoved him in the general direction of the intelligent witch and leaned against the wall to watch the drama unfold.

Hermione Granger had not had a good day so far. For the past several summers she'd looked forward to that day signalling both the end of her summer vacation with her parents, and the start of her year back at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The train ride back to school was undoubtedly Hermione's favourite day of the year. After all, she lived to learn, and there was the added bonus of actually having friends while doing so. Unfortunately, fate didn't seem to want her to enjoy today.

Ever since Hermione had met Ron and Harry on platform 9 3/4s something had been terribly off. Harry was quieter, more so than usual even. He kept his eyes suspiciously lowered. She thought it had been strange when he'd turned down the offer to stay at the Burrow, but this was downright weird. On top of Harry's weirdness she could have sworn Ron was watching her constantly, but every time she turned to glance his head was mysteriously pointing the other way. The redness of his ears didn't escape her eyes either. It was all quite unusual. After ten minutes of unsuccessfully trying to hold a conversation with her two useless friends about who might be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year Hermione had had enough. She huffed loudly and excused herself from the compartment with the excuse of changing into her robes.

Not halfway down the train car Hermione noticed a tall figure, none other than Draco Malfoy blocking her path. She placed a scowl on her face, but when she saw that rather awkward grin (or was it a grimace?) on his altogether too pointy face directed at her, her eyes squeezed into no more than two tiny slits. And then he actually spoke to her!

"Ah, Granger, just the witch I was looking for! How about a little chat, scholar to scholar?"

Was that supposed to be a smile? Hermione took that opportunity to turn right back to her compartment. She'd prefer the company of her two useless friends over this bullshit any day, pardon her French.

Draco watched Granger's retreating back with an unusual sort of happiness. The initial insult he had meant to say to her had somehow disappeared along with all his nerves. Draco merely giggled slightly and turned back to Pansy,

"Well that didn't go exactly as planned, shame really. I'm sure we could have had quite the chat!"

Pansy noticed the small crowd that was gathering around them and decided she'd better put things in action and once again grabbed Draco by his robes and dragged him after the Granger girl. When they reached the golden trio's compartment she whipped open the door to three startled faces. Draco took a moment to notice Harry was reading an old potions book. That was rather attractive now wasn't it? It was Weasley who spoke up first,

"What the hell are you doing? Get out of here!"

"All in due time Weasley, Draco dearest here needs to have a conversation with Granger, and regrettably you as well, and I need to borrow Potter for but a moment," Before anyone could act Pansy grabbed Potter's arm and pulled him out so swiftly that he dropped his book and nearly lost his glasses, then shoved Draco in and shut the door, but not before taking his wand.

Draco practically stumbled over his robes but happily caught his balance, then took the empty seat that Potter had vacated. He turned his grinning face on Granger next,

"Ah, Granger, looks like we can have that scholarly chat after all!"

"Bugger off Malfoy, get out of here before I curse you out!" Weasley pulled his wand out of his robes and started waving it. Mid cast the Granger girl caught his arm.

"Ron, stop. The least we can do is listen to what he has to say," she turned her head to look at Draco with a seething glare.

"Smashing reflexes Granger!" Draco's grin grew impossibly larger.

Weasley looked at him with disgust,

"What the hell's wrong with him?"

Granger looked at Draco's smiling face and altogether tired with his creepiness pointed her wand at him,

"Finite Incantatum!"

Draco was suddenly overcome with a feeling of absolute dread. His face sank even more when he realised Pansy had nicked his wand. After a quick glance at both Weasley and Granger, he made a mad dash for the door.

"Colloportus!"

The cabin door suddenly sealed shut with a sickeningly wet sound and Draco found himself stuck. Curse that Granger girl and her knowledge of spells! He turned around facing two wands and two equally frightening faces,

"Tells us what this is all about, Malfoy."

Draco resigned himself to telling them the truth, after all, Granger could be a menacing bitch.

Harry hadn't really planned on socializing with anyone on his trip back to Hogwarts. He most certainly hadn't planned on talking to that pug nose Parkinson, let alone the two goons he now sat in between. Pansy was certainly stronger than she looked. Before he could whisk out his wand he'd found himself seated between Crabbe and Goyle and facing her. Certainly outnumbered, he knew better than to try and fight his way out.

"Good day, Potter," she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"..."

"Nice weather we're having," she blinked, and he could have sworn he heard some kind of acknowledgement come from the thug on his left. Goyle? Or was it Crabbe? Harry mentally kicked himself for dropping his book.

"You WHAT?"

"I thought it was actually rather clear..."

"Bullshit! Hermione, this has got to be some stupid plan of his-"

"Hold on, hold on...let me think," Hermione in all her years had never received such a shock before. The almighty Draco Malfoy was actually stating he was in love, with Harry no less. There was no way this could possibly be true. But then, she had seen the fear in his eyes when she'd lifted the cheering charm. He hadn't wanted to confess. And she saw nothing but truth when he spoke now. He was good at lying, but not THAT good.

Hermione was conflicted. Malfoy was a dick, there was no denying that. And he didn't deserve Harry. Not. At. All. But Harry...he'd been so strange lately. She couldn't deny something was wrong. He was unhappy, depressed even. Maybe just maybe he could actually find love here. She scoffed at the idea. No, that was totally impossible. Harry would never fall for Malfoy. But, if he did, that would be a great asset to the side of the light. Malfoys were all about family. In that moment she made up her mind.

"All right Malfoy, we'll help you."

"'Mione are you crazy?"

Maybe she was.

A/N: Well, this is actually the longest chapter yet I think! Hopefully a good sign. I'm determined to finish this fic! No matter how long it takes! As always, comments and CC always welcome