CHAPTER FIVE: True Friends, Real Trust

A/N: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter. Little magic is used and homosexuality, violence, rape and language are used. Don't like it? Don't read it. You've been warned.

When Harry got back to the common room, he found Hermione and Ron waiting for him. He knew they were going to ask where he was and he hasn't thought of a good enough excuse yet to tell them as to his whereabouts. Hermione, is beautiful however…she's not Ron's type and he isn't her type. She deserves someone more respectful and smarter. Although Ron is Harry's best friend and he knows it seems shallow to put it in those exact terms, but it's the truth.

'I'm a very blunt and outspoken person,' he thought to himself. 'Why is it that I could never get truly mad at an enemy yet I can get truly angry and upset with my friends? Maybe because they'll always be there and it's healthy to get mad at the people you love the most."

"Where were you?" asked Hermione, noticing that Harry looked rather happy than usual.

"Oh…talking to Dumbledore about teaching some new classes." he said, quickly trying to cover up his lie.

"Really? Which one?" Harry could tell she was excited more than anyone else in the common room. Her face almost made him feel guilty. (Almost.)

"Uh, new class. He hasn't told me yet."

"But you said you were just talking to him about it."

"Yeah well, you know old Dumbledore…the old man can barely remember his time schedule in the mornings…heh, never know what he'll forget next, right Ron?"

"Yeah, sure Harry." Barely acknowledging his best friend's existence or the fact that he had even said anything in the first place. (But at least he agreed with Harry.)

"You'll have to let us know once you find more out! That's great, Harry! Congratulations!"

"Heh, thanks…"

When the three went to the Great Hall for dinner, Harry saw Draco from across their usual table with his two idiotic companions. He saw Harry staring at him and he stared back with somewhat of a smile or a smirk.

'There is something different in his eyes,' Harry thought, 'something I've never seen before…Vulnerability? No. God, he's beautiful.' Harry hadn't realized his friends had been staring at him while he was staring at his newly acquainted lover for five straight minutes.

"He's gorgeous," Harry said out loud on accident.

"H-Harry? Who do you mean?" asks Hermione.

"Uh, nobody. Just…thinking out loud. You know how horrible I am with that." He began hitting his head with a book saying, "Inside thoughts Harry, need to stay inside!"

"Is everything okay with you? You've been acting sort of strange lately…Have you got a new girlfriend you're not telling us about?" Hermione inquires.

"Does it have something to do with that letter Malfoy gave you earlier saying it was from Snape?" asks Ron and suddenly, even though it took a second for what he said to sink in, Harry's heart stopped for two seconds.

"What letter? I didn't hear anything about a letter. Harry, Ron, what letter? Don't leave me in the dark about this!" He suddenly mustered up a story inside his head in less than three seconds.

"Snape wrote to me about a new course they are bringing into Hogwarts and that's what I was talking to Dumbledore about…we were deciding on what course it should be and that I would be best for the job to teach it…we just aren't sure what it will be yet and no, I do not have a girlfriend. Even if I did, it'd be none of your business."

"Ron! Look at Harry! He's blushing!" she yells.

"I am not…I'm just…yeah I'm blushing."

"You have to fill me in on it if things get serious," she says.

"Yup, I will."

"Harry…" Ron begins, "do you think you could use any assistance teaching your class? I'm sure I'd be a good pick because then I can boss Malfoy around." Harry began to feel his neck heating up in fear of them finding out about his romance with Draco but he was mostly annoyed and frustrated with his troubled friend.

"Ha, yeah…that'd be a laugh, wouldn't it? I'll talk to Dumbledore about it." Harry replied.

"Thanks. Let me know what he says. If I can boss Malfoy around, can I make a few of the lesson plans and make him do embarrassing things?"

"Oh well Ron…let's not get ahead of ourselves now shall we?"

"But Harry, you already said you not only have spoken with Snape but also Dumbledore." Hermione protested.

"Yeah but nothing has been decided yet. Look, I'll let you know when I know myself, okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my journal." He said and excused himself for the night. Harry has never felt more ecstatic about a relationship in his life. For once, he felt happy and confident that this would actually get somewhere.

'Maybe I should tell Hermione at least to get a second opinion on it seeing as I haven't told anyone…besides, I'd like to flaunt our relationship a little bit around my two best friends. I know Ron wouldn't approve of it but he could at least try to understand how I'm feeling.' he thought and with that possibility still in his head, he turned around back to the Great Hall and found Hermione yet again.

"Back so soon?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you about something very important."

"What do you need to talk to Hermione about?" Ron questioned.

"It's nothing bad, I just need some homework help."

"Common room?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. We'll meet you in there, Ron." And with that, Harry and Hermione left him to eat the rest of his desert alone. 'He'll amuse himself. He won't come back to the common room till after everyone else leaves which wont be for another hour or so.'

After a long walk back, they finally enter the common room and Harry's heart is pounding incredibly hard and he knew she'd be the only other person happy for his relationship with Draco. He turns to her with a huge smile across his face.

"What are you so happy about, Harry?" she asked in a lighthearted laugh.

"I'm in a relationship with somebody. And…it is getting somewhat serious."

"Why don't you want to say this in front of Ron?"

"He wouldn't approve of the person I'm dating or the gender that I'm dating." This confused her and her look of puzzlement made Harry wonder if his decision to tell her was a good one or not.

'Am I making a mistake by telling her? Should I just ignore it and tell her to forget it? No. It's too late now. She'll know by the end of the week if I don't fess up.'

"Hermione…I'm dating another guy, not a girl."

"Okay?" she asks still puzzled, "what's your point?"

"Well, Ron is somewhat homophobic. I already know that and let alone, the person I'm dating isn't someone either of you would approve of."

"Who is it?"

"Before I tell you, I need to let you know that Hermione," I lowered my voice in a happy and excited tone, "I feel happy for once in my life, I feel happy with the way things are going! This has never happened to me before! I think I'm falling for him really hard! So please…when I tell you, you must be understanding about it, okay? Do you promise?"

"I swear on Dumbledore's life."

"I'm dating Malfoy…Draco."

"S-Say what?"

"I'm dating Draco Malfoy and I'm happy!"

"Yeah…I can understand you're happy and I'm happy for you but…are you sure he likes you for who you are and not just to get something he may want from you?"

"You can't let me enjoy anything, can you? No wonder Ron doesn't tell you anything anymore."

"That's not true!" she squeals in a high-pitched note, "My boyfriend tells me everything! Besides…he's not homophobic. He just doesn't understand it. All I'm saying Harry is…Be careful. Don't be stupid and believe everything he tells you. I'm happy for you and if you're truly happy with him then I'm happy for you. If anything I want you to be happy. I'd just prefer it not be with him but if that's what you want…then by all means, don't let me or Ron or anyone else in this school stand in your way. Good luck with everything and try to get to know him better."

"Thanks Hermione," he said in a grateful tone of voice, "and please don't tell Ron yet. I'm just not ready to say anything to him."

"I won't say anything Harry, I promise."

Harry knew he'd sleep better that night and then tomorrow he will be snuggling up to his guy under the stars and watching the sky. (It sounds junior high school but Harry enjoyed the thought of being able to cuddle up to someone without fear of getting hurt.) 'He wouldn't hurt me' Harry thought, 'I know he wouldn't.'