A/N: Hope you like this chapter, I have tried to keep the mistakes down is this one, please tell me if there are any as always.

There is quite a lot of things in this chapter about stuff that has happened in the past books if there are any factual mistakes please tell me but I don't think there are any...

Sorry about the length if you think it's too long, I think it's the longest one I have written and I hope you like it.

Thank you once again for all your reviews! I really appreciate them.

Song: Why don't you and I – Nickelback. The original is from Santana I think but I have the Nickelback version I don't know if it is any of their albums but it's a good song I have been wanting to include it in this story for ages.

Enjoy.


What was he doing? Draco was in his room watching as his snitch fly round. Draco had been at Hogwarts for the past few days almost alone; very few students had stayed this year. A couple of younger Slytherins had stayed as their parents were either dead or in Azkaban, one Ravenclaw had stayed as their parents had been killed during the lead up to the war and two Gryffindors had stayed as their parents were abroad visiting other family. All the students were younger than Draco by a couple of years and even if they were the same age he doubted that he would be welcome to befriend any of them. The Slytherins thought of Draco as a traitor and the others considered him a murderer. So he was confined to his room for most of the day or walked around the halls alone with no one to talk to; in fact Draco could not remember the last time he had actually spoken.

His goodbye's at the Burrow had been complicated. Mrs. Weasley had given him a slightly stiff hug and told him that he was welcome to come again if he so choose, Mr. Weasley was slightly more tight lipped that her; his past relationship with Lucius had not eased the feelings between them; but even so he was able to wish him a pleasant end of the holidays. Out of the Weasley children Ron was unsurprisingly the least sad to see him go, the others shook his hand and said that they would see him soon enough; which had Draco rather worried about what they meant. Ginny had smiled at him warmly and told him to use his time wisely over the next few days with a knowing wink; he was starting to think that girl was trying to encourage him and his relationship with Harry. And Harry, the awkwardness behind the goodbye had been well...awkward; neither had said much and both parted with a slightly stiff hand shake whilst being waved off by the Weasley's.

When Draco had arrived back to him room he had found his Christmas presents from his Mother there waiting for him, he did not expect anything else all his other relatives were either dead, disowned, or in prison. He had received the usual gifts from her, new clothes, potion books, pairs of cufflinks, and a large sum of money to spend as he wished. What did it matter anyway he was in charge of the majority of the Malfoy vaults anyway as his father was away in Azkaban.

He pushed himself up off the bed and replaced the snitch in the small box on the bedside table where he kept it taking it out sometimes to watch for amusement. Tomorrow was the January 2nd the start of term and Draco was dreading it! He and Harry had not talked since they parted at the Burrow. What was he going to say to him? What if Harry had finished figuring everything between them out and wanted to talk about it?

Draco for the past week had tried to avoid his feelings, but sometimes had also tried to sort out his feelings too. He had decided that he and Harry were undeniably friends, and Draco was attracted to him as was Harry seemly was to him, but there was more. Draco kept getting a nagging feeling in the back of his head that there was something more to how they both felt. This was the point of thinking that Draco would abandon it at hopping that he could just avoid all of this for now. So here he was now hours away from Harry's arrival back at school and then he would have to face up to everything that he had been trying to hide from. Draco groaned in annoyance. He could avoid Harry for the first two days, but when classed resumed on the 4th he could not avoid seeing Harry, as they both had lesions together. It was frustrating to say the least.

He walked over to his desk were a letter was sitting on the top of parchment. Draco held it up and read it for about the hundredth time in the past few days.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I am pleased to inform you that we have accepted your letter of application and would be privileged to offer you a place for legal training. Further information about the course and options for studying will be sent to you at a later date.

Yours Sincerely,

Thomas Lee, legal attorney.

So that was it. Draco thought reading the letter again. This was his life all planed out and sorted in front of him; he was to play Quidditch and train to be lawyer on the side, everything was agreed and sorted, everything that was but his personal life. Why was it that everything that he did ended up with him thinking about Harry, this was not healthy! What would people say when they find out about their relationship, a Death Eater and the Boy Who Lived, the Prophet would probably have a field day and run some story about Draco trying to follow in the Dark Lords footsteps and using Harry to do so.

Draco took one last look around his room before grabbing his winter cloak and walking out of his room and into the darkened grounds; the snow crunching softly under his feet. He walked over to the white tomb that seemed to melt in with the surrounding snow. Draco stood in front of the tomb for the first time since he returned back, it was nearly curfew but he didn't care he doubted many people would care either only Filch who he could avoid easily enough after seven years of perfecting the art of sneaking around after hours.

"What am I going to do?" Draco asked the tomb running his hands though his hair feeling slightly stupid. "I want to be with Harry but I don't think it will work, the whole world must be against us. How do I deal with that, I can barely deal with what is going on now. My father is in Azkaban, my mother is hiding out in France, I have no friends, no one that I can talk to except Harry and I don't even know why he's doing that. To be nice? Because he likes me? Because he understands? Or does he just feel guilty for the situation I am in? I spent the last few weeks in his company, in the company of Muggles then in the company of the Weasley's, this was not the Christmas that we agreed on and not the one I planned. What does he think that I renounced all my old ways? I may not believe that muggle-borns are as bad for our society as I believed before, and I may not believe that half-breeds should be as oppressed, but I also don't think they should have equal rights. Does he think that just because I have not seen my father since his imprisonment that I want to cut all ties to him? How is that going to work? Oh Harry I'm just going to see my father, you know the one who tried to murder you and your friends on countless occasions and supported the mad man that wanted you dead for the past 17 years. Oh and then that's not even starting on me, I may not have been able to kill him but I tired, I did. And then there's this mark on my arm that will forever show what I am," Draco chocked throat thickening as emotions swelled though him making his eyes prickle with tears "what I did, those muggles, the witches and wizards tortured, the people that died."

He collapsed on the floor in front of the tomb. "This is too much, no one will understand, I don't understand, how can he like someone like me, someone who is part for everything that he is against. I'm related to the one who took away his godfathers life. I served the one who took away his parents from him. How can he even look at me knowing that? Is that what he is trying to do? Pull me into a place where I feel secure and wanted before breaking me into pieces so I can feel one fraction of the pain that he feels?" Draco laughed bitterly. "No he wouldn't do that, he's the golden boy, the noble one, everything he does has no twisted motive behind it, he does it because he cares, and because he wants to." He sighed heavily and looked back up at the tomb. "Give me some sign of what I am meant to do! Something, anything!"

Draco waited there in the snow till he was soaked through from sitting on the floor; his bones were cold and his breathing heavy due to the coldness surrounding him. It was way past curfew but Draco didn't care he walked back up to the school though the night small tear tracks running down his pale face, mind numb and blank.


"So what are you going to say to Hermione?" Ron asked Harry as they sat in the compartment on the train waiting for Hermione to join them.

"About what?"

"About you and Malfoy, are you going to tell her what's going on or not?"

"No just yet, not till I know what's going on exactly." Harry ran his hands though his hair, it was a nervous habit that occurred every time he thought about Draco. He was glad that Ron and his brothers had kept what they knew about Draco's and Harry's new relationship secret it seemed to be bothering Ron a bit not knowing if his friend was going to date the boy that they had been united against in student rivalry since first year but he was thankfully trying not to show it around Harry who was grateful for it.

"How are you two?" Hermione asked opening the compartment door and entering.

"Good. How was your Christmas?" Ron said placing a small kiss on her cheek before dragging her to sit next to him.

"It was nice look what they got me." Hermione held out her wrist, it had a small silver bracelet on. "Isn't it lovely?"

"Erm, yeah it is."

"So Harry how was the house?"

"It looks wonderful you should both come and stay over the summer there for a bit."

"How's Kreature?"

"Happy, he's come back to Hogwarts during term time so he's not alone in the house. I think he likes having company."

"And why shouldn't he, he's been alone for so long it's rather sad to see him without anyone."

"Yeah I guess." Harry stared out the window as the train pulled away from the station and they started their journey towards Hogwarts.

"Did you do that essay for Professor Slughorn?"

"Yeah, what did you put down for the importance of the dragon blood?" asked Harry.

"That it was the agent of the potion that encouraged the combustion of the hornrose scales and the grass weed."

"I thought it stop the imbalance between them?"

"No it's to set them off from one another causing the other of ingredients to heat up from the combustion. Do you need me to read through your work before you hand it in Harry?"

"Please."

"Could you read through mine too, transfiguration had me totally lost."

"Sure, what would you two do without me?"

"Fail miserably?" Ron quipped back smiling sweetly at her causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

As they reached Hogwarts Harry jumped out of the carriages towed by the threstals before they had come to a standstill, he was jumpy and nervous at seeing Draco again.

"Harry where are you going?" Hermione shouted at him as he started to walk away towards the castle doors.

"I'm going to look for someone." With that he left without looking back.

Hermione stared opened mouthed bewildered by Harry's behaviour. "Who can be that important that he needs to jump out of the carriage the instant he sees the front doors?"

"No idea." Ron tried to school his face into one of indifference though he wasn't completely convinced that he managed to do so as Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to say something. "Oh hey there's Dean, let's go say hi." Ron jumped out the carriage and ran over to where Dean was standing by the entrance doors leaving Hermione sitting on her own opening and closing her mouth, confused and vowing to get to the bottom of what was going on. She hated not knowing what everyone else knew.

"Draco!" Draco turned around at the call of his name as did the handful of people who were sitting at the tables in the great hall starting on their dinner after the long train ride; swapping stories of their holidays. They all seemed rather shocked to see a breathless Harry Potter call over to Draco Malfoy and then proceed to walk quickly over to him and join him at the end of the Slytherin table.

"Potter." Draco said stiffly trying to ignore the stares that they were getting felling rather uncomfortable with the attention and not knowing what to say to Harry.

"How was the rest of your holiday?"

"Fine, yours?"

"A bit boring actually, I erm – I missed you." Harry grinned at Draco who just looked coolly back at Harry. The lack of response from Draco made Harry's gin slip slightly. "Anyway, I was wondering if you had thought anymore about what we talked about."

"What are you doing here?" A voice full of distaste spoke from behind Draco.

"Talking, you?" Harry glared back at Pansy Parkinson.

"You are not welcome here."

"Says who?"

"Us." She replied pulling out her wand, Blaise stood next to her cracking his knuckles. Harry looked up the table and saw the looks of hostility from the other older Slytherins faces.

"What still upset that I put daddy away?" Pansy's eyes flashed dangerously, Draco stood up and turned to leave. "Draco where are you going?" Blaise smirked.

"I think you touched a nerve there Potter." Harry glared at him before running out of the hall catching up to Draco who had walked out the front doors and had started to make his was towards the lake ignoring the calls of Hermione as he passed her on his way out.

"Draco! Hold up. Draco where are you going. What's wrong?" Harry reached out and touched Draco's arm as he walked across the snow an ugly sneer on his face.

"Leave me alone Potter." Draco spat at Harry ripping his arm out of Harry's grip.

"What! What's wrong?"

"You Potter, that's what's wrong!" Draco screamed at him stopping at the edge of the lake and tuning to glare at Harry.

"What have I done?"

"Oh nothing like always, you just opened your stupid mouth and said whatever you wanted disregarding the feelings of those around you."

"What do you mean disregarding feelings?"

"Never mind you just don't get it do you!"

"Get what?"

"This is why we could never be together, ever! It just would never work."

"It's not working because you won't tell me what's going on."

"My father okay!"

"What about him?" Harry asked looking around as if he was expecting to see him standing next to him.

"You put him away."

"He deserved it." Harry said bluntly not understanding why Draco was talking about this.

"Why."

"You know why."

"I know just tell me why."

"Erm – because he killed people, used the unforgivables, is a Death Eater and believed in oppressing people who were different."

"Does that not mean that I should be in prison too?" Harry was caught off guard by that statement not knowing what to say to it. "Well, don't I?"

"No, you never hurt anyone..."

"I tried to kill you, tried to use the unforgiviables, was a Death Eater and still believe in pure blood." Harry scoffed as Draco fixed him with an icy stare.

"How can you, after seeing what Voldemort has done."

"I don't believe in war, torture or killing, but I do think half-blood and magical creatures should not have the same rights as us and that muggle borns should not tell muggles about their powers."

"What about their parents and family, you would force them to give up their families just so they can learn about their abilities?"

"No but our world may be exposed and if it is we may be persecuted."

"Not all muggles are like that."

"Maybe not but it's not a good thing to chance, it's better that we live apart than together."

"So that's why we can't be together because of differing opinions?"

"It would never work!"

"Why!"

"What about my father how do you feel about my being related to him?"

"You're not him Draco."

"I know but he is still a part of my life, what is it that you said, you can't choose your family. No matter what he is still my father."

"I know but what do you want me to do about it not be with you because me and your father don't get on well!"

"No one would understand!" Draco screamed pointing at the castle. "Did you not see the faces of everyone in the hall, they all stared at us when you sat down shocked, and did you not hear the clatter die down. We got the attention of everyone in a room because you talked to me without insults and hatred."

"And?"

"What do you think they would do if we were together? The papers would be all over it, no one would understand, they think we hate each other, and we did, that is nothing to build, how can a relationship come out of that!"

"Why can't we just try!" pushed Harry.

"Because it's madness! It's insane! I don't even get what's going on." Draco moaned as he ran his hands though his hair causing it to stand on end slightly.

"Draco." Harry reached out for his shoulder trying to comfort the enraged boy.

"Don't." Draco said pushing Harry back hard causing him to stumble slightly.

"Draco."

"Just fuck off Harry."

"No, I thought about all of this, all the reasons that we shouldn't be together and I decided I didn't care."

"Oh that's lovely, Harry Potter has decided that he doesn't care about any of my faults, this means that we have to be together as Harry Potter the golden boy says it okay to do so as he doesn't care about the mark I have on my arm."

"You didn't want that!" Harry insisted anger growing at Draco's words.

"Yeah I didn't want it but I did it regardless."

"You did it to save your parents."

"And what would you know about that, you only know that because I told you that; you have believed every word that I have said no questions asked. You have no idea of parental love. Yours died before you could even talk and your allowed to pine for yours but mine, I knew them for my whole life and if I show that I am even the tiniest bit upset about my dad being imprisoned I am reminded that he was a raving lunatic with a thirst for muggle baiting."

"Fine have it your way! I like you Draco and I have tried to be your friend if nothing else and now you are rejecting me saying that it won't work before we have even tried. You are a coward Malfoy."

Draco's anger soared, memories of what he saw at the manor whilst in Voldemorts presence came flooding into his mind, the catcalls from the other Death Eaters when he couldn't raise his wand on the muggles, just sat there in horror. "Shut up!" Before he knew it his fist was flying towards Harry's face hitting the boy hard causing him to stumble to his right before righting himself and punching Draco back.

Before they knew it the boys were in a violent fist fight, students from the school were standing at the top of the hill watching as the two boys fought, Ron and Hermione standing at the front too shocked to go and stop the fight. Some of the students had followed Draco and Harry out of the hall and watched as they argued not able to hear much of their argument as they stayed far enough away not to be noticed by the two boys, eventually the other students joined them hearing that there was a fight between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

Draco pinned Harry under him and hit him again on the face breaking the boys glasses. Harry threw Draco off of him slamming him against the nearest tree. He felt hot liquid fill his mouth along with the taste of metal, blood. Harry drew his wand quickly and pointed at Draco. Draco reached for his wand.

"Mor-"

"Flipendo!" Draco shouted before Harry could finish, the force of his spell causing Harry to fly backward. Harry flew backwards his wand flew out of his hand, he landed on the frozen over lake hard. Harry pushed himself up and heard a crack. 'Shit' He thought before the ice broke and he hit the freezing water.

The students watched as Harry flew backwards and hit the lake, everyone gasped as he tried to pick himself up but ended up falling down into the darkness of the lake. "Move! Get out of the way!" McGonagall shouted pushing students out of her way. She gasped as she saw Harry fall into the water and started running over to the lake, Madame Pomfrey running behind her.

"Oh shit!" Draco said running to the lake all pain forgotten stripping off his outer robe. He ran towards the lake McGonagall and Pomfrey running towards him. Draco slipped as he stepped on the ice, going on to his hands and knees quickly pushing himself to where Harry had fallen under the ice as quickly as he could. "Harry! Harry!" He screamed worriedly searching the dark water for Harry who could not be seen. "Oh Merlin!" Draco said before he dived into the ice cold water head first muttering a quick spell on his eyes so that he would be able to see under the water. "Harry!" Draco screamed as he dove down and grabbed Harry's wrist who was trying to kick off the grindylows that had grabbed his ankles. Draco sent flames at them which caused them to let go. Draco kicked his legs trying to reach the surface the coldness of the water surrounding him causing his joints to seize up and his head to hurt. They reached the surface but were trapped under ice, Draco started banging on it trying to break it as his wand had was busy holding onto Harry who was going limp. Draco gave up his attempts to break the glass and swam along following the ice trying to see where the beak of it was. He reached it and broke the surface heaving a Harry's limp cold form up onto the ice that had not cracked. Draco pulled himself up did a quick hardening spell on the ice to make sure it didn't break again and turned to Harry.

Harry looked...dead, that was the only way that Draco could describe it, his lips were blue, his usually slightly tanned skin looked gaunt white, his eyes were closed and he was not breathing. "Ennervate." Draco said pointing his wand at Harry trying to revive him. "Ennervate. Ennervate. Ennervate." By now the rest of the students had reached the lake, watching the pair in fear the other teachers keeping them from going any further. McGonagall and Pomfrey were cautiously walking over the ice placing hardening spells as they went making their progress slow. Draco tried the spell again, when it didn't work he threw his wand aside, taking a deep breath and hoping that what he was doing was correct he placed his mouth to Harry's and blew in his breath. Draco pumped at Harry's chest watching Harry's face for any reaction. He blew in breath into Harry's lungs again and pumped his chest becoming more fearful by the second as Harry didn't respond. On the third attempt at reviving Harry by using CPR Harry spluttered, tuning to his side spitting out the lake water that he had breathed in for the second time in his life.

"Harry your alive!" Draco's eyes were brimming with tears as Harry sat up coughing. The students by the lake cheered after seeing that Harry was alive and looked on as the medi-witch reached the boys draping Draco's cloak that he had stripped off round the boys forcing them to huddle together under it.

McGonagall was furious. "What do you think you were doing? You could have both died!" she screamed at them. "Detention for a month and a hundred points each from your houses, now come on we have got to get you out of here." She helped Pomfrey escort the two freezing wet boys away from the lake dismissing the students and removing the hardening spells from the ice on the lake forbidding anyone else to go on the ice.

"Get those wet thing's off now!" Pomfrey instructed the boys when in the hospital wing. Draco and Harry started stripping shivering, hands going numb.

"I c-c-c-can't d-d-d-d-d do this." Harry stuttered trying to undo the button on his trousers but unable to as his fingers were too numb. Draco who was already out of his clothes and standing in only his boxers turned to Harry reaching out for his trousers. "W-w-what are you doing?" Harry took a step back.

"Helping you, you idiot." Draco retorted reaching for his trouser button again and undoing it, trying to ignore Harry's intake of breath as his fingers scraped Harry's stomach lightly. "There you go done."

"Thanks." Harry muttered. Taking off his trousers.

Pomfrey came back with some potions and cast a quick drying spell over them boxers. Drink these they should stop you from getting hyperthermia and feeling pain. The boys nodded drinking the potions up not looking at each other. "Now go over there and sit down. I don't want to hear a thing out of you two do you hear me. And keep these on they have a warming charm placed on them." She handed them a blanket each and instructed them to a bed. The nurse walked away muttering to herself. They could hear the people outside the hospital wing trying to see though the frosted glass.

"No visitors!" Pomfrey shouted shoeing the people outside away and locking the door behind her.

"Were in trouble aren't we." Harry muttered to Draco watching as Pomfrey walked around the hospital throwing them dirty looks every now and again before pulling the privacy screen around them so she didn't have to look at them in her anger anymore.

"No shit Harry, did you not hear what we are punished with."

"Yeah a hundred points lost." Harry moaned.

"Bet you have lost more points for your house than the Weasley twins have put together." Draco commented. Harry laughed quietly noticing that it still hurt a bit to do so. He shivered a bit. "You okay."

"Yeah a bit cold."

"You did just get dragged out of a freezing lake." Draco looked down at his hands and saw that his knuckles were bruised and bloodied, he looked at Harry's face. He was clean of blood as the lake water had washed it off allowing him to see the beginnings of a fat lip and a black eye. Draco raised his hand to his own face. 'Ouch'. Just as he thought he was going to be supporting a black eye too and a bruised cheek. "Sorry about that by the way. I didn't mean to – you know – put so much force behind it."

"Don't apologise, I was going to send a pretty nasty hex your way anyway." Harry shivered again more violently this time.

"Oh come here." Draco edged up to Harry and placed his blanked around the boy's shoulders too wrapping them both up in it draping his arm around Harry's waist and pulling him close to him so that they could feed of each other's body heat. "Better?"

"Much." They sat in silence for a few minutes. Draco placed his chin on Harry's head as Harry laid his head on Draco's shoulder. "So where did you learn how to do CPR?"

"I was in London shopping one day in the muggle part and this man collapsed on the floor, some guys went over to him and started to do CPR, I was about to magically revive him hoping nobody would notice but then he came back to life, the magical reviving wasn't working so I decided to try just in case it worked."

"What were you doing in the muggle part of London?" Harry asked amused.

Draco coughed awkwardly. "There's a place there that sells really nice clothes and shoes so sometimes I change up some money and buy new clothes.

"Draco Malfoy, who would have thought, a sucker for muggle fashion." Harry laughed gently.

"Shut up you." Draco said poking Harry in the arm. Harry stopped laughing and looked up at Draco who was smiling at him.

"I'm sorry for the fight."

"Me too." Harry gulped audibly and lent up catching Draco's lips in a soft kiss before pulling away. Draco put a hand under Harry's chin and brought his face back up to his kissing Harry deeply. Draco's hand tighten on Harry's waist as he pushed him down into the mattress.

"Draco." Harry said between kisses. "We shouldn't be doing this. We're in the hospital wing." Draco moved lips down to Harry's neck kissing his way up to Harry's jaw.

"I know."

Harry bit his lip trying not to moan as Draco sucked on a sensitive spot behind his ear. Draco moved his leg so that his knee was separating Harry's legs. "Draco." Harry moaned as Draco broke away and looked down at Harry. "We really shouldn't be doing this here."

"Yes you shouldn't." Both boys' froze. Oh no this was so much worse than Ron catching them Harry thought as he tore his gaze away from Draco and towards their headmistress who was looking shocked, and very angry. Draco hastily got off of Harry and pulled his blanket over him again scooting to the other end of the bed away from the now sitting Harry. "Right now you have stopped that display you will explain yourselves. Now!" She barked causing them to jump slightly.

"Well you see Professor Draco and I started arguing and then it got out of hand." Harry explained quickly.

"Mr. Malfoy what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I didn't mean to throw him to the lake, I was so angry I didn't know what I was doing." Draco explained looking down at the floor.

"And what may I ask were you fighting about?" The two boys blushed slightly looking at each other.

"We – erm..."

"We – er..."

"Are you going to tell me or just make noises?" She snapped.

"We were arguing about whether we should..." Draco began.

"Should what Mr. Malfoy?"

"Be together." Harry finished, making both boys blush profusely and look down at the floor feeling incredibly awkward.

"Right." McGonagall was not expecting that. She looked between the two boys frowning at them. What was going on? Last thing that she knew was that these were two school rivals that were on separate sides of the war and struggled to have a civilised conversation with each other. Now they were two young adults that were fighting about being together or not! She would have never believed it if someone had told her, actually she didn't know if she really believed it still. "I take it that the matter has been settled."

The boys looked at each other again. "Not really Professor." Draco said.

"Well I advise you to resolve the issue soon without another public display." She frowned at them both. "Detention will be on Monday at 8pm till ten o'clock in my classroom, you might both want to work out a way to get your house points back; neither one will be happy about the loss." With that she turned around and walked out of the hospital wing.

"That was embarrassing." Harry muttered.

"Yep." Agreed Draco not looking at Harry.

"Your clothes will be delivered by a house elf soon they just need to collect them from your dorms, take these please and get changed then you may leave and I don't want to see either of you for fighting again." Pomfrey ordered reprimanding them both.

"Yes sorry Poppy." Harry muttered.

"Don't Poppy me Mr. Potter! I swear you will be the death of me one day." She walked away back into her office leaving the boys alone again behind the privacy screen to get changed. Harry and Draco walked out of the hospital wing a few minutes later they walked down the corridor together in silence.

"You want to get some food? We missed dinner." Harry asked Draco.

"Where from?"

"The kitchens." Draco hesitated for a moment before nodding. Harry led the way to the painting with the pear that led to the kitchens; he led Draco inside and was faced with hundreds of delighted helpful house elves.

"Does master want something?" and aged voice asked.

"Yes Kreature can we have some dinner please, we missed it."

"Of course master. What would you like?"

"Draco what do you want? Draco."

Draco was not listening to Harry he was too entranced by the room that he had entered, there were four long tables cleared of food which resembled the tables that were sitting above them. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling and walls and there were stacks of food and ingredients as well as two large coolers. There were hundreds of house elves walking around caring trays, chatting happily.

"This place is amazing!" Draco said in awe.

Harry laughed. "I can't believe that you have never come here, didn't Slytherins take food for their parties?"

"No we just had drink or what we were sent by our families. Can you just come here anytime you want?"

"Yeah, as long as you aren't caught." Harry shrugged, he never knew what the actual rule of the kitchens were, but as the house elves were fine with it so he assumed it was okay. "What do you want to eat?"

"Roast chicken please, with gravy." Draco said.

"Same please, and two bottles of butter beer too." Harry asked Kreature who nodded and bowed leaving to get their food for them. "Come on let's sit." They headed over to the nearest table that would have been the Hufflepuff table if they were in the great hall. "Thank you." Harry said to the elf that delivered their butter beer.

"I didn't know you could get this here." Draco commented taking a sip from his bottle.

"How do you think Gryffindor is always well supplied with this stuff?"

"I thought you brought it all from Hogsmeed."

"We do that too but most of it comes from the kitchens, it's a shorter walk." Draco laughed, and was suddenly hit with the strangest felling. Was this a date? "Thanks Kreature." Harry said as Kreature delivered their plates of food filled with chicken, vegetables and potato's with lots of gravy. "How's Winky?"

"She's better sir, still upset about being a free elf but she is drinking only four bottles a day now, she still misses that other elf." Kreature told Harry. "I can bring her to see you if you want."

"Okay, thanks Kreature." With that Kreature left the boys to their food. Draco stared at Harry quizzically over his food as Harry began to eat.

"Who's Winky?" He asked confused.

"Winky is Barty Crouch's old elf, when he freed her she came to see Dobby who was her friend and she was employed at Hogwarts. She was upset about being free and then was even more depressed by Barty Crouch's death and his son's actions. She became addicted to butter beer which has a high alcohol percentage for house elves. I check up on her every time I come here, especially after Dobby's death."

"Dobby? We had a house elf called Dobby." Draco wondered out loud.

"Yeah, you did, till I freed him. Then he got a job here." Harry said slightly bitterly remembering the way Draco's father had treated the elf.

"Oh right." Draco said. "Do you regularly make friends with house elves?"

Harry laughed. "That's Hermione."

"Is she still doing her campaign then?"

"Yeah, she's actually got quite far with it, all the house elves here are paid if they want to be; but most don't, and some of the laws for house elves are going under consideration including the punishments that the owners can give them."

"How does she fund it?" Harry blushed slightly and looked down at his food. "Don't tell me you do!"

"She doesn't know that, she gets the money though a third party, she thinks it's a business that is sympathetic to house elves that wants to remain nameless. George also helps a bit."

"You really do have a hero complex don't you." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Thanks I'll take that one as a compliment." Harry caught Draco's eyes with his green ones both chuckling slightly staring at one another. Harry looked down at their hands both sitting on the table inches apart. Draco followed Harry's gaze, they looked back at each other then back down at their hands. Neither knew what the next move should be, but they both wanted to move their hands the few inch distant and then...'is this really a date?' Draco wondered again as Harry's hand twitched towards his softly grazing Draco's fingertips with his.

"Harry Potter wanted to see Winky?" Harry stated and turned to see a small elf with a tomato shaped nose staring at him though her saucer eyes.

"Winky hi, how are you doing?"

"Winky misses Dobby Harry Potter sir." Winky said hiccupping slightly her eyes brimming with tears.

"Me too Winky. Do you want to go and see his grave sometime I can take you if you like?"

WInky hiccupped again. "Winky would love to Harry Potter, Dobby always said of your kindness and now WInky knows that Harry Potter is really as good as Dobby said." Harry smiled at her as Draco rolled his eyes.

"Erm – thanks Winky."

"I will leave you to your dinner now sir." With that Winky walked back down the aisle to her seating place swaying slightly as she walked.

"So it's not just witch girls that have a Harry Potter fan club." Draco smirked.

"Just because I'm nice to people. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Maybe, but I don't really see the advantage of being chased but a group of crazed girls all the time, would be easy to get dates though."

"Sick bastard." Harry said affronted even at the idea.

"Come on have you never thought about doing that? Using your fame to your advantage for once."

"No I haven't."

"Oh, I would."

"That's called taking advantage Draco." Harry said slowly as if he was talking to a small child.

"No it's called not passing up on an opportunity. But I guess that's the difference between us Slytherins and Gryffindors."

"I was nearly in Slytherin." Harry said matter-of-factly making Draco's mouth fall open in a very un-Malfoy way. "What?"

"You a Slytherin! I don't know whether to laugh or check that I'm in the right reality."

"I know right, the boy who took down the Dark Lord in the house where most people support him."

"Actually if you were in there that would be a bonus for me, they would have someone to hate more than me."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, but you wouldn't have got your own room, you would have to share with me." The both laughed before catching each other's eyes blushing slightly and going quite.

"So why weren't you put in Slytherin?" Draco asked after finishing his food.

"I asked the Sorting Hat not to." Harry said finishing his last dregs of beer, and starting on the next one that was given to him by a passing elf.

"Why?"

"Because I had just seen you sorted into there and I didn't want to be anywhere that you were." Harry said plunging himself into his new drink not knowing how Draco was going to react to that statement.

"Oh." 'Conversation Killer that one' Draco thought also drinking more butter beer.

A few minutes later of silent drinking Harry and Draco decided that it was late enough and that they should be starting to go back to their dorms. They thanked the house elves who welcomed them back again.

"Will Granger and Weasley be worried about you?" Draco asked as they walked down the corridor up to the Entrance Hall.

"Yeah I think they will be, I'll be bombarded by questions and Hermione will be fussing over me, she can be worse than Molly sometimes." Harry said scratching the back of his head. "What about you, what do you think you will be going back to?"

"I nearly killed Harry Potter, I think they might like that, but the fact I saved him will put me in an even worse place than before. But at least they are going to be slightly worried about angering me after they see I can take a punch and give one too." Draco joked.

"Sorry, you do look kind of beat up." Commented Harry taking in Draco's black eye and bruised cheek.

"So do you." The both laughed reaching the empty Entrance Hall.

"You know that you don't have to go back to your room." Harry said sifting on his feet awkwardly.

"Where else would I go?"

"You could come with me, to Gryffindor." Harry scratched the back of his neck again biting his lip.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I meant just to sleep, you know; if it's really going to be that bad there." Harry pointed his thumb towards the steps that went down to the dungeons.

"I can look after myself. I don't think this is really going to work."

"Why not, what have we got to lose?" Harry asked becoming exasperated. "It's always the same with you, looking into the past and saying that it won't work out because of everything back then. Why can't we just concentrate on the now, on this, look we are fine now."

"After I nearly killed you!"

"And I nearly killed you before too, remember." Harry pointed at Draco's chest who pulled at his white shirt self consciously. "We're even."

"Whatever." Draco tuned to leave music started around them filling the Entrance Hall.

'Since the moment I spotted you,
Like walking around with little wings on my shoes,
My stomach's filled with the butterflies,'

Harry placed his hand over his stomach as he sung as if expressing what he had just sung.

'Ooh, and it's all right,
Bouncing round from cloud to cloud,
I'd got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down,
If I'd said I didn't like it then you'd know I lied,'

Draco turned around and watched as Harry sung.

'Everytime I try to talk to you,
I get tongue-tied,
It turns out that everything I say to you,
Comes out wrong and never comes out right.'

'So I'll say why don't you and I,
Get together and take on the world and be together forever,
Heads we will, Tails we'll try again,
So I'll say why don't you and I,
Hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven,
Cause without you they're never gonna let me in.'

Draco turned away from Harry, walked to the other side of the hall and then turned to look back at him.

'When's this fever going to break?
I think I've handled more than any man can take,
I'm like a love-sick puppy chasing you around,'

Draco rolled his eyes.

'Ooh, and it's all right,
Bouncing round from cloud to cloud,
I got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down,
If I'd said I didn't like it then you'd know I lied.'

''Everytime I try to talk to you,
I get tongue-tied,
It turns out that everything I say to you,
Comes out wrong and never comes out right.'

Draco walked towards Harry, ran his hand down Harry's arm and entwined their fingers.

'So I'll say why don't you and I,
Get together and take on the world and be together forever,
Heads we will, Tails we'll try again,
So I'll say why don't you and I,
Hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven,
Cause without you they're never gonna let me in.'

Harry grinned.

'Slowly I begin to realize,
This is never going to end
Right about the same time you walk by,
And I say 'Oh here we go again',
Oh!'

Draco pushed Harry away from him a bit and walked towards the passage towards the dungeons. But was stopped by a hand on his shoulder turning him around slowly.

''Everytime I try to talk to you,
I get tongue-tied,
It turns out that everything I say to you,
Comes out wrong and never comes out right.'

'So I'll say why don't you and I,
Get together and take on the world and be together forever,
Heads we will, Tails we'll try again,
So I'll say why don't you and I,
Hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven,
Cause without you they're never gonna let me in.'

Harry took out a coin from his pocket threw it up in the air and caught it closing his fist around it. They sung together both turning at the end to look at Harry's fist with the coin in it.

'So I'll say why don't you and I,
Get together and take on the world and be together forever,
Heads we will, Tails we'll try again,
So I'll say why don't you and I,
Hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven,
Cause without you they're never gonna let me in.'

As the music faded Harry opened his fist the coin was sitting there on his palm face up. He smirked at Draco.

"So what do you say?" Draco looked at the coin, and then back at Harry. All the reasons they should not be doing this flooded though his head. He looked into Harry bright green eyes. 'Draco do the stupid thing for once!'

"Okay." He pulled Harry forward into a short soft kiss. "But you're taking the blame if this goes wrong." He smirked at Harry one last time before walking down the passage way to the dungeons leaving a madly grinning Harry behind him.


A/N: Hope you liked it.