Draco saw Harry leaving and followed him. He saw him sit in the grass and moved cautiously towards him. He seemed defeated and a couple of months back, before he realized he loved Harry, he'd have been thrilled. He might have even drawn it to him so he'd know that he had seen him in that state. But now, all he wanted to do was console him. He had no idea how he was going to do that but he just knew that it would be more difficult because Harry was awake.

"Potter" he said, when he got close enough

"Malfoy" Harry replied, looking at him suspiciously, but strangely, without the much anticipated scorn in his eyes. Draco didn't know what to think about that.

"What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing."

"I come here to think" Malfoy replied, sitting down beside Harry. From the look on Harry's face, he had not expected a sane answer.

"Oh. I uh … I'm- I'm sorry about the stuff I said the other day."

"The sorting hat was definitely right to put you in Gryffindor. Merlin! The one time you feel like you hurt someone, even if the person deserved it, you feel so terrible, you have to apologize. I know I wouldn't. That's the difference between us."

"Yeah whatever" Both boys sat there in silence for a long time, then Harry fell back and rested his head on his arm.

Draco followed suit, taking it as a good sign that Harry had neither left nor asked him to."Harry sighed and mumbled "maybe Dobby was right"

"Dobby?"

"Yes. Dobby. He's a house elf who visited me at home. He warned me not to come to school. He said terrible things were about to happen at Hogwarts"

"Why didn't you listen to him?"

"I don't know."

"Are you afraid?"

"For me, no. For the people I care about, yes. I don't want anyone I know to die just because Voldemort hates me."

"You should have listened to Dobby. He always speaks the truth"

"You know him?"

"Yes. He's our house elf"

"You don't treat him right"

"I do. When I can. My father gets angry when I treat them well but I like Dobby. He's very...emotional"

"Then why don't you set him free? It only takes a piece of garment"

"I know. But that means I'll beat the receiving end of the full wrath of my father"

"Oh."Harry said. "So you won't be furious if I found a way to free him?"

Draco rolled his eyes "Harry Potter always has to be the hero. No, i won't be furious"

"Maybe I'll punish him a little before setting him free"

"Why?"

"Oh for a lot of reasons. Like dropping my cousin's cake on my aunt's head when I was standing there and getting me into trouble, like blocking the passageway to platform 9 3/4 for Ron and me,"

"That's why you stole the car?"

"Yes. We didn't really steal it. We just borrowed it"

"Mmm, if you say so. What else did Dobby do? So far, he seems to only be trying to protect you"

"Yeah I know. But causing that bludger to chase me? That wasn't a thrilling experience"

"It was Dobby?"

"Yes"

"But why would he do that? What was he hoping to achieve?"
To get me out of here..?"

"How do you know all this?"

"He visited me in the hospital when I was admitted, but come to think of it, he's punished himself enough"
"Lots of stuff must have happened in the hospital. You've changed since then"
"I have? How?"
"Oh I don't know. You just seem preoccupied and stuff. So ... am I right? Did something interesting happen apart from Dobby's visit?"
"Part from Dumbledore worriedly saying that their fears have been confirmed and that the chamber of secrets has been opened again?"
"He told you that?"
"No. He thought I was asleep then. And I was, earlier on. That's when I had that dream" Harry whispered
"what dream?"
"Why am I even talking to you? You'll make fun of me tomorrow anyway"
"No I won't. No matter how terrible I am, i won't get someone to trust me and then throw it in their face" Draco sounded sincere, so Harry believed him and calmed down" i know I'm scum, but that is beyond me Harry"
"Harry? Since when do you call me that?"
"It's your name isn't it?"
"Well, yes"
"So, are you going to tell me about your dream?"
"Promise you won't laugh at me or mock me in public because of it?"
"I won't. What was it about?"
"You."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"What was I doing on your dream?"Draco asked, his heart in his throat"

"Well, in the dream, you visited me in the hospital and told me to get well soon. You also said that- that-"
"That?" Draco asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, that you loved me and school won't be the same without me. You- you touched my face and kissed my forehead and stuff. But that's something that can only happen in a dream so don't freak out ok?"Harry finished, not daring to look at Draco. The other boy was yet to make a comment. He seemed to have frozen on the grass. Slowly, Harry turned to look at him and Malfoy? Looking straight up into the skies, mumbled "it wasn't a dream"

"What?"Harry asked, still staring at Draco's profile
Draco turned to him and said "I said, it wasn't a dream. I was in the hospital that day during supper when no one was there. When that bludger hit you, i became scared. And then that teacher vanished you bone. I was worried. i didn't know I cared a great deal about you till then." he looked up at Harry then "is that the reason why you've been acting confused since?"

"Well, wouldn't you?"

"If I thought was a dream, no."

"I woke up and felt my whole face tingling. And the part where you kissed felt like some sort of abnormal energy has been passed through it. The tears were still in my hair. I tried to think of it as a dream but it felt too real and when you didn't hex me after the other time, as well as me catching you staring at me without a sneer, everything. Everything was confusing" he was sitting up now, staring down at Draco.

Draco looked away, vulnerable, for the first time since Harry had met him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear all that. You don't have to like me back you know? i'm not forcing you. And I don't want you to be confused about it anymore" Draco finished and looked up into the beautiful green eyes of Harry Potter.

Harry smiled down at him "Draco-"

"Draco?"

"It's your name, isn't it?"

"Yes"

"Good. Draco, i don't think I'll ever be truly convinced when it comes to you but, you won't have to force me to love you. I'm already there"

"What?"

"I think that I love you too, though I don't know what it's supposed to feel like. I don't know when, why or how it happened but I started caring about how you feel and wanted to see you everyday. I smile every morning because I know I'll be seeing you, and even when you were making my life miserable, I smiled at the ridiculousness of it all."

"I'm glad I amuse you" Draco mumbled.

Harry held his chin and pulled his face up "I think you're an adorable git too" Draco blushed "mind if I kiss you?"

Draco couldn't speak. He simply nodded and Harry leant down to brush his lips against Draco's. He'd seen people kissing and touching on TV and he was a little nervous . "i can't believe I'm kissing Draco Malfoy, can you believe it?"

"I've had enough time to imagine it, but I'm not the one kissing Draco Malfoy" Draco smiled. Harry kissed him again, noting that it was time for the touching. Draco responded sloppily and Harry moaned in surprise "Harry I'm not ready for the other stuff."

"You've not imagined this part yet?"Harry smiled "don't worry, nothing's going to happen. We're just kissing"

"But I'm err-"

"oh I understand" Draco blushed

"You're twelve. I don't think it's a problem if we don't do anything about it" Harry reassured him and kissed him again. He lay on his back and pulled Draco close for a cuddle. It felt nice. "i have to go now. Ron will come looking for me soon and I'd rather he didn't see us like this"

"Are you umm..."

"Ashamed of people knowing about us? No. I just want to tell Ron first. He's my best mate and I don't think he likes you very much"

"Okay. Does he always find you when you go out to think?"

"Not always but today he will"

"Why?"

"Hermione's been petrified"

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You wouldn't know who the heir of Slytherin is, would you?"

"You think it's me?"

"Well, you were our first guess. But we kind of crossed you off already so don't worry. "

"Suspect. You mean suspect. But it's not me and I don't know anything about that"

"That's fine. I just wanted to seal that link. Ron and I have somewhere to go first but I'm going to stop this. Find that chamber on my own if it comes to that, but I can't sit and wait for someone to die"

"How are you going to do that?"

"I don't "know but I will"

"I believe you will" Draco smiled and sat up."Now get up and leave before Ron makes history as the youngest wizard to suffer a stroke." sitting up as he spoke

Harry smiled."Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said and kissed him. "Now up. Get up now"

Harry got up, kissed Draco and left, leaving a smiling Draco behind.