Sliiight warning guys. There may be some OOCness concerning Draco. I just think the war would have made his softer in a way, if you get what I mean.

Please R+R :)

The weather had decided to stay nice, even though it was the end of September. The sun was high in the sky, and took to staying away from the few clouds at obscured the clear blue sky. Birds flitted from tree to tree, singing their songs. Although it wasn't as hot as it had been in July and August, it was still warm enough to sit outside. And that's where Harry was.

He sat underneath a tree that sat by the lake, as he watched the giant squid languidly wave some of its tentacles out in the middle of the water. Ginny was by his side, reading a book for her Defence Against The Dark Arts class. Harry didn't have any work to be finished. Thanks to Malfoy, he was now getting his homework done sooner than he ever had during the time he had been at Hogwarts.

"You know, Ron does want to apologize." Ginny said casually, flicking the page, lying on her stomach with her book propped up against her bag. "He's just too stubborn to say it." She paused to look up at Harry through her hair. "He misses you."

"Yeah, well, when he wants to say sorry, he knows where to find me." Harry muttered, watching as an owl zoomed overheard towards the Owlery.

Ginny sighed. "Merlin, between you two you will never make up."

Harry shrugged. He didn't believe he had anything to say sorry for. What would he be sorry for anyway? Offering Malfoy a truce so they could have one last happy and peaceful year at the school he loved? No chance.

As it happened, because Hermione was spending more time with Ron than with Harry, due to the fact they were going out, Harry had spending more time with Malfoy. They had even had a game of chess last night, once Malfoy had helped Harry finish his Herbology essay. It had been a strange occurrence which had drawn curious looks from the other eighth years around them, but it had been a pleasant experience.

"He thinks you're trying to replace him, you know. With Malfoy." Ginny sat him, looking at Harry right in his eyes.

Harry's jaw dropped slightly. "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. That's why he's acting like this."

Sighing, he shook his head. "He's a bloody idiot sometimes, I have to say. Yes, I'm now… friends with Malfoy, but I'm not replacing him. I never have and never will. How can he think that? We've been through so much together, and he thinks that I'm replacing him? You can't just replace your best friend." Harry gazed out over the lake. The giant squid had disappeared into the depths. "I'm not going to apologize, but I suppose I better tell him that."

"No need." Ginny smiled.

Harry frowned at her, but he simply pointed behind him.

Turning, he was met with the sight of Ron, who was finding his shoes very interesting. His ears were slightly red as he leaned against the tree, his hands in his pockets. "Hear all of that?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised.

Ron glanced up at him, before looking down again. "I… came to say sorry… for acting like a total prat."

"Yeah, thinking I was replacing you." Harry snorted. "Sit down, you idiot."

Ron looked up, probably to see if Harry was still mad at him, but the green eyed boy had a grin on his face, which Ron returned, before plonking down beside him.

"I guess I'll leave you to it." Ginny smiled, picking up her stuff. "I need to practice spells anyway. See you later."

Harry watched her retreating back. She was almost at the castle's steps when Ron spoke up.

"I really am. Sorry, I mean. It's just… you're spending more time with him than before. It's... you used to shout insults at each other and hex each other in the corridors, and he used to try and get you into all sorts of trouble, and I thought you were barking for offering that truce, and I think that's what annoyed me, the fact that he was a scumbag to us for years, calling us all sorts of names and dissing our families, and then, boom, you're suddenly friends with him, I mean, what else was I meant to think? Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" Ron looked up at Harry, expecting a row or something.

But Harry was silently laughing at his best friend's sudden outburst of emotion. "Ron, you've so thick. Sometimes I think there must be a troll in your family and you got the brains."

"…Shut up." Ron muttered, but a smile was tugging on his lips. "So… we're cool then?"

"Of course we are." Harry nudged him with his elbow. "We'll always be cool."

Ron grinned. "Good. That's good." He cleared his throat. "Do you want to have a game of Exploding Snap or something before the ball? Just to unwind, you know?"

Harry stood up, and offered Ron a hand to pull him up too. "I think that's a good idea."

The Hall was almost unrecognisable.

The candles that usually floated beneath the enchanted ceiling were gone and had been replaced with fairy lights in jars. Bigger, yet gentler lights, as to not drown out the fairy lights, were situated at points above the floor of the hall, casting a calmer white light. The four long House tables were gone, and had instead smaller, circular tables, with simple white cotton tablecloths for six filled up the back half of the hall. Sitting in the middle of each one as a frosted jar that held a ball of light that fluctuated in colour. At regular intervals, the tables were broken by small fountains that produced punch instead of water, and food was stationed beside them. The front half had been transformed into a ballroom floor, with a stage set up on the podium at the top of the hall, where a small orchestra were set up, and playing a jive tune. The brackets on the walls that usually held normal orange flames burned blue instead, casting a serene atmosphere around the hall.

"Blimey, I wasn't expecting this much." Ron said, gazing around the hall in awe. "Sure, it's not like what it was at the Yule Ball, but all of this for a few year groups to have a reunion… Wow."

Hermione smoothed down the sides of her peach coloured dress. It flowed down to just below her knees, and had three small flowers at her hip, which had looked so realistic that Ron had to check, just to make sure. Harry noticed that she had applied that straightening potion of hers - Sleek-Eazy or something, he couldn't remember - to her hair again, letting it sit in loose waves, half of it pinned up on the back of her head. She had her arm slipped through Ron's.

Ron, to Harry's great relief, had gotten new dress robes of his own. He no longer looked like his Great Aunt Tessy. Instead, he looked quite smart in dress robes of a dark, deep red, which weren't bright enough to clash with his hair.

Harry looked down at himself. Malfoy hadn't done a bad job. Due to the alterations that Malfoy had made, the robes fitted him better. They were more slimmer on his arms, and fitted better at his waist, defining his body a little better, instead of how baggy they had been at the Yule Ball.

"I'll get the drinks, shall I?" Ron suggested, as they settled down at a table. He planted a small kiss on Hermione's temple, putting a small blush and smile on her face, before making his way to the closest punch fountain.

"How much do you want to bet that Seamus has spiked it?" Harry chuckled, as he watched the Irishman waltzing on the dance floor with Susan, who was giggling madly.

"I'll bet my entire life savings." Hermione muttered darkly, glaring at the said man herself.

Ron soon returned with three cups gripped in his hands. As soon as he took a drink of his own punch, he smacked his lips together a few times, before looking up at Harry. "This tastes quite funny."

Harry sent a smirk at Hermione before trying his own drink.

True to his word, Seamus had spiked the punch. Harry couldn't exactly pinpoint the type of alcohol he had used; it didn't taste like Firewhiskey, and it definitely wasn't Butterbeer. "Hey, Ron, do wizards have vodka?"

"Huh?" Ron looked up, "Yeah, why?"

"Because I'll say that's what Seamus has put in this punch." Harry grinned, before turning to Hermione. "So, your entire life savings, yeah?"

"Oh ha ha," Hermione picked up her bag and swatted Harry on the arm with it, but nevertheless smiling at him. "You're not getting it."

Harry laughed, and saw Ginny and Luna making their way through the tables towards them. Well, Ginny was walking, Luna was twirling in time with the music.

Ginny looked spectacular, Harry couldn't deny it. She was wearing a deep green dress, much darker than Harry's eyes, which went in in all the right places and stopped just above her knees. It had long flowing sleeves, which were slightly daggered at their ends. Her fiery hair was down and poker straight, fixed at the side with a small metal and green enamel leaf hairpiece.

Luna, on the other hand, had managed to get her hands on another extraordinary dress. It was a vibrant orange, with red stitch detail that made patterns similar to animals on it. It was sleeveless, and almost hit the floor. As she twirled again to the music, Harry could see what looked like the silhouette of a dancing hippogriff on the back. Her hair had been curled and sat in a mess on the crown of her head, giving Harry the impression of a bird's nest.

"Hello everyone." She said in her dreamy way. "Enjoying the ball?"

"Oh yes, it's really good." Hermione smiled. "Sit down, and have a drink."

"No, no, no." Ginny shook her head. "You're not meant to do that at balls, Hermione. You're meant to dance." And her eyes fell on Harry.

He knew what was coming. "Oh no. No way Ginny. I can't dance. You are not getting me on that dance floor."

"Come on Harry, just one dance." Ginny pouted. "No one's danced with me yet. Please? Just one dance?"

Harry looked to appeal to Ron, but found him halfway to the dance floor with Hermione, obviously taking Ginny's words to heart, who was looking over her shoulder at Harry, obviously giggling.

With his last hope gone, he resigned himself to his fate and stood up. "Fine. But just one dance, okay?"

"That's fine with me." Ginny grinned, taking his hand and dragging him towards the dance floor, as a slower tempo song started up. It wasn't a slow waltz as such though.

Harry took Ginny's hand in his and put the other on her hip and she started to lead him around the hall. He tried hard not to stand on her toes. They passed Seamus and Susan again, who were going much faster than the music intended, making Susan go by with no more than a "wheeeee". Seamus sent him a grin and sped up even more. They soon passed Ron and Hermione, the former of which was watching his feet carefully, his face screwed up on concentration.

"Oh, I meant to tell you, but I didn't want to mention it in front of Ron in case he went off on one." Ginny said, rolling her eyes before resting her chin on Harry's shoulder. "Malfoy's looking for you."

Harry jerked his head back to look at her face. "Malfoy? Why?"

She shrugged. "He never said. Just that I was to tell you when I saw you."

Luna drifted by, doing a dance very similar to the one she did at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"And that's all he said?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.

"Yes Harry, and watch what you're doing. You've stepped on my toes twice."

They danced until the end of the song, and joined in with the applause for the band, which was being conducted by Flitwick. Harry wondered why he hadn't noticed him as he entered, but remembered that the tiny professor was barely visible.

Ginny left to dance with Neville, as Harry made his way to one of the fountains to get a small drink. He had never been drunk, and didn't intend to get in such a state tonight.

He began to look around for Malfoy. He walked amongst the tables, sipping at his drink, searching the tables and the dance floor for the blonde. A few seventh and eighth years waved to him, and he spent a minute or so talking to Justin and Michael about the Charms homework they had been given back. All three of them had achieved 'Acceptable' passes, although Justin had been sure of getting an 'Outstanding.'

Moving on from them, Harry moved closer to the podium, still looking for the Slytherin, until a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and a quiet voice in his ear.

"I've been looking for you."

He turned to see Malfoy with his own drink in his hand. Malfoy was dressed in black robes, but as he moved to take a drink, Harry noticed that there were green undertones in them that shone in the light.

"I take it you used your own trick on your robes." Harry said, gesturing to them.

"That I did." Malfoy smirked.

"So, why were you looking for me?" Harry asked.

"I wanted to see how your robes fitted you. It appears that I've done a very good job." Malfoy said.

"Why do you care so much?" laughed Harry.

Malfoy looked offended. "Because fashion is very important, Potter, and if you haven't noticed I am rather fond of it."

Harry snorted, and gestured to a nearby vacant table. "Want to sit down?"

"What? No dancing from The Golden Boy?" Malfoy smirked, but they sat down nevertheless.

"Oh, no. I've had my dance with Ginny. No more dancing for me at all."

Malfoy watched him. "Are you still with Weasley then?"

Harry shook his head. "No. We sat down and talked about it though, so everything's okay. I just felt like she was more of a sister, you know? It just didn't feel right, going back out with her after the war. But she felt it too, so we're still friends."

Malfoy let out a hmmm. "Lots of other girls are going to be interested now, Potter. It won't take long for all of your fan girls to send soppy love letters. Just wait until Valentine's Day. You're going to be bombarded with marriage proposals."

Even though he knew Malfoy was jesting, he could hear something like a bitterness to his voice when he had mentioned 'marriage proposals'. "Malfoy… have you been set up for a marriage?"

Malfoy jerked so badly he lost half of his drink to the tablecloth. "What makes you say that, Potter?"

"The way you were - that doesn't matter. Have you?"

The Slytherin was quiet for a moment, allowing Harry enough time to finish his drink, before looking away. "Yes." He glanced at Harry. "It's sort of mandatory with pureblood families. One pureblood family marries into another. It's been set up since my fourth year. Astoria Greengrass, sixth year." He scowled, and drained the rest of his drink.

"I take it you don't want to marry her?" Harry asked hesitantly. He didn't know if this was a difficult subject of Malfoy, but he didn't want to push the blonde over the edge.

Malfoy snorted. "Am I acting like I do? Honestly Potter, I thought you knew me better than that." He looked at Harry. "She's… not my type."

"Not your type?"

"Not in the slightest." Malfoy smirked at him, before getting up, gesturing to Harry's empty cup. "Do you want another drink? Or anything to eat?"

"Yeah, a drink would be nice."

He watched Malfoy as he walked to a nearby fountain. If he didn't want to marriage, why didn't he just say no? Or was that something that didn't happen in pureblood families? Surely Malfoy's mother would understand to her son objecting to it; Narcissa just seemed like that kind of person. Lucius, however, would not stand for it. But he could do nothing. Azkaban was a far away place.

Soon, Malfoy returned and placed a cup in front of Harry, who thanked him. Malfoy watched him for a minute, before looking out at the dance floor. Harry followed suit. There was an up tempo song playing, and Seamus was now dancing with Ginny. Neville danced past them with Hannah. Harry looked for the familiar hair of Ron and Hermione, and soon found it. He smiled as he watched his friends danced, their eyes never leaving each other.

"They actually make a nice couple." Harry jumped slightly at Malfoy's voice and he turned to him. "Who?"

"Granger and Weasley. I never thought I'd be paying them a compliment, but there you go." Malfoy fixed him with a look. "It looks like some things do change."

The ball went on for hours. Harry sat with Malfoy for a further hour after they had originally sat down, chatting about minor things, like who was in the running for the Quidditch World Cup, what homework the teachers were giving out. Malfoy, instead of taking Herbology, had taken Arithmancy.

"Hold on," Harry said, his hands playing with his empty cup. "Why did you help me with my Herbology essay if you aren't even taking it?"

The blonde had just shrugged. "You looked like you needed help."

Harry had been pacing himself throughout the night and, despite his best efforts to find a punch fountain that contained to alcohol, he was slowly allowing more of the vodka to get into his system. He mentally cursed Seamus.

After that, Ginny had dragged, physically dragged, him up for another dance. Harry had protested, dug in his heels, and last a helpless glance back at Malfoy, who just sat there, shaking his head with an amused smile on his face.

"Ginny, I don't want to dance!"

"Oh shush. The ball will be ending soon and I want a final dance!" She giggled, slurring her words and tripping over her feet slightly.

Harry took her by her upper arms and looked at her right in the face. "Ginny? Are you drunk?"

She giggled again, flipping her hair back over her shoulders. "I am. But just a little bit. Shhhhh! Don't tell Ron!" She held a finger up to her lips and started giggling again, swaying dangerously on the spot.

He sighed and began to drag her from the dance floor, ignoring her whining. "Look, you're too drunk. You need to go to bed, and stay there."

"But Harry -" she pleaded, pouting.

"No Ginny. Bed." He said, in a voice that left no room for discussion. Spotting his opportunity, he half-dragged half-carried her a table and looked at the person sitting there calmly.

"Hermione, can you please take Ginny up to her dorms?" He asked, looking at her with his own pleading eyes. "She's drunk, and I don't want Ron to see her."

Hermione stood up straight away, "Of course. But what will you say to Ron?"

"I'll say she was tired, and that you're away to the bathroom."

She nodded, before taking Ginny from him, an arm around her waist as she placed the redhead's arm around her shoulders. "Come on Ginny."

"I don't wanna go!" She whined again. Harry sighed, and thanked Hermione before making his way through the tables to once again sit down opposite Malfoy.

"That was a quick dance." He said, tilting his head slightly.

"She was drunk, so I sent her to bed." Harry sighed, reaching for his own drink. "Ron wouldn't be happy if he was her like that."

Malfoy nodded, before running his hand through his hair, making some of it fall over his eyes, and looking away. Harry frowned slightly before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He craned his neck back to see the said male behind him.

"Where's Hermione and Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Ginny said she was feeling tired, so she went to bed. Hermione's just away to the toilet." The small lie came easily to Harry. His friend nodded, before throwing a look at Malfoy and leaving.

A moment's silence passed between them.

"He still hasn't taken a shine to me then?"

Harry looked at the Slytherin. "Sadly not."

Malfoy shrugged and said nothing.

Harry's senses were even more fuzzy around the edges as he drained the rest of his drink. "Oh boy." he said, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.

"What's wrong?" The blonde's voice, Harry thought, had a hint of concern to it.

"I just have a feeling I should stop drinking now." Harry said with half of a smile, before standing up. "Listen, I think I'm going to turn in."

Malfoy made as if to stand as well, but Harry waved him back down. "I'm not that bad that I need to be accompanied, Malfoy."

Malfoy muttered something under his breath, before looking at the table cloth.

Harry frowned. "What did you say?"

Malfoy glared at him. "I said, Potter, maybe I want to come with you."

He stood in shock for a minute. Malfoy actually wanted to accompany him back to their dorms? Was this Malfoy trying to take another step away from the truce and towards friendship?

"Um… Well, I can't stop you then." Harry stammered. He wasn't used to this Malfoy. Not at all. He didn't know how to handle him. And he should really have stopped drinking a while ago.

The blonde stood up, finishing his own drink. "Come on then."

They bid farewell to Ron, well Harry did, and they passed Hermione as she was going back into the hall.

"Are you leaving already?" She asked, stopping them in their tracks right in front of Harry, causing him to stumble backwards a bit, and he would have stumbled more if a hand hadn't been at the small of his back.

"Yeah. I'm just quite tired, 'Mione." He smiled at her. "I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Okay." She smiled at him. "Goodnight Harry. Goodnight Malfoy."

The boy behind him nodded at her. "Night, Granger."

She left them to find Ron, and they continued their way through the school, and up the numerous flights on stairs. Some of the portraits called out greetings to Harry, and he waved his hand wearily.

Soon, they were standing in front of the Hippogriff. Malfoy muttered the password, and the Hippogriff bowed to them before the portrait swung open, revealing the empty common room.

"Looks like they're all still downstairs." Harry said, as they walked towards the stairs that led to their soft beds.

"They won't be back for a good few hours, Potter. It's only half past eleven."

Harry shrugged, and once they reached their separate doors, turned to face Malfoy.

There was a window situated between the doors, two on either side. It showed part of the school grounds, which were lit up beautifully in the moonlight. The edges of the Forbidden Forest didn't look as daunting in the light of the full moon.

Malfoy was gazing out of the window, his hands in his pockets. "It's quite a nice scene, isn't it?" he said softly, making his way slowly towards the window.

"Yeah, it is." Harry said quietly.

The next thing Malfoy said shocked Harry, more than anything else that had happened between them.

"My Aunt Andromeda… her daughter, Nymphadora, she had a husband, didn't she? Remus Lupin."

Harry's heart clenched at the sound of his old teacher and friend. "Y-Yes."

He saw the grey eyes of Malfoy look up to the moon, and then to Harry. "I should have treated him better."

Harry was finding it hard to breathe. He hadn't spoken about the deaths of Sirius, Remus, Fred, Tonks, Snape, those who had died in the war to anyone. And now Malfoy was talking about one of them.

"You didn't know…what was going to happen, did you?" Harry half-laughed.

Malfoy shot a sad smile his way. "No. But still… He became part of the family, didn't he? And I know they were estranged from the family, but I never got to actually know him." Malfoy looked away then, back over the grounds. "That's probably what I'm most sorry for."

He really was finding it hard to breathe. He leaned against the wall beside the dorm wall and tried to take a deep, steady breath, his eyes flickering shut as he tried to stop himself from hyperventilating. He thought something brushed his hand, but he ignored it.

"They had a son." Harry said slowly, quietly, not opening his eyes. "Teddy."

"I know." Malfoy replied. There was something like regret in his voice. "And I know you knew him. I'm sorry for bringing this up." Harry opened his eyes, and looked, actually looked, at Malfoy. His grey eyes weren't full of malice or anything of the sort, not even of joy. It was guilt. "Good night, Potter."

"Night, Malfoy."

He waited until the blonde had entered his dorm and shut the door before entering his own.