Hey guys :) Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews so far! They keep me going with this :3
The minimum a week will be one chapter, but I'll try and get more up as I write and get into the flow of things. :)
Disclaimer: Yeah, not mine. All the lovely characters etc belong to JK Rowling and her compatriots.
The next morning, Harry confided in Hermione. They were sat in the library during one of their free periods, looking over books for Charms, as Ron went out with Seamus and Dean to the Quidditch pitch. He had explained to her everything that Malfoy had said to him.
She frowned. "He has been acting differently, I have to admit. Like last night, when he called me Granger. He's not said anything bad to us at all." She flicked through the heavy tome in front of her. "Maybe he really is taking this truce seriously."
"It's just weird." Harry said. "But it's a good weird, if you get me."
She nodded, before scribbling down a few notes. "Just take it in your stride, Harry. You've made another friend."
"But this is Malfoy." Harry sighed. "I don't even how why this is slightly frustrating me."
In truth, Harry hadn't been able to stop thinking about the Slytherin the night before. He had lay awake in bed, staring at the canopy ceiling, mulling over the words Malfoy had said. It was like he was opening up to Harry in a way that he hadn't even tried to before the ball. It was if Malfoy was trying harder than Harry to be friends.
He leaned across the table and voiced his thoughts to Hermione.
She looked up at him. "I know it's difficult to comprehend, being friends with Malfoy, but he really has changed Harry. And so have you. You have both grown up. You've managed to put the past behind you and start afresh."
Harry raked a hand through his hair. "I suppose."
They sat there working until the bell went, signalling their next class, Defence Against The Dark Arts. Their teacher, a tall woman called Professor Cole, had no favourites in the class, unlike their Transfiguration teacher. In fact, she had taken an immediate dislike to Malfoy. If it was his name, or just his demeanour, Harry didn't know, but it was quite unsettling that a teacher was still prejudice in a way.
She didn't let up that day either.
"You will be working in pairs today." She said curtly, sitting behind her desk, which was covered in neat stacks of paper. "You will be moving on from the non-verbal spells in your sixth year, which we have been revising, and onto more complex non-verbal spells." She picked up a sheet of paper and began to read out names.
To Harry's horror, Ron and Malfoy were paired together. Ron's hands involuntarily clenched as their names were read out. Harry chanced a look towards the back of the class where Malfoy sat. He was considerably paler than his usual. He glared down at his desk.
"Now, stand up and find your partners." Professor Cole stated. As they did, she removed their desks and chairs with a sweep of her wand. "You may now begin. The spells, wand movement and incantations are on the board."
Harry was paired with Hermione, and they stood near Ron as Malfoy began to make his way over to them.
"Look, Ron, don't do anything rash." Harry muttered to his friend, who was glaring at the approaching blonde.
"He won't get anything that he doesn't deserve." Ron growled, pulling his wand out of his robes. Hermione shot him a worried glance.
"Just behave." She whispered, and she and Harry moved over a bit more to allow them enough room.
"Weasley." Malfoy nodded, drawing his own wand.
"Malfoy." Ron muttered, his eyes never leaving the Slytherin. Then, as quick as a flash, he had raised his wand and fired a spell at Malfoy.
Malfoy barely had enough time to erect a Sheild Charm, a scowl beginning to form on his face, as he shot one right back at Ron.
"Come on Harry," Hermione tugged on his sleeve. "We should get practising."
But Harry couldn't concentrate. His eyes kept flicking back towards his friends, watching them throw hexes, jinxes and possibly curses at each other. Hermione managed to break his feeble Sheild Charm twice in a row. He didn't even see the teacher leaving.
"Come on Harry." She pressed, drawing her wand up once more.
"Not so tough now, are you ferret?" He heard Ron growl.
"Shut up, Weasel." Malfoy snapped, bringing his wand up to counter Ron's jinx and throw one back.
He drew his gaze away from them and focused on Hermione, and hitting her with a jinx. She flew backwards slightly, letting out a squeal of surprise at the spell spell. Ron, obviously hearing his girlfriend, turned to see if she was alright, just as Malfoy sent a spell at him.
It hit Ron in the side of the head, and sent him sprawling to the ground. He raised himself up on his hands, and spat out blood. He just stared at it for a minute, but Harry could see his ears turning red.
Then, Ron was up on his feet, and firing spell after spell at Malfoy. Harry could see the blonde's Shield Charm failing, how he was getting more and more panicky. Finally, it broke through. The hex hit Malfoy square in the face, snapping his head backwards, and soon his body followed. He collapsed onto the floor.
"Ron!" Hermione gasped, looking at the scene.
That's when it happened.
Ron raised his wand at the barely stirring Malfoy, determination on his face. Malfoy twitched slightly, his wand leaving his hand. Ron's lips moved slightly as he forgot about the non-verbal spells
Harry pointed his own wand at his friend, and thought as hard as he could.
Levicorpus!
With a flash of light, Ron was in the air, suspended by the ankle, his wand clattering to the ground.
"Oi!" He yelled, struggling in midair. "What gives?"
"You've done enough damage." Harry barked, looking at his friend. "This is just a practical assignment in a class, not a battle zone!"
"He hit me when I was turned away!" Ron shouted back.
"He didn't know you were going to turn away, he's not at fault here! And you were going to do something similar!" Harry snapped. "I don't care who he is, or what he's done, but in a class, you don't hit someone when they're down!"
"So you're taking his side?" Ron bellowed, his arms flapping slightly comically in the air. The rest of the class had turned to the scene unfolding before them, wondering what was going to happen.
"I'm not taking anyone's side but if you're going to be a dick about it, then yeah, maybe I will!" Harry shouted, before thinking the counter spell, and allowing Ron to drop unceremoniously into a heap in the middle of the classroom. He turned to Hermione. "Keep him away just now, and find out what the spell was." he muttered.
Hermione nodded sharply, before taking Ron's arm and dragging him into a corner, where Seamus and Neville all followed, confusion on their faces.
"There's nothing to see here!" Harry barked at the class, causing them to fluster and go back to what they were doing. He made his way over to Malfoy and knelt down beside him.
Seamus ran over to him. "Harry, he won't tell us what the spell was."
Harry cursed his friend and his ability to cling onto the sad past, before thanking Seamus and sending him away.
Whatever spell Ron had hit him with, it hadn't done any physical damage except a bruise that was beginning to blossom on the blonde's jaw. Harry reached out and tentatively brushed the hair out of Malfoy's eyes, before pointing his wand and muttering "Eneverate."
Malfoy's eyes fluttered slightly, and a moan escaped him. Something in Harry twitched at that, but he ignored it.
"You alright?" He asked softly, watching Malfoy.
His eyes opened slowly and he looked up at Harry. "You really do have a hero complex, Potter." He murmured. "Where's the Weasel?"
Harry couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the first comment. "Cooling off in the corner. He was going to hit you when you were down. I didn't want that to happen."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He ran his hands over his face and winced when he found the bruise. He froze directly after it, before turning to Harry slowly. "Don't tell me I have a bruise, Potter."
"It'll sting for a while." Harry said, before standing and offering Malfoy his hand. The Slytherin looked at him, before taking it. Something moved in Harry again, but he brushed it off.
Malfoy dusted himself off. His voice was almost inaudible.
"Thanks."
"It's fine." Harry said, smiling slightly. "Look, you should go to Madam Promfrey. We don't know what Ron hit you with, and he won't tell us."
Malfoy smirked. "Worried for my well-being Potter? Well, you needn't be. I'm perfectly -"
The Slytherin's eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped like a weight. He would have hit the floor with some force if Harry hadn't caught him.
"Harry! Take him to the Hospital Wing!" Hermione called out.
"I kind of gathered that myself." He grumbled, hoisting one of Malfoy's arms around his shoulders, and slid his own arm around the blonde's slender waist. "Tell the teacher where we are."
Hannah scurried forwards and opened the door for him, and he set off to the Hospital Wing, the dead weight of Malfoy on him.
"I don't know what the professor was doing, leaving you all alone like that. It's unacceptable! What if someone had been dealt a real injury? Especially so soon after the war. Mr Malfoy was bound to run into trouble at some point. Oh, I may have a word with Minerva. This is the fourth student that's came from her class in a state!"
Madam Promfrey bustled about the Wing, picking up a few potions from various cabinets, then putting them back for another. Harry sat beside Malfoy's bed, twirling his wand in his fingers. Malfoy hadn't awoken since he had collapsed, and just looked like he was asleep.
"I say, teaching spells like this! It's not as if we are in need of them anymore!" Madam Pomfrey huffed, before making her way back to Malfoy's bed with a bottle of potion in her hand.
"What actually happened to him?" Harry asked, watching the nurse set up the potion and a glass on the table, before pulling out her wand to perform some diagnostic tests.
"It's a variation on the Stunning Spell." She informed him, waving her wand up and down Malfoy's body. "It has the same effect, but a simple Eneverate won't solve this, oh no. It keeps on affecting the victim and it needs a particular potion that get rid of the effects. Thankfully, it only takes one sitting. Professor Slughorn made this at the start of term."
She poured some of the potion into the glass, which turned out to be a deep, dark blue, before waking Malfoy.
Once again, it took a while for Malfoy to come around fully. He looked up at the ceiling groggily, before looking from Madam Pomfrey. "What happened?"
"A stupid spell." Pomfrey said stiffly, helping him to sit up in the bed. "Now, drink this. It will help." She handed him the cup.
Malfoy looked at it, and gave it a sniff, before drinking the whole glass. He pulled a grimace as he set the glass back down. "That's vile!"
"But it will get rid of the spell." Pomfrey barked. "Now, rest. I'll have to keep you in overnight, to make sure all of the effects wear away. You'll be back at class as normal tomorrow." And with that, she bustled away, muttering under her breath.
"This is all the Weasel's fault." Malfoy murmured, lying back down in the bed.
"I know." Harry sighed, standing up. "I need to go back to class, but I'll come by after dinner and see how you are." He turned to walk away. "I'll see if I can talk to Ron, and get him to lay off."
He was almost at the door when Malfoy spoke.
"Why do you care about me?"
Harry paused, his hand of the door knob, before turning to Malfoy while a small smile.
"We're friends, and friends care about each other."
Ron ignored Harry the rest of the day, not sitting beside him in the classes. He chose to sit in between Dean and Seamus, or Seamus and Neville to avoid him. Hermione sat at equal distances between them, her eyes darting between them anxiously. She had tried to speak to Ron about Harry, but he had ignored Hermione, even snapping at her once, making her look hurt on top of anxious. She had sat beside Harry after that, her lip trembling.
Malfoy was just finishing his own dinner when Harry appeared back in the Hospital Wing, homework for the Slytherin under his arm. He made his way over to the bed and sat the books down on the table with a thunk.
"What have I done to deserve all this work?" Malfoy muttered, pushing his tray of food away.
"Well, the teachers don't really care when a student is in the Hopsital Wing unless it's life threatening." Harry smirked. "So, here's your share."
Malfoy sighed and sat up a bit more in the bed as Harry took the chair beside him, dumping his school back beside him. "What's the Weasel said to it?"
"Nothing. No apology or anything. He's giving me the cold shoulder as well." Harry shrugged, lowering his eyes from Malfoy.
"I'm sorry."
Harry looked up, his eyebrows almost disappearing under his hair. "What?"
Malfoy was glaring at the window opposite him. "I said I'm sorry, Potter." A small flush decorated his pale cheeks. Harry's hands clenched slightly, but he loosened them.
"For what?"
"Making the Weasel mad at you."
Harry couldn't help it, he laughed. He had to laugh. Malfoy thought it was his fault? Really?
"What?" The blonde was scowling at Harry now, the flush still staining his face.
"A Malfoy just apologised for something that wasn't his fault." Harry chuckled, controlling himself. "I never thought that would happen. Look," he smiled at Malfoy, "It isn't your fault. It's Ron's, for being an immature git."
Malfoy stared at Harry for a moment before looking away, his blush deepening. "Oh."
Harry put his feet up on the bed. "Do you always blame yourself for stuff that happened to you now?"
Malfoy snorted, before his face fell. "No." He replied quietly. He paused for a moment, studying his hands. "Not so much now."
A silence fell between them, but it was comfortable. Harry watched Malfoy out of the corner of his eye. His cheeks were still pink, and he was playing with the edges of the covers. He was wearing the long sleeved pyjamas of the Hospital Wing, but he kept tugging down the sleeve of the left arm. Harry knew it was to keep the Dark Mark hidden. The Death Eaters had still kept them after Voldemort died. Healers from St Mungo's had said that they would fade in time, but they would never fully disappear. The magic was too dark and deep for that.
About five minutes had passed between them, with Malfoy continuing to pull at the sleeve of his pyjamas. Harry snapped.
"Stop it." He leaned forward and covered Malfoy's right hand with his, stopping the motion.
Malfoy froze, and looked up at Harry, something like fear in his eyes.
"It's just getting on my nerves." Harry said, watching the fear slowly fade. "You don't have to be ashamed of it, you know. It's in the past." Their hands stayed like that for another moment, as they just looked at each other, before Malfoy's hand removed itself and placed itself on top of Harry's, startling the raven haired boy.
"Thank you." Malfoy whispered, giving Harry's hand a squeeze, before removing his. Harry sat there for a minute, stunned, before retracting from the blonde.
"What are you thanking me for?" Harry asked softly, leaning his elbows on his knees. "For saying that." Malfoy was staring at the end of the bed, before turning to Harry with a soft smile. "It means quite a bit."
Harry returned the smile. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
Malfoy nodded, and watched as Harry stood up. He grabbed his school bag, and shot Malfoy one more smile before leaving the Hospital Wing.
Harry found himself in Malfoy's company more and more as the days passed. Ron hadn't spoken a word to Harry since the day in Defence a week past, and Hermione had been spending more time with him as a girlfriend usually does. So, that was why Harry found himself studying more with Malfoy, playing wizard's chess, and just having general conversation.
They were sitting in the common room, packing away their chess set after Malfoy had won four times in a row to Harry's dismay. As the whole eighth year had witnessed the incident, they were all darting looks at the two former enemies, wondering if anything was going to kick off. And it was getting on Harry's nerves. They had been doing it for days, and he was sick of it.
"Why can't they stop starting?" He muttered under his breath as he pushed the set to the side, lounging back in his seat.
"Maybe they're jealous." Malfoy smirked. "After all, I'm the one spending time with you. An Ex-Death Eater and the Boy Who Lived. An unlikely combination."
"Yeah, well, they're gonna have to get used to it." Harry sighed.
Malfoy looked up, one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows arched. "And why's that?"
"Well, me and Ron are probably not going to talk for a while. Plus, I like your company." Harry said, stretching his arms behind his back, closing his eyes. He heard something, like an intake of breath, and cracked an eye open to look at Malfoy.
He was staring at the desk, his hands clenched lightly into fists. Harry frowned slightly, but chose to ignore it. The Patil twins walked by, whispering behind their hands, their eyes going between Harry and Malfoy. That was the last straw for Harry.
He stood abruptly, startling Malfoy. "I'm going for a walk."
"It's almost curfew." Malfoy stated.
Harry smirked. Little did Malfoy know, Harry had two of his most prized possessions, and keys to rule-breaking, hidden upstairs in his trunk. "I have my methods."
This intrigued Malfoy. He sat up straighter, and fixed Harry with a look that said he wanted to know more.
Harry mentally shrugged. Surely it wouldn't be a big deal if Malfoy knew about the cloak and map. Malfoy only spoke to Harry anyway. The rest of the year ignored him if they could, and Blaise Zabini had left a few days after the start of term, claiming that he longer belonged there, or whatever that meant.
"I'll be back in a minute." Harry said, before turning and jogging up the stairs to his dorm. It was empty, and he wasted no time in extracting the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from his belongings. Pausing for a moment, he looked at them. Only a few people knew about them, and now he was going to let Malfoy know as well. Yet, there was something that made Harry trust the blonde in a way. Shrugging, he folded them into his pockets and headed back down to Malfoy.
He found the blonde standing, leaning against the table, tapping his foot slightly with his arms crossed. He looked up at Harry as he entered, and seemed to search his arms for his 'methods', and frowned slightly when his search proved worthless.
"So, Potter, what are these methods?" he drawled.
Harry grinned and jerked his head to the portrait hole and Malfoy followed him, trying to hide the intrigued look on his face.
When they were out of the common room and round the corner, Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak out from his pocket and unfolded it. He draped it around his shoulders, hiding his body, as he had did on Christmas during his first year.
Malfoy's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?" He whispered, awe written all over his face. "You have an Invisibility Cloak?"
"Yep." Harry grinned, not divulging that it wasn't just any Invisibility Cloak, but one of the Deathly Hallows, and opened it for Malfoy, gesturing for him to get under it. "Come on."
Malfoy wasted no time in diving under it. Harry could lightly feel the blonde's limbs shaking with excitement. They made their way through the corridors, until Harry stopped them, and pulled out the map. He could tell that Malfoy was frowning, wondering what Harry was going to do with a blank bit of old parchment. He grinned again, unnoticed by Malfoy, and whispered the familiar incantation.
The lines blossomed from the middle of the page, and Malfoy let out a small gasp, leaning closer to Harry to see over his shoulder. A thrill ran through him, but he ignored it.
"What is this?" Malfoy whispered, his breath tickling Harry's neck, making him shiver slightly.
"A map of the entire school, showing everyone." Harry said, pointing to the map. "Look. There's us."
Malfoy gazed at the map, watching the names on the page. Mrs Norris was on the seventh floor, while Filch was on the fifth. McGonagall was in her office, at her desk. The other teachers were in their offices, except from Hagrid, who was in his cabin. A few dots were in empty classrooms, obviously couples who were having some alone time. Harry watched as the names 'Ron Weasley' and 'Hermione Granger' walked through the corridors that would lead them back to the common room.
"Come on." Harry whispered, and they moved. They went down the many flights of stairs, watching for the dots of Filch and Mrs Norris as they made their way out of the castle into the courtyard.
Night was settling in over Hogwarts. The stars were out, shining bright. The full moon was waning, and there were no clouds in the sky. October had been mild so far, but it wouldn't last for long. Harry heard the call of a Thestral, and felt Malfoy shiver behind him. He resisted the urge to reach out to him.
Harry walked over to a small, sheltered alcove that gave a few of the grounds and the sky, knowing that if anyone were to walk by, they wouldn't see them. They sat on the small bit of stone that reminded Harry of a bench, and he pulled the cloak off of them.
"So, why did you decide to go for a walk?" Malfoy asked, gazing out over the grounds.
"It was just the people in the common room." Harry muttered. "I just don't like people gawping at me all the time, especially my classmates. It just…. annoys me."
Malfoy nodded and shifted slightly on the stone. Harry could feel the warmth radiating with Malfoy. It was inviting. He wanted to move closer.
He shook his head sharply. What was that about? It was like the episode on the train, when he had wanted to follow Malfoy. What was going on?
"I understand that feeling…"
Harry turned to the Slytherin to find him watching him, his grey eyes unwavering. The understanding in them concreted the fact that Malfoy really did understand in his mind.
They were quite similar in a way. Harry had been brought up without his real parents, in a house he could hardly call a home, by people who didn't love him. Malfoy, Harry guessed, had a been through a similar situation. He lived in a house that was far too big for three people, which made Harry think that it wasn't really a home. His parents were distant, Lucius especially, if his treatment of his son was anything to go by. Sure, they had searched for him at the end of the battle, but you would do that with family. That didn't mean they treated him better at home. And they had been through some rough moments at the same time. Harry had had the burden of knowing that he had to be the one to kill Voldemort, and Malfoy the fact that he was branded a Death Eater and had to carry the weight of killing Dumbledore.
Something about the war sparked Harry into turning to Malfoy again.
"That night, in the Manor," Malfoy stiffened beside him. Harry knew it was a risky subject, but he pressed on. "Why didn't you tell Bellatrix it was me?" The question had been plaguing Harry for months. Malfoy had always hated Harry, and it had been the perfect opportunity to hand him over.
Malfoy was silent for a long time, just staring at the ground. He raised his eyes to Harry. "Ever the Gryfindor, Potter." He smirked slightly, before it fell. "This may sound selfish. I knew that you were my only hope." He dropped his eyes again, his hands linking together. "I was in too deep and I couldn't get back out. I didn't know how. I felt so…lost. I had heard tales of this prophecy, and I knew it just had to be you. You were the only one who could have saved me." Malfoy looked up again, staring right into Harry's eyes. "And you did."
Something clenched inside of Harry. The moonlight fell across Malfoy, highlighting his fair hair and light eyes, sending half of his face into shadow. His cheekbones stood out in his face, his noise looking too perfectly straight, the cupid's bow of his lips emphasied.
"I did?" Harry asked, his throat tightening slightly.
Malfoy smiled at him. It wasn't a fake smile, or a smirk, but a proper smile. One that took Harry's breath away. It lit up Malfoy's face, reaching his eyes and making them sparkle.
"You did." he repeated, before closing the small gap between them, and bumping shoulders with Harry. He didn't move away.