Disclaimer: Characters are, of course, owned by J.K. Rowling. I own nothing, but oh yes, I'd so love to borrow Draco indefinitely.

Author's Note : Hello readers. First of all, a huge thank you to TTP, AzureSkyTower, Katherine97, Voyager1987 and samy.017 for the favorites and follows. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. But I do promise I'll keep updating the story as and when I get even a flicker of free time. I'm infinitely happy with the response I have been getting over this story. And I promise I would do my best to keep up to all your expectations. Just please be patient and keep loving the work. Also, I'd be highly obliged to receive reviews from you guys. How do you feel the story is doing so far? Do let me know, please? Xoxo.

P.S the words in italics are Harry's and Draco's subconscious thoughts, in case you're wondering.

Chapter 4

More than just rivalry.

There are shadows in my dreams
Storms that send me out to reach
And you just wait on my defeat

Don't go holding your breath
You know that I'm not done yet
There's still a fight in me left
Don't go shouting out loud
That you're claiming the crown
I'm done but not out

And the bittersweet of every new defeat
Is I'm stronger than before
Baby, on my knees, but I still believe
These broken wings will soar

Silhoutte by Birdy.

"But 'mione, how can you be so sure? I mean look at him! He's still being a prick." Ron ignored the glare that Hermione shot in his direction and continued, "Did you not see the way he was sneering at the house with disdain? And, and he also didn't show any kind of respect! How could he be so arrogant, that git? Ron scowled.

"Ron, no. he's not like that anymore. Please try to understand. He has changed Ron. Didn't you see the way he kept his calm when you tried to hit him? He didn't even retort back to you with any snarky comments. And also, he did not disrespect anybody today! His arrogance is something that he has inherited from his family. How do you suppose he changes that in a moment? But he has been keeping his limits Ron, It's evident." Hermione replied softly. Ron just groaned at that and Ginny let out a low chuckle.

Harry had been sleeping in Ron's room that night and so were Hermione and Ginny. They'd had dinner peacefully with no fuss. Dra- Malfoy had been there too but he was silent the entire time. Ron had growled when he had seen him seated at the table beside Fred but one stern look from Mrs. Weasley had made him shut up for the entire evening. Though the look of disgust on his face had been something nobody could miss. Hermione and Ginny had been involved within their own conversation, chuckling and giggling from time to time. Remus, Sirius, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, also had been dissolved within their own talk, eating in between, taking small breaks. And Dra- Malfoy Oh my God Harry what the bloody hell are you doing? Calling that twat with his first name almost every time? Why? Harry had mind-snapped his subconscious for that. But Drac- Malfoy God just let it be Harry! You can't help it. So, Draco had been sitting by the end of the table beside Fred and just picking at his food, head bowed down. Harry was amused at the sight. Never had he seen him so upset or so distressed. Maybe Moony was right, maybe he needed family.

Harry had been still glancing at him when Draco had caught his attention. He had looked up so suddenly that Harry almost missed his head snapping up to look straight at him. For a moment their eyes had met. Emerald orbs with silvery ice grey; and Harry had felt a sudden warmth creep up within him. What the bloody hell is happening to me? Harry had thought.

But what had shocked the hell out of him was that Draco hadn't looked away this time. He was boring his gaze right at Harry and didn't even bother lowering his eyes. Harry, feeling slightly intimidated under Draco's gaze had wanted to look away but he couldn't. It was as if something in Draco's icy stare was holding him captive and he was losing this battle of intense stare. Why can't I look away? Why does this feel so wrong but oh so right? Why is he not looking away either? Thousand thoughts had crept inside Harry's head at that very moment but he had let them pass almost immediately because at that point of time nothing else mattered to him more than those icy grey orbs that felt pure cold yet left unbelievable warmth creep against his suddenly fluttering and tingling frozen skin. He had felt those grey pools staring at him intently as if trying to find something in his emerald ones. But what? Harry had been still holding onto Draco's dominant stare when something or rather someone had clattered their spoon onto the hard wooden table oblivious of the stare game being played at the very table, and abruptly Draco, as if he had been snapped out of his trance, had broken their moment of eye-friction; oh on the scale of 1 to Luna Lovegood, how crazy might he be had he thought of calling it as eye-fucking instead of just eye-friction?! Shut Up dumb head! Harry had chided to his pervasive subconscious yet again. And had turned his flustered face down. Promptly he had felt his cheeks turn red and his nostrils flare at the abrupt slaughter of his - their eye-whatever! Even though he knew his face and hands were gone red with all that blood rushing inside him, almost tumbling in his arteries, he had felt cold. Cold and well, he didn't exactly what the other feeling had been. What had just happened between him and Draco?

After a few seconds, he had looked up for a moment to make sure what was Draco playing at but he had been surprised beyond words when he had seen Draco's face. Draco had still been looking down, picking at his food but he had also been Smiling? What? For a moment Harry had been bemused when he had realization dawned upon him that Draco Malfoy can actually smile. Like a real, genuine, full blown smile. Wow. That was certainly new. But what has he been smiling at? Harry had looked down at Draco's food plate and was sure Draco wouldn't be smiling at treacle tarts, beef loafs and pumpkin juice. So then does that mean he had been smiling because of what happened between them moments ago? Harry had been curious, also intrigued. He needed to know what Draco had been thinking at that very moment. But unfortunately Draco had never looked up again.

Draco had finished his dinner as fast as he possibly could and was out of the dinner area without even a second glance at Harry. Harry had fumbled with his own fork for a minute after he had seen Draco leave the room and had stood up himself to put back his half eaten dinner plate onto the kitchen platform. Hermione had eyed him suspiciously when he turned back to leave the room himself but he had ignored her look adamantly and headed up to his room. And within ten minutes of laying head down on his bed, thinking of all the possibilities that might have made the blonde smile that way and more importantly about all the possibilities that had lead to their strange yet amusing stare game, he had been asleep. He didn't knew when Ron, 'Mione and Ginny had came back to the room but was only woken up by Ron's yell.

"And besides he does look different now, doesn't he?" Ginny grinned.

"Bloody hell Gin! You're thinking what I think you're thinking, now are you?" Ron yelled.

"Oh sure I do. What makes you think I am not? Haven't you seen that perfectly gropable arse he flaunts these days?" She slammed her fist at her brother's shoulder who grew more pale by her comment.

Both Ginny and Hermione were now laughing hard at Ron's horrid expressions. And with his face muffled into the pillow, Harry was having a very hard time controlling his own laughter at his best mate's hoaxing.

"I will bloody make mum disown you Gin if you ever say that again. I swear to Merlin I will. Malfoy and arse. Holy cricket, that's - that's a disgusting turn of bottoms!" Ron huffed, still sounding horrible. And that was it. Harry couldn't control himself anymore and fell down the bed, landing flat upon his arse, laughing uncontrollably. Watching Harry fall down with hysteria made the girls lose their minds and they filled in for another fit of laughter. Ron just gaped at his best mate as if he felt betrayed that Harry had taken the girl's side and not his. "Traitor" he mouthed at Harry.

"Oh, Ron. Merlin. Look at your fac-" Harry was cut out of his hysteric laugh mid-way when the door of the bedroom flew open with a loud thud.

It was now Harry's turn to look horrid. And Ron, if anything, just grew more angrier. The two girls also ceased their laughs and were now staring at the open bedroom door and at the boy that stood out in the darkness of the corridor.

"Would you mind shutting your bloody mouths and let the eerie silence preach as I assume it is middle of the night and your stupid laughter just feels like bloody Satan has risen from the dead." Draco drawled from across the room, now emerging from the blackness of the dark corridors. "And Potter, stop that bloody hysterical laugh of yours. For Merlin's sake, it feels like some rowdy raven is having an epileptic attack." Harry was caught off guard by that snarky remark and he felt tongue-tied for a moment before he could speak. "Oh is it now, Malfoy? I thought you loved the sound of my rowdy raven laugh because I assume that's the only reason you were drawn into barging our little party." Harry snapped bitterly.

"How delusional could you possibly be Potter, honestly. And here I thought 'The Boy Who Lived Twice' was far more witty than this! Drawn to you little Gryffindor slug club, No thank you very much." Draco scoffed nonchalantly. Harry flinched at the very comment. He felt insulted not because Draco Malfoy had just defamed his house and his best friends in front of him but because he had called him delusional for thinking that Draco could ever be drawn to him. Yes he did feel insulted. And pained. And. . Wait, What?

"Shove off, Malfoy." Finally Ron spat.

Draco casted one last menacing glare at the redhead and stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him shut.

Bloody ferret.

"Bloody ferret." Ron echoed Harry's thoughts and Harry looked at him wide-eyed, not sure that maybe he said it out aloud. But judging by Hermione's glare directed only towards her boyfriend he knew he hadn't. And he realized their little laughing club has come to an end. Slug club? Really now Draco? He couldn't help his thoughts at times. And especially if the times involved thinking about a certain blonde, he definitely couldn't.

After disaster dinner, Draco had gone back up to his room and plopped down on the floor shutting the door behind him. What had just happened between him and Potter? Why had he looked at him that way? And why had Potter not looked away? What was he playing at? But, but that moment had felt something- something endearing. Endea – Wait, what?

Yes. It did Draco, you pathetic fool. Don't deny that. It had felt warm and giddy when Potter had looked into your eyes. And you were on the verge of passing out because remember how you had held your breath? It had almost made me anoxic and I was just about to die! DIE because bloody Potter couldn't take his eyes away from you and you – you were just as daft, staring back intently. Thanks to that ginger Ron who doesn't know how to eat petty beef loafs and had clanked his spoon off the table! Else I would have surely died of anoxia, you git. "Bloody brain." He sighed.

But you see, the point is, Potter looked like he was a red tomato after that eye-fuckery of yours. And I am definite I saw him peeking back at you after that. Maybe he even saw you do something you got to admit you have not done in ages, that is smiling. Why were you smiling by the way Draco? You really didn't feel that whatever happened was good, did you? Personally, I felt it was not good. It was Brilliant! And, that smile suits you boy. I saw that in Potter's eyes earlier when he looked like he was bemused by that sexy smile of yours. Draco had resisted to rolling his eyes at that statement. Sometimes his brain felt alien to him. Maybe it really needed proper care at St. Mungo's, he thought. NO I DON'T! He had snickered at that retort.

Once back to his bed, Draco had wanted nothing but to sleep peacefully after a very bloody literally bloody long month. And there he had been, on a comfy bed, much to his displeasure because he had never thought the beds at the burrow would be that soft and comfy, sleep dancing in his eyes, and he was on the verge of darkness when Potter and his little minion's club had started laughing so loudly and he was startled back into reality from his sleep. All he had wanted was a little peace and a break from his stupid subconscious mind that was trying to set him up with bloody Potter but even that had seemed too much to ask for. He had felt furious and with a disgruntled groan shut his eyes close forcefully, desperately trying to avoid the loud voices and drifting back to slumber.

But just then he had heard Potter's hysterical laugh from the room beside his and he had lost it. He had barged into the room, shut Potter and his hysteria attack up and slammed the door so loud behind him that now he was amused it hadn't got unhinged.

Once again, back to his bed, he smiled in triumph. The laughing club had dissolved and now all he could hear was the summer night wind rustling by the windows and faint chirping of crickets from afar. He felt tired too. And he really needed some break from all those thoughts. Thoughts of Potter, that stupid dinner and his new-found fondness for emerald orbs. After all why would he feel anything towards bloody Potter? Wasn't he his arch nemesis? Then all those happy and warm fluttering inside his stomach he had felt whenever he looked at that Raven haired boy and his emerald eyes, what was that? That's your subconscious making you realize how much you just love that raven! "Merlin shut up now, would you? He snapped angrily.

And in a jiffy, the door to his bedroom barged open revealing a very confused and angry Harry Potter storming towards his bed. For a moment, by the look in Potter's eyes he thought he was going to kill him or better hex his arse. He fumbled in the darkness to get a hold of his wand from his bedside table and stood up in time to bump into a very angry and very strongly built Harry Potter. Their foreheads collided by the sudden movement and a coupled voice sounding like "Ouch" filled the dark room and hung in the misty air.

"What on bloody earth do you think you're doing Potter?" he seethed, still rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"Might I ask you the same, Malfoy. What the bloody hell do you think you're doing going all the way shaming my friends when it's the same people that have given your shitty arse a place to bloody live in despite everything you've ever done to them?" Harry sounded like his throat was on fire and he needed to get that out.

When Draco had gate crashed his little chat group earlier, he was sure he wasn't angry at him, just a little shocked and a very little, almost negligible amount of hurt. But okay, not angry. It was later when Draco had left the room that Ron had spoken up something about him being disrespectful and disparage to the only people trying to help him or something like that, Harry didn't exactly knew what Ron had said because his mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of Draco calling him delusional. But the words 'Disrespectful' and 'Disparaged' had a stuck a nerve in him. And a second later he knew he was fuming with anger.

"Honestly Potter, I don't give a damn about who does what for me. Save my life or bury me alive, it's gonna make no difference for me." Draco's voice sounded steely, almost lifeless and for a moment Harry was stopped from retorting back when the meaning of those words hit him.

So, Draco Malfoy, 'the boy who never backed down' had given up. Given up on himself and his life. He has given up on hopes and the feeling of being alive. But why? Didn't he just make out of the war safe and sound? His parents didn't, unfortunately, but of course Draco never seemed like the one to quit. He wasn't a quitter back then, then what has had him so changed?

"Now if you don't mind Potter, May I pick up on my beauty sleep before I start getting bloody dark spots?" Draco was the one to break that momentary silence.

Harry didn't hear what Draco said instead he was staring right back at his face, more like his eyes. He had never seen such cold-yet unbelievably warm pair of eyes. Why have I never noticed them before? It's not that I don't know him since long, it's been almost 7 years now and still these grey diamonds feel like something I never knew before. Sure because maybe in all those years they have never been caught upon each other in such close proximity and even when they had, there was nothing but animosity clouding their eyes… Such close proximity?

Harry snapped out of his trail of thoughts when he realized suddenly how warm the air around him felt. He was mere inches away from the other boy now and their faces were aligned almost in a way that could have landed them accidently brushing their lips had they moved even an inch. His breath caught in his lungs and he felt giddy suddenly. He could feel Draco's cold breath fall on the nook of his neck and that simple gush of air made his tiny hair stand up behind his neck.

Draco eyed the other boy with confusion, his eyebrows furrowed like he was scrutinizing his face. When he didn't get any reaction to his cold statement, he thought it was better if he ended that topic here itself. He didn't like talking about his 'pathetic excuse for life' to anyone and absolutely not to Potter of all people.

When even his second attempt to shove Potter failed, and Potter just stood there like a bloody statue glued to the spot he couldn't help but look at him straight in the face. And for the second time that day, those emerald orbs that greeted him felt so warm and fluttery. Potter looks better without his glasses!

Draco didn't knew when he had closed the small space between them and now that they were standing mere inches away from each other. The heat radiating from Potter's body felt like a fireplace in the alps. All coherent thoughts had left Draco's mind and he was now the one that was glued to the spot.

When a few moments later Harry's eyes widened and he moved back a little, Draco found his lost breath. And his heartbeat was racing. What is happening to me? Was all he could think about.

Without another word, Harry turned back and walked out of the room. His mind racing with indecent thoughts about Draco and their proximity, his body positively shaking from the after effects of the recent Arrhythmia he had while back in the room. When he reached back to Ron's bedroom, he found Ron and Hermione already drifted to sleep on Ron's bed and Ginny wasn't in the room anymore. Maybe she's headed back to her own bedroom, with that thought he plopped back down on his bed already feeling tired.

What is happening to me? Why do I feel like some unknown force is drawing me towards him? Two boys, in two different rooms, had the same thought running through their minds in a loop.