Chapter 6

Harry stared at himself in the mirror; he was wearing a red v-neck shirt, black skinny jeans, and white and red sneakers. He was more surprised to figure out the girls were well-versed in muggle fashion than finding a shop that sold muggle clothes in Hogsmeade. He was about to go on his date with Anthony and he looked good, but something inside him was saying that something wasn't right.

"Whatever problem you're trying to solve in your head, the answer won't come from that mirror" Seamus stated from his bed.

Harry nodded,and decided to spend the rest of his time waiting with Draco. He left his room and just as he was about to enter the blonde's room, he saw Ron approaching him.

"Can we talk?" the redhead asked and Harry nodded. "Harry, I'm really sorry for the way I acted yesterday, really. Hermione owled me and told me what happened to Malfoy. I'm really stupid; I should've known that you wouldn't have been hanging around with him if there wasn't a reason. But my brain made me think that you were ditching me for some new friends."

Harry approached his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ron, there's no way I would ditch you for anything or anyone. And by hanging out with him, I learned that Draco's a really nice guy with his dad out of the way. You'd like him too if you gave him a chance."

"Yeah, I suppose I should apologize to him now." Ron said.

Harry nodded, letting his friend compose himself before opening the door to Draco's room Draco looked up from the book he was reading to see Harry enter the room and smiled at him. His smile faltered, however, when Ron followed behind him.

"Draco, Ron has something to say to you" Harry said, and sat beside Draco.

Draco watched as Ron sat on the bed across them, and moved closer to Harry.

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday" Ron apologized. "I didn't mean what I said. I was having a really bad week, and I took it out on you which was wrong." Harry looked down at the shorter male, who still seemed unsure. "Hermione told me what happened to you and I just gotta say, I admire you mate. If it were me that happened to, I'd probably go nuts. I'd be in St. Mungo's right now. But you, you didn't let it stop you from coming back to school. Even after having to live with Voldemort in your house, seriously, you're one of the strongest people I know. I hope we can bury the hatchet and start over."

There was a momentary silence, but Harry saw Draco's expression soften.

"Thank you, Weasley-Ron, I mean" Draco said. "I'd like to start over as well."

Seeing Ron and Draco in the same room playing wizard chess was an odd sight, but it was good they were getting along, and Ron had finally found someone that could challenge him. Luna walked in a few minutes later and stared at the scene as well.

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life" she said as she brought out the latest issue of the Quibbler.

Luna being here meant that it was time for him to go meet Anthony. Harry stood said goodbye to his friends before leaving. He walked to the common room and found Anthony sitting by the hearth. He approached Harry and gave the raven a smile.

"Ready?" he asked and Harry nodded. They walked to Hogsmeade, and found a table at the back of the Three Broomsticks when they got there.

"So, what would you like to drink?" Anthony asked

"Just Butterbeer, please. And whatever you want to eat is fine with me" Harry said with a smile, and watched as Anthony went towards the bar.

'What am I so worried about?' Harry asked himself. 'Anthony is a great guy. Why would I think that this was wrong?'

He then went through a list on why he thought this was going to be a successful date. Appearance; Anthony was very good looking and his tight blue shirt and denim jeans showed off his gorgeous body pretty well. Personality; he was kind and considerate. Traits; intelligent, diligent, outgoing and active. He was probably a lot of people's dream guy, yet there was still that nagging feeling in the back of Harry's head that something wasn't right.

The night consisted of Harry and Anthony talking about things like their plans for their careers, classes, what quidditch team they were rooting for, and some of their interests. Harry learned that Anthony would probably take over their family's muggle business, a small bistro in the town they lived in, so he planned to start an apothecary so he could be financially stable in both aspects of his life. It was around eight when they decided to return to the castle.

"This was nice" Anthony said as they stopped in front of the portrait of the two knights.

Harry agreed, but he was sure he didn't want to go out with Anthony again. He looked at the Ravenclaw who was looking at him expectantly.

"Anthony, you're a really great guy, but I don't think there's going to be a second date" Harry said bluntly. "You're smart, handsome, kind, funny, you've got a foolproof plan for the future. It's just that you're into me way more than I'm into you."

"It's alright, Harry" Anthony said with a forced smile. "I get it."

He then entered the common room. Harry felt a little bad, but it was much better than getting Anthony's hopes up only to crush them in the future.

"What happened?" Daphne asked as soon as Harry entered the common room.

"Have you three been waiting all night to find out?" Harry asked, sighing when the three females nodded. "We had a nice dinner and a great conversation, but at the end, I just told him that it wouldn't work out because he was more into me than I was into him."

"Harsh, but I get it." Pansy stated, making Harry wince.

"Don't feel bad Harry. I think it was good that you told Anthony the truth now rather than lead him on." Lisa said. "So, if you don't mind me asking, is there someone you have feelings for?"

Harry felt his face get hot.

"Oh my god, there is" Pansy shouted, noticing his obvious blush. "Tell us Harry, maybe we can help you two get together."

Just when he thought the answer was going to be squeezed out of him, he was saved by the most unlikely person.

"You guys should really work on your own relationships before trying to help someone else with theirs" someone said and Harry turned to see Blaise come in through the portrait hole.

"How's your mother?" he asked.

"Better. She needs a few more days of bed rest, but she'll be back on her feet in no time" Blaise replied, then turned to the girls. "Look, if Harry wants to tell you who he has a feelings for and wants your help, he'll tell you, But you shouldn't try to force it out of him."

The girls apologized and returned to their rooms.

"Thanks" Harry said.

"No problem, you've had enough trouble for one lifetime" Blaise replied. "I'll relieve you of Draco duty."

"You don't have to" Harry blurted out, making the Slytherin raise an eyebrow. "You spent the weekend taking care of your mom. Take the night off."

Blaise stared at Harry with the emotionless expression all Slytherins seemed to have mastered for a while before nodding. Harry took a quick shower before returning to Draco's room. He was surprised to find Ron still there, and talking with Draco about quidditch. Well, arguing more than talking.

"Just you wait, the Cannons are gonna pull through and win this year" Ron said.

"Please, they haven't been in the final in over five years" Draco returned. "Puddlemere United is going to win this year."

The two noticed Harry and immediately tried to get him to side with one of them. The argument eventually ended when Harry said that he had a good feeling about the Falmouth Falcons, and Ron and Draco ganged up on him, pointing out every flaw from team composition to tactics. Harry wrote letters to Hermione and Joseph about the bizarre development of Draco and Ron's relationship while the blonde showered. Harry was lying on Joseph's bed, reading a book when he felt the bed dip and saw Draco climbing in.

"Oh, sorry" Draco immediately realized, his cheeks slowly turning pink.

"It's alright." Harry said, a little disappointed when the blonde moved towards his own bed.

"It's just that, I'm less prone to getting nightmares if I sleep with someone" Draco explained.

"Well, if it will help keep away the nightmares." Harry said and patted the space beside him.

Draco smiled softly before grabbing his pillow, and slowly climbed into Harry's bed."It's a little cramped."

Without thinking, Harry pulled Draco to lie on his chest, and the blonde didn't try to move away.

"What are you reading?" Draco asked, snuggling closer.

"It's a typical muggle story" Harry answered. "There are two kingdoms at war, the prince of one falls in love with the princess from the other, they meet in secret, and eventually convince everyone to stop fighting."

"If you already know what it's about, why read it again?" Draco asked.

"It's one of my favourite stories" Harry explained. "It shows how these two people, despite having all odds stacked against them, went through their problems together with no certainty other than their feelings for each other, and triumphed."

"Would…would you read it to me?" Draco asked shyly.

Harry looked down at the Slytherin, a pink tint on his cheeks. He returned to the first page and began reading the story to Draco. Around the end of the third chapter, Draco fell asleep, his head on Harry's chest and his arms around the raven's stomach.

As Harry watched Draco sleeping peacefully in his arms, he wondered why. Why did he let Draco sleep with him? Why did he pull the blonde closer? Why didn't Draco pull away? Most of all, he wondered why the only thing that felt right all night was having Draco right beside him.