"I told you it was forbidden for a reason!" Draco yelled, shouting like a little girl when something dropped from the tree landing on his shoulder. The blonde jumped around. "Get it off, damn it!"

Harry tried not to laugh, really he did, but he was having a very hard time. "Draco, calm down, it's just a tiny spider."

"Get it off now," Draco pleaded. "It's huge!"

"It's the size of a pinkie nail, the white part of a pinkie nail, no less," Harry snickered. He flicked the spider away from Draco, who was now glaring at him.

"I told you it was forbidden for a reason," Draco grumbled with his arms crossed.

"I wouldn't worry about a baby spider Draco, worry about that buck," Harry whispered, pointing behind him.

Draco whipped around, his eyes wide. "It's beautiful," he whispered after a moment of staring at it.

Harry had expected him to start freaking out or something, especially after how he acted with the spider. He couldn't help snorting, "You're not afraid of it?"

The buck was watching the boys in a way that made it seem as if it were studying them, trying to sense danger. Pawing the ground with its hoof, it snorted, lowering and lifting its head. Harry's eyes widened when a small doe suddenly joined the buck in the clearing, followed closely by a baby fawn. Harry was startled when Draco started to walk toward the trio.

"Draco, no!" Harry hissed. "They're wild animals."

The blonde didn't listen. He got dangerously close, before sitting down in the grass. "They're a family Harry, aren't they amazing?"

Feeling very torn, Harry wanted to snatch Draco away from the animals, but he also saw how awed Draco was by the creatures and just prayed the father didn't go crazy and attack him.

"Draco . . . bucks are super protective . . . come back here."

"I'm not scared of him," Draco murmured. "He knows, Harry, he knows we mean no harm."

Harry rubbed the back of his head, "Draco you didn't even like horses before I took you riding," he said, trying to figure out the blonde.

"I was wrong," Draco said, "I never knew how relaxing animals could be. You showed me that."

"B-but there's a difference between horses and wild animals," Harry quietly stressed.

"He won't hurt me," Draco said, sounding firm. "Animals sense things, you know. Come over here, Harry."

This was unreal, Harry couldn't believe how Draco would freak out over a baby spider, a harmless spider at that, and here he was trying to befriend a bunch of wild animals.

Giving in, Harry tiptoed toward the blonde, keeping his eyes on the animals, not sure what he'd do if they suddenly went wild. He sat down next to Draco and sighed.

"This is crazy. This is why the forest is forbidden, wild animals," Harry said, as he looked between the animals and then to Draco's face. He looked . . . at peace. His face looked beautiful. Harry shook his head, flushing because of the very sudden thought, but he couldn't help thinking Draco was very, very attractive.

"What?" Draco whispered, keeping his voice low because of the deer.

"N-nothing," Harry muttered.

"I wish . . . mum could see this," Draco said, startling Harry out of his thoughts. "She would have thought they were beautiful, though dad would have said they were dirty. I still wish . . ."

Harry leaned closer to him, daring to put a hand on Draco's shoulder. When Draco wasn't being a brat, he was very endearing. Draco glanced at Harry, and then down at the hand on his shoulder, before slightly, just barely scooting closer to the brunette. Harry felt his heart jump, but why?

"They're beautiful," Harry agreed softly, "but I've seen a creature far more beautiful, at least in some lighting," Harry mused softly, not even sure what he was saying or why he was saying it.

The blonde just gave him a confused look. "What creature?"

"Oh . . . never mind, it's silly."

"Tell me," Draco said, giving Harry a pout. It was clear that Draco was used to being soiled and getting what he wanted, at least before his parents died.

"Fine, but you'll laugh," Harry said with a smile. "A dragon," he admitted quietly.

Confused, Draco raised an eyebrow, "dragon's aren't real."

"The one I'm thinking of is real.." Harry said, though embarrassed, he couldn't help smirking when Draco started to blush.

"Shut up, Harry. You say the strangest things."

With a sigh, Harry pulled his hand away from Draco's shoulder and looked up at the sky through the treetops. "I know I do," he said, before laying on his back. "It's probably even more strange that I mean it, huh?" The brunette mused, more to himself, though Draco heard him just fine. The blonde tilted his head as he looked down at Harry and then to Harry's surprise, Draco smiled and it may have been a small smile, but it was there.

"You're weird, Harry. Somehow weird isn't so bad when it's you, though if you tell anyone I said that I will murderize you!" He crossed his arms, looking off to the side, his cheeks flushed.

"That's not a word, Draco."

"It is now, I just used it, didn't I?"

Harry grinned. "Hah, I grew on you, admit it. You wanted to hate me, but I grew on you."

"Don't rub it in," Draco groaned. "People will start getting ideas that I'm nice."

"But you know what?" Harry snickered, gaining Draco's attention again. "I like you just how you are, snapping and all," the brunette teased.

"You freak," Draco said, though he was looking more amused than annoyed. "Now I get why you stuck around, even when I was, and still am, the biggest evil arse in the world."

"Why's that?" Harry questioned.

"Because," Draco started; he leaned over Harry, looking down at his face, "you're a goody two-shoe, and you like to fix things, don't you?"

Harry flushed at Draco's sudden closeness, though he tried to glare at him. "I'm not a goody two-shoe, Draco. I just wanted you to be happy. You don't need to be fixed, Draco. You're perfect the way you are, you just need to cheer up and let people in."

"There you go saying strange things again!" Draco groaned.

"It's true."

"The way you talk, it sounds like one pickup line after the other," Draco pouted. "Stop being so..." Draco trailed off. He pulled away from Harry and flushed, before turning his attention back to the grazing deer.

Harry laughed. "Don't be silly..." He screwed up his nose as he thought about what Draco insinuated. Could he . . . No, that was impossible. He had joked with his mum, but Harry knew he wasn't, couldn't be. Though he had to admit . . . sometimes he felt really strange around Draco, said weird things, had weird thoughts. But . . . he couldn't like Draco.

With a sigh, Harry gazed at Draco out of the corner of his eyes. He was beautiful, Harry had already admitted that, and not only that, Harry had the strongest desire to protect Draco, Harry was aware of that as well, and seeing Draco upset or angry tore at Harry's heart. Of course, Harry knew that all too well, not to mention every time Draco got too close, Harry swore his heart started to race to the point of bursting. How could he have been so stupid not to figure this out sooner? Harry couldn't believe this would happen to him.

'Gods, mum won't let me live this down, especially after the way I joked before,' Harry groaned, before pressing a hand over his eyes.

'Now what am I supposed to do? Nothing of course . . . just pretend I don't know. Draco has just decided to be my friend, somewhat . . . I can't do this to him.' Harry was startled that it was so easy to put everything together once Draco put the idea into his head. He was sure it was a harmless crush, yes it had to be! If that were the case, then why did he feel like he wanted to die?

"Are you okay?" Draco asked. He sounded concerned, making Harry's heart pinch.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just tired, I guess . . . um . . . yeah." Crawling to his feet, Harry held a hand for Draco. "Come on, we should go back."

Draco eyed Harry's hand, before taking it and letting the brunette pull him to his feet.

Feeling pained, more pained than he could ever remember feeling, Harry had a hard time letting go of Draco's hand. He cursed whoever decided it was a good idea to make him figure out why he had been acting so weird lately.

"You're not fine," Draco scowled. He hated being lied to. "You were fine a moment ago, but now you seem like . . . well, you seem like you just got punched in the gut." The blonde bit his lower lip, before he sighed. "Did I say the wrong thing, Harry?"

"I can't explain it," Harry said as they started to walk out of the forest and back toward the school. "It wouldn't make any sense."

Draco frowned. "I've opened up to you more than I've opened up to anyone in my life and you can't do the same for me?" He asked, sounding hurt, almost betrayed. "You don't trust me?"

"It's complicated," Harry answered. He felt bad that Draco was upset, but he couldn't tell him about his feelings, could he? How would Draco react if he did? "I'm sorry Draco."

With the biggest frown Harry had ever seen before, Draco turned away from Harry, and without a word, he ran toward the school, leaving Harry in his dust. Harry had a sinking feeling that he had just gone back to square one with him.

Dropping to his knees, Harry started to cry like a little, confused child. Why did he have to get a stupid crush on Draco Malfoy of all people? Harry was startled when the fawn came up to him and started to nose him like a worried dog would do.

"S-shoo . . . your dad won't want you comforting me."

Despite his pain, he couldn't help thinking that Draco would have been amazed to see this, well minus him crying like a baby.

Animals were something else sometimes.