Once in the room, Harry set Draco down on the large sofa that had appeared. The brunette sighed as he looked down at the crying teenager. He knew Draco was only crying like this because of the toffee, but he also knew that deep inside, Draco had been holding all this stuff in and eventually even without the candy, he would have exploded.

Harry was loathe to take advantage of Draco during this time, but he was dying to ask him some questions, to learn the things Draco normally tried to put behind a mask.

"Draco.." Harry whispered. "Do you honestly believe you have to cry alone?" Harry asked. Maybe it would be okay to stick with easy questions and ones that weren't too personal.

The blonde scrubbed his red rimmed eyes. Gray eyes burned into Harry's very soul. "Father wouldn't let me cry, I shouldn't cry, it's just bad, bad, bad, nobody would understand, except the pure and and . . . good. Like my mum, she was good, to me, I loved her, and you Harry, you're good, aren't you?"

Draco didn't seem bashful to talk like this and it was probably because of the candy. What he was saying nearly made Harry's knees go weak.

"I try to be good, Draco," Harry smiled, "I don't know about pure. Voldemort tainted my soul a long time ago, from when I was a baby even," the brunette whispered. He could speak parseltongue because of the dark lord, nothing pure about that.

"Don't say that!" Draco yelled, so angry that Harry had to move away from him quickly, afraid Draco would attack him.

Harry looked at Draco as he gritted his teeth together and made fists at his side.

"Don't you dare say that, Harry, the only reason he wants you is because you're pure! You are the light to his darkness. I'm getting sick and tired of you saying stupid things about yourself, don't think I don't hear it!" Draco advanced on Harry and grabbed him by the shoulders. He shook him angrily.

"Take it back right now, Harry. I swear, you better take it back or you'll be sorry!"

Harry swallowed. Stupid twins and their stupid toffees. "I-I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't mean to make you mad. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I'm pure, like you say," Harry said, feeling weird saying something like that, but it seemed to calm Draco down, as now he was just crying again.

"Stop crying, Draco, what can I do to make you happy?" Harry asked. Happiness was an emotion, right? He just had to bring that out in Draco, at least before the effects of the candy still controlled his emotions, otherwise, Draco could end up hurting himself, or someone else.

'Like me,' Harry couldn't help thinking.

The blonde looked up, a serious look in his troubled gray eyes. "Tell me if these feelings are really real," Draco said. "That's all I need to know."

Harry didn't have time to feel flustered, so he smiled and nodded his head. "They're real, all of them. Just like in the dream. Harry Potter loves Draco Malfoy."

But instead of becoming happy like Harry had expected, Draco's eyes became confused and guarded. "What the hell Potter? W-what, where am I? Don't throw around words like that and why in God's name am I crying?" Draco pushed away from Harry as if the brunette had caught fire.

Harry felt his heart sink to his stomach. "You had sort of a nervous breakdown in Potions, I told them you were charmed and then brought you here," he said. He wasn't about to tell Draco he had been charmed.

Draco blinked a couple of times and then he started to blush as everything came back to him. He really had broken down. Draco fell down onto the sofa and stared off into space. "Why would I break down?" The blonde snapped, more to himself than to Harry.

"I don't know," Harry said weakly. He turned away from him, his heart broken. Draco wouldn't admit that he wanted Harry at least for a friend. He had just said so before the charm wore off. Now Draco would just deny it ever happened.

"I don't know, Draco," Harry repeated. "You tell me because I don't understand anything from this world anymore."

So upset, Harry didn't even notice he was clenching his fists again, didn't notice the pain as his nails cut into his skin. He did notice a single tear. Ron's plan had worked after all, seeing Draco like that managed to get him to cry, even if it was just one tear.

"You're doing it again, Potter," Draco complained. He stood up and walked toward the other. "Turn around and face me."

Harry did, but he couldn't hide the tear on his cheek. "What am I doing exactly?" Harry asked, managing to keep his cool. Somehow.

Draco's face seemed to contort as he struggled with something, some emotion. With an angry sigh, Draco grabbed one of Harry's hands and roughly pulled him closer. "This, you're doing this again, hurting yourself. How stupid can you be?" Draco insulted. "I told you to stop doing that before."

The brunette looked at his bleeding hands and then into Draco's confused and pained eyes. "Why do you care, Draco? Why? You said we weren't friends! You said my feelings weren't real. You . . . you . . . so why the fuck do you care if I hurt myself?"

"Damn it, Potter, you're not making this very easy," Draco hissed.

"What?" Harry said with a desperate tone to his voice. "Why can't you just be yourself, Draco? Why are you so afraid that someone is offering to be your real friend?" Harry pulled his bleeding hand away from Draco, feeling somewhat satisfied that his blood was now staining Draco's otherwise perfect skin.

"I'm not asking you to snog me to death or something, Draco. Does our years of rivalry make you hate me this much?"

"I don't hate you, Potter," Draco murmured. "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have everyone kick you in the back and then suddenly someone wants to be your friend with honest to God no strings attached? You and those friends," Draco spat, "get under my skin so much. Potter, change is scary and I'm terrified right now."

"Why, Draco?"

"Because I'm telling you this, because I want to tell you this. I never hated you, Potter." Draco glared down at his hands.

"Then why don't you call me Harry?" Harry suggested.

"I-I'm not declaring myself your friend," Draco was quick to say, his cheeks red from anger and embarrassment over the situation.

"Then a trial run," Harry smiled. "One month, we don't fight, we act like friends, and then you can tell me if you ever want anything to do with me again."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "are you suggesting we go on probation for a month?" Suddenly Draco blushed. That word brought back memories from the dream.

Harry nodded. "Yes. Honest to God friends, ignoring what anyone else says. Screw all the houses, screw whoever wouldn't understand. Are you up for the challenge or are you too coward?" Harry had to taunt, knowing that would be the straw to break the camel's back.

"Fine," Draco snapped. "One month, but I won't like it, damn it."

The brunette smirked. "That's not how a friend acts, Draco."

"This is so stupid . . ."

"Friends do stupid things together, some are even known to hold hands."

"No way, that's not part of our agreement!"

"I was teasing, but Draco, you agreed, remember, so now we have to go do a friend thing." Harry nodded as if to confirm his words.

"Friend t-thing?" Draco paled. He was in unknown territory as sad as that sounded.

"Yeah, I asked Ron and Hermione to meet me at the lake, so now you're coming too."

"What, but your friends hate me!"

"Not now, they don't," Harry grinned.

"Since when?"

"Since I fell in love with you, of course, now come on."

Draco choked, not expecting Harry to be so open with his feelings. "F-fine, but why exactly are we going to the lake?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Why else, to swim with the Giant Squid."