Warnings: Post HBP/Contains spoilers for HBP
Beta: MJ
Test reader: Allexandrya
Proofreader: Nefernat
A/N: Plotbunny credit to Merkat
Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR, her publishers, the WB and subsidiaries. No maliciousness was intended during the making of this fiction.
Preface
Draco looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, watching as it pulled into the station for this, his last and final year at Hogwarts. He found he had little in common with his fellow passengers and was trying to just ignore them. It seemed none of them had matured at all.
The summer had been insane to say the least. He'd gone into hiding with Severus Snape and his mother. Lucius, his father, was still in Azkaban after only a short time of freedom. He was recaptured at what was now known in the Wizarding world as "The Last Stand". Voldemort had been killed by Potter, as expected, resulting in Potter spending most of the summer in St. Mungo's trying to recover. Severus, thanks to timely information, had been hailed as a War hero and given the post of Headmaster at Hogwarts, over Minerva McGonagall – who after suffering a war injury, retired from academia. Professor Sprout, of all people, was now the Deputy Headmistress.
At the 'Last Stand', the remaining known and surviving Death Eaters had all been rounded up, including many of his fellow Slytherins. Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and others were no longer in their ranks, though there was talk of trying to wipe the minds of all minors involved. Draco shivered at the thought of becoming a mindless zombie.
Draco had experienced first hand what it was like to have to make a decision that could cost a life. Dumbledore might have been a doddering old manipulating fool, but Draco couldn't kill him for that. Since Severus swept in and cast the final spell to end the man's life, Draco had become first on Voldemort's death list. Thanks to a vow made to his mother Severus had hid them out over the summer until it was safe to return to the public eye after much public relation tap dancing. Frankly, Draco was surprised that Severus had been cleared of Dumbledore's murder. Thankfully pensive memories were still admissible in court, saving both his life, Draco's and that of his mother.
This was a summer that Draco felt severed him from his childhood. He wondered how many others had been affected by the War. Sluggishly he left the train and headed toward the carriages when he overheard a familiar voice, which often visited his dreams at night – Harry Potter.
"They really are beautiful, in their own way aren't they?" Harry was asking. Draco slid into the shadows of a carriage to listen in, wondering what he was talking about.
"Thestrals are fascinating creatures. I'm trying to get my father to do an article on them. I think this is the one I rode before!" Draco rolled his eyes. It was Luna Lovegood, the Ravenclaw weirdo extraordinaire with whom Harry was speaking.
Peering around the corner Draco watched Potter gently stroke empty air. Potter really could see them! But why couldn't he? Potter and Lovegood talked a bit more before climbing into a carriage. Draco strode over to where they'd been yet still couldn't see anything. It irked him to no end, since it was yet something else that Potter could do and he couldn't!
Wasn't it bad enough he was dreaming about the four-eyed Gryffindor? Now he not only had to put up with what would undoubtedly be the entire school at Potters' feet once more, but knowing that Potter had seen more action than he had in terms of the War? Draco climbed gracefully into a carriage and made it known with one look that he still did not wish to speak to anyone. No one seemed to mind.
After all what does one say to a fellow Slytherin who failed his only mission, went into hiding then turned over information? Draco felt sick at how badly the year could go. Despite the growth spurt of just about everyone around him, he was only lanky, not the least bit proportioned like his schoolmates were. To make matters worse Crabbe and Goyle had been captured with their fathers – as he would have been, if things had gone the way they were supposed to. The queasiness in his stomach only grew as they left the carriages.
His fellow Slytherins had shifted together, casting hateful glances his way and whispering. At his ear he heard a deep sigh. Turning he was surprised to see Potter looking at him with an accessing glance. "I don't envy you this year Malfoy," Potter said softly.
"What would you know of it, Potter? Everyone loves you, the Hero of the Wizarding World? I imagine your summer was filled with flowers, medals and accolades," Draco stated in a cool voice.
Harry raised his eyebrow at the lack of snap in Draco's reply. "I was trapped in a hospital ward. It wasn't like I could get away. I would have much rather been hiding out from it all." The unspoken 'like you' was not said, but Draco felt it nevertheless like a punch to the gut to remind him of his cowardice.
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by that," Potter continued catching the flitter of pain across Draco's face. He cast a quick look around and then pulled Draco off to the side when no one was looking. Draco only gave him a look of disdain and yanked his robes out of his hands. Potter rolled his eyes. "Look, I am not looking forward to this year any more than you. You had a choice not to kill. I wish I had gotten one. Because I wouldn't have done it either, no matter how much I hated that bastard. I envy you Malfoy." Harry's head turned at the sound of Ron Weasley calling for him and he looked at Malfoy seriously and Draco could see the honesty of those words in his face. Draco gave a curt nod of appreciation, which Potter returned before dashing off to be with his Gryffindor friends.
Draco remained silent throughout the Sorting Ceremony. He kept his own council all night. Potter's words tumbled over in his head on some sort of bizarre replay. At the end of the night he cast a glance over at Potter. As if sensing it, Potter looked up meeting his gaze. He didn't smile or turn away, which meant more to Draco in terms of honesty than he could relate, so he simply gave another nod and once again it was returned.
Draco Malfoy knew right then that he and Harry Potter had reached a turning point in their relationship, and that he was not the only one who'd matured over the summer. He'd gone to bed that night infinitely grateful for the private room accorded to all Seventh Years, but still took the precaution of warding it heavily before feeling secure enough to fall asleep.
Chapter one – Eavesdropping
Draco huddled into a slip of a corridor near the Potions classroom, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them. Despite it being early in the month of September, a chill had already filled the dark and dismal corridors. It was times like this that Draco found himself wishing he'd been a Ravenclaw, if only for an occasional bit of sunshine to warm him.
To avoid any nasty gossip mongers or chances of being hexed, he'd gotten into the habit of not appearing until just before he had to enter a classroom. It was because of this that the Holy Trio did not spot him, as they hung back, not wishing to hang out with the Slytherins any more than he did. The irony was not lost on him. He found himself more comfortable with the Holy Trio than ever before. Often he found himself hanging like some moon in orbit around them, but not actually interacting with them. It was odd at first, but since he hadn't started any trouble they didn't bother him either. The unspoken arrangement suited him.
"It must have been terrible for you spending the entire summer in St. Mungo's," Hermione was talking in sympathetic tones to Harry.
"Better than the Dursleys I'd expect," Ron commented.
"You have no idea. It was bloody paradise compared to being with them," Harry sighed. "Still being in there and having to deal with all the fake cheeriness and people who suddenly popped out of nowhere to get their fifteen minutes of fame for being seen with me made me a bit sick to my stomach."
"Look, there's Snape. We’d better go," Ron said quickly and Draco heard them shuffle off and quickly followed them in.
He stopped at the door. "I need to talk to you after class," Draco said in a hushed tone to Severus. Snape raised an eyebrow and nodded.
The class was separated into pairs, and once again he found himself paired with Harry. He still wondered how the Holy Trio was in this class at all. N.E.W.T. level potions was not for the unskilled. Undoubtedly it had to do with the Order. He moved his bag over to sit by Harry, his partner for the year, who greeted him with a nod, as had become their norm. Draco and Harry had become rather good at working together as an almost seamless team. It was because of this that they finished a few minutes early.
Harry was putting their potion ingredients away and Snape shunted Draco off to the side. "What was it you wished to discuss?"
Casting his eyes about and seeing it was safe he asked the question that had been on his mind. "Who are the Dursleys?"
Snape's expression turned to surprise. "They're Potter’s dreadful muggle relatives, courtesy of his mother. Why do you ask?"
"I overheard him mention he preferred being in the hospital over being with them. But I know for a fact that he hates hospitals. Yet, even Weasley agreed with him. Why is that Sir?" Draco's confusion was apparent.
Snape pondered over what to say. It had only been recently after the debacle of Harry being barred up in his bedroom at Privet Drive that he had found out the truth. "Spill something onto Potter." He turned on his heel and swept away.
Draco shrugged then looked for something to spill on Potter. He hadn't pulled any pranks on the other boy yet, so he was looking forward to carrying out the order. It would be like old times. And he suspected that Snape would get him out of it as well. All the better.
He knocked over remains of the potion they'd been working on from Lavenders cauldron onto Harry while the witch was in a panic trying to clean up. "OH NO!" she cried.
Instantly Snape swept over. He shot a glare at Lavender. "You foolish girl, you should have been cleaned up ten minutes ago!" His head snapped toward Draco. "Stay after class and clean it up Mr. Malfoy!" An evil smile came over his face before it went into a scowl once more, "And you, Mr. Potter. Why did you allow this to happen to your partner? You too will stay after class!"
The Slytherins snickered at Draco's misfortune. Harry sputtered then sighed at the unfairness of the situation and began to help Draco clean up Lavender's work station. She had hurriedly run from the room in tears before Snape could deduct any points.
"Get out of the way," Snape waved his wand and the door slammed shut and the mess was instantly cleaned.
"Professor?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Malfoy here needs to ask you some questions and this was the best way to provide the needed cover for you both. You have five minutes to make the best of it. I will write you both a note for your next class." Snape swept away with his robes snapping behind him to write out the aforementioned notes.
Harry chuckled. "I should have known you weren't that clumsy. You're the most graceful person I know. I can't believe Snape's writing us notes. He's finally mellowing out - about time too. Anyway, what's up Malfoy?"
Draco's mouth quirked upwards at the compliment and it made him feel more at ease about the questions he needed to ask. "Why don't you like being at the Dursleys?"
Harry's face fell. He looked at Snape who instantly met his questioning gaze and gave a brief nod. "Right." Harry sat down on the corner of a workstation. "They treat me on about the same level as Dobby was in your house. I was able to free him, but no one can free me. I have to stay there for the blood protection. Or at least that's what …" Harry's face fell just as it always did when he thought or spoke about the late Headmaster. He shrugged.
"Why? They are your family and they don't care about you?" Draco gasped in surprise.
"They believe all magic to be abnormal. My Aunt despised her sister and so she hates me, too. Why do you care anyway, Malfoy?" Harry asked in a resigned voice.
"I overheard something you said earlier and I just couldn't believe it. I still can't. You're Harry Potter! If the Wizarding World knew about this…" Draco was shaking his head. He'd grown up thinking that Harry was some sort of demi-god, if not a god and was treated like royalty, only now to find out differently. His mind wouldn't begin to accept what he was hearing even though it made sense the more he thought about it; the horrid glasses, clothes and how Potter always seemed to come back starved from holidays and never went home for Christmas.
Draco held out his hand for the second time in his life to Potter. "I've misjudged you and dealt you a great deal of trouble because of it. Can we start over Potter?"
"If I didn't know better Malfoy I'd say that you were under Polyjuice potion, but it would have worn off by now." Harry slipped off the desk. "Alright Malfoy let's give it a go." He reached out and shook the hand that was still hanging in the air.
Draco sighed with relief. At least he had the chance to be friends with Potter now. He certainly had enough enemies. Snape's shadow swept over them. "Here," he pressed the notes into their hands, "now go."
Seal of Sincerity by Keikokin [ - ]
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