To Dance

Chapter 15: To Disguise





"Where were you last night?" Ron asked Harry as the ruffled looking Gryffindor walked into the boys dormitory. Harry glanced over at him, and Ron raised an eyebrow at the deep circles under his friends eyes and the extremely unhappy expression. Harry said nothing as he moved toward his trunk and opened it, digging through his things and dragging out a few clothes. "Oi," Ron said, getting a little agitated at Harry\'s behavior.



"It\'s a long story, Ron," Harry said tiredly. Moving about bed grabbing a few things and tiredly putting them in a bag. Ron stared at him, obviously not happy about being brushed off.



"Well, it is Saturday. It\'s not like you don\'t have the time to-"



"Would you hurry up? I\'m getting hate glares."



Ron stared in shock as Draco Malfoy slipped into the Dormitory, facing outside the room, looking uncomfortable. Turning his face from outside, he saw Ron, whom he stared at for a moment before turning back to Harry, who was bent over his trunk again.



"What\'s taking you so long?"



"Oh shut up, would you," Harry snapped, glaring at the Slytherin.



Ron was in shock. He swiftly grabbed his wand from his bedside table and pointed it at Malfoy, hauling the bedcovers over his pajamas as a sort of fabric barrier. "What the Hell are you doing here? Get out!" Ron was fuming. It was enough of a shock to wake up and see that Harry had never come home last night, but having a Slytherin, let alone Malfoy in the room where he slept, was down right unpleasant. He turned to Harry in disbelief. "What is he doing here!"



Harry sighed, giving up on whatever was in his trunk, as he stood up and turned to Ron. "Look, you remember the fight yesterday, yeah?" Ron nodded. "And Malfoy got hit with that curse from Davies." Ron nodded again, though frowning deeper and glaring at Malfoy. "And I helped take him up to the Hospital Wing."



"You did what?" Malfoy said skeptically.



Harry ignored him and continued. "Well, I was still there when he woke up. Apparently he was hit with \'The Twist of the Heart\' and, since I was the first person he saw, he had to answer any question I have and can\'t be more than 100 feet from me without being in pain."



Ron sputtered. "Then lock him in a room and let him deal with it!" he yelled, gripping his wand angrily. "Don\'t bring him here! I sleep here!"



"So do I!" Harry yelled back. "It\'s not like I enjoy this! How would you like having Malfoy follow you around all the time?"



"That\'s why you should have locked him in a broom closet!"



"I do so love being referred to in the third person in conversations," Malfoy commented from near the door. "It always makes me feel so important."



Both Gyffindors ignored him and continued to glare.



"Look," Harry said, grabbing the things he had gathered and wrenching a few more articles of clothing from his trunk and shoving them into a bag. "It wears off in a few days. I\'m sorry you can\'t deal with it. I\'ve got to deal with it so I\'ve had to stay in the Dungeons with lot of stinking Slytherins." He hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and glared. "I just needed to get a few things for the rest of the weekend, that\'s why he\'s here." With a final look, he turned angrily from the his best friend and stalked past Malfoy out of the room.



The Slytherin raised an eyebrow at the flustered Weasley. "This is why I make fun of you," he said, before turning and following Harry out of the room and down the stairs. He ignored the looks he was getting from the few people in the dormitory at this early hour of this morning. They had been lucky Harry hadn\'t been seen coming and leaving the Slytherin dormitories. They had slipped in last night when no one was there and left early this morning to avoid detection. "Lovely friend," he commented to Harry as they walked down the corridor. "I can see you why keep him around."



Harry glared at Malfoy. "I could say the same about yours," he retorted. "Sneaking about to avoid them at all costs definitely makes them keepers."



Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I hope this thing doesn\'t last four days, I don\'t know how much longer I can go with pulling late nights and early mornings." He yawned, running a hand through his blond hair.



"I\'m surprised you were up at all," Harry commented, remembering the previous mornings odd start. "You were barely alive yesterday."



Malfoy stopped walking, turning to him, surprised. "Yesterday?" he repeated, confused. "What happened yesterday?"



"You were sitting at the Gryffindor table really early and I threw toast at you while you hogged the coffee," Harry recalled for the blond, watching the others eyes widen. Harry grinned. "You said you thought you were delusional though."



Malfoy grunted and continued to walk to the Great Hall. "Apparently, seeing as I can barely remember it." He turned to Harry. "Except the toast. I remember flying toast."



Harry laughed. It was strange, walking with Malfoy and not fighting, although it seemed to be happening more and more as of late. Harry never imagined that he would ever walk to breakfast with the blond Slytherin on a Saturday morning, let alone be planning to sleep in the same room as him. And yet, as strange as it seemed, it wasn\'t as uncomfortable as he might have thought it to be. Reflecting back on his thoughts from the previous night, he realized that not only was Malfoy acting differently, but he, Harry, was as well. Though it was mainly a direct result of Malfoy\'s change, it was still a shift. Looking back at their spat the previous night, Harry found himself feeling awkward and, though it was instinctive, it wasn\'t comfortable for him anymore.



Arriving at the Great Hall, Harry instinctively moved to his own table and sat down, looking up in surprise when he saw Malfoy take the seat in front of him. Seeing his look Malfoy rolled his eyes and grabbed the nearest pot of coffee, pouring himself a cup. "Really, two mornings in a row won\'t kill you," he said, closing his eyes and breathing in the aroma wafting from the cup.



"Just as long as you don\'t fall asleep on me again," Harry grumbled. Malfoy paused in the act of raising his coffee to his lips and stared at Harry. Harry shrugged. "You did that." Harry explained briefly, watching in amusement as Malfoy gaped at him over his coffee.



Setting his coffee down without even drinking it, Malfoy rubbed his face tiredly, looking at Harry through his bangs. "Anything I else I did I should to know about?"



Harry contemplated for a moment. "You took all your clothes off."



"WHAT!"



"Kidding," Harry laughed, looking across at Malfoy who had jumped from his seat, looking panicked and breathing heavily, his coffee cup shaking on the table. Glaring at him, Malfoy sat back down, grumbling into his coffee. Harry grinned. "No, you didn\'t do much else, aside from not leave me alone." Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, calming down slightly though still panting. They sat there for a while, not speaking, Harry munching on his toast and Malfoy nursing his coffee, occasionally taking a bite of toast himself.



After Harry\'s fifth piece of toast, he looked up at Malfoy, the other boy currently on his third cup of coffee. Frowning, he swirled the contents of his own cup, wrinkling his nose at the dregs. "Do you really need to drink that much coffee?"



Malfoy looked up at him, something akin to surprise slitting across his face. "It depends on the day and situation," he answered, lowering the cup and fingering the handle. "Are you going to make a habit about scolding me about my daily caffeine consumption?"



Harry stared at him. "Why would it become a habit? The curse should wear off in the next two days right," Harry said, looking at Malfoy, frowning slightly.



Malfoy shifted in front of him. If Harry didn\'t know any better, he would have said Malfoy was uncomfortable. Scowling down at his now empty coffee cup, Malfoy said, "I dunno. I just don\'t want to be badgered about my health by the likes of you."



"Like I\'ve ever given you a reason to think I\'m concerned about you," Harry huffed, grabbing the coffee pot and refilling his mug.



"You brought me up to the hospital wing," Malfoy pointed out. Harry scowled, adding more than the necessarily amount of sugar to his coffee. "And you\'re not leaving me to writhe in pain from this curse-"



"Though I\'m having second thoughts right about now," Harry pointed out irritably, not quite sure why hearing all this from Malfoy was bothering him so much. Honestly, it wasn\'t like he actually cared, right? Anyone would do that. "Anyone would-"



"-Take care of their arch rival?" Malfoy interrupted him, raising an eyebrow.



Harry glared and busied himself with another piece of toast, fiercely attacking it with marmalade. "You started it," he grumbled, feeling slightly annoyed at the way this conversation was veering directly into the \'danger large rocks\' zone.



"How\'s that?" Malfoy asked, seeming startled and slightly self-conscious. He was looking at Harry apprehensively and Harry frowned. As if things hadn\'t been getting weird enough, now this.



"You were the one who started acting differently this year," he said tentatively, gauging Malfoy\'s reaction as he spoke. The blond had stiffened ever so slightly and an almost invisible tinge had come across his face. If Harry hadn\'t been looking so carefully he wouldn\'t have noticed it. "Being nicer to me and-" He was suddenly faltering. "And stuff."



Malfoy said nothing, just stared at Harry, eyebrows furrowed somewhat in displeasure and Harry waited, whether for an answer, change of topic, or distraction he didn\'t know or care. Something had changed in the atmosphere between them and, though he had been noticing it progressively, it was palpable at this moment. It was almost as if his breathing would break something, change it forever. What scared him most was that he felt excitement about that.



However, the shattering came quickly with Malfoy\'s curt voice. "We all grow up," he said, turning swiftly from Harry and looking up at the ceiling. "It\'s not my fault I\'ve matured beyond petty rivalry."



Harry scoffed. "You\'re fourteen, I doubt you can truly call yourself mature."



"Says the boy who can\'t walk properly in the morning and broods over small fights," Malfoy shot back at him, pouring yet another cup of coffee.



Harry chose to ignore Malfoy\'s words, instead directing his comments to the hot beverage. "You\'re going to go mental with all the caffeine."



"Oh goodie," Malfoy said, spooning some sugar into the dark liquid and shaking his head in mock glee, his lip curled in a sort of sarcastic smile. Sighing, he leaned back in his seat. "So," he began, surveying Harry over the table. "What do you typically do on the weekends?"



Harry stared at him. "I dunno, stuff," he answered, shrugging.



"Are you going to elaborate or do I have to play guessing games?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him as he crossed his arms.



"Wha-"



"I\'m stuck with you, remember?" Malfoy reminded him, looking slightly exasperated. "I figured I might as well find out what you do on the weekends and see if I can survive the thrilling life of Wonder Boy here."



Harry scoffed. "Don\'t tax yourself," he said, reaching over his plate to grab a banana. Sitting back he thought for a moment. What did he do on the weekends? Well, to be honest he usually spent time with Ron and Hermione, doing homework and hanging out in the common room. Typically, the weekend was spent to relax and rest for the upcoming week. He frowned when he remembered the lack of sleep he had been getting. That wouldn\'t be helpful in the future. "Usually do homework or spend time in the common room."



"Riveting life you lead," Malfoy commented, waving his spoon about lazily as he watched Harry. He paused as he looked over at Harry. "Honestly, I\'m enraptured."



Frowning, Harry crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the blond opposite him. "Fine, then what does the great Malfoy do that\'s so exciting on the weekends then."



"Was that a question?" Malfoy had resumed he spoon waving.



"Are you going to answer?" Harry raised an eyebrow.



Malfoy sighed and propped his chin on his hand. "Pretty much the same as you," he replied. "Though with less lame nothing. I try to at least do something interesting."



"Like what?" Harry inquired, skeptical of what Malfoy might try to feed him.



"I dunno," Malfoy said, watching his spoons progress. "Go flying, walk about the grounds, explore the castle, annoy you," he looked over at Harry and smirked.



"Oh positively thrilling," Harry grumbled, leaning his arms on the table and slouching onto them. The lack of sleep from the past two nights was nagging on his mind. "I see my life obviously pales in comparison to the thrilling tales of Malfoy."



"I don\'t see you coming up with much," Malfoy retorted, slapping Harry on the top of the head with the spoon. Harry glared at him and the offending utensil. Glancing up at the ceiling, which was currently forecasting a grayish morning for the hall, the blond sighed. "We should probably begin to head out." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Before everyone else trudges down to breakfast and has an coronary at seeing a Slytherin sitting at the Gryffindor table."



"I could always switch over to the Slytherin table and continue glaring at you," Harry suggested, internally smirking.



"Oh yeah," Malfoy snorted, rolling his eyes. "I\'m sure they\'d love to have you there." He laughed dryly. "You\'d be picked apart within minutes. Honestly, are you ever not pretentious?"



"Who said I was being pretentious?" Harry asked, frowning.



"No one," Malfoy snapped, pushing himself to his feel and brushing a hand through his hair. "I\'m just calling the cat black."



"So you\'re calling me pretentious?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.



"No." Well, he thought he knew the answer.



"Then what are you saying?" Harry was beginning to become more and more confused and surprised by this new side of Malfoy which he\'d never seen before. It was almost making him wonder if he had ever really known what to expect from Malfoy in the first place.



"I\'m saying sitting at the Slyherin table would confirm all their suspicions that you\'re a pretentious bigot who believes himself to be the prince of the castle," Malfoy said simply, taking one last draw from his coffee cup.



"And you think I\'m a pretentious bigot then?" Harry asked, standing up himself and brushing the crumbs of toast from his sweater.



"No," Malfoy said, looking sideways at Harry. "I just think you act like one sometimes."



Harry stared at him. "This whole honesty thing is weird," he said, giving Malfoy a suspicious look.



Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry\'s look. "If it had worn off at this point, do you think I\'d still be hanging around you?" He gave Harry a pointed look.



Harry shrugged and walked with the blond boy out of the Great Hall. "So what are we doing today?"



"Do I look like a tour guide?" Malfoy said, looking tiredly over at Harry. "I\'m not planning an itinerary or something." Harry stayed silent as they began to supposedly wander around the castle for a bit before Malfoy stopped by a window, looking out onto the grounds, rubbing his face tiredly. "Let\'s go to the Library or something," he said, dropping his hands to look at Harry. "I\'ve got an essay to do for Arithmancy anyway and might as well get working."



Harry shrugged and the two began walking back through the castle. He paused however when he realized they were heading in the direction of the dungeons instead of the library, causing Malfoy to pause and turn to look at him. "What?"



"We\'re heading back down to the Dungeons why again?" Harry asked, not at all desirous of returning to the Slytherin stronghold for another time that day.



"How would I get my homework done if I don\'t have the books," Malfoy pointed out, cocking his head at Harry. Scowling, Harry resume following the Slytherin down to the depths of the castle, grumbling to himself slightly. As they moved farther into the bowels of the castle however, Malfoy suddenly froze and hastily shoved Harry into an empty classroom, hastily and quietly shutting the door almost completely.



"Wha-"



Harry froze when Malfoy suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth, face serious and scowling at the door and Harry, aside from his struggling to push Malfoy off him, felt annoyance bubble up inside him. Trying to rip Malfoy\'s hand from his mouth and glaring at the Slytherin, he was shocked when Malfoy suddenly turned to him, his eyes fierce commanding silence. For once in his life, Harry found himself obeying Malfoy, ceasing his struggling and going limp against Malfoy\'s hand.



Very faintly, he could make out the sound of footsteps approaching their location, and Harry suddenly understood why Malfoy had pushed him into the classroom. It would be a problem for the Slytherins to find out that Harry not only knew the location of their common room, but had constant access to it as of current because of Malfoy. As if they didn\'t hate him enough.



Keeping his silvery eyes trained on the door, Malfoy waited stiffly for the people in the hall to pass by the room and only released Harry when he was sure they had left for sure. Harry remained where he was as Malfoy silently checked the hall to make sure the way was clear before he returned to Harry, scowling.



"This is going to feel strange," the blond said, raising his wand.



Instinctively, Harry dived out of the way, dodging whatever Malfoy was about to cast on him and drawing his own wand and pointing it at Malfoy. Malfoy however rolled his eyes exasperatedly, and dropped his arms in frustration, walking over to Harry, who swiftly backed up, hitting a desk.



"If I had wanted to curse you, I would have done so last night while you were sleeping on my floor," Malfoy said quietly, staring at Harry as if telling him that of course chickens lay eggs. Harry eyed him warily, wand still raised. Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I\'m going to disguise you," he explained, folding his arms over his chest. "Otherwise, not only will I be cursed for suspected insanity, but you\'ll most likely be ripped to shreds." His lips twitched slightly. "And we don\'t want our champion to be hurt now do we."



Harry frowned, but lowered his wand none the less. Seeming satisfied, Malfoy raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. Flinching slightly, Harry closed his eyes and was surprised when the strange feeling of having cool brushes against his skin, like the smooth bristles of a paint brush gliding across his skin. Opening his eyes when the feeling began to lesson, he jumped. Malfoy was standing directly in front of him, reaching out towards his face and much too close for Harry\'s comfort.



"Wha-" Harry started to say but found himself faltering as Malfoy gently removed his glasses from his face. Harry blinked as the world around him blurred and he blinked a few times, squinting at the black and blond blob that was Malfoy. "I can\'t see," he said, blatantly, trying to figure out what Malfoy was doing from the indistinct motions of the blob.



"No shit, Sherlock," blob Malfoy said as Harry felt fingers at his throat. Jerking away he was brought short, realizing Malfoy had a firm grip on his tie and keeping him from moving any farther. "Hold still, would you?"



Reluctantly, Harry allowed Malfoy to remove his tie, mess with his hair, and fuss with his clothing. "Am I ready yet, mother?" he snapped at Malfoy, glaring at the blurred boy, feeling uncomfortable and ruffled.



Malfoy had straightened and was surveying his work. After a moment he pocketed Harry\'s things and grabbed the Gryffindor\'s hand, pulling him from the classroom.



Sputtering Harry yanked his hand back, holding it as if burned. Blob Malfoy sighed, and turned around (well, moved at least). "Look," he said, sounding slightly exasperated. "Either you hold my hand like a good little Gryffindor or you trip over your own feet and introduce your face to the walls." Yep, exasperated. "You\'re choice."



Harry cocked his head to the side. "I thought you enjoyed watching me bump into things," he said, squinting at Malfoy in hopes that if he narrowed his eyes enough, he might be able to see the Slytherin. "Wasn\'t that why you wanted me to fall onto my Transfigurations book the other day?" Ok, so squinting wasn\'t helping much. "What changed?"



Malfoy seemed to pause for a moment before Harry heard and fuzzily saw him shift. "This is different."



"How\'s that?" Harry probed, enjoying this new game.



Malfoy didn\'t seem to be liking it as much. "Because firstly, I\'d rather not be seen in the company of a bumbling oaf who needs to bounce off walls to navigate." He seemed to be gaining confidence as he spoke as well as annoyance. "And secondly, I\'d really rather not have you recognized. With you squinting like that no one will know you, not even Weaslebee."



Harry scowled at the name but said nothing. Malfoy grabbed him by the hand again and led him quickly from the classroom. They had walked several paces before Harry realized fully that he was holding hands with Malfoy. Thus far, the only other person he had held the hand of had been Cedric and the nice traffic cop who had helped him across the street when he was seven. Either way, he could count on his hand how many people had held it and it was currently being gripped by one Draco Malfoy. Harry furiously fought the color rising to his face and beat himself mentally as to the cause.



"Malfoy," he said at last, when he was sure they had to be near the Slytherin Common Room. Either that or Malfoy was getting him lost on purpose. Malfoy stopped walking and Harry, being half blind, bumped into him slightly.



"What is it?" Malfoy asked, turning to Harry.



Harry looked at the blond figure for a moment, wishing for once, that he could actually see the other boys face. "Er." Of course now he had no idea what to say. Wonderful.



Malfoy seemed to understand though. "Stop being a prat," he said, turning to the wall in front of them and dragging Harry a few more steps. "Just stop worrying about it."



"But holding hands is like, I dunno, couple stuff," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. He settled for squinting to hide his embarrassment and prayed Malfoy wouldn\'t notice.



Malfoy turned towards him slowly, hand still gently holding Harry\'s. For a moment he was silent, then he scoffed slightly and turned away again. "Trust you to act like a four year old. Sneakoscope."



For a moment, Harry though Malfoy was losing it, but the random word was quickly answered with the grating of stone against stone as the Slythering Common Room was revealed to them. They hastily made their way into the room and were halfway across the floor, hoping to get to the dormitories before being noticed when a voice rang from the couch by the fireplace.



"Oi, Draco!"



Harry felt like hexing himself in the foot as Malfoy paused and turned towards the voice, dragging Harry along behind him. Harry squinted as hard as he could at the couches to try to figure out who was there, all the while praying they didn\'t recognize him.



"Good Morning, Pansy," Malfoy\'s cool voice slid easily over the people around him. Harry suddenly stopped feeling so strange as he felt that sound dip into his ears. What?



"Surprising to see you up so early," the blob of Pansy Parkinson said, apparently looking Malfoy up and down.



Malfoy shrugged. "Why bother wasting the day in bed?"



"You do it every other weekend," Pansy retorted, sounding amused and skeptical at the same time. Harry squinted at her, trying to make sure this was the same Pansy he saw on a daily basis. She seemed far too friendly from what Harry was used to. It seemed his squinting got him noticed. "Who\'s that, Draco?"



For a moment, Harry thought they were done for as he felt Malfoy\'s hand stiffen over his own before it relaxed slightly. Harry found himself slightly impressed by Malfoy\'s nonchalance and fast answer to the question that Harry would have fidgeted and stumbled over. "This is Davis Greenwood," Malfoy lied quickly. Harry was suddenly exceedingly happy that Malfoy only had to tell him the truth. "He\'s a fifth year in Ravenclaw. He\'s helping me with studying for Charms. You know how I\'ve been falling behind."



It seemed that the quickly conjured fable was bought as Harry watched Pansy nod and turn to him. "I\'m sorry we\'ve never met, Greenwood," she said, extending her hand to Harry. "I\'m Pansy Parkinson."



Harry realized it would be impolite not to take the girls hand and quickly took her small hand in his own not currently being grasped by Malfoy. "Nice to meet you," he said, making sure to lower his voice slightly, shaking her hand briefly and dropping it quickly. He was feeling a entirely uncomfortable being social with the Slytherins.



Pansy, it seemed had frozen. Harry attempted to squint quizzically at her, though whether he managed it or not was up to debate.



"Something wrong, Pansy?" Malfoy asked from besides Harry.



"You\'re," she seemed to swallow before continuing in a slightly harsher voice. "holding hands."



Both Malfoy and Harry were quiet for a moment before another voice rang out.



"Oh come on, Pans," it said, and Harry turned swiftly to the new speaker. "He broke up with you. Get over it."



"Shut up, Blaise," Pansy snapped, facing the other boy.



Blaise shrugged and walked up to Harry and Malfoy, holding out a hand. "Nice to see our boy here moving up and on," he said, practically grabbing Harry\'s free hand and shaking it firmly. "Blaise Zabini. Wanted to thank you for getting him out of his moping and stupidity." He grinned. "Nice to finally see him out and about. I expect you\'re the one whose been keeping him busy."



Harry said nothing, but remained standing awkwardly next to Malfoy, still holding onto his hand, though now more aware of that than anything. What was he getting into here?



"We\'re not dating," Malfoy\'s cold voice sliced through the air. Both Pansy and Blaise looked at him and Harry and, though Harry could only see blurred shapes, he could tell the other two were frowning. "He lost his contacts while we were studying in the library and his glasses are back in his common room. He needed me to get through the castle."



Pansy looked triumphant at the explanation. Blaise looked disgruntled. He shot Harry a look before trumping back to the couches and flinging himself onto one dramatically. "Well, if that\'s the case," Pansy piped up, jumping to latch onto Malfoy\'s arm. "Would you go to the ball with my Draco?"



Malfoy scowled. "I\'ve already told you, Pansy," he snapped, beginning to walk away and dragging Harry with him, gripping his hand tightly. "I\'m not getting back with you. Go bother someone else."



Pansy it seemed, wasn\'t going to be deterred. Malfoy didn\'t get her to let go of him even until they reached the boys rooms, finally shaking her off with a low threat. He opened the door to his dormitory angrily and yanked Harry inside. Feeling incredibly awkward, Harry stood by the door as soon as Malfoy had released his hand to rummage about for his Arithmancy text. Finally finding it, he shoved it in his bag and turned to Harry.



However, just before he could say anything, the door banged open and Blaise walked in. He looked between Malfoy and Harry, who were right next to each other about to leave and yet standing awkwardly.



"Am I interrupting something?" Blaise asked, shutting the door slightly and making to back out.



"Shut up, Blaise," Malfoy snapped, grasping Harry\'s hand and dragging him from the room swiftly. Harry heard Blaise snigger as he left the room and wished he was anywhere but here, being dragged about by Malfoy, facing the most awkward conversations he\'d ever experienced.



Malfoy\'s anger seemed to be a rather impressive driving force, however, and they were soon out of the common room and halfway up the dungeon passageway to the entrance hall before Malfoy stopped. Sighing, he leaned against the wall and let go of Harry\'s hand. Harry fought the urge to rub the skin where Malfoy had been touching. Things just kept on getting stranger and stranger it seemed.



After a moment, Malfoy seemed to have calmed down enough and Harry felt his glasses being shoved into his hands. Feeling immensely relieved, he put them on to look up at Malfoy, in sharp focus and clarity. Malfoy was frowning at him.



"What?" Harry demanded, feeling annoyed at everything that had just occurred and finding it mostly the fault of the blond standing in front of him.



"Forget the library," Malfoy said, turning from him and walking up the passage again. "Let\'s go out onto the grounds."



Harry felt annoyed that the whole reason they had gone to the dungeons in the first place was to go up to the library, but thought it pointless to bother arguing. A stint outside sounded nice to him if he was honest to himself. So, feeling it useless to argue with the blond, he shrugged and followed Malfoy up the passage and soon found himself blinking slightly in the soft winter sunlight. Malfoy had paused at the top of the steps and Harry came up beside him quietly. Malfoy was still frowning slightly as he turned to look at Harry.



"What?" Harry asked for the second time that day under the Slytherin\'s stare. He was feeling slightly uncomfortable, a sensation which had nothing to do with the crisp and biting winter air. He wished he had brought his cloak.



Malfoy seemed to want to say something but instead turned and walked down the steps. "Nothing."



"You know," Harry said as he follow Malfoy, who was walking in the direction of the lake. "With responses like that, I\'m skeptical of that curse still being effective."



Malfoy paused to shoot Harry a look and let the Gryffindor catch up to him. "Well, excuse me for being elusive."



Harry grinned in spite of himself. "I dunno about elusive," he said as he began to walk around the lack with Malfoy, ignoring the biting wind coming across the ice. "I\'d more say you\'re still being a stubborn prat."



"What are you?" Malfoy said, looking at him skeptically. "Self-appointed personality evaluator?" He smirked. "Since when did you get the promotion from Wonder-Boy?"



"Since you became all un-Slytherin and decided to walk and talk with aforementioned Wonder-Boy," Harry replied, not looking at Malfoy but grinning out over the lake.



"Who approved those credentials," Malfoy commented, smiling slightly as he walked. They continued in silence for a while before pausing slightly at a small bank, staring out over the lake to the Forbidden Forest opposite them. Suddenly Harry recognized where they were. He let out a small noise as he recalled the incident just last spring when he had fought off a mass of Dementors and seen himself on the opposite bank. It seemed like ages ago that he had been offered a life with his godfather.



Malfoy looked at him questioningly. "You all there? I mean, less than usual?"



Harry shot him a look and shoved him lightly, shaking his head slightly. "Just remembering something."



"I\'m not going to have to play guess the problem am I?" Malfoy said, looking up at Harry unenthusiastically.



"Curiosity killed the cat," Harry said, kicking a bit of snow with his foot.



"Then I\'m a Kneazle," Malfoy said, smirking.



Harry stared at him. "Are you saying you actually pay attention in Care of Magical Creatures, Malfoy?"



Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Of course not," he replied, moving to sit down in the snow, dropping his bag. "Ever heard of reading?"



"And here I was thinking I had something on you," retorted Harry, moving to sit down next to the blond, smiling slightly, his own bag flopping to the ground carelessly. Malfoy continued to watch Harry and, giving a slight huff, Harry turned to him. "This is where I fought off those dementors last year, remember?"



Malfoy eyes flashed in memory and he nodded slowly, his mouth parted slightly in a silent \'ah\' before he turned to look out over the lake. Harry shivered slightly and rubbed his hands together briskly. Not even looking at him, Malfoy drew his wand and conjured the same blue fire that Hermione had found out about in their first year. The warm flames flickered softly in the ground near them.



"Thanks," Harry said softly, stretching out his hands to warm them, looking back out over the frozen water. A sudden movement caught his eye. Staring at the spot, he saw another flicker before two figures moved indistinctly among the brush. "Am I seeing things or is someone there?" he asked, leaning sightly towards Malfoy, getting the boys attention.



Malfoy turned to look where Harry was looking and frowned. "Yeah," he said slowly, a tinge of dislike in his voice. "There\'s someone there."



"I wonder who it is," Harry commented, standing slowly, his eyes never leaving the figures. One of them seemed familiar. "What do you suppose their doing?"



"Associating," Malfoy replied shortly, also standing and turning to walk back up to the castle.



Harry wasn\'t about to leave though. "I\'m sure I know one of them," he said, still watching the two figures.



"Why does it matter?" Malfoy demanded, stopping to glare exasperatedly at Harry, extinguishing the small fire with a flick of his wand. "I\'m bored."



"Then entertain yourself," Harry snapped at him, turning slightly but not looking at Malfoy. A moment later he wished he hadn\'t said anything as a large, wet, and extremely cold snowball crashed into the side of his head. Sputtering in surprise and indignation, he steadied himself and stared at Malfoy, who was grinning deviously and packing another snowball with his hands. "Why you little-" Harry snapped, smiling despite himself as he swung to the ground, gathering snow quickly, keeping his eyes on Malfoy.



Malfoy laughed slightly and ran a few feet, chucking his newly made snowball at Harry before scooping more snow from the ground. Harry dodged it narrowly and, having made a decent projectile, took off after Malfoy, lobbing his own wintery weapon at the blond. It hit him in the side of the face and Malfoy jerked slightly at the impact before throwing another snowball at Harry and taking off. It hit Harry in the knee as he rushed after Malfoy, sending another snowball after him.



Before long, both boys were panting, half soaked, and half lying in the snow with a snowball raised to strike. Harry grinned as he looked at Malfoy, satisfied at how much damage he had caused. The blond was breathing heavily and his hair was dripping from the snow. Harry had him somewhat pinned with the Whomping willow behind him and Harry in front. Malfoy scowled slightly before shaking his head.



"Truce?" the Slytherin proposed, watching Harry closely. Harry had discarded his sweater early on from the trapping heat and his shirt was half soaked. His hair was somehow messier than it\'s typical disobedient state and his glasses were slightly skewed.



Harry shook his head, still grinning. "Since when did Slytherin\'s ask for a truce?" he asked, still somewhat breathless. "Besides, you know I\'ve got you beat."



Malfoy didn\'t move for a moment, still as he continued to breathe and hold his snowball raised. He pursed his lips slightly as he watched Harry\'s grinning face. "Point taken," he said before suddenly bolting to the side and chucking his snowball at Harry. Reflexively, Harry leaped at the escaping boy, successfully grabbing him about the torso and bringing them both to the ground in a rolling fighting heap. Harry and Malfoy struggled for a bit, getting snow in all sorts of uncomfortable places, before Harry finally had Malfoy pinned against the white ground, panting heavily. Malfoy slumped back onto the ground, staring up at Harry unhappily.



"You cheated," he said, still panting as he looked up at Harry.



"Just say you lost and I might be a kind victor," Harry said, grinning triumphantly down at the blond, who proceeded to blush and attempt to free his arms again. Finally, he went completely limp beneath Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, giving a pointed look.



"Fine," Malfoy conceded, sighing and rolling his eyes before looking directly at Harry. "I\'ve lost to the great Harry Potter." Harry grinned down in victory at Malfoy\'s scowl. "Do I have to address you as \'Great Conquerer\' from now on or do I get let off with light charges."



Harry laughed and finally rolled off of the blond, flopping down onto the cold ground happily. He turned to watch Malfoy and saw he hadn\'t moved, save for turning his head to Harry. Harry grinned at him and Malfoy finally smiled faintly. "I suppose I can let you live," Harry said jovially.



Malfoy didn\'t reply, just continued to stare at Harry, smiling slightly. After a moment Harry\'s own grin faded slightly as he continued to watch Malfoy stare at him. When Malfoy still said nothing, Harry began to feel uncomfortable. "What?"



Malfoy\'s smile grew slightly and Harry felt something begin to twist in his stomach. Sure, Harry had beaten Malfoy at things before, but the blond had never smiled at him like that and that feeling certainly had never been present. Harry swallowed as he waited anxiously for Malfoy to reply. Him saying anything would have been welcomed by Harry at that point.



"You\'re disguise charms wore off," Malfoy said finally, still smiling. Harry was dumbfounded, frowning, his mouth hanging open just slightly. Malfoy chuckled slightly, shifting a bit so he was on his side and propping his head up on his hand as he continued to look at Harry. "That and you\'re extremely rumpled looking." Harry pushed himself up to glare slightly at Malfoy. "You look better normal."



Harry froze, his glare quickly dissipating as he stared at Malfoy, who was currently looking him up and down. Aside from feeling like an specimen from Care of Magical Creatures, Harry was unbelievably confused. Had Malfoy just complimented him? "Did you just compliment me?"



"Yes." Apparently he had. Malfoy was still smiling at him and had sat up, looking down at Harry. "I did, actually." Though his own words seemed to have shocked him, he remained smiling.



"Since when did you compliment me?" Harry was dumbfounded. If Harry didn\'t already know Malfoy was acting differently, he would have hexed the boy or told him to get his head checked.



Malfoy shrugged, pushing himself to his feet and brushing snow off of himself. "Since I felt the need," he replied, walking a few steps and picking up Harry\'s sweater from the snow. He made a face at the soaked and cold clothing before tossing it to Harry. Harry just continued to stare at him, unmoving from his position on the ground. "Does is bother you?"



Harry scowled, pushing himself to his feet finally. "Just makes me question your mental stability, is all." Malfoy smirked at that and waited for Harry to reach him.



"I thought you always questioned my mental stability," the blond said, still smirking at him.



"Yeah, well," Harry rubbed a hand through his damp and freezing hair, frowning as he felt ice against his fingers. "This just furthers the concerns." He and Malfoy looked at each other for a moment, Harry still scowling slightly and Malfoy smiling softly. Suddenly Malfoy grinned widely. Harry was about to ask what the reason was when Malfoy suddenly flung a large pile of snow at him, knocking him over with the impact. Sputtering, Harry swiped the snow from his face to see Malfoy laughing as he ran up the castle. Muttering a string to himself, Harry quickly picked himself up and sprinted after Malfoy, grinning from ear to ear as he neared the blond.