#running writes

Draco, unexpectedly, makes possible peace with Hermione first. They had a couple of classes together and were paired in both ancient runes and potions, which wasn't surprising considering the small amount of eighth years. They were in potions class when her polite attitude started to really grate at him, she should hate him, she should want to push him off the astronomy tower, Draco flinched at this thought; but, she just continued to be polite one might even say kind. It was infuriating and annoying. It was at the end of a class when  they were working on a potion for their next class when she stopped him from adding an ingredient that would have ruined his elixir that Draco snapped.

"Enough Granger. You can stop doing whatever this is. You hate me that’s okay, I deserve it. Stop being fake nice it's annoying." She looks shocked eyes wide, he isn't sure why he has always been this person who said too much, maybe shocked that he brought it up. Then her eyes sharpen and Draco decides he probably should have left well enough alone.

"Draco, we are all trying to move on. But maybe you're right MAYBE I should just forget trying to be civil with you because clearly you still have something against me." She turns and angrily starts to siphon her elixir into a flask so she can leave.

"You know what I do have something against you. I hate that you are acting like nothing happened. As if I didn't bully and call you ugly names for 6 years, simply because you are smarter than me and I was envious little twat. Like you didn't get tortured in front of me while I just stood there doing nothing. Like I deserve any kindness from you at all. So stop - stop pretending." He says in a rush, his frustration overflowing, he hated himself and he just wanted her to admit that she hated him as well. Her eyes soften seeing something in him, and he isn't quite sure he wants her to see it.

"Well are you sorry then?" She says in a matter of fact tone. She looks him in the eyes, he could swear she could see all his guilt. Draco deflates.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you before." He wish he could give more, change his past but all he can give is that apology.

"Good." Hermione nods and walks away and Draco may not be forgiven just yet but he believes for a minute that maybe eventually he could be.

<- Last Part - Next Part ->

~~~

"Can't you read? We are closed." Draco said as he continued to work on his potion without looking up. He couldn't remember if he had locked the door.

When he didnt hear any response or any movement he looked up.

Standing there looking sturdy and dripping all over his floor was Harry Potter.

"What are you doing here? Why are you so wet?" Draco asked in an annoyed tone, attempting to disguise his own nerves.

"Er, it's raining.." Harry gestured to the outside awkwardly, and when Harry looked back at met Dracos eyes, he blushed. Draco could not imagine what would make Harry blush in this situation.

"You're a wizard." Draco rolled his eyes. "Can you explain to me what your business is here?" Draco stood, marking down the last ingredient he had added to his potion.

"I er.. got your letter." Harry said, holding out a scroll with delicate cursive. Draco's delicate cursive. Draco felt like a bucket of ice water had been dropped on him. And he could do nothing but stare.

"I guess Im flatered, but -" Draco interrupted by snatching the scroll out of his hand. "Where did you get this? You are not supposed to have this!" Draco hissed.

"Well, it's addressed to me... right there,'Dear Harry'" Harry pointed at the top of the scroll. Dracos' head was spinning. This was never meant to get sent out. He looked up to tell Harry it was a big misunderstanding it was the wrong Harry, but he saw Blaise walking up to his store, clenching a scroll that looked very similar.

Dracos heart dropped out of his chest.

"Oh god." He looked back at Harry, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him hard into a kiss that would stop anyone from entering his shop.

~~~

---

Harry wakes up on the couch and pulls a blanket off a naked man on the floor, wrapping it around his waste. He hits the man with a pillow and the man grunts, waking up. The man lifts up Harry's underwear.

Man: This...is...?

Harry: (grabbing it, smiling) Humiliating on so many levels. You have to go.

Man: (sitting up) Why don't you just come back down here and we'll pick up where we left off?

Harry: No, seriously. You have to go, I'm late. Which isn't what you want to be on your first day of work, so...

Man: So, ah, you actually live here.

Harry: No.

Man: Oh.

Harry: Yes. Kind of.

Man: (dressing) Oh. It's nice. Little dusty. Odd. But it's nice. So how do you kind of live here?

Harry: I moved two weeks ago from Birmingham, it was my godfather's house, I'm selling it.

Man: Oh, I'm sorry.

Harry: For what?

Man: You said was.

Harry: Oh! He's not dead, he's - you know what, we don't have to do the thing.

Man: Oh. We can do anything you want.

Harry: No, the thing, exchange the details, pretend we care...look, I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower, okay, and when I get back down here, you won't be here, so, um, goodbye...um...

*The man looks vaguely disappointed and chagrined*

Man: Draco.

Harry: (they shake hands) Draco. Right. Harry.

Draco: Harry.

Harry: Yeah. (Draco steps closer smirking, Harry backs away) Mm-hmm.

Draco: Nice meeting you.

~~~

"A full eight days." Regulus said as he walked to his next class. "That's how long it took you to even think 'hmm Regulus hasn't talked to me.'"

"Regulus, I noticed after a day, but I figured you were busy!" James foot caught in a crevice in the floor, and he stumbled a bit as he tried to keep pace with Regulus. "Will you just stop and talk to me?"

"Do you even care about me? More than a week before you even deemed to come look for me." He stopped walking and turned his head sharply to look at James. Regulus always felt he liked James more than James liked him. Most of all, he is angry at himself for letting something Barty said get to him. Barty had pointed out that Regulus was always the one going to James and so he had told himself he wouldn't talk to James until James came to him, it took him more than a week to come find him.

"Reg, no." James grabbed his hips and pulled him to spot behind a statue next to a wall.

"I always notice when you're not next to me. I miss you the moment you leave my side. I was afraid to scare you off because the way I need you, it's all consuming."

James tucked a stray strand of Regulus hair behind his ear. He had been growing it out, soft, black, wavy.

"If I came to find you every time i wanted to see you, I'd be with you all the time, and you would for sure get tired of me."

Regulus felt his warmth climb up his neck and in his cheeks.

"I need to not be the only one reaching out, James." He said, leaning into James' hand just a bit.

"Then you won't be."

~~~

"Words." Regulus ground out as he pushed off of James to sit up in the bed they were in. They had taken to using the room of requirements when they met, and it was sweet for a little while. Now, it just feels like James was hiding him.

"What do you mean?" James asked as he sat up. Regulus felt the warmth of James hand on his arm and almost fell back into him.

"No." He pulled away moving to get out of the bed and beginning to pull on his clothes.

"Everything you say, Jamie, it's just words." Regulus could feel the burn behind his eyes he could feel a stone in his throat, and that didn't portend well. He would not be in this room when his emotions overcame him.

"Regie, that's not true." James got up and grabbed his hand and pulled it to his lips.

"I don't understand what just went wrong." James pulled Regulus' hand to his cheek. The way he looked at Regulus almost brought him to his knees, but he couldn't let it sway him. It hurt too much.

"You told me you love me." Regulus didn't pull his hand away. He didn't move he just looked at James trying to find the truth in his eyes.

"Because I do." James said simply like he was talking about the weather, like it was the most natural thing for him to love Regulus.

"Then why haven't you told Sirius, Jamie?" Regulus pulled his hand away. He pulled on his shirt and looked around for his wand.

"Will you stop getting ready to leave? I - It's complicated." James grabbed Regulus' wand and put it on the other side of the bed.

"It isn't. It isn't complicated. You want everything. You want him as your best friend, you want the perfect wife, and you want me on the side. Well, I hate to be the first person ever to tell you no. But no." Regulus tried to put as much vitriol into his words as he could as he walked around the bed to grab his wand.

"I told you I'm not courting Lilly anymore..."

"This isn't about her! It's about you. And you're refusal to choose!" Regulus shouted, grabbing his wand and turning to James, pointing it at him accusing.

"Don't. Reg don't make me choose between you and Sirius." He said, pushing Regulus wand away.

~~~

"Be myself." Draco shrugged moving his food around his plate with his fork.

"That's what she called you to her office for? To tell you to be yourself? Is she kidding?" Pansy hissed, keeping her voice low. She had been driving herself crazy wondering why McGonagall would call a Slytherin to her office.

All the current Eighth years had gotten generic letters letting them know everyone was welcome to come back. Pansy had zero intention of returning, she burned the letter. Draco had come through the floo later that same day and told her he had every intention to return. She told him he was crazy and tried to convince him not to but he wouldn't budge. He said he had to, it was the only way he could get a job and live a normal life. Pansy told him normal life was over rated and there was no way either of them would ever be able to live that way, normal. He didn't listen, he sent a response letter saying he would be returning and so Pansy did as well. She couldn't let him face this alone.

He shrugged again and took a bite of the roast. "Basically."

"Stop making that gesture it's so churlish!" She said gripping her fork and then dropping it on the table.

"Haven't the elves here ever heard of garnishes?" She said and crossed her arms with a sniff.

Draco looked up and raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed "It's just… Doesn't she understand we… well we can't be ourselves." She said picking up her fork again.

"No we surely cant." Draco agreed in a solemn tone glancing at the Gryffindor table. She decided to sneak a peek herself and she immediately found the brown curls she always found. Hermione was smiling looking at that wretched red head. She snapped her head back. It was something she had locked away a long time ago. The reason she could never be what her parents wanted. The reason she could never be herself. She shook her head "No we surely cant."

"Him." Malfoy growled as he and Blaise sat down for lunch at the Ministry Cafeteria.

"What?" Blaise had answered as if he had not been paying any attention to the conversation the two were having.

"You asked what was bugging me?" Draco explained sounding exasperated, Blaise rolled his eyes.

"I believe I asked what was up your -"

"It amounts to the same thing." Draco interrupted. "My so-called partner Harry Potter never thinks, he is arrogant, and I swear he has some sort of death wish."

Blaise hummed and nodded and ate his food. This was a conversation they had had almost daily since Draco and Harry had become partners.

"Why don't you just ask to switch partners?" Blaise asked, knowing full well why Draco would never do so, but wanted to hear why Draco thought he wouldn't.

"And admit defeat? I would never besides if they partnered him and the Weasel, they would be insufferable." Draco rolled his eyes and finally began to pick at his salad.

"Ah. The Weasleys." Blaise said thoughtfully.

"What is your deal with the Weasleys?" Draco asked, putting his fork down and raising an eyebrow.

Blaise rolled his fork in his hand. "They intrigue me. I think it's only child syndrome." he shrugged. "Don't you find Ronald rather gallant?"

"The only thing I find Ronald is rather annoying." Draco says as he stabs his salad with disdain.

"Hmmm speak of the devil." Blaise says and watches as Harry and Ron come into the cafeteria laughing at some unknown joke.

"Blaise do stop staring its unbecoming." Draco said refusing to look at the two men who just walked in.

"Just because you pretend you do not have eyes doesn't mean I shall."

~~~