A/N: this is the second prize fic from my giveaway! For ravensthoughts. I hope you enjoy!

I thought of this whole fic when I couldn't sleep Christmas Eve.

Draco Malfoy glided through the empty hallways of Hogwarts long after the midnight hour, gloating inwardly that not even the professors could say anything about it. That's really the reason he joined the Inquisitorial Squad. Not because any sort of loyalty for the Ministry's giant pink toad, but for the freedom. He very much enjoyed strutting through the halls by himself, the fact that he could threaten to report the teachers to the toad was just a bonus.

In the midst of his thoughts, Draco turned the corner and saw his least favorite person. Or his most favorite, depending on who he was talking to. Most of the Slytherin's in his year knew about his infatuation, but Potter didn't. Of course, Draco had yet to decide whether he was happy about that or not.

"Potter!" He snapped, jolting the brunette out of whatever daze he had been in. Draco narrowed his eyes a little when Potter's left hand shot behind his back, hiding something. "What are you doing out past curfew?"

Potter looked down at the ground, and Draco immediately felt something akin to worry gnawing at his insides. "If you must know," Potter said, though his voice was oddly subdued, "I was heading back to Gryffindor after yet another detention with your beloved Umbrige." That comment had a bit of bite to it, but not nearly as much as Draco was used to. The gnawing inside him got a bit stronger.

"You expect me to believe that? It's nearly midnight! What are you hiding in your hand?" Draco snapped. Though, honestly, his words had sounded better in his head. A little more... Caring, he supposed. But words never came out how he meant them around Potter.

The brunette in question jumped a bit and tried to turn away, hiding his feeling of defeat with an irritated growl, "Nothing, Malfoy. Not that it's any of your business."

Draco glared and grabbed Potter's hand, but let go immediately when he heard a hiss of pain.

They both stared at each other in silence. Draco, shocked because he had hurt Potter. Potter, stunned that Draco had let go without trying to hurt him more. Draco held out his hand again and Potter looked like a deer caught in headlights. When there was no response, Draco took the other boy's wrist to examine his hand. He frowned at what he saw.

At this point, Draco knew that he was breaking every single rule that made him a Malfoy, but the sight of 'I must not tell lies' carved into the back of Potter's hand was making him see red. Especially when he knew what made those freshly opened scars. His father had a quill just like it in his office and had punished him with it more than once.

Draco looked up at Potter, back down at his hand, back up to Potter. He then turned, still gripping the boy's hand, and started to drag him down the hall.

"M-Malfoy!?" Potter spluttered, too stunned to stop him, but still reluctant to follow. "What are you doing? Where are we going?"

"Bloody toad!" Draco spat, making Potter jump a bit as he had been silent for most of their walk down the halls. "Those quills are exceedingly dark and illegal! We're going to Dumbledore!"

Draco was almost yanked off of his feet as Potter dug in his heels, looking livid. "No. I won't let her win! Besides, why do you care?"

Blinking slowly, Draco looked back at Potter. "Bloody hell Potter, are you insane? Let her win? Letting her win is letting her get away with it!"

Potter thought about that just long enough for Draco to regain control of the situation and once again start dragging him toward Dumbledore's office. Once in front of the statue, Potter snorted a bit, "Do you even know the password?"

"Honestly Potter," Draco sighed, rubbing his temples with the hand that wasn't firmly attached to Potter's wrist, "You don't honestly think that the only way to speak to the school's headmaster is by knowing the password to his office, do you?" He looked back at the Gargoyle and rapped his knuckles smartly on the top of its head, moving his hand when it sprung to life.

"Yes?"

"I need to speak to the headmaster immediately." Draco stated in a very businesslike manner, "If you please."

"Is it an emergency? If it is not an emergency, please return to your respective Head of House and speak with him or her."

"Yes, it is an emergency. This pertains to illegal activities in the school, involving dark magic and one of the school teachers."

By this point, Potter was alternating between looking at Draco and the gargoyle, with a gobsmacked expression. When the Gargoyle nodded it's agreement and stepped aside to reveal the moving staircase, he just stepped onto the stairs with Draco, staring at him. "How did you know to do that?"

"Do you even read? You do realize that Hogwarts, A History is basically the school handbook, right?" Draco had now turned toward Potter again. "It says in chapter four that if you can convince the Gargoyle of an emergency, it will let you go up to see the headmaster. It was decided that students needed access to the headmaster for emergencies and things they couldn't speak to the head of house about, but not easy access so they would go the the head of house for more trivial matters."

Potter looked a little bit sheepish and shook his head, "Ron and I never read it, we didn't think we needed to because Hermione has it memorized."

Draco snorted and opened his mouth to comment, but decided not to as they had just made it up to Dumbledore's office. He didn't want to say anything that would cause Potter to change his mind about this. Clinging onto Potter's wrist, Draco knocked on the door, which swung open after the first rap of his knuckle.

"Come in Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore spoke from his turned away office chair, turning the chair around as Draco and Potter stepped into the room. A moment of shock flitted across Dumbledore's features, "And Mr. Potter. How... Unusual." With his last word the headmaster looked down at the boys' hands, and Potter yanked his hand away from Draco, gasping as if he'd been burnt. This only proved to make Dumbledore smile with that blasted twinkle. "How can I help you boys at this hour?"

Draco looked pointedly at Potter, but when the other boy only looked down at his horrible trainers, the blonde sighed and took him by the wrist again. He dragged a weakly protesting Potter up to Dumbledore and thrust the boy's hand in the older man's face, almost making Potter punch him in his crooked nose. "Potter just got out of detention with Umbrige. Look what she made him do! It's a Blood Quill! Hogwarts does not condone corporal punishment Professor! Not to mention that Blood Quills are extremely illegal dark magic! What are you going to do about this?"

Potter's jaw had almost dropped to his feet from sheer shock by the time Draco finished SCOLDING the headmaster, who now had his hands raised, trying to calm the raging blonde.

"Now now Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore tried to soothe him, "I will owl the Ministry immediately about this, and have a word with Professor Umbrige about appropriate detentions. Unfortunately, however, with her new role as the High Inquisitor, there is not much that I can do to stop her. Additionally, while the Ministry frowns upon the use of Blood Quills, they are quite adamant about backing Professor Umbrige, and will probably dismiss my letter as a farce designed to remove their employee from my faculty and thus their hold over my school." Dumbledore paused for a moment, watching calmly as another Malfoy tantrum started to creep into Draco's face, "I will, of course, do as much as I can for Mr. Potter, but I'm afraid my hands are quite firmly tied on this matter."

Draco's face turned a heated shade of red, and even Potter looked a bit hurt and betrayed. Draco turned and stormed out of the office in a silent rage, Potter following behind with a mixture of emotions drifting over his face.

A few moments later found them in an empty classroom. Draco was pacing back and forth, having worked himself up into a blind rage, and Potter sat on top of a desk, still looking shocked at seeing this side of the normally dispassionate boy.

"Malfoy."

"Malfoy!"

"MALFOY!"

Draco stopped, Potter gripping onto his arm to prevent him from pacing, and looked over at the round glasses covering green eyes.

"What is with you today, Malfoy?" Potter finally asked him once he had calmed down a bit and Potter had released his arm. "You're acting barmy. And, you know, like you care about me or something."

Draco blinked as those words hit him. He was acting like he cared. Well he wasn't acting, he did care. He always cared. Only he had never wanted to admit how much he cared, actually he was just afraid of being rejected again.

Ha! He, a Malfoy, running scared from the mere idea of rejection. Anger and jealousy dogging his footsteps the whole way.

Well no more.

Draco Malfoy was going to take a stand.

He thrust his hand out to shake Potter's, deciding to risk it all and try again. "Harry Potter, I apologize for these last five years, and I wish to become friends with you."

Unfortunately, the sudden thrusting of his hand startled Potter so badly he fell, right off the back of the desk. He then burst into a fit of nervous giggles, that quickly bubbled into roaring laughter at the absurdity of the whole situation he had found himself in.

"Potter! Stop it! Do you want Filch to catch us?" Malfoy snapped, though amusement and worry were both having a war with his face. It wasn't long before amusement won out and he covered his mouth as he chuckled along with Potter.

Hearing a small noise from outside the classroom, both of them froze. They remained silent, holding their breath as they stared at the door and praying to Merlin that whomever it was would go away. Even more so, they prayed that if anyone was really there, it wasn't Filch or the toad.

They exhaled together when a few moments passed and they heard no other noises. Potter turned to study Draco, and the blonde tried not to fidget under the steady gaze of those green eyes.

"Friends, hm?" Potter finally spoke, and Draco gave a slow nod. Potter considered him for a few more moments before responding, "I think I can start with friendship, Draco." He took Draco's hand and shook it, then wheeled out of the room leaving a stunned Draco in his wake.

Draco stood there for a few minutes as Potter's words sunk in. Harry had called him Draco. He also said he would start with friendship. Draco blinked, and his heart gave a fluttering jolt. What had Harry meant about start with?

As Draco made his way back to the common room, only two things were certain. He would find a way to murder the toad, and he couldn't wait to discover where Harry planned to go with their new found relationship.

A/N: Again thanks a bunch to my sister and beta reader, firesofbagginshield from Tumblr

Also, for your mental viewing pleasure, when looking up synonyms for one of the scenes, my sister and I came up with the image of Harry gyrating out of the room. Enjoy.