Title: What's Left Behind

A//N: thank to lady mocona who had helped me with this fic, because certainly you're the expert in this fandom, not me. And this fic is not betaed, so just bear with my grammar and typos kay.

"I'm sure tomorrow's paper would have something like 'The Die Hard Potter' written on their front page," said the youngest of the Weasley boys with his hand lay out before himself as if reading the invisible letter. Hermione chuckled from the joke.

Harry heard his mate then talking about the nickname the press might give him and Hermione. But, really, he couldn't focus his mind on anything else but his bed and stack of sandwiches made by Kreacher. He just wanted to get some rest. That was all.

His mind was really not there that he almost bumped into Ron's back as the taller boy stopped abruptly on his spot, wand somehow already raised. Harry's eyes trailed where the wand was actually pointing to. And apparently it was pointed at a certain blonde Slytherin boy, Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy," addressed Ron, anger and hatred thick in his voice, as usual.

The blonde boy didn't retort. He just stood there with his stoic, arrogant face despite his defenseless state considering he had no wand or his friends to protect him. Harry watched his eyes moved from Ron's wand to the red haired face, then to Hermione's, before finally met Harry's green eyes. And for a split second Harry could see hopelessness in those cold, grey eyes.

"Ron, I don't think the wand is necessary," said Harry, his eyes still attached to Malfoy's. He could almost feel what Malfoy was feeling since it shown clearly in his eyes no matter hard he tried to look impassive to the others.

"Harry, he tried to kill us back then!"

Of course, what Ron said was wrong. Draco didn't try to kill them; the Dark Lord ordered him to hold up Harry Potter in Room of Hidden Things and that what he did. He wouldn't have the gut to kill them. Maybe because he was a coward. Or maybe he wasn't as evil as his aunt Bellatrix or even his father. Nevertheless, he didn't say anything to correct it. He knew it wasn't matter whether he was trying to kill them or not. He was on the losing side and therefore he was wrong in their eyes.

"He didn't try to kill us, Ron." Draco slightly raised an eyebrow in amusement as he heard Harry words. "He just did what he thinks he has to do. Just like us."

"If he really thinks, Harry, then he wouldn't take You-Know-Who side."

"But, Ron, don't you think that you might do the same if your whole family was Death Eaters," said Hermione. Ron turned his head at the girl; she knew her words sink into his mind somehow. And she knew he thinks she was right.

For a moment the red haired boy only glared at Malfoy. But then, with a grunt, he put back his wand. "Let's just go," he said before turning around and left the others. He walked so fast that his robes were swaying around him. Ron's reaction was understandable. Regarded what happened to his brother, it was obvious how Ron would react to Death Eaters like Malfoy.

Hermione gave a good look at Draco before turning at Harry. "Come, Harry. You need to rest."

"Yeah," the bespectacled boy glanced at his friend. He broke his gaze with Malfoy after what seemed like forever. "But, you just go ahead first," he said, indicating that he still have something to do with his archenemy.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked him, hesitant to leave him alone considering their track records to get into each others' throat.

"I'm good, Hermione," Harry gave her an assuring smile.

"I'll leave you then," she said before finally left the boys alone.

Harry's eyes were trailing her track until she was out of his eyes shot. Then he turned his head around so now he was, once again, facing Draco Malfoy.

"So, Malfoy," he started.

"Potter," Draco replied with usual iciness in his voice.

Both boys realize just how tense the air around them now. Not out of hate like it usually did. And maybe the lost of hate at each others was the main reason that it was so awkward and weird.

Harry knew that Malfoy didn't have any reason to loath him anymore. The Dark Lord had fall and Harry had saved his live even after all the things that he and his family had done to the 'Boy Who Lived'. And he too understood the predicament that Malfoy had been through and what had led him into the wrong path. That was all. They were now just a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, two houses that could never get along together. But held nothing else than that. And certainly not hatred, since hatred was such a strong feeling. It was just nothing.

And it was just strange to just stand there and didn't bear any strong feelings against each others. It was as if they lost a ground to stand upon.

"Is there anything you want to do or are we just going to stand here like this forever?" asked Malfoy with his usual sarcasm.

"Oh, yes." Harry suddenly remember about something and fished out a wand from his back pocket. "Your wand." He handed it back to its real owner. "I don't need it anymore. I already got mine back."

"Sure." Malfoy took back his wand and gazed at it as it was the most precious thing he ever had. Well, that was what most wizards felt toward their wand anyway. But it was different, the wand feel different. Potter had used his wand to challenge the Dark Lord and came out as the winner. It almost liked a new, different wand and yet it was still comfortably fitted his hand. There was trace of Harry in his wand.

Harry could only watch as the other boy examining his wand thoroughly. He felt like he would ruin the whole scene if he ever attempted to say something. So he stood in silence.

Until finally, Malfoy looked up at him and gave him a nod. He nodded back, and gave an excuse about his friends waiting for him before leaving.

"Wait, Potter!" Draco was calling out at him. And it sent shivers down Harry's spine that the voice didn't bear any trace of hatred, it was even almost friendly. It was foreign, but not totally unwelcome.

He turned around and saw the troubled look on his-if he could say- former nemesis' face. Draco couldn't even look at the other boy. And when he did, he would frown or take a deep breath, before finally turned away again.

The blonde boy didn't know how to bring himself to say the things he was suppose to say. It was hard really. Because they'd been hating each others since like ever, he had tried to kill Dumbledore-whose he knew was a very important figure for Harry-, and even just a couple of hours ago, he had tried to failed his missions and took him to the Dark Lord. But then Potter saved him, gave back his wand, and even acted so understanding about the whole thing. Just how was he supposed to act on that!

"You know what, Malfoy, just save it." Harry cut his train of thought. "Just save whatever it is you want to say until… Until you find a way to say it."

Malfoy frowned at that, perplexed. But then he smirked; he wasn't genuinely smiling, but that was close. "Yeah. Until then, then, Potter." Then he walked past the brown haired boy and left him alone at the hallway.

Now that there were no barriers between them, both boys knew that they could actually get along. Not best friends maybe, but definitely not enemies either.

XXX

Another a/n: I'm thinking to make a sequel out of it, and it's gonna be a Draco/Harry yes, in that order, because I don't really like Harry/Draco, and it's gonna be angst. But I wanna know what you guys think about it first. So R&R please…