"You've been here for six weeks now. As a trainer I've rarely seen better – you will all be good Aurors when you're finished. You're all practised at defence, whether due to your extracurricular activities," – DA alumna exchanged glances – "or practice during the war itself. Some of you are extremely proficient at curses." Draco Malfoy fidgeted.

"We put together exercises designed to teach our eight trainees to look after each other and trust each other with their lives. Usually it's done the end of term. But the dysfunction and rivalry in this group is impeding your training. I have my suspicions about sabotage – and if any of those suspicions are confirmed, Ron Weasley, you'll be off this course instantly."

Ron flushed and poked a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes package behind his chair. Draco gave a smirk of glorious vindication, that vanished as their trainer kept talking.

"You are going to learn to trust each other. You will fall and trust another trainee to catch you, and I mean that literally. I'll pair you off and each of you will share a secret with the other trainee. Any of you can tell – but then your own secret will certainly be revealed."

Madam Bella looked at their expressions, and smiled wickedly.

The first day of trust exercises did not go well.

Dean Thomas arrived in a bee-keeping suit so falling wouldn't hurt. Daphne Greengrass wore a signet ring cursed to shoot hexes at anyone who caused her pain. Draco Malfoy claimed the ferret incident had traumatised him and he would mindlessly attack anyone who banged his body against stone, and any teacher who caused physical harm.

It didn't help when Ron and Draco were chosen to demonstrate the falling exercise. Ron refused at first. Draco's taunts about cowardice made him go very red, and when he had to fall backwards he did it with force. Since Draco was half a foot shorter and much lighter, they toppled instantly.

Ron was comforted by Draco's reaction to the mud in his hair.

The next day, Madam Bella paired them off to share secrets.

Harry was unsurprised when he was paired with Draco Malfoy. Clearly, in the absence of Voldemort the universe had to find a new way to torment him.

Draco just made a face. Harry thought it was a stupid face. That scrunched-up nose couldn't have been less adorable.

They went and sat on a wall outside the trainee building.

Draco's voice snapped like a whip. "You first."

"No! I'm not going first. I don't trust you."

Harry promised himself he'd tell Draco a stupid secret. He hated Mrs Weasley's casseroles, that would do.

"Fine." Draco took a deep breath, not looking at Harry, and said, "sometimes I hate Snape for being a hero. I can't stand that he was one of you. We Slytherins would have done anything for him – and not because he favoured us, whatever you think. It was because he was the only teacher who didn't feel like the enemy. And the idea that he was just another servant for Dumbledore, another one who didn't think we mattered – it makes me want to scream."

Harry suddenly felt very much ashamed. Such a personal thing, a secret that could cause renewed suspicion – he could do no less. He was better than Draco, after all.

"I still have nightmares where I'm Voldemort. There's one where I Crucio Amycus Carrow – it starts the way it happened in real life, but then I'm Voldemort and I'm punishing him for getting things wrong." Harry's voice was strained. "Everyone assumes the nightmares are about the battle. I can't tell them. I'm... I'm scared that they'll think there's still some of part of me that's Voldemort. I wonder about it myself."

Draco's reaction to Harry's dark secret was not all Harry had hoped for.

After three minutes, Harry looked at crossly at Draco, who'd fallen off the wall, and said, "are you going to be finished soon?"

"Sorry, sorry," choked Draco, and he levered himself up, small giggles still escaping him. "But you're not Voldemort, don't be bloody ridiculous."

"How would you know?" Harry demanded.

"Potter, he lived in my house! He tortured me! More than that, he Marked me. Every time he touched my arm, it burnt." Draco began to undo the tiny buttons all up his left sleeve. "Touch my Mark, and I'll tell you if it hurts."

The deep purple sleeve fell aside to reveal bone-white skin. The shocking black of the Mark burnt onto Draco looked horrible, like an unhealed wound. It occurred to Harry that this was an enormous gesture of trust, far more than any secret telling. Draco never allowed his Mark to show. Harry had never touched him except in anger, and now...

He reached out and gently pressed three fingers against the Mark crawling on Draco's skin. Draco shivered and Harry looked up sharply.

"No, no, it doesn't hurt. Keep going."

Neither moved, attention fixed on Harry's fingers as they touched, until Madam Bella called them in.

The group's rivalries were dying down. Still, the secret-swapping continued, each afternoon before the trainees could go home. Harry started to look forward to it; the strain of laying himself open shifted into pleasure in confiding in Draco. But they were running out of secrets.

"I suppose I could tell you more about the Dursleys," Harry said gloomily.

"I'm quite happy to never hear another word about them. I have a secret."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Draco bit his lip. "Between the two of us... I have this incredibly inappropriate crush on another trainee."

"Funny. That's the same as my secret."

Draco's bright head came up. "Your – what? Are you making fun of me, Harry?"

Harry gave a slow, predator's smile and leaned in. Draco stilled as Harry put his mouth by his ear, shivering when his warm breath rolled over the lobe.

"Maybe."

Draco met Harry's eyes. The fear in Draco's eyes wavered, then died at the look in Harry's.

"I trust you."