The wand wavered in the pale, slim hand before its grip tightened, turning the knuckles white. Tears streamed down the pale face, the young man's vision blurred, but he quickly swiped his eyes and they narrowed, turning into an icy gray.

The other young man before him lay sprawled on the ground as he had been previously disarmed by the blonde. His wand lay just feet away and he eyed it warily before glancing back up at the young man who loomed before him.

"Malfoy," began the dark haired man on the ground warily. "Draco. You don't have to do this."

The blonde let out a harsh bark of laughter before abruptly stopping and glaring back at him.

"You have no right to call me by my name, Potter," he spat. "It's your fault and you know it! I have every right to do what I want!"

Harry scooted to the side towards his wand slightly, hoping that Draco didn't notice. He glanced at his surroundings once more and knew that if he was able to get to his wand he could run into the woods and then disapparate.

They were in an open field that was surrounded by woods. The smell of a fire still burned his nostrils, even though it had already been a month. The remnants of the large manor, which consisted of the collapsed frame of the house, still loomed in the distance upon the hill.

Harry knew Draco was right, that, in all reality, he was to blame. He hadn't meant for the fire to start and he had thought that the manor had been deserted. It was supposed to be, at least that's what he told himself, but he knew that in the end it made no difference, even if it was an accident.

He looked back up into the gray eyes. "I'm sorry, Draco. You're right, it is my fault, but it was an accident. I'll do anything you want, just don't do this."

"Just shut up Potter! Shut up and don't say anything! You took away everything from me, everything! Don't you understand that?"

Harry took in a deep breath and as he released it he whispered a spell under his breath.

"You and your stupid dysfunctional magic! You never could control it, could you?" sneered Draco, his face twisting into a look of loathing. "You only defeated Voldemort all those times due to pure luck and stupidity! "

Harry knew that Draco was just ranting and he wasn't paying any attention to what he actually said. As Draco continued his rant he muttered another spell, his wand silently slipping into his hand.

"The golden trio shouldn't even have been there that day! We had already paid for our crimes, but no, you all just had to come back, didn't you?" Draco was shouting at this point and Harry took advantage of his emotional state. He quickly raised his wand and once Draco realized it, his eyes widened and he abruptly stopped speaking.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Draco. It was an accident, please believe me. None of us would have purposely done that."

The blonde's hand shook once more and his voice wavered as he choked up with tears. "Yes, you would. You've hated me ever since we met. None of you and your bloody Order ever liked us. This is exactly what you wanted!"

Harry's chest ached as he listened to the words. He could hear the sincerity, the adamancy that what Draco said he honestly believed.

"That's not true," Harry began, but he was interrupted.

"Yes it is! You didn't even give me a chance! And now, I'm not going to give you one! Avada Ke-"

"Congelo Vicis!" Harry shouted.

It was as the wind blew and the two spells hit each other, the field erupting into a blinding light of violet that the explosion went off, knocking both young men unconscious. As the light began to fade and Harry's vision began to turn black, his last thought was that perhaps Draco actually had killed him.

Harry hadn't wanted to go, but he figured he would be a safer bet than anyone else in the Order. He knew that the Malfoys were still a despised family, despite them having paid a large debt to the Ministry, being put on probation, and moving out of the manor into a secluded location. Ron and Hermione instantly volunteered and Harry suspected that they were eager to finally get a closer look at the famed Malfoy Manor and go through practically everything they owned. Harry felt a bit guilty in not trusting his friends, but he had learned to trust nobody during the war.

The Order had wanted to "look" through Malfoy Manor for any last "suspicious" items even though the Ministry had already been through the Manor several times throughout the war's duration. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione had apparated to the outskirts of the Manor's grounds they had to walk several minutes through the woods before first catching sight of the large house.

It stood at the top of the hill in a lackluster way that one could tell it used to be a place of opulence, grandeur, and taken care of with painstaking care, but it had seen none of the above in quite some time. The gardens were overgrown with weeds where dead roses had turned to a brittle gray and the surrounding area was eerily quiet and calm. Hermione immediately claimed that she felt uncomfortable being there, causing Harry to roll his eyes since she and Ron had been the ones to volunteer to come here in the first place. Ron, being the devoted boyfriend that he was, agreed wholeheartedly while Harry ignored them both.

When Harry entered the house he couldn't help but agree inwardly with Hermione's sentiments. Harry could practically see the aura of the Manor vibrating with negativity and the feeling that they shouldn't be there. Once the silence between them all passed Harry decided that it would be easier and go by much faster if they split up. He took the East Wing of the Manor while Hermione and Ron decided to take the West.

"Harry," called Hermione as he began to walk off towards the parlor. Harry turned around to find her clasping Ron's hand and biting her lip. "What about the dungeons?"

It had been no question, really, who would explore the dungeons. He knew that Hermione wouldn't venture down there and Ron would be just as likely to not want to go either, not that Harry had any desire to go.

"I will." Hermione's face visibly eased and she gave him a supportive smile, then turned and began to walk away with Ron.

Harry hadn't given them a parting glance before he went to the first room in the East Wing, the parlor. The room had once been light and airy, with lace white curtains that were now yellowed due to the lack of light. The light blue walls appeared gray and a layer of dust coated the furniture. He had muttered a few half-hearted revealing spells and after deciding that there was nothing in there to be suspicious over he turned his attention to the more intimate details of the room. There was a cup of tea on the table with tea still in the cup as if someone had been interrupted during tea time and the room had been frozen in place ever since. A book was lying precariously on the mantle to the fireplace and, Harry noted, it was a book on gardening. There were also several photos on the mantle and Harry picked up the first one sitting next to the book, wiping the layer of dust off with the back of his hand. The picture was of a young Draco, perhaps three, looking away from the camera with a grin on his face as he sat in the green grass underneath a large tree. Toddler Draco looked up at the camera briefly and his smile widened before looking away once more. Harry set the picture down before picking up the next picture, another picture of Draco, but also Narcissa this time. This time Draco appeared to be around five and he was giggling in Narcissa's lap before she leaned down to whisper in her son's ear. Draco laughed once more before they both turned towards the camera and blew kisses at it. Both burst into laughter afterwards and the picture began to repeat itself.

He couldn't help but stare at the picture as it flashed the same scenes over again several times. This Draco was a far cry from the one Harry had known. Even at age eleven when Harry and Draco had first met there was something so prim, so proper, about Draco. It was hard to see him as a carefree boy, even at the age of five. Harry wondered what had ever happened to that little boy.

Over the next several hours he ventured throughout the East Wing before reaching the last room on the upper floor. It had turned out to be a bedroom and once he saw the Slytherin green colors he knew immediately it belonged to Draco. The walls were painted in a soft, dove gray color while the bed was adorned with a plush silk green comforter. A Falmouth Falcons poster was hanging on the wall while a family portrait hung on the opposite. A desk sat next to a bay window and Harry ventured towards the desk, examining the several pieces of parchment that lay on it. There were ingredients listed along with instructions, although in several places certain things such as an ingredient or a part of the instruction were scratched out. Notes and questions were written in the margins. It appeared to him that Draco had been trying to come up with his own potions or make changes to potions that already existed, an impressive feat even to Harry. Next to the parchments of paper were several books on Potions and one on, surprisingly, poetry.

Harry began to open the desk drawers and saw nothing of too much importance. Quills, ink pots, more pieces of parchment, until he came to the bottom drawer and found a leather bound book. Interested and compelled, he opened it and found that it was a journal of Draco's. As soon as he realized what it was he closed it, feeling oddly invasive of his arch rival's private life. As much as Harry itched to know what was said in the journal he couldn't let himself read Malfoy's most innermost thoughts.

Harry looked up and out the large bay window and saw the pinks, oranges, and reds of the setting sun, causing him to realize that he still needed to go through the dungeons. He took a deep breath and began the long walk.

It wasn't so much that Harry was afraid of going in the dungeons like Ron and Hermione were; he just had a feeling, as if all the negative energy that was associated with Malfoy Manor and the Malfoy name lurked in the dungeons.

Surprisingly, Harry found the dungeons not at all damp, cold, and dark like he expected it to be. As soon as he began his descent down the spiral stone staircase torches flickered to life and he could clearly see everything in front of him. He had thought he would find a labyrinth of hallways and twists and corners, but there was only one single hall with five doors on each side, all of them directly opposite each other. Moving towards the first door he opened it, not quite sure what to expect. He knew there were no dead bodies or evil beasts lurking in the Manor, unless you counted the peacocks that used to roam the gardens which he remembered overhearing Draco complaining about quite loudly, saying that they were "deceiving, vicious birds".

When Harry looked inside the room his eyes widened to find it completely empty. There were no books, no potions laboratory, no crates, absolutely nothing, and as he proceeded to go through the next eight rooms he found each and every one of them the same.

As he approached the last room he expected it to find it much like the others, inexplicably empty. Pushing open the door, Harry took in the sight of the room.

It was the potions laboratory where Harry suspected Draco had tried to perfect his potion making skills numerous times. There were two large work tables and two stools sat by each of them. On one table notes were scattered and there were several books opened while on the other one sat two large cauldrons and ingredients still lying on the table. Harry inched closer and peered inside one of the cauldrons to find a dark blue, now congealed potion. It looked as if whoever was here had been interrupted and left quickly.

Glancing around the room Harry began to notice oddities that seemed out of place. The stock room door was open and on the table with the cauldron vials had been knocked over, spilling forth ingredients and liquids. There was another door on the far side of the room that was closed and that's when Harry heard it. A barely there whisper.

He swiftly reached inside his robe and took out his wand, aiming it towards the door. A spell was on his lips as the door creaked open and out walked Narcissa Malfoy, a vial in her hand, followed by her husband.

Both looked haggard and their once pristine robes were gray and dirtied as if they had been wearing them for some time. Lucius' hair hung limp and both Malfoys had purple circles under their eyes.

Narcissa noticed Harry first, her mouth opening in a slight 'oh' before Lucius stumbled into her, causing the blonde woman to fall forward, relinquishing her hold on the vial as she tried to grab onto the table to break her fall. The vial fell from her hands and shattered onto the table where the cauldron with the congealed potion and spilled ingredients lay.

It had happened so fast, Harry remembered. The table was engulfed in flames and as Harry shouted spells to try and douse them it only seemed to make the flames go higher and surround the Malfoys even more. Harry stared on in despair as he heard the cries of Narcissa Malfoy and he saw that a wall of flames that were slowly turning from orange to red now blocked him from getting to them. His mind was running through every spell he hadn't tried already to try and figure out a solution to at least damper the flames, but a rough hand grasped his shoulder, disrupting his concentration. Ron and Hermione stood in front of them, Hermione looking frantic while they both urged Harry that they must leave, that the now red flames meant that there was nothing they could do, that red flames meant there was no way of putting the fire out and it had to run its course.

Harry couldn't pull his eyes away and Ron had to forcibly move him away from the room and up the dungeon stairs, out of the manor. They were all breathing heavily once they reached a reasonable distance from the manor, panting while all watching in horror as it seemed like smoke was pouring out from underneath the large mansion. It wasn't until Harry had heard running footsteps hitting the grass that he even thought about Draco.

He looked up and saw Draco Malfoy running towards them, wand gripped in his hand, his eyes wide with fear.

"Where are they?" he yelled, not able to hide his despair.

The three former Gryffindors stared at him for some time before Harry began to speak.

"The fire. We were in the dungeons and she dropped a potion. Then the fire. I tried…" he began to trail off, not quite able to explain to Draco in full, coherent sentences what had happened.

"What do you mean?" Draco hissed. "They're still in there?"

Harry couldn't help but nod and he saw Draco's eyes widen even more. The blonde turned towards the manor where flames now licked the bottom half of it and he began to run. It was Hermione who pulled out her wand and cast aspell to stop him in his tracks.

"You can't, Malfoy. Don't you know what those flames mean? They're cursed and they won't die until they want to die. I'm sorry." Harry wasn't sure she sounded particularly sorry, but he was thankful that she at least stopped the gray eyed teen. Hermione conjured ropes that tied together the blonde's legs and hands.

"This is for your own good," she told him. Harry was sure she had some sort of sick pleasure in doing so from the gleam in her eyes, but Harry knew that he was somewhat thankful so that Draco wouldn't run off inside the house.

When Hermione unfroze the blonde, tears were streaming down his cheeks. He stared at the house and as Harry looked at his gray eyes he saw the flickering flames that now devoured the manor reflecting in them. When Draco realized that Harry was staring at him his eyes narrowed and there was a look of pure loathing.
"I hate you," he murmured, his gaze turning towards Ron and Hermione briefly before looking back at Harry. "I hate you all."

"Harry! Harry! Harry?"

The young, messy haired raven's head jerked up and he found himself gazing up into the curious and slightly concerned eyes of Hagrid.

"Er, sorry," the eleven-year old mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Must have been daydreaming."

Hagrid let out a laugh and ruffled Harry's hair to make it even more unruly. "'Bout Hogwarts I'm sure! Now let's get yer robes. Madame Malkin's is right ovuh here. She'll take right care of yeh and while she does I'm gonna stop by in a store, all righ?" Harry nodded, but remained silent, having the distinct feeling that he had been here before in Diagon Alley, being ushered in to Madame Malkin's by Hagrid, but the idea was preposterous since he had never been to Diagon Alley until today, right?

Before Harry knew it he was standing next to a slim, slightly pointy face, and extremely blonde haired boy. Said boy glanced at Harry and Harry gave him a shy smile. Pins were pulling back fabric and thread was spinning at a rapid place as the blonde was being fitted while Harry fidgeted, nervously awaiting his own turn.

The blonde boy grinned at Harry before speaking, his voice sounding like warm honey that instantly soothed Harry's nerves.

"You must be a first year too, yeah?" Harry barely nodded before the boy continued chatting. "You look like a nervous wreck!" Harry gave a short laugh, the tension easing away from his body as he grinned back.

"You could say that, yeah," Harry replied.

"I'm more excited than nervous," the blonde replied before surreptitiously looking around to see if anyone else was looking before leaning over slightly towards Harry. "Although I am rather worried that I could be sorted in Gryffindor – or worse, Hufflepuff! Could you imagine having to wear yellow or red for the next seven years! And not to mention my godfather is the Potions master and the Head of Slytherin. What on earth would he say if I landed in the house of badgers?"

Harry had no idea what the blonde was rambling on about, but his absolute horror at the thought of Pufflepuff (it was Pufflepuff, wasn't it?) made Harry laugh.

The blonde boy gave a yelp as a pin stuck him in the side and he glared at the treacherous thing before leaning up right again.

"I'm Draco," he said. "I would offer you my hand, but I'm afraid I might get stuck again. Nasty little things."

Harry grinned at the blonde in the mirror, catching his grey eyes. "I'm Harry."

Harry stood wordlessly, glancing up at the burgundy train as parents and students bustled by him. Hagrid has showed him how to get through the Platform, but had hurried off, saying he had to run an important errand for the Headmaster. He was suddenly jostled and stumbled before he caught his balance and glanced at who had bumped into him. A large red-headed family was walking by and the boy, Harry guessed he was about his own age, who had bumped into him hadn't even glanced. Harry frowned slightly until he felt a tug on his arm and he turned to find bright grey eyes looking into his own green ones.

"Harry! This is fantastic that we ran into each other! Where are your parents at? Oh never mind, let's board the train, yeah?" The eager voice of Draco and his flashing white smile made Harry forget about the red-head and he smiled at the blonde, happiness fluttering within.

"Malfoy, Draco."

Harry glanced at Draco who stood next to him and Draco squeezed his arm before walking away, his air all confidence although Harry knew that his new blonde friend was truly nervous. When Harry had confessed that he hadn't any idea what Draco was talking about that first day in the robe shop Draco merely launched into an explanation of everything he knew about Hogwarts.

The hat barely sat on Draco's head before it shouted out "Slytherin!" Harry saw a brief sign of relief as Draco's shoulders lowered slightly before he hopped off the chair and strode over to his new House table.

"Potter, Harry." There were gasps and whispers and Harry was slightly confused at why his name of all the names was causing a commotion and his eyes sought out Draco's. They were slightly wide and staring curiously at Harry, but once he caught Harry staring he smiled at the boy and gave an encouraging nod.

Harry sat on the chair, the hat drooping over his forehead so it slightly obscured his view. His heart was thrumming and he was hoping and praying that it would be…

"Slytherin!"

The hall was silent momentarily as Harry nervously glanced around at the shocked faces. The Slytherin table erupted into shouts and Harry heard, "We have the Harry Potter!" He was still confused, but the tension immediately left him as he took the seat next to Draco.

The blonde grinned at him and as the next name was called Harry leaned towards him, whispering, "Draco, why was everyone saying my name like that?"

Draco looked at him and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry, Harry," he whispered back. And Harry believed him.

Harry could only think about Draco. Draco, who had taken the blow in the chess game for Harry to go forward and to find Quirrel. Harry had made sure the blonde was still conscious before he left, but what if now he was dead?

Harry stared at his Professor, knowing he was no match magically against him and…was that Voldemort? The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was unwrapping his turban, and yes, that was Voldemort in the back of his head. He knew he had to save the stone, either that or destroy it, before Voldemort or rather Quirrel could get his hands on it.

It had happened quickly and now Harry was glancing up at Professor Dumbledore rushing in followed by McGonagal, Snape, and he didn't even think about the fact that the stone was gone and that Voldemort had disappeared. He needed to make sure Draco was okay.

"Really," Draco huffed as he flopped down on Harry's bed. "If everyone would quit pestering you about this Heir of Slytherin business! So you can speak Pareseltongue, which, by the way, is fantastic…"

Harry grinned and rolled his eyes. Honestly, only Draco would find the fact that he was able to talk to snakes as 'fantastic'.

"…the chamber?"

"What?" Harry asked, his attention once again focusing on Draco's words as he looked at the blonde, his grey eyes looking at his own eagerly. "Are we going to go look for it again? You know, I think that Myrtle ghost could be on to something Harry. You know how I feel about crying girls, let alone, dead crying girls, but she has been here for quite some time and I get the distinct feeling she knows something."

"Well Louise Zabini has gone missing," Harry said. Their fellow housemate, Blaise Zabini's younger sister Louise, had mysteriously vanished four days ago and they had a distinct feeling it had something to do with the so-called Chamber of Secrets. "All right," said Harry, tossing his cloak onto his bed next to Draco. "Let's go talk to Myrtle."

The basilisk was dead and Harry could feel his body going numb. He was so tired and he just wanted to close his eyes, but he knew that if he did that would for sure be the end of him. The venom was spreading and he could only think of Draco and what would the blonde do without him? For such a prestigious pureblood family Draco rarely talked to any of the other students in his house and even Harry realized that the two were attached at the hip. Who would Draco complain to about the garish red of Gryffindor and how it clashed so atrociously with the Wesley red hair? And who would encourage Harry to study and help him with his Transfiguration homework? It was with these thoughts that Harry drifted away with, only faintly hearing the trill of a phoenix in the background.

"This is creepy," Draco muttered. "And not to mention dirty." Harry snickered as they climbed the creaky steps into the house.

"I thought you liked adventure," said Harry, glancing back at Draco behind him. Draco scowled in response and wrinkled his nose as a spider crawled by on the floor.

"Yes, but I don't thrive on it like you."

"It's not my fault I get in these situations and have a Dark Lord after me."

"Right," drawled Draco and he smirked as Harry threw a weak glare back.

The floorboards beneath them creaked with their movements and Draco shivered. "Why are we here again, Harry? You know I don't like the Shrieking Shack. I know I've told you the story where my mother has sworn werewolves lived here."

"I know Draco, I've heard them from her myself, remember? And that's why we are here. I swear Professor Lupin is a werewolf, well actually, you were the one that brought it up. If he were to hide out anywhere it would be here, right?" Harry began the ascent up the stairs and Draco followed, grumbling behind him. Harry caught bits and pieces such as "eaten alive" and "of course I figured it out". He bit his cheek hiding his grin.

The two young teenagers reached what appeared to be an old bedroom, although there was only a bed frame and a severely scarred dresser. Harry immediately went over to the dresser, trying to pull open the drawers, but he found them locked. Draco approached him and between the two they rattled off every charm they knew to open the drawers until Draco muttered a spell and it finally flew open. Papers scattered the floor, but all the parchment pieces were blank. The drawer seemed empty until Harry caught sight of the edge of something white sticking out between the crack. He pulled it out and let out a small gasp.

"Harry?" questioned Draco, coming to stand beside his friend and upon seeing the picture he squeezed Harry's arm.

"Your father," Draco said quietly. Harry nodded and looked down at the photograph, seeing a young James Potter laughing along with a black haired man that Harry recognized as Sirius Black from the papers, a young Remus Lupin, and another boy Harry had never seen before. Harry continued to stare until Draco pulled his cloak sleeve.

"Come on, Harry," he said softly, inching towards the door, his hand still on Harry's cloak. "Let's go back to school and come back another day, alright?"

With one last look, Harry put the photograph in his pocket and followed Draco out.

"You know you can do this, Harry. After all, you've dealt with dragons before." Draco smirked at Harry, although Harry could tell it was only a façade to hide his own nervousness. He smiled at Draco's attempts of humor to calm him down before entering the tent to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Yeah and I think you're far more frightening than any of the ones I could possibly face." Draco bumped shoulders with him playfully before grabbing his hand giving it a quick reassuring squeeze.

"Good luck, even though you won't need it." Harry looked into Draco's cool grey eyes, thankful for the blonde's words even though neither were quite as confident as they tried to appear.

Before Harry could respond Draco had dropped his hand and was walking away towards the full stands of spectators. Harry knew that he would have to defeat this dragon, only to get back to the blonde one who was eagerly awaiting his safety.

Harry had to find Draco and tell him he knew what the second task was and that he missed quidditch practice because he had been researching – with Neville Longbottom of all people – on how to breathe underwater for long periods of time. Thankfully his tenuous friendship with the shy Gryffindor paid off and with his help Harry now held in his pocket the key to success, gillyweed. The slippery ball made Harry want to gag when he thought about having to ingest it, but he knew it would pay off in the end.

Upon entering the common room Harry immediately looked for the platinum blonde hair of Draco. Seeing Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott playing a game of Exploding Snap he approached the two boys when he didn't see Draco.

"Zabini, Nott, have either of you seen Draco?"

Both boys looked up at Harry briefly before shaking their heads. "He was called out of Ancient Runes early," Nott replied. "Had to go to Dumbledore's office."

"He had Ancient Runes hours ago!" Harry exclaimed, his brow knitted in worry while glaring at the two boys, as if his glare demanded them to make Draco magically appear.

"Look Potter," Nott said, looking up as his cards exploded before him. "I'm just saying that's the last we've seen of him and if you're really curious I also heard he missed quidditch practice." Nott frowned as he thought about his words before pressing his lips together and speaking. "Shouldn't you have known he missed practice anyway?"

Harry merely ignored them and walked away, not missing the mutterings of Nott behind him.

Harry knew Draco was at the bottom of the lake. Oh god, Draco absolutely hated swimming and he was terrified of the lake. Harry remembered Draco telling him last year after his freak out in Care of Magical Creatures where they had to go into the shallow waters of the lake and try to catch niggly puffers. Draco absolutely refused and when Ron Weasley heard this he made sure to send a hex at Draco to purposely trip him, causing the blonde to slip down the banks of the lake and into the water. To say it had been a freak out and anxiety of attack of epic proportions was an understatement. Harry finally understood after Draco had told him how he almost drowned at his family's lakeside chateau in Switzerland that he finally understood Draco's fear.

And now said blonde was floating at the bottom of the lake. He knew he had to get down there and fast.

Fighting off merpeople was a bitch and Harry was only thankful that he hadn't come across the Giant Squid while trying to find Draco. He had seen Krum, shark head and all, swim by at one point, but that had seemed ages ago and he had lost track of time. It was eerily dark and silent at the bottom of the lake and Harry had no idea if he was going to be last or perhaps first person to find their intended.

When he spotted Draco, bound, hanging limp, and blonde hair floating about his face, he felt his heart sputter in part fear and relief that he found him. He barely glanced at Cho Chang, Hermione Granger, and the French girl's younger sister as he loosened the ropes around Draco's wrists and feet, the body tipping as it began to float. Harry grabbed on tightly to Draco's waist, vowing to never let go.

Draco is gasping for breath and color is returning to his cheeks. Blankets are thrown around Harry, but he shrugs them off, putting them on Draco instead.

"Draco? Draco? Are you alright?" He knows the question is ridiculous, that no, Draco is not alright, not when he spent who knows how long at the bottom of the lake. Harry fears that Draco may forever be scarred by this mentally and he wants to curse Dumbledore.

Draco looks up at Harry, his grey eyes coming into focus and he smiles, something that Harry is not expecting.

"You did it," he says, his voice somewhat gravely as if he just woke up from a long night's sleep.

"Of course I did," Harry says, grabbing Draco's hand and squeezing it. "But are you ok? Why on earth did you agree to it? You hate the water."

Draco smiled and squeezed back. "For you Harry, only for you."

When Draco sees Harry appear with a limp body and promptly collapse, he is immediately out of his seat, ignoring the shouts from Zabini and Nott. He ignores the screams and the other professors along with Diggory's parents as they too rush onto the field. When Draco reaches Harry and realizes that he's alive, albeit crying, he has never been more relieved in his life. Even when Harry says that the Dark Lord is back and Draco knows that his life will forever change, he can't help but be thankful that Harry is the one alive and not dead.

Harry sees Lucius first and in the back of his mind, he wished he had never come to the Ministry and had ignored the visions. He knows that Draco will see his father and he's not quite sure what will happen when he does. Draco had been adamant that Lucius had not rejoined the Death Eaters when Voldemort returned. His father had not said one thing concerning the Dark Lord's return all throughout the summer or in any letters that Draco had received during the school year. He had thought he convinced Harry that Lucius couldn't harm Harry, how could he when he had spent the past four Christmases and part of the summers with them at the manor? Harry had wanted to believe Draco, but he knew Lucius was bound to Voldemort. He knew it was only a matter of time.

Lucius sees Harry and his eyes widen, his deatheater mask lying on the floor several meters behind him. He looks almost afraid and his eyes flicker to the orb that Harry holds in his hand.

"Harry," he begins, but he stops when he sees platinum blonde hair like his own behind Harry.

"Why did you stop, Harry?" Draco's voice, although little above a whisper, echoes about the room that is lined with shelves stocked with orbs of various shapes and sizes. "We have to leave now!" His voice is urgent, pressing, and when Harry doesn't reply he finally looks beyond and sees. "Father?" Harry hears the confusion, the desperate pleas that no, this is not happening and Harry wants to believe that too, but he knows better.

"Draco, I – this is not what it looks like," Lucius falters, his words laced with emotions Harry had never heard in the man's voice before – despair and regret.

"I thought you weren't with them," Draco warbles. Harry fears that Draco is on the verge of perhaps crying or maybe outright anger. "I thought Harry was important to you, too."

A scathing thought passes through Harry's mind, that yes, he's important to Lucius, but not like family. He's important to him so he can be easily given to Voldemort. Harry knows it's not true, that Draco wouldn't understand and that his father has betrayed him and Harry.

"Draco, you don't understand. It's not that I want to, it's - " but they are interrupted by the shrieks of Draco's Aunt Bellatrix, and Harry can feel the betrayal and waves of despair coming off of him.

Before they realize it they are running, trying to run from Lucius, and Bellatrix, and the other Death Eaters, and then Voldemort is there. When Harry sees Sirius he almost cries out in relief, but it soon turns to anguish when Bellatrix aims a curse at him and Sirius is not falling, falling, falling. Harry feels like this is a nightmare, a nightmare that he never wanted to be in and he somehow pulled Draco in it too.

Harry knew after the Ministry fiasco last year that things would change. Narcissa had been murdered by her own sister after Voldemort realized where Lucius' true loyalties lay while Lucius himself was spared due to a sentence in Azkaban. With both Narcissa and Lucius gone, Draco could not return to the manor and he was sent to spend the summer at Spinner's End with Snape. Harry had mourned for Sirius, but he was truly concerned for Draco. Their letters to each other had been frequent and when Draco had confessed his feelings for Harry in one, Harry had been surprised, but not really. It had always been Draco, from that first day in Madame Malkin's.

Sixth year brought Harry and Draco's first kiss, in a private compartment on the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade. Harry told Draco he missed him terribly over the summer and after asking how he was coping, he promptly pushed Draco back against the seat and snogged him.

In sixth year Draco was poisoned and nearly died, along with several other students who had received odd gifts that were supposed to be a death sentence. Harry vowed to track down and kill whoever it was who did it.

It was in the Room of Requirement, one late December evening, that Harry had first made love to Draco. Draco had always loved winter and Harry had the room decorated in ice blues and white, making Draco look like a beauty with his grey eye's, almost silver as Harry's slick fingers prepared him, and his pale skin flushed once Harry entered him for the first time. Snow fell around them, appearing almost crystalline as the candle lights flickered.

At the end of sixth year Harry found out what horcruxes were. Harry found himself paralyzed at the top of the tower under his invisibility cloak, watching Theodore Nott point his wand at Dumbledore before Bellatrix LeStrange entered the tower, roughly pushing Nott aside and spitting out the killing curse with glee. Harry watched Dumbledore fall and he knew in that instant that he would be hunting for horcruxes until he could finally defeat Voldemort. When Harry explained to Draco what he had to do, he really had no doubt that Draco would go along with him.

Harry always thought Draco looked beautiful, but he especially looked beautiful after they made love. His skin seemed to radiate, his face flushed, his hair mussed. It was the night before what would be the final battle. Harry was leaning over Draco's face, his hand cupping the blonde's cheek while staring into eyes that reflected the same emotion that Harry himself was feeling, that he had been feeling.

"I love you, Draco," he murmured. Draco's breath caught and he leaned up to kiss Harry.

"I love you too, Harry. It's always been you."

He was tired, sweaty, his face was streaked with dirt and blood, but he couldn't be bothered with any of that at the moment. Voldemort's body was laying just meters in front of him and aurors were beginning to swarm. His heart was beating and he was frantic. 'Where was Draco?'

Harry scrambled away from the aurors, ignoring their calls and shouts for him. He needed to find Draco, to see if he was ok. They had gotten separated as soon as Draco had caught sight of his aunt and had gone after her. Harry had understood and he went in search of Voldemort.

"Harry? Harry!" The voice was just as frantic as Harry was feeling and his heart clenched. He caught sight of Draco, cut, bleeding, and bruised, but otherwise fine. They ran the last distance to each other and Harry caressed Draco's cut cheek before kissing him. There were no words needed in that moment, they had done what they had set out to accomplish and still had each other.

Harry beams as he sees Draco approaching, Lucius at his side. The elder Malfoy had just recently been released from Azkaban and Harry could already see the improvements in his health. Draco looked splendid in his black tuxedo and fitted robes. Snow is falling gently around them, although the chill is absent and it is quite warm due to heating charms.

Draco approaches and his father lets go of him and leans in to embrace Draco. He looks at Harry and gives him a nod that Harry returns before taking his seat. Draco steps forward so that he is across from Harry and they take each other's hands, gripping them and begin to recite their vows to one another.

Harry knows that everything they've been through has led them to this exact moment. He is going to bond to the man that he loves, the one constant in Harry's life, and he's never been happier.

When Harry realizes that the pink, orange, and purples glowing softly around him is not an afterlife that resembles a watercolor, but rather the sunset, he realizes that he is not dead and that Malfoy has not killed him. At the mention of Malfoy Harry's head whips around, looking for the blonde. Draco is sprawled close by, his limbs slowly moving as if feeling them out to see if they function properly. Harry sits up and searches for his wand, finding it lying next to him. When he looks up he sees that Draco is staring at him and Harry looks into his silver eyes. He wasn't prepared for the onslaught of images, faint memories that weren't quite his, yet at the same time they were.

Images of him meeting a blonde boy at Madame Malkin's and the blonde boy not being able to contain his excitement as their first year approached, of Harry joining Draco at the Slytherin table, worried that Draco had been injured as they went after Professor Quirrel filled his mind. Fighting the basilisk, yet hoping that Draco would be there as the venom coursed through his veins, sneaking into the Shrieking Shack with Draco. Draco floating at the bottom of the lake, pushing his way through the crowd as Harry cried that Voldemort was back. He remembered running through the Department of Mysteries together to find Lucius there and Sirius once again falling. Then there was their first kiss on the Hogwarts Express and the first time Harry and Draco made love, Harry knowing at the same moment he saw Draco lying on the bed that he loved him. Dumbledore's death, horcrux hunting, Voldemort's body slain before him, while he desperately tried to find Draco. Their bonding ceremony.

It was as if Harry had been hit in the chest and all air had left his lungs. Had this really all happened? But no, it wasn't possible. Draco was looking at him with the same awed expression, and the ruined Malfoy Manor was still looming in the background, a reminder of why they were here in the first place.

"Potter?"

Harry was surprised to hear Draco's voice and instead of the pure loathing and hatred that had tried to utter the killing curse it was one of hesitancy. "Did you…did you see all that too?"

Harry didn't have to ask what he was referring to. Was this what his life would have been life if he had chosen Draco in the first place? Yes, there was always something about Malfoy, but Harry had once thought it was hatred. Could it possibly have been something else?

"Yeah," Harry replied after a few moments of silence. "Do you feel it too?"

Harry glanced at Draco and saw the blonde avert his eyes, his cheeks coloring. "You mean do I feel like everything that I just witnessed really happened? Yes." The reply was muttered, but Harry heard it clear enough.

Harry stood, his joints cracking as he did so, and he watched as Draco continued to sit there, looking lost and somewhat broken. He approached him and held out his hand. The blonde glanced at it, before looking up through his fringe at Harry in confusion.

"Maybe what we saw, or rather experienced, is trying to tell us something, Draco." Draco's eyes widened at the use of his given name, but he didn't say anything. "What," and at this Harry's voice broke slightly, his heart aching dully as he said this. "What could have been."

They both remained silent, Harry's hand still standing out in an offer. He was slightly surprised when a chilled hand slipped into his own and he found Draco standing slightly in front of him.

"Maybe you're right," Draco said. "Harry." His smile wavered slightly as if unsure if Harry would accept it. Harry smiled reassuringly and squeezed Draco's hand.

"Should we go?" Harry asked, not sure where to, but knowing that the manor would only mar what had just happened. Draco nodded and as they walked Harry was sure Draco would let go of his hand, but he continued holding it as they headed away from the manor and towards the woods.

Maybe what they saw hadn't really happened and maybe it should have, but Harry now knew what his future could hold and he was looking forward to it. He thought that the blonde's hand in his was a good first step.

A/N: I've had some people ask about my previous stories that I had up, but unfortunately I had to get a new computer and lost them all in the process. So sorry! Review please!

Congelo Vicis – Freeze Time