A/N: Hiya this is my second fanfic and first go at a multi-chapter story and I worte it when I should really have been revising...oops. Warnings: Shounen-ai, some swearing (but not a lot), alcohol, EWE and slight OOCness. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

On returning to Hogwarts to finish or repeat their last year, the '8th years' found themselves unwillingly found themselves all sharing a dormitory in one of the towers, and in some painful cases different houses were placed in the same rooms. Undoubtedly the worst for all involved was the twinned-bed room of 31c. From the common room angry shouting and muffled crashes could be heard most nights. Finally Hermione Granger snapped.

It was Friday night and the 8th years had been looking forward to getting out of the castle, they had no real boundaries now they were of age and they took every opportunity. It was with great dismay then that they found the door to the castle shut and protected under layers of locking spells.

"GRANGER!"

"Yes Pansy?"

"What have you done?" To illustrate her point, Pansy tugged desperately at the door handle. "You've locked us in!"

"Ah about that... it is for our own benefit...honestly. Why don't all of you just come and sit back down?" She replied with an anxious smile.

Together the group cautiously went back to sit in the common room, latecomers trickling in to find the source of the shouting. With a heavy sigh Hermione started to look around her. Not many made it back this year, especially the Slytherins. Around her on the scattered sofas sat a strange gaggle; Pansy, Blaise and Theo made up the Slytherins, then there was a group of Ravenclaws, Terry , Michael, Padma with a few others, a small group of Hufflepuffs and finally the Gryffindors, Seamus, Dean, Parvati, making up the Patil twins, Lavender and herself. She had sent Ron to drag down the two absent boys who were no doubt fighting again. Which is why I'm doing this. She reminded herself.

Counting in her head she got to 76 before two pouting boys skulked into the room with Ron in their wake. Shaking her head at them, she offered a small smile to Ron who came over to sit next to her while entwining their hands. She was confident in her plan but a little reassurance was greatly appreciated.

"I suppose I best get this started then." Then in front of her captive, yet sulking audience, she opened her purse and began to empty it of its contents. A few minutes later the table was full of bottles of butterbeer and firewhisky and small glass vials of Veritaserum. The last brought a few scared and furtive glances while the other two were met with hearty approval and looks that said- Hermione's gone mad, but at least she brought alcohol.

"Well, basically I think we need to get to know each other better. We are, after all, sharing a dormitory and its pointless fighting anymore." At this she glared venomously at the two boys who had caused this. "So I thought we could have a round of truth, with the help of this." She gestured at the vials. "But I thought that we could use an added incentive so I brought along some 'liquid confidence'."

There were a few moments of terse silence as they all stared wide-eyed at Hermione. Then, a girl from Ravenclaw I think she's called Sarah...slowly lifted her head and nodded in agreement. Then, in equal slowness she reached out and took a bottle of butter beer and gingerly picked up a phial. Conscious of her audience she added a drop of the potion to her drink, steeled her nerves, and looked into the eyes watching her as she started to drink. Not to be out done everyone else reached for the bottles until only two sat without having had anything to drink.

Contrary to popular belief, Harry Potter was not stupid and nor was he unaware of what happened around him. For example he had known something like this was bound to happen, he had seen it in Hermione's eyes and was only surprised it had taken her that long. He also knew that this whole charade was all about bringing peace to the common room, peace that he found himself constantly disrupting. Not my fault that my roommate is a God-damn sonnaofabitch.

He could clearly remember the fateful day when he had walked into his new room in the dormitory, room 31c. He distinctly recalled having a heart attack when his jade eyes had met sterling silver, and it had gone downhill from there. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter as roommates. Someone somewhere is having a good laugh at this.

The pair were complete opposites in anything they did; Malfoy was obsessively organised, Harry counted himself lucky if he could find his own glasses. Malfoy was perfectly groomed, Harry, well, wasn't. Malfoy was cold, Harry passionate. It was these differences that led to their arguments, but mostly petty squabbling. They could fight over anything, only just recently fighting over who had spilt ink on Malfoy's side of the room. 'Well it must have been you Potter as why would I spill ink on my side of the room?' The problem was that they were similar in their stubbornness to never back down from a fight.

Eyeing the bottles on the table Harry sent a glare in Malfoy's direction, earning a sneer for his efforts. Neither made a move for the table. Seeing the silent exchange, Hermione sent a worried glance to her roommate, Pansy, who merely winked at her. With a butter-wouldn't-melt smile Pansy turned to attack the two pathetic boys.

"It seems we have two cowards, Harry, Draco. What, too scared to take the truth potion? Got some hideous secret you need to hide?"

"I'm not scared!" "I've got nothing to hide!" Both boys cried together. Hearing the other speak, they turned to each other.

"I bet you DO have something to hide Potter. Something to tarnish your image maybe?"

"Screw you Malfoy. And no I don't but I bet having to tell the truth is making you piss your pants at the moment in fear!" Harry actually flinched at his own retort- just how weak was that insult?

"Language Potter! We can't have the Saviour of the Wizarding World swearing now can we?"

With a scowl Harry grabbed a drink and phial and made sure to let Malfoy see him taking the potion. Malfoy quickly followed suit.

With a small, strained smile Hermione gestured at the two boys,

"Now that wasn't too hard was it?"

"Don't patronise me Hermione."

"Ooh long word Potter."

"Like I said- Screw you Malfoy!"

Sarah lifted her head to have her input,

"You know the longest word in the dictionary is antidisestablishmentarianism. So, really patronise isn't that long at all." Her words were met with empty stares, disbelieving shakes of the head and two icy glares. "I just thought you should know."

Choosing to ignore this Harry took a large gulp of the butterbeer, which Hermione had actually spiked and noted with interest that his hands were shaking. Oh god they could all find out. He could find out!

While Harry spiralled into fear, the tension in the room was broken with Sarah's outburst and soon they were chatting happily and a few of the more adventurous started talking to the different houses. Even the Slytherins, the most cautious, started to get along as they soon realised that they had nothing to lose. Only Harry and Malfoy kept to themselves. Looking up Harry tensed as he saw the warning signs that Hermione was about to get it started, and this time for real.

"It says here," A manual materialised from the purse, "that we should get in a circle." Cue shuffling and giggling until a rough circle formed around the table. "Right all we have to do is for someone to ask another person a question. They answer and then they get to pick a person to answer one of their questions. I think we should also use each other's first names. OK?" A chorus of yeses were her answer. "So... Pansy why don't you start?"

With a shit-eating grin the Slytherin turned to choose the first victim of the evening, everyone refusing to meet her in the eye. Taking pity on them she decided to start off with an easy question,

"Hmmm, Boot." The Ravenclaw visibly gulped. "What..." Everyone started to lean in desperate to hear the question. "What is your first name?"

With comically wide eyes, Boot let out a shaky laugh. "It's Terry, Terry Boot"

In the corner Blaise snickered, "Shaken. Not stirred." The few people who got the joke smirked at him while Terry was confused as to why Blaise knew how he liked his drink.

"Now, Terry," Pansy purred the name, "Your turn to ask the question."

Looking deeply at the bottle in his hand Terry turned to face Michael. "Sorry 'bout this mate but I want to know, where do you sneak off to most nights?" Michael sent a death glare his way while he stared back sheepishly back. "I'm worried."

At Terry's confession, Michael thawed a bit and a heavy blush replaced the glare. "I, well, I go see my girlfriend." Cheers of congratulations and 'I didn't know you had it in you' filled the air but Terry frowned.

"Which means they're younger right?" Michael nodded. "Well, who is she?"

"..."

Terry's frown deepened. "Didn't catch that."

"..."

"Awww come on it can't be that bad."

"It's Ginny." Stony silence met his words as the room turned to look at Ron and Harry with baited breaths waiting to see what would happen. Ron looked murderous and only the vice grip on his hand kept him from tearing the git's insides out and castrating him in the most painful manner possible. Harry, on the other hand, sent a worried glance at Ron and then smiled at Michael. The room breathed again.

As soon as the room gave up on its attention to Harry, he turned to frown into his drink. Once they had got back into their normal routine after the war, Ginny had been desperate to get back together with him. She swore that they were meant to be and that they could get through anything now, But Harry knew different. The war had changed him, made him harder and darker and he had accepted this. However he was now worlds apart from his friends who failed to understand the change in him, and this included Ginny. Not to mention he couldn't understand what Hogwarts had gone through while he was on the run. No, a relationship wouldn't work. Ginny had been heartbroken so he was glad that she had found somebody else, although it hurt a little that she had chosen to go back to her ex-boyfriend.

Caught up in the past Harry didn't realise that someone was calling his name but a quick kick to the shin soon got his attention. Nursing his leg he looked up to find Hermione looking at him in exasperation and fond amusement. She then grinned at him. Oh bloody hell. I'm in trouble.

"Harry."

"Err yes, Hermione?" He thanked the gods that his voice didn't waver.

"Why do you hate Draco?" Harry blinked. He blinked again.

"What?" Was his intelligent reply. Hermione just repeated the question. Refusing to meet curious grey eyes Harry shook his head. Then very quietly he replied,

"I don't hate him, Hermione. I never have." Once more the room held its breath but this time it was due to a deep shock.

"What the hell do you mean that you've never hated me?" Malfoy shouted through the silence.

With a deep breath his eyes met a pair of steel eyes swirling with emotions he couldn't place.

"I meant what I said Mal- I mean Draco." A warm tingling filled him at his use of the other's first name. "I might not have liked you but never hate."

Confusion was etched onto Draco's face, and Harry swore he was also a little hurt. "Then why? Why did you refuse my friendship? Hell, why did you attack me?"

Harry grimaced. "Well a. I refused your friendship because otherwise I would have lost Ron's and b. I, well I was seeing enemies at every turn and you were a prime suspect. I am truly sorry for that." The rest of them followed the conversation avidly but also with a huge dollop of confusion- they were supposed to be arch nemeses after all.

Draco seemed taken aback by the apology. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry as well," Did he just apologise? "And about my wand, I never did say. Thank you...Harry." The tingling sensation was nothing compared the electricity shooting down his spine after hearing his own name. All Harry wanted was for Draco to do it again, he was already addicted and he had only said it once. Bugger.

Watching the two oblivious boys with a calculating gaze, Hermione deemed them ready for 'Phase Two'. Alerting Ron the two of them carefully drew their wands and in seconds the two boys lay unconscious, their drinks rolling out of their hands. Smirking to herself Hermione quickly cast another spell to transport the two to their room and locked the door, without moving an inch from her seat. Realising something was wrong she turned back to survey the room only to have disbelieving eyes boring into her.

"Well it had to be done!" She defended.

"But why?" Was the universal response.

"Hmm? You got to admit the sexual tension between them was getting a bit much."

"SEXUAL WHAT?"

A/N: Well I hoped you liked it. Not really sure where to go with this... Please review! (and suggestions would be really, really appreciated!) Thank you :)