The next day the rumors had started. There were different scenarios in which Draco seemed to be the bad person. Harry disliked the one that made everyone think they were nude in the corridor and Devin was raping him. Either rumor came down to Devin being in the hospital wing.

Harry tried to avoid Devin at all costs and tried to spend more time thinking of Draco and what his diabolic plans were this year. What he really hoped for was that everyone would stop talking about it. Gushing over Harry and Shane as a couple was one thing but now it seemed they thought Draco and him were dating just because Draco saved Harry from an uncomfortable situation.

When Harry told Ron and Hermione what happened, as his point of view not the girls who changed the story up, they seemed to have believed him. They just wanted the truth. Harry was most surprised at Draco for not cracking yet. All these people asking him how he and Draco were would be slapped if they were asking Draco.

Privacy was something that would never happen to Harry. Even though he wished for it every time something important happened. Though this situation wasn't that important just dramatic. Draco and Harry hadn't talked since the incident.

Ron came down the stairs holding a timid Hermione's hand.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked from the couch.

They stopped and looked at him.

"Hogsmede. Blaise said that Malfoy wanted to go. He and Pansy are going and he invited me," Ron said.

Harry didn't want to argue that Hermione sure didn't want to go. But instead Harry stood up.

"I'll go with you. Just wait a moment," Harry said. He quickly went up the stairs to his dormitory. He needed to leave the castle. It felt like he was swelled up with rumors. He had to get out of it.

He grabbed his coat and buttoned the latches and went back downstairs. The trio went out the portrait hole. On the way to Hogsmede Harry tried to ignore the obvious looks people were giving him. None of this was his fault. He didn't ask to be slammed against a wall and have Draco fucking Malfoy come to rescue him.

They made their way to Hogsmede, the rain sprinkling down upon them. Hermione and Harry followed Ron into the Hogs Head. The last place Harry would have thought Slytherins would want to be. That's probably why they chose it though. No one would suspect for them to be in there.

The Hog's Head was still unclean as it was before. A group of people here and there. None of them were from school though. The only group that was there was Pansy, Blaise, and Draco who were in the back waiting for them.

Ron made no hesitation as he strode to the back with the other three. Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance of annoyance of Ron. It would be nicer if Ron wasn't all buddy with Blaise. No one else seemed to be friends with the person they were paired with. Neville was still upset after his partnering with Pansy.

The three Slytherins were all lined up on one side of the table, leaving the other side for Ron, Harry and Hermione. Ron took his place closest to the wall across from Blaise. The mode let Harry know that they had just interrupted a fight between Draco and Pansy. Pansy seemed to have shrugged off whatever the conversation was about. Draco, who sat in the middle, looked down still looking pale.

Ron and Blaise quickly engaged into a conversation. Hermione and Pansy were both silent almost ready to start talking to each other themselves. And Draco had his head down with Harry looking at him. Draco wasn't the person to not talk. Whatever he and Pansy had been talking about earlier had somehow muted the blonde.

Their drinks were brought to them and after that Hermione and Pansy began to talk. They're both desperate to leave and neither wants to talk to Harry nor Draco. It was odd seeing them immediately start a conversation. It had started off as wanting to leave then quickly changed to their Arithmancy assignment which both girls seemed to be stressed over.

Harry would have never known that Parkinson liked her classes. Slytherins were easily judged. Blaise was certainly not what the house would describe him as. Blaise had pushed whatever hatred for Gryffindor back into his mind and let himself talk to Ron Weasley who was a Gryffindor.

Harry wondered if Blaise had gotten yelled at by Pansy or Draco for talking to a Weasley. He knew that Draco despised all things ginger and what not.

Whatever the conversation was about between Draco and Pansy before Blaise had not expressed his thought. Maybe he wasn't even included into the conversation.

Pansy got up off the bench and stalked over to the counter to get more drinks when Draco slipped out of his spot. He must have been impatiently waiting for Pansy to move so he could escape. He didn't look back as he walked away.

Ron and Blaise stopped talking and watched as Draco walked out of the Hogs Head. Draco was now free to go anywhere now that he was not surrounded by his friends which made Harry curious since he just leaned against the wall outside.

A glance at Pansy from Blaise told Harry that they should just let him be. Something pulled at Harry to get up and go outside as well. He didn't need to tell Hermione to move so he could get out, she was already standing up looking down at Harry.

"Thank you," Harry mumbled to her as he walked past her.

Draco had moved from the spot he was at when Harry exited the Hog's Head.

The cold bitter breeze of the rain slapped Harry's face. He stuffed his hands into the warm pockets of his coat and trudged through the billowing rain seeking Draco out.

He knew how Draco felt right now. Ignored even by your friends. Well as for what happened back in Hogs Head at least. If Draco hadn't left then Harry would have anyways. The Hogs Head would be the last place he would return to. Going back to that uncomfortable situation would be the last thing Harry would do.

It took Harry a while to find the blonde but finally did. He was huddled under a building leaning against the wall of it. Draco's was looking down just as he looked at the table in the Hog's Head.

Harry stepped forward and continued to again when he noticed Draco didn't look up.

"Draco?" Harry said quietly.

Draco didn't raise his head or even acknowledge that Harry was now there. Harry was about to say it again when Draco looked up at him. A face that was gloomy looking earlier was nowhere compared to the face now. His eyes were red as if he had been crying.

Harry wanted to reach his arm out and wrap it around Draco. Comfort him somehow. The urge to do it was pulling at him but instead Harry kneeled down next to him.

There was only silence. Harry didn't mind it. He had gotten used to it. But this silence was different. It was full with sorrow and emptiness. Harry wanted to ask Draco what was wrong. He also knew that only bring more questions to answer.

He would already be answering questions from both Ron and Hermione when he got back to the castle. Why did he follow after Draco? Why was he so quiet earlier? Those answers should be obvious to them and shouldn't be asked. He followed Draco because he felt like he had to. Seeing someone hurt was his weakness. Even if it was someone who he had it out for for many years.

A moment passed before Draco cleared his throat. Harry knew that something was on his mind and wanted to say it. But to confide with a Gryffindor? That should be Draco's worst nightmare. The coldness wrapped around Harry, sending shivers down his back. His hand fell to his pocket, searching for his wand.

The atmosphere was swelled with warmth without Harry casting the charm. He looked up at Draco who was already putting his wand back into his coat pocket. The rain hit the roof of the shop they were under.

"This was a stupid idea," Draco said finally.

Harry just nodded. Both of them obviously didn't want to talk at the moment. For once Harry seemed at peace. Away from the castle full with girls chatting about Draco and Harry. This is what he came to Hogsmede for. To get away from all of that.

"Pansy is being a bitch," Draco said hesitantly.

"Why?" Harry asked.

Draco just shook his head, not wanting to answer the question that was asked. Though Harry wanted to know, he didn't ask anything further.

"Completely mental," Draco said abruptly.

"What is?"

"Those girls twisting our story until it makes me go mad," said Draco gravely.

Harry only snorted in his response. It was like Draco had been reading his mind while they were in silence.

"That's why I came here actually," Harry said softly.

"How is your Ravenclaw?" Draco asked.

Harry turned his head down. How did he not know that this is where the conversation would eventually lead? Everyone has already been asking about Devin like he would know. He hasn't breathed a word to the slimy git. He began to stand up and was pulled by Draco's hand.

"Where do you think you're going Potter?" Draco asked, still holding onto his wrist.

"No-nothing," Harry stuttered. He looked down and noticed a hint of a visible line on Draco's arm he was holding him with. The line looked like it began inches from his wrist and ended somewhere near his shoulder.

"What is that?" Harry asked pulling Draco's sleeve up. He was right. It was a long streak of a line on his skin.

Draco put up a struggle to resist Harry but both of them knew that Harry was stronger.

"Get off of me Potter!" Draco said trying to push away.

Harry ignored Draco's request and traced his fingers over his scar. Did this have anything to do with what Draco was planning? What was it?

"Draco!" A voice called; no doubt that it was Pansy.

Draco pulled Harry off of him and stood up. Not a word was spoken as Harry lay on the ground watching Draco walk out into the bitter rain.

.

Once back inside the castle Pansy and Draco used drying charms on all of their damp clothing. As they walked through the hallways with Blaise they all noticed house elves decorating the walls with Halloween decoration. Up until now Draco had completely forgotten about Halloween.

Halloween at Hogwarts seemed to be any childhood fantasy. Draco adored getting the chance to eat so many sweets out of sight of both his mother and father. Professors didn't even say when to stop. Draco would consume as much candy and sweets and the feasts. But those days were so far back in the past. He had stopped getting excited over those things around fourth year.

Blaise departed them and made his way back to the dungeons while Pansy and Draco went back to Draco's quarters. Draco dreaded having another one on one conversation with Pansy. The last one in Hogsmede hadn't turned out well.

The conversation had started about what they had discussed last night. Victoria was just an excuse to talk about his past. Something he never wanted to talk about. But Pansy was always fascinated by the story. It wasn't even that exciting. Someone had died and that was that. Yet Pansy continued to ask questions.

"Did you love her?" Pansy had asked.

"No," Draco replied. "It's hard to love someone."

The next words after that were burned into Draco's mind. 'Did you think Potter loved Prior?' Or 'Why did you do it Draco? He was at your mercy. You've wanted him to be in pain since first year. That was your chance.'

The words were imbibed into him. He had asked those same questions to himself. Yes, he was at his mercy. Shoved against a corridor wall about to be abused by some pathetic Ravenclaw. Draco could have turned the other cheek and continue on his search for food. But he didn't. He acted out of his character. Impulses were strong and Draco couldn't ignore them.

Still he had kept quiet. The idea of having a cozy afternoon in Hogsmede with Gryffindors was completely mental to him. Even more mental when Pansy began to talk to Granger. All those times that she would make fun of her. Then out of nowhere they began to talk. Like they were long lost friends who hadn't seen one another in such a long while. It was her that was nagging to Blaise how him being civil with Weasley. And off she went talking to a mudblood.

He didn't know what to think of it. He was right in the middle of the whole thing. Literally. Squashed in between the two chattering idiots. All the conversations about how they hated that specific trio seemed to have obliterated.

Potter was quiet as well. Both of them sat in silence. He wondered if he thought the whole thing was a total waste of time. Draco suspected that once they were out of ear shot Pansy would begin to insult Granger and Weasley. Draco waited impatiently for her to go back to her old self.

She didn't.

Not even a second was wasted as Draco closed the door.

"Why did you leave?" Pansy asked immediately.

He knew that would be the first question. He also thought that it was obvious enough.

"Why did you talk to Granger?" Draco prided.

Pansy sat down on the couch already making herself at home.

"Potter left as well," She said carelessly.

That was obvious. It should also be obvious that Potter left for the same reason. Suffocated by silence.

Draco shrugged and was about to reply when Esclaves popped into the room.

"A message for Malfoy sir," he said, bowing extending the letter to him.

Draco was about to throw it on the ground to burn later but then he realized that it wasn't from his father. The St. Mungo's address was on it.

"I'll just go then," Pansy said lamely. She opened the room leaving Draco alone with Esclaves.

He tore into the letter and saw the hospital letter.

Dear Mister Malfoy,

We are unfortunate for your lose on September 23. We hope you do not grieve too much.

-St. Mungo's

We hope you do not grieve? How could anyone not grieve over someone they lost? Draco reread it again then stopped.

Draco quickly walked to his bedside table and retrieved the first letter he got from his father about his mother dying. He sat down on the bed and compared them

Dear Draco,

I'm sorry to inform you that your mother died. The funeral will be held…

Draco didn't read the last bit of the letter but looked at the back of it. September 21.. But the St. Mungo's strictly said she had died on the 23rd.

Confusion entered Draco's mind. There must have been some mistake. Either his father had gotten the wrong date or St. Mungo's did.

It was in The Prophet on the 23rd though. So maybe St. Mungo's was right about the date.

Draco was so enveloped in his thoughts that he didn't hear the knock at the door. The knock sounded again and louder. Draco walked towards the door curious as to who would want to come to his room on the weekend.

He opened the door frowning when he saw Potter standing at his door again.

.

Harry didn't know why he had these strange impulses to go to Draco's room. He could go to Hermione's if he wanted to. Instead he found himself walking to Draco's. The scar remained in his thoughts the day after Hogsmede. He had thought about asking Draco again what it was. After he realized that Draco would ignore him he thought it was useless.

It had to be dark magic. Harry had never seen anything like that before. Some of the time he was thinking about the scar he was itching to ask Hermione about it. She wouldn't know anything about it either.

Asking Draco would be horrible but he still found himself walking to Draco's room. When he knocked on the door he heard nothing but silence on the other side. Then there was someone moving... Harry hoped that no one else was in there.

"What do you want Potter?" Draco said impatiently as he flung the door open. He looked irritated.

"Erm...I was wondering," Harry paused. Why was he here? What did he want? He wouldn't be successful at asking Draco about the scar. The scar might not even be anything. It could be just a little scratch from quidditch or something. Then the fact that Draco dropped out of quidditch came into his mind.

"Sometime this year perhaps," Draco said, leaning against the doorway. Draco crossed his arms over his chest waiting for Harry to say something.

At this point Harry knew he looked like a fool. Stuttering over the words in his mind. Nothing seemed to make sense if he were to say it. 'Oh yes Draco mind telling me about your malicious plans?' or 'Tell me about that scar.' Or 'Are you still starving yourself?'

All of those would make Harry sound concerned. And if he were to sound concerned he would be hexed into oblivion by Draco.

"Want to go play quidditch?" Harry attempted. It sounded foolish once he said it, but it was half better than anything else that came to his mind.

Draco looked at him up and down. Inspecting him like there was something wrong. Harry knew that Draco was probably craving to play quidditch. This begged another question in Harry's mind. Why did he quit?

Once Harry wanted the words to go back into his mouth and forget nothing happened Draco shrugged and left his position against the doorway.

"You're on Potter," Draco said, walking towards his bed.

Harry watched as he retrieved his broom from under his bed. This was actually going to happen. A quidditch game at night just between him and Draco. Anxiety was already pushing at him.

The corridors echoed their footsteps as they walked down to the quidditch pitch. Barely anyone was walking around this late. Harry suspected that everyone would most likely be in their dormitory getting ready to go to sleep. He wondered if Draco would take points off of him because they were going to be out late.

Draco stood in the middle of the field as Harry went to the quidditch shed to get a snitch and his broom. When he came back out Draco wasn't anywhere in sight. Why would he leave? Of course this is Draco Malfoy. It was probably some horrible prank. He could picture him already walking back to the Slytherin common room and laughing his head off with his cronies-

"Potter, don't just stand there!" called someone above him. Harry titled his head back and saw Draco hovering in the air on his broom. "I thought we were playing a quidditch game not being daft!"

Harry made no hesitation as he swung his leg over the side of the broom. He mounted his broom and then he was off. The night wind pressed cold kisses to his face. He clutched the snitch in his hand. Draco flew over towards Harry to face him.

There would be no buldgers to distract him. It would just seekers.

"Want to make a bet?" Draco said before Harry's fingers slipped away from the snitch.

He was tired of making bets over outcomes of quidditch games. The last bet didn't do any justice. Nor would this one. Harry looked back up at Draco and found that familiar Malfoy look. His grey eyes were smiling at him. Egging him on.

Harry let the snitch free from his hand. No bet it was. He waited five seconds before darting after the snitch.

They flew together. Pushing each other, both wanting to wrap their hand over the golden snitch. It felt like another quidditch game. He could envisage the cheering crowd. The other players passing him saying a quick encouraging word.

He glanced at Malfoy who was concentrating. His hand was outstretched and he was leaning too far over on his broom. Harry waited for him to crash but he never did. Leaning forward only made him go faster which made Harry get out of his thoughts.

The pair was shoving each other. Anything to attempt to catch the snitch. Harry lunged forward once more and was surprised to find the snitch in his hand.

A faint growl came from Draco as they flew back down to the ground. It was a quick game but made Harry want to do it again.

.

After showering the sweat he gained from a not so long quidditch game, Draco lay on his bed taking in his lose. Even a small match between the two of them he still lost. Then again he hadn't played quidditch for a few weeks now. If only he warmed up some he could have stolen the snitch right from Potter.

When Potter did turn up at his door he thought that surely it had to do with what happened in Hogsmede. Showing the scar to anyone or having someone suspicious ended up having his life on a thin line. His father had been stern about not wanting anyone knowing about it. So of course Harry Potter had to know.

If someone had told Draco months ago that his mother would die, being somewhat civil with Potter, and Blaise and Pansy also being civil with Gryffindors he would have thought the person was talking rubbish.

But now it has happened. Something he didn't expect. He looked at the two papers in his hands. One is the letter from his father and the other the St. Mungo's letter. One of his first letters to his father this term would be contradicting his mother's death date.

How would he even begin to write the letter? 'Excuse me father but St. Mungo fully addresses that her death was two days after your date.' Not only would he be accusing his father of lying but he would also be taking St. Mungo's word over his own father's.

This didn't mean anything. Just a inaccuracy. Nothing more than that. But his father knew about her death before St. Mungo's. He had already planned the funeral and everything. Something like wasn't an accident. Was it?

Draco shook his head, attempting to scatter all his thoughts away. Nothing made sense anyways.

Starving himself didn't go to plan either. After he saved Potter's arse he continued to the kitchens. The elves were more than happy to serve him anything that Draco desired. It was more than Draco could have asked for but didn't find it in his ability to tell the elves to stop. They were just elves after all. An hour passed until he left the kitchens with a full stomach that could last him another three days, and his arms full of foods.

He had gone back to his quarters and rearranged all the foods into cabinets like he should have done when he received the room. Once everything was in place he sat back down. The food not having been touched since.

Another soft knock at the door brought Draco's attention. If Potter had come back to speculate about his scar or his Head Boy duties then Draco wouldn't regret shutting the door in his face. Seeing who it was once he opened the door quickly changed his mind.

Slughorn beamed down at him with the usual smile he wore.

"Mister Malfoy," Slughorn greeted. "Since you and Harry are done with the activity we would like to have every eighth year student to attend my classroom tomorrow morning."

.