Chapter One

25 0 0
                                        




Harry Potter. Your not-so-average, teenage wizard. Defeater of Lord Voldemort, known enemy of Draco Malfoy and company.

Draco Malfoy. Your average pureblood, Slytherin wizard. Son of Voldemort's right-hand man, known enemy of Harry Potter.

Either way, it's eighth year now. And the Triwizard Tournament is back. Maybe it won't be as bad.




21st November, 1999


"Potter! What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" Draco exclaimed suddenly. Harry jerked his head up, bewildered by the sudden voice of Malfoy. He hadn't said one thing about his potion and now he decides to speak? He was nearly certain he'd crushed the bean, of which he could not name, correctly.

"Excuse me, Draco?" No. It was Malfoy. Harry Potter did not call him by his first name. He never had. It was Malfoy. It's always been Malfoy.

"Sorry. Fuck. But, call me Harry. It's my name and if this partnership is going to work out, I demand to be called by my name only." he said, glancing at the pale blonde for a moment before he looked back down at his cauldron, only to do a double take.

There stood a dumbfounded Draco Malfoy. Pale blonde hair, grey eyes, fairly complex skin. He had astonished Draco. The Slytherin sat atop the table behind Harry and he knew he was staring at him. He could feel it burning through his soul. Harry just gave a shrug and went back to his potion. He had already crushed the beans; all he needed to do now was add them in and stir fifteen clockwise strokes and switch to counter-clockwise ten and a half strokes. Draco just watched him the entire time, nodding to himself with the occasional murmur about Harry's dramatic improvement. At one point he even told Harry that he himself, "student prodigy of potions", couldn't pull off that much of an improvement in the given time.

It had been around an hour since the two met in the dungeons that night. They had agreed to help each other in their struggling subjects. Harry's being potions and Draco's transfiguration. So far, they'd been improving tremendously for only practicing together for a week. Even the professors thought they were using Felix Felicis or some other potion, spell, anything to get it all right. There had certainly been a mood improvement for Harry, as well. Hermione had pointed out that since he and Draco had been working together, Harry always seemed to be much happier.

Draco, on the other hand, he seemed to be more.. thoughtful. Pansy and Blaise had told Hermione and Ron that something was going on during their study sessions that made the two boys act different. Harry seemed delighted after each session. Malfoy appeared to be happier than before he left for the sessions. It was a strange sight for all Slytherins and Gryffindors. As of the end of sixth year, the two had hated each other. But now? It was a miracle. I mean, sure, Harry had saved Draco in the Room of Requirement, but really? Hermione was certain that the war had changed them. It'd changed all of them.

"Potter, sorry. Harry, it's getting late. We ought to go to our dorms and get some rest. Tomorrow's Saturday, so if you want to study a bit more, just find me. I'll be with Blaise and Pansy, most likely." Draco said, rising from his perch on the table behind Harry.

"Yeah, alright. I'll see. Feel free to do the same. I'll be with 'Mione and Ron." he replied. Standing, he accidentally brushed arms with Draco.

"Potter, this is very expensive designer clothing. Unless you have the money to pay for it, I suggest you don't do that." Draco scolded, narrowing his eyes at his partner.

"Well, actually, I do have the money. I am Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, you see. It has its perks." he interrupted, laughing at Draco's eye roll.

"Well, anyway," Draco continued, "your potions look good so far. Keep up the good work and you might get your grade up to an Outstanding. I'm off now, so I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose."

"See you, I guess.." Harry trailed off, and began to walk back to the Gryffindor common room. They usually studied in the library but when it came to practicals, they used an empty room in the dungeons. It was better for Harry's potions and Draco's transfiguring.

Only interrupted once in their study session tonight, it had been Hermione, telling Harry that she and Ron were heading to the Hufflepuff Common Room with the rest of their dorm, saying that they didn't want to sleep alone tonight. It had been a thing with all eighth years. None of them slept in their own dorms, without another house of the same year. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were most common to be together, and Ravenclaws and Gryffindors usually slept in the same room. Ever since the war, no one group of eighth years could sleep without another. It was just a normal thing now, and the teachers didn't mind; they understood.

As he entered the Slytherin common room, Draco looked around, seeing a handful of Ravenclaw students sitting by the fire with Blaise and Pansy. He smiled and gave a small wave, walking up the stairs to the eighth year boys dorm. Grabbing a pair of muggle sweatpants and a t-shirt out of his trunk, he changed quickly, not caring if anyone walked in on him. They'd all seen him and he'd seen all of them.

He walked down the steps and headed towards Blaise and Pansy, sitting down in between the two, who had made room for him. He said a hello to each of the Ravenclaws crowded with them near the fire. Sitting with them were Cho Chang, Padma Patil, Terry Boot, Marietta Edgecombe, and Michael Corner. They had, somewhat, formed a group of friends with the six ravenclaws. It was rather nice, as Draco thought. They helped each other out in times of need and were just friends. It was nice.

Harry entered the Gryffindor common room, hurried up the stairs and grabbed his clothes out of his trunk. He said a quick goodbye to all the other Gryffindors and made his way out of the portrait hole and down to the Hufflepuff common room. As he walked along the halls, he made small talk with the travelling Sir Cadogan, who was trying to engage Harry in a duel. Though, he kept walking.

Walking up to the barrels, Harry tapped the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'. If he hadn't seen it himself, he would have never believed that to enter the Hufflepuff common room, you didn't need a password. As he climbed through the entrance hole, he instantly saw Ron, Hermione and Neville sitting with Lavender, Parvati, by the fire with Hannah Abott, Ernie Macmillian and Susan Bones. He smiled widely, hurrying to sit inbetween Ron and Hermione. 

"Still can't believe you guys don't have a password. It's awesome!" Harry laughed, shaking his head.

"So Harry, how's Malfoy?" Ernie sing-songed, earning a chorus of laughs from the group. Harry quickly answered a "fine", the blush growing climbing up his neck.

"Oh, you'd surely think so, wouldn't you, Harry?" he teased, getting more giggles out of their friends. Harry just looked down as the blush became more vibrant as it started to reach his cheeks.

"I didn't mean it that way, Ernie."

"Oh, but you sure think about it don't you?" Ernie continued, laughing as a patted Harry on the shoulder.

After a few more minutes, the group decided to call it a night. Standing, Harry bid Hermione a goodnight before joining Ron at the stairs to the dormitories. He elbowed Ron, who was watching 'Mione go up the stairs, and they walked up their own together.

"Hey, Harry, you haven't got anything for Malfoy, ahve you? 'Mione thinks you might be starting to like him, with how much time you spend together. I've been trying to tell her it's just studying that you do, but she won't believe me," Ron said, looking at him as they reached the top of the stairs.

"No, of course not. Why would I? It's Malfoy!" he said. He felt his stomach twist into a knot, as if telling him that he did have feelings for Draco. But, Harry knew he didn't. Or, at least he though so. He was supposed to be getting back together with Ginny, anyway.


========================

Hello! Kristina here! So this is my first fanfiction in a while, and I'm a bit rusty at writing. But, with a bit of help from my friends, this should be a good fic. ! I hope you enjoy!


Much love,

Kristina

Glory and Gore   //DRARRY//Where stories live. Discover now