give you my sunshine

𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻

Draco didn't object, he picked up his luggage that rested next to him and made space. Harry quickly moved forward and occupied it, finding himself lodged between the blonde and the window.

He watched Hermione and Pansy immediately indulge into a conversation. Sitting next to them was Ron gorging on candies, taking Harry back to his first trip to Hogwarts. He found himself smiling as he watched his best friend and after a content sigh he turned his head to look at the scenery outside.

The raven leaned towards the window, watching the scenery passing by. A clear sky with smoky clouds carelessly floating in the same direction as their destination. The stream underneath was turquoise, surrounded by a green blanket with bunches of daffodils and unevenly arranged rocks.

It felt calm, and before Harry could realise, his eyes closed and involuntarily he drifted into a sleep.

Draco watched the boy next to him, keeping his eyes focused outside the window before he slowly slept. His chest rose rhythmically, steady sound of his breathing was the most peaceful thing Draco had heard in months.

"Pansy, lower. It wouldn't hurt you to not scream about everything" Draco loud-whispered.

Pansy looked at an asleep Harry and gave her friend a knowing smirk. "Sure, we wouldn't want to wake pretty boy from his sleep now would we?" She asked with a small, yet extremely noticeable wink.

Draco just rolled his eyes and went back to reading. He noticed a little distress displayed by the boy next to him. He shifted a little, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. Just when Draco thought he might scream, Harry woke up abruptly. He panted but it went unnoticed by the loud compartment, everyone except Draco.

He subtly offered him water, which Harry accepted with a smile.

"So Potter, missed seeing you on the front page of the Daily Prophet recently" Draco said, trying to break the silence but immediately regretting his own choice of topic.

He thought Harry would get irritated, maybe this would lead to another banter with childish insults getting thrown around. In these years, if there was anything that Draco had learnt it was that Harry Potter hated being the centre of attention, even though that is all he had been all his life.

"Then I guess I have been successful so far" Harry replied, there was no hint of irritation in his voice which calmed Draco.

"Such a disappointment for those fangirls out there" Draco remarked and felt oh so satisfied with himself when he got a small laugh as his response.

"I don't think there are that many girls waiting on the newspaper to catch a glimpse of me, Malfoy. You on the other hand..." he trailed off but his eyes and stupid grin definitely completed the sentence.

"Oh shut up Potter" Draco said, swatting the air.

It seemed so normal, the entire interaction. It was like meeting a friend after a few months, small talk flowing in naturally. Even if not friends, acquaintances at least. He knows that the blonde was always on the opposite side, but right now he didn't seem that different. All of Harry's thoughts were only leading to one question.

"Can I ask you something?" the raven haired boy asked softly.

Draco immediately assumed the worst, the thing he absolutely didn't want and dreaded was returning and being asked about Voldemort, his father, or getting harassed for being a death eater. The only reason Draco was on this train was because Potter had threatened to break him out of Azkaban, and warned everybody to take him seriously.

Of course, everybody would take warning and threats seriously, specially when given by a boy who was a slayer of a basilisk and a troll by the age of 13, winner of the tri-wizard tournament and most importantly the one who defeated the dark lord.

So, he had developed a small hope, maybe Harry would consider him as something other than a nemesis, enemy. But right now, his palms were getting sweaty and he dreaded the questions that were coming his way.

"Well why did you hate me?" Harry asked.

The blonde boy chuckled, letting out a breath of relief and replied, "never hated you Potter, well maybe I did. It was dumb, you refused to be my friend so the childish rivalry kept getting worse."

"If I shake your hand right now can we be friends?" Draco was not used to Harry's voice being this childlike, clearly all they ever did was yell at each other but this was different and Draco did not like the amount of effect it was having on him.

"Not that easy, we do it in front of the great hall." Draco whispered, and Harry gave a small nod with a huge smile that melted Draco's guards to a small puddle.

"Wow, I can't believe I will be friends with THE Harry Potter" Draco said with a straight face, rolling his eyes but having a hint of smile nonetheless.

The entire compartment heard that and laughed. Turns out that they all had many things in common, the only questions was if they could stay friends despite the things that differentiate them.

___________________________________

All eyes followed the boy who lived, this is how the entire school witnessed the handshake which was a mere joke for them. But others tried finding a deeper meaning, rivalries ending with the war and a new age with just peace or peace amongst the houses.

The attention made Draco's stomach turn, "they're all looking at us."

Harry seemed to hesitate a little too, but after noticing Draco's eyes darting to the ground with nervousness he immediately said, "they're looking at me, I am stunningly attractive."

Draco raised his head, and tilted it slightly and said, "now a lack of modesty definitely cancels the rugged handsomeness out."

"Agree to disagree, Malfoy."

"Of course Potter."

Both boys continued to make their way inside the great hall. One grinning wildly and the other one keeping his composed self intact. They joined the table where Pansy, Hermione, Ron and Blaise had already saved space for them. The six ate, bickered and laughed, all under the blissful ignorance of awe or hateful stares.