ᵒⁿᵉ 𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ʷᵒˡᶠˢᵗᵃʳ/ᵈʳᵃʳʳʸ (ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉᵈ)

October 12th, 1991 and October 31st, 1991

I wake the next Saturday, my black hair hanging in my eyes. I put on my glasses and slide out of bed. I walk slowly down the stairs. I wander into the common room and see Ron asleep on the couch. I run away. I dart down to the great hall.

Later that morning, I walk along the grounds. I see Draco sitting beneath the tree.

"Hey, Draco." I sigh, sitting next to him.

"Hey, Harry." He replies, not looking away from whatever he's looking at. I glance in that direction. I don't see anything. I snap my fingers in front of his eyes.

"Draco!" I say. "What are you staring at?"

He jumps a little and shakes his head. "Sorry, I was just spacing out."

I nod. "Okay then."

Draco turns to me. "So, how's your day been?"
I sigh. "Ron's been...distant. And not talking to me. Whenever I try, he runs away. I don't get why he has such a problem with you." I finish.

"I don't either." Draco says, sighing. "I wish he didn't, for your sake."

I smile slightly. "Yeah, well so do I." I shift against the tree, so my back fits into a notch.

Draco leans his head back against the tree. "I wish I had more friends."

"Draco, you have me." Harry says.

"That's why I said more." Draco said indignantly.

"But, why do you need more than one good friend?" Harry asks. "I mean, I only have 2 by accident."

Draco chuckles slightly. "Yeah..."

We sit in silence, the only noise the rustling of the trees, the splash of the lake and the birds chirping. I sigh.

"Draco, I'm gonna go." I say quietly.

Draco grabs my wrist. "No, please stay." His eyes glint in the sunlight.

I turn to him. "Fine." I sit back down. His fingers are cold. "Are you okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine." Draco says, smiling softly. "I just don't really have anyone else."

I sigh. "You don't need anyone else."

I lean my head back and our heads touch, just slightly.

"Harry, you don't actually have to stay with me." Draco whispers.

"Everybody needs someone, Malfoy." I reply simply. "And that person cannot just leave."

That night, I lay in bed, thinking of Draco. I take my glasses off and rest then on the bedside table. I slide under the covers again. Ron is long asleep and so are the other boys in my dormitory. How can they sleep so easily? I think dejectedly. I turn over in the darkness. I'll think about that tomorrow.

Too soon, it's Halloween. On holidays, we can sit where we like, so I sit with Draco. My eyes flick to Ron, who sits with Fred and George. I sigh.

"You okay, Harry?" Draco asks gently.

I shift my lips to one side. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Draco places his hand over mine, which is resting on the table. "If you're sure."

"I'm su-" But before I can finish, Professor Quirrell runs in.

"TROLL!" He screams. "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" He stops in front of the teachers table. "I thought you ought to know." And he passes out.

Draco grabs my hand sharply. Dumbledore claps his hands.

"STUDENTS!" He booms. "PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR PREFECTS TO YOUR DORMITORIES!"
Percy Weasley starts calling for the Gryffindor students.

"Draco..." I say.

He nods and turns to me. He takes off my tie and then his. He puts his over my head. "There." He says. "Now you can pass as a Slytherin."

I grin as we head down to the Slytherin common room. I flatten my hair over my scar so no one notices. I realize Draco hasn't let go of my hand. I smile. Everyone stays in the common room, so we go up to the dormitory, so it's less likely someone will see me. I sit on the edge of his bed.

"Do you think it's really a troll?" I ask anxiously.

Draco nods. "Yeah, but how do you think it got in? They're rather dumb, trolls."

"I suppose someone let it in." I sigh. I shiver; the Slytherin dormitories are cold.

Draco notices. "Here." He tosses me a blanket. I wrap it around myself.

"Thanks." I manage, my teeth chattering.

"Who do you think let it in?" He asks me, climbing under a blanket himself.

"Snape." I say instantly. "He really does hate me."

"You think someone did this because of you?" Draco scoffs.

"No, I think Snape might do something like this." I reply, a little hurt.

Draco sighs. "Sorry." He mumbles. "I guess maybe you're right."

"I know." I say indignantly.

"Who else do you think it could be?" Draco asks.

"I dunno." I say, shifting under the blanket, pulling it tighter around me. "No one else seems all that likely."

Draco nods. "Well, you're right about that."

"Why is it so cold down here!" I burst out.

Draco laughs. "Oh, you're just used to the warm fires and thick blankets. Well, Slytherin's aren't wusses."

"Are you calling me a wuss?" I ask

"No." Draco sighs. "Just the rest of your house."

I laugh. "Okay, okay. But you know Gryffindor is known for bravery, right?" I ask.

Draco shrugs. "Well, that's a big fat lie, I think."

I laugh even harder. "So." I say. "I should probably go..."

"What, and get found in the corridors?" Draco asks. "You stay here."

"But I have to go back for bed, Draco, it's late." I reply.

"Sleep on the floor." Draco says. "Unless the Chosen One demands perfection?" He asks, teasingly.

I fake-grimace at him. "Oh, fine, be like that." I wrap the blanket tighter around myself. Then, we hear footsteps and voices.

"The other Slytherins!" Draco gasps. "Under the bed."

I scramble under as the door opens.

"Hi, Malfoy." A tall, dark-skinned boy says.

"Hi, Blaise." Draco says.

"Pansy was upset you weren't there." The boy called Blaise teases.

"Oh, shove off." Draco mumbles.

"You like someone else?" The boy Draco had introduced as Crabbe on the train says.

"Leave me alone!" He says, burying his face in the pillows.

Goyle laughs. "Whatever, Malfoy."

Then a girl comes prancing up the steps. "You left me all alone!" She says in a sickenly sweet
voice.

"Oh, go away Pansy!" Blaise says, throwing a pillow at her.

She shrieks and runs over to Draco's bed. I feel her weight on the bed. "Draco, why weren't you down there?" She asks.

I feel Draco shift. "I didn't want to be, Pansy." He says quietly.

She bounces. "Oh, whatever." She hops up and runs away.

I feel a pang in my stomach. She does like him. A lot. I shift under the bed. Soon, the other boys fall asleep and I feel Draco grab my wrist.

"You can come out now." He whispers.

I come out. "You were right about Pansy." I whisper once I sat on the bed. "She seems to like you."

"Eh." Draco says. "She's annoying."

I have to hide a grin at that. "Yeah, she did seem to be." I say, happily.

"Oh, go to sleep, Potter." Draco says, shoving me off the bed.

"Night, Draco." I whisper.

"Night, Harry."