Learning to Trust ~ Drarry

1: Noticeably Different

It's strange... Harry Potter never used to pay attention to Draco Malfoy, but here was is staring at his nemesis. Harry knew something was different the moment he walked onto the train. Malfoy was still tall and blonde and mostly rude, but there was a new gleam in his eye that Harry had never seen before. Like someone had polished off some of the malice that used to rest in every glare. 

All these years and Harry hadn't noticed that the look of disdain wasn't just a rude glare. It was a silent call for help. Harry knew that Malfoy's home life wasn't great, but he didn't imagine it to be nearly as bad as his. 

He wondered what had caused the new glimmer to appear, but tried to push it to the back of his mind. Though, that was difficult as he had nothing to distract him. Hermione and Ron were both prefects this year and were riding in the prefect cabin. He was alone with his thoughts and the Daily Profit which he had been pretending to read for over thirty minutes. 

His mind couldn't stop thinking about Malfoy. Bloody Malfoy... Malfoy who had now caught Harry's eye and wouldn't let it go. Malfoy who was walking closer until he opened the door to the compartment. 

"What's up your ass, Potter?" Malfoy spit out with a mix of venom, sarcasm, and a hint of genuine intrigue, something Harry thought he'd never see. 

"Uh... Nothing?" He tried to ask as casually as Malfoy did, but it just came out as a nervous stammer. 

Malfoy slammed the compartment door. "Doesn't sound like it." Malfoy teases as he sits down in the seat across from him. "Mind if I sit?" 

Harry was so dumbfounded he couldn't speak. He just nodded. This was the same person. Harry knew that, but something felt... off. "Why?" He accidentally blurted out. 

Malfoy rolled his eyes and chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you even bothering with me, Malfoy? A year ago you wouldn't even look at me." Harry noticed his word choice and tried to fix it. "And it's not like I was hoping for you to change that or anythi-"

"Shhh" Something about that was oddly calming to Harry. Maybe this was just Malfoy, but he'd never talked to him before. All that Malfoy ever said to him was either an insult or vain comment. Nothing even remotely nice or calming. "You're right. I made a change. And I am choosing to take your hope for my attention as a compliment. I've had a lot of thinking to do and I've changed because of that. But I've needed to talk to you for a while and here we are at school. Perfect. I've decided that I want to help you and your side in the war."

Harry almost fell over. Half of him wanted to punch the ferret in the face for trying to be funny; how could he possibly trust Malfoy? The person who hated him, who's father was a deatheater, who tormented Harry for years. He couldn't trust him and Harry thought that Malfoy knew that already, but he didn't want to give up so soon.

"How to I trust you?" Harry asks. "How do I know that you're not spying, that you aren't going to turn around once you get what you want and waltz over to the other side once the war begins. You know you're safe there. You aren't safe with us."

"It would be worth it to see Voldemort die." Malfoy states, boldy.

Harry didn't know many people who said Voldemort's name. Out of all the people he'd heard it from Malfoy was the first to surprise him. That still didn't prove him to be truthful. He wouldn't put it past Malfoy to lie, but it takes strength to say Voldemort's name. Even if you're a death eater. 

"Potter?" Malfoy waves a hand in front of Harry's face, bringing Harry back to focus. "Hello? Did I say something wrong?"

"No! Of course not. It's just that I don't hear people say Voldemort's name a lot. Wait, you  actually believe me?"

"Believe what?" Malfoy's eyebrows pricked up in annoyance. 

"That Voldemort's back?"

"Of course! After the final task, my father's friends pulled me aside. My classmates' and friends' parents were celebrating. Celebrating." Malfoy seemed actually ticked off by this.

"Celebrating what?"

"Voldemort being back, Cedric dying, you being hurt and the horror of the crowd. That was the moment I knew that I couldn't follow in my footsteps, blindly following a madman! I had to get out of there." His face fell and he shook his head. "But I didn't. I was told to stay. At this point I'll never get out of there. Not unless I fully cut ties and it's not safe yet." 

"No... It's fine. It's a new side of you that I've never seen before." Harry was still cautious about trusting Malfoy, even though they had shared so much in the last five minutes. "I have no one else to talk to, so..." 

"Where are they anyway... Weasley and Granger." 

Harry sighed and frowned. "None of your business, Malfoy."  His voice came out more harsh than he wanted it to making Malfoy flinch and grow angry. 

"Fine. I'll go then." Malfoy stands up and goes for the door. "You know I had nowhere to go either." And he left without another word.

Update: This chapter is edited!