It's time you pick your battle and I promise you this is mine

You were an arrogant brat

Sometimes,though not very often, Harry still checked up on his friends on theMarauders' Map. From time to time, his eyes also wandered to searchfor "Draco Malfoy" and Harry could not pretend to know ifit was just "old habits die hard" or him already startingto see Draco as a friend even though they haven't yet talked aboutit. Or really, spent any time with each other outside of familydinners at Andromeda's and panic attacks.

But,having told Ron he wants to pursue a friendship with their former foeand not planning to back out now (he would not give his best friendthe satisfaction of an "I told you so") and feeling badabout Draco's only friend being a ghost (he knows he's joked about itand he also knows that he was probably friends with Nearly HeadlessNick, or at least he had been in his first years of Hogwarts beforeall the stuff with Voldemort took up his time and energy), Harry gotup to look for him when his name was legible in Myrtle's bathroom forthe fifth time this week (it was only wednesday and Harry didn'tspend all his free time looking for him at the map, not anymore).

Outof habit, Draco had his wand drawn as soon as he was in his line ofsight. And yeah, Harry realised, there might be some trauma that bothof them had to work through before really being able to be friends.

"I'msorry", Harry offered tentatively.

"Idon't believe you", Myrtle replied, coming closer, "I don'tknow what you want to apologize for but you don't mean it. You havealways been all talking and then not doing, making promises you neverintend to keep."

"Huh",Draco draws his brows tight, "that is not an impression of himthat I would sign."

"Iwould. I mean, if I could sign anything. I'm still mad at him fornever visiting me."

Dracoraised his eyebrows at Harry questioningly.

"Schoolgot busy", he tried to deflect, "and then Voldemort..."

"Justexcuses", Myrtle pouted, "Draco still found time to visitme."

"Well,you see, Draco and I were in very different situations at the time."

Dracolooked highly amused by the exchange and had apparently no desire totake part. Harry was unable to resent him for that, after all, hehadn't treated Myrtle very well and Draco and her were friends,so it was only logical that he would not aid Harry.

Suddenly,he became uncomfortable. "I – I should leave you two."When he turned to the door, out of the corner of his eye he could seeDraco and Myrtle exchanging a look.

Assoon as Harry had made a few steps away from the closed door, heheard Draco say his name.

Whenhe turned around, Draco was stepping into the corridor himself,closing the door behind him in a rushed way. He took a few stepstowards Harry so that there were no more than two metres of spacebetween them.

"Whydid you come here?", Draco asked, after sparing a few glancesaround them, "you don't just come into Myrtle's bathroom for noreason. She told me that."

Harrywas squirming under the other boy's eye but after a few seconds, hedecided to admit: "I was trying to be nice."

"Youwere trying to be nice?", Draco asked, "to whom?"

Harrygroaned. "To you."

"Andin which way?"

"Look,I know that you said Myrtle isn't as bad when you get to know her andI agree. She's just lonely. But she will forever stay 14 and you arealready now older than her and the age difference will just continueto get bigger. I just think you should have some friends your ownage."

Dracolooked stunned. "Are you offering a friendship to me?"

"Um,yeah?", Harry said, the duh clearlyheard by both parties, "it does not look like you try to makefriends and nobody else seems to be interested to start a friendshipwith a former deatheater –"

"And so should you."

"–let me talk. But Andromeda thinks you and your mother are on theright path to better yourselves now and I trust her, especially sincemy conversations with both you and your mother have only confirmedit. Besides, none of us made an attempt to pick up on our oldrivalry, instead, we were nice to each other and as we will see eachother for the rest of our lives on Teddy's birthday it would be goodfor us to stay friendly. Plus, I am seriously considering a teachingposition as well, so if it is probable that we'll see each other inHogwarts for the rest of our lives and additionally even in our freetime due to Teddy, I might as well try to make you my friend."

Thetwo boys now looked at each other in silence. Harry was processingwhat he had just said (he realised he had partly quoted what Hermionehad said on the topic, what's more, he had pronounced his ownobservations that he definitely did not plan to talk to Draco about,at least not yet. He figured it might be good that they would be inthe clear about that now though) and Draco seemed to be doing thesame.

"Youremember, you were the one that originally declined my offer offriendship?", Draco answered and Harry tried to contain hisinner groan at that reply.

"Well,you were an arrogant brat that insulted my friend then", hesnapped.

"Whatchanged?"

Harryreplied offhandedly: "You made some horrible decisions and hadto learn to live with the consequences."

"Iam still learning to live with them", Draco corrects guardedly.

"Goodenough for me", Harry softens his voice scantily, "everybodytries to find their place in the world after the war. Even me."

"Yeah,but not everyone has been fighting on the wrong side."

"AsI said, you will learn to live with that. And hopefully someday, thiswon't be what you, me and everyone else will define you by."

"I'mworking on it", Draco smiles tentatively.

"But",he adds, "I still don't like Weasley."

"That",Harry laughs, "is very mutual." He shrugs. "But Idon't care if you guys like each other as long as you are not hurtingeach other. I can still be friends with you both."

"Ok",Draco says quietly.

"Ok,what?"

"Okto being friends with you."

Harrysmiled.