Enemies with Benefits - A Drarry Story

The Reconciliation

          To Harry's relief, the chatter around his Valentine died down after a while. He was glad, because he had something else on his mind: Hagrid.

          He honestly couldn't bring himself to be shocked at what Riddle's diary had shown him; he had experienced firsthand Hagrid's habit of overlooking the peril in handling dangerous creatures, like his pet Cerberus which he chose to name 'Fluffy', or the baby dragon he had hatched before they all got caught by Malfoy.

         Right. Draco.

         It was getting increasingly hard to avoid him, and Harry was sure that every time Gryffindor had class with Slytherin, he was watching with those piercing grey eyes. What was he supposed to say? Oh hey Draco, want to go for a walk and talk all about how you're trying not to be a bigoted blood purist anymore?

         But the truth was—he didn't want to talk to him, for the fear that it was too good to be true. His saddest fear was of going up and talking to him, and it would all have been a dream, or a sick prank.

        He knew that they would have to have a conversation at some point, but what he didn't know was that it had to be this soon. Ron had accidentally dropped and shattered a vial of lacewing flies on the floor in Potions, so Snape sneered and told him to "Switch with Malfoy, you idiot." Terrific.

        Draco brought his things over and Harry pretended to dig some supplies out of his bag for their Fire Protection potion—anything to avoid those eyes.

        "You can't ignore me forever, Harry," he murmured.

        Harry blushed. "I— sorry."

        "What did I do wrong?"

        He swallowed and straightened to meet his gaze. "Nothing...it's...it's just weird. You know, being friends with you all of a sudden. Wasn't sure what to say to you without making it awkward."

        "Right, 'cause that's your biggest talent. Not making things awkward."

        Harry's cheeks burned brighter. He heard Snape's voice drawl somewhere nearby. "Potter, your potion should be turning red, not your face. Five points from Gryffindor." Draco laughed.

        "Shut up. You're just laughing since it's your house that gets favored."

        "Yep." He winked. Harry felt a little lightheaded. It must have been the fumes.

. . . . .

           Later, Harry was in the library, pulling out his books and some pieces of parchment for his homework essays. Hermione has been absolutely flabbergasted when he had told her he was going to write them by himself, to his amusement. He wondered what she was going to do for the rest of the evening with one-third of her work taken care of. He chuckled to himself.

          A bookbag dropped onto the table with a thump, followed by a hiss from Madam Pince. Harry grinned and looked up to see Draco's eyes glowing with amusement. He sat down next to him, and Harry whispered. "So, ready for the first official Potter-Malfoy study session?"

          Draco nodded fervently, smiling. "I brought my list of any supplemental books we might need. You have no idea how great it is to be able to study with someone from another house. Everyone in Slytherin is always competing." He rolled his eyes.

          "Wow," said Harry dramatically. "So this is why you've suddenly become friends with me." He placed his hand over his heart.

          "Exactly." He pulled out some parchment as well. "So... Herbology first?"

          And that's how three hours later, and after several tedious assignments, Harry ended up with his head in his hands as he groaned, earning another glare from Madam Pince. "I hate this. None of this makes any sense. This is worse than maths."

          Draco wrinkled his nose. "What in Merlin's name is maths?"

          Harry waved it off. "Muggle arithmancy. Don't worry about it."

          Draco shrugged. "I don't really understand this either. Or wait... hold on..."

          And finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were finished, and each packed up his belongings.

          "Honestly, this is why Hermione always helps me with my assignments."

          "Ohhhh..." said Draco as they walked out of the library. "That's why you keep getting good grades in your Potions essays."

          "Are you calling me stupid?"

          "No, I'm saying that Granger is smarter than you or I will ever be."

          "Wow, so you're giving compliments to muggleborns now?"

          The blonde blushed. "Not to their faces. Besides, I've changed."

          "Have you?" asked Harry. He could feel the tone of the conversation changing.

          "Yeah." he replied. "I promise I won't tease non-purebloods anymore." He scrunched up his nose again. "Or actually, I take that back. I'll tease them, just not because they're non-purebloods."

          Harry laughed out loud. "That's what I thought." Then, his smile fading, he added, "In all seriousness though... I really appreciate the effort. You know, since my mother was a muggleborn and all."

        Draco turned to him and gave him a genuine smile. "I try."