Cold as Ice

Epilogue.

When Draco got out of hospital about a fortnight later, he spent all his time with Harry. They went to see each other in their respective common rooms, they paired up in lessons, and they took it in the turns to sit at each other's tables at mealtimes. Rumours flew around school like wildfire. Half of them were true; half were simply ludicrous, like the one saying that Harry and Draco were engaged to be married.

But neither boy shied away from all the attention they were getting. They just carried on as normal, taking each day as it came. Ron and Hermione became good friends with Draco, much to Harry's relief.

Draco still had his 'Slytherin' days when he would be snappy and bitchy towards Harry, Ron and Hermione every now and then, but they ignored it.

The four were sitting together on the train home for summer, when Draco asked Harry something very unexpected.

'Harry, do you want to come and stay with me over the holidays?'

Harry, Ron and Hermione gaped at him.

'Err, Draco? Your dad hates Harry with a passion,' Ron said.

'So? I don't give a stuff about my father. I can have who I like to stay with me.'

'That'd be nice, Draco,' Harry said, more to stop an argument than anything - Ron and Draco were still prone to bicker about petty things.

'Really? You want to come?'

'Yeah. Besides, anything's better than staying at the Dursley's all summer.'

Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'Are you saying that - '

'Draco, shut up. I'd love to some and stay with you,' Harry grinned. Draco paused for a second, then beamed at Harry.

'This is so un-Slytherin, but: yay!' he said. The others laughed.

'We'll make a Gryffindor out of you yet,' Hermione giggled. Draco scowled at her.

'Funny, Granger,' he sneered.

'Nope,' Harry sniggered, 'he'll always be me Slytherin.' He put his arm around Draco's shoulders, but the blond boy shrugged it off.

'Excuse me, Mr Potter. You don't own me. If anything, I own you,' he snapped. Harry's mouth dropped open in mock surprise.

'Sorry, Mr Malfoy,' he snapped back, 'but what says that you own me?'

'Me.'

'Ooh, scary.'

'Here they go,' Ron sighed to Hermione as Harry and Draco started to argue loudly about their ownership over each other.

'It's sweet,' Hermione grinned.

'Until they start the bitchy name-calling that leads to the physical violence that leads to the kissing,' Ron said, pulling a face. Hermione laughed again.

'Game of cards?' she snickered, pulling a pack form her trunk.

'Go on then,' Ron sighed as Harry and Draco started fighting to pin each other to the train seat. 'Please,' he added. Harry had succeeded - as usual - and was listening to Draco argue between kisses that he had been unfairly beaten and still owned Harry.

If anyone of the people in that compartment had been told that this was how their year would end, they would have either laughed or cursed the person who had said it. But that was how it had ended, and not one of them could complain.

Except Ron, of course.