Tomorrow at the Latest

CHAPTER TWO.

Harry woke the morning after the start of term banquet feeling a bit tired. He had eaten way too much the night before and gone to bed sometime in the very early morning hours. It had been worth it though. He had had time to catch up with some of his friends who he hadn't talked to all summer.

Classes didn't start until tomorrow, so all the students had a day to enjoy their lives at Hogwarts before lessons began. Harry wasn't sure how he wanted to pass his day.

The fifth year boys dormitory appeared to be deserted when Harry awoke, with the exception of Ron. Before Harry went downstairs, he resisted a strong urge to jump on Ron's bed and bounce on his knees.

The common room was about a quarter full of Gryffindors talking, laughing and eating. Many had already been to breakfast and had brought back slices of toast or a flask of juice from the Great Hall. Before anyone had time to notice him, Harry ducked out of the portrait hole and made his way to breakfast.

Of the four long tables that filled the Great Hall, the Gryffindor table was always the loudest. It was constantly erupting with loud bursts of laughter and conversation, and occasionally a firecracker. Last year someone had discovered a charm that made it possible for the cutlery to have wars up and down the table, which were very amusing for the Gryffindors.

Harry found Hermione and sat down next to her. She was having such an involved conversation with Ginny, who was sitting across the table, that she didn't even look at up him.

Harry knew it would be futile to try to interrupt them, so he helped himself to a dish of sausages. It wasn't long before he got the uncomfortable sensation of being watched.

His eyes swept the Great Hall, looking for someone who's gaze was focused on him. Most students were engaged in conversation with their friends, reading a book propped open on a jug or just eating. As Harry scanned the Slytherin table, he spotted Draco Malfoy.

Draco was watching him with a steady, unwavering look. Harry could almost sense his entire appearance being scrutinized under those gray eyes. It made him feel naked. At that moment, the sensation was shattered by the sudden noise next to him. Ginny and Hermione had simultaneously burst into laughter. Ginny giggled and clapped her hands and Hermione laughed and held her hand over her mouth to cover the food she had in it. Harry was slightly annoyed.

"Oh, good morning, Harry," Ginny said.

Hermione gave a start to realize he was sitting there. "Oh! Good to see you finally got out of bed."

"I don't sleep that late, Hermione, you just get up early."

Harry's protest was cut short by his owl Hedwig swooping down to visit him. She perched on his shoulder and nipped his earlobe. Harry was struck by a sudden idea.

"Do either of you have a quill and parchment?"

Hermione produced a sheet of parchment and Ginny had a quill in her pocket. Both girls went back to talking while Harry scrawled a note of the piece of paper.

Do you want to talk?

HP

Harry looked at his scribble and frowned. He tore off the top of the note and started over.

Sorry Ron upset you on the train. He didn't mean anything. It must suck to have everyone assume you're something you aren't.

HP

Harry reread his letter. He folded it carefully and tied it to Hedwig's leg. He stroked her back affectionately for a moment before she took off across the Great Hall. He spent several minutes trying hard to not look at Draco that he didn't notice his owl was back with a reply until she pecked his hand.

"Ow! Oh. Thanks, Hedwig." Harry untied the rolled parchment and read it. Two words written in neat cursive under his original message.

It does.

Harry picked up Ginny's quill and wrote another short message underneath Draco's.

I'm sorry.

Hedwig was back within a minute.

Why?

Harry wrote another reply.

You seemed different on the train.

This reply took longer.

What do you mean?

This letter-writing was tiring starting to irritate Hedwig. And it would be better to talk face-to-face anyway.

Transfiguration classroom. Eleven o'clock.

Harry finally allowed himself to look up at Draco at this last message. Draco read the message without showing any emotion, and then met Harry's eyes. A nearly imperceptible nod of his head confirmed their meeting time and location before he stood up abruptly and swept out the Great Oak Doors.

The day passed very slowly for Harry. After breakfast Harry followed a group of Gryffindors who wandered down to the lake. What started out as a peaceful recollection of the summer's activity turned into a full fledged game of Run-Around-Like-Idiots-And-Tackle-As-Many-People-As-You-Can. He played Quidditch on the Quidditch pitch with some of his fellow Gryffindors in the afternoon until it was too dark to see the balls.

When everyone finally went back to the common room, it was nearly nine o'clock. Some of the younger students went to bed, but the older ones stayed up to enjoy themselves before classes started the next day. Wishing not to be questioned, Harry told his friends he was going to bed and left the common room at quarter to eleven. He donned his father's invisibility cloak and silently made his way back to the common room.

As he was about to open the portrait hole, he realized that it would look suspicious if the painting just swung open by itself. No one would be coming or going at this hour, so he couldn't just wait around to follow someone out. He had to think of something quickly, it was getting late.

Cautiously, Harry tiptoed his way over to where Hermione was sitting, Cho Chang, who had been smuggled into the Gryffindor Common Room, curled across her lap. Hermione was the only one he felt he could ask to help him out, because she wouldn't make a commotion.

Harry bent over so his face was an inch from her ear. He lowered his voice so it was barely audible. "Hermione, don't turn around. It's me."

Hermione's expression barely changed, but he knew she had heard him and was listening.

"I need you to open the portrait hole for me. I'm going out."

Harry felt a pang of guilt for interrupting an evening that looked like a lot of fun for his friend. This feeling didn't last long, however. He watching in awe at Hermione's cunning.

"Cho, why don't we go somewhere...a little more...private." She leaned down to kiss the other girl.

Cho tightened her arms around Hermione's waist and deepened the kiss. Harry made a face that no one could see. It didn't bother him as much as he would have thought, to see his so-called love interest kissing one of his best friends. Hermione began to stand up, and Cho followed. They crossed the common room to the portrait hole. Hermione opened it and stood back, holding it open while talking to Cho. This gave Harry the opportunity to slip out, without anyone but Hermione knowing he was anywhere but in his dormitory.

As Harry moved down the corridor to the Transfiguration classroom, it occurred to him for the first time that Draco might not actually show up. Someone, this didn't seem very probable. Harry pinched himself.

When he entered the Transfiguration classroom, it was exactly eleven o'clock. Harry looked around the classroom before taking the cloak off. He quickly spotted Draco, sitting with this back against a wall, knees drawn up to his chest.

Harry took off his invisibility cloak and tossed over the back of a chair. Draco didn't look up until he had slid down the wall to rest next to him.

"I didn't think you'd come," Draco said.

"I knew you would," was Harry's reply.

"No you didn't."

"Okay, I didn't."

"Why did you want us to meet here?"

"I thought it was better that we talk face to face rather than by owl at breakfast."

"Oh."

"Well, I said you were different on the train, and you asked why. So, here's my answer. I know it's vague and rather lame, but you were a bit less malicious than you are usually."

"Am I always malicious?"

"Well, yes, up until this yesterday morning."

Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Oh."

Harry stared at Draco while he performed this simple action without even realizing he was looking. Draco stopped and blinked at him.

"Why did you tell Ron not to assume anything about you?"

Draco snorted. "Why do you think?"

"So you aren't a Death Eater? And you never want to be one?"

Harry could feel Draco's body stiffen next to him. "No, Potter."

"Are you going to fight for the Light Side?"

Draco sighed heavily. That breath was filled with angst, need, and indecision.

The two boys sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Draco spoke.

"I'm just sick of everyone thinking I'm going to join the Dark side, just because of my family history. My father certainly thought so, just because I'm some pathetic daddy's boy who echoes his father's beliefs everywhere he goes. He-" Here, Draco took a sharp breath. "He was going to let Voldemort burn the Dark Mark on my arm."

Here, Harry gasped. Draco continued, in a strained voice.

"I watched him burn the mark of another man's arm. The man screamed for a whole minute, until my father silenced him with a curse, I don't remember what it was. I was too busy gagging. Then the man crawled to Voldemort's robes, and kissed the hems. After that, I couldn't..."

His voice trailed off. Harry realized with a jolt of surprised that Draco's head was resting on his shoulder. Tentatively, Harry wrapped his arm around the other boy's back.

"You don't have to be telling me this," Harry said softly. He desperately wanted to hear more about this event, but now was not the time. Explanations could come later.

Draco didn't seem to be able to speak. Suddenly, he seemed to wake up and notice whose shoulder his head was on and whose arm was curled around his back. He jerked himself away from Harry and walked stiffly across the room. Harry was shocked, as well as hurt.

"I know I'm being stupid, but now I don't want to be anything of the person I've made myself. I don't want to torment the Gryffindors, I don't want to be Snape's pet in Potions-"

Upon hearing his least favorite professor's name and his least favorite class, Harry made a choking noise.

Draco whirled around. "Are you mocking me, Potter?"

"No!" Harry explained, "I'm mocking Professor Snape."

"You don't like Potions?"

"I hate potions."

"It's my best class. We could work together on the homework sometime. Say, are you any good at Charms?"

"Yeah."

"So, do you want to, like, study sometime?"

"Sure." Harry met Draco's eyes for the first time since Draco had pulled away from him.

Draco almost smiled. "Good. When?"

"The library?"

"I said when, not where, you dolt."

"Oh."

"Tomorrow, after classes?"

"Okay."

"Alright. Bring your books. I'll see you then." Draco turned on his heel and briskly walked out of the classroom.

Harry stood up. That had been one of the most unexpected encounters of his life. He had had his arm around Draco! He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He donned the invisibility cloak and made his way back to his dormitory.

When Harry's last class the next day was over, he picked up his bag and headed for the library. Harry generally enjoyed most of his lessons, but today he had gone through them in anticipation for studying with Draco after they were over.

When he entered the library, Draco was already there, spreading his books and half-written essays over a circular table. He looked up when Harry joined him.

Draco's sneer didn't contain it's usual contempt, as he scanned through textbooks, looking for parchment. "Afternoon, Potter."

"Malfoy."

"Do you have much homework?"

"Tons. The teachers are making up for the lost time over the summer. I hope the homework load won't stay this huge."

"Yeah. Ah. Here it is."

"Do you understand this potions stuff we're supposed to write a five page essay about?"

"Yes, it's very simple."

Harry groaned. "I'll need help. What did you choose for a topic?"

"The Origin of Wolfbane. What's your topic?"

Harry groaned again. "I don't know yet."

"I'll help you. But you've got to help me get this stupid bubble charm we have to know."

"Oh, that's easy." Harry pulled out his wand and flicked his wrist. "Bubiliosa!"

A stream of perfectly round bubbles of varying sizes blossomed from the end of Harry's wand. In moments, Madam Pince, the strict librarian, was over to scold Harry. With a wave of her wand, the bubbles disappeared. One more sharp word, and she was gone.

When Harry turned around to face Draco, the other boy was smirking.

"Honestly, a bubble charm, in the library!"

"You have to admit it was perfectly executed," Harry argued.

Draco shrugged. "I guess so. Much better than I can do."

"Thanks." Harry couldn't believe he was receiving a blatant compliment from Draco. "Let's get to work."

Draco proceeded to help Harry get started on his potions essay. Together, they chose a topic, found books to get information from, and took notes on them.

"There, now start writing." Draco retreated back to his side of the table to write his own essay.

Harry bent his head down over his work for a few minutes, but was soon sitting back in his chair, feathering his cheek with the end of his quill.

"I thought you were working," Draco said.

"I was just thinking. Do you ever watch muggle telly?"

Draco made a face. "No."

"Well, I do, over summer vacation. My favorite programme is CSI."

"CSI?"

"Yep."

"What's the acronym stand for?"

"Crime Scene Investigation."

"That's fascinating." Draco picked up his quill to continue working. Harry ignored his obvious attempt to end the conversation.

"I bet you'd like it. It's about this team of detectives who solve crimes. We should watch it together sometime."

"Why would I like it?"

"Oh, I dunno, but I still think we should watch it together sometime."

"Why do you have this sudden interest in watching stupid muggle programmes with me?"

"Why do you have a sudden interest in studying together?"

"Same reason you want to watch television with me."

"If you knew the answer, why did you ask me for it?"

"Because I wanted to hear you say it."

"Well, you're out of luck. I'm not going to say anything," Harry retorted, putting an end to Draco's argument.

Both boys went back to their silent study. Draco ended the quiet abruptly.

"Do you watch musicals?"

"You mean, like, plays with songs in them."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Not really. Why, do you?"

"I love musicals. My family visits New York in the United States as often as I can persuade them to, and I go to see Broadway musicals."

Harry could tell Draco was getting worked up just by talking about something he loved. "What shows have you seen?"

"I don't remember all of them. I loved Rent, that was really cool. And, lets see, I liked Cats. The choreography in the show is incredible. Cabaret was amazing, that might be my favourite, if I had to chose one. Phantom of the Opera, that was good, but nothing compared to Chicago. I wish I had gotten a chance to see Into the Woods. That got really good reviews, and I love the soundtrack." Draco started singing a song from Into the Woods quietly. "There are giants in the sky...great big terrible giants in the sky...when your way up high and you look below at the world you left and the little you own where the sky is lead and the Earth is stone you're free-to do- whatever pleases you. Exploring things you've never dared when suddenly there's a big tall terrible giant at the door. A big tall terrible lady giant sweeping the floor. And she gives you food and she gives you rest. And she draws you close to her giant breast, and you know things now that you never knew before. Not 'til the sky."

Harry's mouth had fallen open during Draco's song. He never knew the boy had such a beautiful voice. He'd have to get him to sing sometime when he didn't have to keep quiet.

"How many times do I have to tell you boys to behave properly in the library?" Madam Pince bustled over angrily. "No singing, no bubbles, no messy charms, no noise."

Draco cocked an eyebrow as she turned and shuffled away, waving her duster absentmindedly. "Maybe we should get back to work."

"Right." Harry closed his mouth.

In a few minutes, Draco looked up once more. "What's the incantation for a stunning spell?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Wow, I can't believe you don't know that. And to think I thought you had brains."

Draco looked hurt.

"It's stupefy."

Draco smacked his forehead. "Gods, I knew that. Just had a brain fart or something."

Harry burst into laughter. "A what?"

"Haven't you heard that expression before? A brain fart. Uh-oh." He had spotted Madam Pince heading back to their table with a very harassed expression. Without thinking, he stood up and was at Harry's side of the table in a second. "Come on."

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out of the library. They both ignored the inquisitive and confused faces that watched them make their hurried exit.

Draco didn't stop until they were well down the corridor. Harry was still laughing, his hand holding Draco's. "Draco, that song was beautiful."

Draco's mouth fell open, at both the realization that he had sung to Harry, and that Harry had used his first name. "Uh, thanks. I didn't even finish it."

"Oh, good. You can sing me the rest now." Their hands were still clasped, so when Harry dived into an empty classroom, Draco was forced to follow. Once Harry had closed the door, he steered Draco to the front of the empty class and then took a seat in the front row of desks. "Finish the song."

Draco was surprised. "Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"Because you feel like embarrassing me?"

"I don't want to embarrass you. Besides, there's no one here to be embarrassed in front of." He gestured around the empty room.

"Fine. Where did I leave off?"

"You had just finished singing, not 'til the sky." Harry sang the last line he had heard Draco sing.

"Your voice isn't bad either."

"Your deflecting."

Draco made a face, but didn't retort. He bowed his head for a moment, and when he raised his eyes to meet Harry's, he was completely in the character of Jack, from Into the Woods.

"Only just when you've made a friend and all, and you know she's big, but you don't feel small, someone bigger than her comes along the hall to swallow you for lunch! And your heart is lead and your stomach's stone and you're really scared being all alone! And it's then that you miss all the things you've known and the little you've left and the little you own. The fun...is done...you steal what you can and run. And you scramble down and the world you know begins to grow. The roof, the house and your mother, at the door. The roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore. And you think of all of the things you've seen and you with that you could live in between and your back again only different than before. After the sky."

Harry was captivated. Draco sang the last few lines.

"There are giants in the sky. There are big, tall, terrible, awesome, scary, wonderful giants...in the sky!"

At the end of the song, Harry clapped enthusiastically.

Draco felt his knees bend slightly. "I've never sung for anyone before."

Harry was out of his seat and hugging Draco in less time than it took to blink. "For the first time, that was marvelous."

"I expect we should go back to the library and collect our things."

Harry laughed, "Yes. We left in something of a hurry." He linked his arm around Draco's and they headed out the door.

"People will stare," Draco warned.

"People will gossip," Harry continued.

"People will say crazy things."

"But we're friends."

"And we don't care."

As they stepped out the doorway, still arm in arm, Harry voiced a concern. "Most boys don't do this."

"We aren't most boys."

Harry was unconvinced. "But we aren't gay. I mean, we aren't together." He failed in an attempt to not blush.

"Hm."

"Right, Draco?"

"No, we aren't together."

Harry stared questioningly at the boys face for a few moments, but by that time, they had reached the library and he wasn't able to continue the conversation.

"I don't feel like working," Draco complained.

"Neither do I," Harry agreed.

"Well then."

"What does that mean?"

"It means whatever I want it to mean, and in this case, it is simply an acknowledgement of our unanimous agreement that this is not a good time to do schoolwork."

"No."

"I'm afraid Granger would be displeased."

"Oh, you mean Hermione? Actually, she's gotten much more relaxed about school now. She started to quit being so fanatical about work last spring."

"Really."

"Really, really."

"This is an entirely meaningless conversation."

"Yet another topic we can unanimously agree on."

"Good word, Harry. Five syllables. I'm impressed."

"Unanimous? That's four syllables. And you used it first."

Draco smiled. "I know. I was just checking to see if your brain was still working. Mine isn't."

"Why isn't it working? Does singing drain your mental energy?"

"No, I think it's your energy. You make my brain feel funny."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Draco said, "It's not an entirely unpleasant feeling, just a bit unfamiliar."

"Everything about this day has been unfamiliar. Look who I'm having an entirely meaningless conversation with."

"Not only is it an entirely meaningless conversation, it's also very entertaining."

"You need to get a life."

"You shouldn't be telling me that."

"We should go back to our dorms."

"Why?"

"Because neither of us will get any work done together."

"I guess these study times won't work out then."

"No, unfortunately not. We have way too much fun."

"Then we'll have to find some excuse to spend time together."

"I can't believe you just said that." Harry was in a pleasant state of shock.

"I can't either. I've done my best to make your life hell since I met you, and now I just made the mistake of outwardly admitting that I wanted to spend time with you."

"Why is that a mistake? I appreciate you saying that."

"Because-" Draco wasn't sure if he could explain this to Harry. Harry never had trouble showing his emotions. He didn't bother to disguise his anger, confusion, sadness or any other feeling at all. Draco made himself untouchable. When he couldn't be touched, he couldn't be hurt. Harry would never understand. "I have to go."

Harry was completely miffed. "What? Why?" He watched as Draco collected his homework. "Was it something I said?"

"No, it wasn't something you said." It's something I'm afraid to say. I can't reveal that much of myself. I never have, and I won't.

"Then how come...Draco wait!" But Draco was already leaving the library Harry stood and watched as his friend's back retreated down the corridor. "I'll see you then," he said forlornly.

"Tomorrow, at the latest," Draco shot over his shoulder.

As he entered his common room, all Draco could think about was how stupid he was. He had let himself become vulnerable to Harry. Harry knew how much he mattered to Draco. What if Harry decided to use his weakness against him? No, Harry wouldn't do something like that. He had been so open and friendly himself tonight. But it was true that Draco had been terrible to Harry and his friends for years, so wouldn't now be a perfect time to get back at his long-time enemy? Draco didn't know how long he lay awake in bed before falling asleep that night. Nor did he know that Harry lay awake just as long as he did.