Immortalitas Aestas

Divination, Harry decided, was the most pointless subject he had ever taken.

He'd just sat through an hour of Professor Trelawney predicting his death. Now, after five years, Harry had become accustomed to hearing about his untimely demise, and today had been no exception. She'd told them all that Harry would die a most painful death at the hands of his worst enemy.

Harry had simply rolled his eyes, Ron had snorted, and Seamus had raised his hand, saying, "No offense, Professor, but we already know that. Harry's almost been killed by his worst enemy numerous times, and it'll most likely happen again. You don't exactly have to be a Seer to know that. I mean, it's all over the Daily Prophet."

Lavender and Parvati had sniffed, looking like Seamus had insulted them personally. Trelawney had responded with, "It is apparent, Mr. Finnigan, that you do not believe in the Third Eye. I saw this morning that you would not take these threats against your friends seriously."

Seamus had just shaken his head and turned back to the Potions text that he'd forgotten to read the night before.

The rest of his morning classes had passed in a blur. He had ignored the concerned looks of Hermione and Ron, listened halfheartedly to Seamus and Dean joking between classes, and managed to sidestep Ginny Weasley's rather blatant attempt to win his affections. She'd approached him that morning talking about how perfect a match they made, his black hair the very shade of his father's and her own copper tresses a close resemblance to his mother's, and didn't he think so, too. Harry most certainly did not think so, and he'd managed to lose her in the corridor by hiding behind the knight outside the Charms classroom. The redhead had gone several more feet down the hall before she'd realized he'd left her.

It was, Harry mused, a pretty typical day.

After the Adversarius meeting the previous evening, Hermione and Ron had cornered Harry in the Common Room.

"Are you sure you should take the Potion?" Ron had asked.

Harry hadn't replied, simply arching an eyebrow. He hadn't been surprised that they'd asked him about his intention to take Draco's potion.

"Harry, what if something goes wrong? What if it doesn't work the way it should?" Hermione had pleaded, laying a hand on Harry's arm.

"What you're really asking is what if it's a trap and Draco's trying to hurt me," Harry had paused to look at them, "am I right?"

They'd shifted on their feet, looking down at the ground, at the wall, at each other - anywhere but at the green-eyed Gryffindor.
Harry had remained silent, wanting them to tell the truth and voice their suspicions.

"Okay, yes!" Ron had finally admitted, one step short of yelling. "I don't care if he took Veritaserum. He's practiced the Dark Arts! For all we know he found a way to counteract the effects! I don't trust him, Harry, and I don't think you should either."

Hermione placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, stopping him from saying anything else. "We're just concerned, Harry," she'd stated calmly. "You can't blame us for that."

Harry had managed to remain calm throughout the conversation, quietly reminding himself that these were his friends and it would be wrong to hurt them in any way, and it most definitely would not be smart to hex them into oblivion and risk expulsion, because they really were the best friends anyone could ever have. But, even the best intentions can be lead astray.

"All right!" Harry had yelled, cutting off Hermione in mid-recitation of Draco's many faults.

Hermione and Ron had been instantly silenced, involuntarily taking a step back. They hadn't heard Harry yell in a long time.

Harry took a deep breath, counting in his head from one to ten, ten to one, and one to ten again. He'd never been this angry with Ron and Hermione before, and he didn't like the way it made him feel. And he especially didn't like the fact that these feelings had been brought on because of one Draco Malfoy.

"Look," Harry started, "I know you don't like Draco," Ron had snorted at this, "but I do like him, and I'd like you to trust my instincts here. I've never been wrong about people, well, with the exception of Moody and you can't blame me for that because even Dumbledore was wrong about him. But I am not wrong about Draco."

"Harry," Hermione began, talking to him like he was a small child, "Malfoy isn't exactly a good person. Think of all he's done to you. Why would you want to be friends with someone who treats you like that?"

"Treated," Harry got out through clenched teeth. "He treated me like that. He doesn't anymore or are you blind and can't see that?"

"Now, wait a minute," Ron began, but Harry cut him off again.

"No, you wait a minute, Ron. Draco hasn't done a single thing to me this year, or to you for that matter. He hasn't made a single comment about your family, or Hermione being Muggleborn. He's been nothing but polite, albeit sarcastic, but that's just the way he is. He's not the same person we've gone to school with for the past six years. He's different. He's changed. Why can't you see that?" Harry had known he was pleading, but he wanted his two best friends to at least accept the fact that his feelings for Draco had changed.

"Harry, we see what he wants us to see. He puts on a façade. We have no idea who the real Draco Malfoy is. You have to admit that at least," Hermione had finally said, hands reaching out in front of her, pleadingly. "Please, Harry, don't be angry. We're just worried that you're getting in over your head. We just want you to be careful."

"Hermione, I know you're concerned. But trust me on this. I know what I'm doing. He's being sincere, and he's not trying to hurt me. You saw his reaction when he realized that I'd be the one taking the potion. He was worried about me."

"Yes," Hermione had replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "That was a bit odd. What exactly is going on with you two, Harry?"

"There's nothing going on," Harry had responded nonchalantly. 'Not yet,' he added silently to himself. "We're just starting to get to know each other, that's all. We're going to have to work closely with him and the other Slytherins, you know."

"That's not what it looked like to everyone else in that meeting," Ron had interjected, ignoring the last part of Harry's statement. "You two looked ready to crawl across the table and attack each other. And I don't mean attack as in fighting. It was weird, mate."

"Well, nothing happened, right? And we were not going to attack each other."

"Sure looked that way," Ron had muttered, looking at Hermione for confirmation.

"He's right, Harry. I don't think either of you realize the reactions you invoke in each other. You're both intimidating, and when you're together, it's kind of scary. All that power contained in two people."

Harry had thought about that then, and he was still thinking about it now. He hadn't really ever thought about the reactions they brought on in each other. They were very volatile, and when they were together, there was always a chance of spontaneous combustion. Harry was just
beginning to realize just how much they sparked each other.

Sitting in the Great Hall, he automatically scanned the room in search of Draco. It was an ingrained reaction; enter a room, search for Draco. Harry supposed he'd been doing it since first year, although not always for the same reasons.

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, again surrounded by his housemates. All of the seventh years seemed to be engrossed in books, no doubt searching for the cause of the overwhelming heat. Harry felt sweat drip down his back, and his glasses slipped again. He sighed, shoving them back up on his nose.

"Hey Harry," a female voice purred in his ear. Harry turned to face Ginny Weasley, inwardly groaning. He'd thought he had gotten rid of her this morning.

"Ginny," Harry said with a nod. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was just wondering if I could sit here? There doesn't seem to be any other spots."

Harry rolled his eyes, looking pointedly around the table. "There are plenty of other spots, Gin. I think you just don't want to sit anywhere else."

She smiled, perching herself a bit too close to him. "I want to sit by you, Harry."

"Yes, I figured that out. Look, can you move over? Your elbow is digging into my side."

She pouted, trying to look fetching. "You want me to move over?"

"Yes, I do." He punctuated this by shoving her away. "You're hurting my ribs."

She didn't say anything else, just put some food on her plate and started eating. Harry quickly finished everything on his plate, wanting to get as far away from her as possible.

"Hermione, I'm going to class," Harry announced loudly, gathering his books. "I'll see you there."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry answered the unasked question by tilting his head in Ginny's direction. She laughed, nodding her head. "Okay, Harry, we'll see you there in a bit."

Harry nodded, heading for the doors. Anywhere that was away from Ginny Weasley was a good place to be. Even, Harry thought with a shudder, if that place was Potions.

***

Draco watched Harry leave the Great Hall, a small smile on his face. It was apparent that the Young Weasley had tried to lure the Golden Boy to her side once again. Draco had found Harry behind a suit of armor earlier this morning. When he'd asked why Harry was hiding, he'd received a terse reply of "Ginny" followed by some muttering about hair colors, history repeating itself and being as mad as Trelawney, all in one breath.

All of Hogwarts, it seemed, had this notion that Harry and Ginny were perfect for each other. Draco tended to disagree- it was obvious to him that Harry had no interest in the young redhead. Draco had seen Harry actually cringe on occasion when she entered the room.

Yes, Draco thought, He most certainly isn't interested.

Gathering up his books, Draco stood, making to leave the room. He was stopped short by a hand on his arm.

"Going somewhere, Draco?" Pansy purred, lifting her eyebrow.

"Yes," he replied, trying to shake her loose. "Class."

Draco had, it seemed, made quite the spectacle of himself the previous evening. Pansy had been outraged at his behavior at the Adversarius meeting, asking him what exactly he thought he was doing.

There was, she'd announced loudly, so much tension between him and Harry Potter that you could have cut it with a knife. Pansy had always been a fan of idioms, Muggle or otherwise.

Pansy released her hold on him, standing up as well. "Is Potter going to be your partner?" She spat the name out as if it tasted like one of Longbottom's badly-made potions.

"That depends," Draco calmly replied, stepping away from the seething Slytherin.

"On?"

"Whether we need partners or not," Draco called over his shoulder. He quickly maneuvered his way out of the Hall, took a breath and leaned against the wall. Pansy was rather scary when she was angry.

Draco pushed away from the wall, startling some first years as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Sorry," he murmured, wondering when he'd started apologizing to Hufflepuffs. The girls raised their eyebrows, surprise showing on their faces. Draco couldn't help it; he smiled. That got an even more shocked reaction out of them and Draco had to refrain himself from cackling with glee.

He stepped around them, heading for the Potions room. It was still unbearably hot in the corridors, even with the numerous cooling charms cast on the school. Sweat was dripping down his back and nose; it stung when it got in his eyes.

The classroom itself was deserted, with the exception of Harry. Draco entered quietly, shutting the door softly behind him. He looked at the Gryffindor, pleased to be able to observe him so openly. Harry was again wearing a red shirt, but this one had stripes of gold around the collar and cuffs. His black hair was characteristically disheveled, and as Draco watched, a hand ran through the strands. The silver ring on his middle finger caught the light, momentarily blinding him.

Draco blinked, looking down at his own hand. He was wearing the exact same ring on the middle finger of his own hand. The rings denoted the members of the Adversarius; each was engraved with their name, and was to be worn on the middle digit of their wand hand. They had protection and location spells weaved into them, and were never to be taken off. They were also charmed with the Protean charm, which allowed them to pass messages to each other about meetings or anything else they needed to know.

He stepped further into the room, heading toward his usual spot. At the last second, he changed his mind and stopped directly next to Harry, turning to look down at him.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Draco."

"Harry. I was wondering...." He trailed off. It was one thing to talk to the Gryffindor at Adversarius meetings, but it was completely another to actually sit by him in class.

"You were wondering if you could sit next to me," Harry finished, a knowing smile on his face.

Draco, completely at a loss as to how to react to this frank statement, nodded pathetically.

"Of course you can," Harry said, a full smile lighting up his face. He gestured to his left, indicating the seat next to him. "Sit."

Draco sat. He offered Harry a shy smile before quickly moving to pull out his supplies. Inside, Draco was jumping in glee. Outside, his face was wearing the typical Malfoy mask.

They didn't say anything else, and the other students began filing into the classroom. All of them cast looks of surprise in the direction of the two boys, but they ignored them, simply enjoying sitting near each other in public.

Snape blew into the classroom, putting a temporary stop to the murmurs. He quickly explained what they would be doing, telling them to find a partner and begin. He then passed out the cooling potions they'd finished the previous day, which were to be tried while the new potion was simmering.

The rest of the class was uneventful. Longbottom actually managed to keep his cauldron form exploding, but that was mostly due to fact that he was working with Thomas, who was surprisingly competent when it came to Potions.

Both Draco and Harry's cooling potion had been correct, giving them a momentary reprieve from the heat, and their new potion was coming along well.

By the end of class, their potion was stoppered in front of them and they were cleaned up and ready to go. Snape dismissed them, and Harry turned towards Draco, focusing fully on him for the first time. "Are you going to get the Potion?"

Draco nodded. "I'll meet you in the Prefects lounge in ten minutes."

Harry smiled, and Draco felt himself melt into a puddle. Harry luckily didn't know this, however, and simply gathered up his things and left the classroom.

Draco sighed, closing his eyes briefly to get his heart rate back under control. He opened them again, staring directly into a pair of concerned brown eyes.

"God, Granger!" he exclaimed, jumping a little. "Don't sneak up on people like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Pity," Weasley muttered, coming up behind her.

She glared at Draco. "Make sure nothing goes wrong with the Potion you're giving Harry. If something does, you'll be sorry. Very sorry." It was spoken matter of factly, like someone commenting on the weather.

"Don't threaten me, Granger," Draco replied, angling his body so he was looking at her and Weasley. "I'm not going to let anything happen to Ha- Potter. I'm going to take the Potion, too, so that should calm you a bit." He actually hadn't been planning on taking the Potion, but he realized that it was really the only way to prove to everyone that he hadn't tampered with it.

Granger and Weasley regarded him in shock. "You're going to take the Potion, too?" Weasley asked, looking at Granger in surprise.

Draco sighed, exasperatedly. "Yes, Weasley, I am. Is that okay with you?"

He looked between the two thirds of the infamous trio standing before him, and waited for a reply.

"I ... I guess," Granger finally replied.

"Fantastic," Draco said sarcastically, sneering a bit. He stepped around the two stunned Gryffindors, and headed out the door. Sometimes he really hated Harry's friends. He stopped by the Slytherin dorms, grabbed the Potion, and headed to the Prefects Lounge.

When he got there, Harry was waiting for him, sitting on the sofa with his legs propped up on the coffee table in front of him. "Hey," Harry said, greeting him.

"Hey," Draco repeated, setting the Potion on the table. "So, are you ready?"

Harry nodded, moving to stand next to him. "What should I expect with this Potion?"

"Well, it's going to be icy cold when you first take it, kind of like those Ice Mice they sell in Hogsmeade. And it isn't going to taste very good, either, but it's not as horrible as some of the stuff we've had to take for Snape." Draco's hands shook a little as he opened the flask. He poured a small amount into each of the glasses in front of him, handing one to Harry.

"You're taking it, too." It wasn't a question. Harry looked at him. "Hermione and Ron said something to you, didn't they." That also wasn't a question.

Draco shrugged. "I figured it would placate everyone if I just took it, too."

Harry shook his head, closing his eyes in resignation. "This is so ridiculous," Harry said softly, sighing. "They just don't see."

"See?" Draco asked.

Harry opened his eyes again. "See," he repeated. "They don't see that you're different." Harry shook his head again, waving away any reply Draco would have made. "Let's do this."

Draco nodded, raising his glass slightly. "Cheers," he said dryly, clinking his glass against Harry's.

They both tossed the potion back, choking slightly on the taste.

"Yuck," Harry said, setting his glass down. "That's awful. Although, it isn't as bad as Polyjuice."

"You'd know this how?" Draco asked, setting his glass down with a grimace. His stomach started to churn. He was very sensitive to potions and hated the way they made him feel.

"Ah," Harry replied, brushing off the question. "Never mind."

Draco smirked, laughing a little. "Of course."

They waited in silence, until finally Harry said, "I feel a little different."

"You should," Draco replied, turning to face the Gryffindor. "A side effect is that the potion makes you more aware of your surroundings which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Draco looked at the boy in front of him. He could see the individual strands of hair on Harry's head, the way they keep falling forward into his emerald eyes. Draco could actually see the individual greens that made up his eyes, realizing for the first time that they weren't simply a straight green at all. He felt himself being pulled into their depths, and was scared to continue, but terrified to stop. All he could see was Harry, all he could hear was the other boy's breathing, and all he could smell was his scent. Harry smelled like grass and lemons; he smelled clean, and Draco wanted to bury himself in the smell forever.

He was pulled from his musing by a soft hand on his face. Harry was currently running his fingertips over Draco's face and was staring directly into Draco's eyes.

Draco blinked. "I think it's working."

"Hmm, yes," Harry replied, reluctantly dropping his hand. "So," he said, turning away. "How do we know for sure?"

"Well," Draco began, "the Potion is supposed to protect you from harm. So...." he trailed off, not sure how to word his suggestion.

"So, you should try to hurt me and see if you succeed," Harry again finished for him, the beginnings of a smirk playing on his face. "So, try to hurt me."

Draco sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't really want to hurt you, Harry," he said softly.

The hand was back on his face, just for an instant, as Harry murmured, "I know."

Draco's eyes opened at the contact, but Harry turned, looking around the room. "It has to be something physical, right? Something not magic-based?"

Draco shook his head a bit and focused on what Harry was saying. "Right. It won't protect against magic."

Harry turned slightly towards him. "So what do you want to use?"

Draco laughed. This whole conversation was so absurd. "Are you listening to yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "Yes, I realize this all sounds a little odd. Last year I never would have even suggested we find something to give to you so that you could purposely injure me with it."

"I could try to stab you with this letter opener." Draco was holding the Phoenix letter opener that belonged to Lupin, waving it in Harry's direction.

"You could," Harry said with a grin. "But then I get to return the favor."

"Of course," Draco replied smoothly. "It's only fair." It was said knowing full well that if the potion didn't work and Harry was injured, he would never consciously stab Draco knowing that it would hurt him.

Harry stood in front of him, eyes staring unblinkingly into Draco's own. "Well, let's do it, then."

Draco drew in a breath, aware of the reaction Harry's proximity caused in him. "Here we go," he murmured. He moved closer to Harry, letter opener gripped in his hand. He noticed as he raised his arm that his fingers were shaking slightly. He couldn't believe how scared he was to do this. He could remember a time not too long ago where he would be jumping in joy to have a chance to hurt Harry without fear of immediate consequence.

But not anymore.

Steeling himself, he stabbed the letter opener into the Harry's left shoulder.

"Hmm," said Harry, looking into Draco's eyes. "That's interesting. I can't even feel it."

Draco blinked, mouth agape. He couldn't believe Harry was being so calm about this.

"Well, pull it out." Harry was smiling.

Draco quickly obliged. The only sign that he'd just stabbed Harry was the small hole in his shirt.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance as Draco immediately began to pull at the collar of his shirt. Draco was frantic; he needed to be absolutely sure that Harry was okay.

"Draco," protested Harry, a small grin on his face.

"Hush, Harry," was the terse reply. Draco growled when he couldn't get the collar over far enough to see the other boy's shoulder. He quickly undid the buttons on Harry's shirt, who raised his chin a little to allow easier access.

Draco gave an "ah-ha" of triumph as he finally was able to see the shoulder. He ran the tips of his fingers over the spot where the letter opener had penetrated the skin. Draco refused to allow his body to blush as the other boy shivered at the contact.

"Well, it worked," Harry announced, a little breathlessly.

"It did." Draco picked up the letter opener that had fallen to the ground in his desperate search to make sure that Harry was okay. "It's your turn now." He handed the opener to Harry.

Harry took it, tossing it between his hands. "You know, I don't think I need to stab you."

It was said so calmly that Draco had to laugh. "Well, that's good then. But that was the deal. Go ahead and do it."

"No," Harry murmured, shaking his head. "I'm not going to. We know it works. And...." He trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"And?" Draco prompted, placing his fingers under Harry's chin and making him raise his face to meet his own. Harry still turned his eyes away.

"Harry, look at me," Draco softly commanded. Those brilliant green eyes slowly slid over, and up Draco's face to lock on his own.

"And I just can't hurt you. I don't want to hurt you," Harry said softly.

Draco drew in a breath, slowly dropping his hand. "Okay, then. I can't say that I'm too upset about that fact." He laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

Harry shook his head. "I don't."

He took a step back, putting some distance between himself and Draco. Draco watched him intently.

Harry was looking around the room, doing everything he could to avoid looking at Draco. He was still tense and he looked absolutely exhausted. Draco quietly walked across the room, standing directly behind him. He gently laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, applying pressure to turn him around. Harry didn't say anything, letting Draco button up his shirt. Draco then took out his wand and whispered something softly. The hole in Harry's shirt promptly disappeared.

"Thank you," Harry whispered.

Draco nodded and looked at his watch. "The effects should be worn off in another ten minutes."

Harry nodded, seeming to break out of the trance he'd been in. He sat on the sofa, motioning for Draco to join him.

They sat quietly for the remainder of the time, casting sideways glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Of course, both caught the glances. The ten minutes finally ran out.

"Do you still feel different?" Draco asked, turning to fully face his companion.

"No," Harry replied with a frown. "Completely back to normal. You?"

"Normal," Draco responded. He looked at his watch again. "It's almost time for dinner and I have to run the rest of the Potion back to my room before I eat."

Harry nodded, a pensive look on his face. "I guess I'll let everyone know that the Potion worked." He gave a bark of laughter that sounded quite a lot like Sirius'. "And that you didn't kill me."

Draco smirked. "That's probably a good idea. You know I wouldn't want anyone to worry."

Harry took one look at the innocent look on Draco's face and started laughing. "Oh, I'm sure not," he said. "Sometimes you're too much."

"I am, aren't I?" Draco replied with an arrogant toss of his head. "Anyway, let's get out of here. You have friends to talk to, and I have work to do."

Harry stood up, still laughing slightly. "I'll see you at dinner, then."

"Yes," Draco agreed. He opened the door, stepping into the corridor and holding the door for Harry.

"Later then," Harry said with a slight wave. He turned down the corridor, heading for the main staircase. Draco followed his retreating figure with his eyes, breathing deeply. He was slowly
losing any control he'd previously had. He'd wanted to kiss Harry more than once while under the influence of the Potion, but hadn't allowed himself to give in to the craving. He wanted Harry to make the first move. But it was getting harder and harder to wait. Draco's patience, which had never been a strong point in his character to begin with, was running out. He wanted Harry Potter.

And he wanted him now.