Saturday morning dawned cool and windy, and as Harry bundled up to go out he wondered if Draco would be in a better mood that day than he had been the last few. He rather hoped so, because a moody Draco was almost worse than a contemptuous and stuck up Draco. At least you knew that if he was ignoring your existence he wasn’t going to be snapping at you or whining on your shoulder.Trepidation slowed his footsteps through the castle, but eventually he got outside and the wind gusted at him, pulling at his robes as though it were attempting to hurry him along. When he got there he found Draco already present and waiting for him. He walked up to the blonde watching his face carefully. “Hullo,” Harry said as he got near enough to speak.

Draco nodded cordially. This was the tricky part, and he had spent some time figuring out how best to go about it and psyching himself up. “Look, I know I’ve been a bit of a prat lately, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry for it.”

Harry examined his face closely. Draco though he could almost see the thoughts flashing behind Potter’s eyes.

“Everyone has a rough day now and then,” Harry said with a small, one-shouldered shrug.

“It was just that I’d just got a letter from Father. Things have been rather tense since he came back this summer.”

Harry nodded understandingly and thanked Merlin that he had learned enough control to keep his jaw from slamming down to the ground. Who was this person and what had he done with the cool Prince of Slytherin? Draco Malfoy, Harry had learned over the years, did not apologize. Nor did he ever volunteer information such as ‘it’s been tense at home.’ For a brief moment Harry considered the possibility that Draco was really trying to change. Perhaps the other youth had had a change of heart.

Then Harry’s suspicions kicked in. Yes, it was possible, but it seemed extremely unlikely. Therefore, all of this was a clever attempt to…to what? To get closer to him? For what purpose? It was frustrating, but at the same time, Harry told himself, if was another piece of the puzzle to consider.

Draco watched the dark-haired boy through ever-so-slightly narrowed eyes, waiting to see if he would believe him or not.

“Is there anything I can do?” Harry said after a moment, gambling.

“No,” Draco shook his head.

“Let me know if there is,” Harry pressed.

“Absolutely,” Malfoy said with a small smile. Fooling Gryffindors was all too easy, he thought to himself as he turned toward the center of the pitch.

Sunday arrived and Harry went down to his regular appointment still thinking about Draco. He put those thoughts aside, however, when he stepped into the Potions Master’s office. He had seated himself and was currently watching Snape watch him. At last the older wizard spoke. “I saw you and Granger returning Malfoy’s book on Monday.” His tone was deceptively neutral.

Harry nodded, “We wanted you to know we did, that’s why we did it in class and not at breakfast.

Snape nodded again. “Did the two of you discuss the contents of the book at all?”

“A little,” Harry said. “We came to the conclusion that most of it was disturbing.”

There was a gleam of relief in the professor’s eye when he heard that statement and his lips twitched. “I do have a question, though,” Harry said.

Severus felt his heart speed up but gestured for Harry to ask. “Does Voldemort know that you aren’t really teaching me that? Won’t he figure it out soon?”

“The Dark Lord is aware of the impossibility of practicing the Dark Arts on Hogwarts’ grounds without alerting the headmaster. He believes we are discussing theory. Eventually, yes, he will realize that I have not taught you anything.”

“And when that happens?” Harry inquired in an apprehensive voice.

“When that day comes it is likely that my usefulness to the Order will decline very sharply.” Harry’s eyes dropped to trace the cracks between the flagstones on the floor, but not before Snape saw the worry that clouded them. In an effort to distract the youth Snape asked, “And how much trouble have you caused this week outside my dungeons?” Harry grinned wryly at him as he looked up. Before Harry could answer, Severus whispered the legilimens spell, thus beginning their practice session.

Severus stalked confidently down the corridor. As he passed near the Charms classroom he saw Draco talking to Pansy. The blonde looked over at him as he passed. Severus cocked an eyebrow in question. Draco gave a small smirk and nodded slightly. Severus’s lips twitched imperceptibly in return and he walked on.

They were lined up outside the potions classroom again. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws mingling together in a large mass of black with only the occasional flash of color from the house badges on the front of their robes. The Slytherins, led by Malfoy, stood behind the other three houses, next to Potter and Granger.

It was an odd arrangement, Snape thought to himself, but it was better than the two lines they had sorted themselves into before. The whole staff were pushing for unity this year, mostly in small, subtle ways, but pushing nonetheless. It was both heartening to see this change and disturbing, since Severus knew that it rested on the false friendship of the two largest threats to that unity.

He only hoped that Albus was right and whatever good was accomplished by all this was not completely overwhelmed by the bad. He waited a few moments more, letting Potter and Malfoy finish their conversation, before calling the class in and ordering them to work.

“Potter,” Draco said in greeting as he approached the Gryffindor wizard.

“Hello, Malfoy,” Harry returned. Hermione nodded to him.

“You know, we just started the new unit on human transfiguration, and I was wondering if you wanted to meet in the library to study with me.”

“It depends on when, really,” Harry said warily after a swift glance at Hermione.

“Perhaps Friday evening?”

“I’ve already made plans for Friday, sorry,” Harry replied, thinking of Ron and Quidditch practice.

“Another time then,” Malfoy said politely.

“Another time,” Harry agreed, turning away as Snape opened the classroom door.

Halloween passed with the customary feast and without major disturbance. A few

students had somehow managed to switch out some of the sweets on the tables with Weasley Wheezes. Consequently a rash of vividly colored hair broke out which competed with the canaries and other transfigurative effects for notice. The Slytherins seemed to be especially afflicted as three fourths of the pranksters in question belonged to the house of the lion. The muggleborn students laughed it off, saying that it was better than any costume, but many other students, and Professor Snape were more put out by the hijinks than was entirely warranted.

A few days later there were still students wandering around with brightly colored hair. All attempts at transfiguring it back to the normal coloring resulted in even more exotic effects, as Pansy Parkinson demonstrated when her hair went from bright red to purple to green with orange polka dots. Draco showed up on the Quidditch Pitch with bright blue hair himself, a fact that Harry would have found far more amusing if his own hair weren’t a deep purple. “I suppose you’re proud of yourself, eh, Potter?” Draco asked, “Getting away with that prank at Halloween?”

“It wasn’t me, Malfoy,” Harry assured him as he gestured at his own plum-colored locks.

The usually-blonde just sneered. “How soon is it supposed to wear off?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” Harry answered. “It wasn’t my prank, and anyway I didn’t know the twins were working on anything to do with hair color.”

“So you think it was Weasley’s sister then?”

“I don’t know,” Harry replied, hesitant to implicate Ginny although he suspected her himself. “It could be anyone really, just because I didn’t know about it doesn’t mean anything.” Draco looked less than satisfied but didn’t comment.

When Harry went to see him the next day, Severus also assumed he was behind the Halloween hair colorings. “Shall I congratulate you, Harry, on a successful prank?” the older wizard asked.

“It wasn’t my prank,” Harry replied.

“No?” Snape looked as though he didn’t believe Harry.

“No. Malfoy thought it was me, too.” Harry commented. “You are, or were, the most likely candidate.”

“Why? There are other people who could have done it.”

“Obviously, but with your connection to the Weasley twins,” Severus shrugged.

“I didn’t know you knew about that,” Harry said in surprise.

“I know about a great many things,” Severus said enigmatically as he began their usual occlumency practice.

On Monday Draco once again approached Harry outside the potions classroom. “Are you free tomorrow?” he asked. He had spent some time considering the previous rejection, and he had concluded that it might be more effective, in the long run, to take up time that Potter did not normally devote to his friends. Then too, however, if Potter were studying in the library with him, there was no way he could change his mind and spend the time with his friends.

“Free for what?” Harry asked turning to look at the Slytherin prefect standing next to him.

Malfoy could see the glimmer of suspicion in the corners of those famous green eyes. “I wondered if you might like to study in the library with me.”

“I’ll probably be studying with Hermione,” Harry replied.

Draco gritted his teeth. There was no way he could make Granger unwelcome without upsetting Potter. “Bring her along,” he said as he forced a smile.

Hermione, who had heard her name mentioned, looked questioningly at the pair, “Bring me along where?” she asked.

“Malfoy’s inviting us to study in the library,” Harry explained.

Hermione examined the pair closely. Harry, no doubt, would insist that Malfoy invite her. She was certain, however, that Draco would rather she was not present. She was also certain that a happier Malfoy would be a Malfoy who was easier to figure out. Therefore she did what any good friend in her position would do; she lied. “Oh, no, I can’t, Harry, I meant to tell you. I promised Lavender I’d help her study charms,” Hermione said smoothly.

“Are you certain?” Draco asked politely.

“Oh yes, I really must, I promised.” Hermione said firmly.

“What about you?” Draco asked, looking at Harry, “Have you made other plans as well?”

“No,” Harry said. “When did you want to meet?”

Although that was the response that he had been hoping for, Draco was still caught off guard when he heard Potter accept his invitation. “Shall we say five o’clock?” he suggested. “At the table by the potted ivy in the potions corner?”

“I’ll be there,” Harry replied with a nod.

“As will I,” Draco said. He nodded sharply to the two Gryffindors before turning back to Crabbe and Goyle.

“When did you promise Lavender you’d help her study?” Harry asked Hermione as they hurried to transfigurations.

“I didn’t, really,” she replied, matching his quiet tone. “I just thought it might be a bit easier for you to get Malfoy to talk if I wasn’t there.”

“You know I would have insisted he invite you?” Harry asked. He didn’t want his friend to feel that he was giving up her company for the Slytherin’s. He needed to make sure she knew that her own company, though trying at times, was truly preferable to him.

“Oh, I know that, Harry,” she reassured him. “It’s just that you might get a bit farther with the ferret if he thinks you are…coming ‘round to his way of thinking.”

“I suppose,” Harry conceded. “Still, if even Ron couldn’t break up the trio I don’t imagine Malfoy can!” Hermione laughed with him as they continued to hurry down the halls.