The Rivalry

They gathered their belongings together, Draco shrinking his, and Potter once again swinging that horrid muggle bag about his shoulder. Walking from the class Draco reflected on his remaining schedule. Lunch, study hall and then a free period which could also be used for study hall. He ought to get an outline ready for their Transfiguration assignment. They had more time to finish work on that than they did their potions assignment which was due in a few days. It would be best, he thought, to know what they were doing for it and then leave it until they were finished with Potter's alternate truth serum, Then they could research until winter break and when they came back they could brainstorm experiments and their final idea. He gave a nod to himself. A fine idea.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes Potter?"

"Do you want to come with me to the Astronomy tower?"

Draco stopped and turned to him, brows raised.

Potter flushed. "To study."

"Thats what they all say you know."

"Do you want to or not Malfoy?"

"Fine. But lets have you get us some food from the kitchens then go directly up."

Potter blinked at him. "The last time I suggested getting snacks from the kitchens you told me it was improper behavior for someone of my status to go there and that you refused to encourage my ridiculous notions."

"Yes, well." He coughed.

"You just want to avoid the hall in case Parvati's poisoned our drinks."

"That did cross my mind."

"Fair point actually." Potter conceded.

Draco smirked, "And you're suggesting a quick get-a-way because you don't want to participate in this farce you've got going with Gryffindor."

"You helped me."

"I aided you in learning the appropriate hexes to ward your trunk against Weasley and his idiotic cohorts because you insist on having your trunk in the dorms with items you retrieve frequently so you can make appearances in the common room that further Granger's delusion that everything is okay. This does not mean I endorse the idea. It's stupid."

"It keeps her off my back a little more, she'd be impossible if she knew I wasn't sleeping there."

"It isn't her concern either way. If she genuinely cared she'd notice you weren't sleeping there and she'd do something about the situation causing you to remove yourself. And anyway I wasn't referring to unnecessary trips to the Gryffindor tower I was talking about your show at dinner last night. Quit trying to avoid the subject. What the bloody hell was going on?"

Potter stiffened violently, eyes hardening, face smoothing over immediately after as if nothing happened. He pulled Draco's arm and took them through a tapestry hiding a doorway to another hall. "This way. Come on." He grinned and sprinted down to the other end.

Draco scowled, fixing his robes, and followed quickly without running. Slytherins did not run through the halls like heathens, they moved with purpose. Potter stopped before a large portrait, did something to it and walked through a door just as Draco arrived. A moment later he popped out with a basket. They made their way to the main stairwell, the only stairwell with staircases from the main floor near the entrance hall to the Astronomy tower. It was dizzying if you looked up too long. The trip up was much less manic with most of the students either eating lunch or outside enjoying the last remnants of non freezing weather before Scotland attempted to kill them off with hypothermia. At the top they passed the balcony over looking the stairwell in favour of passing through the door beside it to the platform Astronomy classes generally took place on. Gray clouds dotted the sky on the horizon, a sign of less than sunny weather to come. They sat before the

railing, brought out their books and their food and it was several hours, a second trip to the kitchens and one duel later that Draco brought it up again.

"Potter."

"Hmm?" The smaller boy murmured absently, finishing an equation.

"What's really happening?"

Potter froze for a moment, placing his parchment in his bag. He chose to look up at the sky rather than at Draco, as if the moon would give him a better answer than the truth.

"Nothing has happened. It's fine." He repeated, finally.

Draco frowned. "Pretending that everything is okay doesn't make it so. Life likes to throw things at us when we're least prepared for them and ignoring what's happened or refusing to deal with it, doesn't change the fact that it's there, hanging over you. Life isn't going to wait for you to do something about it, it'll keep on existing with or without your permission."

Potter winced, then stiffened, then growled to himself, clutching one of his wrists. After a moment, just as before, his face smoothed and his eyes grew hard and he seemed just fine. It irritated him though he wasn't sure why.

"Potter we live in a world that is beyond our control, and our life is in a constant flux of change. So we've got a decision to make...keep trying to control a storm that is not going to go away, or start learning how to live within the rain."

"There's another option you know." Potter whispered.