I went camping. Had lots of fun. Actually not really, except I met this really cool dude there. We stayed up all hours of the night talking. Yep. Damian's cool. Just in case anyone cared!! (You should)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Just some of the characters and the plot are.

Harry spent several blissful weeks with the Weasleys, thoroughly enjoying living like a wizard, even an underage wizard not allowed to do magic. But just being there, practicing Quidditch every day and getting mail by owl made him feel like he belonged.

Sooner than he would ever have imagined, it was time to go to Diagon Ally and buy supplies for the sixth year. They went by floo powder; Harry was getting more accustomed to hurtling through the chimneys and tunnels and stepping out at the opposite side.

"Diagon Alley" he said very clearly and stepped out happily at the fireplaces reserved specifically for floo-travelers. He joined Fred, George, Arthur, and Ginny who had gone before him. Ron, Hermione, and Molly soon stepped out and they turned to begin their shopping.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry went off together after gathering money to spend on robes, books, etcetera. Not thirty seconds away from the rest of the Weasleys, Harry caught sight of a pale boy flanked by two large boulders of boys. A sneer instantly curled the silver-haired boy in the center.

"Great" Harry muttered under his breath. "Malfoy"

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Draco Malfoy was shopping for school supplies just like half the rest of the school. And could you blame them? It was a perfect day. The sun was out, there was a cool breeze, and it was all around pleasant.

Yes, Draco Malfoy liked pleasant. Most of the time, at least, and there was only one thing that would ruin his day:

"Potter" he spat under his breath to Crabbe and Goyle. The two gits had apparently not even noticed him coming. Worthless lumps of flesh, they were.

There were plentiful reasons for Draco's spite for Harry Potter- the boy- who-lived. He was ignorant, and very rude to Draco. But it went deeper than that.

Draco was not gay. He had had girlfriends before and was very attracted to them. But he liked who he liked. Somehow, his subconscious had decided to develop an unquenchable lust for that despicable black-haired boy. Fortunately, his conscious mind hated Potter enough to well hide any suspicion whatsoever by anyone.

But even now, Draco was terrified that someone would find out, so a confrontation was necessary to refresh that belief.

"Look at what we have here, boys. It's famous Harry Potter. With his friends the Weasel and the mudblood." Crabbe and Goyle laughed and Harry stopped walking.

"Just ignore him," Hermione whispered to Harry, though her teeth were gritted at the 'mudblood' comment. He paid her no heed. He cared not about being called famous, but he wouldn't suffer for his friends to be insulted.

"You watch it, Malfoy" Harry said in a low angry voice. "I don't want to put up with you before school even starts."

"You? Putting up with me?" Draco scoffed. "If you ask me, it's the other way around."

Hermione abandoned all hopes of avoiding a confrontation and said rather bossily, "Well this year we begin human transformations. As soon as I perfect it I shall renew your title as the Amazing Bouncing Ferret." Ron and Harry laughed. Draco rolled his eyes. Being a ferret wasn't one of the proudest moments of his life.

"No, no, Malfoy, seriously," Harry said trying to keep a straight face, but obviously holding back sniggers. "You make a really excellent ferret."

Malfoy took three swift steps forward and was glaring down at Harry less than an inch and a half from his face. He subconsciously registered that Harry smelled very good, but poured all of his attention into his loathe for Potter.

"Well, Potter, I wouldn't get too comfortable with the idea of me as a...ferret." He curled his lip at the word. Then his pleasantly evil disposition returned and he backed off to a comfortable distance.

"Anyway, I've been anxious to see you this year." Malfoy smirked.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I've learned something you've been able to do for some time now, Potter. I can make a patronus."

Harry's eyebrows raised slightly. Patroni were not easy.

"And what's more, two patroni will interact with one another as their owners would." He drew his wand and spoke again with a challenging note in his voice. "Bet mine tears yours apart."

Without hesitation, Harry drew his wand. Draco did the same.

"Expecto Patronus!" Harry shouted, thinking hard about his parents, any memory of them. The mirror, their photographs, and most of all their actual spirits talking to him while he locked wands with Voldemort. Sure enough, the silvery stag erupted from his wand and stood in front of him protectively.

Harry stood back and folded his arms expectantly.

Draco scoffed and held up his wand. "Expecto patronus!" A silvery substance leaked out, but dissipated almost immediately. It took him two more tries but he finally produced a shimmering silver coyote.

Draco smirked and watched as his coyote rotated one ear towards Harry's stag and then turned its head in that direction. Everyone was on edge, Hermione wasn't breathing and Ron was grinding his teeth nervously.

The two animals acknowledged each other with a step in the other's direction. They approached one another cautiously and slowly. To Harry's surprise and Draco's horror, the stag leaned its head down and the coyote tilted its head back and the two touched noses.

Harry instantly felt...something. He wasn't sure what. His hears pounded in his ears and he thought he might fall over, except for the fact that he couldn't move. All he could see were the silvery eyes of his nemesis widening in what must've been the same emotion paralysis as Harry was experiencing.

Draco was horrified. His patronus had apparently just made friends with Harry's, and he had felt it. His patronus dissipated after a few horrific seconds of trying to make it go away and Draco was left with the same feelings toward Harry. Insolent, arrogant, beautiful prat. And Harry, Draco: Insolent arrogant prat. They decided not to acknowledge what had just happened to each other. Not just yet.

Book one, Page 48, line 13. "...The empty grate with shriveled chip bags in it" OXYMORON!!! (It's not empty if it has chip bags in it...)