~Nothing Stays The Same~

Draco walked into the Gryffindor common room with an air of importance and a snobby look on his face. He didn’t want people to think that he wanted to be in the enemy house’s community area.

The wizard was here for one reason and one reason only to see Harry Potter. Not because he particularly liked him or anything but because he had done something unforgivable. Something so fucking stupid that even Draco was pissed and he had been hoping Harry would drop dead since they were first years. 

“Potter you get your ass down here right now!”

The entire room turned to look at the young Malfoy. What was he doing in the Gryffindor house and why was he asking for his arch-nemesis? It was not an everyday occurrence…

Draco looked around in anticipation observing the common room. It wasn’t nearly as regal looking as the Slytherin common area that’s for sure. In all reality, the common rooms of every house looked almost identical save for the different crests and colors scheme but Draco’s crushing Slytherin superiority complex would never let him admit that. 

But damn were they really identical… The doors were all made of oak that looked like they could have been cut from the same tree with the way they all seemed interchangeable with one another. The colors all matched perfectly and the door knob was the same pristine gold as all the others. Draco wondered if they actually took the time to make all the doors identical or if they had just been conjured up with some half-done magic or perhaps they were all insanely different from one another and all this was just some charm of allusion to make it seem like the doors were the same.

The statues had a similar appearance as well. Of course, they were all different animals: snake for Slytherin, lion for Gryffindor, badger for Hufflepuff, and eagles for Ravenclaw but they all were the same sleek marble that radiated elegance. 

The only big difference Draco took notice of was the aura of each house. The Slytherin common room always had a dark but chill vibe to it, the same kind of feel the black lake had at night and it smelled like it too but the Slytherin house common room was usually pretty silent aside from the little cliques that had formed over the years a stark contrast to the lakes vibrant social life that it had among the lovers at Hogwarts. The Hufflepuff room was much warmer and definitely had the most friendly and energetic people in it and the room always had a sweet scent to it, usually one of honey and cinnamon.

 Ravenclaw's room always smelled of books and ink probably due to the absolute army of Hogwarts' most dedicated students there but the house was one of joy and laughter when the studying for the day was done! The Gryffindor common room was the one Draco had been in the least for obvious reasons; it was the enemy house and the house of his enemy so very few trips were made there. However, Draco had to admit that the Gryffindor house common room was the most carefree of them all and was never lacking in chaos plus the smell of wood and oak was refreshing it reminded the wizard of the times he spent in the woods behind the Malfoy family manor when he was a kid before life had gotten hard and before he became cold and bitter towards people.

“Hey uh, Draco… I know you hate Harry and all that but uh… now not exactly a good time.” Ron Weasley spoke timidly, peeking his head around the corner of the staircase just enough so Draco could spot his freckled face and ginger hair. 

Draco sneered at Ron in anger “That bloody legilimen thinks he can fuck with my mind and then get the courtesy of not being bothered when he doesn’t want it?!” and with that the whole room paused.

Harry Potter had peered into the mind of Draco Malfoy? There are not many people in the world willing to do that… who would want to? Since the battle of Hogwarts, everyone knew about all the happenings behind the walls of the Malfoy Manor. The dark magic that ran through the family, how Lucius Malfoy had been a loyal Death Eater, and how Draco Malfoy himself had ended up with a Dark Mark of his own that still remains to this day and can sometimes be seen just barely peeking out from under the sleeves of his button ups. 

There was nothing Draco hated more than his Dark Mark, not even Harry. He never wanted it, he never wanted to end up like the rest of his family ever . But he knew too much… and it was his fault. His desire to please his father had overcome his desire to be his own person… 

But that was then and this is now and right now he was pushing past Ron Weasley and heading to the Gryffindor dorms to find Harry. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harmony was by all means a very normal little girl. She had long brunette hair that flowed down her back real nice and the cutest little glasses that her neighbors said made her look like a “real bright young lady” and she, by all means, loved the compliments! She was a very pretty little lady in everyone’s opinion save for her aunt and uncles.

Nothing about her would’ve given it away. She liked pink and purple and loved to play with the Barbies she could borrow from her friends when she could. She was everything the world deemed as feminine and perhaps in another timeline she started that way and stayed that way but unfortunately, Harmony knew all too well that not everything stays the way it started… 

But if Harry’s mom and dad could see him now… well Harry thinks they would be quite proud of the brave man he’s become even if he didn’t start that way!

Hogwarts had actually done an incredible job erasing all traces of “Harmony Potter” from history. A few calls and a couple of flicks of a wand later and “The girl who lived” headlines had all changed to “The boy who lived” and no one questioned a thing. Luckily enough, very few of the students at Hogwarts even knew except for Ron and Hermione. 

Ron had known what Harry looked like when he presented femininely and he was the last person to see it. After Harry confided in him that he would’ve preferred to have short hair Ron had told him that he knew a small spell that he used to give himself a haircut if he ever needed it and that is actually why Harry’s hair was always so messy! The first time Ron did Harry’s hair was the first time Ron had ever performed magic on someone else and messy spells equal messy haircuts but for young Harry, it was one of the first times he ever looked in the window of the Hogwarts Express and saw Harry Potter staring back at him.

Hermione knew because she often accompanied him to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to get changed since he didn’t want to change with the boys in the dorm since he still has some of his female parts and let’s face it Harry doesn’t want all of Gryffindor tower knowing his business, but changing in the girls’ room felt weird and would probably be uncomfy for the girls too. Hermione came with him just to make sure no one bothered him for going into the girl's room alone. 

However, the girls' room wasn’t an option today… You see, the secret to Harry’s flat chest was that it was flat like a guy’s. He hasn’t gotten top surgery yet or anything like that, nothing permanent has been done but as Snape said “Potions aren’t permanent.” Snape was by no means Harry’s friend and they still hated each other but deep down Harry was the only piece of Lilly left and so the professor would set his selfishness aside to help her son feel comfortable in his life. The downside to the potion method was that it wore off after a month, and usually that wasn’t an issue. He and Snape met in the potions rooms after class on the 3rd of every month and it would take effect before the last potion wore off and it was quite literally off his chest until the 3rd of the next month, but unfortunately, Snape was away on some official Hogwarts business so Harry had missed his monthly subscription boyhood. 

So now here he was hiding away in the boys’ dorms trying to find a way to disguise his chest before all of Gryffindor knew that Harry Potter wasn’t always Harry Potter. 

Hermione tossed Harry another sports bra. “Here, put that one on top of the one you already have on and see if that helps.” The witch spoke hurriedly. She was panicking too. The last thing she needed was for Harry to have to deal with all the people who would be there to mercilessly tease and berate him after every class. He already dealt with enough in her opinion way more than any wizard his age ever should and he didn’t need to be bothered just for being himself.

“Potter I swear to Merlin I’ll kill- oh ” and with that sentence, Harry’s whole world stopped. His worst enemy just walked in on him trying to cover up his goddamn C cups, and if there was anyone Harry ever wanted to know about this it was not Draco.

Draco quickly looked away and covered his eyes. “I’m so sorry about that umm… I’ll wait outside.” Ron was visible behind him with a look of sadness on his face. He probably felt like a bloody poor excuse for a friend for letting Draco get past him and see Harry in this state.

Harry threw on the second sports bra and examined himself in the mirror, quickly throwing Draco’s newfound knowledge to the back of his mind. It wasn’t completely flat but it was flat enough that no one would notice it under a baggy shirt so he threw on an old shirt with the name of a British rock band on it. It had been his dads when he was in Hogwarts and it had been the only thing he had left of his father. He always has his scar as a reminder of his mother's love, that she had sacrificed herself to save him but his dad had left nothing but this shirt, and no matter how old or worn it was Harry loved it as much as his dad loved him.

Harry stepped out into the hallway of the Gryffindor boys' dorm and leaned against the wall across from Draco. “Alright, Malfoy… what is it?” Harry said impatiently. He just wanted to head down to the house common room and enjoy time with his friends to take his mind off of the morning's mishaps.

“Did you enjoy it?” The young Malfoy said angrily. Harry was caught off guard at his enemy's tone. Yeah, Draco hated him and his tone was usually one of anger and malice but this sounded different. It sounded hurt and broken like a kicked puppy like a kid who had been promised a new toy only to find out he had been tricked. The Slytherin rarely showed any emotion other than anger and hate and yet Harry could tell something was bubbling under the surface of Draco’s skin, something that put that hurt in his voice.

“I really hope you fucking enjoyed it!” This time something inside Draco Malfoy broke a little, not a lot but just enough to make the wizard do something he never thought he would ever do in front of Harry Potter.

He cried…  

Not because he wanted to cry he just didn’t notice the welling in his eyes until the tears had already started pouring down his cheeks. What was Draco supposed to do now? He was already crying and it’s not like he could just stop on command but he didn’t want to leave out of embarrassment and feel all of the Gryffindor common room’s eyes on him as he bawled his way out the door and to the comfort of Crabbe and Goyle. 

So… Malfoy stood there. Just stood there and sobbed in front of Harry Potter. Definitely not what he intended on happening in this confrontation, but it was too late now. 

Harry watched on in a combination of sadness and confusion. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on or why Draco thought it was his fault but he knew something was up.

“Draco I can tell something is going on but to be honest I have no bloody idea what it is you're on about,” Harry added calmly and maybe a little softer and quieter than usual. It was clear that the blonde was in a state of disarray and needed someone to comfort him. 

The younger wizard put his hand on the older one's shoulder, a peace offering, an olive branch. A little sign that it was ok to talk to him. Draco looked at Harry through teary eyes, he was being so nice to him. Potter could have laughed at him, could've kicked him while he was already down but… he didn't, he just offered a hand to him and yet that meant the world to him.

“Draco, maybe you should come inside the dorms with me for a bit… I don’t want anyone to come up here and see you like this.” Harry said warmly, hoping Draco would accept the invitation. 

Draco examined Harry carefully for a second. He was certain that it had been Harry who had found his way into his memories yet Harry seemed to be entirely clueless, and Draco could usually tell when Harry legitimately had no idea what was going on. It was easy to tell if you knew his words and body language well enough.

When Potter knew something and pretended he didn't, his body language was more confident and his words had additional gusto to make it seem as though he knew the fallacy to be fact. When he honestly didn’t know something he was more nervous and fluttery, because Harry was anxious. Did he do something and he just didn’t know it or had he forgotten something for that person? Harry always assumed the worst in those situations and Draco had learned to recognize that.

Draco knew very little yet so much about Harry Potter all at the same time and he often wondered if his enemy had the same predicament… knowing all yet nothing about the other.

No matter what the answer was Draco was sure of one thing he certainly didn’t know that Harry needed bras and now that he did know he was confused. He wouldn’t treat Harry any differently for it obviously and in Draco’s eyes, he would always see Harry as a guy. He may not be the best, most morally correct wizard on the planet but Harry was who he was and Draco would hate him all the same no matter the gender. It was just new and kinda out of left field but then again he was sure that his breaking down in the middle of the hallway was also out of left field.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next thing either of the boys knew they were in the Gryffindor boys’ dorm talking about their respective issues and giving the other some advice where they could. Draco was more than understanding of Harry’s situation even if he had never experienced it himself, and Draco’s family life was slowly being revealed to Harry through small stories and comments. 

It seemed like Draco’s early life was fun… full of laughter and excitement especially on his mothers end, but just like Harry Draco learned early on that nothing ever stays the same as it started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a relatively eventful night at Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy had thrown a party for his fellow death eaters to boost morale while the Dark Lord was in hiding to gather his strength. As such, the entire manor was destroyed, and in the manor was a 6-year-old Draco tired and in his pajamas themed after some quidditch team he barely knew.

He crept downstairs and through the foyer of the house that seemed to go on forever in his half-asleep child mind. He only wished for a snack from one of the cabinets, just some peanut butter crackers to munch on before drifting back off to sleep for the night.

He slipped into the kitchen where his mother and father were sharing some wine. It was a peaceful domestic moment… for about five seconds.

“Draco why are you out of bed?” Lucius’ voice boomed the way it usually did when Draco had fucked up in some way. “You know better than to be out of bed after 9 pm,”

Young Draco had never experienced what it was like to piss off his dad before this moment… that was the part that made this memory the worst. The way Draco didn’t know what was coming to him he hadn’t built up that guard or that mentality that his dad really could snap at any moment and leave him bloody and bruised without ever feeling guilty about it.

And it’s with that innocence that the small boy opened his mouth. “I’m sorry daddy. I just wanted a snack… I promise I’ll go to bed after!” It was spoken with all the love and respect in the world and was followed by a harsh slap to the face.

Draco sat there stunned for a second before the pain registered and tears started to flow from his eyes. 

That was his second mistake…

“Malfoys don't cry!” Was the scold he got this time and he wasn’t slapped because of it he was punched and that punch was only the first one. There were many punches after that to which Draco hardly remembered nor did he wish to remember them. The rest of the memory was a blur, just a haze of pain and confusion and it stayed blurry until his father decided he had made enough use of his punching bag and went to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Draco looked back up toward Harry after telling him his story he looked almost the exact same as he did when the story had started. His arms were propping him up against one of the dressers and his tee was still shifted slightly to the side but the look on his face had changed from one of warmth and delight to one of… something else. Draco couldn’t recognize this expression… he had never seen it before.

Was it anger? Was Harry angry at him for sharing this… should he have kept quiet about it? He knew Harry didn’t have an amazing life either. What if he had brought up some of Harry’s old memories? God he hoped he hadn’t done that. This was the first person to ever actually listen to him about it rather than shrug him off like Crabbe and Goyle and he had scared him away hadn’t he?

The silence was still present and Draco prepared for the inevitable.

“Draco…I” Harry paused trying to find the right wording for what he was about to say. “I had no idea it was like that… I’m so sorry.” Harry felt bad not only because he hadn’t noticed Draco’s situation across all these years of their bickering  but because now he was in a position to talk him through it and he couldn’t even find the words to express how he felt.

Draco only stared back in silent confusion but only for a second. “It’s okay… there is little that can be done about it now. It’s our seventh year meaning after I graduate I’m free from all of it. No more dark arts, no more death eating, and no more dad.” And for Draco this was something he had been looking forward to for ages, the day he could put everything behind him. Yes, the damage had been done but after Hogwarts it was just that done.

Harry and Draco gazed at each other for a bit, content with the silence that followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At some point during the day Draco made his way back to the Slytherin common room and ended up playing chess with some of his friends. The conversation with Harry remained in the back of his mind though not for any bad reason.

 This day would end up being a turning point for the boys and their relationship with each other. As in the span of a day they had gone from arch-enemies to well not friends but perhaps another term… maybe… acquaintances.