Trust Built On

"So, in the last week and a half, have I proven that you can trust me?"

Draco, having locked himself and Harry into a room in Slytherin territory, was looking at Harry across from him on another chair. Harry leaned back in the chair slightly, and looked across at his former rival. Draco had kept his mouth shut, though it was looking increasingly hard. He had also, with the rest of Umbridge's prefects, as they were calling them, proven himself to be following the former school rules for prefects. He knew that the current House-appointed prefects had taken the new ones out on rounds to get them up to speed on what their duties were, and they had done them well.

Harry shrugged.

"According to my body language, I do. I hadn't really thought about relaxing in front of you, yet I did. I can also tell that you can keep your mouth shut, because you didn't, even though you asked me at least once if you could tell someone. How about you?"

"Well, you haven't told anyone about the fact that I am wanting to give you Occlumency lessons, or the fact that I am not going to be able to truly be on Voldemort's side because of this. Therefore, you can hold your tongue. As for trusting you with my physical safety, I may not be as trusting as you, but I also don't keep my wand half drawn like Fake Moody did either."

"I would hope you didn't transform me and my brother into animals if we fought either."

Draco shut his eyes briefly, but didn't comment.

"Sorry, Draco. I shouldn't have poked at you like that. I know you don't have to do this, but you're doing it anyway. Thank you."

"I accept your apology. Now, do you know anything about Occlumency at all?"

"No. Until you told me about it, I had no idea it existed. I know I did a brief search of the library, but I may have missed something."

"I wouldn't know. I didn't learn about Occlumency through the library here. My godfather taught me, and he isn't Professor Snape. Professor Snape actually likes me because I'd asked him about potions once when I was a youngster and he became more friendly when I'd meet him. I know he does show more favoritism to us Slytherins, but you're not wrong thinking there is more of a relationship there."

"I know you said that this will bare all our secrets to each other. We've fought ever since we met. Could it be we fight now because we're too alike?"

"Too alike? Potter, you were a Gryffindor, and I was always a Slytherin. I don't know how alike we are."

"Maybe I am just trying my best to keep those I see as my family safe, and they've been in trouble multiple times."

"Maybe I have to teach you to do that in a cunning manner."

Harry grinned.

"What?"

"You, as well as I, see your family as something to be protected."

"And?"

"Some families don't get that."

Draco leaned his forehead against his hand before lifting his head back up.

"Fine, we share some values. Now, can we start?"

Harry straightened back up.

"So what do we do?"

"You are going to look me in the eye and I am going to use Legilimency to enter your brain. I want you to relax and try to clear your mind."

"What is that? Clearing your mind?"

"You've never been taught how to meditate, Harry?"

"No. I have been so bored that I just made up scenarios in my brain and lived in them."

"That's because of your cupboard, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What I want you to do is that, but also try to sort of encompass your all your thoughts with that so that I can't get through."

"Okay."

Harry looked him in the eye and Draco cast Legilimens. Harry had a yard in his head, but then Draco touched the swing and found himself in a memory.

"Now push me out."

Harry tried, but couldn't, though he did manage to move Draco some.

"All right, this is a good start, but this is another muscle that has to be trained. We'll do it again a couple more times, and then I'll tell you some more."

Draco did it a few more times, and by the fourth time, Harry was visibly more tired.

"You need to hide them more, make the yard seem like it is what is really there, and put up some defensive things, like a wall. You need to practice a little every day, and if you do it before bed, it might help you sleep which will help the rest of us sleep."

"I know one reason you volunteered to do this; you want your beauty sleep."

"Of course, what other reason do I need?"

At this, Draco moved his hands through his hair, very reminiscently of Gilderoy Lockart in second year. At Draco's superfluous posturing, Harry started laughing.

"Okay, something that I can tell you about Hermione that you need to know is that she may be very bookish, but she was also put into Gryffindor for a reason."

"I see. It's a good thing we accepted you away from our common room after the first week then."

Harry grinned.

"Oh, we knew it would be hard, so she helped us with some things to use as protection against the worst of it. She's not exactly looked well on a lot of the time because she spouts books a lot."

Draco nodded.

"I see. Will I be having to prove my trustworthiness to the rest of the Trio and friends then?"

"To the ones close to us, yes. The rest have proven multiple times why they are in Gryffindor and not in Hufflepuff."

Draco snorted, "Yeah, they've done that how many years in a row now?"

"Almost every single year," was Harry's dry reply.

.

"Hey, so you've brought your camera?"

"Sure, have."

"I am going to need you to promise not to reveal our developing studio. We use both magical and muggle methods, and they seem to mesh well with pictures. This way we don't have to go search up probably copywritten spells for the actual development of the picture."

"Okay, sounds interesting. Do you use all the washes and dark light, or do you know some spells that short cut any of that?"

"That I'll tell you in the studio."

"Awesome. I promise I won't tell anyone about the studio or your processes unless you say I can, on my word."

"Good."

"Now come on!"

Two teenagers and a preteen walked quickly down the hall until they came to a spot where it was deserted, at which point they ran, until Colin stopped in front of a green door, and opened it. He let them into the dark room, and relocked the door. All three boys waited for a minute for their eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. There, on what once were students' desks, Colin had set up various wash pans and drying spots. The windows were already covered over or darkened, and the only light was from a couple of dimly red glowing spheres on the two desks set close together.

"This is it."

"Nice. I've brought my film."

"Same here."

"My film hasn't been completely used yet."

"Okay, so..."

.

That had been midweek sometime. Now, Dudley had developed, with the Creevey's help, some muggle and some magical pictures. There wasn't much difference between the washes, but the magical ones had spells put onto the paper and films for them to move later. It was awesome to Dudley, to have some proof in his hands that he was magical, he belonged here, and there was something he could do that not many others did. At first it had been to feel a connection to his former world. However, now his connection to his former world showed him he could really belong, as well. Not everything that he had known before were a waste of time, and this skill was something that he could use and be transferred into the wizarding world. There was already a niche he could fit into. That was how Harry found Dudley, sitting on his bed looking at the recently developed pictures.

"Hey, Dudley, are those the ones you've been taking last?"

"Yes."

"Look, there's the park. You have a few of them about the new place. Oh, there's the picture I took of you eating some of Fortescue's different flavour ice creams."

"Here's Hoppy and Dobby harvesting the orchard."

"I remember that. Oh look, here's the last game we had at the Weasley's. Oh, you got a close up of Arthur?"

"He was very interested in how the camera worked. He was the reason we were able to get more of the techie features working here. I'm going to have to send him that one I think."

"He'll really appreciate that."

"Oh, look, there's that one. I'd forgotten about it."

"Same here. I wonder if there's any significance besides a wonky looking family tree?"

"Well, I'd be the wrong person to ask for that one."

"Yeah, we'd probably be best tagging Hermione and Ron and meeting up in the library. I should probably invite Draco too, as I am sure the purebloods probably know way more about this stuff."

"I'd probably ask him for back up when telling Snape he's our uncle."

"Yeah, I think so too."

They continued looking through the pictures. Harry realized there was one picture that Dudley would feel very attached to, the last picture of Piers Polkiss. Harry put it on top of the pile in Dudley's hands.

"While he and I weren't friends, I'm glad you have one last picture to remember him by. I think you should keep it."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know for years you hung out with him, and did stuff together."

"Why would you be counseling me to keep the thing when all he felt for you was disgust?"

"It may seem wrong, but I do feel sad over the move away from your parents, even though they are disgusted with and hated me. They were a constant in my life, I guess, and they raised me. It's not wrong for you to miss someone you'll never see again alive. Something I've got to tell you, you're not necessarily separated from them forever, as I know I will see my parents in the afterlife. I've talked to them once before already, last year, you know. They were really nice, and though I don't really know them, it's nice to know that they are watching me go through all my adventures and cheering me on."

"I can imagine Piers doing something similar. Not that he believed in magic, but encouraging me to find a new friend that I can talk shop with, doing something with my few skills, you know? I am pretty sure that while he might not like that I've gotten closer to you, he would say for me to find someone else to fill in those spots on the team. I think I'm finding them. Dad, well while he would rant about how disgusting magic is..."

"He would appreciate you getting closer to people in high places."

"Yeah."