"You will have a partner to help you travel, Harry." Dumbledore had said. His white beard wiggled like a rippling wave as he turned and waved his hand to motion the person inside. Harry's eyes winded at the sight of bleach blonde hair and deep, never-ending grey eyes. "Draco Malfoy has left the dark side. Narcissa sent him to me and therefore, he will help you complete this mission."
Harry's forest green eyes matched Draco's drowning grey ones with a certain, odd connection as Dumbledore said, "Now, You two…work well together…"
That was yesterday, Harry realized as he walked through the massive crowd. They were in the middle of a Town Square. What town, they weren't sure. All they knew was that they were allowed to use magic, they weren't suppose to talk to anyone unless they said a specific password to them first, and they were to remain out of sight. The place was packed, the old red bricks scrapping under everyone's feet as they were pushed and squeezed along the road. Harry glanced to the boy beside him.
Draco Malfoy… The Slytherin boy that caught his attention the first day of Hogwarts. He was rude, but Harry saw right through him. He was small in strength, large in pride, and competent with his ego. His eyes were tinted dark, as if to block anyone from seeing the real him. His hair was light, bouncing as he walked and loosely falling in his eyes so he could slyly smooth it back. Harry silently admired him. He was surprised at the fact that his enemy was now his helper. He would've instantly assumed that Draco lied, that this was actually a mission to lead Harry right to the Death Eaters, but the fact that Dumbledore had ordered him to go with Harry was enough to make Harry trust him. He didn't want to hate Draco, but he was still a little sore towards him after all his family had put him through.
The crowd was loud, but the boys were silent. They hadn't said a word to each other ever since they left. They had been sent to the middle of some large woods by a spell from Dumbledore himself and they immediately started walking. They silently led the other until they found a road. They stayed hidden in the trees until they hit the town. They had been walking for so long; they left at the break of dawn and now it was late afternoon. Harry's feet were sore and he bet Draco's were, too by the way he had slowed down their pace.
Harry gave him another glance, but when he caught Draco's gaze taking a peek as well, he quickly looked away. He had always felt different towards Draco. He never knew what to call it. Not hate, but not quite admiration either. He wanted to be closer to him; he got that much. He felt himself being drawn closer to the Slytherin boy. He always saw Draco as a scared child trapped in a dark box and Harry was the only one who could release him from it. He wanted to. He wanted to help him so bad, but he didn't understand how. Draco was so thick shelled, so heavily guarded. He never let anyone get personally close, not to mention physically close.
Suddenly Draco's hand snatched Harry's. He stopped dead in his tracks, pulling the brunette to a stop as well. Harry felt his breath choke up in his throat. Draco's long slender fingers were wrapped tight around his palm, squeezing in such a tight grip that he could feel his quickened heart beat throbbing in his fingers. At first Harry was confused, straight up dumbfounded with a blank mind. Draco….was holding his hand? Then he was snapped back to reality.
"Death Eaters," Draco muttered under his breath, loud enough to be heard over the crowd.
Harry flinched. His eyes darted around the crowd intensely until he spotted the dark cloaks among the cheery, happy villagers. His heart jumped harshly in his chest. Immediately Draco jumped to the right, forcing the brunette to follow.
"This way!"
He shoved people out of the way, sliding past the tall adults with ease and pulling Harry behind him. They ran for the line of stores resting on the sides of the road. From wand shops to pet stores, they passed crowded doors until they reached a space in between. A long alleyway appeared and the two boys slipped easily inside it. They slowed their pace, but only by a bit. They sped walk down the dim lighted trail, passing other suspicious looking people.
"Draco, where are we-"
"Shut up." He snapped instantly, wildly turning his head back and forth as he passed other turns and alleys.
"But we're-"
"I said be quiet!"
Before Harry could question again, he heard a distant shout. He whirled his head back only to see a bright flash of blue that blinded him instantly. A tight arm snapped around his neck and shoved him down. He hit the cold, unforgiving cement harshly, bouncing and smacking his head painfully. Draco was on top of him, holding him down. Above his white hair, the lightening bolt of blue power went crackling by them and into the nearest wall. If he were alone, that spell could've killed him.
His head throbbed harshly, heating up as the soreness set in, but he had no time to relax. Draco stumbled to his knees and forced Harry up. "Move!" He ordered and snapped out his wand from his back pocket. Down the alleyway, coming from the crowd of the town square, was a Death Eater. Draco returned the spell as quick as he could, screaming and waving his entire arm into the spell. The Death Eater easily snapped it aside with a flick of his wrist and charged forward.
Harry got to his feet and grabbed his wand. He fixed his tilted glasses and raised his arm to fight back. Yet, Draco shoved him into the nearest wall and did the spell again. He aimed higher and hit the wall specifically above the man in black. The bricks fell upon him, making him jump back, stalling him. Then he dragged Harry around the nearest corner, sprinting as fast as their legs would take them. Once again they were hand-in-hand, dragging the other as they turned around another corner and fell deeper into the maze of back roads. When they got lost in a short alleyway, they stopped for a minute, panting, their minds rushing.
"Where are we?" Harry asked, out of breath.
Draco shook his head. "I don't know…. We should be behind…Cottage Drive… that stupid… spell book store… but…"
He moved forward, pulling Harry behind him and turning left on the four-way section. Instantly, they spotted the following Death Eater, practically face to face. He was fast and casted a spell almost immediately, as if he were standing there waiting for them to peek around the corner. Draco jumped back, shoving Harry behind him, and had enough time to block the bolt of power. Harry felt Draco's body jerk back painfully, ricocheting from the blow and obviously getting hurt from it. Yet, it only made him angrier and the moment it hit him, he jumped forward and snapped the spell back at him. The man was recovering from the spell, off balanced slightly and unfocused. The spell smacked him hard in the chest, knocking him harshly off his feet and into the air. Harry watched him fly, slap onto the brick wall hard enough to bring some bricks down with him, and crash roughly to the floor. He was motionless after that and covered with dust and bricks.
Draco held his wand-clenching hand onto his now sore chest and gripped Harry's hand tighter. "C'mon," he muttered in a tight voice and dragged him back to the square.
It wasn't long until they found the right road. Dumbledore had given them a list of places safe enough and magic-protected for them to stay in that weren't too obvious and good enough for them to sleep easily. The first one was a tiny cottage with an old couple running it. They said the password the moment they saw the boys and led them to their room. The wooden hallways were lit with never-melting candles, giving the long walkways a warm, comforting glow. The rooms weren't bad either, a spacious room big enough for two with two beds, one large closet, a bathroom, and a food cabinet.
Harry relaxed when the old lady shut the door, leaving them to rest since night was falling. Yet, he felt a little uneasy with Draco in the room. He faced the large room, noticing how the modern furniture gave the room an outdoorsy, settling look. Everything seemed hand-made and lovely. Draco had moved to the bed on the right and sat down with a sigh.
"H-How's your chest?" Harry asked shyly. He still wasn't used to having Draco as his partner on this mission.
Draco's dark gray eyes gave him a sharp glance, then looked away tiredly. "Fine. I didn't get hit."
Harry squinted. "Yes, you did. On that last blow-"
"I'm fine." He said, his tone becoming quickly strict.
Stubborn, Harry thought. I should've expected that. "Fine," he muttered back and moved to the bed on the left. He kicked off his shoes as Draco had done and ripped off his sweater. He undid his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. Wait. He stopped. Draco was still there. The only other person he had changed in front of was Ron and that was because he was his best friends; they were practically brothers. Draco was his enemy. So? He told himself casually to try and relax his stiffening nerves. He's just another guy. It's nothing he's never seen before anyway.
He ripped off his shirt, exposing himself and his lean torso. He went to remove his pants when he felt the eyes on him. No way, that was just his imagination. Still he nervously ran his hand across the back of his neck and peeked his eyes back. Draco was staring at him-the dark eyes burning holes in his very skin. Harry flinched, but couldn't turn away from him.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Draco asked the moment he got caught staring.
"N…N-No…" Harry faced him, showing him his unharmed body. "I'm all right…" He nervously pretended to fold his shirt so he didn't look like a fool standing there half-naked.
Draco looked him up and down silently, his eyes crawling over his skin like some fast spreading disease. Then he closed his pale eyes and turned away. "Good." Harry went to turn away again, but was stopped once more. "You shouldn't get completely undressed," Draco told him with a bit of attitude in his voice. "If anything happens in the morning, we might have to leave immediately and I don't think everyone would be happy if you were running through the streets in your underwear."
Harry forced himself to turn away now. He felt his face growing warm with embarrassment and he tossed his shirt irritated to the floor. "Right," he said with tight lips. He flipped up the covers and slipped in quietly, snuggling in tiredly. It felt good to lie down after walking for so long and he felt his nerves slightly loosen up. A nervous thought returned to his mind, however, and he was uneasy again. He already made a fool of himself. Was saying goodnight childish, too? Soon he decided that he was too tired to care and that Draco wasn't the type to tease.
Harry spoke quietly over his shoulder, "G'night."
"Yeah…" He heard from the other bed.
Harry's eyebrows pinched together from confusion and he slipped off his glasses. He placed them on the side table by his bed next to the candle which he blew out with a shaky breath. He felt so… off. Today wasn't his day. He had been sent off in the middle of God-knows-where with his old enemy that he thought, and probably still does, hated him. They were on the run from Death Eaters, trying to get to some place they don't even know about. The list of places they had and spells that were safe to use were all organized specifically, as if they had been put on some game board and Dumbledore knew exactly what was going to happen so he told them the answers so that they would be prepared. Harry didn't understand it. Why him? Why here? Why now? Why Draco?
He was still thinking of Draco when he drifted off to sleep. So when he awoke and the sun was bright in his eyes, he was confused on where he was and what he was doing. He was curled under the silky blankets and his body was heavy, almost numb. He felt like he didn't get any sleep at all even though he got a couple hours. Suddenly something heavy and thick smacked him in the hip, making him jolt and gasp.
"What the…" He snatched his glasses and watched Draco walk by him. "What are you…"
Draco was up and dressed again with his bag slinging off his shoulder. "Get up." He said, obviously irritated by something. "We got to go."
Harry came back to reality by rubbing his face and climbing out of bed. Right, he thought stupidly. We're on the run… Draco's my partner… He cleared his throat and started to put his shirt back on. "Are they here?" He asked, referring to the Death Eaters chasing them.
"No, but they are close."
"How can you tell?"
"I can just feel it. Hurry up!"
Harry finished tying his shoes and followed Draco out of the room, quickly disappearing down the hall and to the front door. "Wait," he said when Draco grabbed the door handle. "Shouldn't we thank them?"
Draco scoffed, almost laughing. "As if."
Right, Harry realized. To Draco, those people were honored for having them as guests. They should by thanking the boys, not the other way around. Harry rolled his eyes, but was instantly blinded by the bright morning light. The brightness caused them to groan and blink, their eyes slowly focusing back on the poor village. The streets were still crowded slightly from the morning rush, but the street in which direction they needed to go was entirely empty. They would stick out and get shot the first moment they were seen. They stood there dumbfounded for a minute on what to do.
Harry sighed. "What do we do?"
"Maybe we can hitch a ride from a market truck."
"They don't leave till noon! We don't have time."
Draco wrapped his arms around the back of his head and groaned. "Son of a-" He kicked a nearby rock and searched around for an answer.
Harry looked, too, and spotted something unusual. A train of kids, young boys, about the age of ten or eleven, was lined up in two rows and were marching like an army. They were wearing uniforms, obviously going to school. An adult led them with his back to the kids, not paying any attention to their shoving and goofing around. Harry quickly reached back and grabbed Draco without looking.
"Give me the map…" He said in a low voice, completely out of it.
"What?" Harry patted his shoulder blindly, until Draco smacked his hand away.
"I said, the map!" He finally turned and snatched Draco's bag, digging into the side pocket until he found the large magical map. He scanned the town, zooming in on the map and searched the tall buildings. "School, school… There. Boarding School for magical young boys…." He glanced up at the marching kids, seeing them still in close range. He glanced frantically back at the map and the kids, noticing how the school was all the way across town… in the direction they needed to go to.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?" Draco asked, but Harry didn't respond.
He whipped out his wand and pointed it to the ground slyly. He muttered a spell that cracked the old red bricks instantly. The crack traveled silently across the road, passed under everyone's feet, skipped the boy's stomps, and finally reached the teacher. A huge crack snapped open out of nowhere, trapping the man's foot the moment he stepped in it. He instantly stopped the boys and struggled, pulling at his foot and trying to yank it out.
"What are you doing-"
Harry grabbed Draco's collar and dragged him away. He shoved him into the nearest alleyway and slammed him against the wall. Draco was an easily irritated boy, but being pushed around by someone like Harry was truly infuriating. "You got some nerve-"
"Shut up." Harry said boldly while putting the map in his own bag. He gave the students one last look around the corner and then waved his wand above their heads. A rainfall of magic came falling gently down, coating them in a glowing ball of power. It tingled their skin, made them tense up, and squint. They couldn't see anything for a minute and all they could feel was the pressure around them. They felt like their cores were being squeezed and constricted down until they were being crumpled down into a ball. A cold wind swirled around them as well, tearing off clothes for merely a second. In a snap it all faded and washed down to the floor like nothing had happened, but something did.
They were shorter, almost half the height they originally were and they looked younger. They looked like they did when they were ten years old, almost like they did the first year they joined Hogwarts. Draco's skin had a bit more color, his eyes still a dark pale, and his hair was a silver tinted color and slicked back smoothly. Harry 's hair was slightly darker, too, and shorter, waving above his ears in an adorable way. His glasses were smaller and his vision seemed worse without them. The two boys gazed at each other in confusion then looked down to their bodies. They were both dressed in those school uniforms, blue shirts and pants with slants of white going across their chests and backs. It almost looked like sailor suits. They looked -and felt- ridiculous.
"What the…" Draco growled to him. "What the bloody hell did you do?"
Harry snatched his hand, surprising him, and started to drag him away again. "No time. Run!"
They charged around the corner and sprinted to the line of kids, quickly blending in with the students. Draco understood the plan when he saw the school kids and stopped complaining. They came to the end of the line right as the teacher got his foot free. He ordered them to stop giggling and that was the only time he turned around. Draco and Harry relaxed and marched with them, heading slowly across town. They glanced nervously through the fading crowd and spotted a Death Eater or two hiding in the shadows. They slipped right by them without receiving a second glance. The group moved to the sidewalk and continued to goof around, laughing and saying insults, shoving and kicking, being young boys. The silence Harry and Draco held was nerve wracking. They were completely in the open, somewhat looking like themselves, and could be killed at any second.
Once, a man in black came from an alleyway. The group walked right by him, giving him glances and making funny faces at the Death Eater. Harry would've called them crazy, but his breath was stolen from him instantly. The man was staring at him, his dark eyes burning holes into the top of Harry's head. Harry quickly shut his eyes, held his breath, and walked forward, passing the man like nothing was wrong. His heart was racing.
Any second now, he thought. Any second he's going to recognize me and shoot me. He's going to kill me right now, right here in the street. Any second now, I'm going to die. Any second-
Draco smacked Harry's arm and made him open his eyes. Draco, looking like a young fool, stuck his tongue out to the Death Eater then faked a laugh to Harry. He was acting like a child because they looked like one. Duh, they needed to blend in. The brunette finally breathed when they passed him, unharmed and unnoticed. He let out a deep breath, panting to breathe and grabbed his tight chest.
"Relax," Draco whispered as they started to cross the street. "They don't recognize us." Harry swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry, and nodded silently. "How long does this spell last?"
"A-A… Uh, about an h-hour…"
"Then we're fine." He smacked Harry's arm again. "Stop being such a pussy, Potter."
Harry scowled. There he goes. Ladies and gentlemen, Draco Malfoy has returned. He straightened his back and looked ahead again, feeling more confident from his anger.
The rest of the walk went smoothly. The kids got rowdier and louder the farther they went and by the time they reached the school at the end of town, they were a bunch of animals. As they started to slow down to go inside, Draco and Harry slyly slipped away, sprinting to the side of the school to hide. As they rested against the wall to catch their breath, they realized that they had out-smarted the Death Eaters.
"Nice thinking, Potter," Draco said in pants. "So you do know how to jump on your toes out of nowhere, huh. Good, that means you have a chance at staying alive."
"Yeah…" Harry panted.
Draco smacked his arm to get his attention and pushed off the wall. "So don't lag behind, okay?" Harry rolled his eyes, but followed. This person could never lighten up, could he?
There was a long trail they had to cross to get to the next town. It wasn't far, but by foot it seemed to take forever to get there. The spell wore off shortly after they left, giving them a tight, stretching feeling with another blinding light. They were silent for the most part, excluding insults when someone tripped or coughed. Harry finally pulled out the map and tracked where they were. He marked the spots mentally of where he saw the last few Death Eaters and wondered if any had followed them.
"Do you think we lost 'em?" He heard himself say. He looked to Draco, surprised that he was speaking so causally to him.
Draco shrugged. "Probably not. We got by them, but once they realize we're no longer hiding, they are gonna jump over here. We probably only got another hour or two so we better find the house and stay there."
Harry nodded. "Yeah… But how long do you think-"
He was interrupted by a noise. One that surprised them both, but quickly showed no threat. It was a slight rumbling noise that made Harry twitch. His stomach was growling. He quickly grabbed it and stopped as Draco did. Well, that was embarrassing. Draco groaned and quickly dug into his bag.
"Here," he said, practically throwing something at him. It was a granola bar. "Eat it. We won't have time to stop for food and once we get into the safe house we won't be able to leave, so eat it now."
Harry felt a little undermined then. He nodded and muttered a, "Thank you," before eating the bar. The taste was odd since it was also a power bar, but he ate it anyway for the energy. The fact that he was hungry and Draco wasn't got Harry thinking. When they were fighting, Draco had stood in front of him. When Harry panicked, Draco took control of the situation. When he was confused, Draco solved the problem for him. Draco seemed more than a bodyguard than a partner. No, Harry thought as he ate. He was just being a tough guy, fighting and staying superior than me. As he pushed the worry aside, he still felt uneasy about it all. Even when he finished the bar, his stomach felt empty and not from food.
They found the town easily, having to pass through a large opened gate with two buff men guarding it. They didn't question them and merely let them pass silently. The moment they walked into the town, two people dressed in long red cloaks started to approach them. Draco snapped his arm out, stopped Harry instantly, and started to pull out his wand.
The men raised their hands defensively. "Auxilium," they said loudly and the boys relaxed. That was the password, a Latin word that meant "help". Draco dropped his arm and put his wand away, letting Harry walk first so he could walk behind him. The men led them to a space between two shops, too skinny to be called an alleyway. There was a large, thick crack in the right wall. They both pulled out their wands and tapped the crack three times. It started to glow and the crack quickly expanded. It formed into the shape of a door and the cement morphed into wood. A frame evolved and the door popped out, the golden door handle last to appear. The men stood on either side and opened the door inward for them.
"Dumbledore assigned this room specifically for you two," the men explained in one voice. "Once it shuts, it won't open until dawn so use your time wisely."
"We know," Draco snapped and shoved Harry inside.
The room was small, damp cement walls with peeling wallpaper. There were two single beds, short enough for children and close enough to be once large bed. There was a door on the right that led to the bathroom and the only light in the room was on the right side of the bed. There were no windows or cupboard like their last room. This one was literally a dump, but clearly protected by the secret opening they had witnessed to get into the room.
Harry watched Draco move to the right side of the bed, drop his bag, and kick off his shoes. He seemed like a robot stuck in a routine. Harry was still nervous and felt like an amateur compared to professional Draco. He slipped off his shoes and dropped his bag as well, sitting down on his creaky bed. He was exhausted as well as confused and took off his shirt without another word. Draco, however, seemed unprepared to go to bed. He was fumbling with something that Harry couldn't see. Then Harry realized it was still early in the afternoon. He had merely forgotten from the lack of daylight. Maybe he shouldn't go to bed.
"Wh-Where do we have to go next?" Harry asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
"A city if I remember clearly." He suddenly snapped, as if he forgot to be mean to him. "You have the map, idiot."
"Right." Harry sighed and pulled it out, spreading it out on the bed. Draco's grey eyes followed Harry's finger as it slid across the paper. "We're here… and the next place has to be in…"
"Middletown," Draco said quietly in a calm tone. "The safe house is called Middletown Inn so that should be obvious enough."
"Found it." Harry tapped the map. "A few miles Northeast from the side of this town." Draco watched Harry rub his eyes silently and put the map away.
They were quiet for a while, sharing granola bars and messing with their clothes and other supplies. Harry slowly searched through his bag since there was nothing else to do. He had the map, the Invisibility Cloak, a pouch of money, the list of spells and safe houses, other minor supplies. Then he came across a folded piece of paper. He lifted it out of the bag and flipped it open to see his friends. Ron had his arm around Harry's shoulder while Hermione jumped in front of them. He remembered the moment. It was the day they graduated from their fourth year at Hogwarts and they were partying in Hagrid's cottage. He smiled at it, missing his friends and hoping they were safe.
Draco noticed Harry's scuffling had stopped and he looked over to see him staring at the picture. The solemn, upset look in his eyes made him seem so lost, so out of place, so guilty. "Where are they?"
Harry was surprised by the question and gave Draco a glance. "Um… At Hogwarts. I asked Dumbledore… to hide them… so they wouldn't get hurt… because of me." He mumbled the last words and shoved the picture away.
Even though he was seen as a cold-hearted and uncaring guy, Draco still understood feelings as much as the next guy. He saw right through Harry and he couldn't just sit there watching him suffer. "They're safe, right?" He scoffed and turned away from the brunette. "Which means you have nothing to worry about. 'You-know-who' won't want them. He's after us so you have nothing to worry about."
Harry stared at Draco as he talked and turned away sadly when he was finished. "Yeah…" He ripped off his glasses and pinched his eyes tight. But it's still all my fault. The reason they have to be locked up is because of me. The reason my parents were killed was because of me. If anything were to happen to them, it would be because of me… and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it!
When Draco looked back, Harry's tiny hand was clenching onto the bed sheets as if his life depended on it. He was trembling slightly with his head hung low and eyes shut tight. Draco ran his fingers through his snow white hair and groaned. "Go to sleep," he said to Harry without looking at him. "We need the rest."
"Yeah." Harry repeated and laid down, suddenly feeling a lot more exhausted. He slid under the covers and set his glasses on the floor by his bag since he had no table. He sunk his head in the pillow, cloaking himself in darkness as fast as possible to fall asleep soon. As much as he wanted to quick thinking and merely sleep, to relax and forget all that was happening, he couldn't. Too many things rushed through his head, like his friends, Dumbledore, the Death Eaters, Draco. Of course it had to be him. Voldemort wanted him dead and he wanted him now. Really, and all he could was run. Run until he was safe and strong enough to fight him. How long would that last? How far would they get? How many people would be killed in the process? Because of him…
Before he knew it, twenty minutes had passed and nothing had changed. There was still the dim light from Draco's bedside candle and he had heard no movement ever since he laid down. Harry slowly rolled over and spotted a blurry Draco leaning against his headboard, one leg bent on the bed and the other planted firmly against the ground, ready to run if he needed to. He was playing with his wand and was glancing back at it and the door.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Harry asked in a hushed voice.
Draco didn't even glance at him. "Why aren't you?" He mocked roughly. "Lay back down."
Harry propped himself up on his elbow, facing him slightly. "You need to rest, too. Plus, you're injured, so you lay down-"
"I said I'm fine. I'll go to sleep when I feel like it. So shut your mouth and go to sleep."
Harry watched his gray eyes give him a sharp glance, then look back to his slick wand. Harry scoffed in exhaustion and irritation and laid back down. "Whatever," he said in a sigh and put his back to him once more.
He relaxed quicker this time, his half naked body sinking into the mattress and his nerves calming down. The blackness surrounded him faster as well, slowly coiling around him like a vile snake. It started at his ankles, taking its sweet time wrapping around his feet until they were tied tight together. Then it crawled up his long legs, then around his hips, wrapped completely around his chest and finally at his neck. It was surprisingly comforting, the darkness. It was warm and smooth like a nice blanket that was slowly pulling him away from reality. It grew closer, wrapped around him tighter, squeezed him harder-too hard. He started to choke. It snapped around his neck like a fierce rope, constricting his throat until no air could pass through. The worst thing was that Harry couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed by the darkness, unable to fight back or even struggle. He felt himself dying, the air being completely forced out of his body, his lungs burning for it back.
Finally his eyes snapped open. He was laying on the ground in some field. His head was turned to the side and he was being choked by someone. Someone with stubby hands, but a strong grip. He couldn't see their face, but he didn't need to to know they were obviously from the Dark Side. His vision started to go disoriented from his lack of air, but he fought it. Somehow he got the strength to stay awake, to stay alive. In the muddy grass, he spotted a dark figure. It was laying on the ground nearby, body sprawled out like a tossed doll of some sort. As his focus grew vague and straight wearily, he recognized the red hair. There was blood on his chest… and he was motionless. Ron was laying dead on the ground. Harry's eyes widened. That's when he spotted other bodies spread out all around him.
Somewhat above his head but still in good view was a small body. Its beautiful, but bloody legs were curved slightly as the person laid on their side completely still. There was a pool of blood under the dark hair and Harry saw Hermione's face in its dark reflection. Behind her was Neville, lying on his stomach, eyes open and blood coming from his mouth. Then there was Luna under him, sprawled out like a strange animal with her white hair stained red from the gash on her head. People everywhere, people he knew, people he loved, they all died because of him. Even Dumbledore and McGonagall were dead, pierced by a vile spell and to never return.
The sight made him give up on fighting. He had caused all of it, all of their pain and suffering. He knew just by looking at their bodies that they were killed by trying to help him. When he was already dying… There was nothing no one could do, nothing he could do. The hands squeezed tighter and Harry felt his heart beat slowly decrease in its numbers. He would stop breathing entirely soon. Then his eyes caught on something he never thought he'd see. Directly parallel to him, lying on his back without a scratch, was Draco. He seemed perfectly fine, but Harry knew he was dead. He was closest to him, eyes closed and utterly still. Harry suddenly felt even more weak. He felt the tears overflow from his eyes and drip down his dirt covered cheeks.
The grass crunched nearby and made his eyes lift up. In the dark sky that was glowing viciously from flames nearby, he saw a thin face. One that was white and pasty with deep, dark eyes that looked right into your soul. He had two slits for a nose and dry lips that spoke harshly and hoarsely. He didn't need to speak because his presence was frightening enough. Harry watched as the man's wand was raised in that awkward lifting motion and slowly pointed at him. Voldemort had killed everyone. He had killed his parents, his friends and now he was going to kill him.
With a shout, he snapped the power straight at him, about to pierce him straight between the eyes, and finally kill him. Harry felt it hit him, the jolt echoing through his body hard enough to make him jerk back. Yet, instead of pain, he felt a sudden rush fly at him. He opened his eyes again and the darkness was around him. Someone was shouting-no, it was hushed, a fierce tone whispering at him, ordering him to do something. Was he dead? No, he felt himself breathing. Hands were on him, holding his shoulders, trying to brace him. Immediately, Harry smacked them away, thinking they were the hands that were trying to choke him. His mind went blank and all he could think of was that he was dying and he was unconsciously fighting it.
The hands slapped at him, making him cease from struggling and grabbed his arms tight to hold them down. "Harry!" He finally heard. He recognized the voice, the strict but settling tone. He opened his eyes wider, but everything was blurry from his loss of sight and the blackness around him. There was a slight ray of moonlight from somewhere that allowed him to see certain things. He saw the person in front of him, tall, lean, and light hair, hair that resembled snow in this pale light. The slender hands snatched him and drew him closer. "Harry, it's me!"
Harry felt something warm and wet hit his face. It surprised him and made him flinch and shake his head, but only more followed. He blinked and felt the warm liquid roll down his cheeks and neck. He was crying, uncontrollably. He hiccupped and sobbed weakly, breaking down before he could control it. He felt himself shaking, trembling hard under the warm hands upon his bare skin. His fingers felt cloth and recognized the Slytherin clothing. He snatched them desperately and dropped his head as he clutched to the boy before him.
"Relax," the soft voice said and pulled him closer. The warm arms slipped around him, the thin lips shushing him as he fell to pieces. "You were screaming. It was just a nightmare. You're all right."
Harry tried to say something-anything, but what could he say? He was frightened out of his mind. He still felt choked from his breathing, he thought all of his friends were dead, and now he was crying in front of his enemy. No, that wasn't right. Draco wasn't his enemy anymore. He was his partner, there to accompany him along the trip so he wasn't alone on this. Out of all the things to protect him from, it was his own mind. Harry felt so weak and then, as he settled down, Draco's grasp didn't seem so distance. He could feel his warmth from his unbuttoned shirt, feel his slight breathing hushing in his ear to calm him down. His hands were even rubbing the back of his shoulder and his side in an attempt to soothe him. His tense muscles relaxed and he gave in to the darkness with ease this time, feeling more powerful and protected.
He allowed Draco to lay him down and cover him back up with his thick cotton blankets. Yet, Harry refused to let go of his shirt. For some reason he didn't want to let go-he couldn't let go. It was as if he released him he would return to the nightmare and officially die. Draco didn't leave. He sat by his side as close as possible and hovered over him. Harry's pants settled down into shaky, uneven breaths that were slowly calming down. His whole body trembled with every breath like he was constantly shivering. He still couldn't see properly, but he could see the tint of moonlight reflecting off his pale eyes, and they were staring at him. Harry's body flinched when he felt the cold hand touch his face. The fingertips grazed his temple, then the rest of the palm cupped his cheek, gently wiping away his tears with his thumb. Harry closed his eyes, accepting the warmth and blackness to surround him. His body felt weak and his soul seemed numb, but all he could think of was Draco. Draco's touch, Draco's voice, Draco's moonlight white hair, Draco's never-ending gray tunnels, Draco's crooked smile, Draco, Draco… The thought of him made him well enough to sleep again. What would come in the morning, he wouldn't know, but he knew Draco would be there and that was good enough for him…
Next chapter, The Death Eaters draw closer to the boys as the boys grow closer to each other. They will have to outrun them again, but how many times can they escape without any cuts or bruises? Plus, when Draco seems to comfort Harry past the line of friends, how will Harry respond? Read to find out.
(That summary was stupid, I know.) Okay so I am going out on a limb here. This is the beginning of a story idea I had. I hope it sounds good. This is only the beginning and in the near future Harry and Draco will grow closer (which includes getting physical cuz I cant write a fanfic without some action hehe!). Please review and tell me if I should continue. X)