Author's Note: This is somewhat of an apology to those who are following my 'Bludger' story – sorry that it's taking so long! I promise that I will get the last chapter up in the next few weeks. Swear it, okay? Enjoy this for now!
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. Sigh.
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"No, don't go!" Draco cried.
The ruddy sleeve of Harry's torn, dirtied coat slipped from Draco's fingers even as he ardently held on to pull him back, although the grip was lost again and again. It was dark. The edge of the forest called out to them ominously; the hour was approaching. Harry was going to give himself up. "Please don't," Draco pleaded again, his voice low and scratchy at the same time.
The air around them was cold, but the orange-red glow of flames just barely licked his view of the treetops. Hogwarts was blazing to the ground. People were fighting valiantly in large numbers. The same numbers were also dying quickly, horrifically.
And now Harry.
"I'm sorry, Draco." Harry turned his face up towards the smoky sky. His hand just barely brushed against Draco's, seemingly in goodbye. "I have to do this."
"No, you don't," Draco snatched Harry's lingering hands. "You don't. We can fight this; the Order has been training, we can beat them!"
"People I know are dying for me," Harry said quietly. "People I don't know. All sorts of people are losing opportunities and families and lovers—for me. I can't let that go on any longer."
You-Know-Who's voice still rang clear in Draco's mind, chilling him to the bone and causing him to shudder. "They're fighting for their freedom," he argued softly.
Harry nodded. "So am I."
He took a step towards the gloomy forest. Draco blocked his way. "Why would you leave us?" he asked. "Why would you leave Granger and Weasley and Gryffindor and Hogwarts to fend for ourselves? We have nothing with you… Without you... we are nothing."
The silence thereafter spoke volumes more than Draco could ever voice himself. Harry couldn't leave. No. Harry couldn't give up. Draco had betrayed his own father for him. He'd stopped calling people the 'm-word' for him. He'd started being kinder to Harry's annoying friends and dorm mates; he'd braved several trips to Hogsmeade and Puddifoot's and Harry's intense fixation on sweets, especially before dinner. Draco had given everything up to Harry, and now Harry was throwing it away. And there was no changing his mind. Because somewhere in the back of Draco's, he knew that it was the right thing. But he just couldn't let himself think that way. Not about Harry. Draco let out a strangled noise and pitched forward, throwing himself in Harry's arms. And despite his cool, upcoming fate, Harry's embrace was still warm. It always was.
"You'll be okay," Harry whispered in his ear. "Ron and Hermione know what to do. You know what to do. I'll be… I mean, just whatever you do, stay alive."
"What if I don't want to?" Draco asked, eyes flooded with spilling wetness. "What if I want to come with you?"
Harry pushed him away slightly. "No." It was firm. Draco gasped a little and sprang back into the warmth. Without argument, Harry tightened his grip. "You'll do everything you can to stay safe; stay alive," he whispered. "For me."
"I don't care about myself," Draco mumbled into the fabric. "I want to go with you. He can take me instead. I don't care."
"No, Draco."
"Harry, it's my life!"
"No, it's ours!"
Draco lowered his head into Harry's chest again, and Harry sighed. "I want you to live a long life. I want you to be happy."
The tears were drying on Draco's face. He sniffled pathetically. Gods, if his father could hear him now. "I won't be happy without you," he insisted.
Harry's smile was sad. "Someday you will. Someday you'll forget about me." He choked slightly; he was putting on a grand show for Draco, but Draco wished that he wouldn't. He wanted to wipe away Harry's tears with his thumb. Harry sighed. "I promise that you will."
Draco began to argue, but he was interrupted by the chime of a distant bell. Time was running out. Harry gently wiggled out of the embrace, sliding his hand into his pocket and pulling out a shiny golden snitch. He closed his eyes and lifted it to his mouth, but not before motioning Draco over with a small jerk of his head. Draco stepped forward and peered at the snitch curiously. "I open at the close," he read, in almost inaudible tones.
"The close," Harry repeated, his eyelashes fluttering. He lifted the snitch up again. Draco tilted his head and leaned forward, his lips brushing the gold game piece just as it met Harry's lips. "Right now."
Harry's eyes flickered open at Draco's movement; the bright green seemed to burn holes through him. Draco's voice was shaky, but firm. "Don't leave me here alone," he whispered, as condensation from his breath dampened the cool surface of the snitch. "Please, Harry."
"I'm sorry," Harry breathed, and suddenly the snitch fell through between their mouths and they crashed together, lips tasting of metal and desperation and defeat. Draco almost cried at the thought of their suspended love being 'the close'. Wetness was leaking from the corners of his eyes again, and he kissed Harry with all that he had because it would be the last time he ever got to. To Draco's discontent, they eventually broke apart. The snitch had fallen open to the ground beneath their feet, split in half and bearing some curious, small object. Harry leaned down and picked it up, inspecting it.
"The Resurrection stone," he uttered.
It existed? Draco's eyes widened as Harry turned it thrice in his palm. Several shadowy figures floated around Harry, including his parents and his parent's friends. Harry took a few steps forward and Draco took a few back, stumbling and tripping to the ground where the leaves were crunchy and unforgiving, reluctant to break his fall. His ankle twisted painfully. Draco cried out in agony. Harry looked back at him, concerned for a moment, but his floating mother touched his arm and Harry was lost to them. Draco could only watch Harry talk to his loved ones. He saw them place hope in Harry's heart. Saw them reassure him that they were there for him every step of the way; it didn't hurt to die. But no! Draco shuddered from the dirt, nursing his bruises. How could they want Harry to do this? If they loved him, wouldn't they want him to remain alive and loved and whole?
Before Draco could protest, Harry had started towards the forest again. With a grunt, Draco launched himself off the ground, despite the pain shooting through his leg, and grabbed Harry's sleeve again.
"Harry!"
The man turned, the figures of his relatives and friends meshed together in a haze of glowing grey, surrounding him. His eyes were glazed and he looked so scarily serene, so at peace. Draco wanted to sob all over again, but he had been crying too much tonight. He just wished that the pain could stop.
"Draco," Harry whispered. Draco slid his grip down Harry's arm until their hands were intertwined tightly.
"Please, please stay with me..." Draco tried to say, but the sounds of You-Know-Who's chilling new warning drowned out his words and turned them into jumble. It was all or nothing now. Everything was lost. Harry's myopic green eyes were impossibly large. He turned again, gently shaking Draco's hand from his. "Maybe in the next life," he said quietly, dodging Draco's desperate attempts to grasp him again... It wasn't too difficult for Harry seeing as Draco was having significant trouble merely standing in place.
"I'm coming with you!" Draco cried, his shriek echoing in the night. It was the kind of noise that if he weren't careful, would quite possibly attract an enemy. But he couldn't mind that anymore. "It doesn't matter if I live with you, or die with you, I don't care. I just want to be with you! Please," he sobbed. His leg was getting worse, he could hardly stand. Harry gazed at it carefully.
"I have to leave without you," he answered.
Draco took a shuddering breath. "You're a masochist, aren't you?" he murmured.
Harry looked broken for a moment, but he quickly regained his bravery act. His loved ones stayed behind him faithfully as he began to walk away again. "I'm so sorry."
Draco was almost incoherent now. "But it isn't only you that loses something in the end, Harry," he whispered. "It's all of us. Granger and Weasley and Longbottom and Hogwarts. Me. We all lose too. Can't you see that? Maybe I'm selfish, but you can't just hurt the ones you care about. Not like this... You just can't."
Harry paused, the glowing grey barrier stopping with him as well. Then he turned his head so slightly that Draco could only make out the bridge of his nose in profile. But Draco could already imagine his expression, and it wasn't one that he saw often. Defeat.
"The ones I care about have to hurt the most," Harry murmured. "Otherwise, I cared about them for nothing."
Draco clutched his chest with his left hand, his wand slipping from his sleeve and falling to the ground next to him as Harry lifted his chin and started into the forest. Draco's injured ankle rendered him unable to follow Harry now, who was quickly engulfed in the dark trees so only the greyish glow was visible. Too late. It was too late.
"Harry... Harry!"
There was no answer, even the glow was vanishing from sight, a faint grey mixed in with the gloomy trees. Draco struggled to stand again, but it was no use. He hung his head and screamed.
"Come back! Harry!" His shouts echoed through the forest, but somehow, he knew that Harry still wouldn't hear him. The panic set over him like a blanket. "Harry, please, I love you... I love you! I never got to tell you, oh gods—please, you have to know, you have to know—"
Draco's nails dug into the fabric of his robes, piercing the skin underneath where his faded scars lay, right upon his heart. Then he fell to his knees, still puncturing his chest with one hand, and sobbed into the palm of his other. He was so tired. He was dead inside.
One hour. Draco had only had one hour to try and save Harry, and he hadn't.
Author's Note: A gloomy little one-shot, isn't it? Don't feel too down, folks, because we all know that Harry makes a showy comeback later on (and if you didn't know that, spoiler alert! What are you doing here?) Anyways, must love the drama. Or hate it. You can feel either way; just make sure to leave a nice little review about it ;)
Until next time! x