"Draco."
"…"
"Draco."
Harry turned quickly when Draco refused to respond to his name. The tall blond was hunched over in front of a painting, his loss of posture not the only deviation from the typical Malfoy poise. His pale blond hair was in disarray, his hands lacked any sort of manicure, he was dressed in the clothes of a person one would politely call "down on their luck", and tears slipped down his face. Though the hair, clothes, and nails were all things Harry had gotten used to since he escaped Hogwarts with Draco, the hunch of his shoulders and tears were new.
"Draco?" Harry all but whispered. For the past few weeks on the run in Norway, Harry had thought Draco had been scared, yes, but resilient; now he appeared to be lost and completely hopeless, crumpled in a heap in the middle of a Muggle museum.
"That's how I feel," Draco mumbled. Harry had to bend his head to an inch away from Draco's mouth to even be able to hear him. "This painting, the man, Munch…" Draco dissolved into tears again.
Harry crouched down and wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders. "Everything will work out, baby. We'll find a place to stay and Severus said he would work on getting your parents out."
Draco's shivers continued. Harry turned Draco in his arms and looked directly into his eyes, the usual clarity of the grey blurred by tears.
"You did the right thing. WE did the right thing. I know you, Draco. You wouldn't have been able to kill Dumbledore. Voldemort would have hurt" – Harry stumbled – "you. Now we're going to be able to beat him. We're going to be safe together."
Harry's voice gained further conviction as he continued. "I needed to keep you safe; I wouldn't have been able to fight him if you were in danger. The plan is in place and Severus is still at Hogwarts. We'll be okay."
Draco raised his head and nodded. He leaned in to Harry and brushed his lips softly against Harry's. "Thank you," he whispered and Harry knew he meant more than just the moment.
