Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling

The sun beat down across the market stalls and the masses of people bustling about the streets. There was a distinct smell of magic in the air, along with the heavy hotness of the day.

It was very hot, but the crowds were heated for a very different reason.

The prince had disappeared, kidnapped it had seemed.

'I would be worried,' said one old lady to her friend as she picked out a parsnip, 'but it's not very odd, is it? The prince is always off somewhere. I'd be worried if a week went by and he hadn't mysteriously disappeared.'

'I suppose you're right,' her friend said, plucking her son from a fresh brawl that was breaking out nearby, 'but with You-know-who and the war...I'm not sure what to think…'

'The war?' the old lady scoffed, 'Surely you can't believe that nonsense…'

'The prince saw HIM with his own own eyes, Radha!'

'The prince! The prince is a 16 year old boy!'

'He's the heir to the throne! Once he turns 17, he'll be crowned king! Besides, that boy has seen horrors that neither of us can compare, Radha.'

Radha looked skeptical,

'You will see, there is no war, and there is no You-know-who. Why else is the ministry not doing anything? Come, help me carry this.'


'Kidnapped again!' Hermione screeched, 'Honestly that boy has got to be more careful!'

'He'll be fine Hermione,' Ron soothed, putting his hands on Hermione's shoulders, 'He always comes back perfectly fine doesn't he?'

'That's true. Now that I think about it, he is always in a better mood when he comes back. And whoever's kidnapping him always does a clean job of it, no traces of struggle or pain. He even has his wand when he comes back! It's almost as if...as if he wants to be kidnapped.'

'Why would he want to be kidnapped?'

Hermione frowned, staring out from the balcony at the busy streets beyond, and chewing her lip,

'I don't know…'


'Potter.'

Harry opened his eyes and saw blonde hair, grey eyes, and and arrogant smirk.

He grinned,

'Merlin, have I missed you,' he said, taking Draco's hand and letting himself be pulled out of bed.

They flew high above the clouds, seeing glimpses of the glowing city below.

They spiraled around each other on their brooms.

Their laughter was lost in the wind, but Draco could still hear it, still feel it, when he was watching Harry.

He could practically hear Harry's resounding noise of exhilaration, from the jump in his shoulders and excitement in his eyes.

And it was at these moments, of flight through clouds, that Draco fell in love all over again.


Hermione watched as Ron devoured a plate of steaming food.

'How can you eat when you're best friend is missing?'

Ron shrugged, his eyes watering from the spiced vegetable,

'Honestly Hermione, you worry too much. It's like you said, he always turns up perfectly fine.'

'But he never remembers what happened!' Hermione added quietly, 'Or at least, he says he doesn't.'


'They'll find out eventually,' Draco said before Harry could kiss him again.

'You worry too much,' Harry said softly, kissing Draco's stiff jaw. He was on all fours, lying over Draco.

Draco sighed in reluctant satisfaction, closing his eyes, letting Harry continue.

Harry licked Draco's jawline gently with his tongue, and he could feel Draco's jaw relax.

'Merlin,' Draco murmured, 'I love you.'


'You don't want to marry me.'' Ginny said.

'What are you talking about?' Harry asked, ' Of course I want to marry you!'

Ginny didn't look convinced. She crossed her arms.

'You don't Harry. I know you don't.' She sat down next to him, her face softening -though it still held the meaning of business, 'You're in love, aren't you? I can tell, Harry, we're best friends.'

'How can I possibly fall in love? I spend all my time with you and Hermione and Ron and unless you mean one of them -''

'But you don't, do you?' Ginny said, a grin forming on her face, 'You spend a lot of time being kidnapped too.' SHe ignored Harry, who began choking on his pumpkin juice, merely whacking him on the back absentmindedly, 'It was weird, you know, you were never hurt. ANd despite having "forgotten" what happened, you're always generally in a better mood when you get back.'

'Ginny…'

'You don't have to tell me, Harry. But you'd better get your love life sorted. I can only hold off the wedding for so long.'


'I'm disappearing for a bit,' Harry said, rubbing the backs of Draco's hands with his thumbs, 'I can't tell you where I'm going.'

'You'll come back?' Draco whispered.

'I can't promise.' Harry's expression looked pained, and Draco pressed his lips together, pulling the raven haired boy into a hug.

'We'll be together...after the war.'

'What if I -?'

'You'll come back. I promise.'


'It's the minister, he doesn't want to lose his power.'

'Yes, after ignoring You-know-who's return for so long, and then the prince turns out to be right all along?'

'After all, why else would the prince disappear on his birthday -on his coronation?'

'And he's been gone for two weeks! Never disappeared that long before!'

'The ministry will fall without him!'


'Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?'

'I can't -I can't be sure,' said Draco. He swallowed. His throat was dry.

He glanced at Ron and Hermione, who both looked terrified and pathetic.

It was most certainly Potter. His face had been tampered with, but his eyes, his hair, and his everything else. It was everything that Draco knew.

He could see the helplessness in Harry's eyes.

There would be and after-the-war. Draco had said. He had promised, hadn't he?

Draco had promised that Harry would come back.

Draco looked into Harry's eyes, they were filled with immediate determination. It was a silent agreement.

Draco almost smiled.

Harry was not going to break Draco's promise.

Harry would come back.


Harry rolled the wand around in his hand. He'd stolen it from Draco. He regretted it now. Harry had thought it would relieve Draco of all suspicious, but thinking about it now, he didn't like the thought of Draco running around without a wand.

But he couldn't go back…

He sighed, pocketing the wand.

He missed Draco so much.


'You'll stay with me?'

'Until the very end.'

Harry shut his eyes. He tried not think about blonde hair, and grey eyes, and arrogant smirks, for the first time in his life.

He swallowed,

'Stay close to me.'


'Harry Potter is dead.'

Draco swallowed a sob. He saw Harry's lifeless body and bent his head down with a sharp jerk, biting down on his bottom lip.

Whatever Voldemort was saying, he couldn't hear it.

His nails dug into his palms and his hands felt emptier than ever without Harry's in them.

He looked back at Harry's body, his insides twisted into a tight knot, growing tighter as every second passed.

He had promised, hadn't he?

Harry had to come back.


People were packing up and going home.

It was all over.

Harry couldn't believe it.

He saw a blonde head among the crowd. Their eyes locked, an exchange of exhausted smiles.

Harry immediately quickened his pace.

'Harry?' Ron called over the noise, struggling to following among the bustle, 'What's wrong?'

Harry was running now, Hermione and Ron tagging along with confusion.

He practically jumped into Draco's arms.

Draco laughed, sighing into the embrace,

'You came back.'

'You promised I would.'

'When will you learn, Potter, that I'm always right?' Draco smirked.

Harry grinned and kissed Draco.

'What's going on?' Harry heard Ron's voice break with confusion.

'Aren't you marrying Ginny?' Hermione asked.

'He's not,' Ginny appeared smiling widely, 'It's a long story.'

Ron looked at the smiling Ginny, and then at a confused Hermione, and then at the two boys -one of whom was his best friend.

'Now that everything's over, I think we've got all the time in the world.'


'How can Ingram not have a king?'

'It's better now, a democracy. I think the prince did the right thing. Shacklebolt will make a good minister. At least, better than the last.'

'But he's stepping down, just like that?'

'Honestly, Anjali, I think he's had enough trouble for a lifetime.'


'Will you two stop snogging and help me with this?' Ron screeched , balancing cauldrons and potions and books precariously in his hands, 'It's going to be your flat too.'

'Why don't you use magic, Weasley, you are a wizard.' Draco replied wryly. He smirked at Harry, who grinned back, 'Besides, we've got a whole year's snogging to make up for.'

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