A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews and support! Also a big thanks to FanofBellaandEdward for proof-reading this for me!

Chapter Ten:

Turkey and Transfers

Draco couldn't remember the last time he had felt so hollow.

He had spent the majority of the previous evening crying at all the things that could go wrong as they transported Harry to his own private hospital room in a semi-magical facility just north of St. Mungo's. Everything was in place but it didn't make the experience any less daunting. A hand resting on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and his breathing stuttered stiffly in his chest. He turned to see his mother and aunt standing side-by-side, wearing identical expressions of drawn eyes and pursed lips. He let out a soft sigh and returned his gaze to his partner lying in the bed, a blue aura surrounding him as they prepared to move him.

Draco needed to stay close to help stabilize Harry's already weakened magic.

The transfer itself ended up being quick and painless. He merely remembered several long stretches of hallway, his gaze having remained on the floor.

The private building was fairly similar to St. Mungo's only the colour decor was different. The atmosphere was also incredibly different; instead of suffocating and sterile, the air actually smelled sweet and the atmosphere didn't appear tense at all. The room they wheeled Harry into was smaller than the room at St. Mungo's however it was bathed in a soft, summery light and had subtle shades of cream and primrose pink on the walls. It felt a lot startcalmer; it felt like there was some hope after all.

He swallowed thickly as the doctor closed the door once Harry was settled in and picked up the blank clipboard at the end of the bed. Draco busied himself with adjusting Harry's blankets before Dr. Jacob cleared his throat, "Well before the rest of your relatives get here, I'd like to discuss a few things with you in private, Mr. Malfoy."

"Okay," Draco said before drawing his eyes away from the breathing tube threaded down his lover's throat, "What things?"

"Well first I need you to consent to us running some more diagnostic tests and to put a temporary hold on Mr. Potter's chemotherapy," Dr. Jacob stated, "the lack of radiation in his system will help us to establish better results for his next step in recovery."

Draco frowned and tried to piece the information together in his foggy head. It had been a rough couple of days. "How much will that set him back if he still needs the chemo?"

Dr. Jacob inclined his head, "It will set his recovery back at least another month, however as soon as we run these diagnostic tests we shall start him on a low dose of chemotherapy just to help him through until we've learned more."

Draco sighed and felt the uncomfortable tightness grow in his chest again. He didn't want Harry to take longer to recover, if this was indeed the direction his treatment was going to take him, but what else could he do? No one seemed to know his state of health at the moment and if his best hope was Dr. Jacob, then what choice did he have? "I'll consent to it for the sake of the tests. However only until the end of the month. Then he'll get another round of chemotherapy and continue his treatment, are we clear?"

Dr. Jacob nodded before drawing out his wand and murmuring something over the contract. Draco took the clipboard and read through the corrected contract twice, before taking the pen offered to him and writing his signature at the bottom. The doctor have a tight smile before relaxing his shoulders, "I know this is a hard time for you, Mr. Malfoy, but rest assured you're in the best possible hands."

Draco fixed the doctor with a firm stare. "I've been promised happy endings and rainbows for far too long, doctor. Just do everything you can within your power and we'll be on good times."

"I'll do what I can. We'll begin the tests this afternoon and go from there."

Without another word, the doctor left the private room, leaving Draco alone with his comatose lover. Sinking down into the nearby armchair that was incredibly plush and allowed him to sink right down, he finally felt some of the kinks ease out of his tight muscles. He rested his chin in his hand and for a while, he simply sat there staring across the meter distance at Harry's profile.

After a moment's silence he let out a soft sigh, "When did it all get so hard, Harry?" he murmured. "I never thought I'd have to be here, stuck in a hospital and waiting for more tests to be run."

Harry, obviously, didn't reply.

Draco almost smiled at the thought that he would have.

Rubbing at his eyes, he withdrew his wand and cast a soft 'tempus' and suppressed a sigh. It wasn't even midday yet and he was already weary from the transfer. Dr. Jacob had promised along the way that the rest of the family would get in to see Harry later during the day once the initial tests were started. He didn't mind it all, not really. It just left him feeling rather empty. That there probably wasn't enough time for all of the results to come back before Harry tapered away before his very eyes.

He wanted to tear his hair out as he twisted the ring around on his left ring-finger. It wasn't his, it was Harry's. He kept it with him always, just so he could carry some part of his love with him wherever he went. He was growing old as the seconds passed him by, and he loathed that feeling.

They had always promised that they were going to do that together.

~0~

"Okay next time we go somewhere, can we please go somewhere that I'M NOT going to get burnt?!" Draco sneered as he bent over backwards, more or less, to rub a healing salve over his skin to get the rawest of the sunburn.

"Well I keep telling you to remember the lotion but you constantly refuse!" Harry called back through the bathroom door of their hotel suite, "What do you want me to do? Force you?"

Draco dropped his head down and ground his teeth together. There were so many things he could say –or throw –at the raven-haired nitwit outside, but he wasn't about to dignify the idiot's ignorance with a retort. Not yet anyway. He'd prefer to do that when his body wasn't on fire and his skin didn't feel like cracked leather. After another five minutes perched on the toilet seat, Draco felt his skin return to its previous, pearly whiteness and ease before he sighed with relief.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw that Harry had already unpacked their belongings into the chest-of-drawers and wardrobe. Their trunks were neatly stashed off to one side. The tension he'd felt coiled in his stomach unwound a little more as he walked over to one of the twin beds and settled down on the end.

The décor of the room was soft and classic; white walls loomed over them on all four sides, the marble tiled floors were cool underfoot, a welcomed changed from the hot air drifting in through the open windows. The sky beyond the voile curtains was a vivid blue that made him squint and blink to try and let his brain register such a brilliant colour.

A low humming sound caught his attention. It was drifting in on the breeze through the open balcony doors.

Standing up on his legs, Draco slowly moved over to the door and leaned on the frame. Harry was seated at the white iron table and reclining back in the matching chair, a bright blue pillow under his thighs as he looked out over the horizon through his sunglasses. He looked so calm, with his darkening tan, his wind-swept hair and a soft expression on his face. Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the Golden Boy look like that. He hadn't looked that way at all during their time at school. Then again Draco didn't want to see anyone who looked calm when they had the Dark Lord hunting them down year-in and year-out.

"What do you fancy doing tonight?" he finally asked as he settled down in the spare chair, stretching his long, pale legs out into the warm sunshine. The hairs on his legs burned a bright blonde as they gleamed in the light.

Harry wrinkled his nose in thought before shrugging, "We can see what the night life is like. Although I wouldn't mind doing something during the day. I don't really fancy being cooped inside the hotel again."

"This is a nice hotel," Draco protested.

"It is," the brunette conceded, "but there's so much else we can go and explore. Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

Draco rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile. "Well … There is something I've read up about muggles doing. Something they always seem to tend to do if they're rich or on holiday or both. Since we're on holiday at the very least, we could check it out?"

"Okay," Harry twitched a smile, "What is it?"

"Do you think we'd be able to rent a boat or … what do they call it? A yacht for the day?"

To his heartache he watched as Harry's smile dropped off his face. "You see, the thing is … I wouldn't know how much that would cost."

Draco felt his expression grow blank, "So? I thought you said that money was no object? You know my mother will reimburse you for anything too extravagant."

Harry gave a small chuckle, "Yeah I guess she would. Well alright, let me get my laptop set up and we and look-up how much all of this will cost for the day."

Draco rolled his eyes, "That's very nice of you, but there were leaflets about day-trip excursions down in the reception area. It might be less time-consuming to just … go down there."

"Okay give me five minutes."

Within half an hour they had managed to get enough information and a location of where to rent a yacht. It had taken a lot of planning but Harry had insisted that there was no point in them having said yacht for the day unless they were able to make proper use of it. That's how they ended up with the idea of a party. Draco wasn't keen on the idea at all. There was no one he could really invite from his side of life and Harry to admit he felt foolish now that he'd only be inviting his own friends, most of which hated Draco being in his life.

In the end, they decided that it wasn't worth their time and effort in buying return port-keys just for an evening. Instead, they found that they could get a small yatch rented for a much cheaper price. Since neither of them had any professional of basic training, Harry ended up calling and booking the day with a driver for the boat itself.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Draco asked the following day as he frowned heavily up at the sailor who was going to be their guide along the coast.

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned as he adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "All you do is pout, you know that?" he turned to walk over to the edge of the dock where he grasped the driver's hand and hopped over onto the desk of the boat. He turned to watch as Draco did the same, his muscles extremely tense as he stepped down onto the deck beside the brunette. "See, you got onto the boat –that wasn't so bad was it?"

Draco glared down at his companion. Even through the sunglasses Harry could feel the heat of those mercury eyes. "Don't push it, Potter, or I'll throw you overboard."

Harry snickered, "Oh come on, you think that's not going to happen today?"

Draco blinked, taken-aback as they went below deck on the captains orders to put their bags out of the way. "What do you mean?" the blonde asked as he set his bag down, taking care to pocket the sun-cream in the pocket of his blue floral swimming trunks that hung loosely on his hips.

"We're on a boat on the coast of Turkey –I don't know about you but I plan on taking my snorkel and my flippers and doing some underwater sight-seeing."

Draco blanched a little, "Swimming … in the sea? Really? Are you sure it's safe?"

Harry tilted his head to the side, "you don't have to do it if you don't want to. We can just jump in and relax in the water for a little while."

Draco didn't look convinced but he didn't say anything more as he coated himself in a good layer of sun-cream, watching over his shoulder as Harry did the same, before the brunette grabbed his camera from his bag and led the way back up onto the deck. Settling down onto one of the sun-loungers, Draco positioned his glasses on his nose and reclined back in the brilliant sunshine, the fresh, salt air cleansing his lungs and his mind. It shocked him how refreshed he felt. It almost took his breath away.

Harry kept him company for a while before the sun seemed to get too hot for him. However, instead of going into the shade and reading his book, he got up and stretched; Draco had to drop his gaze away as the sun gleamed over those toned muscles from years of playing Quidditch and running for his life. His shadow passed over Draco, momentarily shielding him from the sun, before the sound of something breaking the water caught his attention.

Glancing up Draco noticed that Harry was no longer on the desk.

His heart caught in his throat as he threw his book down and hurried over to the side of the boat and leaning over to look into the sea, just as Harry's head broke the surface for air. His laughter made Draco sneer, "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at you utter prat?"

Harry grinned up at him, "I got hot so I came in here to cool off."

Draco rolled his eyes, "How're you even doing that? Where're your glasses?"

Harry gave him a deadpan look that told him not to be stupid. Draco swallowed his tongue, fully aware of the captain hovering just within earshot. "Get out of there," he finally snapped.

Harry shook his head, "Come in. It's lovely!"

"There is nothing you could say or do that will get me into that filthy toilet with you!" he ground out haughtily before turning his back on the brunette and deciding to retire to his lounger and read a little more. He was really hooked on those stupid muggle books. He was so absorbed by the book that he didn't pay attention to the shadow that felt across him, nor how the air had suddenly cooled down. He did, however, pay attention to the drops of water that fell down onto his bare chest. Glancing up he saw that Harry was leaning over him, looking like a drowned dog and grinning just as wide. "Potter …" he growled out, "Don't you dare."

Apparently Harry was now deaf as well as dumb. The next thing the blonde man knew was that the surprisingly strong brunette had hauled him up off the lounger and had breezed right over to the side of the boat. He barely paused for breath before he leapt off. Draco let out a raw, slightly feminine cry, and swallowed a ton of water as the sea swallowed them up, crashing closed over their heads as they sank under the surface.

Draco forced Harry's arms away before he kicked his legs as hard as he could to get up to the surface for hair. He didn't care that the water was cool and soothing on his skin, cleared his head and soaked through to his very core and cleansing him off the idiotic nonsense that clogged his mind and his system.

"You prick!" he spluttered out as he wiped salt water out of his eyes and cuffed his runny nose, "You stupid utter prick! Why the hell would you do that to me?"

Harry squirted water out of his mouth and shuddered, "You're always so uptight. I thought you could cool down a little."

Draco glared over at him, "And you think dunking me into this cesspit was a great idea?"

"Yes," Harry countered, "Come on just relax a little. Float on your back, you'll enjoy it I promise." Draco huffed and swam back towards the ladder so he could claw his way back up onto the desk. Harry swam over quickly and grasped the blonde's ankle. Draco stopped on the ladder, swallowed his rather salty anger, and glanced down at the brunette bobbing in the bright blue water. "Please?" Harry begged, "I promise you'll enjoy it."

He didn't know what it was inside him that finally gave way a little at Harry's wide green eyes. He loosened his grip on the ladder and let himself slip back down into the cool water, silently relishing in the gentle lapping sensation of the waves on his skin.

They floated that way for about half an hour before Harry opted to grab their snorkels and goggles from the deck. Draco pursed his lips in apprehension as Harry climbed out and padded away out of sight. He didn't have to wait long before Harry reappeared, goggles strapped over his head and two snorkels and another pair of goggles in his hand. He only got halfway down the ladder before he hopped down into the water. Draco closed his eyes as the water splashed over his head.

"Here, strap these on and we can see down to the bottom," Harry gestured, holding the goggles above the water.

Draco took them with a heavy frown, "Won't the water get in my eyes?"

"That's what these are for," Harry explained, "To keep the water out." He drifted a little closer and lowered his voice, "Don't worry I put an extra charm on them for extra protection."

Draco gave a small smile as he fastened the goggles on and mimicked Harry in positioning the snorkel before they sank completely under the surface.

He wouldn't admit it out right, not there and then anyway, but in his memories later sent to his mother, Draco truly did enjoy that afternoon drifting under the surface off the coast of Turkey. The brilliant blue of the water surrounding him was so bright it was still stunning, even in memory-form. They swam through the waves, drifting over the pebbled sea bed and finding small clusters of fish to glisten silver and orange colours in the dappled sunlight filtering through.

By the time they found themselves back on the deck, the sun was hovering like a low, golden ball in the sky and the clouds were now a series of pinks and peach colours. Both of them had a tinge of sunburn –not that they didn't have a salve for that –and as they ate on the deck of the ship, sharing a laugh with their Captain, Draco couldn't help but keep sparing glances over at his dark-haired companion.

Harry looked so calm and happy even though he was far away from his family and friends. Draco couldn't help but wonder if he had anything to do with that happiness, with that radiant smile, with the proximity they were sitting at. Truly, they didn't need to be that close that whenever one of them moved, their knees would brush against one another, droplets of seawater transferring from one body to the next, the sensation so tickling that Draco caught his breath more than once.

He smiled softly as the sun started to set, casting a purplish shadow over the water surrounding them, small twinkling lights popping to life all over the bay. The captain went back to the control room and started to steer them back to shore, a heavy tip already waiting for him in Harry's pocket. He hadn't felt this relaxed in such a long time. As they settled for leaning on the rail, their dry clothes finally put on and a light jacket tossed over both their shoulders, Draco was struck by the sheer simplicity of it all. Harry's dark hair fluttered in the breeze and tickled his nose –not that he minded.

In fact he didn't mind that Harry stepped just a fraction closer in order to steal some of his limited body heat, his back brushing softly against Draco's chest and making his heart thud just a little harder.

He didn't mind it at all.

A/N: I know this is a short chapter considering how long I've been away, but I hope you enjoy it nontheless! X