aaand we're almost to the end of this... journey? thanks for sticking around this long.

What We Take; How We Win
Chapter 10

"What was... Draco, how were they going to get into Hogwarts?" Harry's voice is higher than normal.

But Draco's already running back the way they came, towards the Room of Requirement and the door into the school he practically built for the Death Eaters. He stands shakily around the corner of the hall and watches the masked faces emerge from the magic doors.

"...Draco?" Harry pants behind him.

"I- I told father- the Vanishing Cabinet, Harry, I did this!" Draco's breathing frantically, unable to get the oxygen to his brain. Everything's spinning around him.

Harry wraps his hands around Draco's arms firmly, murmuring, "Listen to me, I need you to stay calm, love. Come on, breathe, it's okay."

Draco tries to take deeper breaths, but he shakes his head, "It's not okay..."

Five Death Eaters are strutting down the corridor now, away from Draco and Harry, silver masks and wands at the ready. A random pillar lies in ruins and Draco recognizes the crazed laugh of Bellatrix acting as ongoing background noise.

"Where are they going... Dumbledore isn't here?" Harry whispers.

Draco shrugs, but he knows. "He has to come back eventually," he sighs.

"Bella, quiet," comes a nasally voice from the other end of the hall.

Of course, all the pieces fit together in Draco's mind, but Harry seems to be struggling with the image of the greasy-haired, hook-nosed man exchanging greetings with the Death Eaters, so Draco whispers, "Snape. He would know where Dumbledore's gone and when he'll be back. He also acts as protection and he knows his way around the school."

"But... Dumbledore trusts him..."

"Harry, I know Severus. He's my Godfather. He may be good for the sake of the people he loves, but his true alliance lies with the Dark Lord. It always has."

Draco regrets speaking up. He can practically feel the Heroism rushing to Harry's brain and has to refrain from putting his face in his hands when the other boy, predictably, yells "STUPEFY!"

One faceless Death Eater crumples to the ground. The other four, and Snape, pivot sharply, wands raised.

"Cru-" says Bellatrix, but Snape puts a hand up and drawls, "Bella, are you blind? Why do you wish to cast an Unforgivable on our Draco?"

Bellatrix throws her arms up, "perhaps it would do him good! Besides, is that not the Potter boy? It seems someone's sparked a romance... Too busy making love to the Chosen One to complete his tasks, me thinks," and she giggles.

Draco stares at her. Harry, on the other hand, tries to disarm her. She blocks his spell and cackles.

"Now, now, children, let us stop this. These are our guests, Harry, it wouldn't harm you to be kind to them," says Snape. Harry starts to make some Heroic response, but Snape ignores him and continues, "and as for you, Draco... It seems we have some catching up to do."

Draco nods. "It does."

"Later, of course. I'm sure you're quite aware of our intentions, so we'll leave you. Potter, we are not interested in fighting you," he says because Harry has just raised his wand, "and will not harm you unless you give us reason to do so."

With that, Snape turns and leads the Death Eaters away. Harry starts to follow them but turns back to Draco who has sunken to the floor and sits with a blank expression.

"Draco! Come on! We have to stop them!"

Draco just looks down at the stone floor. "Why? They're going to kill him either way. If you go, they'll kill you too..."

"I'm not gonna sit here with you while they kill people, Draco!"

And so, pathetically, Draco begins to cry. Again.

"I'm not asking you to."

"Right. Okay. Whatever, Draco. I'm going to try and help Dumbledore. You should go somewhere safer. Like your dormitory."

"I won't," Draco sniffs defiantly.

Harry sighs and takes the few steps to close the distance between the two of them, kneeling down and kissing Draco once, softly.

That's when it occurs to Draco that maybe he can help. Maybe he can undo what he's done. So as Harry runs past the Stupified body on the ground to find the Death Eaters, Draco finds himself getting up and running after him. Because really, this is no time to start valuing his own life.

From then on, everything is chaos.

Harry is yelling for Dumbledore, only to be stopped by a bewildered McGonagall, to whom he attempts to explain the situation. She assures him that it will be okay and begins alerting the teachers.

So it's with an army comprised of Professor McGonagall, three other teachers and two Gryffindor Prefects, who refuse to leave once they overhear the situation, that Harry and Draco finally find and approach the waiting Death Eaters at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"Severus..." McGonagall says, hissing slightly.

Snape grimaces.

And then, conveniently, Dumbledore walks up the steps of the tower.

"My, my, what's going on here?" he says. The Death Eaters look surprised to find him in such good condition, and to find themselves so outnumbered. Still, they attempt to fight their way out of it.

"AVADA KEVADRA!" one yells. Dumbledore reflects the spell with a lazy flick of his wand and the caster collapses. Dumbledore looks sadly at the corpse on the ground, eyes sparkling with something like regret. Draco doesn't know why.

Two more Death Eaters try to kill him and he blocks the spells easily, and after only a few moments the three remaining Death Eaters flee, leaving Snape, Dumbledore, and the army Harry and Draco formed standing atop the Astronomy Tower.

A cool evening breeze sets in. Draco shivers then allows himself a small smile as Harry envelopes him in his warm arms from behind, despite the looks everyone gives them.

"Soon, Severus. But not yet," says Dumbledore, and then he turns and leaves without a word to anyone else. The tower slowly empties out until Draco and Harry are alone, standing confused and tired with their arms around eachother.

"I'm not your damsel in distress, you know," Draco says because it seems appropriate.

Harry smirks. "Oh, really?"

The cool night suffocates their words and leaves them with nothing to say, nothing to do but look out at the sky and trace invisible constellations in eachothers skin.