Chapter 11

"So these are the Galapagos Islands?" Draco looked around suspiciously as soon as their feet slammed to the ground and released the Portkey.

"I guess so," Harry nodded, his wand also at the ready. They were at a deserted beach, in the ocean behind them they could see the outlines of several other islands, and inland they could see vast rainforest to the left and steep, dangerous cliffs right ahead of them.

"So what now?"

"I know as much as you do. Nothing," Harry rolled his eyes and sank to the ground as soon as he was sure there was nobody around. No sign of danger.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked him several minutes later.

"Waiting for a rush of inspiration."

"You're kidding! Let's get moving, see if we find any clues or something," Draco said impatiently.

"You wanna search the whole freaking island? You're mental!"

"And you're just gonna sit here until someone comes along and leads the way!" Draco retorted. He definitely hadn't expected Harry to be so ... inactive. "Come on, you're the big hero! You surely didn't win –"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" Harry jumped up. "I've told you a million times, I'm not some big hero who always knows everything and wins by just looking at something! I always had help, and I'm pretty sure nobody's gonna help us here! Nobody even knows –"

Draco cut him off. "Okay, okay. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But we can't just sit here and wait for something to happen, right?"

"Why not? Trouble always seems to find me, so why go looking for it?"

"Harry," the blonde said in an unusual kind, patient voice. "I think we should at least check out the immediate surroundings. See if there's any sign of people, and find a place to stay the night."

"It's 10 am!"

"Yeah, but I don't think we'll just find ... whatever it is we're looking for and be home by sundown. Best be prepared, and find a place to sleep right now, it won't be that easy if it's suddenly dark."

"Okay, okay. Let's take a tour," Harry sighed and stalked off in the direction of the cliffs. Draco frowned, then followed his friend cautiously. He couldn't figure out why Harry seemed so reluctant, so unwilling to start their journey to find the dark object. It should be exciting to start a new adventure, it should give a great feeling to know that you're probably gonna save the world from another Dark Wizard rising and getting immortal. Shouldn't it?

They explored the area around the beach for the next couple of hours, Harry's mood miraculously improving once they were on the move. They soon decided that the cliffs were too steep to climb, only birds nested there. No path to be found anywhere. The rainforest wasn't much different, the plants and trees growing so thick together that they had to make themselves a path. There only was a small path between the cliffs and the forest, leading inward. Where the path opened up onto the beach, there were signs in every language imaginable, warnings and explanations about not disturbing the great turtles when they came onto the beach to lay their eggs once a year.

"I'm pretty sure we're at the right place, at the least," Draco said hopefully. "This is the beach where the turtles come."

"Let's hope they don't come on other beaches too. That we're on the wrong beach," Harry grimaced.

"Great. Keep up the spirit Harry!"

Harry chuckled when he looked at his friend. "Just trying to keep it real. I don't expect to find anything easily."

"Easily? We've been walking around for almost five hours already!"

"Ouch. You didn't get it when I told you we wouldn't see home for several months?" Harry studied the blonde's face.

"I thought you were just being pessimistic."

"I really think this will take at least weeks," Harry shrugged and turned around to walk onto the beach.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna get comfortable and grab some food."

"Brilliant idea. I'm starving. What's for lunch?" Draco jogged after him, plopping down on the warm sand. Harry took off his small backpack that he'd enchanted with Hermione's help and pulled out two large beach towels and a packed lunch. They wolfed down their food and Harry pulled off his shirt and jeans, splaying on the towel on his stomach.

"Cast a protection charm on me, will ya?" he said lazily, closing his eyes.

"You're unbelievable! Sunbathing! We're not on holiday, you know," Draco rolled his eyes, but he cast the charm anyway.

"Got to work on my tan," Harry shot him a cheeky grin. "After all, we told everybody we were going on holiday."

"Again," Draco settled down on his towel comfortably. "Nobody believed it."

"Whatever."

"Whatever," Draco mocked him, earning him a punch on his arm.

"Harry?"

The dark-haired man woke with a start, grabbing around instantly, then looking up at his friend sheepishly.

"Still looking for your glasses every time you wake up?" Draco smirked.

"Old habits die hard. I've only had my eyes done a couple of weeks ago," Harry found his sunglasses and put them on instead. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"I didn't know you were asleep. I though you were still waiting for your rush of inspiration," Draco smirked.

"Oh." Harry took off his sunglasses again, finding it disturbing to have his look obscured now he'd had perfect eyesight since his trip to St. Mungo's. "Why'd you object when I went to get my eyes fixed?"

"I –" Draco stopped.

"You didn't just object, you practically freaked out."

"I did not." Draco knew it sounded childish, but he just couldn't help it.

"Why?" Harry pressed on. "You were the one who gave me the idea in the first place."

"I just had a bad dream about you getting your eyes fixed. That's all."

"Would that be the nightmare you had the night before?" Harry remembered how Draco had woken him up from a nightmare, having just woken up from a nightmare himself.

"Yes."

"Wow. Was it that bad that I had my eyes fixed?" Harry sneered.

"No, that wasn't the bad part. It all started off quite good, actually. But it all turned bad later on," Draco didn't know why he was telling all this, but he couldn't help himself.

"What happened? The good part?"

"I'm not telling you Potter."

Harry didn't respond, but he noticed the way the blonde rolled to his stomach suddenly, as if he had to hide something. A smirk decorated Harry's face when Draco next looked at him.

"I was in the dream and it started off good," Harry shot him a naughty grin. "Wow. I never thought that would happen again. I thought you'd suppressed all that since we became friends."

"Fuck off Potter."

"No," the dark-haired man smiled at him. A victorious smile that Draco wanted to punch off his face. Something in his face must have given him away, because Harry's smile faded and he lay back down on his towel, resting his head in his hand, his look all serious all of a sudden. "Draco –"

"Thanks for coming with me," the blonde cut him off.

"What?"

"To my mother. And to my father. I know the Dementors took a lot out of you, but thanks for the Patronus."

"Oh. Well, we just had to give your father the chance to relax a little, enough to string his sentences together at least."

"I know how hard it was to cast a Patronus with so many of them around," the blonde shivered despite the beaming sun in the sky. "I couldn't do it," he admitted softly.

"Hey, that's nothing to be embarrassed about," Harry put his hand on the blonde's lower arm. Draco merely snorted.

"Thanks for protecting me against your mother," Harry said in turn.

"Hah. You were perfectly capable of handling her yourself."

"Maybe. But you stood up for me anyway," the dark-haired man simply said and smiled at his friend.

"But she was horrible to you. I wish –"

"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured him for the millionth time it seemed. Why was it always Harry who was saying that everything was alright? Why was Draco never the one to speak words of comfort?

"Really," Harry put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, misinterpreting the scowl. "Hey, why're you wearing so much clothes? Aren't you sweltering hot?"

Draco smirked at him, putting on his sunglasses, then sliding them down a little so he could look over them into the green eyes. "I know you're still drooling over me. I just don't want to tempt you by wearing only my boxers."

This didn't get the reaction Draco had expected. Harry didn't blush, or look away embarrassed or anything of that sort. He laughed. Loud and cheery.

"Don't worry about that Draco. I'm perfectly capable of restraining myself. I know rejection when I see it."

For three weeks they searched the cliffs, the beach and the rainforest for any signs of magic. Any miniscule drawing of a rune or anything, anything out of the ordinary. They didn't find a single thing.

"Maybe we should go to another beach. Or even another island. This is no use," Draco said exasperated, sinking down onto a small rock.

"You were the optimistic one, saying we were sure to be on the right beach."

"Well, this is the main beach where the turtles are said to –"

Harry started to ask what was wrong, but when he followed Draco's gaze he had his answer.

It was time.

The turtles had come to the island.

For the first evening the two men didn't return to their camp. They didn't leave their place at the base of the cliffs even to get some food. They watched the turtles intrigued, not speaking for hours until they were sure it was way past midnight. When the last turtle had eventually left, they carefully made their way down to the beach. They avoided the messed up patches of sand, knowing that's where the giant turtles had just laid their eggs. Each nest looked exactly the same, bore the same traces made by the turtle's wing-like legs.

"How do they know where this beach is? How do they get back here every year? How do they get back to their birthplace?"

"They navigate by the moon and the stars," Draco answered when he kneeled down beside one of the nests.

"How do you know?" Harry said surprised. He'd just been wondering out loud, not expecting to get an answer.

"Research," Draco rolled his eyes. "We knew we were going to look for the turtles."

Harry remained silent, kneeling down beside his friend, admiring the way the clumsy animal had managed to lay her eggs, buried deep in the sand. He knew they couldn't be clumsy in the water, but they had looked like it when they were crawling up the beach.

"He who seeks in the water, seeks in the sky. Go where the turtles build their nests in Archipiélago de Colón," Harry quietly recited the runes. He unconsciously looked up at the sky when he said the word, and his eyes fixed on the stars behind the steep cliffs. Then slowly his eyes fixed on the cliffs themselves, a frown growing on his face.

"Only the brave will find the path."

Draco turned to look at him startled. Harry's voice had been flat, as lifeless as he'd sounded only a few times before. "It's on the highest top," Harry extended his arm, his index finger pointing. Only now Draco saw the weird construction of the rock, resembling a turtle's nest.

"That's impossible! Nobody can get up there!" he said astonished.

"That's why only the brave of heart will try it," Harry sneered, a tiny bit of his usual voice coming back through the lifeless tone. Draco let out a string of violent curses. He knew that there was no way he could reach that top. And he knew that Harry wouldn't rest before he'd succeeded. Or died.

"Let's get some sleep, and take a closer look at it tomorrow," Draco said softly, extending his hand to his friend. Harry nodded silently and let himself being pulled up by the blonde, following him to their camp silently. They settled down in their sleeping bags after the usual routine of protective charms. They always kept a respectable distance to eachother, close enough to feel safe, but far enough not to bother the other.

Draco slowly started to understand why Harry hadn't been eager to start their journey here. It wasn't just some fun adventure.

"Harry! Wake up. It's okay, it's just a dream!" Draco grabbed his friend's shoulders firmly, shaking him lightly. Harry woke with a start, a wild look in his eyes.

"It's okay Harry," Draco repeated in a much softer voice. Harry's whole frame relaxed and he flung himself into his friend's arms, uncontrollable sobs escaping his lips.

"Shhhht. It's okay baby," Draco whispered in his hair, rocking him back and forth soothingly. The moment he heard the last word fall from his lips unintentionally, he felt his body start to freeze. He resisted the urge and kept on hugging his friend, comforting him.

"You hadn't had a nightmare since we came here, so you're getting better Harry."

"This was not the old nightmare. A brand new one, and –"

"And what?" Draco pulled back a little to look into the troubled green eyes.

"It was far worse."

"It was just a dream. Just a dream," Draco combed his hand through the messy dark hair. Harry leaned in to the touch, giving his friend a watery smile. Draco found himself enjoying the intimacy. He hadn't been intimate with anybody for such a long time. In fact, not since the last time he'd shared the bed with Harry.

"Stay here. Please," Harry lay back down, pulling him down with him.

"I have to get my sleeping bag first," Draco smiled when Harry tightened his hold on him when he attempted to stand up.

"Oh. Right," he smiled up sheepishly, but he didn't release the pale wrist. Instead he took his wand out from under his pillow and wordlessly cast a charm on his own sleeping bag to enlarge it to twice its normal size. "Now you don't."

Draco hesitated for a moment, but when he looked down in the pleading green eyes, all reasons why this was a bad idea left his mind and he laid down. Harry snuggled up to him, his arm around Draco's waist. "Thank you."

In the morning they both pretended nothing had happened. Draco hadn't said 'baby' and Harry hadn't begged him to hold him close. During breakfast they talked through the options of reaching the top of the highest cliff, a bit more polite and distant than they'd usually be.

"There's no other option. It has to be done from the air," Harry stated after they'd inspected the foot of the cliff once again. "No way anybody can climb that, not even with magic."

Draco looked at him skeptically. "You're gonna ask one of the seagulls to carry us?"

"I mean by broom."

"You're insane! The wind's unpredictable, it will smash us right into the rocks!"

Harry looked at him for a second. "I'm not asking you to come. I will do it."

"No!" Draco called out, a bit louder than he intended. "No. I can't let you go up there alone."

"Of course you can. If I fall, you can slow me down, or conjure a mattress beneath me or something. Or scrape me from the rocks and heal me. After all, you're best at healing spells," Harry said matter-of-factly. Draco opened his mouth to argue, but then a battered owl landed in front of them. They both goggled at it, then Harry quickly bent down and took the piece of parchment from the bird.

"It's a message from Hermione!" he said shocked.

Dear Harry and Draco,

I hope you two are fine when this owl reaches you. You know I didn't believe it when you said you were going on holiday again, especially not after you'd read every book in your library, then visited Hogwarts and Azkaban. Harry, I know you're after something dangerous if you didn't want to tell me and Ron about it. I don't blame you, I want you to know that I understand. But please know that we'll come to your aid if you need us! And Draco, I know that you'd do anything valiant to clear your name, but please, please, don't rush into anything unknown! Even if you won't believe it, I care for your well-being also. I write this letter to warn you that the Death Eaters are on your trail. There are many of them still on the loose, and four of them have been spotted exactly where you vacationed in Spain. I don't believe this to be coincidence. Be careful and watch your back, and use your DA galleon if you need us.

Love, Hermione

"Damned!" Harry swore under his breath. "See the date? She wrote this two weeks ago!"

"At least we destroyed the rock with the runes in the sea," Draco grimaced.

"But if they find out –"

Draco cut him off with a grim look on his face. "I know. If they find out we were at that exact same place for weeks, they're gonna come looking for us."

"Damn! I knew we shouldn't have used our real names!" Harry put the piece of parchment in his pocket and jogged back to their camp, Draco following hot on his heels. He rummaged in his backpack, pulling out random stuff until he found what he was looking for. He shouldered his broom and stalked back to the cliffs.

"You're not really –"

"We can't afford to waste more time bickering about how stupid it is to try and reach the top of the cliff," Harry cut him off. "Look, any clue I find up there, I'll copy it onto a piece of parchment. Just keep on going and finish this if ... if I'm not able to."

"No! No no no!" Draco shook his head. "You're not gonna die, you dickhead! You're the best seeker in the history of ... well you're the best seeker ever. You can handle yourself on a broom, you'll be fine. And I'll stand guard, make sure you won't get hurt."

Harry pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms around the blond so tightly it almost hurt.
"Go!" Draco urged him, knowing he'd break down if they'd stay here much longer. A faint nauseous feeling was already settling in the pit of his stomach. A few days into their stay on this island they'd mounted their brooms in order to try and examine the cliffs higher up, but they'd given up after just a few minutes. The wind was very strong, and highly unpredictable around the stone peaks, catching them unexpectedly. "Good luck."

Harry nodded at him, his jaw set and his green eyes determined. He tried to say something, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. Draco briefly wondered if the dark-haired wizard had been this nervous before his tasks in the Triwizard Tournament.

"I'll watch your back," the blonde tried to smile reassuringly, but he felt his face turn to a grimace instead. Harry swallowed thickly and mounted his broom, kicking off immediately. Draco couldn't help admiring the grace with which Harry always soared on his broomstick. He truly was a natural.

He was almost too scared to watch him soar high into the sky, his clothes whipping around him by the strong ocean wind, but at the same time he couldn't avert his eyes. He kept his wand pointed at his friend the whole time, ready to cast any useful spell if he might fall. Or smash into the cliffs.

His stomach turned when the thought entered his mind and he swallowed back the bile in his throat. He wished it had been the other way around, that he'd been the one risking his life, but he knew that Harry stood a much better chance. He'd have to take the risk at the next stage of their search.

Harry circled the cliffs for an hour, keeping a safe distance at first, but slowly making his circles smaller and smaller. Eventually he seemed to have spotted something, or maybe a safe place to land, and he purposely advanced the sharp grey rock. Draco held his breath, praying that Harry would be alright when he disappeared, obscured by another cliff.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Draco saw Harry soaring towards him at top speed.

"I got it! I got it!" he called out before he'd even landed. Draco grabbed his arm when he skidded to a halt. They were both shaking and they collapsed onto the nearest flat rock.

"Damned! I hope I copied it alright, because I ain't going up there again!"

"Are you okay?" Draco studied him, then gasped when he saw Harry's blood-soaked pants.

"Oh, yeah, skinned my legs pretty bad up there. Cut my hand too. These fucking rocks are sharp!" Harry held out his hand to let his friend clean and heal it. "Thanks. Now what does this mean?" he pushed the crumpled parchment towards the blonde, but he pushed it away.

"Let me have a look at your legs first Harry."

The dark-haired man gave an exasperated sigh. "This is what I risked my life for, you know. Take a look at it!"

Draco looked at the stubborn face and decided the injuries couldn't be that bad if he was still being such a prat. He rolled his eyes and studied the parchment for a couple of minutes.

"Not that hard to translate. Lots of the words are the same as in the first set of runes we found," he eventually said.

The smart and brave parts are played well. Be cunning. Go to the wolf. There you will find your deepest desires uncovered.

If you're worthy, you'll be rewarded. Heed my earlier warnings.

Dreams are not enough. Having the deepest desire to destroy, will destroy your own life."

"Did you say wolf?" Harry said confused. "There are no wolves here!"

"I know," Draco nodded. "Now take off your trousers."

Harry goggled at him, then remembered he'd injured his legs when he saw the red bloodstains. "Can't we get back to the camp first?"

The blonde looked around, then nodded. This wasn't the most comfortable of places. When he followed Harry over the uneven surface of the rocks, he noticed that he limped, his legs obviously injured worse than just some skinned knees. He hurried to get next to his friend and wrapped his arm around his waist. Harry gratefully leaned on him, putting his arm around Draco's shoulders for some extra support. Back at the camp Draco carefully peeled off the other man's trousers and shoes.

"Sprained my ankle when I landed," Harry grimaced when his rapidly swelling ankle was revealed. Draco worked on him for half an hour, cleaning, cooling, carefully applying salve and finally pulling out some potions, without a word making Harry drink them all. When his friend sagged back into a pillow relaxed and drowsy, Draco applied a bandage to the sprained ankle, wrapping it tightly. Harry winced. "Damned. Don't punish me, will you?"

"It's much worse than I thought at first, and you shouldn't have walked on it at all. You have no idea how much this would have hurt if I hadn't given you all these potions," Draco cracked a small smile, seeing his friend slipping into a blissful sleep.

"Thanks. You should be a healer Draco," Harry said slightly slurred before his eyes shut completely.

"Draco!" Harry called out loudly when he woke up alone.

"I'm here!" the blonde appeared on the path that lead from their camp to the beach. "How are you feeling?" he smiled when he sat down.

"Quite good actually. What was in those potions? It feels like I've slept for days!" Harry carefully moved his legs, finding out that everything had been healed, including his ankle.

"It's best to let it heal while you sleep," Draco handed him a steaming mug. "Anyway, I know exactly where we have to go, I just don't know yet how to get there. Couldn't leave you alone, so I haven't been able to test my theories."

"You know where the wolf is? Test your theories? How long have I slept?" Harry goggled at him.

"You were right, there aren't any wolves here. It's Wolf Island that I have to go to, it's a tiny island. Nobody ever sets foot there, it's nearly impossible to reach over the water. I'm guessing there's a ward so you won't be able to fly in, Apparate in or use a Portkey. That would be too easy."

"You have to be cunning," Harry nodded, his mind doing a million miles a minute. "Any ideas on that? You're the Slytherin here."

"I think we've got to follow the path, I bet we'll reach a village of some sorts. Ask around if anybody ever set foot on Wolf Island. Maybe there's some old legends or something that can give us a clue."

"You wanna get help from the Muggles?" Harry quirked one eyebrow. "Seriously, how long have I been asleep? A hundred years?"

"What?" Draco looked at him confused.

"Never mind. Muggle fairy tale. Anyway, I'm gonna get dressed and then we can –"

Harry stopped when Draco laughed. "You're not going anywhere. It's just before sunset," he pointed at the reddening sky. "It's gonna be dark in fifteen minutes. You know how quickly it goes around here. You can wash up and get dressed though, and we'll discuss it all some more during dinner. Whenever your potions wore off, I gave you some food and water, but well... I haven't washed you or anything," Draco looked away awkwardly. "And to answer your question, you've been asleep for two-and-a-half days."

"Damn," Harry muttered under his breath and got up on his slightly shaky legs. "Yeah, I'm gonna wash up first then. I bet I'm quite stinky."

"Don't take too long," Draco called after him when he disappeared to the small freshwater stream that they'd been using to bathe. They'd agreed on the first day that they'd never go anywhere alone after dark though, so Harry knew that he had to hurry.

When he came back, Draco was already waiting for him anxiously halfway down the path. The blonde silently asked him if he was okay, concern obvious in his grey eyes.

"I'm fine. Bit shaky, incredibly hungry," Harry said cheerful. "Go back to the kitchen and brew me something good," he shoved the blonde ahead with a cheeky grin.

Draco jogged back to their camp, he indeed had something simmering for dinner. Harry followed him much more slowly, careful not to put too much strain on his ankle. When he reached their little camp, Draco was sitting on one of the logs with his back to him, seemingly lost in thoughts. Harry kneeled down behind him, wrapping his arms around the blonde and resting his chin on Draco's shoulder.

"Thanks for taking care of me," he whispered softly and planted a kiss on the pale cheek. Draco leaned back in the hug for a few seconds, but then he got up and busied himself with stirring the soup.

"You're welcome."

Harry frowned when he watched Draco in the light of the small fire. They'd put it out as soon as dinner was ready, to avoid catching the attention. Harry scooted a bit closer to the warmth and to his friend.

"Draco? Have you washed up at all during these two-and-a-half days?"

"Uhm. No. Couldn't leave you, could I?"

Harry chuckled. He was used to seeing a perfectly clean Malfoy in crisp clothes, but now the blonde was quite resembling what Harry had looked like just before his bath.

"Don't laugh!" Draco scolded. "It's quite disgusting to be this – dirty."

"Cleaning spells can only do so much, eh?"

Draco rolled his eyes in response when he handed his friend a bowl of soup and some crackers.

Harry yawned widely when they'd finished eating. "After-dinner-dip," he gave another huge yawn when the blonde grinned at him. "Why don't you wash up, meanwhile I'll take a nap and after that we can discuss the plans."

"I can't go to the stream in the dark."

"You can wash up over there," Harry pointed at the far end of their camp. "You might wanna use warm water though, you'd freeze to death otherwise."

They'd grown accustomed to the huge temperature drop just after sunset, usually they just curled up in their sleeping bags after dinner to chat and tell eachother stories until they were tired enough to go to sleep.

Draco deliberated for a few seconds if he'd wash up in full sight of his friend, or stay this dirty and smelly. When Harry curled up in his sleeping bag, apparently drifting off to sleep already, he quickly made up his mind. He stalked off, spelling the water warm and shrugged off his clothes, his back turned to his sleeping friend. That's why he didn't notice when Harry's eyes fluttered open and he raised himself onto his elbow.

The dark-haired man had woken up because he wanted to say something to Draco, but the thought left his mind immediately when he caught sight of him. He looked perfect as ever. His pale skin glimmered in the moonlight, even more so with the droplets of water running down his shoulders, arms and back.

Harry felt extremely guilty for staring at his friend like this, but at the same time he couldn't tear his eyes away. He couldn't help it when his eyes wandered even lower, to where his back curved into the gorgeous ass, to his long slender legs where he knew some of the blonde's most sensitive spots were located. Where his ass-cheeks curved into his legs, the inside of his thighs, the backside of his knees.

Harry shivered with excitement when he saw the muscles under the perfect skin move, and more water shimmered over his body. Draco's movements were slow and sure, he was obviously enjoying the ritual. When he'd rinsed out his hair, he shook his head from side to side violently, little droplets of water shooting off in every direction. Harry suppressed a laugh when he saw the boyish movement, and he finally came out of his trance-like state enough to avert his eyes. He rolled to his other side so that he couldn't see the blonde anymore, as not to tempt himself more. He knew that Draco wouldn't like it if he knew that Harry was watching him.

Right?

Harry himself wouldn't like it if ... no, that was not true. Harry would like it if Draco drooled over him like that.

Harry let out a deep sigh when he realized that Draco would never do that. He'd made it so clear that they were just friends every time Harry had mentioned it, or tried to make clear that he was still interested in the blonde for more than plain friendship.