The Calm Before the Storm
Draco, not needing recuperation, didn't stay more than a day—he told Harry he felt awkward taking up space and food when Bill and Fleur's hospitality was already so taxed with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and those they'd rescued from the Malfoy dungeon. Before he left, though, he pulled Harry aside.
They hadn't said anything at all to each other at first. Draco stared into Harry's eyes for a moment, then kissed him, as desperately as a man dying of thirst might draw water from a well. There was nothing soft about it, and Harry kissed him back just as hard. There was something he was supposed to say, but Draco's kissing was making it difficult to string two thoughts together. Then, Draco broke the kiss.
"Remember your promise," he said. "We meet in the Forbidden Forest when this is all over."
"That could be years from now," Harry protested.
"Nah," Draco disagreed. 'None of us can take this much longer, on either side. Do us a favour, Harry? Kill him before he can kill you."
'Planning on it," Harry replied. Draco smiled.
"That's my Chosen One. Now, I should go. The Order needs me."
He went out to the front yard. It was only after Harry watched him Disapparate that he remembered what he'd meant to tell Draco. He'd forgotten to tell him he loved him.
He hardly had time to worry about it after they left, though—escaping from Gringott's turned out to be the end of their luck regarding Voldemort's ignorance of their schemes.
"What are we going to do, Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, we probably can't Apparate into Hogwarts," added Ron wisely.
"No," said Harry, making up his mind. "We'll go and talk to Aberforth. Find out what's going on at Hogwarts, if there're any ways to get in."
"All right," said Hermione, looking scared but standing and packing up determinedly, "but we're Apparating under the Invisibility Cloak."
