A/N; Hello! This is a pretty action packed chapter, and I've been cruel about where I left it. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up as an early Christmas present to make it all better... I'd really appreciate any reviews, they are great at getting me writing. Thank you very much to everyone who has read this far and continues to, the support you give is great.

Fe x

Harry checked his watch again. It was nearly time. He felt like pacing, but there was hardly room in the little tower.

"Would you sit? For Merlin's sake Potter, you're making me edgy too." Draco's voice was thin; Harry could tell the blonde felt just as nervous as himself. The plan was happening too fast and it felt like something was about to go terribly wrong. But what choice did they have? If Draco stayed put death would surely find him. At least this way, if they made a break for it, he had a chance of eluding death.

There was a noise on the ladder below. Both boys' eyes snapped to it instantly. When a head of bushy hair appeared through the trap door, they both released a tense breath.

"Viktor is in place, its time. A carriage has just come up from Hogsmeade, I don't think we have much time." Draco gave a stiff nod, barely looking at Hermione. A hand appeared on his arm.

"It's okay to be scared Draco."

"I'm not scared Potter." Draco spat back at him. But he was, he was terrified. The green eyes staring at him seemed to know it, but Harry made no further comment.

"Better get a move on then." Draco nodded again; words were beginning to fail him. Never before had he jumped so blindly into the unknown with all of his faith in other people. Draco picked up his bundle of things and Harry's broom from where it rested and moved to the doorway. It had been two weeks since he left this tiny space and sure the door had been opened but they'd never thought it wise for him to pass though. They didn't know if he could.

Suddenly so much of this plan rested on that one unknown, whether or not Draco would be able to cross the threshold. Setting off an alarm wouldn't really matter – he had no intention of hanging around.

With a deep breath, he crossed the threshold. Instantly a loud warbling shriek filled Draco's head. He clapped his hands to his ears but it did nothing to drown out the noise. A blooming headache was spreading across like a migraine, causing him to lose his balance. A hand caught him. Harry's hand. Why did Harry not his hands clamped to his own ears, why did his face show only worry and not pain?

It occurred to him then that perhaps the noise was only in his head. Even if it was though, it made little difference, the pain was hindering enough. Draco stumbled backwards into the room. As suddenly as the noise had begun it stopped, leaving only a faint ringing in his ears.

"So what the hell do we do now?" Draco growled. He wiped tears away angrily; he didn't know where they'd sprung from. Harry and Hermione exchanged concerned glances. They didn't know either.

"Do you think Dumbledore will have heard that?" Harry asked.

"Not in the same why but I expect he knows. We haven't got time to waste."

"I know that. But how the hell is he supposed to fly a broom when he can barely stand up straight?" Harry's voice was rapidly rising and Draco realised with a start he was panicking. If Harry Potter was panicked he really was screwed. He was starting to feel rather sick. Hermione's brow was furled in a frown. She seemed to be thinking very carefully on what to say next.

"Harry, you could fly the broom, if you get him over the boundaries then Viktor could take him from there. The spell should also ease with distance." She made it very clear she didn't think Harry should fly him all the way to London.

"It's a bloody long way to fly two to a- what was that?" Draco had heard it too. It was the noise of slamming doors and hurried footfalls echoing up the dark tower. Time was definitely up.

Harry grabbed the broom and the front of Draco's jumper. He forcefully pulled them out of the room and manhandled Draco onto the broom, who was now half doubled over in pain. Hermione pushed his meagre belongings into one hand which he gripped blindly as Harry grabbed the other arm to wrap round himself. Harry kicked off hard and they lurched into the air, rocketing away from the tower top as Dumbledore and Kingsley Shacklebolt burst through the trapdoor.

The broom was pitching wildly from the extra weight and Harry fought to keep control. Behind him he could hear Draco's whimpers, it didn't seem to be easing yet. The red light of a stunner flew past, missing Harry by inches. Harry decided to let the broom pitch a little more, making them a harder target to hit.

He didn't know how much further to the boundary, he hoped it wasn't much. How he was going to get a quivering Draco off his broom and onto Krums mid-air without any of them falling to the ground was currently beyond him; he'd worry about it if -when- they got there.

Another stunner, zooming past his ear this time. The next jinx he heard but did not see, but he felt Draco stiffen behind him. At least, Harry thought ruefully, he didn't have to worry about Draco loosing his grip and falling.

Flying though the dark and the cold with a frozen dead weight on his back was probably the hardest flying he'd ever done. The windchill made the frozen air tight in his chest, like sharp icicles were forming there. Adrenaline coursed though his veins, his heart beat like a war drum in his head.

He would not lose, he had promised Draco he would protect him and Harry Potter does not break promises.

A dark figure loomed out of the darkness, and for a fleeting moment Harry feared dementors. He almost zoomed straight past Krum since he'd been travelling so fast.

"Harry? Vat is going on?!"

"The wards," Harry gasped "Its setting off alarms in Draco's head or something. You've got to help me get him onto your broom." Harry risked a glance back down to the castle. It was glowing brightly in the velvet night and seemed rather small from way up here. At least they seemed to be out of firing range now. They had managed to buy themselves a moment of respite, but Harry thought it unlikely to hold.

Viktor seemed to realize that now was not the time to be asking more questions. He pulled his broom up alongside Harry's, hanging slightly further back.

"Harry, put your leg over my broom, to hold ze two together." Harry did as he was bid. He could feel Draco moving weakly behind him, trying to be helpful but not succeeding much. As Harry held the brooms steady, Krum pulled Draco across so that Draco was sat in front of him.

"Thank you, Viktor. I won't forget this. I must get back; I'll try and buy you as much time as possible. You know the address right?"

"I know it, I shall send that hus elf when we arrive."

"Thank you. I'll see you soon Draco, I promise." The blonde warily lifted his head. It was clear his head was still pounding but hopefully it would ease as Hermione said.

"I was counting on it." Draco's smile was weak but genuine. It made Harry forget the biting cold around him, the shitstorm that was waiting on the ground, the reasons why he had to turn back. In that moment it made Harry forget everything but the beautiful, brave man before him.

Krum pulled the broom around and shot of into the darkness. They were gone too quick for Draco to hear Harry's parting words.

"I love you."

.

.

Hermione fiddled nervously with her fingers. She was perched on a rather hard chair in Dumbledore's office under the old man's watchful scrutiny. So far he was yet to say a word, he just stared down that long crooked nose in a way which said only one thing.

I'm disappointed in you.

The plan had gone hideously wrong. It seemed now that Harry was gone too and she was left to this big old castle alone. She should have expected it, prepared for it. Of course Dumbledore wouldn't have been so stupid as to leave an easy way out. They should never have tried such a foolish scheme!

What if one of the boys had been hit by the fierce flurry of spells? Dumbledore and Shacklebolt had been unsure in the darkness – that was why Kingsley was now out combing the grounds. And even if they had escaped, it was over 500 miles to London. One to a broom, that journey would be bad enough, but sharing? They'd be slowed down inexorably. Worse still, if deatheaters got wind of the fact Harry Potter was flying about in the skies of Britain-

"Stop your fretting Miss Granger. What's done is done. What happens from here on out is up to those boys. Now I suggest you explain to me exactly how this dilemma has come about-" Dumbledore was interrupted by two figures bursting through the door. The first was tall and dark, the second windswept and pale.

"Harry!" Hermione leapt from her seat to wrap both arms around Harry in a tight hug. "What happened? Are they alright?!" Harry merely nodded to flopped into Hermione's vacated chair. His exhaustion ran bone deep. The adrenaline was flooding from his system and he'd spent so many nights awake with Draco over the last fortnight it was starting to catch up.

He just wanted to sleep but cold worry still gnawed at him. It would be hours before he knew if they'd make it to Grimmauld Place safely. And first he had to deal with Dumbledore.

"Harry." Dumbledore's voice was carefully balanced but contained a dangerous hint Hermione had never heard before.

"Professor." Silence echoed round the room. Hermione itched to question Harry but knew she was unlikely to get full honest answers here. She glanced at Shaklebolt who was shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. Dumbledore had turned his disapproving stare to Harry, who in turn was staring at the faded rug beneath his feet.

It felt like something was about to crack.

"You may leave." Dumbledore turned away. The simmering anger had faded, he looked like an old man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Harry stood and nodded. Hermione expected more from him. He looked at her and gestured his head towards the door. Together, they left.

"Why did he let you go like that?" Hermione whispered as soon as they were off the staircase.

"Because we have nothing left to say to each other. He's realised he can't trust me, and I can't trust him. Things may be a little strained in Hogwarts over the coming months."

"That'll make little change. It went alright then? Viktor was in the right place?"

"Yep, it went remarkably well all things considered. We managed to get him onto Viktor's broom and then they pelted off, I think you were right about the wards easing with distance." Hermione was about to smile and point out that of course she'd been right when they heard hurried footsteps. Snape's hooked nose rounded the corner, followed by the billowing robes. He stopped short.

"Potter. Draco is not in the castle." It was not phrased as a question.

"No, he is not."

"You got him out? Lucius does not have him?"

"He's out, and headed somewhere safe."

"Good. We can only hope Lucius loves his son enough not to tell the Dark Lord straight away."

"We can hope."

"Good evening, Potter."

"Good evening Professor."

Snape bowed his head and continued past them, quickly going out of sight. Hermione turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"Since when did we trust Snape more than Dumbledore?"

"Since he wanted to protect people important to me."

"You really must love him. I've never seen you so fierce about anything." And no matter how difficult it was for Hermione to reconcile the image of Malfoy calling her mudblood with the Draco Harry loved, she did not regret her actions. They'd done the right thing.

.

.

The headache had steadily eased. By the time they crossed the English border it was little more than a dull throb and other things were starting to take precedent. Such as the cold. He should have been used to it after all those nights in the tower, but he wasn't. He envied Krum's thick gloves and cloak.

The wind whistled past his frozen ears. It was a high pitched whine that threatened to reawaken his headache. Tucked in one pocket was his bundle of things, shrunk down by Krum. Both hands were numb on the broom handle.

It was still night, but the moon was dipping. On the eastern horizon a faint glow was just visible. The wind was really starting to get on his nerves. It seemed to be getting louder and louder.

And with a sinking feeling Draco realised it wasn't wind. It was Harry's sneakoscope, currently miniaturised in his pocket.

"Viktor? I think we have company."