I'm back! I'm so sorry for the ridiculous delay. Between poor health, high stress and a career change, I've had my hands full. This chapter is short, but I'm pushing us toward more action. Big stuff lies ahead. Thank you so much for your patience and all the kind reviews. Yes, I am feeling better at this time and eager to write.
As the winter holidays passed, they were no closer to discovering who the assassin was. The older Wolves patrolled the hallways and listened for any whisper of information, but hadn't had any luck.
Draco left their group frequently to pursue his own private training. He seemed reluctant to share what he was working on, but Harry didn't mind. As long as Draco was safe, he was welcome to work on whatever suited him.
Harry had taken to learning some complicated spells with Dumbledore. The headmaster had created an impressive number of spells and had kindly taken the time to write notes for Harry. This was in addition to going over memories of Tom Riddle that Dumbledore had collected. Harry eagerly took in all the information he could.
Hermione, Ron and Blaise were likewise occupied. A good bit of time was spent in the library with a variety of texts that weren't needed for their classes. Even Ron had grown more studious and somber, a thoughtful frown resting on his face as he read. Greg and Vincent were less studious, but they did frequently disappear to practice. They had become quite good with wards and didn't wish to hinder their friends if they found themselves pulled into a battle.
Harry's popularity continued, drawing flirtation from members of all four houses. Romilda Vane was the most outspoken of the female admirers, while a boy named Peter Jenson in Gryffindor held that title for male admirers. Truthfully, there weren't all that many people actively flirting with Harry. But, it was far too many for Draco's peace of mind.
Of course, Draco had his own admirers. Unlike Harry's, they all seemed to be female. Draco was horrified by the idea of one of them cornering him in a dark hallway. He didn't want to get mauled by some girl.
"They're people, not bears, Draco," Blaise chided one evening as the walked to the Great Hall for dinner. They'd been finishing up their arithmancy homework while Harry was busy trying to suck up to Professor Slughorn.
"All girls," Draco grumbled quietly. "Harry at least had some decent looking blokes flirting their arses off."
Blaise looked away to hide a smirk. That had been his doing. The original plan was to persuade a few people, male and female, to flirt with Harry. It had been rather easy since Harry was fairly well liked. Those few had inspired more people to approach Harry without Blaise's interference. Then Blaise had encouraged interest in Draco while strongly indicating that Draco was unquestionably straight as an arrow. It had been difficult to keep a straight face (pun intended), but he managed. Blaise wanted to feel bad about making Draco feel so irritable and jealous, but it was all too funny to watch.
"There's going to be so many people sending cards, flowers and chocolates to Harry," Draco groaned, irritably ignoring a wave from Ron at the Gryffindor table.
"Ah, Valentine's Day," Blaise sighed dramatically. "Cupid's arrow strikes at the heart and sends us all careening toward a destiny full of paper hearts and chocolate kisses."
Draco gave him an unimpressed look. "I hate you," Draco said flatly.
Blaise just snorted inelegantly and shoved Draco into a seat at the Slytherin table. Draco glared at him but didn't bother complaining anymore since they were getting curious looks from the other students.
Harry entered the Great Hall several minutes later looking tired but happy. He received several cheerful greetings and a few blushing waves that made Draco want to throw something.
Harry sat down next to Draco, leaving a reasonable amount of space between them. He smiled at his friends, apparently oblivious to the fact that Draco was thinking less than charitable thoughts about Harry's admirers.
"You look rather pleased with yourself," Blaise commented quietly.
"I am," Harry agreed with a smile. He leaned close and lowered his voice. "Professor Slughorn gave me the memory I needed."
"That's brilliant!" Blaise enthused. "How did you do it?"
"Guilt mostly," Harry admitted. "He was fond of my mother... So I might have leaned pretty heavily on that fact."
"Very clever," Draco praised, forgetting his jealousy for the moment. "Slughorn can be a bit self-absorbed, but he's also sentimental."
"I feel a bit badly about it," Harry muttered uncomfortably. "He looked so guilty and sad. But, I suppose it can't be helped. I'm taking the memory to the headmaster's office after dinner so we can look at it. I can't imagine why it would be so important, but I guess I'll find out."
Draco nodded, content to occupy himself with reading that evening. He had a lot of preparation ahead of him if he was going to be prepared to leave school. Draco doubted that they'd all be able to remain at Hogwarts for their seventh year. His father had helpfully hinted that Voldemort planned to close in on the Ministry and seize control. Hermione would no longer be safe at the school. Harry wouldn't be safe at the school. Nobody would be safe.
After an uneventful meal, Draco wrote out a few brief letters while Harry met with Dumbledore. Once those were sent off by owl, Draco returned to the Slytherin dorms to practice some wandless spells. The spells weren't especially complicated, but Draco intended make his spells as fluid and efficient as possible. He needed to be fast and silent. He couldn't be certain of what dangers they'd encounter outside of Hogwarts.
Harry returned to the dorm just before curfew, his brow creased with a pensive frown. He crossed the room to sprawl gracelessly on Draco's bed with a sigh. He lifted his head a bit to look around at Draco and their dorm mates. "There are seven horcruxes," he announced, his voice tense.
"Seven," Draco echoed incredulously. "That sick bastard. Is even human any more?"
"Probably not," Blaise responded, shuddering with revulsion. He thought for a moment, considering the new information. "At least two of them have already been destroyed."
"The diary and the ring," Vincent muttered, leaning against the headboard of his own bed. "How will we know what the others are?"
"Dumbledore thinks that they'll be items that were significant for the Hogwarts founders," Harry explained. "The ring originally belonged to Salazar Slytherin. We saw memories of Tom Riddle searching for some sort of goblet that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. That's probably one of the items."
Draco nodded curling up against Harry's side. He lifted one hand to stroke Harry's messy hair, a smile pulling at his lips when Harry hummed and relaxed against him. "We'll look into artifacts belonging to the founders," Draco said lightly. "I'll ask my father about possible locations. Perhaps he'll know where Voldemort stores important items."
"Can't hurt to ask," Harry murmured, shifting to nuzzle against Draco's palm. He opened his eyes to gaze fondly at his boyfriend. "I'm sorry I have to leave you so often," he said softly.
"It's alright," Draco responded, moving to press his lips to Harry's briefly. "You and Dumbledore have a lot to do. We all have a lot to do," he added, glancing at their friends meaningfully.
Harry sighed quietly, turning onto his side to pull Draco in close. Peering into and analyzing the memories of others was a little more tiring than he'd anticipated, but it needed to be done. He wasn't sure how Dumbledore was managing to track down all those useful memories and search for possible horcrux locations while being headmaster to a school. Truthfully, Dumbledore was starting to look a bit run down. He masked it impressively, but Harry knew him too well.
After several minutes of silence, Blaise looked over the edge of the book he'd been reading toward Draco's bed. In the stillness, Draco and Harry had drifted off to sleep, curled up together. Blaise grinned at the sight, exchanging an amused look with Vince and Greg. Sometimes it was easy to forget how very young the couple was. As Alphas of the Wolf Pack, they shouldered far more responsibility than the average student. And their paternal sort of devotion to their pups brought a level of maturity that many of their peers wouldn't attain for quite some time.
When you stripped away all the strain and drama from the approaching war, Draco and Harry were two sixteen year old boys in love. At that moment, Blaise was happy to see them so content in the simplicity of falling asleep together.
Valentine's day arrived on a beautiful sunny day. Winter's chill was still clinging to the castle and grounds, but the clouds had parted and left the sky bright and lovely.
During breakfast, owls flew in and out of the Great Hall making a great deal of noise. It was all chaos and feathery confusion. Harry received a decent number of Valentine cards and his face seemed incapable of returning to a normal color. Three different students approached while he tried to eat to offer shy smiles and hint at the Hogsmead trip to that day. Harry managed to feign obliviousness in order to avoid hurting anybody's feelings. Of course, it didn't stop Draco from being annoyed.
It was tempting to skip the trip to Hogsmeade just to avoid admirers, but Harry very much wanted to visit the village with Draco. Perhaps they'd even manage to get a few private moments to enjoy being a couple.
"Hi Harry."
Harry had been walking toward the Gryffindor table to speak to Ron, but he stopped Corentin Fawley's greeting. He'd talked to the younger Fawley brother a few times and he was considerably more pleasant than his sibling.
"Hey Corey," Harry responded kindly, turning fully to face the other boy. "How are you?"
"I'm well enough," Corey replied with a soft sigh, looking down briefly. "Tolbert has been- Well, you know what he's like..." He paused while Harry gave a sympathetic nod. "I'm a little worried that he's going to do something drastic. He's so set on showing everyone how important he is to the Dark Lord."
Harry frowned. He pitied poor Corey. There had been talking of bringing him into the Wolf Pack, but it had been deemed unsafe because of Tolbert. Harry didn't want to think of what Tolbert would do if he found out that Corey was siding with Voldemorts enemies. So, the wolves had to content themselves with watching over Corey from a distance.
"You know that you can tell me anything," Harry said softly, glancing around quickly before meeting Corey's gaze. "If you ever feel unsafe- Just let me know. I'll do what I can for you."
"Thanks Harry," Corey acknowledged with a smile. He hesitated and then took a tiny step closer. "Do you have plans today?"
From the Slytherin table, Draco was barely restraining himself from grinding his teeth. He didn't think he could survive watching other people hit on his boyfriend all day. Even the Fawley kid was making cow eyes at Harry!
"I've had just about enough of this," Draco growled to nobody in particular.
Blaise glanced across the hall to see Corey and Harry. Both of them were blushing a bit. "Little Fawley is just a fourth year," Blaise said reasonably. "I'd be more concerned about Romilda Vane... She looks like she plans to chase Corey off so she can get her hands on Harry."
Draco glance over to see Romilda eyeing Harry with a look that was hopeful and determined. And disturbing, as far as Draco was concerned. In a flash, Draco was on his feet. He ignored Blaise's questioning in favor of storming around the table and toward Harry. His heart was throbbing with a mix of anxiety and excitement. He drew in a shaky breath, keeping his eyes focused on Harry.
Harry was blushing and appeared to be stammering his way through some excuse to gently let down another admirer. His green eyes filled with relief and then apprehension when he caught sight of Draco closing in on him.
Draco quickly reached out for Harry without allowing time to talk himself out of it. He yanked Harry close, all but slamming their mouths together. Harry froze in shock but then shifted to gentle the kiss, his hands coming up to cup Draco's jaw tenderly. Draco gripped Harry's robes with shaking hands, exhaling harshly through his nose.
"Go Draco!" they heard Ginny cheer from across room. That stirred the Great Hall out of the hushed shock it had fallen into. The room erupted into a cacophony of sound. The reactions of the students varied throughout all four houses. But this time, Draco didn't care. The people that mattered were accepting and supportive. Harry was Draco's, and they weren't going to hide it any longer.
"Wow-"
Draco and Harry turned to see Corey staring at them with an unreadable expression. After a moment he managed a smile. "That's really great. I'm happy for you two."
"Thanks," Harry murmured, still looking a little flustered but happy.
"I'll see you later," Corey said, offering them a smile and nod before turning to go.
"Corey," Harry called out hastily. "Honestly- Let me know if you need anything." Draco nodded his agreement when Corey looked back at them. The younger boy nodded gratefully before continuing on his way.
Harry sighed softly and slid one hand down to lace his fingers through Draco's. "Well that was one way to start the day," he chuckled, a grin brightening his face. "Does this mean that you want to be my Valentine?"
"I'm sick of watching people flirt with you," Draco replied with a slight pout. "I'm tired of hiding. You're mine. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. And I will fight that cow Romilda Vane if she can't stop staring at you," he added, looking past Harry to scowl at Romilda. Romilda was looking rather put out.
Harry laughed heartily giving his boyfriend a little squeeze. "Of course I'm yours," he chuckled. "I always have been. Now will you go to Hogsmead with me?"
Draco answered with another little kiss as Ron and Hermione approached them. "Thank Merlin," Ron huffed, looking thoroughly amused. "I thought Draco was going to break his teeth from clenching his jaw so hard." He grinned, unfazed by the glare Draco aimed at him.
Blaise joined them as they ventured out of the castle toward Hogsmead village with the other students. Despite his apprehension, Draco found that finally having his relationship out in the open was rather liberating. He didn't have to worry about monitoring his own expressions or making sure not to stand too close to Harry. He didn't need to resist reaching out to take hold of Harry's hand. If he felt like snogging Harry breathless, he didn't have to wait until they were secluded within the dorm.
After some shopping and enjoying butterbeer with Ron, Hermione and Blaise, the couple moved on to get a few private moments. They strolled along until they reached a small hill that boasted a nice view of the Shrieking Shack. A chilly breeze drove them to curl into each other for warmth, though neither minded. Draco leaned in close, nuzzling into Harry's neck contentedly. Harry's hands rubbed slow circles over Draco's back, his lips pressing light kisses to Draco's temple.
Draco turned his head to press a kiss to Harry's lips with a happy hum. He could certainly get used to having the freedom of kissing Harry whenever he had the inclination. Harry certainly didn't seem to object as he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly, Harry stiffened before pulling Draco along to lean against a large, barren tree. He swiftly cast a spell to conceal them. Draco waited, knowing that Harry would explain himself. But, the sound of voices saved Harry from needing to speak.
Tolbert Fawley was approaching the little hill with Theo and two other Slytherins. They were talking quietly and Tolbert was looking around cautiously, presumably to ensure that they weren't going to be overheard.
Draco and Harry watched apprehensively as a cloaked figure walked slowly toward the hill. His face was hidden in the shadow of his raised hood, much to Harry's frustration. Muttered words were exchanged, too quite for Harry and Draco to hear.
Harry felt his stomach roil when Tolbert rolled up one sleeve to bare one forearm, presenting a chilling tattoo to the cloaked man. The man responded with a short nod and then reached into his cloak to pull out a cloth bag. Tolbert accepted the bag eagerly, hastily tucking it into an inside pocket of his robes.
Draco pressed a little closer to Harry, pressing his forehead against Harry's shoulder. His heart was racing and forced himself to take slow, quiet breaths. His knees nearly buckled as the others left the little hill. "Oh Merlin," Draco groaned once he and Harry were alone again. "He's a Death Eater."
"I guess we've found our assassin," Harry murmured, rubbing gentle circles over Draco's back. "We need to alert the wolves and Professor Dumbledore. And we need to figure out exactly what Tolbert has planned. We don't want to accidentally trigger an unfortunate event... He's clearly not working alone."
Draco nodded, pressing his fingers against Harry's chest to still the trembling in his hands. He hadn't anticipated feeling so shaken by the realization of Tolbert Fawley's death eater status. The temperamental Slytherin was far more dangerous than Draco had realized. And that young death eater slept in a room not far from where he and Harry slept, along with Blaise, Vince and Greg.
"Come on," Harry urged quietly. "It's time to alert our Betas."
Draco sighed, moving to follow Harry. "So much for a romantic Valentine's Day," he grumbled.
Harry pulled him closer and pressed a noisy kiss to his cheek. Draco couldn't help the little smile that crept onto his face.