A/n: I'm studying to be a therapist, so I always really enjoy analysing the characters' thoughts and emotions and going through the therapeutic process. It's so interesting how asking just the right questions allows a person to come to profound realisations. Therapy is a wonderful tool to self discovery, and I hope that message comes across in my writing. Enjoy!

Chapter 19: The Talk

Draco walks towards the complex of flats towering over the rest of the buildings as far as the eye could see. It was the first massive structure to have been completed in that part of London, and Draco is taken aback by how jarring it is against the contrast of the shingled roofs of the townhouses surrounding it. Like a large middle finger flipping everyone off, was how Ron had described it. Draco finds it apt.

He pauses by the lifts to look at the 'under maintenance' sign and scoffs. He knows that sign would remain there long after Ron and Hermione move out, what with the constant legal battles the landlord is embroiled in. The duo had sent him a photograph of a particular spot along the fifth floor stairwell that is the perfect blindspot to Apparate to, but Draco decides to take the stairs anyway.

He hopes it'll help him calm his nerves. Besides, he tells himself, the only exercise he's gotten recently is from chasing after mysterious Frenchmen, so this would do him good. Three floors up, and he's quite winded, much to his embarrassment, but he's achieved his goal of quelling his nervousness, so he supposes it's worth the suffering.

After all, he knows the only reason for him to meet Harry at Ron and Hermione's flat instead of a cafe somewhere is because of Harry's deal with Hermione. Harry would have his sessions at the flat, under Hermione's supervision, in return for her continued silence regarding the close embrace she witnessed back at St Mungo's.

But Draco knows better. Hermione operates on a need-to-know basis. So if ever she thinks that Ron ought to know about Harry and Draco's moment of passion, she'll tell him without a moment's hesitation. He's certain Harry is aware of this as well, considering she's his best friend, but Draco also knows Harry operates on the principle of 'let's cross that bridge when we get there'.

Draco chuckles wryly. Never would he have imagined a day would come when he knew both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger as well as he does. He pauses in his ascent, wondering anew what Harry would be like at Draco's age. What would he be like at twenty eight? At twenty five? Merlin, what would he be like right now, when Draco goes to see him?

He tightens his grip on the railing, belatedly registering the bite of the cold metal against his skin. Would he ever have gotten to know Hermione the way he did if Harry were still alive? Maybe, he thinks. Would he still be feeling so deeply about Harry a decade later, if not for the accident? Maybe, he thinks again, but with less certainty.

He wonders if the accident and Harry's death is the lynch pin that keeps them altogether. Without it, would the emotions fade? Now that Harry is alive again, would the yearning dissipate?

Draco swallows thickly. It's a thought he's had in passing before but has never engaged in because it had been an impossibility. Until now, his mind reminds him. He inhales shakily.

No, he thinks emphatically. Life is all about fulfilling goals and finding new ones, he reminds himself. Sure, this particular goal was so unattainable that he'd never pursued the line of questioning of what he would do after the fact, but there's always time to start now. He nods to himself, determined, and when he looks up, he finds himself peering into curious green eyes.

Seeing Harry standing on the landing above startles him so much that he gasps and steps backwards, nearly losing his balance. Harry flies forward, but by the time he reaches Draco, the latter has already steadied himself. Nevertheless, Harry wraps an arm around Draco's waist and pulls him close.

"Alright there, mate?" he says, his hot breath tickling Draco's skin from how close they are.

Draco swallows thickly and pulls away. Straightening his coat, his eyes fixed on the floor, he mutters, "Quite alright, thank you."

"I didn't mean to startle you," Harry says as they climb up the last few stairs and exit through the fire door.

"I was a little too lost in thought," Draco admits, crinkling his nose. "Serves me right."

Harry laughs, and the soft, gentle sound makes Draco's heart flutter. I have to stop reacting this way to him, he thinks in annoyance, but his body seems to have a mind of its own.

"I snuck out to see if you'd arrived," Harry says in a low voice as they stand outside the door to Ron and Hermione's flat. "Hermione doesn't know."

Draco inhales a deep, steadying breath and exhales through his mouth. He says, "She won't be pleased to find out."

"No," Harry says, raising his hand to knock on the door.

Before he can, the door is flung open, and Hermione stands in the threshold, a tight smile on her face. She shoots Harry a deadly look before turning to Draco and saying, "Good morning, Healer Greene. Please, come in."

Draco looks around as they step inside, not because he hasn't been to the smallish flat before but because it's been so many years since he's been there.

"Lovely place you've got here, Miss Granger," he says politely as she ushers them to the sitting area.

"That's kind of you to say," Hermione responds, and her smile seems more genuine. "It's a bit smaller than we would've liked, but it serves us just as well. Besides," she says, ruffling Harry's hair, much to his annoyance, "we've always got room for this one."

Draco smiles and is suddenly overwhelmed by emotion as he realises that even the small moment of affection between the two best friends was only possible because Harry is still alive.

"Healer Greene?" Hermione says, breaking Draco out of his thoughts.

"Yes, sorry," he says, clearing his throat.

Hermione gives him a concerned smile and says, "I just asked if you'd like a cup of tea."

"That would be lovely," he replies.

She nods and walks to the open kitchen a few yards away. Draco settles back in his seat and focuses on calming himself.

"Are you alright?" Harry asks softly, his face clouded with concern.

"I'm alright," Draco says with a smile. "I apologise; I've composed myself now."

Harry watches him for a moment longer then sits down on the L-shaped sofa with a nod, apparently satisfied that Draco isn't lying.

"How are you today, Harry?" Draco asks, falling into his Mind Healer persona as he settles down in an armchair.

"Not too bad, thanks. How're you?"

"Quite alright," Draco responds. He looks around for a moment and asks, "How're you adjusting to your new accommodation?"

Harry chuckles. "Well, it's not the first time I've slept on Ron and Hermione's sofa."

"And it won't be the last," Hermione calls, then presses a finger to her lips. "I apologise. I won't eavesdrop."

"As I was saying," Harry continues, "I've done it before, so although my back's complaining, it'll get used to the sofa soon enough."

Draco nods. "You said you've stayed here before. Is this time any different?"

Harry hums thoughtfully. He says, "I reckon so. I mean, before it would either be that I decided to stay over after dinner and a few drinks, or that I'm crashing for a few days after a particularly bad breakup."

"What about this time?"

Harry shrugs. "I suppose this time was a coercion."

Hermione's grunt can be heard from the kitchen, but she doesn't interrupt, and Draco asks, "Why do you say so?"

"Well, I don't have any other choice, do I?"

Draco shifts in his seat. "You could go back to your own flat."

"No, no," Harry says instantly, waving a hand. "That's not an option."

"Why not?"

"We've been over this before," Harry says, sounding exasperated. "Someone's after me, and the first place they're going to look is my flat."

Draco sits back for a moment and watches Harry. The latter uses the opportunity to compose himself. Then, Draco says, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall that your flat is better warded than this one?"

Harry's gaze on Draco is intense and brooding, his usually bright green eyes now a deep emerald. Finally, he says, "What're you getting at, Healer Greene?"

He enunciates Draco's alias in a pointed way, and Draco has to press his lips together to hide a smile. He'd forgotten how easy it was to get under Harry's skin when one asks the right questions.

"What do you think I'm getting at?"

Harry clicks his tongue. He studies Draco for a moment longer, then says, "I think you're implying that I'm not returning to my flat for another reason besides my life being in danger."

"Well," Draco says slowly, "you could perceive more than one thing to be a threat to your life—and it doesn't have to be just a physical threat, either. It could be a psychological one."

Harry scoffs. "So, you think the same as everyone else—that I'm not going back because it'll remind me of something I don't want to remember."

Draco leans forward. "Is that the case?"

Harry's jaw is set and there's a hard look in his eyes. He looks affronted, as though he feels betrayed by Draco—as though he expected something different from their session. But I'm here as his Mind Healer, Draco thinks, convincing himself of the fact. I'm not here to go easy on him.

"I… I don't know," Harry says finally, sounding resigned.

Draco nods. He can understand the nature of the conundrum. Harry is wary of the reminders left behind of Draco when he thought Draco was dead, which is completely understandable. However, now that he's discovered that Draco isn't dead, or rather, there's another Draco who's alive and well, he's unsure if he should still remain wary about returning to his flat.

"Let me rephrase the question," Draco says gently. "If your flat is actually better protected than this one, why do you feel safer here than there?"

Draco can see the gears in Harry's head churn as he ponders over Draco's question. After a couple minutes, he says, "I suppose it's because Hermione and Ron are here."

Draco smiles and sits back, glad Harry's had that realisation. Having the right support from the people that one feels safe and comfortable with is one of the flagstones to paving the journey to recovery, after all.

Hermione arrives just then with two cups of tea. As she places Draco's on the coffee table, she smiles up at him, and he can see genuineness in her expression. After that, she leaves the room, and Draco considers that a grand gesture of trust. Hermione may have been testing him, and from his brief conversation with Harry, she seems to have gleaned enough to decide that Draco is trustworthy enough to be alone in the room with Harry. Although, she's probably waiting close enough to come to Harry's aid if need be.

Baby steps, Draco tells himself and returns his attention to Harry.

Before he can speak, Harry sits forward and says, "You have to tell me who you are. I need to know."

Draco pauses, surprised by the abruptness of his demand, then nods. He had come with every intention of doing just that. After his previous conversation with Hermione, he had decided that he'd respect her wishes and leave her out of the story, but he would tell Harry the truth when he saw Harry next.

Draco inhales a deep breath. "Tell me your suspicions, and I'll fill in the gaps."

Harry swallows. He glances over his shoulder, as though worried Hermione may be eavesdropping, then turns back to Draco. He sees the dilemma in Harry's eyes.

"It won't be a problem if she happens to overhear," Draco says. He can't be certain of that, but considering future Hermione will be left out of the tale, Draco hypothesises that it would be a loophole they can use to their advantage. He adds, "Unless you don't want her to, in which case it would be your call to cast a privacy ward."

Harry nods and waves his wand. The air around them shimmers for a moment, and the privacy spell has been cast. Harry says, "Just in case. Because of this."

He pulls a chain from around his neck from which a vial hangs. Of course, Draco thinks, mentally slapping his forehead. He'd forgotten all about the blood pact!

"You look like you'd forgotten," Harry says as he drops the vial back in his shirt. "I was afraid of that."

"Yes, I'm glad you reminded me."

Harry leans forward and looks deep in Draco's eyes. "Can I remove your disguise?"

Draco hesitates, glancing towards the door, worried Hermione may suddenly appear and discover his true identity.

"She won't come in," Harry says confidently.

How can you be so sure? Draco wants to ask but nods instead. Harry waves his wand, and the disguise melts off like sun block on a hot summer day. Harry gasps softly and moves closer.

"You're Draco, aren't you?"

Draco nods. "Yes."

Harry hesitates. "But not the one I knew—the one who... died."

Draco considers that for a moment. "Yes and no. I am the one you knew but not the one who died."

Harry scans Draco's face, as though to take in every detail. He says, "I wasn't sure last time, but I am now. You're older, aren't you?" When Draco nods, Harry asks, "Are you from the future?"

Draco can't help but smile. "You're a clever man, Harry Potter." He takes Harry's hand in his. "I am from the future, but not your future."

"What—What does that mean?"

Draco inhales deeply. He's rehearsed the answer to that question hundreds of times, but he still feels unprepared as he says it. "I come from a future where I survived the car crash but you didn't."

Harry deflates, drawing his hand from Draco's grasp and sitting back with a shocked look on his face. Draco gives him time to process the information, waiting patiently while Harry connects the dots and makes sense of things.

"So if I'm supposed to be dead, then…" he looks down at himself and gestures wildly. "How am I alive?"

"Well…" Draco pauses, going through the story in his mind, where key events had been changed to eliminate Hermione. "I created a True Time-Turner—one that can travel into the past indefinitely, without any constraints of time or place—and I came back in time to save you." He pauses, waiting for Harry to process what he's saying.

"But you—you couldn't save yourself?"

Draco shakes his head. "No. I could only save one person, and that person was you."

"So then," Harry whispers, "you're trapped here? Because you changed the future?"

Draco nods slowly. "Yes and no. I'm trapped here in the sense that I'm unsure how to return to the future I belong to, but no, I didn't change my future, I changed yours."

"What—What does that mean?" Harry asks again, frowning.

"It means that in saving you I created an alternate timeline where I'm dead and you're alive. So if I were to somehow discover a way to return to my own timeline, you would still remain dead there since that future is no longer a product of this past."

Harry stares at the couch, his brows furrowed, deep in concentration as he processes everything he's been told. After several minutes, he looks up and says, "But if you go back to your future, then there won't be a Draco in mine."

His eyes are wide and so full of earnestness that Draco lunges forward and crushes him in a hug. He exhales a shaky breath, clenching his eyes shut, holding Harry for dear life. Harry returns the hug, patting Draco on the back, and the latter finally pulls away and laughs breathlessly.

"I apologise."

"You don't have to," Harry says instantly. He takes Draco's hands in his. "What I was trying to say is that I don't want you to go back to your future. I want you to stay here. With me. I know that's extremely selfish of me to ask, but… will you?"

Draco says in a trembling voice, "Do you really want that?"

Harry smiles, small but sweet. "More than you can imagine."

Draco returns his smile with a teary one of his own. "Then I would love to."

Harry leans forward, and without thinking, Draco meets him halfway. The kiss is soft and sweet, unlike the frenzied, desperate ones from before, and when they pull apart, Draco feels tears trickle down his cheek. He's embarrassed by his own emotions, and hastily wipes the tears away, but Harry himself is teary-eyed, and that mends Draco's heart like nothing ever could have.

"I can't believe you built a Time-Turner just to come all the way back in time to save me," Harry says softly.

Draco wants to tell him that the credit is all Hermione's—that she's the one that saved them both, that he never even wanted to come to begin with—but he can't say any of it, so, instead, he says, "You would've done the same."

Harry shakes his head, laughing wryly. "I really don't know if I would've. I don't think I'm smart enough to build a Time-Turner that can travel so far back into the past."

They laugh for a moment, then Harry asks, "Speaking of, how far back did you travel?"

Draco inhales a deep breath and pushes past the tightness in his chest. "Ten years."

Harry's eyes widen. He whispers, "Ten years."

"Yes."

"I—I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Draco says gently. "It's a lot. Please take all the time you need to process it."

"No, I was talking about you," Harry says, rubbing his thumb in slow circles along the back of Draco's hand. "When you—the Draco from this world—died, I didn't know what to do with myself. I nearly went mad. But for you to endure that for ten whole years… I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through."

Draco stares at Harry wide-eyed. He had never thought of it that way, and no one had ever said that to him. After all, how could they? All the people he knew mourning over Harry's death had done it for ten years. But what Harry said validated him beyond anything anyone else could have said. It made him feel like his decade-long suffering had finally been acknowledged for what it was.

"You're right," Draco says at last. "Thinking back on this past decade, I can admit honestly that it was impossibly hard." He swallows. "I—I never got over your death." He chuckles wryly. "To the extent that I built a Time-Turner and risked traveling back in time just to see you again. Isn't that a bit sad and pathetic?"

Harry shakes his head. "Not at all. If I were in your place, I would've felt the same way."

I don't think that's true, Draco wants to say but holds his tongue. There's no way to confirm or deny Harry's claim, so Draco lets it go.

Harry squeezes Draco's hand. "How did you do it all by yourself?"

Draco instantly withdraws, sensing Harry's probing. He smiles in a controlled manner and says, "It was difficult, but I managed."

Harry's eyes scan Draco's face, as though searching for the truth, then he smiles and nods. "I can't even begin to imagine."

The sound of the lock clicking is heard, and Harry moves back, as does Draco. The privacy ward is quickly uncast as Ron steps into the flat, smiling in surprise as he catches sight of Draco.

"Oh, Healer Greene. I didn't expect to see you here," he says, cheerily enough.

"I told you he was coming," Harry says in a somewhat strained tone of voice.

"You did, but it must've skipped my mind," Ron says as he sets down a bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. "Anyway, I apologise for intruding; please continue."

Draco sits up suddenly and says, "Actually, it would be good if you could join us."

"It would?" Ron and Harry say simultaneously, the former with surprise and the latter with disappointment.

Draco nods. "Just to update us on the investigation. To put both Harry and my mind at ease. If that's alright with the both of you, of course."

The two friends glance at each other. Ron shrugs and takes a seat across from Draco; Harry frowns, crosses his arms, and glares at the table. Draco hides a smile at Harry's pouting, then turns to meet Ron's curious gaze.

Ron scratches his chin, seemingly gathering his thoughts. He says, "Well, I can't say we've discovered too much more than what we already knew…"

"But?" both Harry and Draco say simultaneously, sensing the but at the end.

Ron snorts. "But, after our previous conversation, Healer Greene, we discussed other possible theories, including," he pauses, as though for effect, then sits forward, his eyes glinting mysteriously, "the possibility of the killer being after someone other than Harry."

Harry huffs and shakes his head, but Ron is looking at Draco, as though expecting Draco to agree.

"So you think they were after whoever was with Harry?" Draco asks.

Ron nods, then turns to look at his best friend. "In order for us to open up that line of enquiry, I need you to tell me who you were with, Harry."

"Can't," Harry says instantly, holding up the vial. "Blood pact, remember?"

"Maybe it's time we dissolved it, Harry," Draco suggests quietly, making Harry glare at him. Draco smiles ruefully. "It's the only way to find the person involved. And you want that, don't you?"

After a long moment of icy silence, Harry finally takes the bait. "Fine. How do we dissolve it?"

Draco shrugs. "We simply acquiesce to it."

"It can't be that easy," Harry says, suspicious, but Ron claps his hands.

"Won't know unless you give it a try."

Draco says, "Well, it's not all that simple. You have to really want to break it, Harry. The magic will sense any hesitation and potentially backfire."

Harry looks uncertain. "I'm not sure if I'm ready."

Draco exhales slowly and nods. "Take some time to think about it." He rises. "I think, perhaps, it's best for us to finish here for today. We can pick it up again next time."

Harry and Ron rise as well and walk Draco to the door. Harry shoots Ron a pointed look, who quickly says goodbye and leaves. Harry steps out with Draco.

"We don't need the blood pact anymore," Draco says before Harry can say anything. When the other man looks ready to protest, Draco continues, "I'll tell you whatever it is that you want to know—that's safe for me to say, of course—but, Harry, unless you come clean to Ron about what happened, there's no moving forward." He steps closer and takes Harry's hands in his. In a gentler voice, he says, "Either with regards to the case, or with you being able to move on."

Harry looks at him for a long moment, then nods. "I'll think about it."

Draco squeezes his hands. "That's all I wanted to hear."

He begins to step back, but Harry tightens his grip on Draco's hands. "You're different," he says, "than the person I knew."

Draco chuckles. He'd heard that often before; that he barely resembled the person from his school days. But that isn't a happy coincidence; it took a lot of conscious effort to change. And he's glad for it.

"Well, it's been a long time," Draco says. "I suppose it's inevitable that I've changed."

Harry squeezes Draco's hands before letting them go. "I look forward to getting to know you all over again, then."

Draco's heart swells. "I do too."

Harry leans forward to peck Draco on the lips, looking somewhat shy, and says, "I'll see you soon."

Draco smiles, reassured by the promise of another meeting, grateful it didn't have to be a goodbye. "Yes," he agrees. "Very soon."

He makes his way to the hidden corner by the stairwell and Apparates back to Hermione's, feeling giddy. It seems they were finally making some progress, and Draco feels as though, at long last, he has something tangible to hold onto.