A.N.- Alrighty, here's Ch. 9!! Finally!! *dances* We get a bit deeper into the plot, and Harry and Draco get a bit deeper into each other. *giggles, blushes* Oooh, that sounded a bit dirty, didn't it? *laughs* Well, read on and enjoy!

Three days later, no one was really talking to anyone else. Tori was brooding, Draco was pining, and Harry was contemplating. None of them wanted to address the issues that so desperately needed confronting. None wanted to face the facts.

Harry seemed to be the worst. He spent hours on end, staring out the windows or sitting outside. Every issue centered around him, and no one knew that better than he did. Voldemort was coming after them more for him than anyone. Draco was just waiting, wanting him to make up his mind. Everything was pinned on him.

Draco, on the other hand, simply watched Harry as Harry thought himself into another world. And it was so obvious that's what he was doing. The expression on his face showed everyone all he did was think. They were all waiting for him to finish thinking so they could all move on to talking.

Then, finally, he approached Tori. "I think we should allow Tristina and Rylan to turn us over to Voldemort." Two pairs of incredulous eyes gazed back at him. "Don't look at me like that until you hear the whole story!"

"Dolente, Harry, but that was just a bit of a shocking statement." Tori studied his face carefully. "Well, there are no signs of a serious mental problem, so we'll just have to accept that he's thought this through rather thoroughly." Draco and Tori exchanged glances as Harry rolled his eyes.

"Of course I thought this through. You think I'd just give up after everything I've been through?" It occurred to him that maybe they thought, instead, that he'd give up because of everything he'd been through. He rushed on before that thought could form a grip in his head. "I just want all of this to be over once and for all."

"You know, if we do this, we have to find a way to actually beat slash kill him."

"Tristina and Rylan?"

"Plus lots of research."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Oh would you two stop sounding like this is some horrible thing! Do you not think it's worth it or something?!" Harry's eyes narrowed, daring them to protest. Neither made any such move. He closed his eyes then, his face scrunching up almost to a focal point in the center of his forehead. A deep breath released from what seemed like the very bottom of himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten that upset." And he walked decisively from the room.

Tori stared at the doorway he'd exited through, almost as if she wasn't exactly sure what had just happened actually had happened. Draco stood from the table and silently followed the other boy. Tori continued staring at the door. "Well, that was interesting. . ."

"Harry-"

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"I don't know, whatever you were going to say or do or whatever. Just don't." Harry continued toward his room, completely unaware of the incredulous look Draco was shooting him. "That outburst down there was uncalled for, and I already apologized for it. Now I'm going to go think. Alone."

"No."

Harry stopped sharply, right in the middle of the hall, almost as if an invisible mime's wall had reared up right in front of him. "Look, Harry, I know we've had our differences in the past. I know I was a major cause in most of those. I also know I'm sorry and that I won't leave you on your own to face the big bad evil just because that's what you think you should do to live up to your hero status."

When Harry turned to face him finally, his eyes were just a bit wider than normal. The mini-speech had shocked him into utter silence. Even his brain, normally so active and tormented, was quiet. He didn't even notice Draco had moved until his hand was on Harry's cheek. Their eyes met, and, for the first time since he'd thought about it, he knew beyond any doubt that he would trust Draco with everything he had: more than just his life but also his friends and home and family. Everything.

The next six words out of Draco's mouth cemented that certainty: "I just want to help you." Then they were kissing, and Harry was sure he'd never felt quite this way before. It wasn't any clichéd feeling of being whole or full but simply. . . Quiet. Comforted.

Neither could say later who initiated what, but their tongues suddenly met in a feverish need. Harry was leaning against the wall, encircled in safe arms, strong arms, reliable arms. If the world ended and they had just this kiss, it would be enough. More than enough. Everything.

They broke apart in silent, mutual agreement with their sudden realization that air was indeed one of the necessities of life. Draco watched as Harry's brilliant jade eyes opened; Harry himself wondered when he'd let them drift shut. He grinned at the absurdity of the thought. Apparently, grins, as yawns, are contagious because Draco soon found himself smiling just as widely. Then laughing. Both were laughing deep, thankful belly laughs and holding the other as if to never let go.

Draco was the first to break the laughter. "Is it just me, or should we not make a habit of that?" Harry laughed again in response then settled for simple smiling as Draco gently rested his forehead against Harry's. "Mmm… Tell me we never have to move ever again."

Harry, seeming to have lost all ability of speech, only kissed the tip of Draco's nose then his lips again before resting comfortably in the ring of Draco's embrace. And that was all they needed.

It was a definite snag, albeit a small one. Not that small necessarily meant unimportant. If anything, it was the exact opposite. It was like a small snag in a woven sweater: once started, the thread just kept unwinding until all that was left was a cat toy.

In other words, this snag had thrown their previous plan all to hell.

Harry's sudden realization that he just wanted it finished completely negated Tristina and Rylan's careful negotiations with the handpicked Crabbe. They no longer need him. Now, they just had to come up with a logical reason for why exactly they no longer needed him. The fact that all the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort himself seemed to think them incapable of any dishonesty towards them made the project just a bit easier.

"So, what's our story for this one?" Tristina sent Rylan's question a disgruntled glare and shrugged. "Oh. Well, that's good then." Let the Lady bless him, but he was still trying with everything he had to be just as positive and optimistic as ever. And Tristina, as usual, did her best to contradict him. It was a familiar pattern to take comfort in.

"Maybe we can just tell them that there's suddenly no need for the sneak attack. They trust us enough that if we just walk in there and hand them something, they'll never even think 'portkey' before taking it." Tristina nodded, pleased with her explanation.

"And we didn't think of this before because. . ."

"Damn."

Rylan, however, continued down that line of thinking. "Well, we're so new to all this that we just had to make things harder than they actually had to be. Just for a sense of adventure and all, you know?" His small smirk belied his true intentions.

"You, my dear boy, are a genius." The twins grinned.

"I've found it." Hermione looked calmly satisfied with herself while all around her went perfectly still. "It takes a few different factors and a couple different steps, but it'll work. It starts with a potion then a semi-complicated charm about 10 to 15 minutes later."

Harry stared at her. "So, what? We just walk up to Voldemort and ask if he wants a drink? And how do we hold him off for 10 to 15 minutes while the potion takes affect?" They were logical questions; everyone waited for the answers.

Hermione sighed. "Oh, Harry. Drinking isn't the only way to get a potion into the body. We just need to get it on his skin somewhere, and it will go from there. And, of course, we won't just sit around and wait for the time to pass. Voldemort probably wouldn't even allow that. You, Harry, will have to perform the final charm. The rest of us will just have to distract him until that time."

Harry dropped his head onto the table. "Of course it's me. Why wouldn't it be? It's always me!" Draco ran a hand through Harry's hair, and Tori rubbed his back. "No, it's fine. Really. I've always expected this, so it's alright." The others all traded glances, knowing exactly how alright it actually wasn't.