Chapter three

The tunnel seemed to be endless but eventually it opened out far away from the tall office buildings that they had entered. They were in fact in a residential area that Harry reassured his lover that he knew well. He had grown up in this area and still owned his parent's home a few streets away.

The house was the white picket fence; red brick type of house that you would expect would house two doting parents two kids and a pet dog. The perfect life however nothing could be further from the truth.

Inside Ron and Hermione were waiting for them looking sombre, Harry knew this wasn't a social call. The two of them collapsed on the sofa out of breath and tired for the full day of running from an unknown enemy.

"How are you?" Ron asked Harry who shrugged in response his eyes closed.

"Umm Harry...I realise that your erm...relationship is important to you but it isn't worth your career, your good at what you do don't throw that away for something you crave today and won't want tomorrow."

"Yay, I've been friends with you guys a long time and I think you should know that Draco and I have a history, I left him two years ago for this job, I was seventeen and my parents had just been killed in action. Then I admit even though I thought I loved Draco I honestly didn't think it would last but it's different now. I love him with all my heart, I refuse to give up on that to risk my life to save others, god knows my entire life has already been based on that."

"Harry think about it, this guy is only a phase."

"Yay, still in the room you know, I have ears meaning I can hear you." Draco said a little put out that they were speaking about him as if he wasn't there.

"Draco's right but we shouldn't be talking about this now, either him or myself are in a lot of danger, I think it's time to hear what our orders are."

"Dumbledore says stay put, we can't do anything and we can't be traced to here so we should be safe. Others are either at headquarters or at safe houses, we have been told not to return to our homes until this is all over, none of us can contact family members or anything."

"So we have to stay here?" Ron and Hermione nodded at Harry's question. "Do you know for roughly how long?"

"No, we'll be contacted."

"Great...Draco and I are going to get some rest, Give us a shout if anything changes."

"Will do." Hermione said, Ron however gave them a disapproving look.

"Make sure resting is the only thing you're doing, you know the rules."

Harry stood up along with Draco but before he left the room he said: "You should know I don't play by the rules, that's what makes me the best."

Harry and Draco slowly climbed the stairs to the bedroom where they lay on the double bed in each other's arms. To tired to do much of anything, talking was even out of the question at the present moment. Not much later both fell asleep, Ron and Hermione conversing silently downstairs on what to do next.

It was a good four hours before either awoke from their slumber. Draco was slightly confused to where he was at first but then the memories of the day came rushing back to him and he knew that he was in this now till the end. He couldn't imagine Harry going this for the past two years, now he had time to slow down and think about what it was that he was doing he was scared.

He knew that Harry loved him and was going to keep him safe but he also understood that Harry was in as much danger as he was, he suspected that his boyfriend had been in this situation hundreds of times, it was normal for him.

Draco watched his lover sleep for a while, curled at the end of the bed thinking about his predicament. If what Harry said was true his own father was a murderer, not that that was unbelievable at all it was just...he never thought that he would be in a position like this.

When he pictured his life with Harry he no longer saw normality, he saw a dangerous love that would effect them in ways they never knew about. Was their relationship more trouble than it was worth?

After a few more moments of silent reflection Draco decided to go downstairs and see if there was any news. Even if they didn't like him they had to keep him informed, his life was at risk just as much as theirs, possibly more.

Downstairs he heard a lot of commotion and wondered why he hadn't heard it in the bedroom upstairs. He recognised the voices of Ron and Hermione, he could tell they were speaking 'spy' as they were using terms that he didn't understand and/or didn't make any sense.

He cautiously entered the room and cleared his throat to aware them of his presence. There were five others in the room, all of which he didn't recognise. Some were glaring at him others just ignored him.

"Where's Harry?" The red head that had given him the backpack in Starbucks asked.

"He's still asleep, I thought he could use a bit more rest." Draco answered honestly, he was feeling slightly intimidated amongst these people and he didn't like the feeling.

"Alright Draco, I'm Charlie Weasley, that is my real name and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you a few questions."

"If this is about my father and whatever he is involved in then I know nothing, he disowned me a year and a half ago, when he found out that Harry and I were...or at that point used to date."

"Is there nothing you can tell us? Safe houses, secret passages in and out of Malfoy Manor, that place is an like a fortress."

"No, I'm sorry...wait, there used to be a passage that ran under the house, I used it as a child, rumours were a servant had once escaped through it. I don't think my father ever found out about it."

"Alright that's a start...Seamus get detailed maps of that area we need to look into that tunnel...Ron I need you to plant security cameras round the walls and front gates of that manor, so far that is the only link we've got, take Hermione with you."

"Sure thing...but are you sure we should leave the safe house?"

"We have to take the risk...however don't return here straight away...go to the one across town, it should be safe there. If you think your being followed go somewhere that isn't connected to us, don't put others at risk."

"I know the on Mione, we should go now while it's dark."

Draco watched as all this happened around him. It was amazing, the size of the whole operation and the fact that he was contributing somewhat.

"I'll just get out of your way then." Draco said shyly backing towards the door. Everyone was making himself or herself busy again except one man that he recognised sitting in the corner of the room smoking. "Uncle Sev?" He asked cautiously stepping forward to get a better look at the man he thought to be his godfather, someone that he hadn't seen in years.

"Draco...what are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I'm working." He answered curtly staring at his godson worriedly.

"Well apparently my boyfriend is also working, I just got dragged in and in all honesty I don't care as long as I can be with him."

"I always knew you'd be dragged into this sooner or later but I sort of hoped it would be later, however I always seemed to assume that you'd be with your father."

"He disowned me, we were never that close, he murdered Narcissa you know."

"Yes I was aware of her death, he covered his tracks though, we couldn't trace it back to him."

"Sounds like him. Anyway I'm going to go back upstairs to see Harry, I'll talk to you later."

As soon as Draco had disappeared up the stairs Charlie Weasley turned to Snape and said: "Don't let him cloud your judgement, ties to the heart aren't good in this line of work."

"Don't worry, I won't."

Meanwhile upstairs Draco gently kissed Harry awake. The blonde smiled as the emerald orbs he loved so much fluttered open.

"We've been asleep for a while, it's all systems go downstairs."

Harry laughed at how Draco phrased this. He sat up rubbing his eyes; the contacts were starting to irritate him. He took them out and replaced them with his glasses.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked looking concerned.

"Confused, tired and a little hungry but I'll survive...there's no way out for me any more I know that and I except that. Don't worry about me Harry, I'll be fine."

"Your so strong, no wonder I fell in love with you."

Harry leaned forward capturing Draco's lips in a heated kiss that was interrupted by Charlie knocking on the door. He didn't seem too happy about it either.

"If you and your boyfriend are up for it I've got a job for the two of you."

"What is it?"

"Nothing exciting I'm afraid, Dumbledore wants to see you, it's a simple matter of slipping out of here and getting to headquarters undetected, are you up for that?"

"Draco what do you say, you're the swinging vote here, if you don't want to go we won't."

"I appreciate that Harry but if you've been called in then we go."

"If that's what you want and you're up for it then ok, lets get going."

The two of them changed into normal day clothes so they could try and blend in as much as possible, Draco was forced to wear a hat once more as his blonde hair as beautiful as it was, was far to noticeable.

"Now please no drawing attention to yourselves." Charlie said before they left.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked in a cheeky tone of voice that held slight irritation at being told this as if he were a child.

"I mean no kissing or holding hands, gay couples aren't generally seen on the streets acting obvious so please don't." Charlie sounded exasperated and slightly peeved off.

"Well if you don't like it that's tough luck Draco's not going anywhere. We're lovers and proud." Harry said loudly before walking out of the house and headed off down the street with Draco following close behind.

"I thought for some weird reason you'd all be really close." Draco commented when they had walked in silence for a good five minutes, heads down, hands in pockets, conversation in whispers.

"It's not that simple, we don't always get on but if we're forced to work together differences are put a side, I'd give it all up for you Draco, if you asked me to."

"One day, when all this is over I might hold you to that Harry."

"You do that."

Another half an hour later they had picked up a follower, Harry was sure of it. Though they kept walking, he had to be positive.

"Follow my lead." Harry whispered almost inaudibly to Draco as they approached an alley. They began to walk down it and stopped half way and leant against the fence and waited for either the follower to make a move or pass on by if in fact it was a civilian.

It wasn't...three men appeared either side of them, they were out numbered in a major way. Harry didn't have his pager on him and Ron and Hermione were on a separate mission properly miles away.

"Can you fight?" He asked Draco as they stood back to back watching as the men closed in upon them.

"I don't know, I took lessons when I was younger but I never had the opportunity to try it out."

"Well here's your opportunity, stay close to me."

Harry dived at one of them startling them and knocking them to the ground, Harry did a forward flip over him and it gave him the opportunity to run if another two of them hadn't just grabbed Draco.

He had always been taught that in battle sacrifices had to be made, that people died and nothing could stop that but Harry loved Draco and wasn't about to let him die. He went at a few of them punching and kicking for all he was worth.

Draco had to admit that Harry was a very good fighter. Giving all he was worth he struggled until he got a hand free and punched one of his captors in the face and he immediately let go. Harry was now being backed into a corner so picking up a fallen tree branch from the ground he whacked two round the head with it.

"No one messes with my man." He said triumphantly."

"Come on, let's get out of here." Harry said grabbing Draco by the wrist and running as fast as he could out the alley, it seemed that men didn't follow they were gathering what they could even though they properly could have finished them off if they had tried.

However not taking any chances as they ran they double back a couple of times and got on a tube and then caught one back to the same station before they arrived at headquarters.

They were let in and got in unnoticed by anyone around them. They reached the elevator gasping for breath. Draco who was not used to such a fast pace life had a stitch in his side.

Harry got his breath back gradually and held Draco close to him. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm not bleeding just a bit bruised is all." Draco replied still clutching his side.

"Here, this usually helps." Harry did something funny with his hands to his side and back and the pain faded into nothing.

"How did you..."

The doors flew open and they walked into headquarters where there were quite a few shadows sitting around obviously under orders not to leave the building. The couple half walked half staggered out of the elevator and down the hallway towards Dumbledore's office, quite a few eyes following them as they went.

Harry knocked three times and entered, inside he found that Dumbledore was pacing his office. "Harry, I've been worried, where have you been?"

"Sorry, we were attacked, I had to use diversely tactics to shake them, I'm positive that no one followed us though."

"Alright, how are you holding up young man?" Albus asked Draco who was looking a bit worse for wear at the present moment. He had only a few hours sleep and it was getting towards dawn.

"I'm surviving...it's hard but I'll do anything for Harry Sir."

"That is sweet and foolish but you are a teenager in love I expected nothing less I have to admit that...you are determined to stay together I hear, no matter what life throws at you."

"That is correct." Harry said in response.

"Naturally I will help you Harry, I knew your parents well, I see myself as your guardian now and I know your parents would have approved of Draco, especially Lily, she saw the best in every one."

"Thank you Dumbledore, your support is appreciated."

"For the moment I want you here, your talents will be better used here than anywhere else at present but be prepared to move when needed alright."

"Of course, may we have permission to rest for a couple of hours."

"Yes, take as much time as you need but that is only for rest."

Harry smirked and nodded as they departed Dumbledore's office.