A/N: Hey all, I'm so sorry it took so long to post! There have been a few small catastrophes in my life since I posted the last chapter. This chapter also isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I apologize profusely. Thank you so much for the reviews, I'll answer as many of them as I can at the end of this chapter. Thanks for reading everyone.

Disclaimer: Nope, I'm not JK Rowling, so I don't own any of this.

Warning: Naughty language, and slash. Also, there may be some spelling and grammar errors; sorry!


Lost Without You
Chapter 5: Separated

Mumbling incoherently, Harry reached over to his nightstand to grab his glasses. When his hand instead met a warm, smooth body, Harry woke up faster than any alarm clock would do. Memory from the day and night before returned in a flash. Grinning from ear to ear like a love-struck idiot, Harry looked fondly on Draco Malfoy, lying next to him, sleep softening his rather pointed features. One eye opened on the other boy's face to regard Harry sleepily.

"What time is it?"

Looking out the window enchanted to show the outside (being as there were no real windows in the dungeons), Harry ruffled his own hair and scratched his head, part of his morning wake-up ritual…mess up his hair even more, after all, it couldn't get any worse. "Morning, sometime." Hearing his stomach growl he said, "Make that—breakfast time."

Looking his lover's body over, Draco licked his lips. His tousled hair gave him that 'I just got shagged and loved every minute of it' look, and his bright green eyes shone in the little light streaming in through the window. How about I just eat you, sexy?

Harry climbed on top of Draco, settling himself comfortably on the other boy's chest. "I like hearing your thoughts. I never knew you had such a dirty mind."

Lifting an eyebrow, Draco merely shrugged. "There's a lot about me you don't know." But you will know, I promise.

"I hope so…but I don't think I'll ever figure you out."

"Good, you need some mystery in your life, spice it up a little."

"I think I have quite enough mystery with Voldemort breathing down my neck."

"That's hostile mystery...not even mystery so much as—"

"A threatening, foreboding feeling that every breath I draw could be my last?"

Draco fought down panic at Harry's words; he couldn't lose his perfect mate, his Harry! Harry felt the panic in Draco rise, and he kissed his love on his bare chest. Deciding to lighten the subject he said, "Besides, what do you know about mystery spicing up life?"

"Well, Amelia Peabody always seemed to enjoy it. And I think Sherlock Holmes made a great living off of mysteries."

Harry laughed out loud. "You know about Muggle mystery books?"

"Of course, Harry. A smart person does not ignore that which he does not like, he educates himself on it."

"And what, you've got a personal vendetta out on Holmes?"

"No, simply Muggles in general."

"You know, dear, they're not that bad."

Draco snorted in spite of himself. "We'll wait and see." Grimacing in sudden pain, Draco realized that his mother's ring he had taken to wearing on chain around his neck had fallen to his back and was digging painfully into his shoulder blade. Easing himself up, he pulled the chain and ring to the front of his chest. Light hit the shining emerald and played like fire off of the diamond.

Harry, in spite of himself, gasped at the beauty of the ring. He would have loved to see Aunt Petunia's face if she saw that another human being owned something so wonderful. She loved to gloat over her own jewelry, but nothing could compare to the magnificence of the ring shining in his eyes right now.

Draco smirked when he saw his lover's face. So, Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, had a weakness for glittering, expensive objects. Turning it in his fingers, he let the light skim across the surface of the jewels. "You like this, Harry?"

Unable to take his eyes off the gleaming ring, Harry merely nodded in reply. Draco could feel his mate's desire for the material object in front of him. Grinning roguishly, Draco unclipped the chain from around his neck. He kissed the ring out of impulse, and then placed it around Harry's neck, fastening the latch with long, deft fingers. Harry looked down in surprise at the ring around his neck. True, he had a lot of money at Gringotts, but he never truly owned expensive items, except for his broom and the rare Invisibility Cloak.

"Draco…what are you—"

"Shh," Draco cut him off. "You are mine, my mate, so by giving you this ring, I'm not really giving it away. I'm just keeping it with another of my possessions."

"But, I don't have anything to give you."

"You've already given me what I want, Harry."

"What, my heart?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Draco smirked. "No, a good fuck." He saw Harry's face fall and could feel the sadness course through Harry's body. Laughing softly, he pulled Harry down close on top of him.

"I was joking Harry, relax. Yes, you, all of you, is what I wanted. And like I've said before, I get what I want." Teasingly he trailed his tongue along Harry's neck, just relishing in the taste and feel of the other boy.

Humming in pleasure, Harry closed his eyes, snuggling close to Draco. Drowsily the boys took turns kissing, licking, and pleasuring the other. Their lovemaking was more tender and relaxed then the previous night.

Some time later, Draco yawned and stretched himself out. "Damn I'm hungry. Come on, let's go get breakfast. If we hurry, we might just make it in time for some cold toast."

Rolling out of bed, Harry searched the room for their discarded clothes. Bending down to pick up his pants, he felt a sudden pressure behind him. If you keep that up, we won't be going anywhere anytime soon, you know, Harry thought.

Draco nipped Harry's ear in response before putting on his own clothes.

xXxXxXx

Entering the Great Hall separately, the two boys made their ways to their house tables. Quite a few people were enjoying a late breakfast being as it was a Saturday morning and it was bitterly cold outside. Harry sat next to Hermione, who looked her friend up and down with a questioning gaze. When he nodded, she squeaked in happiness and gave him a huge hug.

"What did I miss?" asked Ron, who just came back from the restroom.

"Harry just, uhm, told me how interested he is in Potions class now, and he's going to be studying extra hard the rest of this year."

Ron scrunched up his face in disgust. "Ugh, Harry! What the hell's wrong with you? I think everyone's gone bloody crazy around here."

Hermione pursed her lips tightly. "Ron, what is crazy about our best friend taking school seriously?"

"Nothing, besides for the fact it falls in conjunction with a bloody weird change in his personality and that git ferret Malfoy's attack on me the other day."

"He always attacks us, Ron," Hermione rebutted.

"Yeah, right, and does he always tell us not to touch Harry? Something funny's going on here," at this point in his tirade his voice got softer and quieter, directing every word directly at Harry. "Something really funny, and it pisses me off no one's bothered to talk to me about it. I'm your best friend, Harry! So what the bloody hell is going on here?"

Opening his mouth to reply, Harry was saved by McGonagall's hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office as soon as possible. Are you finished with your breakfast?"

Harry looked sadly down upon his barely touched cold toast. However, due to the recent telling-off by Ron and now being summoned by Dumbledore, he didn't quite feel like eating now anyway. Nodding, he stood up to follow the Head of his House. Walking out of the hall, he caught Draco's gaze.

What's going on, Draco's voice asked in his mind.

Harry mentally shrugged in reply. I dunno. I haven't done anything wrong this time, I think.

Hmm…do you think this is about us?

I dunno, he thought again. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe he just likes the presence of my company?

He could actually feel Draco's snort of disbelief in his head. Stay on your guard. I'll be with you the whole time.

Harry had reached Dumbledore's office while the two conversed with their thoughts. Looking at Dumbledore, he found him sitting at his desk, his hands clasped in front of him. His face was a mixture of irritation and sadness. Great, what had Harry done now?

"Take a seat, Harry."

He sat down in the chair opposite the desk, a dark feeling of foreboding slowly winding and creeping its way around his body. He felt like he had consumed a rock for breakfast.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "It has come to our attention, Harry, that Hogwarts is no longer the best place for you to be."

Blood, color, warmth, all drained from his body. He was expecting some bad news…but this? Expulsion? And he hadn't even done anything! Black tendrils were threading their way into his sight as he felt reality slipping away.

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he saw Harry pale. Moving quickly, he moved towards the teenager, placing a warm cup of tea in his hands. "Drink, Harry."

Without a second thought as to the calming agents that laced the tea, Harry gulped back the tea in a single gulp. Even as it slid down his esophagus he felt better. It warmed and soothed him enough for him to bring the room back into focus.

"So I'm being expelled, for what?"

Dumbledore sat on the edge of the desk. "No, no Harry. You're not being expelled. In fact, you don't even really have to leave if you choose not to. It's your choice. Let me explain," he added, seeing Harry's puzzled face. "Last night, there was a sudden bloom in your power."

In the Great Hall, Draco, who was avidly listening to the words exchanged between Dumbledore and Harry, put his head in his hands. Shit, the old bat knew somehow.

"I could feel the change even in my sleep, and it therefore makes sense that Voldemort also felt the radiation of power. This is the moment he has feared. You've been able to repress him and hold him back until now, but this means that now you can defeat him. The Order believes that he will try to strike soon, so that you cannot have enough time to learn how to control your growth of magic. Hogwarts cannot protect you forever."

Gods, Dumbledore might as well have reached out and smacked Harry full across the face, that would have been less surprising then his admission that Hogwarts could not protect him. And what did he mean forever? Harry knew that one day he would have to leave and be on his own…or did he? That also came as a shock. Yes, he would be on his own one day, with no Hogwarts or Dumbledore to save him.

You'll never be alone, Harry, he heard Draco tell him. Blinking, he turned his attention back to Dumbledore.

"The Order thinks you will be safer in a different location, one heavily guarded."

An idea suddenly occurred to Harry. "You mean, the students here will be safer without me around calling Voldemort to them? My mere presence here threatens them."

Sighing, Dumbledore nodded. "I will not lie to you, Harry. Yes, this is also for their safety."

As much as it hurt to hear the words, it felt good that he was not being lied too. Yeah, the truth hurt, that was just a part of life he had to accept.

"So what do we do, then?" Harry asked.

"The Order has a secret place set up for you, that only the most trusted members know about. You'll be transported there, but not even you will know its location."

Nodding, Harry had to agree. What if somehow Voldemort could sneak into his mind while he slept, find their hideout, and rid the world of his strongest opposition in one fell swoop?

"You'll remain there for your safety, the students safety, and to give you ample time to train and prepare for the final battle. You must keep up with your studies during your absence, though."

In spite of the situation, Harry chuckled darkly. Not even running from death excused a student to slack off in school. In his mind, though, he could feel the rising anger from his mate. He kept trying to shove it away though, to let him concentrate on Dumbledore's words.

"This is still your choice, though, Harry. I will not force you into a situation that you are not comfortable with."

Opening his mouth to reply, Draco's fury split through Harry's head again, making it hard to breathe, let alone speak. You are not going anywhere! Draco's voice roared in his mind.

Draco, this is the only way, he replied, before shoving away his mate again. "Of course I'll go, Headmaster. If not for myself, then for the other students."

Dumbledore smiled sadly, and patted Harry's arm. "I know it's not easy Harry. This is the right choice, though, you know. You're ability to care for others more than yourself will help you in the end."

Standing, Harry nodded curtly. He wasn't in the mood for hearting contrite little 'you're such a hero' compliments, and besides, the raw fury of Draco was making his head feel as if it were going to explode any second. "I guess I'll go back then."

"That would be best. An escort will come for you later. Take care, Harry," he said, as he watched Harry's retreating form. Although he had made no other mention to Harry about this abrupt change in the boy-who-lived, Dumbledore knew that some oddness was afoot. He could wait to find the answers, though; right now the most important thing was to get Harry away, for everyone's safety.

xXxXxXx

Throwing his trunk on his bed, Harry contemplated having to leave the only real home he ever had. "At least I'm not going back to the Dursley's," he said aloud to no one in particular. Hearing a bang behind him, he whirled around to see a livid Draco standing in the doorway, the door flung aside by his sharp shove.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you are not going anywhere," he uttered in a menacing, soft, crisp voice.

Harry gritted his teeth, and turned back around to keep packing. "Shut up, Draco."

Stepping up behind his lover quickly, Draco grabbed Harry hard on the shoulder and flung him back around. "I absolutely forbid you to leave!"

"You don't own me!" Harry shouted back, radiating indignation and fury.

"Yes, I, do," Draco said, emphasizing each word.

Seething, the two boys stared each other down. Not only did they have their own anger to content with, but each had the feeling of their mate's anger ever present in their mind. Both tried to keep their thoughts to nothing, settling instead for glaring into the other's eyes.

Finally, Harry broke the silence. "You don't understand, Draco."

Curling his lip back in a lordly sneer, Draco replied, "Then enlighten me."

"I have to go, for everyone's safety. I'm a danger to everyone around here, to you, even. It's the right choice, the only choice. I have to go, for everyone."

"I don't care about everyone; I care about—"

"Yourself, and that's it. I need to go for my own safety, too, do you even care about that? Remember third year? Sirius Black got into the castle to try to murder someone without any difficulties at all, Voldemort could do the same. Or do you want to keep me here so he has easy access to me? Is that it, Draco, are you going to bait me like a fish for the shark? String me along here until Voldemort arrives, so he can kill me? I'm sure your father would absolutely love you for that. Single-handedly you could kill Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, would die at the hand of Voldemort's new best—" His words were cut short as he found himself hit hard across the stomach, falling back against the bed. He had felt the rage build inside his mate until it almost blinded him, and he knew none of the words he were saying was true, he just wanted to make Draco hurt like he hurt. He had to leave his only damned home for a bunch of snot-nosed little kids that didn't understand the sacrifices he's been making his whole life for them, and now that he finally had this perfect love, he had to leave it, too.

Draco bore down on Harry physically and mentally, shoving the raw magic in his veins out towards the other boy like a heavy, smothering blanket. Snarling, he backed away quickly, pulling away his magic, leaving Harry weak and gasping. "Now that you've shut up, I will make it clear that you will never speak so again. I know you're hurting, which is why I forbid you to go."

Coughing, Harry sat up. "I have to, it's about duty, and honor, and doing the right thing."

"To hell with doing the right thing! Tell Dumbledore to shove his grand ideas straight up his old wrinkly ass!"

Standing, Harry looked into Draco's eyes. "I going, and that's final."

"Then you'll kill us both. Veela mates cannot be parted."

"They can, it's just a question of how long."

"Don't pretend like you know anything about how a veela works; you didn't know anything until I told you—"

"Well it's your fucking fault we're in this mess anyway!" Harry yelled, his fists clenched.

"How dare you!" Draco screamed back, his chest heaving in restrained desire to grasp Harry around the throat and throttle him right then and there.

"Well it is! I was just perfectly fine—"

"Oh yeah fucking right! You were absolutely pining for me to—"

"You rotten spoiled son of a bitch!"

"Oh go lick the squid's ass and shut up."

"Damn you!" Harry screamed, the anger inside of him almost coating his vision red.

"Fine! Just go fucking leave because some old man tells you! Leave the only happy thing you've got in your life!"

"I'm not doing it for me, idiot! I'm doing it for everyone else!"

"And so everyone else is more important than me?" Draco replied. By now the two boys were within mere centimeters of each other's faces, their eyes sparking with uncontrolled wrath.

"No," Harry said quietly. I'm leaving for you too. I knew the day would come when I would cause you hurt by my fate…it just came sooner than I wanted. Grimacing, Harry thought the words before he even realized Draco could hear. God dammit, I forgot you could hear my thoughts. Then, before he could stop thinking what he knew was coming next, I wish you couldn't hear them now. "Oh shit, that's not what I meant Draco!"

Letting out his breath in a sharp, angry exhale, Draco placed his hand upon Harry's chest, and shoved the other boy away. "Fine, you want it that way?" he replied quietly. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it at Harry, then at himself. Accenting every syllable, he said, "Scindo silentium." And for the first time since Harry truly felt complete in his life, like he truly had someone to rely on and be with him all the time, his mind was painfully silent. It was emptiness where Draco once had been.

His eyes wide, Harry clutched at Draco. "What did you do? What did you do!"

"I fulfilled your wish."

"You broke our bond…"

Curling his lip back in another sneer, Draco replied, "No, that's impossible, as I told you before. It's merely a spell that blocks our minds from each other. You didn't want me to hear your thoughts, so there."

Harry blinked, utterly astounded. Careful what you wish for was a definite understatement. "But, but…"

Draco softened at the pained expression on Harry's face. "It's not permanent. It's just a shield between our minds. You can raise or lower it however you wish. It'll make you leaving me easier," he added, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Draco, I told you, I have to go, for everyone's benefit, including yours."

Holding his head up high, Draco stared haughtily down on Harry. "Fine, goodbye." And with that, he turned sharply on his heal, marching out of the room.

Collapsing down on the bed, Harry let himself cry over Draco Malfoy one last time.

After slamming Harry's door shut, Draco let his feet lead him back to his own private room. Entering his room, Draco quietly shut his door, but didn't make any other movement. He stood stock still in the entrance of his room, replaying every minute of their argument in his mind. He hadn't meant what he said, but as it had begin to dawn on him that his Harry had to go, he realized that it would have been harder for Harry to go with Draco's own sadness on his shoulders. He watched the other boy long enough, and been inside his head for long enough, to realize that Harry always put others before himself. It might have been just too much for his lover to take if he had to carry the burden of Draco's pain during his isolation. If this was going to kill them both, Draco at least wanted Harry to die without worrying about him. With these dismal, depressing thoughts in his eerily lonely mind, Draco let his legs crumple beneath him, and he cried over Harry Potter for the first, and most probably, the last time.


A/N: Sorry to dash the romantics' wonderful outlooks and ideas on Draco and Harry's relationship, but...what's true love without some hardships, eh? Despite the rather sad ending, I hope you all liked the chapter. You know the drill, review me, please! I love to hear your comments; every review really makes my day. So please...give to the 'review the poor, college-student, author' foundation. :) Anyway, here are the answers to the reviews for last chapter.

lita-2003: I know! Protective Draco and naïve Harry just works right now at this stage in the relationship. Harry will start to mature in this fic, definitely, but he's still pretty naïve at this stage. That's how I think he really would be, so I tried to stay true to character. I'm glad you like so far!

mellinde: I'm glad my explaining kept you from being lost. I was worried it wouldn't be enough explanation. Sometimes I know what I want to say in my head, but the words don't come out right. I hope you like this chapter!

Sheree: A lot of people prefer dominate Harry, I totally see where you are coming from. I just like to do things kind of different usually, and for every one fic out there where Draco is dominate, there are like 30 that have Harry dominate. I wanted to do a little different take on their relationship. I do love the dominate Harry relationships, though; maybe I will write one of those soon. And don't worry about Harry being wimpy and submissive. He'll kick some ass pretty soon! ;)

angelkitty77: I'm really glad you've liked it so far! I hope you still enjoy it in the future!

ChronoClockXVII: I'm glad you though the R-ratedness was the right amount. Harry will be on top in the future; they've got plenty more steamy love sessions for experimentation. ;)

Yana5: grins It makes me happy to know you really loved it; I aim to please! J Dominate Draco thanks you for the praise!

missalexiajones: You're one of my best fans! Thanks so much for the frequent reviews! I'm so happy you're enjoying the fic so far! It's really nice to hear that I'm a good writer; it makes me work harder on the next chapters. J

InsideMyWorld: What can I say except super huggles! You are most definitely one of my biggest fans, and I absolutely love it! I always look forward to reading what you have to say at the end of my chapters; I highly value your opinion. Keep up the praise, it really makes my day! J Hope you like this chapter! And don't yell at too many friends on my behalf! winks

Tigerlilly-moon: I will most certainly continue to write this story, and update as soon as possible. Sometimes I even write during class, hehe, which my professors probably don't like. Thanks for reading and reviewing it makes my day! I'm already kind of planning a sequel to this, so hopefully you'll enjoy that too!

Cheerio510: evil grin As much fun as it is for you to read about the hot sex, it's even better to write about it, hehe. I hope it was really hot and steamy; I wanted to go for the passionate love that exceeds all bounds of steaminess.

Master-of-Wind: When I read what you had to say, I literally jumped up and did a little dance. It made like my whole week to think that I wrote one of the best sex scenes. I didn't even consciously think about writing it, I just let Harry and Draco's passion go where it wanted. And about Draco's talking in the middle, I didn't want him to just jump in and bind Harry to something Harry didn't know about. I didn't think the veela Draco that was really starting to care about Harry would do something like that. I also wanted to see Harry pout, which I think is just so cute! grins

xO yUm yUm Ox: I'm really glad you like the story. And it really thrills me you think I'm a good author. But don't berate yourself about your skill; you never really know your own talent. Like I don't think I'm that good at all, but some people do. Also, the only reason I'm even at all remotely good is because in high school I took all the advanced and Advanced Placement English classes, where we developed writing skills. Email me and we'll talk more about writing and practicing. I hope you like this chapter! And don't worry, I won't stop.

SomethingCorporate: Exactly! Malfoy's do not submit! That's how I've always felt! And Draco isn't just –any- Malfoy, he's Draco! Hehe, I'm glad you share my passion for dominate Draco.

silverflames03: I'm glad you thought it was so good! Everyone else thinks it wasn't too R anyway, so maybe future chapters will be even more R. I just don't want to get in trouble with though. Perhaps I'll make them like NC-17 or something and see if I can post the graphic version on another fanfic site. Anyway, glad you're enjoying the story! I'm loving writing it, too!

Ali: I agree with you about the respect and choice, and believe me, Harry will not always be submissive, because that just wouldn't be right. Right now though, in Harry's life, he needs someone to rely one, because the rest of the world relies on him. Draco will be the solid rock for Harry to stand on, and Harry will support his Draco, too. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for the review, it really makes my day!

cottoncandy: Thanks for the assurance on the R-rating, I don't want to offend anyone, but hey, no one can say I didn't give ample warning, right? grins I'm glad you like the fic so far, and I hope you keep liking it. Thanks for taking the time to review!

DramaPhile: Aw! Thanks for reviewing me back! I really am enjoying your story. I'm glad you caught the little bits of humor I try to put in my fics. I know there's not much, but my sense of humor is often very dry (so I've been told) so I can't write slapstick comedies, much to my dismay. I hope this story is in the upper rungs, I really tried to make it different and good. There were lots of bad (and good, too) veela fics out there, and I didn't want mine to number among them. Anyway, thanks for the review! It made my day!

Beth Weasley: Hehe! I'm glad you liked it…a lot, apparently! grins I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story! I hope you like this chapter, and you won't have to wait too long for the next one. Stupid school…I'd rather be writing! J Hey, maybe I should make that into a bumper sticker, "I'd rather be writing." grins

dracoshomegirl: I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for the review!

Malfoy vs Potter: I'll try to update as soon as possible, and thanks very much for the review! Glad you liked the chapter. Hope you like this one!

Gryffindorgrl86: I'm going to try to get another account soon, so I can make some future chapters even more…passionate, we'll say. ;) I'll keep you all posted on that.

yellowing: yay! That makes me so very happy! I'm glad to have positively introduced to you a compelling force that has destroyed your life, like mine was after reading my first fanfic. So, I would say I'm sorry for ruining your physical life, but isn't being absorbed by fanfics so much better?

Nemoralis: Thank you for the comps on my writing skills; I work very hard to make my writing fluent and flow freely.

MajinSakuko: Ah yes, you have discovered the pitfalls and idiosyncrasies that lie within any written work. Very sorry, I will work harder to eradicate them, but hey, my fics will never be perfect. Glad to see you're still reading my work, though, and thanks for the constructive criticism.

pyro420: Thanks for the review, glad to see you love it!