Hullo Gentle readers!

Final chapter of Young and the Hopeless. All FAQ are at the bottom just incase you're totally lost by the end of this. Well, enjoy and review!

My Quiet Surrender

The next few weeks proved to be some of the most extraoridinary of Draco's young life. Potter continued to leave on random missions and would always come back a bit less of a person than when he left. He supposed he shouldn't blame the Gryffindor for it, war was war, he couldn't expect the Savior to come out of it unscathed.

But the changes in Golden Boy's behavior were taxing on their already diminishing relationship.

Like this new jealousy thing. Draco had never had to deal with Potter getting jealous, that was usually his department. But lately, the Gryffindor would pop up in the most unlikely of places and reem Draco if he so much as leaned in too close to another male. For reasons unknown, Justen Cohen hadn't been hunted down by a wrathful Boy-Who-Lived yet. As many times as the pair met to study and research, not once had they been interrupted by Draco's estranged boyfriend. It seemed as if they dropped off the face of the Earth when they studied in the library together...Which was why Draco found himself growing to cherish these late evening sessions dangerously too much.

Looking up from his Arithmancy homework, Draco gazed at the blond boy across the table from him. His hair was hanging as usual in a curtain infront of his eyes, but Draco could make out his thick eyelashes twitching as his eyes swept back and forth as he wrote. The lad had long fingers and his build was remarkably slender. He'd probably make a good Seeker, if he wasn't deathly afraid of heights. Draco had to smile as that conversation floated back into his mind. It had only been a few days ago that the subject of Quidditch came up. Apparently the Gryfindor had overheard that Slytherin was out of the running for the Cup and brought it up to a disgruntled Draco who was only TOO aware of his team's standings.

They had discussed the finer points of Quidditch, all of which Justen didn't understand since he wasn't much of a fan, and then Justen offhandedly said, "Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I'm dead scared of heights anyways."

Draco had found this confession entirely endearing. Justen had no qualms whatsoever disclosing such an embarrassing fear for a wizard to have. He'd just given Draco a smile afterwards and returned to his homework.

That smile. Draco sighed to himself and raked his hair back out of his face. It was the smile that did him in each time. He knew he was treading into dangerous waters when he continued to meet with Justen, and he knew he needed to stop. The disturbing urges developing in his gut were starting to unnerve the Slytherin. He had a boyfriend. And not just any boyfriend, he had Harry I-Make-Adonis-Look-Like-A-Beggard-Shmuck Potter. Everyone wanted Potter and everyone wanted him. When Potter wasn't saving the world, he was snogging Draco senseless. Even after every one of their fights, no matter what they said or did to eachother, they would kiss and everything would be alright.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? It didn't feel alright anymore. Draco was scared to admit it, but Potter's kisses were becoming...empty. It was as if they were doing it just for the sake of habit...When had it become less than scorching passion? When had they...

"Draco? Are you ok?"

The Slytherin started out of his reverie and regarded Justen, who was frowning at him in concern.

"Maybe we should call it a night. You look dreadful."

Draco smiled. Never had anyone said he looked dreadful."No, its ok. I'm fine. Just... lost in thought I guess."

"Oh?" Justen said, looking interested now."What sort?"

Draco waved his hand dismissively, idly flipping a few pages of his textbook." Oh, nothing of interest..." He raised his eyes once again to see Justen looking disappointed. Honestly, the boy wore his heart on his sleeve."Justen, can I ask you a question."

The blond looked up, a spark of curiosity in his eye." Sure."

Draco considered him carefully before asking,"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

The boy blushed to his nose and Draco laughed heartily. Oh it felt so good to laugh.

"I take that as a no?"

"Er, w-well...um...A-actually...I haven't dated anybody..." Justen hung his head in embarrassment, nervously wringing the sleeves of his sweater

Draco snorted," I very much doubt that. You're much too handsome to have not received atleast a kiss."

Justen shook his head, turning a shocking shade of burgundy.

"No!" Draco blinked." So you're sitting there, telling me that you have never had any contact of the sexual kind, WHATSOEVER?"

Justen nodded sheepishly, peering up at him through the fringe of his bangs." Yeah...Is that pathetic?"

Draco tilted his head thoughtfully, then shook it."No. No, its quite admirable, actually. I know of alot of people who kiss just for the hell of it. Its nice to see you're saving your first for someone special."

Justen seemed to be mulling this over, then a strange look crept across his face and he leapt from his seat, standing next to Draco's elbow. Before Draco had a chance to question him, Justen had leaned down and covered his lips with his own.

Draco was so startled, he actually gasped, allowing Justen to deepen the kiss. A few quiet moments passed and Draco felt his eyes start to slide shut. Smooth fingers danced down his jaw like feathers and a scent that was deep and rich muddled his senses. Soft tendrils of hair brushed against his nose and forehead and Draco felt himself kissing back. Justen sighed against his mouth and before Draco could fully understand why this felt so familiar, he pulled away.

Draco was left staring into clear blue-green eyes. What just happened? "W-what..."

Justen smiled,"I think I just repaid you."

The Slytherin was confused at first, then he gaped." Justen...No! Oh, no, you shouldn't have-"

The boy's fingers pressed against his lips and Draco had the urge to suck those delicate digits into his mouth."I wanted to...Like you said, I was waiting for someone special."

Draco was at a loss. Never had anyone done something like that for him...Well, actually, only one person ever had, and come to think of it, he termed it the same way, too. "Justen..."

"Malfoy!"

Draco jumped from his seat with surprise, knocking his ink bottle and Arithmancy book to the floor." Potter!"

The brunette Gryffindor came round a bookshelf, a frown on his face." There you are! I've been looking everywhere. The Order-" He stopped short at the sight of Justen as Draco's side, looking perplexed." Oh."

Draco swallowed roughly and smoothed his robes down." Potter, this is a friend of mine, Justen Cohen."

Potter's green eyes swept over the boy, mild surprise flashing across his gaze as he caught sight of the Gryffindor emblem on the blond's chest. Justen smiled warmly at him and even Draco was shocked that it seemed to make the Boy-Who-Lived forget the urgency he had spoken of moments ago.

"U-um, nice to meet you Justen...I think I've seen you around. Hang with Ginny Weasley a bit, don't you?"

Justen nodded happily, looking pleased that he was noticed by the Savior of the Wizarding World. Now that Draco had them both in the same room, quite close to eachother, he could see the distinct differences. Justen looked fresh-faced and hopeful, whereas Potter was all too war-worn. His emerald eyes didn't gleam, his shoulders stood square and firm, and his features had hardened into a manly structure. Justen was still young, he hadn't seen the evils of reality and his docile posture proved it. But the similarities were equally uncanny., atleast when Potter was younger. The strength, the vitality, the determination in everything he did...

"Well, it seems like you two have important business to attend to. I'll leave you be. It was great to see you again Harry." Justen gave the brunette one last bright smile, gathered his things and left quietly.

Draco sat down and braced himself for whatever was to come. But to his surprise, he heard a heavy thunk come from across from him and looking up, he saw Potter had deposited himself in the chair Justen had moments ago occupied.

He looked particularly beaten and weary tonight. His ebony hair was laying in eratic clumps, as if he just finished battle. His eyes were shadowed and his fist trembled as he placed them on his lap. The other lay limply at his side.

"He's nice."

Draco crossed his legs, opting for indifference until he could calculate Potter's mood properly." He is."

Potter nodded absently, a emptiness settling across his eyes."I'm glad."

The blond frowned in concern, a nasty habit, and leaned forward a bit."Something wrong, Potter?"

The boy looked up, an odd shine to his gaze."Remember ages ago...you used to call me Harry."

Draco's frown increased and he forgot to be indifferent."You used to call me Draco."

He smiled all too sadly, then looked down at his trembling hands."I suppose it was the first sign, eh?"

Draco gripped the armrest's unconsciously, his heartbeat quickening."First sign of what?"

He looked back up, tears streaming down his dirty face."That I changed...That we were over."

Draco let a few minutes pass before his breathing came back to him. He knew this was bound to happen, he only hoped he wouldn't have to be here when it did. Allowing himself a moment's time to compose himself, he raised stinging grey eyes to meet with emerald.

Harry smiled warmly at him, though his tears were flowing more freely now and falling like thick raindrops onto his tattered robes. "Be happy, my love."

Draco got to his feet, finding them unsteady and made to reach out to stop the brunette. But Harry shook his head, taking a step back.

"He'll be good to you." Harry said.

Draco felt his own tears start to escape from his determined resolve." Only because he reminds me of you !"

Harry smiled again, a playful look in his eyes." I thought he seemed familiar."

Draco shook his head and stumbled forward as Harry retreated around the bookcase." Harry! No! Don't leave me!"

The Gryffindor gave him one last smile, and though his eyes were brimming with tears and his face was stained with dirty tear tracks and his clothes were ripped, torn and bloody, he seemed at last happy. "I love you, Draco."

Draco gritted his teeth and raced round the bookcase to stop him, only to find himself standing alone in a dead end. The blond spun in his spot, bewildered, and frantically searched for a way Harry could've gotten away without making a sound. But everything was as if nobody had been there to begin with.

And then Draco understood.

- + - + -

News of Harry Potter's heroic death in Albania spread like wildfire. There were so many rumors and so many articles that it was hard to know the real truth. But the day after, the Daily Prophet ran a special edition, entirely dedicated to the lost Boy-Who-Lived. Apparently, the Order of the Phoenix had allowed an exclusive interview, detailing the Last Battle and Harry's final moments.

He indeed had died a hero. Voldemort had led him into a separate level of the cliffs that was above where everyone else was fighting, and there they fought ferociously. Harry broke his wand arm and it seemed he was about to become another of the Dark Lord's victims when he used the last of his strength to entangle himself with the evil sorcerer and sent them plummeting to the jagged rocks far below.

After the last of the Death-Eaters had fallen or surrendered, the Order managed to clamber down to the bottom and confirmed what they all dreaded; The Boy-Who-Lived, lived no longer.

But he had taken the Dark Lord with him.

It seemed almost poetic that their last moments would be tangled up in the other, dying alongside their worst enemy.

Draco didn't find it poetic, just sickening. And though his heart felt shredded and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since the night in the library, he attended the brunette's funeral.

It was a grand and beautiful affair. It was held at Hogwarts, the only place Harry Potter had ever called home, and everyone from the students and staff to wizarding kind all over the world attended. Draco felt nauseous to see so many people there, none of which really knew what Harry had been like. But he supposed they felt perhaps a fraction of the pain he was feeling. Harry was something more than a person. He was a hope people had in themselves...He had been Draco's hope.

A warm arm slipped into his and a sweet smelling hankerchief dabbed gently at his cheeks. Draco looked down appreciatively at Justen, who was trying his best to look supportive despite his own grief. Somehow, Draco felt horrible for being thankful that he had Justen at his side, but he was. In the little time he had known the boy, he had grown to cherish the Gryffindor so much.

"Please bow your heads and let us say one last farewell to a heroic young man, and a beloved friend."

Draco bowed his head, feeling fresh tears well behind his tightly shut eyelids. It didn't seem fair, did it? He got to love such a great man, only to lose him so soon.

A gentle squeeze of his arm directed his attention back to the present.

The ebony casket was lifted and gently placed in the ground. A sudden burst of bright green cloud erupted from the grave and when it cleared, a pure white marble statue stood in its place. It was Harry, perched on a rock, his fingers poised in the air as if to either catch a snitch or touch the heavens.

Draco didn't bother to hide his tears, and as the crowds dispersed for a post-funeral banquet in Harry's honor, he walked up to the statue.

Granger and the Weasleys were gathered there already, having given short speeches, and they didn't seem to be too surprised to find him join them. Draco squeezed Justen's hand tighter, the boy having looked uncertain, and approached the small gathering.

"Nice funeral, wasn't it?" Hermione muttered.

"Yeah, bit too flashy for Harry, though." Draco replied.

"It was more for the wizarding world than for him. He would've prefered a tiny ceremony and laid to rest at the Burrow's graveyard." Ron said.

"Either way, he's happy all the same you came to see him off." Justen spoke up.

The group turned to look at him, as if only now noticing he was standing there, holding hands with Draco Malfoy.

Ginny squinted," Justen Cohen?"

The blond nodded, a bit of a blush on his cheeks. "Er...heh, yeah."

Hermione walked up to him and looked him square in the eye. As if she was let in on a joke that only she and Justen knew, she smiled and threw her arms round his neck. The girl sobbed unbidden into his shoulder, and he held her, smiling into her bushy locks.

Draco watched them, knowing Hermione had seen what he had already realized.

She pulled back and Justen tenderly brushed away her tears, a comforting smile on his face." Friends never really die. They'll always live on in our hearts."

Hermione sniffled, nodding and cupped Justen's face in her hands."Thank you...Justen."

Ron was looking confused, so was the rest of the Weasleys. Perhaps later Draco would explain it to them.

"Come on then, you should eat something." Justen said, and started to lead her away.

Draco took his other side and Justen took his hand once more. Despite his sadness, despite his aching loneliness, and despite the fact he was sufficiently furious at Potter for not telling him, Draco smirked smugly."Hard for friends to die if they reincarnate in a Carrier, isn't it?"

Justen shot him a mischievous smirk and squeezed his hand and Hermione's shoulders. "Seventeen is much too young to end things. Besides, there's a position as Seeker on Puddlemere United that's got my name on it."

Draco smiled," I thought you were deathly afraid of heights."

Justen chuckled softly, his eyes flashing green." Had to tell you something to throw you off our tail, now didn't I?"

Draco grinned and curled into Justen's side, walking alongside him to the Great Hall.

"Besides. I said I'd repay you...and I meant it." Justen said, kissing the top of Draco's hair.

Draco smiled, closing his eyes, just letting the warmth of the Gryffindor fill him."Yes you did.Thank you."

"I love you, Draco."

"I love you too, Harry."

le fine

A/N: I feel its my duty as author to put to rest some confusion I've been getting from the ending of this story. I know its rather confusing and it isn't really outright explained, so here it is;

What just happened? What's with Hermione smiling and crying into Justen's shoulder?

Harry and Hermione had been working on a way to keep him alive after his battle with Voldemort. While researching, they stumbled upon a spell that would attach his soul to a Carrier.

What's a Carrier?

A Carrier is a person who's kinda like a Secret Keeper. He/she is magically bound to a secret, or in this case, a promise. Justen had approached Harry the night of his attempted rape and offered himself as the Carrier. So Harry and Hermione bonded Justen to Harry, so when Harry died, his soul was integrated with Justen's.

Why did Justen do it in the first place?

He already said why he did it. "I said I'd repay you...and I meant it." Justen felt so indebted to Draco and with the way he was brought up, he immediately decided to do this for both Draco and Harry, knowing what Harry meant to Draco. Justen knew immediately what was happening between the two and he knew he could help by giving them more time. He's just a selfless person, end of story.

Any other questions, just email me them.

Thanks--
Emerin