They released prisoners at dawn on the south shore of the island. Harry arrived early to make sure he didn't miss it, and by the time the gates opened he had been there two hours.
"Malfoy," Harry called from a safe distance down the shore. He wasn't going to get any closer to the Dementors than he had to.
Malfoy tensed and looked in his direction, squinting in the dismal half-light. "Potter?"
"D'you really want to get in that thing?" Harry gestured to the guards' rickety old rowboat, and then held up his broom. "I'll fly you."
For a moment Malfoy didn't move. Then he called: "Why?"
"Dunno."
Harry waited and it didn't take long for Malfoy to make his choice. He turned his back on the boat and came to Harry, walking unsteadily but fast. "Let's get out of here."
"Yeah." Harry got on and waited for Malfoy to climb up after him. Malfoy left space between them, which definitely impacted the safety of tandem flying, but Harry didn't suppose he could blame him. In fact it might be even more considerate to let him have his own broom. "You all right to sit there?" he asked coolly. "I know Azkaban is… bad."
Malfoy snorted. "Yeah," he said softly. "And yeah." To Harry's surprise he scooted forward the last few inches, pressed flush against him from shoulders to hips, and wrapped his arms all the way around Harry's waist. "All right – go."
They kicked off. The trip over the water was completely silent except for once, when Harry felt Malfoy's head settle against his shoulder. "Don't fall asleep back there!" he called over the wind.
Malfoy shifted and his arms tightened. "You're not that smooth a flier."
"Am too, shut up!"
He thought he felt Malfoy laugh. He hoped so – a scared, quiet Malfoy who wanted to cuddle was actually one of the more terrifying things he had seen in recent days, and he would much prefer to see Malfoy returned to his old self. As unpleasant as that old self might be.
Once they were back over solid land again, flying slow and easy over nice landscapes, Malfoy finally sat up a little straighter and un-hugged his broommate. He put his hands on Harry's shoulders instead and leaned close to his ear. "Where are my parents?"
"I don't know. I looked for your mother, but they wouldn't tell me when her trial was and I couldn't very well camp out in the courtroom until she turned up. So I don't know."
"Have they-… started…?"
"Giving people to the Dementors?" Harry guessed. "Yes but they're doing it slowly. Making a bloody spectacle of it, it's disgusting. Your parents have not been on the list."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." He'd made sure, knowing Draco would ask and that it would be completely unforgivable to give him wrong information.
Draco didn't say anything else until he was dropped off at the gates of Malfoy Manor. When he climbed down off the broom he stumbled, and clutched Harry's shoulder.
"Careful," Harry said.
Draco straightened slowly. "Been a while since I've flown. Or walked." His voice was hoarse and Harry didn't think it was just from shouting over the wind. "Or spoken to anyone."
"Listen... I'm staying with the Weasleys. You can owl me there if… anything. I mean it. And don't ask why," he anticipated. "There's no reason. You just can."
Draco nodded. Then, with what appeared to be incredible effort, he looked up and made eye contact. "Potter. Thanks."
"Yeah, well. See you around." Harry took off and flew fast, hoping to make it home before breakfast, wondering what lie he could possibly tell Ron about where he had been. The broom felt strangely empty without Draco pressing up behind him.
The End.
Let me know what you think!
Also, I've got an idea for a long H/D fic kicking around in my head now and I may start posting over the next couple of days. Stay tuned!