HARRY POV:
The students were buzzing with excitement to go on Christmas Break next week. Hermoine and Ron were excited to go back home, and they begged me to go with them, but I said no. These couple of months juggling school and hiding Draco has been anything but smooth. Hermoine insisted on becoming Draco's private tutor, which suprisingly, Draco agreed to without argument. The only one with a problem was, of course, Ron. When he came back with me to apologize to Draco, Hermoine enchanted his tie to shrink every time he was hostile towards him. It's been two months and the charm still hasn't been removed. I can understand his anger, even his suspicion, but what I can't understand is why he has to be so stubborn. It's not like Draco has given us any reason to hate him lately. Sure, he teases us, and he's an arrogant, self-important git sometimes, but that's Draco. Hermoine has learned to get along with him. Draco is even smart enough to have a spirited debate with her over the use of Boomslang skin in Polyjuice potion, unlike me and Ron. Draco has tried, unwillingly, to offer an olive branch by inviting Ron for a game of chess, where he and Ron were on even ground.
"Can you believe this?!" Hermoine shrieked, waving a roll of parchment in her hand. "That rotten pheonix actually corrected my essay!" She sat at the Gryffindor table and threw the essay at me. I choked on my sandwich as I saw the dozens of corrective marks on the paper. Ron looked over my shoulder, snorting around a mouthful of potatoes.
"Maybe the pheonix was just trying to help," I offered, regretting it when I saw her glare.
Ron swallowed noisily before adding, "Or maybe the git is better at Ancient Runes than you are." Hermoine took a roll from his plate and threw it at him, scowling when he took it and ate it. "You have got to admit, Hermoine, he may be rotten, but he's just as smart as you are. If it was me, you would have told me to welcome an outside perspective." Hermoine and I both stared at Ron, before turning back to our food. He smiled, "And if that is repeated, I'll deny it." We smiled. "Harry, have you thought about Christmas break?"
"Yes, Ron, I'm staying here, but I think I need to send a letter to Ollivander."
"Why Ollivander's?" Hermoine asked, picking apart another roll.
"I know what I'm getting that rotten pheonix for Christmas." Ron scoffed and she rolled her eyes.
"I wasn't aware dead people celebrated Christmas." He smirked.
"Harry," she said, cutting off my reply. "You're going to get him a wand? You do know that Ollivander will instantly know who it will belong to. Ron has a point. Why would you get a wand for a dead man? And why would it be you who gets it for him? You can't exactly explain it away."
"I'm not." Students shuffled out of the Great Hall, with us behind the crowd, out of earshot. "If he makes a fuss over the who's and why's, I'll explain it with Galleons." Hermoine grabbed my sleeve, wheeling me around to face her outrage.
"You're going to bribe him?!"
"You're starting to sound like Malfoy, mate." Ron mumbled, looking for eavesdroppers. "But I think I know why you're doing it? You don't think he's going to stay dead for long, do you?" I shook my head. Both of them paled.
"I think I had another dream of Voldemort last month." I shivered at the memory as they shivered at the name. It was just a flash of emotion and a face to go with it, but it was enough to deprive me of sleep for the rest of the night. "He's getting suspicious, and his instincts are pointing to," I paused when a group of third years walked past, "a certain someone's parents. His mother has not spoke or barely left her room since his death. His father has stopped volunteering for missions and there is nothing going on up here," I pointed to my eyes. "The other Death Eaters are concerned, too. I also saw an owl leaving the Mansion. I don't know why but I feel like this owl is going to start another battle. I don't want to leave the pheonix defenseless when we all know he's going to be right alongside us when all Hell breaks loose." Ron shrugged. Hermoine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I've been reading about wands and I think I know exactly what to request so Ollivander won't have to know the person, okay?" They shared a look before nodding. I told them to meet them later in the Common Room before I took off for Hagrid's hut, hoping his obsession with Magical Creatures would pay off.
"'Arry, why you need that?" Hagrid asked, stroking his large beard. "I's not like any o'the profess'rs are ask'n fer a feather. I could only gath'r a few that wer'nt sick."
"It's for a present." He narrowed his eyes. He moved around his hut grumbling as he sat down a kettle of tea and biscuits.
"I don' know 'bout that, but Dumbl'dor told me that ye would need one." He pulled out a fold of leather, unwrapping it to show a vibrant red feather, only a little wilted around the edges. "He told me te tell ye that i's perfec' fer the gift, an that i'll fu'fill i's purpos'."
I took the feather and cradled it in my palms. It was small and delicate, but I could almost feel the power radiating from its core. "Dumbledore doesn't miss a thing, does he?" Hagrid laughed, shaking his head.
"Tha' he doesn't." I stuck around for a while, catching up with one of my first friends, but the entire time, the pants' pocket holding one of Draco's pheonix feathers was almost burning with anticipation, and my mind couldn't help but drift to the Room of Requirement, where deep down, I really wanted to be.
DRACO'S POV:
My head gave another painful throb, pulling my attention, once again, away from a slip of parchment Granger had given me. This past month has been absolute agony. It takes all my energy to hide it from the Golden Trio. My days have been nothing but voices in my head and headaches, and my nights have been vivid nightmares of my parents screaming, crying, begging for death. I wish I could go to Trelawney. She may be a crazy old bat, but when it comes to visions and voices, she's the best advisor. Also, this prophecy in my hand sounds like one she would make. From my perspective, it's all rubbish and fancy words until that one line that really makes a valid prediction. "For neither can live while the other survives...," I said, for the hundredth time. To someone who hates Divination, like the three who gave me this, it seems pretty straightfoward. I thought so at first, too, but the more I thought about it, the more that the words unravelled. Possible meanings were written down under the prophecy. Being in Harry's head, the first conclusion was his only conclusion. That he would have to murder Voldemort. I suppressed a shudder as I thought the name. It's been easier to say it after going through Harry's brain. It's just a name, I finally had to tell myself.
But in Divination, I've studied prophecies just like this that have had completely different outcomes. Harry, poor single-minded Harry, only hears murder. The last conclusion wrote down kept drawing my eye. It was like I had written it in glowing ink. Every time my eyes skimmed the parchment, the last sentence was the first I read. It was a simple question, but it held a world of importance.
What if the killing blow came from neither of them?
Pain seared through my head. I cried out, dropping the parchment. I held my head in my hands as voices rose in my head. My Draco. A woman's voice moaned, tears pouring down her face. My son. The pain flared behind my eyes, making me cry out again. I fell to my knees while the Room of Requirement disappeared. I vaguely felt the world turn over and my head hit stone, but it wasn't Hogwarts I was seeing.
The images were blurry and wispy, almost as if my mother's room in Malfoy Manor was made of smoke. My mother shone brightly among the shadows, her white hair glowing like a halo.
She kept looking over her shoulder as she hastily scribbled on parchment. Footsteps were echoing through the vision. Her hands shook as she tied the note closed. She barely had time to shove the note in her pocket before my aunt Bellatrix skipped into the room. "The Dark Lord calls us, Cissy. We must go to the dining hall." Mother turned to her sister with a sneer.
"I shall come when I am finished mourning my son's death." Her lip quivered slightly, but she held firm. Her eyes were as cold as ice. Bellatrix wasn't fazed. She even had the nerve to smile.
"You shall come to the Dark Lord when he asks of it, Cissy. The death of a little boy will not change that." My mother stood stiff, then suddenly her hand shot out, slapping her sister across the face. Bellatrix stumbled back, giggling, cradling her split lip.
My mother's voice sent chills down my spine. It made me glad that I wasn't on the receiving end of that murderous glare. "My son, my only son, has and always will come before your Dark Lord. His death changes nothing! I have lost one child to one of your goons, and now, I have lost another child by serving that-that," her lips pressed into a thin line before the next word exploded in rage, "MADMAN!" Bellatrix glared while my mother took a steadying breath. Mother flipped her hair, turning her back to her sister and the door. "I refuse to look into that monster's eyes. He takes too much joy in watching a mother grieve for her child."
Aunt Bellatrix drew her wand, making me wish now more than ever that I was here. I tried to call out, but I couldn't hear my voice. I suddenly realized it wasn't neccessary when Mother whipped around, waving her wand in a figure eight, "Relashio!" Fiery sparks shot from her wand, causing Bellatrix to shriek and swat away the embers that haven't singed her. She stormed out of the room, seething. Smoke followed her in a thin trail and she had small burns all over her body. Mother magically sealed the doors. I shuddered at the stregnth of the charm. Nothing short of a dragon could break through. She sighed, "My Draco." She pulled the note out of her pocket, addressing it to the Daily Prophet. "This is for you, Draco." She tied the note to a small owl. She released it out of the window, watching the bird disappear on the horizon. "Draco, my son." She collapsed into a nearby chair, all of that stregnth gone, showing a broken woman.
"Mother!" I heard myself crying out. A pair of large, yellow eyes jumped back, startled. My breath came out in pants and sweat covered every inch of me. My head pounded with exhaustion.
"Master Draco, sir?" Dobby asked, wringing his hands. I slowly sat up, taking in the Room of Requirement. Hours have passed. It was a wonder one of the Trio hasn't shown up. My entire right side was sore from lying on the cold floor. I could hear the small fireplace crackling and see the flames reflected on the silver dining tray on the table. "Master Draco?" the elf asked again.
"I'm fine," I croaked. My throat was raw and dry, as if I have been screaming for hours.
"Master Draco was having a vision, sir. Dobby was told to bring Master Draco soup and tea. Headmaster Dumbledore said Master Draco would be weak, sir." The words took longer than usual to sink in. Of course Dumbledore would know about my potential Inner Eye. Trelawney had probably told him. "Sir?" Dobby held out a glass of tea, strong with four sugars. I shook my head, shaking the fuzz out of my head.
"Is there anything from my childhood that you don't remember?" I sipped the tea, taking delight in how my jaw locked from the sweetness. The first sip was always a suprise. Dobby had a small smile.
"No, Master Draco, sir. Dobby remembers everything that Dobby needs to know to make Master Draco happy. Sir?" I paused, urging him on. "Master Harry Potter was asking about Master Draco, sir. Master Harry Potter couldn't open the door so Master Harry Potter grew worried about Master Draco. What shall Dobby tell Master Harry Potter?" The pounding in my head dulled in comparison the pounding I felt in my chest.
Harry hardly skipped a day visiting me. Sometimes he brought homework we could both work on, though I don't know if the struggling attempts on Harry's behalf could be considered work. Other times, we played Exploding Snap. He whined about how everyone thought themselves too old for the game, but his face lit up as bright as the sun when I offered to play. I knew for a fact we were both too old for the game, but I couldn't bring myself to say no when he pulled out his deck for another game. We talked about everything, nothing was off limits since our mind-melding. He often asked me about Issy. The jagged edge of remembering my sister gradually wore down with each question. Now it was a dull ache. I asked him about living with Muggles in return. Apparently, he was going through the same painful process remembering his family. But every now and again, he would tell me a good memory. His face lit up with mischeif when he described trapping his cousin in a snake cage at the zoo. His eyes glazed over with bitterness telling me about the dozens of birthdays and Christmases he sat and watched his bulbous cousin open gift after gift.
Merlin's balls! Alarm bells rang off in my head. I was supposed to be thinking of a gift for Harry for Christmas. I had listened to Granger whine about Harry staying at the castle for the holidays, and there was only one reason he would stay at the castle, and the thought sent my limbs tingling with excitement. He's staying to spend Christmas with me.
"Master Draco, sir?" Dobby's voice pulled me back to reality. "What shall Dobby tell Master Harry Potter?" I shook my head.
"Don't tell him anything. I'll talk to him later, but I need to talk to you."
"What does Master Draco need Dobby to tell Master Draco?" He held his hands together, bouncing on his heels. Energy was coming off of this elf in waves.
"What could I get Harry for Christmas? I only have a couple of Galleons." Dobby let the question hang in the air before he started thinking, which was amusing on its own. The elf pulled at one of his ears, his face scrunching in thought.
"Dobby thinks that Master Harry Potter would enjoy sugar quills. Master Harry Potter loves to eat Chocolate Frogs. Dobby also thinks that Master Harry Potter would like another minature broom or dragon." I waved my hand, stopping him.
"Dobby," I said, "I'm not talking about treats or toys. What does he like to do besides Exploding Snap and Quidditch?"
"Dobby doesn't know, Master Draco, sir. Master Harry Potter told Dobby to stop following Master Harry Potter. Other than a photo of Master Harry Potter's parents-"
"Wait!" He stopped talking, trembling nervously, but my mind was elsewhere. I rushed over to a scrap of parchment, writing a brief list down before giving it to Dobby. "Go through Diagon Alley and get me these ingredients. Bring them and a cauldron set up here." I handed him the Galleons. "Bring any pictures you can find of both Harry and his parents. I know exactly what to give him." The elf bowed before vanishing with a crack.
I took a deep breath as the throbbing in my head came back. Mother, I thought, I hope that my 'death' didn't make you reckless.
HARRY'S POV:
The castle grew cold, being so empty. I was still visiting Draco, sure, but he would only see me for an hour or so before he would push me out of the room. He kept saying that he didn't want me to see why. It was fine, though. It gave me time to send a letter to Ollivander. His reply sat in front of me in the Great Hall at breakfast.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I thrive on your interest in another wand, but I wonder, why is it that you need a wand of such a peculiar combination? One doesn't often place a pheonix's feather in a wand of alder wood. I hope you are satisfied with a wand of nine and a half inches. The feather you sent, while powerful, is small. I wonder, I understand based on your generous donation that I am not to know the identity of the owner, but I can't help but wonder.
Garrick Ollivander, Wandmaker
He promised that it would be here by tomorrow morning, Christmas morning. My heart flipped with excitement, because while the gift was meant to give Draco protection, it was also from the heart. Hermoine promised that the feather, being Draco's, would bond with him instantly. She was impressed with my research in wand woods, too. I hoped Draco would appreciate the alder wood, seeing as the reason is from the heart also. I was in such a state of eagerness that I barely noticed a bulky issue of the Daily Prophet being dropped on my plate. The flustered owl ruffled its feathers before stealing a grape and flying off. The newspaper was tied together with a small note on top:
The pheonix may rise from the ashes sooner than we thought.
-Hermoine
Dread spread like cold water through my limbs. I slowly unwrapped the package, flinching when Rita Skeeter's beady eyes greeted me under the headline:
YOU-KNOW-WHO FOUND AT MALFOY MANOR
An anonymous source has sent us vital information and evidence that You-Know-Who is hiding in the suspicious-to-begin-with Malfoy Manor, where the Malfoys, parents of recently deceased Draco Malfoy, is hosting the Dark Lord, himself...
The dread broke into full panic. The owl, it was an owl to the Daily Prophet! If this doesn't start some type of battle, there is no telling what will.
Sources at the Ministry of Magic say that while the evidence is credible, it is not enough to rouse the Aurors into a preemptive strike against the Death Eaters. The Minister of Magic, himself, has stated that it would be unwise to storm into the Dark Lord's stronghold...
"Of course not," I found myself growling. Before I realized it, I was already running up the stairs to the Room of Requirement.
Draco was bent over a cauldron when I rushed through the door. He sprung up, flailing to cover up something with parchment, before turning back to me, glaring. "Bloody hell, Harry! You almost made me ruin this! This took what little money I had left so it's not like I can try again."
"You can always take some Galleons from me," I offered, distracted. "But once you see this," I waved the paper in front of him, "I don't think that potion is going to matter." He wiped his palms on his pants before taking the paper from me. His brow was furrowed and he nervously ruffled his hair, strangely like I do. His eyes scanned over the paper, before he collapsed to the ground.
"No," he groaned. "No, no, Mother, NO!" He ripped the paper in half before dropping it. I moved to kneel in front of him. He stared at the ground in horror. What little color he had in his face drained and he looked like he would be sick. I took his hands in mine, gripping them tightly. He looked at our joined hands, then up at me, his eyes impossibly wide. "I saw it. She sent that bloody owl! I had no idea what she was doing. She just kept saying that it was for me. That me and my sister's deaths would be righted." He shivered. His hands were sweaty in mine. He gripped my hands tighter, pulling me closer. "Dear Merlin! He's going to kill her. He knows, Harry! He's going to kill her!" He jumped to his feet. I watched, feeling helpless, as he grabbed his shoes, pulling them on.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" He snapped, tying his laces. "I'm going to the Manor, and I'm going to get my mother out of there before my visions come true."
"Visions?" I asked. He stood, his determined gaze hit me like a wall.
"Yes, I've been having dreams and visions for a month now. I see my mother dying. She's being tortured to the point that the idea of dying brings a smile to her face. You know what she says with her last breath? Draco. She says my name when she dies." He grabs a jumper from the bed and pulls it over his head. "I'm not going to let that happen. If it comes down to it, I'll die before she does." He started towards the door. Before he could grab the handle, I jumped between them. He took a deep breath before saying through gritted teeth, "Move, Harry."
I shook my head. "No. You are not walking into a trap. There are Death Eaters all over the place. You'll die before you even find her."
"Thanks for the faith, Potter." He sneered.
"You have no wand, you git!" I took his shoulders in a firm grip and shook him. He kept his eyes down, lips twisted in a grimace. "Draco, look at me." His lips drew tighter. I could barely see his teeth worrying at his bottom lip. "Look at me!" His eyes slowly moved up to mine. "If you go there, I will have to follow you. Who else is there? No one! Everyone is at home right now, sipping tea, opening presents, celebrating Christmas Eve. There is no one here to follow us. We will be on our own. If we fail, there is no one to save us." His face slacked until all that was there was hopelessness. "You are about to go head-first into a fortress filled to the rafters with Death Eaters, unarmed and on the arm of the worst person you could possibly face Voldemort," Draco flinched, "with. The entire Wizarding world thinks you're dead."
He yanked himself out of my grip and fled to the other side of the room. His breath came fast and shallow and his shoulders slumped. "What the bloody hell does it matter?" He spun back to me, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. "Why, in the name of Merlin, is it so important that I stay here?"
For a brief second, I thought to say because his only defense will be here in the morning, but another, bigger secret had already clawed its way out. Before I could stop myself, I moved up to him and took his head in my hands. "Because I need you here with me." I pressed my lips to his quickly, and pulled back. His face was one of pure shock. Words started pouring out of my mouth, "I've liked you for a while now, but when I saw you sacrifice everything you believed in to protect your mother from him. When I saw that you were a completely different person than what I saw in my head. When I saw how downright...brave you are, I fell in love. That night I held you on the banks of the Black Lake, I wanted nothing more in the world than to kiss those tears away. When you were in my mind, I wanted to show you everything and show you how much that meant to me. And right now, I want you to stay safe here, with me, because now that there is a chance I could have you, I don't want to lose you." This time, it was Draco that pressed his lips to mine.
The kiss we shared was rough and desperate. We fought to hold each other as tightly as we could. Draco whimpered before he pulled back. "But my mother-," I pressed my lips back to his quickly.
"I'll Floo-call Hermoine and Ron tomorrow. We'll get the Order of the Pheonix to come with us." Draco tensed. His muscles bunched, ready to run. "Draco, please." I begged. "Stay with me until I get the help we need." A single tear escaped his eye. I kissed it away from his cheek. He choked out a broken gasp. "Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't let him trick you, Draco. You're smarter than that." That pulled a small smile from him.
He shook his head, sighing. "Harry," he pulled me into him until there wasn't even a breath between us, "the only promise I will make to you is that no matter what happens tomorrow, tonight will be the best night of my life." My heart swelled until it felt like it would burst. He pressed his lips to my forehead, then to my cheeks, before he went back to my lips. This kiss was soft with emotion. His hands glided up my sweater, gripping the warm fabric before pulling it over my head. He paused, grimacing at my oversized t-shirt, before simply ripping it off my chest. "If we live, remind me to buy you a decent wardrobe." The comment meant to be teasing, but we both slowed as the weight of what's happening sunk in.
We could both die tomorrow. Draco could die. I could die. Our friends and family could die tomorrow.
The truth sunk in like a large block of ice. Draco paled, and I shivered. I pressed into Draco's arms, seeking warmth. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, as if afraid to let go. Our lips found each other again, and this time, we didn't stop until we were both lying in bed, our clothes scattered through the room. He was lying on his back, his cheeks and chest flushed red, and I was lying on top of him, his legs wrapped around my waist.
"Oh, Merlin, Harry!" He gasped as I bit his neck. His hips thrust up into mine, his hardness rubbing our stomachs. We both froze when I felt my cock brush his entrance. "Harry," he groaned. "Please, Harry. Fuck me."
"I-I-I don't-" I started, but he rolled his eyes, shoving my lips apart with his. He took his time exploring my mouth, making me grunt into his mouth, rubbing my cock against his ass, desperate for more. He moaned, grabbing fistfuls of my hair. He pulled it and the pressure in my scalp made me cry out. "Draco," I gasped. "God, I want to fuck you so bad, but I've never-" I moaned when he pulled my hair again.
"Me either." He said. His voice was deep and husky, making me shiver. One hand left my hair to search frantically around the bed, before finally he sighed, muttering, "Accio Wand." My wand flew to his hand. We both stared for a moment. Magic then crackled around us like static. It flowed over my arms, raising goosebumps, then surged into me, making me gasp.
"What?" Draco asked, alarmed. I took a moment to breathe. I suddenly felt different.
"I feel...empty." Draco laughed, but then grew serious. His fingers went straight to my entrance, feeling around the edge before sticking in three fingers with no resistance. Being filled with his fingers felt amazing. "Oh, Merlin!" His fingers moved inside of me, making me shudder. "Oh, Jesus, Draco!" I panted. "That's feels amazing, but what the hell was that?"
"Wandless and wordless magic. Did someone else want to take it up the arse, Potter?" He smirked. His fingers brushed something inside me, making me arch my back and cry out his name. "Shit, Harry, you look so hot like this!"
"Just shut up and fuck me, git! That's obviously what you want!" His smirk grew wider as he shoved his fingers into me, one, two, three more times before pulling out. I whimpered at the loss, but shifted to straddle his hips. He took his cock in his hand, placing the head at my entrance. I let myself drop on to it, groaning as a sharp pain went up my spine. I fell forward, resting my head on Draco's chest. The pain of being almost too full and the stretch brought tears to my eyes. I could just hear his sneer.
"Always the Gryffindor!" Draco spat through gritted teeth. "Take it slow, Potter. You'll hurt yourself."
"Just move," I muttered. It was completely still for a brief moment, then Draco thrust into me. I bit my lip to keep quiet as he went impossibly deeper. One hand started rubbing circles on my back while the other ran fingers through my hair. His hips thrust again. Everything in me tensed.
"Relax, Harry." He breathed in my ear. "I've got you. Just relax and it will start to feel amazing. I promise." My muscles gradually relaxed one by one. It wasn't until the muscles in my neck went limp that he moved again. His thrusts were shallow. He gradually went deeper and deeper until he hit that same spot again. Icy fire roared through my senses, blasting away the pain.
"Bloody hell!" I sat up to see Draco's face. The sight of his lazy smile made my heart flip. He thrust again over the spot. I moaned. The lust in his eyes made them look like storm clouds. Magic static still pulsed through the room. Everywhere Draco touched me tingled like a live wire. Everytime I touched him, he would gasp or groan, involuntarily thrusting into me.
The room was filled with nothing but the sound of sex and moans. The static grew thicker and thicker until it was pressing in on us like water. I wanted this to never end, but I also thought if this didn't end soon, I would surely die. Draco's hips thrusted harder and faster. Our eyes locked onto each other, not moving. Our breath came out in pants. Draco's eyes grew darker, stormier. I almost thought I saw lightning flash in his eyes, before he gripped my hips hard and started thrusting as hard and as fast as he could.
"Oh, God, Draco!" I felt the pleasure building in me. A tight, hot ball of electricity growing until I thought I would explode. "Oh, Merlin, please, Draco! I need to-ugh! I need to-" I cried out in relief when his fingers wrapped around my cock and started pulling it with his thrusts. The ball exploded inside of me, almost sounding like thunder cracking in my ears. "Oh, Draco!" Words started rushing out of my mouth. "Draco! Oh, God, Draco! I love you so much! Oh, Jesus Christ! So good! So good!" A wordless cry was ripped out of me as I came harder than I ever have in my life.
I collapsed on Draco's chest, boneless, helplessly whimpering as he pounded into me. His breath quickened and hitched before he came with a, "Oh, Harry!" We both lie there, motionless, breathing heavily. I rolled off of him, cringing at the soreness already building.
"Amazing," I breathed. Draco started laughing. I turned onto my side, resting my head on his chest. "What's so funny?" His eyes shone with a bright light, clear again. The color gray there now reminded me of a rainy morning in the summer.
"Nothing." We stared in each other's eyes for a moment, before Draco broke his gaze, sighing. "Sleep, Harry. We need rest for tomorrow." Tomorrow. The word broke my happy haze like breaking glass. I sighed, too.
"Okay," I eventually said. "Just promise me something."
"Yes, Harry?" His eyes grew dark with fear and worry. I kissed him, willing it to go away, then pulled back. It didn't.
"No matter what happens, we don't leave each other's sights." His fingers sought out mine, intertwining them. "Promise me we stay together."
"Harry, I-"
"Promise." I cut him off, squeezing his hand. He squeezed back, smiling sadly.
"I promise." I nodded, not convinced. I extinguished the lights with my wand, then lie down beside Draco, not letting my own fear show on my face. I stared at the ceiling in the darkened room, my thoughts racing and my heart pounding. It felt like an eternity, but eventually I fell asleep.
DRACO'S POV:
I fought to stay awake, even though I wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Harry's warm body and sleep. After a long time, Harry's breath evened out and slowed and when I tried to shake him awake, he didn't stir. I carefully stepped out of the bed, searching in the dark for my clothes.
I had on my pants and shoes before I caught sight of my workbench. I was almost finished with Harry's gift before he ran in. It only needed a quick enchantment. I looked back at the bed, where he slept soundly. His wand was still in the bed, and after a quick look through the sheets, I had it in my hand. It had suprised me that it responded to me so easily. I was sure that I had to have Harry do the spell on the gift himself. Now that I could do it, I didn't hesitate to go over to the project, fishing it out from under the stack of parchment.
I took a moment to look at my work fondly. I used two pictures: one of his parents laughing and one of him from third year, smiling in his tattered Quidditch robes, and used a simple binding potion to overlap the pictures until he and his parents were together seamlessly. I pointed the wand at the photo, mumbling a quiet animation charm. The photo lit with an inner light, then faded. The parents moved first, noticing Harry standing between them, then picture-Harry looked back, stunned. The woman smiled brilliantly before collecting the boy in her arms. Picture-Harry hugged her back, tightly, grinning. They both turned to the man who looked exactly like the boy, before they all embraced each other as a happy family. My heart swelled at the spell's success. It was almost painful to see Harry so happy to be with his family in the picture. It brought tears to my eyes when I thought how real-Harry would be thrilled to have this gift. The tears fell when I thought about where I would be when he saw it.
I finished gathering my things, before writing a short message on parchment, leaving it and the photo on my pillow. I stopped, kneeling over Harry's sleeping form. I pressed my lips to his cheek, a small part in me wishing he would wake up and try to stop me. He didn't. He stayed asleep as I took his closest hand. He snored as I cast a small Incarcerous charm, tying his wrist the headboard. He jumped, but continued sleeping, even as I pocketed his wand and left the Room of Requirement.
The door closed behind me, making me feel more wretched than I expected. It vanished as I called for Dobby. It was gone when he appeared with a crack. "What is Master Draco doing out of bed, sir?" He bowed, his massive ears brushing the ground. "What can Dobby do for Master Draco?"
"Can you still get through the wards around Malfoy Manor?" He looked up at me, alarmed, but forced himself to answer.
"Yes, Master Draco, sir. Dobby can still Apparate to Master's Manor." I spared another glance at the span of wall. Everything in me was screaming to go back, curl up into Harry's arms, and pray this was just another nightmare. I took a deep breath, holding my hand out to Dobby.
"Take me there." As we Disapparated, I swear I could hear Harry's voice begging me to come back...