You Jump, I jump

Written by StrawberryGirl87

Hogwarts no longer feels like home, it is time to move on but Harry has nowhere else to go. Standing on the precipice of uncertainty he finds a helping hand from the most unlikely of people. Someone who is willing to stand by his side when things seem bleak.

Chapter Eighteen

"Get out Hermione," Ron bellowed, he was in a towering rage, feeling as if his girlfriend and the love of his life had betrayed him. After everything Malfoy had done to them she had defended him. He had never thought that he would ever see Hermione defend a Deatheater.

"Ron, please let me explain," She pleaded, she had known that he was going to be angry but she had never seen him like this before, his face as red as his hair and his hands clenched into fists. She was only glad that he didn't have his wand to hand.

"Explain what Hermione? He called you a mudblood, he stood by and did nothing while his Aunt tortured you, he almost killed me while he was trying to get to Dumbledore. You defended him, you helped keep him out of Azkaban!" Ron yelled.

"Because Harry loves him!" She screamed back at him. "We're losing him as a friend and as a person, if Malfoy went to Azkaban then Harry would be completely adrift, who knows what he'd do or where he'd go. Malfoy is at least keeping him grounded. I did it for Harry not for Malfoy." She tried to explain.

"Harry doesn't need Malfoy," Ron said, practically exploding at her.

"If he didn't need Malfoy then why did he leave with him after the war was over, why didn't he stay with us?" She asked him, "Whatever Malfoy can give him we can't right now. I heard Malfoy say that he loved him and I heard Harry say it back."

"What does that have to do with anything? If you hadn't saved him from Azkaban they wouldn't be together anymore," Ron raged.

"Harry can't grieve for anyone else Ron, it would destroy him to lose another person he cared about. We have to make him realise how wrong what they have is."

"Or maybe if Harry is that damaged that he can love Malfoy he's just too far gone to be helped, did you ever think of that Hermione?" Ron asked her, he hadn't unclenched his fists and was still fuming with anger.

"He's not too far gone," Hermione said with tears in her eyes.

"He had a part of a lunatics soul in him for seventeen years, people died because of him, people he'd never even met, you think that doesn't fuck a bloke up? You really think he isn't so far down the road of fucked up that he doesn't know what he's doing? You just lied to the entire Wizengamot and let a deatheater walk free, which is an offence as it is, you could get arrested Hermione. Is Malfoy worth that? Are you going to be able to look Bill in the face that was mauled by Greyback, look at George who still hasn't said anything since Fred died and say that it's worth it?"

"No, Malfoy isn't worth it but Harry is … I can't believe that he can't be brought back from this. In fact I refuse to believe that he can't. He's just lost right now and after everything that's happened to him I can't blame him for feeling that way and he needs our help." Hermione said pleadingly, trying to make him see her side of it but Ron didn't want to. He felt too betrayed. Harry had turned his back on them when he had left without a word and done so with Malfoy.

"If you won't leave then I will, I just can't look at you right now," Ron said in frustrated agitation heading for the door.

"Ron don't leave, please," Hermione begged but Ron didn't even look back as he walked out of the Burrow, slamming the door behind him leaving Hermione in tears.

"He's right you know," Ginny said, coming down the stairs.

"You heard all of that?" Hermione asked trying to dry her eyes.

"I think the Lovegood's on the next hill over heard all that," Ginny responded a little stiffly. She liked Hermione she really did and she even still loved Harry in some ways but on this occasion she had to agree with her brother.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said as she sniffed hopelessly.

"No you're not," Ginny said simply, "Not for what you did, you're sorry that Ron's angry and that no one can see why you did what you did. I get that you're trying to protect Harry. No one can understand that better than me but you have to let him be. He'll come back to us when he's ready."

Hermione couldn't understand how Ginny had become so cold. Then she remembered how much she had lost. Blindly she had followed Harry believing that she was helping him and only now she realised how badly she had messed up, hurting the man she loved. She doubted she would ever be able to make this up to him but she swore that she would at least try.

HPDM

Harry awoke feeling hot and sticky. He was covered with come and sweat, neither of them having been in the right frame of mind to cast scurgify before they fell asleep. He remembered having fallen asleep while still being inside of Draco, however while they had slept he had come out. He was now lying on his back with Draco curled around him, one arm across his stomach, his head resting upon the Gryffindor's chest.

As he lay there unmoving it was the first opportunity when Harry could reflect on everything that had happened without lust clouding his mind. He had fallen out with his best friend, potentially destroying his relationship with Hermione that had taken them seven years to build up to what it was. He had lied in court to the Wizengamot too.

He knew what Draco had done, the cursed necklace, the poisoned mead that had almost killed Ron. Of course he knew that like himself Draco had never wanted to do any of that, he had been forced into the role and fulfilled it out of fear. Harry had to believe that he was sorry for his past actions, that he was going to try and make amends. After all he hadn't been able to kill Dumbledore when he had been given the opportunity. He hadn't told Bellatrix who he was when they had been captured during the war. He needed to believe that he had done the right thing keeping Draco and his mother out of Azkaban. They loved each other and the man whom Harry had seen over the past few days was worth saving.

He had just shared the most intimate and special moment of his life with a man that he hardly knew and was beginning to doubt a little. Everything about the Slytherin had clouded his mind for days, his scent, his touch, and his words. Harry had become hypnotised by his majestic beauty and ability to accept him as he was.

"Morning gorgeous," Draco said with a smile as he kissed a trial of soft kisses up his lovers neck, savouring the salty taste of sweat upon his olive skin. Draco intended to savour every moment he had with Harry because he really was his hero now, his saviour.

"Morning," Harry responded, a little distracted by his troubling thoughts.

"You okay?" Draco asked with concern as he sensed the less than stellar mood that Harry was in this morning. A fear struck Draco that maybe the Gryffindor was regretting what they had done last night, scared of being rejected after something so perfect.

"Yeah," Harry replied bluntly, "I need a shower," He said suddenly, sitting up and running a hand through messy raven hair with agitation.

"Want me to join you?" Draco asked sitting up behind his lover and kissing tenderly at his shoulder blade.

"No," Harry said, "I just want some time alone to think." Getting up and heading for the bathroom leaving Draco alone on the bed feeling rejected and hurt, confused about what he had done wrong to initiate the cold shoulder from Harry.

Leaving Harry alone in the en-suite bathroom Draco went to the bathroom down the hall. He had showered and dressed before Harry had emerged. The house elves had changed the sheets that had been saturated with bodily fluids and made the bed.

Draco could feel an ache in his chest at the rejection Harry had dealt him. Perhaps it had been too soon for them, they had let their hormones control them and had slept together too soon. It was clear to the Slytherin that Harry now regretted them sleeping together and he wasn't sure how they would get over this. It had been so much easier before they had kissed in Privet Drive.

Harry emerged dressed and towel drying his hair. Draco was sat on the bed trying to think about what he could do to fix his relationship with Harry. Surely things weren't supposed to be this difficult so early, he was sure of it. An awkward silence filled the room as Harry perched on the bed his back to the blonde.

"Can I take you somewhere today?" Draco asked quietly, fearing that Harry might say no and ask for more time alone to think. He didn't think he would have been able to cope if this happened.

"Sure," Harry replied as he set the towel down. "When do you want to go?"

"Now, please," Draco pleaded quietly.

"Okay," Harry said slightly taken aback. "Is there any particular reason why you're in such a rush to leave right this minute?"

"I'll explain when we get there," Draco said as he shoved his feet into his shoes. He was desperate to get some answers but he didn't want to get into it here. It was too personal, this was the room they'd made love in for the first time, he couldn't taint those memories by causing an argument.

Leaving their backpacks behind Draco approached Harry, holding open his arms so that they could apperate together in an embrace, the hurt seeping through when Harry hesitated for a moment before going to him. Draco enveloped him in a hug, enjoying the musky scent of his hair, fearful that it would be the last time he was this close to Harry.

With a pop they apperated away from the castle and the intimacy of that room. Harry looked around with confusion when he realised that they were back in the hallway at number four privet drive. "Dray … what are we doing here?" Harry asked and Draco looked away at the familiarity of the pet name Harry had for him, a sign that there was still affection there. He was almost unable to bear the pain that it caused.

"This is where it all went wrong," Draco said with a sadness in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, they were still holding one another, neither wanting to break the contact they had with their arms around the other. Harry may have had his doubts but there was one thing that he was sure of and that was that he loved Draco.

"I kissed you," Draco explained, "If I hadn't then we'd still be okay, we'd still be happy."

"Oh Dray …" Harry said closing his eyes and resting his forehead against the blondes, their noses bumping together. "It didn't go wrong," He said softly to his lover, "I'm sorry you feel like that."

"You've been so cold to me all morning," Draco said heartbroken, relishing the contact, their lips so close that they breathed the same air.

"I'm sorry," Harry said pathetically.

"Don't be sorry, be Harry, my Harry," Draco pleaded.

"I need time Dray, time to figure a few things out," Harry said as they were interrupted by a bright blue otter shaped light that bounded around Harry, ready to deliver it's message.

"Harry, I need to see you, alone, meet me at the leaky cauldron," Was all the little otter said before it vanished. Draco could hardly breath, realising that Harry was about to leave him.

"You're going, aren't you?" Draco questioned quietly, still holding Harry close to him, unwilling to loosen his grip or let go completely.

"It's Hermione, I have to … but maybe this has come at a good time," Harry said, tears in his eyes. "It'll give me a chance to think, which I can't do when I'm around you. You're all I can think about when we're this close, being with you, touching you, kissing you. I just need to figure a few things out," Harry told him and as the explanation as to why he was leaving washed over Draco he too began to cry.

"How will we find each other?" Draco asked, breathless in his anxiety.

"Do you remember those muggle phones we bought?" Draco nodded. "Keep it on and with its battery fully charged like I showed you. We'll always be able to find each other," Harry said as he placed a soft kiss on Draco's lips. "I promise I'll come back to you," He said as he disentangled from Draco's embrace and with a soft pop he was gone leaving Draco alone in an empty muggle house, a crushing pain in his chest with nothing but a kiss, a promise and a muggle mobile phone.