Telling Hermione wasn't the hard part. Telling Hermione without entertaining the large crowd of his housemates that had been about ready to send out search parties was. It took many a "I'm fine, believe me" and "nothing happened, I just lost track of the time" to disperse the group, and some more time until everyone had retreated into the dorms, before Harry could risk talking about what happened.

'So, you finally figured it out', Hermione surmised when he was done. 'Ginny tells me she had to whack you over the head and make you see reason.'

'Sort of', Harry admitted. 'Fine, I was a bit daft.'

She stifled a chuckle before quickly sobering up. 'And you're sure you've thought this through?

'Not just you', she cut off his protest. 'Malfoy, too. I'm not going to give you the "Malfoy is bad" speech, I think we can leave that in the past, but just to be sure, have you considered the implications? Both of you? You stand to lose much more than him, but Harry, when—when, not if!—this hits the presses, you'll have a hell of a scandal on your hands.'

'I know', Harry nodded. 'You sound exactly like Draco when he told me the same.'

'Really?'

'Yes', Harry confirmed. 'He's like that, he always thinks two steps ahead, he's really internalised the whole PR angle. That, and potions, he's really quite smart once you got to know him.'

'Oh my, you have it bad', Hermione chuckled. 'In that case… congratulations?'

'Thanks', Harry mumbled as they briefly hugged. 'This means a lot to me, especially from you. If anyone has a reason… it's you.'

'I know', she answered. 'Can you believe he came to see me and apologise a while back? A few weeks after Ron… anyway, we talked about some things.' She disentangled herself from Harry. 'As far as I'm concerned, the past is the past.'

'Thank you.' They sat back down and Harry added, 'You're the best, Mione. Really.'

Instead of an answer, she produced a bottle from her bag and unceremoniously poured them both a fire whisky—non-alcoholic, Harry noted, something so obscure only Hermione could manage to find it.

'Cheers.'

'Cheers.'

They toasted and down the first sip.

'So', she asked, 'lend me your ear? Because I've got some good news of my own, if you can take your mind off Malfoy for a second.'

'Sure!' Harry flushed a little at the remarked. 'Spill, what's the news?'

'Alright, so… Kingsley offered me a job.'

Harry choked on his drink. 'Say again?'

'The department head of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is retiring towards the end of the quarter, or rather, they're retiring him. Too involved with the old regime. Anyway, they've got a successor, but Kingsley tells me she doesn't want to do the job forever and they've earmarked her for a promotion to Magical Games and Sports, which is currently without a department head.'

'So he wants you to take over', Harry concluded. A lot of good people had been terminated under Thicknesse, and their replacements had been phased out as quickly as possible under Shacklebolt's lead, leaving many a vacant office.

'Not quite. The new head doesn't have an assistant yet, and I suppose Kingsley knows how active I've been about the topic, so he offered me the job as her number one. He says I can make chief in two years if they enroll me for a magical law diploma right away.'

'That's amazing!' Harry poured them both a new round. 'Congratulations!'

'Right? Of course, there's still my grades, but they're kind of short on candidates right now, so the requirements will be relaxed, and—'

'You'll do great', Harry assured her. 'When have you ever been known to pass an exam with less than an E?'

Hermione smiled at him. 'Right.'

They clinked their glasses together.

'To the youngest department head ever', Harry toasted.

'To reformed friends' she toasted back. 'Cheers, Harry.'

July flew by, and with the end of the school year in sight and their free days numbered, time suddenly seemed to tick away rapidly. Before Draco knew it, the last week before their graduation had arrived, and for all that he had wanted it to arrive sooner, now he wasn't happy at all about it.

Nevertheless, as Harry and he walked through the woods surrounding Hogsmeade, Draco made his best effort not to think about the future.

Having started their 8th year over seventeen years of age, technically speaking they weren't bound by Hogsmeade weekends, and Draco couldn't believe nobody had figured it out sooner, or that it was the Finnigan brat who had come up with it (although Professor McGonagall had required some convincing). To be fair, an 8th year was without precedent, but still… all the days off he could have spent away from his housemates…

Either way, after an extended discussion, the headmistress had granted them all leave, and so Draco and Harry had taken the opportunity to take a walk, away from castle and village and away from prying eyes.

'I never knew there were this many woods around Hogsmeade', Harry remarked next to him.

Draco grimaced. 'I did. You weren't here for it, but… I was on border patrol sometimes. We… there was a skirmish, not far from here.' He shook his head as if to shake off the bad memories.

'Oh fuck', Harry swore next to him. 'Do you want to go somewhere else? We could go to the Hog's Head, or—'

'It's alright', Draco assured him. 'There's no place around here that doesn't have history, anyway.'

'You're sure?'

'Quite certain.'

Harry took his hand and Draco allowed him to squeeze it. He was sure there were places like this for Harry, too, perhaps not around Hogwarts, but they had to exist. He had never spoken in detail about his year on the run, but if the many, many people the snatchers had brought to Malfoy Manor had taught Draco anything, it was that this sort of experience left marks, just as deep and painful as the Dark Lord's.

After some more silent walking—Draco couldn't tell if it was ten minutes or half an hour—they came upon a clearing and Harry declared that he needed a break and to sit down. Draco flopped down next to him, all but ready to close his eyes, and he was just about to consider taking a nap when he noticed Harry awkwardly shuffling next to him.

He cracked open an eye. 'What's the matter?'

Harry stilled. 'It's just… how to I say this…'

'With your mouth', Draco deadpanned, before softening. 'Whatever it is, it'll be fine, just say it.'

'Kay. Don't laugh, but… how close can I, I mean… should I sit here, or…'

Draco frowned. 'Do you have a problem with cl—ah', it dawned on him, 'is this a propriety thing?'

'No? I mean, sort of?'

Draco propped himself up. 'How close would you like to?'

Harry flushed. 'I know you're not really into hugs, so not that close, but well…' He shrugged helplessly.

Draco sat up. 'Harry. You can hug me. It's not that I don't appreciate closeness, it's more…' He sighed. 'I'm not used to it. But that doesn't mean I don't want you close.'

Harry's relieved expression was, Draco thought to himself, incredibly adorable, and patting the grass between them, he invited Harry to lie down with him. After some awkward shuffling trying to figure out a good position, they ended up with Harry somewhat spooning Draco, although Draco's taller build meant that Harry's face was somewhere between his shoulder blades.

'This is nice', Harry mumbled into Draco's neck, and Draco hummed in agreement. A lone eagle flew overhead and Harry's breathing against his neck was so even and steady and the sun shone just right on them… he cuddled closer into Harry's arms and pulled his arm over his chest. He could get used to this…

Draco didn't realise he had dozed off until Harry shook him awake. Judging by the sun, he had napped for… two hours?, Draco estimated. Merlin. How did that happen? I wasn't even that tired.

'Welcome back', Harry chuckled. 'It's almost five, we should get back or we'll miss dinner.'

'Hmm', Draco yawned. 'Dinner sounds good.'

They turned back to where they had come from. It was gonna be an hour-long walk, Draco estimated.

'Slept well?', Harry asked.

'I can't complain. You?'

Harry shook his head. 'Not tired. I slept, oh I don't know, ten hours last night?'

Draco raised an eyebrow. 'I thought with your… your little problem…? The, err, nightmares?'

'Oh, that's just the thing', Harry smiled one of those insufferably content smiles and how did I ever hate seeing those?, Draco thought, 'I've been sleeping really well lately.'

'Oh? That's good. How come?'

Harry shrugged. 'I don't know. I suppose I'm starting to get over it. Time and wounds and all that.'

Draco frowned. 'I'm not following.'

'Huh? Oh right, you're not—how much did I tell you about it?'

'Not much. You woke me up in the Hospital Wing last year, if you'll remember, by screaming your heart out, and that's about it.'

'Oh. Right.' Harry coughed and Draco could imagine all too vividly what he was thinking about, remembering trying to calm Harry down, if only so he could go back to sleep himself, and accidentally holding watch over his bed all night. Harry had to have been just as embarrassed as Draco had been back then, not that the situation wasn't a little ironic in hindsight…

'It was about the war, mostly', Harry confirmed Draco's long-held suspicions. 'Hogwarts, everyone who's gotten killed for me, that sort of things. But it was more than that, it… fuck if I know how to describe it. I felt like I was being put on trial, if that makes sense.'

I know what you mean, Draco stopped himself from saying.

'But I dunno, lately it's gotten better?' Harry continued. 'I felt like someone was on my side, like, I dunno, like a patronus or something. I've been sleeping better, and I've barely had any really nasty dreams anymore.' He shrugged. 'Hermione says I'm "processing my unresolved trauma and learning to accept that I can't change", so that's why. I just don't feel alone anymore when I have one of them.'

'Fascinating', Draco commented. 'I mean, that's great.'

'Yeah', Harry smiled. 'It is.'

Draco pushed any speculation about the hows and whys aside and instead reached for Harry's hand, being rewarded with a beaming smile when Harry took his. After half an hour and a quick look at the time, they picked up the pace, having fallen behind on their schedule, and when they reached the edge of the forest, Harry stopped short just out of sight from Hogsmeade.

'I've, uh, got a question', he confessed. Draco nodded for him to go on.

'We… Merlin, why is this so hard… wehaven'tkissedsincelasttime', he mumbled into the vague direction of Draco. 'I just… is this still a thing? I just, I'm wondering if you have second thoughts or anything.'

Draco shook his head. 'None. You?'

'Neither.'

He shyly brought one hand up to Draco's face. 'May I?'

'Please.'

Harry closed the distance between them, Draco meeting him halfway, and Draco felt like he could get lost in the feeling forever when their lips met. His hands met behind Harry's back and Harry's free hand ended up in Draco's hair, and Draco thought he might never want to let go. His hands stroking Harry's back, Harry's hands cupping his face and caressing his hair, oh what he wouldn't give to keep doing this forever…

How long they spent curled up around each other, Draco couldn't tell, but when they pulled apart, both of them looked dishevelled but absolutely content.

'Wow', Harry breathed, and Draco couldn't agree more.

'This feels… real', he mused. 'This, we, us…' He sought out Harry's eyes. 'We're really doing this, aren't we?'

'Merlin, yes.'

Draco took Harry's hand as they resumed their course towards the castle.

'It's ironic', he remarked, 'to think that it took us eight years to get here.'

'You did offer me your friendship on our first day', Harry reminisced. 'Well, "friendship", air quotes around that.'

'Mhm. Father was irate when he found out I failed to win you over. Associating with you would have benefitted him greatly.'

Harry snorted. 'I can't imagine he'd be happy about our association now.'

'Oh, he isn't', Draco confirmed. 'He hasn't written me lately, but mother's last letter said he is livid.'

'Good thing he isn't getting out of Azkaban any time soon, then', Harry commented. 'Sorry, I know he's your father, but—'

'No love lost there', Draco shook his head. 'Anyway, change of subject. Reassured enough about my lack of second thoughts yet?'

'Well, I'm open for further reassurances?'

'Oh shut it. Gryffindork.'

'Am not!'

'Are too!'

They walked around Hogsmeade, rather than through, and when they separated at the entrance to Hogwarts, Draco felt like maybe, just maybe, everything might be alright.

A/N: I am very pleased to announce that this fic is completely written! That's right, it's done! Therefore, I can with absolute certainty (barring armaggeddon, dinosaur rampages, and sudden death) announce that the next chapter will be posted in a week.

Expect Goodbye, Trusty Castle next week on 24 July.