The next month or so went by quickly. Between his meetings with Dumbledore and the Slug Club, Harry was having a busy sixth year. He did not want to be a part of the Slughorn's highly exclusive club, but Dumbledore asked him to get close to Professor Slughorn, and thus, he had no choice. On the bright side, after Draco demonstrated his mastery of Potions, Slughorn started inviting him to the dinners and social events too. Which meant more time spent together.

Draco continued to have a poor sleeping schedule and appetite.

"You're not eating," and "that's not enough sleep," were two phrases that Harry had to say a lot in the last month.

While his scars were mostly healed, Draco still suffered from nightmares, and Harry would wake up occasionally to Draco twisting in his bed and sweating like crazy. And during meals or when they're hanging out, Draco barely speaks. He's physically there, but his mind is elsewhere.

"I'm worried about him." Harry told Hermione one afternoon when they were studying together.

"He went through a traumatic experience, Harry." Hermione stated, sympathetically, "give him some time."

"Hey, Harry." A group of fourth and fifth-year girls passed by him, giggling amongst themselves. Hermione rolled her eyes.

Harry hoped that the Hogsmeade trip the next day would help take Draco's mind off things. Harry had a whole day planned out. He and Draco will go to all of Draco's favorite shops in Hogsmeade: Zonko's, Honeydukes, J. Pippin's Potions, Spintwitches Sporting Needs, and then they'll meet with Hermione for lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

When Harry woke up in the morning, Draco was already gone, which Harry was used to at this point. He took a shower and headed to the Great Hall where he knew he'd find Draco. Just like every morning, Draco was already there with a Daily Prophet in his hand and an untouched plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and beans in front of him on the Slytherin table. Except, today, he wasn't wearing a school uniform, but instead he was wearing a navy blue turtleneck and a pair of straight dark jeans that Harry got for him from a muggles store.

"Hey handsome," Harry smiled at him as he sat down and, after checking that no one's around, gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Draco blushed, and also looked around to make sure no one's around: "hey."

"Are you ready?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Draco answered as he closed the Prophet and put it down.

It was mid-October, so it was starting to get cold. Harry and Draco both put their coats on and braced the cold. Draco looked tired and weaker than Harry has known him to be, but he was laughing and smiling and chatting. Draco seemed to enjoy the trip with Harry, and that's all Harry wanted.

After filling their pockets with sweets from Honeydukes, and Draco's with products from J. Pippin's, they met with Hermione outside the Three Broomsticks. They went in and ordered three Butterbeers and some food. For the first time since they got back to Hogwarts, Harry saw Draco eat properly.

After lunch, it was time for them to head back to Hogwarts. Overall, Harry considered the Hogsmeade trip a success. Until…

"Help! Somebody help!" They heard a voice calling as they were walking back to the castle.

Harry, Draco, and Hermione ran towards the voice. It was Michael Corner. He was calling for help, and next to him, lying down on the ground unconscious was…

"Anthony!" Hermione screamed, and ran towards him.

"Don't touch the necklace!" Michael warned her.

Harry started running after Hermione, when he noticed the Draco stopped. He turned around. Draco was frozen in his place. Not moving. He just watched the scene unfold in horror.

"Draco!" Harry called once. "Draco!" The second time Draco snapped out of it. "Are you alright?"

"Let's go help them." Draco just said, ignoring Harry's question.

"Where'd he get the necklace?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Michael said, panicking. "He went to the toilet in the Three Broomsticks and when he came back he had and he was acting weird."

"Did you happen to see someone following him to the toilet?" Hermione asked.

"No… I… No, I don't."

Hermione turned to Harry and Draco. "Did you happen to see something strange in the toilet?"

"No, neither of us went." Harry said.

"Who could be after Anthony? And why?" Draco asked.

"It's not for him," Michael said.

"Who is it for then?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore."

"We need to get him to the hospital immediately." Harry said, and gestured to Michael to carry Anthony with him, and Michael did.