Underneath the Mistletoe

ChapterFiftyFive

Harry's POV
SixthYear-DaySeven

Harry woke in the middle of the night to Draco shifting in the sheets beside him. He could hardly see a thing in the dark bedroom that the Room of Requirements had provided them. Harry could however make out Draco's figure from the light, left on in the bathroom, that crept through the crack of the door. Suddenly the other boy gasped awake, breathing hard. Harry could feel the heat radiating off of him and felt sweat on the sheets. He watched, still half asleep himself, as Draco wiped at his brow and held his head in his hands. Harry stared at him, waiting for the other boy to either open up and ask to talk about it or try to go back to bed. This wasn't the first time Draco had woken up gasping from a nightmare. However, Draco only continued to breathe hard and shake. He gathered his senses enough to ask, "you good?"

He clearly was not but Harry wasn't sure what else to say. "No," Draco croaked out beside him, his voice cracking.

"What's up?" He asked quietly, propping his head up to keep himself awake so he could listen to the other boys answer.

"He's going to kill me," Draco said simply in a small brittle voice.

Harry's heart stopped beating in his chest. "What do you mean?"

A dry, humourless, half chuckle half sob left the blond. "He was in my dreams. Bloody creepy. He does stuff like that sometimes. He was in my dreams and wanted to know how my task was going." Draco was rambling, which showed just how scared he really was. His voice was disembodied in the dark, Harry reached out with a hand and found the other boys arm. He used it to find Draco's hand and squeeze it gently. "He could tell that I was uneasy and hiding something from him and, I don't know, he went farther into my mind? He knows my loyalties aren't with him. He'll kill me."

"You're kidding me?" Draco's grey eyes slide to Harrys face and the look in them was enough to answer Harry's question. "How are you so bloody calm?"

"There's nothing I can do," Draco's voice sounded dead, hopeless.

Harry sat up quickly, making the bed springs groan. "Bullshit," he snarled. He was angry that the other boy was just going to accept this. He wasn't even certain what this was. Voldemort had been in Draco's dreams. Voldemort was going to kill Draco.

"Alright then Chosen One," Draco said rolling his eyes. "What's the big plan?" He knew Draco was taunting him but Harry had an answer.

"We'll go to Dumbledore," he supplied.

"Fuck no," Draco replied without hesitation.

"Why the hell not?" Harry demanded getting frustrated.

Draco wiped at his damp forehead and straightened his shoulders. "He'll turn me in."

"He won't."

Draco scoffed and turned onto his back to look up at the ceiling. "How can you be so sure?"

"He trusts me." Harry's voice didn't sound as sure as he wanted it to and that was because he only half believed in his plan.

Draco could hear the uncertainty and said, "But he doesn't trust me."

He thought fast, grasping at straws to try and think of something more concrete. "But you're with me."

"He doesn't know-" Harry watched the realization dawning in Draco's eyes that Dumbledore had probably read the Daily Prophet article about his sexuality. While the paper hadn't said anything about Harry the headmaster was extraordinarily intelligent and over the years had probably been connecting the dots of their relationship.

"We'll tell him."

Draco shook his head and pulled his hand out of Harry's. "He'll think that I've imperiused you." If Harry hadn't know him as well as he did he would have thought that the other boy didn't care that his life was on the line. But Harry did know Draco, he knew him really well, he realized. Well enough to be able to clearly see that Draco was actually terrified despite attempting to show that he was calm. This set something off in Harry, something he'd only ever felt a couple times before and only for those he was closest to when they were in danger.