𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨

𝐗𝐋𝐈𝐗

"So," I said, "this is it, huh?"

Draco looked down at me, a new gleam in his eyes that spoke nothing but exhilaration.

"You say that like the world is ending."

I turned my head to gaze out of the window again. Out at the mountain peaks, hinted with the familiar golden-blue glow of the sunrise. Out at the trees reflecting on the stillness of the Black Lake, until they will eventually ripple with a weeping rain.

"It kind of is ending," I sighed, "This world, anyways."

Draco tightened his arms around my waist, resting his chin atop my shoulder, nose nuzzled in my neck. The hot breath from his lungs set everything right in the world.

"Well, now," his voice muffled on my skin, "we get to make a new one. Just you and me, until the world really does come to an end."

That sounded nice, so I smiled. I think Draco smiled too, I hoped he was, saying something that sounded so much like poetry.

Even just the sky itself—the entire scenery was the most perfect description of beauty. I had a strong feeling, that even the poets would be lost for words. 

"You and I, we could last beyond that, I think; the end of the world," he said.

"I think I'd rather be together in a world that's intact, thank you," I smirked.

Draco sniggered, and propped his head up so I could hear him better. "Way to ruin the moment, Scarface."

We stood in silence until the sun was fully visible and the warmth seeped in through the window pane.

There was a knock at the door.

Draco sighed, took a moment, and then went over to see who was there.

I took that time to finish folding the leftover socks that I had fished out from under my bed, before I heard the click of the door opening, and Draco turned to get my attention.

"Harry? I think someone would like to speak with you."

I peaked around Draco's shoulder. Ron stood there with a guilty expression on the threshold.

"Harry," he said, and nothing else. I understood.

He stepped back from the doorway and I followed him out into the hall. We faced each other, I looked dead into his eyes and he tried to as well, but failed every time.

"You said you wanted to talk?" I asked in a monotone.

He nodded.

"So, talk then," I urged, wanting to get this over with so I could finish packing.

"I think I owe you an apology."

"You think?"

"I know I do," he muttered. "I shouldn't have shut you out like that. I just needed some time to think."

"Think about what, Ron? Think about whether or not you should drop my arse 'cause I don't have romantic feelings for your sister?" I felt the anger at Ron rising in my stomach, threatening to spill out on the floor after being held down for so long.

"Well when you say it like that–"

"–It sounds stupid? Is that what you were gonna say?"

His head dropped. "Yeah."

"Yeah, you know why? Because it is stupid! It's stupid that you and everyone else thinks that way! It's stupid that after eight years, you would hate me for something as stupid as who I'm dating!"

"I don't hate you."

"You've got a real funny way of showing it."

Silence. He knew I was right. And I knew that he knew that. There was no way for him to possibly fight me on this any longer.

"You said you owed me an apology?"

"I do."

Another silence.

"Well?"

"This isn't exactly an easy thing for me to do, Harry. I know I was wrong," he sighed," Just give me a moment..."

I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted my weight on my feet, conveying an impatient manner. I waited for him, nevertheless.

"I'm sorry, Harry."

I nodded. "I know."

"You don't have to forgive me," he paused, "I wouldn't."

"I know. And I don't think I can just yet."

He nodded and looked down. "Hermione knocked some sense into me, finally. She tried to talk to Ginny too... she's not really looking to apologize yet."

I shrugged. I hoped that she would eventually come around as well, but I wasn't planning on it anytime in the near future.

"I got to speak to Fred, too. Mcgonagall finally allowed me in. He also knocked more sense into me."

"Good," I said shortly.

"I should go..." he said, "'Mione's waiting for me."

"Yeah," I agreed, "Draco's waiting for me too."

I saw a heat of embarrassment and possibly still resentment rise onto his cheeks at the mention of Draco. Clearly, his apology hadn't included him.

"Alright," he said, "I'll see you around?"

He began to walk away.

"Ron," I called him back.

He turned around, listening.

"You don't have to right now, but at some point, I want you and Draco to exchange apologies. This is never gonna work if you're always at each other's throats."

With a hesitant nod, he said, "Fine. Eventually."

"Fine."

I went back into the dorm. Draco was stacking pieces of parchment together and stuffing them into his trunk.

When he looked to me, he said, "You look pissed."

"I am pissed."

"He didn't apologize?"

"No, he did. Just not very well."

He stopped what he was doing and leaned on his bed with a hand on his hip. "How so?"

"It sorta sounded like he only pitied himself and Ginny. He had to have Hermione and Fred lecture him to realize that I wasn't some kind of criminal."

He paused, "Fred?" he asked hesitantly.

"He's got a portrait in the common room."

"Ah. So what, you're not besties again?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"It wasn't gonna happen that easily."

He nodded in understanding, continuing his stacking of parchment and quills.

"I told him that some day, you both need to say sorry to each other. I don't want my best friend and my boyfriend to always be exchanging insults," I told him.

He stopped moving again, "Some day, possibly."

I nodded, letting out a halfhearted chuckle in attempts to lighten our mood in our last moments.

I pulled my Gryffindor robe from off of the bed post where I had it hanging, passing the silky fabric through my fingers before shutting it away in my trunk with strange kind of sadness.

I heard the click of Draco's trunk closing and a loud sigh.

"It's time to go," he said.

"I know."

"Are you ready?"

"No."

He came over to stand in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, so tight that I could scarcely move. He pulled his head up from my shoulder and brushed his lips against mine.

We rested as such for a long moment, calm in the sweetness. Then he spoke to me again.

"How about now?" he asked.

"Yes."