Draco didn't want to leave Harry alone. It was obvious that he was hurting. He had lost so many people in the last few months, in his entire lifetime, and he hadn't been given time to grieve. Draco wanted to be there to help Harry through it all but if he wanted to be alone, Draco had to respect that. No matter how much it hurt.
Draco found Blaise in the Great Hall, his arm in a sling. Draco was relieved to see that he was all right and went over to sit by him.
Blaise grinned at him. "Glad to see you in one piece, mate."
"More or less," Draco smiled. "Though, I look better than you do."
"You know me. Always fighting the good fight which you can't do without getting a few scratches."
"And your family? Have you seen them?"
Blaise's face fell slightly. "Not yet. I don't know what I would do if I did. What comes after this?"
"Whatever it is, I'll be there for you." Draco put his hand on his shoulder.
"They'll disown me," Blaise replied. "If they knew."
"Well, if we win, they'll most likely get put in Azkaban along with my parents."
He gave him a look. "Knowing our parents and their influence, that's highly unlikely."
Draco shrugged. "Who knows, but you won't be alone."
"Thanks, mate," Blaise smiled. "Where's Harry, by the way?"
"He's in the headmaster's office. He wanted to be alone."
"Everything all right between you two?"
Draco nodded. "Yeah. He just had a huge load dumped on him because apparently, Snape had a past with his mother and he was a double agent."
Blaise looked taken aback. "No joke?"
Draco shook his head. "Yeah, I know. I would have never believed it if Harry hadn't told me. He played his part well."
"If Snape told him that then does that mean he's going to fighting with us?"
"He's actually...dead."
"Merlin's beard. Who killed him?"
"Voldemort. He thought that the Elder Wand wasn't working for him because Snape was the one that killed Dumbledore."
"Is that true?"
Draco shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. As he was dying, he gave Harry some tears that acted as memories so he would know the truth."
"That's intense."
Draco nodded.
They were quiet for a few minutes before Blaise broke it.
"Just in case this is it and something happens," Blaise said. "I just want you to know how much you mean to me." He smiled at him and put his hand on Draco's arm. "You've grown a lot with Harry and I'm glad that you're so happy and that you're starting to see yourself the way I've always seen you. It fills me with joy that you were able to find love with Harry. I know we were thrown together by circumstance but I hope after all this that we'll still be mates."
Draco smiled and rest his hand on top of Blaise's. "Always."
"Good," Blaise grinned. "Since I am your only friend and all."
Draco chuckled and hit Blaise's shoulder with his own. "Prat."
Just then, Ron and Hermione walked up to them.
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.
"He's up in the headmaster's office," Draco replied. "He said he needed to be alone."
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look.
"What? What is it?" Draco asked.
"Neville said he talked to him not too long ago but no one has seen him since," Ron said.
"We think he went to turn himself in," Hermione finished.
Draco got to his feet. "No, he promised."
"I think he's a Horcrux. That's why he can hear them and why he's always been connected to Voldemort," Hermione explained. "He was the Horcrux Voldemort never meant to make."
"I have to stop him."
Draco ran out of the room, ignoring their yells of protest. He rushed out of the castle and to the edge of the forest. He ended up tripping and falling hard on his knees. He turned to see that he had tripped over a wand and Harry's invisibility cloak.
"No, no, no," Draco kept mumbling to himself, picking up the items.
He turned to bolt into the forest when he saw a crowd walking across the bridge to the front of the castle. Deatheaters. Draco was too late.
He didn't want to believe it. Harry couldn't be gone. He had been so alive when he'd last seen him. It had to be a fluke. Maybe Harry went to turn himself in but changed his mind. Maybe he didn't turn himself in in time. Part of Draco wouldn't believe it until he saw him for himself. The other part was dying inside. Tears streaked down Draco's cheeks and he was finding it hard to breathe as his heart contracted in his chest. Harry couldn't be gone. Draco couldn't live in a life that didn't have him in it.
Draco got to his feet. He had to see for himself. Draco ran back to the castle, cradling the items in his hands, hoping to Merlin that Harry wasn't gone for good.
****
Harry woke up to see Draco's mother crouching over him.
Her lips were close to his ear as she whispered, "Is Draco alive?"
Harry inclined his head in a slight nod and she let out a breath of relief before getting to her feet.
"Well?" Bellatrix demanded. "Is the boy dead?"
Harry assumed Draco's mother nodded when Deatheaters cheered and laughed while Hagrid howled in devastation.
"Let's finally end this," Voldemort replied. "The boy who lived is finally dead."