"I can't think straight, I need a drink" Harry groaned and his voice echoed in a room full of tired people. Draco abruptly walked out of the room. Harry let a bewildered look take place on his face before Ron called him to a corner.
"He is upset Harry" the red head stated.
"Why, wait I think I know" Harry said, he was ashamed. Over the two months he had resorted to fire whiskey he had grew a drawing towards it. He did not want to call it an addiction, maybe it wasn't one. However he did realise that Draco got upset about it very quickly.
"None of us blame you Harry, but Draco seems to be the least impressed by the way you handled your mourning" Ron stated in a calm voice.
Harry looked at his friend with an appreciative look. "Will he forgive me?" He asked. "Of course he will, but knowing Draco he might make you work for it" replied Ron.
Harry just smiled and soon went outside to talk to Draco.
"I am sorry" he said. Draco was looking out of the window and facing his back towards the raven head.
"I didn't want to be angry Harry, I shouldn't be, my reason is too selfish." Draco was still not looking at Harry but the green eyed boy grabbed the blonde's shoulder and spun him around.
Draco's eyes were puffed. "I miss him, Sirius and then I miss Remus. I miss them all. I was angry because you didn't let me help you, I would have come with you. We could have helped each other."
Unsure, Harry stepped forward and only said what he could think of "they loved you Draco, I understand why you were so upset. I do apologise I can't say that I was thinking. I didn't want to think about anything but now that I do, maybe having you here would have made it easier.
Draco looked up with a small smile and asked "you do?"
"Of course, we could have watched movies and have pillow fights"
"Hey, don't go around making plans without me" came a voice from the back. They turned around to find Mione standing there, leaning on the wall.
"Oh of course we wouldn't dare" Harry replied.
"Maybe I can try doing makeup on you two" she exclaimed,
"There is nothing you can do to this face to make it more beautiful" Draco said, gracefully caressing his own face.
Harry and Hermione erupted into a laugh and soon Draco joined them too.
"It won't be easy, would it?" Draco asked.
"No but we will make it, for them" Hermione said.
"For them."
_______________________________________
Since then Harry dedicated himself and after a few months they all went on the hunt, living in tents. They took the locket from Umbridge in the ministry and were trying to find the cup. By now almost everyone was trying to find Harry and his friends.
In the coming week, they had also acquired the cup and received a letter from Hedwig. Dumbledore had tried finding the diadem through different sources still in school. The letter has addressed from McGonagall. She was in possession of the diadem but could not get it out of the school.
All of them were rounded around the table. It took planning to sneak into the school where the headmaster wants them dead. Harry was certain that Severus Snape was a death eater.
"We need to first make it to Hogsmeade" Ginny mentioned pointing at the map in front of her.
"We can't return before we know that the located of the last two horcruxes" Harry said.
Now that five horcrux were revealed there were only two more to find.
"Something he would keep close to himself" Ron said.
"Ah all he has next to him is an army of mask wearing gits and a murderous snake" Harry said.
"Snake, Harry what do you know about the snake?" Draco questioned the boy in front of him with a certain sense of assertiveness.
"It's in all the nightmares like the one where-" Harry couldn't continue as his mind went to, the one where you saw them killed. From the silence everybody understood and the boy continued to say "sometimes it was from the ground level, like I was on the floor and watching it happen. Once in a mirror, I saw the reflection of the snake."
"I don't think that the snake has a sense of independence" Luna said.
"Tha-that must be the horcrux" Hermione exclaimed. "Think about it, he always has the snake with him, he has full control over it."
Finally, there was a hint of smile on everybody's face. "So that is 6 out of 7" Fred announced with a triumphant voice.
While they all wore a grin on their face, all worried about the same thing, there is still one to go.
___________________________________
It was a quiet evening, the only audible sound was coming from the centre of the tent. Lee Jordan once again announced the list of those who went missing today on Potterwatch. The list was relatively short today. Harry stood outside, pacing but his wand was in his hand.
Fred and George were setting protective charms with their wands, they were no longer under 17 and could easily cast charms, undetected. Ron and Ginny headed out to get woods and Neville along with Luna went to look for plants that could be of use.
Harry heard a few sobs and followed them to find Hermione. She was clenching a picture in her hand and it was clearly one of her parents. She had obliviated them before going on the trip.
"Mione", he approached her cautiously.
"I miss them" she cried harder.
"I know love, I know" he said as he pulled her into a hug. She shivered and let out a few sobs in his jacket. Shortly, they were in a steady stance. She raised her head and he wiped her tears with his thumb and tugged her hair behind her ear.
"After this ends, we will find them" he said, holding her hand tighter.
He looked into her eyes and mumbled something, the commentary from the radio turned into music.
He stepped back and took a bow before offering his hand to the girl before him. With a fake gasp she let out a laugh and took his hand.
In a second, they found themselves dancing. She had her cheek against Harry's shirtfront, the fabric rumpled and soft under her skin. His hand played idly with the curls that had fallen from her chignon, fingers tracing the back of her neck. It was exactly the kind of dancing she liked: not too complicated, mostly a matter of holding on to your partner and not doing anything to trip them up.
She stretched up to kiss him-a chaste press of lips to lips at first, but it deepened quickly, and soon he was parting her lips with his, tongue stroking into her mouth
They were interrupted as Draco and Ron entered along with Ginny. Hermione smiled and soon everybody was dancing.
As the moon rose, they all sat outside the tent carefully cloaked with the protective charms. It was like being in a small bubble and looking at the world outside. Ron and Draco played chess while Luna had her head on Ginny's lap.
Harry sat down on one of the blankets and drew Hermione with him, his legs on either side of her. She leaned her back against him, feeling the comforting beat of his heart against her spine. He whispered in her ear "a lot can happen and the more I think about it, the more I know that I will regret not saying this."
"I love you Mione, I love you more than I thought I could. I have given you my heart even if I don't know how many beats it would sustain. All I know is that I want every moment to be spent with you."
Hermione turned around in his arms and kissed him on the cheek. He was beautiful under the night sky, the stars shedding their light down over him, gleaming against his hair and eyes. "I love you Harry James Potter, more than anything so don't you dare die on me."
He laughed and leaned in, she could feel his breath on her neck. Her small hair standing up on her neck as she heard him say, "no promises."
The brunette slept after a few minutes still wrapped in Harry's arms. However, he stayed up on alert and even though Draco and Ron reassured him that he could sleep, the boy still couldn't.
_____________________________________
Finally there came a day when the death eater guarding the 4 prisoners fell asleep. Lily jerked up as she heard the sounds of the snore. She carefully picked the lock with her pin, there were many advantages of being a muggle-born. Nobody thought about taking the pins in her hair.
Nobody was surprised, having seen enough muggle movies to know what she was doing. Outside, two death eaters were sleeping. Lily picked up their wand and casted the Imperius curse. The two controlled beings brought out the confiscated wands belonging to James and Lily. They also gave the others spare wands who did not have a living owner anymore.
"You will get us 4 masks and death eater outfits, do not make it questionable" Lily demanded in an agitated voice.
Afterwards, all of them were unrecognisable and indistinguishable from the other death eaters. They walked down the hall trying to escape but were met with a panting and panicked Lucius. As soon as he saw somebody else in sight he switched into his confident and cold demeanour.
"We have been searching the woods around Gringotts and I believe that we might find Harry Potter and his friends today. You all come with me" the tall blonde male gave out an authoritative command.
Without sharing a look all of them followed after silently.
Lily immediately recognised the protective charms. She thought them to Harry and Hermione. With a glance she realised that Lucius was still unaware. Now was the chance, she gave a slight nod to her husband.
"Flippendo" she cried out, directing her wand towards Lucius. He went flying back. Maybe the response would not have been this satisfactory if it wasn't the element of surprise.
"Incendio" James followed, Lucius was too harmed and injured to retaliate. However he still clenched his wand only to have it fly away with a quick 'expelliarmus'.
_______________________________________
Harry was glad that he did not sleep because what unfolded in front of him right now was confusing yet seemed crucial. Still holding on to Hermione with protectiveness, he could see it all happening.
Draco saw his father lie next to a tree, whimpering like he never did before. He deserved it, was the only thought in the young boy's mind.
But why would death eaters attack one of their own? Harry wondered before all four masks were pulled off.
"Mom, Dad?" Harry screamed.
"Sirius, Remus?" followed Draco.