Eclipse

Chapter 10

Harry woke slowly from a most peculiar dream. Voldemort was chasing him, but instead of throwing curses, Voldemort was throwing rocks and charming branches to try to trip him up. His scar was stinging viciously, and he couldn't see properly. Finally a branch hit him hard on the knee, and his legs went out from underneath him.

He could hear Voldemort laughing triumphantly as he fell, but he never hit the ground, because Draco caught him and held him tightly. Draco's arms were wrapped reassuringly around him, giving comfort. Harry felt some strength return, flowing from Draco, but then Voldemort screamed in fury and Harry's scar seared with pain.

Harry saw Voldemort reach towards him, a skeletal hand grasping at some unseen object hovering in the air between them. The claw-like fingers closed around invisible prey, and Voldemort pulled. Harry felt his heart being ripped from his chest, as though Voldemort had actually reached through his ribcage. The pain was stifling, and he couldn't breathe, much less scream. Then suddenly, Draco's hands folded tightly across Harry's chest, and the pain stopped. Harry slumped backwards into Draco's arms, dazed.

Over Voldemort's enraged howls, Draco's voice rang in Harry's ear. "You can't have him! I'm stronger, and I'm not letting go! You hear me? I'm not letting you take him! Hold on, Harry! Harry..."

"Harry...? Psst! Harry! Whatever you do... don't move."

A voice was whispering right next to Harry's ear, and he felt a surge of panic and disorientation. His eyes snapped open, but he saw nothing except the faintest of shadows; it was still night. He was lying on his back on the forest floor, and as wakefulness came to him fully, he remembered why he was there.

A warm body was lying surprisingly close to his. "Malfoy?"

"Shh!"

Harry felt a pressure on his chest and noticed with a start that Draco's hand was there, holding him down. He was about to ask what was going on, when he realized they were both underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

"Don't move, and keep quiet, Potter, but look up."

Understanding that this was no joke, Harry strained his eyes to look through the breaks in the leaves overhead. The sky was just slightly lighter than the pitch-darkness of night, but aside from that, there was nothing to see. He was just about to demand an explanation when a bright light flashed overhead, like a search lamp.

"He's flying patrols," Draco whispered nervously. "I should have realized this before. They'll patrol until it gets light enough. Then they'll start tracking us on foot."

A sinking thought hit Harry. "The way we crashed through the woods... A blind man could follow that trail."

Harry sensed Draco's nod. "I just thought of that. First though, they'd have to find the start of our little trail. It took Biddy almost two days to find our escape route, and I doubt You-Know-Who has spent much time in the dungeons. That might give us a small head start."

"I hope you're right. But, er... Malfoy?"

"Mmm?"

"Can you get your hand off my chest?"

Draco immediately removed his hand. "Oh... sorry." He sounded excessively embarrassed, quickly changing the subject. "We need to start moving again, Potter. Carefully. And without leaving a trail."

Harry thought it over. "That's a fine thought, Malfoy, but it won't work."

"Why not?"

Harry didn't miss the slight cracking of Draco's voice. He grimaced. "Dogs. Voldemort will use dogs to sniff us out."