The Merging: Hackles Academy Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.

Chapter 19

Harry rolled over in bed and opened his eyes with a groan. He'd hardly slept last night; every time that he had closed his eyes, all he saw was Voldemort appearing in front of the whole school. As everyone was staring at him in fear, he had pointed his wand straight at Harry and cast the Avada Kedavra spell. It had been terrifying! He could already tell that today was not going to be a good day. He checked his clock and saw that it was only 5am, but as there was clearly going to be no rest for him, he rolled out of bed and headed for the shower.

As he dried himself off ten minutes later, still feeling exhausted, he decided that he would go for a walk. Maybe that would make him feel more alert, he couldn't afford to be distracted today. He pulled on his clothes and set out into the grounds and down to the river. There was something extremely relaxing about the sounds of the water flowing over the rocks; he didn't allow himself to think that this could be the last time he would be hearing it.

As he sat there staring into the calming influence of the stream , he heard the audible crack of a twig snapping behind him. He quickly turned his head and spotted Draco heading towards him. He looked just as tired as Harry felt, he had dark shadows under his eyes and carried himself with the air of someone who bore the weight of the world on their shoulders.

'Fancy seeing you here,' Harry said quietly. 'Couldn't sleep?'

'Not really,' Draco muttered. 'Every time I dropped off, I woke straight back up in a sweat. I gave it up as a bad job and decided to come outside for some fresh air.' He continued walking towards him and sat down on the grass next to him, entwining their hands together.

'Yeah! I get that. What do you think is going to happen today, Dray? Can I really destroy him? I'm only fourteen!'

'Of course you can, Harry. I believe in you and I believe that you can do anything that you put your mind to. I'll be there the whole time, I won't leave your side. If I think that you need help, I'll be straight there to offer you any assistance that I can,' he said earnestly.

'Thank you, Draco. I honestly don't know what I would do without you, you've been my rock,' he said with tears in his eyes. He scooted closer to him and lay his head on the Slytherin's shoulder, as Draco wrapped his arms around him.

They sat in silence, holding on to each other desperately seeking comfort until the sun began to rise. 'Should we head to breakfast?' Draco asked, standing up and holding his hand out to Harry.

'Yeah. I guess we better had,' Harry said, gratefully accepting the help up. They kept their hands clasped and heading towards the great hall.

When they arrived, the spotted their friends all gathered together at the Slytherin table and went over to join them. Everyone looked like they'd had just as rough a night as them, and they were all sporting somber looks. When Harry sat down beside Hermione, with Draco beside him, she leant into him and lay her head on his shoulder.

'We're all here for you, Harry,' said Hermione firmly. 'We won't let anything bad happen to you. He'll have to get through us first.'

'She's right, mate. We'll fight to our last breath if we have to,' added Ron.

There was a chorus of, 'Don't worry Harry,' and 'We won't let him hurt anyone.'

After breakfast, where nobody had seemed to be able to eat very much, Dumbledore stood up and addressed the students. 'Right! I think it's safe to say that everyone in this hall is fully aware of what will be happening this morning. Once everyone has finished eating, we will be heading in to the grounds to begin casting the ritual. Everyone should be aware of their roles by now and I expect you to be stood in your correct positions. I'll be heading out now to set everything up and I shall see you all soon,' he said, before leaving the table and heading outside.