Sectumsempra

8

They didn't talk in the days that followed. Harry's mind was busy thinking about everything that happened. Dumbledore was dead. He could not believe it. He was always waiting for Dumbledore to appear and explain that his death was faked for some reason. He could not believe Dumbledore was gone. Last year he lost Sirius. Now Dumbledore. Would Harry loose everyone for whom he cared? Everyone that cared for him? He couldn't help making a list of the people that cared about him. Hermione and Ron were to first to pop up, followed by Ron's family. Mrs. Weasley, who said he was as good as a son for her, Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Fred and George. Professor Lupin came up, too.

Did Draco care about him? He seemed to. Harry was the one that strove to keep any emotional bond away from their relationship. Was he right in doing so? He thought so. He didn't want things to get more complicated than they already were and that seemed the best decision he'd made, seen that now things were the most complicated they'd ever gotten.

Harry couldn't help but feel like maybe it wasn't all right of him to have acted the way he did with Draco. He had to admit to himself that one of the reasons he did so was because it was easier not to be honest. Draco had been honest since the beginning. It didn't seem fair. I wasn't fair, Harry thought. But what was done was done and all was for the best. Now Harry had a huge thing in front of him and he couldn't have anything holding him back. It was a good thing that the thing with Draco had ended because now Harry wasn't going to go back to Hogwarts anymore. He had already decided that. He had already told his friends, they had already decided to go with him. It was settled.

That was why Harry decided to tell his friends what happened between him and Draco. It was the last thing he needed to do to make this a closed chapter in his life and let it go.

So on the last day in Hogwarts, when Harry, Ron and Hermione were on top of the astrology tower talking about what the future held for them, Harry knew that was the moment.

He was afraid. What would they say? What would they do?

"Hey, guys?" Harry said unsure of himself. "Um, there's something I need to tell you."

"You're not convincing us to give up on going with you, Harry," said Hermione. "I thought that was settled."

"Yeah, mate, just give up on trying to make us give up," Ron said and he and Hermione laughed a little.

"No, it's not that. I'm glad you're coming with me. It's just... it's..." Harry inhaled deeply. Exhaled. "It's something that... happened. I want you to know that because I want to be honest. With you and with myself. And I want that to stay in the past. So I'll tell you and there'll be no secrets between us."

"Now you're scaring me," Ron said. "What is it? Spit it out already."

"I... Me and..." Another deep breath. "Me and Draco, we..." Harry's voice trailed off.

"What? You fought? What a surprise," Ron mused.

Hermione on the other hand, had a worried expression. "Harry, what is it?"

"Draco and I, we... we got... together."

There was a moment of silence.

"What?" said both Ron and Hermione.

Harry looked at his feet.

"Harry, what're you saying?" asked Ron.

"We got together," Harry repeated. He felt his cheeks reddening, he kept on looking at his feet. He couldn't dare look at his friends. For the third – and last, he decided – Harry took a deep breath. He spoke in quiet resolution, determined to get this over with. "I don't know how it happened. It began in the night of Sloghorn's Christmas party. We were arguing and it just... happened. I don't know what was it, but I felt like it had always been there, you know?"