Gold Tinted Spectacles (Hecatemus Book #1)

Chapter 11 - Through the Wards

It was the morning of the 31st and Harry was doing his best not to panic. It was not until he and Draco had climbed out of bed and gone through their normal morning routine that it actually hit him that today was the day he would be stepping into the real world for the first time since his change. Adding that to the fact that he would also be separated from Draco for a significant amount of time, made Harry less than happy about the date.

They had prepared as much as they possibly could, but he knew there were situations that could not be predicted and the task seemed incredibly daunting. Draco was not feeling particularly happy either, but, being a Slytherin, Draco was skilled in controlling his reactions and he seemed to be handling it much better than Harry felt he was.

"I don't want to leave," Harry said eventually as he pulled his clothes from the wardrobe. "I wish we could stay here, safe, and never have to go out there."

Draco turned from where he was piling up the books they had acquired over their stay and gave Harry a small sad smile.

"I know what you mean," he replied in kind, "but since we're on the subject of impossible things, I think I wish Voldemort and all his followers would suddenly discover death in the nastiest fashion possible."

"Well maybe not all of them," Harry decided that he mostly agreed, "but otherwise I'm with you."

He tried to use the black humour to lighten his mood, but it did not work. He had been outside the room every day since the first try and he could interact almost normally with the environment out there now, but it was not easy.

They had even been through the same motions of testing his reactions to magic on the other side of the wards, behind the screens. Hermione and Ron had assisted as they had done inside the room, and Harry knew he could cope, but he was not looking forward to it. Thanks to the cover story he would have at least a couple of weeks before he would have to explain away any adverse reaction to magic, which was about the only good thing about the whole situation Harry could think of.

"This room will always be here for us," Draco said, calmly observing him from beside the table. "We can come here when we need to, and we know a good few dark corners we can disappear into."

That at least made Harry smile genuinely.

"After the last couple of months I think we've found every nook and trysting site there is around here," he said as the memories of the last weeks before they bonded came back to him.

It was difficult to believe it had only been two months since he had first accosted Draco in a corridor and offered his hand in friendship. It was like looking back to a past that wasn't quite his, and it was almost as if Harry could not conceive that a world without his soulmate was real.

"It feels like we've been together forever," he said quietly. "It's hard to remember how it felt not to have you here."

At that Draco discarded what he was doing and walked towards him, barely pausing before placing a kiss on Harry's lips. The touch said everything, but his soulmate sent a deep feeling of love with the gesture and Harry knew Draco felt the same way.

"Nothing will ever divide us," Draco said in little more than a whisper. "Out there we have to pretend," his soulmate looked directly into Harry's eyes, [but in here we will never be apart.]

The words were meant as a comfort, but they caused rather an adverse reaction in Harry.

[I've dragged you into danger,] suddenly all the guilt of pulling Draco into his perilous world reached up to engulf Harry.

Being with Draco felt so right that Harry thoughts had never dwelt on the whole situation being his fault before, but now that the time had come to return to the world it hit him full force. This was because of him; Draco was in danger because of him; his soulmate would be a target if anyone so much as suspected the truth.