When Darkness Threatens - Moment by Moment Book #5 (Harry Potter, Drarry)

Plans of Attack

Harry had become accustomed to his freedom, and by the time evening came round, he had, despite numerous diversion attempts, begun to pace. Draco was doing his own kind of thinking, having returned to meditation, but both young men were alert and watching the door as soon as the handle began to turn without Poppy's customary knock. The reason for the lack of courtesy, it became apparent, was because the entrant was opening the door with his elbow, and his arms were holding two pairs of shoes, and one hand was clutching what, with a squint, Harry hoped was his glasses (he'd been managing without them, but he had been wondering why they'd been confiscated).

"Hello, Lads," Arthur Weasley greeted brightly. "All ready for the off?"

The prisoners were on their feet before he'd finished the sentence, and he grinned at them both and observed, "I see you are. Well, here are your things. Sorry about the glasses, Harry; you broke them on the way down after Ginny's little improvisation, and what with all the chaos, we forgot to mend them."

So that was it. However, as he put them on, and then reached for his shoes, Harry noted that one thing had not been returned to him, his wand; there was no sign that Draco's bracelet was going to be returned to his control, either. The lack of trust niggled, but it was nothing to which the young man was not becoming accustomed, and his temper had had plenty of time to settle enough for him to keep silent on that point. He was not going to risk the invitation to the meeting being withdrawn because of petulance. Draco was being diplomatic, his normal response to awkward situations.

Arthur watched silently, his smile never slipping, as they made themselves ready for the outside world once more, and once both younger men were stood in front of him again, he encouraged,

"Come on then, time we were about our business."

It was clear to Harry why Arthur had been the one to come and get them: the man was too inoffensive to snark at, and Harry thought he'd probably just have smiled at any rough words anyway; he also had an air about him of not knowing anything, despite probably being deeply involved in everything, and Harry had no urge to question him. He glanced at his lover once as Arthur turned and they prepared to follow him, and Draco was, for once, blatantly honest about his emotions, as he showed Harry that the revelations of the day were still having an effect on him as well. Silently, the pair followed out their guide.

Harry bit his tongue again as, outside in the corridor, it became apparent that Madame Bones and Albus were still jumpy about the impulsive behaviour of that morning, because Tonks, Remus and Ron were waiting for them.

"Ah isn't that nice, Harry, company on our little walk?" Draco surprised Harry as his cynicism came out; he was smiling, but it wasn't a pleasant gesture.

"Should be sorted out soon," Tonks chivvied the mood along with a supportive smile.

"As long as we roll over and do as we're told," Harry kicked himself as his disquiet ran ahead of his caution once more, and the Auror's face straightened.

"Come on," Remus took charge and waved everyone ahead of him down the corridor.

Tonks and Ron fell in ahead of their prisoners, and Arthur and Remus took up the rear. Harry and Draco went quiet again and just got in line.

The journey was short, but still long enough for the silence to be getting to Harry; being surrounded by cautious friends once more did not feel right, not after jumping through so many hoops already, and the injustice made him moody. His face must have shown it when he walked into the large classroom that was housing the meeting, because faces fell as soon as he met any gazes, and none rested on him for long. The number of people in the room showed that not quite the entire meeting had been in the observation room, but it had been close; as well as the 'wand forest', a few extra resistance faces Harry did not recognise, plus a couple he did, were finding seats at desks while Albus and Amelia took up their places at the front.