Heartbreak Warfare

Chapter 21

Draco walked into Snape's office, closing the door behind him. "You owled?"

Snape gestured to a seat across from his desk. "Sit down, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco did so, crossing his arms and leaning back on the chair. "If this about the mission, the only reason I'm behind is because of classes—"

"I am aware. And the tutoring with Potter? Is that helping at all?"

"I use our time to usually just finish assignments. I don't need tutoring because I know the material. I just didn't put in the work."

"And he's just fine sitting there with you?" Snape asked, dubiously.

"We have an understanding."

Professor hummed. "And does this understanding include meeting in the middle of the night?"

Draco tensed. "What?"

He leaned forward, placing his arms on his desk. "I saw you two last night, coming in from the Black Lake. You two didn't seem like you hated each other."

Draco's heart was beating in his throat as he tried to come up with any excuse for what they were doing. His mind was blank. "It's not—we were—"

Snape put his hand up. "I have only one question for you. Do you have a death wish?"

"Of course not—"

"The Dark Lord is staying at your manor and your parents are at his mercy. And you decide to date the boy that the Dark Lord has been trying to kill since he was an infant. What were you thinking?"

Draco didn't have anything to say. Anything more he'd say would be incriminating.

"The only other option is that you're tricking Potter into trusting you and plan on turning him over to the Dark Lord to get back in his graces." Snape's black eyes scanned over Draco's face. "So, which is it?"

He put on his best neutral face and put his chin up. "Doesn't matter. My personal life doesn't concern you."

Snape's lip curled. "I'm only trying to prevent you from doing something you'll regret."

Draco got to his feet. "I think I can think for myself, thanks."

He started walking toward the door when Professor Snape called out, "I can make your relationship not so secret anymore."

Draco froze. "You wouldn't."

"Do you really want to risk it?"

Draco turned around to glare at him. "If people knew you'd be putting us both in danger. It would get back to the Dark Lord and he'd threaten my family to get me to hurt him." He was finding it harder to hide his panic. "Please...I need him."

It was degrading to have to beg to a Professor about a boy, no less. But Draco didn't want to have to go back to how he was before. Harry was the only thing keeping him sane now. He didn't want to let him go.

Draco thought he saw sympathy in the professor's eyes but it was gone as soon as it came. "You've got one week to end it with him."

****

Draco was lying on his bed, his face hidden in his pillow after he had explained what happened to Blaise.

"I don't know what to do!" Draco moaned, desperately. "I don't want to lose him."

Blaise sat on the edge of his bed and put his hand on his back. "I'm sorry."

Draco knew what he had to do but he had hoped that his friend would come up with an alternate solution. He turned on his side.

"Do you think we could just be more careful? Make him think that we ended it but don't actually go through with it?"

Blaise gave him a look of pity that Draco resented. "You could but do you really want to risk it?"

That was a complicated question. Draco would do anything to stay with Harry. He needed his presence to keep him from going over the deep end. If this was only his life that was on the line, it wouldn't be a question. But this was his family and Harry's life that he would be putting in danger. He shouldn't risk it, no matter how much he wanted to keep Harry around.

"I have a week to figure it out," Draco said. "I'm not ready to give up on him."

****

Harry noticed that Draco wasn't acting quite like himself. He seemed upset but Harry didn't know why. He was also afraid that if he were to ask then Draco would just snap at him. He did that once in a while when Harry asked too personal of questions.

They were lying, side-by-side, under the stars. It was getting warmer but the nights were still brutal. Harry had the urge to curl into Draco's side to keep warm but he didn't dare, given how tense Draco was.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, not being able to keep his mouth shut.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"That wasn't an answer."

"I'm not great," Draco admitted. "But I can't talk about it."

"Draco—"

"Please," Draco intertwined their fingers. "I just want to enjoy the night."

Harry decided not to press him. He didn't like the number of secrets between them but he knew that pushing Draco would only push him away. He wanted things to work out between them and he knew that for that to work they would have to be honest with one another. For now, he was okay with living in a world where everything was fine. It was a nice distraction from the stress of his life. Harry wondered if Draco felt the same away too.