The Things No One Notices (A HP Fic)

Chapter thirteen

It was three weeks later when Harry got the letter. He knew something was wrong. He knew that something was eating at the Slytherin. So, when the letter came, he grabbed his cloak and map and left Gryffindor tower in the middle of the night to meet the Slytherin by the lake.

The summer air was warm, even at night. Harry and Draco sat next to each other in silence. Draco was pulling at his air in frustration.

"I can't do it," he kept mumbling under his breath. "I can't do it."

Harry had not asked what "it" was. He knew better than that. It was the only part of their silent agreement that both boys were keeping. Draco did not talk about it. And Harry did not ask about it. Plain and simple. Except tonight was not simple. Draco was freaking out. He had sent a letter to Harry in the middle of the night because he was so distraught.

He grabbed one of Draco's hands, removing it from his hair and tracing the lines on his palm to his fingertips and back. He did this methodically. A simple act to get Draco to calm down.

"I can't do it," Draco mumbled.

Harry knew he was breaking their silent agreement. But he had to know.

"Do what?" he asked, softly.

Instead of pulling away or tensing up or even snapping at him for asking, Draco answered him. "Kill Dumbledore. He wants me to kill Dumbledore." He shook his head, pulling at the roots of his hair with the hand that was still tangled in the blond locks. "I can't do it."

Harry was silent. His brain working to figure out a solution. There had to be something he could do. There just had to be.

"When?" he asked.

Draco rolled his lip between his teeth. "A week or two from now."

Harry continued to play with Draco's hand. It was now a means to keep him as sane as possible, as well as keeping Draco calm. He had to think. There had to be something. Anything.

"What if we run away?" he asked, softly.

"What?" Draco turned to look at him. "Are you insane? He's threatening to kill me and my parents if I don't—"

"I know."

"Then why would you suggest that?"

Harry had no answer.

"If this has anything to do with your raging hero complex—" Draco said sternly.

"No. That's not what this is." He ran his fingers through his hair. "This is solely about us."

"What are you—"

He cut him off. "How many are coming?"

"What are you planning?" Draco asked.

"Just answer the question." Harry rolled his eyes.

His mind was working a mile a minute.

"Ten, I think. Snape will be a part of it if that's what you were wondering."

"Good. Alright, I can work around that."

"Harry?"

"Just hear me out, okay? You carry out the mission like Voldemort wants. You escape with the rest of them, but instead of escaping with them you break off. You disappear from the rest of them. We'll create a rendezvous point."

"Are you serious? What about the war?"

Harry turned to face Draco. "Screw the war," he said. "Dumbledore is raising me for slaughter, and I don't want to be a part of that. Obviously, there are still parts of this war that I'm needed for, but I'm figuring that out. I don't want to go back to the Dursley's and you don't want to go back to the Manor. I'm still working part of it out, but we could run away. No one would find us."