Heartbreak Warfare

Chapter 53

Harry felt completely and utterly drained. After Dobby's burial, he went straight to one of Fleur and Bill's spare bedrooms. His heart was aching and he was finding it hard to find the will to do anything. He had to continue on his journey and he had to defeat Voldemort but how was he supposed to get anything done when Draco could be hurt or dead for all he knows? Voldemort won't forgive him for going on the run with Harry and keeping their location a secret. What if he's being tortured? What if they try to get information out of him that he doesn't have? There were too many what-ifs and Harry was terrified. He shouldn't have left him. He should have found a way to get to him. Draco never would have given up on him.

Harry stood up. He couldn't just sit here. There had to be something he could do. He walked out of the room and down to the kitchen. Fleur, Bill, Hermione, and Ron were all sitting at the dining table. They turned when he came down the stairs.

"Harry!" Hermione stood up. "How are you feeling?"

"I can't leave him. I don't care what it takes." Harry started toward the door but Ron stopped him.

"You can't go back. It would be a suicide mission!"

"I don't care. I can't leave him." Harry tried to shove past him but Ron held firm.

"He wouldn't want that. He made his choice. You've got to let him go. Do you think Malfoy would want you to throw your life away after he just saved it?"

"I know he wouldn't want to be tortured to death. Let me go, Ron!"

Ron shoved him back. "No. I'm not going to let you throw all we've worked for away because of a boy."

Harry froze. "What did you just say?" He growled. "Did you really just compare the man I love to just a boy." Harry's face reddened with anger and he got up in Ron's face. "If Hermione was in Draco's place instead, would you suggest staying put? If your family was in danger, would you just sit on the sidelines because it was safer? Of fucking course not! You would do anything in your power to fight for them! And that's what I'm planning to do for Draco because he means the world to me. And I'm not asking for permission."

Harry pushed past Ron and out the door. Hermione ran after him.

"Harry, please! We've got to at least come up with some sort of plan."

Harry turned around. "We don't have time for a plan. He could be being tortured at this moment!"

"You saw the way that his mother looked at him. Do you really think she would let anything happen to him?"

"She's let him be tortured before."

Hermione seemed shocked at that. "Really? I never would have—"

"It doesn't matter. I've got to go."

"And do what exactly?" Hermione asked. "Storm the gates? They have wards up. They'll know the second you're on their grounds."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I don't know. I need more time to think up a plan," Hermione replied. "You're going to need luck more than anything."

Harry's eyes widened. "That's it! Luck! Draco gave me liquid luck for my birthday. I could use it to save him!"

Hermione looked skeptical. "You're putting a lot of faith in a potion."

"We don't have time to come up with a better plan. I can't leave him alone with him. Not again."

****

Harry went on the mission alone. He figured it would be safer. He drank half the potion and like last time, let his feelings lead him. He ended up at the back of the Manor, on the edge of the wards. He could feel that there was a tiny portion of the wards that were down. Enough for a person to slip through and that's just what he did. Using the cover of the garden and the various statues around, he made it to the edge of the Manor. He crept toward the door but hid behind a bush when he heard a pair of people talking outside.

"Do you really think your sister is going to keep quiet about Draco being here?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, because we weren't the only ones that let Harry Potter go."

"And do you really think that Hogwarts is the best place for him? That place is crawling with Deatheaters. Someone will tell the Dark Lord that he's there."

"I think the Dark Lord has better things to do than to go after our son."

"We're already on thin ice. With Draco not around, he's going to take his anger out on us."

"Then so be it," Narcissa snapped. "I'm not going to put our son through anymore if I can help it."

"The Dark Lord will torture information out of him. He was on the run with Potter for ten months!"

"Allegedly."

"Not allegedly. We saw them—"

"No, we didn't. Draco came back to us after being on his own for these past months and we sent him to Hogwarts. That's the story we're sticking to."

"The Dark Lord—"

"Will believe it if we sell it. We owe him this much, Lucius."

He sighed. "Fine. Let's just hope it never comes up. He's already left, hasn't he?"

"Yes, and I have informed Snape to keep him safe."

Harry's heart dropped, tears filling his eyes.

He was too late.