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Draco kept his eyes on the floor in front of him as he and Harry walked to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. Harry's hand was warm in his, and the pressure of the blanket was just right. He focused on those sensations of Harry's hand and tried to block out the stares and whispers.
"Is that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?"
"Why are they holding hands?"
"Don't they hate each other?"
"Why's Malfoy got a blanket?"
"God, what is he, three?"
As the whispers got louder and louder, Harry brushed his thumb over the back of Draco's hand.
"Focus on me," he murmured. Draco squeezed Harry's hand, focusing on the tingle of skin-on-skin contact, and the warm feeling he got in his chest whenever he was near Harry. He deliberatly ignored the anxiety in his throat.
They came to a stop in front the Griffin statue outside Dumbledore's office.
"Lemon drops," Harry guessed. To his surprise, the statue turned immediatly and revealed the staircase to him. Draco hesitated, until a gentle tug from Harry made him tell himself to get it over and done with!
"You'll be alright, Draco." Harry whispered as he pushed open the door to Dumbledore's office, not bothering to knock.
Despite this, Dumbledore did not look in the least bit surprised to see Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy burst into his office unattended. He also did not seemed to be surprised by Draco Malfoy wearing a blanket like a cape, but both boys noted a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes when he glanced at their hands.
"Good evening, Mr Malfoy, Mr Potter." Dumbledore greeted, " Please, sit. How might I be of assistance?"
Draco squirmed, feeling Dumbledore's gaze rack over him. He opened his mouth a few times before any sound actually came at.
"I have a problem." He forced out at last. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, face burning. What was he thinking? He couldn't do this? He'd be arrested, his mother would die, he couldn't do it, couldn't do it-
You're all right, Draco Harry's voice floated to the front of his mind. I'm alright, he told himself. He took a deep breath, gripping Harry's hand like a lifeline.
"What problem are you having, Mr Malfoy?"
Draco squeezed his eyes tightly shut, not caring how it looked like to Harry or Dumbledore; he knew he could never say it if he had to look at him. It made everything more real.
"I was given... a task. By You-Know-Who."
Dumbledore's somber expression didn't change. Harry squeezed his hand.
"What is your task, Draco?" Dumbledore asked softly.
"Ihavetokillyou." Draco confessed in a rush. He expected Harry to drop his hand, to look at him in disgust, to yell at him and call him a traitor. He peeled his eyes open and risked a glance at Harry. Harry didn't look shocked, he just looked incredibly sad. His gaze moved to Dumbledore, who also didn't look so shocked. Draco didn't understand.
"Mr Malfoy, I would like to apologise." Dumbledore said.
"What?" Draco said dumbly. He was sure he had heard him wrong. Maybe his earlier screaming had deafened him.
"You heard me correct, Mr Malfoy. I would like to apologise for not reaching out to you sooner. I have known about your task since you were given it. I'm sorry, Mr Malfoy. Coming to me must've took a lot of bravery."
Draco shifted in his seat. He didn't feel brave. He had felt terrified ever since You-Know-Who had come back.
"My Mother..." He said, "can you keep her safe? You need to."
Dumbledore stood from his chair. "I will call the Order of the Pheonix immediatly. Narcissa Malfoy will go into protective custody. To anyone on the outside, this will look like she has gone missing. Do not panic if The Daily Prophet prints an article about this, Mr Malfoy." Draco nodded, satisfied.
"But what about Draco? You-Know-You still knows where he is." Harry pointed out.
"A very good point, Harry. Neither of you two are to leave Hogwarts grounds, or go outside the castle after curfew. We will keep you safe here for as long as possible, but you will most likely have to go into protective custody with your Mother eventually, Draco."
"What about Harry?" Draco asked. "Doesn't he need protection too?"
Dumbledore looked stumped for a second. Only a second, but Harry saw it.
"As soon as Lord Voldemort knows you have deflected, he will no doubt try to make an example of you. We have things in place for Harry-" Harry raised an eyebrow at that "- when the time is right. But until then, you two will remain on the grounds. No sneaking out to Hogsmeade." Dumbledore directed the last sentence to Harry, who shifted guiltily.
"Now, boys, is there anything else I can do for you?"
They both looked to Draco, who shook his head. Harry nodded a thank you to Dumbledore, and the boys left his office hand in hand.
Alone in his office, Albus Dumbledore sighed to himself, resting his head wearily in his hands. This was certainly unexpected. He would have to think of a new strategy with Severus...
Harry didn't even notice that Draco was leading him to the Forbidden Forest until they passed Hagrid's hut. Harry nudged Draco's shoulder with his own.
"I'm proud of you, you know."
Draco traced the scar on his hand from Umbridge last year with his fingertips. "You didn't seem shocked. I thought you would hate me." He admitted.
Harry tilted his head to look at Draco properly. "I had sort of guessed it might be Dumbledore. I knew Old Voldie would need someone important to uh, die, and I figured that it could've been Dumbledore."
Draco gaped at him, before swiftly pressing a kiss to Harry's cheek. "I think Granger might've just lost her title for brightest wizard of her age."
Harry flushed, grinning. "Well, you know, it was just a guess."
"An extremely accurate one." The boys walked hand in hand down the the small stream with the overturned tree, clambering over it and settling together in the dark.
They stayed by the stream, talking and touching into the small hours of the morning. In the dark with each other, they could almost pretend to forget about the war outside.