Time to Kill

**********

Time to Kill

Chapter Three

**********

Draco happened across Harry the next day in a grove of trees on a secluded side of the lake. Draco hadn't actually been looking for Harry...at least, that's what he told himself.

Harry was sitting with his back against a tree, staring off into space. It was an adorable sight, and Draco was tempted to stand in the same spot for the rest of the day and just gaze at Harry. Unfortunately, Voldemort had scheduled a gathering for that evening, and all the Death Eaters were expected to attend, so if he wanted a chance to talk to the boy, it would have to be now.

Draco sat down next to Harry. "Hey."

Harry quickly snapped back to reality. "Hey, Draco," he said with a smile. He stared at him for a second. "Draco, are you alright? You look awful!"

Draco sighed. "I didn't get too much sleep last night."

"Why not?"

"Oh, there's just...something that I have to do today that I don't really want to do..."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with killing me, would it?" Harry asked jokingly.

Draco didn't answer. Harry would only worry about him if he told him about the meeting.

Harry looked at him concernedly. "It's not, is it? I mean, you weren't supposed to have me dead by today, were you?"

"No, no, that's not it." He sighed. "Voldemort hasn't given me a date yet, thank Merlin."

"Then what is it?"

Draco sighed again. How was it that Harry could always make him tell him things? "Voldemort arranged for a meeting tonight. All the Death Eaters have to go." He looked away from Harry. "He's probably going to give me a date tonight."

Harry stroked the back of his hand across Draco's cheek. "We're going to figure this out."

Draco chuckled and leaned his head on Draco's shoulder. "I take it you've made your decision, then?"

Harry wrapped his arm protectively around Draco and started stroking his hair. "Yeah, I have. Can we...can we keep this a secret, though?"

"Ooh, is the brave Harry Potter afraid to come out of the closet?" Draco teased.

"No! I just don't think it's anyone's business but ours! And plus, what if Voldemort found out? We can't risk it, Draco!"

Draco nodded. "I know. I was thinking the same thing. But if my father found out..." He snuggled closer to Harry. "I don't even want to think about it."

"I can't even imagine how this will make Ron feel," Harry said worriedly.

"Don't worry about him, Harry. If he can't understand, then he can go get stuffed," Draco said, upset that Harry could be talking about Weasley at a time like this.

Harry sighed exasperatedly. He sat silently for a very long time, and Draco started to get curious as to what he was thinking. He could tell that the boy was considering asking a question.

"What is it?"

"Do you think we were meant to be here?" he asked slowly. "I mean, was I just delaying the inevitable when I didn't take your hand on the train in first year?"

Draco snorted. "I can't know that, Harry! Maybe you were."

Harry sighed again. He stroked Draco's hair distractedly and stared off across the lake, where a group of students were happily messing around with sweets from the Weasley twins' joke shop.

"C'mon, Harry, don't be pensive!" Draco whined. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," Harry said simply.

"Really," Draco asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "But specifically, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm just...worried. Are you going to be all right tonight?"

"Of course! I'll be fine. Believe me, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah, I know, but I still worry."

Draco snuggled even closer into Harry's embrace. "The only thing I'm worried about is getting out of having to kill you."

Harry hesitantly took a breath. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. I...I think we should talk to Dumbledore."

Draco sat up quickly. "What? No!"

"Draco I think it would be best-"

"No, I can handle this myself!"

"Alright, then tell me your plan to get out of having to kill me," Harry said sarcastically.

"I...I don't..." This is disgraceful, Draco thought. Reduced to stuttering by Harry Potter. What is the world coming to? "What I mean is...I don't exactly...I haven't..."

"Exactly," Harry said, smirking in a most irritating way that sent shivers down Draco's spine. "Honestly, Draco, Dumbledore can help! We need to talk to him."

Draco sighed exasperatedly and checked his watch. "All right, Harry. Fine. But let's talk to him tomorrow. Right now, I have to get ready for the gathering."

Harry blinked. "What, now?"

Draco smirked at him. Harry was so cute when he was being thick. "Well, it takes me a long time to get ready, and we've been sitting here for a while." He grimaced. "And I think Vincent has stolen my mask."

"Have we really been here for that long?" Harry asked incredulously.

Draco smiled. "Time flies when you're having fun, eh?" He stood up and pulled Harry to his feet. "Please don't worry about me, Harry. I'm going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know. But I still can't help worrying about you."

Draco sighed and pulled Harry into a kiss. "I promise I'll be ok," he whispered when they broke the kiss. "Nothing's going to happen to me."

~*~

"Crucio!"

Draco dropped to the ground, screaming. Every bone in his body felt as though it were being broken over and over again.

Voldemort kept the curse going for what felt like an eternity. Finally, growing tired of his little toy, he lifted the curse and scowled down on his young follower. "I am most disappointed in you, Draco."

Draco continued writhing on the ground. "I'm sorry...my lord..." he said breathlessly. "I wasn't aware..."

"When I say I want someone dead, I mean I want them dead the moment I say it!" the Dark Lord roared.

There was an angry growl from the ring of Death Eaters encircling the two of them, and Draco looked up to see his father glaring down at him. Draco couldn't see his face, but the eyes made Lucius Malfoy's message more than clear: whatever Voldemort did to him tonight, it would be nothing compared to what Lucius would do to him later. There was no mercy in those eyes.

Looking away, Draco whispered, "I'm sorry, my lord. He will be dead by the next time I see you."

"See that he is," Voldemort growled dangerously, "or I will make what you feel now feel like a lover's embrace compared to what I will do to you."

Draco gulped nervously. "Yes, my lord."

"Very well, then," the Dark Lord said, turning to address the other Death Eaters. "You are all dismissed."

All the Death Eaters bowed and apparated out except for one.

"Severus!" Voldemort addressed him. "Why do you stay behind?" Snape opened his mouth to reply, but Voldemort cut him off. "Oh, but of course! You must take the whelp back to Hogwarts! Make sure he does his job," he said in an exasperated tone.

"Of course, my lord," Snape said, bending down next to Draco and apparating the two of them to the town of Hogsmeade.

Snape gently leaned Draco against a building so he could sit up, and began fumbling through his robes, apparently looking for something. "Really, Draco, why didn't you talk to me about this?"

"I thought I could handle it," Draco whined.

"Obviously you couldn't. Here, drink this," Snape said, procuring a vile from one of his pockets.

Draco didn't need to be told twice. Severus' potions tended to work for whatever was ailing you. As soon as he had downed the blue-tinted potion, his insides warmed and the pain dulled to a barely-noticeable ache. "Thank you."

Snape nodded. "The potion is only temporary. It will wear off in a little while. I will get you some more when we return to Hogwarts." He stood and helped Draco to his feet. "We should be off before it stops working."

Even with the potion helping him, Draco was still very weak, and their progress was slow. By the time they reached the castle, the potion had begun to wear off and Draco had to depend greatly on Professor Snape to keep from falling on his face.

Snape stopped at the steps and sat Draco down. "Stay here while I get some more of the potion for you."

"Couldn't you just levitate me to my dorm?" Draco groaned.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "One cannot levitate someone who has been attacked by the Cruciatus Curse! Cruciatus and Wingardium Leviosa repel each other, sometimes causing the victim to explode. So, obviously, it's best if you stay here."

Draco nodded and the professor hurried up the steps and through the main doors.

As soon as he was gone, there was a rustling sound and Harry appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Cruciatus?" Harry asked worriedly, sitting down and taking Draco's hand.

"Yeah," Draco whispered apologetically, avoiding his eyes. "I'll be alright, though."

"Damn it, Draco, stop saying that!" Harry yelled, clearly upset. "Obviously, you can't take as good care of yourself as you say you can!" He pulled Draco over so he could rest his head on Harry's shoulder. "I wish there was a way to make sure you wouldn't get hurt."

Draco snuggled into the embrace. "How did you know I was back?"

"I came down to wait for you, because I couldn't sleep." He sighed. "And now I'm glad I did. What did you do to make him so mad?"

"It's more of a...what didn't I do," Draco said hesitantly.

"You've got to be kidding me," Harry said unbelievingly. "You told me he hadn't given you a date yet!"

Apparently, he didn't think he had to," Draco grumbled. "And...well, I sorta promised him that I'd have it done before he saw me next."

"Oh, Draco..." Harry sighed, resting his head on top of Draco's. "We're going to work this out."

Draco nodded slightly, trying to believe Harry, but knowing he wouldn't be able to. There seemed to be no way out of this without one of them dying. And it will not be Harry, Draco resolved firmly.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, what on Earth do you think you're doing?" Snape's voice exclaimed from behind them.

Instantly, Harry sprang away from Draco. "Oh, professor! Er...We...He...Malfoy here looked like he was hurt and...I was helping him." Nice save, Draco thought sarcastically.

"Oh, I see," Snape said, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. "The two of you will follow me to the headmasters office. We have a lot to discuss." He handed Draco the potion he had brought, and, after making sure he drank it, stalked off back into the castle, apparently assuming that the two boys would follow him.

Harry helped Draco to his feet and the two of them hurried off to catch up with Snape.