It was a a clear day.
For Scotland, anyway.
Harry and Draco met at the door to Dumbledore's office, barely looking at each other.
"Potter," said Draco frostily.
"Malfoy," said Harry.
They both gave the password at the same time, and grimaced, each glancing at the other. The ride to the office was undertaken as far away as possible from each other, which, on a staircase, wasn't very. Emerging, they each sat in one of the chairs facing the desk, occasionally glaring at each other. There was a swishing sound, and Dumbledore walked from behind their chairs to sit at the desk.
"I suppose you want to know why," he said quietly.
Harry and Draco swallowed the question that had been on both of their lips.
"We pieces on a chessboard, gentlemen. Some are more important than others. Some seek to reach the eighth square."-and Here, Harry could've sworn his eyes flicked to Draco-"But whether we like it are not, we are all pieces. Some pieces, once threatened, can be used to draw other pieces into traps. Some pieces, once destroyed,"-now to his eyes looked at Phineas Black's portrait, just for an instant-"can leave others in jeopardy. Do you understand?"
It seemed to Harry that the last sentence was uttered with a low rumble, like distant thunder. He swallowed.
"I do," he said.
"Yes," said Draco.
"Good," said Dumbledore. "The children, incidentally, are under false names in a distant part of the country, being taken care of by a loving young couple, unable to have children of their own. They will be returned"-that thunder again-"upon the end of this current-state of affairs. Do not seek them out. I have them hidden more completely than you can imagine, and looking for them will only result in jepoardizing both them, and you. Do you understand?"
"Yessir," said both.
"Good," said Dumbledore. He stood, and turned. "That is all."
The chairs scraped as the two stood up. They made for the door, and Draco raised a querulous hand-
"That is all, Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore, still studying the wall intently.
They left.
After a curt nod, they headed in opposite directions at the foot of the staircase. Harry wandered down to the hallway where Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid were waiting, and outlined what had happened in a few terse words.
"I'm sorry, Harry," said Hermione.
"Tough, mate," said Ron.
"I know how yeh feel, Harry," said Hagrid.
Harry realized that the tightness in his chest was lifting. Dumbledore was right; they were safer this way. That only left one thing-
"Hagrid, how do you know so much about everything I just went through? "
Hagrid blanched, and turned to Hermione, who wore a curious expression on her face, as did Ron. He looked at the Giant Squid cavorting in the lake for a few moments, before turning back to the trio.
"All right," he said. "Yeh know Fang...?"
Petunia was mentally running down lists in her mind. One was comprised of groceries, and the other was of what others were buying. Martha Jones had a remarkably large bottle of olives-probably was drinking before noon. If one had her husband, Petunia mused, pushing the cart along, one would drink too.
A cart passed her, headed in the opposite direction. In it were two infants, one with hair that reminded her of Lily's nasty, freakish husband, and the other had eyes that reminded her uncomfortably of Lily. They stared at her as they passed, and Petunia shuddered, just like a ghost had walked over her grave.
She stared after it for a few seconds, shrugged, and kept walking. They were rather low on toffee...
The End
Glad that's over with.