Chapter 1: Leaving Me

It was the night of September the 1st, 1998. The first time in seven years that

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were not in Hogwarts. The feast was over, the students all

presumably asleep and a deep silence hung over the walls of the castle. Miles away, the

same silence matched that over a small cozy Victorian home in Manchester. The rain

dully drummed outside casting shadows through the windows of the home. Darkness

rounded and conformed it. All the rooms were unoccupied apart from the bedroom where

two young men lay silently, the breaths ghosting softly through the air.

Draco Malfoy lay quietly on the bed, his back propped up against the back rest.

His lover rested in his lap, his eyes closed yet Draco knew he was awake. He ran his hand

gently through Harry's unruly hair causing the emerald eyes to flicker open. The room

was dark except for the continuous shadow of the rain caused by the lamppost outside.

The flickering gave Harry a clear view of the expression on the blonde's face. The icy

blue eyes stood out vividly, which seldom ever held emotion, now poured out a sense of

breaking.

The clocks throughout the house chimed loudly announcing the arrival of

midnight.

"Six more hours until you leave." Draco made a grave statement trying to stem

the close breaking of his voice. Harry gently pushed his hand up Draco's arm, rubbing

reassuringly.

"Don't think of it like that love."

"Yes, yes," he said snappishly, "look at the glass a half full rather than half

empty? Well I barely think that it will help ease your departure if I think of it as just six

more hours I get to spend with you."

Harry just sighed in response, not knowing what to do. He felt helpless yet he

knew he was in complete control of his circumstances. There was a moment of silence

that passed between the two, while Malfoy continued to roam his hands through the

unruly hair, savoring the simple gesture that he might e unable to do for a long time or

maybe even....NO he would think that way.

"I just wish," he finally lost his battle and his voice cracked. "I just wish you

wouldn't go."

He received a sad smile from his lover, his husband. Their eyes met in a strong

glance.

"Me too." He sighed softly. "But ... but I have to. This is my war. It wouldn't be

fair if someone else was fighting it for me."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Draco couldn't keep up with the glance

anymore, choosing to rather close his eyes. "This was belongs to you as much as it does

to the rest of the world. Only it's cowards like fucking dumbledore that push this on to

your shoulders and proclaim it yours in order to save their own arses."

Harry remained silent and still allowing his lover to go on.

"It's not fair." Draco said his voice soft and afraid like Harry had never heard it.

The pale face was now hidden behind hands. "Why does it have to be you, why do you

have to leave me?"

Slowly the green-eyed warrior lifted himself, shifting over to Draco and

enveloping him in his arms. They rocked softly back and forth as the blond cried on his

shoulder.

"You know I'm going to come back." He whispered softy even though he dint

believe it himself.

"Promise?" his voice was thick with emotion, his face tear stained and some what

hopeful was no longer hidden in Harry's robes. Protective arms held on even tighter as

Harry replied with an accent and sealed the promise with a soft kiss. It began slow and

hesitant but spiraled into night of passion that was shared very rarely by two beings. Draco

soured every touch, every kiss, every caress, every moment that he spent with his Harry.

He savored the moment Harry entered him with a stifled cry, savored Harry moving

inside him, savored as breath he took and every proclamation of love he made. And

once they were both sated, Draco savored the way his lover looked at him, the way his

breath ghosted his pale skin, and the way a lone tear parted from the pools of emerald to

collide with dark skin in the dim light. Harry slowly collapsed into him, holding on tight

and after a few minutes they were whisked off into their dreams.

Next morning as the rays of a new day cautiously peaked through the curtains

Harry Potter thin form was bent over a sleeping blonde. Emerald eyes raked over the pale

skin, delicate eyelashes, and high cheekbones that defined his husband.

"I love you." He whispered. "And I'm going to miss you." But his lover didn't

seem to have heard. Taking a deep breath he bent lower to plant a soft kiss on the lips

that lay slightly parted. Moving away, he silently picked up his bag and making sure he

had his wand and with a last glance Harry Potter dissaperated. The room held its

breath as two souls parted. Just like that Harry Potter had gone to war. While Draco

Malfoy slept on.

TBC

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