Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

Reviews! Oh, the reviews make me happy and just when I need it most. Working from 6am every day is killing me ^_^;

whitewaterlily
Yes, more interaction is what we need. A little more in this chapter before the serious stuff needs to get out the way. But then we'll go almost straight back to focussing on Draco and Harry :D

MeToo
I know nothing of Star Trek so you could've just let that mistake stay; I'm none-the-wiser to what you mean anyway XD I'm glad you're finding the story interesting though ^_^

polka dot
He is quite childlike, isn't he? But at least he doesn't have the immaturity and the lack of knowledge along with it.

thrnbrooke
*prods Draco in the back* C'mon, the people want more action!

SP777
Phew, relief to hear that I haven't fiddled too much; must admit that is always a little worrying for me. So, yes, relieved to hear that you haven't found any plot holes yet ^_^;

wickedwiccanofthemiddwest
If you want cute, I'm your girl XD Cute and sweet are what I write best.

Tesgura
Don't worry, you didn't sound at all rude, and I really did mean it when I said that I like to hear when people approve of what I'm doing. Perhaps I lack self-confidence but it always makes me feel better about what I write when I have people telling me they like where I'm taking the plot or how I'm writing the characters. So please don't feel you have to adjust what to say not to cause offense; flames are the only thing that offend me XD *hugs*

Kuromei
This Harry is at his cutest when he's feeling awkward XD I'll no doubt be joining you in the caffinatedness very soon; on my third cup of coffee and it's only 10:30am XD *hugs Kuromei-chan*

kunf_you_z-ed
Narcissa will never have a huge role to play but she makes an appearance once...Very, very far from now XD

Early update because tomorrow is my super busy update day and I don't imagine I'd have time to do this as well. Therefore, you get it a day early just because I'm nice like that XD
I won't say anymore, I'll just let you all get on with this latest chapter :)

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A week passed. Riddle's diary was retrieved and destroyed leaving only one more Horcrux and Voldemort himself to deal with. Neither Harry or the three Slytherins had any real idea what the sixth Horcrux was but their best bet yet was still that it was Nagini and that left the question of how they were going to deal with her. She never left Voldemort's side after all. Snape's idea of feeding her poison to slow her down and then just dropping her into a cauldron of their potion was the only idea they had which might just possibly work.

However, at that very moment, the trouble with Voldemort and the Horcruxes wasn't the most important issue on Harry's mind. No, at that moment, he was desperately trying to think of a way to get out of what Draco had talked him into doing; for the first time, he was going to ride a broom. As he was no longer so badly injured and the majority of his bandages were off now, he no longer had that excuse to save him from the experience, which was unfortunate because he was completely petrified of the idea of flying. Finally he was aware of what true fear actually felt like and it wasn't induced by Voldemort or Death Eaters of anything of the sort. Instead, it was brought on by the prospect of riding a broom. Life was funny like that really.

As the dark haired young man was dragged out into the fields surrounding the safe-house by the blond Slytherin, he tried to think of a way to get himself out of the situation. "I do not think..." Harry began to say nervously as Draco dragged him even further away from the house.

"Harry, what you think doesn't really matter much at the moment." Draco told him pointedly, continuing to lead the Boy-Who-Lived along by his hand. "You're seventeen years old in two weeks, you'll be a fully grown wizard, and you have never ridden a broom before. We are going to fix that whether you like it or not."

"But I..." He tried again.

"Nope, I don't wanna hear it." The blond dismissed easily as they came to a stop finally. Draco didn't drop Harry's hand however as he positioned the broom correctly and then straddled it.

Harry watched him with wide eyes. "You...You are riding with me?" He asked uncertainly.

"Of course." The taller young man said as though it was obvious and should have been known all along. "You don't put a total novice on a broom and let them get on with it. First, we'll take a ride together to get you used to it and then, tomorrow, we'll work on you doing some things yourself." He explained before giving the dark haired teenager's hand a small pull. "Now c'mon, get on behind me and wrap your arms around my waist."

Harry's eyes flickered from Draco's face to the broom and then back to the blond. For a long moment he did nothing except that, looking from one to the other and then back again and not once did the Slytherin try to hurry him. This situation was both better and worse then what he had previous expected. It was better because, with Draco doing the flying, Harry could be under the protection of someone who was a lot more experienced and capable with a broom. Unfortunately, it meant that Harry wouldn't be in direct control of the situation. That had never really happened before and the dark haired youth was unsure if he was comfortable with the idea. However, eventually, the Boy-Who-Lived demonstrated his natural bravery by carefully closing the distance between himself and Draco before lifting his leg and straddling the broom behind the blond.

A few minutes were spent with Harry getting himself comfortable on the length of wood and getting a secure grip around Draco's waist. When he finally stopped shifting around, the blond looked over his shoulder. "All right?"

"I-I think so." Harry stammered.

"Up we go then." Draco said with a grin as he kicked off the ground, hard, sending them shooting up into the air with quite a bit of speed.

Harry gave a startled gasp at the sudden, rapid movement and tightened his arms around the young man controlling the broom as he closed his eyes and buried his face against the blond's back. The sound of rushing wind was all that he could hear and the sensation of gravity trying to pull him back to the ground unnerved him. He didn't want to look at how high up they were or know how fast they were going or anything like that. At that moment, all he wanted was to survive the experience.

"Having fun?" Draco yelled over the sound of the wind.

Harry couldn't find his voice to answer. He felt Draco's back shift beneath his cheek but couldn't quite bring himself to lift his head and open his eyes to check whether the blond was looking at him or not. A few seconds later, he felt the taller teenager shift again before the broom straightened so they were no longer going diagonally upwards and the wind rushing past them began to lessen until, eventually, the wind stopped altogether. At that, Harry finally opened his eyes, just to check what was going on.

Almost instantly he wished he had kept his eyes shut and remained in blissful ignorance of their current position. The solid ground seemed to be a million miles beneath their feet which were just dangling in thin air and the only thing that was stopping them from falling to certain death was the thin rod of wood they were sitting astride. Despite the fact that the sight was completely horrifying for Harry, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the terrifyingly long drop and he just sat there, frozen, looking down with wide eyes at the ground all the way down below them.

"Harry?" Draco said. When he got no reply, he looked over his shoulder."You okay?" He asked upon seeing the expression on his companion's face.

For several long seconds, Harry remained completely silent and completely still. Then, finally, without moving his eyes from staring down at what was below, he managed to get enough control back to stammer out: "We...We are very high up."

Draco laughed at that softly spoken truth and turned back to look in front of himself. "We could go a lot higher." When Harry tightened his arms around his waist a little, the blond laughed again. "If you think this is high then you'd really hate Quidditch." He controlled his chuckles then but a broad, amused smile still remained on his face. "Ready to get moving again?"

"Must we?" Harry asked, thinking to himself that it would be very agreeable if they were to call it a day and return to solid ground.

"Hey," Draco said gently, his tone now much more understanding as though he finally realised that Harry actually was really scared at that moment. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe up here with me." He assured as a hand came up to cover one of Harry's that was pressed against his stomach.

Harry's first reaction to that action was fear of the fact that Draco no longer hand both hands holding onto the broom. Then, that thought was over-taken by the realisation that they were basically holding hands. If it weren't for the fact he petrified on falling, he might have tried to pull away. As it was, the dark haired youth couldn't bring himself to move even the slightest and so had to let it continue. It wasn't so bad though, if he was completely honest. Draco's hand was warm and was somehow reassuring which didn't make much sense to Harry as, if he did fall, Draco holding his hand wasn't going to save him. Nevertheless, it made him feel better.

"Better?" The blond enquired.

"I-I suppose."

"Good. We'll start again, more slowly this time I promise." Draco said with a note of humour in his voice before he moved the broom forward again, keeping true to his word and moving them slowly.

Very slowly in fact, at what could be described as a little faster than normal walking pace. It was no doubt a very boring speed for the experienced Slytherin but it was more than enough for Harry. If they had been closer to the ground then he would've been completely fine with a faster speed, with the whole situation in fact, but as it was, he was still wary of what they were doing even though they were moving at a crawl and he could only just manage to look around himself as long as he kept his gaze from going too far down. His arms remained tight around the young man in front of him as well and the reassuring hand remained on top of his.

For ages, the two teenagers remained high in the sky, flying at a slow and steady pace. And not once did Draco let go of Harry's hand.

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Harry sighed lightly as he placed his book down on his lap and brought his hand up to rub his eyes. After his morning outside with Draco, he had retreated back into the house and into the study to try and finish his search for the Horcruxes and determine whether Nagini really was the final one. It had taken practically the entire afternoon and had even eaten into the evening a little, but finally, he had his answer and so plans could start to be made.

A soft knock suddenly came at the study door, causing Harry to lower his hands again and look up towards the door. "Come in." He invited softly.

Stillness and silence followed for a few seconds before the handle turned and the door swung inwards revealing Draco carrying a tray of dinner. "You didn't join us for dinner and I figured you were busy. You still need to eat though so I brought you something to eat in here."

"The thought is very kind but unnecessary. I have just finished my research." Harry told him, folding the book closed and placing it down on the table beside his armchair.

"Really?"

"Yes; the final Horcrux is, indeed, Nagini."

"That's great! So...So this is all almost over?" Draco asked hopefully, walking further into the room.

"Yes, this war will no doubt soon be over. When Nagini is destroyed, a dose of the potion will need to be injected directly into Voldemort's blood stream but yes, then the war will be over."

"That's is so brilliant." The blond smiled happily as he set the tray down next to the book Harry had been looking at. Before Harry could even open his mouth to question that as he thought the food was meant for him, the Slytherin got down on his knees in front of the dark haired teenager, resting his hands on each other Harry's knees. "Soon we'll all be free and it'll be thanks to you Harry."

"I have not worked alone..." Harry tried to protest.

"But you've worked the most." Draco pointed out. "And I am most honoured that I've been allowed to spend so much time with you." And with that, the blond reared up abruptly and covered Harry's lips with his own. The dark haired young man's eyes widened slightly before slowly closing as he leaned in himself and enjoyed the kiss.

Kissing Draco was steadily becoming a habit and, if he was truthful, Harry couldn't really bring himself to care. The intimate contact was pleasant and the dark haired teenager could honestly say that he enjoyed the blond's company. Did he feel something for the young aristocrat? Well, he would definitely be upset if the Slytherin were to suddenly go away and he enjoyed seeing the blond happy and smiling, but did that mean anything? He wasn't sure. After all, Harry had never really experienced feeling something for another and had no way to identify his current "relationship" with Draco. The fact that they kissed and sometimes cuddled on the sofa gave strength to the idea that they were more than just friends and they could very well be without Harry fully realising the fact.

The sound of the study door suddenly opening surprised both of the young men and they hastily separated. Draco stepped back, stood and turned before stepping to the side allowing Harry to see that it was Lucius standing in the doorway. Thankfully, he didn't look horrified but neither did he look happy; he was completely neutral and it was rather disconcerting, especially for Draco.

The younger blond gave an embarrassed cough and looked to the side. "Urr, we were...We..."

"I merely came to ask if either of you wanted tea." Lucius cut his son off in a monotone.

"Uhh, no thanks, we're good, aren't we Harry?" Draco replied, looking to the dark haired young man for support at the end.

Harry flickered his gaze from Lucius to Draco and then back before retrieving his book and opening it while replying: "I have no preference."

Lucius merely gave a stiff nod of his head at that before turning and leaving the study, closing the door behind himself.

Draco released a huge sigh when the man had gone and slumped onto the arm of the chair Harry was sitting on. "Bloody hell, almost gave me a heart attack."

"Do you think he is disapproving?" Harry inquired in his usual soft tone.

"I wouldn't care even if he is." The young aristocrat said in a rather arrogant matter. Then, he gave a yawn and stretched his arms and back before relaxing again. "Hmm, it's been a long day, I think I'm going to retire for the night."

"Very well." The dark haired young man acknowledged, his eyes still on his book. However, when fingers gripped his chin, he was forced to lift his head and, when he did, lips pressed against his again in a soft kiss.

It lasted only a few moments before Draco pulled away again and gave the quiet teenager a genuine smile. "See you in the morning. Sleep well." He wished before straightening up and silently leaving the study.

Harry watched the young aristocrat go in stillness, his hands rested neatly on top of the book on his lap. Then, with the click of the door closing properly, he gave a small sigh and dropped his gaze. His life really was far too complicated. He wondered if other people struggled so much with their lives as well, but upon considering that, the rather depressing thought that his life was pretty unique in a rather negative way occurred to him. In all probability, other people were most likely able to handle their lives and their emotions to a far better degree than Harry could. A prime example would be Draco who seemed to be in control of every situation he ever found himself in or perhaps that was just Harry's envy clouding his judgment slightly. The blond obviously recognised he was attracted to Harry though, hence all the initiation of the kissing and cuddling. Harry didn't even know what he felt towards the young Malfoy if anything at all. He liked being around him and the kissing was admittedly wonderful, but what did that all mean?

With another sigh, Harry put his book to the side before getting to his feet. He needed to clear his head, have a wander around the house, perhaps even try to go to bed like a normal person instead of waiting for exhaustion to just make him nod off whenever it all got too much. Calmly and silently, the Boy-Who-Lived left the study behind him.

For a few minutes Harry walked around the ground floor of the house and, strangely, found that neither Severus or Lucius were anywhere to be found. The fact brought a small frown to the dark haired young man's face as he wondered where the two men could have possibly gone especially as only five minutes ago Lucius had come into the study enquiring as to whether either of the boys wanted tea. But perhaps they had gone to bed...

Harry knew he wouldn't be able to rest his mind on the matter until he knew for sure where the two adults were. So, turning around, he headed towards the stairs, climbing them quickly and without effort. When he reached the top of them, he went to turn to the left, the direction in which the room Severus and Lucius shared was. However, before he could actually start walking in that direction, the definite sound of Severus' voice came from the right, where Draco's and his own bedrooms were located. Another frown marred the dark haired teenager's face as he turned to the right and silently crept towards Draco's bedroom where the door was slightly ajar and candle light from inside the room was filtering through the crack.

Upon reaching the door, Harry pressed himself up against the wall beside it as much as possible and then carefully tried to peer through the crack. He could see nothing more than a patch of carpet inside the bedroom but he could hear everything that was being said and that was what mattered the most.

"You cannot get romantically involved with him Draco." Lucius' calm voice insisted.

"And why not? Because I'm supposed to marry a nice, virgin pure-blood girl? Please, such a thing doesn't exist." Draco's voice snorted dismissively.

"No," his father replied patiently. "You cannot get emotionally attached to Potter because you will only end up having your heart broken."

"What makes you so sure it wouldn't work between us?"

"Whether it would work or not is irrelevant." Severus spoke up then. "Draco, Harry Potter has one purpose in life and that is to stop the Dark Lord. Once that is done, the boy's purpose will cease and he will no doubt just allow himself to simply fade away."

Harry gave a very quiet gasp at that and looked at the small patch of carpet in the room which was visible to him. No, that couldn't be true, he wouldn't do that...

"You mean he'll just stop functioning?" Draco's voice asked sceptically. "How can you even know that? You said it yourself when we first woke him that Dumbledore left you with very little information regarding him."

"You can't deny that he is not a normal person." Lucius said then, his tone implying he thought it was a perfectly valid statement to make. "Can you imagine what his life would be like after the war? He has been locked away from humanity for too long Draco, he would never be able to learn how to function properly in a society full of people who wouldn't care enough to take the time to understand his past."

"But he's already starting to learn!" The teenager protested. "He's not the same as he was when he first woke a few weeks ago; he's improved so much already!"

Harry couldn't bring himself to listen to anymore and he silently backed away from the blond youth's bedroom, moving towards the entrance into his own. He easily opened the door and edged into the room behind, closing the door behind himself and then leaning back against it. He stared down at the floor, strange feelings swirling around his body and unfamiliar emotions making his chest feel tight and a lump to form in his throat. And then, rather suddenly, a spot of water hitting the inside of his glasses startled him slightly and his eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he reached up and pulled the spectacles off, bringing them closer to his face to look at them.

"Tears..." Harry whispered to himself in confusion, unable to think of anything else the spot of water could be. Bringing up his free hand to his eyes, he gently brushed his fingertips just underneath his eye. When he pulled them away again, they were covered in a thin coating of clear liquid. He stared at his fingers in shock, not believing exactly what it was he was seeing. "My tears..." His tone was completely disbelieving. "Why...Why am I crying?"

Never before had Harry ever cried or even felt like he was about to cry. He had seen people cry in his dreams for various reasons and he had seen Draco cry during the period of uncertainty about Lucius' future. He felt he had a good understanding of why people cried but he was completely stumped over why there were tears falling from his own eyes at that very moment. He felt no physical pain at that moment and that was the only immediate reason which occurred to him because that was one of the reasons people cried. People also cried when they were very happy which he knew he wasn't. They cried when someone they loved dies and no one had died recently as far as he knew. People also cried when they were sad or frightened...

And that's when it hit the young man; he was crying because he felt sad.

He was crying because he was sad that the people he trusted thought that way about him.

He was crying because Severus and Lucius were trying to stop him and Draco from being together.

He was crying because he was afraid that the two men were right and after Voldemort's death, he would no longer be necessary...

So this was sadness? Harry felt it was pretty safe to say that he didn't like it and would definitely avoid feeling it in the future. Sadness made him feel terrible and crying was incredibly uncomfortable, making his throat constrict and his nose become stuffed up and the tears irritated his skin as they rolled down his cheeks. Yes, it was safe to say that out of all the things he had experienced since he had been woken, sadness was the worst and that included physical pain which had been far from pleasant.

But what to do now? There was no use in simply wallowing in this new feeling, that would achieve nothing and he didn't really want to continue feeling it. With a sigh, he pushed away from the door, intending to wander over to the open window on the other side of the room and have a look outside. However, as he passed his bed, something caught his eyes, something which was out of place. There was something laying on his pillow and it wasn't anything he recognised as belonging to him, he certainly hadn't see it before. It was a small box covered in green velvet, a bit like a ring box but where would a ring box have come from?

Harry frowned and cautiously approached it, trying to feel whether anything negative was radiating from it. There was nothing though so it definitely wasn't cursed. But where had it come from? Was it possible that Draco had left him for him? Where would Draco have got it from? The blond hadn't left the house unless it was to go outside and fly. There was a folded piece of paper underneath the small box and it occurred to the dark haired young man that it may be a note. So, without even really thinking about it, he reached out and took hold of the box, intending to lift it away so he could get to the paper.

The instant he felt the velvet against his palm, there was a horrible tugging sensation on his navel. Sharp panic froze his blood as he realised exactly what had happened; he had grabbed a Portkey. How could he be so stupid? How could he let his guard drop to such a degree? All because he had assumed it was a present from Draco...

When he arrived at the Portkey's destination, Harry didn't even have time to try and figure out where he was before something hit him in the back and he crumbled to the floor uselessly, his surroundings fading away into nothing.