The Death Eater's main base was in London, according to Draco.

And the Order were planning to take it down in the next two weeks.

The Order being everyone except Harry.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Sirius had told him at the meeting when he was outraged. "But you're too young for something like this. Only sixteen! When me and your dad were sixteen we were-"

"Doing exactly this sort of thing," Remus cut in dryly. "Don't even bother lying, Siri. But Harry," his attention shifted to the angered boy. "We're doing this for your own good. Lily and James wouldn't want you to go down avenging them! You're worth so much more than that."

"So I shouldn't go down fighting for my parents but you should?" Harry said, eyes narrowing. Remus sighed.

"We can't protect you once we're there, Harry-"

"And I don't need protecting!" Harry exclaimed. "I've gone through more shit than you'll ever know! I'm not a delicate, naive little flower anymore, Remus! I want to do this for my parents, but also for the childhood I never got to have!"

Sirius opened his mouth to argue but Molly Weasley cut him off.

"You're too young, Harry, and that's the end of it," she said sternly. He slumped in his seat, eyes filling with tears of anger.

"Well if you don't want me to go, fine! Fuck the Order! I'll do it myself!" he said, promptly getting up, chair toppling over as he stomped out of the room.

Draco looked awkward and hesitant as he stood up and made to follow him. When Sirius eyed him suspicously, he said, "I'll just make sure he's okay."

He found Harry fleeing down the corridor to the boys' bathroom and sighed, walking after him, slightly cautious.

Small sniffles greeted him upon arrival to the bathroom. Draco went towards the sink where Harry was bent over it, shaking.

The brunet boy looked up and saw Draco approaching in the reflection of the mirror.

"Come to laugh at me?" he asked, voice breaking.

Draco looked stricken as he stood next to Harry. "Why would you think that? We're friends now!"

"Oh, please," Harry said, wiping his eyes. "You probably only want to be friends to make up for what you did."

Eyebrows furrowing, Draco shook his head. "I can assure you it wasn't. I want to make up for what I've done, but not by using people like that again. I learn from my mistakes."

Harry sniffled again and leaned against Draco a little, to the taller boy's surprise. "I'm sorry, I don't really think that. I just- I-"

"Spit it out, Potter," Draco said a little impatiently, but nevertheless wrapping an arm around his shoulders and making to walk out the bathroom.

"I'm mad because this was supposed to be my mission," he confessed. "I started this. It was because of me the Order regrouped, because of me we now got this far, and now I can't even fight alongside them? Aren't I an equal?"

"You have to understand that they care about you, Harry," Draco tried to reason, walking towards his dorm room.

"Bullshit," Harry said immediately. "They must not care about me as much as I do them because I would never stop them from fighting a fight I know is theirs."

"Not even to protect them?" he asked. Harry opened his mouth to respond when Draco opened the door and tugged him inside, nudging him towards the bed. Harry looked at him in disbelief, and Draco's face coloured red.

"I don't mean to do that!" Draco exclaimed, stunned at Harry's dirty mind. "I meant sit down, damnit."

"Oh," Harry said, blushing furiously as he perched on the edge of the bed, Draco following to sit next to him.

"I don't think this is about you wanting to fight to avenge your parents, Harry," Draco said quietly. "I've spent enough time with you to know that you'll do anything to protect the ones you love."

"What do you mean? What else would this be about?" Harry asked.

Draco looked at him sadly. "I think this is because you want to be there to protect everyone. You feel they'll be safer with you by their side."

Harry flushed as his true desire was exposed. "So what if I do? What if I want to be there to protect everyone I care about?"

"Harry, I don't mean this in a mean way at all, but, you have absolutely no combat training. You probably know fuck all about a gun or even how to dodge attacks. If you went to fight with them, all you would be is a liability," Draco told him honestly. "You would end up getting more people hurt."

"I can learn!" Harry said, ignoring the sting of Draco's truthful words. "I'm a fast learner."

"Fast enough to surpass the skills of gang members that are probably twice your size and have been training for years?" Draco inquired. Harry sighed.

"Maybe... maybe you have a point after all," the shorter boy relented, wringing his hands together. "I would probably fuck shit up."

"I wouldn't say that," Draco said lightly. "Moreso that you would cause a tiny, tiny bit more of a problem than you would help solve."

"I just- I don't want them to go without me to then find out someone's been hurt or-"

"Harry, in this kind of thing people will always get hurt," Draco said softly. "You can't hold on to everyone. If someone does get hurt, it won't be your fault for not protecting them. Everyone in the Order signed up of their own free will. They were fully aware of the consequences."

Harry tried to think of an argument, but none to came to mind. He accepted defeat grudgingly, letting his head fall onto Draco's shoulder, just like it used to everytime Draco had won an argument over something when they were dating. Seeming to remember this, Harry made to jerk his head away, but Draco was faster, burying a hand in his hair and stroking it.

"Everything will be fine, Harry," he reassured him. "The Order can take care of themselves."

But why did Harry have a feeling something was about to go terribly wrong?

***

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