When In France

Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We're leaving for Wales tomorrow, Hermione, Ron and I," Harry explained.

"But...I'm leaving for Order headquarters tomorrow...You mean you're not waiting until I get back?" Draco asked, the expression on his face breaking Harry's heart.

"I'm sorry. Hermione says we need to leave as soon as possible. But you'll join us there! Right after you're finished at the Order. You're one of the Secret Keepers, after all," Harry said.

"You want me to be a Secret-Keeper?"

"Of course. We've decided on two. You're one, and, well, I won't tell you the other person, obviously.

Are you okay with being one?" Harry asked.

"Of course I'll do it," Draco said.

He sighed and looked down at a piece of parchment, studying it for a few moments. Harry reached out and took one of Draco's hands.

"Come on. We'll make the most of our last night together."

Later that night, Harry and Draco lay in their bed. Harry traced a finger on Draco's chest, still clothed in his grey shirt.

"You know, I didn't like when you called this our last night together," Draco said quietly.

Harry sat up and looked into Draco's eyes.

"Draco, we will see each other again. I promise you, we will."

Draco smiled. "You better not break that promise."

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Oliver landed onto the ground, their luggage tumbling around them.

They straightened up, brushing the dust off their clothes.

"Ugh, I hate Portkey travel," Oliver grumbled.

"Oh my God," Ginny squealed, hurrying over to pick up her suitcase. "My Manolos are in here!"

"Guys, shut up! Will you look at this place?" Hermione said.

They had landed in a wide, sandy driveway framed by tall green trees, right at the doorstep of the château. The sun shone down, making everything seem gold. In the distance, below the cloudless blue sky was the vineyard.

A man appeared in the doorway of the château.

"You must be the Granger party!" he said. "Bienvenue!"

"Yes, we are! I'm Hermione. This is Oliver, Ginny and Harry," Hermione said, doing the introductions.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Damian Marchand, it's lovely to have you here."

Harry saw Ginny eyeing Damian interestedly, and rolled his eyes. It was typical of her to throw herself at any good looking man, but Damian was better-looking than the guys she usually went out with.He was tall and muscular, with a golden tan and stylishly cut wavy, dark brown hair.

Damian led them into the house. They found themselves in the front hall, tastefully decorated in light shades, sunlight pouring through the floor-length windows. He led them up the stairs, pausing by the first door.

"These will be your rooms. One double and two singles, was that right?" Damian asked.

"Yes, thanks," Oliver answered.

They deposited their luggage in their rooms, and then Damian took them on a tour around the château.

"This is the courtyard," Damian said, gesturing to an outdoor area furnished with a large wooden table, with an incredible view of the vineyard. "We serve all meals out here, weather permitting. There will be breakfast, lunch and dinner served every day, but of course they're entirely optional. Most people usually Apparate to Sainte-Gilles for lunch or dinner if they want to."

They walked out into the gardens.

"There are Quidditch goals over the vineyard," Damian said, gesturing to the right. "And the pool's right there."

They sighed in pleasure at the sight of the glittering, blue pool, looking extremely inviting in the hot sun.

"Oh, I feel like jumping right in," Ginny said. "I'll have to take my clothes off first, though."

Harry and Oliver bit their tongues to stop themselves from laughing at Ginny's not-so-subtle flirting.

"You're welcome to use the facilities anytime," Damian said, seemingly oblivious.

"So, how many people are staying in the château right now?" Oliver asked.

"Eleven, including you guys," Damian answered. "You'll meet them at dinner tonight, if you're not planning to go anywhere else."

"No, I think we can do dinner tonight. We'll start exploring the area tomorrow," Hermione said.

"Do you stay in the château too?" Ginny asked, no doubt planning a late-night visit to Damian's bedroom.

"Yes, actually. I have the whole top floor to myself."

"It must be great, living here," Harry commented, staring off in the distance.

Damian looked at him. "It's not too bad."

Harry stood by the window of his room, gazing out at the view. He heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Ginny entered, looking like she was heading off to a nightclub in a short dress and heels.

"Gin, is that what you're wearing to dinner? Please go change," Harry groaned.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Ginny asked, looking down.

"Isn't it a bit too dressy? And obvious? I know you've been eyeing him," Harry said, lifting an eyebrow.

Ginny sat down on the bed and snorted. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed. He's gorgeous."

"I'm not really looking for a boyfriend," Harry answered.

Ginny reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

"Fine, I'll go change. I'll see you downstairs."

The table in the courtyard was already filled when Harry got there. He slid into the seat next to Ginny, opposite Oliver and Hermione. There were golden fairy lights criss-crossing overhead and wrapped around the potted trees. A French song played in the background, barely noticeable over everyone's chatter.

Harry looked around the table, seeing his house-mates for the first time. There was group of young people in their 20s, three boys and two girls, American, from the sound of their accents. An older couple with Irish accents in their 50s were deep in conversation with Hermione.

Damian entered the courtyard, carrying two bottles of wine and setting them down on the table.

"Bonsoir," he greeted them. "Introductions! We have some new guests, Oliver, Hermione, Harry and Ginny," he said, pointing to each of them in turn.

"This is Isabel, Nate, Seth, Mackenzie and Sebastian," Damian said, pointing to the Americans.

"And Maggie and Ryan," he said, pointing to the Irish couple.

"All right, Pierre has prepared a delicious meal, so dig in, everyone!"

Everyone began eating eagerly and conversation flowed easily.

"We're backpacking around the world," Nate told the table.

"So far we've been to Australia, England, Italy and France. France's my favourite- has the best men," Isabel said with a wink.

"I think we're going to be great friends," Ginny laughed.

Harry and Oliver were chatting with Seth about Quidditch.

"We've got to play sometime, over the vineyard. We've had a few games, it's awesome," Seth said enthusiastically.

"Kenz, Seb! We've got a couple of Quidditch fans over here!" Nate called down the table.

"Fantastic! We're sick of playing with each other, it'll be great to have some new players," Mackenzie laughed.

"Aw, sick of me already, babe?" Sebastian joked, kissing her on the cheek.

"What about a game tomorrow?" Seth asked. "Damian's got some brooms and a set of Quidditch balls."

"I think we were planning on visiting Saint-Gilles in the morning, so how about after lunch?" Oliver said.

"Great!" Seth answered, taking a swig of wine.

Harry joined the conversation opposite the table between Hermione, Damian, Maggie and Ryan for awhile. He picked up his glass of wine, taking a sip while glancing down the table.

Nate and Seth had their heads bent, talking quietly together. Harry watched as Nate kissed Seth softly on the lips, Seth smiling at his boyfriend.

1998, Grimmauld Place

Draco stood by the front door, his backpack sitting by his feet. Harry came down the stairs, pulling on a jumper. He reached the bottom, looking at Draco.

"Here," Draco said, holding out the grey shirt. "So you can keep me with you."

Harry smiled. "This was my shirt anyway, but thanks."

Shirt in hand, he hugged Draco tightly, pressing his face into Draco's shoulder.

After a few minutes, Draco pulled away, kissing Harry gently.

"Remember your promise," he breathed.

"Always."