"Is he dead?" Brandon looked from his boyfriend to Lily in alarm.

"What? No, he's just asleep." Brandon continued messing with Danny's hair wishing it was as long as it used to be so he could play with Danny's curls.

"Are you sure? Because he's been asleep for like a day." Lily pointed out. Brandon shook his head and poked Danny's cheek.

"Baby wake up." He said, Danny groaned and rolled over. "You slept through all of yesterday, you can't sleep all of today as well."

"Danny come on! I want to explore!" Lily threw a pillow at the sleepy boy.

"Tired!" Danny complained back, Brandon poked him again.

"Come on, you haven't eaten at all today, and I'm leaving in a few days and we want to spend time with you." He whined at his boyfriend, who grabbed him and pulled him down on top of him.

"Why can't I come with you?" He asked, burying his face into Brandon's shoulder.

"Danny you can't come to school with me." Brandon told him, but he pulled his boyfriend close to him anyway.

"Why not?"

"Because you don't go there, they won't just let you in." Brandon looked at Lily, who looked as though her heart was going to burst. She mouthed 'so cute' at him causing him to pull a face back.

"Sneak me in and I'll hide in your room." Danny said, he seemed completely serious.

"For a whole term?" Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"Sure." Danny agreed.

"And you don't think anyone will notice?" Brandon couldn't laugh, his heart was bursting at how cute his boyfriend was being.

"Nope." Danny shook his head. Brandon rolled his eyes at him.

"Go and get a shower."

"Fine, but Lily thinks it's a great idea." Danny rolled out of bed and grabbed his clothes, which Brandon had dutifully laid out for him.

"Sure I do." Lily smiled at him as he left. Once they heard the shower turn on Lily let out a squeal. "Oh my god you two!"

"Lily seriously?" Brandon sighed.

"He loves you so much!" She squealed in response.

"I know, he's so stupid sometimes." Brandon laughed. "I hate leaving him behind."

"He really doesn't know, does he?" Lily asked. Brandon shook his head.

"He hasn't questioned anything. Most people would but he just trusts me."

"That's sweet though, at least he's not on your back about everything all the time." She said. "James dated someone like that for a while once, he could barely talk to me without her thinking he was chatting up girls."

"Some people are just like that though aren't they?" Brandon sighed.

"You got lucky there Bran, although he'll have to know eventually." She advised. "Especially if you're planning on being together after hogwarts and later on into life."

"I know, it'll be difficult, but I don't think he'll take it badly." Brandon said, although this worried him every day. "He might be upset though, in fact I'm pretty sure he will be and I hate seeing him like that."

"But if you two are going to be together for a long time, then he will have to know." She said wisely. He sighed.

"I know."

^^^
Once Danny was finally ready, the three finally left the house and ventured into the crisp winter afternoon.

"Where are we going?" Danny asked as Brandon took his hand.

"On an adventure!" Lily announced to him, he nodded.

"But where?"

"If you stop being so impatient, you'll find out." Brandon teased him, Danny rolled his eyes.

"I hate surprises." He mumbled. Brandon laughed and pulled him closer so he could wrap an arm around his boyfriend.

"You hate most things." He retaliated.

"Including you!" Danny stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend.

"Oh you are in a right mood today." Brandon grabbed Danny and kissed his head, wrapping both arms around him and holding him tightly to him. "Come on, this will be fun."

"We aren't far off Danny, don't worry." Lily comforted him, but Brandon could tell that Danny was only acting this way because there was something else wrong.

"What's up?" He murmured into Danny's ear, refusing to let go of his boyfriend despite Danny's best attempts.

"I'm fine." Danny responded, but he wasn't, Brandon could tell, he could always tell.

"Danny I'm not stupid." Brandon said, putting a little more force into his words, he was so concerned about Danny after everything he was dealing with and had dealt with for the past three months.

"I'm fine." Danny finally got himself out of Brandon's arms and walked on ahead, where Lily was leading them on their walk.

Brandon sighed, he hated having a problem he couldn't solve, he knew Danny was struggling more with him being away than he had previous, and that added to the fear of his dad was probably driving him insane.

"We're here!" Lily announced, they were in a clearing in the woods, with a beautiful view of the entire village. "Oh it's beautiful." She told them as though they couldn't see it for themselves. Danny went off to take some pictures, leaving the two best friends together.

"What's going on?" Lily asked at once.

"I don't know, he's... acting weird, like before he was really clingy and now he's just got really distant. Lils I don't want to leave him." Brandon said with a sigh. "We've barely had a chance to really talk."

"We can't actually sneak him into Hogwarts." Lily told him.

"I know, this year and next and then I don't have to leave him again." Brandon sighed, before looking around and realising Danny had disappeared. "Where is he?"

"Darling, he's probably just behind the trees." Lily tried to calm him, but Brandon was on edge.

"No, no we have to find him!" He began panicking.

"Sweetie, you need to calm down, he's probably fine." Lily sighed. "He's just taking pictures."

"Shit lils, I'm so worried about him and the death eaters and... god I'm sorry." Brandon put his head in his hands and shook his head. "Baby come here!"

Danny appeared out of the trees, walking over and hugging Brandon as his boyfriend held his arms out. "What's wrong."

"Oh he's fine, come on I want to explore!" Lily laughed at them, dragging them both further into the forest.