‘Our kids?’ Harry’s smile faded and suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. Draco was not happy that he was confined to a hospital bed and couldn’t run away from the wave of emotion that came across him when Harry looked at him that way; intensely and unblinkingly, with that trademark sparkle in his green irises.
Draco opened his mouth to pathetically blabber his way back out of his stumble when another healer opened the door. It wasn’t the same one that Draco had seen before, but Draco was secretly grateful. This one looked about fifty and had a completely grey beard and generally appeared like he actually knew what he was doing.
‘Ah, Mr. Potter. I see we’re awake again. No doubt you feel like shit and would rather not see me right now.’
Draco liked his guy immediately.
‘I see you’ve been trampled by hippogriffs before.’ Draco shot back, and the healer smiled widely.
‘Well, your mental faculties appear to be intact, that’s one to check off my list.’ He said pleasantly, and Draco was glad he got a healer that dealt with trauma the same way Draco did—horrendously sarcastic humour.
‘It’s going to take a long time for you to be up and about Mr. Potter, your body is readjusting to its reattachment with your magic. It’s a very experimental procedure and I’d be grateful if you’d permit me to use your notes for research purposes.’ The healer said. Draco nodded and turned his attention to Harry.
‘Experimental procedure? What did you do to me? Do people not normally recover from that kind of thing?’
‘I’ll tell you about it when we get home.’ Harry said. Home, Draco thought. He didn’t want to go back to his horrible little flat.
‘Yes, that’s what I came to talk to you about.’ The healer interrupted. ‘We’re willing to let you leave, Mr. Potter, as there is very little we can do here; your tests all came back clear. You’re going to have to be patient and wait for your magic to return slowly. It’ll be a very slow process and we’re not sure how much of your magical ability will ever fully return, but that’s a bridge we can cross when we come to it. For now, it’s all about physical rehabilitation. You haven’t moved in weeks and it’s likely you’ll have some muscular degeneration.’ Draco felt like he’d been slapped in the face. We’re not sure how much of your magical ability will ever fully return. Was he going to become a squib? No, he couldn’t handle that. Not now.
‘We’re happy to let you leave, as long as you have someone to stay with you while you recuperate, preferable with a next of kin. Which, if memory serves,’ the healer flicked through Draco’s file, ‘is the other Mr. Potter.’
Draco couldn’t think straight; his heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour. He glanced warningly at Harry who squeezed his hand. It was a useless gesture since he could hardly feel it, but he did see it and he supposed it would have to do.
‘He can stay with me.’ Harry said immediately, and Draco’s heart skipped a beat at how enthusiastic Harry was about letting Draco back in what was supposed to be their family home.
‘Excellent. Well, this isn’t strictly hospital policy,’ the healer began, looking around as if checking to make sure no one could hear, even though they were in a private room. Yeah, Draco really liked this guy. ‘But I’m willing to let Mr. Potter apparate you home, Mr. Potter.’ Draco could hear sentences like that all day and never get tired of it. ‘You just need to sign the discharge forms.’
The healer passed the forms to Harry who signed them like a fan was asking for an autograph. Draco still couldn’t really feel his fingers, but he held the pen shakily and ignored the tingling pains down his arm long enough to sign his name in a wonky fashion above Harry’s.
‘Brilliant. I’ll inform Mrs. Granger-Weasley of your whereabouts then? Although, I doubt she needs me to, considering I found her listening at the door when I arrived.’
‘Hermioneeee.’ Harry groaned, dropping his head into Draco’s lap.
‘Oi, Potter. At least wait until we get home.’
Harry’s head shot straight back up and his flush was almost purple with embarrassment.
‘I’ll leave you gentlemen to it then, shall I?’
Yes, this guy might be a bit old, but he would definitely be Draco’s type if he wasn’t hopelessly in love with Harry Potter.
The second they were back in the house, Harry was kissing Draco within an inch of his life. He hadn’t even waited to put Draco down, he simply stood in the middle of the kitchen/ living room, holding Draco bridle-style. It was, hands down, the best kiss Draco had ever received. Harry kissed him like he was a dying man, and Draco happily lapped it up. They had three years of this to catch up on.
‘Really?’ Harry asked him as he pulled away. Draco could stare at his thoroughly kissed-debauched face forever. ‘You couldn’t feel it when I spend ten minutes continuously stabbing your hand, but that works just fine?’ Draco grinned cheekily.
‘It must just be your all-powerful presence.’ He said seriously. Harry grinned, and Draco kissed the grin right off his face. Kissing Harry had always been his favourite past- time.
‘You’re beautiful you know.’ Harry said as he set Draco down on the newly charm- extended sofa. When had Harry managed to do that? The sneaky bastard.
‘Not a patch on you.’ Draco replied. ‘But, as much as I would love for you to take me upstairs and fuck me into the mattress all night, I need you to explain what I missed when I was away.’ Away. That was how Draco was going to describe what happened to anyone who asked, because he’d never, not even for a second, thought about not coming back.
Harry heaved a sigh as he sat down on the sofa with Draco and pulled Draco’s legs onto his lap as if they’d been doing this every day for six years instead of having been divorced.
‘What makes you think I know?’ Harry asked him, and Draco raised a single eyebrow at him.
‘Please, I bet Kingsley is still crying without you.’
‘Well, it turned out we couldn’t find anything that linked Runcorn of Hopkirk to the clinic because they weren’t directly involved. We’d assumed that the healers at the clinic were in on the deal because they’d been handing out those pills to everyone who walked through the door. It’s easy to assume private clinics will bend the law just to make a packet. Well, turns out they were doing that, just not the way we expected.’
‘Hm. I did always feel like something was missing. Couldn’t put my finger on it at the time.’ Draco admitted.
‘You’d never tell. Macmillian nearly chewed my ear off when he found that massive pinboard you made like that guy from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’
‘I was trying to be thorough.’ Draco sniffed.
‘Anyway, it turns out the clinic were being paid vast sums to give certain clients the pills but weren’t in on the ring.’ Harry explained.
‘Ok, but surely a decent healer wouldn’t give out pills without checking their contents first, that’s not just about the money.’ Draco pointed out.
‘Well yes, quite. That’s why everyone at the practice had had their licences revoked.’ Harry said smugly. ‘I don’t know the particulars since I’d left before they’d cracked it, but it turns out they got them on the money trail. They didn’t cover up their tracks very well and there was a clear money exchange all the way from the clinic back to the supplier. Turns out they weren’t the brains of Britain.’
‘Where do I fit into this?’ Draco asked but he wasn’t sure if we wanted an answer.
‘It seems they found out you were on the case somehow. Turns out they were trying to find a way to kill off muggleborns without there being any direct contact involved between the neo-Death Eater movement and the general populous. You moved right into the area of their supplier and suddenly you take ill with the worst case ever? Not a coincidence.’
‘They tried to bump me off for being a traitor.’ Draco filled in the blanks.
‘Basically, yeah.’ Harry nodded. ‘I found the pills in your apartment when I found you. I think they were trying to frame you.’
Draco opened his mouth to apologise, for not sending those pills off as soon as he found them, but Harry cut him off.
‘Don’t you dare, Draco. None of this is your fault.’ He reached out and stroked a thumb across Draco’s right cheek and if it wasn’t just a little bit terrified of this situation, he probably would’ve melted right there and then. ‘Hell, if I hadn’t been such an arse to you, you never would have left in the first place. You have no idea how terrified I was when I saw you lying here. I thought you were dead. On the bright side though, if you’re the target of the neo-Death Eaters, you can’t be one of them. It’s done your reputation wonders.’ Harry joked but the implication was clear.
‘Listen, Harry, I—’
‘You don’t need to explain, Draco. We both made mistakes, we both went about things the wrong way. We can’t take any of it back, but I promise if you give me another chance, I’ll never be oblivious to your suffering again. I don’t care if it takes years, I’m completely and utterly in love with you and I’ll do anything. There’s been no one since you. No one even came remotely close.’
Draco could tell from the determination in Harry’s eyes that he was telling him the truth.
‘Come here.’ Draco made actual grabby hands at his soon-to-be-maybe-not-ex-husband, since he hadn’t regained the use of his limbs properly yet. Somehow, knowing Harry was here for him, the idea that he might live his life without his magic didn’t seem as scary as he thought it might be.
Harry re-arranged them carefully, trying not to hurt him too much, until Draco was cuddled into Harry’s chest. Draco should’ve felt babied by Harry, but there was nothing infantile about this situation. Harry ran his hands gently through Draco’s messy hair and Draco breathed in the familiar scent of Harry—cedar and grapefruit—and clutched onto Harry’s shirt and tightly as he could without the feeling in his fingers.
‘You have no idea what it was like seeing you like that.’ Harry’s voice was thick, and he could tell he was holding in tears. Draco hoped he wouldn’t start crying; there were few things that could make Harry cry and if he did, Draco wouldn’t be far behind him.
‘You can tell me about it, if you want.’ Draco thought it would be hard to here, but if he wanted Harry back then they both had to be there for each other.
‘No,’ Harry said quietly, his voice cracking slightly. ‘Just know that you scared the crap out of me and you’re not allowed to do that ever again. I already lost you once, I won’t lose you again.’ Draco could feel the hurt radiating off Harry in waves and his heart did an uncomfortable flip in his chest.
