Hello! Sorry this took so long to get up - I completely forgot to write this chapter. Well, at any rate, enjoy! And if you're just joining, and haven't read Mistakes, I recommend you go and do that, because I doubt this story will make any sense if you don't :P
Harry opened the trunk, checking that everything was in order. It was, just like it had been the four other times he had gone to repack his things, and it would be no matter how many times he unlocked it. He'd wanted to use a suitcase; trying to distance himself from feeling like he was just going back to Hogwarts, but Draco hadn't let him. Had said it was too common. He'd conceded, of course, not wanting to make Draco angry. Even the idea of Draco towering over him again made him want to be sick with fear. And every time he brought up the 'incident', Draco would turn the coldest glare Harry had ever witnessed onto him, and he would drop the subject.
He didn't want to go to Renewal. He didn't want to leave his son behind. Who knew what would happen to Sebastian in his absence? Draco could decide that he didn't want to put up with Harry anymore and leave with the small child, or Oliver could come back and demand custody. Seb could suffer a relapse, even, and Harry wouldn't be here if he… if he died. He'd tried to make others understand this, but they all thought that he was faking, that he was trying to get out of going to the hospital. That there was no way that he could have such an about turn regarding Sebastian, formerly the parasite. Ginny in particular didn't believe a word he said.
Harry didn't know why everyone wanted him to go so much, but he had become resigned to the fact, and was at least able to reassure himself with the fact that the sooner he left, the sooner he would come back. The clinic said that a rehabilitation of at least six months was optimal, but Harry knew he couldn't possibly stay that long. He'd be in and out again in a few weeks, and then he could attempt to reconstruct his life.
Draco came in, cradling a bundled up Seb, and Harry averted his eyes. He kept thinking up ways to leave Draco, but nearly all of them ended up with the realisation that it would result in having Seb taken away from him. Harry knew he was treading on thin ice with regards to his son. Everyone thought of Draco as some kind of hero, forcing Harry to face his problems, and looking after the baby all the while. He hadn't told anyone about what Draco had done to him, and he wasn't planning on it. There was just too much at stake. If Oliver was given even half an opportunity to take Sebastian away from him, Harry was sure that he'd take it.
"Harry, are you ready yet? The carriage is waiting," Draco said, shifting Seb slightly. Harry felt his mouth drop in shock.
"What? I thought we were going by the Night Bus? Are you trying to draw attention to us, or something?" He could see that Draco was barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes.
"Harry, the carriage has a Disillusionment charm on it, of course. And while you may have been labouring under the delusion that the Night Bus is suitable transportation for a small child, I certainly would not let our son travel in that contraption for love nor money." Harry could feel the snarl building up on his lip before he realised that it was futile; that he had to stay on Draco's good side.
"Yes, Draco." Draco's mood change was near instant, and a large smile broke out on his face. Harry hated the mood swings most of all.
"All right then, off we go. Manny!" The head house elf, the one in charge of all things to do with Sebastian and Harry popped into the room. He bowed low, his forehead touching the floor. He spoke well, unlike many of the house elves Harry had met in the Manor. Harry thought it was because he'd been with the family so long, although he wasn't sure.
"Take Master Harry's things to the car. Make sure you leave nothing behind." The house elf nodded, and taking Harry's trunk, popped out again. Harry liked how this one got down to business quickly and efficiently. He'd met one rather insane elf that had prostrated itself at his feet and he'd hated it from
first site. Dobby, wasn't it? At any rate, he'd asked Draco not to let the thing within three feet of him again, and Draco had allowed him to have his way. Harry had been surprised at the time – usually, Draco just told him to get on with things and stop whining. He'd never met someone so commanding in his life, and this was comparing with Aunt Petunia and Hermione, who could certainly win some awards.
When they found their way outside, the bags already loaded onto the carriage, Draco took Harry's hand to help him up into the carriage. He looked rather pleased when Harry, for the first time, allowed him to. Usually, his pride got in the way, but today he just had no strength to argue. He held out his arms when he was seated, and Sebastian, asleep and breathing softly, was placed into them. For the first time that day, Harry smiled, looking down at the tiny features of his son. Pomfrey had only declared him up to long distance apparition the previous week, and Harry couldn't get enough of holding his baby in his arms. Draco smiled at him indulgently, and Harry found himself giving a small quirk of the lip back.
The journey was mostly silent, and the smoothness with which the carriage travelled unnerved Harry enough to speak up.
"Why are we moving so –" Draco interrupted him quickly.
"Don't talk so loudly, Harry. You'll wake Sebastian." Harry felt a sneer build on his lips, which he quickly controlled. No need to give Draco a reason to hurt him again.
"Sorry, Draco." His fiancé nodded.
"I expect the Aethonons are giving us a gentler ride than usual. They're trained to when transporting more delicate persons." Harry nodded, despite having no clue what Aethonons were. Draco must have seen the confusion on his face, for he grinned.
"You don't know what Aethonons are? They're a breed of winged horse, like Abraxans." Harry affected a look of recognition, although he had no idea what Abraxans were either. He resolved to learn more about the Wizarding World, if only to avoid looking like an idiot in front of Draco again. They fell into silence again, and this time, Harry didn't break it.
So, here he was. Harry didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Renewal didn't look like a prison. It looked like something out of a dream. The walls were white stone, nearly gleaming in the morning sun, and a sign with the name of the hospital emblazoned across it hung boldly over the double doors; a sun moving round the letters. It looked… nice, and Harry couldn't prevent a smile from forming. He turned towards Draco, not sure what the other boy would be thinking. Draco's face was blank, but Harry had to say that he didn't think Draco disapproved. Well, obviously he didn't, or they wouldn't be here in the first place, but… Sebastian snuffled, and Harry fussed over him, making sure that all his little fingers and toes were covered. It was quite a cold day, and Harry didn't want his son to catch a cold.
As they walked in through the doors, Harry shrank. It had suddenly hit him how little he wanted to be here. He didn't want to be better; there was nothing wrong with him! Feeling nervous, Harry shrank back, attempting to hide behind Draco. Draco was strong – he would be able to… what, protect him? From what? The scary nurses with their plates of food, of course. Harry still couldn't shake the feeling of vulnerability he had, and it was enough to make him nudge Draco.
"Hm?"
"Could you… could you hold Seb for now? I feel a bit weird, and I don't want to risk dropping him." Draco raised an eyebrow, and took Sebastian without a word, leaving Harry's arms feeling bereft. It was just so wrong to have someone else holding him.
They reached the reception, and a witch with bright white teeth looked up at them, asking if they needed assistance. While Draco stated their reason for visiting, Harry took a look around. It didn't seem like a hospital here. There were plush couches and soft fitted carpets; the walls glowed slightly and it just seemed warm and cosy. What Harry did think was weird was the lack of people. He hadn't seen anyone since the receptionist since they got here. Ah, scratch that: there was someone coming up to them right now.
"Misters Malfoy, welcome to Renewal!" Kinder people than Harry would describe her as stately. Harry thought she was far too tall, and had the weight to match. Somewhat like Hagrid in fact, except without the excuse of giant blood. Her dark brown hair was perfectly coiffed, and she wore a pearl necklace and fitted skirt suit. Well, Harry had to admit, she had a good tailor. Every other person he'd seen of her size tried to squeeze themselves into clothes that were far too small and ended up looking like their seams were about to burst.
So absorbed in scrutinising her appearance, Harry paid little attention to the fact that like many other people they'd encountered since the Woods' wedding, they were already both being referred to as Malfoys. Usually, Harry blew up – he wasn't a Malfoy yet, and wouldn't be for quite some time, but recently, he couldn't be bothered to expend the effort. He was going to be a Malfoy eventually, wasn't he? It wasn't as if Draco would let him keep his name.
The woman ushered them into what appeared to be her office, which had pictures of smiling people, whom Harry noticed were primarily female, covering every inch of the wall. The woman, noticing Harry looking around, explained the images as being pictures of the people that Renewal had helped over the years it had been open. Harry nodded, and said nothing. She seemed to take this in her stride. Harry guessed Draco had informed them that he was the 'silent' type. More like the 'my fiancé will kill me if I make him look like a fool in public' type, Harry thought. She sat in her chair, which Harry noted must be very well made, as it didn't even creak at her mass being placed upon it, and beamed at him. Harry stared at her. What was she looking at him like that for?
"In case you didn't catch it, my name is Violet Pepper and well, you need no introduction! Harry, I've heard a lot about you from your friends and family as well as the press. I'd just like to say that we're all very glad to see you here. It's always good to see someone who wants to overcome their problems and get better. Now, you have taken the first step in attempting to get better; I hear that you are no longer refusing food?" Harry cast Draco a glance out of the corner of his eye, but the other was staring at the bundle in his arms, refusing eye contact. It was a sore subject. It was the one thing that Draco could not command Harry to do and have his fiancé give in eventually. Harry was as stubborn on the subject as the first day. He ate when he wanted to, and could not be made to otherwise. It was certainly enough to sustain him for now, but he remained at an unhealthy weight, as the house elves liked to tell him.
To give Pepper credit, she seemed to get the hint. "Ah. Well, no matter, I'm sure that we'll progress to that stage in no time. Well, you'll especially want to get out of here quickly with so much to look forward to," she said, hinting blatantly to the small pile of shifting blankets. Seb started to snuffle, and Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he started wailing. Draco also seemed to sense this, and he excused himself.
"I'll be back in a moment, Harry." And just like that, Draco and Seb were gone, leaving Harry alone with Pepper.
"Harry, I get the feeling that it may not be your decision to be here." Suddenly, the smile had dropped from her face, and she seemed less sycophantic, less annoying.
"I want to be with my son, and everyone says I need to get better first. I'm just here to prove that there's nothing wrong with me, and then I'll be out of your hair, and you can stick a photo of me up on your wall too." There was silence for a moment.
"You're not the first person to be in denial, Harry, and you won't be the last. That's why this hospital exists. Believe it or not, I was like you once upon a time, although it may not seem like it now. It was only when I started getting better that I realised I'd had a problem in the first place. And Harry, until you can admit that to yourself, there's no chance you'll be getting out of here." Harry scrunched his face up tightly, whether to stop himself from crying or from yelling at Pepper, he didn't know. And he was saved from having to by Draco re-entering the room. Instantly, the smile was back on Pepper's face, and Harry held out his arms for his calmed son. While he stroked his baby's hands and laid tiny kisses on his head, Draco and Pepper hashed out his sentence. This place seemed more and more like a prison by the minute.