(A/N: Rated M for mature content and language.

It's always nerve-wracking to put a new story out there, so I thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews! Just a bit of a heads up: Time will skip around for a bit since I'm focusing on their interactions.

Warnings: EWE. MalexMale slash. Language.

Enjoy! :))

It was nearly four months later when Harry saw Draco again.

He had almost convinced himself he forgot all about the blonde... But then he walked into the patient room to see him and Scorpius, in almost exactly same position they'd been in the first time. Except this time, Scorpius' ankle was the issue. He nearly winced; it was swollen to the size of an orange. He kept in the sigh that wanted to explode out of him and managed to greet Scorpius warmly. He hooked an ankle around the rolling stool in the corner and dragged it closer to the pair of blondes and sat down on it.

"Hullo again, Scorpius." The young blonde just looked up at him, his face once again tear streaked and pinched with pain. He squashed the urge to wipe at the tears, reminding himself to be professional and settled for a small, warm smile. "Let's have a look at that ankle?" he murmured, rolling closer. He gently grasped the child's thin calf and lifted his leg, settling it on his knee in just a way as to not be painful. He pushed up the blonde's thin pants and gently prodded the swollen ankle. He inspected it gingerly, moving it as little as possible and trying to keep his cool fingers in as much contact with the swollen area as possible.

"It doesn't appear to be broken, but let's check to be sure, hm?" Harry smiled reassuringly when Scorpius nodded weakly, ignoring Draco completely this time. He had nothing to say to the older blonde, anyway.

Draco watched Harry sooth Scorpius, smiling a little when his son's blonde little head bobbed in a show of bravery. He idly wondered if all of Harry's patients got the same level of care. He didn't think Scorpius was special to the other man, but he figured it didn't hurt to pretend. Not many people went out of their way to treat his son (or him, but he was used to it in a way his son wasn't) so nicely. Or warmly. He watched as Harry left, saying something about needing a wheelchair.

He shared a smile with his son when Harry hurried back in, wheelchair in front of him, and he spun the contraption with a flourish. It was almost adorable to see the way Harry interacted with Scorpius and it was obvious why the man had gone into pediatrics.

"Right, in we get," Harry said, coming back in the room behind a wheelchair. He shuffled over to help Scorpius into the wheelchair. He quickly stepped back when Malfoy stepped forward, helping Scorpius into the chair. He wasn't a stranger to hovering parents, so he didn't mind the way his task was interrupted. It was the way Malfoy's hand brushed his that had him stepping back. He tucked his hand into his pocket and indicated with his other hand where Malfoy should settle his son.

Thankfully, Malfoy didn't try to take over pushing the wheelchair, probably only because he didn't know where to go. He spun it around quickly, making Scorpius giggle softly as he grabbed the arm rests for security, and headed out of the room.

He was very aware of Malfoy's closeness as they walked down the hallway, but he was trying his damnedest to ignore the intense stare that was practically heating the side of his face. He didn't get why Malfoy was staring, but he ignored him anyway. He wasn't talking and he wasn't interested in anything but making sure the git's son was taken care of.

Harry occupied himself by talking to his small patient, giving Scorpius a quick run-through about how they X-ray ankles. It wasn't much different than other parts of the body but he would be put in some awkward positions for the X-rays.

He grit his teeth when Malfoy would. Not. Stop. Staring. What the fuck was his problem?

Draco pulled his gaze away from Harry's face and cleared his throat. "I see there is still no ring, Potter," he said in a bored drawl. He smirked for about 2 seconds... until Potter finally looked up at him. Once the disgruntled expression flickered away, he realized the other man looked like hell. Harry's hair was worse than usual; sticking up in all directions, except for a small flat spot on the side (like he'd managed to find sleep just long enough to get a bit of pillow-head but didn't give a toss to smooth it outl) and had used his fingers as a comb. Numerous times. With horrible results. There were fatigue lines and shadows around his eyes.

"You look like shit," he blurted out. He grimaced, annoyed at the absence of his usual tact.

"Thanks ever so," Harry said dryly, adding a soft snort as he rolled his eyes. He looked away and focused on pushing Scorpius towards X-ray. He ignored Malfoy's second attempt at conversation, overriding anything he tried to say by speaking nonsense to Scorpius or greeting people they passed. He shook his head with a bemused smile when another nurse passed by, winking at the pair of them and giving a cheery 'hello'. It was hard to tell who got more attention; him or Scorpius. The little blonde was adorable and had the added appeal of a looking like a wounded kitten in the large wheelchair.

Draco was a little annoyed no one seemed to think anything odd about Harry's appearance. Did they not care that he looked utterly exhausted and on the verge of collapse? Did they not see the man practically shuffling about like an Inferi? Even he could admit the man was normally much more vibrant and... attractive. He clenched his jaw but he found himself poking Harry's shoulder and muttering "Does no one else notice your lack of sleep?" anyway.

"They're used to it, too," Harry said in a bored tone, waving the blonde's comment away with a dismissive hand flap. It's not like he's the only one that's ever pulled 20 hour shifts or took back-to-back shifts. He certainly wasn't the only one to pull continuous shifts, either—working until he was nearly cross-eyed with exhaustion and only stopping for fear he'd fuck up too badly and kill someone. Whenever he wasn't occupied with caring for Teddy, working kept his mind occupied and free of random blondes that popped up out of the blue.

He watched the tech get Scorpius how she needed him and shuffled outside. He closed his eyes, his jaw cracking wide with a yawn, and leaned his head against the wall. As soon as he was done with the Malfoys, he was leaving; crawling into his bed and staying there for a week. He jumped when Malfoy clicked his tongue, the sound disproving and echoing sharply in the mostly quiet hallway.

Draco frowned a little, watching Harry's eyes slowly open, as if they really didn't want to. He really hoped Harry found somewhere better to sleep rather than propped up against a wall, and soon. "What the hell, Potter?"

"For fuck's sake," Harry muttered as he wiped a hand over his face, too tired to bother censoring himself. Or from being pissy. "It's Cunningham. How hard is that to remember?" he snapped, glaring at the blonde. He sniffed wen there was no forthcoming answer, lifted his nose up and went back to resting against the wall. His eyes slid closed again, feeling hot, gritty, and dry. He really couldn't wait to fall into his bed. He didn't acknowledge the annoyed huff or the sound of sucking teeth from Malfoy. He was even less interested in talking to him than he was 5 minutes ago before Malfoy's attempt at complimenting him and then harassing him.

Draco's glare was wasted since Harry wasn't looking at him anymore. "It's not hard to remember, but it's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, honestly. Married but not married. It makes no sense, Potter."

"Cunningham," Harry mumbled stubbornly.

Draco scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I refuse to call you that. Unless of course, you're properly married," he pressed. He didn't know why he needed to know, he just did. And damn Potter for not giving him what he wanted. "I mean, how bad could the bint have been?" he said, leaning closer in an effort to read Harry's expression. He didn't so much as twitch. "Surely not as horrendous as Ginger bits?

"Shuddup," Harry murmured, just as his jaw cracked open in a wide yawn. He didn't bother trying to defend Ginny; they were still friends and Malfoy should know that. They hadn't been anything but friends since Ginny graduated and started seeing Theo Nott (of all people). He also wasn't going to say a word about his ex-husband. Even if he'd been foolish enough to move to another country for the man, he didn't regret most of what happened.

And there was the small matter that it wasn't the blonde bastard's business. "It's none of your business, so fuck off."

Draco pursed his lips together, his fingers tapping a sharp cadence against his elbow. He took a long measured breath, exhaling slowly. "Do you speak to all your patients that way?"

"You aren't my patient," Harry said, a little smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. "And, no; just insufferable prats that don't mind their own bloody business."

Draco huffed and snapped his mouth closed. Potter was just as stubborn as he was, and he knew he'd get nowhere just questioning the man. He'd have to be sly and trick the idiot into answering.

"Fine," he said shortly and leaned against the wall next to Harry, pointedly staring at him. Even exhausted, the other man was a sight. He ignored that, like had all those years ago, and poked at Harry's shoulder. "What's the big deal? Just tell me. You making it sound all mysterious is only going to make me double my efforts."

"Fuck off," Harry said, not even bothering to open his eyes. He sighed, wishing the X-ray tech would hurry up. It was only an ankle, for Merlin's sake. He slowly opened his eyes, his gritty-feeling lids protesting the movement. He gave Malfoy a searching look. "Tell me why Scorpius has been in the ER seven times in the past year and a half."

Draco swallowed thickly and looked away. He considered just repeating Harry's succinct 'fuck off' but didn't. He briefly considered bartering for the answer; he'd tell Harry if Harry answered him. After a brief, internal debate, he decided for vague, half-answers... "He's accident prone." He ignored Harry's disbelieving snort—there was some truth there after all—and just waited for more questions. Or a well timed interruption from Scorpius. Neither came and he wanted to fidget as the heavy silence continued.

How had he forgotten how exhilarating yet nerve-wracking that green-eyed stare could be?

"You do realize I noticed the long sleeves," Harry said quietly. It was the middle of June and the long sleeves were completely out of place—unless they were hiding something. He watched Draco's eyes slowly close and his mouth pinch until his lips were a bloodless line slashed across the lower half of his face. "Fine," he said tiredly, realizing he wasn't getting anything else from the blonde. "I have to report it, you know."

Old friend—er, acquaintance or not, he simply couldn't turn a blind eye if there were signs of abuse. It was a matter of personal and professional ethics.

They both turned when the tech wheeled Scorpius out. Harry was quick to backing away when Draco moved to situate himself at the wheelchair's handlebars. The blonde was down the hall before Harry had even righted himself off the wall.

He sighed and looked at the X-ray tech, offering a tired smile, "Thanks, Erica. Lemme know when they're ready?" She nodded and went back into the room. He made his way back to the room the Malfoys had been in, preparing himself for an empty room.

Harry blinked owlishly when the room had both Malfoys in it. Scorpius' eyelids were drooping, head bobbing down towards his chest occasionally since his pain medication had finally kicked in. They were talking quietly, he could only hear soft murmuring, matching blonde heads nearly pressed together.

"Scorpius, you can tell Harry," Draco said quietly. He smiled when his son's eyes slowly opened and focused on him, eyebrows raised curiously. "Really," he pushed when Scorpius remained quiet. "It's OK, he'll help." He refused to look up, in case Harry refused. Now would be the worst time to find out Potter had gotten over his 'saving people thing'. He didn't think Harry would let the name Malfoy dictate how he handled things, but he was nervous about it regardless of how well he knew the other man previously.

Harry settled himself on the wheeled stool again, scooting closer to be in Scorpius eye line. He hunched a bit, even though he wasn't that imposing when sitting, and he noticed the young blonde looked torn; wanting to tell but scared of what would happen. He gently applied a chemical ice pack to the swollen ankle and kept his eyes on the smaller blonde as he asked, "Does your dad hurt you?"

"What? No!" Scorpius said loudly, practically yelling. He leaned back against his dad and gave Doctor Cunningham... Potter—whatever— a scornful look. It was easier to just think 'Harry' since he couldn't keep his last name straight (the doctor said one name, but his dad said another; it was confusing).

He lifted his chin, going for a proud, defiant expression he'd learned from his dad. "No, it's not my dad. I'm just... clumsy," he admitted, feeling his cheeks get hot. His dad didn't make a fuss over it, but he knew it had to be embarrassing to have a clumsy Malfoy around. His dad never stumbled around and tripped over carpet. His grandfather certainly didn't. And more than once he saw the elder Malfoy trying to hid a sneer when he thought Scorpius or his dad wasn't looking.

Dr. Harry gave him a patient look and his hands fidgeted in his lap. "My mom... She's... rough sometimes." Scorpius paused, nibbling his lower lip and wiggling in his dad's lap to get comfortable. "She doesn't mean it, though," he added, feeling it important to mention. He really didn't think she did, anyway. She said herself she just wasn't good with kids (even her own) and just got frustrated really easy.

Harry nodded slowly, hiding his surprise. He really didn't think Malfoy would harm his son but he hadn't expected that answer, either. He felt like a bit of a shit for immediately assuming it had been Draco. It wasn't like it was unheard of for mother's to abuse their children (he was quite sure the numbers were higher actually), but he just hadn't considered it. He considered apologizing but he didn't want Malfoy snarling and sneering at him again.

He slowly reached forward, placing a hand on Scorpius thin arm, pleased the blonde didn't flinch or pull away. "Can I look?" he asked, gently pinching the material of the shirt sleeve. He heard Scorpius gulp but the little blonde nodded, so he pushed the sleeve up. Like he expected, five round bruises were on Scorpius' upper arm. He didn't have to wrap his hand around the boy's arm to know they would match up with four fingers and a thumb. He shook his head, banishing old memories.

"Do you live with your mom?" he asked, letting the sleeve drop to cover the boy's arm again. He didn't know why, but he got the impression Malfoy and his wife were separated, or at least living separately.

"No, just every other week and sometimes weekends. Some holidays," Scorpius said, his voice slurring a bit as his head sagged towards his chest again. His head felt swimmy and he giggled. "Two Christmases is fun."

He really didn't like going to his mom's. Not only did she yell at him and lose her temper often, he hated the International Port-key he had to use to get to her spacious house. It took forever and he always felt like he was going to vomit when he landed. He did the first time and his mom had hollered at him for an hour and made him clean it up. Without magic (since he wasn't 'allowed' to use it), or help from a house-elf. (He'd sulked, later in the privacy of his room, hating that he could use magic at home without the American Wizarding Bureau breathing down his dad's neck.)

Harry nodded, smothering the urge to snark at Malfoy about not being a full-time parent either. He squashed the impulse since he didn't know how long Malfoy had been sharing custody with his estranged wife—for all he knew, Malfoy had been present for colic and dirty nappies and he did not want to put his foot in it. Again.

He gently patted Scorpius' small shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze when his touch wasn't shied away from. "Thank you for telling me. It was a very brave thing to do, Scorpius." He smiled when Scorpius beamed dozily at him, his eyes glazed and slightly unfocused but still lit with pride and happiness. "You can take a nap," he said softly, watching drooping eyelids and the small blonde head nodding jerkily. He fought the urge to smile when Scorpius curled up against his father and slipped into sleep as soon as he settled.

Harry didn't know what to say. Scorpius and Malfoy both seemed resigned to the mistreatment and he didn't know what they expected him to do. Was he just meant to file a report or step in, personally? He wanted to snap at Draco for expecting a damn thing from him, because he wouldn't be able to refuse. He was tempted to just offer the least personal sort of assistance he could. The warring reactions made him want to yank his hair out or kick the wall. He took a calming breath, instead.

"You aren't able to keep her away from him?" he asked, keeping his voice as neutral as he could.

"No," Draco said, shaking his head. He looked down at Scorpius, mostly just to avoid Harry's gaze. It wasn't accusatory, just full of honest concern which was almost as bad... "We share custody. If I don't bring him to her—well, I arrange his Port-keys so we don't actually see each other—she can sue me for full custody. I'm working with my lawyer for full custody but... these things take time," he said, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

He has been trying to file for sole custody of his son for 3 months. Astoria wasn't actively blocking him (the old hag seemed eager to relinquish her share of her responsibilities as long as she got a hefty chunk of his ancestral vaults) but the legal system moved so sodding slow! He didn't dare try to do it through the Wizengamot; they'd probably have Scorpius out of his hands before he could blink based solely on old prejudices and short memories. He had to rely on the Muggles and hope he'd get a fair cop that way.

He chanced a glance up at Potter and his brows pinched lightly when he realized the other man's face was blank; not even his eyes held a clue to his thoughts or feelings. He had no idea what Harry was thinking and it was more than a little unnerving. It was just wrong for Potter to be without any sort of facial expression or clue to his inner thoughts or feelings.

Harry finally nodded. He was relieved to know Malfoy was trying... and he really hoped the blonde would get full custody. Especially if even half of Scorpius' ER visits were related to being around his mother. Most were more or less neglectful injuries, but he felt they were just as bad as deliberate abuse. He took a few moments to compose his thoughts before finally giving Draco his full attention.

"Would medical records help?"

"Not really," Draco said slowly. Nonetheless, he offered a small, grateful smile that wasn't acknowledged. "It can't be proven who inflicted the injuries, so it's pointless." He refused to allow any chance of someone using the information and accusing him of hurting his son. He hated that Astoria didn't use her wand against Scorpius on those random occasions; only her hands. Untraceable if she didn't use magic if he ever was daft enough to go through the courts at home.

And in a Muggle court system, he feared medical records could point to either him or his ex-wife. He wasn't entirely confident they could pin Scorpius' injuries on her, even with Scorpius' testimony.

Harry slowly shook his head. "Not true," he paused long enough to answer the room's phone, nodding absently at the voice on the other end. His focus was mainly on working on his tablet, vaguely aware of the non-emergency in room 201. He sat back on his stool, looking at the X-ray. Thankfully, Scorpius' ankle wasn't broken, merely badly sprained. It'll hurt, and need to be immobilized, but at least Scorpius didn't need another cast.

He looked up, blinking when he saw Draco staring intently at him, his expression one of open expectation.

Oh. Right. He had lost his train of thought... Harry wiped a hand over his face, mostly in an effort to banish the mind-numbing exhaustion and give Draco the attention he deserved at the moment.

"As I was saying, not true. Some injures cannot be traced, true. But these—" He pointed to Scorpius' arm, indicating the hidden fingertip shaped bruises. "Can be measured and matched to her hands. Do you have similar sized hands?"

"No," Draco said sharply. He wanted to be offended Harry would imply he had feminine hands but once he understood what the other man meant, he sat up straighter. "Really?" he asked, narrowing his eyes and staring Potter down. "Are you an expert in this sort of thing?" he asked, unsure how he should feel about that. He unfortunately found himself wondering how Harry dealt with seeing abused children and the look on the other man's face wasn't enough of an answer.

He nearly face-palmed when he remembered just who the hell he was talking to. Everyone found out about Potter's early years after one of his relatives sold the story to the first person that would listen. (The only upside was the idiots hadn't realized they'd implicated themselves in numerous counts of child neglect and abuse. As far as he knew, they hadn't even gotten a chance to spend a single Galleon before the Wizarding world made sure to bring them to justice.)

Harry gave a tired smile. "I've offered my expertise on these sorts of cases before," he said quietly. "They might speak with Scorpius and get a statement." He hoped once a report was made and Scorpius spoke about his mother hurting him, action would be taken. He shrugged a little; he didn't get too involved in the cases. Once he gave his testimony (either as a witness to the damage or his medical expertise about results and the like), he was no longer involved. He didn't want to be involved, it was just too much to deal with on a personal level. He would keep that level of professional distance with Malfoy, too.

"I see," Draco said quietly. He hated involving Scorpius, but he might have to. Maybe his son will feel better about helping get his mother away from him? His son was old enough to understand, after all. He idly watched Harry carefully, but efficiently, wrap Scorpius ankle in a stretchy bandage and then covering it with a weird, overly large, puffy looking boot. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the ungainly looking contraption strapped to his son's foot. "Will he be able to walk in that?"

Harry snorted softly. "Not really. But most children make it work—they're usually quite determined to not be held back. It's only for a few weeks. He'll have to come back so I can re-wrap it," he said quietly, half-hating and half-looking forward to the fact that he needed to see Scorpius again. Well... that he had to see Malfoy again. He handed Malfoy an after-care sheet. It was simple to remember, keeping to the RICE acronym, but he reiterated the points anyway. Reminding Malfoy to have Scorpius rest his ankle, when possible. Ice the area for about 20 minutes whenever he could get Scorpius to sit still (preferably every 4 hours or so). And to keep it lightly wrapped and elevated.

He passed over some more pain medication and slid another card into Malfoy's palm. He ignored the blonde's glare. He could rip the card up for all Harry cared but he felt like he'd done what he could, making sure the blonde had the lawyer's number. He'd heard from quite a few cases how successful the woman was at winning custody cases in favor of single fathers.

Harry signed off on the chart and slipped out of the room, ignoring the sarcastically muttered "Thanks, Saint Potter". He figured he did what he could and he was long overdue with some one-on-one time with his bed.

(A/N: I feel the need to add a few things here...

I researched quite a bit about child abuse statistics. Approximately 40% of cases of abuse involve mothers (acting alone). The abuse isn't going to be a major plot point and will likely only be mentioned in passing as the story goes. On that note, I don't intend to make Astoria out to be an evil bitch—it just sorta happened that way. It won't turn into an Astoria bash-fest, either. After this, we're just gonna kinda ignore her existing...

From what I could find, the law in the UK regarding the statute of limitations regarding child abuse appears to be three years, and any charges becoming null and void after the age of 18. I figured Harry being the Savior and all that, they'd be willing to deal with the Muggles regardless of how long it had been.

I am not an expert in family law or custody practices; most of it was cobbled together from various sources... and then making it up for the plot. FYI, I'm went with American/Muggle laws for this aspect since that's where this is taking place and that's what I know.

I think that's it... heh. Any other concerns, feel free to ask.

Thanks for reading! :))