Chapter-3
Angry
Harry opened his eyes and expected to find himself on his floor, surrounded by empty and mostly broken bottles of Vodka and blinked his eyes and realised that he was on a bed instead. His eyebrows rose in confusion and surprise when he looked around and realised that he was not at home.
He sniffed and strong smell of medicines attacked him which led to the realisation that he was at St. Mungos. The voice of a throat being cleared attracted his attention and he twisted his head a little. His confusion transformed into shock when he came face to face with Hermione who was now wearing her gloves and coming towards him with a very blank face. Ron and Hermione had given up on him and vowed to never meet him again. He was jealous and had missed Draco and had lashed out on them. It was truly a surprise to see his old friend again and a very pleasant one at that. He had missed Ron and Hermione terribly.
"I have taken your case, Mr. Potter." She said and walked towards him. Her face was very blank and Harry cleared his throat before saying softly, "I'm sorry."
She ignored it.
"This is the twenty fifth time you have been brought over here in the past year because of the over consumption of alcohol and-" She started speaking and placed a vial containing blue liquid on his lips. He interrupted her after consuming the potion "I am sorry for that day."
She took a deep breath, blinked a couple of times and continued, "It's come to the point when-"
"I have missed both of you." He whispered hesitantly.
Her eyes softened and shined with unshed tears. She said, "He has moved on with his life. Why don't you-"
"He hasn't moved on. You know he hasn't." Harry cut her off again, "He just won't forgive me. He refuses to talk to me. I love him, Hermione. I can't move on. He didn't send the divorce papers."
Her eyes became very blank for a moment and she licked her lips. He narrowed his eyes. She was definitely hiding something from him.
"Your body won't be able to bear so much alcohol, Harry. You have to stop it. It has been four years." She continued and placed another vial on his lips. He dutifully drank the potion again before replying "How did you find me?"
"Imagine my surprise when Ron returned, red faced and utterly terrified with your unconscious body in the middle of the night." She replied and her eyes were shining again.
"I'm sorry." He repeated and licked his lips.
"Please, stop drinking now." She said and sat on a chair beside his bed with her head in her hands. "I've sent so many letters to Draco. He doesn't reply. Even Ron tried to talk to him. He simply ignores us. "
Harry sighed and whispered "I did hurt him and you must stop bothering him like this."
"It wasn't just your fault, Harry. You never talked about his past with him or yours." Hermione frowned, "You rushed into marriage. He needed time to heal. I had told you."
"He suffered more than me. I didn't want him to pity me and he was never comfortable talking about his past. I didn't want to push him. He-"
"How can you even compare the suffering of two people?" She started and Harry interrupted her "Perhaps, you are right. He'll never come back. He is done with me and our marriage."
"Then, why don't you just move on? When you know that he would never be back, what is the point of waiting for him?" She asked and he looked at his hands. It was not something he did not know himself. The duelling academy in which he trained students had asked him to attend once a week. Not that he blamed them. He was almost always having a hangover.
The board of the school claimed that he was not a good influence on students. With time on his hands, he had nothing but to look at the walls and the old photos.
"Harry. You are zoning out. You don't have to keep it all inside you and you don't have to return to your home. Just live at ours." She spoke softly and he shook his head "Leave me be, Hermione."
"I can't let you drown yourself in alcohol, Harry. That's just- how- how can you expect me to let you die?" She replied and abruptly stood up "I am sorry but you are forcing me to take the matters in my hands. I have let it go long enough. You would disapprove but you can disapprove all you want. I don't care."
"What- Where are you going? Just stop interfering."
She laughed bitterly at his stammered words "We had been stupid enough to acquiesce to your wishes a year back. It won't happen again. Insult us all you want, Harry. I'll be back."
She apparated before Harry had even opened his mouth and he was left gaping at the door, wondering worriedly where she had gone.
Ten minutes later, he crawled out of the bed tiredly and apparated to his place.
Draco was trying to stop his godfather from killing his father. It was all in vain, of course. Severus was an unstoppable force of nature and father had only become stronger in Azkaban. The dementors were banished after Voldemort's defeat.
"You taught him not to take anyone's help?" Severus shouted even as Draco tried to restrain him.
Father was as adamant as ever "I had not told him not to ask for your help. He is your godson. You should have searched for him." He spoke coldly.
"I did, god damnit. I searched everywhere and by the time I succeeded, Potter had found him and they seemed happy." Severus's voice was furious and Draco had never seen him so angry.
"Will you both just SHUT UP?" He shouted, frustrated by their quarrelling and mother's incessant tears. Mother had not stopped crying ever since Severus had told or rather shouted everything at father. To say that father was shocked would be an understatement. Father had turned completely white. He had only ever seen him so shaken up when he had realised that Lord Voldemort had returned from death.
"NO." They yelled at him and he continued "Bygones are bygones and I have moved on." Of course, his fingers trembled on Severus's shoulder and he averted his gaze.
"You can't even say it. Of course, you haven't moved on." Father whispered, keeping his cold and angry eyes on Severus.
"Had you not been stupid to join-" Severus sneered and father cut him off "I committed a mistake and I apologised for the same. I have paid for it. I had left him in your care. As a godfather, you must have forced him to listen to you but you-"
Severus struggled in his hold to go and punch father and when Draco did not let go, he shouted "He vanished, you bastard. He completely vanished. His wand had been snapped. I had no way to follow his magical signature even. What was I supposed to do?"
"I don't care about that. My son was forced to-" Father stopped because his voice broke off and Draco read his misery this time. His godfather was not faring any better. He had stopped struggling and Draco knew that Draco's arms were the only thing supporting him. He would have fallen down, had Draco not been holding him. Mother was crying silently. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she stared at the fireplace and Draco did not know what to do. He was simply frustrated.
Granger couldn't have chosen a worst time to arrive. She knocked the door and he flicked his wand to open the door. To say that he was irritated to see her would be an understatement. Her greeting was just an icing on the top of his fury.
"I've waited long enough. Either you move on or you reconcile with Harry. He won't stop drinking and I cannot see him dying." She spoke softly and Draco just stared at the nosy woman.
"I should never have left Draco with you. I should have taken him away when I had the chance. You destroyed his life. I HATE YOU SO-" Severus shouted and released himself from Draco's hold because Draco was busy gaping furiously at Granger standing in front of him with crossed arms.
"Perhaps you should have, Severus. I MADE YOU HIS GODFATHER FOR A REASON. YOU FAILED BECAUSE YOU WERE CONCERNED ABOUT POTTER'S WELFARE ALL THE-" A solid punch on his cheeks silenced him and Draco stared at Severus who was staring red faced at father.
"EASY FOR YOU TO SAY THAT. HAD I CARED FOR POTTER AT ALL, HE WON'T HAVE BEEN A BLOODY DRUNKARD AT THIS PRESENT MOMENT. YOU DID NOT HAVE DUMBLEDORE-" He shouted father retorted furiously "OH! Please, Dumbledore did not lift a single finger to search Draco. I am quite sure that he led to-"
"One more word and you will have no mouth to speak at all, Lucius. He did everything in his hands to search Draco. There was no way to search him. You were busy paying for your sins in bloody Azkaban when you should have been here, helping your son. It's your fault in the first place for keeping him ignorant about muggles."
Father's hands were clenched into fists and he was glaring dangerously at Severus. Draco knew that he would have to interfere if he wanted to avoid any further fights.
He stood between them, facing Severus. He couldn't even look at father yet.
"Look, both of you are my fathers and it was my mistake for being an ignorant fool. Past is past and I have move- moved on. Mostly." Draco's stammer at the end gave him away and his father whispered softly "You can't even look at me. You can't even say it and you want me to believe it, Draco." Father spoke and Draco stayed quiet, looking at Severus with shame in his eyes. "Look at me Draco." Father said and Draco shook his head.
"Lucius, leave it." Mother whispered and Draco simply couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much. He snapped at them "You have got the manor now. You can return there. You have elves to serve you."
"We came to meet you, Draco." Mother replied and Draco couldn't bear to look at her. He had almost forgotten Granger's presence. Almost. She made herself known by a simply whispered sentence "I hate to interrupt this but I really do need to speak to you, Draco." Draco looked at her with narrowed eyes. How dare she? Always interfering. Bloody nosy woman! Weasley and Granger had been one of the several causes of Draco's quarrels with Harry.
He glared at her and said coldly "What do you need?" His voice must really have been cold because she literally staggered and stared at him "I just ne- need to talk to you about Harry."
"Here we go. You had to go and marry Potter, Draco. Honestly, of all people-" Father mocked Severus interrupted with a snapped "There is nothing wrong with Harry. Do not make presumptions. He is one of the reasons your son is even alive."
"Shut up, Severus." Father snapped and Severus snapped back "You bloody shut your filthy mouth."
"I really need to talk to you, Draco." Granger interrupted again and Draco burst "SHUT UP."
Everyone froze and he glared at Granger spitefully "You want to talk to me about Potter. Let us talk in the 'boy who lived to be the bane of my existence's' presence, eh? Perhaps that would force you to stop interfering in my life."
Granger's mouth dropped open in shock and she stuttered "What do you mean? I –"
"Oh! I will definitely tell you today. Come on, let's leave." He glared at her and held her wrist painfully. She winced and said "Draco, please-"
"Shut up." He snapped and apparated.
