Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. Adrian however is mine!
A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to update, I'm right in the middle of my exams, not to mention I keep putting off my holiday shopping...
Either way, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thanks for the support!
R/R
Chapter 3: Quidditch Quirks
Draco woke up early the following morning, a knot of excited tension resting heavily in his stomach. He was extremely excited about the upcoming match, but he also couldn't wait to hang out with Fred. Slipping out of his bed, he hazarded a glance in the direction of his twin's bed. The blankets were askew and Adrian was sprawled across the sheets, head lost in a sea of pillows. Smirking slightly, Draco crept across the room, pausing just before he reached the bed to prepare himself before he suddenly leapt forward with a loud, obnoxious cry, landing smack dab on his brother.
Adrian let out a very high-pitched shriek as his twin landed on his exposed back, wriggling around instantly before he realized it was Draco sprawled against him.
"What the hell?" He breathed as Lucius and Narcissa busted into their room, wands drawn. It was clear his shout had roused his parents, as both were wearing their sleep clothes and Lucius was furiously rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"What's going on?" Lucius asked, lowering his wand as he realized there was no threat in the bedroom.
"Dray decided I needed a violent wakeup call" Adrian muttered, his voice muffled due to the bulk of his older brother.
"Ah, and you decided we needed to be woken up by a violent screaming session?" Lucius teased, not bothering to be angry once he realized what had actually happened.
Narcissa smiled softly, rolling her eyes at the antics of the twins once again before she slipped her wand into the sleeve of her robe.
"Well if thats all, your father and I are going to get ready, we'll go down for breakfast in a few minutes and then we can head over to the stadium" The blonde woman said with a smile before she turned and headed back to her and Lucius' room.
HP/AM
Hundreds upon hundreds of witches, wizards and all manner of humanoid magical creatures made their way down the rickety path by the ocean, heading towards humongous stadium erected on a large outcropping of rock. It had obviously been made magically, because no muggle structure would have been able to be built here, especially a Quidditch stadium that held over a hundred thousand magical people.
Towards the front of the line were a venue of food, clothing and all sorts of nicknacks, vendors calling out their items and prices and many people paused to admire the different displays. Just past the vendors was a fleet of ticket takers, all prepared to accept tickets and explain to each person where they were sitting. It was a beautiful day in Greece, for the people, it was sunny and warm without any wind. It would be a bit difficult for the players, but at least no one would freeze to death waiting for the match to start.
"Top box Mr. Malfoy, all the way up" Squeaked the short, blading wizard who had taken the Malfoys tickets. Suppressing the urge to sigh, Lucius led his family towards the first stair case he could find, before beginning the long and painful climb to the top.
"Top box, nice tickets Mr. Black" A dark haired witch said with an easy grin as she handed Sirius back his tickets.
"Enjoy the match" She waved, watching the group of four make their way towards a stair case and begin the climb to the much coveted top box.
"I can't believe England is in this match" Ron hissed in Harry's ear, a massive top hat with the English flat on it balancing precariously on the red head.
"Its gonna be a hell of a match" Harry agreed, following his godfathers up past rows and rows of other match goers.
HP/AM
Adrian shifted in his seat, tension was mounting as people continued to trickle in from the lines outside, advertisements for different wizarding products filled the stadium, along with tourist advertisements for wizarding Greece.
"Are you alright?" Lucius whispered in his son's ear, Adrian was seated between Lucius and Draco, with Narcissa being on Lucius' other side.
"Yea Dad, I'm just excited" Adrian reassured his father for the third time since they had sat down. Once the family had found their seats, Lucius had set them up accordingly, with Adrian safe between his twin and father. He had also made sure Adrian, as well as everyone else was carrying Adrian's special potion, should anything happen. It was slightly embarrassing for the young teen, especially since he was going to be sixteen soon and his parents, especially his father, fussed over him as if he were a mere child.
Next to the blonde teen, Draco let out a low groan as Sirius, Remus, Harry and Ron entered the same box they were currently sitting in.
"What are they doing here?" The silver-eyed young man asked, leaning across his twin in order to speak to their father.
"I had heard that Black got tickets to this event, I had no idea he'd be able to get ones in the top box" Lucius said with a disdainful sniff.
"Weasel's gonna flip when he sees Adrian here" Draco muttered, shooting an anxious glance at his twin.
"Nothing is going to happen to Adrian. That red head can't be stupid enough to attack him in a stadium filled with people" Lucius said, ignoring Draco's not so subtle eye roll at this statement.
"Just enjoy the match" Lucius added as he noticed Adrian's heightened nerves.
Harry sat down in the plush red seat with a relieved sigh, "I never thought we'd get to the top" He groaned, though he was smiling widely.
"Good exercise eh pup?" Sirius teased, peering around the box to see who else was around. Catching sight of the Malfoys, he resisted the urge to groan. After everything that had happened, having Ronald Weasley in the same enclosed space as Adrian and Draco Malfoy was going to prove disastrous, he just knew it.
"What are they doing here?" Ron suddenly hissed in Harry's ear, his face going an ugly red shade that clashed horribly with both his hair and the ridiculous hat he was wearing.
"Its the Quidditch World Cup with England playing Ron, they were bound to be here" Harry said, looking around to see the Malfoy family watching the red head closely. He sincerely hoped his friend was able to keep calm, the last thing the world needed was an international scandal caused by Ron Weasley's temper. Grumbling under his breath, Ron settled in his seat, though he occasionally shot annoyed glances down at the other end of the box. Lulled into a false sense of security, both the Malfoys and the Gryffindor group relaxed and focused on the match, paying little attention to the seething red head.
HP/AM
"I can't believe it" Draco cheered, jumping around his seat excitedly, his hair disheveled and face red.
"We won!" Harry cheered, leaping out of his seat as the English seeker, Troy Davidson circled the stadium, the snitch struggling fruitlessly in his hand.
Loud cheers sounded around the stadium as the English team made their way to the top box to accept the Cup and shake hands with the British Minister and the Greek Minister.
"Guess we can head down now" Adrian said as the space began to clear and the occupants of the top box were finally able to begin to escape the stadium.
"Bet there are going to be some parties tonight" Draco said, flashing his twin a grin as Lucius groaned behind them. Making their way towards the stairs, the aristocratic family didn't pay attention to any of the other occupants of the box as they reached the top of the stairs. Adrian shifted slightly, accidentally jostling Ron Weasley in the process. He turned to apologize when he noted the manic shine in the other boy's eyes.
"W-Weasley?" Adrian stuttered, cut off from his family due to the swell of people around the pair. Poised at the top of the stairs, Ron Weasley looked insane as he stared down at the slightly shorter Slytherin teen.
"Burn in hell Malfoy. I hope your family realizes that this is a sign to stay away from me and my family" The red head hissed, moving slightly and suddenly shoving Adrian hard. The blonde teetered dangerous on the brink of the staircase, his blue-grey eyes wide with fear as his father and brother shoved forward to try and catch him. Draco's fingers grazed Adrian's sleeve as the teen fell, tumbling down the stairs as people desperately tried to stop him. The Malfoys could only stare in horror as Adrian continued to tumble, his body limp as it slid to a stop about half way down thanks to someone shooting a stick charm at the boy.
As if they were suddenly released from a stupefy, the family rushed down the stairs, people clearing the path for them as they tried to reach the fallen family member.
Back in the top box, Ron found six pairs of eyes looking at him with suspicion. No one had seen the exchange between the two and Ron was confident no one would be able to tell it was him.
"What?" The red head asked innocently, "He probably slipped and fell" He shrugged, turning and heading down the stairs, followed closely by the others, pointedly ignoring the Malfoys as he passed them.
HP/AM
Fred frowned as he and George packed up their vending booth from the Cup. They had, of course, seen the match, though from a completely different section then the Malfoys and Sirius and the others.
Glancing up as a group of medi-wizards ran by, he glanced at George, sharing a look with his twin. No players had been seriously injured, so why were a group of medical trained wizards sprinting full tilt towards the stadium.
"Guess we'll find out, its bound to be in the paper if someone was hurt" George murmured, answering his twins unvoiced thoughts.
"Yea..." Fred trailed off, grinning as he noticed Ron, Harry and the Marauders heading towards them.
"Hello, hello" Fred beamed as Sirius began admiring the things still displayed and Remus ran damage control.
"You enjoy it?" Harry asked curiously, his green eyes shining though he looked worried.
Fred nodded enthusiastically, handing George a box packed with goodies so he could shrink it and place it in their traveling bags.
Ron was examining a trick wand curiously as the medi-wizards rushed by again, this time carrying a prone figure on conjured stretcher, the Malfoys following close behind. As they passed the booth, no one noticed Ron's eyes flashing with glee as they all watched the tragedy unfold.
"What happened?" George hissed as Fred watched Draco run by followed by his father and mother without stopping to pay them any mind.
"Adrian Malfoy fell down the stairs from the top box" Harry murmured softly, "I guess he slipped" He said in an uncertain tone.
"Slipped?" Fred asked incredulously, wincing as he realized the unconscious, banged up victim he had seen for half a second was his boyfriend's twin.
"Yea we saw him fall" Remus murmured, "Poor Malfoys, like they need any of their children back in Mungos so soon" The sage werewolf said gently.
"Not like he didn't deserve it" Ron hissed under his breath, causing everyone at the merchandise table to look at him.
"What? He's a junior dark wizard, everyone knows that" Ron said with a careless shrug, "He probably deserved to fall down the stairs"
Harry sucked in a breath, sharing a look with his godfathers as they watched Ron. The twins also shared a look, silently resolving to look into the matter further.
"We should be going" Sirius said uncertainly, "We need to get back to the hotel since we're leaving fairly early tomorrow"
"See you back in England" George said as Fred waved and the foursome moved on, following the path out of the stadium grounds.
"Slipped eh" George said, sharing a look with Fred.
"I'd say pushed, probably deliberately by a certain red-headed brother of ours" Fred said with a small frown.
"C'mon then, lets get this stuff packed up and see if we can be of any help to the Malfoys. Moony's right the last thing they need is more kids in Mungos. Especially Adrian" Both shuddered at the thought of what this latest injury would do to the fragile young teen whom had wormed his way into both of their hearts.
"Besides Dray probably needs some comfort" George said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"Stuff it" Fred groaned, summoning the bag filled with the shrunk boxes and slinging it carefully over his shoulder.
"Let's be off then"
HP/AM
Room 1601 was a madhouse when Fred and George Weasley knocked on the door and were ushered inside. Healers were rushing in and out of a bedroom off to the left, and the Malfoys were seated on a couch looking shaken. Narcissa was dabbing her eyes with a tissue repeatedly, Lucius was fiddling incessantly with his snake head topped cane and Draco's hair was a complete mess from his fingers raking through it repeatedly. Carefully the red-headed pair made their way over to the family, Fred sitting next to Draco and George in the only spare chair in the small circle.
"What are you doing here?" Draco asked in surprise as Fred's arm wound its way around his waist and dragged him closer. The blonde instantly folded into his boyfriend's arms, fighting off tears.
"We heard what happened from Harry and the others, thought we'd come see how you're all doing, and how he's doing" George responded, letting Fred comfort Draco.
"We don't know how he's doing" Lucius said, his voice tight with fear.
"He started seizing just as we arrived, the medical team won't risk transporting him to Mungos until he's stable. Beyond the seizures he has multiple broken bones and a punctured lung, plus he suffered a sever attack" His face was ashen grey by this point.
"They can heal him well enough, but his body is already so weak from the curse that we just don't know it the healing will take" He explained when George raised an eyebrow.
"They're saying he slipped" Fred murmured, looking at the three blondes to see how they reacted.
"Its possible he did, but they're saying the injuries aren't consistent with an accidental fall. He fell headfirst, as if pushed, someone who had slipped would have tried to go down on to their back and behind" Lucius said, gripping Narcissa's hand now as she let out a choked sob.
"I take it you're heading back to England as soon as you can then?" George asked curiously.
"Most likely, however there's no guarantee that Adrian will be travel ready soon. And if he is, they're saying muggle methods are the best as magical methods could cause more damage then good at this point"
"Muggle methods?" Fred asked, arching an eyebrow much like George had earlier.
"Yes trains boats, trains or airplanes" Lucius explained, "If we do go muggle, I anticipate we will be using muggle airplanes to get back to England, it will be the quickest and shortest method"
"Sounds like an adventure" George muttered, shuddering at the idea of being cooped up in a flying metal death trap.
"Mr. Malfoy?" A voice sounded from the door and Lucius glanced up, standing when the Healer beckoned him over.
A quick conversation was held before he returned to the others, Narcissa looked at him anxiously as did Draco.
"They managed to heal most of Adrian's broken bones, though he seized again shortly after. They're going to heal him as best as possible, and then we need to get home. We'll be leaving in the morning on a plane as they don't think his newly healed injuries could tolerate the floo or apparition right now. He needs surgery, which will be preformed at Mungos, but the main thing is to get home. Severus will be flooing down to help us with traveling and Adrian can be checked into Mungos the day after tomorrow for surgery" He explained quickly.
"So he needs surgery, but the only way of safely getting him home is muggle travel?" Narcissa clarified as the floo sounded and Severus stepped through.
"Yes, the surgery is to repair his lung, they're putting a temporary patch on it right now, but they don't have the proper equipment and the hospital here in Athens is already overrun with injured. Mungos is the best option"
Narcissa made a small distressed noise and dabbed her eyes again as Lucius went and filled Severus in on what was going on.
"Would you boys like to come with us?" Lucius asked half an hour later once the Healers had cleared out and they were seated around Adrian's bed, the teen still asleep, though now it was natural.
"Sure" Fred said with a grin, his arms still wrapped around Draco whom was sitting in his lap gripping Adrian's hand carefully.
"We'll need the extra help, traveling muggle with someone was injured as Adrian won't be easy. Sev has some medical training and potions Adrian will need, but we'll need crowd control and the more eyes watching him the better" Lucius explained as Severus read over Adrian's chart.
"I thought the seizures were a one time thing?" The black haired man said softly.
"They were supposed to be, however the healers think a fall this bad triggered more and they anticipate he'll be susceptible to them for the rest of his life, though it will become manageable. Just another aspect of that damn curse" Lucius explained as Narcissa smoothed blanket over Adrian, kissing her son's brown lightly.
"Lovely, I'll have to stock some special potions for him in the infirmary at Hogwarts as well as my quarters" Severus murmured. "He will be coming back, correct?"
"I think so, the healers said he should be fine to return, and though we'll worry, I know he'll want to" Lucius said, sharing a look with his anxious wife.
"He'll be fine" Severus agreed, "Besides between myself, Draco and Slytherin house looking after him, he won't be able to get in any trouble"
"Damn straight" Draco hissed, "He won't be able to get away from us" The twins chuckled at the fierceness in Draco's eyes, knowing that they would do the same for each other any day of the week.
Despite Adrian's latest injury, the rest of the evening was passed in quiet amusement as the six people in the room shared stories and daydreamed about what a disaster the next day was going to be. Of course the room remained tense and the six inhabitants kept a close eye on the sleeping seventh, each silently resolving to protect the boy better. He was the glue that seemed to hold them all together and they all felt very lost without the familiar, somewhat shy presence.