As always, I don't own nor profit
Harry dove with his broom, hoping to be able to catch Malfoy or somehow prevent him from being hurt. He knew it was futile, but he was able to grab the brush part of Malfoy's broom enough to slow it a little. He cried out, however, as Malfoy hit the ground with some force. The cracking sound of something breaking, either the broom or a bone, shot through the air, sickening Harry. He tapped the coin as soon as his finger could reach it, and he hurried down to where Malfoy lay, clutching his arm in pain.
"You did that on purpose!" the blond boy yelled, clutching his arm in pain.
"I didn't actually," Harry protested, worried about getting to close to the thrashing boy.
"Draco!" Snape called out sharply, kneeling down beside him. "Where does it hurt?"
"My arm," Draco answered. "It's broken."
"Hold still," Snape ordered sharply. "I'm going to run a diagnostic." His wand hovered over the boy, glowing slightly.
"You have a buckle fracture in your right arm, a sprained shoulder, two cracked ribs and some abrasions," Snape announced. "This would have been infinitely worse without that safety equipment."
"Is he going to be alright?" Harry asked in a small voice.
"Of course," Snape snapped back. "I am going to levitate him to the house. Harold, pick up his broom."
"Yes, sir," he agreed, picking up the splintered broom. He followed on foot, carrying both their brooms, as they made their way back to the house. Snape transformed the sofa in the front room into a hospital bed, and placed Draco on it.
"Accio pain relieving potion and anti-inflammatory," Snape barked out, and two potions came flying over to him. He held them to Draco's mouth without a word of explanation, his brows knitted into deep grooves. Draco choked them down, making a face, and then gradually was able to let go of his arm. Snape gently took it and examined it, feeling for the pulse in his wrist, and then pressing on each fingernail in turn to check blood flow.
"Harold," Snape barked with authority. "I need to call Draco's father. You will stay with him and call if you see anything that worries you."
"Yes sir," Harry answered quickly. "I will."
"I will be right back," Snape agreed, and went to his potions laboratory to make the call.
"How are you?" Harry asked lamely.
"How do you think?" Draco spat. "Thought you were really smart, didn't you? Making me crash like that."
"I didn't make you!" Harry protested. "You were the one chasing me like a maniac and super mad because I was better than you! And I tried to slow you down a bit when you were crashing."
"Show off!"
"Jealous git!" Harry retorted.
Draco just glared, knowing that Harry was right. His jealousy had caused this, but he wasn't about ready to admit it. He also knew that he owed that stupid boy a debt, he had in fact tried to save him and had helped care for him. It rankled.
Harry, calming down a little and beginning to feel guilty, said, "Would you like some water or something?"
"Not now," Draco answered, though politely. "I will wait until we see what happens."
"Will you have to go to the hospital?"
"I may have to go to St. Mungo's," Draco explained. "But Snape is nearly as good of a healer as any of those, it's part of being a potions master. He patches people up all the time when, well, when there's an injury that people don't really want St. Mungo's to know about, right?"
Harry nodded, not really knowing what Draco meant but not really wanting to ask more details.
Snape returned then, his lips set in a hard line. He had just endured Lucius lecturing him on proper broom safety and attention to the precious Malfoy heir, but at least he hadn't had to talk to Narcissa. Lucius was far more reasonable than his wife; she would have floo'd through and likely berated him horribly, if not actually taken a stick to him. But, at least Lucius had given him permission to treat the child who would hopefully be none the worse for wear by the time he was to go home on the following Sunday.
"I have a few more potions to gather," Snape explained. "You shall find yourself much better by morning, Draco. Harold, stay with him until I return."
Harry remained silent as Snape was gone, watching Draco breathe and his eyes close. He felt guilt blossom in his stomach and chest, he should not have tempted Draco to chase him. It had sounded like such a great way to get even with the prat, but now he just felt terrible. And Snape was going to be so mad at him too, he would probably get the ruler. If not kicked out of the house entirely. Would he get grounded? Would Snape re-think him coming to Hogwarts? He felt tears starting to form.
"I told you he would be alright, Harold," Snape snapped at the boy when he looked at his face upon his return. "No need for a fuss. Now Draco, there are several potions for you to take. You need one for mending bone for your ribs and arm, and another for your sprain. Here, take them and then I can do the healing spells."
Draco silently choked down the potions, coughing and sputtering.
"I know," Snape told him softly. "That's a bad one. Here, now the sprain one."
Draco took it too, grimacing.
"Okay," Snape directed. "Just lay down and let me do the spells now."
Snape took his wand, and waving it gently over his arm, he mumbled a spell that Harry could not quite hear. He then went over Draco's ribs, and then to his shoulder. Draco grimaced a bit at the sensation, but then moved his arm a lot easier.
"Healing like this takes energy," Snape told him. "You will be mostly healed by tomorrow, but you need to sleep now. Take this last potion now, it will make you sleep."
Draco nodded, drank the last potion he was given, and then his eyes drooped heavily. Snape arranged him gently as he fell asleep, and tucked the blanket around him.
"Go to your room, Harry," Snape told him firmly. "I will be there in a minute."
Harry drug himself upstairs, afraid of what Snape was going to say. And do. He gulped in fear. But in some ways he also welcomed it, at least it would help him get rid of this guilt that he was feeling. He had made Draco crash, and he crashed so badly he could have been killed. How would he have felt then? Harry laid on his bed and buried his face in his pillow, waiting for the wrath of Snape to fall.
"What are you doing?" Snape asked as he entered the room a few minutes later, his voice full of concern. "Harry, are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt . . . yet," he answered, stifling sobs. "I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't mean for it to happen . . ."
"Yes, yes," Snape told him, relieved. "Let's not be overly dramatic, child. Now tell me what happened."
Harry swiftly and honestly explained the encounter, how he had been showing off, and how he felt when Draco had fallen. His face stayed buried in the pillow the whole time, and he waited for Snape to pronounce the sentence. Or maybe he would just start whacking him.
Snape looked down at the small frame of the boy, and his heart softened. He know that he could easily punish the boy, and in fact the boy expected it. It had been reckless of him to fly that way, and that alone was enough to get him at least a few good swats. But, Snape also knew how hard it was to interact with a boy your age that was as difficult as Draco was to Harry. He didn't have the heart to punish the boy, and he didn't think he really deserved it anyway. He made the decision, and sat down beside the boy.
"I see why you feel guilty," Snape told him. "You were tempted to really hurt Draco. But I think that guilt is a bit misplaced; I don't see how this is completely your fault. Draco felt jealous, and Draco decided to chase you like that. True, you could have chosen not to tempt him to chase you, baiting him was impolite. But, he had been pretty impolite to you too, and I understand why you did it. I know what it's like to have a boy your age bullying you, and I understand how hard it is."
"You do?" Harry sniffed.
"That story for another time," he told him.
"So I'm not in trouble?"
"You're not in enough trouble to be punished this time," Snape told him seriously. "But perhaps enough to get you to feel guilty enough not to do that again?"
"I won't!" Harry promised, twisting around to look at Snape. "I promise."
"Good, then," Snape told him, lightly smacking his backside. "Next time I will not be so merciful. No more crazy flying, and no more showing off. But you did the right thing in calling me right away, and from what I understand you also tried to save Draco the fall. You most likely prevented a more serious injury by slowing his broom as much as you were able, and that counts for something. Now, I believe it's time for something else I promised. Would you like your hug now?"
Smiling and wiping the tears from his cheeks, Harry nearly bounced onto Snape's lap. He let his arms surround him, and loved that feeling. It felt even better without a sore backside like the last time. He could even hear Snape's heart beat.
"Draco will sleep through to tomorrow morning," Snape told him. "So it will be just us for dinner tonight. Perhaps a lesson in wands after dinner?"
"Sounds great," Harry agreed. It sounded really good just to have a quiet evening with the professor that evening.
"I got a list today of the supplies necessary for the class you're going to be in this fall. Perhaps we can go shopping to pick up the necessary supplies."
"After Malfoy is gone, right?" Harry asked, although there was a sinking feeling in his stomach even as he said it. He knew what Snape was going to say next, but he dreaded hearing the words.
"Malfoy can come too," Snape told him. "After all, he's going to be in your class with you."