Huge thanks to Hidden_Lily for the quick beta. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and sorry for not replying. Every second I'm not writing I'm working in the kitchen or at school
Note!!: A new warning has been added to this story. If you do not want to get spoiled, read on, if you prefer to know in advance, check the warnings list in chapter one.
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Chapter 11: Free
Draco paced back and forth, never pausing. It wasn't helping him stop worrying, but it was helping him not pull his hair, which was not something he wanted to risk. Not when he was finally regaining some shine and what little volume he had had years ago.
'Draco, honey, please come and sit.' Draco glanced at Molly – she had forced him to call her that – but shook his head. 'I know you're worried. Believe me. I've been in this situation more times than I care to count. I know what you need to do.'
Draco paused the. He knew she was telling the truth. 'What?'
'You help me get everything ready for when they return.' Draco looked at her. She was sitting at the kitchen table, chopping vegetables ... by hand. She must have seen something in his eyes for her smile turned mischievous. 'Don't look so intimidated. It's very relaxing, and much more effective than wearing a hole in the floor.' Draco blushed slightly, but dragged himself over to the table and sat down. He ignored Molly's smug look.
After they prepared the ingredients for a good and hardy meal, they put together everything they would need for any injured people. They made all the beds with clean linen and they swept all the floors, though Draco felt decidedly odd in using a broom that way. He did appreciate how the menial labour put his mind off things, not completely, but for brief periods of time he could almost swear he wasn't thinking of Harry at all.
All too soon, however, even though it was now nightfall, Draco found himself with nothing to do and lamented it for probably the first time in his life. He excused himself and went outside to lean against the small building. The fog lay over the island now, thick, but moving quickly. Draco stared out into it, willing Harry to appear; to come and save him by simply being alive.
Just after the light was gone and Draco could only see a few feet in front of him thanks to the light from the slightly ajar door, he heard something.
It was the crack, crack, crack of several people apparating. Draco held his breath as he scanned the darkness.
'Harry!?' he called. No answer. 'Harry!' his voice cracked. Two figures suddenly stumbled out from the fog right in front of him. It was Harry. He was bleeding. Draco pushed the door open all the way, screaming 'Molly! They're here!' before helping the man who was leaning heavily against Harry. It took him a moment to realise that the emaciated form was Longbottom. He seemed barely conscious as Draco all but carried him inside.
'Put him in the first room,' Molly instructed. All the doors had been removed for easier access and Draco had no problem getting the man to bed. He wasn't quite sure what to do when he managed it. He turned to ask Molly, but found Harry in the doorway. His face was ashen, the scar standing out as it had during the war. There was blood coming from his shoulder. A bullet wound, Draco guessed.
'We need to get that looked at,' he said, gesturing. Harry's eyes slowly found his.
'He didn't recognise me,' he whispered. 'He's ...' Harry gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. Draco was at a loss what to do, but Harry fixed that by grabbing him and holding on for dear life. Draco hugged back just as tightly, feeling tears pressing against his eyes. Harry gasped several times, but seemed to hold in his crying.
'Harry?' a voice called, Draco wasn't sure who.
'Let's get you looked at,' he said again, trying to steer Harry from the room. The man allowed it eventually. The moment they stepped into the kitchen Harry was taken away by Granger. Draco was left to observe the chaos. Everyone was talking over each other. Severus was in a chair, his leg exposed as someone tended it. The kitchen table did not hold the food Draco had helped prepare. That was gone and on it lay Lupin, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. His front was exposed, a horrible gushing wound right in the middle. Molly was waving her wand, frantically murmuring. Kingsley was at the man's head, holding it between his hands and trying to keep him conscious.
'Draco!' Molly called and he was at her side a second later, following her instruction and performing disinfectant spells and trying to stop the bleeding while Molly tried locating the bullet. There weren't really spells against an actual bullet wound, considering the rarity of such an event. She couldn't simply summon it, obviously, but she wasn't a medi-witch either.
She was getting desperate and Lupin's heart was slowing, Draco could tell that much. Finally, something glinted in the candlelight. Molly discarded it with a wave of her wand and started repairing the damage.
'We need blood-replenishing potion,' she said. Draco nodded, and retrieved two vials from where they had arranged all the potions they might need. He handed them to Kingsley who forced them down Lupin's throat.
The man couldn't swallow it all. He choked and Kingsley waved his wand to help him. Molly was still trying to close the wound as best she could. The room had fallen silent, Lupin's shallow breathing the only sound.
'Molly, please,' he gasped. 'It's... it's too much. It's… there's two...'
'No, I'll manage,' Molly whispered, but Draco could tell she was uncertain. He was more worried about Lupin's words, however.
'Two? Two bullets, you mean?' he asked. Molly gasped and stopped her waving.
'Let me go...' whispered Lupin. 'I'm so tired.'
'Harry!' Draco cried, pushing his way past the people and down the hall. 'Harry.' They ran into each other just as Harry stepped out from the room. He was bare-chested and his shoulder was still red, though healed. Granger came out behind him.
'How's Remus?' Harry asked. Draco couldn't answer, but took Harry's hand and pulled. The room was deathly silent and Harry went straight to Lupin's side.
'Remus?' he whispered. 'What's wrong?'
'Nothing,' Lupin answered. 'Time to see Tonks and the others.'
'No,' Harry choked, tears finally falling. 'Not yet.'
'So tired, Harry. 'Msorry. Better this way, no more moons. I'm glad ...,' his speech slurred and Draco didn't catch all of it, '... for Neville. He needs it more.'
'But I need you,' Harry cried.
'You've always ...' Lupin gasped and Draco thought for a moment that he wouldn't continue, but then he settled, 'taken care of yourself, and now you have so many. And Draco.'
'Remus...' Harry leaned down and pressed a kiss to the man's forehead, right on one of the deeper scars. By the time he had lifted his head, Remus was asleep, for good. Draco felt a wave of sadness so strong it nearly overpowered him. The only other time he had felt sadness at another's death was his mother's. Harry gave an anguished cry and turned, reaching for Draco and holding on to him as he had before. Draco nearly staggered from the weight, but he held on.
Someone closed the man's eyes and Molly conjured a sheet to lay over his body. There was a hand on Draco's shoulder. It was Arthur.
'Take him to your room.' Draco nodded and started half-dragging Harry down the hallway. As they neared it Harry became a puppet that Draco controlled. He was changed into pyjamas and placed in bed. When Draco turned to leave to help out more, Harry suddenly shot up and grabbed him.
'Don't leave me.' Draco didn't say anything, but slipped off his outer robe and got in bed. Harry clung to him, crying silently with only the occasional hiccup. Draco stroked his hair for awhile until he fell silent, probably shutting down after the ordeal he had been through.
Draco lay awake, wishing he could take away Harry's sadness, and wondering why Remus had included him so specifically in his last words. In fact, it had been his very last word. Draco felt unworthy of it, but vowed to do everything in his power to not disappoint the man....
XXX
When Draco next awoke he was alone. He felt groggy and his throat was inexplicably sore. Not bothering with changing clothes just yet, he walked quietly down the hall, noting the doors had been replaced. He stopped when he heard voices from the kitchen.
'-all my fault. I admit that freely.'
'Stop it, Potter,' Severus' voice was harsh, but there was a quality Draco recognised – concern – that had not been so directed at Harry before. 'You said it yourself. We all made the choice, Remus as well.'
'There were just so many.' A commiserating silence followed. 'When did it happen?'
'It was right after we got your signal to get out. They had thrown in several more canisters of gas. Remus made the mistake of shifting his attention to one of them for a second, his shield must have failed, and I saw him ... but I was on the other side of the room ... I did not see that he was shot twice.'
'Where were you?' Draco pressed his ear to the door, listening as Granger answered.
'I was to his right, a little in front maybe. There were maybe six or seven canisters thrown in and I was banishing them as fast as I could-'
'It's not your fault....'
'Potter?' Draco heard a great sigh.
'It's not my fault either, happy?'
'No.' This was met with silence and Draco wondered if he should go back to his room.
'Breakfast will be ready soon,' Molly said, though she had lost her usual cheerful tone.
'Thanks, Molly, but I'm not-'
'No excuses. You all need to eat, and that is an order young man.' Draco took a deep breath and opened the door. All heads turned in his direction.
'Draco,' Harry said, something resembling relief in his voice. He got up and to Draco's surprise he came forward and hugged him tight. Afterwards he led him to the table as if nothing strange had happened. Draco glanced at Severus and Granger, but neither seemed shocked, or even mildly surprised. Harry's hand remained in the small of his back. Just who was comforting whom, exactly?
'How is ... Neville?' he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
'He's in and out of consciousness,' Severus answered. 'From my initial observations he is a very sick young man, both mentally and physically, though since I'm not a trained professional, I have no idea of the true extent of the former. Physically, he can be ... mended.'
'Harry, why don't you bring him some soup and see if he's awake,' Molly suggested, setting a bowl of very thin soup in front of him. Harry stared at it as if it were poison, then looked to Draco.
'Will you come with me?'
'Of course.' He didn't want to, but tried not to let his great reluctance show. Harry took the soup and went first. He didn't knock, but stepped quietly inside.
Longbottom was seated against the wall at the head of the bed, his knees bent and his arms around them. His face was hidden by the length of his hair. It had a sheen of grey; a sickly looking colour.
'Neville?' There was a slight movement, so clearly the man remembered his name. Perhaps all was not lost. 'Neville, it's Harry. Harry Potter. I've got some of Molly Weasley's soup. You'll like it, I promise.' Harry went closer, making no sudden moves. Neville raised his head and Draco almost looked away at the dead eyes.
'Harry Potter,' he said, his voice rough, like an old man's.
'Yes, your friend from Hogwarts, remember?' Harry said hopefully.
'I'm sorry.' Neville's head fell to his knees with a soft thump. Harry frowned, glancing at Draco confusedly and putting the soup on the bedside table. He knelt by the bed.
'What for?'
'I know what they do to me,' Neville whispered. 'I know. They think I don't. I know. They think I'm still insane from the pollen. I know. That wore off long ago. I know. Harry Potter's here. He comes and let's me know it's all my fault. I know.'
'Neville, no. We rescued you. You're safe now. The muggles are far away.'
'I ... I didn't know.' Harry leaned in closer to hear the words. Draco barely caught them, muffled as they were by Neville's body. 'The plant I didn't- I didn't know that.'
'Neville, look at me.' When he didn't react, Harry reached out and took hold of Neville's shoulders, pushing back so the man had to right himself. Red, puffy eyes stared back at him. 'You are safe now. We rescued you. You're free. Do you understand?'
For a long moment nothing happened and Draco was sure Neville simply hadn't heard Harry at all. Then, tears started sliding down the pale cheeks.
'Free?' Neville breathed, like the word was foreign to him.
'Free. Now, are you hungry?' Harry took the tray with the soup and placed it over Neville's lap. The man looked down seeming not to recognise the food, but then he bent his head down, grabbing the spoon, and started slurping the soup up rather loudly.
After that there was little contact to be made with the man. The moment Harry took the soup away he curled up facing the wall. He would say no more so Draco urged Harry to let him sleep. They returned to the kitchen. The mood in there was hardly any better.
'How is he?' Granger asked.
'I have no idea,' Harry answered, sitting heavily in a chair. 'He needs professional help. I don't even know where to begin.'
'He's out of there, at least,' Granger concluded. 'We need to find out how the muggles are reacting to our rescue, if they've gone public with anything.' Harry nodded.
'I could help with that,' Draco's mouth said before he had time to think. Everyone stared at him. 'I probably know more about the muggle world than any of you do right now. All I need is to get to London and I can find the right news sources.'
'No,' Harry said.
'You can't stop me every time, Harry,' Draco pointed out. 'You can't keep me here like some-' he had almost said it, and Harry knew. Green eyes turned guilty and he looked away in shame.
'Prisoner,' he finished. 'Is that how you feel?'
'No, of course not,' Draco really didn't want to have this conversation in front of the others, 'I didn't mean it like that.'
'Fine, but I'm coming with you.'
'Agreed.' Draco had no intention of going anywhere without him.
