A/N: Erm, hi guys. It's, uh, been more than two years, I guess... I wanted to publish this around Christmas or New Years, but simply couldn't do it... But it's finished now! And I think we might be nearing the end here, honestly! Maybe 5 chapters to go...? But at the rate I'm publishing these lately, it might take another 10 years or so ^^'. That's a scary thought, as I will be in my 30s then :o. That's definitely not my intention! Anyway, here's the new chapter, full of hurt and a bit of comfort. I wrote half of it today. I really did have to be in the right mood, and today it simply struck me :). So, without further ado, the new chapter!
Nodding shakily, Harry laid down on the soft bed, heart calming down. As Draco covered him with the duvet, a quick flash of something familiar flashed through his mind, of him spending the night here after a nightmare. Following Draco with his eyes, he tried to figure out whether or not the picture he saw in his mind was true or not. Lifting up the covers, Draco stepped into bed as another flash flew through the sky, lighting up the room once more. Immediately pulling the duvet up over his head, Harry tried to curl up into a ball. Tentative fingers drew around his shoulders, inviting him in. Taking the proffered warmth, he scooted over to Draco's side until he felt comfortable enough with another human's body, as the thunder seemed to keep on get worse and worse.
"Thank you," he muttered as the half-embrace lulled him to sleep. He wasn't awake for long enough to hear the reply.
Holding Harry's body in his arms had never felt so awful and wrong before. None of the usual joy of having a mate close to you was at all present. The figure felt lifeless, like a doll, in his embrace. He dully noted his parents bustling around him, as his surroundings changed to that of a sight he always disliked. White, sterile rooms always reminded him of the awful things which might happen. And now more so than ever, the sight of it was even more reason to make his heart thump painfully in his chest, as he looked at the unconscious body in his arms. All the while, his eyes would stay on the body in his arms, confirming the raspy, stilted breath and the painfully knit brows. He would not lose Harry, no matter what. It already felt like they knew each other for years. Though at first he was adverse to the idea of a mate, he didn't dare think about a life without Harry now. Tightly but carefully holding onto the body in his arms, silent tears started to fall down as the implications of the day only now seemed to hit him all at once.
Tears started raining down on Harry's swollen face, which pained Draco even more, to see his mate in this state. As such, it was quite a while before he noticed the voice of his mother calling out to him.
"…co. Draco. Can you hear me? You have to lay Harry down, or Astral will be unable to do anything to help him. Put him down. It'll be all right, dear. She'll do everything in her power to help him."
Draco directed his blurred gaze to his mother, eyes full of worry for him and blinked several times. It took a while for the words to sink in and the implications to hit, but after they did, he had to grit his teeth. Every fibre in his body screamed to not let Harry go, to cradle him in his arms and to fix everything himself. But he forced that down as best as he could. He wouldn't be able to help Harry now. Though that thought pained him much, he had to make the decision anyway. Laying Harry down on the bed and letting him go was the hardest thing he had ever done. His mate looked vulnerable, beaten, on the edge of death even. A soft hand guided him out of the way as spells flew around, with Astral following suit as she examined the wounds on Harry's body. Colours and diagnoses Draco was unfamiliar with fluttered around, sometimes staying, sometimes disappearing almost as quickly as they had formed into existence.
His mother gently guided him to a chair in the corner, where he could easily observe and keep watch over Harry, as his mind was still reeling from the shock. Sounds were dulled all around him, making him unable to hear the spells, the breathing, nor the words of his mother trying to reassure him. Never in his life did he imagine him having such a reaction to another human being. In fact, most of his life he was most noted for being cold as ice. Yet his tears kept welling up and falling down his cheeks, as he thought back on the events of that evening. How could such a joyous event turn out in such a tragedy? Just a day ago, even a few hours ago, they were happy, making promises. Harry would go to bed early after they cleaned up the church and would happily leave the next day for his internship, probably with a smile on his face. Draco's day would be filled up with burying his head in the stuffy books, longingly thinking of his mate. After Harry got back, they would probably have an excited conversation over dinner, as Harry would happily chat away about his experiences and findings of working in a shop. Of course Draco would happily listen, letting the excited chattering voice flow into his mind, as he would nod, agree, or laugh at the words Harry would say.
Such an ordinary day he would've taken for granted. One which didn't come to fruition. Strange how he could easily imagine the way it would've gone, instead of the way it actually went, or how it would be now. Harry hanging on for dear life, lying down in a cold white bed with spells and medical care to keep him company. The sight of Harry laying down while Astral was fluttering about him made for a pitiful sight, and it broke Draco's heart to see him like that. He had to ball his fists together, leaving crescent shaped markings from his nails in his hands, to stop himself from getting up to go over to his mate. Even though every cell in his body desperately wanted to go, he had to stop himself, as it would only hinder the healing of his mate.
His mind was momentarily distracted as light from outside the room fluttered in from the window and blinded him for a moment. As if spurred on, the sounds of twittering birds dimly registered. He blinked, as if not realising the world was still spinning and continuing on the way it always had been, even though someone was hanging on for dear life. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, nor for how long he was out of it. The only non-blurry thing in his sight was that of an odd teenager with untameable black hair, lying pale but bruised in a sterile room, on a bed with white sheets. Eventually, after what was probably hours, Astral stopped waving her hands around. The twittering of birds had come and gone, and even the natural light that was ever-present before had left the room. Now, only sparse light filled the room, making the passage of time rather odd. Almost as if waking from a dream, Draco shakily stood up. "How is it?" he asked in a shaky voice, directly facing the Healer.
She looked back at him sternly. "He'll live. But it's entirely up to him to wake up now. I've done everything I could to decrease the damage sustained. However, as you probably know, head injuries are still very much unpredictable and almost untreatable. He could wake up as soon as within a few minutes. In the worst case scenario, he might not even wake up at all, though I do not think he has such a weak will to just give up. All we can do is wait and see how it turns out. You can stay by his side now, as the worst is over."
Slightly stumbling, Draco walked over to Harry's side, pulling the chair behind him absentmindedly. Falling down into the chair to the left of Harry, he laid his hands atop the bed, not quite touching skin, though he desperately wanted to. He didn't know whether he would aggravate Harry's wounds even more. So instead, he opted for softly grabbing the sheets, needing something to hold unto. Up close, the face looked even more pale and bruised than he initially thought it would be. His heart cried out for his mate, though he already knew all had been done that could be done. With the assistance on Astral, even Harry's wounds would heal faster than it would've without any aid, or inexperienced aid.
However, when he saw tears leaking out from Harry's eyes he couldn't care less about restraint. Reaching out, he softly brushed away the tears, careful to not touch upon any of the bruises which marred his face. If he had tears left to shed, surely he would've wept for the pitiful sight. A forehead scrunched up in pain, brows knit together and tears streaking down. It truly was a sight worth forgetting. His own brows knitted together, lamenting the feeling of hopelessness. 'If only' scenarios ran through his brain, getting him nowhere. His hands couldn't stop touching his mate. The crying seemed endless, a cascade of tears flowing down bruised cheeks, already starting to heal thanks to Astral's care.
Astral paced around the room, jotting down her observations, muttering to herself. Standing behind the bedridden Harry, she looked at the pitiful sight of Draco staring helplessly at his mate. 'How nice their bond is', she thought, before moving to turn away. However, as she did, something caught her attention. Frowning, she stepped forward towards Draco. Being so focussed on Harry didn't give her a chance yet to focus on anything else. But seeing the blood seeping the blond's clothes, she briskly walked up to him. "Why didn't you say you were injured yourself?" Getting no reply from the blond who seemed lost in his own world, she pried away the soft fabric, revealing a nasty gash alongside his entire back. Clicking her tongue, she inspected the wound briefly, before letting her spells do the rest of the work. Reading off the diagnostics, it was a miracle no tendons or vertebras were harmed. However, her spells would make quick work of the wound, although it might still take a few days before the wound would be completely closed.
Sighing, she walked away, her shoes clacking around. She noticed Narcissa Malfoy contacting her husband, speaking quietly in the room, pacing around herself. "Nee, alles is oké, Lucius. Kom alsjeblieft zo spoedig mogelijk terug naar Astral haar kliniek."
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she looked around the room, before walking over to her desk. Quickly jotting down her findings of the day, she sagged into a chair, facing the hospital bed of her only patient. The sound of the birds fluttering around outside fell silent as evening came.
In the meantime Lucius had returned, filling his wife in quickly. Sensing stirrings in Harry's subconsciousness, Astral stood up, and walked over, monitoring spells flying around.
Draco stirred from his worries as Harry's face contorted in pain, flinching and tossing and turning in his bed. Leaning forward, he gently put his hand on Harry's shoulder, trying to stir him carefully. He softly called out to him, standing up as he did so, wanting desperately for those emerald eyes to open themselves and look at him. Harry's eyes twitched, before opening a crack. As they did, Draco felt an overwhelming tug on the strings of their bond, before a happy thrum vibrated along those very strings, after which it settled into a low hum, settling pleasantly in his body. He barely noticed the glow surrounding him, all eyes for his mate starting to wake up. It was both an honour and bad timing for their second bond to be established in that kind of situation, which made Draco smile wryly, if not sadly. First and foremost, his mate's condition and recovery were his main concerns. And seeing those eyes opening so soon was already a joyous occasion.
Harry glanced around, seemingly scooting back to Draco when he saw Astral to his right. He looked up at the blond, knitting his brows in question, before looking around the room properly, croaking, "Who… are you?" Just that question alone plummeted his enthusiasm and hope, before he berated himself mentally. Astral did say head trauma was hard to treat. Memory loss was not all that uncommon, especially considering what had happened. Glancing away, he took a breath, gathering his thoughts, before he replied. It was hard finding the right words, so he decided to stay as close to the truth as he could. When Harry still looked baffled, he decided to explain what happened at his behest, although he mostly rehashed what Astral had said to him.
When it became apparent his mate wasn't too keen on staying, he inquired whether or not he was allowed to settle back into Malfoy Manor. Although Astral didn't approve, she didn't stop them either, and Draco breathed a sigh of relief as the monitoring spell fell over him like a light blanket. As if one spell wasn't enough for Harry yet, a second one lifted his mattress up, while Draco put a hand on the bed to steady the mattress. As Harry's hand connected with his, he glanced over to the raven-haired youth, uttering reassuring words. His relief at seeing him conscious and soon back at home made him feel at ease.
Walking next to his mate, he felt the emotions overwhelming him from their connection, tickling the strings while he swallowed as he tried to cope with the myriad of emotions flooding into him. Glancing at his mate, green eyes, observant and vibrant, though questioning, had already settled on his person. The blond tried to smile, but found he couldn't due to the heavy weight on his chest, caused by a variety of reasons. Noticing the wetness gathering in Harry's eyes, he knitted his eyebrows together. When the dark-haired teen ducked his head under the covers, he couldn't help but lift his hand off the mattress and unto the unruly hair sticking out from the white sheets, a shocking contrast as his heart went out to his mate. He tried to stop himself from playing with the tendrils curling around his hands, but found he couldn't as the distress swelled. Tousling the strands, he stroked his mate's head, smoothing it out with his fingers. He felt the distress ebbing away and smiled down at Harry with affection and concern. It would be all right. It might take some time, but they would definitely pull through.
As he thought that, they entered Malfoy Manor, once more with an injured Harry at his side. Musing as they made their way up the stairs, he felt Harry stir and took off his hand from his head with regret. As his mate took the blankets away, he looked down at him, not being able to contain the words, "We're home, Harry. We'll bring you to your bedroom now. If something is the matter, I'm just down the hall. There's a small bell next to your bed. Just ring it if you need something." 'Home'. It felt so natural to say that. Not only as his home, but theirs as well.
He stopped before his own –, no, their room, as did the floating mattress. "This room right here is my bedroom. As I said, just ring if something is the matter, or you can go straight to my room, though you shouldn't move around too much. Okay?" As his mate nodded, they continued down the hallway until they reached Harry's room, which Narcissa opened for them. Astral moved the bedridden teenager unto his bed into a lying position, instructing him what to do and more importantly, what not to do. Draco watched her and his parents leave, feeling slightly awkward as he was left alone with his mate. There was so much he wanted to say. So much that needed to be said, but couldn't. He didn't know whether or not Harry wanted him around, seeing his weakened state. He sighed in relief as his mate confirmed that he, in fact, did want him there. Hearing the rasp in Harry's voice, he decided to bring him some water, regretting the fact he couldn't grab his mother's beloved tea.
Walking out of the room, he nearly ran along the hall and down the stairs, wanting to come back as fast as he could. As he did so, he passed his mother, who whispered concernedly, "Gaat het, Draco?" Stopping in his tracks, he turned towards his mother, eyebrows raised at the startling declaration of blatant concern. He couldn't help but answer her in the same fashion. "Nee. Dat gaat het niet. Maar dat zal wel komen. Ik zal niet opgeven. Ik zal hem niet opgeven." His mother nodded with a soft smile on her face, before she turned around and Draco himself quickly fetched a pitcher and a glass before hurrying back to his mate.
He arrived back into the room, slightly out of breath, but not caring. In front of Harry, he didn't have to pretend. Although he currently had to in several ways, this was not one of those moments. He immediately walked over to the beside table and poured a glass of water, before putting the pitcher down. "I'll help you sit up. Is that all right?"
As his mate nodded, he unconsciously did the same as he grabbed a pillow to prop him up. Carefully putting his hands under his arms, he carefully lifted him up, smelling his hair and wanted to nuzzle into it. He refrained and instead made sure his mate was comfortable to the best of his abilities. He tried handing him the glass of water, to see whether or not he was up for it yet. As he saw Harry's hands tremble, he carefully brushed them away and instead held up the glass to his mate's lips instead. Making sure nothing spilled, he carefully tilted the glass forwards. When most of the glass was drained, he put it back again, before helping Harry lie back into bed again. "I'll be sitting in the chair over there. Is that all right with you?"
He barely got an affirmative answer from his mate before he noticed Harry nodding off to sleep. Sitting back into the chair, he watched his mate from afar, his heart twinging. Although his heart and mind didn't feel as heavy as they did before, he still ached inside. Harry's peaceful sleeping face made him feel assured, although there were still so many things that didn't fit yet. Seeing Harry back into this room almost felt wrong somehow. He knew bonds between mates were deep, but he didn't know it would be like this. Or, perhaps, it was more than just that? Many things had happened and maybe his protectiveness combined with the bond made him feel like this. He didn't know, but he surely would contact Blaise as soon as he could, to ask him if he had felt the same way after the second bond was established.
The only sound which filled the room was Harry's steady breathing, his chest rising and falling in the proper way, with none of the rasp and gurgling Draco had heard not too long ago. Shuddering, he couldn't help but walk over to his mate, kneeling on the floor next to him. Even afraid to grab his hand, he simply laid down his head on his arms, gazing at Harry's face. His warmth even reached Draco, and he slowly closed his eyes, soaking it in, before the silence was broken by the soft sound of the rain.
He didn't know how long he had been there, listening to the sounds of breathing, but his legs were numb when he stood back up, brushing lint off his trousers. He regretted having to leave Harry alone, but he had to sleep himself. After everything that had happened and all that it entailed, there was no other option. The deep fatigue swept over him so suddenly, he nearly stumbled trying to get his legs to work again. Glancing back at Harry, he softly brushed his fingers against his mate's cheeks, smiling as the other teen subconsciously nuzzled his face into his hand. Pulling away, he walked back to his own room, turning off the lights as he exited.
He was barely able to take off his clothes before he crashed into his bed, sleep taking him instantly.
He didn't know how long he'd been sleeping for, but suddenly his body felt hot and the tell-tale ring of a monitoring spell went off inside his head, waking him up. Feeling groggy, he tried to assess the situation. Outside his window the thunder roared, lightening flashing across the horizon with the rain thundering down against the window, a constant sheet of it coating the glass. After a second, he realised why the monitoring spell had gone off. His breath caught in his throat. He threw off the covers, ready to dash out of his room. But as he tried to get out of his bed, his door opened, and a figure he knew so well stumbled in. Before he knew it, he was near Harry's side.
Catching the swaying figure, he had to ask him, "Harry, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?" But even as he asked it, he could see no external injuries, and his memories flooded back, of Harry being afraid of the thunder and he realised what was wrong. He didn't expect his mate to fall into his arms and bury his face in his chest, his hands having a vice-like grip on Draco's arms. Draco gathered his thoughts, as he realised there were more pressing issues than the feeling of righteousness he felt from having Harry in his arms. "Just wait a second, okay Harry? I have to get back at Astral or she'll come rushing." Tapping into Astral's charm, he found her up and about, ready to come rushing. When she saw Draco's projection, she looked up, a question in her eyes.
"It's all right, Astral. Harry got frightened by the thunder. I'm tending to him right now. You can go back to sleep now. Sorry to disturb you."
Astral heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay, thank you. Take care of him, will you?"
Nodding, Draco broke their connection, wanting to tend to his mate as quickly as possible. He quickly guided Harry to his bed, seating him on the side of it as he gently asked, "Did the thunder wake you?" Trying to catch Harry's gaze, he ducked his head down, trying to peer into the green eyes he was so familiar with. What he saw there made his heart ache and made him want to take away all the bad things, until only the good remained. The hand which latched unto his arm was barely noticeable, as the blond only had eyes for his mate's expressions. Giving an affirmative nod, another lightening bolt struck, making Harry flinch. Draco couldn't help but reach forward, wiping away the tears from his mate's face as he said, with conviction, "You can sleep here if you'd like." He would've liked nothing more than for his mate to be there, so he could take away all the bad things, all the things which ached him.
When Harry pulled away from him, he could not help but feel slightly disappointed and rejected. But when he saw the befuddlement in Harry's eyes, he realised he wasn't rejecting him. His thoughts were only confirmed when his mate touched his cheek, where his fingers were wet with tears as he pulled them away from his face. Harry looked at it, confusion written on his face. When Draco realised he probably wouldn't pull away next time, he wiped away the remainder of the tears, pulling back the covers to invite his mate in. "Here. I'll sleep on the other side. If something is the matter, don't be afraid to call on me again, okay?"
When Harry nodded, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. It would be better to have his mate next to him, where he could be with him. Infinitely better. Draco made sure Harry was properly covered by the duvet, before he laid back down on his half of the bed, as lightening struck once more, this time followed by the roar of thunder. He saw his mate pulling the duvet above his head, curling into a ball, and it ached him. Not knowing whether or not he would overstep his boundaries, he tentatively reached out for his shoulders, trying to invite him in, away from the bad things. When Harry seemed to receive his warmth gladly, he let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding in.
The soft "Thank you" reached his ears, and he smiled softly to himself.
After a while, there was only one thing he could reply back. "No, Harry. Thank you." As the thunder kept roaring outside, Draco felt and heard nothing, except for the cradling warmth of his mate, along with the soft breathing and the feeling of rightness. Reaching out to brush Harry's hair out of his face, he let sleep take him once more.
A/N: Until we meet again next time :).
"Nee, alles is oké, Lucius. Kom alsjeblieft zo spoedig mogelijk terug naar Astral haar kliniek.": "No, everything is all right, Lucius. Please come back to Astral's clinic as soon as possible."
"Gaat het, Draco?": "Are you all right, Draco?"
"Nee. Dat gaat het niet. Maar dat zal wel komen. Ik zal niet opgeven. Ik zal hem niet opgeven.": "No. I'm not. But I will be. I won't give up. I won't give up on him."