Hello everyone,

next weekend, next chapter.

Thanks to Ern Estine 13624 for the review.

Disclaimer: No way in hell.

We give Draco three weeks to restabilize. In that time we also make the first tries to bring him outside. Only the back garden at the beginning. It's warded and shielded from any human who can't enter the house either. The first time we tried it (well, only me since he is tenser when Hermione is there too), he nearly jumped backwards when I tried to coax him over the doorstep. He seemed frightened at first but after about half an hour of coaxing and the assistance of his stuffed dragon he finally stepped out into the open. After the initial hesitance he took pretty well to the outside. I think it's a remnant of his days in the prison. He loves the fresh air and garden. (I cleaned it up for him so there won't be anything dangerous.)

After he got used to it he started taking Dragon out there to play with the cat. He still has difficulties moving on his own, but crawling works good enough by now. What still troubles him is keeping his balance. From what I read horse therapy can help with that kind of problems.

Bringing him out front on the street with other persons worked a good deal less. I tried after ten days of peaceful time spent in the garden. To say it didn't go well would be an understatement. He froze as soon as I opened the door. The sound from the relatively calm street outside was enough to scare him. I tried to coax him over the threshold but I had to give up before I pushed him too far and caused another breakdown. Three more tries didn't get me much further. I managed to get him out on the steps but that's about as far as he would go. The last time one of the people walking by looked at him or more likely just looked in his direction accidently because I put a barrier around us so no one can see us unless they are especially searching. As soon as he saw the woman's gaze turn on him he ripped himself free from me and took a staggering jump backwards only to land on his back in the entryway of the house. I decided to leave that subject be for now.

On the other hand he seems to endure apparition surprisingly well. He twitched when we tried it the first time and seemed massively confused and at first a bit scared when we appeared in a totally different location. But all in all it's good that we can apparate with him. Otherwise we would have had to think about sedating him on our way to therapy and neither of us wants to do that.

All that is to make it possible for him to go to horse therapy after all. He needs to leave the house for that and will encounter at least a few other persons. It's still a gamble how he will take the new surroundings but we noticed that nearly any kind of animal (snakes don't count of course) can calm him so I hope the horses will be enough to keep him grounded.

So right now I am standing in the middle of a horse stable in a small town about an hour outside of London. From what I found on the internet (it's a muggle business after all) this is a very good therapy stable despite being relatively small. Though if this wasn't for Draco I would never be here. All my memories with horses usually include either thestrals or Duddley pushing me off or into one. Yeah, well I have to get past that. Nonetheless I sigh when a curious snout carefully nudges me from the side. Throwing a wary look at the light furred horse I rub it's nose and hope the owner comes soon.

Luckily I don't have to wait much longer until a woman in her early thirties clad in simple riding clothes rounds the corner. Dark blond hair is braided loosely past her shoulders and the smile seems a permanent fixture in her tan face. Bright blue eyes are assessing me with a curious gaze. I can see the ends of a long silver scar above her right wrist where the sleeve doesn't quite reach anymore. Nonetheless she smiles as she approaches me, shaking my hand in a greeting.

"Hello, my name is Andrea Jillings. Can I help you?"

"Yes, uhm," I clear my throat and push the curious horse away, "My name is Harry Potter. I called last week."

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Of course," she nods, "I'm sorry. There is always so much during the day it must have gotten lost," I just wave it off and she smiles brighter, petting the light horse which had been nudging me before, "So what can I do for you?"

"Uhm, I read about horse therapy on the internet. It sounded like a good idea to me and after asking around a bit they recommended your stable," I stumble over my words a bit.

She nods, her smile turning a bit more serious, "Alright. For whom? I doubt it's yourself since you don't seem very comfortable around horses, no offense."

I smile back carefully, "None taken. And no, it's not for me. It's a… friend of mine. But he," I clear my throat uncomfortably, "He's not in any state to come here on his own."

"I understand," her brow furrows, "Nonetheless I have to ask what his diagnosis is."

"No problem," I say, pulling a sheet of paper from the bag I am carrying and hand it to her.

We ran another diagnostic spell over Draco because we knew that a clear diagnosis would be required. Hermione helped me put it in a way that muggles would accept with official doctor's signature and so on. I see Andrea carefully studying the sheet, her forehead creasing. Eventually she looks up at me, a pained expression hiding in the back of her eyes.

"That's a pretty severe condition," she says carefully.

"I know," I sigh, "But he's a fighter and he is already showing signs of recuperation. I am sure he can heal if we help him."

She nods with a soft smile, "I wasn't denying that. I am always glad when the patient has someone who believes in them like you do. All I was saying is that it will be a difficult recovery. In all honesty I have only rarely seen a patient with such a bad condition," when I want to open my mouth she holds up her hand, "Again, I am not turning him away. But are you sure horse therapy is the right way? Your friend's problems seem to mostly be psychological while horse therapy tends to be used more for bodily issues."

"I know," I nod, crossing my arms, "But he reacts badly to strangers which puts human therapists out of the question. On the other hand he seems to connect well with animals. I bought a cat and it took less than a day for him to accept the animal while he still stiffens when someone other than me comes near him. We also found out that he owned horses when he was younger and he loved riding, so that might add to it," I sigh, rubbing my arms, "Even if we have to find something else for his mental troubles he is still having balance problems and his muscles don't work properly sometimes."

She clamps a hand on my shoulder and nods, "It's fine. We will help him however we can," she motions in the direction of a door at the end of the stable, "How about we sign the papers and draw up a first appointment?"

"That sounds good," I smile thankfully.

"Alright," she grins while leading me towards the back, "Is there anything else I need to know? Like something he is especially afraid of?"

I ponder for a moment, "It would be best if there are as few people as possible. Like I said, he is still extremely wary of any strangers."

"So better late in the evening when the children are already gone."

"That would be good, yes. Maybe also a horse with a lighter colour. He's seen god knows enough darkness. A patient animal but one who sometimes initiates contact by themselves?" I just ramble of what comes to my mind.

"You seem to have a very clear idea," she chuckles.

"I am trying to describe a personality similar to our cat since he seems to get along with him so well," I snort.

"I will see who we can take," she smiles as we reach the small bureau.

Motioning me to sit down on the chair in front of the (slightly chaotic) desk, she goes to the other side. After a bit of rummaging she draws out a few sheets and snaps a pen from the side of her computer.

"First things first. Your name is Harry Potter, correct?"

"Yes," I nod, revelling in the fact that here in the muggle world no one recognizes my name.

"And your friend's name?"

"Draco M…" I bite my lip, "Draco Black."

She raises an eyebrow but writes the name down anyway, "Since I doubt he is in a state to be making his own decisions, what about his guardians? Have you talked to them?"

I squirm in my seat, "Unfortunately not. His guardians are not in the picture," I clear my throat, "His father is dead and his mother is in the mental ward. She is not properly aware of the world around her."

"His mother has mental problems too? Could it be an inheritable condition?" she frowns.

I shake my head, "No, she… had an accident. And Draco on the other hand went through a lot of trauma. From childhood on."

"Domestic abuse?" she questions, then cringes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay," I purse my lips, "But yes, among other things."

"So no official guardians. So you are the one taking care of him I guess?"

"Yes, he's living with me," she bites the back of her pencil, nodding.

After filling out the forms with my address, contacts and some more details about Draco, she smiles at me.

"That's it for now. The only thing that remains; when do you want to schedule the first session?"

I shrug, "Do you have open space next week maybe?"

"Let me see," she types on her computer, then nods, "Yeah, Thursday at seven o'clock in the evening. Does that fit for you?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't really have any plans. Seven sounds good to me."

"Great," she smiles, standing up and stretching her hand out towards me, "Then see you next week."

"Yes, thank you," I say, shaking her hand, "Until next week."

We say our goodbyes and I leave the room. When I step out onto the street outside of the stable, I have a careful smile on my face. I have a good feeling about this. With a bit of luck this will be as big a help for Draco as we hoped. Keeping that thought in the forefront of my mind I apparate back to Grimmauld Place where Hermione is watching over Draco.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading.

Please review and see you next time.