Chapter 50: Harbored Guilt
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
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The Grounds, Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England, Muggle/Wizarding World...
Heavy pelting rain beat against the sorrowful and downtrodden figure known as Draco Lucius Malfoy as he made his way across the courtyard toward his family home. He felt lower than slugs in soil as he moved toward the front door of the entrance hall of the looming ill repaired manor. He'd been mulling over his options more than once as he clasped the small crystal phial with the cure for his father swirling inside and how he could have done more to save his godfather from the wretched harpy known as Scarlet instead of taking the first easy option that came along.
He had been in the orbit of the red headed shrew to save his father in the first place and she'd brought his uncle along as an added bonus.
Moving quicker still, Draco reached the front steps of the house and proceeded to knock despite the thick pelting rain that made it difficult to see or hear anything. It was late in the night and his mother had little reason to expect him but she had little else to do.
Another loud and desperate knock saw the door opened and his weary mother greet him.
"Draco?" she asked noting that her only son arrived hardly dressed in disheveled clothes and no coat despite the weather. "Are you trying to catch your death of cold?"
"Maybe I deserve to catch my death." he muttered pushing passed her and entering the manor.
His soaked form continued to drip along the floor as he moved through the entrance hall and toward the corridor leading to the winding staircase that transported him to the second floor and to the master bedroom where his ill father had been in bed for the past five years.
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy lingered between life and death in a catatonic sleep unable to see or hear the world around him as if he'd been frozen in time.
No one knew how he'd suddenly taken ill only that he was found unresponsive and transported back to Malfoy Manor by Ministry officials. At first it was believed all the stresses of having been imprisoned and the loss of nearly everything he held dear caused him to have a stroke.
Draco had not been so sure and given what he found out about the red head harlot Scarlet, he wouldn't have put it past her to have arranged it all. The more he thought about it on the walk over the more he'd been convinced that Scarlet had indeed been the reason for his father's ailment and it was more or less in a bid to lure his godfather into her clutches.
Silently cursing himself, Draco Malfoy continued on to his father's room with the phial in hand. There was still a thought in the back of his mind that he had betrayed his godfather for nothing but it was quickly pushed aside in favor of the small chance of hope for reviving the sleeping Lucius Malfoy.
Narcissa entered the room quite puzzled as to what Draco had been up to and very weary about the effects his antics would have on his already ailing father.
The rather focused younger Malfoy uncorked the swirling blue liquid and turned his attention to the sleeping man in bed. He gently lifted his father's heavy head from his pillow and slipped the phial between his cracked pale lips and assisted him in ingesting the contents of the phial.
Narcissa had been about to question what Draco was up to when they heard the distinct gruff and groggy cough of Lucius Malfoy. His body contracted for the first time in five long years and he was beginning to stir. It was all too apparent that Scarlet had caused his condition in the first place and only just now sought to release him as her amusement concerning the Malfoy clan was at an end.
"Lucius?" said the misty eyed Lady of Malfoy Manor.
The pale eyelids of Lucius Abraxas Malfoy lifted and he found himself staring face to face at his only son Draco, whom had seemed to aged terribly since he'd been asleep.
"D-Draco?" he asked in a dry tone due to his voice not being in use and his throat being parched for so long.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of Narcissa Malfoy as she rushed to be by her newly awakened husband's side.
"Lucius...you're awake." she said overjoyed that her long and seemingly unending nightmare had been over.
"Welcome back, father." said Draco doing his best to greet his formerly ailing father warmly despite the heaviness in his young heart at what he'd done to ensure this reunion.
Lucius nodded and found himself looking around at his family briefly before he became puzzled.
"W-Where is Severus?" he asked confused as to why his little brother had not been around for the minor reunion.
Draco looked away from his father for a moment as Narcissa turned her attention toward caring for her husband.
"He's...not coming." said Draco honestly.
The eyes of the Senior Malfoy widened.
"I-Is...is he...?" he began unable to finish the thought.
"No." replied Narcissa. "He's alive and well but quite busy as of late."
Draco said nothing as he briefly reflected on the final moments he spent with his godfather. The stream of tears continued to trail down his pale cheeks.
"He wanted to be here." he said finally. "But there was something that prevented it."
Lucius sighed believing it to have been about work again.
"The bloody sod's found a new profession it seems." he said smiling at how resourceful Snape had been since getting released from Azkaban.
"Yeah." replied Draco moving away from his father toward the large bedroom window.
He stared out into the rain knowing full well what profession his godfather had and that it was simply a means of gaining the funds to secure the cure for his father.
"I shall send him an owl." said Lucius giving himself over to the fond memories of his little brother. "Then again, he'll be long sooner or later."
"Why don't I get you something to eat and drink?" said Narcissa. "You must be famished after not eating for the past five years."
"Five years?" asked Lucius with an arched brow. "What the hell happened that made me sleep for five years?"
"We don't rightly know." replied Narcissa meeting his gaze. "But Draco only just now arrived with some sort of cure, we've been keeping you under stasis since it happened so not much has changed but the world around you is vastly different than the one you remember."
Lucius sighed rubbing his temple as it all had been quite a lot to take in.
"I suppose you two can get me up to speed while I assess my recovery." he said stretching his rather heavy limbs.
Draco said nothing as his mind went back to his godfather. He had promised to return to save him from Scarlet and now with his father actually awakened it was much more plausible to put the shrew in her place when the time came.
In the back of his mind however, Draco wondered what would be left of the ailing dour wizard to save once she'd done whatever she had planned for him.
