Chapter 19 Unexpected Visitors

The next day Draco was sitting up in his hospital bed, eating a late breakfast. Harry had visited him that morning, while he had been asleep, and Madam Pomfrey had, apparently, thrown him out. She didn't let students skip class just because their friends (or boyfriends) were sick. At least not if they weren't dying. While Draco was sad Harry couldn't stay, he was happy he himself wasn't dying anymore.

Madam Pomfrey had given him some soft food, since his stomach was still healing from the poison. It wasn't the best taste, but he was too hungry to really care. Being poisoned really took a lot out of you.

It was very calm in the hospital wing, since he was the only patient, and therefore Draco was very startled when he heard a loud bang.

His head snapped towards the doors leading into the hospital wing. They had been flung open, and he saw his mother come marching into the room. Draco couldn't help but gawk at her.

Her eyes searched the room and once she saw Draco, she rushed to his side.

"Draco!" she said, voice thick with emotions, as she flung her arms around him.

Draco patted her on the back a bit awkwardly, still taken by surprise.

"I got a letter saying you'd been poisoned and that you were in the hospital wing," she drew back, but held his head in between her hand. "It didn't say how sick you were, only that the poison was fatal."

Draco could see the heavy tears in his mother's blue eyes.

"I'm fine mother," Draco said with a weak smile. "I promise."

Narcissa hugged him again. Draco heard more steps approaching his bed. Hoping it was Harry, Draco looked up.

His stomach twisted and the small smile he had fell away.

"What's he doing here?" Draco asked with distaste. "I thought you had dishonored me."

Lucius looked down on his son with a neutral look. Narcissa slowly drew back again and sat on Draco's bed.

"You should have known that that was merely a formality," Lucis answered. "I needed to show the Dark Lord that I did not agree with your… choices."

Draco glared at his father. Of course he would do anything to please the Dark Lord.

"I have a feeling you still don't," Draco said with a growl. "Why are you here? Why risk that your dear 'Lord' find out you went to see me, your traitor of a son, if you really don't agree with my recent decisions?"

Lucius quietly regarded his son for a minute.

"I do not approve of your choice for a partner-" Draco snorted. "-but I do accept your choice regarding sides."

Draco stared at his father.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Your father and I am going into hiding Draco," his mother said in a rush.

Draco was, once again, taken aback.

"What? But why?" Draco asked.

"The main reason we stayed was for your safety," Narcissa continued. "We didn't want to force you to live in fear."

Draco thought that was a bit ironic. His parents didn't want him to live in fear, yet they were followers of the darkest wizard in present time.

"Now that you, by yourself, have chosen the other side. We can leave His side without putting you in danger against your will," his mother finished with a small smile.

"We'll stand neutral in this war," Lucis added.

Draco understood that joining the light side wasn't a choice for his parents. It still eased him that they wouldn't be on opposite sides, even though they wouldn't exactly stand by his side either.

"So you came here to tell me that?" Draco asked.

"Mainly because of the letter," Narcissa said. "I thought you were dying."

The tears in her eyes came back. Draco reached up his hand and wiped them away from her cheeks, once they fell.

"People keep saying that," he mumbled. "Is that why you came too?" Draco asked, turning towards his father.

Lucius face relaxed somewhat and he looked away, not wanting to meet Draco's eyes.

"Yes. I may not like your preferences-" Lucius frowned when he thought about it, "-but I don't wish to see you dead."

Draco had a hard time feeling grateful for his father's 'support', but he could accept that he still cared for Draco. He was actually even a little bit happy that his father didn't hate him. He just… strongly disliked Draco being gay.

"What your father is trying to say, is that we care about you Draco. Deeply," Narcissa said, after sending her husband a glare.

Draco nodded understanding.

"So were will you hide?" Draco asked.

His mother turned her eyes down, while his father took a step closer.

"We can't say Draco," Lucius said. "If we wish to stay neutral this time, we can't have you knowing."

"It's not because we don't trust you!" Narcissa said, trying to ease her sons disappointment. "It's just for the best. For both of us."

Draco understood what they meant. As Harry's partner, he would be the light sides leaders right hand man. If not more than that. They were both safer if he didn't know.

"I get it," he said and tried to smile reassuring towards his mother. "I would even have understood if you didn't trust me. I'm as close to Harry as one can be."

Lucius snorted and rolled his eyes at Draco's statement. It was a very uncharacteristic, and childish, way for his father to behave. Draco's eyes hardened.

"Do you have something to say, Father?"

Lucius looked down on him with that look of disgust again.

"If you only could stop with this foolishness," he said. "If you gave this up now, we would even allow you to go into hiding with us."

Narcissa sent her husband a warning glare, but he pretended to not see it.

"I don't know why you continue with these ridiculous ways. We gave you your time to play around, it's time to make the right choice. I can't listen to any more of your-"

Lucius was interrupted by his son.

"You dare come here and criticize me!" Draco almost shouted. "You dare come here to try and convince me to follow you? The path you planned for me? I will never again do what somebody else tell me to do. I make my own choices, and I chose to be with Harry. You may be my father, but you will never have that authority over me again-"

Draco wanted to continue his scolding, but his lungs stung and he had to chough. Since his lungs still were quite sore, the cough turned into a nasty coughing fit.

Madam Pomfrey came running from her office with a potion, for his lungs. He swallowed it quickly.

"Thanks," he said in a raspy voice.

"I would suggest that you try not to overtrain your throat Mr Malfoy," she said as she cast a couple of charms on him. "Don't forget, you're still healing."

Draco had a feeling the comment weren't only directed towards him.

"I'll try to stay calm Madam Pomfrey," he answered sheepishly.

She gave a short nod, satisfied by his answer, and walked back to her office.

Draco turned his eyes back to his parents.

Lucius didn't look disgusted anymore, more like his, rather emotionless, usual self. Though Draco thought he could see a glimmer of concern in his eyes. Narcissa mostly looked worried.

"What exactly happened Draco? Who was it that poisoned you?" she asked.

"Oh, they didn't say in the letter?" Draco asked, somewhat uneasy. "Well, as you can surely understand, most slytherins weren't happy when they found out about me and Harry." Draco started to fiddle with a tread on his blanket. "Just a couple of days after Harry's accident, Theodore, Daphne, Pansy, Marcus Flint and Graham Montague cornered me. They wanted to threaten me. Snape came by before they could do anything. I was a bit anxious a few days after, but then I guess I became a bit too reckless. Theo, Daphne and Marcus attacked me, stunned me and took me to an empty classroom. There they poisoned me. I wouldn't have survived if the Professors hadn't arrived in time."

Draco continued looking into his lap, while he let his parents digest the news.

"Theo and Daphne?" Narcissa asked quietly.

Draco nodded, "They'll have a trial and will probably end up in azkaban."

It was quiet for another couple of minutes.

"What poison?" Lucius asked.

Draco looked up, meeting his father's grey eyes.

"Angel's Trumpet," he said.

His father's eyes widened somewhat and he squeezed his lips together. Draco heard his mother gasp, before he was captured in another hug from her.

"Oh, my boy. My Draco," she whispered.

Draco felt her tears soak through his hospital gown, and a wet patch starting to form on his shoulder.

"They deserve whatever punishment they get," Lucius said, much to Draco's surprise.

"Harry said the same," Draco said.

He couldn't resist the small chance to irritate his father. Lucius lips thinned even further, but he didn't say anything more.

They stayed quiet for a while. Draco's mother hugging and fussing over him. Draco's father standing beside the bed, looking like a awkward child who had been forced to join their parents for shopping.

Draco was happy to see his mother. He had missed her a lot. But his father's presence made him feel a bit insecure. If it had been only he and his mother, he would've talked about how things were going with him and Harry. When Lucius was there thought, he kept his boyfriend and subjects alike as far from the conversation as possible.

After a while Draco had to say goodbye to his parents. It was hard since he knew he wouldn't see them for a long while. Probably not before the war was over. If they all survived that was…

His mother was, obviously, the hardest to say goodbye to. But, much to his surprise, even saying goodbye to his father stung a bit. He liked to think that maybe his father felt the same way. At least a little bit.

Authors note:

THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! (but the fanfic will soon be at an end) Still don't know if I'll write a sequel after I'm done with this one.

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