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Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count: 2562

A Healer's Smile

"I'm taking time out of my day to come and sit with you in a waiting room, you could at least be grateful," Pansy complained, rolling her eyes as she checked her perfectly polished nails.

"I find your company tolerable at best," Draco replied distractedly, never taking his eyes from his son.

Crimson was still staining the edges of his nose, and Draco was worried the nosebleed would start up again any second.

"Dray, he's going to be fine," Pansy said, proving herself to be the friend she could occasionally be.

"I… yeah."

He tried to have faith in her words, but apart from the occasional sniffles, this was the first time Scorpius had been really sick, and Draco was losing his mind with worry.

"Scorpius Malfoy?"

Draco's head shot up at the sound of his son's name, and he was out of his seat and following the nurse in seconds. She led him to a small room and gestured for him to place Scorpius on the bed.

He did so reluctantly, not particularly wanting to relinquish his hold on his son but knowing it was necessary.

"What symptoms has he produced so far?" she asked, as she cast a simple diagnostic spell over him.

"Fever, nosebleeds, he's been really quiet and lethargic, and he's refusing to eat," Draco listed off, trying to stay as factual as possible. "He's usually energetic—he never stops, actually—so it was the lethargy that I noticed first."

She nodded, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Well, he's clear for the usual culprits, so we'll have him admitted to the children's ward and let the healer look over him, okay?"

Draco nodded, and while she wandered off to find a porter, he sat on the bottom of the bed and stroked his son's ankle. Scorpius looked so tiny in the hospital bed, and Draco hated it.

As the minutes passed, Draco got more and more impatient. He wanted his son seen to immediately, and all this waiting around was only allowing the fear to gain traction. He'd just stood from the bed to go and demand someone hurry up when the nurse returned with a porter in tow to take them to the children's ward.

Draco only barely managed to hold his tongue but inside his mind, he was practically screaming in despair.

What was wrong with his son?

…

As much as Draco knew St Mungo's was the best place for his son to be, Draco really didn't like the hospital. He'd never had cause to visit for himself, and he was used to the more personal care of Madam Pomfrey or the family healer when he'd needed treatment in his youth.

Now that his surname was practically dirt with most of the Wizarding World, he certainly didn't have the resources anymore for a private family healer.

It left him with few options.

The waiting was hell. Scorpius was sleeping in the bed, occasionally shifting in discomfort, and Draco hated to see his little boy so pale.

The ward was filled with other parents watching their children with worried eyes. A few of them looked like they'd been there for a while, and Draco really hoped that wouldn't be him.

Whatever was wrong with Scorpius… Draco could only pray that it was something easily remedied.

The curtain half-pulled around Scorpius' bed opened and Draco blinked when he realised who the healer was.

Merlin, he hadn't seen Potter for years.

To his credit, Potter just offered him a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement.

"I know you've gone over this with the nurses probably multiple times, but can you run me through what's been going on since Scorpius became unwell?"

Draco nodded, glancing at his son. "He seemed a little quieter than usual last night, but he had his bottle before bed fine, so I thought he was just a little under the weather. But when I went into check on him this morning, he had a fever and looked a little pale, so I gave him a fever reducer with his morning milk."

Potter nodded, making a note on his chart.

"He wasn't playing like he normally does; he was just laying on the sofa. When I tried to feed him breakfast, he wouldn't eat, and the fever only dropped a little and it was back up within an hour. He wouldn't eat at lunch either, and then his nose just started gushing with blood, so I fetched him in."

Potter nodded and pulled his wand out, making complicated motions over Scorpius's head. Draco realised that his quill was making notes on the parchment unaided as he did so.

Handy charm.

When he was done, he glanced over the results and nodded. "I don't believe it's anything to be too worried about—though I know that it's easier said than done. I think it's a virus. Have you been in the park or at a zoo, or anywhere children tend to gather, lately?"

Draco nodded. "I took him to the Wizarding Aquarium three days ago."

Potter made a note. "That's likely where he's picked it up. I'm going to give him another fever reducer—it's a little different than the ones that are sold in potions shops, but it should hopefully fix his fever within the next hour."

"Thanks," Draco murmured, reaching out to hold Scorpius' hand in his own.

"I'll also give him a potion to fight the virus; they usually work within six to eight hours."

"Will I be able to take him home today?"

Potter paused. "If you want to, it would be fine, but I'm happy to let him stay here overnight so we can make sure we chase the virus out completely."

Draco was about to say that he wanted to take him home when he paused. What if the virus potion didn't work? If he took Scorpius home then he'd only have to bring him back and then it would be more waiting around and what if there weren't any beds then?

"Draco," Potter murmured softly, breaking into his spiralling thoughts. "He's going to be fine."

Potter sounded so calm, it was hard not to be at least a little settled by his assurances.

"Right," Draco agreed, though he cast yet another worried look at his son. "I can stay with him if you keep him overnight?"

"Of course. I'll go and get his potions, I'll be back in a few minutes."

…

Scorpius' fever broke within twenty minutes of the potion, and he seemed a little happier when he woke up.

Draco concentrated on keeping him entertained, thanking Pansy profusely when she dropped off an overnight bag without making a big deal over it. He'd owe her one when Scorpius was feeling better.

He dreaded to think what she'd make him do, but it was worth it. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything that came with the chance of being arrested, but he put nothing past her.

She was his best friend, but he wasn't blind to her occasional bouts of outrageousness.

Potter checked in a few times, but Draco didn't see much of him. He wasn't sure if he was happy or sad about that.

It was weird, seeing him again. Of course he'd seen him occasionally pop up in the Prophet, or on the cover of Witch Weekly—every year, he was proclaimed the number one eligible bachelor, while Draco seemed to fluctuate between numbers seven and eleven—but he hadn't seen him in person since they were eighteen or nineteen and just finding their own paths in the world.

When Scorpius fell back asleep for the night, Draco leant back in the chair and rubbed a hand over his face. There was no way was he going to be able to sleep. The worry that had been eating at him all day had worn him out, but the chair certainly wasn't made for sleeping, and the noises on the ward would have made it impossible even if he transfigured the chair into a bed.

The curtain twitched and Potter came around. His hair was messier than it had been earlier in the day and he looked a little tired. He handed over a box before he turned his attention to Scorpius.

"Donuts?" Draco questioned, looking at the delicious looking treats in the box.

"Thought you could do with a pick-me-up," Potter said, shrugging slightly. "And they're really good donuts."

"I, uh—thanks."

Potter cast a quick charm on his son and smiled. "Scorpius is doing well. There are only a few traces of the virus left in his system. He'll be clear by morning."

Draco let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Potter."

Potter nodded and then perched on the end of Scorpius' bed. "Is it as weird for you as it is for me to see each other again after so long?"

Chuckling, Draco nodded. "I was thinking that earlier. It's weird but… good, I think."

"You think?" Potter asked, arching his eyebrow. "What a rousing statement."

Draco snorted. "Did you ever expect anything else from me, Potter?"

"Actually, I think I'm gonna go ahead and take it as a compliment," Potter replied. "I, uh, heard about Astoria. I'm sorry for your loss."

Draco swallowed hard. It was still difficult to think about Astoria's death, and he was… not over it, because how do you get over something like that? But he was settled into his life as it was now.

"Thanks. She would have been an incredible mother."

"I have no doubt," Potter replied softly. "You're a pretty good dad yourself, from what I've seen."

Draco looked at his sleeping son and smiled slightly. "If I lose him, I lose everything. I know you probably deal with hysterical parents all the time, and before I had him, I'd have thought it was ridiculous but…"

"You weren't hysterical," Potter pointed out. "You were worried, as any parent would be."

"Oh, you weren't in my head. I was hysterical on the inside."

"You… well, no, you didn't hide it well, but you know what? It proves you care. Besides, you weren't even the most hysterical parent today, never mind what comes through the ward on any other day of the week."

"I can only imagine. I don't know how you have the patience for it, honestly. I don't think I'd be able to deal with it."

Potter smiled. "I like helping people, and children are so… uncomplicated. Sure, sometimes the parents are a handful, but the kids are just… happy to be feeling better, you know?"

"You make a good healer," Draco offered quietly, following it up by making a face. "And now you know I'm sleep deprived, because that was an honest to god compliment."

Laughing, Potter stood up. "I'll be back to check on him in the morning. You should turn that chair into a bed and get some sleep. If he's as energetic as you say, you're going to need to be on your toes; he'll be a ball of energy when he wakes up."

Draco nodded and watched Potter go before he transfigured the chair. He wasn't expecting to get any sleep, but at least if he was lying down, he wouldn't also be feeling like a box of broken biscuits when Scorpius was bouncing all over him.

…

An alert spell startled Draco awake, and he sat up on his makeshift bed, looking around wildly until he realised where he was. Scorpius was still sleeping soundly in the bed, and Draco was pleased to see the colour in his cheeks.

Across the ward, he could hear a commotion, and he flicked the curtain open a little to see healers crowded around a bed, talking over each other as they checked the different monitoring spells on the child in the bed.

Suddenly Potter was there, his hair in complete disarray. It took Draco a minute to realise that the man must have been sleeping before he was called to whatever emergency was happening and he shook his head.

How many hours did he work?

Not wanting to be caught watching, Draco let the curtain fall closed again and lay back down. He was surprised, when he checked his watch, to find that it was just a little past six in the morning, which meant he'd actually slept a solid five hours.

That was more than he slept on a good night at home.

It wouldn't be long before Scorpius was awake and wanting his morning milk. Draco thought to ask one of the healers for it, but he could still hear the rapid-fire talking across the ward and decided to just hold tight for a little while.

Eventually, the alarms died off, and the talking tapered to usual volumes. Draco chanced another peek through the curtains and caught Potter's eye.

Potter held up a hand signalling he'd be there in just a minute, and Draco nodded and closed the curtain again.

A few minutes later, as Scorpius started to stir in the bed, Potter slipped through the curtains. There was a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before, and Draco didn't want to ask what had happened to the child across the ward.

Potter seemed to be able to read the question in his eyes though, and he smiled.

"She's okay. We got there in time."

Draco just nodded. "I uh, just wondered if someone could get a bottle of milk for Scorp? He'll be awake soon."

"Oh, of course," Potter said, nodding. "I'll have a nurse fetch one down for you. I'll run a quick scan on him now while I'm here. Hopefully, you'll be good to take him home as soon as he's up and ready."

Draco nodded and watched Potter do the scan. Despite the air of exhaustion about him, his wand movements were just as precise as they'd been the first time he'd run the scan, and when he stopped to check his chart, he smiled properly.

"All signs of the virus have gone, and he's the perfect temperature. I'll have that milk delivered for you as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Potter. Uh."

Potter paused, one hand already through the curtain.

"I, uh. Wondered if maybe you'd want to get coffee? Not today obviously, but whenever you get a day off or—"

Potter smiled. "I'd like that. And you should call me Harry."

"Then you should call me Draco."

Potter—no, Harry—nodded and smiled. "I'll owl you about that coffee. Or we could make it a picnic in the park, so little Scorpius here won't get bored?"

Draco glanced at his son, who was just blinking his pretty eyes open, and grinned. "I'd like that."

Potter nodded and slipped through the curtains, and Draco stood up, his attention now fully on his son.

"Feeling better, little man?"

"Daddy! Um better!"

Draco chuckled. "Yes you are."

He continued talking to his little guy, smiling wider as the intelligent grey eyes took in his surroundings before he smiled up at his daddy.

He wasn't completely sure what had made him ask Potter for coffee—or a picnic as the case may be—except he was one of the few people who'd looked at him with genuine kindness in his eyes.

If nothing else came of it, having someone so utterly good around Scorpius could only be a good thing.

And if the thought of it turning into something more happened to make butterflies dance in his stomach, well… Draco was allowed some secrets.

Written for:

Book Club: Hrothgar: sadness, waiting, intelligent, father

Showtime: 1. Despair

Lizzy's Loft: 15. Donuts

Liza Loves: 3. Father and Son

Angel's Archive: 10. Impatient

Scamander's Case: 6. Crimson

Film Festival: 7. Energetic

Marvel Appreciation: 7. Healer

Forecast: 5. Calm

Revolution Evolution: 4. Draco Malfoy

Build A Comic Book: Hero: Fear

Geek Pride: Merlin: Prompt 1: "If I lose her, I lose everything."

Brand Wars: 11. Doctor Strange: Faith / "I find your company tolerable at best." / St Mungo's / Doctor/Healer

365: 4. Factual