Four days later, House returned to St. Mungo's after receiving an owl from Healer Collingsworth that the brace was made and ready. He was nervous and dreaded putting on a brace but was resigned to do so after seeing all the walking he would have to do at Hogwarts castle, even with the changes to his quarters and classroom that Minerva had made. He only hoped that the magical brace was as good as it sounded.
Collingsworth gave him a rundown of the spells built into the brace and put it on him. "Just let me make sure it fits properly and the charmed areas align with the right spots…" he muttered as he made a couple of adjustments and then spelled the buckles closed. "Give it a try."
House was nervous but intrigued; he had felt the spells kick in when the brace was on correctly. Cautiously, he stood and walked up the hallway and back.
"It feels good, really good. Way better than any other brace I've ever worn," he said with a delighted smile.
"Fantastic. Try it for a week and come back so we can make any needed tweaks to it and let me know if it affects your pain levels. If it hurts worse, fire call me right away, don't wait for the next appointment."
"I will. This is already far better than anything muggle medicine could offer me," House said, still wondering at how much more stable his leg felt.
"Well, just keep in mind it's a brace not a cure," Collingsworth said with a chuckle. "Don't go trying to climb the astronomy tower and don't try to go without your cane at the school."
House sighed at still needing the cane but even that thought couldn't keep the grin off his face. It just felt too good to have so little pain and now have his leg feel stable. He made his next appointment and headed back down to the lobby.
There was a crowd blocking the way and as he tried to edge around them, he could see they were after a woman and a young man. The Malfoys he realized as he listened in. He'd read about the retribution the Ministry of Magic was trying to get from them and the sudden death of Lucius Malfoy just two days after the battle of Hogwarts. Mother and son had not been personally charged but the family as a whole had been held accountable. While they were free of personal punishment, the Ministry had seized bank accounts and properties from them and frozen others. Way over the top in House's opinion.
Suddenly, wands were pulled, all on the crowd's side, and pointed at Narcissa. Draco drew his wand to defend his mother but the crowd turned even uglier.
"Just go about your own business," Draco insisted loudly. "We're only here to visit a friend."
Angry voices shouted at how many wizards wished their loved ones had survived the Death Eaters to be visited in the hospital and House knew the powder keg was about to blow. Still no security around. Some things never change in hospitals, he thought grimly, thinking back to the time he was shot in his office.
Brandishing his cane, he waded into the crowd, bodily pushing people aside and knocking the wands of the two most threatening away with his cane.
"This is a hospital not a dueling ground!" he growled sharply, keeping his cane up as a weapon while stepping in front of Narcissa. Draco shifted so that she was sandwiched between him and House. "Put your wands away and walk away."
"Don't you know who this is?" the instigator demanded. "They don't deserve to even be in the hospital!"
"Oh, grow up!" House snapped angrily. "Are you trying to create the next dark lord, start the next war? If so, you're doing one hell of a fine job! Make them feel hated and gang assaulted, yeah, that'll teach them to stay on the light path. Imbeciles. Now get out of here before I start using your heads for bludgers!"
Security finally arrived and looked about to remove the Malfoys instead of disperse the crowd until House tore into them derisively too. Finally wands were put away and the gathered crowd sent on their way. Narcissa let out a breath and thanked the stranger who'd defended them.
"You're welcome. Bunch of morons. You two alright?" House asked as the lead guard returned. Narcissa nodded.
"Who are you here to visit, Lady Malfoy? I'll escort you there," the guard asked politely.
"Severus Snape," she began only to be sharply cut off by House.
"Severus Snape? He's back in the hospital?" House asked.
"Still, I'm afraid; he's in a coma," Narcissa answered. "You know him?
"He's been in a coma for six weeks now?" he demanded, in full doctor mode, taking Narcissa's elbow and leading her toward the lifts with Draco in tow. "Keep up, Spanky," he snapped at the guard who had failed to follow along. The guard tried to correct his name as he got into the lift but was bluntly told to shut it by House.
"You have us at a disadvantage," Narcissa said. "May I ask your name and how you know, Severus?"
"My name is Gregory House and I knew Severus the summer we were both thirteen. We ran around Spinner's End together with Lily Evans."
Narcissa nodded, deeply surprised at a connection from so long ago. The lift opened and they all had to hurry to keep up with his long strides as he went to the desk and demanded to see Snape and his chart. An argument ensued over whether he had the legal right to do so and Narcissa and Draco slipped into Severus' room to his bedside.
"He's not going to get better, is he?" Draco asked forlornly. It was so much they'd gone through already to then lose his father and his godfather.
"I'm sorry, Draco. I don't think he will." Narcissa noticed another healer had arrived and seemed to be arguing in favor of House.
"Why do you think he wants his chart so bad?" Draco asked. Narcissa shook her head, but the argument seemed to have been won by House as he was now looking through the chart.
After ten minutes House came into the room with Snape's healer and Collingsworth and Draco posed the question again.
"Because I'm one of the best muggle doctors in the world and if magic can't bring him out of a coma that will eventually kill him then maybe I can. I've cured plenty of patients other doctors thought couldn't be cured."
House carefully examined Snape, telling Collingsworth what he needed to know to work on Snape's case and the healer made arrangements to have the tests done though he balked when House proposed a change in potions before the testing had been done.
"We learn as much by treating as we learn by testing. Sometimes more."
"And if that potion is wrong?" Snape's healer demanded.
"Then we learned something new to work from," House answered confidently. He rolled his eyes at the disbelief on the healer's face. "The man is going to die. You can do nothing and watch him waste away for months or years or… you can try something and maybe save his life. If he dies faster…well. Better than lying here wasting away."
Narcissa and Draco remained with Snape and House late into the night. Staff had thought to make them leave at end of visiting hours but House gave them permission to stay. Even though he had no authority to do so, the staff had gotten a sense of Doctor House during the long day and they chose not to argue. House spent the day pouring over records and reference books, seeking an answer to bring Snape out of his coma.
Around midnight he called for Collingsworth only to be told he'd gone home. "Damn it, get him on fire call then!" he demanded.
House went out to make the call and came back in about twenty minutes later. "I've made a couple more changes to his potions regimen. If it brings him out of the coma like I believe it will, he'll need a ritual performed to fully halt the wound and let it start to heal. I don't suppose you know any top notch ritualists?"
Draco shook his head but Narcissa looked thoughtful. "I'm not certain but Bill Weasley is a curse breaker for Gringott's. Perhaps he could do it. Or even the goblins themselves, but they would charge heavily to do so. If our assets weren't frozen I would gladly pay them to do so," she added helplessly.
"Do you think Weasley would help Severus?" Draco asked.
"I think there's a good chance. Bill is the oldest and quite mature and reasonable."
"We'll keep him in mind then," House nodded. "The potions have to be brewed custom and won't be ready for three days. I'm going to get a room nearby. You two should go get some rest too."
Narcissa agreed at once but House caught the quick flash of sadness and fear in Draco's eyes and a stifled comment at a glance from his mother. House watched for a moment then narrowed his eyes at their interaction.
"You said your accounts were frozen and the papers said your property had been seized. Do you have somewhere to go?"
She started to lie and say that they did but a single tear suddenly escaped her control and trailed down her face. "No. We're barred from leaving the country but locked out of our properties. We'll have to find a room we can pay for with what we have. Perhaps the Leaky Cauldron."
House took a moment to think then came to a decision. "Come with me." He told the staff at the desk how to contact him for any changes good or bad, then led them to the public floo and took them to his flat in Hogsmeade.
"It's not much," House apologized as he let them in. "You can have the bedroom; Draco and I can take the couches. Plenty of blankets and pillows for all. Anyone hungry? I'm going to cook up some eggs."
While Narcissa and Draco settled, putting blankets and pillows out for both men, House went to the kitchen and cooked eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and toast for them all. All three settled at his small table to eat their meal, both Malfoys pleased and surprised at how good the food was. They didn't speak much at all and Draco offered to clear up the dishes at a pointed nod from his mother. It was nearly two in the morning before they put out the lights and sought their beds.
