BEHIND LOCKED DOORS
WARNING: Rated R for profanity and homosexual relations of the incestuous kind. But this is actually a story with a plot, not smutty homosexual porn. Flames only keep me warm in winter.
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Chapter Ten: Recovering
Poppy Pomfrey, the Mediwitch of Hogwarts Academy, frowned at the unconscious youth lying in the bed in front of her. His normally ivory skin was a sickly ash-grey, contrasting strangely with the damp, matted silver-blonde hair that fell into his closed eyes. The thick, enchanted bandages covering his entire forearms and a good deal of his upper torso were white tinted with multiple lines of dark red. For now, these bandages dripped magic into the wounds, willing them to close up, but the wounds were so many that Poppy believed it would take drastic measures to repair the broken skin and replace the lost blood.
Draco moaned painfully in his sleep, twisting the sweat-soaked sheets underneath him in his hands. There was no doubt that he was in for a long, uncomfortable night, even after the heavy dose of Dreamless sleep Potion he had been administered. Tomorrow would be even more unpleasant with large doses of Re-Blood Potion, which not only tasted extremely bitter, but also would leave the patient in agony for many hours. 'Growing back' blood had always been an agonizing process.
Poppy sighed sadly, wiping Draco's burning forehead with an icy cloth. He moaned again, tears dripping from his closed eyes.
"The poor child. Why would one so young and so seemingly happy want to throw it all away?" She sighed again, and closed the curtains around his bedside.
"Poppy." A deep, smooth voice cut through the silence that had followed. She turned around. Professor Snape was standing calmly at the Hospital Wing's door, his pale, spidery hands folded in front of him. His trademark sneer was currently replaced with an expression of concern and distress.
"Severus." Poppy nodded politely towards the tall, gothic-looking Head of Slytherin.
"How is he?" She had informed Severus of Draco's 'ailment' just minutes after he had been placed in her care. Poppy sighed, wringing her small, plump hands together.
"I'm afraid it isn't good right now, Severus. Not only has Draco lost a near-fatal amount of blood, I have reason to believe that he may be infected because the glass was unclean. There is currently a high chance that he may have tetanus, though he has not displayed any symptoms of the disease so far apart from a high fever."
"But that could attribute to many other things, am I correct?"
"Very much so, Severus. The charmed bandages as well as recovery from a suicide attempt have often contributed to fevers in past cases." Severus sighed unhappily, folding his arms.
"I honestly don't understand why Draco would suddenly do this, Poppy. I talked with his Father only a week ago and there were no apparent domestic problems. In fact, if anything, he and Draco have never been closer. Also, Draco's grades have remained above average and his mood has been no different than usual."
"Maybe domestic problems weren't the cause, Severus." Poppy answered softly. "Draco may simply be a sufferer of depression. Unfortunately, it's a very common problem in teenagers. I've been the Mediwitch of Hogwarts for over thirty years and I've lost count of the number of depression sufferers I've had in my care. And we must remember, this isn't the first time Draco has done this. Do you not remember the incident during the Tournament? I'm amazed that he survived, and even more amazed that his illness was overlooked due to the excitement of the TriWizard Tournament."
Severus frowned deeply. He remembered Draco's 'accident' from two years ago all too well. The slender, blond youth's narrow escape from suicide in the midst of an intense, much-hyped TriWizard Tournament had been quickly forgotten.
"I owled his Father about the news some time ago." He muttered thoughtfully. "The owl should be arriving at the Malfoy manor fairly soon, I believe." Poppy sighed,
"I hope he comes to Hogwarts. It will do Draco much good to have somebody he trusts and can confide in with him at a time like this."
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A large, ebony owl flew through the open window of the Malfoy Manor dining room, screeching incessantly. The noise echoed through the large, near-empty house. Lucius was currently the only one present, as Narcissia had left to pay a visit to her Mother for the afternoon and most of the night.
"Damn stupid creature!" Lucius yelled, coming out of one of the small lounge-rooms in the Malfoy Manor. His silvery eyes narrowed.
"That's Severus' owl. What would he be wanting from me?" The owl dropped a rolled-up scrap of parchment at the silver-blonde man's feet.
"Hmph. Couldn't possibly be anything to do with Voldemort. We always associate through magical communications for that."
Curiously, Lucius unrolled the parchment and what he read made his blood run cold.