Chapter 10: Therapy of the Heart

The next morning, James arrived at Malfoy Manor early. "Harry, do you mind terribly if we spent the day together? Just the two of us?" James asked, standing outside the front door.

"Of course, let me go tell Oliver to watch the children and we'll leave." Harry invited his father in, before running up the stairs to find Oliver.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" Dragon asked, coming down the stairs and hugging James.

"Of course I am, whatever gave you that idea?" James asked, looking into his grandson's eyes. 'How could I have given up watching Dragon grow? To be there for him when he needs me.' James thought hugging Dragon close again.

"You were sick over Chirtmas, then when we got back from America I saw dad crying in his bedroom. Oliver was there comforting him, telling him that you would get better. I'm glad you're better." Dragon hugged James again before going into the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, coming back down the stairs. James nodded his head.

"We're going to take a trip to Ireland, take in some of the country side." With that, both men apparated. "Here we are, Sirius, Remus and I use to come here all the time to plan tricksand think about things." James said, sitting down on the hill that over looked a medow.

"How are you dad." Harry asked, sitting down next to James.

"Harry, I need to tell you something and I don't want you to get upset with me. Since I found out about your mother and Kelly and the whole...situation I haven't been able to deal with that. When I left, I went to a lot of different muggle bars, and I would get stone blind drunk. One night, I found a pocket knife and I did the only thing I could think of, I cut myself. Anywhere I could see, my arms, my stomach, my legs, my face. I couldn't stop because the pain of the cuts made the pain I was feeling stop, even if it was just a minute. You and the kids didn't even cross my mind, andyou should have, you're my son and I should have thought about you first. How this effected you, and Dragon, but I was so selfish. Then when I started thinking about what you thought about me, what you might have thought about your mother, that the kids could never love me because of what happened. I killed my own step-daughter wtihout a second thought, what could I be able to do if something happened and I turned on you, or oh Merlin what would have happened if I went after Dragon?So I cut my throat, after I did that I knew I had gone to far, I knew I needed help, and the closest place I could think of was Remus'. When I got there I passed out, the next thing I remember I was waking up and hearing Chastity telling me that I needed to pull through, that even though one person didn't love me doesn't mean others don't. I wake up everyday feeling so alone and lost, I don't know what to do, where to go, who I can turn to. I hate hating your mother, but how can I not when she turned us over? When she almost gave up her sons life for a one night stand, how she so easily threw me to the side to die. I never got to watch you take your first step, to hear your first word, to see you go to your first day of school, to graduate, have children, get married. I was never able to tell you how much I loved you, how when you were born I couldn't stop watching you as you slept, your tiny fingers would wrap around my one and those huge green eyes looked up into mine, I swore to Sirius that you knew I was your father, that I would take care of you. He thought I was crazy at the time. The nurses had to kick me out of the hospital some days because I couldn't stop shouting that I was a father to a beautiful son." James started breaking down in tears, Harry grabbed his father and hugged him fiercly. "All these fatherly things that I wanted to do I never got to, and I don't know how to feel about them, I don't know how to feel about your mother, please help me."

"Daddy, it's okay. It's okay to hurt, trust me, but you can't hurt yourself. I need you, the kids need you. Dragon thinks of you as his idol, he loves you and if anything were to happen to you, I have no idea what he, let alone myself, would do. You are a brave brave man, you sacrificed your life to let your son and wife live, and I can't thank you enough for that. You have no idea how much I wanted a father when I was in Hogwarts, how much I missed parents that I didn't have, and then I got you back and it was like heaven on earth, and now you're trying to take that away from me. You're trying to take heaven away from me, and I can't let you do that. Please listen to your psychologist, do as they say and get better, for me, for your grandchildren, and for yourself." The rest of the morning was spent hugging each other, and talking things over.

KimeKimeKimeKimeKime

Mat and Dragon had currently recieved their letters for Hogwarts, and were walking down Diagon Alley with Jean, Sarah, Michael and Elizabeth. "Dragon, who are they? They aren't your girlfriends too are they?" Jean asked, walking up and hugging Dragon..

"Ask them, they can talk." Dragon said, holding his brother and sisters hand, they had been able to walk for a few months now, and their sentence structure hadbecome better thanks to Lucius' teachings, Dragon remembered that day. Lucius had walked into the house and was distrubed to see two one-year-olds not being able to speak or walk yet and started getting right on it. When Dragon had asked Michael why he hadn't talked earlier when he was telling him about Mat, Michael's exact words were. "Surprise for Dragon!" and a bunch of giggling.

"What's are your names? You don't love our Dragon do you?" Sarah asked, looking at the little kids.

"I Elizabeth, I love my Dragon. He's mine." Elizabeth stuck out her tongue.

"He's not yours he ours." Jean said, ready to yell at the girl.

"No yell at Lizabeth, you a bad girl! I Michael, Dragon mine too." Michael said sticking out his tongue also.

"Dragon, tell them it isn't true." Sarah said on the verge of tears.

"I am theirs though, just like they are mine. They're my brother and sister, I love them just as much as I love you two. That reminds me, Mike, Lizzie, you are not to use magic."

"Okies dokies." They said in unison. Dragon leaned forward and kissed Mat before they made their way to Florish and Blotts.

"What can I do for you boys?" The girl at the counter asked, when she noticed them walk up.

"We're Hogwarts students. Here's our book list, if you don't mind, we're going to stay here. We don't want these four to get loose." Mat said, nodding down at the little kids. The lady nodded her head and went off to collect the books. "So what are we going to do when school comes? I've gotten so use to you being in my bed that I don't know if I can sleep without you." Mat pouted, blushing a little.

"I'm not sorted still, I can change houses."

"You've already done that though, you changed from Slytherin to Gryffindor."

"Yes, and now Melissa is in Gryffindor, and she's righteously ticked off at me. I know she'll think of something to get back at me, so I'm going to have to either go to a new house or go back to Slytherin, and what better place then Ravenclaw. Plus, it'll increase my grades, seriously. I can join the Quidditch team and shape your Quidditch team up a bit so you're a least a challenge, and since you don't play Quidditch you'll be spectacularly impressed with my greatness, but at the same time concerned with my grades so much so that you'll tutor me, and there will be whole tutor sessions filled with snogging, and of course studying. What do you think?"

"You've had this planned haven't you?"

"I'd be lieing if I said not even a little. So what do you think?"

"It's a great idea." By that time, the book keeper came back with the two piles of books placing them on the table. Dragon waved his hand over both sets of books and shrunk them, making it easier for the guys to put it in their pockets. Once they paid, they made their way towards the Apothcracy to get more Potions ingredients, and then over towards the ice cream parlor for the four little ones, since they had been so good.

"Drag! Chocolate!" Micheal said, pointing towards the chocolate ice cream sign on the window.

"Ok then, what about you three?" Dragon asked, turning towards the three girls. Once everyone had chosen their ice cream, which took ten minutes alone, they made their way towards a table. "Want a taste babe?" Dragon asked, holding the chocolate, peanut butter ice cream cone towards Mat. Mat leaned in, but Dragon was quicker and smeared it over Mat's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Michael kicked me."

"I did not, lieing is bad!" Michael repeated.

"Yes it is, I'm sorry. Here let me get that for you." Dragon leaned forward and licked the ice cream off the corner of Mat's lips. "Mm, that's good." Dragon licked his lips going back to eating his ice cream as Mat wiped his face. "So Mat, I know all your favorite things except color."

"I love blue." Jean said smiling.

"Every good, but I asked your brother." Dragon said smiling.

"It's sunset gold. You know right before the sun goes down the gold color it creates. What's yours?"

"Royal purple, because it has the word royal in it." Dragon said, laughing a little, Mat just rolled his eyes.

"Oh look, there's the Fags." Sarah Parkinson said, coming into the shop.

"Oh look, someone let a dog into the shop. Careful you four, you don't want to get rabies." Dragon said, turning towards the four little children.

"Funny...not! You know you're just jealous because you couldn't have this." Sarah said, turning around and pointing to her arse.

"You know you are right, I'm so jealous that I couldn't have some saggy fat arse, instead of the nice one I have." This generated a chuckle from some of the little ones.

"At least I'm not a fag, I mean how more of an outcast could you get?"

"Oh, I could be penniless, divorced, disowned, and living at my parents house at 35, but gosh your mom beat me to that one. Just what will I do now?" Dragon asked, turning towards Mat.

"Please don't do anything stupid." Mat whispered, afraid he might have to break up a huge fight.

"Yeah, maybe you should listen to the fag whore, don't do anything stupid. We wouldn't want you to end up in Azkaban again." That was all Dragon needed to snap. He launched himself out of his chair and onto Sarah, punching her in the face.

"STOP!" Elizabeth yelled, both bodies became imobile.

"Lizzie, take it off." Dragon demanded falling off of Sarah. Elizabeth sat down on her brother's frozen lap.

"No, you my brother. You get an owie at home. Daddy will give you an owie. Fighting bad."

"How do you expect me to get home if you've frozed me? Take the spell off now."

"Elizabeth take the spell off your brother. You know better then to do magic, your dad has told you not to, Oliver and Dobby have told you not to, Dragon and I have said things against it. You deserve to be punished if you keep doing magic. Now undo the spell so we can go back to Malfoy Manor. Miss Parkinson, I suggest that you keep that mouth of yours shut if you know what's good for you. The next time I hear you disrespect Dragon or myself, I won't stop Dragon from kicking your sorry arse." Once Elizabeth had taken the spell off of both people, Mat quickly took Dragon's hand and touched the Portkey with the rest of them. Once back in Dragon's room at Malfoy Manor, Mat noticed Dragon's lip was bleeding and he had a cut on his forehead. The three girls were in hysterics and Michael quickly left the room so he wouldn't get in trouble.

"Does it hurt?" Jean asked, sitting in Dragon's lap.

"Get off! He's mine, I care for him..Me not you." Elizabeth pushed Jean off of Dragon's lap and got on herself, hugging Dragon. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Lizze, thank you. Please stop being mean to Jean and Sarah though, they are really nice and they aren't going to take me away from you okay? I love you Elizabeth and that won't change, but I love them too and if all three of you keep fighting, I'm not going to be happy with any of you. Now go on and play...together. Draw Mat and I a picture or something." Dragon said, hugging the three girls before watching them leave the room and falling back on his bed. Mat came back with a damp cloth, anti-biotic potion, and a bandage.

"Why did you start the fight?" Mat asked, wiping the cut on Dragon's lip before moving to the cut on his forehead.

"She called you those names. I don't care what she calls me, but when she dragged you into it, it got personal. No one disrespects you infront of me and gets away with it. Ouch!" Dragon yelled, Mat had put the anti-biotic potion on the cut, unfortunately it wasn't the non-stinging type. Mat started blowing on it to get it to stop stinging before putting the bandage on it.

"See all better. Drag, I could have protected myself, I didn't need you to do it for me."

"I know, it's just how I am. I got it from Draco I guess, you know being protective of the person I love. So do we agree not to tell Harry?"

"DRAGON AIDAN POTTER-MALFOY! YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!" Harry's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Too late babe." Mat said, going back into the bathroom to put the stuff away, before Harry burst through the door.

"Would you like to fess up to anything? Since your sister ratted you out."

"Fine I punched Sarah Parkinson, but she kept calling Mat and I fags, and then she called Mat my fag whore, and then she said that I wouldn't want to go back to Azkaban. I'm sorry, I just wasn't able to control my anger."

"They were the stupidest reason I have ever heard for starting a fight. You are so grounded, a week. No Mat, no Quidditch, no clubbing."

"I leave for Hogwarts in a week."

"There ya go, perfect. You'll go back to Hogwarts with out a cut or scratch on you. Mat you can come out of the bathroom now, please take your sisters and go home. Dragon will see you in a week. Hey, you brought this upon yourself, so don't go giving me that look." With that Harry left the room.

"Hey it's a week, we've gone 14 years before that with out being around each other. We'll be fine, I promise. I'll see you at platform nine and three quarters. Kiss?" Mat asked smiling. Dragon kissed Mat, not wanting to let go but knowing he had to, before falling face forwards on the bed and crying. Mat took one last look at Dragon before going to collect his sisters.

KimeKimeKimeKime

D/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! From all of us here at Kime and James' house to you. Sorry about the delay in updating, but Kime was at work alllll day yesterday, and almost got into a fist fight herself. Long story including someone from the same store just four and a half hours away coming to train at Kime's story and calling her a freak (Because she reads), fucker, bitch, psycho-maniac etc.etc. etc. The only reason she didn't get into a fist fight was because 1. she promised one of her managers, 2. they kept putting her in the office to calm down, and 3. Kime was taken out of the building through the back while the girl left through the front. So when Kime got home she wanted to calm down before posting or responding to any reviews. As an apology, and if you all want, Kime will be willing to post the next chapter also. That's up to you though and it's the chapter that will get everyone mad at Kime and Bitcake for not having Dragon and Mat all promised, because then the stuff in that chapter wouldn't have happened...she thinks.MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Anywho, on with the reviews.

Sarahamanda: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter, hope babysitting went well.

Bitcake: You are loved, but you'll just have to wait and see...right Mat? Mat: Nods head...Painfully? MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Hey! Blushes You weren't suppose to see me try to fix Dragon, that was an embarrasing cute moment. Dragon: Hmm, could that be a clue? Anyways, we're glad that you're glad that you enjoy us updating the story more often. Glad you enjoyed the song part, it was really hard to figure out how to put that song in there just right. Thanks, Just trying my best at the lovely boyfriend thing. James: YAY! I'm young again! Kime: It's fine, it'sa good show though...Hmm, maybe I'll watch it after the Harry Potter marathon. Harry: It's okay love. It's okay that you were confused, Kime thought that might happen. The baby will be born very shortly, but Kime's sort of basing these chapters right now around how Mat and Dragon are taking what's given to them. It's a harsh world sometimes.