Harry turned around at the sound of his name to face his mother. Only she didn't look like his mother usually did. She was pale and sickly looking. Her face seemed gaunt. Her eyes darkened with eye bags as if she hadn't slept in months.
Harry knew she wouldn't until his Father came home, which was what worried him. Father being hurt was taking a toll on the entire house. Harry had taken to doing their Father's work because Draco refused to even step foot into his office as if he wasn't there.
Harry spent many nights with a portfolio in his lap, a cup of coffee in one hand, and tissues in the other.
He didn't know how much longer he could deal with this. He was worried and tired and he didn't know what to do because he had never had his Father leave them for more than a week and it had nearly been a month now.
Both he and Draco had kept up with their studies, their professors were owling their homework to them. It's what their Father would have wanted. Dinners were bleak and the silence during them was eating away at the little hope he had harbored.
He had told the healers at St. Mungos to exhaust every resource.
Harry had taken to keeping his mind busy every second of the day. He kept on moving, not stopping till exhaustion kicked in and he passed out sooner or later.
Marvalo hadn't come around and Harry was a little glad for that. He didn't want the man to see his family in this state.
"Mother, what is wrong ?" Harry whispered seeing her pinched face.
"They- they have found the cure, your Father is coming home," Narcissa said with a choked sob flying into her son's arms. Moving closer when he stiffened until he relaxed into the embrace.
And for the first time in weeks, Harry smiled.
Hospitals Harry had long ago decided were horribly dreadful places. He hated them with a zealous passion and had sworn against stepping foot in one until he desperately needed it.
But he found himself hesitantly walking into the room his Father was kept in. He had been here a lot in the past week, keeping watch on his Father.
Draco had come a lot less, he could understand. In that bed, his Father had looked lifeless, almost dead. He couldn't bear to see his Father's face pale and ashen, sickly looking.
His Father had always been well dressed with a cocky smirk on his face. He had always been so sure of himself. Harry saw that seeing him lying on the bed had crushed something in him.
But as he walked in, he saw his Father talking to the healer. He was sitting up. He still looked weak, but his face had color in it. He no longer looked lifeless.
"Father," Harry whispered brokenly, as he pushed the man that his Father was talking to aside and almost jumped into his Father's arms. He let out a choked sob as his Father's strong arms wrapped around him.
He cried. He shuddered as sobs wracked his body. He had never felt so afraid and helpless as he had looked at his Father's body. But he was here. He was alive and he was coming home.
"It's okay, my son," Lucius whispered as he patted Harry's back slowly. He looked towards Narcissa, who was standing at the door glancing worriedly at Harry every few seconds.
"Narcissa, darling, you look as beautiful as ever," Lucius said, truly meaning it. He didn't think anything in this world would be more beautiful than his wife.
Harry's sobs died down as he leaned out of the embrace and stared at his Father's face.
"You won't believe the week I've had, Father," Harry said as he got comfortable in bed next to his Father, whose arm was still slung around Harry's frame.
Narcissa walked over and sat on the bed, happy that she had part of her family back. "There he is," Narcissa thought as Draco rushed into the room looking wildly at Lucius.
"Oh Father, thank Merlin," Draco whispered as he also leaped into his Father's arms.
The healer had long ago walked out, understanding that Lucius wanted some alone time with his family. Narcissa waved her wand and locked the door and put it upwards as Draco curled into the small space on the bed.
"Tell me about what happened while I was gone, boys," Lucius said with a smile.
"Harry took over your accounts, as I was... incapacitated," Draco murmured.
"Good Harry, this shall be a good experience for you when the black accounts are your problem," Lucius said with an easy smile, worry for his older son in his eyes.
Harry snorted. "Father I hated it. Why would you willingly do that as a job? "It was awful, so many meetings," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"When your Lord Black-" Lucius started.
"Which won't be a good long while yet, because Sirius is still in healthy shape," Harry said sulkily.
"Oh you know, Sirius is going to throw those accounts at you as soon as it is legal to do so, Harry," his mother said with a snort.
Harry grumbled good-naturedly as Draco snickered.
"You'll have the Malfoy accounts to handle smarty pants, or did you forget?" Harry asked sarcastically, smiling tauntingly at Draco.
Dracos' smile disappeared as quickly as it had come and he sobered up.
"And besides, I'll just get Marvalo to do my portfolio for me," Harry said with a smirk.
Nobody had any retorts to that statement.
"Harry, you must tell the Dark Lord it wasn't his fault that I was hurt, as he surely assumes." You have spoken to him in the past month, correct? " Lucid commented distractedly as he reached for the plastic cup of water at his bedside table. Harry leaned forward as he frowned.
"No, we haven't spoken in a long while," Harry said, a frown marring his features.
Harry's eyes widened in panic as he scrambled off the bed.
"Father I shall be back, in the evening perhaps. "Please make sure Mother has dinner. " Harry said, eyes wide with panic as he struggled to punt on his shoes.
Swearing as he bolted out towards the floo in the hospital.
"Malfoy Mannor," Harry whispered as the flames wrapped themselves around him. He couldn't believe how foolish he'd been, how selfish.
He was ashamed of himself for forgetting. He would never make such a mistake again. With a confident stride, he stepped through the foyer into his Father's office.
"Dark Mannor," he said as he walked through the floo again.