Disclaimer: HP and Co. belong to J.K Rowling, not myself.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I was on vacation in lovely Mexico and had no time to write and/or work on any of my stuff. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Some big bro Draco! and Awesome Malfoy parents.
R/R!
Chapter 7: Surviving
Lucius flooed back home a scowl on his face as he stepped from the green flames into the classically decorated welcoming room of Malfoy manor. His wife was pacing the floor anxiously, completely heedless of her less the perfect appearance, her normally pristine hair was tousled from her fingers running through it, her clothing was askew and her mascara was running from when she had been crying with nerves,
"How is he?" The Malfoy mother demanded, her blue eyes flashing as she looked at her startled husband.
"He's shaken" Lucius murmured, "I'm going to take him to Mungos tomorrow to see Healer Lawrence" He explained to Narcissa, his arms automatically wrapping around her.
"I can't believe that bloody woman" Narcissa hissed, hands balling into angry fists, she had been with Lucius when Severus' had flooed them and she was far from impressed.
"She's in a holding cell in the Ministry, the Minister and two aurors arrived in Dumbledore's office just as I was leaving to check on Orion" Lucius explained, "She'll be facing multiple charges and I intend to get some pictures of Orion's hand tomorrow as well as a medical report" He added as he and Narcissa walked through the halls of the Manor towards their private sitting room.
"Good, that woman deserves the kiss for using a blood quill on school children" She snapped, sitting down on the couch and summoning a house elf to bring her and Lucius a glass of wine. The Malfoy head seated himself down opposite his wife, accepting the glass from the elf and staring into the flames of the already started fire.
"What time are you going back to pick him up tomorrow?" Narcissa asked curiously, sipping her wine lightly.
"I'm going to floo into Sev's office for nine tomorrow morning" Lucius murmured, a livid expression on his face.
"I'll meet you at Mungos" She murmured, "I flooed Tom after you left Lucius, he's extremely angry" She added, "He wanted to go to Hogwarts and get her himself, he's very protective of Ori" Narcissa murmured, her tone becoming affectionate towards the end of her sentence.
"He is" Lucius agreed, "I hope that Tom and Orion are able to foster a relationship. I know Tom very much wants to play a role in his life" Lucius murmured. Narcissa nodded,
"I hope so as well, it will be difficult for them though, Orion has some particularly bad memories of Lord Voldemort and despite him giving up the mantle of Harry Potter, he'll still have those memories and fears" He said, raking his fingers through his hair.
"Orion may have bad memories of Lord Voldemort but he also has the most open mind I've ever seen" Narcissa murmured, "He'll give Tom a chance, I doubt he'll accept the persona of Lord Voldemort but when will they ever cross paths? Its not like the boys will ever go to Death Eater meetings or be exposed to raids, he'll only ever see Tom in familial settings which should help Orion accept Tom" She murmured, "We'll have to work hard to keep Orion away from the Death Eaters though, Bella in particular is awful" She murmured, "He won't be able to handle that"
"I don't want either of our boys around any of the Death Eaters" Lucius murmured, "Or at least Inner Circle members" Lucius said with a shake of his head. Narcissa nodded in agreement, she didn't want either of her precious boys near the more insane members of the Dark Lords followers.
-Blood-
Orion yawned tiredly as Draco escorted him to Severus' office to meet his father. The young Malfoy had had an awful night, after his father had left he had been continually woken up due to the throbbing in his hand and nightmares of Umbridge and her bloody quill. Due to his own lack of sleep, Draco had gotten very little since he had been fussing over his younger brother. Knocking on he portrait quietly, the boys were ushered inside where Severus was waiting for them before he and Draco headed to the Great Hall for breakfast and classes while Orion curled up on Sev's couch and waited for Lucius to floo in.
The blond teen was curled up on the couch dozing when the fire flared to life and his father stepped through, immaculately dressed as always. Lucius looked curiously around Severus' quarters, he knew the potions' master was off at classes but he had expected to see his son already waiting for him. A snuffling noise caught his attention and Lucius glanced at the couch, smirking as he saw Orion sleeping on it, a book resting on his chest where it had fallen. Chuckling, Lucius carefully approached his son, not wanting to startle him as he gently rested a hand on his shoulder, murmuring the boy's name. Silver-blue eyes shot open and Orion looked around wildly before he saw his father and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey Dad" Orion mumbled around a yawn, sitting up and scrubbing at his eyes.
"Morning Orion" Lucius said, picking up the book and closing it after marking the page. "Are you ready to go? Your appointments for nine-thirty" Lucius added. The blond teen let out a sigh, but nodded lightly in response to his father's question. Yawning again, Orion followed Lucius towards the fire and accepted a pinch of powder and tossed it into the flame, calling out the name of the wizarding hospital.
Stepping free of the fire, Orion grinned as he saw his mother waiting by the bank of floos as Lucius stepped out of the fire behind him.
"Mum" Orion mumbled, smiling as Narcissa pulled him into her arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Hey baby" Narcissa murmured against his head, Orion seemed to break down all the Malfoy barriers of decorum and appearance (even in public), not that any of the family members minded, they were all beyond relieved to have the young teen back in the family.
"Are you ready to see Healer Lawrence?" Narcissa asked, stepping away from her son as Lucius went to check Orion in with the Welcome Witch.
"I suppose so, I didn't want to be back here for awhile" Orion admitted, leaning against his mother's side as Lucius gestured for them to follow him towards a more private waiting room.
"I know" Narcissa said, wrapping her arm around Orion's shoulder, letting him rest against her. "But your Father and I will both feel better if you get your hand checked out by Healer Lawrence" She added.
"I know Mum" Orion murmured, letting her guide him into a waiting room chair, sandwiched between his Mother and Father of course.
-Blood-
Draco sat down in Potions agitatedly, his silver eyes were flashing between annoyance (at Weasley) and concern. Blaise nudged him slightly, his own warm eyes looked worriedly at his friend. To anyone else, Draco looked like his normally closed off, slightly cold self, but his friends could see that something was seriously bothering his friend.
"What's wrong?" Blaise hissed as the class rose to gather ingredients from the cupboard.
"Just worried about how Orion's appointment is going" Draco responded, carefully gathering up the required items. Blaise nodded in understanding, Draco had filled his friends in on what had happened by the older blond over breakfast, needless to say none of them were impressed and Pansy had had to physically hold Blaise and Theo back when they had wanted to go after the woman. Umbridge had been escorted off the school grounds by the aurors and the Minister late the previous evening, or so Severus had informed Draco earlier that morning.
Draco raised his head tiredly when Severus dismissed them from class. Thankfully the assignment today had required them to work in pairs and Blaise had pretty much done the whole assignment, as Draco had been far to lost in thought and worry over his younger brother to focus on potions.
Checking the time, Draco headed towards the Great Hall for lunch hoping that Orion's appointment had gone well and he was on his way back to school. He felt odd having his little brother so far away from, the entire morning anxiety had gnawed at his gut and he wanted nothing more then to check Orion over himself and then cast a sticking charm on the younger Malfoy and glue him to his side. He knew the fear was irrational, but all he could think about was Orion being in pain, disappearing again, or something like that and the feeling terrified him.
-Blood-
Orion sighed as he stepped out of the small examination room, smiling shyly as his parents both stood up and rushed over to him, well rushed as much as a Malfoy could. Narcissa immediately pulled him against her, kissing the top of his head and asking him how he felt. Lucius hovered nervously nearby, waiting for the Healer to come out. They had had the option to go into the room with Orion and the healer, but their son had asked them to wait outside, not wanting to show them the injury that Umbridge had inflicted on him. As much as it pained the Malfoy parents to be shut out of the room, they had respected Orion's desire and waited for him.
Narcissa kept her arms around Orion as Lucius spoke in hushed tones to Healer Lawrence, she watched her husband's brow furrow in worry and annoyance and she frowned, wondering what the discussion was about as she absentmindedly stroked Orion's baby soft hair. Finally Lucius left the Healer's side and joined his small family.
"Shall we go for lunch? Dumbledore has excused you from classes for the day" Lucius said, ruffling his son's hair, ignoring the soft sigh from his son who immediately tried to fix the 'damage' his parents had inflicted.
"Sounds lovely, there's a fantastic new restaurant in Diagon Alley, I went there with Rose Parkinson just the other day" She added at Lucius' inquiring gaze.
Orion nodded his head, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his hand, wincing a bit at the tugging feeling the bandages created. Lucius' hand on his shoulder stilled the movement, and Orion's hands fell complacently to his sides.
"So lunch?" Lucius asked his son, his tone hinting that he'd speak to the pair about his discussion with the Healer in the semi-privacy of the restaurant. Orion nodded, offering his father a small smile, the young Malfoy was still adjusting to a loving family and just the idea that he'd get to go out for lunch with them was a bit shocking. He knew Dudley had often gotten taken out for meals (or ordered in food) with his parents, and when the Weasley family could afford it, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would treat a child to a meal as it was a good time to enjoy some quality time with their children, but never in his life had he anticipated something as simple meal with his parents and just him happening. Smiling to himself, he let Lucius hold onto him tightly before the Malfoy Lord apperated them to Diagon Alley.
-Blood-
Orion settled himself in his seat, consciously making sure he was situated between his Father and the wall. As much as he hated being closed off without an escape route, he hated being exposed and in the open more, so he opted for what he saw as the lesser of two evils. Lucius smiled reassuringly at his son before consulting the wine list. Orion returned the smile, pursing the menu though he wasn't overly hungry, he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with not eating a full meal, he was still recovering from years of malnourishment and his family took meal time very seriously.
"Its too bad Draco was unable to join us" Narcissa commented when the waiter returned with a bottle of wine for the Malfoy adults and a glass of pumpkin juice for Orion. Draco would normally be allowed a glass of wine at meals, the Malfoy parents weren't overly strict about so-called underage drinking, but with Orion they were a bit more involved, not to mention he was only fourteen.
"Next time" Lucius murmured, looking over the menu, it wasn't an upscale as they normally ate at, but the menu looked decent enough and Orion looked happy with it. He had complained at previous nights out that he was unable to even understand (or read!) the menu.
"Are we ready to order?" The waiter asked, a pad and quill posed as he prepared to take orders.
"I'll just have the garden salad with the orange vinaigrette" Narcissa murmured, handing the waiter her menu. Lucius ordered the filet mignon, with a side of salad as well. Orion opted for the more teen friendly options, having a club sandwich, which is something he had heard Dudley talk about before and was curious about. As soon as the waiter left, Narcissa pinned her husband with an expectant expression on her aristocratic face.
Lucius let out a faux suffering sigh, knowing exactly what his wife was oh-so subtly hinting at.
"I spoke to the Healer" He said, ignoring Narcissa's expression which now clearly read 'well duh'. Orion stiffened slightly and took a rather large sip of his juice before turning his attention to his father, his face slightly pale.
"And?" Narcissa prompted, carefully placing her napkin in her lap.
"Well we discussed the pictures she took of Orion's injury for the trial against that Umbridge hag" Lucius said, his family nodding along. "We also discussed the effect the blood quill injury will have on Orion's healing, she's not very optimistic at this point" Lucius said, his face pinching slightly at the memory. "The damage inflicted by the quill is often long lasting due to the dark nature of the blood quill. She also said this will cause some setback in Harry's healing, though that's not much of a surprise" Lucius added, Orion nodded, he'd already heard all of this from Healer Lawrence during his appointment.
"What about his mobility?" Narcissa asked, shooting her youngest son a sad, yet reassuring look.
"Its not looking like he'll gain more then forty percent mobility at this point, but she says it could go either way" Lucius explained, "The cuts from the quill have allowed for an infection take root, and with all the previous damage, it is going to be a bit harder to clear up. She's sending a recipe for a new cream to Severus, one that is equipped to deal with the infection, though it will have to be applied twice daily. Once in the evening and once in the morning" Lucius added, his tone turning stern for a moment. Orion pulled a face but nodded in agreement.
"Even if you didn't enforce that Dad, Draco and Uncle Sev would" Orion teased slightly, his older brother was insanely overprotective.
"I know" Lucius said, his tone smug, "I sent Draco a note with Healer Lawrence's owl to Severus" He added, chuckling as his youngest son groaned.
"Dad" Orion whined, shaking his head in annoyance, "He'll never let me out of his sight, it's hard enough to convince Draco to leave me alone in the Common Room" He teased.
Lucius just plastered the trademark Malfoy smirk on his face and sipped his wine, resisting the urge to chuckle at the annoyed look on his son's face.
-Blood-
At five in the evening exactly Orion flooed into his Uncle's chambers, directly from the Leaky Cauldron. Stumbling, he was beyond relieved to feel strong arms catch him before he became better acquainted with Severus' stone floor.
"Could you be anymore clumsy?" Draco drawled, carefully righting his younger brother.
"Probably" Orion said, smiling easily at the older teen. Once upon of time a comment like that from Draco would have sent him into a rage, now he knew his brother was just teasing and he enjoyed it.
"How was lunch?" The blond asked when Orion was settled on Severus' couch, the older man had asked the boys to stay for dinner in his chambers, having cleared it with Dumbledore in advance.
"Good, it was nice spending some quality time with Mum and Dad" Orion murmured, a slight goofy smile on his face. Draco chuckled, knowing how much his brother enjoyed things that most people took for granted or even detested.
"I'm just having some food sent up when dinner is served in the Great Hall" Severus said as he came into the sitting room, three tea cups being levitated in front of him along with a teapot.
"Sounds good" Draco said, accepting a cup and taking a deep sip of the scalding liquid. He had needed something to calm him down after his frantic day. Severus had ended up excusing Draco from afternoon classes when it became more than apparent that the teen had absolutely no focus and had been consistently losing points for Slytherin for lack of attention.
"What did the Healer say?" Draco asked curiously, his father had sent a note with a recipe for Orion's new salve, but it hadn't really said what happened with the appointment.
"Just that the infection is going to make it even harder for my hand to recover anymore mobility at this point" Orion said, his face pinching up tightly, he had always held onto the hope that his hand would fully recover, but that dream had been shattered fairly early on, and now the fact that he wouldn't regain even half the mobility he had once had. Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him against him tightly, knowing how upset his brother was at the notion of barely being able to use his hand. Severus sighed, pouring Orion a cup of tea while Draco comforted the young teen. It was a bitter sweet moment for the potions' master. It was incredible seeing the Malfoy boys interact so contently with one another, to see Orion seek and receive comfort from his older brother, but it was bitter knowing the cause of the young boy's pain. He should never have had to endure what he had as Harry Potter, and as much as Severus had once cared for Lily he couldn't believe that she had condoned the act of kidnapping a child and feeding him dangerous potions and casting such powerful spells on him. James, well he had hated (still did) James Potter and he wasn't at all surprised he had done something so vicious. He had been the same way in school, always getting what he wanted and taking anything he could have. But Lily, Lily had always hated that behaviour and when she had finally caved to Potter's advances she had endeavored to change his bratty, spoiled behaviour. At least now Orion was with his rightful family and being treated with dignity, respect and love from his proper family.
After handing Orion his tea, Severus settled on the couch, contently watching the two boys chat and generally soak up each others presence while he enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea after a day of dealing with dunderheads.
-Blood-
"Well where do you suppose he went today then?" Ron asked Hermione as he sat in front of the Gryffindor fireplace, a frown marring his features. Hermione shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a large book propped up in her lap.
"Hermione" Ron snapped, causing the girl to glance up, a disgruntled expression on her face at being disturbed from her studying.
"What Ronald?" She hissed, "I don't particularly care where Har-Orion was today" She said, shaking her head and looking back down at her book, pointedly ignoring the red head.
"Why not?" Ron hissed, Ron obviously cared deeply about all of his former friends actions. He still felt betrayed, having befriended the fake Harry Potter, who had turned out to be nothing more than a slimy snake, a Malfoy.
"Because he's entitled to do whatever he likes. Who knows what he was doing, maybe something with his parents or with his Healers" She shrugged.
Ron snorted in annoyance but didn't bother responding. Hermione, well still a bit upset with what had happened, was no where near as aggravated as Ron. The red head detested Malfoys and he was beyond pissed off at his former best mate, he fully intended to make Orion's life a living hell. Hermione rolled her eyes, she could practically see Ron's brain working and she knew he was brooding (again) over Orion and she knew that spelled trouble for Orion in the future.
-Blood-
Draco sucked in a harsh breath as he saw Orion's hand. The wound was swollen and inflamed and the words Umbridge had made him write were still carved into the back of his hand. Severus looked beyond pissed off as he carefully applied the freshly made salve to the back of the shaking teen's hand.
Orion hissed as the cool, almost slimy cream touched the back of his hand as Severus carefully rubbed it into the wound before beginning to work the cream in all around his hand. It hurt rather badly especially since the injury was already agitated from Healer Lawrence poking and prodding it earlier. Draco had once again pulled his brother against him and was rubbing his back lightly, mumbling softly in his ear, trying to entertain the younger boy in order to keep his mind off the pain in his hand. Finally Severus began to wrap a fresh bandage around his hand and soon enough the entire treatment was done. Both blonds were sent back to the Common Room in time for curfew, Orion having taken a pain potion as they left Severus' quarters.
Sitting down on his bed, Orion carefully gathered Night to him, marveling at how much his once tiny kitten had grown since he had found him. The kitten was still not yet a full grown cat, but he was no longer a little runt. Draco grinned, chuckling lightly as Orion taunted the kitten with a spare shoe lace.
"He's bigger" Draco commented, the kitten normally wandered the castle and explored so they didn't see a lot of him, though he did manage to sneak into the room quite frequently for cuddles with Orion.
"He's growing up" Orion said, shaking his head at his brother, "Plus he eats like a king, have you seen what the elves give him? He's more spoiled then we are" He said, rubbing the kitten's belly as he rolled over, demanding attention.
Draco just chuckled, he was pleased to see Orion so relaxed and happy, particularly after the disaster that was the yesterday and the stress of that morning.
"You finish your homework?" Draco asked curiously.
"Yea, I just hope it's legible, I wrote it with my left hand" Orion said with a shrug, looking over at his desk which was littered with bits of broken quill and parchment, learning to write with his left hand was exceedingly difficult and the wand work was even harder.
"I'm sure your Professors will understand" Draco murmured, "They gets what going on with your injury and you can't be faulted for trying to adjust to it" He added, pointing his wand at Orion's desk and muttering a cleaning spell. It was just a spell that generally tidied the desk up, getting rid of the trash and leaving Orion's homework alone.
"I hope so, I just have nightmares of getting detention for illegible homework" Orion admitted.
"Don't, Uncle Severus' would never allow that, and neither would our parents" Draco reassured, "No one can fault you for trying, at least you focus on your homework unlike some students" He added with a grin, thinking of a few select Gryffindorks that often finished off their homework in the few minutes before class began.
"True" Orion murmured, smiling at his brother. "Thanks Dray" He added, putting Night down on the bed while he went to begin his night time rituals, the pain potion having made him a bit sleepy.
"No problem kiddo" Draco said with a grin, "Anytime" He added, ignoring his brother's scowl at being called 'kiddo'.