Draco shot up with a scream that was so intense his throat was burning. His whole body was trembling and he was breathing heavily. His eyes scanned the room and were greeted by a mess that didn't surprise him. The damages were the worse they've ever been; the bookcase had been thrown across the room and was now broken and halfway through the wall, his lamp had seemed to have exploded, his nightstand was across the room, his laundry hamper was on his bed, and his dirty clothes were everywhere. This nightmare had been one of the worst he'd had in recent months.

Healing isn't linear. He told himself. He'd been telling that to himself a lot lately, so much so he wasn't sure he believed it anymore. He often wondered when he'd be healed but he knew only eight months of therapy wouldn't fix him- if he'd ever be fixed. He spent so many years destroying himself because of the war he didn't know if he could put his pieces back together.

He didn't think he deserved to be put back together anyways.

He sighed and grabbed his wand from under his pillow. His hands were still trembling but he was still able to cast a few spells to banish the broken glass. Now that the floor was no longer a hazard to walk on he could get to work on attempting to fix his apartment. First, he needed a calming potion so he walked over to his nightstand, picked it up, and moved it to its original location before reaching into his drawer for the calming potion and downing it immediately. If his room was this bad he didn't want to see the rest of his apartment or the shop. Last night's nightmare had been so overwhelming and he was still struggling. After being at Hogwarts and seeing Harry it had been enough for his brain to replay all of the events that happened at Hogwarts; seeing Cedric's dead body, the duel with Harry in the bathroom, seeing Snape kill Dumbledore, the battle itself, everything that happened. It was too much, especially all those events in one dream. He should've known better and fought Pansy about not going. The calming potion only soothed his trembling hands but did nothing for his heart which was still beating too fast for his liking.

Draco walked to his bathroom only to find it was also affected by his unstable magic in his sleep. It hadn't been nearly as bad as his room was as nothing was broken but it was enough for him to sigh out loud. His cabinet doors were open and their contents were thrown around but luckily nothing was broken. He flicked his wand and cast a wordless spell which made everything go back to its place.

He turned on the shower before undressing and waited for it to get hot. His scars and mark felt overly exposed and sensitive as they usually did after a nightmare but he tried to ignore the feeling. Most days he could ignore them and the emotions they brought him but today he wasn't so lucky. He could've sworn he felt his dark mark burning as it used to when he was being summoned but he knew it was only because of his nightmare. He stepped into the shower and let the water ease his muscles. It burned but it felt good. He felt his eyes start to sting but he wasn't going to cry.

He didn't deserve to cry. He deserved to feel this way.

He didn't know how long he stood there fighting his tears but he knew it was long enough for the water to get cold. Only then did he begin to wash himself and his hair. He was determined to not let his emotions hinder him. He could do this. He could get through today. He straightened his shoulders and let the cold water slash against his face.

Draco could do this.

Once he was finished, he turned the water off and grabbed a towel. He didn't bother with a drying charm since he still had a while before he had to open his shop. With his wand in hand, he began to straighten up his room. Some things couldn't be saved, like his lamp and bookshelf but he didn't care at the moment. He banished the lamp and bookshelf before focusing on the sea of books, watching them arrange themselves in semi-neat piles on the floor. His clothes and laundry hamper returned to their spot in the corner of the room. All that was left was the hole in the wall. He cast a spell and began to get dressed as the pieces of the wall flew back into place and fixed themselves. He felt a little bit better now.

He slipped on a pair of trousers, leaving them without a belt while he grabbed a shirt. It was a long sleeve emerald green button-up shirt, once that was on he put on a black belt. He figured if he didn't feel good, he might as well look good. He slipped on a pair of socks and black shoes before looking at himself in the mirror. He didn't look too good. He had bags under his eyes and his skin was a little pale from the restless sleep but he didn't care. He lifted his chin and exited his apartment and went downstairs and into his shop.

Once downstairs he unlocked wordlessly and wandlessly unlocked the door and stood behind the counter while cursing himself. He was caught up on potions and all his stock was out. He didn't have anything to keep himself busy to keep his mind off of things.

The cons of always overworking himself as he did occasionally run out of things to do.

He didn't know how long he stood behind the counter but it felt like ages. He did little things here and there like switching the location of one potion for another but those were quick tasks even when he did them the muggle way. He had practically rearranged all the sleeves before noon. A few customers came in for potions or ingredients but it wasn't enough for him to be busy enough to make the time feel faster.

When it was time for him to close he felt relieved. He couldn't wait to get back upstairs and go hide out in his bed. He grabbed a vail of dreamless sleep and downed it. He didn't care if this was meant for his shop and not his personal collection, he could brew more.

His hope of going to bed was short-lived because the front door to his shop shot open with so much force that the nearby shelves shook and three people rushed in. He was about to open his mouth to say he was closed but he soon realized who they were.

Harry and George were holding up an injured Ron. Ron was still conscious but he was groaning in pain and could barely stand. "What's going on?" Draco asked, confused but his eyes widened when he finally processed what was going on. "What happened?" He stepped aside and motioned for them to go upstairs. George and Harry looked scared and Draco knew he had to help Ron.

George and Harry quickly made their way behind the counter and towards the stairs. "Ron was hit by a curse. Some dark wizards must've known about the celebration at Hogwarts and felt bitter about not getting an invite." George said and while the sentence itself had a hint of a joke to it his voice was full of a mixture of anger and worry. He began to lead Harry and Ron up the stairs, "He didn't want to go to St. Mungos. I didn't know where else to take him. Help him. Please." He continued, looking back at Draco with pleading eyes.

It was no secret Draco was good at healing potions and bandaging people up. That's what he did as a death eater when he wasn't being forced to torture people.

Draco couldn't help the urge to want to smile but he refrained. George was coming to him for help. He trusted Draco. He still couldn't believe it sometimes. "I'll be up in a second. Strip the area." He said, quickly grabbing various vails of potions, herbs, and other things he thought could help. It was tough to decide what to grab since he didn't exactly know what kind of curse it was but he knew what he had in his arms could heal most curses or hexes.

He made his way up the stairs as quickly as he could without dropping anything. The door to his flat was open which he was relieved about because he didn't have any free arms to open the door. When he entered the living room Ron was sitting on the couch, on top of his auror robes with his pants down. His leg had a large gash along his thigh which was still bleeding. Ron was paler than he usually was and his skin had a layer of sweat over it, Draco was just hoping Ron wouldn't pass out.

Harry looked at Draco, "He's lost a lot of blood." He said, Draco could hear that he tried to keep his tone normal but Draco could hear the nervousness.

Draco passed all of the contents in his arms to George who was closest to Draco before he got down on his knees to inspect the wound. The cuts were clean and almost precise… where did he know this from? It almost reminded him of the cuts on his torso but not exactly. George had set all his stuff on the couch next to George. "I don't think it's dark magic." He said, grabbing his wand and casting a cleaning spell on both his hands and Ron's thigh to get rid of the old blood to get a better look at it. "I'm not too sure, but I know a spell that can heal it even if it's dark magic." He grabbed a vail of blood-replenishing potion and handed it to George, "Give that to him after I've healed him." Draco said before standing up. He pointed his wand at the wound, "Vulnera Sanentur." He said the spell once, twice, and then a third time. Ron's wound stopped bleeding before it began to heal. It took a second before the wound fully knitted itself back together which made Draco relieved. Snape had taught him the spell right after his encounter in the bathroom with Harry and right now he was glad to know the spell. He reached and grabbed a jar with a paste in it and coated the area that had just been healed, "To prevent scarring but with how deep those were he may still end up with one." He said while looking up at George.

George waited until Draco stood up before engulfing him in a hug that made it only slightly hard for Draco to breathe. "Thank you." He muttered into Draco's shoulder. "Thank you." He repeated. George was trembling and his voice was shaking which made Draco's heart break.

Draco hugged back just as tight since he knew that was what George needed. While he knew Ron's wounds wouldn't have killed him, he knew the wounds were bad enough to send George into a panic about losing another brother. "You don't have to thank me, you git. That's what I'm here for." He teased with a small smile as they pulled back from the hug. "Let me get you a calming potion." He said softly before quickly heading to his room and grabbing a vail for each of them.

Ron was still pale but he was less clammy and he didn't look like he was in pain anymore. "Here." He said, popping off the cork and handing it to Ron who weakly took the vail and downed it. "It'll be a while before you don't feel weak anymore. I'll prepare my bed for you seeing as you're not strong enough to apparate just yet." He said and handed George his vail who also downed it almost immediately.

Ron simply nodded in response, "Thanks." He said, tossing the vail aside now that it was empty.

"Here," Draco said, now turning to Harry. "In case you need it." He extended his arm out with the vail of calming potion to Harry who still looked shaken up.

Harry snapped out of whatever thought he was thinking and hesitantly accepted the potion. "Thanks." He muttered.

Draco nodded, "He'll be fine in the morning, but tell Wesley to take it easy."

Harry nodded before taking the vail, uncapping it, and taking a sip. "He doesn't have to stay here. I can take him to mine."

"What part of he's too weak to apparate do you not understand?" He said a little harsher than he meant to as he crossed his arms. "It's fine, Potter. I'm not going to do anything besides monitor him."

"Harry, Draco's trustworthy," George interjected. "I wouldn't have brought the two of you here if I didn't trust him. Do you trust me?"

Harry looked like he was debating with himself. "Yes but-"

George shook his head, "No. I don't want to hear it. Ron's in good hands."

"Mate, it'll be fine. I've got my wand." Ron said, now pulling his pants up. They were covered in blood and had a huge rip in them. Draco took a mental note to fix them for Ron after he gave him replacements to sleep in.

Harry knew he was outnumbered in this so he nodded. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He told Ron before turning to Draco, "Thanks." He said before leaving. He left the muggle way which meant Harry also wasn't in an emotional state to apparate.

George lingered a little longer but Draco didn't mind. "I'll go prepare my room for him. Help yourself to tea." He said before heading to the bedroom. He didn't have spare sheets so he took out his wand and cast a cleaning spell. They weren't dirty but they were a mess. George joined him in the room as he was reaching into his dresser for pajamas for Ron.

"I really appreciate you for helping him," George said. He could be so mushy when he wanted.

Draco chuckled and shook his head, "Shut up and stop being so sappy, George." He teased with a small smile, "That's what friends are for." He said as he handed over a pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt to George. "Give him these. I figured they'd be more comfortable to sleep in than his auror uniform."

George rolled his eyes but didn't hide the smirk that was forming on his face. "I never knew Malfoy's could be so caring." He joked. There he was. Normal George.

Draco playfully scoffed, "Go away before I make him your problem." He threatened, but it was an empty threat.

George laughed before returning to the living room to give the pajamas to Ron. Draco grabbed a pair of silk pajamas for himself and headed to the bathroom to change. When he was done he quickly brushed his teeth and headed back out to the living room. George must've left because his front door was now closed and locked. Ron was asleep on the sofa so Draco levitated him to his bed where Ron could get a better night's sleep. His couch wasn't exactly comfortable to sleep on which he knew from experience. Now that he was alone in his living room he decided to grab his wand and get to work on fixing up Ron's uniform. Cleaning the pants was a challenge as the majority of the blood had dried but after four cleaning spells, it was all gone. He then cast another spell to fix the rip. Ron would need a new pair of trousers as they weren't perfect but they would do for now. He folded them before getting up and putting them on the ground in front of his bedroom door.

He collected the rest of the vails, herbs, and jars off his couch and placed them on the coffee table so he could lie down. Any other time he would've struggled to sleep on it but after fighting off the dreamless sleep and healing Ron he fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning he woke up to the sound of footsteps, causing him to shoot up and point his wand in the direction it came from. He saw Harry standing in front of him, holding up his hands. "It's just me," he said, "I came to get Ron." Harry was only about a foot away from him. He was in his auror robes which only confused him. Seconds ago Harry had been a teenager in Hogwarts. Wait, no. That was a nightmare.

Draco didn't know if he was still in his nightmare or if this was real. His hand was shaking but he didn't care. "How'd you get in?"

"Please lower your wand. I'm not armed." Harry said, reaching forward and grabbing Draco's hand to lower it. "Ron let me in." He explained. "I brought coffee and breakfast." He said, motioning to the coffee table. "It's from this muggle cafe but I thought you'd enjoy it." It took Draco a second to come to his senses and realize he wasn't having a nightmare anymore but he was still shaken up from it. He lowered his wand and looked over at the plastic bag with multiple to-go containers in it and a cup holder with four coffees on it. "I wasn't sure what you liked so I just bought a bunch of stuff."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry, "Why?"

Harry shrugged, "For helping Ron."

As if on cue Ron walked out in his auror robes. He looked better than yesterday but still looked a bit tired. "I'm starving!" He exclaimed, rushing over to the coffee table and taking the first container he saw.

Draco eyed the food suspiciously. Was this how Harry felt? It's not that Draco didn't trust Harry, he just didn't understand why he felt the need to bring food. They weren't friends.

"Go on, it'll get cold," Harry said, motioning for Draco to grab a container. "Warming charms ruin the taste a bit."

Draco reached in and grabbed one and then grabbed a random coffee. Harry followed after him. When Draco opened the container he saw sausage, eggs, bacon, and a blueberry muffin. He didn't realize how hungry he was until now. He tried to ignore the fact that both Ron and Harry were seeing him so unpresentable but he swallowed the slight embarrassment along with a bite of bacon. They all sat on the couch, eating in semi-uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, Malfoy," Ron said suddenly, mouth full of food. "Thanks." Though, it sounded more like 'fanks' as the food was preventing him from talking properly. "You're a life saver. I hate mediwizards." He muttered.

Draco wanted to scold Ron for his horrible table manners but refrained, instead he shrugged and swallowed his bite of food before speaking, "Don't mention it." He said and meant it. He honestly didn't want to talk about it more. He was tired of being thanked.

They ate the rest of their food in silence. Ron had finished first considering he barely chewed any of his food and swallowed most bites whole. Draco felt a little awkward and couldn't wait for them to leave. Merlin. Teenage Draco would have a heart attack if he saw adult Draco eating breakfast with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. He couldn't help but internally laugh.

There was a more awkward silence before Ron spoke up, "We should get going. We'll be late." Ron said before standing up and banishing his trash.

"Oh, right." Harry said, snapping out of his thoughts. Draco noticed Harry was often stuck in thought. Not that he cared. Because he did not. Definitely didn't. "Yeah, let's get going. Thanks again, Malfoy."

Draco groaned, "Stop thanking me and just go." He said, attempting not to sound too annoyed.

"See you around." Harry said while picking up their trash and the spare coffee. Ron had already apparated which did annoy him slightly since he didn't bother to clean up after himself but he was just glad that at least one of them was gone now.

"Yeah." He said with a small nod before Harry apparated also.

And just like that, Draco was alone in his apartment wondering just how his life came to this. He couldn't wait for his appointment with Jennifer so he could tell her all about it.