Books » Harry Potter » Of Sound Minds and Memories
Author: purebloodwhispers
1. Chapter 1: HARRY 2. Chapter 2: HARRY (cont) 3. Chapter 3: NARCISSA 4. Chapter 4: HARRY 5. Chapter 5: NARCISSA 6. Chapter 6: HARRY 7. Chapter 7: HARRY (cont) 8. Chapter 8: NARCISSA
Rated: T - English - Family/Drama - Reviews: 6 - Published: 05-28-15 - Updated: 06-18-15
id:11277962
Following the war and the trials that came after, the survivors have finally begun to move on. Harry, a trainee auror, knows he has one last person to thank, but little does he know that a well meaning social call will turn lives upside down as Harry begins to understand the strange world of his old enemies. Family, legal, drama.
NARCISSA
Narcissa Malfoy sat in the waiting room; her eyes were downcast as she read a pamphlet that was laid out on the side table. Is your Teen a Troll? – Group Workshop for Frustrated Parents with Unruly Teenagers.
The frazzled witch lining up at the reception desk had finished arguing about her potion prescription and had finally left the queue. The receptionist looked over to Narcissa and nodded with a sigh.
"How can I help you?" she asked as she sorted through her piles of parchment, not bothering to look up at Narcissa.
"Hello…yes I'd like to book an appointment."
"Name?" The witch said dipping her quill into the ink.
"Its not for me, the appointment for my son."
"How old is he?"
"He'll be turning 19 next month."
The receptionist looked up at Narcissa and frowned.
"He's of age. You can't book him an appointment when he's of age."
"But he's still dependant on me…doesn't that count for something?"
"No, it doesn't." She said. Narcissa wondered if she was being over-sensitive but she felt the witch was being particularly impolite. A discomfort shivered through her, usually if she received bad service she would be filled with a righteousness and immediately make a formal complaint. Now she wanted the floor to swallow her up.
"Um…there used to be a healer here…he was an American…Healer Rathbone? Is he still here?" She asked curiously. A familiar face, someone who knew her, might be more sympathetic. Rathbone had helped her family once before.
"Healer Rathbone? Yes, he's the Head of the department." The receptionist deadpanned
"Could I book an appointment with him please, for me…not my son." She explained clearly. The Receptionist, looking annoyed pulled out a large leather bound book and turned the thick parchment pages. "Name?"
"Malfoy." She said softly. She heard a movement behind her, a slight fidgeting of one of the other waiting patients. The receptionist stared at her momentarily too before, she turned back to the book.
"I'm afraid I don't see any availability for Healer Rathbone."
"But…I haven't specified a date." She pursued. The receptionist shrugged.
"He's very in demand! And its summer, so he'll be going away as he always does, he's completely booked up until then."
"Would you at least try?"
"There is simply nothing I can do, Mrs Malfoy. My hands are tied." She said enunciating her name very clearly, then smirked and shut the book. Sensing that the commotion was causing a scene that many of the other patients were enjoying, Narcissa nodded with understanding. The receptionist had made it clear she was not welcome there.
"I suppose he's not here at the moment then, either."
"That's right."
"I see." She said "Well…thank you for your help."
Narcissa left the waiting room, trying to keep her head high as she passed the patients who continued to stare, some with interest, others with dislike. She stepped into the hallway and away from view before dropping her head into her hands. She was shaking all over, and tears bit at her eyes but refused to fall. Suddenly she felt as if her whole body had turned to lead, cold, hard lead. She struggled for breath, and held onto the wall for support. Get a hold of yourself.
"Are you alright, dear?" An administrator said, as she passed her in the hallway.
"Y-yes…thank you…." She said wiping her eyes. "Just a little headache."
The administrator smiled, clearly she didn't recognise her, but went on her way as swiftly as she appeared. With a deep breath Narcissa walked forward, one hand still lightly touching the wall as went. She passed heavy wooden doors, the same wood as the rest of the hallway; each with a brass doorknob and a little plaque with each Healer's name. She read each one, until she came to the door at the end of the hallway.
Healer Javor Rathbone
Head of Department
Adult Clinic
With a sigh of hopelessness she knocked on his door. There was a moment of silence, during which Narcissa readied to turn and leave when the door suddenly opened. A tall, thin man stood wearing smart, non-uniformed robes. He had a high forehead, emphasised by his receding hair line, his hair was thin and black and waxed backwards off of his face. His features were heavy and his skin an olive brown.
"Yes?" He said impatiently. Uncharacteristically she struggled with her words for a moment.
"I…Healer Rathbone…its good to see you again, it's been so long."
Rathbone smiled, but his eye brows were deeply furrowed.
"Narcissa?" He asked rhetorically. "Merlin, this is a surprise."
"Yes I was just passing and I saw your name..."
"When my door is shut it usually means I'm with a patient." He explained.
"I know that but…I'm sorry I shouldn't have disturbed you." She said stepping away.
"As it so happens I'm not with a patient." He said brightly and signalled for her to come inside. The office was large, quite dimly lip but with a soothing comfortable atmosphere. "It's been many years Narcissa, but I don't think this is a social call is it?" He said leading her to a seat. "What was it? Milk and one sugar?"
"Hmm? Oh…just milk please." She said noticing him busying with a tea set.
"Why you Brits take milk in their tea I still don't get."
"Even after all these years?" She laughed gently, but it came out as a sob. Rathbone glanced at her with surprise, he finished his spell and the tea appeared at the little coffee table in the room. Rathbone sat down in the arm chair opposite her.
"Well then, what can I do for you?"
"It's not a social visit," she admitted. "I tried to book an appointment but they couldn't fit me in…or they didn't want to, I don't know…I thought I might speak to you directly."
"I see." He said looking in the direction of the shut door. "I'll have a word with the receptionist of course. She won't get away with this."
Narcissa reached out a hand.
"No…please don't. I don't want a scene…please." She begged. Rathbone looked at her curiously.
"How's your son?" He asked. She laughed coldly.
"You know all about us from the papers I'm sure." She said fiddling with the skirt of her robes.
"I didn't ask about what's in the paper, I asked how your son is."
"He's fine…" She smiled. "He's absolutely fine. He's studying, for his final year. He's not at Hogwarts, of course. He's at a private French academy….I wanted something in Britain, so naturally he contradicted me." She shrugged jovially. "And your wife, how is she?"
Rathbone hesitated for a moment
"We're separated, but she's well, thank you." He explained gently. "That's good your son's well. I think he was only seven or eight, the last time I saw you. So tell me, what's brought you here today?"
"Me? Oh I'm perfectly well…there's nothing wrong with me, but it's Draco I'm worried about."
"You just said he's fine."
"Did I? Oh…yes…sorry my thoughts are all a bit…I'm sorry…" She touched her forehead, and closed her eyes tightly. They remained like that, in silence, for long slow passing minutes, before Narcissa looked up and saw Rathbone's black eyes continuing to stare at her with concern.
"How long have you been like this?"
She shook her head.
"Oh I'm not always like this. I'm together most of the time, its just now and then that I can't get my thoughts straight. I am worried about Draco." She said slowly. "He's become so introverted…so shut off. I'm worried about him, and for so long I haven't been able to reach him…he's blocked me out, completely."
Rathbone signalled for her to drink some tea before he leaned back in his chair, with his arms folded and considered her words.
"I know he's been through quite a bit over the last few years, it's not uncommon for there to be some lasting trauma…not that I should really be saying this to you, but as he's not really my patient…"
"So, would you take him on?"
"I'm sorry, Narcissa, Draco's what…19? 20?
"18."
"Either way I simply can't take him on by your request, he's over age, He has to come to me himself."
"But for a friend, Javor?"
"No, Narcissa."
"You helped my family before, did Aunt Walburga come to you? No it was my Uncle Orion who did on her behalf."
"It was a different time. We can't do that anymore. Tell me, is Draco a threat to others?"
"No of course not!"
"Then to himself?"
"No…well…I hope not."
"Then there is nothing, I can do. Unless he comes to me to book an appointment of his own accord I cannot take your son on as a patient." He shook his head. "I know you've good intentions. I can only recommend you persuade him to book an appointment himself."
"He wouldn't listen to me."
"I never said it would be easy. But as you're here, may we speak about how you are for a moment? How do you feel about your son?"
"There's nothing to discuss about me. I love Draco as much as I ever did, I'm not the issue." She said affronted.
"Do you think he doesn't love you?"
Narcissa opened her mouth to retort when the words became stuck again. Her inability to answer suddenly upset her.
"I'm not sure…" She felt her jaw shaking as she spoke, and put her hands to her face. "He did…during the war….and before it. Now he can barely look at me. That's why I think he wanted to go away to France. He knew how I wanted to keep him near." Javor said nothing, but continued to watch her with interest. "Last week, I went to the Ministry to collect him. He was using an international portkey…you know how exhausting they are, so I went to see him home. For weeks I received no owls, except one brief one telling me he would be home that day. When he arrived at the ministry, I was so happy to see him again, I suddenly realised how much I missed him. I'm not one to make a scene but I reached for him, just to kiss his cheek-…he was like ice…he was like stone. I almost expected him to push me away but that would have been something. He looked at me as though I was little more than a stranger. Maybe he was feeling ill from the travelling, I thought, so I didn't pursue the matter, but when we arrived home he went straight to his chambers and locked the door behind him. He tried to take his meals in there….I had to put my foot down, just so I could have a glimpse of him a few times a day. He says nothing, he barely looks at me…oh Merlin…." She stuttered as tears rolled over her eyelids then reached into her handbag for her handkerchief.
"How does it make you feel?" He asked. Narcissa looked up at the Healer over the handkerchief.
"W-what?"
"How does it-"
"How could you ask me that? My own son doesn't want to speak to me, how do you think I feel?"
"You tell me, Narcissa. I might be an expert on the psychological, but I'm not a seer. You tell me how you feel about it."
"I feel as though I've made a terrible mistake of course! I have done everything to help him, and somewhere, I chose wrong! His father's in prison, perhaps he blames me for that? I don't know. I just feel so alone, all the time. Lucius is gone; Draco might as well be gone; the rest of my family is dead! The whole world has shunned me. I don't blame them for it, but it doesn't make it any easier." She was now sobbing as she spoke each word, but Javor only cocked his head to one side and nodded.
"Being alone isn't easy, Narcissa." He said as she sniffed loudly.
"A few weeks before Draco arrived home, Harry Potter paid me a visit…" She laughed darkly as she recalled it. "He wanted to see me on some, Ministry detail or something, he sat with me and asked me questions, then accused me and argued with me. I asked him to leave, but really, I think I wanted him to stay. I wanted this boy, who has been the very depiction of my enemy, for so many years to sit in my house and talk to me! I even resent myself for not being more welcoming now. It was so pleasant. This enemy of mine said more to me in that afternoon, than my son has said to me in months. As he walked out the door, I wanted to run after him and beg his forgiveness, if it meant he would have stayed a few more minutes. Then I felt stupid and hideously pathetic."
There was a sudden knock at the door.
"Yes?" Javor said. The receptionist opened it and looked in at Narcissa with surprise.
"Healer Rathbone, sorry to disturb you, your two o'clock patient is ready." She said sternly. Javor nodded.
"I'll come and get him in a moment. Shut the door will you?"
The receptionist nodded.
"We should continue this." He said briefly.
"Continue what? Is this a friendly catch up or a session?"
"Well, don't friends help each other out?" He smiled as he quill began writing something out on a piece of parchment on its own accord. "I used to do house calls for your family. I'll send you an owl, and we'll arrange a time."
"Oh no…no it's not necessary." She begged. Javor looked pensive for a moment.
"Very well, I haven't seen the Manor in years, I attended one of you grand banquets once upon a time, lets repeat history, invite me to lunch some day. How does that sound?"
"That sounds very fair.
"Good girl." He said leading her from the room. "I look forward to hearing from you then."
"Yes, thank you Javor. Thank you."
AN: Thanks for reading.