CHAPTER SEVEN
A few days later, after exhaustive testing, the healers at St. Mungo's reluctantly discharged Harry. He'd been one of the most persistent comatose patients they'd ever seen recover, and unsure of the reason why that had happened, feared something might trigger the reversal of the process. But feeling much cheerier after the time he spent with Draco - strange as it'd been in hindsight, as he'd never seen the blond be so gentle and caring -, the brunet could no longer stand spending all day in bed in the same room with only the occasional visitor to distract him, and would've walked out of the hospital against medical advice hadn't they let him go.
Initially, he'd considered returning to Grimmauld Place, but he knew it'd probably still be too painful to wander around on his own in a house full of ghosts. Besides, as the healers stressed several times during the lecture they gave him before he left, they'd prefer it if he could be in the company of other people for most of the time in the first few days, until he adjusted to his life again. Supervised, you mean, he thought as they repeated the words again, but only nodded politely.
Deciding to take up on Draco's invitation, he chose to head to the Malfoy Manor instead, and the blond had arranged to have his belongings collected before his arrival. As unfortunately the other man had a meeting which couldn't be postponed, it was Astoria who showed up to take him home. As he first saw her, he feared things might be extremely uncomfortable between them. She, unlike Ginny, had known about Harry's involvement with Draco for a long time, and though she'd never said a word about it before, maybe having him come back from the dead after ten years could change things up.
"Hi, Harry." She smiled as he approached, waving minutely. "How are you?"
"I'm better, thanks." He smiled, embarrassed. "And, er, how are you?"
"I'm very well, thank you for asking." The brunet looked around, uncomfortable, but when he met the blue eyes that never left him, he saw nothing but kindness. "Shall we get going? I hear you're still under orders to rest."
"Yeah, er, that's what the healers told me, but honestly, I feel fine." He explained as they made their way to the fireplaces.
"You look very fine, even for someone who didn't spend ten years in a coma. A little skinny, I think, but we'll fix that in no time."
"What, you'll force-feed me?" He joked, and she smiled back.
"I heard you spent a few days refusing to eat, so if I have no other choice..." She let her voice trail off and some color reached the man's cheeks. "I did, after all, make all four kids eat their vegetables on every single meal."
"Wow, now that's certainly an accomplishment."
The conversation ceased as they waited their turn through the Floo network, and a couple of minutes later, they were at the Malfoy Manor.
"We set up your usual room for you. That way you won't get lost." She joked, and he giggled softly, remembering the many times he'd actually gotten lost in the mazes formed by the corridors. "You can redecorate if you want to, right now it's just our standard guest room. I heard they managed to save your wand, have they returned it to you yet?"
"Yes, Hermione brought it over last week. I'm glad it didn't get lost, I'm kind of attached to it." He explained, hoping she wouldn't notice the faint shade of pink that touched his cheeks.
"Is it your first wand?"
"Yes, actually it is."
"I know the feeling. Mine got lost during the war, and it took me a long time to accept another one." She nodded towards a door, indicating they'd arrived. "If there's anything you need, the elves have been instructed to obey you."
"Thank you." He smiled. "Do you have any idea when Draco's meeting will be over?"
"It should take another couple of hours, actually."
"Oh." He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.
"But I'm sure he's cleared his schedule for the rest of the day, Harry. And the kids will arrive in a few days, you'll soon miss the peace and quiet."
"Thank you." He said honestly.
"If you'll excuse me..." She said before turning around and disappearing around a corner.
With a small sigh, Harry pushed the door open and entered the majestic room assigned to him. His belongings were piled up against the foot of the bed, and on top of them, was a small note in Draco's careful handwriting.
H-
I ordered the elves not to touch your things because I'm not sure how you like them, but they'll be more than glad to put everything away if you just tell them where you like your things.
I hope to see you before lunch, but either way I have the whole afternoon reserved for you. Word is, we have a lot to catch up on.
D-
Harry smiled as he carefully folded the note and put it away on the first drawer of the desk. For a brief moment, he considered getting the elves to help put his belongings away, but there were only three suitcases and he could use the distraction and physical activity. He still felt weakened from the long time spent unconscious - the healers did tell him his muscles, despite all the treatments, had inevitably atrophied some -, and figured some exercise would be of help.
By the time he put the last book on his nightstand, he was panting hard, and his cheeks were reddened, but he felt unquestionably better. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked around, feeling a little more at home, despite the green-and-silver decoration. He picked up his wand and tried to change the color scheme, but soon realized his magical skills were as weakened as his physical ones, and ended up with an eclectic mixture of red, gold, green, silver and the occasional brown where he couldn't complete the change from green to red.
A quick glance at the watch he retrieved from one of the bags told him it was nearly lunchtime already, and with a defeated sigh, he conceived he wouldn't see the blond until they were all sitting at the table. Resigned, he picked a clean set of clothes and headed towards a well-deserved shower - all this time in the hospital, all he'd gotten was cleaning spells, and he desperately needed to put his hygiene up to date.
He had his head thrown back as he washed the shampoo away from his hair when a pair of hands slipped around his torso from behind, making him scream like a little girl and throwing his shower partner into a fit of laughter. With his heart pounding, Harry turned around to see a perfectly naked Draco leaning forward with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. And he couldn't help noticing how the water from the shower head fell into his nape and upper back and slid down towards-
He shook his head, trying to focus.
"What do you think you're doing? I just woke up from a coma, do you want to give me a heart attack and put me back in one?" He complained, feigning more anger than he actually felt.
Still panting a little, Draco straightened up and didn't miss the way Harry's eyes ran down his body before the brunet caught himself and looked into the silver orbs. "Are you planning to use your coma as an excuse for everything now, Potter?"
"Absolutely." He smiled teasingly. "Draco, can you get me a snack? I just woke up from a coma and am feeling weak. Draco, do you know that book I've been wanting to read? Draco-"
The blond shut him up with a kiss, holding his face between his hands and pushing him towards the wall behind the brunet. He meant to take things slow with Harry, after all, the man was still weak from his ordeal, but when he emerged for air nearly sixty seconds later, he knew he'd have a much harder time than he'd anticipated.
They were both panting and their eyes met for a brief second, their lips curling up in smiles before they went in for round two. Avid hands started exploring and pulling each other closer, because no proximity ever seemed enough. When, several minutes and a very evident indicator of their arousal later, Draco seemed to regain control over his own body, he took two steps back, hoping the distance would help unfog his mind.
"I just meant to see if you were okay. They said you might still be a little weak-"
"So you figured you get undressed and assault me from behind?" He teased, steadying himself against the wall.
"Well, you were looking too hot for me not to." He smiled naughtily, stepping further back and under the water. "But clearly you have everything under control. Lunch will be served in a few minutes. Can you find your way around?"
"I can try. I'll light a flare if I get lost." He joked.
"Don't you dare torch my home, Potter, or all your money won't be able to reconstruct it."
"Why, is that a threat?" His voice was low and he slowly moved forward.
"Stop teasing me, Potter, because you know I'm no good resisting you." He demanded, stepping forward and catching Harry's lips for a quick kiss before moving decisively out of the stall.
Harry stood there watching the other man through the glass panels as he dried himself, a not-so-innocent smile spreading across his face. The blond sent him a naughty glance as he left the room only wrapped in the towel, and the brunet had to change the water temperature to cold if he planned to make in time for the meal.
Though he understood everybody's lives moved on while he was unconscious, it didn't make him any less frustrated with the lack of activity currently present in his own. He couldn't demand any attention from his hosts - Draco had always been busy with work, and from what he heard from the business growth, it was almost miraculous he managed to take a whole afternoon off, and Astoria was busy planning the Christmas and New Year's parties, and though he didn't care much for festivities, he'd even offered to help and had been politely declined. But standing around all day doing nothing was driving him crazy.
On the third day after he returned from the hospital, he decided to pay Molly a visit. They'd talked while he was still at St. Mungo's, but as the Weasleys always came in groups, they didn't have as much time as he wished to catch up. Besides, she was the only adult Harry knew of who wouldn't be busy at work.
He took the Floo network directly to the Burrow - he figured there would be a connection between the fireplaces now the two families were linked through his children -, and found the old matriarch in the kitchen, working on the treats she liked to have at hand for when the children returned from school. He volunteered to help, and though he felt he was standing in the way more than actually helping, it felt good to keep his hands busy.
After the almost inevitable lecture on why for Merlin's sake he would put a Malfoy in charge of his children and not his own family - and all he could do was smile embarrassedly and apologize for not letting them know he would beforehand -, they moved on to more neutral topics. There were, after all, plenty of changes in a decade to allow them several hours of conversation.
In the end, the brunet had dinner with Molly and Arthur, and he was glad to have different sorts of discussions with the man while he was shown all of the redhead man's new projects with muggle objects. It seemed that, even after all this time, the shed in the back of the house was still motive for constant bickering between the couple.
The children would arrive from Hogwarts the following day, and Harry spent most of the night wondering whether or not he should go pick them up at King's Cross. He could barely wait to see them, but Draco had said they were very different, and perhaps weren't quite as eager to see him. Besides, the journey back would consist of a very quick side-apparition, and maybe it would be best if he avoided ambushing the kids at the station.
"Are you sure you don't want to come? I know your skills are rusty, but we can side-apparate you as well, Potter." The blond man teased.
"I really think it's best for me to stay. And, besides, I'm sure I could still apparate successfully anywhere I wanted."
"Oh, is it? Because I'm pretty sure I heard a friend from the Ministry say you'd have to take a new Apparition Exam before being allowed to go anywhere."
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy." He play-punched the laughing man on the shoulder. "Go on, then. I don't want my kids to have to wait for you, or I'll start second-guessing my decision to put you in charge." He teased back.
"Yeah, right, Potter." He replied sarcastically, feigning arrogance. Harry arched an eyebrow, and he smiled before stepping closer and kissing him gently on the lips. "I'll see you in a bit, then."
"Yeah, later. You too, Astoria." He added with a smile, acknowledging the woman who was standing by the door. It was still beyond him why she wasn't attacking them both for the little display of affection, and why she was still with Draco.
"Bye, Harry." She returned the smile.
The brunet watched them disappear before throwing himself on the nearest couch with a sigh. Now the time had finally come for him to see - meet, actually - his children again, he was suddenly nervous, anxious. Draco said they'd changed, and he couldn't help imagining how. What if they didn't even remember him? They were very little after all, and it would be very hard to bond with a man in a coma. What if they didn't even like him? What if...
Harry shook his head strongly, pushing away such thoughts. Everything would be fine, he assured himself. They're different because they've grown up, and it would take a while to gain their trust, but he was their father, and things were bound to work out. He'd just have to be patient. Which, his brain kindly reminded him, was never one of his strongest suits.
Half an hour later, he was pacing back and forth, wondering what could be taking them so long and if something could've happened. Maybe there was an accident with the train? Maybe someone got lost in the crowd, and had disappeared and -
The sound of cheery voices made him stop in his tracks and focus his eyes on the door. The only voices he could recognize were the adults, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment at that realization. It was only now coming to him just how much of his children's lives he'd missed, and he had to fight the tears that threatened to pool in his eyes. A moment later, six people walked into the room and a very tense silence befell them.
Harry's jaw dropped as he tried to take in the sight before him. They were so all so big, and so very, very different. Not just taller, not just grown up, but... For a moment, he didn't recognize them as his own. As a matter of fact, not even several moments later he recognized the oldest teenager as his son. James was by far the one who'd changed the most.
Lily was leading the way, and was the one the brunet had the clearest view of. She looked just like her mother had when she entered Hogwarts, though somehow not quite as fragile or shy, even though she'd yet to say anything to him. She was maybe a little taller as well, and her very red hair was cut just above her shoulders. But in every other respect, she was the little girl he saved from the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago.
Albus was a little to her side, so close to Scorpius he wondered if either boy knew the concept of personal space. Or if perhaps they were past that. He was perhaps a couple of inches taller than his sister, and Harry could tell he'd end up about his own height, with the same body structure. The ever-rebellious hair was longer than he had worn when he was the boy's age, and he immediately wondered how the bangs partially covering his eyes didn't bother him.
But James... Harry was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what he was seeing in front of him. The boy had obviously inherited the Weasley genes for height, as he was already Draco's size and still growing. He looked strong, too, and the brunet remembered the three boys were in their respective houses' Quidditch team. But the single, most striking difference was James's hair. He remembered sharing that feature with both his sons, but currently the teenager's hair was dyed a platinum blond worthy of any Malfoy. And when their eyes met, he missed the warmth in the brown orbs the boy once shared with his mother.
"Say hi to Harry." Draco instructed.
Harry shook his head slightly, a little confused, realizing they'd only been standing there for a few seconds, and not the hours he felt had passed.
"Hi." They all chorused, less than excitedly.
"I'm going to my room, I've got homework to do." James mumbled as he left.
Harry frowned slightly. Even when the boy was in kindergarten, they had trouble convincing him to do his homework. As the thought crossed his mind, he absent-mindedly observed the other two boys whispering in each other's ears secretively.
"That's rude, boys. Stop it at once." He heard Draco's reprehending tone, and his eyes jumped to the blond man.
"Sorry, dad." The two boys replied in unison, and the brunet couldn't help thinking back to the Weasley twins back in their school days. And then the words were processed, and he had to swallow hard to get rid of the lump that formed in his throat.
"We also have homework." Scopius said, looking up to his father.
"Can we go too?" Albus asked, following the boy's gaze.
"Uh..." Draco hesitated, searching the green eyes in front of him. Somewhat shocked, Harry nodded vaguely. "Sure, boys."
"And me, dad?" Lily inquired.
"You too, Lil." He smiled at the girl, touching the top of her head as she left the room.
"I better go check on the dinner arrangements." Astoria excused herself.
"They're different, huh?" Draco asked a few moments later, running a hand through his hair as he walked towards where Harry was still standing.
"They're... Nothing like the kids I remember."
"Well, the, uh, accident was tough on all of them."
"I guess." He mumbled, letting himself fall on the couch, eyes lost somewhere in the room. "I... honestly don't know what to think."
"Give them some time to get used to the idea. They'll come around, you'll see." The blond offered, resting a hand on the other man's shoulder.
Harry smiled weakly at him, resting his own hand over Draco's. "Seems like we'll have to lay low for a while." He joked, trying to change the subject.
"What do you think I made the rooms sound-proof for?"