Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
Finally, the first Quidditch game was upon them, and Harry and Draco were excited. They had their new brooms, and both had been practicing hard with their teams.
"Good luck!" Harry called to his brother as they made their way to the pitch.
"I don't need luck, I have talent!" Draco called back with a cheeky grin.
Harry chuckled and saw Oliver glaring at him. "What?"
"I know he's your brother, but he is your enemy on the pitch," Oliver snapped. "Now show them what a real seeker looks like!"
Harry rolled his eyes as he mounted his broom and waited for Madam Hooch's count. He felt bad that most students were cheering for Gryffindor and booing Slytherin. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were always anxious to see Slytherin beaten and last year, Harry hadn't given it a second thought but now things were different. He clapped when Draco was announced as the new Chaser, ignoring Oliver's glare. He would play his best like he always did but that didn't mean he wouldn't support his brother.
"On my whistle," Madam Hooch said. "One…two…three…"
Harry shot high into the air, the Slytherin seeker zooming around him with a sneer on his face. "Hey there, Scarhead," he snickered.
"Wow, how original," Harry said as he scanned the area for the snitch. He also kept an eye on Draco, cheering loudly when his brother scored an impressive goal. He sighed as hit Miles Bletchley, a Slytherin Beater, hit the Bludger his way. He had been doing that since the game started.
Suddenly his eyes widened as the Bludger came straight at him and narrowly managed to avoid it. The weird thing was, Blechley wasn't the one who hit it. It was like the Bludger had a mind of its own.
"Whoa, that was close!" George said as he flew past Harry, ready to knock the Bludger toward another Slytherin. The Bludger changed direction and zoomed toward Harry again.
It won't stop coming after me! Harry realized as he flew to the other side of the pitch and the Bludger followed him, despite George and Fred's efforts to keep it away from him.
"Someone's tampered with it," Fred said as he used his bat to whack it away.
The Slytherin seeker was laughing at Harry's predicament and didn't notice the snitch hovering above his head. Harry stayed still, not wanting the seeker to see he had spotted the snitch. Unfortunately, the Bludger managed to hit him this time. It smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt it break. He let out a groan of pain as his right arm hung uselessly at his side. He dimly heard his name being yelled but in a daze of pain, he followed the snitch which was moving again. Steering his broom with his knees, he reached out with his good arm and managed to grab the snitch before his broom dived to the ground and he tumbled off, landing hard on the ground.
"Yay, we won," Harry mumbled before fainting.
/
Harry groaned in pain as he came to, cradling his arm. A crowd had gathered around him and one person knelt next to him.
"I can fix you right up!" Lockhart said brightly, pulling out his wand.
Harry's eyes widened in alarm. "No. Not you!"
"Poor boy is delirious!" Lockhart said loudly as he pulled out his wand. "Brackium Emendo!"
Harry stared in horror at his arm, it flopped over, looking like it was made of rubber. His bones hadn't been fixed; they had been removed! He glared at Lockhart.
"Ah, well. That happens sometimes," Lockhart said with a nervous chuckle. "The important thing is that your bones aren't broken anymore."
"Broken? He doesn't have any bones at all!" Draco exploded as he made his way through the crowd. "What kind of idiot are you?"
"Hey!" Lockhart protested as those standing around laughed.
"Move!" Lucius roared as he and Narcissa pushed their way through the crowd. Harry wasn't surprised to see Lockhart quickly make himself scarce.
"Harry!" Narcissa knelt next to him. "Are you all right?"
"Um, sort of," Harry hedged.
"What hurts, Hadrian?" Lucius asked in concern.
"Nothing hurts," Harry said honestly.
Draco rolled his eyes and lifted Harry's rubber-like arm. "He has no bones!"
Narcissa gasped. "How did that happen?"
"Who did this?" Lucius held up Harry's arm in shock.
Draco was about to answer when Snape walked up to them, his eyes widened with dismay when noticing Harry's arm, and he pointed out that they should take him to the infirmary right away.
/
"Well, really!" Poppy exclaimed when she saw Harry's arm. She bustled around as he was laid on a cot. "Broken bones I can mend in a minute, but regrowing bones is a nasty business! Who thought this was a good idea?"
"None of us, Poppy," Dumbledore said, watching Harry in concern. He had followed them to the infirmary after quickly finding out what had happened.
"Who is the moron," Lucius's voice was dark and dangerous as he watched Poppy fuss over his son. "that vanished his bones?"
"That's not important right now," Dumbledore began, already aware of the situation after talking to a few of the spectators.
"Oh, but it is. I'm going to kill this person, and I do not want to murder the wrong one, you see." Lucius said in a calm voice.
"It was that idiot, Lockhart," Draco piped up.
Dumbledore gave Draco an exasperated look. "Honestly, Mr. Malfoy – "
Draco shrugged and went over to stand by his brother, watching as Poppy ran diagnostics on him. He couldn't care less what happened to Lockhart, the only person he cared about right now was his brother.
"The parents of the injured student have a right to know," Snape interjected, his eyes flashing. That moron had actually vanished his godson's bones!
"I'm sure he thought he was helping –, " Dumbledore began.
"Helping? My son's arm has no bones!" Narcissa practically shouted. "That man is a danger to the students, and I want him fired!"
Harry and Draco turned their heads to watch their parents, their eyes wide.
"Now, wait a moment – "
"I agree with my wife, we don't want our children around that idiot," Lucius said coldly.
"Albus, I have told you what Harry and Draco have said about his classes. He teaches nothing of value and cannot do the simplest of spells," Snape pointed out. "He is useless."
Dumbledore sighed. "True, he hasn't been the type of professor I had hoped he would be. However, I have no other to fill his place. I already must find a replacement for Professor Sinstra, she had a family emergency come up."
"Hmm, where will you ever find two capable professors," Snape said in mock thought. He raised an eyebrow at Lucius and then Narcissa.
"What? Us?" Lucius asked in surprise.
Snape shrugged. "You practically live at the castle anyway," he said in amusement. "You would be here for your boys and the students would get competent teachers."
"I loved Astronomy," Narcissa said, her eyes brightening.
"I received high marks in Defense," Lucius said slowly.
"But would you have the patience for the job?" Dumbledore asked teasingly.
"If Severus can handle the dunderheads, so can I," Lucius said smoothly.
"I'll make extra calming draughts, it's how I get through," Snape said wryly.
Narcissa clapped her hands together. "This is so exciting!"
"I still have an idiot to kill," Lucius said.
"You cannot kill him," Dumbledore said firmly. "I will let him know he is fired. As for you two," he turned to Lucius and Narcissa. "You will be welcome to reside in either bedroom, the one connected to the Defense classroom or the one to the Astronomy classroom."
"Just a bedroom?" Lucius wrinkled his nose.
"Oh, yes. Only Heads of House have private quarters with a sitting room and kitchen included. The other professors just have a bedroom." Dumbledore said.
"We'll stay in Severus's quarters. Us and the boys have rooms there already," Lucius said.
"Shouldn't we ask, dear?" Narcissa said, rolling her eyes at her husband.
"Do we need to?" Lucius asked with an innocent smile at Severus.
"No," Snape spoke up, amused. The Malfoys were his family, he had no problem sharing his quarters with them.
"You're going to work here?" Draco asked excitedly.
"Wow, that's so brilliant!" Harry said, starting to get off the cot.
"Oh no you don't, young man," Poppy said, gently pushing him back. "You will not leave that cot until I tell you that you can."
"Harry, do as Madame Pomfrey says," Narissa said, hurrying over to him. She looked at Pomfrey in concern. "Besides having no bones, is he all right?"
"Yes, except for some bruises from when he fell," Pomfrey said. "A bruise salve will take care of that. For his arm, he will need Skele-Gro." She looked at Harry sympathetically. "You're in for a rough night. Growing bones back is painful, I'm afraid."
Harry paled slightly. "How long does it take?"
"It will take most of the night," Pomfrey answered as she retrieved the Skele-Gro vial. She poured some into a large spoon and held it to Harry's mouth. "Open up."
Harry did and immediately wished he hadn't. It tasted horrible and burned as he swallowed, coughing and sputtering. "That's awful!"
"Here, baby," Narcissa handed him a cup of cool water. "Drink some of this."
Harry did gratefully, wanting to get the horrible taste out of his mouth. "Do I have to stay here all night?" he asked his mother. He inwardly winced at how whiny he had sounded but he really didn't want to stay in the infirmary.
Narcissa glanced at Pomfrey. "Is it all right for him to recover in Severus's quarters?"
"Yes."
Harry winced as stabbing pains began in his right arm.
"Isn't there a pain reliever he can take?" Lucius asked.
"The ones I have will counteract the Skele-Gro," Poppy said regretfully.
Lucius scooped Harry up into his arms.
"Dad, I can walk!" Harry protested.
"Any son of mine with no bones in his arm gets carried," Lucius smirked.
Harry laughed and then laid his head on his father's shoulder.
"By the way, congratulations on your win. You played brilliantly, especially considering the circumstances," Lucius said. "Draco too. I'm very proud of you boys."
Harry felt a rush of pleasure run through him. It was still hard to believe he had a parent to tell him he was proud of him. To know his parents were watching and cheering him on was an amazing feeling. "Thanks, Dad."
Once in his room, Harry's clothes were transfigured into pajamas, and he was soon sitting propped up with several pillows behind him. His arm was hurting but he was distracted by the pain when Snape brought in his and Draco's dinner.
"Ours is in the kitchen," Snape told Narcissa and Lucius.
"Oh, but -" Narcissa glanced at Harry.
"He'll be fine with me," Draco said, sitting next to Harry's bed with the chess board set up.
"Call out if you need us," Narcissa told them.
"You were really good in the game," Harry said after they had left. "That one throw you did, everyone was gasping in awe."
"Thanks," Draco said happily. Despite his team having lost, he knew he had played well. "You flew well. Flying with no hands is impressive."
Harry chuckled.
"I'm really glad you are okay. When I realized what was happening, I tried to reach you, but you fell before I could." Draco paused. "I was really scared for you."
"I'm okay," Harry said. He made a face. "I'd be better if that Lockhart had left me alone."
"It worked out though," Draco said cheerfully. "He's getting fired and mother and father will be teaching us!"
Harry grinned. It was pretty brilliant.
After dinner, the boys were quick to fall asleep. Hours later, Harry woke up with a start. He wasn't sure what had woken him until he saw two huge eyes staring at him. "Ahh!" he gasped.
Dobby pulled on his ears. "Oh, Master Hadarian Harry!" he wailed. "Dobby is so sorry!"
"What's going on?" Draco asked sleepily, propping himself up in bed.
"I don't know. Dobby?"
"Dobby is so sorry for the Bludger!" Dobby cried.
"You sent that bludger at me?" Harry asked in shock.
"Me? No, not me!" Dobby insisted. "Dobby closed the barrier but would never do anything to hurt you!"
"You closed the barrier? Why?"
"Dobby warned you, dangerous things happening!" Dobby said with wide eyes.
"Wait, then why are you apologizing?" Draco asked.
"Dobby got mad at that one boy who kept hitting the Bludger at Master Harry Hadrian! So, Dobby charmed it to hit him, but Dobby was jostled, and it ended up going after you!" Dobby burst into tears.
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" A voice thundered.
The twins looked to see their parents and godfather standing in the doorway.
"Dobby? Why are you here?" Lucius asked in surprise.
Dobby tugged on his ears. "Dobby deserves clothes! Dobby hurt Master Harry Hadrian!"
"What?" Narcissa gasped.
"What are you talking about?" Snape asked.
Draco explained what Dobby had told him.
"You charmed the Bludger?" Lucius yelled at the despondent house elf.
"He didn't mean to!" Harry said quickly.
"Yeah, he meant for it to hit Miles Bletchley," Draco couldn't contain a snort. He wasn't mad, Bletchley was a git. "He kept trying to hit Harry with the Bludger."
"But he was jostled when hexing the Bludger and it came after me instead," Harry explained.
Lucius's glare didn't lessen. "Why were you even at the match?"
"To support Master Draco and Master Harry Hadrian!" Dobby said enthusiastically. "Dobby thought they both played wonderfully!"
Lucius rubbed a hand over his face and then glanced at Narcissa. "What is it with our house elves? Are they all insane?"
"I don't know," Narcissa frowned. She put her hands on her hips. "Dobby, Harry could have been killed!"
Dobby burst into tears. "Dobby didn't mean to!" he tugged on his ears. "Dobby will slam his head into the wall as many times as you want! Dobby will iron his fingers for hours! Dobby will – "
"Okay, that is enough," Snape interrupted, noticing the horrified look on Harry's face. "I'm sure none of those things will be necessary. Right Lucius? Narcissa?"
"Well," Lucius hesitated.
Narcissa gave the back of Lucius's head a light swat as she walked by him. "Of course, they are not. Dobby, you are not to punish yourself. But please, do not hex anything near our boys again."
Dobby nodded frantically. "Dobby promises!"
"You may return to the manor, Dobby," Lucius sighed.
"Besides the fact that he inadvertently caused Harry harm, he did mean to harm one of my Slytherins," Snape remarked after Dobby popped away.
"It was just Miles Bletchley. He's a git and not that good of a player," Draco shrugged. "He keeps making remarks that we should disown Harry." He scowled.
"Is that so?" Snape said softly, anger filling his eyes.
Harry winced again as his arm gave a painful twinge.
"Is it really painful?" Draco asked sympathetically.
"It feels like my arm is full of huge splinters," Harry said unhappily.
"Back into bed," Narcissa told him. "You too, Draco."
Once in bed, Harry gave a small whimper as another stabbing pain made itself known in his arm.
Narcissa sat next to him, bringing him close so he could lay his head on her shoulder. "Would you like to hear about when your father and I found out we were having twins?"
Harry nodded eagerly.
"Must we?" Lucius groaned as he sat next to Draco and cuddled him close.
Draco giggled. "Yes!" He had heard this before and loved the story.
"Well, Severus was with us when the healer told us we were having twins," Narcissa said with a sneaky smile. "Which was a good thing since – "
"Your father fainted," Snape smirked.
"You fainted?" Harry looked over at his father.
Lucius cleared his throat, giving Snape a small glare. "I was excited and nervous to be a father and then to find out there would be two babies, it was a little overwhelming for me."
"For you? I was the one carrying them," Narcissa teased. "He recovered quickly, and we were so excited and eager for your arrival."
"They just had to get through the birth," Snape gave Lucius a sneaky grin.
Lucius gritted his teeth. "I do not think – "
"Father fainted again during our birth!" Draco spoke up. He squealed with laughter as Lucius began tickling him.
"You little brat!" Lucius said in mock anger.
Harry began laughing. "You fainted again?" he giggled.
Narcissa was shaking with laughter too. "Thankfully he came to just in time to see you two born."
Snape was chuckling.
"It was a big event for me," Lucius defended himself.
"For you?" Narcissa burst into laughter. "Yeah, and it was a piece of cake for me."
"Such cheek from my own family," Lucius grumbled, although his eyes were lit with amusement. Hearing his children's laughter made him feel like he was on top of the world. He had his boys, his beautiful wife, and his best friend with him. He and Narcissa were going to be professors, and not be apart from their children.
Harry fell asleep hearing more stories, feeling happy and content. Only a moment before slipping into dreamland did he vaguely remember the danger Dobby had mentioned, and that his parents didn't know about it.
TBC: