Dad Says (Harry X Draco)

Chapter 11

Draco was breathing, barely. He did not respond to Harry's frenzied cries, nor did he open his eyes. Harry immobilised him and apparated them to St Mungo's, where Draco was hastily placed on a gurney and carted away.

"I need to go with him!"

"Are you family?" asked a healer.

"I'm—no—I'm Harry Potter!" said Harry, stupidly, but it seemed to work. Harry was permitted to stay near Draco as healers pored over him, diagnosing curses and stopping the blood flow.

"Can you tell us anything about the assailants? It may help us diagnose the curses used," asked a healer. Harry explained everything he knew about Death Eater Catchers.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He's in a critical condition," said the healer.

Harry cast a patronus.

"Tell Professor McGonagall that Draco Malfoy has been injured and Scorpius must come to St Mungo's immediately." His stag galloped away. He quickly cast another, telling Ron to what had happened.

Then he waited by Draco's bed, feeling sick.

Ron arrived ten minutes later, his freckles garish on his pallid face.

"Is he okay?"

"They don't know yet."

"I've informed the auror office, they're at his flat now, collecting evidence," said Ron.

"If they don't catch the people who did this, I will," said Harry, fiercely.

Ron put an arm around him for a quick side hug before dropping him.

"Have you sent for Scorpius yet?"

"Yeah, they're probably sorting out the portkey now."

Ron sighed and leant back in the plastic visitor's chair.

"What happened between you and Ferret, anyway? Did you break up? He's been really down all week."

Harry stared at him, baffled.

"Break up? We weren't... together."

"Okay, mate," said Ron, evidently unconvinced.

"We weren't! And when did you see him this week?"

Ron looked at him as if he was being deliberately stupid.

"We have a standing weekly chess date."

"But I wasn't there to umpire."

Ron laughed.

"Harry, mate... you don't need an umpire for chess. That was just Ferret's plot to get you to spend more time with me."

"What...?"

"Same with the bloody pub quiz with Dean and Luna. You think he wanted to see them?"

"I thought he's been lonely."

"I guess. I mean, he sees his muggle friends literally every day. And you know how traumatic it was for him to see Dean and Luna. He did it so that you'd start hanging out with us again."

He stared at Draco, who was incased in a thick bubble of healing spells.

"I didn't..." he suddenly understood something. "Did he owl you all and tell you to leave me alone this week?"

"Yeah, he said you needed a bit of space. Seriously, what happened?"

"We slept together. Then I freaked out and vanished. Not before making some cryptic remarks about him being a Death Eater."