Inevitable

21 | For you. For me. For us.

The Wizarding World was in uproar when word broke out that the NDE's were finally stopped, once and for all. Robards gave full credit for getting rid of them to Jasper Miner and Harry Potter when speaking to the Media, but didn't release the details of the case.

Miner helped him set all of Nott's Imperiused victims free, determining which of the NDE's were real and which were innocent victims, and then took a brief non-negotiable leave of absence before returning to the Auror force.

The stories about Harry Potter grew wilder and wilder as the media speculated about his condition.

Robards confirmed that he was in St. Mungo's undergoing treatment for injuries sustained while working the case, but refused to say anything more. He soon had to assign a couple of Aurors to keep the Media out of the hospital, which they did, despite the impressive attempts that were made to catch a glimpse of the wounded "Savior."

Draco found their flat bombarded with fan mail and well-wishes for Harry that he began tossing right into the fire. The man got far too much fan mail before, but now it was getting out of hand.

•••••

With regular magic transfusions and Healer Bouchard's carefully supervised treatments, Harry slowly began to recover.

His ribs healed beautifully, although diagnostic spells indicated that his scapulae were still only partially healed.

After a month, they were able to take him out of the temperature regulator.

Draco began regularly working on Harry's shoulders until the diagnostic spell indicated that they were nearly completely and properly healed.

Another month passed, and they were finally ready to completely remove the bandages.

Draco arrived at the hospital that morning to find Harry sleeping peacefully, covered by a thick white blanket that was pulled up to his collarbone.

He looked like himself again, and Draco's heart leapt into his throat. Harry's dark hair and eyebrows had grown back, his raven locks as unruly as ever. His caramel skin still had a deep red tinge to it, but Draco knew that would fade with a little more time. His skin was completely new, and only one persistent scar remained: the forked lightning bolt that marked his forehead, cutting into his eyebrow.

Draco gently tugged the blanket down and examined Harry's upper body curiously.

His chest was smooth, except for the trail of dark hair that started on his lower belly and traveled downward. That sight made Draco's mouth run dry, and he quickly turned his attention elsewhere.

The small divot in Harry's chest where a horcrux had been severed from his skin? Gone. The words 'I must not tell lies' on his hand? Gone. The scar on his abdomen from the knife wound that Draco had healed? Gone.

The loss of Harry's scars made Draco a little sad. Those marks had been part of who he is, and they had showed what he'd been through. He wasn't sure how Harry would feel about it when he woke up, but Draco would miss them.

Draco placed a hand on the center of Harry's chest, bracing himself as his magic began to flow.

Ron and Hermione walked in just as Draco was finishing the magic transfusion. One of the last, if Healer Bouchard was correct. Draco found himself strangely disappointed. There was something incredibly intimate about sharing magic. His excitement that Harry would be healthy enough to wake up soon far outweighed any disappointment, however.

Draco looked up and grinned at them. "Look." He moved aside so they could see their best friend, gently pulling the blanket back up to his neck.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped. "He almost looks just like he used to, doesn't he?"