Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Published: January 30, 2021

Harry had to drink two glasses of firewhiskey, or he'd never get to sleep. He had been a little relieved to tell them that, but he didn't enjoy talking about it, nor thinking how the rest of his family would respond. When he thought about Mrs. Weasley breaking down crying about it, he jugged a third glass. Fuck, this anxiety was getting out of hand, he thought drunkenly, as he passed out on the couch.

He woke up with a slight headache that he didn't need to ask what it was from. He took a Hangover Potion and headed into the hospital, a few minutes little later than usual, but well before his appointments. He came to Draco's door and heard someone talking. Alarmed, he quickly entered and realized who it was sitting next to Draco and holding the remote for the telly.

"Joel!" Harry said, smiling. Draco gave him a look as he came in, but didn't seem upset with his guest.

"Hey, Harry! I thought I'd stop by before my shift starts. I was telling Draco some of the shows that he should watch."

"Really? Found anything you like, Draco?"

He rolled his eyes, but didn't seem to be avoiding Joel, like he used to, but Joel said, as he muted the volume, "We've been watching Monty Python."

Harry laughed. "Oh, Merlin. So, Joel... where you at now?"

"I'm on the Potions lab rotation. They love having trainees do all the grunt work. Slicing, dismembering, de-skinning and all sorts of vile things. I didn't miss potions class, at all."

Harry smirked. "Yeah... I blew up a Blood-Replenishing Potion in my rotation... which they said that they couldn't figure out how I managed that with those ingredients. Nevermind that I don't need my wand to make shit happen. It was fun to fuck with those tightwads."

Draco glared.

"Sorry, Draco. I never did like Potions, you know."

"Remedial Potions?" Draco drawled and Harry blushed.

"That was fake, Draco! Snape was trying to teach me Occlumency... and I failed that, too."

"Occlumency?" Joel muttered.

Draco and Harry looked at each other, before looking at Joel. "I never really learned it, though I should have."

"Really?"

"Yeah... if I had learned it, my godfather might not have died," Harry said, and his eyes dropped to the floor.

Joel stood up and walked to Harry. "Don't, Harry. Don't feel guilty. You couldn't have known... and you didn't cast the spell."

"I led my friends into a trap, almost got myself and them killed, and Sirius died when he came to rescue me. I can't see how that isn't my fault."

"It's not, Harry. It was a trap. You're not psychic."

"I saw a fake vision and believed it was true, if I learned Occlumency that wouldn't have happened."

Joel gave him a look. "Harry... we know what you did... in the battle."

Harry winced a little at the mention of it.

"Sorry, but Harry, you sacrificed yourself for everyone. You always put everyone before you and we all know it. And if that... vision... didn't work, Voldemort would have tried another way to draw you in. And it would have been real people at his mercy."

Harry gave him a look and couldn't think of a retort for that. He pulled out Draco's chart and pretended to be writing something down as Joel stared at him.