𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒽 | 𝒟.𝑀.

8 | ﴾ Let Us Go Home ﴿

The first week of August hit like a storm. The heat was unbelievably relentless, and for once the natural chill of the Manor provided very welcome shelter to those inhabiting it. Narcissa came back after being gone for over a week and silently retracted herself away from even Draco, opting simply to hide ominously in her personal quarters.

After being awake for a few weeks and consistently taking expensive healing potions, he was now walking much better with the assistance of the cane. During the days when he needed a break from the runes he would practice going for independent walks without the chair, pushing himself to venture as far as possible before his bones were overcome with ache and strain.

Despite making so much progress, he was beginning to get worn down by the constant pain that resembled arthritis and muscular dystrophy, which left him feeling elderly and exhausted all the time. That, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was quite lonely. Madeleine had stopped coming to visit him, and even though they bickered hatefully at each other she was the only other person besides Potter that he had seen in a long time. Nibbles also refused to come around him while he was in such a foul mood, and at the end of it all, the singular living creature in his social life was Kreacher, who was not a very pleasant elf at all.

He had managed by the third of August to make it up to the first floor and around a large portion of the main level, only to discover one evening that Madeleine was being practically interrogated by Dr. Hallewell in the informal dining area before he was to come down to Draco's room. He listened to their conversation for a while until he couldn't bare it anymore and his legs threatened to collapse.

"Have you been practicing the meditation that I prescribed to you? Perhaps there has been an update on the domain we last spoke of?" Hallewell prodded lightly.

Draco raised his eyebrows as she laughed menacingly in the doctor's face in a dollish voice that reminded him all too well of his aunt, "Don' worry about de domain."

Hallewell coughed, tugging at his collar, "Madeleine, I do worry that you have been there without admitting so. It is a dangerous place - to visit this realm will only exaggerate your current symptoms. I cannot help you recover from your poisoned magic if you are not honest with me."

She banged both of her hands on the table with impatience, "Den get dis dark mark off of me. Dat is 'ow you can 'elp. Otherwise you will only be managing de symptoms of it, not fixing de problem." Draco peered around the corner at where they were sat dozens of meters away in the dark room. She had her hair braided like a Viking down both sides of her head and she was much more tanned than the last time he'd seen her, sitting there in a pale blue dress. She looked like an adorable little nightmare in her French clothing.

The doctor sighed heavily, recording the interaction furiously on parchment, "And what of your relationship with Draco? Has that improved for you at all?"

She crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling, tapping her fingers on her arm. "What do you think? 'e does not remember me. We do not get along anymore."

"Is that perhaps also due to your own personality and behaviors? It cannot be simple for either of you to find common ground anymore. Just a thought, but spending more time together could boost your recoveries. You were inseparable before, I assume that some part of you finds this be rather difficult."

"Of course it is difficult for me, but I will not spend more time wit' someone who has forgotten me," she whispered back harshly. Draco's eyes lingered on her for a moment with curiosity. Her elf had claimed that she was in love with him, but could she still possibly be even after losing herself to this so-called darkness? He shook out his head and left, now worried that Hallewell would beat him to his room and discover his ill-advised private walks. He would have to be careful. There was a distinct risk that he could end up with a school-boy crush on the wicked, beautiful girl, isolated at the Manor with only her, and that would not do at all.