𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍

Chapter 19

Chapter 19: At Death's Door, The Showdown, Death of a Lover, A Tiny Future

He's dying. The words kept haunting him. Screaming in his head.

For the next four days at St. Mungo's Hospital in the intensive care unit in room number nine, Harry stayed with Draco around the clock only leaving for one hour per day when the staff needed to do examinations, change the bedding, give Draco a sponge bath, change his intravenous insertions or clean his tubing from which he breathed and survived. No one dared mention a word to the effect that Draco may not survive even though the general feeling and even the smell of death lingered in the room penetrating down the hallway lending a foreboding feeling to them all.

Ron and Hermione had returned from their Caribbean trip and were told of Draco's tragic regress. Albus and Louisa had gone to their home and told the news to them in person along with the warning that Harry's mental state was equally as fragile as Draco's own health. Although Albus knew that the two were his very best of friends, he asked that neither of them speak to Harry unless he spoke to them first. They agreed but still wanted to come the hospital to be there for their two friends if only to let it be known that they were there and were supportive in some small way. Louisa told the two how dreadful and horrifying Draco looked and that she was sickened every time she looked at him lying there like a skeleton with tubes in every part of him like some creepy sinister science project. Albus informed the couple that Harry and the potion masters were to be given a dinner by the two volunteers and their families in two days. The pair was invited and Albus urged them to attend. The pair agreed to be there in support of their friend.

When Hermione and Ron along with Arthur and Molly Weasley came to the intensive care unit and peered through the door to see Harry lying in the bed with Draco speaking softly to him as if he was awake and able to understand, Ron wept into the arms of his mother. Molly also shed tears and Ron refused to go into the room. Hermione did enter and patted Harry's arm but he didn't look at her at all only snuggling beside Draco with his face in Draco's hair as if touching him kept them both safe from everything. Having not spoken to anyone since his orders had been given in the conference room, Harry had retreated into the world that he and Draco shared in the small room of the intensive care unit. Lucius stayed longer than anyone else including Albus over the course of days but Lucius dared not break the silence to complain when Harry would lie in Draco's bed with him to touch his hand or face lovingly. He never spoke a word when Harry would kiss over Draco's cool, dry cheek to his ear and hold put a comforting arm over Draco's bare chest dotted with the nodes.

Harry was very careful not to disturb any of the medical tubing when he would show love to his dragon. He was so tired and took tiny half hour naps on the bed with Draco but restful sleep never came and wasn't entirely welcome anyway. Having been trained for battle and the worst of situations already, Harry used magic to boost his energy levels as he was taught years ago. His own magic was feeding him.

The day arrived and the dinner with the volunteers was that evening. Albus, Lucius, Narcissa and Hermione came to the room again just after five to peer through the glass window between the blinds to see Harry lying with Draco in the bed. Harry was holding a magazine up so that Draco could see it if he were able. It was evident that Harry was reading the article and commenting on some accompanying picture or diagram on the page as if the comatose patient were wide awake and alert. It broke their hearts to see Harry's desperate hope manifest so blatantly. His refusal to accept any type of tragic event in his life was uniquely Harry as it had always been. He pushed until the end and this was no different. When they entered, Harry lowered the magazine and looked to each of them for the first time in days. He seemed almost normal.