"Draco, I did everything I could to keep you safe" Snape said sadly, feeling guilty for making a promise to Draco that he couldn't keep. "Why couldn't he just have loved me?" Draco asked rhetorically. The question caused Snape unimaginable anguish, but he knew he had to hide his own pain in order to look after Draco at the moment.
"Can you sit yourself up, Draco?" asked Dumbledore, looking down sorrowfully down at the student who was still lying motionless on the floor. Without verbally responding, Draco pushed himself up so he was sitting, pulling his knees closely into his chest and resting his head on them. "Good boy" Dumbledore praised softly. "Do you understand that now we have unfalsifiable evidence that your father is hurting you that we can put a proper support system in place to make sure you are being looked after?" Dumbledore went on to ask, hoping the question itself would be of some comfort to Draco. Draco nodded, feeling Dumbledore deserved more than being ignored, although he genuinely couldn't see a future where he was properly loved. He knew Snape cared, but that was only because it was his job, right?
"Would you like to come back to my quarters and go to bed?" Snape asked. Draco shook his head. "I want Blaise" Draco whispered, needing his best friend more than ever. Snape stood up, readying himself for leaving the room in search of Blaise. "I'll go, you stay" Dumbledore said, knowing that Draco would feel more comfortable being left with Snape over himself.
Once Dumbledore was out of the room Draco picked his head up from his knees. "I'm scared" Draco admitted, not having felt so unsafe in a long time. "I understand. But, I'm here and I will continue to do everything in my power to look after you" Snape said warmly. "Professor..." Draco began. "Yes?" Snape replied. "I've had a wee" Draco mumbled, feeling embarrassed at his own confession. "I thought that might be the case, and that's okay. It was really brave of you to admit to your father that you needed the toilet and it wasn't fair that he didn't give you permission to go" Snape said, acknowledging how good Draco had been at asking to go to the bathroom before having an accident. "We'll get you all changed once we're back to my quarters, okay?" Snape continued. Draco nodded, glad Snape wasn't upset with him for wetting his nappy.
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"Just us" Dumbledore said as he knocked on his office door, Blaise following closely behind him. Draco looked up, feeling immediately more comfortable now that Blaise was here. Blaise quickly took himself over to Draco's side and knelt down next to Snape. "I'm sorry" Blaise said before engulfing his friend in a consoling cuddle. Draco took this affection gratefully and held tightly onto Blaise. "It isn't your fault" Draco said once he had pulled away. "I know, but it isn't fair that you have to go through all of this" Blaise sighed helplessly, wishing more than anything that he could take all of the hurt away from Draco. "But, you've got us, so at least you aren't going through it on your own" Blaise smiled, gesturing to both Dumbledore and Snape as he spoke.
"Are you ready to go home now?" Snape asked after Blaise and Draco had been sitting together for a few minutes. "Home?" Draco asked, slightly confused. "Yes, home. Our home" Snape said, referring to his quarters as 'home' for the first time with regards to Draco. "Can Blaise come?" Draco requested. "Of course he can" Snape smiled, putting his hand out to help Draco up. "Can we say goodbye to my mum first?" Blaise asked Draco, feeling reluctant to completely abandon his mother without explanation. "Yeah" Draco said, jealous at the thought of Blaise having such a good relationship with his mother.
