𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐒𝐎 𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒

Chapter 37

Chapter Number/Total: 37/44
Chapter Title: Recognition

Harry spent a while with Neville at the hospital, and watched him when he visited with his parents. Harry ached as he did, unable to stop the images of himself in Neville's place, years down the road, trying to take care of a Draco who wasn't ... Draco. He felt bad for it, but he was glad when Neville left and he didn't have to watch anymore.

He sat with Draco for hours, letting him touch the twins, talking to him and telling him what the boys had been like in only the few days he'd had them. He was holding Draco's hand and staring at him, Caelum and Corvus both sitting in the swing Harry had brought along, when Narcissa finally arrived.

She gave Harry a smile with slightly glittering eyes as she entered into the room, and she crossed to Draco, smoothing his hair back and kissing his forehead as she would if he were awake. She sat on the edge of his bed, taking the hand Harry wasn't holding. "Have the Healers given you anything new?" she asked.

"No," Harry answered quietly.

She nodded, sighing and reaching to fuss with Draco's hair again.

"What happened?" Harry asked. "With the paper?"

Narcissa drew herself up. "They were ... reluctant to speak with me at first," she said. "But I believe they will cooperate quite nicely."

Harry looked at her curiously.

"To be frank," Narcissa said to his look, "enough money can get you almost anything, and the threat of taking that money can work just as well."

Harry had figured money would work its way into the equation. "What did you ask them to do?" he asked.

"Well, there was no asking," said Narcissa. "I told them I wanted an apology printed in the paper."

Harry frowned a little. How much would that actually do? The damage was already done, wasn't it? Everyone knew how much money the Malfoys had. Wouldn't they just think it was an apology because she had threatened to sue, or even offered to give money for the apology? He could already see the Skeeter article after all that. "I don't know if that will be enough," he said.

Narcissa frowned at him. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Neville Longbottom was here when I came up," Harry said. "You know who that is?"

Narcissa glanced over at Neville's parents. "Yes," she said.

"He ... he knows some things about Draco that happened back in seventh year. He told me he thinks people should know the truth, and I think I agree with him."

Narcissa stared for a short moment. "He helped ... your side," she said. "Yes, I know."

"You do?" Harry said, surprised. "I didn't know he told you."

"He did," said Narcissa. "Quite a while ago."

Harry wasn't able to tell from her expression what she thought of it.

"You think people should know that?" she asked.

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Well," he said, "after this article, after the one before it – it's ... it's just not fair to him. He did all of that and no one knows it, no one knows how much he risked."

"He doesn't want people to know," said Narcissa.

Harry looked at Draco again. "He doesn't think they will believe him," he said. "And maybe they wouldn't, but at least then it would be out there. Neville said to get a reporter that will actually write the truth. He said that he would tell his part, and that Luna Lovegood would tell her part as well, and I certainly would."