10-4

Chapter Eight

Draco had pulled Scorpius out of the car, picking him up and carrying him towards Harry. "Merlin, Harry, you're- You're here."

Harry let out a bitter laugh, choked full of sobs. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I- Scorpius, run inside, go grab daddy's blanket and bring it downstairs, okay?"

"Okay daddy." Scorpius was rarely one to show emotion other than tentativeness and occasional happiness, but this time he shows concern as he slips past Harry into the house.

Draco helps Harry stand, taking a few moments to assess him. He'd bleeding, sore, and battered. "Alright- You're alright. We'll get you healed first, okay?"

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered, shaking his head. "I... I just needed somewhere to go, and Ron and Hermione don't know and-"

"Don't you dare apologize. I'm glad you're here. And I hope this means you're finally leaving him?" Harry cringes and Draco pauses, half-way to the couch. "Harry? You are leaving him, right?"

Harry stays quiet and Draco sighed in response, carefully walking him the rest of the way to the couch and helping him sit. 

"We'll talk about it later. For now, we need to get you healed."

Harry nods in agreement as Scorpius runs down the stairs, Draco's large blanket trailing behind him. 

"Thank you Munchkin. Here, help me cover up Harry, will you? Poor sod is shivering half to death."

They finally get him covered, tucking him in around the sides and turning up the thermostat a few degrees.

"You O-K?" Scorpius asks, patting Harry's knee gently with a frown on his face.

"I'm okay," Harry replied, giving the boy a small smile. "Don't worry about me."

Scorpius frowns but nods. "When daddy gets hurt, he likes music and chocolate. Do you like music and chocolate?"

Draco blushed as his son exposed him to Harry, but Harry only chuckles and nods. "That sounds wonderful, Scorpius."

"You get that for him, I'm going to go get a few potions, okay?" Draco ruffled his sons hair before heading to his potions storage, frantically searching through the shelves as he grabs the potions he'll need. 

Blood replenishment, bone repair, skin mending, and, remembering Scorpius' wound, also grabs some scrape-healing paste. Due to Scorpius' autism, he fell, tripped and bumped into things a lot, so they went through a lot of it. Thankfully, Draco knew how to brew it with ease. Scorpius was too small to take potions, so despite the skin mending potion working better than the paste, it would have to suffice. 

"See? I have an owie just like you! We'll be okay," Scorpius promised Harry, Beethoven playing in the background and a slew of dark chocolate tossed in Harry's lap. Scorpius' pant leg was rolled up, showing off his band-aid with Spiderman graphics on it and the scrape underneath. 

Draco chuckled lightly, placing the potions down on the coffee table. "You behaving yourself, Scorpius?"

"Yes, I am. I was showing him my owie."

"I see that. I got that paste for you."

Draco handed him the twist-top tub, letting him do it himself. His boy was very independent, and while it ached him sometimes to know that his boy was growing up, it was also reassuring that Scorpius wouldn't have trouble taking care of himself. 

"And Potter, now for your medicine," Draco teased lightly, handing him the potions. Harry send him a half-hearted glare but swallowed them all, grimacing each time. 

After a few moments, he stretched. "How's your owie Scorpius?"

Scorpius brandished his currently-healing knee with pride. "All better! What about yours? Did you fall too?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "Yes. I'm very clumsy."

"My daddy always helps when I'm clumsy. I knew he'd help you too."

Harry looked up at Draco, giving him a slight smile. "Yes, I knew that too. He's a very good person, your father."

Draco swatted Harry's leg lightly, shaking his head. "Scorpius, take your bag and go upstairs to do your homework. Mark any that you need help with, but stay up there for a while, and don't come down until I tell you to, okay?"

Scorpius frowned but nodded, leaning forward to not so secretly whisper "Is this another one of your friends that you keep for the night?"

Harry hid his laugh behind his hand as Draco's face flushed vermillion. "No, Scorpius, he's not. I'm just helping him get better."

Scorpius frowned, clearly thinking. "Will he leave like the other people you bring over?"

"Not forever, I don't think," Draco spoke, brushing some hair behind his son's ear. "Now go upstairs. You'll see Harry again, don't worry."

"Ok. Buh-Bye Harry."

"Bye Scorpius. Thanks for helping me get better."

Scorpius smiled and then ran up the stairs while Draco got up, turning off the music with a stretch and a sigh.

"Other people for the night, mm? I didn't think you to be one for one-night stands."

"I've been single for seven years, Potter- I still have needs."

Harry shrugged, unwrapping a piece of Dove chocolate and popping it in his mouth. "I suppose so."

Draco sat down on the coffee table across from Harry, clasping his hands between his spread knees. "Harry, why are you going back? You can't love him, not after... Not after all this."

Harry sighed, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. "I... He has blackmail on me."

"What could he possibly have on you? You're basically a saint."

Harry cringed, and Draco frowned. "Harry, I'm sure you can get away with leaving. Even if he does use this supposed blackmail, it can't be bad. You can move on."

"He's going to send it to my boss and my friends and... And everyone he can. The press, everything. I just... I can't lose my job or the people I care about."

"Well, what is it?"

"What?"

"The blackmail."

Harry flinched and pursed his lips, falling silent. Draco waited patiently, watching as Harry's eyes flickered around, not looking at anything in particular, but rather as if scanning something in the sky that only he could see. 

"He'd... He'd bring his friends over," Harry started, his voice barely a whisper. Draco leaned forward and Harry swallowed, hands shaking. "And he'd let them use me."

"For-?"

"For sex. All of them at once. And if I didn't act like I liked it, he'd beat me when they left."

Draco's hands twitched into fists. "Harry, you can't go back to that."

"I also can't have that leaked all over the media! Do you have any idea the things they'll say- What they'll do- I- Draco I'd never be able to show my face again, anywhere. My friends- they'd hate me, It's- I- I just can't, Draco, I can't, I have to stay."

Draco stood, taking a deep breath. "Tell Scorpius I'll be home later and to help himself to whatever he wants for dinner. You too. And don't go anywhere, do you understand?"

Harry blinked, looking startled. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about it. I've got something to take care of."