Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Published: 3/29/23

Draco huddled under his thick blanket, appreciative of its warmth. He loved the blanket Harry gave him as a present when he left the hospital. It was weighted and, at first, he wasn't sure he liked it. Too many memories... but after awhile, it was like a switch flipped and his anxiety faded. It felt like he was wrapped in a shield, and the gentle pressure was... soothing. It was soft and fluffy, and it relieved his muscle aches. He didn't care if it was summer. He hated the cold anyway.

He still had nightmares, but they were nowhere near as bad as they could be. He avoided drinking any sleeping potions as he didn't want to be dependent on them. Carla, his new mind healer (and somewhat his boss), agreed, but she urged him to try to take charge of his dreams, rather than let the memory play out. He wasn't sure he was successful in his attempts so far, but he hadn't woken up in a quivering ball, either. He wasn't afraid to sleep but wasn't exactly thrilled to go to sleep every night.

He sighed as the sun's rays flooded in from his East window. He had to get up, and he looked at his walker beside the bed. It was definitely easier in the hospital to do everything. The bed didn't have a remote, nor did he have a wheelchair lift him, and he had to sit up on his own to get out of bed. But he could handle it. So he grabbed his walker and headed to the loo. Unfortunately, one of the last things Harper did was remove the Purge and Sanitation Charms. He said that the hospital did not allow patients to leave with those spells on. It felt weird feeling after so long.

"Draco? You up?" came from his room as he was drying his hands. Blaise must've walked in.

"No," he responded tersely.

"Ha ha... breakfast is ready, then we can do your morning exercises," Blaise yelled through the door.

"I don't want to. I'm sore from yesterday."

"I'm not getting yelled at by Potter for letting you skip them! Five minutes!" Blaise yelled and walked out into the hallway.

Draco snorted. He fought Blaise over every step, just like Harry. His shoulders dropped. Two weeks had passed since he saw Harry. He missed him terribly. He had to resist flooing over to Weasley's and say to hell with waiting. But there was The Plan™. The stupid plan he had come up with to solve the pesky healer-patient relationship rule. Merlin, he hoped that Harry understood, but Harry was a pessimist nowadays.

Draco hadn't expected Joel to cut off the flow of information, but Draco agreed that it was the right call. Joel was not a fan of The Plan™, anyway. The kid thought it was too much of a gamble, but Draco didn't. He could see that Harry was barely holding on, and he was currently in Granger and Weasley's house... he was watched and comforted. Harry also took time off work, which he had told everyone he would do once Draco was gone. It was the best time. Harry was surrounded by his friends and not stewing in solitude... or, worse, in firewhiskey.

The Plan™ easily formed, once the solicitors, Parvati and Padma, looked into old healer MMMB cases. There was a clear pattern where the MMMB would rule in the healer's favor. One, that the patient was not currently under that healer's care. Two, the patient was of sound mind, capable of exercising his legal rights and controlling his financial stability. Three, the patient had a solid support structure and was able to maintain stable relationships. Lastly, that the patient and healer had had a clear separation period after when the patient left the healer's care.

How long the separation period lasted varied from case to case. It often depended on the extent of the healer and the patient's medical needs. For example, if a patient was just getting a potion or getting a simple curse removed, the MMMB didn't require any time, just that their healer-patient relationship would cease. When it was a long-term relationship, years even, with the healer acting as the family healer, they wanted a few weeks. However, when the healer was a mind healer or elsewise provided intense, long-term care... like him, they wanted months.