Favoring The Brave {Drarry}

~ r ~

James is still not talking, but being back in Wizarding Britain means that it's much easier to find a mind healer who is willing to travel for a couple of days at least. More if they happen to make any progress.

"Hey, Jamesie?" Teddy says quietly and smiles uncomfortably when his little brother just looks at him blankly, not even noticing or caring enough to correct the nickname. It makes him uneasy. "Uh...Dads were wondering what you wanted to eat since I picked yesterday."

James shakes his head and shrugs.

"But it does matter. I know you hate black pudding, yeah? But the cook doesn't know that. So you have to let Dads know so that they can tell her."

James shrugs again before turning back to where he was reading over his school books in silence. Teddy can feel his eyes stinging from trying so hard not to cry. He turns to leave.

"If you need anything...just yell," he tries to joke but his voice cracks and even before that it was quivering much too hard. He gets on the other side of the closed door before he slides down the wall and starts crying. His head is buried in his arms, only being held up by his knees, his long legs scrunched up to his chest in distress.

"Teddy?" says Draco looking down at him. "Are you okay? Did something happen? Why're you crying?"

"I'm fine. It's just—" he responds through his sniffles, "Jamesie."

Draco sits next to him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling the boy into his side.

"You shouldn't be blaming yourself. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. And if you could we should probably get you trained for Advanced Divination, don't you think?"

Teddy snorts a laugh and Draco exhales a breath because at least he was able to lighten the mood a bit. Teddy turns to look at him with a sad smile, furrowed brows and tear stains down his cheeks.

"What are we going to do?"

"Harry and I think it would be best if we all have sessions with a mind healer. Your dad and I were doing them anyway, but this is much more important right now." He runs a fond hand through his son's rapidly changing hair. "But as for us, all we can really do is be there for James. He's going through a rough time and it isn't even close to how bad it could have been thanks to you calling Harry and intervening like you did."

"I should have been stronger," Teddy said shaking his head. "I could've broken the guy's nose or something. Got us away sooner. Then maybe James wouldn't be so—"

"What did I just say?" Draco snaps firmly. "This is not your fault. No one is blaming you, least of all your brother, and you shouldn't be blaming yourself. We're going to get through this as a family."

"But you don't know that! What if we can't? What if he's in there blaming me? He probably hates me! And we wouldn't even know because he isn't talking to anyone!" His voice cracks when he looks away. There are more tears pouring down his face. "I'd hate me."

"I don't hate you," says a soft small voice, cracking from lack of use. Teddy's eyes widen as he takes in the cracked door and the sight of James coming forward to sit next to him, his hair even messier than normal from sleep and eyes red from crying. "You and Dad saved my life."

"I should have done more," Teddy insists looking nervously between James' eyes trying to find some kind of emotion or agreement that he should have done better, but instead his brother smiles sadly and pulls him into a hug.

"You did enough," James mumbles  quietly into his brother's shoulder and Teddy bursts into another fit of tears, pulling the younger boy even tighter against him.