Curse Of Pain

Chapter 35

Draco's POV

"Healer Malfoy, here are those charts you wanted on the patient in room 480." A medi-witch had just entered my office at work, handing over three separate parchments with all of my patients information and examinations.

"Thank you, Holly. Can you make sure she is given a blood replenishment potion. She hasn't had one since yesterday and she is still rather pale and anemic. I'm going to go over these during my lunch break." I replied to her, looking at the stats of my patients and standing up to head for lunch.

"Of course." She said before leaving the room.

I headed for an empty room only a few doors down from my office within St. Mungo's. Well, actually, it is not empty for the time being. My boss is allowing me to use it to work on Harry's potion and that's practically what I have been doing every chance I get, working on his potion. I sat at a table in the dark and humid room eating an apple while looking more closely to my patients work up.

Once I finished, I stood and went over to a separate table in the room that held all of the ingredients for the potion and a cauldron right beside it that was bubbling a nasty gray color at the moment.

This is a good sign, though. It means the potion is ready for the moonstone, good thing I got some fresh just this morning before coming to work. I added the moonstone with the potion and mixed it. Six turns to the right and four to the left.

There's no instructions to go with this potion, just the ingredients. I am having to take every lesson I have ever learned about potions in order to hopefully make this potion right. For instance, never add the belladonna before the fluxweed and always make sure the potion is stirred corresponding to the ingredient added.

I learned that from Severus. After all these years, I still miss him. I wish he could've met my son. I think he would've been proud. After all, he was the only person that I could actually call a father to me and he was taken too soon from us. I know he wasn't the greatest man to get on with, but he was still a good man, nonetheless.

I shook my head.

Now's not the time. I need to focus on the potion. After letting it sit for a moment, I tapped my wand on the side of the cauldron, bringing the heat up on it slightly. The potion started turning a slight color of red, still a good sign.

As long as everything keeps going smoothly, this should be done in less than a week and not a moment too soon.

Harry can barely get out of bed most days now. He still forces himself to go to work and drop the kids off at school everyday, but he's suffering. I can see it in his sunken, pale cheeks, the bags under his eyes. His weight has dropped tremendously as well. Everyone at the Burrow has been begging Harry to just stay home and rest, but of course the stubborn git doesn't listen to anyone.

Everyone's been trying to keep their worrying to a minimum though, in hopes of not scaring the kids anymore than they already are.

I sighed. I don't think he has much longer to live. I was able to find an accelerant for the potion that doesn't affect the potion, so hopefully it has given us enough time to get this to him.

Once my lunch was over I left the potion on a simmer. I can't add the next ingredient until the moonstone has settled in more, which won't be until tomorrow. I swear this is the longest potion I have ever made.

Work continued on as normal. Checked in with some patients. Dealt with a pixie problem and soon enough I was done.

I'll be meeting up with Harry and Hermione at the kid's school to pick them up for the day. The school has been informed that they are not allowed to leave the building at all until one of us has come to get them. Of course they don't know about the full situation, last thing we need is the public learning about this, but they've been informed by Ron to be keeping a sharp eye on them, since he is the head of the Auror department.

I was just about to leave the building to apparate to the kids when Holly stopped me. "Holly, I thought you already left for the night."

"I was about to sir, but a man dropped this off with me and said to give it to you." She handed me a yellowing envelope with a green snake sealing it.

"Thank you." I told the Medi-witch.

"No problem sir, see you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you then." I said to her as she left before looking back at the envelope in my hands.

I have a few minutes before meeting up with the others, I could take a quick peek.

I opened the letter, not really understanding who would be writing to me.

There was a small piece of parchment on the inside and I unfolded it to find two sentences.

'Hold what you care about close, you have one week. Be on guard.'

There was some initials at the bottom. V.C.

Vincent Crabbe.

Is this a threat? Is he warning me of his next move?

I have to get to Harry, he could've already made his move. I apparated immediately to the school, hoping all of them would still be there waiting for me.

"Harry!" I yelled, hoping he could hear me. "Harry! Where are you?!" There is a lot of people bustling about around the grounds since school just got out and I was having a hard time spotting his messy raven hair.

"Draco?" I heard a familiar voice call my name. I turned around abruptly to find Harry, Hermione, and all three kids.

"Oh thank Merlin. I got so worried." I said pulling Harry and the boys in for a hug.

"We're alright. We were actually getting more worried about you, you're late. Is everything ok?" Harry asked me.

"Crabbe came to my work." Everyone stiffened.

"What? How? Why? Are you ok?!" Harry panicked.

"Not here, let's get back to the Burrow." Hermione said. Everyone agreed before grabbing hands and apparating back to the Burrow.