Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Published: 4/18/2021

A few days had passed since Draco came out of his altered mental state, and Harry had spent the time getting Draco back to where he was before, strength and pain-wise. He insisted on putting him into a Dreamless Sleep while he finished his healing on his hips and flexor muscles. Draco didn't fight him too much, as though sensing Harry wouldn't be able to handle touching him there for a while.

It healed nicely, though, and Harry was able to start leg exercises and bends that Draco hated, but consented to do as they were necessary. Despite missing the three weeks in recovery, Harry doubled his effort. He wanted Draco to regain his mobility. He had gotten him to sit up on his own and stay there for a few minutes, though he was extremely sore afterward. He was getting there.

Harry couldn't wait until Draco's feet touched the floor. He never thought about the end consequences. Draco might leave and their interactions would cease... or slow down. Or the bad ones... the fact that Draco was still under the hospital's care. Harry didn't have the heart to tell Draco that he might not ever leave. He was set to go to the permanent ward, not too far from Alice and Frank Longbottom, Gilderoy Lockhart and Xenophilus Lovegood.

Harry was still trying to stop it. Maybe, he could prove that Draco didn't try to kill himself, which might negate a Mental Health check. He could appeal to the hospital board, too, but he knew that they rarely contradicted the Mental Health Department's opinion as that wasn't something that they could easily brush aside. They weren't mind healers. But Harry didn't want to panic over that right, now. They would deal with that when they came to it. Besides, Draco could easily defend himself against their intrusion.

Harry managed to go to Ron and Hermione's last night for the first time in weeks. He had to use a glamour to not scare the kids, who were ecstatic to see him. He spent the whole night playing with them, and after they went to bed, they talked briefly about the case. Hermione said that everything was going well, but did hint that she needed to talk to Draco, in the near future. Harry wouldn't give the okay. He had to make sure Draco would allow it.

She didn't press too hard. She told him that Ernie had just written off his checks of the place and had never gone to Azkaban at all. His underlings did. They condoned and participated in the abuse. They had recommended Draco's sentence extensions, and Ernie signed off on it. Ernie was looking at fines and probation, as well as a new job, but the others were getting prison time. Hermione had no issues keeping her post. Kingsley praised her for her courage in stamping out corruption rather than sweeping it under the rug.

Twenty-five people were getting stiff sentences so far. Harry nodded. He still couldn't believe that many people had destroyed their lives and the souls of their victims. Harry felt such disappointment in humanity. Death Eaters were almost better than them, almost. Hermione said that it was their unmonitored control that prompted them to such horrific acts.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," she explained.

"They're just weaklings who liked hurting someone weaker and more vulnerable than them," Ron suggested.

Harry remembered his own attacker's words. How he preened for his surrender... the control he had. That was what it was about... control. At the prison, it probably started small: mental abuse, denying food and sleep, and then physical abuse... until one crossed the line. Then convinced the others to do it, one at a time. Harry didn't care. The Death Eaters couldn't use the excuse that everyone was doing it, and that muggleborns weren't really human... wizards. They sure as fuck shouldn't get away with doing it.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked before he left.

"No," he admitted. "But I'm getting better. Give me a little bit, okay?"