Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 25

"Yeah, I think he would. If Higgs didn't hurt him directly, he'd do it with neglect or lying about his mental health. Right now, this is just him trying to lower your opinion of me. It's me that he's after, ma'am. We had another fight, which I'd rather not discuss. But after it, he came up to my ward, invaded my space, and then entered my comfort zone just to rattle me. He knows how to stress me." He looked down and tried to avoid shaking.

"Harry... if you need time...."

"I don't... not now."

She eyed him. "Alright, let's go talk to your patient."

Harry had no choice but to escort her to Draco's room.

***

Draco was ready when Harry knocked on his door and asked if he could handle the Head Healer coming in. He nodded. Joel had given him the whole rundown after Harry went to the head's office. A smartly-dressed witch entered and shut the door before Harry could come in after her. She sighed as she locked and warded the room against Harry. Decently powerful spells, he noted. One didn't become head healer without skill.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy. How are you?" she said, coming closer.

Draco didn't like the situation. But if Harry was worried about her hurting him, he wouldn't have willingly let her into the room. Of course, Harry couldn't really deny his boss. Draco understood power plays. He was a Slytherin, after all.

He put on his smooth voice. "Very well. Healer Potter hasn't had the time to do my exercises. But I must say, I heard that man yelling in the hall about me for the whole ward to hear. Do healers in your hospital normally yell out for all to hear about patient's medical information?"

Her eyebrows rose up and acknowledged the subtle threat of MMMB complaint. "No. It's not a common practice. I hear you are recovering nicely," she segued.

"I can move my arms and legs, again. I sit up on my own today, and the pain is largely gone. You can't imagine the difference I feel. I never thought that I would be able to move, again," he said and demonstrated his mobility.

"I'm glad to hear that, and you're right, I can't imagine what you have been going through. You had many serious injuries, and Healer Potter is the best at healing. No one can deny that, but there's some concern about you... emotional needs. I understand that you went through a trauma...."

"Trauma? That's a euphemism for it," he interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"I don't want to upset you," she said, backtracking.

"I didn't say I was upset," he said, locking eyes with her.

She frowned, analyzing him and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Safe."

"Just safe?"

Draco shrugged. "That's all that I really care about... emotionally."

She grimaced at his deflection. "Well, I need to ask you if you wanted to talk to a mind healer."

"Talk? Oh, they talk, now?" he growled, letting his anger show. "Here, I thought they just cast Legilimens on nonconsenting patients in extreme pain."

She grimaced. "No, but they...."

"But what? You have no idea the level of pain I was in. I didn't know who they were or what they were doing. But they tried to break through my last defenses. The ones in place to keep the pain from getting in."

"They were trying to help you."

"I didn't know that. I'm sure you read the papers and know what the guards at Azkaban were doing to us. I couldn't trust that they weren't trying to hurt me in a different way. I wasn't sure I was even here and not back there. The point is... I didn't consent."