Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Published: November 5th, 2023

Harry's hands were shaking, but for once... it was with excitement. From the couch, he impatiently stared at the clock, willing it to go faster. Draco had his physical therapy at one, so there was nothing he could do but wait. They had been meeting every day for two weeks to do nothing but talk for five hours and hold hands. Draco had finally relented and let Harry massage them out. He missed healing so much, and Draco had nearly cried in relief. Harry actually did.

He loved touching Draco and wondered idly when he might be able to heal the rest of his body. He suddenly felt very hot. Touching, or rather healing, other people never used to elicit this response. With Draco, it was so much more. Harry wasn't sure that Draco had any misgivings about it. Draco never flinched from him... at least since Draco started to trust him enough.

Those first few weeks were so... brutal... seeing Draco like that. It took so much coaxing to get Draco to let him massage his hand, but Harry persevered. He won Draco's trust, and it wasn't too much later that Draco started talking. Harry remembered the indescribable feelings he had felt when that happened, and really, every time Draco made progress, mentally or physically. Months of moments that Harry will remember forever. The first time Draco threw that cylinder at him to break him out of his panic attack, the first he talked in front of Joel, when he ate food for the first time, when Draco took his first steps... Merlin... he loved him.

Harry treasured every moment with Draco, even the early days when Draco was basically nonverbal, and he would sneak glances at him, roll his eyes at his jokes, and smiled when Harry fixed his teeth. Harry remembered his own dark times when Draco asked him for his story, after he was outed in the courtroom, and all the shit with Higgs. Draco was there to help him through it. He wanted to tell Draco everything, and the clock was ticking so slowly, but in just over an hour, he'd be with Draco.

"Uncle Harry?" his niece said, jolting him out of his reminiscing and back into his body in Hermione and Ron's den. "You're... smiling?"

"Oh... I... umm... do that... sometimes..." he mumbled, unsure if he missed something. Hugo looked at him with his head tilted. He was supposed to be watching the kids while Hermione was in her office working. Harry hated how much time off work they were wasting watching him. He shouldn't have let his attention wander, but the kids looked alright. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

She nodded and said, "You don't smile... I mean normally... when you sit and stare at the wall."

Harry's eyes widened at her astute observation. Well, she was Hermione "junior". "I'm... umm... happy. I'm sorry I've been so out of it lately. I do love you and Hugo a lot."

She hugged him. "We know. We love you, too. Momma says you were sick on the inside."

He nodded. "Yeah... I was."

"Heartsick?" she asked, brazenly, and Harry froze, uncertain how to answer.

Hugo came close and giggled. "Is it Unca Dray-co?"

"I... umm..." he stammered, blushing.

"Aww... he's turnin' red!" Hugo exclaimed and jumped on him.

Rose followed and hugged him. "It is? Isn't it? That's where you go after lunch, right?"

"I-Yeah," he admitted.

"You wuv him? Like mum and da'?" Hugo asked, and Harry nodded.

"Awwww!" Rose squealed, loud enough for Hermione to come out.

"Kids? What's going on?" she said, a little worried.

"Unca Harry turned red!" Hugo exclaimed.

"What?" she said, looking at him.