White Lies // Drarry

Chapter 29: Healing

"Let's go to Harry before heading to dinner," Ron suggested as he walked up to them once Potions was over. He didn't actually think that Harry would be awake, but the absence of his best mate was starting to do him in. He wasn't that worried really. He trusted Harry enough to know that something like this wouldn't bring him down. Harry would be fine.

"Go on without me," Draco said, waving them off with his hand. He kept his back turned to them as he fixed his ingredients' box. "I need to talk to Severus for a bit."

Hermione looked at Pansy and Blaise, who both just shrugged. "Alright. See you there, Draco."

The Potions classroom emptied quickly. Students normally didn't want to stay in that classroom for too long, especially with Snape still around.

Snape sat behind his desk, raising an eyebrow at Draco who hadn't left with his friends. "Are you done with your moping?"

Draco slung his bag on his shoulder and walked up to his desk with a half-hearted glare. "I am not moping," he muttered, even though he knew he was.

"Pining desperately," Snape corrected himself.

Draco's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Potter will be fine," Snape said instead, taking pity on the boy. He fixed his papers on his desk as he spoke. "Madame Pomfrey's feedbacks are generally positive. Whatever Carrow did to him, it didn't do lasting damage."

Draco found comfort in the golden light surrounding his godfather.

"He's still asleep," Draco countered. He frowned in worry. "We don't know how this will affect him."

"He's got his Gryffindor posse with him, an adoring following of fans, a foster family composed of red hair and freckles, and an ever-doting half-werewolf," Snape said dryly. He waved away Draco's worries as if they were inconsequential, but looked up from his papers as he said the next words. "He also has you. He will be fine."

Draco couldn't help the warmth that bloomed suddenly in his chest. Snape may not be the most affectionate godfather ever, but he certainly wouldn't trade him for the world. He smiled softly. "You're going to have to kill a baby Kneazle to get your Slytherin dignity back, Severus."

Snape scoffed. "I make hundreds of children's lives miserable each day. My Slytherin dignity is hardly at risk."

Draco grinned, especially since Snape stayed faithfully gold. He sobered quickly though as he started to talk about what he had stayed behind for. "I didn't stay to talk about Harry actually."

Snape sobered as well. He gazed at Draco from his seat cautiously. "What is it?"

Draco raised a hand to his chest, pressing it, and frowning when he still felt a slight burn at the area he pressed. "It's a bit painful," he admitted. It didn't surprise him when Snape narrowed his eyes. He continued. "It feels like during those coughing fits but minus the actual coughing fit? The burn's just there. Not much. Kind of like a mild heart burn after eating too much."

Snape clicked his tongue. He stood up from his seat, striding purposefully towards the potions' cabinet. "Is this the first time since the Amortentia incident?"

Draco's face still flushed at the Amortentia incident as he remembered his embarrassment. He cleared his throat. "Yes."

"Did anything..." Snape paused in his search and looked at Draco over his shoulder. "Untoward happen?"

Draco quickly shook his head, realizing that Snape thought it could have been because of Carrow.

Finally, Snape found what he was looking for and he came back to Draco with a tincture of belladonna. As he gave the bottle, he peered down at Draco's face. He narrowed his eyes yet again at Draco's unusually pale complexion and the slightly dark circles under his eyes. "Did you get any sleep?"