Not your usual Veela mate [Chapters 39-69]

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? [55]

Wednesday, Sep. 18
"

How is he?" Severus asked quietly, coming to stand behind Lucius, putting his hands on slumped shoulders.
"Not good. And I haven't got the faintest idea how to help him," Lucius replied, sounding tired and defeated. "I summoned Fawkes, hoping that he could go and get help, but he has just been crying tears into Harry's mouth. But, Sev, the tears aren't enough!" Lucius said, starting to get agitated. Under his hands, Severus could feel the Veela's muscles clenching and unclenching, as if he was about to battle the damage done to the Elf himself if only he knew how.
Tightening his grip, Severus did what he could to try and offer some comfort. "Did you cast a diagnostic charm? What did the scan say?" the Potions master asked, trying to approach the problem with a professional air, his mind shying away from what would happen if Harry did die.
Lucius glanced at his son who was too focused on helping his mate to pay them any attention. "I didn't want to say anything to Draco, but Harry is slipping away from us, and I don't know how to stop it. I don't know why, Sev, but he was very badly affected by that curse. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. I mean, it isn't a pleasant spell, far from it, but it takes prolonged exposure to it to become insane," Lucius said with a tired sigh, reaching up and grabbed hold of one of his mate's hands, needing the grounding contact more than ever.
"We both know that the Cruciatus causes some damage to the nerves. Salazar knows that I have consumed gallons of that foul potion of yours over the years. However, for true damage to be done you again need prolonged exposure to it, and Harry was only hit with it for a few seconds, a minute at the most. And yet, somehow, the damaged to his nerves are just too severe. They seem to be... unravelling, and..." Lucius broke off, too choked up to continue.
Severus got a pensive look on his face, watching the Phoenix as he cried. Snapping his fingers, the Potions master summoned a house-elf, which arrived promptly.
"Tikky, I want you to go to my stores and gather up three bottles of Phoenix tears," he ordered. And moments later the bottles had arrived, delivered by a deep-bowing house-elf who cast an uncertain look at Harry and then popped away, tears in her eyes.
"Here, let us see if a larger dose of the tears will help," Severus said, doing his best to sound cheerful. They couldn't all fall apart. It was enough that the Malfoys were. Someone had to remain strong, or Harry would surely be lost.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Severus gently coaxed Draco into letting go of his mate. It took a while, but eventually the devastated Veela allowed the other man to hold the precious bundle. Resting Harry's head against the crook of his neck, Severus carefully placed the top of the bottle against the Elf's lips, tipping the vial enough so that the expensive drops trickled into Harry's mouth.
Draco moved closer, unable to stay away. Severus welcomed him and encouraged the teen to massage the brunet's throat to help encourage him to swallow.
It felt like an eternity, and they were down to the last dregs of the third bottle when Harry finally began to stir. Taking a deep breath, he was unable to hold back a slight moan from the discomfort he was feeling.
"Harry?" Draco asked, reaching up to caress the nearest cheek. "Harry, can you hear me?"
Harry blinked his eyes open, breaking into a wide grin when his searching eyes landed on the Veela. "Draco..." he whispered, his voice barely more than a soft breath.
"Don't you dare scaring me like that ever again!" Draco scolded, pulling his mate from Severus' arms and into a bone crushing hug. "I thought for sure I was going to lose you, and it was tearing me apart," he admitted, whispering the words meant only for the Elf to hear.
"What happened?" Harry asked, finding his memory of resent events a bit fuzzy.
"What do you remember?" Lucius asked, watching as Severus cast several diagnostic charms in an attempt to discern how the teen was doing. His spells kept being disrupted by Draco who was far too close for the spells to be effective, yet neither man had the heart to ask him to move aside, even for a moment.
Besides, the readings Severus did get all stated that the Elf was on the mend and that the damage done to his body was healing slowly. If they could manage to make him rest, the Elf should be as good as new in a few days time. Still, they did know far too little about Harry's physic for Severus to truly release his concerns. He could only hope that the Elven King got back to them, and soon.
"For that matter, how do you feel?" Lucius added, taking in Severus frown and wondering if he should start getting alarm or not. Then again, Harry had woken up and was coherent. For the moment, it was enough. They could deal with eventual consequences later.
"Tired," Harry admitted having considered the question carefully, sensing that an automatic 'I'm fine' would not be well received by this group. "My body is aching, and I feel like I've been hit by a few Bludgers, but other than that..."
Harry's voice trailed off as he examined the three people who had come to mean so much to him. Lifting an eyebrow, he turned back to Draco, taking in his haggard looks, absently noting that the Veela had his wings out.
"What happened? We were in the Great Hall, eating lunch. I remember Pansy cast Crucio on me. What happened after that?"
Draco launched into a detailed description, leaving nothing out. As he came to a halt, tears were once more streaming down his face, and Harry's heart was aching for his boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, Draco. I never meant to worry you so much."
"You have nothing to feel sorry for!" Draco exclaimed. "Salazar, Harry, how were you supposed to know that Pansy was about to flip? I mean, she cast Crucio in the Great Hall, for Salazar's sake! Before everyone. Right in front of the eyes of Dumbledoreof all people!"
Harry shrugged his shoulders, unable to meet Draco's eyes. "I was goading her. I was deliberately angering her. I wanted her to realise just what it was that she had lost. I knew she was pissed off because of the potion. I knew that she would get angry, I just never realised-"
"No, Harry. In this you are blameless," Lucius said, gently grasping Harry's chin, forcing him to look at the older blond. "Pansy is a Slytherin. No matter how angry she got, she should have kept her temper. Throwing hexes around when angered that is the Gryffindor way. No self-respecting Slytherin would ever behave in that manner."
Harry snorted. "Pansy has never been a self-respecting Slytherin," he stated, feeling grateful that they weren't blaming him. Harry wasn't sure he fully believed them, but he was grateful nevertheless.
Lucius' lips twitched with amusement. "Touché," was all he murmured, his respect for Harry rising one more notch.
"So, what's going to happen to our Gryffindorish Slytherin?" Harry asked, making himself comfortable in Draco's arms.
"Love, I don't think there is such a word," Draco said wryly, placing a kiss on Harry's temple.
Harry just shrugged, not particularly interested in debating vocabulary at the moment.
"I believe this discussion should be postponed until a later time. Mr. Potter has just woken up and we still don't know if there will be any repercussions from what happened to him," Severus said, unconsciously falling back into teacher mode as he regarded the teens curled up around each other. He did not want to think about Albus' latest idiocy.
"Severus?" Lucius asked, growing alarmed. "Don't tell me," he sighed, running a hand through his hair in agitation. Surely Dumbledore hadn't...
"Severus?" Harry asked, looking both worried and resigned at the same time, picking up on the older men's agitation and anger.
Severus sighed, but knew when to give in. "Yes. Albus has decreed that because Pansy was affected by the potion, she could not be held responsible for her actions. The Weasleys are well known for their fiery temper, and Ron is the most volatile of the group."
"That is a load of bull shit!" Harry exclaimed, having a hard time believing his ears, even though he had suspected from the start that Dumbledore would find a way to get the girl off the hook. "The potion doesn't work that way! Besides, we all know that Ron tends to cast first year jinxes when he is angry. Then again, he did cast Sleep of the Dead on Draco that time," Harry mused, momentarily sidetracked by the memory. "Still, we all know that he would not be casting Crucio, no matter how enraged he'd get. Besides, to cast that curse successfully, mere anger isn't enough. You have to mean it," Harry said, remembering vividly that night at the Ministry when he had attempted to cast that spell on Bellatrix.
Draco tightened his hug on his mate. He wasn't sure what to say, he didn't think a rant would help the tense atmosphere, so he opted to show his mate that he was there for him.
"You are quite correct, Harry. Unfortunately, most of the staff is still in shock that one of their students could be so foolhardy and stupid that they are only too happy to let the Headmaster talking them into forgetting that it ever happened. None of them are considering the message this will give the rest of the school. I fear that if we allow the matter to drop, then it won't be long before others pick up on Pansy Parkinson's behaviour, going after those they consider weaker than them. I especially fear for the first and second years," Severus said with a tired sigh. He had tried to reason with Dumbledore, but as always, the aged wizard had just waved his concerns aside, stating that no student at his school would ever sink to such deplorable behaviour. Totally overlooking the fact that one already had.
"I'm tired," Harry whispered, acknowledging to himself at least that he was talking about more than being physically tired.
"That is quite understandable," Lucius said, climbing gracefully to his feet. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? Severus and I will be in the next room, call us if you need anything. Anything at all." Smiling slightly, he reached down and caressed Harry's cheekbone with the back of his fingers. "Try not to worry. We will find a way to deal with Dumbledore. He has gone too far this time, and he will not get away with sweeping this mess under the carpet."
"Thank you, Lucius," Harry whispered, his throat tight with emotions. Was this how it felt to have a father? Feeling tears well up into his eyes, the overwrought teenager buried his face in his Veela's neck and breathed deeply, allowing the scent of his mate to calm and soothe him.
Father and son shared a sad look filled with love and understanding. Moving carefully, Draco kept his wings wrapped around his mate as he tried to find a position that would be comfortable for both of them. Both Lucius and Severus stepped forward to help him, and Draco felt immensely grateful for that, since it meant that he didn't have to let go of his precious bundle.
It didn't take long before they were tucked snugly into bed, a light blanket covering them both, a combined heating/cooling charm on the blanket ensured that they would be kept at ideal temperature at all times. Sighing softly, Draco closed his eyes and just revelled in the presence that was his mate.