Ember to Ember (Sequel to Volunteers) Chapter 10
Author's Note: This one came a wee bit faster, and it looks like I may just be able to finish before the new Beltane fest begins :). So. You know the drill, this is Ember to Ember, the sequel to Volunteers (fic written for hds_beltane), which is supposed to be taking place in 2007/2008 and is getting ready to catch up to itself in time ;) Concrit is warmly appreciated. Thanks hugely to scrtkpr for beta.
Title: Ember to Ember
Chapter: 10 (of 12)
Pairing: H/D
Word count: 5000.
Chapter 1: May
Chapter 2: June
Chapter 3: July
Chapter 4: August
Chapter 5: September
Chapter 6: October
Chapter 7: November
Chapter 8: December
Chapter 9: January (previous)
Date: January 10
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
Ben reminded me that Alec was supposed to come over this Saturday.
Date: January 11
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
I'll drop him off at noon. Have you received this year's Beltane information from the Ministry?
I've talked to Alec about withdrawing from the Dublin choir after the next concert, in case he brings it up.
Date: January 13
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
I've attached a list of the Muggle groups confirmed for Beltane so far. Alec did bring up choir.
Date: January 14
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
Is he all right with it? He didn't say very much to me.
I've attached a list of wizard groups confirmed.
Date: January 15
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
More or less. He's glad he's in the London choir.
Date: January 28
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
When will you be dropping Ben off for the Quidditch game this Saturday? He can stay with us if it goes past nine.
Date: January 29
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
I've a late meeting with an orchestra so I'll have to drop Ben off at 6, which I know is when the game starts. We'll meet you at the stadium. Please wear amulets.
Date: January30
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
We will. Don't forget it's at that new place, Pennington Stadium.
oooOOOooo
February 2
Hermione glanced around the stadium, happy to be out of the house and without children, but wishing her first child-free moment in a month wasn't at a Quidditch game. They were here for a good reason, she reminded herself. She and Ron had offered to accompany Harry to this game because he was their best friend, and he needed them right now, and they loved him and wanted to spend time with him. The venue didn't matter.
She gazed at him as he talked quietly to Alec, pointing out parts of the brand new pitch and stadium, and wondered what was going on inside him. How he was doing with the break-up, and how Alec was doing. Wondered if anybody else in the family knew about it yet. Probably not; Harry wasn't terribly talkative lately, and Alec had gone back to his pre-Malfoy near-muteness. Not that it was that big a change - he'd never been terribly chatty - but Hermione wondered if any of the other Weasleys had noticed it yet.
"They're here, Daddy," Alec said, and Hermione turned to look. There was Malfoy, with a small child that Hermione assumed was Ben wearing a NewFace amulet, as Harry and Alec were. Harry let Alec down, and Alec ran to hug Malfoy, then tugged Ben towards the stadium, excitedly retelling him everything Harry had just shown him. Malfoy stood up, looking rather uncomfortable, as Ben and Alec ran off.
"So you'll come pick him up tomorrow morning?" Harry asked quietly, and Hermione couldn't believe how much it bothered her that he and Malfoy didn't even look at each other.
She'd been so relieved when Harry had told them of the break-up. Finally, one of them had done the right thing. The sensible thing.
Sensible didn't mean easy, though. And while Malfoy seemed fine, Harry was devastated. Hermione hurt for him even as she reminded herself that this was for the best.
Malfoy nodded. "If that's all right," he said. He looked around. "Sorry I was late. Looks like the game'll be starting soon. You'd better go."
Harry nodded, and they turned to go in, calling for the kids.
And then all hell broke loose.
It started with what sounded like a groan, and Hermione looked up to see part of the wall a few yards ahead buckling, and then it was falling and people were screaming. Hermione stood stock-still in shock for a moment before rushing forward to help - it was chaos, people were shouting, wands had come out and protection spells were being flung left and right, like a battle against a non-sentient enemy. She had her wand in hand and was preparing to cast a wall-strengthening spell when she heard another horrible groan. She turned and saw, as if in slow motion, Ron and Harry, who were right behind her, turning to look and the wall behind them collapsing - and Malfoy, Ben and Alec disappearing behind a cloud of dust. Her heart stood still as the three of them raced back, and she gasped in relief as Malfoy emerged from the dust and handed Ben to a wizard who had popped in out of nowhere, then turned back and-
"Hermione! Sto-"
oooOOOooo
Hermione woke up to a frantic babble, voices of fear and pain. Over a hundred people were running, sitting, talking, shouting. Patients, St. Mungo's Healers and other hospital employees hurrying here and there, people with Quick Quills and flashing cameras...
She sat up, blinking and trying to make sense of the chaos, and soon realized that most of the people in the waiting room didn't seem hurt. Many were covered in dust, and there was some blood and bandages to be seen, but the majority of people not in Healer robes seemed to be friends and family of those who were hurt. She looked up and saw Ron, Harry, and Malfoy, all of them dusty and wearing St. Mungo's-issue shirts, Malfoy with a black eye and no glasses, and Harry with a large gash over his cheek, his NewFace amulet gone.
"Oh good, you're awake," said Ron, brushing her hair back from her face. "Feeling all right?"
"Fine, fine. What happened?"
"You got in the way of some idiot trying to keep the wall up by Stunning it-"
"I mean at the stadium," Hermione said impatiently.
"New masonry spell gone wrong, far as anyone can tell," said Ron. "There were about fifty people buried under the rubble. It's a miracle nobody was killed."
Hermione stood up. "Alec and Ben?" she said, scared at the way Harry and Malfoy, who had barely acknowledged her return to consciousness, were staring tensely at the treatment area door.
"Both being worked on by Healers." Ron swallowed hard. "A whole team for each of them. There's about twenty people in the same boat."
Hermione nodded distractedly as a Healer entered, scanning the anxious crowd clustered near the door.
"Mr. Potter? Mr. Malfoy?" she said, and Hermione saw a few people do double-takes as they hurried forward.
"How are they?" Malfoy said, his voice tense.
"They're both doing much better than we thought at first," the Healer said reassuringly. "To be honest, with the severity of the injuries, mixed with the magical damage, it didn't look good. But I wanted to let you know that the damage is far less severe than we thought. And it's difficult to say at this moment, but we're fairly sure Ben will recover fully," she said, and Malfoy took a deep breath. "As for Alec..."
Harry stared at her.
"We're doing our best, sir, but... the spells that hold up the stands are very powerful. Having them hit a small child like that, it's..."
"Can I help?" Hermione asked, pushing down her fear. "I - I've worked with Healers before, I have some experience-"
The Healer nodded. "Yes, I know. I recognize you; I was here when... when you joined the team to help Alec's mother." She cleared her throat. "Please understand, though, this is a very different situation, Ms Granger. We know how to handle collapse damage; masonry spells do go wrong sometimes. There's at least four more things we can try before we panic."
Harry blinked, his face becoming expressionless, and Hermione could almost feel him shutting down. Ron closed his eyes and put his head down, breathing deeply.
"There's every expectation that they'll both recover fully," the Healer said gently to Harry and Malfoy. "It looks far more promising than when you first came in. It's just... you also have to be prepared for the worst." And with that, she left, the door swinging closed behind her.
"Who the hell can be prepared for something like this?" Ron muttered angrily.
Hermione shook her head, looking around at the families in the waiting room. "Malfoy," she said suddenly, "have you contacted Kara?"
Malfoy looked at her blankly for a moment. "Kara. No, we were... we weren't sure what was going on..."
"Would you like to?"
"Yes," Malfoy said. "Yes, that would be good. I'm not sure where she is right now.... probably at Windbourne records. Erm..." he blinked, frowning slightly.
"Do you want me to call her?" Hermione asked, recognizing the signs of being momentarily stuck between worlds. It was always a bit of an awkward mental switch, no doubt made more difficult by Malfoy's anxiety. "I do know how to use the phone."
Malfoy gave her a slight smile. "Yeah. Thanks." He took out his wallet and pulled out a card, giving it to her, Kara Greely and a string of phone numbers written on it.
"I'll arrange for transportation for her too," said Hermione, glad to have something to do, and went to the Muggle Help Desk, grateful that such a thing was finally available in the wizarding world. Grateful to spend the next fifteen minutes or so working with the witch on duty, getting a hold of Kara and arranging for transportation to St. Mungo's for her.
"She'll be at the Muggle entrance in a few minutes," she told Malfoy as she rejoined the three men. "She was at Windbourne. It's just taking a bit of time to arrange for the Dublin-to-London part of the trip. The Help Desk witch's assistant will tell us when she's arrived at the building; should be any second now. Do you want me to get her?"
Malfoy shook his head. "No, I'll do it. She'll want to know what happened..."
"Ms Granger?" said a young witch, approaching them. "There's a Ms Greely here, a Muggle?"
"Yes, thank you," said Malfoy. "I'll go pick her up."
"Muggle entrance is through the Floo on the left side of the main entrance doors, sir," said the witch, and turned back to Harry as Malfoy hurried away. "Sir, there's a few people here asking to come in, but we've sealed off the area-"
"What?"
"The Wireless just reported the collapse, sir," she explained. "Apparently people also noticed that you were there. We've given some reporters access to the hospital staff, and they're helping get people in contact with families, but we're keeping people away if they appear to be trying to bother you in particular."
"Thank you," said Hermione.
"Two of them say they're relatives, though. Fred and George Weasley?"
"Yes, of course, let them in," said Hermione, then bit her lip and glanced at Harry worriedly, but he didn't seem to have noticed. Didn't do more than nod vaguely at the twins as they came in either, both looking highly worried.
"How's Alec?" asked Fred, and Hermione gave him what information she could.
"M-Malfoy's here too?" asked George.
"Yes, he is - not here right now, he's at the Muggle entrance, picking up Ben's mother."
Ron frowned. "How'd you know Malfoy was here?"
"It's on the Wireless," said Fred. "They're saying he was spotted at the site."
"C-can't make up their minds, though-" began George.
"Somebody said it looked like he set off whatever it was that caused the collapse, but another report said he was pulling people out of the wreckage," Fred finished.
Ron's face darkened. "The setting off part is rubbish," he said vehemently. "It was an accident. Besides, Ben was there. And Malfoy was hurt too. The pulling people out part, I'm not sure, it was pretty confusing-"
"He got Alec," Harry said dully. "That's how he got hurt. He went back under the wall for him. If he hadn't..." He looked up at Fred, seeming to recognize him for the first time.
Fred nodded. "Look, tell me to bugger off if you want," he said quietly. "I know your boyfriend's here, I won't say anything to him. I just want to be here in case... to be near Alec."
Harry shrugged, his eyes back on the door.
"What the hell h-happened?" George asked. As Ron answered, Hermione looked around the crowded room, noting that, now that she could take in the scene more calmly, it didn't seem quite the chaos it had when she'd first arrived. Many of the injured were slowly being allowed to leave, and the atmosphere was now one of impatience and nerves rather than abject fear. The exception, of course, was the group of thirty or so people clustered near the treatment area doors.
"Harry, dear." Hermione looked up to see Molly hurrying towards Harry. Behind her, Arthur, Kara, and Malfoy were entering the waiting room, Kara looking too frightened to be properly aware of the strangeness of the place. Molly hugged Harry, hard, then drew back and looked at him worriedly. "Any news?"
Harry shook his head silently, and Molly gave Hermione a worried look.
"Yes, Floo travel is a little difficult at first, I've heard," Arthur was saying sympathetically to Kara as they drew nearer. "Was that your first time?"
Kara nodded distractedly, glancing around the waiting room. "So... this is a hospital? Is there - is Ben in surgery?"
Malfoy shook his head. "He's with the Healers. He's got spell damage, from the spells that were supposed to be holding up the walls of the stadium. The Healers are optimistic, though." He looked at Harry. "For both of them."
"What... is there anything we need to do? Can we donate blood, anything?"
Hermione smiled as Arthur's eyebrows went up and he almost visibly made a mental note to ask about Muggles and blood donation at a more appropriate time.
"No." Ron shook his head. "Nothing to do now but hurry up and wait."
oooOOOooo
Two hours later, the door opened, and a weary-looking elderly Healer came through, followed by a reedy younger man wearing a Trainee Healer badge. They scanned over the people in the waiting room. "Mr. Malfoy? Ms Greely?"
They quickly came forward. "Ben's doing well," the elder Healer said. Malfoy and Kara breathed out simultaneously, and Kara reached for Malfoy's hand. "He's responding very well to the counter spells. He's going to be groggy for the next two days or so, and he'll have to stay in isolation, but he'll be fine."
Malfoy nodded, his face pale, and pulled Kara close as she burst into tears.
"Oh thank the Goddess," she sobbed into his hair. "I thought... it's stupid, I know, they said he'd be all right and I trust them, it's just..."
Malfoy nodded as he held her closer. "Can we see him?" he asked.
"He's in isolation right now, so no," the younger Healer said coldly, and Kara looked up at him, puzzled. "We do have rules, you know," he said, eyeing Malfoy disdainfully.
Molly and George drew in their breaths angrily. Malfoy pressed his lips together and looked away.
"Trainee Healer Webster," said the older Healer calmly. "One of the things you need to work on is proper bedside manner with relatives of patients, and one thing that is very clear is that you do not address them in such a tone no matter who they are, even if you believe their question to be a stupid one. Which that one was not. Now, please go and wait for me in my office." He turned to Malfoy, not bothering to see if the startled Trainee Healer had done so. "No, Mr. Malfoy, it is not advisable right now, although we will allow you to record a message to him. I will ask for an aide to bring you a recording scroll."
"Thank you," said Malfoy quietly, still holding on to Kara, who was wiping her tears.
"Mr. Potter, we will let you know as soon as we have any news about Alec," the Healer said, and left.
Malfoy touched Harry's arm.
"That's good. I'm glad Ben's all right," Harry said. Hermione bit her lip at the deadness in Harry's voice and met Malfoy's eyes worriedly.
"Harry... Alec will be all right," said Malfoy. "You heard the Healers, and he was right next to Ben, they-"
"Alec's a lot smaller," Harry said flatly. "He was under for longer."
"He's a fighter, though," said Ron. "Like his dad."
There was a brief silence, and Hermione wondered how many of the others were also desperately trying to think of something encouraging to say to Harry.
"Is... is there a chapel here?" Kara asked quietly.
"Oh, yes, dear, of course there is," Molly said, grabbing at the topic gratefully. "I'll show you there, shall I?"
"Draco?" Kara asked, and Malfoy glanced at Harry, who nodded, before joining Kara. Molly blinked, a bit startled, but merely nodded at Malfoy, and they set off.
Hermione glanced around at the four Weasley men helplessly standing around Harry with no idea how to comfort him, how to reach him, their worry for Alec almost overshadowed by their fear for Harry.
"We may as well sit down again," Arthur said, gently pushing Harry towards the chairs that had been set out for the patients' families.
"Glad B-ben's all right," said George quietly as he, Fred, Hermione, and Ron trailed slowly behind Arthur and Harry.
"Anybody want to place bets on Malfoy sticking around now?" Fred said cynically.
"He will," Ron said, a slight edge to his voice.
"He may have saved Alec's life," Hermione pointed out.
"Fred," George said quietly. "M-Malfoy might not be who you w-want for them, but at least Harry's got s-somebody with him-"
"No, he doesn't," Hermione interrupted.
"What?"
"Harry and Malfoy broke up," Ron said flatly, and George and Fred stopped in their tracks. "About a month ago."
"What?" Fred said.
"Malfoy ditched him," Ron said. "Worried about being seen with him. Trying to shield Ben from bad publicity."
"Good riddance," Fred muttered. "And what a surprise. Always looking out for himself."
"Yeah, he's so good at it that he may have saved Alec's life, in a public place. And then spent two hours in here with Harry, knowing there's reporters around. He didn't have to, you know. He could've asked to go somewhere more private to wait with Kara, I'm sure the staff would've agreed."
"He can't win with you, can he?" Hermione said. "If he's around Harry and Alec, he's bad for them; if he leaves, he's a selfish coward."
"The other reason he left," said Ron tightly, "was he knew he was coming between Harry and us. Selfish prick, isn't he?" He glared at Fred. "So congratulations, Fred. You won." He shook his head in disgust and headed towards Harry and Arthur.
Hermione spared a glance at the twins, George's expression shocked and sorrowful, Fred's unreadable, then hurried to catch up to Ron.
oooOOOooo
"Ben, we love you," Kara said, finishing off her message to him. "Mam and Dad canna come in right now, because the spells have to make you better, but we'll be there soon as the doctors say it's all right."
"You'll be all right, Benny," said Malfoy. "The Healers said you might feel bad for a little while, but you'll be better soon. We'll come see you as soon as it's safe." He nodded at the aide, who waved her wand at the scroll. It started to roll up.
"Wait - may I?" Molly asked hesitantly. Kara looked at her, confused. "I just want to let him know we're all thinking of him," she said. "He's such a lovely little boy. You must be so proud of him."
"Aye," Kara said, and the staff person waved her wand at the scroll again.
"Harry, would you like to leave Ben a message too?" Arthur said, and Harry blinked, startled.
"Oh. Yeah, yeah, of course," he said. "Erm... not sure what to... what to say..."
"We'll help you, dear," said Molly, patting his arm comfortingly.
"Come sit," Hermione said to Malfoy and Kara, as Molly, Arthur and Harry began recording their messages.
"Ben will be able to hear our voices? From that paper?" Kara asked skeptically.
"It's just like a CD," Malfoy said. "Except you don't need a machine to play it for you; just a wand."
"How is... how is Harry doing?" Kara asked worriedly, her voice low.
"He's terrified," said Ron. "Haven't seen him this out of it since..." he shook his head, trailing off.
"But the Healers said it's nae so serious as-"
"It's n-not that," George said. "It's not the s-seriousness. Harry knows Alec'll most p-probably be all right. It's..." he cleared his throat.
"It's just too much like the day Ginny died," Fred said flatly, and George's eyes filled with tears as Fred finally spoke what they'd all been trying to avoid thinking. "Part of why Bill and Percy didn't want to be here. Too much déjà vu. Not that Harry won't be thinking it anyway." Malfoy nodded, gazing at Harry, and Hermione could almost feel his need to go to him. "Fuck," said Fred, shaking his head, "it's just like that day-" he stopped as the treatment area door opened, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. It had opened several times in the last half hour, and although it was comforting to note that the relatives and friends the Healers talked to had almost all seemed relieved, and some had left smiling, the tension was getting higher as the crowd thinned around them.
"Mrs. McClachan?" said the Healer, and an elderly witch rushed to the door. Hermione recalled that the Healers had not seemed very reassuring when they had last spoken to her, but her heart still sank as the Healer spoke and the woman gave a low cry and closed her eyes, covering her mouth. Hermione could feel the fear in the air getting thicker as all of those left in the waiting area desperately tried to hold on to hope, and the old woman began to cry. Harry had gone pale, and he approached their chairs and sat down, his breathing shallow.
"Harry," Malfoy said gently. Harry didn't acknowledge him. Malfoy crouched down before Harry, looking up at him and touching his knee. "He'll be all right. You heard the Healers when they first came to talk to that woman. They didn't have much hope for her husband. With Alec, they do." Harry kept looking at the floor, face utterly blank, and Malfoy sighed and started to get up. Harry suddenly covered Malfoy's hand with his, holding him in place.
Malfoy glanced around the room nervously, but he didn't draw back, didn't pull away.
"Ms Greely? Mr. Malfoy?" Another Healer was standing at the treatment area door. "We've arranged cots for you near Ben's room so you can rest a bit, and be a bit closer to him. Get you out of the waiting area, anyway."
Kara nodded, standing up. "Draco?" she said softly. "Are you coming?"
Malfoy hesitated, then shook his head. "I'll be there later."
Kara nodded and gave him a hug, looking at Harry worriedly for a moment before following the Healer out.
"I can't do this," Harry said softly.
Malfoy gazed at Harry worriedly and sat down next to him, a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Hermione watched them as Malfoy murmured to him quietly.
Breaking up had been the right thing to do. The sensible thing.
Harry was nodding, his gaze unfocussed, then his forehead creased and he bowed his head, drawing in on himself. Malfoy pulled Harry into his arms, both closing their eyes as Harry clung to him desperately, his breathing laboured. "I can't..." Harry choked out. "If he, if he... he's only five, I can't lose him too..."
"You won't. You won't, he'll be fine," murmured Malfoy.
Hermione's throat closed up, and she grabbed Ron's hand, fear and sorrow flooding her as Harry struggled to not break down. Ron squeezed her hand, clearing his throat and wiping at his eyes quickly.
"Ms Granger?" Hermione turned to see a Healer looking apologetic.
"Yes?"
"You had offered to help in case we needed you for Alec Potter - he's all right," the Healer said swiftly. "His healing's going well. But we're having a bit of trouble with another patient; she's got some odd interaction of spells that look like they might be Ministry-related. Would you mind..."
Hermione hesitated, and Ron touched her shoulder. "Go on," he said. "You know it'll calm your nerves to be able to use your brain for a bit. We're all just waiting here."
Hermione smiled at him gratefully, hugging him tightly before following the Healer into the treatment area.
oooOOOooo
Two hours later, she was back in the waiting room, which was now visibly emptier than before. Only a small group of people were still left in the area set aside for families of the stadium collapse victims. Arthur had apparently persuaded Harry to take a short walk outside with him, Ron and George had dozed off in their chairs, and Molly had somehow managed to procure knitting needles and was busily knitting a small sweater. Malfoy was staring out one of the windows, his arms crossed, a thoughtful look on his face, and Fred was contemplating the floor with a blank expression. Hermione sank down next to Molly, and they chatted quietly, Hermione telling her about the case she'd just assisted with, and Molly letting her know that the news on Alec was still good and Ben was still in isolation.
Suddenly Fred got up, joining Malfoy at the window.
"Listen, I need to talk to you," he said curtly. Malfoy looked wary and glanced at Hermione, who left Molly in mid-sentence and hurried towards them, standing next to Malfoy with her arms crossed. Because if Fred was going to take this opportunity, now, to go after Malfoy again, she wasn't going to let it happen without a fight.
Fred stared at her for a long moment, then turned back to Malfoy, apparently deciding not to bother asking her to leave. He cleared his throat.
"Ginny was our favourite sibling, you know," he began abruptly. "George's and mine. She was - she had a hell of a sense of humour, and even though she was the baby, she could put us in our place." He took a deep breath. "When George was cursed, she was all that kept me from going insane. I don't know what I would've done without her." He took another deep breath. "When, erm, when she died, it was fucking unfair, you know? The war was over and somehow we'd all survived, even though all of us had been in the Order. We weren't supposed to have to worry about our safety any more. And then all of a sudden she was gone."
He cleared his throat. "The only thing we could do for her was take care of Alec and Harry for her. We've done our best; we don't understand Alec, but there's not one of us that wouldn't give anything for him. He sort of belongs to all of us. And so does Harry."
Malfoy was looking at him expressionlessly.
"What I'm trying to say is... they're both important to us." He looked away. "And some of us haven't done so well letting go and seeing when we're trying to protect them but we're actually hurting them. And when I say we I mostly mean me." He paused, meeting Malfoy's eyes again. "I'm trying to say I'm sorry, Malfoy."
Malfoy stared at him.
"I've been in your way. I didn't want to accept you. And I'm sorry."
Malfoy nodded cautiously.
"You're - I won't ever like you, and I won't ever forgive you for what you did before. But I won't come between you and Harry." He glanced around the waiting room. "Can't speak for the rest of the wizarding world, of course. If you were hoping to stay anonymous..."
"Harry and I aren't together any more," Malfoy said quietly.
Fred nodded. "I know. But... maybe you should be." He stopped, grimacing at his own words. "Look, if you broke up because things just didn't work out between you, that's... that's too bad. But if you broke up with him because you didn't want publicity, or you didn't want to deal with our family..." Fred paused, shook his head. "Look, you don't understand. Harry's going to be a mess over this. He won't know what to do if Alec's permanently injured. He'll need all the help he can get, and if you're part of that and that helps him, so be it."
Malfoy nodded slowly.
Fred turned to go back to the others, then stopped. "One thing, though." He met Malfoy's eyes seriously. "You ever hurt Alec, or Harry, and the Aurors won't ever be able to find your body. Is that clear?"
oooOOOooo
There were only three groups left in their corner of the waiting room. Two men waiting for news of their uncle, a witch with three grown children, waiting for news of her husband, and Alec's family. Hermione rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn, glad that Malfoy had finally been able to persuade Harry to try to get some sleep. Harry was moving restlessly in his chair and there was a small line between his eyebrows, and it didn't seem a particularly peaceful slumber, but it was at least better than the endless pacing that had preceded it. Malfoy sat beside him, his own eyelids drooping, and Hermione wondered what was going on inside him. What he thought about what Fred had said. What he was thinking about Alec. About Harry.
She turned as the door to the treatment area opened and an exhausted-looking Healer came out.
"Mr. Potter?" she said softly, and somehow Ron and George and Arthur were all instantly awake, as was Harry, standing up unsteadily, his face going pale, unconsciously reaching for Malfoy's hand. Malfoy took it and stood up with him, and they approached the Healer together.
ooo000ooo
Author's Note 1: leochi made a beautiful picture of Draco and Ben that just... aaaaw :) :) :) It's exactly Ben as I pictured him, and Draco as I wish I could draw him :) And here it is. Click on the picture to see a bigger version.
Author's Note 2: I keep meaning to post this note, and keep forgetting to.
The format I chose for this fic had very strict limits. Each chapter had to take place over one day, one day per month, with only one point of view per chapter (3 Draco, 3 Harry, 6 Other Characters), and every chapter had to be 5,000 words. There were a lot of reasons I put those constraints on myself, and I'm glad I did because it's been a highly educational writing experience.
However. Doing this closed off many possibilties, such as scenes that couldn't happen on the same day but might be pretty important, or missing points of view that could shed a lot of light on what was going on in the background, or in the main character's heads. I really wish, for example, that I'd been able to find some way of showing Draco's interrogation under Veritaserum.
My point - and I do have one - is that if there's anything I've missed that you might have liked to see, please try to remember what it was. After I'm done posting the story I will make an Ember to Ember DVD-Extras Request post. You can tell me what you missed on that post. Please don't tell me beforehand, because I'm a ginormous twit with the memory and organizational skills of a goldfish, so it'll get promptly lost. I do not guarantee to write every request I get - I've still got one pinch-hit, three WiPs, and two TimeStamp meme requests sitting on my hard drive, all of which I deeply hope to post some day and all of whom periodically poke at me and suck me in. However, I promise to at least read the requests over, and consider them, and give each one a fair try :)
Author's Note 3: To wit: There is a DVD Extra which takes place about a week after this chapter: Love means never having to say you're sorry ;)
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January (previous)
March (next)
April
DVD Extras:
Requests and list of completed extras
August 5, 2007 (after Chapter 4, August, Veritaserum)
November 23, 2007 (after Chapter 7, November, Fred v. Anne)
February 8, 2008 (after Chapter 10, February, Aftermath)
February 10, 2008 (after Chapter 10, February, Indecision)
September 1, 2013 (after the last chapter, the Sorting Hat)
Title: Ember to Ember
Chapter: 10 (of 12)
Pairing: H/D
Word count: 5000.
Chapter 1: May
Chapter 2: June
Chapter 3: July
Chapter 4: August
Chapter 5: September
Chapter 6: October
Chapter 7: November
Chapter 8: December
Chapter 9: January (previous)
Date: January 10
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
Ben reminded me that Alec was supposed to come over this Saturday.
Date: January 11
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
I'll drop him off at noon. Have you received this year's Beltane information from the Ministry?
I've talked to Alec about withdrawing from the Dublin choir after the next concert, in case he brings it up.
Date: January 13
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
I've attached a list of the Muggle groups confirmed for Beltane so far. Alec did bring up choir.
Date: January 14
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
Is he all right with it? He didn't say very much to me.
I've attached a list of wizard groups confirmed.
Date: January 15
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
More or less. He's glad he's in the London choir.
Date: January 28
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
When will you be dropping Ben off for the Quidditch game this Saturday? He can stay with us if it goes past nine.
Date: January 29
From: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
To: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
I've a late meeting with an orchestra so I'll have to drop Ben off at 6, which I know is when the game starts. We'll meet you at the stadium. Please wear amulets.
Date: January30
From: hjpotter@gringotts.wzr
To: malfoyd@globalcafe.ie
We will. Don't forget it's at that new place, Pennington Stadium.
oooOOOooo
February 2
Hermione glanced around the stadium, happy to be out of the house and without children, but wishing her first child-free moment in a month wasn't at a Quidditch game. They were here for a good reason, she reminded herself. She and Ron had offered to accompany Harry to this game because he was their best friend, and he needed them right now, and they loved him and wanted to spend time with him. The venue didn't matter.
She gazed at him as he talked quietly to Alec, pointing out parts of the brand new pitch and stadium, and wondered what was going on inside him. How he was doing with the break-up, and how Alec was doing. Wondered if anybody else in the family knew about it yet. Probably not; Harry wasn't terribly talkative lately, and Alec had gone back to his pre-Malfoy near-muteness. Not that it was that big a change - he'd never been terribly chatty - but Hermione wondered if any of the other Weasleys had noticed it yet.
"They're here, Daddy," Alec said, and Hermione turned to look. There was Malfoy, with a small child that Hermione assumed was Ben wearing a NewFace amulet, as Harry and Alec were. Harry let Alec down, and Alec ran to hug Malfoy, then tugged Ben towards the stadium, excitedly retelling him everything Harry had just shown him. Malfoy stood up, looking rather uncomfortable, as Ben and Alec ran off.
"So you'll come pick him up tomorrow morning?" Harry asked quietly, and Hermione couldn't believe how much it bothered her that he and Malfoy didn't even look at each other.
She'd been so relieved when Harry had told them of the break-up. Finally, one of them had done the right thing. The sensible thing.
Sensible didn't mean easy, though. And while Malfoy seemed fine, Harry was devastated. Hermione hurt for him even as she reminded herself that this was for the best.
Malfoy nodded. "If that's all right," he said. He looked around. "Sorry I was late. Looks like the game'll be starting soon. You'd better go."
Harry nodded, and they turned to go in, calling for the kids.
And then all hell broke loose.
It started with what sounded like a groan, and Hermione looked up to see part of the wall a few yards ahead buckling, and then it was falling and people were screaming. Hermione stood stock-still in shock for a moment before rushing forward to help - it was chaos, people were shouting, wands had come out and protection spells were being flung left and right, like a battle against a non-sentient enemy. She had her wand in hand and was preparing to cast a wall-strengthening spell when she heard another horrible groan. She turned and saw, as if in slow motion, Ron and Harry, who were right behind her, turning to look and the wall behind them collapsing - and Malfoy, Ben and Alec disappearing behind a cloud of dust. Her heart stood still as the three of them raced back, and she gasped in relief as Malfoy emerged from the dust and handed Ben to a wizard who had popped in out of nowhere, then turned back and-
"Hermione! Sto-"
oooOOOooo
Hermione woke up to a frantic babble, voices of fear and pain. Over a hundred people were running, sitting, talking, shouting. Patients, St. Mungo's Healers and other hospital employees hurrying here and there, people with Quick Quills and flashing cameras...
She sat up, blinking and trying to make sense of the chaos, and soon realized that most of the people in the waiting room didn't seem hurt. Many were covered in dust, and there was some blood and bandages to be seen, but the majority of people not in Healer robes seemed to be friends and family of those who were hurt. She looked up and saw Ron, Harry, and Malfoy, all of them dusty and wearing St. Mungo's-issue shirts, Malfoy with a black eye and no glasses, and Harry with a large gash over his cheek, his NewFace amulet gone.
"Oh good, you're awake," said Ron, brushing her hair back from her face. "Feeling all right?"
"Fine, fine. What happened?"
"You got in the way of some idiot trying to keep the wall up by Stunning it-"
"I mean at the stadium," Hermione said impatiently.
"New masonry spell gone wrong, far as anyone can tell," said Ron. "There were about fifty people buried under the rubble. It's a miracle nobody was killed."
Hermione stood up. "Alec and Ben?" she said, scared at the way Harry and Malfoy, who had barely acknowledged her return to consciousness, were staring tensely at the treatment area door.
"Both being worked on by Healers." Ron swallowed hard. "A whole team for each of them. There's about twenty people in the same boat."
Hermione nodded distractedly as a Healer entered, scanning the anxious crowd clustered near the door.
"Mr. Potter? Mr. Malfoy?" she said, and Hermione saw a few people do double-takes as they hurried forward.
"How are they?" Malfoy said, his voice tense.
"They're both doing much better than we thought at first," the Healer said reassuringly. "To be honest, with the severity of the injuries, mixed with the magical damage, it didn't look good. But I wanted to let you know that the damage is far less severe than we thought. And it's difficult to say at this moment, but we're fairly sure Ben will recover fully," she said, and Malfoy took a deep breath. "As for Alec..."
Harry stared at her.
"We're doing our best, sir, but... the spells that hold up the stands are very powerful. Having them hit a small child like that, it's..."
"Can I help?" Hermione asked, pushing down her fear. "I - I've worked with Healers before, I have some experience-"
The Healer nodded. "Yes, I know. I recognize you; I was here when... when you joined the team to help Alec's mother." She cleared her throat. "Please understand, though, this is a very different situation, Ms Granger. We know how to handle collapse damage; masonry spells do go wrong sometimes. There's at least four more things we can try before we panic."
Harry blinked, his face becoming expressionless, and Hermione could almost feel him shutting down. Ron closed his eyes and put his head down, breathing deeply.
"There's every expectation that they'll both recover fully," the Healer said gently to Harry and Malfoy. "It looks far more promising than when you first came in. It's just... you also have to be prepared for the worst." And with that, she left, the door swinging closed behind her.
"Who the hell can be prepared for something like this?" Ron muttered angrily.
Hermione shook her head, looking around at the families in the waiting room. "Malfoy," she said suddenly, "have you contacted Kara?"
Malfoy looked at her blankly for a moment. "Kara. No, we were... we weren't sure what was going on..."
"Would you like to?"
"Yes," Malfoy said. "Yes, that would be good. I'm not sure where she is right now.... probably at Windbourne records. Erm..." he blinked, frowning slightly.
"Do you want me to call her?" Hermione asked, recognizing the signs of being momentarily stuck between worlds. It was always a bit of an awkward mental switch, no doubt made more difficult by Malfoy's anxiety. "I do know how to use the phone."
Malfoy gave her a slight smile. "Yeah. Thanks." He took out his wallet and pulled out a card, giving it to her, Kara Greely and a string of phone numbers written on it.
"I'll arrange for transportation for her too," said Hermione, glad to have something to do, and went to the Muggle Help Desk, grateful that such a thing was finally available in the wizarding world. Grateful to spend the next fifteen minutes or so working with the witch on duty, getting a hold of Kara and arranging for transportation to St. Mungo's for her.
"She'll be at the Muggle entrance in a few minutes," she told Malfoy as she rejoined the three men. "She was at Windbourne. It's just taking a bit of time to arrange for the Dublin-to-London part of the trip. The Help Desk witch's assistant will tell us when she's arrived at the building; should be any second now. Do you want me to get her?"
Malfoy shook his head. "No, I'll do it. She'll want to know what happened..."
"Ms Granger?" said a young witch, approaching them. "There's a Ms Greely here, a Muggle?"
"Yes, thank you," said Malfoy. "I'll go pick her up."
"Muggle entrance is through the Floo on the left side of the main entrance doors, sir," said the witch, and turned back to Harry as Malfoy hurried away. "Sir, there's a few people here asking to come in, but we've sealed off the area-"
"What?"
"The Wireless just reported the collapse, sir," she explained. "Apparently people also noticed that you were there. We've given some reporters access to the hospital staff, and they're helping get people in contact with families, but we're keeping people away if they appear to be trying to bother you in particular."
"Thank you," said Hermione.
"Two of them say they're relatives, though. Fred and George Weasley?"
"Yes, of course, let them in," said Hermione, then bit her lip and glanced at Harry worriedly, but he didn't seem to have noticed. Didn't do more than nod vaguely at the twins as they came in either, both looking highly worried.
"How's Alec?" asked Fred, and Hermione gave him what information she could.
"M-Malfoy's here too?" asked George.
"Yes, he is - not here right now, he's at the Muggle entrance, picking up Ben's mother."
Ron frowned. "How'd you know Malfoy was here?"
"It's on the Wireless," said Fred. "They're saying he was spotted at the site."
"C-can't make up their minds, though-" began George.
"Somebody said it looked like he set off whatever it was that caused the collapse, but another report said he was pulling people out of the wreckage," Fred finished.
Ron's face darkened. "The setting off part is rubbish," he said vehemently. "It was an accident. Besides, Ben was there. And Malfoy was hurt too. The pulling people out part, I'm not sure, it was pretty confusing-"
"He got Alec," Harry said dully. "That's how he got hurt. He went back under the wall for him. If he hadn't..." He looked up at Fred, seeming to recognize him for the first time.
Fred nodded. "Look, tell me to bugger off if you want," he said quietly. "I know your boyfriend's here, I won't say anything to him. I just want to be here in case... to be near Alec."
Harry shrugged, his eyes back on the door.
"What the hell h-happened?" George asked. As Ron answered, Hermione looked around the crowded room, noting that, now that she could take in the scene more calmly, it didn't seem quite the chaos it had when she'd first arrived. Many of the injured were slowly being allowed to leave, and the atmosphere was now one of impatience and nerves rather than abject fear. The exception, of course, was the group of thirty or so people clustered near the treatment area doors.
"Harry, dear." Hermione looked up to see Molly hurrying towards Harry. Behind her, Arthur, Kara, and Malfoy were entering the waiting room, Kara looking too frightened to be properly aware of the strangeness of the place. Molly hugged Harry, hard, then drew back and looked at him worriedly. "Any news?"
Harry shook his head silently, and Molly gave Hermione a worried look.
"Yes, Floo travel is a little difficult at first, I've heard," Arthur was saying sympathetically to Kara as they drew nearer. "Was that your first time?"
Kara nodded distractedly, glancing around the waiting room. "So... this is a hospital? Is there - is Ben in surgery?"
Malfoy shook his head. "He's with the Healers. He's got spell damage, from the spells that were supposed to be holding up the walls of the stadium. The Healers are optimistic, though." He looked at Harry. "For both of them."
"What... is there anything we need to do? Can we donate blood, anything?"
Hermione smiled as Arthur's eyebrows went up and he almost visibly made a mental note to ask about Muggles and blood donation at a more appropriate time.
"No." Ron shook his head. "Nothing to do now but hurry up and wait."
oooOOOooo
Two hours later, the door opened, and a weary-looking elderly Healer came through, followed by a reedy younger man wearing a Trainee Healer badge. They scanned over the people in the waiting room. "Mr. Malfoy? Ms Greely?"
They quickly came forward. "Ben's doing well," the elder Healer said. Malfoy and Kara breathed out simultaneously, and Kara reached for Malfoy's hand. "He's responding very well to the counter spells. He's going to be groggy for the next two days or so, and he'll have to stay in isolation, but he'll be fine."
Malfoy nodded, his face pale, and pulled Kara close as she burst into tears.
"Oh thank the Goddess," she sobbed into his hair. "I thought... it's stupid, I know, they said he'd be all right and I trust them, it's just..."
Malfoy nodded as he held her closer. "Can we see him?" he asked.
"He's in isolation right now, so no," the younger Healer said coldly, and Kara looked up at him, puzzled. "We do have rules, you know," he said, eyeing Malfoy disdainfully.
Molly and George drew in their breaths angrily. Malfoy pressed his lips together and looked away.
"Trainee Healer Webster," said the older Healer calmly. "One of the things you need to work on is proper bedside manner with relatives of patients, and one thing that is very clear is that you do not address them in such a tone no matter who they are, even if you believe their question to be a stupid one. Which that one was not. Now, please go and wait for me in my office." He turned to Malfoy, not bothering to see if the startled Trainee Healer had done so. "No, Mr. Malfoy, it is not advisable right now, although we will allow you to record a message to him. I will ask for an aide to bring you a recording scroll."
"Thank you," said Malfoy quietly, still holding on to Kara, who was wiping her tears.
"Mr. Potter, we will let you know as soon as we have any news about Alec," the Healer said, and left.
Malfoy touched Harry's arm.
"That's good. I'm glad Ben's all right," Harry said. Hermione bit her lip at the deadness in Harry's voice and met Malfoy's eyes worriedly.
"Harry... Alec will be all right," said Malfoy. "You heard the Healers, and he was right next to Ben, they-"
"Alec's a lot smaller," Harry said flatly. "He was under for longer."
"He's a fighter, though," said Ron. "Like his dad."
There was a brief silence, and Hermione wondered how many of the others were also desperately trying to think of something encouraging to say to Harry.
"Is... is there a chapel here?" Kara asked quietly.
"Oh, yes, dear, of course there is," Molly said, grabbing at the topic gratefully. "I'll show you there, shall I?"
"Draco?" Kara asked, and Malfoy glanced at Harry, who nodded, before joining Kara. Molly blinked, a bit startled, but merely nodded at Malfoy, and they set off.
Hermione glanced around at the four Weasley men helplessly standing around Harry with no idea how to comfort him, how to reach him, their worry for Alec almost overshadowed by their fear for Harry.
"We may as well sit down again," Arthur said, gently pushing Harry towards the chairs that had been set out for the patients' families.
"Glad B-ben's all right," said George quietly as he, Fred, Hermione, and Ron trailed slowly behind Arthur and Harry.
"Anybody want to place bets on Malfoy sticking around now?" Fred said cynically.
"He will," Ron said, a slight edge to his voice.
"He may have saved Alec's life," Hermione pointed out.
"Fred," George said quietly. "M-Malfoy might not be who you w-want for them, but at least Harry's got s-somebody with him-"
"No, he doesn't," Hermione interrupted.
"What?"
"Harry and Malfoy broke up," Ron said flatly, and George and Fred stopped in their tracks. "About a month ago."
"What?" Fred said.
"Malfoy ditched him," Ron said. "Worried about being seen with him. Trying to shield Ben from bad publicity."
"Good riddance," Fred muttered. "And what a surprise. Always looking out for himself."
"Yeah, he's so good at it that he may have saved Alec's life, in a public place. And then spent two hours in here with Harry, knowing there's reporters around. He didn't have to, you know. He could've asked to go somewhere more private to wait with Kara, I'm sure the staff would've agreed."
"He can't win with you, can he?" Hermione said. "If he's around Harry and Alec, he's bad for them; if he leaves, he's a selfish coward."
"The other reason he left," said Ron tightly, "was he knew he was coming between Harry and us. Selfish prick, isn't he?" He glared at Fred. "So congratulations, Fred. You won." He shook his head in disgust and headed towards Harry and Arthur.
Hermione spared a glance at the twins, George's expression shocked and sorrowful, Fred's unreadable, then hurried to catch up to Ron.
oooOOOooo
"Ben, we love you," Kara said, finishing off her message to him. "Mam and Dad canna come in right now, because the spells have to make you better, but we'll be there soon as the doctors say it's all right."
"You'll be all right, Benny," said Malfoy. "The Healers said you might feel bad for a little while, but you'll be better soon. We'll come see you as soon as it's safe." He nodded at the aide, who waved her wand at the scroll. It started to roll up.
"Wait - may I?" Molly asked hesitantly. Kara looked at her, confused. "I just want to let him know we're all thinking of him," she said. "He's such a lovely little boy. You must be so proud of him."
"Aye," Kara said, and the staff person waved her wand at the scroll again.
"Harry, would you like to leave Ben a message too?" Arthur said, and Harry blinked, startled.
"Oh. Yeah, yeah, of course," he said. "Erm... not sure what to... what to say..."
"We'll help you, dear," said Molly, patting his arm comfortingly.
"Come sit," Hermione said to Malfoy and Kara, as Molly, Arthur and Harry began recording their messages.
"Ben will be able to hear our voices? From that paper?" Kara asked skeptically.
"It's just like a CD," Malfoy said. "Except you don't need a machine to play it for you; just a wand."
"How is... how is Harry doing?" Kara asked worriedly, her voice low.
"He's terrified," said Ron. "Haven't seen him this out of it since..." he shook his head, trailing off.
"But the Healers said it's nae so serious as-"
"It's n-not that," George said. "It's not the s-seriousness. Harry knows Alec'll most p-probably be all right. It's..." he cleared his throat.
"It's just too much like the day Ginny died," Fred said flatly, and George's eyes filled with tears as Fred finally spoke what they'd all been trying to avoid thinking. "Part of why Bill and Percy didn't want to be here. Too much déjà vu. Not that Harry won't be thinking it anyway." Malfoy nodded, gazing at Harry, and Hermione could almost feel his need to go to him. "Fuck," said Fred, shaking his head, "it's just like that day-" he stopped as the treatment area door opened, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. It had opened several times in the last half hour, and although it was comforting to note that the relatives and friends the Healers talked to had almost all seemed relieved, and some had left smiling, the tension was getting higher as the crowd thinned around them.
"Mrs. McClachan?" said the Healer, and an elderly witch rushed to the door. Hermione recalled that the Healers had not seemed very reassuring when they had last spoken to her, but her heart still sank as the Healer spoke and the woman gave a low cry and closed her eyes, covering her mouth. Hermione could feel the fear in the air getting thicker as all of those left in the waiting area desperately tried to hold on to hope, and the old woman began to cry. Harry had gone pale, and he approached their chairs and sat down, his breathing shallow.
"Harry," Malfoy said gently. Harry didn't acknowledge him. Malfoy crouched down before Harry, looking up at him and touching his knee. "He'll be all right. You heard the Healers when they first came to talk to that woman. They didn't have much hope for her husband. With Alec, they do." Harry kept looking at the floor, face utterly blank, and Malfoy sighed and started to get up. Harry suddenly covered Malfoy's hand with his, holding him in place.
Malfoy glanced around the room nervously, but he didn't draw back, didn't pull away.
"Ms Greely? Mr. Malfoy?" Another Healer was standing at the treatment area door. "We've arranged cots for you near Ben's room so you can rest a bit, and be a bit closer to him. Get you out of the waiting area, anyway."
Kara nodded, standing up. "Draco?" she said softly. "Are you coming?"
Malfoy hesitated, then shook his head. "I'll be there later."
Kara nodded and gave him a hug, looking at Harry worriedly for a moment before following the Healer out.
"I can't do this," Harry said softly.
Malfoy gazed at Harry worriedly and sat down next to him, a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Hermione watched them as Malfoy murmured to him quietly.
Breaking up had been the right thing to do. The sensible thing.
Harry was nodding, his gaze unfocussed, then his forehead creased and he bowed his head, drawing in on himself. Malfoy pulled Harry into his arms, both closing their eyes as Harry clung to him desperately, his breathing laboured. "I can't..." Harry choked out. "If he, if he... he's only five, I can't lose him too..."
"You won't. You won't, he'll be fine," murmured Malfoy.
Hermione's throat closed up, and she grabbed Ron's hand, fear and sorrow flooding her as Harry struggled to not break down. Ron squeezed her hand, clearing his throat and wiping at his eyes quickly.
"Ms Granger?" Hermione turned to see a Healer looking apologetic.
"Yes?"
"You had offered to help in case we needed you for Alec Potter - he's all right," the Healer said swiftly. "His healing's going well. But we're having a bit of trouble with another patient; she's got some odd interaction of spells that look like they might be Ministry-related. Would you mind..."
Hermione hesitated, and Ron touched her shoulder. "Go on," he said. "You know it'll calm your nerves to be able to use your brain for a bit. We're all just waiting here."
Hermione smiled at him gratefully, hugging him tightly before following the Healer into the treatment area.
oooOOOooo
Two hours later, she was back in the waiting room, which was now visibly emptier than before. Only a small group of people were still left in the area set aside for families of the stadium collapse victims. Arthur had apparently persuaded Harry to take a short walk outside with him, Ron and George had dozed off in their chairs, and Molly had somehow managed to procure knitting needles and was busily knitting a small sweater. Malfoy was staring out one of the windows, his arms crossed, a thoughtful look on his face, and Fred was contemplating the floor with a blank expression. Hermione sank down next to Molly, and they chatted quietly, Hermione telling her about the case she'd just assisted with, and Molly letting her know that the news on Alec was still good and Ben was still in isolation.
Suddenly Fred got up, joining Malfoy at the window.
"Listen, I need to talk to you," he said curtly. Malfoy looked wary and glanced at Hermione, who left Molly in mid-sentence and hurried towards them, standing next to Malfoy with her arms crossed. Because if Fred was going to take this opportunity, now, to go after Malfoy again, she wasn't going to let it happen without a fight.
Fred stared at her for a long moment, then turned back to Malfoy, apparently deciding not to bother asking her to leave. He cleared his throat.
"Ginny was our favourite sibling, you know," he began abruptly. "George's and mine. She was - she had a hell of a sense of humour, and even though she was the baby, she could put us in our place." He took a deep breath. "When George was cursed, she was all that kept me from going insane. I don't know what I would've done without her." He took another deep breath. "When, erm, when she died, it was fucking unfair, you know? The war was over and somehow we'd all survived, even though all of us had been in the Order. We weren't supposed to have to worry about our safety any more. And then all of a sudden she was gone."
He cleared his throat. "The only thing we could do for her was take care of Alec and Harry for her. We've done our best; we don't understand Alec, but there's not one of us that wouldn't give anything for him. He sort of belongs to all of us. And so does Harry."
Malfoy was looking at him expressionlessly.
"What I'm trying to say is... they're both important to us." He looked away. "And some of us haven't done so well letting go and seeing when we're trying to protect them but we're actually hurting them. And when I say we I mostly mean me." He paused, meeting Malfoy's eyes again. "I'm trying to say I'm sorry, Malfoy."
Malfoy stared at him.
"I've been in your way. I didn't want to accept you. And I'm sorry."
Malfoy nodded cautiously.
"You're - I won't ever like you, and I won't ever forgive you for what you did before. But I won't come between you and Harry." He glanced around the waiting room. "Can't speak for the rest of the wizarding world, of course. If you were hoping to stay anonymous..."
"Harry and I aren't together any more," Malfoy said quietly.
Fred nodded. "I know. But... maybe you should be." He stopped, grimacing at his own words. "Look, if you broke up because things just didn't work out between you, that's... that's too bad. But if you broke up with him because you didn't want publicity, or you didn't want to deal with our family..." Fred paused, shook his head. "Look, you don't understand. Harry's going to be a mess over this. He won't know what to do if Alec's permanently injured. He'll need all the help he can get, and if you're part of that and that helps him, so be it."
Malfoy nodded slowly.
Fred turned to go back to the others, then stopped. "One thing, though." He met Malfoy's eyes seriously. "You ever hurt Alec, or Harry, and the Aurors won't ever be able to find your body. Is that clear?"
oooOOOooo
There were only three groups left in their corner of the waiting room. Two men waiting for news of their uncle, a witch with three grown children, waiting for news of her husband, and Alec's family. Hermione rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn, glad that Malfoy had finally been able to persuade Harry to try to get some sleep. Harry was moving restlessly in his chair and there was a small line between his eyebrows, and it didn't seem a particularly peaceful slumber, but it was at least better than the endless pacing that had preceded it. Malfoy sat beside him, his own eyelids drooping, and Hermione wondered what was going on inside him. What he thought about what Fred had said. What he was thinking about Alec. About Harry.
She turned as the door to the treatment area opened and an exhausted-looking Healer came out.
"Mr. Potter?" she said softly, and somehow Ron and George and Arthur were all instantly awake, as was Harry, standing up unsteadily, his face going pale, unconsciously reaching for Malfoy's hand. Malfoy took it and stood up with him, and they approached the Healer together.
ooo000ooo
Author's Note 1: leochi made a beautiful picture of Draco and Ben that just... aaaaw :) :) :) It's exactly Ben as I pictured him, and Draco as I wish I could draw him :) And here it is. Click on the picture to see a bigger version.
Author's Note 2: I keep meaning to post this note, and keep forgetting to.
The format I chose for this fic had very strict limits. Each chapter had to take place over one day, one day per month, with only one point of view per chapter (3 Draco, 3 Harry, 6 Other Characters), and every chapter had to be 5,000 words. There were a lot of reasons I put those constraints on myself, and I'm glad I did because it's been a highly educational writing experience.
However. Doing this closed off many possibilties, such as scenes that couldn't happen on the same day but might be pretty important, or missing points of view that could shed a lot of light on what was going on in the background, or in the main character's heads. I really wish, for example, that I'd been able to find some way of showing Draco's interrogation under Veritaserum.
My point - and I do have one - is that if there's anything I've missed that you might have liked to see, please try to remember what it was. After I'm done posting the story I will make an Ember to Ember DVD-Extras Request post. You can tell me what you missed on that post. Please don't tell me beforehand, because I'm a ginormous twit with the memory and organizational skills of a goldfish, so it'll get promptly lost. I do not guarantee to write every request I get - I've still got one pinch-hit, three WiPs, and two TimeStamp meme requests sitting on my hard drive, all of which I deeply hope to post some day and all of whom periodically poke at me and suck me in. However, I promise to at least read the requests over, and consider them, and give each one a fair try :)
Author's Note 3: To wit: There is a DVD Extra which takes place about a week after this chapter: Love means never having to say you're sorry ;)
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January (previous)
March (next)
April
DVD Extras:
Requests and list of completed extras
August 5, 2007 (after Chapter 4, August, Veritaserum)
November 23, 2007 (after Chapter 7, November, Fred v. Anne)
February 8, 2008 (after Chapter 10, February, Aftermath)
February 10, 2008 (after Chapter 10, February, Indecision)
September 1, 2013 (after the last chapter, the Sorting Hat)