"Just watch it first, Harry. Like Mike said, they ain't gonna make it easy."
                              
Harry nodded and went to the official Apparation point to get to the hospital. He went up to Malfoy's floor, and Hermione was outside with Terry.
                              
"Hey, Harry. Back, again?" Terry asked.
                              
"Yeah, quick stop," Harry said and briefly explained that he had the case, now. "But is he up?"
                              
"I think so..." Hermione said.
                              
"Did you go in there?"
                              
"No, I'm not interested in getting called a mudblood, again. He brought an orderly to tears and made a healer so mad that they nearly did accidentally magic," she said and gave Harry a look. The why-are-you-doing-this-to-me look.
                              
"Thanks... I'm going in. Perhaps his mother's presence will ease his temper."
                              
Hermione laughed. "You're asking for a lot."
                              
Harry nodded and knocked softly on the door. Narcissa Malfoy answered it. "Oh, Auror Potter! Come in."
                              
"Don't invite him in!" he heard Malfoy growl.
                              
"Don't listen to him. He's just irritable because he's stuck here," she said, kindly.
                              
Harry doubted that was the reason, but came in and shut the door. "I just wanted to check up on him."
                              
"He's healing, slowly but surely. Draco, Auror Potter here found you... within minutes of speaking to me. He saved you," she said, friendly, looking at her son.
                              
Draco sighed and stared at the window. "Don't remind me."
                              
"Hush, honey. He's very appreciative."
                              
"I'm sure," Harry responded.
                              
Malfoy glared and returned to staring out the window. His muscles were clenched, again, trying to hide his infirmity.
                              
"Thank you for the Patronus this morning," she said.
                              
"It's not a problem. It was an easy thing to do."
                              
"It eased my mind. One day, you'll understand the ache and panic that comes from being a parent," she said, taking his hand and smiling at him.
                              
She had the same motherly eyes and voice that Mrs. Weasley had. Harry felt a little floaty looking at her. She was so... nice.
                              
"Thanks... though I don't think I'll ever be a parent," he said.
                              
"Really?" she said, shocked. "You don't want children?"
                              
Harry shifted awkwardly. "No, I want them. It's just that I'm... umm... not interested in women."
                              
"Oh." She didn't seem disgusted, just surprised.
                              
"I know that it's not exactly accepted by most people... being... abnormal," he said, looking down.
                              
"Hush," she said, kindly. "Auror Potter... Harry... it's perfectly normal. Natural. I accept you and anyone who feels like you do."
                              
Draco took a deep breath but said nothing.
                              
Harry had never heard everyone say that to him that wasn't his adoptive family members. He tried to keep his voice steady. "Thank you. That means a lot."
                              
"You're a sweet boy, and you should know that you can still have kids. So, don't give up on that dream."
                              
"I doubt I'll find many partners willing to have a family with an obsessive, workaholic with a charm of getting into life-and-death situations," Harry mumbled.