"Okay... so... we're still stuck at square one?" Ron grunted.
Draco frowned. "I'm afraid it might be worse than that."
Their eyes widened, but they waited to say anything.
"I figured out the three parts of my father's plan to... destroy Harry. The curse of poison chalice, the Compulsion Spell... and the thing that has been keeping Harry alive this whole time. I was right, Granger... I mean Hermione. It was just monkshood in the cup. I drank it myself to confirm it."
"You drank the poison...?" Weasley started.
"The point is... that the third thing... it wasn't a spell or charm. My father grafted this into Harry's stomach, preventing him from dying," Draco said, and extracted the image he had taken from his wand onto some parchment and presented it to Hermione.
"A bezoar?!" she said, recognizing it immediately.
"My assessment exactly, but look at the image. It's nearly destroyed. I... I don't think that Harry can handle too many more... poisonings. It might even explain why he has been getting worse lately. The stone isn't as large anymore. He's hallucinating, and the pain is overwhelming. Plus, I'm not sure about the effects of having a bezoar in a stomach for so long, but regardless, Harry's life is in danger, and we need to break the curse as quickly as possible."
Granger leaned forward. "What do you need?"
"My father's library. I imagine the Ministry seized everything, but I have no clue what happened. I never went back there, or asked what happened. My mother was already separated from him, so nothing would have gone to her. However, his books are our best bet to remove the spell. I'm not... in a favorable position at the Ministry. Will you try to locate and release the books? I may need some help finding it and researching counter-curses, because not all books write down the counters."
"I'll go see Kingsley right now," she declared, and Draco thought she was going to storm out the door that second. She managed to refrain. "Was there... anything else?"
"You are Potter's guardians. So, I wanted to tell you about my assessment and treatment plan. Once the curse is removed, I'll remove what's left of the bezoar and flush his system of any remaining monkshood. I can then start a potion regimen to heal him physically. I'll also start him on some behavioral potions, to calm him and regulate his anxiety. When he allows it, I'll start the regeneration of his nerves and any lingering physical ailments that require my wand."
"That sounds... amazing," she whispered, and Weasley looked relieved.
"It's still going to be a slow process, contingent on finding the counter-curse, but..." he paused, knowing that neither of them will like it. "I want to keep Potter here... for the duration of his treatment."
Hermione straightened up. "He doesn't do well in here."
"Maybe in the past, he hasn't, but he's connected to me. I think... he should stay here and you two, rebuild your lives. Your pain is his pain. He knows what he is doing to you, and it's feeding into his thought process. You both are important to him. He needs some time apart from you, and really... you both look a lot better with just three days off. You aren't abandoning him here, and I will not restrain or hurt him. I think it is important... that he stay. So, will you let him remain here with me?"
Weasley nodded, slowly, and his eyes were wet.
"Thank you. He has been communicating better since I released him from the Compulsion Spell. He's still very apprehensive about direct conversation and hates physical contact of any kind. I don't want you both to overwhelm him. Only one of you at a time should speak when we go in, so he can focus on the speaker. If you want to switch, or one stays out in the hallway, whatever."