Healing Draco Malfoy

Chapter 6

Published: 9/30/2020

Joel went to Harry's appointments and the young healer quietly observed. After between visits, Harry quizzed him on what questions he asked, why he asked them and what happened to the patient. Joel needed to learn a lot about reading people, but he wasn't hopeless. After Harry sent Joel to lunch, he scolded Natalie about foisting her work onto the trainee. Joel was a healer-in-training. Harry could tell him to administer potions, clean up messes and change his sheets and robes, not her. Wardens do that.

"I didn't want to disturb you," she said.

"You don't like the patient."

"I know what he's done, who he is."

"Natalie, that doesn't matter. You can't take your personal viewpoints into account. But I'd rather you not traumatize him accidentally."

"Traumatize him?" she scoffed.

His eyes narrowed, and she looked guilty at least. "I will have Joel do the potions administration, or I will do it."

"You just reprimanded me about having him do it."

"Natalie... we've been working together for years. I take the welfare of my patients seriously. If you can't respect my patients and members of my staff, I will ask the head warden to reassign you."

Natalie stared at him in shock. "You don't like Joel... or Malfoy."

Harry looked around for eavesdroppers. "Annoyance is not a clearance for abuse, Natalie."

"I... I'm not...."

"Ignoring them and fostering their care on a trainee, whether out of spite or laziness, is not okay."

"Healer Potter, I do not shirk my duties!"

"You didn't bring his potions this morning. Joel had to change his linens and clothes yesterday. I caught Joel nearly tried to force-feed him his meal the other night."

"He needs to learn those things, too."

"You didn't show him how to do them, though. What is required when you lift a patient under an Immoblius Charm, Natalie?"

"Harry... I thought he'd...."

"He also didn't know that Mr. Malfoy was nutrient potion only... did you tell him where his chart was?"

"He's not my responsibility...."

"That's my point! I might have messed up in not knowing that he wasn't a warden, but you've known the whole time. I expected you to show him guidance, not order him to do your job, that minimally you should have overseen."

Natalie was red. "He's been through healer training before he got here!"

"Natalie, he's a young pup. He's fresh out of school, you can't let him wander around doing tasks on his own, until you know he's been trained on them. He won't be the last trainee I have, so I need to make sure that this doesn't happen, again."

"Should I tell you when you get a new trainee, too?" she cut in.

Harry glared. "Point taken. But do you understand mine?"

"Yes, healer," she said with anger.

"Thank you," he said and turned back to Draco's room.

He entered the room and ran his fingers through his hair as he sat down. "Drama in the ward. Natalie is pissed, but she got the message. Joel or I will give you potions for the next couple weeks. He's just a kid. He doesn't know... you know? Innocent."

Draco eyed him and then nodded. Harry so wanted to connect to Draco right then, but he didn't have leave to touch him.

"So, you think that you could give me your hand? I could massage out that residual pain?"

Draco tightened up, though his hand ticked forward toward him a few times. After a few minutes, Harry went to his other foot and healed that. He had just finished when Joel knocked.

"I brought you a sandwich, sir," he said, and Harry looked at him, surprised. "You didn't go to the cafeteria... you came straight here."

"Thank you, Joel. I was... preoccupied. I want you or I to administer potions until you're transferred, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's Harry. You'll have to get the potions from Natalie. You don't have potions room access yet, right?"

"No, sir."

"Okay... we got a few minutes. Do you know the cleaning spells?"

"Yes... it's mostly Vanishing and Scourgify."

"Scourgify is a little... invasive, more for objects than people, okay? Lavaro is better and gentler. You mind, Draco?"

He was still staring at the wall, but shook his head infinitesimally. Harry did the charm on his arm, and there wasn't much on it, but there was a gleam of fresh skin.

"See? You just use your wand and...."

"Um... sir?" Joel said.

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't like it when I...."

"When you what?"

"When I used my wand on him."

Harry stared at him and then down at Draco, who was shaking. Harry hadn't even noticed or thought about that. His wand was somewhere at his house as he hadn't needed it in years. If he was an Auror and had to be ready to duel to the death in an instant, he would carry it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about that," he said, more to Draco.

Joel stared at the floor like he had done something wrong.

"That was a good observation, Joel. How have you been administering his nutrient potion?"

"I just do it from the side he's not looking at. He still doesn't like it, but I don't draw it out."

"Very good. Perhaps I'll handle the nutrient potions and the cleaning. I see Draco three times a day anyway. It shouldn't be a huge adjustment to his schedule. Does that sound okay, Draco?"

Draco's eyes glanced at him, fleetingly, before going back to the wall. He didn't like communicating when there were other people in the room.

"Alright... thank you, Joel, for the sandwich. Head over to room 5 and read the chart. I'll be there in 15."

"Yes, sir!" he said and left.

"I can't tell if he's eager, scared or just sees me as a war hero," Harry said, shaking his head. He had had people buy his meals before, or offer to, but Joel had noticed that he hadn't eaten and brought food to him. Not even showing off with a big meal or something expensive. It was just a pastrami on rye, one of the cheapest things on the menu. Joel didn't seem financially well-off as his clothes were very worn. The act impressed Harry a lot.

"I might just be starting to like him," he said, and Draco gave him a look. "So... I apologize that I hadn't noticed the wand thing. I want you to be as comfortable as possible."

Draco raised an eyebrow, incredulously.

"What? I do. It's awkward enough with me here treating you. In an ideal world, you could get another healer that you don't have a... troubled hi온라인카지노게임 with. The most important thing about your medical care is being at ease, Draco. It shouldn't be stressful. Your recovery is stressful enough. I'll take over the daily care things and don't worry, while it is preferred to change linens and robes, it is unnecessary. We mostly do it to help get the patients moving and adjusting to daily life. I'll just use magic. Okay?"

Draco stared at him. As though trying to figure out what or who the hell he was. Harry smiled and he sent a Patronus to Natalie, who brought his afternoon potions and nutrients. Draco didn't resist drinking them. Harry said that he'll see him later and headed out to check on four patients. Two with severe back injuries, one with a shattered hip bone and the last was a torn leg ligament that hadn't been healed right. The first three were done and dealt with, and Harry was just finishing up on the last, when a knock sounded at the door.

Natalie entered. "Auror... Healer Potter... there's someone here to see you from the Ministry."

Harry frowned. "Thank you, Natalie. Joel... please escort them to my office. I'll just be five minutes."

"No problem," Joel said, and they left.

Harry apologized for the interruption, but the burly Scotsman said that his leg had felt that good in years. He didn't care a 'lik. He gave Harry a hug as he left, but just as Harry walked out of the room, he ran into Joel.

"Sir! I tried to tell her not to go in there, but she said no one can prohibit her from seeing her parolee. I told her I would call hospital security and the Aurors, but she didn't believe me! I'm sorry, I didn't want to get in trouble by stopping her."

Harry stormed off to Draco's room and sent a Patronus to security, just in case. Joel lagged behind and winced as Harry burst into Draco's room. Joel and Natalie followed.

"What do you think you are doing?" he growled.

Draco was already trembling as the tight-lipped woman turned. "Harry?"

His eyes narrowed and it took a second, but he recognized her. "Penelope Clearwater?"

"It's been a long time. Are you his healer?"

"I am. My assistant said he informed you that I have restricted all visitors to...."

"You can't restrict me. He's under the control of the Ministry Probation and Parole Department. I don't need your permission."

"I can decide whatever I want. I'm his healer. Your presence is not required. He's unarmed and under an Immoblious Charm. He's not going anywhere. You can post a guard outside of his room, but no one will be allowed in here. Now, leave."

"Harry... he's a Death Eater. I need to see him every day."

Harry straightened up. If he was done with people calling Draco a Death Eater, he was sure Draco was sick of it. "I said leave, now!" he growled.

She was so confused about the situation. "Harry... I have authority over him. I have to..."

"And I have authority over you. You have no business here. I will exercise my rights as Mr. Malfoy's healer to deny you and any other Ministry official under Medical Directive 67-01."

"What? Harry, you have no idea what you are talking about."

"Like hell, I will! And it's you who doesn't know what they are talking about! I was an Auror, Clearwater."

"You flunked out."

"I was still fully-trained."

She snorted. "And you couldn't hack it."

Harry glared. "No, I couldn't."

Natalie and Joel were frozen behind him, but Penelope laughed. "You don't even deny it. That's rich. I thought they were just rumors. Lost your fucking mind in the middle of an exercise, right? They had to put you into your own padded room. Where's your wand, Potter? Now, you think you can push me around with your fame and your friends? I actually work for the Ministry."

Harry sneered right back to her. "My wand is at home, thank you very much. And yes, my friends can fire you in a second like they did McGrath. But that doesn't change the fact that Medical Directive 67-01 says that healer decisions for a patient are binding and supersede all directives from the Ministry, Wizengamot and Department of Magical Law Enforcement until the patient is healed and released from the Medical Care Facility."

"That doesn't mean you can ban me from visiting him!"

"Sure, it does. You can wait outside the door, but I have issued the directive that he can have no visitors."

"We'll see about this. I'll be talking to your supervisor."

"Have fun. I'll be talking to yours, too... loudly."

Penelope stared. "I can have him transferred to a different healer."

"I'm thinking you have no idea how to do your job. Draco isn't in Auror custody. You do not have authority over his medical decisions nor have the right to know his medical condition."

"He has to report to me!"

"I believe that the list for acceptable reasons for a missed probation appointment includes a required hospital stay. In fact, it says that if a probation officer directs their charge to the hospital, they are considered in the hospital's custody and assume the role of required supervision. He was brought in by his last probation officer. We are now supervising his care."

She stared like she didn't like anyone would actually read the rules.

A knock came on the door. "Healer Potter? You called that there was an unruly visitor?" the security officer said, and there was another guard behind him.

"Yes. Please remove this person from the ward, immediately."

"You can't. I'm from the Ministry!" she cried, and the guard waivered.

The second one, a supervisor, stepped forward. "Are you an Auror?"

"No! I am this patient's probation officer!"

"Only Aurors can have access to patient rooms, and that is only to inform them that they were under arrest and can't leave. You'll have to come with us, or we will call the Aurors."

She balked at complying, and Harry said, "Oh, I will. Ron wouldn't mind coming down for me."

Penelope's eyes narrowed. "You know I'm engaged to Percy, right?"

"Oh, silly me... I'll call Hermione then. Wouldn't want Ron to get in trouble with his prat brother. Hermione doesn't care. I don't think Kingsley does either."

She glared and finally left after a few more threats to talk to his boss. Harry felt pressure in his chest and his hands were trembling, too. He took a few deep breaths to calm down and turned to Natalie and Joel, who looked awkward.

"Thank you for your assistance. Joel? Can you check and make sure Mr. MacDougal got out, okay? I kinda just left him. Natalie, can you bring a Calming Potion for him, please?"

"You want one, too?" she asked, staring at him concerned. Joel froze.

"No. Can't prescribe my own potions. Thank you, anyway," he said and turned away to check on Malfoy. Harry was glad they left. Draco was shaking badly and tears were coming out. Harry put his hand on the bed next to him and said, "Shhhh... it's okay, she's gone. I won't let her come back."

Natalie returned quickly, handed him the potion and eyed Draco with some shock. She was finally starting to understand. Harry just asked her to leave and just magicked it into Draco's stomach. It was a stable potion. Draco slowly calmed down, but was still quivering from the unannounced visit.

"I'm so sorry. I'll be tearing Ernie a new one as soon as I leave here. That shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry," he repeated and hesitantly put his hand on Draco's arm.

Draco braced on the contact, but didn't try to pull away. His grey eyes, still wet from tears, stared into his with such pleading desperation that Harry couldn't help but freeze under his gaze.

"P-Please..." Draco begged. "P-Please d-don't let them ta-take me b-back."

Harry's heart nearly broke, hearing the agony and fear in Draco's voice. Merlin, what those bastards did to him... he ought to skin them.

"I won't, Draco. I won't let them take you. I will never let them touch you, again. I promise... Draco. I promise!" Harry swore fervently, and through hell or high water, he would keep it.