Healer (Harry Potter) SlytherinDesires/Moon

[FoxWriter]

Draco Abraxas Malfoy was a source of rumor, gossip and bewilderment for most of the wizarding world. In the last twenty or so years a lot of information had come out about Draco Malfoy. It had all started when, in the man's seventh and final year of Hogwarts, he turned his back on his mother, father and the Dark Lord. Choosing to stay on the fighting side, and ultimately, on the winning side. Not that Draco had known that back then, he had simply grown tired of being tortured and abused by his own parents. Draco had graduated Hogwarts with honors and had gone on to healers courses while his parents faced their day in court. Draco had not attended the trial, he had not needed to nor had he wanted to. It was during the trial that it became evident that Lucius Malfoy had been one sick, twisted bastard. Placing his six year old son under Imperious for acting like a child. 'Malfoy's do not giggle! Malfoy's do not run in the halls, Malfoy's do not speak kindly to house elves!' it had been a horrifying trial as the world realized that Lucius had used more than one unforgivable on his son. Draco, at the age of eleven, had been cruciod for daring to bring home worse scores than a 'mudblood'. It had been a hair raising, nausea inducing trial as they learned some of the sick and twisted things Lucius had forced his son to do in the name of the Dark Lord, even when the Dark Lord had been thought dead. Most of the information had never made it to the public.

Draco had further shocked the world when he handed all control of his Family holdings to his best friend Pansy Parkinson and continued to be a healer. He was the youngest Head Healer in over five hundred years and he had saved hundreds of lives. When his son, Scorpius had turned three, another shock rocked the world. Astoria Malfoy, previously Greengrass, had not only cheated on Draco Malfoy with at least five other men, but she had slapped Scorpius hard enough to leave a swollen bruise, and was being accused of using a Love potion on Draco Malfoy, since Draco had not reacted to the news. The accusations where proven correct when Draco's blood sample turned up positive for Amortentia. Astoria had been arrested and was currently serving three consecutive life sentences in Azkaban for Child abuse, Line theft, abuse of love potions, and other crimes she had done, and never been caught for during the Dark Lords reign. She had been a true, loyal death eater and had remained umarked to be of more use to the Dark Lord. She would never escape her fate, Draco never talked about it and Scorpius was quick to punch anyone who brought her up. She was rarely mentioned in their presence.

Now Scorpius was thirteen, in his third year in Hogwarts and he and Albus Severus Potter seamed to have struck up the same rivalry that their fathers had once held. Fortunately, they where not nearly as violent as their parents had been and it was more of a friendly revelry than it was anything else. Struggling to best each other in everything, scores, house points, spells, and quidditch. It was no surprise then, that it was Scorpius who first noticed that Albus was acting strangely during the first quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor V.S. Slytherin. He was the first to realize Albus had fallen off his broom and the first to break Albus's fall and the first to realize that the boy hadn't just fallen off, he had point blank passed out, and wasn't waking up. When the school nurse could find nothing wrong with him, she sent him to St. Mungos. When the pediatric there could find nothing wrong with him she sent for Draco. When Draco ran the more in depth scans, he was in for a hell of a shock.

“Potter?” Draco asked, looking around the waiting room. He hadn't seen Harry Potter in years, not since Potter had personally arrested Astoria. Well, no, they'd glanced at each other from time to time when dropping their children off or picking them up from Hogwarts. He had no idea that Potter was currently in the Americas with the Minister for Magic to handle some sort of international incident some British wizard had caused while in the states. So Potter wasn't there. Instead, his sister had shown up. Well, her and that bitch Ginny Potter. She had never really believed that Draco was a good guy, no matter what anyone had to say about the matter. Draco hated dealing with her so he turned his attention to the Sister instead, hoping he could get through this without being called a murderer, death eater, or traitor for once.

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna had not stood idle while the Battle of Hogwarts took place, in fact she did her best to play a huge part in it despite the fact that Harry insisted she not because she wasn't the chosen one and he didn't want her to get hurt. He never trusted her as much as he did his housemates, and perhaps it was for the best. But her manipulative Slytherin brain certainly got them out of a lot of tight spots that one had to recognize at least once. There wasn't much Lillianna could remember about the war these days. It wasn't the years or anything like that, it was the fact she was on the brink of death at the height of the war. She was tortured by Death Eaters for information. She was Harry's weakest spot because she was his only living family. She barely remembered being scooped up and carried out of wherever she was kept. Draco Malfoy did save her life during the war, yet another surprising thing that the world was blabbering about once it came out. Lillianna was thankful that he had done that for her, but they really didn't speak once Lucius and Narcissa went to trial. She went to America to finish her schooling since they were rebuilding Hogwarts. She wanted to get as far away from what she had endured as possible. Though she kept up with calls and owls from Harry and reading the paper.

Lillianna had come back within a few years and stayed with her brother to help raise his three children because Ginny wanted to go back to playing Quidditch. She loved her niece and nephews and they kept her occupied, though she was constantly bothered by Hermione and Ginny about getting married and having some of her own. She hadn't really thought about it, really. Lillianna was the kind of girl to be so wrapped up in traveling and work that she forgot about things like that. It suited her, in a way, and she didn't regret anything. Though the thought still seemed nice in her head. It wasn't like she didn't talk to guys. She had her share of one night stands, but really nobody actually stayed. She had a few steady boyfriends but they generally ended within a few months. Lillianna did her best to keep up with her old school friends though, and not all of them were married so she felt a bit better. She and Pansy weren't so bad with each other anymore, in fact they were quite civil. Though when news came out about Astoria they all were shocked, but at the same time they knew it was coming. Lillianna had bee friends with her older sister, Daphne, and she knew that she said that Astoria wasn't all right in the head despite how she could act. But the fact that Draco Malfoy was single kept a lot of people's interests, including Lillianna, despite the fact that she didn't realize that she had an interest in it. But really she couldn't help it. He did save her life and he wasn't bad looking at all.

Ginny was still not convinced that Draco was a good person and that he truly wasn't acting on his own when he did all of those horrible things. There was proof and everything yet she was still skeptical. Hermione was a bit more accepting than Ginny but she still felt tension between them because of the names he had called her back in school. She'd be cordial with him though and not cause a scene like Ginny could if her temper got the best of her. Lillianna never really had much of a problem with Draco in school. She mostly stayed out of his way because Harry disliked him but she didn't really fight with him. They shared a common room and honestly if they were bickering in there they'd annoy everyone in the Slytherin house. Lillianna was more willing to believe that he wasn't bad because he saved her and because she had seen more to him than what others did. Perhaps it was because they were in the same house, and therefore held a lot of the same views, that she could see his side better.

Because of this, Lillianna decided it was best if she went with Ginny to go see Dr. Malfoy and her nephew. It wasn't like Harry was available at this time, despite how much he wanted to be. As the two left the waiting room and headed into the hall where they could talk to Draco without doctor patient confidentiality could be breached, Ginny looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to cry over Albus or glare at Draco. She didn't seem like she had gotten much sleep either, the poor woman. She settled with the glaring and muttering to herself about how he's just going to make Albus worse. Lillianna gave Draco a weak smile and folded her arms over her chest and sighed, her voice lowering down in volume just a bit.

"Apologies for Ginny, she's been worried sick and hasn't gotten much sleep....my brother would have came but you know how that goes..."

She shook her head and dropped her arms down, deciding she may as well just get to it. Wasting Dr. Malfoy's time wasn't good for anyone.

"Have you found what was wrong with him yet? I know it hasn't been that long...but, have you found anything? Thank you...for taking his case, by the way...it means a lot."

 

[FoxWriter]

Draco was not very happy with the way Ginny was glaring at him but he said nothing about it. he knew she would never get over her hatred. her brother, Ronald was the exact same way. the red headed asshole had gone so far as to claim that Draco had slapped Scorpius himself and dosed himself with Love potion to put the blame on an innocent woman. not even the fact that Astoria confessed under court approved Veritaserum had changed the blasted Weasley's minds. well, the Twins where fairly nice, they where always glad to have Draco out for an evening of drinking, when they could talk the 'blonde ponce' into it. that had happened twice and no matter how hard the twins tried it had ever happened again. he did feel bad for her though, seeing as how it was her son and all.

"there's no need to apologize Ms. Potter." Draco assured her. "i know this is a worrying time for you, unfortunately there's not a whole lot that we know right now." Draco admitted, looking very frustrated. "as far as we can tell, Mister Potter is perfectly healthy in every way. his brain patterns, health scans, even his magical levels are all completely normal. there's no toxins in his systems, no upheavals in his hormone levels. nothing. i even brought in a specialist from Gringotts to scan him for dark or light curses and nothing came up, which doesn't make any sense at all." Draco admitted. "as far as we can tell there's nothing at all wrong with him and yet, there clearly is." he explained, running a hand through his fine, white hair.

"normally this case would be handled by Thomas. he's the head of pediatrics." Draco admitted. "he's really more suitable for this case, seeing as how Mister Potter is still very young, since we can't figure out what's going on though Mr. Thomas and i will be working in unison." Draco explained. "i have already contacted the headmistress, Lovegood will be sending me a list of everything he's come into contact recently and several of my specialists will be scouring the castle for anything that might have triggered this episode in young Mister Potter." Draco explained. "i need to ask if he's come into contact with anything new in your home Mrs. Potter? a new cleaning chemical, a new food, new animals? purchased any new bedding or furniture or any new clothes? was he sent any strange letters that you are aware of or is there any strange plants around your home?" he asked Ginny straight on. "as far as we can tell so far, the most likely scenario is that his body, or magic is reacting to something new that it views is a threat. we've already ruled out trauma, his mental patterns wouldn't be so calm if he had been mentally traumatized in some manner so we can rule that out. o dark magic residue rules out black magic, no typical magic residue rules out violent light magic or a curse or jinx of some sort. outside influences are the only reasonable explanation." Draco admitted, watching them to see if they could think of anything, anything at all.

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna had managed to find somewhere for Ginny to sit down and take deep breaths so that she didn't end up doing something that she regretted. Lillianna didn't think that Draco was the kind of person to jeopardize the life of a child because of something that she might say to him that was seen as insulting, but you never really know. They were lucky that Draco was taking Albus since he was a very good healer and only worked on certain cases. She sighed when Draco said that there was really not much to know as of right now. She was hoping that Draco would have figured out what was wrong with Albus by this point. Perhaps he merely just had a bad case of dragon pox without the pox or maybe he just was overtired and he'd just wake up after a few days of rest.

The woman nodded as Draco explained that there was really nothing wrong with Albus as far as the medical tests were concerned. Even his magic levels were normal for a boy his age. That just didn't seem right to her and it bothered her. She had hoped at least something was off. Not that she wanted her nephew to be ill, of course, but at least they'd have an idea of how to correct what was wrong with him if they knew something was off. This news caused Ginny to burst into tears again, causing Lillianna to wince slightly and hand her a packet of tissues from her purse. She felt for her sister-in-law, she really did, and she was upset herself, but she knew that crying over it was not going to help Draco figure out what was wrong and heal Albus before it was too late.

"I hope that you both can figure this out then..."

Lillianna wasn't entirely sure what to say - her head was spinning and she had to figure out how she was going to deal with all of this. Since her brother was out of the country for awhile she'd be the one to take care of Ginny, and pretty much all of Albus's affairs until he got back. She wondered how much all of this would cost. Her brother wasn't poor by any means but she knew that he still wasn't exactly making billions. Though she was sure he'd pay anything to ensure the health of his second son. She thought about what Draco was asking her. Had Albus come into contact with anything that may have been foreign to him? She thought back to everything that he would have seen and she couldn't think of anything at first. Things were relatively normal in the house. They had pets, but they were the same pets that had been around and no weird plants. The ministry paid special attention to things like their mail because of how many the Potters got in a day. She kept thinking.

"This....This is your fault, isn't it?"

Ginny stood up, shaking slightly, glaring at Lillianna, obviously speaking to her. Then it hit Lillianna that she took Albus on a cruise for his birthday not even a few weeks ago. There were plenty of foreign things there, of course. And as a curious boy he was sure to have gotten into things that may have been harmful. She was sure that she had watched him enough that he wasn't getting into trouble...but it was possible. Lillianna kept her posture, not letting Ginny see her guilt and she looked to Draco.

"I took Albus on a Mediterranean Cruise for his birthday a few weeks ago...that's all I can really think of...nothing else has really changed."

Before she could speak another word, Ginny reached out and slapped Lillianna across the cheek, acting out of worry and lack of sleep.

"I trusted you!"

 

[FoxWriter]

Draco shook his head a little, watching Ginny burst into tears and pulled out something that looked very similar to a prescription pad and started jotting something down on it before looking up at them again. "i know this is very hard for you Mrs. Potter. i assure you, St. Mungos is doing everything we can for your son." he promised her. "as of right now, you should take comfort in the fact that there's nothing really wrong with him. if it is a reaction to something, it's likely that he will wake in a few days as fine and dandy as he always is." Draco admitted. "if he doesn't wake up, then it's likely not a reaction, but something more deliberate and we can get the Aurors involved in an investigation just to make sure nothing nefarious has gone on. until we have further evidence of what may, or may not be happening i will be scouring the massive library for any hint i can find of his condition. i am not going to give up on him and i am not going to give you false platitudes." he promised Ginny.

"a Cruise?" Draco asked, looking curious now, writing that down on another notepad, this one a pink legal pad. "was it only you and he? if he is having a reaction to something, others on the boat will most likely be having similar symptoms. if not them, then you or the other children if they went, will likely start having symptoms." he admitted. "My specialists will be asking the students about ay odd behavior Albus might have been exhibiting to help us narrow down any information. if you notice anyone who went on that cruise with you behaving oddly, exhibiting any unusual symptoms, even if it's just a headache i want you to bring them in immediately." he ordered, watching Ginny slap Lillian with a wince. he felt bad for thinking that he was glad it had been her and not him.

"Mrs. Potter. i want you to take this." he tore off a page from the prescription pad. "this is a prescription for a modified calming drought and a ease of sleep potion." he explained. "Mrs. Maitilde will fill the prescription for you. you will take one tablespoon full of the calming drought every morning, it will help your emotions stay level during the day and keep your stress down. you can't help Albus if you make yourself sick too." he warned her. "the sleeping potion is none addictive. it is a combination of chemicals already found within the brain. serotonin, melatonin and others that help you sleep. you take a tablespoon half an hour before going to sleep." he explained to her. "Mrs. Matilde will write the instructions down for you so you won't forget." he assured her. "as for the idea that Ms. Potter purposely harmed your son, it is a silly matter. none of you could have imagined that going on a fun cruise could cause such effects as this. if Albus is having an allergic reaction to something, it is likely something very exotic or strange. something he likely has never encountered before. something, which i might inform you, can happen to people as old as Minerva McGonagal, who just came in last week with an unknown allergic reaction herself. this isn't the end of the world, and if it's a reaction, it's better we know about it now, then when he might be living alone or unable to get the help he needs." he explained. "Make sure you take your calming and sleeping droughts. be strong for your son and your other children. they still need you." he promised her, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. "i will do everything in my power to make this okay again."

"Ms. Potter? if you would, i would like to have the name of that cruise ship if you can recall it? i will need to have my specialists examine the ship and anyone who was on it. just in case."

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna took the slap without a word, though normally she'd retaliate. She knew that Ginny really didn't mean it and she would perhaps apologize later. Ginny sniffled and nodded when Draco reassured her that they were doing whatever they could to make Albus better. She may not have completely trusted him but she was thankful that he seemed to be trying. Ginny thought about what Draco said about it might being something deliberate. Why would anyone want to harm her son? He was only a child. Perhaps it was one of those wannabe death eaters that started up a few years ago. But she was sure that they would not be able to get close enough for that. There were a lot of possibilities but that was for Draco to figure out and not her.

"I only took Albus. James didn't want to go and Lily gets seasick too easily. I..I feel fine. But I'll let you know if I start to not feel well."

Ginny hesitated but took the prescription from Draco abd looked it over. She knew that even if she wanted to she couldn't stop anyone from making her take it. If not for her health, for their own sanity. She thanked Draco and decided to head out to get it filled. She want being very helpful sitting there and it seemed like Lillianna had everything all under control. She needed some air before she lashed out on someone again. Lillianna took a small notepad from her purse and a pen and wrote down the name of the ship along with numbers to contact the company and all of that. She handed the paper to him.

"I'm studying to be a nurse so I'm sure Ginny will trust me enough to allow me to help her with any medication.... I'll be the one you should call if anything comes up. I'll fill Harry in whenever he isn't busy."

Without Ginny freaking out every ten seconds her brain was able to clear itself and she could figure out things better. This was a rather depressing subject and she'd like to ask Draco out for tea or something so she could catch up with him as an old classmate but she felt that would be rather inappropriate at this time. Especially since Ginny would probably assume she was flirting which would probably end up in her hitting her harder.

 

[FoxWriter]

Draco was a little shocked that Liliana didn't even slap Ginny back. a slap might actually shock Ginny out of her hysteria, he said nothing about it though. it wasn't his place if Liliana wanted to take the slap without fuss. no doubt the poor Potter sister thought she was helping. honestly, how people thought letting their loved ones heap abuse on them was helping he had no idea. still, at least Ginny had calmed again.

"Most of what we are talking about is only supposition." he told Ginny, he'd noticed the look she'd gotten when he mentioned deliberation. "theories, if you will. this process is a complex one, we have to look at every scenario until there is only one left. we start with the most probable, Hogwarts. if that proves to not be the cause we move on to the next most probobable, the cruise. if that proves wrong we question the students of Hogwarts. it could be an act of revenge, a prank gone wrong, or even unknown magic that young Albus might have been working on. my Son tells me Albus is..." here he paused, screwing up his face in the way only an exasperated dad could get. "'Stupid smart'. i keep telling him that Albus can't be Stupid and Smart but i think there's some sort of teenage fad i'm missing here." he admitted. "it's just as likely that Albus was experimenting with spell creation, warding, or even rituals and no, Mrs. Potter not all rituals are dark." he assured her. "there are many ritual spells in the Hogwarts library that are geared towards helping. it was a ritual, in fact, that ultimately healed the elder Longbottoms." they hadn't lived but three years after they had finally woken up. they had been happy and lucid and pain free for those three years though.

"good. make sure that you do." Draco ordered Liliana, watching Ginny stagger away. "she's actually handling this much better than anticipated." he admitted. "most mothers cannot even function. illness like this is rare in the wizarding world. our magic insulates us from most things unless it attacks the core itself. Dragon Pox, Pixie mumps and things like that are all very serious. also curable. if this was a disease it would have spread by now so you don't have to worry about that." he promised her. "in all honesty, this is most likely the cause of either an allergic reaction, or dabbling in magic too advanced for him." he admitted. "we have to rule out the most likely first however, you understand?" he asked her. "if you like, come back anytime." he offered. "i know how hard it is for parents to sit around doing nothing." he promised. "you can help me research." he offered, looking up when a bulb started flashing, Draco cursing.

"i'm sorry Ms. Potter there's been an accident. i have to go do emergency care." he explained, heading off and mumbling about 'that stupid fucking minister brat.' it was a well known fact that the minister, Zacharias Smith was a pompous buffoon and his son, Zachery, wasn't much better. the little brat was only thirteen yet seamed to think he was above the rules and was often caught doing something stupid, like in this case he had attempted t separate while in Hogsmede and had splinched himself right down the middle. it was messy, but not considered lif threatening. normally Draco would have sent the boy off to the proper department, but it was the ministers son and Smith always insisted that Smith Jr. always got the best care. meaning Draco had to listen to the little shit whine. he only hoped Scorpius had witnessed the event.

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna was sure if she hit Ginny back it would just turn into one big slap fight and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. She had convinced herself that since she was really here for support that she shouldn't do anything when the other woman acted out. That was how she expressed her pain. Not really the smartest thoughts but who really was thinking clearly in this family anymore? Not with Albus being ill.

"It's important to consider all possibilities whether they turn out to be true or not, hun. I'm sure nobody tried to deliberately harm him but we can't rule it out unless we are completely sure."

Lillianna hoped her words to Ginny, explaining what Draco was saying would calm her a bit since she was more likely willing to believe Lillianna than Draco, despite the fact he was a professional healer. She laughed lightly at what Draco said about his son's comment. Teenagers these days were quite confusing but she understood. Being the designated babysitter she picked up on things like that faster since she spent the most time with him. Ginny nodded when Draco assured her that not all rituals were dark. She had it in her to yell at Albus if he was practicing difficult magic just because he scared the shit out of her. He knew better than to do something like that.

"My nephew is the quite curious one and your son is right, he did get pretty high marks. He was a hatstall. Almost in Ravenclaw. It wouldn't surprise me if he was trying things that he shouldn't have."

Lillianna relaxed a bit once her sister-in-law left the room because she no longer had to watch her. She agreed with Draco that she was handling this better than expected. It may because Ginny was still slightly in denial about it all. She was just starting to grieve over it like it was real. It probably wouldn't be long before she wasn't able to get out of bed. Lillianna would make sure she took her medication to prevent that from happening.

"I would love to help research. I appreciate the offer...hey I was won--"

Before she could finish speaking the light started to flash and Draco had to run off to treat the minister's son. She knew that the boy was quite annoying according to Albus but Lily had the cutest little crush on him despite the fact if anyone were to hint at it she'd scream something about cooties and boys being icky. She gave him a short wave and cursed to herself after he walked off. She berated herself for trying to take this opportunity to ask him out on a...platonic outing. He was at work and this was not the time. Clearly he was busy. Maybe she'd get a chance to catch up with him when they were researching. She didn't know. She wasn't sure if she should leave but a nurse offered to let her see Albus so she sat with him. When Draco returned she gave him a weary smile.

"I... just wanted to see him. I'll get out of your way so you can work."

 

[FoxWriter]

he nodded. "from what i've come to understand, Scorpius and young Albus are tied for first place in their year." he admitted. "Scorpius is better in transfiguration and potions while Albus seams to be better in Defence against the dark arts and charms." he admitted. "Scorpius is better in arithmancy while Albus is taking the lead in Runes. it's driving Scorpius a little batty. he's not used to competing with someone as smart as he is. honestly i'm glad for it. no need for Scorpius to get bored. Albus forces Scorpius to drive up his attempts, drives him forward, keeps him from getting bored in classwork." Draco admitted before wrinkling hi nose. "thank god neither of them chose soft options. i can't imagine intelligence like that going to waste in that crockpot class, 'divination', that class is a waste of time." he admitted, shaking his head.

"Hatstall? Potter was one as well as i recall." Draco admitted. "Scorpius was sorted straight into Slytherin." Draco admitted, sounding very proud of his son. "he was always an ambitious little brat and sneaky to boot." he admitted with a sly smirk. "he makes the Slytherin house proud..." he scowled. "now if only i could figure out how that nasty little brat Parkinson got sorted in there? he hasn't an ounce of intelligence, nor wit and cleverness." he huffed before smirking at her. "in all honesty i think the most Slytherin that ever existed was you." he admitted. "i never could win an argument against you. Smart as a ravenclaw, loyal as a hufflepuff, as brave as a Gryffindor without the overwhelming need to throw your neck on the line. a true Slytherin." he admitted before shaking his head.

"i highly doubt that Albus was working on anything against the rules. as you know the advanced students in Runes and Arithmancy are allowed to run various experiments on their own. both Albus and Scorpius where in the advanced placement. He might very well have been working on a project that went wrong." he pointed out. "a single stroke out of order, a single line miscalculated and a person can have extreme results." Draco would know he was the one who usually had to fix the mistakes since most healers didn't practice arithmancy or runes in their spare time. Draco did, however, if only to keep up with Scorpius. it was one of the reasons why he was capable of reversing such problems. "i'll make sure that the desk clerks know that you have access to the hospital libraries." Draco admitted. "if, however improbable, it seams like he has been cursed in some manner, i might have to bring in some books from the Malfoy library." he sounded quite disgusted by the idea. Liliana wouldn't know it, but Draco hated walking through his library because of all the dark books there. as a healer, he was extremely sensitive to dark and black magic, too much of it near him, and it could make him ill. he was a white wizard through and through, no matter the dark spells his father had forced him to learn. the most popular theory was, that the more dark magic you are exposed to as a child, the more your core rebelled. the more Lucius had cast crucio, imperious, and other dark magic on Draco, the lighter his own magic had become in defense. it was Lucius's own fault Draco was one of the best healers in the world. Draco delighted in the irony.

He blinked at her when she stuttered ad shook his head. "there's no need to apologize." he assured her. "as active as his brain scans are, he might be aware of the surrounding area while he's 'awake' for lack of a better term." he admitted. "being that he might be, at the very least, semi-aware it is probably a comfort for him to have you here." he admitted. "you want to be a healer, yes?" he asked her. "come here. watch what i'm doing, you'll learn some interesting things you might not learn from the academy." he admitted, showing her how he used wards in the process of elimination. a dark magic detection ward came up negative, indicating there was no dark magic in, on, or remaining around Albus. meaning a dark wizard was not the cause, which Draco was very relieved to see. brain wave patterns showed that Albus's mind was, indeed, very active but didn't seam to respond to outside stimuli. not that it meant Albus didn't know that they where there. "i've instructed the nurses that you, and anyone you bring with you, are welcome in his room no matter the time. it could help his recovery." Draco admitted. "so please feel free to come anytime you please."

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna was pleased to hear that Scorpius was tied with Albus because it meant that it kept both of them on their toes and they had some friendly competition. It was more satisfying to be the best when you had someone beneath you to crush. Perhaps that was her Slytherin brain talking. She was glad that Draco had the same opinion on the matter. They both would become very successful one day if they kept it up. But first they had to cure Albus otherwise he'd never be able to prove his worth.

"I only took it because it sounded interesting. Ha. I left with Hermione and joined her in Runes. At least I felt like I was accomplishing something. Scorpius and Albus are far too smart to waste their time in a class about guessing and coincidence."

Lillianna smiled when Draco seemed to be very proud of his son's sorting. All of her family so far in the latest generation have been in every house but. She was still the outlier. She was like the Sirius Black of the Potter-Weasley clan. Lillianna laughed at the mention of Parkinson. She may have been on good terms with Pansy but she knew her son really wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. But of course she never said anything as to not make an enemy out of her yet again. Lillianna then blushed when Draco called her a true Slytherin and praised her. It was true that anytime they did have an argument she'd win but it was still special coming from him, admitting it.

"Thank you, Draco. That's sweet of you to say. But you really were worthy competition. We may not have fought like you and my brother but we had our battles. You kept things pretty interesting."

Lillianna was relieved that Draco had reminded her that technically the more advanced students could preform their own experiments. She had forgotten about that. It made perfect sense since they were intelligent and most likely disciplined enough to be trusted. Hopefully if that turned out to be the reason why, Albus would perhaps be able to recover much faster. She smiled at Draco when he granted her access to the hospital library. That was going to be really cool. She'd learn so much. Lillianna smiled brightly when Draco reassured her that her presence was actually good for him. She never did completely understand the comatose state but he seemed to know what he was talking about. She thanked him then watched as he let her watch things she really wouldn't learn from the school she was going to for healing.

"I was just thinking...maybe Scorpius has an idea? I mean, if we entertain the possibility that Albus was working on an experiment, maybe Scorpius knew about it. Sure when in competition you aren't exactly supposed to know what the other is doing but lets be real here, everyone spied at least once or got bragged to or whatever."

 

[FoxWriter]

"You took it because your brother and that Granger twit insisted." Draco only insulted Hermione because they where friendly now. Hermione often helped Draco in the more complex studies because as much as he hated to admit it, she was a bit smarter than him. but only a bit!

"Scorpius informs me that the class has improved by a great amount. it's mostly theoretical now, though the Lovegood boy has actual talent in the field and receives more specialized education." Draco admitted. "Scorpius told me that for the most part, they go through the process and are informed how it works, why it works, why this day or thi time of the moon and why the tars are important and such things like that. it's a much better class, even if it's still a soft option." he admitted with a wrinkle of his nose.

"please. as if that was fighting. i'm sorry but your brother was, is, and always has and will be a moron. he's far too much of a gryffindor to ever have an argument that doesn't result in spells and fists." he scoffed. "i only picked on him because he was man enough to take it." he sighed. "i was hurting so much i had to take it out on someone, our brother was the perfect target. it pleased my father to know i was tormenting you potters and that meant i was punished a little less at home. that you could actually fight back and weren't really bothered by what i was doing was just a bonus." he admitted, studying her. "i always wondered if you knew. the way you'd look at me sometimes, like you pitied me." he admitted. "i used to hate you for that to be honest." he admitted with a shake of his head.

Draco was in the middle of another spell when she spoke and he mumbled the last of it before glancing at her. "Scorpius. yes..." he agreed, looking a little foggy headed. "no pain. just sleepy. how odd..." he mumbled. "slightly light headed..." as he spoke a quill in the corner was jotting everything down. "heavy sensation, like being swaddled in too many blankets but comfortable and content..." and he snapped out of it, shaking his head. "sorry. that was a spell that allowed me to sense everything he was sensing." he explained. "he's not in any pain, which i'm having trouble deciding if that is a good thing or not. he's lethargic, sleepy but he feels safe and content so it's not a nightmare curse of some kind." he admitted, frowning before glancing at her. "i can't reach his mind using the spell of course so his thoughts are unknown to me. i could get a legilimense expert in here but that is a direct last resort." he admitted. "using such mental tactics on someone who cannot consent is tantamount to rape and will have other problems to fix." he admitted. "if this is some sort of mental based problem we will have to call in a Legilemency master, but i truly hope that isn't the case." he admitted.

"come here, Quill." he ordered, the quill that had been writing everything he was saying leaped into his hand. with a quick flourish he started writing out a lengthy letter before examining it, tapping it dry with his wand he folded it, stamped a blab of Wax onto it with another tap of his wand and sealed it with the ring he always wore on his finger. head of house rings would not, and could not be removed though they could be rendered invisible. only once you where no longer the head of the house could the ring be fully removed and only to be handed to the next in line. Harry had one too, but it was usually invisible unless he needed to use it. "Mipori!" Draco called, smiling when a small, rather young House Elf appeared. unlike most House-Elves though, this one was dressed in a cute little pink dress with a bow behind her ear.

"Master Draco has called Mipori?" the Elf gushed. "i did. i'm sorry to bother you, but this needs to go to my son right away. it's very important." Draco said to her, handing her the letter. "wait for a response if ou can, he should be in his rooms by now. if he's not, chastise him for being out of bounds after curfew and tell him i'm proud of him for being a sneak." Mipori giggled, accepted the letter and vanished. "there. if he knows anything, i'll know within the half hour." he admitted. "however, now that you brought up the idea, have you contacted the school and had them send his things? if it is a project, there will be notes and things amidst his school things, at least i should think so." he admitted. "the sooner you can get those and look through them the sooner we might have an idea of whats happening."

 

[SlytherinDesires]

Lillianna merely smiled at his comment, knowing that was partly true. Hermione kind of had an inkling it was stupid from the beginning but she still insisted she at least give it a try before they decided to leave. She had fun while the class lasted, she'd admit. Mostly the look on Harry's face when Professor Trelawny declared that he was destined for doom and that he should be born in the winter when he, in fact, was a summer baby. Some of that stuff was kind of true - and she detected some of these things because it was true about Lord Voldemort and her brother and him were connected at that time, but it was still pretty ridiculous.

"That's good...it's an interesting sort of magic, I'll say, but unless you have talent in the field, really it's pointless. It has it's purpose, but honestly if you want to be challenged, that is not the class to take. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are far more challenging and worth their time."

It didn't offend Lillianna in the slightest that Draco called her brother a moron, because honestly she probably had called him that twice as much as he did in his entire life. But what he said was quite true - that Harry always resorted to physical fighting like most of his house and like their father, when he was alive. Lillianna preferred a battle of wits and mind games, which honestly made her a far more fun enemy if she was the one fighting against Draco. But she listened to his explanation of why he did what he did, and it made perfect sense. After what happened during the trial, what came out, she honestly wasn't surprised that Draco behaved the way he did. She was surprised he managed to make it out alive and get as far in life as he did with that kind of background. She flushed a light shade of pink when Draco admitted that he hated her because he thought she pitied him. Did he really think about that a lot?

"I think you forget that I am a Slytherin too. I know how we were treated - as outcasts, as criminals, judged before we were even old enough to truly understand it. Some of us believed that we really were evil and...we played the part. Part of me did wonder if...there was more to you than the boy who was the class bully. I wondered if you were one of the ones who let the stereotype get to you. I didn't know, of course, the truth, but I suppose...you could say I pitied you...but, in a way that I wished I could help remind you that you are more than a couple of labels. That our house is not something to be ashamed of or...judged. But that's all in the past, I suppose now."

Lillianna frowned when she finished speaking and Draco seemed to be completely zoned out. At first she thought that he had been ignoring her, but he started to go on about things that he was feeling. She listened with interest this time, writing a few things down in a little purple notebook she carried with her. It was for writing things down that she learned about being a healer that she might want to know later on. After all, Draco did say that she'd learn some things here that she wouldn't learn from just going to the Academy. She was relieved when Draco finally explained to her what he had been doing and that Albus was actually not feeling any pain, and in fact he was pretty peaceful. Maybe that was actually a bad sign, but she'd take it as a good one for now. For the sake of her own sanity because she didn't want to end up worse than Ginny, which she was going to have to take home later on, if she hadn't already called Ron or Hermione to come get her since Lillianna stayed later than she was originally going to.

"I do understand that...though, being that Albus is underage, wouldn't it be alright if Harry or Ginny, being his parents and legal guardians, consented to the procedure? I mean - if it ever really came down to the point where you absolutely had to call someone in.."

She giggled along with the house-elf when Draco made the comment about Scorpius sneaking out after curfew. They did that a lot when they were in school. It was pretty easy because as Slytherins, they knew Snape was in charge of them and therefore they got special treatment and often got off easy. Snape was especially giving towards Lillianna because she reminded him so much of Lily Evans, since she took after her more than her father, despite the house she was sorted into. Not that she ever really mentioned any of that to Harry at the time, of course. She nodded when Draco asked if the school was sending Albus's things. Harry had sent for them a few days prior, just before he went on his business trip. They should be arriving sometime very soon.

"Oh, yes, Harry sent for them as soon as Albus arrived here. The Headmistress states that his things should be arriving at the house sometime today. He has quite a bit of things, you know, with his trunk and all of that...if you're not busy you could perhaps go with me to pick it up? B-But, I'm sure you are so I'll just go get it and bring it here, maybe? Just to see if it's even here yet, I'm not sure."

 

[FoxWriter]

"well it's not entirly pointless. there are those who have a slight connection to that kind of magic. like Scorpius unfortunately. when he picks up a pack of Tarot cards his readings are almost always entirely correct. the few times he's wrong is because he misread the meaning of the cards." Draco admitted. "he gets private tutoring from the teacher. it's always creepy when he pulls those things out. i rather hate watching him practice." he admitted before he chuckled. "in any case, from what i understand, Albus and Scorpius where almost as ambitions. aren't they both taking Care as well as Arithmancy and Runes?" he asked. "i know Scorpius is still managing all three, but i haven't heard if your nephew still is." he admitted. he wondered what had gotten into him, admitting those sorts of things to her. it was silly of him to think of such things. honestly, school had been a long time ago, s what if he regretted never being able to make any real friends? as long as his son was happy, he was happy, that was all that mattered in the end.

he flushed a little when she told him she had never actually pitied him and he shook his head. "honestly, the onl reason we where the villains, was because Dumbledore painted us to be." he admitted, hands tightening into Fists. "you wouldn't know this, because you where still pretty sheltered, by Dumbledore, by Snape, by your brother... but the teachers at school..." he closed his eyes. "i got my ass kicked in first year did you know? four seventh year Gryffindors pinned me down in a hallway and cursed me so bad that if i hadn't managed to crawl to the hospital wing, i would have been mutilated for the rest of my life. not one of those students got in trouble. instead, i got a detention from McGonagal for slandering the names of her Gryffindor prefects." he looked at her. "and she got away with it because Dumbledore took her side. he always took the gryffindor's side, even when there was obvious proof otherwise. we where the bad guys and i was the worst of them all even though i was only eleven and too thankful to be away from my father to understand what he was doing was wrong. Snape was the only thing keeping all of us from being outright abused at the school." he shook his head. "the worst part about it, is that i don't think you or your brother ever realized that Dumbleore was grooming Harry to be a martyr."

"sorry... i shouldn't have said that." Draco muttered, shaking his head. "the spell i used... it makes it hard to keep my mouth shut sometimes. the emotions leave a vague imprint on me and it makes it hard to keep the things i'm thinking inside." he admitted, sighing a little before nodding. "yes. if it comes down to that, then Harry or Ginerva can consent for Albus, legally speaking. that won't help the boys mind when he wakes though." Draco admitted. "if we have no other choice but to call in a master Legilemencer, then Albus will be spending a lot of time with a mind healer afterwords." he admitted. "he'll also likely be very skittish after as well, not unlike a rape victim. he won't ant to be touched i don't think... it's different for every person. there's a reason why catching someone using such mind arts against others without their permission is an automatic ten year sentence in Azkaban." Draco admitted.

"good good... and, actually i think it would be better if you went through Albu's things alone. there are things a young man would not want strangers seeing." Draco admitted. "while it is extremely important to find out what is wrong here, it is also important to maintain Albus's privacy and comfort as much as possible as well." he admitted. "i know there are things in Scorpius's trunk that he wouldn't want anyone knowing about. i know when i was they're age i had things in my trunk i didn't want anyone else to see, so it should be someone he trusts not to use whatever you might find in that trunk against him. i am pretty sure that would be you." Draco admitted with a smile. "see what you can find and if you think i should see something, then by all means, please bring it to me." he assured her. "especially if there is any mention in his notes about stalkers, unusual attention being paid to him, or other such things. this could be an unusual reaction to certain potions as well, though his blood screen showed no potions in his system, some love, compulsion, luck, and misfortune spells evaporate quickly from the bloodstream while remaining active in other parts of the body. we'll be testing for those as well of course, but it's hard on the body and we need to make sure he's as healthy as possible before doing it."