Chapter 1
Harry walked briskly down the central London street. Just one person in the after-work crowd trying to get home. In his case, he was headed towards the nearest apparition point. “I told you, I already know which bottle we’re bringing over tonight,” his husband told him over the phone.
“Are you sure I can’t change your mind? That Merlot we had last time was really good.”
“For the last time, Potter, a deep red wine, which is what that 1998 Merlot is, does not pair well with seafood.”
“How do you even know we’re eating seafood?”
“Hermione hasn’t liked red meat since she found out she was pregnant. Anthony doesn’t eat pork. Luna’s currently a pescatarian. Thus, if we’re going to eat meat tonight, it will be seafood.”
“You’re so smart.”
“Isn’t that why you married me?” Draco joked.
Harry let out a loud chuckle, startling the man next to him waiting to cross the street. “Of course, darling.”
“Do you know when you’ll be home?” Draco asked. Harry could tell he was nibbling on the end of his quill.
“I’m heading towards the point right now and am about 10 minutes away. I filled out all the paperwork before meeting with the family.” Harry was the liaison between muggleborn witches and wizards preparing to enter Hogwarts and the Ministry. The concept of the wizarding world was now introduced much earlier to muggleborns and their families, usually after their first bit of accident magic. They were met by Harry, who introduced them to wizarding culture and served as an advocate for the children. Today, he had his first home visit with a 7 year old witch named Marcy.
The light changed. The walking symbol appeared, and Harry stepped into the sidewalk. “Sounds good. I can’t wait to hear how it went. I’ll start closing down every–” There was a honk, a thump, and Harry flew through the air before landing with a hard thunk. Everything went dark.
When he opened his eyes again, everything hurt and was blurry. He shut them again and groaned. His head was a pulsing cacophony that he hadn’t felt since Voldemort was sending him visions. He heard someone walk over to him.
“Harry? Are you awake?” a woman asked. She sounded right next to him. “Try not to move. You’ve been hit by a car. The ambulance is on its way.”
He could hear a siren in the distance, and it was becoming steadily louder. “Everything hurts.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, dear. My name’s Cindy. Can you open your eyes for me?”
“Do I have to? It’s so bright outside.” Harry was surprised at how sunny it was. He could’ve sworn it was overcast just a bit ago.
“Oh, I think you have a bit of a concussion. That wouldn’t surprise me though. You really cracked your head against the pavement.”
He believed her. “Do you think they will turn off the sirens when they arrive? It’s not helping my headache. Plus, I kinda want to sleep.”
Instead of being quiet, Cindy asked another question. “Were you heading home from work?”
“Yeah, I was.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I visit kids in their homes. I check in on them and their families. I’m not weird or anything. Today I had a home visit with a new kid named Marcy. She really likes whales. Did you know that whales are the largest mammals on Earth?” Harry rambled.
“So you’re a social worker?”
“Yes! That’s the name!” His official title was Muggleborn Child Liaison, but Cindy wouldn’t know what that meant.
“I’m a trauma nurse, so you’re in good hands.”
The sirens stopped. That must mean the ambulance was close. “Did you find a mobile anywhere? I was speaking with my husband before all this,” he waved his arms around, “occurred.”
“Draco? Yes, I spoke to him already. He was panicking a bit before I calmed him down. He’s still on the line if you wish to reassure him.”
Harry shook his head and immediately regretted it. He gritted his teeth as he swallowed down his nausea. Before he could respond verbally, he heard multiple sets of shoes running over to him.
“Hello sir, can you tell us your name?”
“Harry James Potter.” A brace was secured around his neck.
“And how old are you?”
“25.” He was placed onto a stretcher.
“Do you know what happened?”
“I was crossing the street and was hit by a car. I woke up to Cindy helping me.” He was wheeled towards the ambulance. “Where are we going?”
“St. Thomas,” one of the EMTs replied. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I took a bludger to the face.” He could hear Cindy talking to Draco on the phone.
He was loaded into the back of the ambulance. The jostling made everything worse for a few moments. He heard Cindy handing the phone to one of the paramedics, then the door slammed and the ambulance started moving.
“Can you open your eyes for me, Harry?”
“Why? Cindy already diagnosed me with a concussion.”
“We just need to check something,” a woman replied. “It’ll only be for a few moments.”
Against his better judgement, he opened his eyes. The brightness of a penlight stabbed into them. The pain, which had settled into a constant eight, ratcheted up to an 11. His body, which was already tired, took this as an opportunity to slip back into unconsciousness.
The next time Harry woke up, the world was once again blurry. He was in a room he didn’t recognise with pale yellow curtains surrounding the bed. He turned to the left and saw someone curled up in a chair. The platinum hair gave it away. “Draco?” he whispered, his voice cracking.
His husband shifted and stretched out. “Harry, are you actually awake this time?”
“What do you mean? I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”
“The past few times you've woken up, you had no idea what was going on.”
“What happened? And where are my glasses?” He tried to sit up, but the sudden movement had him gripping his head in pain.
“Sorry, I forgot to warn you about that. Here are your glasses.” Draco handed them to him, and he put them on. The world was suddenly in focus. He much more slowly sat up in the bed, his husband fixing the pillow behind his back. “You were in a car accident earlier this evening, although I suppose it is now yesterday evening.”
“But I don’t drive.”
Draco rolled his eyes. “I know you don’t. A car hit you while you were crossing the street. In a crosswalk, might I add.”
“Oh.” Harry couldn’t remember any of that. In fact the last thing he remembered was leaving little Marcy’s house. “I take it that means we missed Ron and Hermione’s dinner party.”
“It’s been rescheduled.”
Harry perked up. “You’ve spoken to them?”
“Yes. I’ve been in patronus contact with Ron since I found out about the accident, and I have been texting Hermione updates. See?” Draco pulled out his phone to show him before pausing. “Actually, the doctor said you weren’t allowed to look at screens for a few days.”
“Do you know when I’ll be discharged?”
“You’ve been awake for five minutes and you already want to get out of here. It’s like the Hogwarts hospital wing all over again.”
“Well, no one’s using magic to keep me here.”
“I will. I’ll stick you to the bed if I have to. We’re not leaving until the muggle Healer–”
“Doctor.”
“Doctor discharges you.” Draco was very serious, and had a wild look in his eyes.
“Did I almost die or something?”
“You had to go for some sort of scan. They were worried you might have a brain bleed.”
“Do I have one?”
“No, but they have you under observation. Hermione assured me it was normal.”
“What else did she say?”
“That you better follow any and all orders. And that she will visit you tomorrow.”
Harry pouted. “I’m hungry. Do you know when breakfast is served?”
Draco sighed. “Well, today’s your lucky day.” He reached over towards the bedside table and into the cubby. “I brought your favorite snacks.” He tossed two bags into Harry’s lap.
He studied the bags. “Tangfastics and Monster Munch. Thanks for braving the muggle hospital canteen for me.”
“I even counted the notes correctly this time.”
Harry beamed at his husband. “I’m so proud of you.” He looked down at his food options. “You even got me my favorite flavor,” he said, pointing to the orange monster on the bag.
“I don’t get how pickled onion is such a popular flavor. It’s a terrible flavor.”
“Would you like a Tangfastic instead? They are a lot like Fizzing Whizzbees.”
“No, you should eat what you want.”
“Draco, look at me.” He waited until his husband met his eyes. “Have you eaten since I got injured? And no, drinking tea or coffee doesn’t count.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then we’ll break into the Tangfastics.” He tore open the bag and took one at random. He got a key, and handed the bag over to Draco, who pulled out a cherry. He took a bite of candy before asking, “So, how are we getting home?”
“I can’t Side-Along you while you're concussed. You can Floo though. We’ll take a cab back to the Leaky and go from there. It’s a fairly quick ride. Not only do you see Big Ben, but there’s also a very famous wheel called The Eye. It’s huge.”
“We can go there on our next date if you’d like.” Harry learned early on in their relationship to suggest doing muggle things when Draco expressed an interest in them instead of outright asking.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing London from so high up. It’s not like you can fly a broom down the Thames.”
“That darn Statue of Secrecy.” Harry joked as he grabbed another gummy. This one was cola shaped.
“I know. It takes the fun out of everything.”
“Speaking of fun, how much of a ruckus do you think I have to make to get a doctor over here to discharge me.”
Draco sighed and stood up. “Let me find a nurse. Since you’re awake and coherent, it shouldn’t take that long for us to leave.”
“Thanks, Draco.”
“It’s no problem.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on Harry’s forehead. “I’m just glad you’ll be okay.”