Chapter 21
Harry did not feel good. This much was easy to figure out. He felt as if he had been hit by the knight bus and then a hippogriff tried to put him out of his misery. However why that would make him so blind? He couldn’t figure that out. He couldn’t see a metere in front of him he could feel his glasses crushed on his nose and he could see Draco sleeping beside him but beyond that, the rest of the world was just once massive blur.
Draco slowly woke up and when he made eye contact with Harry he was flushed.
“Are you feeling alright,” Draco asked, Harry considered lying but apparently his hesitation spoke for itself, “I’m getting Poppy,”
Draco leisurely got out of bed and walked out of Harry's minimal view range. Harry curses and tries to make his way out of bed, ignoring the muscle soreness only to walk straight into the wall.
“Merlin Harry, are you okay?” Draco asks with concern while Harry rubs the bridge of his nose.
“Fine,” Harry says and then almost laughs, his voice was rough, and speaking came out more as a grunt more than anything.
Draco goes a blurry shade of red and in an attempt to get a better look, Harry steps forward only to walk into something else. He sighs.
“Are you sure?” Draco asks stripping out of yesterday's clothes, and Harry still can’t see it.
Harry tries to walk forward only to trip on something again.
“I can’t fucking see.” He knows it’s a little growly, his frustration making it worse.
“What do you mean you can’t see, you saw fine last night?” Draco sounded panicky.
“I can see, just, not very much,” Harry walks up close to Draco until he can see him in perfect clarity, he can feel Draco’s breath on his face, “That’s better,”
“Oh, we are totally getting Poppy,”
Harry groans.
***
Draco once again spends the walk guiding Harry to the Hospital wing but every now and then Draco forgets he can’t see and lets him walk himself into a wall.
Students stared with worried looks as they passed but Harry couldn’t see them to give them a comforting grin so that left the responsibility to Draco. They stopped looking.
Poppy seemed thrilled to have Harry in. Doing a ton of little diagnostic checks and nodding.
“Your magic was the only thing keeping your vision afloat,” Poppy said after a moment.
“So why isn’t it doing it now?” Harry asked.
Poppy grimaced though Draco knew Harry couldn’t see it, “You depleted a lot of magic, your magic’s still keeping it intact, just not as much as usual.”
Harry blanched, “I’m blind?”
“Unfortunately, your vision will come back soon I’m nearly 100% sure.”
“That's a weird thing not to know about yourself,” A panicky look crossed Harry’s face, “I’ll still be able to teach right,”
“I’m sure you can find a workaround, but do not use magic if you want your vision to come back with any sort of speed.”
Draco looped his fingers with his own, he almost pulled back remembering Harry calling him pretty but Harry latched his hand on and Draco squeezed slightly.
It was a moment of silence allowing Harry to process it before he slumped a little and his eyes took on that tell-tale glaze.
“I thought the fever was gone,” Draco said pressing his hand to Harry's forehead.
Poppy rolled her eyes, “He had a fever?”
“Oh don’t give me that,” Draco snaps, letting Harry sink into him once more.
“He’s not going to be able to teach like this.” She points out, “Leave him here, I’ll take care of him.”
Harry made a noise of protest and a surprisingly large burst of magic for someone who had supposedly exhausted it pushed itself across the room, and Draco had to hold back a chuckle, “He’s not too keen on being left alone,”
Poppy gives him a look that he couldn't quite decipher, “We’ll need to find a temp,”
“Ron?” Harry questions weakly.
“Is he qualified?” Draco asks gently, rubbing Harry’s back
Harry leans into the touch, “As qualified as I am.”
“I’ll talk to the headmistress,” She says waving away the remaining spells, “Harry keep off your magic and try not to exert yourself, both of you get breakfast.”
Draco helps Harry out of the room.
***
Poppy doesn’t know what she’s going to do with Harry, he’s always getting himself in trouble. She takes a deep sigh and starts the trek to the headmistress's office. It’s not a long walk so she gets there rather quickly.
“Professor Potter has over-exerted himself and can’t attend class.” A wave of nostalgia flows through her.
Minerva frowns, “How has he managed that.”
Poppy takes the time to explain the story only to realize why he was so depleted mid-story.
“They used the button to contact him and he showed up a second” Poppy breaks off with the realization, “-He apparated onto Hogwarts grounds didn’t he?”
“Poppy that would require massive amounts of power.” Minerva sounded astonished.
“That's not even it, he side-alonged Professor Malfoy and then cured a student of a peanut allergy.” Poppy buries her head in her hands, “What am I going to do with him?”
“He won’t leave Professor Malfoy's side when his fever hits and without the fever, he is almost completely blind, he suggested Ron Weasley to fill in for him.”
“Of course he did,” Minerva exhaled a deep sigh and accioed her quill and parchment.
***
Harry didn’t get better on the walk but at least he didn’t get worse. After Draco sets him gently in his chair, he rests his head on Dracos shoulder.
Neville turns to face him, “Is he alright,”
“No.” Draco snaps causing Neville to flinch before taking a deep breath, “Sorry, no, but it’ll work out.”
Harry plays with Draco’s fingers and Draco uses his spare hand to butter toast.
“Harry,” Draco said softly, “Can you eat this for me?”
He took the toast from Draco’s hand and ate it much to Draco’s relief, he didn’t know what he would’ve done if Harry had refused it. He buttered a slice of toast for himself before looking up. Neville and every student who had already arrived was looking at him like he was crazy.
“What?”