Chapter 14
Draco hates waking up with a hangover. He hated it when he lived on the streets, it irritated him the few times he went out partying with his friends and had a few too many drinks. He hated it when Larry took him to a gay bar the first time and in a fit of nervousness/denial he drank too much to kill his doubts plus the self-hating, homophobic thoughts he had that night; he almost ended up in someone else's bed or in a tub of ice if he hadn't been stopped from going out with that handsome dark-haired guy.
He's sure he took 10 years of life out of his liver and kidneys that day, he even promised himself he'd never drink so much that he'd be that wasted again.
This was 3 times the hangover of that day.
A massive headache, dizziness, dry mouth and muscle heaviness.
He opened his eyes with difficulty, quickly regretting his decision. He had forgotten the sensitivity to light caused by the hangover. He moaned with a long, heavy groan that hurt his throat, tried to swallow saliva but it didn't help much.
What had happened last night? Had he been out drinking?
No, no. The reality that he was now a minor who couldn't drink hit him along with the confused and jumbled memories of the pain he had gone through last night, bringing him back to reality.
It was all confusion and discomfort. He could hear nothing, everything sounded drowned out and he refused to open his eyes for a while or until someone turned off the sun.
-Easy, easy Boy, what hurts? What's wrong? -
Remus?
His hearing returned to a steady rhythm, as did twisting the plug on the faulty headphones until they connected properly and the music came out in good quality; maybe just a little louder than he'd like.
-The light... Too...bright- He mumble in a hoarse, raspy voice- noise...-
It was easier to speak in monosyllables.
-Sit him up -
Says a female voice that can only be Pomfrey. He feels a pair of hands lift him up and maneuver him until he is sitting with his back against the back of the bed, he tries to open his eyes again but only manages to open them a little without being disturbed by the brightness of the room. He blinks hard trying to adjust, but it feels much better just to keep them closed.
-Drink this- his hands are raised and a warm mug is placed in them-Slowly, long sips-
Draco does as instructed without hesitation. The smell of the drink vaguely reminds him of herbalvitalizing potion but it's not the same, no matter, it's warm, mildly sweet and makes his throat feel less like a desert so he loves it.
Slowly the brew begins to do its work making his aches and pains disappear, his shoulders visibly relax as the headache subsides and his stomach settles, the discomfort in his body no longer more than a dull ache in the back of his mind. The blessings of magical medicine, no doubt.
His eyes are no longer as sensitive to light as they used to be and he can finally see where he is. The infirmary, he doesn't know what time it is but the sun looks bright enough to be the first light of morning, or so he assumes. Lupin is sitting in a chair near him with his hands on the bed, his eyes constantly moving over Draco looking for some ailment. He almost seemed to want to jump on the blond with questions and cuddles, but he used all the patience he had to control himself so as not to hurt him. Draco smiles with joy and gratitude to see him by his side, it was less stressful to have a friendly figure when he woke up. On the other side of the bed is Pomfrey watching, or rather analyzing, his reaction to the medicine. She seemed pleased with the results, seeing that he was no longer complaining. On the same side, only a little farther away was Snape, with his arms crossed and his typical serious face.
What surprised Draco a little was to see the gleam of concern in the black eyes and he was even more surprised to notice the slight but not very subtle up and down movement of his leg that showed obvious uncomfortability.
Or boredom. Draco didn't know, he just felt a little annoyed by the presence of his potions master there.
-How are you feeling, young man? - Pomfrey calls his attention
-I feel better- he says slowly, his voice no longer hoarse as it was at the beginning.
-Do you remember what happened last night?
-I... I had a ... seizure?
-That's one way to describe it- Pomfrey smiles tenderly at him, trying to be comforting-We could say you suffered from epileptic seizures but your symptoms don't fill all the epileptic seizure boxes so I'd like to hear what happened from your own mouth.
-Doesn't it all come out in the diagnostic spells- he asks confused.
-Unfortunately, nothing shows up in the diagnostics.-The tender smile drops to a slight grimace of dismay.
-We need you to tell us what happened, Draco- Lupin says as he places his hand on Draco's calf covered by the sheet- So we can understand and help you. -
Draco stares at him dumbfounded. It is unheard that his symptoms do not appear to the nurse.
Having just woken up, he had not had time to rationalize the events of the previous night, but rather hoped to receive an explanation for what had happened, not this.
He did what he knew best so far. He inhaled, exhaled and thought about his next words.
He remembered more or less what had happened, more than all the first few minutes since he didn't remember when he had arrived at the infirmary.
-I remember going to sleep normally and in the middle of the night I was awakened by a sharp pain in my chest- Draco began to describe, he saw how quickly Pomfrey conjured a pen and a clipboard to write down his symptoms -It was overwhelming... my lungs were burning, my joints were aching-....
He swallowed saliva thinking how to describe his ailments, he didn't want to say too much either, just the most important.
-I was shivering, my whole body ached - he felt Remus' hand on his calf get tighter - and my throat burned. I tried to get out of my bed but I fell down and the pain got worse, my classmates called Professor Snape and I fainted on the way here-
That should sum up what happened.
-Anything else? -
Draco shook his head at the cup in his hands but remembered something he felt until the very end.
-My teeth hurt, before I fainted, I remember my gums hurting-
Draco listens as Snape lets out an alarmed groan and clearly feels how the atmosphere changes around him, if it was already tense at the beginning, now it is even more so because of the oppressive silence that settles in the infirmary.
He looked up, confused. Remus now had a more pronounced frown on his face and a clear hint of fear and insecurity shone in his eyes. Turning to look at Severus, he looked rather furious, his hands were balled into tight fists on his still-crossed arms, and he had straightened up in his chair. His expression was like a wild beast ready to attack an enemy in front of him and he did not take his eyes off the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Draco at that moment, looking at Remus and then at Severus and back at Remus, noticed other details that he did not see the first time.
Remus, who is known for wearing clothes that are not perfectly manicured, now looked more disheveled in his old robe, his hair disheveled. Draco even thought he noticed parts of the robe with cuts.
Severus on the other hand had his clothes moderately neat but also looked disheveled, with certain parts of his robe looking slightly singed.
-What's wrong?- Draco asked, beginning to worry. Pomfrey sighed
-Stop it, I told you, if you fight again I will kick your asses out of this room- she said sternly-"I did it last night, I will do it again-
Pomfrey looked at them severely for a few more seconds, making sure that they would not engage in another duel. When she was satisfied, she looked at her patient again.
-Young Malfoy, you arrived last night with severe cardiac arrhythmia, excessive sweating, scratches on your skin and unusually high body temperature, and unconsciousness. -Pomfrey spoke with all the image of a magical nurse sure of her diagnosis but concerned for her patient. -You can imagine that I was very worried so I performed many more tests, including a blood test to eliminate the likelihood of poisoning or blood magic-
Draco opened his eyes a little wider, shocked at the implications.
-I was poisoned?!
Draco knew he wasn't too well liked in the world, but at this age he hadn't done enough to make anyone want to poison him.
Or so he thought.
God, how easy it is to get poisoned at this school. He was exaggerating, but he really thinks they need immediate inspections by some school safety ministry or something because it was getting ridiculous how easily they could end up dead.
Who would want him dead at this point?
Maybe a couple of people he pissed off or an enemy of his father?
But that didn't happen in his first life so he must have done something to suddenly want him dead.
-No, there are very few poisons in the world that manage to escape the blood spells we healers cast and they are extremely deadly, you'd be talking to us like a ghost if that were the case, young man-
Draco sighed in relief. He wouldn't have to watch his back for some mysterious enemy. He already had plenty to carry with his plans against he-who-must-not-be-named.
-So, what was it?
-We don't know- Pomfrey said with severity but her tone also sounded exhausted.
-What? -Draco asked dumbfounded.
- We have no idea what happened to you or if it will happen again- Remus added with his deep voice in a soft tone trying not to upset Draco any more. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder gently in support -That's why we asked you if you know anything-
-And we need you to be absolutely honest- Snape blurted out suddenly-It's for your own safety, so anything you suspect- His angry eyes traveled from Draco to Lupin and back to the younger one- must be stated to help you-
Draco grimaced in annoyance. He still didn't enjoy Snape's presence there but it wasn't as if he could throw the head of Slytherin out of the infirmary. Or could he?
First he began to think about what might have caused his discomfort. He completely ruled out a Cruciatus because even though it was highly painful what had happened to him, he had still been able to move, something he couldn't do with the forbidden curse. The pain had concentrated in his chest and if he looked back closely it reminded him a bit of what he felt when he tried to stem the flow of his magic that time.
Obviously, like all his current problems, it had to do with his magic. It wasn't rocket science.
Now he would just have to check his cores and find out what the new problem was. Great, totally great.
One thing gets fixed and another thing gets damaged.
He rolled his eyes with a gentle backward shake of his head that expressed his frustration. He looked at Lupin in anguish, his lips pulled down in a tired grimace that kept company with his shoulders hunched forward a little. His professor looked at him with a questioning face so Draco looked down fleetingly hoping the werewolf understood that he was pointing to his chest and what that meant.
Remus examined him in consternation for a couple of milliseconds before his mind made the necessary connection and understood the message.
-Draco opened his eyes wide in warning that they were not alone and that he had to be discreet... amm, because of that little ache you told me about the other day? -
A poor attempt to cover up the subject that caused the blond to want to punch himself in the face, but he restrained himself. He would have to work with that.
He turned to look at the other two adults who didn't seem very convinced by the explanation.
-Little ache? - Pomfrey looked at them incredulously
-Yes, I... I've had chest discomfort for a few days now-Draco lied quickly-I thought it might just be jitters. With the Dementors and Black in the castle-
Draco glanced sideways at Snape, who, if his deepest frown had anything to say about it, was not at all convinced by his explanations.
-And you didn't think of coming here? -
-It didn't seem important, just a minor annoyance. I don't have to explain myself, you know. I had no idea it would turn into this and honestly you can't blame me. I'm not a healer. I don't know what's a bad sign or not and even you don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Are you even a healer or just a nurse?
He began his rambling by adding a bit of a superior whiny tone, hoping that it would annoy the nurse and his housemaster enough to make them want to drop the subject just to get rid of him as quickly as possible. A couple of "my father will hear about this" along with some arrogance used to work well to keep people away if he remembered correctly. How did he not realize that in his first life?
-I should call my family healer, he would know what...".
His speech was interrupted by the pressure of Remus' hand still on his shoulder. He turned to look at his master, who, with half-closed eyes and tight lips, looked at him with sorrow, shaking his head in denial of his actions. Draco only had to stare for a few moments at the werewolf's expression, his eyes reflecting the weariness of having to maintain the lie and the worry that the lie would continue to hurt his pupil.
His whole act fell together with a single, deep, defeated sigh. He understood. This had gone too far and they needed professional help.
He looked away from Lupin's encouraging smile.
He wouldn't do it with Snape there, though, not if he had anything to say.
-I may have an idea of what's going on with me... but I don't feel comfortable talking about it with certain people present-
Draco looked briefly at Snape to reaffirm his point.
Both the healer and the potions master widened their eyes in disbelief. Pomfrey looked more surprised by the request, turning to look at the black-haired man expectantly. While the older Slytherin quickly shifted to visible anger as his eyebrows drew together and his lips tightened.
-I'm not leaving-affirms the teacher and Draco can feel the sting of anger starting to burn in the pit of his stomach-I'm the adult in charge of you, so whatever you have to say you'll say it with me in the room-
The blond clenches his hands on the sheet tightly.
- As a patient, I have the right to decide who knows about my condition-Draco answers raising his voice a little-Isn't that right, Madam Pomfrey? -
-Yes, well that's true- answers the nurse without being so sure-but you are a minor Mr. Malfoy, an adult should be aware of your condition-
-Remus is an adult!
-Hardly - Snape mutters defensively.
-Severus...- The DADA teacher tiredly complained.
-Mr. Malfoy, an adult who is close to and approved by his family, should be aware of his situation. Professor Snape is listed as your emergency contact so he should be present since neither of your parents are in the room-
Pomfrey explained with noticeable exasperation at all the shouting and bickering between the professors.
Draco looked back at the nurse wordlessly, letting the information settle in his brain until the realization hit him. They had called his parents when he had the altercation with the hippogriff, this was worse than that event.
His family was on their way?!
That made everything even worse.
He didn't need his parents here. He didn't need HIS FATHER here.
-My parents! They're coming?-he asked excitedly and he could see Pomfrey's eyes widen slightly in surprise at his reaction. He had to pretend, figure out what he had now and come up with a plan for later. First he had to get rid of Snape by any means necessary - They're coming, aren't they? They should have been called-
The nurse seemed calmer at the change of tone in Draco's voice, for instead of being frightened he sounded more anxious, as any sick child should be for the company of his parents. The blond could feel Lupin stroking his back in a gesture of solidarity.
-They should be arriving, I told the headmaster to contact them last night but seeing that you were in no imminent danger we decided not to alarm your parents too much and called them this morning. We also wanted to know your side of the story before we gave them a diagnosis-
Okay, that bought him time. Not too much, but it would do. Draco could feel the skin on his hands prickle with the nervousness of having to think of so many variables in such a short time.
No, he had to concentrate.
Draco looked at Snape again.
-If they are coming, then they will be told, but I don't want him here- he said again with confidence, anger and haughtiness -Get out-
-You have no power over this, you are a minor and you will tell your problems to the adults who care about you- Snape struggled to keep his tone monotone and calm but I could tell he was struggling not to yell at the teenager,-Stop your brattiness and let me help you-
Draco saw red.
-Worry about me!? You? Ha!- Venom drained from his words, -Stop fucking around Severus, you care more about your bloody cauldrons than you do about me!
-Language! - exclaimed Pomfrey.
-I told you I don't want you here! I don't need you! - He knelt down on the bed to get a little more height over Snape- Get out! -
Draco felt in his gut that he was overreacting a bit but Snape was getting on his nerves and maybe this whole act would eventually help his potions master finally get fed up with him and leave.
-Insolent boy! - Snape raised his voice just enough to be threatening but not shouting as he rose from his seat, -I was the one who brought you here last night while you were convalescing in my arms! The least you can show is some gratitude! -
-Thank you for doing the least a decent person can do! - Draco shouted in his face- there, now fuck off! -
-Don't even think that this insubordination will be forgotten Draco, apologize and speak up for once or-
-That's enough!- Pomfrey shouted, making them both turn to look at her. She had her wand in hand, her back straight and her blue eyes glittered in disapproval along with her slightly frowned brow. Severus, you are disturbing a patient and I will not allow that in my infirmary, I ask you to leave immediately.
Then he looked at the student
-Mr. Malfoy, that is no way to speak to your elders and you will receive detention for it as well as a 20 point minus for Slytherin-
The blond's shoulders hunched in disbelief because he honestly did feel scolded by the nurse. Pomfrey was strict but kind and Draco doesn't think he'd ever seen her so fierce before in his first life. He is somewhat curious as to how fierce this woman must have been during the battle for Hogwarts as he only encountered her at the end of it in the Great Dining Hall. She wore a mask of professionalism in helping those who survived the confrontation. A mask that cracked into small tears each time she discovered who had fallen in battle, many of them students or people she had once cared for.
He dropped to the mattress and sat back down.
-Pomfrey, you can't be serious- Snape said incredulously.
-The diagnosis will be given to his parents who are on their way, but your presence is stressing my patient and could cause some adverse effect on his condition, so I ask you to leave, Severus-
Pomfrey was serious, she would not allow this situation to escalate until the student in her charge suffered a nervous breakdown or even a new seizure. It was not normal the anger that the young Malfoy had for his teacher, but she was not the one to question the resentment of teenagers for their teachers, at least not now. She would investigate later.
-And what about his creature blood? - The black-haired man asked with exasperated concern.
Draco felt his world turn upside down for the third time that morning alone.
-What...
-Severus, that's not how we were going to tell him," Remus protested angrily, almost close to a snarl. He got up from his chair only to climb onto the bed, grab Draco by the shoulders from behind and pull him close to his chest; ready to comfort and hold his little blond in case of a nervous breakdown or something like that- Draco, listen to us first before you panic, okay? Pomfrey, please-
The nurse's frown became much more pronounced, looking at the potions master with total reproach. She clenched the wand in her hand with a little more force than necessary before taking a breath and regaining a little of her composure.
-In the tests I performed there are also those related to blood, the results of these tests show the composition of the blood as well as the genetic material in it. It shows us who your ancestors are as well as looking for diseases that affect the genetic material. In your case, genetic material from a creature was detected, we just don't know from which one-
-How could you not know?- Draco asked in horror.
-It is unheard of even for me, it manifests as non-human but magical material, but it does not manifest enough characteristics to give us a specific creature. -
Draco struggled to remain calm, which was proving to be quite a challenge. He felt almost as dismayed as he had that day when he had awakened back in his younger body. In his first life he had never been diagnosed with creature blood.
Although it was not uncommon for certain families to have creature blood.
Pureblood families usually had a generation that became too closely related to a magical being to generate mixed blood offspring and some were more accepted than others. Children of humans and beings such as veelas did not have as much stigma as those children of goblins or giants. Even so, and given the new ideas of pure blood that had been established since a little before Grindelwald, the wizards had been very much in agreement with the idea that they should only consort with the superior race that was themselves, the other creatures were either too wild or not refined enough to breed with them. This was not something he could hide from his parents, he doubted Pomfrey would let it go unnoticed and Snape was already aware of it so there was no getting out of it. This would go into her medical records whether he wanted it to or not.
He had to figure out what to do next. What if this also had something to do with his double magic core? What would he do if his father wanted to do more research on his new critaura heritage?
He was starting to hyperventilate when Lupin's arms around his shoulders put more pressure on him, grounding him with words of calm and encouragement that he didn't quite understand, reminding him that he wasn't alone. That he had someone to trust with some of his burdens.
He could do this. They could do this.
Concentration now, panic for the Draco of the future.
First he had to remove the relevance of this issue and get Snape out of the room once and for all. The memory of certain gossip and jokes that were going around the Malfoy Family filled his mind.
-it...it is rumored that my family had some Veela in the past. Our appearance didn't help the rumors. So that could be it- he said with all the confidence he could muster at the moment.
-The blond hair, the white skin, the ethereal beauty... - Remus analyzed-It could totally be, couldn't it Poppy?-
-It's a theory, but we can't confirm anything based on looks alone-
-Isn't that what everyone does when it comes to magical heritage? I don't look like a goblin or a troll, my family is tall but not to compare with the massiveness of a giant. I may be an evil idiot but not enough to be called a harpy, and the centaurs would be offended and create prophecies of the end of the world if you even compared them to me! What else is there?! -
-Have centaurs been interacting with wizards in that way? - Lupin asked softly to himself
- If it were Veela blood, it wouldn't be so hard to determine- Snape complained,-And most Veelas are female-
-That doesn't deny the existence of male Veelas- Draco tried to remember from some of his creature classes. He looked at the nurse hoping she would see the desperation in his eyes and take his side.
-While male veela half-breeds are somewhat rare, they are by no means impossible-Pomfrey confirmed,-A gene so diluted through the generations that only reflects certain physical phenotypes...-
-There, that's it, solved. Now, I would like to speak with the nurse and my professor in charge alone-
-I am your professor in charge. Draco, I will not put up with this behavior any longer! - Snape said again, angered by his godson's persistence in dragging him out-I will stay here until your father arrives-
-Enough! I have had enough of this behavior in my infirmary-Poppy stepped forward, placing herself between Snape and Draco-Professor, I ask you again to leave or I will resort to forcibly removing you as is my right. You will be allowed entry only with the presence of young Malfoy's parent present-
-Pomfrey.-
-I have said-
Pomfrey stood firm, her chin slightly raised in confidence and a hard look that could only be a product of dealing with unruly children for many years and having to control them with an iron fist from time to time, something that also served with certain impertinent parents who think they know more than she does.
Draco watched in fascination as Snape tried to find more reasons to renege but Pomfrey just glared at him and dared him to say a single word and see what would happen. Honestly a part of him wished Snape would say something just to see the nurse kick his ass, but the head of snake house knew better and decided to follow the command. He turned sharply causing his robe to flutter ,creating a less dramatic effect than he would be capable of if he had his typical daily cloak but still showed his point. The door to the infirmary closed with more force than necessary but the blond felt a small weight lift off his shoulders.
-And you two- Pomfrey turned around,-You will start explaining or Merlin will help me, I will prescribe leeches for both of you-
-Those are no longer prescribed since the beginning of the century- Lupin said in a meek tone-
-I'll find a way to prescribe them, don't tempt me, Remus-
Draco let out a long and deep sigh, he thanked the heavens that he was sitting down because if he hadn't he would have thrown himself directly to the floor because he felt so tired. The worst thing was that this wasn't over yet, it had just begun.
-So? -
-Remember about two months ago I asked you about magic cores? - Draco looks over his shoulder at Lupin nervously, he knows they should tell this but he hadn't had time to prepare himself for the idea of someone else knowing his problem. Lupin slowly let go until only his hands were on his student's shoulders. -Draco came to me because of certain incidents with his uncontrolled magic-.
-At his age? -
-I thought the same. It was very rare, so we made investigations, but we only had to see its core for safety and we found something very strange-
-Strange? -
Lupin got up; he went around the bed so he could sit more comfortably next to Draco. He looked at the blond with complicity and doubt. He was giving the young boy the opportunity to be the one to explain his situation instead of just telling what was going on from his perspective. Draco internally appreciated the intention even if he really expected his teacher to just tell everything and that was it; but in the end it was better if he had control of the narrative.
-There were two cores- he said in a plaintive tone-and they seemed to be merging with each other.-
Pomfrey looked at him dumbfounded by what Draco swears was at least 5 seconds of total silence.
-Coritende-
Just like the first time the spell was applied, his chest lit up in the glow of his magical core, only now instead of a soft grayish blue glow, it was as if he had a radiant royal blue gem on his chest. You could tell just by looking at it how it squandered magical power like his two cores had done before. It was beautiful and Draco had a fleeting thought about how a gem of that color would be a beautiful gift that would highlight his mother's eyes.
-It seems that in the end they did fuse well, maybe that's what caused the pain, so much magic coming together...- Lupin spoke to break the silence in the room -Poppy? -
-You should have come to me with something like this before, Remus- the nurse chided-Two nuclei, you're telling me that a student had a condition I've never heard of. Multiple magical nuclei fusing together you say?! And you didn't think it would be good to tell me! I taught you the spell because you told me it was nothing to worry about. This is something to worry about! Who knows what this amount of magic could do to a boy his age!-
-What do you mean? Draco interrupted, -Haven't there been more wizards with this much magic so young?
-Of course there have been, but they were born that way, their bodies adapted from an early age to that level of magic and knew how to manage it, so I assume you didn't have two cores from birth, Merlin knows it would have been in all the newspapers of the wizarding world-
Draco shook his head.
-So something had to happen for you to develop it. I don't even know if that's possible, it's unheard of. Completely outrageous. What would have happened if your body couldn't withstand that amount of energy?! You could have suffered organ and muscle failure. What if you'd exploded?!
-Poppy, I think you're being a little exaggerated...- Lupin added.
-No!-Pomfrey stopped him, -Don't you dare call me an exaggerator Remus, magical illnesses are very complex things, especially those related to magical nuclei. It is part of who we are, of our very soul and you should have come to me at the first moment of this-
-I asked him not to, I asked him to keep this secret. I was just having trouble controlling my magic, everything had been fine, I hadn't felt bad until last night-
Pomfrey crouched down, getting down to Draco's eye level as she placed her hand over her student's. Her face creased into a grimace of concern, sympathy and doubt.
-My boy, in the name of all the old gods, why didn't you ask your parents or your housemaster for help? They would have come with me or we could have taken you to a more competent medi-wizard-
Draco felt a little bad for the nurse, she seemed hurt that one of the students in her charge was suffering with something that even she didn't fully understand and suffered for not understanding why he wouldn't ask for help.
-I asked for help, Remus helped me a lot and looked out for me. He even helped me not to use too much magic in his classes-
Draco excused himself.
-But don't you think your parents would have wanted to know about this before and not now that you were in pain? That they would have wanted to avoid it? -
Draco eluded the nurse's gaze guiltily. Pomfrey knew where to strike to receive answers and if he were just a child his age and not the being with 25 years of experience that inhabited him, he would surely have started crying explanations or shouting excuses about his behavior, but he had to be astute at this moment. He had to keep this worried Pomfrey from telling his parents about this.
He let tears fill his eyes.
-My parents wouldn't understand-he said plaintively- Perhaps my mother would worry, but Father...Father would have wanted to profit from this. Tabloids, investigations, interviews. I like the attention but not for being a weirdo with two cores- she let a couple of tears roll down her cheeks- and he is already so strict with me. ¨You must be the best Draco¨, ¨I expect more from you, Son¨, ¨you give me nothing but disappointments Draco¨. If he finds out that I have this magic he would only expect much more from me and I don't know if I can give it to him-
Perhaps what he was saying was not entirely an act and part of him was venting in this explanation but if he slouched a little more than necessary, if his voice broke more than it should have or if he grabbed Pomfrey's hand too hard, he was only helping his case. At least the nurse seemed somewhat moved but not entirely convinced. Maybe she should add a little more truth to his performance, make her really be on his side. Lupin seemed to trust her and should have helped him when it was a full moon in his student years, so if he had to lose some secrets to keep others, so be it.
Then he would do damage control.
-Father has punishments... - Pomfrey seemed to tense up - sometimes he uses his cane and other times he just uses punishing spells, but that is now with my level of magic, who knows what he will come up with if he knows I have more. He will want to get more power than he already can through me being a normal wizard. I don't know what he could come up with if he has a magically gifted son to drain- He spoke with anguish, part of his young brain that still feared his father was speaking through him at this moment- he will never let me go, even if I try to run away he would not let a power source like mine escape and even more because I still don't know how to control it at all-.
Draco began to cry loudly, shrinking in on himself making his tears fall on where Pomfrey was holding his hands.
-And you know there's not much we can do, he's a minor so his parents have control of him- added Lupin in a hurt and angry tone.
-We could talk to the authorities or...
-Lucius could buy off the necessary people so that they don't take Draco away from him, besides - He placed his hand on his boy's hair, stroking it lightly in a parental gesture - imagine how Draco would do with his father's anger in such a situation -
Remus looked at Pomfrey with a frown and wide eyes, a grimace that only implored her to help them, to keep the secret of Draco's condition between them.
Draco sobbed some more before stopping and looking up at the adults. It bothered him that someone else knew that his father was mistreating him because it was something he had learned to hide, but it was necessary. He also thought that shedding tears was much easier when you had plenty of sadness to cry about and a pride that was no longer governed by the idea that crying was for the weak. I still didn't fully enjoy it and although the last few months I had cried a lot more than usual, he wasn't a total crybaby or at least he didn't think so. The point was that the tears seemed to work on Pomfrey as she seemed to be having an internal dilemma as to whether her constant eye movement between Draco and Remus had anything to say.
Draco let go of the nurse's hand and she focused her gaze on him again.
The glow in her core faded as the spell ended.
-Please, please don't tell my family about this. I'll do anything, but please... help me-
The boy tried to do his best shrek's puss-in-boots eyes performance in search of more sympathy and hopefully break through any refusal the nurse had.
Moments of silence and anticipation hovered in the infirmary as both men let the nurse think in peace. The tension may have left Draco's body when a loud sigh left the lips of the woman, who put her hand to her face in exasperation.
-I don't know how I'm letting this go so easily-Pomfrey complained, -But my instinct says it might be for the best, even if it goes against some of my principles-
-Oh Poppy! Thank you so much! -
-No Poppy, Remus, I'm still mad at you for not coming with me sooner. If this happens again I'll make you clean out all the waste garbage cans and throw vomit by hand-
Remus held up his hands, totally scolded and nervous but glad to have what he considered a good friend for support.
-Young Malfoy.
-Draco.-Interrupted the young man, -Tell me Draco, it's shorter-
Besides, he was getting tired of being called with such respect by someone who was much older and who now, even if he didn't want to, was someone else with whom he shared a secret. Pomfrey at least seemed pleased with the request.
-Draco, I will help you, but I really need you to swear that if you have any ailment or any kind of discomfort you will come directly to me. We don't know what can happen to your body in the long term with so much magic.
-Yes, I... until last night there was no pain but I promise to report anything unusual," Draco wiped the tears that remained on his cheeks-Thank you for this-
-We'll see if my instinct is right about helping you - Pomfrey got up from the floor with a shadow of a smile on her face -Now, what are we going to tell your parents. The seizure you had last night is still of great concern. Remus may be right, the intense pain could be due to the large amount of magic subtly coalescing in your body; something I still have to check later; but I don't know how we'll explain it coherently. It's even worse because your tests came out fine-
-Well, what would you normally diagnose with just your symptoms? -
-The nurse thought as she picked up the glass of water that had been set aside on Draco's bed and levitated it back to its place along with the rest of the glasses, -I would think you had a heart attack. Chest discomfort, shortness of breath, general pain, loss of consciousness-
Draco remembered again the last pain he had felt before passing out. The subject of his creature blood was still worrying him, he hoped that the quick excuse he had made up earlier was true and it was just a recessive gene in his blood, but what if it wasn't? What if it really was slowly turning into a veela?
- Gum pain is also a symptom- he asked with concern.
-In certain cases it can be-
That calmed him down a little. If the gods wanted to stop using him for entertainment, maybe his creature blood wouldn't be a big problem.
-Then we can say he had a heart attack- Lupin said.
-At his age? It's very rare for a 13 year old to have a heart attack, it would only make his parents take him to another wizard and the lie would lose its meaning-
-Not if we make it make sense- Draco added -maybe not a heart attack but something else? Or create a reason for it to happen just once and never again-
Pomfrey decided to sit in the chair that Snape had left with a grimace of tedium at having to elaborate this whole lie. She even pressed one side of her forehead with two fingers in search of ideas.
-There might be something... - Draco felt hopeful - Last night Professor Snape asked me separately about one thing that bothered him about you. He said that you felt too light, that whether your weight was right for your age. I told him I'd check it out but I was more concerned with your pain than.. -
She didn't continue, but with a wave of her wand she simply levitated a clipboard where she seemed to have written down a couple of things.
-You are currently weighing 36 kilos - The surprise stood out in her voice calling Remus' attention more than anything else -For a boy of your height you are about 5 or 6 kilos below the recommended weight-
Draco only thought about when his misfortunes would end and the bad news would stop coming, he hoped that before it would create another burden of conscience for Remus because the shadow of guilt that clouded the man's amber eyes was going to follow him at some point. He had already made the professor feel responsible for his health, he couldn't go around adding to his burden.
-But does that help us?-he asked before adding quickly, -To the lie, I mean?
-Well we could say you have anemia... which I'm surprised you don't because of your low weight but there you go - Draco was worried about that but he would add it to the list - anemia can cause arrhythmias but it wouldn't make sense with the other aches and pains -
-Well, we'll make it make sense-