Chapter 9
“Leaving?” Harry called from his place on the couch. Draco took a few steps backwards and peered through the sitting room doorway.
“I thought you were sleeping.” Harry stood and walked over to him. Draco’s eyes were tired and he shifted uncomfortably with his bag in hand.
“About last night..” Harry started.
“I’ll send you my bill for the weekend.” Draco cut him off.
“Sure.” Harry moved past him to get the door. He paused before opening it.
“I have them too.” Harry tried again.
“I’ll write you a script.” Malfoy looked straight ahead. With a sigh Harry opened the door.
“Oh, Hello!” Harry and Draco both jumped at the voice. Outside on the stoop with her hand posed to knock was Narcissa.
“Mother?” Draco said confused as Harry moved to let her in.
“I didn’t know you’d be joining us for lunch.” Narcissa seemed excited.
“I’m just leaving.” Draco deflated her with every word.
“Stay.” Harry offered. Malfoy didn’t answer but some look in his mothers face made him drop his bag and retire to the sitting room. Draco took the chair, forcing Harry to sit on the sofa with Narcissa.
“Draco has been seeing patients in London.” Narcissa looked proud. “He has been very busy with work.”
“Yes, well…. It's just temporary until I find a position in Paris.” Draco picked up an old newspaper and buried his face inside. Narcissa’s smile faded a little and she turned to Harry.
“How’re you dear?” Narcissa asked.
“Very well. I have been seeing a new physician,” Draco’s fingers dug into the newspaper making it crinkle. “He’s brilliant but extremely temperamental.”
Narcissa looked between the two boys assimilating the information. Draco was gripping the paper so forcefully the pages were wrinkling.
“Well that’s wonderful.” Narcissa Stifled a laugh and Harry smiled.
“Oh I sent those pictures to Teddy for you. Andromeda said next time you visit me, they will join us.”
“Really?” Her voice was hopeful in a sad way. Harry nodded. She sat in a reflective silence.
“I like your haircut. It suits you.” Narcissa spoke again.
“Thank you.” Harry ran his hand through his tangled curls.
“Yes, yes he no longer looks homeless. It’s wonderful.” Draco had bent the top half of the paper down to stare at them with disdain. Their familiarity was unwelcome.
“Forgive him,” Harry rolled his eyes. “He didn’t sleep well.”
Draco’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something. The flugh opened then and Hermione stepped through arguing with her oldest child. An unbothered Luna followed her.
“Tell Freda she can’t stay, Harry.” Hermione commanded. Freda looked at Harry with big brown eyes.
“Freda you can’t stay-“ Freda wailed and cut Harry off. “Let me finish..” he said gently and she stopped crying.
“You can’t stay downstairs, but there is a playroom upstairs that you can stay in.”
“Thank you uncle Harry!” Freda ran to the stairs.
“Harry!” Hermione scolded.
“It’s charmed, she’ll be fine.” Harry dismissed her.
“Draco you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Luna laughed. Hermione spun to find Draco in the chair. His face was ashen and the paper had fallen from his hands.
“I wasn’t expecting you.” Harry stood to hug Luna.
“She was visiting and when I said I was coming here she wanted to come with.” Hermione mumbled, still staring at Draco. Harry grabbed Hermione and redirected her to Mrs. Malfoy. Out from under her gaze Draco began breathing again and stood. Harry guessed he was poised to run for the door at any moment.
“Dinner is served.” Kreacher appeared in the room. He led the awkward group of them to the formal dining room. A beautiful table arrangement was set and as they entered the flowers began moving as if dancing in a breeze.
“This is lovely Kreacher.” Narcissa smiled and he bowed.
“We have an extra guest.” Harry motioned to Luna. Kreacher looked at the table and snapped his fingers. The wood groaned and transformed into a circle. This way there wouldn’t be an uneven seating arrangement. Another place setting floated from the dish cabinet and a chair moved from the wall.
“Wonderful.” Narcissa commented as Kreacher left.
Hermione sat next to Luna and Narcissa sat on her other side, ready with questions about house elf treatment.
“Sit by me.” Luna called to Draco cheerfully. He sat quietly and Harry took the remaining chair between the two Malfoy’s.
“We haven’t had dinner together in so long, Draco.” Luna smiled but Draco said nothing.
“I’m sorry but when have you two ever had dinner.” Harry half laughed.
“Oh Draco would feed us all the time.” Luna recalled and Draco looked in pain. Harry dropped the subject. On his other side Narcissa and Hermione were completely absorbed with one another. Kreacher brought plates of salad and roast pork. Draco didn’t eat.
“Mr. Olivander said you’d been to see him. I have to admit I was jealous you didn’t come see me.” Luna spoke again to Draco but he didn’t reply. “He looked better, you must be an even better healer now than you were back then.”
Draco looked far away, gone from the conversation and the room entirely. Harry wanted to say something, to distract Luna.
“Harry,” Hermione called and he looked away from them. “Where are your glasses?”
Harry had almost forgotten he wasn’t wearing them. All the women at the table turned to look at him. This could be the distraction he needed.
“Well, it’s hard to explain….” Harry nudged Draco who blinked like he was just waking up. “Draco sort of um… healed me.”
“Huh?” Hermione, for once, didn’t understand.
“He gave me a potion, to you know…. Fix my..” Harry gestured stupidly to his whole body. “So I can pass my physical.”
“And it fixed your eyesight?” Hermione's face twisted.
“Yeah! Oh and look!” Harry pushed up his hair and Hermione gasped.
“Harry, your scar fell off.” Luna said with a giggle.
“And Malfoy did this…. Why?” Hermione cut back in.
“He’s a good healer of course!” Luna told Hermione as if she was dumb. Hermione said nothing further. The table sat silently, Eating. Except of course Draco, who merely turned the fork between his fingers. By coffee and dessert the atmosphere on the other side of the table had recovered. The three ladies chatted animatedly about all sorts of things. Harry could barely hear them. He looked into his cup and every now and again over to Draco. He sat unmoving, as if he had been stupefied to his seat.
Luna grabbed Draco’s hand and leaned close to his ear whispering. His eyes closed. When they opened again Draco stood and announced he had to be going. Harry walked him to the door.
“See you later.” Harry said reflexively as Malfoy left.
“Unlikely.” Draco said without looking back. Luna walked up behind Harry as he stood watching Malfoy rounding the corner.
“What did you say to him?”
“Just something nice.”
“Why did he leave then?”
“Oh you know Draco, he doesn’t like when you say nice things about him.” Harry thought about that. Mrs. Malfoy joined them in the hall, taking an exit of her own. In the now quiet house Harry, Hermione, and Luna sat in the snug.
“You could’ve given me warning that he would be here.” Hermione said to Harry at last.
“I wasn’t expecting him to stay so long.” Harry shrugged.
“Was he your phone call then? On Friday?”
“Yes.”
“He stayed the whole weekend?” She pressed.
“The potion made me unconscious for an entire day.”
“I think it’s great that Draco has a new friend.” Luna interjected.
“Luna, he’s not really someone Harry should be friends with…” Hermione said.
“Why not?” Luna asked.
“Because it’s Draco! Draco Malfoy. Do you remember what he did?”
“Sure. But you remember what my father did too, you’re still friends with us, with me.”
“That’s not the same Luna,” Hermione demanded. “Your dad was desperate and protecting you.”
“It is the same.” Luna was still calm and spoke in her sweet musical way. “No one believes me, but then no one believes me about loads of things.”
“I believe you Luna.” Harry blurted out, and he did. Hermione’s eye shifted between the pair of them and she got a look on her face Harry recognized. She was thinking something over.
“Well, he did work a miracle on you, Harry.” She relented. Luna looked pleased at Hermione’s comment.
“I should get Freda so we can leave.” Hermione left the room.
“They’ll see Harry, they’ll see him like we do.”
“I’m not sure what you mean Luna.”
“Oh Harry, you know better than to lie to me.” Luna smiled.