Freefall Ch. 10
Draco struggled to keep his eyes open for a long moment before finally succumbing to the pain wracking his body, closing his eyes once more. He frowned as he thought over the situation as he understood it. In order for him to be pain free, he'd have to accept his father and Harry Potter becoming bonded.
He tried to push the pain back. But, even though it remained dim and distant for a moment, the second he thought of how much he hated Potter, it raced back like a wildfire through his body. Inhaling sharply, he inwardly cursed at himself for doing it again. How long ago, now, was it that he'd made the connection between being mad equaled pain? Pretty much since the time he'd opened up his eyes in the Infirmary. Though pain was a great teacher, even it was having a hard time changing the thinking of nearly his whole life.
The pain twisted his body into an unnatural angle, cresting over him causing his body to arch off the bed. When it ebbed, Draco fell back onto the bed, panting for air. A small trickle of sweat fell into his eye making it sting. Blinking away the added pain, he was surprised to see a figure blurry but coming ever closer. The blond hair made recognition easy.
"Father," Draco gasped out in the steadiest voice he could. He tightened his fists around the bed sheets so his now ever shaking hands would not be construed as a weakness. His father pulled out a chair by the bed and sat down, casting an assessing glance over his body.
"It is getting worse, isn't it?" Lucius asked. But, really, the question was rhetorical. They could both tell the situation was worsening by the hour, if not by the minute.
The mere thought irritated Draco beyond belief, causing another wave of pain to shoot through his body. He trembled valiantly as he tried to ride the pain not wishing to be weak in front of the man whose sole opinion he valued above all else. His eyes were wild as he tried to hold back his natural reactions.
Lucius winced in sympathy. He'd seen that look before from full grown men who tried to brave the Cruciatus curse. Draco could not endure much more or he would go mad or die from the side effects to his body. Already, Lucius noted the blue tinge to Draco's lips and tips of his fingers, the shaking in his hands and arms, and the occasional gasps for air.
"What would you have me do, Draco?" Lucius asked quietly and in resignation, for when it came down to it, his son would have the final say over his own life. If he could not accept what appeared to be the only solution, namely bonding with Potter to fulfill the idiotic prophesy, then what was the use of going through the motions.
Or had Draco suffered enough to realize that it was worth any cost to his pride and feelings to have his life back? Draco looked away, yet Lucius could sense the sheer lividness of the glare that was being shot at the walls. He would not be surprised to see paint missing in the morning. "Mayb,e I just need a boost of power, a pepper-up potion or something."
"Denial, Draco, how plebian," Lucius commented tiredly.
A clearing of the throat made both the men look up toward where Madame Pomfrey was standing. Her hands were folded in front of her apron and she looked resolute in whatever she was about to say. "I regret to say that your son's magical core is draining away rapidly. His magical balance is clearly dissipated. It is now simply a matter of how long he can hold on while you and Mr. Potter continue your ridiculous games of cat and mouse. Despite all my predilections toward Divination in general, I advise that you bond immediately and that you, Draco," she shot him a withering glare, "accept it and move on. After all, it would be done to save your life. It would not be you trapped in a forced bonding."
"And, you see this all so clearly now because…?" Lucius sneered while trying to ignore how his son was once again arching with pain tossing this way and that at the mere topic of conversation.
"Because, I was not looking for a solution in divination, I was looking for one of medical reasoning. Since there appears not to be one, I have no other recourse but to conclude this is by some outside means. Logically, since it fits the description given to us by what I reluctantly admit to be an up and coming Seer, one must follow the course given to us within her prediction in order to stop young Mr. Malfoy's suffering. However, if you've come up with a better answer I'd love to hear it." Her voice snapped sarcastically and Lucius knew better than to go head to head with the woman on her own turf. He bowed his head slightly. She nodded back before storming off angrily.
Lucius rubbed his forehead tiredly while waiting for Draco's body to cease it's painful writhing. When his son's slightly clouded gray blue eyes looked at him once more, he shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, Draco, I fear she is right, unless you have another option?"
"Kill Potter once I die and consider the score settled." Draco panted.
Lucius' gaze was sharp as he studied his son's face for any sign he was joking. He was not. Reaching out, he smoothed the lines of exhaustion now marring Draco's tired face. "I cannot do that, my son. I will not let you go so easily, even if you are so stubborn as to hold onto your hatred until it kills you. Although, I must admit Potter is proving to be a harder conquest than I first thought. He also seems unable to release his hatred for me in order to save you; no matter how compelled to do so."
Draco's expression turned grave. "I will always hate Potter."
Lucius watched Draco's body twist in a new bout of self-punishment for his unfailing hatred of one Harry Potter. "Then, I will stay with you until you die. Is that what you want? Are you that much of a spoiled brat that even in your death you must be a martyr? You need to accept Potter. The potion has been brewed and, at the very least, we are soul mates. Would you want me to die as well, if the roles were reversed?"
Draco shifted uncomfortably, wincing in pain as he contemplated the question.
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