A Stranger Garden

Chapter 14

2053

"Al?" Scorpius called. Harry could hear Scorpius calling for Al, but it seemed like so very far away and he couldn't really pay much attention because there was something sitting on his chest and the pain seemed to fill his whole existence to the point where his vision wavered and he welcomed the slide into oblivion.

.o0o.

"...days, a week at least before he will be allowed home."

That sounded like Hermione, Harry thought dreamily, rolling over and snuggling back down into his bed. She would have to wait; he was far too comfortable and still too sleepy to wake up. Time enough to see her later on.

Unfortunately, his movement seemed to provoke an onslaught of other voices all talking over each other.

"He's awake!"

"Harry?"

"Wake up, please, wake up."

"Don't all crowd him at once." Hermione again. Harry smiled to himself. She always did know when the attention got too much for him and shooed everyone away.

"If he's waking up does that mean he's going to be all right now?" That was Al. Harry recognised his voice. Who were they talking about and why were they all in his bedroom? These thoughts served to wake him enough to realise that it wasn't his soft cotton pillowcase under his cheek, but a coarser material. Where was he then if not in his bedroom? He could wake properly and ask, but he didn't want to appear to be vague or forgetful on top of...something else. What?

The last thing he remembered was...oh, pain in his chest. That probably meant that he was in the hospital.

His eyes opened and he blinked, staring unseeing at the wall of the hospital room. What had happened to him? Had he had a heart attack? That seemed a fairly logical assumption given what he knew.

How long had he been here and why did he feel so wonderful physically but his emotions dampened to the point that he hadn't even had a reaction to the fact that he'd probably had a heart attack?

The voices were back, still speaking at him, so he sighed and rolled back over, looking blearily up into the concerned faces of Hermione and two of his children. And Scorpius.

"You had us worried there for a while, Harry," Hermione said kindly, stroking his hair.

"Sorry," he croaked, then cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm in the hospital I take it?"

She nodded. Al gripped at his hand and Lily sat on the side of his bed. "Don't scare us like that again, Daddy," Lily said.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"You had a heart attack. Scorpius noticed you in trouble and brought you straight here. If he hadn't acted so quickly..."

Harry's eyes searched for Al's partner, finding the blond man standing quietly in the corner, looking concerned but smiling at Harry anyway. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

A tiny little voice piped up in his head and argued that if he'd died, he'd have been able to be with Draco. That raised another question.

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days. You've been unconscious all that time. It was almost a blessing because it allowed us to run what tests we needed and administer the treatment without you interfering.

"I'm a good patient," Harry protested. Hermione merely raised an eyebrow. "How long do I need to be in here? I feel fine now. Brilliant in fact."

"That's because you're full of drugs. You'll need to be here at least a few more days, then you'll be on medication for some time in order to regulate your system."

"And Scorpius and I will be monitoring you to make sure you look after yourself. We don't want to lose you, Dad."

"You're like the rock holding our family together," Lily agreed. Harry knew what she was talking about. Ginny had virtually lost contact with all of the children, preferring to spend her time abroad, flitting from one fading playboy to the next flashy toyboy looking for an easy life. It was sad, really. James kept up with her exploits when he read the trashy French newspapers occasionally, but other than that none of them had heard from Ginny for over a decade.

"I'll look after myself, I promise," Harry agreed. "As long as you bring my grandchildren in to see me."

"We can do that," Al said, beaming. "We've had an enormous amount of trouble with our Draco who wanted to be here the whole time."

Harry chuckled. Al and Scorpius' Draco was as blond as his namesake, being the offspring of Scorpius and a surrogate. Harry wondered if it was something at the Manor, because this Draco was growing up as a cocky, almost arrogant young man, just like the original Draco, only this one had the most mischievous grin Harry had ever seen on a child and it made the arrogance endearing rather than annoying.

"I'm sure I am up for visitors now, right, Hermione?"

"Yes, seeing as I would have to ward the door with unbreakable hexes to keep your family away from you. Only don't let them tire you out too much, you're still weak and need to take care."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied, pretending to be bowed into submission.

Hermione though, had known him too long and flicked his forehead. "Watch yourself, Potter, or I'll make you stay an extra month."

Harry gasped. "You wouldn't?"

"I would. I am Chief here and what I say goes." She was grinning smugly, teasing. "I'll assign some Healers to see to your everyday treatment, but you call me if you need anything at all. Understand?"

"I do."

"And Ron will be in to see you later on."

A slight frown crossed Harry's face, but he smiled and nodded anyway. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Ron; it was more that ever since Hugo died, Harry was sure that Ron blamed him for his death. Not that he said that, even denied it, but every so often Harry would catch a glimpse of Ron when he didn't think anyone was watching, like in a mirror, and he would see the frown on Ron's face and the clenching of his jaw. As a result they'd lost a lot of the closeness they'd had and it saddened Harry greatly.

Scorpius stepped forward and pressed a hand to his arm. "It's wonderful that you're going to be all right. I'll head home and bring our Draco in to see you."

Harry smiled and nodded. "Has anyone thought to let Draco know?" He could tell by their looks that they hadn't. He didn't mind much. Mostly they teased him about having such a close relationship with a portrait but, to them, Draco was just a portrait while to Harry he was much, much more.

He did mind that Draco would worry though. "Will you see him when you go home?" he asked Scorpius.

"I will." Scorpius pressed Harry's wrist before turning to kiss Al goodbye. Harry smiled watching them. They'd been married eighteen years and they still showed each other genuine love and affection all the time. He was both jealous and proud of them. Scorpius was like one of his own children. Theo Nott had been a bit of an arse when Harry had asked him to visit Draco, so Harry always assumed that Astoria had been the one to do such a good job of raising Scorpius. Now that Al and Scorpius had Draco and they'd both taken the Malfoy name, the original Draco took great pride that there was a Draco Malfoy in the Manor once more.

Scorpius looked at Harry again. "I'll organise permission for the girls to Floo here from Hogwarts. They've been pestering us almost hourly for updates on your condition."

"Thanks, Scorpius," Harry said.

Al gave Scorpius another quick kiss and then let him go.

"He's a good man, Al."

Al grinned. "Oh, I know. I wake up every day feeling like the luckiest bloke alive."

"There's a few of those around," Harry said. "I have the best family in the world."

Lily smiled and leaned in to hug Harry. "Even when we act like perfectly spoilt brats and behave extraordinarily badly?"

"Even then," Harry said, hugging her back.

She pulled away. "I'll go and let James know you're all right, then. He said he'd grab an international Portkey as soon as he knows."

"No need, Lily," a voice spoke from the door. "Hermione let me know."

"James," Lily squealed and ran to hug him.

"Good to see you, too, sis." He grinned and hugged her back. He released her and moved to Harry, leaning down to hug him. "Dad. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. Theresa needed me at home."

Harry interrupted. "No need to apologise, I feel rather awkward about being here and being such an imposition to you all."

"That's just like you, Dad," Al said. "You're not an imposition on us. We love you and want to take care of you."

Harry smiled at his children, feeling blessed. He was tired still, though he did feel pretty wonderful, as he wasn't in any sort of pain. The discussion flowed around him as he rested, sometimes he'd add something to the conversation and at other times he just watched his children marveling at how terrific they were.

Soon enough he dropped off to sleep, knowing that as soon as Scorpius arrived back with Draco he'd need to have his wits about him.

.o0o.

Draco stretched on the deck chair half buried in the sand. The sun was bright and glinted off the water and the glare made him want his sunglasses, but the sun had no heat in it and the glare didn't hurt his eyes at all. Still it was lovely to open his eyes and see the waters glittering in the sunlight. It was incredibly peaceful turning his head and imagining the palm trees swaying lightly.

The only thing to mar this perfect picture was that he was here alone. There was another deck chair next to his and a matching towel, drinks tray and sunglasses. Harry had them painted into the picture.

No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that when Harry eventually joined him in the paintings, they'd be able to have some form of life together; the truth was that he was certain he'd be spending his life moving from painting to painting to avoid him.

He had several new paintings. This tropical paradise had the bleached out colours of the sun on the sand, along with the stunning deep blue of tropical waters. Once more Draco wished he could smell the ocean. It had it's own unique smell. When Draco was a child, his parents had taken him away during the summer and sometimes he'd go to sleep in his own bed in the Manor and wake in a strange bed. But before he even opened his eyes he'd know they were at the beach, just by the smell of the air.

The painting Harry had commissioned a few years ago and given him on the day they finally admitted to each other that what they felt was more than some odd flirtation, was a street scene in a town called Barga in Tuscany, Italy. Draco adored walking the streets of the town. The way that some of them were only wide enough for three people to walk abreast at once, the way that the higher levels of the houses seemed to reach out towards the ones across the narrow streets, and the way that the boxes of brightly coloured flowers decorated the balconies. It reminded him of walking streets just like these in Italy, though he'd never been to Barga. Memories of sun wrinkled old men, their toothless smiles making his child's eyes widen, and the old ladies hanging washing expertly from lines between the building's upper floors, made him smile. The days he felt like walking, Barga was where he headed. One of the added attractions of the town was a traditional café with a tiny table sitting out the front in the sun and set with two cups of coffee and two pastries. He tended to try and avoid the cafe, though. It made him feel lonely.

There seemed to be a theme running through the paintings Harry gave him these days. Last Valentine's Day he'd given Draco a painting of a grassy hillside, a stream running though the base of the hill and wild flowers blooming madly all over the place. There was a picnic set for two on a flat area near the top of the hill. Two plates, two glasses, and a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket. Platters of chicken and salad, quiche, fruit, pate and desserts all adorned the blanket.

Draco had yet to spend too much time in this one at all, though he did love the cool trickle of the stream and the vivid flush of the wildflowers.

There was also the mountain painting. The scene was a snow-covered mountainside that looked perfect for skiing. Indeed, there was a manually operated pulley system to get him to the top of the hill if he wanted. Draco also found equipment and clothing for two in the hut at the base. The hut boasted a roaring open fire with comfy armchairs and a thick bearskin rug stretched in front of it. There were two mugs of hot chocolate and two steaming bowls of a hearty stew.

It had made Draco want to cry just looking at it.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt compelled to tell Harry the truth. Perhaps then he'd stop feeling so guilty every time he saw Harry had added perfect treats made for two to each painting. It would probably also be the last time Harry saw him as a friend, with a view to something more later. But it needed to be said; there needed to be no secrets between them.

A voice saying hello made Draco jump slightly as it wasn't Harry's, yet he hadn't heard anyone enter the Ballroom.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Scorpius said. "I thought the door made enough noise when I came in."

"No, you're fine, I was miles away thinking," Draco replied. "I don't often see you in here."

"No, I don't often have the time to come and visit you. What with the children and work and Al's family, they tend to eat up most of my time. I'm sorry, I should come in here and keep you company more often."

"Oh, I wasn't complaining," Draco said, waving his excuses aside. "I know you have lives to lead and I'm just a portrait."

"You can stop fishing, too." Scorpius grinned.

"Fishing?" asked Draco not comprehending.

"We both know that to this family at least you're more than just a portrait."

"Oh." Well, that's not what he'd meant to do. "I wasn't fishing," he said.

"But all compliments will be gratefully accepted, right?" There was a slight smirk on Scorpius' face and at that moment he looked very much like Theo when he was a teenager. Draco sighed before smiling.

"I suppose so." He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the deck chair. Because he had company, he pulled a t-shirt over his head. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered if it had been Harry, more than comfortable just being clothed in his shorts. "It's nice to see you again, how is everyone?"

"Mostly we're all well. But Harry had a heart attack a few days ago."

Harry had a heart attack? Draco's hand shot to his mouth, which had gone dry. He could barely think for shock. "He ... is he all right?"

"He is now, but they were terribly concerned for a while there."

"I thought he'd just gone off on an unscheduled trip, I never even thought..." Draco's voice trailed off. He noticed his thigh trembling under his hand and he was very grateful that he was already sitting down.

"He will be home in a few days and he will need to rest a lot, so I was wondering if you'd like us to bring a day bed in here for him and he can rest all day in here."

"I'd love that," Draco said, smiling, though he was still trying to stop himself shaking. That would at least give him some kind of feeling like he was helping to look after Harry. Contributing somehow.

"Well, he'll need company and none of us are home during the day."

"Yes, he'll probably like being in here. I'd love the company myself."

"I'll organise it, then." Scorpius smiled and inclined his head.

"Thank you. How is the rest of the family coping?"

"They were all so worried, they love him so much. But he's ready for visitors now and that means that they're extremely relieved. Glad to have him back."

"I can understand that. And how about your children? Harry told me that Aries was finishing Hogwarts this year and going to study with DuPere in France."

Scorpius' face lit up in pride. "She is. He accepted her out of about twenty that applied for the position. He sees her as the only one with the 'inner eye'. Perhaps she'll be a respected seer. Of course Al and I tease her that she has fey blood which is why she is good at Divination."

"You've had no luck in finding who her parents were?"

"No, they seem to have vanished along with any records. We don't care, she's ours now."

"You and Al seem so good with the children."

"We love them and it's not hard to be good to them if you love them enough."

Draco never thought he'd heard a truer statement. Draco's mother had loved him enough and she was good to him but his father obviously had loved his supposed power and status more than his son and it had shown in the way he'd treated Draco.

"You'll have to bring my namesake in for a visit soon."

"I will. I'm told he's almost as haughty as you when you were his age." Scorpius smiled. He was teasing.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Poor child," he responded dryly.

"He starts Hogwarts next year and tells me that unless he's in Slytherin, he intends to leave and attend Durmstrang instead."

"From the sounds of it, I don't think he'll have any problems being sorted into Slytherin. It must be changed since my day. There was barely a wizard who wanted to be sorted into Slytherin. Only those with Dark parents, generally. There were obviously a lot that weren't involved with Voldemort but the House didn't have a good name back then."

"Things have changed. When Neville Longbottom took over the Headmaster position, he initiated changes in both the curriculum and the culture of House rivalry. That was back in my day, so things have sorted themselves out now and settled down. Students are proud of their houses but they aren't ruled by them."

Draco nodded. He had been aware of the changes, only had not heard of students actively wanting to be in Slytherin. He felt a sliver of pride in his old House, surviving despite all the odds. "That's as it should be. Well, tell Draco I'd enjoy a visit with him before he goes off to Hogwarts if he has the time."

"I'm sure he will." Scorpius smiled and took a short stroll around the room, looking at the pictures.

"This one is new," he said, pausing in front of the snow-covered mountain.

"Yes, he had that one delivered just after his last trip overseas."

"He likes spoiling you, I see." Scorpius had moved on to the picture of the picnic on the mountain.

"He does. I don't know why he looks after me so well, but I am extremely grateful."

"He looks after everyone he loves." Scorpius turned and gave Draco a steady stare, thoughtful and intense. After several moments, where Draco was too intrigued by the thought processes he could see going through Scorpius' head to say anything, Scorpius smiled and nodded as though he'd realised something he should have known all along.

"He loves you, doesn't he?"

Draco was unsure about how to proceed, he thought Harry loved him, but they'd never actually said the words to each other, the boundaries of their relationship being too high to overcome. "I think so," he said after several seconds, deciding to tell the truth.

"It's very obvious, you know. As long as I ignore the fact that you're a portrait, it's as clear as the nose on my face."

"Ah, but I am a portrait."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, much more than that. We've already established that. What I didn't realise was how much more than a portrait you are to him. No wonder he didn't say anything to anyone, they'd think him mad."

"And you don't?"

"It's unusual to say the least but, in my profession, you see some very strange things and I'd be the last person to try and take love away from anyone, let alone someone like Harry who has so much love to give and therefore deserves some of his own."

"Would you mind not telling anyone?"

"Not even Al? I'm not sure I can keep it from him; he's my husband and I love him."

Draco sighed. "All right, as long as he doesn't tell Lily. Don't mention this to Harry, but she threatened to burn all the paintings in this room, me included, back when she lived in the Manor."

"She what?"

"I think she was hurting over that cheating scum she married and she lashed out at something that couldn't fight back. At least Harry said she was lashing out at him, too, so why would I be any different?"

"Well, she's moved on since then."

"But she still might not understand this."

"You're right. All right, then I won't tell her. Nor will I tell Harry what she threatened."

"Thank you. I'd rather just not create any more problems."

"I understand. Well I should go. I have your namesake begging me to take him to see his grandfather."

"All right. Please give Harry my love and tell him to hurry up and come home." To me, he added under his breath.

Scorpius assured him he would and then left.

Draco buried his face in his hands and let the shock wash over him. It firmed up his decision to tell Harry as soon as he was well enough to hear it. What would have happened had Harry died before Draco had the chance to tell him the truth?