All of a sudden, Harry started feeling an odd urge to laugh, though he still would have sworn that nothing was funny. He actually had to bite his lip to stop from giggling. What on earth was wrong with him? Here Draco thought that he'd killed Lucius! Even if Draco was just as relieved as Harry about the whole thing, laughter was hardly appropriate.
At any rate, the strange urge faded when Harry noticed Draco gingerly removing the opulent robes he'd been given to wear. He moved like he was in some amount of pain, and no wonder. Bite marks, puffy and red, were strewn up and down his brother's arms. Harry felt slightly queasy just looking at them, and the feeling only got worse when he took a closer look at Draco's swollen, dusky coloured fingers. How on earth had Draco managed to hold his wand straight?
"Do you, ah, need any help?" Harry asked, his voice quivering a bit more than he'd like. He couldn't help but remember how he'd felt recovering from all those punctures after Samhain. Of course, he hadn't much wanted help, had he? Madame Pomfrey's fussing had been enough to drive him mad.
"I think I can reach everything," Draco snapped. "And it's not like you need to watch either, unless you're wanting to gloat that I got to experience some of that Death Eater attention that I used to be so keen to see you endure!"
"No!" Harry protested, torn between looking away to give him privacy, or meeting his gaze to reassure him. "Draco, that never even crossed my mind, I swear! I wouldn't have wished this on you in a million years. It looks like it hurts like bloody hell and I just feel like shite because it's all my fault!"
"My father being a sick, sadistic arsehole is your fault exactly how?" Draco's glare faded as he sighed. "Look, I shouldn't have said you'd gloat. I bet Gryffindors don't even know how. I'm justófeeling a mite tetchy, yeah? And some of these itch like hell and..."
Harry shrugged. "S'all right. Um, maybe you should try that antidote, then? You seem a bit shaky still." Actually, shaky wasn't really the word. Draco seemed like he needed an emergency session with Marsha. His moods were swinging so wildly Harry felt dizzy just watching. But he didn't think it would help much to say so.
Draco began frowning as he examined the tall bottle on the table. "I don't recognize that potion and I'm not about to poison myself by taking too much. I think I've a bit of a fever, but it's not too bad, so I'll just settle for the salve." He slanted a wry look at Harry. "Besides, there's no telling what Lucius could have done to the contents of that bottle."
"Then what makes you think that salve is safe?"
Draco motioned to the jar's label. "Well, that's written in Severus' hand. If he made it, it's safe."
"But Lucius could have--"
"Yeah, he could have, but he didn't," interrupted Draco. "This isn't even for snake bites, see? He wouldn't know I'd ask for it. It's just a painkilling salve I've used lots of times." Another wry glance. "Anyway, the way these are hurting worse all the time, I think I'll just take the chance."
With that, Draco began smearing salve across the bite marks dotting his face, chest, and arms. No doubt there were others, lower down.
Harry turned away to give Draco some privacy. Collecting his robe from the floor, he busied himself with poking at the hole left when Lucius destroyed his crest. Hmm, too bad his spare ones weren't still stashed in the pocket.
Glancing at the sleeping snake, Harry tried a few wandless Reparo spells and gradually got his cloak looking presentable.
After a while he heard Draco sigh. When Harry glanced over, the other boy was doing up the buttons on his shirt, again. "There, that's better. Well, some. So Harry, I think I'm just going to rest for a bit. Just in case I have to try Apparating after all. I mean, I don't like the idea, but what else is there? Severus doesn't know about this place; we can't just grow old waiting here for him to figure out where we are..."
Harry absently rubbed at some of the bruises the chair had left on his arms. He kind of wanted the healing cream too, but not enough to actually use it. He still though Draco had been mildly insane to take the risk. Definitely, they needed to get his brother to Marsha.
When he thought of what Draco had just been through... but the important point, he supposed, was that Draco had come through.
For Harry.
"Thanks," Harry said, walking towards his brother. "I mean it, Draco. You could have decided there was no way out and you'd be better off... um, leaving me to my fate."
Draco looked down at his hands, then suddenly shoved them in his cloak pockets. "No, I couldn't."
"Well, probably not," admitted Harry. "I was pretty sure Lucius was going to get around his vow by killing you himself. But I wasn't sure if you knew it."
"I knew it," said Draco, looking up, his gaze steady on Harry's face.
Harry couldn't help but flush. "I... um, I hope you can forgive me. Because... well, I'm pretty ashamed of myself, but for a minute or two there, I sort of thought I... um, couldn't trust you. I'm really sorry. I mean, I'm really sorry--"
Draco twisted his lips. "What, you doubted me? Just because I told Lucius about your wandless magic and took an Unbreakable Vow to attack you? Not to mention, almost popped your eye out?"
"Yeah that would do it," said Harry thickly, shuddering as he thought about that spoon. "Look, I... um, I understand now, that you had to get into Lucius' confidence so he'd hand you that wand but... God, Draco! What were you going to do if he hadn't called a halt to the eye thing?"
"I knew he would."
"But what if he hadn't?"
"I knew he would."
Harry raised his voice. "Yeah, well what if he damned well hadn't?"
"What do you think I would have done, Harry?" asked Draco, his pale cheeks spotted with colour, now. "Gouge out your eyes to prove myself to Lucius? Thanks! Thanks a whole fucking lot!"
"You were pretty damned convincing!"
"I had to be convincing, you nitwit!" Draco took a deep breath. "I mean why else would I have put myself through the agony of resisting at first? You think that was fun for me, letting myself get hexed? With Mordesco? Well, it wasn't! But after everything I'd done this year, Lucius wasn't going to believe I'd betray you just like that!" Draco snapped his fingers.
Harry actually hadn't thought of that. Draco's bravery at first, his resistance.... that had all been part of the plan? "Um..."
"Oh, just listen," snapped the other boy. "I wasn't going to hurt you, Harry. I just wasn't! I knew Lucius would stop me. There was no way he'd deny the Dark Lord the chance to Legilimize you. Not to mention that last time, he punished Lucius for just roughing you up. But if he hadn't stopped me," Draco raised his voice when Harry opened his mouth, "I was damned well going to mention all that myself, all right? I was waiting until the last second because it was better for Lucius to be the one to call it off. And if you can't see that, then you're just a complete twit, aren't you--"
"I can see it!" Shaking his head, Harry tried to calm down. "I mean, I can see it now, all right? But not then. And I am sorry I doubted you. I... I hope we can, um, go back to the way we were before this all happened..."
"No Potter, I have to hate you forever and ever now," drawled Draco.
Harry scowled. He didn't think that was very funny.
"Look, Harry," said Draco in a more normal voice. "You were supposed to believe I was giving you over. I did everything I could to make you believe it. Because if your reactions weren't... right, then Lucius would have known something was up. You did exactly what I wanted. Exactly what we needed. I'm not about to hold it against you. So... just get over it, all right?"