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The story of the missing Malfoy twins was very well known in the Wizarding World. The two boys were snatched from their beds just minutes after they arrived at a routine check-up at St. Mungos’. Two days later, the Malfoy bearer vanishes from their recovery bed after a magical incident, leaving behind a troubled family. The rage of Lucius Malfoy during those first two years after the disappearances was something of a legend; he exhausted every avenue available to him, bar blood testing. Blocked at every turn by Dumbledore or someone on the light side, being sent back home empty-handed with the words that blood was simply too precious to allow for testing of every child.It took many years before the Lord finally got the okay for blood testing but only for the children already in Hogwarts. Many knew he did it through underhanded means, bribes and threats to get his way finally. In the end, St. Mungo’s agreed to help with the endeavour, but only if all children were tested, including pureblood children. Once everything was in place, the decree went out the following day, and the testing date was set.____It was chilly the night before the blood testing was meant to take place. Especially in the astronomy tower with all the open windows letting in the drafts. The small bespectacled boy huddled and shivering just under one of the windowsills attested to that. Harry Potter had woken up and fled from the nightmares that plagued him, the open fresh air helping to quiet some of his dark thoughts. It was too stuffy in the Gryffindor common room, the fire crackling just seeking to remind him of everything he had lost. This tower had become a refuge for him, a place not linked to anything significant, like losing a loved one. Losing Sirius. His Godfather. Harry knew he would never return from the pain in his heart at his godfather’s death, adding to Cedric’s death. He was drowning in neverending despair, not that he was actually looking to save himself from it. It was just dues for what he had done.It was so silent in the astronomy tower tonight; usually, there was at least the whistle of the wind. However, tonight had nothing of the sort, just Harry and his thoughts. A dangerous combination. He had only grabbed a soft Weasley jumper, one of Ron’s, before scuttling up to the tower. It was pure luck he hadn’t been seen by any ghosts that would alert the teachers on his way up here. In this silent tower, he didn’t have anyone punching him for answers or for him to open up.Hermione had started to ignore him for that very reason. His best friend was the type that had to know everything at all times. She meant well; it was like she forgot that other people had boundaries or things they didn’t want to share. As much as Harry did love her for it, he was in no way ready to talk about what he was going through. It was best to keep it bottled up inside, let it fester where he could keep ignoring it for a little longer. Harry knew Hermione would return to her usual self soon enough, but not until after the blood testing. She had protested vehemently against them when they were announced, not understanding just why Lucius Malfoy was getting away with ripping privacy away from children just to find kids that were highly unlikely to be in Hogwarts in the first place. The tests were tomorrow of all the days, on the second to last day of the term.Harry would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about what was coming the next day, even though he knew who his parents were since he had seen the pictures of him as a baby, of his mum pregnant with him. In the photo album from Sirius that he held the most precious. Ron was also nervous, even though he had no reason to doubt his family. Ron claimed it was because of the blood magic in reading their very base of selves; blood could never lie.Speaking of Ron, Harry hadn’t noticed the other boy joining him in the tower, marauders map clenched in his fist. His orange hair was askew, and his face ashen. It seemed a nightmare-filled night for his best friend, too; they had grown closer through it more than ever. Ron had had them since the troll incident in the first year. It wasn’t until the second year that they started this ritual, usually only going as far as the common room and curling together in a mess of limbs on one of the couches in front of the fire. However, sometimes the common room was too much for one of them. They started hunting each other down throughout the school to various alcoves and towers. These instances made the want for two marauder’s maps extremely high. Still, both Remus and Sirius had been tight-lipped on the subject, even if their secretive smiles were telling.“Cedric?” Harry just shrugged. He had not seen any face, just felt the raw terror at the shadows closing in on him. Harry figured it might have been another nightmare from the night his parents died, which were very few and far between now but still happened. Since he was a baby when it happened, it was always just terror, shadows, and flashing lights from spells. Harry never really knew what the nightmares were about most of the time, so this was nothing new; Harry usually just made something up, so nobody thought him any more of a freak than he already was. He was never home in his own skin, feeling smaller in mentality than in his fourteen years. He never said anything, especially after the parseltongue incident in second year.Ron joined him on the cold ground, blanket held tight around his shoulders, already shivering from the chill. Harry hadn’t realized how chilled he was until Ron’s warmth settled beside him. Then, he found himself scuttling closer as fast as he could, shoving frozen hands between his thighs for warmth. They usually didn’t talk during these nights; easier to hide in their own thoughts and just leech off each other for comfort.They just sat like that until the dark tower slowly lit, and their lips were blue. It was only then they stumbled back to their common room and dorm to change and head down to breakfast. The rest of their dormmates were thankfully still sprawled and snoring in their beds when Harry and Ron snuck in, huddled together still. Only separating to change into their school robes and gather their books for the day. Both tried extremely hard to not wake up their friends before they needed to be awake; they still had an hour to sleep before they had to get up or face missing breakfast altogether.Hermione was waiting for them in the common room, foot tapping and arms crossed. She didn’t look pleased but didn’t say anything directly to them as she joined the boys heading out of the portrait and to the Great Hall. There was hardly anyone about, just a few early risers wandering the same way, even if most looked as dead on their feet as Harry felt. Hermione huffed the closer they got to the Great Hall, a frazzled-looking Professor McGonagall standing at the entrance with a sneering Snape, both stopping the students as they arrived, redirecting them down the hall towards the Hospital Wing.“Professor-” Hermione didn’t even get to start what looked to be one of her legendary questionnaires before being cut off.“I apologize, Ms. Granger; however, we can do nothing. The Minister himself has decreed that you must all undergo the heritage test.” their head of house sounded frustrated, hair coming undone from her usually perfect bun. “Now, off with you. The faster you get it done, the faster you can head to class.” she waved them away down the direction she had sent everyone else, watching to make sure they were heading that way before going back to watching the halls for more students. The three of them trooped towards the Hospital Wing, stomachs starting to growl.The only good thing about getting there so early was no long waiting line. A Mediwitch met them at the door with a forced smile. It seemed they wanted to be doing this even less than the students did. Not a surprise since Malfoy had used his power to make them all do this even against their consent, which was one of Hermione’s main gripes with what was going on. No, the Lord had just gotten the Minister to do what he wanted, but Harry understood the man. If he had, had his family taken from him, he would act the same. Still, any possibility of getting them back, he would do anything in his power to do so.The Mediwitch ushered them inside, closing the door forcefully behind them. Three other mediwitches and mediwizards were in the room beside the one who had let them in. Harry could also spot Madam Pomphrey moving around in her office. It made him feel better that she was there, even if she always made him stay in his hospital bed much longer than he would have liked.“Names, please.” Harry jumped, swiftly turning to stare at the mediwizard who had spoken. He was short with a balding head and unkempt mustache, probably in his late fifties at best, but his eyes were kind as they looked over Harry and his friends.“Hermione Granger. Now I just have a few questions-” Poor Hermione got cut off again by the wizard holding up his hand and laughing indulgently at her. Hermione looked like she didn’t know whether to be offended or angry at the poor man.“We will answer your questions as best we can, momentarily, young one. Now would you please mind going with Healer Anna? She’ll see to it most of your questions see an answer.” Hermione glanced at them nervously before heading to the pretty witch, who waved her over warmly. Then, disappearing behind one of the newly set up curtains, probably set up to give some semblance of privacy.“Uhhh, I’m Ron,” Ron scratched the back of his head sheepishly, slowly turning as red as he fumbled through his words, his nerves showing through, “Ron Weasley” The wizard just nodded, directing Ron towards a portly witch near the very end of the room, on the opposite side of Hermione. When he, too, turned and vanished behind a curtain, Harry felt his nerves skyrocket, his hands fumbling with the soft jumper he was still wearing under his school robes. He didn’t have to say his name in the end, the wizard’s eyes lighting in recognition before waving him away to the tall, lanky wizard nearby. He was now on the opposite side of the room from both of his best friends, and it wasn’t helping his nerves.The mediwizard was talking to him that Harry knew, but the rushing in his ears was too loud to hear anything. So he just sat on the bed as directed and stared at the floor blankly. Finally, the wizard seemed to take pity on him, crouching low so he was in Harry’s line of sight.“I know this sounds scary, but it is just a little prick. Then magic will do the rest, okay?” Harry barely managed a nod, shyly offering the wizard his hand, who took it gently; this utter stranger held his hand more gentleness than everyone he knew. With a quick, almost silently uttered spell, Harry winced at the sharp, quick pain in his finger, watching as a spot of blood welled up. Maintaining his gentleness, the wizard grabbed a piece of parchment and pressed it to the blood from the wound, letting it stain the parchment red as he set it aside to heal Harry’s finger. Gently turning his finger this way and that to ensure his finger was completely healed. Harry watched over the mediwizard’s shoulder as the parchment glowed a faint blue and lines started writing across it. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read any of the lines from this angle. They seemed to wiggle together even when he tried to crane his neck to read it. Finally putting down his hand, the wizard stood, grabbing the parchment as he went, giving it what looked to be a cursory glance to ensure everything was in order before visibly double taking and basically shoving his face into the parchment. Then looking back up at Harry, white as a sheet.“Mr. Potter- just a moment, please.” the wizard then turned and skittered around the curtain, leaving Harry to blink in shock. He didn’t understand what had just happened; was something wrong with him? It seemed that way with how the mediwizard had acted.______ Mediwizard Byrant hadn’t been a certified mediwizard all that long, he had only gotten his complete mastery a couple years ago, but the case of the missing Malfoy twins was extremely well known; it was used as an example of dark wizards at work. It was also the main reason for the implemented high-security protocols. Lucius Malfoy was ruthless, even more so since his family fell apart. His eldest followed after him well, with the second, Draco, not far behind.The hunt for the twins was neverending for that family. It was the same as the search for the unknown Malfoy bearer, someone Lucius had kept so protected only a few knew their name. There were many rumours that it had been Narcissa Black, who had disappeared at that exact time and had not been found. Lucius never put anything to rest, letting all the rumours fly instead. All the underhanded bribes and threats finally paid off for the Lord with the implementation of mandatory heritage tests for every student in Hogwarts.That name on that test, the one he never thought he would see. Those twins were long thought dead, sacrificed to a black ritual of some sort. A glance down at the parchment in his hands proved Bryant wrong. Kaiden Malfoy, the younger of the two twins, the runt of the litter. Kaiden’s health had been fragile since birth, with many ups and downs seeing the Malfoy family in and out of St. Mungo’s many times. Many of the best mediwitches and mediwizards had thought the boy would never see his Hogwarts days, yet he was alive and well. Kaiden shouldn’t be alive with all the potions in his system. Bryant was not trained for this part. He needed the Aurors, those who actually specialized in these crimes.However, when Bryant got to the head healer who had arrived not long ago, he found himself hesitating on making the call to call the Aurors. He didn’t need to; the healer had taken one look at his stricken face and had known what he had found. The handsome healer practically ripped the parchment out of Bryant’s hand to read it. Healer Selwyn’s face grew graver with every line he read, swiftly rolling up the parchment when he was done reading. Then, giving a swift nod, the healer turned towards the currently open floo, barely getting a step before Mediwitch Lillith skidded to a stop beside Bryant catching his arm when she nearly tripped over her own feet from her momentum. No words were exchanged as she wordlessly handed the parchment over to Healer Selwyn, who just stopped to read the name before nodding at the two and striding to the floo and disappearing in a flash of green flames.Bryant and Lillith looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Did they tell the twins or not? It was best not to, but keeping the information from the two would also be wrong. They had a right to know. They thought it best to keep it from them from now but just keep them in the Hospital Wing, citing a need for a thorough check-up._____Harry was worrying the sleeve of the sweater to the point there were many new loose threads for him to pick at. The mediwizard coming back behind the curtain scared him, his body flinching at the sudden presence. The man had a gentle smile and colour back on his cheeks like nothing had happened.“Sorry about that, Mr. Potter. Just something came up on your heritage test we wanted to check. When was your last wizarding health check?” Harry paused. He had never had one that he would remember. The last one was probably when he was a baby, and his parents took him if they ever did, with them being on the run and everything. Harry shrugged, unable to answer the mediwizards question, who looked strangely concerned the longer Harry went without an answer. Sighing, the wizard pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his fingers along his eyes for a moment before looking back at Harry. “You should have had one before attending Hogwarts as a precaution. Some cores are not quite ready to withstand multiple untrained cores in such close proximity. It takes a while longer for those to adjust than others, needs to be watched in case it lashes out. When you had that checked, you should have had updated potions for wizarding diseases. You had nothing at all?” Harry shook his head slowly, utterly lost, realizing that he had entirely missed this man’s name, but was now too embarrassed to ask him for it again.“Come, Mr. Potter, we’ll do a quick check here to make sure your alright, then I expect to see you at St. Mungo’s for a proper check, alright?” the mediwizard waved him off the bed, pushing the curtain aside to show a waiting Hufflepuff who was wringing her hands together nervously. When she saw them, she straightened her shoulders, pushed her golden hair back, and strode past them to the bed Harry had just been sitting on. The wizard nudged Harry’s back gently, guiding him toward where Ron and Hermione had been taken for their tests. Unfortunately, Hermione’s bed was home to a different student. The curtain was not shut all the way, and Harry could spot a first-year Slytherin boy who looked like he hated being there. Probably pureblood if Harry had to guess.Ron’s bed still held Ron, who was swinging his feet and staring at the floor like Harry had been just moments ago. He looked up when Harry pushed back the curtain, his face lighting up when he saw his best mate.“Alrigh’ there, mate?” Ron asked as Harry joined him on the bed, the mediwizard joining them and making sure to fully pull the curtains closed around them. The wizard stayed looking at the curtains for a moment, seeming to collect himself before turning around, and untucking his wand from the holster on his wrist.“Alright, boys, it has come to our attention that neither of you has had the necessary check-ups to have even been allowed in Hogwart’s front doors, a gross oversight we will rectify. Your medicine matron will be investigated pertaining to why she never caught that, as she is supposed to have all the results in her files. No need to be worried; it is a simple spell, just a diagnostic one that will tell us everything we need to know. Lord Malfoy has been kind enough to offer to pay for all expenses today, so there is no need to worry about the cost either.” The wizard sent Ron a sharp look when he opened his mouth, also casting a quick glance down at his second-hand robes. Ron flushed angrily but didn’t say anything, just turning his head and glaring at the curtain ahead.Without warning, the wizard tapped Harry’s head with his wand, muttering a spell under his breath. It felt like he had been shocked, and Harry jumped a little at the unexpected jolt. Then, while a parchment started making itself out of thin air, the mediwizard quickly turned and did the same spell to Ron, snatching the parchment from the air when they were finished forming. The mediwizard took the time to really look over the two parchments, eyebrows furrowed. Then, not giving either of them a glance, he left back out the curtain, leaving Harry and Ron to look at each other in absolute confusion about what was happening.The longer they sat there, the more anxious Harry started getting, and from the corner of his eye, he could see Ron’s face begin to get red. The redhead wouldn’t stay seated for much longer, working himself up into a mess of anxiety and anger. Thankfully they didn’t have to, the mediwizard finally returning, followed closely behind by an aristocratic face. Another mediwizard, but this man was tall and regal, with high cheekbones that gave away his pureblood status. This newcomer was clutching four sheets of parchment, which, if Harry had to wager a guess, was his and Ron’s heritage tests and diagnostic tests.“Boys, this is Healer Selwyn. He will take over your cases and let you know all that has been found through your heritage tests and the diagnostic spell. We at St. Mungo’s appreciate your cooperation and patience. I know it's been a confusing half hour for you two.” The mediwizard gave them a nod before leaving, ensuring he pulled the curtain completely shut as he disappeared from view. The healer was quiet for a moment, looking over the parchments in his hands, seeming to try and decide where to start first. Parchment shuffled for a bit before; finally, Healer Selwyn turned to Ron, who went stiff beside Harry. Harry didn’t stop how his hand sought out his best friends, clasping them together behind the redhead's back where the Healer could not see it.“Ah- Mr. Ronald Weasley, yes? Son of Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley nee Prewitt?” Ron nodded. He looked a little less nervous now, probably the confirmation that his parents were his parents, which Harry thought was funny given he had seen the photos of Mrs. Weasley pregnant with Ron during one of his summer visits there. Healer Selwyn looked back down at the parchment, moving on in front of the other after a moment's debate.“Healthy considering your missing necessary wizarding vaccinations.” He flipped up the page, rolling it so they couldn’t see the words written, peering dark eyes down at what was no doubt Ron’s heritage test. “Mr. Weasley. Have you at any point questioned your parentage? Any reason to suspect that those who claim to be your sire and bearer were not?” Ron puffed up, rage colouring his face as he opened his mouth to tell the Healer off for doubting his parents. He may not like his mum sometimes because of her overbearingness or his dad from being mostly absent even when right in front of them, but they were his parents. But Ron didn't get the chance; Healer Selwyn had his wand out, and a silencing spell cast before the boy could utter a noise.I was not finished.” Harry didn’t like him. From that spell alone, Harry didn’t like Healer Selwyn. However, Harry wasn’t stupid. This was a full-grown wizard who had permission to be here. Knowing Malfoy, he probably got them blanket permission to do whatever they wanted. They probably had permission to claim the twins were here just to get Dumbledore in trouble. Harry glared at the Healer, who glanced up from his parchment. The man looked amused when he glanced at Harry before looking back down.“Now, understand this would show up in many ways, such as a disconnect in your magic from theirs. Feelings of loss when you have lost nothing; glimpses of someone out of the corner of your eye when passing mirrors which isn’t there; feels of inadequacy or not at home in your own body; pains in your limbs or brain that would be cause for concern but come and go very quickly. Mind you, these would be sharper and much worse than growing pains but easily explained away as such pains. There could also be no photos of your childhood or your bearer’s subsequent pregnancy.” Healer Selwyn turned dark eyes back at them, searching Ron’s face quietly. He seemed to find what he sought, but Harry didn’t dare look at his best friend. His own mind was racing too fast.Harry had had those exact symptoms, minus the magic disconnects with his parents being dead. He also had nothing of his parents, only pictures of his mother as a child that he found in the Dursley’s attic the summer they had locked him in there to clean it. He had brushed them all off. He had grown up with the abuse of the Dursleys after all; surely, it was normal. According to the Healer, however, it wasn’t in the magical sense. Harry stared at his lap, fear slowly starting to close his throat. It was getting hard to breathe here, and he clutched at Ron’s hand tightly. He didn’t notice Healer Selwyn’s piercing gaze land on him.“I can see that both of you have, in some way, experienced these, which would be highly concerning if we did not have the answers like we do already. It will be a shock to you both, yes, but understand that while humans lie, magic does not. Therefore, I will require you both to stay seated for the remainder of our visit.” Harry turned up his head to gaze at the Healer fearfully, who offered him a soft smile.“Now. Mr. Potter correct? Son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans?” Harry didn’t feel the nod he gave the man, his body numb. “Also healthy considering you have no vaccinations at all and were raised by what appears to be abusive muggles. Disgusting, really; any wizarding family would have been proud to take you in. Not to mention you are insisting on wearing glasses, not your prescription and from what I’m looking at here, you do not even appear to need them.” Reaching unconsciously to grasp the frame of his glasses, Harry narrowed his gaze at the healer.“But Sir- I can’t see without them, which means that, unlike you said, the parchment is lying to you. Everyone knows Potter men need glasses.” Healer Selwyn just shot the boy a joyful grin.“Peculiar, isn’t it, Mr. Potter? No magic doesn't lie, but if something else influenced it, you’d find that magic can indeed lie. However, only temporarily. Potions and spells must be reapplied regularly to continue working at maximum capabilities. What I am finding for both of you is incredibly sensitive, incredibly black potions and spells which are very dangerous to keep on the human body for as long as they have affected both of you. Therefore, we must transfer both of you directly to St. Mungo’s to deal with them all. We have a suitably trained team of healers to hopefully be able to purge everything from your systems. It will not be all at once, we would risk killing you both, but you will be placed in magical comas for at most a month while we work on saving your lives.” Ron puffed up again, and with a sigh, Healer Selwyn waved his wand and murmured the counter curse, letting the redhead speak again.“What about our parents! You need their permission to do anything to us!” Healer Selwyn gave Ron a pitiful look, pulling the papers down to finally give them his full attention.“I think you will find Mr. Weasley that I can. But, unfortunately, my mediwizards and witches have discovered nothing short of murder attempts, of which your parents and Mr. Potter’s magical guardian are my top suspects. Thus, the child protection laws of the Wizarding World give me every right to remove you two from their care and be placed temporarily into my own. Until such a time that either your parents or magical guardian can be proved innocent in the court of the Wizengamont. Or if they are not, new guardians will be chosen for you after careful consideration. But, until such a time, you will remain in St. Mungo’s under my care until I can offer you both clean bills of health.” Ron looked stricken, face turning from angry red to ashy white, and Harry felt the blood circulation in his hand cut off as Ron gripped it as tight as he could.
“Mediwizard Bryant and I will escort you to the floo and then meet you at St. Mungos, where we will begin treatments as soon as possible. We must gather all data on your cases before the perpetrator strips away some leads. Aurors have been alerted and are en route to collect your parents, Mr. Weasley, and your magical guardian Mr. Potter.” The mediwizard that had initially done Harry’s heritage test reentered the small curtained-off section, looking like he had run here. Mediwizard Bryant didn’t spare them a glance, speaking hurriedly into Healer Selwyn’s ear, who looked grave as he nodded. No other words were uttered as Harry and Ron were basically wrestled to the floo, protesting heavily. No one else in the Hospital Wing paid them any mind save for a horrified-looking Madam Pomphrey, who was being escorted out by two Aurors.Harry didn’t see much after that, as he was put in the floo after Ron and Mediwizard Bryant. Just catching a glimpse of Dumbledore as he swept into the hall, looking grave, before he was gone in a flash of green flames.___ Harry stumbled out of the floo, heading face-first towards the floor before someone caught him. They helped him stand back up, ensuring he was situated before letting him go and stepping back. It was a new mediwitch, a stern-looking one who was aged but still deceptively strong. She gave him a grandmotherly smile, not saying anything as she ushered Harry down the hall and into a room. Ron was already there, angrily shouting but still seated on the bed. Harry just chose to go along with it. They were actually in St. Mungo’s, he guessed, which he had never been before, but he didn’t have any reason to believe Death Eaters were involved. Plus, if he was actually in danger like the Healer said he was, he wanted that fixed as soon as possible. He did not want to die young, even if he was supposedly the saviour of the Wizarding World.“Good, you both got here safely.” Healer Selwyn was sweeping into the room soon after them, parchments still in hand, which he then passed to the elderly Mediwitch on his way past her. He disappeared into a potions alcove Harry could see if he strained forward. The Healer reappeared soon after, carrying two potions in his hands, passing one to Mediwizard Bryant, who took it over to Ron.“A dreamless sleep potion. It will make it easier to put you both in a magical coma if you are already asleep. Don’t think we are not above spelling it into your stomachs. You need this to get rid of everything foreign in your systems.” The potion was shoved in Harry’s face, who turned his nose up at it. Harry could not know if it was a dreamless sleep potion. Hence he would not take it, even if the threat of it being spelled into him rang around the room. Selwyn looked like he had expected as much, and with one wave of his wand and a murmured phrase, the potion in the bottle was gone, and Harry felt tiredness hit him like a bus.Harry vaguely remembered being guided down onto the bed's pillows before he was gone. ____ Draco Malfoy was no stranger to the looks his family got throughout the years. Or the whispers behind their turned backs about his father’s waning sanity the longer he spent looking for his youngest boys. Not really something Draco could refute. His father spent way too much time staring at the family wall, at his bonded and son's names to make sure they hadn’t gone dark. No names hadn’t, thankfully, and if they ever did, Draco was incredibly nervous about how his father would react. The only thing holding his father together was that those names were still coloured. The fact that his father got heritage tests forced on all the Hogwarts students just showed how much the Lord had fallen.Sitting at breakfast, watching people trickling in, it was a long breakfast today, Dumbledore having no choice but to wait for everyone to arrive to know they had done their heritage test. The old man hadn’t given anything away if he was unhappy with what Lucius Malfoy had imposed, even if Draco knew the headmaster was. Most sacred twenty-eight families were rightfully upset, even if they could understand. Child and Line theft was sporadic high-profile cases that always ended in the dementor's kiss.Draco wasn’t paying attention when Dumbledore stood from the head table, looking stricken. He had turned his attention to his empty plate, lost in his thoughts, only looking up to see a swirl of gaudy orange robes as the old wizard swept from the great hall in a hurry. Curious Draco peered after narrowing his eyes and the open Great Hall doors as if they could tell him all the answers he wanted. Something must have happened. Draco was sure it wasn’t the finding of his brothers, but possibly an infidelity child. Those always caused strife in families, even if the husband had been the cause of not being able to produce a viable heir. It was a messy drama that the rest of the Wizarding World ate up, especially if it was a family of the sacred twenty-eight.The hole in Draco’s heart for brothers that he barely remembered grew more prominent the longer his father fell into his madness. It was heartwrenching to watch his father be the shell of himself he once was, to fall so far from the kind man who would sit Draco on his knee and tell him stories about his bearers. His elder brother tried to fill the hole, but even he had his own problems, such as his presumed dead betrothed and finding a new one.It was hard, and Draco could no longer push down the growing resentment towards his remaining family members for who they were becoming and how he was now pushed aside. They did not mean it sure, but it did not help that it was already happening and could no longer be ignored. Draco also could not bring up the topic. He didn’t want to upset the fragile peace in his house. He did not want to know what would happen if he broke it with his wanting more attention. He understood that his father had lost everything save for two sons, who were now too old for him to baby even if he still tried. Abaddon remembered their bearers though he refused to talk about them even when young Draco had pestered, so he had no idea who his bearers were other than a few memories.It wasn’t until the Great Hall was almost full that Draco finally allowed himself to scan the Gryffindor table in search of Harry Potter and his friends. He spotted a rather put-out Granger but no Weasley or Potter, which was incredibly odd since the three were attached to each other. She caught his eye, glaring at him momentarily before turning her gaze down and frowning at her soup like it was the source of all her problems. Raising an eyebrow at her, Draco turned his attention away since there was no point in only antagonizing her. Granger usually took it all in good stride, unlike her two male companions.“Measy be delivering a letter for Young Master Draco” Draco almost jumped. Only years of pureblood training kept him in his seat. He had not heard his father’s house elf pop in beside him. Turning to the large-eyed creature, Draco plucked the letter from the gnarled fingers and waved her away. Though she did not move, only staring at him impatiently, hands wringing in her pillowcase clothing. “Measy be taking Young Master Draco home upon reading the letter, Master’s orders.”Draco could feel the alarm rising in his stomach, practically tearing the letter open and ignoring the stares from his table and the rest of the Great Hall. The letter was frustratingly vague, with his father stating that a new lead had popped up and he was required at home immediately. For his paranoid father, he had given way too much away in his letter, even one delivered by a house elf. His father’s usually elegant writing was also rushed, looking half like chicken scratch instead of the usual loopy scrawl. It had Draco quickly folding the letter, shoving it hastily in his pocket before thrusting his hand at Measly impatiently.His father’s house elf wasted no time grabbing it and popping them away. Instead of landing in his house like he was expecting, Draco found himself in the private Malfoy wing of St. Mungos. Panic gripped his throat until his elder brother, accompanied by his house elf, popped in. They looked at each other, knowing it had to be their father whose psyche had probably finally snapped. It would explain the chicken scratch writing. Draco felt out of sorts. He wasn’t sure what would happen if his father was out of commission. Abaddon would try to take custody, of course, but Dumbledore would stop that seeing it as an opportunity to finally have the Malfoy family under his thumb. The lordship would thankfully be safely appointed to Abaddon, where Dumbledore could not get it. Still, Draco knew his brother would do anything the old wizard wanted if he only threatened Draco.It made Draco jump when a mediwizard came sweeping down the hall. Upon closer look, could see it was actually Healer Selwyn, looking grave. Heart in his throat Draco scooted closer to his elder brother and, in a fit of childishness, gripped Abaddon’s hand. It was cold and clammy, and just beginning to sweat. His stoic-faced brother was not at all unaffected by what was happening. With one squeeze of his brother’s hand, Draco took a deep breath. Even as Healer Selwyn and his brother spoke, it sounded downed out like Draco was underwater. He couldn’t look them in the eye, which was pathetic for his age, but this was his father he was dealing with, and who knows what happened when his psyche snapped, what he would have done to himself or to others.Draco missed the utter disbelief on his brother's face, his pureblood mask failing in public for the first time in years. Everything still seemed muted for Draco, and he stayed staring just past the Healer’s shoulder. Finally, Abaddon nudged him, jolting Draco back into himself and making him look up at the man. Abaddon was smiling, although Draco had no idea what had been said. It settled something in him. It also dredged up much confusion since if Abaddon was happy, that meant that his father was fine, and if his father was okay, that meant that they were here for another reason. Blurry faces flashed in Draco’s mind, memories of people mostly forgotten.He held his mask better than his brother, hiding his confusion from not paying attention. He couldn’t have his brother thinking he was any more a child than he had already shown. It was unbecoming. Abaddon said nothing to him, simply laying a solid hand on his shoulder and leading him down the hallway.Lord Lucious Malfoy stood in an open doorway at the end of the hall, looking slightly stunned at whatever he was looking at. At the sound of their approach, he turned, long hair sweeping over his back. Draco almost didn't recognize the man looking back at them; it had been so long since he had seen it. The man looking back at him was his father, not the shell of the man he had turned into over the years. The one who read him stories and conjured little dragons with his wand. This Lucious looked warm and open, and Draco saw a slight smile on his father's face. It was uncanny, something Draco had thought he would never be able to see again. Something that had been lost all those years ago, and suddenly Draco no longer had to look into the room to know what was in there. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his little brothers were in that room, whatever shape they may be in.It was a glorious feeling in the pit of his stomach, approaching that doorway and that long-forgotten man. To finally be able to peek inside and catch a glimpse of two beds in the occupied Malfoy private rooms. Of course, the healers shielded them from view, but they were still there. Still in those beds and so so real that Draco felt like he was in a dream, and what a truly amazing dream it was.