#HoME does not get to tell me elves can return from the dead via their kin siring/birthing them again

[pearlescentpearl]

despite wanting to work on other wips, tonight my brain is once again knee deep in an au where Maedhros is a reborn elf who remembers Utumno

[hpdabbles]

So i just found your Hufflepuff Draco fic and it’s amazing!!! I love it so much!!! I really hope you continue it because it is truly marvelous to read!!!

Draco’s parents pull him out of Hogwarts for a few days to recover properly from his encounter with the troll. Not that he really needs to do so but his father won’t hear anything otherwise and the man has enough leverage in the Education Board to make it happen.

With a whirlwind of “fix your security before I fix you a new job Headmaster!” and dozen of papers to sign for his excused absents including having his professors agree to send him any missed work via owl, the Malfoys leave the castle well into the next day.

The Golden Trio plus the older Weasleys promise to send him owls as well. His father pulled a not-so face- like he’s bitting back a grimace- when he saw his visitors and his mother had tightened her jaw but neither said anything. 

Maybe it had something to do with the heavy stare Draco was directing at them all but daring them to oppose his acquaintances.

He’s then taken home, where they proceeded to pamper him near to death. He’s told to not worry about school, not worry about any social events and to pretty much take is nice and slow. The Hufflepuff is all but ordered to remain in bed as if though he would drop dead at any second. Draco would have enjoyed it a lot more if his parents weren’t hovering around every corner.

“Draco darling. Would you like the house elves to bring you more pillows? More blankets?” His mother asked as Draco stared at the actual nest of bedding built around him.  He had no idea they own these many pillows. 

“No mother it’s fine”

“Son. Don’t strain yourself walking downstairs. I will have a house-elf bring up your meals instead.”  His father said after seeing Draco in the hallway. He put a gentle but firm hand on his back to steer him into his bedroom once more.

“I thought eating upstairs was against the rules? Besides father I’m fine. I can walk down the stairs.”  

“Nonsense. You’re hurt.”

“Draco darling. What are you doing?” Narcissa asked

“Um reading my class assignments? I’ve missed three days already.”

“You should be resting not worrying about something as silly as class assignments! Now, come, it’s time for bed.”

“Mother it’s barely six in the afternoon!” Draco protested trying really hard not to pull his own hair out.

“A growing young wizard needs plenty of rest. Especially after such a traumatizing event.”

“I’m not traumatized!”

 What is wrong with them? They have never been this protective. The first time around the two had been more than thrilled to sign on to a madman campaigning for genocide and hadn’t batted an eye when he had join said madman at age sixteen.

No something else change. Something drastic, something that affects the family. Draco just couldn’t figure out what that was. 

He highly doubts his sorting resulted in this kind of behavior, in fact, he was all but sure it would have done the opposite effect. Since it’s the only thing he’s changed that could have influenced his parents - making conversation with his classmates and being a glorified babysitter at his boarding school shouldn’t have done anything to him-  he couldn’t see what had happened.

Another strange change is the number of letters he receives. Draco was many things but well-liked wasn’t one of them. Yet he found a pile of envelopes and packages stacked on his bedside table by Dobby. The majority are from the students he helped since arriving, the ones who had earned him the Nicest  First Year Wizard title, all wishing get wells and we miss yous, a few even coming with some candy and pictures. 

It made him feel sort of guilty. Draco didn’t remember half of their names not having clocked them as too important.

The oddest letters, however, are from various aristocratic pureblood families who have somehow gotten wind of his injuries and had sent him gifts along with proper wishing you will in these hard times cards. They were acting like Draco was terribly ill, which was a little mind blogging. He only got hit by a troll! A few broken bones and a bruised ego wasn’t something to worry them so much like this.

His parents didn’t want him returning to Hogwarts despite his injuries had healed well over and him almost missing a month and half of the classes. If this keeps up he wouldn’t need to go since the winter holidays would just send turn right back around. 

Draco was getting fed up with the babying, the new rules his parents had instilled to not “exhaust his body too much” and the diet they had put him on was nearly nothing but greens and milk.

Milk!

Draco didn’t even like milk! 

It was reaching ridiculous levels. A time-traveling man couldn't even go for a walk in his own garden with his peacocks without his parents' nervous fretting. Slowly but surely he was being confined in his room. 

Draco had hoped the various healers his parents had brought over the last few weeks to do “tests and examinations” would have told them to calm the hell down but instead each one only worried his parents more.

He has been to St. Mungo’s much more then he thinks any time in his life, all to do further tests. What were they looking for? Draco was perfectly healthy, and he really just wanted to get out of the mansion!

Luckily daily letters with Potter were keeping his cabin fever down. The boy never failed to send him a letter each morning about the previous day and things he missed, surprising very well detail and good storytelling in his writing for someone his age.

Then one day, exactly two weeks before Chrismas - he was going to fail his first year. He was totally going to be the first Malfoy to be held back in the first year!- that a specialist healer arrived. 

He waved his wand over Draco, doing some quick spells before stepping out with his parents into the hall. There were a few muffled voices, a sound that he thought meant one of his parents were crying, most likely his mother before all three came back in. 

Both his parents were sporting watery eyes but only his mother allowed them to silently roll down her face. 

The Hufflepuff took one look at them before decided he could finish reading his newest stacks of owls another time.

Putting down Potter’s letter, which was describing how he somehow weaseled his way into the Quidditch team again, he gave the other adults his full attention. How that was possible without him being there to taunt the boy into flying after Longbottom’s remembrall made his head spin even if Potter gave the reason. It was ironic that one of Longbottom’s own house members took to throwing his little toy around. Poor kid couldn’t catch a break, could he?

“Mr. Malfoy, we need to tell you something very important.” The Healer, Springmist, started looking both gentle and professional. His mother went around the bed to hold his hand which greatly alarmed him.  

“Okay? What is it?” He asked when the room decided into a somber silence.

“Mr. Malfoy. Have you recently notice that your magic has been acting differently?” Springmist ask.

“No, sir I haven’t. Why?”

His father made a small choking noise and when Draco turns to look at him the other man quickly wipes away some stray tears before offering his startled son a wet smile.

“Nothing at all? No pain, or fatigue when casting spells? Have you experienced any hardship in moving about? Any trouble breathing, seeing, or hearing? ” Healer Springmist quickly regains his attention even if he just wants to ask his father what in the world was wrong.  

“No, sir. I already said this before. I feel fine.”  A bit of irritation leaked into his voice but he was sick and tired of the same questions being asked of him by so many Healers already.  “The troll barely even touched me.”

“Yes. It barely did. You were quite brave to help defend your friends like.”  Draco does not like the slightly patronizing way Springmist said that. Talking down to him as if though he is a child- oh wait.  “But it’s my professional advice that you never ever do something like that again. Your body can’t handle it.”

“I’m certainly not going to make a habit of fighting trolls sir. I do want to live, you know.”

At that, his mother let out one pain gasp. She gave his hand a squeeze but shook her head when Draco raised a quibble brow at her. His father came to his other side, bringing the startled Hufflepuff into a tight one arm hug. The man was never one to show such open emotions, at least not without a trusted company but he didn’t seem to want to remove his nose from Draco’s hair nor lessen his strong grip.

This springs his mother to join the hug and together they squeeze him between them, choking on sobs. Over the smell of expensive perfume and warm limbs, Draco sends the Healer a desperate look.  What in the world is happening!?

The Healer’s face clouded over in sorrow briefly before he took a deep breath and then he drops the strongest stunner on Draco’s head. Holding out a piece of parchment he says in a perfectly gentle tone. “Mr. Malfoy I’m terribly sorry to say this, but you have tested positive for MDC.”

“What?”

“MDC stands for Magical Decaying Core. It happens when someone core suddenly starts producing too much magic or not enough and begins to rot away at the body.” Springmist continues “It’s a slow process and there are treatments to help control-”

He is cut off by Draco getting out of his parents’ hold to rip the parchment put of his hands desperately. The boy’s eyes run over the words quickly, only half understanding the various results and healer notes but almost all of them agree that his magic production had jump drastically. The first stages of MDC.

But this can’t be! Draco hadn’t had it before, nor was there a history of it in his family. At least not the Malfoy side, he wasn’t so sure about the Blacks. Still, MDC wasn’t a laughing matter, it was one of the most painful ways a wizard could go.

It trapped the person in their own decaying body, robbing them of their ability to breathe on their own, or taking some of the senses like sight or hearing. Treatments was available but it only delayed the inevitable. Once someone had MDC they on average only had five years left, three if one didn’t count the last two which robbed the person of basic body functions. 

Was this a side effect of the ritual? Was that why no one attempted to time travel even though the secret was store away in Black Forrbbin Family Vault? 

Dammit, Potter what did you do to me!?

“Draco darling?” His mother says watching him with sad eyes as he read over the Healers report again and again. He could barely hear her over the ringing in his eyes. MDC. They thought he had MDC? 

Suddenly his eyes fell on a chart. Next to it, there were numbers that indicated the healthy amount of wizards of different ages should be showing. 

It graphed his magic production, and Draco felt a crashing wave of relief when he realizes the date his magic started to act differently. September 1st. The first spike.

The day he arrived. He was producing the magic of a full-grown adult but not because of MDC. Oh, thank Merlin!

He wobbled in place the ripples of relief still effecting his body but his father was quick to hold him up, one large warm hand on his tiny back and the other on his arm.  “Draco? Son? Do you need to lay down?”

“No. No. I’m fine! Really look! My magic only change on September first! That’s the day I went on the Hogwarts Express!” He breathes looking up at them happily. 

Springmist looked slightly heartbroken for him. “I’m afraid starting magical classes don’t cause this much of a-”

“No. I meant it’s the day I time traveled! I’m fine! Perfectly fine. Well despite being stuck in this body but trust me, I’m perfectly healthy!”  He gushes momentarily forgetting he shouldn’t have told them this. He’s not thinking too clearly, because he just avoided one to worst ways to go and he thinks he deserves spilling a secret like this in his emotional state.

 It’s not like Draco wanted to stay alive per-say but he didn’t want to go out painfully either. 

“Oh, Draco.” His mother whispers hugging him to her chest. She’s crying loudly again and even his father is sobbing openly. Healer Springmist is polite to not comment but he seems heartbroken completely now “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Darling, my little boy, I’m so sorry”

“Mother it’s okay. I’m fine!”

“Son, my dragon, I understand this is hard to accept.” Father starts joining their hug, chocking on his words as the Healer tells them he’ll go outside to give the family a few minutes. No one really pays attention when he slips into the hallway. “We’ll get through this together I swear it.”

They don’t believe him!?  

“Guys really I’m a time traveler! I’m actually twenty-five! I was working on my Magic History Thesis paper for my Spell Creation and Study degree before I came here.  Harry Potter sent me back!”

“Harry Potter?” His father says. He looks over at the pile of letters that all have Potter’s terrible penmanship but delightful stories rested. His father’s blue eyes, nothing like the silver Draco and his mother sported look down at him, searching his face for something and seeming to break what was left of the man’s heart after finding it.  “We can invite Potter here for the summer, love. I- I want you to experience whatever you can while you have time”

“What?”

“Lucius!” 

“I meant time in Hogwarts Narcissa!”

His mother presses her lips tight together but she nods eagerly when Draco looks at her with wild eyes. “You’re father’s right darling. We can invite that nice handsome young man over. If it will make you happy.”

“Mother what-?”

“In fact, we can send him an invitation for him to spend the Winter Holidays here! We’ll set up some nice mistletoes too.” She says with forced cheer. It’s painful to watch. And what does she mean mistletoes!?

“A splendid idea Narcissa. I’ll have the finest mistletoes shipped in at once.” Father is quick to say then he wipes some tears away as he attempts a smile. “We’ll make you look irresistible when he arrives. That boy won’t know what hit him.”

Wait. Wait. Were they trying to hook him up with Potter!? EEEEEW.

“Mother, Father,  seriously I’m a time-traveler! And I don’t like Potter that way!”

“We’ll get through this together son.”

“You’re not listening to me!”