How Are You, Really? (Drarry)

Chapter Forty-Six: Testing

Harry watched Draco be dragged from the Great Hall, fury burning through his veins. His fingers itched to raise his wand and curse the Aurors, and it was only his friends' hands physically holding him back that stopped him.

He was terrified for Draco's safety and what could be done in the name of 'questioning.' Harry wasn't dumb – he knew how the world worked. Draco was just an ex-Death Eater: Who would care if he got beaten up a bit?

Two figures clad in lime green robes entered the room and hurried to Harry's side. "Mr. Potter," the woman greeted Harry with a nod. "We're here to cleanse you."

Harry blinked at her, his rage momentarily forgotten. "Pardon? I can shower myself."

Hermione sighed deeply. "They're taking you to break any spells that you may be under, Harry. It's called a cleansing."

Harry's anger was back. "I don't need a cleansing!"

The man shook his head. "Ministry orders, Mr. Potter."

"The quicker you go with them, the sooner everyone knows Draco didn't do anything to you," Blaise pointed out. He was still staring after Draco, who had been taken from view after speaking to the Headmistress.

"Fine," Harry hissed, rising from his seat. He couldn't help but notice how different his exit was compared to Draco's – he was allowed to walk out on his own. The injustice of the situation made his stomach turn over.

They stopped at the doors where McGonagall was waiting for them. "Potter, you will go with the Healers to the dungeons. I expect you to cooperate fully, do you understand? We can't have any incidents." Her eyes widened slightly, and Harry realized her concern was for what it would mean for Draco if Harry caused a scene.

"Of course, I will, Headmistress."

"Good. I need to retrieve the potion, and then I'll be going to Mr. Malfoy's interrogation." Harry winced at the word. "I'll be down to see you when he is finished."

Harry nodded and allowed himself to be directed downstairs and into one of the potion's dungeons where a cauldron of some foul-smelling liquid was bubbling away.

Harry's heart sank. "I'm going to have to drink that, aren't I?"

The male Healer nodded. "Yes. But not right this moment. First, we're going to make sure you aren't under any curses."

"You mean like imperio?" Harry asked bluntly.

The Healers looked at each other and frowned. "Yes," the woman said.

"And how are you going to do that? Even if I am under the Imperious curse, you can't break it unless the caster dies, lifts it, or I fight it off."

"If we know you're under it, then we can get Mr. Malfoy to remove it."

Harry snorted. "You both know I'm impervious to the curse, right? I've been able to fight it off since fourth year."

The woman sighed deeply. "A strong caster can make it seem like you aren't under it at all. Let us do the spell, please, Mr. Potter."

Grunting, Harry nodded. "Fine, do it."

In tandem, the two Healers drew an intricate shape in the air and whispered, "Revelare tenebris magicae." Nothing happened.

Harry tapped his foot impatiently as the Healers frowned. "So?"

"We have to wait five minutes for the scan to be completed. You'll glow if any magic is present, besides your own."

After a minute of silence, Harry cleared his throat. He was mad at the situation, not the two people in front of him. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your names."

The woman smiled gently. "I'm Veronica, and this is Peter."

An idea struck Harry. He would never get this opportunity again. "I'm thinking of becoming a Healer. Why'd you join, Veronica? Is it hard?"

Veronica's smile widened. "If you have the grades, then you should become a Healer. It's the best job; you get to help so many people. You do get roped into things like this, and there are hard days, but it's all worth it in the end."

Peter cleared his throat. "It seems there are no curses or charms put upon you, Mr. Potter."

"I tried to tell you!" Harry snapped, brought back to the moment and too distracted by thoughts of what was happening to Draco to be polite.

"Now comes the potion time. I'm sorry, but you have to drink an entire cup of this goop and keep it down," Veronica said apologetically.

"Great," Harry muttered but didn't protest when they scooped him up a cup. The sooner he was finished here, the sooner he could find Draco.

The mixture's taste wasn't the worst part; although it tasted like Brussel sprouts and dirty gym socks, no, it was the texture. It was thick, and there were chunks that Harry kept choking on.

Harry had thought it odd that Veronica had mentioned keeping it down, but he understood it now. The potion was literally rolling around his stomach, and before he could stop himself, he was vomiting all over the floor.

Peter sighed and flicked his wand, cleaning up the mess. "Again, Mr. Potter. I'm so sorry."

Harry had to drink the mixture a total of three times before it stayed down. It did not improve with quantity. Only thoughts of Draco kept the third class down. "Now what?" he gasped as his stomach cramping.

The Healers frowned at each other. "Well, if you were under the powers of a potion like amortentia we would know by now."

"So I'm clean?" Harry growled.

The Healer's nodded.

"Wonderful," Harry hissed through gritted teeth.

The door opened, and McGonagall stalked into the room. She was furious, but it quickly became apparent her anger wasn't directed at anyone in this room. "Are we done yet?"

Harry hopped off his chair and then doubled over in pain. "Yes," he gasped.

"You better sit back down, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, concern lacing her world.

"No. I need to find Draco. Where is he?"

Frowning, she said, "The dormitory, I suppose. He said something about wanting to change." She cleared her throat and refused to look Harry in the eyes.

As Harry raced off, doubled over, he heard her say, "Ahh, young love."