Draco's shoes clicked across the polished marble floors of St. Mungo's, the sound seeming too loud in the quiet front hall. About half the chairs along the walls were filled, some with families, worry etched on their faces, and some with reporters, wearing the expressions of hungry jackals, notebooks and quick quills clutched in jittery hands. Draco ignored them all and was utterly ignored in turn. Luckily the press didn't seem to know he was involved in yesterdays fiasco.

He went to the cafeteria first and got a mug of hot water. He carefully put the little sachet of Harry's tea leaves in the hot water, watching the clock to make sure it was steeped for the exact time stated on the box.

"Mr Malfoy!"

Draco tore his eyes away from the clock, "Healer Maison," he tipped his head in greeting.

Maison pushed his glasses up with one hand as he approached, "Glad to see you! I've been through your work, several times in fact." He held out his hand and after a moment's hesitation, Draco took it. Maison shook it enthusiastically, "Brilliant work! A shame the hospital ignored it for so long. It's going to save a lot of lives."

Draco fell momentarily speechless, "Of-of course. I hope to continue improving it."

"A stasis spell that doesn't need a healer to cast it? It couldn't be much better!"Healer Maison went on excitedly, "The slowing of the metabolic process means that most damage can be healed-"

Draco glanced at the clock. Swearing silently at the time and carefully extracting the tea bag from the cup.

"-before it ever becomes a problem and on those wasting illness' that require stasis we will no longer have to worry about running our healers ragged and splitting their attention! In emergency situations-"

He added sugar and milk, stirred and put a preservation charm over the mug.

"-a potion can be administered at the scene or by a medi-witch without having to wait for a healer and those precious minutes can be enough to save a life, you know."

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me I'm-" Draco said, turning to leave.

"Are you here to see Auror Rowena?" Maison asked.

"Potter, actually," Draco said.

Healer Maison straightened and gestured to the doors, "Ah! I was just headed that way myself. Shall we walk together?"

Draco would have quite gladly refused if had any clue whatsoever about where Potter was. He nodded, "After you."

Maison led the way from the cafeteria and through the maze of hallways and wards, all unnervingly silent until one of the silenced doors were opened to let out whatever horrid sounds lay beyond. Groaning mostly.

"The thing is, my boy," Healer Maison said as he finished waxing poetic about the possibilities of the deep sleep potion, "I was hoping you might have a few spare potions in your stock until we can brew our own and well..." he stopped by a door and pushed it open. Inside Row was arguing with a medi-wizard. She was half dressed and had been apparently ready to check herself out. Maison tsked under his breath, "might you consider teaching our potions master how to brew it properly?"

Draco grimaced but conceded,"I suppose... when I have time,"

Maison clapped his hands together, "Excellent! I shall owl you to arrange matters. Now!" he stepped into the room, the door drifting slowly shut behind him, "Miss Rowena. You will not be leaving just yet. We will tie you to the bed if we have to-"

Draco stepped away from the door. The presence of the warm mug in his hands finally reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing, and he looked around for some clue of Harry's whereabouts. All the rooms were quite unhelpfully lacking any name placards.

With a shrug, he began opening doors at random and looking inside until he found a patient with the permanently rumpled black hair Draco could have spotted on the other side of a crowded pitch. Harry was staring out the window, currently spelled to a view of the countryside with low rolling hills, crumbling stone fences and a small herd of sheep. A sheep walked close to the window and bawed silently at Harry as Draco stepped into the room and carefully closed the door behind him.

"I thought you were going to head home," Harry said.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "I could go, if you prefer."

Harry jumped in surprise, shaking his head at Draco until he could find his words, "Draco-! I- No, I didn't mean you! Hermione left a bit ago, I erm thought she'd come back, I guess."

"Eloquent as always," Draco said and after a moments hesitation went and sat in the small cushioned chair by Harry's bed.

"Shut it," Harry muttered, not quite able to look him in the eye.

Draco liked to imagine there was a blush under that pale brown skin, as he often liked to imagine when he was becoming dangerously hopeful. He took a bracing breath, tea held nervously in between his hands, "Weasley said you wanted to see me."

"Oh." Harry said, looking slightly disappointed. "Ron told you to come? You were working then?" He looked down at his hands, curled up in the sheets.

Draco frowned. He felt everything was suddenly veering off on entirely the wrong track.

"I just had it in my head that-" Harry shook his head, the sheet shifting as he gripped it, "Never mind. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No," Draco said quickly, "I would have come myself... but I wasn't about to presume that I-" He frowned, every word seeming to be entirely the wrong one, "I...had any right to."

Harry's brow furrowed, "What? Why would you think-?"

Draco looked down at the mug of faintly steaming tea, "...I've never been entirely certain of the nature of our meetings. They could mean a great many things. I am not so foolish as to hurt myself by assuming more than I am certain of."

"And what are you certain of?" Harry asked.

Draco took a deep breath, "Nothing." He took the preservation charm off the tea and held the mug out.

Harry took it almost mechanically, lost in his thoughts.

Draco looked over at the window. The sheep had gone, rejoining its fellows further off on the hills.

"Thank you, for the tea," Harry said belatedly, bringing to the mugs to his lips. He took a sip and his eyes widened.

Draco froze, "Not sweet enough-?"

Harry shook his head and took another sip. He smiled against the rim of the mug, "It's perfect."

Draco slowly relaxed back into the chair, "Well. Of course."

"Did you go out and buy the tea yourself?" Harry asked, his eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Should I have conjured it?" Draco said with a half-hearted sneer.

Harry shook his head, "I'm just trying to imagine you in a Tesco's is all."

Draco rolled his eyes.

Harry smiled at him, "I love you, Draco Malfoy."

"what?" Draco said faintly, feeling as if all the air had been knocked from his lungs.

"I promised to tell you once I was better," Harry said, setting the mug aside on the little bedside table. He leaned forward, grabbing the front of Draco's robes and tugging him closer.

Draco let himself be pulled. Standing slightly only to sit on the edge of the bed beside Harry.

He let go of Draco's robes and haphazardly tried to straighten them back out. Draco grabbed his hands to make him stop and didn't quite manage to let go once he had.

"Why?" Draco asked, feeling as if he must be dreaming.

"You know, I don't think even my best friends know how I take my tea, much less the brand or where to get it-," Harry said.

"The tea?" Draco's brow furrowed.

"-and you saved my life-"

Draco shook his head.

Harry squeezed his hands, "-and your potion saved Rowena's life."

Draco smiled uneasily, "I don't know how she's still an auror. She nearly got herself killed twice in only two hours."

"Yeah, well she's one of the best duellists in the department, very quick on her feet and good with paperwork," Harry said.

Draco laughed without meaning to, "Good with paperwork?" he repeated.

"It's the sort of thing that's important to higher-ups," Harry echoed his smile, "...The thing is, you really can't make assumptions about people. It took me a long time to learn that."

"Oh..." Draco said softly. He finally let himself relax and studied Harry without worrying about being caught out or embarrassed, his mussed hair, his lopsided smile and brilliant green eyes. Draco carefully let go of Harry's hand, reaching up to brush his fingertips hesitantly across Harry's cheek, watching his expression for even the slightest sign of rejection.

Harry's smile just grew fonder. His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as he leaned forward and kissed Draco, pausing only to tilt his head to the side and deepen the kiss. Draco's fingers curled into Harry's hair, tangling in the silky strands, cupping the nape of his neck and pulling him closer. He brushed over tongue his and Harry's lips and felt Harry's mouth open under his with a sigh. Draco felt Harry's hand slip down his neck and over his collarbone as his other hand continued surreptitiously opening the small buttons of Draco's robes.

"AHEM."

Draco jerked back and looked at the door.

Granger slowly put her hands on the green-clad hips of her healer's robes and raised her eyebrows.

"I thought you were going home," Harry said petulantly.

"I said," she said coolly, "once I finished my final rounds I would go home. But I thought I'd check on you one last time and I'm glad I did. You're meant to be resting."

"I'm fine," Harry said.

Granger turned her glare on Draco, "Did you know he's under observation because of the risk of his lung collapsing again and he's not supposed to be exerting himself in any way for at least a week?"

"Mione!"

Draco looked at Harry and then very pointedly moved back to the chair beside his bed.

Harry collapsed into his pillows with a groan.

"Better," Granger nodded. She told Draco, "Keep an eye on him, for today at least. I can teach you the spell to reinflate a collapsed lung tomorrow."

Draco's eyes widened.

"Ron and Harry say you're very good with healing spells. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time." Granger smiled and raised her hand in a wave, "Now, I'm heading home. See you tomorrow."

The door closed nearly silently behind her.

Draco turned back to Harry, twitching one eyebrow up silently.

"It would've been fine," Harry said defensively.

Draco couldn't quite stop himself from smirking, "Oh, are you a healer now?"

"Prat," Harry said.

Draco smiled slyly, "So, no exertion means... one kiss every ten minutes?"

Harry perked up, "Five minutes."

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, five minutes! It's a compromise." Harry said.

"A compromise of what, exactly?" Draco asked biting his lip.

Harry grinned, "A compromise between ten minutes and none."

Draco laughed. "Five it is," He stood up, bracing his hands on the bed and leaning forward to kiss Harry, "Starting now."

-Fin-