The question surprised Draco, knowing that it was a difficult technique to master, but he couldn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to do it at the manor. Then again, it was nice to get a slight change of subject, more than willing to talk about the things he did in the line of work.
“Yeah,” he said, figuring that it was a good thing, but he still found Buchannan to be a difficult man to read.

_________________

Paul found himself continuously impressed with Malfoy’s seemingly endless range of capabilities. While certainly it was to be attributed to time and training, many would have been content knowing much less.
He nodded, an acknowledgement and a quiet praise.
The call of the Floo chimed through the office, marking the supposed last arrival from the transportation Aurors. It had taken them the entire day and yet it felt too soon, Malfoy’s words raising more questions than they answered.
“Should he not be at St. Mungo’s?” he elaborated, the most pressing question to be answered in the few minutes they had alone.

There was a deep peace to Draco knowing that Buchannan took him and his professionalism seriously. It made him feel safe in sharing these details with Buchannan, feeling certain that their talk would remain between the two of them.
“I don’t think that they can help,” he stated, realising just how arrogant that had to sound to a ministry worker. However, Draco knew that he was right, seeing as St. Mungo’s hadn’t found anything wrong with Harry on the prior occasions that they had had him and Draco had been the one to diagnose him.
“I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but the manor is better warded to handle dark objects than I bet St. Mungo’s is, and they never managed to figure out what was wrong with him when he was last in,” he justified, desperately wanting Buchannan to be able to see his side of things, realising that he was keen on getting the other man’s approval.

_________________

For the second time within minutes, Paul got the impression that there was more to Malfoy and Potter’s relationship than immediately visible. It could all be dismissed as Malfoy’s perfectly justified desire to redeem himself to Potter, but the way he had burdened himself with Potter’s care made Paul uneasy.
For the first time, he wasn’t sure he agreed with Malfoy’s judgement, something in his expression faltering. He kept his peace regardless.
The door opened only moments after.

Harry had walked ahead, opening the door to the study for the two Aurors. Between the two of them was another artefact, this encased in copper, suspended between a joint levitation charm.
“I think this is the last one,” Harry offered on their behalf, Kennan and Lewis still preoccupied by maintaining the spell.
While the two Aurors continued into the room, Harry stalled at the door. While he closed it behind them, the wards settling around the joinery, Harry’s hand remained on the knob for another moment. Besides Draco, Buchannan looked ill at ease.
“Room’s ready?” he confirmed, eyes drifting between the two men. Somewhere to his right, he heard the thud of the copper capsule settling on the work table.

Draco never got to hear whether or not Buchannan agreed with his conclusion as to whether or not Harry should stay at the manor, but he had to take his silence as agreement, at least for now.
Harry had reentered the study together with two aurors and Draco knew that their conversation was over. He had no idea when he would be able to talk with Buchannan again, doubting that he would get the opportunity soon, but he also felt uncertain as to whether or not they had more to talk about. Maybe it was better for the conversation to be over by now.
“It’s ready,” Draco stated, knowing that Buchannan was happy with his level of warding and that the study was perfectly safe for keeping the objects in.

_________________

There was a reluctance about finalising the delivery, heavy in the air between the five men present. Potter was undoubtedly the easiest of them all, doing good and effortless work of keeping his colleagues from lingering too much on the context, both of them having shown a growing sense of apprehension in leaving such unstable objects in the unsupervised hands of Draco Malfoy, of all people.
Malfoy’s decision to keep Potter out of St. Mungo’s weighed heavily on Paul’s consciousness, a societal sense of attachment to Potter and his well-being. Despite the competence Malfoy displayed in every other field, Paul felt less certain about his untested skills as a Healer. He had tried not to let it cloud his impression of Malfoy as a forensic. Paul had, undeterred, continued explaining the Ministry’s expectations for the handling of the objects.

The two Aurors were the first to leave, once again leaving the three men alone in Malfoy’s kitchen. It had lightened the air considerably, Paul saw that in both Potter and Malfoy’s demeanour.
Potter had thoughtless stepped aside, attention drifted to today’s Prophet laying across the countertop.
“Please feel free to owl me if you need me for anything,” Paul said, and though it was spoken to the room out of courtesy, his eyes were on Malfoy. “I’d be happy to help.”

Once the two strange aurors had left, Draco already felt a lot more at ease.
He knew that Harry trusted him, likely far more than he should, and that Buchannan trusted his capabilities as well. It was easier to just be among the two men that he actually knew, if only a little in the case of Buchannan.
“Thank you,” Draco said, genuinely appreciating the offer. He knew that Buchannan was likely to be a busy man, so it seemed like a huge favour to Draco, who was going to do his best in making sure that he didn’t take the help for granted.
“I just might,” he said with a warm smile.

_________________

_______________

For the first time since they had started sleeping together, they had started going back to the study after dinner. Ever since Buchannan had dropped off the artefacts a few days prior, Draco had been like a child with a new toy, Harry and Coote alike finding it hard to even get him to stop to eat throughout the day.
Harry had only snickered vague replies when asked about spending their evenings there, but if pressed, he couldn’t say he minded. There was a coziness about the study at night that reminded Harry of the Gryffindor common room, someone always deep in their studies by the table at any off hour of the day.
Draco had offered him a book, and though Harry had read the first few chapters, it didn’t do as good a job of keeping him entertained as watching Draco did. As the hours went on, the letters always became harder to read, and at some point Harry had needed to prop up his head, knuckles digging into his cheek and elbow on the armrest of the plush green armchair he had taken residence in these last few evenings.
Though the book remained open in his lap, Harry’s eyes had drifted, drowsily watching Draco work with unwavering focus.

Ever since Buchannan had ben to drop off the different items, Draco had been completely focus on the task that was ahead of him. He wanted to prove that the trust that had been put in him, mostly by Harry and Buchannan, was warranted and that he could actually do something with said trust.
It also meant that Draco, for the first time since he had started sleeping with Harry, was more keen on getting back to work than to spend any time with the other man. It was a chance that he knew he wasn’t likely to get again, and it meant that he wanted to make the most of it, wanting to be able to put his new knowledge into his studies.
Putting his quill down for a moment, Draco looked up to see Harry still sitting in the chair that he had placed himself in hours ago. The book that Draco had offered him was resting in his lap, but it was clear that his attention was elsewhere and it was difficult for Draco not to smile a little at it. He knew that he wasn’t exactly being good company, Harry had to have realised that by now.
Draco had been completely absorbed in his work for about a week by now, ever since the objects had been dropped off. He felt that it was helping him see other parts of his area of study that he hadn’t formerly, and it felt amazing to be able to open a whole new door like this.
“You know, you don’t have to keep me company if you’re tired,” Draco stated, stretching his fingers out, after having written a longer line of thoughts down in his notes.

_________________

The sound of Draco’s voice pulled Harry out of his daze, sending a shiver of exhaustion down his spine.
He was well aware of the fact that Draco didn’t need him in the room for any of this, having to remind himself that this was probably a good indicator of how Draco had spent the passing decade here at the Manor. To Harry, the Manor remained vast and uninviting, and he wouldn’t have known what to do for the past week, anyway, if not be here with Draco.
“You’re keeping me company,” Harry corrected, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he stretched. Accepting defeat, he also closed the book.

Draco shook his head softly at that, knowing that that couldn’t possibly be true, as he had been absolutely shoddy company as of late. It was hard for him to feel too bad about it though, knowing that the reason that Harry was even at the manor in the first place was for this to work.
So in the big picture, Draco was just doing what he was supposed to for once, instead of allowing himself to be distracted by other things.
“What company I am,” Draco stated, moving his hair over his right shoulder, his wand placed on the table next to him. It was the most use his wand had been in in ages, not longer fearing that questions that would arrive should his wand be searched again.

_________________

Harry couldn’t help but snort a laugh at that, finding that Draco was seeing himself short. Certainly, Draco wasn’t engaging company, but he offered a point of gravity in the room that made Harry being there seem appropriate. He couldn’t imagine spending his evenings alone in the living room, nor withdrawing to his room immediately after dinner. Draco probably failed to realize that Harry’s comfort was directly dependent on his presence.
“I think I will head off,” he eventually caved with an exhale, wrangling himself up from the soft, low seat of the arm chair. Standing, he stretched again, his shoulders stiff and tight, before tossing the book back into the chair for tomorrow evening.
While it wasn’t the direct line to the door, Harry circled Draco’s desk the other way to glance at Draco’s work the right way up, some interest present in his gaze despite his drowsiness.
He hummed a small acknowledgement of the work, though it would be a stretch to say it made much sense to him.
Thoughtlessly, Harry reached for Draco, brushing a touch to the exposed line of the side of Draco’s neck. Draco had only just adjusted his hair, laying neatly down the centre of his back, and Harry had to admit to himself it was more out of instinct than necessity.
“Remember to get some sleep, yeah?” Harry grinned, knowing by now that this was as much as he could reasonably ask of Draco - to even make it to bed.
His fingers ghosted a caress across the soft skin beneath Draco’s ear, before withdrawing them completely as he stepped away and Draco became out of reach. “‘night, Draco.”

The caress that Harry bestowed upon him was brief, yet it still sent a shiver down Draco’s spine. It didn’t make him lose focus on his work, but it would be a lie to say that he didn’t wish that Harry would stick along a little longer, if only for him to keep touching him.
“G’night,” Draco managed, unsure how much Harry would actually have heard of it.
Still not in possession of a watch, and unable to properly see one of the ones he knew that he had in the study, most of them were cursed and might not be on time anyway, Draco didn’t know how long he kept working after Harry left. All he knew was that he was greatly distracted by Harry’s absence, the ghost of his touch still lingering at the back of his neck.
Eventually, Draco realised that he couldn’t keep working.
It was the first time since the objects had been wheeled into the study that Draco could even fathom that something else could be more important, but right in that moment Draco knew that it was.
Having gotten used to having Harry around, and the casual touches that followed with that; the soft caress had made Draco realise just how much he had missed it in the week that he had been working so much.
It was exactly because of that that Draco found himself leaving the study, only to make his way to Harry’s room, rather than his own.
It seemed silly and likely far too much, making Draco hesitate a moment in front of Harry’s door, unsure if he would even be welcome after such a long break in them being affectionate. Then again, Draco couldn’t bear to not be close to Harry again, a small part of his brain pointing out what a terrible idea that made the entire ordeal as he opened the door and entered the room.
Deciding not to think too much of just how messed up he was, Draco instead prepared to get under the covers with Harry, regretting that he hadn’t at least went past his own room to grab a pyjamas, but figured that this would do just fine.
It was with the heart in his throat that he finally allowed himself to cuddle close to Harry, who seemed to be fast asleep by now, making Draco realise that he had probably been working a lot longer than he thought he had.

_________________

Fast asleep, it took the mattress dipping beside him for Harry to realize Draco had entered the room. It pulled Harry closer to consciousness, making his breathing change; the otherwise steady pattern was interrupted with a shallow breath and an almost pleased little hum.
Without opening his eyes, Harry turned on his side, chasing the proximity. Even after a week of sleeping by himself, Draco’s sudden presence failed to startle Harry, having grown intimately familiar with the way Draco’s body felt against his.
Only barely awake, he lazily draped his arm across Draco’s waist, fingers brushing the line where Draco’s vest didn’t quite reach his pants. Burning hot to the touch, it was the first sliver of skin Harry had touched in days; it only then really struck him how much he had missed it.
Unabashedly, Harry tightened his grip around Draco, hand running up beneath his shirt as he pulled him even closer.

Even if it was likely very low risk, Draco still felt beyond relieved when Harry turned and wrapped an arm around him. It made the breath catch in his throat, finding that his body work as if from memory, wrapping an arm around Harry as well, almost feeling like crying by the way that Harry held him close.
It made him realise how much he had craved being close to Harry, having not realised just how used he had gotten to having it. He hid his face in the crook of Harry’s neck, not wanting to overthink how familiar his smell was, or how it made him feel as Harry’s hand found his bare skin.
More importantly, Draco knew that he shouldn’t think about how easy it had been for the two of them to become intertwined. It was clear to him that Harry was mostly asleep, Draco was likely to have woken him up when he got in, and yet he had still reached for Draco, a thought he couldn’t linger on for too long without wanting to weep.

_________________

______

For the second time that night, Harry was woken by the shifting weight of Draco beside him. Harry didn’t rouse considerably when Draco slipped from his arms, readily accepting the opportunity to roll over on his back.
Never quite drifting asleep, Harry remained acutely aware of Draco’s placement on the bed. It took until the soft rustling of fabric for Harry to realize Draco was dressing himself. This managed to bring Harry back from the cusp of sleep, finding the realization considerably more alarming, having otherwise thought there were still several hours left for them to sleep.
He was right; when Harry opened his eyes, daylight had barely started to break, the room still washed soft and muted blues.
“What time is it?” he asked, his voice sleep muddled and catching in his throat. It felt like an arbitrary question, but as he rubbed his knuckles against his eye, it was the only way he could think of to ask Draco why he was leaving so soon.

Despite Draco having taken extreme care as he left the embrace, which had otherwise kept him fast asleep for several hours, making it the most sleep he had gotten in quite some time, Draco had still managed to rouse Harry. It probably shouldn’t surprise him, considering just how intertwined the two of them had been, but he had still hoped to avoid it.
“Half past five,” Draco stated, knowing that it was very early, but he couldn’t allow himself to stay.
The way Harry had held him for the night could still be felt like a phantom touch around him, and for a scary moment, Draco realised just how easy it would be for him to get used to it.
“You just go back to sleep,” Dracp stated, turning around to look at Harry, which was a mistake. He looked so beautiful between the sheets with the soft morning light streaming in through the window. “I gotta get back to work.”

_________________

Harry’s hand ran up his face and through his hair, brushing his outgrown fringe off his face. Perhaps specifically because his brain remained sleep muddled, Draco’s urgency seemed unwarranted, like he had barely gotten to lay down; it must have been well past midnight when Draco finally came to bed.
Harry so wished Draco would stay, but he didn’t feel like he could ask that of him. It made him take a deep breath, exhausted on Draco’s behalf.
“Alright,” he resigned, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth when Draco turned to look at him, the attention making his heart jump.
When Draco had sat upright, he had done so just barely outside of Harry’s field of focus, the fine details of his features lost to him in the daybreak. Though Harry would maintain it wasn’t to egg Draco to stay, he still reached out for him rather than for his glasses.
“You’re blurry all the way over there,” he smiled, his grin softened by the early hour.
Harry’s hand found Draco’s hip, the distance making it more of a touch than a grip, and yet Harry hoped Draco would indulge him and at least prolong his departure.

The feeling of Harry’s hand on his hip, even over all of his clothes, made Draco smile slightly, especially as it was followed by the comment. He figured that it was simply due to being sleep muddled, but part of him liked to believe that Harry genuinely wanted him to stay a little longer, even if Draco very well knew that he wasn’t going to do that,
“Better to not distract you from sleeping,” Draco stated.
Despite his words though, he still crawled back up on the bed slightly. He didn’t intend to get back under the covers, nor did he intend to delay his departure for any considerable amount of time.
However, he realised as his hand softly found Harry, pushing his hair away from his face, Draco was simply too weak to not allow himself something. In the spirit of that, Draco leant in to kiss Harry, first on the forehead, then on the lips. Both kisses were brief, clearly meant as a parting gesture more than anything else, but Draco didn’t move away immediately.
“Get some more sleep.”

_________________

Harry’s heart did somersaults when Draco moved closer, and Harry had to come to terms with the fact that he probably expected Draco to leave him just so. The passing week hadn’t been uncomfortable, but Harry had grown uncertain as to whether or not this would become their new normal.
The simple feel of Draco’s knee making a divot in the mattress made Harry’s throat knot up, his hand trailing up from Draco’s hip to his ribs.
It was frightening how long the passing week had felt, and yet how familiar Draco’s kisses still were; Harry had to put great effort into not chasing after Draco’s lips, the kiss far too brief and shallow in comparison to others they had shared.
Harry’s free hand wandered, however, and the way his cupped Draco’s jaw only made the suppressed instinct that more apparent. His eyes dipped to Draco’s lips, now perfectly defined even without having to wear glasses. Then, they wandered to the reappearing blue beneath Draco’s eyes, once again showing the signs of hard work without sleep.
Harry had to swallow the urge to say you too.
“Okay,” he forfeited softly, letting his head slump back against the pillow. His grip around Draco’s cheek relaxed, his hand falling to Draco’s shoulder.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he straightened the collar of Draco’s shirt. “Hope you change your mind.”