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Bloody But Unbowed	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 36009 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter
Three�Distractions Do Not Exist

�� Harry swore
softly and pushed the book away from him, letting the cover shut with a bang.
No one else but Kreacher lived in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place now; he could
make as much noise as he liked.

�� Though if Xavier was here, there would still
be noise, just of a different kind.

�� Harry
rolled his eyes and stopped himself from thinking of it. His relationship with
Xavier had ended badly, just like all the others had, and he knew the cause:
himself. Yes, Xavier had behaved like an arse at the end, but when he�d been
dumped by six people, it was more likely Harry had the problem than all of
them.

�� Distractions do not exist when you are
tending to a patient, Healer Pontiff murmured in his mind. They are the most important thing to you�the
only important thing. If you let your attention waver for a moment, then your
patient may die.

�� Harry
nodded in determination and opened the book in front of him. He would find a
solution to the riddle of the third spell under the Cutting Curse and the
Permanency Spell cast on Lucius, because Lucius was his patient, and he
deserved all the time and attention and care Harry could lavish on him, which
was considerable.

Harry had once done his best all
the time because he thought it might persuade the Healers to relent, look past
his two failed attempts to take the Potions NEWT, and let him become a Healer.
But now he tried to do his best from the sheer love of a mediwizard�s job. He
wouldn�t want someone combating Dark magic cast on him or poison in his veins
with half a mind and half a heart.

��

�� And if he
wanted to forget about the dinner at the Weasleys� that evening, where Ginny
still looked away from him with disappointment in her eyes and tried to avoid
being left alone with him, the books were his best chance to do so. He�d never
acquired Hermione�s taste for studying; he still had to beat his mind into
being disciplined about it when it would rather wander off to do something
else.

�� Ginny had
been badly, deeply in love with him. How deeply, Harry had never realized,
until she had been forced to call a halt to the relationship and tell him it
wasn�t working. Harry could live happily enough with her as a friend, but he
never felt passion for her except in the moments when someone else showed
interest and he suffered from jealousy. Sometimes he wondered if he would have
noticed her at all during his sixth year if she hadn�t been dating Dean Thomas.

�� She was
back with Dean now, and he loved her truly all the time and would take care of
her. But the sight of Harry was still painful for her six years after their
parting, and Harry doubted she would become comfortable around him until a few
more decades had passed.

�� You�ll have those decades with the Weasley family, Harry told himself, rubbing
his forehead and making himself concentrate on the cool touch of his own palm
for a moment, something that looked
decidedly uncertain when Voldemort was still around. You have enough happiness
in your life. Eventually, this pain will pass, just like the pain over Xavier
will. And now, pay attention to your work.

�� He glanced
down at the page, and concentrated on distinguishing between one Latin
incantation and another. Why did the book insist on differentiating between the
Mansuefacio and the Mansuetus spells? The first was the verb
and the second was the adjective; he�d managed to trickle some rudiments of
Latin grammar into his brain through the cracks in his thick skull. But why
would that make such a difference to the effect? Couldn�t you just use one of
them if you couldn�t remember the other?

�� Quickly he
found out that you couldn�t. The Mansuefacio
spell needed an object; it was supposed to be cast on a person or animal to
make them tame or gentle. The Mansuetus spell
was a general spell that could be used in lieu of a Calming Draught, and would
affect several people at once.

�� More than
that, he discovered as he read on, Mansuefacio
was actually a variant of the Imperius Curse, just mild enough not to be
illegal. It tranquilized a part of the mind, instead of the whole thing, and
gave a vague command over the victim�s body to the caster. The book told Harry
it had been used in the past to take over the part of the brain that commanded
another person�s hand and cause him to turn his wand on himself�and sometimes
it had been used for a more severe purpose, such as to make another person
forget language. The writer admitted that he didn�t know of a case in which it
had been used to slow healing, but said that was possible. And there were some
criminals who might favor Mansuefacio
for such a purpose, because it could be easily hidden another spell, its
effects not being dramatic, and it was little-known, so searchers wouldn�t
immediately test for its presence.

�� Harry
grinned. He had a suspect for the mysterious spell, and that was more than he�d
had an hour ago.

�� See? he thought, as he stood up and
stretched, preparing himself for a few hard hours of sleep before he returned
to St. Mungo�s. Your life is getting
better and better all the time.

*

�� Harry
paused outside Lucius�s hospital room. He�d had word already from Flora
Helford, the mediwitch who passed news to him as a favor, that Lucius had slept
well last night and no one had threatened him. But there were three voices in
the room now, one Lucius�s, one Malfoy�s, and a third Harry knew, though he had
tried hard enough to forget it.

�� He allowed
himself a moment of weakness to brace his hand on the wall and think wistfully
of coming back later. Then he smiled wryly to himself. Healer Pontiff would
frown at him if she saw him standing like this, catch his chin, and tilt it up
to its proper position. No skilled
mediwizard has cause to stare at the floor in the presence of any man, woman,
or magical creature, she had told him the first time she saw him doing it.

�� Harry
stepped into the room and caught Lucius�s eye, nodding to him. Malfoy fell
silent at once, looking disgruntled at having been interrupted. The third man
in the room turned and stared. Harry ignored those two. Neither of them was his
patient. �Good morning, Mr. Malfoy,� he said. �I have a suspect for the third
spell Smythe might have cast under the Cutting Curse and the Permanency Spell.
If I�m right, it gave Smythe control over your body�s healing, but little
enough control to frustrate his purpose of opening constant bloody wounds in
you.�

�� How
interesting,� Lucius said. �Please proceed.�

�� Harry
stepped forwards, but the third man barred his way. Harry looked up at him. Auror
Julius Adoranar had never had a problem with height, or with commanding
someone�s attention either, for that matter. His hair was dark, his eyes a warm
and brilliant gray, and there was something pleasing about everything from the
way he moved and smiled to the arrangement of his face.

�� It was no
wonder he had married a wealthy woman, and done it young, when he�d barely left
Hogwarts. What Harry found surprising was how long it had taken him to suspect
the marriage after Julius became his lover.

�� No word of
greeting for me, Mediwizard Potter?� he murmured now, voice husky and intimate,
eyes warm.

�� Greeting,�
Harry said mildly, and stepped around him. He came up to the edge of the bed,
Lucius studying him as if he had seen Harry begin bleeding before his eyes.
Well, Harry had had no real hope that he�d be able to hide his past
entanglement with Julius from someone like Lucius, though he could have done
without the further humiliation in front of Malfoy. Then he pushed the
distractions firmly into a locked chamber and focused on his patient. �The
spell is called Mansuefacio. Have you
heard of it, Mr. Malfoy?�

�� You were
so courteous once,� Julius told his back. Malfoy�s eyes were moving rapidly
back and forth between Harry and the Auror as if he were watching a game of
Muggle tennis. �I cannot believe you would snub me now.�

�� I have
heard of it,� Lucius said. �I believe it commands mental processes. Why should
my unfortunate enemy have cast it on me, if he desired a physical effect?�

�� Your
education has been lacking, I see,� Harry said. �A pity, though not astonishing
by now.� Malfoy made a wordless noise; Julius fell silent in astonishment;
Lucius gave him a smile like winter sunlight. �The spell commands parts of the brain, not mental
processes. It also touches on the body. The book I read last night��

�� Which one
would that have been?� Malfoy demanded.

�� Bryony�s History of Spells Marvelous and
Depraved,� Harry said. �Do forgive me. I ought to have included that in the
sentence, for the sake of the specificity mediwizards are trained for. Said
book suggested that the spellcaster might have seized control of a rival
wizard�s hand and thus his wand, by seizing control of the part of his brain
that commanded the hand.�

�� And in
this case, he would have gained control of the part of my brain that regulates
the body�s healing.� Lucius had a deep line between his brows. �Could he still
have it? Could he use it from a distance? The Imperius Curse, at least, has the
advantage of the caster needing to be close when he gives his orders.�

�� I would
question how such a worthy man knows the secrets of the Imperius Curse,� Harry
said, �but I forgot that you were under it for some years when the Dark Lord
first rose.� He looked at Lucius with his eyebrows raised; Lucius looked back,
and let the irony hang glittering and spinning in the air between them. �And
the answer is that I�m not sure whether Smythe could still have such control,�
Harry continued after a moment. �I need to test for the presence of the spell
first.�

�� Lucius
nodded. �By all means.�

�� Father��
Malfoy began.

�� Do you
have reason to distrust me?� Harry said, spinning on him. Julius was best
ignored, because nothing so infuriated him, but Harry was growing tired of
Malfoy�s attempts to interfere with his treatment of Lucius.

�� Call it,
rather, distrust in your education,� Malfoy said, taking a step forwards and
folding his arms. Harry wondered if he knew he looked like a prig when he did
that. �You lack the ability to become a full Healer, or you would have become
one.�

�� I am glad
to see that your education has imbued
you with the ability to make such stunning leaps of logic,� Harry snapped. Then
he wrenched his temper back under control. Healer Pontiff would have been
disappointed in him for rising to such obvious and childish bait. �The final
decision, as always, rests with the patient,� he added, and turned back to
Lucius. �Mr. Malfoy, do you wish me to fetch a full Healer who might treat
you?�

�� Would they
be as committed to my physical safety?� Lucius asked. �Or as willing to be in
the same room with me?�

�� The only
one I can think of is already overloaded with cases,� Harry admitted. �It would
be trading your current physical safety for the possible attendance of a Healer more skilled in potions than I am.�

�� Then I
decline such attendance,� Lucius said. �My son is studying for his mastery in
potions. He can surely supply any knowledge that you lack.�

�� Harry
nodded. He would have liked to ask, wide-eyed and innocent, whether he had the
permission of both Mr. Malfoys before he continued, but he had already allowed
himself to be provoked too often, and he�d also already left the decision up to
Lucius once. Appealing to Draco�s judgment now would be specious at best, and
at worst, the idiot would decide to take it seriously and refuse permission.

�� He cast the
nonverbal spell Healer Pontiff had taught him that would test for the presence
of foreign magic in the body, and oriented it so that the soft blue tendrils extended
from the end of his wand and curled about Lucius�s head. A few sneaked beneath
his hair, whilst Lucius watched them with a blank mask of calmness. They flared
in a sudden corona, and Harry nodded in satisfaction. Yes, a spell had reached
up to Lucius�s brain.

�� I always
did like watching you work,� Julius said from behind him, so close that Harry
could feel his breath on the back of his neck. �Such grace, such skill and
power!�

�� There was a
time when Harry might have screamed at him for interrupting when he was in the middle
of a procedure like this. Times had changed. He planted his elbow smoothly into
the middle of Julius�s solar plexus�long familiarity with his body was a help
there�and Julius staggered off, arms clasping his belly, hacking horribly.
Harry thought he heard Malfoy chuckle.

�� Then he
flung himself straight into the middle of the spell that would detect whether
it was, specifically, Mansuefacio
that was present in Lucius�s brain. It was a delicate task that required both
strength and finesse, and thus was one of those spells that Harry tended to
avoid unless he had no choice. His concentration still wasn�t good enough; he
preferred to hand tasks like that over to Healer Pontiff, or even Emptyweed,
who had at least proven he had concentration enough to sit a bloody Potions
exam.

�� Now, there
was no choice, and so he answered the challenge with the same determination
that he had brought to the sacrifice of his life when he wanted to defeat
Voldemort for good and all. He pictured each word of the incantation in his
mind, a glittering barrier, and then pictured himself soaring over them on a
hippogriff. The hippogriff had to clear each word as he spoke it, and with
enough space to spare; that was his breathing room in case something went
briefly wrong. All the strength had to flow into the words and make them shine,
but not escape beyond the boundaries; that would be applying too much magic.

�� Harry flew
at the first word. Probo, it said,
and the hippogriff cleared it easily. The word began to shine with radiant blue
light. And then Harry couldn�t think about it anymore, because they were on the
ground and cantering towards the next word.

��

�� Mansuefacio, and this would be harder
because it was not a word he had learned until last night. Harry hauled himself
up and poured his magic forwards in syncopated pulses, forcing himself to use
just enough to power the beats of the imagined hippogriff�s wings and nothing
beyond that. He came down hard, exhausted already, fighting against the
terrible fear that the power would escape from him and damage Lucius�s brain.

�� Aevitatis, said the third and final
word, and Harry�s mind tried to distract him with the knowledge that this was
bastard Latin, an incantation put together by someone who didn�t know or care
about what the graceful, correct words should be, someone who only wanted them
to work�

�� Someone like me, Harry thought, and used
the thought to guide himself back to the correct task before his mind could go
wandering. He jumped, and the word turned as yellow as sunlight. He whirled
around and took one last glance back; was the word Mansuefacio glowing white like quartz?

�� It was.

�� Harry
opened his eyes and slumped against the bed, watching as a whirl of shapes like
falling leaves, blue and white and yellow, swarmed into Lucius�s brain. He had
cast the spell correctly. He knew it, and he let the pleasure of the knowledge
run through him like strong wine, followed by the swifter pleasure that was the
common knowledge he had helped someone else.

�� Lucius
looked a bit nonplused when the leaves funneled out through his ear and formed
an intricate pattern like a garden in midair, spelling out the word Yes. Harry threw back his head and
laughed.

�� I am glad
to hear that the news is good,� Lucius said dryly. �At least to you.�

�� Smythe did cast Mansuefacio,� Harry told him. �As soon as I can find a counter to
it, I can��

��

�� His eyes
narrowed. He had cast the spell better than he knew, because the magic
continued to pour out of Lucius�s ear. It had not only identified the existence
of Mansuefacio, as the words Harry
had woven together asked it to do, but had gone further to detect any oddities
of magic in Lucius�s brain. Harry winced just imagining what Emptyweed would
say about that. This time, the strange result had been good, but who knew what
the spell might have turned into, pushed beyond its boundaries?

�� A fourth spell, the leafy words said.

�� Harry
cursed, and looked at Lucius, who had an inquiring eyebrow raised. �Smythe wove
a construct of spells, not just one,� he said. �Mansuefacio is tied to a fourth spell, and the fourth spell may be
tied to a fifth one. I wonder if he cast them on purpose, or in a panic, one
after another, when he realized the first few weren�t working the way he
intended them to.� He turned towards Julius. As the Auror who had questioned
Smythe, he ought to be able to tell them which suspicion was likelier. �Auror��

�� His voice
died when he realized that Malfoy stood behind him, back to Lucius and Harry
and the bed and arms folded. Julius stood in front of him with his hands
raised.

�� What
happened?� Harry asked. It seemed Malfoy and Julius had managed to get into a row
in the short time he was paying attention to other things. Harry couldn�t
imagine what it would be about. Julius had never mentioned Malfoy being a
friend during the seven months he and Harry had dated before Harry found out
the truth about his marriage and Julius dumped him for �not understanding the
way normal people lived.�

�� He was
about to interrupt you again whilst you cast, the brainless idiot,� Malfoy
said, voice heavy as an iceberg. �He doesn�t seem to have considered the harm
unrestrained healing magic could do to my father�s body and brain.� His
shoulders shook slightly, as though he were holding himself under intense
strain, and Harry supposed this was the way Malfoy looked when he was furious.

�� I merely
wanted to ask you a question,� Julius said, the picture of injured innocence.
The softness of his downcast eyes had got him out of trouble many times. Harry
hadn�t let them affect him in five years.

�� As it
happens, your question will have to wait, because I have more important ones,�
Harry said. �What degree of planning does Smythe appear to have brought to
this? Did he speak of plotting carefully and calculating the effects of each
spell, or might he have cast recklessly, wildly, trying to snatch back control
as each piece of magic went awry?�

�� Julius
sighed and took a step back from Malfoy so he could drop his hands and
straighten into a more flattering posture. �You know how poor my memory�s
always been, Harry, and how much I dislike speaking in front of crowds. If you
would come into the corridor with me for a moment, I�m sure we could have a
more fruitful discussion.�

�� Fruitful was Julius�s favorite word to
use right before he had sex with someone; he claimed it was seductive. For a
moment, Harry was so filled with rage that he couldn�t speak. Julius really thought
Harry would spend a night in his bed simply to gain the answer to a question?

�� Pardon me
for asking the question. I do remember
how poor your memory is, Auror Adoranar,� he said, when he recovered his breath
and tongue. �You forgot your wedding ring at home for seven months whilst you
visited my house.�

Malfoy laughed, a sharp, cold laugh
that went into Julius like an arrow, from the way he suddenly stiffened and
took a step backwards. Lucius did not speak, but raised an eyebrow again.

�Well, I really can�t say what
Smythe had planned or hadn�t planned,� Julius said, in the tones of an injured
child. He was at his least charming immediately after he�d been taken off his
guard by someone he�d thought would never have the power of hurting him. �We
had no reason to suspect multiple spells, so I didn�t ask about them, or listen
for clues that might have confirmed their existence.�

�Thank you, Auror,� Harry said, and
turned back to Lucius. �I do apologize, Mr. Malfoy It seems my investigation
will be still more prolonged. Perhaps I could simply cast as many Finites as there are spells and end them
that way, but without knowing how they are joined�whether simply piled one on
top of each other or joined together in a net�doing so could damage you. And I
suspect the solution is more complicated, in any case.�

�Competence can take as long as it
needs,� Lucius murmured, and closed his eyes. Harry heard a light footfall
behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Narcissa Malfoy entering the
room; Julius had already departed. Well, he�d never had a taste for standing
over battlefields he�d lost on. �Now, Mr. Potter, is there anything else you
need to discuss with me, or can I converse with my wife in private for a time?�

�Nothing else,� Harry said, and
bowed as Narcissa stopped beside her husband and stroked his hair back. �I
shall continue reading, and hope to bring better news the next time I come.�

��

�� Lucius
murmured something which Harry rightly took for a dismissal, and he slipped out
of the room, checking his watch as he went. There was a half-hour before his
attendance was required on his next patient; he had planned to spend more time
with Lucius this morning, hopefully undoing the Mansuefacio spell. He could use the extra time to retreat to his
cubicle and relax, he thought, perhaps taking one of the headache potions that
Healer Pontiff brewed for him.

�� A hand
touched his arm, making him spin around and straighten automatically; Healer
Emptyweed sometimes announced his presence that way. But it was Malfoy,
regarding him with brilliant eyes and a kind of forced half-smile.

�� Since my
mother is sitting with my father, I have some time to spare,� he said. �Would
you mind if I accompanied you to your lunch? I�m rather a stranger to this part
of London and don�t know the best places to eat.� His face softened and his
smile became more genuine. �And I do want to thank you for trying to save my
father�s life.�

�� Harry
stared at him, puzzled. Malfoy could have told him that last without trying to
accompany him to a lunch Harry was sure he had no desire to share with his
schoolboy rival, and which Harry wasn�t going to take anyway. In fact, the way
he leaned towards Harry, smiled, and lowered his voice was just on the edge of
flirtation.

�� The most
sensible explanation occurred to him and made him smile back. Malfoy�s breath
caught, which amused Harry. That was taking a joke rather too far, wasn�t it? He was certainly overacting. And of course it
was a joke of Malfoy�s, something to take his mind off his father and torment
Harry whilst still being able to persist in a guise of respect, as Harry had
demanded.

�� I didn�t
thank you for preventing that prat from interfering with my spell, either,�
Harry said. �So you�ve done as much to preserve your father�s life as I have,
this morning. By the way, thank you.� He offered a little bow to Malfoy in
turn, disengaging his arm with a gentle pull. �I�m afraid I can�t oblige you,
though, since I�m not going to lunch.�

�� Malfoy
blinked at him. �But it�s almost noon,� he said, as though only savages from
Venus took their lunch at other times of the day.

�� I know,�
Harry said, �but most days I simply don�t have enough time. I won�t today,
either, before my attendance is required on the third floor in�� He checked his
watch, and swallowed his irritation as best he could. Malfoy was being civil,
and Harry liked him better that way, even if he was only acting to relieve his
own boredom. �Twenty-five minutes. I�ll have enough time to go to my cubicle,
relax for a few minutes, and swallow a potion I need, but that�s all.�

�� What
potion do you need?� Malfoy immediately asked, his voice becoming brisker.
Well, he was getting his mastery in potions. It must be professional interest.
Still, Harry had no intention of confiding matters that were purely personal and
had nothing to do with his father�s care to Malfoy.

�� Oh, a
common one I have on hand,� Harry said. He gave Malfoy a meaningless smile and
turned away, but the man insisted on walking right beside him.

�� A headache
draught?� Malfoy asked, actually sounding knowledgeable. Harry shot him a
startled glance before he could control himself, and Malfoy gave him a still
more genuine smile. �I saw you rubbing your forehead earlier. And I know
another cure for that,� he offered, voice low, and raised his hands as if he
would press his fingers into the sides of Harry�s temples.

�� Yes, and what would he do once he had them
there? Harry ducked his head and stepped away, shoulders stiff. He could
feel irritation bunching in his muscles. Of course, once he rejected Malfoy,
the prat would become repulsively snappish again, but that was better than
allowing him to channel magic into Harry�s brain for his own amusement.

�� Potter!�

�� Healer
Emptyweed had never appeared as a miracle before, but he did now. Malfoy jerked
to a halt, his lips curling. Harry gave him an apologetic smile, not caring how
fake it looked, and strode towards his superior, nodding in respect. �Healer,�
he murmured.

�� One of
your former partners is downstairs
again, insisting on seeing you,� Emptyweed said, his voice dropping to a
disapproving hiss.

�� Xavier. Harry felt his chest tighten.
There would be no headache draught today; Xavier was rather like a hurricane,
in that ignoring him and outrunning him were equally impossible.

�� Resigned,
he hurried down the corridor behind Emptyweed. When he neared the stairs, a
feeling of eyes on his back made him glance over his shoulder. Malfoy stood
with his arms folded near his father�s room, lips downturned in a sulky pout.

�� Harry
turned away, relieved. At least Malfoy�s flirting had disappointed him and
probably contributed to his boredom, which meant he was unlikely to try it
again. And Harry could use one less
problem right now.

*

�� Graballz:
Thanks! Writing a bond like this between Harry and Lucius is one of the reasons
I started the story; I haven�t seen it done before.

�� heyyou:
Thank you!

�� Mylor:
Thank you! I hope you will continue to enjoy the story.

�� Thrnbrooke:
Thanks for reviewing!

�� js: Yes, I
think Harry is much more in control of himself than he used to be. Of course,
he does lose his temper in this chapter, but he has somewhat unusual
provocation.

�� DiscoLemonade:
Thank you! You may be surprised where it goes; Harry has a lot of little
problems other than Lucius and Draco to deal with.

�� Dezra:
Thank you!

�� Caldonya:
After several stories with Healer!Draco (who I do like writing), I wanted to
see what would happen if I switched the situation around. I can see Harry
become a healer because of his hero complex. Why not? It makes as much sense as
an Auror.

feltonslover: Thank you! The humor
keeps up here, as you can see; humor is one of the methods that Harry uses as a
defense against the crap other people pile on him.

Not yet saying what may happen
between Harry and Draco, or Harry and Emptyweed.

crissy: Thank you! Admittedly, I�ve
done that myself in the past, automatically assuming Harry would be good at
whatever he does, but I think it�s realistic that his potions scores would be a
problem if he tried to join a profession that needed them.

avihenda: Excellent insight. Yes,
Lucius�s reputation precedes him, much as Harry�s reputation does, and that
might be one reason why Harry is trying so hard to treat Lucius normally.

Slytherdor: I don�t know if you
have to worry about the cure, but it is going to get more complicated before it
gets easier.

yuzuhira27: At the moment, Draco is
experiencing some attraction towards Harry, but he really has no idea how to
flirt with him properly. ;) And, of course, it doesn�t help that Harry�s a bit
wary of an entanglement with someone who�s related to a patient of his and who
has reason to hate him.

As you can see in this chapter,
Draco is doing his potions mastery.

SP777: I don�t know that I�ve yet
thought of a situation where Lucius and Harry had to team up. To rescue Draco,
maybe, but even there I would need a solid plot first.

I do, in fact, have a degree in
English literature. However could you tell? ;)
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Bloody But Unbowed