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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Five�Even Relatives
Can Be a Help

�� You�re
going to be fine, Mary.� Harry brushed the hair out of his youngest patient�s
eyes and smiled at her. She blinked at him and nodded, but didn�t speak. The
venom that had placed her in hospital in the first place�from a magically
modified tarantula her father had been breeding�rendered her mute. Other than
that, it was a perfectly normal poisoning case, and Harry had high hopes of her
voice returning within a few more days.

�� Harry asked
her a few more questions, always making sure to phrase them so she could give a
nod or shake of her head, and was satisfied with the answers. The attendants
had brought her her meals on time and made sure her bedding was changed. When
she fell down due to a particularly strong convulsion last night, almost the
last side-effect of the poison other than the muteness, someone had come to
help her up within a few minutes. That let Harry know the charms on the room to
monitor his patient�s health were still working. She was content and wanted for
nothing right now, other than to go home and to have someone sit with her. Her
father was up on charges for violating the Ban on Experimental Breeding, and her
mother divided her time between trying to free her husband and consoling her
daughter.

�� I�ll come
back and sit with you for an hour this evening,� Harry told her, and made a few
rapid mental calculations. He wasn�t expected for dinner at Ron and Hermione�s;
Hermione had satisfied herself last night that he�d actually listen to her and attempt
to get a reasonable amount of sleep. He had to visit patients until four-o�clock,
and then he would need two hours, at minimum, to get Malfoy settled into the
house at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and reconcile his best friends to his
presence. He should probably add an hour to that total just to be safe, on the
chance Emptyweed came up with another case for him and because he wanted a
second visit to Lucius. �At seven, all right?�

�� Mary beamed
at him and squeezed his hand. Harry squeezed back; he would have liked to kiss
her forehead, but any behavior that could be interpreted as romantic between mediwizard
and patient was very much out of favor. Patients
find the distance between us and them to be comforting, Healer Pontiff had
told him in his third lesson. They often
want, when weak or sick, the sensation that someone knows what he�s doing, even
if that person isn�t them.

�� Can you
afford the time?� Malfoy asked from behind him.

�� Harry shot
the idiot a tight glance. Malfoy didn�t appear to realize he had just implied
that Mary�s comfort was less important than Harry�s busy schedule. He leaned
against the wall with his arms folded and a supremely bored look on his face.
He did straighten and blink when he saw Harry�s expression, but he�d probably
only done that because he thought anger would keep him from getting into Harry�s
pants.

�� Yes, I
most certainly can,� said Harry. �And so can you, if you�re so intent on
trailing after me.�

�� I�m
accustomed to relaxing before the fire by then, Potter,� Malfoy said. His voice
had softened, but had a tinge of a puzzled tone to it. He raked Harry with his
eyes for a moment, pausing on his face. �And you look like you could do with an
hour when you�re not worrying about that nasty superior of yours or all the
noble self-sacrifices you like to make.�

�� If you
think you can change my routine to suit your self-indulgent notions,� Harry
said, softly and through a smile for Mary�s sake, �you�re wrong.� He turned
back to Mary and nodded firmly. �I�ll be here at seven,� he repeated.

�� When he
left the room, Malfoy trailed him. At least he wasn�t all but breathing down
Harry�s neck the way he had been before Harry snapped at him that he was working and liked some room in which to
move his elbows. But he was still present, and Harry was irritatingly,
constantly, aware of him, except when he could actually focus on a patient.

�� Even relatives can be helpful, he thought,
applying another bit of Healer Pontiff�s advice. When you can get them to tell you details about the patient, for
example.

�� Do you
think Mr. Smythe honestly believes that your father raped his daughter?� he
asked abruptly. �Or is that a cover story for something more sinister?�

�� From the
soft choke Malfoy gave, Harry had surprised him. Harry kept his gaze straight
ahead and his stride brisk, but a smile he couldn�t help touched his lips. It
was unworthy of him to enjoy surprising Malfoy like this. He would probably try
to do it again anyway.

�� The Death
Eaters wore masks, Potter.� Unexpectedly, Malfoy sounded weary, as if this were
a question that he had answered many times before. �Nor did my father always
wear his hair uncovered. Just because a masked Death Eater hurt a member of someone�s
family�and I�m not denying that many of them did hurt quite a few people�doesn�t mean it was my father who
committed the crime.�

�� Harry
paused and glanced back, his hand on the turning of the corridor that would
deposit him near his next patient�s room. Malfoy looked at him with a raised
eyebrow, his mouth firm, but there were shadows behind and under his eyes that
Harry knew too well. He looked that way when someone tried to question him too closely
about the war, especially about whether he thought he should have defeated
Voldemort earlier to try and spare others pain.

�� This is a grieving man, Harry realized
suddenly, with a force that was like a branch springing back into his face. This is a man who�s had to confront demons
in the years since the war, even if he does look as though he�s had it all his
own way. It can�t be easy to know that his father is hated and a target, and
that he doesn�t have the choice of spending all his time comfortably at home
anymore, far from labor. Or maybe he chose to work for a potions mastery because
he wanted to, but that sill brings him into conflict with people.

�� I can
promise you,� Malfoy said, voice gentler than it had been yet, �if you like the
expression I�m wearing now, I�m more than willing to present it to you as often
as you wish.� He wore that softened half-smile again, and his eyes were eager.

�� He doesn�t really want to know about me, Harry
told himself, to kill the hope that suddenly began to flourish in him. He wants to evaluate me for weaknesses so he
can get me into bed.

�� There is
something I�d like to see more of from you, Malfoy.� He made his voice more
intimate than normal, and the man responded to it like a bird lured with a
handful of seed, moving towards him with a single nervous stride.

�� What?� he
breathed.

�� Your back,�
Harry said, and then continued on his way. It was one thing to offer sympathy
to Malfoy, to see him as a patient in need of healing. But the moment he had
achieved that perception, Malfoy had to
challenge it and try to appear as someone intent on playing a role in Harry�s
life.

�� He could
never be that. He would demand too much, or at least demand the impossible.
Harry had enough demands to put up with, and only half of them were those he
would have chosen. Why should he offer charity to a man who would whisk out of
his life soon enough, the moment Harry had cured Lucius?

*

�� I can�t
believe you live here.�

�� Harry
glanced over his shoulder and cocked an eyebrow. Malfoy was standing in the
entrance to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and staring about as though he could
count the worth of every single Dark artifact Harry had removed from the rooms
downstairs simply by looking at the entrance hall. �My godfather left it to me,�
he said. �I�m afraid your mother didn�t impress him as a trustworthy custodian.�

�� Malfoy
focused on him again, and his expression settled into one of honest disgust�or at
least disgust that seemed honest.
Harry warned himself that he didn�t really know and certainly couldn�t trust
it. �You think I�m angry because the Black house didn�t pass into my hands?� he
asked. �Good God, Potter. I wouldn�t live here if you paid me.�

�� And no one
is paying you to dance attendance on me.� Harry rested a hand on the banister, to
prevent it from shaking with joy at the thought of getting rid of Malfoy so
easily. �You might as well leave now.�

�� Malfoy
chuckled. �I was using the word �live� in a more permanent sense,� he said,
stepping past Harry and regarding the spot where Mrs. Black�s portrait had once
hung on the wall. �Once you�ve come to your senses, I�m sure I can help you
find a house you needn�t be ashamed to have company in.�

�� I would be
ashamed to associate with anyone you thought of as suitable company,� Harry
said, and stepped into the kitchen. Kreacher, he was grateful to note, had
sandwiches and tea already waiting. It was Harry�s standard meal on a night
like this, when he planned to go back to hospital later. He picked up the
nearest sandwich and took a large bite of it, sighing in happiness as cheese
and meat slid down his throat. He had never known how hungry he could be until he
came home after long hours of caring for patients and dealing with nonsensical
demands on his time. He expected the Healers to know more than he did, he would
never dispute their superior skills, but really.
Just because Emptyweed could get away with dumping his extra cases on Harry
didn�t mean that Healers Delart and Juno could.

�� You live a
cramped life, don�t you?�

�� Malfoy, of
course, was lounging against the doorframe and probably regarding the kitchen
with disdain. Harry didn�t bother turning to look, only devoured his sandwich
and reached for a second one. �As before,� he said, �you�re welcome to leave
and go back to St. Mungo�s if you like. Or Malfoy Manor.�

�� You have
no idea what a sacrifice of life force means either.�

�� Harry
turned around then, eyes narrowed. Malfoy had the weary tone in his voice, and
Harry wanted him to stop it because he was harder to deal with when he was like
that. �I know life debts can endure between wizards who neither trust nor like
each other,� he said. �I can�t believe that you would insist on its importance
the way you�re doing.�

�� It�s more
than important,� Malfoy said. �It�s almost�it means�� He broke off and made a
small frustrated noise in his throat, shaking his head. Harry hoped he would
shake it so hard that it would fly off his neck and smash into the wall. �I don�t
have the words to explain it. This would be so
much easier if you were a pure-blood,� he finished, sounding plaintive.

�� I�ve made
your life hard from the day I appeared in it,� Harry said. �Why ruin a fine
tradition?� He finished his second sandwich, picked up the third, and wandered
away from the kitchen towards the stairs, Malfoy in tow. The house they climbed
through was less gloomy than it had been, with a few open windows and lamps lit
and shining on the walls, but nothing could destroy the casual air of darkness
that hung around it. At least, nothing could for Harry; knowing Malfoy, this
probably felt like home. �You�ll have a bedroom near mine, the better to hear
me if I scream for help. I hope you won�t be too bored.�

�� Listening
to you scream for me could never be
boring.�

�� Harry�s
lips twitched without his permission. Really, why should it be so hard for him
to ignore Malfoy? He blamed his mediwizard instincts. He was used to reaching
out to people in intense pain, cursed people who no longer trusted anyone, and
those with injuries so great or diseases so chronic that they had given up the
notion of anyone being able to help them. When Harry saw the signs of suffering
in Malfoy�s face, he reached out. Not his fault, he hastened to reassure
himself, just a trained response he was neither to blame nor to celebrate.

�� Like so much of my life, really, he
thought, but in that direction lay self-pity, and that was one emotion he tried
never to entertain. �You shouldn�t lack for comforts here,� he went on. �Kreacher�s
kept up all the bedrooms, and there�s a great deal more furniture in storage.
He can prepare any food you like��

�� I wouldn�t
have known, from that plate of sandwiches in the kitchen.�

�� That�s
simply what I like to eat.� Harry paused on the top step to shrug at Malfoy,
who had followed him less closely than Harry had thought he would. A moment
later, he realized Malfoy was at the perfect height on the stairs to appreciate
Harry�s arse. Harry fought a blush away. Nothing would come of it. If anything,
Malfoy should be the one embarrassed for seeming so desperate. �You needn�t
feel bound by my tastes.�

�� If your
taste runs to bondage��

�� You�re
quite certain your mastery isn�t in innuendo?� Harry snapped back, and stepped
onto the top stair, gesturing Malfoy towards three of the shut doors. �All
those rooms are fitted as bedrooms. Choose which one you like.�

��

�� I decided
to take a mastery in potions partially in remembrance of Professor Snape,� Malfoy
said he opened the first door. �But soon enough I realized a passion for the
art that I hadn�t had in years. It reminded me of simpler times, before I had
to make decisions that could have meant life and death for my entire family.�
He shuddered like someone with a deep chill. �I recaptured some of that whilst
I worked on the earlier stages of my mastery. It was as if I were growing
through a childhood and adolescence I�d missed into a stronger person. Now that
I�m working on the more stringent potions, I can finally feel like an adult.�

�� Harry
halted himself just in time. He�d been about to step forwards and rest a hand
on Malfoy�s shoulder. He shuddered as Malfoy had and leaned against the wall
instead, as if it were nothing to him why Malfoy wanted to study potions. This
was exactly how he�d been attracted to Gene and Jennifer, and though those had
been the strongest and healthiest of his relationships�he still received post
from them on occasion, and they�d parted good friends�he�d learned he couldn�t
be what they needed. Gene had needed someone who could give him more
individualized attention than a mediwizard would ever be able to spare. And
Jennifer had told Harry, as gently as possible, that he�d been coddling her a
bit and she had to face the world on her own two feet.

�� Even if he
had good reason to feel sorry for Malfoy, that wasn�t a good enough reason to
sleep with him.

�� I�ll take
this one.�

�� Harry
looked up. Malfoy had opened the door of the second bedroom and now stood
looking in with a satisfied half-smile. He turned to glance back at Harry. �Unless
you meant the offer of sharing your bed with me, of course,� he added.

�� There is
nothing I want to do less right now,� Harry said, lying effortlessly. He could
do that to people who weren�t Hermione, when he had enough warning. �Except
possibly explaining your presence in my house to my friends.�

�� On cue, he
heard the fire flare to life in the study. He sighed. �Stay here for a few
minutes,� he said. �Come when I call you.�

�� Malfoy
bowed. In his grace, Harry saw the strongest impression of Lucius he�d
encountered yet. �A skill I haven�t yet had the pleasure to learn, but would be
more than happy to master for you,� he murmured.

�� Harry
turned abruptly on his heel and stalked towards the study. Malfoy had changed
his tactics since they entered the house, he thought. Now he was flirting more
subtly and skillfully, and offering Harry exactly the tidbits about his life
that Harry could sympathize with. Harry was worried that came from an afternoon
of observation. Or, even worse, he could have realized why his earlier flirtation
hadn�t worked and decided to shift to something that would.

�� Harry
couldn�t afford the distraction. He�

�� He paused
for a moment between one step and the next. Then he snorted and continued
walking.

�� Both Lucius
and Malfoy had taken care to emphasize the similarity between the Heart�s
Blessing spell, or at least what it meant to them, and a life debt. If they
were so similar, surely Harry�s sacrifice could be paid back the way a life
debt would be? If Malfoy saved his life, would that cancel out the sacrifice?

�� Harry would
try to find out.

�� Meanwhile,
he would try to soothe Ron and Hermione.

*

�� I still
don�t think I�ve understood,� Ron said ten minutes later. �Maybe if you use
smaller words, mate?�

�� Harry,
leaning on the mantle, smiled. �I don�t really understand it myself,� he
admitted. �No one else ever offered me a bodyguard because I�d done the only
right thing I could do. Granted, the
situation with Lucius is extraordinary, but��

�� Now you
sound like Hermione.� Ron tapped the side of his head. �I�ve spent most of my
day being deafened by the newest Fwooper Charm George designed. Then what was
left of my brain dribbled out my ears when I visited Percy and had to listen to
him crooning baby talk to Lucy.� Lucy was Percy�s daughter, of whom he was so
protective that Harry expected the girl to grow up with a morbid fear of
breathing. �Small words, remember.�

�� Lucius is
an unusual patient,� Harry said.

�� You got that right,� Ron muttered.

�� And it
seems that he wants me alive so I can heal him.� Harry shrugged. �What Malfoy�s
interest in the matter is, I�m not exactly certain.� Of course, he did know
that, but Ron would probably have a heart attack if Harry told him, and that
would be of no use to anyone. Besides, whilst Harry might know what the interest was, he couldn�t count on any
of the motivations. Malfoy was
probably doing this simply to relieve stress. At the outside, he thought making
Harry his lover would bind him more closely to his family�s cause. Harry was at
a loss as to how he would show much more devotion to Lucius�s well-being than
he had already. �But he�s serving as honor guard until we can find out who
tried to kill Lucius by removing the stabilization fields, and it�s not
impossible that that same person might try to remove me as well.�

�� To think I
thought being a mediwizard was a peaceful career.�

�� Harry
laughed. Before he could say anything else, Ron�s head abruptly vanished from
the flames. Hermione shoved him out of the way and knelt down to stare at Harry
with bright eyes.

�� You have
Malfoy living in the same house with you?� she demanded. �Sharing your meals,
sleeping across the corridor?�

�� As it
happened, the bedroom Malfoy had chosen was directly opposite Harry�s, but he
doubted Hermione had meant it that literally. She simply had a genius for right
guesses. �Er, yes?� he replied, not understanding her interest.

�� And he
wants you healthy so you can heal his father?� Hermione continued.

�� Harry stood
up straight. Now he understood.
Hermione was thinking that with a live-in baby-sitter, even a spoiled one, Harry
wouldn�t spend as much time working and would go to bed at what she called �a
reasonable time� and Harry called �three hours too early.� �That�s right,� he
said. �But he�s not in charge of maintaining
that health.�

�� I beg to
differ, Potter,� Malfoy said behind him, and then he walked in range of the
fireplace and nodded quite casually, as if he and Hermione passed each other in
the street every day. �Once again, we use widely varying definitions. I did
think you looked too peaky when I saw you come into my father�s room this
morning.�

�� Harry
opened his mouth to protest this, only to have Hermione say, �I made sure he
rested nine hours last night.�

�� Malfoy�s
eyes narrowed. �Well, quite obviously that wasn�t enough, Granger.�

�� And you
think you can get him to sleep longer than that? When he�ll be worried about
having you in his house?� Hermione rested her chin on her fists and snorted. �Good
luck with that.�

�Am I the only one in the room who
realizes how bizarre this conversation sounds?� Harry asked the wall.

�� I�m here
to help him, not trouble him,� Malfoy said. �Let a few days pass and he�ll be
so used to me that he might want me around all the time.� He folded his arms
and tilted his chin up, staring at Hermione haughtily down the length of his
nose.

�� Hermione
laughed shortly. �But I�ll bet not even you
could make him eat a regular meal. He doesn�t, you know, most of the time. It�s
�gulp a headache potion and continue working until I wonder why I�m fainting,�
with him.�

�� I�m not
sure I appreciate my father�s care being in the hands of a mediwizard who can�t
even take care of himself,� Malfoy said coldly, spinning towards Harry and
eyeing him as if he had just admitted to drinking Felix Felicis before a
Quidditch match.

�� My
patients are important.� Harry couldn�t help the way his body had stiffened. He
would never neglect his patients, but
the mere rumor that he had might be the thing that would finally get him
sacked. Emptyweed would certainly pay Galleons to hear it. And Harry was not
going to let Malfoy cost him his job, his sanity, or anything else he valued.

�� And you�re
not?� Malfoy clucked his tongue. �Well, much is now explained. Your horrendous
taste in furnishings, for example. Of course you can�t choose the right ones if
you never take the time to pay attention to them.�

�� I�m
important, too!� Harry burst out, and then caught sight of Hermione grinning
smugly. He glared at her. �You needn�t think you�ve won the bet forever,� he
said. �Or lost it.� He paused for a moment, confused; he was used to thinking
that he had won the bet when Hermione took care of her own welfare, though the punishments
she imposed on him often made him feel like a first-year all over again. �I
mean,� he said, �you know that Malfoy won�t be a permanent house-guest, and you
would hate it if he was.�

�� As long as
he�s here,� Hermione said with contentment in her voice, �he might as well do
you good.� She leaned around him and scowled at Malfoy. �If I hear that you�ve
hurt him, you�d better be on the other side of England from me.�

�� Malfoy
smiled slowly, a smile that made Harry want to put his head under a pile of
blankets and never raise it again. �You don�t need to worry about that,� he
said. �Hurting him would be counterproductive to my plans in more than one way.�
He gave Harry a speculative glance. �Unless, of course, he likes that.�

�� Hermione�s
head vanished from the flames just as quickly as it had appeared, and Ron�s
returned. He had his hand over his eyes. �You know what, mate?� he said in
Harry�s general direction. �I�m going to close the Floo connection now, and we�re
going to pretend that this conversation never happened. All right?�

�� Ron, it�s
really not what you think��

�� I�m sure
something can happen that�s worse than what I think,� Ron said. �I�m trying not
to think about it at all. Just tell me when the ferret�s gone.� And there was a
large puff of green flames, after which the Floo closed.

�� Harry
sighed. Well, he reckoned that was one way to reconcile Ron to Malfoy�s
presence. If he never visited Grimmauld Place whilst Malfoy was there, then
Harry didn�t have to worry about them fighting.

�� Your
friends are more amusing than I remember them being from school,� Malfoy said
reflectively. �But that doesn�t mean you get all the food or rest you need. You
need a full-time watcher.�

�� Fuck you,
I don�t!� Harry snapped, whipping around to face him. He could accept teasing
like this from Hermione because he knew that genuine concern underlay it. Here,
where the only concern Malfoy could have for him centered in what good he could
be to Lucius, Harry found himself unable to bear the condescension. �You don�t need to be here. You don�t need to be
afraid that I�ll suddenly lose interest in Lucius, or turn against him the way
the Healers have, or expose him to danger just because I�m tired. You don�t
need to have anything to do with me.
I��

�� Malfoy
leaped at him.

�� Harry
dodged, snarling and certain this was some stupid ploy to wrestle him to the
floor and snog him, but something struck him in the middle of the back. Harry
felt a burning sensation spread up his spine, and his limbs lost all their
strength. His eyes rolled back in his head as he slumped, his arms flying up.

�� Malfoy
rolled him onto his stomach and fumbled in his pockets for a moment. Then Harry
heard a cork being popped from a vial. The burning in his back faded so
suddenly that Harry blinked and frowned. Malfoy had poured some sort of cooling
potion on it, he thought, which explained why he felt as if he might be able to
stand up again.

�� Thank you,�
he mumbled and forced an arm beneath him. �That�s the debt your father owed me
canceled, isn�t it?� He managed to turn his head and see that one of the windows
was broken; the curse had come through it. �You saved my life.� His own voice
sounded oddly dull in his ears.

�� I did,�
Malfoy said, forcing him flat again with an effortless push, �and the debt isn�t
canceled because it�s not that kind of debt, and you�re going to rest.�

�� I have to
sit with Mary.� Harry had never known that his own legs could go so rubbery.

�� I�ll make
your excuses to the charming young lady.�

�� I was on the
verge of figuring out the maze of spells on your father,� Harry muttered. His head
was lolling, and he had the distinct impression Malfoy had picked him up, which
was wrong for many reasons. He�d step on Malfoy�s foot any moment now, see if
he didn�t.

�� It can
wait.�

�� Can�t.�

�� You�re as
stubborn as a child when you want to be.� Malfoy laid a hand over his eyes,
forcing them shut. �Go to sleep.�

�� Harry came
up with many excuses as to why he couldn�t do that before he realized, to his
annoyance, that he had fallen asleep whilst doing so.

*

�� Akasha
Sorvolo Riddle, hachan, xAmbeth, Tina109, Sara, YanaYugi, Storm: Thanks for
reviewing!

�� Slytherdor:
Oh, yes. Draco will have to work harder than he�s currently working, and
demonstrate his motives more clearly.

�� avihenda: Thank
you! I can promise you that Lucius didn�t come up with the spell himself for
the sole purpose of maneuvering his son closer to Harry. He wouldn�t risk his
life to gratify his son�s sexual whims. ;)

�� feltonslover:
Thanks! Hope Hermione�s and Ron�s reactions were all you hoped.

�� DiscoLemonade:
Unfortunately for Draco, Harry is a particular form of gun-shy. He couldn�t be
what any of his lovers needed: not a hero, not a savior, not someone who could
ignore adultery. Right now he�s trying to figure out what Draco needs, and if
he can provide it�but he would be wary of becoming his lover.

�� Mangacat:
In this case, I think the understanding is more fundamental. Harry has tried
being honest, and even Draco has to a certain extent, but they don�t understand
each other well enough for it to work yet.

�� Black
Padfoot: Well, there were a few of Harry�s old lovers who were nice!

�� Werewolf
Mistress: Draco won�t get a POV in the story, sorry. But he does get a chance
to explain his behavior later.

�� qwerty: Thank
you! But Harry won�t feel that he needs to feel like an ass unless or until
Draco demonstrates that Harry would mean more to him than just sex.

�� Jilliane: I
can promise that Draco will have a chance to deepen his feelings, though I can�t
tell you what will happen at the end of the story. I�ve added you to the update
list.

�� Melkhor:
Thanks! And, well, Lucius agrees with you about the spell name. ;)

�� Hieisdragoness18:
Sorry, but the snogging is a few chapters off still.

�� applesauce_N_soysauce:
Thanks! If it helps, Harry would recommend checking back every three days for
another chapter of the fic.

��
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Bloody But Unbowed