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Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

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AU.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Two days of listening to the snide comments and hearing, afterwards, about the fights between Draco and Gault, had Harry about ready to pull his hair out-by the handfuls. They hadn't stopped fighting or snipping at each other since the first day and Harry was about at his wits end. It was funny, in a weird sense, but very annoying too.

Walking in on another gripe session had Harry taking a deep breath. Alright, this had gone on long enough. They were getting no work done this way. Draco was a very exact person and didn't let just anyone in his labs and Gault was very anal about who brewed what for him. It seemed THIS argument was about Gault bringing someone in to brew what potions he thought he would need in Draco's labs. And, of course, Draco was not having it.

"Alright, this has gone on long enough." Harry's voice was it's usual quiet tone but there was steel running through it. "Gault, Draco is a registered Potion's Master and as such can brew anything you need." Harry didn't even pretend not to see the triumphant look that Draco shot the other man. "And Draco, Gault is used to working with this other person, it may be to our advantage, time wise, to let him come here to help."

Harry stared at each of them trying very hard to keep an angry expression on his face. "Now, I am sure these childish arguments will stop?"

Draco nodded and without looking at Harry or Gault turned back to the temporary lab they had built in the infirmary. Gault sidled over to Harry and tried to put his arm around his shoulder. He had been acting, while Draco was around, as if there was more to Harry's and his acquaintance than what was actually going on. Harry gave him a dirty look and stepped up to stand beside Draco.

"How is the asegeuitum potion coming?" Harry asked Draco quietly. Draco couldn't stop his body from leaning closer to Harry's warmth. Harry felt the slight pressure of Draco's arm against his and couldn't stop his arm from giving that pressure back.

"It should be ready to give to them in an hour, it just has to finish cooling." Though Draco's voice had the same aristocratic tone as always Harry could hear something soft in it.

Harry sighed, "and the symptoms?"

Draco turned to look Harry in the eye. It was the first time he had done this all day and Harry was instantly caught by it's depths. "As we had discussed earlier, dangerously high fever as the potion boils away the poison from the body. Weakness and nausea, and muscle cramps, after the fever clears. Once the poison is gone then the healing potions need to be given in regular intervals of 3 hours apart until all 12 have been taken. Then a blood test to see if the first round has burned all the poison away."

"Is that likely?" Harry asked, pain evident in his voice at what the patients were going to be going through.

Draco sighed and started to answer but Gault interrupted him. "No, Harry it will take two maybe three rounds before the poison is completely clear of their bodies."

Harry turned to glare at the other man. He didn't like the nonchalant tone he used when talking about the pain they, as healers, were about to put their patients through. Though Gault really wasn't a Medi-wizard that normally dealt with patient contact, he should still have enough humanity to feel for his patients pain. That was one of the reasons that Harry had been unable to gather any feelings for him. Although Draco could hardly be classified as a nice person he still had a strong set of morals that made him sensitive to others needs. Gault didn't have that sensitivity. And THAT was why he could never feel for Gault what he wanted him too.

But the other man never listened to Harry. He had tried to explain it to him once. And in frustration when he was ignored finally snapped out the phrase that was causing all the trouble now…'you're no Draco Malfoy'. Harry couldn't, no wouldn't, take the blame for Gault's actions. He was an insufferable git. Harry couldn't love him. Gault knew it and now, Harry was sure, he knew the reason why. The other man needed to deal with it and move on, like Harry had done when he had forced himself to move to an entirely different country when the man he wanted didn't want him. Sometimes, when Gault had just royally pissed him off, Harry wanted to scream at him to take it like a man. But then, he was afraid, Gault would do something stupid, like attack him or something equally foolish.

Lately, Harry had been missing his apartment in the States- a lot.

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Draco had been sure that he could hate no one more than he had hated his father and Voldemort, until he met Roosevelt Gault. Merlin, he hated that man! If he had to see him try to put his arm around Harry's shoulders one more time, he was going to hex him!

As he bottled the now cooled potion, Draco thought about what he had seen the last couple of days. Harry didn't encourage Gault at all, in fact, he seemed to shy away from the other man when ever possible and only touched him when there was no other alternative. Afterwards, Harry would get this apprehensive look on his face and there would be a feeling of…well, disgust, down the bond.

Those were the times that Draco's anger would get the better of him and he would lash out at the other man. Causing Harry to come between them to lessen the chance of bloodshed. Draco didn't want him to bleed, he just wanted him to hurt.

Harry was Draco's and he was getting tired of this man thinking he could muscle in on his turf just because they had known each other before. Hell, Draco had known Harry longer than Gault had and By God, he wasn't going to let this piss ant upstart take away the best thing that had ever happened to him.

So, he let Gault dig his own grave. By every snide remark that the other man made that wasn't returned he showed Harry how much he had changed. Every time Gault had tried to touch Harry and Harry had shied into Draco's side was just another point in his favor. Not that he thought winning Harry was a game, but he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing. He could see each and everything that the man did that just pushed Harry closer to him. And like the good little Slytherin Snake that he was-he kept his mouth shut. Let the other guy do all the work and he could still reap the reward.

Setting the last filled vial into the box he made his way into the expanded infirmary towards Harry, a small smirk firmly on his mouth.

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