Author's note: Many apologies for taking a month to update this! It wasn't my intention at all to make you wait that long, but my mind's been a mess, sorry about that. But I'm finally here with the next part and it's even longer than the previous one!

Thanks to the following reviewers: HoneyBear84; Guest (Merci!); SehunsBae37; Atari 9; Richon; lvdmadeon; AlyssaOtaku69; littlesprout

I'm glad to see several familiar names back :)

Warnings: Some drama

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I hope you'll like it!

Part 2

"Does it disappear on its own? The poison?" Potter demanded, grimacing when his shield crackled warningly.

"Sure, once all the oxygen is out of the room," Draco replied neutrally. "It burns through literally everything, including oxygen. When it has nothing left, it ceases to exist, but I wouldn't count on that. One, your shield won't hold out for that long and two, even if it did, without oxygen we'll die too."

He felt the need to add that last part just in case Potter's idiotic Gryffindor side reared up and insisted they would simply wait out the poison. There was no waiting out this particular poison. It would either get to them and burn them from the inside out or it would burn through all the oxygen in the room, leaving them to suffocate even if the shield held up for that long.

"We'll need to create some sort of exit point, I guess," Potter muttered nonsensically before he suddenly aimed his wand at the door, calling out, "Colloportus!"

Right as the Locking Spell enveloped the door, something crashed into it from the other side.

"HARRY!" Shacklebolt called out, smacking his fist against the door. "What is going on there? We felt a heavy explosion just now, are you two okay?!"

"One of the flowers exploded and filled the room with poison!" Potter called back. "I locked the door so that the rest of the hospital won't be in danger!"

"I like to remind you that we're currently the ones who are in danger the most," Draco said, considering himself relatively calm still given their current situation.

"I know that," Potter said irritated, shifting slightly which nearly had him digging his pointy elbow in Draco's stomach.

"So what's your heroic plan?" Draco asked neutrally, trying to ignore how odd it felt to have Potter lying on top of him without fists flying or wands sparking.

"Feel free to think of something as well," Potter said annoyed, but his eyes were calculating as he looked around the room.

Draco had no idea what he hoped to see considering how thick the purple poison had already become, filling every nook and cranny in the room and making the shield crackle dangerously. Absurdly he thought that Potter wouldn't have to worry about taking home all those flower bouquets now, considering they all would already have died to the poison by now. Flowers or humans, the poison didn't see any difference. Anything that was even remotely considered alive would suffer from it.

"You said that if it runs out of oxygen, the poison disappears as well, right?" Potter said out of the blue.

"Yes, but again, we both need oxygen to survive," Draco repeated, "so what do you think you can - "

"Kingsley!" Potter suddenly called out, making Draco twitch in surprise, nearly disrupting the shield. It earnt him a chiding look from the other man. "Try not to move too much before the poison is gone."

"And here I was thinking about running several laps," Draco retorted sarcastically.

Potter ignored him, pushing himself off the floor until he hovered in a crouched position over Draco. The position was rather awkward and Draco had no idea why he would think this was the better option until Shacklebolt's voice came through the door.

"Yes, Harry?"

"I think I've got an idea how to remove the poison," Potter called back. "Someone needs to go on a broom, fly in front of the window here and cast a huge bubble. If I destroy the window, the poison should get into the bubble and we can disperse it like that."

Reluctantly Draco had to admit that this was probably the best plan either could come up with to get rid of the poison. They simply couldn't wait for it to disperse on its own and just letting it escape the room would contaminate either the entire hospital or even the air outside, causing an even more dangerous situation.

Silence reigned for a short while on the other end of the closed door while Shacklebolt presumably discussed whether such a feat would be doable. It didn't take long before he replied.

"Daniel will be outside your room in less than five minutes," he informed them. "Be ready to destroy the window the moment you see the bubble appear; you can't wait too much longer."

"As if we don't know that," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.

He looked up at the shield, frowning when he saw the first crack splintering the top of it. The crack wasn't that serious yet nor that deep, but they couldn't stay here for too long anymore. He wished he knew how long a protective shield would last against the poison, but he was pretty certain that was mostly determined by how strong the shield was to begin with. Potter wasn't that weak but at the same time he was still recovering. Had his magic recovered enough to keep up a strong shield?

Potter saw him looking and said, in what he probably thought was a reassuring voice, "The shield will hold out long enough; don't worry."

"It better does; we're dead otherwise," Draco snipped, unable to stop himself from growing agitated the longer they remained on the floor.

Potter narrowed his eyes but before he could say something, his head abruptly shot up. Draco turned his head as well and saw a dark brown haired man hovering in front of the window; the image blurred by the protective shield. The man inclined his head before aiming his wand at the glass. Draco had no idea what he said next, but an opaque blue bubble formed in front of the window which grew in size until it completely covered the glass from top to bottom.

"Well, here goes nothing," Potter muttered, which didn't exactly sound that reassuring.

Potter's aim was at least steady when he pointed his wand at the window and uttered, "Reducto!"

Even with the protection of the shield Draco couldn't supress a flinch when the window shattered apart until nothing remained of the glass save for some very fine sand. The second the window was gone, the poison poured out straight into the bubble. It filled up the bubble as if it was an actual bag and when the last trace of poison was inside of it, the bubble snapped shut, abruptly popping out of existence.

"See? It worked," Potter said, far too lightly for the dangerous situation they had been in just now. He removed the protective shield and stood up.

Draco quickly got up as well, using the edge of the bed as a way to push himself from underneath it, relieved to finally get off the uncomfortable hard floor. As he rose up, he caught something lying underneath the bed, something that looked suspiciously a lot like a br-

The door slammed open, surprising both him and Potter. Shacklebolt entered the room immediately, followed by a buff guy with spiky black hair and a small brunette, who wore thick, golden coloured glasses. Their dark red cloaks gave away that they were Aurors as well. They weren't the ones Draco had met earlier when he had to give up his wand, so they must have arrived right after the flowers had exploded.

"Are you two all right?" Shacklebolt demanded, assessing them quickly.

"We're fine; I got a shield up on time," Potter replied. "The poison didn't get to us at all."

"That is good to hear," the buff guy said. "Mister Malfoy, follow us."

The look in his eyes wasn't very promising, but before Draco could say or do something – what, he hadn't decided yet – Potter got in front of him out of the blue, keeping him from moving forwards – and keeping the others from advancing towards him, Draco realised with a start when the buff Auror drew to an abrupt stop.

"Why does he need to go with you?" Potter asked neutrally, but his body was tense.

The buff Auror blinked while the brunette exchanged a look with Shacklebolt. "We need to interrogate him," the buff Auror replied.

Draco barely suppressed a snort. Right, of course, he should have expected this. Of course they would see him as a suspect, even though he would have to have been incredibly stupid to attack Potter with a poison while he himself was still in the same room.

"Now that is the wrong kind of verb usage," Potter said lightly. When he shifted next, his body moved completely in front of Draco.

Draco wanted to point out he could very well take care of himself, but a curious part of him – too curious, Severus would say – wanted to wait and watch this scene unfold further. He wasn't exactly a fan of Potter, but he was even less of a fan of the Aurors, so in this situation when it looked like the buff Auror was more than ready to arrest him? Yeah, he was taking his chances with Potter then.

"Excuse me?" the Auror said, sounding genuinely baffled.

Draco idly considered that the guy probably wasn't used to someone going against him. He had the misfortune to go up against Potter then; the git loved nothing more than being contrary.

"Malfoy's not a suspect so there's no need to 'interrogate' him," Potter replied, still keeping his voice light. "Ask him for his testimony, sure, but there's no reason to interrogate him when he didn't do anything wrong."

"He could still - " the Auror tried, but he was better off saving his breath because Potter cut him off instantly.

"Malfoy would have to be a giant idiot to try to poison me when he's in the same room as me," Potter retorted, sounding impatient now. "He might have done the occasional stupid thing - "

Draco glared at the back of his head.

"But he's not an idiot. He's not behind this attack," Potter finished.

The Auror apparently wasn't in the mood to just give up, though, because he started to argue, "He could have set this up to make him seem like a vi-"

Potter's harsh snort had even Shacklebolt looking taken aback. "So, what? You're going to tell me that Malfoy came all the way to the hospital with an excuse to poison me and actually remained in the room with me when the poison exploded, risking his own life, to what? Make it seem in a convoluted way that he's just a mere victim in this? Even if he was stupid enough to attack me, you think he would be that much of an idiot to risk his own life when he doesn't carry his wand? He couldn't have known I would be quick enough to pull him down and call up a shield – hell, he couldn't have known I would have protected him as well in the first place!"

It was on the tip of Draco's tongue to remind Potter that he had actually protected him from that Fiendfyre back at Hogwarts when Draco had attacked him, but he decided it was in his best interest for now to keep quiet.

"Not to mention if he really wanted to try to kill me, I doubt his first choice would be poisoned flowers," Potter ended sarcastically.

"Nobody is under suspicion here," the brunette spoke up for the first time. Her voice was soft, on the verge of timid, but the look she shot the buff Auror was sharp. "But we do need to talk to you both in order to find out just what exactly happened here."

"Nathalie is right," Shacklebolt said calmly. "Is it okay with you two if we take you to the Ministry in order to write down your testimonies? The poison is gone now, but the room still needs to be examined and Harry, I doubt you'd want to stay here after what happened."

"I didn't even want to stay here in the first place," Potter muttered before saying a bit louder, "Fine, if that means we can go home afterwards."

Shacklebolt looked at Draco next, but he merely shrugged and inclined his head. What could he possibly do except for agreeing? If he refused to give his testimony, no doubt at least that buff numbskull would insist that that was a sign Draco was indeed the one behind this attack.

"All right, in that case, let's u go to - " Shacklebolt started to say, but a shrill voice interrupted him.

"Harry, are you okay?!" Granger burst into the room next; her ginger haired shadow following immediately.

They both looked caught off guard upon seeing Draco behind Potter, but while Granger chose to fuss over Potter, the Weasel seemed torn between fussing over his friend and glaring at Draco.

Draco meanwhile resigned himself to a long period of waiting before they would finally leave this room. Guess it wasn't that surprising that Potter's cavalry had shown up the second he was attacked. The only thing that was unexpected was for how long it had taken them to burst into the room.

Mother would have a thing or two to say about the interior design of the Aurors' interrogation rooms, Draco mused, leaning back in his chair.

He had lost track of time after he had been escorted to the Ministry and into this room, but he estimated he had been sitting here for at least half an hour if not longer. For people eager to put the blame on him for this attack, they certainly weren't quick in questioning him. Or perhaps this was a trick to test his patience and find out if they could elicit a confession in that manner? If so, he would have to disappoint them. He hadn't do anything wrong to begin with, save for being present when Potter's abysmal luck reared its ugly head again, and even if he had, waiting in a silent, dreary room wasn't going to make him confess.

His gaze roamed idly across the grey coloured room. The walls were a drab grey, the tiled floor a faded black and the ceiling might have been bright white at one point, but by now it had turned incredibly dull as well. There was only one table and three chairs; the latter far from comfortable ones. The only one that looked comfortable in this room was the spider which had made its home in the upper right corner, waiting for food that Draco quite frankly wasn't certain would even enter this room.

Lolling his head back to stare at the ceiling once more, his ears pricked at the shred of muted conversation drifting through the door which had been left ajar.

"Let me do the talking," the brunette from earlier was saying.

"And why should you have all the fun?" the buff Auror asked sarcastically.

"Because you'd only bloody antagonise him, Mark," she answered irritated.

"And why should I care about antagonising a Malfoy?" he audibly sneered.

"Fuck all if I care what your stupid arse gets up to, but I for one am not in the mood to deal with a pissed off Mister Potter," she answered clipped.

Draco raised an eyebrow. He could have guessed that they would have questioned Potter first, but what would Buff Idiot's treatment of him have to do with Potter? It wasn't as if Potter was a superior of theirs they couldn't afford to piss off.

"It's not like he's listening in on the questioning," Buff Idiot said annoyed.

"You think he's simply chilling in the boss' office because he loves being here?" she shot back coolly. "Just keep your damn mouth shut and let me question him. It'll be easier for all of us."

Whatever the idiot said next was drown out by the loud knocking on the door. The door was pushed open and the two Aurors walked into the room. Buff Idiot looked incredibly sour-faced as if he was sucking on a large lemon, but she was smiling faintly, offering up at least a simile of friendliness.

They both sat down across from Draco; she on the left, he on the right.

"Good afternoon, Mister Malfoy, my apologies for making you wait," she spoke calmly. "I'm Nathalie Moondagger and this is my partner Mark Wistling. I'm not going to beat around the bush, we all know why you're here. I just want to ask you a couple of questions and then you'll be free to pick up your wand and go home."

A declaration Wistling obviously did not agree with, given the way he leant back in his chair with a glowering look. It didn't do his face any favours.

"All right," Draco said when it appeared she was waiting for a verbal agreement. Not like he actually had a choice here.

"Okay, we just want to know what happened in that hospital room. First of all, why did you decide to visit Mister Potter there?" Moondagger asked, conjuring parchment and a quill, which she spelled to write on its own.

"I was there to thank Potter for the help he offered me and my family during the trials," Draco answered stiffly.

With everything that had happened, it felt almost surreal to think he had only been there to thank Potter.

"You went to the hospital specifically to thank him?" Wistling echoed sceptically.

Draco bared his teeth in something that could be called a smile if they chose to accept it as one. "Where else would I have gone when he was still in the hospital? I could hardly go thank him in an empty house."

"No, you want us to believe you actually thanked him?" Wistling scoffed, ignoring the sharp look Moondagger shot him.

"I'm certain you already questioned Potter," Draco smiled thinly. "And I'm also certain you asked him what I was doing there, so you know I'm speaking the truth here. Yes, I went to thank him. Why wouldn't I when he's the reason why my mother remained free?"

Wistling's face darkened at that, but before he could run his mouth again, Moondagger took over.

"Mark," she said warningly before she asked Draco, "What happened after you thanked him?"

"A Mediwitch entered the room to bring a vase with flowers," Draco answered, resting his hands on the table. He wanted to cross his arms, but that would come across as defensive or as if he wanted to hide something. No need to give that buffoon even more reasons to keep him on the suspect list.

"Was there anything in particular that struck you?" Moondagger asked, briefly checking what the quill was jotting down. "Did the Mediwitch look off or did she behave oddly in any way?"

"She was incredibly cheerful, but I doubt that's a sign of a curse and more a sign of just regular old hero worship of Potter," Draco drawled.

The corners of her mouth twitched faintly.

"I remember thinking the flowers were strange, though," Draco added absently, recalling the cyclamen.

She furrowed her eyebrows and even Wistling's face shifted to a more thoughtful look.

"Strange, how exactly?" she questioned, stroking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"She brought in a vase with cyclamen. One of the meanings attached to that flower is 'goodbye'," he recalled his mother's lessons. "I thought that was an odd flower to give to someone in a hospital."

"Why do you even know the meaning of that flower?" Wistling asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Draco regarded him blankly. "My mother taught me."

"Fine," Wistling huffed. "But let's be honest here: how many people know flower language? They might have just chosen a flower at random to carry the poison inside."

"Could be or the meaning might have been intentional considering what they had planned. This might be a clue," Moondagger murmured. "What happened after the Mediwitch left?"

"Potter and I, we noticed a strange purple puff coming from the flowers right before the cyclamen exploded with the Pull Breath Poison," Draco answered, pursing his lips. "Potter threw me down to the floor and cast a protective shield around us before the poison could touch us. I told him what the poison did and he came up with the idea to drive the cloud out of the room and into a bubble to deprive it from oxygen."

"How did you even recognise what the poison was?" Wistling demanded suspiciously. "As far as I recall, this poison isn't taught in the curriculum of Hogwarts."

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "I read," he drawled and Wistling flushed ugly. "Anyone studying Potions more in depth comes across that poison eventually."

"I am aware this is a very silly question," Moondagger started, looking a mix of chagrined and exasperated, "but I am required to ask this. Do you know if anybody would want to harm Mister Potter?"

Draco scoffed before he could stop himself and her look turned wry. "I suppose basically every follower of the Dark Lord, every Death Eater, Dark Wizard … Take your pick."

She inclined her head with a crooked smile.

"You're not including yourself amongst the group wanting to harm him?" Wistling asked in a very challenging tone, once more paying no heed to Moondagger's warning scowl.

"I can't speak for Potter, but I moved past wanting to harm him," Draco answered neutrally after a pause. "I can't tell you who was behind this attack, but it wasn't me. I've got nothing to gain from it."

But nearly everything to lose.

Upon being escorted to the Atrium, Draco paused when he saw Potter leaning against the wall of the Head Auror's office.

Moondagger halted as well and smiled faintly. "Checking up on Mister Malfoy, Mister Potter? We have finished taking his testimony, so he's free to return home."

"Don't take it personally," Potter said lightly and pushed himself off the wall. "I merely don't trust the system that much." Something dark flashed across his eyes, but Draco couldn't even fathom what that look meant.

"Well, like I said, he's free to go," she said pleasantly.

Wistling, meanwhile, ignored them all and marched down the corridor, presumably returning to his own office.

"Mister Malfoy, if you happen to remember anything else, feel free to send me an owl," she told him before smiling at both him and Potter, walking away.

"Keeping an eye on me, Potter?" Draco asked neutrally, keeping himself just in time from adding a spiteful "Just like old times, I see." Instead he tacked on, "But without your posse, I see." Frankly that shocked him, given how fussy Granger and the Weasel had been back at the hospital. He had expected them to remain attached to Potter like they always were.

"They are still searching my place from top to bottom just in case someone somehow managed to get through the wards," Potter replied calmly. "I figured I might as well wait here for them to be finished. 'Mione and Ron went home to reassure the Weasleys that I'm okay."

"Right," Draco said sceptically, but decided he was too worn out to call out Potter on his bullshit.

As if he couldn't be in his own home while they searched the place.

"Sorry you got mixed up in this," Potter said unexpectedly, looking weirdly genuine.

"Divination was never your strongest suit if I recall correctly, so it's not as if you could have predicted that you'd get attacked," Draco snorted. "Guess it's on me for not simply sending you a letter to thank you instead."

"For what it's worth," Potter murmured; his green eyes intense, "I appreciate that you came to thank me. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes well, that's called having manners, Potter," Draco said stiffly and looked away, feeling oddly unnerved by those green eyes. "I'm going home now before the Aurors decide I'm breaking curfew," he said sarcastically.

"Goodbye, Malfoy."

Draco hunched his shoulders a bit, stuffing his hands in his pockets and keeping his gaze on the elevator which would take him down to the Atrium. "Yeah … goodbye, Potter."

He expected that would be their last interaction for a while, if not ever.

He was wrong.

AN2: Very wrong indeed. I'll do my best to have the next chapter up sooner!

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.