Draco followed the healers all the way to the apparition point, his eyes fixed on the figure in the floating stretcher. Right before they disappeared Harry raised his hand and Draco tried to return the gesture but wasn't sure Harry saw.

In the empty space where Harry had been the noise of the world came pouring back in, full of rushing about and shouting and far too many people. It seemed like the entire auror department and about half of St. Mungo's healers were there and mostly just getting in one another's way.

"Malfoy!"

Draco turned and found Weasley running to him, his already red face flushed, eyes wide.

"They said you found Harry," Weasley said panting to try and catch his breath.

Draco nodded, "He's stable and in no danger. The healers have already taken-"

Weasley wrapped him up in a sudden, brutally tight hug, "thank you." He let go just as quickly and took an abrupt step back, covering up his awkwardness by slapping Draco on the back, "He's my best mate, you know."

"The entire wizarding world knows, Weasley," Draco said stiffly, brushing hands over his clothes, trying to wipe the feeling of the horrid hug off of himself.

Weasley cleared his throat, "Anyway, your assistant-"

Draco stiffened, "Is Donna safe?"

"She's safe!" Weasley reassured him quickly, "Never let her out of my sight. Something happened though." He took Draco by the elbow and pulled him along through the mess of people to an area off to the side where there was a ring of green-robed healers, and standing five feet away from them, Donna.

"Donna," Draco called out as they approached.

She turned and Draco could see that the front of her robe, once a pale blue, had been painted black by blood. Her skin was ashen, her hands shook where she held then in front of her chest, caught between a gasp and a prayer, "I- I-"

Draco took her hands in his, squeezing them tightly. They were bone cold. "What happened, Donna?" He asked in a calm voice.

Her eyes finally focused on his and she took a deep breath that wobbled on the edge of tears, "She was so- It was so bad. I didn't- I didn't know what else to do."

Over her shoulder, one of the healers moved over and for a brief moment, Draco saw Row laying on the ground in a pool of her own blood, a great half circle of her side completely gone as if something large and terrible had taken a bite out of her.

"Tell me what you gave her," Draco said, catching Donna's eye again, trying to keep her focused on himself.

"She was bleeding- so, so much. I-" her mouth opened but nothing came out, her eyes unfocusing.

Draco squeezed her hands tightly, "What did you give her?" he repeated.

She blinked and was looking at him again, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Two blood replenishment potions and deep sleep. I forced them. She was- I don't know if- if-"

Weasley was back, though Draco hadn't seen him leave, handing over a blanket. Draco wrapped Donna up in it and cast a warming charm over her as well, "You did the right thing. The healers are still working on her, that means there's still hope." He repeated for good measure, "You did the right thing."

Draco pulled her further away from the healers, "Listen- are you listening to me, Donna?"

Donna nodded blearily.

"Good. You're going to go home, take the longest, hottest shower you can stand. Then you're going to take a dreamless sleep and rest. You take as long as you need. Take time off work, see a mind healer, talk with someone. Whatever you need. That's a direct order from your superior."

"How c-can ya be so calm?" Donna hiccuped.

"I've already seen the worst war can offer," Draco said.

Donna glanced away guilty, "Right, sorry."

"And one of these," Draco pulled out a calming draught and waggled it in front of her.

Donna snorted, smiling weakly, "You fucking wanker."

Draco nodded in acknowledgement and pressed the potion into her hand, "Take it, use it if you need to. Do you have dreamless sleep?"

"My mum does," Donna said quietly.

"Good," Draco said, "You go home now. I can settle everything here."

"She can't leave. I have questions that need to be answered," A healer said brusquely as he hurried over to them.

"She can," Draco said coolly. He wrapped Donna a little snugger into the blanket and asked Weasley, "Would you see her to the apparition point?"

"Yeah, no problem," Weasley said with a nod, putting a careful arm around her shoulder.

"I say!" The healer said stepping forward to intercept them.

Draco stepped in front of him and glared at the healer coldly, "I am her superior and Master Potioneer for the Ministry. Any questions you might have for her, I can answer."

The healer huffed at him, straightening his shoulders puffing his chest up even though he was a good head shorter than Draco. He had a brown bristly moustache and tiny old fashioned glasses that put Draco in mind of Dumbledore and made him entirely predisposed to loathe the man.

"Healer Maison," The man said, looking Draco over from head to toe, "I need to know what was given to the young auror."

Draco took a deep breath, thanking the stars for the calming draught he had taken, "Two blood replenishing potions and a potion of my own design. I've been calling it Deep Sleep. It's meant to act like something like a stasis spell in potion form. Unfortunately, it only slows metabolic rates to a fraction of normal rather than a total stasis." He carefully plucked a dark purple potion from his bandoleer and held it out to the man, "This is the antidote."

"Antidote?" Healer Maison's eyes narrowed.

Draco cursed himself internally, "The potion is a modified and safer form of the Draught of Living Death. I've done all the testing for it and submitted the required paperwork with the Ministry. Everything was found to be satisfactory."

"My goodness," Healer Maison said faintly.

"I sent my reports to St. Mungo's but was told the hospital wasn't interested," Draco said, doing his best to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Healer Maison asked, "Has it been used on people at all or only had animal testing?"

"Both my co-worker and I have taken it three times each and suffered no ill effects, except a bit of portkey-lag from the perceived loss of time," Draco said.

Healer Maison stared at the potion vial and nodded slightly, "I see. Send your reports directly to me within the hour. That's to Healer Maison. No delays."

"I will."

"See that you do." Healer Maison turned on his heel and marched back to the circle of healers still at work.

Draco peered between the healers and thought he glimpsed Row looking a great deal more whole than she had when he first walked over. He smirked with tentative pride.

"Malfoy!"

Draco turned and glared at Weasley, "Haven't you anything better to do than shout at me?"

"Yeah, sending non-essentials offsite so we can start clean up," Weasley grinned grimly, gesturing a thumb at the apparition point.

"Right then," Draco gave a quick nod, stepping around Weasley and quickly apparating away.

Back at the office, everyone had been given permission to go home once they've reported in. Draco stayed. Sending off a copy of his potion report to Healer Maison, starting on the report of what had happened at the scene, making an inventory of their stock, writing out a brewing schedule, then writing another in case Donna took time off and he had to manage by himself and-

Draco sat upright with a jerk, a piece of parchment stuck to his cheek. He stretched with the special sort of care that comes from sleeping hunched over a desk all night. Something in his back popped, everything else creaking ominously as the parchment detached itself from his face and gently drifted back onto the desk.

It was early enough that the break room was empty when he went in. Draco made himself a brutally strong tea with far too much sugar and a few of the leftover biscuits no one liked for breakfast and went back to his little laboratory. He finished his report, sending it off with no concern for the greasy biscuit crumbs still stuck to it and started brewing.

He had finished decanting the wound-cleanse and was about to start in on the first of two blood replenishing potions when the door opened and Donna stepped inside. She was wearing muggle loungewear and her hair had been tucked under a scarf.

She smiled faintly at Draco and dropped her bag on the corner of her desk, "Morning."

"Why are you here? I told you to take some time off," Draco said a little snappishly.

Donna rolled her eyes, "I slept in, dinna I? An I'd put good money on you havin been here since yesterday." She took the chair beside him and read over the brewing schedule. "Blood-replenishing? Have you prepped the ingredients?"

"I was just about to," Draco said, watching as Donna went to their supply cupboard and began collecting the jars they would need, "Wouldn't you rather have the day off?" he asked.

Donna carefully set the valerian root down on the table, "Wouldna helped much. I thought being here'd keep my mind off it. An before you say anything, me mum has already made me an appointment with a mind healer but it's tomorrow so," she shrugged one shoulder, "here I am."

"I see," Draco said, watching as Donna set down the rest of the bottles and jars. He squared his shoulders and turned to the cauldron, "Pulverise the valerian whilst I start the honey water."

Donna snorted a faint laugh, "Yeah, I do know how the potion goes, thanks."

"You're welcome," Draco said flatly prompting a proper laugh out of her. He smiled faintly and started the flame under his cauldron.

They worked quietly brewing two cauldrons of blood replenishing potions before a short loud knock on the door caused them both to turn.

Weasley was already pushing the door open, with no sense of formality or common sense for that matter, at least where delicate brewing was concerned.

Draco held his tongue though, Weasley looked ragged and the circles under his eyes suggested that little to no sleep was had the night before.

"Of course you'd be brewing," Weasley said with dismay, throwing up his hands.

"It's my job," Draco said, desperately ignoring the clawing anxiety in his chest at why Weasley would be looking for him.

Weasley rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Honestly, If it weren't for the way you act around Harry I'd think you were dead inside, Malfoy."

"He's not that bad," Donna said, "A little prickly, is all."

"To you maybe," Weasley said.

Draco pointedly cleared his throat, "Is there a reason you're here?"

Weasley said a touch sarcastically, "Harry's fine, in case you were wondering."

"I know. I saw to it myself," Draco said.

The muscles in Weasley's jaw clenched, "Alright look, Harry's lung collapsed during apparition, they fixed it and the rest of it, he's got to stay for the next two days to get his strength back and the first thing he did after he woke up this morning is ask if you were there."

Draco flushed, his chest squeezing painfully.

Weasley sighed and scrubbed his hair, "Just go see him, you pillock." He turned to leave and stopped, turning back, "-You know you're the only one he talks to here?"

Draco shook his head automatically, "Potter speaks to plenty of people-"

"For work, sure," Weasley interrupted him, "but friends and that sort of thing? He only spends time with his old mates from school and you. That's why the other auror's treat you like shite."

"Oh, really, and the mark on my arm has nothing to do with it," Draco said acidly.

"Some," Weasley said dismissively, "but not nearly as much as you seem to think it does." He slapped the door frame on his way out calling back over his shoulder, "Go see him, Malfoy!"

Draco stared at the closed door for a long time, his mind racing.

"Catch!"

Draco's hand snapped up and snatched the little box out of the air.

"Cor, that was quick," Donna said.

"Seeker in school," Draco said absently, turning over the box and recognizing it instantly. He glared up at Donna, "Did you take this out of my desk?"

"Might've," she said with a grin.

Draco's eyes narrowed, "How did you know I had this?"

"Nosy," Donna said with a shrug, "But that's his tea, isn't it? The kind auror Potter likes. You bought it just for him."

"Not just for him," Draco said defensively, turning the unopened box over in his hands.

Donna rolled her eyes, "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now go on," she waved at him impatiently, "It's almost three, you know an they aren't gonna have that weird muggle brand at Mungo's are they?"

Draco hesitated.

Donna shoved his shoulder, startling Draco out of his chair.

"Go," she said, taking his seat, "I'll brew the calming draughts an then clean up all the cauldrons. Have the afternoon off. You've done enough work for three days."

Draco squeezed the box, the plastic wrap crinkling under his fingers. He inclined his head, "Thank you, Donna."

"Yeah, yeah," she smiled, "go on with you."