_______<br/><br/>It had really been quite discouraging to feel the distance between them widen even further. With the way their work day had progressed, Harry had hoped Draco’s increased collaboration had marked an end to their awkward lull; it hadn’t. It seemed like for every passing second, the dinner table grew between them, leaving them feeling miles apart.<br/>Harry was at a genuine loss on how to proceed.<br/>Pushing the peppercorns away from the main dollop of sauce, preparing a bite he no longer felt hungry for, Harry had been able to tell how Draco had sunk into himself over the course of dinner. It made Harry feel increasingly guilty, the remorse Draco so clearly exhibited finally seeming to creep below Harry’s skin, leaving him with an undeniable sense that he had acted wrongly - however, in what or when was still unclear to him.<br/>“I think I will,” he said, an attempt to revive the conversation that had mulled out a few moments before.<br/>Harry’s eyes only briefly flickered to Draco, but by the time they returned to his plate, the sight made his stomach turn, and he abandoned his cutlery on the lip of the plate.<br/>He sat back in his seat to look at the other, speaking on the confiscated items from the Aberdeen case.<br/>“It won’t hurt to try, and if they’re willing to ship the objects over from containment, maybe you can figure out something they couldn’t.”