A.N.- First story in a long time, and it's going to be a long one. Hope you guys like it. :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately.
Retrospect and Anxiety
Prologue-January 13,1999
Harry Potter looked up from a particularly intimidating stack of papers on his desk at the sound of a sharp rap on his office door.
"Come in," he called, dropping his head into his hands just long enough to run his fingers through his perpetually wayward hair.
"Er, hi mate, long day?" Ron Weasley asked, barely hiding the concern coloring his voice as he settled himself in a chair opposite Harry.
"Mmm, you could say that. Bloody paperwork. Did you know about this when we signed on for this job, because I, for one, would have had to take that into careful consideration."
"Too right. I have enough case files on my desk at the moment to completely bury me alive. It's really too bad I can't ask Hermione to do my work for me anymore."
Harry snorted, managing to contain an eye-roll, but only just barely.
"You know she wouldn't do it for you anyway."
"Honestly Ronald," Ron mimicked in falsetto, "if you only applied yourself instead of hanging out and placing bets on Quidditch matches all day..."
That earned him a sincere laugh from the raven haired boy, but he sobered quickly, rembering that Ron must've had a purpose for being sat across from him at the moment.
"So, uh, Ron, did you need something?"
The ginger haired boy scuffed his shoes, and blew out a big breath, looking anywhere but at his friend. Harry just groaned, knowing without a doubt that he was about to be in deep shit.
"Oh spit it out already, will you?"
"Okay, okay. Well I overheard Robard talking earlier, and it sounded like you might be getting a new case."
Harry shot him a look of incredulity, scoffing at the obviousness of his best friend's confession.
"Mhm, yeah, and? We get cases all the time, Ron. It's what we do."
"I know, but uh. We don't usually get cases like this."
"What exactly are you getting at here?"
"Well, I heard that Robard wants to put you on figuring out the whereabouts of, er, Malfoy actually. You know that he's been missing since the war, and well, I guess someone has to do it."
"You have got to be kidding me," Harry replied, taking off his glasses and briefly pinching the bridge of his nose before putting them back in place.
"Wish I was, mate."
Ignoring the almost painful flop of his stomach, Harry sighed deeply, trying to wrap his head around the news.
Yeah, this case was definitely not the usual, and it could very well just drive him insane.