FF.net header:
Some things you should all know: this version of Tequila Sunrise is the fanfiction.net version and my differ slightly from the version I have on my Fiction Alley account (pen name: Nephele). Most chapters of this story will appear here first as a sort of trial run! ^_^ Enjoy! Oh, and I don't own any of these characters by the way -- eh, you know the drill.

New part of the disclaimers that I left out cause I am dumb like that:
As was pointed out, this is based on Fake! I thought I'd mentioned that, but apparently not. Also thought I had left the asterisks in there where I quoted directly from Fake! but again, found they too were gone. All the disclaimers have been re-added, and the asterisks have been replaced, along with the book quote, page, and character speaking in the foot notes. Obviously, I don't own Fake! or the characters I just like it a whole lot.
And, for anyone who is gonna wonder, based on the fake characters, here's how it breaks down…
Draco -- Dee
Harry -- Ryo
Ron -- Bikky
Hermione -- Carol
Seamus -- J.J.

Tequila Sunrise
Chapter One: An Odd Pair

Draco lounged casually behind his sturdy mahogany desk, leaning back in his chair with his feet resting on a small pile of paperwork that had long since gone unnoticed and lay stained with coffee rings. His arms tucked behind his head and his eyes closed, Draco's mind wondered as he listened to the clack, clack, clack of the ceiling fan that turned noisily over head, offering little cool air to the room. Of course, a minimum wage Ministry job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement hadn't ever been what Draco had seen for himself in life, but sometimes life is cunning and tosses that trick Quaffle out at you when you least expect it.

The war hadn't been long, as evenly matched as the sides were. Sure, there were times there when both sides had their doubts. And Draco would know. As much as it had pained him to turn on his family and all he was expected to be, his reasons to fight along side Dumbledore was much more pronounced than any reason there was to stand beside his father and Voldemort. Oh, being a double agent was easy enough, especially since Snape was there to mend every slip-up Draco made, which were few and far between anyway. Yes, as far as he was concerned, he was a sneaky little bastard. And damn proud of it, he was.

Which is what landed him where he was now. Once Lucius was killed by Voldemort (as Voldemort blamed Lucius mainly for so many defeats when for some reason his strategies and plots never seemed to work), Draco and Narcissa found his will left nothing to anyone - not the manor, nor any form of money. Hell, he didn't even leave furniture to anyone. And so, it was the all Hell broke lose and it was every Malfoy for him or herself, everyone taking whatever they could grab. All and all, Draco and Narcissa were forced to fend for themselves. Sure, a life without house elves and a giant manor to live in wasn't what they were used to, but after five years, they began to get used to their new way of life. At least they could make their flat look like home with some one the furnishings they managed to sneak off with.

"Malfoy."

Draco opened one eye to the person who had entered the office nearly unnoticed. Harry. Draco's somewhat-similar-to-a-Muggle-detective job came with one perk: the somewhat-similar-to-a-Muggle-detective partner.

"Hmm," Draco replied, opening his other eye and stretching his arms up, before sliding his feet from his desk and leaning forward in his chair. As his eyes fell on Harry, he smiled in a way almost reminiscent of how he did back in Hogwarts. Harry sighed and shifted uncomfortably under Draco's gaze, seemingly having forgotten what he came into Draco's -- their -- office for. "Are you going to say anything?" Draco asked, "or stand there until I stare straight through your robes?"

Harry blushed deeply and twisted a rolled packet of papers around nervously in his hands, turning his eyes to the floor. "McFadden in Broom Regulation sent these down this morning for review," he said handing the rolled parchment to Draco, who reached out casually to accept. After a few seconds of reviewing the documents, the blonde sighed and ran a hand through his hair seeming somewhat annoyed. "What?" Harry asked, wondering just what about an update on the recent broom smuggling could be so agitating.

"You just had to roll my documents, didn't you, Potter?" Draco drawled, causing Harry to sigh and shake his head.

Some things would never change.

"I'm sorry," he said, his statement becoming more of a question as he spoke. "And they are our documents, Malfoy," he continued, "Don't forget we are partners. I don't work for you."

Draco grinned, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind his ear. "Of course," Draco said, nonchalantly waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss Harry. "We've gone through this a million times, Potter."

"Yea," Harry said as Draco flipped through the documentation packet again. After a minute or so of awaiting a reply, Harry sighed and turned toward the door. "When you fill that empty space between your ears, Malfoy, you'll know where to find me."

Draco didn't look up as Harry left the office, but kept looking at the papers, seeing thought the words - through the paper - a wide grin forming on his face.

Maybe some things were about to change.

-------

"And he's still bossing you around?" Ron, clad in tan slacks, a white shirt, and a loosened, lopsided tie asked from behind a large pile of paperwork on the kitchen table in his and Harry's small London flat.

"And I don't understand why," Harry, still wearing his work attire also, replied. "We've fought about it at least a hundred times, and he simply will not get it through his head."

Ron laughed at this, disregarding Harry's serious tone. "I don't see why he can't keep that in his head," Ron said, still chuckling a bit.

"Why?"

"Well, Harry, there's certainly plenty of room in there."

A smile showed faintly on Harry's lips as Ron's rather harsh words fell upon his ears. It slowly slid away though, and Harry shook his head in bafflement. "No antics now, Ron, it's far too late," he said, sighing quietly. "Tomorrow I'll just try and talk to him again. And we'll fight again. And he'll kick me out of the office… again. And then, I'll be right back where I started."

With a comforting gaze, Ron reached across the small table and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Endless loop of Hell, aye mate? Don't worry though. If he gives you a nasty time, just kick him in the shins."

Harry smiled again, and put a hand on top of Ron's. "Thanks," he said looking up from his cold coffee. "You really know how to make it all better for a little while, you know. Well, I'm gonna get to bed now, alright?" Ron nodded as Harry stood and walked across the kitchen to his bedroom. He watched as his best friend closed to door before tuning back to his paperwork.

"You really know how to make it all better for a little while," Ron thought, flipping a sheet of parchment over and taking a sip of his coffee. "For a little while…"

"Oi! Harry!" he said quickly, loudly pushing back his chair and standing up behind the table, looking at Harry's closed door. "What do you mean, 'for a little while?' "

A/N - no Fake! situations or quotes here…