Drabble for masayunho on dA for this picture .com/#/d4gg3b6
Draco's ears could always pick out certain voices from a crowd ever since he was very young. It started when he listened to his father talking through the wall of the library when he would sneak into the secret passages in the walls. He would sit quietly and even though he could not discern the words spoken, he was content just hearing the the different tones and inflections of speech.
When he started to attend Hogwarts his skill grew. There were hundreds of children in the halls for him to practice with. He could listen to other's conversations and understand what they were talking about instead of just listening to the cadence of their voices. He even got good enough to listen to some of the teachers talk if he sat on that end of the table. Very rarely did he hear anything of interest, he was too far away to listen in on Dumbledore and McGonagall.
During the war Draco used his skill to eavesdrop on the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. He kept a journal of everything that he heard, written in a shorthand code that only he and one other knew. The journal, a small book with an Endless Paper charm on it was protected with many charms that Severus had placed on it to keep it out of Death Eater hands. Every word that touched his ears was written down and he hardly slept for fear of missing something important. Only when his ears rang from exhaustion so loud that he couldn't focus did he let himself rest.
Draco still makes use of his listening skill while he works for the Auror Division as a Potions Master. Unfortunately for him, it cannot be toned down when it comes to one voice. Sometimes, he swears he can hear Potter speaking when he's several floors below him, deep in the Ministry. They often cross paths in the lobby or elevator—not that it matters. Draco's eyes fly to him whenever they are in view of each other, and his ears always pick out his voice over anyone else. Surely it is Potter's fault that Draco can't help but hyper-focus on him. He's filled out, gotten rid of his ridiculous frames for a thinner and more sophisticated pair and for once is wearing clothes his size. He can't help but want Harry Potter in any way he can have him, even if it's just hearing him laugh at something Weasley said while they are across the room.
Right now everyone is mingling from the Trainees to the Unspeakables (not that anyone knows who are Unspeakables, as they claim they're from other areas) to the Aurors in a simple party to rejoice the end of a case that nearly every department of the MLE had worked together on. The last of the Death Eaters—and their nasty surprises—are finally gone six years after the war. Draco lets himself wander for once, but soon realizes his mistake when he discovers that he's migrated over to Potter once again. He pauses and lets himself listen to Potter's voice. It washes over him in a heart-wrenching mix warmth and longing. Now that the case was all over...there would be no need for them to work as closely as they had. The distance between them had never seemed so vast.
Potter's laugh floats over to his ears. The joy in that laugh is directly proportional to Draco's pain.