Harry looked up wistfully hearing the familiar knock on the door. "Yes, Ron?"

The red-head smiled at him from the doorway. "Hey, mate, thought you could use one of these." Ron held up a take-away coffee cup as he entered Harry's office, his gaze flickering over to the other desk in the rather large room before he looked back at his friend. "Where's Malfoy?"

"Off somewhere; with the Minister I think." Harry shrugged, taking the cup from Ron. "Thanks, mate."

"No problem, thought you might need the caffeine boost." Ron offered a crooked smile as he took a seat in front of Harry's beautiful dark wood desk. "How's the case coming along?"

"Stuck actually," Harry sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. This case in particular had been depriving him of sleep for the last week. "Draco and I are going to suss out a lead tomorrow, hopefully it'll get us somewhere." He sipped the warm creamy liquid and leant back in his chair with a sigh. "I'm hoping we can wrap this up soon."

"You look like you need the rest," Ron nodded.

Harry chuckled humourlessly. "If that isn't the understatement of the year." He winced at his words and downed another mouthful of the smooth coffee before carefully placing it aside on his desk. "How're you and Mione?"

"Great," Ron smiled.

"So is tomorrow going to be the 'big night'?" Harry asked, placing his coffee aside.

Ron's smile grew sheepish. "Looks like," he replied. He cast a look around the room before leaning forward. "I'm taking her to her favourite restaurant, you know, that Italian themed one she likes."

Harry smiled genuinely for his friend. "About time." The brunet winked.

Ron smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, hey listen, mate, if Mione says yes—"

"You mean when she says yes." Harry chuckled.

"Uh, yeah." Ron grinned sheepishly. "Will you be my best man?"

Harry's emerald eyes sparkled. "Of course, Ron, I'd never leave you standing alone up there by yourself."

The red-head's face split into a wide beaming smile. "Thanks."

Harry waved a hand at him. "Did you even have to ask? Honestly."

Ron chuckled before a gentle sigh seeped out of him. "Tomorrow night is going to be perfect."

"Well I definitely hope so, mate, the only trouble I can see is Mione going off at you for not proposing sooner." Harry grinned, swallowing more coffee.

Ron opened his mouth to respond when a sudden roar from outside interrupted them.

"Damn it, Smith! No means NO!"

A ferocious looking Draco Malfoy stormed into the office, slamming the door behind him, effectively preventing Zacharias from entering. Harry's eyebrows rose at this but he remained silent—he knew when to leave the ex-Slytherin alone. Ron however, did not.

"Merlin, Malfoy, what's got your knickers in a knot?"

A glare to kill was sent sizzling Ron's way and Harry sat back in preparation for the coming onslaught.

"That is none of your business, Weasley," Malfoy managed to bite back. He slammed the folders he had in his arms down onto his desk and marched around to his chair where he presently sat down and picked up a quill.

If anyone had told Harry he'd be sharing an office and partnering with Draco Malfoy of all people a few years ago he would have laughed and called them 'bonkers'. The war however, had changed many people and one of them was Draco. Harry had been surprised when it was discovered that Malfoy had not taken the Dark Mark. Together, his family had switched sides, providing ample information for the Light regarding Voldemort's whereabouts. Malfoy had followed Harry into the last battle, fully prepared to give his all. The two had decided a truce; to shake hands and begin again. There were still waters to be tested, yet the two that were once archenemies now had a simple friendship which was slowly growing over time. Ron on the other hand, still had pleasure in provoking the blond.

The red head opened his mouth to bark back a comment but Harry laid a hand on his arm. "Don't you dare," he murmured warningly.

"But this is the most fun I've had all day." Ron pouted and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Go find Mione and take her out to lunch," the brunet suggested instead. "I'm not going to leave the office; I need to finish this before I go anywhere."

"Alright," Ron said with a small smile. "Don't overwork yourself."

Harry just smiled wryly. "Thanks for the coffee."

"No problem, see you, Harry." Ron clapped him on the shoulder, shot Malfoy a glare, and left the office, shutting the door quietly behind him. Silence filled the room, the occasional scratch of quill against parchment breaking the somewhat uncomfortable peace.

Harry sighed, ran his hands over his face and looked down at his report. He was definitely not in the mood for this but Kingsley would throw a fit if he didn't at least get something down. He glanced over at Malfoy who was bent directly over his desk scribbling furiously on parchment. His fringe, styled so it hung to the right and loosely over his grey eyes, swayed gently as he wrote.

Harry leant back in his chair and pushed away from his desk. The chair rolled smoothly across the hardwood floors to the large cabinets that lined the wall behind him where he opened a drawer and started flicking through cream coloured files. Finding the name he wanted his pulled out the file and pushed back over to his desk, sliding in neatly and opening it. The two men working in silence as was the normal routine for them as neither was a fan of useless small talk. The times Harry and Malfoy did speak companionably to one another was usually after they had finished a case and gone out for drinks to celebrate. Even then, their friendship had not really progressed passed the first stage—

Harry's eyebrows rose at the brisk knock and he looked up with a frown as the door opened. They weren't expecting anyone...

Zacharias Smith strolled in, eyes on Malfoy. Harry's frown grew even more intense as Smith crossed the floor, cleared an area on Malfoy's desk, and promptly sat down. The blond's hand froze on the parchment but his head remained down.

"Draco," Zacharias purred.

"Fuck off, Smith," Malfoy replied smoothly.

"Gladly," Smith replied, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "If you'd care to join me...?"

Frustration welled within Harry as he watched Smith hassle his partner. They did not have time for this…

"If you would be kind to leave our office, Zacharias, it would be much appreciated." Harry leant back in his chair as he spoke, folding his arms. "We have a lot of work to do."

Smith raised an eyebrow and smirked at the brunet. "You want to join us Harry?"

"Please leave."

"I didn't hear a no."

Harry sighed impatiently and pinched the bridge of his nose—his glasses were long gone, eyes now fixed from the corrective spell Hermione had urged him to use.

"Go back to your own department, Smith." Malfoy glared up at the ex-Hufflepuff. His eyes flickered over to Harry as he stood, moving to stand in front of his desk, fully prepared to show the irritating man the door. Smith however seemed to have other ideas. He reached for Malfoy's hand which the blond quickly snatched away.

"Touch me and I'll hex you," Malfoy hissed, cheeks slightly flushed from anger.

"You know you like—" Smith's words were efficiently cut off as Harry grabbed the man by the back of his robes and dragged him over to the door.

"I believe you were asked repeatedly to leave, Zacharias. As from now on you are no longer welcome in our office, no matter what the damned reason." Harry glared and tossed the man into the corridor. "Don't fuck with my partner; he has better things to do." With those final words Harry spun on his heel, kicked the door shut and marched back over to his desk. He looked over at Malfoy who was rubbing his temples, a pained expression on his face.

"You alright?" Harry asked in concern.

"Yes." Draco's clipped reply was firm as he took his hands away from his smooth, pale face. He picked up his discarded quill and continued to write. He rested his head in his hand and all but glared at the parchment below him. Harry just smiled softly and returned to his seat.

"What time are we planning on interrogating Ms Bennetts tomorrow?" Malfoy asked resignedly, dropping his quill on the desk in frustration.

"Ten alright?" Harry replied with a shrug. He lent back in his chair, hands folded casually behind his head. "How long has Zacharias been bothering you?"

"Too long." Malfoy glared at his desk. He rubbed his temples again and looked over at Harry. Cool but pleasant green eyes looked back into tired silver eyes. "Thank you for getting rid of him with minimal amount of violence; I would have hexed the bastard and gotten fired for doing so."

Harry sent him a dazzling grin. "No worries."

Malfoy smiled wryly in return. "Let's however, not get back into The-Boy-Who-Lived who saved a Malfoy routine again, shall we?"

"Whatever do you mean, Draco?" Harry smiled innocently. "I was merely tossing out a bit of rubbish."

"I'm sure you were." Malfoy chuckled softly. "There seems to be a lot of rubbish lately." He sneered down at the file beneath him. "How can one woman cause so much trouble?"

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow," Harry sighed tiredly. "I think I might duck out to grab something to eat, did you want anything?"

With a sigh Malfoy looked up from the file. "I might join you, if you don't mind?"

Harry shook his head. "Is there any particular place you'd like to go?" He asked as he grabbed his cloak.

Malfoy shrugged as he also grabbed his cloak. "There's a rather nice cafe just down the road."

"Sounds like a plan." Harry smiled lightly, opening the door and stepping into the corridor. He leant against the wall as he waited for his partner, his arms folded and a small ray of happiness slowly invading his chest. It was days like these that Harry enjoyed most—the ones where he and Malfoy actually got along for change and didn't just sit in angered silence.

"Shall we?"

Harry pulled himself out of his thoughts and nodded. Malfoy cast a quick spell on the door to alert those coming to see them that they'd stepped out for lunch and turned to Harry. Together they started down the corridor, actually managing to hold an amicable conversation that, for once, wasn't about their work.

"I can only imagine that this café you're taking me to has a wonderful reputation," Harry commented slyly, smirking at the blond as they waited for the lift. "Particularly since it's a muggle café."

Malfoy only just managed not to roll his eyes. "Please, Potter, I'm allowed to give muggles some credit. Thankfully one of their… few talents—" Harry snorted—"is food." The tiniest of smiles graced the blond's lips. "But yes, this café in particular is one of my favourites that I frequent."

The lift dinged and the doors opened, the two males entering. Surprisingly the elevator was empty, save for a few Ministry memos flapping above their heads. The two managed to continue their conversation for the majority of their walk through the Ministry, their quips becoming more numerous as the two of them began to relax in each other's company.

Stepping out into muggle London, Malfoy directed Harry down the pathway, pointing to a quaint café on the corner.

"Oh," Harry said, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah I've heard Mione talk about this one."

"Hermione and I sometimes come by for coffee," Malfoy found himself explaining as they neared. Beside him, the brunet wriggled his eyebrows appreciatively.

"Maybe this can become our regular spot." He winked.

"Stop getting ahead of yourself, Potter."

Harry only chuckled, stepping up to the door and opening it, allowing Malfoy to step in before him. A waitress appeared instantly, smiling brightly at the two.

"Table for two?" she asked.

"Please," Draco replied, removing his cloak.

The waitress directed them to a table beside the large window where numerous muggles could be seen bustling passed. The café was pleasantly warm, with a roaring fire in the middle in a large open hearth. The waitress handed them each a menu, took their drink orders and promptly vanished with promises to return in a few minutes. The two young men examined their options in silence and it wasn't until the sweet young waitress came over with their drinks, took their orders and disappeared again did they finally continue their banter.

"I do believe she was giving you the once over, Potter."

Harry chuckled as he leant back into the cushioned armchair he was seated in. "What a shame she isn't male."

Malfoy quirked one of his perfect blond eyebrows. "Indeed? Who would have thought? Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Turned-Out-To-Like-Men."

Harry chuckled again, shaking his head. "I'm surprised that this comes as news to you, Draco," he replied silkily, gazing at the blond in amusement.

"I don't make it a habit of mine to study my partner that closely." The ex-Slytherin smiled, resting his hands on his crossed legs. "It would however, make sense."

"Oh?"

"Straight men don't tend to make googly eyes at other males."

Harry laughed and grinned at his partner. "Guilty." He wriggled his eyebrows. "So do you bat for my team as well or are you innocently being stalked by Smith?"

A look of disgust passed over Malfoy's face. "That man is a nuisance," he replied shortly. "I do however, 'bat for your team' as you so eloquently put it."

"Is that the reason behind his pursuit?"

"Apparently, yet he also mentioned that even if I wasn't gay he'd still be after me."

The brunet frowned. "Have you spoken to Kingsley?"

Malfoy raised his eyebrow yet again. "Have you forgotten that my name seems to prevent me special privileges such as favours from the Minister?"

Harry's frown became even more pronounced. "That's ridiculous. I wish people weren't so thick skinned, your family did us a great service when you switched sides."

Malfoy sighed. "It would seem however that that was not enough."

Harry opened his mouth to suggest maybe he should go to speak with the Minister, but he knew as soon as the thought passed that Malfoy would immediately decline the offer. The blond did not need a hero after all.

"Here you are."

Two pairs of eyes were immediately drawn to the smiling waitress holding their meals. She placed them down elegantly and asked them if they needed anything else.

"No, thank you, but we'll call if need be," Malfoy replied, his smile simply oozing charm. The waitress blushed and bid them a good meal before disappearing once again.

Harry smirked at his partner and picked up his cutlery. "Shame on you for giving her false hope."

Malfoy returned his smirk and also picked up his cutlery. Conversation died down to simple comments here and there while they each enjoyed their meals. The café was filled with friendly conversation, the perfect atmosphere for a pleasing lunchtime affair. When their meal was complete they didn't leave straight away—they remained chatting with steaming mugs of coffee before heading back to the office. This was something neither of them had done in a while and it was pleasing for both men. As they decided to head back, Malfoy lifted his hand, signalling for the waitress to bring them their bill. Harry reached in his pocket for money when Malfoy suddenly dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand.

"Lunch is my treat today," the blond said with a small smile.

Harry's eyebrows rose. "You sure?"

"I'm sure," Malfoy replied as he accepted the little black book from the beaming young woman. "Thank you," he said graciously, sliding in a few muggle bank notes. "Besides, now you owe me one."

Harry grinned as he pulled on his cloak. "We're going on a second date already, Malfoy? I'm flattered."

Draco snorted as he followed the brunet back through the café to the door. "Call it what you want, Potter—who's to say I'm not using you for an expensive meal?"

Laughing as he stepped out onto the street, Harry threw a grin back at his partner. "Alright, you're on. How about tomorrow after we suss out Ms Bennetts?"

"Perfect. It will hopefully be a pleasant end to a somewhat frustrating morning I can only imagine," Malfoy replied.

The Ministry was rather quiet when they returned. No one had appeared to need them while they had stepped out which was a relief. Draco had just opened their door when a voice called out.

"Hey, Harry, do you have a minute?"

The brunet turned and immediately smiled. "Hey, Tristan, sure what is it you need?"

Malfoy couldn't help but pause in the doorway, eavesdropping on the two males. Tristan turned a shy but beautiful smile towards Harry, running a hand through his short honey-blond hair.

"I was wondering if you have any plans for tomorrow night?" Tristan began, biting his lip endearingly.

Harry smiled. "Nope, I'm all free."

"Would you… like to come over and I'll cook us dinner?" the slightly shorter man asked hopefully, blue eyes gleaming.

"I'd love too," Harry replied genuinely.

For some reason, Draco couldn't help but feel somewhat… annoyed that Harry had agreed. He hadn't realised Tristan was interested in Potter…

"Tomorrow then."

Harry's voice broke Malfoy's train of thought and the blond hurried into their office, not wanting Potter to realise he had been listening in on their conversation.

What Potter does outside of work is none of my business… Draco mused to himself, the thought immediately sending a wave of… disappoint…? throughout him.