Chapter Two

Draco sighed as he began to gather everything within his office to the box that sat ominously on his desk. He shouldn't be the one on this case and Kingsley should have assigned another partner to Potter for Draco knew that the others kept them away from each other and Draco couldn't help but agree that was a good idea just not for the reason everyone believes.

It was true that Draco and Potter had a very tough rivalry in school being on opposite sides and everything but becoming a Death Eater was not one of the things he or his mother wished to do but Mother followed Father in everything and Draco joined unwillingly. Not only was he subjected to the Unforgivables by his own Aunt but tormented so by Greyback as he healed from the Sectumsempra spell Potter had used on him.

He had failed, failed with the necklace and failed to defend himself against Potter of all people. If it wasn't for his Godfather Draco knew he'd be permanently beyond saving. His hand flung to the spot where the Mark rested, gripping the spot as he recalled the pain of receiving it and the pain that followed for showing weakness.

And since then Draco had done all he could to break away from that, to get out and try to help his mother. Not 'recognizing' Potter when he and his ragtag of a group was dragged into his family home, throwing him his wand… so many things but still Draco was seen as someone associated to the Dark Lord and all he stood for.

When the very last of his stuff was pack neatly into the box Draco hoisted it to his hip and left the office that has been his alone since he had joined. The door closed with a soft snick but it seemed to echo loudly in Draco's ears. Those that entered the hall smirked at him and whispered to their partners or made snide remarks that Draco chose to ignore, the fools, if they thought he was fired then they had another thing coming to them.

"What the bloody hell do you think you are doing Malfoy?" It was the familiar voice of Weasley that caught Draco's attention the moment he placed his hand upon Potter's and his now new office door.

With a sigh, Draco turned to face Weasley. "Nothing that concerns you, Weasel."

Ron felt the anger swell within him as he puffed up at the insult. "It bloody well does when it concerns my best mate, I'm not going to allow you to enter his office and cause all sorts of ca..."

"Enough Ron, he's my new partner," Harry stated firmly as he rounded the corner and saw Ron grip his wand tightly in hand.

"What?" Ron spluttered in shock as he whirled around to face his best friend. "Shacklebolt wouldn't do that! Not with everything that Malfoy had done and being a Death Eater Scum."

The last insult was spat back towards Draco and Harry saw how the stoic man's face cracked ever so slightly before hardening once more. It sent a fissure of ire down Harry's spine as he stared unimpressed at his friend, yes, there were indeed issues over what happened when they were younger but Harry knew all the trials that Draco went through to become an Auror.

"We are no longer at Hogwarts or at war, Malfoy has proven his worth to be an Auror or are you questioning Head Auror Shaklebolt's loyalty to the Light?" Harry asked blandly, watching his friends face pale three shades. "The past is behind us Ron, you of all people know how I feel about it so I suggest you please make this easier for me by just keeping it civil at work with Malfoy."

Ron opened and closed his mouth a few times before snapping it shut with a loud click and a nod. "Very well mate, you still comin' to dinner tonight with 'Mione?"

"Of course like I couldn't, 'Mione would just drag me by the ear to the Floo if I missed dinner any more this week," Harry stated before unlocking his office door and holding it open for Malfoy to enter, urging him in with a quick flick of his hand behind his back.

Draco entered quickly while Potter distracted Weasley and stopped dead in his tracks as he took sight of what was before him. He expected a mess and though the room was not up to his standard it was still cleaner than he thought but the Muggle objects he did not expect but should have.

A muggle jacket hung by the door with shoes resting haphazardly underneath, an odd assortment of quills rested on the table and there were other items Draco couldn't understand hanging on the walls in frames, pictures that didn't move. Papers and folders were lying haphazardly over the desk and piled on top of the filing cabinets

The only downside was that Potter's belongings took up the majority of the office.

"I'll move things around sorry, I've not had a stable partner for more than a month now and I kind of took the office over," Harry explained as he stepped into his office to see Draco's face.

"There are forms and files from everything between Clean Up to Murders," Draco stated as he moved closer to what would be his desk and flicked through these files. "Some of them were situated on the same day."

A blush travelled up Harry's cheeks as he quickly flicked his wand and had his files sort and stack themselves in his own set of cabinets that he had yet to put away, placing the ones that were finished in his OUT box and making sure he had signed them all before doing so. He eyed the office with scrutiny and made sure that the majority of his stuff was on his own side and that the couch he had placed in here for late nights was clean as it could be.

He felt his eyes widen as he saw the familiar silver chain that held the Resurrection Stone ring and quickly placed it in his pocket. "Uh yeah, Ginny and I kind of broke up and I just didn't want to sit at home and deal with it. So I've been requesting everything that Kingsley could give me."

Draco turned to him with raised brows and perhaps to Harry's surprise a hint of admiration before it was wiped away once more and replaced by Malfoy's infamous bland expression. "Very well, do you mind if I move things around then?"

A polite Draco was not a Draco Harry knew how to deal with so mutely he nodded as he sat down on his side of the room and began to finish off what little paperwork he had piled up on it before Shacklebolt called for him. From the corner of his eye, Harry watched as Draco pulled out his wand and with an elegant flick began to organize his half of the office.

Draco moved elegantly, his wand movement's non-verbal and sometimes Harry could have sworn his wand didn't move for several of them. Soon enough Harry had given up all pretences of completing his paperwork to watched Draco move something within him warming at the sight Draco created as he sorted everything with a soft little twinkle in his eyes once he was done and looked at everything within satisfaction.

Oh… oh no…

DxH

Author Note: Yep... *scrubs face tiredly*