Harry Potter and all related copyright do not belong to me. Story is compliant through most of the epilogue, meaning I have changed only some names, ages, and numbers of children. There will be slash.

Clink.

Harry wearily lifted his head up from the desk, suspiciously eyeing the new bottle of Ogden's Finest now resting innocently on the corner.

"You look like you need one," Draco offered, swiveling back in his chair and propping his feet up on his desk.

The two (now full-fledged) aurors had finally developed a somewhat consistent working relationship. The ranting and railing of Head Auror Potter and Deputy Auror Malfoy over a case could still be heard from the atrium floor, and provided ample gossip at tea time. Now, though, they had a budding respect for each other as partners. Harry would always follow Malfoy's diplomatic, slightly manipulative example when came to dealing with problematic public figures (although he would never tell Draco to his face), Draco would always exchange polite nods with Auror Weasley when they passed each other in the hallway (though you would never hear him admit it), and Kingsley only had to replace their office twice a month or so (he was rather pleased about that). Although at least one of them still ended up in the medical wing on a near daily basis plagued with various petty jinxes and creative maladies, courtesy of the other partner and a well-timed Wizarding Wheezes product, the two had begun to grow accustomed to each other's presence.

"I'm working, Malfoy," Harry groaned, running one hand over his stubbled jaw.

"Really? It looked to me like you were trying to drown yourself in your paperwork." Suddenly looking hopeful, Harry looked down at his desk.

"Do you think that'd actually work? Come over here, hold my head under." Draco bit back a laugh. If there had been one thing Potter had surprised him with, and there had been many, it had been the Golden Boy's self-deprecating sense of humor. He settled for rolling his eyes, and reached for his own paper work. Frowning, he skimmed through the stack. He usually kept most of the paper work to himself, preferring to see to it personally that every "t" was crossed and every "i" dotted. Nearly everything for the past week was on his desk, aside from two small stacks he had delegated to Potter and his horrible handwriting. Draco eyed the Head Aurors desk; it was covered in scattered papers and official looking documents. Whatever Potter was doing wasn't ministry business. So, naturally, Draco decided to distract him and cast a quick, non-verbal accio.

Harry only had a few milliseconds of warning between hearing "What are you working on?" and having the papers beneath his elbow magically snatched away. Draco ignored the demands of "Malfoy, seriously, give those back!" and perused the contents of the paper from the safety of his own desk. By the time Harry had scrambled out of his chair, slipped on the paperwork littering the floor, and made it to the other side of the room, the blonde had finished the text. Draco leveled a flat gaze at him, and Harry flinched, waiting for whatever rude remark Malfoy was getting ready to make. Waiting. And waiting.

After a long silence, Draco finally opened his mouth to speak. Harry steeled his nerves, determined not to cause any more damage to their floor this month.

"Are you getting custody of the kids?"

"Look, you can just-... what? " Harry stammered, not expecting that question. Malfoy said it with no ill intent, and seemed genuinely concerned.

"I... I'm not sure, I- I mean I don't... really know. I want them, Merlin, I do… but she's their mother. Don't the courts normally put them with the mothers?" the room was quiet again, and Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you have a lawyer?"

"No… not yet… I've been meaning to, but there's been so much paperwork from her lawyer, and the courts, to fill out, I haven't-..."

"I know a guy," Draco cut off the man's rambling. "Old friend of the family." Malfoy pulled the latest case file towards him, and just like that the conversation was over. Harry walked back to his desk, reeling and slightly shell-shocked. Malfoy had just offered him his personal lawyer.

He reached for the bottle and pulled it towards him.