(All right, chapter ten. ^^ As far as the rating goes... I have a feeling it will eventually go up. Maybe not this chapter, but… Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?
*cries* I'm American. All your British slang confuses me. I've done really well remembering to read back five times to make sure 'elevator' is 'lift', and I remembered that American 'pants' are 'trousers', because British 'pants' are actually 'underwear'. But it's a bit of a struggle. DX Please don't hate me for any stupid American words I use in place of British ones. Or for any slang I find on the Internet that isn't actually correct. This silly American girl is doing her best!
I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter. With the divorce now practically in the works, things can begin to get… interesting. And Gil will continue to provide the comedy relief. XD I think you guys will enjoy it. Make sure to let me know just how much by reviewing, please, my lovely readers.)

"So, I'm sure you've got just dozens of questions for me, Auror Harry. Fire away."

Gilbert smiled warmly, inviting Harry to speak, but the slightly taller brunette was at a loss for words. "I… Ah…" Harry tugged a lock of his hair uneasily. It was odd how comfortable Gilbert seemed about this whole situation. Or was it odd that he wasn't? It wasn't like he had any designs on Draco or anything, despite Gilbert's words the first time they had met.

"I, well, thank you, I guess. For helping me out with Draco's Christmas present." Gilbert laughed, making Harry flush.

"So Draco told you about that, huh? I knew who you were as soon as I saw you, and when you described Draco, well, I knew I had to make sure you got him the perfect gift." Gilbert's smile softened, and he absently ran his fingers along the back of the couch. "I had considered getting it for him myself, but I already had a few things wrapped up for him, and you looked like you needed it more than I did." Harry had to work hard not to gape at him.

"Why would you do that? You said…" His blush darkened, making Gilbert's smile widen once more. "You said you were worried about… you know, me and Draco. Why would you help me get him a perfect gift, then?"

Gilbert sighed and shook his head slowly. "If Draco wanted you, he would have you whether you gave him the better gift or I did. Draco does as he pleases, and something petty like trying to ruin his friendship with you would not stop him if he grew tired of me and chose to pursue you. All I can do is work to make him happy. And you made him happy this Christmas when you shared your family and yourself with him. I would feel horrible knowing I did something to ruin that. I would never regret assisting you as I did, no matter what came of it."

Harry felt that lump in his throat growing bigger. "Do you… love him?"

Gilbert's smile became sad and it faded slightly. "Yes, I believe I do. Draco is an incredibly complex person. To be allowed to fully see who he is, how he thinks… It would be impossible not to love him once you have seen all there is of him, both inside and out. He trusts so few people with himself, choosing to wear a mask with everyone… Except you."

Harry blinked. "You can tell?" He and Gilbert had only come in contact one time prior to this, and he couldn't remember Draco being particularly trusting in any way that Gilbert could have observed. Unless it was just something he, Harry, couldn't read that Gilbert could because he just knew Draco so much better.

Gilbert's smile grew knowing and secretive. "Listen, love, when you live with a man like Draco, you learn to read him like a book if you want to last for very long. Draco trusts you as he trusts no one else, save perhaps me. You might want to ask yourself why."

Harry found it difficult to wrap his mind around this surprising bit of information. Draco trusted him as much as he trusted Gilbert. What in the world had he done to earn such? Gilbert's voice tore him out of his thoughts and back into the conversation at hand.

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly did you come here for?" Gilbert smiled sheepishly, but he didn't seem to regret the question, and definitely seem to be waiting for an answer. Tactless, Draco would say.

Harry glanced away, suddenly feeling awkward again. I was relieved when I heard you were married. I was getting jealous of Draco going out with you so often. How would Gilbert react to the news that he and Ginny were getting a divorce? Would he start to get possessive and clingy and start acting like Ginny had, trying to keep them from being friends? Would Draco allow Gilbert to ruin their friendship? …And something petty like trying to ruin his friendship with you would not stop him if he grew tired of me and chose to pursue you. No, Gilbert had just said he would do no such thing. Besides, married or divorced, he still (most likely) wasn't gay.

Gilbert had nothing to worry about.

"I just… wanted to talk to Draco about some things. Personal… things." Harry wasn't sure quite what to do anymore. Hang around waiting for Draco so he could tell him about the divorce? Go ahead and leave and tell him tomorrow at the Ministry, since it was clear Gilbert didn't intend to leave him alone anytime soon to give him proper snooping time?

"Ah, well, you're welcome to stay here until he gets home from work. I'm sure Draco will be pleased to see you." Gilbert pushed himself to his feet. "Are you sure you don't want any tea? I was just considering making myself some when you showed up." Harry opened his mouth to refuse yet again, then considered. If Gilbert was in the kitchen making tea, he might be able to save this botched mission and get a bit of snooping done after all!

"Actually, that does sound quite nice." Gilbert smiled and nodded, turning to leave the room. "Do you mind if I, ah…" Harry stood as Gilbert paused, gesturing vaguely toward the hall. Gilbert chuckled and shook his head.

Harry managed a smile and didn't hesitate to disappear out of the other brunette's sight into the hallway. He glanced around, noting each door and guessing at its contents. He remembered the bathroom and Scorpius' room from Christmas. That meant that the third door, down at the end of the hall, was the master bedroom. Harry hesitated, listening carefully to be sure that Gilbert was still puttering around in the kitchen, then snuck down and tested the doorknob, pleased when it quietly turned under his hand and the door swung open.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and then slipped inside, quietly closing the door back behind him. Pulling his wand, he murmured, "Lumos," and lifted the glowing tip higher to illuminate his surroundings without alerting Gilbert any sooner than necessary to his prying. The room was tidy, as expected, with a rather large suitcase tucked away against one wall. Probably Gilbert's, Harry decided. It would make it easy to move out quickly when Scorpius came home.

Moving further into the room, Harry continued to make mental notes. The king size bed dominated the far wall, beautifully carved with black sheets and comfortable-looking pillows. A flash of what Draco might look like sprawled there, blonde hair spilling artfully over dark sheets, struck him. It was almost immediately followed by in image of Gilbert in the bed with him, dark hair against pale skin… Harry shook his head violently. Just because you might consider exploring your sexuality after the divorce does not make it okay to fantasize about your coworker, especially not one already in a relationship, especially not Draco Malfoy.

Deliberately turning away from the bed, his eyes lit upon a bookshelf that appeared to be well and fully stuffed full of books. He doubted there was space for even the slimmest paperback among all the other titles already shoved onto the shelves. Not too far away was a wardrobe, which Harry assumed held all of Draco's clothes, just as the suitcase held Gilbert's.

The last thing Harry saw, aside from the door to the second bathroom, was the writing desk that was sitting not too far from the… furniture that he wasn't thinking about. Carefully avoiding even brushing against that furniture, he circled around to the desk and leaned in close, pausing again to listen for Gilbert. The man still seemed to be oblivious to his plans. Satisfied, Harry sat at the desk chair and quietly tugged open the first drawer, disappointed to find only blank parchment and quills inside. The next drawer was bottles of ink in several colors. The third drawer, however, was much, much more interesting.

Harry pulled out a stack of Daily Prophet newspapers that appeared to be quite old and well-read. The pages were marked and worn from being turned and re-turned, and Harry couldn't stifle his curiosity. Of all newspapers, the Daily Prophet was the most anti-Death Eater, anti-pureblood, anti-everything Draco had once been a part of. For him to collect several issues of it meant that whatever was inside was extremely significant to Draco.

Harry carefully unfolded the first one, dating back to a little over a year ago. Second page, bottom right, located directly beneath an article that was actually about one of his cases from back then, the Malfoy name jumped out at him. It was a small article about the Malfoy-Greengrass divorce that had been in the works back then, before everything was finalized apparently. Right above it was a small picture of the family, taken at some sort of Ministry function, or so he assumed. He had never paid much attention to those types of things. Draco had a hand on his son's shoulder, keeping him close. Astoria seemed almost distant from husband and son, her small smile cold and ice. Harry shivered. Merlin, she looked like a right piece of work.

Harry skimmed the article, nothing too important. He refolded it and carefully set it aside before moving on to the next. This article was bigger, with a picture of just Astoria this time, giving the camera that same cool smile. It was an interview from Astoria to Rita Skeeter about her awful home life, basically the exact same story she had apparently told Ginny. No love, no freedom, no sexual relations. Blah, blah, blah.

Harry ignored the article on the opposite page that had his picture and an article about his accomplishments as an Auror, putting this paper aside as well. The third paper was practically the same, as was the fourth. The fifth one, however, gave him pause. This time the interview was with Draco. The picture at the top was of just him and Scorpius, standing close together. They were a family, and Astoria was an unwelcome outsider. Harry was glad, knowing what he knew now, that Draco had kicked her out of his life.

Draco's interview was much different from Astoria's.

I: Is it true that your marriage had been falling apart for some time? That both you and your wife have been with other people?

D: Yes, we were both having affairs. Discreet, for Scorpius' sake, but hardly a secret between the two of us. We discussed it extensively one night and agreed that it was the best thing for everyone involved, back when Scorpius was still rather young. This bollocks about me cheating on her while she was faithful all along is absolutely rubbish. If she tells you otherwise, I suggest Veritaserum. The bint is obviously lying.

I: Is it true that you subjected Astoria to any kind of abuse…?

D: Absolutely not. I never laid a hand on her physically, never cast any harmful spells, and I certainly didn't harass her mentally, emotionally, or any other way you might imply. We married knowing that all I wanted was an heir, and all she wanted was money. Once Scorpius was born we might as well have been two strangers sharing a roof rather than husband and wife. If she suffered any abuse, check with her lovers. Good luck finding them all, though.

I: Astoria claims that you monopolize your son's time and deny her the right to be with him as a mother should.

D: It is not I that keep her from him. She did it herself. She never wanted to mother him or be with him when he was young. Now that he is older and she finds him acceptable to be seen with in public, she's showing interest and Scorpius isn't responding because she's never acted like a mother should before. She thinks having Scorpius on her side will win this divorce case for her, but I refuse to let that happen. I don't care what else she tries to claim, what else she intends to gain from all this, but she will never have Scorpius.

I: Why now? It will be virtually impossible to keep any aspect of this high-profile break up a secret from your son, which, as you yourself said, has been a large factor in the decisions you've made about your relationship prior to this moment. Why have you chosen now to end this façade of a marriage, and what do you intend to tell Scorpius?

D: The truth. I will tell Scorpius the truth. He is old enough now to handle it, I think, and it is high time that I stopped wasting my life being miserable as I am now with Astoria. I will admit that things have been growing worse lately, and I think it will do Scorpius more harm to try and protect him from bad publicity and force him to live with parents that hate each other than it will to allow him to know the truth and let us go our separate ways. It is in everyone's best interest, I believe. My own, Astoria's, and Scorpius'. That is all the reason I need to go through with this now, rather than waiting even a moment longer.

Harry lowered the paper and swallowed, no longer concerned about how long he had been absent, or about Gilbert finding him, or Draco, for that matter. Astoria had accused Draco of dreadful things, and had probably taken advantage of the fact that he was a Death Eater to make everyone see her side. But she hadn't succeeded. Draco still had won Scorpius. No wonder she was still bitterly spreading such awful lies about him.

Troubled, he read further.

Draco Malfoy was true to his word. In the divorce case that followed, the former Death Eater fought desperately to retain full custody of his only son, Scorpius. Astoria refused to back down, and as weeks became months it seemed as though the case would drag on forever when a sudden agreement was reached by both sides that ended the war. Astoria Malfoy nee Greengrass inherited the entire Malfoy fortune, while Draco Malfoy and his son retained the Manor and its contents, though without a Galleon to their name.
Mere weeks after the divorce was settled between Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy, the elder Malfoy sold off the Manor and the better part of all that was inside before he dropped off the map with young Scorpius.

Harry dropped the newspaper and stared down at the space where the faded black text had just been, his breath caught in his throat. Without a Galleon to their name. Draco had had no choice but to get a job. He could only assume that the Manor had brought in a hefty sum, but not nearly enough to live off of. No wonder he now lived in such a small home, with such simple furnishings, instead of the grandiose style of the Manor.

"Tsk."

Harry whirled as the light suddenly flicked on at the same time as he heard the voice behind him, startling him, and cool gray eyes met wild green as a resigned sigh finally broke the brief silence between them.

"I suppose I should have warned Gilbert about your tendency to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

Draco crossed the room and scooped up the papers Harry had been reading, placing them back in the drawer where they belonged. "Find anything particularly interesting while you were sniffing through my things?" he asked shortly. Harry simply couldn't tell if the man was truly angry or merely annoyed. It was hard to tell.

"Draco, I…" He spotted Gilbert in the doorway, peeking in at them. "I didn't mean to… I had no idea…" Draco made a soft humming sound in his throat as he stood in front of the seated Auror, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, if you read the paper back then, you would have. Just like everybody else already does. But since you didn't, I had thought I would be safe. But you couldn't just sit back and enjoy something simple." He prodded Harry's chest with his finger, brows narrowed. Harry was beginning to realize that yes, Draco was actually angry. "No, you had to sneak and pry and figure out every bloody thing there is to know about me. You just had to go and ruin everything!" Harry flinched as the taller man's voice suddenly grew louder.

A pair of arms quietly wound around Draco's waist from behind, and Harry watched as Gilbert's face appeared at the blonde's shoulder and rested against it. "Draco," he murmured soothingly. Harry felt his stomach tighten, and something strange and unfamiliar churned through him as he watched Gilbert lean against Draco like he belonged there, like he was confident that he was welcome and never considered that his interference might not be appreciated as he soothed the blonde's ire with gentle words and soft touches.

Draco closed his eyes for a moment, and when he let out his breath it held a faint shudder. "I think you should go, Harry."

The brunette stood, but he didn't leave yet. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. He had known Draco wouldn't appreciate his prying. He had known that. He had gone through with it despite anyway, and that made this entirely his fault. Draco had every right to be angry that his privacy had been invaded like this. But he couldn't leave until he told Draco his news, at least, lest he never get the opportunity to talk to him again after this moment. Considering he had helped him get to this point, it was only fair to keep him in the loop, in Harry's eyes. "I just wanted to let you know that Ginny and I are, in fact, going to go through with the divorce." Stormy eyes snapped open and focused on his face, the dark haze of anger in them replaced with shock. "She actually brought it up today, and we agreed it was for the best. I just thought you might like to know." Harry glanced to the side, then back up at Draco. "I really am sorry. I… just couldn't help myself."

Draco was still watching him silently, his expression unreadable. "I'll see you at work, Harry." Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he nodded morosely before edging around the couple in front of him, heading for the door. "We'll discuss Friday then." Harry paused, uncertain, and then glanced back. Had he heard that right? Draco was watching him still, Gilbert pressed tightly against his back, also watching him. The ridiculous urge to force the slightly shorter brunette to release him washed over Harry, but he ignored it and nodded instead, then turned to leave. Gilbert released Draco after a moment and followed to lock Harry out.

He hesitated, standing at the door, as Harry stepped out into the cold. "He's just overreacting, Harry. He'll have forgiven you by this time tomorrow. Trust me." Gilbert smiled reassuringly and Harry drew some small comfort from it as he nodded again. When he wasn't plastered against Draco like a leech, Harry liked the other brunette.

Harry trudged away from the house far enough to Apparate and headed home to his future ex-wife and his daughter, his mind whirling sickly with confusing emotions, twisted fantasies, and a horrible dread in the pit of his stomach that he had just done something that would forever alter his relationship with his blonde coworker.

Back inside, Gilbert pressed his forehead against the cool door for a moment, then retreated back to the bedroom to tend to his lover. Draco was standing just as he'd left him, and he didn't struggle as Gilbert wound his arms around him once again. He just groaned and buried his face into the brunette's dark hair.

"Why does he have to ruin everything," the blonde moaned. Gilbert didn't bother trying to come up with an answer, merely pressing his lips to Draco's neck as he held him tightly, offering what little he had that might placate the taller man. But Draco wasn't having it. He pushed Gilbert away, his gaze darkening and growing more intense.

"Don't just pretend you don't have anything to say. You've always got an opinion about everything that goes on around here, whether I want to hear it or not. The one time I want to know your thoughts, don't you dare keep them in your bloody thrice-bedamned head!"

Gilbert sighed and sank down on the foot of the bed, watching Draco stand there and glower at him ominously. "I just don't think he really ruined anything, Draco. He would have found out eventually, you know."

Draco snarled a curse. "But now I can't… Aagh, don't you get it? Even if he does end up gay or bisexual or whatever he wants to end up calling it, which is still incredibly unlikely, I can't act on it now! He'll think I'm after his money! As far as his oblivious mind figures, I've been his friend up until now. If I suddenly start trying to win his heart, he's going to assume it's because he's got thousands of Galleons to spare in the bank and not only will I lose any chance of ever being with him, I'll lose his friendship, too. If I'd won his heart first, I could have explained it to him afterward." Draco seemed determined to work himself into a frenzy similar to the other day.

Gilbert scratched the back of his neck. "You might could still make it work, Draco. I don't think he'll think so poorly of you after all of this you two have been through. If you wanted to mooch money off him, couldn't you have been doing so by now?" Draco shrugged, clinging to his anger like a security blanket. It was easier to be angry than it was to be vulnerable. "Well, there you go, then. I'm sure you're just overreacting. Settle things with him on Friday, or whatever day you two meet up next, and see where things go from there. He's getting the divorce, Draco." He waited until gray eyes drifted up to meet his before he repeated reassuringly, "He's getting the divorce."

(Time skip.)

Albus and his 'Shadow' were sitting in the library working. For once, Rose had opted not to join them, since she had already finished her work (bloody lucky Ravenclaw) and Scorpius had assured her they were more than capable of figuring out their own work for themselves. After the brief argument between the duo about Rose, Scorpius had started to consciously decrease Rose's time spent with them so that it could be like it used to, just Albus and Scorpius together for the majority of the day. The blonde certainly didn't mind it, and if it meant that much to Albus, who was he to try and ruin the Gryffindor's fun?

"And done." Scorpius shifted his book closer to Albus so the other boy could see to copy, leaving his scroll out just in case that was needed, as well. "You know you're going to have to figure this stuff out for yourself if you're ever going to pass any tests."

Albus scribbled furiously, tongue caught between his teeth as he concentrated. "I understand it," he muttered, "I just hate having to work for hours to get these stupid scrolls written out for all these teachers. You can do it so much faster than me."

Scorpius smiled briefly. "Either way, you're going to have to work harder to be ready for the end of the year. We're already more than halfway there, Al. And you're still copying half your homework from me in practically every class."

Albus stuck out his tongue and then pouted. "I change some of the words," he defended himself, brows furrowing.

Scorpius chuckled. "Yes, you change the bigger words to smaller ones so they'll be even faster to write, you mean."

Albus scowled. "If I copied it word for word, they would know we cheated." Scorpius waved aside his complaints and smiled at Albus.

"Yes, yes, just hurry up. I'd like to be done here before curfew." Albus grinned, his good mood restored by the simple, sincere smile that so few people ever got to see, and quickly bowed his head over his work once more, moving much more quickly now with something to copy rather than having to come up with the answers on his own. He knew he was capable, or he wouldn't allow himself the luxury of copying it from Scorpius. It was just easier this way.

"You know, James and I were talking the other day. Rose always comes over from the Ravenclaw table to sit with us. We were wondering if you would start doing that, too. You know, every day. Permanently." Scorpius glanced over, mildly surprised, and saw that a red flush had colored his friend's neck and ears, his face lowered to the paper as he appeared to wait nervously for his answer to the offer. Scorpius smiled a little.

"That sounds nice."

Albus dotted his last sentence with a period at the end and began to pack away his things, nudging all of the Slytherin student's belongings over closer to him as he grinned, his skin still flushed with emotion, though clearly he wasn't nervous anymore. "Brilliant. So in the morning we'll see you at breakfast, then."

Scorpius nodded and packed away his things as Albus pushed them toward him. "And again at lunch, and again at dinner. Every single day. Yes, I know how it works." Albus stuck out his tongue again, scooping his bag onto his shoulder as he shoved his chair under. Scorpius grinned and tossed the strap of his own bag over his arm.

Albus took off running, and Scorpius was right on his tail, muffling their laughter until they cleared the library doors. Then it bounced off the high stone walls, high and boisterous. With the bullies dealt with and the majority of their family now friends with Scorpius, there didn't seem to be a problem in the world in the lives of the two boys.

They had no idea, of course, of the drama brewing at home.

(Well, wow. This chapter definitely centered on Harry and Draco rather than the boys. I barely found a reason to plug them in at all. I didn't even realize until I started typing this note just how much space I took up with Drarry. It was surprising.
I hope I did this well. I felt like Draco drifted toward OOC a bit in places, but I rewrote countless times to try and fix it, and actually had to take a scene out. I'll have to find a place to refit it into the story later. But I digress. Please let me know if I failed in any way. My muse floundered this week. But I felt guilty waiting so long to post again, so I knew I had to try, and once I got halfway through, it started flowing more easily.
Review, my lovely readers! With luck the next chapter will come a bit more easily.)