Another busy day! What is it with jobs that make you work? Can't they just...I don't know, give me a paycheck for surfing the internet all day?

Chapter 14

"You're sure?" Ron asked, his voice rich with disbelief. Harry nodded as he continued to work. "You really believe that there's no reason to investigate Malfoy?"

"I really believe that," Harry mumbled as he moved onto the next file. "Look, I'm not the one looking to win back Hermione's friendship. You are. Do you really think investigating her boyfriend is the way to do it? Besides, he's done nothing illegal. I know he was a Death Eater, and he did horrible things when we were teenagers, but he was cleared of those charges. He's done nothing even remotely questionable since then."

"Wait, boyfriend?" Ron asked, surprised by the news. "Since when is Hermione dating that scum?"

Harry shrugged. "A couple months," he guessed. "And he's not a bad guy. He's got his life better put together than I have. Hermione said he's really changed, and I've seen it firsthand. It's almost nauseating how much he cares about her."

"And you don't find that strange?" Ron demanded.

Setting down his quill, Harry chuckled. "Yes, I always find it quite disturbing when someone cares about my best friend," he commented sarcastically. "I don't know. Maybe having a kid has changed him. All I know is he loves her, and he doesn't make a big deal about it in front of me."

"Oh, so you and Malfoy are friends now?" Ron asked, his face reddening with anger.

Harry shrugged, knowing that as long as Ron was in his office he would get no work done. "We've hung out a few times," Harry informed him. "You know, if you gave him a chance, Hermione might realize that she's missed having you around. By the way, he's coming by today. I offered to give his son a tour of the Aurors' office. Hermione was going to bring him in last week, but the kid's a bit hesitant about magic."

"Afraid he's going to end up like Daddy and Granddad?" Ron wondered.

Harry rolled his eyes before telling Ron to leave his office. "Look, if you see him, just be nice," Harry advised. "It'll make Hermione happy, and it's not his son's fault that his ancestors are who they are."

Shrugging, Ron left his friend's office. Harry wasn't alone long. Ten minutes later, Hermione knocked on his door, and entered with Draco and Oliver close behind. Despite his shyness, Oliver stared with wide-eyed wonderment as he surveyed the decorations in Harry's office. Medals and plaques, autographs from Quidditch stars, the first snitch he'd ever caught lined the walls and shelves. The little boy seemed transfixed by the snitch, causing Draco to grin proudly. Harry rounded his desk and picked up the small, winged, gold ball.

"It won't come to life," he promised as he placed it in Oliver's hand. "They fly, you know. Your dad and I, when we played, it was our job to catch this. Now, I don't know what he's told you, but if he told you that he beat me every time, don't believe him. I don't think he ever managed to catch it before I did."

"Well, if I wanted my kid to think I wasn't a total screw up, this wasn't the way to go about it," Draco joked. "Thanks, Potter."

Harry smiled. "Any time," he promised. "Come on, let's get this tour going."

Oliver saw the Aurors' office, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, and the Department of Magical Games and Sports. The little boy seemed impressed, and told his father so when they returned to Harry's office. "I'm coming around to it," he decided. "Dad, can we go to one of those...what's it called games? You know with the snitch like Mr. Potter's."

"I think that could be arranged," Draco replied. "What do you say, Potter? Have any ticket connections for the Quidditch World Cup?"

"I'll see what I can do," Harry promised. "Getting four tickets shouldn't be too difficult."

"Three," Hermione amended.

Oliver looked up at her with sad eyes. "But Mini, you have to come too," he said, his bottom lip forming a pout. He wrapped his arms around her hips. "Don't leave me, Mini."

Hermione struggled to hold back a laugh. "See what I mean about Malfoy guilt trips," she said. "Harry, try for four. And nothing as high as last time."

Harry promised to get to work on the tickets, and the Malfoys bade him goodbye. "This went well," Draco whispered to Hermione as she walked out with them.

"It's a start," she replied. "This is just a small piece of wizarding life. What if he doesn't like the rest?"

Draco knew that she was referring to the war and his part in it. He knew that one day he would have to tell his son, but he didn't want that day to come soon. Oliver was the most important person in his life, and he feared that learning that his father was the bad guy would damage their relationship forever.

"Couldn't I just, you know, not tell him?" Draco asked hopefully.

Hermione shook her head. "Isn't it better that it comes from you than a book?" she replied. "Wouldn't you feel betrayed if you found out about your father's crimes from Professor Binns?"

He hated that she was right. Oliver had seen the faded remains of the Dark Mark on his arm plenty of times, but he had always had an excuse for it - a tattoo gone wrong that had to be removed. Draco had cautioned the little boy about making permanent mistakes, mistakes that often couldn't be rectified.

They arrived in the Atrium, ready to leave the Ministry for lunch. Oliver walked a few steps ahead of them, but stopped when he reached the fountain dedicated to the war effort. "Daddy, what's this?" Oliver asked.

Draco groaned softly, and stared at the monument. The Greek goddess of peace, Eirene, stood tall above them in the middle of the fountain. Tiles decorated with the names of the fallen surrounded the outer base. Coins were occasionally tossed in the water as an offering to the goddess, hoping that she would continue to bless their world with the peace for which they had so arduously fought.

"Before you were born, there was a war," Draco explained. "This statue is a memorial to the witches and wizards who died. Do you see this name here? He was a very brave man."

Hermione looked over his shoulder to see where he pointed. Tears welled in her eyes when he pointed not to Severus Snape, but Remus Lupin.

"And this one," Draco continued, pointing out Fred' Weasley's name, "was one of the funniest, most talented pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Did the good guys beat the bad guys?" Oliver asked.

"They did," Draco confirmed, smiling at Hermione.

Oliver noticed the small glance that passed between the adults. "Mini, were you one of the good guys?" he asked.

"One of the best," Draco replied for her. "Listen, I promise to tell you all about it one day. Right now, I think it's time to get some lunch."

Hermione agreed in a show of solidarity. "You handled that well," she murmured when they stepped outside.

Draco shrugged. "If only the real story could be that easy," he muttered.