* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 81: Somewhere Only We Know
AN: The chapter title is from the song:
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane.
Nobody felt good the morning after Susan and Percy's wedding. Nobody woke up earlier than midday, and nobody woke up feeling healthy. Draco and Hermione had crashed at Potter Manor because, for some reason, they always ended up back at the same house after significant events.
As such, they would awake to sober up potions on their bedside tables because Harry and Daphne had the best house-elves. When Daphne woke up that morning, she felt sick to her stomach. She blinked away the blurriness then became aware that Harry was not the only person in her bed.
"Oh sweet Salazar," She muttered as she shimmied out of bed, slipped on a green, silken dressing gown and knocked back the hangover potion. Her eyes widened as memories of the night that were fuzzy became clear.
"Holy Helga…" she muttered as she slipped into the ensuite bathroom, washed her face and brushed her hair, "That happened."
She gave herself a shake, drank a glass of water then walked back into the bedroom to awake the three sleeping figures in her bed. On the bedside table, there were three hangover potions, and she had a feeling all of them were going to be gratefully accepted.
"Guys!" Daphne said loudly, "Guys!"
They began to stir, but the first to become fully aware of her surroundings was Lilly. She looked over at Neville, then felt another body behind her and jumped in alarm when she realised that it was Harry. She sat up, and her head spun, "I'm going to be sick."
"Drink that quickly," Daphne said, thrusting the potion at her.
Lilly knocked it back, and Daphne began to say, "But it will make your memories of last night clear, so you might want to hide your-"
"Oh my…" Lilly said in horror as the memories came back, "Oh…oh my god!"
"- face," Daphne finished as Lilly put a pillow in front of her face.
This exchange had woken Harry and Neville up. They both looked bleary-eyed and confused as they looked between Lilly, who was dying of embarrassment and Daphne, who was leaning in the bathroom doorway, looking vaguely amused.
"Drink these," Daphne said, handing each of them a vial, "You'll feel better, and you'll remember. Harry Potter, do not think you are getting away with this, by the way. You had far too much to drink last night."
Both men knocked back the hangover potions (Harry with an apologetic glance at his wife), and they began to remember the night in more vivid detail.
"Oh good Godric," Neville muttered.
"Lilly!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.
"I know," Lilly muttered from underneath her pillow.
Neville looked over at Harry, "Um…wow…this is awkward…."
"Yeah…" Harry agreed, "Are we all okay with the things that happened last night?"
"No," Lilly groaned.
Daphne grinned and removed the pillow from her face, "Too late, Lil, you already did them."
"I hate you," Lilly said as Daphne handed her a pink, silken gown.
"None of it could be considered cheating, right?" Harry asked, looking specifically at his wife.
"Considering we were all a part of it, I'm inclined to say no," Daphne replied. She shot him an amused smile, "Am I the only one who doesn't want to die of embarrassment right now?"
"Yes," Lilly muttered as she slipped the gown on and ran away into the bathroom.
"I don't know how I'm going to look at your wife the same way again," Neville said to Harry with a shake of his head.
"I don't know how I'm going to look Lil in the eye at work," Harry admitted.
Daphne just grinned, "Well, I had a lot of fun, but I don't think it's an experience to repeat."
"No," Harry agreed, "No, not when I need to work with Lilly and Neville. Oh my god, Neville, we're gonna be Auror partners, and we just did that. Nobody can ever find out, okay?"
"Agreed," Neville said.
"Good luck with that since Hermione and Draco stayed here last night and will, therefore, be in our kitchen this morning," Daphne said. She stepped into the walk-in wardrobe.
"If Draco finds out, he'll tell everyone," Harry whined.
"Especially if he finds out the details."
"Nobody will ever find out the details," Harry said.
Daphne emerged from the wardrobe, "You got that, babe? I don't care how close you and Draco are. You never tell him the details."
"Or what?"
"Don't start that again," Neville muttered as he rubbed his eyes, "Challenging him last night is what started this whole thing."
"No, her and Lilly snogging last night started this whole thing," Harry argued.
"Basically, it's all your fault, Daphne," Neville finished.
"Well, you weren't complaining last night," Daphne said in a sing-song voice as she walked into the bathroom.
"Draco's going to find out, isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Yep," Neville replied.
"And he's going to tell Theo."
"Yup."
"And everyone at training is going to know by Monday night."
"Sounds about right," Neville said as he looked up at the top of the four-poster bed, "Is this the actual size of your bed, by the way?"
"Yeah," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"Bet it didn't ever cross your mind that it might have four people in it one day," Neville joked.
"Nope, it didn't…."
In the ensuite bathroom, Daphne leant against the shower cubicle and said, "Are you drowning yourself in there?"
"No, but the thought is tempting."
Daphne chuckled, "It was a bit of fun, don't worry about it. Okay?"
Lilly opened the cubicle by a fraction and peered out, "Don't worry about it? I've got to face your husband at work after that."
"It will be awkward for a few days, and then it will fade," Daphne said with an amused smile, "He's more concerned about Draco and Theo finding out."
"They'll tell everyone at work," Lilly groaned.
"No, they won't," Daphne said with a shrug, "Because they won't want everyone to know about their foursome, will they?"
"Oh, for the love of the founders," Lilly said, resting her head against the glass, "We're a foursome."
"Oh, come on, we always were. We just didn't explicitly discuss it like the other did," Daphne snorted as she began to run the bath.
"And we didn't think our other halves were gay for each other," Lilly added with an amused grin, "Can I borrow your shampoo?"
"Of course," Daphne replied, handing it in to her, "You're right, Harry and Neville are nowhere near as homoerotic as Draco and Theo, but then again, neither of them are proper purebloods."
At this, Lilly laughed, "So what you're saying is that the other four are proper purebloods, and we're what bargain-basement purebloods?"
"Exactly," Daphne said with a grin.
"What does that make Suse?" Lilly chuckled.
"Oh, Merlin knows," Daphne laughed in response.
Thankfully, the 'foursome' ended up in the kitchen before Draco and Hermione that morning.
"What time did we come home last night?"
"You mean, this morning?" Harry asked.
"I dunno, but I think the sun was coming out," Neville replied.
"Yeah, I think so too," Daphne said, "Harry, did you and Draco slow dance?"
Harry made a face, "Yeah…who dared us to do that?"
"Neville," Lilly snorted.
"It was a pretty good night though, right?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah, it was one hell of a night," Daphne replied, "But do you know what I would kill for right now?"
"A fry up?" Harry guessed.
"Yes," Daphne sighed.
"Oh, Daph, you are a woman after my own heart," Neville joked.
"Watch it," Harry said in amusement.
"Yeah, after last night, anything is possible," Lilly agreed with an amused chuckle.
A couple of floors up, Hermione woke up with the strong suspicion that she was going to throw up.
"Sober up potion on the bedside table," Draco mumbled from her side.
Hermione blinked a couple of times and saw the potion. She knocked it back in one then lay down on her back on the bed, "I feel sick."
"I'm not surprised, you were doing shots until 3 am, or maybe it was 4 am," Draco said, stretching out and turning to look at her, "Amongst other things."
Colour rose in Hermione's cheeks, "Oh my god, that happened."
"Oh, that happened alright," Draco said, grinning smugly at her.
Hermione shook her head, "I…I can't believe we did that. Why did you let us do that? We had sex in Susan's garden! Anyone could have seen us! Do you think they did?"
"Pretty sure we would have heard about it now if they had," Draco snorted.
Hermione glared at him, "It's not funny."
"It is funny because I knew you would freak out the minute you sobered up," Draco said with a grin, "You're so uptight when you're sober."
"Uptight?" Hermione fumed, "You…you're an arsehole."
Draco snorted, amused that she couldn't come up with much more than arsehole.
Hermione lay back down and shut her eyes, fuzzy memories coming into focus, "Did you slow dance with Harry last night?"
"Yeah, he stood on my toes a lot."
"Are you embarrassed about anything you did?" Hermione asked, opening one eye to look at him.
"Oh, I'm moderately embarrassed about hugging Neville. That was a moment of weakness."
"But slow dancing with Harry and shagging me 10 metres away from the party wasn't?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
Draco grinned at her, "Nah. Do you remember what happened when we got back?"
Hermione frowned, "No…."
"Harry, Daphne, Neville and Lilly all disappeared," Draco reminded her, "We got back, and there was a red tie on the door of Harry and Daphne's bedroom."
"So?"
"So Harry was wearing a blue tie last night," Draco said, shooting her a grin, "Neville was wearing a red tie."
Hermione's eyes widened, "Holy crap!"
"Yep," Draco said in amusement, "Do you smell bacon?"
"You're unbelievable," Hermione muttered.
"You were unbelievable last night," Draco said, winking at her.
"Good morning," Draco said with a grin.
"Good morning," Harry said cautiously.
"Good night?" Draco asked as he and Hermione stepped into the kitchen.
"Yeah…" Harry said slowly, "You?"
Daphne just shot her friend an amused look and asked, "How's your back this morning, Mione?"
Hermione frowned, "What do you mean? Did I hurt my back last night?"
"I don't know, did you? Those walled gardens are pretty haphazard. Anything could have poked you anywhere," Daphne teased, waggling her eyebrows at her friend.
Hermione flushed with colour, "Oh my god. Draco, you said no one knew!"
"No, I said I figured we would have heard about it by now if they knew," Draco corrected her.
"Had to save the slagging for the morning, sorry," Harry said, grinning at them in amusement.
"Oh, you and me both," Draco grinned, "Seems Theo and I aren't as unique as we thought."
"Oh fuck, he knows," Neville muttered.
"Of course I know, you idiot," Draco retorted, "Why else would your tie have been on the door to Harry and Daphne's bedroom?"
Harry looked at Daphne in disbelief.
The blonde woman grimaced, "I thought you were the one wearing the red tie," she said to Harry.
"Daphne!" Harry groaned.
"Please don't tell Theo," Lilly begged.
"Of course he'll tell Theo," Neville said, "They are joined at the hip."
"Oh no," Draco said with a shake of his head, "No more gay jokes about me and Theo. You two are on a par now."
Lilly let her head drop onto the table.
Daphne set cups of tea and coffee in front of everyone, "Let's just make one thing clear. If this goes beyond our friend group, to say our places of work? I will make sure that everyone in the Auror department knows about you and Theo declaring your love for each other on the Astronomy Tower back in eighth year. I'll play the memory to the whole ministry."
"Is she serious?" Draco asked, glancing at Hermione.
"Oh, she's serious," Hermione said, "Never test Daphne when it concerns her or Harry's career."
"Okay," Draco said, frowning at his friend, "You scare me. I'll tell Theo, and I'll relay that threat. You know he's scared enough of you to keep his mouth shut."
"Good," Daphne said cheerfully. She sipped her coffee and asked, "Now, where did Susan and Percy go last night? They were more drunk than any of us."
"I'm pretty sure they crashed in a tent in the garden," Lilly replied.
"Classy," Draco said, looking pointedly at Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes and looked at the clock, "Funny Draco. Daph babe, we need to pick Teddy up from your dad in like…3 minutes. Do you want me to go?"
"Yeah, love, that would be great," Daphne replied, "I'll have breakfast sorted before you come back."
"Perfect, I love you," Harry said, kissing her lightly then disappearing into the fireplace.
"When did we all get old, boring and domestic?" Neville asked in amusement.
"Last night was not boring or domestic," Lilly murmured. She still had her head in her hands.
Hermione bit her lip in amusement, "Are you okay, Lil?"
"She's still a bit embarrassed," Neville said, patting his girlfriend on the head.
"Sadie was like that after our…thing," Draco said with a grin, "Couldn't look you in the eye for a week, could she love?"
"Can we not compare experiences?" Hermione asked with a grimace.
Draco grinned over at his friends, "I'm going to be able to use this one for weeks."
"That's not fair, Draco. They wouldn't have held it against us if they had known," Hermione argued.
"Oh, they would have," Draco said, meeting Harry's eye, "You two little shits would have."
"We would not have!" Harry objected.
Neville snorted, "Nah, Harry, let's be honest, we totally would have."
"So let the weeks of blackmail begin!" Draco said, clapping his hands together gleefully.
"I don't know why you put up with him, honey," Daphne said to Hermione. She shot Draco a long-suffering look.
"Neither do I sometimes," Hermione muttered, glaring half-heartedly at Draco.
"She loves him really," Neville said, without looking up from his book about plants.
"All the good girls love a bad boy," Lilly agreed. She crossed her feet underneath her and opened up the book that she had been resting her head on, "Oh wow, who wants to see this picture of a guy with his head caved in?"
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Hermione said, dashing from the room.
Daphne made a face, "Way to put me off my breakfast, Lil."
"Lightweight," Lilly said, grinning wickedly at her friend.
Daphne shook her head in amusement and started to pull breakfast ingredients out of the pantry. She glanced over at her friends as she did and couldn't help herself as a smile came to her lips. They were crazy, but they were her family, and she loved them all so much.
"Lilly! You have to come and see this!"
Lilly looked up from her book in surprise. Neville had just run into the house, slightly sweaty and muddy after his morning walk. It was February now, and the crisp air began to disappear earlier in the mornings, so Neville had begun exploring the gardens in the wake of spring when he and Lilly planned to spruce them up.
"Jeez Nev, what have you found, buried treasure?" Lilly joked as she pulled her coat on.
"Not quite, but that's what it feels like to me," Neville said breathlessly, "Come on!"
He grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the garden. He took her beyond the nicely maintained section of the garden, into the vast woods at the back, which were also part of their property. He took her through the woods, along an overgrown path until they emerged in a clearing.
The minute they came to a stop, Lilly realised what Neville had been so excited about. Overgrown and hidden amongst the trees was a beautiful greenhouse. It looked Victorian, constructed of glass and beautifully sculpted steel. It was ornate and stunning, not to mention huge.
"A secret garden with a greenhouse Lilly," Neville said, positively brimming with excitement, "Do you want to look inside?"
Lilly looked up in surprise, "You've been inside? But Neville, you don't even know if it's structurally safe!"
"Lilly," Neville said, grinning at her, "I'm training to be an Auror; I'm not stupid. I did a spell to check the structural integrity; it told me that the back right roof was caving in, so I put shield charms around that area. It's perfectly fine to go inside, trust me."
Lilly did, with her life in fact, and she really wanted to see inside the greenhouse, "Is anything in there still alive?" she asked, looking at the sections of broken glass and the section of roof that Neville had mentioned was caving in.
"Oh loads," Neville replied eagerly as he dashed up the stone steps towards the entrance and pushed aside a curtain of ivy, "A lot of it is growing out of the greenhouse though. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a project. The building needs work, not to mention what has been left to grow inside but look."
Lilly stepped in and looked around in amazement. There were plants everywhere, both of the wizarding and muggle variety. Squirrels dashed around in the roof space, and birds flew around freely, "This place is amazing."
Neville nodded, a broad grin gracing his features, "This was where my dad used to take my mum when she came here to visit him in the summer. I found their initials carved into that bench over there," he said, smiling with a fond sort of sadness.
Lilly reached down and grabbed his hand.
Neville looked at her, tears in his eyes and said, "So I thought maybe it could become our place. Our secret garden with its own greenhouse, somewhere that the others don't know about. Somewhere that's just for us."
"It's perfect," Lilly said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.
"Nev, wake up," Harry said, poking his best friend in the face with the end of his quill.
Neville blinked down at his parchment, "Sorry, what did I miss?"
"Just a summary of the pros and cons of having an Animagus form, but I'm pretty sure you're good on that one for the test," Harry whispered.
Neville chuckled, "Yeah, I reckon so."
"You okay? It's not like you to fall asleep in class," Harry said in an undertone.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Neville yawned, "I was just up late last night."
Harry raised an eyebrow at him, "Were you?"
"Not doing that," Neville snorted, "I was…gardening."
Harry chuckled, "You don't need me to tell you how sad that sounds."
"I know, but I've got this new project, and I got a bit obsessed," Neville said, yawning again.
"Well, you better get a coffee into you at lunch," Harry whispered, "It's duelling this afternoon, and if you're not on the ball, Draco and Theo are going to overtake us in the league."
"That is not happening," Neville said, suddenly seeming more awake as his competitive side came out.
Harry grinned and patted him on the back, "There's my plucky sidekick back."
"Call me your plucky sidekick again, and I'll Expelliarmus your arse into next week."
Harry snorted in amusement at the comment.
"Potter! Longbottom! Less talking, more listening, or you will both be listening from the door while you scrub the corridor! Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Lilly! Can I get a little help here?"
"Yeah, what do you-" Lilly looked up from the panel of glass she had been repairing and crossed her arms in disbelief, "What did I tell you about going on the roof without using a proper harnessing charm?"
"Not to do it?" Neville said sheepishly as he hung from the roof of the greenhouse.
"Yes, and do you see why now?" Lilly asked irritably.
"Yes, you were right, and I was wrong. Now can you please get me down before this vine breaks, please?" Neville asked.
Lilly cocked her head at him, "Oh, I dunno, I reckon I should take a picture first, for blackmail purposes, you know? Because this does kind of remind me of that time a bunch of pixies hung you from a chandelier."
Neville snorted, "Thanks for that. Are you done laughing at me?"
"Nearly," Lilly said. She grinned and pulled a wizarding camera from her bag, then snapped a picture.
"Lilly!" Neville groaned.
"Now I'm done," Lilly said with a smirk. She cast a cushioning charm on the ground then cut the vine that Neville had gotten himself tangled in. He screeched as he tumbled down to the floor, where he landed ungracefully.
"Lesson learned. I will use a proper harnessing charm from now on," Neville said, rubbing his hip as he got to his feet, "But the good news is that the unstable section of the roof is now stable."
"And," Lilly said, waving her wand in the direction of the pane of glass that she had been working on, "All the glass is now repaired."
"Which means it's just the inside of this place that we need to handle," Neville said, looking around the overgrown greenhouse."
"Just?" Lilly scoffed, "It will take weeks."
"Yeah, but it will be fun," Neville said, shooting her a grin, "Come on, I reckon it's time for a coffee break and maybe a warm bath."
"Should have used a harnessing charm," Lilly said in a sing-song voice as they slipped out of the greenhouse together.
Valentines Day had gotten Daphne thinking about Tracey again, despite Tracey's portrait telling her not to be so stupid. All the same, after the Bones-Weasley wedding, Daphne still felt it weighing on her mind, so she went to Sadie's for a much-needed catch-up. Daphne cooked her up a nice but bland meal. They talked about everything, work, the babies, how Sadie and Theo could not agree on names no matter how hard they tried, and they just reconnected in a way that they hadn't done for months.
Once they had eaten, they ended up getting comfortable in the drawing-room, which was when they started to talk about Tracey and about how much they missed her.
"What do you reckon she would be doing now?" Sadie asked thoughtfully.
"Oh, only Salazar knows," Daphne chuckled, "She'd have been married already. Her and Dean would have gotten married right out of school, I bet."
"Maybe our babies would have grown up together," Sadie said, sadness entering her tone of voice.
"Maybe," Daphne said, thinking of Teddy and Sadie's two unborn babies. It would have been right for a mini Tracey to have run around with them. The idea was so miserable that Daphne decided that she had to brighten the mood a little, "Do you remember what Draco said about us all after I broke up with him?"
Sadie frowned and looked down at her, "No, what did he say again?"
Daphne smiled and said, "He told me to bugger off and cry to my friends about how he was a terrible person who had broken my heart."
"Oh yeah, I do remember this," Sadie said. She chuckled, "He was ranting to Theo about us, wasn't he? He called us the unholy trinity, and he said something about how there are always three of them."
Daphne nodded, grinning up at Sadie, "There are always three of them he said. The wild one, the cute innocent one and the one with the "I don't give a fuck attitude"-"
"Why did I fall in love with that one?" Sadie joined in as they did a bad impression of Draco.
They both laughed, and Sadie said, "You know, I always thought you were going to marry Draco one day. I thought maybe it would have been the two of us, the ladies who lunch. Mrs Nott and Mrs Malfoy."
"Instead, it's Mrs Nott and Mrs Potter," Daphne said, grinning at her best friend.
"Yeah, that I never saw coming," Sadie admitted.
"You and me both," Daphne confessed, "I thought it would be Draco and me too, for a long time. I really believed I could make him better, that I could make him turn away from the darkness in himself and see the light. But I could never have done that. Even Pansy couldn't do that; if anything, she made him darker. It was like she liked him that way…I don't know."
Sadie didn't disagree with her. Daphne looked up thoughtfully, "In the end, it took a saint."
"Hermione's hardly a saint," Sadie said, smiling at Daphne, "She's just what Draco needed. You were what Harry needed. You were the breath of fresh air that gave his life meaning again. The universe has a plan, Daphne. You were meant for Harry, and Hermione was meant for Draco. It just took a couple of false starts for you to realise that."
"When did you grow up and become the wise one?" Daphne asked, reaching up and grabbing Sadie's hand.
"Sometime when I became the size of a whale, I guess," Sadie joked.
"You're not that big," Daphne said, looking at Sadie's baby bump, "Especially considering that you have two babies in there! You look amazing, and you are going to be one hot mummy."
"Don't," Sadie laughed, "You sound like Theo."
"Oh, sweet Salazar, no!" Daphne said with mock horror.
Sadie laughed again, then made a face, "Don't make me laugh too much; I'll pee myself!" she exclaimed.
"Wow, isn't pregnancy glamourous?" Daphne joked.
Sadie snorted, "Tell me about it. By the way, did you all really think that I was the cute innocent one back then?"
"Oh yeah, course you were!" Daphne said with a chuckle, "Tracey was obviously the wild one, and you always were the most naïve. You didn't have as much Slytherin-ness in you, you know? You were sweet and kind and way too trusting."
"Until the war," Sadie said thoughtfully.
Daphne nodded, "Then the sneakiness came out, and your true colours shone. But you know, you were always self-conscious about that, weren't you? You didn't feel like you found yourself until the heat was turned up, but you weren't the only one. Look at Neville; he came into his own that year too. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of pressure to make a person into the person that they were always meant to be."
"I suppose," Sadie mused, "Do you really think that the universe has a plan for us all, Daph?"
"I don't know," Daphne said, looking out of the window absentmindedly, "I think we all have a path in the stars that we are destined to follow, but not all of it is set in stone, you know? You fell pregnant, and you had a choice. At that point, your life could have gone one way or the other, and you had to make a choice."
"But stuff like Harry being the boy-who-lived, nothing could alter that," Sadie realised.
Daphne nodded, "Harry had to be the boy who lived. Neville's parents had to be tortured. Susan's Aunt had to die. Some moments…they define us as people, and I think that they were always mapped out up there, destined to happen, which would explain why seers can only see big events in people's lives."
"That would make sense," Sadie said, realisation dawning in her eyes, "You are really good at this whole theoretical astrophysics stuff. You'd make a good teacher, you know?"
"Yeah," Daphne mused, "I might branch out into that one day if I ever get bored of curse breaking."
"Do you think some people are destined for each other too?" Sadie asked, looking at a wedding photograph of her and Theo. They danced around the floor together, pivoting and laughing.
"Definitely," Daphne replied, smiling at the photo, "The universe knows what it's doing, Sade. Susan was right about that. When you know, you know."
"Yeah," Sadie said softly, her hand resting on her bump, "You do."
"Lecture hall?" Harry whispered to the others as they traipsed in that direction from the showers one breezy morning towards the end of February.
"Yeah, something is obviously up," Draco replied in an undertone.
"We normally only get called there when the shit is hitting the fan," Neville agreed.
"Reckon it's about the mass walkout from the DMLE?" Theo asked.
"Could be," Harry replied, but they didn't discuss it further.
Once they reached the lecture hall and sat themselves down, Auror Weir stepped out and stood at the lectern, which surprised them because Sumner or Sheppard usually led these briefings.
"Good morning all," She said with a warm smile, "I know you are probably all wondering why you were called here, but do not worry, I can assure you that this is not bad news."
Harry almost breathed a sigh of relief. He was so used to bad news these days.
"You are here because this year, due to the unique circumstances, we have decided to trial something that has been discussed several times among the staffing panel here," Weir explained, "For one week, you will all receive a placement within the Auror Department. You will be working alone, not within your Auror pairs, because we want to see how you cope without your partner by your side."
This piqued harry's interest, so he leant forward in his chair.
"This will give you all a chance to put the skills you have been learning over the past six months into practice, but it will also provide us with some extra time to get your final exam for the year prepared. Are there any questions?"
Theo raised his hand.
"Yes, Recruit Nott?"
"Do we get to pick our placements?" Theo asked.
"Unfortunately not," Weir replied with a smile, "We have already chosen placements for you, and I shall be assigning them to you today. You will start your placement immediately, and you will be required to report back here for duty one week from today. Is that clear?"
They all nodded, and no further questions were asked. Hence, Auror Weir took a step back and projected a list onto the wall behind her, "As I hope that you are all aware, there are several different squads within the Auror Department that you can choose to specialise in once you are fully qualified. We will be placing you in one of these squads, so this is a basic rundown of what each squad does, which means it's time for a pop quiz."
There was a general groan around the room.
"An easy one, if you have all read your basic textbooks," Weir added, raising an eyebrow at them.
"Oh shit," Theo muttered, making Draco snort in amusement.
"Behind me, the names of the squads are going to appear, and you are going to tell me the role of that squad," Weir continued, flicking her wrist to make the first squad name appear.
"Homicide. Recruit Nott?"
"Murder and attempted murder," Theo replied instantly.
"Correct," Weir flicked her wrist again, "Vice. Recruit Potter?"
"Gambling, narcotics, prostitution and," Harry frowned, "Uh, something else."
Weir raised an eyebrow, "Anyone?"
Draco raised his hand.
"Yes, Recruit Black?"
"The illegal sale of alcohol and potions Auror Weir," Draco filled in.
"Correct. Brush up on your reading, Potter," Weir said, a warning tone to her voice.
"Sorry, ma'am."
Weir flicked her wrist again, and the third squad name appeared, "Domestics. Recruit Wood?"
"Sexual abuse or assault, and domestic abuse," Ophelia answered.
"Correct. Robbery/Burglary, Recruit Harper?"
Max answered, "Self-explanatory, ma'am."
"Less cheek Harper," Weir said, irritation cutting into her voice, "Be more specific."
"Uh…well…"
Weir rolled her eyes, "Anyone?"
Harry raised his hand, trying to redeem himself.
"Yes, Recruit Potter?"
"With regard to buildings, breaking and entering. However, they also cover general theft such as pick-pocketing," Harry said.
"Spot on, Potter. Next, we have Organised Crimes. Recruit Longbottom?"
"Group crimes, ma'am," Neville replied, "Dealing with terrorist groups or cults, like the Death Eaters."
"Precisely. Missing Persons, that one really is self-explanatory Recruit Harper," Weir said, giving him a pointed look. This made the others snicker.
Weir continued, "Juvenile Crime. Recruit Wilde?"
Emily replied, "Dealing with crimes committed by those under the age of 17."
"Yes," Weir said with a nod, "Fraud. Recruit Black?"
"They investigate fraud cases and all other economic crimes," Draco answered.
"Indeed, they do. Finally, Arson. Recruit Potter?"
"Wizarding fire brigade in essence ma'am," Harry said, "They put out dangerous magical fires that the public cannot contain. However, they also investigate the cause of the fires."
Weir nodded and clicked her fingers. The words on the wall behind her then disappeared. She stepped away from the lectern and walked towards them with a pile of envelopes. She handed one to each of them and said, "Open your letter, and you will discover your assigned placement. Your letter will also tell you which Auror you will be shadowing. You will report to the Auror Department within the ministry to meet them. Understood?"
They all nodded once more.
Weir smiled, "In that case, good luck, recruits."
There was an echo of "Thank you, Auror Weir" around the room. The moment that she left, they all ripped into their envelopes excitedly.
"Oh yes, I got Vice!" Theo said excitedly.
Draco looked down at his with a frown.
"I got Domestics," Harry said with a sigh.
"Oh man, somebody doesn't like you," Theo laughed.
"Yeah, Domestics sounds boring," Draco said, folding up his letter.
"What did you get?" Harry asked curiously.
"Organised Crime," Draco replied quietly.
"Wicked!" Theo said excitedly, but Draco didn't look so keen.
Draco nodded and looked at Neville, "What about you, Neville?"
"Homicide," Neville said, slipping the letter into his pocket.
"What? You got Homicide!" Theo whined, "That's the coolest squad there!"
"It's murder Theo," Neville said darkly, "It's gory and brutal. It's telling a mother that her son is never coming back. It's hardly glamourous."
"That outlook is probably why they gave it to you," Draco mused quietly.
"What did you guys get?" Harry asked, drawing his concerned gaze away from Draco to talk to Blanche and Ophelia.
"Fee got Arson, and I got Missing Persons," Blanche replied, "I should be decent there. I've had enough Step-Fathers go missing."
Harry chuckled, "Arson sounds cool, Fee."
Ophelia nodded eagerly, "Yeah, it does sound fun. What did you get, Harry?"
"Domestics," Harry admitted.
"Domestics?" Blanche made a face, "Dull."
Harry had to agree. Everyone knew that Domestics was considered one of the weaker squads in the department. He felt a little offended to have been tossed in there.
"We better get a move on if we need to report to the Ministry," Neville said, nudging Harry in the ribs.
"Yeah," Harry agreed, getting to his feet and heading for the door with the others.
"Hey Ems, where are you and Max headed?" Blanche asked Emily and Maxwell.
"I got Juvenile Crime," Emily complained, "Which is probably as awful as it sounds."
"And I got Robbery/Burglary," Maxwell replied, "Boring, right?"
"Not as boring as Domestics," Theo joked.
Harry didn't respond to his jibe. He just jogged ahead a little to fall in line with Draco, "Your face fell when you read the letter. What's up?"
"What's up?" Draco whispered in disbelief, "I'm on placement in Organised Crime without any of you to have my back. These people arrested my father more than once, and these are the people whose families he tortured then blackmailed to stay out of Azkaban. They are all going to hate me, Harry and I need to work with them."
"You know why they put you there then," Harry said quietly, "You're going to have to work with these people every day once we're out of training. There will be times when Theo is out chasing a lead, and you'll have to work with them. This is a test Draco, and you need to show them that you're different, that you aren't your father, and gain their respect."
"Easier said than done," Draco said quietly.
Harry nodded, "I know, but you've come this far. You're not going to throw the towel in now, are you?"
Determination shone in Draco's eyes. He shook his head, "No, I'm not," he said stubbornly.
When the trainee Aurors entered the Auror Department to meet the Auror that they would be working with, they all split off.
Harry searched the bullpen for a sign saying 'Domestics'. Every other squad had a big sign emblazoned above their bullpen area. Homicide, Vice and Organised Crime had the shiniest ones. Harry felt a tug of embarrassment. He knew that he, Neville, Draco and Theo were the best in their year group. Those three had all gotten the top squads, so why had Harry been singled out?
He sighed. There was no sign for Domestics, so he walked through the bullpen. Eventually, when he was just about to turn back, he found it. Wedged between a supply cupboard and a fire exit was one desk with a ratty hand-written sign above it saying, 'DOMESTICS'.
Sitting at that desk was a man who looked to be in his mid-30's. He had short, brown hair and sceptical hazel eyes. His Auror robes looked a little more well-worn than the shiny robes of the Homicide, Vice and Organised Crime Aurors.
Harry stepped forward, "Uh, excuse me. Are you Auror Wolfe?"
The man looked up, "Yep, that's me, call me Rob though. Nobody around here calls me Auror these days."
Harry frowned but didn't ask why, "Right, I'm Harry."
"Yep, you're Harry Potter," Rob said, surveying Harry with interest, "You saved the world. Everyone knows who you are."
"Yeah," Harry said awkwardly.
"So who the fuck did you piss off?" Rob asked, crossing his arms.
"Uh, what do you mean?" Harry asked.
"You only get thrown in here if you piss someone off," Rob said, sitting on his messy desk, his eyes still surveying Harry, "Case and point, me."
"I don't know who I pissed off," Harry said honestly, "Who did you piss off?"
Rob laughed, "A better question would be, who didn't I piss off? I rub a lot of people up the wrong way, kid. Guess that happens when you're a muggle-born who speaks his mind."
"Being a muggle-born has nothing to do with whether or not you can speak your mind," Harry remarked, "You're a wizard, just like the rest of us."
"Ah, an activist, are you? Makes sense, I guess," Rob said with a cynical smile, "Well, you're gonna learn quick, kiddo, around here it doesn't work like that."
Harry scoffed, "We'll see about that."
"What, you're gonna change that when you're in charge?" Rob guessed, "Well recruit, you're not in charge and you ain't gonna be for quite some time. Until then, you've got to go with the flow, or you won't get to have a career. You'll spend the rest of your days here with me and Joey and Juliette."
"Who are Joey and Juliette?" Harry asked, glancing around but not seeing anybody else.
"The house-elves who clean the place," Rob said, gesturing to the supply cupboard.
"Right," Harry said, he shifted on his feet, awkwardly, "So…what's so bad about Domestics?"
"What's so bad about Domestics?" Rob laughed, "Well, we have no resources for one because everyone thinks we're a joke. You know that one guy who is the butt of every joke?"
Harry nodded.
"Yeah, well here, that guy is us," Rob said, "We respond to calls about domestic abuse and sexual abuse. Most of the sexual abuse calls get nicked by Vice, a bunch of fucking entitled pricks. Most of them are doing illegal shit on the side, and half of them are addicts themselves."
"Sounds legit," Harry commented.
Rob smirked and continued, "And the domestic abuse cases are just fucking soul-destroying. Most of the time, there's nothing we can do. You do this job for a year, and you realise that there is no good in the world and life isn't worth living."
"Right," Harry said dryly, "And how long have you been doing it for?"
"Coming up on five years," Rob replied, opening a filing cabinet absentmindedly.
"Well, you haven't killed yourself yet, so it can't be that soul-destroying," Harry pointed out.
"No, it really is. I just have a damn good kid who keeps me alive," Rob said, tossing Harry a rusty old badge.
Harry glanced down. It said, 'TRAINEE' on it in large writing.
"Put that on, or you ain't allowed in the field," Rob said.
Harry pinned the badge onto his robes, "Seriously, though, what did you do to end up here?"
"Ah well, it's a long story," Rob said with a shrug, "I got sidelined for years because of my blood status. The big guns, Homicide and all that are all flashy pureblood bastards. It's like being in school, Potter. Homicide are the popular Gryffindors. Vice are the cool, sexy Slytherins. Organised Crime are the super-smart, hot Ravenclaws. Everyone else is a Hufflepuff, and we…well, we are the house-elves. Actually, we might be lower than the house-elves."
"You're a ray of sunshine," Harry said sarcastically, "But you still haven't told me how you ended up here."
"And I have no intention of doing so," Rob said cheerfully, "So since you're the trainee here, shut up and do as you're told, and, unlike me, you'll be out of here soon. Comprende?"
"Yeah, I get it," Harry said with a sigh. He had the feeling that it was going to be a long week.
Draco walked into the Organised Crime squads section of the bullpen nervously. There were four Aurors there, all talking loudly and laughing. They were all aged between 25 and 45, Draco would have guessed, all with their hair in its perfect place and their robes perfectly straight.
He cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Auror Graves."
An Auror with black hair and defined facial features turned around and frowned, "Whose asking?"
"Trainee Auror Black, sir," Draco replied, "I'm on placement here."
"Black?" Another of the Aurors laughed, "You're not a Black, you're a fucking Malfoy."
Draco swallowed, "No sir, I'm a Black. My mother-"
"It doesn't matter if she divorced the murdering bastard or not Malfoy, you're still his piece of shit son," Graves said coldly.
Draco bit his tongue.
"Cat got your tongue, Malfoy?" Another of the Aurors asked with a laugh.
"My name is Black," Draco ground out.
"You're a Malfoy, and you always will be," That same Auror said, "We don't want your type around here, so you might as well just run off and quit. You are hated in this place; your father is the reason that my last partner died."
Grave's eyes flashed dangerously, "And the reason why my wife was tortured for information. You might as well hand in your resignation, boy. Nobody wants you here."
"I don't care," Draco said, dropping his bag and looking up at Graves, "I don't care if you want me here or not because I want to be here, and I deserve to be here. You spent years trying to catch my father, but you never responded to any of the domestic calls, did you? You know exactly what he was capable of, and that man raised me! I don't know what you all think, do you think it was all happy families? Because it wasn't."
He took a breath and shook his head, "And I'm not giving you a sob story to make you feel sorry for me, but you need to understand that I am not my father. Because of him, I knew what the cruciatus curse was before I was five years old, I learned how controlling fear was because of him, and I am the reason that he went to Azkaban. I am the reason that he's in a prison that he will never escape from because one of my best friends and I put him there!"
Draco couldn't stop now that he had started, even though he knew this rant could get him beaten up or thrown out of the training programme, "And I know you all think I'm only here because Harry Potter is my friend, but I worked hard for this, and I won't give it up just because you don't like who my father was."
The three Aurors standing behind Graves were silent, their eyes on the man who was obviously their leader. Graves crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed Draco, "Alright kid, you might be a Malfoy, but you have balls."
"I am not a Malfoy," Draco said, his voice quiet but the intention clear, "And I never want to be associated with that name again. All that I am, every bit of good in me was instilled by my mother, so I am a Black in name and heart. Okay?"
"Alright, kid," Graves said with a nod, "You've got balls, I'll give you that. Don't ever expect us to be bosom buddies, but you've got a chance, so don't fuck it up."
"I won't," Draco promised.
Graves bowed his head, "Black, this is my partner Brady and these guys are Snow and Nolan. We're the A shift; another four Aurors cover the B shift when we get our downtime. It's us you're going to be working with all week."
Draco nodded.
"You've not got a desk, but we're not in here much anyway," Graves continued, "So don't get comfy. It's a rare day that you get to finish a coffee around here."
TBC!