There was a dramatic pause as Draco studied Rowan's face. He'd known
what she'd been trying to ask but was just trying to have a little fun, she
obviously didn't get it. Rowan studied Draco's face, although she couldn't
tell what he was thinking, who ever could? She found that while half of her
kind of wished he would be gay just to make things interesting, she found
that the other half wouldn't believe it to be true. It was kind of ironic,
it had always been. She remembered a point in her childhood when she would
have given anything to have dated Draco, but the fighting never ceased. And
she considered her chances officially ruined that day when Draco had
entered her dreams and she happened to be thinking about Harry. She was
lucky, any other day it would have been Draco and that would have been all
the more dangerous. One more advantage he would have had over her. Those
days were gone of course, she couldn't really imagine herself with Draco,
well, maybe deep down there were still some of those feelings. And she was
sure they would surface by the end of this operation.
"No." He answered flatly. "Are you?"
"Am I?" She snorted. "No. At this current moment I am single. I actually just broke up with my boyfriend."
"Aw, sorry."
"Ooh, a second sorry in one day. Maybe you have changed." She sneered.
"What happened?" Draco asked casually, hoping to be able to get an understanding of what she was like now.
"You really want to know?" She asked, some what shocked, but Draco nodded so she decided to tell. "Well, he was my roommate. He lived in your room. One day we decided that we had something special. That something lasted for about a month until I found out that he'd been cheating on me with someone else...actually he'd been cheating on her with some one else and so on and so on...he was a regular man about town."
"That's horrible. So I take it he moved out....?"
"Actually, it was very Hollywood. When he came back from work all of his belongings were in the hall and his key didn't fit the lock."
"Again, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't had a girlfriend in over a year. I tend to submerse myself in work and avoid relationships. I'm no good at it. All my girlfriends find me obnoxious, proud, too self centered and a workaholic."
"Ah, welcome to the club." Rowan paused, rethinking what she had just said. Were they actually having a heart to heart? She couldn't believe it. "Well, I get that same thing too. It usually accompanies something like, you're gorgeous but, or you're fabulous in bed but...."
"Fabulous in bed?" Draco raised his eyebrow curiously. He couldn't believe that after so many years of not talking they were bonding...how long would this last?
"Don't get any ideas."
Not long obviously....
"Well, I'm going to do the dishes, take a shower and go to bed."
"All right, I'll shower in the morning...good night."
"Good night."
With that, the conversation that they'd both been enjoying was ended and Draco and Rowan went their own ways.
***
"Hi, are you Chief Harry Potter?" Zale asked, finding only one person in the office into which she'd been directed.
"That's me and judging by the American accent, you are my operative?"
"Well, that's me, Lieutenant Zale Fabiola."
"You Americans and your silly names."
"Right." She mumbled, casually trying to check out the famous Harry Potter. She suddenly caught herself. "So, what's the plan?" Zale replied changing the subject.
"It's late so, we're going back to my place, having some food and then sleeping."
"Sounds great."
"Follow me then."
Zale would have replied, to the ends of the Earth, if given half the chance. Using her better judgement, she decided to keep it to herself.
Harry smiled to himself, having just read Zale's last thought. Sensing that she had no superior wizarding powers, he found himself thankful to work with some one normal for a chance. He would have said good looking, but there was no denying that Draco wasn't attractive, there was just the simple difficulty of him not being female, which Zale most certainly was. Rowan really knew how to pick 'em.
Zale gave Harry the once over and then just incase, to make sure she didn't miss any minor details, gave him a twice over. He was every bit as sexy as her friends in the IWO Apparating room had said he would be, there was no denying it. But of course, there was the simple problem of this being a working relationship and there would be little chance of an actual relationship as she was quite sure that Harry was as career driven as Rowan was.
Harry led Zale to the Apparating room and prepared to apparate home. "Hold on," he motioned to Zale, "you'll be able to get there later, but I just want to make sure there are no problems and the first trip is a safe one."
As they moved near each other and clasped hands, there was a sudden sensation that went through them both, chilling them to the core. There was no denying it, something was there between them that was meant to be.
***
"Hey, sleeping beauty, get your ass up."
Draco tried to roll away from the voice that was disturbing his sleep. He rolled once, twice and midway through the third roll the bed ended and he hit the floor.
"Coffee?"
"Screw you." Draco whined, a glimmer of pain resonating in his right arm.
"Looks like some one rolled off the wrong side of the bed this morning," Rowan chuckled as she walked away. She smiled to herself...she didn't want to wake him, it was the only time that she could get a word in edge wise, and not to mention, he looked absolutely fabulous when he was sleeping. Don't think like that. You fall in love with him, that'll accomplish what, exactly? She shook her head to clear all thoughts and continued to the kitchen to cook a few pieces of toast.
Draco yawned, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up to disentangle the sheets from his body. He went to the closet for some clean trousers and a shirt, grabbed his toiletries and went to shower. He reveled in the feeling of the warm water rushing over his body before reality began to sink in. He'd just spent the night, comfortably, in his arch-enemy's flat. She'd been so nice...which was odd, considering their past. He finished showering and dressed, admired himself in the mirror (of course he looked good, when didn't he?) and went to meet Rowan in the kitchen.
"So, about that coffee."
"I believe you said um, what was it? Oh, yeah, 'screw you.'"
"What can I say? I'm no morning person."
"I see. And I knew you'd change your mind. Toast?"
"Sure."
She set a cup of coffee down in front of him with a saucer of milk and a jar of sugar. While she busied herself with the toast, Draco, out of the corner of his eye, to avoid being suspicious, studied Rowan. She too wore a button up shirt, a short skirt and knee high boots. All of which culminated into one question. They didn't have a uniform? Not that he minded, she looked particularly stunning.
No, we don't have a uniform, and thanks for the compliment, you don't look too bad yourself...Mr. Armani.
Draco realized he'd been staring and when he snapped of it, found that Rowan was watching him with interest.
"Oh, so you can talk to me but I can't talk to you."
"Exactly."
"How fair."
"Eat."
There was silence. Rowan did admit to herself once more that Draco was noticeably attractive, but then again, that's what he'd been known for in Hogwarts: his attitude, his smirk, his good looks and his being a Malfoy.
When they'd finished, they grabbed their coats and headed down the stairs to the street where her car was parked. In the car, Draco constantly flipped through the radio stations, never being satisfied.
Once inside Rowan's office, they began their work for the day with Draco's relation of the British aspect of the case.
"Basically, it's the same as yours. Almost painfully identical. Only none of ours have contained runes, they're just stones. I think that we might be dealing with the same criminals."
"Agreed."
"For once." Draco drawled catching a piercing glare from Rowan. "Anyway, Harry and I have compiled a list of who we think may be involved...."
"You know what? You work on who may be involved...I'll bring someone else up for that. I want to know what's foretold by those runes. Because that is the million dollar question...from there we can deduce who exactly the culprit may be."
"Ah, see that is why you are in charge."
"No." He answered flatly. "Are you?"
"Am I?" She snorted. "No. At this current moment I am single. I actually just broke up with my boyfriend."
"Aw, sorry."
"Ooh, a second sorry in one day. Maybe you have changed." She sneered.
"What happened?" Draco asked casually, hoping to be able to get an understanding of what she was like now.
"You really want to know?" She asked, some what shocked, but Draco nodded so she decided to tell. "Well, he was my roommate. He lived in your room. One day we decided that we had something special. That something lasted for about a month until I found out that he'd been cheating on me with someone else...actually he'd been cheating on her with some one else and so on and so on...he was a regular man about town."
"That's horrible. So I take it he moved out....?"
"Actually, it was very Hollywood. When he came back from work all of his belongings were in the hall and his key didn't fit the lock."
"Again, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't had a girlfriend in over a year. I tend to submerse myself in work and avoid relationships. I'm no good at it. All my girlfriends find me obnoxious, proud, too self centered and a workaholic."
"Ah, welcome to the club." Rowan paused, rethinking what she had just said. Were they actually having a heart to heart? She couldn't believe it. "Well, I get that same thing too. It usually accompanies something like, you're gorgeous but, or you're fabulous in bed but...."
"Fabulous in bed?" Draco raised his eyebrow curiously. He couldn't believe that after so many years of not talking they were bonding...how long would this last?
"Don't get any ideas."
Not long obviously....
"Well, I'm going to do the dishes, take a shower and go to bed."
"All right, I'll shower in the morning...good night."
"Good night."
With that, the conversation that they'd both been enjoying was ended and Draco and Rowan went their own ways.
***
"Hi, are you Chief Harry Potter?" Zale asked, finding only one person in the office into which she'd been directed.
"That's me and judging by the American accent, you are my operative?"
"Well, that's me, Lieutenant Zale Fabiola."
"You Americans and your silly names."
"Right." She mumbled, casually trying to check out the famous Harry Potter. She suddenly caught herself. "So, what's the plan?" Zale replied changing the subject.
"It's late so, we're going back to my place, having some food and then sleeping."
"Sounds great."
"Follow me then."
Zale would have replied, to the ends of the Earth, if given half the chance. Using her better judgement, she decided to keep it to herself.
Harry smiled to himself, having just read Zale's last thought. Sensing that she had no superior wizarding powers, he found himself thankful to work with some one normal for a chance. He would have said good looking, but there was no denying that Draco wasn't attractive, there was just the simple difficulty of him not being female, which Zale most certainly was. Rowan really knew how to pick 'em.
Zale gave Harry the once over and then just incase, to make sure she didn't miss any minor details, gave him a twice over. He was every bit as sexy as her friends in the IWO Apparating room had said he would be, there was no denying it. But of course, there was the simple problem of this being a working relationship and there would be little chance of an actual relationship as she was quite sure that Harry was as career driven as Rowan was.
Harry led Zale to the Apparating room and prepared to apparate home. "Hold on," he motioned to Zale, "you'll be able to get there later, but I just want to make sure there are no problems and the first trip is a safe one."
As they moved near each other and clasped hands, there was a sudden sensation that went through them both, chilling them to the core. There was no denying it, something was there between them that was meant to be.
***
"Hey, sleeping beauty, get your ass up."
Draco tried to roll away from the voice that was disturbing his sleep. He rolled once, twice and midway through the third roll the bed ended and he hit the floor.
"Coffee?"
"Screw you." Draco whined, a glimmer of pain resonating in his right arm.
"Looks like some one rolled off the wrong side of the bed this morning," Rowan chuckled as she walked away. She smiled to herself...she didn't want to wake him, it was the only time that she could get a word in edge wise, and not to mention, he looked absolutely fabulous when he was sleeping. Don't think like that. You fall in love with him, that'll accomplish what, exactly? She shook her head to clear all thoughts and continued to the kitchen to cook a few pieces of toast.
Draco yawned, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up to disentangle the sheets from his body. He went to the closet for some clean trousers and a shirt, grabbed his toiletries and went to shower. He reveled in the feeling of the warm water rushing over his body before reality began to sink in. He'd just spent the night, comfortably, in his arch-enemy's flat. She'd been so nice...which was odd, considering their past. He finished showering and dressed, admired himself in the mirror (of course he looked good, when didn't he?) and went to meet Rowan in the kitchen.
"So, about that coffee."
"I believe you said um, what was it? Oh, yeah, 'screw you.'"
"What can I say? I'm no morning person."
"I see. And I knew you'd change your mind. Toast?"
"Sure."
She set a cup of coffee down in front of him with a saucer of milk and a jar of sugar. While she busied herself with the toast, Draco, out of the corner of his eye, to avoid being suspicious, studied Rowan. She too wore a button up shirt, a short skirt and knee high boots. All of which culminated into one question. They didn't have a uniform? Not that he minded, she looked particularly stunning.
No, we don't have a uniform, and thanks for the compliment, you don't look too bad yourself...Mr. Armani.
Draco realized he'd been staring and when he snapped of it, found that Rowan was watching him with interest.
"Oh, so you can talk to me but I can't talk to you."
"Exactly."
"How fair."
"Eat."
There was silence. Rowan did admit to herself once more that Draco was noticeably attractive, but then again, that's what he'd been known for in Hogwarts: his attitude, his smirk, his good looks and his being a Malfoy.
When they'd finished, they grabbed their coats and headed down the stairs to the street where her car was parked. In the car, Draco constantly flipped through the radio stations, never being satisfied.
Once inside Rowan's office, they began their work for the day with Draco's relation of the British aspect of the case.
"Basically, it's the same as yours. Almost painfully identical. Only none of ours have contained runes, they're just stones. I think that we might be dealing with the same criminals."
"Agreed."
"For once." Draco drawled catching a piercing glare from Rowan. "Anyway, Harry and I have compiled a list of who we think may be involved...."
"You know what? You work on who may be involved...I'll bring someone else up for that. I want to know what's foretold by those runes. Because that is the million dollar question...from there we can deduce who exactly the culprit may be."
"Ah, see that is why you are in charge."
