Title: A Most Unlikely Partnership – Chapter 2
Authors: Dark Nuriko and Mayhem's Angel
Disclaimers: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy do not belong to us. The character of Bernard Strongshack however, DOES belong to Mayhem.
Warnings: Future Yaoi. Slash. Stuff.
Notes: I'm gonna leave this all to Nuriko-chan now. Cause I have nothing. Still.
Nuriko: Nothing much to say. This one is a little short... but there will be more on the way... promise.
Chapter Two:
Draco walked in after a particularly stupid mission. Who in the bloody world would think to bewitch a cup? At first he had wanted to think Mad-eye Moody was off doing something stupid again. But no, this time it was someone who hated muggles, and actually thought making their cups spit their drinks back at them would somehow harm them. The wizard turned out to be a young kid, still learning. It had been a simple case of over active magic with no outlet. Sighing, he finished up the report and looked up as Harry came in.
"If all our cases are this dumb, then being an Auror isn't want I want to be."
Harry laughed. "It can't be exciting all of the time, Draco. They have to send us out on particularly stupid missions once in a while."
"Almost three times a week we are sent out on stupid things like this. There is no once in a while."
"You have a point there. We haven't had anything good in weeks."
"I think, for all the joy Strongshacks' had from me joining up, he doesn't trust me any further than he can throw me."
"Which wouldn't be far, knowing him. We need to prove to him - to all of them - that we can do this job. We need... to maybe create our own."
Draco looked up from the paperwork he was filling out and raised a single white eyebrow at him. "Are you out of your mind, Potter? I want him to trust me, not worry that I will cause more trouble."
"Oh, fine. We'll just wait then. Get whatever we're given then."
Draco sighed. "Since when did you become the wicked one and I the good one?"
"Since... doesn't matter. It was just an idea. But, that's alright. Maybe the next one will be bigger." He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on his half of the paper work from the mission.
Draco growled and flicked his wand, levitating his partner's feet up off the paper so he could get back to work. He then let them down and went back to work on them. "Harry, you were so promising... what went wrong?" he teased lightly.
"Hmm. Don't quite know. You tell me" He smirked.
Draco was about to retort when Strongshack came marching into their office. "Hello, sir. What can we do for you?" he asked.
"Help catch this villain." Strongshack replied. "We've got a rogue Death Eater on our hands, and I need everyone on it. Come on, move it!" he commanded, expecting them to already be halfway out the door.
Draco smirked. "Does this call for drastic measures, sir?" he asked, knowing that if it did, they could apparate right from where they were standing.
"Of course it does! How come you're still here?" Strongshack shouted at them. "Get off your lazy asses and move! We have to catch this one before any more people die!"
Draco nodded and looked at Harry before smirked and apparating to the agreed upon place Harry and him had come up with weeks ago.
Harry appeared seconds after Draco and looked up to see the blond offering him a hand up from the hard ground
"Bit of a rush there, eh, Potter?" he asked with a smirk, even as he helped him to his feet, wand firmly in his free hand.
"Just a little." Harry said, pulling out his own wand.
Draco laughed softly, but the mirth didn't reach his eyes. Gray orbs seemed serious, flicking left and right, never resting. "Keep on guard, Potter. I think we landed close to where he is," he said in a soft voice.
"Seems like you're right." Harry said, hearing a high pitched scream coming from not far off to their right.
"Careful. And please... be patient. Don't just jump right in," he whispered, before moving on silent feet toward the source of the scream.
"I won't. You just be careful yourself." Harry whispered back, following on Draco's heels.
Draco smirked. "Of course," he hissed toward his partner, even while his wand was shaking just a little in his grip. Yet he moved silently, almost as if he really wasn't there.
Harry watched him carefully through narrowed eyes. He had noticed the slight shake of Draco's wand before the other's grip had tightened. Harry wondered just how much fear the blond was hiding in his seemingly confident stride.
Slipping up almost like the night, Draco held out his wand and without a single word, cast a petrifaction spell on the man, who was laughing wickedly over a muggle woman. His eyes widened before turning on Draco, seeing as his eyes were the only thing that could move. They then narrowed, almost as if he would love nothing better than to lay into him. Draco, for his part, didn't react to the glare. Instead, he turned to his partner. "Go check on the muggle. You understand them better."
Harry nodded, sure that Draco could handle the wizard... and if not, he would be there to back him up. He ran over to the woman, casting a few healing spells and a calming charm so she wouldn't scream when he tried to help her.
From behind something came at Draco. He felt it and nearly lost his grip on his wand. The feeling of the Cruciatus curse was painful, but he had lived through worse. Sweat dripping from his forehead, he turned and shot out another paralyzing charm. This one also caught its mark, but obviously, not as powerfully. For this one could still talk, and he was spilling darkness with every word.
"Malfoy! You traitor! He may have fallen, but you were to be punished till you agreed to come back! Now, you're working against us? If the Dark Lord does find a way to return, I will tell on you! That's a promise."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "He will never return," he said, before putting the spell on stronger, so he could move nothing but his eyes. That done, he slumped against the wall.
Harry gasped as he watched his partner fall against the bricks. He left the woman where she was, and ran over to Draco. "Malfoy! You alright!" He asked. There was no response, but the blond still breathed. That was a huge relief, but not much comfort. Turning towards the frozen men, his brilliant green gaze narrowed in a deathly glare. "You will pay for that." He muttered darkly.
A few murmured words and a flick of his wand, and the dark wizards found themselves in intense pain, voices unable to cry out in their frozen state as their eyes rolled back into their heads.
Draco opened a single eye and reached out, catching Harry's arm. "Let it go... let the law deal with them. Send out the signal and have the others come."
Harry looked down into bright silver eyes, the pain he felt showing through them. He ended the spell on the men, and sent up the signal that would show all the other aurors where they were.
Draco sighed, closing his single eye once more. "Doing as they do... makes us no better... than them," he commented, pain in his voice.
"I know..." He trailed off, sliding down next to his partner. The blond rested his head against Harry's strong shoulder, weaving in and out of consciousness as they waited for their coworkers to make an appearance. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco, worried about the effects the curse was having on him.
"I'm fine..." he murmured, fighting to stay awake. "Been through worse, Potter. Don't worry so much," he commented, even as the clean up crew arrived.
"I'm not. I never worry." He lied, refusing to show that he cared what happened to his former enemy turned partner and friend.
Draco laughed softly. "Liar," he murmured, before passing out.
Harry stood, and picked up Draco's limp form. He apparated them both straight into the waiting room of St. Mungos, and yelled for a doctor.
Draco was looked over, and once they deemed him all right, they gave him a room, some treatments, and then told him to stay here over night. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. He had seen it too much...
Harry watched over Draco, hovering by his bedside until he would finally awake. After a couple hours, he left to find coffee or something to keep him awake. He opened the door, and stepped silently into the room. He looked up at Draco's form in the bed, and noticed that he was awake.
"Hey..." He called softly, "You feeling better?"
Draco looked over, a small smile cross his lips. Now this.. this was different from his last stay. "Yeah. That really was nothing..."
"It may have been nothing to you, but the rest of us think of it as just a little more than nothing." He resumed his seat next to the bed.
He laughed. "Why? Strongshack knew it was nothing."
"I guess..." he muttered, finding something exteremly fascinating outside the window.
He dropped the smile and looked at Harry. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. You're the one in the hospital, not me." he said, still refusing to look at Draco.
Draco moved to sit up, wincing slightly but still getting up straight. "So, telling me another lie Potter? You are no more fine than I am, I just can't see what's wrong with you."
"There was nothing wrong with the muggle woman. I'm your partner. I should have stayed with you, watched your back like I'm supposed to. And I failed, and you're hurt because of me." He looked into the silver eyes then. He hadn't intended to say all that, but he was relieved and little that he had.
Draco smiled softly at that. "Harry, Muggles come first. You know that. I was all right. It was something you've been through yourself. Don't worry so much."
He frowned, he did have a point, but he still felt bad about it. "I can't help it. Maybe I just..." He quickly stopped speaking, not wanting to reveal too much to the blond.
Draco looked a little closer, before reaching out and taking one of Harry's hands into his own. "You worried about me... didn't you?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "Of course. You're my partner, and I would hope my friend."
"Of course I'm your friend!" he exclaimed, almost instantly, before blushing and looking away.
Harry turned Draco's eyes back to him. "Good, because I really like you." Acting before he thought it through, he pressed his lips to Draco's heated cheek in a delicate kiss.
Draco's cheeks turned even redder before looking away a little more. "Mm.. good.. that's the way it should be, huh?"
"Yeah." Harry sat back, staring at the wall. "Oh, sorry. Did you want something to eat or anything?" He asked the wall.
"I might answer that if you look at me."
The green gaze flickered back to the other man breifly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking."
Draco's eyes narrowed and he took a stab in the dark. "The rest you aren't dating anyone is because you like men, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I'm gay. Why? Is that going to be a problem for you working with me now?" His eyes narrowing in anger.
"It would only be a problem if I want to be a hypocrite!" he growled back, his own eyes flashing sliver fire in his own anger.
Harry started and looked surprised, then a little ashamed. "I didn't know. Look, I'm sorry. I'll just leave now. Feel better soon." He stood and walked to the door.
Draco frowned, before he sighed and laid back. He was too proud to admit he didn't want to be alone... but he couldn't make Harry stay. Not after the attitude it happened.
Harry stopped at the door and looked back at his partner. He'd rather stay and keep him company, but too many mistakes had already been made that day. He shook his head and sighed, shutting the door behind him.