A/N: So, here's chapter five. Draco's first test and a reappearance.

This is Harry/Draco, post-Hogwarts, though the slash content is extremely light. There are very vague suggestions of other relationships as well.

I've got this all written out, though I'm not 100 percent sure of the chapters, yet. There are 46 sections, but I may combine some of the smaller sections with the ones around them. This was originally two shorter sections, but has been combined into one.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Dedication: To Foodie, who still betas me despite my predilection for slash, and for FionaFawkes, who read and reviewed every single chapter, and gave me such excellent feedback. Also, for everyone who's read and loved my Harry/Draco. This one's for you.

-----5

Things went better after that. Not that there weren't occasional blowouts, but Draco tried much harder to see why Harry was insisting on whatever it was they were fighting about. He was really enjoying the movies Harry was showing him. They'd watched some Shakespeare, during which Draco had delighted in telling Harry that Shakespeare had been a squib, and Harry had not believed it until he'd owled Hermione who had confirmed that that was why there was so little information about the man. It was all because the new Wizarding secrecy laws at the time had covered up large sections of his early life, and much of his dealings outside of his playhouse.

They had also watched a very strange video about two boys who traveled in time and met different Muggle (and a few less-than-Muggle, Draco had informed Harry again) figures from history. That one had been confusing for Draco. He'd wanted to know how the two boys' machine worked without magic, and they'd gotten into a long conversation about Muggle technology. When Harry had explained that, in fact, the machine the boys used in the story did not even exist, Draco became even more confused.

"Why does it exist in the movie, then?"

Harry had grinned. "Muggles like to imagine how far they can stretch their technology. They write all sorts of stories about what could happen in their future. Time travel's only one of their favourite themes. They like to imagine what space travel would be like, as well."

"Space travel? Why on earth would they do that?" Draco had asked.

"They worry a lot about using up this planet. It's their way of reassuring themselves that even if they do, someday they'll be able to leave the planet, and find another."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Muggles…" But the ridiculousness of some of the Muggle ideas didn't stop him from enjoying the movies.

Draco got so caught up in the day-to-day life that he and Harry had worked out that when he woke one morning feeling strange, he grew concerned. He ran from his own bed to Harry's door and knocked. He was often the first up, now that Harry was used to having him in the house, and sometimes even started breakfast before Harry managed to get out of bed. But he was too concerned with the odd feeling he'd woken to, to worry about letting Harry sleep in.

Harry opened the door to his room, rumpled and half-awake. "Draco? What's wrong?"

That was when Draco realized that Harry looked different. Smaller. He looked down at the cuffs of his night-shirt, and sure enough, they looked several inches too small for him. He looked back up at Harry. "I've grown," he managed, a grin settling onto his face.

Harry snorted with laughter at this. "Yeah, it sure looks like it." He sobered after a moment, though. "Guess that means a trip to the Ministry's in order today. Go put on something, and I'll treat you to breakfast before we go in."

"Can we do that?" Draco asked, surprised. He hadn't left the house since he'd arrived.

Harry shrugged. "If you don't cause any problems, the Muggles certainly won't tell, and I won't tell…" he grinned.

Draco grinned back. "I'll be ready in a second!" and hurried back to his room, just missing Harry's mumbled "That will be a first…"

The meal was heavenly. After a month of at least helping to cook every meal, it was wonderful to have something that he had had no part in making. He was beginning to enjoy cooking, but even so, it was nice to have food made just for him with no effort on his part. And nothing to clean up.

The Ministry looked much as it had the last time he had been there, though then it had been at the trial that had sentenced him to life in Azkaban. He couldn't help but remember the day, and the memories left a pall to his enjoyment of the outing.

Harry took him up several floors, and the two ended up at the MLE offices before Draco even realized where they were. Harry placed a hand on his shoulder before they went inside. "You've changed a lot this month, Draco. I want you to know that I believe in you. And I think you'll do great."

The words left a warm glow in Draco's chest, until he realized what Harry was implying. "You're not coming with me?" he asked, a little panicked at the thought that he'd have to do the test without Harry's guidance. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely on Harry's opinions over the last month. Even if he did fight against them all the time.

"I can't, Draco. But you'll do fine. I promise. And as soon as you're done, well, maybe we can go to Diagon Alley and get you something to celebrate with."

Just the thought that Harry thought he'd do well enough to be allowed to visit the Wizarding World again buoyed him through the door. There was a woman in the room who looked at him for a moment before asking his name. When Draco told her who he was, she nodded, and led him to a small, windowless room, where she gave him a piece of parchment with a series of questions on it, and a quill, then left the room.

Draco looked it over before starting, rather alarmed at the simplicity of the test. Surely it should be tougher than this. It was a simple series of ten questions, all multiple choice, asking what he would do in different situations. He filled it out quickly, but, worried that he'd somehow misunderstood the meaning of some of the questions, went back and looked through it a second time before setting down his quill.

He was about to take the test out to the woman when the door opened and she reappeared. She took the test from him, instructing him to remain in the room, and closed the door behind her once more.

Nervous and edgy, Draco paced the room. What if he'd totally failed? He'd never be allowed a second chance. He'd never get to see Severus at all. And Harry…How could he live with himself knowing he'd failed him?

When the door opened what felt like a great deal later, it was not the woman who returned, but a familiar figure. "Auror Shacklebolt," he said, nodding cautiously. The last time he'd seen the man hadn't gone well, but he wanted to show that he'd at least been trying to change.

Shacklebolt nodded back stiffly. "Malfoy. I thought I'd come see the results of your test."

"I don't know how I did. They haven't told me yet," he said quietly.

Shacklebolt smiled slightly. "I do. I'm here to tell you your results, actually."

Draco swallowed. If they'd sent an Auror to tell him, that couldn't be good, could it?

Those dark eyes watched him for a long time, but Draco was determined not to crack under the pressure. Finally the man sighed. "You got an 'Acceptable.'" Draco looked at him in shock. He'd passed? He'd really passed?

"I'm rather surprised, myself," the man said. "Obviously Harry's a good influence on you, Malfoy. Or maybe it's the absence of your father?" By the time he'd finished speaking, he was smirking broadly.

Draco tamped down the anger that rose in him at the slur on his father and shrugged.

Shacklebolt watched him for another long minute before opening the door, his face blanking as he did so, looking more bored than anything else. "Come on, Malfoy. Let's go give Harry the good news, shall we?"

◦♦☼♦◦

Harry looked worried when Draco stepped out of the office with Shacklebolt directly behind him. "Kingsley? What are you doing here? There's no problem, is there?"

Draco moved quickly to Harry's side. He still wasn't overly fond of Harry, but Shacklebolt gave him the chills. Shacklebolt had been the one to capture both Malfoys, and Draco remembered how calm the man had seemed in the face of his father's threats. It was unnatural for anyone to be that calm.

"Nothing's wrong, Harry. Just taking an interest in the case, seeing as how I was the one responsible for this one's capture. And having been there when you picked him up, I thought I'd keep an eye in, anyway."

Harry nodded, still looking worried, and a bit wary. "So, how long until we know the results?" he asked.

Shacklebolt smiled, showing all his teeth, and Draco had to restrain the urge to hide behind Harry. "He passed. Marginally, but he passed. He's yours for another month, as long as you still want to deal with him. You seem to be doing a pretty good job, actually. He got an Acceptable first time out. We weren't expecting that from any of them just yet."

Harry scowled. "They're not trained krups, Kingsley…"

Shacklebolt snorted. "Could have fooled me." Harry sighed. Draco recalled their argument at the prison. It sounded like this was an argument Harry'd had with Kingsley before. Possibly many times.

"Have the others shown yet?"

Shacklebolt nodded. "Parkinson passed—just barely. Andromeda was quite put out with her. Zabini did well, though. Malfoy's answers were only a few marks off of his, actually."

"So he got an Acceptable as well?" Draco asked.

Shacklebolt grinned down at Draco, obviously looking forward to his reaction. "Actually, he got an Excellent."

Draco smiled at him blandly. "Blaise always was good at assimilating new knowledge fast. I think he has his mother to thank for that."

Shacklebolt looked shocked by Draco's mild reaction, but finally turned back to Harry. "Well, Harry, good luck with him. I see you've got your hands full."

Harry smirked. "Actually, I've been pleasantly surprised at how well we've been getting on. Maybe it was others' expectations of us that kept us from being friends before. Will we be seeing you again next time, Kingsley?" he asked, as though he hadn't just disagreed with the man, and was just asking when they'd next see each other. Draco had to admit even his father would have been impressed with Harry's composure.

Shacklebolt took a deep breath, his eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "As I said—my case. I want to make sure I'm aware of everything going on. You will let me know if you allow the boy visitors, I hope?"

"If you want. I'm hardly going to be inviting his father to my house, now, am I? Aside from Lucius, no one else is particularly dangerous."

"I still consider anyone who got one of those blasted marks on their arm dangerous, and I expect to be informed if any of them go near this brat," Shacklebolt ground out.

"Well, then I guess I should let you know that Snape will be having supper with us tomorrow night." Draco looked at Harry, shocked. Why was he being so nice to him? And when had he invited Severus for a meal? And even more, why was he antagonizing Shacklebolt that way? Didn't he know that Shacklebolt could fail him just because he felt like it?

Shacklebolt grimaced. "Snape? I thought you didn't get on with that snake."

Harry shrugged. "I don't. But I can hardly keep him from coming to visit his godson, can I?"

They were down the hall, with a speechless Shacklebolt behind them before Draco hissed at Harry, "Severus isn't my godfather, P—Harry. What was that all about?"

"Kingsley has some ideas that I tend to disagree with, that's all," Harry said blandly. "After the war, he wanted me to enter the Auror training program. He was going to mentor me. But I decided it wasn't for me. Not after everything I'd gone through in the final battle. I'd had enough of fighting and killing. When he found out, he wasn't too pleased with me. And he was even less so when he found out I'd gotten involved in this program.

"If he knew Snape had no relation to you, he'd probably try to deny the visit. But Snape's been owling me quite frequently about you, so I assured him he'd be invited over for dinner as soon as I could arrange it. You don't mind, do you?" he grinned sideways at Draco as they stopped to wait for the elevator to arrive.

"No." Draco was silent while they waited, but once they'd gotten on the nearly empty elevator, he smiled up at Harry. "Thanks."

Harry grinned back. "Not a problem, Draco."