Next Chapter~~! Woohoo~!

As I may have mentioned before, updates are going to be getting a bit more sporadic now-

but I'm still gonna work hard to keep 'em rolling!

Hope you like this latest chapter- let me know what you think in the comments!

Xxxx -DxH- xxxX

"The story..."

"Of how we started dating..."

Harry and Draco exchanged weary glances at the sudden demand.

"Ah c'mon, what's it gonna hurt? Just spill!" Pansy grinned evilly.

Blaise's eyes glittered mischievously. "You both seem far too reluctant to share to all of your dear friends this story...Did something seriously so embarrassing happen that you're this unwilling to tell us~?"

"That's not...exactly it..." Harry grumbled evasively.

"Then what exactly is it, mate?" Ron questioned confusedly, staring his friend down with a suspicious expression. "Not that I particularly care about the entire story of how you and Malfoy...hooked up- but! This is the first time I've seen you try to be so secretive about something!"

Harry quirked a brow and Ron quickly amended his statement.

"Ok, it's not the first time. But it's the first time you've tried to hide it from even me and Mione!"

"Well, that's..." Harry trailed off uncomfortably and glanced at his lover for help.

Draco huffed and shook his head. "There are some parts of our story that still to this day we don't agree on."

"What exactly does that mean?" Pansy questioned with a frown.

Blaise couldn't help the incredulous chuckle that escaped as he stared down the pair. "Yes, do enlighten us. What the bloody hell does that even mean?!"

Harry scowled ever so slightly and took a sip from the coffee cup in front of him. "There are...things that happened over the course of the time we started working together at the Ministry, up until when we first started dating..."

He paused and Draco continued where he left off with a roll of his eyes. "Since we were the only two present when those...things happened, each of us has our own interpretation of what actually happened...but..."

"Since we never had an eyewitness, we've always argued about whose perception of what actually happened was the right one..." Harry finally finished.

Hermione frowned and cocked her head in confusion. "I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. How exactly are these things related to how you two started dating?"

Draco closed his eyes with a slight groan. "We may as well just tell them the whole story..."

Harry cringed and sent his lover a horrified look.

"The...whole story...?"

Pansy rubbed her hands together eagerly. "Alright, now I'm getting excited! C'mon, spare none of the juicy details!"

Harry groaned in dismay. "But whose story are we gonna go with?"

"Well obviously mine. I told you- my story is definitely closest to the truth." Draco stated firmly.

"Hold on now, how do you know? For all you know- "

"How about this?" Theo finally cut in. "You each tell us the story from your own point of view and impression of how things happened. Then maybe we'll all be able to read between the lines a bit and figure out something closer to the truth of what really happened."

Blaise snickered and clapped Theo on the back. "I swear, you shoulda been placed in Ravenclaw you goodie goodie."

Theo scowled and swatted Blaise's hand before continuing. "Uh, Potter. Why don't we start with you..."

Harry paled slightly, glancing around at the eagerly awaiting faces nervously. "...You know on second thought, Draco can go first..."

Draco rolled his eyes. "C'mon. The sooner you start, the sooner you can get it over with."

"Erk...Oh fine..." Harry closed his eyes and steeled himself before starting. "So I guess the story starts a few months after I had started working at the Ministry. I became an Auror shortly after the war was over, and things were going well...Then one day after a case I was on, I got a call from Kingsley and was told to report to his office..."

Xxxx -DxH- xxxX

"Phew- finally done! Y'alright there, Potter?"

Harry glanced up after having his name called and quickly stood, bowing his head slightly toward the older wizard.

"Ah, yes sir!"

The man laughed and clapped him on the back tiredly. "I have to say, you're gettin' pretty good there boy! I reckon you're about ready to take on your own apprentice soon!"

"Ah, please sir. I'm nowhere near ready." Harry refuted humbly, his face flushing in color at the high praise from his mentor.

"Haha, humble as ever, eh Potter?" The older wizard grinned and gave a final, brief look around before gesturing Harry to follow.

"I s'pose it's 'bout time we head on back to the Ministry- Minister Kingsley's gonna wanna full report on this by the end of the day, so we best skedaddle!"

"Of course, sir..."

Harry smiled to himself and followed after the older man.

It was days like this that made him all the more grateful that he had defeated Voldemort and survived through the war. The war had come and gone like the passing of the wind- some days it felt as though it were just yesterday, yet others still felt as though it had all just been a bad dream.

Though many still remembered often all that they had lost because of it, most all had moved on- and life had started to become happy again. Once most of the losses and damages had been taken care of, and the greater part of the London Wizarding community had recovered, there arose questions of needing a new leader for the fallen Wizarding community. Thankfully it was near unanimous decision that Kingsley Shacklebolt be voted into office as the new Minister of Magic.

As for Harry himself, things were going well. After his 20th birthday, he had soon found himself being trained, under Kingsley's suggestion, to become an Auror. Kingsley had assigned a mentor to him, and ever since, Harry had been training hard underneath the supervision of Auror Florence Knightly- an older and slightly eccentric wizard, though Harry thought him quite charming (and found a great deal of likeness to Mr. Weasley in him). With Voldemort gone, Harry felt like he was finally able to live life like an normal person might- and he strived everyday to do just that.

Yes, things had really started to look up for him. That was, until that fated day.

"Ah, here we are at the apparating point Potter! Grab hold, I'll take us back to the Ministry!" Florence exclaimed brightly and held out his arm, waiting for Harry to grab on.

Harry, instead of reminding him for the hundredth time that he was perfectly capable of apparating himself back to the Ministry, simply indulged the older man's request and grabbed hold of his arm. The familiar, but still unsettling feeling of being stretched like a piece of taffy traveling a hundred miles an hour came and quickly passed, and his feet made contact with the ground once again.

Florence gave a quick glance around. He had successfully apparated them directly outside the entrance to the Ministry of Magic- as close as you could get with the protective wards that were up. "Not bad, not bad! Alright then! Off to the Ministers office!"

Harry shook his head and tried his best to keep with the capricious older man as Florence quickly strode through the bustling main floor of the Ministry, quickly navigating into the pristine gold elevators in the back.

"To the Minister's office!" He exclaimed brightly again, hopping into an unoccupied car and punching one of the buttons on the wall of the elevator, before reaching up to grab hold of one of the handle straps as the elevator took off with a lurch. Harry followed suit, a bit too late- reaching desperately for one of the straps as he stumbled forward with the momentum of the car.

Seconds later the pair found themselves in a carpeted hallway, leading directly to a pair of dark, wooden doors.

"After you, Potter."

"Ah, right..."

Harry walked forward slowly and reached up, knocking firmly on the door.

"Enter." Came the deep, booming voice from the other side- and suddenly the doors opened by themselves, revealing the figure of Kingsley sitting behind his desk.

Harry walked into the room until he was standing directly in front of Kingsley's desk, Florence striding up beside him. It was hardly Harry's first time to visit Kingsley's office, but it still made him feel strangely nervous each time he did so.

"So, how did it go?" Kingsley asked seriously, wasting no time with preamble.

The case that Kingsley had entrusted to the two of them had been one they'd been dealing with for nearly a month. They only finally wrapped the case up that morning after receiving a lead that proved to be exactly what they needed to tie up the last loose ends.

"Quite smashingly, if I do say so myself! Potter was excellent, as always Minister!" Florence beamed brightly, clapping Harry on the back proudly.

"Thanks to the tip off we received, we were finally able to track down the head of the organization that was cursing all of those muggle objects and reselling them on the black market. After he was captured, we were able to collect the objects and dispel any traces of dark magic from them!"

"Good, good." Kingsley mumbled, nodding his head in satisfaction. "And the objects are...?"

"Ah, we sent them down to the Department of Muggle Artifacts to be checked over and restored to their former appearances. After that they should be able to be sent back to the Muggles that they were stolen from, right Potter?" Florence rattled off concisely, glancing at Harry for a nod of agreement.

"Uh, yeah. That's correct, sir."

Kingsley nodded in satisfaction, glancing over a small stack of parchment a top his desk with a hum- stopping here and there to jot down notes with the quill in his hand.

"Alright then- excellent job you two. I'll expect an official report from the both of you, then we'll file this down to the people in Intermagical Law to be taken care of once and for all." He announced with a final nod, placing the parchment inside of a folder and sliding it into a drawer in his desk.

"Knightly, you may be dismissed." Kingsley turned to Harry. "Potter, you stay here. I'd like to have a word."

Harry's heart immediately dropped and his palms felt sweaty. This was the first time Kingsley had ever only dismissed Florence and asked him to stay.

Had he done something wrong? Had Mr. Knightly reported something to Kingsley that he was unhappy about? A million thoughts raced through Harry's head as Florence nodded, patting him reassuringly on the back as he exited the office and the doors swung closed behind him with a solid 'thunk'.

Trapped with nowhere to escape, Harry stood frozen to the spot- waiting until Kingsley had glanced up at him and motioned for him to take a seat on a chair that he conjured in front of the desk.

"Sit, Sit. There's no need to be so nervous, Potter." Kingsley's deep, calming voice called out to the boy, and he sunk gingerly into the seat- still not daring to speak a word.

"How have things been going?"

"...Things...?" Harry asked tentatively.

Kingsley waved a hand around. "Your job, working with Knightly, learning all the tricks of the trade...How are you liking it so far?"

Harry swallowed nervously and twiddled his thumbs. "I...think that everything has been going pretty well...Mr. Knightly is very knowledgeable and has been very patient and kind while teaching me..." He paused and Kingsley nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "A lot of the cases have been hard, but...they've been very interesting and fun to work on...I've throughly enjoyed all that I've done so far, and hope that I can continue to work alongside Mr. Knightly to help make the Wizarding World a better place..."

Harry stopped and bit his lip. Oh- had that been too narcissistic a thing to say?He glanced up at Kingsley hesitantly, who looked deep in thought.

"I'm afraid...that that will no longer be possible."

Harry paled. I knew it. Something happened. I'm gonna get the boot. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and maintain his dignity as Kingsley opened his mouth to deliver the words Harry knew would end his short lived career as an Auror.

"It will no longer be possible, because Auror Knightly has given you a recommendation to be accepted into the department as a full fledged Auror- meaning that you will no longer require the assistance of a mentor." Kingsley explained slowly, his mouth breaking out into a grin at the end. "Surprised?"

Harry gasped and held a hand to his chest. "S-surprised?! Of course I am! Kingsley, I thought you were firing me!" He stood up and exclaimed a bit too loudly.

Kingsley chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, Potter- there's no need to be so uptight. If there was something wrong with the way you've been performing, of course either Knightly or I would've said something." He grinned as Harry sank meekly back into his seat.

"Knightly only ever sings praises when he talks about you, so why would you have any reason to think that you weren't doing well?"

Harry scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I dunno...I just thought it might have something to do with the whole 'Savior of the Wizarding World' thing, y'know? People still treat me differently because of it..."

The older male nodded and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I understand, but trust me- you're doing extremely well for how short of a time you've been on the job for...Most rookie Aurors are sent to St. Mungo's on their first day..."

"...Ah, I see..." Harry paled slightly and nodded his head meekly. There had been some close calls on a few of the cases that he had been on- but neither he nor Florence had ever sustained injury needing of hospitalization while out on the job. "I suppose I should consider myself extremely fortunate then..."

Kingsley chuckled. "The job of an Auror is often unpredictable- so even the best can quickly find themselves in an unfavorable position. This is one of the reasons why we always prefer Aurors to work in pairs..." He paused, as if mulling something over in his head, and Harry frowned slightly.

"But since I'm not working with Mr. Knightly anymore...does that mean that I'm going to be assigned another Auror to work alongside?"

"Not...exactly." The Minister answered hesitantly- standing up from behind his desk and turning to pace around the room slowly, clasping his hands behind his back and frowning slightly as he collected his thoughts.

Harry remained silent, unsure of what to make with that statement. Kingsley finally let out a long breath before striding back over and sinking back down behind his desk. He then pulled out a drawer and rifled through it before finding a file and setting it carefully on top of the desk.

"The truth is..." The older man started quietly, staring at the folder intently. "We at the Ministry have actually been working on something called 'The Equal Blood Initiative'. After the war was over, there were months and months of time where people were trying to clean up the damages left behind in the aftermath of the war. Even after the physical world was fixed though, many were still broken in spirit and heart." He paused, frowning deeply.

"Because of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, many in the Wizarding World had to mourn the loss of their friends and loved ones- and that was something that no amount of magic could ever fix. When the aftermath was dealt with, and people started to finally move on, we soon realized that we were facing a new problem. Wizards everywhere had started being bigoted towards Purebloods. Not allowing them to find jobs, visit certain shops, or even eat in many restaurants."

Harry's eyes widened before his brows drew down in a frown. "That's...horrible...how come there hasn't been anything down about it?"

"Well, we've been seriously trying to put a stop to all blood bigoting- and that's where our Equal Blood Initiative comes in." Kingsley explained with a nod, opening the folder and pulling out a sheet of parchment for Harry to look over.

"Basically, the program is to help rehabilitate and find jobs for those who are being oppressed due to their blood status. Muggleborn, Pureblood, anything. Any person who is being discriminated against will be able to file a form and receive help from our departments."

Harry nodded and passed the sheet of parchment back, frowning slightly. "That sounds brilliant...But no offense sir- what exactly does this have to do with me...?"

"Well, as to your question about a new Auror partner..." Kingsley stated the topic gingerly, and suddenly started to avoid Harry's eyes.

"About...my new Auror partner...?"

Kingsley nodded and pulled another sheet from the envelope, staring at it for a long moment before sighing heavily and finally passing it to Harry. "We received a grievance from one Draco Malfoy about not being able to obtain work, due to his family being a known supporter of Voldemort..."

He trailed off, and Harry's eyes widened slightly as the puzzle pieces started to click together.

"N-no way, sir...You couldn't possibly mean..."

"Effective immediately, I'm assigning Draco Malfoy as your new partner, Potter." Kingsley stated firmly, and suddenly Harry's vision went blurry.

Xxxx -DxH- xxxX

"...otter.."

"Potter."

"...Mm?"

"C'mon...easy now."

Harry blinked open heavy eyelids and glanced around groggily, trying to make out his surroundings.

"Hmm? Kingsley?" He questioned confusedly, finally sitting as he saw the dark skinned male hovering over him. "Am I...? Laying on the floor...In your office?!"

Kingsley cracked a small grin as Harry suddenly bolted up and brushed his clothes furiously, glancing around wildly.

"Easy now, just take a seat." Kingsley gestured Harry back to his chair as he went around the desk and sat back in his own chair. "You fainted while we were discussing your new assignment."

"My new...? Oh..." Harry closed his and rubbed at his temples. "I thought that was just a bad dream..."

"I'm afraid not, Potter. Your new Auror partner is Draco Malfoy."

Harry barely suppressed a groan. "Sir, I don't understand- how in the world is Malfoy qualified to be my partner- or an Auror for that matter?! He's obviously never been trained in, he's never even worked here for the Ministry, and, further more, how am I supposed to work with someone that's hated me ever since we met?!"

"Potter, I can understand your feelings- but I've already put careful thought and consideration into the decision. It's final." Kingsley stated gently but firmly, offering the emerald-eyes boy no more than a slightly pitying look. "It's been years since you've seen Draco Malfoy, so I'd like for you to try and not think of him as he was back when you knew him in school- a lot's changed since then..."

"But sir...!" Harry protested indignantly. "Past feelings aside- how can you just pair him up as my partner?! Does Malfoy even know anything about being an Auror?!"

Kingsley nodded slowly. "Yes. Aside from receiving excellent marks on all of his N.E.W.T.'s, Malfoy has been under the close watch and mentorship of one of our Aurors here from the time he arrived...He asked specifically for a job as an Auror, and began his training almost immediately..."

Harry sputtered in disbelief. "B-but how?! When did he come here? Who was he under supervision of? How come I've never seen him here? He's not even registered under the list of Aurors!"

"Mr. Malfoy came in to see me about 2 months ago, filing the claim I told you about earlier, and asking to be considered for a job as an Auror...After taking a look at his test scores and doing a preliminary check, I felt there was no reason why he couldn't start to be trained in. Like you, he exhibited a great deal of knowledge and instinct on the job, and quickly progressed through the training- as you did." Kingsley paused, resting his chin in his clasped hands.

"I decided to keep his name out of the department system for various reasons. Mostly because I didn't want anyone making a fuss before he even started officially working here."

Harry shied away from the pointed look directed his way.

"But what about the Auror he worked under?! Surely nobody would just offer to take him!"

"I had Florence Knightly conduct his training." Kingsley replied evenly, and Harry's jaw about came unhinged. "Knightly was more than happy to accept another protege, and had no problems with it being Mr. Malfoy...I also figured it would be a good chance for Knightly to be able to get a good grasp on the both of you to compare and see if you'd make compatible partners...He came to me the other day with the proposition of making you two both full-fledged Aurors, as well as to immediately instate you as partners."

Harry's head spun at the rush of information, and he held a hand to his temple as he tried to process it all. "So basically...You and Mr. Knightly had us trained, and then conspired about making us partners...because you thought we'd get along so well?"

The last part came out a bit more sarcastic than Harry had meant for it to, but it was too late to start taking back words now.

"Harry..." The Minister started tiredly, rubbing his own temples. "I know you won't understand now- but all that I've done, I've done so with a full and complete understanding of the consequences that it may have, as well as the benefits. My decision to make you and Malfoy Auror partners was not one that was made overnight- it was done only after much time of very careful thought and consideration, Alright?"

Harry finally stopped his tirade of questions and comebacks, and merely sat still- trying to take it all in. "So...when do we have to start working together...?" The question came out as a defeated mumble, and Kingsley merely chuckled lightly at the pouty attitude of the younger.

"You'll officially become partners tomorrow- there's a special meeting that we need to have to finish all of the formalities, but you won't start on field assignments together until the end of the week. That way Knightly and I will be able to to monitor and make sure you two don't try to kill each other before your first assignment together."

Harry nodded numbly and rose from his seat, sighing in defeat. "Just...one last question."

"Yes?"

"Does Malfoy know? About us...being partners...?"

"Yes, he does."

"And? What does he think?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Harry turned around stiffly as the sound of heavy oak doors being opened filled the office. The sound stopped, and a tall, blonde figure strolled into the room. Apparently he wasn't expecting anybody but the Minister, for a sleek blonde brow rose in surprise upon seeing Harry standing next to the desk.

"Well, well, well- what do we have here...?" Draco drawled quietly, eyeing Harry up and down.

"Malfoy." Harry grit out.

"Evening, Potter."

Though he still looked the same for the most part, Draco's entire demeanor seemed far more mature than it had just a few years ago when Harry had seen him at Hogwarts. He still has that same arrogant face and that damned smirk though. Harry scowled slightly and averted his eyes to keep from meeting the blonde's gaze.

"I had come to bring you the paperwork you asked for Minister, but I didn't realize you were busy..." Draco's voice, though it had carried a slight teasing tone moments ago, now sounded oddly polite and subdued. Harry frowned. It wasn't the tone of voice that he was used to hearing from the blonde.

"Ah, not to worry Malfoy- I called you up here on purpose. I figured that the three of us should have a little meeting before we proceed with the initiation ceremony tomorrow." Kingsley stated with a slight grimace, gesturing for the two to follow him over to a small sitting area further in the office.

He reclined into a large armchair and motioned for the two to sit across from him in the large sofa there. Harry sank down silently into the far right cushion, huffing slightly and shooting Draco a suspicious look as he did so. Draco returned the look with a slight roll of his eyes, choosing to perch against the left arm of the couch instead.

"So...what exactly do we need to discuss...?" Harry asked dryly, clearly still not on board with the whole idea of getting along with Draco.

"Harry." Kingsley stressed tiredly, shooting the boy a pleading look. Harry frowned and Draco quirked his lips.

"Minister." Draco started cooly, glancing at Harry quickly before returning his gaze to the older man in front of him. "Can you at least tell us why you decided to pair us together as partners?"

"...Well, that's...something that will be discussed at a later time."

"But out of all of the Aurors in the department- why would you pair up two rookies?" Harry asked with a deep frown. "Our past history aside- just because we're to be graduated as full-fledged Aurors and won't need a mentor anymore, shouldn't we still at least have a senior Auror with us?! At least for the first month or something?!"

Draco contemplated Harry's words with a cock of his head. "I was wondering along similar lines...I don't want to say that it seems reckless and irresponsible to send out two rookie Aurors together to work on cases when there are plenty of senior Auror pairs that do the same type of cases, but..."

The blonde shrugged, offering the Minister a slightly arrogant 'do want you want though' sort of look.

"Look. No matter what either the two of you think about this new arrangement, I'm afraid to say that there's nothing that I can do for you at the moment." Kingsley refuted firmly, staring each of the boys down with an even glance. "Now I'm going to help you guys set some ground rules first, so this'll help for the most part with keeping the two of you safe- from others as well as yourselves."

"...Ground rules?" Draco questioned with a wrinkle of his nose.

"New to the term rules', Malfoy?" Harry quipped snarkily, earning yet another sigh from Kingsley.

"Whenever two Aurors are decided as partners, the first thing that they need to do is to form a contract with each other." Kingsley explained slowly, conjuring a piece of parchment and quill from thin air. "This contract are the basic 'ground rules' for the two Aurors- meaning that neither are allowed to break them, lest they violate their partnership with the other."

"But since we don't want to be partners anyways..."

"The contract is bound by an Unbreakable Vow." Kingsley interjected sternly. "Once the terms of the contract are set by both Aurors, they will take an Unbreakable Vow with the other to swear to protect the other."

Harry's eyes widened in slight horror as he listened to what Kingsley was saying. "But why do we have to make an Unbreakable Vow?! That means that we'll die if we don't uphold the contract!"

Kingsley nodded solemnly. "When Aurors decide to become partners, their first and foremost priority is the protection of themselves, and their partner. The contract is just to help enforce the seriousness of that."

"So...what exactly are we supposed to put in our contract..?" Draco asked with a quirk of his brow, looking somewhat disturbed.

"You're allowed to put whatever you want." Kingsley replied with a shrug. "Within reason of course."

Harry cast a nervous glance at Draco, but the blonde simply stared at the floor- his gaze transfixed like he was deep in thought.

"The first and last clause of every Auror contract is as I said before; vowing to protect your own life, as well as your partner's life at any cost. Your lives are the most precious thing that you have- cherish them."

The quill levitating in front of him scratched noisily against the floating piece of parchment, leaving a trail of inked words as it went.

The Contract of one Harry James Potter and Draco Lucius Malfoy as Partners in The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Division of Aurors.

By signing their names on this contract, and making an Unbreakable Vow to seal it, both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy do solemnly swear to uphold to the list of terms as seen below;

1). My own life and the life of my partner are above all, the most important. I solemnly swear to do everything in my power to keep both myself and my partner safe- even if it means not being able to complete a case to do so.

Kingsley glanced over the parchment in satisfaction, nodding as he read through the words.

"Alright, who wants to make a suggestion?"

"Well...what sort of things usually get put on these contracts?" Harry asked interestedly.

"It depends on the people, really." Kingsley responded easily, chuckling slightly. "I'll admit, there have been some rather atrocious ones in the past- such as; 'Both partners are required to change their socks every day- no exceptions.', or 'Neither partner is allowed to eat a meal without the other'..I think Florence came up with that one...Of course I think he took it off the contract before they actually swore on it, haha!"

Harry and Draco exchanged a brief glance of shocked horror at the ridiculous notions.

"Alright, then I'll go first." Harry stated firmly, keen to get his own say on a rule before Draco decided on something ridiculous. "How about; 'Malfoy isn't allowed to wear that god-awful cologne of his whenever we're out on a case.' ?"

"Hey, now Harry- "

"What? You've got a problem with my cologne, you tosser? Fine, next rule. 'Potter can't wear those ridiculously lame glasses of his whenever he's around me.'."

"H-hold on Draco..."

"'Malfoy can't get within a 3 meter radius of me.'"

"Harry, honestly..."

"Fine. 'Potter can't get within a 5 meter radius of me.'"

"Alright! That's enough you two!" Kingsley stood suddenly, his deep voice booming as he silenced the two. "You're both acting like children, now stop it!"

Thankfully, both Harry and Draco at least had the grace to look slightly shamed at the petty squabbling they had been doing. Kingsley took a deep breath and sat back down, rubbing his temples gingerly.

"The point of the contract, is to help build your trust and relationship together- to keep you both safe." He stressed tiredly. "The terms listed on the contract only hold if they apply to both members of the contract- you can't just list any silly whim you want the other to obey."

Kingsley sighed again and plucked the quill out of the air- turning his attention to the contract. "It seems like I'll have to lay the foundation work down..."

Harry didn't have time to ask what that meant before the older man began scratching away furiously at the parchment, only stopping after he had filled a good two-thirds of the page with writing. "Alright, here's the basis for your contract..."

1). My own life and the life of my partner are above all, the most important. I solemnly swear to do everything in my power to keep both myself and my partner safe- even if it means not being able to complete a case to do so.

2). My partner is my best ally, and I can learn a lot from him. I solemnly swear to devote at least 1 (one) hour every day to practicing spells and other combat skills with my partner to help better myself.

3). To help my partner, I must know my partner. I solemnly swear to try and understand my partner better by spending at least 1 (one) hour every day talking to him to learn more about him.

4). To truly appreciate the value of my partner, I must know my partner's worth. I solemnly swear to share a mutual living space with my partner to increase our time and interaction with each other, in the hopes of understanding my partner's way of living.

5).

6).

"What do you guys think?" There was mischievous twinkle in Kingsley's eyes as he turned the parchment around and read each word out loud.

"T-that's, that's- !" Harry paled.

"Wha- you can't...you can't be serious!" Draco protested meekly, staring at the script in horror.

"Now now, I've left you each a spot at the bottom for one request. As long as it pertains to both members, I'll allow it." Kingsley finalized, turning to Harry first.

"So? What'll it be?"

Harry stood dumbstruck and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "Even if you say that, how am I supposed to...?"

"Don't be shy, just spit it out."

"Fine." Harry scowled , snatching the quill from Kingsley and jotting down his request on the open line.

5). Working together is easier than working alone. I solemnly swear to do my best to help my partner out while on the job- no matter what the circumstances.

"I see...That's a good choice..." Kingsley accepted with a nod, taking the quill from Harry's hand and transferring it to Draco's. "And your request, Draco..?"

The blonde thought hard, frowning for a moment before placing the quill to parchment.

6). No matter how bleak things may look, remember that you're never alone. I solemnly swear that no matter how hard things get- I will never try to kill myself, or my partner.

Both Harry and Kingsley stared in slight shock at what Draco had written.

"Ah, Draco...that's..."

"Insurance." He replied flatly, not meeting either of their gazes.

Kingsley nodded slowly and levitated the parchment, turning it so that they could all read.

"Well, take a good look at it now. Tomorrow you two are going to sign this contract, and vow to keep all of the terms listed on it- lest you face the consequences for defying..."

The Contract of one Harry James Potter and Draco Lucius Malfoy as Partners in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Division of Aurors.

By signing their names on this contract, and making an Unbreakable Vow to seal it, both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy do solemnly swear to uphold to the list of terms as seen below;

1). My own life and the life of my partner are above all, the most important. I solemnly swear to do everything in my power to keep both myself and my partner safe- even if it means not being able to complete a case to do so.

2). My partner is my best ally, and I can learn a lot from him. I solemnly swear to devote at least 1 (one) hour every day to practicing spells and other combat skills with my partner to help better myself.

3). To help my partner, I must know my partner. I solemnly swear to try and understand my partner better by spending at least 1 (one) hour every day talking to him to learn more about him.

4). To truly appreciate the value of my partner, I must know my partner's worth. I solemnly swear to share a mutual living space with my partner to increase our time and interaction with each other, in the hopes of understanding my partner's way of living.

5). Working together is easier than working alone. I solemnly swear to do my best to help my partner out while on the job- no matter what the circumstances.

6). No matter how bleak things may look, remember that you're never alone. I solemnly swear that no matter how hard things get- I will never try to kill myself, or my partner.

Xxxx -DxH- xxxX

"And that was pretty much it for the beginning of the story." Harry concluded, flushing slightly at all of the eager eyes fixated on him.

"Wow~" Pansy breathed excitedly, her face giddy with what she had heard so far. "Hey, is that really what happened, Draco?"

"Well..." Draco sniffed indignantly and took a sip of coffee. "My story of course starts differently than his, but I would still say that there are some parts of his story that I don't remember being 100 percentaccurate..."

"So you say..." Harry mutter petulantly in return, rolling his eyes slightly at his lover's chili dish refute.

"I do have to say though, this story is turning out to be a whole lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be~" Blaise crooned gleefully.

Draco smirked.

"If you think that's good, just wait till you hear what happens next..."