A/N – Welcome to my new story – Old Friends. This story has a slight reunion element, and it will be 10 chapters long. I want to make it clear from the start that this is not a Ron friendly story, so if that bothers people I kindly suggest they find something else to read. Updates will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I hope people enjoy this one.
For the first time in five years, Ron Weasley was about to see both his best friend, Harry Potter, and the love of his life, Hermione Granger, and he was starting to get nervous. Five years ago, after the final battle, Ron thought he had his whole life figured out. He'd been due to start Auror training with Harry in the September and he'd just started dating Hermione, whom he had been in love with for years. A few weeks before his training had been due to begin Ron had started to get nervous about becoming an Auror, and worrying that he wouldn't be good enough for the job. Around this time he'd also started to suffer doubts about his relationship with Hermione. At the time Hermione had been due to return to school to finish her education and had worried that the distance would ruin their fledgling relationship.
Instead of doing the mature thing and discussing his fears with Harry or Hermione, Ron had panicked. A week before Hermione had been due to return to school and Auror training had been due to start, Ron wrote three letters. One had been addressed to his family, one to Harry and one to Hermione. Then without saying a word to anyone he left The Burrow in the middle of the night. Ron's letters were extremely short, merely saying he needed some time alone, not to worry about him and he would return as soon as he could.
Now five years later Ron had returned, finally realising he had made a huge mistake. He now understood he should have stayed and faced his fears. He should have become an Auror and married Hermione. Despite his mistake Ron was determined to now make things right, he was planning on seeing if Harry would help him become an Auror and he planned on proposing to Hermione as soon as possible.
Trying to harness his nerves, Ron looked around the Ministry of Magic's atrium, noticing how much it had changed in the last five years. In the middle of the atrium stood a large circular reception desk with two witches dealing with people's requests. The two large golden lifts that travelled through the Ministry were now roped off and could only be accessed by magical passes. Everyone who worked at the Ministry had passes and visitors had to check in at reception to receive a guest pass, which was why Ron was standing in a short queue waiting to be dealt with.
"Next, please," the youngest of the two witches called in what Ron thought was an American accent.
Stepping up to the desk Ron debated who he should ask for first, Harry or Hermione. "I'm looking for Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, please."
"May I ask the reason for your visit? Is it work related?" the witch asked Ron.
"No, I'm an old friend. I'm just visiting," Ron replied, slightly put out that the witch hadn't recognised him as one third of the golden trio.
After the war Ron, along with Harry and Hermione, had been hailed a hero and as such they'd had huge media attention on the three of them. Granted, Ron had been away for the last five years, but he was guessing both Harry and Hermione still had to deal with the press, and of course his part in defeating Voldemort would always be part of Wizarding Britain's history. So he felt as though he should have at least been recognised by the young girl on reception.
"Just a minute," the young witch sitting at the desk replied, scanning her wand over what looked like a map of the building. "Harry Potter's office is in the Auror Department, third floor. I can't find any record of Hermione Granger, are you sure she works here?"
Ron was shocked at the information about Hermione. Before he had left, the newly appointed Minster of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had promised Hermione any job she wanted in the Ministry after she had finished school. Ron also knew that Hermione had intended to take up Kingsley's offer, and that she'd just been debating which department she would like to work in.
"Yes, I think so. I mean she used to. Can you check again, please?"
"Certainly." The witch patiently ran her wand over the parchment again before giving Ron a regretful shake of her head. "Sorry, no Hermione Granger."
"I guess I'll just settle for seeing Harry then," Ron said with a sigh.
"I just need to send word up to the Auror department to approve your visit," the witch informed Ron.
"Approve my visit?" Ron queried.
"We can't just go handing out visitor passes to anyone," the witch explained.
"But I'm not anyone," Ron protested. "Don't you know who I am?"
"Sorry."
"I am Ron Weasley," Ron spat in annoyance, waiting for the name to ring any sort of bell with the witch he was dealing with, but she just looked at him blankly. "The war hero," he prompted. "I helped defeat You-Know-Who."
"Oh, that was before my time," the witch replied with a slight shrug. "I've only lived her for six months, and this is my first week working here at the Ministry."
Ron still felt as though the witch should still have known who he was, even if she had only been in the country a short time, but he chose not to press the matter. Instead he moved to one side while the witch sent a message up to the Auror department, before dealing with the next visitor in the queue.
Two visitors later, the young witch called Ron back to her desk and issued him with a guest pass and told him how to gain access to the elevators.
"Mr Potter is expecting you," she informed Ron.
Thanking the young witch, even though he was still annoyed with her for not recognising him, Ron made his way towards the elevators, swiping his pass and stepping inside one just before it closed. He was still puzzled over the receptionist's inability to find Hermione's office, but he was hoping Harry could provide him with the answer as to where she was.
Arriving on the third floor, Ron asked a passing wizard where the Auror department was located. Following the directions he'd been given, Ron entered the Auror department, looking around at the place he should be working. A large portion of the department was open plan, where several people were working, but another portion of the department looked to be made up of conference rooms and offices. Not seeing any sign of Harry, Ron asked another wizard where he would find his best friend and was given directions to Harry's office at the end of the corridor.
Ron couldn't find any names on the doors of the offices, so he was hoping the directions he'd been given were correct as he made his way to the door furthest down the corridor. The door was partly ajar when Ron approached, so he briefly knocked and called out for his best friend.
"Harry."
"Come in," a voice called from the office.
Ron frowned at the sound of the voice, which he was sure sounded vaguely familiar. However, he knew the voice didn't belong to Harry. Even after five years, he was confident he would recognise his best friend's voice. Pushing open the office door, Ron tentatively stepped into the office and froze at the sight that greeted him. Sitting at a neat desk opposite the door was the smirking figure of Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy," Ron finally managed, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the former Slytherin sitting comfortably in Harry's office.
"Weasley," Draco returned in a bored sounding voice.
"What are you doing in Harry's office?" Ron demanded. "And why are you sitting behind his desk?"
"Firstly, this is also my office, and secondly this is my desk," Draco replied. "Potter's desk is over there."
Ron followed Draco's gaze to a second, slightly messier, desk. Marching over to the desk, he searched for some sort of clue it belonged to Harry and found it in the form of a silver picture frame containing a snapshot of Harry and Ron's sister, Ginny. Satisfied that the desk did indeed belong to Harry, he turned back to the former Slytherin, trying to work out what he was doing in the office.
"Believe me now?" Draco asked with a smirk.
"I still don't get how this is your office as well," Ron muttered.
"That's because Potter is my partner," Draco explained.
"Partner?" Ron queried with a frown.
"Work partners," Draco clarified, rolling his eyes at Ron.
"But to be his partner, you must be..." Ron dwindled off as if he couldn't bring himself to utter the end of his sentence.
"An Auror," Draco finished, helping Ron out.
"How?" Ron spluttered, shaking his head. "How can you be an Auror?"
"I passed the training," Draco answered with a shrug.
"But what about the Death Eater thing?" Ron spat. "How can a Death Eater become an Auror?"
"I was never a proper Death Eater," Draco snapped back, his grey eyes flashing angrily. "I know you ran off Weasley, but you were around long enough to know what happened at the end of the war."
"Yeah, I was," Ron muttered in disdain.
In the aftermath of the war, Draco had been given a second chance by the Ministry thanks in part to the evidence Harry had given on his behalf about how he'd been forced to do Voldemort's bidding. At the time Ron hadn't been overly keen on the decision, but he'd accepted it as he never thought it would affect his life. But now it would appear that the blond had taken his second chance by joining the Ministry, becoming an Auror and taking Ron's place as Harry's partner.
"Anyway, Potter just had to nip off to file some paperwork," Draco explained. "He should be back any minute."
"He did know I was coming up, didn't he?" Ron asked. "The girl on reception said he was expecting me."
"Yes, he knows you're here," Draco confirmed. "But as I said, he had some paperwork that needed filing so he wouldn't miss a deadline."
"And couldn't you have filed the paperwork?" Ron sneered. "Or does Harry do all the work in your partnership?"
"This paperwork was from a case he handled last week," Draco said. "I've been on holiday and only came back yesterday. But don't worry Weasley, I do my share of the work."
"Excuse me if I don't quite believe you're the perfect partner," Ron snapped, turning away from Draco and stalking over to Harry's desk to wait for his friend to return.
Sitting down in Harry's chair, Ron maintained a stony silence for a few minutes, but he couldn't stop glancing over to where Draco was now doing some paperwork.
"Out with it, Weasley," Draco said, not looking up from his work. "Say whatever you want to say and stop staring at me."
"You and Harry, are you friends as well as partners?" Ron asked, unable to hold the question in any longer. Even though the word friend had never been mentioned, there was just something about the way Draco spoke that had Ron thinking that he and Harry were more than work partners.
"We are," Draco replied, confirming Ron's worst fears.
"Good friends?" Ron asked, unable to stop himself from asking the question he didn't really want an answer to.
"I like to think so," Draco answered.
"What about Hermione?" he continued, wishing he would just shut up and wait for Harry to return, but he couldn't seem to stop himself asking questions. "Is she your friend as well?"
"I wouldn't exactly call Granger a friend," Draco said with a smirk.
"But you know where she works," Ron guessed.
"Of course I do."
Ron waited for Draco to say more, but it quickly become clear that he wasn't going to give out any additional information. Not willing to give the annoying blond the pleasure of asking more questions, Ron refrained from speaking and turned his back on the former Slytherin. Behind him, he heard Draco chuckle, and he clenched his fist in annoyance. He would love to give the annoying git a fist to the face, but he wasn't stupid enough to actually strike an Auror.
Fortunately for Ron, he didn't have to restrain himself for long as he heard a familiar voice in the corridor. Ron couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Harry, and he turned towards the door in eagerness. Seconds later, Harry entered the room and after giving Draco a quick nod, he turned towards Ron. Finally face to face with Harry, Ron's smile faltered as he took in the stern expression on his friend's face. Ron had been expecting a warm welcome, but it would appear that Harry was not at all thrilled to see him.