[FIC] Not everyone has it figured out (Harry/Draco)
Title: Not Everyone Has It Figured Out.
Author:
digthewriter
Summary: One day Draco ups and quits the Aurors and Harry needs to know why. Or… when he's around, he's annoying, but when he's not-Harry misses him something fierce.
Word Count: ~6300
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Fluff. Pining. Happy Ending.
Notes: Names of villages, towns, and business are 99% made up. Thanks to my betas
PhenomenalAsterisk and Sassy-Cissa for making this fic possible. All the remaining mistakes are mine.
Office gossip.
"Have you heard?"
Harry sat at his desk and tried to finish the report that was due at five o'clock today and did his best to not listen in on whatever the gossip of the day was.
"I know. I just found out!"
"I can't believe it."
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Whatever it was, it was going to pass. He needed to add in the final touches. He was supposed to be doing this report with Malfoy but after searching for the man for a few hours, and not being able to find him anywhere, Harry decided to write down his account of things. And if they asked why Junior Auror Draco Malfoy hadn't contributed, then he'd have to deal with it.
"He left."
"Left? I heard Malfoy got kicked out."
Harry's ears perked up at the sound of Malfoy's name. What were they talking about?
"Yes, I heard the Auror team had had enough of him and told him to leave."
"I heard he kicked one of them and said he was quitting!"
"Excuse me?" Harry stood up from his desk and peeked over the cubicle walls. "What's that about Malfoy?"
"He was on a mission yesterday morning with Gordon and Yang but they say he hasn't returned. I heard it was because he got into a fist fight with Yang and Gordon threatened to report him."
"That's not what I heard."
Harry looked at the two people in front of him.By now, they had attracted enough attention that others were starting to join their little group. He came around his desk and confronted the two of them. He'd met them briefly, as they were terrible Junior Aurors, but excellent at spreading the gossip-Natasha and Taylor. This also explained why Harry couldn't find Malfoy all day today. No matter the actual reason, Malfoy had quit the DMLE.
X0X0X0
ONE MONTH LATER
Not what he expected.
Harry still couldn't believe he was stuck with Yang on this mission. He liked Matthew fine, but the man didn't stop talking. Ever since his fight with Gordon where Gordon allegedly kicked him (evidently, it was not Malfoy) they were separated. Harry didn't know why Yang and Gordon had a row, or why Malfoy had got in the middle of it, but now Harry was stuck with him. They had finished interviewing the village members in Northeast Scotland, and were going to head back to the Ministry when Yang suggested they stop by this cafe in London that he loved in the wizarding alley of Soho.
"It's been ages since I've been there and they have the best lemon drizzle cake," said Yang. "And with Christmas around the corner, I need to get something good for my mum. I wanted to put in a few orders so they could deliver it to her by Christmas Eve."
Yang anxiously waited for Harry to respond and Harry only gave a curt nod. "Fine," he said. He was getting hungry too and if this mission was anything to go by, he would have a long day ahead of report writing. They hadn't found anything about the Dark Magic supposedly reported in Wiloud Heath but enough people dropped clues to indicate there was more to the story. Hopefully, the next round of interviews could be done by someone else who was a bit less conspicuous. Harry was almost always recognised anywhere he went.
They arrived at Yang's favourite cafe, Cake The Edge Off, and Harry was nearly floored by seeing the person who was managing the till. Draco Malfoy.
"Yang…" Harry said softly.
Yang looked from Harry to Malfoy, then back to Harry and then back to Malfoy again. His head was whipping back and forth so fast, it was as if he were watching a table tennis match. "Fuck, that's Malfoy…"
"No shit, Sherlock," said Harry. "Did you know he worked here?"
"No. But I reckon it makes sense."
"What do you mean it makes sense?" Harry asked, annoyed. By now, they'd been crowding by the door long enough they were starting to get weird looks. Eventually, Malfoy looked up. At first, he smiled at them, then immediately scowled.
"Let's go put your orders in," Harry said, grabbing Yang by the elbow and making his way to the till.
"Potter. Mat-Yang. How can I help?"
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Harry demanded.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at Harry and didn't speak for a full minute. He looked around the cafe and then back at Harry. "Serving coffee."
"Why?" Harry asked, his voice strained. He wasn't entirely certain why he cared or wanted to know. When Malfoy was a Junior Auror working at the DMLE, he and Harry had crossed paths but most of the time, Malfoy was assigned to different teams.
"I'm not entirely sure how that's any of your business, Potter," said Malfoy. "I gave my notice to the DMLE and I am no longer under any sort of obligation or parole for which I would need to answer to an Auror. Now, if you're here to harass me, I'll have you speak to my manager-"
"No, that's not needed," Yang said quickly. "We're here for a couple of coffees, a lemon drizzle cake, and I wanted to place a delivery order for New Year's Eve."
Harry thought it was interesting how Yang, who often seemed to have it all together and didn't take any shite from anyone, really seemed to care about upsetting Malfoy. It was just a feeling, as Harry had nothing to go by to back up his claim, but did Malfoy have something on Yang? Perhaps he knew why Gordon and Yang were no longer getting along - hadn't Malfoy left the same day Gordon and Yang had got into a fight?
They placed their orders and took their seats at a table in the far corner. Malfoy brought them their coffees and cake and he gave the order receipt to Yang confirming his Christmas Eve order was placed. When he walked away, Yang abruptly stood up.
"I…I forgot to place one more order. I'll be right back." He rushed off and Harry watched as Yang and Malfoy had a long conversation and Malfoy wasn't writing down anything Yang was saying. Eventually, he grabbed the order form, marked something off, and took Yang's money.
When Yang returned, Harry tried to confront him. "What was that about?"
"Nothing. Placed another order-"
"That was a long conversation for placing one simple order."
"Am I under interrogation, now?" Yang asked, voice stern.
"I'm curious, is all," Harry said, changing tactics. "You said it made sense he was working here."
"Yeah. When he was leaving, he said he had a personal emergency and he needed to help out a friend. And this cafe is owned by his friend P…Patty something?"
"Pansy Parkinson?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, that's it. She's owned this place and a couple of other cafes around but I also heard that due to the economic downturn, she had to close one of the shops. He said he wasn't making much headway being an Auror so he could do something better with his time."
"So he doesn't work at the till?" asked Harry and cringed realising how elitist he sounded.
"No. I read in the Business Journal section of the Prophet a lot of owners and managers are taking turns working shifts because they don't have enough staff or enough money to pay for staff. I believe he's a silent business partner and maybe helping out with the books?"
"How do you know so much?" Harry asked.
Yang shrugged. "You know most of the time we're held up in holes as watchdogs. Not much to do there but read books or papers. Gordy wasn't much- I mean Gordon didn't like reading books and he often bothered me if I got into a good story- said we were supposed to be keeping watch so I read all sorts of newspapers." Yang's face had fell for a brief moment talking about his former partner, Gordon, but he quickly recovered from it. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed but Harry had been looking. He had been searching for reasons to why he was stuck with Yang.
"You were close?" Harry asked, taking a sip of his coffee, keeping his tone casual.
"Who?" Yang seemed to only have eyes for his cake.
"You and Gordy…" He trailed off, knowing he had to tread lightly.
Yang looked annoyed. "We were partners. And now we're not."
"Whatever it is…I hope you know you can talk to me and that I can keep a secret."
"Right," said Yang, as he cut his cake with a fork and took a bite from it. "I'll remember that if I do end up having something to share."
X0X0X0
Nice to see you again.
Soon after they had left the cafe, Harry used the owl delivery service and placed orders for cakes for Christmas to be delivered to the Weasleys. He was going to spend Christmas Eve at the Burrow and have dinner on Christmas Day with Teddy and Andromeda. The cake he'd tried at the cafe, Cake The Edge Off, he'd absolutely loved and he tried to convince himself his order from their bakery had everything to do with his inability to purchase Christmas presents and very little to do with Malfoy. That was the case until Malfoy showed up at the Burrow for the delivery.
"Harry, I think someone's at the door," Ginny said, "There's a shadow hovering about…"
"Oh, I ordered cakes for the family but…I thought they'd send it via owl," Harry replied, heading towards the door as the family bustled around in the sitting room and the kitchen for the festivities.
When Harry opened the door, he was surprised to see Malfoy, who looked equally startled.
"Apologies," Malfoy said, not looking up. "I'm leaving the gift deliveries by the door-"
"Malfoy," Harry said.
Malfoy looked up and he scowled, then smiled, and then looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek. "Potter. Sorry again. Just dropping these off-"
"Why didn't you use an owl?" asked Harry.
"Didn't realise I needed to get my business practises approved by the Ministry," Malfoy replied. "Our policy is hand-delivery to ensure the cakes are in perfect condition when they arrive. Sometimes, owls can be a bit unpredictable, and they can get startled easily-destroying the product. This is something you would know if you'd read the order form-which you filled out." Malfoy held up the parchment to show Harry.
"Right. I forgot that." Harry had, in fact, not forgot it.
"So do you have a lot of deliveries today? Did you also drop things off at Yang's…?"
"What's with the twenty questions, Potter? Can't I do my job in peace. I left the DMLE, remember? I didn't think I was going to be scrutinised everywhere I went."
"It's not what I mean. I was…"
"If you're looking for gossip, I'm not going to tell you what happened between Yang and Gordon."
"So you know?"
Malfoy raised his eyebrows but didn't reply. "If there's nothing else, sir…"
"Harry, who are you talking to out there?" Mrs Weasley came rushing to the door and almost yelped when she saw Malfoy carrying several boxes. "Oh, Mr Malfoy…?"
"Hello, Mrs Weasley," Malfoy said in a small, polite voice. "I'm here to deliver some cakes from-"
"Come inside, dear. It's freezing outside!" Mrs Weasley pulled Harry into the room and then rushed to grab Malfoy by his wrist. "Come in. Come in."
"That's okay, I came to deliv-"
"Everyone! We have another guest. And he's brought presents!" Mrs Weasley shouted into the room and everyone left the sitting room to come greet Malfoy. George, Bill, and Charlie grabbed the cake boxes Malfoy had been holding. "Thanks so much for stopping by, dear!"
"I…" Malfoy struggled for words and he looked at Harry as if begging for help.
"Malfoy works at a bakery and I ordered the cake for us!" Harry said, also feeling panicked. He had no idea what to do or what to say to get Malfoy to leave. He hadn't anticipated this much commotion in his efforts to find out more about Yang and Gordon, and why Malfoy had left the Aurors.
"Way to take all the credit, Harry," Ginny said snidely and elbowed him in the ribs. "You coming in for some Firewhisky, Malfoy? How's Parkinson?"
"She's doing fine. Also, I've been meaning to thank you for the ref-"
Ginny cut him off with a smile. "Of course. Those scones are to die for." She left the room as Harry and Malfoy continued to stand awkwardly in the hallway. Maybe she'd felt the tension and wanted to get away from it or maybe she wanted Harry to be alone with Malfoy, he'd never know.
"Err…do you want to come in? I reckon you have to now."
"What have you done, Potter?" Malfoy snapped.
"Do you have more deliveries? I can tell them you have to leave for work, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's the Weasleys, they're kind of inviting and won't leave you alone until you eat something."
"What are you two still doing out there?" Mr and Mrs Weasley shouted from the other room.
"Fine, I'll stay for five minutes. But next time, leave me alone, okay? I didn't ask for any of this!" Malfoy strode past Harry and walked into the sitting room where he was welcomed with open arms and immediately served his own cake and a glass of sparkling wine.
Soon after the war and the Trials, where Harry had testified for the Malfoy family, Draco had published an open letter in the Prophet apologising for his part in the war. He had also stopped by the Burrow and shared his regrets with the Weasleys. The family had been kind to him and Harry had thought not much had happened since then. He'd clearly been wrong. It seemed Ginny knew about the cafe, and referred it to her friends. And the way Mrs. Weasley was talking to him, it seemed as though they too had kept in touch.
"Mum's inviting to everyone you know that," Ron said to Harry as they stood by the fire and took in the in whole scene.
"Hmm…" Harry said. "Do you know why he left the Aurors?"
Ron shrugged. "Not really. I would think it has to do with his reputation but I know he was getting close with Yang and Gordon-"
"How do you know this?" Harry asked, surprised. "You just joined."
Ron shrugged again. "Gossip. Taylor and I have lunch a few times. He has his own theories of why Yang and Gordon don't talk anymore."
"What are they?"
"That they were shagging and then Yang started shagging Malfoy."
"What?" Harry nearly spit out his Firewhisky. "Tosh."
Ron laughed. "That's what Taylor thinks. He was jealous too because apparently he fancied Malfoy."
"Taylor fancies anyone who smiles at him," replied Harry.
"Yeah, but when was the last time you saw Malfoy smile at anyone at the Ministry?"
X0X0X0
A new year. A new-?
On second January, Harry made his way to Cake The Edge Off for a cup of coffee before heading into the Ministry. He had a long week ahead as Matthew Yang had been rotated off his partner list and he was going to start to train Taylor Banks. Taylor talked more than he took notes and Harry already knew this was going to be a very long week.
As he walked in, he found the cafe to be completely empty. Sure it was very early but he didn't think he'd be the first one there. He looked around for the employees and found Malfoy on a step ladder above the till, writing on the menu board. Malfoy hadn't noticed someone had come into the cafe and was busy writing the menu and the prices. Harry took his time, staying quiet, and simply watching. Malfoy wore dark blue Muggle jeans, a light purple jumper with sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms and Harry had started to stare-simply, he had no choice.
Malfoy looked good. He was fit, still Auror fit, and the muscles in his forearms had Harry's mouth watering. Usually, Harry wasn't a forearms person but evidently, now he was. What was even worse was that he tried, really really tried, not to gawk at Malfoy's arse. But it was right there- on the step ladder - for all the world to see. Or well, the empty cafe to see and Harry was the lucky recipient as the sole member in the audience enjoying the show.
He tried to take it all in as much as he could but there was movement on his left and Harry broke his concentration to look. Parkinson stood there as she'd come in from the side entrance and stared at Harry with her arms crossed.
"Like what you see, Potter?" she asked.
"What?" Malfoy turned around. "You said someth-Oh. Potter?"
"Sorry, are you open? I came by for a coffee but not sure if you're open so early-"
"He's open to take your coffee order," Parkinson said, looking at Harry as if she knew something he didn't. Since she had caught him gawking at Malfoy, Harry didn't reply. He nodded once and went up to the till to order his coffee.
"Anything else?" Malfoy asked ringing Harry up for two coffee orders. Harry figured it would be rude to not give Banks a coffee if he asked to meet him so early in the morning. "The baker is almost done with the first batch of croissants if you'd like one."
"That sounds good. I'll have two of those too." Malfoy nodded and handed the coffees to Potter. "Have a seat. I'll bring them over as soon as they're ready."
"I haven't paid for them-" Harry began to say.
"It's fine, Potter. You're the first customer of the New Year, so they're on me."
"Besides…" Parkinson said coming from around the corner and standing behind Malfoy. "Thanks to you, the Weasleys have told everyone about our cakes, and orders are flying in. It seems we owe you our gratitude." Malfoy turned to glare at her and she only smiled back at him.
"If we're giving credit where credit's due, then you'll have to thank Yang. He is the one who brought me here in the first place."
"Oh, that man is such a sucker for-"
"Pansy, thank you." Malfoy stopped Parkinson from saying whatever she was about to say, perhaps sharing Yang's secret that Harry had been so curious to know. "Why don't you go and check if Terri is ready to start her morning shift."
"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes and leaving them alone.
"You're really not going to tell me?" Harry asked.
"Is this why you keep bothering me?" Malfoy turned his death glare at Harry. "You don't actually care about anything else but knowing the office gossip?"
"What? No!" Harry protested. "I…Okay, fine, I'll admit I'm curious. But it's only that: curiosity. If I'm not supposed to know then I'll stop asking. I don't want you to think that's why I…" Harry hesitated.
"You what, Potter?"
"It's not why I want to keep seeing you…" Harry blurted out.
"Pardon?" Malfoy asked, and closed his mouth, and then he opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again. "Potter…?"
"I…" Harry hesitated for a brief second and when he was ready to say something more, a young woman walked in from behind Malfoy holding a tray of freshly baked croissants. "Ah my order's here. Brilliant. I'm running late. So I'll take them and…go?"
"Yes. Certainly," Malfoy said, looking confused. He placed two croissants in two bags, folded them neatly and handed them to Harry. "Have a good day, Potter."
"Thanks for your business at Cake The Edge Off!" the young woman said enthusiastically.
Harry immediately left, feeling his face burn, and his hands shaking. Yes, he was a Senior Auror, and he was too much of a coward to ask Draco Malfoy out on a date.
X0X0X0
Unavailable or Unattainable?
The next few times Harry went into the cafe, he was always greeted by the young woman, Terri. Malfoy was never at the cafe and eventually, Harry asked her about it.
"Mr. Malfoy is going in and out of both locations as he's working on budget balancing. Ms Parkinson will be here in an hour, though, if you wished to speak to her?"
Harry shook his head. "No, thanks." He ordered his coffees and cakes for the office and went into work, wondering if he should have asked Yang if he's talked with Malfoy.
"We're actually meeting for drinks tonight," Yang told Harry.
"I didn't realise you were close friends," Harry said, trying to tame the jealousy down, unsure why he was even jealous. He had no prior claim on Malfoy. He did remember what Ron had told him on New Year's Eve, though… they were shagging and then Yang started shagging Malfoy. Maybe there were-
"Are you shagging?" Harry's eyes widened the moment he asked that question. "Sorry, not my business. My sincerest apologies for-"
"No, we're not shagging!" Yang started to laugh. "Can you even imagine? He'd probably start instructing me on how my kissing is all wrong…" Yang threw his head back and bellowed. "You know the last time I ordered a martini, he actually scolded me for it and told me I wasn't allowed to be in public with him if I was going to order coconut vodka."
"So you two meet for drinks a lot, then?" Harry asked, the jealousy not taming anytime soon, apparently.
"A few times. He know-I mean-he's been a good friend. I was upset when he quit but you know how it is…"
"I don't…I don't know actually. Can you tell me more?"
Yang nodded. "I know what people say about him. Of how his family was and what they did but I'm not… I don't care about that. Sure, he's a few years older, you both are, right? I wasn't here for the war- you know I was born in Sinliao. When it was dangerous, my family brought me back and I finished in the wizarding school there. But he has such great insight and I was starting to learn from him, I think that's why Gord-" Yang sighed. "Gordon thought I preferred my friendship with Draco over his…"
"So did Malfoy leave because of how he was being treated or because of other personal reasons? Helping his friend with the business…?"
"Both," Yang said sounding sad. There was something more there which he didn't wish to disclose. "I'm envious of him. To choose to do whatever he wants even if that's partially forced…" He sighed before continuing, "He didn't think he was going to move up as fast as the rest of us because he was purposely being held back. He also didn't want to complain about it because who would he file his grievances with? The system was working against him. So when his friend reached out asking for help… he asked me what I thought…"
"You're a good friend to him."
"Yeah?" Yang asked with a small chuckle. "You know he talks about you all the time."
"Wha-he does?" Harry asked, surprised. "What does he say?"
"Mostly how much he hated you," Yang said, laughing again. "But I would go out of my way to talk about you and he'd bring you in conversation. Once I even asked him if he fancied you and then he didn't talk about you for a full hour." Yang continued laughing and shaking his head as if there was more to the story and he wasn't able to bring it up because it was so funny. "Part of me thinks he wants to meet up tonight so we can talk about you. He sounded very strange in our last Floo call and when I brought you up…he got super weird. Even more weird than his usual self."
"Oh." Harry was speechless. His knees wobbled with anticipation. Should he offer to go with Yang? Would it be desperate to invite himself? "I don't think so."
"Why don't you come tonight?" Yang asked, straightening up. "He said he wants to tell me something important but like I said, I think he wants to talk about you. So you should come. I'll finally get my answer if he fancies you or really really hates you."
"I'm not sure I want to find out."
"Why? Upset it might be the latter?"
Harry bit his lower lip and gently nodded. "Not sure if he ever stopped hating me."
"Well, are you going to come and find out or sit there sulking?" Yang challenged.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?" asked Harry, and then agreed to meet Yang at the pub where he was going to see Malfoy.
X0X0X0
Almost missed it.
Harry couldn't believe he was running late! After everything said and done, and setting up the time to meet with Yang, and filing all of his reports on time, Harry was behind schedule! He'd stopped by his house to shower and change and then the plethora of Floo calls he received one after another was too much. And now, he was at least thirty minutes late! He was supposed to arrive ten minutes after Yang and Malfoy were going to meet at the pub, and he had no idea how long they would talk for. What if it was one quick drink? What if they'd already moved to a different place and Yang assumed Harry had lied and decided not to show up?
As he rushed towards the entrance of the pub, the sight of Malfoy standing outside brought his running to a halt.
"Malfoy," Harry said, almost huffing.
"Potter? What are you doing here."
"I'm supposed to be meeting Yang…" Harry said slowly. "Did he leave? You look like you're getting ready to go somewhere else…"
Malfoy rolled his eyes and chuckled low. The sun had settled and the shadows of the evening were slowly drawing upon them. Malfoy tilted his head towards an alleyway urging Harry to look. Harry watched as two men, trying to hide in the darkness for some form of privacy were unashamedly snogging.
"Is that…Yang?"
"And Hermán Gordon," said Malfoy. "I was supposed to meet Matthew for a drink but it was so he and Gordon could try to have a civil conversation-"
"I…I don't understand," Harry said, still a bit confused as to how Malfoy was involved in all of this. "Yang said you and him had become good friends."
Malfoy nodded. "Can we walk? I don't wish to stand around near them like a pair of voyeurs." Harry gestured for Malfoy to start walking first and followed in step with him. "It's true Matthew and I quickly became good friends when I was still working for the Ministry, and I reckon it's why Gordon had become jealous. I didn't realise, because they were so good at keeping it a secret but they'd been a pair for quite awhile. Yang had joined the DMLE for Gordon. One evening when we were all on a mission I was only supposed to observe, Gordon dared me to go around the back of the castle we were supposed to be watching and provoke the suspect."
"That's strictly against protocol," Harry said, firm. Should he be having a talk with Gordon about this? He wondered.
"So they tell me," Malfoy said with a soft smile. "Matthew told me not to do it but Gordon kept egging me on. And I didn't have a choice. It was either do something rash or have my reputation be dragged through the mud even more. So I got lucky, thankfully, and it worked. The suspect was startled by my antics and they attacked me which gave the other two Aurors a chance to move in and take everyone by surprise. Matthew wanted me to get the credit for the arrest but Gordon said no. They had a fight, some punches were thrown, and I was caught in the middle of a lovers' quarrel-"
They'd kept walking and now had come to the end of the road where there was another pub. Harry looked at the entrance and gave an indication of Shall we? to Malfoy. They both walked in and took a seat at the bar.
"You left soon after so everyone thought…"
Malfoy watched as the bartender placed their pints in front of them and Harry paid for the drinks. "I had a confidential meeting with a mediator and our supervisor with both Gordon and Yang present. Gordon blamed me for the fight, Matthew tried to defend me and my supervisor only shook his head. They wanted to suspend all three of us so the next day, I went in and gave my notice. I told Matthew to let me take the blame. I'd been thinking about leaving anyway. Pansy needed my help with her business as her ex-boyfriend stole from her savings and fled the country. I'd also been investigating him while trying to stay on top of my Auror training-"
"You always seemed so put together at work, I had no idea, I don't think anyone did…" Harry trailed off and then took a sip of his beer.
"I've had some practice in keeping face, Potter," Malfoy said with a humourless laugh. "But that's all in the past. Matthew and I kept in touch after, especially after he realised I was working at Pansy's cafe-"
"You were the one who told him about Cake The Edge Off?"
Draco nodded. "Of course, I helped name the place."
"How did you get Gordon and him to reconcile?" Harry asked, curious. They'd finished their first round so Harry ordered them another. This time, Malfoy insisted on paying and as he reached for the coins in his pocket, Harry grabbed him by the wrist. "No, it's on me. Please."
Malfoy looked down at where Harry was holding his hand and nodded once. "Brilliant," Harry said.
"Um…my hand, Potter," Malfoy said when Harry hadn't immediately let go of him.
Malfoy's sleeves were rolled up again and those forearms Harry admired so much from afar were very, very close to him now. He wasn't unable to look away. "Shit. Sorry. I…" Harry felt his face burn and he gave Malfoy an awkward smile before taking in a big gulp of his drink and placing an order of chips. "So you were saying about Gordon…"
"I hope this isn't going to get them in any trouble, Potter. I know how your department likes to gossip-"
"No. I promise this won't go anywhere. If they were a romantic pair, they shouldn't have been partners to begin with and if they're going to continue being one, I'll need to make sure they are designated different Auror partners and missions. I might have to have a conversation with them but I won't allow their secret to be revealed."
"Matthew was heartbroken for days. Even if they didn't get along sometimes, they rarely had a fight where they didn't speak to each other. I mean, they were both in the middle of purchasing a flat together-" Malfoy paused as he probably saw the shocked expression Harry was certainly exhibiting. He smirked and took another sip of his drink. "He had me deliver a cake for Christmas to Gordon. He didn't want me to write his name on the card but…I think it's been difficult for him. One thing led to another and Gordon came to the shop to find out who had been sending him the cakes. He saw me, and we had a good conversation where I told him he was a bloody idiot. Matthew had also been helping me investigate Pansy's ex-boyfriend's whereabouts so we tend to meet up for drinks occasionally and I told Gordon to truly think about what he wanted. Because if he wanted to get back together with Matthew, he needed to stop being such a jealous prick."
"How did he take that?" Harry asked, surprised. Gordon was a hot head.
Gordon had a tendency to pick a fight with everyone. It was why so many people were surprised to see Yang as his partner for so long, and then also when they ended up having a falling out. Now Harry knew why.
"He nearly punched me," Malfoy said, irritated. "He's a bloody mess!"
"Yeah. So tonight…you'd set them up?"
Malfoy nodded.
"And you were leaving when I'd arrived?" Harry asked, almost kicking himself for nearly missing his encounter with Malfoy.
"I…" Malfoy hesitated.
"I was waiting."
"Waiting?"
In a moment's notice, Malfoy seemed awkward and shy, he bit the inside of his cheek and then grabbed the pint glass. In one go, he finished his second beer. "I…Before Gordon showed up to surprise Matthew, he told me you were going to be coming by. I…I was waiting for you."
"You were?" Harry asked, his eyes widening. This was undoubtedly promising.
"Terri says you stop by the cafe looking for me."
Now, the tables had turned again and Harry was the one feeling awkward and shy. "I've been…" Harry drawled. "Looking."
"Why?" Malfoy asked.
"I wanted to…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and smiled. "I've been thinking about you." A pause. "A lot."
The chips Harry had ordered arrived and the bartender placed them in-between Harry and Malfoy's pint glasses. Harry wondered if he should order another round but Malfoy beat him to it by ordering water instead.
"Did Matthew say anything to you?" Malfoy asked, sounding worried.
Every time Malfoy called Yang 'Matthew' a spark of jealousy ran through him but Harry did his best to ignore it. "Only that you hate me… and that you find reasons to talk about me so you can tell him what an arse I am."
"Well, that is true…" Malfoy's voice was soft and he looked away from Harry smiling to himself.
When Malfoy reached for a chip, Harry grabbed his wrist again. "Malfoy…" Harry breathed out. "Can I…can I kiss you?"
Malfoy's eyes immediately darted towards Harry's lips and then he licked his own. "I…buy me dinner, first, Potter," he said, trying to sound haughty.
Harry chuckled. "Do chips and a couple of pints count?"
Malfoy seemed to think it over. "If I say yes, you'll think of me as a cheap date."
"What about…" Harry edged himself closer, letting go of Malfoy's wrist to thread his fingers through Malfoy's hair. "I promise to double Parkinson's profit margin by ordering cakes for the entire department? Every Friday for a year?"
Malfoy leaned into Harry's touch and as if realising what he'd done, scrutinised Harry with a look. "And a future dinner at Mon Plaisir?"
"I won't be able to pronounce anything on the menu, but, sure. I might enjoy watching you order for me." Just the things Harry could do with Malfoy speaking French were unimaginable. When Malfoy smirked, Harry, without any hesitation leaned in. Much to his surprise, Malfoy met him halfway.
The kiss was tender, and over far too quickly, but Harry figured if he was trying to pass this on as a date, the kiss would be worthy of the meal: it was quick, satisfying, and the type which brought comfort.
X0X0X0
A different office romance.
Harry knocked on the door before entering the offices of Malfoy and Yang, Private Investigators. It was around noon and he knew that Matthew wouldn't be there as he was on holiday with Hermán, who had taken an few extra days off for the long weekend.
"Be right with you," Draco said without looking up.
"I'm under the impression you're closed for lunch, aren't you?" Harry teased, locking the office door behind him and placing a privacy charm.
"What are you doing here, Potter?" Draco said, closing his ledger.
"So private," Harry teased. He knew Draco worked hard managing two businesses. He was still accounts manager for Cake The Edge Off, and now he'd partnered with Yang to start his own investigative firm.
"What can I help you with, Auror Potter?" Draco asked, standing up and coming around his desk. He perched against the edge and gave Harry a once-over. "Got a case for me?"
"Afraid so," Harry said, handing Draco a file.
"And what does the DMLE think of you reaching out to third parties for your missing wizards' cases?" Draco asked, taking the file from Harry and placing it on the table behind him. He wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
"I'm allowed funding to see outside resources," Harry said, crowding into Draco's space who wrapped his legs around Harry's waist.
It was good like this. And them. Though Harry would rather have Draco come back to work for the Ministry, it made sense for him and Yang to start their own business. They'd successfully uncovered Parkinson's ex who had stolen her money, and had him detained. Since Yang wasn't all that fond of the Ministry and British politics, he'd approached Draco with the idea of starting their own business. If they kept romance out of the workplace, but close enough, it worked well for everyone. Gordon had the hardest time letting go of Yang and trusting his boyfriend with Draco but once he'd found out Draco and Harry were a couple, he'd relaxed. Just a bit. Harry couldn't believe he'd finally met someone who was more possessive and jealous than him but it made for a good laugh.
The office gossip never tamed. Yet, Harry was glad it was barely ever about him.
THE END. This entry was originally posted at https://digthewriter.dreamwidth.org/828629.html. Thanks for reading
Author:
digthewriter
Summary: One day Draco ups and quits the Aurors and Harry needs to know why. Or… when he's around, he's annoying, but when he's not-Harry misses him something fierce.
Word Count: ~6300
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Fluff. Pining. Happy Ending.
Notes: Names of villages, towns, and business are 99% made up. Thanks to my betas
PhenomenalAsterisk and Sassy-Cissa for making this fic possible. All the remaining mistakes are mine.
Office gossip.
"Have you heard?"
Harry sat at his desk and tried to finish the report that was due at five o'clock today and did his best to not listen in on whatever the gossip of the day was.
"I know. I just found out!"
"I can't believe it."
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Whatever it was, it was going to pass. He needed to add in the final touches. He was supposed to be doing this report with Malfoy but after searching for the man for a few hours, and not being able to find him anywhere, Harry decided to write down his account of things. And if they asked why Junior Auror Draco Malfoy hadn't contributed, then he'd have to deal with it.
"He left."
"Left? I heard Malfoy got kicked out."
Harry's ears perked up at the sound of Malfoy's name. What were they talking about?
"Yes, I heard the Auror team had had enough of him and told him to leave."
"I heard he kicked one of them and said he was quitting!"
"Excuse me?" Harry stood up from his desk and peeked over the cubicle walls. "What's that about Malfoy?"
"He was on a mission yesterday morning with Gordon and Yang but they say he hasn't returned. I heard it was because he got into a fist fight with Yang and Gordon threatened to report him."
"That's not what I heard."
Harry looked at the two people in front of him.By now, they had attracted enough attention that others were starting to join their little group. He came around his desk and confronted the two of them. He'd met them briefly, as they were terrible Junior Aurors, but excellent at spreading the gossip-Natasha and Taylor. This also explained why Harry couldn't find Malfoy all day today. No matter the actual reason, Malfoy had quit the DMLE.
X0X0X0
ONE MONTH LATER
Not what he expected.
Harry still couldn't believe he was stuck with Yang on this mission. He liked Matthew fine, but the man didn't stop talking. Ever since his fight with Gordon where Gordon allegedly kicked him (evidently, it was not Malfoy) they were separated. Harry didn't know why Yang and Gordon had a row, or why Malfoy had got in the middle of it, but now Harry was stuck with him. They had finished interviewing the village members in Northeast Scotland, and were going to head back to the Ministry when Yang suggested they stop by this cafe in London that he loved in the wizarding alley of Soho.
"It's been ages since I've been there and they have the best lemon drizzle cake," said Yang. "And with Christmas around the corner, I need to get something good for my mum. I wanted to put in a few orders so they could deliver it to her by Christmas Eve."
Yang anxiously waited for Harry to respond and Harry only gave a curt nod. "Fine," he said. He was getting hungry too and if this mission was anything to go by, he would have a long day ahead of report writing. They hadn't found anything about the Dark Magic supposedly reported in Wiloud Heath but enough people dropped clues to indicate there was more to the story. Hopefully, the next round of interviews could be done by someone else who was a bit less conspicuous. Harry was almost always recognised anywhere he went.
They arrived at Yang's favourite cafe, Cake The Edge Off, and Harry was nearly floored by seeing the person who was managing the till. Draco Malfoy.
"Yang…" Harry said softly.
Yang looked from Harry to Malfoy, then back to Harry and then back to Malfoy again. His head was whipping back and forth so fast, it was as if he were watching a table tennis match. "Fuck, that's Malfoy…"
"No shit, Sherlock," said Harry. "Did you know he worked here?"
"No. But I reckon it makes sense."
"What do you mean it makes sense?" Harry asked, annoyed. By now, they'd been crowding by the door long enough they were starting to get weird looks. Eventually, Malfoy looked up. At first, he smiled at them, then immediately scowled.
"Let's go put your orders in," Harry said, grabbing Yang by the elbow and making his way to the till.
"Potter. Mat-Yang. How can I help?"
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Harry demanded.
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at Harry and didn't speak for a full minute. He looked around the cafe and then back at Harry. "Serving coffee."
"Why?" Harry asked, his voice strained. He wasn't entirely certain why he cared or wanted to know. When Malfoy was a Junior Auror working at the DMLE, he and Harry had crossed paths but most of the time, Malfoy was assigned to different teams.
"I'm not entirely sure how that's any of your business, Potter," said Malfoy. "I gave my notice to the DMLE and I am no longer under any sort of obligation or parole for which I would need to answer to an Auror. Now, if you're here to harass me, I'll have you speak to my manager-"
"No, that's not needed," Yang said quickly. "We're here for a couple of coffees, a lemon drizzle cake, and I wanted to place a delivery order for New Year's Eve."
Harry thought it was interesting how Yang, who often seemed to have it all together and didn't take any shite from anyone, really seemed to care about upsetting Malfoy. It was just a feeling, as Harry had nothing to go by to back up his claim, but did Malfoy have something on Yang? Perhaps he knew why Gordon and Yang were no longer getting along - hadn't Malfoy left the same day Gordon and Yang had got into a fight?
They placed their orders and took their seats at a table in the far corner. Malfoy brought them their coffees and cake and he gave the order receipt to Yang confirming his Christmas Eve order was placed. When he walked away, Yang abruptly stood up.
"I…I forgot to place one more order. I'll be right back." He rushed off and Harry watched as Yang and Malfoy had a long conversation and Malfoy wasn't writing down anything Yang was saying. Eventually, he grabbed the order form, marked something off, and took Yang's money.
When Yang returned, Harry tried to confront him. "What was that about?"
"Nothing. Placed another order-"
"That was a long conversation for placing one simple order."
"Am I under interrogation, now?" Yang asked, voice stern.
"I'm curious, is all," Harry said, changing tactics. "You said it made sense he was working here."
"Yeah. When he was leaving, he said he had a personal emergency and he needed to help out a friend. And this cafe is owned by his friend P…Patty something?"
"Pansy Parkinson?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, that's it. She's owned this place and a couple of other cafes around but I also heard that due to the economic downturn, she had to close one of the shops. He said he wasn't making much headway being an Auror so he could do something better with his time."
"So he doesn't work at the till?" asked Harry and cringed realising how elitist he sounded.
"No. I read in the Business Journal section of the Prophet a lot of owners and managers are taking turns working shifts because they don't have enough staff or enough money to pay for staff. I believe he's a silent business partner and maybe helping out with the books?"
"How do you know so much?" Harry asked.
Yang shrugged. "You know most of the time we're held up in holes as watchdogs. Not much to do there but read books or papers. Gordy wasn't much- I mean Gordon didn't like reading books and he often bothered me if I got into a good story- said we were supposed to be keeping watch so I read all sorts of newspapers." Yang's face had fell for a brief moment talking about his former partner, Gordon, but he quickly recovered from it. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed but Harry had been looking. He had been searching for reasons to why he was stuck with Yang.
"You were close?" Harry asked, taking a sip of his coffee, keeping his tone casual.
"Who?" Yang seemed to only have eyes for his cake.
"You and Gordy…" He trailed off, knowing he had to tread lightly.
Yang looked annoyed. "We were partners. And now we're not."
"Whatever it is…I hope you know you can talk to me and that I can keep a secret."
"Right," said Yang, as he cut his cake with a fork and took a bite from it. "I'll remember that if I do end up having something to share."
X0X0X0
Nice to see you again.
Soon after they had left the cafe, Harry used the owl delivery service and placed orders for cakes for Christmas to be delivered to the Weasleys. He was going to spend Christmas Eve at the Burrow and have dinner on Christmas Day with Teddy and Andromeda. The cake he'd tried at the cafe, Cake The Edge Off, he'd absolutely loved and he tried to convince himself his order from their bakery had everything to do with his inability to purchase Christmas presents and very little to do with Malfoy. That was the case until Malfoy showed up at the Burrow for the delivery.
"Harry, I think someone's at the door," Ginny said, "There's a shadow hovering about…"
"Oh, I ordered cakes for the family but…I thought they'd send it via owl," Harry replied, heading towards the door as the family bustled around in the sitting room and the kitchen for the festivities.
When Harry opened the door, he was surprised to see Malfoy, who looked equally startled.
"Apologies," Malfoy said, not looking up. "I'm leaving the gift deliveries by the door-"
"Malfoy," Harry said.
Malfoy looked up and he scowled, then smiled, and then looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek. "Potter. Sorry again. Just dropping these off-"
"Why didn't you use an owl?" asked Harry.
"Didn't realise I needed to get my business practises approved by the Ministry," Malfoy replied. "Our policy is hand-delivery to ensure the cakes are in perfect condition when they arrive. Sometimes, owls can be a bit unpredictable, and they can get startled easily-destroying the product. This is something you would know if you'd read the order form-which you filled out." Malfoy held up the parchment to show Harry.
"Right. I forgot that." Harry had, in fact, not forgot it.
"So do you have a lot of deliveries today? Did you also drop things off at Yang's…?"
"What's with the twenty questions, Potter? Can't I do my job in peace. I left the DMLE, remember? I didn't think I was going to be scrutinised everywhere I went."
"It's not what I mean. I was…"
"If you're looking for gossip, I'm not going to tell you what happened between Yang and Gordon."
"So you know?"
Malfoy raised his eyebrows but didn't reply. "If there's nothing else, sir…"
"Harry, who are you talking to out there?" Mrs Weasley came rushing to the door and almost yelped when she saw Malfoy carrying several boxes. "Oh, Mr Malfoy…?"
"Hello, Mrs Weasley," Malfoy said in a small, polite voice. "I'm here to deliver some cakes from-"
"Come inside, dear. It's freezing outside!" Mrs Weasley pulled Harry into the room and then rushed to grab Malfoy by his wrist. "Come in. Come in."
"That's okay, I came to deliv-"
"Everyone! We have another guest. And he's brought presents!" Mrs Weasley shouted into the room and everyone left the sitting room to come greet Malfoy. George, Bill, and Charlie grabbed the cake boxes Malfoy had been holding. "Thanks so much for stopping by, dear!"
"I…" Malfoy struggled for words and he looked at Harry as if begging for help.
"Malfoy works at a bakery and I ordered the cake for us!" Harry said, also feeling panicked. He had no idea what to do or what to say to get Malfoy to leave. He hadn't anticipated this much commotion in his efforts to find out more about Yang and Gordon, and why Malfoy had left the Aurors.
"Way to take all the credit, Harry," Ginny said snidely and elbowed him in the ribs. "You coming in for some Firewhisky, Malfoy? How's Parkinson?"
"She's doing fine. Also, I've been meaning to thank you for the ref-"
Ginny cut him off with a smile. "Of course. Those scones are to die for." She left the room as Harry and Malfoy continued to stand awkwardly in the hallway. Maybe she'd felt the tension and wanted to get away from it or maybe she wanted Harry to be alone with Malfoy, he'd never know.
"Err…do you want to come in? I reckon you have to now."
"What have you done, Potter?" Malfoy snapped.
"Do you have more deliveries? I can tell them you have to leave for work, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's the Weasleys, they're kind of inviting and won't leave you alone until you eat something."
"What are you two still doing out there?" Mr and Mrs Weasley shouted from the other room.
"Fine, I'll stay for five minutes. But next time, leave me alone, okay? I didn't ask for any of this!" Malfoy strode past Harry and walked into the sitting room where he was welcomed with open arms and immediately served his own cake and a glass of sparkling wine.
Soon after the war and the Trials, where Harry had testified for the Malfoy family, Draco had published an open letter in the Prophet apologising for his part in the war. He had also stopped by the Burrow and shared his regrets with the Weasleys. The family had been kind to him and Harry had thought not much had happened since then. He'd clearly been wrong. It seemed Ginny knew about the cafe, and referred it to her friends. And the way Mrs. Weasley was talking to him, it seemed as though they too had kept in touch.
"Mum's inviting to everyone you know that," Ron said to Harry as they stood by the fire and took in the in whole scene.
"Hmm…" Harry said. "Do you know why he left the Aurors?"
Ron shrugged. "Not really. I would think it has to do with his reputation but I know he was getting close with Yang and Gordon-"
"How do you know this?" Harry asked, surprised. "You just joined."
Ron shrugged again. "Gossip. Taylor and I have lunch a few times. He has his own theories of why Yang and Gordon don't talk anymore."
"What are they?"
"That they were shagging and then Yang started shagging Malfoy."
"What?" Harry nearly spit out his Firewhisky. "Tosh."
Ron laughed. "That's what Taylor thinks. He was jealous too because apparently he fancied Malfoy."
"Taylor fancies anyone who smiles at him," replied Harry.
"Yeah, but when was the last time you saw Malfoy smile at anyone at the Ministry?"
X0X0X0
A new year. A new-?
On second January, Harry made his way to Cake The Edge Off for a cup of coffee before heading into the Ministry. He had a long week ahead as Matthew Yang had been rotated off his partner list and he was going to start to train Taylor Banks. Taylor talked more than he took notes and Harry already knew this was going to be a very long week.
As he walked in, he found the cafe to be completely empty. Sure it was very early but he didn't think he'd be the first one there. He looked around for the employees and found Malfoy on a step ladder above the till, writing on the menu board. Malfoy hadn't noticed someone had come into the cafe and was busy writing the menu and the prices. Harry took his time, staying quiet, and simply watching. Malfoy wore dark blue Muggle jeans, a light purple jumper with sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms and Harry had started to stare-simply, he had no choice.
Malfoy looked good. He was fit, still Auror fit, and the muscles in his forearms had Harry's mouth watering. Usually, Harry wasn't a forearms person but evidently, now he was. What was even worse was that he tried, really really tried, not to gawk at Malfoy's arse. But it was right there- on the step ladder - for all the world to see. Or well, the empty cafe to see and Harry was the lucky recipient as the sole member in the audience enjoying the show.
He tried to take it all in as much as he could but there was movement on his left and Harry broke his concentration to look. Parkinson stood there as she'd come in from the side entrance and stared at Harry with her arms crossed.
"Like what you see, Potter?" she asked.
"What?" Malfoy turned around. "You said someth-Oh. Potter?"
"Sorry, are you open? I came by for a coffee but not sure if you're open so early-"
"He's open to take your coffee order," Parkinson said, looking at Harry as if she knew something he didn't. Since she had caught him gawking at Malfoy, Harry didn't reply. He nodded once and went up to the till to order his coffee.
"Anything else?" Malfoy asked ringing Harry up for two coffee orders. Harry figured it would be rude to not give Banks a coffee if he asked to meet him so early in the morning. "The baker is almost done with the first batch of croissants if you'd like one."
"That sounds good. I'll have two of those too." Malfoy nodded and handed the coffees to Potter. "Have a seat. I'll bring them over as soon as they're ready."
"I haven't paid for them-" Harry began to say.
"It's fine, Potter. You're the first customer of the New Year, so they're on me."
"Besides…" Parkinson said coming from around the corner and standing behind Malfoy. "Thanks to you, the Weasleys have told everyone about our cakes, and orders are flying in. It seems we owe you our gratitude." Malfoy turned to glare at her and she only smiled back at him.
"If we're giving credit where credit's due, then you'll have to thank Yang. He is the one who brought me here in the first place."
"Oh, that man is such a sucker for-"
"Pansy, thank you." Malfoy stopped Parkinson from saying whatever she was about to say, perhaps sharing Yang's secret that Harry had been so curious to know. "Why don't you go and check if Terri is ready to start her morning shift."
"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes and leaving them alone.
"You're really not going to tell me?" Harry asked.
"Is this why you keep bothering me?" Malfoy turned his death glare at Harry. "You don't actually care about anything else but knowing the office gossip?"
"What? No!" Harry protested. "I…Okay, fine, I'll admit I'm curious. But it's only that: curiosity. If I'm not supposed to know then I'll stop asking. I don't want you to think that's why I…" Harry hesitated.
"You what, Potter?"
"It's not why I want to keep seeing you…" Harry blurted out.
"Pardon?" Malfoy asked, and closed his mouth, and then he opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again. "Potter…?"
"I…" Harry hesitated for a brief second and when he was ready to say something more, a young woman walked in from behind Malfoy holding a tray of freshly baked croissants. "Ah my order's here. Brilliant. I'm running late. So I'll take them and…go?"
"Yes. Certainly," Malfoy said, looking confused. He placed two croissants in two bags, folded them neatly and handed them to Harry. "Have a good day, Potter."
"Thanks for your business at Cake The Edge Off!" the young woman said enthusiastically.
Harry immediately left, feeling his face burn, and his hands shaking. Yes, he was a Senior Auror, and he was too much of a coward to ask Draco Malfoy out on a date.
X0X0X0
Unavailable or Unattainable?
The next few times Harry went into the cafe, he was always greeted by the young woman, Terri. Malfoy was never at the cafe and eventually, Harry asked her about it.
"Mr. Malfoy is going in and out of both locations as he's working on budget balancing. Ms Parkinson will be here in an hour, though, if you wished to speak to her?"
Harry shook his head. "No, thanks." He ordered his coffees and cakes for the office and went into work, wondering if he should have asked Yang if he's talked with Malfoy.
"We're actually meeting for drinks tonight," Yang told Harry.
"I didn't realise you were close friends," Harry said, trying to tame the jealousy down, unsure why he was even jealous. He had no prior claim on Malfoy. He did remember what Ron had told him on New Year's Eve, though… they were shagging and then Yang started shagging Malfoy. Maybe there were-
"Are you shagging?" Harry's eyes widened the moment he asked that question. "Sorry, not my business. My sincerest apologies for-"
"No, we're not shagging!" Yang started to laugh. "Can you even imagine? He'd probably start instructing me on how my kissing is all wrong…" Yang threw his head back and bellowed. "You know the last time I ordered a martini, he actually scolded me for it and told me I wasn't allowed to be in public with him if I was going to order coconut vodka."
"So you two meet for drinks a lot, then?" Harry asked, the jealousy not taming anytime soon, apparently.
"A few times. He know-I mean-he's been a good friend. I was upset when he quit but you know how it is…"
"I don't…I don't know actually. Can you tell me more?"
Yang nodded. "I know what people say about him. Of how his family was and what they did but I'm not… I don't care about that. Sure, he's a few years older, you both are, right? I wasn't here for the war- you know I was born in Sinliao. When it was dangerous, my family brought me back and I finished in the wizarding school there. But he has such great insight and I was starting to learn from him, I think that's why Gord-" Yang sighed. "Gordon thought I preferred my friendship with Draco over his…"
"So did Malfoy leave because of how he was being treated or because of other personal reasons? Helping his friend with the business…?"
"Both," Yang said sounding sad. There was something more there which he didn't wish to disclose. "I'm envious of him. To choose to do whatever he wants even if that's partially forced…" He sighed before continuing, "He didn't think he was going to move up as fast as the rest of us because he was purposely being held back. He also didn't want to complain about it because who would he file his grievances with? The system was working against him. So when his friend reached out asking for help… he asked me what I thought…"
"You're a good friend to him."
"Yeah?" Yang asked with a small chuckle. "You know he talks about you all the time."
"Wha-he does?" Harry asked, surprised. "What does he say?"
"Mostly how much he hated you," Yang said, laughing again. "But I would go out of my way to talk about you and he'd bring you in conversation. Once I even asked him if he fancied you and then he didn't talk about you for a full hour." Yang continued laughing and shaking his head as if there was more to the story and he wasn't able to bring it up because it was so funny. "Part of me thinks he wants to meet up tonight so we can talk about you. He sounded very strange in our last Floo call and when I brought you up…he got super weird. Even more weird than his usual self."
"Oh." Harry was speechless. His knees wobbled with anticipation. Should he offer to go with Yang? Would it be desperate to invite himself? "I don't think so."
"Why don't you come tonight?" Yang asked, straightening up. "He said he wants to tell me something important but like I said, I think he wants to talk about you. So you should come. I'll finally get my answer if he fancies you or really really hates you."
"I'm not sure I want to find out."
"Why? Upset it might be the latter?"
Harry bit his lower lip and gently nodded. "Not sure if he ever stopped hating me."
"Well, are you going to come and find out or sit there sulking?" Yang challenged.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?" asked Harry, and then agreed to meet Yang at the pub where he was going to see Malfoy.
X0X0X0
Almost missed it.
Harry couldn't believe he was running late! After everything said and done, and setting up the time to meet with Yang, and filing all of his reports on time, Harry was behind schedule! He'd stopped by his house to shower and change and then the plethora of Floo calls he received one after another was too much. And now, he was at least thirty minutes late! He was supposed to arrive ten minutes after Yang and Malfoy were going to meet at the pub, and he had no idea how long they would talk for. What if it was one quick drink? What if they'd already moved to a different place and Yang assumed Harry had lied and decided not to show up?
As he rushed towards the entrance of the pub, the sight of Malfoy standing outside brought his running to a halt.
"Malfoy," Harry said, almost huffing.
"Potter? What are you doing here."
"I'm supposed to be meeting Yang…" Harry said slowly. "Did he leave? You look like you're getting ready to go somewhere else…"
Malfoy rolled his eyes and chuckled low. The sun had settled and the shadows of the evening were slowly drawing upon them. Malfoy tilted his head towards an alleyway urging Harry to look. Harry watched as two men, trying to hide in the darkness for some form of privacy were unashamedly snogging.
"Is that…Yang?"
"And Hermán Gordon," said Malfoy. "I was supposed to meet Matthew for a drink but it was so he and Gordon could try to have a civil conversation-"
"I…I don't understand," Harry said, still a bit confused as to how Malfoy was involved in all of this. "Yang said you and him had become good friends."
Malfoy nodded. "Can we walk? I don't wish to stand around near them like a pair of voyeurs." Harry gestured for Malfoy to start walking first and followed in step with him. "It's true Matthew and I quickly became good friends when I was still working for the Ministry, and I reckon it's why Gordon had become jealous. I didn't realise, because they were so good at keeping it a secret but they'd been a pair for quite awhile. Yang had joined the DMLE for Gordon. One evening when we were all on a mission I was only supposed to observe, Gordon dared me to go around the back of the castle we were supposed to be watching and provoke the suspect."
"That's strictly against protocol," Harry said, firm. Should he be having a talk with Gordon about this? He wondered.
"So they tell me," Malfoy said with a soft smile. "Matthew told me not to do it but Gordon kept egging me on. And I didn't have a choice. It was either do something rash or have my reputation be dragged through the mud even more. So I got lucky, thankfully, and it worked. The suspect was startled by my antics and they attacked me which gave the other two Aurors a chance to move in and take everyone by surprise. Matthew wanted me to get the credit for the arrest but Gordon said no. They had a fight, some punches were thrown, and I was caught in the middle of a lovers' quarrel-"
They'd kept walking and now had come to the end of the road where there was another pub. Harry looked at the entrance and gave an indication of Shall we? to Malfoy. They both walked in and took a seat at the bar.
"You left soon after so everyone thought…"
Malfoy watched as the bartender placed their pints in front of them and Harry paid for the drinks. "I had a confidential meeting with a mediator and our supervisor with both Gordon and Yang present. Gordon blamed me for the fight, Matthew tried to defend me and my supervisor only shook his head. They wanted to suspend all three of us so the next day, I went in and gave my notice. I told Matthew to let me take the blame. I'd been thinking about leaving anyway. Pansy needed my help with her business as her ex-boyfriend stole from her savings and fled the country. I'd also been investigating him while trying to stay on top of my Auror training-"
"You always seemed so put together at work, I had no idea, I don't think anyone did…" Harry trailed off and then took a sip of his beer.
"I've had some practice in keeping face, Potter," Malfoy said with a humourless laugh. "But that's all in the past. Matthew and I kept in touch after, especially after he realised I was working at Pansy's cafe-"
"You were the one who told him about Cake The Edge Off?"
Draco nodded. "Of course, I helped name the place."
"How did you get Gordon and him to reconcile?" Harry asked, curious. They'd finished their first round so Harry ordered them another. This time, Malfoy insisted on paying and as he reached for the coins in his pocket, Harry grabbed him by the wrist. "No, it's on me. Please."
Malfoy looked down at where Harry was holding his hand and nodded once. "Brilliant," Harry said.
"Um…my hand, Potter," Malfoy said when Harry hadn't immediately let go of him.
Malfoy's sleeves were rolled up again and those forearms Harry admired so much from afar were very, very close to him now. He wasn't unable to look away. "Shit. Sorry. I…" Harry felt his face burn and he gave Malfoy an awkward smile before taking in a big gulp of his drink and placing an order of chips. "So you were saying about Gordon…"
"I hope this isn't going to get them in any trouble, Potter. I know how your department likes to gossip-"
"No. I promise this won't go anywhere. If they were a romantic pair, they shouldn't have been partners to begin with and if they're going to continue being one, I'll need to make sure they are designated different Auror partners and missions. I might have to have a conversation with them but I won't allow their secret to be revealed."
"Matthew was heartbroken for days. Even if they didn't get along sometimes, they rarely had a fight where they didn't speak to each other. I mean, they were both in the middle of purchasing a flat together-" Malfoy paused as he probably saw the shocked expression Harry was certainly exhibiting. He smirked and took another sip of his drink. "He had me deliver a cake for Christmas to Gordon. He didn't want me to write his name on the card but…I think it's been difficult for him. One thing led to another and Gordon came to the shop to find out who had been sending him the cakes. He saw me, and we had a good conversation where I told him he was a bloody idiot. Matthew had also been helping me investigate Pansy's ex-boyfriend's whereabouts so we tend to meet up for drinks occasionally and I told Gordon to truly think about what he wanted. Because if he wanted to get back together with Matthew, he needed to stop being such a jealous prick."
"How did he take that?" Harry asked, surprised. Gordon was a hot head.
Gordon had a tendency to pick a fight with everyone. It was why so many people were surprised to see Yang as his partner for so long, and then also when they ended up having a falling out. Now Harry knew why.
"He nearly punched me," Malfoy said, irritated. "He's a bloody mess!"
"Yeah. So tonight…you'd set them up?"
Malfoy nodded.
"And you were leaving when I'd arrived?" Harry asked, almost kicking himself for nearly missing his encounter with Malfoy.
"I…" Malfoy hesitated.
"I was waiting."
"Waiting?"
In a moment's notice, Malfoy seemed awkward and shy, he bit the inside of his cheek and then grabbed the pint glass. In one go, he finished his second beer. "I…Before Gordon showed up to surprise Matthew, he told me you were going to be coming by. I…I was waiting for you."
"You were?" Harry asked, his eyes widening. This was undoubtedly promising.
"Terri says you stop by the cafe looking for me."
Now, the tables had turned again and Harry was the one feeling awkward and shy. "I've been…" Harry drawled. "Looking."
"Why?" Malfoy asked.
"I wanted to…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and smiled. "I've been thinking about you." A pause. "A lot."
The chips Harry had ordered arrived and the bartender placed them in-between Harry and Malfoy's pint glasses. Harry wondered if he should order another round but Malfoy beat him to it by ordering water instead.
"Did Matthew say anything to you?" Malfoy asked, sounding worried.
Every time Malfoy called Yang 'Matthew' a spark of jealousy ran through him but Harry did his best to ignore it. "Only that you hate me… and that you find reasons to talk about me so you can tell him what an arse I am."
"Well, that is true…" Malfoy's voice was soft and he looked away from Harry smiling to himself.
When Malfoy reached for a chip, Harry grabbed his wrist again. "Malfoy…" Harry breathed out. "Can I…can I kiss you?"
Malfoy's eyes immediately darted towards Harry's lips and then he licked his own. "I…buy me dinner, first, Potter," he said, trying to sound haughty.
Harry chuckled. "Do chips and a couple of pints count?"
Malfoy seemed to think it over. "If I say yes, you'll think of me as a cheap date."
"What about…" Harry edged himself closer, letting go of Malfoy's wrist to thread his fingers through Malfoy's hair. "I promise to double Parkinson's profit margin by ordering cakes for the entire department? Every Friday for a year?"
Malfoy leaned into Harry's touch and as if realising what he'd done, scrutinised Harry with a look. "And a future dinner at Mon Plaisir?"
"I won't be able to pronounce anything on the menu, but, sure. I might enjoy watching you order for me." Just the things Harry could do with Malfoy speaking French were unimaginable. When Malfoy smirked, Harry, without any hesitation leaned in. Much to his surprise, Malfoy met him halfway.
The kiss was tender, and over far too quickly, but Harry figured if he was trying to pass this on as a date, the kiss would be worthy of the meal: it was quick, satisfying, and the type which brought comfort.
X0X0X0
A different office romance.
Harry knocked on the door before entering the offices of Malfoy and Yang, Private Investigators. It was around noon and he knew that Matthew wouldn't be there as he was on holiday with Hermán, who had taken an few extra days off for the long weekend.
"Be right with you," Draco said without looking up.
"I'm under the impression you're closed for lunch, aren't you?" Harry teased, locking the office door behind him and placing a privacy charm.
"What are you doing here, Potter?" Draco said, closing his ledger.
"So private," Harry teased. He knew Draco worked hard managing two businesses. He was still accounts manager for Cake The Edge Off, and now he'd partnered with Yang to start his own investigative firm.
"What can I help you with, Auror Potter?" Draco asked, standing up and coming around his desk. He perched against the edge and gave Harry a once-over. "Got a case for me?"
"Afraid so," Harry said, handing Draco a file.
"And what does the DMLE think of you reaching out to third parties for your missing wizards' cases?" Draco asked, taking the file from Harry and placing it on the table behind him. He wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
"I'm allowed funding to see outside resources," Harry said, crowding into Draco's space who wrapped his legs around Harry's waist.
It was good like this. And them. Though Harry would rather have Draco come back to work for the Ministry, it made sense for him and Yang to start their own business. They'd successfully uncovered Parkinson's ex who had stolen her money, and had him detained. Since Yang wasn't all that fond of the Ministry and British politics, he'd approached Draco with the idea of starting their own business. If they kept romance out of the workplace, but close enough, it worked well for everyone. Gordon had the hardest time letting go of Yang and trusting his boyfriend with Draco but once he'd found out Draco and Harry were a couple, he'd relaxed. Just a bit. Harry couldn't believe he'd finally met someone who was more possessive and jealous than him but it made for a good laugh.
The office gossip never tamed. Yet, Harry was glad it was barely ever about him.
THE END. This entry was originally posted at https://digthewriter.dreamwidth.org/828629.html. Thanks for reading