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To Protect and...Service	By : TheCoven Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 6773 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
To
Protect and...Service by The Coven

Author: ZooArmy

Beta: Miss Nikki

Author�s Note: Hello lovely readers. So,
this was my turn now. For everyone who doesn�t know me� my name�s Army, ZooArmy. ROFL. Yep, Sean Connery
and Daniel Craig are to be blamed for this. Actually, I�m just trying to
conceal my nervousness. Darn, I�m scared, because of this chapter.

If some things should contradict with the other two chapters, I apologise in
advance and take all the blame until it�s fixed. The same applies to grammar
mistakes and typos.

ENJOY!

Edit: Thank you for the suggestions for chapter titles for this fic. We will most definitely use them for future chapters! ~Graballz

Chapter 3

Red Alert

Harry slouched up the three steps to his front door and searched
sleepily for his keys. He heard them jingle somewhere in his cloak, but
couldn�t grasp them. He�d been up for about nineteen hours now and the last
three or so had been quite straining.

�Argh, fuck it.� He growled
and pulled out his wand to open the door magically. Now that the rush of
adrenaline ebbed away he felt the fatigue in his bones and a tired Harry Potter
was infamous for his grumpiness. He slammed the door shut and was immediately
greeted with the unsatisfactory and hated result � a muffled sound that sounded
more than displeased.

�Ah, good evening Mrs Black. Or would you prefer a greeting of Good Morning?�
Harry said in wry humour when he went over to the stairs and did not deign to
look at the painting of the old hag.

Two years ago Harry Potter had decided to throw the Order of the Phoenix out of Grimmauld Place
and turn it into his home. He had been struggling to decide for Godric�s Hollow or Grimmauld
place, but in the end Grimmauld Place won out of the
simple reason that he had known Sirius (alas too short) better than his parents
and he thought he owed his godfather this, although the Animagus
had hated his home.

They, the Order, had kept it as their headquarters, even after Voldemort�s
death and Harry had allowed it because he�d been na�ve enough to believe their
stories. All the time they had told him that they needed the house to meet and
discuss further tracings of Death Eaters that were still on the run.

Harry had maybe been na�ve, but not stupid. He couldn�t believe that two years
after Voldemort�s defeat they were still looking for Death Eaters. The most
dangerous �Voldemort�s inner circle- were already rotting in Azkaban or six
feet under the earth�s surface. Those still on the run, were nothing; small fry
� harmless without any kind of leader.

So, Harry had begun to �investigate� a bit. He had been furious when he had
found out that those that were still Order members had turned HIS house in
their personal party location. It had hurt to not only see Ron among them, but
in the front line of the whole fucked up posse. He had almost blown the entire
house up in rage when he had thrown them out.

The spells had been changed quickly and easily that no one could enter without
his consent. The redecoration, on the other hand, had been rather complicated
and time-consuming. With his Auror training in full
swing he hadn�t much time on hand and it had almost taken an entire year to get
everything done to his liking.

He lived a secluded life and didn�t mind at all after years and years full of
fan-girls, cameras and reporters that tried to get a piece, a good shot or the
best story from the Golden Boy. Harry sneered at his own reminder and stomped
up the stairs angrily. He heard the angry muffle of Mrs. Black and forgot his
hated moniker for the moment to enjoy the spiteful Mrs Black.

Mrs. Black had been the only �thing� that had kept violating his quiet, nice,
calm life. He probably had tried every existing charm that promised to un-stick
things and every single one had been pants. If he, back then, had known that
the solution was so easy and uncomplicated� Harry snorted amused when he opened
the door to his bedroom.

Adhesive tape�s a wonderful invention. Okay, fine, it didn�t look particularly nice;
the black, fat strip across Mrs Black�s mouth, but it did the trick that
strong, powerful charms couldn�t do.

Harry threw his cloak carelessly on the overstuffed armchair that stood along
the fireplace, facing the bed. Without a second glance he went into the en suite
bathroom and light came on magically, like it did in the rest of the house.

The young man stood in front of the basin and stared at his reflection in the
mirror. Marvellous! He looked like he felt. Shitty. He
rubbed both his palms across his face and sighed heavily. The whole evening had
been a disaster. You could walk around it in dire need for a better perspective
until you felt dizzy, but from every perspective it looked the same. Shite.

They had nothing. No suspects. No traces of magic. No witnesses. Well, yes,
hundreds of people had witnessed the chandelier crashing down on the minister�s
seat, but Harry wagered his left arm and a kidney that no one had seen anything
or anyone else. Of course there would be statements of people that had �seen� more
than others and it would be their task to sift out such false statements of
people that hungered for any kind of attention.

If tomorrows questioning of Andrew Tamber ended unsuccessfully and he wouldn�t
find the suspect�s picture among their mug-shots or the drawing would be too
common that every wizard could be seen in the drawing, they were buggered.

Harry yanked at his bow tie and winced when it tightened instead of undoing. He
undid it carefully this time and the black fabric dangled lifelessly around his
neck. The brunette sighed again heavily and pulled the white, former pristine
shirt out of his trousers. He wanted nothing more than to fall into his bed and
sleep, but the sweat on his chest and back began itching and he knew from
experience that it would get worse if he didn�t shower now.

His fingers went up to the collar and undid button after button without really
realising what he doing. Harry�s gaze was fixed to his mirror image, lost in
his own world. The attack replayed in his mind again and again in a hope to
notice something, anything that would help. He peeled he shirt from his
shoulders and gasped involuntarily.

A dark purple mark was on his shoulder, to be precise in the hollow above his
collar-bone and if he looked closely he could see the imprints of Draco�s
teeth. He had completely forgotten about their little �incident� in the gents�
toilet before all hell broke loose and the evening had spiralled downward
beginning with the Twins� speech.

Hadn�t Draco said he was in a relationship? How could he touch a man like that
when his girlfriend was waiting for him at home? Harry felt the heat rising in
his face when he remembered the moment. The licks and kisses of Malfoy had brought
him that close to completion. It
would have been abysmally embarrassing if Malfoy wouldn�t have bitten him.
Malfoy would have crowed about it forever that he had made the �Golden Boy�
come with some licks and kisses.

The middle and index fingers of his right hand ran over the bruise and he
shuddered. It hurt, but there was something else, a tingle that went right down
to his groin.

�ARGH, FUCK!� He yelled and slammed his hands flat against the basin brink.
Hadn�t he said from the very beginning that pairing up Malfoy and him would be
like throwing two rats in an undersized cage? There�d be collateral damage. But
did anyone listen? No, of course not, he was just the small, unimportant idiot
Gryffindor that knew nothing. That Odessa
herself had said he was one of the best didn�t seem to count.

With more cursing under his breath he stepped out of his shoes and trousers and
went over to the shower. He wanted to forget for the rest of his night or he
wouldn�t get one minute of sleep. Harry dropped his boxers and stepped into the
shower cubicle. Hopefully tomorrow wouldn�t be such a strenuous affair.

**********

If you left the house, walked up the street and turned right at the corner onto
the next street. Follow the street to the end and turn left onto another street
that was lined with flats and walk up to the first floor of number sixteen that
was in the middle of the block on the right side of the street, you could see
another young man appearing out of thin air.

Neither Harry Potter nor Draco Malfoy knew that they lived this close.

Draco pulled his keys out and tried to swallow the annoyance he felt. Potter
had thrown him completely off track with his comment about his perfection. It
was probably just another bad attempt of mockery, but this time Potter had hit
a soft spot.

He pushed the key in the lock and opened the door as quietly as possible. About
one year ago he had moved into Theo�s flat and didn�t need to think about apparating. The whole block of flats was occupied by
wizards and witches.

He told his parents that he loved another man and suddenly, they didn�t want him
around anymore. He was only allowed to go back when he was able to introduce a
proper witch that would deliver them a proper heir. In the middle of the night
he had left Malfoy Manor and had apparated to Theodore Nott�s flat in the
middle of London.
With nothing more than one suitcase by his side he had knocked on the door of
his boyfriend who offered him a new home immediately.

The hallway was dark. Not unusual in the middle of the night. Draco took off
his cloak, hung it on the coat hook and took off his shoes, before he went
further into the flat. In the living room a light was still on and Draco
sighed. He squared his shoulders and prepared himself to receive a real
telling-off.

�Oh, hi, Teddy, why are you still up so late?� Putting on a show of ignorance
was hopefully the right decision.

Theodore sat cross-legged on the couch when he looked up at the tall blond and
allowed Draco to see the worry lines marring his lovely face. He put the book
that rested in his lap on the coffee table and stood up without a word. Draco
gulped, knowing this was the calm before the storm.

�Where have you been?� Theo asked sharply. He leaned against the backrest of
the couch and crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to strike a casual
pose, but the worry lines were still visible and Draco saw the tense shoulders
that told volumes.

Malfoy went over to his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around the thin frame
that tensed a bit more at the touch that was welcomed and unwanted at the same
time. �I�m sorry. I know I should have told you that I�d be home late. I got a
new assignment and actually I need��

�You look so posh. You were here to get changed, right? Why didn�t you leave me
a short note? Draco, I was worried sick. I even tried to firecall
your boss, but Shacklebolt wasn�t home either.�

�I�m sorry that you were so worried, Teddy.� He hadn�t even thought about
leaving a message. Finding the perfect dress robes to impress Potter had seemed
much more important. Draco�s eyes widened in shock and he was grateful that
Theo was still looking down and not at him. Impressing Potter? Certainly not!
Why should he want to impress a waster like Potter?

Draco pressed a kiss on Theo�s head and tried to silence the voice in his head
that told him that Potter had actually grown into an attractive young man and
was far away from the speccy git he�d once been. And
he had marked that nice, unblemished skin.

A dirty chuckle escaped his lips and Theo pushed him slightly away. �What? Are
you making fun of me?� Draco chuckled again and began kissing Theo�s three day
bearded cheek and neck. He most definitely wouldn�t let the desire, he suddenly
felt, be killed by such a stupid question.

�No, actually, I thought�,�he mumbled against the skin, between kisses and
heard Theodore moan. ��this is the perfect moment for some hot, much-needed
make-up sex.� Theo moaned again and pulled Draco hastily in their bedroom. The
tiny information that his new assignment included Potter as his partner and as
his �partner� was quickly forgotten.

**********

�Morning, Potter.� Malfoy greeted his momentary partner when the office door
opened. Harry twitched in shock, before he mumbled something that sounded like:
�Morning, Malfoy. What are you doing in my office?�

He shooed the blond out of his office chair and slumped in it with a loud huff.
Draco sniggered and he shot him a death glare that failed miserably with his
droopy eyes. Gods, morning people were a highly irritating plague.

�Aren�t you a bit late?� Draco asked smugly and sat down in one of the leather
chairs in front of the desk.

�Aren�t you a bit too cheerful?� Harry retorted and sipped his coffee that he�d
bought on the way to work.

Draco changed the topic. It was apparently futile to cheer someone who was
definitely no morning person. �Tonks was here about five minutes ago. She gave
me the file with all statements from last night. Some guests still need to be
questioned, but that�s to be done by lunch time. And Andrew Tamber called, said
he�d be here around one.�

�Shit! I�m just �what?- ten minutes late and everything�s
already sorted out. I think I�ll go back to sleep.� Draco smirked at the antics
of his partner. Maybe it wouldn�t be as bad to work with Golden Boy, as he�d
feared. Last night had been an exceptional situation, but only working together
on bumf showed how well you could collaborate.

�No such thing, Potter. Before Tamber shows up, in about five hours, we need to
work through these.� He picked up the thick folder from the desk and waved it in
front of Harry�s face. �You know how to do that, right? Or should I ask one of
the new trainees to help you?�

�How about I ask one of them to show you, how to be a nice
and bearable person?�

�Oh, wow, Potter, you�re really insufferable in the morning.� Draco
declared highly amused and tossed Harry half of the statements to finally start
working.

**********

They worked in comfortable silence and sifted the statements to look for any
helpful information.

�Ha! Here, I�ve another.� Harry called and Draco knew that it wasn�t anything helpful.
For the last hours they hadn�t found anything that could bring them closer or
maybe even directly to the assassin, but they�d found entertainment in some
statements.

�Okay, shoot!�

�Ignatius Walters, twenty five, occupation� Harry snorted. �well,
I�d say spending Daddy�s money, asserted that the chandelier crashed down
because many gnomes had conquered and used it as their swing.� Draco was
already sniggering about the new witness who couldn�t
hold their liquor, but Harry went on with reading the statement aloud and his
face lit up in amusement.

�He asserts further that he personally knows these gnomes, because they had
once done the same with a chandelier at his home.� Suddenly boy-wonder doubled
over in laughter and Draco couldn�t help but recognise how beautiful Potter
was.

�This is too rich.� Harry said and pulled the blond out of his musings. �Tonks
left a note at the end of the page, stating that later Walters� girlfriend told
her with some mild humour that her boyfriend had been the one to destroy their
chandelier, because he had used it as a swing and dangled on it � completely
pissed and� and naked.� The brunette held his stomach when it began hurting
from laughing so hard.

�That�s by far the best so far. I can�t believe that you can drink so much to
get that delusional instead of passing out.�

The door of Harry�s office opened and a small paper aeroplane flew inside and
landed in front of Potter. He unfolded it and looked with big eyes at the small
clock that stood on his desk.

�Wow, it�s really that late?� He mumbled before looking up at Draco. �Tamber�s already here.� The blond frowned and grabbed the
clock to turn it around.

�Time flew by quick.� He hadn�t noticed before, but five hours had sounded so
long and now they had passed in the blink of an eye. Doing bumf with Potter had
been far more relaxed and easy than with every partner he had had before.
�Well, then let�s pick him up from the reception.�

Draco stood up and waited for Harry to come around his desk. The office door
opened again and Tonks stumbled inside, pushing Draco against the backrest of
his armchair.

�Sorry, cousin.� She mumbled and pushed her royal blue
hair out of her face.

�What�s wrong, Tonks, we�re a bit in a hurry.� Harry asked good-humoured when
he heard Malfoy grumble about stupid rellies.

�Have you seen the issue of today�s Daily Prophet?� The young witch asked and
pulled the paper out of her robes when both men shook their heads.

�NO! Oh, fuck!� Draco exclaimed when he saw the headline on the front page.

�Golden Boy found happiness on the Dark
Side � Harry Potter dates Death Eater Son, Draco Malfoy�

The brunette looked at Draco with raised eyebrows. He couldn�t understand the
panic. This was foreseeable and he had mentally prepared for it since they had
been told about the assignment.

�Malfoy, it�s just the Daily Prophet. Your parents won�t believe it, will
they?�

�Potter!� Draco growled. �Shut up and please allow me
to fucking panic, will you? This is not a minor accident like last night�s.
We�re talking about red alert here.�

�But��

�No, but.� Draco yelled and began pacing. �I didn�t tell him. I forgot.�

�Your father won�t��

�Bollocks my father. I mean Theo.� He said in exasperation and slumped down in
Harry�s office chair. By now Harry was completely confused and looked at Tonks
for any help, but only received a shrug.

�Theo as in Theodore Nott? But what has he to do��

�He�s my boyfriend, bloody hell.� Draco yelled and buried his head in his
hands, resting the elbows on the desk.

�Your� your� oh.� Realisation dawned on Harry and his hand shot automatically
up to the bite mark that was hidden under his shirt and robes. �He won�t��
Harry tried to calm Draco, but trailed off when he didn�t know what to say.

The problem was taken from him when a tall owl, with an angry-red letter
between its talons, flew through the window. It landed on the desk and remained
completely calm.

�Eh, Draco, I think the owl�s for you.�

�Owl?� The blond�s head shot up and he groaned
miserably when noticing the owl. �It�s Theo�s.� His eyes wandered to the
envelope and he groaned again. �A howler.�

Harry winced in sympathy. Those evil pieces of parchment could make your ears
ring. He turned towards Nymphadora. �Tonks, out!�

�But, but��

�Tonks, out!� he repeated firmly and pointed towards the door. The young woman
left, but reluctantly. Draco took the letter and the owl left quickly as if
knowing that it was smarter than waiting for a treat.

Malfoy sighed and looked up at Harry with huge, grey puppy eyes. �You should
leave as well. This will be pretty nasty, I think.� His words contradicted his
pleading eyes. Harry went over to the leather armchair Draco had occupied
before and sat slowly down.

�No, I�ll stay. This is my business as much as is yours. And if I know what�s
his problem is, I can tell him that this is all a big
fat misunderstanding.�

The envelope was twitching and jerking in Draco�s hand like a snitch that had
been caught seconds ago.

�Thank you.� Malfoy said quietly and looked up at Harry. �Ready?�

�Nope.� Harry pulled his wand out, cast a silencing and locking charm on
the door and put his wand away. �Ready!�

Draco took a deep breath and opened his hand slowly. The envelope hovered in
mid-air and got bigger and bigger until it burst open and Theodore Nott�s
angry, pain-filled voice was heard. Even Harry could hear that he was bitterly
crying.

�Draco Lucius Malfoy, you sodding
bastard. How could you do this to me? I love you. I gave you a home when no one
wanted you and how do you thank me? You fool around with Harry sodding Potter
and to make it worse at a Ball where everyone can see you.

Did you really think I was too stupid not to notice? It�s all over the papers,
you berk. I hate you so much right now. And if I get my hands
on bloody Potter, I� I� argh, fuck you.�

The letter went up in smoke and the remaining ash rained down on the parchment,
scattered all over the desk. Harry�s eyebrows lowered finally and he coughed
awkwardly.

�That was, eh, full of spirits.� Draco�s look told him that he wasn�t helpful
at all. �Listen, you Apparate home to fix this and
I�ll talk alone to Tamber.� He added after a moment to help Draco. He knew the
Malfoy pride and especially Draco would never ask him. He�d probably call it a
weakness.

Draco stood slowly up, looked with sad eyes at the cold ash, but only for a
second that Harry had almost missed it. The blond head moved slowly left, moved
slowly right and Harry�s brain took its time to tell him that Draco shook his
head. He�d been too captured by the sad look.

�No.� he said quietly, but repeated it firmer when he finally looked at Harry.
�No! This is important. We want to catch the perpetrator.�

�But your relationship�� Harry tried meekly and reached subconsciously for the
bruise on his shoulder. He didn�t want to be blamed for eventual break-offs.

�Forget it, Potter. You won�t get all the fame for yourself when this case is
solved,� said Draco with a challenging smirk, only to tease Harry. Harry even
knew it, but huffed nevertheless.

�Fine! Let�s go.� He was up and out of the room, not
caring to wait for Malfoy.

**********

�Once again, I�m sorry for the wait, Mr Tamber.� Harry said when they went into
the interrogation room. Draco rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. This was
only Andrew Tamber, not the minister herself.

�And I say once again, it�s Andrew, Harry.� The minister�s husband took a seat
and looked like he felt quite comfortable. Too comfortable,
too smug; too everything in Draco�s opinion. He didn�t like the bloke.

�Did you remember anything new since last night?� Harry asked friendly after
he�d set up a shorthand quill and the magical equivalent of a tape recorder.

�Oh no, I�m sorry, but nothing that would be important.�

�If it�s important or not is our decision.� Draco snapped and received a glare
from Harry. �What?� he asked oblivious and hated Tamber a bit more, because
Harry treated him nice and wanted Draco to treat him nice as well.

�I think it�s best if you just tell us again what you did and saw last night.�
The brunette said to conceal the small disagreement between him and his
partner.

�It�s okay, Harry.� Andrew said coolly. �It�s probably
rather hard to work with your life-partner, especially when you had a private
argument.�

�No, it�s not� it�s not�� Harry spluttered and felt his body temperature rise
several degree.

�Yes, that�s it.� Draco said and needed to bite the inside of his cheek when he
saw Harry�s incredulous look. He sat down next to Harry and leaned closer to
whisper something in his ear, but of course loud enough for Tamber to hear.
�And I can�t wait for the make-up sex tonight.�

Harry�s eyes widened comically and Draco didn�t know what got into him, but he
couldn�t resist and stole a quick kiss from Harry. Hopefully that was enough to
show Tamber that his attentions weren�t welcome.

�Well, why don�t you start telling us now?� Draco asked sweetly, when Harry
stared at him like he�d forgotten how to breathe. And Andrew Tamber recounted
his story with no new information.

He had left for the gents� toilet, had been outside for a moment and was almost
run over by a bloke that Apparated outside the main
entrance. He hadn�t seen the old man and didn�t know the suspect.

Draco�s senses were on alarm. His story sounded a bit memorised. Every time
they asked something to clarify a fact he recited his answer almost word by
word. But it was perhaps just his antipathy telling him to suspect Tamber.
After all, the bloke was a pillock, wasn�t he?

They brought Tamber to the draughtswoman to work through the mugshots and create an identikit picture, if Odessa�s husband didn�t
find anyone in the file.

They used the free time to get some take-away for lunch and sat now in Harry�s
office. (Draco had said the view was nicer and was why he always went for
Harry�s office. But if a brick wall was �nicer�, what did Draco see from his
window? A waste incinerating plant?)

Harry was quite calm since the interrogation and only spoke when asked a
question. After fifteen minutes of silence put Draco his chaofan
on the desk and stabbed his chopsticks in it.

�Okay, what�s wrong?�

�Nothing.�

�You�re lying.�

�Whatever. Go to Theodore and rectify the error.�

�Harry.� Draco sighed and grabbed his chopsticks to poke his food..

�Don�t �Harry� me, Malfoy. You kissed me! You bloody kissed me!�

�Well, that�s what couples do, don�t they?�

�We are no��

�But we act as one and Tamber is not in on the secret what means we�re in a
relationship for him and if he thinks we had some petty lovers spat, all the
better, the more credible we are.� Draco grabbed his food again and ate with
gusto now that he knew what was bothering his partner. Harry glared at him with
the food carton in one hand and the chopsticks in the other, halfway to his
mouth. He didn�t even notice when soy sauce dribbled on his robes.

�I hate you, Malfoy.�

�I know and I love it.�

**********

�Was he certain that the man looked like that?� Harry asked disbelievingly when
the draughtswoman presented the face she�s drawn after description Andrew Tamber had given. Odessa�s
husband had already left and they needed to believe Kate. Not that they didn�t
believe their draughtswoman, but well�

�I asked him three times, if he�s really certain about the drawing.� The artist
said. She handed the piece of parchment to Draco and left the room again.

�Do you see what I see?� Malfoy asked and stared at the drawing in his hands.

�Of course I see it.�

�What do you think?� The blond asked further when Harry came over to him to
gaze again at the picture. He put his right hand subconsciously on Draco�s lower
arm, to peer over Draco�s right arm. Not knowing that it would make Draco�s
heart pound faster, but it did and Draco wanted to pull at his collar because
it was suddenly hot in the room.

�I think nothing at the moment.�

�I should have expected that.� Draco jibed to get himself back under control.

�Ha bloody ha! So, what��

Someone knocked at the door and Harry realised for the first time how close he
stood to Draco. He took a step back and fumbled around with his robes. �Yes?�
he called and the door opened. A young witch, younger than him and Malfoy,
stood in the door and looked shyly at the duo.

�Hello, Mr Potter. Mr Malfoy. Eh, Mr Shacklebolt wants to see you in the
minister�s office. He said it is urgent.�

Harry nodded and the girl left quickly. Draco rolled up the parchment and Harry
caught a last glimpse at the eyes of the so-called suspect. �Didn�t Andrew say
the bloke looked Greek?� he asked when Draco pocketed the identikit picture.

�Yes, I think he did, but well, maybe with a good stretch of the imagination it
works.� He went over to the door to get quickly to the minister.

�Do you think we should tell him?� Harry asked when he followed Draco along the
hallways.

�Of course not! We�ll just show it to them without a
comment. I definitely won�t mention that the picture looks like Kingsley, only
with hair and a lighter complexion.

**********

They were allowed to walk right into the office of Odessa and found the minister and Kingsley
Shacklebolt hunched over the desk in deep conversation.

�Good afternoon, Odessa.
Kingsley.� Harry said and Draco nodded to them.

�Ah. Harry. Draco. Come in and have a seat. Would you like some tea or coffee?�
The minister asked cheerily and gestured to the two armchairs in front her
desk.

�No, thank you minister, we�re just here, because Kingsley sent for us. We�re
still busy with the events of last night.� Draco said politely. He was still a
bit miffed that she�d had put him on the guest list as �a guest� of Harry
Potter.

�If it would have been up to me I wouldn�t have called for you, but Kingsley
was insistent that it was nothing that should be treated lightly.�

�Because it isn�t.� The Head-Auror said firmly. Their
two best Aurors looked at each other in question and looked back at the
minister and head-Auror.

�So, what are we talking about here?� Harry uttered the question that hung
above his and Draco�s head from the very beginning.

�It�s completely unimportant. Nothing to make such a fuss about�� Odessa began, but was
interrupted by Kingsley, who shook his head at the happy-go-lucky attitude of
the minister.

�The assassin sent her a letter about fifteen minutes ago.�

�HE WHAT?� both men asked in unison and pushed out of their seats, but Odessa gestured for them
to remain in their respective seats.

�I got the letter with a regular mail owl. Margie brought me the single letter
about fifteen minutes ago.�

�I thought letters with dark magic couldn�t get inside your office?� Harry cut
in and Draco rolled his eyes instead of groaning in mental agony.

�Of course, dear.� The minister said, as though she
talked to a small child. �But the letter wasn�t interspersed with spells. It
was a simple letter, like every other I get every day that it was delivered to
me without a problem.

�Nothing? Not the slightest charm?� Draco asked with
scrunched up eyebrows. It was highly unusual that the letter was completely
�clean�. Every quill left traces of magic on a piece of parchment when I was
used by a wizard or witch.

�Nothing.� Kingsley affirmed. �The writer was smart
enough to use a balldot instead of a quill.�

�A what?� Boy-wonder asked confused. Odessa sniggered quietly and pulled the
muggle device out of one desk drawer.

�Kingsley means a ballpoint.� She said amused and smiled at Kingsley. She was
sure she had heard him mumble something along the line �Dot or Point all the
same.�

�Can I see it?� Draco asked slightly irritated. He couldn�t believe that they
discussed a stupid muggle pen instead of the letter. The minister handed him
the parchment over the desk and he took it out of the envelope.

�Hey, I want to read it as well.�

�Patience, Potter. If you like you can think more
about ballpoints until I�m done.� Harry huffed again. He stood up and went over
to Draco�s seat. He leaned over the backrest and peeked over Draco�s shoulder
to read along. The blond bit back any comment about such rude behaviour when he
felt Harry�s warm breath against his neck.

�Hey, will you finally unfold it, please.� Potter protested and nudged Draco�s
shoulder. He unfolded the piece of parchment with a glare on his face that was
actually meant for Potter.

�Hello minister,

Wasn�t last night been quite eventful? I enjoyed myself immensely. The only
thing I don�t enjoy was that my plan wasn�t successful. Wouldn�t it have been a
magnificent death to be squashed by a pompous chandelier you�ve picked
yourself? What wonderful irony.

But we won�t give up! We don�t want you as our leader of the magical folk in Great Britain.
Either you resign from office or you will die.

Maybe we will see each other soon again.�

�No signature.� Harry mumbled and Draco made a sound of agreement in the back
of his throat. The brunette stretched out his arm and pointed at the letter.

�Did you notice that he jumps to and fro between �I� and �we�?� He asked
quietly and suddenly the two Aurors had a quiet conversation about the letter,
its writer and contents. Odessa
looked at Kingsley with a smug grin and her grin broadened when the head-Auror rolled his eyes and shook his head again.

�See, I told you, didn�t I?�

�Odessa, this
is no game anymore. Maybe you should take a break from your office until we�ve
found the culprit.�

The woman slammed her flat hand on the desk top and Harry and Draco jumped at
the unexpected noise. �I. Won�t. Resign. From. My. Office.� Odessa gritted out and
glared angrily at her Head-Auror. �I won�t cower,
because of a stupid letter. I get hundreds of letters every month of people
that don�t like my governance and every single one was just hot air. I�ve never
cowered and I won�t start cowering now, is that understood?�

Kingsley nodded curtly what was apparently enough assurance for Odessa for she turned
towards her best Aurors. �And?
What new information brought Andrew�s interrogation?�

Draco folded the letter and handed it back over to Kingsley. �The interrogation
itself revealed nothing new. He didn�t find the suspect among the mug-shots,
but Kate was able to draw an identikit picture with his information.� The blond
pulled out the rolled up parchment and handed it to Odessa.

She unrolled it, looked at the picture for a moment and fell into hysterics.
Never before had Draco seen her that amused. �Kingsley, look at this. Look at
it.� She wheezed and held the picture up. �This is how you would look with
hair.� She doubled over in her chair and almost crumpled the only picture they
had of the suspect.

Kingsley didn�t laugh. He looked like he sucked on three acid drops at once.
�Is that one of your sick jokes?� he asked seriously and speared Draco and
Harry with his fierce gaze. Both shook their heads frantically.

�No, no. It�s no joke. We asked Kate and she said she�d asked him three times
if he was certain that the bloke looked like this and every time Mr Tamber affirmed.�
Harry blurted out, feeling a bit safer with Draco and the armchair between him
and Kingsley.

�Kingsley, calm down, no one�s suspecting you. I�m your witness,
you were with me the whole time.� Odessa
appeased the tall man and patted his right arm. The head-Auror
nodded and gave his two best Aurors an apologetic
look.

�What do you think about calling it a day?� Odessa suddenly said and began cleaning her
desk up. �I know how strenuous paperwork can be and if you�re tired you�ll
maybe miss some important things.� She looked at Harry and Draco and smiled
warmly. �Go home, relax a bit and tomorrow we can work on this letter, okay?�

�That�s not necessary, minister. We�ll finish our work and��

�Pish-posh,� Interrupted Odessa.
She looked at Draco. �You especially, young man, should take my offer and go
home to talk to your boyfriend.�

�How do you� how do� NYMPHADORA RUDDY TONKS!� Draco
yelled and jumped out of the armchair.

�Draco, it�s not Tonks� fault that you didn�t tell your boyfriend or that you
didn�t tell us that you had a boyfriend.� The minister chided the blond, who had
the decency to blush in a cute pink. At least Harry thought it was cute.

�Fine, I�ll go home. Good Bye, minister. Bye Kingsley. Potter, are you coming?�

�Eh, eh, yes. Bye Odessa,
Kingsley.� Golden Boy waved, a bit flummoxed, because of, well, everything and
followed his partner quickly out of the office.

�If I shouldn�t show up tomorrow morning, you know that Theo had my head
tonight.� Draco said solemnly, but smiled a bit when he heard Harry�s
infectious laughter.

�He won�t have your head. Just tell him the truth and everything will be fine
again.�

�Always the optimistic Gryffindor, huh? Fine, see you
tomorrow then � maybe. Bye, Potter.�

�Bye, Malfoy.�

�And don�t be so grumpy tomorrow morning.� Malfoy called back as he walked down
the hall to the Apparation points. Harry hurried towards his office, grabbed
the file and left for the apparition points as well.

**********

�Teddy?� Draco called softly when he went through the flat in search for his
boyfriend. �Theo?� He opened the living room door and could barely avoid a vase
that flew his way and crashed against the hall wall.

�Hey, you could have hit me.�

�Pity I�m pants at throwing.� Nott yelled. He kneeled on the couch and looked
at Draco over the backrest. His eyes were swollen and red from crying.

�Love, I�m so sorry I didn�t tell you last night, but I totally forgot when you
pulled me in our bedroom.�

�What? You wanted to tell me about Potter and thought shagging me a last time
is better? You bastard.� Theodore jumped up from the
couch and ran over to beat his fist on the blond�s chest. �You
self-righteous, arrogant, narcissistic prick. Everything always needs to
be to your advantage. What did it? Aren�t I interesting enough anymore? What does
he have that I don�t?�

Draco had enough and grabbed both hands. �Are you done now? Can I say something
now?� Theodore only snorted and pulled to get his hands back, but Draco was
having none of it. �I listened to you and now you�ll listen. This is all made
up, Teddy. I work with Potter for the minister and she forced us to act as a
couple. Do you understand? I didn�t cheat.�

�Ha, as if. You just want to save your butt now.�

�What�s wrong with you?� Draco asked irritated. �Why are you so jealous all of
a sudden?�

�Maybe, because I have every bloody right to be jealous, huh?�

Draco let go of Theodore�s hands and threw his own up in the air. �Gah, it�s useless to talk to you right now. Why won�t you
listen to me? Why do you believe the papers more than me? You�re completely
irrational at the moment.�

�Yes, maybe you�re right. I don�t want to talk to you tonight anymore. You can
have the couch.�

�Teddy, wait. You can�t�� he followed his boyfriend until the bedroom door was
slammed into his face. Needless to say that it was magically
locked. Angry with himself, angry with everyone that was to be blamed
for this shite, he slammed his right fist against the door until his knuckles
hurt.

**********

The fireplace flared up in its usual red colour and a face formed slowly in the
flames and ember. �MALFOY!� Kingsley barked and almost
choked on the ember.

Draco awoke with a start and fell off the couch with a loud thud. �Wha�Wha�?� he stuttered and
looked around blearily until he finally remembered that he was in the living
room on the couch� in front of the couch, he corrected himself. The blond
rubbed his sore bum and twitched when Shacklebolt called him again.

�MALFOY! Get under way!�

�Huh?� Draco�s mind was still foggy. He had only been asleep for about an hour,
after tossing and turning for about three hours, and he wanted nothing more
than scrambling back on his make-shift bed to get some more sleep.

�I said get under way! Get over here immediately. The minister was attacked
again.� All of a sudden, the fog was gone and Draco�s brain was alert.

�Attacked? Is she all right?�

�Yes.�

�Give me five minutes!� Shacklebolt disappeared and Draco jumped up, he grabbed
his trousers and shirt from yesterday and was dressed in under a minute. He
hopped over to the fireplace, trying to tie his trainers and almost hit his
head on the mantelpiece. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and halted.

Where was he supposed to go?

**********

�Potter! POTTER! Darn, where�s the boy?� Shacklebolt vanished for a moment out
of the fireplace, but was quickly back and sent an owl through the fireplace.
�Find him and peck him until he wakes up.�

The owl flew up to the first floor and was lucky that the bedroom door was
open. It flew inside and found Harry Potter fast asleep. The owl landed on the
shoulder of the Auror and made some noise, but Potter didn�t move.

The first peck landed on the brunette�s shoulder and he jerked his arm that the
owl needed to use its talons not to fall off Potter. That did it and the Auror
opened his eyes. He saw the owl sitting on his arm and swatted it away, which
wasn�t appreciated by the bird. It hooted angrily and snapped at the arm.

�Bloody bird, what�s your frigging problem?� Harry sat up and untied the note
from the owl�s leg. He unfolded it and his eyes widened.

�Potter, get over here. Odessa has been attacked. Hurry up.�

The Golden Boy bolted out of his bed. Put on some random clothes that lay
around and ran down the stairs to the living room. He grabbed some floo powder
and halted.

Where was he supposed to go?

**********

bumf = british colloquial for �paperwork�

chaofan = Chinese dish (fried rice with white
mushrooms and vegetables)

Author note:

Ms Graballz, did you like the part of the quote? Was
it okay?

What about the other Coven women? Did you like the chapter? Please, raise you
hand. No one, oh, okay, I can handle that. Hopefully. *jk*
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