Trophy

Author's Note: Many thanks to Ashley for her work on this, I've been referring to her as Angel and never even asked if she minded... whoops. (Also, I've changed my profile picture to something you all may find more appropriate...) Also, thanks to my friend Stephanie for the use of her name. I love my sexy librarian karaoke partner!

Chapter 10 Investigations

Ron strolled into the Ministry Archives Department with an agenda, bypassing the cubicles and heading straight for the Department Head, Stephanie Pincus. Even as the boss, she was one of the youngest on her team, and by most accounts quite quirky and odd, but Ron had always found her to be gracious and accommodating and quickly saw that her intelligence and wit won her the place at the top. He discovered early on that the more you buttered up the Archives department the faster you got your files, and when the goal was solving horrid crimes, you needed to act as quickly as possible.

“Stephanie,” he cooed upon entering her cramped office. The walls were lined with towering stacks of files, all of which he knew would need to be analyzed for sensitive information, copied, and then delivered to the department that had requested the information within the crisp manila folder. It was a tedious job, and Ron knew this first hand after having interned in the department when he went on sabbatical after a nasty field injury that had left him desk bound. He had been so thankful to get his Healer’s note that he was safe for field duty once more; even Ron knew that the combination of himself and a desk job for an extended period of time led to trouble. “How is my favorite witch today?”

The woman looked up, olive skin flushing slightly as she shook her head of short black hair. “Mr. Weasley, I trust your wife knows how much you flirt with all the Ministry employees?”

“I don’t flirt with all of them,” Ron corrected as he took the only empty chair across from her desk. He passed across a caramel latte and a chocolate dipped scone and smiled innocently.

Stephanie took one look at the obvious bribe and narrowed her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“I need the file on Harry Potter,” Ron admitted, trying not to squirm as he did. He knew that his best friend’s file would be one of the most sensitive the Ministry handled, having intimate information about Voldemort’s death and the activities that led up to the war. He was well aware that he was pressing his luck with the only real friend he had in the Archives Department, but he had to try.

“That’s level orange clearance, Ron. Only the Minister can authorize the release of that file,” she declared, scrutinizing him closely. “Why do you even need the file on Harry? What research are you doing on your best friend that you can’t just ask him about personally?”

“I’m not researching him, per say. I’m researching some of the people from his past,” Ron answered guiltily. He was researching Harry, only in a backwards roundabout way, but his friend left him little choice when he refused to come clean on the years he’d been hiding from everyone.

“Has someone threatened Harry?” she gasped, eyes going wide with concern.

“Yes,” Ron lied and felt immediately wretched. He contemplated just forgetting the whole thing, but he was already there and backing off now would just make things seem more suspicious. If he got the file he would just skim through it to see if the Ministry knew something of Harry’s disappearance and then he would return it –nothing more.

Stephanie sighed and leaned back in her chair before she began thrumming her fingers on the desk. “I could talk to the Minister, but that file, as I’m sure you know, is sensitive. It’ll take me a couple days to get it.”

“That’s fine. You’ll message me when it comes down?” he asked and she nodded curtly, seemingly still trying to figure out how she was going to persuade Kingsley to part with the Potter file, no doubt it was rather large and left his sight infrequently.

Ron left her office feeling like rubbish, wondering if what he was doing was right after all. Perhaps Harry had a good reason for keeping things from his two best friends, but Ron couldn’t help but wonder if the distance he sometimes felt with his the man who was now his boss was because of that missing information. Part of him knew what he was doing was an invasion of Harry’s privacy, but he was worried about his friend and those missing years just might hold the key to saving Harry from a lifetime of loneliness. He’d never forgive himself if Harry fell further into his reclusive depression if there was something he could do to help.

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A flash of green erupted in his previously dormant study fireplace and Lucius stepped forward to greet the man who emerged. He didn’t look like a Death Eater, an assassin or even a bit ill tempered, but that was the point. He had dark hair, but not too dark, he was tall, but not too tall, he was thin, but not too thin and he had no scars, tattoos or other distinguishing features. This man blended into the woodwork like no other and was the perfect selection for Lucius’ newest mission.

Hedrick VonCrown was a spy, and one of the best there was at that particular profession. He could slip in and out of private meetings, elite parties and even high security office buildings without anyone being the wiser. He was like a shadow on the wall because he could fit into any situation with practiced ease. People had been known to hold a twenty-minute conversation with the man and then forget him a moment later –he was that invisible, the least memorable man you might ever meet, which is what made Lucius select him.

Lucius had used the man on countless occasions during the war to glean information that he could use to put himself in Voldemort’s favor, but now he had a far more important and personal task for the man –the saving of his son.

The Slytherin patriarch had given it hours of constant thought and consideration, and decided that his best course of action was to take his stance in the background. He wanted to monitor his son’s blossoming relationship with Potter, but attempt to otherwise keep his distance. Lucius knew better than anyone that Draco devalued his father’s input, and would sometimes do the exact opposite of what Lucius advised just to spite him. He couldn’t encourage his son’s relationship with Potter without risking the boy becoming suspicious, and he couldn’t continue to denounce the courtship since he now agreed with its effects wholeheartedly –under certain terms. So all he was left with was a position of disconnected observation.

It was obvious that the more his son saw of Potter, the more smitten he became, but he knew that would all end if they jumped into a physical relationship too quickly. Once Draco got his way he would move on just as he always did, it was just the boy’s way, he was terrified of being rejected and even more afraid to lose someone he actually cared for. The only circumstance in which fleeing would not be the number one priority on Draco’s mind would be if Draco were already in love with Potter before they slept together.

If he could prolong any physical activity between the boys, the Malfoy family would be golden once more. Who knows, perhaps Potter and Draco would eventually marry and usher in a new dawn for their currently ostracized family. At the very least he knew Potter would petition for the release of their house arrest. Based on what he knew of Potter’s family complex, the powerful wizard would never allow his own family to be treated in such a manner. Whatever happened, Lucius had to keep his son’s relationship with the famous boy at a simmer without letting it boil over.

That was what Hedrick was there to ensure.

“Lord Malfoy,” the man greeted as he emerged from the Floo. “It’s been years.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t had need for you until now,” Lucius admitted. “But desperate times call for… spies.”

“Well, as you know I am always at your service, for a price of course,” he replied with a neutral smile.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. If someone’s priority is only money I know I will always have their loyalty,” Lucius explained. “The task I have for you is significantly less dangerous, but more important than anything I’ve ever asked of you. The future of the Malfoy family depends upon its success.”

“But it’s not dangerous?” the man inquired with a fair amount of confusion.

“Not in the way that spying for the Dark Lord had been dangerous,” Lucius amended. “I need you to follow my son and Harry Potter.”

“Potter is the Head Auror, vastly more talented than the rest of his group. There’s a huge risk of exposure there,” he mused, no doubt adding that fact to his final bill.

“This is true,” Lucius reasoned, “but there isn’t a reason for him to be looking for you.”

“I don’t understand?” the man admitted, urging Lucius to continue.

“They’ve started a relationship, Potter and my son,” Lucius began to explain.

“And you want me to end it?” he quickly assumed.

“No, I want you to delay it. I need any physical closeness to be broken up: kissing, heavy petting and such,” he described. “They need to develop a closeness based on common interests, not sex.”

“You’re serious?” Hedrick asked, obviously trying to stifle a chuckle. The man knew it was folly to lose his composure in front of a Malfoy. “You want me to keep your son from snogging Harry Potter?”

“In a sense, yes,” Lucius replied haughtily, not liking that is request was being trivialized.

“Wouldn’t they be likely to do that sort of thing in private? Am I expected to sneak into Potter’s bedchambers as well? I’m good, but not that good,” he scoffed.

“I doubt that will become a concern, at least for now. Potter is very reluctant and is well versed in my son’s reputation, so I highly doubt he’ll allow Draco to be alone with him for quite some time. But you must understand, Draco’s a very persuasive man, and if left to his own devices, he’ll no doubt convince our Golden Boy to let down his guard,” Lucius told the man while breaking into a strident pace across the length of his office.

“You seem rather passionate about keeping your son out of Potter’s bed,” Hedrick observed, clearly amused by that fact.

“I am,” Lucius replied, coming to an abrupt halt. “I love my family, and I ruined us all with my decisions. I couldn’t bear to see Draco do the same. We have this one opportunity to set things right and I plan to take it.”

Hedrick tilted his head to the side slightly, studying the regal blonde man and then finally nodded. “I’ll do what I can to assist you, knowing that my reward with be hefty when I succeed.”

A slow smile crept upon Lucius’ face and he held out his hand for Hedrick to shake. “We have a contract.”

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As Draco stepped into the Ministry lift his heart raced slightly. He tried to calm it, thinking of how ridiculous it was for him to be fretting over whether or not Harry would agree to have lunch with him, and reminding himself firmly that Malfoys don’t doubt themselves, but alas his heart rate apparently couldn’t be controlled by sheer logic.

He hadn’t warned the other man of his arrival, and began to panic further when he realized Potter might already have lunch plans, or might even already be away from his office seeking said lunch. “Then you’ll simply go to lunch on your own, it’s not as if you haven’t done that exact thing a million times before,” Draco chastised himself sharply, earning an odd look from the witch who occupied the lift along side of him.

Draco couldn’t ever remember being so nervous, not even on his first day at Hogwarts when he went to introduce himself to the raven-haired boy. Now it seemed as though there was more on the line. His conquest, of course, if he failed to impress the Gryffindor then he would surely fail to bed him, but it felt like there was also something more, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. The emotions roiling through him as he made the short trip to the first level were all quite foreign to him.

“So, Harry, fancy a sandwich?” he practiced out loud as the woman beside him pretended to ignore his mumbled ranting. “Potter, you. Me. Lunch. Now,” he tried. “Since shagging is off limits, how about some lunch?”

“Perhaps you should just ask him politely,” the stranger offered after a fifth failed attempt at his practiced lunch invitation. “Harry’s a sweet boy, he doesn’t respond well to crudeness.”

“Right,” Draco muttered. “Thanks.”

When the lift doors opened the woman smiled patiently at him. “Good luck, son,” she called as he exited the spacious glass box and made his way to the door that would lead him into the Auror offices. He stopped at the secretary’s desk and gave his most winning smile, to which she promptly melted, which gave Draco back a bit of his old confidence. “Is Harry Potter in?” he asked. She couldn’t seem to articulate words in the wake of his shining grin, so she just nodded and pointed in the direction of his office. “Thanks, love,” he called back to her, smirking to himself when he heard her giggle.

The secretary’s fumbling was exactly what he’d needed to clear his head of all those pesky doubts. Of course Potter would go to lunch with him –he was Draco Malfoy after all.

He found Harry at his desk, diligently looking over some bit of parchment. Draco watched for a moment, stunned into silence by the way Harry bit into his bottom lip while he read and then how he ran his hand haphazardly through his ebony locks before turning the page. The man was truly a sight to behold –handsome, intelligent, powerful, and clever- and it made Draco’s stomach tense up again, any boost he’d gotten from the vapid receptionist was lost in the glow that seemed to surround Harry Potter. He was no match for this man, Draco suddenly realized. He was trying to court Harry Bloody Potter, savior of the world, Gryffindor Golden Boy, Snatcher of the Snitch, and all around well-loved bloke –what the hell was he thinking?

Sure, he had bedded Dukes and even Kings, but not one of them held a candle to the shimmering charisma that was Harry Potter. Draco took a deep breath and turned to leave, resolving to drop this nonsense once and for all and go after a slightly smaller fish this time, but he heard Harry call him and he froze in the doorway.

“Malfoy?” Harry repeated, sounding as though he had gotten up from his desk.

Draco pulled his hands into fists and concentrated on the sharp pain created from his fingernails slicing into his palm, anything to keep him somewhat grounded. “Potter, fancy seeing you here,” he said lamely, cursing himself silently as he did.

“You know this is my office. Did you need something?” Harry asked, walking over to join Draco in the doorway.

‘I need to have my head examined for trying to date you,’ he thought silently. “Me, I was just wondering if- I mean, if you’re not busy if you might- that is to say I don’t know if you normally do, I mean of course you do, everyone does, right, but… do you eat? I mean, want to eat?” he stammered, wanting to hex his traitorous tongue right off for betraying his nerves. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before attempting again. “Would you like to go to lunch with me?”

“I’d love to,” Harry replied brightly, a gleam in his eyes hinting that he had enjoyed Draco’s struggle to ask such a simple question.

Harry’s easy answer made Draco feel both relieved and foolish in one fell swoop. He’d put so much thought into his request and Harry’s possible answers that he forgot that all he was doing was inviting the man to a simple lunch.

“Are you ready now?” he asked, feeling a bit more like his old self again.

“Sure. Where did you have in mind?” Harry inquired, running back to his desk to fetch his coat and a few small items from his desk before joining Draco in the corridor.

“It’s a surprise,” Draco told him with a wink before looping his arm through Harry’s and escorting the man back to the lifts. The same witch who had ridden the lift down with him was still in there when they stepped inside and she shot Draco a knowing smile upon seeing the pair enter together. Draco thought it was odd that she was still there, wondering if she simply rode the lift up and down so that she could interfere, but he decided not to comment on it and simply smiled at the older woman.

“Harry, are you going to introduce me to your gentleman friend?” the woman asked.

“Mattie, this is my… er- friend Draco,” he replied and Draco shrunk slightly at the word ‘friend’. Is that what Harry thought of him? Was that why the man was so easy going about lunch together? Was he right the first time in assuming the man was well out of his league?

“He seems like more than a friend to me,” she chirped, glancing down to their joined stance. The men were practically holding hands they were so close.

“He is,” Harry confirmed with a soft smile, but didn’t elaborate. One thing Draco had already learned about Harry was that the man kept his feelings close to his vest, even though one could find a hint of them in his expressive eyes. Still, the confirmation that Harry considered him more than just a friend warmed him somewhat and he was sure it affected his smile.

When they exited the lift, Draco took him through the lobby and to the bank of Floos, gesturing for them to get in line.

“If we were going by Floo we could have used the one just outside my office,” Harry remarked with a smile. “In fact, you could have used that one to come visit me.”

“Ah, but I’ve blocked it for fear of having my gifts returned,” Draco noted with a wink.

Harry groaned and shook his head. “You really are rubbish at romantic gestures, did you know that?”

“Hey,” Draco protested with a pout. “They’ve worked just fine on everyone else.”

“I’m not like everyone else,” Harry replied softly, but there was a firmness to his voice that made Draco think he was willing the blonde to understand that about him.

“I’m beginning to see that,” Draco admitted, his heart fluttering at the smile Harry gave him in response to his words.

Author's Note: Ah, our dear Draco is falling hm? Will Harry be so quick to acquiesce? Will it even matter since Lucius is now meddling?