Leaving the Ministry was the easiest thing Draco had ever done. He'd harassed Granger enough for the next few years and was certain his apparation from her office would leave her with many unanswered questions, so he had happily apparated from his apparation lock point in Knockturn back to his business estate.

He returned directly to his office and made sure the doors were still secured. Blaise had the annoying habit of slipping into his office supply of aged brandy and not locking the doors after he left. As much as Draco wanted to make him pay for every bottle he stole, he typically forgot to mention it when he saw the git after. Luckily, not a single bottle of brandy was missing and the doors were securely locked.

Just like he expected, there was a hot pot of tea waiting by his desk and the file he'd told Blaise to drop by before he went into Gringotts. He took a wary sniff of the tea before pouring himself any, but was pleased to discover it was not dandelion. He allowed the pot to fill up his cup then dropped a single sugar cube in.

Draco took a seat at his desk, pulling the folder from Blaise forward so he could read it. It was short and not very detailed, but neither of them had actually had the chance to visit Luzerne yet so it was to be expected. Initial reports were always fairly bland which is why Draco preferred to get them out of the way in the morning.

A sudden sharp whistling from the room behind his office almost made him spill his tea. He cursed and set the cup aside, looking toward the hidden door he knew would open any second. Right on time, the door appeared and Blaise sauntered in with a fresh bagel.

"Have I told you how much I love that portkey system you set up?" Blaise asked, sliding onto the corner of Draco's desk. "Because it is amazing. Just hold the key in one hand and touch the portkey with the brush of your fingers and mwah—" Blaise blew a kiss into the air and sighed contentedly. "It's ingenious, really."

"You're not supposed to use it if it's not an emergency," Draco reminded him. He grabbed a nearby book and hit Blaise's thigh to get him off his desk. "The whistle is annoying and it's supposed to be a secret. Get off my desk," Draco added when Blaise did not move.

Blaise scooted further to the corner and Draco scowled at him. Just like the room had done when he arrived, Blaise whistled and shook his head in disappointment.

"Did Granger curse you when you apparated?" he asked. He took a bite of his bagel and much to Draco's chagrin, spoke with his mouth full. "I told you she'd get jealous."

"You're fucking disgusting," Draco told him, scowling at the half-chewed food in his mouth. "And get off my desk."

Blaise rolled his eyes but got off Draco's desk and slumped into a chair. He had the decency to finish his bagel before saying another word, but by then Draco had returned to skimming the file on Luzerne.

"Tell me, how did Granger react when you told her you'd already made an appointment with the goblins?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and glanced at him briefly.

"Didn't tell her," he replied. Blaise frowned and Draco ducked his head to hide a smirk. "She was in a foul mood, so I'll let you deal with that when it's your turn."

"What a shoddy mate you are," Blaise grumbled. He crossed his legs and kicked Draco's desk, but didn't apologise when Draco glared at him. "You irritated Granger and now I get to deal with her?"

"You'll be okay," Draco said. He set aside the folder and smiled at Blaise. "It'll be just like at Hogwarts, but with goblins instead of Parkinson."

Blaise snorted and summoned the teapot forward to pour himself a cup. While Draco returned to his work, Blaise idly sipped his tea and glanced around Draco's office for the next thirty minutes. At the chime of the clock, he got to his feet and fastened his robes. Draco looked up at him in confusion.

"Your meeting isn't for another hour," Draco said. Blaise shrugged.

"I've got a meet-up with Nott in Knockturn and as much as I love worrying Granger, I don't think she'd like me to show up late," he replied. Draco snorted and reminded Blaise that Granger had no fucking idea she would be meeting him at Gringotts. With a twinkle in his eye and a smirk, Blaise said, "Maybe I just want to be early enough to see the Granger-goblin showdown."

Draco shook his head and stood up. He summoned his cloak and at Blaise's confused look, he shrugged and mockingly said, "You're not the only one meeting a Nott."

Blaise rolled his eyes and apparated away before Draco could remind him to tell Granger about the problem with a key. Once he was certain Blaise would not be coming back to snag some of his alcohol, Draco apparated to the Nott estate line and walked up the long entryway.

As expected, Daphne Greengrass-Nott opened the door as soon as Draco had knocked. What was not expected, however, was the small puppy she held in one arm.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, almost as if she was surprised to see him. Draco let her pull him into a hug, but pulled away when the puppy tried to lick his face.

"Daphne, why do you have a dog?" he asked, refraining from reaching out and petting the floppy eared creature.

Daphne looked at the dog in her arms then back at Draco. The dog's little yellow face did the same and Draco found himself staring into two pairs of dark brown eyes at once.

"Theo bought him for me," Daphne said, breaking Draco out of the intense staring contest he was having with her pet. "House elves were banned by the Ministry, you know, and the estate gets lonely, so we got a puppy. His name is Prince Theodore Angus Bartholemew the Third but we call him Prince for short."

"Yes, that's probably best," Draco hummed as he stepped inside.

Daphne set Prince on the ground and the puppy immediately sat on Draco's shoe. Draco and Daphne stared at it. Worried about how to convince the creature to move, Draco tried to wriggle his toes. The puppy yapped happily and jumped off his foot so he could bite his shoe.

"Hey!" Draco exclaimed. Daphne laughed loudly and the puppy barked in return. "These are dragonhide, you little beast," Draco told Prince with a forced scowl.

Prince wagged his tail and looked up at Draco with his tongue out and a smile. A second later, his paws were on Draco's leg and he was attempting to jump up his body.

"No," Draco said, shaking his head while Daphne laughed harder. "No, you are a Nott. I do not pick up Notts."

"Draco, he's a puppy!" Daphne laughed. She reached down and scooped Prince back up in her arms. "Hold him for Merlin's sake," she said.

Before Draco could protest, Prince was set in his arms and licking his chin. Draco scolded him, but not sharply, and he quit. Very happy with his new perch, Prince settled into Draco's arms and looked around the entryway, tongue still out.

"I am here to talk about murder, Daphne," Draco told her, staring down at the yellow thing wriggling in his arms. "I cannot have a puppy in my arms."

"It's just us, Draco," Daphne said, waving him off. She led him down the hallway and to the drawing room, leaving Draco with no other option other than to follow with Prince in his arms. "If anything, I'm more likely to listen."

Draco frowned but when he sat on the sofa and watched Prince curl up on his lap, he decided he would allow himself to enjoy the puppy for now. He slowly began to pet Prince's tiny head and ignored the smirk Daphne gave him.

"As I said before," Draco said, looking up from Prince. "There's something I need you to take care of for me in Luzerne. Blaise visited yesterday, but the information we have is minimal."

Draco procured the folder from thin air and handed it over to her. After a short minute, Daphne nodded and set it aside.

"We've worked with less before," she said truthfully. "My father still has an estate just south of Zurich we can vacation to for the next week."

"No, not next week," Draco denied immediately. Prince wriggled out of his reach and Draco frowned. "Come back," he told the puppy.

Prince smiled and jumped off the sofa. Draco lunged forward to catch him, but he landed safely and trotted over to Daphne.

"Why not?" Daphne asked, picking Prince up and placing him on her lap. Draco scowled at the puppy as he curled up and fell asleep on Daphne's lap. "Draco."

"What?" he asked. Daphne gave him a look and he nodded. "Right, yes. No, next week is no good. There's currently a case around my vault that Granger and Potter are looking into, so I'll need at least until the end of the month. This was just to make sure you were on board."

"Theo and I are always on board," Daphne reminded him. Draco knew this, of course, but it was Syndicate policy to always double check and his own policy to never assume something from someone.

"I'll send an owl when you are clear to go," he told her. In a coy attempt to win Prince's attention back, he patted his thighs. The puppy's ear twitched, but he didn't move. "Stupid dog," he grumbled.

Daphne raised an eyebrow.

"You know, Prince is part of our family now," she said, rubbing the puppy's head. "If you two can't get along, you'll have to stop coming over."

"I can get along with a puppy just fine," Draco told her haughtily. Daphne snorted and Draco glared at her. "Are we finished here?"

"If you just came to ask permission, then yes," Daphne said with a roll of her eyes.

"Can I take—"

"Absolutely not," Daphne interrupted, covering Prince protectively as Draco reached for him. "Get out of my house."