"Potter!"

Harry lifted his head, putting his quill back in its inkstand.

"Anyone seen Potter?!"

Harry stood up, lifting his hand, "Here, sir."

Senior Auror Patterson impatiently waved him over to his desk.

Harry hurried over, "Yes, Auror Patterson?"

"You working on anything right now?" Patterson asked.

Harry shook his head, trying not to get his hopes up, "Just finishing the paperwork for magic use outside wizarding territory from the last arrest, sir."

"That can wait until tomorrow," Patterson said, riffling through the mess spread across his desk. I need you to go check up on..... here it is-" he opened a file, turned it around and squinted at the paper inside, "Ah... Draco Malfoy missed his meeting with his parole officer yesterday." He handed Harry the file, "His address is in the file. Go there, if he's in tell him he'll be in violation of his parole if he doesn't go see his parole officer by tomorrow. If he's not there, try again in the morning. After that, he'll be in violation of his parole, and we can put out an arrest warrant for him."

"Arresting him for missing one appointment?" Harry said flipping the file open and scanning through the first page.

"This is the second appointment he's missed. He keeps this up, and he's going straight to Azkaban," Patterson said.

Harry's brow furrowed, "Did he do something?"

Patterson shook his head, "He's a deatheater, Potter."

"Was. Has he done anything since then?" Harry asked.

Patterson rolled his eyes, "Just do the job." He grabbed a random piece of parchment and pointedly picking up his quill.

"Why me, sir?" Harry asked stubbornly.

Patterson slowly looked up, "You've only been in the dept a year. Least experience, least responsibility. That's how it works. Robards and Shacklebolt ran errands and filled out paperwork when they started and so will you."

"Yes, sir. I'll be off sir," Harry said sulkily, heading back to his desk.

"Bout time," Patterson muttered.

Harry clenched his jaw and grabbed his auror robes from his desk, heading to the lifts.

.

.

Harry checked the address again and looked up at the building. It was at the end of Diagon Alley with a tea and sandwich shop on the ground floor. The rest of the building looked three stories high, but with extension charms and wards to hide things inside slivers of space, there was no saying how many floors the building actually had. He stepped inside and looked up from the base of stairs. There was a lot more than three flights of stairs.

And Malfoy was flat number ten.

When Harry reached the top of the stairs to the final top floor that ended at Malfoy's door, he was feeling more than a little winded. He almost missed Hogwarts' labyrinth of stairs, at least it had kept him in shape, a year of using lifts and sitting at a desk for half the day had taken its toll.

He braced his hands on his knees sucking a few deep breathes before wrapping firmly on Malfoy's door. He waited... and waited, straining to hear sounds on the other side. He frowned and knocked again, loud enough to make him wince. There was yet more silence. Harry lifted his hand to pound on the door one last time when it swung open.

"What do you wan-!" Malfoy stopped short and blinked, "...Potter?"

"Malfoy," Harry returned a bit faintly.

Malfoy had let his hair grow out a bit, it was just past his earlobe and parted to the side. As Harry watched Malfoy self-consciously brushed it back behind one ear though half fell back around his face. He was wearing a pale grey jumper made of a thin knit, the collar stretched out so it nearly fell off one shoulder

Malfoy was holding a cardigan in both hands and clumsily pulled it on, half hiding the pale grey jumper underneath. It was too big for him and covered half his hands until he pushed the sleeves back to his wrists, "Can I help you, Auror Potter?"

"I- uh," Harry felt his cheeks grow hot and forced his eyes up, meeting Malfoy's wary gaze. He cleared his throat and tried again, "You, err, you've missed your meeting with your parole officer."

Malfoy's brow furrowed, "No I haven't. It's tomorrow." He took out his wand and summoned a calendar. Every other wednesday was circled and marked with -meeting! 11:00- and all the days before had been meticulously crossed off all the way up to tuesday, two days ago. Malfoy tapped the calendar, "It's tuesday."

Harry reached over and slid Malfoy's finger over two days, "Thursday, actually."

"It's not," Malfoy said, his eyes widening, "Is it? It's not."

"It is, thursday I mean."

"I thought..." Malfoy's face crumpled, "Is it too late? You're here to arrest me?"

Harry shook his head, "No. If you go in by tomorrow, it will be fine."

"I'll go now," Malfoy said, slipping into a pair of shoes by the door and stepping outside, closing and locking the door in quick succession.

Harry tried to step out of the way, and ended up more in his way, too close and- Malfoy darted around him and hurried down the stairs. Leaving Harry alone at the top of the stairs feeling shaken, breathing in a fast fading sweet scent he couldn't place.

.

.

Harry twisted his coffee mug in his hands, staring down at the steaming milky tea inside, "Is it strange that I... I thought Malfoy- Draco? was cute?"

He sighed and looked out the small window over his kitchen and the heavy gloom outside.

"He looked so...." Harry sighed and brushed his hands through his hair. He picked up the letter on his table and unfolded it for the twentieth time skimming through the contents, signed Hermione & Ron.

"What would you say if you were here instead of Australia? Maybe..." Harry smiled to himself, "Ron wouldn't believe it and Hermione, you'd tell me to be careful. And then Ron would ask why she didn't stop me and Hermione she'd say, we've never been able to stop him before."

Harry carefully re-folded the letter and put it back on the table.

He took a sip of his tea and winced, "too hot. fuck"

Harry sucked in cool air, leaning back and taking grabbing the stack of takeaway menus suck on the fridge by a large koala magnet. He flipped through each one and shoved them to the side with another sigh, "...I miss you guys. Hurry up and come home."

.

.

A few days later Harry found himself looking up at the top floor of Draco's building, his toe tapping nervously on the cobbles. An old woman squinted at him suspiciously as she went into the tea shop.

"Okay. Just give it a shot," Harry told himself under his breath. He unbuttoned his auror jacket and slung it over his arm before heading inside and taking on the stairs. He told himself he wasn't nearly as winded when he reached the top, holding his side and fighting to slow down his breathing.

He knocked on Draco's door in what he hoped was a polite way. Then knocked again. And, because he hadn't climbed ten flights of stairs to not to at least see Draco's face, he knocked again.

"I'm coming," Draco snapped, his voice muffled through the wood.

Harry nervously tried to smooth his hair down even though he knew it was a lost cause.

Draco cracked the door open, pulling it open when he recognised Harry, "Potter- I mean, Auror Potter."

"Just Potter is fine, or," Harry ducked his head, "uh, Harry, if you wanted."

Draco crossed his arms over his fluffy cream coloured jumper, and asked stiffly, "Can I assist you, Auror Potter?"

"I'm not on duty," Harry said gesturing to the jacket over his arm, "I just wanted to ask if you got to your meeting?"

"You're not an auror now?"

"No, I just got off-"

"So you're harassing me in your free time then," Draco said.

Harry shook his head, "I just wanted to see if everything was alright, is all."

"If it wasn't," Draco said flatly, "you'd be arresting me."

"Actually, unless you tried to leave the country or were doing something illegal, you would just get another warning. It's the third warning you'd get arrested," Harry said.

Draco stared at him, unmoved.

Harry shuffled his feet, "...I looked it up because it didn't seem fair that they would send you to Azkaban for missing two appointments."

Draco sighed, "Well they would."

"You're doing alright though? In general?" Harry asked.

"What is this about?"

"About if you're doing alright?" Harry tried again.

"Fine," Draco said flatly.

"What are you doing these days?" Harry asked.

Draco stepped back, grabbing the edge of the door, "I'm doing nothing and going nowhere. If you're finished, Auror Potter?"

"I'm not on du-" Draco shut the door in his face, "-ty," Harry finished lamely. "Can I owl you?" he called through the door.

There was no answer.

"I'll take that as a no," Harry said with a sigh.

.

.

Harry jumped a report smacked down on the desk right by his hand, "Junior Auror Potter."

"Sir?" Harry sat up straight turning in his chair to face Auror Patterson.

"Don't get any ideas you're the only auror free," Patterson said stiffly, "Routine arrest, hex with intent to harm."

Harry snatched up the report, "Yes, sir!"

"Don't mess it up. I don't have any auror's to spare if you cock this up," Patterson said.

"I won't, sir," Harry said firmly.

Patterson shook his head and headed back to his desk.

Harry picked up the report and quickly read through it with a growing frown. He shook his head as he pulled on his jacket and headed out.

.

.

Harry pulled opened the door to Draco's building and started up the stairs, going slow as he read over the report for about the hundredth time.

At the first landing, the door to flat one cracked open and an old woman with wispy grey hair peaked outside. She looked him over and then pushed the door open, waving Harry over, "Here. Come here."

Harry stepped over to the door, "Can I help you ma'am?"

"It's Esther. Are you here bother Draco? He's a dear. You lot ought to leave him alone," Esther chided him.

"You know him? Draco Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Esther glared at him, "Keeps to himself most of the time. He does his shopping on monday and has a very important meeting every other wednesday. If I catch him, I can usually convince him in for tea. He's lovely, such a good listener."

Harry took out his notebook, "Ma'am would you be willing to tell me if Mr Malfoy has gone out today? Around ten?"

"Weren't you listening at all? I said when he goes out. He doesn't otherwise," Esther said.

Harry nodded, "Well, ma'am, if I could get an official statement from you, I might not have to bother Mr Malfoy as much. So if you could tell me if you saw him leave today."

"He hasn't," Esther said begrudgingly.

"Could anyone have left the building without you knowing?" Harry asked.

Esther frowned at him, "Anti-apparition wards all around the building, we're not set up for floo, got radiators, they're very modern you know. I'm up at five every morning. No one goes down the stairs that I haven't got my eye to the peep hole. Nothing going on in this building I don't know about." She put her hands on her hips, "AND Draco doesn't go out tuedays!"

Harry quickly finished jotting down her statement as Esther tapped her house slipper and huffed at him.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am." Harry said, nodding to her, and taking a step back towards the stairs.

"You be nice," Esther said sounding as threatening as a very old woman with a wand and nothing to lose can sound, which was very.

"I will. You don't have to worry about that," Harry assured her.

"I suppose, that'll be fine then." Esther said and then asked as if it had just occurred to her, "Anyone ever tell you, you look a bit like Harry Potter?"

Harry forced down a smile, "Once or twice."

"Well, except he's much nicer. Off with you then," Esther waved him away, "and if you harass that nice boy I'll be putting in a complaint. A very severe complaint."

Harry nodded, trying not to smile, and touched his forelock as she closed her door."I understand, ma'am."

.

.

Harry knocked on Draco's door. And knocked again. And-

Draco jerked the door open, "Potter. Auroring not working out for you? Trying out for a battering ram instead?"

"No," Harry said. He plucked at his jacket, "I'm on duty this time."

"It's tuesday," Draco said, "And I don't have a meeting this week, it's next week."

"Sorry, it's just-" Harry cleared his throat and took out his notebook, flipping to a fresh page, "Could you tell me where you were this morning, from eight to noon?"

Draco closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against the doorframe, "Of course."

"Err..."

Draco stepped back with a sigh, slipping on his shoes.

"...What are you doing?" Harry asked.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Just take me to interrogation."

"I don't-" Harry shook his head, "Can you just tell me where you were this morning between eight-"

"I don't wake up before noon. So I was sleeping. After that I was having toast with jam and tea," Draco said.

"Would you consent to have the spells cast by your wand viewed and recorded?" Harry asked.

Draco hesitated and then took his wand out his waistband, offering Harry the handle. "Go on," he said impatiently.

"You have to say, 'I consent to have my wand examined'."

Draco rolled his eyes again, "I consent to have my wand examined."

Harry carefully took Draco's wand. He shivered at the familiar rush of magic and did his best to not show it as he cast Prior Incantato over it. The most recent spells were quite average, it was a bit like watching Draco's day in reverse, summoning, water heating, cleaning spells, more summoning and water heating spells, a teeth cleaning charm, and then the spells faded out considerably, showing they came from the night before.

"Thank you," Harry said, handing Draco his wand back and writing down all the spells.

"Well?"

"What?" Harry glanced up and then quickly finished writing.

Draco sighed, "And now? Shall we go down to the ministry?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "That won't be necessary."

"...Pardon?"

"Esther Blillowbigs has given you an alibi which your statement and wand corroborate. So I'll just be putting it down as a false report," Harry said.

"And... that's it?" Draco said looking a bit lost.

"Yes," Harry said, putting his notebook and pen away. "Thank you for your time and uh... sorry to bother you," he nodded and started down the stairs.

"Would you like some tea?" Draco asked all in a rush

Harry stopped.

"Just before you go? It wouldn't take long," Draco said haltingly.

Harry hesitated. He wasn't supposed to fraternise with subjects of an open case, even if he was going to close it immediately once he got back. On the other hand, he could take his lunch break, and what he did during his own time was his own business.

Harry walked back up the stairs, "Thank you. I'd quite like that."