Harry ran his hand over his black suit the next morning. Smelling faintly of lavender, every wrinkle was gone as if it had just returned from the dry cleaners. Harry was impressed. The house elves back at Hogwarts would clean their uniforms the same way, but he had been living on his own for years now and usually just threw a haphazard cleaning charm at his clothes. It worked, but it didn't do much for wrinkles and always left a slightly stale, atticy smell on everything.

He made sure to get to work a little early, stopping off at the loo before he went into the office.

"Oh! You came back!" The mirror said excitedly.

Harry smiled ruefully, "I wasn't sure I could get my hair right." he held up a tin of sleek-easy, "brought my own this time. My friends give one to me as a gift every now and then. They think they're very funny."

"Damp hair first," The mirror reminded him.

"Right, right," Harry said, running damp hands through his hair and then following the mirrors instructions. The mirror only took over his reflection at the end to show him how to better style it. "You know, I've met talking mirrors before, but never one like you, that can take over the reflection."

"Oh, I'm quite old," The mirror said. "having a mirror that could move and talk like a painting was all the rage in the seventeen fifties. It didn't last. I kept to myself for ages so I wouldn't be destroyed or worse, stored away."

"But now you're talking to me," Harry said.

"I got so unbelievably bored, you can't imagine. I've tried talking to the other people on this floor, but they're all broom-heads and paper-pushers, and there's not a decent robe amongst them," The mirror said.

"Err, I'm sorry," Harry said, "It must be frustrating, stuck there, not able to move."

His reflection raised an eyebrow and then waved him off, "Oh, don't worry yourself. I understand the concept of free will, I also understand that I don't have it, and am plenty glad for it. It only seems to cause trouble as far as I've seen."

"Then... what do you want?" Harry asked.

"To do what I was made to do. To help people look their absolute best. It brings me immense satisfaction," The mirror said. "So do come back again, won't you?"

"I will," Harry said. Though he imagined the mirror would be disappointed when he was back to wearing his auror uniform. Harry wondered if he should get a new uniform, a properly fitted one. He straightened his sleeves before opening the office door.

Malfoy was hunched over his desk with coloured pencils again, working hard on some sort of drawing.

"Want coffee? Asbestos is fetching for Mr Malfoy and self," Asbestos asked.

"I-"

"Hurry," Asbestos said impatiently, "Asbestos wants coffee." She was wearing a fuzzy yellow onesie.

"A- a small mocha, I guess," Harry said.

Asbestos held out her hand.

"Use my money to pay for everything," Malfoy said.

Asbestos shot him a glare.

Harry laughed and handed Asbestos a galleon, "Here. Your outfit's a bit... ordinary compared to the last two."

Asbestos snatched the coin and pulled a fuzzy yellow hood over her head, it had big cartoony eyes and an orange bill, "Quack," Asbestos said flatly, flipping Harry off and apparating away.

Malfoy snorted in amusement.

Harry turned around, finding Malfoy leaning back in his chair, staring at Harry with his hands behind his head and his cat-like smile.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Just enjoying the view," Malfoy said.

Harry rolled his eyes, feeling pleased, and annoyed that he felt pleased. "Colouring time at Nursery school, is it?"

"Nursery school? I had a governess," Malfoy said.

"Of course, you did."

"Well? Come look. It's some of my best work," Malfoy said, sliding the paper he was drawing on to the edge of the desk.

Malfoy's drawing was much better than the rough stick figures he had sent to Harry in school. He had drawn a knight in shining armour with a white curly moustache and a weird light brown castle behind him.

"It's no Mona Lisa, but it's alright," Harry said.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, "You mean; it's delightful."

Harry tapped the knight, "Is it like, what's that guy's name... Don Quitey- Quotey?"

"Don Quixote?" Malfoy said, trying not to laugh.

"Shut up, I'm not good at names, and it's not like I've ever read the book, I just picked it up from- somewhere," Harry said.

"It's rather famous," Malfoy said, "But that's not what I drew. I drew-" He paused dramatically. "Wait, first pretend this is on a bottle of syrup."

"Okay?" Harry said.

"Okay, I drew," Malfoy paused dramatically again, "Sir Syrup, Knight of the Pancake Kingdom."

Harry laughed, "I thought the moustache looked familiar."

Malfoy looked terribly pleased even as he bit his lip trying to hide it. It was a good look on him.

"Not 'Knight of the Waffle Kingdom'?" Harry asked.

"I considered it... but pancakes are more associated with syrup," Malfoy said.

Harry grinned, "You thought about this way too much."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing well," Malfoy said with a sniff.

"What about... Lord of the Waffle Court?" Harry suggested.

"'Lord of the Waffle court,' I do like that," Malfoy said.

"Don't sound so surprised," Harry said.

"I'm not," Malfoy said. He picked up a pen and wrote on the bottom of the picture in a perfect copperplate hand, 'Sir Syrup, Knight of the Pancake Kingdom, Lord of the Waffle Court'. Somehow it looked more official in fancy curly cursive.

They looked at one another and laughed.

There was a sharp knock on the door. Harry stepped in front of the desk, and Malfoy quickly pulled his messy pile of magazines over the drawing, sending coloured pencils scattering across the floor.

"Excuse me," the door swung open-

Harry froze.

"What-? Harry?" Hermione said in dismay, "Is that you? What are you doing here?"

Harry managed a weak smile that he knew wouldn't help in the least.

"And what in the world are you wearing?" Hermione said, "I mean, you look nice. Nicer than usual-"

Malfoy snorted.

"-is there an official Auror function?" Hermione asked.

"It's his uniform," Malfoy said.

"What?" Hermione said.

Harry belatedly stepped back so Hermione could see Malfoy in his similar white suit.

Hermione looked from Malfoy to Harry and back again with widening eyes, "oh no-"

"Uh..." Harry said.

Hermione groaned under her breath, "oh, fuck." She grimaced and looked at the floor and then looked back up at them like she was in pain.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"You're the two employees for this department?"

Malfoy started laughing.

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy," Harry said.

"Draco," Malfoy said sweetly.

"How? Why?" Hermione demanded.

"It's- It's a temporary one week transfer," Harry said.

Hermione put her hands on her hips, "When did the transfer start?"

"Let me exsp-"

"When. Did. It. Start?" Hermione said.

"This is his third day," Malfoy said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "So when we talked last, you knew Malfoy was hired for the department, and you were already working here."

"....Yeah? I mean-" Harry shrugged helplessly, "You'd just told me in your mum voice to leave him alone-"

"I do not have a mum voice!" Hermione said in her mum voice.

"-and after that, I couldn't just say I'd started working in the department," Harry said.

"So you lied?" Hermione said, her anger edged with hurt that worried Harry more than all the fury she could throw at him.

"I didn't lie. I just-" Harry's explanation came out halting as he realised how bad it sounded," -didn't say anything."

Hermione threw up her hands, "That's just as bad, and you know it!"

"Well, erm, why are you here? Do you need the department's help?" Harry tried to deflect.

"Sir Siriup transferred the Head of Department to me," Hermione said.

"Oh... oh no," Harry said.

"Exactly 'oh no'," Hermione said, "I don't know how to run a department! Much one as- as- as stupid as this one!"

"I rather like it," Malfoy said.

Hermione sighed, "I don't know why you think I would care, Malfoy. You were hired to make this whole thing fail faster, if that's even possible."

"While that might have been Sir Syrup's intention, it was never mine. I have done my best to make the department as successful as possible," Malfoy said.

Harry nodded quickly, "Every assignment we've done has been successful."

Hermione sighed and deflated slightly, "That's.... good, I suppose, but-"

"But?" Harry said apprehensively.

"There's no reason for this to be a separate department. It should just be a part of the regular Obliviator's department," Hermione said.

Harry stared at her, turned to Malfoy who shrugged.

"She's technically correct," Malfoy said.

"What?" Harry said, disappointed.

"Technically?" Hermione said.

"I don't have to like it," Malfoy said.

"Once again, I don't care-"

"What I think. Yes, yes," Malfoy said.

Hermione took two steps, stopping right in front of Harry, making him lurch backwards, "I want to talk to you. Alone."

Malfoy stood, "I shall wait outside." he paused next to Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder like he was being comforting, "It was nice knowing you, Auror Potter."

"It's Harry. I can't say the same," Harry said.

Malfoy put a hand over his heart as he grabbed the door, "I'm wounded. I may never survive such cruel words."

Harry tried not to smile, "You'll live."

Malfoy grinned and shut the door behind him, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the room.

"What in the world were you thinking, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I wanted to help," Harry said.

"No, you wanted to 'keep an eye on Malfoy'," Hermione said.

"I- That might have been part of it-"

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Just A Part."

Harry's brow furrowed, "Look! I'll admit that keeping an eye on Malfoy was what started it, but that isn't why I filled out the transfer form."

Hermione crossed her arms.

Harry added a frown to his furrow, "It was to help you out, and help the auror department, and- and helping Malfoy out."

"Why would you do care about Malfoy of all people?"

"Because he's good at his job!" Harry burst out.

Hermione leaned back in surprise.

"The aurors listen to me, but he's the one that does all the work with the muggles! He comes up with the stories and has the props and has done the research-!"

"Research? He's studying muggles?" Hermione asked.

"Not- Not like that. He just lives- he explores and tries new things and- and-" Harry stuttered over his words.

"Malfoy, really?" Hermione shook her head.

"Draco. His name is Draco," Harry said.

"So you're friends now?"

"I-" Harry hesitated, "s-sort of? Maybe?"

"That's good," Hermione said.

"It is?" Harry said.

"It is. You need to make more friends."

Harry stared at her, "I have friends. You're one of them."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You need more friends. Both Ron and I chat with people in our departments. You can't even remember their names."

"I can. There's Shunter-"

"Not your superiors, your peers, Harry," Hermione said.

"There's Kalya," Harry said, "And- and I know the other guy's name starts with a J-"

Hermione's look was pure 'I told you so'.

"Yeah, alright fine," Harry muttered.

"I just wish-" Hermione sighed, "I wish you had asked me before doing all this."

"If I had asked you would have told me not to," Harry said.

"True." Hermione smiled ruefully, "Would it have stopped you, though?"

"...No. But I would have felt worse about it," Harry said.

"That's what I thought. It's just not something you can fix, Harry."

"I wasn't trying to fix it," Harry said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"No really, I was just trying to- to hold it together long enough for you to figure out a plan," Harry said.

"I couldn't."

"Hermione-"

"I couldn't come up with a plan!" Hermione snapped in frustration. "Suirup has too much power! Anyone who can do something about it is either on his side or doesn't care!"

Harry stared at Hermione, dumbfounded by the very idea that Hermione might not be able to think her way out of something. Hermione stared back at him, looking embarrassed for shouting.

"Well-" Harry started.

"Sorry for shouting," Hermione said quickly, "and taking all my frustration out on you. Suirup was the one who did everything, you- you were just trying to help."

"I'm sorry for not telling you," Harry said, "We might have been able to come up with something if we had all put our heads together like we used to."

Hermione smiled faintly, "Maybe. Of course, Ron is too busy right now, and so am I, and so are you. And I hate the idea of this ruining your career as well as mine."

Harry grimaced, "I hate the idea of having a career. I'd rather just have a job, you know?"

"Not really? They mean the same thing," Hermione said.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes but decided to drop it for now, "Well, now with me and Malfoy holding the department together for the next four days, you can think up a plan to fix everything."

"Two days," Hermione said.

"What?"

"It's only two days, Harry," Hermione said, "You still have to take two days off. That's how it works."

"Oh." Harry said faintly, feeling suddenly and overwhelmingly disappointed at the prospect of having so little time left.

"It's fine. I should have enough time to talk to the Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee and find a way to blend this department into one of them before it falls apart," Hermione said.

"What about Ma-Draco? What will happen to him?" Harry asked.

"He'll be transferred and start working for one of the other departments," Hermione said.

Harry frowned, "But he can't use magic outside his home. And people don't trust him."

"He won you over, didn't he? He'll be fine," Hermione said.

But it wouldn't be fun. And Harry wasn't sure Draco would keep the job if he didn't like it. He wanted to be 'happy' after all, whatever that meant.

"I should get going, I have a lot to do," Hermione said, opening the door and stepping outside, "Do you need anything for the department, Malfoy?"

"Not at the moment," Malfoy said. He was leaning back against the wall looking infinitely relaxed.

"Send me a memo if you need anything, or an emergency comes up," Hermione said, "I'd appreciate if you could do a good job until I can get this all sorted out."

Malfoy nodded, "I look forward to working with you, Ms Granger."

"Sure," Hermione said.

There was a pop and Asbestos returned, drinks carrier in hand, "Coffee." She held it above her head so Draco could remove one of the small cups, then stomped over to Harry who took the other small latte. Asbestos took the last, another massive coffee that looked more like a fancy milkshake with chocolate drizzle on the inside of the cup and across the fluffy tower of whipped cream on top.

"And who is this?" Hermione asked, her tone cold.

"Asbestos," Malfoy said, "She's my secretary."

"She doesn't work for the ministry or she'd be on the list of employees," Hermione said.

"No, she works for me," Malfoy said.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "I see."

"Hermione, Asbestos is-"

But before Harry could explain, Hermione turned and marched off, in a bad mood all over again.

Harry sighed, "...She's a free elf."

"Do me a favour, Auror Potter-"

"Harry."

"-please observe her reaction very closely when you tell her Asbestos is a free elf and then show me the memory," Malfoy said.

"That's... weird," Harry said.

"How is that weird?"

"Sharing with memories is just sort of personal," Harry said.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "It can be. I suppose. But I wasn't suggested we have a heart-to-heart." he said with sweetly mocking tone. "When someone slips on a puddle of bubotuber pus, what's funnier, seeing it or having someone tell you the story?"

"Depends on how funny the fall is and how funny the person telling the story is," Harry said, "The fall might not have been all that funny but if the person telling it-"

"Ugh," Malfoy sighed. "Fine. Fine. Just show me the funniest version then. You're occasionally capable of being clever."

"You're occasionally capable of not being an ass," Harry said.

"Don't count on it," Malfoy said with a cheeky smile.

"Stupid," Asbestos said.

Malfoy stood up and brushed off his jacket, "Asbestos, do we have any work?"

Asbestos' expression didn't change. She slurped noisily from her drink, turned on her heel and went back into the office.

"Call us if any work turns up!" Malfoy called.

Asbestos' hand reappeared to give them the finger before she shut the door.

"Now that that's settled-"

"How is that settled!" Harry laughed.

Malfoy shrugged, "Asbestos is more capable than both of us and she knows it. I just like to rile her up."

"You like to rile everyone up," Harry said.

Malfoy smiled, "Oh, certainly. It's a lot of fun."

Harry rolled his eyes and followed Malfoy as he headed to the lift, "What are we doing? I already have a uniform."

"I don't know," Malfoy said.

"You don't know."

"Nope," Malfoy said, putting his sunglasses on as they crossed the atrium, "It's an adventure, Auror Potter."

"Harry!" Harry called.

Half a dozen people turned to look at him, and Harry ducked his head in embarrassment as Malfoy laughed.

Just like before they flooed to Diagon Alley and went through the Leaky to the muggle street entrance. Malfoy had parked his car half on the curb, a ticket under the wiper blades. Harry assumed it belonged to Malfoy, but he could have been collecting them for all Harry knew. His family was rich enough that they wouldn't even notice a few parking tickets.

"So, we just drive around until you spot something that takes your interest?" Harry asked as he sat in the plush leather passenger seat and pulled his seat belt on.

"Merlin, no," Malfoy said, "Do you have any idea what London traffic is like? It's enough to drive you spare even on the best days. We're going to the library."

"The- What? The library?" Harry said. "I thought this was meant to be an adventure, not a Sherlock Holmes novel."

Malfoy glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow, "That made absolutely no sense."

"Because the library, that's where you go to find clues," Harry explained.

"Have you ever actually read a Holmes novel?" Malfoy asked, "No, of course not-"

"Hey-!"

"Because if you had, you would know that he already knows everything a book might tell him. He's smarter than everyone else around him, that's how he solves the mysteries. It's the appeal of the character," Malfoy said.

"I thought the appeal was Sherlock being an asshole and taking shitloads of cocaine," Harry said.

Malfoy laughed, "I stand corrected. I'm sure that's it entirely."

Harry leaned an arm out the window, enjoying the gentle breeze with a relaxed smile on his face. He watched the buildings go by, catching glimpses of people and their lives as they moved passed.

Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd been to a muggle library. The idea seemed very mundane compared to Hogwarts and the Ministry's libraries. Still, as they stepped into the building, enveloped by the smell of books and a quiet hush, it seemed that libraries themselves had a magic all their own.

"Hello, Draco," a librarian waved as she caught sight of him, "Need a computer?"

"Yes, if there's one available, Louise," Malfoy said, taking his sunglasses off and tucking them away.

Harry stared in bewildered silence. He felt as out of his depth as he had in the suit shop, but entirely on the other side of the spectrum. It was completely unfair for Malfoy to look so comfortable here, all the while, looking like a government agent from a movie in the middle of a muggle library. Small children stared at him as they came in for story time, having to be towed along as they tried to stop and look.

"This way," Malfoy said, heading to a few rows of computers. He sat at the corner desk and moved the mouse, getting rid of the bouncing screen saver.

Harry numbly grabbed a chair and pulled it beside Malfoy. He watched Malfoy click on the internet explorer icon and take out his notebook, he flipped to the back where he had written some web addresses. He began typing them in with two fingers, henpecking the letters out with an absurdly serious expression.

"what...? What?" Harry said dumbly.

"I follow a handful of 'blogs'," Malfoy said absently as if that was at all what Harry cared about in this situation, "Food, travel, restaurants, that sort of thing. It's wonderful for finding new things to try."

"How, the fuck," Harry hissed in a whisper, "do you know how to use a computer?"

Malfoy paused his typing to raise an eyebrow at Harry, "I learned. That is how most knowledge is acquired."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Harry snapped.

Someone shushed him.

Harry sunk down in the chair with a muttered, "How did you learn?"

"The librarians aren't just here for books, they'll help with the computers or anything else. They're paid to be helpful," Malfoy said, hitting enter and waiting for the website to load, "There's an old woman who comes in every week and makes Louise get into her email account because she can't be bothered to learn how. There's literally nothing I could ask that's stupider than that."

"Do you have an email account?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Malfoy said automatically. He added more hesitantly, "Of course, I really don't have anyone to write and hardly check the library often enough keep up any sort of formal correspondence."

Harry did his best not to laugh. He grabbed a pencil and piece of scrap paper from the desk and wrote out his email address. Hermione had helped him set it up. She was the only one who emailed him. She mostly sent him links to articles that made his brain go numb half a sentence in. "Here. My email."

Malfoy took the scrap of paper, looking a little bewildered.

"So you can write me if you want. But I don't check very often."

"I can just owl you, Auror Potter," Malfoy said, even as he folded the paper and slid it in-between the pages of his notebook.

Harry grinned, "So? That's no fun."

Malfoy frowned, "What happened to the 'Harry'-"

"Yes! You said Harry!" Harry crowed, "Got you!"

Harry received more shushes and a handful of glares, but he was too pleased to care.

Malfoy glared at him balefully, his ears flushed red, "Good grief, what are you five years old?"

Harry laughed.

Malfoy huffed and turned back to the computer.

"Why'd you come to the library in the first place? It doesn't seem that interesting," Harry said.

"Books are interesting."

"Not compared to the sorts of books we normally read," Harry said.

Malfoy shook his head, "Yes. Yes. We are all aware you're a Gryffindor, not a Ravenclaw."

"Might have figured things out faster if I were," Harry said.

"You'd need a personality transplant first," Malfoy said and grinned when Harry protested. "To answer your question. Trev brought me here a few times when he was finishing up a paper."

"What?"

"He is a university student," Malfoy said, "They have to work occasionally."

"No, but, I thought he was just teaching you to drive?" Harry said.

Malfoy started putting in a different web address, "And after I passed my driving exams, I hired him on as a professional companion."

"A what?" Harry said, a painful feeling twisting in his chest.

Malfoy looked at his expression and laughed, "Trev made the same face. He said he didn't 'swing that way' and I told him he was entirely not my type."

"What's a professional companion, then?" Harry asked.

"It's a Victorian term. They would sometimes hire on a companion for their children to act as their confidant and friend," Malfoy said.

"A professional friend?" Harry said.

"Something like that," Malfoy said absently, grabbing a scrap of paper and writing an address down, "It was the most expedient way to learn about muggles without feeling like a complete pillock. I pay well, and all Trev has to do is take me around to places I've never been and teach me how things work. I'm fairly certain he thinks I was raised in a monastery." He pushed back his chair, "Shall we go?"

"Where?" Harry asked.

"A shop first, there's a new flavour of crisps I want to try," Malfoy said.

Harry crossed his arms. Malfoy was standing in front of the crisp section of the shop he had driven them to, staring at them like they held the secrets to the universe.

"What do you think?" Malfoy asked.

"About crisps?" Harry said.

"Of course," Malfoy said with derision.

"I like cheese and onion."

"Everyone likes cheese and onion, Auror Potter," Malfoy said flatly.

"I know you can say Harry."

"No I can't," Malfoy said, reaching out and grabbing a bag of wasabi and ginger crisps.

"I heard you say it-"

"You must have imagined things," Malfoy said. He held the bag of crisps out to Harry, "What do you think?"

"I didn't imagine anything, and what am I supposed to think about it? I don't like wasabi. Do you?" Harry said.

"Not usually. But I might like these," Malfoy said.

Harry took the crisps and stared at them blankly. It was a Walker's brand of crisps called Sensations, all the bags were black and had swirling colours on them. They looked more like a brand of condoms than crisps.

"Weren't you looking for a specific flavour?" Harry asked.

"They don't seem to have it," Malfoy said.

Harry pushed the bag back onto the shelf, "Why are we still looking?"

"We came for crisps so we might as well get some. There are plenty of flavours I haven't tried yet. Even more for you, I would imagine, Mr Cheese-and-Onion."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I've tried other crisps, I just like to buy cheese and onion for myself."

"Well, the point of the exercise is to try something new, so pick something you've never had before," Malfoy said, grabbing the bag of wasabi and ginger again.

Harry looked over the selection and picked a bag of that was supposedly flavoured like steak and chimichurri, "These then."

"Boring," Malfoy booed.

"Yeah, but unlike yours, I might actually eat more than one," Harry said.

"Should we just get every flavour of this brand?" Malfoy asked.

"No."

"I think maybe we ought to," Malfoy said.

"What in the world are you going to do with-" Harry waved at the shelf, "-however many bags of crisps that you probably won't even like half of?"

"I'll give them to the house elves," Malfoy said.

Harry hesitated, "Something tells me this is how you deal with a lot of this random shite your try and don't like."

"Yes," Malfoy said without an ounce of shame.

Harry gave him a look.

"Asbestos would tell me if they wanted me to stop. And they can always vanish it," Malfoy said.

Harry had a feeling if he let this go on he would end up trying to carry an armload of crisps. He thought quickly, "If you get one of every flavour, then you won't have any new ones to try the next time you're in."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, "That's unfair of you."

"How is that unfair?" Harry said.

"You're using my love of novelty against me," Malfoy said.

"Yeah," Harry said.

Malfoy frowned.

"What?" Harry said with a grin, "There's no point in lying. It's not that difficult to figure out."

"Fine," Malfoy said with a disappointed sigh. "Just these then."

They didn't head directly to the front of the store, wandering over to the magazine racks.

"What now?" Harry asked.

"Looking for important research materials," Malfoy said, giving Harry his bag of crisps to hold.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"In order to effectively lie to muggles, you must first understand the sort of nonsense they already believe," Malfoy said.

Harry started to say there was no point, that there were only two more days and then Hermione would dissolve the department, but the words died in his throat.

Malfoy grabbed a magazine, "The World's Scariest Places: Haunted, Creepy, Abandoned!"

Harry shook his head, "You already have a magazine on ghosts, I'm not sure how haunted houses help."

"If a location is derelict that makes a ghost story more believable," Malfoy said, flipping through the glossy pages.

"More believable than the natural history museum," Harry said.

"The old natural history museum," Malfoy said, he stopped on a page and made a horrified expression, shoving the magazine into Harry's face, "The Island of Dolls."

The photo showed a derelict fence covered in dolls, old and faded, falling apart and missing eyes as their clothes slowly rotted off them.

"That's... terrifying," Harry said, pushing the picture away.

"It's in Mexico. This man found a drowned little girl on this island and started hanging up dolls to appease her spirit, or at least that's what he said happened," Malfoy said, "There are hundreds of them, and now other people are hanging up dolls there as well."

"People are weird," Harry said.

"Says you," Malfoy said, putting the magazine back and grabbing another title, Secret Societies: The Most Mysterious Organisations.

"What's that supposed to mean? You're the weird one here," Harry said.

"You are the most baffling person I have ever met," Malfoy said absently, flipping from page to page.

"Me? Me?" Harry said in dismay and then had a moment of doubt, was he weird? He thought he was pretty normal.

Malfoy stuck the magazine under his arm and went back to scanning the shelves. He laughed, "Witches: Inside Their Mysterious World." grabbing the magazine and opening it to the middle.

"That's- that can't be helpful," Harry said.

Malfoy shook his head, "What I know about witches isn't what muggles believe now is it?"

"In what situation is telling a muggle 'a witch did it' a good idea? Because I'm pretty sure our job is to convince them that it was, I don't know, anything else." Harry said.

Malfoy flipped the magazine down so Harry could see the article he was looking at, Exploring Your Inner Witch. The photo had an open book and about a dozen different crystals and shiny rocks. He turned the page and laughed again, reading allowed, "Here's the truth: You don't need tools or permission to tap into your own magic. You simply need to connect to that effervescent, wild spark within you... Sounds like an excellent way to spontaneously explode or turn into a chicken. I shall have to send it to Pansy after I've finished with it. She'll love this."

"Pansy Parkinson? I haven't heard about her in, well, forever really," Harry said.

"Hm," Malfoy said distractedly, "She lives in Paris, working for Belle Poubelle, they're a famous robe designer, not that you would know."

"Not exactly important to my everyday life, no," Harry said flatly, "So she visits, or you go see her?"

"Oh, she's far too busy with work and trying to design her own first robe line but we owl one another when there's time," Malfoy said.

Harry wanted to ask if Malfoy had any other friends, but he suspected the answer was no. It seemed like the only friends- the only regular friends Malfoy actually saw, were people he paid to be around him, like Trev and Asbestos. Harry supposed that he was sort of the same being Malfoy's subordinate.

"Come along, Auror Potter," Malfoy said, "We'll have lunch next."