𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐒 2008

Outside The Box

Author: torringmay and sorringmay
Title: Outside the Box
Pairing(s): Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy
Rating: PG
Summary: Auror Harry Potter is getting a new partner; one that thinks ‘outside the box’ and apparently outside the species too.
Warnings (if any): This story contains encompasses all seven books but disregards everything about the DH epilogue. This story also includes male/male relationships.
Total word count: 5,800

Outside the Box

Harry James Potter, Junior Vice Auror, made his way through the department, heading for the one office no one ever wanted to be called to: Senior Auror John Dawlish, head of the Auror Department.

Running over the logistics of the most recent case, Harry tried to find any mistakes that he or Ron might have made. There was nothing he could think of. Well, other than the minor fact that their case had ended up overlapping with Malfoy and his partner’s case. It had also ended in a rather vicious duel, but none of them had been injured and they were able to bring all the perpetrators in.

As he neared the office, he began planning his defense of their situation, wondering if Malfoy had complained about them being on the same case. His fears solidified as he saw Malfoy coming out of Dawlish’s office.

“Tattling, Malfoy?” Harry did try to keep the bitterness from his voice, recalling belatedly that Malfoy had saved Ron the night before.

“Scared, Potter?” The blond’s typical sneer was plastered on the face. “And just for the record…I hate you.” Without another word the other Auror pushed past him, long legs carrying him quickly down the hall.

Shaking his head, Harry entered the office, hoping his instincts and the truth would pull him through this meeting.

“Auror Potter,” Dawlish said in his typical no-nonsense tone. “Take a seat, please.”

Harry sat in one of the two seats set there for guests. “Sir, if this is about our case overlapping with Malfoy’s, we had no idea – ”

“Harry relax, this has nothing to do with that. It actually has to do with Auror Weasley.”

“Ron?” Harry’s brows furrowed. He didn’t think the situation with Malfoy would have caused a problem. After all, Aurors were always helping out each other.

“Auror Weasley has put in for an extended leave of absence.”

“What? No…” Harry shot up from his seat ready to defend his best friend and partner. “Ron would never do that, not without telling me first.”

“Auror Potter, please sit down.” Harry sank slowly back into his seat, scowling darkly. “Ron asked me to tell you, Harry.” Dawlish held up a hand as Harry opened his mouth to protest, “I think perhaps he was afraid of how you would take it.”

“But why? He’s my best friend. I don’t think that…” Harry could only shake his head in disbelief.

“I can only speculate, Harry, but my guess would be that last night Ron realized that there is a real possibility of something happening to him.”

“It’s not the first time we have had spells flung at us, though,” Harry protested.

“That may be true, but in the past, Auror Weasley didn’t have a pregnant wife at home.”