The Liars Department || Drarry

Chapter 6

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.