Your Fortnightly Drarry Story (Back by Popular Demand)

2. The Mystery of the Empty House

Of course, it somehow turned out that Harry and Draco were on the same shift cycle. Harry resented that too, especially as Ron was invariably on the other shift and Robards had been putting Harry and Draco together as partners for years (and that was a barrel of laughs as Harry would invariably grumble about it to Ron over a beer at the weekend whenever they were finally able to meet up).

'We're expected to go to Scotland,' Draco said in a slow and condescending drawl as he appeared by Harry's desk (well, the stories certainly got that sneering and haughty drawl right).

Harry was sitting at his desk, sifting through his paperwork because Head-Auror Gawain Robards latest obsession was Thorfinn Rowle, ex-Death-Eater and now wanted criminal who was still evading capture, even after seven years. Robards was convinced Rowle was hiding out in a croft on the remote Applecross Peninsula in Scotland.

Rowle was, according to Harry's sources, embroiled in a den of Morency production in Bristol city centre. There seemed every likelihood that his sources were correct and Robards were not. And it was highly worrying because the longer Robards took in following up the wrong leads, the more Morency made it onto the streets. Morency was a highly addictive magical narcotic, similar to the Muggle methamphetamine, and used in the Wizarding 'party and play' subculture. And like crystal meth, it was extremely volatile to produce. The latest batches making it onto the streets were responsible for some nasty side effects, ranging from adrenergic storms, Morency psychosis, serotonin syndrome, cardiogenic shock, uncontrollable levitation, intense paranoia with hallucinations, and fatal bleeding in the brain. Even if Rowle wasn't involved, Harry firmly believed the Aurors should be following up on the Morency den and stopping the drugs spreading into society.

'He's not bloody there,' muttered Harry, scrubbing a hand through his hair in frustration. He immediately stopped himself, all too aware that it was a habit that was written about, a lot. He couldn't bloody help it that his hair was so messy, short of a close crop he really couldn't do anything with it, no matter how hard he tried. And the crop invariably grew back overnight so he'd only tried that once (plus everyone stared at his scar when he had very short hair).

Draco was staring at the top of his head and Harry rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses up his nose with his index finger. He stopped that too, also aware that it was another habit of his that was well-written about.

'We need to stop this Morency making it onto the streets,' Harry sighed. 'Rowle really isn't the priority.'

'I agree,' Draco said.

Harry nearly fell off his chair (well, both eyebrows shot up).

'That must be a first in our lifetime,' Harry muttered.

'Potter, I am allowed to agree with you on occasion,' Draco said haughtily.

Harry sighed. 'Maybe we could send Richardson and Lockette.'

He was referring to two of the Junior Aurors and couldn't help thinking of a story he'd read not so long ago where Draco had a little travel agent shop on Diagon Alley and Richardson and Lockette kept arresting Draco for loitering with intent. He wondered, not for the first time, if the author was someone in the Auror Department because it was too damned embarrassingly close to the sort of thing Richardson and Lockette would do (it was the little details like that which made him suspicious of everyone and everything around him).

'Hardly,' Draco said. 'Robards has requested that it's us, specifically. Why don't you send them to Bristol to check out your leads?'

'Hmmm,' Harry pondered. 'Maybe not, they'll probably take it upon themselves to start making arrests without due cause.'

Draco snorted, 'you're probably right there. I have distinct trouble trusting those two.'

'I know,' said Harry, pleasantly surprised that he and Draco were managing to have an actual conversation. 'Perhaps I could send them to the Muggle club to investigate last night's incident of uncontrollable levitation. Merlin, this is such a fucking headache. I could really do without following up on Robards's ridiculous theories.'