Roses (A Drarry FanFiction - Roses are Red, Violets are Blue Part 1)

Chapter One

He glanced behind to see Malfoy nodding, hands shoved into the pockets of his tunic despite the risk of tripping. "I just don't want this to be a waste of time," he said, cocking his eyebrow.

Neither did Harry. "Hopefully we'll find something, if not actually the Pontiacs."

The Pontiacs – or 'Bonnie and Clyde' as some of Harry's other Muggle Born colleagues had dubbed them – were a couple believed to have originated in France but were now on a rampage around Europe, terrorising Muggles and the magical community alike with their violent and disrupting actions. They had a penchant for blowing stuff up; pubs, banks, buses – they'd even taken out a florists two weeks ago for some unknown reason – but while the Muggle media was scrabbling around trying to find a religion or political organisation to blame, Harry couldn't help but feel the pair were just anarchists. Revelling in their own chaos, unsettling the quiet that had befallen the wizarding world in the years following Voldemort's demise.

Harry despised them. The profile they'd built up suggested a man and woman who delighted in nothing more than their own amusement, their own power at being able to wreak havoc on innocent, oblivious people just because they could. They were cowards.

Harry had spearheaded the investigation, and this was the best lead they'd had so far, so it was natural for him to go investigate personally. But the Pontiacs had a nasty habit of leaving booby traps and unpleasant curses in their wake, hence why the Curse Breaker division had got involved. Draco Malfoy was one of their best, he had brilliant intuition. Largely, Harry suspected, because he was such a sneaky bastard himself. Harry would never admit this out loud, but his skills were invaluable, so he was happy to have him by his side as they inched their way closer to apprehending these fuckers.

Harry actually quite enjoyed the few chances he and Malfoy had had to work together, the odd social gathering they'd found themselves at. Harry had not forgotten what Draco had done during the war, what had been done to him; the good, the bad and the downright ugly. He knew what it was like to have other people manipulating you, and he was keen to let go of childish grudges and move on. Even if that did just mean a good professional relationship. And the chance to admire those outrageous cheekbones.

The two men reached the peak and looked down at the vista below. "Ha!" Draco exclaimed in delight, and jabbed a finger at the small spec in the distance that could very well have been a cottage.

Harry nodded. "Looks likely," he said, pulling out his wand and casting several spells to ascertain the situation. Malfoy did likewise, and they stood lost in their own magic for a few minutes.

"There's heavy fields hanging over the structure," Draco said as the wind howled around them, intensified at the naked tip of the hill. "Far too much dark magic for some old granny."

Harry concurred and began the decent, keeping his wand out this time as they approached the cottage. Who knew how far the wards stretched out?

The report had just started out as a missing person to begin with. A young witch was concerned that her grandmother had been uncontactable for too long. When the investigation had begun to dig, it became clear quickly that Mary Hathaway was not only unresponsive to attempts to communicate, but that her property had vanished off any kind of map. Then other reports began flying in of a surge of magical activity in the surrounding area where Zoe Hathaway swore her gran should have been living, and several grisly and inexplicable Muggle deaths had lead Harry to conclude this was an avenue his team was worth investigating.

He and Malfoy had apparated as close to the cottage's alleged location as they could, but Ms Hathaway was only able to give them rough directions as she always just flooed there herself. As they stalked closer and closer to the little house though, Harry began to feel sure they were on to something.

"Who the fuck would live out here?" Malfoy demanded, disgruntled as they approached. Twilight was hanging over their heads and there was no sign of life as the cottage crept nearer and nearer to them. No lights, no movement. Harry surmised there was no one inside or they were just hiding. In either case, he knew he and Malfoy couldn't let their guard down, there could be all manner of unpleasantness lurking around still.

"It's a good place to hide out," Harry replied. "If Hathaway is some paranoid recluse, it makes like much easier for the Pontiacs."

The path had widened and he and Malfoy were now walking side by side, wands out and alert, muscles tense. "I doubt it made life much easier for old Mrs Hathaway," Draco murmured.

Harry cast an invisibly spell on them both as they got closer. Some part of his brain twitched, thinking of the times he, Hermione and Ron would run around school under his dad's cloak, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Having fun Potter?" Malfoy drawled.

"Immensely," Harry replied, feeling the smallest twinge of comradery. His heart rate had quickened at the prospect of finding a lead inside the cottage, even if it was a small one. He wanted these two very badly.

Draco took the lead as they approached. Harry could feel several incantations looming over the property, but he followed Malfoy's lead as he dismantled them one by one. He didn't want to step on his toes, and trusted he knew more than himself in this instance. Even if he practically had to jam his hands into his pockets to stop himself interfering. This must how Hermione lived her whole life, he mused.

"There we go Potter," Malfoy goadingly. "All safe for the Chosen One to enter."

"I could have done that in my sleep," Harry griped, but Malfoy still looked smug all the same.

They crept towards the front door, which was innocuous looking enough. Harry was prepared to battle down the door, but it popped open at the turn of a handle. "That's a bad sign," Malfoy said with a raised eyebrow.

Harry met his gaze, exhilaration thrilling through him. "Let's see what's inside."