When Harry easily yielded to what little prompting Draco gave him, he couldn’t help but feel a certain sense of victory, even if he was certain that it was going to be short lived. That didn’t mean that Draco wasn’t going to enjoy every single moment of the embrace though, feeling uncertain when, if at all, Harry and he were going to spend a night together again.
“As long as you’re not trying to disappear on me,” Draco mumbled, feeling Harry’s hot breath and soft kiss to his clavicle, making the breath catch in his throat as his arms loosened slightly, making for a more casual embrace.
While the sensation of lying together like this felt so familiar, Draco was too aware of just how new it was, both with being in his bedroom and with Harry actually having somewhere to be and not just them deciding when to shuffle down to the study. It all muddled together as a big chaos in Draco’s head, as his hands found purpose in the hair at the nape of Harry’s neck, displeased by how short it was and surprised by the fact that he had an actually opinion on Harry’s hair.

_________________

Draco’s comment caught Harry off guard, and yet his most immediate reaction to it was an odd thrill, finding an unexpected sense of pleasure about the insinuated disappointment tied up in his departure.
“Did you think I was about to?” Harry smiled against Draco’s skin, his voice between humoured and disbelieving. While it hadn’t been Harry’s intention to do so, it wasn’t something he had expected Draco to take any offence to, either. It felt like Draco had often enough slipped out of bed with little warning, after all.
Harry liked the hold Draco had around his hair, though, a mouthwatering realization that that same grace might not have been bestowed upon him when the situation had reversed itself.
A smile still pulling at his lips, Harry pushed himself up and off Draco, only a few inches or so to accommodate a greater span, continuing to trail lingering and choice kisses up Draco’s collarbone and neck.
“And miss out on this?” he muttered into the soft skin beneath Draco's jaw, placing a kiss an odd inch above Draco's Adam's apple.

Harry’s ministrations made the breath hitch in Draco’s throat, having not expected Harry to give in so easily to what little prompting that Draco gave him. It felt surreal, especially considering how many times Draco himself had snuck out of bed without a warning. It briefly made his grip on Harry’s hair tighten, unsure how to handle himself in a situation that felt this new.
It always seemed that Harry knew exactly which buttons to press, exactly what was going to drive Draco mad, and it was impossible to not just lean back and let him.
“Exactly,” Draco stated, his voice tight with anticipation and excitement.

_________________

Moving more comfortably on the bed, Harry straightened his posture, sitting back on his knees to reach further down Draco’s chest. Somewhere between Draco’s breath catching as he spoke, and the grip of his hair, the balance had tipped for Harry. Having had every intention of going through Grimmauld Place for a change of clothes, that was pitifully abandoned when Harry placed a few kisses down Draco’s sternum.
“I don’t think I could,” he admitted with a chuckle, his voice low and muddled as it reverberated against Draco’s skin; Harry hadn’t looked up to face Draco while saying it.
His hands left the mattress, his balance having shifted far enough that they could find greater purpose at Draco’s sides, one lingering at his ribs while using the other to brace himself against Draco’s hip, hand above the covers.
That suddenly felt like an issue.
The moment Harry adjusted that grip, a sense of purpose bubbled to the surface of his movements as he tugged the sheets a few inches down to kiss Draco below the line of his waist.
“You’re so good like this,” he mused with a smile, a compliment wrapped into a justification Harry didn’t really need to speak.

It was hard not to believe that sweet things that Harry was telling him when they had no other distractions. Even if Draco knew that Harry had a work day ahead of him, it still made his heart flutter to know that Harry had prioritised to stay longer with him, even if it was for sex.
His hands kept carding through Harry’s hair, wanting to encourage his ministrations but having nothing much to say. He felt that no matter what he could think to say it would end up being too sincere, too much for what vulnerable ground they had built their relationship on.
“Harry,” he sighed, unsure what he really wanted to say, other than desperately wanting him to keep going.

_________________

There were few sounds Harry enjoyed more than the sound of his own name on Draco’s lips. He wasn’t sure when that had happened, especially that going back a year, Harry hadn’t even known how it sounded in Draco’s voice.
Regardless, it was exhilarating, and each time he heard it Harry had to fight the urge to ask Draco to repeat himself to make up for years where Draco had called him Potter with a sneer.
Harry kissed Draco again.

____
When Harry had abruptly called Draco into the ministry two days after the night they had spent together, Draco hadn’t really known which leg to stand on. Though Harry had been very clear in his message and what Buchannan had expected from Draco, he still constantly lived with the fear that no one would be able to take him seriously as a researcher and ministry worker.
Thus it had come as a huge surprise to him when the group that Buchannan had called together had not only taken him seriously, but also seemed to genuinely appreciate his input and the things that he had managed to uncover in his research.
It still felt completely surreal as Draco all but skipped down the hall towards Harry’s office, a part of the deal for Draco to even show up was them getting tea together afterwards. A new pin hung on Draco’s lapel, labelling him as a curse breaker, though he had a hard time feeling like he deserved it, Buchannan had been so insistent on him having it that he hadn’t been able to say no.
It was impossible for him not to smile as he finally knocked on the door to Harry’s office, not waiting before entering, already knowing that Harry had been alerted that he was on his way.
“Am I interrupting?” He asked cheerfully, clearly expecting the answer to be no as he fully entered the office and closed the door behind him.

_________________

Harry had only gotten to see Draco in passing, having opted to go through Harry’s fireplace rather than the common access points in the Atrium. Despite not knowing how long Paul had expected to keep Draco occupied, Harry had almost immediately called the cafeteria for a kettle and today’s pastries; it all sat at his desk, kept warm by a Stasis while Harry had continued his paperwork.
Harry must have gotten about two hours of work in before he was pulled out of his haze.
It almost seemed simultaneous, in how quick succession there was a knock at the door, then the lament of hinges then a greeting. Harry barely had a time to look up before a figure was standing in front of him, though Harry had known it to be Draco the moment the door had been opened; quite few entered Harry’s office with such familiarity and determination.
There was already a soft smile on Harry’s lips when he looked up, though it immediately widened to a grin, happy to see such a thrill on Draco’s expression.
“Does it matter?” Harry asked rhetorically, his voice airy with a laugh.
Taking the edge off the question and reinforcing Draco’s welcome, Harry leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest.
“How’d it go?” he prompted, hardly able to contain a smile. Good, he assumed, that much was apparent, and yet Draco deserved every opportunity to give a full recollection of the meeting.

As Harry grinned with him, it was impossible for Draco not to grin wider, feeling absolutely on top of the world, even if it had just been the one meeting. As Draco sat down in the guest chair across from Harry at the desk, he considered where to even start, finding that so much had happened since leaving Harry’s office that picking out any one thing to start from just didn’t seem like enough.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” was the start Draco settled on, figuring that it would be the easiest to take the first thing first. It really thad been a pleasant surprise to Draco when he had had an attentive audience, and the surprise had kept going as the gathered ministry curse breakers had asked him highly qualified questions and had seemed to value his input.
It seemed difficult to put this exactly into words to Harry, but Draco knew that if anyone would understand his thrill it would indeed be Harry.
“I don’t know if Buchannan had told them off before me getting there, but there was hardly a wrong glance in my direction and they all seemed to genuinely be interested in what I had to say,” Draco explained, talking faster and with more vigour than he normally would. It was an entirely new feeling to him after all and it was hard not to let his excitement show, not that he was even trying.
“It was just nice that have someone else see the point in the research I have spent over ten years on,” Draco concluded, feeling sure that he could talk a great deal more about it if Harry prompted him to, but for now he would just leave it at that.

_________________

Harry didn’t think he had ever experienced Draco this excited, and it was hard not to get wrapped up in it. Sitting across from him at the table, done up in proper office wear, Draco seemed at ease, finally present with a sense of self-assured belonging.
Not wanting to interrupt, barely even to offer Draco a cup, Harry silently pushed the tray a few inches forward, an unspoken invitation for Draco to help himself.
“Paul’s a great friend to have,” Harry agreed with a bright smile. Though he knew Paul wasn’t above cussing his team out, he doubted that had been necessary; Paul was a man of great esteem, and it was a weight lifted off of Harry’s shoulders that Paul had taken it upon himself to rehabilitate Draco’s reputation.
Harry hadn’t failed to notice the new addition of a golden shimmer at Draco’s lapel, finding that it stood out against Draco’s otherwise silvery appearance. It suited him.
“I see he’s hand-picked you for his staff, too,” Harry teased with a grin, nodding towards the C on Draco’s pin. “Here I was thinking St. Mungo’s’d be the ones to watch.”

While Draco’s heart had swelled with pride when Buchannan had insisted on him taking the pin and becoming part of his team, he couldn’t help but feel a little shy as Harry noticed it. He had had such an extraordinarily good day that it all almost seemed too good to be true. It hardly felt like Draco deserved any part of it, even if he knew just how many hours of work had went into him being able to present what he had presented today.
“Yeah,” he said with a sheepish grin, slender fingers finding the golden pin on his lapel as Harry pointed it out, almost as if he needed to confirm that it was actually there.
“Buchannan said that with my skill set it was ridiculous that I wasn’t already on his team,” he said, almost finding it to be too pompous to repeat the words Buchannan had said to him as he he handed him the pin. However, he did try to be less timid around Harry, knowing that he likely was the only person who wouldn’t be ill at ease about good things happening to Draco.
Only now did Draco land enough in his own body to pour himself a cup of tea.

_________________

Harry couldn’t help but grin, finding that Draco came across younger with each additional nuance to the explanation. It reminded Harry of Hermione when she was first made Head Girl, bursting at the seams with a sense of pride and responsibility.
“He’s right,” Harry had to agree with a smile, having never really doubted Draco’s capabilities to begin with. It was with a pang to his heart that Harry realized he might have to share Draco’s working hours, especially if Buchannan had offered Draco a position - however justified and the offer might have been.
“Who’d you meet with?” Harry asked as he leaned forward to knick a biscuit off the platter. Despite the odd sense of unease, he asked because he was genuinely curious, and because he wanted to prompt Draco to go on. Even despite the personal qualms the offer had brought with it, Harry knew no one was more deserving of a win than Draco, having no intention of selfishly taking that away from him.

When Harry prompted him to speak of the meeting again, it was absolutely impossible for Draco not to just indulge in it.
He felt that it was obvious a lot of the time that he didn’t go out much, having kept to himself for so many years, but this sense of victory made Draco feel more at ease about being here, more as if he had a right to be part of the wizarding community. It was an exhilarating feeling and Draco felt drunk on it, wanting to feel it even more, despite knowing that that might be difficult.
“I’m unsure who exactly they were,” Draco admitted honestly, the names that Buchannan had given meaning nothing to him, they had seemed very important though and like they were more keen to look past dracos checkered past, once they realised that he had knowledge they could use.
“Mostly curse breakers I gathered, but there might have been people from other departments,” Draco explained, knowing that Harry would likely know more about it than him. “One guy in particular seemed very interested in my work on my wards.”

_________________

Harry leaned back in his chair, pausing for a moment of consideration as he took a bite of the biscuit. Draco hadn’t really offered many clues that could help identify the attendees of the meeting; after all, almost any employee in the DMLE would have at least a vague interest in any development regarding containment wards.
Harry’s expression changed slightly, a silent forfeit.
“I don’t know,” he said, words muffled having just taken the last bite. He turned slightly as he chewed, brushing his hands together to dust off the crumbs without them landing on his lap.
“Did a real square of a guy sit in?” Harry instead asked, attention turning towards Draco as he leaned his forearms against the table edge.
A smile was already tugging at the corners of Harry’s mouth, a visible interest. “Mature fella, grey hair - just a proper brick.”

During the meeting Draco had really done his best to not pay too much attention to the attendees, but it had been impossible not to notice the particular guy that he was fairly certain Harry was referring to. He had been a large guy, but it hadn’t been his size alone that had made him so intimidating, more so than the clear reverence that the rest of the had had for him.
“Yeah, an intimidating fella, yeah?” Draco asked, unsure if that was something that Harry could use to further confirm who they were talking about. All in all, Draco was woefully unaware of anything going on at the ministry, other than who was currently the minister of magic, and even that was somewhat guess work.
“He didn’t say anything, but he nodded approvingly,” Draco added with a shrug, having done his best to not think too much of anyone there.

_________________

Harry couldn’t help but smile at the notion that Draco had interpreted Robards as being approving of his skill-set, feeling a sense of relief and almost petty pride wash over him. Selling Draco as a worthwhile investment to the Head Auror had been no easy task, and Harry felt quite pleased that he had made a good call when insisting on the matter.
“Yeah, exactly,” Harry grinned, a laugh spilling over, audible in the airiness of his voice. There was a wonderful ridicule about that information having escaped Draco’s attention, finding that the unintentional nonchalance suited him, especially when it, for once, wasn't at Harry expense.
“That’d probably be Gawain Robards, the Head Auror -”
Something in Harry’s expression changed, a visible stutter before it was once again replaced with an almost boyish grin, thrilled. “Our boss.”

At that realisation, Draco visibly paled.
He hadn’t been disrespectful at any point, but he couldn’t help but feel like he maybe should have been more respectful to the man who had put him on his payroll.
“Oh,” Draco stated, feeling unsure exactly which leg to stand on. Everything that he had ever been taught about respecting people above him had been thrown out of the window, as it was clear that Harry found the entire situation to be pleasing to him. At least, that was what Draco got out of the huge grin that he was sporting, but it was hard to tell exactly what that meant.
“Didn’t realise,” was what Draco settled on, still feeling too good about the meeting to really feel bad about not recognising the man that was technically his boss.

_________________

Harry was quick to dismiss Draco’s hesitancy with a shrug, seeing him visibly retroactively doubt his behavior when he had otherwise entered the room so pleased with himself.
“Didn’t need to,” Harry assured, his smile wearing off crooked on his features.
“He’s, uh -” he went on, realizing Draco had been well in his rights to describe Robards immediate impression as intimidating. It once again pulled at the corner of Harry’s mouth, upturning it in a reluctant smile. “- a firm believer that flattery’s a cover for incompetency.”
It had been brought up often, how quick people were to flatter Harry and how often Robards had considered it a criticism of Harry’s ability, often quoting that it stemmed from low expectations rather than actual reverence.
“So no cause for concern.”
By then, a juvenile smile was once again bright on his lips, looking at Draco with nothing but genuine trust. “You’re very good at your job.”

While Harryøs compliment was very basic, it did serve as a source of calm for Draco, even if he already knew that he was very good at what he was doing. Suddenly though, it didn’t feel like enough for him to know that he was good at what he was doing, it was important to him that other people could see that as well, but if Harry had been able to tell right from the beginning, then he felt certain that other people could too.
“Well, he never said anything to prove otherwise,” he finally managed with a shrug, which meant the statement came out much more confident than he could have hoped that it would.
He did want to be able to trust his own abilities in his work, but having worked for the better part of a decade without any level of input on his work made it so that Draco honestly had no idea how well he was doing.

_________________

The easy nonchalance about Draco’s answer made Harry grin, more taken by it than expected. Harry was certain it wasn’t intentional, finding that it only added to the charm of it; Draco had no way of knowing any of the attendants, after all.
“Then that’s the greatest compliment he could’ve paid you,” Harry smiled, meaning so genuinely. Robards wasn’t as much a man to give praise as he was one to poke holes at statements and conclusions.