The Way I Are

Chapter One

I've always wanted to be an Auror. It may seem a bit strange after spending seven years of my life chasing the same dark wizard that I would choose to do the same in profession, but it truly is what I wanted.

What I didn't exactly wish for was the partner I was assigned. I was hoping to be assigned Ron as my partner, but of course, that wasn't in the cards.

And that is in direct correlation to how I got where I am now. Sitting in a too-small office space, across from Draco Malfoy, engaged in the most childish staring contest I've ever known.

Draco raises an eyebrow, attempting to make me laugh, but it doesn't work. In return, I send him a wide-eyed 'fish' face, as my nephew, Hugo, likes to call it.

"Really, Potter? Are we a pair of two year olds?" Malfoy sneers, returning his attention to the scroll of parchment he'd been examining before our game began.

"I'm surely not. You, however..." I drawl, picking up a quill to scrawl out my signature on what could quite possibly be the most important piece of paper I've ever signed.

I've been asked for my autograph dozens—if not hundreds—of times, but this isn't an autograph. It's the last step in finalizing my divorce from one Mrs. Ginevra Weasley-Potter. Yes, she kept her maiden name, hyphenating Potter onto it like it meant next to nothing to her.

Don't misunderstand. Ginny and I were sincerely in love. We truly were. But, as she claims, my work began to consume me, to the point where I have no further interest in her. I suppose that could be true. I have become quite immersed in my work, but all married couples must have jobs to earn their living, right?

"Where's your head, Potter?" Malfoy asks, presumably noticing I'm not quite myself today.

Myself being the snide, snarky and sarcastic partner Malfoy has become accustomed to working with.

Malfoy has become my way of releasing life's little annoyances. I'll insult him and he'll follow up with a witty retort. It's become something of a therapy for my distress over my divorce.

"On my shoulders, Malfoy, can't you see?"

Malfoy rolls his eyes, checking his diamond encrusted wrist watch to no doubt know how much longer he must endure my company.

We're not friends. We still have animosity due to the war. We have an unspoken truce due to his saving my life at the Manor and my saving his in the fire. That is all.

We've worked together, in this same configuration, in this same office for one year, two months and six days.

It was more than a struggle at first, but due to Malfoy's pride and my natural instinct to give everyone a chance, even if they don't deserve it, we've stayed partners. Partners, but not friends.

"Morning, Harry," the front desk clerk at the office says, as she does every morning, buzzing me into the building itself.

"Good morning, Emily," I smile at her, as I do every morning.

This is routine. Unfortunately, my life has become routine since the divorce.

It has been almost four months since I signed those papers, completely pulling myself out of Ginny's life. We never had a chance to have kids, so that wasn't an issue, but though I'm still young, I wish we could have.

I make my way up to the office I still share with Draco Malfoy and unlock the door. I'm always to work well before Draco is, simply because the prat can't seem to leave his flat if his hair is less than perfect in his eyes.

I am in the office, left alone to my thoughts for quite some time before my partner busts through the door, sporting that look I've come to know as Draco's Walk of Shame look.

It's Monday morning and every Friday Draco goes out for drinks with Blaise and Pansy and whatever other suckers they can con into going along and the trio essentially fall off the face of the planet for the weekend, getting lost in their world of booze and sex.

In traditional Draco Malfoy fashion, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't usually on Monday mornings, as I'm sure he was in some poor girl's bed until about twenty minutes ago.

And by the looks of it, she put up a fight while he was trying to dress.

Draco's dark blue jeans are slung lowly on his hips (and the fly is down, not that I'm looking) and his dress shirt is only half tucked in and buttoned only to the third from the top button, exposing more of his chest than most would care to see. His hair is disheveled and his eyes are glazed over—proving my suspicions of a weekend of drinking to be accurate.

"Long weekend?" I ask, obviously joking, though I think Draco may have missed that.

"Shove it, Potter."

I laugh lightly to myself and turn my attention to the paperwork on my desk.

About half an hour goes by of me studying my paperwork on the assignment Ron and his partner went out on to stop a potential threat to the wizarding world in his tracks, or rather, her tracks before Draco decides to talk, and talk he does.

"It was amazing, you know. I really can't recall the last time I was able to say that about someone, but I can assure you, I almost didn't want to get out of bed to come here."

"You said almost the exact same thing last week," I remind him.

"Oh. Well, maybe if you got out and found someone to shag you wouldn't be so sour about my trysts."

"I'm not sour. I just don't exactly enjoy hearing about your sexual endeavors every Monday."

"Jealous, Potter?"

"Not even a smidgen."

"Oh, I believe you are, Potter," Draco sneers. "In fact, it probably wouldn't be too far of a leap to say you probably haven't shagged anyone since your divorce from the SheWeasel."

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy."

"Or what?"

Draco and I may have grown past the schoolboy hatred we had for one another after the war enough to be partners, however, this was also common for us.

Sometimes it would just happen. An argument would ensue and would usually result in one of us either A) leaving the office for lunch to get away from the other or B) threatening to hex the other's bollocks off and that would be the end of that.

"You really haven't changed much, have you, Potter? You still think you're better than me, always have. You're not, you know."

"I never claimed I was, Malfoy. Don't insinuate."

Malfoy scoffs and turns his attention to fixing his appearance.

I can't help but look at Draco as he tucks his shirt back in and zips his fly and fixes his hair. He makes disheveled look like Calvin Klein designed his outfit. It's just unfair. If I came to work sporting the Just Shagged look, I would more so end up looking like something I ran over with a car.

Once Draco is finished primping, I can tell he noticed me looking because he is just about to open his mouth to say something when his long-time friend comes charging through the door.

"Draco! You nearly gave me a heart attack last night! Do you never think to tell me before going home with someone? I thought something happened to you!" Pansy yelps, giving Draco the death stare of the century.

"Sorry, this one was just too delicious to pass up," Draco wiggles his eyebrows suggestively before smiling a million dollar smile.

"I bet, but you cant—Oh! Harry! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there! How are you?"

I pick my head up from the pen I had been staring at to avoid eye contact with Draco and smile a weak smile.

"Fine, Pansy. And yourself?"

"Very well, thanks," she smiles back before turning back to continue yelling at Draco. "Oh, Merlin help the next unlucky bloke to take your pompous arse home!"

Draco's eyes widen to the size of average golfballs and it takes me a moment to figure out why. Pansy said 'bloke'. As in man.

I know Draco expects me to say something, but I don't. There isn't a need to. Draco's preferences are his business, not mine. Plus, Ron, Hermione and I had a running joke that we were fairly convinced Draco was bent anyway.

Hey, guys! So, I wasn't originally going to post this story yet, but because I have it written, and I have nothing written for my other Fanfictions, I figured I would so I could ask ya'll a question.

If you have ANY ideas for either "The Bartender" or "Shallow Secrets" or anything you'd like to see happen in those stories, PLEASE feel free to private message me about them. This isn't something I usually do, but I'm asking for ya'lls help with this. I'm completely in a rut and I have no idea what to write. ):

And because we're on the topic of my other Fanfictions, I would like to apologize for not writing. I've just got a case of Writer's Block. Sorry, again!

Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed the first chapter of my new Fanfiction. And because people enjoyed that in "The Bartender" I made Lissa NOT like everybody else portrays her (meaning; I made her nice) I pretty much did the same thing with Pansy in this. Hope you like it!

And thank you all for being so supportive of me and my fanfictions over the past three years! Your support means the world to me!

xoxo,

K.J