Unforgiveable (fall of an Auror)

Chapter II

Harry descended the stairs to the dungeon below the ministry, having lumos on the tip of his wand.

He approached a big stone door with no handles, a large lion's head in the middle, sculpted into the face of a mighty roar. Harry places his wand on the nose, whispering.

"Novum Ministerium."

The stone rumbled, slowly opening straight down the middle, splitting the lion in two.

Harry flicked his wand around in a circle above himself, lighting up the place.

He stepped further in, pausing, his eyes now fixated on Draco, who sat alone on an old couch reading from a pile of books Hermione had allowed him to take down with him. Harry got the attention of the few guards down there and gave them permission to go on a break while he redistributed protective incantations and spells.

The guards left and the large stone door closed behind them, leaving only the silence of breath to be heard.

"Malfoy." Harry greeted, approaching the tattered couch. He stood beside it, looking down at Draco, who was strewn out across the cushions. His legs propped up on the arm rest, he lowered his book so that his eyes immediately fell on Harry. "Potter. Here for the nightly ritual?" he stretched before setting his book down on the floor. "You couldn't get a nice bed down here, could you?"

Harry sighed, used to the ungratefulness masking his nervousness. "You'll be back to your own bed soon enough, it's not like he won't show himself eventually."

"How can you be so sure? Like you know him at all." Draco stood, hands in his pockets.

"I know him well enough to know he can't stay hidden for long, he's not strategic..." Harry argued "Would you rather me speak highly of him?"

"Of course not." Draco spat back, turning away. The glint Harry caught in his eye feeling venomous. He could tell now, his sourness was about more than the situation with his father.

"You haven't any clue how lonely it is down here, and don't get me started on the cold. All of this time and room and you didn't think to implement a heating system?"

Harry ignored his rambling, tracing his usual route around the dungeon and speaking spells, creating an airtight bubble, making the space impenetrable from the outside.

"Are you even listening to me?" Draco questioned, finally turning himself to face Harry. "Or have you got something better to do?"

Harry halted, glancing over his shoulder. He could only take the annoyance for so long. "Yeah, actually. I'd say keeping you safe is something better."

Draco groaned, moving towards Harry. "I already offered to take care of this on my own, let me do that and save you the trouble."

Harry almost laughed at the suggestion. "Are you mental? Are you actually insane?"

Draco walked even closer, almost slinking. There was a certain hypnotic smoothness to his walk, always had been.

His gaze fell down on Harry. "Why don't you tell me."

That sly smirk engraved into Harry's memory long ago found itself spread across Draco's face, that all knowing, power holding expression.

"Am I mental, Potter?"

A sharp breath forced its way through Harry's throat, eyebrows pinched together in frustration. The surface of his cheeks deepened their hue from embarrassment.

Draco took notice of Harry's glasses sitting a little too far down on his nose, how the scar on his forehead still reddened his skin with memory. He shrugged away a slight chill, remembering how it felt to be embraced by the very same person who'd given him that scar.