Unknown || Drarry

Chapter 3

He woke early again and glared at the sun shining through the large window. The shop was already getting ready to open as he came downstairs, employees he had never met were stocking shelves and arranging displays.

George, when Draco spotted him, had his arms loaded with crates stacked well above his head that wobbled as he walked. "Ron!" He dropped the boxes in front of an empty table, "Brother dearest, where the fuck are you?!"

"Working? What do you think I'm doing?" Ron called from the second floor.

"Well, you should be halfway to Gringott's unless you expect every customer to pay with exact change!" George shouted.

Ron came around the bannister, "Since when? You always do the Gringott's run!"

"Gotta set up this dung bomb display," George said. He waggled his eyebrows, "Wanna trade?"

"Nah," Ron said, skipping down the stairs, "Anyone free to go to the bank?"

No one answered him.

George frowned looking around, "Killian could- no she's watching cauldrons. Penelope is- no she's busy... Thomas could be spared maybe?"

"Draco!" Ron waved, "Be a mate and walk with me to Gringott's, it'll only be ten minutes."

"Ron. He doesn't work for us you can't ask him-"

"It's fine." Draco said, "I wanted to ask you something anyway."

"See! It's fine!" Ron said, hurrying outside before George could stop him.

Draco hurried to join Ron.

"Thanks," Ron said, "We're a bit swamped right now restocking after the holidays."

Draco nodded.

"So what did you want to ask?"

Draco glanced over at him, "I just wanted to know when you locked up for the night."

"The shop closes at eight. We don't really hang around long after that, do most of the cleaning and paperwork in the morning," Ron said.

"Okay, thank you," Draco said.

"That's it?" Ron asked, raising a good-natured eyebrow.

Draco nodded.

"You could have got that from the hours posted on the door, you know," Ron said.

Draco winced, "Oh. Sorry to bother you."

"No mate, it's fine. You can ask more is all." Ron said, "I told George he should get you a key so you can come and go whenever, but he wants to wait a while to make sure you aren't barmey."

"That's probably wise," Draco said.

Ron sighed, his breath coming out in a cloud, "No, it's stingy. You'd think he'd remember what it was like having nothing. He and Fred were only able to open the shop because Harry gave them the money. With no strings and no questions."

Draco tucked his chin down into the folds of his cloak, thinking that this must be what it was like to be friends with Ron Weasley. It was no wonder Potter had chosen Ron over and over again.

"Did you get the new name?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Draco said and added hesitantly, "It took all day."

"The Ministry never does anything by half, and everything they do requires a mountain of paperwork," Ron said, shaking his head.

Draco smiled faintly, "I planned to look for a job today, though I have no qualifications."

"That's alright. Lots of people our age never got NEWT's, you don't have to tell them you weren't in the war. They'll probably give you a shot."