Harry couldn’t help but laugh, and in that moment, he felt more alive than he had in years.<br/>_____<br/><br/>An hour after lunch, the team had collectively retreated their steps. Every spell carried out at Towthorpe had been repeated and re-catalogued, and nothing had come up awry. It had left Paul at a professional standstill, but he could tell Potter was restless with something Paul believed was unease.<br/>They had just called the team to the shrivelled yard at the front of the house. In contrast to Potter, Connor seemed relaxed as she approached, eased into the knowledge that her work the first time around was solid, but Paul knew she counted on him to decide the next step.<br/>“Is there anything you’d like to try?” he eventually asked, attention directed to Malfoy, his expression solemnly professional despite the casual nature of his question.<br/>To his right, he could see Potter glance at him, only for his attention to resettle on Malfoy, a furrow between his brows.<br/>Fearing he might have been unclear, Paul elaborated with a subtle degree of context, not keen on speaking out loud his offer for Malfoy to stray from protocol. “Off the books.”