Post Hogwarts and Ginny is determined to make it out in the big bad world as well as hoping to get some light into the love department. She drives her boss crazy, gets into some hilarious situations and somewhere a long the line, she falls unknowingly for the biggest prat she knows. Draco Malfoy.
From the Unofficial Portkey Archive: https://portkey-archive.org/story/252/
Title:
Unexpected Tendencies
Author name: blazefury
Author email: blaze@moonshinehollow.com
Category: Romance/Humour
Keywords: Draco Ginny
Rating: R
Summary: Post Hogwarts and Ginny is determined to make it out in the big
bad world as well as hoping to get some light into the love department. She
drives her boss crazy, gets into some hilarious situations and somewhere a long
the line, she falls unknowingly for the biggest prat she knows. Draco Malfoy.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Though primary characters and most other characters are copyright J.K. Rowling, some characters are copyright the author and if you wish to use them please ask before hand.
Author’s Notes: This is mostly just humour and romance! So kick back and relax and don’t worry about evil dark lords taking over. Enjoy!
To my beta! Without her, It wouldn’t be spiffy!
Chp 1: Gun Slinging.
**********
“Gin would you please owl Fred and George to get me some things from Diagon Alley before they get back? Thanks dear,” Molly then shoved a piece of parchment into Ginny’s hands and walked back into the kitchen in a flurry.
Then Ron popped from heaven knows where, “Oh hey Gin, did I hear mum say something about you and Diagon Alley? Great, could you pick up a package for me at the Daily Prophet from Leland? Thanks Gin!” She just looked at his retreating back as she gaped at his audacious assumption. She shook her head and turned around to bump into Bill who just got out of the fireplace.
He fixed her with his killer smile, “Hey Gin! How have you been doing? Seen mum then?” Ginny for once managed a genuine smile and pointed towards the kitchen and turned away to get her cloak from her room. With a resigned sigh and a scream that was about to escape form her lips she thought she might as well just go down to Diagon Alley and get mum’s stuff and collect the package for Ron.
It was the thought of getting out of her parents home that was enticing. Ever since she quit her last job because of her ex boss, who just simply couldn’t keep his wondering hands to himself, she had to go back to The Burrow as she couldn’t find another job fast enough to pay the rent for the studio apartment she was renting. For a while she thought that it was good to be back, but then every other family member seemed to have something for her to do. There was always some errand to run, some owl to send or some chore to do and frankly in the beginning it was all right but now? Now it felt as if she, at twenty-five years old, was playing errand boy or girl or to be politically correct, person, and she wasn’t even getting paid to do it! This was getting ridiculous.
“Oh wait Gin! Mum says she heard that you were going to Diagon Alley, could you pop these off to Fred then? He’s been dying to get a hold of it for one reason I don’t know and don’t want to know why!” he grinned at her and threw her the box, which she caught deftly. Ginny just took all this in silently, counting to ten before the famous Weasley temper was riled up. Oh sod it that was not helping at all. If anything it aggravated her to no end. Ginny grimaced and stalked of to her room on the third landing and pulled on her cloak savagely.
“Not leaving yet Gin? Please hurry with the package ok?” Ron pleaded irritatingly and ran up to his room without giving her a second glance. She wished he wasn’t in the house, he and Lavender were having a fight and she kicked him out of the house until they settled some things. He gave her the most errands to run.
She was getting steadily annoyed and tetchy as she went down the stairs. A headache was beginning to spawn as it crept its hold from the base of her neck up toward her head. She was sure she was going to lose it any moment if she didn’t get out and if someone, God forbid it, came over and –
“Hey Ginny, where you off to? Finally got a job lined up then?”
Right then she gave a scream and threw the package into a taken aback Percy. She stormed down the remaining stairs and grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the grate, shouting at the top of her lungs of her destination and vanishing with a rush of flames as it engulfed her, leaving a rather stunned Weasley household.
**********
“Collin! Where are you damn it? Collin!” Ginny yelled and flopped down on the couch in front of her, cradling her head in her hands as her fingers massaged her temples. She heard a shuffling of feet and turned around to see a very sleepy Collin, looking very adorable in a huge black sweater and pyjama bottoms. They had gotten into a relationship before but they just seemed to be made for each other as best pals rather then anything else.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” he muttered as he sank on the couch beside her and laid his arms around her shoulders. “What the hell are you doing here at such an ungodly hour screaming your pretty little red head for?”
“Collin, it’s one in the afternoon. What part of it is ungodly?” she murmured as she tipped her head into his lap and lay there as his fingers came over to thread in her hair and massage her scalp. She always felt better when Collin did this and he always made things better, well that was why he was her best friend wasn’t it?
“Ginny, I work the bloody night shift at the Ministry. The whole morning and early afternoon is ungodly,” he grumbled as he bent down to kiss her temple. “Now tell Collin what’s wrong with his Ginny eh?”
Most people thought that Collin, fresh out of Hogwarts would get a job at The Daily Prophet as a photographer but he wanted to work for the Ministry. The photography was more of a personal hobby. He liked photos as he was a pretty nostalgic person and he loved to have photos everywhere around him. Ginny’s favourite was the one with both of them eating ice cream. There it was winking at her from the mantle above the fireplace. What he actually did, Ginny really didn’t know. He said he couldn’t tell her what exactly but just that it paid well. It showed from his bachelor pad and new wardrobe he sported but he was still the same old reliable Collin. Ginny on the other hand helped her twin brothers set up their joke shop in Diagon Alley which became an overnight success to which she was proud of but she didn’t want to work for anyone in her family. She wanted to make it out on her own. So in her first foray of the mature wizardry world she had been an intern at The Daily Prophet, where her brother worked as the Sports editor, but got quickly dismissed after having a tongue lashing with Rita Skeeter. She held down a sales girl position at WhizzHard books, but that just bored her to an early slumber each day and then lastly a secretary. She actually enjoyed that position. She worked for a private company in one of the shop houses who did free lance editing for books. She was going to be promoted before she quit but then who would now want to work for a lecher.
Ginny groaned and exhaled noisily. “What else? I can’t stand it anymore at The Burrow! They are driving me up the very walls there, which isn’t very stable mind. I already went all wonky on them before interrupting your blissful siesta,” Ginny pulled herself up and grabbed Collin’s sweater to shake him, which immediately woke him up. “I want a job Collin! Scratch that, I need a job! But it’s just so damn bloody hard to find one!”
She snuggled up to him and he pulled her close, “Can I stay here in the meantime?” she asked softly.
“Gin, of course you can! I’ll help you with the job search all right?” When he felt her nod against his shoulder he sighed, “Ok now bring me back to bed and wake me up when you get back with all your stuff to throw around my place.”
Ginny shot up and looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. “Are you insinuating that I am messy?”
“Insinuating? Bullshit! I know so! Now get on out of here and leave me to my last few minutes of – oof!”
At that moment, Ginny was grinning widely and had crash-landed on Collin to give him a fierce hug. He smiled against her flaming hair and hugged her protectively. Swiftly she pecked him on the cheek and got herself out of his apartment. When she was gone, he gave a slight groan and fell back to a light slumber upon waiting for her return.
**********
“Marguerite! What the hell was that for? I swear if you scream one more time like that, you’re going to have me lose my hearing and burst that blonde little head of yours! Blood all over my Persian rug! That wouldn’t do would- Hey! Where are you going? You can’t walk away from me!”
Draco Malfoy, stood up from behind his massive oak wood table gilded with gold and followed his personal assistant that was storming out after an incredible screaming fit. He never thought someone could actually scream like that. He found her at her table throwing things into a big brown box. All the photos and stationary that covered her table were now being flung into it viciously.
“What are you doing Marguerite?” the blonde woman in question just looked at him with bloodshot eyes and laboured breathing for a while and continued flinging her possessions into the box.
“You’re leaving?!” he asked incredulously.
“No shit Sherlock,” she muttered and closed the box after she finally finished clearing her box. She tugged on her cloak and levitated her box as she stormed away.
“Wait Marguerite! Why the hell are you leaving? You know that I need you! You’re just going to leave me like this? If you do, I want to know why! Marguerite!” Draco yelled as he walked after her.
This was stupid. Storming after a be- damned secretary who was leaving his company. He had to admit that she did incredible work and was very swift and could lie through her teeth, plus the sex was great, but he was the founder of Xavier Inc, most powerful and vicious businessman in the wizarding world and ten times richer than he was as a kid and that was actually saying something. Chasing after a secretary? There was something seriously wrong with this picture.
“You want to know why Mr. Malfoy? I’ll tell you why! For one you’re the most arrogant prick I’ve ever met, at first it was tolerable and I kind of liked it. All that power and control you had was a turn on, but that image faded away. You are by far the most obnoxious, egotistical and selfish person I know. I tried very hard to just ignore all of it but I can’t bloody take it anymore! Don’t worry, you know I’m not a bloody squealer so I won’t say anything.” Marguerite then reached the lift lobby and stepped into the awaiting lift. “Good day, Mr. Malfoy,” she sniffed; just as the door was closing he intervened.
“Hey that stapler is company property!”
He heard another scream and the lift doors open, his eyes widened as said stapler was flung at him. Thank goodness for seeker reflexes, he ducked and it hit the ornamental glass behind him, shattering into a million pieces.
“Hey!” he yelled and settled with a pout.
**********
For Ginny’s first week in Collin’s home, she was a good houseguest and to prove him wrong she kept her room tidy and left everything in its proper place. Indebted to him for letting her stay over she cooked and cleaned for him while she tried to find a job. It wasn’t that she was picky but knew when she was getting ripped off. Like the sales girl position at Gladrags, for an exorbitant amount of hours she had to put in she was getting a menial sum that wouldn’t even get her a security deposit anywhere. So she didn’t bother with that. Not many people were hiring these days. Inflation they say. Pure bullshit that was.
She didn’t get to see Collin a whole lot, as he needed as much sleep as possible to be alert for his job. He usually left around eight to nine for the office and would come home around six or seven in the morning sometimes even longer so and he would arrive dead tired in the late afternoon. So she always made him dinner, today was no different as she puttered around the kitchen while he read the newspaper with a cup of coffee in his hands.
He looked up and around him a bit amused at the situation.
“Like a pair of old married birds we are. Just missing the brats running around destroying the house.”
Ginny turned around with spatula in hand rolling her eyes with a giggle. “Don’t get used to it love! I’m spoiling you aren’t I? You should go find yourself a real wife!”
“Pretty hard when you have odd hours like mine.”
Ginny frowned at this and stopped her stirring to get a bowl to place the soup in. “Are they ever going to give you normal hours?”
There was a slight pause before he answered, “Well, I’m not too sure about it but I think after a few more months I’ll be able to get normal hours,” he said with a grin, “Not getting my hopes up or anything. My body clock will definitely be a bit screwed up if it changes. Won’t know whether to sleep, eat or do both at the same time.”
She gave a chuckle and placed the food on the dining table. Harry and Hermione were coming over to join them.
“Hey Gin! Take a look at this! Xavier Inc. seems to want a personal assistant for the head honcho. You could do that, organise the meetings, nag at him to keep his appointments and all that.”
Ginny wrinkled her nose at that and gave an unladylike snort, “Mothering the boss doesn’t seem appealing really but it’s Xavier Inc. I hear they pay pretty well.”
“Oh believe me, they do! He pays his employees very well and there are good benefits to.”
Ginny looked up at him, “How do you know?”
Collin gave her one of his most adorable smiles, “I used to date one of them, real sweet and everything but it didn’t work out.” Ginny was about to say something when the familiar sounds of rushing flames caught her ears.
“Hello Gin! Collin?” Hermione’s voice rang, Ginny and Collin stepped out from the kitchen and greeted them, saying that they were right on time. Harry handed over a bottle of vintage wine to Collin for dinner.
Harry and Hermione were deemed as the most ‘Perfect Couple’ by many of the wizarding world, which infuriated and amused them to no end at the same time. They were the equivalent of the Royal Family of England, which in itself was quite ridiculous. So they had to endure the eternal hell that was the spotlight. Their mugs were always plastered in Witch Weekly and there was a permanent column in The Daily Prophet about the Boy-Who-Lived and his two best friends. He was the most eligible bachelor in the polls for a few years running but last year he was taken off the market by a certain love of his life by being engaged to her.
They were quite used to the attention already and gave it no thought. Frequent articles arose from time to time about illicit affairs and the like. There was even one that involved Ginny for a while. There was a photo of Ginny and Harry holding hands. Apparently, Harry was cheating on Hermione with her as they crossed the road. Who would have thunk it aye? She received owl after owl with letters filled with Bubotuber Pus and howlers galore that left ashes and burnt her furniture when she didn’t open them from the more rabid fans of the Harry Potter fan club. Hermione still gets them sometimes when some new journalist concocts another scandal about her against Harry. That gave her several laughs actually.
Ginny got over Harry and his shiny exterior after her own fourth yeah and shrugged it off as a thorough infatuation as a groupie of his. When she thought about it, she despised the awkward thing that she was at that young age. She realised that she was just in love or at least liked the image of the dashing hero that he played and she wanted it to be like a fairy tale where she would be his damsel in distress. Not anymore though. Ginny loved him as another brother. She didn’t know how she could love so many people as her brother, well only two but she had more than enough at home as it is.
But Harry and Hermione were far from perfect though, they had a few scary fights now and then, they were just prudent enough not to hack each other off in the middle of the road and waited to calm down, be rational, go home and then scream and fight with each other as much as possible after placing a silencing charm around their apartment. They were really private people and anyway, it wasn’t anybody’s business was it?
Moving on, Harry holds a job, as what else? But an Auror! Hermione? Give it a good guess! Come on, try! I’ll give you a clue, it has to do with huge old musty libraries and having one’s nose stuck in a veritable number of tomes. That’s right! Hermione is a researcher! Hand yourself a stogie, I say!
She is also part of the Auror network but mostly handles the technical side of things. She poured in a whole lot of hours and work in the beginning and rose swiftly through the ranks. Currently she has several teams under her but, like her teenage years she goes on a field assignment now and then to combat the dark forces as she has learnt powerful magic along the way.
A superhero’s job is clearly never done.
Well, enough of the lives of the bloody rich and famous with incredibly soppy love stories.
Jealous you say? I’m not jealous! How can I, the narrator, be jealous? Oh sod it.
“I was talking to your mum earlier today Gin and she’s utterly convinced that you and Collin are living in sin,” Hermione smirked with wine glass in hand.
“Heard that Collin? I’m having your love child!” Ginny grinned at this, “Tell her I’m having twins and they’ll take after their uncles Gred and Feorge!”
Harry gave a hearty a laugh along with Hermione when they turned their attention to Collin who walked in with arms covered in soapsuds, as he was in the process of washing up after their dinner, “Hey! If anything, you’re having girls. Charlotte and Billie!” He stuck out his tongue at Ginny and grabbed the coffee cup she was drinking to have it washed.
“Look at you mate, the woman’s got you whipped!” For that remark, Harry received a thwap on his arm from his significant other with a glare, which the warning label read as: ‘You’ll be doing the dishes for a month if you dare say anything more.’
Harry suddenly became interested in his wine and cleared his throat.
“Well, I finally spotted a job, well Collin did, in the papers and I’ll be heading down to Xavier’s Inc. for an interview tomorrow for a position as a Personal Assistant or as I like to call it being Mother Hen to a grown man,” Ginny said with a tiny smile as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“You do know that its run by the nefarious and androgynous Malfoy?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, I know the pretty little bastard runs it and earns a hell lot of money for someone his age that it should be made illegal but that’s the good thing. Apparently he pays his employees superbly and there are benefits. What more can I ask for? Putting up with his silly nonsense will be worth it when I get my own place,” Ginny said pretty because he was one of the top five in the polls for most eligible bachelor before he got married and was on it again the minute he was divorced. You couldn’t deny that the prat was good looking.
“Besides, it’s not as if he’s evil or anything. He just needed some serious growing up to do from that snotty little rich boy act, who was over indulged and an egotistical prat. From what I here he’s gotten better from that stage but isn’t far from it,” Collin said as he sat down with his own glass of wine in hand, fingers wrinkled from the washing up.
“Really, that boy will never grow up. They say he’s also a tad bitter with his father at Mungo’s and all but who knew that he’s be the one getting muggle tech to go together with wizardry? Draco Malfoy who in the beginning washed his hands off all muggles and mudbloods. Not too bad, I suppose. The sheer irony of it all.” Hermione laughed with a shake of her head.
Harry smiled in her direction, “Quite a surprise he was. We all assumed he was going to run off and be official boot polisher and minstrel to the Dark Lord and now look at him. He was even quite decent when I bumped into him at Terrazo the other day!” Terrazo is another Alley like Diagon but much classier and a tad expensive.
Collin gave a chuckle, “Still a bastard I say and I raise my wine glass to him,” With a swift gulp to finish of the remnants of his wine he looked at his watch and gave a groan. “Blast! Got to head off to work all! Seeya Harry! Hermione! Night love, I’ll see you when I get back!” With that he walked over to his room to retrieve his cloak, when he came out Ginny was waiting by the fireplace with a smile.
“Night Collin!” she pecked him on the cheek and he kissed her forehead before he vanished into the fire.
When she turned back to see Harry and Hermione, they were lounging around the couch smirking. Ginny raised her eyebrows in question.
“Tell me why both of you are not dating again?” Hermione asked.
“We’ve been through this! We tried it, it didn’t do us any good and it was just better with us as best friends! Really! He’s like a brother!” When Ginny said that, she realised that she had adopted two more to be in her family and that was maddening. She already had a house full of nutty brothers! What was she thinking when she said that?
“Keep telling yourself that Gin!” Harry laughed with a roll of his eyes.
“Well you just look an awful lot like Harry and me in the beginning. Taking care of each other, chaste kisses and the like. Besides that both of you look great together!”
“Looking good together and being good together is a totally different thing altogether Hermione and you know it. You and Harry are different, you are meant to be with each other as husband and wife. Me and Collin? We are meant to be with each other as best friends thank you very much,” Ginny said with a kind smile.
Harry gave a shrug, “Whatever you say gin, whatever you say.”
They continued talking for a while and had a great laugh now and then as they reminisced over their student days before they decided to get home early. Hermione said that she had some work to clear but Ginny knew besides the pressing work she was talking about they were just desperate to get home and shag the brains out of each other. She wasn’t exactly blind but was trying to be polite and not tell them to get home, as they couldn’t keep their hands off each other during the last hour. They had been together with each other for what? Eight years now? And they still acted like over eager, teenagers who had their hormones working overtime as they did a bloody parade!
That was another thing with Ginny. She seemed to have struck out in the cupid department. She had a few relationships in her years but they only wanted the sex and nothing else, which wasn’t the fulfilling relationship she wanted. The only relationship, which wasn’t about the aforementioned foreplay, was Collin. They to thought it would work out seeing how close they were but they kept seeing each other in a sibling sort of way and that always booted any intimacy out the window.
She shook her head and stretched languidly. Her interview was tomorrow, so after washing up the wine glasses she decided to head off to bed and get a good night’s rest. She changed out of her robes and into one of Collin’s oversized sweaters and plunged under the covers and relaxed for a moment. Ginny grabbed the book on her bedside table and read as the Wizard Wireless Network softly warbled in the background.
**********
Title: Unexpected Tendencies
Author name: blazefury
Author email: le_femme_Y@hotmail.com
Category: Romance/Humour
Keywords: Draco Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Post Hogwarts and Ginny is determined to make it out in the big bad world as well as hoping to get some light into the love department. She drives her boss crazy, gets into some hilarious situations and somewhere a long the line, she falls unknowingly for the biggest prat she knows. Draco Malfoy.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Though primary characters and most other characters are copyright J.K. Rowling, some characters are copyright the author and if you wish to use them please ask before hand.
Author's Notes: To my betas. Kenji and Lils, who are helping Filledwiththefire while she's away. As well as to Violetjersey! Who helped muchly. Miss ya hon!
Chp 2: Accomplishment
**********
Colin stepped out of the grate with several packages in his arms and surveyed the deathly quietness that shrouded the apartment. He quickly brought his wrist up to read his watch and saw that it was seven and about time for Ginny to be up.
He set the packages down on the kitchen table and cast a warming spell around them. He had bought them breakfast so she could take her time to get ready. He knew how flustered Ginny got when she was nervous and could never get anything done right for her spells and aiming went awry. Frankly, it was dangerous. The last time she panicked, she had almost set his apartment on fire. He chuckled at the memory and shed his cloak and threw it on the couch. He walked towards her room and took a peek at her, as the door was slightly ajar.
She always had this habit of sleeping with the windows wide open, so that the curtains were billowing from the slight breeze and sunlight was pouring in through steady streams. It caused the tumble of massive curls that covered her face to burst into flames of copper red. She looked exquisite like that.
He crept into her bed and pulled her into his arms as she snuggled against him, trying to get comfortable. They lay there for a while as Colin enjoyed the morning breeze that was wafting through till he almost fell asleep. He shook his head of lethargy and turned to face Ginny.
“Time to wake up, Gin.”
“Mmm…” she replied whilst turning over and pulling the quilt over her head.
“You’ll be late,” Colin pulled the quilt down and saw her scrunch her nose and smack her lips like the way his old gran did when she was without her dentures.
“Five more minutes love,” she mumbled back and waved her hand at him.
"Ok... I wasn't too rough on you last night, was I? Cause I swear, I was really gentle on you especially when you tried to grab my-”
Right then, Ginny’s eyes snapped open. She gave a loud shriek as she doubled back, which was firmly interjected by an ‘oof’ as her bottom came into contact with the cold floor.
She stared at him with eyes opened so wide, that Colin was afraid they would pop out. He stifled a laugh as he saw her breathing deeply and looking at him questioningly.
“Am I that repulsive?” he asked, giving her a pout, which gave him such an endearing quality. She wanted to bloody wipe it off with a smack.
“Oh gods no, Colin, but if you plan to wake me up that way every morning you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Glad to be of service, now get up!”
He got off her bed and left her on the floor as he made his way to the kitchen, settling their breakfast on plates and getting the coffee ready. He knew he needed it; for a massive headache was building up from his rough night at the office. He heard the rush of flowing water from the shower and walked toward the windowsill to retrieve the newspapers and magazine subscription from the owl, which was pecking away at his window. He gave the owl a bit of toast and payment before it flew away.
He read the headlines of the Prophet, and when he looked at the magazine he almost snorted out his coffee through his nose. He eyed the magazine closely and gave a smirk identical to the one worn by the person in the picture on the cover. “Bastard,” he shook his head.
He looked up as he heard Ginny stomping through her doorway, sounding quite frustrated. She was fiddling with the clasp on her robes, which she couldn’t get closed. She scrunched up her face and gave a whine before giving up and looking at him.
“Help me,” she whimpered.
Colin gave a laugh and rolled his eyes at the image that was in front of him. The now , high strung, usually if you have to do something you have to do it yourself woman with a fiery temper, was whimpering for help because she couldn’t get her clasp done.
“Will you relax? You’ll charm the pants off the git,” he said whilst helping her. She was fidgeting quite badly and once he was done, she ran to back to the room and got her bag and wand.
“Sit, Ginny. I got your favourites, pancakes, topped with syrup and your assortment of fruit and French toast on the side.”
She gave him a grin and sat down to the plate that was tempting her palate so badly, then a queasy feeling, rushed back in and all she could do was stare at her plate with a fork in hand, wavering over it.
“Good first step, love, now you just use the fork you have to pick up the food in front of you,” Colin chuckled.
“What if he laughs at me? What if he goes on and on like he did back then?” she asked as she played around with the fruit. “What if I don’t get the job? Oh but what if I do? Would I be good? And Colin, damn it listen to me!” Ginny snapped.
“Oh come on you’ll do fine, it’s just Malfoy!” Colin answered, nonchalant.
“Right, just the pretty little bastard…right…” she trailed off. Ginny didn’t know why she was so nervous either, but she just got this way when there was something new abound.
“Here!” Colin walked over to her and passed her the magazine. She took it with her free hand and stared at the glossy cover of ‘Galleon’ magazine.
Two shining eyes of silver glared at her with dark intensity and a languid smirk settled across the slightly shadowed profile of pale creamy, unblemished skin. Blonde, almost white, hair grew past his ears and a slight fringe fell upon his forehead giving him a slightly effeminate look with such aquiline features. Draco Malfoy. He looked somewhat the same from Hogwarts and there was a noted absence of hair gel that reigned supreme during his ferrety days. Did the picture just wink at her?
Ginny placed the magazine in front of her plate and picked up her fork, blindly stabbing around till she got something and placed it in her mouth while she read the interview that they had gotten with one of the most successful and powerful business wizards of recent times. Colin was babbling to her but she wasn’t really listening so she hoped that she was nodding in all the right places as she skimmed over the article.
‘Son of Lucius Malfoy, yeah I knew that, married Pansy Parkinson straight out of Hogwarts, yech, but divorced shortly after Lucius Malfoy was placed in St.Mungo’s, good for him, the bastard,’ Ginny thought whilst she bobbed her head a long with whatever Colin was saying and eating at the same time.
‘Hmm, made his first million Galleons at twenty when Xavier Inc. took off, has offices all over Europe as well as over East Asia and the States. Oh, company trips, estimated worth, blah blah, ok not interesting.’
“So, you’re telling me that you don’t want to go for this interview and that I should change my name to Bob, is that it? Ginny? Yes or no?” Colin asked, with coffee in hand and eyebrows raised.
Ginny finally looked up from her magazine, “Erm, yes?” she said before flashing him a grin. Wrong answer, Colin gave her a smack with the Daily Prophet.
“Cripes! Colin, I’m going to be late, why didn’t you tell me?” she shrieked.
Exasperated, he rolled his eyes and went to wait near the door. She was going to Apparate to the entrance of Xavier Inc. but in order to do so, she had to do it outside of his apartment as he had so many wards up due to the nature of his job.
He could hear the clatter of forks and plates as she got up and made a run for the door. Unfortunately, she tripped over the carpet and landed face first.
“I’m alright! I’m alright!” Ginny said with face flushed. She got up quickly and made her way towards Colin, who gave her a kiss on her forehead and smacked her bottom as she went out the door.
“Wish me luck!” she cried, with a wide grin.
“Luck!”
With that the red head vanished before his very eyes with a very audible ‘pop’.
**********
“Next!”
Draco Malfoy slumped over his desk due to the tedious task of replacing Marguerite. She was one of the few that managed to stick out the position as personal assistant to him for at least a year. Those before her had only managed to stick it out for a few months and all screamed and ranted the way Marguerite did when she left. He liked the ones that just didn’t bother to turn up. At least they didn’t start flinging office supplies at him as they left the building. It was terribly disturbing.
How disconcerting, Draco Malfoy, rich and wealthy and most wanted, getting frustrated and tired over a personal assistant.
The same Draco Malfoy who grew up knowing the Dark Arts intimately and had used it against his teacher. The same who worshipped the ground his father walked on and yet felt struck when omnipotence was not one of his father’s qualities. He had almost lost everything when there was a case on his family from the Ministry and when his father had been banished to a room at St. Mungo’s. His beliefs and stable foundation had been shaken.
He all but refused to let anything set him back. He was a Slytherin after all and a Malfoy at that, even if the name was somewhat smeared.
He would not be without the wealth that he originally had, even if Gringotts decided to seize the veritable amount of money that was rightfully his. He had rubbed it into too many people’s faces to be poor; besides an inheritance from grandmother Malfoy was enough to let him retire for the rest of his years, but he needed to do something. Something that would restore the respect and admiration that went along with the name Malfoy.
So, he managed to sink his hands into the most lucrative venture that was yet to be brought into the wizarding business market. He introduced muggle technology melded with magic. It was tough in the beginning as everybody was wary over anything muggle, still bearing slight prejudice. He worked day and night, meeting new clients and dining with them to persuade them to invest. He made it clear that he was trust worthy and nothing like his father, who was stuck in a pink wallpapered room with dancing hippogriffs, his sanity breaking. He placed innumerable amount of advertising gimmicks and slogged for hours at a time. Watching the market and looking over his statistics, wondering how he could get his products to be used by at least three quarters of the wizarding populace. For the first time in life, besides school, he actually had to work for something.
Of course you knew that it wouldn’t fail. He knew that it wouldn’t either.
His unwavering faith in it to transpire and bloom was what pulled it through and within two years, it made him ten times richer than he already was. He became the most famous entrepreneur in modern times of the magic world. Respect was restored to the name and Malfoy pride shining out of him once more.
Now. Now, he was reduced to a pile of shrivel because of a bloody personal assistant that walked out on him, like all the others. He grimaced at the thought. After seeing his work take off, he employed as many people needed and all he did now was oversee the operations like the big kahuna that he was. Delving in now and then only when a problem cropped up and wooing his investors to get what he wanted. So, over time he had grown to be reliant on his personal assistant like he was as a child to his nanny.
So bloody what?
He gave a scowl and waited for the next subject. He had only two more interviews left, looking at his parchment. He knew he was picky but he only wanted the best and so far the hunt had reaped no gold. The first one was a hag, or at least she looked one and he had sent her off without even asking her a question. Being a personal assistant to him, Draco Malfoy, involved public relations as well. It meant being presentable. Besides, she looked like she hadn’t had a bath in years.
The rest didn’t even come close. He gave a sigh and summoned the person who was knocking on the door, in.
It was a lady, who looked to be in her mid forties. He looked down to his folder and pulled out the parchment with the necessary information. So far she was the only who was nearly as qualified as Marguerite. Sighing as he questioned her, he looked Mrs. Patricia Tuttle, over.
She was an elegant lady; a matriarch and she definitely knew what she needed to do. He just didn’t know if he could act the same around her. In some ways, she reminded him of his mother and that meant all manners should be in check. No teasing and no nonsense. He looked down at the parchment and looked up at her again. He was hoping for someone like Marguerite at least.
Ok, yes. He used Marguerite as a barometer but that was only because she was good and well, young and just drop dead gorgeous.
He gave a sigh and was about to tell her that she got the job as the interviews so far were going absolutely nowhere when his ex-wife happened to burst through the door with nary a care in the world.
Draco frowned, but let it pass on to have his usual stoic expression take place. Being of good breeding, he stood up from his chair, “Ms. Parkinson, how nice to see you,” he said with a forced smile. “Would you mind waiting outside while I finish up in here?”
“You know I do,” she replied haughtily and gave the old woman in the chair a once-over before sticking her nose into the air once more.
Glaring at her and then looking at Mrs. Tuttle who gave away no sense of discomfort, he blanched visibly and said “Very well. Mrs Tuttle, could you please wait outside while I,” turning to stare at Pansy, “settle this somewhat urgent matter?”
Getting up quickly with a “Certainly sir,” she walked out of the room and closed the doors behind her.
He then let out a breath as he turned towards the window and looked out to the crowd below him. His building was right in the centre of traffic between the old and nostalgic Diagon Alley and the modernised and upper crust Terrazo Alley. It was on prime land as it was easily accessible and so near the apparition ports and floo hubs.
“What do you want, Pansy?” he asked, still looking out the window at the scurrying crowd, his building casting a grey shadow across the road.
“Well, we haven’t seen each other for quite a long time and I thought you and I should sit down and have dinner together, Draco love,” she said whilst fluttering her eyelashes, clumped with mascara, when he turned to her.
“You barged in on me, while I was having an important meeting to ask me for dinner? Couldn’t it wait?” he asked, leaving behind all civility to the woman standing in front of him.
“Oh, it wasn’t important,” she said, waving a well manicured hand in the air and pursing her lips before continuing, “I know I’m more important than that woman.”
Frowning at the audacity of her, he was silent. Glaring hard at her, he answered her in a tone that emanated coldness, “I’m sorry, if I gave you the impression that you were so high ranking, maybe so when you were my wife but you have no right what so ever now. You are just Ms. Parkinson, an acquaintance and nothing more,” he exhaled noisily and sat down in his chair, regretting the fact that he didn’t make it clear the minute they had divorced.
Why he never divorced her the minute his father was put in St Mungo’s eluded him. Even though she was a cash cow and nothing more, he needn’t have used her. He got his business on its feet by himself, save a few investors that did not include her. Thank God for that, having her for a partner would have been hell on earth.
You see, he wasn’t in love with her, but his father, before being sent to the loony bin, was so bent on joining the two households together, that he had resorted to an archaic ritual from a century that Draco so heartily despised and arranged their marriage. As soon as they had graduated from old Hogwarts, they were obliged to wed each other much to the happiness of their elders.
Pansy, of course had no qualms about it at all, as she had loved Draco since her schoolgirl days. It was her fairytale ending until he refused to consummate their marriage and he had sought other beds besides their own. After years of false lies on a happy marriage, he quit her after Xavier Inc. celebrated its first year of success.
He looked up at her in disdain
“You certainly don’t mean that!” she cried, her heavily lined eyes wide-open and red lips gaping.
“I most certainly do.”
“So you never intended to take me back?” she asked, standing up from her seat and looking down at him with a frown as she left handprints on his desk.
He looked up at her in surprise, “When did I ever give you that idea, Pansy?” his voice harsh and cutting. Leaving absolutely no room for argument.
“Draco, love, maybe if you have dinner with me, we can talk about this,” she was grasping straws here. She needed and wanted him badly. She needed him to make the fairytale complete. Maybe she wasn’t a good enough wife for him but she was willing to change and make him fall in love with her. She just needed a chance.
“No, Pansy. Now, please leave. I have business to attend to,” was his only sound reply as he looked back down onto the parchment on his desk.
“But darl-” she started, licking her lips and looking frantic.
“I said no, Pansy! No. Nyet. Non. Now go!”
“Draco you must want me still!” she cried, her voice cracking as she grew more frantic. She knew she must have looked absurd but she had waited for so long, and she needed him badly.
“Oh? Do I?” he asked, his eyes lighting up and for a brief moment Pansy thought she had won him over a little, “Well, why don’t we open the windows and see if pigs have finally sprouted wings to flee away from bacon worshipping fiends?!”
**********
When Ginny apparated around the corner at the designated port, she shoved her hands into her robe pockets and walked towards the tall menacing building of Xavier Inc. She was still a bit nervous and was talking to herself as she hurried on through the thick crowd.
“Times change, people change. Ugh. Not!” she was trying to convince herself that Malfoy wasn’t that bad. Maybe he was different, though it seemed unlikely. She needed the money and he did pay his staff well. This was the only consolation. Besides, she was desperate to show her family that she could make it on her own.
She then stared up at the building at the end of Diagon Alley and near the start of Terrazo, which was not crowded. The sun behind it had given it a resplendent glow and made it look glorified. You could look into the first floor as the exterior was all glass and she saw people running around, all laden with files and abundance of papers. It had huge television screens, with information on their stocks and their advertisements on loop.
She took a deep breath and hurriedly walked up the stairs and into the building. Everybody seemed oblivious to her as she followed the crowd to the lobby and went up the lift. It climbed slowly to the twentieth floor and opened with a ‘ping’. She gaped a little at the elaborate decorations of the place. There was a huge expanse of space and carpeting and a long cold steel table sat in the middle. Down the corridor, she saw a woman waiting outside and asked her if she still had time for the interview.
The lady just gave a frown, which melted into a calculative smile, not answering her. Ginny raised an eyebrow and approached the huge cheery wood doors, and was just about to knock when a very pink, hot and bothered Pansy Parkinson brushed past her without an apology. She stared at the offender but said nothing. When she turned, she felt Draco Malfoy’s eyes on her and she swallowed audibly before he called her in.
After shutting the door behind her, she took a seat in front of him and looked down at her hands as he studied her and the parchment in his hands. When he placed the parchment down he studied her a while more before addressing her.
“Miss Weasley,” he said.
Inhaling sharply, she looked up and forced herself to stare him down. “Mr. Malfoy,” she said and waited for his response, her legs shaking nervously.
He watched her in amusement, letting both of them sink into silence to see if she would get more nervous. In that time though, she managed to gather herself and just think that he was the twitchy little bouncing ferret he was and it made the corners of her mouth turn up.
Undoubtedly, she wasn’t the most beautiful woman he ever saw, her looks were plain somewhat but there was something alluring about her. That soft smile and the flash in her eyes made her seem saucy. He smirked.
“So, Miss Weasley, why do you want to work for me?”
She knew that question was coming and took a deep breath before she gave him an equally blunt answer to his question, “Well, simply because I heard you pay good money and the job description seemed easy enough. In fact, I might be over qualified.”
His smirk grew more prominent and he looked at her with amused eyes. Such bluntness at the talk of money. Well she was a Weasley, and the confidence she mustered quite intrigued him. The thought of a Weasley working for a Malfoy was too good to pass up. He would challenge her.
“Can you make good coffee?”
She seemed slightly taken aback by this and a little confused. Ginny paused a while before giving a hesitant yes.
“Good, go make a pot and we’ll discuss the day’s events,” he replied nonchalantly and cleared his desk. He watched as she caught the meaning after a few seconds and a broad grin creased her face, making her look quite pretty. He stared at her to get her moving and she nodded her head, heading for the door.
“Oh, and Virginia?” she whirled around to look at him, startled to hear her full first name being called.
“Tell the lovely lady outside that she can go home now.”
***************
Title: Unexpected Tendencies
Author name: blazefury
Author email: le_femme_Y@hotmail.com
Category: Romance/Humour
Keywords: Draco Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Post Hogwarts and Ginny is determined to make it out in the big bad world as well as hoping to get some light into the love department. She drives her boss crazy, gets into some hilarious situations and somewhere a long the line, she falls unknowingly for the biggest prat she knows. Draco Malfoy.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Though primary characters and most other characters are copyright J.K. Rowling, some characters are copyright the author and if you wish to use them please ask before hand.
Author's Notes: This is mostly just humour and romance! So kick back and relax and don't worry about evil dark lords taking over. Enjoy!
Dedicated to VirtualFaerie/Malfoymyferrey and Jane Valar.
Chp 3: Not In The Norm
**********
“And I’m saying that it’s alright!”
“Look Virginia, not that I’m not appreciative of your research but most of it is redundant and I don’t know why we’re still going on about this,” Draco Malfoy replied, not bothering to look up at his personal assistant who was quite red in the face and was staring daggers at him as he signed parchment after parchment with a Luxury Eagle feathered quill.
“We’re going on about this because it should stay,” she huffed. She had worked long and hard on that proposal and he was not going to waver it off so easily.
Brushing her hair to the side and crossing her arms, she stared at him. It had already been a whole two months since he employed her and from working with him, she got first hand experience of how exactly the same he remained since graduating from Hogwarts, besides the Death Eater element and the father that had given him the thought that muggles were the scum on one’s boot.
He was still very much the same spoilt, arrogant, snarky, prick that had swaggered through the torch filled halls. Maybe he wasn’t much of a bigot as before but if it were possible, he was even more spoilt than he was back then. He seemed to depend on her for everything: coffee, his dry cleaning, dismissing people. It really never ended. He seemed to have entered her life quite comfortably, calling her from home, sending her document after document to process and calling her to engage or disengage his appointments for the next day, not just during office hours but when she was soaking in the tub. That and his current girlfriend who had the most perfect body she has seen, almost like one of those muggle dolls, what were they called? Barbar’s? No that’s wrong, Bar- Barbie’s! One of those you know, endless legs, the tiniest waist, a full bust and gorgeous chestnut coloured hair. Unfortunately just like the doll apparently, she had the brains of a flamingo. Well at least that was what Ginny learned from a few of her colleagues. Name?
The life-sized Barbie’s name was Marigold Phelps, a model.
Ginny thought that at least Draco would get someone who could carry on a conversation with him instead of getting incessant nods and eyelash batting. It was quite off putting. Then again, he probably didn’t pick her because of her evasive IQ but for her, er, other talents that she did not want to think about. That alone was a rather disturbing image.
She watched as he placed his quill back in its inkwell and gathered all the parchments he was signing in a pile and placed it in the tray in the corner. He shifted in his chair and gave a sigh.
“We don’t need to prattle on to our investors on things that they are just going to skim over.”
“But-”
“But nothing Virginia,” he interjected firmly, his eyes looking up at her, while muttering under his breath, “Save the bloody trees, remember?”
She seemed to have heard him as she gave a scowl and stared at him petulantly.
Draco ignored the glare and gathered her article and handed it back to her, “Wax on, wax off.”
She arched an eyebrow at him in question.
“Never mind, just get it done and leave it on my desk when you’re finished. That better be by this evening, mind.”
After exhaling rather noisily, she surrendered, “Yes, Mr. Malfoy.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
Draco just leaned back in his chair and his gaze transfixed on her swaying hips as she stalked away, her robes fit her snugly and showed off her curves and her round firm bottom that he wished he could –
“Stop staring!” she called, not bothering to look back.
He narrowed his eyes but he couldn’t help but smirk at her spunk. He continued watching as she opened the door, only to be taken a back, as there in all her splendid, * cough *, flamingo glory was Marigold, decked out in a black pant suit and matching velvet robes.
Draco caught Ginny rolling her eyes and giving a tight smile that came of as a grimace. It probably was a grimace. He knew that Marigold wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, she may be beautiful and well yes, exceptional in bed, but she couldn’t even understand half his sentences. It reminded him dreadfully of Crabbe and Goyle; he shuddered to remember them. From the last he heard, they were living in a nudist colony-unleashing nightmares no doubt. Getting back to the point, all she did was nod and blink rapidly. He couldn’t help it, making his investors happy was important and that meant schmoozing. That’s where Marigold comes in. So he did what he had to for the sake of the company, of course he wouldn’t tell anybody that. Not even Ginny, she’d be sure to mock him for the rest of his life. Besides, it was definitely good PR. One girl kind of man, well at least for this while. No need for the harem, thank you, although he knew that with a snap of his fingers he could easily settle one.
“Why Ms. Phelps, I apologise,” Ginny said, her voice tight. This was the very first time that she came into the building, most of the time Ginny just saw her waiting in the awaiting limousine or on Draco’s arm at some restaurant. Standing back she opened the door wide and let her in. As Marigold walked past her with her nose in the air, Ginny almost suffocated.
‘Did she take a perfume bath?’ she thought as she took mouthfuls of air and scrunched up her nose.
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” Draco smiled at her and gathered some documents together.
Standing at a safe enough distance from the large couch, in the corner, which Marigold was sitting on, she asked, “Would you like anything to drink?”
Without even looking at her, Marigold gave a sigh and examined her long, French- manicured nails, “A Martini.”
Ginny stared at her with her brow furrowed and thought about what fantastic manners she had. A tiny smile formed on her pink lips, “I’m dreadfully sorry, but we don’t serve alcohol.”
Biting her lip, she hoped Draco didn’t hear any of that, but he did and was just wondering what his wench of an assistant was playing at.
Marigold looked up, with her pouty lips and eyes blinking rapidly, “I’ll just have orange juice then,” Ginny thought that her voice sounded awful breathy like she was in the midst of some coital action and was afraid that she might break out in a moan.
Smiling ever so sweetly, she replied, “I apologise but we don’t have orange juice, we have coffee though.” Ginny had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from cracking a wide grin when she saw the little tart frown and bat her eyelashes even more. Her nose seemed to twitch and she gave another sigh. Ginny almost thought she heard a snort coming from Draco but when she turned back there he was at his desk, looking down, sorting out some parchments.
“Fine, coffee then! Make sure it’s decaf!” was the insolent reply that made her turn back. Her eyelashes batted furiously – was that wind coming from her? – and frown lines creased her forehead. Marigold looked over Ginny from top to toe and smirked, with a roll of her eyes, she looked the other way.
Ginny knew what that look was meant to imply. Her eyes just screamed ‘peasant girl’! She growled involuntarily and she knew that her cheeks were hot and flushed. She had to slap on a saccharine sweet smile when Marigold’s head snapped her way, sending her hair flying out behind her.
“Well, you see Ms. Phelps, we don’t have decaf, only plain, black coffee.”
Ginny watched as her heavily made up face scrunched up and she let out a sound of frustration from the back of her throat. Ginny tried very hard to keep her face straight, as those eyelashes seemed to be in a sudden flurry and it seemed to remind her of someone.
“Draco!” Marigold whined, her tone ending in a high- pitched squeal that made him look up, his lips tightly pursed together so that he wouldn’t laugh out right.
“We have water!” Ginny supplied, smiling broadly till her cheeks hurt. The Barbie doll seemed mildly quelled at this and stared at her before looking her straight in the eye and asking for mineral water.
One last time, she just had to, just to wind her up a bit more, “ I’m sorry, we only have distilled.” Ginny watched as her dark red lips turned down and a faint whimper rose from it. That’s it! Moaning Myrtle. She reminded Ginny of Moaning Myrtle, the same breathy voice and high – pitched squeal. Even the same batting of eyelashes when she didn’t have a clue of what she was talking about. She just had to prod the line a little more and flashed the twit her best smile. Broad, showing a lot of teeth. And that did it. It made the line that she wound, snap.
“Draco! Don’t you have anything in this horrid little building? Doesn’t daddy give you enough money?” Marigold cried her mouth left open and her eyelashes batting furiously.
Badly wanting to let out a laugh, he choked it down and flushed. He then cleared his throat and turned his attention to Ginny.
“Virginia,” his tone warned but his eyes spoke differently. Ginny grinned at him and left to go get his whore a Martini and him some of Ogden’s Firewhiskey. He looked like he needed it as his hand ran through his hair. A sure sign that alcohol was needed for some damage control. Nobody could disturb his immaculate crowning glory. No one. He didn’t even touch it himself once it was in place.
After she got the drinks ready and served them, she watched as the snooty Ms. Phelps stared at him, with adoration in her eyes that made her feel quite sick, she then locked eyes with Draco, who was standing in front of Marigold, with a hand in his pocket and shot him a sympathetic smile before leaving him.
She closed the huge doors behind her slowly, with his eyes still on her.
“Stupid, caviar munching, martini swilling, flamingo-brained stick,” Ginny muttered darkly under her breath whilst stalking over to her desk.
Staring at the stack of parchments on her desk that needed to be redone.
**********
Ginny watched from the large window, behind her desk, as Draco and Marigold walked out of the building arm in arm till they rounded the corner. A tic in her cheek started as her anger flared. Not only was that silly bint rude and utterly brain dead she had to have her own bully and she wasn’t half surprised that it would be Draco.
He insulted her in front of that brainless ninny, saying that she was insolent, childish, talked back too much and never did her work the way she was supposed to. How dare he! She crossed her arms and sunk down on her chair that was supposed to be ergonomic. Oh please. She should just quit, but she desperately needed the money and to see him smirk at her so.
She knew what she had to do.
She transfigured one of the books into a pillow, stood up from her chair, closed her eyes and shoved the pillow into her face, screaming into it. The screaming fit however extended to some very violent foot stamping.
When she was done and feeling just a pinch better, she took away the pillow and took a deep breath and almost had a heart attack as she expelled it. With a hand on her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her chest she stared at the man standing in front of her.
‘Oh gods, how bloody embarrassing,’ she thought and licked her lips while straightening her robes as a vicious blush stampeded over her face. Ginny dropped her pillow and smiled at the oddly familiar man whose lips quirked up into a smirk.
The tic suddenly flared up again and her smile became forced
“Good Evening sir, how can I help you?” her eyes flicked over him, noting that he was rather attractive with his face set like a greek statue, holding soft brown eyes and his body slender. She gave a knowing smile and recognised him as number three on the most eligible bachelor list. He was,
“I’m Blaise Zabini and I’m here to call on Mr. Malfoy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, you just missed him. Would you like to make an appointment or leave a message?” Ginny asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Ah, well, that’s alright, thank you. Good evening,” he said before walking away down the hallway to the lift lobby. He pushed the lift button and waited, with his hands in his pocket. “I understand, by the way.”
“Sorry?” Ginny replied, frowning slightly with genuine confusion.
“I understand what a prat he can be – by your obvious tantrum…” The elevator doors opened and swallowed him up, leaving Ginny, embarrassed and frustrated.
She smacked her forehead with her palm and gave a whimper of defeat.
**********
After, clearing up her desk, she high tailed it out of the office and briskly walked to the apparition port. The second she arrived in front of the door of Colin’s apartment, she deactivated all the talisman’s and alarms he placed and opened the door with her key.
Ranting and mumbling away about “stupid idiotic ferrety prats and bimbotic nitwits,” she took off her robes and noticed that Colin’s was thrown across the sofa. It wasn’t like him to do that and he was home, now? That was rather odd but she didn’t question it and ran to his room. He was home and he could take away the pains of the evil day she had. Grinning she ran to the closed door of his room and opened it, screaming the very second she laid her eyes on his bed.
There he was, Colin, very naked, with a very, naked woman wrapped around him, who was totally gorgeous. She looked like a bloody goddess with her long silky jet- black hair, violet coloured eyes and olive toned skin. The Goddess just purred and gave a wink to Ginny, not bothering to cover herself up.
“G-Ginny!” Colin stammered as he wrapped the sheet round his waist.
Ginny sucked in her breath and her hands were flailing about, “Oh!” she cried and smacked a hand over her eyes and about turned to face away from them, “Well, I’m so, so, so dreadfully sorry, p-please continue,” she said, saying this all very fast while one hand was waving about. She reached behind her blindly and was about to shut the door, “Nice to meet you by the way.” With that, she slammed the door shut.
She ran to her room and paced, as the scene of them together, lodged into her mind.
The Goddess and her Colin, having sex.
Oh God.
She needed to someone to obliviate that part of her memory. Permanently. Ginny wished that she had practiced what she preached and knocked first. She gave a whimper and was about to sink onto her bed when she missed it completely and landed on the floor, harshly. Her eyes were closed and she gave a frustrated sigh and placed her head in her hands.
“This has not been a good day.”
While wallowing in her room, she heard Colin and The Goddess talking – well it was Colin mostly apologising profusely. She heard the low husky voice of the Goddess and it was like a Siren’s call. You just had to listen to it.
It was definite.
The Goddess couldn’t be human, she had to be something other than that. She couldn’t be a Veela, a Naiad maybe? A few minutes later, she heard footsteps and the familiar sounds of flames rushing from the fire grate.
The Goddess had left the building.
But why didn’t he tell her anyway? He was supposed to tell her these things. Getting to relationships or if it were just the sex. And if it were just the sex, she was down right pissed that she wasn’t getting any and he was.
Ginny steeled herself ready for Colin’s rampage as his footfalls came closer and closer to her door. She inhaled deeply and let it out in a woosh. She was ready for anything.
He opened the door harshly and his breathing was laboured. He didn’t bother putting on a shirt and was wearing a pair of black sweat pants. With his mussed hair, he was looking very sexy. Oh good Gods, what was with her today?
It must be the hormones. Definitely.
“Christ Ginny, don’t you ever knock?” his voice thin and cold as his fingers combed through his soft strawberry blonde hair.
“I’m sorry, I really am! But I told you to leave a tie on the doorknob when you’re-”
“Well, gee, I wasn’t wearing one today, would a pair of my boxers have been fine?” he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he stared at her, “I didn’t know I had to do that in my own fucking home.”
Ginny’s mouth hung open, “Oh that's so juvenile of you!” she yelled and crossed her arms. Both of them were staring at each other and she noticed that his face softened somewhat but Ginny was quite annoyed. That comment he made was just plain mean.
“So who is she? Hmm? Some girl you picked up?”
She noticed Colin’s eyes narrow and she took a step back, “Jersey’s not like that!” he snapped and exhaled noisily as he ran his hand through his hair once more. Letting a few tendrils fall over his face.
Ginny snorted incredulously, “Oh that's just great! You just had to fall for a girl whose name is a piece of clothing. A very male piece of clothing in fact,”
“Ginny…”
But she wasn’t listening as she was on a roll and had started pacing her room, four steps and turn. Four steps and turn. Small wasn’t it?
“I mean, for God sakes! Who names their kid after something that goes along with a jock strap and some shoulder pads?”
"Ginny..."
"And those eyes... don't tell me she's not wearing contact lenses because I swear those are fake but where did you get her anyhow? She’s gorgeous and -”
“VIRGINIA!”
“What?” she yelled, her breathing laboured as she stared at Colin.
The only reply he gave her was by taking her roughly by the hand and leading her toward the living room. Ginny’s heart jumped at his attitude and she licked her lips. The minute they reached the couch, Colin pushed her down.
“Sit,” he commanded.
Ginny raised her eyebrows, “Well, that’s-”
Colin held up his hand and stopped her. Ginny was about to say something else when he shook his head in a negative and she quickly shut her mouth. He plonked himself beside her, stared at her for a moment and looked down to the floor as he hummed to himself for a moment. Leaving Ginny to wonder if he broke a circuit as she stared at him with wide eyes. Finally he turned to her.
“I’m assuming…that you had a bad day at work?”
Ginny just continued staring at him for a few minutes before her features crumbled and she leaned onto his shoulder.
“Did you even have to ask?” she whimpered. Colin wrapped his arms around her and whispered the few words that would make her happy.
Colin always managed to make everything disappear.
And so did ice cream.
An Hour Later…
Colin was sitting on the couch while Ginny was on the floor, cross-legged, both indulging ice cream by the cartons. Ginny was viciously attacking her rocky road ice cream as Colin looked on in mid spoonful horror.
“Whoa there. The only time I’ve ever seen you eat ice cream that fast was when Ron got you upset over that whole lesbian phase, which concluded into much massive pissed offness. It was a phase right?”
Colin’s eyes widened as he heard Ginny growl and held his ice cream carton out as a peace offering, which she took with no qualms.
“I’m going to get fat and it’s going to be your fault,” she said, waving her spoon about.
“Glad to help,” he replied, clapping his hands together he continued, “Now, what’s got your lovely panties in a bunch?”
The only sounds from Ginny were of her licking her spoon dry and scraping the bottom of the carton. When she finally finished the rocky road, she plonked it on the table and licked her lips, missing a dab of it at the corner of her mouth. Exhaling noisily, she finally answered his question.
“Malfoy.”
“That’s a bit general isn’t it?” Colin asked with his eyebrow raised.
“Malfoy? General? Perish the thought… he wouldn’t be caught being common. I’m telling you Colin; he’s the most annoying bastard on the planet. Not forgetting mean! I can handle the annoying but not the mean, he’s supposed to be on MY side! Maybe not totally but he knows what -”
“Ok, what exactly did he do?”
**********
Draco and Marigold were already seated in one of the finest restaurants that wizarding London had to offer and the prices on the menu secured that fact. They were in a corner seated by the window, which gave the most fantastic view. It was rather private as well, situated away from most of the other patrons.
They were already half way through dinner and Draco was carefully cutting up his lamb medallions.
“So,” he said, spearing the meat with his fork, “has your father said anything about the venture to you?”
He chewed on his meat, which melted in his mouth like chocolate; he really had to compliment the chef, while he watched her nose wrinkle up.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, your stupid personal assistant really has me put off,” and the eye lash batting continued, “Why you put up with her, I don’t know!”
“She’s annoying yes, but she does good work,” he said a matter-of-factly, sipping his wine.
“Only annoying? I can think of better words.”
Draco smirked, “She can be a bit much, but like I said, her work justifies it in the end.”
She gave him a quizzical look and he just shrugged it off.
“Ok maybe not, everything. She has this awful habit of chewing on the end of her quill when she’s thinking about something. It disgusts me to no end.”
Draco made an expression of distaste and looked at Marigold who was batting her eyelashes so he would continue. He sighed and looked out the window with wine glass in hand and took a sip. Now that he thought about it, she had all these little habits that irked him and he felt slightly uncomfortable.
“You have no idea, what it’s like. She colour coordinates everything, green for urgent, pink, for me to sign and do you know what she uses to colour coordinate them? I’ll tell you what. God damned paper clips! And she gets so high strung over the damned paper clips. Heaven forbid I lose one! The incessant badgering and arguing over every single thing I disagree about. I mean, I’m her boss and she’s arguing with me! The way she has to have absolutely everything in place and under control otherwise she starts maiming me. The way she cracks her knuckles before working on something drives me up the wall and she sings in the office! I’m telling you it’s worse than a hag. Then there’s the way she bites her lip when she’s thinking and-”
Draco stopped as his date cleared her throat. Marigold’s forced smile and eye twitching made him shift in his seat. Uncomfortable.
“So why don’t you fire her?” she asked, her tone saccharine sweet. Red lips highlighting her words as her eyes glared at him.
Draco gave a noisy sigh and he finished off his wine, setting his glass down on the table along with his napkin.
“I can’t,” he grumbled, “she does great work.”
**********
“He was being such a ferret! Utterly horrible! In front of that wench too,” Ginny snapped, brushing her hair aside.
“It comes with the territory Gin,” Colin replied cocking his head to the side,
“Comes? Who comes? Malfoy? Good to know that he’s having his jollies at work,” she sniffed. Sulking, Ginny stared at her hands as she twiddled her thumbs. “I mean I do great work! Everything gets done by deadline, everything perfected and what does he do?”
“Gin?”
“He goes around, shouting like a mad man, in front of that poodle!” she growled as Marigold Phelps came to mind; Her face, stuck on a dartboard and Ginny was throwing as many darts as possible to disfigure that pencil drawn face
“Gin?”
“It’s not like I can quit either or that I want to. It’s good money and-”
“Ginny!” Colin interjected. Before she could get out a rather rude reply for interrupting her though, he had pushed her, so that she was flat on her back and he was hovering above her, just a few breadths apart.
His eyes roved over her face, which had turned quite rosy and hot. Colin gave a roguish smile and his lips came lower and lower.
Ginny’s eyes wide as she thought, “Oh, oh, he’s going to kiss me, he’s going to kiss me and I’m not objecting, damn me and the hormones!”
His lips were so near to hers, his hot breath on her, slightly ticklish. Ginny closed her eyes, expecting impact but that didn’t happen. All she felt was his tongue, his tongue, licking the corner of her mouth.
Was she melting?
“Just a little bit of ice cream,” he whispered in her ear, making her shudder.
She was definitely melting.
She swallowed audibly and opened her eyes to see him smiling, her heart skipping a beat at the sight. “Good night Gin.”
She licked her lips and was about to say goodnight but she couldn’t find her voice and all she could do was stare back at him until he got off her. Leaving her feeling cold suddenly at the loss of his warmth. Slowly sitting up, Ginny’s eyes travel over his body, his sweat pants sitting up on his hips, firm muscles on his back, strawberry blonde hair, mussed…until he locked himself in his room.
Then it hit her.
This was Colin! And he had a girlfriend!
This could not be happening!
She gave a frustrated sound of defeat and fell onto her back, praying for the next day to come quickly as her hands covered her face.
Once again, violetjersey has had much input in this chapter; so, much appreciation goes to her! She’s a great author and has great ideas! So give it up for the co-author.
When I need help she’s there for me! Don’t you love her? I know I do. <3
“Wax on, wax off,” - quote from, The Karate Kid.
I am quite sorry for how long this took. Hope you loved it!
I have a yahoo group for PPMT. For H/Hr and D/G so come on over and have fun here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppmtfiles
Ok. I hope this is not turning into some kind of parody, but if you’re getting your kicks then good for you.
More of Jersey and Colin coming up! What happens to Marigold? What’s Blaise doing here? When is the D/G coming up? All that in due time! Patience, pets.
Loving you all for reviewing!
Title: Unexpected Tendencies
Author name: blazefury
Author email: nicole_blaze [at] yahoo.com
Category: Romance/Parody
Keywords: Draco Ginny
Rating: R
Summary: Post Hogwarts and Ginny is determined to make it out in the big bad world as well as hoping to get some light into the love department. She drives her boss crazy, gets into some hilarious situations and somewhere a long the line, she falls unknowingly for the biggest prat she knows. Draco Malfoy.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Though primary characters and most other characters are copyright J.K. Rowling, some characters are copyright the author and if you wish to use them please ask before hand.
Author’s Notes: Comedy or Satire this is all in good fun!
Now this is dedicated to the lovely April! My Sop whom I can't live without. Thanks goes to the loffly betas, sarcasm_aloud and violetjersey. They are my pillars undoubtedly. Now go fangirl them. Love.
Chp 4: White Tips
**********
It had been an extremely long day two days at the office.
Ginny was sitting on her bed, with dark rings under her eyes and her skin deathly pale, just staring out the window, as exhaustion made her whole body sag. The only food she had managed to have, if you could call it food, was coffee, one tuna sandwich and digestives. All in the name of damage control.
One of Malfoy’s departments had managed to fuck up the whole advertising campaign that they were throwing out to the bigwigs and she had to stay with him till they had everything corrected. It didn’t help that in between the massive amounts of parchment she had to sort through, Draco was temperamental and the calls that were coming in through the floo managed to jam the whole system.
She went absolutely crazy, especially when one of the senior staff members thought it quite appropriate to grope her arse. She was not amused. At all.
It also did not help, suffice to say, that Marigold stopped by the office and had ordered her around like she was a common mule, to get her this and get her that and maybe shove it up her arse while she was at it.
Shaking her head, she gave a large yawn before standing up to divest herself out of her robes. Letting them pool to the floor, she dragged herself toward her closet to get hold of one of several oversized sweaters that she held hostage from Colin.
Upon passing the mirror in her room, she made a face of disgust at what she saw. She looked terrible, not to mention how she felt. Her hair was limp; she had puffy eyes and her throat felt scratchy, almost as if she was going to cough up a hairball. Turning away, she tried to think positive. The thought of not going back to the office the next gave her a hop in her step as she made her way to the kitchen.
A day off would certainly do her good to pamper herself and catch up on sleep. Ginny did feel a little guilty though, leaving when Draco was obviously having a hard time trying to get everything in order. In the end though, she did reason with herself that she couldn’t possibly do anything sapped off energy. Shaking her head, she scrunched her face up slightly and trudged out of her room.
Feeling sorry for a Malfoy indeed. She was going nutters. Here she was on a Saturday night, at home, not going out and with not a date in sight, whilst her best friend Colin Creevey was out probably with that chit Jersey. Exhaling noisily as she grabbed some lager and food from the fridge, she decided that those thoughts were just making her feel more depressed than she should.
Plodding to the living room, she set down her food on the table and sunk onto the couch as exhaustion engulfed her; the warmth and crackling of the fire comforting her. It was getting colder out and she Accio-ed a blanket from her room to snuggle under. Smiling blissfully for a moment, Ginny looked around the room before locking her gaze on the television set that was in the corner.
Now, Ginny had watched it on occasion with Colin but she never really was interested. Except for the time when her father came over and was like a kid during Christmas wondering how everything worked and pulling out plugs and talking about ecklecticitry. Smiling at the memory, she picked up the control from the table, and stared at it for a moment, trying to decipher the various buttons. Biting her lip, she pressed the red one at the top and was amused when the television zapped to life.
For an instant she just followed what was on but deemed it boring, as she did not want to know about how to decoupage anything and everything. Flicking the next button, she caught something called French and Saunders and they were dressed up in cloaks crying out ridiculous spells. She had a good laugh when they sort of Apparated and landed on someone called Tony Blair. The things muggles came up to amuse themselves with.
When it ended, she switched past a few channels and one of them came up a little snowy. Standing up she didn’t know exactly what to do and she saw once that Colin hit it on the side, so that it would work again. Trying that out, she turned back towards the television and saw some picture finally come up, but it wasn’t too clear, so she hit it hard on the side again and was taken a back by a rather clear, high pitched moan, if you could call it one. Backing away, she squinted and sat on the couch, trying to make out what all that pink – her eyebrows shot up and a hand covered her mouth as she finally figured out which angle to look from. Enthralled and slightly disgusted, she didn’t even look when the fire roared to life and Colin stepped out of the grate, dusting soot off his robes.
“It’s been crazy Gin, I don’t know why I just didn’t-” when he turned around to see what had captured her attention so thoroughly, his head flicked between watching her and the television, his mouth wide open.
“Okay…” he said rather slowly, unsure of how to handle the situation. He watched her take a swig from the bottle on the table, her concentration unwavering. “Ginny…don’t tell me that you are actually enjoying it?” he asked, not knowing how to expect her answer.
Maybe he was dreaming. No, if he was, he wouldn’t have had to go to work and Ginny would be… wrong train of thought, Creevey!
“Well, I don’t know really,” she said innocently enough, “It’s not like I haven’t seen this type of things before. It’s just like Playwizard, but on this…. Does it run all the time?”
He looked at her as she nodded at the television, “Er…I think so?” He really didn’t want to be having this conversation with Ginny but he was oddly interested by how she was almost mesmerised by it all.
“Oh…well, I mean it’s kind of sad isn’t it?” Ginny replied, her voice soft as she concentrated on the television, her face awash with sympathy and the flickering light from the screen.
That was not even close to what he thought she might have said. Confused, Colin sat beside her, trying to fathom the answer, but nothing came. Shaking his head he replied, “What?”
“It’s just that – look at them! They spend their whole time, getting fucked for all the world to see to the point that sex to them is just like drinking coffee in the morning! Foreplay is completely deleted from their vocabulary and oh!” Her attention was garnered once again, “Look at that, really now, I mean that position can’t be real, maybe from the other side though…,” she trailed off, contemplating as she settled back on the couch crossing her arms.
Colin looked over at her, slightly amazed and yet feeling completely strange that he was having such a conversation.
“You’re nutters, you know that?” he replied with a laugh. “I think working with Malfoy, has made you nuttier than you were before! Either that or you need a fast lay if you’re contemplating the lives of porn stars.”
“Unless of course, you’ve already managed one, since you weren’t home yesterday!”
The next thing he knew, a pillow smacked him right in the face. Grinning, he saw her face scrunch the way it always did when she was mildly annoyed. Pulling her close to him, he wrapped his arms around her and suddenly it felt like they were both back in Hogwarts, curled up this way under a blanket after a furious study session. Smiling, he asked her where she had been as he had been slightly worried.
So, she told him all about how she had been overworked to the bone, in all her pouty glory. Colin gave an amused smile as he heard another ‘Marigold’ tale and how she was being openly molested in such an established company.
“The things I have to put up with for Draco Malfoy!” she concluded, pouting heavily and steaming slightly at what had happened. Making a face she wanted to turn to look at Colin to ask him about how his day was when she felt his hands on her shoulders, slowly kneading them.
Her neck rolled to the side, as he hit a particular spot and she let herself go, feeling all the little knots of tension disappear under his touch.
“Well you don’t need any more alcohol that’s for sure,” he laughed, “What you need is a mug full of hot chocolate and then bed,” Colin finished, his voice soft and near her ear.
Her breath hitched slightly, as she felt his breath on her bare shoulder and she struggled for a moment to speak up. What was wrong with her? First sympathising with Malfoy and now going all googly over Colin! Her best friend since Hogwarts! Shaking her head slightly, she turned around quickly and found herself just inches away from his face.
“Will you make it for me?” she asked smiling.
Colin nodded, “I’ll tuck you in too.” And she saw his eyes flicker towards her lips, before returning to her eyes. So she wasn’t the only one thinking of kissing.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Oh good Lord, what am I thinking!
Swallowing thickly, she watched him get off the couch, so he could change. Looking down on the floor, she wiggled her toes about, wondering what was wrong with her. Maybe Colin was right, maybe she just needed someone, no, no, that was horrible, she didn’t need someone in order to feel fine. So why then, were her buggery hormones on bloody parade?
Biting her lip, she played with the sleeves of her sweater absentmindedly until Colin got back, carrying two mugs in hand, in only his sweat pants that were too long and tended to drag on the floor. Her eyes travelled down his torso, as he passed her a mug, before settling in next to her.
Smiling at him, she blew at it slightly and took a sip of it. Her body relaxing as the liquid warmed her up from the insides. It was incredibly chocolatey and she leaned back onto Colin, her eyes half lidded. Finishing it up, she set the mug on the table and settled herself against him, enjoying the smoothness of his skin against her cheek.
She shivered slightly, when his hand snaked across her tummy to hold her closer.
“You have to stop stealing my sweaters, I don’t have any more, you know!” Colin laughed, his voice coming in a deep rumble as her ear was against his chest.
Peeling herself away, she sat her hands on her hips, “You should be pleased that I’m wearing them, instead of me walking around starkers.”
“Why should I be pleased then?” he replied grinning, until she smacked him “You wound me Weasley.”
“Oh please,” she snorted and rolled her eyes. Yawning, she stretched and smacked her lips. A habit she seemed to have gained from Colin. Smiling softly she gave him a hug before saying, “I think I’ll go to bed, I feel lovely and warm now. Thanks for the hot chocolate.”
A soft smile graced his face and he got up to tuck her in as promised. Pulling the bedcovers away, and plumping the pillows, he waited for her to jump into bed and when she did, he pulled the quilt up and tucked the edges around her before placing a kiss on her forehead and turning off the light.
Unfortunately, even after closing her eyes, she still couldn’t get to sleep. She tried every different position, from sleeping back to front, on her side, on her front, but nothing worked. Feeling very frustrated after an hour, she took her pillow and made her way to Colin’s room. The apartment was dark, except for the dying embers in the grate, and the floor was ghastly cold as she tip-toed across.
Pushing the door open to his room, she tried her utmost to be careful but managed to bump her right hip into the corner of his desk. Trying not to curse out loud, she closed her eyes shut tightly and balled her fists. That was how Colin found her when he whispered Lumos and the room was bathed in soft warm light.
“Gin, what’s wrong?” he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, before squinting up at her.
Ginny stared at him, enjoying how rumpled he looked, until she got her head in order. Exhaling noisily, she proclaimed that she couldn’t sleep at all and wondered if she could bunk in with him, as that had always helped.
Colin just looked at her for a few seconds and pulled back the blanket, “No kicking,” he said and she gleefully jumped in, setting her pillow next to his, even though he already he had a second one.
Whispering, Nox, he turned on his side and held her close to him, looking at her through half lidded eyes.
“Sleep” he commanded, and she obeyed, closing her eyes, snuggling into his chest. Her fingers unknowingly, she thought, ran across his bare skin and she felt his own run through her hair, scratching her scalp softly before running down her neck to rub the muscles there.
Opening her eyes, she ran a finger down his torso and watched him shiver. Not sure whether to look up or not, she felt Colin’s own fingers trailing patterns on the back of her neck, and it sent this tingling sensations down to her very toes. Placing her palm against his chest, she could feel his heart racing, just like hers was.
Swallowing, she looked up and saw that he was looking at her. Licking her lips, she didn’t close her eyes when he kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering there for a moment and she didn’t when he kissed the corner of her mouth, feeling light stubble graze her cheek.
But she did when he placed his soft lips over her own.
And apparently, that was deemed the most appropriate time for the alarm charm to go off.
Ginny sat up straight, her fingers combing through her hair. Looking around, she found that she was in her own room and still wearing Colin’s sweater. Licking her lips, a feeling of disappointment curled up in her stomach, that the last bit didn’t happen and she crossed her arms, pouting. Until she realised of course that this was Colin she was fantasizing about and that thoughts of him in that manner were inappropriate. Or were they? It was too early in the morning to be dealing with this sort of things.
Oh bugger it all!
With that thought she wondered if Malfoy would kill her if she took Monday off for personal reasons.
Most likely indeed.
----------------------
“You want me to what?” Ginny cried incredulously, at her friend. A few of the other patrons of the coffeshoppe, stared in her direction a little annoyed. It was a Tuesday afternoon and to be exact it was lunch time. The crowd was thick, hungry and the noise almost became a mere buzz. Just imagine how loud she was. A right chip off the Molly Weasley block.
Ginny’s friend, April, was a colleague from work, who had a sharp wit about her and loved to make innuendoes out of everything. Spotting a double entendre in an instant was a special gift of hers.
She had long jet black hair and had a beautiful smile about her, with naturally rosy cheeks. Hailing from a rather artsy Chinese family was probably one of the reasons why she was so passionate about design and so traditional about certain things, besides being the flamboyant personality that she was.
It was an interesting mix, Ginny thought, and a fine friend she made during her first few weeks at Xavier.
But, that’s moving away from the request she had for Ginny.
“Come on Gin, it’s just a bit of snoggage, I’m not asking you to fuck him,” she replied rather dryly, before sipping at her coffee. Continuing she added, “It’s no big deal really. You like him, he might like you, snog him, see if there’s sparks and there you go.”
Ginny’s eyes narrowed at the remark, “It’s not as easy as you say it is April, things could change with just one kiss you know!” Flicking her hair back she leaned back into her chair, cushioned by her black coat that was hanging over it.
The table was covered with a pristine red table cloth with her gloves sitting near her water glass. A large plate of scones sat in the centre for them to munch on for dessert, while a large cup of coffee sat dominantly in front of April.
“Oh Gin, spare me the dramatics, I know you’ve done worse,” she batted her eyelids mockingly.
“So what if I’ve done worse? Kissing Colin could end up disastrous!” she rebutted, her arms gesticulating wildly.
Leaning forward, with her arm propping her face elegantly, April asked, “How will it turn out disastrous? Do explain.”
Making a face at her friend’s mellow expression, she toned down notably, “Well it’ll turn out disastrous because he’s my best friend. If I kiss him, it could lead to him turning me down and our relationship destroyed forever. It could also lead to him actually kissing me back and then shagging me and then treating it like nothing happened when I wake up in the morning. Disaster right there, we could never be best friends again. But it could also lead to us having a relationship and then what if there’s a nasty break-up? No best friend. And if there isn’t…we get happily married and I mean, what is the probability of that happening? And of course the most obvious, he’s already dating someone! Someone who looks ten times better than I do, with a body that would make mine look like a shrivelfig!”
Ginny had managed to say this all so fast that it took her only one breath that she was too busy to trying to catch her breath and quench her thirst to notice April’s expression of wonderment muddled with amusement.
“That is the single most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard Gin! Your body in all its proportions is absolutely divine! All that other other rubbish, which you’ve concluded from one sex dream-”
“It was NOT a sex dream!” she replied loudly, her face flushing horribly to the very roots of her hair as she looked at the sea of faces looking back at her in the coffeshoppe. She could never eat here again, ever.
April patted her hand in the most motherly of fashions and sipped her coffee once more, before going back to the task at hand.
“There there, Gin. You know you’re one of a kind don’t you?” she smiled, after exhaling noisily.
“Mmm, so you’ve said once or twice,” Ginny’s muffled reply came from behind her hands, that were covering her very red face.
“Oh don’t get all sulky on me, it was very cute of you,” hearing no reply she continued on, “Now, sex dream-” Ginny’s face whipped up at that instant, her eyes narrowing,
“or not-”April relinquished with her hands all in surrender, “I’m just asking you to snog him, one kiss, give a little love. I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal,” April went on, waving her hand about before leaning forward on the table. “I mean you’ve know him since you were pre pubescent. A relationship like that can’t be damaged with one measly little kiss.”
Scowling, Ginny played with her water glass, moving it in circular patterns on the table, “That is why I don’t want to ruin anything. He’s known me since all the way back then and he’s stuck by me, even letting me live in his place without question.”
“That is why you’re the luckiest girl here and a little kiss even if romantic or not shows some sort of love, doesn’t it?” April smiled before giving a wink, “Besides, you’ll have reason to,” her eyes casting to the side of the café where there was a couple sharing a kiss and above them, a sprig of mistletoe was hanging in the air.
“Convenient eh?”
Raising her eyebrows, she made a sound of approval, then stopped short and looked back at April. “Mistletoe? It’s Christmas already?”
Finishing off her second cup of coffee, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin and raised her hand to alert the waiter to get her another cup. Turning back her attention to her absent-minded colleague, she sighed exasperatedly, as her cup refilled with freshly brewed coffee instantly.
“Yes Gin, it is. Haven’t you noticed? Lots of snow, multitudes of fairy lights and everlasting icicles? Singing Christmas trees and wood nymphs? All those usual Christmas-y type things?”
When all she got was a blank look, April gave her an incredulous look, “Christ Gin, has Malfoy locked you away in his office for you to never see the sun again? Look around you!”
Gin bit her lip and her feet started to take life of their own as they danced on the spot. “I am looking around! I’m not prepared for Christmas yet! Colin has been busy and well he hasn’t celebrated a proper Christmas in a while...I haven’t thought of what to get for anyone!” Running a hand through her hair she swallowed thickly, “I’ve always been on top of things, my things, and now I’m always on top of Draco’s things.” Rapping her fingers on the table, she made a face and April gave a chuckle.
“Well, you’ve persuaded me Gin, why don’t we take a long lunch in order for you to get on top of your things,” April grinned, placing her sunglasses on leaving money on the table to pay off the bill as well as tip.
Licking her lips, Gin matched her grin and put on her coat. “It’s an emergency after all,” she said innocently as she put on her gloves.
“Oh most definitely,” April chuckled as she led the way out of the coffeshoppe.
----------------------
Just as she was finishing chucking all her shopping bags into her bottom desk drawer, Ginny turned around to find Draco Malfoy standing at the threshold of his office. Giving her best smile, she nodded and turned around, hurriedly taking off her coat and using her wand to hang it up on the coat hangar.
Quickly taking her gloves off with her teeth she threw them into her desk drawer and closed it with her hip before gathering up her files. She was trying to look dreadfully busy, all the while, just looking down at her desk and as such didn’t realise that Draco was standing right in front of her.
After clearing his throat, she stopped what she was doing, which was rearranging the files that she had already managed to rearrange the night before, and looked up. A smile was plastered on her face, so broad she hoped that her lips wouldn’t crack.
Draco’s expression, always poised in fashionable boredom, familiar and comforting, was not there. Instead frown lines creased his forehead and that popular sneer of ye olde Hogwarts was in full gear.
“You were supposed to be here a full three hours ago!” he said with his teeth gritted together. It sounded very controlled and that meant that he was nearing his shouting mark.
Putting down the files, Ginny licked her lips and took a breath, she was not scared of this git, no sir, “W-well, something came up you see-”
“Something came up? What?” he immediately cut her off, wanting an answer in an instant. He was not in the mood, to hear a descriptive composition.
“Personal emergency,” she said clearly, her nose even turning up slightly, well that is at least how she saw herself saying that in her head but instead it came of as a mere mumble and her looking down at her worn shoes. Sniffing, she flicked her fringe off her face and took up files once more.
Draco pretended to strain his ear, “What? I couldn’t hear you? It strangely sounded like ‘personal emergency’.”
“You did,” she replied firmly this time. Growing a little bolder, as she was getting slightly annoyed by how intimidated she felt.
“Well I didn’t know that shopping came under personal emergencies!” his voice had escalated so much that the air crackled slightly and her bottom drawer flew open along with her shopping packages. She was shocked as she watched them sail in the air and spill across the carpeted floor.
His breathing was shallow and as she looked at her packages, he began on his tirade, “There was an important meeting that was supposed to happen here at lunch and you were supposed to get everything ready by then, but was it? No, it fucking wasn’t and you know how much shit we’re in at the moment and you used company time to go fucking shopping? What in blue bloody blazes were you thinking? Do you not value your job?”
That was enough! She had heard more than enough, she was tired, miserable, and damn it she needed some answers before she went crazy. "Do I value my job? You’re asking me what?” She dumped the files on the table, but unfortunately as she did so, they avalanched to the floor, with papers falling out of place.
“I value my job so much so, that I was willing to work, without sleep and food to help you, without any complaint. I put up with all your nonsense and that thing called Marigold. I put up with so much shit here without even a word. I haven’t missed as much as one day of work and you’re making so much noise over four hours that I took to do some shopping for Christmas, which I totally forgot about because I’ve been worrying over this-” Ginny stopped in the middle of her own mini tirade, because she found she was shaking and that she was shouting at her boss about her complaints at work, after she was clearly in the wrong. Oh she was a fired woman.
“You know, I’m not feeling quite myself today, I – I really have to go now,” swallowing thickly, she used her wand to grab all her parcels and pack them neatly before putting her coat on and jamming her gloves on.
“Sorry, Mr. Malfoy,” she mumbled before walking to the lift lobby.
Draco stood there watching her get into the lift with her fiery red hair flying behind her, confused over what had just happened.
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Three hours later…
What he was doing there he’ll never know. The only thing he did know was that he wanted to say something to her, to clear up the afternoon’s …whatever it was. There clearly wasn’t a name for it. None of his secretaries had done what she did. All of them waited till the moment they uttered “I quit.”
Good thing though, was that her things were still on the table.
He didn’t even know what he was going to say. He never did this before, wait a minute, what was he doing? Here he was standing in front of her doorstep with nothing to say. Well that’s a good start. Straightening up, he slicked back his hair, and knocked with a black leather gloved hand.
Draco waited for a moment, before knocking again, growing rather impatient, till he heard the scrabble of the door being unlocked before being flung open.
“Weasley I think you owe me an apology…oh.”
This was interesting.
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A/N: What’s interesting? Well you’ve all got to wait for the next chapter Pas de Quatre. And don’t worry it won’t take forever and a day for it to get out. I had taken an unexpected hiatus from writing due to some real life issues. But I’m back and on track and I hope you’re enjoyed the chapter as much as I did in writing it. I promise that the next chapter won’t take months to come out. I’ve got it planned in my head so people just have to remind me to sit down and get it down. :P
Thanks for reading.