Unofficial Portkey Archive

Keep It Unclean

Chapter Three

'Do you have an appointment?'

Ginny heaved a sigh and gave the secretary a withering look. 'If I had an appointment do you think I would be asking to see Mr Malfoy? Surely if I had an appointment then I would have mentioned it when I first came in.'

'I'm afraid you can't see Mr Malfoy without an appointment,' the secretary beamed confidently. 'What we can do is arrange one for a future date…'

'I don't think you're grasping this,' Ginny interrupted irritably, 'but if I'd wanted to see Mr Malfoy tomorrow then I wouldn't be here now.'

The secretary decided not to hear Ginny's remark and opened a large book entitled Appointments. 'Mr Malfoy has an opening two weeks from now. Would you like me to pencil you in?'

'Two weeks?! Merlin!'

'Indeed. Mr Malfoy is a very busy man,' she continued with rehearsed patience. 'Name?'

Okay, Ginny thought, so this wasn't panning out as she'd envisioned. She hadn't planned for an anally retentive secretary who resembled a frog or Malfoy actually being popular. In her mind this whole process had been a whole lot simpler. It had been decided that Ginny should approach Malfoy whilst he was at work - public therefore safe - and outline her proposition. Simple. However there were some crucial things Ginny had forgotten about Malfoy's place of work. Firstly there was the fact that he was a partner in a company that was involved in the development of industrial and security charms. The business was called Safetex and they were the sole producers of the new magical home security system that discharged potions at intruders, paralysing them before they could even get their foot inside the door. This meant that Malfoy was in huge demand; something that made Ginny wonder what the world was coming to.

It hadn't been difficult to locate the Safetex building as it was one of the largest on Diagon Alley. Ginny had risen early in order to get a head start on the day but upon arriving had seen that she had not been early enough. The whole place was buzzing with a vibrant activity. People were running from one corner of the building to the other, opening doors, delivering messages and so forth. It was an overwhelming sight to behold. Unlike locating the building, it had been more complicated to find where Malfoy's office was. At first she was directed to the front desk and then to the fourth floor. From there she was told she was supposed to be on the seventh floor and that his office was to the left side of the building. Suffice to say it was most certainly on the right. It took her a grand total of twenty minutes to find out where she was supposed to be.

When she eventually found her destination, she'd been down hearted to be confronted with a stark entrance room with one other door and a smile-happy secretary. She had mentally prepared herself for the worst.

'Look,' Ginny said with a tight smile, 'I'd really like to see Mr Malfoy today. I realise you must hear this all the time but isn't there some time you could squeeze me in?'

'No, sorry.'

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and considered her options. It had been such a silly idea to begin with but she'd convinced herself that Malfoy was the best candidate she would be able to find. Of course there was the fact that they disliked each other to overcome, but who didn't have their problems? At least they knew one another. Vaguely. It wouldn't be as awkward as talking to a complete stranger and Malfoy definitely had plenty to say. Basically she'd convinced herself that it was her only option - desperate times call for desperate measures. Now though she was beginning to think that her book was fated to go unread. Two weeks without progress meant that she'd be delaying the inevitable. She'd be forced to become gainfully employed.

Opening her eyes she realised that the secretary was looking at her quizzically. Obviously she'd been expecting something different too.

'Is it urgent that you see Mr Malfoy today?'

'Well…'Ginny frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her, 'it is actually.'

The secretary gave her an encouraging look. 'Maybe if you told me the nature of the emergency then I'd be able to see whether I could shuffle some appointments around today…?'

'Oh right,' she said anxiously. 'Erm…I'm…'

'Yes?'

Ginny chewed on her lip, her mind racing for a suitable scenario. 'I…I think I might be carrying his child.'

It was fair to say that this statement had the desired affect. The secretary's mouth fell open in shock and she started to frantically flip through the appointment book, muttering sympathetic congratulations. Ginny didn't like to think of herself as deceptive but this was definitely crossing the white lie mark. How on earth was she going to pull this one off? The thought of an immaculate conception made her snort with contained laughter. Merlin, it would be funny to see the look on Malfoy's face when he heard that she was expecting his child!

'Weasley?'

Bugger.

Ginny turned with a forced smile. 'Malfoy.'

Draco was standing at the entrance to his office, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe and regarding her with curiosity. She could be mistaken but it looked as though he was amused. There was a crease at the corner of his mouth suggesting a smile and his eyes seemed light and merry. He was wearing a large woolly grey jumper pushed up to the elbows and a pair of black trousers. It struck Ginny that he looked out of place, almost as if he were too big for the room itself. The jumper certainly didn't lend itself to a business-like image. It whispered to be touched, stroked, cuddled. She shook herself of the thought quickly and concentrated on not blushing.

'Mr Malfoy?' the receptionist asked hesitantly, unsure whether she should interrupt the big announcement.

'It's alright Phyllis,' Draco said turning his attention to his secretary. 'Miss Weasley was just leaving.'

'Hang on a second,' Ginny said taking a step towards him. 'I was wondering whether I could speak to you briefly about a business proposition I have.'

'Then you make an appointment,' Draco said coldly, 'just like everybody else.'

'I realise that you have very little time…'

'Especially for delusional witches who tell everyone I've impregnated them in order to get what they want,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Original, I'll give you that, but not the right way to go about things.'

'Oh…' she muttered guiltily, 'I was hoping you hadn't heard that.'

Draco gave her a weary look. 'As much as I enjoy watching you make a fool out of yourself, I'm a very busy man and your little show has disrupted my work. Now please remove yourself from the premises before I have to get someone to do it for you.'

'But you haven't even heard what I've got to say!' Ginny stamped her foot in frustration. 'Aren't you in the least bit curious as to what I'm doing here?'

'Weasley, I don't know why you're here and, more to the point, I don't actually care.'

Ginny shifted her bag on her shoulder and squared her shoulders defiantly. 'Then I guess I'll just have to stay here until you change your mind.'

Draco shrugged slightly and retreated back into his office, slamming the door behind him. Ginny looked at Phyllis, who was silently enjoying the whole scene, and seated herself on one of the chairs made available for people waiting. There was no she was leaving without getting her way. It didn't matter if she had to wait here all night. Malfoy was not going to get the better of her.

'How thin are these walls?' she enquired sweetly. 'They look fairly flimsy.'

Phyllis pretended not to hear Ginny (again) and pulled out a paperback and a sandwich from her drawer. From what Ginny could see the sandwich was some kind of cheese and when her eyes scanned the book she was shocked to see a copy of I Want To Spoon You by B. A. Sheep.

'Is that any good?' she asked hesitantly, afraid that the answer might be a resounding affirmative.

'Oh yes,' Phyllis said enthusiastically, 'I adore it! One of his best.'

'His?'

'Yes. Barry America Sheep. I must have read all of his books and this one is beyond doubt his greatest work so far.'

'America…' Ginny repeated with a frown. 'That's certainly a name to remember.'

'Of course he hardly ever gets the critical acclaim he deserves,' she said in a manner that implied it was futile to argue, 'but isn't that the case with most good writers?'

Oh Merlin, Ginny thought, I've set her off! If there was one thing in life that Ginny hated most then it was the ramblings of a fanatic. These were the people who were ever so slightly unhinged. They were irrational and wouldn't listen to anything that contradicted their beloved obsession. Phyllis obviously had a passion for romantic literature. America! Ginny wished she could laugh but didn't want to add insult to the injury she'd already caused by lying.

'It's all about this man who gives up everything in the name of love. At the beginning Jock - that's his name you see - well he's living a nomadic life on the side of a mountain. He was orphaned as a child and was never able to really connect with anyone emotionally. Anyway one day he has to go down from the mountain to get medicine for his dog, Hector. This dog is the only friend he's had his entire life and it's all a bit tense. However when he reaches the town he finds himself a social leper. No one is willing to help him. Eventually he meets Evelyn, a gorgeous Irish vet who wins his heart. In order to save the dog they have to travel north through horrendous weather…'

'Where do the spoons come into it?' asked Ginny with genuine curiosity.

'Oh well,' Phyllis confided, 'it's more a metaphor for the constraints of our so-called civilisation.'

'How so?'

Phyllis seemed troubled by the question. Her face began to crease in alarming ways, making her appear more toad-like than before. 'Well it's obvious isn't it?'

'No…not really. I can't see that a spoon can represent civilisation in anyway.'

Suddenly the side door burst open revealing a tense looking Draco. His eyes flicked from one irritating female to the other. It looked as if he was struggling to maintain his composure. 'Weasley,' he said motioning for her to come in. Ginny jumped off her chair and quickly scooted into his office before he changed his mind.

'Infernal books,' Draco muttered as he walked round his desk and took his seat. 'I swear that book is killing her brain cells.'

Looking around Ginny regarded the basic layout of the room. There was very little furniture; a desk, two chairs and a bookshelf. The walls were a steel coloured grey which matched the plain tiled flooring. There was nothing comfortable or inviting about the room just a sense of inadequacy given off by its resident.

'Not all books are bad,' Ginny said finally. 'They can't help it that people take them too seriously.'

It took her a couple of minutes to realise that Draco was watching her intently, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen. He motioned to the chair in front of him and she seated herself promptly. 'What is it you want Weasley?' he asked curtly. 'Make it snappy.'

'I know that me being here must be something of a shock for you…'

'It takes a lot to shock me Weasley. You're presence here merely says that you're desperate enough to put aside your pride, honour and such other noble things,' he leant back in his chair and crossed his arms. 'I must confess to being curious as to your proposition.'

'Right,' Ginny slid her bag off her shoulder and let it drop to the floor. 'Maybe I should begin by telling you why I'm here.'

'That's often the best place to start.'

Ginny took a deep breath and reminded herself that this wasn't the worst thing in the world. In comparison to death, for example, this was a walk in the park. 'For the past year I've been writing a book that comments on the relationship between men and women. My belief was that people would want to read about perfect emotions. Emotions that are straightforward and that don't deviate from the original feeling. So I constructed the ideal man and woman. However my publisher believed my characters to be too idealised. He wanted something a little less…clean, shall we say. That left me in a quandary. It's difficult to see things from another persons perspective when you're so focussed on one thing. I decided that the best way to write more realistic characters would be to ask other people to help. In fact that's what I was in the process of doing last night when we…bumped into each other. You said some things that interested me and I was wondering whether you'd be able to expand on your theories.'

'You want me to help you make your book better?'

'Not better,' Ginny said tensely, 'just more universally acceptable.'

'Let me get this straight,' he mused gently. 'You're asking me for help because of what I said last night? It must certainly be pressing for you to ask me.'

Ginny looked down at the floor and tried not to look too ashamed. 'I need the money.'

The room went silent. Draco regarded her for several seconds before picking up his quill and resuming his work. 'If I did help you what would I get out of this arrangement?' Draco asked with an amused sneer. 'I already have everything I need.'

'Obviously I'm not expecting something for nothing,' Ginny said with as much restraint as she could muster. 'What I'm offering is a trade of services. If you are willing to spare the time to acquaint me with your theories on relationships, then I will certainly give you the same amount of my time in chores of some kind.'

With a snort of amusement, Draco leant his elbows on the desk and regarded her coldly. 'And what services are you offering to me?'

Ginny blushed at what was being implied by his question and averted her eyes to the floor. 'I'm offering any service within reason.'

'What are the boundaries of this "reason"?'

'Anything involving public humiliation, sexual favours and excretion.'

'Damn, that spoils all my fun,' he said coldly.

Silence reigned in the small office. It was the kind of silence that breeds awkward looks and coughing - anything to break the tension. Ginny didn't want to appear rude (that would spoil her chances) but she was finding it very hard to sit still. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, desperately trying not to look directly at Draco in case he should catch her observing him. He seemed deep in thought, gazing into the middle distance and tapping his fingers wearily against the surface of his desk. If someone didn't speak soon then she was going to wear a hole in her seat.

'Erm,' she squeaked unsurely, 'What do you think then?'

His eyes flicked to her sharply, cold and unfeeling. 'Anyone would think you were anxious, Weasley. I will tell you what I think when and if I'm ready.'

'Oh. Okay.'

With downcast eyes she noticed that there was a small stain on the hem of her skirt. Her nose wrinkled at the sight of it. Wasn't it always the case that best clothing was ultimately made to be covered in stains, wrinkles and dog hair? The harder she tried to avoid damaging her clothing the more dilapidated it became. She reached down into her bag and withdrew her wand. Then she smoothed out the area with a finger and pulled the material taut. With a touch of her wand the stain disappeared into the texture of the skirt. Perfect, she thought with a triumphant smile. As she placed her wand back in her bag she noticed that Draco was still in a world of his own, gazing out the window. She yawned loudly, placing a hand over her mouth. and checked her watch for the time. Almost lunch time.

'It occurs to me that there might be something to gain from this. I will consent to re-educate your puny mind if you will do odd jobs amounting to double the time I give you,' he said picking up a pen from his desk and proceeding to continue with his signings. 'That's my only offer.'

'What?!' she screeched disbelievingly. 'Double time? I don't really think that's fair!'

'Life isn't fair Weasley. We learn to live with it because there's no other choice.'

Ginny ground her teeth and glared at the top of Draco's head. 'You're insufferable.'

He looked up from his papers and smiled slightly. 'Do you want my help or not?'

'Fine,' she said tightly. 'When do I start?'

'Tomorrow. Nine o'clock.'