Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Two:

Fred perched his arse at the corner of her desk and glanced down at her. "You comin' over for dinner tonight? Angelina's making your favorite!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and stood up. Walking around him, she reached for the tan folder on top of the file cabinet labeled 'Fun Explosions'. "Smooth," she said, commenting on his non-subtle change in topic.

He ignored her. "Well?"

"Can't. I have a date."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh, right." He paused and took a breath, his mouth dropping open and closed as he tried to think of something to say. Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he attempted to make conversation on the subject. "With that Brian guy, right?"

A `where-were-you-when-that-was-over' look crossed her face. "He broke up with me, remember? It's that James guy now."

Fred nodded, looking down at her with a quizzical expression, and Ginny couldn't help but think if he had glasses his appearance would be complete.

"Why is it always the guys that break up with you? I'm beginning to worry about my gender. What's wrong with them?"

Ginny snorted with half-hearted laughter and plopped back down into her chair, letting the tan envelope slap against her desk. She stretched her neck, left, right, and then slipped off her shoes, relishing in the feel of the cheap gray carpet itch-rubbing her feet. "More like, what's wrong with me?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh bollocks, Ginny, there's nothing wrong with you." He gave her a skeptical look. "You aren't fishing for compliments are you?"

"No and why don't you tell Eric and Brad that there's nothing wrong with me. Maybe one will come back to me." She paused for the dramatic effect. "Oh wait, they're together now. As in, I turned them gay!"

Fred tried unsuccessfully to cover his choked laughter by doing fake stretches, twisting at the waist, and then bending to touch his toes, before snapping back up to roll his shoulders. "That was-"

Ginny nodded, her lips pursed in disapproval. "Crazy?" She supplied drolly.

Fred let out a shout of laughter. "Yeah, that was definitely my first time seeing that! At least Malfoy gave you a raise right after. Besides Gin, I'm not entirely sure you can turn someone gay, or anyone else for that matter. You either are or you aren't," he said, offering her support but failing miserably.

There really was no point in denying the hilarity of the situation. "That raise happened to be the only good thing that happened to me that month, which I was very surprised by."

The seriousness of the atmosphere surrounding Fred happened so quickly, that Ginny almost felt he was suffering from a personality disorder. "You know why he did it, don't you?" Fred asked curiously, leaning towards her.

"Oh, do tell, mister know it all," Ginny said wiggling her eyebrows at what Fred thought was going to be a pretty big scoop from the expression on his face and his hushed tone.

"He's got a soft spot for you. For whatever reason, I don't know." He shrugged. "He's sweet on you Gin, has been for awhile."

Ginny snorted in disgusted disbelief. "Oh please, I just ate lunch. I'm really not in the mood to lose it," Ginny said, and then paused. "Wait, if I lost it, then this blasted computer would short circuit. If only people wanted to go to the old way of Owling messages again." She turned to Fred. "Quick. Say something to make me blow chunks so I can break this thing."

"That is just disgusting and it's called `e-mailing.' You are working on what's going to be the future of the wizarding world. Get used to it. End of story."

"I'll get used to it, but I won't like it. I won't ever like it. It's like someone's constantly poking a wand into my eye. It's dreadfully painful. Who could ever learn to like that?"

Fred heaved an irritated sigh. "I'll never understand why you just don't quit. It's obvious you aren't happy here. You don't have to stay for your brothers anymore."

She gave a light hearted grin, wanting to make him feel better. She really needed to stop complaining so much. "Didn't you know? I'm using you for your money!"

"Haha, very funny."

No, seriously…

"Haven't you heard? Money walks and talks, hell it even has it's own personality when it comes to buying my own paint studio. It's kind of a necessity, ya know?" Ginny said. "Money has it's own postal code, has it's own-"

His expression softened. "You'll do it, Gin, one day."

Ginny gave him a grateful smile, but refrained in giving him the giant bear hug she wanted to give him. Instead she tilted her chin sideways, her eyes glazed with dreaminess at the idea of owning her own studio. "You're too right. One of these days I'll be able to afford a real art studio." Her eyes widened with hope and she bounced up and down in her chair. "Maybe in Tuscan. I've heard the beauty never lets up there, that it's a place where old things are considered a thing of magic." Ginny laughed and bit her lip. "I really would like to go there."

"Keep dreaming, Weasley!"

Ginny stiffened in outrage as soon as the foul voice registered and growled at the curt, slightly hurtful comment. Draco Malfoy was a supreme being of arseholery. If there was an award, he'd win it, hands down.

"Get bent and die, Malfoy." Ginny growled with a ferocity that sometimes took her by surprise when it was directed at him. Maybe it had to do with knowing he wouldn't fire her for that little insult or perhaps it was something she didn't even want to contemplate. Something Fred had hinted on.

He made an inappropriate kissing noise in her direction. "Love you too, Weasley."

Ginny smiled, folding her hands lady like in front of her and tilting her head sweetly to the side. "Yes, well, I love you…" Her voice was gentle and Ginny couldn't help but notice the raise in Malfoy's eyebrow before she really let him have it. "Like I love a hangover!"

He blinked, but the comment wasn't up to par to render him speechless. That ready, semi-fast smirk that made his silvery gray eyes sharpen with challenge and her own stomach clench with something she was just going to ignore focused in on her. As one arm crossed over his chest, the other rested on the top of it, his fingers scratching his chin. "Nice." He gave her what she considered a sarcastic applause. What a douche bag.

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