A/N: I'm sorry it took me soooo long to update, but there is a surprise at the end. . .
Chapter 4
It had been three weeks at her new job, and suddenly the owner wanted to see her.
What did that mean? Fired? Promoted? No clue in Hermione's voice as to whether it was good or bad.
Ginny nervously headed up the stairs.
She reached the top of the landing and could see a little waiting room with Pansy Parkinson sitting at the reception desk.
Ginny's eyes widened in shock and hesitated before she walked over to her desk, "Um, I was told the boss wanted to see me."
Pansy just smiled; she realized that Ginny had no clue as to who she was meeting, "I'll let him know you're here."
"Thanks," Ginny replied shyly and took a seat next to the door.
Pansy had opened the door and stuck her head in. All Ginny could here was her say, "Ms. Weasley is here."
Pansy stood for another minute, then pulled her head out and look at Ginny, "You can go in now."
Pansy was smiling, and that made Ginny extremely nervous. Slytherins only had bad reasons to smile, so Ginny feared the worst.
She entered the office with her head down and she heard the door snap shut behind her.
Ginny raised her eyes and to her amazement met sparkling silver orbs. He had that smirk on his face, the one that made everyone he directed it to want to smack it off.
Ginny's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly.
"Hello, Ginevra."
Ginny just stared at him.
"I guess you had no idea that you were working for me did you?"
She just dumbly shook her head.
Draco stood and strode over to her. She seemed nervous at his movement so he stopped about five feet from her.
"What do you want from me," she asked in a pleading voice.
"Time," was all he responded, nothing more.
Ginny's eyebrows unconsciously furrowed in confusion.
"A date, Ginevra. That's all I want."
"Why," she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Because I can't forget you."
Ginny just turned and started out the door. When her hand was on the doorknob, he said in an almost desperate tone, "Meet me there and seven. If you don't show up, I'll leave you be."
She didn't say a word and walked out of the office.
~*~
It was 5:30 and Ginny was sitting at the bar telling Neville about what had happened.
"Well, are you staying until seven to meet him?"
Ginny shrugged and slung another shot back. Neville thought that maybe he needed to quit carrying muggle booze.
"Ginny, if you don't stop you won't be able to do anything."
"Eh, give a sober potion."
Neville sighed and gave her a bottle of the clear liquid.
Ginny gulped it down and slammed her head onto the bar.
Neville grimaced and Ginny said, "Why did this happen to me?"
"Because your landlord cut off your water," Neville said nonchalantly.
Ginny raised her head and glared at him, "What are you, the memory king?"
"Hey, don't take this out on me."
"I thought this was over! I thought that he had just left me alone, and my new job was going great. I'm making good money! I don't want to quit," Ginny wailed and thumped her head back down onto the bar top, "Life just sucks right now!"
Ginny lay like that for an hour.
Neville poked her lightly and said, "Hey, it's 6:45, he'll be here any minute."
Ginny lifted her head off the bar, "Dammit!"
She lifted herself off of the barstool and walked into the hallway.
~*~
When the darkness enveloped her, she sensed him.
He was already there.
She tensed her body, waiting for him to do something. She was half way filled with fear, the other half anticipation.
After a moment, her eyes had slightly adjusted to the dark and she could see him leaning his back against the wall, his legs and arms crossed arrogantly.
"So you came."
"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face. I'm just curious."
The smirk grew to an almost genuine smile, "Can we go somewhere to talk?"
Ginny was definitely taken aback by this question.
He offered her his hand and said, "We'll go have dinner."
Ginny looked from his hand to his eyes.
"Trust me, Ginevra."
~*~
Ginny wasn't sure how she ended up at Giovonni's. It was by far the most expensive restaurant in all of London.
Ginny was wearing new robes that Draco had bought her just mere moments ago because Ginny didn't have dress robes, and that was the dress code.
She was surprised while they were walking down the street when he suddenly opened the door on a little shop that Ginny would've, and couldn't for that matter, never stepped foot in.
"Draco, I can't go in here."
Draco had furrowed his eyebrows at her, "Why not?"
Ginny pointed at a price tag, "This is on sale and it's still more than three months rent on my apartment!"
"That's not an issue."
"Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out four Sickles, "Oh yeah. It's an issue."
He closed her hand over the Sickles and said, "We are on a date, so it is my job to pay for everything, and tonight that includes a wardrobe addition."
So, reluctantly, Ginny spent the next half hour feeling like a princess while she tried on robes for Draco to approve of. He had finally settled on white dress robes that accented her figure well, but modestly.
So, here she was, sitting across from Draco Malfoy, and he was staring at her like he could devour her.
She squirmed in her seat a little, "Quit staring at me like that."
Draco didn't stop, but rather began a conversation, "So, do you trust me?"
"Just a little."
"But not enough?"
Ginny raised her eyebrows, "Enough for what?"
Draco leaned onto the table, "You know."
Ginny's mouth dropped, "Excuse me?"
"I want you to tell me."
Realization dawned on Ginny's face, "Oh, um, no I still don't think I want to."
"Fine, so why did you suddenly come to work for me?"
"Well, first I didn't know that you owned Emerald Enterprises, and second, I have to pay rent somehow."
"Why don't you work for the Daily Spell anymore?"
Ginny scoffed, "I'm just not good enough."
"Do you think you're good enough?"
"Not really."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Well, now there's not because I have a job. It was a problem when I didn't have one."
The waitress came up to the table, "Hello there! How are you? My name is Mandy and I'm your server. What can I get you to drink?"
"Your best red wine," Draco said with superiority.
She nodded and left the table.
"Wine?"
"It's a muggle specialty."
"Muggle? You are actually going to drink something that muggles do?"
"You're forgetting that half of my Enterprise is muggle-based."
"You have changed a lot from when I remember you."
"From when? Back in school? Of course I have changed. The war has changed many people."
Ginny sat looking at him for a few minutes. She hadn't thought about how the war would've affected him. Everyone was affected by the war in someway or another, but some a lot more than others.
Her family was one that was affected a great deal, and of course his was too.
"Ginny, it's okay. I'm fine."
"But-"
"Really, I'm over it. My father deserved his fate. He had put me through hell when he was alive and he was still doing it in his death by leaving all of those sketchy businesses that I have to clean up. The war has changed me for the better."
Ginny gave him a sympathetic smile, "That's great."
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"Yes, how has the war changed you?"
"Well. . . I'm more independent. And I have changed my friends. Most of my old friends died in the battles."
"What about Harry," he asked casually.
Ginny shrugged and looked him straight in the eyes, "What about him?"
"How did he change?"
Ginny scoffed again, "Hell, he was changing before the war broke out."
Draco just sat patiently, waiting for her to continue, but not wanting to push her to where she wouldn't go on.
Ginny was actually feeling very comfortable. She could tell he really had changed. When he smirked at her it was with amusement, not disgust. His father's influence on his opinions had disappeared.
Ginny was about to continue when the waitress came up to the table and placed the wine in a bucket of ice beside the table, "Are you ready to order?"
Draco nodded his head and said, "Yes, I'll have the sauteed sirloin with the red wine and mushroom sauce with a bowl of potato soup and steamed vegetables," Draco said and handed her the menu.
He looked at Ginny and Ginny just stared at the menu. She had no idea what half of this stuff was, so she got the only thing she knew, "Um... I'll just have the kid's maccaroni and cheese."
The waitress looked at her with a funny expression and took the menu.
Ginny looked back at Draco and his eyebrows were raised in shock, "I brought you to the most expensive restaurant and all you get is maccaroni?"
"Well, yeah. I had no clue what the other crap was and I can't survive without maccaroni and cheese."
"Every time I take a girl out to a fancy place, she always gets the lobster."
"Why?"
"Because it's the most expensive thing on the menu."
"Well, I'm not other girls."
He gave a slight imperceptible nod.
"Do... you take a lot of girls out?"
"Not really. You're the first one I've taken out in a long time."
"What about the girl you thought I was that night in the hallway?"
This question made Draco slightly uncomfortable but he masked the emotion expertly, "I was not going to take her out to dinner."
Ginny put a forced smile onto her face, "I see."
"It's not like that."
"Then what is it, Draco?"
He was taken aback by the question and Ginny raised her eyebrows at him to let him know she was waiting for the explanation, "Well, it was for sexual favors, but-"
"But what?"
"I didn't do that all the time. Maybe once or twice a month. And since it was you that I slammed against the wall, I haven't done it. And trust me, I am miserable."
Ginny was definitely surprised and asked, "Why are you miserable?"
"Look, girls and guys are different. Guys basically need sex. Girls can go without it. Well, most girls. So, when I get desperate enough, I meet a woman. And the night that I slammed you against the wall I was desperate and I sure didn't get any sex from you. I haven't been with a woman since then either, and you can't imagine the withdrawal symptoms I'm going through."
"Is that why you brought me here?"
"No, I know you won't have sex with me tonight."
"Then why did you bring me?"
"Because I just wanted to."
Ginny tried to hide her smile and looked down at her glass, "Ok."
"Do you trust me?"
Ginny studied him for a few minutes then replied, "Not entirely."
"Why not?"
"You're the devil," Ginny said with a smirk.
~*~
"What has gotten into you, child," her mother asked desperately.
Ginny was kneeling in front of her fireplace looking at her mother like she wasn't really there.
"First you dye your hair that awful color, then you get wild friends, then you get fired! Now you're going out to dinner with Draco Malfoy!"
Ginny's eyes snapped to attention, "How did you know?"
"The Minister saw you last night! How could you? And he said you were wearing very expensive dress robes! How could you waste your money like that? It's just one robe Ginevra!"
"I didn't buy it mother! He did."
"You took charity from him? You just let him pay for it?"
"Honestly mother, I can never win with you! First you say that I'm wasting my money, then when I tell you I didn't, you yell at me to not take charity! Make up your mind! Just leave me alone and love me no matter what I'm doing! At least I didn't sleep with him!"
Molly's eyes perked up a little bit, "You didn't?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Molly let out a little sigh of relief.
"Mom, I have to go. I'm going to be late for work."
"See you dear," and her head disappeared from the fireplace.
~*~
When Ginny got to work, she had a beautiful bouquet of pink lilies with the accent of baby's breath sitting in the middle of her desk.
Ginny just stood there and let the door snap shut behind her.
Hermione, who had obviously slept at her desk all night, jerked her head up and gasped when she noticed the flowers.
"Wow, Ginny! Who are they from?"
Ginny walked over and took the envelope out of the flowers. She nervously opened it and took the card out; it only had one line:
The Devil.
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed, "Who's that?"
For some reason, Ginny lied, "I don't know. Could be a stupid joke Neville is playing on me," Ginny looked over at Hermione, who had dark circles under her eyes and was in desperate need of a hairbrush, "Did you sleep here?"
She smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I'm just going to go freshen up okay?"
Ginny shook her head in disbelief, "Go ahead."
Ginny walked around her desk and sat down. She looked back at the envelope and realized that something else was in there.
She pulled them out and just stared. It was two tickets to the Romeo and Juliet Opera premiere.
She jumped up and ran to his office. When she got to the little waiting room, Ginny walked right on by Pansy, completely ignoring her, and burst through his door.
Draco whirled around in his chair, obviously startled, but his face shown nothing.
She silently held up the tickets. He glanced at them and raised his eyebrows.
"What are these?"
"Well, they appear to be tickets to an opera premiere."
"I know what they are," she snapped.
"Then why did you ask?"
"Don't start your shit with me! Who are they for?"
"Us," he said like it should have been obvious.
"Us?"
He raised his eyebrows at her again.
"Why?"
"I thought you would like to see it," he said standing up and walking over to her, "but I guess I was wrong," he reached to take them from her.
She snatched them to her chest.
He raised his eyebrows at her again.
I'm going to shave those things off if he does that one more time!
"Well," he asked.
"I. . . want to watch it."
"Then what is the problem?"
"I'm confused."
"About.. . ."
"You," she said simply, not looking him in the face.
He just stared at her for a few seconds and then asked, "Why?"
"What in the bloody hell is the matter with you?"
"Excuse me," Draco said in an almost menacing tone.
"Don't be rude, I asked you a question, Malfoy!"
"So now we're back to Malfoy?"
She just stared at him.
Draco pursed his lips and decided to take a different approach, "What do you mean? All I did was send you flowers and tickets to an opera premiere that I was sure you would enjoy."
"Why?"
Draco put his hands palms up in disbelief, "I just told you!"
Ginny puffed out her breath, "Why do you care to take me or even if I would like it or not?"
Draco put his hands down, "Look have I missed something? What in the bloody hell did I do now?"
"You attacked me! You searched for me! You chased me down the street! You broke into my house! Twice! You hired me!"
Draco raised his finger but Ginny continued, "Do not interrupt me! You buy me very expensive dress robes! You take me out to dinner! And now you're wanting to take me to the opera! That is what you have done, Malfoy!"
He was speechless.
"Well, I didn't hire you, Hermione did. That isn't my fault, and I'm still not sure what you're asking me," Draco said in a forced casual tone.
"This is not the Draco Malfoy I know. The Draco Malfoy I know hates Weasleys, Mudbloods, as you would put it, and poor people."
"We have already had this discussion."
"No we haven't!"
"Yes we have. Over dinner. You told me I had changed. I agreed. I told you that the war had changed many people, including me."
She sucked in an inaudible breath, furrowed her eyebrows, and looked away. Wait, why am I upset again?
"So, will you let me take you?"
Ginny snapped back to attention, "What?"
"Will you let me take you?"
"Where," Ginny asked. She was totally off track now.
"To the opera."
"Fine."
"So I can take you?"
"I said that was fine."
"Ok, I will pick you up tomorrow at five."
"I get off at five."
"Tomorrow, you will get off at 3:30."
"Why?"
"Don't worry about it."
Ginny nodded her head and walked out of the office.
"Sooooo, I'm guessing you're letting him take you," a voice said behind her.
Ginny turned around and looked at Pansy, who had a smirk on her face.
"Yes, why does it matter."
"Well, I was going to tell you that you were stupid if you hadn't"
"Why would I be stupid?"
"Because I have never seen him act like this."
"Like what?"
She rolled her eyes, "You know we have cameras in all of the offices right?"
Ginny nodded, she had known, and seen them. She had just never thought about anyone actually watching her.
"He sits and watches you sometimes. Then he'll get mad and turn the little screen thing off. Saying things. . ." Pansy's voice trailed off.
"What things?"
"Oh, I'll tell you when you're closer to falling in love with him."
Ginny's face contorted in shock, "What?"
"Run along now and get some work done little Weasley. Trust me, I will tell you."
Ginny shut her mouth, nodded and walked off a bit sulkily.
~*~
A/N: sorry if it was long again, like the last time, I had to cut it in half. But I'm making it up to everyone for the long wait. . . SURPRISE I'm adding another chapter today, so review and hit NEXT! (Sorry, I'm a little excited. . .)
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