Chapter One: Flashback via Draco Malfoy
Draco watched as Ginny prepared to fall casually into the barrier at King's Cross Station. He waved at her, his face turning into a frown. She smiled, and blew him a small kiss before disappearing fully into the brick wall. Draco stuck his hands into his pockets and kicked an empty soda can that was lying on the floor. He wouldn't see her until Christmas Holidays. He made his way to the exit of the station slowly, wallowing in his own pity.
They had met on an internship at the same Fashion house, in Diagon Alley that summer. Draco was there to learn how to become the best male model known to wizard kind, even though he already had a smirk that made all women swoon; as well as some men. Ginny was there for a completely different reason, although she had the face of a young freckled angel, and could be the next witch Cindy Crawford. Miss Weasley was bound and determined to create the clothes that were paraded so stylishly down the catwalks. She was good at it too, and was entered into the job by Hermione, who was a close "friend" to the owner of the house, Paul Pearson, one the top names in wizarding fashion. Ginny protested at the beginning, but ended up going, just to please Hermione, and Hermione's fashionable beau.
It was in the beginning of the summer, less than two weeks into their respective jobs that Ginny literally ran into Draco. It was like a pleasing dream to Draco now that he looked back on the situation and the circumstances.
Ginny ran quickly down the hall, her portfolio in one hand, and a cup of coffee for Jody in the other. She was late already, and knew this small transgression could possibly ruin her whole internship. Draco was standing at the front desk, flirting mercilessly with the receptionist, whom was giggling like a schoolgirl at his attentions. Ginny slid around the corner in her mules with surprising agility and balance, not spilling one drop of coffee. She was nearing the reception desk to pick up Jody's mail when Draco decided he had to get back to whatever important modeling business he was about to do about before the young woman sidetracked him. Draco stepped off to the side, and backed away not taking his gray eyes away from the woman. She giggled even harder as Ginny came running into the room, her good fortune with the previous corner wasted. She hit an overly polished spot on the shiny wooden floor, and went on a wild slid across the floorboards, and rammed directly into Draco, spilling the piping hot coffee all over his white shirt. Draco kept his balance and remained standing, although Ginny had been the butt of Gravity's practical joke and fell to the ground, her portfolio flying open the sketches skidding across the floor, some landing in the puddle of hot coffee at Draco's pissed off feet.
"Ahhhhhh! Who ever had the brains to come running in this room with hot coffee and no balance is going to die!" He screamed, brushing his well-manicured hand at his shirt, trying flick off the excess liquid from it.
"Miss Weasley! Just you wait until I tell Jody Murrain what you just did to our rising star! You'll lose your internship over this."
"I-I-I am so sorry! I was trying not to be late and I guess the floor was just polished, and-and-and I slipped! Cruse these stupid arse shoes!" Ginny said, not looking at either person, picking up her sketches and placing them back in her shabby looking leather bound portfolio case.
"Weasley? Well well well, isn't the youngest of them all, Virginia? I didn't know you were into the world of high fashion! I bet your father had to give up his whole pay check last month just for you to get this job!" He laughed at her, not even moving to help her pick up her remaining papers, or offer her a hand from the floor. Ginny sighed deeply, and picked herself up from the floorboards, straightening her skirt gracefully. She recognized the voice all to well.
"Well well well, isn't it Mr. Draco Malfoy? What are you doing here? I only thought that you just walked the catwalk, posed for photographers and went to parties. I didn't know you actually worked!" Ginny replied sarcastically, giving him a death glare.
"Virginia, you do not talk to someone higher than you like that! I can't believe you today, Miss Weasley! First late, and then insulting one of our top models? How dare you! You are just and intern, girls like you come a kunt a dozen," The receptionist said in a huff. Draco preformed a series of charms to dry himself and remove the stain from his shirt.
"Don't worry, Leann, Weasley here and I go way back. I'll handle this. There is no need to call her supervisor in. I'll escort her back to Jody's office myself." Draco replied casually, putting his arm around Ginny's thin shoulders. She looked up at him, giving him dagger eyes.
"No, Mr. Malfoy, she is just an intern, there is no need for you to-"
"Leann, I want to. I need to see Jody for a fitting anyways. A matter of fact that was where I was just heading. Let's go Miss Weasley." Draco said charmingly, making Leann smile and sit back down in her chair. As soon as they rounded the corner, Ginny wriggled herself from Draco's hold.
"Get away from me, Malfoy. Don't you ever come near me again," Ginny said in a hiss, and then continued walking down the hall, pulling the rope for the portal.
"Do you want to keep your internship? If you do, you'll let me make an excuse for you. If not, I'll just tell Jody you ran into me, and then insulted me like it was my fault. And Leann won't hesitate to put in her two kunts in as a witness," Draco replied truthfully, getting inside the portal with Ginny.
"Why do you want to make an excuse for me? You hate my family and me. Why do me a favor to help me keep my job?" Ginny asked.
"Jody Murrain's loft," Draco told the portal. "Because Ginny, you're likely to become the next fresh face designing clothes here at Paul Pearson, and I want to get on your good side so you don't make me wear that lime green suit you have there in your portfolio." Draco smirked, looking at the drawing sticking out of Ginny's folder. She blushed and stuffed the paper back in further, just as they appeared in Jody's loft.
Draco smiled lightly at the memory as he steeped into an abandoned alley outside of Kings Cross and apperated away with a crack.
Ginny sighed as the last first year was sorted into Ravenclaw. Professor Dumbledore stood up, and the students quieted into an awed hush. The Professor replied a short speech, reminding the students of the Forbidden Forest, as well as Hogsmeade. Ginny smiled at the prospect of going to Hogsmeade. She could possibly see Draco that weekend! It seemed the good professor droned on and on, and Ginny's mind began to drift to a not so distant memory of last summer.
Ginny sat at her small desk sketching absentmindedly, when none other than Draco Malfoy portaled into Jody's loft.
"Miss Virginia, we meet again. Working here still, I see, thanks in part to my lovely skills of persuasion and charm." Draco replied, complimenting himself. He walked over to Ginny's desk and leaned on the corner casually.
"I'm afraid Jody is not in right now, but I'm sure if you leave a message with me, she'll send an owl right back." Ginny replied like a recording, not even looking up at Draco.
"Yes, well, tell Jody I want to take her intern out to lunch."
"Excuse me?" Ginny replied throwing down her charcoal pencil.
"You heard me right. I know your not deaf Weasel."
"One question, that I have on my mind here Malfoy. Why are you asking me to lunch? It's clear that, yes I do owe you, but other than that, we should not be associating. I am an intern; you are a model. And besides, you never bothered to talk to me before I came to work here. What to do want from me?" Ginny said disgustedly,
"I don't want you. My other house, Mitchell Monaco, he's heard about you, and he wanted me to extend and invitation to you for this luncheon he's holding for up-and-comings to show their work at." He said.
"Ha, ha. Jody would kill me. Hermione would kill me. She's the one who got me this job in the first place! Besides, it's not like I'm serious about this. Its just musings of a bored teenaged girl." She replied, gesturing to a pile of colorful drawings of outfits for both witches and wizards.
"Do what you want, it's your career in the balance. It's Saturday afternoon, 1:30 at The Glass Wall Café. Paul Pearson has no place for an innovative young girl like you. That's why I'm dumping his contract whenever it's up in two months. I advise you to get out while you still can. Find a new, fresh label, for a new fresh girl." He replied, and quickly exited the room and turned down the hall. Jody came in just as he was leaving.
"Ginny, what did Draco Malfoy want?" Jody replied, her arms full of folded garments.
"Nothing, he had no message." She replied somewhat dreamily as she put her drawings away and walked over to help Jody dress the mannequins in the new designs just in from the seamstresses.
Colin Creevy, who was waving his hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention, snapped Ginny back to reality.
"Ginny…Ginny? What's the matter with you today, first you were all spacey on the train, now you're not even eating? Is there something you would like to tell me?" Colin asked, worry thick in his voice.
"I'm fine Colin, really. I just have a lot on my mind lately, you know, it being our seventh year, and all." Ginny smiled softly, reassuring him. She placed some food on her plate and began to eat.
"Really, Ginny, you look lost, lonely, or both. Do you need someone to talk to? Is it about Eammon, because I can talk to him for you-" He replied, putting his hand on top of Ginny's.
"Colin, I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me. Besides, I'm the one who broke up with him. I don't want him back." Ginny moved her hand out from under his and ate a fork full of chicken potpie.