Reviews are always welcome! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Ginny sighed and patted down her hair, she had been hunting down witches and wizards living in the muggle world all day. She was giving out notices for a large upcoming wizarding event organized by St. Mungo's. It was a charity event for sick children and anyone was welcome.
She had been working for hours, willing herself from one place to the next and finally, long after her usual work hours ended, she was at the last envelope. She fell back against a bench in the middle of a small park. The sun was warm and it made her uncomfortable. She regretted wearing four-inch heels and a tight, black pencil skirt. She did admit that she looked foxy and the skirt did show off her feminine curves, but if she had to spend another minute in the sun with her current attire, she was going to faint.
She lifted the envelope from her purse and read the name. Draco Malfoy. She sputtered and coughed, causing a few people to send curious glances in her direction. She hadn't heard his name in four years. Not since she'd gotten out of Hogwarts. She stared at the address and clenched her jaw.
The last thing Ginny Weasley wanted to do was spend her Friday afternoon talking with Draco Malfoy. But in order for her abnormally long work day to be over she had to. He had taunted her family mercilessly for as long as she could remember. He was an arse as a child and she was glad they had kicked him out of the wizarding world. He deserved it.
She stood slowly from her spot on the bench and fixed her sunglasses on her nose. The air was flat and hot, and the thought of having to face her family's enemy was making it hard to breathe. She sighed and walked towards a small coffee shop across the street. Once inside she found a table out of the sun and opened the letter.
Draco's elegant handwriting was scrawled across the page, explaining that he wouldn't be home when St. Mungo's sent their representative. But that the individual could apparate in and make themselves at home until he was. He apologized for any inconveniences and he signed off with his address.
Ginny stood slowly and straightened herself out, she had to get this over with. For the tenth time that day she stepped into a small bathroom, checked for any signs of life and apparated away. Her surroundings twisted and spun until she landed unsteadily on her feet in a cozy apartment.
There was no sign of a woman's touch anywhere. There was a basket of unfolded clothes on the floor next to a dark, leather sofa and a small pile of uncleaned dishes in his sink.
Ginny sighed and stepped out of her heels. The apartment was nice, bright and basically made of glass. She looked out one of the windows over a small city. It looked like a nice enough place to live. She rested herself against the leather sofa and looked around, feeling herself get comfortable in the cool air.
She felt her head slide down the couch as the exhaustion of the long day got to her tired mind. Ginny drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and comfortable.
Ginny was awoken by hot breath on her face. She was rested along the couch, staring down the long snout of a large dog. She jumped up and fell over the back of the sofa with a loud bang.
Ginny let out a soft laugh as the dog checked her over concernedly and licked her face. A moment later Draco burst into the room to find her sprawled across the floor, kicking and screaming with laughter as the dog licked her and tickled her.
She watched as he leaned against the door frame and smirked.
"Malfoy!" She reached towards him, trying to hide her fits of giggles as the dog continued to play with her.
"Rex, here." He instructed and the dog jumped up happily and bounded at his owner.
She stood slowly and smoothed down her hair, trying to rid herself of the dogs saliva. She watched as Draco threw a toy into the room he had emerged from and closed the door quickly when Rex disappeared inside.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked, turning on an electric kettle.
Ginny blushed and nodded. She felt herself being drawn in to the many electrical appliances in his kitchen. He was watching her curiously as she inspected it all. She hadn't been exposed to many muggle items, but it must have been her father in her that excited her every time she saw them.
When the kettle beeped loudly she jumped away instinctively and looked at Draco in shock. He was holding back a laugh.
"Do you want some tea or something to eat?" He asked, walking towards the steaming kettle calmly.
She was about to object when her stomach growled loudly. He laughed at her blushing face once again and pointed down the hall towards a closed door. "That's the loo, Weasley, get cleaned up and I'll take you out to eat."
She felt her hot temper rise as he bossed her around. She wasn't going to let some ferret tell her what to do. She was about to curse him to the high heavens when a photograph on his refrigerator distracted her. It was an unmoving picture of a group of small children, each with a bright smile plastered on their face in matching white and black uniforms. A few of the children had strangely shaped wooden sticks and others had large brown gloves.
Crouched in the middle of the group was Malfoy, his perfect smile was genuine and it made her heart feel warm.
"What's this?" She asked, looking over to where he was standing and drinking his coffee.
He followed her eyes and walked over to where she was standing. "It's the Kindergarten class I work with." Upon noticing her confused face, he continued. "I teach them in the mornings and play baseball with them for an hour in the afternoon, it's nothing much."
She nodded, still not sure what 'kindergarten' meant. "So, you're a professor?"
"Sort of." He smiled at the picture. "It's a bit more simple than that, though."
"I see." Ginny's stomach growled again and Draco scowled.
"Go get ready, before it gets dark." He pushed her softly in the direction of his bathroom.
She could only oblige, her tired and confused state would make it difficult for her to apparate back to her apartment without splicing.
She stepped into the bathroom and looked around in awe. The room was beautiful and far out of her financial reach. She turned around taking it all in. The bath and floor was marble and the room was bright and just as welcoming as the rest of the place.
Ginny stopped herself from going any further in her head. She was admiring a washroom. She stepped into the large well-lighted mirror and rolled her eyes. Of course Draco Malfoy would have a mirror bigger than himself. She pulled out her wand and cast a few cleaning charms on herself. Freshening her warm and stuffy body before applying a small amount of make-up and fixing her fuzzy hair back to the way it had been earlier that day.
She twirled and watched as the soft, shiny curls cascaded down her back. She smiled at her reflection and returned to Malfoy. He was wearing a casual t-shirt and the same strange hat that he wore in the picture with the kindergarten children.
He picked up a ring of keys and led her to the door, he was being rather polite for a Malfoy. Ginny followed him down a long fancy hallway to an elevator. She had finally found something that existed in both worlds.
She sighed as the elevator went down. Her eyes kept searching out Malfoy's presence. He was taller than he had been in school, and his skin had turned a shade darker. His platinum blonde hair was shorter, but it still whipped out beneath his hat. She found that she liked this new look. He was more handsome now, without his hair pulled back with tons of gel.
She blushed when he caught her staring and quickly looked away. She was acting like a school girl again and it was making her angry. No man had ever made Ginny Weasley feel so young. She was supposed to act like the foxy twenty year-old woman she was. Rather than the shy, innocent girl she had been.
She was pleased to find his eyes dropping to her petite figure. She was not the only one surprised by how much the other had changed.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, breaking the long silence. "You look nice, Weasley."
She blushed against her will. She wasn't going to be won by Draco Malfoy, there was no way. "You've filled out a bit too, Malfoy. You don't look as much like a ferret anymore."
Within seconds he had her pressed against the elevator wall. She stared him down, judging his every move. He didn't scare her, she knew he wouldn't do anything too stupid. He should have already learned his lesson.
"Someone can't take a compliment." She hissed sarcastically.
He still said nothing, no doubt having some sort of inward battle with himself. She WAS the one with the wand in this situation, after all.
"Don't call me ferret." He finally growled.
She quite liked the sound of his voice when he was angry, it suited him. Deep and husky. She felt his grip loosen and watched as he made his way to the other side of the elevator just as the doors opened.
She sighed and followed after him. "So you're still holding grudges?" She asked innocently.
"No. It's just.." She watched as a blush spread across his cheeks. "I'd rather not remember that particular part of my past."
She giggled and stepped through the door he was holding, the people around them waved and greeted Malfoy with smiles. She watched curiously as he smiled at them and greeted them kindly. He wasn't the same boy she had once known, who would rather spit on a muggle than interact with them.
She followed him to a large grey muggle vehicle. She only knew that much because of the small car her father had once hidden in their tiny shed at the Burrow. She approached the vehicle cautiously.
Malfoy rolled his eyes at her and opened the door, expecting her to get in. She eyed him speculatively and scowled when he put his hands on her waist and placed her on the soft seat.
"What is this thing called?" She asked, looking around. It was much different than the one her father had.
"It's called a truck, Weasley. It won't kill you, so calm down." He reached around her and pulled an uncomfortable strap across her chest.
"What are you doing?" She inquired.
He sighed, but seemed to understand where she was coming from."Putting on your seat belt."
"Why?" She watched as a smile crossed his face.
"So you don't die, Weasley." He paused for a moment. "Although there is no real guarantee."
Ginny tensed and glared at him, but he only laughed and closed the door before going to the other side and opening his own. He got in without caution and settled in. He looked at home in the muggle contraption.
She watched as he inserted one of the keys on his key chain into a strange hole and the object began making loud noises. She felt like jumping out and running anywhere away from the truck. Draco was watching her, amusement apparent in his eyes.
"It's not that bad, Weasley." He laughed. "Relax."
She watched as he backed the truck out of the lot with ease and turned onto a long stretch of paved road. The longer she sat there the less scary it was and after they reached an open stretch of road without houses or buildings Malfoy rolled down the windows. Ginny was hesitant, she didn't really like the way the wind was pulling her hair about.
She glanced at Malfoy, there was a peaceful smile on his face. One of his hands hung lazily out the window while the other steered the truck. She gathered her courage and wiggled the tips of her fingers in the wind. It felt nice in the summer heat.
She pushed her whole hand out of the window and giggled, subconsciously turning to Malfoy, who gave her a warm smile, encouraging her to continue. She liked the way the wind pushed against her hand. She made a wave with her hand, enjoying the freedom and excitement she felt. Finally, without letting her conscience hold her back, she stuck her head out the window, letting the wind take her long red hair and pull it out of her face.
It was such a rush. She'd never had so much fun in all of her life. She pulled herself back into the truck and turned to look at Malfoy, her hair was blowing about her face. He was smiling wide, showing all of his perfectly white teeth.
"Draco, this is so fun!" She was nearly bouncing in her seat. "I didn't know that these sorts of things existed."
Malfoy stared at her in shock. She was confused at first but quickly caught on. She hoped he didn't think she had lost it or something. "I- I mean, Malfoy."
He looked back at the road. "You can call me Draco." He said seriously. "I liked it."
She nodded, but made a mental note to not say anything that involved his name. She let her hand dance outside of the window again and didn't fight it when a peaceful smile that matched Draco's fell across her face.
She sat up as the truck came to a stop in front of a cozy looking restaurant. She reached down and fumbled with the small clip holding her belt in place. Draco laughed beside her and hopped out, making his way to the other side of the truck. She watched him as he casually unclipped the belt and helped her down from the truck.
She walked beside him to the doors and thanked him as he held one open for her. Draco Malfoy had always been anything but a gentleman and she silently thanked whomever it was who taught him so well.
He led her to a table at the very corner of the room, furthest away from everyone else there. She watched as he slipped into the seat across from her and took off his hat. He looked better with it off. She smiled as he tried to flatten down the unruly hair that whipped about.
"So how's the Golden Trio doing?" He asked, breaking the silence and making Ginny jump.
"Well, Hermione is working at St Mungo's, her and Fred got married last year and she's nearly due with her first child." Ginny said, not sure if she should be telling him any of this but not really caring. " And Ron is working as an auror in Romania."
"What about Potter?" He asked innocently.
Ginny felt heat rise into her cheeks. "I could care less where that prat is." She growled.
Draco tried to hide it but there was a smirk forming across his face and it made Ginny angry. She was about to tell him to sod off but was interrupted by a pretty waitress.
"What can I get for you." She asked in a cutesy, girly voice.
Ginny smiled up at the girl and found her staring at Malfoy, she cleared her throat softly to catch the girls attention and failed. She listened as
Draco ordered a large plate of chips and a burger before turning to her.
"What would you like, Ginny." She blushed upon hearing her name.
"Just a small plate of chips and gravy." She said softly.
The girl glared at her as she wrote out the order and walked off.
"So you guys finally found out Saint Potter wasn't everything you thought he was?" Draco smiled across the table at her and she attempted to kick him in his shins.
"You're the last one I want to hear that from." She growled, crossing her arms over her chest.
Six months earlier Ginny had come home early exhausted and not feeling well, only to find Harry in bed with some random blonde girl he'd met at his quidditch practice. He'd sworn to her that he was imperio'd by a crazed fan. She believed him, and was faced with the same scene again only a few weeks later with the same girl.
She had been devastated, the boy she wanted to marry and be with forever turned out to be a filthy, cheating git. She had left him and not heard a word from him for three months until he turned up on her doorstep.
He was engaged to be married, his girlfriend was pregnant and he wanted her to go to their wedding. She slammed the door in his face and watched as all the other Weasley's went off to give him their best wishes.
All of the Weasley's except for George, who stayed and hugged her while she cried.
But there was no way she was telling Draco any of that.
Draco stared at her from across the table, and smiled at her. "I was only joking Ginny." Her name rolled off of his lips naturally and it made her shiver. "You don't have to make such a scary face."
Ginny dropped the topic and stared him down. "What about you, Mr. Malfoy, don't you have someone you love?"
He scratched the back of his head and laughed softly. "No, not yet. I don't usually get out too much."
She looked at him speculatively. "I didn't expect that from you, Draco."
She watched as he perked up at the sound of his name and grinned at her. He looked younger when he smiled, and she noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She couldn't help but stare at how perfect he was.
"Neither did I at first, " he looked out the window at the passing cars. "I got a few jobs to keep my mind off of everything and eventually I was too wiped to just go out partying all night."
She nodded but found herself questioning him again. "What are you trying to keep your mind off of?"
He sighed and crossed his fingers, focusing on them intently. "The war and everything, everyone hated my family. My father was put in Azkaban for life and my mother was put in St. Mungo's for trying to kill herself. Everywhere I went people whispered and cursed at me." He paused for a moment, as if dispelling bad memories. "I just wanted to disappear."
She was on the edge of her seat, she didn't know it was so difficult.
He continued, his eyes glossed over. "I came here and settled in, made a few close friends and caught up on some muggle heritage and as it turns out, they aren't that bad. I got a few jobs working at the middle school with the Kindergarten class, volunteering with the baseball team, and construction on the weekends." He smiled at his hands. "So far it's all going good."
"You work in construction on the weekend?" She was shocked, she could barely handle her job on a normal five day week.
"How do you think I got this tan?" He asked, striking a modelling pose and showing off his sharp features.
The waitress girl returned and placed their food in front of them. Ginny hadn't realized how hungry she was until she caught the scent of Draco's burger. The girl lingered a moment longer than she should have before walking away and Ginny noticed a small piece of paper tucked beneath Draco's plate.
She grinned devilishly at the man sitting across from her. "You have fans everywhere, don't you?"
He looked at her confusedly before noticing the paper. She watched as a blush formed on his cheeks.
"Usually they're too shy to make a move." He said and pocketed the paper.
"Are you going to call her?" Ginny asked excitedly.
He shook his head and took a large bite from his burger.
"What?! Why not? She obviously likes you!" Ginny was nibbling on her food.
"I don't like her, though." He said bluntly.
"You've got to give people a chance, Draco." She smiled at him, blushing when his eyes lingered on her face.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." He took another bite of his burger.
She sighed and they finished their meal in silence. Each sneaking glances at the other when they thought they weren't looking. The sun was just a lump on the horizon when they finished, the sky had turned beautiful shades of orange and pink.
Draco waved down the waitress and paid their bills. "Ready to go back?" He asked.
She stood and stretched, looping her arm through his and surprising him. The young waitress glared in Ginny's direction.
Draco smiled down at her with a perfect, loving face. He was even good at acting. She rolled her eyes mentally and blushed as she felt his soft lips against her forehead. He led her out the doors and to the truck.
"Thanks for the hand." He lifted her into the seat and clipped her belt in place.
"It's not a problem, but think of it as a favor. You have to pay me back." She winked at him.
He quirked an eyebrow at her and closed the door. She watched as he made his way around the truck quickly and pulled his door open.
"What did you have in mind?" He asked curiously, sliding in and getting comfortable.
She pushed a small button on the door and watched in amazement as the window rolled down. When she turned around again Draco was close, so close she could feel his breath against her lips. She shuddered.
"What would you like me to do for you, Ginevra?" He whispered seductively.
She swallowed and stared at his perfect mouth. "I want you to take me dancing."
He nodded and pulled away from her. Reversing out of the parking lot and back in the direction of the city.
She was more comfortable with putting her limbs out the window this time around. She wiggled her fingers in the wind, the fun didn't seem to wear off from this. The peaceful smile crept back onto her features and she rested back into her seat.
She was going to make him have fun if it killed her.