Curious Arrangements

I shall state this once: I only own my plot and characters, the rest goes to JK Rowling.

Chapter One, A Trial Basis

He appraised her curiously, his cold gray eyes piercing her as they took in her rather plain appearance. Not that it mattered here. This wasn't some fashion job, it was simply a secretarial job –nothing too fancy but it did pay well. Or would, if she could land it. This was her first time back in Britain since the war had started and everything somehow seemed so very different as the wizarding community was just recovering. A few months ago she'd finally had it with living in America and had decided to move back to her home, even if very little was left. This was the best job offer she'd seen so far; secretary to one Mr. Malfoy.

"You're from America?" he drawled, leaning back in his chair.

"I was born and raised here, in London, but yes I am returning from America."

"You left at the start of the war? Fled?"

"Yes," she murmured, stiffening slightly. It hadn't been her choice nor had it been within her power to change.

He 'hmphed' and looked at the paper in front of him. "I'll give you a week long trial –if you're good enough you can stay."

Mr. Malfoy was a very precise man. By the second day she had gotten a map to prevent her from getting lost again and by the third day she no longer needed it. It wasn't until the fifth day that she realized he was playing with her and that he'd practically humiliated her in front of every department. It didn't make her want to quit, instead she was more determined to get back at him. His humiliation had been effective, simply by neglecting to tell her that she did not need to run to every department to deliver any messages he had. She could have bewitched the papers and sent them off, but that was not something she had seriously considered before.

On the seventh day she was feeling a little anxious but overall pleased with how quickly she had adapted to the environment. She was certain that he would give her the job. As far as she was concerned, he basically had to. She had last through the week and as far as she'd heard, no one else had applied for the position. So it was definitely going to be hers, that much she knew for certain.

And it was that tiny pinch of anxiety that had her at the office close to a half hour too early. But the Ministry was open and she was able to completely avoid the usual rush of people. She unlocked her office and took her usual spot at the desk that was going to be hers. She really needed this job… The money she'd saved up for moving here was getting stretched a little too thin already and she was practically left eating microwavable food. There was no doubt that she could get practically any job she wanted with her grades and her experience working in the hospital in America.

Her references were excellent; there was no fault to accompany her name even if she was passive-aggressive and a touch headstrong. It would not stop her from doing just what she needed to do and neither would it permit her to disregard any orders or rules at her whim. Unless she believed that she was absolutely right in her decision and that the potential benefit was more important than the consequences would she do it. But really, how many situations would arise like that working as a secretary? They happened in hospitals and even then she had a mentor that looked out for her and she had been lucky in her decisions.

When Mr. Malfoy did arrive, he glanced at her once, dismissively before walking into his office. Knowing precisely what his schedule was, she was out of her seat before he'd even stepped into his office and was making the tea of his preference. Her hands shook slightly as she set the cup on a saucer, preparing for when she would have to face the decision that Draco had come to. It was a silly anxiety, considering that she knew that she was the only one who really had a shot of getting this job.

She carried his tea carefully, controlling her shaking hands as she walked into his office, her head held high. He was lounging in his chair again, twirling his quill in his hand as he stared at the papers before him. If she hadn't physically run all those messages for him in the days past, she might have wondered about how a department head could have so little to do. She did know otherwise however, and that this seemed to be a regular pattern of his when he was contemplating something.

"Your tea, sir," she said respectfully, as she set the Earl Grey before him.

He glanced down at it, his grey eyes flashing up to meet hers. "Juliet, was it?"

She jerked in surprise. He hadn't used her name before. "Yes, sir?"

"I suppose, you can have the position."

She brightened, standing up straighter automatically as sheer joy coursed through her. It shouldn't have meant that much to her, but it did. Before the month was out, she wouldn't have to keep on eating that god awful food. Not all of it was completely wretched, but mostly it was. Or had been, then again she was also rather unaccustomed to British food after spending so much time in America. But she was looking forward to being able to eat some of the traditional meals of her childhood, ones that were cooked properly by someone who actually knew what they were doing and not some dimwitted aunt.

"Thank you sir!"

He glanced at her, his lip drawing back in a sneer. "Keep your peppiness to yourself, Conway. Now get out of my sight, go do your job."

Juliet practically pouted at him, but she nonetheless floated out of the office and to her own desk. Her desk. She beamed and adjusted the papers until everything was neat and tidy and her quill was wet with fresh ink and the drawers had been cleared out from the previous occupant's junk. Curious, that they had not taken all of their belongings and equally curious was that no one had removed it since. Speaking of, she wondered what had happened to her predecessor to make her leave this job so suddenly.

Mr. Malfoy was a rather cold man with a twisted sense of humor, but overall nothing truly terrifying. She sighed happily and watched as a missive flew in through their open doors, a wizard hot on its tail. He paused to glance at her.

"You got the job?"

"I did!" She grinned at him.

"You poor thing, I'll tell your boss to take it easy on you. He's got no sense that lad."

Juliet blinked, confused. Everyone had seemed rather bemused but she had thought that it was only because of how easily Mr. Malfoy had both manipulated her by not telling her everything and because she was so new. It was something she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with, being the new kid on the block. It would take time for people to accept her and then to add to that would be her upbringing. The Americans hadn't liked that she'd gone there because of the war and the people here wouldn't like to know that she'd left because of it either. Mr. Malfoy's reaction earlier certainly had been proof enough. It was something she would rather keep to herself. In replacement of that, the reason they would use was because she was from America regardless that she had grown up in Britain.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"He worked his last secretary to the bone he did, enough that she quit before the year was up. Seems he always gets a new one every year. You'd think that just because he's the youngest head of department we've had he gets special treatment. If I went through a secretary a year, whew, then I wouldn't be getting another. But I guess that's just part and parcel of being a department head, you kind of make the rule yourself without having to follow them."

"And that Blaise is complete and utter trash. Firstly, you do not get a secretary because you do not need one and secondly, my secretaries have so far been incompetent," Mr. Malfoy drawled, standing outside his office and looking rather impatient. "I did not hire you to entertain my secretary, although she is here to be rather entertaining to those waiting for me. Blaise, I do expect that when you have an important message to deliver about the Irish Minister that it will be promptly given to me before you stand here and blatantly lie to my secretary."

And there was the cold, hard Mr. Malfoy she had seen earlier today. He knew what he was talking about and he was the boss –what he said went. Besides this Blaise fellow clearly had not been thinking straight to start gossiping to her about their boss when he was only a few feet away within his office.

"I received your owl, get on with it." Mr. Malfoy gestured impatiently once more, his face an expressionless mask as he followed after Blaise.

"Aw, Draco you've got no sense of humor. I just wanted her to know the truth about those secretaries."

The smirk on the other man's face was rather interesting as he backed out of the office, Mr. Malfoy stalking after him and looking no more or less impressed than he had when this whole banter started. She wondered at that. She knew nothing about Mr. Malfoy except that his opinion on why his last secretaries had left were not congruent with the gossipy rumors in her workplace. Juliet was perfectly fine with that.

If it was as Mr. Malfoy had said, that the last secretary was at least incompetent she knew that she would easily be able to survive her time here. She was not some incompetent kid and she rather enjoyed the heavy workload. It kept her busy. And with what the man –Blaise? –had said then it was also potentially true that the last secretary had simply been unable to keep up with the workload that Mr. Malfoy expected to be done.

She had not known that he was the youngest of the department heads and it was a rather curious thing to contemplate. She glanced at the list of things that she had to get done and got started on it.

She made a face at the mess of contacts she had to sort through and set about rearranging them in alphabetical order of their surnames. She then further divided them by what country each contact represented and the position they held within that country. She was making her way through the list of contacts they had in France when a sharp rap to the door alerted her to someone's presence and she looked up.

"Malfoy here?" he asked rather brusquely. He looked unimpressed and bored, and slightly reluctant as though he didn't want to be here. The tone in which he spoke also carried the weight of that reluctance and some measure of disdain.

"I'm afraid he's out at the moment," Juliet informed him, using the most pleasant voice she could muster. "May I take a message for you?"

"Uh yeah, tell him that the Auror office has found some dirt on that scumbag Von Dane and we need to talk to him."

She scribbled the message down neatly, close to word for word with what this man had said. "Who should I direct him to speak to?"

"Well, me I guess. I'm in charge of this case, for once."

Juliet glanced at him in confusion. "Your name, please?"

"Ah, Ron Weasley." He smiled sheepishly, "You must be the new secretary right? Forgot."

"Thank you, and yes," she added pleasantly as she neatly wrote his name underneath his message.

He paused, turning to go. "What on earth possessed you to take the job for Malfoy in the first place?" He said the name contemptuously. "I mean… you have to know, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Where the hell have you been? Hiding under a bloody rock?" he looked at her incredulously.

"America," she replied stiffly. "You may go now."

It was a dismissal, a rather blatant one, but she did not want to speak with the red haired man any longer. What was there about Mr. Malfoy that she was supposed to be concerned with? He was a cold, serious man who so far appeared dedicated to her work. He would be an easy boss to live with, she simply had to do her part. It wasn't as though there was going to be plenty of conversation between the two of them that was on a personal level. As a secretary, yes she would get to know Mr. Malfoy and likely his personal acquaintances but that did not necessarily involve getting to know him. And it wasn't like she herself had ever been a secretary before or had known any, so there was the potential that she could be completely misinformed about the entire thing. She didn't believe so though.

Well, I'm going to try and get this written. I'm currently inspired and my life is adequately stressed enough to keep me writing.

So, I hope you all enjoy and are looking forward to more! :)

This is basically part one, of chapter one. I didn't want a super long first chapter.