Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Warning: Ron/Draco slash, Post-Hogwarts, AU
A/N: I'd like to thank Tara for her wonderful beta work.

I don't know anything about the fashion industry, and most of the things I'm writing about modeling is based on my imagination.

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Two years after Voldemort's defeat, the Wizarding world was beginning to get back to normal, and Draco Malfoy's face started to appear frequently in magazines, tabloids, or in adverts. Owing to his distinguished appearance and self-confidence, he was making his name as a male fashion model known not only in UK, but in other European countries as well.

His schedule was always full to the brim, but he was rather content with it. The busier, the less time he had to think about absurd things. Like his lost crush. But even if he did have the time to think about it, he didn't consider it anything serious. He believed that concerning Ron Weasley, he had had just the tiniest of crushes and that anything he'd felt for the redhead had vanished the moment he graduated Hogwarts. So when he did let himself think about this former classmate of his, he believed it was more like musing over the good old school days than mourning over lost love.

However, seeing Ron Weasley standing in the middle of his model agency's office in front of the agency's staff was a completely different story.

Draco had come to this office in the corner of Diagon Alley today to arrange his schedule with his agent and manager, Blaise Zabini. When he opened the front door, he, Draco Malfoy, Britain's male supermodel, stupidly opened his mouth in shock at what he had seen.

There in the entrance hall in front of the reception desk stood Ron Weasley, merely four or five feet away from Draco, listening to the staff's instructions with some paperwork in his hands. Ron responded to the opening of the door and gave a sideways glance in Draco's direction. When he recognized who was standing there, his eyes grew a bit wide, but he quickly turned back to the staff as if nothing had happened. Draco was somewhat annoyed with Ron's lack of reaction, but the redhead seemed determined to direct his attention towards the staff.

It had been almost two years since Draco last saw the redhead. The former Gryffindor hadn't changed much, looking poor as poor could be, from his hideous torn sneakers to his ripped jeans and washed out T-shirt, but otherwise looking quite gorgeous with his vibrant blue eyes and flaming red hair pushed back casually.

Until Blaise Zabini came out of his private office to beckon Draco inside, he couldn't quite register what was going on and just stood there staring at the redhead dubiously. Inwardly, he couldn't help himself from checking and feeling relieved to find that there on top of Ron's nose still remained the freckles which resembled the star chart Draco had drawn in his Astronomy class back in his fifth year.

As soon as he entered Blaise's office and shut the door, he immediately turned to his agent to have his imminent question answered.

"What was that?" he spat out.

"That? You mean Ron Weasley? You do remember him, don't you?"

"What is he doing here? This isn't a place someone like him should be entering casually," said Draco with an annoyed look on his face, simply ignoring Blaise's question, and roughly pulling the chair in front of Blaise's desk to get himself seated.

Blaise seemed to be a little taken back with the fuss Draco was making, but answered placidly, "I found him yesterday outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. He was staring at the 'Lightning 2009' in the show case with his mouth half open. Oh, you do know the 'Lightning 2009", the new broomstick named after Potter's stupid scar?"

"Yes, I know, Blaise," said Draco irritably, and I don't care, he added to himself.

"Anyway, he seemed to have nothing better to do in the middle of a weekday, so I scouted him."

"Scouted Weasley? Are you off your rocker, Blaise? Are we talking about the same bloke here? That Weasley? With freckles and red hair? A model?"

Now Draco was leaning forward in his chair towards Blaise.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the one I'm talking about."

Then Blaise smiled wryly as if he just remembered something.

"What do you think that git said when I asked him if he was interested in modeling?"

Draco didn't answer but just quirked an eyebrow to urge Blaise to continue.

"He said, 'aren't modeling what queers like to do?' Can you believe that?"

Blaise rolled his eyes, but Draco was more than disgruntled. How dare Weasley, of all people, insult his occupation like that.

"Anyway, he looked at me as if I was some fraud, but when I told him he'd make tons of Galleons if he did well, he was suddenly all keen on the whole thing. Haven't changed a bit, that bloke."

Draco snorted.

"I don't really care how attached he is to money. What bothers me is that you actually think he'll qualify as a model."

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have scouted him if I didn't. We've been always short of good-looking redheads. He's tall, he's got long legs, blue eyes, and you can't deny he's become quite a looker over the years. Even those hideous freckles seem to add some charm to him."

Draco pursed his lips. Of course he knew all this. He didn't need Blaise to explain this for him. The problem was that he simply didn't like the idea of Ron modeling. Once Weasley came back into Draco's life, he wasn't sure if he could ignore him, or ignore his own feelings that he'd managed to seal so well for these past couple of years.

"So which show will he be in?" Draco asked, now leaning back in his seat.

"A show? Are you joking? You can't expect him to be in a show this soon. He doesn't even know how to walk, and you know how he gets all messed up in front of a crowd."

Draco surely remembered it all too well.

"What are you planning for him, then?"

"Well, I'm thinking about magazine shootings for a start," said Blaise.

"Magazines? NO magazine shootings."

Draco had to swallow the line that photo shootings for magazines sometimes involved working with other male or female models in close proximity. He didn't fancy the image of Ron posing and flirting with other models in front of or behind the camera.

Blaised looked at Draco questioningly. "Why's that?"

"Because I say so."

"Look, Draco, there's nothing you should worry about. He's no match for you. No matter hard he tries, he'll be nowhere near as good as you," Blaise said convincingly, with a bit of enthusiasm in his voice. Apparently, he seemed to have misinterpreted Draco's concerns. Did Blaise seriously think that Draco would consider Weasley as his future rival?

"I know, Blaise," drawled Draco.

"Good, then. Weasley's first job will be some shooting for the Quibbler."

"The Quibbler? Didn't they ask me a couple of weeks ago to model in some ludicrous article for Muggle clothes or something?"

"Quite right. 'A Wizard Disguised in Muggle Clothes' was the article title. And you declined that offer right off the top of your head," said Blaise, shotting an accusatory look at Draco.

"You know I'm too good for advertising Muggle clothes."

"Well, they still hadn't found a model for that one, and I thought Weasley would be a fit."

"I didn't know the Quibbler had anything to do with fashion," said Draco, now playing with the hem of his sleeve in a bored gesture as if to show he wasn't really interested in this topic any more.

"Well, it's Muggle fashion they're interested in. They told me they're planning a three-edition feature, and they were looking for a model who could work for all three of them. I mean, Muggle clothes? Who else can you think of?"

Draco gave a low grunt and sank low in his seat. Blaise certainly did have a point, but at the moment, Draco felt like cursing him for bringing Ron into this business, and back into his life.

TBC