A/N: Yay, I finally got around to posting this one-shot! So, one night, I couldn't sleep and the show Cheers was on. I laughed along with the whole episode, until I realized that the plot of that episode would totally work for Draco and Ginny. I liked the interactions of the characters of that episode, and Draco/Ginny just kept calling back to me. I'm not sure which episode it is, but if anything looks familiar - that's because it's based off of Cheers!
DISCLAIMER: ANYTHING that looks familiar is not mine - I don't own it! Please don't sue me. :( I am just a broke college student.
It was just another night at The Leaky Cauldron, a popular Wizarding pub in London. The usual crowd was there, sitting accordingly in their regular seats with their typical drinks. The pub owner, Draco Malfoy, swirled the liquid in his mouth with his tongue as he glanced around the room. He noticed a certain female that had caught his eye as of yet, swallowing the liquid in his mouth before wolfishly grinning. Running a hand through his platinum locks, you know, to give it that I-barely-did-anything-to-my-hair-and-it-looks-great effect, his tall and slender frame sauntered over to her.
Standing across from the dazzling blonde woman, his gray eyes stared intensely at the person whose back was to him, busy talking to her friends. Her blonde hair was pressed into shiny curls, her blue eyes sparkling amongst makeup enchantments as did her rouge lips. She dressed like in the latest fashionable women's robes, surrounding her in an air of sophistication. The robes only emphasized her captivating womanly curves. Draco hesitated before making his move on the woman before him, Astoria Greengrass.
"Say Astoria, how about you and me, sometime, The Three Broomsticks?" He inquired, giving her the most charming smile he could muster.
Astoria cast him a bored look over her shoulder.
"Maybe, eventually," she said nicely, before turning back to her friends.
Walking back to his own group of former Slytherins, they cheered for their leader and slapped him on the back. They concluded that it was time for a celebration.
"Let's hear it for Malfoy! Waters all around!"BlaiseZabini gestured to the waitress in a joking manner, his dark eyes dancing in amusement.
The head waitress walked over to Draco, holding her carrying tray under arm. Throwing the towel in her hand over her arm, Hannah Abbott sighed as looked at her boss.
"You never go on more than eight dates with a woman and you settle for a maybe?" She asked him.
"Hey, we're going places," He steadily told his employee.
"Face it, you had it once. But you don't have it anymore," she coolly replied.
"Here, here!" The Slytherin horde cheered, water glasses clinking one against another.
Draco's eyes widened in shock at the waitress' bold observation. It was true that she knew him well since he flirted with the many women that frequented the pub. And many women responded vehemently, unwilling to pass up the chance at the experience of being with the aristocratically good-looking Draco Malfoy. In the couple of years since he completed Hogwarts, Draco had grown into his pointed features, which now proved striking and popular with women. His cool, gray eyes could melt a woman in his arms and his blond hair that was carefully done begged for women to run their hands through them while in a compromising position. All in all, it was part of his duties as the owner of the pub, he reasoned.
"I can't believe my ears," the man dramatically bemoaned.
"Your ears are the least of your problems, mate," Crabbe quipped, downing his mug of beer.
That's it, Draco thought. The nerve of these fellows, thinking that I've gone soft on them. He straightened his expensive clothes carefully so and sneered at his friends. "You want proof? I can still prove that I'm still your king," he boasted.
Turning towards the direction of the door, he gestured towards it. "Everyone pay attention to that door. I will make love to the next woman that walks into it." There, now they can shove off when I rightfully prove them right, he smiled triumphantly.
Hannah quickly dropped her tray onto the ground and walked outside of the door, only to walk dramatically back in, all smiles.
"Employees are ineligible," Draco said with a roll of his eyes. Her grin immediately plummeted, and the former Hufflepuff slowly trudged back behind the counter, back to her duties.
When the door tinkled again, he noticed a feminine figure peering from the small window of the door. Turning to his friends, he smirked, "And that must be my lovely volunteer." Glancing back at her, his signature smirk quickly evaporated. Never in a million years did he think that the woman that would walk in of all women would be Ginny Weasley.
He also could not deny that she was a fine specimen of a woman, as his eyes investigated the red-head in front of him. She definitely was not the littlest Weasley anymore – who knew that was hidden underneath those horrid hand-me-down robes. As the petite young woman walked over to a free table clutching a quill and notebook, he took in an eyeful of her long and slender creamy white legs. Her ink black pencil skirt only demonstrated how long her legs were. The purple blouse she wore also demonstrated other bountiful assets the former Gryffindor had in her arsenal. Her formerly wild red hair was calmed into cascading crimson curls.
While she was fashionable in her own right, he noticed that she wasn't flaunting her delicious curves, inviting men to her beckoning as he had seen with many others. The way she was unconsciously chewing the quill in her hand while scratching notes into that notebook of hers was sending him different messages, however. Seriously, though. When did that blasted Weasley have to go and get all attractive on him? At least it made his job easier, he conceded.
Draco set down the glass in his hand, and walked over to the young woman. Placing his hand on the table and the other at the back of her chair, he moved in closer to her.
His gray eyes looked down at her with mock surprise as he said, "Oh, those are shoulder blades? I thought they were wings." Women just ate that stuff up, and Draco hoped that she would be no different.
Ginny's chocolate eyes flickered up at him, peering through her dark, long eyelashes. He couldn't help but notice that they still sparkled with a fiery passion that he had witnessed on a couple of occasions past.
"Did you really just say that?" she asked demurely.
"If you like it, there's more where that came from," He replied, with one of his winning smiles.
Ginny continued to look at him, now with amusement. "Are you for real?"
"Yes, I've been asked that many times. And by women that are more naked than you," he drawled, hinting at the skirt that heavily revealed her legs.
To his surprise, Ginny giggled and said, "You know, I've heard of men like you, but I can't say that I've actually met one."
Draco wasn't sure exactly what Ginny had meant by that, but he was hoping that meant that he had already won her over. Perhaps this would be as easy as he had anticipated. He merely smiled in response.
Ginny looked back at him with a coy smile. "You know what I would like?"
"Yes?"
"I would like a vodka martini on the rocks, with a twist, and..."
"And?"
"And, I'd like for you to put a sock in it." She smiled sweetly and returned back to her business. Draco Malfoy nearly dropped his jaw, but promptly remembered that that would be a very un-Malfoy thing to do. Instead, he walked back to his friends wordlessly. Had she really just rejected him? He'd never been turned down by an attractive woman, even if it was a Weasley.
The door tinkled again; this time two men walked in. Draco recognized them as Neville Longbottom and Theodore Nott. Theodore and Neville were regulars at the pub, often coming after their Healer shifts from St. Mungo's. They headed over to the table Ginny was sitting at, and they all began to make small talk. She promptly laughed at the joke one of her male friends was telling, throwing her head back in laughter.
Hearing the joke, Draco rolled his eyes. They were clearly the intellectual type, he assessed, all of them making incredibly cheesy medical jokes - the kind only Healers would understand.
"No wonder I didn't get in there," He gestured to his friends. "She's a boring, cold-hearted intellectual with legs I could die for."
"You know, if you did something with your hair, no one would notice your ears," Crabbe idly observed. Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes again as he heard the trio behind him roaring with nerdy laughter.
After Hannah had finished mixing Ginny's drink together, Draco sauntered back to the group with her order. As he placed the martini glass in front of her, she gave him a small smile. "I didn't realize you were friends with Neville and Theo," she said. "I'm a senior Healer at St. Mungo's alongside these blokes."
Just then, the wand within her purse began to vibrate. She quickly pulled it out, revealing a glowing wooden stick. She frowned slightly, examining her wand and quickly put it back.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to Floo a patient," she said, standing up. Looking at Draco, she asked, "Do you have a fireplace here? I need privacy."
"Yes," he replied. "I have one in my bedroom."
Ginny snorted in response, walking away from him in search for the public fireplace.
Theodore nonchalantly shook his martini glass, the clear liquid swirling within. Already sensing the difficult task Draco was trying to achieve, he began, "Mate, I totally agree. Most of these female Healers are real trolls, but I wouldn't mind taking her up on the hospital bed."
Draco slumped down into the chair where Ginny was once sitting. "There's something about that bird that makes a fellow want her, as much as I hate to admit it." He couldn't lose this battle now that he had undertaken this near impossible task.
Hannah stopped by the table, leaning behind Draco's chair. "I hate to burst your bubble, but maybe you should stay away from red-heads."
"No, no. we're just sparring. It's fun, like a Wizard's Duel," he waved her off.
"I'd go to her on a professional level, mate. Make an appointment and pretend there's something wrong with you," Goyle quipped from his usual seat at the bar. The rest of the horde gaped at him in amazement.
Blaise said with astonishment, "That's not a bad idea… Who gave it to you?"
"It came from my brain," Goyle replied, sipping from his beer mug.
"Where the hell did you get a new brain from?" Blaise asked, sniggering. The rest of the group continued to make jokes about Goyle's rare burst of coherent thought.
Meanwhile, Draco was mulling this idea over. He knew Ginny would be a difficult woman to get. She clearly was not falling for his typical tactics of luring females in. She was much smarter than that; able to compete on his level. As strangely attracted as he was to that aspect of her personality, it also frustrated him to no end. After a short while, however, Draco realized he had no other brilliant ideas. He ran a hand through his platinum locks uneasily.
"Say I go with that idea, what should I say?" Draco asked his friends.
"Say you need new ears!" Crabbe provided.
"How about you lost your marbles?" said Goyle.
"You got bit by a dragon," Blaise quipped.
The group continued to come up with other ridiculous predicaments for Draco to put himself into, each getting more and more far-fetched than the last. Draco had half a mind to hex his friends for their uselessness.
"Say you have impotence," Hannah suggested, walking behind the bar to serve more customers.
Draco nearly choked on generous sip he was having of his drink. Was this woman daft? "That is the worst idea I have heard all night, Hufflepuff," he chided, giving her a disgusted look. How could she even think to utter such an idea? For a man to admit that he was having problems in such a problem was rare, let alone a Malfoy admit such a problem to a woman. Especially an attractive woman that he was trying to assert his masculinity to. This bartender was clearly sipping on something suspicious on the side, Draco thought.
Hannah rolled her eyes at her boss. Men were such idiots, she thought. "We women are push overs. There are two things we like to do: Number one, cure a man of impotence," she explained.
"And what's the second thing?" Draco demanded, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Give it to a bloke real hard if he gets out of line," she smirked, jousting her wand at him.
Ginny headed back from the public fireplace, eating the cherry that was at the bottom of her drink. Draco's eyes could not unglue themselves from her as she practically floated by as she walked across the pub. She took the stem out of her mouth, discarding it on a spare napkin at the bar counter. He eyed that stem that was just within her lovely rouged lips. His eyes widened when he realized that the cherry stem was perfectly tied.
"Okay, so say that I am impotent, now what?"
A few days later, Draco found himself turning the doorknob to the office door of "Ginny Weasley, Senior Healer". He couldn't believe that he was about to do this. As the receptionist called his name, he carefully adjusted the expensive business robes that were hanging gracefully on his long and lanky frame. Running a hand unconsciously through his blond hair, he made his way into the examination room.
There he was, greeted by the ravishing red-head. He couldn't help but admire how her scarlet tresses fell so seamlessly on her shoulders and down her back. They framed her heart-shaped face elegantly. Draco couldn't help but notice the few faded freckles on and around the bridge of her nose, something that he thought looked pretty damn good on her. The thoughts of all the possible insults he could inflict on her and her Weasleyness vanished.
Her warm amber eyes looked up at him. "Mr. Malfoy, I was surprised to see your name on my schedule today. I hope this is a professional visit?"
He drew in a breath, and looked at her unsteadily. Although he was trying to come off as being uncomfortable with what he was about to tell her, the small amount of nerves within his body only helped to enhance his acting skills. Now was the time to sell it, he thought.
Draco looked at her pleadingly with his swirling, silver eyes. "I have to tell you something," he began. "You may be the one person I could talk to."
"All right, please sit down," Ginny motioned over to the examination bed. He noticed the concerned expression she gave him. Maybe this plan would actually work! Draco cheered in his mind. She turned around, leaning over to her desk to grab some parchment and quill. He couldn't help but admire the close up view he was getting of her bum. And what a lovely bum it was, he thought, raising an eyebrow mischievously.
While she continued to rummage around her desk, Draco tried to artfully rest on the bed. He did his best attempt at trying to recline like a Greek god, hoping to entice Ginny with some of his own goods. He carefully tried to look as if he was spontaneously splayed this way, rather than putting effort into his current, ridiculous position.
Ginny turned back, looking at him inquiringly. "Now what's bothering you, Mr. Malfoy? Feel free to take your time."
"I'm a young healthy male, but I can't control… this," Draco began dramatically, gesturing to his body, particularly to his nether regions. "I can't get that old wand to spark."
"Are you trying to say that your impotent, Draco?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.
Draco visibly winced. "Don't say it!"
She began to speak more didactically; a visible quality of a Healer. "Yes, it can be very common for males, unfortunately. It can be very distressing."
Draco nodded. "Perhaps you can help solve this problem?" He patted the empty spot next to him on the bed. She could probably cure any old chum's impotence, he thought idly.
"Oh no, this is not my specialty," she said standing up straight, much to Draco's disappointment. He saw her eyes ignite with fire, half expecting to see the cogs within her brain turning as she began to think. "I know that there is a study currently being conducted by a colleague of mine."
"I was hoping you could help," Draco replied earnestly.
"It's actually a riveting study technique. He gathers all of these men who have problems similar to yours, Draco, and conducts group sessions with them. They discuss and examine the roots behind their issues, while there are at least two dozen nurses observing the whole case study," she explained.
Draco's eyes widened at this unexpected turn of events. It was one thing to come and declare this ridiculous problem to her in the privacy of her examination room. It was completely another to have to admit in front of a large group of people, especially a large group of females! Draco Malfoy drew a line at that. He had made enough of an effort in trying to woo this woman. All bets be damned. Enough was enough.
"You know, I think we had a misunderstanding. I don't think my problem is impotency, I'm completely fine, in fact," Draco sputtered.
Ginny flashed him a triumphant smile, folding her arms across her chest. "Then it worked. That'll be two hundred and fifty Galleons. Please pay the receptionist on the way out." She turned around to walk back towards her desk, her backside to him.
"So you've been putting me on?" Draco said incredulously. There was no way this Weaslette could have pulled the wool over Draco Malfoy's eyes. Could she?
"That was unfair of me, considering how honest you were being," Giny said dryly, turning around and giving him a pointed look.
"Fine, I was lying," Draco admitted, throwing his hands up. "But you're beautiful, and I wanted to see more of you." He walked closer to her, closing the gap between their two bodies. "And that wasn't a lie," his voice lowering.
Ginny set the quill down that was in her hands. "I guess this is kind of flattering. Not many men would humiliate themselves to spend five minutes with me."
"What can I say? I'm a romantic," he moved in even closer, enclosing the once tiny space between them. "How about dinner tomorrow night?"
Her golden eyes looked up into his silver ones. "I guess I could use a night out."
"Here's a sneak preview," He leaned down and wrapped his lips over hers. The kiss burned with the flaming passion that he had seen in her eyes, something he had never experienced previously. Draco could hear her moan into his mouth as he deepened the kiss. He didn't want this moment to end, unable to fathom what it would be like without the intoxicating taste of her lips. Eventually he slowly let go, leaving Ginny breathless. The taste of her lips lingered on his. He smirked down at the dazed woman before him. Draco Malfoy knew he had gotten much more than he bargained for; the task was only just beginning. He didn't mind that at all.
Walking towards the door, he stopped when he placed his hand around the knob. "Say, you didn't happen to have that tape recorder on, did you?" He motioned to the contraption sitting on her desk.
"Oh no, don't worry, the minute you walked in I turned it off." She said, taking a seat behind her desk.
As Draco opened the door, the sound of laughter wafted in from the waiting room. The other patients that were waiting looked at him and continued to snigger. The lightest shade of pink was visible on Draco's pale cheeks.
"I turned the intercom on."