Chapter 1: Coffee
Rose groaned as she put down the handset for what felt like the fiftieth time that morning. 'When I asked for a job...this is not what I was expecting,' she thought with irritation. She'd made it to the big city, to the famous smoke and smog of London, but how could she enjoy it if she was stuck behind a receptionist's desk all day? She was nearly 25, for goodness' sake. Surely life had more to offer than this drivel. The rest of the day looked as monotonous and dreary as the morning had been, according to the agenda that seemed to take up most of Rose's sprawling desk in the lobby of the tower. Her boss had meeting after meeting, and no doubt she would be told to prepare the paperwork for each and every one. She hated nearly every businessperson who walked in, swaggering past her desk whilst 'casually mentioning' over the phone that they'd just made another million pounds, while she was sitting there, barely eking out enough money to buy lunch for the day.
"Good afternoon," a voice said from somewhere in front of her, "Hello? Miss...?"
Rose jolted her head up with shock. It had been so long since someone had addressed her directly at work. She was beginning to feel invisible. "Er, sorry, how can I help you, sir?"
It turned out the the voice belonged to a young man who couldn't have been much older than her - even the same age, perhaps. Definitely younger than most of the men who came through here. Like all the others, he was wearing a tailored black suit that probably cost more money than Rose made in a year. His startlingly light hair was combed neatly in a style that made him look professional, but didn't age him. After an inundation of cranky old businessmen, this cool, confident stranger was a sight for Rose's sore eyes.
"My name's Malfoy. From Malfoy Incorporated. I have a meeting with Henry Anderson at half-past twelve."
Rose flipped through her agenda and saw that he was telling the truth. "I see you're half an hour early, Mr. Malfoy. I'm afraid that Mr. Anderson is still in an earlier meeting. Do you mind waiting?" She knew what the answer would be. People like this always minded waiting - time was money, after all."
"Of course, um, may I have a seat?" he said, gesturing to the row of armchairs just across from Rose's desk. Rose nodded, and he chose the seat closest to hers. "I'm terribly sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly. My name is Scorpius."
"Rose," she replied, "Rose Weasley. I've heard of the Malfoys, you know. Aren't you somewhat of a business dynasty?"
"Yes, it seems everybody knows our name. I can't say I've heard of the Weasleys, though. Sorry."
"Don't be, we're...terribly...insignificant," she muttered. Their eyes met for a second before Rose pulled out a pen under the guise of looking occupied.
"Erm...would you like to come with me for a coffee, Rose?"
"What, you - now?"
"I mean, er, you don't seem to be doing anything, and you must be frightfully bored."
"Don't tell Mr. Anderson, but I am bored...only I can't leave my desk, I'm sorry. I'm actually dying for a hot drink though."
"Well, I have half an hour," Scorpius reminded her, "Shall I pop out and get us some? I noticed there's a café only next door."
"You really don't have to do that, Mr. Malfoy, honestly, I'm fine."
"I'm going," he said, standing up, "And you can't stop me. What do you drink?"
Rose had to stop for a second to clear her head. "Er, black, two sugars, not too hot," she recited, rummaging through her bag to find a few coins. Scorpius put his hand on her arm, "No, allow me. I'll pay for it."
"Oh, I can't...I can't let you do that."
"Yes you can, and you will. Black, two sugars, not too hot, courtesy of moi. I'll be five minutes."
Rose opened and closed her mouth several times, pursing her lips, unsure of what to say.
"You're welcome," Scorpius grinned, winking at her and striding out of the lobby.
Four minutes and thirty seven seconds later (not that Rose had been counting), Scorpius returned carrying two disposable cups full of steaming liquid. "As promised, one coffee, black, two sugars, not too hot."
"How marvellous! My own personal coffee boy!" Rose gushed, "Where have you been all my life?"
Scorpius shrugged, an almost imperceptible gesture in his well-fitted suit, "Wiltshire, mostly."
They sat, sipping their drinks slowly, with Rose answering and transferring the occasional call. "So," she asked between calls, "What exactly is it that Malfoy Incorporated does?"
"Can't you tell me? I'm sure you have all the necessary information down there in your files," Scorpius said, gesturing to the piles of paper on Rose's desk.
Rose arched an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to divulge classified information, Mr. Malfoy? I'm afraid I don't have the correct level of security clearance to access the files on Malfoy Incorporated."
"You mean to say that if you were to tell me, Scorpius Malfoy, what my own company does, you might just have to kill me?"
"Something like that, Mr. Malfoy, something like that. Mr. Anderson does not take the security of sensitive information very lightly, you know." Rose had used the "classified information" line countless times to give herself a cheap thrill at work. She groaned inwardly at the thought. Her job was so boring that she had to resort to role-playing a spy thriller to keep herself amused.
"Fuel," Scorpius said suddenly.
"Pardon?"
"Tell absolutely no one, Rose Weasley, but Malfoy Incorporated deals in fuel," he whispered conspiratorially.
Rose winced. "Please tell me you had nothing to do with that horrid oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico...?"
Scorpius looked affronted. "Us? Malfoy Incorporated?" he asked with mock offence, "I'll have you know that Grandfather refuses to deal with British Petroleum. They're our biggest competitors." Competitors? That meant that Malfoy Incorporated also dealt in petroleum. Rose didn't have a car - apart from being far too expensive to maintain in London, she didn't want to contribute any more than necessary to the environment's breakdown. "What about alternative energies? Has your firm considered expanding?" she asked casually.
"Now who's asking for classified information, Miss Weasley? Yes," Scorpius admitted, "I'm actually on behalf of my father and grandfather to discuss green energy with your employer." He clapped his hand over his mouth, "I've said too much. Don't tell the press, will you? Grandfather will disown me."
"I can't imagine that the press response would be anything but positive, Mr. Malfoy. "MALFOY INCORPORATED BRANCHING OUT INTO CLEAN ENERGY" - what's so bad about that? Personally I'd be very happy with that headline."
Scorpius cleared his throat, "What I meant to say was that this is to be a private meeting, Miss Weasley, and on behalf of the company I would appreciate your discretion. I trust your judgement, but please - don't do anything rash." His face was so serious that Rose giggled.
"I'm not going to go to the press, Sco-Mr. Malfoy. Don't worry. I shan't say a word - to anybody."
"Thank you," Scorpius said sincerely, "I really-"
The intercom on Rose's desk buzzed demandingly. "Ah," she said regretfully, "Mr. Anderson is ready to see you now, Mr. Malfoy, if you'd like to make your way in?" He stood and downed the rest of his coffee.
"Good coffee, isn't it? I'll have to start coming here more often."
"Mm, you...should." Rose noticed a fleck of crema on the side of his mouth and instinctively extended a hand to dab it away. She caught herself when he raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Oh, erm, you've got a - you've got a bit of...foam," she said weakly, watching his tongue dart out to capture the milk.
"All gone?" he asked, and she told herself that it was only her imagination that heard the mischievous tone in his voice.
She nodded. "Looks perf- good. All gone."
"I'll see you later, then. Bye, Rose."
"Bye. Have a - have a good meeting."
"You too," he said automatically.
Rose smiled, "I don't have any meetings, Mr. Malfoy."
"Please, call me Scorpius," he insisted.
"As you wish," Rose said, feeling her heart pound against her chest. "I'll see you later, Scorpius."
"Yes, you certainly will." His last words to her rang in her ear for the rest of the day. Perhaps an office job wasn't so bad after all.
AN: Since this is an AU fic I'd better just clearr upa few things. Sadly, magic doesn't exist in this story - except, perhaps, for the magic of love. (Awwwwwww! Ariana, your cheesy side is showing!) Rose and Scorpius didn't go to school together, and nor did their parents (but the Malfoys and the Weasleys DO know each other, you'll just have to wait to find out why...)
Rose and Scorpius are nearly 25 years old. Rose is working a dreary office job and Scorpius is 'training' to one day inherit Malfoy Incorporated. Draco and Lucius are letting him handle, as you could see, senstive appointments and such. So he's got a fair amount of power when it comes to the business. And yes, he does earn more in a month than Rose makes in a year - he wouldn't be a Malfoy otherwise, would he? I'll leave you to speculate on just how much his tailored suit cost. ;)
Thankyou as always to my big sisterr Sarah for beta-ingg! YOU'RE THE BEST! (She told mee to say that LMBO)
Reviews make Rose's office life much more interesting...and her next encounter with Scorpius even more so! ;)
Anyone who can guess how the Weasleys and the Malfoys know each other wins a free cup of coffee! (Black, two sugars, not too hot...) Anyone who can guess what kind of coffee Scorpius drinks also wins a cup! Tell me all that AND MORE in a review! ;)