When Draco spotted her initially he froze. Instinct told him to turn on his heel and walk in the opposite direction as quickly as possible so she wouldn't notice him—but he hesitated. It wasn't often that Draco had a chance to study Ginny Weasley without her realizing. And as she stared out the window of the café, lost in thought, he found he was rather transfixed.

She was pretty, though that had been common knowledge since their days at Hogwarts. But, without anyone distracting her, the smile that usually brightened her face was gone. It was odd to see her without it, to be honest. The last two times Draco had been forced to spend time with her, she had been obnoxiously happy and outgoing. He was sure if he placed Weasley in front of a wall, she'd be able to have a steady conversation with it.

What could she possibly be so lost in thought about?

She was probably wondering what Potter was doing.

Draco scoffed and was ready to continue on his way, both amused and dismayed by his thoughts, when she turned her head slightly. And she spotted him. Ginny's eyebrows rose high on her forehead at the sight of him, staring at her from outside the café. He could only imagine what was going through her mind now. Something annoying, most likely.

He could almost hear her voice smugly saying to him, "Ha! Look who the stalker is now."

His lips tugged into a small grin when she pointed to him and then pointed to the front door. Knowing there was no way to avoid talking to her, Draco licked his lips before heading towards the café entrance. He smoothly dodged a group of people crammed at the front trying to order from the barista and looked to where she was sitting.

That infuriating smile was back on her face.

Draco wouldn't admit it to anyone ever but he was relieved to see it. It made it easier for him to saunter over to her table and greet her with a twitch of an eyebrow and a frown.

"Draco Malfoy," Weasley called, excited. "What are you doing in Diagon Alley today?"

He took a seat. Without allowing him time to answer, Ginny leaned forward eagerly.

"Were you looking for me?" she whispered.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"No, Weasley," he drawled.

"What had you said? 'Stalking is considered obsessive and unwanted attention?'" she mocked, biting her lip as her smile grew.

Draco leaned back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. He knew she was going to say that.

"I wasn't stalking you," Draco began but she started laughing.

"You were watching me from the other side of the street!"

Bloody hell. Why had he come inside?

"I couldn't look away from the unsightly blemishes on your face," he told her, waving his right hand lazily.

"They're called freckles, Malfoy," Ginny responded dryly. "And some people find them adorable."

He scoffed and looked out the window. Early morning in Diagon Alley was generally calm, except for those fighting for a quick coffee or tea before work. Today was no exception. His eyes lingered on the few people walking by before glancing back at Weasley, who was watching him with her head propped up by her hand. Of course, with so few people in Diagon Alley, he had ended up here the same time as her.

"Some people are also mental," Draco pointed out.

"That doesn't mean they're one in the same," Ginny quipped. "Where were you heading before you decided to come join me for a coffee?"

Then she paused and noticed he had never bought a drink for himself. Weasley tilted her head.

"Do you want a coffee?" she questioned.

"Not particularly, no," he said, shifting uncomfortably under her stare. "I was heading to Quality Quidditch Supplies, actually. I should be on my way, I hadn't meant to stop in."

He stood abruptly and she frowned. But the frown disappeared quickly, replaced by her familiar smile. Had he only imagined the slight dismay on her face? The idea of it left him uneasy. This was, after all, the quickest meetup there had been yet between the two of them. Normally Draco was forced to remain in her company for over an hour. It felt odd seeing her so briefly.

Draco hesitated, gripping the back of his chair as he looked down at her.

Then he sighed, already hating himself.

"You play Quidditch, don't you?" Draco asked.

Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"I play for the Holyhead Harpies, Malfoy."

Draco knew that. But he wasn't going to admit that out loud. Instead, he leaned down and tilted his head towards the exit.

"Do you want to join me?"

The words felt like they got tangled in his throat. He certainly sounded more nervous than he had wanted. Resisting the urge to openly cringe, both at his decision to invite Weasley out with him and the fact that his voice had sounded like he was going through puberty again, Draco waited for her response.

Her face relaxed as she looked over him. Why was it taking her so long to answer him? Normally it was Weasley bothering him! Now he was the one waiting for her acceptance? Irritation crept up his spine and he was ready to stalk away before he saw her smirk.

"Alright, let's go," she said excitedly.

Her energy was contagious and his annoyance left him as quickly as it had arrived. Draco felt the familiar reluctant smirk, which only seemed to appear when he was around Ginny, pull at his lips. She grabbed her bag and stood.

"Then we can stop by my brothers' shop," Weasley said. "I even brought my camera."

Draco let out a loud, annoyed sigh and she laughed. He was going to regret this, wasn't he?