Saturday night found Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny, Neville, and the twins all sitting around a table at Ginny's place. Everyone had an empty plate and a half full glass of butterbeer in front of them. They met often for a 'Gryffindor family' dinner. At first, it was just the Trio and Ginny. Then Fred and George began making regular appearances, claiming they needed to spend more time with their favorite sister and little brother. Now and then, they brought their current girlfriends, but so far no one had stuck. Then as Ginny and Neville got closer, she insisted he come, because he might as well have been her seventh brother. For years, they met biweekly, but now everyone was getting older, and it was getting more difficult to plan regular 'get together's. Still, family was family, and everyone made the effort to get to dinner when they happened.
Tonight Ginny hosted and had too much work to make anything more than sandwiches and crisps. Everyone ate and praised the meal as though it were a twelve course dinner with appetizers and the most delicious dessert.
"You're too kind," Ginny told the lot as she motioned for the compliments to keep coming.
"Why the meager meal, anyways, Gin?" Fred teased.
"Too poor to feed us something hearty?" George asked, feeding off his twin.
"She's just been busy with this new assignment," Harry answered on behalf of his girlfriend. Neville noticed her take a deep breath. "She works night and day, Hermione. Can't you give her a break?"
"I didn't realize she was overworking herself, Harry. She didn't mention anything to me."
"Hello, I'm right here," the object of conversation interjected. Then quietly, under her breath, she added, "I can speak for myself, you know."
"I'm surprised you're putting so much energy into this one, anyways," Hermione continued, ignoring the other girl's comment as though it never even happened. "Considering the fight you put up when I tried to give it to you."
"Can you blame her?" Neville asked. "It's Malfoy, for Merlin's sake."
"What!?" Ron asked. Loudly, and in a fairly high pitch that made Ginny's ears hurt.
Harry, on the other hand, simply looked confused. "You're working for Malfoy? Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Neville before answering. "He's not that bad, really, and I guess I just didn't want you to go on and be a white knight. It's sweet, Harry, but I can handle him, I swear."
His cheeks pinked a bit at this. Under his breath he mumbled, "I don't mean for it to be a bad thing, Gin, I just want to make sure you're happy..."
Her hand found his under the table and she squeezed it lightly. "I know, Harry."
"Who's up for some exploding snap?" Fred asked, pulling a pack of cards from his robes. "Brought it just in case!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, George cheered on his twin, Ron agreed, Neville declined, and Harry, not for the first time, wondered if perhaps he was doing something wrong in his relationship with Ginny.
"I'll help you clear the dishes, if you like," he said just quiet enough for her to hear. She nodded and said, "Ok, hon, that would be great."
It didn't take too long, because chores go fast with magic. It helped that Harry and Ginny had a bit of help from Neville and Hermione, who simply didn't feel like playing cards that evening. Afterwards, everyone sat around the living room talking: the twins in chairs, Ron, Hermione, and Neville on the couch, and Harry on the floor with Ginny laying in his lap. For some reason, the subject of Draco Malfoy couldn't be dropped. It annoyed the hostess more than just a bit as everyone shared their favorite stick-it-to-Malfoy moment from school. When people started listing Malfoy traits they disliked the most, Ginny fought to keep her temper in check. Now that they worked together, she could see he wasn't an obnoxious twit, but apparently, the rivalry hadn't, and most likely wouldn't, fade away.
When it came time for everyone to leave, Ginny was relieved. Everyone said goodbye to the married couple first; everyone hugged Hermione, Ginny was the only one to hug Ron. Then the twins said their goodbyes, shortly followed by Neville with a kiss from Ginny. As she closed the door, she turned to find Harry there already wearing his cloak.
"Are you leaving?" she asked dumbly. Of course he was, since he most likely wasn't headed out for a walk at 11 o'clock at night.
"Yeah," he answered. "I bet you're tired since you've been working so hard lately. Thought you might like the night to yourself."
"Oh, right. Well, you know, I thought since you'd stayed here... Well, I thought you would stay here."
She felt even stupider saying that, but she just didn't how to say that she assumed Harry was staying the night. She'd gotten used to the regularity of it.
"I haven't been home in ages. I just want to make sure it's there. And you do seem to need a night alone."
Ginny only nodded, deciding she wouldn't protest if this was what Harry wanted. She walked towards him, stood on the very tips of her toes, and kissed him sweetly a few times.
"Ok then, love. I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah," he answered, nodding. "Soon. Goodnight, Gin."
Then Harry kissed Ginny's forehead and left to go home.
&&&
Draco considered Ginny that evening while he laid in bed. It was a Sunday and he hadn't seen her around the library since the previous Thursday. He knew that on occasion, she'd stop in on the weekends to get in some extra hours, but her office had remained locked all weekend. He wondered what reason she had for blowing off work this weekend.
Probably Potter, he thought annoyed. Although they'd never discussed their relationships, Draco knew from articles in the Daily Prophet that Ginny and Potter were together. He noticed that she didn't wear a ring of any sort, and it made him wonder what Potter was waiting for. He seemed the type all for marriage and settling down, the white picket fence, and loud family Christmas gatherings. So why not hurry up and get to that bit while he was still young? Because even at 26, Draco was beginning to feel just a bit burnt out.
Of course, the youngest Weasley didn't exactly seem in a hurry to have everything figured out. She didn't know what she wanted to do professionally or seem too interested in immediately having lots of little baby Potters. Maybe they weren't too serious, or maybe The Git Who Lived wasn't that into her. The whole thing was a bit curious to Draco, but he wasn't about to ask for the circumstances revolving their relationship.
He also wasn't about to deny that he liked thinking they weren't too serious about each other. For one, it made the little Slytherin Malfoy inside him thrilled that Potter didn't have the perfect life. For another, Ginny seemed too wild and free to be settled down with a prat like Potter who always got his way just because he was famous Harry Potter. Famous for a stupid scar...
Alright, so the prat had done one or two honorable things for their kind. Didn't make him a bloody hero...
Actually, according to the awards, that's exactly what it made him. Which just irritated Draco more.
He pushed aside thoughts of Potter and the relationship and just focused on Ginny. He remembered that the first time he saw her in Granger's office, he thought she looked... different. Without the introduction, he wouldn't have recognized her at all. He recalled the image of Ginny at 16. Skinny and short, covered in freckles, and her hair was always up in a ponytail. She looked like she was 16, possibly younger, then.
Now, well... She was still short. No more than 5'4", and Draco had yet to see her in a pair of heels. The woman didn't seem to care at all that she was quite possibly the shortest woman at the library. She also didn't seem to care that she had gained a bit of weight. Before she had been too thin, skin and bones at best. Now she had curves, suggesting she inherited her mother's genes. Her freckles faded in the years she spent indoors and were now no longer prominent on her face. And her hair, Gods, her hair! She still wore it up partially, the sides pinned back, but the rest she kept loose. And the reds! There must have been a thousand shades of red in those waves.
It bugged Draco how much he appreciated her hair. It bugged him how interesting she was.
He turned on his side, pulled a pillow over his head, and resolved to just fall asleep. Perhaps in his dreams, he could get some distance from the sodding woman.
An hour later, he was no closer to sleep than he was to being best mates with Saint Potter. To distract himself, he decided to write a letter.
G,
I'm laying awake in bed thinking about this woman I can't seem to get out of my head. It's frustrating, to say the least, because, well... I don't like her much. At least, I'm not supposed to like her. And I think I do, a little. I wouldn't mind being friendly to her, at least.
I don't know what you can do about any of this, or why you might be interested, but you're always writing things that I can't do anything about or that you're not sure I'd be interested in. You ask for advice like you would from a friend. It's only fair I should be able to, as well.
I'm not even sure what I want you to tell me. I'm just frustrated, and I guess I thought you might be able to do something about it.
Please try, won't you?
D
Of course, after he finished, Draco realized he would have to wait for Kitty to come and deliver a new letter; his owl had never been to G's place before. Inconvenient, really, and slightly unfair. G could get a hold of him anytime she wanted, but he has to wait to write to one of his closest friends.
Well, next time the owl came to his window, it would be leaving with two letters.
&&&
At a quarter to 10 AM, Ginny literally stumbled into her office. It didn't surprise her to see Draco sitting in her chair or to find him scowling at her. More than once he stated how much he hated tardiness, even if by only thirty seconds. Today Ginny was late by forty-five minutes. That was a lot more than thirty seconds.
"Cup of tea?" she asked, hoping to breeze past the lecture.
"Why are you so late?" he asked running his hand through his hair, clearly fuming in anger.
"Special circumstances."
"Those being?"
"None of your business, Malfoy. When it comes to my schedule, I don't report to you. I report to Hermione. If she's got a problem with when I get here, she can address it with me."
This was clearly The Wrong Thing To Say, because Draco's eyes became thin and his scowl intensified. He didn't like being told he didn't have right to do something. His mum used to call it only child syndrome; most just called him spoiled.
"She might have a problem with it if I pull my contract with you. You'd lose the library a lot of money, wouldn't you? Bet she'd make it a point to find out why you were late then..."
Her eyes became wide and she inhaled sharply. She hadn't expected to be threatened for being late. Despite her shock, and then her anger, she began preparing tea for the both of them. She did so silently, calculating her answer before she shared it.
"I can't believe I've been telling people that you've changed. You're still fowl, you know that?" Ginny slammed a cup of tea (with two sugars and a squeeze of lemon, she'd come to learn over the past month) in front of Draco. She held tightly onto her own as she sank into the chair opposite of her 'usual' spot. "If you bothered to inform me of the days you'd be stopping in, you would know that I'm late today, with permission, because I had a doctor's appointment. I tried to hurry in, but it was a bit difficult to get here. Satisfied?"
At first, he only blinked. Then he asked, "Are you alright?"
Whatever reaction Ginny expected, that wasn't it. She, too, blinked, stunned. "Pardon?"
"You weren't in all weekend, and you were seeing a Healer. Are you not alright?"
"Oh. Yes, of course, I'm fine. Just a check up is all. What's that you're working on?" She stretched out her hand to take the sketch Draco had clearly been pouring himself over. He handed it to her, explaining that, "It's just a broom design. What do you think?"
Although, truthfully, Ginny failed to study the plans. Her eyes locked on the different descriptions Draco wrote, explaining color or special charms it would have. It was tiny, formal, perfectly printed. All the lower cased letters were the same height, and everything was very neat. Neat, and familiar.
"Did you write this yourself?" she asked, feeling the color drain from her face. Suddenly the little breakfast she ate wasn't sitting too well in her stomach. And when had it gotten so cold? Just moments ago, she felt perfectly comfortable. Now she was cold and sick and a little dizzy.
"'Course. Wouldn't trust anyone else with my design. Except you, of course," he said with a smirk. "But I've got your silence with a contract."
The joke and implied compliment didn't even register in Ginny's mind, because it was too busy wrapping itself around something else.
It was too busy bubbling over with realization that Draco Malfoy was also her pen pal by the name of 'D'.
&&&
Someone left a review saying that this is You've Got Mail. They are right. This was written for a request, for someone who wanted a You've Got Mail D/G parody. Also, if you'd like to see some 'art' for this fic, go here: i9.