A/N - apparently was having some issues yesterday. I posted this chapter, never got the email notice of a new chapter, and then this morning someone notified me that it was gone.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, they returned to the box to find Blaise, Penrod, and Fincannon waiting for them. The match was barely started, as the score was only 20-10. Introductions were made, and pointless polite conversation followed. Luna sat by Draco's side and barely spoke for the duration of the match. The two teams played very well, with the score staying within 30 points until a little over two hours in, when Brazil's seeker caught the snitch, giving them a 330-200 victory over Italy.
Penrod and Fincannon both excused themselves, as they had prior lunch commitments. Blaise went down to check on the booth, leaving Draco and Luna alone.
"I'm going to order lunch here." Draco told her. "There's not much on the menu except sandwiches and the like. You can stay if you want, or you can go into town if you'd rather have real food."
"Sandwiches are fine." she smiled. "Hogwarts plays next, don't they? I'd like to stay for that."
"All right." Draco summoned the waiter to order lunch.
The awkward silence descended again once the waiter left.
"Do you follow much Quidditch?" Draco asked. "I mean, I know I used to see you at Hogwarts at the matches. Half a mile up, you couldn't miss that lion hat." He rolled his eyes. "But ... do you understand it?"
"Not as much as I'd like to." she shrugged. "My father was never into Quidditch. The Weasleys were, but they were mostly too busy shouting and carrying on to explain plays and strategies and all that."
"I could teach you." he offered.
She smiled. "Thank you Draco."
He didn't have much opportunity to explain strategy during the Hogwarts-US West match. Oliver Wood's brother caught the snitch a mere twenty minutes in. It was enough time for Draco to see that Joe Wood was an amazing player.
The next match quickly turned into a one sided event that had everyone hoping that someone would catch the snitch, just to end it.
"I'm going to walk down to send an owl. Then I'll probably walk around the exhibits for a while. Do you want to come along or stay here?" Draco asked.
"I'll go with you." Luna smiled.
They stopped by the owl post so Draco could send a message to Oliver Wood, requesting to meet about a contract with Joe. They stopped by the Nimbus booth next, where Blaise informed them visitors had been steady all morning long. They had a waiting list of over 300 more people wanting 3k shirts, and two other Quidditch supply chains, as well as Spintwitches and Broomstix, wanted to meet with Draco and Blaise before the week was out.
They ended up staying a bit so Bletchley and Johnson could grab some lunch. Luna mostly stood aside, allowing Draco and Blaise to field most of the questions, but when anyone asked about 3k shirts, she asked their opinions about colors, styles, and other promotional items customers would like to see, jotting some notes on their input.
Bletchley and Johnson returned, so Draco and Luna continued on. There were booths from various Quidditch suppliers, some of the professional teams, Quidditch magazines, and quite a few unrelated sponsors, such as Scribbulus Writing Implements and J. Pippin's Potions which was promoting their new line of men's products.
The Firebolt company's booth was nearly deserted.
"They're hurting right now." Draco told her. "They haven't come out with a new model in two years, and Krum, who's been flying a Firebolt for almost ten years, has signed with us."
Cleansweep didn't even have a booth.
"They're the market leader in lower end brooms. The economy class, all purpose brooms anyone can afford. They haven't even made a sport model in years. It's actually a waste of time for them to be here, because they're almost guaranteed to get the buyers who can't afford a Nimbus or a Firebolt. It's almost as if Nimbus and Cleansweep aren't even competitors. Our purpose is to make a broom of such quality that you won't tire of it before a better model comes along. If you look at a used broom shop now, you might find a Nimbus 2000 or 2001. You won't find a 2500. At least not until the 3k comes out. I stopped production on the economy models and that Fambus monstrosity when I took over the company." he stopped when he realized Luna was biting her lip not to giggle.
"What?" he asked.
"You and your brooms." she smiled.
"At least you listen." he snorted. "Daphne would always change the subject when I talk about brooms."
They reached the end of the concourse, where the other premium booth was situated. There were two booths larger than the others, placed at opposite ends of the exhibition hall. Nimbus had one. Draco hadn't asked who rented the other, beyond being assured that it wasn't another broom manufacturer. At an event packed with teenage boys, he should have realized who would have the other premium booth.
"...Skivving Snackboxes for twenty percent off! Buy three and we'll give you a free box of Canary Creams!" the red haired man in a magenta robe hawked.
"And don't forget, our newest location in Hogsmeade will be opening at the end of the summer! All you Hogwarts students can pick up your favorite Weasley products on Hogsmeade weekends!" the other twin shouted.
Draco stopped in the middle of the aisle.
Unfortunately, one of the twins spotted them.
"And there is Draco Malfoy, owner of Nimbus Racing Brooms, obviously come to stock up on U No Poo!" the twin pointed, and everyone turned to look at Draco and Luna.
"Actually I came to see if you now have freckle remover to go with your Ten Second Pimple Remover." Draco called back. "But I imagine a product like that would be too dangerous. If you ever spilled any at home, you could wipe out your entire family."
The twins continued to smile, but their eyes narrowed.
"Luna, we're working on a firework display like the world has never seen to set off in eighty eight days." One of the Weasleys told her, looking at Draco significantly.
"Is that for the release of the Nimbus 3k?" some kid in the crowd asked.
Luna's expression suddenly turned speculative. "Owl me later." she called to the twins.
She and Draco turned to walk away.
"Malfoy, wait!" one of the twins shouted.
Draco stopped and looked back at the booth.
"Here, on the house." the twin shouted, tossing something to him.
Draco looked at the item that landed in his hands before giving the smirking twins a death glare.
An Edible Dark Mark.
Draco and Luna returned to the booth just in time to catch the end of the Uganda-Canada match, which finally ended with a score of 810-60.
"What the twins said about fireworks..." Luna looked at Draco. "What if we did have a big launch party for the new brooms, with a huge fireworks display?"
He glared at her.
"Really," she continued. "Midnight on July 31st, make it a big event, be the first to get your broom type thing."
"That would mean doing business with the Weasley twins." Draco growled. "Which, I might remind you, are the reason we're in this situation."
"We don't have to get the fireworks from the Weasley twins." Luna shrugged. "Although they do make the best."
At that moment Blaise walked in with Broderick Fincannon.
"What do you think of having a release party, Blaise?" she asked.
Blaise looked back and forth between Draco and Luna, as if wondering what he had walked into.
"An event, at midnight the night before the brooms go on the market, with fireworks and the like, where customers can be the first to get a 3k?" she explained.
"I think it's a brilliant idea." Blaise agreed. He looked at Draco in amusement. "You should have married her a long time ago."
Draco rolled his eyes at Blaise. "She wants to order fireworks from the Weasley twins."
"I know you're not friendly with them, but they do make the best fireworks." Blaise nodded. "We cold possibly even commission some custom fireworks, such as the Nimbus logo or brooms."
"That would be fantastic." Mr. Fincannon agreed.
Draco looked over at the man.
"If we can reach a deal, we could possibly even do a tie in with the team, get a couple of my more popular players there." Fincannon continued.
"Mr. Fincannon, " Draco began.
"Call me Rick, please."
"Rick, then." Draco nodded. "We haven't had much chance to talk about this. What are you looking for from Nimbus?"
Rick sighed. "Back when my grandfather's grandfather owned the team, they won championships coming and going. The Cannons packed the stands every match. Now we actually make more money from souvenir sales than we do from attendance. I want to turn the team around, get these guys actually winning some matches and competing for championships again."
"Professor Dumbledore once suggested sacking the whole team and several gallons of Felix Felicis." Luna offered helpfully."
Draco, froze, mortified, repeating to himself. 'Oh please tell me she did not say that. Please tell me she did not just say that.'
Rick Fincannon actually laughed. "Dumbledore, rest his soul. The man always had a delightful sense of humour."
Draco released the breath he'd been holding. "I think you're off to a good start signing Cole Stewart. He's the best keeper in the league right now. Unfortunately, the rest of your squad isn't scoring any points while he's defending the goals."
"True." Fincannon agreed. "We're in negotiation with a chaser and a seeker currently playing for other teams, whose contracts are up soon. That's also a large part of the reason I'm here, to scout some Junior League talent. In particular, there's a beater on the Durmstrang team everyone is talking about, going into his final year of school. I want a championship in my lifetime and I'm willing to make some investments in the team to get it." he looked over at Draco. "I'd like to see us work something out to put my whole team on 3ks. Seeing that I'm willing to provide the best equipment could help with the recruiting process."
"It could also be an emotional boost to your other players." Luna suggested. "Maybe if they see how serious you are about the team, it will give them the determination to play harder. Or maybe it would help you determine which players' hearts aren't in it and need to go."
"You're absolutely right." Fincannon looked at her. "I've got Joey Jenkins, who's been playing with the team for years. He's past his prime as a player, but he's dedicated to the team. He bleeds Cannon Orange. He gives it all he's got. Some of the younger players are just there to play Quidditch and collect a paycheck."
"Perhaps you can keep Jenkins on as a reserve player and coach." Luna said. "Someone like that is just as much an asset to the team as someone who scores 200 points. If you do sign some of these younger players you want to recruit, he could be a wonderful mentor to them."
"That's what I'm hoping to do." Fincannon held up his glass for a refill on his lemonade as the waiter moved silently about the box.
A whistle blew in the air above the pitch, signalling the beginning of the next match.
"Australia versus Argentina." Fincannon nodded toward the pitch. "Should be a pretty good match, but the next one is the one I want to see."
"Durmstrang and Japan." Blaise agreed. "They were the two favorites to win coming in to the event. No one can believe they have to play each other in the first round."
"Luck of the draw." Fincannon shrugged. "Now Malfoy, let's get down to business here."
Draco and the Cannons owner worked out a deal for Nimbus to be the official broom of the Cannons in exchange for Nimbus logos on the team uniforms and advertisements and mentions during the commentary of the games, and the right to use Cannon players in Nimbus advertisements.
"You should send us some of those 3k shirts." Fincannon offered. "The Cannons sell more merchandise than the next five teams combined. We can put them in our store and offer them through our owl orders. You should have your art team get together with mine, and see if maybe we can design a combination shirt."
"This is my art department." Draco grinned, pointing at Luna.
"You're a very lucky man." Fincannon replied. "Beautiful, intelligent, and talented."
They negotiated the percentage the Cannons would get for selling Nimbus shirts. Blaise scribbled notes down on everything the two sides had agreed upon.
"Have your solicitor draw it all up and we'll sign." Fincannon told Draco, standing and shaking his hand. "I look forward to doing business, Draco."
He excused himself to attend to some other matters, but accepted Draco's invitation to come back later to watch the Durmstrang-Japan match. Blaise left a few minutes later, to go by and check on the booth, and to see when would be a good time to meet with Spintwitches and North American Quidditch.
"Why don't we go back to the room and check on Dash, and then maybe pick up something for supper?" Draco asked. "I'm going to come back for the next match, but you don't have to if you want to do something else."
"If it's going to be the best matchup, I'd like to see it." Luna shrugged.
They walked back to the hotel, mostly without speaking. Draco let Dash out of the cage and worked on tricks with him. Luna pulled a sketchpad out of her suitcase and lay on the bed, drawing.
"What are you drawing?" Draco asked.
"Some ideas for additional promotional items. Some different shirt designs, maybe miniature toy brooms or broom jewelry."
"Maybe we should create a whole line of fan gear, like the Chudley Cannons have. What do you think?" Draco asked, scratching Dash's head absently.
"I think it's a splendid idea." Luna said, looking up. "Even if you are just creating work for me so I'll be out of your way when we get home." She winked at him.
"Did I ask you?" Draco rolled his eyes but smirked at her.
"No, you asked a ferret." Luna replied. "And you accuse me of being mad."
"When did I accuse you of being mad?" he asked.
"At least six times when we were at Hogwarts and I lost count of how many times when I was in your cellar." she informed him.
"You were singing to invisible creatures." he reminded her.
"Just because you couldn't see them doesn't mean they weren't there." she pointed out.
"And at school, you were outside in the snow, barefoot, feeding the scariest looking demon horses." he shuddered at the memory.
"They were hungry, and I didn't know where my shoes were." she replied.
"Those are not something a normal person does, Luna." he shook his head.
"Who gets to decide what is normal?" she asked. "What if someone said it were normal to stand on your head all the time?"
"I think if a large group of people consider something normal, then it is normal." he argued.
"There were tribes in Polynesia and Fiji who considered cannibalism normal." she pointed out.
"Yes, but they considered singing to invisible creatures mad." he smiled at her.
She rolled her eyes and continued drawing.
Blaise stopped by the room. "The next shipment of supplies to make 3k shirts will be delivered tomorrow. I've got some inquiries out about having them manufactured for us, to see the cost comparison."
"Did you get a couple long sleeved shirts?" Draco asked.
Blaise gave him a withering look. "Of course. I'm off, some of us are out promoting the company while others play with animals."
Draco made a face at him.
"I'm sketching some ideas for other promotional items." Luna said.
"I'm supervising the art department." Draco smirked.
Blaise shook his head and left.
They stayed in the room a bit longer, before stopping to pick up takeaway fish and chips, which they took back to the pitch. They ran in to Oliver Wood at the entrance to the stadium, so Draco invited him up. Fincannon came back, along with Blaise, who brought Penrod. Angelina Johnson and Miles Bletchley came up when the vendor exhibits closed for the evening.
The Durmstrang-Japan match lived up to the hype. The two teams were fairly evenly matched, despite having completely different playing styles. Durmstrang's players were all large built, stocky, broad-shouldered boys who played with power and brute strength. The Japanese team were all much smaller, but played with finesse and grace. They used carefully timed moves such as the Dopplebeater Defense and the Hawkshead Formation to keep them competitive against the much larger, stronger opponents. Draco was able to explain quite a bit of strategy and tactics to Luna. Both teams had excellent keepers, and the match was scoreless for almost two hours. Overall, it was an exciting, low scoring game which lasted nearly six hours until Durmstrang finally caught the snitch, giving them the win.
By this time it was very late, or very early, depending on your view. Draco and Luna bid everyone good night, and began the walk back to the hotel. They talked about how tired they were and the fact they were just going to go to bed when they got back to the room.
The closer they got to the room, the worse Draco felt.
"What's wrong?" Luna finally asked just as they reached the front door of the hotel.
"I don't feel well." he shook his head.
"Do you think it's something you ate?" she frowned in concern.
"I had the same fish and chips you had." he reminded her.
"I have somewhat of a headache myself." she told him.
"A bit sick at your stomach, feel like your heart is pounding?" he continued.
She nodded. "Do you think it's the vow?"
"We haven't ... " realization came to him suddenly. "We didn't have pudding tonight."
They stopped at the front desk and asked to have room service send up dessert. When they reached the room, Draco changed into a long sleeved pullover shirt and pajama bottoms. Luna just stripped off her jeans and laid down on the bed in her tee shirt. Room service brought the tray up within five minutes. They each ate three bites of pudding, and then tumbled into bed, where they fell asleep almost instantly.
Luna woke the following morning with Draco kissing her neck and his hand sliding under her tee shirt.
"Good morning." he whispered in her ear. "I have a problem I need you to take care of for me."
If there was any doubt as to what kind of issue he was referring to, he pressed his hips against her bottom.
"You didn't want me to do that yesterday." she reminded him, turning her head to look at him.
"We were in a public bathroom, which is ... gross." he frowned. "And we were supposed to be watching the match with Penrod. I didn't want to listen to him if we went back there smelling like sex."
She turned to face him. "I supposed you have a point, there." she murmured against his lips.
"You're about to get the point." he smirked.
After a mutual shower which almost got out of hand, Draco called downstairs for a breakfast tray while Luna dressed. The waiter brought up a message with their meal.
Draco opened the envelope. It was only a scrap of parchment with his father's scrawl which read
'Please conduct yourself more appropriately in public.'
It was tacked with a sticking charm to the front of The Daily Prophet. The front page of the paper featured a huge picture of Draco with a very determined look on his face, an obvious bulge in his pants, and his belt and button unfastened, hauling an amused looking Luna with her hand in his pocket toward the lavatory.
Malfoy Heir Can't Keep His Pants On?
an exclusive by Rita Skeeter
Draco Malfoy, former Hogwarts star Quidditch player, former Death Eater in Training, Heir to the Malfoy fortune, and owner of the Nimbus Racing Brooms company, just ten days ago was standing at the altar with Daphne Greengrass, middle daughter of the real estate tycoon Robert Greengrass. Mr. Malfoy apparently fainted during the nuptials, and had to be rushed to St Mungos, where he was treated and released two days later.
However, some time in the intervening days, Mr. Malfoy has in fact, gotten married. Not to Miss Greengrass, however, but to Luna Lovegood, daughter of the editor of The Quibbler Magazine.
What on earth could have prompted Mr. Malfoy to break his engagement, announced almost two years ago, to a pureblooded heiress with a fortune nearly as large as his own, to marry a common working class girl with no announcement or fanfare whatsoever?
Was Mr. Malfoy carrying on a tawdry affair with Miss Lovegood behind poor Miss Greengrass' back? Did Miss Lovegood's father blackmail Malfoy into marrying her?
From the looks of this picture, taken at the Junior League Quidditch Championship just before Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy locked themselves in the ladies' room for quite a time, there is obviously nothing lacking in their physical relationship. This leads your favorite reporter to wonder, is the former Miss Lovegood in the family way? Certainly that news would have been enough to cause Dear Draco to faint in the middle of his wedding to another, and reason enough for the rushed, hushed marriage that obviously quickly followed.
The Malfoy camp has not been forthcoming with any information, so our readers must wait and see if Mrs. Malfoy's condition becomes evident with the passing of time.
"Oh Merlin." Draco moaned.
"it could have been worse." Luna shrugged.
Draco just looked at her.
"They could have captured the moment when Blaise and Mr. Penrod walked in and you were shouting 'Put you other hand in and take a hold of it'" she told him.
The two looked at one another, and then burst into laughter.