Draco Malfoy's partner was certifiably an idiot.
"Malfoy, would you stop painting your fingernails and help me expose these runes?" she said, scowling. Her freckles scrunched up across her nose as her mouth knit into an angry pout; the expression was unbecoming.
He didn't move. "A manicure is a sign of good breeding, Weasley. And you're uncovering the wrong set. Based on the glyph in the corner, those are from the ninth century, and we're looking for a code from the seventh." Her bum, he noted, which rounded out nicely as she bent over the slab in the middle of the cave, was an agreeable enough view.
Weasley let out a low hiss as she realized his genius observation.
"You could have mentioned that a quarter hour ago," she said with a glare.
"I could have, but I was too distracted by my fingernails," he said cattily.
The Weasley rose up to her full height—so she could stare him in the nose, he mused—and jammed her hands onto her hips. "Look, Malfoy. I didn't ask for this assignment. But if the D.o.M. wants to solve a stupid Runic puzzle, they need an archeologist and a Runes expert. I'll do the hard part and get the bloody dirt out of the way, but you need to translate the fucking symbols for me."
He rolled his eyes for her benefit.
"If I tell you where to look, will you hurry it up?"
She turned a brighter shade of crimson, and he briefly wondered if she'd actually burst if he continued in this vein. He decided against this—entertaining, but messy.
"There, on the far side of the cave. Those are futhorc, pre-dating the Latin influences," he said, pointing.
She shone her lit wand at the low wall and murmured a few specialized revealing spells, vanishing only the newest dirt. She cast another spell and the wall turned iridescent, revealing the passage of time in colors. The runes shone out blue against red.
"This is our puzzle," she said. "Seventh century. I guess you do know your stuff, Malfoy."
As if she should doubt him.
She turned toward him, her hair lit brightly by the matching wall behind her, and flashed him a winning smile.
"I suppose working together isn't so bad, right?"
He bit his tongue.
Draco Malfoy's partner was certifiably pretty when she smiled.
A/N: 395 on the first draft! Woohoo! I'm getting used to the word limit – I can feel it.
I'm not that brilliant about runes, but Wikipedia came in mighty handy for this lil guy (I know I'm a nerd! Who does research for drabbles? D: )
Oh, and a special prize to anyone who manages to review them ALL. Hey, only 88 to go!