Chapter 25: Making up

After he'd left the Ministry confused about what had driven him to ask about Ginny when he knew full well that Percy's acceptance was nothing but the forethought of an intelligent man. Percy knew that the Malfoy name would one day be good again; Draco had already noticed how the business men were the only ones who thought him worthy of conversation.

He'd forgotten to speak to Luke, but he knew he'd get to speak with him soon enough. When Draco arrived at his office he was intent on reading the report and thankful to Percy that he'd only looked at the front page and the signature at the end. He'd been mortified by the idea of Percy Weasley reading what ever sins the report detailed. Unfortunately, on his arrival to the building James Norton fell upon him stuttering about cancellations so Draco had thrown the papers on his desk beside the employee files without even having had time to contact Carwin and spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday traveling around Britain to the various shops across the island talking the merchants into keeping their products in stock. He promised them that soon enough the whole thing would be cleared up and that it was just a mistake. Very soon the hatred and jealousy that he'd harbored in Hogwarts for Hermione Granger came back as he was reminded at every turn that Hermione Weasley didn't make mistakes! It was almost as if the woman was a god, for Merlin's sake!

Thankfully charm and money still worked and he'd been able to convince them to go through with the orders all ready placed and promised that if the products didn't sell in a year and he hadn't been absolved he would give them all their money back, he just hoped it didn't come to that because by then they'd probably have to pry the money out of his dead hands after his father killed him for ruining the three hundred year old family business.

On Thursday, after finally catching up with the past week's work and settling down his employees for whom the dilemma had finally become too real, especially the accountants who knew the state of things for the company, he was able to sit back and study the Ministry report. What he read shocked him, the report was line after line of complaints from a House-Elf that was never named; they barely mentioned the accommodations. The report was very biased and he knew his House-Elves would never say these things as Wheezy was authorized to do anything necessary to keep them happy.

He was pissed; whoever was framing him was going to wish they'd never messed with a Malfoy. He spied the employee records on the table and realized he'd never examined them. He wasn't expecting to find anything he didn't already know as he'd done an extensive investigation five years ago when he'd discovered the fraudulence of his Vice-President, but maybe there was something that he had overlooked in his inexperience.

He picked up the first folder only to be interrupted by Cassandra's voice, "Mr. Carwin is here to see you."

"Let him in," Draco sighed and stood up to receive him.

"Hello, I have terrible news for you!" the man smiled as he walked in and flopped down on one of the chairs in front of Draco's desk.

Draco sat down slowly, "I had a feeling; have they discovered an Avada Kedavraed House-Elf downstairs?"

"No, you should cremate those," he answered without pausing, Draco wondered if that was normal for this guy, "worse."

"Worse?"

"One of my contacts tells me the Ministry's found a paper trail leading to some Muggle bank account in the Cayman Islands."

"How? We have no papers to trail! Isn't that the problem?" Draco asked exasperated.

"Inside leak, someone stole the papers and fixed them, where's the Veritaserum?"

"No, you're not allowed to drug my employees until I've talked to them." Draco said thinking about how much pain Dan would put him through if he allowed Carwin near her.

"Why not?" Carwin looked affronted and Draco was surprised to see that the man had an expression other than open joviality.

"Because you think Darwin and Dan are up to no good when I know one's a charlatan and the other's a crappy artist, not our thieves." Draco said and stood to indicate the meeting was over. Carwin stood and was walking out of the office when Draco stopped him. He duplicated the Ministry report and handed the copy to Carwin, "something to do."

He sat heavily in his chair and began to look at his employees files to find that everything was exactly as he'd remembered it although it seemed as if Hill was taking more vacation days than he was allowed, there was nothing that would implicate any of his employees, and he'd simply have to talk to them himself tomorrow.

He was about to close Samantha's file when he saw something that made him smile, she had worked at Mentis Merchandise, the company Ginny had worked at, and now he could go ask Ginny all about her. As he walked past his desk he doubled back and grabbed the Ministry report maybe if she was in a good mood she would be willing to talk to Granger for him.

Draco stood outside Ginny's door and stared at the 2-D in front of him. He imagined that it stared back at him and he glared at its audacity, sighing he lifted his hand to knock when a door down the hall opened and the old cow stepped out of 2-A. She scowled at Draco and he flashed her a smile while leaning against the window sill; she shuffled off down the stairs grumpily, undoubtedly it took an immense effort to move.

He turned back to the door and knocked.

"Give me a minute!" Her voice drifted out.

He looked out the window to see the wall of the building next door. The door opened and he saw her walk away without giving him a glance. He stepped in hesitantly, there was a chance that she'd hurt him when she realized it was him. She stopped suddenly and he noticed that she was tense.

Draco stiffened as she turned around and began running right at him, she was going to hurt him! He tried to sidestep but the hallway was tight and she was on him, hugging him! Her grip tightened and he wondered if she wasn't trying to choke him, "I'm sorry," they managed to say simultaneously.

Ginny stood before her mirror contemplating whether or not she should go. She was dressed in pale blue summer dress and her hair hung softly around her neck, she figured if she were to apologize looking nice he'd be much more inclined to accept it.

She thought back to earlier when she'd finished crying all over Hermione.

"Maybe it's for the best." Hermione said hesitantly.

"What?" Ginny asked confused as to exactly how her family hating the man she loved was for the best.

"Don't tell Ron," Ginny rolled her eyes as if she'd tell Ron anything, "but my department just got an anonymous tip and they've uncovered a trail of papers revealing where the money has been going." Hermione said with a frown, "it seems he really has been taking the money"

Ginny pulled away from her, "No, it can't be true, I refuse to believe it." Then with more confidence, "it's a set-up, I mean 'anonymous tip'! How suspicious is that?"

"Ginny, I don't think it's good to get your hopes up like that." Hermione warned.

"I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm, I'm just having a little faith." She answered resolutely and rushed out of the room with a wave leaving Hermione with a frown on her face.

Now she stood in front of the mirror and wondered if maybe Hermione wasn't right, she was getting her hopes up imagining that it was all a twisted joke everyone was playing on her and they'd live happily ever after. She heard someone at the door and yelled, "Give me a minute!" She'd just heard Mrs. Canfora leave her apartment and figured the woman had come to yell about Ginny's pet owl leaving droppings on her fire escape as if there were no other birds in the vicinity!

Ginny opened the door without paying attention to who was standing there and started walking down the hallway back to the living room where she would ignore the woman for the next thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds, she stopped at the threshold, the hairs on the back of her neck standing when she heard a heavy step and she turned around quickly to see Draco standing there nervously she couldn't contain her glee as she rushed to hug him, "I'm sorry," they said simultaneously.

"You were right Draco, I was clinging to the past, and I'm done now." Ginny said, "Anything you want to know I'll tell, if you want to meet my family just say the word and I'll take you there, although I warn you they're not very fond of you."

"No, that's okay," he said nervously, "because you were right, too," be a man, he told himself, she's being honest, you can too, "I don't like your family and I can't promise that I ever will, I was just trying 'cause I know they're important to you."

"That's sweet," she said a little annoyed that he'd admitted that, she sort of wished he kept that to himself and then she could pretend, no, pretending is in the past. Ginny pulled away from him and walked down the hallway and closed the door. They sat down on the sofa in an uncomfortable silence neither knowing what to say or whether they should say anything at all. "I was just going to go over to the Manor, to surprise you."

"Really, what made you change your mind about me?" Draco asked.

"What you said and what I saw in the pensieve, you have always been honest with me and I should trust you, well, except about how you felt about my family, but then I can't blame you for that," Ginny said, "I would've done the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't have, because you didn't. I think anytime my father came up you cursed him out." Draco said smug as he saw her turn red, then he smiled and pulled her towards him glad to be able to touch her again.

Ginny couldn't help but smile, "Well, it doesn't matter if you and my family don't like each other, I'll change your minds yet!" She smiled and looked into his grey eyes, flecks of blue barely noticeable she said, "I love you" and afraid to wait for an answer she kissed him poring herself into him.

He returned the kiss and although they'd kissed hundreds of times before Ginny now realized both of them had been holding back substituting skill for feeling. When they finally parted Ginny, out of breath, tightened her arms around Draco hugging him close and he said what she already knew "I love you, too."

A/N: Thurs. May 19, 2004. The horrible chapter titles continue...