Felix walked into the brightly lit room. Though just seconds before
he had appeared to be the courteous, charming salesclerk, you could see the
transitions he was making as he relaxed. His white work skirt wrinkled
slightly. His eyes furrowed, showing the beginning signs of stress that
hadn't been there earlier. The color went out of his cheeks, and his fake,
brilliant white smile disappeared.
"Miss?" he called, in a tired, worn out voice. Then-
"Miss?" The voice had picked up the faint traces of actual personality beneath it.
"Miss Ginny?" The tone was worried.
A woman stepped out from behind a cauldron larger than she was. Colorful smudges were strewn carelessly about her apron, and her hair fell sloppily down, the ends tickling the flushed skin above her chin.
"Yes, Felix?" she replied, smiling, peering at him through thin wired glasses
"I hate to bother you, Miss, but there's a young fellow out there inquiring about one of your products." Felix trailed off, pausing to pick a piece of lint off of his shirt.
"Well, I guess I'd better talk to him then" Ginny said, attempting to clean herself up. Long fingers ran through her short coppery hair, then down towards her apron, brushing off the dirt and various aromas. She adjusted her glasses and walked out of the back room, into the front of her store.
Masses and masses of tall wooden shelves were everywhere with glass vials of every shape, color, and label you could imagine. It was the sort of place children can only dream about. The ideal place for long games of hide-and-go-seek.
Ginny straightened herself in a businesslike way, her large brown eyes looking for the man Felix had told her about.
"Hello, Miss" a mockingly cold voice said behind her. She shivered involuntarily and turned around
"Weasel..." said the man, his pale slicked back hair and cold manner giving him away.
'Draco" she acknowledged him with a nod "What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Sir?" he laughed slowly "So it's Sir now... "
"Yes. It's sir. What can I do for you, Isir/I?" she asked, crossing arms against her chest defiantly, wishing he would leave. She had a potion in the back room that needed finishing, and she had only just started it. It had been a busy day for Ginny, and this was not the time to be wasting her day with some smug git she barley remembered from school.
"When they told me the littlist Weasel actually had her own store in Diagon Alley, I could hardly believe it. But here you are, filthy as ever. Still a disgrace. Selling things like."
He picked up a particularly slender bottle full of dark red liquid and sloshed it around. He turned it over so that the label faced him
"...crushed rose petals?" his face crinkled with disgust, and he set the bottle back on the shelf quickly, as if it were something a child had handed him off the street. His gaze went from the bottle to Ginny herself, whose grip tightened around her arms as she stared evenly back at him.
...She could feel herself crumbling beneath his gaze. She became very aware of the fact that her apron was stained, her hair a wild mess, her freckles standing out more than ever against her flushed cheeks. She was suddenly ashamed of her scuffed boots, and striped knee socks that didn't quite match. She was very aware that her concentration was slipping and he could probably see that, but she didn't look away. Ginny refused to be beaten by this. this Ithing/I, this Imonster/I.
"Sir" she said quietly "I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to leave my store."
"Oh?" Draco raised a mocking eyebrow at her
"If you haven't forgotten, SIR, you-know-who was defeated a long time ago. Your bloody status doesn't mean anything to me. Get the hell out of my store before I call the ministry. I'm sure they would love to hear about how you're harassing a poor little shop owner."
"Fine" he said, breaking eye contact "I'm leaving. Sorry to bother you, IMiss/I."
He walked out quietly, his expensive robes fluttering behind him. After he had closed the door, Ginny let out the breath she wasn't aware she had even been holding. Her small, petite body looked frail now.
"I-I'm sorry I told you he was here, Miss" Felix said, his callused hands wringing his robes nervously. "I didn't even recognize him. If I had known-"
"Don't" Ginny said, putting a hand up to cut him off. "I'm glad you did get me. He would have known I was avoiding him. And he won't be back. If he is, then let him stay. He's just a person."
Felix let his hands relax. "Do you want... Should I get you some tea, Miss?"
Ginny smiled warmly at him. "That would be lovely, Felix. And please, just call me Ginny."
"Miss?" he called, in a tired, worn out voice. Then-
"Miss?" The voice had picked up the faint traces of actual personality beneath it.
"Miss Ginny?" The tone was worried.
A woman stepped out from behind a cauldron larger than she was. Colorful smudges were strewn carelessly about her apron, and her hair fell sloppily down, the ends tickling the flushed skin above her chin.
"Yes, Felix?" she replied, smiling, peering at him through thin wired glasses
"I hate to bother you, Miss, but there's a young fellow out there inquiring about one of your products." Felix trailed off, pausing to pick a piece of lint off of his shirt.
"Well, I guess I'd better talk to him then" Ginny said, attempting to clean herself up. Long fingers ran through her short coppery hair, then down towards her apron, brushing off the dirt and various aromas. She adjusted her glasses and walked out of the back room, into the front of her store.
Masses and masses of tall wooden shelves were everywhere with glass vials of every shape, color, and label you could imagine. It was the sort of place children can only dream about. The ideal place for long games of hide-and-go-seek.
Ginny straightened herself in a businesslike way, her large brown eyes looking for the man Felix had told her about.
"Hello, Miss" a mockingly cold voice said behind her. She shivered involuntarily and turned around
"Weasel..." said the man, his pale slicked back hair and cold manner giving him away.
'Draco" she acknowledged him with a nod "What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Sir?" he laughed slowly "So it's Sir now... "
"Yes. It's sir. What can I do for you, Isir/I?" she asked, crossing arms against her chest defiantly, wishing he would leave. She had a potion in the back room that needed finishing, and she had only just started it. It had been a busy day for Ginny, and this was not the time to be wasting her day with some smug git she barley remembered from school.
"When they told me the littlist Weasel actually had her own store in Diagon Alley, I could hardly believe it. But here you are, filthy as ever. Still a disgrace. Selling things like."
He picked up a particularly slender bottle full of dark red liquid and sloshed it around. He turned it over so that the label faced him
"...crushed rose petals?" his face crinkled with disgust, and he set the bottle back on the shelf quickly, as if it were something a child had handed him off the street. His gaze went from the bottle to Ginny herself, whose grip tightened around her arms as she stared evenly back at him.
...She could feel herself crumbling beneath his gaze. She became very aware of the fact that her apron was stained, her hair a wild mess, her freckles standing out more than ever against her flushed cheeks. She was suddenly ashamed of her scuffed boots, and striped knee socks that didn't quite match. She was very aware that her concentration was slipping and he could probably see that, but she didn't look away. Ginny refused to be beaten by this. this Ithing/I, this Imonster/I.
"Sir" she said quietly "I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to leave my store."
"Oh?" Draco raised a mocking eyebrow at her
"If you haven't forgotten, SIR, you-know-who was defeated a long time ago. Your bloody status doesn't mean anything to me. Get the hell out of my store before I call the ministry. I'm sure they would love to hear about how you're harassing a poor little shop owner."
"Fine" he said, breaking eye contact "I'm leaving. Sorry to bother you, IMiss/I."
He walked out quietly, his expensive robes fluttering behind him. After he had closed the door, Ginny let out the breath she wasn't aware she had even been holding. Her small, petite body looked frail now.
"I-I'm sorry I told you he was here, Miss" Felix said, his callused hands wringing his robes nervously. "I didn't even recognize him. If I had known-"
"Don't" Ginny said, putting a hand up to cut him off. "I'm glad you did get me. He would have known I was avoiding him. And he won't be back. If he is, then let him stay. He's just a person."
Felix let his hands relax. "Do you want... Should I get you some tea, Miss?"
Ginny smiled warmly at him. "That would be lovely, Felix. And please, just call me Ginny."