A/N: Uh, sorry it's taken me so long to update. I really have no excuse to offer besides the fact that school has been really hectic. Hopefully next time it won't take so long.
THE SEARCH FOR DELICIOUS
Chapter Three
Storming back into her apartment, Ginny's hair was flying all around her face in a mad fury. She slammed the door and dropped her bag on the floor.
Colin, who was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine, looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "And what's got you so worked up?"
"That…that STUPID Malfoy," Ginny ranted. "I just can't believe him. What is he thinking? Doesn't he realize how important it is for us to respect and preserve what little existence there is of magic creatures in the wild? Doesn't he know that it's necessary to STOP building where they live so that they have a chance of living? Doesn't he know that he needs to pay special attention to them so he can prevent bad things from happening to them? Does he not think of the affects his actions have on people.. I mean creatures? He's so self centered, all he thinks about is his gain, and nothing about anyone or anything else…" Ginny flung herself down on the couch next to Colin and crossed her arms.
Colin blinked a couple of times. "Uhh…for a minute there, when I could actually understand your crazed rambling, it didn't really seem like you were talking about Malfoy and his lack of attention to the magical species."
Ginny glared at him. "Why are you still in my apartment? Don't you have a job or something?"
Closing the magazine and setting it on the coffee table, Colin turned to face Ginny. "My job…is a bit in limbo…The Daily Prophet doesn't happen to be doing quite as well as it used to…since The Quibbler has gained some sort of recognition…" he trailed off. "Wait a minute, we are not talking about me or my job."
Ginny looked down at her lap, making a noncommittal noise.
"Why don't you just tell him?" Colin suggested. "Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Ginny's eyes bugged out and her nostrils flared quite unattractively, staring at Colin as if he'd just grown fangs and requested to suck her blood.
"Are you kidding? I can't just tell him! He probably wouldn't even believe me. And what good would come of it? Honestly, I can't think of a single thing. In fact, he'd probably be disgusted with himself for ever tainting his pure body with that of a Muggle lover's." Ginny fidgeted with her shirt and looked away from Colin.
"I'm afraid I'm not understanding," said Colin, confusion showing plainly on his scrunched up forehead. "You have absolutely amazing sex with a knackered Malfoy, who happens not to remember who exactly he had this amazing sex with, and you're afraid to tell him because he'll be disgusted, but you're angry with him because he doesn't…know who he had sex with?" Colin's eye twitched. "Did… I get that right?"
Ginny pursed her lips. "For some reason, it sounds a whole lot more idiotic when you say it. But…yes, essentially, that's it."
Colin grinned. "Does that mean you really do care about some fiddly magical creatures?"
"Oh you!" Ginny said, picking up a pillow and whacking him with it over the head.
Draco paced the opulent Persian carpet in his office, trying to decide what exactly to do next about this mystery woman, or Tracey Davis. Now that the annoying little twat Weasley was out of his office, he could concentrate on it more fully, instead of inspecting the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose…and the pinkness of her lips.
He stopped short and shook his head. "You're losing it," he said to himself.
"I quite agree," said Blaise, coming in through the door. "I've never seen you behaving so mental since…well, ever. And quite frankly, it's very unnerving."
Draco lifted his eyes to the ceiling frustratedly. "Tell me, what does Tracey Davis look like again?"
Blaise looked into the air thoughtfully. "She's…tall, dark skinned, brown eyes…small chested…wide hips though.."
"Er, stop," requested Draco, dropping himself down into his luxurious leather chair. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't think that's her."
"What? Who else is there?" Blaise questioned. "You've ruled out everyone on the list. There's no one left." Blaise paused and a Cheshire grin made it's way to his lips. "Unless of course you dreamed the whole thing."
Draco shot Blaise a venomous glare. "Right, then how did I wind up with the panties on my bedroom floor?"
Blaise shrugged. "You just said yourself that you were losing it. Perhaps you went on a panty purchasing spree in your drunken state."
"As much as I'd like to accept that possibility, I highly doubt it," said Draco, picking up a quill and tapping it on a piece of parchment.
Ginny grinned as she practically skipped out the Ministry of Magic, holding a manila envelope that would crush Malfoy's building plans. Apparently not all of his deals had been completely straight laced and followed the rules, and once the MoM had been notified of the vast amount of endangered magical creatures living on the land he was planning to build on, they'd denied his building permits. Also, it did help that in the Eco department of the Ministry, Malfoy had made an enemy of one Mrs. Janet Terkin, who was easily persuaded to alter a couple of clauses.
Oh the power of persuasion.
She treated herself to an icy cold pumpkin juice on her way back to Malfoy's office, gearing herself up for her attack.
"Mr. Malfoy, you have a visitor," buzzed Mrs. Merriweather's voice into Draco's office.
"Send them in," said Draco, sifting through some papers, trying to remember where he'd put a copy of a contract for Madame Malkin's new clothing stores.
The doors opened almost immediately, and in came Ginny Weasley wearing a very self satisfied grin.
"I expect you're having a nice day, Malfoy," she said, seating herself comfortably in one of the chairs in front of his desk, crossing her legs neatly and putting her bag down.
Draco blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Surely Weasley wasn't in his office for the second time that day. And she certainly didn't look so comfortable and sure of herself in HIS chair.
Or…maybe she did.
"Quite nice, thank you," Draco recovered after his bout of silence. "Now why are you here, again, might I add? Surely you've realized your efforts are futile by now?" He smiled kindly at her, wishing she would just hurry up and leave so he could get on with his work.
Distractions didn't sit well with him.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Futile? I think not, Malfoy. It seems that my efforts have been quite successful with the Ministry of Magic." She leaned over to reach in her bag to pull out her folder, giving Malfoy a nice view of her behind and curvaceous hip. When she came back up, a tendril of hair was stuck to her parted lips, bringing about a whole new kind of distraction in his pants.
He rubbed the back of his neck and scooted his chair in closer to his desk. "Oh really now?"
"Really," said Ginny, grinning. She slapped the folder down on his desk in front of him, flipping it open for him. "Read." She sat watching him anxiously, her brown eyes dancing with delight.
He looked down at the papers, trying to ignore his growing distraction.
The Ministry of Magic.....hereby declares all Marshall lands as safe habitat to magical creatures. No wizards or witches shall impose unnatural structures or developments in the region to further the life of…
Draco looked up at her. "What the hell?"
She smirked. "What was it you said about my efforts? Oh yes, they were 'futile'."
Draco closed the folder. "You don't know what you've just gotten yourself into or what you're doing."
Ginny cocked an eyebrow. "I think I know exactly what I'm doing. And obviously I know how to get what I want." She reached over to take the folder back, and Draco glimpsed her milky cleavage, almost instantly forgetting about how much money his company was going to loose.
What exactly was she playing at?
"I don't know what you did to get the Ministry to change the rules, but you are not going to cost my company millions of galleons because of your freakish obsession with endangered magical creatures," Draco said coldly, willing himself to forget everything provocative he'd seen.
"It's too late now, isn't it, Malfoy?" said Ginny. "The rules have been changed. There's no way you can build there now."
"Well then, let me amend my previous statement. There's no way you're going to cost my company millions of galleons and get away with it," he said.
"Ooh," Ginny cooed. "Sounds like a threat. Should I be afraid?"
Draco's lips curled up in a devilish grin. "You'll just have to see, won't you?"
Ginny pushed her hair back, sending a wave of cinnamony sweetness through the air, staring back at him defiantly. "You don't intimidate me, Malfoy."
Draco inhaled, the smell sending his olfactory memory into hyper drive. He frowned at her. She smelled exactly…no…it couldn't be…
He studied the pale curve of her neck and the shape of her lips, feeling his stomach tightening…
"Merlin," he let out in a whisper. "It's you."
Something much akin to panic swept across Ginny's face.