b Disclaimer: /b i None of it is mine...Though I wish it was... /i
b u Chapter 8: Fashionably Late /b /u
Ginny woke the next morning at her normal early hour, six o'clock. She could hear a shower running in the background, but assumed that Hermione had just woken up earlier then normal. She got out of bed and got dressed to go running. A half hour later when she returned, she was thoroughly surprised to see Draco sitting at her kitchen counter sipping at a cup of coffee.
"I thought you had left," he said, somewhat jokingly.
"I had forgotten you were with me, honestly. I passed it all of as a really good dream."
"All the same, I'm glad to see that you're not trying to ditch me."
"Never," she said, kissing him lightly on the top of his head. He smiled softly as she left to take a shower. "I'll be back down in 30 minutes, don't leave. Help yourself to any food you want. And, call Blaise and figure out where 'Mione is." He nodded, taking another sip of his coffee, thinking about how nice last night had been.
When Ginny returned downstairs 45 minutes later, fully dressed, she found that Draco had cooked her a small breakfast. She smiled, thanking him with a quick kiss, and sat down to eat it.
"So," Draco said. "What're you up to today?"
"Well, I've got to go into the office don't I? Just because you've got a summer break, doesn't mean I do. I've got go over all of the layouts from the shoot, and I've got an interview with one of the muggle magazines today. I've got work to do."
"Very well…Can I take you out to lunch though?" He asked.
"Sure, come by around…oh, let's say…12:30. Do you know where my office is?"
"I'll find it."
"Okay, I need to be off then. See you then?"
"Definitely."
"Lock the door on your way out please," he nodded in agreement as she walked out the door.
The layouts from the photo shoot turned out to be much harder then Gin had expected them to be. She, Jaqui, Colin, and the magazine editor could not seem to come to a reasonable agreement. She and Colin were in a heated debate about one of Blaise's pictures when a secretary came in to let Gin know that Draco was waiting for her. She looked at her watch and swore, it was 10 past 1. She ran out the door, grabbing her purse and found Draco sitting on one of the couches in the lobby.
"I am so sorry, this layout thing is turning out to be a nightmare. I lost track of time," she said, hurriedly.
"I'll have you know that I am not usually accustomed to being made to wait," Draco replied, not looking at her. "I was about to leave."
"Draco, please. I had to work," she said complacently.
"I'm sure you did, now let's go," he said, standing up.
Gin swore under her breath, muttering obscenities at Draco that he could not hear. They had lunch across the street at a small sandwich shop that Ginny frequented often. At the end of the meal Gin stepped up to the counter to pay, when Draco stepped in to cover the bill. She looked up at him, slightly annoyed, and made her way back to work.
"What in the bloody hell is wrong with you today?" Draco asked, following her across the street.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing."
"Fine, I'm going. I'll see you later I'm sure."
"I'm sure you'll have to, seeing as I'm your girlfriend," she spat back irritably.
"I'm not sure I was wise in making that decision, seeing the way you treat me."
"Very well Draco, if you feel that way, then we'll call it off. Not that you gave it a real chance. I'm sorry I don't act like a stupid, dithering, idiot like all of the girls you're used to. Now that the photo shoot's over I'm sure you'll be returning to England soon anyway. I heard Pansy left yesterday, she must miss you already."
"My god woman, what in the hell is wrong with you? I'm leaving."
"You do that, I'll see you at Hogwarts."
He waved at her as he was walking way and she shook her head in frustration and went back to work. The rest of the day went remarkably well, though she couldn't stop feeling as though she had been rather drastic in her reaction with him. But, she wasn't going to call him, he should call her. So what if she had been late? It's not the end of the world.
Ginny came home that night to the smell of Hermione cooking dinner. Immediately she made her way to the kitchen and found Hermione chopping up food and cooking it.
"Hermione..." Gin asked tentatively. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Yes, Gin, I'm fine."
"It's only, well...Last time you tried to cook you messed up macaroni and cheese...from a box..."
"Do you have no faith in me? Honestly Gin," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Just let me cook, it'll be ready in about half and hour."
"Okay...if you need any help though, let me know. Fleur will kill me if you burn this place down."
"Yes, yes," Hermione said, waving Ginny off. "By the way, I invited Blaise over for dinner tonight, I told him to bring Draco."
Gin coughed, choking down a derisive laugh. "I think not somehow. But I will be glad to see Blaise before he goes back to England." Hermione looked at her quizzically, cocking an eyebrow. Ginny made her way upstairs, changing out of her skirt into a pair of faded, light, blue jeans, which were considerably more comfortable. She grabbed a book and made her way back downstairs. She got a glass of water from the kitchen and settled herself down into the couch to read. Eris made her way over to her lap, snuggling into Gin's warmth. Hermione's phone rang and Gin could hear the remnants of what she guessed was a conversation with Blaise. Gin heard something along the lines of "well bring him anyway, I don't care how stubborn he is." Gin laughed at this, imagining a stubborn, pouting Draco refusing to come to dinner.
Gin then heard Hermione call across the house to her, "Ginevra, get your arse in here. I want an explanation!" Gin sighed, marking her place in the book she was reading, stood up, displacing a very irate fur ball in the process. She walked toward the kitchen, sitting down at the counter and looking at her best friend. "Would you care to explain to me why Blaise almost cancelled on me?"
"Oh, well. That's not Blaise's fault at all. You see, Draco and I got in a little bit of a spat, he overreacted, and now we're not dating anymore," Gin said, a little unconcernedly. "Is Blaise coming after all?"
"Yes, he is, no thanks to you. I told him to drag Draco along by any means possible. You, Ginevra, will be on your best behavior tonight. No rude comments, and no egging Draco's bad mood on, got it?" Hermione said, rather a little sterner than was necessary.
"Yes Mum." Gin said, mocking a guilty expression on her face. "I'll just go wash up for dinner now."
Hermione sighed, watching her friend walk up the stairs. Gin was definitely beautiful, there was no doubting that. Hermione often felt very plain next to Gin's sharp and startling attractiveness. But Gin's temper left a lot to be desired, and Hermione had thought that she and Draco would have been perfect together. Not only did they make one of the most beautiful couples Hermione had ever seen, but they were good for each other. 'I suppose they're just too stubborn, though I hope they don't wait too long.'
Gin came downstairs just before the doorbell rang. She had donned a tight white polo shirt which accentuated her body wonderfully and had pinned her hair back, allowing the curls to hang freely. She opened the door and almost laughed at the sight in front of her. There stood Blaise, sweet and charming as always with a surly pouting Draco behind him, who looked as though he had been brought against his will. Gin felt a little stab of hurt when she realized that Draco would not look her in the eyes, but hardened herself immediately.
Blaise had all but dragged Draco to dinner that night, he refused to let his friend give up the right girl over his stubborn pride. Draco, on the other hand was beginning to think he had been a little rash, but would never admit it. As Gin opened the door for them, Draco refused to look Gin in the eye, knowing he'd lose every bit of resolve he had left in him if he did. He would fix this, sometime this evening, but now, he just couldn't. Dinner was a silent, uncomfortable affair for Gin and Draco. After dinner Blaise and Hermione went for a walk leaving two sullen lovebirds alone.
Draco watched Gin as she finished cleaning up, and all but gulped as he saw how revealing her shirt was. It rode high around her waist, exposing several inches of smooth skin above the line of her jeans, and flaunting in her toned, flat stomach. All the buttons of the polo were undone, revealing a teasingly small amount of creamy white skin. He remembered her the night they had gone to Lauren, and smiled as he remembered how beautiful she had been in that dress. As Gin finished with the dishes she made her way back to the couch and sat down and began to read again.
Draco stepped up behind her as she was reading and put a hand on her shoulder, massaging it lightly. "What are you doing Malfoy?" Gin asked scathingly.
Draco winced at the use of his last name, taking his hands away from her shoulders reluctantly, "Trying to make up with you. Obviously, that effort is in vain," he said, sitting down in a chair across from her.
Ginny sighed, having seen this coming from the moment he walked in the door closed her book, putting it down next to her and looked Draco square in the eye. She would not lie to herself, she liked, no loved Draco very much. But she wasn't going to put up with his spoiled, selfish ways. She knew it was selfish in a way, but she knew that she had to come first in her own life. She looked at Draco, who, again, refused to look her in the eyes. "You could start by looking me in the eyes," Gin suggested.
Draco sighed heavily. He had known this was going to be difficult, but he hadn't counted on her stubborn nature. Slowly, and for the first time that night Draco looked up into Gin's eyes, and immediately regretted doing so. He could see that she was still angry, but also hurting, and he hates that he's done that to her. But, Draco still feels as though he is owed some type of respect from her as well. 'Why should I be the one to back down? I didn't do anything wrong.'
Gin stared him in the eyes, refusing to back down, knowing that she had done nothing wrong. She sighed, knowing she would have to make the first move. "Okay. Well, you're not doing terribly well at this 'making up' thing," she said a little fasciously.
"Well, what do you want from me then?"
"Maybe an apology? That would be a start," Gin said, crossing her arms across her chest.
Draco growled, "And why should I do that? I did nothing wrong today. I was on time, I waited for forty minutes. What more do you want from me?"
"To not blow this whole bloody situation out of proportion. Okay, I'm sorry I was late today, but you need to get over yourself. It's not like I was late on purpose, I was working. I came as soon as I realized, I apologize for being late. But you need to get over yourself and the spoiled little brat you've been all of your life and realize that you need to apologize as well," her eyes lit up as she spoke, and Draco visibly flinched at the look in her eyes.
"Apologize? I did nothing wrong. Why in the hell should I apologize?"
"Fine! Be a pompous ass. I'll see you at Hogwarts. Goodnight," and with this Gin stood up and walked upstairs, fell down on her bed and proceeded to cry out of sheer frustration.
Downstairs Draco swore to himself as Gin stormed off upstairs. He wasn't quite sure why he was letting her leave, but he just sat there. He wanted to go after her, but his pride would not let him. So, instead, he just sat there until Hermione and Blaise came back. Hermione looked around downstairs, and upon not seeing Gin, ran upstairs.
Hermione had been worried when she and Blaise had left Draco and Gin alone, but had hoped that the two of them would make up while they were gone. She was immediately worried when she saw Draco's surly expression and Gin nowhere in sight. She made her way upstairs and sat down next to Gin and held her. Gin was about cried out at this point, but Hermione knew her friend would need some support. She laid her friend down and pulled the covers up over her. She made her way back downstairs and caught the tail-end of a conversation between Draco and Blaise.
"Mate, what in the bloody hell did you do?"
Draco's annoyed voice came snapping back, "Nothing, I didn't do anything."
"Well there's your problem. You're an arse. You know that right?" Blaise said, thumping Draco on the back of the head. Hermione smiled, agreeing with Blaise. She walked back into the living room to find Draco glaring at Blaise behind his back and Blaise looking at Draco as though he had just done the most idiotic thing in his entire life. Hermione walked over to the boys,
"I think you two should leave now," she said, looking up at Blaise a little sadly.
"How's Gin?" Blaise asked, hugging Hermione.
"As good as she can be, but I should really be with her right now, have a safe trip tomorrow, okay?"
Draco's hoarse voice croaked out from behind Blaise, "Is she okay?"
Hermione glared at him, "Why, you suddenly care now? Now that the damage is done, you feel bad? Draco, you had your chance to apologize, but you passed it up. Let her be." Blaise held Hermione back as she was talking, for she had been trying to move closer and closer to Draco, and Blaise knew that she wouldn't hesitate to hit him right now, and Draco knew, from personal experience that Hermione hit very well. Draco shook his head, resigning himself to his fate and stood up, grabbing his jacket and walking outside. Blaise turned to look at Hermione,
"I suppose I should go. He may be an idiot, but he is still my best friend."
"I know, I know," Hermione said, pushing him out the door after his friend. "Write me, okay? Send me an owl."
"I will. I promise," he said, kissing her lightly. "No other guys, yeah?"
"If you like," she said, smiling.
"I do. I'd like you to be my girlfriend, even if I won't see you for another month." Hermione smiled brightly, pressing her lips to his, pushing him out the door.
"Now...go...go. Draco needs you, and Gin needs me. We need to work on getting those two to see sense. You know they belong together. They're the most beautiful couple, we know they fit." And with this, Blaise left. Hermione sighed, hating to see him go, i 'but she sure did love to watch him leave, that boy's arse...' /i
Hermione walked back upstairs to find Gin curled up on the bed, shaking lightly. She had begun to cry again. Hermione sat down next to her, pulling her into her arms. Gin proceeded to cry harder at this, curling into Hermione's chest. "Shh...honey...it's okay, I'm here." Hermione stroked her hair gently, trying to calm her down. Gin eventually fell asleep listening to Hermione's soothing words.
Gin woke the next morning curled up in someone's arms. She looked up slowly and saw Hermione sitting up against the wall, sleeping, with her arms around Gin. Gin smiled, disentangling herself from Hermione's arms and pulling the covers up over her and kissed her on the forehead. Gin stepped into the shower turning on the hot water. She washed her face, which was still sticky from last night's episode. She sighed, leaning against the tile wall. She missed Draco already, but didn't know what to do with him when he was acting like a spoiled brat. She shook her head, maybe it wasn't worth it in the end anyway. i 'I should just move on, right?' /i She stepped out of the shower and made her way into her room to change for work. Hermione was slowly waking up, she opened her eyes slowly, "You're awake..."
Gin smiled, "Very astute of you 'Mione, how'd you sleep?"
Hermione shugged, "Eh, I've got a crick in my shoulder, but other than that I'm feeling fine. How about you, are you feeling any better?"
"Not great, but I'm much better than I was last night anyway. Besides, who needs a spoiled two year old?" Gin laughed. "You want to go out for breakfast before I have to go to work?"
"Sounds great, do you mind waiting while I take a shower and get dressed?"
"Not at all, I'll be downstairs," Hermione left to go get ready and Gin pulled out her work clothing. She pulled on her black knee-length skirt, a blue silk button-up shirt, and put on a pair of black heels. She pulled her hair back into a tight bun and grabbed her jacket and made her way downstairs. She put her keys in her purse and grabbed her work portfolio. Hermione came downstairs in a denim skirt a black t-shirt. The two girls went out to breakfast and then Gin made her way to work to finish the layout for the magazine spreads.
The rest of the summer went without any real consequence. Gin finished her photo spreads and they were due to come out in magazines the week after school started. Gin and Hermione were packing to go back home, for in one week they would be back at Hogwarts. This time, together, in the seventh year. As Gin had skipped a year, and she was to be made Head Girl in her year, she had been made Head Girl along with Hermione, and they were to share their own private quarters once back at Hogwarts. Gin did not yet know who the Head Boy was, but she was certain of one thing, she and Hermione were going to have a great seventh year together.
b A/N/b I'm sorry this took me so long, really, I've gotten back on track with this story, and I hope you'll all forgive me. The next chapter should be up soon, within the next week or so...
Please review, you know I love my feedback. And let me know if you like where the story is heading...
b QoW /b
