Chapter 26

They were staring him in the face. Happy yellow colored petals were staring at him from their vase on her desk, making his day worse. He looked to his partner and saw the relaxed smile on her lips as she filled out her paperwork.

Turning his gaze back to the vase of yellow tulips, he sneered. They simply smiled back at him; he could almost feel his mood growing steadily sourer. He imagined storm clouds swirling around his head and grumbled as he turned back to his own work.

Potter. Stupid oaf was going to steal his Ginny away if he wasn't careful.

He snorted lightly. Potter wasn't even very good at being romantic. Draco had taken it upon himself to read the card that had been delivered along with the flowers when Ginny had left the room to speak with Mr. Douglas. It had read something crass like:

"Dearest Ginny,

The florist told me that yellow tulips meant 'There's Sunshine in Your Smile', and I thought it suited you. I can't wait to see you for lunch today.

Harry"

Pathetic, really. The florist told him? How… unrefined. This was how Potter planned to steal her away? With flowers that he had to ask the meaning of and short, unromantic notes? This was how he was going to woo her?

Draco stopped, his quill stilling on his parchment as he thought. Woo.

His trademark smirk suddenly appeared and the storm clouds above his head stopped showering. If there was one thing that Draco Malfoy was an expert at, it was Wooing.

He ruffled through his papers and looked at the newest lead on their slave-trade case. His father had told them that Avery had a house in Anger, France under the name 'Martin'. That meant Draco (it was unclear who 'he' was.) would be in France with her, for at the least a few days—alone-- without Scarhead.

His day had just gotten better. "Weasley, have our papers come in for the Apparation to France?"

Ginny looked up at him, a dreamy expression on her face. "Hmm? Oh! Yes, they have. Kingsley wants us to leave this Monday." She paused. "I'm actually kind of excited. I know we're going for business, but I've never been to France."

Draco's smirk grew larger. Oh, yes… his day had just gotten much, much better. What better way to woo a woman than to take her to a foreign country where she had never been to before and be her guide? Malfoys knew romance, they knew how to get what they wanted, and Draco wanted Ginevra Weasley; mind, body, and soul.

"You'll love it there," he said after a minute, his grey eyes locking with her deep brown ones. "It's a beautiful country"

Her mouth lifted at the corners. "Not that I have enough time to see it. We have a sneaky former Death Eater to catch."

Draco smiled back at her before turning back to his parchment, plans already forming in his Slytherin brain. Mission: The Wooing of Ginevra Weasley. Whoever said that there would be no time for romance in the midst of catching one of the bad guys? He would make time for romance, even if it took every Slytherin ploy in the book.

A sharp rap on the door broke him from his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see Harry bleeding Potter opening the door.

"Hey!" Ginny called as she stood from her chair. "You're early."

"Didn't think it would hurt," he said "Can you leave a few minutes early?"

"Sure, it's a paper work day today and all my morning papers are done."

Draco looked at his own stack of papers and suppressed a groan. He'd spent so much time glaring at her flowers that he was nowhere near finished with his morning papers. It looked like he would be skipping lunch.

"Great." Harry smiled down at her and Draco fisted his fingers tightly around his quill until the feather's shaft made a cracking noise.

"I'll be back in an hour," she called to him over her shoulder as she walked out of the office after Harry.

Draco took it all in with a critical eye. Potter hadn't kissed her "hello", hadn't even seemed remotely affectionate as he stood with his hands in his pants. He hadn't held the door open for her. The blond shook his head slowly as he focused on his papers. Ginny wouldn't know what hit her when Draco turned his powers of… persuasion on her.

An hour later, Draco leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head with a groan. It had taken the whole lunch hour, but he had finally finished his papers. His back cracked as he stretched his muscles languidly, his shirt rising up just the slightest bit to expose the toned flesh of his lower abdomen.

The door to the office opened suddenly and he sat up abruptly as Ginny walked in, her arms laden with bags of food. "I'm a few minutes late, but Tonks said that you didn't get lunch, so I grabbed you some things from the vending machine upstairs," she explained as she placed a few bags of various foods on his desk.

Draco stomach growled loudly and Ginny laughed as she looked down at it, blushing when she saw the skin of his stomach. 'It's only his stomach!' she berated herself. Draco noticed her blush and smirked as he lowered his shirt before opening a bag of peanuts and munching on them.

Ginny took a seat at her desk and fingered the flowers Harry had gotten her, as if to remind herself of why she shouldn't be blushing at a flash of Draco Malfoy's waist.

Draco smiled secretively. "So, where did you two go for lunch?" he asked, trying to keep the jealous growl out of his tone.

"Three Broomsticks," Ginny sighed.

Draco nodded silently, as he shoved more of the bag's contents into his mouth hungrily. He knew that Ginny was not a very big fan of the old Hogwarts student hangout. It was too loud for her. She had grown up in a very loud environment and had grown to value quiet. She liked to eat in relative, comfortable silence when possible. It was just another thing that would give him an advantage over St. Potter.

Scarhead had the advantage for now. Draco had allowed him to put in some good moves, but he just couldn't compete with the Slytherin mind for ruthless strategy. He would bide his time for now. Potter had a week to work, but come Monday, Draco would have Ginny all to himself.

A/N: I decided to post chapters 25 and 26 together so that you wouldn't have to deal only with the H/G stuff, lol! Draco has a PLAN! Sneaky sexy man!

I love my reviewers! SO SO Much! Thanks to my recent reviewers!

SilverUnicorn66, jhaycita, AuntAnnie, bella118, fannficsrock, harrypotterchick4ever , dementorchic, dragoncharmer79, kasey07, cheveuxrougefaux, robin, HyperSquishy, CanYouLovetheImaginary, luv2dance756, Dracoginnylover24, grannyHPfan, gh0ulish, jasmine, devil'lil', QueenBee11