Story: An Agreeable Arrangement

Main Characters: Draco Malfoy/OC Samantha Black

Pairings: Harry Potter/OC Katherine Black, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Blaise Zabini/Ginny Weasley

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC's and people can take those as long as you let me know so I can read your story :)

Chapter 15-Christmas Miracles

"I did some digging; I don't know whether it's good or bad news." Blaise said in a form of greeting, walking into Draco's office and dropping a file onto his friend's desk.

Draco looked up from his work, it was a week before Christmas and clients wanted their shipments, venders wanted their shipments, and Draco wanted his bloody shipments. He looked at the file then back at Blaise.

"I don't have time, talk." He managed with as much composure as he could bare to muster.

"Pansy's uncle, Persius Selwyn not just works for the Department of International Magical Relations, he chairs the export/import review board. He is exactly the person you want to talk to, he has the most power to end the embargo on Malfoy goods."

Draco nodded processing this new information, "What's it going to take to make this happen?"

"Well Draco my boy, I think lunch with Pansy would be a good start."

Draco took a heavy sigh rubbing his face to remove the exhaustion. Nodding his head he pressed the intercom for his secretary.

"Mary, can you send an owl to Pansy Parkinson to schedule a lunch, preferably for tomorrow."

Blaise rose from his chair, his work here was done. "Good luck mate! Do me a favor and try not to sell your soul for this deal."

"Honestly Blaise, it's not my soul that she wants."

The next day Draco arrived at the Brown's Hotel to meet Pansy for afternoon tea. He was neither hungry or excited about this meeting but knew it had to be done. She was already there when he arrived sitting with her back straight, ankles crossed, hands in her lap. Pureblood upbringing was evident in every inch of her appearance right down to her turned up nose at the waiter.

Her face is probably stuck like that because of having to smell her perfume everywhere she goes. Draco's inner monologue was sounding an awful lot like Samantha these days.

"Pansy, how are you this afternoon?" Draco plastered on his best smile, the one he used to charm dignitaries and women until Samantha called him out on it.

"Draco, a pleasure to see you."

They partook in the usual small talk over tea, Draco laying on the charm and as was always the way, Pansy ate it up. Draco felt he was back in school, it was kind of nice to know that regardless of what he did Pansy Parkinson would pretty much do anything for him. Even if it was for her own twisted agenda.

By the time lunch at come around Pansy was holding Draco's hand over the table, "Oh Drakey, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I'm sure there is something we can do to make this right." She said it in such a sickly sweet tone, almost like a teacher talking to a small child to placate them.

Draco drew his hand back at the tone. It was a little unsettling. However, this was a business deal, he held his composure and used the freed hand to offer her more tea.

"Pansy, it means a lot to me that you would go through the trouble. I'm very grateful to have you as a friend."

Pansy's eyes narrowed slightly at the word "friend" but she let it go quickly.

You keep playing house with Black, Drakey. Get it out of your system now.

With a smile she said, "Well of course Draco, I'm always here for you."

It was two days later that Draco received an owl from the IMR stating that as it was the holidays and there was no strict evidence to suggest that Malfoy's current shipments were faulty, the IMR would allow for them to send out all previously ordered shipments in time for Christmas. They would not be permitted to take on new orders but, their current customers would not be left without.

Draco could have gotten up on his desk and done a jig. The idea of letting his customers down had haunted him since the beginning of the whole fiasco. He finally felt that things were starting to look up.

He left the office early, stopped by the market to pick up ice cream for Samantha and arrived home with a spring in his step.

"Samantha darling, your brilliant, charming, and devilishly good looking man has arrived home."

"Oliver Wood, is that you?" Sam yelled from the living room.

Draco smirked putting his briefcase, coat and scarf down before making his way into the living room.

"Excuse me, but since when is Oliver Wood brilliant?"

"Oh it's you." Samantha said with an exaggerated sigh but she was grinning from ear to ear.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room with her hair in a messy bun. She was still in her dance clothes, holding a pen in one hand and what looked like a script in her lap.

Draco sat on the couch behind her. Despite the strides he had made to "loosen up" he still didn't feel like sitting on the floor. He bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek before he leaned back closing his eyes and taking a satisfied sigh.

"You're home early, figured you'd be at the office late again." Sam mused, turning her head to look at him.

"You look different." She turned her body getting on her knees to look at him. Draco lifted his head to look at her lazily.

"Finally noticing that I am far better looking than some over hyped Quidditch player?"

"You're relaxed. Did Zabini slip you something? Are you high right now?"

Draco rolled his eyes bending down to grab her arms and pull her onto the couch with him. "Do you really think I'm daft enough to take anything Blaise gives me? The Ministry and I have come to an accord for over the holidays. We'll be able to get our shipments out to our vendors for Christmas."

"Drake that's fabulous! Congratulations! Did they find something in their investigation to have a change of heart?"

Draco paused a moment, "I managed to get into the right room with the right people, this was a sign of good-faith. As you know, I can be very persuasive."

He didn't know why he didn't tell her about Pansy. Maybe because he was embarrassed he couldn't get this done on his own, maybe because he felt guilty about flirting with Pansy when he was with Samantha.

That's ridiculous. I have nothing to feel guilty about, besides Pansy is Pansy, it was nothing.

"Sure, charming is the dictionary right next to Malfoy." Samantha said rolling her eyes. "So, how are we celebrating this wonderful news? I'm thinking ice cream because ice cream is always a good idea, but then we would have to go out and get it because I ate the last of Ben & Jerry the other day when Bridget told me costumes weren't coming in 'til next week…"

"Is it just me or is ice cream an emotional crutch for you?" Draco interrupted Sam's musings.

"At least I have a way of dealing with my emotions Mr.-I- Don't-Have-Feelings-Ever." Draco raised his eyebrows,

"Samantha Black, I have feelings and you have hurt them. Maybe I'll keep the mint chip I picked up all to myself."

"We have ice cream?"

"I have ice cream, maybe I'll take a leaf out of your book and drown my sorrows in ice cream. Ben & Jerry are the only ones who understand me"

Sam got up and punched his chest, "Shut up! Where's my ice cream?!"

"What are you willing to do to get it?" He asked playfully standing up to tower over her small frame. Reaching out to wrap his arms around her, he kissed her properly on the mouth drowning out any protest she had quickly.

Everything is good. Everything is how it's supposed to be. Draco thought as Samantha groaned into his mouth. They had to separate for air but Draco was far from through with her.

"I like the way you think Mr. Malfoy, but I must insist that ice cream comes first."

Draco paused in his exploration of her neck to look at her. "You're kidding right?"

"I do not joke about mint chip."

Christmas Eve had always been a black tie affair in the Malfoy Mansion however, at The Burrow, it was a free-for-all mob mentality for food, gifts and conversation.

The nine Weasley's plus significant others and children in the case of Bill and Fleur were enough to overwhelm anyone, throw in the Black family, Potter and Andromeda with Teddy it was a full house of chaos.

Fred and George had given Tori and Teddy ever lasting bubbles that would take on the shape of zoo animals when blown. There was currently a lion floating around Draco's head that despite shooing it away always seemed to come back.

"How are you holding up?" Asked Ginny coming to stand next to him and effectively swatting the lion away.

"This is pretty much how I pictured Christmas Eve with you lot. I'm surviving."

Ginny laughed and passed him a butter beer, "Just wait 'til presents happen. I would stay clear of the tree."

"I would stay clear of Samantha because she will barrel over you if you get between her and presents." Said Harry coming in behind Ginny from the kitchen Samantha shortly behind him.

"It was one-time Potter, and you totally flopped. Don't be such a baby."

Harry stuck his tongue out at her and she proceeded to do the same. Ginny just rolled her eyes, "It's nice to see that we have matured into adults here."

"He's Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, the boy-who-lived. I think if anyone is going to take the high road it should be him." Samantha pointed out.

With that she flicked Harry right where his glasses crossed his temple. "OW!"

"Honestly Samantha, why do you have to be such a bitch?" Harry asked having to remove his glasses to rub his temple.

*Gasp "You said a bad word!" Tori said in her little voice, "Mama, Harry said a bad word."

"You said a mean word Uncle Harry, and on Christmas!" Ted said shaking his head in disapproval. "You could hurt Sami's feelings, Sami did he hurt your feelings?" He asked going up to Samantha to give her a hug.

With his head buried at Sam's knees Ted missed the shit eating grin Sam was wearing. She shook her head dramatically, "Harry Potter, and you kiss my sister with that mouth." She looked up to the heavens, heaving a sigh, "And on Christmas! Shame Harry, shame."

"Oh come on…" Harry started before Ted sent him such a ferocious look he stopped mid sentence, "Okay, you're right mate I shouldn't speak that way."

"And…" Ted asked crossing his little arms over his chest.

"And…Swearing is bad." Harry tried but Ted kept looking at him with disdain.

"And"

"And?" Harry looked around at the other adults in the circle trying to figure out what else he was supposed to say. Since when were five year olds so difficult.

"And…I didn't mean to be mean or say anything bad."

"And Uncle Harry! You're forgetting the most important thing!" Harry stared at him blankly, "Tell Sami you're sorry" he might as well have added a duh to the end of that.

At this point Ginny and Draco were snickering into their drinks trying very hard to not burst out laughing. Sam for her part, looked at Harry expectantly.

Harry to a deep breath to give him patience, "I'm sorry Samantha. But you inflicted physical harm on me and I think I was justified…"

"Ehm" Ted interrupted, giving him a pointed look.

"I mean. I'm sorry okay."

"Though I am hurt by your words. I accept your apology." Sam stated as Ginny had to excuse herself while she had a choking fit.

Harry just glared at her, "Thank you for your forgiveness."

"You're welcome." She said cheerily picking Ted up to set him on her hip, "What do you say buddy. I think it's about time to open presents!"

Ted nodded and gave a yelp of joy as Tori clapped her hands together.

Everyone gathered around the tree as the children tore through packages looking for their own gifts.

"So, explain to me why you open gifts on Christmas Eve and not Christmas." Draco asked sitting on the arm rest of Sam's chair.

"Christmas is way too far away. Okay, besides being impatient, we like being able to watch the kids open their gifts. It's hard for everyone to get together on Christmas day with Bill and Fleur going to France, and Ron and Hermione visiting her parents, and Charlie usually has to go back to Romania in the afternoon so we decided Christmas Eve would be our night and then on Christmas we would be able to sleep in and enjoy the morning to ourselves. It's going to make even more sense as more people start to have kids."

Draco nodded, yeah with the Weasley's alone it would be a madhouse throw in the kids Potter and Katherine were certain to have and it could get a little crazy in here.

Not to mention the children we'll have.

He shook that thought out of his head quickly, there was plenty of time to think about that in the very distant future.

Once Ted and Tori had opened their first gifts it was apparently time for one of the adults to get their turn.

"Sam should get hers first because Harry hurt her feelings." Ted said and Tori nodded in agreement. Harry threw his hands up in frustration,

"I apologized and everything!"

Sam just grinned moving to the floor to sit cross-legged beside the tree. "Okay, who's present should I open first?" she asked the kids. Both looked thoughtful as they dove back under the tree in search of the perfect gift.

They were whispering with each other as the adults waited for them to make a decision.

"So, what you got for me?" Sam asked from around the tree, as the kids continued to whisper. Finally, Ted stuck his head out looking at Draco.

"Drake why's your gift not here?"

"It's there." Draco said, coming to the tree and picking out a medium package with silver wrapping paper.

Tori shook her head grabbing the box before he could give it to Samantha.

"Not that one." She said.

"What do you mean not that one? This is the one I brought for Samantha."

Ted pulled on his pant leg getting him to bend down so he could whisper in his ear, not too quietly though because the entire room could hear him.

"No Drake, where's the secret present that you told me not to tell anyone about. you have to give her that one."

"You got me a secret present Drake?" Sam asked with a coy smile and raised eyebrow.

Draco looked at her before looking back at Ted, "You see mate, I wasn't really planning on giving that to her here, in front of everyone…"

"What kind of secret is this Malfoy?" George asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively

"Eww I don't want to know." Said Fred.

"It's not like that, it's just…" he looked around the room helplessly. How'd he get cornered into this position by a couple of children?

Evil genius children

"Just give it to her Drake." Ted encouraged poking his ribs to get his attention.

Draco scratched the back of his head nervously. "Alright"

He looked around the room, taking in the faces of everyone, people he couldn't stand a few years ago, but were now like family.

They were about to become family….

"Alright." Breath. "Alright. Well, I did not plan this." He scratched the back of his head, "but if Teddy insists then here we go." He looked again at all of the Weasley's, Sirius Black and Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger giving him an encouraging smile.

"You're very lucky you know." He said, staring back into Samantha's eyes.

"All of these people, every single one of them would do anything for you. They love you no matter what, even if you knock them over on Christmas they'd still jump off a cliff for you."

Harry laughed at that nodding as Draco continued.

"I can confidently say now that I am in their company. I would do anything for you Samantha Black. I have already; walked in the sand barefoot, eaten brownie batter with my fingers, gotten into a bar fight" he said ticking each thing off on his fingers as he walked towards where Samantha was sitting on the floor, "I have driven in a car with you, risking my life for sure. I have laughed more, I have babysat for the first time, I have compromised and I have painted rooms and picked out furniture.

And I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I would jump off a cliff for you Samantha because I don't know how I ever managed to get along without you, and I don't think I ever want to manage without you again."

He stopped in front of her and bent to kneel beside her on the floor, "Tonight it is Christmas Eve and you're supposed to be opening a gift, so here it is."

He pulled a small square box out of his inside pocket. The same box that had been on his person everyday since he got it. He handed her the box, placing it in both hands but maintaining hold as well,

"If you're going to open this gift though, it comes with a very important question. Samantha Athena DeVega Black, will you marry me?"