My Nemesis, the Beast Warden


Ginny Weasley sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. Her hair was swept up into a messy high ponytail, clashing horribly with the magenta robes she wore. A gold badge boasting the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' triple W logo glimmered above her left breast. Beneath the logo read: Ginny Weasley, Registered Breeder.

She held an open glass bottle containing a thick, purple liquid. She checked the measurement and temperature of the liquid, before jotting down notes on the piece of parchment by her side. Humming to herself, she tightened a long narrow tube around the bottle's neck. The moment the tube was in place, the room filled with excited squeaks and purrs.

Ginny smiled as she looked up at the pens before her. Balls of rainbow colored fur bounced up and down like fresh popping corn. Each ball of fluff was no larger than the size of a Golden Snitch. However, Ginny knew that in a few short weeks, these little puffs would have grown to be three times the size they were now. It would be then that these Pygmy Puff babies, Ginny named Pufflets, would be full grown and ready for adoption.

"Accio," Ginny said. A cyan blue colored Pufflet squeaked as it flew from its pen. Ginny easily caught the soaring Pufflet in her hand.

The cyan blue Pufflet bobbled in Ginny's hand and eagerly uncurled its thin pink tongue. Ginny turned the glass bottle she held in her left hand upside down and the Pufflet's tongue rolled into the bottle's slender tube. The cyan blue Pufflet purred as it slurped the purple liquid.

"Ginny?" a woman's voice echoed throughout the room, amplified from an intercom system.

"Go ahead, Alice," Ginny answered as she swapped the cyan blue Pufflet for an amber colored one.

"Mister Malfoy is back," Alice, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' hired clerk, sighed.

Ginny swore and the amber Pufflet flinched. "I'm feeding."

"Gin, he's already on his-" Her words were lost by the deafening sound of someone barging in.

Every Pufflet jumped once at the sudden sound. Upon landing, they each scrunched their bodies of fur down, cuddled together, and shivered.

Ginny snorted in frustration as she sent the amber Pufflet back to its pen. She stood from her cross-legged position on the floor and spun to face the intruder.

"Hello, weasel," Draco Malfoy drawled, a smirk playing on his face.

He wore the same uniform black robes the last time he made a visit to the Hogsmeade branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He wore a gold badge with the emblem of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures embossed in the center and the words "Beast Division" were displayed underneath. He held a clipboard in one arm and had his wand relaxed in his other. His blond hair was slicked back and Ginny couldn't help but noticed that his hair looked shorter than his last visit. She counted that this was his tenth visit.

"What is it this time?" she asked annoyed. Her arms crossed and her foot tapped.

"I am disappointed, weasel." He shook his head and although his words sounded sincere, his lips still curled into a smirk. "I have received yet another report of customer grievance against your breeding program. Tsk tsk."

"Alright," Ginny said through gritted teeth. "What about?"

Draco laughed. He tapped his clipboard with a quill as he began to pace the length of the room, inspecting the pens that lined it. "Come on, weasel. You know well my reports are confidential."

"As you keep telling me," Ginny spat, her grip on the Pufflets' bottle tightening.

He scoffed. "And yet I must continue to remind you."

He waved his wand and a measuring tape erupted from its tip. The magical tape lined the pens, no doubt taking measurements of its size, which Draco took note of on his clipboard. One spunky, scarlet colored Pufflet pounced on the tape. It squeaked, almost violently, as it bobbled its body, attempting to do in the intruder's tape.

"Come on, pet," Draco continued, facing Ginny. He stepped closer. His eau de cologne was intoxicating and for a moment, Ginny was stunned. "I believed you to be smarter than the average weasel."

She snapped out of her daze.

She squeezed the Pufflets' glass feeding bottle with the full force of her anger. The bottle collapsed beneath her fingers, without shattering its glass. The force propelled the bottle's purple liquid from the feeding tube and splattered Draco's face. The liquid stung his eyes and dripped down his face to his lips, where his smirk was washed away.

"Sorry," Ginny said her voice full of sarcasm. "Don't know how I managed to squeeze a glass bottle."

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the liquid from his eyes. He glared at Ginny before his furiously wrote on his clipboard with his quill.

"Breeding pens are short of regulation. The pens do not meet length requirements and you are above maximum occupancy per pen. In laymen's term, you have too many Miniature Puffskeins per pen, weasel."

"Pygmy Puffs," Ginny corrected.

"I am fining Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Hogsmeade branch for unethical containment of the creature cataloged by the Ministry as Miniature Puffskein. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes has twenty four hours to correct this violation if they wish to have remained custody of the Miniature Puffskeins in this facility," he stated coldly, never once looking up from his clipboard.

Ginny rolled her eyes in response.

"If Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes wishes to obtain a copy of this citation, they may do so by contacting a solicitor," he continued as he walked towards the exiting door. He paused at the door's frame and looked over his shoulder at Ginny. He smirked. "If you can afford one," he finished.

"Is that your best shot, Malfoy?" Ginny yelled as Draco turned and Disapparated away. "You're nothing but a one trick Thestral!"

"Gin?" Alice spoke over the intercom system.

"Go ahead, Alice," Ginny sighed.

"Care to join me for a drink after hours?"

Ginny smiled. "Make it five and I'm all yours."


........


"Something is not right," Ginny said as she sat at the bar in the Three Broomsticks Inn, swirling the clear contents of the highball glass in her hand.

"Hmm, your Gin and Tonic too bitter, Gin?" Alice asked, her warm eyes sparking in the low light as she giggled into her straw. "Gin, Gin. Gin is bitter, Gin."

"Not the Gin. Malfoy!" She narrowed her eyes as she spoke his name.

"Beast Warden Malfoy?" the blonde asked, trying to contain her giggles.

"No, Alice, the Beast Whisper," Ginny said sarcastically, drinking the last of her Gin and Tonic. "Of course I bloody well meant Beast Warden Malfoy!"

Alice slid her red and orange Mai Tai over to Ginny, the decorative umbrella swaying in the ice. "Relax, Gin. That's why we're here," she said with a smile.

"I can't!" Ginny shrieked as she removed the umbrella and straw from the Mai Tai. She lifted up the glass and finished it in one impressive gulp. "Not until Malfoy goes away! He comes in nearly every day with this clipboard and quill that I so desperately want to stick up his arse."

Alice sighed. "I don't mind that he comes in," she replied, waving to the barkeep for two double shots of Firewhiskey. "He's pretty to look at."

"Traitor," Ginny mumbled.

"Admit it, Gin," Alice said, passing Ginny a highball glass of Firewhiskey. "You find him attractive."

"That right bastard as yet to show me his report!" Ginny interrupted suddenly, ignoring Alice's inquiry. "He spouts citation rubbish, but shouldn't he officially serve me with court parchments? I shouldn't have to hire a solicitor just to read his sodding report! He's up to something," she grumbled, crossly sipping on her Firewhiskey.

Alice rolled her eyes. "You know what I think?" she asked Ginny. "I think, that under those black, Ministry issued robes he wears-" she paused, motioning for Ginny to lean in closer, "-he has a fine arse."

Ginny scoffed, drinking feverishly from her highball glass. The alcohol was beginning to cloud her mind. "Perhaps one day," Ginny began, pausing to take another sip of Firewhiskey, "Malfoy will come inspect my Puffs wearing a pair of tight trousers."

Alice snorted.

"What? How else will you get to see his fine, tight arse? Not through those black, Ministry issued robes he wears," Ginny quoted.

"I'm sure the sight would leave you speechless," Alice giggled.

"Speechless is not the word."

"Perhaps one day I will," a voice drawled behind them. "Though I doubt even my fine, tight arse will keep your massive mouth shut for long, weasel."

"Brilliant," Ginny said, taking a moment to finish her Firewhiskey. "Three drinks down and I can still hear the pompous, tight arse."

"Gin, the tight arse is here," Alice whispered loudly to Ginny, "behind you."

Ginny scoffed, flipping her wrist as if to shake off Alice's claim. She turned her head, nonetheless, and there he was.

He stood behind their bar stools, wearing a set of black, tailored robes. Though the robes he wore weren't the same black uniform Ministry robes he wore earlier, Ginny could hardly tell the difference. Both pairs lacked definition of certain assets, and the alcohol surging through Ginny's veins made her feel irritated of that fact.

He leaned towards her and Ginny was once again struck by his intoxicating, eau de cologne. He smelled like cool, semi-sweet wine on a warm day, and he had a lingering base note of amber and musk. It was a scent that her forethought despised, but was a scent her subconscious yearned for.

His face lingered mere centimeters from her own. His eyes locked with hers. His breathing was slow and his breath smelled of sweet mint and lime. Ginny stared as his lips parted, and her eyelids grew heavy with desire. She licked her lower lip. Her heart began to race as her traitorous body anticipated a kiss.

"I hope that you don't care for your Miniature Puffskeins smelling like that," he drawled, his lips returning to their infamous smirk. "The use of inexpensive fragrances is strictly prohibited when handling magical creatures as foul aromas tend to aggravate most breeds," he spoke with swagger. His hand rested on the bar as he leaned even closer. "Though, I do suppose that your breed fancies poor tastes."

Ginny's body swayed as she placed her open palm on Draco's chest. Her fingers clenched, grabbing the soft fabric of his robes. "Piss off, nemesis," she spat, her eyes narrowing. She pushed at Draco's chest, but her liquor softened muscles lacked the punch she indented. He didn't budge.

"'Nemesis' now is it?" he chuckled. "I rather liked 'fine, tight arse.'"

Alice laughed, reminding Ginny of her presence. "Come on, Gin," Alice giggled, stumbling as she stood up from her bar stool. "Let Connery drink his Martini while we visit the loo."

"Connery?" Draco and Ginny questioned in unison.

The wavy blonde ignored their question. "Come on, Gin," she spoke urgently, grabbing Ginny's arm, "before I pee."

Draco sat down on Ginny's empty barstool and watched as the two witches hurried away.


........


He sat at the bar. His elbow dug into the bar's wooden surface, as his head rested in his hand. He stared at his drink, focused on the mint leaves floating between the cubes of ice. He tried to listen to the Quidditch match playing on the radio. He tried to remember the current score and which team had possession of the Quaffle. He desperately tried to ignore Ginny Weasley's flirtatious giggles.

The redhead sat on the lap of a man, who was sitting at a table a few paces from the bar. She giggled into his chest as her hand stroked his face. The dark haired man whispered into her ear and Draco clenched his jaw as he watched the man rub her back.

"Come on, Gin," Draco heard Alice say. "Let's go home."

The short blonde tugged on Ginny's arm, but Ginny swatted her away. "Wait, Alice," she slurred.

"Is she your witch?" a man beside Draco asked, noticing Draco's intensive stare.

Draco turned away from the redhead and returned his gaze to his drink. "No," he replied to the man.

"She's asking for trouble, drinking with that lot," the man continued, raising his brow at Draco.

"Not my problem." He tried to retain his composer, but his fist clenched his drink.

"I'll bet, come tonight," the man said, pointing towards the man Ginny was sitting on, "that bloke's going to have a new notch on his bed post."

At the man's last set of words, Draco slammed his glass on the bar. His knuckles turned white as he rose from his bar stool. He tossed down a Galleon beside his glass, before he turned on his heels and walked towards the flirting redhead.

"There you are, love," Draco announced as he grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her off the dark haired man's lap.

Ginny stumbled forward. She clung onto Draco's robes as her knees wobbled. When Draco secured his arm around her waist, she glared up at him. "Nemesis," she called him, before her glare faded and she began to giggle into his chest.

The dark haired man glowered at Draco. He cracked his knuckles as he rose from his seat and reached for his wand.

Supporting Ginny with one arm, Draco reached into his pocket. He quickly clinked the coins in his pocket, causing the man to hesitate on drawing his wand. Draco pulled several Galleons from his pocket and placed the gold coins upon the table. Reaching for the gold coins, the dark haired man sat down.

"Witch has had too much to drink," Draco said, smirking down at Ginny. "Isn't that right, weasel?"

"Not enough," Ginny mumbled into Draco's chest. Her knees buckled and Draco grunted as he struggled to support her weight with one arm. The men at the table laughed at Draco's efforts.

"Gin," Alice started, rushing over to Ginny's side to help, "you've had enough."

Draco cursed before he bent down and lifted Ginny. He carried her like a small child, supporting her with both arms.

"Malfoy?" Ginny questioned as Draco carried her through the crowd, leaving the men at the table behind. Alice was close to follow.

"Hell, woman," Draco grunted, pushing his way towards the exit, "you weigh more than a slaughtered Hippogriff."

"Why are you here?"

He ignored her question.

He pushed the Inn's door open with his shoulder and walked out onto Hogsmeade's high street. Draco paused on the pavement. He adjusted his hold on Ginny before he continued across the street.

"Hurry and open the door, wonderland!" he barked at Alice when they arrived at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The blonde shot him a look, but obeyed his command.

"Wonderland?" Ginny asked sleepily as Draco carried her upstairs to her flat above the store.

"I'll explain later," Alice whispered with a smile.


........


"No, Arnold," Ginny said as she poked the purple Pygmy Puff that sat upon her shoulder. The Pygmy Puff ruffled his fur and stuck out his tongue in defiance. Ginny poked his soft body again and Arnold's tongue disappeared into his fluffy purple mane.

Ginny stood in the small kitchen in the back of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She opened a jar of dead spiders, shushing Arnold as he squeaked excitedly. She dumped the spiders into a Muggle kitchen appliance. The appliance had a plastic base with a glass blending container on top. Ginny tapped the masher, as she called it, with her wand and the blades within the glass container began to spin.

Arnold bobbled on Ginny's shoulder as he eagerly watched Ginny add plums, pumpkin seeds, and eggs to the masher. The charmed blades mashed, grinded, and blended its contents into a thick purple liquid. The Pygmy Puff squeaked loudly as it jumped from Ginny's shoulder to her head.

"No, Arnold," Ginny corrected again, adding goat's milk to the mixture, "You've already had your supper."

The purple Pygmy Puff huffed and puffed, vocalizing his dissatisfaction. He hopped back onto Ginny's shoulder, squished his body down, and proceeded to sulk.

Ginny closed her eyes and sighed. The noise from the masher made her head throb. She pressed a hand to her head in attempt to lessen her headache.

"Hangover, weasel?" a voice drawled behind her.

Ginny cursed. Though she could hear the scratch of his quill and the impatient tap of his foot, she chose to ignore him.

"I will need a sample from the liquidizer," Draco said, stepping beside Ginny and into her field of vision. He pointed to the purple liquid of Ginny's masher.

"You mean masher," Ginny corrected, glaring at Draco from the corner of her eye.

"Liquidizer, weasel. An electrically powered mixer with whirling blades that liquefy foods," he defined for her slowly.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Do you have a Muggle cousin no one knows about?" she asked, her mouth gaping like a fish.

"Don't be ignorant, weasel," Draco scoffed as he continued to scratch on his clipboard with his quill.

He stepped closer to the counter Ginny was working on. He took note of the ingredients she had used in her mixture, writing neatly on his clipboard.

"Funny choice, goat's milk," he commented at last, raising his brow at the bottle on the counter. "Surely you know that Mooncalves produce an enriched formula that is far superior to pasteurized goat's milk," he stated smugly, scrunching his nose at the bottle of goat's milk.

"You're not going to explain?" Ginny asked, still shocked by his knowledge of Muggle devices.

"Explain what, weasel?" he laughed. "Your lack of culture?"

"Culture?"

"A sample, weasel," he asked, holding out his hand and ignoring her inquiry, "of the inferior goat's milk mixture."

"I'll ask Alice to bottle some up," Ginny replied, her teeth clenched.

Draco withdrew his hand. "Tell her to hurry along," he said, leaving the kitchen and striding towards the breeding room. "I'd rather not spend the entire evening explaining your ignorance."

Grunting with frustration, Ginny followed him out of the room.


........


"Mister Malfoy?" Alice inquired, entering the breeding room an hour after Draco had began his inspection of the modified breeding pens. "Care for some hot cocoa?"

Alice smiled sweetly, holding a steaming mug in each hand. She offered the first mug to Ginny, who eagerly accepted the hot mug. Alice held out the second mug to Draco and fluttered her eyelashes, waiting for his acceptance.

Draco frowned as he reached for the offered mug. He paused and eyed Ginny suspiciously, who wore a broad grin across her face. Draco smirked and grabbed Ginny's mug instead. "I'd rather take weasel's mug," he scoffed.

The smile on Ginny and Alice's face fell.

Draco smirked triumphantly. "Did you think I'd fall for that?" Draco asked, nodding towards the mug in Alice's hand. He scoffed as he took a drink from the mug in his hand. The hot drink, however, quickly vacated Draco's mouth.

Ginny laughed. "No, I knew you wouldn't. That's why I asked Alice to pour the sample in my mug."

"What sample?" Draco questioned before he covered his mouth with his hand.

"Why the sample of the 'inferior goat's milk mixture,'" Ginny answered with a smile.

Draco dry heaved into his hand. He glared at Ginny. "I will be writing this incident in my report, weasel," he threatened, his hand still covering his mouth.

"Sorry?" Ginny sarcastically apologized. "I couldn't understand you through all your gagging."

He narrowed his eyes, his hand still covering his mouth. He cursed and left the room.

"You know if you ask me," Alice said after she heard the pop of Draco's Disapparation, "I'd say he enjoys being tortured."

"What?" Ginny sputtered.

"Come on, Gin. Why else would he continue to come here?"

Ginny scoffed. "Apparently my breeding facility continues to violate regulations."

"If your breeding facility has truly violated as many regulations as he claims," Alice pondered, "then why are you still open for business?"


........


Ginny stood on the top floor of the Three Broomsticks Inn in front of the door to the Merlin suite. She was dressed casually, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a light blue vest top. She held a letter in her hand, as well as a single piece of parchment. The parchment she held was covered in a neat scrawl and was signed by Draco Malfoy.

She sighed. Her fist hovered above the wooden door as she tried to muster her courage to knock upon it. She closed her eyes and held her breath.

She exhaled as she pounded upon the door.

When Draco opened the door, Ginny promptly pushed past him and let herself into his suite without so much as a skeptical glare.

The room was an utter mess. Silk lavender sheets lay rumpled upon the four poster bed and a white duvet lay balled at its base. Clothes were thrown about and laid wrinkled on the lush royal carpet. Crumpled pieces of parchment littered an oak desk that was placed on the right side of the suite. Wax dripped from a lit candle and solidified on the desk's surface.

"Good, I interrupted your work," Ginny said, noticing a batch of fresh parchment and a quill amongst the litter on the desk. She placed her hands on her hips.

She could hear his soft footsteps as he approached behind her. She could smell his eau de cologne. The lingering notes of amber and musk overwhelmed her senses and made her breathless.

He sneered behind her. "I was writing your report."

She spun on her heels and faced him. She opened her mouth to retort, but the words caught in her throat.

He wore an unbuttoned Oxford shirt and a pair of dark trousers. Ginny felt her temperature rise, as she gawked at the exposed lean muscles of his chest. Her eyes followed the trail of soft blond hair, which began at his navel and traveled down into his trousers. The trousers he wore were tailored to his body. The cut of the fabric defined and enhanced his assets, causing Ginny to feel flustered.

He smirked at her reaction.

"No," she stammered, her heart racing. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. "No," she said with more confidence, "I owled your superior."

His eyebrow rose. "Oh?" he questioned humorously.

She held up the letter that was in her hand. "He said that you completed your report weeks ago!"

He said nothing.

His silence caused Ginny to fume. She stepped closer, closing the gap between them. She poked his chest with her finger. "I read your report!" she spat, tilting her head back to look him in the eyes.

Draco shrugged, a smirk still plastered on his face. He said nothing.

Ginny jabbed his chest again with her finger. When her touch failed to invoke a reaction, she hit him with the palm of her hand. The contact stung her hand and Draco laughed as Ginny winced. She glared up at him.

"According to your report, I haven't violated a blasted thing!" she shrieked, stomping her foot for emphasize. "In fact, your report states that my breeding program 'far surpasses Ministry expectations!'" she quoted with a huff.

"Your point, weasel?" he spoke at last, lowering his face so that he was mere millimeters from her own.

His proximity caused her pulse to race. Her breathing slowed. Her eyelids grew heavy. "What do you want then, Malfoy?" she asked softly.

His mouth came down on hers.

Ginny held her breath as her arms encircled his neck. She pulled her body closer, melting into Draco and deepening the kiss. Draco's hands fell to her waist, securing her hips to his. He groaned as Ginny flicked her tongue against his own. He sucked on her lower lip, causing her lip to swell when their lips parted.

"What," Ginny started, breathless. She searched his eyes and tried to think of what to say. She tried to think of something meaningful, of something sophisticated, but only one thought came to her mind. "What will our parents say?"

Draco laughed. "Frankly, weasel," he began, tracing her lower lip with his thumb, "I don't give a damn." His lips touched hers.