AN: This fic was written for idreamofdraco for the DG Forum’s 2015 Fic Exchange – her marvellous prompt is at the end of this chapter. As this was written for an exchange, the story is fully completed, and I will be posting the four chapters over the next few weeks for your viewing pleasure.

This story was the winner of Most In Need of a Sequel, and I offer my most humble gratitude to those who enjoyed my story enough to vote, particularly as this is my first award win in an exchange! I also apologise that no sequel is forthcoming at this precise moment in time – but never say never. ;)

Thank you to my sister, Hannah Askance and idreamofdraco for your various beta services throughout and following the exchange. Further thanks to idreamofdraco for creating a banner for my award win, and subsequent thanks to xMarinx for creating the artwork commissioned by idreamofdraco way-back-when.

The Malfoy Inquisition

Chapter One

"Excuse me miss, is this seat taken?"

"Yes," Ginny replied curtly, her gaze not breaking from the scene she was examining across the road from behind tinted glasses, her battered old quill making a steady path across her parchment as she continued her notes.

She didn't bother to see if the stranger left, but she assumed that must have been the case since no one disturbed her again. Instead, she shifted to get more comfortable at the small table in front of a cafe in Diagon Alley and continued to study her target. She was confident she wouldn't be recognised – the disguise charms she'd cast made sure of that – so she could sit here for hours in virtual anonymity if she liked. It was a good thing, too, since she was sure that her target could recognise her from a mile away.

Glancing over her notes on her target's movements, she wondered how things had come to this. When she'd first opened her own Private Investigation business after a brief stint as an Auror, she'd thought her job would be so much better – not necessarily more glamorous, but certainly more interesting. Instead, she seemed to spend all of her time investigating affairs, stalking people's spouses. Thinking herself a serious investigator at the time, she'd refused the cases at first, but when she realised that the opportunities for a new, lone PI were so limited, she'd reluctantly taken on one after another. The fact she was currently investigating Astoria Greengrass’s partner was bittersweet.

She eyed her nemesis slash ex-colleague, the focus of Astoria's attentions and speculation, as he browsed about the antique jeweller's across the road. She couldn't help her snort at the shop assistants literally tripping over each other to present trays of extravagant trinkets to Draco Malfoy, who remained stoic in spite of their antics.

Lack of human emotion – Sociopath? she scribbled in the margin of her notes, then took a sip of her nearly cold tea.

She'd been investigating Draco for weeks now, and he hadn't slipped up once. While it made her all the more determined to catch him out – it was Draco Malfoy after all, Master of All Things Devious and Perpetually Up-To-No-Good – it made for mind-numbingly boring work. When he wasn't at the family business, conning other rich people into handing over their Galleons, he did the most tedious things! Ginny had sat at a playground for over three hours earlier in the week while he wasted time at a nearby bookstore, only for him to leave empty-handed. Aside from the wicked sunburn that that had gotten her, she'd also spent the time being harassed by mothers who wanted to make small talk about which child she owned – and why was she there if she didn't have one? To be honest, she'd almost been tempted to claim Draco as her over-grown man-child, if only to get them off her back.

Now, Ginny perked up instantly when she saw Draco move to exit the store, an unassuming package tucked against his side, and she didn't miss his sly perusal of the street as he stood on the stoop; he was definitely up to something suspicious. She slowly sipped at her definitely cold tea, not looking at him directly or drawing attention to herself with any obvious movement, and when he headed off she made a quick note to confirm his purchase before gathering her things and following him.

He made his way down Diagon Alley at a brisk pace, and she carefully tailed him at a safe distance, a little out of breath matching his long stride. When he passed a stack of fliers magically passing themselves out to passersby in front of Fortescue's and picked several up, she grabbed one and stuffed it in her pocket for later perusal. In her days tracking him, he'd never taken an overt interest in anything so common before, and Ginny's curiosity flared over exactly what was so special about the leaflet – maybe there was more to this case than Draco Malfoy’s infidelity?

Before she could give her intriguing revelation more thought, Draco had entered the passage to the Leaky Cauldron, and she took off at a run so as not to lose him.

---

At the end of her predictably dull afternoon following Draco about London, Ginny returned to her office to compile her notes and go over the scroll she'd charmed to update as Draco penciled appointments into his diary – and really, she thought she should thank him for keeping one. Cases were so much more time-consuming when people weren’t meticulous at keeping their appointments, and Draco hadn’t been a minute late to one yet.

Ignoring the stack of letters Astoria had sent her throughout the day requesting updates, she sat behind her desk with Draco's file and began to transcribe her handwritten notes on her typewriter. Once she’d finished, she began to flip through today’s edition of The Prophet looking for mentions of Malfoy, and was unsurprised to see a number of articles that fit her brief.

There were the usual public interest articles regarding the Malfoy’s latest business acquisitions and the company’s donations to some well-known charities. These were clipped and added to Draco’s file before she turned to the back of the paper to pull today’s “Wizarding World’s Most Eligible Bachelor” article. If Ginny had ever wondered how many times a newspaper could republish variations of an article within the space of a week, she knew the answer now: five, if you counted Monday’s article about the hottest up-and-coming robe trends for men, for which she was sure the ‘robe trends’ were appropriated according to whatever the “Most Eligible Bachelor” had been wearing in their most current file photograph.

Rolling her eyes at the thought, she made sure to note what high-profile events Malfoy had been sighted at, with whom, and if there were any mentions of after-parties that required further investigation. So essentially, he’d been sighted nowhere interesting, apart from the occasional lunch meeting with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, and hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary, excluding a trip to The Leaky Cauldron earlier in the week to briefly meet Miss Greengrass herself, that had sparked an article about his “impending alcohol addiction.”  In short: Draco hadn't done a thing to help Ginny wrap this case up any faster.

Leaning back in her chair and flipping idly through Draco’s case file, she wondered why Draco had transformed his lifestyle so drastically in such a short space of time. Only three months prior he’d been more than living up to his title as Bachelor of the Year, and Ginny supposed that he might be exercising caution if Astoria’s suspicions of his infidelity were correct – except the fact his changes were so extreme gave her doubts about that...

Loud footsteps from outside her office interrupted her musings – a shadow appeared behind the frosted glass panel of her door, and Astoria Greengrass herself stormed into the room in a huff of silk and chiffon. Ginny made a mental note to look into hiring a receptionist first thing tomorrow.

"Miss Weasley," Astoria said, by way of greeting, as she dropped into the spare armchair in front of Ginny's desk and made herself comfortable. "You haven't replied to any of my letters since yesterday."

"Hello, Miss Greengrass," Ginny replied curtly as she snapped her files shut and put them to one side, feeling a sadistic sort of pleasure in the way Astoria flinched at her title – or perhaps more specifically by the fact she was not yet Mrs Malfoy. "I thought I made it clear yesterday that I would owl you once I had a significant development in the case."

Astoria huffed. "And I thought I made it clear that you are in my employ, and will answer my questions."

Ginny raised a brow as she opened a drawer and pulled Astoria's letters from the previous day, then glanced over them. "I fail to see what relevance his correspondence with his mother might have to the investigation," she commented dryly, choosing to tackle one of the less confounding demands.

Astoria had the grace to blush, but dutifully maintained her holier-than-thou attitude. "Your opinion is irrelevant," she snapped, then leant forwards to examine her reflection in the metal nameplate on the front of Ginny's desk. "I don’t pay you to think. I need those letters."

"Why?" Ginny asked, genuinely curious.

"If you must know, I need to see if she's mentioned me to him."

Ginny watched Astoria, alarms going off in her head as the blonde carefully smoothed the edges of her red lipstick with her little finger. She'd taken enough of these cases on to know that this was not a normal request – investigating discussions with a loved one regarding another woman wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, but regarding the client themselves? Certainly not. "Any recovery of private documents will cost extra."

Astoria continued to study her reflection but wrinkled her nose, as the very rich always seemed to do at the mention of money. "Fine," she said tartly, then rose from her chair smoothly. "Get me those letters, and be sure to send me an update of Draco's schedule first thing tomorrow." Then, as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone again.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she leant back in her chair, wondering what the hell she'd gotten herself into. Astoria had another thing coming if she thought that Ginny was going to hand over Draco's appointment book; the letters she'd attempt to track down for the sake of pacifying the crazy witch, but she'd be damned if she let Astoria ruin the case by turning up out of nowhere and spooking Malfoy. Ginny might not be enthusiastic about taking on this type of work, but she took more than a little pride in her profession.

Resolved to wrap up the case as soon as possible, she pulled out her enchanted scroll to check Draco's appointments. While ink slowly curled across the parchment in Draco's freakishly neat script, Ginny stood to make a cup of tea, and her hand absently tucked into her pocket as she sipped from her mug – only to curl around a folded piece of paper. The flyer, she realised, pulling out the forgotten item to take a better look.

Speed Dating!

Find your perfect match at Wizarding London's leading Singles Event!

Thursdays, 8pm

The Leaky Cauldron

A beat passed, and Ginny dropped back into her desk chair, stunned. "Well," she said aloud.

She wasn't entirely sure how long she sat staring at the thing, wondering if she'd managed to pick up the wrong flyer, but it wasn’t difficult for her to come up with a slew of explanations why on earth Draco would have taken one. There was no way that Draco Malfoy would attend something so common as speed dating, and besides, people who cheated didn't tend to be so criminally moronic so as to attend an obviously public dating event.

Ginny had successfully convinced herself that she'd made a mistake, when she happened to glance at Draco's appointment book, where 'The Leaky Cauldron' was neatly penciled in at 8pm, the next evening.

The relief that she wasn't utterly incompetent as a detective was quickly overtaken by the realization that Draco Malfoy really was desperate and stupid. The reality of the thought was more difficult for her to process than she might have imagined.

Clearly she needed to dig a little deeper on this one.

---

The next morning, Ginny slid onto a bar stool in the main area of the Leaky Cauldron, and smiled at the witch who came to take her order.

"A little early for you, isn't it?" the bartender asked as she wiped down the counter briskly.

“It’s good to see you, too," Ginny responded with a warm smile for the newly appointed landlady of The Leaky Cauldron, Hannah Abbott. "How's business?"

"About usual," Hannah replied with a small smile, her gaze sweeping across the nearly-empty room, while she tucked the cloth into her apron. "What can I get for you?"

"A peppermint tea, please."

Hannah set about filling Ginny's order, and Ginny eyed the posters hanging up above the bar advertising various events happening at the pub. "Wizarding London's leading singles event, is it?" Ginny asked, lifting her chin towards the ominous-looking Speed Dating poster, freshly hung on the wall.

Hannah's cheeks flushed. "Well, mine is the only event, so it's not an unreasonable claim." She placed a steaming teacup in front of Ginny, then grinned at her. "Are you interested in attending tonight? We have some tickets left."

Ginny tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Maybe... It could be fun."

"Oh, you should – and bring some friends, if you can!" The blonde turned to the back counter and retrieved some parchment and a quill, chattering enthusiastically. "Sign-up is one Galleon thirteen Sickles, or two Galleons eleven at the door, and your first two drinks are free."

Ginny smiled back, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into, then took her time fishing coins from her purse as she let her eyes wander over the sign-up sheet. Draco's neatly printed script jumped out at her from the bottom of the list, and when she scribbled her own name almost illegibly underneath it, it felt like an act of defiance.

It probably wasn't the best idea to meet her target face-to-face like this, but Ginny thought the event would be benign enough not to stir up too much suspicion on Draco's part – besides, the sooner she closed this case and got Astoria out of her hair, the better.

"I'd best go and rally the troops, then," Ginny said to Hannah brightly, and Hannah beamed back at her. "See you at eight."

Ginny headed back into Diagon Alley and straight to her office, contemplating how she would play the evening as she went. It probably wouldn't be too suspicious turning up to a singles event on her own, but she couldn't help but feel the need to have a tight cover story – just in case.

The Malfoy Inquisition

Chapter Two

"How did you drag me into this, again?"

Ginny straightened the collar of Neville's robes as they stood at the main bar of The Leaky Cauldron, and he shifted uncomfortably all the while. "You're doing me a huge favour, remember?" she said in a hushed voice.

He shooed her away and downed the rest of his Butterbeer. "I don't know why Luna couldn't have done this."

"Nice try," Ginny said drily, "but Eloise broke up with you months ago. You need to get back on that horse."

"Right," Neville said, then turned to the young man tending the bar. "Firewhisky, please."

"You'll be fine." Ginny gave Neville a firm pat on the shoulder. "It's almost eight, we should head in."

She pushed Neville into the function room where the event was being held, and they both went to complete their registrations as he nursed his drink. Hannah was running the event, and smiled at them both when they approached her. "Hullo!" she greeted them cheerfully, handing them each sign in sheets. "It's great to see you both!"

Neville stuttered a greeting as he glanced about the room nervously; Ginny decided she wouldn't torture him more than necessary, so took over the conversation. "It's a good turnout," she said as she glanced around the packed room, and noted the distinct lack of tall, blond males. Where on earth was Draco?

Hannah didn't seem to notice Ginny's frustration. "I know, it's amazing. I can't believe how much interest the event got – I was terrified it would flop."

Ginny offered a kind smile. "You work so hard I doubt that could ever happen. Right, Neville?"

Neville seemed startled by the mention of his own name, and actually focused on the conversation for the first time. His eyes widened as he met Hannah's gaze. "I – I – think... Often..."

Hannah raised her eyebrows. "Pardon?"

"I mean – yes," Neville glanced at Ginny to confirm this was the right answer, then looked back to Hannah, somewhat dazed. In an attempt to save the conversation, he grappled for another topic. "You run this place spectacularly."

Hannah flushed with pleasure, her eyes crinkling as she beamed at Neville. "Thank you."

Seemingly flummoxed by the success of his compliment, Neville nodded and took another long sip of his drink. Ginny waved goodbye to Hannah and led Neville away, taking the drink from his hand and patting his arm in a motherly manner. "Very smooth." She took the badge Hannah had given him, labelled with the number 8 and his name, and pinned it to his lapel.

"Shut it," Neville replied, then jumped when a stream of red sparks flew through the air over the room.

Hannah stood on a platform to one side, wand pressed to her throat to cast a spell to project her voice. "If I could please have your attention, ladies and gentlemen, the Speed Dating is about to begin! Ladies, if you would please take a seat at each of the tables around the room, and make a note of your table number on your cards. Gentlemen, if you would please gather in the middle of the room, and I will direct you to your table for the first round. You will have three minutes to get to know your date before I signal the round is complete and you move to your next partner. If you'd like to know any of your dates better, circle their corresponding number on your cards, and if luck is on your side you may have a second date in your future."

Ginny clapped Neville on the back, then moved to the nearest table and filled in her place card with the corresponding number 13 for her table. She quickly scoped the room again, more irritable than ever at Draco's absence, until a moment later a gong sounded, and a man took the chair across from her. "Hello," he said, holding his hand for her to shake, and she tried not to recoil as her own hand slid across his sweaty palm. "My name is Alphonsus."

"Hello, I’m Ginny."

"Sorry," he said, wiping his hands on his pants. "I'm kind of nervous."

Her nose wrinkled as she got a whiff of his body odour. The man was less nervous and more genuinely in need on some lessons in personal hygiene.

"That's okay," she allowed, as polite as her mother had raised her to be. "I'm sure most of us are."

He smiled brightly at her, presumably at the idea she might be nervous in his presence, and he swept a hand through his greasy, brown hair. "Well, fate must be with us if lucky number thirteen has brought me to such a beautiful partner."

Ginny crossed her arms. "Thirteen isn't traditionally lucky."

"But we were both assigned it, so it must be."

"I wasn't assigned this table, it was just the nearest when Hannah asked us to sit."

He grinned at her. "Exactly! Fate!" Alphonsus proclaimed eagerly, before telling her about the many people he knew that had successfully found long-term partners through blind-dating; Ginny thought it was more likely he’d been spending too much time in Muggle London, and seen one too many advertisement testimonials for Match.com.

After what felt like an eternity, sparks shot through the air to signal the end of the first round, and Alphonsus gave Ginny a slow wink as he bid her a farewell and moved to the next table. Ginny didn’t have long to bless Merlin for her somewhat painless escape, before another man approached, his beer slopping out of its glass and across the table as he dropped into the chair opposite her.

“Hullo, beautiful,” he slurred at her, before downing half of his beer and signalling for one of the waitresses to bring him another. “What brings you here?”

Ginny raised a brow, wondering if this guy was a dedicated drunk or if he was just a light-weight taking advantage of the inclusive drinks. “The speed dating event?”

“Right,” he agreed easily, then left her in silence for a minute in order to finish the rest of his drink. “This place is dead. Want to head back to my place for a little fun? I have a spa bath.”

“You know, normally I’d love to,” she stalled as she thought up an effectively off-putting excuse, “but my Healer told me to keep my rash dry so as not to irritate it further.”

Her date disappeared quite quickly after that, and Ginny graciously accepted his new drink on his behalf as she prepared to write-off the evening. She briefly considered walking out of the event, but she knew she couldn’t do that to Neville – or Hannah, for that matter – so she stayed where she was and steeled herself for impending doom. It wasn’t long before a shower of sparks shot across the room again, and another man appeared for next torture session.

“I see you’re fending your admirers off as effectively as usual, Weasley,” her new date said, and she choked on her drink as she recognised that deep, velvety voice.

Draco Malfoy took the seat opposite her, seemingly amused by her uncontrollable coughing, and wryly offered her his handkerchief while she tried to catch her breath. Annoyed that he’d taken her off-guard, Ginny pressed the fabric to her mouth and used the coughing fit as an excuse to gather her wits.

It was the first time she’d seen him up close and in the flesh in several years, and Ginny had to admit there was something arresting about the way his eyes locked unwaveringly on her own – and not necessarily in a bad way. He looked just as she remembered him – tall, lithe and blond – except he seemed to have finally grown into the debonair attitude he’d carried since he was young, and, as much as it irked her to admit it, it suited him well. Very well.

“Thank you,” she rasped, grudgingly, as she attempted to hand his handkerchief back, but he shook his head and gestured that she should keep it. Rolling her eyes – he probably didn’t want to come into contact with Muggle-lover germs – she shoved the thing in her pocket so as not to make a scene, thinking to herself it was typical that a poncy tosser like Draco Malfoy would carry around a handkerchief at all – and one that was monogrammed, no less.

“I can’t say you were one of the people I expected to see here,” Draco said as he settled into his chair, arm draped over the back and looking as relaxed as anything. She hated to admit it, but she could see how he managed to make it into all of those ridiculous Bachelor lists in the papers. “I thought the only thing you were willing to commit to was your career.”

Ginny snorted, well aware he was alluding to her rather public break-up with an ex-boyfriend; the one and only Harry Potter. Unfortunately, Draco had been training as an Auror at the same time as her, so he’d been an unwilling witness to more than one argument, and knew all about how Harry had tried to convince her to drop out of the course – it still grated on her to this day that Harry had ultimately succeeded. “What can I say? My job offers me things a man cannot,” Ginny quipped.

Draco smirked at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip, his stormy, grey eyes intense as he watched her. “What is it you’re doing these days?”

“I’m an entrepreneur,” Ginny said, as she decided the conversation needed to focus back on Draco. “I hear you’ve taken up the reins at the family business?” she asked him, casually. Her instincts demanded that she play dumb in this type of scenario, but her common sense said any idiot that could read would have seen mention of him in the papers. Though she was sure she could convince Draco of her illiteracy if necessary, considering his classist views and low opinion of her upbringing...

“Not quite,” Draco said, interrupting her thoughts. “My father is still firmly in place there, and I’m not sure I’d enjoy relieving him of the burden just yet.” He paused and held her gaze again, assessing, and Ginny stifled the urge to squirm under his attention. “I actually head up one of our subsidiary companies, the Malfoy Foundation.”

Having been required to dig up most of Draco Malfoy’s life history for her investigation, Ginny was of course well aware of Draco’s role as director of the Malfoy family’s philanthropic side-project. It wasn’t difficult for her to recall her feelings of shock when she initially uncovered the fact, in order to react appropriately – well, appropriately for her, at least. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it sounds like you’re working for a charity.”

He narrowed his eyes, then smirked at her, clearly amused, and Ginny tried to ignore how attractive he was when he wasn’t busy scowling or lifting his nose in the air. “It seems I’ve become a philanthropist in my old age.”

Ginny raised a brow. “Somehow I don’t believe you’re the altruistic type.”

“Altruistic, no,” Draco said, his gaze flickering as red sparks shot through the air and signalled the end of their time together. “Opportunistic, definitely.” He rose from his chair, and Ginny mentally kicked herself that she’d had the bloody git in front of her for all this time and that they’d only managed to discuss work. "It’s been a pleasure, as always, Weasley.”

“Right back at you,” Ginny replied, then downed the remnants of her drink as Draco moved to the next table with a wide smirk. Clearly interrogation was not her forte.

---

Several dates later, Ginny found herself wishing someone would put her out of her misery. She’d tried to salvage the evening by observing Draco as he interacted with his various dates, but doing so while juggling her own partners was proving impossible.

When Neville took the chair across from her, she thought she could have burst into tears of relief. “You look like you’ve been having a fun night,” he said, and from the flush of his cheeks she could tell he’d had a little too much to drink.

“So do you,” she said, then took his half empty glass away from him and finished the contents. At his questioning look, she shrugged. “Trust me, I need it more than you do. Meet any nice women, yet?”

He shook his head – though Ginny didn’t miss his fleeting glance towards where Hannah stood on stage surveying the room with a pleased expression – then leant close to her, conspiratorially. “These girls are crazy, Ginny. One of them proposed we get married at the end of the night.”

Ginny snorted, thinking back to one of her earlier dates. “At least that’s all she proposed.”

"Huh?"

"Never mind," she said with a shake of her head, then focused on Draco where he sat a few tables away, charming the flustered witch in front of him out of her knickers.

"Well, he showed up, at least," Neville said, when he noticed the object of her attention. "Any progress?"

"None," Ginny replied with a frown, her attention still on Draco. There was something off about his behaviour now, compared to how easy he'd been with her – as though his posture was stiffer, on edge. "We had a perfectly civil conversation about work, and then we ran out of time."

"I still don't understand why he's here, if he has a girlfriend. I didn't think Malfoy was that stupid."

Ginny nodded, looking at Neville again as Draco tilted his head and happened to glance in their direction, a small smirk on his lips. "You're right, it doesn't make any sense." She let her gaze return to Draco, inwardly flinching when his eyes locked on hers again. "Bollox, he caught me looking."

"Maybe he likes you," Neville joked, and Ginny laughed half-heartedly. Somehow she wasn't as repulsed by the thought as she ought to have been. "At least that would solve your case faster."

"Don't tempt me."

The round ended shortly thereafter, and Ginny ensured she had a strong drink in front of her to ease the rest of her evening before she reluctantly let Neville go.

She barely noticed the scuffle by her table as she took a long sip, then promptly choked on her drink again when Draco took the seat across from her. "We have to stop meeting like this," he said slyly, his smirk widening as she covered her mouth with the handkerchief he'd supplied her with earlier. "You really don't hold your alcohol as well as I recall, you know."

"Har, har," she said, returning the handkerchief to her purse. "I'm quite sure this isn't how speed dating works, Malfoy."

He shrugged, unrepentant. "We weren't finished."

Ginny glanced at Hannah, who was still surveying the room but not looking concerned by this turn of events. "Weren't we?" she asked, curiously.

Draco's smile was nothing short of devilish as he leant towards her over the table. "Be honest... I'm not your favourite person in the world, but my conversation is far superior to anyone else's here."

Attempting to look unfazed by his pretty face – and the fact he was probably right – she wondered what he was playing at. Obviously his motivations were not wholly innocent, and it made her wonder if Neville had been onto something. "I think you're just projecting your own thoughts onto me," she said, making sure to smile at him cheekily and reflecting his posture just enough that the neckline of her top would reveal a decent amount of cleavage; suddenly she wished she'd worn something a little sexier than her camisole, crochet shrug and cropped jeans.

His gaze didn't waver – and Ginny made a note to revisit her sociopath diagnosis – though his smile widened just a smidge. "I can assure you, Ginevra, my thoughts are preoccupied with an entirely different subject."

"Do tell, Draco," she prompted, and hoped that her name on his lips had nothing to do with the way she'd nearly moaned his.

Draco took a long sip of his drink, gaze locked on hers with a heated intensity that was totally at odds with everything else about his appearance. Ginny shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs, as she tried to work out when the room had gotten so warm. "I'm afraid it's not particularly polite dinner conversation."

Definitely flirting, she thought, reassured, as she took a sip of her drink to consider if she would encourage him. It was only some harmless flirting, after all. "Perhaps you can tell me some other time, then."

"Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were propositioning me."

"Don't be ridiculous; I'd need at least another two drinks before I'd have the courage for that."

Expression deadpan, he immediately raised a hand to flag down the waitress, and Ginny couldn't help her laugh. Who knew Draco Malfoy had a sense of humour? "Taking advantage of me, Draco?"

"Please," he said, leaning back in his chair once more. "I doubt you've ever been taken advantage of in your life."

"I'm sure you'll still give it a red-hot try..." You rat, she added silently, fluttering her lashes at him.

"That sounds like a challenge."

She took another sip of her drink, shrugging so that her shirt slipped slightly off one shoulder. "You'll have to wait and see."

He looked at her, expression unreadable, then tilted his head in order to survey the room. "How about you and I get out of here?"

Well, now, Ginny thought, as she fought to keep her expression blank. "Where to?"

"Somewhere more private, perhaps?"

The cheating bastard was really trying it on with her, of all people – Ginny was definitely drawing the line at that. Thank Merlin she'd decided to come up with a cover story. "Actually, I don't think I can, tonight. You see, I dragged Neville along to this thing, and he definitely needs to have an eye kept on him."

The two of them looked over at the next table, where Neville's date seemed to be growing increasingly offended with every word that rushed out of Neville's mouth. "I see what you mean," Draco said, then turned back to Ginny. "Well, perhaps I could join you both for a drink afterwards – if you're not opposed to a third wheel."

That seemed fairly harmless... And it would give her more time to grill him for information. Obviously he was interested in a potential affair, but Ginny would need to find some other evidence besides first-hand. "Of course. It'll be good to catch up, some more."

The Malfoy Inquisition

Chapter Three

It was late into the evening - perhaps even early morning - when Neville finally ran to the bathroom to throw up his guts. Ginny shared a wry expression with Draco as they watched him go.

“I can’t decide if he’s terrible at holding his liquor, or if you just happen to be excellent at it,” Draco said, then picked up another shot, holding it out to cheers her.

“Someone thinks highly of himself, doesn't he?” Ginny chinked her glass against his, then twisted slightly in order to throw it over her shoulder without Draco seeing.

Ginny was, of course, quite exceptional at drinking, but she had the good common sense that tonight could be a golden opportunity for her, and she was certainly not going to waste it by getting slaughtered. Conversely, she was astounded that Draco had held up so well. He was still quite lucid, despite the fact she’d supplied the three of them with enough shots to give a hippogriff liver poisoning - and only herself downed a fraction of those. Now that Neville was most probably stuck with his head in down the toilet, she was definitely feeling guilty.

Hannah hurried over a moment later, a frown creasing her forehead. “Is he alright?” she asked, worriedly, tilting her head towards the bathrooms where Neville had vanished to.

"He'll be fine," Ginny assured the witch, nearly confident that she was right, then turned to Draco, apologetically. Ginny hadn't exactly learnt much that evening, but she wasn't ruthless enough to abandon her friend in her pursuit of an Astoria-free future - though that did give her an idea to buy some more time with Draco . "I should probably get him home," she said, then glanced at her watch, frowning. "It's after one!"

"Let me escort you," Draco quickly offered - almost too quickly. "That's no time for a lady to be travelling alone."

Simultaneously relieved that he'd saved her from playing a damsel-in-distress, and irritated that he presumably didn't think she could look after herself, she attempted a grateful look. "Thank you. Hannah, would you happen to have a potion to settle Neville's stomach?"

"What kind of barmaid would I be if I didn't?" Hannah replied with a sniff, then summoned one from behind the counter and handed it to Draco.

He raised a brow, then glanced at Hannah. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Hannah looked expectantly at him, hands on hips. "He's in the men's room," she said, then waved a hand around the near-empty bar. "I sent my last male employee home a half hour ago."

Ginny covered her smirk with her hand, wondering how Draco would handle his current predicament. After a long look at Hannah, then at the small bottle in his hand, he surprised Ginny by getting to his feet and striding away - to sort out Neville, she hoped.

One look at Hannah's pale face after he disappeared into the men’s room sent Ginny into a laughing fit. "You look as though someone passed over your grave."

"They might as well have. He could send a person into anaphylactic shock with that stare."

Ginny shook her head, getting to her feet with the intent of helping Malfoy haul Neville into the street, but promptly fell flat on her arse as she slid over in all of the liquid she'd been throwing over her shoulder. Sheepishly, she glanced up at Hannah.

"You paid for them," Hannah said with a shrug, taking Ginny by the arms to help her up. "It's not really a concern of mine what you or Malfoy do with them after that, as long as nothing gets broken."

That made Ginny slip to the floor once more, and she landed with with an oomph. "Wait a minute. 'You or Malfoy'?"

Hannah gave Ginny's arm another tug, opening her mouth to respond, when she stopped suddenly. Draco had emerged from the men's room, Neville thrown across his back in a fireman's carry that made Ginny want to find how exactly where he was hiding all of that muscle. "Don't tell me I have to carry you, too," Draco said to her, with a smirk, and Ginny blushed crimson as she stood and regained her balance on dry ground; and silently praying Draco didn’t notice the mess.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing her hands off and hoping she didn't have a huge damp patch covering her bum. "Let's get the bus. Thanks for your help Hannah, tonight was great."

Neville lifted his head long enough to give Hannah a star-struck look. "You're great," he managed, before his head fell forwards again and Ginny ushered Draco off.

As they made their way out to the street, Ginny eyed Draco warily when he bounced Neville to shift the other man's weight. "Are you sure you can manage him?"

"You're bruising my ego," said Draco, feigning a wounded look. "I do attempt to stay fit, you know."

She laughed, though the thought of Draco shirtless - and more - was now at the forefront of her mind. "Do you work out a lot?" she asked him, hoping she might be able to segue into his other hobbies.

"Probably more than average," he paused, as she opened the front door and held it ajar for him. "It helps me think."

Shutting the door behind them, she feigned a gasp. "Counting reps and thinking at the same time?"

"Multitasking is but one of my many talents," he said with a proper laugh - probably the first one she'd ever heard from him - and she had to wonder if she was missing something.

Pushing the thought away, she retrieved her wand and held it in front of her. "Who knew Draco Malfoy was so skilled?"

"I pity the poor woman who doesn't venture to find out," he said, taking a firm step backwards to brace himself when the Knight Bus appeared before them in a gust of wind. Ginny swatted away a stray piece of paper that hit her in the face, rolling her eyes at Draco's smirk and holding her hand out for him to board the bus.

Once they had Neville resting haphazardously on one of the beds, Ginny realised she and Draco, themselves, were now rather limited as to their own travel arrangements; without bothering to venture upstairs, all of the beds but one were occupied. Draco seemed to realise this too, but sat himself down on the free bed next to Neville’s. When he looked back at her, his gaze could only be described as challenging.

Ginny bravely joined him on the bed, but was careful to maintain her distance from him as she crossed her legs and leant against the brass bedhead - Merlin knew if she was any closer to him he’d easily be able to distract her with thoughts of exactly what else they could use this bed for...

When she turned to Draco, he seemed amused. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“This night hasn’t exactly gone to plan.”

She had to laugh. “You mean, being in bed with a Weasley?”

Draco smirked at that, but his expression seemed to take on a sardonic tone following her comment - almost as though that was the plan - and didn’t that thought just make her feel hot all over? “Let’s just say that I didn’t think I’d be riding the Knight Bus at one in the morning with a couple of Gryffindors.”

Ginny stifled the urge to outright ask him what he had thought he would be riding instead - and not because she was terrified that the answer might be you. She really needed to focus. “I can’t help but question your sanity, right now. You had some of those witches eating out of the palm of your hand - yet you decided to help me drink Neville under the table instead.”

He let his hands rest across his flat stomach as he tilted his head back against the headboard, looking genuinely relaxed in her company and making her wonder if this was how he looked in bed. It was almost enough to incite her pity, that she was working so hard to ruin his life - albeit deservedly. “Where’s the challenge in that?” he asked her, a small smirk playing on his lips

That comment grated her slightly, particularly considering the circumstances, and she couldn’t help getting off topic. “Women don’t exist for your amusement, you know.”

“Depends on the woman," he said, still looking as relaxed as anything, so she gave him a hard thump on the arm.

"It's any wonder a catch like you is still single," Ginny began, but stopped when he caught her wrist and gazed at her steadily.

"Why are you still single, Ginny?"

She briefly debated between baiting Draco, or answering honestly, but ultimately knew she probably couldn't draw him out that convincingly. Instead, she made the obvious decision and opted for blind indignance. "I don't think that's any of your business."

He examined her expression for a long moment, before he released her hand, and her skin felt oddly cold after the loss of contact. "You know, you're not very forthcoming with personal details," he commented, returning to his relaxed position.

Bollocks. "If you must know, I don't have time for a boyfriend."

"Good," Draco replied, and she didn't know how to respond to that.

Wary of the strange course their conversation had taken, Ginny chose to stay silent. Instead, she thought back to Hannah's observation; clearly, Draco was not even slightly drunk. Which begged the question: why had he been trying his damnedest to get her drunk?

She immediately wondered if he'd been trying to take advantage of her, but while he wouldn't have been the first entitled, rich man to do so to a woman, she knew that wasn't it. Men like Draco Malfoy didn't depend that heavily on impaired judgement to get their way, and besides, he'd had his pick of women tonight...

The bus suddenly jolted to a stop, halting her train of thought along with it, and causing Ginny to fall across Draco's lap. Cheeks burning, she pushed off him, but not before she managed to get a good handful of his toned stomach and chest. "Sorry," she said, fully aware of his hands on her arms as he helped her off the bed, and disappointed she hadn't taken the opportunity to land a little lower on his person, since it was only a matter of time before aforementioned opportunities were non-existent.

The conductor announced they'd arrived at Neville's address, and Ginny busied herself with hefting Neville's arm over her shoulders in order to avoid eye contact with her sociopath of a companion. "Wait a minute," Draco began, but she already had a groaning Neville half way off the bus before he managed to get a hold of Neville's other arm to assist her.

Screw the investigation, she thought to herself, impulsively. She'd send Astoria her resignation letter and refund her deposit first thing in the morning. This case was not going to be at the cost of her dignity, and she wasn't going to willingly put up with these two a moment longer; they deserved each other.

"I don't need your help," Ginny told him, only slightly struggling under Neville's weight.

Draco was clearly more of a gentleman than she gave him credit for, because he didn't point out she’d been more than prepared to ask for his help only minutes earlier. "I know," was all he said, and continued to support Neville's weight with her as she half dragged the man to the front door of his house.

They came to a halt at the entryway of the building, and Ginny slumped Neville - who'd begun to mutter something about pretty barmaids - against his door. She slanted a look at Draco over her shoulder.

“It’s appropriate to thank people in this type of situation,” he prompted.

Ginny had half a mind to give him a talking to on what exactly appropriate behaviour was, but decided that would probably tip him off as to her intended purpose of the evening. Instead, she reminded herself that Draco hadn’t technically done anything to warrant her infamous bat-bogey hex - yet. “Thank you,” she said to him, grudgingly, and was rewarded with another one of his rare smiles. “Well. It was nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” he said to her, his smile growing wider when she held out her hand for him to shake as a fair-well. He took it gently, his thumb sliding across the back of her hand in a way that made her ache for it to touch naughtier parts of her body, and she was immediately stunned by how intimate Draco had managed to make a handshake, of all things. “It’s been a pleasure.”

Before she knew what was happening, Draco gave her arm a sharp tug, and she half-stumbled into him. They stood only a breath apart now - she could practically feel the heat radiating off his skin in the cool night-time air - and when his eyes locked on hers she was captivated. It was a strange thing Ginny experienced in that moment, in that she knew the moment should have been strange, and yet it somehow wasn’t at all. If she were a romantic, she might wax lyrical about catching a glimpse one another’s souls - of kismet - but of course, Ginny was far too practical for such things.

Instead of leaning into him and catching the hard line of his lips against hers, as she supposed any other woman might have done in that same moment - and despite the fact she was desperately tempted to - she took a deep breath and pulled back. “Good night, Draco.”

He tilted his head as he watched her with that constantly-assessing gaze of his, and she tried not to outwardly show exactly how much he’d affected her in that moment. Instead, she looked at where his hand still grasped hers, then reluctantly released him. “Good bye,” she said to him, firmly, and she must have passed whatever test he was giving her because he dipped his head, smirk firmly in place, then Apparated away with a crack.

---

Some time later, Ginny climbed the steep staircase that lead to the small office she rented above the florist shop in Diagon Alley, shaken to the core after the evening’s events but no less determined to leave it all behind her. As she’d put Neville to bed her slight alcohol buzz had eventually worn off, and she’d resolved that a good detective would compile a complete file before handing over a case - no matter the circumstances for it. And, if Ginny intended to cut her ties with Astoria in - she peered at her wristwatch in the dark - approximately six hours time, she might as well get things wrapped up sooner rather than later.

Once she reached the top of the rickety first flight, she unlocked the door to her small - and notably empty - reception area, disabling various security wards as she went. Stifling a yawn, Ginny firmly told herself that she wasn't tired, then entered her office. As soon as she was through the door her wedges were kicked off and strewn haphazardly in the corner, and she collapsed into her desk chair on a sigh. It had been a long day, but it wasn’t over yet.

Working on autopilot, she reversed the second set of wards placed on her desk and opened her top drawer to retrieve her case file, thinking that the battered sofa in her office looked awfully comfortable, right now.

Then, suddenly, something placed in the middle of her desk caught her eye, and Ginny was out of her chair, wand drawn, within a moment. Now, more than certainly wide awake, she carefully took stock of all of her surroundings and noted that the unassuming package place on her desk was the only thing out of place. Someone managed to deactivate all of my wards perfectly, she thought, more than a little miffed they hadn't even triggered an alarm.

Scowling, she tapped her wand against the package. "Specialis revelio," she said, and was only mildly relieved to see that she hadn't manage to overlook some kind of magical bomb, or anything equally nefarious. It seemed this was just a plain old parcel, of some kind, and she ignored it momentarily to take further stock of her surroundings.

Nothing appeared to have been moved, but then, Ginny reminded herself that common thieves didn't tend to leave presents behind. Her office had been broken into by someone who wanted the only truly valuable item she possessed - information.

She went to the filing cabinets in the opposite corner of her office, feeling somewhat ill at the thought of going through them all. Casting the spell-detecting charm once more to ensure some sadistic wizard wasn't trying to mess with her, she pulled open a cabinet drawer. Ginny hated filing with a vengeance, but mentally thanked herself for keeping things haphazardly in check, because it would at least make it that much easier to find what her thief had taken from her.

As she flipped through the first row of files, she idly wondered who on earth would want to steal the kinds of information she kept in her office. She had to admit, the thought was intriguing enough in itself, and she couldn't help but pursue it.

Her thief would have needed time to deactivate her wards, so it was definitely someone who knew her movements - or at the very least, knew she wouldn't be around that evening. Neville and Hannah had been the only people who'd known her movements, really, since Ginny didn't bother to keep an appointment book - after being in the business this long, she knew all too well the dangers of having that information readily available to see. It almost made her pity fools like Draco Malfoy, who kept their appointments like clockwork-

Ginny froze, wide-eyed, her train of thought dead in its tracks.

Draco Malfoy always kept his appointments. She'd been following him around for long enough to know he verged on anal retentive when it came to attending meetings down to the second. But he'd been late to the speed dating event.

"The son of a bitch!" she yelled, furious, as she slammed the drawer of her cabinet shut and went back to her desk. She picked up Draco's case file and flipped it open, bile rising in her throat as she noticed that every page had been straightened and tidied by whoever had gone through it. Not only had he totally violated her privacy by going through her things, but he'd been playing her all evening like a musical saw.

Ginny Weasley felt like a fool. And she was furious.

The Malfoy Inquisition

Chapter Four

Ginny rubbed a hand over her face, exhausted. It had been a long night, and as she sat in her chair while the first tendrils of daylight crept through her office window, she took a long sip of coffee and attempted not to pull a face over the awful, bitter taste. She was certainly not a coffee drinker, but after a mere thirty-minute power nap on her office sofa she desperately needed the caffeine.

After scouring Draco's file all night, she had decided to send a letter requesting Astoria meet her in her office at 8am sharp, because Ginny was of the mind that this kind of thing was like ripping off a plaster - the sooner she got it done, the less painful it would be. Ginny also couldn't deny that the thought of having Astoria Greengrass at her beck and call didn't bring her more than a little joy.

Pulling out some blank parchment, she went to reach for her old, tattered quill, but only grasped thin air. Frowning, she wondered if she'd managed to misplace it in her handbag - but it wasn't there either. As she pondered over where on earth she could possibly have left it, she caught sight of the as-yet unopened parcel on her desk, and knew what had happened.

That prick of a Pureblood had replaced her favourite quill. She'd bet all the Galleons in her Gringotts vault that that was what he’d purchased from the jeweller’s the other day, because Flourish and Blotts just wasn’t good enough.

Ginny glared at the offending parcel, torn over what to do, but ultimately decided she was entirely too proud to open the thing. Instead, she decided to keep the ‘gift’ to herself, for now, and shoved the thing into her desk drawer. Grumbling, she then banged out a short and succinct letter to Astoria on her typewriter and sent it off, then all-but-collapsed onto her sofa in order to have a few minutes rest before she faced down the harpy.

Her brief respite ended in what felt like seconds, to the sound of firm knocking on her locked door.

"This had better be important," Astoria called out, waspishly. "I had to reschedule my hair appointment for this."

Ginny straightened her shirt and quickly cast a charm to conceal the bags under her eyes, before opening her door, grinning at the sight of Astoria's split ends. "Miss Greengrass, do come in." She stepped back as Astoria brushed past her and immediately occupied the armchair in front of Ginny's desk. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I don't plan on staying long," Astoria replied while she examined the ends of her hair with a scrutinising gaze. "Well? What have you found?"

"I'll be asking the questions this morning, Miss Greengrass." Ginny smiled as she leant against the edge of her desk and crossed her arms, narrowing her gaze as she looked down her nose at the other witch. "Starting with why my office was broken into last night."

Astoria froze, then dropped the strand of hair she'd been holding and let her hands rest in her lap as she looked up at Ginny. "Pardon?"

"My office. I returned here to find that my office had been broken into and that a very particular file had been tampered with."

There was a long pause as Astoria digested this information. "Are you accusing me of something, Miss Weasley?"

"Oh, of course not," Ginny said easily, then leant forwards to brace herself against the arms of Astoria's armchair, while Astoria sunk down against the back of the seat. "I am, however, questioning why Draco Malfoy might be interested enough in my investigation to commit a felony."

Astoria's expression grew shuttered, and Ginny could tell the woman was furious. "You mean to say he knows you've been investigating him?"

"That's not the issue, here, Miss Greengrass. The issue is exactly why a man merely cheating on his girlfriend might want to discover what information I've collected so far, since this man has done absolutely nothing to indicate that he has been having an affair. Unless..." Ginny paused a long moment, taking her time to stand upright again, then continued with the theory she'd come up with through the early morning. "Unless I was hired for an investigation under false pretences."

Astoria remained silent, but Ginny noticed the barest twitch of a muscle under the woman's left eye. Clearly she'd hit a nerve.

"Well?" Ginny prompted the other woman. "Is there anything you'd care to share with me, Miss Greengrass?"

Astoria got up from her chair and brushed past Ginny, striding to the window that overlooked a bustling Diagon Alley. Ginny remained where she leant against her desk, but watched the silhouette of the other woman cautiously. There was a moment of tense silence, before Astoria exhaled a deep breath on a sigh. "Draco Malfoy isn't my boyfriend."

Ginny rolled her eyes at the obvious comment, but remained silent, hoping the other woman would continue talking - and was generously rewarded for her patience.

"We used to be together, but that was a long time ago. He has some... sensitive information regarding my personal life, and I was hoping you might be able to help me find some leverage over him. Collateral, you might call it."

Ginny's mouth hardened into a line. "I'm not in the business of helping the rich blackmail each other, Astoria."

The other woman slanted a look at Ginny over her shoulder. "Obviously, or I wouldn't have resorted to lying in order to make you take on my case. I gave you something familiar so that you wouldn’t question me."

"But there are dozens of other Investigators that would have been more than willing. Why me?"

Astoria turned to Ginny then, arms crossed as she faced the other woman off. "I needed a detective who is good with sensitive information - one that wouldn't cause problems if I had to be fully open with them about my situation. The less people that know, the better - and you don’t strike me as the kind of person who might go to the Prophet."

That was ominous enough for Ginny to put her hand in the pocket of her jeans to clutch her wand tightly. "And what situation is that?" Ginny prompted, cautiously.

Astoria's lips thinned distastefully, and she looked away.

Exasperated, Ginny slapped the palms of her hands against the desk and attempted another line of questioning. "You asked for Narcissa and Draco's letters. Is there a particular reason why?"

"As I told you at the time, I needed to know if she's mentioned me to him," she said to Ginny, with a tone that implied Ginny was a few bludgers short of a Quidditch match, and Ginny tried not to be impatient with the woman.

"I'll need you to be a little more specific, Astoria."

"I spend a lot of time with Narcissa," Astoria paused and gave Ginny a meaningful look. When Ginny didn’t overtly react, she scowled and clarified her statement. “We had an affair.”

Ginny's brows just about shot into her hairline, and she wondered if she'd misheard. "Pardon?"

“I can’t speak more plainly,” Astoria said in a patronising tone as she narrowed her eyes at Ginny in an accusing fashion, as though she were at fault for something. "There's no need to look at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Ginny assured the other woman. "I'm just... surprised."

"Why is that?" Astoria scoffed. "Because I don't look like a dyke?"

Ginny was taken aback by Astoria’s abnormally vulgar language, but tried to reply diplomatically. "I don't think you should look like anything."

"Well, it's too bad no one else thinks that." For the briefest moment, Astoria's expression was so vulnerable that Ginny felt a brief stab of pity for her.

"And Draco knows?" Ginny prompted, attempting to get the conversation back on track.

“No - not everything.” She lifted her head a fraction. “Not about the affair.”

“Right. So what you’re telling me is that,” Ginny held up a hand and began counting off her fingers, “you dated Draco Malfoy as a ruse to hide your sexuality, he intends to use your sexual preference against you for some nefarious purpose, and you had an affair with his mother despite that. I assume that the affair will only add to Draco’s vendetta against you - should he find out. Is that everything?”

“Approximately.”

Ginny pinched the bridge of her nose. Really, getting anything useful out of this woman was like pulling teeth. “Has Draco Malfoy bothered to mention to you what he wants?”

“Something about money, or business. I don’t know; Father takes care of that kind of thing.” Astoria waved her hand, while Ginny resisted the urge to slap her palm across her face. “Are you going to help me or not?”

She didn’t want anything to do with this mess, really, though she couldn’t help but feel terrible for the poor woman in front of her - but Ginny wasn’t willing to trust Astoria as far as she could throw her, either. The witch had already proved she was willing to outright lie to get what she needed, and there wasn’t much stopping her from doing so again. It was almost enough to make Ginny wish she was a callous enough person to spread rumours, if only to ensure Astoria wouldn’t trust her with her secrets.

There were few things in the world that Ginny detested - such as filing and coffee - and unsolved cases were at the top of that list. Ginny was determined to get to the bottom of things, where Draco Malfoy was concerned.

Besides, she reasoned, she owed him one for getting so far under her skin.

Draco Malfoy had told her only several hours earlier that he wanted a challenge. Ginny was confident that she could give him more than he bargained for.

"My rates for extortion cases are higher than affairs,” Ginny told Astoria, and held out her hand for the woman to shake. “I’ll have a revised contract for your rates agreement owled to you within the hour."

Astoria stared at Ginny’s hand with some distaste, as though she weren’t sure what to do with it, but eventually placed her fingers in Ginny’s palm for a half second before picking up her purse and flouncing out the door.

---

Later that day, Ginny was operating on an unholy amount of caffeine and not-nearly-enough sleep, but she consoled herself - as she always did - with the thought that this kind of exhaustion wasn't something she experienced often, along with daydreams of her plush, warm bed waiting for her when she got home. It had been a long day, on top of an even longer night, but it was almost over.

After all of her planning that morning - and a brief trip to Hermione's office to borrow the most tattered quill she could find - she'd then returned to her usual routine: following Draco.

She hadn't bothered with her usual caution - just enough to prevent him from becoming too suspicious - but she knew that he knew that she was there, and, to her delight, she knew he was annoyed about it.

At his usual lunch meeting with Theodore Nott, his eyes had locked on her as she sat a few tables down armed with a copy of the Prophet, sunglasses and her hair charmed an ashy blonde. She'd watched him from behind her tinted lenses as his eyes travelled over her body for the briefest moment, and his jaw tightened in a manner that was somehow incredibly sexy. Reminding herself that this was for work, she crossed her legs and ignored the shiver his gaze alone had managed to wrack from her body, but took great pleasure that he'd reacted so perceptibly to the sight of her.

With a grin, she sipped her tea, finished her sandwich, and listened to him thank Theodore for his assistance the evening before, along with a cryptic promise of a returned favour in future that made Ginny wonder what other nefarious activities the toad had on the side. It nearly didn't bother her that he was baiting her by all-but-bragging about breaking into her office right in front of her; Draco Malfoy had gotten one over her, and she had to respect that - albeit grudgingly.

When the meal was over and he left, she left as well, but instead of following him to whatever ridiculous location he'd planned on torturing her at today, she went straight to the Malfoy's business headquarters. With a little assistance from a disillusionment charm, she helped herself to Draco's office, and made herself comfortable until he returned from his afternoon meeting.

It was strange, being so easily immersed in Draco's things; she's grown so used to being a spectator in his life over the last few weeks that being here in his space, now, felt like a taboo. But it wasn't long before proximity helped her ignore those feelings, and for her curiosity to take over. Ensuring that the unopened package he'd left her was placed front and centre on his desk, she walked around the spacious room and leisurely examined his things.

It as a lovely space, and Ginny couldn't help but admire his selection of furniture. If she'd had more money to spend on her own office she would definitely have styled it like this - though she doubted that she could bring herself to part with the galleons these authentic mahogany pieces would cost, even if she had the money. Draco also had several oil paintings on the walls and above a large fireplace; landscapes painted in an impressionist fashion, in hues of blue and green, that looked so familiar she had to wonder if they were famous.

Then - after looking at all those lovely things he had on display - she couldn't help but go through his drawers.

Feeling like a voyeur, she opened a cupboard to find spare suits and robes meticulously hung on a rail, and she felt a jolt as she caught a whiff of his musky cologne on the fabric. Slamming the doors of the cupboard shut, she decided to peruse his books and examine the various magical items displayed on his shelves instead, noting he had an impressive number of potions stored in his sideboard, along with his liquor. She warily identified a few of them, and was almost unsurprised that his collection ranged from befuddlement potions to veritaserum; and honestly, Ginny wasn’t sure she wanted to know why a company director would need these types of potions readily at hand.  

Finally, she got to the drawers of his desk and felt justified in her snooping when she found a copy of the file from her office. She opened it and flipped through the document, noting that he'd flagged, then written responses to, some of her notes;

Lack of human emotion - Sociopath?

Investigator should research definition of sociopath. -DM

Unable to help herself, she sat at his desk - ignoring how naughty she felt sitting in his chair - pulled out her quill and sloppily scribbled a reply under his flawless penmanship.

Perpetrator should research definition of larceny. -GW

Other things, he'd only marked with a small asterisk, and she quickly confirmed exactly what Draco was interested in - or, more likely, what he was worried about her investigating.

As she read through one of the articles he'd flagged, discussing the loss of a major contract for The Malfoy Foundation, she turned a page and a piece of card fell to the floor. Curiously, she scooped it up and was surprised to see that it was his match card from the speed dating event, which he'd evidently not bothered to return to Hannah. Even more curiously, he hadn't marked any of the numbers on the card, except for one. Thirteen.

Unsure how she felt about that, she tossed the card onto his desk, then reclined in Draco's chair and continued reviewing Draco's file.

Slowly, she pieced the puzzle together, and she angrily wondered how she hadn’t seen it sooner - though, she mildly consoled herself with the thought that she hadn’t been looking for suspicious business dealings in the first place. Her clippings were riddled with mentions of The Malfoy Foundation securing contract after contract for all kinds of projects - even some that had been previously given to other businesses, before they mysteriously relinquished the deal - and she had to wonder how on earth they’d landed them all. But then, she had the answer to that, didn’t she? She was certain that Astoria wasn’t the first person Draco had crossed, and she seriously questioned how he managed to sleep at night - though, she supposed a person needed a strong conscience to feel guilty over that kind of thing, anyway.

But then, she thought there was some kind of self-serving good intention behind the whole thing, since The Foundation had managed to achieve so much positive work - they’d just built a new paediatrics ward for St Mungo’s, for goodness’ sake; at least there was some kind of method to Draco Malfoy's madness.

Some time after five, the door to Draco's office opened, and she lowered the papers she'd been reading to see the wizard in question shutting the door behind him, while eyeing her with some amusement.

"Investigating what it's like to be an Executive, I see," Draco said, nodding his head to where her feet were propped up on his desk.

Attempting to look unconcerned, Ginny slowly returned her feet to the floor, and put the file on his desk, clasping hands on top of it. "Mr Malfoy,” she greeted him with a smile. “Please, do come in."

He raised a brow at her, then crossed the office to take a seat in the armchair in front of his desk, gait relaxed. Casually, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. “Have you had a productive day?”

“Quite,” Ginny said, leaning back in his chair and studiously ignoring how attractive he was when his appearance was so purposefully dishevelled. “Almost as productive as you were, last evening.”

His mouth twitched. “You must think you have everything figured out, if you went to the trouble of coming here today.”

“Can’t a witch get a little retaliation without people accusing her of such nonsense?” she asked him, then nodded at the package she’d placed on his desk. “Besides, you forgot something.”

“That was a gift.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t take bribes, Draco.”

“If I were trying to bribe you, you'd know it,” he said, standing up, then moved to his sideboard and took out two glasses. "Drink?"

"No, thank you." Ginny rolled her eyes when he poured her one, anyway, then placed it on the desk in front of her.

Draco blithely touched the lip of his glass to hers, then took a long sip after he sat down. “What can I do for you, Ginny?”

She smiled at his blunt question, deciding to follow suit. “You can leave Astoria alone.”

“I can’t do that,” he said, with a shake of his head, as he sat down again.

“Why not?”

“Because I have plans, and the Greengrass family isn’t cooperating.”

“Not everyone has to do what you tell them to,” Ginny told him, as she tried to decide if she found this side of Draco unbelievably sexy or irritating as hell.

“Of course not,” he replied, casting a meaningful look at her that made her feel hot all over. Sexy it is. “Which is why I have to resort to all of this,” he waved a hand at the collection of items she’d left on his desk, and took another sip.

Raising a brow, Ginny lifted Draco’s speed dating card. “So, what does that make me?”

“A welcome complication,” he said, in a way that made her glad to be one. “But a distraction nonetheless.”

Ginny feigned a pout, then threw his words from the night before back at him. “You’re bruising my ego.”

He smirked at that. “Diffidence never suited you.”

“Thank you,” she dropped his card on the table again, then tapped a finger on top of her file. “But flattery will get you nowhere.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

There was a long silence, as they eyed each other off over the desk, their banter bringing them to a stalemate. Ginny was determined not to blink first, so she smiled at him, reclined in his chair, then enjoyed a small sip of the amber coloured drink he’d poured for her - lest she manage to choke on the liquid, as she seemed to do every other time he was near her.

Finally, he cracked. “Say I leave Astoria alone. What do I get out of that?”

“A sense of pride that you did the right thing,” she told him, and had to stifle a laugh at his deadpan expression. Reminding herself it was a serious matter, she straightened. “Look, surely you can still make her an offer. I’m sure you’ve got more money than Gringotts, lying around gathering dust somewhere.”

“Not quite,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. “And usually an extraneous amount of money is the first thing I offer - but Astoria has money. She already threw it back in my face.”

Ginny smirked at him. “Does she, though?"

He arched a brow at her. "Playing coy never suited you, either."

"But it's so much more fun," Ginny smiled at him, closing the file on his desk with a dramatic flourish. "Astoria's parents found out about her. They cut her off."

Draco's expression was sceptical. "Are you sure about that?"

"Positive. The last deposit slip she paid me with was rejected by Gringotts this morning, so I did some further investigation and found that she’s more or less living on credit at the moment. Her receipts are in the file." He opened his mouth to respond, but she quickly continued. "Trust me, the only reason I'm letting you know is because I'd like to be paid. Besides, I'm a Weasley, and we don't have dishonest bones in our bodies."

"Should I remind you about what you did to the Leaky Cauldron's floor last night?"

She grinned. "Only if you're planning on telling me how you got rid of your drinks without me knowing."

"Not today," he said, then leant forwards in his hair, his gaze locked on her face in that assessing manner she'd grown accustomed to. "That doesn't help me, though. If she's estranged from her parents, I doubt that she'll be able to get her father to relinquish the contract I need."

Ginny made a tsking noise. "I think you're forgetting something, Draco. Or should I say, someone?"

He tapped his finger against his glass twice as he thought, then he smiled at her in an incredibly delicious manner. "Daphne."

"You got it; Daphne would do anything to help her sister, so long as it doesn't entail being cut off, herself," Ginny said, examining her nails. "So, how did I do?"

Draco lifted his glass in a toast. "Splendidly," he said, then downed the remaining liquid as he watched her over the rim of his glass.

Ginny smiled back at him. "I'm glad you're satisfied with the service. For a one off consultancy session, that will cost eighty eight galleons and five sickles."

He laughed, then stood and joined her on the other side of the desk. When he moved close to her she could feel the heat of him, and she wondered what he was going to do - until he opened a desk drawer and retrieved his chequebook from it. He then unwrapped the gift he’d gotten her and picked up the quill inside, made the cheque out to her for her stated fee, then signed it with a flourish.

He held it just out of her reach. "This is robbery."

"It's business," she plucked the slip of paper from his fingertips and slipped it in her pocket, then held her hand out for him to shake. "It's been a pleasure, as always, Mr Malfoy."

Draco grasped her hand, branding her skin with just that small amount of contact, but he didn't let go. Instead, he leant over to look her in the eye, since she still seated in his chair, and she attempted not to squirm under his heated gaze. "What'll it cost me for dinner?"

Ginny pretended to think about it, feeling more at ease in his presence now that they'd concluded their business than she ever had. "For you? On the house."

He pulled her up and out of the chair, his hand letting go of hers in order to grasp her waist and steady her, and when she was standing he was so close their bodies were flush against each other's she could feel every last solid inch of him - and it was marvellous. "And how much will you make me pay for a kiss?"

"Everything you've got," she said, placing her hands against his chest as she tilted her head up towards his, and with a determined gaze his mouth came down over hers. The feel of his firm lips against her own was indescribable, and he quickly had her pressed against the desk as his tongue stroked into her mouth, his hand in her hair tilting her head to find the perfect angle - there.

Ginny pulled away, nearly gasping for air, and when she realised her cool, unflappable Draco was just as out-of-sorts, she smirked at him triumphantly. "You can do better than that."

"I plan to," he told her, then pulled her back for more.