Chapter Three
That Monday, at work, Draco could think of nothing but Ginny Weasley. He sat primly behind his desk and absentmindedly adjusted the curtains in the window using his wand. He could not, for the love of Merlin, understand what her problem was. He had taken her out for a nice dinner at a nice restaurant. So what if this was what he did for all of his first dates? It was not bloody cheap to eat there, couldn’t she just appreciate that, eat her food, and go home with him for a nice shag?
Deciding he could no longer sit in his office and obsess about Ginny, Malfoy let his secretary know he was leaving and apparated to the Ministry. He took the lift up to the sixth level and strode purposefully toward Blaise’s office in the Floo Network Authority Department. He did not even bother consulting Blaise’s secretary before banging the door to Blaise’s office open and grittily announcing, “She left in the middle of the date because I took her friend to the same restaurant.”
Blaise looked up from the paperwork he was doing.
“What in the world are you talking about?” he asked.
“Weasley,” answered Draco, taking a seat opposite Blaise at his desk. “Ginny bloody Weasley. I take her to the poshest restaurant in all of London and she leaves, telling me that Weasleys have standards and she won’t put up with going on the same first date as all my other women.”
“All your other women?” Blaise raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t phrase it like that.”
“No I did not! I was a perfect gentleman and I got her the best table in the entire restaurant- and all she can do is bitch about it and embarrass me in front of everyone there! Who the hell does she think she is? She can’t do that to me!”
Blaise smirked.
“Well, well, well. It looks like Draco Malfoy, breaker of hearts and taker of virginities, has met his match.”
“W-what? My match?” sputtered Draco. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I am not,” Blaise answered patiently.
“Ha! My match! As if,” sneered Draco. “A self-righteous little tart who talks about me behind my back to girls named Penelope who I might or might not have shagged in the past....”
“Wait, wait. You shagged her friend?”
“Might’ve.”
Blaise groaned quietly.
“Draco,” he said in a pained voice. “You are my best friend, but you are being really, really thick at the moment and basically a total arse.”
“An arse?” Draco repeated indignantly. “I am not!”
“Admit it,” said Blaise. “You want her.”
“I’d want to shag her sometime,” Draco replied with a sneer. “That’s as far as my want for the little weasel goes.”
“Really? So you wouldn’t mind if I took her out, say, tomorrow night?”
“You wouldn’t dare....”
“No, I wouldn’t. But someone else will. So hurry up and make up your mind about her, or it’ll be too late. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with Smith that I can’t miss. He’s after my job and he’s more than willing to tell my boss if I’m in any way shape or form late for it. I’ll Floo in later, yeah?”
“All right,” Draco agreed unenthusiastically.
He left Blaise’s office and wandered aimlessly around the Ministry for a while. As he was passing through the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he spotted a head of fiery red hair sticking out from the rest of the crowded hall. Draco suddenly had the fabulously ridiculous idea of consulting Ginny’s brother for advice.
“Hey...Hey Weasley! WEASLEY!”
Ron Weasley turned around abruptly. When he saw Draco waving at him his eyes narrowed. Draco indicated for him to come over to where he was standing, and Ron reluctantly did so.
“What do you want, Malfoy?” he asked shortly.
“You work here?” said Draco, trying his best to be polite in order to loosen Ron up for some serious conversation about how Draco could win Ron's sister back.
“Yes,” said Ron after a moment. He was still glaring pointedly at Draco.
“Really. What do you work with?”
Ron’s face turned slightly pink and he mumbled something indistinguishable.
“What’s that?”
“The Official Gobstones Club! I’m president of the Official Gobstones Club!” shouted Ron, causing several people walking by to look over at him.
“No need for the raising of the voice,” Draco said silkily, smirking at Ron’s odd career choice.
“That’s it. Go ahead and shag my only sister, what do I care-- this does not, however, entitle you to the pleasure of my company or the ridiculing of my job, which, by the way, is a highly sought after position!”
“I do not seek the pleasure of your company,” Draco said in a bored voice. “Nor did I say one word ridiculing your job.”
Ron mulled this over, thinking back on their conversation.
“So... so what do you want, then?” he asked suspiciously.
“I would like to know what I did to offend your sister and then possibly fix it.”
Ron’s eyes widened.
“What did you do to her?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea!” answered Malfoy. “I took her out for dinner and she got upset because I didn’t think of a completely new dinner-plan and left me during the middle of dinner!”
Ron’s face was blank for a few seconds, then his face split into a wide smile.
“You mucked it up with my sister,” he said joyously.
“No,” said Draco quickly.
“Yes, you did! Now you don’t get to shag her and I can finally get some sleep tonight!” Ron sounded giddy. “Oh, thank Merlin that you’re such a bumbling idiot around women.”
“I will have you know that I am perfectly well educated when it comes to women,” Draco interrupted indignantly. “I have shagged more women than... than all the socks you own put together.”
Ron stopped laughing and contemplated this.
“Are we talking single socks or pairs?” he asked.
“It doesn’t bloody matter, Weasley. The point is...” Draco sighed. “The point is, I would really like to get to know your sister and I’m afraid I might have missed that opportunity. Would you please just explain to me what I need to do to get on her good side again?”
Ron was silent for a few moments.
“When you say ‘get to know’ her,” he said finally. “Do you mean ‘get in her knickers’?”
“Do you really think that if I was going by sexuality here I would pick your sister?”
“Hey! My sister is a very attractive woman!” Ron said loudly. This earned him more stares from passersby.
“I’m not disagreeing with you,” said Malfoy calmly. “Come on, Weasley. I know you and I don’t always get along, but the war is over and I could make your sister happy. What do you say? I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” asked Ron, raising an eyebrow.
“Shut up. You know what I mean. You can bring Granger too, if that helps keep your homophobia at bay.”
“All right,” agreed Ron after a few seconds. “But I’m definitely bringing Hermione then. She knows more about all that feelings crap than I do anyway. And you are paying for both of our meals.”
“Right.”
“And I am not discussing anything other than my little sister.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and if I do this, and you two start dating again, you have to promise me you won’t shag her for at least six weeks.”
“Six weeks?!”
“Six weeks.”
“That’s an awful long time...”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Well... all right.”
“So we are agreed then? No hanky-panky until a month and a half have passed?”
Malfoy groaned.
“Fine. No hanky-panky.”
“Super. So, what’s for dinner?”
That Monday, at work, Draco could think of nothing but Ginny Weasley. He sat primly behind his desk and absentmindedly adjusted the curtains in the window using his wand. He could not, for the love of Merlin, understand what her problem was. He had taken her out for a nice dinner at a nice restaurant. So what if this was what he did for all of his first dates? It was not bloody cheap to eat there, couldn’t she just appreciate that, eat her food, and go home with him for a nice shag?
Deciding he could no longer sit in his office and obsess about Ginny, Malfoy let his secretary know he was leaving and apparated to the Ministry. He took the lift up to the sixth level and strode purposefully toward Blaise’s office in the Floo Network Authority Department. He did not even bother consulting Blaise’s secretary before banging the door to Blaise’s office open and grittily announcing, “She left in the middle of the date because I took her friend to the same restaurant.”
Blaise looked up from the paperwork he was doing.
“What in the world are you talking about?” he asked.
“Weasley,” answered Draco, taking a seat opposite Blaise at his desk. “Ginny bloody Weasley. I take her to the poshest restaurant in all of London and she leaves, telling me that Weasleys have standards and she won’t put up with going on the same first date as all my other women.”
“All your other women?” Blaise raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t phrase it like that.”
“No I did not! I was a perfect gentleman and I got her the best table in the entire restaurant- and all she can do is bitch about it and embarrass me in front of everyone there! Who the hell does she think she is? She can’t do that to me!”
Blaise smirked.
“Well, well, well. It looks like Draco Malfoy, breaker of hearts and taker of virginities, has met his match.”
“W-what? My match?” sputtered Draco. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I am not,” Blaise answered patiently.
“Ha! My match! As if,” sneered Draco. “A self-righteous little tart who talks about me behind my back to girls named Penelope who I might or might not have shagged in the past....”
“Wait, wait. You shagged her friend?”
“Might’ve.”
Blaise groaned quietly.
“Draco,” he said in a pained voice. “You are my best friend, but you are being really, really thick at the moment and basically a total arse.”
“An arse?” Draco repeated indignantly. “I am not!”
“Admit it,” said Blaise. “You want her.”
“I’d want to shag her sometime,” Draco replied with a sneer. “That’s as far as my want for the little weasel goes.”
“Really? So you wouldn’t mind if I took her out, say, tomorrow night?”
“You wouldn’t dare....”
“No, I wouldn’t. But someone else will. So hurry up and make up your mind about her, or it’ll be too late. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with Smith that I can’t miss. He’s after my job and he’s more than willing to tell my boss if I’m in any way shape or form late for it. I’ll Floo in later, yeah?”
“All right,” Draco agreed unenthusiastically.
He left Blaise’s office and wandered aimlessly around the Ministry for a while. As he was passing through the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he spotted a head of fiery red hair sticking out from the rest of the crowded hall. Draco suddenly had the fabulously ridiculous idea of consulting Ginny’s brother for advice.
“Hey...Hey Weasley! WEASLEY!”
Ron Weasley turned around abruptly. When he saw Draco waving at him his eyes narrowed. Draco indicated for him to come over to where he was standing, and Ron reluctantly did so.
“What do you want, Malfoy?” he asked shortly.
“You work here?” said Draco, trying his best to be polite in order to loosen Ron up for some serious conversation about how Draco could win Ron's sister back.
“Yes,” said Ron after a moment. He was still glaring pointedly at Draco.
“Really. What do you work with?”
Ron’s face turned slightly pink and he mumbled something indistinguishable.
“What’s that?”
“The Official Gobstones Club! I’m president of the Official Gobstones Club!” shouted Ron, causing several people walking by to look over at him.
“No need for the raising of the voice,” Draco said silkily, smirking at Ron’s odd career choice.
“That’s it. Go ahead and shag my only sister, what do I care-- this does not, however, entitle you to the pleasure of my company or the ridiculing of my job, which, by the way, is a highly sought after position!”
“I do not seek the pleasure of your company,” Draco said in a bored voice. “Nor did I say one word ridiculing your job.”
Ron mulled this over, thinking back on their conversation.
“So... so what do you want, then?” he asked suspiciously.
“I would like to know what I did to offend your sister and then possibly fix it.”
Ron’s eyes widened.
“What did you do to her?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea!” answered Malfoy. “I took her out for dinner and she got upset because I didn’t think of a completely new dinner-plan and left me during the middle of dinner!”
Ron’s face was blank for a few seconds, then his face split into a wide smile.
“You mucked it up with my sister,” he said joyously.
“No,” said Draco quickly.
“Yes, you did! Now you don’t get to shag her and I can finally get some sleep tonight!” Ron sounded giddy. “Oh, thank Merlin that you’re such a bumbling idiot around women.”
“I will have you know that I am perfectly well educated when it comes to women,” Draco interrupted indignantly. “I have shagged more women than... than all the socks you own put together.”
Ron stopped laughing and contemplated this.
“Are we talking single socks or pairs?” he asked.
“It doesn’t bloody matter, Weasley. The point is...” Draco sighed. “The point is, I would really like to get to know your sister and I’m afraid I might have missed that opportunity. Would you please just explain to me what I need to do to get on her good side again?”
Ron was silent for a few moments.
“When you say ‘get to know’ her,” he said finally. “Do you mean ‘get in her knickers’?”
“Do you really think that if I was going by sexuality here I would pick your sister?”
“Hey! My sister is a very attractive woman!” Ron said loudly. This earned him more stares from passersby.
“I’m not disagreeing with you,” said Malfoy calmly. “Come on, Weasley. I know you and I don’t always get along, but the war is over and I could make your sister happy. What do you say? I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” asked Ron, raising an eyebrow.
“Shut up. You know what I mean. You can bring Granger too, if that helps keep your homophobia at bay.”
“All right,” agreed Ron after a few seconds. “But I’m definitely bringing Hermione then. She knows more about all that feelings crap than I do anyway. And you are paying for both of our meals.”
“Right.”
“And I am not discussing anything other than my little sister.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and if I do this, and you two start dating again, you have to promise me you won’t shag her for at least six weeks.”
“Six weeks?!”
“Six weeks.”
“That’s an awful long time...”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Well... all right.”
“So we are agreed then? No hanky-panky until a month and a half have passed?”
Malfoy groaned.
“Fine. No hanky-panky.”
“Super. So, what’s for dinner?”
Author notes: I'll get Chapter Four up as soon as possible =D
Leave a Review