Edwina watched as her boss walked up to her desk, looking particularly thoughtful.
He paused, idly running his fingers along the edge of the desk, apparently unsure of what to say. That in itself indicated that there was a problem. She placed her quill down to give him her full attention.
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy?”
“I wasn't aware that there was a banquet on the evening of the Quidditch match.”
She'd actually mentioned it to him, at least twice, but he'd obviously been too distracted to fully acknowledge the reminder.
“I'm sorry, Mr Malfoy. The invitation arrived some time ago, I should have brought it up sooner.”
He shook his head, “I know 'Dwina. It's not important. I likely wasn't planning to attend, anyway.”
“But you are now?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I've been considering it,” he said, idly tracing a pattern on the wood surface of her desktop.
Edwina kept silent, waiting for him to prompt for her input.
“May I ask your opinion on something?” he asked, somewhat shyly. Apparently, his request was of a personal nature. Internally, she felt somewhat pleased that he might consider her opinion of value.
“Of course, Mr Malfoy.”
He took a breath, holding it for a long second before he spoke. Obviously, it was a difficult question. “Would you think it unprofessional if I asked Miss Weasley to accompany me?”
Edwina gave him a gentle smile. Obviously, he was aware that he enjoyed the company of the young witch. “I don't think it's unprofessional, Mr Malfoy.” Another person might have expanded the response, saying that the contract would be over by that time, or something like that, but Edwina's view of the matter was that usually the less said, the better.
He nodded, still looking thoughtful. “Thank you, 'Dwina.”
She allowed herself a small, satisfied smile and returned to her work.
X - X - X -
Despite the fact that he'd gone into this entire diet drama rather reluctantly, Draco found that his attitude toward his daily workouts had changed over the past three months. Granted, he still hated some parts of his exercise routine, and, most certainly, he still missed his morning muffin, but nevertheless, he found that he was regretting the fact that his contract with Weasley was going to end soon. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
After spending a day or so of careful contemplation after speaking with Edwina, Draco came to a decision. It happened rather abruptly one morning as he flew around the pitch in his daily contest with the little Weasley. As they raced around in pursuit of the little golden Snitch, he came to the conclusion that he'd become quite addicted to the perfect view of the girl's very lovely bum when he followed behind her. In fact, he very soundly decided that he liked it even better than chocolate cake, which was saying quite a lot.
Without a doubt, he was going to ask her to accompany him to the post-match banquet.
Unfortunately, things did no go exactly as planned and Draco really, really didn't like it.
It all started when he went to the Auror office that same afternoon to finish some ridiculous paperwork from the recent episode with Covington. Things were just fine and dandy until he overheard his Weasley in the next office, talking to her brother, the imbecile, about the upcoming match.
“I know you don't want to go, Ron, but as lead chaser for the Ministry team, I'm officially inviting you. I've already picked out my dress.”
“Well, I hope this one has more material than the one you wore at the Christmas party. I don't want to spend the whole night pulling every random bloke off you.”
She laughed, and Draco rather enjoyed the sound. Yes, asking her was totally the right thing to do. He would do so immediately after she finished this conversation.
“Harry and I will be heading over to my place to change after the match, then we'll meet you there?”
The brother mumbled something in response, but Draco was too annoyed to bother to listen.
X – X - X
Edwina looked up when her employer returned from his appointment, noticing that he appeared to be quite grumpy as he marched past her desk. She had little doubt about the source of his mood and came to the conclusion that his interaction with Miss Weasley did not go as expected, which surprised her greatly. From Edwina's observation, the young woman had become quite enamored with young Mr Malfoy.
Concerned, she immediately began working on a contingency plan. By the time her boss had marched out of his office, still in a foul mood, she had received word back from one of her contacts. She sat quietly and waited for the tantrum to pass as he paced in front of her desk, sputtering incoherently.
Her objective was to time her words at the point he was calm enough to listen, but just before he would begin to tell her that he'd failed in his endeavor and would not be attending the banquet.
She watched him calm down and, just as he opened his mouth, she spoke. “I have word from Mr Goyle. He wanted to schedule lunch with you tomorrow to discuss plans for Saturday, and I've set up an appointment at three with the tailor for your formal attire.” She paused for a moment, gaging his reaction. Seeing that he was thinking of speaking again, she continued as if the information she was spewing was exactly what he expected from her. “Oh, and I've already received word from the Hogwarts Improvement Charity, thanking you for your generous donation as well as your time. They'll be recognizing you at the banquet. The publicity department has already issued a press release and I have them working on your acceptance speech.”
With the last statement, she handed him the parchment containing the draft press release for his review.
He closed his mouth before any words could emerge, stared at her dumbly for a long moment, then simply said, “Alright, then,” and turned to go back into his office.
Disaster averted, Edwina returned to her usual duties.
X - X - X
Arriving at the banquet with his teammates, Draco felt surprisingly content. He'd won. He'd beaten Potter soundly, and it felt good. Not that it truly mattered in the grand scheme of the universe, but it the world of Draco Malfoy, it had been a memorable moment. Now, in the company of his teammates, a small celebration was in order.
He recounted the match several times to various business acquaintances, enjoyed catching up with several old friends, and even got several warm smiles and glances from his Weasely, who, to her brother's extreme dissatisfaction, was wearing a rather enticingly flattering dress.
So what if she was there with Potter. She'd flown like a bat out of hell during the match, scoring so many points that the Ministry team had nearly won without the Snitch. In the end, however, he'd ended the game and he'd heard her cheering for him, even though his catch had caused her team to lose. It was a memorable moment.
As the evening wore on, he found that he'd become rather popular. His stellar performance seemed to encourage every person in the room to step up to chat with him.
Finally breaking away, he settled himself on one of the balconies and breathed in the fresh air. Having had so little of socializing for so long, the moment of solitude was welcome from the crowd inside. He looked out over the city, sadly realizing that he would no longer have reason to train as regularly as he did. He would miss having the little witch beat him to a pulp on a daily basis.
“Having a good time, Malfoy?” a soft, welcome voice asked him.
He turned, to see her standing next to him, her back leaning back against the railing. He wasn't accustomed to seeing her dressed for a formal event, and he had to admit that she was quite lovely.
“Almost too much, I should think. I'm not used to so much attention.”
She grinned, giving a light laugh at his remark. “Yes, I noticed. Gwendolyn Turner seems to be quite taken with you.”
It was true. Oddly enough, the supermodel had approached him no less than three times, and yet he was completely not interested.
“Jealous, Weasley?”
Uncharacteristically, she turned away and he thought he caught a hint of a blush even in the dim light. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. It gave him a reason to suspect that he might be correct.
He smiled inwardly, and attempted to feign disinterest, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve. “Well, Goyle said she was a bit shallow...”
She laughed, and he found himself smiling in return, but it soon turned sad. He felt resigned as he realized that he was going to miss the little fireball of a witch.
“Well, I don't want to keep you from your date...” he said, turning back to look out over the city.
“I don't have a date,” she replied, sounding confused.
He turned back, a bit too quickly, to face her. He caught himself, forcing his expression to not appear too hopeful. “You don't?”
“Well, no. What would make you think I did?”
He had the good grace to look abashed. “I was at the Auror's office and overheard that you were coming here with Potter.”
She laughed again. “Good heavens, no!” The smile sparkled in her eyes. She looked at him with mild disbelief, as if it seemed amusing to consider the idea that Potter might be her date. “I mean, I arrived with him, but only because there were several of us from the team who decided to come here together.”
He said nothing, although he felt a smile tugging at his lips again. “I find it difficult to believe that some lucky bloke didn't attempt to ask you.” He stopped himself short of saying more.
She turned her head, the sparkle in her eyes brightening again. The girl was flirting with him and he very much liked it. “Well, I didn't say I wasn't asked, just that I wasn't here with anyone.”
He swallowed, and the memory of her being curled up against him for a nap suddenly snapped unbidden in to his mind. He felt as if the temperature on the balcony had just risen several degrees. She certainly was flirting with him, and it was clearly up to him to make the next move. It wasn't something he was accustomed to.
“Draco, are you all right?” she asked.
No, he most certainly was not. He found himself loosening his tie, because it suddenly felt just a bit too snug. He was actually nervous. And Malfoys were not supposed to be nervous or, at the very least, they weren't supposed to show the fact that they were nervous.
She terrified him. And, no, it was not because he was afraid of women. He dealt with them regulary in business quite calmly and capably. But the fact of the matter was that he truly did have very little experience with relationships.
And if he didn't do anything tonight, he'd have little reason to see her again tomorrow. Their working relationship was over for the time-being. The only reason she'd need to see him again was if he continued to hire her and, quite truthfully, he didn't want things to continue that way.
“Weasley, I...”
Oh, just great. Nervous and at a loss for words. He was just in prime form tonight.
She stepped closer. Blasted pushy bint.
“You can call me Ginny, you know.”
Gulp. “Ginny...” he replied, though his voice sounded amazingly strained.
She looked up at him hopefully, that accursed smile still playing at her lips. She was being so brazenly bold, but that smile gave a hint of sweetness and innocence that just about made him melt.
“I wanted to apologize if I behaved inappropriately this past week,” he said. No! That is NOT what he wanted to say.
Her smile faltered. “That's quite all right, Draco. I understand,” she said, looking apologetically at him. She slowly turned away, as if to return to the party.
Every fiber in his body screamed in protest. She was walking away and if he allowed that to happen, he knew he'd never summon the courage to approach her again. He reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her retreat.
“Don't go. That didn't quite come out right.”
She looked down at his hand, then back up to him, confusion clouding her usually bright eyes.
“Ginevra, I...”
She said nothing, but continued to look at him expectantly.
“Oh, damn,” he finally said, and tugged on her hand to pull her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. He barely registered the look of surprise on her face before he closed his eyes and kissed her.
A little gasp came out of her mouth and he dearly hoped she wasn't going to hex him into next week after they parted. But it was his one chance, and he refused to let it get away from him. He'd been hiding in his office for four years, and this little witch had been the one to draw him out, making him want to rejoin the world again.
After a moment of surprise, she returned his kiss, rather enthusiastically, actually. He quite forgot that they were at a public gathering and anyone could likely see them if they looked outside the open doors. But that didn't really matter. He was quite enjoying himself.
When she finally pulled away, her smile had returned, with that hint of sweetness that he found so very endearing.
“It took you long enough,” she said, with just the tiniest spark of mischief glimmering in her eyes.
“Long enough? Excuse me? We've only been standing here for a few minutes.”
She laughed. A part of him was hideously offended.
“No, silly, you've been looking at my arse for weeks now.”
He blanched. If anything, he'd been desperately trying to be a proper employer, since Edwina and his mother would certainly have words to say if he stepped out of line in the least. He had been spending weeks worrying about offending the witch, because, in truth, he truly had been staring at her arse on every available occasion.
Then, the thought crossed his mind that it was entirely possible that she'd been wearing those tight jumpsuits quite intentionally.
He had a momentary inkling that, perhaps, he should be annoyed at the idea of having been manipulated, but he pushed the idea aside. With business, his entire day was spent on guard, working to obtain an advantage. With women, it was a completely different matter. He didn't fully understand them. Actually, they completely confused him, and he really didn't have the time to figure it all out. Besides, if she had been attempting to catch his attention with her attire, he decided that he really didn't mind. It was rather flattering.
For the moment, propriety called. The Minister of Magic was stepping up to make the awards presentation, and a rather persistent tinkling bell was going off to call the attendees to the main hall.
“Well, perhaps we should rejoin the party,” he suggested. “If you'd like, perhaps we can continue this conversation later?”
She smiled flirtatiously, which he took to be a good sign.
X – X - X
After they wandered back in, and the presentation came to its merciful conclusion, he noticed that Ginny was cornered by two of her teammates, who seemed determined to recount the match they'd just finished in nauseating detail.
He'd barely had a chance to begin plotting their abysmal demise when he was cornered by none other than Gwendolyn Turner, the rather buxom blonde who'd caught his attention only six months prior.
She eyed him from head to toe, and he suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Umm...”
She moved closer.
“Umm...” he said again.
“You played brilliantly today,” she said, flashing her most flirtatious smile.
“Thank you,” he replied carefully, taking a sip of his drink and glancing over at Greg Goyle, the witch's former boyfriend, hoping that the man might feel jealous enough to come over and interrupt them. Unfortunately, he was in the far corner of the room with his friends, apparently taking no notice of them. He cursed inwardly, realizing that his friend was not going to be of much help in the matter.
The witch was quite gorgeous, one of the most sought-after models in the Wizarding world, and she was apparently attempting to use her assets to her advantage as she sidled up a bit closer to him. “I'm surprised we haven't met sooner.”
He choked down a sip of his drink, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the woman's nearness, although he'd certainly hoped for and would have eagerly welcomed it six months prior. “I believe we did meet,” he said. “Last March, if I recall correctly.”
Gwendolyn's pretty features scrunched into a pout. “Oh, that was about the time I started seeing Gregory.”
“Yes, well, I wouldn't want to keep you from him,” Draco replied, motioning in the direction of his soon-to-be-former friend, who was currently being no help to him at all.
“Oh, we aren't together any more. He was fun but, well, we just aren't suited for each other,” she said, her flirtatious smile returning.
He looked around the room, attempting to locate his petite redhead in the sea of colorfully dressed revelers, hoping that he might find a way to draw her attention. She was no longer in sight, and he suddenly realized that he hadn't felt quite so desperate since the last time the little redhead took his dessert away from him. He glanced toward the dessert table, hoping to retreat.
“Well, I was just about to try some of those sweets...” he said, looking over longingly at the treats on the table. He didn't really have a craving, but it was the perfect excuse to leave gracefully. As a prominent businessman in the community, his position demanded that he remain tactful and courteous while trying to escape from his new admirer.
Unfortunately, her gaze turned mildly predatory. He began to feel a bit too warm. And cornered. He took a step back.
She took a step forward.
He felt like a rabbit in the jaws of a wolfhound and about to be devoured.
Backing into the table, he reached behind, grabbed the nearest item and was just about to shove it into his mouth, if only in a last ditch effort to get something between himself and the predatory witch, when the little peach tart was plucked from his grasp.
“Malfoy! I thought we'd discussed over-indulging at parties!”
Oh, good God, he thought, cringing. Had he been imagining the lovely woman and their interaction on the balcony? It was only one little tart, for goodness sake, and it was being used in self-defense, after all!
He looked down, expecting the worst, and noticed that Ginny was grinning at him impishly. He narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. She seemed just a bit too determined and he wondered if she'd seen his predicament and had come over to save him. At that moment, she turned away to address his buxom blond stalker. “Gwendolyn!”
Gwendolyn forced a polite smile at the shorter woman, obviously annoyed at the interruption. “Oh, how nice to see you, Ginny. I've been meaning to have my agent owl you about rearranging our schedule.” The model's tone of voice was quite dismissive, and the mention of Ginny's job was intentional, placing Ginny as an employee, therefore not quite an equal to their company.
Ignoring the snub, Ginny smiled pleasantly at the witch, smoothly ignoring the intention behind the remark. “Yes, I got your message about moving your session to Tuesday this week, but actually, I was here to talk to Draco.”
The model nodded, her fake smile still plastered to her lips, turning to Draco. “She's such a dedicated thing, isn't she?” Looking back to Ginny, she sided closer to the blond man, looking just a tad possessive. “I'm sure there's no rush to discuss your business, Ginny, this is a party after all. If you are worried about him not following one of your meal plans, there's no need to bother yourself. I'll look out for him for you.”
Draco glanced back at the desserts, feeling just a bit desperate, although he tried his darnedest to appear cool and business-like. He stole a glance at Ginny, catching the slightest glimmer of amusement in her eyes. She was mocking his pain. The little bint.
But the small Weasley didn't spare him a direct glance. Instead, she turned to Gwendolyn, dropping her voice, as if telling an important secret. “Of course, but, I just thought you should know that Madison Skybert is talking to the Chief Editor of FashionWitch about next month's cover.
Gwendolyn's eyes widened and she nodded seriously. Apparently, Madison was competition, because she thanked Ginny, turned back to Draco and said, “Sorry, I have to go talk to someone. Business, you know.” She smiled again, and ran a finger down his arm. “Maybe we could get together later?”
She turned and darted in the direction of her competition without even waiting for his reply, likely assuming that he would agree. Draco gave a sigh of relief as the tall blond disappeared into the crowd.
“Thank you for that.”
“It wasn't me, I was talking to your friend Greg and he noticed that you seemed a bit uncomfortable. He would have come over himself but, apparently, he and Gwen didn't split up on entirely amicable terms, so he asked me to do it.”
“Talking with Goyle?” he said, looking over at his friend, who happened to be looking their way. The large man raised his drink and smiled in greeting before turning back to his conversation with his friends. Draco felt an uncomfortable tightening in his chest at the thought of Weasley talking to the large, handsome bloke. Goyle, after all, had managed to have no problem attracting witches as beautiful as Gwendolyn Turner. The thought of him turning his interest on Weasley...well, he preferred not to think about that.
The little redhead smiled, oblivious to his momentary bout of jealousy. “Yes, he and I were team mates for a few months while I was playing professionally,” she said casually, as if it was no matter at all. “He was introducing me to his latest girlfriend.” She laughed. “I think he's finally found a nice one.”
He immediately looked over again, locating the large figure of Goyle and, after closer scrutiny, located a short, almost plump, little brunette tucked by his side. Her pleasant smile matched that of his not-quite-former friend. The pair were waving at him. He gave a weak smile in response, attempting not to appear guilty for his recent unkind thoughts about the man.
Turning back to Ginny, he noticed she was smiling at him affectionately, as if she was well-aware of his traitorous thoughts but found him amusing regardless. How women did that, he'd never know.
“Well, thank you anyway,” he mumbled.
“You're welcome.”
She paused, turning her head and giving him a look from the corner of her eye, almost suspiciously. “I seem to remember that you were rather interested in dating Gwen a few months ago.”
He raised an eyebrow. He distinctly recalled that he had never made mention of his disastrous attempt to date the model. After all, it was hardly one of the highlights of his life. He doubted Edwina would have mentioned anything, and he was quite sure she'd been the only person to see him rant about it.
“What gave you that impression?” he asked, hoping to keep his tone neutral.
Surprisingly, she blushed and looked down. Normally, she was quite confident, and the reaction surprised him.
“Well, she is one of my clients after all.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Really? And she mentioned me to you?”
“Oh no,” she said, then looked up at him worriedly, and bit her lip. It was rather cute. “I mean, I do work with her, yes. That was why I happened to catch you talking with her at the Spring banquet.”
He looked at her questioningly. It was one of those occasions when the small witch was not in total control and he rather liked it when the tables were turned in his favor. In fact, not that he was the most astute individual, but he could clearly see that there was more to this story than she was letting on. He decided that he very much wanted to know more.
“And you were approaching her to say something and overheard the conversation?”
She looked more uncomfortable. He liked that. “Not exactly.”
He stepped forward, invading her personal space. “Spill, Weasley.”
She looked up at him, her big hazel eyes begging him not to press the matter. But, he was enjoying himself very much, thank you.
“I was coming over to talk to you.”
He gave a deep sigh. “Because you were looking to give me your card so you could gain more business, I suppose,” he said dejectedly. Yes, he knew that he was out of shape at that time. He really rather wanted to forget that episode in his life.
“Oh, no!” she said emphatically. Her eyes widened further and she blushed.
The action once again piqued his curiosity. He continued to look down at her expectantly. When she only continued to look at him helplessly, he went all out and raised an eyebrow, an action that finally prodded her to speak.
“Because,” she said quietly. “I thought you were rather attractive and I wanted to get to know you better.”
He resisted the urge to rub at his ear, which would be a rather unattractive thing to do, although the urge was quite strong because he was quite certain he did not hear that clearly. He decided to prompt for clarification.
“You found me... attractive?”
She blushed, which was more adorable than watching her bite her lip. “Well, you were so shy and so unlike what I remembered. I thought it was, well, cute.”
His jaw dropped in disbelief. Gone was the feeling of control he'd just felt by prodding her for the information. After a second, he realized how idiotic he must look with such an expression and forced himself to close his mouth. It wasn't easy.
She nodded, giving him a smile that warmed his heart. She stepped closer to him, tugging on his shirt. He felt a compulsive urge to smile back.
“That's why I persuaded you to hire me on,” she responded. “I wanted to get to know you better.”
“I thought you wanted to make me miserable.”
“Well, there's something to be said for having a bit of fun along the way,” she said with a grin.
She was a devil wrapped up in a tiny, little package, pushing him to be more than he thought he could be, and he suddenly decided that he loved her for it. Well, not in the passionate lover type of way, at least, not yet, but the potential was there. She saw more to him than just his outer facade, and he rather appreciated that.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close, delighting in the impish grin that came to her lips at his action.
Suddenly a burst of confidence sparked within him.
“You realize that you won't always get to have your way with me,” he said, pulling another tart from the dessert table with his free hand and promptly taking a bite before she could stop him.
“Draco!”
“Compromises will be made, Ginevra,” he said seriously, lifting the item to her lips so she could take a bite also. Surprisingly, she did.
“In moderation,” she responded warningly, after she swallowed the treat, trying to discretely wipe a few errant crumbs from her lips.
“So be it,” he agreed, a triumphant smirk coming to his face. “Although, knowing that you were attracted to me before I trimmed down leaves me tempted to eat half that table just to keep Ms Turner away.”
Her eyes flashed in alarm, and she sucked in a breath, obviously ready to respond in her usual, energetic way, but he stopped her by covering her mouth with his, crumbs and all.
He paused, idly running his fingers along the edge of the desk, apparently unsure of what to say. That in itself indicated that there was a problem. She placed her quill down to give him her full attention.
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy?”
“I wasn't aware that there was a banquet on the evening of the Quidditch match.”
She'd actually mentioned it to him, at least twice, but he'd obviously been too distracted to fully acknowledge the reminder.
“I'm sorry, Mr Malfoy. The invitation arrived some time ago, I should have brought it up sooner.”
He shook his head, “I know 'Dwina. It's not important. I likely wasn't planning to attend, anyway.”
“But you are now?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I've been considering it,” he said, idly tracing a pattern on the wood surface of her desktop.
Edwina kept silent, waiting for him to prompt for her input.
“May I ask your opinion on something?” he asked, somewhat shyly. Apparently, his request was of a personal nature. Internally, she felt somewhat pleased that he might consider her opinion of value.
“Of course, Mr Malfoy.”
He took a breath, holding it for a long second before he spoke. Obviously, it was a difficult question. “Would you think it unprofessional if I asked Miss Weasley to accompany me?”
Edwina gave him a gentle smile. Obviously, he was aware that he enjoyed the company of the young witch. “I don't think it's unprofessional, Mr Malfoy.” Another person might have expanded the response, saying that the contract would be over by that time, or something like that, but Edwina's view of the matter was that usually the less said, the better.
He nodded, still looking thoughtful. “Thank you, 'Dwina.”
She allowed herself a small, satisfied smile and returned to her work.
X - X - X -
Despite the fact that he'd gone into this entire diet drama rather reluctantly, Draco found that his attitude toward his daily workouts had changed over the past three months. Granted, he still hated some parts of his exercise routine, and, most certainly, he still missed his morning muffin, but nevertheless, he found that he was regretting the fact that his contract with Weasley was going to end soon. It was time to take matters into his own hands.
After spending a day or so of careful contemplation after speaking with Edwina, Draco came to a decision. It happened rather abruptly one morning as he flew around the pitch in his daily contest with the little Weasley. As they raced around in pursuit of the little golden Snitch, he came to the conclusion that he'd become quite addicted to the perfect view of the girl's very lovely bum when he followed behind her. In fact, he very soundly decided that he liked it even better than chocolate cake, which was saying quite a lot.
Without a doubt, he was going to ask her to accompany him to the post-match banquet.
Unfortunately, things did no go exactly as planned and Draco really, really didn't like it.
It all started when he went to the Auror office that same afternoon to finish some ridiculous paperwork from the recent episode with Covington. Things were just fine and dandy until he overheard his Weasley in the next office, talking to her brother, the imbecile, about the upcoming match.
“I know you don't want to go, Ron, but as lead chaser for the Ministry team, I'm officially inviting you. I've already picked out my dress.”
“Well, I hope this one has more material than the one you wore at the Christmas party. I don't want to spend the whole night pulling every random bloke off you.”
She laughed, and Draco rather enjoyed the sound. Yes, asking her was totally the right thing to do. He would do so immediately after she finished this conversation.
“Harry and I will be heading over to my place to change after the match, then we'll meet you there?”
The brother mumbled something in response, but Draco was too annoyed to bother to listen.
X – X - X
Edwina looked up when her employer returned from his appointment, noticing that he appeared to be quite grumpy as he marched past her desk. She had little doubt about the source of his mood and came to the conclusion that his interaction with Miss Weasley did not go as expected, which surprised her greatly. From Edwina's observation, the young woman had become quite enamored with young Mr Malfoy.
Concerned, she immediately began working on a contingency plan. By the time her boss had marched out of his office, still in a foul mood, she had received word back from one of her contacts. She sat quietly and waited for the tantrum to pass as he paced in front of her desk, sputtering incoherently.
Her objective was to time her words at the point he was calm enough to listen, but just before he would begin to tell her that he'd failed in his endeavor and would not be attending the banquet.
She watched him calm down and, just as he opened his mouth, she spoke. “I have word from Mr Goyle. He wanted to schedule lunch with you tomorrow to discuss plans for Saturday, and I've set up an appointment at three with the tailor for your formal attire.” She paused for a moment, gaging his reaction. Seeing that he was thinking of speaking again, she continued as if the information she was spewing was exactly what he expected from her. “Oh, and I've already received word from the Hogwarts Improvement Charity, thanking you for your generous donation as well as your time. They'll be recognizing you at the banquet. The publicity department has already issued a press release and I have them working on your acceptance speech.”
With the last statement, she handed him the parchment containing the draft press release for his review.
He closed his mouth before any words could emerge, stared at her dumbly for a long moment, then simply said, “Alright, then,” and turned to go back into his office.
Disaster averted, Edwina returned to her usual duties.
X - X - X
Arriving at the banquet with his teammates, Draco felt surprisingly content. He'd won. He'd beaten Potter soundly, and it felt good. Not that it truly mattered in the grand scheme of the universe, but it the world of Draco Malfoy, it had been a memorable moment. Now, in the company of his teammates, a small celebration was in order.
He recounted the match several times to various business acquaintances, enjoyed catching up with several old friends, and even got several warm smiles and glances from his Weasely, who, to her brother's extreme dissatisfaction, was wearing a rather enticingly flattering dress.
So what if she was there with Potter. She'd flown like a bat out of hell during the match, scoring so many points that the Ministry team had nearly won without the Snitch. In the end, however, he'd ended the game and he'd heard her cheering for him, even though his catch had caused her team to lose. It was a memorable moment.
As the evening wore on, he found that he'd become rather popular. His stellar performance seemed to encourage every person in the room to step up to chat with him.
Finally breaking away, he settled himself on one of the balconies and breathed in the fresh air. Having had so little of socializing for so long, the moment of solitude was welcome from the crowd inside. He looked out over the city, sadly realizing that he would no longer have reason to train as regularly as he did. He would miss having the little witch beat him to a pulp on a daily basis.
“Having a good time, Malfoy?” a soft, welcome voice asked him.
He turned, to see her standing next to him, her back leaning back against the railing. He wasn't accustomed to seeing her dressed for a formal event, and he had to admit that she was quite lovely.
“Almost too much, I should think. I'm not used to so much attention.”
She grinned, giving a light laugh at his remark. “Yes, I noticed. Gwendolyn Turner seems to be quite taken with you.”
It was true. Oddly enough, the supermodel had approached him no less than three times, and yet he was completely not interested.
“Jealous, Weasley?”
Uncharacteristically, she turned away and he thought he caught a hint of a blush even in the dim light. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. It gave him a reason to suspect that he might be correct.
He smiled inwardly, and attempted to feign disinterest, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve. “Well, Goyle said she was a bit shallow...”
She laughed, and he found himself smiling in return, but it soon turned sad. He felt resigned as he realized that he was going to miss the little fireball of a witch.
“Well, I don't want to keep you from your date...” he said, turning back to look out over the city.
“I don't have a date,” she replied, sounding confused.
He turned back, a bit too quickly, to face her. He caught himself, forcing his expression to not appear too hopeful. “You don't?”
“Well, no. What would make you think I did?”
He had the good grace to look abashed. “I was at the Auror's office and overheard that you were coming here with Potter.”
She laughed again. “Good heavens, no!” The smile sparkled in her eyes. She looked at him with mild disbelief, as if it seemed amusing to consider the idea that Potter might be her date. “I mean, I arrived with him, but only because there were several of us from the team who decided to come here together.”
He said nothing, although he felt a smile tugging at his lips again. “I find it difficult to believe that some lucky bloke didn't attempt to ask you.” He stopped himself short of saying more.
She turned her head, the sparkle in her eyes brightening again. The girl was flirting with him and he very much liked it. “Well, I didn't say I wasn't asked, just that I wasn't here with anyone.”
He swallowed, and the memory of her being curled up against him for a nap suddenly snapped unbidden in to his mind. He felt as if the temperature on the balcony had just risen several degrees. She certainly was flirting with him, and it was clearly up to him to make the next move. It wasn't something he was accustomed to.
“Draco, are you all right?” she asked.
No, he most certainly was not. He found himself loosening his tie, because it suddenly felt just a bit too snug. He was actually nervous. And Malfoys were not supposed to be nervous or, at the very least, they weren't supposed to show the fact that they were nervous.
She terrified him. And, no, it was not because he was afraid of women. He dealt with them regulary in business quite calmly and capably. But the fact of the matter was that he truly did have very little experience with relationships.
And if he didn't do anything tonight, he'd have little reason to see her again tomorrow. Their working relationship was over for the time-being. The only reason she'd need to see him again was if he continued to hire her and, quite truthfully, he didn't want things to continue that way.
“Weasley, I...”
Oh, just great. Nervous and at a loss for words. He was just in prime form tonight.
She stepped closer. Blasted pushy bint.
“You can call me Ginny, you know.”
Gulp. “Ginny...” he replied, though his voice sounded amazingly strained.
She looked up at him hopefully, that accursed smile still playing at her lips. She was being so brazenly bold, but that smile gave a hint of sweetness and innocence that just about made him melt.
“I wanted to apologize if I behaved inappropriately this past week,” he said. No! That is NOT what he wanted to say.
Her smile faltered. “That's quite all right, Draco. I understand,” she said, looking apologetically at him. She slowly turned away, as if to return to the party.
Every fiber in his body screamed in protest. She was walking away and if he allowed that to happen, he knew he'd never summon the courage to approach her again. He reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her retreat.
“Don't go. That didn't quite come out right.”
She looked down at his hand, then back up to him, confusion clouding her usually bright eyes.
“Ginevra, I...”
She said nothing, but continued to look at him expectantly.
“Oh, damn,” he finally said, and tugged on her hand to pull her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. He barely registered the look of surprise on her face before he closed his eyes and kissed her.
A little gasp came out of her mouth and he dearly hoped she wasn't going to hex him into next week after they parted. But it was his one chance, and he refused to let it get away from him. He'd been hiding in his office for four years, and this little witch had been the one to draw him out, making him want to rejoin the world again.
After a moment of surprise, she returned his kiss, rather enthusiastically, actually. He quite forgot that they were at a public gathering and anyone could likely see them if they looked outside the open doors. But that didn't really matter. He was quite enjoying himself.
When she finally pulled away, her smile had returned, with that hint of sweetness that he found so very endearing.
“It took you long enough,” she said, with just the tiniest spark of mischief glimmering in her eyes.
“Long enough? Excuse me? We've only been standing here for a few minutes.”
She laughed. A part of him was hideously offended.
“No, silly, you've been looking at my arse for weeks now.”
He blanched. If anything, he'd been desperately trying to be a proper employer, since Edwina and his mother would certainly have words to say if he stepped out of line in the least. He had been spending weeks worrying about offending the witch, because, in truth, he truly had been staring at her arse on every available occasion.
Then, the thought crossed his mind that it was entirely possible that she'd been wearing those tight jumpsuits quite intentionally.
He had a momentary inkling that, perhaps, he should be annoyed at the idea of having been manipulated, but he pushed the idea aside. With business, his entire day was spent on guard, working to obtain an advantage. With women, it was a completely different matter. He didn't fully understand them. Actually, they completely confused him, and he really didn't have the time to figure it all out. Besides, if she had been attempting to catch his attention with her attire, he decided that he really didn't mind. It was rather flattering.
For the moment, propriety called. The Minister of Magic was stepping up to make the awards presentation, and a rather persistent tinkling bell was going off to call the attendees to the main hall.
“Well, perhaps we should rejoin the party,” he suggested. “If you'd like, perhaps we can continue this conversation later?”
She smiled flirtatiously, which he took to be a good sign.
X – X - X
After they wandered back in, and the presentation came to its merciful conclusion, he noticed that Ginny was cornered by two of her teammates, who seemed determined to recount the match they'd just finished in nauseating detail.
He'd barely had a chance to begin plotting their abysmal demise when he was cornered by none other than Gwendolyn Turner, the rather buxom blonde who'd caught his attention only six months prior.
She eyed him from head to toe, and he suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Umm...”
She moved closer.
“Umm...” he said again.
“You played brilliantly today,” she said, flashing her most flirtatious smile.
“Thank you,” he replied carefully, taking a sip of his drink and glancing over at Greg Goyle, the witch's former boyfriend, hoping that the man might feel jealous enough to come over and interrupt them. Unfortunately, he was in the far corner of the room with his friends, apparently taking no notice of them. He cursed inwardly, realizing that his friend was not going to be of much help in the matter.
The witch was quite gorgeous, one of the most sought-after models in the Wizarding world, and she was apparently attempting to use her assets to her advantage as she sidled up a bit closer to him. “I'm surprised we haven't met sooner.”
He choked down a sip of his drink, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the woman's nearness, although he'd certainly hoped for and would have eagerly welcomed it six months prior. “I believe we did meet,” he said. “Last March, if I recall correctly.”
Gwendolyn's pretty features scrunched into a pout. “Oh, that was about the time I started seeing Gregory.”
“Yes, well, I wouldn't want to keep you from him,” Draco replied, motioning in the direction of his soon-to-be-former friend, who was currently being no help to him at all.
“Oh, we aren't together any more. He was fun but, well, we just aren't suited for each other,” she said, her flirtatious smile returning.
He looked around the room, attempting to locate his petite redhead in the sea of colorfully dressed revelers, hoping that he might find a way to draw her attention. She was no longer in sight, and he suddenly realized that he hadn't felt quite so desperate since the last time the little redhead took his dessert away from him. He glanced toward the dessert table, hoping to retreat.
“Well, I was just about to try some of those sweets...” he said, looking over longingly at the treats on the table. He didn't really have a craving, but it was the perfect excuse to leave gracefully. As a prominent businessman in the community, his position demanded that he remain tactful and courteous while trying to escape from his new admirer.
Unfortunately, her gaze turned mildly predatory. He began to feel a bit too warm. And cornered. He took a step back.
She took a step forward.
He felt like a rabbit in the jaws of a wolfhound and about to be devoured.
Backing into the table, he reached behind, grabbed the nearest item and was just about to shove it into his mouth, if only in a last ditch effort to get something between himself and the predatory witch, when the little peach tart was plucked from his grasp.
“Malfoy! I thought we'd discussed over-indulging at parties!”
Oh, good God, he thought, cringing. Had he been imagining the lovely woman and their interaction on the balcony? It was only one little tart, for goodness sake, and it was being used in self-defense, after all!
He looked down, expecting the worst, and noticed that Ginny was grinning at him impishly. He narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. She seemed just a bit too determined and he wondered if she'd seen his predicament and had come over to save him. At that moment, she turned away to address his buxom blond stalker. “Gwendolyn!”
Gwendolyn forced a polite smile at the shorter woman, obviously annoyed at the interruption. “Oh, how nice to see you, Ginny. I've been meaning to have my agent owl you about rearranging our schedule.” The model's tone of voice was quite dismissive, and the mention of Ginny's job was intentional, placing Ginny as an employee, therefore not quite an equal to their company.
Ignoring the snub, Ginny smiled pleasantly at the witch, smoothly ignoring the intention behind the remark. “Yes, I got your message about moving your session to Tuesday this week, but actually, I was here to talk to Draco.”
The model nodded, her fake smile still plastered to her lips, turning to Draco. “She's such a dedicated thing, isn't she?” Looking back to Ginny, she sided closer to the blond man, looking just a tad possessive. “I'm sure there's no rush to discuss your business, Ginny, this is a party after all. If you are worried about him not following one of your meal plans, there's no need to bother yourself. I'll look out for him for you.”
Draco glanced back at the desserts, feeling just a bit desperate, although he tried his darnedest to appear cool and business-like. He stole a glance at Ginny, catching the slightest glimmer of amusement in her eyes. She was mocking his pain. The little bint.
But the small Weasley didn't spare him a direct glance. Instead, she turned to Gwendolyn, dropping her voice, as if telling an important secret. “Of course, but, I just thought you should know that Madison Skybert is talking to the Chief Editor of FashionWitch about next month's cover.
Gwendolyn's eyes widened and she nodded seriously. Apparently, Madison was competition, because she thanked Ginny, turned back to Draco and said, “Sorry, I have to go talk to someone. Business, you know.” She smiled again, and ran a finger down his arm. “Maybe we could get together later?”
She turned and darted in the direction of her competition without even waiting for his reply, likely assuming that he would agree. Draco gave a sigh of relief as the tall blond disappeared into the crowd.
“Thank you for that.”
“It wasn't me, I was talking to your friend Greg and he noticed that you seemed a bit uncomfortable. He would have come over himself but, apparently, he and Gwen didn't split up on entirely amicable terms, so he asked me to do it.”
“Talking with Goyle?” he said, looking over at his friend, who happened to be looking their way. The large man raised his drink and smiled in greeting before turning back to his conversation with his friends. Draco felt an uncomfortable tightening in his chest at the thought of Weasley talking to the large, handsome bloke. Goyle, after all, had managed to have no problem attracting witches as beautiful as Gwendolyn Turner. The thought of him turning his interest on Weasley...well, he preferred not to think about that.
The little redhead smiled, oblivious to his momentary bout of jealousy. “Yes, he and I were team mates for a few months while I was playing professionally,” she said casually, as if it was no matter at all. “He was introducing me to his latest girlfriend.” She laughed. “I think he's finally found a nice one.”
He immediately looked over again, locating the large figure of Goyle and, after closer scrutiny, located a short, almost plump, little brunette tucked by his side. Her pleasant smile matched that of his not-quite-former friend. The pair were waving at him. He gave a weak smile in response, attempting not to appear guilty for his recent unkind thoughts about the man.
Turning back to Ginny, he noticed she was smiling at him affectionately, as if she was well-aware of his traitorous thoughts but found him amusing regardless. How women did that, he'd never know.
“Well, thank you anyway,” he mumbled.
“You're welcome.”
She paused, turning her head and giving him a look from the corner of her eye, almost suspiciously. “I seem to remember that you were rather interested in dating Gwen a few months ago.”
He raised an eyebrow. He distinctly recalled that he had never made mention of his disastrous attempt to date the model. After all, it was hardly one of the highlights of his life. He doubted Edwina would have mentioned anything, and he was quite sure she'd been the only person to see him rant about it.
“What gave you that impression?” he asked, hoping to keep his tone neutral.
Surprisingly, she blushed and looked down. Normally, she was quite confident, and the reaction surprised him.
“Well, she is one of my clients after all.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Really? And she mentioned me to you?”
“Oh no,” she said, then looked up at him worriedly, and bit her lip. It was rather cute. “I mean, I do work with her, yes. That was why I happened to catch you talking with her at the Spring banquet.”
He looked at her questioningly. It was one of those occasions when the small witch was not in total control and he rather liked it when the tables were turned in his favor. In fact, not that he was the most astute individual, but he could clearly see that there was more to this story than she was letting on. He decided that he very much wanted to know more.
“And you were approaching her to say something and overheard the conversation?”
She looked more uncomfortable. He liked that. “Not exactly.”
He stepped forward, invading her personal space. “Spill, Weasley.”
She looked up at him, her big hazel eyes begging him not to press the matter. But, he was enjoying himself very much, thank you.
“I was coming over to talk to you.”
He gave a deep sigh. “Because you were looking to give me your card so you could gain more business, I suppose,” he said dejectedly. Yes, he knew that he was out of shape at that time. He really rather wanted to forget that episode in his life.
“Oh, no!” she said emphatically. Her eyes widened further and she blushed.
The action once again piqued his curiosity. He continued to look down at her expectantly. When she only continued to look at him helplessly, he went all out and raised an eyebrow, an action that finally prodded her to speak.
“Because,” she said quietly. “I thought you were rather attractive and I wanted to get to know you better.”
He resisted the urge to rub at his ear, which would be a rather unattractive thing to do, although the urge was quite strong because he was quite certain he did not hear that clearly. He decided to prompt for clarification.
“You found me... attractive?”
She blushed, which was more adorable than watching her bite her lip. “Well, you were so shy and so unlike what I remembered. I thought it was, well, cute.”
His jaw dropped in disbelief. Gone was the feeling of control he'd just felt by prodding her for the information. After a second, he realized how idiotic he must look with such an expression and forced himself to close his mouth. It wasn't easy.
She nodded, giving him a smile that warmed his heart. She stepped closer to him, tugging on his shirt. He felt a compulsive urge to smile back.
“That's why I persuaded you to hire me on,” she responded. “I wanted to get to know you better.”
“I thought you wanted to make me miserable.”
“Well, there's something to be said for having a bit of fun along the way,” she said with a grin.
She was a devil wrapped up in a tiny, little package, pushing him to be more than he thought he could be, and he suddenly decided that he loved her for it. Well, not in the passionate lover type of way, at least, not yet, but the potential was there. She saw more to him than just his outer facade, and he rather appreciated that.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close, delighting in the impish grin that came to her lips at his action.
Suddenly a burst of confidence sparked within him.
“You realize that you won't always get to have your way with me,” he said, pulling another tart from the dessert table with his free hand and promptly taking a bite before she could stop him.
“Draco!”
“Compromises will be made, Ginevra,” he said seriously, lifting the item to her lips so she could take a bite also. Surprisingly, she did.
“In moderation,” she responded warningly, after she swallowed the treat, trying to discretely wipe a few errant crumbs from her lips.
“So be it,” he agreed, a triumphant smirk coming to his face. “Although, knowing that you were attracted to me before I trimmed down leaves me tempted to eat half that table just to keep Ms Turner away.”
Her eyes flashed in alarm, and she sucked in a breath, obviously ready to respond in her usual, energetic way, but he stopped her by covering her mouth with his, crumbs and all.
Author notes: TaDa!! Not *quite* the end! Epilogue will be posted in one week. :D
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