Unexpected Tendencies

Chp 1: Gun Slinging.

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"Gin would you please owl Fred and George to get me some things from Diagon Alley before they get back? Thanks dear," Molly then shoved a piece of parchment into Ginny's hands and walked back into the kitchen in a flurry.

Then Ron popped from heaven knows where, "Oh hey Gin, did I hear mum say something about you and Diagon Alley? Great, could you pick up a package for me at the Daily Prophet from Leland? Thanks Gin!" She just looked at his retreating back as she gaped at his audacious assumption. She shook her head and turned around to bump into Bill who just got out of the fireplace.

He fixed her with his killer smile, "Hey Gin! How have you been doing? Seen mum then?" Ginny for once managed a genuine smile and pointed towards the kitchen and turned away to get her cloak from her room. With a resigned sigh and a scream that was about to escape form her lips she thought she might as well just go down to Diagon Alley and get mum's stuff and collect the package for Ron.

It was the thought of getting out of her parents home that was enticing. Ever since she quit her last job because of her ex boss, who just simply couldn't keep his wondering hands to himself, she had to go back to The Burrow as she couldn't find another job fast enough to pay the rent for the studio apartment she was renting. For a while she thought that it was good to be back, but then every other family member seemed to have something for her to do.

There was always some errand to run, some owl to send or some chore to do and frankly in the beginning it was all right but now? Now it felt as if she, at twenty-five years old, was playing errand boy or girl or to be politically correct, person, and she wasn't even getting paid to do it! This was getting ridiculous.

"Oh wait Gin! Mum says she heard that you were going to Diagon Alley, could you pop these off to Fred then? He's been dying to get a hold of it for one reason I don't know and don't want to know why!" he grinned at her and threw her the box, which she caught deftly. Ginny just took all this in silently, counting to ten before the famous Weasley temper was riled up. Oh sod it that was not helping at all. If anything it aggravated her to no end. Ginny grimaced and stalked of to her room on the third landing and pulled on her cloak savagely.

"Not leaving yet Gin? Please hurry with the package ok?" Ron pleaded irritatingly and ran up to his room without giving her a second glance. She wished he wasn't in the house, he and Lavender were having a fight and she kicked him out of the house until they settled some things. He gave her the most errands to run.

She was getting steadily annoyed and tetchy as she went down the stairs. A headache was beginning to spawn as it crept its hold from the base of her neck up toward her head. She was sure she was going to lose it any moment if she didn't get out and if someone, God forbid it, came over and -

"Hey Ginny, where you off to? Finally got a job lined up then?"

Right then she gave a scream and threw the package into a taken aback Percy. She stormed down the remaining stairs and grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the grate, shouting at the top of her lungs of her destination and vanishing with a rush of flames as it engulfed her, leaving a rather stunned Weasley household.

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"Colin! Where are you damn it? Colin!" Ginny yelled and flopped down on the couch in front of her, cradling her head in her hands as her fingers massaged her temples. She heard a shuffling of feet and turned around to see a very sleepy Colin, looking very adorable in a huge black sweater and pyjama bottoms.

"Look what the cat dragged in," he muttered as he sank on the couch beside her and laid his arms around her shoulders. "What the hell are you doing here at such an ungodly hour screaming your pretty little red head for?"

"Colin, it's one in the afternoon. What part of it is ungodly?" she murmured as she tipped her head into his lap and lay there as his fingers came over to thread in her hair and massage her scalp. She always felt better when Colin did this and he always made things better, well that was why he was her best friend wasn't it?

"Ginny, I work the bloody night shift at the Ministry. The whole morning and early afternoon is ungodly," he grumbled as he bent down to kiss her temple. "Now tell Colin what's wrong with his Ginny eh?"

Most people thought that Colin, fresh out of Hogwarts would get a job at The Daily Prophet as a photographer but he wanted to work for the Ministry. The photography was more of a personal hobby. He liked photos as he was a pretty nostalgic person and he loved to have photos everywhere around him.

Ginny's favourite was the one with both of them eating ice cream. There it was winking at her from the mantle above the fireplace. What he actually did, Ginny really didn't know. He said he couldn't tell her what exactly but just that it paid well. It showed from his bachelor pad and new wardrobe he sported but he was still the same old reliable Colin.

Ginny on the other hand helped her twin brothers set up their joke shop in Diagon Alley which became an overnight success to which she was proud of. She didn't want to work for anyone in her family though as she wanted to make it out on her own.

So in her first foray of the mature wizard world she had been an intern at The Daily Prophet, where her brother worked as the Sports editor, but got quickly dismissed after having a tongue lashing with Rita Skeeter. She held down a sales girl position at WhizzHard books, but that just bored her to an early slumber each day and then lastly a secretary. She actually enjoyed that position. She worked for a private company in one of the shop houses who did free lance editing for books. She was going to be promoted before she quit but then who would now want to work for a lecher.

Ginny groaned and exhaled noisily. "What else? I can't stand it anymore at The Burrow! They are driving me up the very walls there, which isn't very stable mind. I already through a wobbly before interrupting your blissful siesta,"

Ginny pulled herself up and grabbed Colin's sweater to shake him, which immediately woke him up. "I want a job Colin! Scratch that, I need a job! But it's just so damn bloody hard to find one!"

She snuggled up to him and he pulled her close, "Can I stay here in the meantime?" she asked softly.

"Gin, of course you can! I'll help you with the job search all right?" When he felt her nod against his shoulder he sighed, "Ok now bring me back to bed and wake me up when you get back with all your stuff to throw around my place."

Ginny shot up and looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that I am messy?"

"Insinuating? Bullshit! I know so! Now get on out of here and leave me to my last few minutes of - oof!"

At that moment, Ginny was grinning widely and had crash-landed on Colin to give him a fierce hug. He smiled against her flaming hair and hugged her protectively. Swiftly she pecked him on the cheek and got herself out of his apartment. When she was gone, he gave a slight groan and fell back to a light slumber upon waiting for her return.

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"Marguerite! What the hell was that for? I swear if you scream one more time like that, you're going to have me lose my hearing and burst that blonde little head of yours! Blood all over my Persian rug! That wouldn't do would- Hey! Where are you going? You can't walk away from me!"

Draco Malfoy, stood up from behind his massive oak wood table gilded with gold and followed his personal assistant that was storming out after an incredible screaming fit. He never thought someone could actually scream like that. He found her at her table throwing things into a big brown box. All the photos and stationary that covered her table were now being flung into it viciously.

"What are you doing Marguerite?" the blonde woman in question just looked at him with bloodshot eyes and laboured breathing for a while and continued flinging her possessions into the box.

"You're leaving?!" he asked incredulously.

"No shit Sherlock," she muttered and closed the box after she finally finished clearing her box. She tugged on her cloak and levitated her box as she stormed away.

"Wait Marguerite! Why the hell are you leaving? You know that I need you! You're just going to leave me like this? If you do, I want to know why! Marguerite!" Draco yelled as he walked after her.

This was stupid. Storming after a be- damned secretary who was leaving his company. He had to admit that she did incredible work and was very swift and could lie through her teeth, plus the sex was great, but he was the founder of Xavier Inc, most powerful and vicious businessman in the wizarding world and ten times richer than he was as a kid and that was actually saying something. Chasing after a secretary? There was something seriously wrong with this picture.

"You want to know why Mr. Malfoy? I'll tell you why! For one you're the most arrogant prick I've ever met, at first it was tolerable and I kind of liked it. All that power and control you had was a turn on, but that image faded away. You are by far the most obnoxious, egotistical and selfish person I know. I tried very hard to just ignore all of it but I can't bloody take it anymore! Don't worry, you know I'm not a bloody squealer so I won't say anything." Marguerite then reached the lift lobby and stepped into the awaiting lift. "Good day, Mr. Malfoy," she sniffed; just as the door was closing he intervened.

"Hey that stapler is company property!"

He heard another scream and the lift doors open, his eyes widened as said stapler was flung at him. Thank goodness for seeker reflexes, he ducked and it hit the ornamental glass behind him, shattering into a million pieces.

"Hey!" he yelled and settled with a pout.

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For Ginny's first week in Colin's home, she was a good houseguest and to prove him wrong she kept her room tidy and left everything in its proper place. Indebted to him for letting her stay over, she cooked and cleaned for him while she tried to find a job. It wasn't that she was picky but knew when she was getting ripped off. Like the sales girl position at Gladrags, for an exorbitant amount of hours she had to put in she was getting a menial sum that wouldn't even get her a security deposit anywhere.

She thought living with Colin would be just like their old Hogwarts days but she still didn't get to see Colin a whole lot, as he needed as much sleep as possible to be alert for his job. He usually left around eight to nine for the office and would come home around six or seven in the morning sometimes even longer so and he would arrive dead tired in the late afternoon. So she always made him dinner, today was no different as she puttered around the kitchen while he read the Daily Prophet with a cup of coffee in his hands.

He looked up and around him a bit amused at the situation.

"Like a pair of old married birds we are. Just missing the brats running around destroying the house."

Ginny turned around with spatula in hand rolling her eyes with a giggle. "Don't get used to it love! You should go find yourself a real wife!"

"Pretty hard when you have odd hours like mine."

Ginny frowned at this and stopped her stirring to get a bowl to place the soup in. "Are they ever going to give you normal hours?"

There was a slight pause before he answered, "Well, I'm not too sure about it but I think after a few more months I'll be able to get normal hours," he said with a grin, "Not getting my hopes up or anything. My body clock will definitely be a bit screwed up if it changes. Won't know whether to sleep, eat or do both at the same time."

She gave a chuckle and placed the food on the dining table. Harry and Hermione were coming over to join them.

"Hey Gin! Take a look at this! Xavier Inc. seems to want a personal assistant for the head honcho. You could do that, organise the meetings, nag at him to keep his appointments and all that."

Ginny wrinkled her nose at that and gave an unladylike snort, "Mothering the boss doesn't seem appealing really but it's Xavier Inc. I hear they pay pretty well."

"Oh believe me, they do! He pays his employees very well and there are good benefits to."

Ginny looked up at him, "How do you know?"

Colin gave her one of his most adorable smiles, "I used to date one of them, real sweet and everything but it didn't work out." Ginny was about to say something when the familiar sounds of rushing flames caught her ears.

"Hello Gin! Colin?" Hermione's voice rang, Ginny and Colin stepped out from the kitchen and greeted them, saying that they were right on time. Harry handed over a bottle of vintage wine to Colin for dinner.

Harry and Hermione were deemed as the most 'Perfect Couple' by many of the wizarding world, which infuriated and amused them to no end at the same time. They were the equivalent of the Royal Family of England, which in itself was quite ridiculous. So they had to endure the eternal hell that was the spotlight. Their mugs were always plastered in Witch Weekly and there was a permanent column in The Daily Prophet about the Boy-Who-Lived and his two best friends. He was the most eligible bachelor in the polls for a few years running but last year he was taken off the market by a certain love of his life by being engaged to her.

They were quite used to the attention already and gave it no thought. Frequent articles arose from time to time about illicit affairs and the like. There was even one that involved Ginny for a while. There was a photo of Ginny and Harry holding hands. Apparently, Harry was cheating on Hermione with her as they crossed the road.

She received owl after owl with letters filled with Bubotuber Pus and howlers galore that left ashes and burnt her furniture when she didn't open them from the more rabid fans of the Harry Potter fan club. Hermione still gets them from time to time when some new journalist concocts another scandal about her against Harry.

Ginny got over Harry and his shiny exterior after her own fourth yeah and shrugged it off as a thorough infatuation as a groupie of his. When she thought about it, she despised the awkward thing that she was at that young age. She realised that she was just in love or at least liked the image of the dashing hero that he played and she wanted it to be like a fairy tale where she would be his damsel in distress.

Not anymore though. Ginny loved him as another brother. She didn't know how she could love so many people as her brother, well only two but she had more than enough at home as it is.

"I was talking to your mum earlier today Gin and she's utterly convinced that you and Colin are living in sin," Hermione smirked with wine glass in hand.

"Heard that Colin? I'm having your love child!" Ginny grinned at this, "Tell her I'm having twins and they'll take after their uncles Gred and Forge!"

Harry gave a hearty a laugh along with Hermione when they turned their attention to Colin who walked in with arms covered in soapsuds, as he was in the process of washing up after their dinner, "Hey! If anything, you're having girls. Charlotte and Billie!" He stuck out his tongue at Ginny and grabbed the coffee cup she was drinking to have it washed.

"Look at you mate, the woman's got you whipped!" For that remark, Harry received a thwap on his arm from his significant other with a glare, which the warning label read as: 'You'll be doing the dishes for a month if you dare say anything more.'

Harry suddenly became interested in his wine and cleared his throat.

"Well, I finally spotted a job, well Colin did, in the papers and I'll be heading down to Xavier's Inc. for an interview tomorrow for a position as a Personal Assistant," Ginny said with a tiny smile as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You do know that it's run by the nefarious and androgynous Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I know the pretty little bastard runs it and earns a hell lot of money for someone his age that it should be made illegal but that's the good thing. Apparently he pays his employees superbly and there are benefits. What more can I ask for? Putting up with his silly nonsense will be worth it when I get my own place," Ginny said pretty because he was one of the top five in the polls for most eligible bachelor before he got married and was on it again the minute he was divorced. You couldn't deny that the prat was good looking.

"Besides, it's not as if he's evil or anything. He just needed some serious growing up to do is all. From what I here he's gotten better from that stage but isn't far from it," Colin said as he sat down with his own glass of wine in hand, fingers wrinkled from the washing up.

"Really, that boy will never grow up. They say he's also a tad bitter with his father at Mungo's and all but who knew that he'd be the one getting muggle tech to go together with wizardry? Draco Malfoy who in the beginning washed his hands off all muggles and mudbloods. Not too bad, I suppose. The sheer irony of it all." Hermione laughed with a shake of her head.

Harry smiled in her direction, "Quite a surprise. We all assumed he was going to run off and be official boot polisher and minstrel to the Dark Lord, well almost anyway, and now look at him. He was even quite decent when I bumped into him at Terrazo the other day!" Terrazo Alley was almost like Diagon Alley but much classier and a tad expensive.

Colin gave a chuckle, "Still a bastard I say and I raise my wine glass to him," With a swift gulp to finish of the remnants of his wine he looked at his watch and gave a groan. "Blast! Got to head off to work all! Seeya Harry! Hermione! Night love, I'll see you when I get back!" With that he walked over to his room to retrieve his cloak, when he came out Ginny was waiting by the fireplace with a smile.

"Night Colin!" she pecked him on the cheek and he kissed her forehead before he vanished into the fire.

When she turned back to see Harry and Hermione, they were lounging around the couch smirking. Ginny raised her eyebrows in question.

"Tell me why both of you are not dating again?" Hermione asked.

"We've been through this! We tried it, it didn't do us any good and it was just better with us as best friends! Really! He's like a brother!" When Ginny said that, she realised that she had adopted two more to be in her family and that was maddening. She already had a house full of nutty brothers! What was she thinking when she said that?

"Keep telling yourself that Gin!" Harry laughed with a roll of his eyes.

"Well you just look an awful lot like Harry and me in the beginning. Taking care of each other and the like. Besides that both of you look great together!"

"Looking good together and being good together is a totally different thing altogether Hermione and you know it. You and Harry are different, you are meant to be with each other as husband and wife. Me and Colin? We are meant to be with each other as best friends thank you very much," Ginny said with a kind smile.

Harry gave a shrug, "Whatever you say Gin, whatever you say."

They continued talking for a while and had a great laugh now and then as they reminisced over their student days before they decided to get home early. Hermione said that she had some work to clear but Ginny knew besides the pressing work she was talking about they were just desperate to get home and shag the brains out of each other. She wasn't exactly blind but was trying to be polite and not tell them to get home, as they couldn't keep their hands off each other during the last hour. They had been together with each other for what? Eight years now? And they still acted like over eager, teenagers who had their hormones working overtime as they did a bloody parade.

That was another thing with Ginny. She seemed to have struck out in the cupid department. She had a few relationships in her years but they only wanted the sex and nothing else, which wasn't the fulfilling relationship she wanted. The only relationship, which wasn't about the aforementioned foreplay, was Colin. They to thought it would work out seeing how close they were but they kept seeing each other in a sibling sort of way and that always booted any intimacy out the window.

She shook her head and stretched languidly. Her interview was tomorrow, so after washing up the wine glasses she decided to head off to bed and get a good night's rest. She changed out of her robes and into one of Colin's oversized jumpers and plunged under the covers and relaxed for a moment. Ginny grabbed the book on her bedside table and read as the Wizard Wireless Network softly warbled in the background.

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