Truth Will Out

TRUTH WILL OUT

UNEXPECTED MEETING

Ginny stretched and groaned as sunlight fell across her face. She was infinitely comfortable and didn't really want to move, but the light was bothering her, so she had to get up. As her eyes opened her heartbeat began to speed up. This wasn't her bedroom. It took her a few minutes to realize that she hadn't been kidnapped and that she did know where she was -- Draco's bedroom. A second moment of panic seized her, but a glance to the other side of the bed confirmed that she was alone.

She gathered it was very early in the morning from the way the sun was filtering through the large windows. With the two quick bursts of adrenaline going back to sleep wasn't an option, so she got out of bed. Curious as to where Draco had slept Ginny padded out into the hallway. The door to the guest bedroom was standing ajar, so she crept down to it and slowly opened it, so she wouldn't disturb him.

As she glanced up, her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. The duvet was a crumpled mess at the foot of the bed and Draco was laying flat on his back, in all his glory. Ginny quickly moved away from the door, stumbling over her own feet as she backed out. She reached for the wall to steady herself. After a few cleansing breaths, she gathered her wits and moved quickly downstairs. Coffee was the first thing that made any sense to her, followed quickly by a wish for something a little stronger or perhaps someone to Obliviate her.

She made it to the kitchen in record time and fumbled about setting some water to boil. Her mind was screaming at her to do something about what she'd seen, but she wasn't ready to deal with the implications just yet. It wasn't that she was oblivious to the fact that he was a man; it was simply that she had never before seen the 'proof', and now that she had, she was finding it very difficult to breathe, let alone think straight.

When her coffee was ready she took it through to the dining room. She tried to shove her thoughts aside and concentrate on the steaming liquid in front of her. When that didn't work, Ginny got up and went into the sitting room. Her pile of responses was sitting on the coffee table, so she swooped on them, hoping they'd take her mind to places other than the hell she seemed to be stuck in at the moment.

By the time she heard Draco moving about upstairs, Ginny had letters spread all over the dining table. She'd penned a couple of responses and sent his owl off to deliver them, hoping that she might be able to set him up with some women this week.

"Good morning, Weasley," Draco intoned as approached.

Ginny turned in her chair to greet him, but she flushed bright red and stumbled over her words. "Goo--good mor--morning."

Draco smirked. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." Ginny shook her head. "Not at all," she replied, deliberately forcing her eyes to the floor, where they fell on his feet. No wonder they're so big, her mind interjected before she could stop it.

"Do you want coffee?" Draco asked, trying not to laugh at how she was blushing in front of him.

"Thank you." Ginny picked up her cup and held it out to him without looking up.

"I'll be right back," Draco whispered.

The moment the kitchen door closed, Ginny dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She was making a right mess of this, and he obviously knew something wasn't quite right with her. That thought alone had her praying to the Deities that he wouldn't ask what was wrong, because there was no way she would be able to explain.

"Fresh coffee," Draco announced as he placed her cup on the table.

Ginny visibly jumped. "I've told you about making noise as you approach before," she growled.

Draco shrugged. "Sorry. You looked like you were thinking hard."

"I did?"

"Mmm... You were muttering to yourself as well," he added.

"I was?" She felt as though she was drowning in a pit of horror.

"Something about not believing something," Draco told her, his smirk growing as her mortification grew.

"Oh," she managed almost silently.

"I'm sure you'll believe whatever it is in time," Draco said casually. "I do have one question for you though."

"Yes?"

"I know I closed my door over before I retired last night, and when I woke up this morning is was open." He paused, enjoying the color her entire face was turning. "You wouldn't happen to know how the door got that way, would you?"

"I--err--no--no idea," Ginny stammered.

"Curious... You see that room is a bit drafty with the door open, and when I woke up the duvet was on the floor." Draco sighed and feigned deep thought, but his eyes were watching her reaction with great interest.

"If it gets drafty, maybe the wind blew it open," Ginny gushed, seizing any excuse to remove herself from the equation.

"It usually slams the door closed," Draco pointed out. Although his voice sounded casual enough, he was highly amused.

Ginny was so embarrassed that she wasn't even paying attention to his demeanor, which would most certainly have given him away and ended her torture.

"A house elf could have--"

"No, they don't arrive until after I leave for work," Draco cut in. "You know I don't like them hanging around."

Ginny fell silent. She was looking everywhere, but at Draco, and she had begun to fidget constantly -- a sure sign she was very, very uncomfortable.

He observed her for a while, noting the way her fingers were twitching, and the way her eyes kept flicking from one thing to the next, but never at him. Draco was sure she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer without expiring. It did occur to him to let her know that he knew, so they could laugh about it and move on, but it was such a rare opportunity that he wanted to savor her discomfort a little while longer. "Enough about that. It doesn't matter anyway."

Draco watched and waited for her shoulders to drop a little, indicating that she'd relaxed a little. He wasn't quite ready to let her off the hook yet, so he broached his next subject without remorse. "So, I've been thinking about getting some custom made boots. What do you think these babies would look like in black dragon hide?"

She felt her eyes grow as round as saucers when his feet hit the tabletop. It was too late to hide her reaction or even try to cover it up by pretending it was due to something else. His feet were sitting mere inches away from her face -- his enormous, long feet. Ginny felt her face begin to flame again. There was little doubt in her mind that frying an egg on her cheeks would have been all too possible at the moment. Unable to move away or even speak, for that matter, Ginny sat there staring at his feet.

"Is there something wrong, Weasley?" Draco asked, faux concern tainting his tone. "You don't have a foot fetish that I should know about, do you?"

Ginny shook her head furiously. He was so far off the mark it wasn't funny.

"Well, come on then. You girls love to talk shoes, so tell me--" Draco wiggled his long toes in front of her nose. "What do you think about black dragon hide?"

"It'll look fine," Ginny whispered breathlessly just barely loud enough to be heard.

"Do my feet stink or something?" Draco asked suddenly.

Before she could answer, Draco brought one of his feet back to his nose and took a deep breath.

"They smell sweet," Draco declared. "How many blokes do you know who can do this?"

Ginny's eyes almost popped out of her head when his tongue flicked out and licked the length of his foot. Her thoughts went straight into the gutter, and she couldn't take it any longer. Of all mornings for him to show off, this morning had to be the worst possible day.

"Well? Do you know anyone who can do that?" Draco persisted.

"Stop! Oh, fuck it all... Just stop it!" Ginny wailed. "I can't do this... It's driving me insane..."

"Ginny," Draco expressed. His concern evidently false if she were listening carefully. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Tell me... Something's obviously upset you."

Ginny took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before she lost her mind completely. "Just stop it," she said evenly. "Please get your di--feet--your feet off the table."

Draco schooled his features expertly into a mask of concern and did as she asked. "Are you going to tell me what has you so upset?"

"It was me," Ginny said in a rush. "I opened the door and I saw--saw--"

"I see," Draco managed haughtily. "You saw what exactly?"

"You-- Oh God, I don't believe this is happening," Ginny moaned.

"Well, I don't expect I look perfect first thing in the morning, but your reaction is a little extreme, don't you think?" Draco posed quite seriously. "After all, I've seen your hair first thing, and it's not pretty either, but I don't carry on like the end of the world has come."

"There was nothing wrong with your hair," Ginny hissed, her embarrassment making her angry.

"Well, what was the problem then? Was I drooling or snoring?"

"No," Ginny ground out.

"Weasley, you're going to have to tell--"

"You weren't wearing any pants!"

"I never wear pants to bed," Draco said matter-of-factly. "Perhaps you shouldn't peek under the duvet."

"I didn't." The color rose in Ginny's cheeks again. "It was on the floor when I looked in on you."

"And?"

"And everything was-- well, it was-- just hanging out everywhere," Ginny stammered as her hands gestured wildly.

"Did that bother you?" Draco asked earnestly.

Ginny rolled her eyes expressively. "Yes, it bothered me."

"Why?" Draco frowned deliberately. "I don't mean to make fun of your sensibilities but, you've got six brothers, and it's not like you're innocent... much to their disgust. Do you behave like this when you're shagging a bloke or do you keep the lights off?"

"Malfoy," Ginny warned.

"I'm serious, Weasley," Draco claimed. "This could be a real problem for you."

"This is not a problem."

"Then why the fuss?"

"Because it's your--" She waved her hand around wildly again. "--and I hadn't ever planned on meeting it."

"Well, to be perfectly frank, I don't think it ever planned on meeting you either, but now that you've barged in and forced your company upon it--"

"Will you stop it?" Ginny growled angrily.

"Okay." Draco chuckled. "You've obviously had enough, and it doesn't want to get damaged or hurt, so I'll shut up now."

"I'll rip it off," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"Look, Weasley, seriously, there's no problem. It doesn't bother me in the least that you saw me naked."

"It doesn't bother me either," Ginny said, her confident tone completely overdone.

"Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up." Draco grinned nefariously over the table at her. "Actually, I do have something rather important to ask you."

Ginny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What might that be?"

"From a woman's perspective, what do you think? Am I a generous size? Is length really important or is width what counts?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times while waiting for words to form. Her brain had gone directly to hell, and it probably wasn't due back anytime soon, given that all she could think about was the fact that Draco lacked in neither length nor width, in her opinion.

"Are you all right, Weasley?" Draco leaned forward and waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you still breathing?"

"I'm going to work," Ginny ground out, her patience hanging on by the barest of threads.

"Looking like that? You'd be sure to lose a few patients through heart failure if you don't put your uniform on."

Ginny took a deep breath in and released it slowly. "Do I have a clean uniform here? I couldn't find any of the clothes I know I've left here last night."

"They're in the guest room wardrobe," Draco informed her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Draco called as she climbed the stairs.

She hesitated when she got to the doorway of the guest room. The duvet was still on the floor at the foot of the bed, and it was all too easy to envision Draco on the bed, as he was just a short time ago. With determination, Ginny averted her eyes, refusing to look at the bed and strode into the room. The wardrobe was her first port of call, and then she went directly to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind herself. It didn't take her long to change into her work clothes and make herself presentable.

Determined not to look directly at the bed, Ginny walked directly out of the room, closing the door a little harder than she intended.

"What did the door do to you?" Draco drawled from the top of the stairs.

"It tempted me to open it," Ginny replied superciliously.

"I can understand how that would offend you."

"No, you can't," Ginny said flatly.

Draco bit back his smart arse response and approached her slowly. "Ginny, I'm sorry you were offended."

"I'm not offended." Ginny frowned. "I don't know what I am right now. All I know is that I wasn't expecting--I didn't think that--"

"It doesn't matter," Draco said gently. "You don't have to explain."

"I overreacted," Ginny admitted. "I don't know why, because it's not like I've never seen..." Her voice trailed off uncomfortably.

"I shouldn't have tormented you," Draco confessed, feeling a little guilty now. "It was unnecessary-- funny, but not necessary."

Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled despite herself. "I have to get to work."

"You haven't had breakfast yet," Draco pointed out.

"I'll get something on the way."

"You've got plenty of time before your shift starts," Draco insisted. "Stay and have breakfast with me. I promise to behave myself."

"All right, I'll stay for breakfast."

"Good." Draco grinned warmly. "My owl has returned with a beak full of letters, as well. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Oh, I sent him out this morning with a few responses."

"I guess we should see what he's brought back."

"No, I'll check what he's brought back."

"Just trying to be helpful," Draco said with a cheeky smirk.

"Sure you are." Ginny smirked and shook her head.

"I'm going to have a quick shower," Draco informed her. "Our breakfast should arrive soon."

"Arrive?"

"I ordered fresh croissants."

"I'm going to get fat if you keep feeding me like this," Ginny said as he disappeared into his bedroom.

She heard Draco chuckle from somewhere inside his room. Curious to see what sort of response she received from her early morning letters, Ginny wandered downstairs. The letters were sitting in the middle of dining room table, but before she read them, she went to the kitchen for some fresh coffee.

The first letter was from a woman eager to meet this afternoon. Ginny quickly penned a short acceptance to the invitation and sent Draco's owl on its way. Another want to meet for drinks tonight, which would have been awkward, so Ginny penned a letter suggesting they meet early tomorrow evening. As she reached for the third, Ginny realized that she might need to record all these appointments for him or they'd both forget where he was supposed to be and when he was supposed to be there.

It didn't take her long to locate his briefcase and, inside, his diary. She also took a quill and a sheet of parchment for herself, so she could keep track of where he'd be on any given day. When she returned to the table she opened the diary to this week and entered the date for this afternoon, noting it on the parchment as well.

By the time Draco appeared downstairs, looking like a quintessential businessman, rather than a bed-mussed sex god, their breakfast had arrived, and Ginny had set up several dates for him. She was surprised at how fast these women were returning their answers. Draco's poor owl was going to need a week to recover after all the flying the bird had done this morning.

"I smell fresh pastry," Draco muttered as he walked through. "Are you going to eat while these are still warm?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there," Ginny murmured as she put the finishing touches on the last letter.

"What are you doing?"

"Making dates for you," Ginny answered with a grin.

"Did it occur to you to check with me first? I might have a business meeting or something equally as important," Draco asked cautiously.

"It's all right, I'm cross-checking everything in your diary and writing in the dates I've made for you."

"My diary," Draco uttered as he raised an eyebrow. "And what if I've neglected to write something in there?"

"You'd never do that," Ginny claimed. "You're too anal."

"Fine." Draco braced himself. "Tell me what you've done."

"Well--" Ginny straightened herself up and brought his diary to sit in front of her. "You're meeting someone for coffee this afternoon--"

"I'm having dinner with my parents this evening," Draco cut in.

"This is only coffee, so you won't be late for dinner, and I've informed the lady that you have a family commitment tonight, so she's not expecting anything more than coffee," Ginny informed him. "Tomorrow you're meeting another lady for drinks after work. Friday you're meeting someone for lunch, someone for drinks in the afternoon, and then someone for dinner."

"Bloody hell," Draco hissed. "When am I going to get time to see you?"

"I'm your dinner date," Ginny said flatly.

"Excellent." Draco grinned.

"We can always meet after your dates," Ginny offered. "You can come to mine or I can come here."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Of course, you'll have your own dates by this afternoon."

"We'll still find time to talk every day," Ginny assured him.

"Have some breakfast," Draco insisted. "They're better warm."

As Ginny reached for a croissant, Draco dragged his diary over. He now had a full week of social commitments, as well as various business meetings. A heavy sigh left him as he contemplated what condition the weekend was going to find him in.

"It's not too much, is it?" Ginny asked, noticing Draco's frown as he looked over his diary.

"No, it's fine," Draco lied. "I'll manage."

"I can always--"

"I said it's fine," Draco said adamantly. He could imagine the teasing he'd be subjected to if he showed a moment of weakness or a need for sleep.

"All right, but if it gets too much just let me know, and I can change--"

"Ginny, it'll be fine. After all, it's only coffee and drinks that are out of the ordinary."

"The offer is there," Ginny reiterated.

"What do I need to know for this afternoon?" Draco inquired.

"You'll need a pink rose for identification. Her name is Rosalie, and she's interested in getting to know you slowly, so no suggesting you duck off to a dark corner for a quick shag."

"Give me some credit, Weasley," Draco complained. "I do have some scruples."

"Not when it comes to getting a shag," Ginny pointed out knowingly. "You'll take it anywhere, anytime."

"Fine, no shagging or suggesting shagging," Draco agreed reluctantly. "What if she brings it up?"

"Be a gentleman and pretend you're not that type of bloke," Ginny suggested with a wry grin.

Draco sighed and shook his head sadly. "Now I'm an actor as well."

"That's not a new art for you," Ginny mentioned. "You act like you care about your floozies every time you meet one."

"Touché." Draco grinned at her.

Ginny glanced at the clock on the wall. "Egads! Is that the right time?"

"You know it is," Draco answered.

"Shit! Shit!"

"Problem, Weasley?"

"I'm late for work," Ginny stated as she gathered her things and shoved them into her handbag. "Don't be late this afternoon and Floo me later to let me know how it went."

"Have a nice day, Weasley," Draco replied, ignoring all her demands.

"You too!" Ginny planted a sloppy, rushed kiss on his cheek. "And don't be rude to this woman."

"As if--" Draco's retort died on his lips as a loud pop echoed through his flat, signaling that she was no longer within hearing distance.

He leaned back in his chair, glancing over his diary again. Sleep was for the weak it seemed. There was one thing he felt certain he must find time to do sometime this week: kill Blaise Zabini.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny rushed into the coffee shop, eager to see what Draco's date looked like, so she could appraise the woman for herself. She stopped short in the doorway as she spied him sitting in the far corner, opposite a woman she'd never seen before. Not wanting to be caught spying on him, Ginny moved quickly to the opposite side of the shop, sat down at a vacant table and ordered a cup of tea.

From her position, she had a good view of the woman who had responded to the advertisement. Ginny looked at her critically. For the most part, she was a homely looking woman. She wore no makeup, and her brown hair hung limply to her shoulders. If she put a little effort in, Ginny was sure this woman could be quite pretty, but as it was she looked unattractive, to put it politely, and totally not Draco's type.

After a few minutes Ginny realized that Draco seemed to be doing all the talking. She had to give him points for that at least, especially when she could tell right away that this woman wasn't the one for him. Safe in the knowledge that he wasn't likely to entice her into a dark corner for a quick shag, Ginny drained her teacup and left the café.

She had her own date to keep, according to the note she'd received from Draco earlier in the day. Not wanting to be late, Ginny walked down the street to the small pub where her date would be waiting. It looked like a cozy establishment, perfect for meeting someone. At this early hour, there weren't many patrons, so it was easy to see that her date hadn't yet arrived or he wasn't willing to identify himself at the moment, because she could see no sign of the yellow rose he was supposed to be carrying.

Rather than go straight to the bar, Ginny found the ladies' room and checked her appearance first. Satisfied that she didn't look hideous, she wandered back into the bar area. Another quick search of the patrons showed that her date hadn't yet arrived. She approached the bar and ordered a white wine, before moving to a small table in the corner with a good view of the door.

Ginny was aware that she was attracting some attention from the predominantly male patrons, though none of them approached her in the time she was waiting. When she finished her wine, she ordered another and resumed her seat again. She began to wonder if her date was here and was simply waiting for her to identify herself, but Draco was very firm about when she should expose her yellow rose: not until she'd scrutinized the man and decided that he wasn't a murderer or someone she might not feel comfortable with.

Debating whether or not to pull her rose from her handbag, Ginny was startled when a man burst into the small pub, clutching a yellow rose in one hand, with an expression of panic on his face. She watched him look around the pub. His eyes paused on her, and she could almost see his thoughts forming.

He was older than she, or at least he appeared to be older, given he was graying at the temples, but that didn't really matter to her. She scrutinized him for a few seconds, cataloguing what she observed and coming to the conclusion that this man wasn't likely to drag her into a dark alley and do away with her.

With great care, Ginny slipped her hand into her handbag and extracted her yellow rose. The man's smile lit up his entire being. While he walked towards her, Ginny prepared herself mentally for whatever might come from this point forward. She'd never done anything like this before, so she was suddenly uncertain what the protocols were and nerves began to flutter through her stomach.

"Hello," the man greeted.

"Hello, you must be Roger," Ginny replied politely.

"I am, and you're Ginny?"

"Yes, I am." Ginny smiled pleasantly. "Would you like to sit down?"

"I might just grab myself a drink first," Roger replied. "What are you drinking?"

"White wine," Ginny replied.

"I'll be right back," Roger promised.

Ginny leaned back in her chair, her nerves vanquished as she realized this would be as easy as meeting someone at a party or the pub on a Friday night.

"Here we go," Roger announced, placing the drinks on the table. "I'm so sorry I was late. I was held up at work."

"That's fine," Ginny responded. "No need to apologize."

"It's not really," Roger insisted. "I promised I'd be here at a certain time, and my wanker of a boss insisted I finish a report, even though he was leaving early and won't read it until tomorrow."

"Where do you work?" Ginny asked, trying to gently move the conversation forward.

"Malfoy Incorporated," Roger answered.

Ginny's eyes went wide for just a fraction of a second, and she clamped her mouth shut, so she wouldn't be tempted to say anything.

"I swear I'm going to knock Draco bloody Malfoy off his pedestal one day."

"Oh," Ginny breathed more than articulated.

"It's all right for him to leave early, but if any of us want to leave on time it's inconvenient," Roger growled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be going on about work politics."

"It's fine." Ginny plastered a smile on her face. "You obviously need to vent a little."

"But I shouldn't bore you with the details," Roger insisted. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a Healer's Assistant at St. Mungo's, so if you think dealing with Draco Malfoy is difficult, you might want to try spending a day arguing with stubborn patients and arrogant Healers." Ginny laughed lightly, in an effort to improve the mood.

"Believe me, that man makes Dementors look friendly," Roger assured her.

Ginny smirked. She was trying not to react to his comments, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. All she wanted to do was burst out laughing. It wasn't that she blamed the man for hating Draco, because she could well imagine what Draco was like to work for, after hearing the complaints he had about his staff. The door of the pub opened, interrupting her thoughts, and Ginny's eyes flicked up to see who was walking in. She gasped before she could catch herself. "I think we should change the subject now," she whispered.

"I'm boring you; I'm so sorry," Roger apologized.

"Not at all, but I've got a feeling you'd have a really rotten day at work tomorrow if your boss overheard you telling me what you think of him." Ginny nodded towards the bar, where Draco had made himself comfortable. "That's him, isn't it?" she asked innocently.

"Yes." Roger sighed. "That's him. I can't even go to the pub for a quiet drink, with a pretty lady, without being reminded of work."

"You don't have to acknowledge him," Ginny said. "It's not like you're on company time."

"You're right. So what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, I spend most of my spare time with my best friend and my family."

"Large family?"

"Yes." Ginny smiled, knowing what she was about to say usually sent most men running in the opposite direction as fast as they could manage. "I have six older brothers."

"Six? All brothers?" Roger blinked a few times, but to his credit didn't bolt. "Well, that is a sizable family."

"How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Ginny inquired, attempting to sound interested, even though her eyes kept flicking to the bar and Draco, who didn't look pleased at all.

"I have a younger sister," Roger admitted. "She married her school sweetheart."

"Aww that's lovely. Do they have any children?"

"A baby boy," Roger answered. "I like spending time with him."

"I love spending time with my nieces and nephews as well," Ginny confessed. "There's something so refreshing about spending a day with children."

"Not to mention exhausting."

"You haven't experienced exhaustion yet, if your nephew is only a baby." Ginny laughed. "Wait until he's running around, touching everything."

"You might be right there," Roger conceded. "Are you free for dinner?"

Ginny glanced surreptitiously at Draco. His expression was dark and his eyes were as cold as winter. "No, sorry. My mum's expecting me tonight."

"That's a shame," Roger intoned genuinely. "I'm really enjoying your company."

"What is the time?" Ginny asked curiously.

Roger plucked a pocket watch from his cloak pocket and opened it up. "It's almost six o'clock."

"Oh dear," Ginny expressed. "I'd best be off before Mum sends a search party for me."

"So soon?"

"I'm really sorry, but I do have to go," Ginny told him as sincerely as she could manage. "I did enjoy meeting you."

"Perhaps we can have dinner sometime?"

"I have your owl address and you have mine," Ginny said easily.

"Well, it was a pleasure, Ginny," Roger said as he took her hand and shook it warmly.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled as she got to her feet. "Perhaps we'll see each other again."

"I hope so," Roger said as she walked away.

Without looking at the bar, Ginny walked directly to the door of the pub and escaped into the street. She hoped Draco would be discreet enough not to say anything to Roger, but it wasn't something she'd bet money on. He was clearly not pleased with who she was drinking with and she was sure to hear about it sooner or later.

Not sure that she wanted to hear Draco rant on about Roger tonight, Ginny moved down the street quickly. He knew where to find her, if he was desperate enough to have his opinion known before tomorrow. She was curious to see what Draco thought of his date, even though she already knew there'd be no match with that woman on her looks alone. His opinion would be amusing, if nothing else, and she needed a good laugh.

Ginny let herself into her flat and locked the door behind herself. She slipped her cloak off her shoulders and hung it on the rack beside the door, along with her handbag.

"You took your time," Draco drawled.

She jumped visibly and clutched her chest as her heart tried to burst through her ribcage. "For fuck's sake, Malfoy!"

"You're so unobservant, Weasley." Draco shook his head. "Anyone could be in here waiting for you and you'd be totally oblivious until they attacked you."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "And who, besides you, would be waiting in here?"

"A murderer, a rapist--"

"Oooh... I might get a shag," she teased.

"I'm not kidding, Weasley," Draco said seriously.

"All right," Ginny said. "I'm sorry. I shall remember to be more vigilant when walking into my own home."

"Thank you," Draco responded curtly. "Now, what did that lecherous arse have to say for himself?"

"Who?"

"Steiffeman," Draco prompted. "Your date?"

"Oh, you mean Roger."

"Is that his first name?"

Ginny stared at him with disbelief. She really shouldn't have been surprised that Draco didn't know the man's first name, but his attitude gnawed at her. "No wonder he thinks you're a wanker."

Draco laughed.

"What's wrong with you? That's an insult!"

"Oh, sorry." Draco tried to compose his face, but his lips kept twitching with the desire to laugh. "This is my concerned face."

"You're impossible," Ginny exclaimed.

"Thank you." Draco grinned broadly. "So, what did the two of you talk about?"

"Work and family." Ginny frowned. "Actually, except for when he was telling me about you, it was a bit boring."

"And what was it when he was telling you about me?"

"That was hilarious." Ginny giggled. "I had to bite my mouth to stop from laughing at times. He really hates you."

"He's not paid to like me," Draco said dryly. "I assume you have no interest in seeing him again?"

"No, I don't think so. Besides, you'd probably sack him."

"I wouldn't," Draco refuted. "Not right away."

"Enough about me. How was your date?"

"Do me a favor: the next time you set me up with someone like that warn me first, so I can bring my pillow."

"That bad?"

"Dead boring," Draco confirmed. "I swear there were times when I thought the woman had swallowed her tongue."

"She was a bit ordinary looking too," Ginny added.

"How do you know?"

"Hah, you didn't see me," Ginny sang, pleased that she'd gotten away with her surveillance efforts.

"No, I didn't, but now that I know you're likely to be lurking about I'll be more aware of my surroundings."

"You can't complain," Ginny claimed. "You came to my date."

"And if I hadn't you wouldn't have--"

"I would have, because Roger pretty much started venting about work the moment he got there. Your name came up pretty fast, along with some other pretty synonyms your staff have for you."

"I'm sure," Draco drawled, unconcerned. "I suppose I should go to dinner. You don't want to come, do you?"

"No thank you," Ginny declined with a smile. "I think I might curl up in bed with a good book tonight."

"You live such an exciting life," Draco said with exaggerated false wistfulness.

"You're just jealous," Ginny taunted. "Have a lovely night with your parents."

"I shall." Draco smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Breakfast or after work?"

"After work. I have a breakfast meeting."

"Don't forget you're meeting someone for drinks after work," Ginny reminded him.

"I'll meet you there straight after work and you can make yourself scarce when she arrives," Draco suggested.

"Fine, but don't expect me to disappear totally."

"Whatever turns you on, Weasley." Draco kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow."

"See you then," Ginny called to the air that was rushing in to fill the space where he stood just seconds before.

She wandered to her room, changed into something more comfortable and made her way to the kitchen to find some food. There was a note from Luna on the table, explaining that she was going to be late this evening. It suited Ginny just fine, as she could have a sandwich for dinner and not worry about hurting her roommate's feelings.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*