Indentured Servitude

Indentured Servitude

Chapter 1. Much Ado About Something

It was a cool summer day, optimal for outside frolicking, and Ron Weasley was not happy. "Of all people!" he declared hotly, for what seemed to be the tenth time.

"Ron," Hermione warned from her position beside him, taking his hand. He quieted immediately, withering under the gentle but firm reprimand of her voice, and squeezed her slender fingers.

"Sorry," he murmured, bringing his lips to her cool temple. "But," he added, "I still don't like it." Hermione let out a condoning sigh, resting her head in the nook of his shoulder.

Harry shifted uncomfortably.

Ginny Weasley, soon-to-be sixth year, strode across the room and faced her elder brother pensively, hands on her hips as she thought over her response. "I don't exactly like this arrangement either," she finally replied, "but it pays quite a lot, and you know that we need the money."

Ron rolled his eyes. "But them?" he cried. "What makes you think they won't work you to exhaustion and then fire you, or worse, refuse to pay you?" Ginny sighed, opening her mouth to speak. "And how can you stand to be around Lucius Malfoy after all he did to you?" he spat out, cutting her off.

"Ron," she said calmly, "first of all, we signed a contract, Narcissa Malfoy and I. I am there for the entire summer term, and they are obligated to pay me." Ron shrunk into the couch grudgingly. "And secondly," she continued, "Lucius Malfoy isn't home this summer."

"But his bloody prat of a son will be."

"I realized that I'd have to work with him before I took the job," she reminded.

"Work for him, Ginny, not with him," he said stubbornly.

Ginny waved her hands in frustration. "Ron!" she shouted.

Hermione lifted her head from Ron to look Ginny in the eye. "You know Gin, he has point" she said softly.

"You see?" Ron supplied with a knowing smile.

Ginny turned. "Harry?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I can't really say anything in defense of Malfoy," he said, and then added humorously, "not that I'd want to either."

"I just feel that it's a waste," Ron said, "that your summer should be spoiled this way. You deserve to have fun before we go back to Hogwarts."

"Yes well, many things don't turn out the way we expected," Harry muttered, shooting a glance toward Ron and Hermione.

Ginny followed his stare. "Ron, Hermione, would you give me and Harry a few moments alone before I leave?" she asked abruptly.

Speechless, Hermione's eyes widened, darting from Ginny to Harry, and then back to Ginny. "Of course," Ron said grandly, slinging his arm around the shorter girl and drawing her out the room.

"But Ron," Hermione interjected.

The door clicked close.

Ginny faced Harry squarely, silence overcoming the room as she eyed the boy she had once believed to love with a strange degree of satisfaction that she could now properly use the term "once". "Harry."

"Ginny." He sat down on the sofa.

Again, silence.

"Does it bother you?"

A flicker of sadness appeared in his beautiful green eyes, almost regret. "Why does it matter?" he asked quietly.

"It does," Ginny replied gently, "because you're my friend, Harry. I want you to be happy. And while you believe that you will never be happy without Hermione, it helps to talk, doesn't it?" She sat down beside him and grasped his arm, her touch light and soothing. "Does it bother you?" she asked again.

He gazed at her with a rueful smile. "It does bother me," he admitted in a little voice. "More than I want it to, because I had her. And I lost her. And I hate to say this, but she seems so happy with Ron that I think this time, I've lost her forever." He sighed, directing his stare to his cuticles now. "I know there's nothing I can do about it, but it still hurts to see them together." He glanced up at her again, the sadness now more apparent than ever behind his glasses. "I miss her, Ginny, I really do."

"You still have feelings for her."

"I love her."

"Do you think at this age, we can really understand what love is?"

"Of course," Harry scoffed. "Well, until you find someone like Hermione was to me, then no, I don't think you can understand. But I don't doubt that I was in love with Hermione Granger. I don't doubt for a moment."

~*~

"Why'd you do that?" Hermione demanded.

Ron looked at her perplexedly. "Do what?"

"Leave them alone."

"Why shouldn't we?"

"I don't want to see Ginny get hurt again," Hermione said. "She was so in love with Harry, and he was so...oblivious."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "You do realize why she was hurt the first time?" he asked in a low voice, referring to Hermione's rocky romance with the dark-haired boy. Seeing the obvious hurt that flashed across her astonished face, he stepped closer and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was uncalled for. But Ginny is a big girl now, and I think she knows what she's doing."

Hermione smiled slightly. "Mature words for a big brother," she chuckled.

"And anyways," Ron said, "We don't know that she's professing her love for Potter in there. Somehow, I doubt they're snogging wildly while we're out here talking."

Hermione frowned.

"Come to think of it," Ron continued with a sly twinkle, "Why are we just talking?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows, and Ron smiled suggestively.

Harry Potter was soon forgotten.

~*~

"Why did you let her go, then?"

Harry paused, thought about her question. He remembered Hermione's expression during their first split, and how it ached inside him to see her crestfallen face every time he was with Cho Chang. He thought back to the Yule Ball, recalling Hermione dancing with Ron, watching as she smiled shyly, her first real smile since their split, and he felt once again the pang that had stabbed him because he knew the smile was not directed at him. But it had been his decision, Harry reminded himself, he had been the git that ended the relationship. He sighed. "Let's not talk about Hermione anymore," he said.

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Harry," she said, "are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay."

Harry searched for something to say, something to fill the empty silence that seemed to appear so often between them now. "What about you, are you going to be okay all by yourself in the Malfoy Manor?"

"I won't be alone, I'll have the other maids there." Ginny smiled, jutted out her chin. "I'm sure they all hate the Malfoys as much we do, after all, the only people that come close to enjoying Draco Malfoy's company would be those idiotic Slytherins."

"And I doubt any Slytherins would be willing to work," Harry finished wryly.

"Precisely." Ginny beamed. "Listen, Harry, don't worry about me. I'm going to be perfectly fine." She leapt to her feet. "I really should be going now though, I don't think it would be very mannerly to show up late on the first day."

"Especially since you're boss will be the Malfoys," he agreed vehemently.

"I'm glad we had this talk."

He nodded. "Owl me often."

"And Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry about Hermione. It wasn't meant to be. Some things just aren't."

She opened the door, staring into the surprised faces of Hermione and Ron. "I'm ready," she announced.

~*~

"Wait here."

Malfoy Manor was, perhaps, the largest estate Ginny Weasley had ever seen. "Okay," she answered distantly as the ghost butler trailed off in search of a maid. The beautiful chandeliers, luxurious carpets, and glossy finishes were way too much to take in all at once, and so she stared, limp with admiration.

"You know, no matter how long you stare at it, it still won't become yours." A voice drawled from behind her.

Ginny whirled around, all lavish things forgotten, only to stare up into the condescending silver eyes of her most loathed enemy. He stood, tall and foreboding, light glinting off the perfect coif of white-blond hair as he gazed down at her in disdain.

"What are you doing here, Weasley." He said coldly, spitting out her last name with obvious contempt. With anyone else, it would have been a question, but Draco Malfoy did not ask anyone anything.

Ginny drew herself straighter, and yet no words came to mind. It wasn't because he was going to be a seventh year; age never fazed her. But it was Malfoy, who stirred every ounce of pure hate from deep within her body and raised it bubbling to her mouth. It was at that moment a faint notion inside of her clicked, and she realized just exactly what she gotten herself into. "Actually, Malfoy," she seethed, "I'm working here."

"Working."

"That's right," Ginny said, sticking her chin out defiantly. "But really, why are you hiring maids, did the house elves all kill themselves from being in your presence?"

Draco grimaced, but it was for such a brief moment Ginny had to wonder whether she was seeing things. "My father decided that hiring actual maids would be a better demonstration of wealth and power, and you know that we can afford it."

"And being that he isn't here this summer, he won't have to deal with the maids," Ginny realized.

Draco ignored her statement, a lazy, catlike grin spreading across his face. "You're here for the entire summer term then, I presume."

Something about the noncommittal tone of his voice irked her, and she flushed. "That's right."

"Weasley poverty finally get to you, did it." He smirked. "Or was it just be cause you realized nobody wanted you back at home?"

"Not quite either." She matched his leering expression. "But you wouldn't understand, since your father will pay for your entire existence."

His eyes narrowed to icy gray slits. "My father would never hire a Weasley," he sneered, "especially not one as inept as yourself."

"Right," she scoffed. "If you really want to know who hired me-- "

"I don't."

"--it was your mother."

An eyebrow rose. "My mother," Draco repeated, cocking his head at her. "Good. She won't mind if I fire you."

"Actually," Ginny snapped, "we signed a contract, which means you can't fire me." She shot him a triumphant smile, lips stretched thin and wan with anger.

He was unfazed, his face remaining placidly calm. "It also means you can't quit," he said. Ginny went pale. Draco leaned in close to her face, and brought his lips close to her ear. "No matter what happens," he whispered, "you're not allowed to quit." Stepping back, he flicked an invisible piece of lint off his immaculate robe and smirked again.

A searing flash of rage rippled through her, the millions of insults she wanted to toss at him refusing to surface. "Sod off, Malfoy."

"You might want to remember that I give the orders here," Draco snorted. "You're just a maid."

"You bloody prat!" Ginny exclaimed indignantly. "If I could quit, I would right now, and I regret ever signing that contract because you're just so, so--" she searched for the right word.

"Intelligent? Handsome? Devilishly charming?"

She glared at him with every fiber of malicious hate mustered in her blazing brown eyes, infuriated by the cold and unaffected way he spoke to her.

"Pardon me?" a meek voice interrupted. The blond Slytherin tore his furious gaze away from the younger girl and glared at the maid. "I'm sorry," she began, "but Gus said there's a girl out here waiting for me..." her voice trailed off.

"Adrienne, this is the new maid," he said in a voice so cold Ginny felt a chill crawl up her spine, "Ginny Weasley. I trust you'll have her situated soon enough; being a Weasley, she should have nearly no possessions."

And then he was gone.

~End Chapter 1