Rating:
R
House:
Astronomy Tower
Genres:
Romance Angst
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:
Published: 01/27/2003
Updated: 04/29/2003
Words: 10,229
Chapters: 3
Hits: 6,060

An Unexpected Development

Lissanne

Story Summary:
When twenty-five year old Draco Malfoy offers Ginny Weasley the chance to make it in her chosen career, she's both thrilled and horrified. Draco is a cold, arrogant prat ... but lurking underneath the cruel exterior just might be a decent wizard. Will he ever give her the chance to find out? A Draco/Ginny angst-filled romance with Harry/Hermione on the side.

Chapter 01

Posted:
01/27/2003
Hits:
3,775
Author's Note:
This fic is rated R for sexual scenes in later chapters. My thanks go to Ebony AKA AngieJ and Plumeria for their quick once-overs.


Draco Malfoy wandered the gallery with a bored sigh, half heartedly perusing the enlarged photographs that hung before him. As the wizarding world´s premier arts and antiques dealer, he felt the need to attend such functions as these to stay on top of things, even though he found them to be a positively frightful bore. But he knew if he didn´t go, he ran the risk of missing something crucial, be it a new talent or a piece of gossip, and Draco was not prepared to miss out on anything.

His assistant Niles tagged along faithfully, only straying from his side when Draco sent him for a drink or canapé. Most people knew not to approach Draco unless he gave some sort of indication that he was even the slightest bit interested in talking to them. His dark reputation exceeded no other; since the final defeat of Voldemort and the death of his father, Draco Malfoy was probably the most feared wizard in the entire country. His name, when spoken, was always accompanied by a shudder.

However, his expertise in the trade his company relied on for business was second to none. One could haul a piece of broken ceramic or part of an old frame in front of him and Draco could not only tell you what it belonged to, but where it came from, who owned it and how old it was. His counsel was sought by thousands of wealthy antique owners and dealers worldwide. His appointment diary was solidly booked for the next eighteen months. He didn´t just entertain anyone; one had to have some sort of social standing. And Draco Malfoy did not, under any circumstances, deal with Mudbloods.

As he strolled around the gallery, taking in the new collection on its unveiling night, his expensive imported robes swished around him elegantly. Now twenty-five, Draco Malfoy was no longer the snotty, spoiled child he had been. His platinum blond hair was neatly slicked back off his face, with not a strand out of place. He wasn´t classically handsome by any means, although he had no trouble pulling in the witches; all he had to do was snap his fingers and a witch somewhere would willingly shed her robes on the spot. It was more the way he carried himself with a decided air of haughtiness. He looked down rather than at people, like nobody was good enough to be in his presence. He could intimidate even the hardiest of wizards with a simple look.

Yet, Draco Malfoy was an enigma. Many tabloids had attempted to do exposes on the "real" Draco, but he never allowed anyone to get that close to him. He was not steadily involved with any witch; the last one he had presented to society as his girlfriend had run screaming to the media once he´d given her marching orders. Since then, Draco kept himself to himself. He would not allow any witch to ever get close to him again. Of course, being a man, he often got urges, but he had no problem finding witches to fulfil that particular role. One owl to Miranda with his preferences for the night had one of her girls on his doorstep within half an hour.

After greeting several acquaintances with a nod and a few words, Draco moved on, determined to finish up soon so he could go home. He had hoped to find a photographer here with a sliver of talent, but he should have known better than to expect that.

Then he found the picture.

Draco came to a sudden stop, Niles almost bumping into him. "Sir?" the assistant murmured softly.

"Look at this, Niles," Draco breathed. "This picture... the way the photographer has captured the pensieve and the rippling effects of its contents... " Before Draco realised what he was doing, he reached out a hand towards the picture. It was a plain photo, compared to some of the others. A pensieve sat on a table, the contents shimmering and swirling in different directions. It looked so real. Draco´s hand was almost touching it before he realised what he was doing and snatched his hand back. "Perfect. Just the sort of detail I need for the catalogue. Get the details of the photographer and owl them, and tell them I expect a sample of their portfolio on my desk tomorrow morning by nine o´clock." Without a second glance, he turned on his heel and left the gallery.

Before Niles could blink, he was gone.

~*~*~*~

Ginny Weasley let out a breath she didn´t realise she was holding after Draco Malfoy left the gallery. When he´d stopped to look at her picture of Professor Dumbledore´s pensieve, now housed carefully in the school library, her eyes had widened and she´d bitten her lip. She fully expected that he would do with her photo what he´d done with all the others - given it a cursory glance and move on to the next one. But when he´d stopped suddenly and spoken to his assistant, Ginny had blocked out the sound of her family´s voices around her. Her parents, Fred, George and Ron were all there tonight with her to show their support for her first public showing, and when Ginny had heard that Draco Malfoy would show up to possibly pick a photographer for his upcoming catalogue, her nerves had gone haywire.

Any photographer worth their salt knew that getting a contract from Draco Malfoy to photograph the pieces for the Malfoy Corporation catalogue was nothing short of a coup. Once a year, his company held an auction, at which he sold all the pieces and paintings he´d personally purchased during the preceding year for a handsome profit. Six months before it was due to be held, he hired a photographer to photograph all the pieces for the catalogue, which was then sent to the crème de la crème of the wizarding´s world upper class society. Nobody turned down an invitation, and everyone brought their keys to the Gringotts vaults.

He never chose the same photographer two years in a row. Draco Malfoy always carelessly discarded them as he did witches from his bed. But once you´d been a photographer for Draco Malfoy, you never looked back. Your business flourished and everybody wanted to hire you.

On top of all the prestige and glamour that surrounded the coveted job, there was the fee. Ginny had been around long enough to hear the scuttlebutt, and she knew he offered more money for three months work than she made in a year.

Draco allowed any photographer to owl their portfolio to him for a week-long period in September, but Ginny had never owled hers. She didn´t see any reason to bother. There was no way Draco Malfoy would ever hire a Weasley to work for him, and she was too proud to accept the money anyway. Ginny had never forgotten what his father had done to her in her first year at Hogwarts, and the way Draco had treated her brother and his friends throughout their school years. From what she´d heard, he hadn´t changed a bit. He was arrogant, rude and cruel. He didn´t think twice about crushing someone´s feelings with a sharply spoken word. She considered it such a shame that he´d actually become rather good looking as he´d gotten older and his features had filled out. Had he been somebody else, Ginny believed she might have been attracted to him.

But a small part of Ginny couldn´t help but think how wonderful it would be to get the contract. Not only would she be able to establish herself in her chosen profession, but she´d be able to pay off all her debts and set aside some money for later. Not for the first time, Ginny Weasley cursed the fact that Draco Malfoy was the one wizard who could change her life - for the better.

~*~*~*~

When Draco arrived at his office the next morning, he locked the door behind him as was his custom and read the various newspapers from around the wizarding world stacked neatly on his desk. He scoffed when he saw yet another picture of Potter and Granger with their newborn brat on the cover of the Daily Prophet, although he was far from surprised. Since the birth of their first child several months previously, they´d been regularly featured on the front pages of many newspapers. Draco really didn´t see what else could be said about the brat that hadn´t already been said. It wasn´t like they were the first witch and wizard to procreate. From the way the media carried on about it, one would think they were. He stared at the picture of the little girl sitting on her father´s lap as he rubbed her back soothingly, and Draco hoped nastily she´d turn out to be a Squib. Imagine the headlines then.

Tossing the paper aside with a dirty glance, he worked his way through the others but found nothing of interest. Unlocking the door, he called for Niles, who promptly came to stand in front of his desk.

"I can´t see the portfolio on my desk, Niles," Draco said evenly.

There was a small pause. "No, Sir, I rather imagine you can´t."

"And that would be why?"

"The photographer did not send her portfolio with the return owl, Sir."

Draco raised a surprised eyebrow. "What do you mean, she didn´t send it? Did you tell her who wanted it?"

"Of course I did, Sir. All she sent was this." Niles stepped forward and placed the small piece of parchment Draco hadn´t noticed in his hand on the desk, then dismissed himself without a word.

Draco watched his assistant leave, then picked up the parchment and unrolled it.

Mr. Niles,

I have received your owl and wish to inform you that I do not send my portfolio out to just anyone. If your employer wishes to view my portfolio, then he can owl me personally with an explanation as to why he wants it. If I am satisfied that it is worth my valuable time and effort pursuing, then I will make arrangements directly with him.

Virginia Weasley.

Draco put the parchment down and blinked rapidly several times, then picked it up again and reread it, just to make sure he hadn´t misread it the first time.

Once he´d read it three times, he threw it down on the table, careful to maintain his cool exterior. That little bitch. Nobody ever turned down an owl from Draco Malfoy, regardless of what it said. How dare she just disregard him like that? He certainly didn´t have the time to be sending owls out willy nilly - that´s what Niles was for. Who the bloody hell did she think she was? Didn´t she realise that he could destroy her with a few owls? Of course, he should have known better than to expect anything different from a Weasley. Had he known it was her photo, he wouldn´t have bothered sending the owl in the first place.

Draco counted to ten, read the parchment again... and then smiled. So, the Weasley bitch wanted to play a game. Draco was always up for a good game, because he never lost. He had to admit that she certainly had a lot of chutzpah. More than he´d ever have given her credit for. Obviously, she was going to play hard to get. He settled back into his chair as a plan began to formulate in his head. Fine, he would play her game. And when he had her where he wanted her, he would simply crush her.

~*~*~*~

Ginny was rooting through her albums, trying desperately to locate an old photo of Hermione she´d taken years ago, when the large black owl swooped through her window. It hooted gracefully and held still as she untied the letter attached to its leg, then watched as it flew back out the window. Obviously a response was not warranted.

Ms. Weasley,

I have received your response to my assistant´s owl of yesterday, and note your request to hear from me directly.

I am wishing to look at your portfolio with a view to offering you a contract to partake in the co-ordination of the catalogue I put together annually for the Malfoy Corporation´s Auction, which is to be held in six months time.

Therefore, I request your presence, along with your portfolio, at the Golden Sphinx restaurant tonight at 8pm sharp, where you will join me for dinner.

Draco Malfoy.

Ginny´s heart sped at a thousand miles an hour as she read the owl. When she´d received the owl from his assistant the previous night, she´d been angered by the tone in which it was written. Cold, demanding and arrogant, just like Malfoy. Like she should simply drop everything and do as she was told, not asked. So she´d responded immediately, then reflected once the owl had gone that she had probably blown any chance she might have had of getting the contract. But as the night had worn on and she´d considered her decision more, Ginny realised she´d made the right decision. Malfoy deserved to know that not everybody in the wizarding world bowed and scraped before him.

This owl was a little better than the previous one, and she could tell he´d written it himself as the writing was different and the signature matched one she´d seen on various Malfoy Corporation documents. Still, the arrogance lingered. He wasn´t asking her to dinner, he was telling her she would join him. Well, two could play this little game. She´d already made plans to babysit Ellie for Harry and Hermione so they could go out for dinner, and she wasn´t changing them for anyone, least of all Draco Malfoy.

So Ginny sat down and composed another owl.

Mr. Malfoy,

Thank you for your response to my previous owl. I regret to inform you that I already have plans for this evening, and I do think it more appropriate that we meet in your place of business to discuss any possible business arrangement between us.

After checking my busy schedule, I have found that I am available at 10am tomorrow, so I will bring my portfolio down to your office for your perusal.

Virginia Weasley.

She reread it and then sealed it with a smile before sending her beloved owl Cloudbuster out to deliver it.

~*~*~*~

Ginny smoothed down her powder blue robes with a nervous hand as she waited to be escorted into Draco´s office. She´d arrived precisely at 10am, and as she glanced at her watch, she saw it was now half past the hour. Damn Malfoy for making her wait. She was positive he was doing this on purpose. Well, she wouldn´t allow him to see her annoyance. If she was to keep the upper hand, she had to be cool, calm and collected.

"Ms. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy is ready to receive you. This way, please," Niles said in a polished tone. Ginny got up and followed the assistant through a large set of double doors that led to an even bigger set of doors, quite obviously made of expensive wood and adorned with elegant carvings.

However, Ginny soon forgot the doors as she was led into Draco´s office. She couldn´t stop the gasp that escaped. It was quite possibly the biggest office she´d ever seen in her life. It was bigger than her entire flat. Hundreds upon hundreds of books sat in rows along the walls either side of her. It reminded her of something she´d seen once in a Muggle movie, where the characters used a moving ladder to reach the books up the top.

Everything in this room screamed "rich" to her. The leather furniture, the carved oak desk, the paintings that hung around the room. Ginny felt so completely out of place that she had to fight the urge to turn tail and leg it.

"Can I get you a beverage, Ms. Weasley?" Niles asked politely as he led her to the chair in front of Draco´s desk.

Ginny snapped back to attention. "A water would be lovely, please."

Niles nodded and turned to Draco, who simply waved a hand in dismissal.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come by and visit me, Virginia," Draco said, the sarcasm obvious.

Ginny´s eyes narrowed in anger and she willed herself not to lose it five seconds after having been brought in here. "You can remove the sarcasm from your voice, Mr. Malfoy, and it´s Ms. Weasley, not Virginia. Only my friends can call me Virginia, and you´re certainly no friend."

To her chagrin, she only seemed to elicit an amused grin from him. "My deepest apologies, Ms. Weasley," he said in a deep, almost hoarse baritone. "I stand corrected."

Niles came back to the office with a small, what Ginny wagered was probably solid gold, platter balanced expertly on one hand. She took her water with a smile and nodded her thanks, and he backed out of the room.

All of a sudden, a shiver went down Ginny´s spine as she noticed Draco staring at her, and she felt very, very uncomfortable sitting there in his office. She shouldn´t have come. She should have just turned him down when she had the chance.

"Did you bring your portfolio?" Draco´s cool grey eyes seem to look straight through her, so Ginny was grateful to have a reason to break their gaze.

"Yes, I have it right here." She pulled a small album out of her satchel and placed it on the desk before him, not meeting his eyes. She slid it across until she felt him tug it towards her.

Once he opened it, she looked up and studied him surreptitiously as he carefully poured over each photograph. He looked so unguarded. Ginny wouldn´t say he was the best looking wizard she´d ever seen, but he certainly had... something. Something that made him different from any other wizard she´d ever met.

"It´s a pity you didn´t bring your camera," Draco said without looking up.

Ginny shuffled in her seat. "Why´s that?"

"Because then you could just take a picture of me instead of staring. Didn´t your mother ever tell you it was rude to stare? No, I suppose not. She was probably too busy eating, given that dumpy figure of hers."

Ginny´s temper flared instantly, and she stood up abruptly, slamming her fist down on his desk. "How dare you," she hissed angrily as he lifted his head to look at her.

Draco looked unperturbed. "Sit down, Virginia. Raging at me isn´t going to get you anywhere. Besides, why do you care what I think of your family? Do you really value my opinion that much?"

"Regardless of what your opinion does or does not mean, I do not have to sit here and listen to you insult my family. You can take your contract and shove it up your arse, Malfoy, you horrible bastard. I wouldn´t work for you if you were the last wizard on this planet." She waved her hand and her album zoomed up into it. Picking up her satchel, she afforded Draco one last glare then stomped towards his doors.

"Wait, Virginia," his voice was somewhat softer. "I apologise. I was out of line."

Ginny stopped upon hearing his apology. She wondered how many times an apology had fallen from his lips; she wagered she could count them on one hand. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down. Being angry would not give her the upper hand. What she needed to do was be graceful about it and show him he was absolutely wrong about her and her family - they were better wizards than he could ever hope to be. And then she could tell him - gracefully, of course - to shove his contract up his arse.

She turned around with some effort, trying to smile but realising it probably looked more like a grimace. "Fine. You apologised, I accept it. Anything else?"

Draco got up out of his chair and walked towards her, and Ginny started to tremble. If his mere presence was intimidating enough, his closeness was positively unnerving. And Ginny, for the life of her, couldn´t figure out why.

"I am sorry, Virginia," he said quietly, reaching out to lay a hand gently on her arm. "I had no right to make that comment about your mother. Please, do come sit back down so we can discuss our arrangement."

Ginny breathed in and out deeply, looking into the slate eyes that hovered above her, trying desperately to figure out why Draco Malfoy made her feel the way he did. She really had to get away from him, as quickly as possible.

"I really don´t think that an arrangement between us will be possible, Mr. Malfoy. I think it would be best if you found another photographer. I´m sure there will be plenty out there willing to put up with your rudeness, but I am not one of them. Your apology is accepted, but I really want nothing more to do with you. Good day."

Draco let go of her arm, and Ginny turned on her heel and waltzed out of his office.