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 02

Chapter Summary:
In this chapter, Draco does some investigating and makes a decision, while Ginny can't get a certain wizard out of her head.
Posted:
02/18/2003
Hits:
990

Author note:

This chapter is rated R for language and sexual connotation. My thanks go to Libbie and Jules for the beta, and to Plu for looking the incomplete chapter over in the beginning. This one is for Eb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco Malfoy stared at the retreating figure of Ginny Weasley, his mouth slightly opened in a state of surprise. She hadn't just walked away from him, surely. He'd apologised. He'd said the 's' word, not something he used lightly. Not something he used much at all, because Draco Malfoy was not the sort of wizard who was sorry about anything. However, it had seemed necessary in this situation, so he'd said it, even if he hadn't meant it.

And that bitch had just turned him down, even after he'd tried to make amends. He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that a witch had just walked away from him. Not just any witch - a Weasley witch.

He shut the doors with a wave of his hand and moved back towards his desk, his anger rising rapidly to the surface. In a rare display of temper, he picked up the glass of water that Ginny had been drinking out of and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered, drops of water splashing down the wall. Taking deep, slow breaths, Draco straightened his robes and slicked back his hair, his cool exterior reappearing.

This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all. Nobody walked away from Draco Malfoy and got away with it.

Ginny Weasley would be made to pay.

~*~*~*~

It wasn't until she got back to her bright and airy loft-style apartment that Ginny Weasley's calm demeanour crumpled. Her face burned brightly in both embarrassment and shame.

How unprofessional of you!

Her mind screamed. Why on earth did you let a great prat like Draco Malfoy upset you like that for? All you had to do was say no and walk away.

With shaky hands, Ginny poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice and sank down into her couch. Her encounter with Malfoy had completely unnerved her, unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. And it wasn't just the fact that he was the most powerful wizard of their generation. His very nearness had made her feel so awkward. She was never usually so nervous around any wizards; she'd long since conquered her shyness. She'd dated in the past, had a few nice boyfriends who'd been very sweet. Certainly none of them had been anything like Draco Malfoy.

Damn him to hell.

She put down her glass with a huff and made herself a promise. Malfoy was not going to get the better of her, regardless of how he made her feel or what he could do for her career. She'd certainly made herself very clear as to what type of behaviour she expected from him, and if he refused to play along, it was his loss.

Let him come to her if he wanted her business so badly.

~*~*~*~

After fixing the glass with a wave of his hand and a quietly muttered "Reparo", Draco returned it to its rightful place and sat back down behind his desk. He then summoned Niles to pour him a drink. He knew it was probably too early in the morning, but a good stiff glass of Odgen's Firewhisky would help him think.

"Anything else, Sir?" Niles asked once he'd returned the crystal decanter to its place.

"No, Niles. Carry on."

"Very good, Sir." Niles turned to leave and made it to the doors before he heard his employer's voice.

"Actually, Niles, there is something else."

"Yes, Sir?"

Draco swirled the whisky around in the glass, his gaze distant as if he were lost in thought. "I want you to find out everything there is to know about Ginny Weasley and her business. Financial records, bank accounts. Anything that I might be able to use."

Niles bowed his head. "Very good, Sir. I will have it on your desk by close of business."

"Thank you," Draco said in a dismissive tone. He watched as his assistant made for the doors to begin his task. "Oh, and Niles?"

"Sir?"

"See if she's dating anyone. If so, give me his records too."

Niles nodded his assent and left Draco to his thoughts.

Draco pushed back his Italian leather chair and placed his feet up on his desk, his whisky still in one hand. The gentle clinking of the ice in his glass was the only sound in the room. His brow furrowed slightly in concentration as he pondered the best route to take with Ginny Weasley.

She was a stubborn witch. Of that, there was no doubt. Exerting his considerable power did not wash with her as it did most other witches, so that was out. He would obviously have to handle her carefully, because her temper seemed to match her hair. He'd barely said a word about her mother and she'd exploded. It wasn't as if he'd been lying - her mother was dumpy. Hell, even dumpy was being generous.

Another course of action was in order then. For now, the stakes were much higher. He didn't just want her for her photographic skills. It had gotten personal.

Draco let a smirk cross his lips; he planned on enjoying himself along the way. He was wizard enough to admit he found her somewhat attractive. She was a lot different than most witches he'd shagged. They were complacent and agreeable and did what they were told. Draco was an excellent judge of character, his skills honed from years of dealing with hundreds of witches and wizards through his business. He knew from their brief meeting that Ginny was a proud witch, one that could not easily be swayed. He wondered where this had come from; she had certainly been meek during her school years. The only reason he remembered her was because of the Chamber of Secrets fiasco in his second year. If she'd been able to be manipulated by a memory captured in a diary, then she had to have been pathetic.

But obviously, Ginny the child and Ginny the adult were two different creatures. The former would have been no problem to control; the latter would need a lot more work.

So he began to think, forumating his plan. He would take a look at her records that afternoon and find the best way to win her over, then destroy her when she was at her most vunerable. It was all too easy - he would get some great photographs from her for his catalogue, quite possibly a few good shags along the way, then dump her on her stubborn arse without a second thought.

It was the only way she would learn that one did not fuck with Draco Malfoy.

~*~*~*~

Ginny looked over the proofs from her latest shoot with a long sigh. For reasons she couldn't fathom, the pictures had turned out to be well below her usual standard. This day was going from bad to worse. Her morning encounter with Draco Malfoy had been a disaster; the afternoon was not shaping up to being any better.

Ginny was now in her small studio office. The front part was her shopfront, where she had her best photos framed and ready for sale; the back contained her darkroom and storeroom, where the potions were kept to develop and enhance her photos when needed.

The sound of an owl hooting alerted her to the fact that someone had just entered the store, so Ginny put down the negatives and headed out to greet her customer...

... who turned out to be Hermione and Ellie Potter.

"Hi, Hermione," Ginny said warmly.

"Hey, Gin," an obviously frazzled Hermione responded. She rocked the pram back and forth in a futile attempt to quiet her daughter, who seemed keen to make her presence known with loud wails.

"Having trouble with her?"

Hermione nodded, her frizzy brown hair bouncing around her. "She hasn't stopped since Harry left for work. She's been screaming non-stop and has spit up three times in the last hour. All over her dress."

Ginny heard the despair in her voice and moved over to the pram to pick up the now screaming baby, tiny fists waving furiously in the air. "Eleanor Grace Potter," she said in a stern tone. "What on earth is all this noise about, hmmm? You're supposed to be a good girl for Mummy."

Ellie would not be pacified, even after Ginny placed her on her shoulder and moved around the room, bouncing gently.

"On your way somewhere?"

"Oh, yes," Hermione responded. "Late lunch with Harry. He has to work late tonight, so he's taking a break now. I thought I'd bring Ellie in to see him. Obviously not a good idea in her current mood."

"Why don't you leave her here with me, then? You go have a nice, quiet lunch with Harry, then come back and get her. I'm sure we can find plenty of fun things to do, can't we, Ellie?" Ginny cooed at the baby and attempted to shush her by rubbing her back with one hand.

"Oh Gin, I feel bad. You already took her last night for us. I can't leave her again."

Ginny waved a hand in dismissal. "Like last night was any help. You two were back in half an hour because you felt so guilty for leaving her, remember? Honestly, Hermione, go enjoy your lunch. She'll still be here when you get back." And maybe she'll also distract me from thinking about a certain arrogant but handsome wizard who won't leave my thoughts.

"Well, if you're sure," Hermione said uncertainly.

"I'm sure. Say goodbye to Mummy, Ellie."

Ellie was too busy wailing to bid her mother farewell.

~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy ate his sandwich thoughtfully. He'd been treated to an interesting night's reading. As promised, Niles had had several thick files that entailed every aspect of Ginny's life. All personal and business financial documents were there, and Draco had poured over them carefully, not wanting to miss anything.

Ginny Weasley was in a considerable amount of debt. Well, the amount was mere pocket change for Draco, but it probably meant a great deal to her. Her apartment was mortgaged and she'd taken out several loans against it to buy equipment for her business and get it off the ground. He'd also realised why she'd agreed to bring her portfolio to show him - the fee he paid for the catalogue would pay off her outstanding debts and give her a bit of money to play with. Perhaps take a nice holiday.

Draco smiled to himself. Now he knew where her weakness lay, he could use it to his advantage. He had the one thing Ginny Weasley needed most - money. If he played his cards right, he would have her in his bed before too long. Then, when he'd had his fun and tired of her, he could get rid of her and move on, knowing that she would probably be devastated. He believed Ginny was the type of witch who guarded her heart zealously - and her past dating history seemed to back up his theory - but if he could get her to drop all her defenses, he was sure he could make her want him. Then when she wanted him most, he would be able to ignore Arthur Weasley's daughter like he did countless other witches who had dropped their knickers for him.

By the time he finished his lunch, Draco Malfoy could not wipe the smirk off his face. His plan could not fail.

~*~*~*~

When Ginny arrived home after spending a rather harried hour with her goddaughter, she went over some paperwork, ate dinner, and then ran herself a bath and sunk into the relaxing bubbles. Her long red hair was loosely pinned up on her head, and she laid back. Her head was on the waterproof cushion propped up against the tiles of the wall and her long legs stretched out. Now this was exactly what she needed.

Ellie had risen to the occasion magnificently and Ginny had not thought of Draco Malfoy once while entertaining the baby, but as soon as a very thankful Hermione had come to pick her daughter up again, Ginny's thoughts had strayed back to the one person she wanted desperately to forget.

Damn Malfoy.

She sighed as she considered just how many times she'd said that since her meeting with him that morning. Not for the first time, her temper had gotten the better of her and she'd let him bait her. That was probably exactly what he'd wanted, for her to get angry and storm out so he could say he'd done her the courtesy of a meeting and she'd been the one to terminate it.

She wondered if he'd really wanted to offer her the contract or had just been saying that in order to get her to come and see him. Ginny frowned as she thought that over, however, because she couldn't for the life of her think why he'd want to see her if he hadn't been serious.

And she'd blown it.

Going over her expenses earlier that evening, Ginny knew she really needed the contract - and the money it was worth. Much as she hated to admit it, it was true. Not only would she have been able to pay off her mortgage and her loans, but she would have had a small next egg to put away for a rainy day. Stupid, Weasley, she mentally kicked herself.

Maybe she could owl him tomorrow and apologise, and offer to start over. But her face turned into a scowl as she considered having to apologise to a Malfoy. After the way he and his bloody father had treated her and her family over the years, it should have been him on his knees begging her forgiveness. Her mind scoffed at the mere notion of Draco Malfoy begging for anything.

All of a sudden, a rather disturbing image flashed in Ginny's mind, and she realised the bathroom was suddenly very hot. She turned the cold water tap on and topped the bath up in a futile attempt to cool down.

~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy lay in bed, the witch he'd owled Miranda for long gone. She'd been an energetic one, he thought contentedly. He was most pleased because she had provided the exact short-term tonic to get him back on track. He made a mental note to get Niles to send Miranda a single red rose with a note of thanks.

He curled over to his side, letting sleep take him. It was only as he dozed off, his mind half asleep and filled with images of Ginny Weasley, that it occurred to Draco that when he'd sent Miranda the owl, he'd specifically requested a redhead.