Over Time: First Friends

"So if zis man is so 'andsome, why do you not want him?" Etoile Delacour peered at her new friend suspiciously. They'd been working together for two weeks, and had bonded over croissants and heavily sugared coffee.

"Draco Malfoy's been my best friend for ten years. It'd be too weird to date him." Ginny shrugged, not noticing the small start the part-veela girl gave. "But you'd like him, you really would. He's smart and funny and really great once you get to know him a bit."

Etoile looked carefully at Ginny, whose face was slightly turned away, eyes on the ground. "If it ees a double date, I go."

Ginny smiled, perhaps a bit too brilliantly. "Great! Malfoy was threatening to set me up with someone, so we'll just do it at the same time. Go to dinner or something."

"So, you call, make the arrangements. Just do not tell him my name, oui? I... Do not want to be compared with my cousin, Fleur, until I have met him." If Ginny thought this condition was odd, she didn't show it, just nodding and scurrying off to let Malfoy know via floo.

The instant Ginny broke the floo connection, Draco cursed and threw a glass paperweight at the opposite wall. It was bad enough to have set up a date between Ginny, who was now starring in some decidedly unplatonic dreams of his, and bloody Oliver Wood. Now he had to sit across the table from them and watch them flirt. The promise of a date with mile long legs, hair down to her waist, and violet eyes was only slightly mollifying.

It was irritating beyond belief. Ten years, ten bloody, endless years, and six years of school before that, and he hadn't thought of her as a girl once. Then one random comment and it was like flicking on the switch for his muggle games; once it was on, it was on. But he couldn't do anything about it, because the instant that she thought he wanted her, that would mark the end of their friendship. He couldn't risk that, so he needed to flip the switch the other way, go back to thinking of her as just his pal, devoid of gender and certainly not a gorgeous woman that he lusted after. That's why he had tracked down Wood and arranged through a mutual acquaintance to set him up with Ginny. He'd been okay when she dated all those other prats. If she got involved with someone, then he would stop thinking about her in ways he shouldn't.

Right.

So, he'd make it through the date, maybe hit it off with his date, and things would go back to normal. And now that that was settled, he could concentrate on something important. Nodding firmly in affirmation of his thoughts, Draco picked up the controller and focused on making it past the boss of that level.

The evening of the big date arrived, and they had all agreed to meet at Speakeasy, a supper club with a roaring twenties theme. Etoile had insisted on getting ready together, and so the two girls were already giggly by the time they got to the club. All heads turned to look at them when they entered, and Ginny laughed. "I need to go out to clubs with you more often. I've never gotten this much attention in my life."

"Geeny, you are too modest. It is ze both of us gaining ze attention." Etoile tossed her head and her blonde hair rippled like a waterfall. Her violet eyes sparkled as she looked over the room, completely ignoring the intent stares of all the males in the room.

"You realize that, if I didn't like you so much, I would hate you with every fiber of my being, right?" Ginny tried to look fierce, but couldn't hold it long in the face of her friend's giggles. She was stretching to peer further into the club when she felt lips on her neck. "Malfoy! What have I told you about saying hello?"

"I don't know, I wasn't listening." Draco grinned devilishly and tweaked her nose.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but was unable to completely suppress the smile that had crept up on her face. "Ignore him right now, Etoile, he's only like this around me. I swear, he really can be charming."

The blonde girl nodded, her glorious amethyst eyes dancing. "Non, I find him very charming now."

"Etoile Delacour, you haven't found me charming since I refused to ruin your best dress." Draco lifted her hand to his lips, then led her and a very confused looking Ginny to a table.

"You two know each other?" It was a stupid question, but Ginny was feeling off her stride.

Etoile's laugh was silvery, and made everyone who heard it smile. "Oui! Draco and I are cousins. His muzzer is part veela, like me."

"Huh. And all this time I thought he bleached." Ginny smirked as Draco choked on his beer. "So what was the deal with ruining your dress?"

"Ginny! There you are... Oh, hullo, Malfoy." The three of them looked up to see a red haired man threading through the crowds to join them at their table.

"And who is thees lovely flame haired gentleman?" Etoile turned the full force of her veela charm on him, but Percy Weasley only blushed faintly.

"Um, I'm just Ginny's brother, no one special." Percy bowed awkwardly before clearing his throat. "Hello, Gin. Um, Oliver got pummeled in a match today, so he couldn't be here. He sent me to make his apologies and say some flattering things which prove he doesn't know you very well at all."

Ginny and Malfoy laughed, while Etoile looked over him closely. "Oh, well, Perce, you might as well sit down, take a break from cauldron bottoms and systems of measurement." Ginny brushed a kiss on her brother's cheek as she shoved him into the chair next to her. "I couldn't ask for a better date, anyway."

"You are P. Weasley? I wondered if Geeny was a relation, but I 'ad not been able to ask." Etoile's smile seemed different somehow, and Ginny looked at her quizzically while Malfoy ordered for all of them. Etoile leaned in towards Percy, pushing back some of the strands of silvery blonde hair that fell forwards, and said breathily, "Your report on the use of alloys and the proportions necessary for labeling was... How you say? Magnifique!"

"Good lord." Malfoy looked horrified. "Can't you drag out my bloody baby pictures or put me in thumbscrews or something less painful?"

Etoile frowned, the furrow in her perfect brow somehow making her even more beautiful. "If you wish..." Opening the small purse she carried, she pulled out a small leather object that looked like a billfold, then touched it briefly with her wand. "See, Geeny, zis is when zis 'orrible boy refused to ruin my dress and save me."

"Awww, Malfoy, you were so adorable! What happened?" Ginny winked as she looked at the photograph of a tiny version of Malfoy, in formal robes, bow tie and white gloves, his hair parted in the middle and slicked down to the sides, dragging a pouting young Etoile onto a dance floor.

"Silly bint wanted to read during dance class with her mother watching." Draco smiled lazily and tapped the picture with his wand, flipping to the next one, which showed two stunning blonde women standing next to each other. "I'd have helped, but my mother was there, too, and I would've had to run away from home if she caught me behaving in any way that wasn't gentlemanly."

Percy laughed. "Our mother was a tartar about dance lessons, but Gin here had a bit more pity on her nearest and dearest." He pulled out his own billfold-album and started tapping it. "She'd always feel the need to shriek 'Watch me, Mummy!' whenever I was in danger of being caught with a book in hand."

Without ceremony, Draco reached over and pulled the album, currently displaying a baby Ginny naked on a bear skin rug, out of Percy's hands. "Why, Weasel, I didn't know you were such a cute baby! Of course, you'd probably be cuter if you posed for this photo now."

Percy scowled, Etoile laughed, and Ginny punched Draco in the arm before turning to Etoile. "So what was that you were saying about Perfect Percy, former Head Boy, being magnifique?"

Percy rolled his eyes. Ten years had given him a lot of time to get over some of his self importance, although only death would stop him from taking his work extremely seriously. Etoile, however, seized on the subject with enthusiasm. "Oh, oui, of course! Eet is so rare to find someone who shows such passion and dedication for something so important!"

Ginny was having trouble hiding her disbelief and Percy was flushing and looking disconcerted, when Draco chimed in with, "Etoile's maternal family makes cauldrons, and she's taking over the family business someday."

"Oui, ze House of Belle Etain has had some difficulties--"

"But they've always kept to the highest standards and used quality materials." Percy and Etoile looked at each other and couldn't seem to break away. The air almost crackled from the intensity.

Ginny sighed and stood up. "Come on, ferret. Let's go see if those dance lessons stuck with us." They took the floor silently, moving smoothly into a waltz.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a horrible matchmaker?" Draco broke the silence after they'd danced for a few moments.

"Oh, and you did better? At least your date wasn't a sibling." Ginny reached up and tugged the hair on the back of his neck. She leaned her face on his shoulder and peeked back at the table, where Percy and Etoile were now so close together that oxygen molecules would have trouble fitting in between them.

The music shifted to a tango and they glanced at each other, a spark of mischief glinting between them. Ginny's face turned haughty and Draco's expression was best described as 'smoldering' as they each brought their bodies up, spines taut, their eyes locked together. Ginny tossed her hair and turned away, only to be stopped by his hand on her arm. He twirled her around until her body was pressed against his, her leg moving up to circle his. A feral smile curled her lips and met a raised eyebrow as they stalked all over the dance floor, playing out in full the dance's ritual of seduction and disdain.

Eventually the dance ended, with Ginny arched over backwards and Draco's mouth hovering above her exposed throat. The band was going on break, so there was no music, just the clapping of the diners who had watched them dance. Gracefully, Draco put her on her feet and swept a grand bow at the audience before steering her back to the table.

Percy and Etoile were still wrapped up in each other, but the food had arrived, so Ginny had an excuse to avoid Draco's eyes. It had been a dance, just a dance. If her pulse was racing and her skin felt hot, well, it was because of the physical exertion. The last thing in the world she needed was to be attracted to the one person in the world who she could talk to about anything. Who would she talk to about it? She stabbed viciously at her food and scowled.

"It's already dead, Weasel." Draco's breath was in her ear and only iron clad self control kept her from shivering. "Does dancing always make you cranky?"

"I've just... I've got a headache." Percy and Etoile finally looked away from each other to look at her with concern. "I think I'd better get home before it turns into a migraine."

Ginny waved off the protestations of the others. "No, don't worry about it, I'll be fine. You stay and have fun." She gave Etoile a weak smile. "You just concentrate on what you're going to do with my brother now that you've got him completely smitten with you."

She was halfway to the door when she felt a familiar hand close around her arm. "Come on, Weasley, let's get you home."

"Malfoy, I just want to go home and go to sleep. Stay, have fun." She managed a creditable smirk. "Find a girl with octopus hands."

He looked into her eyes, then shrugged and kissed her forehead. "Call me in the morning to let me know you're okay, then." He smiled and she thought the tightening in her chest was really uncalled for. Muttering a goodbye, she scurried away to go and sleep off whatever strange effect he was having on her.

(A/N: This was written before OotP came out. It seems unlikely that Narcissa Black would be in any part veela, but I'm going to chalk it up to the warping of canon necessary for any true Mary Sue. And even with his total gitness in OotP, I still think it's possible for Percy to turn out okay... But that's a long rant not best suited for an author's note.)