Drabble Part 1
Draco looked up at the rather tall building feeling completely unimpressed. If he wasn't under strict instructions, he would have said sod it and gone to the pub. But his house elf, a fearless little thing that scared him a quite bit more than he'd ever admit, had threatened to cut off his favorite sort of pastry if he didn't bring home some offensive Muggle thing for her to experiment with. Walking up to some boxes under a sign labeled 'MICROWAVES' in bold friendly letters, he wondered if these boxes would be enough to satisfy her curiosity.
Draco looked around at the different crazy contraptions aligned up against the wall. Why did Mitty or Milly or whatever her name was want one of these things so bad? There were far too many buttons and they didn't even appear to work. Draco's mind was still wrapping around the idea of how to incorporate it into the many workings of the Manor, but the simple thought that bringing this thing home would have his ancestors rolling in their grave made Draco even more resolute to try the blasted thing.
'You finding everything all right sir?'
A female muggle, dressed in an apron indicative of the store, was trying to help him. He didn't want help, but considering how utterly lost he was with these silly boxes, he decided to be civil. Glancing at her more thoroughly, he noticed her name tag was decorated with a bunch of heart stickers crowded around the name 'Candi', and was disgusted at how she seemed to resemble a cow the way she was chomping on her gum.
'Which one of these is the best?' he demanded.
The girl looked a bit surprised and started rattling on about the appropriate features of each box. I didn't want a Muggle Studies lesson you silly girl, was on the tip of Draco's tongue, but he held it back. He was on thin ice with the ministry already, and causing a commotion in the middle of a muggle department store was probably not the wisest course of action. He interrupted her lecture about the defrost buttons with a bit of a sneer.
'Let me clarify, which one of these is the most expensive.' Because of course the most expensive one had to be the best. That seemed to shut up the girl, anyway, because her eyes got a bit large at the realization she was working with someone who had money. She stopped and motioned to the one in the middle with a bit of cardboard wrapping around it, proclaiming it's dominance over all the 'microwaves'.
'Great, how much is it?' he asked, ready to be out of the store. He looked at the girl impatiently as she told him a large amount, he assumed, and he struggled to pull out a big wad of Muggle money he'd acquired for this ridiculous task. Candi looked at him strangely, motioning to the counter where he saw other Muggles handing over some form of currency. Walking over there with her, she used some funny hand held device at the counter to talk to someone about the microwave. As she hung up, she smiled broadly at him as he gave her the correct amount of bills. A moment later, a boy wearing a similar apron, came out with a box as large as a Hogwarts trunk on a trolley. Bloody hell, is nothing about this easy? he thought to himself.
'Here's your receipt, sir, would you like help out to your car?' Candi asked him, leaning over the counter and batting her eyelashes. Draco felt a stab of revulsion at her bubblegum breath and took the offered receipt. 'No thank you, I'll manage,' he replied as curtly as possible. Unfortunately, that meant the task of carrying the blasted thing was completely up to him. He couldn't very well pop this around the corner and shrink it, could he? The ministry popped up in his head the second time that trip, and he suddenly wished his ancestors hadn't been so adept at hiding the Manor from Muggle eyes. At least then he could have had it delivered.
Dredging up the courage, he leaned over to pick up the box. It was bulky and far too heavy, he decided. The boy wheeled the trolley away, whistling, leaving Draco to shift the box to be less uncomfortable in his arms and started to make his way to the door. As he was walking through the store, trying to keep his struggling to a minimum (for Malfoy's never show weakness) when a voice rang out.
'Malfoy?'
Draco cringed. He wondered, vaguely, who he'd offended so badly in his past life that would curse him to dealing with such ridiculously embarrassing situations. There would only be one person who'd say his name in utter disdain and confusion. Not to mention be blunt enough to not let it go that yes, he was in a Muggle store, and no, he probably wouldn't want to talk to them. He turned to the offending voice.
'Weasley.'
~*~*~*~
'Malfoy?'
There had to be a mistake. There was no way that Draco Malfoy would set foot in a Muggle department store. Nevertheless, Draco Malfoy stood in front of her, struggling with a microwave. Ginny had the bad habit of immediately speaking her thoughts, even if they were utterly gobsmacked thoughts. He turned, shifting the apparently heavy box in his arms and eyed her coolly.
'Weasley.'
He then tipped his head slightly and started to continue on his way. Ginny stared at him a good moment before falling in line to catch up with him.
'What are you doing here, Malfoy?' she asked, eyeing him warily. He shot her a completely exasperated look and motioned with his head to the box in his arms.
'What does it look like? I'm buying a microwave,' he replied. He shifted the box in his arms again. It looked rather heavy to Ginny, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
'Whatever for? It's not like you know how to operate it or anything,' she said. They had reached the door and she stepped up to push it open for him. He gave her a disapproving look, as if torn between irritation that she was helping him and something else. She just shrugged in reply, then tilted her head to remind him to answer.
'If you must know, I've been put under the most severe of circumstances for me to even.. gah!' Draco exclaimed as his grip slipped and the box tumbled forward. Ginny lurched forward to grab the other side and help him reacquaint his grip as he let out a slew of curse words that made her grin.
'...bloody Muggles!' he uttered at the end of his tirade. Ginny stepped back, with a grin still on her face. Draco glared at her.
'As entertaining as my plight seems to you, I would like to get home and relieve this stupid contraption to Miffy and forget I was even here. So farewell, Weasley, and enjoy your life,' he drew himself up, Ginny assumed to intimidate her, and started to walk off down the street.
She watched him go, curiosity burning within her. Ginny knew she had a hard time giving up a good mystery, even an innocent one. Malfoy wasn't one for random kindness, and so who on earth would require a Muggle bribe? Someone who obviously didn't give a snit about his pride, or really wanted him to suffer. She had to snicker at that, and turned down the opposite way. She could stop by that little cafe she kept walking past on her way to work from her Muggle flat.
Ten minutes later, Ginny was sitting at a little table near the window of Twenty Forward Cafe with an Italian soda in hand. She had to admit, despite his usual countenance and repelling nature, he had grown into his features. It was just a shock seeing him, let alone seeing him look so good.
Ginny scowled into her drink. She shouldn't be thinking about that. She drudged up all the unhappy memories she experienced with the blond Slytherin, and couldn't find a redeeming quality in any of them. Turning her and her friends into that Umbridge hag, which admittedly was worthwhile due to the look on his face after she'd unleashed her fury on him. His sneers in the hallway when he would pass her and her utter look of disdain in reply.
There was only one, small unimportant memory that kept cropping back up in her mind. Miniscule detail, really. No one would hold it against her, right?
It was a day or so after the Final Battle at Hogwarts, and he was seated next to his mother in the back of the Slytherin table. Everyone was still in a daze, trying to clean things up and figure out what they should do now that they were free to choose whatever path they like. No more Snatchers, the Ministry was in disarray, and Voldemort was finally gone. Ginny, looking for Luna with her father, had accidentally caught his eye and stilled on him. He immediately looked back down at his plate, looking decidedly dejected. His mother, cold as ever in her grace, leaned into his ear to whisper something to him which made him smile... but not quite. The smile was forced, as if to placate a loved one.
Ginny remembered it so vividly, because she had worn it often.
Lucius had been arrested that afternoon. The only reason mother and son had not been arrested with him was because of the mercy Harry Potter had pleaded for them. The remaining Malfoys held themselves with pride, regardless, but Ginny knew it was a bitter pill for them to swallow. She watched as Draco seemed to build himself up in front of her eyes, banishing all signs of wretchedness, and his mother gave that same strained smile.
It was intriguing, watching this disjointed family. Those few moments distracted Ginny from her grief. Those few moments distracted her from her sorrow when it seemed too hard to bear. Because for one strange moment, Draco Malfoy seemed human to her.
If he could still be human underneath all his cold, sharp edges, she could be human too.
Right?