Not What They Were- a Drinny fanfiction

Chapter 19

Draco left the podium at the end of his presentation and walked straight into the hallway, palms sweating and his head throbbing he leaned against the walls of the Ministry, trying to comprehend why on earth Ginny had been in the meeting.

"She's not an Auror," he muttered under his breath. "She can't be."

Over and over he went through multiple scenarios as to why Ginny was there, each less likely than the last. After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, the group of Aurors began pouring out of the conference room. Some greeted him, welcoming him back, others he did not know, asked questions and clarified details about his presentation. Last, to exit the room was Director Lupin, followed closely by Ginny, Ron and a rather large man Draco recognized as Mac McLaggen.

"Malfoy, Ginny, we'll meet in my office in fifteen. I have a few things I need to attend to first." With Director Lupin's departure, the air seemed to grow thicker. For a few long beats, the four Aurors stood in the hallway awkwardly waiting for someone to speak, it came as a great relief when Mac broke the loaded silence.

"'ell then, nice to have ya back Draco!" he nearly shouted, trying to hide his unease with the circumstances, "it 'asnt been the same since ya left!"

Draco nodded to Mac, and the group fell back into that heavy silence.

"Oy!" Mac broke the calm again, "Cormac's gone and got 'imself 'itched!"

"Congratulations Mac," Draco took the man's hand, "That is wonderful news. Who might his lucky bride be?"

"Some lass 'e met in France on 'oliday. She ain't french mind ya, but she's a nice gal. Corrine's 'er name" Mac was beaming. Ginny knew his son was his pride and joy and she couldn't help smiling, even if she thought Cormac was an oaf, herself. "they eloped 'course, but they're 'avin a big ol party at mi mum's house tomorrow, ya should come! It'd be nice for him to see ya!"

Ginny's eyes went wide, and if she had eaten anything yet that day, she would have spilled the contents of her stomach on the floor. How could Mac invite him? He was fully informed of their situation and knew her well enough to know that the last thing she wanted to do at that moment would be spending time with Draco. And it wasn't as if Ginny could skiv off the party herself; she was Mac's partner, her presence was mandatory.

Draco, of course, could see Ginny's reaction clearly, he still affected her in some way, even if her cold stare during his presentation tried to fool him. "That sounds lovely Mac, thank you for the invitation."

"Course! Cormac will be glad to see ya!" Mac smiled uneasily down at Ginny.

"Well if you'll excuse me I have a few things to wrap up before our meeting, see you in a few Ginerva" it was the first time he had acknowledged her presence in the hall and he used her full first name for added effect. Before anyone could protest, he walked quickly away from the group, smirking as he heard Ginny's smack land on Mac.

Stop it, he silently told himself. Stop Smiling stop thinking of her, stop it.

He shouldn't be smirking at the thought of making her nervous, the whole point of his undercover work was to keep himself away from her, hold her a safe distance away from the case, and here she was in the center of it. Worse even, she had become a crucial element. His plans for his feelings and his case were not going as intended, Draco hated not getting his way. Someone was going to hear about this.

Without knocking Draco walked right into Director Lupin's office."What are you playing at Nymphadora?" he demanded, closing the door softly behind him.

"Well right now I am trying to squeeze in a small bite, but it looks like you're putting a stop to that." She took a large bite out of her sandwich and glared at Draco.

"Come off it!" he threw himself into the chair in front of her desk and tossed his files onto her desk, "You know what I mean!"

"aco ee is wallufied. ee ith the beth pothon mather there ith." she mumbled over a mouth of food.

"Chew, I'll wait," he remarked. 

"Watch the attitude Malfoy." she spat back after a pause to swallow. As much leeway as she gave Draco, she refused to put up with the petulant child he still acted like on rare occasions.

"Sorry" he mumbled under his breath.

"Ginny is the best potions master in all of Europe, AND she deconstructed the potion, to begin with. This is as much her case as it is yours and now that it's coming back to this office I made the executive call, that is well within my power, and put her on the case."

"I meant why the hell is she in this office!" he huffed out, his patience growing thin.

"There was an opening, she applied. Simple." She turned back to her lunch.

"No! not simple!" he stood up and began pacing her office. Director Lupin had grown to see Draco as an annoying little brother, so she quite enjoyed having him back in London, even if it meant helping sort through his exasperating emotions. She watched him walk back in forth, grumbling to himself about Ginny and the Auror department. After a few moments, Draco had slowed his pace and rested on her filing cabinet, scratching his head. She took this as a sign he had finally given up trying to force his non-exsistant hand.

"So you've worked out this is her decision, have you? That you have no control over what she chose to do or who I chose to hire? And you're going to do your best to stay calm? Remember she is a professional? And leave any feelings out of work?" she laughed as he answered her questions with small nods of understanding. "Good, because she's going to be here in a few minutes and you look a mess."

Director Lupin withdrew her wand from the grand desk and flicked it casually in Draco's direction. With a soft pop the wrinkles in his slacks smoothed out, his blonde hair started to shine, and his scuffed black shoes developed an almost mirror-like polish.

"Thank you," he said softly looking up at Director Lupin, remembering how much he truly missed his home over the last two months. It was not just Ginny he had missed; it was everything. The way Lupin looked out for him like a beloved friend, the way coworkers invited him easily to events, and the casual conversations he could hold with them, it was all a welcome return. Undercover work was lonely and dismal. Getting to know your colleagues and make friends was exponentially tricky when you were investigating the seedy deeds they participated in, both on and off duty. Not to mention the wizards and witches he met while trying to infiltrate the underground criminal network weren't what you would call friend material. The only connections he had to his real life were letters sent to the Director and the occasional conversation via floo with his mother, though those were not in policy, strictly speaking. For the majority of the past two months, Draco had spent his free time pouring over notes, reading old case files and missing everything about home.