Draco Malfoy was having a very bad day.



His morning had started out terribly. After an awful row with Ginny the night before over something which must have been trivial considering he couldn’t even remember what it was, she had announced she was going to stay with Hermione, threw some nightclothes into her overnight case and Disapparated.



He spent a sleepless night tossing and turning, all the while hugging Ginny’s pillow and wondering what the hell he had said to make her so brassed off at him. To make matters worse, he had forgotten to set the alarm charm before he went to bed so he woke up a good forty-five minutes after he usually did.



He had hurried through his morning routine, donning his usual crisp Oxford shirt, black slacks and Italian patent leather shoes before putting on his robes. He then grabbed his briefcase and hustled out the door.



At the neighborhood Starbucks, a Muggle coffee chain he often frequented with Ginny, he received his usual tall caramel macchiato but was quite put out when informed they were out of his usual lemon-orange muffins. He had to make do with a lemon-poppyseed muffin, (which everyone knows are nowhere near as good as the lemon-orange ones).



Saying Draco was a tad bit upset by the time he arrived at the offices of Malfoy Industries was like saying Voldemort was a little loose in the head.



He stormed into his office without a greeting to his personal assistant, Samantha, merely pausing to grab the stack of papers from her hands before slamming his office door behind him.



Draco dropped ungracefully into his luxurious desk chair and put his head in his hands. On top of all the stress weighing down on him from work and the row with Ginny, it seemed he had forgotten about the date.



It was Valentine’s Day.



Ginny had insisted they not do anything special since they had only started dating five months ago. She had steered the conversation to a different subject any time he tried to approach it, saying she would be happy just to spend the day with him.



Draco sighed. Well, that idea had just got shot to hell.



“PANSY!” he bellowed. “You have point two seconds to get your arse in here before I...”



The door swung open. “Before you what, Malfoy?”



Pansy sauntered in, dressed in a pink silk blouse and black trousers. Her brown hair was cut short, framing her face in the front but cropped shorter in the back. “If this is about the Nott takeover, the notes are already on your desk.” She regarded him, then raised her eyebrow. “Or is this about the lovely Miss Weasley?”



Draco glared at her and Pansy snickered. “I’ll take it this is about the latter.”



“Pansy, you’re a girl.”



“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”



“I can still fire you, Parkinson.”



Pansy smirked. “Actually, you really can’t. You need my expertise with our foreign investors and you put me on the Board of Directors, so nice try, but what’s bugging you?”



“Itsvawntynesday,” Draco moaned with his head in his hands.



“I’m sorry, were there words in that sentence?”



He lifted his head from his hands and repeated, “It’s Valentine’s Day. You know, the holiday capitalised on by the greeting card industry in order to make or break those of us with a significant other? Heard of it before?”



Pansy’s face lit up. “I know it’s Valentine’s Day. Neville and I are going to a show on the West End and then we’re having a late dinner.”



“Yes, well, aside from your utter lack of common sense when it comes to Longbottom, I need help.”



“Don’t tell me you haven’t already gotten Ginny something.” The look on Pansy’s face was incredulous. “It’s your first Valentine’s Day together, Draco!”



“That’s exactly why she said she didn’t want to do anything special. We’ve only been together…”



“Five months, I know. And she’s obviously lying.” Pansy studied her long red nails. “Trust me on this one. She says she doesn’t want anything but she’s secretly hoping for a romantic surprise. Honestly, Malfoy, how did you finish second in our class?”



Draco glared at her before his expression turned to one of total despair. “I’m doomed,” he moaned before he began banging his head on his desk.



“Look, Malfoy, as loathe as I am to hear about your relationship with Ginny, I’m going to help you out here because I’ve a gentle and compassionate nature. Now wipe that smirk off your face and listen to me. This is what you’re going to do...”



***



Ginny trudged up the front steps to her flat. The night before, she and Draco had argued. It must have been over something stupid considering she couldn’t even remember why they had fought. Her temper had gotten the best of her and she had stormed out and spent the night at Hermione’s. The older girl had been sympathetic, remembering the many times she had crashed at Ginny’s when Ron was being an insufferable prat.



Work today was no fun. All her female co-workers at The Daily Prophet were constantly being accosted with bouquets of roses or singing valentines. The food critic had even received a package that, when opened, spouted out red and pink sparklers and confetti before revealing a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet.



Only Ginny’s desk remained woefully unadorned.



True, that was probably her own fault, considering she had told Draco not to do anything special to mark the day, but she still secretly wished he hadn’t listened to her just this once.



When the work day was finally over, Ginny grabbed her overnight bag and Apparated to the alley behind her home. Upon reaching the front door, she withdrew her wand from her robes and unlocked the door.



It was pitch-dark inside. She set her overnight case next to the coat rack. A simple Lumos illuminated the front hallway, which to Ginny’s great surprise was covered with rose petals.



She followed the trail of petals until she reached the dining area. The sight that greeted her stopped her in her tracks.



Her little dining room table had been transformed into an elegant dinner for two. Candles were alight on every flat surface available. Two place settings of fine china were arranged on the table. There was also a small box sitting on one of the plates.



Ginny whipped her head around to find Draco standing in the doorway between the dining area and the kitchen. He looked absolutely edible in his grey shirt, black slacks and apron.



“Draco, I..”



“Ginny…”



Ginny smiled. “You first.”



Draco cleared his throat. “Listen, Ginny, I know you said you didn’t want anything special for Valentine’s Day and I’m sorry I didn’t respect your wishes but I had to do something. These past five months have been the most amazing of my life. You brought happiness into my life when I had almost nothing left to live for. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I just wanted to tell you….”



Ginny swallowed. “Tell me what?”



He looked into her eyes. “...that I love you.”



Ginny’s eyes were swimming with unshed tears. “Oh Draco, I love you too.” One tear trickled down her cheek as she said, “Draco, I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I don’t remember what we were fighting about but I’m sure it was stupid. Let’s not fight anymore. It hurts too much.”



Draco reached out to brush the tear away from her face. Before he could get to her, however, she closed the space between them and jumped into his waiting arms. After showering his face with kisses, her lips found his. His kiss was soft and gentle, full of the love he felt for her.



He broke the kiss off with a gasp. “Much more of that and I’ll forget about the dinner.”



Ginny looked up at his handsome face. “You cooked? I didn’t know you could cook!”



Draco feigned a hurt expression. “You wound me, dearest. I happen to be an expert cook, which you will soon attest to. But first I have something for you.” He reached around behind her, picked up the small box and presented it to her. “Open it.”



Ginny didn’t need to be told twice. She eagerly removed the ribbon and opened the little box. Inside was nestled a delicate silver bracelet with three charms on it. The first charm was a dragon, the second a weasel and between the two was a heart engraved with the names ‘Ginny & Draco.’



“I know it’s not much but I thought you could add more charms to it as we go along,” Draco said. He took the bracelet from her hands and fastened it around her right wrist. “Do you like it?”



“Oh, Draco,” Ginny sniffed. “I love it!”



Draco exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding the entire time. “Good. I hoped you would. And now, please sit down. This wizard has hand-prepared a feast for his lovely witch and it would be a shame for it to go to waste.”



As Draco fussed with the morsels of food he had truly prepared by himself, with a few suggestions from Pansy, he realized he had cooked dinner for the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The thought should have startled him but surprisingly it didn’t. Ginny Weasley was everything he had ever wanted in a woman, although he hoped he could call her Ginny Malfoy sometime soon.



Draco was having a very good day.