Part Two
It gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
Just gives you the blues…
-- "California," Joni Mitchell
Draco Malfoy was a cat person. His father would have been horrified had he been able to catch a glimpse of his heir's abode. He had four cats. He had not bought even one of them. Animals just tended to… flock to him. They always had.
Each cat had a very distinct personality, and it was easy to see from his or her appearance and mannerisms. His favourite was the one his friend Luke had christened "Catzilla". This often-maligned animal's real name was Fluffy, but that was such a commonplace name. Catzilla was a large grey cat who had oft been mistaken for a raccoon. Draco could have sworn that he must be at least half. Catzilla's polar opposite was a small black cat named Maddox, a very dainty and feminine feline. She was quite conniving when she wanted to be, able to convince anyone to do her bidding. Unlike Catzilla, she had subtlety in spades. The last two were "the twins", Minerva and Athena. They were Siamese cats from the same litter that tended to be rather high strung.
When Draco had first come to New York, he had had only his owl for company. Although Glorfindel was a very loyal bird, he was not very chatty, unlike Catzilla, Maddox or even the twins. Catzilla had been his first and only cat for two years. After Catzilla's antics, Maddox had been a bit of a surprise.
One of Catzilla's quirks was that he rather liked to be walked in the park. Every morning, therefore, Draco got up to take him to Central Park, after which he enjoyed a cup of coffee and a biscuit at an American institution, Starbucks.
It was on one of these mornings that Draco had happened on Ginny Weasley again. She was sitting on a bench, her face partially obscured by the New York Owl. Sitting on top of her feet was a large chocolate lab who was eying Catzilla with curiosity. He secretly wished that she would get it into her mind to chase Catzilla, just so he could have a chance to talk to the littlest Weasley again.
Draco would never forget the night he had saved Ginevra Weasley's life. It had been the one real "Potter Moment" in his life, his one act of blatant heroism. Idly, he wondered if she even knew. She would not have been able to tell from his behaviour towards her the day that they had had lunch together, but he had mellowed in his "old age".
Seeing that Ginny Weasley's dog was far too polite to do anything as vulgar as chasing cats, Draco gave up on any hope of an "accidental meeting" and plopped (well, what he called plopping) down on the bench next to Ginny, pulling Catzilla onto his lap and turning towards his prey.
************************
She smelled him before she saw him. Maybe she had been spending too much time with Millicent, but the smell of soap combined with what might or might not be cologne and eau de Draco told her who her companion was. Ginny waited, however, awaiting his next move.
He removed the paper from her hand and forcibly turned her to face him. Even though she had somewhat expected it, the motion unsettled her a little. At Le Cirque, they had been sitting some distance apart, and she hadn't noticed the laughter lines on his handsome face.
When they had been at school together, he had had two facial expressions, leering and sneering. Now, he had a bemused smile on his face. Malfoy looked so different now… and was that a cat on his lap? Draco Malfoy had a cat?
Her shock must have shown on her face, as his bemusement turned into a soft (and maybe slightly sexy) chuckle. He lifted the cat's paw and held it out to Ginny, who took it rather gingerly.
"This is Catzilla," he said, smiling. "He's a bloody huge brute, isn't he?"
Ginny looked a little wary, but since animal introductions seemed to be the order of the moment, she reciprocated. "If I lift up Millicent's paw, she will be upset, but she says hello anyway."
They looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what came next. As it usually happens, they became uncomfortable and spoke at the same time.
"What-"
"How-"
`
"You first," Draco said.
"I just wanted to ask why you were walking your cat. People don't normally do that, do they?"
He laughed, surprising her with the ease in which the unexpected noise slipped from his throat. "Catzilla is not your ordinary cat. He might think he's a dog, I don't know. I know that the reason why I walk him is because he's a great big bully who won't leave me be unless I walk him at least once a day, the oaf." His tone was affectionate and teasing, and Ginny's heart warmed at seeing the look he gave the so-called "oaf."
"What were you going to ask me?"
"I was just going to ask how you are, and, if possible, apologise for my behaviour the other day at lunch. I was in a bit of a snit."
Ginny was having a bit of a hard time reconciling this side of her ex-schoolmate to the smarmy git he had been at Hogwarts. She had to admit that she actually liked the man!
Over the next few weeks, the unlikely pair became fast friends, as did their respective pets. They got past their old animosity and prejudices surprisingly quickly and even felt comfortable enough to talk about the war. Neither mentioned what had happened at the Battle of Hogwarts, however, preferring to not reopen old wounds.
Ginny was there on the day he found out that Maddox was pregnant with Catzilla's kittens, and she was there to help the little cat give birth. She even got a kitten! Little Tanya was the runt of the litter, and she looked just like her mother, but with her father's colouring.
It was on that day that Ginny realised that she had gone and fallen in love with the man who had quickly become her best friend (after Millicent, of course).
It gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
Just gives you the blues…
-- "California," Joni Mitchell
Draco Malfoy was a cat person. His father would have been horrified had he been able to catch a glimpse of his heir's abode. He had four cats. He had not bought even one of them. Animals just tended to… flock to him. They always had.
Each cat had a very distinct personality, and it was easy to see from his or her appearance and mannerisms. His favourite was the one his friend Luke had christened "Catzilla". This often-maligned animal's real name was Fluffy, but that was such a commonplace name. Catzilla was a large grey cat who had oft been mistaken for a raccoon. Draco could have sworn that he must be at least half. Catzilla's polar opposite was a small black cat named Maddox, a very dainty and feminine feline. She was quite conniving when she wanted to be, able to convince anyone to do her bidding. Unlike Catzilla, she had subtlety in spades. The last two were "the twins", Minerva and Athena. They were Siamese cats from the same litter that tended to be rather high strung.
When Draco had first come to New York, he had had only his owl for company. Although Glorfindel was a very loyal bird, he was not very chatty, unlike Catzilla, Maddox or even the twins. Catzilla had been his first and only cat for two years. After Catzilla's antics, Maddox had been a bit of a surprise.
One of Catzilla's quirks was that he rather liked to be walked in the park. Every morning, therefore, Draco got up to take him to Central Park, after which he enjoyed a cup of coffee and a biscuit at an American institution, Starbucks.
It was on one of these mornings that Draco had happened on Ginny Weasley again. She was sitting on a bench, her face partially obscured by the New York Owl. Sitting on top of her feet was a large chocolate lab who was eying Catzilla with curiosity. He secretly wished that she would get it into her mind to chase Catzilla, just so he could have a chance to talk to the littlest Weasley again.
Draco would never forget the night he had saved Ginevra Weasley's life. It had been the one real "Potter Moment" in his life, his one act of blatant heroism. Idly, he wondered if she even knew. She would not have been able to tell from his behaviour towards her the day that they had had lunch together, but he had mellowed in his "old age".
Seeing that Ginny Weasley's dog was far too polite to do anything as vulgar as chasing cats, Draco gave up on any hope of an "accidental meeting" and plopped (well, what he called plopping) down on the bench next to Ginny, pulling Catzilla onto his lap and turning towards his prey.
************************
She smelled him before she saw him. Maybe she had been spending too much time with Millicent, but the smell of soap combined with what might or might not be cologne and eau de Draco told her who her companion was. Ginny waited, however, awaiting his next move.
He removed the paper from her hand and forcibly turned her to face him. Even though she had somewhat expected it, the motion unsettled her a little. At Le Cirque, they had been sitting some distance apart, and she hadn't noticed the laughter lines on his handsome face.
When they had been at school together, he had had two facial expressions, leering and sneering. Now, he had a bemused smile on his face. Malfoy looked so different now… and was that a cat on his lap? Draco Malfoy had a cat?
Her shock must have shown on her face, as his bemusement turned into a soft (and maybe slightly sexy) chuckle. He lifted the cat's paw and held it out to Ginny, who took it rather gingerly.
"This is Catzilla," he said, smiling. "He's a bloody huge brute, isn't he?"
Ginny looked a little wary, but since animal introductions seemed to be the order of the moment, she reciprocated. "If I lift up Millicent's paw, she will be upset, but she says hello anyway."
They looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what came next. As it usually happens, they became uncomfortable and spoke at the same time.
"What-"
"How-"
`
"You first," Draco said.
"I just wanted to ask why you were walking your cat. People don't normally do that, do they?"
He laughed, surprising her with the ease in which the unexpected noise slipped from his throat. "Catzilla is not your ordinary cat. He might think he's a dog, I don't know. I know that the reason why I walk him is because he's a great big bully who won't leave me be unless I walk him at least once a day, the oaf." His tone was affectionate and teasing, and Ginny's heart warmed at seeing the look he gave the so-called "oaf."
"What were you going to ask me?"
"I was just going to ask how you are, and, if possible, apologise for my behaviour the other day at lunch. I was in a bit of a snit."
Ginny was having a bit of a hard time reconciling this side of her ex-schoolmate to the smarmy git he had been at Hogwarts. She had to admit that she actually liked the man!
Over the next few weeks, the unlikely pair became fast friends, as did their respective pets. They got past their old animosity and prejudices surprisingly quickly and even felt comfortable enough to talk about the war. Neither mentioned what had happened at the Battle of Hogwarts, however, preferring to not reopen old wounds.
Ginny was there on the day he found out that Maddox was pregnant with Catzilla's kittens, and she was there to help the little cat give birth. She even got a kitten! Little Tanya was the runt of the litter, and she looked just like her mother, but with her father's colouring.
It was on that day that Ginny realised that she had gone and fallen in love with the man who had quickly become her best friend (after Millicent, of course).
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