04. Feeling
Ginny sat behind her desk feeling rather smug. She knew that after their lunch together, Draco most likely thought he would get a letter saying he didn’t need her services. Well, he thought wrong.
True, she had been surprised at how pleasant a time she’d had. What this told her was that while Draco certainly appeared to be a womanizing, arrogant, self-serving prick, he was actually capable of capturing the attention of women with more substance than he’d been dating. Thus, Ginny was now ready to observe how he chose the women he dated.
Her secretary, Jane, buzzed her to let her know he had arrived. She knew he would not be thrilled with her suggestions for him, but she was doing what Narcissa Malfoy was paying her to do. She rose from her desk, straightened her blouse and skirt, and headed for the waiting room.
“Mr. Malfoy, come on back.” She smiled as she gestured for him to follow her back to her office.
“Doctor,” he greeted somewhat coldly.
“How’s the hand?” she smirked, though he was behind her and could not see it.
“Fine, thanks. I do so appreciate you coming to my rescue the other night,” he replied sarcastically.
She said nothing else until they were both seated in her office. “I’m going to get straight to the point, Mr. Malfoy.”
“Please do.”
“I can tell by your tone you are not happy to be here. However, I have some ideas for you. Not criticism, either. In fact, I really enjoyed the lunch I had with you.”
Draco’s stiff features relaxed somewhat. “Continue,” he prompted.
“I have a suspicion that you’ve never had a long conversation on a date, not like the one we had.”
Draco nodded his head. “Actually, I mostly listen to the witch drone on about the new fashions or the latest gossip.”
“Naturally, you never have much to contribute to that kind of conversation?”
“Well, I know fashion and my mother keeps me up to date on all the gossip, but I can’t quite say it is something I enjoy. I always let them tatter on about this and that. I get my enjoyment later.” He shot her a grin.
“Yes, well,” she started as she refrained from rolling her eyes. “I feel, as I said before, that it is the type of women you date. You must get bored with the same insipid, one-sided conversations. I think you have a lot to offer a witch with more… social-consciousness and intellect.”
“Do you really?” he said dryly.
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Not in the least. I just don’t see why I had to come all the way back here for you to tell me this.”
“I like to discuss these things in person rather than by Floo or Owl. I am trained to gauge reactions, both verbal and nonverbal.”
“Alright, then. So what now?”
“I’d like us to go out and we’ll see how your choice of witch for yourself differs from the type I think you would get on well with.”
She noticed Draco roll his eyes and sigh.
“What?” she asked.
“Is it really necessary? You know what type of witch I’ll choose and I’m pretty sure what you would choose wouldn’t interest me.”
Ginny shrugged. “It’s your mother’s money. Waste it if you want.”
Draco sighed loudly again and appeared exasperated. “Fine. Tell me when and where.”
xxx
They decided on drinks at a popular after work pub to people-watch. Ginny didn’t particularly approve of meeting witches and wizards in pubs, but it always proved to be a good starting point. Draco could point out a witch he found attractive. Ginny would observe the witch and perhaps send him to talk to her or someone she found more suitable.
Once she felt comfortable with his initial communication with women, then perhaps they’d move to a museum or opera on another occasion; somewhere Draco was sure to meet someone with class, brains, and average looks.
“Doctor!” called Jane from the front desk.
“Yes Jane?” she answered back through the speaker
“Mr. Malfoy is here.”
“I’ll be right out.” Ginny stood slowly and grabbed her jacket. She wore a smart looking blue suit. It was sleek and really sort of sexy, if she did say so herself. She, of course, wasn’t dressing up for anyone. She dressed nice everyday. It was her reward for her hard work and not being able to afford nice clothes when she was young. And while she didn’t begrudge her family anything, she did enjoy the lifestyle she was now able to lead.
She strode down the hall, clutch purse under her arm.
xxx
“Good evening, Mr. Malfoy,” the Doctor greeted as she flashed him a gorgeous smile. It was impossible not to return such a smile.
“Good evening. Shall we?” He held out his arm, ever the gentleman. She nodded and took it. They strolled through Diagon Alley to the pub and worked their way through the after-hours crowd. They found two stools at the bar and ordered drinks.
“So Doctor, how do you suggest we start this little idea of yours?” Draco asked, nearly raising his voice so she could hear him over the crowd.
“Well, I’ve never been here when it’s been this crowded!” she practically shouted back.
Draco ducked his head close to her ear. “I’m actually rather hungry. What do you say we finish this one drink and head somewhere else?”
He could tell she was surprised, but she nodded her agreement and sipped her drink quietly. Draco studied her. She really was gorgeous. She was obviously very smart. She was quick-witted. He wasn’t dumb; he could see what all the other men saw in her. He realized he was seeing past her name and who she was, but he wondered if she could do the same for him.
“After dinner, perhaps we can find a quieter pub to people watch and you can see how I choose the women I… date.”
She agreed.
“So, Doctor, how did you get into this business?”
She appeared to think about his question for a while before answering. He tried his hardest not to appear impatient.
“What you’ve seen is not the only thing I do. I also counsel couples and young teens. I spend one day every other week doing counseling at Hogwarts. But I suppose you want to know about this ‘Date Doctor’ thing. It’s odd really. Did you know that Neville Longbottom married Lavender Brown?”
Draco shrugged. He knew about that particular couple, he just didn’t care.
“He was totally besotted with her all throughout their seventh year. She wouldn’t even look at him! I helped him out a bit and two years later, they had their first date. They were married within a year. It took a long time merely because I was behind them a year in school and lost touch with them during my seventh year.”
“So that’s it? You hook up one wizard with a witch he’d have never gotten on his own and you decide, ‘hey I’ll do this for a living’?” he replied snottily.
She frowned. “Well no. There was more to it than that, obviously. But that was the catalyst.
“I was curious about men and women and what attracted people to each other. I began to study relationships of people I knew. I took courses on interpersonal and intimate relationships. I found out through doing some reading that the ‘date doctor’ idea was a relatively old concept. It took many different forms in the ancient times, but all in all, the basic idea is the same.”
“So, how do you take hopeless blokes like Longbottom and get them married up?”
The Doctor pursed her lips. “Neville’s not hopeless. He’s a successful Herbologist with many published works on the subject. He’s considered one of the top minds in his field. And, once you get to know him, he’s fun, caring, and has a lot to offer a woman.”
“Why didn’t you just take him then? He liked you once, didn’t he? He took you to that Yule Ball my fourth year.”
“How did you know that?”
“I’m not blind. I was amazed he had a date and that she wasn’t fat and completely ugly.”
She sighed in exasperation. “He didn’t even really need me to help him. He had it in him all the time. I just helped him find it.”
“Find what?”
“Find IT! You know, his niche… with women. Some men have it naturally while some need help finding it. Once Neville discovered his gift with women, Lavender had serious competition. But he only had eyes for her.” She smiled that smile that nearly made Draco forget his own name.
“So that is it? You help one lost puppy find love and you decide this is what you want to do with your life?” he asked rather harshly.
If she took offense at his attitude, she didn’t show it. Instead, she looked almost sad. “As I’ve said already there was more to it than that. I had my own… reasons.”
Draco decided not to push it any farther. Something about that look told him that getting her to tell him about whatever else it was… that was not a place he wanted her to go. He wanted the evening to remain pleasant.
xxx
And remain pleasant it did. Once again, he found himself drawn into conversation with Doctor Weasley and all sense of time and place disappeared. Before he knew it, the restaurant was clearing out and he was getting signals from the wait staff that they would like to clear the table at which they sat.
“Doctor, I’m afraid we’ve lost track of time once again,” he said apologetically as he rose and made to pull out her chair to help her from her seat. She glanced towards the clock over the mantle by the bar and laughed.
“You’re just really trying to get out of this aren’t you?”
“Get out of this?” he repeated, confused.
“Yes! You’re pouring on the charm and trying to coerce me into telling your mother that you are not doing anything wrong with women. You merely haven’t found the right one.”
“It’s the truth— why shouldn’t you tell her so?” he smirked as he followed her out of the restaurant.
“We’re going to get this done, Mr. Malfoy. I am going to counsel you yet and we’re going to find a nice, intelligent woman for you.” She smiled as she shook his hand to say goodnight. She looked surprised when he did not immediately let go as she turned around. “Goodnight, Mr. Malfoy. I am just up the road.”
“I’ll see you to your door. It is dark and you never know.” She blushed and he gently dropped her hand. He gestured for her to lead the way.
The walk to her flat was slow and quiet. At her door, she bid him goodnight and put the key into the keyhole. He reached out and stopped her hand from turning the key.
“Doctor, I’d like to show you something. Had this been a real date in which I had a nice time, such as I did tonight, I would now lean in and,” he began while he leaned his face down towards hers. Her eyes were wide and fixed on his mouth. He heard her breath hitch in her throat and saw her eyes flutter shut. He moved in closer. “And give her a gentle kiss,” he whispered in her ear and pulled away.
Her eyes flew open as he broke contact with her. “But, this isn’t a real date. Goodnight, Doctor Weasley.” He said as he tipped his head and with a crack Disapparated.
Ginny sat behind her desk feeling rather smug. She knew that after their lunch together, Draco most likely thought he would get a letter saying he didn’t need her services. Well, he thought wrong.
True, she had been surprised at how pleasant a time she’d had. What this told her was that while Draco certainly appeared to be a womanizing, arrogant, self-serving prick, he was actually capable of capturing the attention of women with more substance than he’d been dating. Thus, Ginny was now ready to observe how he chose the women he dated.
Her secretary, Jane, buzzed her to let her know he had arrived. She knew he would not be thrilled with her suggestions for him, but she was doing what Narcissa Malfoy was paying her to do. She rose from her desk, straightened her blouse and skirt, and headed for the waiting room.
“Mr. Malfoy, come on back.” She smiled as she gestured for him to follow her back to her office.
“Doctor,” he greeted somewhat coldly.
“How’s the hand?” she smirked, though he was behind her and could not see it.
“Fine, thanks. I do so appreciate you coming to my rescue the other night,” he replied sarcastically.
She said nothing else until they were both seated in her office. “I’m going to get straight to the point, Mr. Malfoy.”
“Please do.”
“I can tell by your tone you are not happy to be here. However, I have some ideas for you. Not criticism, either. In fact, I really enjoyed the lunch I had with you.”
Draco’s stiff features relaxed somewhat. “Continue,” he prompted.
“I have a suspicion that you’ve never had a long conversation on a date, not like the one we had.”
Draco nodded his head. “Actually, I mostly listen to the witch drone on about the new fashions or the latest gossip.”
“Naturally, you never have much to contribute to that kind of conversation?”
“Well, I know fashion and my mother keeps me up to date on all the gossip, but I can’t quite say it is something I enjoy. I always let them tatter on about this and that. I get my enjoyment later.” He shot her a grin.
“Yes, well,” she started as she refrained from rolling her eyes. “I feel, as I said before, that it is the type of women you date. You must get bored with the same insipid, one-sided conversations. I think you have a lot to offer a witch with more… social-consciousness and intellect.”
“Do you really?” he said dryly.
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Not in the least. I just don’t see why I had to come all the way back here for you to tell me this.”
“I like to discuss these things in person rather than by Floo or Owl. I am trained to gauge reactions, both verbal and nonverbal.”
“Alright, then. So what now?”
“I’d like us to go out and we’ll see how your choice of witch for yourself differs from the type I think you would get on well with.”
She noticed Draco roll his eyes and sigh.
“What?” she asked.
“Is it really necessary? You know what type of witch I’ll choose and I’m pretty sure what you would choose wouldn’t interest me.”
Ginny shrugged. “It’s your mother’s money. Waste it if you want.”
Draco sighed loudly again and appeared exasperated. “Fine. Tell me when and where.”
xxx
They decided on drinks at a popular after work pub to people-watch. Ginny didn’t particularly approve of meeting witches and wizards in pubs, but it always proved to be a good starting point. Draco could point out a witch he found attractive. Ginny would observe the witch and perhaps send him to talk to her or someone she found more suitable.
Once she felt comfortable with his initial communication with women, then perhaps they’d move to a museum or opera on another occasion; somewhere Draco was sure to meet someone with class, brains, and average looks.
“Doctor!” called Jane from the front desk.
“Yes Jane?” she answered back through the speaker
“Mr. Malfoy is here.”
“I’ll be right out.” Ginny stood slowly and grabbed her jacket. She wore a smart looking blue suit. It was sleek and really sort of sexy, if she did say so herself. She, of course, wasn’t dressing up for anyone. She dressed nice everyday. It was her reward for her hard work and not being able to afford nice clothes when she was young. And while she didn’t begrudge her family anything, she did enjoy the lifestyle she was now able to lead.
She strode down the hall, clutch purse under her arm.
xxx
“Good evening, Mr. Malfoy,” the Doctor greeted as she flashed him a gorgeous smile. It was impossible not to return such a smile.
“Good evening. Shall we?” He held out his arm, ever the gentleman. She nodded and took it. They strolled through Diagon Alley to the pub and worked their way through the after-hours crowd. They found two stools at the bar and ordered drinks.
“So Doctor, how do you suggest we start this little idea of yours?” Draco asked, nearly raising his voice so she could hear him over the crowd.
“Well, I’ve never been here when it’s been this crowded!” she practically shouted back.
Draco ducked his head close to her ear. “I’m actually rather hungry. What do you say we finish this one drink and head somewhere else?”
He could tell she was surprised, but she nodded her agreement and sipped her drink quietly. Draco studied her. She really was gorgeous. She was obviously very smart. She was quick-witted. He wasn’t dumb; he could see what all the other men saw in her. He realized he was seeing past her name and who she was, but he wondered if she could do the same for him.
“After dinner, perhaps we can find a quieter pub to people watch and you can see how I choose the women I… date.”
She agreed.
“So, Doctor, how did you get into this business?”
She appeared to think about his question for a while before answering. He tried his hardest not to appear impatient.
“What you’ve seen is not the only thing I do. I also counsel couples and young teens. I spend one day every other week doing counseling at Hogwarts. But I suppose you want to know about this ‘Date Doctor’ thing. It’s odd really. Did you know that Neville Longbottom married Lavender Brown?”
Draco shrugged. He knew about that particular couple, he just didn’t care.
“He was totally besotted with her all throughout their seventh year. She wouldn’t even look at him! I helped him out a bit and two years later, they had their first date. They were married within a year. It took a long time merely because I was behind them a year in school and lost touch with them during my seventh year.”
“So that’s it? You hook up one wizard with a witch he’d have never gotten on his own and you decide, ‘hey I’ll do this for a living’?” he replied snottily.
She frowned. “Well no. There was more to it than that, obviously. But that was the catalyst.
“I was curious about men and women and what attracted people to each other. I began to study relationships of people I knew. I took courses on interpersonal and intimate relationships. I found out through doing some reading that the ‘date doctor’ idea was a relatively old concept. It took many different forms in the ancient times, but all in all, the basic idea is the same.”
“So, how do you take hopeless blokes like Longbottom and get them married up?”
The Doctor pursed her lips. “Neville’s not hopeless. He’s a successful Herbologist with many published works on the subject. He’s considered one of the top minds in his field. And, once you get to know him, he’s fun, caring, and has a lot to offer a woman.”
“Why didn’t you just take him then? He liked you once, didn’t he? He took you to that Yule Ball my fourth year.”
“How did you know that?”
“I’m not blind. I was amazed he had a date and that she wasn’t fat and completely ugly.”
She sighed in exasperation. “He didn’t even really need me to help him. He had it in him all the time. I just helped him find it.”
“Find what?”
“Find IT! You know, his niche… with women. Some men have it naturally while some need help finding it. Once Neville discovered his gift with women, Lavender had serious competition. But he only had eyes for her.” She smiled that smile that nearly made Draco forget his own name.
“So that is it? You help one lost puppy find love and you decide this is what you want to do with your life?” he asked rather harshly.
If she took offense at his attitude, she didn’t show it. Instead, she looked almost sad. “As I’ve said already there was more to it than that. I had my own… reasons.”
Draco decided not to push it any farther. Something about that look told him that getting her to tell him about whatever else it was… that was not a place he wanted her to go. He wanted the evening to remain pleasant.
xxx
And remain pleasant it did. Once again, he found himself drawn into conversation with Doctor Weasley and all sense of time and place disappeared. Before he knew it, the restaurant was clearing out and he was getting signals from the wait staff that they would like to clear the table at which they sat.
“Doctor, I’m afraid we’ve lost track of time once again,” he said apologetically as he rose and made to pull out her chair to help her from her seat. She glanced towards the clock over the mantle by the bar and laughed.
“You’re just really trying to get out of this aren’t you?”
“Get out of this?” he repeated, confused.
“Yes! You’re pouring on the charm and trying to coerce me into telling your mother that you are not doing anything wrong with women. You merely haven’t found the right one.”
“It’s the truth— why shouldn’t you tell her so?” he smirked as he followed her out of the restaurant.
“We’re going to get this done, Mr. Malfoy. I am going to counsel you yet and we’re going to find a nice, intelligent woman for you.” She smiled as she shook his hand to say goodnight. She looked surprised when he did not immediately let go as she turned around. “Goodnight, Mr. Malfoy. I am just up the road.”
“I’ll see you to your door. It is dark and you never know.” She blushed and he gently dropped her hand. He gestured for her to lead the way.
The walk to her flat was slow and quiet. At her door, she bid him goodnight and put the key into the keyhole. He reached out and stopped her hand from turning the key.
“Doctor, I’d like to show you something. Had this been a real date in which I had a nice time, such as I did tonight, I would now lean in and,” he began while he leaned his face down towards hers. Her eyes were wide and fixed on his mouth. He heard her breath hitch in her throat and saw her eyes flutter shut. He moved in closer. “And give her a gentle kiss,” he whispered in her ear and pulled away.
Her eyes flew open as he broke contact with her. “But, this isn’t a real date. Goodnight, Doctor Weasley.” He said as he tipped his head and with a crack Disapparated.
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