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Ginny had known when she took the Auror exam that not every case she was assigned to would make the world a better place. She wouldn’t always get to capture dark wizards, or remove magical threats from the world, or even comfort small children by rescuing their kneazels.
However, she had never quite imagined that she would be reduced to being a referee.
“I loved that toad!”
“I just bet you did.”
Ginny resisted putting her face in her hands, because that would be unprofessional. She was in charge here. She could bring this situation under control. She really could.
“Ferret-face!”
“Toad lips!”
This situation was wildly out of control.
“Stop it, both of you!” she yelled, forgetting to use her Auror voice and instead using her annoyed-sister screech.
They stopped it.
“Okay, calmly and from the beginning, tell me what happened,” Ginny said. In response she got sullen stares and silence.
“Neither of you can tell me what happened?”
Shuffling feet and indirect stares.
“That’s it. I’m leaving.” She was going to go, find her partner, and shake the illness right out of him. Because if this was what happened when he called in and she had to go out solo for the first time in her career...
She was never going out solo ever again.
Draco Malfoy continued to glare down his nose at Neville Longbottom, who was shaking a trowel angrily at the looming plant that was growing up the side of the fence between their properties.
“He trained it to eat toads! I’m sure of it!” Neville said, face turning even redder.
Ginny tried desperately to remember protocol for these sorts of disturbances. She was reasonably sure she wasn’t even the right department to be called out here. There didn’t seem to be any danger here. She settled for at least trying to sound official. “To whom does the plant belong?”
“It’s Longbottom’s,” Draco said. “I don’t see how I can be held responsible for Longbottom’s plant eating Longbottom’s toad.”
“Because you turned it against me!” Neville snapped. Ginny couldn’t recall ever seeing Neville so riled up, and was mildly impressed.
Ginny prodded at the plant with her wand. It snapped at her. “Um. Are you quite sure that the plant ate the toad?”
Two nods.
“Whole, or in bites?”
Neville squeaked.
“Whole,” Draco replied.
“And is the plant’s digestive system immediately corrosive?” Ginny tried a spell to mellow the plant. It didn’t appear to work, as vines continued to flail.
“Not immediately,” Neville said, sounding slightly hopeful.
“Unfortunately,” muttered Draco.
“Why do you two live so close to one another anyhow?” Draco’s stately estate was to the left, Neville’s rickety country house to the right. There was a decent amount of lawn and shrubbery as well as a large fence dividing the two properties, but clearly it wasn’t enough.
“I was here first,” Neville grumbled.
“I refuse to allow Longbottom to force me away from my estate,” Draco said with an aristocratic handwave.
Ginny rather thought he should just be glad he had an estate, all things considered. He had barely scraped through the war with any semblance of reputation intact, though somehow he had managed to maintain control of at least part of his family’s fortune.
“I’m sorry I asked,” she said. She fidgeted with the sleeve of her Auror’s robe. Maybe if she just Disapparated really suddenly, they wouldn’t notice.
“Well?”
She looked up at Neville, who was looking at her expectantly.
“What?” she said guilelessly. It was time to admit that control had careened out the window on a Firebolt, drop the veneer of professionalism, and just get this done with so she could go back to the office and call her partner and make him pay.
“Malfoy, did you train the plant to eat toads?” Ginny demanded, sticking her wand at his nose and narrowing her eyes like this was a real interrogation.
“No!” His eye twitched, just a little.
“Good to know. Stand back, Neville.”
Neville stepped back quickly. Ginny cast a spell that split the plant’s in half, revealing a toad attempting to extricate itself from the goo. Neville let out a happy squeak. Draco scowled, momentarily, before turning to her.
“Well, now that that’s done, I’ll be on my way,” he said.
“Not so quickly, Malfoy,” Ginny said. He smirked. Ginny felt immediately suspicious. She hadn’t earned these robes by being dense, after all. “Why did an Auror get called out on this case?”
His expression stretched to somewhere between a smirk and a grin.
“Malfoy,” she began. “I’ll have you know that my time is very important, and I do not--”
She didn’t get a chance to finish the thought, as she was swept up in his arms and had a kiss planted firmly on her lips.
She flailed her arms a bit and pushed him away. “What the hell was that?”
“Well, I went to considerable effort to get you here, I had to make it worth it,” he says calmly.
“By kissing me? You git!” Ginny snapped, then paused. “Wait, you’re responsible for getting me here?”
Neville sidled away, toad clutched in his arms.
“Well, this is hardly a situation that requires an Auror,” Draco said.
Neville squeaked like he wanted to protest on behalf of his toad, then thought better of it and continued his subtle escape.
“Explain yourself,” Ginny said. She wondered if a Bat-Bogey Hex would be utterly out of line. Not at all, considering, she convinced herself, and raised her wand.
“You’re adorable when you’re fierce,” Draco said, smirking at her wandtip. “That’s all I wanted to tell you. So I got your partner to call in sick and convinced your boss to send you on this call.”
He began to saunter away.
Ginny stood in disbelief, before running after him, yelling. “You... you’re a right wanker! You don’t do that and walk away!”
He turned, and raised his eyebrow. “I think I just did.”
“But... but...” she protested. “I have a very important job! I’m a better asset to the magical community than you ever were! And you aren’t allowed to kiss me and manipulate me and then walk off as pretty as you please!”
“What are you going to do about it?” His smirk was a challenge.
Ginny loved challenges. “Just you wait and see,” she said, watching his smirk widen as she Disapparated with a faint pop.
She’d strike back when he least expected it, she thought as she made her way back to her office. She touched her lips lightly. This was going to be fun.
However, she had never quite imagined that she would be reduced to being a referee.
“I loved that toad!”
“I just bet you did.”
Ginny resisted putting her face in her hands, because that would be unprofessional. She was in charge here. She could bring this situation under control. She really could.
“Ferret-face!”
“Toad lips!”
This situation was wildly out of control.
“Stop it, both of you!” she yelled, forgetting to use her Auror voice and instead using her annoyed-sister screech.
They stopped it.
“Okay, calmly and from the beginning, tell me what happened,” Ginny said. In response she got sullen stares and silence.
“Neither of you can tell me what happened?”
Shuffling feet and indirect stares.
“That’s it. I’m leaving.” She was going to go, find her partner, and shake the illness right out of him. Because if this was what happened when he called in and she had to go out solo for the first time in her career...
She was never going out solo ever again.
Draco Malfoy continued to glare down his nose at Neville Longbottom, who was shaking a trowel angrily at the looming plant that was growing up the side of the fence between their properties.
“He trained it to eat toads! I’m sure of it!” Neville said, face turning even redder.
Ginny tried desperately to remember protocol for these sorts of disturbances. She was reasonably sure she wasn’t even the right department to be called out here. There didn’t seem to be any danger here. She settled for at least trying to sound official. “To whom does the plant belong?”
“It’s Longbottom’s,” Draco said. “I don’t see how I can be held responsible for Longbottom’s plant eating Longbottom’s toad.”
“Because you turned it against me!” Neville snapped. Ginny couldn’t recall ever seeing Neville so riled up, and was mildly impressed.
Ginny prodded at the plant with her wand. It snapped at her. “Um. Are you quite sure that the plant ate the toad?”
Two nods.
“Whole, or in bites?”
Neville squeaked.
“Whole,” Draco replied.
“And is the plant’s digestive system immediately corrosive?” Ginny tried a spell to mellow the plant. It didn’t appear to work, as vines continued to flail.
“Not immediately,” Neville said, sounding slightly hopeful.
“Unfortunately,” muttered Draco.
“Why do you two live so close to one another anyhow?” Draco’s stately estate was to the left, Neville’s rickety country house to the right. There was a decent amount of lawn and shrubbery as well as a large fence dividing the two properties, but clearly it wasn’t enough.
“I was here first,” Neville grumbled.
“I refuse to allow Longbottom to force me away from my estate,” Draco said with an aristocratic handwave.
Ginny rather thought he should just be glad he had an estate, all things considered. He had barely scraped through the war with any semblance of reputation intact, though somehow he had managed to maintain control of at least part of his family’s fortune.
“I’m sorry I asked,” she said. She fidgeted with the sleeve of her Auror’s robe. Maybe if she just Disapparated really suddenly, they wouldn’t notice.
“Well?”
She looked up at Neville, who was looking at her expectantly.
“What?” she said guilelessly. It was time to admit that control had careened out the window on a Firebolt, drop the veneer of professionalism, and just get this done with so she could go back to the office and call her partner and make him pay.
“Malfoy, did you train the plant to eat toads?” Ginny demanded, sticking her wand at his nose and narrowing her eyes like this was a real interrogation.
“No!” His eye twitched, just a little.
“Good to know. Stand back, Neville.”
Neville stepped back quickly. Ginny cast a spell that split the plant’s in half, revealing a toad attempting to extricate itself from the goo. Neville let out a happy squeak. Draco scowled, momentarily, before turning to her.
“Well, now that that’s done, I’ll be on my way,” he said.
“Not so quickly, Malfoy,” Ginny said. He smirked. Ginny felt immediately suspicious. She hadn’t earned these robes by being dense, after all. “Why did an Auror get called out on this case?”
His expression stretched to somewhere between a smirk and a grin.
“Malfoy,” she began. “I’ll have you know that my time is very important, and I do not--”
She didn’t get a chance to finish the thought, as she was swept up in his arms and had a kiss planted firmly on her lips.
She flailed her arms a bit and pushed him away. “What the hell was that?”
“Well, I went to considerable effort to get you here, I had to make it worth it,” he says calmly.
“By kissing me? You git!” Ginny snapped, then paused. “Wait, you’re responsible for getting me here?”
Neville sidled away, toad clutched in his arms.
“Well, this is hardly a situation that requires an Auror,” Draco said.
Neville squeaked like he wanted to protest on behalf of his toad, then thought better of it and continued his subtle escape.
“Explain yourself,” Ginny said. She wondered if a Bat-Bogey Hex would be utterly out of line. Not at all, considering, she convinced herself, and raised her wand.
“You’re adorable when you’re fierce,” Draco said, smirking at her wandtip. “That’s all I wanted to tell you. So I got your partner to call in sick and convinced your boss to send you on this call.”
He began to saunter away.
Ginny stood in disbelief, before running after him, yelling. “You... you’re a right wanker! You don’t do that and walk away!”
He turned, and raised his eyebrow. “I think I just did.”
“But... but...” she protested. “I have a very important job! I’m a better asset to the magical community than you ever were! And you aren’t allowed to kiss me and manipulate me and then walk off as pretty as you please!”
“What are you going to do about it?” His smirk was a challenge.
Ginny loved challenges. “Just you wait and see,” she said, watching his smirk widen as she Disapparated with a faint pop.
She’d strike back when he least expected it, she thought as she made her way back to her office. She touched her lips lightly. This was going to be fun.
The End.
Nokomis is the author of 16 other stories.
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This story is a favorite of 9 members. Members who liked Pretty As You Please also liked 1214 other stories.
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