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Draco walked into the family drawing room, looking forward to spending time with his wife. After a stressful day of going over the figures and charts for his father's new project at the main office of the family business, he wanted to lose himself in the sound of her voice as he dozed in his favorite armchair by the fire. He drew up short when he realized she was not alone. "What the deuce is that?"
Ginny looked up from where she sprawled across one of the chintz chairs, lounging like a cat and watching the white creature explore the room. His mother would have a fit if she saw her daughter-in-law treating the furniture so cavalierly, let alone the wild animal currently scrabbling its way across the mahogany floor. "It's a ferret."
Draco took a slow, steadying breath. Clearly, she had decided to be difficult today; she got into moods sometimes where she tried to deflect his attention away from something she did that she knew would annoy him, or she was just trying to get his goat. One could never tell. "I can see that. Why is it in my drawing room?"
Ginny sat up, folded her legs to one side, rested her cheek against the palm of her hand, and arched an eyebrow, echoing her mother's expression when one says something they oughtn't have. He hated when he could see her mother in her. They were both terrifying enough on their own, but when Ginny channeled Molly Weasley, he found her exponentially more frightening. "Our drawing room, dear."
Except today. What a waste of that expression, Draco thought. He rolled his clear grey eyes, leaned against the doorframe, and made an impatient motion with his hand.
Her eyebrow dropped and she smiled, nervously. "Well," she drew out the word. "I found him."
"And?"
"And he was all alone! And hurt. Look, you see?" She pointed to one of the ferret's front paws, sporting a fresh bandage. "He might have died," she imparted dramatically, raising the back of her right wrist against her forehead, and throwing herself against the back of her seat in a feigned swoon.
Draco was not impressed. "Yes, Ginevra, that is the nature of wild animals. They live or die on their own merits. I'm still not clear why you felt compelled to bring him home."
She sat up again and said indignantly, "Well, I couldn't just leave him there!"
Draco stared at her blankly, nonplussed. "Yes, yes, you could."
She glared at him, and said pointedly, "I'm not a heartless git."
Draco clicked his tongue at her in disapproval. "Really, Gin? Insults? Aren't we a bit old for that? And you appear to have married this heartless git, so I'm not sure what that says about you."
She laughed. "Clearly, that I lost my sense at some point over the years. I wonder if it's too late to remedy that."
"I think so." Smirking, he drew his slender frame up off the doorframe before stalking across the room, coming to a stop behind her. She looked back and up at him as he rested both hands on the back of the chair, leaned down, and gave her a searing kiss.
He drew back and grinned. "Besides, you like being senseless."
She made an approving sound in her throat as she twisted around, reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands, then pulled him down for another kiss.
Just as things between them were heating up, the ferret mewled, sounding quite pathetic. Draco sighed, resting his forehead on Ginny's. "Did you really have to bring it inside? We have quite extensive stables that are well equipped to deal with this kind of thing, as I'm sure you are aware."
"Well, yes, but… he needed cuddling." She nudged him away before rising and walking over to the pitiful thing, picking it up and nuzzling its head to illustrate her point as she sat down on the floor to give it cuddles.
Draco ran his hand through his platinum blonde hair and muttered under his breath, "I need cuddling."
Ginny, looked up, a mischievous glint in her bright brown eyes. "Perhaps if you agree to let him stay, I can remedy that for you."
Draco groaned in defeat and walked around the chair, gracefully collapsing into it. He laid his head back against the headrest. "Manipulative witch. Fine, he can stay." He rolled his head forward and held up his finger. "But only until he heals. Then you're taking him back to where you found him. You know how I feel about ferrets."
Ginny rolled her eyes and nuzzled the ferret some more. "Draco, that was well over ten years ago. And it's not as if ferrets did anything to you."
He scoffed and leaned his head back. "No, just that madman parading about as a professor. Really, the school needs to do more vetting of its staff before they're hired." He raised his fingers as he went through the frightfully large list of incompetent and/or dangerous teachers they had at school. "First a terrorist; then a fraud; Lupin was ok, I guess; then another terrorist; and – wait, no she was a terrorist, as well, just from the government –"
"– Yes, yes, I was there. Most of those professors were horribly incompetent," she interrupted distractingly before he could finish, mesmerized by the ferret's ability to imitate water as she played with it in her hands. "Just look at him! He's got no spine! How cool is thatr53;"
Draco huffed in annoyance, "Neither does Longbottom, but I don't see you fawning over him."
Ginny stopped playing with the ferret for a moment to glare at her husband. "You know that's not true."
He sighed. "I know. All the same, I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's a rodent. It doesn't belong in the house."
She squinted at him suspiciously. "You've never had a pet, have you?"
Draco turned his head to stare into the fireplace, avoiding her gaze. "Of course, we've had pets. Father had those blasted albino peacocks." He grimaced as he remembered being chased, more than once, across their extensive lawns by those brutish birds.
"Draco, only in your family are peacocks 'pets'." Ginny laughed. "Though, from what I've heard, they were more like vicious lawn ornaments, not pets. Seriously, have you never had a pet for companionship?" She left her spot on the floor and sat in his lap, draping her arms around his neck.
He stopped his contemplation of the fire in the fireplace and studied the interplay of red and orange in her hair as he ran his fingers through it instead. "I have you for companionship."
She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I appreciate being compared to a pet. That aside, there's a big difference between human and animal companionship. Can't we keep Frankfurt a while longer after he's healed? Give having a pet a shot?"
"Frankfurt the ferret? That is a ridiculous name." He playfully tugged on her hair.
Ginny gently jerked her head away from his hand. "You see? You already care about his name!" she grinned.
He rolled his eyes. "I really don't. It is simply beneath the dignity of the house of Malfoy."
"Which only matters if he's going to stay in the house of Malfoy." She clapped her hands together and held them to her chest. "Thank you, dear! You won't regret this." She beamed at him with no small amount of mischief and satisfaction.
He sighed and dropped his head back onto the chair in defeat. There were few things he could deny his wife. Apparently a pet didn't make the short list, either. "Just, don't name the beast Frankfurt."
"How about Felix?"
He winced.
"Franklin? Fergus? Finley?" He met each name she suggested with a cringe, frown, or lip curl.
"Must the name begin with 'F'?" he asked exasperatedly.
"Of course. It's a prime alliteration opportunity," she said primly as she exaggeratedly raised her nose in the air.
Draco sighed. "Of course, it is. How about Flynn?" he offered.
She tilted her head to the side, considering. "I suppose it's only fair that you get to name him. He is your first pet, after all." She smiled wickedly. "Flynn, it is!"
Ginny looked up from where she sprawled across one of the chintz chairs, lounging like a cat and watching the white creature explore the room. His mother would have a fit if she saw her daughter-in-law treating the furniture so cavalierly, let alone the wild animal currently scrabbling its way across the mahogany floor. "It's a ferret."
Draco took a slow, steadying breath. Clearly, she had decided to be difficult today; she got into moods sometimes where she tried to deflect his attention away from something she did that she knew would annoy him, or she was just trying to get his goat. One could never tell. "I can see that. Why is it in my drawing room?"
Ginny sat up, folded her legs to one side, rested her cheek against the palm of her hand, and arched an eyebrow, echoing her mother's expression when one says something they oughtn't have. He hated when he could see her mother in her. They were both terrifying enough on their own, but when Ginny channeled Molly Weasley, he found her exponentially more frightening. "Our drawing room, dear."
Except today. What a waste of that expression, Draco thought. He rolled his clear grey eyes, leaned against the doorframe, and made an impatient motion with his hand.
Her eyebrow dropped and she smiled, nervously. "Well," she drew out the word. "I found him."
"And?"
"And he was all alone! And hurt. Look, you see?" She pointed to one of the ferret's front paws, sporting a fresh bandage. "He might have died," she imparted dramatically, raising the back of her right wrist against her forehead, and throwing herself against the back of her seat in a feigned swoon.
Draco was not impressed. "Yes, Ginevra, that is the nature of wild animals. They live or die on their own merits. I'm still not clear why you felt compelled to bring him home."
She sat up again and said indignantly, "Well, I couldn't just leave him there!"
Draco stared at her blankly, nonplussed. "Yes, yes, you could."
She glared at him, and said pointedly, "I'm not a heartless git."
Draco clicked his tongue at her in disapproval. "Really, Gin? Insults? Aren't we a bit old for that? And you appear to have married this heartless git, so I'm not sure what that says about you."
She laughed. "Clearly, that I lost my sense at some point over the years. I wonder if it's too late to remedy that."
"I think so." Smirking, he drew his slender frame up off the doorframe before stalking across the room, coming to a stop behind her. She looked back and up at him as he rested both hands on the back of the chair, leaned down, and gave her a searing kiss.
He drew back and grinned. "Besides, you like being senseless."
She made an approving sound in her throat as she twisted around, reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands, then pulled him down for another kiss.
Just as things between them were heating up, the ferret mewled, sounding quite pathetic. Draco sighed, resting his forehead on Ginny's. "Did you really have to bring it inside? We have quite extensive stables that are well equipped to deal with this kind of thing, as I'm sure you are aware."
"Well, yes, but… he needed cuddling." She nudged him away before rising and walking over to the pitiful thing, picking it up and nuzzling its head to illustrate her point as she sat down on the floor to give it cuddles.
Draco ran his hand through his platinum blonde hair and muttered under his breath, "I need cuddling."
Ginny, looked up, a mischievous glint in her bright brown eyes. "Perhaps if you agree to let him stay, I can remedy that for you."
Draco groaned in defeat and walked around the chair, gracefully collapsing into it. He laid his head back against the headrest. "Manipulative witch. Fine, he can stay." He rolled his head forward and held up his finger. "But only until he heals. Then you're taking him back to where you found him. You know how I feel about ferrets."
Ginny rolled her eyes and nuzzled the ferret some more. "Draco, that was well over ten years ago. And it's not as if ferrets did anything to you."
He scoffed and leaned his head back. "No, just that madman parading about as a professor. Really, the school needs to do more vetting of its staff before they're hired." He raised his fingers as he went through the frightfully large list of incompetent and/or dangerous teachers they had at school. "First a terrorist; then a fraud; Lupin was ok, I guess; then another terrorist; and – wait, no she was a terrorist, as well, just from the government –"
"– Yes, yes, I was there. Most of those professors were horribly incompetent," she interrupted distractingly before he could finish, mesmerized by the ferret's ability to imitate water as she played with it in her hands. "Just look at him! He's got no spine! How cool is thatr53;"
Draco huffed in annoyance, "Neither does Longbottom, but I don't see you fawning over him."
Ginny stopped playing with the ferret for a moment to glare at her husband. "You know that's not true."
He sighed. "I know. All the same, I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's a rodent. It doesn't belong in the house."
She squinted at him suspiciously. "You've never had a pet, have you?"
Draco turned his head to stare into the fireplace, avoiding her gaze. "Of course, we've had pets. Father had those blasted albino peacocks." He grimaced as he remembered being chased, more than once, across their extensive lawns by those brutish birds.
"Draco, only in your family are peacocks 'pets'." Ginny laughed. "Though, from what I've heard, they were more like vicious lawn ornaments, not pets. Seriously, have you never had a pet for companionship?" She left her spot on the floor and sat in his lap, draping her arms around his neck.
He stopped his contemplation of the fire in the fireplace and studied the interplay of red and orange in her hair as he ran his fingers through it instead. "I have you for companionship."
She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I appreciate being compared to a pet. That aside, there's a big difference between human and animal companionship. Can't we keep Frankfurt a while longer after he's healed? Give having a pet a shot?"
"Frankfurt the ferret? That is a ridiculous name." He playfully tugged on her hair.
Ginny gently jerked her head away from his hand. "You see? You already care about his name!" she grinned.
He rolled his eyes. "I really don't. It is simply beneath the dignity of the house of Malfoy."
"Which only matters if he's going to stay in the house of Malfoy." She clapped her hands together and held them to her chest. "Thank you, dear! You won't regret this." She beamed at him with no small amount of mischief and satisfaction.
He sighed and dropped his head back onto the chair in defeat. There were few things he could deny his wife. Apparently a pet didn't make the short list, either. "Just, don't name the beast Frankfurt."
"How about Felix?"
He winced.
"Franklin? Fergus? Finley?" He met each name she suggested with a cringe, frown, or lip curl.
"Must the name begin with 'F'?" he asked exasperatedly.
"Of course. It's a prime alliteration opportunity," she said primly as she exaggeratedly raised her nose in the air.
Draco sighed. "Of course, it is. How about Flynn?" he offered.
She tilted her head to the side, considering. "I suppose it's only fair that you get to name him. He is your first pet, after all." She smiled wickedly. "Flynn, it is!"
Author notes: Any and all reviews would be loved and appreciated!
The End.
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