♥ "I’ll Trade You Boardwalk" for batgirl801 ♥
Title: I’ll Trade You Boardwalk
Author: kaygina
Rating: PG-13
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: No real spoilers, though indirectly refers to DH, if you really look closely.
Author’s Notes: In the first section of this fic, I used the UK edition of Monopoly. I did a bit of research on Wikipedia and Google, and the Monopoly UK 1936 edition in the fic is as accurate as I could make it (without actually owning one). Mayfair is the UK property equivalent to Boardwalk. During World War II, a spinner was used in the game instead of dice due to lack of materials, as depicted in the second portion of this fic. I would like to apologize for the lack of Blaise/Luna. Finally, many thanks to the Mods for being awesome, lyndsiefenele for the quick betaing and the boyfriend for the inspiration.
Summary: Years after Hogwarts, a board game brings them together.
I’ll Trade You Boardwalk
They meet in a dark and dusty second-hand shop in the middle of Muggle London. Neither notices the other until their fingers close over the same rectangular box on a shelf. She reacts first, withdrawing her hand as quickly as possible. He keeps hold of the box, taking it down from the shelf, holding it in his hands.
They look at each other. Her eyes widen in recognition. He runs his gaze down her body as she works through her surprise. He notices her hair is longer than he remembers, her eyes a little brighter. Her lips are stained pink with gloss. He raises an eyebrow as his eyes follow the curve of her cleavage down her top. Her hips...
“Malfoy?”
He drags his focus from her hips back to her face with a smirk as he replies, “Weasley.”
Ginny rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. She exclaims, “I would have never expected to find you in a place like this. Not only are you among Muggles, you’re at an Oxfam!”
Draco runs a hand over the box in his possession, wiping off the layer of dust that had been collecting on top of it for years. An elderly man in a black suit peers up at Draco from the box, holding out some bank notes.
“Perhaps there are a few things that redeem these Muggles.”
“Monopoly? Really?” Ginny laughs out loud, her arms falling to her sides. “You must be joking.”
“Don’t mock the idea. They’ve really figured out how to maximize on their assets. Wizarding folk, we just toss our money into our vaults. It doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t work for us. Monopoly is good practice on the theory of Muggle economics.” He pauses and asks, “What do you know about Monopoly anyway?”
Raising her chin, she retorts, “I’ve been playing the game since I was eight years old. I’m the Weasley family champion, thank you very much.”
“Doubt it was difficult to beat those brothers of yours. I’m sure a few of them share the same brain,” he drawls, leaning against the shelf, shifting the box into his other hand.
She places her hands on her hips, drawing his gaze back down. “I’ll have you know that my brothers are very competent players.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it, won’t I?”
She hesitates and shrugs. “I guess.”
Draco is quiet for a moment, studying Ginny intensely. She shifts uncomfortably. He’s deep in thought for a moment and then slowly his expression turns into a smile.
“So I guess we’re after the same thing,” Draco says, holding up the Monopoly box. Ginny’s hands itch to reach out for it, but she leaves them at her sides.
“I collect Monopoly games. I’ve been looking for the 1936 edition of the game for years. I only managed to track this one down recently,” Ginny tells him. “I was clearly here first, so I believe I have the right to take that.” She stretches out her arm for the box, but he keeps it out of reach.
“Ah, but I’m the one who found the board that accompanies it,” he says, gesturing to the side of the display, where a square board leans. “I’ll play you for it,” Draco adds.
Ginny is surprised. “You’ll what?”
“Well, we both claim to be the best Monopoly player this side of the pond, so if you can prove it by beating me, I’ll let you have it. In fact, I’ll pay for it, and if you win, I’ll let you have it for free,” Draco explains.
Ginny’s eyes narrow, suspicious, as she asks, “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I’m always looking for new worthy opponents. Blaise won’t play with me anymore. Besides, I know I’ll win, so I’m not worried at all,” Draco says smugly.
Gunny’s competitive nature answers before she can even think about it. “Deal,” she replies, holding out her hand. They shake on it.
Draco heads towards the sleepy shopkeeper at the front of the shop, counting out the appropriate amount of pounds. He turns towards Ginny, still at the back of the store, and gestures for her to come with him. He pushes through the door, holding it open for Ginny, who follows him down the street.
“Where are we going?” Ginny asks, stepping over a shallow puddle on the walkway.
“Where any decent Briton goes,” Draco exclaims and ducks into a nearby pub.
When Ginny passes through the door, Draco is already commandeering a table in the corner, asking for a towel from the man behind the bar. The man gives Draco a strange look, but follows his request. Draco wipes down the table, before gingerly setting the board onto the table. As Ginny joins him at the table, he already has the box open, looking through the items accompanying the game. She watches him without saying anything; his excitement over the game is slightly...endearing.
“Want anything?” Draco’s question breaks into her reverie. Ginny blinks and looks at him, confused. He raises an eyebrow. “I asked if you wanted anything.”
“Oh, no, I’m alright, I had lunch just before,” Ginny says as she shakes her head. Draco orders the two of them pints. While they wait, he starts lining up the tokens across the board; car, hat, iron, boat, shoe and thimble.
“Pick your piece,” Draco declares, when he finally seems to be satisfied by the order of the tokens.
“The thimble, I’m always the thimble,” Ginny decides. It used to be the only piece available after her brothers got through the tokens.
Draco grins. “Great, I was hoping you wouldn’t pick the car, we might have had to duel that one out.”
And so their first game of Monopoly begins.
A couple of hours and several pints later, Draco is winning but Ginny isn’t about to give up. She rolls the dice and manages to land on Park Lane, property that surprisingly has not been occupied yet. She bites her lip, trying to decide whether she should buy it.
Draco waves a card in front of her face. “Don’t forget, I already own Mayfair.”
Ginny rolls her eyes, “I don’t think you’ve let me forget that fact since you bought it ten turns ago. I’ve landed on it enough times.” She decides to purchase Park Lane, counting out the money. Draco hands her the property card. He watches as she studies her property and peers over the board at his assets. He can tell she’s worried about losing. His eyes focus on her lips, the bottom one caught between her teeth. A thought comes to his mind and a smirk touches his mouth.
“I’m willing to trade you Mayfair,” he offers haltingly.
“For what? I don’t own any property that you might be interested in,” she says, gesturing to her cards.
“Hm...I’m thinking of a different kind of trade, if you’re willing,” Draco replies slowly.
The tone of his voice makes Ginny grow wary. She asks him, cautiously, “What kind of trade?”
“I’ll trade you Mayfair for a kiss.”
Ginny’s jaw drops when she hears this. She stares at him in disbelief. Unwillingly, her eyes drop to his lips. Later on, she’ll blame the beer she consumed, but she is far from drunk when she holds out her hand. “Deal.”
Draco holds her hand in his own, her soft skin against his own. He pulls her hand closer to him, drawing her over the table as he leans in. His other hand cups her cheek as he presses his mouth against hers, holding still for a second, and waiting for her to change her minds. When she doesn’t move away, he parts his lips, his tongue running lightly over her bottom lip until he is able to slide it between her lips, moving over her tongue.
They are both breathing hard when they sit back down in their seats. He starts to put away the pieces of the game in the same careful manner he had taken them out. When Ginny is finally able to speak, the game is almost packed up.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
Draco doesn’t reply, fitting the cover of the box back onto the game. He places some money beside the game to pay for their drinks and pushes the board game towards her.
“I forfeit. You are a considerable opponent after all.”
“But I was losing! I don’t want to win this way,” she protests.
Draco stands up from the table and shrugs. “I guess you’ll just have to play me again some other time.” With that, he walks out of the pub. Minutes later, Ginny hurries from the pub, the game pressed against her chest. He is already gone, Disapparated home.
The second time they meet, Ginny approaches him first. Draco is sitting outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour enjoying a sundae. An umbrella shades him from the sun, but Ginny still recognizes his blond hair. She swallows hard when she catches him licking his spoon.
She makes her way towards him, a wooden board and a box in hand. She slides into the seat across from him. He doesn’t look up from the day’s Daily Prophet he is reading but waves a hand and says sarcastically, “Please, feel free to join me. It’s no bother at all.”
Ginny sets her things on the table, clasps her hands together on the table, staying silent. Hearing no retort to his comment, Draco finally looks up at her. He frowns. “You cut your hair.”
She opens her mouth to answer, but the items on the table have already caught his attention. He sets his paper aside, and pulls the box closer to him, examining it closely.
“Where did you get this?” he asks, opening the box and looking over the game pieces inside.
It is strange to Ginny to see someone so interested in her games. She wonders if she has the same expression on her face when she looks at her Monopoly collection.
“It used to be my grandfather’s set. He got it during the Muggle war. He has a story about rescuing a soldier or something along those lines, but I’m pretty sure he just made that up.”
Ginny pushes the board to the middle of the table. “So, how about that rematch?”
Draco looks up from fingering the cardboard tokens. He grins. “You’re quite lucky I decided to take the day off.”
Ginny raises her eyebrow. “Do you even work?”
He feigns a wounded look. “That one actually hurt. I think you should get me some ice cream to apologize.”
She turns towards the game, setting up the board. “You can go get your own ice cream.”
“Fine,” he says, “but I hope you know I may never recover from this travesty.”
Draco disappears into the shop while Ginny counts out the bank notes. She picks up the rocking horse token and places it on the board. The rest of the tokens are left in the box, which she places in front of Draco’s seat. He finally reappears, with two dishes of ice cream. He sets one of them in front of her. Draco gestures behind him. “I have it on good authority that this is your favourite.”
Ginny peers behind Draco and waves to a smiling Florean Fortescue. She turns back to Draco, who has chosen the car token, placing it on the Go space. She slides the spinner towards Draco, “I’ll let you go first this time.”
“You’ll let me?”
She shrugs. “I can always take it back.”
Draco grabs the spinner and the game begins. Several turns later, things heat up a bit.
“Will you stop stealing my ice cream and get your own?” Ginny protests as Draco sticks his spoon in her ice cream dish for the tenth time.
“Technically, it’s mine since I paid for it,” Draco says nonchalantly as he scoops up a mountain of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
“Oi! I was saving that! The cherry is my favourite part of the sundae!”
Draco makes a show of eating the cherry, placing the stem back into her dish. Ginny’s eyes narrow and she whips out her wand. Before Draco can react, he has been Transfigured into a raccoon. Ginny smiles smugly. “I think that look suits you better, you little thief.”
Draco the racoon chatters angrily. He jumps off the chair, runs under the table and circles her legs, pulling at her trousers. She laughs and picks him up, placing him back on his chair.
“I’ll turn you back on two conditions; you stop touching my ice cream and you have to go get me some extra cherries.”
Draco nods huffily. Ginny waves her wand and he is back in his own body. He runs his hands over his face and through his hair. He checks to make sure he’s all in one piece. Ginny taps her wand against the table. “I’m waiting for my cherries.”
He ignores her and feels his backside, ensuring he doesn’t have a tail. Ginny rolls her eyes, “All your bits are in order.”
Draco glares at her as he gets up and ventures back into the shop again. He returns shortly with a small dish of cherries. He places it on the table. Ginny tucks away her wand and reaches out for one when Draco takes out his own wand. In a moment, Ginny turns into a rabbit. Draco picks her up, petting her fur.
“It’s too bad you didn’t make a condition about retaliation, hm?”
Ginny watches as he eats some of her cherries. Draco smirks. “I might just have to keep you like this.”
She bites his finger.
“Ouch! Alright, alright, I’ll turn you back. I only have one condition, no more Transfigurations.”
Draco taps Ginny with her wand and she ends up sprawled across his lap. She scrambles off him and back to her seat. Draco is unable to wipe the grin from his face. She crosses her arms and fumes.
“Jerk.”
“No need for names, my dear. Let me remind you that you turned me into a racoon first.”
“You deserved it.”
“Look, let’s just finish our game. Truce?” Draco holds out his hand. Ginny reluctantly reaches out and shakes his hand. They both become absorbed in the game again.
A couple of hours later, Ginny is in a bind. Draco is winning again and he knows it. Ginny chews on her bottom lip. She lands on Piccadilly, property belonging to Draco. She groans as she gives him the last of her money for rent.
“You know, I’m perfectly willing to trade you Mayfair,” Draco says slyly.
Ginny glares. “I am not falling for that again.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not asking for the same thing.”
She is still suspicious. “Then what do you want?”
“Hm. Quite a bit. But let’s start with a date.”
She is silent for a moment, caught off guard.
“Lost your voice?” Draco asks innocently.
She splutters, “Wait, what? What did you say?”
“I asked if you lost your voice.”
“No, before that, obviously, you arse.”
Draco leans his elbow on the table, entertained by Ginny’s reactions. He replies, “You can have Mayfair if you go out with me.”
“Why can’t you ask me out like a normal person?” Ginny is recovering from her shock.
Draco lifts a shoulder and drops it. “It’s not quite as fun.”
“You are so strange.”
“Is that a yes?”
Ginny sighs. “Yes.”
“Well, don’t sound so excited, I might get the wrong idea,” Draco says, and he starts to stack the empty dishes on the table.
She gives him a hand, tossing the used napkins in a bowl. “You’re impossible.”
Draco smiles. “But you want to go out with me.”
“Only barely.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he replies as he starts to put away the game.
Ginny grabs his hand. “Why are you packing up?”
He smirks. “I already got what I wanted.”
They’re both silent as they clean up. He stands up and nods. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
With a grin on his face, Draco starts to leave, walking past her into the crowds of Diagon Alley.
“Hey Malfoy!”
When he turns around, she is there with her wand ready. All he sees is a flash of light. Ginny walks up to him, and kisses him on the nose, “You can come by at six. I’m on the Floo. That is, if the spell wears off by then, dear.”
Ginny disappears through the crowds, leaving a furious deer to fend for himself.
“I don’t get it, why are we doing this?” George asks as he fiddles with two dice in his hand.
“Monopoly is a game that’s part chance, part strategy. I can’t leave this up to chance,” Draco answers impatiently.
Charlie scratches his head. “What I don’t understand is why you can’t do this like any normal bloke would do.”
“That’s boring and not as much fun,” Draco replies.
“No offense, Malfoy,” Bill says, “but you don’t look like you’re having fun there.”
Bill is right. Draco is frustrated, his wand pointed at a Monopoly board, various game pieces spread across the table. Parts of his hair are sticking up at various places, having run his hand through his hair multiple times throughout the evening. In fact, Draco is starting to develop a crazed look in his eyes.
“Oh shut it, and help me finish this. I have a date with Ginny tomorrow morning.”
Draco has recruited the Weasley brothers to help him rig a game of Monopoly. While he was a very good player, he didn’t always win, especially against Ginny. He needs to ensure that everything works out perfectly.
“Look, Malfoy, why don’t you go get some rest, and let us handle the rest,” Bill suggests.
Draco hesitates. Ron rolls his eyes. “Go. I may not like you very much, but we know Ginny would be happy about this so, as her brothers, we’ll see it through.”
Draco finally agrees, leaving the Weasleys to his project. They wait until he leaves before anyone speaks.
“I hope Malfoy doesn’t kill us.” Percy finally breaks the silence.
“Ginny wouldn’t let him,” Charlie says, as he places a spell on the dice in his hand. “Just don’t make a mess of her plans.”
And so the Weasley boys stay up until the wee hours of the morning working on a special project.
Draco knows, as soon as Ginny’s thimble lands on Boardwalk, that he shouldn’t have trusted Ginny’s brothers to complete his surprise. He blames his exhaustion for his error in judgement. He hopes there is still some way to salvage the situation.
Much to Draco’s dismay, the game grows considerably worse for him and he is on the verge of losing. Ginny hides a smile behind her hand. She’s been watching Draco’s mood change throughout the game. Perhaps it’s time to put him out of his misery.
“You know, Draco, I’ll trade you Boardwalk.”
He looks up, his expression wary, “What would you trade it for?”
“Well, I was considering B & O and Reading Railroads, but I think I want something a little more...valuable.”
Draco looks over his cards. “I can’t imagine what you’d want from me. I don’t have anything that’s worth Boardwalk.”
Ginny grins. “Hm...I think you might. I was thinking I’d let you have Boardwalk if you’d marry me.”
It is quiet for a moment, then Draco bursts out, “But that was my plan!”
He glares at her. “Your brothers were behind this.”
“You don’t honestly expect them to keep a secret from me, do you?” Ginny laughs.
“You’re right. What was I thinking?”
Ginny holds up the property card for Boardwalk. “So, are you going to accept my proposal?”
Draco takes the card from Ginny and drops it on top of the game board. He takes her hand and pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiles up at him and he kisses her on the forehead.
“I have three conditions,” he says.
“Three?”
“It’s a lucky number,” Draco replies defensively.
“Right. Of course.”
Draco leans closer to her, brushing his lips against her cheek. “I want three kids.”
Ginny’s hands run over his shoulders, and links behind his neck, pulling Draco closer. Their lips are barely touching.
“Deal.”
ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive in your fic
Humor! And snarkiness! I want Draco to strike some sort of deal with the weasley men that allows him to claim victory in whatever the competition is. I'd also love a Blaise/Luna side pair :)
The tone/mood of the fic: As long as there is some humour, I'll be satisfied :) Keep it fun!
An element/line of dialogue/object you would like in your fic: Draco and Ginny transfiguring each other into different woodland creatures
Preferred rating of the the fic you want: Doesn't matter, the higher the better
Canon or AU? Canon as much as possible, but I understand the beauty of artistic license
Deal Breakers (anything you don't want?): umm...I'd prefer to avoid evil!harry.
Author: kaygina
Rating: PG-13
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: No real spoilers, though indirectly refers to DH, if you really look closely.
Author’s Notes: In the first section of this fic, I used the UK edition of Monopoly. I did a bit of research on Wikipedia and Google, and the Monopoly UK 1936 edition in the fic is as accurate as I could make it (without actually owning one). Mayfair is the UK property equivalent to Boardwalk. During World War II, a spinner was used in the game instead of dice due to lack of materials, as depicted in the second portion of this fic. I would like to apologize for the lack of Blaise/Luna. Finally, many thanks to the Mods for being awesome, lyndsiefenele for the quick betaing and the boyfriend for the inspiration.
Summary: Years after Hogwarts, a board game brings them together.
I’ll Trade You Boardwalk
They meet in a dark and dusty second-hand shop in the middle of Muggle London. Neither notices the other until their fingers close over the same rectangular box on a shelf. She reacts first, withdrawing her hand as quickly as possible. He keeps hold of the box, taking it down from the shelf, holding it in his hands.
They look at each other. Her eyes widen in recognition. He runs his gaze down her body as she works through her surprise. He notices her hair is longer than he remembers, her eyes a little brighter. Her lips are stained pink with gloss. He raises an eyebrow as his eyes follow the curve of her cleavage down her top. Her hips...
“Malfoy?”
He drags his focus from her hips back to her face with a smirk as he replies, “Weasley.”
Ginny rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. She exclaims, “I would have never expected to find you in a place like this. Not only are you among Muggles, you’re at an Oxfam!”
Draco runs a hand over the box in his possession, wiping off the layer of dust that had been collecting on top of it for years. An elderly man in a black suit peers up at Draco from the box, holding out some bank notes.
“Perhaps there are a few things that redeem these Muggles.”
“Monopoly? Really?” Ginny laughs out loud, her arms falling to her sides. “You must be joking.”
“Don’t mock the idea. They’ve really figured out how to maximize on their assets. Wizarding folk, we just toss our money into our vaults. It doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t work for us. Monopoly is good practice on the theory of Muggle economics.” He pauses and asks, “What do you know about Monopoly anyway?”
Raising her chin, she retorts, “I’ve been playing the game since I was eight years old. I’m the Weasley family champion, thank you very much.”
“Doubt it was difficult to beat those brothers of yours. I’m sure a few of them share the same brain,” he drawls, leaning against the shelf, shifting the box into his other hand.
She places her hands on her hips, drawing his gaze back down. “I’ll have you know that my brothers are very competent players.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it, won’t I?”
She hesitates and shrugs. “I guess.”
Draco is quiet for a moment, studying Ginny intensely. She shifts uncomfortably. He’s deep in thought for a moment and then slowly his expression turns into a smile.
“So I guess we’re after the same thing,” Draco says, holding up the Monopoly box. Ginny’s hands itch to reach out for it, but she leaves them at her sides.
“I collect Monopoly games. I’ve been looking for the 1936 edition of the game for years. I only managed to track this one down recently,” Ginny tells him. “I was clearly here first, so I believe I have the right to take that.” She stretches out her arm for the box, but he keeps it out of reach.
“Ah, but I’m the one who found the board that accompanies it,” he says, gesturing to the side of the display, where a square board leans. “I’ll play you for it,” Draco adds.
Ginny is surprised. “You’ll what?”
“Well, we both claim to be the best Monopoly player this side of the pond, so if you can prove it by beating me, I’ll let you have it. In fact, I’ll pay for it, and if you win, I’ll let you have it for free,” Draco explains.
Ginny’s eyes narrow, suspicious, as she asks, “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I’m always looking for new worthy opponents. Blaise won’t play with me anymore. Besides, I know I’ll win, so I’m not worried at all,” Draco says smugly.
Gunny’s competitive nature answers before she can even think about it. “Deal,” she replies, holding out her hand. They shake on it.
Draco heads towards the sleepy shopkeeper at the front of the shop, counting out the appropriate amount of pounds. He turns towards Ginny, still at the back of the store, and gestures for her to come with him. He pushes through the door, holding it open for Ginny, who follows him down the street.
“Where are we going?” Ginny asks, stepping over a shallow puddle on the walkway.
“Where any decent Briton goes,” Draco exclaims and ducks into a nearby pub.
When Ginny passes through the door, Draco is already commandeering a table in the corner, asking for a towel from the man behind the bar. The man gives Draco a strange look, but follows his request. Draco wipes down the table, before gingerly setting the board onto the table. As Ginny joins him at the table, he already has the box open, looking through the items accompanying the game. She watches him without saying anything; his excitement over the game is slightly...endearing.
“Want anything?” Draco’s question breaks into her reverie. Ginny blinks and looks at him, confused. He raises an eyebrow. “I asked if you wanted anything.”
“Oh, no, I’m alright, I had lunch just before,” Ginny says as she shakes her head. Draco orders the two of them pints. While they wait, he starts lining up the tokens across the board; car, hat, iron, boat, shoe and thimble.
“Pick your piece,” Draco declares, when he finally seems to be satisfied by the order of the tokens.
“The thimble, I’m always the thimble,” Ginny decides. It used to be the only piece available after her brothers got through the tokens.
Draco grins. “Great, I was hoping you wouldn’t pick the car, we might have had to duel that one out.”
And so their first game of Monopoly begins.
A couple of hours and several pints later, Draco is winning but Ginny isn’t about to give up. She rolls the dice and manages to land on Park Lane, property that surprisingly has not been occupied yet. She bites her lip, trying to decide whether she should buy it.
Draco waves a card in front of her face. “Don’t forget, I already own Mayfair.”
Ginny rolls her eyes, “I don’t think you’ve let me forget that fact since you bought it ten turns ago. I’ve landed on it enough times.” She decides to purchase Park Lane, counting out the money. Draco hands her the property card. He watches as she studies her property and peers over the board at his assets. He can tell she’s worried about losing. His eyes focus on her lips, the bottom one caught between her teeth. A thought comes to his mind and a smirk touches his mouth.
“I’m willing to trade you Mayfair,” he offers haltingly.
“For what? I don’t own any property that you might be interested in,” she says, gesturing to her cards.
“Hm...I’m thinking of a different kind of trade, if you’re willing,” Draco replies slowly.
The tone of his voice makes Ginny grow wary. She asks him, cautiously, “What kind of trade?”
“I’ll trade you Mayfair for a kiss.”
Ginny’s jaw drops when she hears this. She stares at him in disbelief. Unwillingly, her eyes drop to his lips. Later on, she’ll blame the beer she consumed, but she is far from drunk when she holds out her hand. “Deal.”
Draco holds her hand in his own, her soft skin against his own. He pulls her hand closer to him, drawing her over the table as he leans in. His other hand cups her cheek as he presses his mouth against hers, holding still for a second, and waiting for her to change her minds. When she doesn’t move away, he parts his lips, his tongue running lightly over her bottom lip until he is able to slide it between her lips, moving over her tongue.
They are both breathing hard when they sit back down in their seats. He starts to put away the pieces of the game in the same careful manner he had taken them out. When Ginny is finally able to speak, the game is almost packed up.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
Draco doesn’t reply, fitting the cover of the box back onto the game. He places some money beside the game to pay for their drinks and pushes the board game towards her.
“I forfeit. You are a considerable opponent after all.”
“But I was losing! I don’t want to win this way,” she protests.
Draco stands up from the table and shrugs. “I guess you’ll just have to play me again some other time.” With that, he walks out of the pub. Minutes later, Ginny hurries from the pub, the game pressed against her chest. He is already gone, Disapparated home.
The second time they meet, Ginny approaches him first. Draco is sitting outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour enjoying a sundae. An umbrella shades him from the sun, but Ginny still recognizes his blond hair. She swallows hard when she catches him licking his spoon.
She makes her way towards him, a wooden board and a box in hand. She slides into the seat across from him. He doesn’t look up from the day’s Daily Prophet he is reading but waves a hand and says sarcastically, “Please, feel free to join me. It’s no bother at all.”
Ginny sets her things on the table, clasps her hands together on the table, staying silent. Hearing no retort to his comment, Draco finally looks up at her. He frowns. “You cut your hair.”
She opens her mouth to answer, but the items on the table have already caught his attention. He sets his paper aside, and pulls the box closer to him, examining it closely.
“Where did you get this?” he asks, opening the box and looking over the game pieces inside.
It is strange to Ginny to see someone so interested in her games. She wonders if she has the same expression on her face when she looks at her Monopoly collection.
“It used to be my grandfather’s set. He got it during the Muggle war. He has a story about rescuing a soldier or something along those lines, but I’m pretty sure he just made that up.”
Ginny pushes the board to the middle of the table. “So, how about that rematch?”
Draco looks up from fingering the cardboard tokens. He grins. “You’re quite lucky I decided to take the day off.”
Ginny raises her eyebrow. “Do you even work?”
He feigns a wounded look. “That one actually hurt. I think you should get me some ice cream to apologize.”
She turns towards the game, setting up the board. “You can go get your own ice cream.”
“Fine,” he says, “but I hope you know I may never recover from this travesty.”
Draco disappears into the shop while Ginny counts out the bank notes. She picks up the rocking horse token and places it on the board. The rest of the tokens are left in the box, which she places in front of Draco’s seat. He finally reappears, with two dishes of ice cream. He sets one of them in front of her. Draco gestures behind him. “I have it on good authority that this is your favourite.”
Ginny peers behind Draco and waves to a smiling Florean Fortescue. She turns back to Draco, who has chosen the car token, placing it on the Go space. She slides the spinner towards Draco, “I’ll let you go first this time.”
“You’ll let me?”
She shrugs. “I can always take it back.”
Draco grabs the spinner and the game begins. Several turns later, things heat up a bit.
“Will you stop stealing my ice cream and get your own?” Ginny protests as Draco sticks his spoon in her ice cream dish for the tenth time.
“Technically, it’s mine since I paid for it,” Draco says nonchalantly as he scoops up a mountain of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
“Oi! I was saving that! The cherry is my favourite part of the sundae!”
Draco makes a show of eating the cherry, placing the stem back into her dish. Ginny’s eyes narrow and she whips out her wand. Before Draco can react, he has been Transfigured into a raccoon. Ginny smiles smugly. “I think that look suits you better, you little thief.”
Draco the racoon chatters angrily. He jumps off the chair, runs under the table and circles her legs, pulling at her trousers. She laughs and picks him up, placing him back on his chair.
“I’ll turn you back on two conditions; you stop touching my ice cream and you have to go get me some extra cherries.”
Draco nods huffily. Ginny waves her wand and he is back in his own body. He runs his hands over his face and through his hair. He checks to make sure he’s all in one piece. Ginny taps her wand against the table. “I’m waiting for my cherries.”
He ignores her and feels his backside, ensuring he doesn’t have a tail. Ginny rolls her eyes, “All your bits are in order.”
Draco glares at her as he gets up and ventures back into the shop again. He returns shortly with a small dish of cherries. He places it on the table. Ginny tucks away her wand and reaches out for one when Draco takes out his own wand. In a moment, Ginny turns into a rabbit. Draco picks her up, petting her fur.
“It’s too bad you didn’t make a condition about retaliation, hm?”
Ginny watches as he eats some of her cherries. Draco smirks. “I might just have to keep you like this.”
She bites his finger.
“Ouch! Alright, alright, I’ll turn you back. I only have one condition, no more Transfigurations.”
Draco taps Ginny with her wand and she ends up sprawled across his lap. She scrambles off him and back to her seat. Draco is unable to wipe the grin from his face. She crosses her arms and fumes.
“Jerk.”
“No need for names, my dear. Let me remind you that you turned me into a racoon first.”
“You deserved it.”
“Look, let’s just finish our game. Truce?” Draco holds out his hand. Ginny reluctantly reaches out and shakes his hand. They both become absorbed in the game again.
A couple of hours later, Ginny is in a bind. Draco is winning again and he knows it. Ginny chews on her bottom lip. She lands on Piccadilly, property belonging to Draco. She groans as she gives him the last of her money for rent.
“You know, I’m perfectly willing to trade you Mayfair,” Draco says slyly.
Ginny glares. “I am not falling for that again.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not asking for the same thing.”
She is still suspicious. “Then what do you want?”
“Hm. Quite a bit. But let’s start with a date.”
She is silent for a moment, caught off guard.
“Lost your voice?” Draco asks innocently.
She splutters, “Wait, what? What did you say?”
“I asked if you lost your voice.”
“No, before that, obviously, you arse.”
Draco leans his elbow on the table, entertained by Ginny’s reactions. He replies, “You can have Mayfair if you go out with me.”
“Why can’t you ask me out like a normal person?” Ginny is recovering from her shock.
Draco lifts a shoulder and drops it. “It’s not quite as fun.”
“You are so strange.”
“Is that a yes?”
Ginny sighs. “Yes.”
“Well, don’t sound so excited, I might get the wrong idea,” Draco says, and he starts to stack the empty dishes on the table.
She gives him a hand, tossing the used napkins in a bowl. “You’re impossible.”
Draco smiles. “But you want to go out with me.”
“Only barely.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” he replies as he starts to put away the game.
Ginny grabs his hand. “Why are you packing up?”
He smirks. “I already got what I wanted.”
They’re both silent as they clean up. He stands up and nods. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
With a grin on his face, Draco starts to leave, walking past her into the crowds of Diagon Alley.
“Hey Malfoy!”
When he turns around, she is there with her wand ready. All he sees is a flash of light. Ginny walks up to him, and kisses him on the nose, “You can come by at six. I’m on the Floo. That is, if the spell wears off by then, dear.”
Ginny disappears through the crowds, leaving a furious deer to fend for himself.
“I don’t get it, why are we doing this?” George asks as he fiddles with two dice in his hand.
“Monopoly is a game that’s part chance, part strategy. I can’t leave this up to chance,” Draco answers impatiently.
Charlie scratches his head. “What I don’t understand is why you can’t do this like any normal bloke would do.”
“That’s boring and not as much fun,” Draco replies.
“No offense, Malfoy,” Bill says, “but you don’t look like you’re having fun there.”
Bill is right. Draco is frustrated, his wand pointed at a Monopoly board, various game pieces spread across the table. Parts of his hair are sticking up at various places, having run his hand through his hair multiple times throughout the evening. In fact, Draco is starting to develop a crazed look in his eyes.
“Oh shut it, and help me finish this. I have a date with Ginny tomorrow morning.”
Draco has recruited the Weasley brothers to help him rig a game of Monopoly. While he was a very good player, he didn’t always win, especially against Ginny. He needs to ensure that everything works out perfectly.
“Look, Malfoy, why don’t you go get some rest, and let us handle the rest,” Bill suggests.
Draco hesitates. Ron rolls his eyes. “Go. I may not like you very much, but we know Ginny would be happy about this so, as her brothers, we’ll see it through.”
Draco finally agrees, leaving the Weasleys to his project. They wait until he leaves before anyone speaks.
“I hope Malfoy doesn’t kill us.” Percy finally breaks the silence.
“Ginny wouldn’t let him,” Charlie says, as he places a spell on the dice in his hand. “Just don’t make a mess of her plans.”
And so the Weasley boys stay up until the wee hours of the morning working on a special project.
Draco knows, as soon as Ginny’s thimble lands on Boardwalk, that he shouldn’t have trusted Ginny’s brothers to complete his surprise. He blames his exhaustion for his error in judgement. He hopes there is still some way to salvage the situation.
Much to Draco’s dismay, the game grows considerably worse for him and he is on the verge of losing. Ginny hides a smile behind her hand. She’s been watching Draco’s mood change throughout the game. Perhaps it’s time to put him out of his misery.
“You know, Draco, I’ll trade you Boardwalk.”
He looks up, his expression wary, “What would you trade it for?”
“Well, I was considering B & O and Reading Railroads, but I think I want something a little more...valuable.”
Draco looks over his cards. “I can’t imagine what you’d want from me. I don’t have anything that’s worth Boardwalk.”
Ginny grins. “Hm...I think you might. I was thinking I’d let you have Boardwalk if you’d marry me.”
It is quiet for a moment, then Draco bursts out, “But that was my plan!”
He glares at her. “Your brothers were behind this.”
“You don’t honestly expect them to keep a secret from me, do you?” Ginny laughs.
“You’re right. What was I thinking?”
Ginny holds up the property card for Boardwalk. “So, are you going to accept my proposal?”
Draco takes the card from Ginny and drops it on top of the game board. He takes her hand and pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiles up at him and he kisses her on the forehead.
“I have three conditions,” he says.
“Three?”
“It’s a lucky number,” Draco replies defensively.
“Right. Of course.”
Draco leans closer to her, brushing his lips against her cheek. “I want three kids.”
Ginny’s hands run over his shoulders, and links behind his neck, pulling Draco closer. Their lips are barely touching.
“Deal.”
ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive in your fic
Humor! And snarkiness! I want Draco to strike some sort of deal with the weasley men that allows him to claim victory in whatever the competition is. I'd also love a Blaise/Luna side pair :)
The tone/mood of the fic: As long as there is some humour, I'll be satisfied :) Keep it fun!
An element/line of dialogue/object you would like in your fic: Draco and Ginny transfiguring each other into different woodland creatures
Preferred rating of the the fic you want: Doesn't matter, the higher the better
Canon or AU? Canon as much as possible, but I understand the beauty of artistic license
Deal Breakers (anything you don't want?): umm...I'd prefer to avoid evil!harry.