"Sweetheart, you look beautiful."
"Shut up. I look heinous, and you know it."
"You do not. How long did it take you to do your hair, two hours? And that dress…"
She blushes. "Thank you. Oh, don't mind me, I'm just nervous. This is the first time I've been to one of your obnoxiously grand parties. You don't look to bad yourself, by the way."
He looks down at his dress robes. "Don't worry, you will do wonderfully. It is a ball, not a tea party. You dance, not talk."
"Yes, well, I've only learned to do that this week. Besides, all of your hoity-toity associates will expect me to be able to at least form a coherent sentence."
"You can form coherent sentences. Unless I…" He lightly strokes her face from cheek to jaw.
She sways. "Bastard."
"But you love me." He smirks. "And don't worry about dancing. I am an excellent leader. So is my father."
"Oh, right. That's one of those traditions I was supposed to remember, wasn't it? Father and son's date. I think that's just an excuse for filthy old men to get off on feeling up a younger woman. Your father excepted, of course."
"Of course. And you know…I think you're right about the old men. I can't believe some people say that only Muggles can be perverted."
"Men are men. Shall we go?"
"We shall."
Outside the ball, before it begins…
"Oh, look, it's starting to rain." She stands still for a moment, face tilted up. "I just love the rain."
"Me too. Are you read for this?"
"I think so. Let's go."
Inside…
"Oh lord. Look at all these people. Could you go talk to Mother? I have some business to attend to."
She looks toward his mother, who is holding court in the center of the room. "All right. She can be quite intimidating, but she's been so sweet to me."
"She's a lovely woman. And she sees how much I love you. Therefore, she loves you. She likes to see me happy."
"And there lies our common interest." She smiles. "Go do what you have to do. I'll see you in a couple of hours."
Time passes…he speaks to business associates, she speaks to his mother, and he doesn't join her when he says he will. He practically ignores her.
She laughs at one of Narcissa's friends' jokes, and glances around. "Please excuse me, I think I need to go out into the garden and get some air." She begins a circuit of the ballroom, searching for him…
He is nowhere to be found…
She becomes flustered and runs out of the ballroom, sinking onto the curb, her head in her hands, not minding, in fact reveling in, the rain pouring down and ruining her dress…
In reality, he has gone to the men's room, and got caught up with his father. He reenters the ballroom just as she disappears through the doors. He follows…
He sits next to her. "Sweetheart? Are you okay? Come inside, you're ruining your dress."
"Where were you? Your mother was wonderful, of course, but those other women were just awful. They have the backhanded compliment down to an art. We were supposed to spend time together."
He sighs. "Babe."
"Well?"
"Do you want to go somewhere?"
"I have a place I like to go to unwind, but I've never shown it to anyone before. Would you like to see it?"
"I would love to, Ginny."
"Well, then, take my arm and hold on tight." She apparates them to a meadow.
He looks around in awe. "Wow, love, this is beautiful. How did you find it?"
"Honestly?" She shrugs. " I was just angry and started apparating to random spots in forests I know until I found a place I liked. Oh, and it's still raining here." She holds out her arms. "Dance with me?"
"Dance with you? But—"
"Fine, I'll dance by myself." She steps out from under the trees and spins joyously with her arms in the air. She turns back to him. "Come on, Draco."
"All right." He dances with her in silence for a few minutes. "Ginevra Weasley, you are by far the most beautiful woman in the world. I love you." He kneels and pulls out a box. "Will you marry me?"
She stares at him for a moment. "Draco, stand up."
He stands.
She launches herself at him, knocking him backwards into the mud. "Of course I'll marry you, idiot."
They kiss, until,
"Oh, damn it! My robes, ugh. This mud is disgusting."
"Oh stop being such a priss." She wriggles contentedly.
He smiles indulgently and falls back into the mud. "You're right, this is sort of fun." He looks at her. "Ginny, you just made me happiest man alive."
"That's the goal. I love you."
"I love you."
They kiss.
FIN
_____________
A/N We really enjoy sappy endings. Don't hate us. Fluff is good.