My response to Ky's challenge in the DG Forum. It was about a family heirloom of a Malfoy is discovered in the Burrow. Several other bonus points are stated, but I'm sleepy, so…
This is disclaimed.
….
Dancing With a Malfoy
Ginny Weasley could not really fathom how a grey box ended up in her trunk. She tried to recall if she ever meet anyone crazy enough to give a weirdly-coloured thing, to no avail. She had been unpacking her things out of her trunk that afternoon when it rolled out of her belongings. It's not supposed to roll, of course, but she could vaguely remember seeing it practically jump out.
"What in Merlin's beard is this? Some kind of gift?" she wondered out loud, picking it up from the floor as she examined the intricate design surrounding the box like a protection of some sort. Clicking the lock open, a strange music came out of it, making her shriek in surprise as she threw the box outside her room.
"What was that?" she hollered, involuntarily shaking as she tried to erase the eerie music out of her mind.
"Ginny! Get down here this instant!" Molly called out, thereby making Ginny jump out of her bed and sprint downstairs.
"Where did you get this?" her mother greeted her with a screech as soon as her left foot landed on the floor. Her eyes darted to the people looking at her with a questioning eye, one of them her father, Arthur Weasley—who was busy eating banana to even notice her existence. She then tapped his father's arm and showed him the mysterious box.
"Dad, do you know what this is?" Arthur examined it for a while, taking in the delicate patterns on the sides of the box.
"Of course, it's something like a music box in the muggle world, only here, it makes people feel like dancing with just its enchanting music. That's usually the one being used for balls and are most known for being an heirloom," he explained and continued eating. Molly then snatched the contraption and shook it, earning her some stifled snickers from George and Fred.
"It's too small, eh? For an heirloom, I mean," George elbowed Fred while munching on a pineapple pie.
"It's as small as your—" before Fred could even finish his sentence, the music box came flying to his head, successfully hitting him as Molly stood indignantly, arms akimbo. They then proceeded to eating breakfast quietly, glancing ever so often at the enchanted box sitting idly by the table just beside Ginny. As they were doing so, Molly suddenly slammed her fists to the table, startling the lot of them.
"Oh, wait! I remember something about family heirlooms, that if a guy gives them to you, it serves as a proposal to a marriage of some sort. Much like when Arthur here gave me the Weasley ring as a gift," Molly then smiled dreamily as if she was in a daze, successfully earning her a chortle from her kids. She then faked a cough and looked at them.
"Stop scoffing, kids. Now, Ginny, who would give you such important gift? Oh—" Molly then clutched her chest, "—you are not getting married, Ginevra! Not when you have just finished school!" Ginny then felt her cheeks go red in the thought of getting married with him.
'Hah, as if he owns this heirloom…'
"Mum, I don't even know who gave this. I just found it in my trunk earlier. If you don't mind, I would have to go upstairs and arrange all my stuff again," the younger redhead then stood up, grabbed the box and her plate full of pineapples and trudged upstairs with a huff.
….
"Malfoy?" Ginny could not believe her eyes, Draco Malfoy, in all his arrogant, aristocratic glory, is inside the Burrow—and is sitting on Ginny's bed! Her eyes widened with shock as she almost dropped the plate she was bringing and immediately closed the door shut behind her, making sure she wasn't being followed by anyone earlier. She then turned to the blonde with questioning eyes after placing her pineapples down as he was enjoying a rather good time watching her.
"Why are you here, and how, exactly, did you get in?" she deadpanned, stifling her happiness as she decided to make him feel scared or anything like it. Draco then raised his brows in an attempt to break her wall of pretend-indignance as he stood up and got the grey box from her. Ginny eyed him, intrigued with his reaction.
"Someone gave it to me as a sign of engagement, I reckon," she said with a tad bit air of arrogance to it. Draco smiled softly, his mask breaking down in front of her.
"I know," was his ever-so mind-boggling answer, breaking Ginny's silent reverie as she took a step back and stared at him with her piercing eyes.
"You…know?"
"Of course I do, because I was the one who gave this, dimwit. I shrunk myself and hid on your trunk with this, of course," he then ruffled her hair and walked back to her bed as he placed his gift atop the cabinet, leaving Ginny in a dumbfounded state. She then approached him and hugged him with such intensity that he just had to cradle her on his chest and as she felt the steady beat of his heart.
"You're proposing to me?" she mumbled and Draco just had to laugh at that.
"Your mind is beginning to work. It's entirely due to my influence, of course, you must not take any credit," he then replied tersely, earning him a light punch on the arm and a suppressed pout from the redhead. She then broke free from his hug and reached for the music box with a visible smirk painted on her face. Draco watched her, admiring every inch of her features being teased by the light of the sun.
Ginny snapped the lock open and the music came out as she led the suddenly nervous Draco to the open space of her room.
"Ginny, you know I don't dance," he took a tentative step backwards as Ginny eyed him incredulously.
"Of course, you can! Everyone can dance," she said and her mellifluous laugh echoed in his ears. He then shook his head stubbornly and sat back as Ginny tried her best to lift him up on his feet again.
"Come on, Draco. The universe won't implode or something if you dance, you know! Just follow my lead," and he then let himself be pulled by the youngest Weasley as she taught her how to dance. They then swayed idly as Draco pondered on how surreal that moment could possibly be. Just seven years ago, he picked on her at Flourish and Blotts for protecting Potter, even mocking her as his girlfriend; and seven years after, here he is, dancing with the youngest Weasley with the outmost knowledge at dancing he could wrack his brain with—which was ranging from little to nil of course.
Finally, the music came to a stop as the box closed shut. Draco swallowed thickly, unexplainable feelings swirling him as he pondered on what to do. Ginny looked at her, though confused about all his reactions, was a bit expectant on what he was about to do next—she assumed he was going to kiss her, of course.
But Draco knew better, as per usual.
He kneeled on one knee and got a small box from the pockets of his pants as he showed it to her—a small, exquisite-looking (and probably exquisitely costly too; after all, he is a Malfoy) ring, adorned with transparent stones—diamond, perhaps. Ginny looked nonplussed as he showed it to her, her brain buzzing with thoughts chasing each other in a blur. The blonde reached for her hand, clasped it, and kissed it with all his love.
"I know this is a kind of shock to you and all, considering the circumstances, but Ginevra Molly Prewett Weasley, will you marry me?" he shot her a nervous, clandestine glance, silently hoping never to be rejected by the youngest Weasley. Ginny, on the other hand, looked like she's having a serious case of nausea, as she was rocking back and forth in a slow motion. She then gripped Draco and hugged him in a fast motion, knocking them both off their feet as they fell on the floor in a loud thud. They kissed, mouths dancing in a slow rhythm that was comparable to something enchanted by the music box. She then played with his collar as they took deep, jagged breaths, all the while sending jolts to his body as he was slowly becoming aware that she was on top of him—in a very provocative, awkward position, might I add. She then laughed and poked his nose playfully.
"Why else would I be in this position if I don't want to, huh? Figure it out, Draco Black Malfoy," she then giggled and started to stand up, until he pulled her back and decided to snog the air out of her. Just as when things got a tad bit rough, a loud clatter on the kitchens made Ginny bolt upright, hitting her head on the cabinet just above her.
"Ginny! Aunt Muriel will be here any minute from now, would you mind giving me a hand on the chores?" was Molly calling out to her, her voice incredibly closer—as if she was on the other side of the door. This made them look at each other in panic.
"Oh no, Draco. You will have a long day today," Ginny moaned, palms on her face as she mentally scolded herself on why she hadn't realized or even remembered anything about the whole of Weasley family getting together.
A long day, indeed.
….
Sorry if that was a bit rushed; please leave me something to work on, ideas on making a sequel, perhaps?
Tell me what you honestly think. Thanks mucho!
Ria x