Hello, all! This is the prologue of a story I wrote a few years ago, but never got around to finishing. I was cleaning out the files on my computer yesterday and found it. I thought it was a good bit of writing, and I thought I'd post it and see what people thought of it. If you like it, I'll gladly pick it up again.
The story is based on the opera 'Lucia di Lammermoor', which I saw on "Great Performances at the Met" a few years ago, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Last weekend, I was at the Minnesota Opera, and saw that they plan to do it next season. So I'm insanely excited about that.
It's kind of odd for me to write a Draco/Ginny pairing, as I have never been much of a fan of that ship (actually, I'm not a fan of Ginny at all). But they seemed to fit the story. So I'll do my best to not bash her. I can't make any promises for Ron, though...
This is AU. I don't really specify the time period in this story, so feel free to imagine any time you'd like. Might I suggest the early Victorian Era, seeing as that was the setting of the production I saw on GP, and it was simply brilliant. Also, this may very well turn out to be non-magic. I do know that magic does not play a large part at all, although I do make reference to things such as muggles.
Anyhoo, I'll stop blathering on and let you get on with your reading.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or Lucia di Lammermoor. I just like playing around with them.
Ill-Fated Love X Prologue
Ron Weasley stood on a hill, seeing how the light of the full moon brushed his vast property with a pale blue glow. He watched as his kinsmen searched the grounds for a suspected trespasser. Two men stood near him: one Harry Potter, the other Seamus Finnegan. Harry, since his war days, was becoming increasingly placid with each passing day. Seamus' temperament, however, was much more suited to Ron's cause: waging war on the fallen House of Malfoy.
The old man and his wife had died, leaving only the boy. True, Draco was around Ron's age, but he was far too naïve for his own good. He had no idea how to run his estate, creating a perfect opportunity to take over. For Ron's part, he could not remember the reason their two families had been feuding for generations, but he planned to uphold his ancestors' stance on the matter.
He was the head of the family now, since his dear beloved mother had passed away just weeks ago. His younger sister, Ginny, was taking it badly. Ron regretted that he was always so busy that she would no longer come to him with her problems, like she had depended on him when they were children. Instead, she chose to confide in Harry, her oldest friend. Ron had hoped to arrange a union between the two, since Harry's war-hero status would have helped the Weasley family raise back up to the rank in society it had held before their father's inherent love for all things muggle had brought them down. But Harry seemed to show no romantic interest in her, or anyone else for that matter.
Ron was roused out of his musings when Seamus cleared his throat and began to speak. "Sir, I think I may know just who this trespasser might be."
"And who is that, Seamus?"
"Well," Seamus said, hesitantly, "Draco Malfoy, sir."
"Draco Malfoy? And what makes you say that?"
"I have heard some…unpleasant rumours."
"Go on."
"Well, rumour has it, sir, that your sister, while visiting your dear departed mother's grave in the cemetery, met a man and fell instantly in love with him."
"And this man might be…?"
A hand was laid on his shoulder, and he turned to see Harry looking him straight in the eye. "You know the answer to that, Ron."
"Draco Malfoy? Ginny has fallen in love with Draco Malfoy?" The other two men nodded. "That wretched ungrateful girl! After all I do for her, she goes an falls in love with my enemy! How dare she!"
At this, three kinsmen approached, one of them speaking to him. "Sir, we have some news. We were searching the old Malfoy Manor when we saw a man enter the room. We tried to approach to see who he was, but the moment he spotted us, he ran off. Before he disappeared, though, we caught a glimpse of his face."
"Well? Who was it? Say the name!"
The man hesitated, but finally spoke. "Draco Malfoy, sir."
Ron gave a scream of anguish and stalked away, yelling, "If any of you catch that villain on my land again, kill him!"
The rest of the men stayed put, slightly frightened. Harry shook his head, in a combination of amusement and dismay.
A/N: Well, there it is. Please, leave a review telling me what you thought about it! If even one person likes it enough, I'll gladly continue. A warning, though: don't expect any regular updating. I write when I can. But, as I am busy with college, and work, and acting, that isn't often. But I try to write a few minute every day. I also have to re-familiarize myself with the opera.