The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling and company. No money is being made, just fun.
A/N: Romance, both Het and Slash. Fluff alert.
The Subtlety of Life Changing Events
By: Deans Darling
Chapter One
"Well, as I live and breathe, it's the Weaslette."
Ginny Weasley looked up from her stack of books and stared dumbfounded into the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy. For a moment she was speechless. The chance of running into someone from her past, here, of all places, was almost impossibe. To her complete credit, she recovered quickly. She leaned back in her chair and looked at him with furrowed brows.
"Draco Malfoy, how on earth – what are you doing here?"
He pulled a chair out from the library table and sat. "Yes, thank you for offering. I'd love to sit down." He looked at her and smirked. "Well, are you ready to go?"
She sputtered. "Wha – Malfoy, what are you on about?"
He leaned across the table. "You, me, dinner, wine, dancing – what do you think?"
She studied him for a moment, then turned back to her books. "Why?"
"Because; a lot of reasons. So, what do you say?"
She smiled. "Well, if only to get an answer to the question, 'What are you doing in the States?' you're on. Give me a minute." Ginny began gathering her class books and stuffed them into her backpack. When she started to shoulder her bag, Draco reached for the straps and took it from her, slung it over his left shoulder, and held out an arm for her to take.
She studied him for a moment, then weaved her arm through his, and the two of them left the university library.
"So, Red, how have you been?"
"As well as can be expected, I suppose. I'm finding that my English class is a pain; as if Americans have any business teaching anything about the English language. Still, I suppose it must be done."
Draco looked at her and smirked. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."
She stopped walking and looked back at him. "Why do you care?"
He shrugged "Can you not just accept the fact that I do?"
"No. You never cared anything about me before. In fact, you went out of your way to make sure that I was miserable."
He grimaced a bit. "Childhood misconceptions, I assure you. Now, answer the question."
She shrugged and looked at the ground as they walked. "I'm getting by."
He nodded. "I see. And is 'getting by' good enough for you?"
"Well, at the moment, it's all I've got, now, isn't it? Look, Malfoy, I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not in the mood to put up with your nonsense."
"No nonsense, I assure you. Here's my car." He touched the button on his keys and the trunk flew open. He tossed her bag in the back and slammed it again, then came back around and opened the door for her. He waited for her to get her seatbelt settled before he spoke again. "All tucked in, Red?" At her nod, he closed the door and got in on the drivers side.
He fastened the seat belt, then looked at her. "Giovoni's?"
She laughed, "You go to Gio's? Seems a little too – I don't know – earthy, for you."
He smirked. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But good pizza is good pizza, so I'm willing to go slumming."
"You mean like being seen in the company of a Weasley?"
He frowned. "No, that's not what I meant at all. You really have to get over this inferiority complex, you know."
"Inferiority complex? No, more like – utter amazement that you would be seen talking to me rather than hurling insults. That's more your style, isn't it?"
He shrugged. "That's a fair assessment from your point of view, I suppose. But Ginny, people change; they grow up and learn from their mistakes. Even Malfoys."
She studied him then pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, Draco. Please, forgive my rudeness."
He smiled again. "Not at all. Gio's?"
Her smile brightened. "Gio's."
He pulled the red Lamborghini into the flow of traffic. She studied him and shook her head.
Draco caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "What?"
"Oh, nothing, really. Just that I am continually amazed at life's little quirks."
"So, I'm a quirk, am I?"
Her giggle was light hearted. "Yes, very quirky. Can I ask you a question?"
"Fire."
"Why are you in the States, in the middle of a Muggle campus, in Ohio?"
"Traveling, searching for – something."
"What are you searching for?"
"Gio's."
She looked up and was surprised to see that they were pulling into the parking lot of Giovoni's Pizzeria. "That was quick. What is this thing, the new knight bus or something?"
"Nah, that's just what happens when you have stimulating conversation."
"Uhhuh, sure it is."
"What, you don't believe me?"
"About as far as I can throw you."
He put his hand to his chest and sucked air through his lips in mock pain. "Oooh, now that hurt. Shall we?"
At her nod, he got out of the vehicle and ran around to open her door for her. He took her hand to help her out of the car, then kept hold of it and weaved her arm through his as they walked up the sidewalk to the quaint little restaurant.
"Do you want to sit inside or outside?"
"It's a beautiful night. Let's sit out here. From the sounds of it, we wouldn't be able to do much talking inside. It's pretty loud."
"Outside it is, then." He pulled out a wrought iron chair for her and she sat at the plastic red and white checked table cloth. She brushed the crumbs away from the previous occupants and looked at her date.
Draco had chosen the chair closest to her and scooted it even closer. "So, Red, are you enjoying uni?"
"It's okay, I guess. I need to decide what I want to be when I grow up."
"Uh huh, I see. "
"I've been wrestling with a lot of different ideas. Nothing seems to strike my fancy, really. Right now, it's just something to do. I am leaning toward one thing, but at the rate I'm going, it's going to take me twenty years to get through it all."
Draco studied her and looked a bit nervous. With a deep breath, he squared his shoulders as if getting ready to do something that he dreaded.
She studied him curiously and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's going on, Malfoy?"
He sighed and looked at her a bit fearfully. "How about I help you."
She leaned back with a smile. "Oh, yeah? Tell me, Malfoy, what do you have in mind?"
He stared at his folded hands. He took a nervous deep breath, then looked at his hands again.
She looked at him in confusion. "Okay, let's hear it. What's going on?"
He sighed and looked sheepishly at her. "Marry me. Be Mrs. Draco Malfoy."
She stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, then broke into a smile. The smile quickly turned into a laugh. "Oh, Malfoy, you had me going there for a minute. I thought you were serious."
He looked at her, face straight, and let her continue laughing. It toned down to a giggle and she looked at him. Suddenly, she took in his unsmiling visage and his pointed stare. Still smiling, she looked at him curiously. "What? You can't honestly mean it! Malfoy?"
Again he folded his hands on the table top and stared at them. "I'm in a – situation." He looked up at her. "A very difficult situation."
She leaned back just as the waitress came. "What'll ya have?"
Ginny was staring at Draco, so he ordered. "We'll have a 'Tower'. I'll have a Coke. Ginny?"
"Um. A Diet Coke."
They watched the waitress leave, then she turned back to Draco, shaking her head. "Did you just propose to me? Really?"
He nodded, and she noticed the slight blush to his cheeks. "Really."
"But – why? What situation are you in that would have you proposing to someone that you barely tolerated for so long, and haven't seen in years? And I want the whole story, Draco, not just some bits and pieces of it that you think I need to know. From the beginning, please."
"All right. You deserve to know what you are getting into." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then started. "When I was two years old, my father betrothed me to Pansy Parkinson."
She shuddered; he smirked.
"In the piles of paperwork that went along with the betrothal, he tied up my family fortune in the fact that I would be married by the time I was twenty-five. However, he neglected to mention Pansy's name in any of the pertinent sections of the betrothal. My father was really rather brilliant. All the legal jargon of the betrothal actually made no promises to anyone that a marriage to Pansy would actually happen. In other words, he gave me an out, but it was up to me and my lawyers to find it. They did. The Parkinsons thought that they were getting their hands on Malfoy assets. What actually happened was that I have to marry a pure blood witch – of MY choosing.
During his explanation, he had started staring at his hands again. When he finished his story, he looked up at her and smiled sheepishly again. "Um, I choose you – if you'll have me."
"What about Pansy? Doesn't she want to marry you?"
"Yes, she does. It's me that doesn't want to marry her. I've found the loop hole that my father hid in the betrothal agreement, and I mean to exercise it. The only problem is that my father has indicated that, if I don't marry a pure blood witch, all assets will revert to Rathmason Malfoy."
"Rathmason?"
"A cousin. I've never met him. He could be the nicest bloke on the planet but that doesn't mean that I want him to inherit all of my money."
"I see. So, if I am hearing this right, you want me to marry you for money."
"Essentially, yes, I do. Sounds weird, doesn't it?"
She looked at him and shook her head. The waitress placed their pizza in front of them and left. Draco grabbed a plate, and put a piece of pizza on it, and set it in front of her. She looked again at him again as he did the same for himself.
Just as he took a bite, she asked, "Why me?"
He chewed quickly and swallowed. "You underestimate yourself, Ginny. You are beautiful, smart, witty – I could go on, but I don't want you to get a big head." The last he said with a smirk.
"Harry didn't seem to agree with you."
"Yeah, well, Potter is a complete and utter idiot."
"Well, now, there, I would have to agree with you."
He looked at her curiously. "So why did you leave England, Ginny?"
She sighed. "Harry just seemed to be everywhere. I had to get away."
He nodded his head in total understanding. "Like I said, smart."
She got a glimmer in her eye. "Draco, if I marry you, can we have a huge wedding? I mean, one to rub in Harry's face; something to let him know just what he gave up."
Draco's smile widened. "Absolutely! I'd like nothing better. We'll have to make sure we invite him."
"And my family too? Especially the ones who think Harry Potter can do no wrong?"
Draco grinned. "Does this mean you are considering it?"
She looked at him. "The last time I married, I married for love. We both know how that turned out." She sighed, then smiled. "Why not? This time I'm going in with my eyes wide open. I know you don't love me and I don't love you. I suppose we can be friends though, can't we?"
"Ginny, this may be a marriage of convenience, but in time, I hope it can be real. I want to fall in love, and have children and, as hokey as it sounds, I want to teach them things they need to know. I want to bounce them on my knee."
She looked amused. "You want children?"
His brows furrowed. "I didn't think that would be a problem for you."
"It isn't. Harry wanted children too, but he was always too busy, or too tired, or just too stupid to know how to do it."
Draco leaned back. "So, Potter didn't…?"
"No, he didn't. Not much, anyway. Draco, I loved him so much and he…." Then she thought about what she was going to say and shook her head. She stared into Draco's eyes. "Draco, will you promise me something?"
He took her hand and kissed it. "Anything; if it's in my power to do it, I will."
"I want to know what it's like to be – wanted, I guess. I want to feel like I am the most important person in the world to you. At least once. I know this marriage is a…."
Draco squeezed her hand. "Ginny, like I said, this marriage could be wonderful. We could have a storybook wedding and a romance novel marriage. There was a reason that I came all the way to the colonies. I was looking for you. It took me a while to find you, too. I expected you to be in New York or California or Hawaii – but Ohio?"
She giggled. "And what, exactly, is wrong with Ohio?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Your pizza is getting cold."
"I like Ohio."
"You'll like Malfoy Manor, better." His voice was a husky whisper when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I will make you another promise, Genevra Weasley. You will know what it is like to be cherished and doted on. You will lack for nothing, either mentally, spiritually, or physically, if you want it." He turned her hand, and gently kissed the center of her palm. "In fact…." His silver eyes bore into her and seemed to devour her. He leaned closer and gently cupped her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. He studied her half closed eyes momentarily and then leaned closer and took her lips.
He reveled in her immediate response, and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, neither of them remembered they were among other diners. When they pulled away, Ginny looked at him and smiled softly. She didn't say anything, but awe was written all over her face.
He caressed her face again, then kissed her forehead. "Okay, then. This could be very – interesting." His voice was husky and he cleared his throat, having been taken by surprise by the intensity of the simple kiss.
Ginny leaned her forehead against his. "I haven't been kissed like that – ever. That was nice, Draco."
He smiled, then stood, moving his chair out of the way. Then, to her surprise, he got down on one knee and took her hand. "Ginny, we don't know each other very well and most of what we do know hasn't been pleasant for you. What you don't know is that I have longed for you for years. I never approached you because I thought that your brothers would kill me. Then you married Potter. Now that you are free again, can you see it in your heart to marry me? I know that we are going about this backwards, but I'm on a time limit. It's my fault, of course. I was intimidated by the thought that you would laugh in my face." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, took the ring out, and smiled up at her. "Please say yes, Ginny."
She pursed her lips, and had tears in her eyes, as she looked at Draco. Then she smiled and nodded. "Yes, Draco, I'll marry you. That is, as long as you understand that, because of this time limit I'm allowing this to go backwards. But I want to date; I want to get to know you better. As far as anything physical – well – let's just play it by ear, shall we?"
He nodded and took her hand and placed the ring on her finger. Ginny looked at it in awe. It was a simple design of gold and silver strands intertwined and encrusted with diamonds.
"Draco, it's beautiful."
He got off his knee and returned to his chair. Then he just looked at her and smiled. "It appears, Red, that we are off on an adventure."
She cupped his cheek and smiled. "Yes, we are. So when do you want to do this?"
He grimaced slightly. "Unfortunately, as soon as possible. My birthday is in a few weeks and I have to be married before that."
"Hmm, and I'm assuming that we will need to go back home?"
"Temporarily. If you want to come back here and finish up Uni, then we can do that. We can buy a house close to campus and we can stay here as long as you need to."
"You wouldn't mind living here?"
The twinkle in his eyes was almost comical. "No, this is a whole new country that I can terrorize." He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes.
"And you would support me in my schooling?"
"Absolutely. What are you majoring in, anyway? You said that you weren't sure, but you must have some sort of idea."
"Muggle medicine – I think. Like I said, I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up."
Draco leaned back and smiled at her. "So, you think you want to be a doctor?"
She shook her head. "Not necessarily; I'm still trying to decide that. But in the mean time, I am taking basic courses that I need no matter what I major in."
"So, you've just started?"
She nodded. "I've been working at an office, earning money to pay for classes. I can only afford to take two classes this quarter."
"I can pay for your classes, Red, that's no problem. The problem is that, in order to do this, we only have a couple of weeks. You will have to withdraw for this quarter."
She nodded and smirked. "I'd say thank goodness, I need the rest, but this is going to be anything but restful. In fact, I think this is going to be a whirlwind."
Draco nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."
She sighed. "Well – I guess we need to keep up our strength. The pizza is getting cold." She took a bite and smiled. "Umm, does pizza always taste better with an engagement ring on your finger?"
Draco cracked up. "Always, Red, always."