I : New
She didn't know why she accepted his offer of dinner. Maybe it was because he was nice for once. Maybe it was the fact that the rest of her day had been a whirlwind of emotions; anger, sadness, impatience, but most of all envy. Passed over for promotion, when she was better for the job, when all she had done was upset too many people with connections. So, she couldn't be blamed for accepting an offer of dinner when her day had been the pits and Malfoy was nice. No-one was nice in the Ministry at the moment, after the budget cuts and job losses, but Malfoy was.
And truth be told, after his father left the public eye and stood aside for his heir, Malfoy had came into his own. Setting up new businesses, running his estate will care and generally being a respected member of the community. Something which surprised many: especially those who attended school with him.
So they went to dinner, and although she didn't want to admit it, she had fun. He was the perfect gentleman at first, but as the evening passed he seemed to relax, his tension smoothly melting away, leaving her dining with a man with a smooth but then sharp tongue, a man who wasn't afraid to debate – nay, argue – with her.
Of course he wanted to pick up the bill, but her stubborn pride wouldn't let him. Unfortunately, the restaurant he had chosen wasn't for people like her who watched every galleon. The menu hadn't had the prices listed, so all she could do was pick what she would thought were the cheaper things. Either she didn't choose well or everything was over-priced as she blanched when she saw what she would have to put up.
She lied to herself, saying he didn't see her cheeks pale slightly, and her nervous habit of biting her bottom lip, resurface.
But she paid her half, and thanked him for dinner – even though she argued him into letting her pay half – and left quickly before he had the chance to say something an ruin the evening.
She had thought that was it, but then an owl arrived with another invitation and their interaction grew. Until Ginny found herself walking down an aisle, to accept Malfoy as her husband, to answer an invitation to dine with him every night. An invitation she accepted.