Chapter 3
Three days time came far too quick for Ginny and to make matters worse, her parents were gushing over the arrangement as if it were legitimate and Harry had owled her the day before to tell her that there was nothing he could do, successfully dashing the last of her hopes. She thought it a bit rude, really. Her parents being so ecstatic after all the years treating Harry as a son and dropping comments here and there about how nice it would be for him to truly be part of their family, all the while knowing it would never be able to happen.
Narcissa Malfoy's ring shimmered on her finger as a beam of sunlight hit it. She had felt wrong putting it on, but her mother had insisted that it would be terribly rude of her to show up without it and then gushed about it for at least thirty minutes. It was a beautiful ring, she couldn't deny that, but considering who it came from that was no surprise. It wasn't the gaudy, perfectly clear diamond she had expected but instead, a round cut stone of black diamond set into a white gold band, that managed to scream money yet look simple and well-designed all at once. Personally, she had never considered a black diamond, but found that it didn't look terrible at all. Even so, she caught herself staring longingly again at Harry's ring, a gorgeous diamond with small sapphires set in the band next to the gem. It had looked beautiful on her finger as well but instead, she had secured it on a chain and taken to wearing it on the necklace. Not tonight though, of course. It wouldn't be right.
"Ginny, you look beautiful."
The sound of her mum's voice broke her from her thought and she gave her a half-smile from the mirror, finding herself embarrassed by the compliment. She was cute, sure, and maybe even quite pretty, but beautiful or gorgeous or any of those words, she didn't think so, no matter how done up she looked now. Her dress was a light gold, hugging her nicely and remaining decent and with a wave of her wand, her mum had styled her vibrant hair into elegant waves, her bangs clipped back. Ginny knew she looked nicer than her usual simple, get-up-and-go look, but it also wasn't her. The idea of having to look as well put together as Narcissa Malfoy all the time made her stomach ache.
She sighed, turning around. "Mum, I can't do this."
"It'll be fine, dear. Now, you don't want to be late, do you?" She began shooing Ginny toward the kitchen to floo and Ginny wanted to roll her eyes. Yes, she did want to be late. Lifetimes late if possible and to make matters worse, her mum and dad had suddenly become 'busy' for the night although she really suspected that they just wanted her to not be able to hide behind them and force them to take charge of the entire conversation.
With one last look at her mother, she dropped the power, calling out 'Malfoy Manor'.
She popped out in a large, empty sitting room and discovered quickly she had no idea where to go. Before she could call out or begin to start down the only connected hallway, she heard voices traveling from down the same hallway.
" –arriving any second Draco, and you've been off with another woman all day. It's not appropriate."
"Mother, you sprung this on me without my consent and only just told me yesterday who I'll be forced to marry and I've told you and father, I'm going to be a single man until we exchange our vows and not one bloody moment sooner and I don't care what that bloody girl thinks about –" he cut off as they entered the sitting room and their eyes fell on her, a terse silence filling the room. Ever since the news, Draco had decided to live out his last bit of single life, often being gone for long periods of time and returning home disheveled, smudges of badly wiped off lipstick occasionally found on a bit of skin. He had clearly been having one of those days before he returned home today, and Narcissa cast him an exasperated look that suggested their conversation would continue later before she put on a smile as her eyes fell to Ginny again, looking all the more pleased as she noticed the black diamond ring adorning her finger.
"So pleased you could make it, where are your parents?"
Ginny frowned. "Oh, um, they couldn't make it. My dad had to stay at work late."
Narcissa nodded as if in understanding. "Of course, of course. Too bad, but you do look stunning, Miss Weasley. And I see you received my gift, it looks lovely on your hand." She nodded toward the ring and Ginny looked down at her own finger before nodding.
"Oh. Yes, it's very nice, thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Dear, you're about to become family. You'll call me Narcissa or even, if you wish it, mother."
Draco scowled and Ginny's thoughts echoed his expression. It would be one icy day in hell before anything like that happened, she found herself thinking, only just tuning in again as Draco's mother began motioning them down the hall, explaining that she and the photographer from the Daily Prophet had already spoken and decided the flower garden would be a perfect place for a photo.
Ginny thought it was a bit silly to actually have to get their picture taken together for an announcement of their impending nuptials but apparently it was standard in prominent families such as theirs. The photographer certainly seemed excited, gushing about what a lovely couple the two of them made and seemingly not noticing their disagreeing expressions.
Luckily, all of that fuss went by quick because Ginny did not think she could have spent another second with Draco's arm around her waist, pretending to be happy about the situation and she was rather hungry. The dining room was, like every other room in the manor, absolutely massive with a long table stretching through the room and expensive looking dishes set at one end, where Lucius Malfoy was already waiting on them.
"Darling," Narcissa greeted him, slipping into a seat at his side and planting a chaste kiss at his cheek. Ginny found herself across from Draco who was staring at her as if she were some sort of bug. She stared right back until Narcissa spoke up again, addressing Ginny.
"You have one more yet left at Hogwarts?" She nodded, confirming. "What do you plan to do after?"
"I love Quidditch," she said, considering. "I haven't decided if I'd like to play professionally or not, given the chance. I've also considered healing."
"And how do you do at school?"
"I was top of my class last year and was made Head Girl for this year. With six older brothers, it's hard to not always push yourself to do your best."
Narcissa nodded, smiling interestedly. "I had two older sisters myself who could do no wrong at Hogwarts it seemed."
It went on like this throughout the entire dinner, with Narcissa and sometimes Lucius questioning Ginny, Draco looking disinterested, and Ginny seeming to impress with the simplest of answers. It was not what she had expected of the get together, but she was glad for that. When their plates had been cleared away with the wave of a wand and they had all stood from the table, Narcissa spoke up again. "You'll be going to Diagon Alley sometime these next couple of weeks, I assume?"
"Yes," Ginny answered, hoping they weren't about to insist on some big, Weasley-Malfoy family trip just to get some schoolbooks. No thank you. "Next Saturday, I was hoping for."
Narcissa looked at Draco, considering, before turning back to the red-haired girl. "Yes, that seems a good time to go. Draco will accompany you. It will be good for the two of you to spend some time alone together, I think. Draco, would you like to walk Ginny to the floo?"
Even Ginny knew it wasn't an actual question and with a dramatic sigh, Draco shrugged. "Oh, I suppose."
Once they were out of ear shot, comfortably by the fireplace, he glared at her. "I don't know what you expect, Weasley-"
"I don't expect anything." She cut him off, "I don't like this any more than you do."
"Oh, I'm sure. I had many other options, suitable options, I'll have you know and I never would have picked you."
She wanted to laugh at that, her thoughts had been running in the same direction and her lip twitched upwards. "Believe me, Malfoy, I know the feeling. Today I would be wearing Harry's ring, waiting to happily become Mrs. Potter, but instead I got stuck with you. I'm no happier."
He glared at her, gray eyes bright with disgust. "As if becoming a Potter would ever be more desirable than a Malfoy. Just because you take my name, don't ever mistake yourself in thinking you'll truly be a Malfoy."
"One can only hope so." She spat back, dropping a handful of floo powder and shouting out 'The Burrow' before he had a chance to process her words.
The very next morning, a copy of The Daily Prophet sat on her kitchen table, the front headline blaring news of their engagement for the entire world to see.
The article took up the entire page, giving information on both of them, as well as details of her relationship with Harry, and the picture of them looking like some happily engaged, loving couple sat right in the middle of it all. She wanted to be sick.
'Ginevra Weasley, 17, and Draco Malfoy, 18: A life-like portrayal of the muggle tale Romeo & Juliet ' the caption underneath them read.
It was cheesy and ridiculous, and she threw it down in revulsion, using it as a make-shift placemat for her cup of early morning pumpkin juice.
She hadn't even thought of what Hogwarts would be like until now, going back as an engaged woman. Her friends would be disappointed in her for who she was marrying, she could see their faces already, and upset that she hadn't bothered o tell them. Then there would be the Harry Potter fanclub, who would recall her having been his steady girlfriend, now having to re-picture her with Draco Malfoy by her side and of course all the assumptions of betrayal on her part or wondering how Harry messed up so bad that in the matter of just the short summer months she had run off and gotten engaged to another man, and his rival at that.
"Merlin," she sighed, feeling a headache coming on just at the thought of school. The one place she could normally get away from havoc was likely to become the most chaotic place of all and in her final, most important year at that. It figured. Being Ginny Weasley had never been easy, of course it would all come crashing down as soon as everything had just fallen into place so perfectly.
Warm chocolate eyes landed on the paper again, falling onto the familiar pictured face of Draco Malfoy, photographed with a wide smile, as though caught in mid-laughter despite having not laughed that entire day, his arm twisted around her with a hand placed on her hip, holding her close to his side, looking like a real couple. He really was good at pretending, she mused, but then, he was as conniving as they came. Her mind recalled their last – their only – conversation from the previous night, all his jabbing remarks about her and about Harry.
"Prat. Great sodding prat." She whispered to the paper, her freckled hands finding the corners of the page and with a loud RIP!, she tore it in two, and then four, and then an uncountable number of miniscule pieces, until the smiling face of Draco Malfoy was no more than unrecognizable, littered scraps of paper strewn all over the table and floor, and Ginny found herself feeling much more peaceful as she unclenched her fists and let the last few bits drop to the ground at her feet.
