Chapter Ten: In Which They Are Miserable and Two New Weasleys Are Born
Discordia had spent the last two weeks adjusting to her new position in the Greek Ministry. She kept telling herself that she was extremely happy being the overseer of the revamping of her home country's government. The problem was that she didn't believe any of the lies she was telling herself. At night, she cried for hours. In the two months that George and she had been together, she had gotten used to having his company. He made her laugh and feel important.
"Miss Malfoy?" The interviewer questioned. Discordia was supposed to be giving an interview to four prominent wizarding newspapers, but she could not bring herself to be happy about it. Since her promotion to the Head of Renovation by Minister Zervos, Discordia was the second most important in the Greek Ministry. All of the improvements and changes she was making were going to shape what the new Greek Ministry became. She had already put together plans for a prison facility, wrote plans for training Aurors for raids, and discussed new trial procedures.
"Yes, sorry, what was the question?" She asked.
"How does it feel to be the next in line for Minister?" The blonde woman asked. She was a reporter for the Peninsula Report, the Greek wizarding newspaper.
"It feels like nothing else could," Discordia answered with fake happiness. It was her most common emotion as of late.
"How does your father feel about the sudden success in your career?" The reporter for the Daily Prophet shouted. The woman was much like Rita Skeeter and wanted to be in everyone's personal business instead of reporting the news. The question was more about being a Malfoy woman with a career.
"My father is extremely proud of me," Discordia assured her. However, she knew that her uncle was not as forthcoming with praise. Draco told him about the reprimands he was receiving for supporting Discordia's willingness to be a successful career woman instead of a housewife.
"Is it true that while you were in Britain getting renovation ideas you were romantically involved with a Weasley? Did you know that the members of the Weasley family are war heroes?"
"I will not comment to either of those questions because they do not have anything to do with the changes I am making here."
The woman nodded her head and scribbled something quickly on a notepad. Discordia, worn out, decided to end her interview session. She still had quite a few more documents to go over and a meeting with the Minister before she could go home.
A few days later in Britain, George picked up the Daily Prophet to this article:
Two days ago on January 3rd of this year, Discordia Malfoy allowed for interviews with four of Europe's most important wizarding newspapers. We entered a small conference room where the young woman sat at the head of a table. She had her hair up in a chignon and her eyes were a steely grey. This reporter thinks that she may have been upset over personal issues. The Daily Prophet was fortunate to be one of them. In her interview Miss Malfoy stated that she was extremely happy to be taking up the position of Minister when the time came. She informed us that her father is completely supportive of this endeavor, but this reporter is certain that her infamous ex-Death Eater uncle in this country would not be. When I asked about her alleged relationship with George Weasley she replied that she did not want to speak of such a thing.
George couldn't read more and quickly tossed the paper into the fireplace. He could care less about what she was doing on the other side of the continent. If she fell off of a broom and ended up in some hospital he wouldn't bat an eye. That's at least what he kept telling himself every twenty minutes when he thought about her again. He kept thinking about how she looked in the morning. Her light brown hair a mess from sleep or other activities, her grey eyes were bright, and she was always smiling at him. It was mostly because he always had some joke or something to make her laugh.
He finished his morning routine and headed down to the workshop. An idea for a new product needed to happen soon. He hadn't developed anything since the Enemy Beans. He had done so well with them and wanted to do more new products. However, when everything happened with Discordia he lost the drive to continue. George looked over the reports that Verity had left for him on his work table. Each one listed how much of each item was sold between December fifteenth and January second. They had an excellent Christmas season this year. It was better than most of their previous years. Also, they still weren't done with it. A new offer was parents or family purchasing store credits for a child to come in and pick out what they want later. It had been Trish's idea. The sales had skyrocketed because it allowed parents to give their children choices.
Around lunchtime, George used the Floo to go to the Burrow. Molly Weasley looked pleasantly surprised to see him.
"George, what are you doing here?" She asked delightedly. George knew that her delightful mood was no doubt attributed to the births of two new grandchildren any day now. These births plus Ginny's announcement at Christmas had his mother elated to a whole new level. When Ginny had told her she was pregnant, she cried about being the most wonderful Christmas present ever. George was certain it had something to do with Ginny being the only girl.
"I just felt like eating lunch with me Mum," he answered lightheartedly. Really, he just wanted company. In the two months that George and Discordia had celebrated their victory, they had eaten lunch together every day. It had been commonplace for him to eat the meal with someone else. Now it seemed foreign to him to trudge up to his flat and eat alone.
"Well I'm glad. I made some pasties," she said as she set them down on the table. He smiled as their delicious aroma reached him. He was one of the two of Molly's children that could remake these same pasties perfectly. The other was Bill. It took special care and love to recreate them as wonderfully.
"These smell wonderful as always Mum."
She nodded and asked, "How're you doing dear?" Her tone had suddenly changed completely. It went from cheerful to bleak. George looked at her exasperated. He did not want to have to answer this question for the rest of his life. He was fine.
"Mum, I'm fine just like I was on Sunday. The lot of you need to stop worrying about me. I'm not going to jump to my death any time soon. It was one failed relationship, if you can even call it that," he explained to her.
"I know, but I just want to see you happy. And I hate to say this, but you were happy with her. I know you'll tell me that it was an illusion, but I'm certain you were. There was something there that you haven't had since Fred died," Molly told him.
George tried both to deny the words to his self and to her, but it was a hard feat. How do you deny something that is utterly true? He had been happy with Discordia. He had been so happy that he had contemplated the idea of marriage. Something he will never do again. Especially with a woman that made a bet about him.
"She was in the Prophet. Something about being a revolutionary in the Greek government," his mother offhandedly mentioned.
"I know. I saw. Said she didn't want to comment about me as well," he voiced bitterly.
Draco sat quietly at the table with Astoria and Discordia. Astoria had come to Greece for the last three days to do some New Year's shopping and had stayed with his cousin.
"Are you sure that you're alright after what happened with that Weasley?" Astoria asked with little tact. Discordia hid a smile. She didn't like or dislike Astoria, but when the woman acted like this it drove her mental.
"I'm fine," she lied. It went undetected by her cousin-in-law. Draco, on the other hand, knew that it was a false statement. He was the only person that understood her because they were incredibly similar. It was the reason they constantly bickered.
"Well then since you are fine, maybe we should spend some time shopping together today. I have been her with you for three days already and have not spent any time with you," Astoria said changing the subject. Discordia nodded. A nice shopping trip would definitely make her feel slightly better. Not enough to mend her heart, but enough to forget about it for a few hours.
"There's this beautiful dress shop that I saw the other day," Astoria went on but Draco did not listen. He stared at Discordia and was certain she was not truly paying attention as well. Guilt, an emotion that he really had not had up until his sixth year of school, was something he was feeling right now. If he had not bet her that they could not go on five dates together, then she would not be this hurt right now. Certainly he didn't know the reason for their falling out, but he realized it could have been avoided all together.
"Draco, do you feel alright?" Discordia asked concerned. He had been staring funnily at her for the last few seconds.
"Yes, I was just thinking about a new charity that Father and I have been thinking about starting," he answered. Draco was a better liar than most, but just as he could detect her lies, Discordia could detect his. She nodded though, because if he did not want to tell her, then there was no reason to hound him about it.
"I think we should get started if we are going to find the best items of the season," Astoria said to them both still talking about shopping. Discordia and Draco agreed with her and soon the three were gone from the restaurant.
A month after George read that article about Discordia, he had two new nieces. Fleur had given birth to Dominique on January eighteenth, while Audrey had Lucy six days later. In the twelve days since Lucy's birth, he had been preparing for her godparent ceremony. Percy had asked him to be Lucy's godfather the morning she was born and George had been honored. It had given him something to take his mind off of Discordia.
"George, can you bring Mum's blankets?" Ginny yelled into the Burrow's living room.
"Yes," George answered as he grabbed his mother's hand-knit blankets. He brought them out to the kitchen. "Where do you want these?" He asked his mother.
"Give the two pink ones each to Bill and Percy to keep the girls warm. The yellow one is for Ginny. She should be keeping warm in this weather. Four months pregnant and she thinks she can play Quidditch," Molly answered. George handed out the blankets as specified.
"You're powerful, but not indestructible Gin," he teased his younger sister. She smiled wickedly, but put the blanket over her self.
"How come you'll listen to him, but when I ask these things you bloody well ignore me?" Harry asked her.
"Because he made sure not to include the fact that I'm a fragile pregnant woman in his request," she responded with a smirk. George laughed at the bewildered look on Harry's face.
"Don't worry mate, I've known her since she was born. I've had practice handling her. You'll figure it out eventually," George assured the Boy-Who-Saved-the-Wizarding-World-but-Could-Not-Handle-One-Ginny-Weasley.
Harry nodded. George let them be as he went to find his older nieces to play. He always found their company more enjoyable at the Burrow these days. It was because they were not old enough to be bothering him over a relationship that did not matter. Before he could reach the stairs, his mother stopped him.
"George maybe you can invite her to the ceremony and talk. Maybe there's something that can be worked out between you and her," she said to him. George shook his head. He was sick of this talk.
"Mum, I told you, she's gone!"
"You were happy. I want that for you. I want it for all of my children," she admitted softly.
"Mum, you were denied that the day Fred died. Why not understand that I'm not getting married?" He whispered harshly.
Molly didn't have a chance to answer as Victoire entered the room in all her blonde glory.
"Uncle George, you should come see Pierre," the almost five-year-old requested.
"You named a pink Puff, Pierre? You are so like you Aunt Ginny," George said to her as he sent one last look at his mother. A look that said to leave it alone and Molly nodded somberly.
Molly had never felt so stricken by one of her children like this. She knew that George must really be hurt to act that way. It gave her an idea. He would hate her for it at first, but would be best for him in the end.