Dear Readers,
It's been about ten years since I updated last, but better late than never…right? Anyway, I hope this chapter is interesting enough to overcome any hard feelings you may have harbored these last few months. Enjoy!
Littlekat1010
Ginny woke the next morning, her headache back full force. She sat up with a groan, reaching for one of the small bottles of pain reliever Snape had left for her. The potion reduced the pain to a dull ache that lingered annoyingly in the back of her mind. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. It was not until she was in the shower that she realized that Lucius was not there. She gritted her teeth at the thought of his tirade yesterday in the bedroom. Who did that man think he was, to look down on her, threaten her, and accuse her of hurting herself on purpose?
Not that the thought had not crossed her mind; but Ginny Weasley was made of stronger stuff than that. If she could survive the war without falling into despair, she could survive Lucius Malfoy. But even as she considered these brave notions, her subconscious contradicted her. During the war there had been hope. She had been with family and friends, fighting for something that she truly believed in, something worth dying for. And they had had Harry, The Boy Who Lived, to give them courage. They had a prophecy, and the guidance of many older, experienced wizards and witches. They had been so young, so determined, and so fearless.
But here, in this luxurious but lonely mansion, Ginny had none of that. Here she was alone, with no friends or family, no great cause to fight for. Here everything was unfamiliar territory, and there was no Order of the Phoenix to guide her. Even the legendary Harry Potter could not end this marriage. And perhaps that was the most hopeless part of the whole situation. Marriage in the wizarding world is forever, except for a very few, extreme cases. Seeing as the ministry had arranged this one, there was no hope that they would then sign an annulment.
Ginny stripped off her clothes and stepped into the steaming hot shower, letting the water run over her face and hair. There was no room in this life for thoughts like that. This was her life. This would remain her life. Furthermore, it would remain his life. Lucius Malfoy would simply have to adjust.
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Lucius was rather surprised when the house elf announced that his child bride was on her way down to breakfast. After last night's little discussion, he had expected her to avoid him as much as possible. In fact, he had hoped for it. He put down his newspaper in annoyance and nodded curtly to the elf, which opened the dining room door.
The girl strode in with what he could only presume was her idea of confidence, although to Lucius, she looked like a snotty school girl. Her head was held high, her stride long. She was dressed in muggle clothing, which did not bother Lucius in and of itself. There was plenty of muggle clothing that was perfectly acceptable for a Malfoy to wear. A denim mini skirt with ripped leggings , a tank top, and an oversized cardigan sweater, however, was not suitable for any wizard or witch, much less one of Malfoy standing. Lucius cringed inwardly at the thought of what Narcissa would say if she saw someone in her house attired in such a way.
"Before you sit at my table, you will go change into something more suitable." He spoke quietly, but his tone left no room for argument.
Apparently the girl didn't catch that part.
"My clothes are just fine." She jutted her chin out defiantly, and continued to the table.
"They are suitable for muggles and mudbloods. You will go change."
"I will not. I am not trying to impress anyone; I'm trying to eat breakfast. These are fine." She pulled her chair out from the table.
Lucius put his fork down and looked coolly at the girl. "Do not sit down at this table in those clothes, Ginevra, unless you wish to suffer consequences."
"What are you going to do? Ground me? You can't do anything to me." She stared back at him defiantly, and for a moment, Lucius felt as though he were talking to Draco. He spoke slowly and softly, choosing words he knew would intimidate the girl.
"According to the law, Ginevra, I may do whatever I wish with you. I may be out of favor with the Ministry at the moment, but the law does not change because of that. According to wizarding law, as the wealthy, male caretaker in this relationship, I have almost total power over your person. So yes, I can do "anything" to you, as you so eloquently put it, and no one can legally stop me. So once again, unless you wish to make me very, very unhappy, you will excuse yourself to your room and change your apparel."
Without a word, Ginevra Malfoy sat down, unfolded her napkin, and placed it most politely in her lap.
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Sirius Black looked up at his best friend hopelessly. "What am I going to do, Remus?"
"Calm down Sirius. The way you're talking, one would think you'd never faced a hoard of death eaters in battle."
"This is a hell of a lot worse than death eaters." Sirius mumbled under his breath. Remus chose to ignore him.
"It's not all bad, Padfoot. Look on the bright side."
Sirius glared at the werewolf sitting next to him. "The bright side? What bright side? Do you know something I do not? Please, enlighten me."
"Sirius, you are acting like a child. Hermione is an intelligent, mature woman."
Black scoffed. "Woman? Remus she's still a child! I'm old enough to be her father! She's a bushy haired, overly inquisitive girl!"
"Sirius, she's 18 years old, and she'd seen and done more by the age of 14 than most adults have in their 40's. And in case you hadn't noticed, she's become quite a beautiful woman. It's time to move on from your image of her as a bushy-haired little girl. Merlin's beard, man, she's about to become your wife!"
Sirius shook his head dejectedly. "We can't communicate, Remus. We've always had a perfectly civil relationship before. I was—I was like an irresponsible uncle to her. And now she's so quiet whenever we are in the same room. She won't look me in the eye. I don't know what to do." He looked up at his friend. What he wouldn't give at this moment to be more like Remus. If he were only a bit gentler, a better communicator, more understanding, then maybe this could work. As it was, he could only hope that Remus could offer him something that would help.
Remus ran his hand absentmindedly through his hair and gave a heavy sigh. "Of course she's become shy around you. She's probably terrified of you."
Sirius scoffed. "That's ridiculous, Remus. She's known me for years! What is there to be scared of?"
Remus shook his head at his insensitive friend. "Put yourself in her place, Sirius! She's an 18 year old girl who has, as far as I know, never been in a serious relationship! Her childhood was spent fighting the greatest dark wizard of our time; she's only just begun to find out what it is like to be a normal girl. And now she is being forced into a marriage with a man twice her age, whose reputation is less than stellar."
"Just what does that mean?" growled Sirius
"It means," Remus said gently "that you have a temper. She's never seen the soft, gentle side of you that I know is there. And that is the side you need to show her."
"And just when, between now and our wedding two days from now, do you recommend I show her this side of me? She won't even look at me. And I won't see her much until the wedding. Molly has her busy with wedding plans every moment, probably to keep her from committing suicide."
Remus tactfully ignored the last comment. He patted his best friend on the back and said "Well then, I'd say the wedding night is a good place to start." He grinned. "She won't be able to escape you then."
Sirius groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Not funny, Remus!"
