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Shades of Green
Chapter Twenty Eight: A Royal Affair
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She saw the city of Florence in bright bursts of color and greenery, the houses built upon sloping cliffs artistically. She had to credit muggles, their architecture was incredible especially given the fact that there was no magic used to build any of this, just innovation.
She had never thought anything could look more beautiful than what was beneath her. There was something inherently magical about witnessing things from above, as if it was touchable. And for someone who had barely left her home town of Ottery St. Catchpole for most of her life, seeing the clear blue waters of the peninsula was dreamlike.
Of course, she tried to keep her reactions, her 'ooh's' and 'aah's' to a minimum because for the Malfoys this was more of a nuisance than something to be appreciated. Narcissa had complained about the lack of upkeep to the jet for about ten minutes, while Draco had simply glowered out the window.
But Ginny didn't mind, her gaze glued out of the window.
The landing and apparating was nothing consequential, however, when she got to the house, she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.
Villa di Lucina was a vision.
And unlike the Manor, it was neither daunting nor lonely. Instead, it was vibrant and alive, almost begging to be lived in and enjoyed.
And also unlike the Manor, there was nothing archaic or outdated about this place, the soft pastel paint practically glimmering.
"My grandfather Abraxas had this constructed for my grandmother special. She fallen in love with Firenze the first time they came here, enamored with the culture and art and history." Draco told her. "Especially Gavinana-Gavuzzo, do you know the Arno River is walking distance?"
She had no idea what or where that river was and she felt a little embarrassed that Draco was so cultured and she had barely been past her backyard.
Sensing her discomfort, he slipped his hand into hers. "It is the district of Florence that this house was built in, of course it is not at all of consequence considering this house is unplottable and invisible to muggles. I simply mentioned it because I want to show you the river, should we have time." He said, in a quiet voice that his mother would never be able to overhear.
Ginny smiled, staring at the tall windows that lined the entrance way of the house, allowing the vibrant Tuscan sun to shine in the Villa. Each time she walked by one, she felt her skin warm and she loved that feeling. She could see herself spending eternity in this place and never complaining for a second about it.
At the end of the entry way, there was a huge portrait of a rather beautiful woman, a large smile encompassing her face. "Is that…?" Ginny gasped.
Draco nodded, "Grandmother Lucina, I was not lying when I said he'd had it made only for her." He explained.
Ginny smiled, appreciating the amount of love and care it must have taken to get this place exactly perfect for the person who meant everything to you.
"My grandmother never got to live in it though, wasn't even able to see it completed."
"What? Why not?"
"She passed, from a sickness she caught when she had gone to a rather impoverished, plague stricken village in Costa Rica."
Ginny gave Draco a look of intense confusion at that statement.
"She was a philanthropist, my grandmother. There was a tribe of witches in that area, called themselves a coven—
"Those haven't been around for centuries!"
Draco nodded, "In some parts of the world, where magical society is rural and isolated, the only way to have any sort of unity is to create it." In a lot of ways they were lucky, magic was very advanced in England and they had managed to have relatively peaceful relations with the leaders of the muggle world. It allowed them the luxury of living in houses and going to special schools and choosing fit career paths.
In a lot of parts of the world, magic was not tolerated nor believed in. And still there were regions where it was abhorred and thought of as an abomination, the people who had it being persecuted and ostracized.
"Anyway, she had gone there for one of her rehabilitation, give back, charity retreat type things and when she returned it had been found that she contracted some sort of immune system disease that the magic in our blood could not counteract. Her health declined rather rapidly after that." Draco said and Ginny found it a little unnerving that he had such little emotion attached to the story.
As if it wasn't his grandmother he was talking about but instead just giving a history lesson on the house.
"Funny thing is, my grandfather never got to see this place either. This is probably the most people this property has had on it since construction ceased."
She had really been expecting this story to be one of epic romance proportions, not tragically morbid. But, she wasn't surprised either.
They had just barely reached the living room when they heard a voices, followed by footsteps.
Two women came into the room, one of them being Narcissa and the other who looked remarkably like the woman in the photograph at the entrance.
"Draconis!" She said enthusiastically clapping her hands together.
She reached over and enveloped him in a hug. "Hello, auntie." He said, as she kissed both his cheeks.
"And who might this be?" The woman peered around her tall nephew to get a look at the gril who was currently hiding behind him.
Draco cleared his throat, "Ginny, this is my aunt Cersei. Auntie, this is Ginevra Weasley, my…" He wasn't sure what to call her.
And Ginny wasn't all that hurt by it, they'd never had a formal discussion about what they were. It always seemed too soon or not the right time or not important enough.
But what he said a moment later made her spine go rigid;
"My girlfriend." He decided.
Her brown eyes widened, almost forgetting to reach out to shake the woman's hand when she extended it.
Narcissa also looked between her son and the girl he had become so taken with, equally surprised at how easily he had given her the title that insinuated monogamy. Hell, he hardly had even acknowledged Pansy as his girlfriend and they had been together for a whole lot longer than the five minutes he had been with the Weasley girl.
If there was any word to describe how she was feeling, Ginny couldn't' think of it. And shock just didn't seem big enough to encompass it.
"Weasley." A tight smile came over her face, "Right, when you gave Adrestia confirmation for your date I assumed it was a joke." She said airily, a light laugh attached to the end of the statement.
"Well, it wasn't." He said firmly.
"Obviously."
Draco's eyes flashed dangerously, "Is there a problem, auntie?" He asked, his tone was chillingly polite.
Cersei smoothed out the front of her dress, "No, of course not. I never meant offense, Draco!" The fake sweetness back in her tone, "Come, let me get a look at you." She ushered Ginny closer to her. "Yes, very pretty indeed."
Red-faced, Ginny twirled around for her, feeling like a prized cow at a cattle fair.
"Oh and don't you even worry about this dress." She paused to tsk, looking her over again. "I'm sure I can give you something of Eris' to wear, she's brought so many options, that girl, you would think it was her engagement!" She gave a small laugh. "You two look about the same size, give or take a few pounds." She said off handedly, though the judgmental tone was not lost on anyone in the room.
This time, Narcissa stepped forward. "Ginevra is quite capable of dressing herself, Cersei. Besides, she is far too thin to fit into anything that isn't custom made for her figure." She said frostily. "Anyway, I'm sure all this wardrobe advice and attention to detail would be better spent on Adrestia. It is her day after all." She gave her sister in law a polite smile.
Cersei's eyes lingered on Ginny for a moment longer, "Right, of course. And Dresi's gown is absolutely exquisite, Cissa you must see it. We had it designed by Jordana Maximillian!" She said enthusiastically.
"That is impressive, usually she's booked through the year."
"She was! But you know I have my connections."
"As do we all, being a Malfoy pays off."
"Of course and you must show me what you're..."
Ginny waited until their voices had all but trailed off out of earshot before speaking, "She was…intense." She let out a low whistle.
Draco, however, looked pensive.
"What are you thinking about?"
"My mother… she's never actually intervened that way for anyone before." He said curiously.
Ginny's eyes widened a little as she let that information sink in, "Really?" She asked, a little baffled herself.
"Yes, it's literally never happened." Narcissa hardly even acknowledged Pansy's presence most of the time, for so long referring to the poor girl as a harlot whenever she was brought up in the house.
But before she could bask in the glory of somewhat being on Narcissa's good side, another thought came to mind. "Draco… you called me your girlfriend." Try as she might have, in that moment Ginny knew it was impossible to fight off the grin that broke out over her face.
Draco rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I had to call you something, didn't I?" He mumbled, looking away from her.
"Yes, but you didn't have to call me that." She swept a quick glance around the vicinity, before reaching her arms around his neck.
He just kept his gaze from hers, "Don't go taking it out of context now." He said quietly, "For all intents and purposes you were just that before I had mentioned it." Draco couldn't remember a time where he wouldn't have ripped someone's throat out if they so much as thought of Ginny inappropriately.
She was his.
She just smiled, "Draco, you called me your girlfriend." She repeated, with the same amount of emphasis as if he hadn't just tried to minimize it.
He wrapped a hand around her waist, "I'm sure you've been called worst." He said, resting his hand at her lower back.
Ginny just reached on her tip toes to kiss him, "I can't believe you actually called me your girlfriend." She said once they broke apart.
And Draco just shook his head because he knew he wouldn't be hearing the end of this any time soon.
-x-
"Draaaaco!"
A girl of about fourteen or fifteen, with shiny silver hair and sparkling amethyst eyes came bouncing out of the house.
Draco had just been in the process of showing Ginny the property.
She looked so young as she came bounding down the clearing. "Eris." There was a touch of warmth in Draco's voice that Ginny hardly ever heard.
The girl threw herself in his arms, hugging him to her tightly. "I missed you." She said, burying her face in his chest.
Ginny cleared her throat, feeling a tad ignored.
Draco pulled away, "Eris, my girlfriend Ginevra." He put a hand on the small of her back. "This is my baby cousin Eris."
Ginny had figured as much, from what Draco had explained his aunt had three children.
Adrestia, Adonis and Eris.
"It's just Ginny, good to meet you." She shook the girl's hand.
"You're really pretty, Draco's done well." She complimented. "We were really starting to question your taste after Pansy." She teased.
Ginny laughed, because seriously anything that was insulting to Pansy would be funny to her.
Always.
Draco ran a hand through his hair, "Behave, now." He said playfully. "She might still end up coming somehow and you know the girl's got a temper." He said mock warningly.
Eris rolled her eyes, "Yes, well. Insane people normally do." She drawled.
"Has 'Donis come yet?" Draco asked.
Eris nodded, "Brother just landed from Greece literally minutes ago, finally too because Dresi was literally going to have an aneurism." Eris said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"You know, Adresita is actually going to murder him one of these days for what he puts her through." Draco chuckled.
"As if mother would ever let anyone close enough to her most prized child long enough to harm him." Eris rolled her eyes.
Draco couldn't argue, his aunt made no effort to hide how proud she was to have a son. "How's Beauxbatons?" He changed the subject.
"Too long." She sighed. "But if I get decent grades on my year end exams, father promised to allow me and Gabrielle to go on a safari trip to South Africa." She beamed.
"South Africa?" Ginny asked, not being able to contain her surprise.
Eris nodded, "I want to be a magical zoologist, there are so any different species of creatures to be discovered and studied." She said.
"Yes, quite the animal lover this one." Draco said dryly. "Anyway Eris, how about you go get 'Donis out here and we get a quick scrimmage in?" He suggested.
"Oh yes, like old times, how fun!" She clapped her hands together. "And boy, would it positively annoy mother." She added wickedly.
Draco and Ginny chuckled.
Ginny smiled with a wave, "She was nice." She said as Eris left.
"Eris is a sweet girl." He'd never had any siblings and while growing up he'd been close enough to Adrestia and Adonis, Eris was the only one out of the three he considered to be like a little sister.
-x-
When Blaise Zabini got an urgent call from his good friend Terence, he knew something had to be wrong for the Beater to be reaching out in such a way.
Especially when the boy was on vacation with his girlfriend whom he was basically obsessed with.
They were never the types to keep in touch or have lengthy conversations outside of being in one another's presence.
"Zab."
Blaise nodded.
"I need to talk to you."
"I figured as much." Blaise said indifferently.
"It's about Malfoy."
Blaise looked impassive at best, "Why wouldn't you talk to Malfoy then." He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Quit being surly, don't you think if I could I would."
Blaise sighed, "Alright, so get on with it." He said.
"Alright well look, Rosie—she's got this idea that Malfoy might be in some real trouble and I don't know what to tell her because he's been secretive lately and I never thought much of it because that's his nature. But I mean… I just feel like if anyone would know anything it would be you."
He was mildly impressed, Higgs was never too quick on the uptake, nor did he really care to get involved in matters that didn't concern him. But the fact that he was able to pick up on Malfoy's slightly shifted demeanor meant that he really did pay attention every now and then.
But Blaise had promised Draco he wouldn't say anything so… "No, I have no idea what you're referring to." He lied smoothly.
"Are you sure."
Terence sounded skeptical.
Blaise cleared his throat, "I'm positive. If there was anything to tell, I'm sure Malfoy would've told you himself." He continued.
"I suppose."
"Since we're on the subject, though, what caused Kennedy to become so suspicious all of a sudden." Granted, the last time he had seen Draco hadn't ended pleasantly, but when push came to shove Blaise would always be in his corner.
They had only each other to rely on for those two years that stretched eternities, there was something extremely solid about a bond like that. And if somehow Kennedy had found out through someone else, that meant the word was out. And if that was the case, then Blaise knew he had to get to the bottom of it.
"I don't know, she said Red called her basically sobbing like someone died and then rambled about a trial and a murder or something and then just… hung up."
Damn it, Weasley.
Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, well, I'm sure Ginevra was just going through one of those girly spells." He said seamlessly. "A spot unstable, that one." He added.
"Like you should talk."
Blaise's mood swings were practically infamous around the dungeons by now.
"Was that all, Higgs?"
"For now, but I feel like there's more to this Malfoy thing than you're letting on."
Blaise just shook his head, "Peculiar that you would rather stretch conversation with me about Malfoy instead of screwing your girlfriend at this time." He smirked. "But then again I should have known there would eventually come a time when Kennedy's shrew-like personality would turn someone off enough to switch teams."
And that was enough for Terence Higgs to spit out a few expletives at the chaser before leaving the call.
-x-
Draco had always referred the villa in Italy as nothing special, small and quaint. And Ginny supposed by Malfoy standards it probably was. But to her this was one of the nicest houses she had ever been inside. Not just because of how lavish and intricate it was, from the portraits to the décor to the bedrooms. But more so because of how comfortable it was.
So unlike the Manor.
She had yet to meet Adrestia, though Ginny hadn't been expecting to see the bride to be prior to the party anyway, from the frenzy that was unfolding at the villa, Ginny got the distinct feeling that Adrestia Selwyn might be just a touch demanding…
Apparently the blonde beauty had left to the parlor to get dolled up at seven this morning and was not due to return any time soon.
She had however, met the two younger Selwyns, Adonis and Eris both of whom were polite enough. They were godly, the Malfoy genes predominantly beautiful and exquisite, looking as though they were Aphrodite's children in reality and not just by namesake.
It made a person feel slightly inadequate, to say the least.
Ginny stared at her reflection in the guest room she had been given to get dressed in, she could hardly believe the person she was staring at was herself. The dress fit her perfectly, which made her smile because it meant Draco truly did go to his mother for her measurements and she couldn't even begin to imagine how uncomfortable that would have been for the boy. A small giggle escaped her lips at the thought of how that interaction must've went.
A knock at the door interrupted her, she smoothed a hand over her hair, "Come in." She said after a second.
Draco slowly opened the door, a soft smile adorning his features in an almost painfully perfect way that made Ginny avert her gaze.
He was honestly too handsome for his own good, it reduced her to a pitiful pile of fan girl mush, especially when his silver eyes settled on her the way they did and the ghost of a smirk danced on his lips.
"You look beautiful." She hadn't looked up until he was standing in front of her, his warm breath tickling her forehead.
"Thank you." She said softly.
He led her downstairs and out to the courtyard, which Draco had briefly shown her before she was ushered off to get ready.
The minimal exposure in the afternoon did nothing for how glorious the gardens actually were, reminding her of a painting she had seen of Eden. Arborous and green, with delicate pink roses blooming and un-blooming in synchronization, leaving petals on the ground each time. Draco pointed out a pond at the very far end of the courtyard, promising to take her to see it up close as soon as they made their rounds.
There were about ten or fifteen immaculately white peacocks, strutting around the yard which was apparently a Malfoy tradition. These animals were some of the best trained and thoroughly bred Ginny had ever seen. But then, she knew she shouldn't have been surprised.
Little twinkle flies floated around the air, their little tails lighting up every few seconds causing a magical effect that she had only felt when the Hogwarts ceiling would be enchanted to mimic snow.
There was a winding staircase that led down from the first floor balcony, which Draco had explained was to be Adrestia's point of entrance.
There were at least seventy or so guests, give or take, all of whom seemed to be of some prominence and money.
Actors, designers, the duke of something, the lord of another, after a while she stopped trying to keep up with the introductions.
She spotted the model Adrianna Johnson, who was the face for Magic Makeup, Ginny's jaw nearly dropped when she saw who the model was on the arm of.
None other than the Captain and Seeker of the Irish national team.
"Draco, that's Aidan Lynch!" The redhead whispered excitedly.
Ginny remembered the World Cup which she had seen with her family and how incredibly jealous her brothers would be when she told them she went to a party with Aidan Lynch.
But then the realization that she would never be able to tell them hit her like a cold bucket of ice water being dumped over her head, the smile falling off her face instantly.
Well, at least she could tell Kennedy…
"Ah, yes it is." Draco noted. "Shall we say hello?" He asked her.
Ginny nodded, though her initial enthusiasm had deflated some. "He's with that model, Adrianna Johnson." She mentioned.
Draco stopped walking, his silver eyes turning sharply to the woman who was standing a few paces away from the Quidditch star.
Crap.
As luck would have, Draco was saved from coming up with some half ass excuse as to why they shouldn't go over there by someone calling his name behind them.
He put a hand on the small of her back as they turned around.
A man that held a strong enough resemblance to Draco threw the boy a grin. "Troy, how are you." Draco held out a hand.
"Well, and yourself?" He shook Draco's hand, looking over Ginny.
"Can't complain, this is Ginevra." He introduced quickly. "My girlfriend." He added, registering the fact that Troy had been in the process of checking her out.
Troy raised an eyebrow, cool blue eyes settling on her. "She's a beauty, Draco." He appreciated.
Draco nodded, his eyes flashing almost imperceptibly. "This is Troy Malfoy, my father's cousin's son" He ignored the compliment.
Ginny felt herself shiver under the word "girlfriend' she wondered how many times she would have to hear it until she stopped getting butterflies.
She extended a hand out, "Hello." She greeted with a polite smile.
Troy bowed to place a kiss on the top of her hand. "Pleasure." He said across her skin
She quickly withdrew her hand, feeling Draco tense beside her. "You as well." She said swiftly, putting both hands around Draco's arm.
"Have you seen Adonis?"
Draco nodded, "We arrived a few hours ago, convinced Auntie to let me and 'Donis take the brooms around the grounds for a couple of laps." He said easily.
"Did you get Dresi on a broom too?"
Draco chuckled, "God no. I don't think Adrestia's been on a broom since we were children." He said fondly. "Eris and Ginny had a good time though."
Troy's blue eyes settled on her again, "You fly?" He asked in a rather impressed tone.
Ginny nodded, "I do." She said.
"Beauty and plays Quidditch, don't tell me you're smart as well?"
Ginny felt a light blush coating her cheeks, "I um, I'm not sure." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"What do you study at Hogwarts?"
She could feel Draco's rigidity returning to his posture, as he stiffened beside her. She discreetly slipped her small hand into his larger one, threading her fingers through his. "I'm pre-mediwitch." She answered.
Troy stared at her with unabashed amazement.
"If you're quite done with the inquisition, Troy?" Draco asked in an icy tone.
Troy ran a hand through his dark blonde hair, "Just getting to know your date better, Draco. No need to be so protective." He chuckled.
But that did nothing to assuage Draco.
"Anyway, it was quite lovely to meet you Ginevra. I hope we'll run into eachother sometime later tonight, perhaps on the dance floor?" He gave her a flirtatious wink before walking away.
Ginny held her breath, waiting for Draco to do something rash or say something mean. But when he held his composure, inwardly Ginny celebrated that.
She spotted Narcissa talking to a rather beautiful woman with shiny dark hair and a strong profile consisting of flawless porcelain skin, an upturned nose, prominent cheek bones and a sharp jawline.
There was something eerily familiar about her, as if she had seen that face somewhere before.
"Draco, who is that talking to you mom?" she asked quietly, taking the opportunity to change the subject.
Partially hoping it would stop Draco from having murderous thoughts about that Troy fellow and partially because she was genuinely curious.
"Do you know who the Petrovas are?" Draco asked from beside her.
Ginny nodded, "The richest family in Europe." She answered automatically.
She had read about them in Professor Binns class. It was seldom that Ginny had paid attention in history, but she always remembered to jot down names and dates because they were sure to show up on year end exams.
Legend had it they were the oldest magical family in all of Europe and even Russia, though how accurate that information was anyone's guess.
And extraordinarily powerful.
She had heard whispers during the dark times that Voldemort had met with the patriarch of the Petrova family in order to gain their allegiance.
There were all sorts of rumors around the mythical Petrova dynasty, how they kept their family line alive through dark rituals and blood sacrifices. Even that they had made a pact with a particularly powerful vampire once, to give them immortality in exchange for conjuring the dead.
And that kind of magic was inexplicably forbidden.
Because forcing two magical beings together while retaining both magical properties was disturbing the balance of nature. And in order to maintain and restore that balance, whatever powers may be destroyed something old for everything new that was created.
"Well, that's Svetlana Petrova." He nodded towards the woman that was talking to Narcissa.
Ginny's brown eyes widened, "Really?" She gasped.
The Petrovas were rumored to never leave Bulgaria.
"She and Stanislav are Viktor Krums godparents."
It all made sense now, Viktor Krum's parents had been involved in a ship accident when he was seven, she had read about it in the feature they had done on him in Witch Weekly during the Triwizard tournament. She remembered he was under the guardianship of his godparents, but the article had never specified who they were.
No wonder he was able to graduate with a degree from Durmstrang, all the while playing professional Quidditch.
"Is it true what they say about that family?" She wondered.
"What? All that vampire business?" He asked.
She nodded.
Draco shrugged a shoulder, "Probably." He said indifferently, with a sip of his drink.
Ginny looked at him, aghast, "That easy, huh?" She shouldn't have been surprised that he wasn't concerned.
"People do things for power, Ginny. Perverse things, unspeakable things." He said quietly. "It's not pretty, but it's the truth. The sooner you accept that, the less disillusioned you'll be."
Ginny chewed her lip, "It shouldn't be that way." She mentioned.
"But it is." He said simply.
"And those two girls."
There was a pair of them, both with a strong resemblance not only to each other but to the woman whom Draco had just told her was Svetlana Petrova. The first one, a bit older, had dark curly hair that splayed down her shoulders. Her coal eyes were staring at the sky, but at Ginny's glance, immediately seemed to snap to the redhead and Draco.
There was something sinister about her gaze, the small knowing smirk that spread across her features as if she was well aware they were talking about her.
The second one, looking younger, was less intimidating but looked exactly like who Ginny assumed to be her sister. Except with straight hair and doe eyes that made her seem a lot more harmless.
"Katerina and Nikolina. Their daughters."
Ginny averted her gaze from them, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. It was only when she had just turned her back that she felt a small breeze blow a few strands of her hair over her shoulder.
"Hello Draco."
And just like that, she was face to face with Katerina Petrova herself.
She had a silky voice, sultry and sexy with a sort of dangerous quality to it. She had dark eyes that were covered by thick eyelashes on either side and an impish look on her face. Clad in a black figure hugging dress that highlighted the curves of her body and revealed her long legs, making her look forbidden.
Draco cleared his throat. "Katerina." He said through his teeth.
There was something about Draco's demeanor that had shifted, while the other girl looked to be at ease, he had become rigid.
Something was off.
"And who is this?" She purred
"Ginny Weasley." She introduced herself.
"Is this your date, Draco?" She asked, her tone was entirely too condescending for Ginny's taste.
Draco gave a slight nod, his grip on her lower back tightening.
"How adorable."
Ginny cleared her throat, "How do you two…?" She pointed between them.
Draco didn't answer.
"In passing." She said, a smirk creeping over her face. "The Malfoys are an old family, as are we." She had a slight accent.
Ginny looked over at Draco, brows furrowed in confusion.
"My father has done business dealings with Stanislav in the past." He said, his tone was particularly impassive. "None of which I was ever privy to."
Katerina's dark eyes swept over Ginny brazenly, a cold feeling settling in the pit of the redhead's stomach as she did that.
"So unfortunate."
Ginny raised her chin, refusing to let this person—whoever she was—intimidate her. "Draco, isn't that Adonis?" She asked sweetly, nodding towards the island bar. "We should go see if he needs any help with the last minute details." She suggested, sensing Draco's discomfort mounting by the second.
It didn't mean that she wouldn't question him about this further, but she just knew right now the best thing for everyone would be to get away from Katerina Petrova.
Draco looked at her, a flicker of surprise in his silver eyes. "You're right, sweetheart. It would be terribly rude of us not to at least offer." He said, with half a smile. "Katerina, a pleasure as always." He said briskly, before leading them away.
Adonis met them halfway, a drink in his hand which he handed to Ginny. "Let's get a round of shots." He said with a grin.
Draco visibly relaxed, "That is probably the best idea you've had in your entire life, Selwyn." He said gratefully.
Adonis chuckled, giving some sort of rebuttal but Ginny stopped paying attention because she saw a glint of familiar auburn hair.
"Is that…" She breathed out.
Draco looked over at her, not quite hearing her. "To the bar, Ginevra?" He asked, tugging at her wrist.
She peered around Adonis to get a better view, successfully getting the attention of both boys.
"Anything you want to share—
"Wait, is that Daphne?" She asked, pointing her finger towards the far end of the courtyard. "It is!" She didn't bother letting Draco answer.
"I have to go say hello, excuse me." She said, freeing her wrist of Draco's grasp. "I'll meet you at the bar." She promised with a chaste kiss to his cheek.
She had never been so happy to see Daphne Greengrass in her life because right now there was nothing more relieving than seeing a friendly face. Especially one of her friends.
"Daph!"
The auburn haired beauty turned around, green eyes widening in surprise as soon as she saw who had called her name. "Oh my goodness, Gin!" She practically ran over to the redhead.
Ginny grabbed Daphne for a hug as they collapsed into a fit of giggles. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"My father and Knox have known each other through business. My mom and Cersei were friends since Hogwarts." She explained. "But better question, what are you doing here!" This was not a Weasley event.
That was sure.
Ginny felt her face getting warmer, "I um." She cleared her throat. "I'm here with…" She shifted from foot to foot, allowing her gaze to travel back across the courtyard.
Daphne followed Ginny's line of vision to a certain silver eyed, golden haired Seeker. "Ah, of course." A slow grin crept over her face. "Silly question."
"Yeah… I'm just really happy to see you, Daph." Ginny said truthfully.
Daphne nodded, "These things can be a real pain, so I'm glad you're here too." She assured her. "Getting here was annoying too." She rolled her eyes.
Jeez, Purebloods really did hate anything muggle, huh?
She wanted to ask Daphne if she knew anything about the Petrovas and if she should be concerned, but she decided against it, this was probably not the right setting for it.
"Are you staying for the reception?" Ginny asked.
Daphne nodded, "Have to, mum and Cersei are 'friends'" She put the last word in air quotes, because rich, high society pureblood women weren't actually friends with each other, just in competition. "Anyway, is that Draco's cousin over there?" She gestured towards the bar where two silver haired boys hung by in ease.
"Adonis?"
"Yes, that's him isn't it?
"It is." Ginny affirmed.
"He is absolutely perfect, isn't he?" Daphne sighed wistfully. "Part veela, they must be, the whole lot of them."
Ginny chuckled, "It puts the rest of us at a certain disadvantage now doesn't it?" She said.
"You know, you're lucky Narcissa was so against betrothing Draco to Eris. Old Malfoy tradition to keep the marriages in the family." Daphne informed her. "Conserve the genes and all that."
"More of a pureblood tradition to do that." Ginny amended, none were more famous for that than the old Black family who had ended up causing insanity in half of their later generations.
Nothing was more dangerous than a crazy but beautiful witch.
"Regardless, I can't say it hasn't worked for them." She jutted her chin towards the pair.
Ginny met Draco's eyes from across the courtyard, he subtly motioned for her to rejoin him. "Do you want to come over there with me?" Ginny suggested. "I think Draco's getting a little bored there without me."
Daphne's green eyes brightened a bit, "Sure let me just go tell my parents." She retreated back to where her family was.
A slight knot of dread formed in Ginny's stomach at the thought that if Daphne was here then inevitably Astoria must be too.
Suddenly, she was in a real hurry to get back to Draco before he was out of her sight.
She rubbed her arm up and down, watching as Daphne talked to a woman that looked like an older version of herself.
Regina Greengrass did not look like a kind woman, especially when her misty green eyes settled on the redhead. Ginny felt entirely too uncomfortable and contemplated how annoyed Daphne would be if she just walked back to Draco without her.
Finally, the auburn haired girl came back, with an irritated look on her face. "You would think I was the least desirable person on this planet with the way my mother so desperately tries to find me a husband at these events." She rolled her forest green eyes. "Shall we?"
Ginny just lead the way.
"Look who I found." She said with a smile, when she got back to Draco.
"Greengrass." He acknowledged with a nod of his head, "Enjoying?"
Daphne wasn't but she plastered a winning smile on her face, "Of course, the party is just perfect." She turned her attention to the other blonde. "But then again, no one plans a party like Cersei Selwyn, right Adonis?"
"Hello, Daphne." He said with a lazy grin, "How long has it been?"
"Too long." She said with a wink.
Ginny tugged at Draco's arm, stealing him away for a few minutes so that the other two could talk a little more intimately.
"Should I be concerned that this is the first genuine smile I've gotten out of you since we've came out here and it has nothing to do with me and has everything to do with Greengrass?"
Ginny chuckled, "No, you shouldn't." She said.
He opened his mouth to say something, when the rest of the crowd got quiet. There was a deep voice that bounded through the courtyard. "Mr. Knox Selwyn and Mrs. Cersei Malfoy-Selwyn present to you their daughter and soon to be bride Miss Adrestia Malfoy-Selwyn." The announcer said, as all the twinkle lights shut off and just the center of the balcony was illuminated.
A woman with hair of white gold stood at the top of the glittering marble staircase. At the second step was Knox Selwyn, his dark blonde hair was swept back, the ends of it touching his pristine white collar. He had a kind, practiced smile and crinkly blue eyes as he lovingly led his daughter down each step.
Adrestia was a vision, angelic and ethereal. She was dressed in an exquisite white dress with gold over the bodice and parts of the skirt. Her blonde hair was in ringlets, swept up in an elegant bun. A radiant smile lighting up her bright blue eyes and casting a glow against her rosy cheeks.
She was probably the most gorgeous woman Ginny had ever seen.
The spot light soon shone on Viktor Krum who stood at the foot of the staircase looked dashing as usual, his strong build in a traditional red Bulgarian ensemble, fur across the shoulder and chest area adding an air of regality. Flanking him just a step behind were his God parents, Svetlana and Stanislav.
They all waited on baited breath as Adrestia finally reached her husband to be and he held out a hand which she put her smaller one into.
He got down on one knee and Ginny swore she felt her heart swell. He looked up at Knox who gave him the subtlest of nods, before he put a large diamond ring on the blonde's finger.
The smile that lit up Adrestia's face was almost too luminous too look at.
"Draco, she's so beautiful…."
"Yes, Ginevra. Malfoys tend to be."
Ginny shook her head, but she couldn't argue.
-x-
A/N: Hi all. Sorry for the wait, and I'm sorry if this chapter got a little confusing. I promise it will all come together soon and everything I am putting into motion now will tie into all that's already been revealed up until now.
I PROMISE ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE WILL GET ANSWERED! (nothing will be left ambiguous)
After the next chapter or two things will pick up quite rapidly, as the story thus far has been a bit of a slow burn in a many respects.
I do have a special surprise for you all. I have written the next chapter for this (chapter 29) and I was going to do a double update but instead I will be posting it in the next five days. (Monday/night PROMISE)
Make sure you all review though, that's really important!
A few references, firstly if you're interested in the gown I had envisioned for our fairest Ginevra then simply type "Frieda Pinto academy awards one shoulder" into google. It's the blue one, with the one shoulder and the delicate bead work. So beautiful.
If you are interested in knowing what the following characters look like, here's a reference table:
Adrestia: Serena Van der Woodson (if you type "Serena wedding" into google images that first image is literally how I imagined her enterance to be, except obviously with Viktor at the bottom)
Adonis: Chad Michael Murray (or someone to that effect)
Eris: Ashley Benson (along those lines)
Katerina & Nikolina Petrova: Katherine Pierce & Elena Gilbert (or the actress they're played by, Nina Dobrev)
Drop a review for me and tell me how you liked this chapter and the next one will be up very shortly.
LASTLY…
two things: Do me favor and tell me which name more of you prefer: Marcella or Cassandra (No, I'm not having a child. Just need it for reference! AND, if you could tell me what you guys would prefer, Bellatrix Alive or Dead (just because I'm curious) that would be just fabulous.
Thankyou so much for your kind words, the continued support and sticking with me. See you all Monday!
Enjoy!
