twenty. time.
Draco walked through the large stone doors of Hogwarts, walking on the bridge leading to the path towards Hogsmeade. It was quite annoying that Apparition was still not allowed on the grounds. He had had the option to Floo, but Draco hated the soot and dirt that came along with it. The bright sun overhead strained his eyes, forcing him to reach into his robe for his sunglasses. It was rare to see the castle so empty yet so lush. The sky was clear, the grass was a vibrant green, and it was eerily quiet with no students around. However, the walk give Draco a chance to mull over what had just transpired.
A few days had passed since the Ball, since the last time he had seen Ginny. Draco was unsure of what to do. Just when it seemed like they were about to finally break the ice again and speak, she had been whisked away. He tried in vain to find a moment when Ginny would be free, but she was occupied the rest of the night. Before he knew it, the Ball was over. Ginny was gone, without a trace. Not so much as a goodbye or a mention that they would speak again. Perhaps Ginny really didn't have anything to say to him after all. Draco wondered if he had read too much into the situation. Maybe he had run out of time.
Just like that, it felt as if the past two months had barely happened at all. The Manor was swept clean of any trace of the Conservatory. All of the furniture had gone back into their proper places and each and every room had been returned to its regular state. Draco himself returned to his flat in London, which only looked even barer than it usually did to him. So he did what he knew best: drown himself in work, meetings, and networking events. He met with board members and investors throughout the days and usually fell asleep with contracts and documents as company.
This was actually the first time in the past few days he truly had time to himself. Draco arrived to Hogwarts at the tail end of lunch, for a meeting with Professor McGonagall. They had arranged to meet for possible restoration of the Malfoy governorship of Hogwarts. He anxiously sat there throughout the meal, waiting for the actual meeting, as he picked at his lunch, barely able to eat. McGonagall explained to him the changes the school had had since the war and updated him on changes in the curriculum. Draco carefully nodded here and there, as he glanced around the large room.
It still had a sense of familiarity with its enchanted ceiling and floating candles. Rather than the traditional four long tables assembled in the room, they were sitting on one long table, much like it had when it was set up for the holidays. He recognized a few of his old professors, but there were several new faces, and much to his surprise, Neville Longbottom. Draco supposed he couldn't really discount him anymore, what with his part in the War and his work as an Auror.
Professor McGonagall led him on a quick tour of the campus and a stroll past the Quidditch Pitch, at which she lit up, discussing the continued success of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, much to his irritation. Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Didn't she realize this was a sore spot for him, having been disgraced by Potter year in and year out? Ginny Weasley didn't help matters either. He inwardly groaned, further irritated that that redhead had gotten to him once again. Draco closely paid attention to whatever the professor was blabbing on about so he wouldn't think about her.
The eventually settled in the Headmaster's – or rather Headmistress' – office. He took a seat across from Professor McGonagall, who looked at him carefully through her usual round spectacles sitting at the bridge of her nose. He fought back a gulp. Though he hadn't been a student in years, it still felt like he was going to get reprimanded by her. Moreover, Draco felt a little uneasy being in this office. It didn't hold the most pleasant of memories for him. Thankfully, the room no longer looked like it did back in his school days. Most of Professor Dumbledore's gadgets were no longer in the office, and it was now pristine and organized. If possible, there were more books stuffed into the bookshelves. McGonagall had taken to placing several Quidditch mementos from her long tenure at Hogwarts as well. Several of the former Professor portraits stared at him with curiosity in their eyes. Even with the dramatic changes, it still felt all too familiar from him.
Draco involuntarily gulped and willed himself to calm down. It wouldn't do to break down right before an important meeting. Instead, he numbly took a biscuit from McGonagall as she offered him, along with a cup of tea. As he carefully stirred the sugar in to his tea, she began to speak.
"Now, Mister Malfoy, as you know I had invited you out to discuss the prospect of a governorship."
"Yes, Headmistress," Draco nodded, before quietly sipping his tea.
"While based on your actions since the war, I would want to extend you the offer-" Draco sat up straight in his seat at that, though he felt the prickly sensation of foreboding, "-I had to bring this decision to a vote with the rest of the governors."
Damnit. Though McGonagall never favored him – and she favored few students at that – he knew that at least she was usually a fair person. Some of the governors of the board, however, would not be as pragmatic. His family had histories with many of these people, for better or for worse, thanks to his father and grandfather. Draco couldn't mend those bridges overnight.
"Unfortunately Mister Malfoy, I cannot extend the offer at this time," Professor McGonagall finally said.
Suddenly he didn't want any more of the witch's tea and biscuits, and tried to set down his saucer on the desk as politely as he could. McGonagall stared down at him carefully through her spectacles while she opened up a file that Draco hadn't even noticed sitting on top of the desk.
"I do have another potential opportunity for you, however, Mister Malfoy," Professor McGonagall began. "I received this referral from a reliable source a short while ago much to my surprise.…"
Before Ginny knew it, she was back home at the Burrow in her tiny, little pink room. The past few days had flown by between returning back to the Burrow, what with packing up all of her belongings at Shell Cottage, the last minute planning for her party, and getting ready for her new job. Any other free moment she had left was quickly eaten up by spending time with family and friends or hunting for a flat. She would drag her feet up the stairs late into the night and promptly crash into a deep sleep each time. Ginny was thankful for that, however, because it left her little time to think about the way things had ended with Draco.
She had no idea what to do about that. What were they to each other at this point? She owed Draco some sort of apology, at the very least for never bothering to hear him out. There had been no time as the Ball winded down, between all of the photography and continued schmoozing with party guests. After saying goodbye to Lena, she didn't have an opportunity to seek him out. For once, her eye was unable to catch that distinct glint of silvery-blonde. Instead, Ginny simply Apparated back to The Burrow with her parents, her luggage already waiting for her at home.
Ginny sighed. She was over this silly party and it hadn't even happened yet. Even at that very moment, they were going over more party details, such as finalizing all of the seating arrangements. Ginny sat there on the small table in the bright and airy kitchen as her mother continued to go through all of the returned envelopes.
"….Ah, here's one from Muriel. Glad to see she'll be attending after all," Molly said out loud, adding Aunt Muriel to the long scroll of parchment that had seating arrangements. Each person's name was floating on the diagram, ready to be easily moved at a moment's notice.
Before Ginny could groan, she heard George groan from behind her. Ginny turned around in her seat to see George and Ron shutting the back door behind them. Their flaming ginger heads looked at her, grinning at her in greeting.
"Oh Gods, Mum, did you say Aunt Muriel?" George added, before ruffling Ginny's hair, much to her indignation. She quickly fluffed out her hair to its natural position before George messed it up. He grabbed a peach from the bowl in the middle of the table and slid into a chair across from Ginny.
"Oh hush up, George, she's family," Molly said, looking up through her glasses as she continued to go through the stack of envelopes in front of her.
"It's not like we had any choice in the matter," George muttered and Ginny stifled her laugh as their mother gave them both warning looks. Luckily for them, the timer sitting on top of the stove chirped, distracting Molly as she cast aside the envelopes and rose from her seat. With the oven open in the small kitchen, the sweet smell of cake started to fill the room.
"Looks like we came right on time," George grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Of course you two remembered the day Mum was going to bake all of the cakes," Ginny rolled her eyes though she couldn't help but smile either.
"Hey, Gin, isn't this your friend in the paper?" Ron asked, who was rustling through The Daily Prophet next to her. He passed along the page to her. It was from the society section. Ginny could see a stunning Lena beaming up at the ever handsome Blaise on the dance floor, everyone else blurred around them. Above them, the title read "BRITAIN REPATRIATE: BELLE OF THE BALL". Her eyes quickly scanned the article but she knew what it was about just from the headline. Lena had no doubt had been a popular woman at the Ball. Men were lining up to dance with her, and she charmed every person she spoke to. It was quite obvious that she was the front runner, Ginny realized in hindsight. With a ghost of a wry smile, she realized that Draco would have lost the bet anyway, even if they had gotten along.
Molly came back to the kitchen table, and a plate with several slices was placed in front of Ginny. There were a bunch of different flavors ranging from lemon to chocolate to carrot. Her eyebrows rose at the thought of her mother making that many cakes, just for her to test for the sake of a silly party. It wasn't the first time she felt the guilt in the pit of her stomach writhe at the thought of her parents going through great lengths to make this party happen. Though they weren't as poor as they once used to be, her parents were nowhere close to Malfoy levels of fortune.
"Mum, you didn't have to do all this, really," Ginny said, hesitatingly sinking her fork into the nearest slice, which happened to be chocolate.
Her mother waved her off. "We have to do things the proper way for your debut. You know, I still can't believe that a child of mine participated in Mulieres Viginti Octo. It was so exciting being able to attend the Ball with you. I know it seems inconsequential, but I was never able to participate myself and…"
As soon as she had taken a bite of her cake, Ginny had tuned her mother's rambling – which had now shifted to tents and venues – out. The moist, gooey chocolate cake made her think of her time with Draco that one night out on the balcony. To be fair, chocolate in general now made her think of Draco and his sweet tooth. She sighed in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she could make anything connect back to Draco, whether it was an object, a smell, or in this case, food.
"Ginny, you're supposed to be trying all of the cakes!" Molly exclaimed, upon noticing that Ginny was halfway through her chocolate slice, leaving all of the other pieces untouched.
She heard Ron to the right of her. "I'm more than happy to eat those slices for you, Gin." She knew he was a little sad at the fact that he and George weren't get spoiled with over six slices of cake. Molly had only given them two slices each and promptly decided to save the rest for future family dinners.
"Oh no you don't, Ron Weasley," Molly chided as George chuckled. Their mother decided to change the topic. "What do you think about doing a buffet? It's much easier and I think it's more youthful."
"Sure, that sounds good," Ginny noncommittally agreed, not really listening to what Molly was asking.
"Am I boring you, dear?"
"Hmm? Tents sound great, Mum."
"Ginny!" Molly called out, snapping her daughter back to reality. "The party is only a few days away! Where is your head?"
"I'm sorry, Mum," Ginny said guiltily, focusing her attention to trying the rest of the desserts.
"There's a bunch of details that we still need to go over, or would you like me to do it myself?"
Ginny shrugged. She couldn't care less about any of these minute details. Frankly, she wanted to get this party over with so she could put this strange chapter of her life behind her. By then, she would be starting her new job and she needed to focus all of her energy and attention into that.
"Narcissa Malfoy is coming?" Ron asked, interrupting their conversation. At some point he had taken to perusing the envelopes.
"Of course she is," Molly said, taking the stack away from him. "She's the director of the organization, after all. And you all will be extremely gracious to her as she has been to Ginny while she was at their home."
Ginny struggled to cover her snort. Narcissa wasn't mean to her, but she certainly wasn't the most hospitable host she had had. Mrs. Malfoy had nitpicked every little thing about her until she and Draco had finally reached a truce. That made her think of something else. If Narcissa was confirmed to come… would Draco come too?
She was suddenly very interested in looking through the rest of the confirmations. If Narcissa was coming, she would likely bring a plus one. And judging from her etiquette lessons, Mrs. Malfoy wasn't about to bring a random suitor to a function. That basically only left one option – her son.
For the first time that day, her eyes brightened and she dared to ask, "Is she bringing a plus one?" Ginny hoped she didn't sound too hopeful.
Ron glanced at the invitation and shrugged. "Doesn't look like it."
The gentle thumping in her heart that had begun abruptly stopped at Ron's comment. She put her head down in defeat, gazing intently at the cakes. However, Ginny could feel George's inquisitive gaze on her.
"So which cake is it, Ginny?" George asked with a smile. "I'm a bit partial to this carrot cake."
"Oh, I'm not sure…" Ginny said slowly. She had taken large bites out of all of the slices, but they all tasted the same. In fact, most things seemed to taste the same since she had returned home, despite her mother's fantastic cooking. Her taste buds seemed to have stayed at Malfoy Manor.
"You know," Molly began, "I was reading that tarts are becoming very trendy in Gratifying Gastronomy last night. What do you think about apple tarts instead? It could be very modern."
Ginny dropped her fork and it clanked against the half empty plate. "NO! NO APPLES. MUM! GODS, HOW COULD YOU ASK ME THAT?"
She suddenly became acutely aware that she had just been shouting at her mother and that her family was staring at her. They all looked at her in stunned silence, staring at her if she had just announced that she had seen You-Know-Who again.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" Molly asked gently. "You love cake and desserts. I know this has been stressful for you but this is also supposed to be fun."
"I KNOW!" Ginny cried in frustration. "I do! It's just…" She trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words. She wasn't about to admit to everyone at the table that she was confused about her entire life at that moment, all because of a stupid blond.
She felt her eyes begin to well up and blinked rapidly. "I mean, this red velvet cake is good, let's go with that. No tarts, okay? And no apple anything."
Ginny pushed back her chair and quickly excused herself before her mother could ask her anymore questions. She could hear Molly calling back to her but paid it no mind. Making a beeline for the stairs, she didn't pause until she hit the first landing. Ginny paused, breathing heavily, slumping against the wall.
"Not so fast, Gin," George's voice called out, nearly causing Ginny to jump out of her skin. Evidently, he had been right on her heels. "What is going on with you?"
She gulped, her eyes darting in every direction as she refused to make direct eye contact with George. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired with all of this planning."
"Ginny," George said her name seriously, all sight of his normal jovial attitude disappearing. "This isn't just about the party. Did something happen with Malfoy back at that Charm School?"
Her head snapped up in surprise. Out of all of her brothers, the twins had learned to read her the best. She hated it. Everything was transparent on her face, no matter how much she tried to mask her feelings around them.
"Nothing's wrong, okay?" Ginny finally answered, her voice breaking, much to her annoyance. "Please, just drop it."
George stared at her and she could feel her eyes getting glossy again. If she was watching herself, she would have rolled her eyes at her constant weepiness. Having feelings was exhausting.
"Fine," her brother replied finally, though she knew he was going to ask questions again later. Before George could say anything else, Ginny quickly ran down the small corridor into her room, slamming the door behind her.
It was a warm Sunday morning. One that Draco usually would have taken advantage of. He would have woken up bright and early, quickly getting dressed for a complete English breakfast. After he took his time perusing the morning paper, he would have Apparated back onto Malfoy Manor grounds, ready to run laps on the Quidditch Pitch with the blazing sun overhead.
But not today. The curtains around his floor to ceiling windows were not drawn back. It was still dark inside of his room, only dim candlelight illuminating the space. He had woken up at almost noon and enjoyed a lengthy breakfast in bed. Draco carefully read through the newspaper, savoring every detail. He didn't bother to get out of his pajamas or even make the bed like he had been accustomed to do so as a child. Nope, Draco alternated between staying in bed and trying to read some of the novels from his library.
Currently, he was under his covers with his pillows over his head. He turned his head slightly to the right, stealing a quick glance at the alarm clock. It was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. He groaned. This was going to be the longest day of his life.
Without warning, the door to his bedroom swung open. Draco knew who it was and groaned again. He could hear her clicks of disapproval as she walked into the room. He was honestly surprised Narcissa hadn't had a fit the moment she entered. He had had clothes strewn everywhere, along with most of his business documents. It looked even more depressing with the clinically white walls and plain, temporary furniture. Considering he had had little time to furnish it, Draco was satisfied for the time being. The rest of the apartment was much of the same. He had the essential furniture and his kitchen was practically barren. It didn't matter anyway. He basically used his flat as a space to sleep.
"Get up, Draco."
"How did you even get in here, Mother?" Draco asked tiredly, his voice rusty with disuse. He turned over to see his mother standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed across her chest. She looked as immaculate as ever, though she was wearing what she called her shopping robes. He always laughed at what she thought was "casual wear", considering the price tags of her clothing. Her hair had already been done in an elegant French twist, and her nails had been done.
"A little thing called magic. Now," Narcissa began, pointing her wand at the curtains and they responded by quickly moving aside to let the bright light in. Draco immediately shielded himself with his arm, his pupils unused to the harsh light. "You need to get up. Now. Malfoys do not wallow."
"What are you talking about?" Draco said, reluctantly sitting up in bed. "Father wallowed for months after the War."
Narcissa stood their quietly for a moment before saying, "Fine, I will give you that. Blacks do not wallow."
She turned and pointed her wand at all of the clothes and documents, quickly rearranging all of the papers in a neat pile, and all of his clothes onto a chaise near his wardrobe. She wrinkled her nose in disapproval, but it would do in a quick fix. He could practically hear her making notes to herself about what needed to be fixed in his flat as she looked around.
Draco finally got out of bed, brushing past his mother to sit down in the armchair. He pointedly ignored her as he reached for a piece of cold toast and perused through the paper, scanning the headlines, though he had read most of it already, anyway. His eyebrows quickly disappeared into his mussed hair as he scanned a page he had left unturned.
"Draco, you need to burn those clothes immediately," Narcissa frowned in greater disapproval, as if that was possible. He could feel the look of disappointment from her but chose not to look up. "How long have you been in those… things… for?"
"Since Thursday night," Draco replied flippantly. He knew he looked like a dreadful mess between his tired eye bags, unkempt hair, and likely a slight odor emanating from him. "Did you see this? Apparently Blaise finally popped the question." He got up and showed the paper to his mother. In the Society section was an entire page taken up by Blaise and Lena for their engagement announcement. He thought it was rather ostentatious, but then that fit Blaise rather well.
"Of course I know," Narcissa replied dismissively. "Mrs. Zabini told me a few days prior at tea. You really need to leave that office of yours once in a while, son."
At this, her glaring eyes softened with a look of concern for her son. Draco shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't get out, I've just been… busy." That was lame. He forced himself to be busy so he wouldn't have time to think about other things. About her.
"Well, you clearly aren't busy today, judging by your choice in activity," said Narcissa, "and so, I am taking you out."
"Where?" Draco asked.
"I already have the house elves drawing a bath," Narcissa explained as she summoned another house elf to clean up the cold, leftover breakfast, "and I'll also have them prepare your robes."
"What, why?" Draco asked again, this time with greater suspicion. He had no desire to go anywhere. He wanted this day to be over with, so he could move on with his life. As long as he avoided the newspaper tomorrow, life would return back to how it once was, before Charm School.
"Because, my dear," Narcissa placed a hand under her son's chin, turning it in different directions, examining him. "We have a coming out party to go to."
Draco didn't miss the mischievous glint in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was trying to insinuate. He wrestled his face out of his mother's grasp.
"I am not going."
"Fine, Draco, be a petulant child," Narcissa said with a sigh, beginning to straighten her robes. "I simply needed an escort and would have hoped my son would accompany me. Do you know how it looks to attend these functions unaccompanied?"
Great, now his mother was trying to plant a guilt trip on him. This was always her plan of action when she wanted him to do something that he clearly had little desire to do so. Draco found it hard to say no, especially as the only child and son. He sighed.
Draco knew all along what day it was. It was the day of Ginny's official debut party. A date that he had been looking forward to, before all hell broke loose. He had received his invitation to be her escort a short time after their fall out, but doubted at that point that the invitation was still extended to him. Instead, he had stuffed the gold invitation into a forgotten book and stuffed it onto his bookcase. Every once in a while, when he stared at that shelf, a glint of gold would catch his eye and taunt him.
So instead, Draco had planned to wallow in his room, away from the rest of the world. It was a perfect way to bide his time and not have to interact with anyone in relation to Charm School. He had even purposefully been avoiding Blaise's Floo calls, as he did not want to hear anything about Ginny. If she didn't want to talk to him, then why should he? Draco chose to immerse himself deeply into running the Estate, which had been seeing greater profits in the businesses they had long invested in.
Even though this plan sounded perfect to Draco's ears, there was a little niggling in his brain. This is your in. Escorting his mother to the party was the perfect way to at least see her. One night when he had too much to drink at the pub with Theo, in a drunken haze he had considered crashing the party, in a bold attempt to talk to her. But that would have caused unnecessary drama and fodder for perfect gossip that would have no doubt quickly traveled like lightning through his social circle.
Draco missed Ginny. He missed seeing her day in and day out, with her brilliant red hair and warm brown eyes. He missed hearing her voice, when she would be talking a mile a minute about whatever topic currently grasped her attention. He missed her laughter, which was loud, but sounded like music to his ears. Even that brief moment in the garden at the Ball, when they had momentarily sat in peace, clung to him, in a desperate attempt to remember what it felt like to hold her hand and speak to her again. Most of all, Draco missed the way Ginny challenged him in every single way. To be a better person. She didn't look at him like he was a Death Eater that was hell bent on destroying society like so many of their community still did. Ginny saw Draco for what he was. Or at least she sued to.
Wordlessly, Draco rose from his seat and moved to the bathroom with a sigh.
He heard Narcissa turn the handle on his door. Before slipping out she said, "Oh, and don't forget to shave, dear."
Draco could hear the beaming smile on his mother's face as she excused herself.
Author's Note: Yes, another long break in updating. Apologies for any errors since I do my own revising. Work takes up my time and then when I get home I want to do anything but sit in front of a laptop! And I will admit, this chapter gave me so much trouble even though I knew exactly what I wanted to put into it. Some parts of the Burrow kitchen scene were borrowed from a Gilmore Girls episode, "Twenty One is the Loneliest Number", where they cake test for a party. I am going to try so hard not to take SO long for the next chapter. Thank you all who have reviewed, favorited, and followed – especially those have stuck around for so long! This story is almost done being told, but I have several others up my sleeve (and one that's already been started, hehe). I would most definitely love it if you would leave a review for this chapter as well, those email notifications seriously brighten up long days at my work desk! (: