Disclaimer: Again, characters and places with the exception of Marigold belong to J.K. Rowling.
I'd like to thank the people who've reviewed so far, so here we go: Thanks to wither 256, debra, spy_angel, LissaLapin, Arabella, w&m_law, Gaea Blackwell, Great Milenko, Mari, and izzy.
And a note to those who don't review. Please, find a moment to tell me what you think before just passing by without a word. You're opinions make a world of difference.
After several wrong turns and a thorough examination of what appeared to be a door, but was actually an elaborate painting, Ginny finally arrived at the entrance to the east wing. She knocked tentatively at the door, hoping that it wasn't designed to kill or maim her. Surprisingly, the door drifted open beneath her fingers.
Marigold was sitting in the middle of her bed, clutching two gigantic stuffed bears.
"The slumber party is still going to happen, then?" The child asked. At Ginny's nod she continued. "Good. You were both gone an awfully long time."
"Sorry about that. My case was at the very bottom of my trunk," Ginny lied apologetically. "I'm an exceedingly untidy person."
"You and Papa had a row, didn't you?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it around him."
"He's awfully sensitive when it comes to me," Marigold said as she wrinkled her little nose. "Come sit with me. I can barely see you all the way over there."
Ginny placed her traveling case on the end of the bed, then climbed up to sit beside the small girl.
"What have you got in there?" Marigold asked.
"Nail polish, a brush, loads of makeup and a few hair things."
"Oh," said Marigold timidly. "May I see them?"
Ginny smiled obligingly and opened the case.
When Draco re-entered his daughter's room, he found Ginny sitting on Marigold's bed, with her arm draped lazily about the little girl's shoulders as they examined the contents of Ginny's traveling case. If it hadn't been for the striking physical differences of their hair and eyes, one would have thought Ginny was her mother. Things would have been much different if she had been Ginny's child. Marigold would have been brought up with smiles, laughter and warmth, rather than with the frowns, shouts and cold that had characterized Marigold's early years. It was no use conjecturing about what could have been, though. Soon Ginny would leave, and it would be just Draco and Marigold again, alone in the great cold manor.
That was exactly why he shouldn't let Marigold get attached. It was exactly why he shouldn't do anything he might regret, like kissing her until she forgot bloody Neville had ever even existed. Not that he didn't want to kiss her, far from it. Even now with Marigold playing the role of chaperone, his eyes kept wandering back to Ginny's rose lips, back to the little indentation on her bottom lip that her teeth worried at when she was anxious. That little indentation that was begging him...
"Papa?" Marigold's voice rang out like a tiny bell, startling him out of his guilty thoughts. His daughter looked up at him expectantly and he realized he'd missed a large part of the conversation.
"I suppose it's your call," Ginny remarked. "So which shall it be?" She held up two bottles of nail polish, one silver and one red. "Moonlight Magic or Ravish-Me-Red?"
"Let Marigold decide," he said absently as he placed the tray of cocoa he'd been holding on the vanity.
"Ravish-Me-Red," Marigold giggled.
"All right then, go wash your hands so we can get started."
The little girl bounced off the bed and into the adjoining bathroom as Ginny readied her supplies. Draco climbed onto the far side of the bed, as far from Ginny as possible, and opened the book he'd been meaning to read.
Half an hour passed while Ginny blathered on about cuticle remover and calcium deposits. He was to the chapter entitled "The Most Precious Thing," when he was interrupted. An overly excited Marigold crawled up under his arm to show him the results of the noxious fumes that filled the room. Her little fingernails sparkled silver as she gushed over "Aunt Ginny's" cosmetic ability.
"I thought you wanted the red," he said after a few moments.
"No, silly!" Marigold exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. "I chose red for you."
I'd like to thank the people who've reviewed so far, so here we go: Thanks to wither 256, debra, spy_angel, LissaLapin, Arabella, w&m_law, Gaea Blackwell, Great Milenko, Mari, and izzy.
And a note to those who don't review. Please, find a moment to tell me what you think before just passing by without a word. You're opinions make a world of difference.
After several wrong turns and a thorough examination of what appeared to be a door, but was actually an elaborate painting, Ginny finally arrived at the entrance to the east wing. She knocked tentatively at the door, hoping that it wasn't designed to kill or maim her. Surprisingly, the door drifted open beneath her fingers.
Marigold was sitting in the middle of her bed, clutching two gigantic stuffed bears.
"The slumber party is still going to happen, then?" The child asked. At Ginny's nod she continued. "Good. You were both gone an awfully long time."
"Sorry about that. My case was at the very bottom of my trunk," Ginny lied apologetically. "I'm an exceedingly untidy person."
"You and Papa had a row, didn't you?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it around him."
"He's awfully sensitive when it comes to me," Marigold said as she wrinkled her little nose. "Come sit with me. I can barely see you all the way over there."
Ginny placed her traveling case on the end of the bed, then climbed up to sit beside the small girl.
"What have you got in there?" Marigold asked.
"Nail polish, a brush, loads of makeup and a few hair things."
"Oh," said Marigold timidly. "May I see them?"
Ginny smiled obligingly and opened the case.
When Draco re-entered his daughter's room, he found Ginny sitting on Marigold's bed, with her arm draped lazily about the little girl's shoulders as they examined the contents of Ginny's traveling case. If it hadn't been for the striking physical differences of their hair and eyes, one would have thought Ginny was her mother. Things would have been much different if she had been Ginny's child. Marigold would have been brought up with smiles, laughter and warmth, rather than with the frowns, shouts and cold that had characterized Marigold's early years. It was no use conjecturing about what could have been, though. Soon Ginny would leave, and it would be just Draco and Marigold again, alone in the great cold manor.
That was exactly why he shouldn't let Marigold get attached. It was exactly why he shouldn't do anything he might regret, like kissing her until she forgot bloody Neville had ever even existed. Not that he didn't want to kiss her, far from it. Even now with Marigold playing the role of chaperone, his eyes kept wandering back to Ginny's rose lips, back to the little indentation on her bottom lip that her teeth worried at when she was anxious. That little indentation that was begging him...
"Papa?" Marigold's voice rang out like a tiny bell, startling him out of his guilty thoughts. His daughter looked up at him expectantly and he realized he'd missed a large part of the conversation.
"I suppose it's your call," Ginny remarked. "So which shall it be?" She held up two bottles of nail polish, one silver and one red. "Moonlight Magic or Ravish-Me-Red?"
"Let Marigold decide," he said absently as he placed the tray of cocoa he'd been holding on the vanity.
"Ravish-Me-Red," Marigold giggled.
"All right then, go wash your hands so we can get started."
The little girl bounced off the bed and into the adjoining bathroom as Ginny readied her supplies. Draco climbed onto the far side of the bed, as far from Ginny as possible, and opened the book he'd been meaning to read.
Half an hour passed while Ginny blathered on about cuticle remover and calcium deposits. He was to the chapter entitled "The Most Precious Thing," when he was interrupted. An overly excited Marigold crawled up under his arm to show him the results of the noxious fumes that filled the room. Her little fingernails sparkled silver as she gushed over "Aunt Ginny's" cosmetic ability.
"I thought you wanted the red," he said after a few moments.
"No, silly!" Marigold exclaimed as she rolled her eyes. "I chose red for you."