Chapter Four:
The Burrow was busy with cleaning. Ron was being pestered to pick up the sitting room while Molly was tending to the kitchen. Draco was asked to pick up the mess on the porch. And all for what? Harry Potter was coming.
"Stupid git!" Draco said to himself.
Even in this morbid existence Potter was the root of his ill luck. He looked at the porch furniture and the leaves that littered the wooden planks. He pulled out his wand, for it was his wand, and not someone elses, and pointed it at the leaves. They stirred some then flew off the porch at an alarming high speed. He sat down on the rocking chair, not wanting to enter the house again.
Draco wasn't one to just lie down and take things, but what could he do? Write a letter? He tried, but each time he put quill to paper what he wrote sounded absurd.
"Dear Father," would not be appropriate to send to Lucius Malfoy if Lucius thought Draco was a Weasley. And any letter for that matter would not seem appropriate. He thought of writing Ginny, but what if she wasn't the same Ginny? What if the real Ginny wasn't apart of this in the first place?
His next unsuccessful attempt at rectifying things was to search every book in the house and see if something like this has happened before. First, there weren't many books, and second the books that were in the house were ridiculous. He was certain that at Malfoy Manor there would be at least a dozen books telling you how to solve your way out of a parallel universe.
So, seeing as there was nothing at present he could do, he contended himself with abiding his time until he could get to Hogwarts and possibly find the answers there. He would even ask Dumbledore if he progressed to desperation.
A noise took Draco away from his thoughts. He saw a dust cloud up ahead and soon a car pulled up to the house. Arthur got out of the front while Harry got out of the passenger side door. Draco narrowed his eyes in hatred.
"Hey Drake!" Harry waved from the car.
Draco sat still causing Harry to look at him in concern.
"Is something wrong?" Harry was now coming up to the house lugging his trunk behind him.
"Only everything." Draco murmured.
"Having a fight with Ron, then?" Harry smiled warmly at Draco.
"No business of yours."
Harry ignored this last comment and entered the house, followed by Arthur. Soon Molly yelled for Draco to come in and he reluctantly got up and entered the house.
"How was your summer, Harry?" Ron asked, taking his trunk for him.
"Drake, help your brother." Molly ordered, then sat Harry down on the couch and offered him a glass of lemonade.
Draco looked in the direction of the stairs where Ron was waiting for him. Draco was not in the mood to argue and fight, so he made his way to the trunk and picked up the other end. Once the trunk was set down in their bedroom Ron said,
"Drake, how come you're so…I don't know…not yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Draco was getting very annoyed with everyone calling him "Drake."
"Well, you're usually ecstatic that Harry's here. You bombard him with questions then explain in detail what you've been up to. And after that you normally owl Creevey."
"Ugh, why would I ever want to contact that sniveling boy?"
"Well, you are friends and in the same year. You like to boast about having Harry over for Holidays and stuff."
"You mean I'm in sixth year?" Draco expressed genuine shock.
"Er…yeah." Ron looked at Draco very weirdly, then left the room.
After getting over his shock he made his way down the stairs and was greeted with peels of laughter. Draco stood away from the group and looked on in confusion.
"Harry just told us about Dudley's girlfriend." Fred explained.
"Which reminds me." Harry pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Draco.
"What's this?" He looked down at a small booklet with cartoon figures painted in bright colors.
"It's a comic book. You said you wanted a Muggle one, so I got you one." Harry waited for the usual thanks, but waited in vain.
"Don't you need to say something to Harry?" Arthur prodded.
Draco looked up from the comic book at everyone in the room. He threw it down on the floor in disgust. "What for? I don't like it."
Draco kept his face emotionless on the outside but he was smiling on the inside. He saw the look of horror on Molly's face, and on everyone elses. It pleased him to see everyone think one of their own was being corrupted.
"I wonder," Thought Draco. "If the real Ginny is here, how is she taking to my Father?"
~*~*~
Ginny was usually a very straight arrow. She got excellent grades, perfect attendance, only lost a few points for Gryffindor, but that was in Snape's class and didn't count. She never did anything wrong, besides talking sometimes when she wasn't supposed to. So it was a radical change for her when everyone around her thought she was some stuck up, rebel child.
Lucius had only talked to her that one time in the study, and since she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. She did meet Narcissa, however, and thought that was too much to bare.
Narcissa was more pleased with herself than with anything else in the world, and thought Ginny her little doll she could dress and mold. Narcissa never mentioned Ginny's long absences away from the house or eluded to anything she must have done wrong in the past. It was as if each morning Narcissa awoke with no memory of the day before.
"Virginia, sit up straight." Narcissa said from a cushioned chair.
Ginny as sitting at the piano and her bad habit of slouching was not good when Narcissa was in the room. Thankfully Ginny had taken piano lessons from someone long ago and when asked to play, Ginny's skillfull hands danced across the keys.
"We're having company tonight," Narcissa began. "And I have ordered a new robe for you. I'll have Lacy do your hair and you'll look beautiful!"
Ginny looked behind her at Narcissa, who was examining her nails. Many times Ginny thought of explaining her predicament to Narcissa but found her efforts would be futile. Even telling Lucius wouldn't do her any good, for he was no where to be found.
"Where's, um, Father?" Ginny asked.
"Your Father is very busy, dear, and can't be disturbed." Narcissa sighed. "Really, I don't see why you prefer to spend so much time with him. I am much better company."
"I wonder why he hates me." Ginny thought aloud, but Narcissa had heard.
"Hates you?" Narcissa said these words as if they were in a foreign language, and not quite used to the pronunciation. "He doesn't hate you, dear. He just resents the fact that you're not a boy. He'll get used to it, in time."
Used to it? Ginny thought. As if seventeen years wasn't time enough?
As Ginny was being prepared for the dinner that night by being squeezed into a silk robe and her hair being pulled and twisted and piled, Ginny thought about what it must have been like to grow up in this environment.
How did Draco survive? Now that she was here the reason for Lucius's resentment was that she was not a boy. What was it for Draco? It was no wonder Draco would escape this world and not return until days after. At time she felt like screaming and running out the doors and she'd only been here two days.
"Vous êtes très belle…very beautiful." Lacy said in a thick French accent.
"Yes, my dear, magnificent." Narcissa added.
Ginny stared at her reflection in a full length mirror. The deep green on the dress contrasted with her bright vibrant red hair. The material was soft and contoured every curve and flowed out past her knees to the her feet. She didn't look like herself at all. She gave a half smile.
"Dear, that thing you do with your mouth unsettles your countenance." Narcissa said.
"My smile?"
"Yes, that…"
Ginny had thought she was just going down to dinner, but seeing a really nice looking guy at the table unnerved her. Suddenly was very conscious of the way she wobbled in her heels, and the habit she had of slouching her shoulders. She could feel the boys eyes on her until she sat at the other end of the table.
"Virginia." Lucius smiled. "You may remember the Burrens from last summer, and their son, Erik." Lucius waved his hand at the other end of the table where a sniff necked couple sat, and the cute boy…Erik. "I have invited them this evening for dinner, and hope you will show their son around the grounds after dinner while we talk."
Lucius looked at one of the servants standing off towards the back of the room and nodded his head. The servant immediately left the room and soon after reappeared with five other servants, each carrying a tray of food. The soup was dished out into bowls and the rest of the plates were left on the table. Ginny wondered why manual labor was used instead of magic. Probably to show off his money by how many servants he keeps, Ginny thought.
Dinner was very quiet, with Lucius as the main speaker. Talk of matters which Ginny knew nothing of and cared not to learn of were discussed. Occasionally she stole a glance at Erik, feeling her cheeks turn red when she was caught. Soon dinner was over and everyone stood up and walked towards the sitting room.
"Virginia, you may show Erik to the gardens." Lucius said to Ginny, then to the others. "Virginia knows every plant out there and every statue. She's amazing when it comes to art."
Ginny arched her eyebrows at such high praise. Before Lucius wouldn't even look at her, but now she was being lifted up to the clouds! It reminded her of her Grandfather on her Mothers side. One year he traveled to Italy and bought a very expensive painting and hung it over the fireplace. He would rave about the painting to his friends and family and show it off whenever visitors would come. But on one occasion, before Ginny was able to go to Hogwarts, she spent an entire month with him and observed him pass by the painting time and again without so much as a glance at it.
Is that all I'm—Draco—is? Just an expensive painting to show off and ignored later?
Before Ginny could think further on this, she was being led to the gardens. Behind the house there were extensive grounds filled with small paths that led to a rose garden, a hedge grove, and many other flora. There were many statues placed strategically throughout the grounds, and near the house was a very beautiful fountain.
"Tell me about this." Erik said in a very smooth, silky voice.
"Um, well…" Ginny looked at the naked figure of a woman who was tilting a pitcher above her head. The pitcher let forth a steady stream of water, which fell into a small pool below her. Ginny felt embarrassed to be so close to this boy and this naked woman. "It's a statue of a woman holding a pitcher…"
Erik laughed, "I can see that. It's beautiful." He stared up at the figure and Ginny could feel her cheeks turn red.
"Um, yes, isn't it though? We have other statues too, and flowers and stuff." Ginny began walking away from the fountain towards an innocent looking rose garden.
"Isn't it funny how roses reproduce?" Erik said, coming up behind her.
Ginny's eyes widened. Reproduce was just a scientific word for sex.
Erik continued, "The plant has such alluring colors and sweet scents to attract the bees and birds and other insects. They take the pollen then travel to another rose, where some of the previous pollen falls into the flower…and I think you know what happens next." Erik took a lock of Ginny's hair and brought it to his lips. "You are so much like these roses. Your color…your scent. I'm drunk with the thought of you."
Ginny's eyes opened wide, not because of his speech, which caused her heart to beat out of her chest, but because his hands were suddenly on her hips. She had never had a boy so close to her before. She could feel his lips on her neck and for a moment Ginny lost herself, allowing the thundering stream of emotion course through her veins…until his hands began to wonder.
"Hey!" Ginny pushed away from Erik. "Stop it!"
Erik laughed. "Why? I know you like it." Erik came closer but Ginny stepped back. "Stop pretending." Erik snarled. "I know you've gone a lot further with less attractive and well of men. Besides…don't you know it's our parents intentions that we marry?"
"Marry?" Ginny questioned. "That's ridiculous! I'm only seventeen!"
"I thought you were eighteen." Erik paused. "That's besides the point! We're both menaces to our families, and they are willing to go to extremes to get us off their hands. I must admit, though, when I found out I was angry too. But then I saw you, Virginia. I could content myself with you."
"You—could content yourself?" Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Is that supposed to be romantic?"
"What, you want more romance?" Erik laughed. "You want I should tell you your eyes are like the stars in the sky? Your lips the color of my passion? I thought we could just skip that."
Erik came towards Ginny but she slapped him across the face. He held his hand to his cheek, red with the impact. He looked in disbelief and anger at Ginny, then cursed under his breath.
"You just did the wrong thing." Erik glared at her, then headed towards the house.
After Ginny thought the Burrens had left, she made her own way to the house and was greeted with a very angry Lucius.
"I thought we had a deal!" Lucius yelled.
"That deal didn't include passing me off to some jerk." Ginny meekly said.
"The Burrens are a fine family and would make agreeable allys. Why must you be so objectionable to everything I do?" Lucius paused. "You go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school things and I expect you home in two hours time. Get to your room…I'm sick of the site of you."
Ginny's lip quivered. Even though this man was not her Father, she still felt the sting of his blow. No one ever treated her the way he did. No one ever talked to her like that. Before she broke down in tears she ran up to her room and for the first time in her life she pitied Draco Malfoy.
(A/N: Ok, another chappy, woo! Not sure when I'll be able to update again, but expect another chappy next week! Thanks guys for your reviews! You all rock!)
The Burrow was busy with cleaning. Ron was being pestered to pick up the sitting room while Molly was tending to the kitchen. Draco was asked to pick up the mess on the porch. And all for what? Harry Potter was coming.
"Stupid git!" Draco said to himself.
Even in this morbid existence Potter was the root of his ill luck. He looked at the porch furniture and the leaves that littered the wooden planks. He pulled out his wand, for it was his wand, and not someone elses, and pointed it at the leaves. They stirred some then flew off the porch at an alarming high speed. He sat down on the rocking chair, not wanting to enter the house again.
Draco wasn't one to just lie down and take things, but what could he do? Write a letter? He tried, but each time he put quill to paper what he wrote sounded absurd.
"Dear Father," would not be appropriate to send to Lucius Malfoy if Lucius thought Draco was a Weasley. And any letter for that matter would not seem appropriate. He thought of writing Ginny, but what if she wasn't the same Ginny? What if the real Ginny wasn't apart of this in the first place?
His next unsuccessful attempt at rectifying things was to search every book in the house and see if something like this has happened before. First, there weren't many books, and second the books that were in the house were ridiculous. He was certain that at Malfoy Manor there would be at least a dozen books telling you how to solve your way out of a parallel universe.
So, seeing as there was nothing at present he could do, he contended himself with abiding his time until he could get to Hogwarts and possibly find the answers there. He would even ask Dumbledore if he progressed to desperation.
A noise took Draco away from his thoughts. He saw a dust cloud up ahead and soon a car pulled up to the house. Arthur got out of the front while Harry got out of the passenger side door. Draco narrowed his eyes in hatred.
"Hey Drake!" Harry waved from the car.
Draco sat still causing Harry to look at him in concern.
"Is something wrong?" Harry was now coming up to the house lugging his trunk behind him.
"Only everything." Draco murmured.
"Having a fight with Ron, then?" Harry smiled warmly at Draco.
"No business of yours."
Harry ignored this last comment and entered the house, followed by Arthur. Soon Molly yelled for Draco to come in and he reluctantly got up and entered the house.
"How was your summer, Harry?" Ron asked, taking his trunk for him.
"Drake, help your brother." Molly ordered, then sat Harry down on the couch and offered him a glass of lemonade.
Draco looked in the direction of the stairs where Ron was waiting for him. Draco was not in the mood to argue and fight, so he made his way to the trunk and picked up the other end. Once the trunk was set down in their bedroom Ron said,
"Drake, how come you're so…I don't know…not yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Draco was getting very annoyed with everyone calling him "Drake."
"Well, you're usually ecstatic that Harry's here. You bombard him with questions then explain in detail what you've been up to. And after that you normally owl Creevey."
"Ugh, why would I ever want to contact that sniveling boy?"
"Well, you are friends and in the same year. You like to boast about having Harry over for Holidays and stuff."
"You mean I'm in sixth year?" Draco expressed genuine shock.
"Er…yeah." Ron looked at Draco very weirdly, then left the room.
After getting over his shock he made his way down the stairs and was greeted with peels of laughter. Draco stood away from the group and looked on in confusion.
"Harry just told us about Dudley's girlfriend." Fred explained.
"Which reminds me." Harry pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Draco.
"What's this?" He looked down at a small booklet with cartoon figures painted in bright colors.
"It's a comic book. You said you wanted a Muggle one, so I got you one." Harry waited for the usual thanks, but waited in vain.
"Don't you need to say something to Harry?" Arthur prodded.
Draco looked up from the comic book at everyone in the room. He threw it down on the floor in disgust. "What for? I don't like it."
Draco kept his face emotionless on the outside but he was smiling on the inside. He saw the look of horror on Molly's face, and on everyone elses. It pleased him to see everyone think one of their own was being corrupted.
"I wonder," Thought Draco. "If the real Ginny is here, how is she taking to my Father?"
~*~*~
Ginny was usually a very straight arrow. She got excellent grades, perfect attendance, only lost a few points for Gryffindor, but that was in Snape's class and didn't count. She never did anything wrong, besides talking sometimes when she wasn't supposed to. So it was a radical change for her when everyone around her thought she was some stuck up, rebel child.
Lucius had only talked to her that one time in the study, and since she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. She did meet Narcissa, however, and thought that was too much to bare.
Narcissa was more pleased with herself than with anything else in the world, and thought Ginny her little doll she could dress and mold. Narcissa never mentioned Ginny's long absences away from the house or eluded to anything she must have done wrong in the past. It was as if each morning Narcissa awoke with no memory of the day before.
"Virginia, sit up straight." Narcissa said from a cushioned chair.
Ginny as sitting at the piano and her bad habit of slouching was not good when Narcissa was in the room. Thankfully Ginny had taken piano lessons from someone long ago and when asked to play, Ginny's skillfull hands danced across the keys.
"We're having company tonight," Narcissa began. "And I have ordered a new robe for you. I'll have Lacy do your hair and you'll look beautiful!"
Ginny looked behind her at Narcissa, who was examining her nails. Many times Ginny thought of explaining her predicament to Narcissa but found her efforts would be futile. Even telling Lucius wouldn't do her any good, for he was no where to be found.
"Where's, um, Father?" Ginny asked.
"Your Father is very busy, dear, and can't be disturbed." Narcissa sighed. "Really, I don't see why you prefer to spend so much time with him. I am much better company."
"I wonder why he hates me." Ginny thought aloud, but Narcissa had heard.
"Hates you?" Narcissa said these words as if they were in a foreign language, and not quite used to the pronunciation. "He doesn't hate you, dear. He just resents the fact that you're not a boy. He'll get used to it, in time."
Used to it? Ginny thought. As if seventeen years wasn't time enough?
As Ginny was being prepared for the dinner that night by being squeezed into a silk robe and her hair being pulled and twisted and piled, Ginny thought about what it must have been like to grow up in this environment.
How did Draco survive? Now that she was here the reason for Lucius's resentment was that she was not a boy. What was it for Draco? It was no wonder Draco would escape this world and not return until days after. At time she felt like screaming and running out the doors and she'd only been here two days.
"Vous êtes très belle…very beautiful." Lacy said in a thick French accent.
"Yes, my dear, magnificent." Narcissa added.
Ginny stared at her reflection in a full length mirror. The deep green on the dress contrasted with her bright vibrant red hair. The material was soft and contoured every curve and flowed out past her knees to the her feet. She didn't look like herself at all. She gave a half smile.
"Dear, that thing you do with your mouth unsettles your countenance." Narcissa said.
"My smile?"
"Yes, that…"
Ginny had thought she was just going down to dinner, but seeing a really nice looking guy at the table unnerved her. Suddenly was very conscious of the way she wobbled in her heels, and the habit she had of slouching her shoulders. She could feel the boys eyes on her until she sat at the other end of the table.
"Virginia." Lucius smiled. "You may remember the Burrens from last summer, and their son, Erik." Lucius waved his hand at the other end of the table where a sniff necked couple sat, and the cute boy…Erik. "I have invited them this evening for dinner, and hope you will show their son around the grounds after dinner while we talk."
Lucius looked at one of the servants standing off towards the back of the room and nodded his head. The servant immediately left the room and soon after reappeared with five other servants, each carrying a tray of food. The soup was dished out into bowls and the rest of the plates were left on the table. Ginny wondered why manual labor was used instead of magic. Probably to show off his money by how many servants he keeps, Ginny thought.
Dinner was very quiet, with Lucius as the main speaker. Talk of matters which Ginny knew nothing of and cared not to learn of were discussed. Occasionally she stole a glance at Erik, feeling her cheeks turn red when she was caught. Soon dinner was over and everyone stood up and walked towards the sitting room.
"Virginia, you may show Erik to the gardens." Lucius said to Ginny, then to the others. "Virginia knows every plant out there and every statue. She's amazing when it comes to art."
Ginny arched her eyebrows at such high praise. Before Lucius wouldn't even look at her, but now she was being lifted up to the clouds! It reminded her of her Grandfather on her Mothers side. One year he traveled to Italy and bought a very expensive painting and hung it over the fireplace. He would rave about the painting to his friends and family and show it off whenever visitors would come. But on one occasion, before Ginny was able to go to Hogwarts, she spent an entire month with him and observed him pass by the painting time and again without so much as a glance at it.
Is that all I'm—Draco—is? Just an expensive painting to show off and ignored later?
Before Ginny could think further on this, she was being led to the gardens. Behind the house there were extensive grounds filled with small paths that led to a rose garden, a hedge grove, and many other flora. There were many statues placed strategically throughout the grounds, and near the house was a very beautiful fountain.
"Tell me about this." Erik said in a very smooth, silky voice.
"Um, well…" Ginny looked at the naked figure of a woman who was tilting a pitcher above her head. The pitcher let forth a steady stream of water, which fell into a small pool below her. Ginny felt embarrassed to be so close to this boy and this naked woman. "It's a statue of a woman holding a pitcher…"
Erik laughed, "I can see that. It's beautiful." He stared up at the figure and Ginny could feel her cheeks turn red.
"Um, yes, isn't it though? We have other statues too, and flowers and stuff." Ginny began walking away from the fountain towards an innocent looking rose garden.
"Isn't it funny how roses reproduce?" Erik said, coming up behind her.
Ginny's eyes widened. Reproduce was just a scientific word for sex.
Erik continued, "The plant has such alluring colors and sweet scents to attract the bees and birds and other insects. They take the pollen then travel to another rose, where some of the previous pollen falls into the flower…and I think you know what happens next." Erik took a lock of Ginny's hair and brought it to his lips. "You are so much like these roses. Your color…your scent. I'm drunk with the thought of you."
Ginny's eyes opened wide, not because of his speech, which caused her heart to beat out of her chest, but because his hands were suddenly on her hips. She had never had a boy so close to her before. She could feel his lips on her neck and for a moment Ginny lost herself, allowing the thundering stream of emotion course through her veins…until his hands began to wonder.
"Hey!" Ginny pushed away from Erik. "Stop it!"
Erik laughed. "Why? I know you like it." Erik came closer but Ginny stepped back. "Stop pretending." Erik snarled. "I know you've gone a lot further with less attractive and well of men. Besides…don't you know it's our parents intentions that we marry?"
"Marry?" Ginny questioned. "That's ridiculous! I'm only seventeen!"
"I thought you were eighteen." Erik paused. "That's besides the point! We're both menaces to our families, and they are willing to go to extremes to get us off their hands. I must admit, though, when I found out I was angry too. But then I saw you, Virginia. I could content myself with you."
"You—could content yourself?" Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Is that supposed to be romantic?"
"What, you want more romance?" Erik laughed. "You want I should tell you your eyes are like the stars in the sky? Your lips the color of my passion? I thought we could just skip that."
Erik came towards Ginny but she slapped him across the face. He held his hand to his cheek, red with the impact. He looked in disbelief and anger at Ginny, then cursed under his breath.
"You just did the wrong thing." Erik glared at her, then headed towards the house.
After Ginny thought the Burrens had left, she made her own way to the house and was greeted with a very angry Lucius.
"I thought we had a deal!" Lucius yelled.
"That deal didn't include passing me off to some jerk." Ginny meekly said.
"The Burrens are a fine family and would make agreeable allys. Why must you be so objectionable to everything I do?" Lucius paused. "You go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school things and I expect you home in two hours time. Get to your room…I'm sick of the site of you."
Ginny's lip quivered. Even though this man was not her Father, she still felt the sting of his blow. No one ever treated her the way he did. No one ever talked to her like that. Before she broke down in tears she ran up to her room and for the first time in her life she pitied Draco Malfoy.
(A/N: Ok, another chappy, woo! Not sure when I'll be able to update again, but expect another chappy next week! Thanks guys for your reviews! You all rock!)
