Dedicated to Melindaleo.
I expected people to get mad about that last chapter. But, as I find myself repeating, things will work out for the better! And as for Ginny's behaviour last chapter… well, I won't give too much away, but there is a reason for that!
Chapter 8: Lucky
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a Monday
When my lover told me
Never pay the reaper
With love only
What could I say to you
Except I love you
And I'd give my life for yours
I know we are
We are the lucky ones
I know we are
We are the lucky ones
I know we are
We are the lucky ones dear
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lucky – Bif Naked
"Draco… Malfoy…" Ron said in a dazed voice. They were sitting with the other Weasley's in the kitchen of the Headquarters. Remus was there too. Mrs Weasley was applying a salve to Harry's cuts and bruises. Hermione patted Ron's arm.
"We know, Ron."
"Malfoy… Draco Malfoy?" He seemed to be in shock. Fred and George were glaring into mid air, hands flexing into fists.
"Slimy little scumbag…"
"Malfoy…"
"I can't believe this. It's so unlike Ginny." Remus said, concernedly. Arthur was pale. Molly fussed over Harry, but her eyes were narrowed.
"Ginny… kissing Malfoy…" Ron muttered. Hermione continued to comfort him. Bill was striding up and the kitchen. He had always had a special soft spot for Ginny, they all did, her being the only girl in the family.
"It's… do you think Malfoy did something to her? A curse or something?"
"I don't think so. The ministry would have known. I mean, they're monitoring all the Deatheater's families, aren't they?" Hermione pointed out. Charlie nodded. There was a loud bang as Bill punched the wall. They all turned to stare at him. His hand had gone through the wooden door of a cupboard. Fleur stood up and stared at his hand.
"You broke the cupboard."
"And maybe my hand. I'm stuck." Bill said in a half angry, half apologetic voice. Fred and George helped him get his hand out. They all winced at the blood trickling down between his knuckles. Molly rinsed off the blood. Harry stood up.
"I'm going to my room."
No one argued with him. He left without another word. Arthur turned to look at his family.
"What should we do?"
"There's nothing we can do." Hermione said. Bill shook his head.
"I'm going to talk to her."
"She might not want to see anyone."
"She'll talk to me. I'm her favourite brother" Bill said, disapparating. Hermione turned to Ron. He looked rather confused.
"Ron, we know it's Draco Malfoy. Hopefully it'll-"
"No it's not that…"
"What's wrong then?" Hermione asked, worried.
"It's just… I thought I was her favourite brother."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ginny, open up!" Bill shouted.
"Go away, Bill."
"No! Open this door!" He banged his uninjured fist against the front door of her apartment.
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Don't make me Apparate in, Ginny, you know I will!" He warned her.
There was a silence and he heard a lock being clicked. The door opened and his sisters tear stained face appeared in the tiny gap.
"Let me in Ginny."
"What do you want?"
"To talk to you." She sighed heavily and opened the door. He stepped inside and stared at her. Her bruised eye was swollen up so much she couldn't see through it. Dried blood was stuck to her cheek. She didn't make eye contact as she sat down on the sofa.
He sat down and stared at her.
"What are you doing, Ginny?" He asked her gently. She shrugged and sniffed.
"Bill, I like Draco. Why can't anyone understand that?"
"Because it's Malfoy. The same guy who bullied you for years."
"You're saying he can't change?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying it's not wise for you to be so close to someone who your friends hate and is being monitored by the Order and ministry. Harry's really hurt that you cheated on him with Malfoy."
"Well… technically I was cheating on Draco with Harry."
"What?"
"We went out on a date. It was just this one time, and I left early anyway… but if we're being technical…"
"Ginny, Malfoy's Dad helped Voldemort possess you. And he tried to kill Harry."
"It all comes back to Harry, doesn't it?" Ginny said bitterly.
"It comes back to your family wanting to keep you safe." Bill corrected her.
Ginny sighed and looked up at him for the first time.
"Harry doesn't need me. The first time he kissed me was when he though I might have died. He was just looking for comfort. I care for Harry, don't get me wrong. But he doesn't need me. Draco does. He hasn't got anyone else to turn to. He needs me and I need him."
"I'm not going to force you to stop seeing Malfoy. And I'm not going to stop seeing you. I can't speak for the others though. But you need to hear this. I hope you know what you're giving up by going out with him."
Bill stood up. Ginny looked up at him.
"Bill…"
"I'll come by soon, OK? Owl me if you need to."
And he was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day Ginny met Draco in the shop. Her eye wasn't healed. She'd run out of potion to cure it. Her staff were all whispering when they thought she wasn't looking. In the end she told them to take the rest of the day off so she could get some work done. She closed the shop and sat at the counter, drawing designs. A knock at the glass door made her jump.
She looked up and saw Draco outside the glass. She nodded for him to come in.
"How are you?" He asked her.
"Been better, frankly." She muttered. He gently touched the bruised eye. She moved back.
"That looks sore."
"It'll heal." She whispered. She gathered the papers into a drawer and said,
"Are you OK?"
"Yes. Healed up well enough, bit sore. Potter's got a good right hook, I'll give him that." He gazed at her for a minute.
"Come and have a drink with me."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the Three Broomsticks Ginny avoided his gaze.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"OK… It's just… my family are furious. They don't understand. They don't see the side of you I can see. Like when I kiss you, or if we're talking about complete rubbish."
"Ginny, I can under stand why they're not accepting me. And, sorry but, I'm not going to go around to each of your brothers and kiss them, even if it will make them like me. Which I don't think it will."
"I doubt it. You're more likely to get a punch."
"Yeah."
They fell into silence. Ginny sipped her drink.
"Draco, I'll understand if you want to leave. It can't be easy, being you."
"Hey, I'm not giving you up. You're way too hot." Draco grinned. Ginny giggled.
"Yeah, I guess I'm irresistible."
"You really are." He told her, face sincere. She blushed.
"I love making you blush." He smiled. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Well, to be fair, it's not exactly hard to do."
"True. Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"
"Um… OK."
"Just… don't go rushing off again, OK?"
"I won't." Ginny laughed. The laughter stopped as she saw Fred, George, Bill and Charlie enter the bar. She looked down and slid down in her seat. Draco leant over the table to stare down at her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"My brothers…" She mumbled. Draco glanced to the bar. Charlie noticed him and turned to whisper to the twins. Bill saw them too. Ginny sat up. Fred and George both stood quickly. Bill told them to sit down. They did so, glaring furiously in their direction. Ginny said,
"Can we go?"
"Because of them?"
"No, because of the dancing pixies!" Ginny said sarcastically. Draco rolled his eyes.
"OK. Let me just finish my drink."
"No time." She seized his hand and dragged him towards the door.
"Ginny! I want to finish my drink!"
"No you don't."
"I do!" She stopped and pointed her wand at the cup.
"Accio Butterbeer!" It zoomed towards them. Ginny caught it and thrust it at Draco.
"Quickly!"
But Bill was coming over. He said,
"Ginny, can you come to dinner with the family tonight?"
"Oh… sorry, Bill, I've already made dinner plans." Ginny said. Fred and George came over, Charlie following.
"Doing what?" Fred demanded.
"Dinner."
"With who?"
"With me OK?" Draco said crossly. Ginny turned to him.
"Finish your drink! Look, I can't come OK?"
"No, actually, it's not OK." George said, crossing his arms. Bill looked down at Ginny.
"Come and see me and Fleur tomorrow. You and Malfoy."
"OK. Can we leave now?"
"No!" Fred, George and Charlie said together. Ginny groaned and pointed her wand at them.
"Let me put it another way. We are leaving. Otherwise prepare an anti-jinx for the bat-bogey hex."
She and Draco turned to the door but it opened and Hermione, Harry and Ron came in.
"Oh, for crying out loud! Was there a notice saying we were going to be here in the paper?" Ginny cried. The three of them stopped dead. Harry looked from Ginny to Malfoy, then walked to the bar and ordered a Fire Whiskey. Hermione half-smiled at Ginny.
"Hi Ginny…" Ron was glaring at Malfoy. Ginny rolled her eyes, and took Draco's hand again.
"Goodbye." She said firmly and pulled him out after her. As the door banged shut Hermione went to Harry. He threw his head back and downed the Fire Whiskey.
"Harry, don't get drunk. It won't help."
"I've got nothing better to do." Harry grumbled, ordering another drink. Fred and George sat down, and the others joined them.
"What is she thinking?"
"It's madness!"
"If he touches a hair on her head…"
"Ginny will come around. We need to let her make her own choices." Hermione said firmly. Ron turned to Bill.
"And you, inviting Malfoy over to your house. What are you doing?"
"I think it'd be safer to keep an eye on him, rather than push her further to him."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I hate them, I hate them, I HATE THEM!" Ginny screamed. Draco put a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down."
"Why can't they just be happy for me? Why?"
"They don't understand how special this is. They will eventually."
"Well, eventually sucks."
He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I'm still here. And I don't plan on going anywhere."
"Why weren't you like this at school?"
"At school I was an obnoxious git. But I changed. Well, you helped."
"I did?"
"Sure. You made me a better person. I didn't even want to curse Potter when he came in."
"You're amazing, Draco. You always cheer me up when I'm sad."
"I do my best. Look, that eye looks terrible. Come back to the mansion with me, and I'll put something on it."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mansion. That was the word he had used. And it really was a mansion. An enormous building, extensive gardens and huge gates. Draco apparated them into the drawing room.
"It's in here." He said, digging around in a cupboard.
Ginny took a chance to look at the room. It was large and cold. Stern looking furniture sat at precise places in the room, and looked as if they were daring someone to move them an inch out of place. Ginny thought of the messy, cramped rooms at The Burrow and shivered at the room.
A large painting of a wizard hung over the fireplace. The silver-haired wizard stared down at her.
"Who are you?" He demanded in a haughty voice. Ginny replied politely,
"Ginny Weasley."
"Weasley? I know that name… related to Arthur Weasley? Yes, I can see the resemblance. The hair for one."
"Shut up, Rabastan." Draco said, pulling his head out of the cupboard. "My uncle." He told Ginny.
"I know… that is, I remember seeing it on a tapestry. So Bellatrix is his sister-in-law. Who is Sirius' cousin. Who is my second cousin. So that makes him my third cousin-in-law?"
"Something like that." Draco laughed. He poured some potion onto a handkerchief and pressed it against her eye. She held it there.
"It's been a while since Draco brought home a girl." Rabastan commented. Draco rolled his eyes. Ginny giggled.
"Not since that one four years ago. The one who looks like a dog chewing a wasp?"
"Pansy Parkinson?" Ginny guessed. Rabastan clapped his hands.
"Yes, that's the one! Frightful temper. Half-killed a House-elf when it mixed up the washing and her white robes came out pink."
Ginny was in hysterical laughter by this time. Draco grinned and said,
"Rabastan, that's enough."
"Alright. I have chores to do anyway." He said huffily, turning and striding out of the side of the portrait. Draco turned to Ginny and found her still laughing hysterically. He arched an eyebrow until the laughter stopped. She breathed heavily, then smiled.
"OK… that was just weird." Draco said. Ginny shrugged and grinned. She took away the handkerchief.
"Oh, see? Swellings already gone down."
"Thank you. It was hurting a bit." Ginny said, handing him the handkerchief. Draco put it on a table and said,
"So, what do you think of the Manor?"
"Truthfully?"
"Truthfully."
"I don't see how anyone can live in a place so cold."
"Cold…?" He glanced towards the fire. She shook her head violently.
"Not cold that way. It's… hard. Stony. Like you used to be."
"Cold…"
"This is a house, Draco. Not a home." Ginny said. "I almost pity you having to stay here."
"Then let's go to your place. Show me what a home is from your point of view."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Draco looked around Ginny's flat. The cream coloured walls, hardboard floor, squashy seats. He smiled.
"I see what you mean. This is far more comfortable."
"See? I'm always right." Ginny said. Draco arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, OK." He collapsed onto a sofa. Kara flew to Ginny, hooting at her.
"Sorry, here's your food." She told the owl, pouring food into a bowl. Draco bent to examine the owl. Kara looked up at him and started hooting loudly, flapping her wings, and flew to the window, shrieking. Ginny stared at the normally docile creature.
"Kara!"
"I have that effect on animals. They don't seem to like me very much." Draco admitted. Ginny let Kara out into the night air.
Draco joined her, staring out of the window. His arms wrapped around her waist and she leant against him.
"Why can't they see you like I can?" She whispered. He kissed her neck softly and replied and a whisper,
"They're not as innocent as you."
She turned and kissed him on the mouth. It was so very different from kissing Harry. He smiled at her.
"I'm so lucky to have you."
"Me too."
Draco took her hand and led her into the bedroom. As he kissed her again, Ginny truly felt lucky. She had all she needed right here.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Draco watched as Ginny lay sleeping. He smiled, and got up, going over to the window. The wheels were turning. Things couldn't go wrong now. Ginny Weasley was theirs.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ooh! Interesting chapter, no? Hee hee.
So, we finally see a bit of Draco's true nature! What on earth is going on? Well, obviously, I know. But you don't!
Reviews are nice. Feedback is always good.
Lotsa luv
Katie
