Disclaimer- As always, the fact that I am writing on fanfiction.net should show you that I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with the Harry Potter universe.  This is just for fun.

A/N- Arg!!!!  I never explain this, and I probably should… hm… yes… I really should.  So I suppose I will, just for your benefit!  (and so I remember myself…)

Lucius and Arthur are still friends, but everyone thinks that they hate each other.  Arthur is not a Death Eater, and, although Lucius is one, he hasn't really thrown his lot in with Voldemort.  He isn't on the "Light" side, either, but he's just waiting for someone to look like they're winning.  And then he'll decide which side to join. 

Oh, and I'm sorry, but Arthur seems to be turning out to be a big ass.  *ducks flying tomatoes* I didn't want him to be, but he seems to want to be that way.  I'm very disappointed by this.  But this chapter is better than the other one (and, I think, shows how Ginny would react to the news better) and the unfortunate side effect was Arthur being slightly evil.  However, I may still post the other one instead of this.  I'm trying to decide.  *sigh*



"Movies based on books suck. Great Expectations sucked.  And Outbreak, based on Hot Zone, mega sucked." – from our school's one act play.  (and, in all fairness, I must really say:  Hot Zone wasn't all that good to begin with.  Grossest book I've ever read.)



Ginny groaned. Her parents had just said they needed to "talk" to her. That was never good. She wondered why she was in trouble now. No matter what the problem was, Ginny would blame it on Ron.  Although he had graduated earlier that year, he still hadn't moved out.  He was attending college in his spare time, and playing Quidditch- though not professionally- the rest of the time.  When he wasn't eating or sleeping, of course.

She walked down the stairs cautiously, wondering what she was in trouble for this time. Running through her day in her mind, she tried to find something that she could be blamed for.  Nothing.

She sighed, peeking around the corner where she saw her parents arguing heatedly.  Oh, this can't be good.  Ginny thought, frightened.  Mrs. Weasley's temper, when flamed, could burn a person to a crisp.  And Mr. Weasley wasn't much better, but he was a lot less easy to anger.  If they were arguing about her, she was sure that she wouldn't survive five minutes between them. 

She cautiously walked through the door.  When her parents didn't notice her, she cleared her throat.
"Mom? Dad?" Ginny asked. Both of her parents turned and looked at her, acting surprised that she was standing there.
"Oh, yes, Ginny. Sit down, please." Molly ordered as soon as she got over her initial surprise. Ginny looked at her questioningly, and said,
"What do you have to say, Mom? Why do I need to sit?"
"Virginia Weasley, just sit down!" Arthur said, annoyed. Ginny was shocked. Mr. Weasley was probably the mellowest man in the world, until you got him angry. Ginny knew of only a few people who could make him mad, and she wasn't one of them. She sat down, and her mother took a deep breath. Ginny wondered what could be making her parents so stressed.
"Ginny, ah, we never told you, but you have an arranged marriage…" Mrs. Weasley said in a rush, an attitude very unlike her normal one.  Something in her voice almost caught Ginny's attention, but she was so surprised that she let it go.

"What?" Ginny asked angrily.  She couldn't believe that she was hearing this!  An arranged marriage!  What were they talking about?

"An arranged marriage.  You know where you have a marriage, and it is arranged?"  Arthur replied sarcastically.  Ginny's eyes narrowed.  She couldn't believe that her father would say that.  That was something her mother might say.

Ron walked in looking around. 

"Who died?" he asked the assembled family members.

"Ronald, go away." Molly ordered.  It was obvious that she was stressed.  Ron looked to Ginny, mouthing "What did you do?", before starting to leave.  Ginny said sarcastically,

"Oh, Mom, why can't he hear this garbage too?"  Molly regarded her daughter with narrowed eyes.  Molly gave Ron a look that clearly told him to leave.  He did so without a backward glance.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Virginia.  But I've dealt with it.  You have to, too!"  Molly ordered.  Ginny looked at her mother.

"You aren't the one getting married!" Ginny shouted. 

"Do you think I don't know what you're going through, Gin?" Molly asked coldly.  "You seem to have forgotten that I had an arranged marriage, too!"

Ginny gulped.  She'd never had her mother talk to her like that.  And she hoped her mother never talked to her like that again.

"Who is it?" She asked suddenly.  Her parents looked at her.  Hesitantly her mother told her,

"Draco Malfoy."

"Not to sound like a broken record, but what?"  Ginny said.  She was getting numb.  How could they do this to her?  Their only daughter?

"Draco… Malfoy….  Surely you know him?"

"Dad!  You're not helping!" Ginny said.  Molly fixed Arthur with a look, and he turned away, muttering something.

"And the wedding is in six months.  During Christmas break."

"Six months!  And you're just telling me now?" Ginny roared.  Both Molly and Arthur flinched.  They knew that she wasn't going to take it well.  But at least she hadn't yet-

"I refuse.  I won't do it." Ginny said with finality.  Her father looked at her, his eyebrow raised.  Molly looked at Arthur.  They turned off to the side and conferred in low voices.  Finally Arthur said, loud enough for Ginny to hear,

"Too bad!  She'll do it!"

"I will not." Ginny said dangerously.  Her father looked at her, and, with a sneer that reminded her of Lucius Malfoy himself, said,

"You will do it."

"How can you make me, pray tell?"  Ginny asked, all too sweetly.

"I have my ways." Arthur responded viciously.   Ginny looked at her father, shocked.  It was the first time that Ginny thought that there might have been more to her father than the Muggle-loving man he proclaimed to be.

Molly looked at her husband angrily.  She said something to him, and then turned on her heel.  She began walking out, but turned to Ginny.

"Come here, Ginny.  We'll have a short talk."

Ginny regarded her mother, and then looked at her father, who was fuming.  She followed her mother out of the room.



They were sitting in her mother's room, when her mother burst out

"Ginny, I'm sorry, but I can't get you out of it.  I can offer you some advice, though…"

"Why can't you get me out of it, Mom?  I mean, you have the most influence with Dad." Ginny whined. 

"I know that I have influence with him, Gin, but he signed a contract.  I didn't have any say in it, and when he told me, I…"

"Wasn't there a need for you to sign it, too?"

"No.  I didn't even know until you started school.  I just thought that your father and Lucius had had some fight or something.  And then he told me… I don't believe he could hear for weeks."

"I doubt he could." Ginny said with some amusement.  She frowned.  "But do I really have to do it?"

"Unless you can find some way to get out of it." Molly sighed.  "I never could."

Ginny's features became gloomier.  She finally had realized what this meant. 

She would be married to Draco Malfoy, the son-of-a-Death-Eater.   But she brightened.

"Do you think I could see a copy of the contract?"



A/N- Sorry it took me so long to update.  However, as many say, reality interfered with my life.  I hate it when it does that.  But if I want to go to Europe this summer (like I was supposed to do the summer after eighth grade.  Stupid father…) I need to actually get good grades.  Fat chance of that happening in any math class that I take.  Gah!  Oh, and I couldn't decide whether to post this chapter or the original one.  So I just played eenie-meenie-miny-moe (how in the world do you spell that?) and it turns out that this is the chapter that won.  How lucky for it.

Oh, and everyone out there:  read Our Sort of Magic by Karania Avalon!  It's a HP/LOTR story—really well written!  I just hope she gets out a new chapter soon!  *looks at Karania Avalon*  hint hint!

Hmm… I think I kind of changed the story line.  Shoot.  *hears a gun go off in the distance* No, not like that!  Gah!  Why must my stories hate me?  Oh well, I'll whip them into shape.  Or not.  The bad thing:  this story might end up incredibly different than the other one.  The good thing:  this story might end up incredibly different than the other one.  I'm still trying to figure out if I want to post the original chapter or the other one I wrote.  So, could someone please tell me?  That means that I'll post the new one.  And if you don't like the new one, tell me and I'll post the original.

And, if you're still reading, I must ask the question:  why?  Also, if you are… review. 

And, thanks to: Rose Petal, Echo256, Madison27, Karania Avalon, Ang31666

Madison27: I hope my explanation at the beginning of the chapter explained it.  If it didn't, I'll answer it next chapter.