A/N- The good thing about me posting the new chapter:  you get a new chapter that wasn't in the old story.  How's that for service? 



"Put the off button on." – Pres. George W. Bush, talking about the… er… Janet Jackson Superbowl Halftime issue.



Ginny read through the be-damned contract again.  It was pretty simple straightforward, and, as she had halfway expected, gave her no way out of the marriage. 

There was no claim that she could make that could get her out of the marriage, because the contract gave no conditions.  It simply stated that she was betrothed to Draco. 

"To the Law books, then." Ginny said, sighing.  She got up, her knees creaking as she did so.

"Ginny, dear, Mr. Malfoy is here to see you!" Molly yelled up the stairs.  Rolling her eyes, Ginny began walking down the stairs. 

When she reached the bottom of the steps, she saw it was not Lucius, as she half expected, but Draco.

"Malfoy." Ginny said as coldly as possible.  Draco looked her up and down, as if trying to reassure himself that she wasn't a rabid weasel about to bite him and transmit the disease.

"Weasley." He said.  If it was possible, his voice was colder than hers.

Mrs. Weasley winced.  She was going to kill Arthur when that man decided to make his way home.  She excused herself from their presence and walked up the stairs to plot the best way to kill Arthur. 

Draco looked at Ginny.

"Mother wanted me to come over and tell you that the wedding's during your Christmas break.  She also wanted me to give you your engagement ring and tell you that you're supposed to wear it."

"I don't want to.  And I won't." Ginny informed him defiantly.  He raised his eyebrow laughingly.

"Oh, really?  And I suppose you think Potter's going to come save you?"

"Draco Malfoy, what are you doing in my house?" Ron Weasley asked, coming down the stairs menacingly.  Both Draco and Ginny looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  Upon remembering that they were enemies, they looked away from each other. 

"If it is any of your business, Weasley, I have some matters to discuss with your sister.  Now if you'll excuse me," Draco said, grabbing Ginny's arm and beginning to drag her out the door, "I'd like to finish that."

"Like hell you will!" Ron said.  Suddenly Molly came down the stairs, looking at the three who were glaring daggers at each other.

"What is going on here?" Molly inquired dangerously.  "Ron, leave them alone."

Ginny looked to her brother for help, but it was clear that he did not wish to incur his mother's wrath.  So she was left with Draco, who pulled her outside.  

"What was that for, Malfoy?  Just trying to see how much trouble you can stir up?" Ginny asked dangerously.  She didn't actually expect him to answer.

"Oh, my dear Virginia, I can stir up a lot more than that." Draco responded.  He gave her a challenging glance.  He really expected her to back down under his look, and was surprised when she stood up.

"I don't doubt it." Ginny muttered under her breath. "And don't call me Virginia.  You can call me 'Miss Weasley', but don't address me by my first name, thank you."

The girl has a spine, I'll admit. Draco thought.  Then, of course, his haughty next thought was: I'll have to teach her a lesson.

"What shall I call you when we're married, then?" That should do it. He was amused when she snapped,

"I told you, I am not marrying a Malfoy!"

"Oh, I'd be delighted to hear how you are going to stop the wedding." 

He wasn't expecting an answer.  Draco knew she hadn't actually thought it through.  He seriously doubted that even the bookworm Granger could find a way to get out of a betrothal contract, or a Wizarding marriage.  The only real reason that was acceptable to get out of a marriage once the ceremony had been performed was if one of the partners cheated on the other.

"I'm still looking." Ginny admitted.

"I'm pretty sure that you won't find anything, Virginia." Draco told her.  Might as well save her some time looking. He thought.  He figured it was pretty nice of him to inform her of it.  After all, he hadn't been able to find a way out.  Then again, his mother had threatened him with weeks locked in their dungeon if he did find a way.

"What did I just say!" Ginny snapped.  She hated it when people used her whole first name, and couldn't stand that it was Malfoy using it.

"I forget… what did you just say?" Draco asked innocently.  Ginny glared at him, and, not for the first time, he was thinking that this marriage might be fun.

"You're doing that just to annoy me!" Ginny accused.  Draco rolled his eyes.

"No." Draco said sarcastically. "When did you figure that out?"

Ginny stamped her foot on the ground and turned around, her ponytail smacking Draco in the face.  Her face to the ground she muttered,

"I'm not talking to you."

"Funny, you seem to be." Draco said. 

Really, though, Ginny had grown up with so many brothers that she should have seen the signs of someone seeing how angry they could get her.  As it was, though, this was not only her worst enemy, he was joking like he had known and been her friend her entire life!

"That's not what I meant!" Ginny growled.  And if Malfoy saw the signs he would have stopped.  Then again, the Slytherins, however cunning they may be, are not credited with being the Einsteins of Hogwarts.

"You still seem to be talking."

"I hate you!" Ginny shouted.

"You're still talking.  I thought you said you weren't talking to me." Draco said, seeing how much she would take before snapping.

"God, Malfoy!  Will you shut up?!" Ginny hissed. 

Draco smirked.   Apparently it wouldn't take too much.  Maybe he could push it just a bit more?

"Whatever do you mean, my dear? I-" Draco asked sweetly.

"Don't call me that!" she ordered hotly.

"What?  You?  I'll try not to, if it upsets you that much.  Oh, my, I seem to have done it again." Draco asked, mock-innocently.  Ginny grimaced and turned back to Draco.

"Ha ha.  Very funny."

"I'm glad you appreciate my humor, Virginia.  Oh, no, I did it again.  I shall have to-"

"I will come after you." Ginny threatened.

"Oh, Virginia.  Don't worry about it.  I'll save you the trouble and stop calling you "you" as soon as possible." Draco said valiantly, as though he were some knight in an old tale out to save the damsel in distress.  In this case, the damsel was Ginny.  He conveniently forgot that he was also the dragon that was making her the damsel in distress.

"Stop it, Malfoy." She ordered warningly.

"I'm sure you could start calling me by my first name.  After all, Virginia, I'm calling you yours." He reminded her sweetly.  She sneered.

"I will kill you."

"Ooh… I don't think our parents would appreciate that." Draco said, his eyes flickering with amusement.

"My mother wouldn't mind." Ginny informed him.

"Ah, but my parents would." Draco snapped.

"I don't give a damn about your parents, Malfoy!" Ginny growled.

Temper, temper. Draco thought, but didn't quite dare say it.  Instead he informed her,

"You should.  After all, they're going to be your in-laws."

"For the last time, Malfoy, I am not marrying you." She almost shouted.

"Oh really?" he asked snidely.  He handed her the ring.  "Wear that until you find a way out." And when you do, tell me so I can stop it. He thought to himself.  He didn't particularly like the idea of staying in his parent's dungeons for an unspecified amount of time.  Those dungeons were dirty

"I will not." Ginny said.  She didn't want anything on her that branded her as Malfoy property, because she most definitely wasn't.  And she would never be a Malfoy.

"Yes, you will.  Unless you want me to visit you at school?" Draco threatened.  Oh, this was going to be fun.  More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

"You wouldn't." Ginny said, shocked.

"Try me." Draco said, turning on his heel and Apparating off the Weasley's property.



*gasps for air*  wow.  That was a lot longer than I had planned on it being.  Without the author's notes, I think it is about two and a half pages long.  I only meant for it to be a short, page-long chapter.  Oh, well.  Whatever works, huh?

Oh, and sorry it took so long for me to post.  I was going to be happy and just post on Friday because there was no school.  And then I forgot, so I though- I'll do it Monday.  Since it is Presidents Day, there's no school.  And I ended up going somewhere, and was unable to do it.  And yesterday I went to the longest jazz concert ever so I could get my musicianship points for band.  Let me tell you- the ratio of trumpets to the rest of the band is way too high.  And the trumpets think it is funny to blast their horns.  And then they use their nice mutes and blow into microphones.  Very uncool.  So the poor people in the audience can no longer hear.  How incredibly stupid of them.  Grr…  And there were the two school jazz bands, which played nine songs together.  That took about an hour.  And then they invited a semi-professional jazz band to come play.  They played at least five songs, but before they started their fifth, my friend and I snuck out of the PAC.  Thank God, because I was about to go deaf.

~Lili