Chapter Nine
The summer crept forward and Ginny and Draco spent time together between the burrow and Malfoy Manor. One day Ginny found herself in Narcissa's sitting room, seated at a table of fine china and crystal. Narcissa was demonstrating something with a linen napkin as Draco walked in.
"Oh, hello Darling." She said absently, presenting her cheek for Draco to kiss. "Ginny, dear, you keep practicing, I have to go find Nilda and talk to her about dinner tonight. House elves require so much supervision, sometimes I think it would just be easier to do it myself."
As Narcissa hurried from the room, Draco asked, "What are you doing, luv?"
"Your mother is teaching me the proper way to fold a napkin." Ginny smothered a giggle into the napkin she was holding. "I didn't know there was a proper way to fold a napkin. Mum was always just so happy when we'd use one, never mind folding it."
"I have to go to my room and change. I'm sweaty from quidditch practice. Wait for me here and we'll go have lunch in the gardens." Ginny nodded and Draco strode off to his room.
Ginny sat practicing the folds Narcissa had shown her when she felt eyes on her back. She turned around in the chair to see Lucius Malfoy staring at her. Ginny jumped up from the chair as Lucius drawled, "My wife and son are quite taken with you, Miss Weasley. But I know what you are."
"What's that sir?" Ginny asked nervously backing away, shooting glances at the way Draco had gone.
"A trashy little gutter snipe, trying to worm her way into my family and ruin my son. What would it take Miss Weasley, to make you go away? Money? Name your price."
Ginny lifted her chin. "No amount of money could make me abandon your son."
"Ah, but I could give you enough to help your whole family, dear. To get them out of that crowed hovel you all live in. To enable Arthur to retire before he turns into an old man. You could wear something besides hand-me- downs, and your brothers could afford to support a family and get married because they wouldn't have to send money home anymore."
"The burrow is not a hovel, and my family is quite happy as they are, thank you." Screwing up all her courage, she said, "You can't bribe me sir. Or scare me."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Miss Weasley. You know yourself, from past experience, I'm capable of a lot more than just trying to frighten you into accepting a small bribe to get my way." He said, narrowing his eyes at her, just as Draco did sometimes.
Ginny squared her shoulders. "I love him and I won't leave him. Do your worst. I am not afraid."
"We shall see, Miss Weasley, we shall see." Said Lucius, making his way back down the hall.
When Draco returned, Ginny was sitting in the chair again, with her arms wrapped around herself, gazing off into space.
"Ginny?" Draco said, frowning when she didn't look up. "Ginny, what's wrong? Good Lord, you're shaking! What the devil happened?"
"What?" said Ginny, snapping out of her daze. "Oh Draco, its nothing, nothing at all. I'm fine. I think I just had a bad flashback or something. Come on, aren't we going out?"
She smiled at Draco, and tried to forget the encounter with Lucius. But she just couldn't help feeling it was a bad omen.
As the days wore on, things didn't seem to get any better with Ron, or with Arthur. Both of them ignored Ginny for the most part, only acknowledging her presence when they were forced to, and then anything they said was short and clipped. Ginny bore it stoically.
With school term approaching, Arthur and Molly took Ginny and the trio to Diagon alley, with Draco tagging along, to buy school supplies. Standing outside of the bookstore, they came face to face with Draco's mother.
"Oh, hello Darling, and Ginny, dear. Shopping for school supplies? I had to run in to buy some floo powder. Nilda is hopeless with money." Chattered Narcissa.
Suddenly there was an explosion in the street. Wizards and witches scattered in every direction as several persons in black hooded cloaks appeared, aiming wands and chanting unforgivables. In the confusion and horror, no one noticed a black-cloaked figure slipping up behind them. "Silence." The figure whispered into her ear as he grabbed Ginny and covering her mouth, pulled her back into the alley. No one noticed, their eyes riveted on the action in the street, until Draco turned around just in time to see Ginny being dragged around the corner.
"Ginny!" he yelled, running toward the alley. He rounded the corner with wand pulled and shouted out a hex. The figure released her, pulling out his own wand to return fire at Draco. Just then, Ron, Harry, and Arthur rounded the corner. Seeing there was too many of them, the figure pulled out a port key, and Draco, seeing what was about to happen, lunged for Ginny, knocking her and him both to the cobblestones, out of the cloaked man's hands.
"Are you all right luv?" Draco asked, sitting up and helping Ginny to do the same.
"Yes, I think so." Said Ginny, shakily.
Draco pulled her up tight against him. "My Lord, I thought I'd lost you."
Arthur, Ron and Harry crowded round them. After checking to make sure Ginny was unharmed, he stuck out his hand and helped Draco to his feet. He kept Draco's hand in his saying, "I fear I have misjudged you Malfoy. You've saved my daughter's life. Please forgive me."
Draco nodded and said, shaking the older man's hand. "Quite alright sir. I would be suspicious of me too if she were my daughter."
Ron turned round from where he had been talking with Harry and saw the interaction between Arthur and Draco. "Dad, what are you doing? Don't apologize to Malfoy."
"Ron he saved your sister's life." Admonished Arthur.
"I'm sure somehow it was his fault she was in danger in the first place, " spat out Ron. "Don't think you'll be getting any apologies from me, Malfoy."
"I wouldn't accept them if you did, Weasley." Draco sneered.
Just then, Molly and Hermione came rushing round one corner into the alley, and Narcissa from the other. Molly scanned everyone with her eyes, clasping them to her busom, making sure they were alright. Narcissa on the other hand, cool and reserved, despite the obvious relief in her eyes when she saw Draco, whole and unharmed, complimented everyone on their quick thinking and bravery, making Arthur blush. She smoothed Draco's hair and touched Ginny lightly on the shoulder. Turning round, she was face to face with Molly Weasley.
"Molly." Narcissa said, eyeing the red haired woman from head to toe. "I see you still have no fashion sense at all."
"Narcissa." Molly replied, mimicking the look Narcissa had given her. "I see you are still under the impression that expensive means attractive."
The two women glared at each other for a moment, then to everyone's amazement, burst out laughing and threw their arms around each other.
"Molly, so good to see you! It's been years!"
"Since school, Cissy. You look wonderful!"
Draco whispered in Ginny's ear, "Did your mother just call mine...Cissy?"
Ginny giggled. "Yes, I think so."
"Its so... undignified. Cissy!"
"Oh who cares, they're not fighting, and they seem to like each other."
"Quite right. What say you and I slip away from this touching reunion and have one of our own?" Draco said, backing away from the scene before them, pulling Ginny along by the hand.
The tall blond woman and the short red haired one observed the two teenagers, heads together, whispering.
"Molly, we may have lost each other, but it seems our children have found each other."
"Mmmm, yes Cissy. It seems that way." Replied Molly smiling at their retreating backs.
Narcissa began to visit with Draco sometimes after that, and Molly would go have tea with Narcissa at the manor from time to time. Ginny was glad. She was glad her mother and Draco's were friends, she was glad her father had, if not made friends with Draco, at least accepted him. No one knew how close Ron came to being right in what he said that day in the alley. Ginny never told anyone how much the voice that whispered in her ear sounded like Lucius Malfoy.
The summer crept forward and Ginny and Draco spent time together between the burrow and Malfoy Manor. One day Ginny found herself in Narcissa's sitting room, seated at a table of fine china and crystal. Narcissa was demonstrating something with a linen napkin as Draco walked in.
"Oh, hello Darling." She said absently, presenting her cheek for Draco to kiss. "Ginny, dear, you keep practicing, I have to go find Nilda and talk to her about dinner tonight. House elves require so much supervision, sometimes I think it would just be easier to do it myself."
As Narcissa hurried from the room, Draco asked, "What are you doing, luv?"
"Your mother is teaching me the proper way to fold a napkin." Ginny smothered a giggle into the napkin she was holding. "I didn't know there was a proper way to fold a napkin. Mum was always just so happy when we'd use one, never mind folding it."
"I have to go to my room and change. I'm sweaty from quidditch practice. Wait for me here and we'll go have lunch in the gardens." Ginny nodded and Draco strode off to his room.
Ginny sat practicing the folds Narcissa had shown her when she felt eyes on her back. She turned around in the chair to see Lucius Malfoy staring at her. Ginny jumped up from the chair as Lucius drawled, "My wife and son are quite taken with you, Miss Weasley. But I know what you are."
"What's that sir?" Ginny asked nervously backing away, shooting glances at the way Draco had gone.
"A trashy little gutter snipe, trying to worm her way into my family and ruin my son. What would it take Miss Weasley, to make you go away? Money? Name your price."
Ginny lifted her chin. "No amount of money could make me abandon your son."
"Ah, but I could give you enough to help your whole family, dear. To get them out of that crowed hovel you all live in. To enable Arthur to retire before he turns into an old man. You could wear something besides hand-me- downs, and your brothers could afford to support a family and get married because they wouldn't have to send money home anymore."
"The burrow is not a hovel, and my family is quite happy as they are, thank you." Screwing up all her courage, she said, "You can't bribe me sir. Or scare me."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Miss Weasley. You know yourself, from past experience, I'm capable of a lot more than just trying to frighten you into accepting a small bribe to get my way." He said, narrowing his eyes at her, just as Draco did sometimes.
Ginny squared her shoulders. "I love him and I won't leave him. Do your worst. I am not afraid."
"We shall see, Miss Weasley, we shall see." Said Lucius, making his way back down the hall.
When Draco returned, Ginny was sitting in the chair again, with her arms wrapped around herself, gazing off into space.
"Ginny?" Draco said, frowning when she didn't look up. "Ginny, what's wrong? Good Lord, you're shaking! What the devil happened?"
"What?" said Ginny, snapping out of her daze. "Oh Draco, its nothing, nothing at all. I'm fine. I think I just had a bad flashback or something. Come on, aren't we going out?"
She smiled at Draco, and tried to forget the encounter with Lucius. But she just couldn't help feeling it was a bad omen.
As the days wore on, things didn't seem to get any better with Ron, or with Arthur. Both of them ignored Ginny for the most part, only acknowledging her presence when they were forced to, and then anything they said was short and clipped. Ginny bore it stoically.
With school term approaching, Arthur and Molly took Ginny and the trio to Diagon alley, with Draco tagging along, to buy school supplies. Standing outside of the bookstore, they came face to face with Draco's mother.
"Oh, hello Darling, and Ginny, dear. Shopping for school supplies? I had to run in to buy some floo powder. Nilda is hopeless with money." Chattered Narcissa.
Suddenly there was an explosion in the street. Wizards and witches scattered in every direction as several persons in black hooded cloaks appeared, aiming wands and chanting unforgivables. In the confusion and horror, no one noticed a black-cloaked figure slipping up behind them. "Silence." The figure whispered into her ear as he grabbed Ginny and covering her mouth, pulled her back into the alley. No one noticed, their eyes riveted on the action in the street, until Draco turned around just in time to see Ginny being dragged around the corner.
"Ginny!" he yelled, running toward the alley. He rounded the corner with wand pulled and shouted out a hex. The figure released her, pulling out his own wand to return fire at Draco. Just then, Ron, Harry, and Arthur rounded the corner. Seeing there was too many of them, the figure pulled out a port key, and Draco, seeing what was about to happen, lunged for Ginny, knocking her and him both to the cobblestones, out of the cloaked man's hands.
"Are you all right luv?" Draco asked, sitting up and helping Ginny to do the same.
"Yes, I think so." Said Ginny, shakily.
Draco pulled her up tight against him. "My Lord, I thought I'd lost you."
Arthur, Ron and Harry crowded round them. After checking to make sure Ginny was unharmed, he stuck out his hand and helped Draco to his feet. He kept Draco's hand in his saying, "I fear I have misjudged you Malfoy. You've saved my daughter's life. Please forgive me."
Draco nodded and said, shaking the older man's hand. "Quite alright sir. I would be suspicious of me too if she were my daughter."
Ron turned round from where he had been talking with Harry and saw the interaction between Arthur and Draco. "Dad, what are you doing? Don't apologize to Malfoy."
"Ron he saved your sister's life." Admonished Arthur.
"I'm sure somehow it was his fault she was in danger in the first place, " spat out Ron. "Don't think you'll be getting any apologies from me, Malfoy."
"I wouldn't accept them if you did, Weasley." Draco sneered.
Just then, Molly and Hermione came rushing round one corner into the alley, and Narcissa from the other. Molly scanned everyone with her eyes, clasping them to her busom, making sure they were alright. Narcissa on the other hand, cool and reserved, despite the obvious relief in her eyes when she saw Draco, whole and unharmed, complimented everyone on their quick thinking and bravery, making Arthur blush. She smoothed Draco's hair and touched Ginny lightly on the shoulder. Turning round, she was face to face with Molly Weasley.
"Molly." Narcissa said, eyeing the red haired woman from head to toe. "I see you still have no fashion sense at all."
"Narcissa." Molly replied, mimicking the look Narcissa had given her. "I see you are still under the impression that expensive means attractive."
The two women glared at each other for a moment, then to everyone's amazement, burst out laughing and threw their arms around each other.
"Molly, so good to see you! It's been years!"
"Since school, Cissy. You look wonderful!"
Draco whispered in Ginny's ear, "Did your mother just call mine...Cissy?"
Ginny giggled. "Yes, I think so."
"Its so... undignified. Cissy!"
"Oh who cares, they're not fighting, and they seem to like each other."
"Quite right. What say you and I slip away from this touching reunion and have one of our own?" Draco said, backing away from the scene before them, pulling Ginny along by the hand.
The tall blond woman and the short red haired one observed the two teenagers, heads together, whispering.
"Molly, we may have lost each other, but it seems our children have found each other."
"Mmmm, yes Cissy. It seems that way." Replied Molly smiling at their retreating backs.
Narcissa began to visit with Draco sometimes after that, and Molly would go have tea with Narcissa at the manor from time to time. Ginny was glad. She was glad her mother and Draco's were friends, she was glad her father had, if not made friends with Draco, at least accepted him. No one knew how close Ron came to being right in what he said that day in the alley. Ginny never told anyone how much the voice that whispered in her ear sounded like Lucius Malfoy.