Chapter 8
Ginny was rushing over to her favorite coffee shop, which happened to be the exact place she met Malfoy in. Harry was spending the day with Hermione, and Ron was going to join the two of them a little later. She was supposed to be meeting one of her brother's there to talk because he said that there was something important he had to discuss with her. So, they agreed to meet at that establishment at eight thirty in the morning. She was half an hour late.
As she made her way across the street and into the shop, she easily spotted her tall redheaded brother sitting at a table near the door. He looked anxious and kept glancing at the clock. He had a large coffee in front of him and he was not paying attention to the people entering and leaving through the front door.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late." Ginny said as she took a seat across the table from him.
"I have gone through three of these already just waiting for you." he replied, picking up the large coffee that was sitting in front of him.
"So Ron, what is the emergency? You sounded nervous on the phone."
His eyes moved from looking at the table to look into his sister's ocean blue eyes. "I need your help with something..."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, see, I think I'm ready to be married and I love Hermione. I already bought the engagement ring, but I don't know how to propose to her. What if she says no?"
"That's wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed. She had been waiting for this day, knowing very well that one day her best friend and her brother would be married. She was also aware of her brother's insecurities and exactly what Hermione's reaction was going to be when he proposed. "And she won't say no. Hermione loves you. Do you have the ring on you?"
"Yeah." he said, setting the coffee down and pulling a small black box out of his pocket. He then handed it to his sister.
She opened the box, which revealed a white gold ring with one diamond on it. The diamond was reflecting the light coming from outside the window next to them. "It's pretty. She is going to love it. Who helped you pick it out?" She knew that Ron had horrible taste in everything he bought and she was expecting him to show her some gaudy ring that she would force him to return and then pick out a different ring.
"The lady at the store. She said it was a popular choice," Ron admitted. "I was going to get a different one, but she said that it wasn't appropriate as an engagement ring."
"It's perfect," she replied, closing the box and handing back over to him. She could just picture that scene in her head, Ron trying to buy an ugly ring and the saleslady trying to convince him that it wasn't an engagement ring. She looked up at him. "What's the problem?"
"How do I do it?"
"Do what?" she absent-mindedly asked in return.
"Propose?" Annoyance and desperation were in his voice.
"Oh, right. You could do it the traditional way and just get down on one knee and then say 'Will you marry me'."
"You make it sound like it's the easiest thing in the world," he said. "You are a girl. How would you like to be proposed to?"
"Hmm... well I always thought it would be cool if it happened at a Quidditch match over the loud speaker, but that is just me. Hermione would want something different. You should do something romantic. Dinner by candlelight, under the night sky, music playing softly in the background, just the two of you... and then propose." she said. When she was describing her suggestion her tone of voice changed to a soft dreamy one, and then quickly back to her normal tone.
Her train of thought brought her back to the dinner with Malfoy. It had been so perfect, if it wasn't for whom she was there with. She stopped herself from thinking about Malfoy any longer. It was bad enough that she was supposed to meet him soon, but now she was thinking about him too. He certainly knew how to use his money to impress people, and it would have worked on her if she didn't already know what kind of person he was. Or at least she thought she knew what kind of person he was.
"That sounds nice. Do you think she would like it?" he asked, not noticing Ginny's trip down memory lane.
"Of course she would. If she doesn't say yes, which I am about ninety-nine point nine percent positive she will, then there must be something wrong with her."
"You are sure?"
"Ron, I'm your sister. Trust me for once."
They sat there talking for a little bit. Ron began talking enthusiastically about the new yellow couch he bought, which Hermione told her about a couple days ago. She laughed, remembering back to their conversation on the phone. He was obviously oblivious to the fact that Hermione detested the couch so much. He talked about how Harry and Hermione were the ones who had no taste because they did not see how the couch was a good investment.
"I'm telling you brightly colored couches are going to be big." Ron insisted, defending his odd sense of taste.
"Whatever you say."
Time sped by and soon Ginny glanced at the clock realizing that it was ten. She was supposed to be at Malfoy Park at ten and it would take her some time to get there. She was going to be late. She quickly said her goodbyes to her brother, throwing in some reassurances and then heading out the door.
When she made it to the park she looked around. At first she thought he had left because she was late, but then she saw him in the air with his new broom. She watched him as he flew, wondering why she had never noticed how good he was as flying. He was no Harry, you couldn't even compare the two, but he was still pretty damn good.
After several minutes he must have spotted her because he landed. He walked towards her with his broom in one hand and his other arm at his side. He stopped walking several feet ahead of her and stood with his arm resting on the broom. "You are fifteen minutes late."
"I know. I lost track of time," she replied. "You aren't too bad at that."
"Tell me something I don't know."
She smiled and then said, "Camels have three eyelids."
"Are you on some sort of medication that I should know about?" he asked, giving her a strange look like she was crazy.
"You said tell you something you don't know. I bet you didn't know that," she responded, an innocent smile still on her face. "Are you going to show me your broom or are you going to call an insane asylum to take me away?"
Within the next five minutes Ginny found herself holding on to Malfoy as they flew around the park on the Firebolt 2000. She had been right about the muscles, she could feel his abs with her arms. It was fast, and a lot better then the original. She was jealous that he had something when it would take her years to get the same thing.
It was a different experience. The only brooms she had ever flown on were hand-me-downs from her brothers, like everything she had. She loved the rush of it all, the feeling you get when the wind is blowing through your hair and the sense of freedom that you feel when you are in the air. It was like none other. Once again she was sharing a wonderful experience with her enemy, but as much as that bothered her she tried to forget who the person in front of her was and enjoy the ride while it lasted.
Afterwards they took a short walk around the park, which she had always thought was just a reminder of the power of the Malfoy name. It was actually a surprisingly peaceful place. She was ashamed to admit it, but she was having a good time. "I have to get myself one of those."
"So, you wouldn't happen to have any brothers, would you?" Malfoy asked, changing the topic slyly as they walked.
Ginny suddenly felt cautious. Why would he ask such a question? People normally wouldn't ask something so specific. That is unless he knew who she was and was therefore toying with her. Her mind decided to jump to conclusions. 'He knows! If he knows and he doesn't know that I know that he knows then maybe I can still use this to my advantage... right?'
"No. I am an only child." she quickly lied, playing it off cool. He wasn't going to break her that easily. This blonde wasn't that dumb. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. That's all," he answered. He was one good liar she had to admit. Plus he changed topics like a snap. "What are you planning to wear?"
"Wear where?" she asked, having no idea where that question came from.
"To dinner tomorrow night. I have a surprise for you." he replied nonchalantly. He was doing it yet again; making plans without asking her first. What, did he think that she had absolutely no life so she would plan her non-existent life around him?
"Uh... clothes." she said. The good thing was that she could get another shot at going through his apartment, and this time she was going to have her wand handy to open certain briefcases.
She was going to meet him at his apartment the following day at six. For now she was hurrying back to her own place, confused and annoyed. She knew that he knew, and why he wasn't confronting her about it was the question that puzzled her mind.
She went straight to her phone after entering her apartment. She dialed the memorized number and then listened to the ringing, awaiting someone to pick it up and talk. After four rings the phone was picked up and a familiar voice answered. Ginny responded, "Hi, Hermione. I need to talk."
8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8
A/N: Finally the eight chapter. Please review and I'll get the next one out sooner than I did with this one.
GoldenFawkes- Yeah, it makes everything more complicated. Thank you!
HoVis- Oops. Thanks for reviewing. As for Lucius escaping Azkaban, the story doesn't go into detail about that.
remedios- Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like it.
jewels03- :-)
Catmint- Thanks for pointing that out to me, I'm bad with spelling.
Ginny was rushing over to her favorite coffee shop, which happened to be the exact place she met Malfoy in. Harry was spending the day with Hermione, and Ron was going to join the two of them a little later. She was supposed to be meeting one of her brother's there to talk because he said that there was something important he had to discuss with her. So, they agreed to meet at that establishment at eight thirty in the morning. She was half an hour late.
As she made her way across the street and into the shop, she easily spotted her tall redheaded brother sitting at a table near the door. He looked anxious and kept glancing at the clock. He had a large coffee in front of him and he was not paying attention to the people entering and leaving through the front door.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late." Ginny said as she took a seat across the table from him.
"I have gone through three of these already just waiting for you." he replied, picking up the large coffee that was sitting in front of him.
"So Ron, what is the emergency? You sounded nervous on the phone."
His eyes moved from looking at the table to look into his sister's ocean blue eyes. "I need your help with something..."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, see, I think I'm ready to be married and I love Hermione. I already bought the engagement ring, but I don't know how to propose to her. What if she says no?"
"That's wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed. She had been waiting for this day, knowing very well that one day her best friend and her brother would be married. She was also aware of her brother's insecurities and exactly what Hermione's reaction was going to be when he proposed. "And she won't say no. Hermione loves you. Do you have the ring on you?"
"Yeah." he said, setting the coffee down and pulling a small black box out of his pocket. He then handed it to his sister.
She opened the box, which revealed a white gold ring with one diamond on it. The diamond was reflecting the light coming from outside the window next to them. "It's pretty. She is going to love it. Who helped you pick it out?" She knew that Ron had horrible taste in everything he bought and she was expecting him to show her some gaudy ring that she would force him to return and then pick out a different ring.
"The lady at the store. She said it was a popular choice," Ron admitted. "I was going to get a different one, but she said that it wasn't appropriate as an engagement ring."
"It's perfect," she replied, closing the box and handing back over to him. She could just picture that scene in her head, Ron trying to buy an ugly ring and the saleslady trying to convince him that it wasn't an engagement ring. She looked up at him. "What's the problem?"
"How do I do it?"
"Do what?" she absent-mindedly asked in return.
"Propose?" Annoyance and desperation were in his voice.
"Oh, right. You could do it the traditional way and just get down on one knee and then say 'Will you marry me'."
"You make it sound like it's the easiest thing in the world," he said. "You are a girl. How would you like to be proposed to?"
"Hmm... well I always thought it would be cool if it happened at a Quidditch match over the loud speaker, but that is just me. Hermione would want something different. You should do something romantic. Dinner by candlelight, under the night sky, music playing softly in the background, just the two of you... and then propose." she said. When she was describing her suggestion her tone of voice changed to a soft dreamy one, and then quickly back to her normal tone.
Her train of thought brought her back to the dinner with Malfoy. It had been so perfect, if it wasn't for whom she was there with. She stopped herself from thinking about Malfoy any longer. It was bad enough that she was supposed to meet him soon, but now she was thinking about him too. He certainly knew how to use his money to impress people, and it would have worked on her if she didn't already know what kind of person he was. Or at least she thought she knew what kind of person he was.
"That sounds nice. Do you think she would like it?" he asked, not noticing Ginny's trip down memory lane.
"Of course she would. If she doesn't say yes, which I am about ninety-nine point nine percent positive she will, then there must be something wrong with her."
"You are sure?"
"Ron, I'm your sister. Trust me for once."
They sat there talking for a little bit. Ron began talking enthusiastically about the new yellow couch he bought, which Hermione told her about a couple days ago. She laughed, remembering back to their conversation on the phone. He was obviously oblivious to the fact that Hermione detested the couch so much. He talked about how Harry and Hermione were the ones who had no taste because they did not see how the couch was a good investment.
"I'm telling you brightly colored couches are going to be big." Ron insisted, defending his odd sense of taste.
"Whatever you say."
Time sped by and soon Ginny glanced at the clock realizing that it was ten. She was supposed to be at Malfoy Park at ten and it would take her some time to get there. She was going to be late. She quickly said her goodbyes to her brother, throwing in some reassurances and then heading out the door.
When she made it to the park she looked around. At first she thought he had left because she was late, but then she saw him in the air with his new broom. She watched him as he flew, wondering why she had never noticed how good he was as flying. He was no Harry, you couldn't even compare the two, but he was still pretty damn good.
After several minutes he must have spotted her because he landed. He walked towards her with his broom in one hand and his other arm at his side. He stopped walking several feet ahead of her and stood with his arm resting on the broom. "You are fifteen minutes late."
"I know. I lost track of time," she replied. "You aren't too bad at that."
"Tell me something I don't know."
She smiled and then said, "Camels have three eyelids."
"Are you on some sort of medication that I should know about?" he asked, giving her a strange look like she was crazy.
"You said tell you something you don't know. I bet you didn't know that," she responded, an innocent smile still on her face. "Are you going to show me your broom or are you going to call an insane asylum to take me away?"
Within the next five minutes Ginny found herself holding on to Malfoy as they flew around the park on the Firebolt 2000. She had been right about the muscles, she could feel his abs with her arms. It was fast, and a lot better then the original. She was jealous that he had something when it would take her years to get the same thing.
It was a different experience. The only brooms she had ever flown on were hand-me-downs from her brothers, like everything she had. She loved the rush of it all, the feeling you get when the wind is blowing through your hair and the sense of freedom that you feel when you are in the air. It was like none other. Once again she was sharing a wonderful experience with her enemy, but as much as that bothered her she tried to forget who the person in front of her was and enjoy the ride while it lasted.
Afterwards they took a short walk around the park, which she had always thought was just a reminder of the power of the Malfoy name. It was actually a surprisingly peaceful place. She was ashamed to admit it, but she was having a good time. "I have to get myself one of those."
"So, you wouldn't happen to have any brothers, would you?" Malfoy asked, changing the topic slyly as they walked.
Ginny suddenly felt cautious. Why would he ask such a question? People normally wouldn't ask something so specific. That is unless he knew who she was and was therefore toying with her. Her mind decided to jump to conclusions. 'He knows! If he knows and he doesn't know that I know that he knows then maybe I can still use this to my advantage... right?'
"No. I am an only child." she quickly lied, playing it off cool. He wasn't going to break her that easily. This blonde wasn't that dumb. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. That's all," he answered. He was one good liar she had to admit. Plus he changed topics like a snap. "What are you planning to wear?"
"Wear where?" she asked, having no idea where that question came from.
"To dinner tomorrow night. I have a surprise for you." he replied nonchalantly. He was doing it yet again; making plans without asking her first. What, did he think that she had absolutely no life so she would plan her non-existent life around him?
"Uh... clothes." she said. The good thing was that she could get another shot at going through his apartment, and this time she was going to have her wand handy to open certain briefcases.
She was going to meet him at his apartment the following day at six. For now she was hurrying back to her own place, confused and annoyed. She knew that he knew, and why he wasn't confronting her about it was the question that puzzled her mind.
She went straight to her phone after entering her apartment. She dialed the memorized number and then listened to the ringing, awaiting someone to pick it up and talk. After four rings the phone was picked up and a familiar voice answered. Ginny responded, "Hi, Hermione. I need to talk."
8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8!8
A/N: Finally the eight chapter. Please review and I'll get the next one out sooner than I did with this one.
GoldenFawkes- Yeah, it makes everything more complicated. Thank you!
HoVis- Oops. Thanks for reviewing. As for Lucius escaping Azkaban, the story doesn't go into detail about that.
remedios- Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like it.
jewels03- :-)
Catmint- Thanks for pointing that out to me, I'm bad with spelling.