Morning Proceedings

"Morning, Miss. Weasley." A woman greeted Ginny Weasley.

The woman was drab and in her late twenties, too old already for her gaudy plastic jewelry and cheap rip off robes. Unhappy and unaware, she lead a life as drab as her clothing.

"Morning Fran." Ginny replied absent mindedly, walking towards her office door.

Twenty years old, and she'd caught herself in a middle class job. She worked in International relations, not high up enough to have it be glitzy and fabulous but not low either, just smack dab in the middle, uninteresting and unrewarding. She was just going through the steps.

"You have a meeting at nine o'clock; your files need to be sorted out before then." Fran continued, keeping in step with the dazed red head handing her a stack of folders for the mornings meeting.

"Jared called from vacation and wants the conference pushed up to next week." The persistent woman went on.

"You have a lunch meeting with the manger about the up coming charity ball. Oh, and your mother called and wants to know when your taking a vacation" Looking up at her boss for the first time that morning.

"Miss. Weasley?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh yes, thanks Fran, I'll be in my office." Picking up a cup of coffee and leaving her secretary a bit perturbed.

Walking into her office she closed the door and walked to her desk. Settling down in her chair, her office was cluttered and cramped.

She glanced around, So this is life, huh?

A few things scattered across her desk bits of parchment, a quill here and there. No mementos or photographs, everything lived in and worn down, yet impersonal.

Setting her elbows on her desk and head in her hands, she gazed forward. Letting the folders given to her minuets before be forgotten.

She wondered if this was all life had to offer. Sure, it wasn't bad. But it was defiantly nothing spectacular. Where was the fun and excitement?

Twenty years old, and life seemed to have already passed her by.

-

"Good morning Mother" Tall and sure footed, Draco Malfoy bent low to kiss his mothers cheek.

"Good morning dear." The elegant and unaffected looking woman replied, continuing with her breakfast.

"So dear, are you all ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes mother, the preparations have been made for months. I don't see why you're still worrying" Draco replied lazily, the same conversation just a different day.

"I know dear, but it's a big day, we can't have anything going wrong on your big day, can we?" she looked up letting the corners of her mouth lift slightly.

The figure parallel to her, scoffed starting into his breakfast "Honestly mother, you know as well as I do I could care less about tomorrow, it isn't as if we're in love or anything. We're just getting married."

"I suppose" She inclined her head slightly and the day continued just as the one before.

"I'm off to work, goodbye Mother." He bent down over her chair and kissed her on the cheek.

"Have a good day dear." She kissed him and went back to her breakfast.

And the morning proceedings have been conducted. An arrogant man thought with an arrogant smirk.

Rich and respected, Draco Malfoy walked among those at the ministry with an air of indifference. His life while luxurious was nothing amazing. He lived neither on the edge of excitement, or on the tailing end of life.

He was a Malfoy, rich and powerful, calm and collected. Sitting in his large office, lazily he looked out his window.

And is this all there is?

For once he wondered what it would be life to be in love and married, he wondered what it would be like if his wife to be was more then everything he ever desired, rather then what he'd expected and despised, someone like himself.

His thoughts followed him to bed that night. His last night as a bachelor; before he fell into his dreams his last thoughts did not leave him until the very last moment.

What if it was different?

-

The day had been filled with unimportant nonsense, meetings and conversations that didn't mean anything.

At the end of the day, lying in bed Ginny wondered. What if something had been different, what if life was better?

And the dreams began.