CHAPTER SEVEN

Hermione told Harry about Draco and I, and to her (and my) surprise, he was ok with it. He said that Ron had told him the day that Ginny had gotten mad at us, so he wasn't really shocked to find out (again). I was completely relieved that he didn't care that I was dating his sworn enemy. But, there was a downside to this, and I sort of expected it.

"I hope you don't expect me to become best chums with him. I'm alright with you dating him, but I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"Or bounce him. Ah, I'll never forget it…Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret…boy, those were the good old days. Oh, if I could just see that again, I'd-"

"Shove it, Ronald. That was a very long time ago, and I don't appreciate you talking about my boyfriend as if he's some circus freak, even though I think he'd make an adorable little ferret, but that's beside the point. And Harry, no, I don't expect you to become instant friends with Draco, but yes, eventually, I hope that you two can put the past behind and become friends, or at least get along… for my sake."

"Well, I suppose that I can try to be civil. But if he starts anything, it's on! Have any of you seen Ginny? She's been acting strange towards me for a while now, and I want to ask her what's going on. Oh there she is! I'm going out to the garden to talk to her. What time will Mal- sorry, Draco be here?"

"Harry, it's alright if you want to call him Malfoy behind his back, but to his face, his name is Draco, ok? And he'll be here in about an hour, and dinner is at six. That will give us some time to talk, and if necessary, calm you down before we eat. Now, if you'll excuse us, Hermione and I have to go get ready. And I need you to tell Ginny to come see me, please. I have to talk to her." And with that, Hermione and I went to my room to get ready, and Harry headed out to the garden to talk to Ginny, leaving Ron alone for about five minutes, when he too went to his room to get ready for dinner.

Not long after that, Ginny came into the room. She looked extremely sad, and just stood in the door for a few minutes in silence, before I spoke.

"Um, you don't have to stand there, you can sit down on the bed or something. And uh, I need to talk to you, if you don't mind. Hermione, could we have a minute? Go see if Harry and Ron need anything. Thanks." Ok, so here I was, I knew that I needed to clear things up with Ginny, but what to say? I didn't want to make her mad at me, but I also wanted to tell her off for being so rude. Thankfully, she was the first to talk.

"Beth, I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I'm sure Hermione told you about what I did when her and Ron were dating, and I feel horrible because I was the reason that they broke up. It's just, I've been having some difficulties with my friends getting into relationships, because I feel like I should be able to enjoy it with them. Who knew that a break up would have such an impact on me? I've not been the same since Harry and I, and I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry.

It had nothing to do with you at all, I just, well, I don't really know. I guess it was jealousy. Anyways, Harry told me that Draco is coming over for dinner? Isn't that a bit dangerous, given the circumstances?" Ginny smirked as she said that, clearly trying to be funny. I could tell that she was back to normal.

"No, I don't. They both (Harry and Draco) agreed to be civil around each other, and I'm looking forward to having you all in the same place, and finally being able to talk to all of you at the same time. You should probably get ready…and wear something nice, because tonight is a night of romance."

"What do you mean?"

"Beth, Draco's here. Come on!"

"You'll see" and I walked out, leaving Ginny in my room to think, and get ready.

I headed down the stairs, very nervous of what I'd find. When I entered the living room, I saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry all sitting on the couch, and on the love seat, was a very handsome Draco. He was wearing black velvet dress robes, with a green shirt and silver tie underneath, that matched his eyes perfectly. He stood up, and as he took my hand, he put a silver locket around my neck. It had a beautiful green emerald on it, and inside it was a simple message: I will love you forever. Love, Draco. I looked at him, and started to cry. He hugged me, and I heard the faintest 'aww' from Hermione.

"I mean it. Forever. No matter what, I will love you. And I'm so glad that you invited me here tonight. Do you realize that it's our one-month anniversary? Yes, a month ago today, I asked you to be my girlfriend." Was what Draco whispered in my ear as we hugged. I was still crying as Harry, Ron, and Hermione went into the kitchen to set the table.

"Oh Draco! I love it! And you! But, I didn't get you a gift, I didn't really expect anything, and honestly, didn't know we would be celebrating that we've been dating for a month. I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright. I don't want anything, and actually, I just decided that I would get you this because you've helped me change my life in a way that I didn't think I could. I'm so grateful for that, and I knew that I had to do something to show you my appreciation." Just as he finished, Ginny walked down the stairs in a beautiful baby blue dress, with her red hair pinned in loose curls on her head, and a diamond clip to top it off. Harry reentered the room to announce dinner, and his eyes fell upon her with a look that I had never seen before. I could tell that the night was going to be perfect…

Ahh, romantic, right? I know, I know. Well, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what Beth meant by 'a night of romance', and to see what happens at dinner. Please review! And constructive criticism is nice as well. I promise, the story will speed up soon, but right now, their getting through the rest of the summer, then the action starts!