Title: Things Change
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you have seen in any of the works of Ms. Rowlings.
Chapter 2: Don't give in
Ginny slipped the left strap of the dress Draco asked that she wear to dinner. After she had slipped both straps up she called for Rory.
"Honey can you zipper me up?" Ginny asked looking down at her inherited daughter.
Rory nodded lovingly and did what she was asked. "You look so pretty mommy." She stated tilting her head all the way back looking up at Ginny.
Ginny patter Rory on the head "Not as pretty as you." Ginny smiled. Rory was wearing a silver gray dress with emerald detailing. Ginny turned and looked herself over once more. Her waist length red hair was in soft curls cascading down her bareback. "Ready?" Ginny asked looking back down at Rory.
Rory nodded "Yep!"
"Best manners." Ginny instructed firmly.
"I promise." Rory nodded and smiled as she took Ginny's hand in her own.
Ginny and Rory walked down the endless corridors and ill lit hallways until they found themselves at a magnificent dinning room with a long red wood table that could seat twelve people easy. Draco sat at one head of the table with his mother to his right. So Ginny sat at the other head with Rory to her right.
"So Rory do you want to go shopping again tomorrow?" Narcissus asked looking across the table at the little girl.
Rory nodded and smiled "Yes grandma! I do I do."
Ginny's head snapped from Narcissus to Draco.
The whole rest of dinner Finny glared at Draco, speaking very little. After all three course and dessert Ginny looked at Narcissus, "Would you see Rory to bed please. I'd like to talk to my husband."
Narcissus looked at her son, then back at Ginny, then at Rory. "Come little one."
When Rory and Narcissus were out of the room Draco got up from his chair and came over to where Ginny sat with her arms and legs crossed staring daggers at him. Draco looked down at her as he sat on the edge of the table. "What's wrong, wife?"
"I don't think I should go through with this." Ginny shook her head, "I can pay the debt back some other way."
Draco raised his eyebrows amused, "You've already agreed. You will marry me." He stated powerfully, "And on our wedding night you will be mine."
Ginny stood up and glared at him, as he got to his feet as well, "Not likely."
Draco gave her a sideway smile, "We'll get married here in the court yard," He ran a hand over her shoulder and down her arm, "Then we'll return to our room, and I'll unzip your gown," His finger found the zipper on her dress and slid it down, "And I'll slip you out of it," His hands trailed back up to the straps her dress and he gently slid one down her shoulder at a time.
Ginny listened to every word he said carefully, unconsciously. She felt his fingertips on her skin, but at the same time she didn't. There was something taking her over but she wasn't sure what it was. Finally she shook her head and stepped back from him in her matching red bra and panties. "What do you think you're doing?"
Draco looked at her emotionally. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He smirked, "Nothing Ginny." He turned and started towards the other end of the dinning room. "Don't forget your dress." He added as he opened a door and stepped through, "Though the house elves might enjoy what you're wearing now."
Ginny looked down at herself "Oh my god." Ginny bent and quickly grabbed her dress pulling it back on. What the hell was that? How did he get her out of her dress? She shook her head annoyed and stormed out of the room and down the hall towards her room.
The next morning Ginny woke early, and ate breakfast alone. She was sitting in her scarlet silk robe at the end of the dinning table reading the Daily Prophet when Draco came into the room. He wore a matching gray robe and carried the same paper. He sat opposite from his fiancée and opened his paper. "We're going to diagon alley today, you and I."
"For what?" Ginny replied carelessly not looking away from her paper.
"Wedding rings." Draco stated matching her carelessness. "And when we're through you'll meet my mother to pick out a wedding gown."
"Fine." Ginny said in a stony tone. She closed her paper and stood up folding the paper and throwing it on the table. She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, Draco watched her peaking his eyes over the top of his paper. He shook his head as she disappeared behind the door and went back to his paper.
Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head numerous times as she went back to her room and got in the shower. After her shower she wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel and stepped out of her bathroom into her room. She gasped when she saw Draco at the doorway that separated her room from his.
"What are you doing in here? And what do you want?" Ginny asked narrowing her eyes at him, pulling her towel tighter.
Draco smirked and looked her up and down, "No bad." He commented. She rolled her eyes. "There are robes in your closet." He stated, "You're to wear the black and emerald."
"Do I ever get to pick what I wear?" Ginny asked with a rotten tone.
Draco thought for a moment and shrugged, "You might, who knows." Draco winked at her and turned around leaving the room.
Ginny curled her lip and shook her head "I hate that man." She said to herself going over to her closet. She looked through all the robes that were hanging neatly. She found the robes that she thought Draco was referring too, but there was no way to be sure, there were a couple of emerald and black robes.
She shrugged, she liked the robes and she didn't care if they weren't what Draco wanted.
After dressing, drying her hair, straightening her hair and a little bit of make up Ginny found her way through the house until she found Draco sitting in the courtyard wearing a handsome set of emerald and black robes and had very fine touches of gray. He sat in the sun with his legs crossed perfectly, with his hand folded in his lap, very poised. Sitting like that he looked attractive and if Ginny didn't know what a twit he was she could see herself liking him…so much for that.
Ginny cleared her throat, standing under an archway behind him.
He turned and looked over his shoulder at her. Seeing her, he stood up. His father may have been a rotten death eater, but he did teach him manners around a lady. "Ready?" He asked adjusting the traveling cloak rest over his forearm.
Ginny nodded, "Are we apperating?" She asked curiously pulling her cloak over her shoulders and clipped the two halves of a serpent together at her throat.
Draco shook his head, "No, afraid not." Ginny furrowed her brow. "Don't do that, you'll get wrinkles. We're taking a carriage. Mother doesn't allow apperating unless completely necessary."
"Well that's an interesting fact." Ginny commented, more to herself than him. "So where are these carriages?"
Draco whistled and a few moments later a dark gleaming black carriage pulled by two black horses strode in front of them. Draco threw his cloak around him and opened the door and held a hand out to help her in. Ginny guessed that fooling the public about their relationship started with the people that worked for the Malfoys. She placed her hand in his and stepped into the carriage. She then sat down on the push red velvet seat.
After she was in and settled Draco helped himself in and sat across from her. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "You shouldn't do that either." Draco commented. "Crows feet."
"What do you care?" Ginny retorted, "By the time I get wrinkles and crows feet, we'll be long divorced."
Draco shrugged and nodded, "True, but it'll be a shame to see such a face go to anymoure waste."
Ginny wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. She couldn't find the right words to reply to him, so she didn't. She crossed her legs and rested her elbow on her knee looking out the window.
After a while Draco cleared his throat getting her attention, "Yes? Need something?"
Draco shook his head, "Not me, you." He held out two boxes.
"What are these?" Ginny asked looking down at the boxes in his hands.
Draco opened the smaller of the two boxes revealing a large dragon cut diamond. Ginny looked up at him and then back at the ring. "Dragon cut, rare and expensive. This is your engagement ring." He stated. Ginny took the ring out of the box and placed it on her left ring finger unable to take her eyes off it, it was magnificent.
"What's in the other one?" Ginny asked curiously.
"This." Draco opened the box to a necklace. He took the necklace in his fingers and unclipped the clasp. "It's a tradition in the Malfoy family. And since you're to be a Malfoy, this applies to you as well." He leaned forward and placed the necklace that was covered in diamonds around her neck.
Ginny looked down at the piece, "A serpent?" She commented, "What is it with you and serpents?"
Draco traced his hands over the diamond-incrusted snake. "Family crest." He informed her.
When the carriage pulled up to the proper store the driver opened the door and Draco stepped out first and the driver and Draco both held one hand out to Ginny as she stepped out. Once fully out Draco wrapped one arm around her back, "Here comes the media, smile and don't say anything." He whispered.
A swarm of oddly dressed wizarding journalist came towards them as they walked forward towards the door of the store they were shopping for rings at. "Mr. Malfoy!" yelled many voices.
"Mr. Malfoy! When is the wedding?"
"Mr. Malfoy! Is she pregnant? Is that why you're marrying?" Ginny frowned at that comment and looked at the reported with narrowed eyes. Draco too looked at the reporter and shook his head.
As the reached the door, Draco slid his hand into Ginny's and turned around to face the reporters. "If you will all excuse my fiancée and I," He looked down at Ginny "We have some shopping to do."
"Mr. Malfoy!" One bold reported yelled "How about a kiss for the Daily Prophet?"
Ginny's eyes got wide as she looked at Draco, he smirked and looked at the reporter, then back at Ginny, "Sure," He replied, "Why not, for the Daily Prophet."
Ginny gave him a look as he bent a little and leaned in and brushed his lips against her. To her surprise, his lips were soft and warm. His kiss was gentle and tender and Ginny found part of herself wishing that he wouldn't stop kissing her. When he did his lips lingered close to hers for a few moments.
Draco then smiled widely at the reporters, "Now if you'll kindly excuse us." Draco gently dragged Ginny inside the store as the flash from numerous cameras shot more pictures of the couple entering the very expensive, very nice ring store.
Ginny looked around at all the cases the filled the store. Draco led her to the front where a man stood poised waiting to serve them. Draco greeted the man, "My fiancée and I need a pair of rings for our upcoming wedding." The man nodded and pulled out three panels of beautiful bands.
"See any that you like, darling?" Draco asked looking at the panels then at Ginny.
Ginny pointed to a very extravagant gold band with two hands holding a ruby heart. "All the Irish wear those, I've always thought they were so beautiful."
Draco nodded, "Anything else?"
Ginny looked up at Draco then pointed to a plain pair of gold bands. "I think that I'd like to just get those." She said in a slightly sad tone.
"Darling? Are you sure?" Draco asked.
Ginny nodded, how could she get the beautiful Irish rings that actually meant something when the wedding and marriage itself didn't mean anything?
"The lady has spoken." Draco said to the man behind the counter, "Give us these here. Thank you." Draco paid the man and in return the man gave Draco a small box with two smaller boxes inside containing their wedding rings. Draco looked down at Ginny and took her hand again leading her out into the sea of reports.
Draco waved off the wave of shouts and flashing and helped Ginny into the carriage. After, he turned to the reporters "Have a nice day." He said politely stepping into the carriage himself and taking his seat across from Ginny. As the carriage pulled away from the crowd, Draco looked at Ginny and frowned. "Why didn't you pick out the Irish rings that you liked?" He asked, "And don't tell me it's about the money, we both know that's not an issue here."
Ginny pursed her lips and looked at him. "How can you do this?" She asked, "How can you spend so much money and put so much thought into something that isn't even real, that doesn't even matter?"
"This marriage is real, our feelings may not be, but it is in fact a real marriage, whether you like it or not in a couple of weeks you'll be Mrs. Malfoy." Draco replied plainly.
Ginny shook her head, "You don't get it, you just don't get it." She bit her lip, "I didn't want those rings because those ring meant something, those rings symbolized a love that two people share a love that we don't have and never will."
Draco looked at her intensely. "Fair enough," He shrugged.
"You…" Ginny said frustrated leaning close to him prodding him in the shoulder, "You are so annoying."
Draco looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "ME? Annoying? Look at yourself? At least I'm not prodding you to death for no good reason!"
"I have a right to prod at you!" Ginny stated, "And I'll prod all I want!" she said jabbing her finger at his should twice.
Draco grabbed her wrist, "Would you stop!"
Ginny tried to pull her wrist away, "No! I don't want to."
"You're so childish, how old are you?" Draco said frowning as she struggled to free her arm.
"Twenty four thank you very much." Ginny shouted at him.
"Then act like it." Draco shouted back.
"Maybe I don't want to!" Ginny said raising her eyebrows.
"You…you're…" Draco frowned frustrated, "So CHILDISH."
Ginny got up in his face to make a snotty response when she felt his hand on the back her head and his lips on hers. It was the same feeling from in front of the store; she didn't want him to stop, so she didn't let him. She moved from across from him to in his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. Draco moved his hands from the back of her neck to her throat where he unclipped and pushed off her cloak then started unbuttoning her robe.
Ginny ran her hands up along his jaw line then pushed the traveling cloak off of him and then she went on to getting him out of his shirt and pants. Ginny didn't know what had come over her but she didn't really want it to stop and it only did when the carriage came to a halt. Ginny stopped and looked at Draco with wide eyes.
"What just happened?" She asked sliding off his lap and back into her seat across from him.
"I'm not really sure…" He said slowly.
"Alright well…" Ginny started to hastily button her robe back up. "I gotta go…" She grabbed her cloak and replaced it over her where it belonged. She ran a hand through her hair a few dozen times and opened the door of the carriage and held out her hand to the driver who helped her down where she took Rory's hand in her own.
Ginny looked back at Draco in the carriage as she, Rory and Narcissus walked towards the door of the private media free bride shop.
A/N: hahah, dont you love it? i do. :) r/r please !