Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and so the characters aren't mine, though in a way I suppose they are, I mean, can you ever see them being like this otherwise?
A/N: This is actually pretty short compared to my other one-shots but there's not really a lot else I can put in without seriously messing up the story. I like the way it is anyway. The idea actually came from 2 fics I've read, one is a D/G one "Nobody Said" and the other is a West Wing one that I read a long time ago but can't now, it has a similar theme as this though. Sorry that I can't remember what it's called. Both are extremely good and you should read them, I'd just like to point out though that this is only loosely based on them, I haven't just ripped off the stories. Enjoy and review once you've read, my inbox is looking a little sad lately.
"I'll have a firewhiskey and whatever the lady wants," the man said as he slid onto the stool beside the petite young lady.
"One firewhiskey and a butterbeer coming up," the bartender answered and pottered off to get the drinks.
"Thank you sir but I can't accept," the lady turned to the man with an apologetic look.
"What's so wrong about accepting a drink?" He asked curiously.
"Nothing but my mother always told me not to accept drinks from strangers."
"Well then, Colin Matthews at your service," he proffered his hand for her to shake.
She allowed a small laugh and shook his hand, "Chloe Haydock."
"Pleased to meet you Chloe. Well, now that we know each other what say you to that drink?"
Chloe looked doubtful, "I don't know…"
"It's just a drink," he reminded her. "Not a marriage invitation."
She laughed bitterly. "Just as well, I've already had one too many of them this week."
"Oh? Must be the week for them," his interest in the woman before him grew, his eyebrow rose with it.
The bartender set the two glasses down and signalled he'd be back for the money later. As Colin took a cautious sip of his drink, Chloe spoke.
"Yeah, a man I'm very much in love with in."
"So why are you drowning your sorrows in the dingiest pub in town?"
Chloe shook her head, "I've not had enough drinks for that tale yet."
"Sounds like another one's in order then. John! Two firewhiskeys."
"That better not be for me," Chloe warned him.
"Why not?" He asked in amusement. "You got a weak constitution?"
A short bitter laugh burst from her mouth, "I'm the only daughter in a family of men, Mr Matthews, and I can drink them all under the table, a weak constitution is not the problem."
"What is then?" He urged gently.
She shrugged as though she weren't going to answer and then spoke, "Well, one drink from a stranger is one thing. Two is a little extreme, especially from a man I know absolutely nothing about, apart from his name of course."
"Well, ask me anything then, I'm an open book."
"Ok," Chloe looked thoughtful for a minute. "Why are you here, in the dingiest pub in town, and on a week night no less."
"I, uh…I'm drowning my sorrows, so to speak."
"Bad day?"
"Bad life, but more specifically my girlfriend and I had a huge fight last night."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Chloe said sympathetically, taking his hand in hers. "I know fights are always tough."
"This one especially is."
"Why's that?"
"She's the love of my life but apparently she doesn't agree."
"I'm sure that's not true, maybe you got your wires crossed somewhere along the way?"
"She called me an 'egotistical, selfish, pig-headed imbecile who wouldn't know how to please a woman even if there was a spell on it.'" He looked hurt as he recited the words to the young woman before her.
Chloe held back a small smile, "Sounds like you did something really bad."
"Is it so bad to tell a woman you want to spend the rest of your life with her?"
This time Chloe's smile was a little more evident. "Not at all, it just depends on how you did it."
"A romantic meal with it casually slipped into the conversation."
Chloe raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"What? You don't believe the man buying you drinks?"
"I don't believe men," she answered him simply.
He sighed, "Ok, so maybe we got into an argument and in the heat of the moment it slipped out but there's still no need for it."
"But see there is," Chloe said, taking her second firewhiskey and drinking half it in one go. "A girl likes to be…Hold on one second," she released a long stream of smoke from her mouth. "Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, a girl likes to be wooed, she needs to feel wanted by the man and not just because arguments are good way to bring up pent-up emotions."
Colin blinked at her in amazement. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?" She looked at him with confusion.
"The smoke…how do you just do that so casually?"
She smiled secretly, "I have brothers, remember?"
"Right…Well, are you going to share? I told you why I was here, you going to return the favour?"
Chloe looked from Colin to the glasses on the bar and back to Colin again. "I suppose I should, you did buy me four drinks after all. My boyfriend and I have been together for…wow, erm, sixth year, so it'd be…" Chloe trailed off to do some quick mental arithmetic. "No way! Seven years! We've been together seven years," her eyes widened at this revelation. "Anyway, well, we've never told anyone we're together and –"
"Whoa, wait! You've been together seven years and you've never told anyone? You're saying that I, a perfect stranger, am the only person besides yourselves who know that you're together?"
Chloe nodded, blushing in a sheepish way. "Yeah, make you feel special?"
"Absolutely," Chris grinned. "Now tell me the rest of the story."
"Ok, so no-one knows that we're together and then suddenly out of nowhere he ups and proposes to me. Obviously, when no one knows we can't just suddenly announce we're engaged can we? So I tried to explain why I had to say no he stormed off. I haven't seen him since."
"Why haven't you told anyone you're together? I mean when you've been together seven years you'd think it'd come up in conversation at some point."
Chloe nodded, "You have to understand, when we first got together the Second War was raging. He was sent by the Dark Lord to spy on our side, I knew it from the minute he started talking to me with words that weren't full of hate but I was using him too. We started off feeding each other false information but then we got close and he started giving me real information. I had to give him some back though, how suspicious would it have been if he never got anything?
"My family hated me for that, they hated it even more that it was him I was close to. I think it could have been anyone else but him and they wouldn't have minded half as much but it was him and in the end we fell in love. I couldn't tell my family or friends at first, we both come from warring families."
"The war's been over for four years, why haven't you still told anyone?" Colin looked eager to hear the next part of Chloe's story.
"Well, we tried, I swear it, but Merlin it was just so hard. Every time I even approached the subject somebody else had news that was better and more important, the curse of being the youngest I suppose. They were happy not knowing and we were just happy with each other, it seemed easier not to tell them…it became normal to lie to them. Nobody even noticed anything when we moved in. The number of times I've lied to my family and friends but I'd do it all over again.
"Then, a few days ago, I realised I was late, you know what I mean, right?"
Colin, possibly even more eager now, nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, I took the test and I guess he must have seen it because that night he started pressing to tell everyone about us. The next few days were hell. There was me, trying to process the fact that I was pregnant, and there was him, pushing to tell everyone that everything I'd told them for the last seven years was a complete and utter lie. Last night I snapped. He was going on about it again and he brought up the subject of marriage. He said we should do it as soon as possible, 'no sense in hanging around', his exact words.
"It was then I knew he'd found out about the test. I shouted and screamed at him, I don't even remember most of what I said but when I was done he stormed out of our flat and, like I said before, I haven't seen or heard from him since."
It was Colin's time to lean over and take the hand comfortingly. He rubbed Chloe's hand gently as tiny tears pooled in her eyes and spilled over occasionally. She snatched her hand away and wiped at the tears.
"Merlin, I'm so pathetic but he was only proposing because of the test."
"I don't think he was," Colin practically whispered.
"What?" Chloe's voice was hoarse and close to breaking.
"I don't think he proposed because of the baby, in fact, I doubt he even knew you'd taken a test. We guys are pretty clueless about that kind of stuff, you know. I think he probably thought seven years was a long time to be with someone and that marriage was the next logical step."
Chloe snorted, "I doubt it, he's pretty clued in to everything that happens in my life."
Colin looked at her sadly. "Don't give up Chloe, I'm sure he'll be back once he realises what he's missing."
She sniffed now and nodded, "What about you? Are you going to try and win back your girl?"
"Oh, I think so," Colin said as he stood and began sorting out money to pay the bartender with, they'd had a lot to drink and it was getting late. "I don't know anybody who'd put up with me like she did. Come on, we better get you home. I can't believe you let me buy you so many drinks in your condition."
She giggled, "I did try to stop you," she pointed out.
"Oh yeah, a fine effort you made there." The sarcasm in his tone was clearly evident, but so was the gentle teasing
She simply smiled as they made their way through the streets to her flat. When they reached the front door of the building he prepared to leave but she stopped him.
"Do you really think he'll come back?" She whispered quietly, sounding like a small vulnerable child.
Colin nodded and moved close to her, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. "I think he'd be crazy not to. Why, if I didn't have a girlfriend of my own to win back I'd stay with you tonight."
"You could, you know," she told him timidly.
"Chloe…" he said in a warning tone.
"Not like that," she giggled, moving her hands from his back up to his neck where they connected happily. She leant in close and whispered into his ear, "I mean as Draco Malfoy."
It sent shivers down the man's spine to feel her warm breath. "I don't know, are you ready to go back to being Ginny Weasley?"
She buried her head into her chest where she shook it before looking up at him shyly. "I'm ready to be Ginny Malfoy though."
"Really?" He asked, excitement in his voice.
"Really," she confirmed, a beaming smile lighting her features.
He began grinning excitedly and scooped her up to carry her into the building and up the flight of stairs to their flat. Her arms around his neck still, she buried her head into the crook of his neck once more. He could hear her muttering words but could not make out what she was saying.
"What are you saying?" The blonde man asked her as he unlocked the door and carried her over the threshold, shutting the door gently behind them with his foot.
"Did you really not know about the test?" The smaller redheaded woman asked her now fiancé.
"Really, when you mentioned it before it was all I could do not to give it all up and kiss you then." They had reached the bedroom by now and Draco lowered her gently on to the bed, still fully clothed, and climbed on top of her, kissing her on the forehead before rolling off and lying beside her. He took hold of her hand and they rolled to face each other, watching each other.
"Promise you won't leave again," Ginny urged him.
"Why would I?" He looked her straight in the eye. "I have a beautiful fiancée and a baby on the way, nothing could make me leave. I am sorry about last night though."
She nodded, "I know, me too. You're wrong though. There is no baby on the way, they're babies."
His eyes widened and made their way from her face to her stomach and back up again. "That's not what you told Colin."
A sly smile crept onto her face, "You expect me to a total stranger before I tell the father?"
His deep chuckles joined in with the quiet giggles she'd started up. "You truly are one of a kind, Gin."
Smiling, she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, this was how it was meant to be.
As she drifted off to sleep she heard him speak once more. "Of course, now we'll have to tell everyone…"
She smiled in response but aside from that ignored him as she drifted into a peaceful sleep, dreaming only of her and Draco, a wedding and lots of children surrounding them.