Title: Blurred lines
A/U: Starting in Chamber of Secrets Making its way through Ginny's years at Hogwarts; Ginny and Draco's POV.
TW: References to Draco's abuse.
Rating: M for Violence, Grief and Sexually suggestive content strong language and abuse.
Chapter 7. The Fortunate Misfortunes of Others.
It was like no game he had ever played. Visibility was so poor that the voices coming from everywhere and nowhere were comical if you were Flint, or bloody terrifying if you were a psyched-up Malfoy. The view from the stands wasn't good either and the crowd watched with bated breaths. Thunder crashed somewhere overhead, and Malfoy- if only temporarily- managed to steel himself against the reflex to jump three feet in the air. He heard someone get smacked in the chest with a bludger. To Draco's relief, it was a lower voice; it had to be a man's.
The snitch was now his only concern. Although the impervious charm he'd put on his goggles stopped the rain and fog from impairing his vision, it didn't fix the issue of the ever-darkening fog that engulfed the whole pitch. The sound of bat on bludger echoed again but no groan was heard, meaning that it had been a miss. Draco looked around for any glint in the fog that the snitch was around him. Alas, nothing. However, he did see Ginny and had to tear his eyes away from her and concentrate on the task at hand. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate, Draco repeated in his mind. He searched and circled the pitch on his broom. The direction he'd seen the snitch fly after it had been released was over to the Gryffindor side, which gave, under normal conditions, the Gryffindors the opening advantage. But by the sign of a black figure zooming around the other side of the pitch in a wide arc, Potter wasn't having much more luck than him.
To most people, a snitch's movement was random, but this was simply untrue. If it did move at complete random, finding it would be near impossible. The pitch was too big and the snitch too small and too fast. What the snitch actually did was hover by one player every few minutes on each side of the pitch, starting with the players moving the slowest, and then moving to the fastest players. It had been at least 10 minutes since the game had started and the charts that Flint had drawn up were finally starting to fit into place in Draco's mind. For the first five minutes, the snitch would pick a Keeper and hover there, and then it would either find a Beater or a chaser that was sent to defend the hoops if you're going against an aggressive team. Then after another three minutes it would find another Beater.
It finally clicked. He needed to find the Beaters of his team, before moving on to the Gryffindor ones. Warrington was a dud, as was Pucey. So it must be one of the Weasleys. Draco stopped dead. Of course, it was so obvious that it was giving him a migraine just trying to comprehend. Flint had specifically told Draco to skip the Gryffindor beaters because the twins moved like they had hot spuds up their asses. Meaning, it had gone to a Chaser, most likely one of the slower ones. Then he spotted it: a glint in the mist, his chance at redemption. He focused on the glint and sped up as fast as his Nimbus would allow. To his horror, Harry on his (slightly older but no less impressive) Nimbus 2000 was hot on his tail, having also seen the snitch. They took to the sky and raced through the dark mist to where the thunder was getting ever louder. Draco was shaking but not enough to throw him off. Harry just pulled up sooner and managed to get ahead. Then a miracle happened. A dementor came over the pitch, not close enough to mean anything, but the dread that Potter seemed more susceptible set in and he started to violently shake. For an unknown reason that Draco would probably exaggerate to the mirth of the Slytherins later, Harry tipped back, his grip slackened, and he let go of his broom, plummeting towards the ground. Draco reached forward; he had done it.
When he reached the ground, everyone was staring at him. "Listen I didn't have a choice. It was this or Harry would get it."
The Gryffindors all reared up simultaneously and came closer to Draco. "Why'd you knock harry off his broom, you little git," Fred (or was it George?) raged.
"I- what?" Draco spluttered back. He had expected applause and gratitude for winning and catching the snitch, not stares and accusations. "There was a dementor up there and he fell off his broom, I'll have you know."
Weasley didn't believe a word of it, but Dumbledore stepped in, having run onto the pitch to break Harry's fall. "However unbelievable his story, Mr. Malfoy is telling the truth." His tone wasn't of malice, but they could all tell he wasn't happy. The usual twinkle in his light blue eyes was gone and they had seemed to darken significantly. "Congratulations on catching the snitch, even if it were only due to the fortunate misfortunes of others." With that, the Headmaster walked away, with Harry on a stretcher being levitated behind him.
"Draco," a girl said behind him. "You really did catch the snitch." He held it out in the palm of his hand and the wings spread from the ball and it whizzed around for a few seconds before he caught it again. "Draco, you do realize..."
Ginny wasn't being very specific and it was getting on Draco's nerves. "What Ginny? Speak up," Draco said.
"We just won by three-hundred and eighty points. Draco, we're the House Cup Champions."
There was much chanting and boasting all the way down to the fake wall that led into the Slytherin Common Room. When they arrived, the whole house came together to celebrate. Draco, however, only wanted to see one person.
"Ginny!" Draco shouted over the din. "Ginny, where are you?"
A voice came from directly behind him. "I'm right here, you blind tosser." She was grinning in a mischievous way that he'd missed oh-so-much. "I've got to say, even though I hate you, I can't say anything bad about you."
Draco grinned and replied, "I thought you said you tried as hard as you could to hate me but were never able to?"
"I also recall saying that it didn't mean I forgave you." Ginny had her hands on her hips but her smile gave the game away.
"Listen, if you want me to apologize I will. Because you don't understand the worry and the- Nevermind. Listen, I'm really sorry for whatever it is I did."
At this last statement, Ginny's smile faltered. "Whatever it is I did? Whatever it is I did? Draco what the hell do you think you did? Was it maybe constantly taunting my brother, talking foul about my house and the rest of my family? Remember who is also a Weasley, a menacing blood traitor. I might have fallen out with them, but I definitely don't want you to be talking like that to any of them." Ginny had been speaking so fast and so forcefully that people were staring, though not enough to dullen the mood in the Common Room.
"Ginny, I didn't realize- or I forgot- that you still cared that much." Draco wracked his brains thinking of what to say but Ginny answered his question.
"Fine, since you were man enough to apologize, and I use the term apologize loosely in this context, I will forgive you. I'll go to sleep tonight with ten Butterbeers in the hole and forget all about it. Besides, you're taking me to the Quidditch World Cup after all." Ginny perked up, and if this was forced, it was forced very well. She gave Draco a tight hug and went over to the drinks table to collect a Butterbeer.
"You, my friend, have quite the way with women," a deep voice mused from behind him.
"You people need to stop just suddenly appearing behind me." He tried to sound annoyed but his smile was ear-to-ear as Blaise stood beside him and slapped him on the back.
"Not only did you manage to bag M.V.P. status on the quidditch team, but you also managed to apologize and get away to tell the tale with Ginny, and to get yourself a date to the Quidditch World Cup. What a sly dog."
The night seemed to become suddenly lighter, his head cleared and the thousand-ton weight that had been constricting his heart and lungs lifted. All was finally well again and remembering the hug sent a guilty shudder down his back.
It was the fourteenth of June, a week before term ended. The high summer heat hit the trio like a sauna. Ginny, Malfoy and Blaise walked down to the lake. For Ginny, it was a chance to relax before going back to the hectic atmosphere of The Burrow; for Draco and Blaise, a prime opportunity to torment some first-year girls. The boys gave each other mischievous looks and hoisted Ginny up by the arms and marched her over to the lake.
"Merlin! I swear. Blaise, Draco, don't you dare!" Ginny protested but she just wasn't strong enough.
"Remember that time you flicked my ear?" Blaise said as if pondering some great mystery.
"That's what this is about? That was barely a flick! I could hurt you so much better."
"Hey, it was cold," Blaise replied with mock offense. "And anyway, I hear the Black Lake is lovely this time of year." Draco didn't say a word but smiled with playful malice as they marched all the way to the bank and dumped Ginny in, soaking her all the way up to her midriff.
"I am going to get you both, I promise!" she said as she waded out of the waist-height water which was freezing her to the bones. "You know how much the cold affects me, you gits."
She barely got a word through to them before they started howling with laughter. "Oh my, if only we could save the face you made forever. Where is that annoying prat Colin Creevey when you need him?" Blaise only just managed to get his words out.
"Don't worry, Ginny, you'll dry off. We can hoist you up onto a tree and air-dry you if you'd like." This set the boys off into more hysterical laughter and Ginny finally started to see the funny side.
"Don't you continue laughing, Draco, or I might just invite Pansy to the Quidditch World Cup for you. I'm sure she'll be very excited to hear that she was invited." Ginny was sporting an evil grin. "Even better, I reckon she'll explode when she sees me. I might have to exaggerate."
Draco stopped laughing and looked at Ginny pleadingly. "Exaggerate about what?"
"Oh, I might say that I happened to stay with you over the whole summer up until the game."
Draco looked playfully surprised. "But, Ginny, you are staying with us over the summer holidays."
She looked directly at Draco, right into his stormy grey eyes. His eyes always seemed to interest Ginny as the irises seemed to move like clouds. "I- I am?"
"Well, yes. You don't have to or anything," Draco stuttered. "But it's not likely that my family would just invite some random girl they don't know to the biggest sporting event in years, would they?"
Ginny saw some truth in this but was still staggered. "I, well… Wow, alright. Of course i'll come. I was only joking- Wait a minute. What did you think I was gonna say I'd exaggerate about?"
Draco's face flushed and he looked away. "Oh, nothing, just- It was nothing really."
Blaise interrupted before Ginny could argue further by hastily casting a drying spell. Unbenounced to her, the water had soaked into her white top, slowly making it more and more see-through.
"Oh, bugger that, Blaise. You better not have been staring." She pointed an acusatory finger but smiled because they were both way too concentrated on each other to have noticed anything.
The rest of the week went similarly, just with less non-consented dips in the Black Lake: Going to the significantly more relaxed end of year classes, and down to the lake to sit under a tree or under the sun with Crabbe, Goyle, Daphne, Blaise, Draco, and herself.
"Draco, weren't you in a sling for like 2 weeks after the quidditch game? What did you do, and do I really want to know?" Ginny queried.
"Over enthusiastically polishing his broom, I expect." The group all laughed at Theo's interruption.
"That is a vile double-entendre, Theo," Ginny said jokingly, struggling to pull herself together.
"I was attacked by a massive beast. Gashed right down my arm, very painful," Draco said. Ginny knew he was milking it when Pansy shuffled over to him and lifted his head into her lap and began fingering his hair softly.
"You were in so much pain, weren't you, Draco?" Pansy simpered.
Ginny shuffled over to Blaise and Theo and whispered, "I'd be in more pain having that fawning over me, than with whatever nick Draco actually got."
Blaise chuckled and replied, "He was completely fine about three days after. You were always busy doing those weird recovery exercises from your fall to notice, but Draco was milking it the whole time."
About an hour later and Ginny sighed dramatically and leaned against Blaise's arm. "I'm going to miss you all so very much," she said, pouting for effect.
"You won't be missing Draco. You'll be all shacked up together. No hanky panky, you two," Theo said, to the general mirth of the group. "You know my firm opinions on pre-marital naughtiness."
"If by firm opinion you mean to say, and I quote, 'If I can get away with it- no harm done,' then I'd say you're more than up for it," Ginny quipped back.
Theo recoiled sarcastically and said, "Come now, Ginny, I take offense to the suggestion that I'd partake in such teenage impropriety." He put his hand on his heart, closed his eyes, and spoke again. "Although, if you're offering…"
Ginny giggled and swiped him gently on the arm. "Don't you have a thing for the Patil twins? Which one was it?"
"The Ravenclaw one, although both at once doesn't sound bad," Theo said to more giggling. Ginny swiped him once more.
Draco was enjoying the fact that Ginny had returned to his good side. After laughing at almost everything she had said during the last few days, he'd realized just how miserable he was without her.
Draco slightly regretted leaving things to the last minute at the best of times. Now, however, it was a complete scramble. Ginny sat cross legged on his bed, having finished packing two nights before, and Blaise had finished hours ago, leaving Draco to suffer.
"Y'know, if you were a little more organised your face wouldn't look so-" Ginny stuttered as he stared at her. He couldn't tell what she was thinking but she eyed him up and down a little with his red face, his posture, and the way his longer hair fell over his face.
Blaise looked over the top of his dueling magazine to fill in the silence. "He looks vaguely like he's got mange."
Ginny snapped out of whatever she was doing and giggled. This time when she stared, she seemed to be comparing him to someone with mange and giggled a little louder when he went back, huffing, to his packing.
"Finally done," he said jubilantly, twenty minutes later. He had to sit on his trunk to close it, deciding that making fun of Ginny and asking her to sit on it for more efficiency was a bit out of the question. He wasn't too sure what she was touchy on.
"Draco," Ginny said, sounding ever-so-slightly nervous.
"Ginny?" he replied
"I'm not sure how to tell my family that I'm staying with their arch-nemesis for the summer. I mean, it's nearly two months and they rather hate your guts," she said twisting her hands together and staring at them.
Draco sat farther down the bed from her and leaned back, placing his hands behind them. "Tell them you're sick of their passive-aggressive swiping and you've decided to spend the summer with a family who would actually appreciate your presence."
Ginny giggled. "Would your family appreciate my presence?"
Draco grinned. "I don't recall saying you had to tell the truth. I wouldn't worry too hard though." He continued after a short pause. "I doubt they'll hate you. Sure, your family are labeled as blood traitors, but I guess if you betray blood traitors that puts you more in the clear." Ginny smiled a little, clearly relieved that she wouldn't be welcomed with disdain: at least, not with blatant disdain.
"Your old aunt Bellatrix might be a different story though," Blaise said, not looking up this time.
"True, but Aunt Bella is in Azkaban, has been for a while. Doubt she knows too much of the Weasleys' heirs. That is, if she isn't mad as a box of frogs already."
The Hogwarts Express's return journey was always a fiasco, people shoving to get on the train as if it would leave without them. Draco, Ginny and Blaise all boarded together, Theo having left them for a female he had 'befriended' earlier in the year.
"I wonder if he's already snogging her," Blaise said as they entered an empty compartment.
"Who? Oh, Theo." Draco pondered. "Y'know, you ever get the feeling that Theo might be hiding something? I mean I know he seems pretty sex-crazed but he's never gotten that far with any female I know."
Blaise looked conspiringly at Draco and leaned in. "I know what you mean. Nott Senior won't be too happy about that though."
Draco laughed. "That old codger is never happy. I think his wife took his happiness to the grave with her."
"Their marriage was never anything more than tradition to keep the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure though, right?" Blaise questioned. But before Draco could answer, the three of them heard a familiar voice and rose to see what was being said.
"Yeah, that sounds great. I'd love to come!" Harry Potter said enthusiastically.
"What's this, potter? Planning a little play date with your boyfriend?" sneered Draco as Ron turned the colour of a tomato, as usual.
"Would you look at that! How much did he bribe you to be back in his good books then?" Ron said to Ginny.
"Only a little bit of kindness. Sporting prowess helped as well, more than what could be said for Potter, falling off his broom 40 feet in the air," Ginny quipped back, making Blaise and Draco howl.
Draco suddenly stopped, looking petrified, he pointed behind Potter. "Dementor! Dementor!" Harry looked like he was about to faint at the name alone and turned around. Three great hooded figures came looming towards him. To Draco's amazement, however, Harry stood steadfast and pointed his wand at the figures.
"Expecto Patronum!" ee called and coming from his want came out a smokey white stag. It ran straight at the figures and directly through them like a ghost. The cloaks shot over their heads, and Crabbe, Goyle and Theo emerged. It was Ron and Hermione's turn to start howling now and Ginny looked at Draco in slightly humoured disgust. Harry looked towards Draco. "Dementors? All I see are dunces."
They all took that as the cue to rush into the compartment.
Ginny shot daggers at Draco. "And what the hell was that supposed to achieve?"
"It was only meant to be for a laugh Ginny," Draco said sheepishly, though he still had anger in his voice.
"Well, not only was it not very funny from where I was standing, but it also made you look like a fool."
"Alright fine, fine. Sure it was lame but you don't have to be this angry about it," Blaise interjected diplomatically.
With that, Ginny sat down next to Draco, and as he spread himself out a little, she edged further from him. Draco had no idea what he had done wrong. She had goaded Harry just like he'd done. But her face gave nothing away.
It was another hour, and although the steely silence had dropped and casual conversation flowed, Ginny still hadn't warmed towards Draco again completely, but it was enough to be getting on with.
"Ginny," Draco said when he got off the train. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She nodded and allowed herself to be guided to one of the pillars under a shadow. "Please try not to anger my Father. There's no guarantees he'll refrain from saying things you don't agree with but-"
She quickly raised her hand to his cheek and he flinched involuntarily. This seemed to tell her what she needed to know. "I won't cause you any trouble, I promise." She gently rubbed his cheek with her thumb and walked out of the shadow towards the Malfoys. Of course it had to be both of them, Draco thought.
"Ah, Draco, this must be the girl you were talking about. The first ever Weasley ever put in a house other than Gryffindor. Very interesting. Shall we be going then, Narcissa?" Lucius drawled as he linked arms with his wife. "Offer the young lady your arm, Draco."
He did so and Ginny took it, looking a touch confused at Draco who just mouthed "tradition," and moved to return to Malfoy Manor.
It was extravagant to say the least, with high hedges flanking the path to the front door. Ginny couldn't believe that there were peacocks walking serenly in the garden. They were beautiful though, as was the house. Ginny gazed at the door that opened obediently in front of them.
She went to take her shoes off but Draco poked her in the ribs. "Not here," he whispered. "Wait until we're out of the foyer."
She continuously stared up at the high ceiling, the stairs winding on either side of the large mahogany front doors, and more doors inside the house leading off in multiple directions.
"Dinner will commence at eight," Lucius said shortly as he and Narcissa walked off to his study arm-in-arm. He eyed her as he shut his double doors and began conversing with his wife. Fortunately, Draco's fears that his Father would say something to offend Ginny had never come true, as they had stayed relatively silent the whole trip.
"So, Prince Charming, do I have to stay on your arm the whole way around the house?" Ginny grinned at him as his face went red. She had missed talking to him greatly while they were on bad terms, but the thing she missed most was embarrassing him.
"Sorry, I think I may have elbowed you a few times as well."
Ginny's grin turned into a giggle and she replied, "Yes, you did. Anyway, shall we go somewhere that isn't here? It's rather cold despite it being high summer."
Draco showed her around the manor. First, he strolled through to the sitting room, then the dining room, and after that he made his way past his father's study and up the stairs into a corridor lined with portraits of previous Malfoys who had all inhabited this house. One sneered at her.
"That's Walburga Black," Draco informed her in a whisper as they walked further down the corridor. "She kept herself alive out of spite, I'm told. Not a huge fan of anyone who wasn't a pureblooded zealot, hence the sneer at you. Not sure why her portrait is here though, shes never even set foot in Malfoy manor."
Ginny hadn't expected much more and wondered quite how Draco had managed to have her invited rather than Pansy, who was much more the polite pureblooded fare the Malfoys were used to.
"And this," he said as he stopped walking and pointed to a door at the end of the corridor, "is my room."
When she walked in she was pleasantly surprised. Dark blue wallpaper covered in posters of his favorite quidditch team, the Ballycastle Bats, as well as posters of Hector Dagworth, the founder of the "Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers". Draco's four poster bed took sentinel of the room and had a trunk full of his belongings at the foot, as well as two side tables. Why he quite needed two at his age eluded Ginny. It was probably a pureblood tradition.
"I prefer the Holyhead Harpies, but the Bats are good too," Ginny said.
Draco smiled. "I thought you'd support them, most girls do."
Ginny elbowed him gently in the side but smiled at him, with her evil fiery viper's smile Draco liked so much. "Think of me as most girls again and I'll hex you, like I did to Ronald," Ginny replied. "How long is it until the World Cup, by the way?"
Before he could answer, however, a letter fluttered through the window. It was a howler, addressed to Ginny.
"Oh no, this can't be good." She opened it quickly before it exploded.
"Ginevra Weasley, I heard from your Father that you are staying at the Malfoy house! And why, child, did it not occur to you to tell me as well? I was worried sick when you didn't come through the door. You didn't even tell your brothers and Aurthur never got a chance to tell me! I think you should stay at the Malfoy house over the whole summer this year!" And with that, the violent red letter shredded itself and Ginny was staring at the space it had occupied in stunned silence, her mouth slightly open.
"Well, now you understand the reason for all of that contempt in the letter."Ginny said as Draco put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I did threaten to run away in a letter that I never got to send you. I guess she really thinks I've done it now. Don't blame her though, I pretty much have to be honest." Draco's parents were no saints but he didn't think they'd ever tell him to stay away from the house and practically kick him out for the summer.
"Well, at least you'll be in a house with two people that want your company. Better than nobody," Draco reasoned, giving her another squeeze before bringing her over to a sofa that was in the middle of the room, with a coffee table facing the fire.
Ginny looked perplexedly at him. "Two people. If you think your parents are pleased to have me, you're a little bit deluded."
Draco laughed. "My father, yes, maybe a little reluctantly. My mother, however, is much more interested in having you. She thinks Pansy is a bit of a silly bint so she was with me on the idea of bringing you instead of her."
Ginny smiled. "I have to agree with her when it comes to Pansy. You're just as bad, letting her fawn over you when you get injured and then constructing an excuse as to not bring her anywhere," Ginny said, giving a sarcastically scathing look at Draco.
"In the castle is fine. It's in public where she becomes a problem. I don't think I'd be able to handle her, especially when we're also going with the Minister for Magic."
Ginny looked at him incredulously. "We're going to the Quidditch World Cup with the Minister for Magic?"
Draco smiled. "And enjoying hors d'oeuvres with him before the match. I'm going to hazard a guess that you don't have any dress robes?" She shot an evil look at him before shaking her head. "I'm not making fun of you, Ginny, I promise. It's just most people tend to not have any, especially at thirteen."
Ginny's glare calmed at his passive expression. After a few seconds of silence, Draco did something which made Ginny go wide eyed with shock. He took his wand out from his pocket, pointed it at his fireplace, said "incendio," and watched as the fire roaded healthily like it had been crackling away for hours.
"How- wha- who did you…" Ginny was astonished. "You just did magic outside of school, you'll get expelled!"
Draco laughed again. "No, I won't, Ginny. There's so much magic in this house and with the three elves we have here, that nobody at the Ministry will ever know a thing."
Ginny's jaw dropped further. "Hang on! So do you mean that I could do magic as well? Wait, I have when I put the spiders in Ron's bed! I didn't even think about that!"
Draco howled at this."Oh, Merlin, Ginny! You did what?" Draco put his feet on the coffee table and clutched his stomach.
Ginny flushed red. "Well, yeah, he is really scared of spiders. I framed the twins and they got screamed at by my mother."
"No way! Little Miss Ginny actually scared the wits out of her own brother and framed her other brothers? That is class Slytherin behavior. No wonder you weren't in Gryffindor!"
Ginny scowled and jabbed two fingers under Draco's ribs, causing him to go into spasms and drop to the floor.
"Ow, you little bugger!" Draco said, still laughing. "Not my fault you're a minx." Wiping a tear from his face, he climbed back on his couch and pulled a quidditch magazine towards him from the table top. "Did you see the results from the match last week?"
After three hours of bantering, arguing over quidditch while listening to the game on the wizard's wireless, then arguing some more, someone knocked on the door. It was their short house elf Dusty. Dusty was not only old, but looked a little bruised, with one eyeball larger in its socket than the other. "Master Lucius would like Master Draco and Miss Ginny to come down to the dining room now, if you please." His voice sounded as old as he looked. His eyes fell on Ginny for a moment and he turned and closed the door.
"Well, we'd better get going. Again, please don't cause trouble if he says anything rude." They both stood up as Draco said this and Ginny gave him a one armed hug, tilting her head against his chest and promising not to say anything unless spoken to. They walked out and she took the arm that Draco offered her.
The table in the dining room was set with heavy silver cutlery and plate coasters, silver goblets with the Malfoy family crest on them, and a candelabra in the centre which illuminated the green silk napkins set in fine gold rings. Lucius sat at the head of the table with Narcissa on his right, Draco taking his place to his right after pulling out Ginny's chair on his other side.
"So, then, Ginny, my Draco tells me that you did excellently in the Quidditch House Cup final against Gryffindor?" he said in a low drawl as he poured out deep scarlet wine into his wife's goblet and then his own. Her and Draco's goblets she saw were already filled with pumpkin juice.
"He did? Well, I did score a few goals," Ginny said modestly with a touch of nerves. "Draco did much better though, catching the snitch in that storm wouldn't have been easy. The only reason Sai- I mean, Harry Potter nearly got it is because he saw Draco going after it."
"Is that so?" Lucius said and, without giving her chance to reply, he continued, "Good thing those brooms were put to good use, then." He took a sip from his goblet as the food was taken to the tables by house-elves, who had to hold them above their heads to put them on the plate coasters.
"They're incredibly good, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you very much for giving them to the team."
"Just a shame they accept such company on the Gryffindor team, half-bloods and the friends of mudbloods," he said.
Ginny clenched her hands around her knife and fork when he said "mudblood" and Draco gave her a nervous side eye.
Lucius didn't seem to notice. "But of course, if Dumbledore lets oafs like Hagrid teach, letting mudbloods in is just a par in the course."
Draco immediately butted in. "Father, did you hear that the beast that attacked me got away? Not to mention the mudblood Granger punched me." Ginny thought Lucius quite smiled at this before putting his goblet down, right before she shot Draco a scathing look.
"How did they manage this, Draco?" Lucius said.
Draco merely shrugged. "Oh, well, I think I must explain what will happen past today. However, I shall wait for dinner." As if this was a command for no more conversation, the whole room fell silent and no sound was made but for the clinking of cutlery until the three courses of dinner were over.
"Now. The guest bedroom is one door down and on the other side of the hall from Draco's room. I recommend you don't wander when you finally retire to it, and try to not make too much noise after midnight. Finally, we shall be entertaining the Minister at the World Cup so dress robes will be required if you have some. Do you have some, Miss Weasley?" Ginny shook her head in response to Narcissa's question.
"I'd love to take you out to get some dear." Narcissa beamed.
"That sounds great. Thank you, Mrs Malfoy." Ginny dimpled, Narcissa really did seem like a sweet woman.
"And with that I think dinner is over. I have things to be getting done with, remember. Keep it down past midnight." With a stern look at Draco, Lucius stood and retreated to his study with Narcissa at his side. Ginny and Draco walked out behind them and went back to his bedroom.
"Your Mother seems nice. Can't say the same about your Father though," Ginny said coldly.
"I'm sorry about him, he-" Draco started
Ginny cut him off. "You too, Draco. You said it too, that awful name. I think you deserve any punch she gives you."
"Sorry, I didn't realize you cared," Draco said as he sat back down. Ginny headed to the door. "Are you going to bed?" Draco asked.
"Yes. I'll see you in the morning," Ginny said with equal frost in her voice as before.
"Breakfast is at eight-thirty," Draco said.
She nodded and retired to the guest bedroom. A long, green satin nightie sat on the four poster bed. After pulling it on, she lay down. The thinner summer sheets were comfortable and the thick mattress supported her perfectly. She was asleep in minutes.
Draco, however, lay awake as he always did, thinking about Ginny. He never meant to make her angry and presented himself whenever he did. Resentment had become a common feeling recently. It took an hour and a half of tossing and turning to finally sleep.
A/N: An extra long chapter for you this time :). Next Chapter we will be moving on to Goblet of Fire and hopefully I won't be getting so many things wrong, as these next three books are the ones I'm most confident in because I read them the most.
Another thank you to my wonderful beta Freyja_Luna who has to shuffle this waffle, correct my commas and put in capital letters where they're needed. (As she did with this very Authors Note :))
Next chapter after a short break :))
Have a lovely week
Asmo