Chapter 19- Cliché
*****Draco*****
Draco cheered for Slytherin at the team's second quidditch game of the season, this time versus Ravenclaw, but it didn't hold his interest like it once did. He wanted to be out there playing, but knew that he wasn't good enough for it to be worth the effort or his time. But maybe he should have kept doing it just because it was fun in the good times. Fun hadn't been his motivation for anything on a large scale since he was a young child, but maybe it should have been. Or maybe he should make more time for flying without needing a reason for it, like he had as a young boy, before it was practice. It had sometimes been simply fun in the summers again. But then it was also lonely.
Slytherin won, of course. Harper really was pretty good, and the chasers were starting to shape up. Crabbe and Goyle were good at being physically brutal, if nothing else, so playing beater fit the skill set well enough. The Ravenclaw chasers were decent, but not good enough to entirely overwhelm a passable keeper.
Draco enjoyed the camaraderie of his house celebrating a victory while avoiding as much attention as possible, lest anyone ask why he wasn't on the team anymore. Though it wouldn't be a very Slytherin question to publicly ask. It was like the rest of his existence in his house. He was on neutral ground in the eyes of the Ministry, so he was publically on equal standing with the average Slytherin, but he was privately ignored. None of them were Death Eaters, as far as he knew, but how much did he know? Even if they weren't now, would they be after summer? Or not until the next summer? Would Crabbe and Goyle be trusted to hide dark marks? Theo could, if the quiet boy wasn't able enough to avoid taking the mark. And being a Death Eater didn't have to be hereditary. Pansy Parkinson might like the illusion of power if she could keep her mouth shut.
The Greengrass family was probably safer from both sides not tied in any way to the Malfoys. Astoria was a friendly acquaintance who would smile at him, occasionally trade a few words, an occasional breakfast conversation. Daphne would acknowledge his presence in the common room or in the rest of the castle.
*****Draco*****
Draco had a ring. It would have, should have been something he talked over with his mother, selected a family ring. But he couldn't picture Ginny with a Malfoy ring, or Black, or Rosier, or a ring of other family further back in his line. He thought about talking to Aunt Andromeda, but he didn't know what to say.
He owl ordered a cheap ring that he hoped she would like. Embarrassingly cheap by Malfoy standards anyway, but it looked like her. Which wasn't to say he thought she looked cheap or poor- even though, objectively, her family was poor. One middling Ministry income and seven children, no large inheritance, possibly poor financial decisions.
The ring had a ruby in the middle, not very large. Tiny diamonds around the center stone. Those were so small they were likely the rejected little pieces from working on larger gems. She might want to pick out her own ring to replace it later, and he wouldn't mind. For their first anniversary, or their fifth, or twenty-fifth.
He had some money. At the beginning of the summer, while his father was still in Azkaban, he'd withdrawn as much as he dared from the Malfoy vault. But he didn't know how long he'd need to make it last. How long he'd be separated from his family by his own choices.
But now that he had the ring, when should he give it to her? Not on Valentine's Day. Ginny liked the sentimental, fabricated holiday, but he wouldn't tie a significant piece of their life together to it. So he had to propose before or after, and still make Valentine's Day special as well, more so if they were engaged. So maybe he should wait until after. There wasn't a Hogsmeade trip until two weeks after the day. Which might make it a good time to propose. But students would doubtless appropriate the trip for a second Valentines celebration anyway. But he and Ginny also needed to discuss if they wanted the change in their relationship public information. Or he could wait and assume that the right moment would show itself, or ask after term ended if the right moment didn't appear. And then they'd be apart for most of the summer again, probably.
Perhaps if they were engaged her family would get over themselves and let Ginny see him more than a few times a summer when it was perfectly safe. Or… perhaps he could make an oath, say that he would keep secrets that would allow him to come to Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Though even if they let him, then he would have to see the other Weasleys, Potter, and Granger as well. He could probably tolerate the Weasleys that weren't in his year.
Of the three Gryffindors of his year relevant to the discussion, Granger was undeniably the nicest. She would probably accept him first, despite their differences. But Draco thought he could stand Weasley the easiest. There was competition among all of them, but he would regularly directly lose to Potter in Quidditch and to Granger being the top of their class in nearly everything, though they said Potter was best at Defence. Draco wasn't sure that was true anymore after all their practicing. Even though Potter had more need of mastery of the subject, Draco hoped.
Draco was the best at apparating in their year. Perhaps he had a slight advantage because his parents had taken him side-along often. It was more secure than the floo and not going to get soot anywhere, so they seldom used the fireplaces for more than ambiance.
It was stupid to not let him go through the same testing as his peers and simply have his license be official on his seventeenth birthday. Before then he wouldn't be allowed to use any magic legally anyway, so what was the difference? It would be a major inconvenience for everyone involved for the younger students of each year to individually schedule time with the Ministry for their test instead of in a group with the rest. Especially for muggle born students whose parents weren't familiar with the Ministry. This was Draco Malfoy now, conscious of a minor but unnecessary trouble of muggleborn life.
He had a ring and was going to propose to Ginny Weasley. He was seriously considering asking Lovegood for advice. Or Abbott.
*****Ginny*****
Draco was especially cute when he was nervous. It was funny how she could go from thinking he was an ugly, rat-faced boy to thinking he was a distinctive, attractive, sexy even, young man. And he hadn't really changed. His hair looked a bit better, and he had a bit of stubble, which was hard to see but she liked the scratchy feel of it against her face. She would tease him that there was a bit of ginger in his beard, so he'd probably never let it grow. It would be patchy now anyway, she thought. Plenty more men had red in their beards than their head hair, but she figured they had a good chance of having ginger children. She wondered what Draco would look like by then. His father was a horrible, evil man, but still attractive. She didn't think Draco would look so much like him. For one, she thought Draco's hairline was already slightly higher than when they were children. He'd probably lose most of it before he was forty, but he'd make it work. And it didn't matter.
"Love you," she told him. Because it was nice to say, and it always made him smile.
"Love you too," he said, hesitantly. "Madam Puddifoot's has a table reserved for us if you wish," he said, walking more briskly.
"After last Valentine's Day? You hate the place. We don't have to," Ginny responded.
"I don't hate the place," Draco definitely lied to her. Or exaggerated, at least. "But we could go to Honeydukes now, if you like? Sherbert balls and Honeydukes finest chocolates?" he offered.
"You sent me fudge on actual Valentine's Day. Which was two weeks ago. You're trying extra hard to please me today. Looking for a little something extra tonight?" Ginny teased. But her heart was beating twice as fast. If he wanted something more physical, she wanted to know right now. And then she could... think about it, or they could talk, or whatever people were supposed to do when this was definitely going to be the person they will spend the rest of their life with. No big screw ups, because no do-overs. Obliviators didn't cover awkward teenage first sex, or a- something that wasn't sex but was more than fondling her breasts when she was still clothed, which was as far as they'd gone before. "I do need to go to Honeydukes though. Today's Ron's birthday, actually. I should get him something, since I've put it off," she said in the ultimate mood-killer.
Draco scowled at her. It was cute. "I- Ginny, I wasn't trying to do- to get anything like that," Draco objected, flustered now, bordering on irritated. Like she hadn't appreciated his sweetness, which was a pretty accurate assessment.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous," Ginny admitted.
"Me too," Draco replied.
Oh, was he? "Are you going to propose? Today?" Ginny rushed out.
"On- it's practically Valentine's Day," Draco spat. "We are not going to be another cliché," Draco snapped. "And your brother's birthday too?"
"Another? When did we become clichéd?" Ginny demanded. It wasn't the light, playful voice she had intended. Their lives were definitely not common enough to be called a cliché. If they were, she would have more people to relate to.
"Girl and boy from families who hated each other, finding love in unlikely circumstances?" Draco listed off. "Not the sort of thing I've read, but I assume there are tales of it. Abbott and Bones thought it was romantic. And I'm certain that stories of arranged marriages progressing happily are told for generations of pureblood propaganda. Maybe not in the same story," Draco allowed.
"Well, I'm glad Hannah and Susan think we have a romantic relationship. I'm surprised they told you and not me," Ginny said. Or at least they hadn't in those words. "What prompted that conversation?" she asked.
"Nothing," Draco sighed.
"You can tell me that you don't want to say something without lying," Ginny said. It was something she'd heard some other girl say, probably. It was stupid. Or it was good advice but a dumb thing to say at that moment.
"I was asking for proposal advice, if you must bloody know. But I'm certainly not going to do it on bloody Valentine's Day," Draco grumbled.
"It's not Valentine's Day," Ginny positively whined. "It's March first, a day that we can remember as just ours, forever. Anything else that might happen to be on the same day is unimportant. I've got too many family members to rule out all of their birthdays and major holidays. We can-" What was a suitable place? Really, no one told third years that by the time they were fourth years, they'd have done everything at Hogsmeade at least twice, and it didn't get more exciting as fifth or sixth years. "I've never been into the mountains," Ginny managed. "We should go there, scenic, beautiful."
"You want me to propose to you," Draco said, smiling now. "Today."
"Maybe," Ginny said. "Yes."
"In the mountains?" he asked.
"That would be a nice memory, yes."
"Doesn't it seem like you're proposing to me?" Draco asked, quite cocky now.
"That's not how it goes. You're the one that's supposed to have the ring. Do you have a ring?" Ginny jumped to ask.
"I bought a ring. Doesn't mean I have to ask. When has our relationship ever been normal?"
"Now, now it's normal. Do you have the ring with you?" Ginny asked.
"Maybe."
"Draco!" Ginny protested.
"Yes, yes, I do then."
"Good, now we're going to the mountains," Ginny directed, grabbing his hand. "We'll forego the parental permission part because we don't need that, and they'd have to say yes anyway."
"I had your father's permission last summer," Draco said. "For when we were ready."
Ginny almost stopped. "That is sweet, so I'll stand with that outdated practice this once," Ginny said as she continued to lead him up the hill in the cold. Snow hadn't been cleared from the path once they left the town, so it was more of a guess of where to step going slightly upward, but it was smooth enough.
"Ginny, is this far enough? I don't see any other people, and the town and the mountains are beautiful. Like you. And Hogwarts in the distance? Ginny, it's perfect. You made it perfect," Draco said. He said gooey things like that sometimes because he knew she liked sentimentality. And he had a way with words, even when she knew he was playing it up for her.
"Draco, will you marry me?" Ginny asked, looking at him. His smile was so wide, she could see every one of his teeth. She didn't know when she had decided to speak.
"It will be my honour. Yes, Ginny," he said, and he kissed her, and she returned it. Definitely one of their best kisses, even though it was relatively chaste.
"Will you still ask me?" she asked when they broke apart.
"Ginny Weasley-" he started.
"Full name, and on one knee?" she asked. "Sorry, just- please?"
"Anything for you," Draco answered, going through his pockets, sinking his left knee into the snow.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you marry me?" he asked, opening the little box at last.
It was perfect. Ginny was going to cry. Even though she'd dragged him through it, he wanted it too. The ring was beautiful. A large ruby in the middle with diamonds around it. Set in silver- no, white gold, probably. Lovely. And his face. Nervous, like she wouldn't like it, or wouldn't say yes after all that. When she'd just asked him.
"Yes, Draco Malfoy, I would like that very much," she said. She hadn't wanted to say his middle name, Lucius, and she hoped he didn't mind. People really needed to be more creative with middle names. They would have to change that, she thought.
He slid the ring onto her finger, it fit perfectly. When done, she grabbed him sideways, into the snow, pushing him into the snow with her. They could use warming charms later.
*****Draco*****
Draco looked at Ginny differently, as his fiancé, not his betrothed. They'd agreed not to mention it for now, even to Ginny's family- especially to Ginny's family in Draco's mind. Because Ron Weasley had a big mouth.
Keeping their engagement secret was for their protection. Because the act of choosing each other was more of a statement than either wanted to make publically. Change could be bad for both of them when they were in this not-war, not-peace.
But Draco had conceded to their little group knowing. Because Draco Malfoy had become a trusting person, it seemed. It was a less believable thing than falling for Weaslette. At least Ginny was attractive.
They were the last to arrive that evening, Draco suspected Ginny had lingered late on purpose, and Draco had waited on her. Her ring visible on her finger as they walked in.
"Ginny! Congratulations!" Hannah Abbott squealled, spotting it first. She'd probably been looking for it for weeks. "Let me see the ring!" the girl demanded, Ginny giggling. Bones was right there too, and even Lovegood.
Longbottom and the Creeveys gravitated to Draco.
"Well done, mate," Longbottom greeted in a friendly manner. Mate?
"Yeah, very well done. The girls seem to like the ring," Dennis Creevey chimed in, smile wide. Wanting to be one of the men.
"Can I see, Ginny?" Longbottom asked, joining the girls, clapping Draco's shoulder as he left. Longbottom would always be himself.
"How'd you ask her?" Colin asked.
Draco and Ginny made eye contact.
"Outside Hogsmeade, in the mountains covered in snow," Draco decided to say.
"Wicked," Dennis said.
"Practice?" Draco suggested. "Who wants to duel?"
"Me!" both of the younger boys chorused.
"Only if I hear more later," Hannah agreed.
*****Ginny*****
Second Valentine's Day (as she thought of the day they became engaged, even if she would never call it that in Draco's hearing) had been perfect.
She'd heard from Katie that she and Harry never left the grounds, and spent much of the day on the quidditch pitch, sharing a ride on his firebolt. It was a cute idea that she might have to immulate, even if she wouldn't mention the origin.
Demelza, following their joking advice, found herself a sixth year boy. Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hannah and Susan spoke well of the boy, he had been in the DA, and generally more likable than his best friend Ernie MacMillan- not that Ernie was a bad guy. So Justin had Ginny's approval, of course. It maybe also helped that he was a freckled ginger.
Ron and Hermione had been to Hogsmeade together alone. They hadn't called it a date, but Ron was bashfully smiling when he told her all of two sentences about it. "Well, Harry was busy, but I asked Hermione if she wanted to visit Tomes and Scrolls and Scrivenshaft's with me, and it went well. Went to Honeydukes too, though she didn't want anything."
She heard from Hannah that the rest of their defence group and Ernie mostly hung out together, a few others popping in and out.
Ginny was engaged.
It was a bit of a let down that the world wasn't monumentally different afterwards. But she really didn't want all of Slytherin and their parents knowing about their change of status. Ginny was quite good at nodding to people in the hallway when she and Draco encountered some of his house mates. She never had to actually talk.
Quidditch was good. Gryffindor had their second game the week after Ginny's big day. It was particularly fun to best Zacharias Smith, though their chasers were good. And Ron was still a streaky player, but he didn't take it so… seriously lately, which was much better for him and everyone else. He could miss a save and not entirely collapse afterwards. And Gryffindor chasers were more than good. And Harry was miles ahead of Summerby, though the boy did seem to be playing with a bad cold. Really, he should have gone to Madame Pomfrey's before the match. A relatively easy victory that put them in good point standing.
Classes were mostly boring. After spending so much time with older students the year before, Ginny felt like she was doing the OWL year a second time, which really didn't seem fair. And now she could cast spells silently too- if she had some time to concentrate at least. She was less reliable at it in duels, yelling spells without meaning to, or some of the spells not working if she stayed silent.
But she was determined to get better at it quickly.
Ginny hadn't realized she'd cast that stunner silently until her opponent, a Slytherin boy in her year was on the ground, and Snape was closing in on them. She had been treating their Defence Against the Dark Arts class like just another defence practice.
"Miss Weasley, spending time listening to Miss Granger prattle on about her classes and you actually learned something?" Snape sneered. "What does it do for your brother's inferiority complex that his younger sister surpassed his spellwork?"
He silently countered her stun on the boy. It wasn't true, Ron was still better at spells, probably. Better at silent casting, she was almost sure. The sixth years had been doing it in all of their classes, so he must have been doing it by now. Neville was much better than she was. Though Neville was far more talented than most people thought. But Snape had almost paid her a compliment, even if it wasn't very true and was also an insult against someone else in her family. And he'd done it without mentioning Draco or Harry, which he must have thought were more likely to teach her silent casting than Hermione.
"I'm sorry for casting silently if it isn't allowed," she said neutrally instead.
"On the contrary, you will not say another spell aloud in this classroom for the rest of term. I do hope you mastered Protego first," he sneered again.
She hadn't.
Ginny Weasley was offensive by nature, not defensive.
Her opponent didn't have his Head of House's sneer, but he was clearly pleased.
Ginny spent most of the rest of the lesson hitting the floor.
Exactly what she needed to fit in. Her classmates being either jealous of her skill, or ready to take advantage of her lack of it. Perfect. If she made it through the rest of the week to Easter Holiday she would take at least three days in a row to ignore all school related work and enjoy herself. Maybe share a broom flight with Draco if there was a nice day. He had never even been on the Firebolt he'd given her, though she wouldn't mind sharing his Nimbus again either.