TCOTP

Chapter 13

This Could Be the Start of a...Shitty Friendship

As Ginny walked up the steps to Hogwarts she wondered what the school year would hold for her. She knew that by the end of the year, her life would be very different, and she hoped to be pregnant by then. She knew until she was pregnant the curse on her family would remain. As she stepped through the doors for the first time as a seventh year she found herself feeling sad. She would never again walk through these doors at the beginning of a school year. She glanced around at her classmates and wondered who was feeling the same. She then walked into the Great Hall and took her place at the Gryffindor table. Hermione sat down next to her.

"Ginny, I don't want our friendship to change. Please don't be mad at me because of some stupid comment Harry made," Hermione pleaded.

Ginny made eye contact with her and smiled a small smile. "Hermione, I'm not mad at you, but when Harry made that comment he hit a raw nerve for me. I just need time."

"Okay, I will give you the time you need. Look, here come the teachers!"

Ginny looked up to see most of the regular teachers were filing in, but when she saw Harry stepping out, she quickly looked away. She wouldn't let him see her looking towards him like some lovesick child. Once the teachers all took their seats, Madam Vector led the new batch of first years in and explained how the sorting worked. There were about sixty of them this year, and in the end it seemed pretty evenly split between the four houses. Then Headmistress McGonagall stood up to speak.

"Welcome to our first years, and welcome back to all our returning students. I just have a few things to say: first as most of you know, the Forbidden Forest is still...well, forbidden. Second, in light of recent events, the staff has decided that everyone must try to move past house rivalries, so for a good number of bigger projects within class you will have to partner with someone who is not in your house. See this as a chance to understand someone new. Third, I have some new staff members to introduce to you. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts will be Professor Harry Potter." There was a lot of cheering that needed to die down before she could continue. "I'm sure I don't need to list his qualifications. Professor Neville Longbottom will be Apprenticing in Herbology, and in January he will take charge totally of the first to fourth years. Next is Oliver Wood, who will be teaching both Transfiguration and Flying. As well, he will be taking on the position of head of Gryffindor house. The last thing I want to mention is our new Head Girl and Head Boy. Could you please stand." Ginny and Michael Corner stood up. "Ginny Malfoy and," Suddenly you could hear a pin drop in the hall as all the students' and some of the staff's mouths fell open, "Michael Corner. If you have any problems, Mrs. Malfoy and Mr. Corner will be able to help you." She then took her seat again as the room filled with whispers about Ginny, while the whole Slytherin table openly stared.

After several minutes, a Slytherin boy in Ginny's year got up and stepped over to towards her. "How did you land Draco? You must have talents we never heard of," Harper said, his voice was part shock, part insult, and part in awe.

"I did not marry Draco!" Ginny spat.

Then Astoria Greengrass, who was dating Harper, exclaimed, "Holy shit! She married Lucius Malfoy! What was it, a work release thing, where if he turns you into a respectable lady he stays out of Azkaban?"

Hermione grabbed Ginny's wand hand. "Don't react; that's what they want."

Ginny tried counting to ten before reacting, hoping a teacher would have intervened by then, but no one did. "You shouldn't try to assume anything about me. You will only make yourself look like a fool." The two Slytherins went back to their table, noses in the air.

The rest of the meal passed too slowly for Ginny's liking. It was going to take some time to get used to being the center of attention. As the Prefects led the first years to the dorms, Headmistress McGonagall came to the Gryffindor table. "Ginny, there are a couple of matters I would like to talk to you about. Please come to my office."

Ginny nodded as she watched Luna Lovegood and Hermione disappear from the Great Hall.

Ginny sat in the Headmistress' office. "Your mother came to see me about you and your situation. I can only imagine what you are going through, but I need to tell you a few things you should be aware of. As a married student, there are certain allowances made, like extra weekends home. However, if your husband is mistreating you in any way, I want you to know you can always come to me. I know that there may be things that you don't want to tell your family."

"Thank you."

"And Ginny, this applies not only to your husband, but to anyone whose treatment of you may not be what it should be, my staff included."

"Thanks, Headmistress."

"Has your husband made any requests of you yet?"

"Only that he expects me at the Manor at least half of the weekends and every weekend in December; I think it's mostly when he requires a date for a function."

"If his requests become too much, let me know and I will inform him that his demand are interfering with school."

"Thanks, but I think he doesn't really care. I have already been told that I'm not allowed to work after Hogwarts."

The older woman gasped. "Ginny, never give up your dreams!"

"Oh, I still plan on writing, and I told him as much."

The next morning Ginny walked over to her dresser to get out her clothing for the day. When she went to grab a bra, she discovered that there were additions to the ones she had purchased earlier. Several others were also in the drawer; some dark in color and some lighter, but what caught her attention most was a pale pink one. She pulled it out and found a letter folded into it. It read:

Ginevra,

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of adding to your wardrobe. Please think of this as a wedding gift. You said you like pink, but felt you could never wear it. Well, seeing as how I'm the only person who should ever see your undergarments, you will be able to wear these. You see Ginevra, to a Malfoy all things are possible.

Lucius

Ginny went through the rest of her things and was relieved that it only seemed to be underwear that he bought. But underwear? How dare he! That was so personal! That meant he went through her underwear drawer! There was a knock on the door. " Who is it?" Ginny called

"It's Luna."

"Come in!"

When Luna entered the room she could tell Ginny was really upset. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong! He went through my underwear!" Ginny ranted.

"Who, Harry?"

"NO! LUCIUS FUCKING MALFOY! He went through them and bought me a whole bunch of new stuff!"

Luna smiled at Ginny. "Gin, he is your husband, and husbands do like to buy stuff like that for their wives."

Ginny sat down on her bed. "But it's so personal!" she whined.

Luna sat down next to her. "You did say he was trying, right? Have you and he really talked about your expectations?"

"No. I mean, I sure don't want him going through my underwear."

Luna got up, walked over to the open drawer, and looked at the contents. "How do you know he went through your stuff?"

"He got the sizes right."

Luna looked at several of the sets Lucius had bought. "Ginny, this is really high quality stuff. He must have spent a fortune on you!"

"Don't remind me!"

"Ginny, don't get upset; talk to him about this when you see him. And remember that he was married for many years before, so as a husband he would have no problem going into his wife's underwear drawer. Perhaps he never thought that you would view it as a privacy issue. But we need to get to breakfast."

Ginny quickly dressed and headed down to the Great Hall, only to be stared at again. However, this time when she entered, she noticed Harry looking around the room for her as he talked with Hermione and a couple other Gryffindors. She quickly looked away and headed to the Ravenclaw table with Luna. "Do you mind if the Head Girl sits here this morning?"

Michael looked up at her and gave her a smile "Yeah, we need to talk about the Prefects."

"Yes, you're right."

"Look Ginny, I know it's going to be weird seeing as how we dated before, but I was hoping we could just try to be friends and work together."

She smiled at the boy. "Sure. Somehow I don't think I should push any friends away this year."

"Oh, the Headmistress wanted us to hand out the class schedules once breakfast is done."

When Ginny saw her own schedule her day went from bad to worse; her first class was DADA, with the Slytherins yet. When she entered the room Harper and some of the other Slytherin boys were betting on how Harry would die, until they saw her. "Hey Wea- Malfoy, I guess all you have to do is spread your legs and you'll pass this class. Potty is going to be so easy on you!" The other boys started to laugh.

"As you pointed out, she's a Malfoy now. I would think, given their history, Harry will be harder on her," Hermione tried to help. Ginny would only smile. "Come on, I saved you a seat." Hermione dragged her up to the front of the class. When Harry entered and began the class, Ginny stared very hard at the cover of her textbook until the end of the period.

Once class was over Ginny tried to rush out; however she wasn't quick enough. "Ginny, could I have a word with you?" Harry asked.

Ginny groaned loud enough for Hermione to hear as the Slytherin boys made more lewd comments. "Just get it over with," Hermione encouraged.

Once the last of the other students left the room, Harry used his wand to close the door. He then came over to her. "Ginny, I'm sorry for how I treated you the other day."

"Professor, I really don't think-"

"Ginny don't, don't treat me like that," he pleaded. "I just want to talk to you."

"Then talk," she said curtly.

"Look, I have thought about it and I don't care if you married him..." He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "That's not true; I can't stand the idea of him touching you."

I have enough on my plate right now and I really don't need Harry's issues too, she thought to herself. To him, she explained, "You are my professor and this conversation is not appropriate. I need to get to my next class." She turned to leave, but he caught her arm.

"Ginny, I'm trying to say I'm sorry. You don't understand how hurt I am."

Ginny couldn't believe he was trying to make this about him! "How hard this is on you? Oh, I'm sorry, Harry! Maybe I was too caught up in the fact that I have to spend the rest of my life married to a man who tried to kill me as a child! Or the fact that I hurt my whole family, but in the long run it's better for them! Or the fact that I will never be made love to by someone I love! Or the fact that I will have to have the child of a man who is only with me so his family name will go on! I forgot that I'm supposed to think about how this will affect you, a man who, while you won't marry your school sweetheart, can still marry for love! And that the woman who bears your children will love you! But really, you were willing to have Hermione bear your children, so I guess that doesn't matter to you!" she screamed. Then she ran out of the room, tears pouring down her cheeks.

For the first time in her life, she didn't care who saw her crying as she ran through the corridors. She didn't head for the dorm rooms, as one would have guessed. Instead, she went to a place that she knew no one would think to look for her; Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She opened the Chamber of Secrets and slid down to the passageway that led to the Chamber. Once there, she completely fell apart, at least feeling safe in the knowledge that no one could find her there.

/AN – I have been meaning to tell all of you Lucius fans the best thing about my mother's recent hospital stay. Her doctor was a better looking Lucius Malfoy than Jason Isaacs! I mean, he had the long blond, almost white hair and the blue eyes. He was tall, of course wore expensive clothing, and get this: he even wore a snake pendant! It was very hard to pay attention to what he was saying about Mom with the fantasies going through my head! Unfortunately, I wasn't bold enough to ask for a picture with the man!

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