The Cruelty of the Past
Chapter 18
Understanding Lucius
The week passed slowly for Ginny; other than Hermione, none of her house mates really talked to her unless it was about Quidditch. But Wednesday she decided to sit down and write to her dad. While he seemed upset when she told them, he also seemed to understand it the best.
Dear Dad,
I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing well. I know everyone was rather upset that I married him, but really Dad, what choice did I have? I know all of you want to see this differently than I do, but please see it from my point of view. How could I be happy not married to him feeling that if I did marry him that everyone else would be better off?
And honestly Daddy, he has been very reasonable about this. I'm not saying that I care for him, but he hasn't belittled me. He is really trying to make this work. I know part of me wonders if this is some head game, so I am being careful and I know not to trust him. I can hear everything you're thinking, and I know you don't have to tell me, but Dad, he really is in the same spot as me. If he doesn't do this, his family line will die off too.
I think we both realize that our child will need us to be on good terms with each other and neither of us wants to hurt our child, so maybe this will work after all.
And Daddy, don't worry. I will never forget the values you and Mum raised me with. I love you and my whole family and you all are why I did this. Please understand that.
Love
Ginny
Oliver came to the next practice. He sat up in the stands, watching as Ginny ran her recruits through some drills. Once she told the team to hit the showers, she began cleaning up the equipment and Oliver headed down to help her out. He grabbed one of the Bludgers and took it over to the box that held the balls.
"You're a good captain, Ginny," he complimented her.
She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, but I still don't know who should be the other Beater."
"You know, the professional teams hold try-outs for at least two weeks before they decide on their final team."
"I know, but when was the last time any team at Hogwarts took this long?" she questioned.
"That's because everyone thinks that their teams will be better the sooner they are set, but really, deciding on everyone in one day is not the best thing. You could pass someone up because they're having a bad day, or someone maybe has the most incredible luck on just that one day. Don't make the mistake of rushing this." He paused, "You go change; I'll finish out here."
"Thanks, Professor Wood."
"Ginny, in class, Professor in fine, but otherwise please call me Oliver." He flashed her a very warm smile.
"Is that okay? I mean-"
"Ginny, our world has changed; we fought together in the final battle. I'm old, as old as some of your brothers, and I think as long as we have a clear line between being student and Professor, and friends, we should be fine."
She smiled back at him. "Thanks." Then she headed for the change rooms; she would shower back in the tower. It was always warmer up there.
The next morning, Ginny was pleased to see Errol swoop in and drop an envelope in front of her. Hermione stole a glance sideways as Ginny opened the letter. It read:
Ginny,
I do understand, but it doesn't make it any easier.
Love,
Dad
She fully understood what her father meant; he needed more time to deal with his own feelings in the matter. But understanding didn't make it hurt any less. She didn't miss the fact that they were in the same place, mentally. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes, but she willed them away.
After class was done, Ginny changed and headed for the Manor for the weekend. She was already not minding going; she had more freedom at the estate. She didn't have to deal with the other students whispering and talking behind her back, either.
Once at the Manor, she headed down to the games room she had found on her first day living there. There is a billiards table there, and she had played before when she visited friends, so she decided to take the time to learn to play better.
When Lucius returned home from the office, he was informed that Ginny had returned and was in the games room, so he headed down to find her. He had already decided to take her out for dinner. When he got to the games room, he was greeted by a very lovely sight; his teenage bride wearing a very tight fitting pair of blue jeans and a form fitting, mint green sweater that exposed her shoulders. She was stretching her petite body across the pool table to make some shots, and her long red hair was flowing freely. The sight alone was enough to spike Lucius' desire. He had to wonder where she got the outfit, for he knew it was Muggle. He also knew he was openly staring, but she was his wife; he was entitled to admire her body!
"Oh, you're home. Winny said you had gone to the office and she wasn't sure when you would be back tonight." She smiled at him.
"You seem in better spirits today than last week," he said as he moved into the room.
"I think knowing what I was facing helped a bit," she admitted as she stood behind the pool table holding her pool stick. She was running her hand up, down, and around the stick without thinking. Her actions held her husband's full attention.
"You look lovely tonight," he cooed, causing her to blush.
"Thank you."
He stalked across the room towards her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately and causing her to let go of the pool cue. As their tongues battled for dominance, he lifted her up and laid her onto the pool table.
Twenty minutes later, as they lay catching their breath, he noted her shyness was slowly disappearing. They were getting dressed when he spoke, "I thought we could go out for dinner tonight."
She bit her lip. "The house elves might be upset. I told them we would be dining here."
He smirked at her, but it was not a cold smirk. Clearly he was amused. "Ginevra, they are here to serve us, not the other way around. They will deal with the change in plans."
"'Kay, but where are we going?"
"The Arbutus. It's Muggle, but it's the best," he replied.
Ginny knew better than to question Lucius on this type of thing. "I've never heard of it. Is there a dress code?"
"Well, as amazing as you look dressed as you are, you would feel very under-dressed. Go with something you would wear to a cocktail party."
Ginny rushed around her room to get ready. Her main concern was her hair; she had no idea what style wouldn't say schoolgirl, but at the same time wouldn't make her look like a little girl playing dress up! She finally settled on doing big, loose curls. She chose her little black dress that she had bought on her birthday in Muggle London, along with black shoes and stockings. She was very pleased with herself once finished.
When she came into the front hall to meet Lucius, he was already waiting for her. He took in what she was wearing, but chose to hold his tongue. He himself was wearing a black, Muggle type suit. They were, after all, heading to a Muggle restaurant.
Once they arrived, Ginny was first surprised that her husband was known to the staff, and also at how well he seemed to slip into the Muggle world.
After he ordered cocktails for both himself and Ginny, Lucius looked at her and spoke, "Ginevra, please, I have been waiting to hear about your Defense Against the Dark Arts class since your Owl."
Ginny smiled; she knew this was coming. "Well, I was sitting with Hermione and Luna at the front of the class, and when Harry entered the room, his eyes fell on me. He ordered me to show how my work on resisting the Curse had gone. He told me to rise from my seat, so I faked him out by acting like I didn't think I had a chance at resisting. Then once he cast the Curse at me and gave me an order. I instead sat back down and said I would rather not. I then examined my nails. After class, he ordered me to stay behind. He tried to find out how I learned so quickly, and he wanted me to confess to you helping me practice in hopes of having you sent to Azkaban. I decided that while it might officially be an Unforgivable, no one should go there for helping someone else. Later that day, I dropped the class."
Lucius rose an eyebrow at her. "Why?"
She bit her lip. "With him teaching it, I'm not going to get a fair shot at the class. I will still have to take my NEWT at the end of the year, but this has freed up time for the lessons you asked me to take."
He flashed her a smile, a real smile. "I have to admit; you have been far more mature about all of this than I expected."
She returned his smile, but was unsure how to reply. As the evening went on, Ginny did feel uncomfortable about the looks others were giving her. She knew that most of the people were thinking she was, at most, Lucius' mistress. And the idea did bother her that others believed her to be some type of home wrecker.
When the waiter returned, Lucius stated, "My wife would like to try the chocolate mousse."
The waiter's eyes grew a bit larger. He then looked at Ginny, whom he had paid little attention to before now. "Yes of course, Mrs. Malfoy! Anything else I can get you, please just tell me."
"No, thank you. That will be all," she said curtly.
Lucius watched Ginny as the waiter walked away from their table.
"Can you believe that? Other than undressing me with his eyes when we were seated, he paid me no mind until you said I was your wife!"
Lucius smirked. "This surprises you?"
Ginny thought about it for a second.
Lucius began again before Ginny could reply. "Until I said you were my wife, he thought of you as a mistress. Now he knows you have access to my money. It changes a great number of things."
"I don't care about your money."
Lucius nodded. "I'm aware of that, Ginevra. You possess a moral most people don't. I know that it wouldn't have mattered to you if I didn't have a penny to my name or if I had been in Azkaban. The fact that you would have been married to a convict wouldn't have mattered to you. What did, and still does, matter to you is your family's long term happiness. That is very admirable about your character. While it's no secret what I think of most of the beliefs your father raised you with, I do respect that he raised you to make the choices you have."
Ginny spent the rest of the night thinking about Lucius' words. Did he actually pay my family a compliment? Was that even possible? she asked herself. She felt at times he was so different from who she believed him to be, but did she really know anything about him? Yes, she knew he was a Death Eater; she understood more about the beliefs they held onto than anyone would guess. After her time with Tom, she spent a great amount of time trying to understand Death Eaters. She had read anything she could get her hands on about them; books, old interviews, and newspaper articles from the trials after the first war.
That was the real reason Neville had ended up taking her to the Yule Ball. She had come to ask him about his parents after reading what had happened to them. That was when their friendship had begun.
Now he had hardly said five words to her; he talked with Hermione often, but not to her. And she would be lying if she said it didn't hurt, but at the same time, she didn't see him talking with Luna either.
On Saturday, Ginny began her etiquette lessons. They were not as bad as she had pictured. Her instructor was an older woman who reminded her of a grandmotherly type; the kind that only needed to look at you to tell you you had done wrong. Ginny liked her.
That night at dinner, Lucius mentioned, "Next week your dancing instructor will be coming to the Manor."
"Lucius, I have some free time without Defense class; I could use that time instead."
"No, your lessons will take place here," he ordered.
"I don't see what difference it makes," she replied casually.
"The lessons will take place in this house!" he repeated loudly, then wiped his mouth, tossed his napkin down, and all but stormed away from the table.
Draco, who had been watching this, waited until Lucius had left the room. "You have to remember you're his wife. He wants to know that nothing will happen that's not supposed to happen."
"Meaning me behaving in an improper manner with this dancing teacher," she stated.
Draco looked at her for a long moment. "It's not you he doesn't trust. You must remember; the amount of money you now have access to does change things for you more than you've ever dreamed. Here at the Manor, you're protected even more than at Hogwarts. Not just against attacks on your body, but even from things like blackmail or extortion. He just wants to be sure that you, and myself for that matter, are as safe as can be."