Chapter 29

Slowly But Surely

As Ginny handed her test paper back to Oliver, he smiled a sad sort of smile at her. "You're finished now; you just have the practical tests to take."

"But it's still April," Ginny protested.

"Yes it is, but Ginny, there isn't any more to read in a book. At least not at a Hogwarts level."

"But I still have 16 weeks to go! I'll go mad with nothing to do."

"Will you miss me?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I will!" she vowed, "You have become very important to me."

"I have? Ginny, you know your baby will come soon and then you can be healed. Have you thought about your life then?"

"Yes I have," she stated.

"Once the baby is born, your curse will be gone and you can do as you please! Ginny, I want you. I am willing to settle for less than a fairy tale."

"What?"

"Somehow, at some point, I fell in love with you. The thought of you with that man sickens me, but if being with you means having to deal with the fact that at times you have to be his, I can handle it. We could raise the baby together. I could-"

"Oliver, stop!" Ginny finally found her voice. "Oliver, I can't! Malfoys don't have affairs."

"You're not a Malfoy; you're a Weasley," he pointed out.

"I became a Malfoy when I married Lucius," she countered.

"No, you became a wife," he argued

"Then I became one when I got pregnant."

"Ginny," he sat on the bed and touched her baby belly, "I would help you raise this child."

She placed her hand on his and locked eyes with him. "Oliver, you are one of the sweetest men I have ever known, but this baby is going to have enough to deal with because of Lucius' past, because of our quick marriage after Narcissa's death, and I won't add to it by having an affair. This baby deserves better than that; the baby never asked to be a part of this mess."

He pulled away from her. "Do you plan to live your whole life for everyone else? First your family; you gave up your freedom for them. Now your happiness for this child. When does Ginny's time happen?"

"I am touched, but I haven't allowed myself to think of you, or anyone, in a romantic way. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way."

He looked as if she had ripped his heart out and stomped on it. "I'm sorry. I'll be going then, and this won't affect your grades."

"Oliver?"

"I can't Ginny." He then walked out the door and out of her life.

Ginny had no choice but to remain in her bed as she stared at the door that had slammed shut behind him. She realized she was sobbing because it hurt losing one more person she cared for. She thought he was a friend.

Some time later, a voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Ginevra?" Lucius had joined her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her as close as her still un-repaired hip would allow. She laid her head on his shoulder and clung to him as she cried. When her tears lessened, he asked, "What happened?"

"Oliver, he- he- he is in love with me!" she sobbed.

Lucius was surprised she told him. "Do you want to be with him?" he asked.

"No, no, he was my friend and now I have lost him as a friend."

Lucius was relieved. "I am sorry, my dear. I'm here for you."

"Thank you," she continued to sob.

A while later, once she calmed down, Lucius spoke again, "I have to tell you something. Please don't upset yourself, for it wasn't my doing, but there is a charm on the Manor that allows the other half of a couple to hear if there is a conversation that could harm the marriage. I therefore heard everything."

"Then why did you ask me what happened?" she asked.

"I admit I wasn't sure if you would tell me. I was curious," he admitted.

Ginny pondered how to reply.

"Ginevra, we both know the terms that we married under. If the tables were turned, would you not have done the same thing?"

Damn him! A few words out of him and she couldn't be mad at him. "I guess I might have."

"Might have?" He laughed at her, "We both know you would have! I bet you would have tried to catch me in a lie."

She gave a little laugh back. He did know her better than she would have liked. "I will miss his friendship."

"I can understand that. For what it's worth, I am sorry for your loss. You had no idea of his feelings?" he inquired.

"I knew before I went to Hogwarts that he was a flirt. If he was flirting with me, I dismissed it as him being him." She was quiet for a long moment, then gasped, "You didn't kill him did you?" She was suddenly fearful of how calm Lucius was. She would have expected him to be raging mad.

"Ginevra, even broken as you are at this time, you are a stunningly beautiful woman who is very caring and strong. It's no wonder the boy felt as he did. I can't fault him for being a man. Fact is, the worst he did was offer you what little he could. I have no doubt he does love you, but he didn't compromise your honour or do anything to harm our child. I wouldn't kill him for having feelings for you. He will suffer enough not having you." It was Lucius' turn to pause. "You finally accept that you're a Malfoy. That pleases me."

The next day, Pansy returned with the book of baby names. "Did you talk to him?" Ginny asked earnestly.

"A bit," Pansy said kind of sadly. "When he touched my hand, I felt something, but I don't think he felt it."

"You don't know that! Maybe he was tired, or busy, or maybe he was worried about losing his job if you took offence to something he said. I mean no offence, but Pansy, one look at you and I can tell you come from money. No one works stocking shelves for fun. He needs his job."

Pansy looked like she felt awkward. "So what do I do?"

"Buy a lot of books and talk to him each time you go into the shop. His boss will see that you are a good customer and he should be able to talk more with you, but in the end you might have to make the first move."

Lucius knew how bored Ginny was now that she was finished with school. Stella had taught her how to knit without magic and she had read almost every book in the Manor. Lucius saw how longingly she looked out the window. The french doors in the bedroom were now open almost all the time, but Ginny's cabin fever was getting worse each day.

Lucius decided to have her interview interior decorators to design the baby's room and a new room for herself for after the baby arrived.

Pansy had arrived with a bag. "I stopped at the bookshop again. The guy kept pointing out books he enjoyed as a child and I couldn't stop myself from buying them," she confessed.

Ginny shook her head and laughed. "Um you know you could have bought one a day. It would have given more excuses to be there more often!"

Pansy flopped down on the bed next to Ginny and groaned, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I don't know. Why?" Ginny wondered and then sneezed. "Can you pass me a tissue?"

Pansy sat up and reached over for a tissue, then handed it to Ginny. "You have to have the baby so you can come with me and help me out. My brain turns to dragon dung when I like a guy."

Ginny sneezed again, which hurt her. "Ow!" She paused, waiting for the pain to pass. "So what do you like about this guy? I always figured someone like Draco was your type."

"He's dreamy and looks like a man's man, but I can see there's a soft side to him. His voice changes when he speaks about his mother. It's so endearing."

"Oh Merlin, you've got it bad! Trust me, you don't want a guy who can't cut the apron strings."

"I don't think he's a momma's boy; I think he has a healthy respect for his mother," Pansy defended Charlie to Ginny.

Ginny blew her nose. "I think I'm getting a cold."

A/N I swear this chapter was done weeks ago. My husband, my beta has been rather distracted with his one things and I have been trying to save my marriage by not nagging him to edit.