A/N: Don't mind me if I get slightly sidetracked and away from the story. I'll tie it all back together somehow, I'm just not sure how. You know the drill.
Disclaimer: one of these days, I swear, I will have a witty comment that I can claim as my own. Just you all wait; I will have a disclaimer to claim that I don't own anything but the plot. I will.
Wednesday August 13, 1997
It had only been three days of work at the Teen Howler and things couldn't be going smoother. Sure, Malfoy was being a royal prat, as usual, and Hermione was becoming even more bossy by the minute, if that were possible, and of course, it could hardly be forgotten to mention that Blaise had already, unsurprisingly, shagged almost everyone on the newspaper staff, despite the brief time frame. On the plus side, with all the extra hands, the newspaper was processed faster than usual.
This was very convenient for Ginny. While everyone was busy scampering around HQ, Ginny was able to escape to the Manor and work with Narcissa on her portrait.
Two days prior, after Ginny gave Malfoy his paintings, he told her that his mother wanted to speak with her at the manor. When Ginny arrived at the manor, Narcissa informed her that she'd like for Ginny to stay at the manor for the remainder of the summer, if she would, so she could start the paintings.
Ginny was especially eager to stay at the manor even though Malfoy would be there. Staying at the manor would be great for her artistic muse. Convincing her family, that was the fun part.
She basically gave her family an ultimatum, saying she was going, no matter what they thought, but, their approval would be lovely. She said that she would be getting a substantial amount of money and Lucius wouldn't be there. In the end, it was Blaise, Hermione and the twins that vouched for her and the Malfoys and Molly gave in, despite a substantial amount of protesting from Ron.
The story Narcissa and Ginny gave Draco included various claims about the Manor needing specific accommodations that Ginny need to provide before Ginevra would arrive and that Ginny had to be the person to provide such accommodations. He surprisingly didn't object, but his suspicious increased, that story didn't sit well with him.
After Ginny had finished working at the paper for the day, she returned to the manor and set out to continue her portrait for Narcissa. She had already drawn the preliminary sketch the day before, after she had moved into one of the many guest rooms at the manor. Since her arrival she hadn't seen Malfoy once, excepting of course his brief drop-ins at HQ
Today, Ginny intended to work on the basic paint line, hoping that she'd very likely be done with the portrait late that night or early the following morning, depending of course, on Narcissa.
As Ginny was painting Narcissa, she said aloud, "Mrs. Malfoy, I believe that we're going to have to tell your son that I'm Ginevra soon. I'll be finished with you by 7:30 at the latest and if I keep painting at this pace, I should be able to finish your portraits before the start of term, even with working at the paper. However, if that is my intention, I really must tell your son so I can start on his portraits as well. Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea what I was worried about. I mean the worst he could do is tell everyone and I get more work, right? I mean, it's not as if my work if horrible or anything." She added that last part more for herself than for Narcissa.
Narcissa smiled at Ginny, "That sounds like a lovely idea, and do call me Narcissa, Mrs. Malfoy reminds me of Lucius's mother."
Ginny returned the smile and continued painting. At 7:27 Ginny said, "Alright, come look."
The portrait of Narcissa was wonderful. Narcissa had wanted something less formal but still appropriate. She was sitting on the couch with her hand propping up her face while she read a book. Her long hair flowed around her arm and rested some on the arm of the couch while her face looked peaceful. It was simply breathtaking.
"Oh Ginevra, it is lovely."
"Shall we get Draco?"
Narcissa beamed in the most graceful manner. "Let's. Daisy!"
The house elf popped into the room and said "Yes mistress?"
"Get Draco and send him in here please."
"Of course Mistress!" responded the elf eagerly before popping out.
It was three minutes before Draco entered the room. "Weaselette," he said with a nod but calmly and without malice. "Mother, you asked for me?"
"Yes, Miss Weasley has something to tell you, Miss Weasley?"
"Right, Malfoy, do you remember when I said Ginevra would allow me to be her only representative for her artwork?"
"Yes, I do believe I recall your rudeness from the other day," he said crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows expectantly.
"Right well, the only reason that I am Ginevra's only representative is because I'm Ginevra."
"Very funny Weaselette," he said, but looking at his mother's face he turned back to Ginny, "you can't possibly serious. Mother?"
"Yes Malfoy, I'm being quite serious. Why else would I be staying at your house? You didn't really buy that bollocks about me needing to prepare for a high class artist did you? Honestly Malfoy, I thought you had more sense than that. By the way, I just finished a portrait of your mother."
Still not quite believing her, even though everything fit, he strode over to the easel that held the painting. To say he was shocked was an understatement. In his whole life living with Lucius and his mother, he had rarely if ever seen his mother in such a natural and peaceful moment. Granted he saw it more now that his father was gone, but still it was unbelievable that Ginny was even able to see one of those moments let alone capture it in a portrait. She was good. There was no other way to put it. The dragon and wolf in the two paintings he bought were perfect replicas of him in his Animagus form and magical equivalent. The fairy and the kitten [he realized after close analysis were like his connection. He didn't know why, but he was attracted to them. If Draco Malfoy ever dreamed, he was sure they would be in his dreams.
"It's good Weasley," he said after a few moments.
"What?" Ginny turned I surprise expecting no response from him instead of the compliment.
"I said it was good, can you paint from pictures or do you have to see the object in person?"
"I can paint from pictures."
"Good, if you come with me I have a picture I'd like for you to paint."
"Alright." She was still a bit shocked to at Malfoy's immediate acceptance.
Narcissa however, watched the exchange with interest. 'Yes, yes indeed, this girl will be the one to put Draco on his toes. She's going to change him. She has something up her sleeve too; I wonder what they'll be like at Christmas…'
Meanwhile…
While Draco was taking Ginny to get the photograph he started to test her boundaries to see how much work he was actually going to have to put into getting her in his bed.
"This way," he said grabbing her wrist as he pulled her to the left doorway. "I read your article you know."
Ginny smirked to herself, "Did you now?"
"Yes I did, and it was rather appalling. Well written, poor content."
"Really, I am completely unsurprised at your analysis. Though, I will say, most people are quite proud of my article. Mal-ferret, are you upset you lost half of your nightly entertainment at the hands of my article?"
Draco stopped and turned sharply, clearly not expecting her response to be nearly as snarky as it came out. "Most people are sheep, Weaselette. Besides, who are you to criticize something you've never experienced?"
"I never said I was criticizing anyone Malfoy, I was simply was trying to save more girls from crying over boys because they got dumped after they a quick shag. If you aren't mature enough to handle the consequences of a shag, than frankly you shouldn't be the subject of one."
"Weasley are you a lesbian? Because the female population has just put you on a pedestal from that article, were you looking for their attention so you could shag girls instead? Quite frankly, if you haven't shagged the Merlin out of someone, then you really should, and soon. If you haven't shagged someone, you really shouldn't have written that article. You can't have shagged someone; I mean if you have, you wouldn't have written something so foolish."
"Malfoy, will you shut up? No I am not a lesbian, for Merlin's sakes. I just wouldn't understand you to appreciate that article, like I said; I just lost you half of your nightly entertainment."
"What in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I am well aware of your reputation Malfoy."
"And what exactly about my reputation have you heard Freckles?"
"Don't call me that. And I'm friends with Katie Bell."
Malfoy cringed.
"That's right Malfoy and I have it on good authority that you were the one who started the name 'Slytherin Sex God' and not on of the girls you bed."
"What?! I most certainly did not, where are you getting all your information from?"
"A friend."
"Well that's bollocks, un bloody believable. I did NOT start that sodding Slytherin Sex God rumor, for your information, that was Blaise."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "is that so, and why would Blaise do such a completely distasteful thing?"
Draco stuck his nose in the air before saying, "After a few nights of…" he caught himself before saying it aloud. He noticed Ginny's smirk before narrowing his eyes and saying, "Good try Weasley, Blaise is a smart ass, that's the reason."
"Uh huh, don't you have a picture for me?"
"Right, this way, wouldn't want you getting lost Freckles."
"Stop calling me that Ferret."
"Of course Red, here we are." Ginny narrowed her eyes at him as she walked through the door.
"Malfoy if you…" she stopped as she walked into what could only be his bedroom. The room clad only in black, green and sliver, the room was filled with various Quidditch and literature paraphernalia. The wooden features of the room were exquisitely carved and the couch looked like you could sleep on it for an entire lifetime. The bed was the most comfortable and lovely looking thing she had seen in her life, not to mention it could fit 5 people.
He turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "you were saying Weasley?"
"Oh, right, if you call me something other than my surname or Weaselette if you can't control yourself I will hex you. Freckles and Red are not only names I despise, but names that someone calls you when they like you, and quite frankly, even if that is the case, I don't want to know."
"Who said I didn't like you Weasley?"
Turning to him sharply after admiring more of his room "I beg your pardon Malfoy, did you happen to have brain damage and forget that you have been tormenting my family, particularly my brothers for years, not to mention the blood feud that's been going on between our families since, ohh I don't know, the beginning of time?"
"You didn't answer my question Weasley, who said I didn't like you?"
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Just get the damn photo Malfoy."
He smirked, "If you say so, Red."
"WHAT did I TELL you about calling me THAT??" she exclaimed with her hands on her hips looking like she could murder him with her eyes.
Draco smiled to himself and shook his head as he headed to the drawer under his armoire. He pulled out a box and opened it. Inside were loads of photographs. He took the box to his bed and Ginny watched him curiously. He sat with one leg tucked under him while the other hung off the edge of his bed as he looked through the photos. Ginny sealed this scene in her memory as she thought this would be a perfect picture of Draco for Narcissa. His hair hung slightly in his face and the occasional ghost of a smile would flicker across his face in response to a memory, surely triggered by one of the photographs.
"Alright Freckles, here's the photograph, if you paint this and my portrait well, I'll put it in the Teen Howler and give you the credit and all that rot." He said in an uncharacteristically calm and uncontrolled tone, a vast contrast to his normal sarcastic, sneering tone.
Ginny's only response was to walk over to him and take the photograph from his hands. It surprised her. Draco sat back and leaned against the post of his bed and watched her face as she looked at the photograph. He knew it would touch her.
He hadn't chosen this particular photo of his mother solely to aide his process of getting Ginny into his bed; he chose it because after he saw her earlier portrait, he felt that this photograph needed to come to life. He needed to see more of his real mother and he knew his mother would be touched by this photograph. Knowing that it would soften Ginny's demeanor was just an added bonus.
This particular photograph was black and white. He didn't know who had taken it, but he was certain it wasn't Lucius. It was too pleasant a photo, not to mention the photographer had to have an eye to capture this particular moment. Lucius Malfoy was not one to appreciate art.
In the photograph, a non-moving photograph none the less, Narcissa was laying on a bed on her stomach and a baby Draco was crawling right next to her. Narcissa had her hand holding up her head, similar the fashion in which she held herself in her portrait earlier that day. Her hair was over her right shoulder, flowing around her arm while she was looking at baby Draco smiling. The sure sign that Lucius was not the photographer lay in the nature of the photo. Both Draco and Narcissa were naked. There were no "privy bits" showing, but it didn't leave much to the imagination. It was a natural photo of a mother and child that made them both look vulnerable. Their pale skin and hair contrasted with the dark of the bed, it was simply a loving picture that no one would expect the Malfoys to have experienced, let alone capture the moment. Clearly something Lucius would frown upon.
Ginny looked up from the picture at him with her mouth opened and said without thinking, "Malfoy, this is, this is beautiful."
He smiled, a real smile, and didn't bother ruining moment, "Yes, yes it is."
What neither had realized, at that moment, Draco hadn't been referring to the photograph. He had been referring to the shocked face that stood before him. He had been referring to her.