The Marriage of Ginny and Draco

'Professor, can I have a word please.'

'Of course Miss Weasley but I'm not going to change my mind.'

'But Professor, Malfoy and I are reluctant enough as it is to work together. That poor second year is going to have a hell of a year 'cos I can't see how Malfoy is ever going to work with me on looking after him.'

'What is the name of the second year you are to look after Miss Weasley?'

'Pardon.'

'The name of the boy you are to care for this year.'

'Erm…well…it's something like…you see I didn't-'

'If you want my opinion, Miss Weasley, you had already decided that you weren't going to keep your new child so you didn't bother to take an interest. This demonstrates that both you and Mr Malfoy have problems with not only commitment but accepting responsibility. And, for your situation to improve, both of you need to accept this fact.'

'I don't see how accepting that Malfoy and me aren't compatible is going to help. Anyone could have told you that from the start.'

'Miss Weasley, in the Muggle world if two people decide their relationship is in trouble they have two options. These people can either take a break from each other to reflect and contemplate-'

'We'll do that one then please Professor'

I'm afraid Miss Weasley, that because you have been married for such a short amount of time, and because I don't think you will use the time apart productively I am unable to offer you that particular solution. The second way in which Muggles attempt to solve any issues is through counselling. I have taken the liberty of signing both you and Mr Malfoy up for four, hour long sessions. They will begin tonight at 7 O'clock in Classroom six. You will pass on the message to Mr Malfoy for me please.'

'But Professor-'

'There are no buts Miss Weasley. Now if you will excuse me I have an awful lot of work to do.'

Ginny found Malfoy leaving the Great Hall with Crabb and Goyal. 'Oy' she called 'you were meant to see McGonagall with me at the end of the lesson, we agreed.' Malfoy turned; a smirk was plastered on his face.

'Oh I don't usually make it a habit of mine to agree with Mudblood lovers and carrot tops.' Crabb and Goyal laughed stupidly. 'Anyway I'm presuming that you're here, talking to me through choice because you have news that concerns our situation. Am I allowed to divorce you now?'

'If that was an option Malfoy, I'd divorce you first' spat Ginny, her face becoming red. 'Unfortunately that's not the news. We've got to attend a counselling session tonight at seven in classroom six. That does mean both of us' she concluded in a stern voice.

'Well why on earth would I want to go to a stupid counselling session, it's what Mudbloods do when they have a breakdown or something.' Malfoy looked affronted. 'And McGonagall thinks it's going to make me suddenly want to be married to you.'

'Oh you're sooo typical Malfoy, you won't give anything a chance if it was invented by Muggles. That's what I expected of you. I told McGonagall it was pointless asking you because you're so predictable and you don't do anything vaguely associated with Muggles.' Ginny turned to go but Malfoy called to her retreating back

'Oh if that's what you think then I've decided I will go. And I will show you while we're there what a load of rubbish it is.' As she made her way upstairs, Ginny found it hard to suppress a smile. She had found a chink in Malfoy's armour of stubbornness. Now she knew a way to get him to take notice of her.

It was five past seven. Malfoy was standing in the classroom looking round, amazed. Normally the room was filled with desks and chairs, a chalkboard. Not tonight. The room had a bright red carpet and three very squashy sofas in the middle. The edges of the room looked like the inside of the house. There was a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, a garage and even a miniature garden. Ginny was already there, sitting on one of the sofas. Opposite her was Professor Dumbledore. Inwardly Malfoy groaned. That old fool. What does he know about anything. His father was right. Dumbledore was a Muggle lover and always favoured the underdog. Shutting the door with a bang, Malfoy went to the last available sofa. As he was heading across the room Dumbledore spoke.

'Wouldn't you rather sit next to your wife Mr Malfoy?' The tone of Dumbledore's voice was conversational but his eyes, boring into Malfoy's like lasers told him that he had better do what he was told. Malfoy turned to join Ginny. As he placed himself on the furthest right hand side of the sofa, she moved at sat at the furthest left hand side.

'Shall we begin then?' asked Dumbledore in a cheerful voice. 'Now I gather from Professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout and Snape that there have been a few teething problems. These involve,' he consulted a list 'bogie and babbling hexing in the corridors, limp limb potions in the dungeons, traps set outside the Gryffindor common room and unless I'm much mistaken a lake outside the Slytherin common room. There have been food fights in the Great Hall, brawls on the Quidditch pitch and I won't even begin he list of incidents that have taken place in the actual marriage lessons themselves. So, what seems to be the trouble?'

'Well Sir' began Malfoy 'I'm finding that Ginny is not the type of person who anyone is able to communicate with and- '

'Malfoy is a pig' cried Ginny 'and no girl in her right mind would ever choose to be married to him.'

'If I'm such a pig then how come there are girls queuing up to go out with me?' demanded Malfoy

'Because they are all after a guy who is less intelligent than they are, and you're the only option' retorted Ginny.

'Now now' called Dumbledore mildly. 'Thank-you for giving me that insight. It is clear, to me anyway, that the two of you are not communicating properly. And to rectify this I have devised a few little tasks.'

'Tasks?' repeated Malfoy looking suspicious.

'Well you might prefer to call them challenges. They are designed to test your endurance and hopefully help you work on your marriage. They will begin tonight.' Dumbledore waved his wand and suddenly, without warning, Ginny and Malfoy flew across the sofa to each other. Hastily they tried to move away again but found that they couldn't. 'To help' Dumbledore continued 'I have decided that you need some quality time together. During every session you will unable to move further than a quarter of a meter away from each other. I had my suspicions that I couldn't leave you in charge of this so I have used magic to help. Now do either of you have any questions?'

'I do' said Ginny.

'Go ahead Miss Weasley.'

'I was just wondering why you decided to give Malfoy and myself a child to care for. As you can see we don't get on and I thought we would be one of the least likely couples chosen to guide someone else.' Dumbledore considered. It appeared to Ginny as though he was deciding how much of his real opinion to convey.

'Well, it is my belief that responsibility can often bring out new and desirable qualities in a person. I think that the two of you will learn things from Ralph, not only about each other, but about yourselves. And now we shall proceed onto your bonding challenge for tonight.' Dumbledore stood up and motioned for his two pupils to follow him. He led them over to the garden. Well Draco supposed it was meant to be a garden- it look more like an allotment, just lots of earth.

'Tonight I would like the two of you to tidy up the garden.' Dumbledore motioned towards the piles of earth. 'I would also like you to plant some of these.' A flick of his wand and an assortment of flowers, plants and shrubs appeared next to the soil. 'You may leave as soon as you think you are done.' With that Dumbledore smiled and left the door, closing it behind him. Draco stood there for a few seconds and then marched towards the door also, dragging Ginny with him. If Dumbledore wasn't going to leave anyone to ensure he did the work, then he planned on taking advantage of it. But, pulling at the door handle Draco discovered that it was locked. Or at least, it wasn't letting him out. Hastily he pulled his wand out of the pocket of his robes.

'Alohomora!' he called. He twisted the knob again but it didn't budge. Ginny turned to him, exasperation written all over her face.

'You didn't seriously think that Dumbledore wasn't going to leave some sort of charm. If he didn't trust us not to leave each others side he was hardly going to trust us staying in here by choice. And also, where did you plan for us to go- we're practically joined at the hip. I hardly think the Slytherin common room would appreciate my turning up and I know the Gryffindors wouldn't have you for a moment.'

'What do you suggest we do then?' retorted Malfoy, annoyed that he had missed the obvious. Dumbledore wouldn't have trusted Ginny and himself for a moment.

'I say we do what Dumbledore told us to do- the gardening.'

'No way am I going to get all dirty, digging up earth for that old codger. We will just wait until he comes back and separates us.' After giving the door one last tug, he dragged Ginny over to sofas and sat down.

'This isn't going to work' Ginny said as she sat down next to him. 'Dumbledore is very shrewd. He will have set something up I've no doubt. He said that we could go once we had done the work. If we do the gardening then we might become separated from each other.' Malfoy looked at Ginny. Deep down he knew she was right but he didn't want to admit this. Imagine, saying to a Weasley that he was wrong and they were right. And the girl of all of them.

'No. We will wait' Malfoy replied. 'Dumbledore will have put a timer on the spells or something. We just have to wait until they wear off. No one is good enough to create spells that can sense when you have done a job properly.' And so they sat. And waited. And waited. Every ten minutes or so, Malfoy dragged Ginny over to the door to check. After half an hour of sitting in silence Ginny got up. Malfoy, who hadn't been paying attention, found himself being pulled over to the garden.

'What are you doing Weasley!'

'I don't care what you think but I'm not sitting in silence halfway into the night just because you're too big to do what Dumbledore says.' Ginny picked up a trowel, preparing to remove the weeds.

'Fine' spat Malfoy 'but I'm not helping you!'

'I didn't ask you to' retorted Ginny a lock of hair falling into her face. And she began to dig. As she worked Malfoy sat in a stony silence. As the time passed, he began to get uncomfortable and bored. Ginny, in contrast was concentrating hard and looking like she was having a good time. She was laying all the different plants out on top of the soil- deciding where they should go. Malfoy didn't agree with the fact that she planned to put a large tree right in the centre of the soil. From somewhere in the back of his mind he recalled someone saying that the roots of trees were really big and could disturb surrounding soil.

'Don't put that there' he told Ginny pointing at the tree. She turned to him.

'Cope! You aren't working on this challenge and that means you don't get a say in what I do.' Malfoy was cross. He had meant to help Ginny. Well if she was going to snub his views like that he was going to tell her a few truths about the garden.

'I only told you because trees have huge roots and they should be put somewhere where they can spread out. Shouldn't have wasted my breathe, its going to look bad whatever you do. The arrangement you've chosen is really ugly and you haven't weeded the earth properly at all.'

'Oh I like that' cried Ginny 'you haven't done a scrap of work all evening and suddenly you decide to stick your huge, warted nose in and criticise all the work I have done.' She threw down the spade she had been using. 'If you're finding my work so distressing on the eyes then feel free, do it your way.'

'I will then' said Malfoy and picked up the nearest plant. He would put that at the back. It was horrible, all tall and pink. Several minutes later, he had completely rearranged Ginny's layout. Now to plant it all. God that was going to take hours. Beginning to regret his snappy decision to take over from Ginny, Malfoy paused. Suddenly an idea came to him. Dumbledore hadn't said they were forbidden to use magic. Taking out his wand, Malfoy pointed it at the array of greenery sitting on the soil, wondering what spell to use.

'Huratis' he called and a blue light flew out of the end of his wand. Simultaneously the plants all began to burry themselves in the earth. Moments later, the work was done. Smiling broadly Malfoy turned to Ginny who was looking as though she had been slapped. She pulled back and Malfoy saw that she wasn't being restricted. He hastily got up and moved away.

'Well Weasley that's all for tonight. It was a pleasure to watch you struggling for hours.' And with that, feeling elated, Malfoy swaggered over to the door, flung it open and left, leaving a red faced Ginny cursing at his retreating back. As he left Malfoy said quietly to himself 'One all.'