Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Titanic
I'm sorry for waiting a while before updating. I've been working on other stories and school work.
Rest In Peace, Titanic victims.
April 15, 1912 2:20 am
-
"You cannot go to dinner with that boy!"
"Mother, he isn't a bad person! WHY are you so adamant about this? Why do you hate that family?"
"Because they are bad people, Ginny," said her father. "Lucius used to be a friend of mine. I came up with an idea that would make our company prosper but he stole it and left me high and dry."
"And does that make Draco a bad person, as well?" Her parents looked worriedly at each other, then back at Ginny.
"You are not to go to dinner with him."
"You did not answer my question, mother," Ginny said dangerously.
"We are your parents and we say so! That should be enough for you!"
"Well it isn't!" she screamed back. "If you can't give me a good enough reason, then I won't listen!"
"You are engaged to Harry!"
"No, mother, I'm not! Not yet. And even if he does ask me, why should I say yes? Why should I marry someone I don't love?"
"He loves you! And you should do what is best for you and your family!" her mother said.
"Why are you putting this on my shoulders?"
"Why are you being so selfish?! It is a fine match!"
"I'M being selfish?? YOU'RE the one who is trying to push a marriage on two teenagers just because you want more money! What about what I want?!" Ginny's mother grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. Molly was in a rage. She was absolutely livid, but Arthur grabbed Molly and pulled her off of their daughter.
"MOLLY!" he bellowed, and she quieted. "You are getting out of hand. Go sit on the bed and calm down. Ginny will do what she wants. The consequences are hers to shoulder, not ours. Go, Ginny. I trust that you will make your decisions wisely, however I cannot say that I am not disappointed in you."
Ginny couldn't say anything. She just left. She picked her loveliest dress, which was a pale shade of green and very much like the light pink one she wore the night before, and placed it on her bed for later. She then stormed out of the room and up to B Deck to get some air, as she has been having to do a lot, lately. She sighed as the wind caught her hair. She loved the morning air, and lifted her chin so her hair could catch more of it.
"Hello, Ginny."
She turned around and put on her fake smile.
"Hello, Harry."
"It is a lovely day. I was delighted when I saw you come up here, but then I noticed that you were not in a right mood. Are you alright?"
"I am fine."
"Oh, alright. Ginevra…I know you've been unhappy." She winced at the use of her full name. "I won't pretend to not notice, though I do not know why. I wanted to make you happier, but I did not know what to do until now." He took a black box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I wanted to wait until we stepped off the ship in New York, but I wanted you to smile." She opened the box and there, sitting in the velvety middle, was a beautiful ring with a diamond that had smaller diamonds surrounding it.
"Goodness…"
"I know," Harry said proudly. He thought her response was due to her happiness, but it certainly wasn't. She had been dreading this day because she did not know how to say no to him about this. "Let me into your heart, Ginny. Please? Will you join me for dinner tonight? Just us?"
"Oh, Harry, I – I'm sorry. I was invited yesterday to go to dinner in first class. But I will see you later, at the party. How is that?"
He looked sad about this, but then he nodded and smiled, slipping the ring on her finger, not noticing or even thinking about the fact that she hadn't said she would marry him, or that he had picked up her hand and he had put on the ring – not her. She did nothing but stand there, not able to do a thing about this, even after the fight she had with her parents not ten minutes before.
"I'll be waiting for you."
"Harry?" she called after him when he turned to leave.
"Yes?"
"I…think we should wait to be engaged…I…think we should keep it a secret from my parents. You know, to surprise them when we step off the ship." At first, Harry's face fell and she felt horrible for what she said, so she fixed her words to make it seem like she just wanted to wait, and he smiled.
"Sure." She handed him the ring and smiled – it was fake, of course.
"Thank you. I must be going. I will see you later. Goodbye."
He smiled, though this time, it was forced as an uneasy feeling pooled in his stomach.
"Bye, Ginny."
As she walked inside to the grand staircase, he frowned. He had a bad feeling, but he could not put a finger on what it was, so he tried to forget about it. He went down to E Deck to get Ginny's family, and brought them to the second class dining room.
-
Ginny spent the day reading on deck. She loved to read; something her parents thought odd, as it was uncommon for women to do so. At one point, she saw Jack and Rose walking and having a conversation. She smiled, and went back to her reading. At five o'clock, she went down to her stateroom to dress. When she passed her mother on her way out, she said nothing. Molly watched her daughter vanish up the stairs and felt a great worry settle in her heart. When Ginny was born, Lucius was named her godfather. However, when he cheated Arthur out of a business deal, the family cut off all ties with the Malfoys, and cancelled the engagement between their son and Ginevra. Ginny was, of course, never told and, to this day, Lucius remained her godfather for it could not be undone; a contract had been signed and settled in court.
Ginny reached the grand staircase and looked around for a blonde head.
"Ginevra?"
She turned and smiled; she had been at the clock, and heard her name being spoken behind her. She did not mind it when Draco called her Ginevra. She felt happy when he did, but when Harry said it, it felt wrong.
"Hello, Draco."
"You look beautiful."
"Is it alright? I didn't have anything nicer…"
"Are you joking?"
"Well, no…"
"Ginny, you look like you belong in first class, though I know your personality doesn't." She looked confused, so he explained. "They are all a bunch of prestigious people who love to talk about how much money they have. You are much more down to earth."
Ginny smiled.
"Thank you. Where are your parents? And, your fiancée?"
"They are on their way with Daphne…will you do me the honor of sitting on my other side? Daphne will insist on sitting next to me, and I cannot bear another dinner with her as a conversation partner."
"I would love to," Ginny responded, once again smiling. Her hair had been half pulled up behind her head, letting waves cascade down and on her shoulders. Her light bangs were brushed back and behind her ears. To Draco, she was stunningly beautiful. To hell with Blaise, and the rest of high society. He wanted this girl and he would have her.
"Draco! I was wondering where you were. You weren't with your parents, so I checked your room. Eating with us tonight?"
Speak of the Devil.
"So sorry, Blaise, but we are eating with Mr. Andrews, Mr. Ismay, and those other higher ups tonight."
"Really? Well, have fun, old chap. My family is eating with the Parkinson's." Blaise winked. "Their daughter is one hell of a beautiful girl." Draco cleared his throat and nodded towards Ginny. "Oh! Pardon my manners; I have taken quite a liking to their daughter. And who is this beautiful young lady, Draco? Did Daphne finally get to be too much?"
"Her name is Ginevra," Draco said. He had almost said Weasley, but caught himself. He would tell Blaise later; he wanted to rub it in his friend's face that Ginny was from a poor family but a wonderfully polite and sophisticated girl.
"How nice to meet you, milady." Blaise kissed her hand.
"It is nice to meet you, too…"
"Blaise Zabini."
"Blaise," she finished.
"Draco?"
Draco turned after hearing his mother call his name and nodded.
"Mother, father. Daphne…"
"Draco, dearest! Would you care to escort me to dinner?" Daphne asked – more like screeched.
"I am, ah, escorting Ginevra. I invited her to dinner last night without remembering that I had to escort you. My apologies."
"Oh, that's alright…Mr. Malfoy?"
"It would hardly be proper for a young lady such as yourself to be escorted by a married man, Miss Greengrass," Narcissa said coldly. She never did like the girl. "I am sure you can go unescorted for one night. Walk beside Draco."
"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy."
Ginny loved how the girl shrunk in the presence of her fiancé's mother.
"Draco, do introduce us, please," Lucius said, referring to Ginny.
"Mother, father, this is Ginevra. Ginny, these are my parents."
"It is very nice to meet you," Ginny said.
"Oh, what a lovely girl!" Mrs. Malfoy expressed, which made Ginny blush prettily and Daphne sneer. "Where are your parents, dear?"
"Uh…they are eating in their stateroom tonight. Mother is not feeling very well, I'm afraid."
"What a shame," said the blonde woman. "I do hope she gets well soon."
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Well, shall we?" asked Lucius.
-
"What are all of these for?" Ginny whispered, referring to the many piece of silverware on both sides of her plate.
"Just start from the outside, and work your way in. It's easiest that way," Draco answered. Ginny had noticed that Jack was having the same problem when she saw Molly Brown point to his silverware.
"Tell us how the accommodations are in steerage, Mr. Dawson. I hear they are quite good on this ship."
Jack hesitated at first, taken aback by the question, then answered.
"The best I've seen, ma'am. Hardly any rats."
Mrs. Dewitt Bukater frowned slightly when the whole table broke out into laughter.
"Mr. Dawson is joining us from the third class," said Cal. "He was of some assistance to my fiancée last night."
Ginny raised an eyebrow and decided to cut in.
"Oh yes, Draco and I happened to be witness to it. We heard screaming towards the back of the ship, and ran to the source. We saw her oh the other side of the railing and Jack pulling her over."
She knew that the man named Cal was glaring at her, but she didn't care.
"Really?" asked the Countess of Roths. "My!" She placed a hand on her chest.
"Mr. Dawson, that was a very brave thing you did," said Mr. Andrews.
"Thank you, sir."
"It turns out that Mr. Dawson is quite a fine artist," Rose said. "He was kind enough to show me some of his work, today."
"Rose and I differ in our definition of fine art. Not to impugn your work, sir."
Jack waved a hand.
"Your ship is a wonder, Mr. Andrews, truly."
"Thank you, Rose."
-
"And Mr. Brown had no idea I'd hidden the money in the stove! So he comes home, drunk as a pig, celebratin,' and he lights a fire! HAHAHA!"
"Next, it'll be brandy and cigars in the smoking room.
After a wonderful dinner, the men started to get up.
"Well, join me in a brandy, gentlemen?" A chorus of "yes" rang out and Ginny heard Rose whisper to Jack about the men retreating to a cloud of smoke to congratulate themselves of being masters of the universe. This made Ginny snort, and Rose smiled at her.
"Ladies, thank you for the pleasure of your company," said Mr. Ismay.
"Rose, may I escort you back to the cabin?" Cal asked.
"No, I'll stay here," she said dismissively. When Jack stood, the larger man addressed him.
"Joining us, Dawson, Lucius? You don't want to stay out here with the women, do you?"
Ginny glared at the rotund man, and then gave a comment of her own.
"At least we are better company than politics, cigars, and brandy."
Lucius merely shook his head and held back a smile, but Molly snorted into her glass of wine. The man chuckled at Ginny. Unlike most men in high society, Lucius was a loving, doting husband, and preferred to spend time with his wife than talk about money and politics while clouded in smoke.
"No thanks, I've got to be heading back," Jack replied.
"Probably best. It's all business and politics. Wouldn't interest you. Oh and Dawson! God of you to come." Jack glared at Cal's retreating back, then turned to rose.
"Jack, must you go?" Ginny heard Rose ask.
"Time for me to go row with the other slaves," Jack answered jokingly. As he left, Ginny noticed something pass between them. She discretely looked over Rose's shoulder and read the note Jack had given her. She smiled. When Rose got up and left, she was left with Ruth, the Countess of Roths, another woman, Draco, his fiancée, and his parents. Blaise had gone off with a girl he met earlier that evening, so he was unavailable. Ginny was bored.
"What now?" she asked him quietly.
"We could go for a walk around the ship, if you like," he answered.
"We've done that already, that's boring."
"Well, do you have any ideas?" Ginny grinned. "Uh-oh…"
"Oh don't act so worried. Come with me," she said, her tone almost a whisper. "We will say we are taking a walk around the ship, but I have a much better idea."
Draco gave her a jokingly horrified look and she gently hit his arm. He turned to his mother and father and told them what they were doing. Daphne opened her mouth to protest, but Narcissa quickly replied so Daphne wouldn't get a chance to speak.
"Oh, alright, Dearest," his mother replied. "It was wonderful to meet you, Ginevra."
"Wait…"
"Truly," Lucius added.
"Drakey…"
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy. It was a pleasure to meet you both, as well."
"Draco!"
"What?!"
"I thought you were going to take me around the ship," she whined.
"Maybe some other time, Miss Greengrass. Right now, I am keeping Ginevra company, as she is my guest for this evening. I will see you tomorrow. Good night."
Daphne looked shocked at his formal use of her last name, and glared daggers at Ginny, who looked uncomfortable. Both Lucius and Narcissa noticed that Ginny was above glaring back at Daphne and starting a feud. The girl merely looked apologetic instead of vengeful, and Narcissa liked her. Lucius, on the other hand, was torn. The first class girl who acted like a hooligan with the money whose father he was bound to by a promise, or the third class girl who had a big heart and a kind smile who showed interest in others around her instead of the one she was with.
"Ginevra, could I have a word with you for a moment?"
"Oh, of course." Draco smiled at her as she walked away with his father to an area of the room that was empty and had no eavesdroppers.
"I wanted to explain something to you, as I am quite sure that your parents had words with you when they found out that you would be dining with us, tonight."
Ginny's eyes widened.
"How did you know...?"
"I am not a fool, Ginevra. You have hair just like your mother's, and I knew you when you were born. Your name is unique, and I placed the pieces together." Ginny blinked. "I wanted you to know that...I never intended what happened to your family to happen. It was not me who tampered with the business deal between your father and I, but a Mr. Albert Greengrass."
"Draco's fiancee's father?"
"Yes. You see...well, I should not be telling you this, but you were supposed to be engaged to my Draco." Ginny gasped. "However, Albert wanted him for Daphne. I tried to make amends with your parents, but they would not listen. I am not placing blame, as I would have been just as angry, as they were rightly so. Since your father refuses to speak with me...perhaps you could..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Malfoy. I'll let him know."
He did not tell her that he was her legal godfather, as he was quite sure that Arthur would not have wanted her to know. He felt truly saddened; he wished to have his old friend back more than anything, but there was nothing more he could do but wait to see if Arthur would come to him after hearing his daughter out.
-
When Ginny and Lucius returned to the table, Draco took her elbow and escorted her out of the dining room.
"Now what was this idea you had?"
Ginny smirked.
"So, do you want to have some real fun that involves beer instead of brandy and cigarettes instead of cigars?"
-
I apologize for the late chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! The next one will be coming soon.
