Title: Call Me Ginevra

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't own any characters except those you can't research on the lexicon and aren't mentioned in the books. The plot is my own. Any resemblances to other plots are pure coincidence. Think about it this way, great minds think alike. (See this chapter's note for further elaboration).

Full Summary: The war has the Weasley's worried about poor little Ginny. After checking her resources McGonagall claims she has the best caretaker for Ginny. Too bad it turns out to be Narcissa Malfoy. While at Malfoy Manor Ginny faces growing up, a strict regiment and Draco on a day-to-day basis. Can Ginny and Draco brave the unknowns of friendship? Will the buds of relationship form? What will Harry do when he finds out that only Ginny holds the key to defeating Voldemort?

Pairings: Draco/Ginny (I guess this sort of answers the "buds of relationship" question in the summary, huh?)

Rating: Eventually M, but pace yourself. (I will give fare warning of the chapters which that rating applies.)

Chapter Note: Alright, I have some splainin' to do. Since before the close of the HP series I've had my own deductions as to why things happened the way they did, in fact I had incorporated it into the plot of this story. It just happens to be that JK and I feel the same way about Snape. For lack of energy to argue that I had this idea before the last book was released, all similarities to the HP series are hereon out due to the fact that I am writing this during the time of the seventh book and it just so happens I chose to have my plot coincide at times with that of JK's.

In short, if it follows the HP series attribute that to JK and her fantastic mind and not to mine.

Author's Note: Hopefully this chapter will be a more enjoyable read, it was certainly more fun to write. I call this the "puzzle chapter" because all the pieces start to fall into place and the places where information is missing become more… informed… Also… my first fic to go 100+ reviews!!! Cookies for all of you!

Chapter Thirteen: All Hallows Eve

Ginny recoiled in fear at the sight of her former potions master. It wasn't that she was afraid of him as a person but after everything that had happened with Dumbledore, she wasn't all that eager to get close to him.

Her senses finally kicked in and in seconds he was gone. He had appeared in the fire just as Sirius had done so many nights with Harry back at Hogwarts. She had only seen him for a few moments but it was as if he had been standing in the room with her.

She wasn't sure but the look on his face, where she expected menace and cold, had reflected surprise and almost fear.

It had only been a flash but she had seen it. After he disappeared Ginny stood there for some time staring into the flames as they threw shadows and figures against the brick surround.

When Narcissa's footsteps stopped at the entrance Ginny knew that there was something going on, something with Snape that she shouldn't know about, but something she was sure to know after this.

There was a silence in the room before Narcissa crossed to her desk and sat. Ginny watched her set her hands out on the desk, palms down, a sign of not being armed.

Ginny dropped down into the chair opposite the desk from Narcissa. She crossed her feet beneath the chair and entwined her fingers, bracing herself for what was to come.

Narcissa's ice cold eyes bore into Ginny with a ferocity Ginny was afraid of. "Ginny, what I tell you must never be repeated to anyone, am I understood?"

Ginny nodded her head in reply. "Yes." She whispered voice unable to reach a higher volume.

Narcissa turned her head slightly, measuring Ginny before finally nodding. "You must understand Ginny; things are not always what they seem. I told you that I married Lucius for many reasons, none of them involving love."

Ginny nodded, expressing that she followed Narcissa's point. Narcissa was not on the side of the Death Eaters by choice, in fact, she wasn't even part of them. Many times Ginny had seen the woman's forearm and not once was there sign of the dark mark.

"Ginny I do not agree with the Death Eaters. That alone could have me killed and I believe you're smart enough to understand that. As the wife of a prominent Death Eater I must side with them or lose my life, it is too much of a risk to have someone that close and not have them involved."

"But…" Ginny's mouth moved before she could think about her words. "Wouldn't you have the dark mark by now?"

Narcissa sneered. "Yes, I should, you're right." Ginny pondered this response; it wasn't actually an answer to her question.

Ginny waited.

"Ginny, I'm dying."

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Ginny stared up at her ceiling. The conversation with Narcissa had stunned her into what seemed like an eternal silence and she was excused for the day to recuperate. Draco had come calling and she'd told him she was sick, she felt terrible for lying but she wasn't ready to talk to him about everything that she had learned. Narcissa had expressed that Ginny was her confidante, now that she had seen Snape she must know it all and keep it secret.

Ginny hadn't been entirely sure what Narcissa needed to keep so secret but after the woman had gotten done explaining everything Ginny was well aware that what Narcissa knew could never be told.

Why had Ginny been chosen for her confidante? What had made Ginny worthy? Maybe it wasn't that she had been chosen, but instead, she had walked into it unawares and could not leave without knowing the whole story. She wondered if she had the whole story. Were there still things Narcissa had left out?

Ginny struggled with her thoughts. Was that why Narcissa had told her about Lee? Because she was dying? Did she want to make sure that if it happened overseas that Lee would find out? That he would know his love had passed on?

Furthermore, Ginny's relationship with Draco only seemed to complicate things a great deal. She would normally burst into his room and spill her guts (or at least she would with her other boyfriends and felt she would treat him with the same secrets she would have the others), but the fact that it was Narcissa who had told her not to tell Draco…

"Not until he's ready, Ginny, you can't tell him until he's ready to know…"

Ginny was so lost and her head swam with the secrets and questions she was now to bear until Draco was ready to bear them too. Ginny slipped into a restless sleep and didn't wake up until the next morning.

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Narcissa tapped her thin fingertip on the wood of her desktop. Ginny had taken everything well that morning when they had spoken, or as well as anyone could have responded to what she had been told. Narcissa had wanted to explain only a few of those things to her, omitting her condition, but found that the only way the girl could have the answers she needed was to have all of the information.

Narcissa stood and crossed to the fireplace in her private office. This room was on the third floor in the family wing. Both she and Lucius had private offices and Lucius, fool of a man that he was, let Narcissa place locks on her doors that would keep out even him. His trust didn't extend far but the trust he did give her cost him dearly. It was through her private office, after placing silencing charms around all of the windows and doors, after securing that the house elves would not intrude, that Narcissa would sit on her knees in front of the fireplace and speak into its flames.

Kneeling as she had done so many times before, she drew her hand across the coals and within minutes a face appeared, the same face that had sparked the conversation she had with Ginny earlier that day.

"Severus…" Narcissa sighed in relief. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to send for you."

He nodded in reply and she saw the look she had feared, sadness and worry. "I didn't realize she was with you, I knew she had been moved but I didn't realize she was with you at the Manor." He stated, his cold voice softening through the cracks of the coal.

Narcissa smiled. She had known for quite some time that Severus deeply cared for the young Ginny Weasley. If he could have he would have taken her into the protection of his hiding place. He had always favored her among the children; she reminded him of Lily in the way that she was not overtly talkative but all the same would defend both her family and friends. She was loyal and brave as most Gryffindors were but she was sharp and clever like a Slytherin. His paternal concern for Ginny had most likely made him ashamed to have seen her so soon, when she still thought of him as a traitor.

"Yes, Minerva had come to me in return for my information and had asked me to take her in. She's been here for some months now; she and Draco are an item if you can believe it." She saw a smile cross the man's face. Another of his favorites had always been Draco. Severus was in fact, Draco's godfather.

"I suppose I should be surprised but I'm not." Severus commented quietly. "Narcissa I should apologize, I hadn't meant to be seen."

Narcissa shook her head. "Don't worry; I told her nearly everything, she needed to know anyways. You know Severus, she admires you. She told me you were her favorite teacher, even despite what she had perceived as the truth with Dumbledore she still spoke of you so highly. I think in a way she was relieved to learn the truth. I think she knew it all along."

Severus gave a pained smile and looked away quickly. "Minerva's here, I'll get her so you two can talk for a moment." Narcissa nodded and Severus' face melted into the coals and was gone. After a few seconds Minerva's face appeared in the flames, worried and careworn as it always was.

"Narcissa, is everything alright? Severus told me just now that you had to speak with Ginny about… about…"

Narcissa interrupted. "Minerva, everything's alright. I've told her about Severus and the truth of his actions, about my condition, but nothing more."

Minerva nodded. "Well I suppose it's for the better anyways, she would have needed to know in the future and what better time than the present? And Draco? Does he know any of this?"

Narcissa shook her head. The truth was she was deeply afraid of having to acknowledge the severity of her condition, which she would have to do in talking to Draco. She was afraid of what it would do to him, to know that his mother was dying. More so he didn't even know about Severus. All that he knew was that his godfather had saved him from killing a man and postponed his entanglement in the Death Eaters for another day.

"I don't know how to tell him, to be honest. I don't know how to tell him that all he's been taught is a lie and the only person who knows what to do about it that he'll listen to is about to die." She bit back the bitter tears that burned at her eyelids. She wouldn't cry after crying so many times.

"I'm so sorry Narcissa, I'll let you and Severus finish speaking." Minerva bid her farewell and left the fireplace to be replaced by Severus.

"Narcissa, before I go I have to know…" There was no need for him to finish the sentence. Narcissa knew what he was going to ask. He always asked it at the end of every conversation.

Narcissa sighed. It was a futile attempt on her part to avoid that question. "Two years."

There was no need to say anything more and the two bid their farewells. Narcissa watched as Severus disappeared and the coals went cold and dark.

Two years. She had two years.

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Ginny woke to the sound of a knock from her balcony. Outside it was dusk and the wind was blowing around the branches of nearby trees. Sitting up and pushing herself from the bed, she smiled as Draco came into view. Broom in hand, he rapped lightly on the glass once more before seeing he had finally woken her up. She reached up, unlocked the doors and walked out.

"I was wondering where you were, you shouldn't disappear like that, you'll make a man worry." His concern made Ginny's heart race in her chest. Blushing, she let him pull her into an embrace. After a moment of some rather wonderful snogging they parted. "I've got a surprise for you, hop on." They saddled onto his broom and with a last glance at her bedroom they lifted off from her balcony.

Oh, the feeling of flight. Right before the rider of a broom picks their feet up off of the ground there's a rush over every last inch of their body, like a jolt of electricity. Then as the broom slowly rises upwards adrenaline begins to pump through the veins and the rider is inflated with sheer joy. Just as they reach a good height to look down over everything below them it's as if nothing can hurt them, a sense of freedom.

Ginny loved to fly. She had been elated when she was chosen as a chaser for the Quidditch team. Practicing with her friends, flying about, all of this made the sport the supreme culmination of everything in life that made her happy. She hadn't flown in a while; in fact here on Draco's broom was the first time since she had been at the Manor that she had flown. And it was even before than since she had flown last.

It had been a little more than three weeks since their return to the Manor from America. Ginny and Draco's relationship, oddly enough, had done nothing but blossom in that time. Their dancing lessons proved to be distracted by playfulness and sexual innuendo, dinners were more enjoyable with comfortable conversation, and Lucius had been gone for quite some time. Ginny had only seen him two times for dinner since America and they were within the same week.

Narcissa and Ginny had barely spoken about Snape or the illness, Ginny was afraid to bring any of it up. She wanted to ask about Snape, how he was doing and where he was, but she didn't want to pry. More so, she wanted to know what Narcissa was ill with, was there anything that could help it? There had been many times when Ginny had tried to tell Draco but she couldn't bring herself to. That was something best left to Narcissa to tell. She couldn't even begin to imagine his outrage at Ginny being told and not he.

They circled the Manor and began descending over the rear of the property where the Malfoys owned fifty acres of land when Ginny saw what Draco had wanted to show her.

Beneath them tents were going up, lights being hung, lanterns being tied to tree branches and tables set up for the All Hallows Eve ball that was to happen the very next night.

Ginny and Draco had spent many an hour debating over their costumes, Draco had initially wanted to go as Harry with a bolt of lightening through his chest but Ginny protested, both for it's crudeness and for the fact that it would remind her too much of Harry. "It would ruin my night" she insisted and Draco dropped it.

They instead decided that Ginny would be a tree nymph and Draco would be a vampire. Ginny had tried her hardest to have them match but if Draco couldn't be a dead Harry Potter, he was going as a vampire. Ginny was simply not going as a vampire and decided on something more feminine.

Ginny's breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. Smiling, she wrapped her arms more tightly around Draco's waist and inspected where the ball was going to take place more closely. The trees were wrapped in assorted ornaments, the tents were shear on top so the dancers could see up to the stars should they choose to. The sides were swept into columns to create openings every twenty feet or so.

Ginny leaned forward and placed her lips against his ear. "Can we go down and see it up close?" Draco turned back, smiling at her slightly before pushing the broom to lower them to the ground. Setting his feet on the ground, Draco stood and helped Ginny off of the broom.

She took his hand and they moved forward. The house elves scattered about, magicking things into place. "I didn't think house elves could do magic here." Ginny observed.

Draco, arm protectively around her waist as they moved around, just smiled. "When Lucius isn't home mother lets them use magic to do their work. She figures it gets done quicker and with more accuracy than when they do it without."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "It doesn't make sense to make people who serve you so unhappy."

"They're not people." Draco corrected.

Ginny frowned. "No, but they're not emotionless or soulless either. They're bound to do a better job of work and be more loyal if they were treated properly."

Draco hummed his agreement or concession, Ginny didn't know which, and the subject was dropped.

As they crossed to the middle of the tent a house elf lifted the top of a box and released a mass of black and dark purple butterflies the glittered against the night sky. Gasping lightly, Ginny watched as they fluttered and flew about the top of the tent, never once leaving its boundaries. She assumed there was a magic wall put up to keep them in. The colors of the butterflies were beautiful despite their somber nature and took her breath away.

Draco, smiling like a fool, held Ginny close to him and they watched the butterflies glow beneath the lights above them for some time.

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The butterflies flitted across the starry background above them. They swirled around each other making patterns in the atmosphere of lights and reached out to the edges of the tent before pulling back in and flirting with the guests.

Ginny smiled and was pulled into a dip by Draco. Looking into his blue eyes she felt her face grow hot. He pulled her up and as the song ended the crowd around them applauded before mingling with each other.

Draco excused himself to get drinks for them and Ginny just looked around. This night was so much more different than the one at the beginning of the month. Where the last ball had been a combination of discovering what the Malfoy grand events were like and adjusting to the social strata around her, this one appeared to leave her alone with Draco.

Well, that was until she saw Pansy saunter over to Draco. Rolling her eyes in utter disgust and complete exhaustion with the girl, Ginny walked over to where Pansy stood eyeing Draco.

"Really I'm not interested- Ginny! Here…" Draco made his way around Pansy who was looking quite destitute at Draco's sudden lack of attention, and handed Ginny her drink.

"Thanks, I was just wondering what was taking you so long." Ginny smiled sweetly and took a sip. "Pansy I didn't know you had been invited." Ginny's eyes trailed across the girl she had done her best to avoid while in school.

Pansy had done a good job of tending to her hair (she had cut it too short and had begun taking hair growth potions to resolve the problem), but she still looked like a pug. She had somehow found out what Draco was and came dressed in full Victorian attire with gothic makeup and bite marks on her cleavage. Ginny gagged. As she felt Draco's arm snake around her waist Ginny smirked as Pansy went vividly livid.

It probably was a combination of the fact that Draco had his arm wrapped around Ginny in a possessive manner that had never been bestowed upon Pansy, and the fact that Ginny looked absolutely fabulous.

Ginny's outfit consisted of a dark emerald green sheer fabric which wrapped around her chest and torso like a corset. Beneath it was a thin green silk across her breasts to maintain her modesty. Her skirt clung to her body like leather and only reached her mid thighs but a sheer gold fabric was wrapped around it that fell to her knees and tied on her side. Her feet were bare but wrapped in the same emerald silk as her breasts. It wrapped around the arches of her feet, around her ankles, and up her calves until it tied off beneath her knees.

Pansy opened her mouth to say something, shut it, and then finally snapped "I'm always invited to Malfoy affairs." She turned and stomped off to her group of waiting gossipers. Ginny sighed and shook her head.

"One day, she will find a way of being less… Pansy. I feel it."

Draco snorted. "That's not very insightful, everyone dies one day."

Ginny just shook her head again and laid her head on Draco's shoulder, reveling in the silky fabric of his costume.

Draco was not dressed traditionally. He wore a Tudor style white shirt; the sleeves were large around his upper arms but fitted at his forearms. He wore black form fitting pants which showed off his muscular legs and black riding boots. His teeth had been magicked to look like those of vampires with menacing fangs that made Ginny's stomach flip. He had agreed to her protests and let his hair down without gel.

Draco pulled her along to the outskirts of the tent before finally leading them down the path of the garden. They walked in silence, hands clasped, occasionally taking sips from their champagne flutes, and listened to the sounds of the night around them. The din of the crowd they had left was faint over the wind blowing through the tall oak trees. Their branches were strong but swayed in rhythm with the gusts of air making music with the leaves.

To their side the fountain bubbled, drawing them to the place where it all, in a roundabouts ways, began.

"You look beautiful." Draco muttered, eyes on Ginny's shoulder as they sat on the fountain's edge.

Ginny turned, shocked by his sudden seriousness. Blushing under the midnight starlight, she pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear. Draco's eyes surveyed her body for a moment before meeting hers. Leaning over, accidentally sending their glasses into the fountain, Draco pressed himself against her. Locking lips, they entwined their arms around each others body. Ginny's when about Draco's neck and his around her waist as he pulled her into his lap.

Ginny's heart raced, she loved it when he grabbed her suddenly and brought them into this euphoric type kiss. She had to admit there was something between them that caused the static in the air to turn into electricity that shocked their skin when they touched. Something between them made the world go quiet except for the quickened breaths they shared and the beating of their hearts. Something between them was magic and had nothing to do with their ability to perform magic.

Gasping as Draco pulled away from her lips and began to caress her neck with soft kisses, Ginny tipped her head to the side. "Draco…" She whispered lightly. Draco responded, pulling her even closer so she was nearly straddling him. "Draco…" She whispered again, hands weaving through his hair. "Draco! Ow!" Ginny pushed back on him and clapped a hand over her neck. Pulling it away she saw traces of blood on her palm.

Draco grinned. "Sorry, had to try them out." He shrugged and helped her up. "At least now we make sense." He offered.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, a vampire was just strolling through the woods one day and bit a nymph."

Draco took her hand and they started back for the tent. "Well, that's sort of how we happened."

Ginny thought about the truth in his words. It did seem that Draco would very undoubtedly be compared to a vampire, an aged creature on the prowl for its next prey. And Ginny very accurately portrayed a nymph, sometimes other-worldly, or at least lost in one, and innocent.

Nodding in agreement to Draco's words Ginny added, "Yes, but you didn't draw blood the first time."

Draco smirked. "I was just marking my territory."

Laughing Ginny hooked arms with him as they rejoined the crowd. "Oh, you dog, you."