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.
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: So Draco's back but I warn you… they will not be making it like rabbits anytime soon… Or at least not in this chapter. Remember D/G! All will be smutty and romantic and wonderful in the end… have faith!
Author's Note: Some of you have very good instincts…
And bless all of you who offered to beta… you should all be showered with flowers and goodies and Draco-dolls!
Chapter Twenty-One: Future Endeavors
Ginny's hand stalled in bringing her champagne glass from her lips. In the matter of seconds she and Draco were sharing eye contact her face grew warm, her fingers began to tremble, her breathing quickened and her heart began to race. She had thought she would have been prepared to see him but she honestly wasn't. Now that he was across the massive room with people crossing in front of them, all she wanted was to put more space between them. She didn't know why she was so afraid to speak to him, but she had this feeling it wouldn't go over well.
Draco's expression had been relatively blank while the seconds ticked by but as Ginny waited she saw a sneer cross his features. "Ginevra?" She turned to find Laurent looking directly at Draco and felt his hand fall to the small of her back protectively. He reached out and took her shaking glass from her and applied slight pressure to her back. "Come, I want you to meet someone." Looking back at Draco, she saw him casting a particularly controlled death glare in Laurent's direction.
Was he jealous, she thought? Was he angry that she moved on so quickly and wanted to get back with her? But those thoughts made her feel terrible, she really did like Laurent and she deserved to be happy. If only things with Draco weren't so complicated. Was he really with Pansy or was she just a guest? He'd always complained about her so much she must be just a guest. And Ginny really shouldn't have been thinking about these thoughts, she decided, because she was with Laurent and she wouldn't leave him just for Draco.
Nodding, swallowing roughly to dispel her cottonmouth, she let Laurent guide her to a group of men and women in a corner. Ginny's eyes drifted back to Draco as she was steered away and saw him follow the two with his eyes. He only looked away when Pansy tugged on his arm and dragged him over to his father. Ginny's eyes turned back to her present company, two couples both in which the husband was a Ministry official in some department to deal with international communications.
She was far too engrossed in the previous long-distance encounter to pay much attention though, and did her best to nod or smile when was appropriate and partake in the conversation by making noncommittal noises like "hmm" and "ahh". After Laurent saw she wasn't quite up to socializing, he excused them and led her away. "Ginevra are you alright?" He asked, hand still on her lower back.
Sighing, Ginny rested the palm of her hand on her stomach, catching her breath. "Yes, Ren, I'm fine really."
"Do you need to sit down?"
Before Ginny could formulate a response, however, a booming voice hushed the crowds. "Ladies and gentlemen," Lucius' voice echoed among the audience. "I thank you for joining us here tonight to celebrate both the summer and my son Draco's return." The audience clapped jovially. Ginny could barely lift her hands as she searched the room for a familiar hair of pale blonde.
Lucius continued by asking everyone to enjoy themselves but Ginny was busy plotting different excuses to end the night early. It was like a tidal wave beating down on her, she really hadn't any idea that seeing Draco would be so awkward for her. Especially with Parkinson of all people! If he was going to leave her for someone at least have it be someone who was in competition with her.
Now, now Ginny, you're starting to get a bit full of yourself. She mentally scolded herself.
"Ginevra?" Laurent's voice invaded her train of thought and she turned to him. His face was pulled together in a surprisingly attractive frown as he looked down at her. "Why don't you sit down, yes? I can go get you some water. Maybe that would help?"
Supposing he assumed she was just overheated, she nodded and allowed him to lead her to the garden where she sat down on a bench near the French doors. "I'll be back with some water, you just rest."
Not chancing accidentally letting her voice break or something like it, she nodded again and he disappeared inside the manor. Maybe, she thought, she could remain outside for the duration of the night therein completely avoiding both Draco and Pansy and simply sneak back up to her room at the tail end of the evening. It sounded like a good plan and she was congratulating herself on coming up with something when she heard footsteps behind her.
Of course it would turn out that it was Draco and Pansy, arm in arm, wandering the walkways of the garden. Ginny quickly turned back around on the bench, praying they hadn't seen her and hoping she could play like she didn't even know they were there. All was going well until Pansy let out a painfully high pitched giggle that even the dead could've heard. Panicking, Ginny was about to walk back inside when Laurent appeared before her with two flutes of water in his hands.
"Here you are Ginevra." He said, handing her one.
Parting her lips to suggest they go inside, she was interrupted by the abrupt silence that fell on the couple to her back and the look that crossed Laurent's face. Now this look she hadn't seen before on his features, though it was something she was familiar with from Hogwarts. It was the look of jealousy and a tinge of a grudge. Why it would appear on Laurent's face as he noticed the arrival of Draco and Pansy, Ginny wasn't sure, but her brain slowly began wondering if Laurent and Draco had ever met before.
"Good evening." Laurent said stiffly, nodding to Draco and Pansy. Ginny did her best to remain facing forward, avoiding eye contact with her ex-boyfriend and his new (old) girlfriend. Ginny could almost feel Pansy shifting so that she was halfway on Draco, halfway showing her cleavage off to Laurent.
She wasn't sure, but Ginny could've sworn bile had risen in the back of her throat.
"Pleasure is ours." Pansy cooed in that slippery voice she used when she tried to tease males. Surveying Laurent's face, though, Ginny saw not just the lack of interest, but a slight revulsion play across his face. This, of course, made her feel a bit better about the whole situation. Laurent lowered his lifted eyebrow and turned his attention to Draco who, Ginny suspected, was giving him as blank an expression as he was giving Ginny earlier. The cool Malfoy indifference.
"Yes." Were the only words she heard from him before he and Pansy continued walking past where she and Laurent were. They were almost past where she sat when Pansy tugged on Draco's arm a little more forcefully than was necessary and turned to face Ginny.
Had she not known Draco so intimately, Ginny wouldn't have been able to pick it out, but a slight wave of anger crossed his well controlled features before it settled. So he was angry at her.
"And Ginny Weasley, it's been a long time hasn't it?" Pansy asked, smirk playing on her face.
"Not so long I'd forget all the memories we had from school." Ginny replied coldly, gripping her flute with as much grace as she could, trying not to shatter the glass in her fist. She smiled slightly, attempting to use the same Slytherin social etiquette she had seen from them in school. Make it very clear your meanings, but not through words or actions, she'd had it explained to her by Draco.
Pansy's smirk faltered before she shook her hair out of her face. It had been curled tightly and settled at her jaw, it wasn't a good look for her pinched features. "I do apologize we weren't better friends, class difference you know." Ginny was well aware of what Pansy was doing using the word "class". She meant both age and economics, but Ginny was more than prepared for a stab at her upbringing.
"Yes, but look at me now. Perhaps we could get closer seeing as I'm a Malfoy in Lucius and Narcissa's eyes. Why, Lucius even invited me to join him in meeting with Rufus Scrimgeour just the other day." Using Lucius' first name was a gamble but it seemed to pay off as Pansy lost a bit of the color from her cheeks and Draco clearly was trying to keep from asking more questions. His silver eyes were on her now, daring her delve deeper into details about the venture, but she wouldn't.
Pansy seemed for a moment like she was going to cease fire, but then her face contorted into some sort of demented smile. "I did hear a juicy piece of gossip though, is it true about you and Zabini?"
Ginny's face erupted in heat as she clenched her jaw and set down her water, refusing to be tempted into shattering the flute and using a jagged piece to slit the jugular in Pansy's neck. "I'm not sure what you mean." Ginny responded, eyes trained on Draco for reaction. He was looking at Pansy now. What Pansy would see was slight disinterest, what Ginny saw however was controlled rage. This confused her even more though, why would he be mad about Pansy bringing that up? Because he had saved Ginny and he was embarrassed about it maybe?
"Oh you know," Pansy continued, faltering under the request for detail. "That you two were an item." She finished.
Ginny relaxed a bit. Maybe she hadn't heard the whole story. "Only for a time, we didn't have that much in common." Ginny grabbed up her glass and turned to Laurent, standing. "How about I show you the garden?" She was referring to her portion of it, and would love the chance to get away since where she had planted her flowers was in the very back of the gardens.
Laurent nodded, holding out his arm for Ginny to take. "Of course, mon cher." He added, darting a gaze to Pansy and Draco before turning in the direction of where Ginny's part of the garden was. "Good to meet you." He called back, waving a hand in the air as he and Ginny walked off. Ginny couldn't fight the feeling that if she turned around Draco would be staring her down like his life depended on it.
Thankful that they were about to be out of view and earshot from Draco and Pansy, Ginny exhaled and felt the muscles in her shoulders loosen even though she hadn't felt them tense in the first place. "How awful." She muttered to herself.
"That girl is very rude, no? I could tell she was jealous of you." Laurent smiled down at Ginny as they walked along the cobblestones, their footsteps echoing in the night air. Although she was still in a terrible mood she couldn't help but give him a small smile back for trying to make her feel better. "You know though, she has many reasons to be. She is far from being as lovely as you." He slowed them to a stop and turned Ginny to face him.
Ginny was instantly grateful that Laurent had the charm to make her feel better. Leave it to compliments on her beauty to improve her mood. She'd have to make a note to tell her mother about how she'd lost her urge for humble pie in favor of hearing Laurent's sweet comments. Smiling, she nodded and sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist as he pulled her against him. "She's just an ugly person all around, I'm afraid."
Laurent hummed in agreement and they stood there for a moment, the sounds of the party echoing out across the flowers and trees that swayed in the wind. "Who is this Zabini?" Laurent asked, running his fingertips up and down the middle of her back.
Biting her lower lip in thought, Ginny hesitated to divulge the entire story but figured it wouldn't do any harm. "He was someone I had dated in sorts when I first moved here. He tried to force himself on me and that ended things pretty quickly."
"He didn't!" Laurent jerked away, looking with worry into her eyes. He reached up and pushed a stray tendril behind her ear. "He is not here tonight is he?"
"No. No, he's not." She assured him, resting the palms of her hands on his chest. "I don't think he even got an invite, if I remember correctly." She leaned in, her forehead resting against his shoulder. "It happened a couple of months ago; I'm over it really."
She felt Laurent's arms snake around her back and hold her protectively against him. It was then that a thought occurred to her. "Ren?" She asked, leaning back to look up at him.
He raised his eyebrows in question and waited for her to continue.
"Have you and Draco met before?"
And there it was again, that something behind his eyes that she couldn't quite define. Laurent looked away, pursing his lips in concentration. "I can't say for certain though I'm sure we have to have met before, what with my aunt and his mother so close. It couldn't have been recently if we did. I don't remember. Still, the things I heard of him are not so good."
Ginny frowned without meaning to. "What things?"
Laurent shrugged, running his thumbs against her arms. "Just that he is not too kind to people who are not like him, that he isn't friendly or doesn't always show proper respect." He placed a kiss to her forehead and despite herself she felt her cheeks grow warm. "It is not so much that I think he is a bad person, I just don't think I would keep him as a friend."
Ginny nodded, wanting to change the subject to something less depressing.
"Ginevra?" A voice came from behind her.
She turned to find Claire walking up to where she and Laurent stood. Parting out of habit, Ginny turned to Claire with a smile on her lips. "Claire! How are you?"
Claire smiled and reached out her hands for Ginny's, taking them and pulling her back towards the Manor. "Lovely dear, of course, but Narcissa sent me to find you two. She figured you would be in your garden. It is time for you and Draco to dance, you see."
Ginny halted, but recovered by leaning down as if to adjust her shoe. "Dance?" She asked, unable to form a complete sentence at the thought of being thrown together in such close spaces with Draco so soon.
Claire waited patiently as Ginny fixed the problem that didn't exist. "Yes, yes, you see Lucius thought it would be a good idea for the two of you to have a dance since you two are so close now."
Leave it to Lucius to ruin my night, Ginny mentally scowled but attempted to compose herself outwardly. "Why yes, of course." She followed Claire back to the ballroom with Laurent close behind.
Claire let go her hold on Ginny and walked up to Lucius to inform him that they could start the dance. Behind her Ginny felt Laurent rest his hand on her lower back and lean in. "Remember to save a dance for me, mon cher." He whispered and was gone before Claire walked back.
"Come now, Ginevra!" Claire clapped her hands and led Ginny to Lucius' side where Draco was waiting. She hoped they wouldn't make a show of it, but of course she knew better.
Lucius tapped his wand to his wine glass and the room was almost suddenly silenced. "Because they might as well be siblings," Lucius began, "Draco and Ginevra shall share a dance." He announced.
Great, Ginny thought, the entire room would be watching them. The dance floor cleared and all of a sudden she felt the electric presence beside her that alerted her to Draco's close proximity. Turning her head slightly she saw him offer his arm and setting her hand on it, they walked out to the middle of the room.
Ginny felt like someone had filled her with molten lead as she followed Draco, as if all of her movements were heavy and slow. She was growing warmer by the minute, increasingly uncomfortable with having to be so close to him, increasingly uncomfortable for wanting to be. They stopped once they reached the center and as if by choreography, turned to face each other, falling into a well rehearsed dance position.
In the seconds before the music started up, Ginny avoided looking Draco in the eyes, deciding instead to find something interesting just past his left ear. Finally there was a sound of violins and they were moving fluidly around the floor as if they were just practicing in the room alone. Twirling about, turning, dipping, counting each step, Ginny soon lost focus to the people around her and instead she focused on the man in front of her.
Since he had walked in he'd rolled down the sleeve of his shirt which made her feel much better. In a way she felt as if the Dark Mark she saw scarring his skin may have just been a figment of her imagination. He still smelt like he always did, like spices and soap. She remembered going in to lie on his bed just after he had left to smell his cologne on the sheets. Now that same smell haunted her.
His hair was longer and hung around his shoulders, chin, and eyes like curtains of pale blonde. His eyes were still the same color from what she could tell, but she would dare glancing up in fear that she may never look away. Beneath her hands his muscles took up more space beneath his skin than they used to and moved with more precision than she remembered. There was a gentleness that had been lost in the way he held her, though it may have been just the discomfort they both shared in dancing together.
As she let herself be guided about the dance floor, feeling the music slowing to the end of the song, she dared a look at his face. Raising her eyes from his neck to his jaw she saw the strong familiar lines she had blushed about when they first started dating. Moving further up his lips were still the same lips, still slightly pink and thin, though his bottom lip was still plump enough to kiss. His nose was the same angled, jutting feature and his cheeks were still high and fair.
And his eyes were trained on her, as if reading every thought that went through her mind. There was an intensity behind them, a mixture of uncontrolled anger and bitterness, and something she wanted so badly to call sadness. She wanted to look away, wanted to fall out of the spell he was slowly weaving around them, but couldn't. Around her hand, his hand tightened and against her lower back she felt his finger stiffen against her.
They remained that way for a second until the song was over. They slowed, stopped, and parted somewhat slowly. Draco bowed deeply as was custom, and Ginny dipped down, touching her chin to her chest. As they stood there was almost the feeling that words may be exchanged, but Laurent was close behind her and took this time to step up, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"I have to interrupt, I must have the next dance, Ginevra." He said, a little louder than necessary, and Draco was gone before Ginny could even accept the invitation.
She let herself be swept up into another dance and was as well swept away by the night. It was the end of the ball before she knew it and Laurent escorted her back to her room.
She closed the door behind her and felt oddly satisfied at the click it made in the dark silence of her room. Without a thought of the night, not wanting to address anything until the next morning, she shed her dress, throwing it onto a nearby chair, pulled on her night clothes, and promptly fell asleep in her bed without even taking the charms out of her hair.
Ginny first became aware of the drifting of her dream, how it faded like the distance through a mist. As the heat from the morning sun on her back became more and more real, the warmth from the sheets, the way her body seemed as if it were meant to be in this position collided against her brain, she remembered faintly the remnants of her dream. Instead of great fear and apprehension at the ball last night, she had felt joy and excitement at seeing Draco. They had embraced and she had cried and they had kissed.
But as she sighed, knowing full well that reality was her bed and the sun and the day ahead of her, she knew that dream could not be real. No, the night before had been quite the opposite from her dream. More so, she was stricken with a pang of guilt at dreaming about Draco after last night's events having never dreamt about Laurent before.
Swallowing, noticing she was in dire need of brushing her teeth and showering, she slowly pulled the covers away from her with small kicks of her feet. She rose up out of the bed, crossed the warm wooden floor into her bathroom and began again the daily routine she had fit into so well. She never could take up all the time Narcissa had allotted her for getting ready and was allowed to sleep in a bit. This helped Ginny greatly since she also couldn't seem to go to bed before eleven either.
After a shower, brushing her teeth, casting a few makeup charms and hair charms, she left the still slightly steaming bathroom and began pulling clothes from her wardrobe. She knew for sure she wanted to look good for Laurent (and she wanted to look drop dead gorgeous so Pansy, whom Ginny had learned was staying in the Manor for the next few weeks, could have an appropriately sized cow), so instead of her usual casual attire she opted for something slightly more feminine.
Ginny, Narcissa, and Claire had spent some time before her trip to France shopping and Ginny had practically been instructed to buy at least ten new outfits. Claire had suggested a specific number, which Ginny now pulled from her wardrobe and went away adorning herself with the matching accessories.
Twenty minutes before breakfast Ginny stepped out of her bedroom, black knee-high boots clicking and echoing in the hallway. This dress, which Ginny hadn't seen before, was something Claire called a "dropped waist" dress. Ginny assumed it was because the dress seemed to have no waist outside of the thick band around her thighs. Well, she thought, it should have been a waist except there was nothing below it. In fact, the dress was really just a rectangular shaped off-the-shoulders number that was trying it's best to keep her legs together.
At least that's what she thought. She figured, however, that this dress would suit the occasion since it hit dangerously high on her thigh even though it was still appropriate for the company she would be in, and displayed her shoulders beautifully. She shook her arms, loosening her muscles, listening to her bangle bracelets and feeling the smooth cotton fabric of the wide sleeves which stopped at her elbows.
She had to admit she must have been a sight to see that morning. Her dark red hair she had left into large curls loose around her back and shoulders, her dress was a dark but vibrant purple which paired nicely with her slightly fair complexion and hair, and just to make sure she was as modest as possible, before leaving she slipped on a pair of black leggings. Smiling a bit to herself, she checked to make positive her dangling silver earrings were still in her lobes before stepping through the doorway to the dining room.
There was still a small amount of people there for breakfast so the formal dining room was unnecessary. As she closed the door behind her she noticed Laurent was in deep conversation with Narcissa who glanced over at Ginny, lifted an eyebrow approvingly, and continued on with her conversation. Next she saw Draco and Lucius in deep conversation with Pansy lurking nearby with arms crossed, clearly not part of the conversation. Claire was nowhere to be seen but she always turned up right as the clock struck.
Behind her the door opened and closed and Ginny turned to find the last member of their party and smiled. "Claire! Good morning, I hope you slept well."
Claire smiled and touched her chin with a finger. "Marvelous, Ginevra, and you look wonderful in my dress!" She exclaimed in reply, grinning proudly at her idea succeeding.
Claire went over to Narcissa and Ginny, risking exposure to Draco but feeling the need to add insult to the injury she was sure to cause Pansy with her gleaming appearance, headed for Lucius.
Just as she approached them, as if the fates had heard her prayers, Lucius turned his eyes towards her and actually paused mid-sentence. She wouldn't have been sure if she'd made a mistake if it hadn't been for the way his lips turned up slightly as he closed his lips, stood straighter, and nodded his head. "Good morning, Ginevra." He said smoothly.
She saw Draco go a bit rigid beside her and fought to hide her glee as Pansy nearly dropped her jaw on the floor. Ginny was sure the poor girl had been standing there all morning trying to get a word in edgewise and here Ginny walked up and got Lucius to stop his conversation entirely for someone who had previously been nothing but scum in his eyes. Pansy may call it unfair, Ginny called it poetic justice.
Alright, it might not have been terribly ironic but Ginny was basking in this change of tides. "Good morning, Lucius, hope your day has been well so far?" She asked, twisting her tone of voice so it was light and charming. If she was going to put on airs, she may as well do it right.
Lucius raised an eyebrow and his smile widened slightly. "Business as usual, I spoke with Scrimgeour and he has extended an invitation to you as a guest to an important Ministry get-together." Ginny nearly laughed. It was far too comical how things were working out for her this morning.
"That sounds wonderful! You must tell him I accept of course, do you know what this get-together is exactly?" Ginny crossed her arms casually in front of her, on hand holding the opposite elbow as the other hand dangled in air as she'd seen Claire do before. Beside her Pansy was still staring open-mouthed at them.
Lucius nodded. Before he could explain, breakfast was served though and instead he held out his arm to escort her to her seat. She took it, turning her back on both Draco and Pansy, congratulating herself on having not once snuck a peak at Draco. "It's a meeting that includes the heads of certain departments," Lucius continued to explain, guiding her away from her usual spot beside Narcissa instead to the spot to his left.
Glancing at Narcissa, Ginny saw the woman follow this with her eyes but show no other interest in the change of seating arrangement. Instead, Claire sat in Ginny's former place, Laurent in the middle, and Ginny on the other side. Once Lucius sat down it became obvious that Draco would be to his right and Pansy to Draco's. Sadly enough for Pansy, the only person she would have close conversation with would be Draco, no one else acting as if they cared to strum up dialogue with her.
"It also includes influential members of society like the editors of papers, executives of businesses and the like." Lucius went on. "I've been invited as well and will introduce you to the appropriate people."
Ginny couldn't help the shiver that fought to erupt across her body at the thought of the word 'appropriate' and what it could possibly mean to someone like Lucius Malfoy. But, like they say, when in Rome… She would simply have to take the opportunities presented to her. When she had been home her father, no matter how much he hated to say it, had told her that the connections she made while with the Malfoys could only make life after her becoming of age easier. If she ever wanted to work in the wizarding world as it was now, she would need all the help the Malfoys could give her and she was not in a position to refuse friends when they could be given- no matter how questionable in nature.
Breakfast was quiet, bordering on awkward as everyone poked at their food and pushed it around their plates. Even Lucius could be seen inspecting the silent crowd and shifting his arm slightly. It was all the discomfort he showed that morning, but it was enough to let Ginny know that the tension was more than palpable enough to the group. Just as the dishes were being cleared away, Ginny saw Pansy not-so-inconspicuously elbow Draco and clear her throat.
It dawned on Ginny that the girl had seemed rather interested in finding a moment to bring something up, but was always talked over or glared at by Draco. It seemed Pansy was more than adamant enough to have whatever it was she wanted said to be addressed before everyone left. Draco rolled his eyes though, and stood, placing his palms firmly on the table.
"If you don't mind everyone, a word before you go about your days?" He asked, a little bored.
Lucius nodded, sitting back in his chair with mild interest etched on his face. Ginny waited patiently, looking over at Narcissa for any clue of what might be going on but the thin line created by the woman's lips conveyed that she knew just as little as everyone else and wasn't amused by it.
"Pansy and I have known each other for quite some time and have come to realize we feel strongly for each other." At this Pansy made some sort of high pitched squeal that everyone jumped at, turned to look at her, and upon seeing she hadn't choked to death turned back to Draco. After giving Pansy a slightly confused look, Draco continued. "As such we have decided to continue our lives together and are to be wed."
Lucius smiled, Laurent raised an eyebrow and started clapping slowly, not sure what to do, Claire gave an excited "aha!" at the prospect of seeing a wedding, Narcissa gasped, and Ginny forgot to breathe for a moment.