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: My beta has not seen this but I felt I should at least put it up so you could read it.
Author's Note: I really must apologize for the late update. School hit really hard, all of my classes had big tests at once and I had to juggle getting my car worked on, learning my job in a week, and trying to get something that resembled sleep every night. I hope this chapter is worthy of the time it took me to write it.
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Calm Before the Storm
Malfoy Manor had been swarmed with occupants within the first eight hours after Draco's announcement at the breakfast table. Narcissa, trying to keep some sort of composure had excused herself to go about making arrangements for the wedding and while leaving the room gave Draco a meaningful look that clearly conveyed their conversation had only yet to begin. Claire had practically skipped after Narcissa, declaring her desire to help in any way possible.
She reminded Ginny a bit of Fleur: French, a little arrogant, and easy to amuse.
Draco had joined his father in Lucius' study to talk about business, which Ginny could only assume meant they'd be smoking cigars, drinking brandy, and discussing ways to combine the fortunes and businesses of Parkinson and Malfoy.
Pansy, who had since been smiling smugly, turned to Ginny and resting her elbows on the table to prop up her chin, sighed happily.
Ginny, who would have none of Pansy's poor attempts to irritate her, lifted an eyebrow. Deciding against making a snide comment about Pansy having her elbows on the table, figuring the pug-faced twit would take it as jealousy; Ginny instead smiled widely and wove her arm through Laurent's. Pansy's smile faltered. "Pansy I'm so happy for you! I can't explain how great it is to know that Draco was able to move on after we broke up."
Ginny was partially happy that looks could not, in fact, kill, because at that time Pansy narrowed her eyes into slits. She parted her lips to retort but Ginny stood abruptly, startling Pansy into silence.
"Well, be sure to leave an invitation for me, though since the wedding will most likely be here I'll be part of Draco's guest list. Good luck with the planning and whatnot!" Ginny and Laurent moved for the door and as she stepped through into the hallway, Ginny turned to look over her shoulder and smirked at the dumbstruck Pansy.
Ginny had no lessons that day, which was wonderful since she didn't want to watch Narcissa try to remain calm meanwhile housing a hurricane of fury beneath her well-concealed guise. Instead, Ginny and Laurent spent most of the day together making small talk. For all that Ginny was able to hide her confusion about Draco's return, arm linked with Pansy's, she had no ability to hide her shock of Draco's declaration that morning.
She supposed Laurent knew this, for he did his best to choose topics that required little emotion or thinking on Ginny's part, and occasionally let the conversation sink into silence. During these moments Ginny's thoughts would wander to what she had seen in the past twenty four hours since Draco's return. He'd seemed extremely upset about something the night before. Was it that he didn't think she would move on quickly?
Was he really just reaffirming suspicions of a terrible ego? Or was there something more?
Ginny would love to believe there was something more, everything would make more sense (even though it would also raise more questions). But she couldn't let herself play into false hope. She wouldn't make a repeat of Harry Potter with Draco.
Instead, she decided that if Draco still had feelings for her, proposing to Pansy was an extremely cowardly way of going about things after he had broken up with Ginny. And if Draco wanted to be a coward, Ginny would treat him like one. She would continue her relationship with Laurent (she realized now that it had been in question as she mulled over her thoughts), and she would let Draco do as he please. He'd be in charge of calling the shots that way Ginny could make no mistakes and waste no time.
--
From two stories up Draco stood at the window of his father's study overlooking the gardens of Malfoy Manor, watching as Ginny and Laurent circled the pathways in silence. His fingertips gripped the rim of the small brandy snifter in his hand, threatening to possibly send it falling to the floor, but holding it firmly enough that it wouldn't. His jaw was set and Lucius watched as his son intently followed the two figures in the garden below.
"When did Claire arrive?" Draco asked voice a little tight.
A dark scowl crossed Lucius' face before his features fell back into a carefully controlled calm. "About two months after you left." He replied with a sort of disinterest. He was anything but disinterested, however. He was watching Draco closely for any reaction.
Lucius would be disappointed, and was, with Draco's cold acceptance of this news. With a nod Draco sipped his drink and turned back to Lucius who had to quickly school his surprise. "I hope she'll be able to stay for the wedding, although it seems she'll become a key part in planning." Draco smiled though it seemed a little forced.
There was silence in the room as Draco and Lucius sipped at their brandy and looked at different areas in the room. "I assume you've been in talks with the Parkinsons?" Draco asked, turning to his father.
Lucius, nodding, sat down in one of the wingback chairs. "I have. They've agreed to fifty percent of their profits as part of Pansy's dowry for the first five years and then thirty percent for every year after that."
Draco nodded, taking a seat across from his father in front of the fire.
--
Ginny leaned over the banister of her balcony looking out at the gardens. She'd made it relatively unscathed through the day and hadn't seen Draco since that morning. At dinner it was only Narcissa, Claire and Laurent. Lucius, Draco, and Pansy had decided to talk business with Pansy's family and Narcissa found she had neither the patience nor interest to be bothered with the Parkinsons that day. In fact at dinner she had been caught muttering something about Pansy being an "insufferable leech of a girl".
With a heavy sigh Ginny closed her eyes against the gentle breeze. The sun set late that night and it was still dragging the deep colors of sunset across the horizon. Above her head the stars were beginning to peak out from behind scattered clouds and treetops. Breathing in she could smell the distinct intermingling of the flowers she had planted the week before laced with the scent of an English summer.
Her long hair brushed against her arms and she shivered as the cool air brought goosebumps to her flesh. Slowly she opened her eyes and watched as the leaves danced against the lines of the hills surrounding Malfoy Manor.
Wrapping her arms tighter around her waist she stood upright, glad that she'd had enough sense to throw a sweater on over her tank top. Her legs, which were bare under her shorts, rarely grew cold but her arms were a different thing entirely. Pushing a few wayward strands of hair behind her ear she turned to walk back inside her room when something caught her eye below in the gardens.
Looking, she saw Draco circling the fountain in front of the ballroom. She couldn't help the way her breathe caught in her throat at the sight of him. His hair was loose around his face and his hands were thrust in the pockets of his trousers. His wide shoulders were accented by a thin gray sweater that made his fair skin shine even more in the dim light. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up to her on the balcony and for a moment they stood there.
It was Ginny who moved first, turning and walking back into her room, but as she did her heart gave an awful ache. She found herself leaving the door to the balcony open that night just in case.
--
"Draco Malfoy, never have I ever been so disappointed in your rude lack of manners and respect! Announcing at the breakfast table of all places your engagement, really? You must tell me, did you plan on giving me some sort of humiliation-derived cardiac arrest? Or was it by sheer accident that you happened to be a complete and total heathen?" Narcissa's eyes were aglow with adamant fury, her arms shaking as she braced herself against her desk.
Draco, despite having just come from training, couldn't help but be flushed as his mother berated him.
"As if you getting engaged to Pansy Parkinson out of all insipid, ignorant, insufferable wastes of clothing and makeup wasn't enough, you have to utterly disrespect your father and I in front of our guests! And your bride-to-be! While in training could you not possibly think of a better way to torture your own mother?"
"Oh, mother, be serious!" Draco snapped, stung at her last statement.
Narcissa, unscathed and fully intending on causing as much pain as necessary to her own son, continued, "Oh, but I am! You, the fruit of my loin, addressing me at the table along with everyone else in the world that you were getting married! How was I supposed to react to that Draco? You know how I feel about that twit and her family! The Parkinson's are awful company, they're all unintelligent, classless, barely pureblooded beasts that barely pass as human beings! And you plan on procreating with one of them! And I have to house Pansy until the wedding. My patience is thin enough, I absolutely will not tolerate her snide remarks about the décor, the landscaping, the architecture or any of my guests which includes Ginevra!"
Draco, sucking in his cheeks, narrowed his eyes slightly as Ginny's name was spoken. "Firstly, mother, I did not address everyone in the entire world when I gave the announcement at breakfast and I was planning on telling you earlier but the time seemed right at the moment. I apologize for offending your manners and beg your forgiveness but what is done can not be reversed. Second, Pansy is a perfectly high-income, pureblooded girl who happens to have strong feelings for me. She'd jump out of a window if I asked her to. Third, if she's said anything about the Manor it must have been in hopes she could one day design our future home in a similar, if slightly different, style. Lastly, I can not, nor will I, attempt to control anything she says about anyone. It simply can't be done."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes in return. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you son, if she so much as rolls an eye in my direction or insults Ginevra one more time- and I have heard them so it's not just Ginevra being catty- I swear to you by the power of Merlin, Grindewald, Dumbledore, and Voldemort himself that I will personally escort that girl out of this house and out of any courtship with you as if my very existence depended on it. Am I understood?"
Draco waited for his mother's breathing to return to semi-normal before nodding. He was dismissed and made it a point to find Pansy and warn her of her impending doom should she step one foot out of line. He couldn't let his intended be seen in a scuffle with his own mother. That would be too hard to explain to the magazines.
--
Three days later Ginny found herself trying to find some sort of solace in the formal living room as various important people spoke quietly to each other. It was Draco's birthday and she'd practically been bribed by Narcissa to make an appearance. "Of course you could miss it," Narcissa had said, "But what a pity it would be to end your social career because of a squabble." The unsaid threat of Ginny never having a social life should she not be in attendance was far worse than conceding to a glass or two of champagne before running to her room.
She had decided on twenty minutes being an acceptably long enough time before mysteriously becoming out of sight. Everything was going to plan. She was on her second glass of champagne, sipping slowly so Crabbe's father wouldn't rush to get her a refill like he had before. She was still wondering whether or not he'd drugged her as she wandered back and forth in front of the window.
Laurent and Claire had received an owl earlier on in the day about some important business at their villa that required their presence. To Ginny's dismay she was not needed and was left alone to deal with Pansy and her high pitched explanations of minute wedding details, a variety of old men and their wandering eyes, and Draco's resolute avoidance of her. The last part didn't bother her quite as much as she'd expected, in fact halfway through her first glass of champagne, which she had tried to rush through in order for the alcohol to somehow lessen her boredom, she'd forgotten why she was even there.
Now she was tapping a polished fingernail lightly against her glass, one arm wrapped around her waist, staring into the front of the Manor. The grass had been cut and the trees in the courtyard were swaying with the wind. The sun was about to set behind the building and the horizon in the front was a deep indigo dotted with stars. Momentarily Ginny was reminded of the night a few days ago and the moment shared between her and Draco. This of course, disappeared when a peeling screech of laughter echoed off of the walls as Pansy gasped for breath after finding something Lucius said rather funny.
Ginny, raising an eyebrow turned and eyed the girl with as much decorum as possible but couldn't hide the annoyance in her eyes. She knew this because at the very moment she found where Pansy was, Draco looked over from next to Pansy and locked eyes with Ginny, cheeks slightly tinged red. He inhaled, clenching his jaw, and turned away, aware of exactly the thoughts running through Ginny's mind.
"You can't be serious!" Pansy dropped a hand over her chest, her head rolling back as she laughed another time. "Her? In my wedding?"
Ginny's stomach nearly jumped out of her body as Pansy turned her head towards Ginny and fought hiding a sneer. Lucius, who was barely hiding his disapproval of Pansy's outburst, was gripping his cane tightly and parted his lips to reply. "I am being perfectly serious. She is, after all, practically a Malfoy now. You should treat her as if she were Draco's sister."
Ginny would have been perfectly fine had the room resumed its conversations and not sunken into a silence to listen in on what Pansy and Lucius were talking about. She would have also been fine had the room not turned around to eye her with incredulity. At that very moment she dearly wanted to be swallowed by the floor.
Pansy, who was raising a far too thin eyebrow, snorted. "If I had a brother I don't think we'd have quite the past Ginny and Draco do." She muttered, but the room was small and quiet enough for Ginny and everyone else to understand what she had said with perfect clarity.
Ginny could barely contain herself as she set her champagne glass down on the nearest flat surface, excused herself from the room, and marched through the dining room, back corridor, and ballroom to the one place she was sure to find some semblance of peace: the gardens.
Clenching her fists, Ginny shook her hair out of her face, the wind blowing the tendrils that weren't pulled back around. The next gust of wind made her shiver, her bare strapless dress doing little to shield her from its chill. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she listened to the click-clacking of her heels on the pavers as she stomped around in ire. "Stupid sodding cow! Slag! Bloody bint! I ought to…"
"Miss Weasley?"
Ginny froze in horror as she realized the voice resonating from behind her was that of Lucius Malfoy and she was currently using extremely common language to explain who would become his future daughter in law. Turning, Ginny pasted a smile on her face, and shivered. "Sir?"
Lucius, who had looked as if he were battling who to be more ashamed of, Ginny or Pansy, just waited for a moment before speaking. "I wanted to inquire as to your intentions during Draco and Pansy's wedding."
Ginny blinked. "Sir?"
"Do you plan on being part of the bridal party?"
Ginny opened her mouth, then closed it slightly, then sighed. "I wasn't aware Pansy had agreed to anything of the sort. I'd planned on being part of the audience, throwing petals or whatever Pansy would want thrown at her."
Lucius raised an eyebrow, nodded curtly, then returned inside. Ginny's shoulders slumped as she turned back around and fell onto the edge of the fountain. She pushed her elbows onto her knees and sank her forehead into her palms. "I'm sure this night could only get better…" She muttered sardonically and as if on cue someone behind her coughed.
Twisting around she saw Draco, hands in his pockets, nearly glaring at her. Groaning, Ginny resumed her position. "Bloody brilliant." She whispered beneath her breath, shaking her head. "What do you want Draco?" She called out, not moving.
For a moment he said nothing and stood behind her. Ginny wondered if he'd pulled out his wand and was preparing to curse her. Finally she heard him clear his throat and it became clear that the distance between them hadn't changed any. "I'm here to ask you to excuse Pansy's comments. I understand they may have been offensive-"
"They weren't offensive Draco, they were just exhausting," Ginny snapped, bracing her chin in her hands. "Why are you here Draco?"
There was a pause and it seemed like the past was trying to repeat itself. Ginny immediately regretted her words. "My mother has shown a distinct dislike for Pansy and in doing so has requested Pansy act with the utmost pedigree. Her actions betray that and mother wished for me to apologize for it. Pansy of course saw no error in her ways."
Ginny chuckled. "Of course not, Pansy lacks errors in her ways," she muttered sarcastically.
Draco said nothing and they both waited in the silence of the night as the wind shook the leaves. Ginny ran out of patience and stood, turning to face Draco. His face betrayed him for a moment, slight shock crossing his features. Ginny wasn't particularly surprised; it was rare that she seemed so outright infuriated with him.
"Draco Malfoy, tell me what you want or for pity's sake leave me alone." The last part of her second was spoken in earnest. She was tired and ready to be done with the night. Having Draco stare at her without saying a word was the last thing she needed.
He watched her for a moment, jaw still set. Turning on his heel he went back inside leaving Ginny slightly confused but just more aware of how little she liked Draco Malfoy.
--
Ginny rolled over in her bed, cursing herself for leaving the curtains pulled back. The sunlight was causing a heavy ache on her eyelids. Groaning, she pushed back the covers of her bed, stood, and promptly collapsed in a heap on the floor. She hissed obscenities into the wooden floor before slowly pushing herself onto her hands and knees. Crawling to the window she pulled the curtains shut, one at a time, and crawled back to bed where she pulled herself onto the mattress.
Swallowing slowly, her throat dry and sore, she used her wand to call a house elf. Babsy arrived with a pop and wringing her small leathery hands, stepped tentatively towards Ginny's curled up form on the bed. "Missus called for Babsy?"
Ginny let out a rattling cough and groaned again. "Babsy, I've taken ill, get me some water would you and tell Narcissa I won't be coming down today?" Ginny let out another cough and immediately regretted it as the room started to spin. "Hell." She mumbled as Babsy gave some sort of affirmative answer and apparated away.
Within seconds her bedroom door opened and a large woman dressed in a nurses smock stepped inside followed by Claire. Ginny blearily watched as Claire came over to her bedside and the woman began digging through a bag. "Claire? I thought you were in France?"
Claire frowned and clucked her tongue. "You sound awful, Ginevra. Narcissa was correct as usual."
Ginny frowned. "Correct? Did she know I was sick before I did?" At that moment the nurse marched over to the bedside.
"Alright now, save the conversations for later, ladies." The woman reminded Ginny of her own mother, business first. Pulling out her wand, the nurse pressed it to Ginny's forehead, her neck, then her wrist. After pulling away she made some sort of intricate design in the air and words began to form in smoke in different colors. "You've got a low-grade fever and a terrible cough." The nurse reached for a potion she had set down on the bedside table upon sitting down. "The flu, I expect."
Ginny coughed again, covering her mouth with a loose fist. She felt like she had the flu. All of her energy was gone, everything was spinning, her body hurt everywhere and to top it all off she felt like she was about to heave at any minute. "Is there anything I can take to make the room stop circling around me?"
The nurse smiled softly and handed the potion to Ginny who could barely hold onto it. "It won't taste wonderful, but it ought to do the trick."
Ginny uncorked the small bottle and downed the green liquid as quickly as she could, fighting the reaction to gag at its bitter taste. "My god that's awful." She gasped for air as she laid back down.
The nurse left and Claire reached out a cool hand to smooth away the hair from Ginny's face. "Dear Ginevra, I should send Laurent up here to visit. You will need company to feel better."
Ginny smiled slightly and shook her head. "I'd rather he see me when I'm well."
Claire nodded and stood. "Narcissa isn't feeling well either; she said you were probably ill as well. I shall have to take over wedding plans for now." The last part wasn't said with the same somber attitude as the rest. Ginny knew Claire was excited about the wedding and any chance to do be a part of the planning process made the woman elated.
Ginny nodded her head in response, already feeling the hands of sleep grip her. As she snuggled deeper beneath the covers her mind fogged over and she was asleep before Claire left the room.
A few hours later, when the noontime sun was just overhead, Ginny felt the easing of her muscles welcome her to the waking world. It was amazing how much a simple potion could help her to feel better. She still felt wretched, of course, but she was no where near the agony she was in that morning. Rolling over beneath the sheets she let out a scream as her eyes made out a figure in her room.
"Ginevra! Ginevra! Calm down! It's just me!" Laurent's voice began to soothe her.
Slowly Ginny felt her muscles relax but the adrenaline was still rushing through her system. "My god Laurent, you gave me a heart attack." She put her hand over her racing heart. Falling against her pillows, she exhaled swiftly. "What are you doing in here? I'm sick and might be contagious."
Laurent chuckled and approached her bed. She suddenly wondered what her breath must smell like and brought the covers up to hide her mouth. "Don't worry Ginevra, I have a fabulous immune system. I wanted to see how you were doing. When Aunt Claire told me you weren't feeling well I got worried."
Ginny smiled and let out a small cough despite her best efforts to avoid it. Laurent frowned at this and sat at the foot of her bed, rubbing her leg affectionately. There was a knock at the door and it was Ginny's turn to frown. Who would be knocking on her door? The knock was swift and…
Ginny froze as the knob turned. She knew he was on the other side of that door.
Draco appeared, his face guarded as he leaned in and looked at them. "Well then, that's what all that commotion was?" Sneering, he slammed the door shut; his footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Ginny crinkled her nose in thought as Laurent started talking. What was Draco doing coming and checking on her scream? Usually that was a house elves job. Had he been worried about her? Or had he been genuinely curious? Had he been the closest person to her door, and if so, why?
--
Ginny let out a pitiful cough and rubbed a hand across her eyes. She felt so much better than she had the day before, and to top it all off with any luck Draco and Pansy would be busy with wedding plans, too busy to bother her, at least.
Rolling over under the sheets she pushed herself up and walked into the bathroom where she began her daily routine. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail after drying it, applied the least amount of makeup charms as necessary, and walked back into her room to decide her outfit. Figuring she could be as casual as she would like that day, she divulged in a pair of dark jeans and a purple jumper.
She gazed longingly at her trainers, wanting more than anything to be comfortable that day, but instead reached for a pair of brown boots. After slipping them on, glad they didn't have any complicated zippers or whatnot, she bounded out of her room, surprisingly eager to make it to breakfast.
She pressed the door to the dining room open and was relieved to see Narcissa and Claire in deep conversation, but no one else in the room. "Morning." She greeted them, sitting down in the chair open by Narcissa.
Claire smiled at her, sipping her orange juice, and Narcissa nodded as she continued speaking to Claire. "Although it's admirable that she wants to help, I don't necessarily trust her taste level," Narcissa explained, what Ginny assumed, her preference to have Pansy uninvolved in planning the wedding. "After it's all sorted she'll see it was best to leave it to us." Turning to Ginny, Narcissa added, "It's good to see you up and about. I assume you're feeling better?"
Ginny nodded, having already taken a bite of her toast, and chewed quickly. "Yes, much," She said without choking on the bread. "Is Laurent coming down for breakfast?" She looked at Claire who smiled sadly.
"He is sick. He must have caught what you had."
Ginny sighed and sipped at her juice. She would have to go through her first day free of Draco and Pansy by herself then. Narcissa and Claire went back to talking about the wedding which made Ginny quickly lose her appetite. She wasn't hung up on Draco (or at least she was doing a good job of repressing any emotions that may have made it seem that way), but all this talk about how much closer she'd be to Pansy was making her nauseous. She excused herself and started for Laurent's room.
Once she got to the door, she gave it a soft knock, listening for a response. When there was none, she pushed it open and found him still curled up beneath the covers of his bed. Smiling, she closed the door gently behind her and walked over. The room was smaller than hers, as it was one of the spare bedrooms, and soon she was able to see his calm face as he slept. Reaching out a hand, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear and watched him stir slightly.
Leaning forward she placed a chaste kiss to his cheek which made him blink his eyes open. "Ginevra? Is everything all right?" He asked, pushing up so he was sitting.
Ginny nodded and situated herself beside him on the bed so her knees were beside his hip and she was looking at him. "You weren't at breakfast so I figured I'd check up on you."
Laurent ran a hand through his hair and yawned. "I am not feeling too good. I'm sorry." He smiled at her.
Ginny giggled and leaned to the side, her elbow next to his knee and her palm on her chin. "So much for your strong immune system," She teased.
Getting a mischievous smirk on his face, Laurent raised an eyebrow. "Since I got this from you, does that mean you can not get it again?"
Ginny thought for a moment. "I think that's the way it works, yeah."
Laurent grabbed her then, holding her down on the bed as he trailed kisses on her neck. "Then it won't make you sick again if I should, say, kiss you on the lips?" He asked in a whisper, letting his lips brush against hers.
She was in a haze, partly because despite being asleep this whole time, his breath still smelt like mint. The other part was because heat was now rushing through her blood and heightening her senses to his ministrations. Pushing up, she connected lips with him. He released her arms from the hold he had on them, holding himself up with his forearms. One of his hands softly trailed up and down the skin beneath her jumper. Ginny replied by threading her fingers through his hair and shivering at his touch.
They stayed like that, caressing each other lightly and kissing until Ginny had to leave for her lessons. Narcissa had decided helping to plan the wedding would be a perfect chance for Ginny to interact with the business side of the social elite. Waving a kiss goodbye, Ginny left Laurent to get more sleep and met Narcissa in the drawing room downstairs where she proceeded to spend a good deal of the morning cursing Draco for inadvertently giving her so much work to do.