Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the fabulous world of Harry Potter

Chapter 3: The Marriage Proposal

Ginny was slightly floored. In a matter of minutes she had gone from a normal day at the office, seeing patients and running herself ragged to sitting in an elegant restaurant in Diagon Alley with a Malfoy. Not just any Malfoy though but Abraxas Malfoy, the sire of the family who was supposed to have been dead for over thirty years.

"So Mr. Malfoy," Ginny began no longer able to contain her curiosity.

"Ah, ah, Ms. Weasley, first we order then we can talk business." The older man said with finality in his voice that Ginny dared not question. "Have you ever been here my dear?" he inquired.

"No actually, I have never had the occasion to." Ginny replied as she began to scan the menu.

"Excellent. I love being able to watch someone have a new experience, especially with food." He said genuinely delighted. "Might I suggest something for you?"

"Oh by all means."

Once their food had been ordered, Abraxas took a sip of the exquisite red wine he had ordered for the two of them and then focused his complete attention on Ginny. "Well then, down to business. I have a proposal for you Ms. Weasley. There is a good chance that this will sound completely absurd to you but I assure you that all my actions are necessary."

Ginny knew that his remark should have made her nervous, but all she felt instead was intrigued at his cryptic clues. "You have my attention Mr. Malfoy"

"Alright, I would like to hire you to marry my grandson."

Well that had not been what she was expecting but she did not let her face betray any of her surprise other than a single eyebrow shooting up nearly to her hair line. "Come again?"

"Ms. Weasley, over the last thirty years the Malfoy name was unfortunately dragged through the dirt on my idiotic son's quest for power. He is the reason that I faked my own death and reason that Draco is the way he is."

Ginny disagreed with his last statement but choose not to contradict him.

"Thankfully Draco was never marked during the war, so my plan is to marry him to a beautiful well respected pureblood girl, that would be you," he said, inclining his head slightly in her direction. "It is my belief that if I can force Draco to appear to have changed his ways at least for some length of time then that would give Narcissa and I the time required to completely rebuild the Malfoy estate and try to restore our name. We can't completely do that now because no matter what we do politically or economically everything is overshadowed by Draco's outrageous behavior."

"I suppose I am flattered by your proposal Mr. Malfoy but I'm not sure that this will work. Your grandson hates me."

"Nonsense, he hates your family for reasons he doesn't even understand. You are the perfect person for the job. You're smart, beautiful and I believe that you could take on Draco and maybe even win. There are not many women that I have met that I have thought could do that."

Ginny still wasn't convinced. "Does Mal…Draco know about this?" his name sounded wrong rolling off her tongue after all these years.

"No, but he doesn't have much choice in the matter. He will do as I say or be disinherited." Abraxas said and a hardness filled his eyes that made Ginny sure he was a Malfoy. It quickly disappeared though and he transformed back into the sweet man she had been enjoying her lunch with. "So down to the details, you will be hired for one year and be paid 25.000 galleons per quarter for a total of 1.000.000 galleons for the entire duration of your marriage to my grandson. You will of course receive separate quarters and be required to attend all the necessary functions that come with being a Malfoy. The contract may be extended depending on how Narcissa and I feel the plan is working. If you terminate the contract early you will not receive the entire payment, but if we do you will for your inconvenience. How does that sound?"

"Let me just make sure I have all this straight. You are going to pay me 1.000.000 galleons to marry your grandson for a year?" Ginny was floored.

"Yes."

Ginny chewed on her lip as she considered the proposition. On one hand this was the most insane thing she had ever heard, but on the other… she felt like she owed it to him. "if I say yes I would require that you also pay for my portion of the rent on my flat. My roommate can't afford it on her own."

"If you agree I will buy the building and you both can live there free for the rest of your lives."

Ginny laughed out loud at his suggestion. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Excellent!" Abraxas exclaimed, thrilled by her acceptance. He held up his wine glass to her and said, "Let's toast to the newest addition to the Malfoy family."

They spent the rest of their meal enjoying their amazing food and working out all the little details of their contract.

Ginny hurried back to the office after bidding goodbye Abraxas. She reached a nearby apperation point and instantly found herself once again surrounded by the four comforting walls of her office. This was one place Ginny was always able to think clearly.

Standing in her office the events of the last hour and a half came rushing back to her and she began to pace. What in the bloody hell had she been thinking? Had she really just agreed to marry Draco Malfoy? For money? She must be completely bonkers.

"Healer Weasley?"

Ginny whirled around, startled by the intrusion of her thoughts. Mrs. Coe stood in her door way holding a chart. "Your next appointment is ready for you."

Ginny quickly walked up the stairs to her third floor flat, unlocked the door with her keys and hung up her cloak on the hook by the door.

"Hal are you here?" she called as she tripped over her feet in a desperate attempt to get her black stilettos off.

"In the kitchen." Came Hallie's melodious voice from the direction of the room she had mentioned.

Ginny walked into the flat and headed towards the kitchen. "You will never guess what happened to me today." She said as she hoisted herself onto the countertop.

"You're probably right, get off the counter." Hallie scolded. She whacked Ginny on the rear with the spoon she had in her hand. "The girls are going to be here in half an hour, slice the cheese."

"Is it really Thursday?" Ginny asked.

"Mhm. How is it that you can be so brilliant and yet so clueless at the same time." Hallie shook her head in disgust.

Thursdays were the day of the week when all of Ginny and Hallie's girl friends met at their flat for some much needed girl time. It was a tradition that dated back to Ginny's Hogwarts days only back then it was Friday night girls' night. Once she had graduated and things had settled down after the war, she and her friend Allison decided that it was time to bring them back, only now on a week night so those with no significant others, namely Hal and Gin, could go out on Fridays.

"It's a gift. So who all is coming tonight?"

Besides Gin and Hallie, the full group included all of Ginny's roommates from Hogwarts Allison Appleby Potter, Robin White Finnegan, Beth Tanning Crabbe, and Gwen Brasher as well as Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood.

"Well Robin and Beth both owled, Little Liam is sick and Beth is on bed rest till the twins arrive. Oh, and Gwen has a date but everyone else will be here."

"Ok, well I guess I will just tell my news to everyone later." Ginny grabbed the plate of cheese and crackers she had just finished arranging and carried it out into the living room.

"What news?" Hallie called after in her lovely American accent.

"Nope, not telling you will have to wait like everyone else."

Not long after that their friends began to arrive one by one. The first was Hermione Granger, as usual. The tall willowy girl breezed through the door at six thirty on the dot.

"Hello all." She called from the entrance way.

After the war Hermione had taken over the position of Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts to fill the spot that had previously been slandered by the Death Eater Alecto Carrow. As she entered the room Ginny felt she was an eerie reminder of professor McGonagall with her bushy hair slicked back into a tight bun and all dark clothes that Ginny knew for sure were covered by dark robes.

"Hey Mione, how's my dear brother?"

Mione had been with Ron since their seventh year and despite all his blunders and pigheadedness she was completely smitten with him. He did have an amazing ability to get on her nerves though.

"I do not want to talk about your stupid brother and his inability to ask me to marry him after being together for over four years. I also don't want to talk about any of the little idiots that I teach. The only thing I want to do is drink heavily and gossip." She gave Ginny a quick hug, blew a kiss to Hallie as she walked into the room and threw herself down onto the nearest couch.

"Wow, long day?" Hallie inquired.

Hermione snorted in a very Ron-esque fashion, "You could say that."

"Alrighty then, you get to pick tonight's poison. We have wine, vodka and tequila."

"Oooh margaritas!"

"Comin' right up." she said and with a flick of her wand the sound of the blender filled the room.

At that moment the door flew open as their other friends made a grand entrance.

The first to emerge from the foyer was a beautiful black woman with creamy brown skin, short black hair in a pixie cut, and deep brown eyes that seemed to be able to see into your very soul. She was stylishly dressed in a deep purple cardigan and dark tight jeans which Ginny had no doubt had been completed by an amazing pair of black stiletto boots that she had long coveted. Allison Potter was the most stylish person Ginny had ever met. Friends and roommates back in their Hogwarts days, the two had remained close over the years.

After graduation and the war Allie had taken over management of the ever popular Honeydukes in Hogsmeade from her aging parents. Mr. and Mrs. Flume were all too pleased to let their only daughter take over for them so that they could travel the world, no longer having to worry about the condition of their shop.

Two years ago Allison had married the hero of the wizarding world, Harry Potter, after Ginny herself had set them up back in their sixth and his seventh year at school. Ginny was also one of Allie's bridesmaids.

This woman was followed closely by Luna Lovegood. Luna, whom they affectionately called Looney, was one of Ginny's dearest friends from her Hogwarts days. A Ravenclaw and an eccentric, everything about the woman from her antique radish earrings to her lime green heels which she had deposited in the foyer was 100% Luna.

After the war Luna had taken over as editor at her father's magazine, The Quibbler. She loved her job more than anything else, well almost anything. The only thing that could possibly top her job was her gorgeous boyfriend, Blaise Zabini. Most people found these two to be the most unusual couple in the wizarding world, both were purebloods yes, but Blaise's rich, aristocratic lifestyle didn't seem to match Luna's far left-center world. Anyone who actually knew the pair though could never deny how perfect they were. Blaise and Luna balanced each other out and were so in love they didn't care what anyone else thought anyway.

"Hey all." Said the tiny woman. Flinging herself down onto the nearest couch, Luna twisted up her long wavy blond hair into a perfect bun on the top of her head and turned to stare at Ginny with her dreamy blue eyes. "I need alcohol."

"Join the club." Mione snorted as she lifted her legs up for Allison to sit.

"Hold your horses!" Hallie called from the kitchen as margaritas began to float into the room.

"Wow, another wonderful American expression!" Luna giggled as she strained to grab the margarita that whizzed over her head to Hermione's waiting grasp.

Everyone else laughed along with her before beginning to chatter about the past week of their lives since the last time they had been able to hang out.

"Alright Ginny, so what's this news of yours?" Hallie's voice floated above the rest of the chatter as she walked into the living room with the last two margaritas.

"What? Ginny has news?" Allison squealed in delight.

"New bf Gin?" Luna inquired as she gratefully snatched the margarita that Hallie handed her.

Ginny snorted into her drink. "You might say that."

"What else might you say?"

"Well, finance could work too or employer as well."

"I am incredibly confused." Mione said.

"So today I had a meeting with Abraxas Malfoy."

Mione, Luna and Allie all burst out into laughter while Hallie just looked on confused. "What's so funny?" the latter asked.

"Abraxas Malfoy has been dead for thirty years." Mione explained. "And he decided to pass on. There is just no way you could have had a meeting with him Gin."

"Well, actually he faked his death and had been living in France. He came to see me today with a rather odd proposal. He wants me to marry his grandson."

Well here it is. I am SOOOO sorry that it has taken so long. I am juggling school, a job, and beaucoup des autre choses. Not abandoning I promise just long intervals in between chapters. I will tell you though that I have lots of ideas for this story so I have been skipping around writing them down as I think of them.

So this chapter was originally almost 700 words longer but I decided to cut it in order to get it to you faster so I am not entirely happy with the ending but bare with PLEASE!!!!!

Oh and I am also working on my other story, Falling For A Ferret. If you have the time you should check it out and let me know what you think. Which one is better? (I know shameless plug, don't hate me!)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I love knowing opinions, comments, and ideas for the story!!! Let me know what you think!!!

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