It was Sunday morning and the sun was shining through the window such that Ginny's slouched over attempt at rising was casting a shadow on Draco's empty side of the bed. Where was he? Oh yeah… something about the Ministry. The night before had been strange; she felt awkward and guilty for rifling through his things, more so because he didn't seem to mind terribly much, and she couldn't help but think of how differently he would feel if she knew she wasn't exactly… her.

Brushing those thoughts out of the way, Ginny slipped back into her same clothes for the previous day and decided to explore. Draco had said the whole family would be out, so there was no need to hide in the strange comfort of those four white walls.

It took a moment to remember the path to the main staircase, and Ginny shuddered for a moment before descending, remembering the last time she had when she had been face-to-face with Voldemort. It was strange to think that he was back, and lording over the world, when everything seemed to be suspended in a strange semblance of normality. For her, Voldemort had always meant war, but somehow the citizens of this universe had become placated and settled into their half-lives.

Ginny was still feeling melancholy as she pushed past the glass double doors that led to a vast garden. She wandered around for a while, stroking a petal of a rose idly when a voice came up from behind her.

"Ginevra, it's lovely to see you."

Ginny slowly turned around to face Narcissa, biting the inside of her cheek nervously. "Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Malfoy, I was just, um, I was just—"

"Escaping the room you keep yourself hidden in?" Narcissa asked, a small smile on her face that looked off to Ginny: the effect was far too carefree for her image of the Malfoy matriarch.

"Something like that. The gardens are quite beautiful."

"Yes. Your mother used to love them, too."

"Really?" Ginny asked, not bothering to hide her eagerness. She was desperate for any information about her mother, and slightly surprised that Narcissa spoke of her with such an obvious fondness.

Narcissa nodded sadly. "It was her idea to plant the red roses. I never thought it matched the color scheme, but sometime after her death, I had them planted as a tribute. That's just between us, of course."

Ginny felt her heart sink, but couldn't feel surprise at the news. The complete void surrounding her parents pointed toward their death, but she yearned for more information. "How did you feel when you found out?"

"I was incredibly angry with her." Narcissa paused, studying Ginny as though to gauge her reaction, but Ginny was struggling to keep her face blank. "It wasn't only because of what she had tried to do, but that it was essentially a suicide mission. I'm sorry, I shouldn't say that. I'm sure she thought it was the right thing," Narcissa added quickly, but there was bitterness laced in the tone.

"I'm not offended," Ginny said honestly. If anything, her heart eased up a little; a "suicide mission"? It gave her hope that her entire family hadn't backed Voldemort. "I appreciate you talking about it. People don't like to mention her."

Narcissa nodded sympathetically. "It must be difficult for you, planning a wedding with your parents gone."

Parents.

"Yes," Ginny responded quietly. "I think that's why they've been on my mind more often."

"That makes sense."

"Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Yes, Ginevra?"

No, that name only made it worse. "Ever since I was little, I wanted to wear her wedding dress."

"Oh, Ginevra, you know you can't."

"How would anyone know?"

"It's not worth the risk, dear. And you were so excited about your wedding dress."

Ginny shook her head, not having to fake the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I'm not anymore. Sometimes I think I chose it just to spite her: because it's just the opposite of her dress, but it's not what I want." Ginny was taking a slight shot in the dark, but considering the simple dress her mother wore, she felt confident in the veracity of her words.

"Well, let's find you a new one."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. It's the least I can do for my future daughter-in-law. How about next weekend? We can meet at the Apparition point in Paris. That way you can pretend you're coming from Hogwarts."

Ginny couldn't help but smile. "An excellent plan, Mrs. Malfoy."

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Draco panted as he emerged from the fireplace, brushing ashes off his dress robes: gray today, with deep purple woven in. "Have you been terribly bored?"

"No. I had a nice chat with your mother in the garden."

Draco looked a bit stricken as he plopped down on the bed next to her, only two feet away as he pulled off his dress robes to reveal a plain black shirt and boxers. His shirt was sticking to him slightly, as he had been sweating under his dress robes. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her as he spoke, sharp peppermint contrasting with vanilla.

"Gin?"

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

"I'm sorry Mother was here; she told me yesterday she would be out with friends, but her plans must have changed. Was it terribly awkward?"

"No, I think it was a good thing, actually," Ginny replied thoughtfully. "She's going to help me find a new wedding dress next weekend."

"What was wrong with the old one?" Draco asked with a slight chuckle, a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"It wasn't me."

"Then why did you pick it out?"

Ginny shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Are you feeling differently since you were attacked?" Draco asked, fully engaged in the conversation again. His posture had even straightened, and she felt guilty for inadvertently bringing up her memory problems.

"Maybe a little. It's hard to say."

"I thought of something today. When we were kids, you used to keep a journal. I know it's a long shot, but maybe you still do?"

"It's worth a try. I'll look when I get back to school."

"Good. Let me know if you find anything?"

"You'll be the first to hear," Ginny replied, sighing. She was so tired of talking about her memory loss; it simultaneously made her feel guilty for keeping things from Draco and made her more interested, which was irritating considering it was apparently a one-way feeling.

"I'm sorry to annoy you, Gin. I know you hate it when I fixate on things." And with that, he was up, back turned to her as he closed the door a little too harshly, disappearing into the bathroom adjoining his bedroom. Ginny thought about replying, but didn't know what to say and was relieved of the task as she heard the shower water go on.

By the time he got out, Ginny was lying flat on her back in her pajamas, staring at the ceiling. She was half asleep but was jolted out of her dreamlike state when she heard the door creak open. "Draco?"

"Sorry, Gin. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep; not really." There was no response. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling about the wedding?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you excited? Nervous? Depressed? Happy? Ec—"

"Okay, I get what you mean now," Draco replied, half-laughing through his tired tone. "I don't really feel much about it, I guess. Is that terrible? It's been coming for so long, I think I've felt all the feelings I have about it."

"That makes sense," Ginny muttered.

"What about you? How are you feeling about it?"

"I'm terribly nervous."

"Really? Why, Gin?"

"It just seems like a bad time with everything else going on—school, memory…" Confusing feelings for you.

"I know a lot is happening, but you don't have to lift a finger. Everything is planned and ready, and things won't be that different when we're married; I promise. All you need to do is find a perfect dress."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Draco confirmed.

Ginny nodded, not remotely comforted by the promise that nothing would change between them when they were married. How could she marry someone who so clearly felt nothing for her romantically? And why did she have to?

"You ran into Narcissa?!" Marie exclaimed. Ginny had carefully weighed the various options of how to respond to Marie's seemingly simple request of a weekend update, and decided that mentioning her run-in with Narcissa would be the best way to keep her roommate's mouth occupied so she could let her mind wander.

She was doing just that when she felt herself being forcibly pulled back into the conversation. "Gin? Gin?"

"Hmm? I'm so exhausted that I must have spaced out for a minute."

"It's okay. I was just asking what Draco said about it? I bet he was really mad."

"No, he was apologetic. He had told me she would be out."

"Oh." Marie sounded strangely disappointed. "That's terrible of him to blindside you like that."

"It wasn't his fault."

For once, Marie didn't seem to know how to respond. Ginny took advantage of the lull by announcing that she was going to bed, pulling the curtain around her four-poster before Marie could respond.

Ginny couldn't sleep, and so she wandered through the halls, intending to go out for some fresh air, when she heard whispering in one of the corridors. She had chosen the path because it was poorly lit and not often traveled; apparently the spot was popular with others for the same reason. Instinctively, she ducked behind a suit of armor to listen.

"Professor Snape!" an unfamiliar voice loudly whispered.

"We are done discussing this, Gerard." Snape sounded angry; quite angry. Because of her small size compared to the suit of armor, Ginny was hidden perfectly but also unable to see anything.

"But sir, I know what I saw."

"I don't know how you recognize a student six years later, but I will pass your information to the Dark Lord."

"I want to speak to him directly."

"That is not how things work, Gerard. You give me information, and I present it to the Dark Lord."

"But I don't trust you to pass this information on. It was her, Professor Snape, I know it was. I would recognize that hair anywhere."

That hair? Could it be Hermione? Could she really still be alive?

"Regardless of my level of trust in the veracity of your claims, I will discuss them with the Dark Lord."

"But—"

"Do you think he has time for your incessant prattle? Do you know how many people come to me, each piece of information more critical than the next, desperate to gain favor? Much too many for the Dark Lord to speak to; he is an incredibly busy man. Are you suggesting that he is idle?"

"Well, no, Professor, I just—I just know that he—"

"I will pass it on. There is no more to be said on the matter. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Gerard responded, resigned. Professor Snape's louder footsteps set off first, with Gerard's reluctantly following down the hall, though veering to the right instead of the left. The conversation was over.

Now more interested in not getting caught out of bed than in fresh air, Ginny slowly made her way back to her dorm, hiding quickly whenever she heard the slightest noise. Though disconcerting, it was lucky for her that Peeves no longer roamed the halls.

"Gin!" Marie exclaimed as Ginny began to crawl into bed. "Where were you?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Where did you go?"

"I was just sitting in the common room, enjoying the fire."

There was a slight pause. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble sleeping."

"Watching the fire helped. I'm going to sleep while my eyes are still heavy. Let's talk in the morning," Ginny continued, not having to fake a yawn.