A Marriage of Convenience

Disclaimer: All that you recognise belongs to JKR.

Warning: None.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. You’ve all been a great support, and hopefully I managed to reply to all of them. If I didn’t, I’m sorry, but know that I appreciated them all the same!

I apologise for the wait. Things have been pretty hectic with university, and I’ve also been tied up with my sister having her baby. I’m now officially an Aunty!! :D

A Question of Etiquette

“Wait, wait,” Armande interrupted in a voice that trembled with laughter. “You’re telling me that Uncle wants you to marry some girl and get her pregnant within a month?”

Draco nodded silently, his face hidden in his hands as he sat hunched over on the chair next to his younger cousin. He had told his mother that he would do what his father wanted, but the more Draco thought about what he was being asked to do the more he wished he could just say no. This was asking more than enough of him. He was going to have to marry a girl he probably didn’t even like, and then to make things worse he had to get her pregnant before the end of the month. It was just ridiculous, and truth be told he was feeling horribly nervous at the thought. So many people just assumed he had it so easy with women but Draco was no ladies man. He was feeling quite overwhelmed by the task that had been set before him.

Armande let out a low whistle and leaned back in his armchair, glancing down at Draco with a pitying expression. “I do not envy you right now…”

“Gee, thanks,” Draco deadpanned dryly, and then finally lifted his face from his hands. He was more than unusually pale- the little colour he had in his cheeks fading with his nervousness so that he resembled more of a pearly white ghost than a living, substantial being. Judging by the crease on his brow and the grimness lingering on his mouth, he was not happy at the thought of what he was going to have to do either. It was just too soon…

“Well, let’s look on the bright side of things,” Armande said cheerfully, and then paused to frown in puzzled silence. He scratched his smooth chin, the frown on his face deepening, looking quite at a loss on what those bright things were.

Draco could only sigh and ran his hands through his perfectly styled hair, making it tousled and somewhat windswept in his frustration. “You see what I mean. There is no damn, bright side to this arrangement!” He turned his grey eyes towards the assortment of women littering the room, the dejectedness inside him growing with each moment. “I’m just going to be forced into marrying one of them.”

As he said this, he stared at the girls that had been handpicked by his mother, for he knew why she had invited them now. Every one of these girls, except for Ginny, came from outstanding pureblood families, and of course would be an ideal choice for a bride. The only problem was, Draco felt nothing for any of them. He’d never been exactly romantic, but he did care about marrying someone he at least liked, and these girls he’d known nearly his whole life. He just wasn’t interested at all, not to mention how much he detested half of them anyway.

“They’re not so bad,” Armande mused slowly, watching the girls with Draco. “Most of them are quite beautiful… Surely there must be one that you like?”

Draco’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the girls. First there was Pansy, a girl he had known since he was born and one that he knew had always fancied him. She was quite pretty, he supposed, if pug-faced harpies were your type, but he found her style a little too fake for his tastes. Pansy’s black hair was cut short, as was the fashion, and styled in rigid curls that looked like no amount of wind could move them even an inch. Her eyes were a piercing shade of dark blue, and black, fake eyelashes had been charmed to them that curled in a ridiculously long way. Her black eyebrows were thin and plucked to the point of being nonexistent, arching dramatically in their own haughty way, and her lips, which had once been quite small, had been filled with something Draco would rather not know what to give them more of a pout. She also almost always had her lips painted in a deep shade of red which Draco had labelled the ‘whore’s choice’- knowing that any woman who called herself a seductress almost always wore that certain shade. Pansy was tall for a woman, sitting proudly at six foot, and was very slim to the point of being skeletal- the fashion called for women to be no more than wisps. She always wore clothes of the highest fashion that were perhaps a little too bold sometimes to be considered suitable, and right now she was wearing a daring, vibrant red dress that dipped low in a V at her breasts. Draco had to admit that she did catch one’s eye. Perhaps once he might have liked her at school, knowing full well that he had courted her and been close with her in his teenage years, but now he was more than happy to have resigned that relationship to a fleeting crush. No doubt she probably expected him to marry her, but he had no intention at all in going down that road. Pansy was a girl best left in the past.

“Not Pansy,” Draco muttered to himself, and scrolled his grey eyes over to his cousin, Alexia, who was sitting next to Blaise Zabini and talking about something that seemed to amuse her judging by the mocking laughter that spilled from her lips. She was looking beautiful as always, with her long, pale blonde hair styled elegantly in an old Grecian style, and her lazy, cat-like eyes lighting up with her usual derisive amusement. Her dress was simple, as was her style, and of her favourite shade of dark green to match her acidic eyes. He knew very well that she believed herself to be madly in love with him, but this was another girl Draco had no intention in considering no matter how ridiculously beautiful she may be. Not only did he dislike the idea of going with his cousin, feeling the connection was just too close for comfort, but he also found her conversation rather tedious. She only seemed to be able to converse about other women, and that to Draco showed a jealous nature. He also was embarrassed to admit that she made him uncomfortable. He was still just a man, and she had practically thrown herself at him more than once for him to gather that she wanted a lot more from him than he was willing to give her- which had led to some awkward situations he would rather not reflect on. This, however, only managed to succeed in putting him off even more. He was no man of loose morals, no matter how lax he appeared to be in that front to other people; his mother, after all, had taught him better than that.

No, Alexia was not at all what he wanted in a wife, and her name was most definitely removed from the list.

Next, his eyes came to rest on Daphne Greengrass, who at this moment was flirting rather outrageously with one of the older men, while giving sidelong glances at Blaise Zabini to see if the handsome ex-Slytherin was watching. That alone told Draco enough about Daphne to not even bother to contemplate her, but still he was not going to overlook someone simply because they seemed to fancy someone else- especially since Daphne seemed to be in love with every handsome man she met. She did have her good points- being more nicer than the other girls, as she did not have such a mercenary nature- but she was also one of the most stupidest, vainest, self-centred girls he had ever met. She believed every man to be in love with her, and her greatest pride was the crown of long, golden blonde hair that adorned her pretty head. Her eyes were a perfect, cornflower blue, and she had a body that would make any man bow down at her feet in worshipful lust. She was indeed attractive, and Draco knew it, but he just could not get past her fickleness. He recalled with a shudder every time he had been forced to talk with Daphne, and each time he had had to restrain himself from running away. Her favourite topics to discuss were clothes, men, compliments she had received, and how wonderful she was at everything. He knew that a week spent with Daphne Greengrass would have him resorting to killing himself… or her.

“Definitely not Daphne,” He muttered with a shudder, and glanced past the twittering blonde to the raven-haired Sephrina who had cornered Theodore Nott and now held him captive in conversation. She was not beautiful, with grey eyes that were hard like slates, and thin, almost horse-like features that were often marred even more by the condescending expression that so easily settled on her face. However, her family were one of the best in all of England, and so she would be an ideal match for anyone wanting to uphold the respect and honour of their family. He found himself wary of her though, knowing her to be extremely vindictive when crossed, as well as not liking the fact that she was four years older than him. Draco had nothing against older women, and indeed had a soft spot for more than one beautiful Lady who was over thirty, but he had no desire to have his wife boss him around, and somehow he thought that Sephrina would if he chose her. She had an independence that was to the point of being patronising, and he knew her to be extremely intelligent. It wasn’t that he wanted a stupid wife, but sometimes he found himself feeling just a little stupid himself when around Sephrina, and that was not something he liked at all. Malfoys were not supposed to feel inferior after all.

Then there was Celestia Gorback, who was one of those females that were incredibly loud and also incredibly fat. Her obnoxious attitude and loud horse-laugh were the bane of his existence, and as his eyes fell on her dimpled face, watching in grotesque fascination as she threw her head back and laughed her hideous laugh, he knew that there was no way in hell he would even contemplate her. Call him shallow, but Draco was not attracted to her in the slightest- nor did he appreciate her vulgarity. He could recall very vividly with a shudder how she had latched her sausage fingers around his arm, painted talons digging into his flesh, and demanded he dance with her for the waltz. Decorum had insisted he say yes- not to mention his mother had placed a hard glare on him that had left him with no other choice. The resulting dance had ended with Draco feeling rather violated by the way Celestia had pulled him closer to her- too close for comfort- and she would not let him pull back or leave the dance floor thanks to her display of rather disconcerting strength. He was then forced to listen to her talking very suggestively to him- the topics enough to make him feel thoroughly ill with bad images. Thankfully, the dance had finished just as she was declaring her dirty fantasies that involved him in some very odd places and in very odd attire, and Draco had made his quick escape. He took great care to never be near her again, and rued the day her family ever managed to make themselves respectable so that he had to be inflicted with her in his own home. Sometimes he really detested decorum.

His eyes glanced past the other girls that barely caught his attention, ticking them off one-by-one. They were too pretentious, too silly, too old, too weird, and then finally his eyes fell on Ginny Weasley. She was sitting away from the group near the pianoforte, her fingers idly skipping across the black and white ivory of the keys, with a rather bored expression on her face. Draco was always rather curious about her; ever since the moment he had seen her that day in Diagon Alley with Celia Adderson and she had confessed that she had no idea what to say to him. She was different to the other girls in so many ways. She had neither connections nor great beauty, and she was certainly no town miss able to cause a man to blush by her flirting expertise. She was just herself, and something about that genuineness; something about the way she carried herself with her own proud dignity, defiantly standing tall against all odds, caused his attention to focus on her. She was not the ideal choice for a bride, and Draco didn’t even bother to contemplate her good and bad points. Her last name was enough for him to not even consider her, never mind how irritating she could be anyway.

Ginny let out a small sigh and glanced about the room, her deep chestnut eyes meeting Draco’s for just a second. He held her gaze, curiously waiting to see what she would do, and watched her eyebrows draw together into a frown. She glared at him, as if telling him to stop staring at her, and then promptly drew her gaze back to the piano. He couldn’t help but smile in a way, knowing that she was the only girl in this room who would glare at him for staring at her. All the others would probably think it an honour or some such rubbish, but not Ginny. She saw him for who he was, and didn’t care how much money he had or who his family was. Somehow that intrigued him, and yet it was a cause of great annoyance to him as well. It was the age-old tactic of indifference, and it seemed that even Draco was not impervious to it.

“Do my eyes deceive me, cousin, or are you really staring in rapt attention at our dear, Miss Weasley?”

Draco blinked and tore his eyes away from Ginny to look at his cousin, an irritable scowl settling on his face. “I wasn’t staring at her.”

“Yes you were,” Armande sing-songed, his grey eyes dancing cheekily. “In fact, you were staring very intently at her.”

“Was not,” Draco snapped childishly, and folded his arms crossly, looking no more mature than a sulky ten-year-old that had had his toy taken from him. The mulish look on his face deepened as Armande started sniggering, but Draco refused to look at his cousin’s mocking face. So what if he had been staring at her? It wasn’t as if he liked her. She just happened to be the most interesting girl in this room. It was nothing special at all.

“Oh, Merlin,” Armande suddenly muttered in an irritated voice. “Here comes that poncy flirt that thinks he can make every woman fall in love with him.”

Curious as to who had gained his friendly cousin’s disapproval, Draco glanced towards where Armande was glaring and saw Julian Adderson making his way towards them. Unknowingly, a slight sneer formed on his lips. This was one man Draco did not like and had no intention in liking. Julian Adderson was too nice, too handsome, and too sickeningly charming. Draco wasn’t jealous though. Malfoys do not get jealous after all.

“What’s he doing coming over here?” Armande demanded in a stage whisper, and then promptly replaced his frustrated expression with a broad smile as Julian came closer. “Hello Julian.” He greeted cheerfully, to which Julian responded with his own friendly hello back.

Draco didn’t bother to play nice and just glared icily at the older man through narrowed, grey eyes. He didn’t like Julian and he was not going to pretend he did otherwise. This was his house, and he didn’t care if the man was a guest in it. They’d never been friends anyway, though Draco had known Julian for his whole life thanks to their mothers being friends. That didn’t change the fact that Draco didn’t like him though, and he couldn’t understand why Julian was here talking to him now. It was just ridiculous, and if Julian thought his smiles and compliments were going to work on him like they seemed to do everyone else, he was highly mistaken. This was one Malfoy that was not going to be taken in by some fallacious flirt, for Draco was sure no one could possibly be that perfect. It was just unnatural.

Noting with disgust how Julian’s infamous, sickeningly charming smile seemed fixated on his handsome face, Draco unfolded his arms and lounged back lazily in his seat to give himself a bit more confidence. Arrogant though he was, Draco couldn’t help but feel like his status was being challenged by the older man. It was all rather unfair that Julian could be handsome, charming, witty, loved by everyone, as well as being older than him. The only way Draco knew to counter that was to act more insolent than ever in the hopes of putting the older man in his place. It was perhaps lucky that insolence was something he happened to be extremely good at; indeed, one might daresay he excelled in the act.

Folding one leg over the other as he propped his feet up on the stool in front of his chair, Draco raised his mocking, grey eyes to Julian’s smiley face and plastered the most insolent, sardonic expression he could muster on his face. One pale eyebrow rose, and his mouth curved into a perfect, mocking smirk. “Can I help you, Adderson?”

He heard his cousin choke slightly, and knew the younger boy was trying not to laugh. Draco kept his face impassive, however, and continued to stare in his impertinent way up at the older man. Julian’s face remained just as friendly, and his eyes remained just as amused- something Draco felt incredibly frustrated at. One of the things he most detested about Julian Adderson was that no amount of mockery seemed to affect the man. He just continued to smile and those damn, blue eyes continued to dance in that irritating way which so many woman seemed to swoon over. Of course Draco was not jealous at all. He just thought it was stupid the way people treated the older man….

“I was wondering if I could have a word with you actually. Preferably somewhere private?”

Draco frowned and shared a glance with Armande, who gave a shrug and a ‘you might as well’ look. Silently agreeing, and feeling a little curious as to what Julian wanted to talk to him about, Draco stood gracefully and met the man’s blue gaze with an impassive expression. They were practically the same height, Julian being just a little taller, which Draco, naturally, had always hated.

“Fine. There’s a room just down the hall. We can go there.”

Julian nodded, and both men took their leave from the room and then entered the dusky lit room down the hall- Draco using his wand to give light so they could see. It was no more than a private parlour that was rarely used, since Narcissa had decided she didn’t like the décor and would not use it until it was changed. Draco had to admit that he didn’t particularly like the sickly green colour that had been used, and curled his lip up at it when he stared at the green curtains that reminded him of hospital room curtains: cheap and aimed to make you feel more ill than ever. Even the seats were in the horrid green colour, and he forcibly had the sudden impression that he was trapped inside a lime.

“You might be surprised why I asked to speak to you.”

Draco turned and faced Julian, not even bothering to say anything. It seemed rather pointless to state the obvious.

Julian twisted his mouth slightly; the first sign of awkwardness Draco had seen the older man show. His curious nature seized on that, and his grey eyes narrowed with intensity as he stared at the tall, dark-haired man. Just what had he called him in here for?

“There is something I need to be made clear,” Julian began seriously, his arms folding somewhat defensively against his chest, as if to justify his own actions for whatever he was about to say.

“Oh?”

Julian nodded his head. “Yes. I need to know what your intentions towards Ginevra Weasley are.”

Draco blinked, not quite sure if he had heard the man correctly. What had Ginevra Weasley got to do with this?

“I don’t think I understand…” Draco replied slowly, still trying to get his head around this. Julian had come to him- asked if he could speak privately with him- and it was all because of her? That freckled, ungraceful thing that had barged in on him in his library and stole his favourite book- not to mention had somehow wormed her way into getting him to do what she wanted in the first place? Sure she was amusing sometimes, and he didn’t deny that he was curious about her, but what had that to do with anything?

“I’ve seen you taking an interest in her that you rarely do, Draco, and I know you would not invite her to your home for nothing.”

“I didn’t invite her here,” Draco expostulated impatiently, throwing a hard glare at the man before him. “My mother did.”

“Is that so?” Julian said somewhat disbelievingly, eyebrows darting up to disappear beyond his fringe.

Draco stared at him. For once there was no irritating smile on Julian’s lips, no dancing, swoon-making light in his eye; he was sober in bearing and that made Draco pause. Did Julian think that he liked Ginny Weasley? A Weasley no less? And why did Julian care anyway? What was it to him?

Laughing slightly, and finding this whole situation rather ridiculous, Draco folded his arms and levelled his mocking gaze on Julian. “Just what are you trying to say? That I like Ginny Weasley?”

“That’s what it appears to be.”

Draco snorted slightly. “Even if I did I wouldn’t tell you. My feelings have got nothing to do with you, Adderson.”

“Maybe not, but Ginny is-”

“Oh I get it,” Draco interrupted, amusement laced in his voice and his grey eyes gleaming with mischief. “You want her for yourself, don’t you?” He shook his head in a mock-scolding manner, his grey eyes glinting with sardonic amusement. “Tut, tut, Julian, your mother won’t like that.”

Julian stiffened, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. “That doesn’t concern you.”

“Yeah, well my business doesn’t concern you,” Draco snapped back irritably. “What did you think to achieve by asking me this? Even if I did like her I wouldn’t care what your feelings for her are, as you well know. Do you think I would give her up just because you asked me to?” He unfolded his arms and took a step forward, his eyes locking on Julian’s with unrivalled scorn. “Perhaps I should be asking you what your intentions are? Don’t think I don’t know about your circumstances, Julian.”

Julian glared at him fiercely for a moment, the tension between them becoming thick with animosity, and then suddenly the door opened and both men broke their gaze away in surprise to see who had intruded in on their private conversation. There was Ginny Weasley standing on the threshold, chestnut eyes curiously falling from one man’s face to the next. A slight questioning gleam crept into her eyes, but Draco only cursed under his breath and took a step back from Julian. That girl snooped around far too much for her own good, and he was feeling more than a little worried that she might have overheard them talking. Julian seemed to be feeling the same anxious feelings, as he quickly ran a hand through his hair and agitatedly smiled at her.

“Ginny… what are you doing here? You didn’t hear anything, did you?”

“No…” Ginny said slowly, her eyebrow rising slightly. “Should I have?”

“Ah, don’t worry then,” Julian said with his sickeningly, charming smile, which Draco couldn’t help but roll his eyes at. One day he really thought he might be sick if he had to put up with that smile again. He already felt queasy just looking at it now.

“What were you two doing?” Ginny asked curiously, taking a few more steps into the room.

“None of your business,” Draco snapped, giving a scowl her way. She had absolutely no respect at all. First she waltzes around his house and snoops into the rooms as if it’s her own, and then she actually has the nerve to ask him what he was doing, as if it’s in her right to do so? No wonder the Weasleys were looked down upon so much by society; they had no manners at all.

Ginny glared right back at him, but Julian walked over and placed a hand on her arm, and Draco was surprised to see all the fight die out of her eyes. She turned her face and gave Julian the most soppiest smile he had ever seen her give- oddly reminding him of the smiles she used to give Harry Potter when she was infatuated with the bespectacled git in her early years at school. It was as if the fiery, spirited woman had been quenched by his sickening smile, replacing with a dreamy and besotted girl.

“Were you looking for me?” Julian asked with a smile, to which Draco had to try not to snort at. Honestly, people called him arrogant? Even he wouldn’t presume to ask such a thing of a woman.

To Draco’s absolute shock Ginny blushed and lowered her eyes under Julian’s smiling gaze. What was wrong with her? Where was that feisty girl he was used to seeing? Surely she wasn’t going to let that cheap flirt deceive her too? And why in Merlin’s name was she blushing anyway? All Julian had done was ask a stupid question.

“Well, I saw you come into the room but then I didn’t see you again. I thought….” She trailed off and blushed again, and Draco could only gape in stunned silence, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish out of water. If he could have seen his own expression he would have been horrified, having seen a similar expression on Ronald Weasley’s face countless times before and received much amusement from it. As it was, Draco did not know what he looked like in that moment, being too filled with surprise at seeing a girl he was used to having glare daggers at him blushing and hiding her face like some bashful twit because of Julian Adderson.

“I was just talking to Draco here about some…private business,” Julian replied smoothly. “It’s nothing to worry about. You know I wouldn’t leave you without saying anything.”

Ginny smiled softly up at him, her cheeks still faintly stained with pink. “I- I know... Thank you…”

Draco folded his arms in disgust, feeling that it was time to put a stop to this nauseating display of affection.

“Yeah, well, I think our business is done, don’t you?”

“Indeed,” Julian said with a stiff nod, but before he could say anything more Serino the house-elf appeared before them, bowing her ridiculously low bow so that her long, pointy nose scraped across the floor.

“Master Draco, there is a man here who wishes to speak to a Julian Adderson.”

“I’m him,” Julian said in some wariness. “What’s this about?”

Draco frowned slightly, not really sure what this was about either.

“He did not say, but if you will follow me, Sir. He was very insistent he see you.”

“Excuse me,” Julian said with a nod to Ginny and Draco, and then followed the elf out of the room. Draco stared at the door for a moment before turning his eyes away and found himself greeted with Ginny’s soppy smile, who was smiling dreamily at the now closed door.

“Merlin, could you get any more pathetic?” He muttered disdainfully, and started walking to the door.

“What did you say?”

Draco stopped in his tracks and swung around, nearly crashing into Ginny who had walked towards him in her anger. He took a step back and once more regained his composure. “What I’m saying,” he began with a sneer, “Is that you look ridiculous.”

Ginny glared at him angrily, her hands situating on her hips as if it would somehow make her look more intimidating. Draco had to admit that it did, but he was not afraid of a silly, infatuated girl.

“What are you talking about?” she asked huffily.

He rolled his eyes and gestured at the door with one hand. “You and him! You turn into some passive little idiot when he’s around you.”

“I do not!” Ginny exclaimed furiously, her cheeks going just a bit pink. Her eyes narrowed intensely at him but Draco was not moved. The fiery woman he was used to seeing had been reduced to some sort of insipid girl that had no backbone at all, and it had been as disconcerting as it was frustrating to watch. She could glare at him all she liked, but he wasn’t going to be scared off.

“Yeah, well it certainly looked that way to me. You couldn’t stop blushing.”

Ginny’s face splotched even more with red, resembling more of a sunburnt tomato than the woman she was. “Shutup! You don’t know what you’re on about!”

“Oh come off it!” Draco snapped tiredly, giving her a scornful look as he took a step towards her. “You couldn’t get a single word out without blushing, not to mention all those pathetic smiles you kept giving him.”

“Well so what?” she demanded, tilting her chin defiantly up at him and folding her arms crossly. They had suddenly become very close, but Draco wasn’t thinking about that right now. He was more frustrated with how stupid she had been acting before.

Ginny leaned in towards him, making the gap between them vanish even more in the intensity of their furious gazes.“I can like whoever I want, and he likes me too, so I don’t see what it matters.”

He shook his head in pity, knowing that she had no idea about anything. For all that she liked to think herself so much mightier than the rest of them, she was truly naïve to this world of high society. She didn’t understand anything at all. She was no more wiser than the angry kitten she reminded him of in that moment. Her claws were sharp, but harmless in her ignorance, just as her glares were useless when faced with the doubt that lingered in her frown. She thought this romance with Julian was a fairytale where happy endings could be found. How very wrong she was.

Laughing softly at her in mocking amusement, Draco’s expression lost some of its harshness to become simply amused. “I hope you’re not expecting anything serious from him, Weasley. He won’t marry you. You’ve got nothing to offer him but your body-” his eyes flickered appraisingly down to her feet and then back to her face- “and I really don’t think that will be enough.”

Something hard connected with his cheek, causing him to recoil back in stinging pain. He held a hand to his now very red cheek, eyes widening in shock, not quite able to believe that she had actually slapped him. Their gaze met, but she didn’t seem to care that she had just slapped him. She was breathing hard, her eyes filled with so much fury that if he were anyone else he might have taken a step back to save his own skin. As it was, Draco only lowered his hand from his cheek where the red hand mark remained imprinted on his pale skin, and stared at her wordlessly. There was hurt in her eyes that he had not seen before, and somehow that seemed to snap him more to his senses than the harsh slap she had given him just seconds ago. His stomach twisted unpleasantly, the guilt sweeping through him like a foul taste that could not be erased. He realised now that he had made a very stupid mistake by saying such a thing to her. Even if he hated her- even if he was right that Julian wouldn’t marry her- he knew that he had no right to say something like that to her. His mother would probably clout him around the ears if she knew. She had not taught him to be rude to women- in fact quite the opposite- and he knew that as a gentleman he had just failed spectacularly.

Struggling for a moment with what his brain was telling him to do, and not quite able to believe what he was about to say, Draco lowered his gaze to the sickly, green, carpeted floor. “Sorry.”

Ginny only glared at him, apparently unmoved by his apology. “Somehow I doubt you are. You seem to delight in trying to offend me at every possible moment.”

“I said I was sorry alright,” Draco snapped back, lifting his head back up to meet her angry gaze. He’d apologised hadn’t he? What more did she want? She couldn’t possibly expect him to grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness for stating a fact they both knew to be true. She didn’t have the most perfect body in the world, being neither thin nor curvaceous, and she certainly wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d set eyes on. Julian would have to be extremely idiotic to want to give up all he had for a girl like her who had nothing to offer but second-rate goods. Still, Draco couldn’t deny that there was so much more to Ginny than her looks, but that was something he saw fit not to reflect upon too much. It was easier to think her irritating and plain than as pretty and intriguing.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Ginny only scowled at him grumpily. “Yeah, well it’s a bit hard to believe you when you look like it cost you a thousand galleons just to say it.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling more than a little annoyed that she couldn’t accept his apology. Didn’t she know how much it had cost his pride to say that word to her? Her? She didn’t even deserve him to say sorry to her, but even at that thought his stomach gave another betraying twist of queasiness and guilt, and Draco managed to keep his temper in check.

“Look,” he said in frustration, not used to having to explain himself or his actions. “I didn’t mean what I said back there. Sometimes I just say things without thinking…”

She stared at him sceptically for a moment and then gave an irritated huff. “Fine, whatever, but I still hate you.”

“Yeah, well that’s nothing new,” he responded dryly, giving her a rather irritated look. She always had a way of making him more annoyed than any other woman. “I think I’d be more worried if you didn’t hate me.”

“Hmph,” was all Ginny managed to say, and contented herself by glaring silently at him. Draco turned his gaze away and stared at the wall, not really caring if she kept glaring at him anyway. All it would achieve was more wrinkles on her part.

Silence fell about them, and Draco suddenly remembered the task he had been set by his father. Unconsciously his face broke into a dispirited frown, all spirit in him crumbling like an aged statue reduced to fragmented dust blowing in a changing wind. How on earth was he going to find a girl he wanted to marry before the end of the month and get her pregnant too? He’d looked at all the potential girls and found none that he liked. He was trapped in this now, and he knew that if he didn’t make a decision himself then his parents would. The only question was who would they choose to be his bride?

Without thinking he cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair, completely forgetting that Ginny was in the room with him until his eyes, which had been wildly roaming the room in an agitated way, fell on her face. She was staring at him curiously, her head tilted to the side like a curious bird as if she was trying to determine something about him. He cursed again for her damn nosiness and always being there when he didn’t want her to, giving her an icy glare for good measure.

“What?” he demanded with a scowl. “Haven’t you left yet?”

“Obviously not,” Ginny said somewhat dryly, to which Draco only rolled his eyes at. “What’s wrong?”

“None of your damn business,” He snapped back rudely, bringing a strange sense of déjà vu to the situation. It seemed like only seconds ago he had said the exact same thing to her.

“You don’t have to get so snappy about it you know. What are you, some kind of terrier?”

Draco blinked, his face breaking into a puzzled frown. “What?”

“You know, one of those yappy, little dogs that always snap at people.”

“I know what they are,” Draco retorted, glowering darkly at her. “I was just wondering why the hell you would call me one.”

Ginny shrugged and gave him a careless look that was infuriatingly unapologetic. “You just remind me of one. Whenever people come near you, you snap at them just like a terrier. I can’t believe I never noticed it before.”

“Well that’s just great, Weasley,” he responded sarcastically, privately wondering if she was insane. Who calls people a terrier? “But I actually have more important things to do then talk to you about whether I could be called a terrier or not.”

“Oh, I don’t need your opinion on the matter. I’ve already decided you’re going to be called Mr Terrier from now on.”

He glared at her again, his cheeks faintly going pink, wondering how it was she always seemed to get the last word. He was the one who should have had the upper hand here. He had offended her far more harshly before by mocking her looks, and yet here she was calling him a terrier? It just wasn’t right. The world seemed so topsy-turvy when Ginny Weasley was around, and it was also rather humiliating to be compared to a tiny dog that seemed cursed with the dog version of short-man syndrome.

“Whatever,” he said with what sounded suspiciously like a huff and strode briskly out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Ginny waited silently for a few more seconds until the sound of Draco’s storming footsteps had disappeared completely.

“Idiot,” she muttered to herself, scowling darkly at the closed door. She couldn’t believe the things he had said to her, let alone about Julian. As if her Julian would be so shallow as to not want to marry her simply because she didn’t have connections or money; after all, he already knew what her situation was, and that didn’t seem to have put him off at all.

A frown settled on her face, some of the confidence she felt slipping away slightly. She did have to wonder about one thing though. What had Draco meant by saying that he knew what Julian’s situation was? She may not have heard all their conversation, but she had managed to catch that one line, and it had definitely puzzled her. What was it about Julian that she didn’t know? And why were they in here having an argument anyway?

“This is all so confusing,” she mumbled to herself, rubbing her head that was threatening to overwhelm her with a headache. She didn’t like to think that Julian was keeping secrets from her, and even worse was the fact that Draco seemed to know and she didn’t. Perhaps she could get him to tell her? Somehow she doubted Julian would, but Draco might if she annoyed him enough. That would mean talking to him again though, and she’d already dealt with the arrogant man enough for one day. She didn’t think her energy or her temper could handle another round, though she supposed he had been quite civil to her in the morning. Still, he was so horrible and mean, and she would rather have nothing to do with him at all.

Sniggering suddenly to herself, Ginny allowed a small smile to flitter over her lips. “A terrier….” Now that had been something worth remembering. Draco Malfoy the terrier.

Still chuckling to herself, Ginny walked out of the room and decided that she would just go to bed. One the way she caught a glimpse of Julian coming back from his meeting with the strange man who had wanted to see him. Once more she was struck by how strained he seemed to be, with his shoulders tense, and his eyes filled with dark frustration. He seemed to be mumbling to himself, and with the hopes of finding out what was going on here Ginny ducked behind one of the tapestries, which surprisingly led to a secret passageway. She wondered what was down there, but quickly turned her thoughts back to Julian. She could hear his footsteps coming closer, and peeped out through the crack to see him muttering to himself as he walked.

“Who do they think they are demanding me to answer to them?” He muttered darkly with a furious expression on his face. It was a shock to see him actually angry, with not a trace of his usual good-humoured smile. He gave an exasperated sigh as he stopped just on the other side of the tapestry. Ginny’s heart started pounding in her chest, and she sucked in her breath as she waited, not wanting him to catch her eavesdropping on him.

“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice. Dammit.”

Ginny’s brow creased into a frown. What on earth was he talking about? Who was he supposed to answer to? And why didn’t he have a choice in the matter? What in Merlin’s name was going on?

Julian sighed again and then trudged dispiritedly down the hallway away from Ginny’s sight. She stood there for a moment in puzzled silence, but realised soon enough that no amount of thinking would bring her any closer to the truth in the matter. All she knew was that something was going on with Julian that he was not telling her about, and it clearly was not as trivial like he had pretended it to be earlier that day.

“What is going on?” she whispered to herself.

Not having any answer, she let out a sigh and turned around. It was then that her eyes caught the dark twisting tunnel that led down to wherever the secret passage led to. Curiosity got the better of common sense, and quickly Ginny started walking down the dark path- the torches on the wall bursting to life with each step to cast flickering shadows that followed her along the dreary, grey walls.

The passage seemed to go on forever and Ginny was beginning to get more than a little frustrated. She refused to turn back though, determined to find out what was on the other end. She’d come this far and there was no point turning back now.

“I can’t do this, Armande. I must have been mental to accept such a task.”

Ginny stopped and listened intently. That had to be Draco’s voice. She edged just a little bit closer so that she could hear the muffled voices more clearly. This was one conversation she did not want to miss.

“Yeah, but you know that if you say you’re not going to do it that Aunt and Uncle will just choose someone for you. They’re determined to see you married.”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” Draco demanded, and Ginny heard his chair scrape as if he had stood up. His footsteps paced up and down, and daringly she edged just a bit more closer to the sound of their voices.

“Look, I’m sure you can find someone you like, Draco. I mean it’s not like you have to choose someone from here.”

“Are you serious? You don’t honestly think that my mother will let me marry anyone else? She wants the girl to be from a good family. Why else do you think she invited all those girls here?”

Armande sniggered slightly. “Well then why’d she invite Ginny Weasley? She’s not exactly from the perfect family is she?”

There was silence for a moment, as if Draco was thinking over something. Suddenly Ginny heard the sound of the chair scraping again, which told her clearly enough he had just collapsed onto the seat.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

“See what?” Armande asked curiously.

“Don’t you see?” Draco demanded in frustration. “My mother goes and handpicks these women to bring to this party, which tells me clearly enough that one of them has to be the one I choose, knowing full well that I would never consider any of them anyway since I’ve known half of them my whole life. But then she invites Ginevra Weasley who is so different to all of them that I will have no choice but to look at her.”

“What are you trying to say, Draco?”

“I’m trying to say that my mother wants me to marry Ginny bloody Weasley.”

Ginny gasped, not quite sure she had heard correctly. It couldn’t be right. Why would Narcissa want her to marry her son? Better yet, why would Draco ever want to marry her? They didn’t like each other at all.

“But…your family hate the Weasleys. Why would Aunt want that?”

“Because even if Father doesn’t like the Weasleys, and even if their family is not the most respectable, they have some of the most ancient Pureblood in their veins.” He paused for a moment. “I think my mother has been planning this for a long time. She liked Ginevra from the first moment she saw the girl, and everyone knows our mothers were once friends. She’s probably taken it upon herself to bring the families together or some such rot.”

“So what are you going to do?”

There was another pause, and Ginny suddenly felt her nose twitching unpleasantly. She scrunched up her face, trying with all her might to hold back the sneeze that threatened to come out, but it was too late. A loud sneeze erupted from her mouth, and whatever it was Draco was going to do was never discovered, as in two quick strides a tapestry had been pulled back and Ginny found herself greeted by two fierce, grey eyes. It was Draco Malfoy, and he did not look happy to see her.

“Weasley… I should have known.”

Ginny didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that right now she would have given anything to be somewhere else then under Draco’s furious gaze.

“How much did you hear?”

Ginny had the grace to blush, and lowered her face in embarrassment. “Enough to know what’s going on.”

“Well that’s just fantastic,” Draco muttered, cheeks faintly tinged with pink. Armande’s boyish snigger came from behind him, and that only made Ginny feel more uncomfortable. She looked up at Draco again, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. It seemed he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or embarrassed. Ginny had to admit that she was feeling much the same.

“I, um… should go,” Ginny said quietly.

Draco only nodded his head, his eyes lingering on her face in their piercing way.

Feeling suddenly even more uncomfortable, Ginny quickly walked off the other way back to her room in an attempt to put as much space between her and Draco as possible. Armande’s laughter followed her down the passage, and Ginny could feel her cheeks heating terribly in the dim light. She couldn’t believe what she had heard; couldn’t believe what Narcissa had been planning for her. The only comfort she had was that Draco would never ask her to marry him…

“Would he?”

A/N: So I finally got a chapter written. Not sure how I feel about the ending of the chapter, but since I’m so stretched for time I thought I’d just post it anyway so I can work on the next. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.