"You're getting married!" The exuberant voice woke Ginny from a fretful sleep marred with images of Draco and her that now, in the light of day, made her blush ferociously. "So what on earth are you still doing in bed?"
Ginny cracked an eye open reluctantly to see Hermione stood at the end of her bed, an agitated expression residing on her pretty face. "Well," she began, her voice croaky till she took a sip of water from the glass next to her bed, "I was sleeping." Hermione harrumphed at that and began to go through Ginny's wardrobe, throwing random pieces of clothing on the bed. Ginny rose up on her elbows to watch her. "And how on earth did you get in my flat?"
"You gave me a key years ago."
"For emergencies!"
"You're getting married!" Hermione turned to regard Ginny seriously. "That is an emergency."
"You make it sound so romantic."
Hermione tossed a blue robe at Ginny and stood like the very stern taskmaster that Ginny knew her to be over her bed. "Get dressed." she ordered, with a wave of her hand.
Ginny regarded her from bleary eyes. "Why?"
"Because you need to start thinking about some wedding robes!"
Ginny sat up straight. "I think mum would like to come for that." Hermione waved her objections off, ambling into the kitchen to make coffee. "Calm down, Ginny." she yelled, "we're just trying them on! It'll be fun!"
Ginny collapsed back onto the bed, thinking that it was very doubtful she would have fun trying on big, fluffy concoctions that some designers called wedding robes.
*
It was gorgeous. Ginny let the soft fabric, slip through her fingers, letting herself feel all it's decadence.
"Wow." Hermione murmured in an awed whisper. Ginny turned to stare at herself in the mirror. The robe fitted her body like a glove, showing off her shoulders and the mess of red hair that flowed over them. She experimentally twisted her hair up on her head and shuffled herself round to see what effect it had on the low back of the robe.
Hermione picked up the parchment that was perched on the wall next to where the robe had hung and began to read aloud. "Enchanted to never slip down or become dirty this new robe by designer Teddy Backer is sure to show you off to your best advantage." Hermione raised her eyebrows at the plunging neckline. "Well, it most certainly does that." She dropped the parchment to come stand next to Ginny, looking at her in the mirror. "Ginny, you look fabulous. Harry will have a fit if you wear that."
Harry. Ginny's heart flip-flopped at the name. For a moment she'd been able to pretend that she was just trying on robes for fun, but Hermione, in her sweet, best friend way, had gone and reminded her so very clearly of the fiancée that she had come unforgivably close to betraying. "How much is it?" she asked, to detract attention from her suddenly nauseous expression.
"Whew." muttered Hermione, looking at the parchment. "Let's just be thankful that your fiancée is a very rich man."
Ginny winced. "That much?" She stepped away from the mirror, and ran her hands down the sleek fabric of the robe. "Damn. I really don't want Harry to pay for everything."
Turning back to the mirror, she frowned, annoyed. "I just really wanted to get my own robes."
Hermione smiled sympathetically. "Oh, I know Ginny." She patted Ginny's shoulder consolingly. "But these things cost a bomb and Harry has all that inherited fortune and you're…"
"Just an out-of-work writer who barely makes enough to live on."
"Hey!" scolded Hermione, giving Ginny a brief hug. "A creative genius like yourself is never not working!"
Ginny smiled wanly. "Maybe I should just give up this writer thing." At Hermione's furious expression she attempted a wider grin. "Or maybe I could just pawn my engagement ring."
Hermione laughed, pulling Ginny's hand towards her to admire the ring, like people had been doing since she'd first got it. Hermione's laughter died away as she stared at Ginny's hand. "Ginny," she asked curiously, "what's your silver ring doing on here?"
Ginny glanced quickly down, noticing with horror Draco's ring nestled above the diamond that Harry had given her. She barked out a short, fake laugh. "God, I'm stupid." She looked up into Hermione's disbelieving eyes. "Hey," she said, straining for joviality, "someone made me get ready ridiculously fast this morning."
She wrenched her hand away from Hermione and quickly dragged the ring off. "Ginny," said Hermione, her hand still outstretched, "can I look at that ring?" With feeling of misgiving Ginny slowly handed the ring over.
Hermione span it around in the air, critically evaluating it from each angle, making Ginny's stomach sink further. "You know what, Ginny?" Hermione dropped the ring in her palm, "I think this might be one of those old family rings."
"Old family rings?" Ginny practically squeaked.
Hermione laughed. "Yeah, if you know the revealing charm it would show the crest of the family on it." She shook her head as she handed the ring back to Ginny. "Very old families all have them, I can't believe that you found one of these in an antique store." She paused for a moment and then clicked her fingers. "Oh, I remember where I've seen one before, Malfoy used to wear one."
"Really?" inquired Ginny innocently, turning away so that Hermione wouldn't see the blush she was sure was colouring her cheeks.
"Yeah, he used to play with it during meetings." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Terribly annoying."
"Hmm." agreed Ginny, playing with her robe so she wouldn't have to look Hermione in the eye.
"I suppose he probably sold it when he left the country." At this Ginny's hands stilled and she didn't dare turn towards Hermione in fear she would see the tears that were threatening to fall. "Doubt he's got much left at all of his old life."
Ginny turned back to Hermione, trying to appear casual. "Well, he didn't need to leave, did he?"
Hermione looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "With all the remaining Death Eaters out there calling for the 'blood of the traitor'? He would have been slaughtered." Hermione cocked her head. "Still would."
Ginny gulped and moved to take her wedding robe off, suddenly desperate to not have such material evidence that she was getting married around her. Hermione moved to help her, seemingly forgetting their conversation.
Shrugging back on her own robes, Ginny couldn't resist another question. "Why do you care so much about Malfoy anyway?" Hermione shrugged, engrossed in hanging the robe up.
"I always felt quite bad for him. I mean, he gave everything up." Ginny looked at the silver ring and remembered frenzied meetings, lips dragging across each other, hands desperately groping for bare skin, with the realisation that he hadn't quite given everything up.
She was jolted out of her reverie by Hermione looping her arm through hers and dragging her out of the shop. "Let's go get coffee and I can tell you all about my new boyfriend so you can pass on the information to your brother and fiancée," the word was accompanied by a small clap, "and they can decide to hate him while at least being fully informed."
Allowing herself to be dragged towards the small coffee shop, Ginny glanced down at her hands once more.
"Oooh," infused Hermione, "and then we can discuss wedding details."
"Great." agreed Ginny tiredly, her attention on her hands and her engagement ring that suddenly looked very bare without the battered silver brand above it.
*
Draco had spent the better part of two hours trying to find Ginny's flat again. When he'd tried to retrace his steps from the memorial he'd somehow managed to walk in a very long circle and wandering around the streets looking for a familiar landmark hadn't yielded that much use either.
Draco wasn't used to finding places twice, his fear of discovery by the magical community had meant that he'd spent the last five years flitting from one place to the next with barely a pause. Even when he'd returned to favourite locations he rarely went back to the places he'd frequented on his first visit. It wasn't till he finally gave in and asked for directions from a short witch who'd observed him suspiciously that Draco managed to find the tiny building nestled in a quaint area of magical London.
Tugging his hood down, Draco hammered on the door. Resisting the immature urge to hop from one foot to the other in childish impatience, Draco was infinitely glad when the door finally opened. Expecting a shock of red hair he had to cover up his surprise when instead he found himself faced with a pretty brunette. Trying to control the smirk that was fighting to appear on his face Draco merely said, as politely and cheerfully as possible; "Hello, Granger. Ginny in?"
The look on Granger's face was priceless. Complete shock was etched into every one of her features and it didn't improve when Ginny came up behind her, wearing the same expression tinged with something that looked like resignation.
Draco leaned sideways to talk to Ginny stood behind the frozen former Head Girl. "Hey Ginny." Her mouth opened and closed a few times, no words emerging. Draco smiled rakishly. "Just thought you might like to know that I've come back for you."
And with that Draco turned and walked down the hallway, down the staircase and onto the street, leaving two very shocked women in his wake.