A twist of fate for a whole pint of mess, or Ms. Malkin's internal angst.
"Father! Father, where are you?" the faint voice called from behind the closed doors. She must have been looking for him for a while but the tall shelves and the long rows of books absorbed the sound of her voice. Seated behind the large oaken desk, Hugo Malfoy cursed and took a last drag out of his finely carved pipe. "In the library dear child," he replied. He emptied the pipe it a drawer, threw the pipe in (the drawer gave a violent cough), and waved his hand trying to dissolve the finely scented smoke.
The sliding doors opened revealing his daughter-in-law. "Father?" Narcissa Malfoy said, "I have been looking for you through the entire house. It's time we lea--" she stopped mid sentence and sniffed the air. "Have you been smoking again? You know perfectly well healer Hippocrates said no smoking for you." She walked to the shut windows and threw them wide open, letting the country air in.
"I am no child to be scolded, Narcissa," he protested, "My pipe is my only pleasure, besides my great grandchild, now in my old days and I have every intention on keeping to it."
"Nonsense," said Narcissa while helping the old man from his chair, "And if I catch you smoking again I'll have the cook serving you soups till the end of the year."
Her threat worked.
"You wouldn't!"
"I would," she replied firmly and took his arm. "Now I'll go fetch your cane and see to the children. Don't you dare take out that pipe while I'm gone."
Hugo Malfoy mumbled something inaudible and looked longingly towards the drawer...
****
There was a pattern among the Weasley children; Ginny was no fool, she had seen it a long time ago but hadn't necessarily tried to avoid it.
Molly Weasley had raised her children with the need to always give their best, to have ambitions in life, to respect themselves and the others around them but most of all, to be proud for who they were. And most of them were proud for who they were, even if the need to prove themselves was stronger.
There was too much ambition among the Weasley children. Enough to urge all of them in the search of their dreams like Charlie did, like the twins did.
There was enough ambition to drive Percy away from home in the summer before fourth year; enough to make Ron put aside Harry's feelings and accept the captainship of the Gryffindor team. Perhaps an ambition strong enough to make Ginny take up friendship with the heir of Malkin Industries, even though she had found her extremely annoying at first.
Not that she still wasn't annoying; (even now, her high heels clapping to and fro the stone floor, were giving Ginny a headache) but one gets used to it after three years.
Even so, Ginny's conscience would not let her be. She had wanted more, always more. The fact that she was an only daughter didn't help either, being the centre of continuous attention, but she boiled to the thought that her family was poor and she couldn't have more. It scared her, knowing how far she'd go to satisfy her own desires and so made sure, to always have it under control. Always.
Clap clap clap. "What's the time?" Victoria's heels.
Ginny raised her head from her lap and looked around her. The sunny room was large enough to fit half a professional quidditch field in and had enough fireplaces for ten times the wizarding population of Valletta. House of Floo. Malta had quite the tourism. Twelve loud hoos from the general direction of the arched entrance overcame the crowd's voices and Ginny realised it was the golden clock hovering over the information office in the corner. Noon.
"It's noon already Victoria. Are you sure he said eleven thirty?"
"Yes, yes I'm quite sure," Victoria replied back. She was worried and Ginny didn't like it at all.
They had been waiting for nearly an hour due to Victoria's haste to be there on time.
Victoria had made her pack and vacate her apartment in a bit more than an hour. Ginny managed to get herself bitten by a doxy, causing a giggling fit from Victoria's part and a confession, from which Ginny learned two important things. Victoria then realised it was 'already' a quarter to ten and rushed Ginny even more. Ginny, worried she might have a panic attack, didn't dare complain, until they had arrived at the Maltese House of Floo. That had included the not so easy task of apparating and dissapparating to her flat and back, a whole dozen times until she'd had all her luggage safely transported on the stone floor. Then she had to help Victoria move her own luggage to the House of Floo which took a while longer.
At the end she had sat down, laid her head on her lap, hoping it would ease her headache (didn't work), and waited.
***
"MESSAGE FOR MS. MALKIN! MESSAGE FOR MS. MALKIN!"
Ginny turned her head in time to see Victoria vanish in the heavily crowded room, towards an envelope with bee-like wings flying around the clerk with the sonorous aided voice. Call it a witch's intuition but Ginny knew this message wouldn't mean any good to anyone relating to it.
When Victoria returned, cool demeanour all swept away, the hand holding the letter hanging limply on the side. Ginny got up and had Victoria take her seat on the trunk. And then Victoria broke off.
"BLOODY PRAT! HE CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" she exploded, eyes flashing, waving the letter at Ginny while spitting the words. "There is no power on this earth that's going to make me leave this country without him! As if I am willing to meet his family without him! Can you imagine the welcoming I'll be getting?"
"What are you talking about? What does the letter say?" keeping her voice down and calm was the only way Ginny knew to control Victoria's scarce fits. It wouldn't help adding her own wails to the general fuss, since she'd already tried it and utterly failed.
"He says he's not coming. He's too caught up at business. His family will be waiting at the International Fireplaces in Diagon Alley and that there's nothing to worry about. He says I'm to plan the wedding with his mother while he's away. HE SENDS ALL HIS LOVE!!!"
"Victoria *calm down*! There are people around and listening." Ginny could feel her own anger tinting her cheeks.
Victoria instantly calmed once the people's opinion of her were mentioned. She got up and restarted pacing back and forth, her hand level with the mouth, manicured fingernails under serious threat.
"I'm not going."
"Not going where?"
"Back to England."
Ginny was already feeling giddy by staring Victoria's moving silhouette. She got up and stood in front of her, forcing her to stop. "What? Why?"
"Because I don't want to face those people alone," Victoria cried.
"But you've talked about them so lovingly; I thought you couldn't wait to become a part of their family. And I'll be with you, remember? Maid of honour?"
She laughed bitterly. "Of course I want to be a part of their family. They're the most regarded wizarding family, pureblood or not. Their cycle of people is so close and extremely well guarded; they won't let just anyone in. And if Darius isn't there to support me and make them approve, they'll devour me like werewolves. Circe! I can't believe he did this to me." There were tears in her eyes.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Nonsense Vic, if he didn't think they'd love you, he wouldn't leave you to handle it *alone*, he trusts you and his family. I know what you're doing: this is your usual what-will-they-think-of-me self. Get over it," she added firmly.
Victoria shook her head. "You don't understand. You can't understand."
Ginny decided to take charge. "Now, our passes are set; you still have them in your purse. It's about time we Floo, we can't have such an important family as the Malfoys wait on us, can we?" she said sarcastically. Not seeing Victoria convinced she sighed.
"Listen, Vicky, it's going to be OK. If I were you I would never worry about being accepted. You are so easily adjusted, and I'm sure the Malfoys will happily introduce you to their *cycle of friends*. Besides you are the heir of the Malkin industries, that's no small a thing."
Victoria then looked at Ginny as if seeing her for the first time. "Yes, yes, of course you're right. What was I thinking?" She laughed heartily and Ginny finally relaxed.
She put her fingers through her fine hair and said "Oh, Lady I must be looking awful after that fit. I'll go to the powder room; wait for me?"
Ginny rolled her eyes but condescended. "What else can I do? Don't take too long."
Shortly, Victoria was out of sight, and Ginny sat back and touched her temples with her fingers, massaging them. It was one of those times when she felt a deep dislike for Victoria, when Ginny was forced to shake her out of any insecurity modes she fell into. Then a wave of quilt that washed it all out. For not being a good friend, for using Victoria to satisfy her ambitions, for going back but not letting her own ones know.
And there was something else too. Something completely wrong with the world but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Hey I'm back," said Victoria's familiar voice and Ginny raised her head and saw her, flushed and nervous with a bright smile.
"Good, then we're ready to go," she said and got up.
***
Being high noon, the grand room of the House of Floo was swarming with people, mostly people that had just flooed in, and Ginny felt fortunate knowing Victoria had already seen to their passes; her own safely put away in her side pocket.
A clerk, who rushed to assist them in the sight of Victoria's money satchel, shrank their luggage into the size of a shoebox and carried it while leading them. He gave it to Ginny once they reached a fireplace with a sign that read England Diagon Alley, London- Departures. It was big enough to have at least three wizards sit comfortably in.
Another clerk, covered in soot from pointed hat to toe with a handful of floo powder, joined a group 5 people inside the lit fireplace, and yelled the destination with a clear voice. He disappeared along with the group in a flare of blue only to have him reappear a few moments later.
"NEXT GROUP OF FIVE!" he yelled and the people in front of Ginny started moving. They were one person short and so Ginny stepped in the fireplace behind them. "I'll be waiting for you," she told Victoria reassuringly but the soot covered clerk stepped in front of her and blocked her view.
He raised his hand, ready to drop the floo powder and cried "England!" while at the same moment Victoria called to her, "I'll owl you Ginny!" The wizard dropped the floo powder in the flames and as Ginny opened her mouth the soot filled her throat and nostrils, choking back her cry. Then a flare of blue enveloped her and the world started swirling around her at amazing speed. She tried to take a step to what it seemed forward, but a sharp pain dulled her senses and the last thing she saw was a blurry hint of a stone wall.
***
"Ms. Malkin? Ms. Malkin can you hear me?"
Ow my head.
"Ms. Malkin? Are you alright? Do you need a healer?"
Ms. Malkin? Ms. Malkin who?
"She's moving. I believe she's all right sir."
"Who appointed you healer, boy?"
Victoria! Oh no.
"No one sir, sorry sir. I'll be going now sir, I need to get back to my shift."
"Look! She's opening her eyes."
The black wouldn't clear out. She blinked a few times. There were still blots of black in her peripheral vision. She could even count them. One. Two. Three. Four big blots and a smaller in the middle. No, wait. The blur of the other colours became clearer and she focused her vision. There were white walls, and straight ahead there was grey sky, and even raindrops that weren't raindrops but an illusion. And faces; attached to black clad bodies.
"Mother, why is she looking at us like this?" It was a child's voice. The smaller figure's voice. The only one with a head less fair than the others.
Ginny tried to get up and a pair of arms helped her sit. "Don't try to get up dear child. You've bumped your head pretty bad," another voice said and Ginny turned to see an almost familiar face. She must have been at her early fifties, warm grey eyes, and hair that Ginny couldn't tell whether was white or blond.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Narcissa Malfoy, Darius' mother," she replied.
Ginny was relieved. "Oh good, then you can hel-"
"Don't try to speak Victoria," Ginny startled, lifted her head and saw it was an old man standing on Narcissa's side holding a cane; a very old man with a smart white beard and hair to match. It must have been Darius grandfather. He was rather intimidating but not menacing for the moment, "I hope you don't mind my calling you Victoria."
"Oh but I-"
"A clerk found your pass with your name on it, and that's how we know who you are. Thank goodness for that or who knows where you'd end up." This came from the woman on Ginny's other side, an exact replica of Narcissa's but with eyes calculating and scornful. "We've been waiting for quite a while for you to show up."
Ginny was too shocked to try and speak again. Only then did it dawn to her what Victoria had tried to do. They think I'm her. She expects me to be her. She shook her head. She needed to straighten things out.
"Mrs. Malfoy there's been a mistake. You see I'm not-"
"-feeling well? It's only natural dear. Don't worry we'll take you to the mansion and you can rest there," Narcissa interrupted her again. "Once you're well, we'll give you a tour of the grounds. You'll love the Wiltshire. I hope you don't get lost in the mansion, but you can always call the service."
"It's a good thing you've arrived now that you did," continued the old man, "the season's about to start and you'll be entertained I hope. Too bad Darius won't be there. Those people will be good for business."
"And will I be an ornament to those balls grandfather? Am I or am I not the executive of the Malfoy Inc." said the other woman, but Ginny's head was throbbing.
Mansion, estates, the high society. Victoria was right. It was her chance to meet all the right people. The influence she would have as the future Malfoy bride. How could Victoria run away from all this? And that's what she did. She ran away, in a petty attempt to get back at her fiancé. Would it be so wrong if Ginny used this situation the way Victoria had used her? And the Malfoys looked so willing to take her in. When Victoria would come to her senses they would trade places, without anyone finding out, no major fret. Victoria would probably come in the arms of her Darius, cheerful as ever explaining that it was all a silly little prank. And in the meantime Ginny would meet people, learn things. It would hurt no one.
"Octavia, this is not the time, nor the place for such discussions. You're making Victoria dizzy," Narcissa said firmly and turned to Ginny. "How is your head dear?"
Ginny forced her feet flat on the ground and slowly got off the bench with no help. She flashed a bright smile at Narcissa. "I'm quite alright thank you."
"Draco, give your arm to the girl. She needs your assistance," the old man said and Ginny looked up to see Darius' phantasm hovering over her.
***
It was a direct command from his grandfather and he knew he couldn't refuse. He handed Fabian back to his mother and walked nonchalantly over to the young woman covered in soot.
When he first saw his brother's fiancée, she was lying on a bench, completely unconscious, resembling more to an overgrown scorched mandrake root with clothes. His mother let out a small cry and hurried to her side and taking her handkerchief out, she started cleaning up the creature's face. It finally turned out she was a woman: a young woman, with childlike freckles on her nose and cheeks, a rosy mouth, and a nasty red bump on the forehead. And from what he could see from her clothes not a very stylish woman either. My brother is full of surprises.
He also noticed that the girl's hair was a bright coppery red that even the soot couldn't cover but that was a completely unnecessary thing to notice.
Fabian was curious and reached out to touch her, but Octavia pulled him away at once scolding him and handed him to Draco. He didn't really mind. His nephew knew when to sit still, since an early age. He preferred to stand back and watch the girl wake up.
She was dazed at first, looking around her with her mouth slightly open. She only appeared to be waking when she heard his mother speaking. He was familiar with the effect that his mother's voice had to people and he smiled a little.
He knew he should remember her from Hogwarts but somehow he couldn't connect the name with the face. Victoria Malkin. How strange. His mother had already started to like her, and so had his grandfather. Hugo was clearly grinning under his thick moustache with the naivety the girl was showing, but liked her determination to get up on her feet even more.
When Hugo spoke to him, the girl, Victoria turned to face him as if noticing him for the first time. Her feet wavered for a moment there; perhaps she was weaker than she would admit. He walked over to her and he bowed his head slightly, conscious to the mocking in his smile. The girl, Victoria widened her eyes in fright. Could she not know manners at all? He offered his hand but she didn't take it.
"Since no one had the courtesy to introduce us, I'm Draco Malfoy, Darius' brother." It wouldn't be right scaring her off from the first moment.
Victoria gave him an odd look which had him raise an eyebrow. Was this not a behaviour she would expect from him?
"Oh dear, I've completely forgot," his mother cut in, "Meet," she said pointing his sister, "Octavia and her son Fabian. This is Darius' grandfather, Hugo," she said pointing to the old man, "and you must know Draco from Hogwarts," concluded turning towards Draco.
There was that odd look again. She smiled to everyone but cowered in Draco's mention. Had something happened between the two which he couldn't remember? He made a quick note to himself to look it up.