Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.
Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental.
AN: Ok my loves here is chapter eleven! Sorry for the delay! I know I promised it would be out a few weeks ago, but (unfortunately) I couldn't foresee a natural disaster. The arrival of hurricane Rita inconvenienced my beta reader and made her review of the chapter take longer than it normally would. I only hope you find that the chapter was worth the wait.
A special thanx to all my reviewers: AJ, blue_flame878 Ccoldwell, kristal182, KellyNicolette, Noodles90, slymom, lifelessemerald, Hpfan, Cupcake, sailor_gir, Ohmigoddess, Adrial, ChelsE.E, antidarthani, monagy3, rach, Brenna, asmartperfectionist HermioneandHarryShipper,, blondie90, down2earthangl85 music_of_the_night, MrsDanielRadcliffe darkcharlie, meeaz, blissfulxsin, irish_slytherin, CzarJane, antidarthani, and all you Anonymous people… thanx for reviewing!
Special thanx also go out to my wonderful beta, rembrandt!
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Chapter XI: Unexpectedly
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"In our heart love comes unexpectedly without any doubt or hesitation; it comes in times of frustration or desperation. So when you feel it and have it, don't let it go because it's hard to find love"
~Rosejane M. Santos
It was just after eight o'clock when Ginny came downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen staff had been told of her coming, and the table was covered in platters of eggs, sausage, and biscuits. Ginny took a seat at the head of the table and helped herself to a plate of bacon.
There was a loud crash from the hallway, and she almost dropped the plate. Then there was an eruption of swearing from the hallway, and Ginny relaxed. It was only Blaise coming to pay a morning visit. Blaise broke into a fit of coughing and the next moment, he came stumbling into the dinning room.
"Damn it!" he sneezed, causing soot to fly out of his hair. "Why the hell doesn't your husband take the wards off the house? Being able to Apparate in would be so much easier then having to floo every time I want to visit. I despise fireplace travel." He took his wand out of his robes, and pointed it at his head. "Scourgify!"
Ginny gave him a half smile and took a bite of egg. "People can Apparate in," she told him. "Myself and my in-laws for example. In general, people my husband trusts are allowed to Apparate in."
"Oh, how you wound me, Ginevra. " Blaise pressed a hand to his heart. "What have I done to deserve your disdain?"
Ginny arched an eyebrow at the question and smartly replied, "Where would you like me to begin?"
The playful smile dropped off Blaise's face. "Ouch! Another barb sent to wound me. Unfortunately, I am much too busy to spar with you. I need to see my cousin."
Ginny shrugged. "I'm not sure where he is. He was called to the palace last night on urgent business. I haven't seen him since."
"He already knows then. Excellent! I'll be saved the trouble of bringing him up to speed." Blaise took a seat halfway down the long table.
"What happened last night?" Ginny asked. Blaise had proved to be a useful source of inspiration in the past, and she hoped he would enlighten her.
"Oh, it was marvelous really." Blaise said, helping himself to a buttermilk biscuit. "Corner, Flint, and some of the other boys were performing routine checks on some of the pubs in the London area. They were searching a pub called the Poisoned Apple and found three of our little resistance friends hiding in the cellar."
"Three?" Ginny was surprised. From what her mother in-law and Susan had told her, the Resistance had been all but wiped out in the months following the Day of Retribution. That some of its members had managed to survive four years under the rule of Lord Voldemort was nothing short of astonishing.
"I know! Surprising, isn't it." Blaise said happily, his mouth full of biscuit. "One of the traitors escaped, but Corner managed to subdue the other two. He and the others brought them back to the palace for questioning. We tried Veritaserum and the Cruciatus Curse on them, but neither would talk. In the end, we had to bring in Lestrange. He performed Legilimancy on the pair and finally managed to get information out of the younger one. There is no doubt that the traitors have a hideout and that there are more of them."
"More?" Ginny echoed, disbelief written on her face.
"Oh, we'll find them eventually." Blaise said confidently, helping himself to another biscuit. Ginny's own food now lay forgotten on her plate, as she contemplated this new information. "They can't hide from us forever. Ah, Draco, there you are. Good Lord… you look awful."
Ginny turned to see her husband standing silently in the doorway. She was a bit shocked by his appearance. He was pale, his hair was slightly disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
"Gods!" Blaise proclaimed, loudly. "How late did they keep you last night?"
"What?" Draco asked vaguely. He looked exhausted and Ginny couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "What are you on about, Zabini?"
"The palace." Blaise said slowly, as if Draco had taken leave of his senses. "Your wife told me you were called there last night. What time did they let you leave?"
"Oh, right." Draco stifled a yawn. "I believe I arrived home a little before three o'clock. I had piles of paperwork to do."
"You poor bastard." Blaise chortled. "They didn't set you to cataloguing the interrogation, did they? It's nothing but four hours of Corner repeating the same questions over and over again, and not getting any answers. I would have thought they would give the project to one of the junior staff members."
"Zabini, you are starting to annoy me." Draco said coldly. "I know nothing about any confessions or junior officers. I was working on security for the Anniversary ball. I just got up, I'm still very tired, and I am this close to throwing you out on your ass. Now, if you please, I would like to eat breakfast with my wife. Alone."
"Fine, fine. I can see when I'm not wanted. You didn't have to be so rude about it." Blaise replied sounding irritated. "I'll bring Susan for a visit tomorrow, if that's alright with you Mrs. Malfoy?"
"Of course," Ginny said. "I'd be happy to have her. Ask her to bring the children along. I think they could all use some time away from the house." And your mother! She thought secretly.
"I doubt my mother will allow it, but I'll see what I can do." Blaise said, grabbing another biscuit for the road. "Good morning Ginevra. Cousin." Ginny waved him farewell, but Draco didn't even acknowledge Blaise's departure.
"Are you not feeling well?" Ginny asked, tentatively.
"No, no, I'm fine." Draco answered, taking a seat and helping himself to the food. "I just had a very long night."
"So Blaise was telling me. He said that some Resistance members had been captured. Is that true?"
"Zabini should have kept his mouth shut, but yes, it's true. Kevin Entwhistle and Serena Fawcett were caught while hiding in the cellar of a pub; a third person, an unknown woman, managed to escape. Through torture, it was discovered that there may be more of the Resistance left then we had anticipated."
Ginny licked her lips. "Did you…" she hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she knew she needed to. "Did you participate… in the torture?"
He stared at her across the table, his face blank. "Does it matter?"
She was clutching her knife so tightly, that her knuckles were white. "It does to me."
For a long time he didn't answer her, he simply stared at a spot on the wall. Finally, he sighed. "It's part of my job, Ginny. Part of the task I agreed to do when I swore my loyalty to the Dark Lord. I can't go back on my word. Not even for you." His voice had a tone of finality to it, and Ginny knew that the subject was no longer open for discussion. "Are we still going out today," she asked, "or are you too tired?"
Draco's face brightened. "Of course we're still going out. I promised you we would do something together. When a Malfoy makes a promise, he keeps it. I thought we would start with shopping in Diagon Alley. You don't have very many clothes, and the ones you do have used to belong to my mother. I thought you might want to purchase some new dress robes."
Ginny nodded. "Yes, that would be lovely." She honestly didn't care where they went, so long as she got to spend time with Draco. "When do you want to leave?"
"As soon as you're ready. Why don't you go and get dressed while I finish breakfast?"
"Ok. I'll just go get ready now then. I won't be long."
Ten minutes later Ginny was back, dressed in a pale blue dress that was too tight across the chest and was obviously twenty years out of date. Draco couldn't help but stare at her breasts that were nearly spilling out the top of the low-cut gown. "It's a good thing we're buying you new clothes." Draco murmured, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "What you're wearing now is almost indecent."
Ginny rounded on him with her hands to her hips, "Oh, shut up." I don't say mean things about the things you wear."
"How could you?" Draco sounded triumphant. "I'm always impeccably dressed."
Ginny thwacked him hard on the arm on her way to the fireplace.
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Ginny had only been to Diagon Alley twice since the war broke out. Once to meet Harry and Hermione to talk about the Order's plans, and last month with Draco when he took her to get a new wand. On both occasions, the streets had been nearly deserted; Voldemort's return having struck fear into the hearts of the masses. The atmosphere surrounding the streets of Diagon Alley was much different than before. The streets were packed with people, many of them parents buying school supplies for their children. They walked in bunches, the mothers clutching at their children's hands while at the same time attempting to carry their numerous packages.
Ginny recognized several people, both from school and the Ministry. Stanton Hawkesbury, a colleague of her father waved to her and Draco as he exited Fidalgo's Wands with his young grandson.
"Shall we start with robes then?" Draco asked. Twilfitt and Tatting's are just around the corner."
"I've never shopped there before. My family shopped mostly at Madame Malkin's. Are Twillfoot and… whoever, any good?"
Draco laughed. "It's Twilfitt and Tatting." He told her gently. "Their robes are the best. My mother never shopped anywhere else. I preferred Madame Malkin's myself, but she has been out of business for years now."
"Your mother told me." Ginny replied with a saddened _expression as they passed by the site of the old store a large, black sign now proclaimed "Borgin and Burkes: Potion Ingredients"
"Here we are." Draco held the door open for her. "Go right in."
Ginny stepped into the shop. Unlike outside, the air was cool, and smelled fresh. Racks of robes stood about the shop, separated according to color and material type. The right side of the shop was decorated a pale pink, while the left side with it's dark blue wall covering was clearly the men's section.
On the right side of the shop, a young, dark-haired woman stood on a stool watching herself in a mirror, while an older blond woman pinned up the hem of the sky-blue robe. "I shall be with you in just a moment!" she woman on the floor said, her voice slightly muffled by the pins in her mouth.
"Take your time Miss Twilfitt," Draco said, pleasantly. "My wife and I are still looking."
At the sound of Draco's voice, the woman on the stool perked up, and turned to face them. "Draco!" she said happily, climbing down from the stool, and coming toward them. "This is a pleasant surprise! We haven't seen you in ages. Where on earth have you been hiding these past few months?" she held out her hand for Draco to kiss, and he, ever the gentleman, took it graciously. Miss Twilfitt remained in the back, looking slightly peeved at being abandoned by her customer.
"Forgive me Mrs. Smith. I found myself somewhat occupied with my wife. I believe you've met Ginevra."
Ginny had recognized Cho Chang almost immediately. It had taken a bit longer for the older woman to recognize her, and when she did, her brown eyes widened in surprise. "My goodness! Your wife? It's Ginny Weasley, isn't it? Good Lord, I haven't seen you in ages. Not since Zacharias graduated from Hogwarts I think. Where have you been all this time, my dear?"
"Well, let me see. I spent some time in Azkaban prison." Ginny said, conversationally. "I must admit it was a low point in my life. Then Draco came along, and like a knight in shining armor, he rescued me! We've been married for six months now, and I have been very happy."
Cho's mouth was hanging open slightly. "Azkaban? Well, how…uncomfortable that must have been for you. You seem to be doing much better now. Really now, Draco," she turned to him, ignoring Ginny, "this is all very unexpected. Marietta and I were certain you would marry Celeste Bletchley, Miles Bletchley's sister. Marietta had quite set her heart on it too. Celeste is her sister in-law you know. How disappointed she will be when I tell her someone else has snapped you up." Her face pulled an elegant moue as she gave Ginny a pointed look.
Draco smiled. "Please be sure to send her my condolences. I'm quite happy with my wife. However, I wish Celeste all the best in her husband hunt. If she wants to be successful, I would suggest she not rely on her sister in-law for advise. Mrs. Pucey-Bletchley-Montague doesn't seem to have very good luck when it comes to husbands. Give my best to your husband Mrs. Smith."
Ignoring Cho's look of shock Draco steered Ginny over to where Miss Twilfitt was standing, her eyes dancing with laughter. "I shall need a dozen sets of robes, Miss Twilfitt." He told her. "Three sets of dress robes, and nine for everyday wear. Various colors and materials, and money won't be an issue."
Her eyes widened, and she smiled up at Draco. "Of course, Mr. Malfoy, whatever you want. Mrs. Malfoy, if you could please accompany me." She guided Ginny to the stool Cho had vacated, and helped her up onto it. "Are there any colors you would prefer, my dear?"
"Oh, I don't know. Green I suppose, and dark blue. Definitely no red, for obvious reasons." She added, fingering a lock of her red hair.
"Of course not, dear. It would clash horribly with your glorious hair. I do think however that pink might look nice on you, but a delicate shade; none of those ridiculous magenta colored ones. It might bring some color to your cheeks. Also," she said, eyeing Ginny's bodice, "I think we should allow more room for your endowments. This falling out of the top," she pointed to her own breasts, "is not a good style for you. It would be more appropriate on a Parisian streetwalker."
Ginny giggled, and Ms. Twilfitt smiled at her. "Let us get to work, shall we?"
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They were in Twilfitt's for almost two hours, while the proprietress pinned hems and cut fabric. By the end of the shopping excursion, Ginny had two finished gowns, and ten more that would be ready by the end of the week. Draco insisted that Ginny change into one of her new gowns for the rest of their shopping excursion. Ginny chose the dark green one. It fit much better then the dress she had been wearing, tight in all the right places, and hemmed so it didn't drag when she walked.
When she came out of the dressing room in her new gown, Draco couldn't help but stare at her. "You look beautiful." He told her honestly.
"Thank you." She said, blushing slightly.
Miss Twilfitt clucked her tongue. "It is always nice to see married couples showing affection. Are the two of you newlyweds?"
"We've been married for six months." Draco said his eyes still locked on Ginny.
"You are newlyweds then. How sweet!" She gathered up the extra pins and stowed them, along with her wand, in her apron pocket. "I have your payment Mr. Malfoy. The rest of the bill can be settled when the clothes are delivered to your home."
Draco nodded. He held out his hand to Ginny. "Where to next?" he asked her.
"Well… could we go by the sweetshop?' she asked.
"Ah, you have a sweet tooth! A woman after my own heart." He chuckled. "Mother used to send me sweets when I went to Hogwarts. I don't know what I would have done without them. Why didn't you say something last time we were here? I would have bought you something then."
She shrugged. "You had already spent so much on me. I didn't want to take advantage of you."
He leaned close so Miss Twilfitt couldn't hear him. "You are my wife. You have my permission to take advantage of me whenever you want." She blushed slightly as she contemplated the meaning of his words.
Having been given Draco's blessing, Ginny wasted no time spending her money. She spent nearly half of her funds at Sugarmann's coming away with enough sugarquills and fizzing whizbees, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to feed an army. Draco was kind enough to carry all of her purchases, and asked only a few Every Flavor Beans in return for his services. They stopped at several other places, but spent much of the afternoon simply wandering around Diagon Alley.
At three o'clock, Ginny felt her stomach begin to growl. She hadn't eaten much of anything since breakfast, and she suddenly found that she was starving. Draco heard the noises her stomach was making, and laughed. "I figured you would be getting hungry right about now, so I prepared a treat for us."
"You did, really?" Ginny didn't sound convinced.
"Well, not me personally." Draco conceded. "I had the staff carry out the plans. It is waiting for us back at the Manor, so anytime you wish to go…?"
"Let's go now then." Ginny took his arm and began to lead him toward the Leaky Cauldron.
They made their way back to the pub, and flooed home. After ridding themselves of ash and soot, they made their way out to the garden where they found a picnic lunch waiting for them
"This is lovely Draco." Ginny said, helping herself to a third cucumber sandwich. "Shopping, the picnic, all of it."
"I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I only wish we could do it more often."
"I understand that you're busy." Ginny said quickly. "Work at the palace takes up a lot of your time. I know that."
"I am sorry about that. I wish there was something I could do about the long hours, but unfortunately it's out of my hands."
"I'm glad I get to see you at all." Ginny licked her fingers and reached for her glass of pumpkin juice. "Susan told me she sometimes goes for three days without seeing Blaise at all."
"Zabini could spend more time at home if he wanted to. I think he spends so much time at the palace because he doesn't want to be stuck at the house with his mother. It's probably for the best though. If he were at home all the time, he would soon grow bored with Susan. Nothing can hold Blaise's attention for very long. That includes women."
Ginny sighed at the thought. "Poor Susan. Stuck in the house all day with that terrible woman. I wouldn't be able to stand it."
"You're lucky my parents moved out when they did. " Draco helped himself to a piece of Sweetmann's chocolate. "My mother can be very hard to live with after awhile. She has odd little quirks and she gets very upset when people break her rules."
"Your mother seems very nice." Ginny said. "I find it hard to believe she could be mean to anyone."
"Ha! You've forgotten your first meeting with her. Remember her reaction when she found you in the house? If you hadn't been my wife, she would have crushed you beneath her shoe like a bug."
"I suppose it's a lucky thing that I am your wife." Ginny thought as she brushed sandwich crumbs from her lap.
"Yes, lucky." Draco fidgeted with his cuff, and stared out into the garden. It was getting late, and the sun was beginning to set. The pink and purple of the changing sky made Ginny's hair look as if it were on fire. A dark cloud moving in from the south threatened to bring rain.
"Thank you for today." Ginny said finally. "I appreciate you spending time with me, despite how busy you are."
"I'm just glad you're willing to spend time with me." Draco replied seriously gazing into her eyes.
Ginny smiled and stood up. "I think we should be getting in, it looks like rain."
"Wait!" Draco said, quickly standing to his feet. "I have one more thing for you." He reached into his pocket and brought out a brightly wrapped package.
"It isn't my birthday until next week." Ginny reminded him.
"I know. I have something else set aside for that. But this… I wanted to give it to you now. It belongs to you already."
Ginny gave him a questioning look, but took the gift he offered her. The wrapping fell away, and she found herself holding a small, square box, covered in velvet. Her pulse quickened as she slowly opened the box. There, lying on a bed of white satin was a small gold ring. At its center was a large princess cut diamond, and on either side of the diamond was a red ruby.
"It's for you." Draco said. "It's a wedding ring. I should have given you one before, but…well…it just didn't seem like the right time."
Wordlessly, Ginny took the ring from the box. She moved the Malfoy family engagement ring to her right hand, and slipped the wedding band on in its place. It slid on easily, and magically adjusted to fit her finger.
"I didn't know what style you liked, so I had to guess." Draco said, somewhat apologetically. "If you don't like it, I can always take it back."
"No," Ginny shook her head. "It's perfect." The smile she gave him was dazzling, and Draco had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.
"So you like it?" he asked, trying not to sound too anxious.
"I love it. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You even got it in Gryffindor colors." She added mischievously.
Draco grinned. "Caught that, did you? I was hoping the color scheme might earn me some extra points."
She laughed. "You get full marks and all the bonus points." She leaned forward to kiss him. She missed his mouth, and the kiss landed where the corner of his lip met his cheek.
Draco froze. Ginny smiled at him. She kissed him again, this time hitting her desired mark. On the third kiss, her lips were moist and slightly parted. She stepped back, grinning at him. He grabbed her by the shoulders, jerked her closer, and planted his lips firmly on hers.
For a moment, the shock of his touch held her still. His lips were nicely warmed and surprisingly soft and tasted deliciously of chocolate. She tilted her head, and the pressure of his mouth against hers relaxed.
One hand slipped from her shoulder to her back and pressed her more tightly against him. She rested her hand against his chest. He slanted his mouth over hers and at once she wished that the moment would last forever.
"Oh, my." She exhaled a long breath. It had been marvelous. Of course, every time kissing Draco was marvelous. He seemed to know just what to do to make her want him. She had ignored it for a long time, refusing to let him get close to her. She didn't want to stop him anymore.
"Draco, there is one more thing you can do to make today unforgettable." She leaned forward and put her lips next to his ear. "You can take me upstairs to bed."
A clap of thunder cut off his reply. As the rain began to fall, Draco grabbed her hand and ran for the safety of the house. By the time they reached the manor, they were both soaked, and dripping water onto the manor's polished floor.
Draco regretfully released her hand. "You should go upstairs and change before you catch cold."
Ginny nodded and moved toward the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase she stopped, and held out her hand to him. "I meant what I said outside." She said firmly. "I want you to take me upstairs."
He studied her for a long time, trying to decide if she really meant what she was saying. If she was serious, he would have no problem doing what she wanted, but he needed to know that she was sure.
"Please," she said softly taking a step toward him. "Come up with me."
He didn't need a second invitation.
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AN: And there you have it, another chapter ended. Yea, you may want more, but sorry guys, this chapter is ten pages long already, and I've run out of steam. On a happier note (hopefully), the next chapter is the smut chapter. Well, er… sex chapter anyway. I hope you enjoyed this installment of LitD. Now, I order you to review! It is exceptionally good for the soul… not to mention that it was my 21st birthday a few weeks ago, and a review would be a lovely gift!
Love&Spice
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