Disclaimer: Harry Potter's universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. Well, I wouldn't mind if I had her talent, but hey, I'm trying to write the best I can.
Chapter Fourteen - Prelude to a Fight
How could she have changed so much, in such a short period of time? From mischievous and occasional liar (to protect her own hide, most of the times), she had turned into a big liar who was betraying her husband and his family.
Ginevra wasn't sure on how to feel about her betrayal. Yes, she was proud that she was finally taking serious decisions to help women achieve their independence. Still, betraying her new family was not a reason to be proud.
There were two sides to the same matter… It made her feel happy for fighting and sad for lying to her husband. She was excited with the way things were happening and, at the same time, extremely scared of how her husband and his father would react when they found out she was the `brain' behind the whole thing. She shivered just from thinking about it.
Would the King order her death? Would he arrest her and end her marriage to the Prince? There were many possibilities, but one thing she knew… When this fight came into daylight, Ginevra and Prince Draco would no longer be together.
About this matter, she had no problems describing how she felt… She had come to love the man who held her in his arms, in front of the lit fireplace, as they talked about their childhoods and daily lives. She had come to love the man who had made her feel the biggest pleasure she had ever known. How could she not love the man who had dedicated his whole being to help a mare give birth to a beautiful creature, when he had done so with a smile on his face and gentleness in his hands?
Yes, she loved her husband even after what had happened with Miss Parkinson and the Bedmaids. But now, he finally seemed to be starting to feel something for his wife. Prince Draco was slowly opening himself to Ginevra, he allowed himself to caress her openly, he spent time with her and even listened to her ideals with an interested look on his face. He even allowed her to continue her Potions Lessons! How could she forget that?
And now, here she was in her husband's arms, feeling his tight hold on her waist, the pressure of his chin against the crown of her head and his male scent invading her nostrils, from where her face was buried on his neck.
She felt guilty, once more… Now that things were starting to look good, for both of them, she was doing everything she could to ruin it.
Sighing sadly, Ginevra looked into the darkness that bathed the bedroom. It still was too early for sunrise and there were no lit candles in the bedroom that could allow her to observe her husband's features. There was only one choice… touch.
Removing her arm from under the warm blankets, Ginevra raised her hand to softly touch his face. She managed to find his hair first and from there she searched his forehead, his nose and finally his soft warm lips. She absolutely adored his lips, specially when they where kissing her or smiling at her.
Ginevra shrieked in surprise when the lips beneath her fingers opened up and teeth caught them in the warm and moist cavern. He was awake…
"Draco? I'm sorry if I woke you up… Release my fingers and go back to sleep." She whispered, slightly raising her head although she still couldn't see him through the darkness. The Prince's hand came up to catch her hand in his and released the fingers from his mouth.
"I'm not sure I want to…" he whispered in a sleepy voice, as he replaced his hand around her waist and began to caress her lower back, slowly inching his way to her buttocks.
"What do you mean? Aren't you sleepy anymore?" she asked, confused, allowing her hand to return to his face, enjoying the feel of his lips moving in a smile.
"No way. After your delicate touches I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep…" he chuckled, starting to raise her nightgown to pool it around her waist. When that was accomplished, he proceeded to caress her bare bottom and inner thighs, enjoying the throaty sigh that his wife released. In a sudden movement, Prince Draco laid on top of his wife, grinding his hard mid section against her bare pubis, groaning with the pleasure the movement gave to him.
Moaning, Ginevra raised her arms, searching for his neck and finding it, pulled his head lower until it touched hers. After a few seconds of clumsy search, they were both kissing passionately, while he kept on grinding against her.
"Draco, light up a candle… I can't see you, like this." She gasped against his lips and slowly kissed her way down his throat to bite his pulse point.
With a quick movement of his hand and a whispered incantation, a small light came to life near the bed, and slowly gained force, bathing the bedroom in a weak, yet sufficient light. Finally they were able to see each other, both looking very aroused, their eyes shining brightly and their mouths slightly open with their quick breathing.
"Why did you stop?" she teased with a grin and his eyes went wide open with shock.
"I'll never get used to your cheek, my darling…" Prince Draco chuckled and allowed his wife to remove his undergarments. Soon, they were both joined, moving restlessly in synchrony, as their pleasure mounted and spread all over their bodies until it finally exploded in absolute release. The force of it shook them to the core, leaving both panting hard, wrapped in each other's arms, listening to their quick heart beats go back to normal.
"Now I can go back to sleep, but thank you for waking me up… I enjoyed it, very much." he chuckled, pecking her nose and laying by her side, keeping his arms around her.
Once more, Ginevra longed to tell him the way she felt about him, but didn't. She considered telling him about her plan and hope for his forgiveness, but she didn't. There would be a time for everything, and it was not now. For now, she simply held him in her arms and listened to his breathing deepen, until he finally went back to sleep.
She must have fell asleep, as well, for when she woke, there was a cold empty space next to her. Her husband had already left. Opening up her eyes she looked at his side of the bed and smiled when she saw the white lily on top of his pillow.
`How could I not love him?' she thought, once again, and picked up the gentle flower in her hands before she left the bed.
After bathing, Ginevra called a maid to help her put on the corset, since Parvati was supposedly sick. With a smile on her face, wondering about her brother and her maid's growing relationship, Ginevra put on a beautiful white dress and caught up her hair at the nape of her head, taking great care to secure the white lily in the bun.
The first step of the day was to owl Mr. Zabini, inviting him for morning tea with her. As soon as that was done, Ginevra went down for breakfast but there was no one at the dinning room's table.
"The King and the Prince left early this morning, while the Queen had breakfast in her bedroom." A maid shyly explained, as she placed a tea service in front of Ginevra.
After growing up in a house full of family, it was strange to eat breakfast alone and Ginevra found she hated it. That was why she felt so relieved when Mr. Zabini arrived an hour later, looking handsome and pleasant.
"Milady, it is always a pleasure to be in your company… Thank you for inviting me." He smiled and bowed slightly to kiss her hand.
"We'll see if you'll still feel that way after we have a serious conversation." Ginevra replied nervously and led him to the sitting room. "Can you please silence the room and ward the doors? This is an important matter…"
Mr. Zabini looked at her with curiosity and apprehension, but satisfied her request. Soon enough, Ginevra started to reveal her plan. The sitting room's doors only opened, once again, nearly two hours later. A very serious and worried Mr. Zabini exited the room, while a sad but relieved Ginevra remained sited on the sofa. Things were going well…
It was lunchtime, already, and Ginevra quickly went to the Dinning Room where the King, Queen Narcissa and Prince Draco were starting to sit down. As soon as her husband saw the white flower contrasting with her red hair, he smiled widely and rose from his seat to pull back her chair.
"You look beautiful, Ginevra." He whispered in her ear and sat back at her side. His wife merely smiled and reached out a hand, under the table, to clasp his.
How much more time did they have, together like this? Now was not the time to think about it… Not if she wanted to carry on with her plan and be successful.
"Ginevra, are you feeling well? You look a little pale…" Queen Narcissa enquired with concern etched on her face.
"I'm feeling well, Mother. I didn't sleep much, that's all." Ginevra lied; she had been doing that a lot, lately. By her side, Prince Draco discretely coughed to hide the grin that spread over his face. Of course he had to understand her comment in a sexual way… And now, she was blushing.
The Queen chuckled when she saw the embarrassed looks on both her son's and her daughter-in-law's faces. She still had big hopes for the two of them working out their differences and building a good marriage, yet, she knew that Ginevra's plans would change things. Now, it was just a matter of time to see how those changes would affect their lives.
"You do look pale, my wife, maybe you should get some sleep." Prince Draco told his wife, as soon as lunch was over and they headed to a balcony overlooking the garden.
"I'm fine, Draco… Will you stay in the Palace, today?" she asked, leaning against the railing, by his side, to watch the beautiful scenery.
"No, I have to go to town, this afternoon… Did you need anything?" he asked gently, watching the sun reflect on her fiery hair.
"No, I was just asking. Mrs. Potter should be here very soon…" Ginevra replied with a smile and turned around to face him. "Have a rest of a good day."
"I will." He replied and allowed her to kiss his nose before she went back inside the Palace.
`How much more caring can she be?' he asked himself in wonder at her gentleness.
Just like she had said, soon enough Ginevra was welcoming Mrs. Potter in the sitting room.
"Hermione, thank you for coming. First of all I would like to give you my apologies, once again, for the way I behaved yesterday, at your home. My emotions got out of control…" Ginevra smiled and sat in an armchair next to her friend. "How do you feel today?"
"I'm getting a little sick in the morning, but I'm perfectly fine for the rest of the day…" Mrs. Potter explained with a happy smile, but then, her face fell down to a frown. "We need to talk, Ginevra…"
The young princess inhaled sharply, having not been prepared to such a formal announcement. What could possibly be wrong?
"Hermione?"
"Yesterday, after you left, Harry and I spent some time talking about your request… We both think you are getting the carriage ahead of the horses, Ginevra." Mrs. Potter explained seriously, looking into her friend's, now teary, eyes. "Why don't you talk with Draco about your plans? Why don't you wait until he is the King to convince him to make the changes you so desire? Why act behind your husband's back?"
The tears finally fell from Ginevra's eyes in big drops that ran down her cheeks, bathing the corners of her mouth with a salty taste. She knew things were going too well to be true.
"We are still willing to help you, Ginevra, but first, we want to make sure you are certain about your plan. Are you sure you don't want to wait for Draco's reign?" Mrs. Potter explained, tears welling in her eyes, as well. "We can be seriously punished for going against the King. We can all be killed!"
"I understand, Hermione." Ginevra sighed sadly although she truly saw the Potters' reasoning. She had been thinking along the same lines for the last few days. "It is risky and you have a husband, as well as a child on the way. I'm sorry I asked you to betray your king. It was very selfish of me, wasn't it? It would be better if you stayed out of this…"
"Yes, it would… But I won't." Mrs. Potter replied seriously. "We will help you. Harry's very excited with the prospect of teaching and I can hardly wait until I practise my first spell. We will have to be very careful, so that we won't get caught… In the end, I'm sure things will work out just fine."
"Thank you for remaining by my side, Hermione, and tell Harry to start preparing his lessons on Charms, Transfiguration and Defence… Everything else is already taken care off. All that is missing is a list of the women we need to talk to." Ginevra replied with a little more enthusiasm. After all, her friends had not abandoned her.
"I'll bring the list on Monday and we can organize the social tea for Wednesday… I must leave now, Harry said he would be home for tea." Mrs. Potter rose from her seat and gently hugged her friend. "Don't forget about the other alternative… Things could be made differently."
"It's too late to change my plan, Hermione. Things are already starting to happen…" Ginevra replied without giving any more explanations. "Make a safe trip back home and I'll see you Monday."
As soon as Mrs. Potter had left, Ginevra went to her bedroom, put on one of the simplest dresses she had as well as a black robe with a hood. She would need to be completely covered if she wanted to walk around the city, unnoticed.
The worst was to pass the Guards at the Palace's gates, but when they saw her face and red hair, they immediately apologised and offered to get her a carriage, to which she politely refused, claiming to enjoy the exercise. In half an hour, walking in a fast pace wearing high-heels, Ginevra was exhausted, yet excited. She could only hope that Mr. Zabini had already arrived at her twin brother's bar in town.
The bar was for men only and she had been there only a couple of times, but she was sure they would allow her to enter for a few minutes. Tiredly walking among the crowd that filled the streets, Ginevra finally arrived at the WBW - Weasley's Bar for Wizards. It was an one-storied building and looked very old, the paint starting to fade on some spots and the windows of the bar were completely dirty, from so much smoke, on the inside and from the road's dust, on the outside.
Chuckling at her brother's lack of cleaning abilities, Ginevra entered the bar, maintaining the hood up, covering her hair and face, although the volume of her robes revealed her female nature. Soon enough, she had a wand pointed at her face.
"Hey, miss, women are not allowed in bars, as you probably already know… Leave, before we call the Royal Guards." A familiar voice warned, no hint of the usual humour lacing his voice.
"Oh, come on, George… You wouldn't do that to your own sister, would you?" she chuckled, drawing back her hood after making sure there was no one inside the bar except her brothers and Mr. Zabini.
The red-haired boy in front of her gasped in shock and immediately lowered his wand.
"Ginevra Weasley, what do you think you're doing, coming in here? It's against the law, you know?" George scolded her, waving a long pale finger in front of her amused face and tried to keep a smile from showing up on his face.
"As if the law ever stopped us from doing mischief, my darling brother…" Ginevra laughed and hugged her brother tightly. "Oh, by the way, if you want to scold me, you'd better get used to my new name: Ginevra Malfoy."
"Nah, I don't think so… You'll always be a Weasley, sis." Fred, George's perfect copy, replied, hugging his sister and his brother, at the same time. "So, what brings you by? Came for a glass of firewhisky?"
"Absolutely not! I've never touched a drink that much alcoholic after what you did to me on my eighteenth birthday. I thought I was going to die, victim of internal burns." Ginevra gasped, remembering her birthday party when the boys had given her a glass of firewhisky, saying it was ice tea. She had spent nearly an hour crying with the burning in her throat and stomach. "I came to meet someone. May I expect both of you to be discrete about this?"
"You know were are discretion, itself, but Gin, why are you meeting a man behind everyone's back?" Fred asked with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm not cheating on my husband. This man is just helping me with something… We'll leave in a few moments." She explained and after kissing each of her brothers' cheeks, Ginevra went to Mr. Zabini's table and sat in front of him.
"Blaise, did he accept?" she asked at once, not caring about cordialities.
"Yes, he did. Said he has been expecting for this, for the longest of times." He replied with a nod. "I'm still apprehensive, Milady…"
"I know, Blaise, I know. Trust me, everything will work out well and don't worry, your name will never be known. All you have to do is what we talked about this morning…" she replied gently, but then an excited smile covered her face. "Can we go there now? I can hardly wait!"
Mr. Zabini simply nodded his agreement and helped her stand. As they walked out the door, Ginevra waved her brothers goodbye and covered her head with the robe's hood. Mr. Zabini held her arm, leading her to a small store down the street and as soon as they entered, the young man warded the door closed and placed a spell on the window to keep anyone from looking inside.
"Ah, Mr. Zabini, back so soon?" an old man enquired, his eerie, moon-like eyes studying Ginevra's hooded form. "Milady, I'm sure you can reveal yourself, now that Mr. Zabini has taken such careful security measures."
Ginevra gasped in shock that the man seemed to know who she was and quickly lowered her hood and smiled unsurely at him.
"Nice to see you, once again, Mr. Ollivander." She said, taking a step closer to the dusty counter, which separated costumers from seller.
"Ah, yes, Mrs. Ginevra Malfoy, Birmingham's Princess. I still remember when you came here the first time, staring at everything wide eyed, while your twin brothers tried their new wands, and then later with the boy, slightly older than you. His wand his the one with the Unicorn's hair, I believe…" the old man mumbled, lost in thought. "So, after all these years yearning for a wand of your own, you finally got your wish…"
"Yes, sir. Thank you for doing this for me… for us. It means the world to me to be able to perform magic." Ginevra smiled, more sure of herself and signalled Mr. Zabini to join her at the counter. "Can I try to find a wand, now?"
"Of course, let's start…" Mr. Ollivander replied, picking up a measurement tape and spelling it to measure Ginevra, all by itself, while the values appeared magically on a battered piece of parchment, in Mr. Ollivander's hand.
Without another word, the old man started climbing a tall ladder that looked too old for someone to stand on it. In a quick succession he started reaching for long, thin boxes from several places, as the ladder slid down the tall shelves. At last, he returned to Ginevra, placing dozens of boxes on the counter and opening the first one.
"Made of Ash with a Dragon's Heartstring, 7 1/2 inches." Mr. Ollivander whispered, as he held out the wand for Ginevra to take. The way he held the wand so gently and eyed it, made her remember a sacred act. Slowly, Ginevra took the wand in her hands and stared at it with fascination.
"Milady, you have to give it a wave." Mr. Zabini's amused voice woke her from her reverie and she did as told. After a gentle wave, nothing happened, but before the disappointment downed on her, Mr. Ollivander handed her another wand, then another, and another.
There were a few wands still waiting to be waved, but Ginevra was loosing all hope.
"Mrs. Malfoy, do not worry. Many of my clients have to spend hours waving wands, until they find the perfect one…" Mr. Ollivander explained, with a mysterious smile, as he opened yet another thin, long box and picked up another wand. "This one is made of Mahogany, in its core lays a Phoenix's feather. A perfect combination for Charms and Defence… The 6 inches are perfect for control and balance. Give it a wave…"
Ginevra obeyed and nothing could have prepared her for what happened then. Some kind of energy filled her body from head to toes, making it tickle all over and filled her ears with the sound of the wind. At last, the energy flowed to concentrate on the wand, from which sparkles started to shoot up in the air, in all imaginable colours.
"No doubt about it… You've found your wand, congratulations." Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands and started to clean the counter, by replacing the discarded wands in their proper boxes.
Ginevra laughed happily and gave Mr. Zabini a quick hug.
"I have a wand!"
"I had noticed…" he chuckled, amused with her carefree reaction. Every wizard saw his wand, as something required of him to perform magic. But Ginevra saw it as a prize, a long desired symbol of independence, responsibility and happiness. And there she was, caressing her wand as if it were a delicate flower, which might be destroyed from on moment to the other.
"Mr. Ollivander, how much do I owe you?" she asked at last, calming down from her happiness.
"You're already doing enough, Mrs. Malfoy. Just make sure you succeed…" he replied in a serious tone and then disappeared among the tall stacks of wand boxes.
"How will you go back to the Palace?" Mr. Zabini enquired as he dropped the wards on the door.
"Back as I came… I need to think and the walk will do me some good. Be prepared for Wednesday…" Ginevra told him seriously, placing her wand inside the robe's pocket and pulling the hood over her head.
"Very well… Until then, Milady." He replied, preparing to leave, but Ginevra stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you for doing this, Blaise. I know this must be very hard for you, but thank you. Make sure you bring her with you, on Wednesday…" she whispered with concern and then watched him walk away.
On the way back to the Palace, Ginevra walked quickly, never releasing her hold on the wand, inside her pocket. Although she needed to practice the spells to which she knew the theory, Ginevra couldn't help but feel powerful and protected, for having such a strong weapon in her hands.
When she finally entered her bedroom, Ginevra could no longer feel her feet. She quickly removed her shoes and clothes, hid her wand at the back of her underwear's drawer and at last, took a long bath. She could hardly wait to start training her spells…
And train she did for the next few days, whenever Prince Draco had somewhere to go or something to do. Parvati had arrived from her visit at Hogwarts extremely excited and full of stories to tell about the time she had spent with the Princess' brother. Those two would end up married, for sure…
Her husband's old bedroom had become her secret hiding place and it was perfect because, in there, she could find all of his old school books about charms and transfiguration. At the end of the weekend Ginevra had mastered a few spells, like Lumus, Nox, Alohamora and Petrificus Totalus (which she had practised on a passing spider).
Still, she had also found the time to be with her husband, reading in his arms, talking with him or just sleeping. Her practise had always left her a little sleepy and weak, but Prince Draco, fortunately, didn't give it much care.
Unfortunately, not everyone let her tiredness go unnoticed… Mr. Snape was too much of an observer to ignore her strange behaviour.
On Monday morning, in the middle of her Potions Lesson with him, Mr. Snape had noticed the young Princess' constant yawns and the way her right hand kept on patting her dress, near her hip.
Smirking, Mr. Snape silently walked behind his pupil, as if he was just checking on her Potion, while his hand gently removed a long object from inside a pocket, which had been recently added to the expensive dress.
When he recognised the object in his hand, Mr. Snape's eyes went wide in shock, as he stared between the wand and the young woman ahead of him.
"Milady, can you explain the meaning of this? Where did you steal it from?" he snapped furiously, his black eyes becoming dangerous and his face contorting in fury.
Ginevra immediately turned around and gasped when she noticed her wand in his hand. She tried to grab it, but Mr. Snape placed it out of reach and demanded her answer.
"It's mine, I didn't steal it." She sighed, her hands shaking in fear of what would happen now. "I've been practising a few spells since I bought it, that's all…"
"That's all? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to walk around carrying a wand? What if Lucius finds out?" he snapped angrily, pacing the room in front of her, his robes billowing behind him like huge black wings. "At least you could avoid touching your pocket all the time… It's a dead give away."
With this last comment, Mr. Snape smirked and observed the wand in his hands. It was very light and simple, but hummed with powerful magic.
"Make sure you hex your husband he acts like a prat…" he chuckled darkly.
"Mr. Snape, you're confusing me! First you snap at me for carrying a wand and now you support me?" Ginevra asked with shock all over her face.
"Albus told me all about your plan and I knew you would eventually do something like this… Still, it's very dangerous! Make sure you don't practise too hard or you'll loose all your energy. I can see you are weaker already… Have some rest and practise only a few spells at a time." Mr. Snape warned her in his best teacher's tone of voice and gave back her wand. "Now, finish your Potion…"
"Yes, sir!" she chuckled, going back to her potion, the wand back inside her secret pocket. "But what do you think of my plan?"
"Terrible, in the least! I can't imagine how will I survive through another year at Hogwarts… This year is going to be the worst, so far. Yet, I can always take more points off the Gryffindors… Maybe it won't be that bad, after all!" Mr. Snape replied, lost in his thoughts with a mischievous grin on his pale face.
Ginevra just chuckled. Four out of her six brothers had complained about Professor Snape, when they had attended Hogwarts. Percy had always complained about the Professor not giving him the full marks he deserved, while the twins and Ron complained about the `Greasy Bat of the Dungeons' taking too much pleasure from removing points out of Gryffindor.
Well, if he accepted her plan, simply because he could take more points out of Gryffindor, so be it… At least she had another supporter.
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Sorry if there's any mistake in the chapter. After spending so many hours writing it, I have no patience to read it and correct it. If you find something wrong, tell me and I'll correct it, ok?
Just came back home from having dinner with my parents at a wonderful restaurant (there goes my diet!). After all, it is the Women's Day!
Well, I had a few things to finish in this chapter, and here it is. I still don't reveal much, but there are a few hints at what's going on.
Some of you might ask: Why did Blaise agree so quickly to be a part of this? Soon you'll know, my dears.
I have 6 hellish school works to do, and I'm already starting to do research, but I'm sure everything will go just fine.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to review, it means the world to me.
Enjoy this chapter. Love, Carina
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