Chapter 5 - The Engagement Ball
"This is it…" Ginevra sighed, when the couple stopped in front of the double doors leading to the Ballroom. The sound of the chords instruments were almost succeeding in calming her nervousness, but not completely. The man holding her arm was silent and his face was expressionless, making her fear his behaviour towards her throughout the night.
From the other side of the double doors, the music stopped and the voices grew silent as a man's voice announced the entrance of Prince Draco of Birmingham's Kingdom and his bride… Her name wasn't said, for her new position, alone, was enough introduction.
`That's right, I'm the Prince's bride, not Miss Ginevra Weasley…' she sighed inwardly, discontent with the disrespectful introduction, but remained silent, for she was expected to be submissive and quiet.
The double doors opened and Prince Draco started moving once again, pulling her arm to make her follow him, by his side. Although she tried to keep her face blank, Ginevra couldn't erase the soft smile of amazement that filled her face. The Ballroom was as beautiful as it had been on the day of her dance lessons, but today it was spectacular, thanks to the hundreds of people filling the dance floor, drinking Champagne from crystal glasses, practically glowing with the light of hundreds of candles hanging on the crystal chandeliers.
"If I were you I would shut my mouth before you drool on your dress…" an amused voice whispered in her ear, making her shiver involuntarily and quickly obey.
Both the Queen and the King approached the couple and welcomed them to their Engagement Ball.
"Thank you… Mother, you're looking perfect, as always." Prince Draco smiled although his eyes showed awareness and… worry? What was he worried about?
"I haven't forgotten your words, Draco…" the Queen replied coldly, not even a trace of the smile she usually wore on her lips, and that was what worried Ginevra the most. Usually the Queen showed a beautiful smile when she saw her son, or even Ginevra, but now, she looked so furious. "Come, we'll introduce you to all of our guests."
The King and the Queen interlaced their arms and began leading the way to the centre of the Ballroom, while Ginevra and Prince Draco followed closely behind.
"What have you done to her?" Ginny whispered, looking at his impassive face, trying to understand what was happening between mother and son.
"That matter does not concern to you…" he replied, facing her with a cold sneer, although his eyes still showed the worry and sadness he was feeling.
"It must have been something bad, she loves you too much to get mad at you over something insignificant." Ginevra whispered, trying to get him to say the truth, but he remained silent.
The Royal Family, Ginevra included, stopped in the middle of the Ball Room facing the guests and a man, wearing a long black robe with the Royal Family's Coat of Arms embroidered on the chest, opened a long piece of parchment and started calling the guests, couple by couple, to congratulate the Prince and his bride, and to say the usual pleasantries to the King and Queen.
After giving fake smiles to several couples, Ginny was bored and tired… All the women seemed to be checking her out, trying to find something to criticize and it was unnerving her, but all she could do for now was to fake a smile and a sweet `Pleasure to meet you' or `That's a beautiful dress and it looks superb on you, Milady'.
By her side, Prince Draco talked with his guests showing great ease and relaxation… but once in a while, Ginevra would notice that his eyes focused on a corner of the room, although his mouth kept on speaking with the guests they were currently receiving. Following his gaze, Ginevra found a woman with dark hair, wearing a very revealing pink dress, looking straight at Prince Draco with a seductive smile on her lips. That sight shouldn't have bothered Ginevra, but the reality was that it did and she felt confused for that.
How could he flirt with another woman when he was presenting his bride to high-society? He could at least wait until the end of the introductions… people would notice if he kept staring at the woman.
Thankfully the next couple was the Potters and Ginevra distracted herself noticing how beautiful Hermione Potter looked that night in a deep blue satin dress and saw her husband for the first time. Mr. Harry Potter was a young man with black hair and fabulous green eyes that sparkled under the candlelight, he was slightly taller than his wife, looking very elegant in his ceremony robes and the main point of interest was his smile… a smile that showed nothing but happiness and peace, probably the effect of being married to such a wonderful woman like Hermione.
"Mrs. Potter, you look beautiful tonight…" Ginevra smiled, the first true comment and smile of that night, while she extended both arms to hold Hermione's hands in hers. "Mr. Potter, it's a great pleasure to place a face on the man I heard so much about…"
"I hope you've heard good things…" Mr. Potter smiled, taking one of Ginevra's hands and then made a small bow as he kissed the back of it. "My wife told me great things about you, Miss Weasley, and I'm sure she was right in everything she told me… You really are quite beautiful."
"Oh, thank you, Mr. Potter… Hermione, you must had `Excellent flatterer' to your descriptions of your husband." Ginevra chuckled, ignoring the angry looks Prince Draco was throwing at her and the two guests.
"He only speaks the truth, Ginevra… You do look beautiful tonight, even a blind man could see that." Hermione joked, turning towards Prince Draco. "Good evening, Prince Draco…"
"Good evening, Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter." Draco replied and that was all he said before he turned his attention to the couple following the Potters.
"We'll talk later, Ginevra…" Hermione whispered before she and her husband stepped away to be received by the Queen and King.
"That was rude…" Ginevra hissed in the Prince's ear. To anyone else, it would look like she was whispering sweet nothings in his ear, but the truth was she was furious with his attitude. The Potters were very nice people, couldn't he see that? Once again, Prince Draco ignored her and kept on talking with the couple they were receiving now.
After five more couples, Mr. Blaise Zabini and Miss Pansy Parkinson approached the Prince and his bride. Mr. Zabini, a good-looking young man with black hair, made a small bow while Miss Parkinson, the woman the Prince had been observing, made a curtsey.
"Hello Draco, I haven't seen you in a while…" Mr. Zabini smiled, showing a big familiarity towards the blond man.
"I've been out of the kingdom taking care of a few things… Pansy, looking wonderful as always." Prince Draco said in a sweet voice that made Ginny frown and Miss Parkinson to smile even more.
"I always try to look my best for you, Draco, you know that." She replied, caressing his chest with one of her ring filled hands.
Having had enough of such displays of dubious affection, Ginny stepped in front of the Prince and leaned her back against his chest.
"My dear Miss Parkinson, I'm sure you're having a wonderful time touching and caressing Draco, but I'm very possessive, you see, and I really don't like to share." Ginny said in an exaggeratingly sweet voice.
"Sometimes, we are forced to share, even if we don't want to, isn't that right Draco?" Miss Parkinson replied, winking at the blond man, in a clear declaration that their personal relationship would continue. "I've missed you…"
"Blaise, please take her away from my bride… I can't handle two wild cats at the same time." Prince Draco sighed tiredly, surrounding Ginny's waist with one arm, trying to keep her from attacking the dark haired woman, something she had been about to do, after the last comment.
"Come, Pansy, we better move along now." Mr. Zabini warned and pulled the girl away before both women started a fight.
Ginevra smiled amusedly for the rest of the presentations feeling satisfied for having confronted the woman she was considering a threat. Why she was a threat if Ginny didn't love the Prince? Well, he was going to be her husband, so why be quiet and watch him flirt with other women? He was hers… or would be, very soon.
After receiving the last couple, Ginny and Prince Draco had to open the dance floor with three consecutive dances and it was then that the Prince took the chance to be mad at her.
"What did you think you were doing? Miss Parkinson is an old acquaintance and you shouldn't have said those things to her." He whispered furiously while they danced the first notes of the waltz.
"I can see why she is an old acquaintance, my Prince and I can tell you that I won't stay silent while you flirt with her… We will be in a marriage that we both don't want, but still, you will be MY husband and I will not accept your mistresses." Ginny replied quickly, trying to keep the fake smile on her face, for the sake of appearances.
"You will have no say on that matter…"
Nothing, not even the music, was able to remove the frown from her face after that comment. He had just told her in other words that he would have mistresses and he didn't care about what she felt. Prince Draco ignored her, guiding her through the empty dance floor elegantly. Several women had gathered in small groups and stared at the couple with obvious distaste and revulsion… probably directed at Ginevra.
"Will I have to remain by your side after this last dance?" Ginny asked coldly, not even bothering to look at him.
"No. I don't like to have people clinging on me…" he replied coldly, not noticing the furious look on his bride's face. "You can sit in a corner and study my guests. Maybe you'll learn how to behave by watching them."
The Prince expected her to reply furiously and when she didn't, he looked at her, shocked to find her biting her lower lip, her chin almost touching her chest. He hadn't hurt her, right? He had not meant to…
"Ginevra?" He said, hoping she would look him in the eye, but the music came to an end and she quickly left his embrace to walk towards the back of the room, where the Potters were seated. On the way there, she was approached by a large group of women.
"Hello, my dear, what a beautiful dress… How lucky you are to have Queen Narcissa choosing your dresses. But, that hair… you could try to dye it, couldn't you? It's a little too… red; and look at your skin! It's all ruined from the sun. Where have you been? On tea plantations?" the women criticized openly and laughed hysterically has if they had said something extremely funny.
All that Ginevra wanted was to answer back with the same venom, but Hermione saved her from doing so, leading her to the table she was occupying with her husband.
"How are you?" she asked as they sat facing the whole room.
"Furious, hurt, lonely, scared… I want to go home…" Ginny mumbled, trying hard not to cry. She was tired from having to be someone she was not.
"Oh my friend… It's hard, isn't it?" Hermione sighed sadly, holding Ginny's hand gently.
"How can they be so ridiculous, such vipers? And Draco! How can he fawn over that woman while he's presenting me as his bride?" Ginny complained, staring at Draco talking with Mr. Zabini and Miss Parkinson, while he drank one glass of whiskey after the other, his arm surrounding the dark haired woman's waist possessively.
"Draco is known for engaging in improper behavior with her at parties and social events." Hermione revealed sadly, patting her friend's hand. "Why are you feeling so angry? Do you love him?"
"No, I don't love him, but I don't hate him either… It's just that I can't understand how men can be so unfaithful and cruel to the women they are committed to." Ginny explained and then realized that Hermione was smiling at her husband. "Well, you're a lucky girl, you won a unique piece of male who loves you deeply and never considered having mistresses…"
This made Hermione and her husband laugh, followed by Ginny.
"Forget about her, Miss Weasley, this is your first party and you should be having fun, not pouting in a corner of the room." Mr. Potter smiled encouragingly, standing up to bow before Ginny. "Would you give me the pleasure of this dance, Milady?"
Ginny looked at Hermione for authorization and she gave it, smiling widely, then took Mr. Potter's hand and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor.
"Mr. Potter, may I ask you something slightly personal? You don't have to answer, if you don't want to…" Ginny asked softly, as they danced gracefully.
"Say your question and maybe I'll answer…" Mr. Potter replied with a twinkle in his emerald green eyes.
"Why is the prince so angry towards you?" she asked the one question that had been plaguing her for quite some time, now.
"Oh, that story is an old one, from our time at the magical school… Draco always had several boys around him, satisfying every whim of his, and he wouldn't take a `No' for an answer…" Mr. Potter explained with a sad smile. "I was the one to say no when he offered his friendship… Well, when he offered me the privilege to be his `humble servant', if I understood his intentions correctly. Since then, he did everything in his power to make me look bad and I began to see him as an enemy as well."
"After the little I've seen of him, I can only imagine how he was as a child…" Ginny chuckled, imagining a twelve year-old Prince Draco with several boys bowing at his feet, satisfying every single of his whims like he was some kind of God. "Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, Mr. Potter, now I can understand him a little better."
"Please, call me Harry… Hermione as known you for such a short time but she loves you dearly already, and I'm sure she would be happy to see us becoming friends, as well." Mr. Potter replied with a huge smile.
"Thank you, Harry, I like her very much. She's a wonderful woman…"
The music soon ended and another man took Ginny's hand to dance with her, but no words were exchanged during the dance. After that man came Mr. Zabini, smiling widely although his eyes showed a hint of nervousness that made Ginny wonder what was going on.
"You look wonderful tonight, Milady…" he said in a soft voice as they began their dance.
"Thank you, Mr. Zabini… So, I take it that you are one of Draco's old friends?" she replied, trying to make small conversation and find out information at the same time.
"Yes, Milady, since we were little babies…" Mr. Zabini said, throwing a worried look over Ginny's shoulder, his eyes searching frantically for something.
"Mr. Zabini, are you looking for someone?" she asked curiously. He was obviously worried and searching something or someone, so why was he spending his time dancing with her? There was something going on, and she knew it. After all, she had lived her whole life dealing with six older brothers…
"Oh, nothing at all, just recognizing some people I know." He lied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, as he once again looked over her shoulder to the same spot as before. For the first time, Ginny noticed that although they had been dancing the waltz, Mr. Zabini had been avoiding turning them around so that he could stay focused on something, while Ginny had to face the other dancing couples… This was all she needed to be sure that something was going on on her back, and Mr. Zabini didn't want her to see it. Gathering her strength, Ginny turned them around so that she could face the background.
There was nothing over there… Just an old lady dozing off with a glass of Champagne dangerously slipping from her hand and a narrow door. Surely Mr. Zabini wasn't worried about the glass of Champagne falling on the floor, or the old lady, so, the only thing left was the white door and what was behind it.
"Mr. Zabini, if you're so anxious about going there, why don't you go now?" Ginny asked, testing him. "You can't stop looking at that door…"
"What… what door, Milady? I wasn't looking at the door…" he replied nervously, trying to lead her into the middle of the dancing couples, to hide her view from said door.
Not caring about what people said, Ginny stepped out of his arms and quickly made her way through the dancing couples, stopping only when she got to the door. As she placed her hand on the doorknob to open it, Mr. Zabini grabbed her arm roughly, stopping her gesture.
"Milady, you really shouldn't do that… Let's go back to our dance, shall we?" he asked seriously, the panic evident in his eyes. Pushing him aside, Ginny extended her other hand to open the door and just as she was turning the doorknob, the door opened from the inside and Prince Draco appeared in front of her, with a huge smile on his face that disappeared as soon as he saw Ginevra.
"Ah, hiding your best friend, were you, Mr. Zabini?" she asked with a fake smile, trying to look behind Prince Draco. "Who else were you hiding?"
The Prince blocked her view to the inside of the room and became angry.
"Your curiosity will lead you nowhere… Go back to your Potter friends, now." He ordered angrily with a scowl on his face.
"You're definitely hiding something… or someone." Ginny grinned and supporting her hands on the Prince's shoulders, she raised herself on her toes to look behind him, gasping in shock at the sight of a very disheveled Miss Parkinson putting on her silk socks and shoes, while her dark hair escaped from the bun she had been wearing in the early evening. "Well, Mr. Zabini, you must be a very good friend if you allow Prince Draco using you to hide his affairs from the public… Don't let him step on you like this, no matter how long you two have been friends, you'll be only hurting yourself just like he's hurting the other people around him."
Mr. Zabini just looked at her with sad eyes, trying to ask for the forgiveness he knew she wouldn't give him. Ginevra tried to walk away but the Prince held her arm violently and made her face him.
"Ginevra, don't you even think of…" Prince Draco growled in a low dangerous voice, but she interrupted him with a glare, her eyes burning in anger and her skin glowing with the candles' light.
"Don't you dare threaten me, `Prince Draco Malfoy'!" she spat angrily, pointing an accusing finger at him, poking his chest painfully. "If you didn't want people to comment, you shouldn't have had this `escapade' of yours in the middle of the party. Thank you for the dance, Mr. Zabini…"
"My pleasure, Milady…" the young man replied with a small bow and watched her cross the ballroom, going back to Mr. and Mrs. Potter's side. "You don't deserve her, Draco… you'll only hurt her."
With that said, the dark haired man turned around and walked away, leaving a shocked and angry Prince behind.
"She's turning everyone against me!" he groaned angrily when he felt Miss Parkinson circling his waist with her creamy-white arms. "Or maybe I'm the one turning them away… What do you think, Pansy?"
"Who cares about what the others say?" she replied, kissing his shoulder from behind his tall frame. With a scowl, Prince Draco steeped away from her embrace and walked among his guests, taking a couple more whiskeys to calm down.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Potter and the Queen were trying to calm down a very angry Ginevra Weasley, her face almost as red as her hair, her fingers flexing like a cat's claws and her mouth set in a deep scowl.
"How could he? Does he have no respect?" she hissed, trying to avoid looking at the couple embracing in front of the open door where she had left them.
"Oh, Ginevra, try to calm down… You shouldn't let him get you this angry." Mrs. Potter whispered, trying to calm down her friend with a slow massage on her back.
"Well, too late for that, I'm already furious!" Ginny replied angrily and then blushed in shame. "I'm sorry, My Queen, I shouldn't behave this way in front of you…"
"Don't worry, I know exactly how you're feeling, my dear…" the Queen replied angrily, her eyes shooting daggers at her irresponsible son. "Come with me, the guests are starting to leave and we must say our goodbyes."
Taking a couple more deep breaths, Ginny followed the Queen to the double doors, the only exit of the large room. Soon enough the King joined them, as well as the Prince, and the guests started to gather in a long line to say their goodbyes.
While they repeated `Goodnight, thank you for your presence' over and over, Ginny did her best to ignore the young man by her side and knew he was ignoring her as well. Finally the last guests approached them… Mr. Zabini and Miss Parkinson.
"Goodbye, Pansy, send my compliments to your parents and tell them I've noticed their absence tonight." The King said amicably and quickly exited the room, but the couple remained there, Miss Parkinson right in front of Ginny, studying her attentively.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Weasley." Miss Parkinson said in an overly sweet voice, full of mockery.
"The only thing you met tonight, slightly related to me, was Draco's endowments, so drop the fake pleasantries." Ginny spat, gathering her skirts in her hands and left the room with her head held high. The Queen just stared at Ginevra in shock before a large smile appeared on her face and then laughter.
"What's so amusing, Mother? That was very rude of her, you know?" the Prince complained, staring coldly at his mother.
"She's fantastic… And she only said the truth, Draco. Show your friends the way out, will you?" the Queen ordered, returning to her private quarters with a wide smile still on her face. She wished she had had Ginevra's temperament when she had been Lucius Malfoy's bride.
As soon as Miss Parkinson and Mr. Zabini left, Draco went to Ginny's bedroom, tripping on his feet on the way there, but still sober enough to find her rooms and enter without knocking, just when Parvati was removing the corset from Ginny's body. Luckily she was wearing a white silk nightgown underneath.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly, while Parvati helped her dress a silk robe to protect her from the cold and from the Prince's indiscreet gaze.
"You have no right to treat a member of the high-society the way you just did. It was low and unintelligent and you'll write her an apology letter tomorrow…" Prince Draco ordered coldly, staring furiously at her.
"Parvati, you may retire…" Ginny said, smiling as the girl left the room and then turned to him. "A few days ago I had to choose five innocent girls to be your Bedmaids… I've destroyed five futures for you to have all the pleasure you want and you go around the parties, flirting with that Pansy woman, doing Merlin knows what behind closed doors! I may not be high-class, but I know that's rude and incorrect, especially at your own engagement party… Do you want to marry her, instead? Go ahead, then, and I'll go back to my normal, happy life…"
"Ginevra, am I mistaken or are you acting like a jealous wife?" he sneered, his words slightly slurred from the alcohol he had ingested that night, but nothing shocked her more than when he grabbed her forcefully by her arms and slammed her against a wall.
"To be jealous I would have to like you, which I don't! Now, let me go…" she commanded, slightly scared with his violence and the odd sparkle in his silver-gray eyes.
"You can have what she had, you know?" he whispered, raising her arms above her head, pinning her body against the wall with his own and grinding his hips against hers, allowing her to feel the slight protuberance against her stomach, scaring her even more. Holding both of her hands in one of his, he slid the other down her body to grab her backside forcefully.
"Unhand me right now!" she ordered, her voice scared about what he would do. "You're intoxicated…"
"Yes, I'm drunk, but I can still enjoy your touch… Isn't this what you wanted?" he whispered, lowering his head to kiss her lips softly in a feather-like kiss. It was just a brush of lips but it was enough to make Ginny flush red and her eyes to open widely in shock.
All traces of fear were gone as soon as he kissed her again, this time more passionately, nibbling her lips as he kissed her hard, forcing her mouth open with a bite on her lower lip and then their tongues met, making Ginny whimper in both shock and confusion. She had never been kissed and had absolutely no idea that she was supposed to open her mouth like that… but it was nice and pleasant. His mouth tasted sweet, probably from the whiskey, and his tongue was gently exploring her mouth; circling her own tongue into his mouth in a gentle, although deep, kiss. After what seemed a long time, although it had been just a few minutes, Prince Draco broke the kiss, but his body remained against hers.
"Are you still jealous? Do you still want everything Pansy had tonight?" he panted, rubbing his erection against her hips, making her gasp in shock. Unable to speak after what she had just experienced, Ginny shook her head, clearly saying `No'.
"Ah, that's too bad… Do try to behave properly and don't mistreat our guests. Goodnight." The Prince said with an evil grin, leaving the room with a shocked Ginevra leaning on the wall for support, her lips red and bruised from his rough kiss; her face red with embarrassment and a touch of desire.
"Oh sweet Merlin…" she mumbled before her legs gave out under her, and she fell on the floor. Slowly she raised a hand to her mouth, her fingers gently touching her swollen lips. Prince Draco Malfoy had just kissed her and made her want him for the first time ever, and she was shocked to realize that she had enjoyed it and could hardly wait for a repeat performance.
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Hello my dear readers, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, but there are some activities going on which delayed this update.
This chapter is the BETA-ed one by my dear Violet Jersey and she found me a Grammar BETA as well, which helped me loads in this chapter: Animagus_Steph. Thank you so much, both of you.
Classes have already begun at my college and we already made the freshmen suffer. If you want to see pictures of my freshmen and me just ask for it and I'll send you an e-mail. The older years wear a specific outfit on party days and the freshmen were plastic as clothes and paint on their faces… It's fun.
Thank you so much for the great reviews and for reading… It's great to have people enjoying something I write.
Love, Carina
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