Disclaimer: We all know Harry Potter and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling, anything you do not recognize is from my mind.
Summary: Draco and Ginny are in an equally disliked marriage together. However, over time she comes to love the cold hearted Slytherin, but he appears not to notice her. Or even care for that matter. He isn't the most faithful of husbands and she's had enough, and decides two can play that game.
Author: Mrs. Noodlemantra, That's So Raven, Chammy (All the same person)
Chapter: Six, "The Kiss"
Green with Envy
"Miss Ginny, Miss Ginny!"
Ginny turned, with a smile on her face at the sound of a child's voice calling her name. Looking down, she saw a young boy by the name of Nicholas gazing up at her. He was only seven years old and one of the sweetest boys at the orphanage. "Yes, love?"
"D-Do you want to play with me?" He asked, his big blue orbs shining.
Ginny could only nod her head, knowing it was moments like these that made her love children all the more. Especially at this age since they were so innocent and sweet, most of them anyways. Others had that particular bratty attitude, terribly rude and hard to deal with, but in time she would grow to love them, no matter what.
"What do you want to play, Nicholas?" She asked him, squatting down so she was talking face to face with him.
"Umm, how about I'll be the good pirate and I have to save you?" He asked.
Children had imaginations that were simply amazing, and she could only wish to go back to that time period on a bad day to relive get away from hectic moments.
"So I'm princess Ginny and you're the Good Pirate Nick?"
"Nicholas, arrgh," he said, sounding quite silly but it was all just so cute.
About forty-five minutes later, Ginny found herself tied to a chair, with Nicholas standing by her, trying to warn off a handful of other kids. This game was very amusing, and it made her smile just watching them play, knowing that any minute she could simply move her arm and the ropes would come off, but they weren't aware of that.
"Alright kids, it's time for you to eat lunch," Molly Weasley said, walking into the room, looking as motherly as ever.
The kids immediately ran out of the room, except for Nicholas who stayed behind to help 'Princess Ginny' out of the chair. He untied her hands from the back of the chair, before tossing the rope aside. "Are you hungry Nicholas?" Molly asked from the doorway.
He shrugged his frail shoulders, "I think its fish and chips today," Ginny told him, standing up from the chair, smiling over at her mother.
"Otay," he said softly before turning around and running out of the room.
"Will you be joining them, doll?" Molly asked, wiping her hands off on her apron, even though nothing was on them, it was just out of habit.
"No, I can't today…I've got to head back to the Manor for a bit," she told her mother as she walked to her and gave her a hug. "And could you keep an eye on David, please? He tends to hide his food under his bed…"
"Your brothers Fred and George used to do that too," Molly said with a small chuckle, remembering when her children were that young. "Well I don't want to keep you from anything, I'll see you later."
"Bye mum," Ginny said with a soft smile before walking around her mum and into her office to grab her things.
Ginny Apparated outside of Malfoy Manor before walking inside, the wards had always been up around the house and she wasn't sure if she was permitted to Apparate inside, and she didn't want to take the chance.
As she stepped in the manor she took off her shoes, the little heels that were there had been killing her feet the entire day. She held the shoes in her hand as she walked through the Manor and towards her room, the stockings she had on helped her slide on the floor, bringing a slight smile to her face. Without warning she just started running, stopping only to slide along the floor, small squeals escaping her lips.
She knew that she was in her twenties now, but it was always fun to feel like a kid again. She stopped just when she reached her room and walked in, taking off her stocking, holding herself against her bedposts so she didn't fall. After taking them off Ginny grabbed a pair of shoes (flats) and held them in her hand as she opened the door to her room again.
"What are you doing here?"
She squeaked before frowning, "Why do you always do that? There are ways to talk to someone without scaring them half to death, Draco." She said, pushing her way past him.
"I asked you what you were doing here."
"Well, I do believe I live here? Correct me if I'm wrong," she replied sarcastically, dropping her shoes to the floor so she could slip her feet into them.
"Shouldn't you be at your little kid's shelter or something?"
"It's an orphanage; don't act like you don't know," she said, glaring at him. "And anyways…I never mettle in your affairs, perhaps you shouldn't mettle in mine." She told him, her expression softening up a little before she turned around and walked down the hall. She never really felt the Manor was so large when she was either in her room or the library, but when she was trying to get somewhere it seemed to never end.
Stopping in front of a door, Ginny knocked on it lightly, a soft, "come in," following.
"Narcissa?" She called out, walking in and shutting the door behind her. "Are you alright?" She inquired, furrowing her brow at the way Narcissa looked. She had never seen her like this, especially in bed, in the afternoon. Her skin was more pale than normal and her hair was matted to her forehead.
"I suppose, just a bit of a fever and a chest cough." She said, offering a weak smile. "I haven't been out of my chamber for a few days though…how are things at the Orphanage?"
"Really good," Ginny said, walking to the side of the bed, "I'm always ecstatic just thinking about it, it's amazing."
"Well," Narcissa started, "I'm glad that you're happy with the way things are coming along." She struggled to push herself up in the bed for a moment, her arms shaking as she did so. The sight of it frightened Ginny even more; this seemed to be a bit more than a fever and chest cough. "Ginny dear, are you aware of the date?" She asked, ever so politely.
"It's the 28th of May."
"And are you aware of when my son's birthday is?"
Ginny's eyes opened wide, "It's not today is it?"
"No, no dear, it's in a week's time." Narcissa said, moving her hands up to massage her temples for a moment. "Do you have any idea of what we could do for him?"
"No, I'm sorry I don't…With all due respect, your son isn't the most open person in the world, even to me. I haven't had one decent conversation with him since we've been married."
"He is a busy man, Ginevra and sometimes it can stress him out."
"Maybe…" she said, not wanting to believe he was just stressed, she knew more than Narcissa, or so she thought. This woman had raised Draco after all; she had to know her son well enough to know when something was bothering him. "Stress must make him not want to be bothered with me in that case."
"Oh, love, don't say such silly things. They're going through some tough times at the ministry, that's all. The stress isn't going away, it's just building up and if he says anything he may just have a fit." She chuckled softly, picking up the tea cup from her nightstand and sipping from it.
Ginny believed Narcissa for a moment but then began to wonder if it was a lie. Was this something she went through with Lucius and was still living in an oblivious sort of world? Telling herself lies and then actually believing them after some time. "Of course," was all Ginny could manage to say.
"We could have a surprise ball for Draco…your family, his old school friends, people from the ministry and even those from your old magazine for press coverage." Narcissa was a very organized woman, Ginny had learned. She didn't like for anything to be out of order especially if she was planning.
"It sounds nice, is there a ballroom here?"
"Yes it's on the ground floor; near the back it takes a while to get there which is probably why you haven't seen it yet." Her eyes raked over Ginny, seeing the woman that would soon take her place as the head woman of the Malfoy family. Perhaps she should spend more time with her, filling her in with all the things it took her so many years to learn. "It was an addition to the household, awhile after Draco's thrice great grandfather moved in. One of his wives decided she didn't want to have to travel so far to ballrooms all the time. He spoiled nearly all of his women and there were no second thought before it was built."
Ginny furrowed her brow, wondering what made her want to tell her that. "That's really interesting. Are there sort of things left by generation after generation of Malfoy's to be looked at, admired and learned by?"
"Yes," Narcissa said, smiling at her daughter-in-law, "Many of them I'll be happy to show you, once I'm feeling better of course. But there are some that are better to find on your own."
"Well Thank You, I'm a sucker for things like that, really. It sparks my interest." Ginny had always wondered what she would do in her life that would have people remember her, or more importantly leaving a good legacy behind for her family to follow, things that her great grandchildren would remember her by, and even more after that. She shocked herself at her last thought; she wouldn't be having grand children with him, would she?
"The ball shouldn't take long to plan, about a day of good work, I think…and then just sending owls to the guests, letting them know." She nodded her head to herself before closing her eyes, relaxing. "We will talk more tonight, over dinner perhaps."
Ginny nodded her head, "That sounds good to me, Narcissa. I'll see you after work," she said, leaning over and kissing the older woman on the cheek before proceeding out of the room, in an all together happier mood, though wishing there was something she could do to make Narcissa better. Maybe she would bring home some sort of pepper up potion.
~~~A-N-O-T-H-E-R-L-U-N-C-H-D-A-T-E~~~
Ginny was only running a little late after her chat with Narcissa, but nothing that would put her tremendously behind schedule. She walked into the restaurant, one she had been a visitor to quite a lot in these past few weeks. She smiled, seeing Graham at the table, a couple of papers sitting out in front of him along with a quill, she waved as she walked over.
Graham stood from his seat when she reached the table, taking her hand in his and bringing her closer to him, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Hello, Ginevra, how have you been?"
"I've been good," she said, stepping to the side and taking her seat. "Thanks for asking," she added, reaching for the glass of water after Graham sat down as well. "And you?"
"Very good," he said, getting himself readjusted in the seat and picking up the quill. "So you said you already have a child in mind for this week's issue?"
Nodding she replied, "It makes me a little sad to write it though…he's just one of those special kids that I will be really sad to see go. He's grown on me," she said with a small laugh.
"What's his name?"
"Nicholas Scott," she said, "He's seven years old with an adorable face, one that you just can't say no to." She looked down at the table, her fingers running along the wood. The situation with Graham was so comfortable now, and even Draco still didn't know what was going on, which was a plus for her. He stayed off of her bad side and to her knowledge he wasn't bringing those girls home anymore.
The next hour was filled with Ginny giving Graham information on Nicholas and the two sharing lunch. Their routine was one that she welcomed each week, and thankfully there were no awkward feelings in there. Graham never tried to pull anything with her; they were friends and business partners, nothing more, which was a rare find. She sometimes wondered if it would ever amount to anything other than that, had she not been married.
"You know, Gin…have you ever thought about adopting a child for yourself? If it's something you and your husband would want."
Ginny sighed softly, putting her head in her hands. She wanted children…she really did. Kids were amazing and it was great seeing them grow up. She'd watched so many of her nieces and nephews grow up and wanted some little tykes of her own. "I have thought of it, of course…I can't ask Draco something like that. He would probably be disgusted at the thought and so would Lucius," she told him, feeling very open with the man. "I would want my own children as well I just…don't know how to go about that."
"I think you should go home and ask him or at least talk with him about it. He is your husband after all…just don't use a contraceptive," Graham shrugged his shoulder, thinking it was that simple when in reality, Ginny and Draco had never even had sex…yet.
She bit her bottom lip softly, wondering why no woman was yet to snatch up this man…he's so charming and sweet. "Graham…why don't you have a girlfriend…if you don't mind me asking. I mean, you could really have any woman that you wanted."
He chuckled softly, his eyes twinkled a bit as he looked at her. He took a sip of his wine and waited a moment before replying. "To be honest with you, I haven't found anyone that really tickles my fancy, you know? And I'm not the type of man to use someone for sex. The physical attraction is only half of it; they have to spark my interests mentally as well."
Ginny shook her head, a soft chuckle coming from her lips, "It's not often that you find a man that will willingly admit that."
"I'm not your average male, if you haven't gotten that vibe already. I hate women that throw themselves at me, I'd much rather work at someone challenging and feel confident in the end that she likes me for me and not just the looks that came along with my Italian heritage," he said with a toss of his shoulder length black hair to jokingly emphasize his words.
"Don't become all cocky on me, Graham," she said sternly, shuffling a few things around on the table so it would be easier for the waiter to pick them up. "Though, I think I should be heading back to work now…and I'll seriously consider talking to Draco about adopting…he'll probably just give me some rubbish about it not being the right time." She shrugged her shoulders slightly before standing up from her seat, clutching her purse in her hand.
Graham stood as well, leaving money on the table before bringing her close to him in a hug. "Alright, I'll see you soon, just owl me for the next lunch or whatever is best for you," he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before taking a step back. She grinned up at him, wondering why she was so much happier with a companion rather than her own husband. Wait, no she didn't have to wonder about that. It was quite obvious, her husband didn't want her.
She immediately frowned at the thought, trying to shake the thought from her head but it just wouldn't leave. "You okay?" He asked, tilting her chin up with a finger to look her in the eyes.
"Erm, yeah, I'll be fine. I'll owl you with a date and time within the week," she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before turning to leave the restaurant.
Ginny didn't feel like returning to work at that very moment but she had to, she would he preoccupied in her thoughts and unable to develop them fully from being around all the children. She sighed to herself before taking out her wand and quickly Apparating back in to work.
~~~A-LITTLE-MORE-PLANNING~~~
"His favorite color is green?" Ginny repeated, looking at Narcissa over the papers in front of her. Her mother-in-law nodded her head and Ginny rolled her eyes, "figures…" she muttered.
His surprise shin-dig was fast approaching and she still hadn't bought him a present. Knowing that his favorite color was green would perhaps help, even if it was just the slightest. She was leaning towards the idea of a piece of jewelry, but didn't know if he would even wear it. In a way, she wanted him to be reminded of her at all times. It was so sad; she felt she was behaving so desperately, trying to get her husband to pay attention to her.
"Ginevra," Narcissa began, holding a hand to her forehead for just a moment. Ginny frowned, wondering what was wrong with her lately. "It's not necessarily my place to be saying this but, I do know that you and Draco do not share a bedroom, which could be a large part of the reason you two aren't as close as you would like…" she trailed off but started up again before Ginny could open her mouth and reply. "Don't say that it's not true. You remind me so much of me when I was first married to Lucius. I didn't feel too worthy because there were so many other women he could have and he didn't necessarily even want me. I felt that I had to go out of my way to look beautiful for him, to keep his eyes on me and not cause them to stray when we were out, or even at the Manor. I wanted his womanly thoughts to be only about me. I see those same feelings and thoughts within you, am I correct?"
Ginny bit her bottom lip as she nodded her head; she let her head hang down, her eyes focusing in on the intricate design of the table they were sitting at. "I didn't want this marriage at all in the beginning, but now I'm starting to see that it is my future, and I want to make it work. I want him to care about me, so much and I feel like I can't even get him to talk to me about anything serious, or look at me in a desirable way." She said, able to feel her eyes tearing up already.
"Oh, Gin…do not cry," Narcissa said, reaching out and placing her hand over Ginny's. "Whether they like to admit it or not, men are stubborn. It just so happens that you've been paired with my son that is more stubborn than even his father. He doesn't open quickly or too easily to change but if you are persistent enough…he'll warm up to you. I know he will." She gave Ginny's hand a soft squeeze before slowly standing up from the table. "I'm going to be in my room if you need me…and remember what I said."
"I will," she replied, her voice coming out so soft and fragile. She really did feel weak and fragile when it came to discussion about her husband because she had nothing truthful to really say about him. She could go on talking about him but they would all be assumptions. What kind of woman had to assume about their own husband? She felt a new strike of confidence thanks to Narcissa, and she had an idea of what to do...or at least an inkling of an idea.
~~~D-R-A-C-O'S-S-T-U-D-Y~~~
Ginny lightly knocked on the large wooden door that led to Draco's personal study and waited for the sound of his voice before entering. His birthday was the following day and, to her knowledge, he knew nothing about the surprise ball. She hoped he would like it and appreciate what she went through to make it all happen. His birthday gift had already been purchased along with a few new clothes for herself. Now, she wasn't being selfish or anything, the clothing she purchased were various shades of green, nothing too bright but things that went well with her skin tone and hair color. That was somewhat tough to come across but she found a handful of things that looked good on her, things she hoped he would enjoy.
"Hey," she greeted as she shut the door behind her. This past week had been hectic for her and she saw Draco even less than she normally did. It saddened her because she didn't want her confidence to wear away. It took her too long to gain it, too many pep up talks and she didn't want it to just die before she got a chance to use it. This isn't to say Ginny isn't a confident woman because she is, it's just that this is stepping so far out of her comfort zone that she doesn't really know how to act or react to anything.
Draco looked up at her over the rim of his thin, rectangular glasses. "Hello," he replied in a monotonous tone.
"I didn't know you wore glasses," she said, a soft smile appearing on her lips.
He blinked a couple of times, seeming to have forgotten he was even wearing them. He quickly brought a hand up and took them off, sitting them down on the parchment in front of him. "They help the words to not be so blurry," he told her, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
"They're fitting for you…" she told him, but highly doubted he cared.
He rubbed at the bridge of his nose where the glasses had been resting and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back up. Upon opening them, it seemed that he was finally taking in her appearance since she had walked in the room. His eyes moved from the ground up, an approving look appearing on his face. She wasn't dressed classy by any standards. She felt comfortable in the clothing, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a dark green tank top beneath a long sleeved white button up tee-shirt which she had tied up so that it accented her chest.
She hid the smiled of satisfaction threatening to appear on her lips. "Erm…I wanted to tell you that I was going to be a little late to your birthday dinner tomorrow. I have a meeting with Graham at the office but its fine if you want to start with out me."
Draco furrowed his brow, wondering if that was all she had come in to tell him. "Graham?" He repeated, arching an eyebrow slightly. That name was so common out of her mouth these last couple of days. "The one you visit with everyday?"
"No," she shook her head, walking closer to his desk. Had that been a hint of jealousy she detected as he spoke? "I don't see him everyday…more like once a week when it's convenient for the two of us," she explained. It sounded normal to her because she knew the truth behind what she was saying but Draco was blinded by something and was getting the wrong idea from it.
"Oh I see, convenient for the both of you?" He nodded his head, as if realization was sinking in on him. "Right, well if that's all you needed to say I've got a few papers to finish reading over."
Ginny frowned at her husband, that was a quick turn in things but, she had nothing further to say to him, did she? She started to turn around but then thought twice about it and walked around the side of his desk instead. She stopped right next to his chair and could feel her heart beating so fast, her breathing pattern quickened as well.
Draco turned his head and looked up at her, what had gotten into his wife lately?
"I-I just," she stopped, mentally cursing herself for stuttering. Ginny took a slow, deep breath before cupping his face in her hands and leaning down, moving her face closer to his. There was no turning back now. Her warm, chocolate brown eyes bored into his slate grey ones that, for once, looked shocked. She smiled to herself before closing her eyes and sealing the gap between them.
Her lips connected with his and for a moment they just stayed like that, until she deepened the kiss, pressing her lips to his harder as her tongue slipped passed her lips and beyond his own. He surprised her, making the next move to put his hands on her hips and bring her closer to him. She wasn't even interested in stopping to breathe; she didn't want to break this kiss. Skillfully she moved herself so that she was straddling his lap in the chair. This was taking a leap in their relationship but they had been married for months and should have been further a long than snogging!
For a moment she wished she could read minds, wanting to know he was reacting to this mentally. Physically he appeared to be enjoying it; one hand was gripping her hip gently and the other on the small of her back, holding her to him. He was very eager in his kissing too, as if he had wanted this for some time as well. The hand on her back lightly tugged at the bottom hem of her tank top before slipping beneath it.
Ginny let out a small gasp, her lips leaving his as she pulled back and looked him in the eye. He didn't look shocked anymore. His eyes now held a look of…happiness, she wanted to call it, but she didn't want to jump the gun now. His hand on her hip moved up to the back of her neck, pulling her lips back onto his.
"Draco?" There was a loud knock at the door, causing them both to jump.
"Fuck," he muttered, sounding very agitated. "It's my father," he said, pulling back and looking up at Ginny. Her face held a saddened expression to it at their being interrupted. "Just a second," he spoke loud enough for his father to hear on the other side of the door.
Ginny attempted to get up from the chair but his hands went to her hips, holding her to him. He kissed her again, not wanting to stop…he felt instantly addicted. "Dra-Draco your father is waiting," she said with a giddy tone to her voice. She slid off of his lap, pulling him up and out of the chair with her. "Besides, we have to save something for tomorrow, right?" She winked at him before turning around and walking towards the door, he was only a few seconds behind her.
Ginny opened the door to reveal Lucius waiting, he looked down at her and then up to his son standing behind her. "Hello Ginevra."
"Hi," she said, feeling a small blush appear on her cheeks from the look he was giving her. "I suppose I'll see you later," she told Draco, turning to face him once more.
"Definitely," he breathed, leaning down to kiss her again. His father stepped to the side, giving her room to walk out as he entered his son's office. The door closed softly and Ginny squealed to herself before taking off in the direction of her room. The way she felt coming into the office was completely different than what she felt now. She could feel her heart swelling up in her chest already.
Maybe, just maybe, with his birthday tomorrow, things would take a turn for the better, it seemed they already were.
~~~END-CHAPTER~~~
Alright readers! I have to apologize for the extremely long gap in updating. It has been 10 months, I believe? Which is entirely too long. I was unmotivated last year…then summer and a job came, then my junior year and now my creative writing class has inspired me to get back into the groove of things. We're finally working on writing stories and no more poems so that's rather exciting for me! Anyways, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for the long wait! I'm working on the next chapter already and though I'm moving houses in two days, we should have internet and everything set up the day we get there anyhow! I'll update as quickly as I can this time, I promise! Please, don't forget to review! Let me know if you all even WANT me to continue.