Green With Envy

Green with Envy

“What about Pansy Parkinson?”

“…what about her? I was through with her at the end of my seventh year.”

“Draco…need I remind you that this isn’t about who you are and aren’t through with. You don’t necessarily get the last say in this, you know.”

Draco looked up at his father; he knew that he was right. But hell, this was his life too; shouldn’t he get to decide who he was going to marry? He didn’t even bother glaring at his father, for no matter how fierce his gaze was, his father had one that was twice as fierce. They shared the same cold, slate gray eyes that could read a person, or just make a woman swoon.

“I know father.”

Lucius stood from the table they were seated at and began pacing the room. “Now remember, she must be pureblood, no matter what.”

“But aren’t you supposed to be convincing the people that you don’t care about bloodlines?”

Draco and Lucius turned to look at Narcissa, who until this point had remained silent throughout the discussion. Lucius arched an eyebrow at his wife of many years. “Narcissa, even something as big as finding a wife for Draco to win over the people and stay on the good side of the Ministry doesn’t mean I will have some mud-blood or even half-blood besmirch the Malfoy name.”

“What about Daphne Greengrass? She was in my year…not half bad looking either.”

“Son, we don’t exactly want another Slytherin. We’d like to stray a bit away from that.”

“We’ll you won’t be pairing me off with a ruddy Hufflepuff and even Gryffindor is pushing it, father.”

Lucius stopped pacing and turned his gaze towards his son, hadn’t he just told him he didn’t get the last say? “Draco, your father will be the one choosing in the end, you know that.” Narcissa spoke up; she didn’t want to hear the two arguing again. Many times had it happened and somehow she could end up in the middle of it all. Draco knew that his father would be victorious in nearly every argument they had, but he kept trying. He was a determined man, he was used to getting what he wanted, and the only person that could really stop him was his father.

“I’ve got it,” Lucius said, bringing both Draco and Narcissa’s eyes up to where he stood. He looked at both of them, looking as if he was considering his decision. “It will be tough convincing the family I’m sure, but in the end they will realize that we can give their daughter much more than they ever could.”

“Oh come on, out with it already.”

Lucius turned his gaze to just his son, his cane slamming hard into the ground. “You could very well spend the rest of your life sitting in this Manor, Draco. We don’t have to do all of this for you.”

“Lucius, please, who have you thought of?” Narcissa asked, massaging her temples.

Lightening up his glare he cleared his throat, “Ginevra Weasley.”

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“Mother! How could you even think about agreeing to have me marry that, that oaf?”

“Ginny, please sit down and listen to what your mother and I have to say.” Arthur Weasley said to his youngest child, his only daughter.

Ginny huffed, before taking a seat and crossing her arms over her chest. “Why would they pick me? Aren’t there thousands of witches that actually want to marry him?”

“Ginny, we don’t exactly know their reasoning for them picking you but think about the opportunities it could bring.” Molly knew that her daughter was stubborn and if she didn’t want something, there would be no reasoning with her.

“Mum, they’re an awful family I don’t want to be any part of it.”

“But Gin, just think about it, you would be able to alert the Order if anything were to be happening if they were trying to bring Voldemort back…again. And…” Arthur trailed off, lowering his eyes to the table, “And anything your mother and I haven’t been able to give you…you could get.”

Molly reached over, taking her husbands hand in hers. “Mum, dad…I don’t care about money. Love is more important that money. That family is incapable of loving, of even feeling.”

“Now Ginny, we didn’t raise you to judge people in that way.”

“But it’s not judging! Everyone knows it’s true!”

“Ginevra Molly Weasley, you will not speak to your father and me in that tone.”

“I am a grown woman, mother. I am nearly Twenty-four! You can not decide who I am going to marry. It’s such a big part of my life,” Ginny said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

“Ginny, please. I was married with two children by your age, if we don’t set you up with someone your father and I won’t be here to see any grandchildren from you.” Molly told her, though it wasn’t meant to sound rude, or degrading towards her daughter.

“So that’s what this about? You’re ashamed that I haven’t married off yet and started adding to your little army of Weasley’s? Thanks mom…you know, you’re not getting on Ron about not being married!”

“Well Gin, he does have a girlfriend of two years now.”

“Oh, Sod off!” Ginny yelled, grabbing her bag from the table and promptly stomping out of the burrow, not even looking to see if her parents were behind her before apparating to her own flat.

“Arthur,” Molly said standing up. “We shouldn’t have. Ginny’s right. We can’t force her to marry anyone she doesn’t want to. We’ll just have to floo her and apologize. Merlin…”

“Don’t worry Molly,” Arthur said, standing up also and kissing his wife on the top of her head. “We’ll figure something out.” Arthur now wished that he could go back to their meeting with Lucius and Narcissa, and disagreed to the whole thing. He would just have to face him tomorrow at work and tell him that Ginny replied no. Granted, he wouldn’t be happy but it didn’t matter to him. Lucius wasn’t at the top of the food chain anymore, which was probably his main reason for making Draco do this.

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Ginny honestly couldn’t believe the nerve of her parents as she threw her bag down on her coffee table and plopped down on her couch. They really thought that she’d be easily persuaded into marrying Draco Malfoy? Not only was he a git, but her brothers would never go for it either. She wasn’t an idiot either; she knew Draco Malfoy was absolutely gorgeous. There was no way of denying it, but that didn’t make up for the arse he could be.

Kicking off her shoes she looked around her flat. She was happy with the way she was living, her job with Witch Weekly was great, it didn’t have the best pay but she lived off of it. If she were to marry Malfoy she wouldn’t have to live from pay check to pay check, hell she probably wouldn’t even have to work at all. If marrying him was to higher his status within the Ministry then surely she would be able to do something in there also?

Ginny was very involved with the Wizarding Community, she enjoyed helping out and she had a lot of ideas that could help the community. Starting with more Orphanages for children whose families had been lost in the war, which she surely couldn’t do with her current job. Maybe she should go along with it? It wouldn’t kill her and besides…there was this little thing invented called a Divorce. Perhaps after she’d finished what she needed to do she could file for one of those? As neither she nor Malfoy would care. It wasn’t like she planned on falling in love with him or anything.

“I’ll do it,” she said aloud, convincing even herself with the tone of voice she used. This would have such a large impact on her life but hell; you had to take risks sometime.

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Bright and early the next morning Ginny apparted to The Burrow, it was always a bit odd being there now. Not because all of the children had moved out but rather, the silence throughout the entire house was a lonely one. The house itself hadn’t known a quiet like this in many years. “Mum?” Ginny called out, as she walked into the living room. Glancing down at her watch she saw that it was just barely seven in the morning. She had to be at work in about an hour; she just figured she would stop by and tell her mum and dad what she had decided.

“I’m in the kitchen, Ginny.” Her mum called out, which made her smile as she walked towards the kitchen. No matter what, Molly Weasley could always be found cooking. Even if there were hardly any people in the house, there would be enough for third helpings and perhaps even left overs.

“Good morning mum,” Ginny said, pulling her messenger bag off her shoulder and placing it down by her feet. She kept all her papers in there; research, articles whatever she would need for work.

Molly wiped her floured hands off on her robe and walked to her daughter, placing a kiss on her cheek. Molly looked at Ginny, neither of them speaking. As Molly didn’t want to bring up what they had discussed the other day, but Ginny did. After a short silence Molly figured she would just speak first, “Gin, let’s just forget what we talked about yesterday, alright? It was wrong of your father and me to even think of asking you to do-“

“Mum, it’s alright. I’ve thought about it and realized…that being higher in the ministry and the money I will be able to get…I can do a lot to help out the family, and our Wizarding community.”

“But Ginny we can’t ask you to marry someone to do that.”

“Well I’m going to do it, even if I have to go up to Lucius Malfoy myself and tell him my reply.”

“Only if you’re sure, Gin.”

“I’m sure, mum. I’ve grown up with sixth brothers, I’m sure I’ll be able to take on the Ferret Boy.”

Molly chuckled softly, reaching out and, rubbing the back of her hand along Ginny’s cheeks, “Alright then. I’ll floo your father at work and tell him what you’ve said.”

“Good,” Ginny said, taking a deep breath, it was starting to happen already. “I’ve got to go off to work now…oh hell, how am I going to tell everyone I work with that I’m going to marry Malfoy?”

“Language, darling.”

“Bye mum,” Ginny said before picking up her bag and apparating to the Witch Weekly office.

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Well there it is! My new fic and I hope you all like it and are looking forward to more! This is for a challenge over in the PK Forums (D/G Challenges, of course). Uhm if the little line break design I put to symbolize when it’s a new scene I’m sorry =( I don’t know what to do for PK *shrug* Well, anyhoo please review and tell me what you think and If I should continue or not! Also, look at my writing journal. www.livejournal.com/users/x_scriblen_x and you can find my writing place. Plus I am doing the fanfic100 and Potterverse100!

Green with Envy

Arthur, Molly, and Ginny Weasley walked up the stone steps to Malfoy Manor. It was like something out of a scary comic book. The front of the manor was surrounded by some of the greenest grass that she had ever seen, and very beautiful gardens. Behind the manor stood tall trees with large green leaves that had probably been growing since the manor was built. The Malfoy Manor was something spectacular in itself. From the outside she could see that there were three floors, five towers (nothing like the ones at Hogwarts) and an attic.

Sighing Ginny stepped in front of her parents and reached up, her hand was shaking and she didn’t even realize it. Her hand grasped the knocker on the door and she loudly knocked on the door three times. Taking a step back she looked at her mum and dad who were holding each other closely; it brought a slight pang to her heart. Would she ever have that? Going into this, who knew If Lucius would allow her out.

Her thoughts were quickly cleared however as the door began to open, revealing none other than Narcissa Malfoy. Her eyes raked over each of the Weasley’s, she didn’t look at them in distaste but not in adoration either. “Hello,” she said, her voice sounding soft and melodic.

“Good evening, Narcissa,” Molly said, thinking back to the days they had each shared at Hogwarts, now look where everyone was. It was strange how things in the world turned out.

“Come in,” Narcissa said, taking a step back and opening the door to them.

Ginny took a deep breath before walking into the Manor, the sight that greeted her definitely wasn’t one that she had expected. Thinking of the Malfoy’s you would expect there to be no color at all, but there was, if only a little. As she looked around she thought that if she had to spend a portion of her life here, she wouldn’t mind. It wouldn’t be so bad, after all. This was a large place, there had to be many places that she could get away to and ignore Malfoy.

Speaking of Malfoy, she wondered where the bloody git was, she hadn’t seen him in quite a few years. The reunion between them, however, would not be a very pleasant one. “Please, sit,” came the voice of Narcissa, holding her arm out in the direction of black leather couches.

Ginny took a seat in the middle of her parents, crossing her legs and nervously licking her lips. She had dressed decently this day. Though she didn’t understand why it mattered as she wore a long black robe over it.

“Ah, hello Weasley’s,” Lucius said, walking into the room, for once without his cane. He put on his most charming smile and entered the room. Ginny didn’t notice at first but walking just behind Lucius stood someone that could have possibly pass for his twin. Minus the long hair and lines of aging on their face, they looked like replicas.

Lucius walked over to them and shook Arthur’s hand, “Lucius,” he said, sternly.

Lucius ignored him however and moved on to Ginny, picking up her hand and placing a chaste kiss on her knuckles. “Ginevra,” he said before moving over and doing the same to Molly, Draco following in suit. As Draco kissed her hand, Ginny found herself looking up into his eyes. He said nothing, but him looking at her, she felt something course through her body at the moment, but she didn’t know what it was, and didn’t want to know what it was.

“Welcome to our- and soon to be Ginevra’s- home.” Lucius said, smiling warmly at them all before taking his seat in a single chair to the left of them, Narcissa across from him and to the right of the Weasley’s, and Draco sitting directly in front of them. Ginny tried to ignore him calling her Ginevra, she didn’t like it. Her name sounded as if she was born in the time of King Arthur, and though her name came through the name of Guinevere, she much preferred Ginny. “We are gathered here today,” Lucius started, making Ginny want to drop her head back on the couch already. It sounded as though they were getting married at this second! Her eyes opened a bit wider, were they? Lucius continued, “To discuss the plans of marriage and how to go about bringing it out to the public.”

“Will I be able to plan my own wedding?” She asked, receiving an annoyed look from Draco, who obviously could careless about it all. She looked away from him and at Lucius, she disliked Draco as much as he disliked her, but they could at least attempt to be civil to each other.

“Of course you will dear, your mother and I will help you with anything you need.” Narcissa said before promptly snapping her fingers, a short house elf appearing. “Libby, would you bring six cups of tea for us?” The house elf nodded and snapped its own fingers, disappearing with a small pop.

Ginny smiled, she had never planned a wedding before, well obviously as she had never been married before and wasn’t a wedding planner. She didn’t even know where to start, but one thing was for sure, she didn’t want someone having all the say in it. She wouldn’t mind help here and there but if she was going to be marrying this wanker then she at least wanted it to be beautiful.

The house elf appeared seconds later with a tray full of six hot tea cups. She placed them down and lingered only for a moment to see if anything else was needed before snapping her fingers yet again and vanishing.

“Now, I can handle the bringing it out to the public bit, well with my various connections it will be a slice of pie,” Lucius said, and Ginny was again shocked. She did not know he had the capability of even saying something like a slice of pie.

“I work for Witch Weekly, I could get it out in that…though I’m sure a lot of our Reader’s will be very upset as…Draco, here is on our Most Charming Bachelor list. I can hear the howlers already,” Ginny joked, wanting to put in that she had a job, and she didn’t exactly intend on quitting it.

“Good, so you’re a writer then?” Ginny nodded her head as she reached for her cup of tea, glancing at her parents who nodded reassuringly towards her. Lucius was being decent, probably because he saw this as more of a business deal than talking with Muggle-Lovers. “Then that will be another source of advertisement.”

Ginny’s eyes strayed over to Draco who was looking pretty bored, his cup of tea lay abandoned on the table in front of them. She let her thoughts wander as her father asked Lucius a question about something in the Ministry. He hadn’t changed a bit since Hogwarts. Well in a few obvious ways, height of course, he was down standing at an astounding 6’2, she wondered about his muscles. Had he kept up with Quidditch and any training? His hair was still that silver-blond color and his eyes, the cool gray that she remembered from her first year.

“What about children?” Molly asked, bringing Ginny back down to reality and she turned to look at her mother.

“Well they are not a necessity, though people in the community do love children.” Ginny’s mouth opened in shock at Lucius’ reply. “A child is not demanded, unless the two happen to agree on something.” Draco scoffed, but quickly disguised it as a cough. “I’m sorry were you saying something, son?” Lucius asked, turning a cold stare onto Draco. “You’ve remained pretty quiet through this entire thing.”

“No, Father, I don’t have anything to say. You all have it pretty much under control,” he said before standing up from his seat. “I think I could leave now,” and before waiting for a reply from either of his parents Draco walked around the table, and leaned forward, kissing Ginny softly on the cheek. “It was nice seeing you all,” he said, a false smile on his face before turning around and walking out of the room.

Lucius shook his head, “I think we have discussed everything we need.” He said, rubbing his hands together, “If there is anything you all need, feel free to owl us, and Ginevra, Narcissa, and Molly you three should arrange a few dates to begin the planning. Other than that, I bid you all farewell, and I shall see you within a month’s time, for the wedding.” He stood from his seat and bowed from the waist, “Narcissa, if you would please, show our guests out.” She nodded towards her husband who then turned and exited the room.

“I was thinking we could meet this Friday? To start planning, Merlin it’s been ages since I’ve done something like this,” Narcissa said, putting her tea cup down on the tray. “We’ll have to take you somewhere nice to get a suitable dress for you and your bridesmaids.” Narcissa was clearly excited about this all, which only brought a smile to Ginny’s lips. She hadn’t expected her to care, but she did, and it was nice.

“Narcissa, save it for this Friday,” Molly told her politely before standing up, her husband and daughter following in suit. “Ginny or I will owl you about the time. It was nice seeing you again.” Molly led her family out of the room and back towards the door, she found that it was quite heavy upon trying to open it but with a large heave she pulled it open and stepped outside.

“Why I never…Narcissa was always a kind woman but Lucius? Oh, I don’t know about him…and that Draco, Ginny…he’s not half bad looking and he doesn’t seem so bad.”

“But remember Molly dear, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Arthur said, taking his wife’s hand in his and squeezing it softly.

“This is all happening so fast. I’m getting married in a month. It sounds like crazy talk but…I think I just need to go home and get some rest. The next month is probably going to be a rollercoaster. I’ll see you soon Mum and Dad.” Ginny said before promptly apparating back to her flat.

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The planning of the party was going a lot faster than Ginny would have liked. It wasn’t that she needed more time to plan, but rather with each passing day she was getting closer to adding Malfoy to the end of her name. Ginevra Molly Weasley Malfoy? She was still trying to get used to the sound of it, and the house elf calling her Mistress Malfoy sent chills up and down her spine.

“Would you excuse me for a minute? I’d like to go to the kitchen and get a glass of lemonade,” Ginny asked, rising from her chair out on the terrace at Malfoy Manor. It was a warm summer day, so Narcissa had set up for them to be outside.

“Ginny, dear we can have Libby bring it to you,” Narcissa said with a warm smile.

Ginny shook her head, though Narcissa was a nice woman she always insisted that the little house elf cater to Ginny’s every need, and she didn’t want that. She was capable of walking into the kitchen to get something for herself. “I’ll be back soon,” Ginny quickly left the terrace and entered the Manor, she had been exploring the house quite a bit. It had more than enough bedrooms for her entire family and lavish bathrooms to boot! Merlin knows Ginny could spend an hour soaking in a warm bath.

She found her way to the kitchen pretty easily, only to momentarily regret coming in at this moment. Draco was in there, looking around in the refrigerator for something. She stood still and silent for a moment, unsure of what to do. Walk out and wait until he leaves then come back in? No, she couldn’t. This man was going to become her husband soon and they had to communicate at some point, right?

She walked all the way into the kitchen, staying silent for a moment before speaking, “The planning is coming along great,” she tried, weakly. She didn’t know of what else to say to him, and she highly doubted that he cared what she was saying in the first place.

He closed the refrigerator door and turned around to face her, a blond eyebrow raised. “Good.”

Ginny sighed; clearly she would be the one putting all the effort into their conversations. “W-would you prefer lavender or roses? I personally like lavender. It’s one of my favorite colors,” she said, smiling softly as his eyes raked over her. She felt as though he were undressing her with his eyes and began to regret wearing the short tan khaki shorts and dark blue top.

“I don’t really care, Weasley. They are just carnations.”

“Well, yes, but it is your wedding too,” she said, a slight frown replacing the smile that had once been on her face. She got nothing in return but a shrug of his shoulders, “Marriage means nothing to you?”

“No, not really. It’s just a ceremony, some words and two rings. Nothing.”

Ginny nodded her head, as if understanding what he was saying. It was a simple thing but she supposed it meant so much more if you were in love with the person. They definitely were not. “It was nice seeing you, Malfoy.” She said with a curt nod of her head before walking back out to the terrace, her pink lemonade completely forgotten. She sat down with a sigh, “Narcissa, must your son be so difficult?” She asked, placing a hand on her head.

“Well, Ginny dear you aren’t the easiest to work with either,” Molly said, patting her daughters leg lightly.

“I know but I tried talking to him and it’s as if he doesn’t care about anything. I mean, honestly we’re going to be married!”

“Don’t worry about it, Ginevra, he’ll have to come around sometime.”

Ginny just looked away from the two older women in front of her and out at the large backyard, where the wedding was being held. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to come around sometime. In two weeks she would be getting married. Not even two weeks, a week and five days! She had done a lot of thinking these past days, mostly about Draco’s reputation as a Sex God. Not that she was so interested, but she wondered if he expected something from her on their wedding night? Or perhaps even after the wedding or would he find someone more suitable? Not a Weasley.

She shook her head, scaring herself with the thoughts. It didn’t matter right now; she would just have to deal with that when the time came.

“Come now Ginny, we have to be getting back home; the boys are coming over for dinner. We have to tell them about it.”

Ginny groaned, this day just wasn’t getting any better. “Alright mum. It was nice seeing you again Narcissa.” She said before standing from her chair and apparating to The Burrow after her mother.

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“Alright boys, alright! Settle down, Ginny has some news she would like to tell everyone,” Arthur said who had come home to be there when this happened, and take care of any of his Sons who got out of hand, Harry included. It was only the boys of the family, well and Hermione but Ginny didn’t want all the relatives there, as she couldn’t break it to them all, knowing the looks on their faces would remain in her head forever.

“Well I-I’m”

“Married!” Ginny’s eyes snapped to the person who had said it and closed her eyes tightly, it was Ron. “We’re not dense Gin, we all know how to read! If you want to keep something like this from is it’d be best not to have it on the cover of the magazine you work for!” He reached into his robe pocket and threw a copy of Witch Weekly down on the table, showing a picture of Draco and the headline read, ‘Marriage for the Most Eligible Bachelor.’

She bit her bottom lip softly, “I was going to tell you all sooner but-“

“But what Ginny? How can you marry this brute? Draco sodding Malfoy! He’s done nothing but torture all of us! And his family. Mum, dad, surely you aren’t going to let her go through with this.”

“Ronald, this is not your decision to make for her. We couldn’t make it for her either, what she is doing is up to her, not us.”

Ginny looked at the rest of her brothers who were silent, Fred and George, for once, actually looked dumbfounded and Charlie looked confused and Bill will, he just had a small smile on his face. She would have hoped that they all would support her and help her through this though they knew not the real reasoning behind the wedding. She thought it would be best not to tell them. At least not now, anyway.

“Ginny,” Hermione called out, motioning for Ginny to come over to her. When Ginny was standing at her side she wrapped an arm around her, “You know we’ll always be here for you, Gin, no matter what choices you make in life but Malfoy? Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure. I-I love him.” She said, nodding her head, lying even to herself. She knew it wasn’t true, how could anyone love something like him? Well, besides for his looks.

“Alright then, if you’re sure. You can always come to me or any of the other wives if you need to, remember that. We’ve all been there before.”

Ginny nodded her head at Hermione, smiling. Just then she heard laughter coming from somewhere, she turned around to see Fred and George laughing, together. She wondered what was so funny, “Good one, Ginny.” Fred said before he stood up. “Need we remind you that George and I are the pranksters of the family? Leave it to us.”

“This is not a joke, Fred!” She said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Hmm, and I’m not funny?”

“Seriously, Fred. I’m getting married to Draco Malfoy in a little over a week, you’re all invited but you don’t have to come. Although I would like to have you there, it would mean so much to me.”

“We’ll be there, Ginny.” Charlie said.

“Speak for you, brother,” Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief, “I can’t. I can’t watch my father give my sister away to him.”

“We’ll all be there, Ginny,” Charlie repeated, glaring at Ron who knew to shut up. They weren’t little anymore but he and his brothers still could fight. Even though now Ron was twenty-six he was still afraid of the beating he could receive from either Charlie or Bill.

She nodded her head, sniffling softly, not even realizing she had begun to cry.

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Another chapter up, how you all are still enjoying this fic. It was up quick, eh? That’s good, hmm? Much thanks to my Beta, Heaven, though she didn’t have much to work to do for this little chapter she still go it back very quickly. Again, look at my writing journal. www.livejournal.com/users/x_scriblen_x and you can find my writing place. Don’t forget to review =)

Green with Envy

“Ginny, it’s almost time for you to walk down the isle!” Her mum said, opening the door to the room in the Manor they had designed for she and her three bridesmaids.

Her chest was heaving up and down as she looked in the mirror, she could just leave now, right? No one would notice she was missing. After all that time of planning, she still didn’t feel ready to go out and do this. She had seen the set up before and it was all beautiful and so was this dress she had picked out, but she still couldn’t go out there. The dress itself was beautiful; it was long and white, and strapless. That man that would be standing across form her, her Husband-to-be, looking up at him and saying those two words that would bind them, would probably be the hardest thing she ever had to do.

Even when they had taken a few pictures together, for their invitations and for magazines to advertise it, Draco was still uncaring. It hurt her, but she couldn’t understand why. “Gin, it’s time.” Her mother said, walking into the room and coming to stand by her. “One last look over,” she handed Ginny her bouquet of lavender flowers. “You look beautiful, however, just to assure you.” She told her daughter, kissing her softly on the cheek. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Ginny said with a soft smile, so thankful to have her mother here with her. She had give Ginny a talk before they arrived at the Malfoy house which made her feel a bit better at the time, but her jitters were starting again as the hours turned to minutes and minutes to seconds.

“Remember, we all love you.”

“I know mum, thank you.” She said before her mom nodded and left the room to take her place next to her own husband.

Ginny took one last deep breath, pushing her hair to the side before she too exited the room and walked to the back of the manor, where she was to walk outside and down the isle. “No turning back, now.” She said to herself before pulling the veil over her face, closing her eyes as she heard the piano begin to play. Arthur came up and stepped beside her, placing her hand in the crook of his arm. She had an odd feeling in her stomach as she took her first step, flower petals on the ground that had been placed their by Bill and Fleur’s second born, Amelia.

Looking through the veil, Ginny felt as if the altar was miles away and with each step that feeling in her stomach kept going stronger. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at her family and friends as she walked down the isle. Not to her surprise hardly anyone was there for Draco. Just his parents and some of his past Slytherin friends. The isle looked long, but Ginny was soon at the altar, her father released her hand from his arm, lifting her veil up a bit to kiss her on the cheek before going to sit by her mother.

Ginny was sort of in a completely different zone, she said what she was supposed to and Draco did the same, his voice remaining emotionless. It was the only thing keeping her to remember that she was standing in front of a crowd, getting married, along with the bouquet of flowers she held in her hand, Draco’s around hers. His hand was so soft against hers, not rough like Charlie’s or Bill’s or any of her brothers for that matter, the spoiled brute had probably never worked hard in his life.

Draco took her left hand in his, “With this ring, I thee wed,” she heard Draco say as he slid the ring on her finger, ever so smoothly. She could see her hand shaking a little, this was her first time looking at the ring. It had a silver band with a large, clear, oval diamond in the middle and six smaller green ones, three on each side. It was beautiful. And even from where she stood it sparkled in the light.

After her ring was on she gave her bouquet of flowers to Hermione behind her and held Draco’s large hand in her small one, “With this ring, I thee wed,” she repeated before sliding the ring on his finger. It was just a plain silver band, but Narcissa insisted that she get their names engraved on the inside. She didn’t bother telling Draco this, but she highly doubted he would wear the ring anyway.

“I now pronounce you, husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride.”

Ginny’s breath caught in her throat as she felt her veil being lifted from her face and placed behind her head. Looking into Draco’s eyes, she saw something unusual; it seemed as if he didn’t expect her to look like this. Well, granted she didn’t do her make-up like this everyday and this was a special occasion. If she saw correctly, there was a faint smile on his lips but she couldn’t be sure as he was leaning forward ever so slowly, to her. She moved her head forward also, licking her lips quickly before closing her eyes as his lips landed on hers.

The kiss was so soft and gentle, and she felt as if she were going to melt as he pushed his tongue past her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his face closer. Now she could understand a little why girls swooned at the thought of him snogging them senseless. A slight smile overcame her features at the thought; no other girl would have the chance now, right? At least not for a while. Hell, if this was what kissing Draco Malfoy was like, she didn’t want it to ever stop.

But it had to. Draco pulled back from the kiss, the sound of everyone clapping finally reaching their ears. She wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but if the smile on his face indicated anything, he was feeling sort of the same as her.

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It seemed like hours before Ginny was away from the wedding, sitting in a soft chair at one of the Malfoy’s cabins. She nervously bit her bottom lip, wondering just when Draco was going to apparate over. She played with her dress which she was growing more and more uncomfortable in by the second. She leaned her head back over the arm of the couch and closed her eyes for a few minutes, only opening them when she heard the sound of someone apparating in.

She sat up straight on the couch, swinging her legs onto the floor and looking up into the eyes of her husband. It was an odd thing to be saying, but there was no turning back now. Well, legally anyway. His silver tie was hanging loosely from his neck, his jacket lying on the back of a chair. They sat in silence, looking at one another. She had no clue what he was thinking, but felt as if he were reading her very thoughts.

She blinked a few times and broke the eye contact, standing up, “Where are the rooms at?” It was a dull question, but she didn’t know what else to ask or even say to the man.

“Down that hall and to the left,” he replied, nodding his head in the direction towards the he hall near the kitchen. “Clothes for the weekend have already been brought here.”

Ginny nodded her head and started to walk towards the hall, pausing half way there to turn around and speak again, “Look…let’s not make this anymore weird than it already is. We don’t even have to act like we’re married besides in public.”

Draco arched an eyebrow at the way she was speaking to him. It was nearly humorous, “That, I know. Dinner is at six, some fancy restaurant near by that my mum wants us to try out.”

And that’s how it went. Their honeymoon weekend seemed to pass by so slowly. They barely spoke, even if he was there most of the time. His father made sure that he wasn’t at work to make him look like a careless husband who would leave his honeymoon with the one he loved, for work. Ginny didn’t think he actually would, but he did. Which let her know early on you can never expect anything from Draco. If you don’t think he’ll do something sometimes he might actually shock you and do it. Other times, however if she asked something of him he might possibly completely ignore the fact that she was talking.

The following Monday morning they were apparating to the manor, her new home. Ginny and Draco would have the entire West Wing to themselves. Not that it mattered really, they had two separate rooms and nothing about them showed that they were married aside from the bands on their fingers.

Most of the days of her first week there were filled with exploring the manner. So many rooms, half of them locked and other just guest rooms and a rather large library of books which was where she could nearly always be found. It was on a boring Thursday afternoon that Ginny sat in the library, looking for a new book to begin when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Turning around she saw that it was Ron and a large grin spread over her face. She immediately jumped down the last four steps of the ladder that she had been on and ran to hug him. It had only been a week and a half since she saw him, but it still felt like forever to her. “What are you doing here?” She asked, pulling away from the hug.

“Hmm, right then I’ll just be on my way,” he said, turning to leave.

Ginny frowned and punched her brother in the shoulder, “Don’t leave me, Ron, I’m dreadfully bored in here. I’ve read so many books that I believe I could go against Hermione in a game or something.”

Ron chuckled softly, smiling down at his younger sister. “That boring here?”

She just nodded her head, “I never expected you to actually step foot inside the Malfoy Manor after the wedding, this Is really nice of you. Merlin knows I need someone to talk to.”

“I came on behalf of the entire family. We were sure Narcissa and Lucius,” the words coming from his mouth sounded so foreign, and as if he had to strain hard to even say them. “Wouldn’t be overjoyed at the entire clan showing up at their doorstep.”

“No, but I would be. How is everyone?”

“The same as we were two weeks ago. Besides that Charlie has some new bird that he can’t seem to stop talking about and Fred and George are being more weird than usual,” he shrugged his shoulders, with his twin brothers you couldn’t really get any more strange than that.

“Tell them I miss them.”

“I will, but they already know it.” He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, walking around the Library with his hands in his pockets. “How is he?”

“Who, Malfoy?” Ron shook his head, yes. “I don’t know, I don’t see him much. He’s always at work and we don’t even sleep in the same room, which I’m sure the others will be ecstatic about when you tell them. I don’t even feel married, Ron.” She said, feeling a few tears coming up to her eyes.

“Isn’t that a good thing though?” He asked, trying to hide the smile trying to creep up to his face, knowing that the evil Ferret wasn’t bedding his only sister.

She shrugged her shoulders lightly, blinking back the tears. “I suppose but…is all marriage like this? Work and loneliness? The only thing keeping me alive is this library and my job but I barely go into the office anymore. They have given me an entire study with a beautiful desk that I can write at and everything is so…great besides my husband.” She sighed, leaning on a table and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Don’t worry about it Gin,” he said, walking towards her and placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead. It was something she wasn’t very used to from Ron, but she liked it. It was comforting; it made her miss home even more. “You know all you have to do is floo us and we’ll be over here to beat him into a pulp if he mistreats you in anyway.”

“Thank you, Ron. You really don’t know how much it means to me. You stopping by here,” she told him with a smile on her face, reaching out to hug him.

“No problem, someone else will be around in a few weeks, I’m sure. I’ve got to leave now, though and Narcissa asked if you’d meet her out on the terrace for tea after we finished talking.” Ron said before laughing, “Never thought I’d be saying that in my life. Well, owl if you need anything,” he said as his final goodbye, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before he was on his way out of the library.

Ginny wondered just what Narcissa could want with her, they had only talked occasionally when Ginny would ask about the rooms or why she really couldn’t cook dinner. They were so used to having House Elves cook that if Ginny were to cook anything her mum taught her how they’d probably die. Thinking it wasn’t sanitary or something of the like. Walking out onto the terrace Ginny saw Narcissa sitting at a table that now had a large umbrella up and shading them from the sun.

“Good afternoon,” Ginny said, taking a seat across from her. Ginny noted that she was looking a bit pale but said nothing of it, perhaps it was the weather and hell, all the Malfoy’s were extremely pale.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Narcissa looking off into her gardens and Ginny tapped her finger lightly on the table, wondering if her mother-in-law was ever going to talk.

“You’re not happy here, are you?”

The question was a little absurd, but rightfully asked. Ginny lifted her gaze up to Narcissa from the table, “No I can honestly say that I’m not…”

Narcissa nodded her head, as if she fully understood what Ginny was feeling, which she might have. Lucius didn’t come off as the most loving man in the entire world. “What would make you happier, Ginevera? What would make you enjoy your life as a Malfoy?”

Ginny softly bit her bottom lip, really contemplating the idea; well she had always wanted to do something good for the Wizarding community. “I’ve had an idea for something for quite a bit, that could also help the Malfoy name get in good with the Ministry,” she said, smiling softly.

“What is it?” Narcissa asked, sounding quite interested.

“An orphanage,” Ginny replied, “for children that lost the parents in the wars or anything. I really enjoy working with kids, it’s something I always wanted.”

Narcissa had a look on her face which clearly said that she was thinking over it. “You shouldn’t keep a thought like this from Lucius and I, perhaps you could even talk to Draco about these things, it could help the two of you.”

Ginny only shrugged her shoulders; did she want to help herself and Draco? Perhaps, but he wasn’t bothering her, nor she him…she didn’t want to muck that all up and have them back at each others throats like they were in school.

When she said nothing Narcissa sighed and slowly stood up from the table, “Well I will give the idea to Lucius and I’m sure he will comply, so be ready to look for a building or some land within a few days time.”

Ginny nodded her head as she too stood up from her chair, “Alright, thank you Narcissa.”

“It’s no problem, dear.” She smiled and nodded her head before turning around and walking out towards her gardens.

Ginny herself turned and started to walk back into the Manor, a slight smile on her face. At least she was getting something accomplished that she had wanted to, her only next mission was to work on her marriage. Who knew the trouble that could bring?

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Sorry for the delay, loves! School sucks, you all probably know this though. Honors classes are getting to me and laziness too. Anyhoo, I hope you all like this chapter, the next one will have more to do with the Challenge piece that I took up. Please don’t forget to review and tell me what you think! I think I get sad that I don’t get many reviews and I’m not motivated to right, however pathetic that may sound, tis true. A big thank you to those that did review last time! And I do try and write back to all of them, if I can.

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.

Green with Envy

It felt great, finally feeling as if she was doing something with her time, rather than just sitting in the Manor, bored mostly. Now, Ginny was busy with getting the Orphanage underway. The building they found wasn’t in the best shape, but with a few spells and a little bit of work, it looked as good as new. The only thing now was setting things up and finding the children, but that shouldn’t be too hard. She also had to find people to work and or volunteer their time; her mum was already helping out a great deal.

Ginny walked out of her office, having just finished a letter to Witch Weekly, stating that she would be resigning as she had set her eyes on other things in life now. She would miss writing, but this was better, it’s what she wanted to do. The new building was quiet, aside from the sounds of workers putting things in their place. She couldn’t wait to hear the sounds of children screaming and laughing. It would give her a feel of being back at the burrow.

She walked into a room that had beds but no sheets, and so she pulled her wand out from her pocket and pointed it towards the cupboards that the sheets and comforters were kept in. She had learned many cleaning spells from her mum, after needing to help pick up after her brothers it all came so easily to her.

Upon hearing a loud knocking noise, she turned to see where it was coming from, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets at what she saw. There stood her husband of three and a half months. She felt as if her heart stopped for a moment, he never showed up here. As far as her knowledge went with him, he didn’t like children, nor did he care about this orphanage.

“D-Draco, what are you doing here?” She asked, tucking her wand away in her back pocket and moving her hair out of her face.

“Mum sent me over to have a look at things,” he said, pushing himself away from the door frame and walking into the room.

Figures, she thought, Narcissa had to tell him to come.

“It looks as though things are coming along very good, Malfoy money well spent.” Ginny wondered if that was all he thought about, the Malfoy name. Did he sit in his office, scribbling it on a piece of paper? He seemed to be so in love with it.

“Thank you, I’ve been working long and hard with the others, we should be opening it in a few weeks,” she told him before softly biting her lip. “I do hope you can at least make it to the opening?”

Draco nodded his head, “I suppose I can,” he replied, cheekily. “I also came here on some behalf of my own.” He started to walk around the room, watching as the pillows on the beds were fluffing themselves. “There is a Ministry Ball this Saturday, April the 5^th, and the two of us have been invited to attend.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, wondering when conversations had ever been so awkward. Then again, this was her husband who she had only kissed one time and never slept in the same bed with.

“If you need new dress robes or anything, father has already set up an account for you in our Gringotts bank account,” he said as he opened a cupboard, looking to see what was inside, as though he was inspecting the place.

Ginny gritted her teeth, trying to keep the conversation civilized. It may have seemed like a nice gesture, but to her she felt as if he were saying that she would need the money, which she didn’t. “Thanks,” she replied, taking the chance to roll her eyes as his back was turned to her.

“Ah, well that’s settled,” his voice sounded so official, as if he had just closed a deal with a client rather than set something up with his wife. “I’ll be home for dinner tonight, see you then.” And with that, he walked out of the room.

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Ginny found herself linked to her husbands arm, walking into the ballroom in which the event was being held. She felt her cheeks becoming tinted with pink as she all eyes fell on her. This was basically their first outing as a married couple, in front of everyone at the Ministry.

“Mr. Malfory, Mrs. Malfoy,” a man said, stopping in front of the two, causing them to stop walking as well.

Ginny smiled at the man, whom she did not recognize. “Ginny, this is Douglas Taylor, he works in the Department of Mysteries.” Draco rarely said her name, she realized, and hearing it sounded quite strange.

“Hello Mr. Taylor, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said in a polite voice, shaking his out-stretched hand.

“Gin, love, if you would excuse us, I do believe Mr. Taylor and myself have a few things to catch up on,” Draco smiled brightly at her as he said this, which she could only nod her head to. Draco took the hand from out of the crook of his arm, bringing it to his lips to kiss before pulling her in closer to him, and laying a chaste kiss on her lips.

Ginny knew it was only for anyone watching, but she wanted to convince herself that it wasn’t. Since the day that Draco showed up at the orphanage, she told herself that there had to be more to him, and she made a little more effort at home to speak with him, though half of her attempts failed. As he was either tired from work, or just didn’t feel like talking to anyone. He seemed to brood a lot, something she greatly resented about him.

Draco and Mr. Taylor headed off in the direction of the wine table and that was the last Ginny saw of them before turning around and wondering if there was a place to sit. She had only ever come to a Ministry ball once when she was little, when Fred and George had the Chicken Pox and she and Ron needed to be out of the house and there was no one else to watch them, so they were forced to go a long. So long ago she knew nothing about what was going on and spent most of her time under a table with her brother.

That was completely out of the question; imagine if someone found her under there? She would be the laughing stock of the ball! Although it was comforting to go back to things once done as a child, she knew she couldn’t. With such rich and snobby people attending this thing, she knew the only reason they were remotely nice to her was because of the ring on her finger and who it said she was married to.

Ginny walked over to the table where there were small finger foods, not even in the mood for food, but she didn’t want to just stand there and look like a dolt. Feeling her hand being grabbed and pulled, her immediate reaction was to snatch her hand away but turning around she saw that it was just Draco. “Finished with that Taylor gentleman?” She asked, not even caring what his reply was.

“Yes, it was a little pish posh,” he told her, with a faint smile on his lips as he took her hand in his, and placed his other around her waist. “You can dance right, Weasley? I know your brothers have two left feet.” He began guiding her around the dance floor, his feet moving so swiftly.

Ginny gritted her teeth, “I am wearing heels, Malfoy so I suggest you lay off with the jokes about my family as I’m sure with enough force this heel could break a toe or two,” she threatened, having enough of the jokes. “And I am a Malfoy now too, if you didn’t notice, so stop the Weasley shit.”

Draco arched a blond eyebrow, was she really speaking to him like that? He could hardly believe it, she was a feisty one. “Are you telling me what to do?”

“I believe I am, love.”

Her husband chuckled softly, using his hand around her waist to pull her even closer to him, his face moving down towards her ear, “I advise you never to speak to me like that again, Ginevra. I’ll see you at home,” he kissed her on the cheek before letting go of her and walking away for the second time that night. Whenever she was with Draco, he always had the last word, and she was a little fed up with it.

If someone were to ask her if she loved her husband, and she said yes she would be lying, though she couldn’t deny that she was rather fond of him. However, he never made any attempt to show her that he felt even remotely the same. Their conversations were always short; she spoke to her mother-in-law more than her husband.

Ginny walked off the dance floor and towards the exit, grabbing her robe on the way out of the ballroom. She didn’t know where Draco went, nor did she care but she wasn’t going back to the Manor tonight, she didn’t take being told what to do lightly.

As soon as Ginny was outside of the Ministry she Apparated over to the Burrow, loving the ‘I’m Home’ feeling it gave her. She took her robe off and tossed it onto the couch, it was just nearing 10 O’ Clock so she figured her parents were already in bed. She walked up the stairs to her room, at the very top, trying to be as quiet as she could but the old wooden floor creaked with each step she took. On the landing of her parents’ room she saw a light turn on from underneath the door, heard some footsteps and then the door opened.

“Ginny, what are you doing here?” Her father asked in whispered voice, tying his robe on the side.

“I was just stopping by for a little while,” she told him, truthfully. It wasn’t like she was planning on moving back in or anything.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine dad, Draco and I were at a Ministry Ball but I was getting a slight headache and decided to head home, but I wanted to check on you two.” She said, half lying this time.

“We’re fine, though your mother has been feeling very tired lately from all the work she’s been doing.”

Ginny frowned; her mother didn’t tell her she wasn’t feeling well. If she knew that she wouldn’t have asked her to help so much. “Is she okay?”

“Of course, dear, just keep it down, whatever you do,” he said, walking to her and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight dad, I love you.”

“’Night Gin, love you too.” He told her before turning around and walking back into the room.

Ginny continued on her way up to her room, closing the door softly behind her. It had been a few months since she had been in her old room, the one at the Manor was much larger, but here she had so many memories. Sighing, she took off her shoes and lay down on her bed, also small in comparison to the one at the Manor. She had already worn the bed in and it just felt right being in it. Looking outside she could see the moon perfectly, which was the only source of light provided to her many times.

Turning on her side she closed her eyes, telling herself she’d wake up in a few minutes and floo back to the Manor.

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Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times before rubbing them and stretching. She frowned, knowing she had a good sleep but she felt uncomfortable. Looking down she realized that she had on an extravagant sort of dress and her eyes opened wide, she had fallen asleep and now it was morning. She pushed her blankets off of her, not bothering to fix her hair or anything but just grabbing her shoes and Apparating outside of Malfoy Manor, as the wards were put up on the house, but not outside of them.

She felt around for her wand and realized it was in her robe pocket, and her robe was back at the burrow. She muttered a few swear words before just walking up and raising her arm to knock on the door. Just before she could knock the door was swinging open, and she momentarily wondered if she was at the right house. A woman with long brown, tousled hair, which probably matched Ginny’s, was at the door, on her way out…with Draco standing behind her.

Ginny’s mouth nearly dropped open in shock, she didn’t even know what to say or do. She had never been in a situation like this before! The woman turned to Draco, standing on her tip toes to kiss him on the lips, “I’ll see you around, Draco.” She said with a soft wave before walking down the stairs, not even paying any attention to Ginny standing there.

Ginny was faintly aware of the sound of the Apparation noise but her brain didn’t seem to be working. “Are you coming in or not?” Was his only reply.

“Is that all you can say?” She managed to get out, stepping into the manor and throwing her shoes onto the floor.

“What else is there to say? If I told you ‘It’s not what it looks like’ that’d be a lie.”

Ginny shook her head, wondering just what the hell she had gotten herself into when she agreed to marry this man. “Why?” She asked, forcing her eyes to not to water.

“Our honeymoon didn’t lead me in the right direction in that area of marriage and besides, it was just a shag.”

“It didn’t lead you in the right direction!?” She shouted, not caring who heard her, “Draco Malfoy you never asked to shag me! Bloody hell if you would have maybe this wouldn’t be such a fucking horrible marriage!” She was so angry; she swore she could feel the blood boiling in her body. With a low growl she shoved him so hard that he stumbled backwards quite a bit, but she didn’t bother to see if he fell or not. She turned and ran down the hall, not caring if she got lost in the bloody house. Draco Malfoy was a sodding prick and she hoped he got what was coming to him.

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Hmm, I shall leave you here! Though it is a little short, I wanted to stop here, muhaha. Thank you to EVERYONE that reviewed the last chapter, they really made me smile and as you can see, it made me update so much more quickly. I would like to give a big Thank You to my new Beta, Britney who is absolutely amazing. Without her I’m pretty sure you all would have looked at this chapter as if it were in Greek or something [haha]. Next chapter up as soon as I can, don’t forget to review!

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: Five, “Grand Opening”

Green with Envy

“It was just a shag.”

The words ran through her head continuously, making her feel dumb for not realizing this before. Who had she been kidding? She was married to Draco Malfoy, acclaimed Slytherin Sex God for Merlin’s sake. The sex bit had crossed her mind more than a few times, but she never knew how to go about with it. She wasn’t a virgin, but he didn’t know that. They barely even spoke, how were they going to go about doing something so intimate? Well, intimate in her mind, but to him, it was probably a nightly ritual or some bullocks like that.

Ginny sighed, knowing that it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to her, but never did she imagine that she would see the hag on her doorstep, kissing him goodbye. She should have done something; she should have been more aggressive in their relationship instead of just letting things happen. There were many opportunities for her to talk to him, like over dinner or if she could catch him on his way to work.

The sound of a distinct pop brought a groan from the Witch’s lips. Lifting herself up from the sofa, Ginny looked around and realized she was in the library. She saw a little green house elf walking towards her tentatively. Furrowing her brow she wondered if she looked crazy, because the elf looked afraid of her.

Reaching her hand up she wiped at her eyes, but felt nothing there. No tears had slipped out of her eyes. For all the hurt and anger she felt, she didn’t shed one tear. “Yes?” She called out, wondering if the elf planned on saying anything.

“Master Malfoy is wishing to see you, missus.”

“Draco? What the bloody hell could he want with me right now?”

“Not Little Master, missus.” The elf said, obviously fearing for her. He nodded his head towards her before quickly disappearing.

The House Elf must have been on the receiving end of Lucius’ temper more than once to be that afraid for her. The only thing on her mind now, was wondering what he could possibly want. He always seemed to be away on business, much more than his son, and if he was at home, he was no where that she knew of.

Ginny she didn’t want to show anyone that she might be hurting from something . Lucius was a very frightening man, and for her to hold a conversation with him would be tough. He seemed to be able to read anyone with his silver-grey orbs, a trait his son must have picked up on.

Opening the door of the library she walked out, not even knowing where to begin, so she followed the corridor, not really searching for him but if he popped up, so be it.

“Ginevra, love?” Narcissa’s voice (which she was able to recognize now) called. It was amazing, and often made her wonder if the Malfoy’s were part Veela. When she spoke, it made Ginny feel as if things would be alright, and as if she shouldn’t have a care in the world. “Lucius would like a word with you.”

“Yes, I got the message; do you know where I could find him?”

“Perhaps in his study?”

Another Study!? Ginny thought to herself. She knew the Manor was big, but she just didn’t know how big, exactly. “Where might that be?”

“Where might what be?” Came the voice of Lucius as he walked into the room, looking as though he had just stepped out of a business meeting.

“Oh, nothing, dear. Ginny was just wondering where she could find you, is all,” Narcissa told him, before curtly nodding at both of them and exiting the room.

“Have a seat,” Lucius instructed, and Ginny felt herself taking a seat, her legs crossed as she fiddled with her thumbs, feeling a little uneasy around him. After all, who could blame her? She shook the thoughts from her head, that stuff was in the past. “I must congratulate you with how well the Orphanage is coming along. Children’s Youth Orphanage, yes?””

“Yes and thank you,” she replied politely, wondering if Narcissa went to bed at night with a report for Lucius on how things went because he seemed to know everything, yet he was hardly around.

Lucius sat down across from her, his lips planted in a firm line making it hard for Ginny to understand what kind of mood he was in. “I have arranged for the press to be there the night of the opening,” he told her, “Do not let my son forget that he is attending it with you.”

Ginny furrowed her brow, did Lucius know of his son’s behavior? Probably so, he could possibly be where Draco got that awful marriage behavior from. “I won’t, but I doubt he will care what I say to him.”

“If that is the case, just send him down to me,” Lucius said, a slight smile on his face, making Ginny have to do a double take. It was one of the faintest smiles she had ever seen, but it was a smile none the less. “This is a great photo opportunity; the pictures will be in every Wizarding magazine. That being said, dress appropriately and you will know by now that money isn’t an object for you, anymore,” he couldn’t help but smirk as he said it, making Ginny want to pull out her wand and yell the first thing that came to her mind.

The thought of spending money on things she knew she wouldn’t ever need or use crossed her mind. Though she wouldn’t ever do that, she didn’t play around with money like the Malfoy’s did, and she never would, no matter how much of it she had.

“Well, if that’s all,” Ginny said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. She just wanted to get away from this man, go back into her room or the Library and forget that this day happened. She knew she would always remember it, but she just wanted to forget about it for now.

Lucius just waved a hand at her, signaling that she could go.

The days seemed to pass by very slowly, the Orphanage taking her mind away from the reality of her home life. That is, until the opening drew near and she found herself patiently waiting outside of Draco’s study after lightly rapping on the door. She heard the door being unlocked and rolled her eyes, was that even necessary?

He let the door swing open and looked down at his wife, a wondering look on his face. She hadn’t spoken to him in a week, not that they really talked before but he at least got the occasional hello, goodbye and how was work.

“I didn’t expect you to remember, so this is my reminder. The opening is Friday, tomorrow, and you said you would come. At this point in time I could care less if you didn’t, but apparently your father won’t have it any other way.” She said, remembering the lovely conversation she had with her father-in-law.

“Malfoy’s don’t forget things,” Draco replied stubbornly.

“Bullocks, you seemed to forget you had a wife, capable of…” Ginny trailed off, not even wanting to waste her breath on it. “Never mind, just be ready by two,” she told him shortly before turning around and walking down the hall, “Prick,” she muttered to herself, the word becoming her new nickname for him.

~~~G-R-A-N-D—O-P-E-N-I-N-G~~~

“When the press arrives they will be asking you questions, so please, answer to the best of your ability,” Lucius said, putting his wand inside of the cane, making sure that it was securely locked before putting it on the ground.

“Yes, love, no idiotic responses.”

“That goes for you as well, Draco,” Lucius said to his son.

Ginny smirked, wanting to stick her tongue out at him, but refrained from doing so. She and Draco started up the few steps to the Orphanage; he casually reached for her hand, holding it softly in his. It was an unusual gesture, but she couldn’t help but realize how her small hand melded together so well with his.

She waved at her mum who was standing by, along with her brothers, their wives and bunch of little Weasley’s. There were also a few reporters’ there, from the Daily Prophet, the Quibbler and even Witch Weekly. She smiled softly at each of them.

“You and I don’t want to be here together, so put a smile on, and let’s do what we have to. The faster we do, the sooner we can leave.” Draco said in a hushed voice, as they stood in front of the door, a large red ribbon the only thing stopping them from walking inside.

“I do want to be here, maybe even with you if I actually knew something about you,” she replied, looking down at the ground.

“You don’t care to know anything about me, be honest with yourself. Neither of us is in this marriage for anything real.”

Ginny shook her head, there could be something real, but he was so caught up in his own little world that he would never see it.

“Oh look, I do believe that’s the photographer now,” Narcissa said, walking to her son and daughter-in-law, looking them both over before deciding that all proper hairs were in place.

“Ah, Clive, is it?”

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy,” the young photographer replied, his camera hanging around his neck.

“We’d just like you to take a shot of the ribbon being cut, duplicate it and perhaps sell it to the other magazines, as we can’t wait for all of them, now can we?” Lucius said, guiding Clive to where his family stood.

“No, we can’t,” Clive replied, knowing that Lucius was definitely a business man.

“Ginevra, if you would please say something and then proceed with the cutting,” Lucius said, walking to stand next to his wife, a smile on his face, for the people.

Ginny nervously bit her bottom lip and dropped Draco’s hand to walk in front of the open doors. She had never been good with speeches or oral presentations, anything that required her standing in front of a large group of people and talking. She took a deep breath as she scanned the crowd with her eyes.

“Thank you all for coming to join us today,” she started, smiling as she tried not to look as nervous as she felt. “It has always been a dream of mine to give back to the Wizarding community and be able to help out children in some way. There were many times during the war where I never knew if I was going to see my parents again, and I am so thankful that they are still here with me today,” she glanced back at Arthur and Molly. “I can only begin to imagine how the many children here feel, living without parents, but hopefully with the opening of Children’s Youth Orphanage all of the members in the Wizarding Community can change that.” Ginny smiled before turning around, pulling her wand out and moving it down the middle of the ribbon.

She could see the camera flashes going off, but it was all so silent when she stepped over the red ribbon and walked inside of the building, a staircase immediately to the right and a hall going down the rest of the room.

“Very well done, Ginny,” Narcissa said, as she walked up behind her, pulling her in for a hug.

Ginny was snapped out of her little observation and looked at the people starting to walk in, and the sound of children was brought to her ears. She smiled, nodding her thank you to Narcissa.

“Would you like to take us on a tour?” Clive said, waving the camera in his hand.

“Yes, of course,” she said, “you all don’t have to feel obliged to come, there are drinks and refreshments in the cafeteria,” she added with a curt nod before motioning for the reporters and photographers to follow her up the stairs.

“Coming up right off the landing is the baby room, from new-borns to the ones that are able to walk,” she said, opening the double doors to let them look in, “There are babies inside sleeping right now so we can’t all go in.”

“Mrs. Malfoy, is this orphanage restricted to Witch and Wizard children or are Muggle children allowed as well?”

“I would love for it to be a mixture of both, but that could prove to be a problem with the Ministry, however. So for now, it is restricted to anyone with magic in their blood. Also, if Muggle-born children are to come to Hogwarts but need a place to stay for the summer, they are more than welcome here.”

“May we?” One of the photographers asked.

“Oh, go right ahead,” she told them with a smile before the started snapping pictures of the room for the youngest children.

Ginny led them on a tour of the entire building. The toddler play room and bedroom and then she worked her way up the levels, explaining the rooms and what they were used for. The tour ended with them going back downstairs and into the cafeteria rejoining with the other adults and even some few children, aside from the Weasley lot.

“How was it, Ginevra?” Lucius asked, walking up to her and handing her a glass of water.

“It was great, many pictures were taken and I answered the questions quite well, even threw in a few things about Draco and I,” however false they may have been, she added to herself.

“Very good, very good.” He said, a look of appreciation on his face, “well then I’ll just go attend to them for a few moments before heading back to the Manor. This is a lovely place you set up, really,” he told her, as he lifted her hand to his lips, kissed it.

So there was some sort of soul within Lucius? A person that was capable of saying nice things, and actually mean it. “Bye,” she replied softly just before he turned around and walked in the direction of a few reporters.

“Gin, you can’t even begin to imagine how proud we are of you,” her ears perked up, hearing the voice of her eldest brother, Bill. His arms enveloped her in a warm hug, making her feel warm inside.

“Thank you, I’m so glad you made it, I haven’t seen you since the wedding, it feels like it’s been ages,” she said, pulling back from the hug.

“Speaking of wedding, is the bloke treating you good?”

Ginny looked around the room, seeing Draco talking to some reporter who seemed to be trying to flirt with him, her hand was on his arm as she tilted her head back in laughter. Her breath caught in her throat when Draco’s gaze turned to her, looking her dead in the eyes.

“Yes,” she lied, waiting a few seconds before looking up at her brother. “He’s treating me very well.”

She knew well enough that with just one word her brothers would beat Draco to a pulp. But she didn’t want that to happen. This was her own battle, and she was determined to win it one her own.

~~~A—W-E-E-K—L-A-T-E-R~~~

Ginny sat in her office, she was in a great mood and absolutely nothing was going to ruin it. There wasn’t even anything special going on, just the afterglow of the opening and all the attention the Orphanage was getting.

“Mrs. Malfoy, someone is in here to see you,” her secretary said, as she walked into the room and placed a couple pieces of parchment in front of her. “These letters came in a little earlier for you.”

“Thank you, Katherine,” she replied, just getting used to the idea of actually having a secretary. “And please, tell the visitor to come right in.”

Katherine nodded her head and turned around, motioning for the person to come in.

Ginny smiled warmly as the man walked in, her eyes raking over his features. Even she couldn’t deny that he was quite charming, the talk, dark, and handsome type. “Hello,” she said in a soft voice.

“Hello,” he returned, sticking a hand out in front of him, “Graham Ventimiglia,” he said, with somewhat of an Italian accent.

“Mr. Ventimiglia,” she said, shaking his hand and motioning towards the seat across from her to sit. “Ginevra W-Malfoy, it’s a pleasure to meet you. What might I be able to help you with?”

“I’m with the Daily Prophet, actually, and we have been getting some wonderful feedback on the Orphanage. People sending in owls asking how they might go about adopting or foster care and things of the like,” he sat a briefcase on the table, unlocked it and lifted it open. Reaching inside he took out a handful of parchment and handed it to her. “These are just a few.”

Ginny’s eyes glittered with excitement, “Oh, this is wonderful.”

“Yes and congratulations.”

“Thank you.” She put the parchment down in front of her, only skim reading a few.

“We at the Prophet were wondering if you would at all be interested in having a column in our paper. In every issue there could be a new child featured and this way people could locate just what they were looking for or just get a feel of what kind of children are here,” he said, closing his briefcase before clasping his hands together.

“That sounds really wonderful, Mr. Ventimiglia.”

“Please, call me Graham.”

“Well, that sounds wonderful Graham,” she corrected with a smile. “Perhaps we could also add something in there about volunteering? It would be of great for some of the workers-“

“Sorry to interrupt but I came here on short notice…and I’m a bit late for something back at the office…this is terribly rude of me but, how would you like to discuss it over dinner? Or lunch, tomorrow?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it and dinner sounds nice,” Ginny said, knowing anything could be better than the silence at the table in the Manor.

“Have you ever been to the ‘Posto di Italiano’?” He asked.

“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t gone to it, not yet,” she replied, not able to keep the smile from her lips.

“Good, it will be your first time then, should we meet there around six?” He glanced down at his watch, double checking what time it was now.

“Six sounds good.”

~~~M-A-L-F-O-Y—M-A-N-O-R~~~

Ginny stood in front of her full body length mirror, holding up a pair of pants and a skirt to her body, checking how it would look. She shook her head and tossed both onto her bed. She didn’t want to dress like she was going for work, nor as if she were going on a casual lunch date. This was anything but casual, especially with a good looking guy like Graham.

She shuffled through her closet a few more times before finally deciding on what to wear, at 5:30, she rushed to pull on the black dress pants and black undershirt, followed by a collared white button up shirt. Nodding at her reflection she went to the vanity set in her room, brushing her hair straight a bit and moving her bangs out of her field of view.

There was a knock on her door to which she responded, “its open.”

“The ch-“ Draco stopped what he was saying, a confused look on his face as he looked at his wife, dressed to go somewhere, without him. “Where are you going?”

“Out to dinner.”

“Dinner? With who?”

“No one that I suspect you know.”

“I don’t think father would be too happy with that, how would it look to the press if you were seen out to dinner with another male,” Draco said, keeping his cool as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Ginny rolled her eyes, “but he would be happy at seeing you in the press with a two sickle whore?” She could really see the well defined muscles of his chin as he clenched his teeth.

“Who are you going to dinner with?” He asked again.

“I honestly can’t see how it would matter, Draco.” She buttoned the sleeves of her shirt before looking at her watch, “Bullocks, I don’t want to be late.” She walked over to her bed and grabbed her purse, “Don’t wait up for me, kay?” She said, a false tone of sweetness in her voice as she stood on her tiptoes, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

~~~E-N-D—C-H-A-P-T-E-R~~~

Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I wanted it to be a little longer but I’ve decided to leave you all wondering about this Mr. Ventimiglia fellow. A lovely Italian! Whom I choose to create after going over the Italian Renaissance. A large thank you to Brittany again, for without her you all would have been trying to read hieroglyphics. =P History joke…not funny? Bah Humbug! Don’t forget to review my lovvies. You can also find my writing LJ at http://x-scriblen-x.livejournal.com/ for updates and things of the like. That’s all for now!

[MRS. NOODLEMANTRA]

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 28^th 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.