Surrender

The tension in the air was palpable. Waves of anger and hatred were rolling off of Ginny as she narrowed her eyes at the figure across the room. She almost extended her wand arm, but felt her fingers twitch at the emptiness. Casting a quick glance at her bedside table, she mentally berated herself for not having it with her. Of course, her wand hadn't seemed so imperative when she was welcoming her live-in boyfriend, and soon-to-be fiancé, from work. Then again, neither did my undergarments, she thought to herself as she spied a pair of lacy knickers hanging of the arm of the chair to her left. Suddenly the figure started to move, abruptly pulling Ginny out of her reverie. Tensing her body for combat, Ginny mused to herself that her wand would be really helpful at a time like this.

"Don't even think about coming near me with that, Malfoy," she growled when the figure started to step towards her.

"And just who is going to stop me?" His snark only gave Ginny reason to stick her chin out a little higher.

"I will."

"Oh? You and what army, Weasley? Oh, wait. Scratch that. You've probably already enlisted all those goons you call brothers, haven't you? Should I be waiting for one of them to assault me from behind?" Draco knew that he had made up the idle threat, but he still had to fight the urge to look over his shoulder for a looming redhead.

"You forgot to include Harry. He'd be breaking down the door to come to my rescue," Ginny shot back sweetly. Draco growled in response, and, as the self-proclaimed King of Slytherin and all that is cunning, pounced. Ginny, however, sidestepped him, leaping onto her mattress. Her dressing gown fluttered wildly behind her as she dove for her wand, all the while trying to maintain her decency.

"Look here, Weasley!" Draco shouted, stomping his foot for effect. "I've had just about enough of this! You will get down off that bed and do as I say!"

"When have I ever listened to you, Malfoy? Was there something that made you think I'd start now?" She practically screamed back at him. Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. She was suddenly very still. Still enough to convince Draco to attempt sneak-attack number two, albeit with a little more stealth this time. Just as his arms were hovering around her knees, Ginny snapped into action and pointed her wand between his eyes.

"I told you not to come near me with that...thing, Malfoy." She gestured towards his extended left arm with contempt as she spoke. "I want nothing to do with it, and there's nothing you can do to make me agree with you."

"Nothing, Weasley?" He smirked at her in a way that would have been unsettling if she hadn't locked her bones into position. There was no backing down from this fight: the only fight that would really matter for Ginny. "Look," he started again, changing tactics, "it's not as bad as all that. It's really quite nice once you get used to it. It starts to grow on you, and then you don't even want to part with it. And just think of all the benefits that go along with wearing it!"

"Benefits! Hah! I'd rather gouge my own eyes out. I personally value certain things more than your silly pureblood tradition."

"It's not even about pureblood tradition! It's about keeping some things sacred!" Ginny's hand faltered at this.

"Sacred?" Her hand had lowered enough that he risked coming closer to the bed.

"Yes, sacred. And it's about respecting the dreams of our ancestors." Ginny lowered her hand even more, responding,

“It sounds kind of nice when you say it like that...”

“It does, doesn't it?” Draco smiled as he nodded back. He stepped carefully onto the bed. "Wearing this would really just be showing your support for someone who's been with you all along, since you were a schoolgirl." He took another step towards her when he saw her blush, shaking the mattress enough for Ginny to lose her footing. She didnt' fall far though, as his arms quickly wound around her waist.

"What else?" she whispered, her hands were braced on his shoulders and his chest was pressed against hers.

"Do I really need to keep convincing you?"

"You could try." Her voice had dropped to a low murmur, and her half-lidded eyes were now focused on his lips.

"As the lady wishes." His kiss was nothing and everything like all the other kisses he'd stolen from her over the years. He always kissed her in a way that was completely Draco. That would have punished her for thinking of anything or anyone but him. She used to resent him for it. Used to think he was staking claim to too much of her soul. Now, of course, she was resigned to the fact that certain corners of her heart would always be reserved for Draco Malfoy. His lips were insistently moving over hers. His tongue was gently coercing little sighs from the back of her throat. It was a kiss full of promise.

"You swear it's only temporary?" She asked shyly, with her palm placed gently on his forearm.

"Only for the ceremony, Gin-doll. Then I promise I'll get you a new one." She sighed at the look of excitement that was waiting to escape in his eyes.

"Then you'd better go ahead and do this properly," she said, gesturing vaguely towards his knees. Just barely containing his grin, Draco stepped back a little and got down on one knee in front of her.

"Ginny Weasley," he stated, in his most solemn voice despite the silly grin that had finally taken over his face. "Be my wife." And with that he held out his left arm high, presenting in his palm the most hideous piece of jewelry Ginny had ever laid eyes on. She picked up the proffered ring, and rolled it around her fingers a few times. The iron-wrought work on the band was so overly ornate and heavy that she barely even noticed the diamond. A diamond that was encased by, what else, entwined dragon tails. The whole thing was studded with emeralds, and screamed gaudy in the worst sense of the word. Ginny was about to say something to that effect, and had even opened her mouth and started to form the words, but choked on them. This was probably the silliest proposal that she had ever received. Never mind that it was the only proposal that she had ever received.

Draco was kneeling naked in front of her, trying not to wobble on the over-soft mattress pad they had purchased together. He had tried proposing earlier, once Ginny finished mauling him on his return from work. But the moment that Draco had showed her his family wedding ring, his offer of marriage had turned into an insult. She immediately leaped out of bed, claiming that no one who loved her would force her to wear a ring like that. Even Draco's claims that it was Malfoy tradition for his bride to wear his great-grandmother's ring could not assuage her fury. The cat-and-mouse chase that ensued finally led them here. Ginny reached over and placed a steadying hand on her lover's shoulder before leaning down and looking him in the eye.

"Well, when you put it that way..." she trailed off as she slipped the ring on her left finger. Draco picked her up at the waist, and tried to twirl her, but ended up getting tangled in the bedclothes. They both fell in a giggling heap of tangled limbs, thankful for Draco's goose-down duvet.

"I knew you'd come around." He grinned at her and started pulling at the cord that held her dressing gown shut. "Help me out here; I want to have a romp in the sac with my fiancée." Ginny giggled and slithered out of the cloth.

~*~

The windows were open, and a cool breeze was fluttering the curtains on either side of the bed. Ginny sighed and stroked the arm possessively wrapped around her waist, all the while entranced by the tackiness that was the Malfoy family stone. Again, she was sorely tempted to berate his ancestors on their poor taste in wedding finery. She rolled over, completely intent on waking him up to let him in on her thoughts, but was surprised to see him already awake and staring intently at her. One look, however, into her fiancé's eyes told her that if this ring meant the beginning of a new life as Draco Malfoy's one and only, then she could deal with a little bit of gaudy. Until he bought her a replacement, of course.

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