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Something's Gotta Give
Mei Queen
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Disclaimer: "Marshmallow" joke courtesy of Veronica Mars, "Tweedledee and Tweedledum" are characters from Alice in Wonderland. The Notebook belongs to The Notebook, Jaguar to Jaguar. Disclaimers are frikkin boring…
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Authoress' Note: This chapter was originally going to include the wedding, but I couldn't make it fit without going over my normal length, so I decided to make that a chapter all its own. Hope you enjoy the bridge chapter anyway! Btw, I totally forgot I gave Ginny a dog back in Chapter 3. It occurred to me that she might have to do something with it when she went on her tour, so this chapter touches on that. Lol my bad. See, this is why I need to update more often…I forget what I write in the first place! Lol hope you don't hold it against me in your reviews!
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Mood Music: "Won't Go Home Without You"- Maroon 5, "U Got it Bad"- Usher
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Chapter 13: Of Invitations and Ice Cream
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Draco's Jaguar purred into the driveway. He turned off the engine, headlights, and waited, eyeing Hermione's brightly-lit house with slight trepidation. What if this doesn't work? A voice asked in his head. He thought briefly of Ginny and the way she'd looked in his office.
It has to, another, stronger voice answered.
He exited the car and walked to the door, his feet crunching on the loose cobblestones. Draco heaved a deep breath as he rang the doorbell.
Hermione answered almost instantly.
"You're ten minutes late," she accused, pointing to her watch.
Draco shrugged. "Sorry?"
She rolled her eyes, but stepped back to let him in. "Let's get started."
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Ginny put the kettle on and booted up her laptop, moves that were all-too-familiar to the redhead after the past few months. Her plane tickets were Spellotaped to the fridge, and the brand-new laptop was still haphazardly in a carrier bag in the living room. Though a few days had passed since Draco had given it to her, she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do with it yet. It certainly seemed nice, much nicer than her current one, but she couldn't bring herself to use it. It all reminded her so much of him. But is thinking of him such a bad thing? The voice in her head asked insistently, picturing his icy-blonde hair and cool grey eyes. The way those eyes lit up when he laughed, the way they softened when they looked at her…
She giggled softly. Ginevra Weasley, she's a marshmallow.
Shaking off the thoughts of Draco, she moved her finger along the touchpad, opening up a new window of Internet Explorer. After it loaded, she logged in to Chat.
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"What do you think we should do?" Luna asked dreamily, taking slow but thoughtful sips of her tea.
Draco snorted. "Dunno, do I? That's why I'm here."
He thought briefly about adding "with you lunatics" to the end of that sentence, but he didn't think the two women would take it well. Instead he settled for a slight smile tugging at the edge of his lips, and a few quick gulps of tea.
Hermione could guess what he wanted to say, however-she looked at him and pursed her lips in disapproval. She looked back to the notes in her lap, irritation apparent in her eyes. "All right, well, her flight flies out in two weeks. What opportunities do you have between now and then? I have an idea as to what you should do, but unfortunately that idea is useless if you don't see her."
Draco shrugged helplessly. "She's given me the check. Unless she wants to return the laptop in person, I have no idea when I'll see her again."
Hermione looked back at him. This time Draco noted something worse than irritation-pity.
He couldn't stand it any longer. He needed a little break, something to clear his head. "Can I use your computer?"
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Ravishing Red, You have (1) new WonderfulWitch message!! Click here to open!!
Sighing, she clicked. I wonder if it's from Draco. I did leave him hanging a few hours ago; he's probably a little brassed off about it…
But that wasn't what it was at all.
RavishingRed,
You are cordially invited
To the marriage of
Rebecca Attleby
To
James Edwards
On Saturday, the fourteenth of May
Two Thousand Eleven
At four o'clock in the afternoon
Great Fosters Hotel
Surrey, England
Ginny regarded the invitation thoughtfully. Should I go? I know SwanseaSweetie and JimlikeshisPimms would appreciate it, but will Draco be there?
She got up to take the kettle off the heat and checked the date of the plane tickets on the fridge as she did so. My flight to France leaves the day after the wedding. I might as well go, I wanted to stay near Heathrow anyway. Apparently this hotel is only five minutes from the M25, so I should be really close. I could just stay there and drive to the airport in the morning.
Ginny poured some tea into her cup thoughtfully. Yes. I think I'll go.
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When Draco opened his Chat account a few moments later, he was met with the same invitation and an added note from JimlikeshisPimms:
Hey man!
Thanks a million for all that you did, helping me figure out how to get the ring and all. I really hope to see you there!
-Jim
He smiled briefly, before another, more powerful, thought struck him. What if Ginny goes? She has to be invited. This could be my chance!
Draco quickly switched off the computer and strode confidently back into the living room, where Hermione and Luna sat.
"I have a plan."
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A few days later, Ginny was out dress shopping with Hermione and Luna.
"What do you think of this one?" the redhead asked thoughtfully, holding up a strapless A-line in a burnt orange color.
Luna wrinkled her nose. "You look like you're on fire."
Hermione giggled. "Luna! Though, to be fair, Gin…you kinda do. Only because of your hair, though!"
Ginny rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. "Maybe I should stay away from the citrus colors. Their wedding color is green, anyway. I was thinking that maybe a forest green would be nice."
Hermione nodded. "Sounds lovely. So…you're definitely going to this wedding then, right?"
If Ginny found the question off or unusual, she didn't show it. She picked up a forest green spaghetti-strap one as she spoke, holding it up to her skin in the mirror. "Yup. I'm going to be in that area anyway, I might as well go."
Hermione and Luna glanced at each other, grinning. Their plan was going to work.
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"So you're sure she's going to be there?" Draco asked that night, almost petulantly, as he sat with Hermione in her living room. Luna hadn't arrived yet.
Hermione rolled her eyes from where she sat on the couch, her notes propped on her knees. "Yes. Stop whining."
"Well, what do I have to do?" he asked curiously. Hermione had not yet actually told him what the plan itself was, a fact that was starting to make him mildly nervous. He looked up at her warily.
"Hold on, I'm waiting for Luna to get here. She has all the ingredients," Hermione replied crossly, before muttering to herself and checking things off on her notes.
Draco leaned back against the cushions of the armchair irritably. Ginny had better be worth putting up with the Mudblood. Ugh. His features softened slightly as he thought about Ginny's flowing red hair and that delicate scent of lilies that seemed to follow her everywhere. Okay, he amended, she's worth it, but that doesn't mean I'll want to go on bloody double dates with the Mudblood and The Boy Who Scored.
Just then, Luna arrived, interrupting Draco's thoughts. Bizarrely, she was weighted down with what looked like Tesco bags. Was Hermione low on groceries? He asked himself, obviously confused. Confused though he was, he hopped out of his chair to help the blonde woman, who was going out to her car to retrieve even more bags.
"Just make sure the milk and cream get in the fridge, Malfoy," Hermione called cheerfully from the living room. Draco's eyebrows rose slightly. Milk and cream? Were they making butter or something? What in the world was going on?
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Ginny sighed as she dabbed a bit of light pink polish to her last toenail. She had spent the last dull hour giving herself a pedicure. Though she knew she should be writing or packing for her trip, she didn't feel the motivation. Instead, she was curled up on the couch with her puppy Dragon, who had gone through a remarkable growth spurt over the past few weeks. Normally she kept him outside, but tonight she found the need for companionship overwhelming. The Golden Retriever was slowly putting Ginny's leg to sleep. She scratched the dog's head absently as she let her toes dry, eyes focusing up on the telly. The Notebook was playing. It was her favorite part, the part that always moved her to tears- Allie drives back to the house after her talk with her fiancé, and gets out of the car, just shrugging to Noah. It always amazed Ginny how much was conveyed in that little shrug. I miss you. I want to be with you. It didn't work out with him; please let me back into your life. I love you.
All that, just in a single arm motion. Despite herself, the redhead felt a sharp pang of loneliness.
She reached for the tissue box.
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Draco stretched his arms as he lifted what felt like the billionth 2 litre of milk into Hermione's already-packed fridge. "What are we doing with all these groceries anyway?" he asked irritably as Luna handed him some eggs.
Hermione smiled, walking into the kitchen as Luna and Draco finished putting the groceries away. "I guess it's time to tell you the plan."
She reached up into one of the upper cabinets of her kitchen, producing a shiny chrome machine.
"Ooh," Luna smiled, looking at the shiny object, "what's that?"
"This," Hermione explained, running a finger along the chrome, "is an ice-cream maker."
Draco's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Don't follow."
The brunette sighed patiently. "We," she motioned between the three of them, "are going to make home-made ice cream for Ginny. You," she said, motioning to Draco now, "are going to give it to her and miraculously win her love back."
"You think she's going to love me again because I make her some ice cream?" he asked incredulously.
"Have you ever made ice cream the Muggle way before, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked accusingly, a little irritated he hadn't immediately started praising her plan and its brilliance.
"No," he admitted.
"Well, let me tell you, it's a lot of work. Besides, she can't accuse you of using your money to get you out of it- I paid for the ingredients and own the maker. You're just the one who's going to have to do all the stirring."
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Ginny sighed. The movie was over, and now, thanks to how comfortable Dragon had become in her lap, both of her legs were asleep. She looked at the sleeping dog with amusement. What am I going to do with him while I'm gone? I can't possibly keep him in a kennel that long; that would be an absolute fortune. I can't take him with me, either, he'll be much too big for cargo here soon. Hermione's allergic. Luna would probably go on a hunt for the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack and leave him at home to starve. Harry's done me enough favors. I wonder if…
She immediately shoved the thought out of her mind. Draco wouldn't possibly want to take her dog for a year. That was asking a lot of him, and he lived in one of those pristine apartments where no human hairs are found, let alone animal.
"We'll figure it out, Dragon," she murmured sleepily, giving the dog's head a little scratch. "Don't worry."
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"What am I supposed to be doing?" Draco demanded, dropping vanilla pods into the boiling milk.
"Just let it simmer for 20 minutes," Hermione answered irritably, double-checking the directions.
Luna looked at the two brightly. "This is great fun, isn't it? We should do this again!"
Draco eyed Hermione with annoyance. "Does she absolutely have to be here?"
"Yes," Luna answered calmly. "I'm taste tester."
"She has a pretty good idea of Ginny's palate," Hermione replied grudgingly. That was the only reason Luna was there, actually.
"Fine," Draco replied, his voice steely. "Just make her be quiet. This cooking thing isn't as easy as it looks."
"All you've done so far is boil milk," the brunette replied, amused. "Does that require a lot of concentration for you? How in the world do you successfully run eight businesses if you can't boil milk?"
"I never said I can't do it," Draco barked. "I just prefer to cook in the lonely quiet of my own home. However, it's much more difficult to do that when I'm surrounded by Tweedledee and Tweedledumber."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You made a Muggle reference."
"Yes, I'm aware of that, thank you," he muttered, trying to get the seeds from the vanilla pod into the milk. "I'm not a complete idiot."
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The next couple weeks passed more quickly than either Ginny or Draco expected. Ginny got her parents to agree to take in Dragon for the year, finished packing, and decided to take the new laptop with her on her tour. After all, it was a very nice machine, and she never knew when she might need to use it. It even had one of those nice built-in Internet cards, so she could get access from nearly anywhere. That would certainly be invaluable if she ended up stuck in a tent in the Philippines-that much Ginny was sure of.
Draco, meanwhile, had a few trial and error batches of the ice cream before the three of them found a mix they all liked. Luna, aka "Ginny's Palate," threw candy, marshmallows, caramel sauce and graham crackers in with reckless abandon.
"Are you sure she's going to want to eat that?" Draco asked, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "It looks like a candy factory threw up in there."
"She's going to love it," Luna had replied confidently, taking another taste. "At any rate, this plan is definitely going to work."
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"And whom was the reservation for, madam?" the concierge asked kindly, eyeing Ginny with a smile. It was 2 p.m. Saturday, the day of the wedding of SwanseaSweetie to JimlikeshisPimms, and Ginny was checking in to her hotel room at Great Fosters.
"A Ms. Ginevra Weasley," she replied, eyes roving around the lobby as the concierge inputted data into his computer. Her eyes halted when they landed on the familiar sight of platinum blonde hair coming in the entrance. Her cheeks reddened.
"Here you go, madam. Room 406," the concierge said with a grin, holding out a plastic swipe card for Ginny to take. "Would you like some help with your bags?"
The redhead replied absently. "That would be great, thank you."
Ginny barely noticed as two bellhops came to take her four rolling bags (she was going to be gone a year, after all). Her eyes were still on Draco. He looked up from where he stood further down the hotel desk, talking to the other concierge. He looked up briefly and met her eyes. He grinned.
She blushed, but managed a smile just the same. Turning, she walked with the bellhops to Room 406.
"I'd like the closest room available to her, please," Draco said in an undertone to the concierge, sliding a few persuasive pound notes across the counter.
The concierge mentally tabulated the amount of the bribe. That was more than he made in a month. He coughed slightly and regarded the blond man in front of him with new respect in his eyes. "How does Room 407 work for you, sir?"
Draco nodded, a slight grin tugging on his features. "Room 407 sounds perfect."
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Authoress' Note: I updated quickly! But now you have to review…pretty please with some of Ginny's gross ice cream on top?