A Backwards Fairytale
Chapter Two: Happily Ever After
Disclaimer: None of the names/places/situation/quotes that you may recognize are not mine but are more than likely JK Rowling's, so just assume that that's the case unless I tell you otherwise. I am right now worth a whopping $.34, so if you would like to sue me - go for it! But I'm warning you, it will hardly buy you a small box of milk.
Summary: Fairytales are supposed to be lovely stories told to children at bedtime, where handsome, valiant knights rescue their damsels in distress. For Ginny Weasley, her fairytale life ended up a twisted, even backwards version of that - so backwards that it may not end how she wants it to. And with Draco Malfoy attempting to be a knight in shining armor, who rescues her from the perfect life she'd always wanted and takes her to a life more properly found in her nightmares, how could it? But we all know that any good fairytale starts with a fiery redhead and an angry ferret.
A/N: Yay! Chapter two! Before we get going on this - I would like to tell you when the idea for this fic popped into my head. The core of this plot stems from any absolutely amazing fic I read a few summers ago called Serpent's Bride by Reiko. The whole wizard's debt thing originated there and it also what comes from it - but that story and mine are going to go down two different roads so stick with me on this one! So last chapter was just sort of blah - this chapter will hopefully show you where the fic is going. You'll see Ginny's life and Draco's life separate and intertwined. I'm not going to waste time - I'll be jumping right into the plotline, so you'll already see a little bit of it in this chapter! So, I hope you enjoy - read on!
Important: I DO know that Blaise Zabini is a boy, but at the time that I originally wrote this, it was still up in the air. I've always preferred Boy!Blaise but I needed a Girl!Blaise for this story and so I used her since it was undecided at the time. As it's already written in and pretty crucial that Blaise is a girl for this, I left it because Blaise will not be showing up again throughout the course of the story! Thanks! Oh, and I fixed the "Virginia" that I had in here instead of "Ginevra"…again, I wrote the first few chapters before this new knowledge! Thanks!
* * * *
Chapter Two: Happily Ever After…
As the elevator slowly worked its way to the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, Ginny grew more and more impatient to see Harry. He'd had to work late everyday for the last week and she was tired of it - he needed to spend some time home with her instead of stressing himself out at the office. Tonight the vivacious redhead had planned a relaxing but romantic night at Harry's apartment for just the two of them.
"G' evening, Ginny," a familiar voice said cheerfully into her ear.
"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed, turning around to hug her older brother, who had just stepped onto the elevator with a crowd of people all coming from the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
Ron hadn't matured much since his days in Hogwarts - he was still tall and lanky as ever with no muscle to his name. His red hair contrasted with his pale skin and freckles much like Ginny's did; but while Ginny looked beautiful, innocent and elegant, Ron still looked awkward.
"Are you here to see Harry?" Ron asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, and hopefully I can coax him into coming home on time tonight so we can spend some time together for a change," Ginny told her brother with a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Good luck with that, Gin - you know how busy he is right now with all of those threatening letters coming in," Ron explained, patting her on the shoulder. "Once they find out who's sending them, I'm sure he'll be able to take more time off to see you, but for now, they've got to stop whoever it is before it turns into another You-Know-Who situation."
"Ron, don't be thick," Ginny said, rolling her eyes, "you know he can't come back, he's been dead for two years."
"We know it's not him, but it's highly possible that one of his followers has decided to try to take over now. Although that would be incredibly difficult for an ordinary witch or wizard, that seems to be what's happening," Ron told her grimly.
Ginny nodded, accepting this information readily, no longer naïve about the terrors of the wizarding world.
The elevator stopped abruptly at the second floor as the woman's voice announced that they had reached the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Both Ron and Ginny stepped out of the magical elevator and prepared to part ways.
"I've got to go see Dad for a moment, maybe I'll catch up with you later at the Burrow - are you coming for dinner tomorrow night? I think Mum's going to make Hermione a large dinner in honor of her promotion," Ron asked.
"Sure," Ginny said, "What time do I need to be there?"
"Seven, I believe. I'll tell Mum you're coming - I assume you'll be bringing Harry?"
"If I can drag him away from here long enough," the redhead sighed as she waved goodbye to her brother.
As Ron walked toward the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office in the far corner of the corridor, Ginny headed toward Harry's cubicle in the Auror's Headquarters. She always enjoyed walking through the cubicles and seeing how the Aurors decorated their space. All of them were lovely and personal but Harry's was always her favorite - even before their relationship got to a serious level. His cubicle was full of pictures of his family, Hagrid, Ron and Hermione, Sirius, the Weasleys, and now Ginny. He also filled it with newspaper clippings from the war, Quidditch posters and various other paraphernalia.
Approaching his desk, she immediately saw that he was reading something very intently, his back turned to her. Not wanting to scare him, she walked softly until she was directly behind him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, letting him know that it was her behind him. Harry quickly spun around in his chair and returned the kiss.
"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Harry asked, running his hand through his untidy black hair, obviously surprised.
"You haven't spent any time at home lately Harry! You're always working - I thought that the only way I could tear you away from here was if I personally came down here and took you home with me," the redhead told him.
"You know I'd love to but I've got so much to do with this guy on the loose, trying to pass himself off as Voldemort's successor," Harry began.
"No. You're coming home with me right now - the case will still be there tomorrow morning and you know it. Tonight it can just be the two of us," Ginny said with a smile playing coyly on her lips.
"What if something big comes in tonight?"
"It won't."
"How do you know?"
"Call it a woman's intuition," Ginny insisted more sternly. "Please?"
"Fine - but I'm coming straight back here in four hours, no matter what," Harry bartered, not satisfied with Ginny's guarantee that no news would come in that night.
Ginny shot Harry and dirty glance before closing the folder in front of him and handing him his coat. Finally, he would be hers for a night.
The black-haired boy rose from his seat and took the coat. It was getting chilly outside - it was the nearing the end of October after all. As Harry reached to turn off the lights in his small, untidy cubicle, he glanced at Ginny, seeing her waiting patiently for him to finish up. He didn't know how he had gotten a girl like her. She was patient, kind and gentle - all she really wanted was affection and he rarely could give that to her as he was always working. As he pondered this, he supposed it wasn't such a bad thing that he wasn't always there for her. She needed to learn to be independent and self-sufficient - he'd always disliked clingy, needy girls; this experience was just toughening her up for the real world. Plus, he would much rather save the entire community from another cruel murderer than make sure that every detail with Ginny was perfect - she fell in love with this Harry anyway, surely she still felt that way.
Ginny slipped her hand into Harry's as they walked back into the elevator in silence. She loved that Harry was dedicated to his job and to making sure that the world they were living in was a better place for the next generation than it was when they were kids. Sometimes though, she wondered how he could possibly spend that much time at the Ministry and not be any wealthier than he was. He was practically living hand to mouth - he had told her last week that he would be getting a large pay increase soon. The only reason he hadn't gotten one yet was because of the economy. It wasn't that she cared about his money - Ginny just hated the thought of Harry spending so much time away from her and not even getting compensation for it.
"So, what have you got planned for us tonight?" Harry asked, pulling her closer to him on their way back up the elevator.
"I was thinking that I could make us a nice dinner and we could just sit and catch up - it's been a week since we've had a proper conversation."
"That sounds great," he said softly into her ear, kissing her temple as the door opened.
The trip by floo back to Harry's house was quiet and uneventful. Harry was exhausted from work and Ginny wanted him to rest while he could so that they could have a decent conversation later. She knew he didn't really like to talk after long days at work but she was glad he was willing to at least come home for a few hours.
By the time they got back to Harry's small flat on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow, it was getting dark outside and Ginny knew she didn't have much time to get dinner going if she wanted it to be ready before nine.
As soon as the couple stepped in the door, Harry collapsed onto the couch and Ginny hurried into the kitchen to get started. Tonight they would eat chicken breast, mashed potatoes and cheesecake, Harry's favorite. After Ginny got the chicken in the oven and the potatoes on the stove, she set the small, two-person table for a romantic dinner using candlelight. She stepped back and admired her work. Hopefully, tonight she would be able to show Harry how much she cared for him and express her hopes that someday they would get married.
* * * *
The beautiful weather outside did not help Draco Malfoy's mood in the slightest. He would have enjoyed the sunny day more by taking a ride on his brand new broomstick, but a bomb had just been dropped on him.
"Draco, your father is coming home the day after tomorrow," Narcissa Malfoy informed him in a snooty voice as she took a sip of tea from her expensive china cup.
"I know, Mother," Draco said grumpily, giving her an icy stare from across the long dining table.
"He has a few demands that must be met."
"Demands that must be met before what?" Draco asked, unsure of what was to come.
"Well, one day, you are aware, that you will take the place as the head of the Malfoy house - not to mention the heir to all the fortune," Narcissa explained unnecessarily.
"Yes, mother, I know that - but what's that got to do with his demands?" Draco questioned, becoming frustrated with his mother.
"He doesn't fully believe that you are ready to settle down and take the place as the Malfoy leader. Honestly Draco, with the behavior you have been exhibiting, who would? A different girl every night, liquor on your breath, and stumbling into the manor at four in the morning, making as much noise as humanly possible. Of course, your father wants to ensure the Malfoy name and its future remain intact and respected, but he needs a commitment from you," the blonde woman said snootily.
"What kind of commitment?" Draco asked. He knew how his father's mind worked and he was definitely not looking forward to these so called demands. If he truly understood his father, this task was not going to be fun - not by any stretch of the imagination.
Narcissa took a small sip of her tea before setting it down on the elegant antique table between them. She had the same snobby look on her face that the rest of the Malfoys exhibited when speaking to Draco. To them, he was just a kid that could quite possibly bring disgrace to the family name.
"A commitment that ensures your future with an heir or heiress to pass along the Malfoy name, fortune and reputation to. This would mean that you need a wife, which would require your having a fiancé, which you do not presently have. You need to find a pureblooded girl that will become your fiancé willingly, by no later than tomorrow night. The only requirement is that she is indeed pureblooded, so as not to taint the Malfoy blood," she said slowly.
"An engagement? That's impossible, Mother. I'm not even seriously dating any one girl. It's preposterous that you would even ask such a thing," Draco exclaimed.
"That's exactly what your father is expecting and hoping for, Draco. You must see that. All your father wishes for is that you cannot prove yourself. If you can't do that, Lucius will have justification for humiliating you, taking away the fortune, and removing you from Malfoy Manor so that he can put your cousin Otto in charge. You know Otto, he has the same morals and values as your father and he wishes that Voldemort would have finished what he had started.
If that happens, then you and I both will be out on the streets with no money, food, or shelter. Not to mention that another Voldemort will be terrorizing the world, purging it of any Muggle, Mudblood, or Half-blood. And, Draco, regardless of our blood, I doubt that we will be spared. Rather, we will be executed for some false charge in order for us to be out of your father's life and out of his way as well. Do you really want that to happen?" Narcissa had asked her only son, fear in her eyes.
"So, the future of the wizarding world as we know it, rests in my hands and is determined by whether or not I can find a suitable fiancé in two days?" Draco asked, dumfounded. Although what his mother was asking of him weren't really what one might call demands of his father - it may ask well have been. It was a warning.
"Odd as that may seem, yes. More than that, our future is in your hands as well," Narcissa pointed out in her self-centered way. "Now, I suggest that you get to work - you should not sleep until you have found her and brought her here - you know I won't."
With that, the blonde woman got graciously up and swept out of the room, leaving Draco alone.
Now, Draco Aidan Malfoy had forty-eight hours to find a legitimate fiancé. And he didn't have the slightest idea about how to even begin that sears - there were just so many requirements. She must be a pureblood; anything else couldn't even be a possibility. This only left him with seven choices - everyone else was either married, or of tainted blood. Next, they must be able to keep a secret, as this would quite possibly be the biggest, most important secret of any of their lives - it would not be prudent to have the word out that Draco Malfoy was engaged to someone he didn't even know for the sake of money - it would destroy the purpose of the plan entirely. This specification quickly eliminated Padma Patil and Luna Lovegood, luckily for him. Finally, she must be willing to give up the life she knew to come with him.
Only three girls met the mandatory stipulations. But, as Draco's personal rule, the girl he is engaged to must also be pretty, powerful, evil, and social; and only two girls fit that description. Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were his first options - if one of them could not comply with his needs, he would simply begin working his way down the list until he found one that could - but he was sure that this measure would not need to be taken. It had been ages since he'd talked to either girl he was about to pursue, but she was sure that they were still available or he would have her about it in the Daily Prophet at least. Quickly and without warning, Draco Apparated to the Zabini manor.
* * * *
Once Ginny and Harry had walked into his small flat, Ginny had insisted that Harry take a nap and rest while she got their supper ready to eat. Although dinner was to be nothing fancy - just soup and sandwiches, she needed the time to think about Harry and their future together.
They'd been dating for two years - exclusively dating for a year and a half. Those last two years had been the most glorious of days for Ginny, at least. Harry was such a romantic person that not a day went by that he didn't send her flowers, surprise her at work, or do something to show his love for her. During the last two months though, Ginny had noticed a significant change in his behavior. Instead of giving her flowers or surprising her, he began to forget that he was supposed to meet her places, and became grouchy at the thought of getting together with her. Something was wrong, Ginny had known since the first day that he didn't call on her or send her something, even his well wishes. Then he began telling her that he had to work all the time on some huge project for the Ministry; so Ginny had watched the newspapers for any sign of trouble but there was none, so she gave up. He would tell her eventually.
Since that day, she had tried everything in her power to keep him home with her on weekends or holidays but nothing worked. She began thinking what could possibly being going on that was so important that it took away his attention from her. After a while, she began thinking that maybe it was something she did or said, but she could not come up with anything that could have turned him around as quickly as it did. Only one thought still remained in her mind as to why he had been so reluctant toward her lately.
Harry had always been such a good guy and he had never pressured any girl into doing anything with him, leading Ginny to believe that he was as innocent and pure as she was. Unfortunately, her presumption was wrong. He had bedded many different women in his short life - none of these girls had been hard to get seeing as he was Harry Potter, and that's what he was used to. Ginny, though, was not like those girls. She wanted to marry someone before she crawled into bed with them - she didn't look down on girls who didn't feel the same, but that's what she wanted. When Harry brought this up with her about a year and a half into the relationship, she had told him that before she slept with him, she would prefer to be married to him. At the time, Harry seemed accepting and agreed that they should wait until she felt it was the perfect time - after all, it was her first time, not his.
But now, almost seven months later, he was a totally different person and she couldn't help but wonder if that's what was getting him down. And if it was, she didn't know why he didn't say something - anything - to her. She would have thought that if that was what was bothering him then he would have either broken up with her or talked to her about getting married. Two years was a good deal of time to date someone without even talking about marriage, but Harry hadn't brought it up once. Tonight would be the deciding factor in how much more time she was going to invest in a relationship that was going nowhere, no matter how much she loved him.
The redhead moved quickly to take the soup off the stove and put the plate of sandwiches on the table before pouring Butterbeer into two mugs and setting them on the table as well. Ginny then found her way to the living room where she was met by the sight of Harry reading The Daily Prophet.
"I thought you were sleeping," Ginny said, as she took her place beside him on the couch.
"I was, but then I woke up and smelled that delicious soup and couldn't go back to sleep again," Harry told her, looking into her eyes.
"Well, it's ready when you are," Ginny said, blushing under his gaze.
Harry then stood up and threw the paper back on the table, allowing the front page picture to show Ginny it's familiar face. She almost said something about it, when Harry put his arm around her waist.
"Well, I'm ready - let's eat, shall we?" he asked, leading her towards the table she had set so nicely just moments before.
He pulled out a chair for her and then pushed her towards the table before seating himself across from her at his tiny round table he was currently using as a makeshift dining room table. As he sat down, Ginny took his bowl and filled it with soup and handed him a sandwich.
"He's the richest man in London, you know," Harry said suddenly, catching Ginny by surprise. "Between his expected inheritance and his new business, which is grossing more per day than the Ministry workers do in a year, he's set for life."
Ginny stared at the black-haired boy in confusion before remembering the picture on the front page of the paper. "I thought he worked at the Ministry, though," she said, picking at her sandwich.
"He does that as well. In his spare time he runs a multi-million galleon company which stocks the Quidditch Cup teams with the fastest, most efficient broomstick made to date, the FireStarter3000. Draco Malfoy sure has made his own place in this world," Harry commented, scooping soup into his mouth.
"Wow, I never would have guessed. Everyone at school hated him so much - I never would have thought that anyone would be buying his brooms for fear that they may be cursed. I also wouldn't have that that he would put enough effort into a company to make it work like that," Ginny said softly, her mind reeling at the possibility.
"Everyone still hates him - that's why he's still a bachelor. Plus, he probably had connections through his father to start with. Not to mention the fact that he's probably pouted his way to the top, his father just giving in to whatever would earn the most money. Plus, knowing Malfoy, at least one person has been sacrificed to make it work," Harry said with a note of pessimism in his voice.
"Harry, don't say those things. You don't know that he didn't work hard on his own accord to make his business what it is! He could have changed," Ginny replied, thinking of the night she seemed to be repeatedly dreaming of lately.
Harry looked almost hurt at that suggestion. "Ginny, some people do change, but Draco Malfoy isn't one of them - trust me, I would know. I've seen him around work and he still swaggers about, acting as though he owns the place and sneering at those in a lower position than himself. A position which he obtained using his wealth and his father's power, I'm sure. He spends more time flirting with the secretaries than he does actually in the Department of Mysteries working."
"Speaking of which," Ginny said, seizing her opportunity to cut in and voice her concerns, "why are you always working? I haven't heard anything from Dad or the paper about a project big enough to require the amount of time that you put in."
"It's just Auror business, Ginny. You know how the Ministry is with projects - always top secret," Harry justified.
"Yes, Harry, I know. It's just that it's been two months since I've seen you for more than an hour at a time. I'm just missing the way it used to be," Ginny sighed, swirling her soup carelessly with her spoon.
"Well, maybe soon we can go back to that and we'll settle down and start a family," Harry said, a mischievous glint evident in his eyes as he hinted at marriage.
"Really?" Ginny asked, wide-eyed.
"If you want to," Harry said nonchalantly.
"You have no idea how much I want that for us," Ginny said quietly, eyes downcast, "It's been two years, Harry."
"So that's what's been on your mind," Harry said knowingly, reaching out to take her hand from across the small table. "Just because it's been two years and I haven't asked you to marry me, doesn't mean that I don't love you or want to marry you - because I do. I'm sorry if I haven't been clear enough on that in the last few months, I've just got a lot on my plate right now," he finished.
"I understand," Ginny said.
"Good. And I promise that soon our lives will start back up together," Harry said, finishing his sandwich.
"I'm holding you to that," Ginny said, her eyes alight with the promise of a life with Harry. Sure, he hadn't proposed, but it was close enough for her.
Harry got up from the table and gave Ginny a short but sweet kiss before announcing his departure back to the Ministry.
"But it's only been an hour and a half!" Ginny exclaimed, getting up from her seat in a hurry and standing in front of his door.
"I know, Ginny, but the more I work now, the less I will have to work later and the sooner we can get started mapping out our life together," Harry reasoned with her.
"Fine," Ginny said, giving in, "but in exchange, you have to come to dinner with me at the Burrow tomorrow night. I'll be at the Ministry to make sure you leave work at five."
"It's a deal. Do you need me to walk you home?" Harry asked, sounding as though such an act would inconvenience him.
"No, it's okay, you can go. I'll just clean up here and then Apparate home," Ginny said, moving aside so that he could open the door.
"Goodnight then," Harry said, kissing her one last time before he left his girlfriend standing in the doorway, longing to bound after him and leap into his arms. Instead she shut the door and began to clean.
* * * *
When Draco appeared at the Zabini's front door, he immediately knocked on the door using the large knocker shaped emblazoned with the Zabini family crest, two large snakes curved to face each other with a saying in Latin framing them. He waited most impatiently for someone to answer the door, all the time toying with the words in his mind. He hadn't seen Blaise in so long that it would be unpredictable as to what she would say to his proposal. He was beginning to wonder if he should even tell her that it was a fake engagement - she liked him well enough after all to just say yes.
Blaise was a power-hungry, greedy girl and everyone knew it. She was interested in what was best for her and her only. If that was still true, Blaise would have no problems accepting the ring from Draco when she was to be awarded with a large sum of money and the honor of being Draco Malfoy's fiancé. As far as Draco was concerned, he wouldn't have to go to another house today.
When Blaise answered the door, she still looked like the same girl he had attended school with three short years ago. Her hair was still a shimmering black color that stopped inches below her shoulders, curling at the ends, and her eyes were that same piercing blue that could hold any guy's attention. She was the same size as she was then - she hadn't grown an inch or gained a pound. All in all, Blaise could still take his breath away.
"Oh! Good morning, Draco," Blaise said, surprise evident in her voice. "I hadn't been expecting you! It's been - what, three years?"
"Three years, yes. I'm sorry that I've dropped by without warning. I need to speak with you," Draco said, not sounding sorry in the least for his lack of notification.
"Well, you see, Draco, I'm a little bit busy right now. Do you think you could come back in an hour?" Blaise asked, her face flushing an uncharacteristically deep red.
"It's urgent, Blaise," Draco said quickly, showing her just how important he was.
"Come in then," the raven-haired girl said as her curiosity piqued.
Draco knew that he had her thinking that it had something to do with their fathers and the trials that were to take place in a few weeks, surely condemning the men to death by way of Dementor's kiss. She would be in for the surprise of a lifetime when Draco proposed to her.
As the pair walked through the Zabini Manor, Draco couldn't help but note that it hadn't changed a bit and that Malfoy Manor was still much more extravagant than theirs. The house was as familiar to Draco as the back of his own hand and he knew that he didn't need her guidance through it, but Blaise had always insisted on leading him.
Once they got to the large but sunny kitchen area of the Manor, Draco noticed that something - or rather, someone was already waiting for them. It was a boy of about twenty just like them. He had short brown hair and large green eyes that reminded him way to much of Potter. He sat at the bar in the kitchen with his head down, reading the paper for the morning, his posture slouched and relaxed as though he owned the place.
"Draco, I'd like you to meet Drew," Blaise said, beaming at this unknown man. "Drew, this is my old school friend Draco."
"Nice to meet you," the man said politely, reaching across the bar to shake Draco's hand.
"You as well," Draco finished, pulling his hand away from this stranger.
"Drew was from Durmstrang and he and I met last year at a Quidditch match," Blaise explained.
"I see," Draco said shortly, glancing at Drew again.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Blaise asked, filling two cups of tea and handing one to Draco and keeping one for herself as Drew already had one.
"It's a private matter," he snarled, looking pointedly at Drew.
"Drew will you excuse us for a moment?" Blaise asked, gesturing that he leave the room for a little while so that she and Draco could speak alone.
"Sure," he said nonchalantly as he picked up his paper and his tea and left the room without another word.
"What is it, Draco?" Blaise asked more impatiently.
"Blaise, I need you to do me a big favor."
"What's that?" Blaise asked, twirling her finger nervously around her hair.
"I need you to become my fiancé," Draco said shortly.
Blaise stared at him with questioning eyes and giggled nervously at that sentence. She could hardly believe what she was hearing from him.
"Three years without even exchanging a word and suddenly you show up at my house demanding that I marry you?" Blaise asked incredulously, putting her cup down for fear of spilling it.
"No, no, no," Draco said impatiently, "I don't want to marry you. I just need to be engaged to you."
"This doesn't make any sense at all Draco," Blaise said quietly.
"Everything will be explained later but for now I need you to come with me. My father will be home tomorrow and everything must be set by then," the blonde said sternly.
"I can't," Blaise said simply.
"And why not?" Draco asked, getting angry at her reluctance.
"Drew and I are engaged to be married," Blaise said smiling in reminiscence of her relationship with the man she loves. She walked over to the window above the sink and looked out on the rolling hills of land behind the house.
"I don't see a ring or a necklace telling me that," Draco retorted rudely.
"It's a secret. My father would never approve of the relationship because Drew's family never supported Voldemort, and well, you more than anyone knows what kind of a man my father is and how important that sort of thing is to him," Blaise finished.
"So you are waiting for you father to be executed so he doesn't cut you out of his will before he dies or you and your precious Drew will be left with nothing," Draco said, laughing inwardly at the irony of their situations. Here he is, desperately needing to find a fiancé so he could assure his father that he would get married and have an heir to pass along the name and the fortune to, and Blaise has to wait until her father died to get married so she has someone to pass along the fortune to at least. He would have laughed but it wasn't funny in the least.
"Exactly," Blaise said.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Zabini. Marrying lower than your own social rank when you know that your father would never approve. I should consider myself a lucky man that you did not want me instead of him," Draco said, furious as he whisked himself away through the kitchen doors and out the large front door where he then decided that Pansy would have to do.
* * * *
As soon as he Apparated to Pansy's house, he knew that there was something going on because he heard loud noises coming from the back of the large mansion. This was uncharacteristic of the Parkinson's house, which was usually a quiet, snooty home full of dull people.
Draco walked up to Pansy's door and knocked on her door as loudly as he could. He listened carefully to the noise coming from the backyard of the opulent house. It sounded like some sort of celebration.
"Name, please?" a small house elf asked, a snooty air filling his voice as he looked Draco up and down. Draco found this odd as everyone knew who he was, no matter whether they were house elves or witches and wizards.
"Draco Malfoy," his deep voice boomed, as he was growing more and more impatient. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'm not on that list that you've got there. I've just stopped by to talk to Pansy."
"You are correct, sir. Joe will go get Pansy for sir," the house elf squeaked, rushing through the house to retrieve Pansy.
Draco showed himself into the house and sat down on the overstuffed ivory furniture that adorned the ornate sitting room in the front of the Parkinson mansion. The room was elaborately decorated in gold, ivory, and rich purples with mirrors and flowers, much more homey than Draco's own manor.
"Draco?" an all too sugary voice squealed from behind him. If the whiney voice didn't give her identity away, the sharp clicking of her high heels did.
"Pansy," Draco said, standing up in greeting. As he whirled around to look at her, the sight of Pansy made him lose all train of thought.
Although, much like Blaise, nothing had changed about her physically. She still had shoulder-length, curly, blonde hair and a slim figure. Pansy was perfectly manicured in every way that money could buy - her eyebrows were flawlessly arched, her makeup done with extreme skill and her skin a dark honey color. But there was one thing different about her, and today it made all the difference in what Draco had come here to tell her.
Today, Pansy was wearing a white dress. It wasn't a white cocktail dress or a white set of dress robes or even a white ball gown - it was a white wedding dress. To top it off, she had a floor length veil trailing behind her.
"What are you doing here?" Pansy asked, a look of surprise painted across her otherwise perfect face.
"I came to ask you something, but it seems that I have the worst of timing," Draco said hot-tempered.
"I would have invited you, Draco. It's just that we haven't spoken since the night after graduation from Hogwarts three years ago. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. With the way you left it and everything…" Pansy trailed off, looking nervously at her hands instead of at Draco's stony face.
It was true that he had broken up with her after two years of seriously dating her on the night after graduation. He told her that he never wanted to see her again and that they just wanted different things. Pity he didn't think of that before he came all the way to her house without a good explanation.
"I didn't come for the wedding Pansy. I came to propose marriage to you, but I can see that someone else has already beat me to it," Draco replied as though it was no big deal at all - never mind that he was now back to square one with his search for a suitable fiancé.
"Propose to me?" Pansy asked, dumbfounded at the thought. She had always adored Draco and during their school days she had followed him around like a puppy, demanding all of his attention and giving him all of hers. And now, right after her wedding to another man, the man she had loved her whole life asks her to marry him.
"Yes, Parkinson, to you," Draco snapped, taking one last look at her before Apparating back home to take another look at the current situation.
Now he was left with only one other option. The third girl that had been eliminated when he put his own restrictions on his fiancé had to be brought into consideration.
It's not as though she could refuse him - she was indebted to him after all. She had to do whatever he asked her to - that included becoming his fiancé. Ginvera Weasley would be at his will in no time at all, whether she liked it or not. And he knew exactly where to find her.
* * * *
Well, that's it for the second chapter! It's pretty long I'd have to say! I was very proud of myself. Please review for me and tell me what you think! Even if it's bad - but especially if it's good!
Also, if you missed the note at the beginning about the sex of Blaise Zabini, make sure to check it out to avoid any confusion!
-->