A Backwards Fairytale

The Riddled Enchantress

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Humor
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 25/05/2007
Last Updated: 28/05/2007
Status: in_progress

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.

Chapters

1. And They All Lived...

2. Happily Ever After

3. Knight In Shining Armor

1. And They All Lived...

A Backwards Fairytale

Chapter 1: And They All Lived...

an_enchanting_riddle

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 $2.34, so if you would like to sue me - go for it! But I'm warning you, it won't even buy you a gallon of gas.

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: This fic is very different from the others I have previously written in the way that Draco is not out of character, Ginny is not naïve and nothing is sugar coated. I won't jump into love scenes or mushy thoughts like I have before - everything will be gradual and more realistic in the sense that relationships will be developed slowly and it will take time for people to change - family rivalries will not be forgotten easily. You get the drift. This doesn't mean that it's going to be a slow story that you have to force yourself to stay awake for until the last third of the story - trust me, there will be plenty of action, betrayal, love, lust, hate, and witty comments to keep you going - it will just be more tastefully done. If you don't like that kind of story, this story probably isn't for you - but if you're willing to give it a try, I think you'll find that it's a more enjoyable read than my other candy-coated stories.

Anyway, I'm very nervous about this fan fiction and how you will like it. Obviously, if there is anything you want me to change, make a suggestion - I do take the time to read them and hopefully change what I can. So here's your story!

Chapter One: And They All Lived…

“To play safe is not to play.” - Robert Altmack

As nineteen-year-old Ginny Weasley settled into bed, ready for a night of good rest on the night of October 22nd, she would never have guessed that she would end up dreaming about Draco Malfoy - she hadn't even seen him since he'd graduated. But nevertheless, there he was in her dream - actually, it was more of a nightmare. Exactly three years ago, Ginny had made a life-threatening decision to follow her brother and his two friends into the forbidden forest, chasing danger and chancing her life.

“Hermione, we have to go right this instant! We'll miss him if we wait much longer and you now the consequences of that!” A seventeen-year-old Harry Potter urged one of his best friends (not to mention love interest) from the entrance to the dark Gryffindor common room.

“Harry, I'm hurrying - really, I am. It's just that I can't find the spell anywhere and even if we make it in time to stop them, without the spell, we're dead and so is the rest of the wizarding community. It would really go a lot quicker if you wouldn't rush me,” Hermione Granger said from the fireplace, where she was flipping through a dusty old book, looking for a spell that may help their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher recover from and be able to fight back against Voldemort and his use of the Imperius Curse over her.

“What I don't understand is why we don't just tell Dumbledore. Don't you think that he could handle it better than us?” Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother asked. “He knows loads of odd spells - I'm sure he would know this one too. But no, we keep risking our lives and getting nothing in return. After all, we still haven't defeated You-Know-Who after six years of trying.”

“Ron, don't pout!” Hermione said, still zealously paging through the enormous book before her.

“Ron, you know we've done well for the community. Sure, we haven't been rewarded exactly, but think about how many times we've won the house cup because of our escapades. Lately, he's been striking as many as three times a year instead of just once and every time, we've saved at least one life directly - many more would have died if we didn't keep fighting him off,” Harry explained rationally, tapping his foot impatiently.

This statement seemed to keep Ron quiet, making him remember when his own baby sister had been saved from Voldemort himself in her second year. Not only had Ginny's life been spared by Harry, Ron and Hermione, but also Sirius' (though not for long), Buckbeak, Dobby, and many more.

“I've found it!” The brown-haired girl cried ecstatically, crouching low over the pages and scanning it for the proper directions on how to use the spell. Within two minutes, Hermione had scanned the whole section dealing with Imperius counter-curses. “Let's go, then.”

Neither of the boys needed to know what the incantation was or how it would be used. It was already pre-determined that Hermione would be the one to actually use the spell - she was after all the brightest witch in their class.

Within seconds, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already underneath the invisibility cloak, ready to charge into the forest and face whatever dangers may lie ahead of them. With that magic cloak, the three of them could sneak anywhere without being noticed.

But there was another who could go unnoticed and she didn't need an invisibility cloak for that. Ginny Weasley was lurking on the staircase that leads to the dormitories, hoping to get in on the action. She knew Ron would never let her come on a journey like that willingly, not after what they had encountered in her fourth year. It's not that he didn't trust that she could hold her own - he was just too protective of her, especially after the Chamber of Secrets incident.

Without making a noise, Ginny crept through the common room and out of the portrait hole. She couldn't see them with the invisibility cloak on of course, but she knew where they were headed and she knew that they couldn't possibly run through the Forbidden Forest with a heavy cloak on. Ginny thanked her lucky stars that Harry hadn't had the Marauder's Map with him when they left or they would have already spotted her and made her go home.

The redheaded girl was in such a rush to get to the Forbidden Forest that she clumsily ran into a potted plant on her way through the hallway containing the Prefect's Bathroom, causing an extremely loud noise to echo through the hallway.

Little did she know that Draco Malfoy, who was on his way to the bathroom, had heard the commotion and stopped in the shadows to see who could possibly be making such a racket so late at night. A huge smirk crossed his face when he saw that it was the youngest Weasley. He was just about to mock her for being such a klutz when he realized that she was in a hurry to get somewhere - probably somewhere out of bounds. Of course, this was too good to pass up - so he followed.

Draco followed Ginny for quite some time before he realized where she was leading him to. The only place he was actually afraid of was the Forbidden Forest, so naturally, this had to be where she was going. He would have stopped and turned back if he didn't feel so curious as to why the youngest Weasley would be wandering into the forest so late at night and in such a hurry, so he gritted his teeth and walked on.

Once outside of the castle, Ginny knew she would have to hide herself much better because there weren't any corners to hide behind, so she resigned to running along the walls of the castle - staying hidden in the shadows. The night air was cool but refreshing compared to the stuffy castle.

All five of the teenagers were nearing the edge of the Forbidden Forest when Ginny and Draco saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione reappear before their eyes and begin struggling to make their way through the forest brush.

`So that's what she's doing,' Draco thought to himself, `She's going after Potter, Weasel, and Mudblood - more specifically, Potter, in more ways than one.' The blonde smirked again. He could tell that this was going to be a good show. Quietly, he kept following her, hoping that she was keeping good track of the Dream Team - he wasn't about to get lost with nothing but Weaselette to keep him company.

Distracted, Draco accidentally stepped on a very brittle twig, causing Ginny to stop abruptly, freezing in place for just a moment - just long enough for Draco to hide himself, before she turned around and looked warily behind her. When she saw nothing, not even a shadow or moving branch, she began walking again - careful not to lose sight of Hermione's pink sweater that loomed ahead of her.

Feeling that she had time, Ginny let her mind wander for a moment. What was it that Harry saw in Hermione anyway? Sure, she was smart, witty and brave - but was she funny? Could she possibly keep his life happy when she rarely cracked a joke? She was far too serious for Harry; he had spent his whole life being alone and without a decent family - he needed that for his adult life at least.

“Oh great, I've lost them,” Ginny said in a voice barely above a whisper as she saw the pink sweater disappear ahead of her.

`Oh goody,' Draco thought, rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe this girl - he had always thought of her as an intelligent girl at least but now he knew she was as unfortunate in that as she was financially. First of all, she'd heard a cracking noise behind her in the Forbidden Forest and didn't even bother investigating, then, her only job is to keep following the Dream Team and she somehow lost them.

For the next few minutes, Ginny (and therefore Draco) slowed down considerably, trying to hear any sounds of movement that would hint that they were going in the right direction at least. Of course, no reinforcement came, so Ginny and Draco were basically lost in the middle of the forest.

Suddenly, Ginny felt her body slam against something hard. When she looked up, she saw a dark creature in a black, hooded robe, concealing his face from her. Before she could scream, the man expertly grabbed her around the middle and clamped his hand down over her mouth so that she wouldn't scream for help.

He, on the other hand, let out a low mirthless laugh as a handful of accomplices reveal themselves to her. Both Draco and Ginny knew exactly who they were at that moment. These men prided themselves in killing innocent people in the most cruel and unusual ways, they served only one man…Voldemort. These men were Voldemort's right hand men - these were Deatheaters.

“Look what I've caught, Goyle,” the deep voice of the man holding her said, a hint of excitement showing in his voice.

Draco, being a Malfoy and therefore insensitive, began looking around the circle, wondering if his father had joined in on this party. Surely he would never miss an opportunity to pick on a Weasley when they were so defenseless. Then again, he probably wouldn't have known that they were going to run into her tonight - they were probably expecting Potter and his friends, but they were a bit late for that, so they would take what they could get.

Ginny was caught off guard by all the men that quickly enclosed her in a circle and began to squirm uncomfortably. She had no way of knowing what these Deatheaters were capable of doing to her. She knew that it would be no problem for them to see her dead, but she hoped against hope that it wouldn't come to that.

Draco settled in to watch - he knew that this would be a better show than he had originally hoped for by far. He'd seen them torture people before - they were ruthless, but he knew that they probably just wanted to play with her for awhile then wipe her memory clean - nothing too bad, all things considered. Sure enough, the torturing soon began.

Each man got a turn of course, it was only fair. Some men taunted her with remarks and licked her; others would physically damage her - nothing big really. They pinched her, scratched her, one man even punched her - she was already bloody and she'd only been captive for a few minutes. Her lip was torn open and bruises were starting to form on her arms and torso - her face was wet both from sweat and saliva. She was so exhausted that she felt she could pass out any second.

“That looks like a Weasley,” another hooded man pointed out after every one had gotten their turn and they had all gotten a good look at her, “it looks like the youngest Weasley's grown to be a very pretty young woman. She's got curves in all the right places and beautiful brown eyes - not to mention that she's a pure-blood.”

Ginny felt herself shiver under the eye of these disgusting men that were talking about her like a piece of meat and they were all at least 15 years older than she was. It sickened her to even think of any one of those men laying a finger on her.

Draco sneered from the bushes as he saw Ginny get chills as the older men talked of her beauty. Of course, he had identified all of them already and noted that his father was indeed a part of the group. Of course, Ginny knew Lucius' voice, so his father couldn't talk for fear of being turned into the Ministry.

“What do you think we should do with her?” One man asked.

“Give her to our sons and let them have their way with her, I say. She's useless beyond that point anyway,” Goyle suggested to the group, sending Ginny's brain into overdrive.

Sure, she didn't know who all these men were but she knew that one was Goyle, and it was likely that Crabbe's father was also in the group and she would rather die than be handed over to any Slytherin to `have their way with her'.

Draco's face went pale as soon as he heard those words. He wanted no way with Ginny Weasley! That was not fair! If they were going to give the boys a girl, Draco thought that they should at least get a better one than that. She may be pureblooded but she sure didn't act like it. Not to mention, he was fairly certain that Ginevra Weasley lived up to the first name given to her at birth. From what he knew, she was a pure, innocent virgin girl - she wouldn't last 10 seconds with the set of boys those men were going to send her with.

“No, she's seen too much and knows too many of us now - there's only one choice,” the man holding her announced with more excitement evident in his voice than ever now.

`He can't possibly mean -' both Ginny and Draco's minds were reeling with the alternative he was obviously talking about.

But all of their worst thoughts were confirmed when the man pulled out a long, jagged dagger from his pocket. Already showing traces of blood from other victims, the knife gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the trees.

`He can't possibly be serious,' Draco thought to himself, getting up from his sitting position and crouching low, eager to hear what Weasley's fate was.

“She can't be left alive.”

Ginny lost it. Tears began pouring from her eyes harder and faster than she had ever imagined that they could. Her body was racking with the power of her sobs, which could be heard even through her captor's tightly clasped hand. Her world was going to end any second. She would never see her brothers, her parents, Bill's wedding - none of it. Her parents would have to plan a burial service for her at the age of sixteen. It was supposed to be the beginning of fun times, not the end of them. Reality hit her hard when the dagger was raised and lined up with her heart - the man was just holding it in the air, as if to showcase what he was about to do.

All the while, Draco crouched in the bushes, panic coming over his face. What should he do? Save her? Why would he save a Weasley? He hated them, yes, but he had never truly wished death on them - without them, who would he mock? Well, Potter and Mudblood of course - but other than that, he would be left alone. He wasn't like his father in the sense that he could stand by and watch an innocent girl be killed for mere entertainment. Draco was evil, yes - but not ruthless. He had made up his mind.

For a moment, both teenagers were seeing the experience through the same eyes. Everything was going in slow motion, allowing Draco to get to her in time. He leapt from his position into the circle and took hold of her, taking Crabbe by surprise and therefore loosening his grip on the young girl so that Draco was free to take her. The dagger had already been on its way down when Draco grabbed her, so it was no surprise that he took the full blow of the knife in the shoulder.

The wound in his shoulder didn't faze him as he cradled the small-framed redhead in his arms and began to run. Being young, quick, and agile gave him an advantage over the older men, especially since you couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts grounds. He somehow managed to find his way out of the forest much easier than Ginny had found their way into it. Draco paused to look back but saw nothing so he continued to run until he reached the front of the school.

Ginny was not doing as well as Draco was and she had not even been stabbed. She was sobbing and babbling about things that didn't even make sense. Finally, she gave up trying to get her point across and wrapped her arms around his neck and just sobbed into his chest, not even realizing who had saved her.

Slightly shocked by her actions and irritated that she was getting his new shirt wet and bloody, Draco continued to run until he was in the center of the castle's front lawn. Tired and exhausted, he gently laid her down on the dewy grass, her head facing the forest so he could keep an eye on it. In an attempt to protect her, Draco put a hand on either side of her head and a knee on either side of her hips, hoping he could get something coherent out of her.

“Malfoy?” Ginny asked, shocked by this scene. She had just assumed it had been Harry or Ron who had come to her rescue, not her enemy. “Why -”

“Weasley, please be quiet for a moment. I will explain nothing to you - just know that you are lucky to be alive right now - if I hadn't been there, you would be dead,” Draco said.

All Ginny could do was stare up at the man shielding her from anymore potential danger and nod. There would be time for questions later. For now, he vision was getting fuzzy and she was growing tired.

“Weasley, stay awake one minute longer,” Draco commanded, causing her to snap her eyes open and listen for as long as she could, “You owe me little Weasley. That's a wizard's debt and I hope you'll be ready to repay me when I need you to. Do you understand?”

All Ginny could do was nod before she drifted off.

Draco then ran for Dumbledore, hoping that she would be okay for a few seconds. Within minutes Dumbledore was out on the lawn questioning Draco.

“Just how did you know to look for her, Mr. Malfoy?” Dumbledore quizzed him, looking down at the peaceful but battered-looking Ginny.

“I was on my way to the bathroom when I saw that Potter, Granger and the Weasley's were out of bed. I was going to find someone and tell them but I decided that maybe I should come out and make sure that no one was in any real trouble, so I came outside and found the youngest Weasley right here. My guess is that Potter and his friends are still in the forest. That's all I know,” Draco lied to the headmaster.

“Is that so?” Dumbledore asked, looking at his shirt and then to Ginny's face.

“That's all I'm saying,” Draco confirmed.

“Good then - you will be awarded with fifty house points,” the old man said with a smile as he flicked his hand to send the other teachers into the forest.

“I don't really want any recognition for this, Professor. It's not right, what I did or why I did it - don't tell anyone,” Draco said, referring to the fact that if his father found out that the boy who snatched away their joy was his son, he would end up with Ginny's fate. In addition to that, he hadn't saved Ginny's life because he had wanted to, but rather because it was the right thing to do.

“Very well, please report to the Infirmary to see Madame Pomfrey about your wound and then go to bed,” Dumbledore told him.

Draco nodded and walked up the steps, leaving Ginny behind.

Ginny awoke with a start and looked at her clock - it showed only 11:47 at night - she'd only been asleep for about an hour and a half. Her dream had woken her up, giving her an odd feeling.

It hadn't been the first time for her to recall that dreadful night that had occurred just a few years ago, but it was the first time that she had been able to see what had been going on inside Draco Malfoy's mind as well as her own. Now she knew that Draco hadn't been selfless - not that she had thought that before, but she did now know that he was human and did care about human life - even hers. She hadn't been told before that Draco had been hurt in the process of saving her - that put a new spin on things.

That night had been the last time that she had talked to him. She wanted to ask him all year why he had saved her - why he had even been in the forest - but he wouldn't answer her. She never really knew why he wouldn't, she still didn't - but at least her questions were answered, whether she liked it or not.

Ginny rolled over in her comfortable, familiar bed and closed her eyes. She was thankful for him that night. It was because of him that she lived.

Okay! So that was sort of like a Prelude or something like that - it just gives you the background information. No mushy anything! I'm so proud of myself - I resisted the urge. So next chapter is where the story really begins! Review and tell me how you think it's going and I'll post the next chapter probably within the next week!

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2. Happily Ever After

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!

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3. Knight In Shining Armor

A Backwards Fairytale

Chapter 3: Knight In Shining Armor

Disclaimer: None of the names/places/situation/quotes that you may recognize are mine, but are more than likely JK Rowling's, so just assume that that's the case unless I tell you otherwise. Actually, you're smart people, you'll know.

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: This is one of those chapters that I was just waiting to write! I'm so excited about it because everything really comes together here - not to mention that I get to write the first Draco and Ginny scene in this chapter. Don't expect anything but an in-character Draco and Ginny, though. I hope you'll find this entertaining and sometimes funny because I laughed a lot writing it.

Chapter Three: Knight In Shining Armor

Hello there, the angel from my nightmare

-- “I Miss You” by Blink 182

Draco had paced back and forth across the solid wooden floor of one of the manor's many studies all evening long. After learning that his first two options were no longer options, he hadn't gone to retrieve Weasley right away - instead he had come home to do some further thinking.

`Surely there has to be someone else I overlooked - another Slytherin in my year, perhaps even a Ravenclaw?' Draco had gone through the list of classmates he could remember from his Hogwarts days and continually came up blank. Without his father's power, it's not as though he could bully anyone into accepting his arrangement - if they weren't willing, he was out of luck. And any of the girls he could come up with weren't going to come willingly. Cho Chang was married and had two kids already with that prat Michael Corner. Millicent Bullstrode sat clearly on the other side of the fence and therefore would surely refuse his offer and would probably be able to deck him if he tried persuasion. No one else was even coming to mind.

The blond heaved a great sigh of defeat and sat down in the overstuffed chair by the fireplace. Now, how was he going to ask her in a way that would ensure she wasn't going to completely go nutters? Sure, he didn't mind so much if he drove her nutters, but trying to travel with her via broomstick would not be a lot of fun while she was in that state.

“Well, it's not like I'm going to do it properly,” Draco admitted to himself. He didn't have a ring, and even if he did, there's no way he'd want that Weasley filth wearing it about. She'd probably try to pawn it off for grocery galleons anyhow.

Picturing himself asking the copper-headed Weaselette to marry him, made him both chuckle at its ridiculousness and grow nauseated. It would be quite a show though to see what she would say. Maybe she would jump at the chance to be rich and famous for a few months - own something a little less ratty and eat something a little more suitable.

Oh how she was going to have to change!

At best she would have to lose ten pounds or so, he imagined. And of course there would have to be some sort of charms work employed to take care of the rat's nest she called hair. He could remember her from his school days, though not vividly. He spent less time examining her as marriage material and more time trying to upset her - had he known that it would come down to this, maybe he would have - no, he wouldn't have.

“Ariel!” Draco bellowed across the expanse of the manor.

Before he could count to five, he had his little house elf, Ariel at his service.

“What can Ariel do for Young Master Malfoy?” the small creature asked, holding her head high, but shaking slightly.

“I need you to simply stand there as I ask you what to marry me,” Draco said, getting a very confused look from his hired help. “I'm getting engaged Ariel and I need to know how a girl would respond to such questions.”

“Well, sir, Ariel is sure that whomever Master Draco chooses to ask will say yes,” she said warily, unsure if this was a trick.

“Cut the flattery, elf. I need an honest opinion if I want to end up getting married,” Draco said sternly, getting up and beginning his pacing again, leaving out the part that he did not want to get married even a little bit.

“Master Draco is not trying to trick Ariel?” the young house elf asked, excitedly. “Ariel congratulates you, sir!”

“Save it. Congratulations are the last thing I want right now, just hold still there and tell me which to use.” Draco commanded, pointing to a spot in the corner of the room, ten feet or so away from him.

“Yes, sir,” Ariel scampered off to the corner, where she stood, batting her eyelashes at her Master.

`Creepy,' Draco thought. The last thing he needed on top of a Weasley was a love-struck house elf. He took one final breath before turning to face the elf, envisioning her to look more like what he imagined the Weasley would. Of course, the instant he did this, he became sick and instead imagined Blaise Zabini - a lot less revolting. He'd probably have to do this during the real thing to, he imagined.

“I need a wife and you'll do. What do you say?” he asked hopefully, smiling slightly, trying to give off a friendly vibe. As he had never really smiled before, this gesture was a lot less becoming on him and a great deal disturbing.

For lack of a better description of how she had felt upon this proposal (she guessed that's what it was supposed to be?), Ariel involuntarily cringed. Realizing that this would probably not please her Master, she simply said, “Master should work on this and call Ariel back when he is ready.”

“First of all, Ariel, the facial expressions are highly unnecessary and a tad offensive. Second of all, I am ready, but it's not like I've done this before! It will take some practice - that's why I called you up here,” Draco said, deadly calm. Never before had anyone cringed at him - and he wasn't about to let that pattern start with a worthless house elf and end with a Weasley. “Okay, so I admit that approach was not exactly handled delicately, I'll try again.”

Again, he paced a few times before going on.

“Listen, since I'm fairly certain you have nothing better to do with your life, I figured why not get engaged to me? It'll take some work - but I'm sure we can fix you up right as rain,” Draco said again, not smiling this time, but settling on an expression of bored indifference.

Ariel had to fight extremely hard to stop from cringing. In the end, she managed to keep her face straight as she offered her criticism.

“Perhaps Master should say things differently.”

“How so?” Draco asked, bewildered. He had thought that apart from the admittedly alarming `smile' he had attempted during the first go-round, he had been doing well. It was short, simple, honest (which was rare coming from his mouth) and it got his point across.

“There is a stronger possibility that the girl will be overjoyed to Master Draco if Master Draco would be romantic?” Ariel suggested, shrugging her shoulder.

“I really don't see that happening,” Draco said flatly.

The look Ariel was giving him was not at all pleasing, but he knew she was right. Maybe he should try and be more civil. “Fine.”

Ariel stood straight in her place, waiting for Draco to try once more.

“Your hair is really different (though not quite unique as your whole family has the same putrid shade) and so is mine. Let's get together and produce a different-color-haired offspring to take the Malfoy name when I die. And let's also hope that his “different-colored hair” errs more on the side of Malfoy blonde than Weasel orange,” Draco said eloquently.

“That is not quite what Ariel is thinking when Ariel suggests to Master Draco to use more romance,” Ariel said quietly, still astonished by her master's lack of romance. For all the girls he brought home, she had been expecting something a little more than that.

“I don't do romance,” Draco stated simply, getting very irritated with his lack of skill in asking/forcing girls to marry him and eve more irritated at his house elf's obvious inability to lie through her teeth. “How's this?”

Ariel braced herself for the last time.

“You will marry me, or you will die a slow and painful death.”

Draco smirked at his house elf, wondering what kind of “pointers” she would be giving him on that. One glance at Ariel told him exactly what he needed to know as she was cowering in the corner, visibly shaken up by his bluntness.

“Ariel believes the Miss will surely not say no.”

* * *

After fifteen minutes of straightening up Harry's flat, Ginny figured she'd done enough for one night. As she grabbed her light cloak, she looked out the large window in the living room. It was still late evening and the sky was nearing the blackness of nighttime but still held the orange tint of the crisp afternoon. The sun had sunk just below the city visible from the window and it looked like a still night, so Ginny decided that she could walk the six blocks to her own flat instead of Apparating - it would give her time to think, at least.

As she walked out the door, she felt the cool air of October surrounding her. Ginny locked Harry's flat up with the simple spell he always used and began her walk home. She noticed that many kids were still out on the streets, most of them were young children, as Hogwarts was in session once more. Many of them were being closely watched by a parent, but one little six-year-old girl with dark brown hair and eager eyes, had obviously stolen a wand from one of her parents, and was running around trying to come up with spells that made the little boys fall in love with her. Not that any of them were successful - probably because, one - they weren't real spells, and two - the boys were literally running away from her.

This sight made Ginny giggle as she thought of having her own children one day. She wanted a little girl so badly. After spending her childhood with six older brothers, she knew what a handful that boys could be, and she wanted that sweet serenity that came with a little girl. More than anything, Ginny wanted a little girl who would tell her all her secrets, who would let her dress her up and do her hair, and who she could just sit and cuddle with. As she turned down the alley that would lead right up to her house, she wondered what Harry wanted - girls or boys. Probably a boy to pass his name on to, she decided.

Shocked, Ginny wondered how she could even think about children with Harry when he hadn't even proposed to her yet. He had all but promised a future together, though. As consoling a thought as that was, she still found it eerie to picture kids with a man she wasn't even engaged to. But, when she thought about it, they would be beautiful kids. The boys would be miniature Harrys (without the telltale scar), running wild, playing Quidditch with the flawless looks of a Potter. The girls would hopefully have the same black hair and green eyes. She had never cared for her own generic red hair and brown eyes that told the world of her Weasley heritage - it leaves no mystery, only room for assumptions.

The wind was rustling the red, orange, yellow and brown leaves and sending them into a frenzy of colorful whirlwinds. Fall was Ginny's favorite season, there was so much beautiful color, color that enhanced her natural features and kept her red hair from standing out. It was almost completely dark outside by the time that the redhead reached the end of the alley, so when she felt someone grasp her arm, she was shaken up. At first, when she whirled around, she couldn't tell who it was that wanted her attention bad enough to grip her so hard, but the moment that he backed her into the wall and leaned in, she could tell his identity right away by the aristocratic features that were outlined in the dim moonlight.

“Malfoy?” Ginny asked, more shocked than anything. After their one encounter in the forest, he had never spoken to her again unless he was taunting her. His graduation day was the last day that she'd ever seen him.

“Dangerous for such a young Weasel to be out walking so late at night, wouldn't you say?” Draco asked, the taunting edge in his voice evident in the crisp night air.

“It's not that late,” Ginny stuttered, still shocked by his arrival. His motions had gone so undetected by her that it had unnerved her.

“Past your bed time, Weaslette,” Draco shot back. He was being overly nasty of course; she did look much older than he remembered her being at school. Last time he had seen her, she had been a young girl of sixteen, today she looked the nineteen years she was.

“I don't have a bedtime, Malfoy. I think I'm a little old for things of that nature,” Ginny retorted.

“I never would have guessed. You weren't at a boy's house were you, Weasley? Because I don't think your parents would be pleased with their baby at a boy's house without supervision - especially after dark,” Malfoy taunted, carping her youthful look.

“I was at a boy's house actually. Not that it's any of your business where I've been. I am not a child anymore, Malfoy and I don't expect to be treated like one,” Ginny said, her temper growing short.

“If you insist, Weasel,” Draco said, sounding unconvinced.

“Why are you here?” Ginny demanded a little more forcefully than she had intended to. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to pay the price for what she'd said. Luckily, Malfoy seemed unfazed.

“You see, Weasley, something has come up that demands my full attention. I would do it on my own if I could, but as it turns out, that's not quite possible. I've gone to every other option I have, but it seems that they all have lives to live and can't be bothered by my problems. The only person my mind keeps coming back to appears to be you,” Draco said, loosening the grip on her arms now that he had gained her full attention.

“I don't really understand. Why do you need me to help you?” Ginny questioned, “And how do you know that I don't have a life, as well?”

“Well, actually, I don't know that - but that makes no difference to me because time is running short and you owe me. A wizard's debt is unbreakable, is it not?” Draco smirked.

Ginny looked absolutely horrified at the thought of actually having to repay that debt to him. She had never thought he would actually want her to pay him back, seeing as he was always so stubborn about not needing any Weasleys helping him out. But now, he had come for her and Ginny was terrified as to what this could mean. All she could do was nod her head.

“I know that this will sound rash and extremely uncharacteristic for me as a Malfoy, but as I've already told you, time is running out,” Draco explained.

“What is it?” Ginny asked, holding her chin up, hoping desperately that it wasn't that bad, even though she knew that he could ask her to do anything in the world and she would have to do it.

“I need a fiancé,” Draco said bluntly, searching her face for only a brief moment before seeing the revolted look on her face. He poked her forcefully on her left arm, causing her to wince. “I believe there's a Muggle game called tag, in which one person runs around like a chicken with their head cut off until they can catch someone slower than themselves. It seems that everyone else I've asked is much faster than I am - but you are slow and unprepared… therefore I am forced to say it, but - you're it.”

“I can't possibly,” Ginny said, disgusted at him. What kind of man was so desperate for a woman to marry that he would have to force her to marry him? You'd think that at least one person would be shallow enough to go for his money - but no, now she was stuck with him.

“Do you have a husband? A fiancé? A life-partner, perhaps? A chronic illness?” Draco asked, knowing the answer to all of these questions already, having surveyed her hands and knowing that he could easily find out if she had any sort of illnesses that couldn't be cured.

“Well, n-no, not exactly,” Ginny stuttered, becoming more and more fearful of her obligations.

“Then I believe that you must do what I ask of you, Weasley,” Draco sneered, looking down on her. “I, more than anyone, am aware of how rash and uncultured this request is and just thinking of being married to you sends shivers up my spine. But luckily for both of us, we only have to be engaged for the time being, not married. So in a few months you can go back to your pitiful life with your over-populated family and we will no longer have any reason to be together.”

“I- I can't,” was Ginny's only reply. She began looking at her shoes, not able to look this hideous man in the eye. If only she had stayed at Harry's, or allowed him to walk her home… But then, it probably would have happened another time.

“You can and you will. I'm giving you twenty four hours to be back here in this very alleyway with one small bag - you shouldn't need much. I will be here to meet you and we will make the journey to Malfoy Manor where you will live for a short time. Tell your family what you like but there is to be a constricted flow of communication so don't expect too much,” Draco said snottily as he released her entirely and backed away as if to say that he would leave her for now, “And Weasley? If that mouth of yours goes off spouting this information to anyone, you won't be seeing your family again. Got it?”

He didn't stick around for the answer.

Stunned, Ginny stared at the brick wall across from her in the alley, determined not to cry. What was going to happen now? She couldn't possibly leave Harry without an explanation after the talk they had just had about getting married and starting a family. This was all too sudden. But then, there was nothing she could do about now, was there? If only she had not followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into the Forest three years ago…then she would never have had to deal with Malfoy.

Defenseless, Ginny slid down the wall to her knees and began to sob.

* * *

As Draco Apparated back to his small cottage on the edge of the Malfoy property, he thought about the terrible decision he had just been forced to make… disownment and likely death vs. being engaged to a Weasley. It was a close call but in the end he had to go with Weasley - even if it almost killed him. It helped the situation immensely that they would be engaged only in theory and a wedding would not actually have to happen for the deal to be sealed.

Hopefully, Lucius would fall for the plan; if not - both him and Weasley were inevitably doomed to death. Any major offense on Draco's part could evoke terrible or even fatal consequences at this crucial point in Lucius' life.

He would just have to be sure that their plan stayed a secret. And he knew just how to do it.

* * *

So that's the end of the third chapter! Soon these updates are going to slow down so take your take reading it - it'll probably be a week at least before I update again! Reviews anyone?

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