This is my first fic :) it is un-beta'd and I have tried to make sure everything's okay.
Please read and review, I appreciate your comments!
The Invite
Ginny sat looking wordlessly at the piece of parchment in her right hand. Who? And more importantly, why? Anyone who was anyone had an invitation to the annual Ministry of Magic Grande Masque, anyone who was famous that is, and who would ever think of asking a Weasley?
She flipped the parchment over and re-read it, checking she wasn't being subjected to yet another of Fred and George's new products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, but no, it really was an invitation to the masque and Miss Ginevra Weasley really was the name printed on it.
Ginny sighed and tossed the parchment onto the kitchen counter, before collapsing on the sofa in the living room. She had acquired her flat three years ago after the completion of her hogwarts education with her boyfriend, Harry Potter. Unfortunately she and Harry had decided to go their seperate ways soon afterwards and since then the flat had been hers alone. She still remembered the night he'd left.
"Gin I'm sorry," he yelled "I never meant for any of this to happen!"
"You bastard!" Ginny screamed and started throwing the sofa cushions at him. "Don't you dare walk in here and say you're sorry! It's not good enough, I can't do this anymore Harry." She spun on her heels and stalked into their bedroom and began to angrily summon all her things together. Harry walked into the room silently behind her. "I'm sorry," he said, sitting on the bed and inviting her to do the same. "I never wanted to hurt you Gin, but the spark's just gone between us and I think it's better for the both of us if we stop this now, and move on." Ginny stared at him, openmouthed before calmly stating, "I guess you've found your spark with Hermione now then huh?" Harry met her eyes with his own before looking at the floor and slowly nodded. Ginny sighed, "I suppose I'd rather know now than two years down the line," Harry stood and made motions to leave, summoning his stuff and sending Ginny's back to its rightful places. "You keep the flat," he quietly stated when he reached the door, "I'm truly sorry Gin,".
Ginny still remembered the hours she'd spent weeping that night into Harry's pillow, and how for days no one had been able to make her return to her normal routine. Finally after a week of moping and feeling sorry for herself she'd decided to stop being so pathetic and pull herself together. Over the last two years she and Harry had found a way to be friends, and last week the invitation to Harry and Hermione's wedding had been delivered to the flat. Ginny was happy for them both, she saw now that they were always meant to be, but she was lonely.
She turned her mind back to the parchment sitting on her kitchen counter. "I can't go," she said to herself, "Its a joke, a mistake, no one in their right mind would have invited me. I've got nothing to wear anyway, I shan't go," and with this final thought she put it firmly out of her head and began to think of other things, such as her dress fitting tomorrow for the wedding.
"Ginny, do stand still!" cried Hermione from the neighbouring stool. "You'll just get pierced with a needle again," The two young women stood on stools in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occaisions, Hermione dressed in a beautiful white gown that emphasised her natural beauty, and Ginny clad in a beautiful gown of a spicy green that went beautifully with her red hair. "I'm sorry Herms, but I have an itch!" Ginny cried in response before promptly falling off the stool whilst trying to scratch her foot. Hermione sighed, Ginny was awfully clumsy and at times she wondered why she'd asked her to be her only bridesmaid. Ginny got to her feet, rather red faced, "I got it," she said sheepishly. Hermione giggled. She thought to herself that then there were times like this when she remembered that she'd chosen her because she was her best friend, and nothing had changed that over the years, not even her love for Harry. Hermione still remembered the day that Ginny had confronted her about her relationship with Harry.
"How could you, you were my best friend!" The red-headed witch screamed at her now ex-best friend very close to tears.
"Gin please just listen to me," Ginny cut her off mid-sentence.
"I'm not interested Hermione. You've made your feelings very clear, you and Harry are welcome to each other because I never want to see either of you again. I hope you're happy now." With that the younger witch spun on her heels and started to stalk away, her pent up tears beginning to flow freely. Hermione, not caring if she'd listen to reason or not, dashed after her, desperate to get her message through.
"I never meant to hurt you Gin, you're my best friend in the world, but things just happened." as she caught up to the angry redhead she grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. "Just give me a chance to explain, then you can feel free to hate me as much as you like. Please Gin."
Ginny stared at her for a minute, then slowly nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak.
Half an hour later, the two were to be found at Hermione's flat sitting on the sofa with Ginny sobbing into Hermione's shoulder. "It's just, I feel so, so, betrayed!" she sobbed, "I really loved him, with all my heart. I honestly thought he was going to ask me to marry him." Hermione rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her and murmured soothing words to her.
"I know Gin, I know and I am so sorry to do this to you. I hate to see you so hurt, I'm such an unfeeling hag!" Ginny's head shot up at this exclamation and she shook it vehemently.
"There is no way that I blame you for this. I guess I don't really blame Harry either. You never meant to hurt me, I see that. I just feel like such an idiot. Things hadn't been great between Harry and me for ages, I just refused to see it." The two women hugged and Hermione whispered
"I'm still sorry Gin,"
Hermione sighed. She had convinced Ginny that she and Harry had never meant to hurt her, over several pints of ice cream and cookies and once Ginny had accepted this, she had been forgiven whole-heartedly. Ginny had been so supportive of their relationship after that and now was happy to be Hermione's bridesmaid at her wedding. She was truly grateful to still have Ginny around.
The two women finished their fittings, thankfully without any more clumsy moments from Ginny, and headed off up Diagon Alley to Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour. Sitting at their favourite table in the sunshine Ginny suddenly remembered the parchment sitting on her kitchen counter. 'Hermione,' she said, "I got a letter yesterday inviting me to the Ministry Grand Masque, did you have anything to do with it?" She looked expectantly at her friend, the fiance of the Head Auror. Surely Hermione had organised Ginny's invitation.
"No Gin," the brunette witch replied, looking very surprised. "I tried really hard to get extra invitations for you, Ron, Luna and Neville, but they told me that they were fully booked and couldn't issue anymore. Surely the invitation says who sent it?".
"No it doesn't," Ginny replied. "I've got no idea, if it wasn't you then who would send it? I mean, who would invite a Weasley with no money and a second rate journalism career."
Hermione looked horrified. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, don't you ever put yourself down like that again. You are worth at least ten of all those society bints that will be expected to arrive at that masque!"
Ginny looked at the floor rather sheepishly, "I'm sorry Hermione, I only meant that I haven't got a famous boyfriend, and I'm not exactly a high-flier am I?"
Hermione tutted loudly and gave Ginny a hard look. "High flier or not, you've received an invitation so you're coming."
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes at the brunette witch, "I can't actually go Herms, people will just look at me and wonder why I'm there."
"Stuff and nonsense," cried Hermione. "You've been invited and you're going so the only thing we've got to worry about is what you're going to wear!"
Ginny opened her mouth to protest, before deciding that Hermione was right. She had received an invitation to that masque, that parchment was worth a fortune. There were people everywhere who would kill for one, and she was damn well going to go. Her only issue now was what she was going to wear, the masque was on Saturday and today was Thursday!
"Okay Herms, you're on. I'm coming," Hermione looked very pleased, until she noticed the worried look on her friend's face. "But what the hell am I going to wear???"
The young man stared into the fire and sighed deeply. He was inwardly panicking, had he done the right thing in inviting her to the masque? She had always hated him, and with good reason, but he couldn't get the beautiful redhead out of his mind. He'd first realise how beautiful she was two years ago, shortly after her breakup with Potter. She had come screaming into the Ministry demanding to see Granger immediately.
"I don't care if she's in a meeting, I have to see her NOW!," shrieked Ginny at the top of her voice. Maud Wilcox, Granger's secretary visibly cringed from the sheer volume erupting from Ginny. Blaise Zabini, leaned over and whispered to Draco,
"I wouldn't refuse her, she looks about ready to murder someone." Malfoy looked in the direction the commotion was coming from. It was indeed true, Ginny's hair was running wild and unruly down her back and her hands were planted on her hips as she screamed at Granger's poor secretary.
"I don't envy Wilcox right now," smirked Malfoy, "Something's really pissed Weaslette off."
Draco and Blaise turned to go, lunch was beckoning, when a small redheaded tornado knocked into Draco's shoulder. Ginny had evidently given up on screaming at Maud Wilcox and had decided to leave. "Oh I'm sorry," Ginny exclaimed as she realised that she'd bumped into someone. "I wasn't really paying attention." Her face clouded as she saw who it was she had bumped. Draco simply stared at her, noticing a multitude of things. Her anger was still evident, and the freckles on her nose and cheeks stood out against her milk-white skin. Her chocolate brown eyes were alive with sparks of anger and annoyance and she looked nothing short of beautiful to him. He checked himself just in time and replied with a suitable Malfoy sneer.
"I can see that Weasley, we could hear you scream from the elevators." Outrage was visible on Ginny's face, but instead of screaming at him like he could tell she wanted, she turned on her heel and stalked to the front door, eyes still blazing. He stared after her, wondering why on earth he suddenly found her attractive, he must be going mad.
"Mate, you coming?" Blaise asked, hovering by the entrance.
"Yeah, yeah I'm ready," he replied, snapping out of his daydream and the two men made their way out of the Ministry towards the Leaky Cauldron and lunch.
He ran his fingers through his hair in an exasperated fashion. Over the next few months fate had had it in for him and he'd seen Ginny at least five times and each time her beauty had struck him and stayed implanted in his mind. Her eyes, those amazing deep chestnut orbs seemed burned into his mind. When he closed his eyes to sleep she would often pop up in his dreams. She was plaguing him and it had gotten so bad that others had started noticing.
"Are you alright mate?" Blaise asked, looking worriedly at Draco. "You seem kind of spaced out."
Draco shook himself and figured that he had to pull himself together. "Yeah I'm fine," he replied.
"I'm nothing like fine," he thought to himself. He had just seen Ginny across the road with Granger, the back-stabbing wench, having a coffee. He clenched his fists inadvertantly, he wanted to kill Potter for upsetting Ginny last year. "Um, Draco?" Blaise's tone shocked Draco back into the present. "You're not fooling anyone mate," Blaise whispered. "It's the way you stare at her."
Blaise finding out had been a nightmare, he hadn't let it go for weeks until Draco had admitted his feelings. It got a whole lot worse when his mother noticed that something was up.
"Draco sweetie?," Narcissa Malfoy asked. "Are you alright dear?" Draco inwardly cursed himself. He'd seen Ginny again in Diagon Alley while shopping with his mother and couldn't help but stare at her. "Draco," Narcissa's voice said again. "Draco honey, have you been listening to a word that I've been saying to you." Her annoyed tone shocked him into reality. He simply stared at her for a moment before swiftly replying that of course he had been listening to every word that she'd said. She had simply stated, "Staring at her will never get you anywhere son," before striding off up the street beckoning to her stunned son to follow her.
He let out a sigh, he had finally been forced to admit that he was falling for Ginny and he knew that she would never want him and that was his fault. Finally after two years of loving her from afar, he had snapped and sent that bloody invitation. He hadn't even put who'd sent it. Now he just had to pray that she showed up and hope he got a chance to talk to her, to convince her he'd changed and to give him a chance.
He drained his glass of firewhiskey and stood up. "It's a masque" he thought, she wouldn't even have to know who he was. He decided that on saturday he would try to make her see that he'd changed. Zabini had been right, he really had got nothing to lose.
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