Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Summary: When Ginevra's father leaves on a business trip, she asks for one gift on his return. Little does she know the consequences of a simple red rose. AU.
Inspired by The Grimm Brothers' The Lady and the Lion, and DisneyÕs Beauty and the Beast.
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Chapter Two
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"Lady Ginevra, it is time for you to wake up," Marietta said softly, shaking her awake.
Ginevra opened her eyes with a small yawn.
"Good morning, Marietta," she said, smiling at her.
"Good morning. Your mother says that it is time for breakfast. You slept in," Marietta said.
"Please tell Mother that I will be down in a moment," Ginevra said, sitting up.
"Of course," Marietta said with a curtsy, quickly leaving Ginevra's room, closing the door behind her.
Ginevra looked around her room fondly and on seeing her packed trunk by her bed, she remembered that this morning would be her last with her family. She changed into her best robes quickly, not wanting to miss another moment. Hurrying downstairs, Ginevra slowed her pace to the appropriate speed and entered the dining room.
"Oh, Mother! You must have spent all night cooking!" Ginevra exclaimed, seeing the various foods set out on the table.
Molly smiled at Ginevra, happy that she was pleased.
"Not the entire night. I had help, of course," she said, kissing Ginevra's cheek lightly. "You look lovely, dear," Molly said, trying to keep her tears at bay.
"Thank you, Mother," Ginevra said, hugging her tightly. "Do not worry. I will be fine," she whispered.
"Wow. Does anyone mind if I start eating now?" Ronald asked, seeing all of the food.
"Not yet, Ronald. We will wait for your brothers and father, as always," Molly said, a smile still spreading on her face.
"Very well, Mother," Ron replied with a disappointed sigh.
"Would you like me to go get everyone?" Ginevra asked.
"No, dear. You stay here and make sure that Ronald does not eat everything while I am gone," Molly said, half-heartedly glaring at her son over her daughter's shoulder.
"Yes, Mother," Ginevra said with a smile.
She gave Ronald a brief hug and kiss, sitting next to him.
"Ginevra. Just one crumpet! Please?" Ronald begged.
"Do not eat it too quickly, brother dearest," Ginevra said with a grin.
Ron's face lit up and he grabbed a crumpet, eating it quickly. Just as he swallowed the last part, Molly came back into the dining room, Frederick, George and Arthur following.
Everyone sat at the table and waited for Arthur to take the first bite. He looked at his family, watching him expectantly.
"I think that the formalities should be held off for today. Everyone may eat," he said smiling at them all.
He tried not to laugh as he heard Ronald thank the gods and watched as he started eating immediately.
Everyone ate happily, Arthur calling the servants in to join them. Marietta sat next to Ronald and she took one of his hands, blushing lightly.
Silence fell immediately as the door bell clanged three times. Arthur looked at Ginevra for a moment, before getting up and going to the front door quickly.
She followed him and watched as her father opened the door to reveal a young man. Arthur stared at him; not because of the expensive robes that he was wearing, or due to the two men standing behind him. The reason that Arthur stared at him was because of the freshly cut red rose on his robe.
"Good morning. You are Lord Arthur Weasley, I presume?" the man asked, with a bow.
"Yes," Arthur replied slowly, trying to stop his heart from beating so fast.
"Excellent. I am Blaise Zabini. We are here to collect the young lady," he said formally.
Ginevra gave a sigh and stepped out into the corridor. She went over to her father and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Ginevra, please. You do not have to do this. I am sure they will take me instead," Arthur said, turning to plead with Blaise.
"It is all right, Father. Take care of Mother for me," she said, kissing his cheek. "I will be down presently. I am just going to get my belongings," Ginevra said to Blaise.
He bowed deeply to her and watched as she left the corridor. "You should not worry, Lord Arthur. Your daughter will not be harmed," he said reassuringly.
Arthur just nodded, sighing wearily. He slumped against the door frame and tried to steady his erratic breathing.
Ginevra walked down the staircase, her trunk floating behind her.
Blaise smiled inwardly. If his Lord did not fall in love with this woman then he was stupid as well as heartless...
The trunk gently stopped and descended to the floor, landing lightly. Everyone followed her outside, sombre and sad.
"Lady Weasley," Blaise said with a bow. "Allow us to take the trunk for you," he said.
With a click of his fingers, the two men behind him stepped forward and picked the trunk up easily. They carried the trunk to their waiting carriage, then got up on the coach, taking the reins.
"I trust that you have farewelled everyone?" Blaise asked.
Ginevra nodded bravely. "Yes, I have. Goodbye, Father," she said, hugging him tightly.
She kissed him fondly and gave him a brave and reassuring smile before letting Blaise lead her to the carriage.
Blaise helped her into the carriage, climbing in after her. He shut the door firmly and a second later, the carriage started moving down the drive.
Ginevra looked out of the window. She smile and waved, watching as Ron hugged a sobbing Marietta. Frederick and George waved back, not smiling at all. Arthur and Molly hung onto each other. Harold, Darla and Wilson waved sadly.
With a sigh, Ginevra sat back down properly and looked at the man in front of her.
"Are you the lion?" she asked.
Blaise chuckled and shook his head.
"Nay, the lion is not I," he said with a smile.
"What use has the lion for me?" Ginevra asked.
"It was a trade. A life for the rose your father took," Blaise replied.
"That does not answer the question I asked," Ginevra pointed out.
Blaise just smirked at her. His Lord was going to love her.
...
Waving until they couldn't see the carriage any longer, Harold and Daria ushered everyone inside. Wilson watched as everyone went inside reluctantly and hung his head.
It was all his fault. If he had made sure that Lord Arthur hadn't gone inside that awful place then none of this would have happened! Ginevra would still be here. He should have done something!
Marietta let go of Ronald reluctantly, sniffing her tears away. She gave him a weak smile and returned to her chores.
"Lord Arthur! Lady Molly!" Marietta called, hurrying down the staircase, her skirts bunched up in her hands.
"What is it, Marietta? What is wrong?" Ronald asked, grabbing her by the shoulders to both stop her from running and to stop her yelling.
"Ginevra ... She left ... presents for you all," Marietta said between puffs of breath.
"Ginevra did what?" Arthur asked, coming into the corridor.
"She left presents for everyone," Marietta repeated.
"Molly! Go find the twins then come upstairs!" Arthur called, going up the staircase.
Ronald and Marietta looked at each other then quickly followed Arthur upstairs to Ginevra's room. In a few minutes, Molly arrived with Frederick and George immediately behind her.
"What is wrong?" Frederick and George asked, moving past their mother nimbly to get to their father. "Oh..." they murmured, seeing the presents arranged on Ginevra's bed.
"Can we... Can we open them?" Ronald asked tentatively.
"It is what Ginevra wanted us to do," Arthur said with a nod, handing Ronald's present to him.
Ronald opened it eagerly. "A cookbook?" he exclaimed, his face downcast. "Are you sure this is for me, Father?"
"Check inside the cover," Frederick and George said.
Ronald opened the book and saw Ginevra's handwriting.
"Dear Ronald. These are for you to cook yourself. Do not make Mother and Daria cook them! Love Ginevra. Post script, I have tagged the recipes I know that you will like," Ronald read out.
Arthur smiled at his son's crestfallen face, then handed the two presents to Fred and George.
"Gred, I do believe this one is yours," Frederick said, passing the present to his brother.
"Then this one must be yours, Forge," George said giving him the other one.
They opened their presents as eagerly as Ronald had.
"A wand?" they said, frowning.
"There is a note with it," Molly pointed out, indicating to the fallen piece of parchment.
"Try to do a spell and you will see the difference it makes. Love Ginevra," Frederick and George read out.
They pointed their wands at each other and said the Jelly Legs Curse. With a bang, the wands turned into long chickens.
"Oh dear," Molly sighed, shaking her head. "Now I will have to watch my wand even more than usual."
"This present is for you, dear," Arthur said, passing it to her.
Molly opened it carefully and gasped as she saw what was inside. A new shawl lay there, a small note on top.
"I apologise for any holes there may be. You know how horrible my knitting is. Love Ginevra," Molly read, her eyes filling with tears. She held up the shawl to reveal five small holes in it, a watery smile on her face.
"I can fix up the holes if you would like," Marietta offered.
"No. It is all right, thank you, Marietta. My daughter made this and I am not going to change what she has done," Molly said firmly.
"Yes, Lady Molly," Marietta said with an understanding nod.
"What present did Ginevra give you, Father?" Frederick and George asked grinning at him.
"I will open mine last. Marietta, this is for you," Arthur said, handing the present to her.
Marietta took it and opened it quickly, trying not to seem too eager or selfish. She gasped in surprise at the writing set she had been given. Two quills, a roll of parchment and two ink bottles. It looked very expensive.
"Oh no. I can not accept this," she said, touching the quills lovingly.
"You can and you will accept it, Marietta. Ginevra bought it for you," Frederick and George said seriously.
Marietta nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "If you will excuse me for a moment," she said quietly, leaving the room.
She did not want to cry in front of the Master and his family, especially not in front of Ronald!
"I will go see to her," Ronald said, going after her.
"Harold, for you," Arthur said.
Harold moved forward and with a small bow, took the offered box and opened it carefully. A small bark was heard and he stared at the young puppy in the box, smiling broadly as it licked his fingers.
"He will need to be fed every day and will require milk for a few weeks. Love Ginevra," he read out the small note. Lifting the puppy out of the box, Harold cradled it to him softly.
"Daria." Arthur said, passing the present to her.
"Thank ye, Lord Arthur," she said, taking it and opening the present slowly. "Oh my goodness!" she said happily.
Daria revealed a pot plant; a beautiful primrose growing in it.
"That is a lovely plant," Molly said smiling at her.
"Oh, aye. She is a beauty all righ'," Daria said.
"Wilson," Arthur said, holding out the present to him.
"Nay, Lord Arthur. I am not worthy of any gifts," Wilson said, stepping back. "It was my fault all of this happened and I will not accept a present in return for failing you," he said sombrely.
"None of this is your fault, Wilson! Now take the present Ginevra has given to you," Arthur said.
Extremely reluctantly, Wilson stepped forward and took the offered gift. He opened it grudgingly, and a smile could not help but spread across his face when he saw the gifts. It faded in a few seconds, Wilson reprimanding himself silently for being joyous while Ginevra was under some beast's control.
"Well? Wha' did ye get from Ginevra?" Daria asked eagerly.
"She sewed a pillow for me when I'm on the coach," Wilson said, a break in his voice. "And a teddy bear," he added, laughing and crying at the same time. "Excuse me," he said, ashamed of himself for crying in front of them.
Even Marietta had more sense than to cry in front of Lord Arthur and his family! He left the room quickly. Daria excused herself too and went after him, Harold following.
"What about your present, Father? Will you open it now?" Frederick and George asked.
"Yes, I will open it now, if only to ease your curiosity," he said giving the twins a brief smile.
Arthur tried to keep his hands steady as he opened the present Ginevra had addressed to him. The wrapping fell away and Arthur paled, his eyes filling with tears.
Holding the red origami rose in his hand, he wept for the loss of his daughter.
...
"Lady Weasley. It is time to wake up now," Blaise said, shaking her lightly.
Ginevra's eyes flew open and she moved away quickly.
"I apologise. I did not mean to startle you," Blaise said with a smile.
"It is fine, thank you. I did not mean to fall asleep," she said, covering her yawn with her hand.
"We will arrive in a few minutes. I thought you may have desired time to make yourself presentable for my Lord."
"Who is he exactly? I thought I knew of everyone in the surrounding neighbourhoods. I have never heard of a beast as a lord of a castle, except in books," Ginevra said, determined to get a straight answer from Blaise this time.
"You enjoy reading?" he asked with a smile.
Ginevra could have screamed. She was being polite and asking fairly reasonable questions and this man kept avoiding any answers! She just wanted to know what it was going to be like in her new home.
"Yes, I do. Would you mind answering my question now?" Ginevra asked, barely suppressing a very unladylike glare.
"We have arrived," one of the boys said, knocking on the roof.
"Thank you, Gregory," Blaise replied.
Turning to Ginevra, he handed her a mirror out of thin air.
"You should have enough time to fix your hair at least," Blaise said. "First impressions are always the last impression with my Lord," he said seriously.
Taken aback by both his tone and words, Ginevra gingerly took the mirror and looked into it. She grimaced at the state of her hair and straightened it as best as she could with her wand.
"Lovely," Blaise said with a smile.
The horses neighed once and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Blaise steadied Ginevra, having expected it, then opened the door and got out of the carriage quickly.
"Gregory, please go inform our Lord that Lady Ginevra Weasley has arrived," Blaise said. "Vincent, put the horses in their stables immediately," he instructed.
They both bowed and hurried off to do his bidding. Blaise returned to the carriage and opened the door. Ginevra quickly stopped trying to open the other door with both her hands and wand, looking at him with a slightly guilty grin.
"You can not blame me for trying," she said quietly.
"Indeed not," Blaise said with a slight nod of his head. "Lady Ginevra," he said, offering her his hand.
Warily taking it, Ginevra allowed him to help her out of the carriage and on to the grass floor beneath them.
"How is it spring inside the castle walls and winter beyond them?" she asked herself rather than Blaise, knowing that he probably would not answer her questions.
"It is a spell that surrounds the castle and my Lord's grounds," Blaise informed her quietly.
"Blaise! You should not keep her outside like that. Bring the dear girl inside!" a voice said from nearby.
Ginevra looked around, only to see a tall, blonde woman standing at the entrance of the large castle.
"Ginevra is to meet with the Lord," Blaise replied.
She noticed that his tone had changed to one of disdain, but the woman at the entrance did not seem to notice.
"He is in one of his moods today, so you had best be wary," Narcissa said.
Blaise nodded curtly and led Ginevra inside quickly, hiding his frown.
"Who was that woman?" she asked him softly.
"She is Lady Narcissa Malfoy, the Lord's mother," Blaise replied. "Wait in the Lord's study and warm yourself by the fire. My Lord will be here momentarily," he said, opening a door for her.
Ginevra walked inside and sat down reluctantly. Having heard the door lock, Ginevra knew that there was no point in trying to escape. Going over to a window, she found that it was locked too and no amount of spells she performed was able to unlock it.
Sitting on the large chair, Ginevra wondered what would become of her and who exactly this mysterious Lord was. Blaise had told her no information about him at all, despite her persistence of the topic.
After a few minutes of waiting, Ginevra stood and went over to the bookcase. She read the titles with interest, trying to ascertain exactly what type of person this Lord might be.
The door opened and the candles flickered at the intrusion. Ginevra quickly turned to see a man standing at the door. He strode over to a chair and sat in it, motioning for her to sit across from him. She did so, sizing him up at the same time.
The man had blonde, almost white, hair that was pulled into a ponytail much like the one her brother William had. His eyes were a mix between silver and grey and he did not look very happy.
"So your father met you first, did he?" the man asked, his voice as cold as his eyes.
"Yes," Ginevra replied, fighting the instinct to stammer in fear.
"I am the Lord of this manor. I have been told that you have already met my mother," he stated.
Ginevra was startled. This man was the Lord? Hadn't her father said he was a lion?
"Follow me to your room," the man said.
"Room?" she echoed, still slightly shocked.
"Would you rather stay in the dungeon?" the man asked mockingly, standing and leaving the study.
Realising that she was alone in the study, Ginevra hurried after the man. He didn't even look back at her.
"Do you have a name, or do you require me to address you as Lord?" Ginevra asked, her tone slightly sarcastic.
"You have not introduced yourself either," the man said.
"You are the ... host," she said for lack of a better word, "It is customary for the host to introduce themselves first," Ginevra said firmly.
She could not believe that she was speaking to him in such a manner. If she had ever spoken like this in public, she would have been flogged!
The man stopped abruptly, Ginevra bumping into him. He turned and looked down at her, a smirk on his unkind face.
"Very well then. I must not be anything but customary!" he said sarcastically. "I am Lord Draconius Malfoy. You may call me Lord Draconius," he added with a deep and flourishing bow, one that Ginevra was sure was to mock her.
"I am Lady Ginevra," she responded, curtsying in return.
She had been patient with Blaise and now it seemed that she would have to be exceptionally patient with Lord Malfoy! Her patience was starting to run quite thin.
"This is your room. Someone will come for you when dinner is served," Draconius said formally, opening the door for her.
"I am not hungry, thank you," Ginevra said, stepping into the room.
"You have not eaten since breakfast presumably, and yet you are not hungry? I find that very unlikely, Lady Ginevra," Draconius sneered.
"I had a large breakfast. I will not require dinner," Ginevra responded.
How she would like to glare at him!
"Very well. If you do not eat dinner with me, then you will not eat at all," Draconius replied.
"You wish me to starve?" Ginevra asked in disbelief.
"Not when it is not necessary. As you have clearly said, I am the host and it is customary for ... guests to dine with the host, is it not?" Draconius asked with a smirk. "Now, I will ask again. Will you be dining with me?"
"No. Thank you," Ginevra said, forcing out the words between her clenched teeth.
"Then you shall starve until you dine with me tomorrow night," Draconius said, closing the door.
Ginevra stared after Draconius in shock. His words registered in her mind properly and she frowned.
"He only eats once a day?" she murmured.
Shaking her head, Ginevra sat on the bed. Shock flowed through her in continuous waves. She had lost her family, her friends, as well as the only home that she had ever known. Everything, including her freedom had been taken from her, all for a single rose.
Ginevra curled up on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
...
End of the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!
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