. . . . . .
That would be the greatest misfortune of all! – to find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! – Jane Austen
. . . . . .
Draco went wearily up to bed that night. His mind was full of everything that had just happened, and everything it entailed: Pansy had heard them fight; she was going to consider it a sign that she had a chance; what would he do to convince her otherwise? And on top of that, his thoughts kept going back to the source of it all- his and Ginny’s fight.
They’d never fought like that. They bickered quite a bit, and they’d even been angry and refused to speak with each other a time or two, but they’d never yelled at each other before. Draco prided himself on his self-control; it was something Lucius had held in high esteem, and in this, like in so many other things, Draco had tried to emulate his father. Of course, for so many years growing up Draco’d had no real self-control at all- his frequent fights with Harry Potter were proof of that- but in the time since then he’d learned to tame his emotions much better. But now he’d gone and shouted at Ginny.
Ginny was asleep when he got to the bedroom. Draco wasn’t sure if he was glad about that; they needed to talk, but he didn’t particularly want to just then. Quickly and quietly he prepared for bed and lay down, noticing with a wry smile that she’d taken the left side. Beside him she was breathing quietly, and he watched her a moment, wondering what he would say to her in the morning.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait that long. He thought he’d been quiet, so he was surprised when Ginny suddenly spoke. “Do I really try to run your life?” she asked bluntly.
“Ginny, I was just angry.”
“But do I?”
He paused a moment, wondering what exactly was the proper response to avoid getting his head bitten off. “You do tend to . . . show a lot of interest in other people’s business,” he said. “But I suppose that’s because you want everyone to be happy, and you feel, somehow, that it’s your responsibility to make sure they are.”
She sighed and turned to face him, resting her head on her arms. “I know, I really do. I guess being the only girl, I was always expected to keep the peace.” She was quiet a moment. “But do I really try to control your life?”
Draco smirked. “You do have a habit of telling me why my ‘high-class upbringing’ is wrong.”
With a groan she buried her face in her pillow, and Draco, knowing he’d said the wrong thing, reached out to touch her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he tried to look comforting. “No, really, you’re fine. You can be a bit nosy sometimes, but really, you’re a good kid.” That was a very un-Draco thing to say and do, so, deciding he’d been nice enough for one night, he turned over. “Now, if you’re done with the pity party, can I go to sleep?”
“Yeah, shut your mouth and go to bed, Draco,” Ginny laughed, obviously cheered by their talk, and Draco, glad the touchy-feely-talk-about-their-feelings part of the evening was over, did just that.
The next morning at breakfast, Elise excitedly informed everyone that there was to be a festival in Eiche that day. As it was their last full day in Switzerland, everyone was eager to be out and about, so they all agreed cheerfully, even Pansy. “These small town festivals are so charming,” she said, and Draco wondered if she’d ever actually been to one. She was probably just saying it to impress, so Draco simply smiled and rubbed Ginny’s hand. As expected, Pansy looked annoyed.
Ginny, seeing this, leaned close to Draco and murmured, “She looks a little angry, doesn’t she?” Apparently, from the outside the gesture looked rather intimate, because Pansy looked even more annoyed. Draco smiled again. He and Ginny had been very obviously cuddling all morning, trying to communicate to Pansy that their fight last night didn’t mean their marriage was in trouble. Thus far, it seemed to be working.
“Well,” Draco said, linking fingers with Ginny, “that settles it. Shall we be off?”
The festival, set to last all day, began with a street fair. Draco and Ginny wandered, hand in hand, through crowds of visitors and vendors and street performers. Apparently the festival was popular with wizards throughout the whole canton of Graubünden, and even into Austria and Italy. The vendors hawked their wares in a dizzying array of languages, and Draco heard even more spoken by the wizards passing them. All in all, it was an exciting spectacle.
Ginny seemed to agree. She was like a little girl in a candy store, dragging Draco from booth to booth to exclaim over countless novelties and trinkets. Her energy and enthusiasm made him laugh. It had been a long time since he’d gotten that excited over anything, and he let himself get swept up in Ginny’s exuberance, buying a good number of the wares she pointed out, until she noticed what he was doing.
“Draco, you bought all that?” she asked incredulously, looking at the bags on his arm.
“I thought you said you liked them.”
Her eyes widened. “Have you been buying everything I pointed out?”
“Only the things I liked, too. You have odd taste sometimes.”
She looked into the bags. “How much did that cost you?” she demanded.
“Not that much,” he said, pulling the bags away from her with a wry grin. “Don’t worry about it. You’re a Malfoy now.”
“Oh, so you can afford anything? Rich prig,” she grumbled, but there was a smile behind her eyes.
“No, you’re a Malfoy now, so let me spoil my wife,” he responded, putting his free hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the food booths. “Come on, let’s eat.”
They bought lunch from a German vendor. Ginny hadn’t ever eaten German food before, but Draco insisted she try it. She liked it, she decided, but she had trouble eating it without making a mess. He watched with a look of amusement as she tried to take a bite of wurst and got mustard on her face. With a smile, he handed her a napkin, wondering all the while at how much he was enjoying this. He was an expert at spending money, but there was something about spending it on other people that made it an entirely different experience, and a rather pleasant one at that.
The group had decided to meet back up at three o’clock, just to touch bases and make sure everyone was all right. Draco and Ginny reached the meeting spot early, and Ginny declared she wanted a rest. “All right,” Draco said, a plan forming in his mind. “You wait here. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried back through the crowd to a booth that had caught his eye earlier: a chocolatier who specialized in the traditional Swiss art that had inspired British chocolate frogs. Several men and women were busily at work in the back. One dark-haired man looked up and smiled as he saw Draco approaching. “Welcome, sir,” he said in a heavily accented voice. “Would you like some of Switzerland’s finest enchanted chocolate?” He gestured at a delicate construction in the hands of a blonde woman working behind him. “This is one of our most popular: a nightingale that sings ‘Clair de Lune’ in a marzipan cage.”
“Actually,” Draco responded, “I’m looking for something for my wife. Something big and really romantic.”
The man smiled. “I have just the thing.” After Draco had payed, the man took out a pen and paper. “So, what is the name on this to be?”
“Ginevra,” Draco said.
“Ah,” said the man. “Ginevra Malfoy. Good French name. Now, if you’d like we can add an enchantment so that when she receives it, it plays a message from you.”
“Yes, I think that might be nice,” Draco said, smiling slowly. “And I know just what to say.”
A few minutes later, Draco was walking back through the crowd, a bit embarrassed at the rather gaudy chocolate creation trailing after him. Wizards he passed kept staring at him, and for good reason: floating a few feet above his head, expertly dodging trees and booths, was a flock of chocolate songbirds, in the middle of which a large chocolate heart surrounded by a wreath of roses. Over the wreath was a ribbon bearing the words, “For my wife Ginevra.” Draco was a bit ashamed of being seen with it, but hopefully Pansy would get the message.
As the tree they were all to meet at came into sight, Draco was relieved to see that Pansy was already there. “Ginny, darling,” he called out as he walked toward the group, “I got you something.”
Ginny stood and stared at the chocolate concoction above him with a mix of amusement and incredulity. “Wow, thanks, sweetheart,” she said, clearly trying not to laugh.
As she took a step toward it, there was a spray of gold and suddenly Draco’s own voice, recorded back at the booth, began speaking, accompanied by harps. “For my wife, Ginevra, the truest girl I’ve ever known.”
As the voice faded away and was replaced by classical music that soon faded out as well, Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. “You certainly go all out,” she said, shaking her head. Then, as though remembering the part she was supposed to play, she put her arms around him. “What would I do without you?” she asked, and Draco wasn’t entirely sure that was a compliment.
“That’s so sweet,” Elise sighed.
“You certainly have highly developed tastes, mate,” Seamus said with a grin, and Draco glanced at him over Ginny’s shoulder. Although Draco knew he’d spent the day with Pansy and Calliope, Seamus wasn’t sitting particularly near either of them. Perhaps that was what Ginny had been talking about.
“Well,” Elise said as Ginny released Draco and turned to face her, “Calliope and I wanted to look at an antique shop. Anyone else want to come?”
“Actually, I wanted to get a drink, maybe rest a bit. Is it all right if we meet up later for dinner?” Ginny asked.
“Of course,” Elise said. “Anyone else?”
In the end, everyone except Ginny and Draco went to the antique shop. Draco was glad of it; he saw more than enough antiques at home. He was afraid Pansy might object to him going somewhere without her, but his gift to Ginny seemed to have done its job, and Pansy walked away from him with only an angry glance in Ginny’s direction. He and Ginny went to a nearby diner, and Draco slipped off to the restroom while Ginny and her chocolate entourage found a table.
When he came back to the dining area, he found Ginny at a table by the window, staring thoughtfully at the sky outside. Before he could even sit down, she spoke. “That was low, Malfoy, even for you,” Ginny said, but there was no heat in her voice. If anything, she sounded distracted.
“So we’re back to Malfoy, are we?” he asked with a grin, easing himself into the chair next to her. She smiled too, and Draco shrugged. “Besides, I don’t see it’s so low. Why shouldn’t I give my wife a romantic chocolate creation?” Above him, one of the chocolate birds twittered in agreement.
Ginny cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m not talking about the chocolate. ‘The truest girl I’ve ever known’? Right in front of her?” She shook her head. “It’s low because you used me to hurt Pansy- not just to get her to stop pursuing you, but to really hurt her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Draco scoffed, his face a careful mask of derision.
“It’s ridiculous on your part,” Ginny agreed. “I know you, Draco. You’re not fooling me. I can see how you feel about Pansy.” She paused. “Are you still that upset about her cheating on you? Enough to be spiteful about it five years later?”
Draco was silent a long moment, processing Ginny’s words. He was really quite surprised; she was astute, so much so that he knew a lie wouldn’t work on her now. So he told her the truth. “We’d been seeing each other for two years,” he said, “and she dropped me for Nott. And-” he paused; he wasn’t any good at talking about his feelings- “it came at a really hard time in my life. She was just one in a long list of people I cared about who let me down.” He could see Ginny’s brow furrow in sorrow and concern, and he marveled at her ability to empathize with everyone she met. He remembered the Stewarts’ party, when she’d touched his arm so comfortingly. He wondered if she wanted to do the same thing now. He wondered if he wanted her to. “And now she has the gall to try to start something with me again.” He shrugged. “I suppose I am angry.”
Ginny looked at him curiously. “Did she break your heart?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “I thought so. Looking back, I see now that I was just infatuated, but at the time . . .” He trailed off and pondered a moment. “I guess if not for Theodore and the war, I would’ve married her.”
He could see straightaway that made Ginny uncomfortable, so he added, “Which would have been a disaster. We would have hated each other inside a year.” Which was the truth.
Ginny laughed and shook her head. “Don’t be too unkind to her, Draco. You don’t know what it’s like to be a girl in love. You do stupid things.”
“Like that Valentine troll for your dear Potter?” It slipped out somehow, and Draco immediately regretted it- not because it was rude, but because somehow, he didn’t want Ginny thinking about Potter just then.
Ginny looked at him in surprise, then laughed. “Yes, like my Valentine for Harry.” She shook her head. “That was an awkward stage.”
“So I don’t have to worry about you cheating on me with Potter any time soon?”
“Draco, I hope that by now you realize that I wouldn’t cheat on you, even if it were with the famous Harry Potter.”
“Yeah, I know,” Draco said awkwardly. With any other girl, that would be a cue to kiss her, or at least take her hand, but obviously he couldn’t do that, so he settled on a smile that came out a bit tighter than intended. “Thanks.”
She laughed. “You’re welcome, Mr. Malfoy.”
There was an awkward silence a while, but luckily the waiter soon came to take their orders. Ginny ordered a juice and Draco ordered a slice of pie- “What? We’ve been walking a lot today. I’m hungry-” and they chatted companionably while they ate, discussing books and their jobs and how the vacation had been thus far. Draco listened to Ginny talk with interest. Perhaps it was that Weasley stubbornness, but the girl had very strong convictions. He had always respected that in other people- perhaps because he so often didn’t have any convictions at all- and he was pleased to find that there was more to his wife than he’d once thought.
Eventually the conversation turned to Seamus. “I think you were right,” Draco admitted. “I think Calliope has been blowing him off.”
“And that’s . . . good? Bad?”
“I don’t know,” Draco retorted. “I’m just commenting. But if Calliope’s only being that way because of Pansy, then I disapprove.”
“Oh, well then, why don’t we tell Pansy you disapprove?” Ginny asked with a laugh. “I’m sure that if she knows that . . .”
“Can it, Weasley,” Draco said, annoyed. “Come on, let’s go catch the end of the fair.”
Still laughing, Ginny gathered up her things while Draco payed the check, and then they walked together out of the diner, the flock of chocolate birds fluttering slowly behind them.
. . . . . .
They all ate dinner at the same restaurant in Eiche, jokingly remarking that they were becoming regulars there. The restaurant was much more crowded than it had been before, as all of the visitors who had Apparated in for the festival were there eating dinner as well. Ginny was a bit annoyed to find their favorite spot in the town suddenly overrun with tourists, but there were a few advantages to it, too; there were young men there, and Pansy had begun to take notice.
Ginny was rather glad of that. As much as she'd wanted to get Pansy out of her and Draco's business, she'd been surprised to find herself feeling rather sorry for the girl all through dinner. Ever since the chocolate heart affair that afternoon, Pansy had been the very picture of wounded dignity, haughty and proud but obviously sincerely hurt. And Ginny found she could understand that. As much as she disliked Pansy, she could imagine what it must be like for her, to regret losing Draco, to pine for him for so long, only to have some little no one come out of nowhere and steal him away. Of course, Ginny still disliked Pansy, despite all that, but all the same she was glad to see her sometime rival beginning to notice other men.
There were to be fireworks after dinner, and Ginny supposed they'd all watch them together, possibly from the chateau. She was surprised, then, when after dinner Elise informed her and Draco that she knew the perfect spot for them to watch the fireworks from. "It's very secluded and romantic," she told them with a smile.
"Oh," Draco said.
When it became clear he wasn't going to say any more, Ginny spoke up. "But what about the rest of you?"
"Well," Elise began, looking around for the rest of the group, who were scattered about the square in front of the restaurant, "I suppose Pansy and Calliope and Seamus can-" She cut off as she saw one of the young men Pansy had been eyeing approach her and ask if he could buy her a drink.
"And who might you be?" Pansy asked coquettishly.
"Jens Reichmann," said the fellow in a haughty German accent, fiddling with his hands so his large ring flashed in the light. "The third."
"Of the Reichmanns of Thuringen?" Pansy asked, surprised.
"Of course," Jens said.
Pansy smiled demurely. "Then of course I'd love to get a drink with you."
And they walked off together, leaving the Stewarts and Malfoys laughing behind them. "Well, that takes care of that, I guess," Elise said, "but it leaves Calliope and Seamus stuck together tonight . . ." She trailed off and looked at Ginny, who smiled. She smiled back. "Well, we'll see you tonight, then, shall we? Ta ta!"
And with an explanation of the spot Draco and Ginny could watch the fireworks from, and a few words to Calliope and Seamus, Elise and James left, arm in arm. Calliope and Seamus looked at each other uncomfortably a moment and Draco sighed. "Are you playing matchmaker again?" he asked Ginny.
"Of course," she grinned, grabbing his hand. "Now let's get out of here and let them be alone."
She pulled him away from the square and up toward the hills above town. The spot Elise had told them about was by the ruins of an old castle. Neither of them was particularly interested in a romantic spot to watch the fireworks, but they weren't sure what else to do with their time, and Ginny wanted to see the castle, so finding the spot seemed a reasonable thing to do.
The sun was at the far horizon by the time they reached the top of the hill, and Ginny had to squint to see the castle. Still, it was quite beautiful, and they spent a while wandering around the ruins and admiring the beauty. Draco wasn’t particularly interested, which was understandable, considering he’d never lived anywhere but castles- Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts- but he didn’t complain too much as Ginny dragged him around.
They were making their way around the edge of the old kitchen they heard voices. Ginny grabbed Draco’s wrist to stop him from pressing forward. “What?” he said.
“Shh,” she hissed. “That sounded like Calliope, and if she’s here . . .”
Draco seemed to fail to grasp the importance of this. “If she’s here what?” he demanded. Ginny simply shook her head and turned to walk back the way they’d come. It was Draco’s turn to grab her wrist then. “Well, if you want to avoid her,” he said, “I think she’s coming around that corner.”
Ginny squealed and, with lightning-quick reflexes, pulled Draco into a copse of trees just off the path. “We’ll just wait until they pass,” she whispered.
“They?” Draco asked.
Ginny was spared explaining to him when Calliope came into view around the corner of the old granary. Seamus appeared quickly after her, apparently in pursuit. “We’ll just wait until they pass,” Ginny breathed. Unfortunately, Seamus caught up with his target mere yards from where the trees where the Malfoys were hidden and grabbed Calliope’s hand, stopping her in her flight from him. “Can we please just talk?” he demanded.
Ginny’s eyes widened. “Oh, this is fantastic,” she whispered sarcastically.
“Apparently eavesdropping is becoming a favorite family pastime,” Draco commented, and Ginny elbowed him to tell him to be quiet. Fortunately, the couple on the path seemed not to have noticed.
Calliope was staring at the ground, but she nodded, apparently to agree with Seamus’ request. Seamus smiled a little. “Thank you,” he said. He tried to tip her chin up, to make her look at him, but she refused to comply. So he dropped his hand and spoke to the top of her fair head. “Look, I know why you’ve been avoiding me,” he said.
She did look up then, and even from so far away Ginny could read the shame in her eyes. “Who told you?” she asked.
He laughed self-deprecatingly. “No one had to tell me. I’ve dealt with this enough before to know what it’s like.” He broke off then, and Ginny couldn’t fight the urge to elbow Draco again.
“What was that for?” he hissed.
“It’s for in case you were ever rude to Seamus,” she whispered.
He was quiet a moment, then: “Yes,” he whispered decidedly.
“What?” she asked.
“Yes, I think at some point in my life I’ve probably been rude to Seamus.”
Ginny covered her face with her hand. “Draco-” she began in exasperation.
“Yes?” he replied after a moment.
“Nothing,” she whispered. “Just don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning to find out I’ve killed you.”
He cocked his head and looked at her strangely. “Ginny, darling,” he said, “that doesn’t even make sense.”
“Oh, shut up,” she snapped, glaring at him. He was looking away from her and didn’t respond for few moments.
“Ginny,” he finally whispered, nudging her, “they’re kissing.”
Her eyes widening in surprise and delight, Ginny looked quickly back to where Seamus and Calliope stood and saw that they were indeed. “Finally,” she whispered in satisfaction.
Draco looked less enamored with the whole affair. “Is that necessary?” he asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m as fond as anyone of a good snog, but what on earth does she see in that loud-mouthed twat?”
“I might remind you,” she replied drily, allowing herself to speak a little louder because Seamus and Calliope were walking hand in hand down the path away from them, “that you invited that loud-mouthed twat to accompany us on our little jaunt down to Switzerland.”
Draco shrugged. “Doesn’t mean he isn’t a loud-mouthed twat,” he said dismissively.
“Do you know what I think?” Ginny asked as she slipped out of the trees and on to the path.
“No, I don’t know what you think, and I’m probably happier for it.”
“At the risk of repeating myself, shut up,” she said. “What I think is that you like Seamus. You are friends with Seamus. You just won’t admit it.”
“What are you talking about?” Draco asked, coming out of the trees behind her. “If I say I’m not friends with someone, I’m not. I can’t be friends with someone without knowing it.”
“Without acknowledging it,” she replied as she straightened her clothes and pulled a twig out of her hair. “I mean, come on. You’re the rich and powerful Draco Malfoy. You probably know a ton of people. But out of everyone you could have chosen who would have been thrilled to spend a week at a Swiss chateau, you chose Seamus Finnigan, a ‘loud-mouthed twat.’ How do you explain that?”
Draco shrugged. “I was desperate,” he said.
“Yes, I know you’re desperate,” she said. “What’s that got to do with inviting Seamus?”
“Ha ha,” Draco replied dryly. “You know what I mean.” As though an unspoken agreement had been made, the couple began to slowly meander up the path toward the ruins, carefully, because the sky was beginning to get dark.
After a moment, Ginny said, “You mean Pansy.”
“Yes, Pansy,” Draco replied, shaking his head in mock concern. “Now there’s someone who’s desperate.”
“A little,” Ginny laughed. “What did she think was going to happen this week? I would be so distracted by the scenery that I wouldn’t notice you two sneaking off together?”
“That’s what Calliope was for,” Draco said. “Distraction.” He was quiet a moment, then asked, “Would that have bothered you?”
“What? Being distracted by Calliope?”
Draco rolled his eyes at her. “Me cheating on you.”
“Ah,” Ginny said, then pondered. “Yes, because if it was with Pansy, she’d be so obnoxiously smug about it,” she said finally. Her husband rolled his eyes again and Ginny laughed. “Yes, I would be upset,” she said, “because I would still be stuck married to you- our deal and all- but no Weasley would sit back calmly if their partner was stepping out on them. Too much pride. It’s kind of a family flaw.”
“Yes, I’d definitely say the Weasley pride gets you in trouble,” Draco said. “I landed myself a wife that way.”
They reached the ridge of the hill overlooking the town. This, apparently, was the spot Elise had suggested, so they stopped and sat down on the grass. The sky was quickly darkening, but the hillside was lit by thousands of fairy lights in the trees. On the grass around them couples and families were also preparing for the fireworks- apparently this spot wasn’t as secluded as Elise had thought. They sat in silence for a while, until the moon began to rise, and Ginny found herself fascinated by the way its light played over Draco’s eyes. It was beautiful, and she wanted nothing more just then than to touch him, to run her fingers across the contours of his face. She had another odd moment of understanding and even pitying Pansy, for wanting Draco so much when she would never have him. It was a strange thought, and she was glad when the fireworks began and distracted her from it.
They watched the show in comfortable silence. Ginny, who loved fireworks, had been afraid that the show would have been just another one of the many things that didn’t impress Draco. When she stole a glance at him, though, she was pleased to see that he was thoroughly entranced by the show of lights above him. Suppressing a smile, she turned her attention back to the colors bursting in the night sky.
When the show ended and the people around them began to get up, Draco and Ginny stayed where they were a while, both deep in thought. Draco was the first to break the silence.
“That was nice.”
“It was,” Ginny smiled.
Draco was silent a moment, then said abruptly, “You know I would never cheat on you, right?”
She blinked in surprise. “Where did that come from?” she laughed, then considered his question. “Well, no,” she said slowly. “Honestly, I can’t say I did know that. I guess I do now, though.” She examined his face more closely, wondering what was running through his mind. He was impossible to read, though, as he always was. So she simply smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, a bit uncomfortably.
As he squirmed, she felt a grin coming to her lips. “Draco,” she asked in mock seriousness, “did we just have a moment?”
“What?” he asked.
“You and I,” she replied. “Just now, did we have a moment? For a brief second, did we actually act like a couple? I mean, one who gets along and didn’t get married simply for money?”
“I don’t know-”
“Come on-”
“Fine, sure, we had a moment.”
Ginny laughed. “You’re such a smooth talker.” Nearly everyone was gone by then, so Ginny gestured back down the path. “We should go,” she said. Her husband acquiesced and they began to walk down the path. Emboldened by their moment of closeness, Ginny ran up and jumped onto Draco’s back. “Give me a ride home, Drakey,” she said in the most obnoxious little girl tone she could muster.
“Get off, Ginny. It’s hard enough to see on this dark path without you on my back.”
“Oh, come on,” she said.
He suddenly stumbled over a tree root and fell forward, catching his balance just in time to keep from hitting the ground. “Ginny, get off,” he said sharply and harshly, and she dropped to the ground immediately, feeling as though she had been struck. “Anyway,” he said in that old, harsh tone she’d been hearing less and less over the past weeks, “it’s good we do get along as well as we do, because we’re stuck together for eighteen months.”
“Of course,” Ginny said as she followed after him under the dark trees, still twinkling with fairy lights. Both Malfoys fell silent and they walked along together, Ginny wondering all the while why she suddenly wanted to cry.
. . . . . .
That would be the greatest misfortune of all! – to find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! – Jane Austen
. . . . . .
Draco went wearily up to bed that night. His mind was full of everything that had just happened, and everything it entailed: Pansy had heard them fight; she was going to consider it a sign that she had a chance; what would he do to convince her otherwise? And on top of that, his thoughts kept going back to the source of it all- his and Ginny’s fight.
They’d never fought like that. They bickered quite a bit, and they’d even been angry and refused to speak with each other a time or two, but they’d never yelled at each other before. Draco prided himself on his self-control; it was something Lucius had held in high esteem, and in this, like in so many other things, Draco had tried to emulate his father. Of course, for so many years growing up Draco’d had no real self-control at all- his frequent fights with Harry Potter were proof of that- but in the time since then he’d learned to tame his emotions much better. But now he’d gone and shouted at Ginny.
Ginny was asleep when he got to the bedroom. Draco wasn’t sure if he was glad about that; they needed to talk, but he didn’t particularly want to just then. Quickly and quietly he prepared for bed and lay down, noticing with a wry smile that she’d taken the left side. Beside him she was breathing quietly, and he watched her a moment, wondering what he would say to her in the morning.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait that long. He thought he’d been quiet, so he was surprised when Ginny suddenly spoke. “Do I really try to run your life?” she asked bluntly.
“Ginny, I was just angry.”
“But do I?”
He paused a moment, wondering what exactly was the proper response to avoid getting his head bitten off. “You do tend to . . . show a lot of interest in other people’s business,” he said. “But I suppose that’s because you want everyone to be happy, and you feel, somehow, that it’s your responsibility to make sure they are.”
She sighed and turned to face him, resting her head on her arms. “I know, I really do. I guess being the only girl, I was always expected to keep the peace.” She was quiet a moment. “But do I really try to control your life?”
Draco smirked. “You do have a habit of telling me why my ‘high-class upbringing’ is wrong.”
With a groan she buried her face in her pillow, and Draco, knowing he’d said the wrong thing, reached out to touch her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he tried to look comforting. “No, really, you’re fine. You can be a bit nosy sometimes, but really, you’re a good kid.” That was a very un-Draco thing to say and do, so, deciding he’d been nice enough for one night, he turned over. “Now, if you’re done with the pity party, can I go to sleep?”
“Yeah, shut your mouth and go to bed, Draco,” Ginny laughed, obviously cheered by their talk, and Draco, glad the touchy-feely-talk-about-their-feelings part of the evening was over, did just that.
The next morning at breakfast, Elise excitedly informed everyone that there was to be a festival in Eiche that day. As it was their last full day in Switzerland, everyone was eager to be out and about, so they all agreed cheerfully, even Pansy. “These small town festivals are so charming,” she said, and Draco wondered if she’d ever actually been to one. She was probably just saying it to impress, so Draco simply smiled and rubbed Ginny’s hand. As expected, Pansy looked annoyed.
Ginny, seeing this, leaned close to Draco and murmured, “She looks a little angry, doesn’t she?” Apparently, from the outside the gesture looked rather intimate, because Pansy looked even more annoyed. Draco smiled again. He and Ginny had been very obviously cuddling all morning, trying to communicate to Pansy that their fight last night didn’t mean their marriage was in trouble. Thus far, it seemed to be working.
“Well,” Draco said, linking fingers with Ginny, “that settles it. Shall we be off?”
The festival, set to last all day, began with a street fair. Draco and Ginny wandered, hand in hand, through crowds of visitors and vendors and street performers. Apparently the festival was popular with wizards throughout the whole canton of Graubünden, and even into Austria and Italy. The vendors hawked their wares in a dizzying array of languages, and Draco heard even more spoken by the wizards passing them. All in all, it was an exciting spectacle.
Ginny seemed to agree. She was like a little girl in a candy store, dragging Draco from booth to booth to exclaim over countless novelties and trinkets. Her energy and enthusiasm made him laugh. It had been a long time since he’d gotten that excited over anything, and he let himself get swept up in Ginny’s exuberance, buying a good number of the wares she pointed out, until she noticed what he was doing.
“Draco, you bought all that?” she asked incredulously, looking at the bags on his arm.
“I thought you said you liked them.”
Her eyes widened. “Have you been buying everything I pointed out?”
“Only the things I liked, too. You have odd taste sometimes.”
She looked into the bags. “How much did that cost you?” she demanded.
“Not that much,” he said, pulling the bags away from her with a wry grin. “Don’t worry about it. You’re a Malfoy now.”
“Oh, so you can afford anything? Rich prig,” she grumbled, but there was a smile behind her eyes.
“No, you’re a Malfoy now, so let me spoil my wife,” he responded, putting his free hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the food booths. “Come on, let’s eat.”
They bought lunch from a German vendor. Ginny hadn’t ever eaten German food before, but Draco insisted she try it. She liked it, she decided, but she had trouble eating it without making a mess. He watched with a look of amusement as she tried to take a bite of wurst and got mustard on her face. With a smile, he handed her a napkin, wondering all the while at how much he was enjoying this. He was an expert at spending money, but there was something about spending it on other people that made it an entirely different experience, and a rather pleasant one at that.
The group had decided to meet back up at three o’clock, just to touch bases and make sure everyone was all right. Draco and Ginny reached the meeting spot early, and Ginny declared she wanted a rest. “All right,” Draco said, a plan forming in his mind. “You wait here. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried back through the crowd to a booth that had caught his eye earlier: a chocolatier who specialized in the traditional Swiss art that had inspired British chocolate frogs. Several men and women were busily at work in the back. One dark-haired man looked up and smiled as he saw Draco approaching. “Welcome, sir,” he said in a heavily accented voice. “Would you like some of Switzerland’s finest enchanted chocolate?” He gestured at a delicate construction in the hands of a blonde woman working behind him. “This is one of our most popular: a nightingale that sings ‘Clair de Lune’ in a marzipan cage.”
“Actually,” Draco responded, “I’m looking for something for my wife. Something big and really romantic.”
The man smiled. “I have just the thing.” After Draco had payed, the man took out a pen and paper. “So, what is the name on this to be?”
“Ginevra,” Draco said.
“Ah,” said the man. “Ginevra Malfoy. Good French name. Now, if you’d like we can add an enchantment so that when she receives it, it plays a message from you.”
“Yes, I think that might be nice,” Draco said, smiling slowly. “And I know just what to say.”
A few minutes later, Draco was walking back through the crowd, a bit embarrassed at the rather gaudy chocolate creation trailing after him. Wizards he passed kept staring at him, and for good reason: floating a few feet above his head, expertly dodging trees and booths, was a flock of chocolate songbirds, in the middle of which a large chocolate heart surrounded by a wreath of roses. Over the wreath was a ribbon bearing the words, “For my wife Ginevra.” Draco was a bit ashamed of being seen with it, but hopefully Pansy would get the message.
As the tree they were all to meet at came into sight, Draco was relieved to see that Pansy was already there. “Ginny, darling,” he called out as he walked toward the group, “I got you something.”
Ginny stood and stared at the chocolate concoction above him with a mix of amusement and incredulity. “Wow, thanks, sweetheart,” she said, clearly trying not to laugh.
As she took a step toward it, there was a spray of gold and suddenly Draco’s own voice, recorded back at the booth, began speaking, accompanied by harps. “For my wife, Ginevra, the truest girl I’ve ever known.”
As the voice faded away and was replaced by classical music that soon faded out as well, Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. “You certainly go all out,” she said, shaking her head. Then, as though remembering the part she was supposed to play, she put her arms around him. “What would I do without you?” she asked, and Draco wasn’t entirely sure that was a compliment.
“That’s so sweet,” Elise sighed.
“You certainly have highly developed tastes, mate,” Seamus said with a grin, and Draco glanced at him over Ginny’s shoulder. Although Draco knew he’d spent the day with Pansy and Calliope, Seamus wasn’t sitting particularly near either of them. Perhaps that was what Ginny had been talking about.
“Well,” Elise said as Ginny released Draco and turned to face her, “Calliope and I wanted to look at an antique shop. Anyone else want to come?”
“Actually, I wanted to get a drink, maybe rest a bit. Is it all right if we meet up later for dinner?” Ginny asked.
“Of course,” Elise said. “Anyone else?”
In the end, everyone except Ginny and Draco went to the antique shop. Draco was glad of it; he saw more than enough antiques at home. He was afraid Pansy might object to him going somewhere without her, but his gift to Ginny seemed to have done its job, and Pansy walked away from him with only an angry glance in Ginny’s direction. He and Ginny went to a nearby diner, and Draco slipped off to the restroom while Ginny and her chocolate entourage found a table.
When he came back to the dining area, he found Ginny at a table by the window, staring thoughtfully at the sky outside. Before he could even sit down, she spoke. “That was low, Malfoy, even for you,” Ginny said, but there was no heat in her voice. If anything, she sounded distracted.
“So we’re back to Malfoy, are we?” he asked with a grin, easing himself into the chair next to her. She smiled too, and Draco shrugged. “Besides, I don’t see it’s so low. Why shouldn’t I give my wife a romantic chocolate creation?” Above him, one of the chocolate birds twittered in agreement.
Ginny cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m not talking about the chocolate. ‘The truest girl I’ve ever known’? Right in front of her?” She shook her head. “It’s low because you used me to hurt Pansy- not just to get her to stop pursuing you, but to really hurt her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Draco scoffed, his face a careful mask of derision.
“It’s ridiculous on your part,” Ginny agreed. “I know you, Draco. You’re not fooling me. I can see how you feel about Pansy.” She paused. “Are you still that upset about her cheating on you? Enough to be spiteful about it five years later?”
Draco was silent a long moment, processing Ginny’s words. He was really quite surprised; she was astute, so much so that he knew a lie wouldn’t work on her now. So he told her the truth. “We’d been seeing each other for two years,” he said, “and she dropped me for Nott. And-” he paused; he wasn’t any good at talking about his feelings- “it came at a really hard time in my life. She was just one in a long list of people I cared about who let me down.” He could see Ginny’s brow furrow in sorrow and concern, and he marveled at her ability to empathize with everyone she met. He remembered the Stewarts’ party, when she’d touched his arm so comfortingly. He wondered if she wanted to do the same thing now. He wondered if he wanted her to. “And now she has the gall to try to start something with me again.” He shrugged. “I suppose I am angry.”
Ginny looked at him curiously. “Did she break your heart?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “I thought so. Looking back, I see now that I was just infatuated, but at the time . . .” He trailed off and pondered a moment. “I guess if not for Theodore and the war, I would’ve married her.”
He could see straightaway that made Ginny uncomfortable, so he added, “Which would have been a disaster. We would have hated each other inside a year.” Which was the truth.
Ginny laughed and shook her head. “Don’t be too unkind to her, Draco. You don’t know what it’s like to be a girl in love. You do stupid things.”
“Like that Valentine troll for your dear Potter?” It slipped out somehow, and Draco immediately regretted it- not because it was rude, but because somehow, he didn’t want Ginny thinking about Potter just then.
Ginny looked at him in surprise, then laughed. “Yes, like my Valentine for Harry.” She shook her head. “That was an awkward stage.”
“So I don’t have to worry about you cheating on me with Potter any time soon?”
“Draco, I hope that by now you realize that I wouldn’t cheat on you, even if it were with the famous Harry Potter.”
“Yeah, I know,” Draco said awkwardly. With any other girl, that would be a cue to kiss her, or at least take her hand, but obviously he couldn’t do that, so he settled on a smile that came out a bit tighter than intended. “Thanks.”
She laughed. “You’re welcome, Mr. Malfoy.”
There was an awkward silence a while, but luckily the waiter soon came to take their orders. Ginny ordered a juice and Draco ordered a slice of pie- “What? We’ve been walking a lot today. I’m hungry-” and they chatted companionably while they ate, discussing books and their jobs and how the vacation had been thus far. Draco listened to Ginny talk with interest. Perhaps it was that Weasley stubbornness, but the girl had very strong convictions. He had always respected that in other people- perhaps because he so often didn’t have any convictions at all- and he was pleased to find that there was more to his wife than he’d once thought.
Eventually the conversation turned to Seamus. “I think you were right,” Draco admitted. “I think Calliope has been blowing him off.”
“And that’s . . . good? Bad?”
“I don’t know,” Draco retorted. “I’m just commenting. But if Calliope’s only being that way because of Pansy, then I disapprove.”
“Oh, well then, why don’t we tell Pansy you disapprove?” Ginny asked with a laugh. “I’m sure that if she knows that . . .”
“Can it, Weasley,” Draco said, annoyed. “Come on, let’s go catch the end of the fair.”
Still laughing, Ginny gathered up her things while Draco payed the check, and then they walked together out of the diner, the flock of chocolate birds fluttering slowly behind them.
. . . . . .
They all ate dinner at the same restaurant in Eiche, jokingly remarking that they were becoming regulars there. The restaurant was much more crowded than it had been before, as all of the visitors who had Apparated in for the festival were there eating dinner as well. Ginny was a bit annoyed to find their favorite spot in the town suddenly overrun with tourists, but there were a few advantages to it, too; there were young men there, and Pansy had begun to take notice.
Ginny was rather glad of that. As much as she'd wanted to get Pansy out of her and Draco's business, she'd been surprised to find herself feeling rather sorry for the girl all through dinner. Ever since the chocolate heart affair that afternoon, Pansy had been the very picture of wounded dignity, haughty and proud but obviously sincerely hurt. And Ginny found she could understand that. As much as she disliked Pansy, she could imagine what it must be like for her, to regret losing Draco, to pine for him for so long, only to have some little no one come out of nowhere and steal him away. Of course, Ginny still disliked Pansy, despite all that, but all the same she was glad to see her sometime rival beginning to notice other men.
There were to be fireworks after dinner, and Ginny supposed they'd all watch them together, possibly from the chateau. She was surprised, then, when after dinner Elise informed her and Draco that she knew the perfect spot for them to watch the fireworks from. "It's very secluded and romantic," she told them with a smile.
"Oh," Draco said.
When it became clear he wasn't going to say any more, Ginny spoke up. "But what about the rest of you?"
"Well," Elise began, looking around for the rest of the group, who were scattered about the square in front of the restaurant, "I suppose Pansy and Calliope and Seamus can-" She cut off as she saw one of the young men Pansy had been eyeing approach her and ask if he could buy her a drink.
"And who might you be?" Pansy asked coquettishly.
"Jens Reichmann," said the fellow in a haughty German accent, fiddling with his hands so his large ring flashed in the light. "The third."
"Of the Reichmanns of Thuringen?" Pansy asked, surprised.
"Of course," Jens said.
Pansy smiled demurely. "Then of course I'd love to get a drink with you."
And they walked off together, leaving the Stewarts and Malfoys laughing behind them. "Well, that takes care of that, I guess," Elise said, "but it leaves Calliope and Seamus stuck together tonight . . ." She trailed off and looked at Ginny, who smiled. She smiled back. "Well, we'll see you tonight, then, shall we? Ta ta!"
And with an explanation of the spot Draco and Ginny could watch the fireworks from, and a few words to Calliope and Seamus, Elise and James left, arm in arm. Calliope and Seamus looked at each other uncomfortably a moment and Draco sighed. "Are you playing matchmaker again?" he asked Ginny.
"Of course," she grinned, grabbing his hand. "Now let's get out of here and let them be alone."
She pulled him away from the square and up toward the hills above town. The spot Elise had told them about was by the ruins of an old castle. Neither of them was particularly interested in a romantic spot to watch the fireworks, but they weren't sure what else to do with their time, and Ginny wanted to see the castle, so finding the spot seemed a reasonable thing to do.
The sun was at the far horizon by the time they reached the top of the hill, and Ginny had to squint to see the castle. Still, it was quite beautiful, and they spent a while wandering around the ruins and admiring the beauty. Draco wasn’t particularly interested, which was understandable, considering he’d never lived anywhere but castles- Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts- but he didn’t complain too much as Ginny dragged him around.
They were making their way around the edge of the old kitchen they heard voices. Ginny grabbed Draco’s wrist to stop him from pressing forward. “What?” he said.
“Shh,” she hissed. “That sounded like Calliope, and if she’s here . . .”
Draco seemed to fail to grasp the importance of this. “If she’s here what?” he demanded. Ginny simply shook her head and turned to walk back the way they’d come. It was Draco’s turn to grab her wrist then. “Well, if you want to avoid her,” he said, “I think she’s coming around that corner.”
Ginny squealed and, with lightning-quick reflexes, pulled Draco into a copse of trees just off the path. “We’ll just wait until they pass,” she whispered.
“They?” Draco asked.
Ginny was spared explaining to him when Calliope came into view around the corner of the old granary. Seamus appeared quickly after her, apparently in pursuit. “We’ll just wait until they pass,” Ginny breathed. Unfortunately, Seamus caught up with his target mere yards from where the trees where the Malfoys were hidden and grabbed Calliope’s hand, stopping her in her flight from him. “Can we please just talk?” he demanded.
Ginny’s eyes widened. “Oh, this is fantastic,” she whispered sarcastically.
“Apparently eavesdropping is becoming a favorite family pastime,” Draco commented, and Ginny elbowed him to tell him to be quiet. Fortunately, the couple on the path seemed not to have noticed.
Calliope was staring at the ground, but she nodded, apparently to agree with Seamus’ request. Seamus smiled a little. “Thank you,” he said. He tried to tip her chin up, to make her look at him, but she refused to comply. So he dropped his hand and spoke to the top of her fair head. “Look, I know why you’ve been avoiding me,” he said.
She did look up then, and even from so far away Ginny could read the shame in her eyes. “Who told you?” she asked.
He laughed self-deprecatingly. “No one had to tell me. I’ve dealt with this enough before to know what it’s like.” He broke off then, and Ginny couldn’t fight the urge to elbow Draco again.
“What was that for?” he hissed.
“It’s for in case you were ever rude to Seamus,” she whispered.
He was quiet a moment, then: “Yes,” he whispered decidedly.
“What?” she asked.
“Yes, I think at some point in my life I’ve probably been rude to Seamus.”
Ginny covered her face with her hand. “Draco-” she began in exasperation.
“Yes?” he replied after a moment.
“Nothing,” she whispered. “Just don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning to find out I’ve killed you.”
He cocked his head and looked at her strangely. “Ginny, darling,” he said, “that doesn’t even make sense.”
“Oh, shut up,” she snapped, glaring at him. He was looking away from her and didn’t respond for few moments.
“Ginny,” he finally whispered, nudging her, “they’re kissing.”
Her eyes widening in surprise and delight, Ginny looked quickly back to where Seamus and Calliope stood and saw that they were indeed. “Finally,” she whispered in satisfaction.
Draco looked less enamored with the whole affair. “Is that necessary?” he asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m as fond as anyone of a good snog, but what on earth does she see in that loud-mouthed twat?”
“I might remind you,” she replied drily, allowing herself to speak a little louder because Seamus and Calliope were walking hand in hand down the path away from them, “that you invited that loud-mouthed twat to accompany us on our little jaunt down to Switzerland.”
Draco shrugged. “Doesn’t mean he isn’t a loud-mouthed twat,” he said dismissively.
“Do you know what I think?” Ginny asked as she slipped out of the trees and on to the path.
“No, I don’t know what you think, and I’m probably happier for it.”
“At the risk of repeating myself, shut up,” she said. “What I think is that you like Seamus. You are friends with Seamus. You just won’t admit it.”
“What are you talking about?” Draco asked, coming out of the trees behind her. “If I say I’m not friends with someone, I’m not. I can’t be friends with someone without knowing it.”
“Without acknowledging it,” she replied as she straightened her clothes and pulled a twig out of her hair. “I mean, come on. You’re the rich and powerful Draco Malfoy. You probably know a ton of people. But out of everyone you could have chosen who would have been thrilled to spend a week at a Swiss chateau, you chose Seamus Finnigan, a ‘loud-mouthed twat.’ How do you explain that?”
Draco shrugged. “I was desperate,” he said.
“Yes, I know you’re desperate,” she said. “What’s that got to do with inviting Seamus?”
“Ha ha,” Draco replied dryly. “You know what I mean.” As though an unspoken agreement had been made, the couple began to slowly meander up the path toward the ruins, carefully, because the sky was beginning to get dark.
After a moment, Ginny said, “You mean Pansy.”
“Yes, Pansy,” Draco replied, shaking his head in mock concern. “Now there’s someone who’s desperate.”
“A little,” Ginny laughed. “What did she think was going to happen this week? I would be so distracted by the scenery that I wouldn’t notice you two sneaking off together?”
“That’s what Calliope was for,” Draco said. “Distraction.” He was quiet a moment, then asked, “Would that have bothered you?”
“What? Being distracted by Calliope?”
Draco rolled his eyes at her. “Me cheating on you.”
“Ah,” Ginny said, then pondered. “Yes, because if it was with Pansy, she’d be so obnoxiously smug about it,” she said finally. Her husband rolled his eyes again and Ginny laughed. “Yes, I would be upset,” she said, “because I would still be stuck married to you- our deal and all- but no Weasley would sit back calmly if their partner was stepping out on them. Too much pride. It’s kind of a family flaw.”
“Yes, I’d definitely say the Weasley pride gets you in trouble,” Draco said. “I landed myself a wife that way.”
They reached the ridge of the hill overlooking the town. This, apparently, was the spot Elise had suggested, so they stopped and sat down on the grass. The sky was quickly darkening, but the hillside was lit by thousands of fairy lights in the trees. On the grass around them couples and families were also preparing for the fireworks- apparently this spot wasn’t as secluded as Elise had thought. They sat in silence for a while, until the moon began to rise, and Ginny found herself fascinated by the way its light played over Draco’s eyes. It was beautiful, and she wanted nothing more just then than to touch him, to run her fingers across the contours of his face. She had another odd moment of understanding and even pitying Pansy, for wanting Draco so much when she would never have him. It was a strange thought, and she was glad when the fireworks began and distracted her from it.
They watched the show in comfortable silence. Ginny, who loved fireworks, had been afraid that the show would have been just another one of the many things that didn’t impress Draco. When she stole a glance at him, though, she was pleased to see that he was thoroughly entranced by the show of lights above him. Suppressing a smile, she turned her attention back to the colors bursting in the night sky.
When the show ended and the people around them began to get up, Draco and Ginny stayed where they were a while, both deep in thought. Draco was the first to break the silence.
“That was nice.”
“It was,” Ginny smiled.
Draco was silent a moment, then said abruptly, “You know I would never cheat on you, right?”
She blinked in surprise. “Where did that come from?” she laughed, then considered his question. “Well, no,” she said slowly. “Honestly, I can’t say I did know that. I guess I do now, though.” She examined his face more closely, wondering what was running through his mind. He was impossible to read, though, as he always was. So she simply smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, a bit uncomfortably.
As he squirmed, she felt a grin coming to her lips. “Draco,” she asked in mock seriousness, “did we just have a moment?”
“What?” he asked.
“You and I,” she replied. “Just now, did we have a moment? For a brief second, did we actually act like a couple? I mean, one who gets along and didn’t get married simply for money?”
“I don’t know-”
“Come on-”
“Fine, sure, we had a moment.”
Ginny laughed. “You’re such a smooth talker.” Nearly everyone was gone by then, so Ginny gestured back down the path. “We should go,” she said. Her husband acquiesced and they began to walk down the path. Emboldened by their moment of closeness, Ginny ran up and jumped onto Draco’s back. “Give me a ride home, Drakey,” she said in the most obnoxious little girl tone she could muster.
“Get off, Ginny. It’s hard enough to see on this dark path without you on my back.”
“Oh, come on,” she said.
He suddenly stumbled over a tree root and fell forward, catching his balance just in time to keep from hitting the ground. “Ginny, get off,” he said sharply and harshly, and she dropped to the ground immediately, feeling as though she had been struck. “Anyway,” he said in that old, harsh tone she’d been hearing less and less over the past weeks, “it’s good we do get along as well as we do, because we’re stuck together for eighteen months.”
“Of course,” Ginny said as she followed after him under the dark trees, still twinkling with fairy lights. Both Malfoys fell silent and they walked along together, Ginny wondering all the while why she suddenly wanted to cry.
. . . . . .
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