. . . . . .
The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy. - Karl von Clausewitz
. . . . . .
Ginny was hard pressed to say, when she woke the next morning, how she really wanted to spend her day. Part of her wanted to get to work, in the real world, away from Malfoy Manor and the thought that she was Draco Malfoy's wife. The other part of her wanted to stay in her very comfortable new bed all day, forget about work, and let her new family's fortune take care of her. But, of course, the moment she thought that was the moment she knew it was time to get out of bed.
Now that all of her things were moved to her new home, Ginny had the luxury of dressing a little more carefully. She'd felt more than a little shabby the morning before, coming down to breakfast to find Draco dressed to the nines, while she was in the somewhat worn clothes she'd hastily thrown into her bag before their elopement. With that memory fresh in her mind, along with the thought that she'd probably be visiting her family to drop the news in the evening, she took special care dressing and spent extra time on her hair. Finally satisfied with the result, she went down to breakfast.
Draco was already eating when Ginny sat down at the other end of the table. "Sleep well?" she asked conversationally.
He shrugged in reply, his eyes still on his food. "I take it you're going in to work today?" he asked across the table as a house elf served Ginny toast.
"I've got to go in some time," she replied. "You?"
"I guess so," he said, then looked up at her for the first time since she'd entered. "I suppose we can start spreading the joyous news today."
"Yeah," she replied, mirroring the flat tone he'd been using. "Joyous." They looked at each other over the flower centerpiece, then Ginny began to laugh. A few moments later Draco joined her. His laughter was calm, somewhat controlled, and Ginny shook her head. I've got to teach this kid to loosen up, she thought.
Still, he seemed more relaxed than usual as he gave one last sigh and turned back to his meal, so she dared venture a question. "How do you think people at work are going to react?"
"Not well," he said after a moment's thought. "Don't take offense, Weas- Ginny, but despite all your family did in the war, in a few circles, the name Weasley still doesn't command a lot of respect."
He watched her carefully a moment after that, but she didn't get upset. She knew it was probably true, and besides, she was the one who'd brought it up. When it became clear that she wasn't going to throw her plate at his head, Draco seemed to relax. "What about you?" he asked.
Ginny grinned. "My boss will be thrilled. She's seen you around, and she's told me on more than one occasion that she thinks you're quite a catch."
Draco raised his eyebrows. "A woman of discerning tastes," he said approvingly, to which Ginny could only laugh. He was quiet a moment, then asked, "And you're going to dinner with your family tonight, right?"
All the laughter went out of her face. "Yes, that's tonight," she said. "It's at five-thirty, so I'll probably go straight there from work. So don't keep dinner waiting for me."
"Fine by me," Draco replied. "Maybe I'll go out to dinner tonight. I haven't done that in a while."
"A while being what, three days?" Ginny asked disparagingly, then laughed and looked down at her plate in an attempt to hide her face from him. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Here she was, going to be fed to the wolves- partly for his sake- and he was calmly telling her he would be treating himself to dinner all the while. Of course, she'd told him he didn't have to come, and she wouldn't have dreamed of asking him to accompany her now, but it would have been nice to have some kind of support, from anyone, while she confronted her family. At the very least, he could have waited to go out to dinner on a night that she could come. He was certainly rich enough to treat his wife to dinner.
There was nothing she could say, though, so she simply smiled at him. "I'll see you later tonight, then."
He nodded, finished his breakfast and left the table. Ginny watched him go, then quietly placed her napkin on the table, smiling at the house elf in the doorway. "I'm done here."
. . . . . .
The Ministry of Magic could be an intimidating place for newcomers. Of course, Seamus Finnigan wasn't exactly a newcomer, but running through the darkened building and dodging Death Eater curses a time or two during the war didn't lend the same amount of familiarity as working there. But it was only his first day, and he was sure that in a few days he would be able to find his way to his new office without the use of a map.
"You should have turned left there, dear."
Seamus blanched. The sooner he could get rid of the map he'd been given, the better. He supposed that whoever had enchanted the maps to talk must have thought he was being helpful, but it was more humiliating than anything. That was the third time his map had corrected him in a loud, high-pitched voice that reminded him in an eerie way of his formidable Aunt Maeve.
"Now, these are the elevators, dear. You need to-" The droning voice was cut off as Seamus hastily folded the map and shoved it into his pocket, smiling embarrassedly at the small group of witches and wizards waiting for the elevators. That's it, I'll just find the place myself! he thought as he boarded the elevator.
It was nearly fifteen minutes later that Seamus finally found what he was looking for. "Department of International Cooperation," he read to himself, then looked in the direction that the sign pointed. His new office was at the end of the hall, then. He whistled softly. His co-workers at the Irish Ministry of Magic hadn't been joking, then; he certainly had gotten a nice job here. The Department of International Cooperation occupied a large portion of the top floor of the building, and all the decor bespoke centuries of wealth and prestige.
He smiled to himself, feeling very glad to be there. After the war, he'd returned home to Ireland and worked for the Irish Ministry. It had been great to be home, but he found he missed England. When his boss had mentioned a job opportunity in London, Seamus had jumped at the chance. Patrick Murphy, the Irish ambassador to England's Ministry of Magic, was retiring after many exhausting years of dealing with the English. His assistant, Liam Carolan, was taking his place, and now needed an assistant of his own. Seamus already worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and as he'd been educated in England, he seemed the perfect choice. Fortunately, Carolan had been glad to take him on.
He'd only arrived in London the day before, and all of his time had been spent finding a flat. He'd been making inquiries while back in Dublin, and nowhere near the Ministry had been available. Fortunately, he'd decided to check around one last time after arriving in London, and had discovered a flat that had just that day been vacated by a witch who'd gotten married. The flat was in a great location- a small side street near the Ministry and St. Mungo's hospital- but the building itself was old and run-down, and the interior decorator had obviously had terrible taste, including an unfortunate love of cheap wood paneling. Still, he couldn't beat being so close to work.
Moving in had taken him all afternoon, and he hadn't been able to contact any of his friends from school or the Order of the Phoenix yet. He was in England now, though, and he'd have plenty of time to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. He'd never been shy about meeting new people, and he was looking forward to the opportunity of making new friends at his new job. Smiling again, he went to find his new office.
He and Carolan's office was in a hallway just off the main lobby inside the Department of International Cooperation. His boss smiled at him as he entered. "A bit late, are we?" he asked in his strong Irish brogue.
Seamus shrugged apologetically. "I got lost," he explained.
Carolan laughed. "I can imagine," he said. "Shall I show you around?"
The two walked around the offices of the foreign officials, greeting the German diplomats across the hall and the Italians next door, before moving to the opposite side of the main lobby, where the English members of the office worked. A few of the office doors were open, and Carolan introduced Seamus to the employees inside. Seamus didn't know any of them, though he recognized some of the names, and he made a valiant effort to remember everyone he met.
It wasn't until lunch that day that Seamus saw someone he knew. "Draco Malfoy," he smiled as his former schoolmate stepped into the break room. He found himself glad to see the stuffed shirt; even though they'd never been friends, they'd fought together in the Order. "What are you doing here?"
Draco blinked in surprise on being addressed. "Finnigan," he said after a pause. "I work here. What are you doing here?"
Seamus smiled. "Same as you. Are you here to eat lunch? Come have a seat."
Draco seemed taken aback by his forwardness, which was understandable; they hadn't seen each other in some time. Still, after a moment of hesitation, he stiffly sat across the small table from Seamus. "You work here?" he confirmed.
"Started today," Seamus said. "Assistant to the Irish ambassador."
"Oh," Draco said, pulling out a fork and a container magicked to keep his veal hot. His surprise at seeing Seamus seemed to have passed, and his Irish companion could almost see his accustomed sneer returning to his face.
"So," Seamus asked conversationally, "what have you been up to?"
At this Draco looked up quickly, his eyes focused on something past Seamus. His lips twitched into an amused smirk, and he hesitated before answering. "A lot," he said simply.
"Right," Seamus said, not minding Draco's abrupt manner. There was something different about him- he seemed slightly less snooty, perhaps, and Seamus decided to try to strike up a friendship with him. Many of their co-workers were older and quite imposing, and it would be nice to have a friend at work his own age. "Well, I just arrived yesterday. I was-" He stopped as his eyes fell on Draco's left hand resting on the table. "Draco," he asked in surprise, "is that a wedding ring?"
Draco looked down and seemed as surprised as his companion to see the ring there. "Oh, yes, right, it's a wedding ring," he said. "Hmm."
Seamus leaned toward him, waiting for him to continue. He didn't. "Draco," Seamus finally pressed, "are you married?"
"What? Oh, yes," Draco replied. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands, looking at Seamus with what was probably an attempt to look serious and responsible. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "you're the first person who's noticed. And the first person I've told. Congratulations."
"What?" Seamus demanded. Draco merely raised an eyebrow at him, and Seamus felt himself ready to burst. The man could be so frustrating! "What do you mean, I'm the first to know? How long have you been married?"
Draco leaned back and appeared to think for a moment. "A day and half."
"You've been married a day and a half, and no one else knows?"
His companion shrugged. "It happened kind of suddenly."
"Apparently," Seamus replied. "Has your wife told anyone?"
Draco tapped his finger against his lips a moment. "No, I don't think so," he said finally.
Seamus shook his head. "Draco, you're a weird guy," he said. "So who is she? Anyone I know?"
At this Draco looked around a few moments, waiting until no one was nearby. Then, leaning forward conspiratorially: "Umm . . ."
Seamus, leaning forward to hear him, waited a moment, then asked, "Umm what?"
"Umm . . ." Draco looked around again. "Ginny Weasley." He paused, looking at the people around them as though expecting them to react. When nothing happened, he smiled a little and straightened up. "Yes, that's it, Ginny Weasley." He seemed immensely pleased with himself, not for being married, but for admitting it.
Seamus gaped at him. "Are you kidding me?"
Draco looked at him uncertainly. "Umm . . . no?"
"That's brilliant!" Seamus cried, reaching across the table to shake Draco's hand vigorously. "I'm so happy for you! She's such a great girl, isn't she? And I love the Weasleys, don't you?"
"Keep it down!" Draco hissed, darting glances at the people all around them. "No one else knows yet!"
What Draco had said suddenly registered in Seamus' mind, and he released Draco's hand suddenly. "Draco," he whispered, leaning across the table, "you're married to a Weasley?" He hesitated. "Is that legal?"
"Oh, shut up," Draco said.
"Ah," Seamus said. "There's the Draco we all know and love."
"Really, Finnigan, do you have to expose your stupidity every time you talk?"
Seamus grinned. Now that Draco wasn't acting so strangely, he felt much more comfortable- so much so that he didn't mind Draco being a moron. "So, we should hang out some time. Do you know any good restaurants in town?"
Draco looked dumbfounded a moment before composing himself again. "Uh . . . I'm going to Ottavio's tonight."
"Sounds great," Seamus said. "Is Ginny coming?"
"Umm, no."
"Too bad. Well, do you mind if I invite myself?" Draco seemed taken aback at his forwardness, but Seamus felt justified. He and Draco were schoolmates, Order-mates, and with Draco married to a member of a family Seamus was very close to, practically related.
Draco was staring at Seamus as though he was wearing his robes inside out. "I guess not," he said finally.
"Great! I'll talk to you after work, then. See you later!"
He left the table, leaving a thunderstruck Draco behind. Seamus grinned. He and Draco were going to be friends, he could tell.
. . . . . .
If there was anything that Glennis McGregor had learned over eight years of being a floor supervisor at St. Mungo's, it was that the actions of one person could make all the difference in the world. One disrespectful subordinate could cause a feeling of rebelliousness in the entire group. And one underling who was prompt and helpful and took her superiors seriously could influence her peers to do the same, making the whole job infinitely easier. Luckily, Glennis had one of the latter on her staff. Ginny Weasley was skilled, reliable, and always respectful. Glennis had come to depend on her to be reliable, to be polite, and to influence other employees to do the same.
Which was why Ginny's behavior of late was so puzzling- namely, that she had missed part or all of work twice in the past four days. That was allowed, of course. They didn't want their healers getting overworked and making foolish mistakes in their fatigue. Glennis' concern came because she could count on two thumbs the number of times Ginny had called in on the day of her shift to say she couldn't come in, and each time, she'd given thorough and acceptable reasons as to why she was missing work.
On Monday, however, she had come back from a house call- much later than she'd been expected- and had marched straight to Glennis' office, asked her briskly for the day off, then left, offering no reasons why. Of course Glennis had pressed her young friend for explanations the next day, but she'd been vague and evasive, murmuring about having too much to do and so many things to worry about, and didn't she have vacation days enough to take off every now and then? Then, on Wednesday, Ginny had owled Glennis at home to say that she was sorry, but she couldn't come in to work. That was the whole note. And that, Glennis concluded from the comfort of her office early Thursday morning, was simply not like Ginny. Something was wrong, and she intended to find out what.
That turned out to be easier said than done. It was a busy day, and a spate of emergency calls chiefly relating to the beginning of the London Youth Quidditch League's summer season kept the entire floor busy all morning. Glennis passed Ginny a time or two, but the red-haired young woman was always in a hurry and would simply smile and hurry on.
Something was up, though, she could tell. Although Ginny's work was still quick and efficient, the girl seemed distracted and worried. The only thing Glennis could do about it, though, was promise herself that she would talk to Ginny over lunch.
The chaos of the morning started to slow around noon with the arrival of several part-time Medi-witches, but it wasn't until nearly twelve-thirty that Glennis was able to take a lunch break. Luckily, she'd just seen Ginny leave with her own lunch, meaning she had a perfect opportunity to speak with her.
And indeed it would have been a perfect opportunity, Glennis saw as she came into the staff room, were it not for Corbin the orderly sitting in the corner, the only other occupant of the room besides Ginny. Despite this setback, Glennis decided to address her friend, not knowing when the next opportunity would be.
"Ginny," she said in what she hoped was a firm but motherly, caring but no-nonsense tone, "we need to talk."
"Yes, yes, we do," Ginny responded promptly, looking up from her chicken salad.
"Oh," Glennis said, deflating a bit. She hadn't expected her to be so forthcoming, and hadn't really planned out where to go from there. "Well . . ."
"Well," Ginny said after a moment of Glennis' drawn-out "well"-ing, "I have something I need to tell you, and I should really stop delaying it." She looked purposefully at Glennis, then took a large bite of her chicken salad.
"You're delaying," Corbin pointed out.
"Hush!" Glennis hissed at him. "You were saying, Ginny?"
"I'm not delaying," Ginny defended herself. "What I'm saying is . . ." She paused to take a breath, then took a moment to blow away a stray hair that had fallen across her face.
"You're still delaying," Corbin commented.
Glennis nodded. "This time I agree with him."
"No, I'm not," Ginny said with what was apparently supposed to be conviction. "I'm-" she paused again, looked down at her left hand, then lifted it up to show Glennis- "married," she finished awkwardly.
There was a long pause.
"Married?" Glennis echoed faintly.
"Turn this way," Corbin requested from the corner. "I can't see what you're showing her."
Ginny stared at him a moment in surprise. "It's a wedding ring," she said, sounding exasperated.
"You're married?" Corbin replied. "How embarrassing."
Ginny stared at him, but Glennis, hardly noticing their exchange, grabbed Ginny's shoulder, forcing her to turn back to face her. "You're married?"
"Yes, for the seventh time, I'm married!" Ginny said, annoyed. When no one responded right away, she looked between her two companions in a mix of uncertainty and frustration. "Isn't this the part where you congratulate me?"
Corbin promptly stood, crossed the room, and shook Ginny's hand firmly. "Good luck, kid," he said sagely. "And remember to never go to bed angry."
Looking confused, Ginny opened her mouth, paused, then shook her head and said simply, "Thanks, Corbin."
"I didn't even know you were dating anyone," Glennis said.
Ginny immediately looked sheepish. "I wasn't. It was- I met up with an old acquaintance, and we started talking and we really . . . connected-" it seemed to Glennis that Ginny smiled very quickly at that word- "and we decided to get married."
"When?" Glennis demanded.
"Night before last," Ginny said. "That's why I wanted yesterday off."
"And how long ago did you renew this friendship?"
Ginny blanched. "Monday?" she ventured.
"Ginny," Glennis breathed, "that's- that's fast. That's really . . . fast."
Her young co-worker looked slightly embarrassed, but tried to smile. "You haven't asked me who it is yet," she said. "I think you'll be amused."
Glennis cast her mind back over what Ginny had said. "Monday," she murmured, then stared at Ginny in shock and realization. "Draco Malfoy," she guessed, her eyes wide. Ginny's sheepish smile told her all she needed to know. "Ginny!" Glennis gasped. "You got married to Draco Malfoy?"
"I did," Ginny said, smiling uncertainly.
"You got married to Draco Malfoy?" Glennis said again in disbelief.
"Yes, she did," Corbin said. "You've been repeating yourself a lot today, Glennis. Are you quite all right?"
"Do you mind?" Glennis demanded, glaring at her underling.
Corbin didn't even look fazed. "No. Do you?"
Glennis shook her head and turned back to Ginny. "How could you have gotten married to Draco Malfoy, of all people?" she said, upset.
Ginny looked surprised. "But you always used to tell me how wonderful and attractive and rich he was. I would have thought you would have been happy for me."
Vexed, Glennis covered her face with her hands. "I was- joking!" she cried through her fingers. "No, you're right, I was serious, but- but you should have taken it as a joke!" Inside she was in turmoil. It was true- she had told Ginny several times that Draco Malfoy seemed the perfect man. But she'd meant it in a daydreaming kind of way- she'd never expected that her young friend would actually marry the man. Ginny had said herself she barely knew him, and what she knew of him she didn't like. And now, at such a tender young age, she had rushed into a marriage with a man she'd only just started talking to again. Glennis lowered her hands a little so she could look at Ginny. "Did you do this because I kept talking about him?" she asked with some trepidation.
"Of course not," Ginny said, laughing. "I love you, Glennis, but I'm not going to marry someone just because you thought he was cute. Is that what you're worried about?"
Glennis dropped her hands to her lap and shook her head. "No. Not entirely, anyway. What I'm worried about is you. You're so young, and you say you never even dated this man. Are you sure you two are ready to be married? And doesn't your family hate him?"
Ginny sighed, smiling wryly. "Leave my family to me, Glennis. And smile a little! I was counting on you to be the one person who would be happy for me with this marriage."
Glennis tried to smile. "I am happy," she said, and even she could tell her smile looked less than convincing.
"Thank you," Ginny said. "And stop worrying. I'm going to make this work."
Still less than convinced, Glennis sat down across from her friend and began to eat her lunch. After a moment, Corbin finished his food and got up to leave. As he passed their table, he leaned down to look squarely at Ginny. "Don't worry about your family or this one," he said, motioning at Glennis. "I've had a lot of experience with families disapproving of my marriages. You keep playing your cards like you have been, and they'll come around."
This time, Ginny and Glennis spoke in unison- "Thanks, Corbin-" and he left the room, leaving the two healers shaking their heads behind him.
. . . . . .
The clock was just chiming half past twelve when Severus Snape strode into his office. The halls were unusually quiet, devoid of the accustomed hustle and bustle of students going to classes, as most of the school was upstairs in the Great Hall eating lunch. Severus had been there himself for the first part of the lunch hour, but he was slightly behind on grading and needed the rest of the lunch hour to catch up. Final exams were coming, and he knew that his more studious pupils would want their last essays back so they could study for their Potions test, so he might as well get all of them graded. It was the most tedious part of the job, but, knowing his duty, he fought back a scowl and sat at his desk to read how first year Hufflepuff Gary Grant would try to defend his sadly uninformed statement that gillyweed was a prime ingredient in green tea.
A few paragraphs later, he was interrupted by a knocking on his door. His scowl returned full force as he dropped Gary's essay on his desk and walked to the door, wondering who would be out and about in the school in the middle of a meal. It turned out to be a house elf, an obnoxiously perky little thing with ears that seemed obscenely large, even for an elf. She handed him a letter with a sweeping bow, then straightened up to wait for a reply.
Severus took the letter from her with a grunt. It was a system he'd been using since he came to teach at Hogwarts; his dungeon office had no windows, so any owls that came for him went to the owlery, and then the house elves brought the letters down. It was not a system that he'd had to use a lot, though; he didn't get a lot of letters, especially with the war over. It was strange that he'd gotten something now.
He turned the yellow parchment envelope over. The seal on the wax was vaguely familiar, and he wondered who would bother with sealing it. Cracking open the heavy seal, he found a short note in ornate, sprawling handwriting:
Light a fire. Bertram Mason.
It was Bertram, then, wanting to talk to him over the Floo network. That was strange. The Masons were businessmen in Scotland and friends of the Malfoy family, but Severus had never found much use for them. They were moneylenders, frequented by the rich and famous because they were known for being discrete and not asking questions; occasionally they also lent money to society's less savory types on the side. Despite his personal feelings for them, though, it made sense to hear what the man had to say, so after dismissing the house elf, Severus crossed the room and lit a fire on the dark and little-used hearth.
Four minutes later, a head appeared in the flames. It was Bertram, for sure, right down to his pock-marked face. Severus looked down at him. "Did you have business with me?" he asked. "I have class soon, and I'd like to end this call quickly."
Bertram inclined his head mockingly. "So sorry to inconvenience you, Potions Master," he said in a deliberately false tone, then straightened and began speaking in the quick, no-nonsense way the Masons' clients appreciated so much. "Believe me, I wouldn't be calling you if we didn't owe it to the Malfoys. Things being as they are, however, I do need to tell someone, and if I called young Master Draco I'd just be telling him something he already knew."
"What do you know?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I've been out of town and didn't find out until this morning, but my brother Pickford says that night before last, young Master Draco appeared at his doorstep and asked to be married to one-"
"-Ginny Weasley," Severus broke in with a soft hiss. "Foolish, foolish boy."
"That's what I thought," Bertram said. "Anyway, you know Pickford's got a license to marry folk, and he didn't see any harm in it." He smirked. "Just thought you'd like to know your boy's married."
Severus raised one hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Bertram," he said, and actually almost felt gratitude that time.
"Well, Lucius was such a good friend," Bertram said off-handedly. "What do you intend to do about it?"
Severus looked up quickly and dropped his hand. "That remains to be seen," he said firmly. "You and yours keep quiet about all this."
"Of course," Bertram said with another bow of his head. "Keeping quiet is what the Masons do best." And then he was gone.
Severus sat in his chair staring at the fire for a long time after Bertram had gone. Draco was married, then, and married to a Weasley. He cursed Draco, not for the first time, for coercing him into not going to the Stewart's party. Of course he'd meant to visit them since then, but things kept cropping up and getting in the way. And he'd thought that nothing really bad could have happened yet, because if Ginny had gone to the Ministry, surely they would have come to Hogwarts to get his input, as he was the only other witness. As long as he hadn't heard from them, he'd figured things were all right.
What he needed to find out first was how Draco had convinced Ginny to go through with it. Ginny was not stupid; she wouldn't have gone through with the marriage simply for the sake of the oath. Something else must have happened. He paused. Perhaps the girl had agreed of her own free will- that warranted some further thought. If that was the case, perhaps things were not as bad as they seemed. Of course having a Weasley in the Malfoy family was unheard of and more than a little embarrassing, but what he'd really been worried about was the possibility of the girl being tricked or forced into marriage. It would bring all kinds of bad attention to the Malfoy family, which didn't need any more scandal, and Draco could get into a lot of trouble for it.
And Ginny didn't deserve it. Though many people would be surprised to hear Severus Snape admit any concern for a former Gryffindor, the truth was that he was indeed concerned. He'd always tolerated Ginny better than most Gryffindors in school because she was reasonably well-behaved and had always been good in Potions. Her studies in healing had involved a lot of work in Potions, and during the classes he'd taught her, he'd come to feel some mild kind of regard for her, which was rare for students outside of Slytherin. Their time together in the Order had only added to his esteem of her. He wouldn't exactly say he liked her, but he could tolerate her presence with relatively good will, and for him, that was saying a lot.
All things considered, all he knew was he definitely needed to speak with his young friend. He'd have to go in the evening, after classes were over, to visit Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. The thought made him pause. A Mrs. Draco Malfoy? His hands, which had been stacking papers absentmindedly, stilled as he imagined Draco in a family situation. Draco, the head of a household, making decisions and being responsible. It really wasn't a bad thought at all. In truth, having Draco married could be a good thing in many ways.
It was just unfortunate that it was to Ginny Weasley. Still, the girl usually seemed well-behaved. Perhaps this would all turn out better than expected- or at least, wouldn't be a disaster. Hoping desperately that it would be so, Severus stood to go to his next class.
. . . . . .
The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy. - Karl von Clausewitz
. . . . . .
Ginny was hard pressed to say, when she woke the next morning, how she really wanted to spend her day. Part of her wanted to get to work, in the real world, away from Malfoy Manor and the thought that she was Draco Malfoy's wife. The other part of her wanted to stay in her very comfortable new bed all day, forget about work, and let her new family's fortune take care of her. But, of course, the moment she thought that was the moment she knew it was time to get out of bed.
Now that all of her things were moved to her new home, Ginny had the luxury of dressing a little more carefully. She'd felt more than a little shabby the morning before, coming down to breakfast to find Draco dressed to the nines, while she was in the somewhat worn clothes she'd hastily thrown into her bag before their elopement. With that memory fresh in her mind, along with the thought that she'd probably be visiting her family to drop the news in the evening, she took special care dressing and spent extra time on her hair. Finally satisfied with the result, she went down to breakfast.
Draco was already eating when Ginny sat down at the other end of the table. "Sleep well?" she asked conversationally.
He shrugged in reply, his eyes still on his food. "I take it you're going in to work today?" he asked across the table as a house elf served Ginny toast.
"I've got to go in some time," she replied. "You?"
"I guess so," he said, then looked up at her for the first time since she'd entered. "I suppose we can start spreading the joyous news today."
"Yeah," she replied, mirroring the flat tone he'd been using. "Joyous." They looked at each other over the flower centerpiece, then Ginny began to laugh. A few moments later Draco joined her. His laughter was calm, somewhat controlled, and Ginny shook her head. I've got to teach this kid to loosen up, she thought.
Still, he seemed more relaxed than usual as he gave one last sigh and turned back to his meal, so she dared venture a question. "How do you think people at work are going to react?"
"Not well," he said after a moment's thought. "Don't take offense, Weas- Ginny, but despite all your family did in the war, in a few circles, the name Weasley still doesn't command a lot of respect."
He watched her carefully a moment after that, but she didn't get upset. She knew it was probably true, and besides, she was the one who'd brought it up. When it became clear that she wasn't going to throw her plate at his head, Draco seemed to relax. "What about you?" he asked.
Ginny grinned. "My boss will be thrilled. She's seen you around, and she's told me on more than one occasion that she thinks you're quite a catch."
Draco raised his eyebrows. "A woman of discerning tastes," he said approvingly, to which Ginny could only laugh. He was quiet a moment, then asked, "And you're going to dinner with your family tonight, right?"
All the laughter went out of her face. "Yes, that's tonight," she said. "It's at five-thirty, so I'll probably go straight there from work. So don't keep dinner waiting for me."
"Fine by me," Draco replied. "Maybe I'll go out to dinner tonight. I haven't done that in a while."
"A while being what, three days?" Ginny asked disparagingly, then laughed and looked down at her plate in an attempt to hide her face from him. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Here she was, going to be fed to the wolves- partly for his sake- and he was calmly telling her he would be treating himself to dinner all the while. Of course, she'd told him he didn't have to come, and she wouldn't have dreamed of asking him to accompany her now, but it would have been nice to have some kind of support, from anyone, while she confronted her family. At the very least, he could have waited to go out to dinner on a night that she could come. He was certainly rich enough to treat his wife to dinner.
There was nothing she could say, though, so she simply smiled at him. "I'll see you later tonight, then."
He nodded, finished his breakfast and left the table. Ginny watched him go, then quietly placed her napkin on the table, smiling at the house elf in the doorway. "I'm done here."
. . . . . .
The Ministry of Magic could be an intimidating place for newcomers. Of course, Seamus Finnigan wasn't exactly a newcomer, but running through the darkened building and dodging Death Eater curses a time or two during the war didn't lend the same amount of familiarity as working there. But it was only his first day, and he was sure that in a few days he would be able to find his way to his new office without the use of a map.
"You should have turned left there, dear."
Seamus blanched. The sooner he could get rid of the map he'd been given, the better. He supposed that whoever had enchanted the maps to talk must have thought he was being helpful, but it was more humiliating than anything. That was the third time his map had corrected him in a loud, high-pitched voice that reminded him in an eerie way of his formidable Aunt Maeve.
"Now, these are the elevators, dear. You need to-" The droning voice was cut off as Seamus hastily folded the map and shoved it into his pocket, smiling embarrassedly at the small group of witches and wizards waiting for the elevators. That's it, I'll just find the place myself! he thought as he boarded the elevator.
It was nearly fifteen minutes later that Seamus finally found what he was looking for. "Department of International Cooperation," he read to himself, then looked in the direction that the sign pointed. His new office was at the end of the hall, then. He whistled softly. His co-workers at the Irish Ministry of Magic hadn't been joking, then; he certainly had gotten a nice job here. The Department of International Cooperation occupied a large portion of the top floor of the building, and all the decor bespoke centuries of wealth and prestige.
He smiled to himself, feeling very glad to be there. After the war, he'd returned home to Ireland and worked for the Irish Ministry. It had been great to be home, but he found he missed England. When his boss had mentioned a job opportunity in London, Seamus had jumped at the chance. Patrick Murphy, the Irish ambassador to England's Ministry of Magic, was retiring after many exhausting years of dealing with the English. His assistant, Liam Carolan, was taking his place, and now needed an assistant of his own. Seamus already worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and as he'd been educated in England, he seemed the perfect choice. Fortunately, Carolan had been glad to take him on.
He'd only arrived in London the day before, and all of his time had been spent finding a flat. He'd been making inquiries while back in Dublin, and nowhere near the Ministry had been available. Fortunately, he'd decided to check around one last time after arriving in London, and had discovered a flat that had just that day been vacated by a witch who'd gotten married. The flat was in a great location- a small side street near the Ministry and St. Mungo's hospital- but the building itself was old and run-down, and the interior decorator had obviously had terrible taste, including an unfortunate love of cheap wood paneling. Still, he couldn't beat being so close to work.
Moving in had taken him all afternoon, and he hadn't been able to contact any of his friends from school or the Order of the Phoenix yet. He was in England now, though, and he'd have plenty of time to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. He'd never been shy about meeting new people, and he was looking forward to the opportunity of making new friends at his new job. Smiling again, he went to find his new office.
He and Carolan's office was in a hallway just off the main lobby inside the Department of International Cooperation. His boss smiled at him as he entered. "A bit late, are we?" he asked in his strong Irish brogue.
Seamus shrugged apologetically. "I got lost," he explained.
Carolan laughed. "I can imagine," he said. "Shall I show you around?"
The two walked around the offices of the foreign officials, greeting the German diplomats across the hall and the Italians next door, before moving to the opposite side of the main lobby, where the English members of the office worked. A few of the office doors were open, and Carolan introduced Seamus to the employees inside. Seamus didn't know any of them, though he recognized some of the names, and he made a valiant effort to remember everyone he met.
It wasn't until lunch that day that Seamus saw someone he knew. "Draco Malfoy," he smiled as his former schoolmate stepped into the break room. He found himself glad to see the stuffed shirt; even though they'd never been friends, they'd fought together in the Order. "What are you doing here?"
Draco blinked in surprise on being addressed. "Finnigan," he said after a pause. "I work here. What are you doing here?"
Seamus smiled. "Same as you. Are you here to eat lunch? Come have a seat."
Draco seemed taken aback by his forwardness, which was understandable; they hadn't seen each other in some time. Still, after a moment of hesitation, he stiffly sat across the small table from Seamus. "You work here?" he confirmed.
"Started today," Seamus said. "Assistant to the Irish ambassador."
"Oh," Draco said, pulling out a fork and a container magicked to keep his veal hot. His surprise at seeing Seamus seemed to have passed, and his Irish companion could almost see his accustomed sneer returning to his face.
"So," Seamus asked conversationally, "what have you been up to?"
At this Draco looked up quickly, his eyes focused on something past Seamus. His lips twitched into an amused smirk, and he hesitated before answering. "A lot," he said simply.
"Right," Seamus said, not minding Draco's abrupt manner. There was something different about him- he seemed slightly less snooty, perhaps, and Seamus decided to try to strike up a friendship with him. Many of their co-workers were older and quite imposing, and it would be nice to have a friend at work his own age. "Well, I just arrived yesterday. I was-" He stopped as his eyes fell on Draco's left hand resting on the table. "Draco," he asked in surprise, "is that a wedding ring?"
Draco looked down and seemed as surprised as his companion to see the ring there. "Oh, yes, right, it's a wedding ring," he said. "Hmm."
Seamus leaned toward him, waiting for him to continue. He didn't. "Draco," Seamus finally pressed, "are you married?"
"What? Oh, yes," Draco replied. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands, looking at Seamus with what was probably an attempt to look serious and responsible. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "you're the first person who's noticed. And the first person I've told. Congratulations."
"What?" Seamus demanded. Draco merely raised an eyebrow at him, and Seamus felt himself ready to burst. The man could be so frustrating! "What do you mean, I'm the first to know? How long have you been married?"
Draco leaned back and appeared to think for a moment. "A day and half."
"You've been married a day and a half, and no one else knows?"
His companion shrugged. "It happened kind of suddenly."
"Apparently," Seamus replied. "Has your wife told anyone?"
Draco tapped his finger against his lips a moment. "No, I don't think so," he said finally.
Seamus shook his head. "Draco, you're a weird guy," he said. "So who is she? Anyone I know?"
At this Draco looked around a few moments, waiting until no one was nearby. Then, leaning forward conspiratorially: "Umm . . ."
Seamus, leaning forward to hear him, waited a moment, then asked, "Umm what?"
"Umm . . ." Draco looked around again. "Ginny Weasley." He paused, looking at the people around them as though expecting them to react. When nothing happened, he smiled a little and straightened up. "Yes, that's it, Ginny Weasley." He seemed immensely pleased with himself, not for being married, but for admitting it.
Seamus gaped at him. "Are you kidding me?"
Draco looked at him uncertainly. "Umm . . . no?"
"That's brilliant!" Seamus cried, reaching across the table to shake Draco's hand vigorously. "I'm so happy for you! She's such a great girl, isn't she? And I love the Weasleys, don't you?"
"Keep it down!" Draco hissed, darting glances at the people all around them. "No one else knows yet!"
What Draco had said suddenly registered in Seamus' mind, and he released Draco's hand suddenly. "Draco," he whispered, leaning across the table, "you're married to a Weasley?" He hesitated. "Is that legal?"
"Oh, shut up," Draco said.
"Ah," Seamus said. "There's the Draco we all know and love."
"Really, Finnigan, do you have to expose your stupidity every time you talk?"
Seamus grinned. Now that Draco wasn't acting so strangely, he felt much more comfortable- so much so that he didn't mind Draco being a moron. "So, we should hang out some time. Do you know any good restaurants in town?"
Draco looked dumbfounded a moment before composing himself again. "Uh . . . I'm going to Ottavio's tonight."
"Sounds great," Seamus said. "Is Ginny coming?"
"Umm, no."
"Too bad. Well, do you mind if I invite myself?" Draco seemed taken aback at his forwardness, but Seamus felt justified. He and Draco were schoolmates, Order-mates, and with Draco married to a member of a family Seamus was very close to, practically related.
Draco was staring at Seamus as though he was wearing his robes inside out. "I guess not," he said finally.
"Great! I'll talk to you after work, then. See you later!"
He left the table, leaving a thunderstruck Draco behind. Seamus grinned. He and Draco were going to be friends, he could tell.
. . . . . .
If there was anything that Glennis McGregor had learned over eight years of being a floor supervisor at St. Mungo's, it was that the actions of one person could make all the difference in the world. One disrespectful subordinate could cause a feeling of rebelliousness in the entire group. And one underling who was prompt and helpful and took her superiors seriously could influence her peers to do the same, making the whole job infinitely easier. Luckily, Glennis had one of the latter on her staff. Ginny Weasley was skilled, reliable, and always respectful. Glennis had come to depend on her to be reliable, to be polite, and to influence other employees to do the same.
Which was why Ginny's behavior of late was so puzzling- namely, that she had missed part or all of work twice in the past four days. That was allowed, of course. They didn't want their healers getting overworked and making foolish mistakes in their fatigue. Glennis' concern came because she could count on two thumbs the number of times Ginny had called in on the day of her shift to say she couldn't come in, and each time, she'd given thorough and acceptable reasons as to why she was missing work.
On Monday, however, she had come back from a house call- much later than she'd been expected- and had marched straight to Glennis' office, asked her briskly for the day off, then left, offering no reasons why. Of course Glennis had pressed her young friend for explanations the next day, but she'd been vague and evasive, murmuring about having too much to do and so many things to worry about, and didn't she have vacation days enough to take off every now and then? Then, on Wednesday, Ginny had owled Glennis at home to say that she was sorry, but she couldn't come in to work. That was the whole note. And that, Glennis concluded from the comfort of her office early Thursday morning, was simply not like Ginny. Something was wrong, and she intended to find out what.
That turned out to be easier said than done. It was a busy day, and a spate of emergency calls chiefly relating to the beginning of the London Youth Quidditch League's summer season kept the entire floor busy all morning. Glennis passed Ginny a time or two, but the red-haired young woman was always in a hurry and would simply smile and hurry on.
Something was up, though, she could tell. Although Ginny's work was still quick and efficient, the girl seemed distracted and worried. The only thing Glennis could do about it, though, was promise herself that she would talk to Ginny over lunch.
The chaos of the morning started to slow around noon with the arrival of several part-time Medi-witches, but it wasn't until nearly twelve-thirty that Glennis was able to take a lunch break. Luckily, she'd just seen Ginny leave with her own lunch, meaning she had a perfect opportunity to speak with her.
And indeed it would have been a perfect opportunity, Glennis saw as she came into the staff room, were it not for Corbin the orderly sitting in the corner, the only other occupant of the room besides Ginny. Despite this setback, Glennis decided to address her friend, not knowing when the next opportunity would be.
"Ginny," she said in what she hoped was a firm but motherly, caring but no-nonsense tone, "we need to talk."
"Yes, yes, we do," Ginny responded promptly, looking up from her chicken salad.
"Oh," Glennis said, deflating a bit. She hadn't expected her to be so forthcoming, and hadn't really planned out where to go from there. "Well . . ."
"Well," Ginny said after a moment of Glennis' drawn-out "well"-ing, "I have something I need to tell you, and I should really stop delaying it." She looked purposefully at Glennis, then took a large bite of her chicken salad.
"You're delaying," Corbin pointed out.
"Hush!" Glennis hissed at him. "You were saying, Ginny?"
"I'm not delaying," Ginny defended herself. "What I'm saying is . . ." She paused to take a breath, then took a moment to blow away a stray hair that had fallen across her face.
"You're still delaying," Corbin commented.
Glennis nodded. "This time I agree with him."
"No, I'm not," Ginny said with what was apparently supposed to be conviction. "I'm-" she paused again, looked down at her left hand, then lifted it up to show Glennis- "married," she finished awkwardly.
There was a long pause.
"Married?" Glennis echoed faintly.
"Turn this way," Corbin requested from the corner. "I can't see what you're showing her."
Ginny stared at him a moment in surprise. "It's a wedding ring," she said, sounding exasperated.
"You're married?" Corbin replied. "How embarrassing."
Ginny stared at him, but Glennis, hardly noticing their exchange, grabbed Ginny's shoulder, forcing her to turn back to face her. "You're married?"
"Yes, for the seventh time, I'm married!" Ginny said, annoyed. When no one responded right away, she looked between her two companions in a mix of uncertainty and frustration. "Isn't this the part where you congratulate me?"
Corbin promptly stood, crossed the room, and shook Ginny's hand firmly. "Good luck, kid," he said sagely. "And remember to never go to bed angry."
Looking confused, Ginny opened her mouth, paused, then shook her head and said simply, "Thanks, Corbin."
"I didn't even know you were dating anyone," Glennis said.
Ginny immediately looked sheepish. "I wasn't. It was- I met up with an old acquaintance, and we started talking and we really . . . connected-" it seemed to Glennis that Ginny smiled very quickly at that word- "and we decided to get married."
"When?" Glennis demanded.
"Night before last," Ginny said. "That's why I wanted yesterday off."
"And how long ago did you renew this friendship?"
Ginny blanched. "Monday?" she ventured.
"Ginny," Glennis breathed, "that's- that's fast. That's really . . . fast."
Her young co-worker looked slightly embarrassed, but tried to smile. "You haven't asked me who it is yet," she said. "I think you'll be amused."
Glennis cast her mind back over what Ginny had said. "Monday," she murmured, then stared at Ginny in shock and realization. "Draco Malfoy," she guessed, her eyes wide. Ginny's sheepish smile told her all she needed to know. "Ginny!" Glennis gasped. "You got married to Draco Malfoy?"
"I did," Ginny said, smiling uncertainly.
"You got married to Draco Malfoy?" Glennis said again in disbelief.
"Yes, she did," Corbin said. "You've been repeating yourself a lot today, Glennis. Are you quite all right?"
"Do you mind?" Glennis demanded, glaring at her underling.
Corbin didn't even look fazed. "No. Do you?"
Glennis shook her head and turned back to Ginny. "How could you have gotten married to Draco Malfoy, of all people?" she said, upset.
Ginny looked surprised. "But you always used to tell me how wonderful and attractive and rich he was. I would have thought you would have been happy for me."
Vexed, Glennis covered her face with her hands. "I was- joking!" she cried through her fingers. "No, you're right, I was serious, but- but you should have taken it as a joke!" Inside she was in turmoil. It was true- she had told Ginny several times that Draco Malfoy seemed the perfect man. But she'd meant it in a daydreaming kind of way- she'd never expected that her young friend would actually marry the man. Ginny had said herself she barely knew him, and what she knew of him she didn't like. And now, at such a tender young age, she had rushed into a marriage with a man she'd only just started talking to again. Glennis lowered her hands a little so she could look at Ginny. "Did you do this because I kept talking about him?" she asked with some trepidation.
"Of course not," Ginny said, laughing. "I love you, Glennis, but I'm not going to marry someone just because you thought he was cute. Is that what you're worried about?"
Glennis dropped her hands to her lap and shook her head. "No. Not entirely, anyway. What I'm worried about is you. You're so young, and you say you never even dated this man. Are you sure you two are ready to be married? And doesn't your family hate him?"
Ginny sighed, smiling wryly. "Leave my family to me, Glennis. And smile a little! I was counting on you to be the one person who would be happy for me with this marriage."
Glennis tried to smile. "I am happy," she said, and even she could tell her smile looked less than convincing.
"Thank you," Ginny said. "And stop worrying. I'm going to make this work."
Still less than convinced, Glennis sat down across from her friend and began to eat her lunch. After a moment, Corbin finished his food and got up to leave. As he passed their table, he leaned down to look squarely at Ginny. "Don't worry about your family or this one," he said, motioning at Glennis. "I've had a lot of experience with families disapproving of my marriages. You keep playing your cards like you have been, and they'll come around."
This time, Ginny and Glennis spoke in unison- "Thanks, Corbin-" and he left the room, leaving the two healers shaking their heads behind him.
. . . . . .
The clock was just chiming half past twelve when Severus Snape strode into his office. The halls were unusually quiet, devoid of the accustomed hustle and bustle of students going to classes, as most of the school was upstairs in the Great Hall eating lunch. Severus had been there himself for the first part of the lunch hour, but he was slightly behind on grading and needed the rest of the lunch hour to catch up. Final exams were coming, and he knew that his more studious pupils would want their last essays back so they could study for their Potions test, so he might as well get all of them graded. It was the most tedious part of the job, but, knowing his duty, he fought back a scowl and sat at his desk to read how first year Hufflepuff Gary Grant would try to defend his sadly uninformed statement that gillyweed was a prime ingredient in green tea.
A few paragraphs later, he was interrupted by a knocking on his door. His scowl returned full force as he dropped Gary's essay on his desk and walked to the door, wondering who would be out and about in the school in the middle of a meal. It turned out to be a house elf, an obnoxiously perky little thing with ears that seemed obscenely large, even for an elf. She handed him a letter with a sweeping bow, then straightened up to wait for a reply.
Severus took the letter from her with a grunt. It was a system he'd been using since he came to teach at Hogwarts; his dungeon office had no windows, so any owls that came for him went to the owlery, and then the house elves brought the letters down. It was not a system that he'd had to use a lot, though; he didn't get a lot of letters, especially with the war over. It was strange that he'd gotten something now.
He turned the yellow parchment envelope over. The seal on the wax was vaguely familiar, and he wondered who would bother with sealing it. Cracking open the heavy seal, he found a short note in ornate, sprawling handwriting:
Light a fire. Bertram Mason.
It was Bertram, then, wanting to talk to him over the Floo network. That was strange. The Masons were businessmen in Scotland and friends of the Malfoy family, but Severus had never found much use for them. They were moneylenders, frequented by the rich and famous because they were known for being discrete and not asking questions; occasionally they also lent money to society's less savory types on the side. Despite his personal feelings for them, though, it made sense to hear what the man had to say, so after dismissing the house elf, Severus crossed the room and lit a fire on the dark and little-used hearth.
Four minutes later, a head appeared in the flames. It was Bertram, for sure, right down to his pock-marked face. Severus looked down at him. "Did you have business with me?" he asked. "I have class soon, and I'd like to end this call quickly."
Bertram inclined his head mockingly. "So sorry to inconvenience you, Potions Master," he said in a deliberately false tone, then straightened and began speaking in the quick, no-nonsense way the Masons' clients appreciated so much. "Believe me, I wouldn't be calling you if we didn't owe it to the Malfoys. Things being as they are, however, I do need to tell someone, and if I called young Master Draco I'd just be telling him something he already knew."
"What do you know?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I've been out of town and didn't find out until this morning, but my brother Pickford says that night before last, young Master Draco appeared at his doorstep and asked to be married to one-"
"-Ginny Weasley," Severus broke in with a soft hiss. "Foolish, foolish boy."
"That's what I thought," Bertram said. "Anyway, you know Pickford's got a license to marry folk, and he didn't see any harm in it." He smirked. "Just thought you'd like to know your boy's married."
Severus raised one hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Bertram," he said, and actually almost felt gratitude that time.
"Well, Lucius was such a good friend," Bertram said off-handedly. "What do you intend to do about it?"
Severus looked up quickly and dropped his hand. "That remains to be seen," he said firmly. "You and yours keep quiet about all this."
"Of course," Bertram said with another bow of his head. "Keeping quiet is what the Masons do best." And then he was gone.
Severus sat in his chair staring at the fire for a long time after Bertram had gone. Draco was married, then, and married to a Weasley. He cursed Draco, not for the first time, for coercing him into not going to the Stewart's party. Of course he'd meant to visit them since then, but things kept cropping up and getting in the way. And he'd thought that nothing really bad could have happened yet, because if Ginny had gone to the Ministry, surely they would have come to Hogwarts to get his input, as he was the only other witness. As long as he hadn't heard from them, he'd figured things were all right.
What he needed to find out first was how Draco had convinced Ginny to go through with it. Ginny was not stupid; she wouldn't have gone through with the marriage simply for the sake of the oath. Something else must have happened. He paused. Perhaps the girl had agreed of her own free will- that warranted some further thought. If that was the case, perhaps things were not as bad as they seemed. Of course having a Weasley in the Malfoy family was unheard of and more than a little embarrassing, but what he'd really been worried about was the possibility of the girl being tricked or forced into marriage. It would bring all kinds of bad attention to the Malfoy family, which didn't need any more scandal, and Draco could get into a lot of trouble for it.
And Ginny didn't deserve it. Though many people would be surprised to hear Severus Snape admit any concern for a former Gryffindor, the truth was that he was indeed concerned. He'd always tolerated Ginny better than most Gryffindors in school because she was reasonably well-behaved and had always been good in Potions. Her studies in healing had involved a lot of work in Potions, and during the classes he'd taught her, he'd come to feel some mild kind of regard for her, which was rare for students outside of Slytherin. Their time together in the Order had only added to his esteem of her. He wouldn't exactly say he liked her, but he could tolerate her presence with relatively good will, and for him, that was saying a lot.
All things considered, all he knew was he definitely needed to speak with his young friend. He'd have to go in the evening, after classes were over, to visit Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. The thought made him pause. A Mrs. Draco Malfoy? His hands, which had been stacking papers absentmindedly, stilled as he imagined Draco in a family situation. Draco, the head of a household, making decisions and being responsible. It really wasn't a bad thought at all. In truth, having Draco married could be a good thing in many ways.
It was just unfortunate that it was to Ginny Weasley. Still, the girl usually seemed well-behaved. Perhaps this would all turn out better than expected- or at least, wouldn't be a disaster. Hoping desperately that it would be so, Severus stood to go to his next class.
. . . . . .
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