In Which These Two Smiles Meet

Part VIII

Ginny almost ran into a surprised Narcissa in the entrance hall.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping away a fresh batch of tears. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Malfoy, but I can’t stay here anymore.”

“What’s wrong, dear?” Narcissa asked soothingly, offering Ginny a handkerchief. “What happened that upset you so much?”

Ginny’s only answer was to blow her nose noisily into the handkerchief.

“It’s Draco, isn’t it?” Narcissa asked. “He did something to ruin things with you.”

Ginny smiled wryly. “He didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have expected,” she said with a sigh. “I can’t believe how naïve I was.”

“You’ve always struck me as quite level-headed,” Narcissa said, “except possibly where Draco is concerned.”

“And there lies the problem.” Ginny determinedly wiped away the last of her tears, cast a Scouring Charm on the handkerchief, and handed it back to Narcissa. “I think I’m composed enough now that I won’t Splinch myself. Thank you very much for your hospitality,” she said. “You have been very kind.”

“I see,” Narcissa said, piercing Ginny with a look. “Is there nothing I can do to make you stay?”

“I’m afraid not,” Ginny said.

“Very well, then,” Narcissa said. “You seem quite determined, and I can’t force you to stay. It was nice to have you here. I’ll miss you, and I’m sure Draco will as well.”

“I doubt it,” Ginny said. “Will you tell Alicia I had to leave?”

“Of course,” Narcissa said simply. “I hope to see you again soon.”

“You too,” Ginny said with as much of a smile as she could muster. “Goodbye.” And with a pop, she was gone.

Molly Weasley jumped when Ginny appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow, and dropped the wooden spoon she was holding.

“Ginny, dear!” she said anxiously. “What’s wrong? Why are you here?”

“Oh, Mum!” Ginny cried. “I’m such an idiot!” Wrapped safely in Molly’s arms, Ginny told Molly everything.

“Oh, Ginny, I’m so sorry,” Molly said when Ginny had finished her story. “I hate that you had to go through all that. But it’s so much better that you found out now, rather than later, when it would be much harder to get out of your relationship.”

“I know,” Ginny said, wiping her eyes yet again. “Imagine if we actually did get married!” She shuddered. There was a long pause, and then she said, “You know, despite what Draco did, I still care about him. I can’t seem to help it.”

Molly nodded. “That’s not something you can control, I’m afraid. But you’ll learn to live with it eventually.”

“I guess I’ll have to,” Ginny said with a sigh. “Can I stay here until I can get back into my flat?”

“Of course, dear,” Molly answered. “This will always be your home.”

“Thanks, Mum,” Ginny said, hugging her mother one last time.

“Now, why don’t you go flying?” Molly suggested. “It always seems to make you feel better.”

Ginny thought of the training she and Alicia had planned on the Malfoys’ pitch. Her mind inevitably strayed to Draco, and memories of the day before flooded in. For a moment, she considered hiding in her room to wallow in her misery. But she remembered her new resolve to put Draco behind her and shoved those thoughts aside. She had to start learning not to let memories of Draco interfere with her life, and flying would undoubtedly help her feel better.

With a grim smile, Ginny retreated to her room to change into her Quidditch gear.

***

By the time dinner was over, Ginny was much happier. She had spent the whole afternoon flying. Not only had it kept her mind off Draco, it had also exhausted her, which helped just as much. She had even managed to conjure a somewhat sincere smile for her father and George, especially when the latter announced that he had come to the Burrow specifically to cheer her up. Molly served all of Ginny’s favorite dishes, and Ginny appreciated the gesture greatly. Nobody could offer comfort like her family.

Ginny and George were playing a game of wizard chess and arguing about how much the average witch would pay for exploding undergarments when there was a knock at the door. All four Weasleys turned to stare at it in surprise. Nobody ever knocked on the front door; everyone they knew Flooed or Apparated directly into the kitchen. After a moment, the knock was repeated. Molly stood up to answer it.

“Mr. Malfoy!” Molly said with surprise. Ginny froze with her hand extended over one of her chess pieces. The door blocked her view of the Malfoy on the other side, but she stared at it as intensely as if she could see right through it.

“Good evening, Mrs. Weasley,” Draco said politely. “Is Ginevra here?”

“Well, yes, she is,” Molly said, “but I don’t know…”

Ginny took a deep breath and stood up. “It’s okay, Mum,” she said quietly.

Molly looked dubiously at Ginny, but opened the door further, allowing Draco into the house.

“Hello, Mr. Weasley,” Draco said to Arthur. He nodded at George, then turned to Ginny. “Hello, Ginevra.”

“Hello,” Ginny said briefly, then looked away.

George rose and stood behind Ginny, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What do you want, Malfoy?” he asked, his voice cold.

Draco answered George, but his eyes never left Ginny. “I arrived home a few minutes ago only to find that Ginevra had left abruptly this morning. My mother couldn’t or wouldn’t give me an explanation.”

“I think you know why she left,” George said.

“I honestly have no idea,” Draco said, his bewilderment evident on his face.

“Then I suggest that in the future, you make sure your private conversations really are private,” George said scathingly.

“My private conversations?” Draco asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. Then suddenly his eyes widened. “Oh, Merlin!” He looked desperately at Ginny. “Not that conversation!”

Ginny continued to stare at her feet, so George answered for her again. “If you mean the conversation in which you and your father coldheartedly discussed how you are using my sister to gain influence in the Ministry, then yes, she heard that conversation.”

“Oh, Merlin!” Draco repeated. “I can explain, I swear!”

“Ginny, dear,” Molly interjected mildly, “perhaps you should take Mr. Malfoy outside to see the garden and the orchard where you play Quidditch.”

“What’s there to see?” George asked incredulously. “It’s dark!”

Ginny took a deep breath. Her mother was right. She couldn’t just run away from Draco. She owed him an opportunity to explain himself in private, even if it would be painful for her. Stepping away from George, she said, “That’s a good idea, Mum. Would you like to step outside, Draco?”

“Yes,” Draco answered, his eyes darting back and forth between Ginny, Molly, and George. “I’d like that very much.”

Ginny silently led the way out of the house, through the woods, and into the paddock where she had taught herself to fly. She looked around her and let the familiarity of it all calm her. Turning to Draco, she said simply, “Explain.”

“It’s not what you think,” Draco said very quickly.

“You mean your father didn’t tell you to date me and eventually marry me just to gain political influence?” Ginny asked disbelievingly.

Draco looked down at his feet, “Well, I guess that part is what you think, but it isn’t the whole story.”

“So tell me the whole story, then,” Ginny said. She watched him steadily as he paced a little, running his hands through his hair.

“My father used to be a very powerful man,” Draco began. “He had Cornelius Fudge in his pocket, so he could get anything he wanted through the Ministry, and he wielded even more control in the business world. But since the war, everything has changed. It’s almost as if our families’ roles have reversed. Your father is one of Shacklebolt’s closest advisors, your brothers are all successful, your whole family is close to Potter. Meanwhile, although we still have more money than we could ever spend, our family’s power is dwindling. Nobody at the Ministry will listen to what we have to say anymore. We also have been having trouble drumming up business, and are barely making a profit. It’s driving my father a little bit mad, I think. Does that make sense?”

Ginny nodded. She had never thought about what the war must have done to the Malfoys. Both Lucius and Draco had borne the Dark Mark, but they had been pardoned because Harry had testified on their behalf, fulfilling the wizarding debt he owed Narcissa for saving his life. Somehow, she had just assumed that they were as rich and powerful as ever, but now she realized that she hadn’t thought clearly about it at all.

“The night of the Elliots’ ball,” Draco continued, “my father saw you talking to the Minister of Magic, and he realized just how many connections you and your family have now. He had also seen the two of us dancing, and the juxtaposition gave him what he thought was the most brilliant idea of his life.”

“The one I heard the two of you discussing this morning,” Ginny said, her voice flat.

“Yes,” Draco said. “It was an idiotic idea, I knew that all along. Even if you and I were to get married, nobody you are close to would ever trust him again, and for good reason. They probably would never trust me either. He was just deluding himself to think it would work.”

Ginny looked wide-eyed at Draco. “You’re right that it would never have worked. My father warned me against yours as soon as I told him I was seeing you. But why did you go along with it if you knew that?”

Draco looked Ginny straight in the eye. “Because my father didn’t ask me to do anything I hadn’t already made my mind up to do anyway.”

Despite her best efforts to keep a clear head, Ginny’s breath caught in her throat. “What… What do you mean?”

“I mean that after dancing with you that night, I was completely infatuated with you,” Draco said. “I was already planning to ask you out before my father approached me. I went along with his plan because it was what I was going to do anyway, just for very different reasons.”

Ginny stared at Draco for what felt like ages. She knew he was willing her to believe him. She desperately wanted to.

Ginny forced herself to take a mental step backwards. “How can I believe you, Draco?” she asked. “How can I know that you aren’t here on your father’s orders, to patch things up and go on with his stupid plan?”

“I couldn’t be here on his orders!” Draco said. “We didn’t even know why you left!”

“That doesn’t make any sense, and you know it,” Ginny said. “You knew I was upset about something, and you could have come to fix it, whatever it was.”

“But I didn’t!”

“But how can I know that? How can I know that you haven’t been acting all along? You were probably just pretending to care about me the whole time.”

Ginny turned and strode several paces away from Draco. She crossed her arms over her chest, and looked up at the stars in an attempt to blink away her tears.

“The worst of it is that I knew better,” Ginny said. “I knew what you were like in school, but I foolishly let myself believe that you had changed. I trusted you. I even let myself fall in love with you, but all you did was betray my trust!”

“Damn it, Ginevra,” Draco said with frustration. “I never betrayed your trust! I never pretended anything! I don’t know what I can say to convince you!” He paused, running his hands distractedly through his hair. “Merlin, help me. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”

Ginny’s heart leapt. Could he really be telling the truth? Could he really love her? She turned slowly around, looking intently at Draco. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course I mean it!” Draco said, throwing his arms up in frustration. “What do you want me to do to prove it to you?”

“Will you swear a wizard’s oath?” Ginny asked, barely allowing herself to breathe.

“I’ll do anything,” Draco said, taking a step toward Ginny. He took her hands in his and whispered, “I’ll do anything at all. I love you, Ginevra.”

Ginny’s heart was racing, and she was about to step into Draco’s arms when something that had been niggling at the back of her mind all day returned. She frowned and took a step back. “If you really love me,” she asked, “why did you tell your father you don’t want to marry me?”

Draco’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I never told him that.”

“Yes, you did,” Ginny said, nodding for emphasis. “He told you to propose soon, and you put him off.”

Draco laughed. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t want to propose, you silly girl. I just didn’t want to rush you into anything. We only met again two weeks ago, and have only been dating for two days.”

“Oh,” Ginny said, looking down at their hands, which were still joined between them. “I guess when you put it that way, it does sound rather silly. I guess I feel as if I know you better than that.”

“You do,” Draco said with a smile. “It’s not always time that determines intimacy. Seven years wouldn’t be long enough for some people to truly know each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.”

Ginny nodded. “I never thought about it that way, but I guess it’s true. There was this one girl in my year at Hogwarts, Harriet Smith. We lived in the same dorm for years, but I don’t think I ever said more to her than, ‘Please pass the potatoes.’”

“Exactly,” Draco said. “Some people click right away, and others don’t. Once we were willing to give each other a chance, you and I clicked. But just because I am sure about you, doesn’t mean that you are sure about me, and I think today proves that. I think it would be best if we wait a while before we start talking about marriage.”

“You’re right,” Ginny said with a sigh. “But will you promise that we will talk about it eventually?”

“Oh, yes,” Draco said breathily, “I promise.” He dropped Ginny’s hands and raised his to cup her jaw, brushing his thumbs gently across her cheeks. He smiled a little and raised his eyebrows sardonically. “If you want me to, I’ll even swear a wizard’s oath.”

Ginny’s answering smile was lost in Draco’s kisses. When they returned to the house, quite a while later, Ginny had absolutely no doubts.