CHAPTER 8
"So, umm…that was…good." Ginny said hesitantly as she got up from her cot. "I mean, no need to practice that anymore. Ha, ha."
Draco's lips quirked upwards. Was that her attempt at a joke?
"Are you sure? I think we need to practice a bit more."
"I guess a little more practice wouldn't hurt…"
The two stood staring at each other from opposite corners of the set for a few minutes before either of them spoke.
"It's already lunch time. Let's go eat." Together. Ginny silently added.
Draco nodded and remained standing there, and Ginny realized that he was waiting for her. Suppressing the small smile that was threatening to escape, she silently made her way to his side, then they walked to the food table, where they loaded their plates with an assortment of delicious food prepared by a few house elves.
"Let's sit on the floor!" Ginny grinned, her bubbly character starting to resurface.
"Er…"
Ginny promptly sat down on the floor and started picking at her salad. Having no other choice but to follow, Draco sat across her and started eating as well.
They ate together in companionable silence, with Draco cracking a few jokes. Ginny noted that Draco still had the same sense of humor she fell in love with when they were in Hogwarts.
"Hey, I thought you hated lasagna." Ginny cocked her head to the side, a bemused look on her face, when she spotted a slice of lasagna on Draco's plate. "You never ate my lasagna." She mumbled, and her hand flew over her mouth when she realized that she had said that out loud.
"I only started eating lasagna after we got divorced." Draco replied evenly. It was something of Ginny's that Draco had never gotten to appreciate while he could.
"Oh."
The rest of the meal passed by in silence after that, and the rest of the rehearsals zoomed by without incident. Before either of them could realize it, it was three already.
"The charms should be lifted by now." Ginny commented when she took a glance at her watch.
Draco nodded. "You were good."
"So were you."
The two stared at each other, not sure how they should say goodbye.
"So, umm. Bye, Draco."
"Bye."
And Ginny disappeared with a pop. Draco stood there for a few seconds before apparating himself.
The first thing Ginny saw when she popped into her flat was a thick mass of curls hunched over an enormous black cauldron in the middle of her living room. Her furniture had been pushed aside to create space for the thing.
"Er, Hermione, what are you doing?"
Hermione's head popped up. "Oh, hey Gin. Just this calming potion."
"Calming potion? What for?"
"For you, supposedly. But you don't look like you need any calming down." Hermione looked a bit confused. "So you aren't mad?"
"Oh, you knew about this? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
"You wouldn't have gone if I told you!" Hermione crossed her arms defensively, then quickly uncrossed them to pay attention to the potion she was brewing. She didn't want to risk blowing up the place.
Ginny huffed and sat down on her couch, which was now sitting against the wall.
"Hermione," she started. "The rehearsals were-"
Hermione looked up at her briefly after sprinkling a bit of what looked like crushed dragon fly wings to Ginny.
"What?"
Ginny sighed again. Hermione looked up at her, then seeing the look on Ginny's face, quickly waved her wand over the cauldron, making it vanish into thin air.
"Gin, you still love him."
"I don't know…"
"I wasn't asking you if you still love him, Ginny. I'm telling you." Hermione said sternly.
Ginny looked up at Hermione with a hopeless look on her face.
"It isn't going to work out."
The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Ginny cleared her throat.
"Don't we have an appointment?"
"Er, right. Montague is expecting us in about, say, forty seconds." Hermione cleared her throat.
"Oh! I guess we should leave then."
Hermione nodded at Ginny curtly, as if saying "after you." Ginny pursed her lips in acknowledgement and quickly apparated. Hermione followed her shortly after. A fraction of a second later, they were both found in the receiving room of Montague's, all cream and tasteful amounts of lace, diamond chandeliers and rich rugs.
"Ginny!"
Ginny's head whipped around at the dreamy voice that could only belong to one person.
"Luna! What a pleasant surprise." Ginny smiled warmly at the blond girl before giving her a warm hug. "It's been ages! What ever happened to those…Snorlacks or something or other that you were researching about in Myanmar?"
"Oh, I was able to find a broken toe nail of one of them! They're supposed to be really lucky so I have it here in my charm bracelet, see?" Luna held up a delicate silver bracelet on her wrist to Ginny's nose. All the trinkets and charms dangling from it tinkled as they clanged together.
"Erm, yes. Anyway, what're you doing here?"
"Oh well, I'm getting an award for my findings on Peppertailed Lemonbobs! So I'm getting a dress for the ceremony. Anyway, I must be off now. I have to baby sit my cousin's children for a while. Owl me, dear. We must catch up soon!"
Luna then gave Ginny a quick hug before apparating.
"Hmm, what a pleasant surprise. Funny though, I can hardly believe anyone is willing to leave their children alone with Luna." Ginny joked with a little smile on her face.
Hermione laughed at her friend's joke. "I have no idea. The parents must be as strange as Luna."
"Oh well, I love that girl anyway."
"Ginerva, darling!" Montague all but sang as he sashayed into the room with his arms wide open. "How has life been treating my favorite girl?" He asked after kissing Ginny on both cheeks.
"Wonderful, wonderful."
"My apologies, but I've got another client to attend to as well. But I've prepared you two a few dresses in the other room. Marietta will assist you, and I'll be back with you in a few minutes. Cielo! Bring some tea and pastries to the dressing room right away, please!" Montague clapped his hands as he moved to another room.
"Oh, this dress is gorgeous." Hermione breathed as she inspected her reflection in the huge mirror that lined one entire wall of the lavish dressing room. Ginny sat on the luxurious couch situated in the middle of the room, sipping tea.
"It's wonderful! That's my favorite on you so far." Ginny nodded and smiled. The dress fit Hermione perfectly; long, sleek and black.
"I think I've made a choice. You should start trying your dresses on now. Gin." Hermione grinned, flushed with pleasure at her find.
"Oh, all right." She mumbled as she got up and took the first dress Marietta held up for her. She pointed her wand at it, and it instantly switched places with the clothes on her body. She looked gorgeous but not quite satisfied. Six dresses later and she was beginning to give up.
"All the dresses are gorgeous, but I can't find the perfect one for the party, or for me." She sighed, staring at her reflection. She was wearing an empire cut, strapless floor-length dress in shimmery cream.
"I look like a fancy lampshade." Ginny grumbled.
"Well,we think you look gorgeous, as usual." A deep voice said from the doorway.
All three ladies – Ginny, Hermione and Marietta – swiveled to see who was talking. And there Blaise was, with an impassive Draco standing slightly behind him.
"Ginerva darling, you do look gorgeous in that. But you must try the next dress on. You will love it. It's simply divine!" Montague called out, pushing through the two men barricading the wide door. "Now come, come. Your dressing room is the one at the end of the hall. Lucida will show you. Lucida!" Montague waved them away in a flourish.
Ginny stared at the door, trying to keep the red blush from spreading across her entire face, and failing miserably. A few moments later, she cleared her throat and turned to Marietta with as much dignity as she could muster. "I would like to try the next dress on, please."
"You should try these robes on. They'll bring out the color of your eyes." Blaise commented offhandedly, throwing the robes at the blond.
Draco shot him a look, but didn't speak. Instead, he switched his robes with the ones Blaise had thrown him, and begrudgingly had to admit that Blaise was right.
"So, I never really got around to asking. How were your rehearsals with Ginny?"
"Fine." Draco replied stiffly as he adjusted his robes in front of the mirror.
"Fine. Interesting." Blaise murmured with a smirk and nod, studying Draco's reflection on the mirror. The blond seemed to be studiously avoiding Blaise's gaze, and busied himself with adjusting and readjusting his robes instead.
"Stop fidgeting Malfoy."
Draco's hands abruptly fell to his sides, and he looked up to Lucida to address her. "If you could kindly give us some privacy for a moment, Lucida."
Lucida bowed her head briefly with a ghost of a smile on her lips before hurrying out of the dressing room.
"All right, what do you want me to tell you?" Draco asked once the two were alone.
"You can start with a confession. And I can end with an 'I told you so'." Blaise supplied with a cheeky grin.
"Fine. I still love her. It's not like I can do anything about it."
"Do you hear what you're actually saying? Draco Malfoy thinks that he cannot do anything about something. And the fact that it involves a woman, not to mention love? Your nineteen year-old self would murder you."
"Will you quit being a bastard for one minute?" Draco snapped irritably as he rubbed his face with his hand.
"Look Malfoy. I don't know what the flipping hell has gotten into you. Oh wait, scratch that, I do know. You're in love. Anyway, I know what the flipping hell has gotten into you, but it doesn't excuse the fact that you are incredibly BLIND. Merlin, Draco! Everyone at the set knows that you two are still hung up on each other!"
Draco looked at his friend warily. "Blaise, I do hope you aren't making that up."
"Do I look like I'm bullshitting you Malfoy?"
"Actually, yes."
"Fuck off. I'm not. You two are still hung up on each other, whether you like it or not."