The Truth About Diamonds
Diamonds are forever, Diamonds are a girls best friend...there were millions of quotes on Diamonds and all Ginny could say was that each was as fake as the next as she looked upon the gorgeous rock that adorned her finger. She realized it didn't really symbolize anything.
It was a piece of junk that seemed so huge, and ugly on her finger that she couldn't bear another moment with it on.
Oh of course when she first got the ring she'd been so delighted. She was twenty years old and they were five years into their relationship and so Harry hadn't made any wrong move by proposing to her, and she hadn't made any wrong move either by accepting his proposal. She'd loved him, and she'd definitely loved the ring back then. She remembered walking across town using her left hand a whole lot more just so she could show off the rock.
That's what it was...just a freaking rock. It was no better than those stupid pebbles that were out on her front yard. How had she gone from loving the gem that was supposed to symbolize her love for Harry to hating it?
Well one would think she'd gone all environmentalist but Hermione had made sure of that asking her if the diamond was from Sierra Leone and Harry had swiftly answered that he would never buy diamonds from slave mines.
She still remembered the day it all started...or at least she thought it was the day it all started. It was all hazy but this one moment in particular stuck out in her mind as special. She'd been wearing a pink knee length coat that seemed to clash terribly with her hair and had huge buttons and she'd opted for a shorter beige skirt underneath it and a simple button-up white shirt. She looked quite like the wife. Even her make up seemed to make her more Stepford Wife than girl spending her last few moments of joy. The rock was the reason behind the extra girly clothes. She started to co-ordinate her wardrobe with her diamond for god's sakes that went with every color but she refused to believe that when Luna told her that simply.
On that day she'd been checking into the ministry as she was going to visit her fiancé and most likely snog him into a very happy place. So needless to say she was grinning widely as she entered the elevator after she got her wand back and promptly pushed a button and saw that Draco Malfoy was inside the elevator but even that couldn't bring her down. She just stood there as far as possible from him and watched him glance down at her left hand, which was currently twirling her wand, waiting for him to notice it.
"Weasley congratulations," He said promptly as he smirked at her antics and left the elevator as his floor came about and so she nodded and excitedly waited for the doors to close and go up to Harry's floor where she'd snog him senseless. She'd had three people tell her congratulations today. She watched the doors open and waved at Harry's colleagues carrying a small basket of breads and cheese. "Jeisa!" She said waving at the girl as she bounced in her polka dot heels. Jeisa waved back at her but quickly lost her expression of happiness as she bumped into Daniel who grinned at Ginny and scolded Jeisa who slinked away and Ginny shook her head and patted her on the back as she walked towards Harry's office. She knocked on his door and entered slowly.
"So Mr. Potter," She said walking towards one of the luxurious chairs that adorned the room. He grinned at her and stood up from his work. He looked like a piece of work. He was wearing black robes but underneath you could clearly see his soccer shorts and shirt. She giggled as she hugged him.
"How do you keep your colleagues from making fun of your fashion sense?"
"Oh that's really always pretty simple... I threaten to fire them...OR bring back Lord Moldy." He said promptly pointing at the small piece of Fungus that Neville had given him the day he'd gotten the office. Ginny giggled even more loudly. "I had three people acknowledge this gorgeous thing here today." She spouted of the statistic as Harry shook his head as she set down the basket on his messy desk.
"Really Ginny...you're going to make me jealous. First you say I can't get my ring until the wedding. Then you say I can't walk around wearing a sign saying I'm engaged. How are people going to congratulate me?" He said and Ginny shut him up by giving him a small kiss promptly on his lips as Daphne Greengrass walked in her eyes shifting from one to the other and finally deciding to clear her throat.
"Greengrass anything you want particularly?" Ginny questioned giving the girl a loathing look. Daphne, in Ginny's opinion, wore skirts too short, shirts too tight, and jackets not at all.
"Daphne don't mind Ginny today. Anyways didn't I have you transferred to the Smith division? So why are you here?" He asked and Ginny nodded supporting Harry totally in every single word he spoke, loyally kind of like a puppy dog after all that was just the type of woman Ginny Weasley was. Besides she wanted to guard her man from women like Daphne.
"Well Mr. Smith, the insufferable prat NO Harry I don't want to hear how he really is such a nice guy," She added seeing the starting phases of a lecture on Harry's face and Ginny couldn't help but giggle at Daphne.
"He asked me to send you this bunch of forms and have you sign them. God knows I know nothing about them so you take a look about them put on a pretty little signature and buzz me in so I can take it to the next bunch of people right Harry?" She said looking extremely tired as she promptly left the stack of documents on a leather chair.
That had started it she supposed. It didn't even seem of particular significance but that had been the first time seeing him after her engagement, OH! Not Harry she'd seen him a million times after the engagement, she was talking about Draco Malfoy.
Their second encounter had been at the Ministry Ball. They had one every few months to remind people how many super rich people worked there...and exactly how many super poor people worked there. Ginny for once was sitting on the other side of the table. Present at the table were Harry, Daphne, A man by the name of Ralph, Zacharias Smith who kept questioning a tired Daphne about work, Draco Malfoy who was smirking every now and then at Daphne who cut her throat every time he did that to show him that he was dead as soon as they were out of this party, and herself. She was sitting quietly as Harry conversed with Ralph not wanting to leave him out simply because he attended Durmstrang, Daphne was talking with Zacharias... or rather Zacharias was doing all the talking and Ginny could see that Daphne simply wanted to bash his head in, and that left Draco and Ginny. Ginny was not so desperate to converse with a Malfoy...yet.
"So Ginny-" He started but Ginny held her hand up rudely and saw something flicker in Daphne's eyes like loyalty and as she was opening her mouth, Draco held a hand in front of her mouth and Daphne shrugged again. What was with their weird relationship?
About three champagne glasses and thirty minutes later (which equaled to about a glass every ten minutes) Ginny's situation hadn't changed and her favourite song was coming on. She poked Harry's side expecting him to ask her to dance but he was engrossed in memories of...Krum. Her fiancé was ignoring her so he could talk about some guy with a bad accent, ugly hair, and terrifying eyebrows? Ginny sighed loudly barely paying attention as she asked for another glass of champagne until she heard her name.
"Weasley want to go dancing?" Draco asked her and with a quick move turned his eyes towards Harry and asked him. "If you don't mind if I borrow your fiancé for the three minutes of course." Harry looked rather appreciative and nodded waving them off and Ginny's jaw dropped in shock. SHE WAS A BURDEN? Well she'd probably have more fun sitting with her family on the other edge of the hall! She nodded to Malfoy and would have spoken to him as well if she didn't feel the alcohol in her system rebounding up her mouth. He grasped her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. All the time until his hands surprisingly found their way around her waist she kept looking at her ring as if reminding herself to not get attached to the feeling of his hand in hers. She'd always been a sucker for all sorts of things to do with the senses. Yet as soon as his soft hands, she figured he must have worn gloves during quidditch or his hands would be rough like Harry's, found their way to the back of her dress she looked up into his eyes. So she asked him simply. "Why?"
"Why what Weasley? There are so many why's in this world you can't expect me to know which one your talking about can you?" He said shaking his head at her apparent idiocy but she didn't let this affect her. She was immune to his slight insults that were slipped in with ease throughout the short duration of most of their conversations.
"Well... let me narrow it down for you then. Why did you ask me to dance?" She asked him her hands at her own sides she wasn't quite sure where they would go...after all where did an engaged woman put her arms on another man? No place seemed proper to her. The shoulders were too affectionate and the waist...well she didn't even want to think about that! All sorts of rumors from Hogwarts popped up inside her head all of them about Draco Malfoy's lower body.
He shook his head. "I know a woman's body language very well Ginny Weasley. Basically I'll know when they need to get laid and that's usually when I make my move." He said in a rather uncensored sort of way that made Ginny blush widely as she retorted.
"IF YOU THINK I NEED TO GET LAI-" Suddenly she was aware her voice had risen and everyone was looking at the pair and she quickly started flashing her ring more.
"If you think I need to get laid you are extremely wrong...not only am I not in need of a..." She couldn't think of an appropriate word so she settled for..."bedding! I'll have you know Harry is an excellent partner both inside the house and outside the house."
"What on earth makes you think I was talking about you? I was just trying to be nice I also know when they want to dance. I'm not that stupid Ginny besides you making a face half the time does give a guy some hints. What's with you flashing the stupid ring all the time anyways?" He said and Ginny glared back at him, hands still at her sides. She was ready to mouth off all about how it was supposed to symbolize her love.
"For your information this ring is a symbol of our love, and how beautiful it is and..."
"How it shows you your many faces Ginny Weasley?" He said softly staring her down and Ginny turned her head confused. That didn't make sense...not at all. She felt like whacking him because now he had her all... wondering.
"What on earth are you on about?" She finally gave in. He let go of her waist and lifted her hand into his and immediately Ginny's eyes fell on the rock again.
"Look for yourself." He told her smartly as he lightly kissed her hand and she obliged. She lifted her hand to her eyes and looked at it. She'd never noticed the many prisms of the ring showing off millions of little Ginny's, each looking different than the other in some awkward way. Ginny remarked that middle one looked the most ugly. It made her usually luscious lips look all...flat.
"Ew..." She said unknowingly and heard a small chuckle in front of her and looked up angrily.
"What the hell do you know anyways?" She said stalking off in the middle of the song, however she didn't leave Draco alone. He immediately worked his charm on Luna Lovegood twirling her around as Ginny scowled at the table downing at least five more glasses of champagne. Needless to say her perfect ring was starting to make her look imperfect.
Their third encounter had been just as odd. It had been a month before the wedding and she'd been shopping at Gladrags trying to pick out the perfect dress. Ginny hadn't seen him for three months and frankly she was glad. She was back in love with her ring able to accept its flaws with her whole heart. After all she herself was flawed as well. Draco had apparently been shopping for his mother who was attending the wedding.
By shopping he meant picking up an already chosen dress. He'd been planning on walking out of the shop when he heard the youngest Weasley's enchanting voice. By enchanting he meant horrific seeing as how she was screeching.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? I HAVE A MONTH! I REPEAT I HAVE THIRTY DAYS LEFT UNTIL MY WEDDING AND YOU GIVE ME THIS AS MY DRESS?! SHAME ON YOU!" She shouted at the sales girl about ready to slap her as she handed her a small dress that was plain and simple...and almost nothing like the new Stepford Ginny.
"Ginny?" He asked tentatively not willing to hear her blow up on him for fear that he might just blow up on her.
"WHAT?" She asked turning around sharply clearly not expecting him to be there in front of her staring at her as she was grasping layers of lace in her tiny fists and a jeweled veil adorned her hair.
"Oh its you," She remarked softly and then suddenly calmed down as she crumpled to the ground, her pale legs on either side of her body as she shook in sobs. Draco couldn't help but remark on how gorgeous she looked as she cried and then he realized he should sit beside her. So seating himself beside the distressed girl he sighed letting her know of his presence beside her.
"What is it now?" He asked her and she turned to him pointing to the disaster.
"This dress...and this ring...well they don't go!" She said pointing at the shiny ring and the plain dress that seemed to even shock Draco.
"Well...it's hard to admit but yes I believe your right. You're ring probably fancies a big old ruffly victorian style gown right?" He said shaking his head slowly at his own idiocy. Why on earth was he helping her? It would be no use. She was already contaminated with the bridezilla virus. However this made no difference to him as she stood up his hands light brushing the pale skin of her leg and he felt her shift away from him.
As he rustled through the aisles of clothing he finally ended up finding only two gowns that would suit her well. One was a beautiful corseted gown with intricate gold patterns surrounding the bust. It was strapless and flowed out into a field of lace and had no train, yet it ended on the floor. It was a Cinderella gown...the perfect gown he supposed but for some reason the other one caught his attention as well.
It wasn't quite as Gryffindorish as Ginny would have probably liked but...it's beauty was undeniable. It didn't end on the floor but it was elbow length in sleeves and they were made purely of heavenly silk, it was also corseted and had a very nice neckline enhancing both cleavage and small waist sizes the corset was outline with a thick silver line. The bottom of the dress was rather pixie like. It ended just before the knees and it felt like air on a dress. It was sprinkled with silver dust making the dress stand out as well. He brought the two to Ginny and immediately just as he'd predicted she went for the gold one.
"I love it...um.thank you Draco." She said feeling awkward using his first name. She'd only used it a few times in her entire life. He grinned and nodded as he ushered her into the changing room entering as well and he stood there.
"Well...aren't you going to thank me?" He asked expectantly and Ginny pushed him out of the dressing room a smile on her face as she lifted the dress off her head and looked at the ring again seeing the craziest of faces this time. Her nose was bulging and she almost burst out laughing because it looked so comical! However one look in the normal mirror and she sighed in relief. Thank god her real nose didn't look that way. She slowly looked at the back of the gold gown and realized that it had way too many buttons and it was one of those types of dresses that she could probably never wear unless Harry made her wear it. She slipped it over her head and found that it got stuck but finally tugged it down straightening the veil on her head and pulling it forward to see how exactly she would look on her wedding day with this very dress on her body.
She looked like heaven. The dress was perfect, the gold outlining on the bust seemed to make her feel like a princess such as Diana, or Marie Antoinette one of the two. She twirled in front of the mirror for once enjoying her time in a beautiful white dress rather than freaking out utterly and totally...and the best part was that it matched her ring. She hugged onto her waist and sighed. It looked tiny. She let out a tiny squeal and felt the curtains being opened by Draco and immediately closed them.
"No way! You don't get to see the bride remember?" She said teasing him and realized she was referring to him as if he were the bridegroom. She just hoped he didn't get freaked out.
"Don't fool me Weasley I know all your tricks you filthy little bride. Let me in," Just like that she let go and he fell in just in eye with her sparkly feet. However all he could see was a princess, no flaws nothing special. Just another princess. He wasn't sure if he liked it so he simply said something he knew she would love either way she could sense the tension in his thoughts. "Well...you look beautiful," Even that sounded half hearted. The truth was she looked just like a Potter Bride should. That shocked him for some reason. She reminded him of Lily Evans in a way. After all she was a red head, with amazing bone structure and a great body, and quite tall.
"Something's wrong..." She stated but he simply pushed her back into the stall and shut the curtains telling her to change into the next dress. He didn't want to stay here. How had he gotten attached to a girl in the duration of one silly dance and one conversation and two dresses. It was hard to believe that he now wanted her to tell him that she would leave Harry Potter. 'THE HARRY POTTER'...for him. It was too fast, too flawed, too freckled a relationship.
"I'm leaving," He stated quickly deciding that if he stayed here a moment longer he might fall deeper into this 'friendship' with the Weasley chit. However inside the changing room Ginny got huffy and shouted to him. "HEY WAIT! How am I goi- holy shit this is… THERE GOT IT! I'll be right out don't leave." He continued walking but he felt his steps slow down. He grumbled at his feet as he heard the click clacks of Ginny's shoes and walked considerably faster and she yanked on his robes and pulled out half of the back of her dress from the back and stood without a veil. Her cheeks were flushed and she seemed tired as she stood panting out of breath and Draco turned to leave but then he looked away from her face and his eyes looked at her sparkly shoes that were expensive, he could tell, up her long pale legs that were shown off, to her heavenly curves, she looked so much like a pixie or a faerie, her hair falling out in tendrils over the silk of the sleeves. Best of all..her lipstick was for some reason smeared making her look like a sort of scarlet woman…and for that reason he gazed, for her faults.
"What...do...you...think?" She asked him and straightened out the dress again.
Draco was unsure of what to say. He had only seen sights like this in his dreams. However he knew one thing. However much he loved the dress would not matter in Ginny's mind. However much Potter loved the dress however would. So he did the only thing possible for a guy in his situation.
He left her standing there, panting, red in the face, and in a gown.
This struck Ginny with a scary thought... no she didn't think about how much Draco might have started loving her, no she didn't think about her diamond ring, she thought of the wedding day...and the possibility of Harry leaving her at the altar.
Their fourth encounter was their last before the wedding. They were after all at practically ends of the earth and they felt no need to go towards each other more often than necessary.
It was a sunny morning in the park and Ginny Weasley was seated looking at her hands. It was a week before the wedding and she was tired of it already. She felt the blisters on her feet and glancing around the park and seeing practically no one she took off the fake shoes that she realized she hated. She was getting tired of her pink coat too. She got rid of it easily and felt the urge to go for a dip in the fountain so she did.
After all it wasn't like she was wearing clothes worth much. They were just uncomfortable. As she felt the cold water hit her skin she sighed in pleasure and rose up above the green murky water and saw Draco Malfoy facing her. He appeared to be grinning at her but she was mad at him. He had left here there standing with two dresses to pick. She'd picked the gold one. She wasn't sure why but she just knew it was the one Harry would like better.
She frowned back at him as he helped her up and out of the fountain. "You know if you're that hot for me I can fit you into the schedule Weasley you just have to tell me."
"Shut up you bleeding idiot." She said taking his hand feeling those shivers again. She turned her head automatically towards the diamond but found no solace, no comfort waiting for her there.
"So how are you in these parts?" He said pointing to the gorgeous England countryside.
"Mum wanted canola oil so she sent me to the supermarket and I got lost." She said sarcastically rolling her eyes acting nothing like the Stepford Wife she knew she should mimic. She couldn't help but wonder if that was how Lily Evans had acted before she'd gotten married to James Potter? However, Lily had loved James unconditionally hadn't she? She pulled her hand out of his grasp waiting for some sort of sign to flash in his eyes or on his face, and saw his face show no expression. Why on earth was she getting those shivers? It didn't make sense.
"Want to take your pink coat?" He asked bemused seeing as it was simply discarded on the ground on the rough pebbles that Ginny felt digging into her feet. She shook her head simply and walked alongside him, quietly. An awkward sort of silence seemed to be between them as she walked on leaving her pink coat behind. She'd slipped her shoes back on however. She thanked god she'd gone for a simple black top and skirt today rather than the white she would have worn; now she didn't have to worry about anyone staring at her awkwardly. White always was just like skin on her when she got it wet.
"Mum wants you to come over for dinner one day after the wedding." She said bringing it up as if it were the only way to rescue herself from this awkward feeling. She wasn't about to ask him why he left her standing there in the store.
"Oh really? Well I wouldn't mind much. Molly's always been such a dear to me. She fixed me up a whole bunch of times." During the war…Ginny added inside her head. It had become a reflex…sort of like whenever a person read their fortune out from a cookie you added in bed to it.
"Yeah wonder why though…you were always sort of a prat." She said truthfully and watched a shocked expression come onto his face.
"Correction…you're still a prat." She said a thoughtful look arising on her face and she turned around and gave him a small grin.
"What you don't believe me? Shall I prove it to you then? One, you insulted my ring calling it two- well many faced, two you pretended to care about how I would look in my wedding dress, three you left me standing in the dress shop when I clearly looked desperate for your help I ran out with half the dress stuck in my freaking underwear." She said letting some of the bitterness in her memories leak out into her voice. He turned his head sharply towards her and grasped her hand roughly.
"OW," She proclaimed exaggerating the pain she felt so he'd let go but he apparently didn't fall for her tricks.
"I'm an ex Death-Eater Ginny. I know just exactly how much pain I caused you right now." He said smirking at her and she bit back a hurtful remark as he dragged her on towards…a mansion.
"That yours?" She asked as if she were regarding a small eraser that was discarded on a desk not a glorious mansion with opulent gold gates.
"Obviously," He replied back to her shocked at the fact that she could even think that a house like this couldn't be his. It was the best on the street. The house itself had green shutters and a plain white wood background. It was nothing like his real dungeon like palace that was called Malfoy manor but it was the summerhouse for most Malfoys.
He brought her inside by simply letting his wand touch the surface of the door. This house didn't have as many protective spells on it. Inside it was quite simple, small corridors, red wood floors, bear rugs discarded on the floor. It was rich in its lack of opulence. The gates would fool anyone into thinking it would look as if it was the baby palace of Versailles.
Ginny was confused.
"I designed the place." He spoke up and Ginny turned to him shaking her head.
"This is just like you, you know?" She said to him and he smiled nodding. It was a genuine smile, not one of those I'm-smiling-so-you'll-coo-inside-your-head-thinking-Malfoys-have-pretty-smiles.
"How so?" He asked her as if waiting to see her answer to prove her comment. If she knew him and saw the similarities between the house and Draco he would make his move and snog her senseless. However if she just ended up saying that because he said he designed it he'd deem her stupid, stepford, and a Potter.
"Well on the outside I was afraid you were too…materialistic I suppose, rich, and snobbish. Inside here though its so…simple, clean, and not the least bit mhhmm" She stopped feeling Draco's lips crash onto hers. He argued with himself that she hadn't finished and he shouldn't be doing this and her wedding was in a week and many more things came into his mind objecting to his current actions but he couldn't seem to help it.
Their kisses were nothing like the ones that were sweet and kind, yet they weren't passionate or fiery. Well perhaps slightly fiery. Draco's mouth was making traces all over Ginny's and the skin right above her lip was slightly red.
Ginny wanted so much for herself to push him off so she could slap him and tell him that these petty plots wouldn't work but OH how they did. She couldn't remember feeling like this, and it was stupid of her to be so influenced by something so futile as passion but Ginny was nothing if not passionate. She felt herself relaxing against his much taller frame. She sensed his hands go underneath her thighs and grasp them roughly and immediately she reacted jumping into his arms so she could be more on level with his mouth, so he wouldn't have to be hunched over while he was kissing her.
Her black skirt had shifted up now on level with her upper thigh but revealing nothing, while he kept his hands under her, supporting her. Ginny held on for dear life as she felt her hands dig into his hair. Eventually however, breath became too much of a necessity to simply lose them selves in this moment, this kiss. As they broke off their passion they looked into each other's eyes.
"That's why I walked off," He said slowly unwrapping her hands, which had found their way around his neck and bent down so she could take her legs off him. He let go of her thighs and she straightened out her skirt much in the way a woman on a TV-show who had just taken part in an illicit affair would.
"Right then," She said softly buttoning an extra button on her shirt as if to be safe, to remind herself that she was a girl to be married soon.
"I'll walk you out," He said and she shook her head.
"I don't think that's necessary. I remember. Mum's probably worried. She really did send me out to go get something you know?" She said lightly as if trying to ease the tension that had built up in the few moments. He knew and she knew…just how much the other person wanted to continue their brush with passion but they knew they could not and so even if Ginny didn't want him to walk her out. He did.
After leaving her off at the apparating point, he stood there staring at her. She shook her head annoyed. First he kissed her, and then he looked at her as if she were a piece of meat. If she remembered closely he had been looking at her like a piece of meat while they were kissing too but she didn't want to remember that because that reminded her of her faults since she'd kissed him back
"You want something?" She asked gruffly and he shook his head moving to walk away as he left her and part of Ginny pleaded with him to turn around, look back at her, so she'd have some way of knowing whether it was simply pure lust that drove him to kiss her like that or was it something else? Something she didn't want to consider just yet.
Draco wanted to turn around and tell her things. Yet he just kept walking unable to stop himself from doing quite possibly the least cruel thing he'd ever done. Yet Draco Malfoy was nothing if not cruel…and yet he kept walking. It wasn't until he heard the silent crack of an apparation did he turn around and stare once more at the blank spot where Ginny Weasley had stood.
PLEASE REVIEW! Lots and lots of hugs and love to anyone who does!!