This perfect romance
That I've created in my mind
I'd live a thousand lives
Each one with you right by my side
But yet we find ourselves
In a less than perfect circumstance
And so it seems like we'll never have the chance...
"Come on, Ginny. We aren't done yet," Dawn said after she whispered some sort of unknown charm, "We still got to dress you up like the rock singer that you are!"
Juliet watched her mother closely as she described all the beautiful types of clothing that she had worn and tried on. Her mother's face was filled with happiness, something the little girl had hardly ever seen. She may have been only eight, but even she could see the pain and loneliness in her mother's eyes. What her mother needed was her Father. Father would make everything better once she found him.
Her mother droned on about her eccentric makeup artist, Dawn. Dawn was a pretty name. What she really wanted to hear was how Mommy began to love Father. She scrunched her nose as she thought of Mommy and Father. The two names didn't go. She couldn't begin to call her Mommy 'Mother'. As for Father, she never met him, so... Grinning at her smartness, she began to whisper the two names over and over again in her head. Mommy and Daddy. Mommy and Daddy. Mommy would be happy again if she had Daddy. She would be happy too. But what about Daddy? Would Daddy be happy as well? She wanted both her parents to be happy.
~~~~~~
Ginny stared dubiously at herself. She found herself wearing a long jean skirt with rhinestones along the bottom, making a pattern of a glittery flower. The skirt had a long slit, just three inches below her hip. Clutching the ends of her long slit, she twirled around and surveyed herself some more. Her feet were clad in those long, stiletto boots, covering most of her legs, to her relief. Her shirt, if one could call the barely hanging there rag a shirt, was a deep forest green with two straps on one shoulder and a long sleeve the elegantly sloped downwards towards the ground. She couldn't really explain it; she never saw anything like it before. Makeup was perfect, thanks to Dawn, as well as her hair. Her wrists carried many different coloured bangles, and on her neck rested a choker made from a black material, as well as a simple gold necklace with a small ruby shining happily in the light. "Gryffindor colours," Dawn had told her previously.
Still looking at the mirror, she decided that she was going to change; not just for the band, but the life she lived. She was tired of being overlooked, or not having any real friends. She was tired of no one being attracted to her and never having a boyfriend; even if she hated to admit it.
Dawn marvelled at her work and began to laugh in giddy excitement. She looked at the girl from head to toe, seeing if there were any flaws that needed to be fixed. Seeing none, she nodded in approval. "You, my dear, are almost done."
"You mean there's more?" she asked, eyes still filled with wonder at her appearance.
"Just one more thing," Dawn said happily, "I need to give you your gown for your first gig. It is, after all, a ball. Should be interesting. Rock music at a formal event."
Ginny nodded in agreement, "I know! We'd be so out of place. Hopefully we could sing some peaceful songs too," she stopped what she was saying immediately and gasped, "I don't think I could sing in front of the school. I mean, everyone would be focused on me and..."
"Shush," Dawn said motherly, "Everything will be alright. You'll see. Not only will you be showing off your talents, tons of guys are gonna be drooling over you."
"Really?" Ginny asked, eyes now on Dawn.
"Yes, really," Dawn said simply.
"But do I want guys drooling because of me? They never did before..."
Dawn shook her head, waved her wand towards Ginny, and whispered another spell. Ginny looked into the mirror and yelped, "What did you do! All my makeup is gone, and my hair is horrid." Dawn ignored all this and shoved the girl closer towards the mirror.
"Tell me, Ginny, what do you see?" Dawn asked calmly, hands both placed firmly on the girl's shoulders.
"Well," she hesitated, not sure on what was happening, "I see plain old me."
Dawn whispered the same words from before, this time Ginny's makeup reappearing on her face, as well as her perfectly done hairdo. "And now?"
"Glitzy me?" Ginny said hopefully, looking up to Dawn's reflection to see if she was right. Dawn however was laughing merrily at her answer. "What? It's true, you know," she said stubbornly, fully supporting her answer.
"You're right, you're right," Dawn said, raising her hands as if she got caught doing something wrong, "You'll always be you, Ginny, with or without the makeup. Just remember that, k? It isn't easy being ignored all your life, only to be the centre of attention later on. You might feel confused with who you really are. Are you the shy and homely Ginny, or are you the beautiful Ginny with the angelic voice?"
Ginny stared at the mirror, her reflection, deep in thought. She grinned after awhile and hugged the older girl tightly, "Thank you," she said solemnly, "for the advice. I haven't even reached that stage of being a rock star... I feel as if I'm always going to be that quiet little girl who everyone overlooks. When they see me now, all dressed up and looking great, how am I to act? I stayed quiet for most of my life, delving deeper into the shadows, but what about now? How should I act? Maybe more confident and cheerful; a kind of girl everyone would love."
"Ginny," she waited till she had the other girl's full attention, "You need to be yourself. You stayed quiet since no one would listen to what you had to say. It was forced that you lived a life like that. This is the time to show what you kept hidden. Look at you now, you're simply beautiful! And your voice, it's the voice of an angel. I'm sure that somewhere deep inside you, there's the Gryffindor courage that everyone knows and loves."
"Yeah, very deep. So deep, I couldn't possibly reach it," Ginny sighed. "And not everyone likes the Gryffindor courage. Slytherins remind us of that all the time."
"Oh really," Dawn said, placing her hands on her hips, "I just so happen to be a Slytherin and here I am, telling you that you have the courage, if only you weren't too scared to use it." Shaking her head in dismay, she shooed Ginny away from her. "Go, shoo now. I've spent too much of my time with one person for a day and I'm exhausted."
Ginny nodded her head as she made her way towards the door. Opening it slightly, she was surprised to see the bored face of Draco Malfoy. He was brought out of his stupor once he saw her and got up from the floor. Wiping off his pants, he gave her a questioning look. "What took you so long? Everyone else already headed back to the castle."
"Did they?" Ginny said, "Well, you didn't have to wait for me..."
"Of course I have to," he interrupted her, "Do you even know how to get back from here?"
She blushed, realizing what he meant, "Thank you for waiting for me. To tell you the truth, I'm not even done." Draco looked at her incredulously. "No really, it's true. I didn't even receive my gown for the ball yet. Dawn was just making me stare in the mirror after something I said. Then, she kicked me out," she shrugged, already heading towards the exit.
"Wait, Virginia," he yelled after her, grabbing her arm.
"What is it?" she asked, irritation showing on her face.
"Dawn still has your gown. We need to get it from her before we leave," Draco explained, dragging her back towards the room where she spent several hours in.
"Why do you keep calling me Virginia?" she whined as he held onto her arm, "Everyone else calls me Ginny."
"I'm not everyone else, now am I?" he smirked back at her.
The two of them entered the room and stared at the now sleeping Dawn. It seemed as if she conjured a bed in the middle of the room, now peacefully snoring. Draco, getting impatient, walked over to the sleeping woman and shook her hard. She woke up with a start and glared as she noticed the culprit of her awakening. "I'm up! Now what is it?" she asked through a yawn. She blinked back at them sleepily, wanting only to go back to sleep.
"You're not done with Virginia's session yet," he explained, "We need her gown before we go."
Dawn rubbed her tired eyes and pointed towards the piles of clothing, as well as the racks full of cloths. "Check over there. It's a fancy, green, muggle dress. Dress robes are just too typical."
Draco nodded, fully ignoring her now. He turned towards where she pointed and shifted through all the garments. Noticing Ginny just standing there, he snarled, "Well, are you going to at least help me find your dress?" Ginny laughed uneasily and quickly headed over to him.
After several minutes of searching, Draco pulled back from all the cloths and grinned in triumph. In his hand was a beautiful green dress made of satin. "We got the dress," he said to Dawn who was sleeping once again. "Come on, Virginia, let's go."
Ginny nodded her head and trailed behind Draco, right after she said goodbye to Dawn, even if she was still sleeping. Her stomach grumbled and she stopped dead in her tracks. Draco noticed and rolled his eyes. "We're late for dinner. Change that, dinner's been over for two hours now," he said as he checked his watch. "We might as well go find someplace to eat."
"Yeah," Ginny nodded her head, "That's a very good idea."
Draco smiled wickedly, "It's a date then, Virginia."
Ginny gaped at him, her eyes widening at his suggestion. "This is definitely not a date. A date is supposed to be when you go out with someone you like and have a romantic evening and..."
"So you don't like me then? Is that it?" Draco said sounding hurt, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
She saw where this was going. Playing along, she giggled, "Of course I like you Draky! Gosh, honey, I love you even."
"You sound like some airhead," Draco stated seriously as he led her towards a restaurant she never visited before.
"Well, you sound like a mean, snobbish git. Oh wait, you are one," she replied back sarcastically.
Draco just shrugged and continued on. There was no point to reply back if it was true. Besides, he wanted to impress her, not make her too angry at him.
Ginny felt self conscious as they entered the well established restaurant. Everyone there was dressed in fancy dress robes and well, she wasn't. It didn't help that almost everyone would know her to be a Weasley; the barely managing, middle class family. She was ashamed of herself to even think such things, but it was true.
"Virginia," Draco whispered into my ear, "Our table is ready. And stop fidgeting, you look great."
She looked up at him in full disbelief. How could she look wonderful if she was so plain? But then she remembered, she still had the cloths and makeup on from before. Raising her chin a tad bit higher, she smiled toothily at everyone who stared at her.
'I'm a rock star. I'm a rock star,' she said to herself, 'They aren't better than me. I'm a rock star.'
"Virginia, what is wrong with you? Do you always space out like this?" Draco asked curiously. He was already sitting down, menu in hand.
She quickly sat down as well, pulling the menu over her face to cover up her reddened cheeks. "I can't help it if there's more interesting things besides reality," she mumbled.
He must've heard because he was soon laughing. Ginny eyed around the room, seeing several older couples glaring at them. "Will you lower it down?" she hissed, "They're staring."
He looked at her amusedly, "So? Just ignore them. Most of them are just wannabe socialites." His pale hand grabbed a glass of water and drank half of it quickly.
"Whatever," she said, focusing on her menu.
After a few minutes of silence, Draco cleared his throat and began to speak, "Tomorrow after dinner, we're going to have our first band practice. We'll have it on the fourth floor, like usual."
Ginny nodded her head, bored.
"Don't worry too much about our first gig. If you want, we could even sing a few songs together."
She nodded again, finger running through the menu and whispering out all the ingredients for each dish.
"Oh, and after this, maybe we could snog a bit," Draco said happily, watching Ginny closely.
Just as he expected, Ginny nodded. He smirked. "Never mind. Why not snog now?" He leaned back into his chair, awaiting her answer. He snickered as she nodded again, not even bothering to look up from her menu.
Quietly getting up from his seat, Draco stood right next to Ginny, tipped her shocked and indignant face towards him, and fully kissed her on the lips.
She couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy was kissing her, and she was actually enjoying it! What was wrong with her? Was he sticking his tongue into her mouth? He was! She began to panic as Draco deepened the kiss and found herself responding. 'Just push him away,' her mind told her calmly, but she found herself not wanting the kiss to end.
She had always read those sappy romance novels. She yearned to feel how the heroine felt whenever she would kiss some dark haired hunk. The emotions that was described in those books, she wanted to feel it. Here now, Draco Malfoy was giving her those strong feelings of desire and she liked it. She liked it very much. It wasn't as if this was her first kiss. All those other innocent kisses were nothing compared to this one, though.
To her dismay, Draco pulled back, wonder written all over his face. Taking a haggard breath, he said the one thing that was on both their minds, "Wow."
Ginny giggled. Shouldn't she be angry that he kissed her? "Is that all you can say, Draco?"
Draco nodded his head, tassels of his blondish white hair falling over his eyes. He looked at her pleadingly, obviously wanting more.
She sighed. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy it. Looking into is silvery grey eyes, she gave in, placing her lips over his own. And so they kissed once again, not stopping for a breather until a snooty voice interrupted them. "Are you ready to order now?" They pulled away, Draco sitting back onto his seat and looking calm as ever. Ginny nonetheless, was blushing like mad, eyes downcast to her menu.
"Do you serve hamburgers here?" Ginny questioned gingerly, her old self showing.
The waiter laughed, "If you wish to dine on hamburgers, I suggest you go somewhere else entirely."
"Oh, and why is that?" Draco asked coldly, eyes glaring at the waiter. "If Virginia wants a hamburger, then you'll serve her a hamburger, got that?"
"We don't serve that kind of food here," the waiter said with great disdain in his voice.
"I would like to speak with the manager, then," Draco requested, frowning.
The waiter shrugged and walked over to a tall man. He pointed towards their table and sneered. The manager nodded his head and the both of them walked on over.
"How may I help you," the manager said calmly as he looked at Ginny with a large, false grin on his face.
"She wants a hamburger," Draco spoke up, irritated on being ignored.
The manager faced Draco and gasped, "Oh, it's you Mr. Malfoy!" The manager began shaking Draco's hand profusely. "She shall have her hamburger then as requested. And what would you like?"
Draco smirked at him, loving the attention he was getting from the manager and the shocked expression of the waiter. "I'll have the same," he said smoothly, just to spite the waiter some more.
The manager nodded his head and walked away quickly, whispering to the waiter about his discourtesy to such powerful people.
"I wish I had that much respect with just my name," Ginny said as she watched them leave.
Draco grinned, "When we're famous, you'll get that, and more. Besides, they only show respect because they fear my father."
"I still hope I could gain that kind of power with just a name," Ginny sighed wistfully.
"We will, you'll see," Draco said confidently as he gulped down the rest of his water.
The rest of dinner went uneventful. After leaving the restaurant holding hands, they soon found themselves safely inside Hogwarts. Ginny leaned closer towards Draco, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder.
"Bye, Virginia," Draco said softly as he kissed her cheek, "I'll see you in the morning." With that, he kissed her again, this time on the lips.
He sauntered down the hallway and into the darkness, leaving her missing his presence. Entering her common room, she sat on the nearest chair, fully ignoring all the looks she was receiving from the other occupants.
Since he kissed her, did that mean that he liked her? And was tonight a date? He did take her out to dinner...
She sighed happily, cuddling a pillow as she rested her head on the arm of her chair. Ron came up to her, amazement and worry written all over his face. "Ginny, is that you? What happened? Where were you? And what are you wearing?!"
"Don't be silly Ron," she admonished, "Nothing happened. Nothing at all." Oh, and those gorgeous grey eyes that Draco has... She giggled at the thought.
This time, Hermione asked the questions, "What we want to know is what did you do to yourself? You look like one of those muggle pop singers," she cringed as she said it.
"Pop?" Ginny said as if she were in a trance, "Not pop. Rock, maybe."
"Okay, fine. Just tell us where you were. We were worried about you."
Ginny grinned, "I was just hanging out with my friends."
Ron quickly interrupted her quickly, "Friends? What friends? All your friends are already in their rooms, sleeping. It's what you should be doing right now too."
"Ron," she said to him sweetly, "Do you have any other friends besides those in Gryffindor?"
"Um..."
"That's what I thought." Smiling again, she picked up her gown that she tossed beside her previously and stormed up into her dorm room.
~~~~~~~
Glancing at the watch in her hand, Juliet began to rub it rhythmically. She had a secret that she kept from Mommy. When Mommy asked her what she saw when she first touched Daddy's watch, it wasn't only Daddy that she saw. She saw where Mommy and Daddy would meet up again, as well as the exact date and time as to when this would occur. Their meeting would never happen if she didn't intervene. Moving from her couch to her mother's, she pulled at a nearby blanket, snuggling under the comforting sheets and instinctively hugging her mother. Eyes drowsy and full of sleep, she relented and dreamed of the future, as well as the past.
Virginia watched her daughter sleep. She looked so happy and calm... Sighing, she threw the covers off herself and slid off the couch. Juliet seemed comfortable enough to sleep on the couch. But what if she fell over the edge? She carefully picked up her daughter, making sure not to wake her. She then exited the living room and made her way towards the girl's cheerful bedroom. Placing Juliet on her bed, she tucked the little girl in and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Sweet dreams, my Juliet."
Her daughter didn't respond, but then again, she wasn't expecting one. She closed the door, blocking the light from entering her daughter's room. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, she realized it was three in the morning. What was she to do at that hour? Glancing back at her daughter's door, she urged her brain to relax. No harm would come to Juliet if she went out for a while. If someone broke into the apartment, her nosy neighbours would hear and call for help. Nothing at all to be worried about. And what else could she possibly do? She was wide-awake; sleep not even a possibility right now.
Slipping on some slippers and a coat, she walked out of her apartment, making sure to lock the door securely, as well as placing a safety charm - just in case.
*******
He was drunk. No, he was very drunk. His brain was hurting by even thinking he was drunk. And in his delusional state, he almost thought he saw 'her'. But it wasn't possible. She was gone forever. She didn't exist anymore; at least not to him. So why was he thinking of her now when he was supposed to be over her?
Moaning, he laid his head on the dirty table, ignoring the looks he was getting. He was used to it by now. The pointing irked him a bit, but at least they stayed away. He always knew that he would gain attention, coming from the family he was in after all. Who wouldn't stare at Draco Malfoy, especially when he was drunk as can be? As long as no stupid reporters were around, he would be okay. He would be even better if 'she' were here, though.
He banged his head at the very thought of her. "Shit!" he thought as he barely saw the flash of light that could only come from a camera. The reporters had caught on and wouldn't leave him alone until he snuck out the back way. Damn reporters.
He got up from the bar stool he had occupied and glared at everyone watching him still. "There's nothing to see here. Just move along with your mediocre lives," he snarled in great distaste.
His manager would kill him if she found out he had said that to fans, or even potential fans. 'It'll lower sales. You wouldn't want that, would you?' her annoying voice rang through his ears. He needed a vacation bad.
He rushed out of the bar, bumping into a passer by. He didn't bother looking back and apologizing. It just wasn't his style to do that. Let the person get mad. He was angry, so why shouldn't that guy get mad as well? The whole world could get pissed and he wouldn't give a damn.
"Hey you!" a voice yelled out in the night air. Draco moaned. It could only mean trouble. Turning around, he was surprised to see a small sized woman, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Don't you have any manners?" she asked angrily, her hands in tiny fists. "You knock into me and just keep on walking without saying sorry. I consider that rude."
Draco smirked. The woman sure had a temper. It almost reminded him of... He shook his head. His Virginia was meek and mild. She would never yell at someone like this woman was doing now. Then again, people do tend to change. Didn't he?
The woman placed her hands on her hips, awaiting an answer. When she didn't get one, she stormed over towards him. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer. It was the natural reaction though. Everyone knew him. He WAS from one of the most well known bands after all.
"Oh My God." the woman said as she slowly backed away from him, as if his presence was evil or some sort like that. It was not something that Draco had expected though. Once they recognized him, they would be all over him. Why wasn't she? He almost wanted her to ravage his body...
His eyes began to get blurry, due to all the alcohol. He already knew what was coming next. He fainted.
*******
Virginia sighed in exasperation. This whole day for her was screwed up. First, her daughter finally found out who her father is. Then, she actually bumped into the man. And here she was now, with her ex-fiancé lying on the pavement, snoring rather loudly.
She walked up to him and cringed. He smelt of alcohol and Muggle smoke. She couldn't just leave him here, even if she wanted too. Sure, she still loved the man after all these years, but he had hurt her so badly in the end. She made up her mind. Grabbing hold of his pale white hand, they both shimmered out of existence and appeared outside her flat.
"Well," she said to herself, "Juliet did mention how she wanted to see her father." It also made her suspicious of just how much the little girl actually knew. She did have ESP. Juliet would be a very powerful witch someday.
"Come on, you big oaf!" she yelled at the sprawled out man on her floor. She opened the door to her apartment, all the while dragging Draco into the main hallway and away from peering eyes. Just the thought of him there made her think of the neighbours. She shook her head. What would the neighbours say if they ever saw this? She would have laughed if this had happened to someone else. Sadly enough, it would be she who would be getting all the laughs.
"Mommy?" a tired voice said through the nearly empty hall. Virginia dropped the arm she was holding and blocked off the sight of 'the strange man on the floor'. Juliet appeared, rubbing her eyes from heavy sleep.
"Juliet, dear, go back to sleep. We have so many fun things to do in the morning!" Virginia said, through a very fake and overly cheerful voice.
Juliet eyed the body behind her mother yet did what she was told. Turning around, she slowly walked back to her room, only to stop in her tracks and face her mother, her own pale face full of curiosity. "You didn't kill anyone, did you Mummy?"
The little girl's eyes landed back to the figure in the middle of the hall. Virginia began to laugh nervously. "Of course not, honey. Just go to your room, please. Be a good girl and go to sleep."
She nodded her head and entered her room, shutting the door behind her.
Virginia tried to lift Draco onto the nearby couch, but it just wasn't possible. He was just too big and heavy for her. She grabbed a decorative pillow off of her couch and placed it under Draco's head. She then got the duvet that was folded neatly on a chair and tossed it over his body. She quickly kissed his cheek and sighed, dropping her tired body on the loveseat. Closing her eyes, she too fell asleep.
The next morning, Draco woke up with a start. Blinking his eyes, he looked down to see himself fully dressed. He sighed in relief. He froze soon enough as he realized that he wasn't at his home. Upon careful observation, he realized that he had been sleeping in someone else's living room on the carpeted floor.
"Hello." A voice broke out through the silence. He turned around slowly to see a girl of about eight. She had pale blond hair and cinnamon brown eyes. She smiled up at him and giggled. "Will you stay any longer?"
Maybe the girl was older? She sounded at least ten. "I don't wish to impose..."
"No worries!" the girl said cheerfully. "My mother wouldn't mind. She's still sleeping though, so we need to be quiet," she said, pointing to a red headed beauty resting on the couch.
Draco nodded his head as he got up from the floor, stretching his limbs and yawning rather loudly. "What's your name, kid?"
She glared at him, hating to be called 'kid', but decided to ignore it. "My name is Juliet. What's yours?" Juliet wasn't dumb. She knew exactly who this was.
He grinned. That was the only good thing about the younger generation. They wouldn't really know about his band, or anything about him. They were too young to be into rock music.
"I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
Her warm brown eyes were suddenly full of mischief as she led him to the kitchen. "Are you married, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked innocently enough.
Draco opened up the refrigerator and took out the carton full of orange juice. "Never, and I don't think I ever will." Searching through the cabinets, he finally found a glass and poured himself some orange juice.
"How come, Mr. Malfoy? Aren't you lonely?" Juliet questioned, eyes all on him as he gulped down the orange juice in haste.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, not caring about his manners around the girl. All proper upbringings left him as he made himself comfortable at a nearby chair, slouching as low as he could before he fell off. He glared at the curious girl who was asking way too many questions so early in the morning. "Why don't you run along now so I can have some peace?"
Juliet shook her head in disagreement, "I wouldn't be the proper hostess if I did that. Want to play tea party?" Her eyes sparkled at her idea, already tugging at Draco's hand.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Draco said, but the little girl didn't accept no for an answer.
A few minutes later, Draco was forced to sit in a little plastic chair, holding a fake cup that was supposedly full of hot tea. Stuffed animals and that sort surrounded him, some of them moving with the use of magic, others unnervingly still.
"I'll be right back!" the girl giggled as she ran out the door.
Soon enough, the girl came back dragging what had to be her mother. Her eyes widened as she saw him, and then began to laugh hysterically.
"I can't believe this." He heard the woman say as she sat down across from him. She looked rather familiar... He gasped. It was the crazy woman he bumped into last night. "Oh god..."
Juliet looked at the two of them impishly. "I am Juliet, your hostess this morning." She grinned, "This is our visitor, Mr. Draco Malfoy. And this," she waved her hand in the direction of her mother, "is Ms. Virginia."
"Nice to meet you again Mr. Malfoy." Virginia snickered as she saw the look of recognition light up on his pale face.
"Virginia Weasley?" he asked weakly, eyes wide. He then realized the girl next to him, her daughter... Gods, Ginny was married!
He knew how to handle many situations. At least, he liked to think that he did. Out of the problems in the world, he didn't know how to handle this one. Question, how was a man supposed to react or say when they suddenly meet up with the woman they were to marry, and find out that she is married and has a kid? He hated to admit that he still loved her, even after all these years. It would be morally wrong if he would have an affair with her, and maybe Virginia actually loved the bloke more than he. Did he even make sense? Not really, but his mind was jumbled with so many thoughts that he drew a blank when he realized who was before him.
Getting up from the pink plastic chair, teacup still in hand, he stormed out the door, opening all the other doors in the hallway in a mad rage.
Virginia eyed him warily. "Draco, what do you think you're doing?" she asked sweetly, her back leaning on the doorframe rather bored as she looked on at his antics.
"I want to meet the bastard," he stopped, finally taking notice of Juliet staring up at him. He smiled weakly back at her, "I mean the lucky man who you married."
Virginia laughed once again that day, "Who says I'm married?" She folded her arms and grinned wickedly.
"Stop your teasing Gin. I promise I won't hurt him that much."
"Oh, and why should you care, Draco Malfoy? You never did before..." Ginny began, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine. Whatever. I need to go anyway," he grumbled, handing the small cup back to Juliet and making his way out the door.
"Please wait!" Juliet yelled after him as she clasped his large hand and held on tightly, "Don't go yet. Mummy was telling the truth, she isn't married. Don't be mad." She put up her sad face, knowing no adult could resist.
"I really do need to go," he said, trying to shake the small girl off his hand.
"I'm going with you!" she replied back stubbornly as her other hand grabbed his arm.
He looked at the child, exasperated. "You need to understand that I have to go to work now. Besides, your Mummy would miss you if you went with me."
Virginia looked at her small daughter who looked so much like her father. She was amazed that he couldn't tell the similarities. She shook her head. Men were all the same. "I don't mind one bit Draco. In fact, I think I'll go too."
"You must be joking," he said.
"Nope, I'm not. Let's go!" she said cheerfully as she grabbed her keys and scooped up Juliet. Juliet wiggled in her arms, trying to break free. "I want Draco to carry me, " she whined as her mother complied with her wishes and set her to the ground. She held up her arms to Draco, waiting for him to pick her up.
"You're too old for that sort of thing. You have feet, use them," Draco said briskly as he stepped out onto the narrow hallway. He looked left, then right. Everything looked exactly the same!
"The stairwell is to your right," Virginia informed him as she locked up the door. Juliet was still pouting cutely.
Draco grumbled, picked up the small girl to her delight, and began walking towards the stairs. "I don't see why we can't just take the lifts."
"I don't see why you have to complain," said Virginia, "Besides, I need the exercise."
"So why don't you take the stairs and I take the lift?"
Virginia rolled her eyes, "You're missing the whole point. We're taking the stairs and that's final."
After arguing several minutes as to their mode of transportation, it was decided that they would take Virginia's beat up muggle car. It only took a couple of minutes to where they were to Draco's work, which turned out to be the local music studio.
They entered the building without any problems. Well, besides the fact that everyone was staring at them. They expected to only see Draco, even though that was a big deal itself. It just made everyone more curious as they saw an unknown woman with a little girl holding Draco Malfoy's hand.
Draco showed them to a large office where Virginia was met up with her old band mates.
"Hey guys!" Virginia said to the group as she was met with shocked silence. She sat down on the nearest chair and grinned, "Before I forget, this is my daughter, Juliet. She's also his," she shifted her head towards Draco, "daughter, but he didn't figure that out yet."
"That's not funny, Virginia," Draco said briskly, "You shouldn't joke about things like that. It isn't right."
"No, Draco, I think she's telling the truth. Juliet has your hair colour and your complexion..." An older Sammy said as she walked up to the little girl and kneeled down until they were about the same height. "Hello there Juliet. My name's Samantha and I used to be close friends with your mommy."
Virginia heard this and smiled apologetically towards her, "Sorry for never keeping in touch with all of you. The first few years I left the band were really hard for me, what with Juliet being born and all."
A very pregnant Tory stepped forward and grinned, "Hey there, Jules. I'm Victoria, mostly known as Tory around here. Oh, and this big oaf next to me is my husband, Johnny." Johnny gave the girl a small wave, unsure on how to act towards the little girl.
Adrian smiled brightly to Juliet, "Hey there, kiddo. I'm the wonderful Adrian. I'm sure you're mother told you all about me by now," he winked towards Virginia who rolled her eyes in return.
Juliet finally spoke up, hands clutching at the ends of her coat nervously, "Glad to meet you everyone. It's an honour to actually see you in real life. Who else gets to meet a real popular band up close?"
"Well, it's not everyday that a girl has two parents from that really popular band," joked Johnny, twirling his long brown hair aimlessly.
Draco, who stayed quiet until now, was shocked. He looked at Virginia, his eyes a dark gray showing his anger and frustration, "We need to have a talk, a l o n e."
Ginny nodded her head, leaving everyone else in the room to stare.
"I feel bad for Draco," Adrian said as he sat on the chair Virginia previously occupied, "He has to face Ginny's wrath. You know how redheads are with their tempers. No match for blondes at all."
"Draco? I feel bad for Ginny. Poor girl, living all these years as a single mother... Must've been hard." Tory replied as she rubbed her rounded tummy lovingly.
~~~~~
Draco and Virginia entered the empty room next to the one they where in before. Both their eyes, grey and brown, glared at the other.
"Why?" Draco said simply, confusion and hurt sounding through his voice, "You could've told me sooner, Virginia. You kept my daughter away from me after all these years..."
"I was not about to have my child's life get corrupted by all the fame. Think of Harry Potter. If he grew up in the Wizarding World, imagine how'd he be now. I wanted Juliet to live a normal life; away from the public's eye."
Draco shook his head, "You could've told me, Virginia. You should've said that you were pregnant. Things would've been so different..."
"Would they?" Virginia said, eyes flaring, "I doubt that. Just face it, I'm right and you're wrong."
"No, Virginia, you know that I'm right. You know that life would've been so much easier for you if you'd only told me of our daughter. I would've been good to Juliet. How could I not? She looks so much like me... We could've gotten married sooner, just like I said all those years before. Surely you understand?"
"I can't take this anymore! You're just so full of yourself," Virginia said angrily as she walked out of his life for the second time in eight years.
That I've created in my mind
I'd live a thousand lives
Each one with you right by my side
But yet we find ourselves
In a less than perfect circumstance
And so it seems like we'll never have the chance...
"Come on, Ginny. We aren't done yet," Dawn said after she whispered some sort of unknown charm, "We still got to dress you up like the rock singer that you are!"
Juliet watched her mother closely as she described all the beautiful types of clothing that she had worn and tried on. Her mother's face was filled with happiness, something the little girl had hardly ever seen. She may have been only eight, but even she could see the pain and loneliness in her mother's eyes. What her mother needed was her Father. Father would make everything better once she found him.
Her mother droned on about her eccentric makeup artist, Dawn. Dawn was a pretty name. What she really wanted to hear was how Mommy began to love Father. She scrunched her nose as she thought of Mommy and Father. The two names didn't go. She couldn't begin to call her Mommy 'Mother'. As for Father, she never met him, so... Grinning at her smartness, she began to whisper the two names over and over again in her head. Mommy and Daddy. Mommy and Daddy. Mommy would be happy again if she had Daddy. She would be happy too. But what about Daddy? Would Daddy be happy as well? She wanted both her parents to be happy.
~~~~~~
Ginny stared dubiously at herself. She found herself wearing a long jean skirt with rhinestones along the bottom, making a pattern of a glittery flower. The skirt had a long slit, just three inches below her hip. Clutching the ends of her long slit, she twirled around and surveyed herself some more. Her feet were clad in those long, stiletto boots, covering most of her legs, to her relief. Her shirt, if one could call the barely hanging there rag a shirt, was a deep forest green with two straps on one shoulder and a long sleeve the elegantly sloped downwards towards the ground. She couldn't really explain it; she never saw anything like it before. Makeup was perfect, thanks to Dawn, as well as her hair. Her wrists carried many different coloured bangles, and on her neck rested a choker made from a black material, as well as a simple gold necklace with a small ruby shining happily in the light. "Gryffindor colours," Dawn had told her previously.
Still looking at the mirror, she decided that she was going to change; not just for the band, but the life she lived. She was tired of being overlooked, or not having any real friends. She was tired of no one being attracted to her and never having a boyfriend; even if she hated to admit it.
Dawn marvelled at her work and began to laugh in giddy excitement. She looked at the girl from head to toe, seeing if there were any flaws that needed to be fixed. Seeing none, she nodded in approval. "You, my dear, are almost done."
"You mean there's more?" she asked, eyes still filled with wonder at her appearance.
"Just one more thing," Dawn said happily, "I need to give you your gown for your first gig. It is, after all, a ball. Should be interesting. Rock music at a formal event."
Ginny nodded in agreement, "I know! We'd be so out of place. Hopefully we could sing some peaceful songs too," she stopped what she was saying immediately and gasped, "I don't think I could sing in front of the school. I mean, everyone would be focused on me and..."
"Shush," Dawn said motherly, "Everything will be alright. You'll see. Not only will you be showing off your talents, tons of guys are gonna be drooling over you."
"Really?" Ginny asked, eyes now on Dawn.
"Yes, really," Dawn said simply.
"But do I want guys drooling because of me? They never did before..."
Dawn shook her head, waved her wand towards Ginny, and whispered another spell. Ginny looked into the mirror and yelped, "What did you do! All my makeup is gone, and my hair is horrid." Dawn ignored all this and shoved the girl closer towards the mirror.
"Tell me, Ginny, what do you see?" Dawn asked calmly, hands both placed firmly on the girl's shoulders.
"Well," she hesitated, not sure on what was happening, "I see plain old me."
Dawn whispered the same words from before, this time Ginny's makeup reappearing on her face, as well as her perfectly done hairdo. "And now?"
"Glitzy me?" Ginny said hopefully, looking up to Dawn's reflection to see if she was right. Dawn however was laughing merrily at her answer. "What? It's true, you know," she said stubbornly, fully supporting her answer.
"You're right, you're right," Dawn said, raising her hands as if she got caught doing something wrong, "You'll always be you, Ginny, with or without the makeup. Just remember that, k? It isn't easy being ignored all your life, only to be the centre of attention later on. You might feel confused with who you really are. Are you the shy and homely Ginny, or are you the beautiful Ginny with the angelic voice?"
Ginny stared at the mirror, her reflection, deep in thought. She grinned after awhile and hugged the older girl tightly, "Thank you," she said solemnly, "for the advice. I haven't even reached that stage of being a rock star... I feel as if I'm always going to be that quiet little girl who everyone overlooks. When they see me now, all dressed up and looking great, how am I to act? I stayed quiet for most of my life, delving deeper into the shadows, but what about now? How should I act? Maybe more confident and cheerful; a kind of girl everyone would love."
"Ginny," she waited till she had the other girl's full attention, "You need to be yourself. You stayed quiet since no one would listen to what you had to say. It was forced that you lived a life like that. This is the time to show what you kept hidden. Look at you now, you're simply beautiful! And your voice, it's the voice of an angel. I'm sure that somewhere deep inside you, there's the Gryffindor courage that everyone knows and loves."
"Yeah, very deep. So deep, I couldn't possibly reach it," Ginny sighed. "And not everyone likes the Gryffindor courage. Slytherins remind us of that all the time."
"Oh really," Dawn said, placing her hands on her hips, "I just so happen to be a Slytherin and here I am, telling you that you have the courage, if only you weren't too scared to use it." Shaking her head in dismay, she shooed Ginny away from her. "Go, shoo now. I've spent too much of my time with one person for a day and I'm exhausted."
Ginny nodded her head as she made her way towards the door. Opening it slightly, she was surprised to see the bored face of Draco Malfoy. He was brought out of his stupor once he saw her and got up from the floor. Wiping off his pants, he gave her a questioning look. "What took you so long? Everyone else already headed back to the castle."
"Did they?" Ginny said, "Well, you didn't have to wait for me..."
"Of course I have to," he interrupted her, "Do you even know how to get back from here?"
She blushed, realizing what he meant, "Thank you for waiting for me. To tell you the truth, I'm not even done." Draco looked at her incredulously. "No really, it's true. I didn't even receive my gown for the ball yet. Dawn was just making me stare in the mirror after something I said. Then, she kicked me out," she shrugged, already heading towards the exit.
"Wait, Virginia," he yelled after her, grabbing her arm.
"What is it?" she asked, irritation showing on her face.
"Dawn still has your gown. We need to get it from her before we leave," Draco explained, dragging her back towards the room where she spent several hours in.
"Why do you keep calling me Virginia?" she whined as he held onto her arm, "Everyone else calls me Ginny."
"I'm not everyone else, now am I?" he smirked back at her.
The two of them entered the room and stared at the now sleeping Dawn. It seemed as if she conjured a bed in the middle of the room, now peacefully snoring. Draco, getting impatient, walked over to the sleeping woman and shook her hard. She woke up with a start and glared as she noticed the culprit of her awakening. "I'm up! Now what is it?" she asked through a yawn. She blinked back at them sleepily, wanting only to go back to sleep.
"You're not done with Virginia's session yet," he explained, "We need her gown before we go."
Dawn rubbed her tired eyes and pointed towards the piles of clothing, as well as the racks full of cloths. "Check over there. It's a fancy, green, muggle dress. Dress robes are just too typical."
Draco nodded, fully ignoring her now. He turned towards where she pointed and shifted through all the garments. Noticing Ginny just standing there, he snarled, "Well, are you going to at least help me find your dress?" Ginny laughed uneasily and quickly headed over to him.
After several minutes of searching, Draco pulled back from all the cloths and grinned in triumph. In his hand was a beautiful green dress made of satin. "We got the dress," he said to Dawn who was sleeping once again. "Come on, Virginia, let's go."
Ginny nodded her head and trailed behind Draco, right after she said goodbye to Dawn, even if she was still sleeping. Her stomach grumbled and she stopped dead in her tracks. Draco noticed and rolled his eyes. "We're late for dinner. Change that, dinner's been over for two hours now," he said as he checked his watch. "We might as well go find someplace to eat."
"Yeah," Ginny nodded her head, "That's a very good idea."
Draco smiled wickedly, "It's a date then, Virginia."
Ginny gaped at him, her eyes widening at his suggestion. "This is definitely not a date. A date is supposed to be when you go out with someone you like and have a romantic evening and..."
"So you don't like me then? Is that it?" Draco said sounding hurt, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
She saw where this was going. Playing along, she giggled, "Of course I like you Draky! Gosh, honey, I love you even."
"You sound like some airhead," Draco stated seriously as he led her towards a restaurant she never visited before.
"Well, you sound like a mean, snobbish git. Oh wait, you are one," she replied back sarcastically.
Draco just shrugged and continued on. There was no point to reply back if it was true. Besides, he wanted to impress her, not make her too angry at him.
Ginny felt self conscious as they entered the well established restaurant. Everyone there was dressed in fancy dress robes and well, she wasn't. It didn't help that almost everyone would know her to be a Weasley; the barely managing, middle class family. She was ashamed of herself to even think such things, but it was true.
"Virginia," Draco whispered into my ear, "Our table is ready. And stop fidgeting, you look great."
She looked up at him in full disbelief. How could she look wonderful if she was so plain? But then she remembered, she still had the cloths and makeup on from before. Raising her chin a tad bit higher, she smiled toothily at everyone who stared at her.
'I'm a rock star. I'm a rock star,' she said to herself, 'They aren't better than me. I'm a rock star.'
"Virginia, what is wrong with you? Do you always space out like this?" Draco asked curiously. He was already sitting down, menu in hand.
She quickly sat down as well, pulling the menu over her face to cover up her reddened cheeks. "I can't help it if there's more interesting things besides reality," she mumbled.
He must've heard because he was soon laughing. Ginny eyed around the room, seeing several older couples glaring at them. "Will you lower it down?" she hissed, "They're staring."
He looked at her amusedly, "So? Just ignore them. Most of them are just wannabe socialites." His pale hand grabbed a glass of water and drank half of it quickly.
"Whatever," she said, focusing on her menu.
After a few minutes of silence, Draco cleared his throat and began to speak, "Tomorrow after dinner, we're going to have our first band practice. We'll have it on the fourth floor, like usual."
Ginny nodded her head, bored.
"Don't worry too much about our first gig. If you want, we could even sing a few songs together."
She nodded again, finger running through the menu and whispering out all the ingredients for each dish.
"Oh, and after this, maybe we could snog a bit," Draco said happily, watching Ginny closely.
Just as he expected, Ginny nodded. He smirked. "Never mind. Why not snog now?" He leaned back into his chair, awaiting her answer. He snickered as she nodded again, not even bothering to look up from her menu.
Quietly getting up from his seat, Draco stood right next to Ginny, tipped her shocked and indignant face towards him, and fully kissed her on the lips.
She couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy was kissing her, and she was actually enjoying it! What was wrong with her? Was he sticking his tongue into her mouth? He was! She began to panic as Draco deepened the kiss and found herself responding. 'Just push him away,' her mind told her calmly, but she found herself not wanting the kiss to end.
She had always read those sappy romance novels. She yearned to feel how the heroine felt whenever she would kiss some dark haired hunk. The emotions that was described in those books, she wanted to feel it. Here now, Draco Malfoy was giving her those strong feelings of desire and she liked it. She liked it very much. It wasn't as if this was her first kiss. All those other innocent kisses were nothing compared to this one, though.
To her dismay, Draco pulled back, wonder written all over his face. Taking a haggard breath, he said the one thing that was on both their minds, "Wow."
Ginny giggled. Shouldn't she be angry that he kissed her? "Is that all you can say, Draco?"
Draco nodded his head, tassels of his blondish white hair falling over his eyes. He looked at her pleadingly, obviously wanting more.
She sighed. It wasn't as if she didn't enjoy it. Looking into is silvery grey eyes, she gave in, placing her lips over his own. And so they kissed once again, not stopping for a breather until a snooty voice interrupted them. "Are you ready to order now?" They pulled away, Draco sitting back onto his seat and looking calm as ever. Ginny nonetheless, was blushing like mad, eyes downcast to her menu.
"Do you serve hamburgers here?" Ginny questioned gingerly, her old self showing.
The waiter laughed, "If you wish to dine on hamburgers, I suggest you go somewhere else entirely."
"Oh, and why is that?" Draco asked coldly, eyes glaring at the waiter. "If Virginia wants a hamburger, then you'll serve her a hamburger, got that?"
"We don't serve that kind of food here," the waiter said with great disdain in his voice.
"I would like to speak with the manager, then," Draco requested, frowning.
The waiter shrugged and walked over to a tall man. He pointed towards their table and sneered. The manager nodded his head and the both of them walked on over.
"How may I help you," the manager said calmly as he looked at Ginny with a large, false grin on his face.
"She wants a hamburger," Draco spoke up, irritated on being ignored.
The manager faced Draco and gasped, "Oh, it's you Mr. Malfoy!" The manager began shaking Draco's hand profusely. "She shall have her hamburger then as requested. And what would you like?"
Draco smirked at him, loving the attention he was getting from the manager and the shocked expression of the waiter. "I'll have the same," he said smoothly, just to spite the waiter some more.
The manager nodded his head and walked away quickly, whispering to the waiter about his discourtesy to such powerful people.
"I wish I had that much respect with just my name," Ginny said as she watched them leave.
Draco grinned, "When we're famous, you'll get that, and more. Besides, they only show respect because they fear my father."
"I still hope I could gain that kind of power with just a name," Ginny sighed wistfully.
"We will, you'll see," Draco said confidently as he gulped down the rest of his water.
The rest of dinner went uneventful. After leaving the restaurant holding hands, they soon found themselves safely inside Hogwarts. Ginny leaned closer towards Draco, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder.
"Bye, Virginia," Draco said softly as he kissed her cheek, "I'll see you in the morning." With that, he kissed her again, this time on the lips.
He sauntered down the hallway and into the darkness, leaving her missing his presence. Entering her common room, she sat on the nearest chair, fully ignoring all the looks she was receiving from the other occupants.
Since he kissed her, did that mean that he liked her? And was tonight a date? He did take her out to dinner...
She sighed happily, cuddling a pillow as she rested her head on the arm of her chair. Ron came up to her, amazement and worry written all over his face. "Ginny, is that you? What happened? Where were you? And what are you wearing?!"
"Don't be silly Ron," she admonished, "Nothing happened. Nothing at all." Oh, and those gorgeous grey eyes that Draco has... She giggled at the thought.
This time, Hermione asked the questions, "What we want to know is what did you do to yourself? You look like one of those muggle pop singers," she cringed as she said it.
"Pop?" Ginny said as if she were in a trance, "Not pop. Rock, maybe."
"Okay, fine. Just tell us where you were. We were worried about you."
Ginny grinned, "I was just hanging out with my friends."
Ron quickly interrupted her quickly, "Friends? What friends? All your friends are already in their rooms, sleeping. It's what you should be doing right now too."
"Ron," she said to him sweetly, "Do you have any other friends besides those in Gryffindor?"
"Um..."
"That's what I thought." Smiling again, she picked up her gown that she tossed beside her previously and stormed up into her dorm room.
~~~~~~~
Glancing at the watch in her hand, Juliet began to rub it rhythmically. She had a secret that she kept from Mommy. When Mommy asked her what she saw when she first touched Daddy's watch, it wasn't only Daddy that she saw. She saw where Mommy and Daddy would meet up again, as well as the exact date and time as to when this would occur. Their meeting would never happen if she didn't intervene. Moving from her couch to her mother's, she pulled at a nearby blanket, snuggling under the comforting sheets and instinctively hugging her mother. Eyes drowsy and full of sleep, she relented and dreamed of the future, as well as the past.
Virginia watched her daughter sleep. She looked so happy and calm... Sighing, she threw the covers off herself and slid off the couch. Juliet seemed comfortable enough to sleep on the couch. But what if she fell over the edge? She carefully picked up her daughter, making sure not to wake her. She then exited the living room and made her way towards the girl's cheerful bedroom. Placing Juliet on her bed, she tucked the little girl in and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Sweet dreams, my Juliet."
Her daughter didn't respond, but then again, she wasn't expecting one. She closed the door, blocking the light from entering her daughter's room. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, she realized it was three in the morning. What was she to do at that hour? Glancing back at her daughter's door, she urged her brain to relax. No harm would come to Juliet if she went out for a while. If someone broke into the apartment, her nosy neighbours would hear and call for help. Nothing at all to be worried about. And what else could she possibly do? She was wide-awake; sleep not even a possibility right now.
Slipping on some slippers and a coat, she walked out of her apartment, making sure to lock the door securely, as well as placing a safety charm - just in case.
*******
He was drunk. No, he was very drunk. His brain was hurting by even thinking he was drunk. And in his delusional state, he almost thought he saw 'her'. But it wasn't possible. She was gone forever. She didn't exist anymore; at least not to him. So why was he thinking of her now when he was supposed to be over her?
Moaning, he laid his head on the dirty table, ignoring the looks he was getting. He was used to it by now. The pointing irked him a bit, but at least they stayed away. He always knew that he would gain attention, coming from the family he was in after all. Who wouldn't stare at Draco Malfoy, especially when he was drunk as can be? As long as no stupid reporters were around, he would be okay. He would be even better if 'she' were here, though.
He banged his head at the very thought of her. "Shit!" he thought as he barely saw the flash of light that could only come from a camera. The reporters had caught on and wouldn't leave him alone until he snuck out the back way. Damn reporters.
He got up from the bar stool he had occupied and glared at everyone watching him still. "There's nothing to see here. Just move along with your mediocre lives," he snarled in great distaste.
His manager would kill him if she found out he had said that to fans, or even potential fans. 'It'll lower sales. You wouldn't want that, would you?' her annoying voice rang through his ears. He needed a vacation bad.
He rushed out of the bar, bumping into a passer by. He didn't bother looking back and apologizing. It just wasn't his style to do that. Let the person get mad. He was angry, so why shouldn't that guy get mad as well? The whole world could get pissed and he wouldn't give a damn.
"Hey you!" a voice yelled out in the night air. Draco moaned. It could only mean trouble. Turning around, he was surprised to see a small sized woman, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Don't you have any manners?" she asked angrily, her hands in tiny fists. "You knock into me and just keep on walking without saying sorry. I consider that rude."
Draco smirked. The woman sure had a temper. It almost reminded him of... He shook his head. His Virginia was meek and mild. She would never yell at someone like this woman was doing now. Then again, people do tend to change. Didn't he?
The woman placed her hands on her hips, awaiting an answer. When she didn't get one, she stormed over towards him. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer. It was the natural reaction though. Everyone knew him. He WAS from one of the most well known bands after all.
"Oh My God." the woman said as she slowly backed away from him, as if his presence was evil or some sort like that. It was not something that Draco had expected though. Once they recognized him, they would be all over him. Why wasn't she? He almost wanted her to ravage his body...
His eyes began to get blurry, due to all the alcohol. He already knew what was coming next. He fainted.
*******
Virginia sighed in exasperation. This whole day for her was screwed up. First, her daughter finally found out who her father is. Then, she actually bumped into the man. And here she was now, with her ex-fiancé lying on the pavement, snoring rather loudly.
She walked up to him and cringed. He smelt of alcohol and Muggle smoke. She couldn't just leave him here, even if she wanted too. Sure, she still loved the man after all these years, but he had hurt her so badly in the end. She made up her mind. Grabbing hold of his pale white hand, they both shimmered out of existence and appeared outside her flat.
"Well," she said to herself, "Juliet did mention how she wanted to see her father." It also made her suspicious of just how much the little girl actually knew. She did have ESP. Juliet would be a very powerful witch someday.
"Come on, you big oaf!" she yelled at the sprawled out man on her floor. She opened the door to her apartment, all the while dragging Draco into the main hallway and away from peering eyes. Just the thought of him there made her think of the neighbours. She shook her head. What would the neighbours say if they ever saw this? She would have laughed if this had happened to someone else. Sadly enough, it would be she who would be getting all the laughs.
"Mommy?" a tired voice said through the nearly empty hall. Virginia dropped the arm she was holding and blocked off the sight of 'the strange man on the floor'. Juliet appeared, rubbing her eyes from heavy sleep.
"Juliet, dear, go back to sleep. We have so many fun things to do in the morning!" Virginia said, through a very fake and overly cheerful voice.
Juliet eyed the body behind her mother yet did what she was told. Turning around, she slowly walked back to her room, only to stop in her tracks and face her mother, her own pale face full of curiosity. "You didn't kill anyone, did you Mummy?"
The little girl's eyes landed back to the figure in the middle of the hall. Virginia began to laugh nervously. "Of course not, honey. Just go to your room, please. Be a good girl and go to sleep."
She nodded her head and entered her room, shutting the door behind her.
Virginia tried to lift Draco onto the nearby couch, but it just wasn't possible. He was just too big and heavy for her. She grabbed a decorative pillow off of her couch and placed it under Draco's head. She then got the duvet that was folded neatly on a chair and tossed it over his body. She quickly kissed his cheek and sighed, dropping her tired body on the loveseat. Closing her eyes, she too fell asleep.
The next morning, Draco woke up with a start. Blinking his eyes, he looked down to see himself fully dressed. He sighed in relief. He froze soon enough as he realized that he wasn't at his home. Upon careful observation, he realized that he had been sleeping in someone else's living room on the carpeted floor.
"Hello." A voice broke out through the silence. He turned around slowly to see a girl of about eight. She had pale blond hair and cinnamon brown eyes. She smiled up at him and giggled. "Will you stay any longer?"
Maybe the girl was older? She sounded at least ten. "I don't wish to impose..."
"No worries!" the girl said cheerfully. "My mother wouldn't mind. She's still sleeping though, so we need to be quiet," she said, pointing to a red headed beauty resting on the couch.
Draco nodded his head as he got up from the floor, stretching his limbs and yawning rather loudly. "What's your name, kid?"
She glared at him, hating to be called 'kid', but decided to ignore it. "My name is Juliet. What's yours?" Juliet wasn't dumb. She knew exactly who this was.
He grinned. That was the only good thing about the younger generation. They wouldn't really know about his band, or anything about him. They were too young to be into rock music.
"I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
Her warm brown eyes were suddenly full of mischief as she led him to the kitchen. "Are you married, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked innocently enough.
Draco opened up the refrigerator and took out the carton full of orange juice. "Never, and I don't think I ever will." Searching through the cabinets, he finally found a glass and poured himself some orange juice.
"How come, Mr. Malfoy? Aren't you lonely?" Juliet questioned, eyes all on him as he gulped down the orange juice in haste.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, not caring about his manners around the girl. All proper upbringings left him as he made himself comfortable at a nearby chair, slouching as low as he could before he fell off. He glared at the curious girl who was asking way too many questions so early in the morning. "Why don't you run along now so I can have some peace?"
Juliet shook her head in disagreement, "I wouldn't be the proper hostess if I did that. Want to play tea party?" Her eyes sparkled at her idea, already tugging at Draco's hand.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Draco said, but the little girl didn't accept no for an answer.
A few minutes later, Draco was forced to sit in a little plastic chair, holding a fake cup that was supposedly full of hot tea. Stuffed animals and that sort surrounded him, some of them moving with the use of magic, others unnervingly still.
"I'll be right back!" the girl giggled as she ran out the door.
Soon enough, the girl came back dragging what had to be her mother. Her eyes widened as she saw him, and then began to laugh hysterically.
"I can't believe this." He heard the woman say as she sat down across from him. She looked rather familiar... He gasped. It was the crazy woman he bumped into last night. "Oh god..."
Juliet looked at the two of them impishly. "I am Juliet, your hostess this morning." She grinned, "This is our visitor, Mr. Draco Malfoy. And this," she waved her hand in the direction of her mother, "is Ms. Virginia."
"Nice to meet you again Mr. Malfoy." Virginia snickered as she saw the look of recognition light up on his pale face.
"Virginia Weasley?" he asked weakly, eyes wide. He then realized the girl next to him, her daughter... Gods, Ginny was married!
He knew how to handle many situations. At least, he liked to think that he did. Out of the problems in the world, he didn't know how to handle this one. Question, how was a man supposed to react or say when they suddenly meet up with the woman they were to marry, and find out that she is married and has a kid? He hated to admit that he still loved her, even after all these years. It would be morally wrong if he would have an affair with her, and maybe Virginia actually loved the bloke more than he. Did he even make sense? Not really, but his mind was jumbled with so many thoughts that he drew a blank when he realized who was before him.
Getting up from the pink plastic chair, teacup still in hand, he stormed out the door, opening all the other doors in the hallway in a mad rage.
Virginia eyed him warily. "Draco, what do you think you're doing?" she asked sweetly, her back leaning on the doorframe rather bored as she looked on at his antics.
"I want to meet the bastard," he stopped, finally taking notice of Juliet staring up at him. He smiled weakly back at her, "I mean the lucky man who you married."
Virginia laughed once again that day, "Who says I'm married?" She folded her arms and grinned wickedly.
"Stop your teasing Gin. I promise I won't hurt him that much."
"Oh, and why should you care, Draco Malfoy? You never did before..." Ginny began, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine. Whatever. I need to go anyway," he grumbled, handing the small cup back to Juliet and making his way out the door.
"Please wait!" Juliet yelled after him as she clasped his large hand and held on tightly, "Don't go yet. Mummy was telling the truth, she isn't married. Don't be mad." She put up her sad face, knowing no adult could resist.
"I really do need to go," he said, trying to shake the small girl off his hand.
"I'm going with you!" she replied back stubbornly as her other hand grabbed his arm.
He looked at the child, exasperated. "You need to understand that I have to go to work now. Besides, your Mummy would miss you if you went with me."
Virginia looked at her small daughter who looked so much like her father. She was amazed that he couldn't tell the similarities. She shook her head. Men were all the same. "I don't mind one bit Draco. In fact, I think I'll go too."
"You must be joking," he said.
"Nope, I'm not. Let's go!" she said cheerfully as she grabbed her keys and scooped up Juliet. Juliet wiggled in her arms, trying to break free. "I want Draco to carry me, " she whined as her mother complied with her wishes and set her to the ground. She held up her arms to Draco, waiting for him to pick her up.
"You're too old for that sort of thing. You have feet, use them," Draco said briskly as he stepped out onto the narrow hallway. He looked left, then right. Everything looked exactly the same!
"The stairwell is to your right," Virginia informed him as she locked up the door. Juliet was still pouting cutely.
Draco grumbled, picked up the small girl to her delight, and began walking towards the stairs. "I don't see why we can't just take the lifts."
"I don't see why you have to complain," said Virginia, "Besides, I need the exercise."
"So why don't you take the stairs and I take the lift?"
Virginia rolled her eyes, "You're missing the whole point. We're taking the stairs and that's final."
After arguing several minutes as to their mode of transportation, it was decided that they would take Virginia's beat up muggle car. It only took a couple of minutes to where they were to Draco's work, which turned out to be the local music studio.
They entered the building without any problems. Well, besides the fact that everyone was staring at them. They expected to only see Draco, even though that was a big deal itself. It just made everyone more curious as they saw an unknown woman with a little girl holding Draco Malfoy's hand.
Draco showed them to a large office where Virginia was met up with her old band mates.
"Hey guys!" Virginia said to the group as she was met with shocked silence. She sat down on the nearest chair and grinned, "Before I forget, this is my daughter, Juliet. She's also his," she shifted her head towards Draco, "daughter, but he didn't figure that out yet."
"That's not funny, Virginia," Draco said briskly, "You shouldn't joke about things like that. It isn't right."
"No, Draco, I think she's telling the truth. Juliet has your hair colour and your complexion..." An older Sammy said as she walked up to the little girl and kneeled down until they were about the same height. "Hello there Juliet. My name's Samantha and I used to be close friends with your mommy."
Virginia heard this and smiled apologetically towards her, "Sorry for never keeping in touch with all of you. The first few years I left the band were really hard for me, what with Juliet being born and all."
A very pregnant Tory stepped forward and grinned, "Hey there, Jules. I'm Victoria, mostly known as Tory around here. Oh, and this big oaf next to me is my husband, Johnny." Johnny gave the girl a small wave, unsure on how to act towards the little girl.
Adrian smiled brightly to Juliet, "Hey there, kiddo. I'm the wonderful Adrian. I'm sure you're mother told you all about me by now," he winked towards Virginia who rolled her eyes in return.
Juliet finally spoke up, hands clutching at the ends of her coat nervously, "Glad to meet you everyone. It's an honour to actually see you in real life. Who else gets to meet a real popular band up close?"
"Well, it's not everyday that a girl has two parents from that really popular band," joked Johnny, twirling his long brown hair aimlessly.
Draco, who stayed quiet until now, was shocked. He looked at Virginia, his eyes a dark gray showing his anger and frustration, "We need to have a talk, a l o n e."
Ginny nodded her head, leaving everyone else in the room to stare.
"I feel bad for Draco," Adrian said as he sat on the chair Virginia previously occupied, "He has to face Ginny's wrath. You know how redheads are with their tempers. No match for blondes at all."
"Draco? I feel bad for Ginny. Poor girl, living all these years as a single mother... Must've been hard." Tory replied as she rubbed her rounded tummy lovingly.
~~~~~
Draco and Virginia entered the empty room next to the one they where in before. Both their eyes, grey and brown, glared at the other.
"Why?" Draco said simply, confusion and hurt sounding through his voice, "You could've told me sooner, Virginia. You kept my daughter away from me after all these years..."
"I was not about to have my child's life get corrupted by all the fame. Think of Harry Potter. If he grew up in the Wizarding World, imagine how'd he be now. I wanted Juliet to live a normal life; away from the public's eye."
Draco shook his head, "You could've told me, Virginia. You should've said that you were pregnant. Things would've been so different..."
"Would they?" Virginia said, eyes flaring, "I doubt that. Just face it, I'm right and you're wrong."
"No, Virginia, you know that I'm right. You know that life would've been so much easier for you if you'd only told me of our daughter. I would've been good to Juliet. How could I not? She looks so much like me... We could've gotten married sooner, just like I said all those years before. Surely you understand?"
"I can't take this anymore! You're just so full of yourself," Virginia said angrily as she walked out of his life for the second time in eight years.
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