Truth Will Out

TRUTH WILL OUT

DINNER AT THE MANOR

Draco took Ginny's cloak from her shoulders and tossed it onto the waiting servant. It wasn't until he enclosed her hand in his that he noticed she was trembling.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ginny fibbed.

"Are you ready then?"

"You did warn them, didn't you?"

"I told Mother I was bringing the woman I intend to marry to dinner."

"You what?" Ginny hissed.

"Calm down, Ginny. Mother was so excited when I told her." Draco's arm's slipped around her shoulders. "She's so happy I'm finally settling down."

"Yes, but--"

"No 'buts'. Are you ready?"

"Not really," Ginny admitted.

Draco smirked. Any other time Ginny would have gone charging into his parents' home without a care in the world, but everything had suddenly changed. "I'll take that as a yes, shall I?"

"Can't we do this some other time?"

"No--" Draco kissed her forehead. "--we can't. Mother is expecting us."

"What about your father?" Ginny whispered.

"I don't know." Draco tried not to twitch as the lie slipped off his tongue. His mother had, of course, informed his father that he was bringing someone very special to dinner this evening, and his father had been hounding him for some clue as to who it might be since Monday. Given that, only death would have kept Lucius away from the dinner table tonight. "Come on. They don't bite."

"Your father does," Ginny countered.

Draco grabbed her hand tightly and began to walk towards the parlor again. "You bite harder, so don't worry about him."

"And you're willing to risk us being in the same room?"

"It'll all be good, Ginny. Well, as long as you don't giggle during dinner and spit food all over him," Draco said with a smirk.

"You promised--"

"The second I see his eyes harden I will pounce on him," Draco promised again. "Shh, stop fussing or Mother will hear you."

Ginny braced herself to enter the parlor. She'd never before had a problem walking in as Draco's best friend -- in fact, she'd rather relished the thought that her presence put Lucius Malfoy's nose out of joint -- but this was different. Narcissa Malfoy had great hopes for her son to marry acceptably and Ginny had been subjected to her grand plans many times -- she was sure she didn't quite fit into the Malfoy matriarch's scheme. Draco squeezed her hand reassuringly just as they stepped over the threshold.

"Mother, you look delightful this evening," Draco intoned as he crossed the floor, dragging Ginny with him.

"Draco darling, you're a little late," Narcissa admonished lightly.

"By mere minutes," Draco countered gently as he kissed his mother's cheek. "Where is Father?"

"He'll join us momentarily," Narcissa informed him. "Ginevra, how lovely to see you again."

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Ginny uttered nervously. She cringed when she heard the sound of her voice. Someone about to face the Dementors would have sounded more confident.

Narcissa glanced behind the couple. "Draco, I thought you informed me that you were bringing someone special to dinner this evening."

"I did," Draco confirmed.

"Well? Where is she?" Narcissa inquired patiently. "You haven't left her standing outside, have you?"

Draco cleared his throat and smirked. "She's right here, Mother."

Ginny felt his hand tighten around hers as his mother looked between them.

"Ginevra?" Narcissa's face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning, and she clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful!"

"Thank you," Ginny muttered uncomfortably.

Narcissa reached for Ginny's free hand and began to move her away from Draco. "When did this happen? You must tell me everything!"

"I--err--" Ginny stammered, trying her best to hold onto Draco's hand.

"Mother," Draco expressed with unmistakable warning. "You don't want to scare her off."

"Nonsense!" Narcissa exclaimed. "If your father's poor behavior at past dinners wasn't enough to scare Ginevra off. A few questions from me won't send her running away."

"Poor behavior?" Lucius questioned in his deep voice. "I don't believe I have ever been guilty of such a crime."

Ginny stiffened the moment she heard his voice; it washed over her like an icy cold bucket of water. The moment of truth was at hand, and she felt totally unprepared. It was no secret that she and Draco's father shared a love-hate relationship -- they loved to hate each other -- yet his approval at this point seemed paramount.

"Lucius, the least you can do is not fib," Narcissa chided politely.

"Draco, I thought you informed your mother that you were bringing your girlfriend to dinner," Lucius stated, ignoring his wife's jibe.

Girlfriend... Ginny thought. He makes it sound like a dirty word -- like something not worthy of a Malfoy.

"I did," Draco replied, grinning broadly.

"Well?" Lucius questioned impatiently. "Where is she?"

"Right here, Father," Draco said smugly. "I believe you already know each other."

For a fleeting moment Lucius' mask cracked and Ginny saw the shock that was usually disguised by the stoic expression. A smirk tugged at her lips. The older wizard wasn't accustomed to being caught unawares. "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well, Miss Weasley, this was quite unexpected," Lucius intoned civilly.

"You and your fibs, Lucius!" Narcissa waved a dismissive hand at her husband. "This was very much hoped for. We were only discussing it at the Nott's ball on Saturday evening."

Lucius cleared his throat before interrupting his wife. "You were discussing the prospect, dearest. Not I."

Narcissa waved her hand at him again. "It matters not," she declared airily.

"Some wine, Mother?" Draco offered, hoping to put a stop to the dispute that was about to escalate.

"That would be lovely, darling," Narcissa accepted. "There's some Elf Made Wine on the side bar."

"Ginny?" Draco asked.

"Please," Ginny responded with a tight smile. She missed his hand the moment he took it away.

Draco looked at his father. The older man's nostrils were flaring with discontent. "Father?"

"Firewhisky," Lucius demanded.

"At this hour, Lucius?" Narcissa queried, raising a perfect eyebrow at her husband.

"Just a little something to dull the pain, dearest," Lucius ground out.

Narcissa rolled her eyes expressively and sent Ginny a look that clearly said: men!

"Ladies." Draco held out two elegant crystal wine glasses.

"Thank you," Narcissa said with a cheery smile.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered. She felt like draining the entire contents of the glass, and then heading straight to the bottle; drunken numbness had to be better than the tension she was feeling right now.

"Take it easy," Draco mouthed in Ginny's face.

Ginny sighed lightly. It was as if he could read her mind.

"Father," Draco intoned as he passed Lucius an enormous tumbler.

Lucius nodded his thanks and took a generous gulp of the beverage.

"Draco, you're not joining us for wine?" Narcissa asked, eying his tumbler.

"I thought I'd keep Father company," Draco answered nonchalantly.

"I see," Narcissa responded disappointedly.

"Not to worry, Mother, I won't make a mess of myself," Draco promised.

"Famous last words," Narcissa whispered to Ginny.

Ginny couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Now tell me how the two of you finally realized what was right in front of you," Narcissa demanded.

"Oh--well, we--" Ginny agonized over her words. It was easy with her family, because they'd known about the competition to find each other a partner, but Draco's parents knew nothing of the foolish behavior that they'd been immersing themselves in these past weeks. "Umm--"

"We're laying the blame firmly at Blaise Zabini's feet," Draco said.

"Oh?"

"He thought he'd send us on a magical date," Draco continued. "One where we'd have no choice but to tell the truth about how we felt afterwards or suffer the consequences."

Narcissa's hand flew to her chest. "My goodness."

"It was nothing serious, Mother," Draco assured her. "I turned red and gold for a little while when I decided to tell little white lies to keep Ginny from knowing how I really felt."

"How creative," Lucius drawled indifferently.

"What did you have to do to rid yourself of those hideous colors?" Narcissa inquired.

"Tell the truth," Draco replied.

"Ingenious," Narcissa said.

"He thought so," Draco responded dryly.

"Ginevra, did you decide to give my foolish son a chance after he was finally honest with you?" Narcissa asked.

"I felt the same," Ginny admitted in a small voice as color flooded her cheeks. "Of course, the fact that I turned green and silver prompted the truth to be told."

"Both of you have been so blind for so long," Narcissa told them emphatically.

"Blind, Mother?" Draco queried incredulously.

"Everyone has been able to see what you've been denying for years," Narcissa responded.

"I hardly think we need to encourage this situation," Lucius interposed irritably.

"Of course we do," Narcissa replied positively. "Young love needs all the encouragement it can get."

Lucius snorted in an undignified manner to indicate his disapproval.

"Do you not remember when we were courting, darling?" Narcissa asked sweetly.

"Say yes," Draco hissed. "I don't need to hear--"

"Hush, Draco," Narcissa instructed. "Lucius?"

Lucius' mouth twitched a little. "Of course I do, dearest."

"Then you will stop this boorish nonsense and start supporting your son in the most important relationship of his life, to date," Narcissa instructed.

"I have not been unsupportive," Lucius defended himself.

Narcissa pinned her husband with a look that would have melted a lesser man.

Lucius cleared his throat uncomfortably and averted his gaze to the large picture windows on the side of the room.

It was obviously a private moment between a long-married couple and Ginny tried to look away, but she found it fascinating that the old Death Eater could be virtually brought to his knees by a look from his wife. She started when Draco burst into laughter.

"Don't be rude, Draco," Narcissa said pointedly.

"My apologies, Mother," Draco managed as his sniggers subsided.

"Your turn will come," Lucius hissed as he passed his son on the way to the side bar for a refill.

Narcissa's eyes sharpened. "Lucius, we're about to have dinner."

"Of course," Lucius responded tightly. He placed his tumbler on the side bar with a controlled knock.

"Why don't we go through to the dining room now?" Narcissa suggested.

Draco moved quickly to offer Ginny his arm. She'd already gotten to her feet and was about to start heading to the dining room unaccompanied with her wine glass. After all the times she'd eaten with his family he'd have thought she might have retained a little of what their rituals were for his mother's sake. The moment his parents moved past them, he discreetly reached for the glass and extracted from her hand, leaving it on a small occasional table as they exited the room.

"I was enjoying that," Ginny hissed.

"Don't worry, the wine Mother serves with dinner is a little stronger than that rubbish," Draco whispered into her ear.

"Good," Ginny returned quietly.

When they reached the dining room, Draco had to hold Ginny back, so he'd get a chance to hold her chair out for her. If he had failed to do that his mother would have had a fit. As he took his seat his mother summoned the servants with the little golden bell that had sat at her right hand for longer than he could remember.

Narcissa constantly, but graciously, pumped Ginny for information about their relationship through the main course. It was something that Draco found exasperating, because his mother wasn't one to hold back on her interrogation nor would she accept brief answers. He couldn't relax at all and often missed what his father was trying to tell him, which clearly goaded Lucius. Draco had just started to add up how much more time he'd have to spend in a state of high anxiety when he heard the sound he'd been dreading more than anything all evening. A quick glance to his right confirmed his worst fears.

Ginny's effort to stifle the mad giggle that was trying to force its way out of her throat was a grand failure.

Draco sighed heavily. He'd always successfully ignored the fact that his father found it necessary to glare at Ginny across the dinner table, but he'd promised her he'd do something about it tonight. "Father, for the sake of my sanity, will you please stop glaring at Ginny? As you might have guessed, she finds your efforts amusing."

"Amusing?" Lucius repeated curiously as he softened his gaze, but didn't avert his eyes.

Ginny froze. He'd given her an opening, a huge opening, to tell him what she really thought. It could be a trick, because they were at the dinner table and she was sure that telling anyone what she thought of them during dinner would be considered indecorous.

"Father, I wouldn't push the issue," Draco warned quietly. It was at times like this that he wished he didn't know her so well, because he could see Ginny seriously considering her options, and he knew before she even opened her mouth that it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Yes, amusing," Ginny confirmed. "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Malfoy, I used to be afraid of you -- when I was about thirteen."

"Really?" Lucius asked inquisitively.

"But even you have to admit that over the years you have softened up a little," Ginny continued. "And I have seen how you bow down to Mrs. Malfoy."

An unmanly squeak escaped from Draco's throat. It was all that he could manage as his planned future flashed before his eyes. He'd just reached the point where his future children would be motherless when an odd sound caught his attention -- his mother was laughing harder than he'd ever heard her laugh before.

"Oh, Lucius, you should see your face!" Narcissa was hardly able to breathe, but she managed to get a few words out.

Draco chanced a glance at his father. He could feel a bubble of laughter trying to work its way up his throat, and he fought valiantly to keep it in, but between his father's expression, the smug expression on Ginny's face, and his mother's raucous laughter he didn't have a hope in hell.

"What are you sniggering at?" Lucius snarled at Draco.

"You really should see your face, Father," Draco blurted.

Lucius growled deep in his chest and leaned forward, pinning Ginny with a deadly look. "I do not bow down to my wife."

"If you say so," Ginny replied just as a giggle escaped her.

"Laughed at in my own home," Lucius muttered disgustedly under his breath.

"Oh, darling, don't be like that," Narcissa crooned. "Ginevra has simply had the opportunity to see you in a private setting."

"Just because I value your happiness does not mean I am weak," Lucius ground out.

"Oh--Oh no--I didn't mean--I think it's sweet and--and endearing," Ginny stammered.

"Sweet and endearing... There's two words I never wanted associated with my personality," Lucius grumbled.

"I won't tell a soul, I promise," Ginny pledged with exaggerated sincerity.

Lucius quirked an eyebrow and sent a skeptical look at the woman sitting next to his son.

Ginny dropped her eyes, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She clearly needed to fix this. In all the years she'd been visiting Malfoy Manor with Draco she'd never repeated anything she'd witnessed within its walls. More than anyone, she understood how this family valued its privacy. "Mr. Malfoy, I really admire the way you care about your wife. It's clear to anyone who cares to observe you together that you love each other a great deal. I also meant what I said about not saying anything; I never have and I never will."

"Well--" Lucius uttered stiffly. "I do appreciate the sentiment."

"Thank you," Draco whispered almost silently.

Ginny smiled softly at Draco.

"I think we might take tea in the parlor," Narcissa suggested as if she hadn't just been laughing hard enough to almost fall off her chair.

"Sounds wonderful, Mother," Draco replied. He'd do anything to move the mood and a change of scenery was a starting point.

After Narcissa had instructed the servants, the family moved back to the parlor. The women took up residence on a love seat by the window, while the men headed for the side bar. Draco didn't feel it necessary to hover too close to Ginny now, but he still wanted to keep one ear on her conversation with his mother. Besides, keeping his father away from her was probably the most prudent thing he could do, because there was no knowing what would happen if Ginny allowed her opinion to flow freely again.

Draco began to measure the time carefully. He knew they couldn't leave too early or too close to the end of the meal, or he'd risk insulting his mother, and that would just lead to more grief. His father, he was sure, was dying to see the back of them tonight, but he would have to be patient.

"Are you looking to leave soon?" Lucius questioned.

"No, of course not," Draco responded.

"I suggest you stop looking at the clock so often then. Your mother would consider it rude," Lucius growled.

"My apologies for getting your hopes up, Father," Draco whispered.

"No matter," Lucius muttered. "I have to have something to cling to."

Draco chuckled. "You don't really dislike her, do you, Father?"

"I had hoped you would marry within your class, but if you're happy then I will adapt."

"You didn't answer the question," Draco noted.

"Ginevra is one of a kind. I don't doubt she'll make a good wife. She's strong willed and independent--"

"Like Mother?"

"Yes, like your mother." Lucius glanced over at his wife of several decades. "But your mother came from the right background."

"Ginny's background is strong," Draco countered. "Purebloods steeped in tradition."

Lucius sighed. "It's a point I can't argue."

"Then what is the point?"

"I doubt she'll be able to handle the changes in her economic circumstances with grace."

"Money doesn't mean an awful lot to Ginny," Draco informed him. "I think that's why we were able to build such a strong friendship. She sees me for who I am, not the balance of my vaults."

"Are you sure? Money tends not to be an issue until there is an amount to be bothered about."

"Positive. You should see her if I insist on paying for dinner or buy her drinks." Draco chuckled amusedly. "I always find her share later."

"Oh?"

"It took me a while to work it out, but I finally figured out that it was she who was leaving odd amounts of money around my flat."

Lucius nodded thoughtfully.

"She's very independent, and if she was looking for a free ride it would have been going on for years."

"True," Lucius conceded. "What about her work?"

"What about it?"

"Is she prepared to give up her career to be your wife?"

"Father, I haven't formally requested her hand yet, and if she wants to keep working... Well, we'd discuss that when the time came."

"Does she know you intend to?"

"I've made no secret of it."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've only been a couple since Saturday."

"That's right."

"And you've already mentioned marriage?"

"Even before we decided to be a couple," Draco confessed. "I wanted her to know that I was in this forever -- to give her the opportunity to back away gracefully if it wasn't what she wanted."

"How noble," Lucius drawled.

"Father, I have too much respect for her to simply expect that she shares the same desires I do."

"Of course," Lucius uttered. "And what does her family think of your change in status?"

"For the most part they weren't surprised, though her brothers still gave me a bit of a hard time."

"How?"

"The usual threats of bodily harm and death, should I hurt her in any way."

"How amusing," Lucius replied dryly.

"It was a little." Draco laughed. "They felt obligated, but there was no real feeling behind their words, because they'd been waiting for us to wake up to ourselves. Plus, it means they no longer have to worry about her when she's out trying to attract men."

Lucius' eyes opened a fraction wider in surprise. "Trying to attract men?"

"Father, Ginny was no different to me. Until Saturday, we were both looking for casual-- err-- companionship from the opposite sex."

"She was--"

"Don't say it," Draco warned, knowing full well that his father was about to bring Ginny's reputation into question. "What's in the past, stays in the past, and it's not as if I didn't know about it. I was there much of the time."

"You observed?"

"Father," Draco growled.

"You should choose your words carefully, son. What you just said leaves a great deal open to vicious minds."

"Or filthy minds, like yours," Draco countered.

"Duly noted," Lucius responded. "When do you plan to permanently seal your relationship with her?"

"I don't know yet," Draco mused aloud. "When the time feels right for both of us I suppose."

"Both of you?"

"I would get down on my knee this evening, if I thought she would say yes without stammering, but I don't believe she is truly ready to make that sort of a commitment."

"A wise decision." The corners of Lucius' mouth pulled up into a smile.

Draco read his father's tone and expression perfectly. "If you think that time is going to affect my feelings for her or my plans for the future, you're going to be disappointed."

"Not at all," Lucius responded.

"Just as long as you understand. I've felt this way for six years, and now that I've admitted it, I intend to never let the fear of the unknown get in the way of my desires again."

"Six years?"

"Yes, Father, it's been that long," Draco confirmed. "Just think, if I hadn't been afraid of losing her friendship you could have been bouncing a grandchild on your knee now."

"You're that serious?" Lucius questioned, clearly astonished.

Draco smiled confidently. He knew that he'd just convinced his father that this was exactly what he wanted, and there was no doubt in his mind. "I am."

Lucius nodded soberly. "I remember the feeling."

"Excuse me?" Draco frowned, not sure what his father was alluding to this time.

"When I met your mother, I knew I would one day marry her and we would have a child together," Lucius confided. "It's a powerful feeling."

"It is," Draco divulged quietly.

Lucius looked at the women. "I simply hope that she is capable of becoming everything you expect her to."

"She already is everything I expect and then some, Father." Draco smiled at Ginny when she happened to glance up. "She will do our family proud."

His father fell silent; obviously satisfied that he knew what he was doing. It wasn't that Draco hadn't expected the interrogation; he just thought his father might wait until they had some privacy.

Draco glanced over at Ginny. She was talking animatedly with his mother. He decided he'd give her another five minutes, and then he'd suggest they leave, though not for the reasons he was initially watching the clock -- he wanted to get her back to his place and into bed.

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