Will I

CHAPTER-2

"What utter rubbish?" Harry jumped. "Do they know what the hell are they speaking? I don't believe it."

Ginny didn't even flinch. It was the same reaction she had given and was expecting nothing less from Harry. She knew Draco was someone Harry and Ginny now trusted completely. Even Ron had learnt to trust him during the war.

Draco was never a bad soul. Some might find it difficult to believe, but it was the truth, confirmed by his father himself. Draco was always forced by his father to do what he didn't want to. Lucious kept his wife as nothing but a bait on which he could force his son to do anything. His friends' sons, Crabbe and Goyle kept a constant eye on him and informed his every movement. He even offered Harry friendship in his first year in the hope that he would be of some help to him, but Harry refused his friendship. It was only because of his mother that he never again lent a hand of friendship to Harry and only taunted him to impress his father. His mother, totally helpless, could do nothing, as she had no trustworthy relative left.

Finally, to help his son to do whatever he wanted, Narcissa Malfoy committed suicide in his sixth year. Shocked at his mother's actions, Draco even went to the limit of planning to kill his father. It was lucky that Dumbledore intervened at the right time and offered Draco to join the Order.

Without thinking twice, he agreed to act as a spy for Dumbledore. He joined as a Death Eater, while supplying all the inner information to Dumbledore, without anyone knowing except Dumbledore and Snape.

It was a shock to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny when they came to knew of the truth. Ron rejected his loyalty at once while Hermione agreed at it once. But Ginny and Harry took about a week to let the news sink in. In the course, they came to know about his sincerity and the time came when all four of them (Ron was reluctant though) trusted him even more than themselves.

He proved be quiet useful. It was him who suggested Harry the perfect way to kill Voldemort. But after the war, not wanting to be recognised as a Death Eater, he mysteriously vanished. Harry tried to contact him as much as he could, but Draco finally sent him a reply for many of his letters-

Dear Harry,

I really appreciate your attempts, but I don't want to remain in the society which reminded me of my father, mother and the lifestyle which I wanted but couldn't adopt. I always hated my life since mom died. The only reason I lived because I promised my mother to do so. No, I am not that coward that I would suicide, but I want to start my life afresh, where I don't have the taboo of being a 'Malfoy'.

I have now settled in this new world nicely. This country is quite nice with people being amiable enough. By bad luck, it is a total muggle society and I am learning all the things right from the scratch. Pity, I didn't learn to handle these things with Grang Hermione.

I can't tell you where I am and don't ask Dumbledore or Snape -even they don't know where I am. But we'll certainly meet again, because Harry, the world is too short and life too long.

Say to hello to Weasley -sorry -Ron, Give my love to Hermione and a kiss to Ginny. Tell Gin that I already miss her jokes and pranks. Tell Hermione I sincere hope that she and Weas Ron get married someday, and that she would send me the invitation. No, I won't come; though I will be celebrating here when they do so and would always remember the day. Only their marriage could stop their fights. By the end, I was really sick of their bickering. Merlin knows how you tolerated them for so long,

Yours,

Draco Malfoy.

"Gin, back to earth!" Harry brought her to the reality. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

"What do you say?" she asked. But she had a frisson of alarm as she looked above to see his face. Harry was clearly angry. He wasn't shouting or showing it -No, he had learnt before not to show his anger, but the effect could be seen clearly in his eyes.

His eyes changed to a colour of a clear, sea green whenever he was angry and had a shade of turbulent sea green mixed with it whenever he was annoyed. Also, his tone turned a soft dangerous tone, and heat radiated from him when he was angry. His fellow Aurors had learnt enough to duck to safety whenever his eyes changed colour, which was usually when someone made a blunder in a project.

"I won't work on this project and will immediately remove Draco's name from the suspects. Where is Gary?" he asked, moving over to the door.

Ginny stood up quickly to stop him but felt a wave of dizziness sweep over her, forcing her to abruptly grasp the chair.

Harry rushed over to her. "Are you alright Gin? You look pale and awful," he commented on her.

"I am alright," she replied shortly.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should call someone."

"There's no need. Just didn't sleep well last night." It was true in a sense.

"Ok then, I'll go to Gary to talk to him about it."

He stretched his hand to open the door, when Mrs. Bones blasted through the door, unknowingly hitting Harry directly on the nose.

"OUCH!" he winced.

She turned to him, as if surprised to see him standing near the door. "I am so sorry dear, I clearly wasn't expecting you to be standing here, waiting to welcome me!" she apologized, in her usual busy-like tone.

Ginny and Harry grinned. Mrs. Bones had a way to talk with them so lightly that they sometimes forgot that she was the Minister.

"I think Ginny told you about the Bodes' case?" she asked, back to the point in an instant.

"I don't know why you still don't trust -"

"Of course I trust Draco, Harry," she interrupted Harry indignantly. "Narcissa was my school time friend, and I know that though she was a Malfoy, she was just like Sirius Black and would never raise her son to be like that. I think he is completely innocent, and that is precisely why I handed this case over to you and Ginny, and not anyone else." She waved her hand in exasperation.

"Why only me and Gin?" he asked.

Ginny looked expectantly at Amelia. She hadn't told her the reason when she had asked in the morning.

Amelia looked straight into his eyes. "Because Harry I know how close you, Ginny and Malfoy are to each other. If you did investigate on him, and he comes to know about it, he would not feel as if the Ministry is over him. This would give you the chance to observe him even more closely and give him a clean chit as soon as possible."

Harry nodded, getting her point. He looked suddenly very happy at the prospect of finding Malfoy. "But how will we reach him?" he asked.

Amelia's eyes brightened. "I have not planned that out," she said. "You are the Aurors, you have to do so -I pay you for that only, not sitting here empty minded. So dear, start planning, or the time will fly away!!" she patted him affectionately on his cheek.

***

"Gin, Gin! Wake up,"

"Hmm..." muttered Ginny and rolled to other side.

"I ORDER YOU, GINEVRA WEASLEY TO WAKE UP THIS INSTANT OR YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR JOB!" He commanded, just like the Auror trainers, who shouted as if the trainees couldn't hear.

This caused Ginny to wake up suddenly, muttering something unrepeatable in her breadth. She calmed down, her breathing coming back to normal. She saw Harry standing beside the bed with regret, grasped the watch beside her and gasped when she saw the time.

It was 2 o'clock in the morning.

"Harry! Are you mad? Why the hell you disturb me at this hour of time? Or your watch is not functioning properly and you apparated here thinking it was noon?" she muttered sleepily, not realising the whole situation.

Harry was trying not to grin at the stupid, sleepy expression on Gin's face. He tried to divert his mind from the beautiful image of Gin waking in the bed. He had missed it last time; he was in bath that time.

"I know very well what the time is, thank you," he said in clipped tones, trying to hide the husky tone in his voice. "What I command you, as your boss, is that pack immediately, we are leaving this instant for the airport on a project. Don't pack your suitcase heavy; just put a couple of dresses. We'll buy more in there."

Ginny didn't move. "On which project do we need to go at two in the morning?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Harry huffed and pulled her by the elbow. Had there been less light than the lamp, surely one could've seen the sparks coming from of their contact. "Our flight leaves after exactly an hour, and I don't want to miss it. Get up dressed fast and pack your things," he said, pushing her towards the bathroom door.

"At least tell me where we are going?" she said anxiously, suddenly coming to her senses.

"No where you couldn't contact someone if you are in a life -or morality threatening position," he replied sardonically, proving Ginny's fears right. They were going alone on a project, which was dangerous for them -at least for her.

She quickly threw two trousers, one suit, an evening gown and a skirt with their matching shirts in her suitcase. "I told you to pack a few dresses, not your entire month's clothing!" Ginny ignored him. "Put in a sweater or a jacket, we might need it," Harry ordered and went away.

She threw in her Wind-cheeter. "I'm packed!" she announced.

Harry nodded. "Good! Now apparate at the airport gate, I'll meet you there," he said and apparated before she could interrupt.

She grabbed her suitcase and followed him.

By the time she found him, he had already taken two tickets in the first-class.

"Will you tell me what's going on? Which is this project you won't even tell me about?" she spoke as she hurried along beside him. She had to take one-and a half step to match his long strides, which were too fast for her.

He suddenly grabbed her arm in a grip which looked courteous but felt like steel, and took her towards the departure lounge. In the quiet, luxurious surroundings of the first class lounge, he led her to a secluded group of arm-chairs which looked like a corner of an expensively furnished private home. He pushed her to sit on one of them and himself drooped into a chair at right angled to her. Her own legs started to ache from keeping them tucked primly beneath her but the discomfort was preferable to the risk of tangling her legs with his.

Her tension grew and she checked her watch. "The flight will leave in fifteen minutes. Wouldn't you better tell me where and why we are going?" she asked, trying to be exasperated but the truth was that her heart was beating uncontrollably. Going out on a project with Harry alone opened a wide and dangerous list of possibilities and Ginny wanted to avoid them. She knew the reason now for sure.

She was pregnant.

She had come to know about it just three days before, and nobody except Hermione and her Healer knew about it. Ginny hadn't planned to tell her, but Hermione was pregnant too and by chance both had the same Healer and both met in the queue yesterday. Ginny had to tell Hermione everything, fearing how she would react. Surprisingly, Hermione took it nicely and there were no 'shocked gasps' she used to take before her marriage.

Ginny asked, "Aren't you shocked?"

Hermione smiled after a long time. "My marriage is such a big shock to myself that other shocks just don't seen surprising enough!"

Ginny grinned. Hermione had always wanted to marry Ron, but never believed that her dream would one day come true, and that Ron will himself propose her. Ginny had even decided that if Ron wouldn't propose her, Ginny would ask her mom to send the proposal herself.

"What will you do now, Ginny?" Hermione asked.

Ginny sighed. "I don't know. I have never seen Harry with children. Maybe he doesn't want them. Maybe he'll be outraged at being tied to only one woman and I don't want to force him to marry me."

"Will you tell him, at least?"

Ginny turned to her friend, surprised. "Hermione, haven't I told you how appalled he was at even working alone with me? He's even started avoiding me as much as he could! No, I won't tell him," she finished.

Hermione nodded. "Though I personally think, it would be better to inform him, it's your choice. But you can't hide it for long."

"I know and I have it a bit planned out. I'll keep working till it is apparent, and then go on a vacation where I could have the baby. And you'll help me Hermione, won't you?" she asked her friend fearfully.

"Of course I will, anyways, our date must be close only. Ron plans to send me to my Mom's in the end. You can accompany me there, nobody will guess. But that's months after. What do you think about the Samuel case?"

Ginny was grateful that Ron had found her, or Ginny would have never been able to get a friend as good as Hermione. Sure, she was a year older than Ginny, but her constant visits to the Burrow during the school time had made the only two girls there very good friends. Hermione always shared her secrets with her, after she would tell her two friends.

"I want you to be my wife, Gin."

The sudden admission brought Ginny back to the reality with a sudden crash.

"You want what?" she shouted and checked her voice as some people started glaring at her.

"Relax. This isn't a new form of seduction. I want you to just play the part for a few days, till we investigate on Draco in India. We are going to Delhi first, from where we'll later move."

"I'm so sorry, but I am no actress," Ginny denied.

"But you have trained for Stealth and disguise, for twice."

"I even don't know you properly!"

His grim look lightened slightly. Deliberately misinterpreting her words, he said, "You don't need to know me -in that way. There are no sexual favours involved, so don't look affronted. I'm in no way looking for an actual wife."

His words strengthened Ginny's earlier doubts. He would never marry me. He looks even repulsive at the idea. Why should I tell him about my child then? She thought and resolved her promise not to tell him about the child.

"I am sorry but I can't help you!" she said flatly.

"Not even to save Draco's life?" he asked blandly.

About to thank him for waking her early in the morning and walk away, she froze. "How is my playing your wife related to saving his life?"

"I arranged for the International Auror heads meeting this time in India and asked Draco whether he would meet me there. Though surprised, he welcomed me to meet him. But you are to go with me as Draco also knows that only married heads are invited in that meeting. During that course, we'll visit the country and under cover-investigate him. After investigating him, we can come back and resume our normal lives," Harry replied, trying not to look pleased with himself.

"But... still I can't Harry. After that night..."

"I talked to Hermione also about what I should do. She too fully supported my plan and said only this plan could work properly. Any other plan could be interpreted too easily by Draco. He was a spy himself, remember! You are the one who can carry this out easily with me! You will not fret like any other girl, who would be ecstatic about being the wife of Harry Potter, and will act perfectly. Only you can help me control my mental level through the whole thing, Gin, Please!" Harry pleaded.

Ginny still had her doubts. "But will we be...? Okay," she said resolutely, "I will work along with you only if our project remains professional and nothing personal except clearing Malfoy off."

Harry sighed. He would very much like to make it personal, but just for sake of Malfoy, he would try to control his feelings. "I'll try...Okay, promise," he added quickly, as Ginny's eyebrows raised questioningly.

"How long will it stretch?" she asked, praying it for being short.

Her wish was granted. "Not more than a month. I'll wrap it as soon as possible. That was the last call for our flight. We should go." He stood up and picked her suitcase. He had already sent his.

Harry Potter's wife. The very thought sent surges of electric current flowing through her. She told herself it was Draco's friendship that she agreed to play the part. After all, what else it could be?