Dark Before the Rising Sun

Today was her wedding day.

Ginny never thought it would happen. At least, she hadn't thought so since her brother Percy's marriage to Penelope Clearwater over ten years before.

Remembering the night of her brother's war wedding brought a sharp, stinging memory of the party the Weasley's had thrown at the Burrow. What had started as a glorious, fun filled day in the midst of a stark and bloody war had ended in pain and humiliation, in stark disillusionment and endless self-loathing.

It was a memory too painful to recall, and as she had done for the past decade, Ginny ruthlessly shoved it away.

Instead she turned at the sound of a persistent rap and saw the door of her old bedroom open. Two familiar female faces peered in through the crack, and then Anna and Hermione laughed and rushed into the room.

"We wanted to see you before you went downstairs." Hermione enfolded her in a warm, exuberant hug. "We wanted you to know how happy we are for you."

Sudden tears burned behind Ginny's eyes. She was deceiving them both, deceiving them all. "Oh Hermione . . ."

"You look beautiful," said Anna practically, surveying the high-waisted cream silk gown she wore. It was trimmed in ivory lace with tiny seed pearls sewn across the bodice. "Draco will adore you."

Ginny gazed at the mirror and shuddered to think of the night ahead. Her wedding night. Would Draco keep his promise? Or would he claim his husbandly rights and force her into his bed? Her hands trembled. She pressed them into the folds of her wedding gown.

"Don't be nervous, darling," said Anna. "In a short time this will all be over and you and your husband will be off to your new home."

Her new home. The place she would spend the night with Draco. A wave of nausea swept over her, making her forehead bead with perspiration.

"Time to go," Hermione said, taking her hand. "Everyone is waiting for you downstairs."

Taking one last nervous glance at her reflection, she walked between her two friends, moving on legs that felt wrapped in lead. She trailed carefully down the narrow stairs of the Burrow. At the bottom, Draco stood waiting, so handsome that for a moment she simply stood there staring. He was a remarkably imposing man, taller than any of the other guests except Ron, who stood waiting outside to give his sister away.

The smile he gave her was warm and somehow reassuring.

"Come, love. This will all be over soon."

Ginny swallowed and continued down the stairs. Draco took her shaking hand and rested it on the sleeve of his black tailcoat. She took a firm hold on his arm as he led her to the door that opened to the lawn outside and handed her over to her brother.

It was a beautiful day. The snow glittered and the barren trees were outlined blackly against the pale winter sky. Draco had spared no expense, and Hermione had helped charm the grass on the lawn to grow despite the season, and there were roses, too - great, velvety, fragrant crimson ones. A lavish buffet had been laid out. Chairs had been brought outside, draped with clusters of roses, and the few guests seated themselves. Molly Weasley, wrapped up in a blanket and lying on a makeshift cot, was laughing at something that Sabrina Malfoy was telling her.

"There's no need to worry," Draco promised. "Everything will be all right."

Ginny just nodded. Gripping her brother's arm, she watched Draco walk over to the trellis that had been erected (by Hermione, of course). He turned toward her, waiting for her to join him there.

There was a momentary interruption as one of Anna's angelic looking children knocked over the cake; it was quickly repaired and the bridal procession began.

Little Fred Weasley, as oldest of the boys, was ring bearer, and Lily, as the only girl, toddled proudly down the aisle with her basket of petals. There were no bridesmaids or ushers.

Ron walked his sister to the altar and gave her into Draco's care. A few feet away, the rector stood waiting, his long white satin robes gleaming in the pale winter light.

"Shall we begin?" he asked.

The question required no answer and the ceremony started, but after the initial prayer and the Dearly beloved . . . Ginny barely heard the words. It took a nudge from Draco to make the correct responses at the appropriate times, about which he seemed none too pleased. After what might have been seconds or hours, she wasn't quite sure which, the wedding came to an end.

"I pronounce that you, Virginia Weasley, and you Draco Malfoy, are now man and wife. What Love has joined together, let no man put asunder." The rector turned to Draco. "You may kiss your bride."

She trembled when he drew her into his arms, yet his hold was light, nonthreatening, just enough to forestall her urge to run. As he bent his head, he whispered, "Close your eyes."

She complied.

It was a gentle kiss, as warm but softer than she recalled, and at the same time possessive. Tender, yet somehow insistent, and just as before, not the least unpleasant. She had thought the kiss would be brief and yet it went on and on, claiming her in some way. She found herself swaying against him, leaning into his chest, clinging to his shoulders.

When she looked up at him, his eyes were dark, his smile full of triumph and what she feared was anticipation.

The smile she mustered in return was weak and uncertain, the future she faced more nebulous than any she could have imagined. Turning to their guests, she received congratulations and kisses from Harry and Hermione; Anna and Ron; Molly, some other friends, and of course, Sabrina Weasley.

Draco's grandmother sat there beaming, and it brought Ginny the first real ray of sunshine since this whole affair began.

"My dear, it is indeed a pleasure to welcome you into the family. You cannot begin to know how much I've looked forward to the day my grandson took a bride - and a finer one he could not have chosen."

Ginny flushed at the compliment, wishing it were at least partially true. He certainly could have fared better than to take a wife who didn't want to share his bed.

"Thank you, ma'am."

The hours passed in a blur. Somehow she forced herself to eat something and somehow she managed to keep it down. After dinner they made toasts to each other, Draco lifting his glass and quoting glibly:

"Come live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove,

That valleys, groves, hills and fields,

Woods or steepy mountain yields

Ginny smiled, wishing the weight in her heart would go away, and lifted her glass in answer:

"Wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried."

Cheers sounded; Ginny swallowed her champagne in one gulp and wished she hadn't. It burned its way down her throat and she choked, her eyes watering.

Though Draco had spared no expense on the festivities and all her dearest friends were there, Ginny couldn't enjoy herself. Not when she had no idea what Draco intended to do that night.

She started at the sound of his voice resonating from beside her.

"You're as jumpy as a cat," he said. "I thought you'd feel better once the wedding was behind you."

Ginny's pasted on smile slid away and she looked at him. "Are you sorry?"

"Sorry about what?"

"Sorry that you married me."

Draco laughed and kissed her jaw. "Never. With you as my wife, at least my life will never be dull."

It warmed her a little, to think he was marrying her for more than a breeding cow. But what if she could never truly accept her place in his bed? Still, Draco had promised to teach her, not force her, to guide her instead of merely taking what he wanted.

For the hundredth time, Ginny wondered if he would keep his word.

***

The wretched day finally ended. By the time the sun began to sink below the horizon, Ginny was tired to the bone. Her body sagged with exhaustion, yet her nerves were so tightly strung she felt as if she were walking on a razor's edge.

She said little in the carriage on the way to Draco's country estate, Seven Oaks - nothing at all once they reached it and he led her inside. As soon as the door was closed, he turned to her and smiled.

"Well, my lady wife, what do you think of your new home?"

Ginny glanced around. What did she think of it? It was obvious the mansion had been spotlessly cleaned for the occasion, the inlaid parquet floors polished to a burnished glow, the crystal chandeliers newly washed and glittering, not a trace of dust on the marble-topped tables she could see through the door leading into the drawing room.

Though the house appeared to be empty of servants of any kind, lamps had been lit throughout, lighting the rooms with a welcoming glow. A huge bouquet of flowers - purple irises, lilacs, snapdragons, and lilies - bloomed from a cut crystal vase on a table beside the front door.

"It's . . . it's lovely, Draco."

"If there's anything you wish to change - draperies, wallpaper, anything at all - you have my consent. A friend helped me with what you see here. I haven't much of a knack for decoration myself."

She doubted that. Draco had impeccable taste and it showed in the olive-striped wallpaper and plush Oriental carpets in the drawing room, the expensive statuary sitting on the tables, the well-chosen paintings on the walls. Still, she couldn't help but wonder at the 'friend' he had mentioned - one of his women, no doubt.

The notion brought a sting of jealousy she hadn't expected, raising a thought she had thus far refused to examine. Draco was hardly a man to be satisfied with just one woman. He was certain to keep a mistress, perhaps more than one. Considering her revulsion to intimacy, she had thought such an arrangement would suit her.

Now that they were married, the notion didn't sit nearly so well.

"Shall I show you around the place?"

Her tired muscles screamed in protest and Ginny shook her head, the small movement expanding the pounding behind her eyes. "If you don't mind, I'm terribly tired. For the present, I would prefer to simply retire."

Something darkened for a moment in his eyes, then it was gone.

"All right. Let's go upstairs and I'll show you your bedchamber. After a good night's sleep you're bound to feel better."

"Yes, I'm certain I will."

Ginny's stomach knotted, though she noticed he had said 'your' bed chamber, and not 'ours.' But her tension mounted as Draco led her up the curving staircase. The closer they got, the more she felt as if the walls were closing in. He opened the door to a suite that included a sitting room beautifully appointed with lemon-oiled cherrywood furniture and a small fire blazing in a marble-manteled hearth. The door to the bedchamber stood ajar and through the opening she spied a massive four-poster bed.

"There are two bedchambers in the suite. You'll find your things in that one. There's a bathing room off to the left. I asked the housekeeper to have a bath prepared."

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

"Turn around and I'll help you undress."

Ginny went completely still. Already it was starting. Once he had removed her clothes, what would he want to do next? Had she actually been foolish enough to believe he wouldn't take what by law was rightfully his?

Anger and fear mixed together. It was the anger that won out. "Thank you for the offer, but that won't be necessary. I'm quite capable of doing it myself."

His eyes went dark, and his eyebrows drew together. "You aren't thinking I mean to break my word? Surely, if nothing else, we are better friends than that."

Her chin went up. "We're married. Men treat wives differently than they treat their friends."

A muscle ticked in his cheek. "You mean we have no honor where our wives are concerned."

He was growing angrier by the moment, but she couldn't afford to back down.

"You said you wouldn't do anything I didn't want you to do."

His eyes flashed. "Yes, I did. And I mean to honor that promise. In return I asked that you keep an open mind, that you trust me to guide you." He seemed to be considering his words, coming to some sort of decision. "Since it appears that is something you find nearly impossible to do, I'm going to make it easy for you. I'm simply not giving you a choice."

With that he whirled her around and began to work the buttons at the back of her gown. Before she had time to react, he had finished and stepped away.

"Have a pleasant bath," he said, and turned and walked out of the room.

Clutching her dress to the front of her, uncertain exactly what had just occurred, Ginny released a shaky breath. Her dress was unfastened but nothing untoward had happened. Grateful and confused, she headed into her bedchamber and firmly closed the door.

Making a careful survey of the room, she found, as Draco had promised, a small copper bathing tub in the middle of a room off to the left, the water steaming. Returning to the bedchamber, she removed the balance of her clothes, turned to toss them onto the bed, and spotted a sheer white silk nightgown that had been laid out for her to wear.

She picked up the card that sat on top of it. For your wedding night with our warmest wishes, your friends Hermione and Anna.

The garment was little more than a wisp of fabric, so tempting a creation she couldn't resist reaching down to pick it up. Dear Lord, it was so thin you could see right through it! Holding the delicate nightgown up in front of her, she tried to imagine how she might look in such a sensual garment. The image sent a hot blush rushing into her cheeks.

Not that Draco would ever see her in it.

At least so far he has kept his word. Yet a niggling doubt still lingered. There was something in his eyes, a glint of determination that warned her to beware.

Ginny wearily finished her bath, dried herself on a white linen towel, returned to the bedchamber, and pulled on nice, respectable pajamas. Sitting on a tapestry stood in front of the dresser, she plucked the pins from her hair and started to brush it.

A hand closed over hers, pushed her fingers easily aside, and started moving the brush down the length of her hair. Ginny whirled around.

Draco was wearing a dark green dressing gown edged in silver, looking more handsome than she had ever seen him.

And hard and imposing and more terrifying than she would have believed.

She stood up so quickly the stool tumbled over on the carpet. "Wh-what are you doing in here? You said - "

"I know exactly what I said. When we arrived here tonight, I had every intention of sleeping in my own bed while you slept in here. Listening to you, I realize that is exactly the wrong thing to do."

"What are you talking about? You can't just come barging in here and - "

"Listen to me, sweetheart," Draco said, his tone a little more gentle. "I have no intention of doing anything to you. At least not until you are ready. Do you believe that?"

She bit the edge of her bottom lip. "I - I don't know."

"I didn't think so. Which is why I shall now be forced to prove it."

Ginny shook her head and started to back away. Draco reached her in two long strides and swept her up in his arms. "The two of us are married. I intend for my wife to sleep in my bed. That is where you will sleep tonight."

"Let go of me."

But Draco didn't stop, just strode across the sitting room, kicked open the door to the larger bedchamber on the opposite side, and stormed in. He carried her over to his massive tester bed and set her down in the middle of the deep feather mattress.

"I asked for your trust and you promised to give it. If you value your honor as much as I do mine, you owe me at least a chance to win that trust. As much as I desire you, believe me, it will come at a very high price."

She didn't know exactly what he meant, but she had to admit he had a point. She had given him her word, just as he had given her his.

Perhaps, as he had promised, he would truly keep his word.

Her heart was pounding, trying to make its escape from her chest. Her stomach felt tied in a cluster of knots.

"All right," she conceded in little more than a whisper. "Tonight I'll sleep here."

The smile he flashed was wide and white and utterly disarming. "Good girl." He waited while she climbed beneath the covers, then drew them up over her. Ginny glanced away as he tossed off his robe, and climbed in beside her.

"As a concession to your modesty, tonight I am wearing something. I assure you, it's not my habit."

"Gah," said Ginny, and buried her face in the pillow.

"Goodnight, love," Draco called laughingly from his side of the bed, making no move to come closer.

Still, she couldn't fall asleep, not when she knew he lay just a few feet away. She heard the clock chime the hours past one by one. Still, Draco made no move to touch her.

Her muscles screamed with fatigue. Her eyes felt gritty with the lack of sleep, her neck stiff and sore from lying in one position so long. To appease her battered body, and beginning to believe he actually meant to keep his word, she finally closed her eyes and let exhaustion claim her.

Her sleep went undisturbed, not even plagued by dreams.

***

Draco lay on his back, staring up at the gold silk canopy above his head and fought to ignore the fact that Ginny had rolled over and was now curled beside him.

He sighed into the darkness, cursing himself for making this hellish bargain. Her fiery hair was trailing over his chest and one arm was curled around his neck. The dark side of his conscience shouted at him.

But he had given his word and he meant to keep it. One look at Ginny's wide-eyed expression when he had merely offered to unbutton her gown and he had known how important it was. Whoever had initiated her into the pleasures of the flesh had failed miserably at the task. Obviously, he had used her with little regard for what she might be feeling. He meant to rectify that error no matter the cost.

His muscles contracted as she sighed in her sleep, her breath fanning over his skin. He hadn't meant to sleep with her tonight, had meant to give her time as he had promised. But her wariness had changed his mind. He had to start as he meant to go on, and wasting time trying to talk her into trusting him wasn't going to work.

She cuddled a little closer. In the moonlight, she looked almost childlike in her papery pajamas. Softly, he pressed a kiss to her temples.

Then he closed his eyes and prayed for the night to end.