first of all i ask you to forgive me for the delay
who follows me on tumblr (@sweeethinny) or is in some discord chat that I am in, knows that I am in college and that there is no time for me to do anything else
besides, I was very nervous about writing this chapter, because I know a lot of people were waiting to know what was going to happen, and I was - and am - scared of your reactions
but, I've also heard a lot - thank you Mah mainly - that this story only I can tell, and I know exactly what I'm doing, so just trust me because I've been waiting for this moment as much as you guys.
I made a playlist for The Duke, which you can find here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VVsskcfcap9LU84tW1iXs
please let me know what you think, and thank you so much for still being here with my delay
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The Duke | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, James Potter, Lily Potter, Other Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: R Reviews: 43 Summary: Some time ago a prophecy was made, one that said about two powerful and strong souls who would be able to defeat even the strongest of wizards, bringing peace that the Wizarding World has not seen for centuries. But for that to happen, they would have to be entwined through marriage. Everything was going well, the children were born healthy and were promised to each other, until one of them was kidnapped. Hitcount: Story Total: 15797; Chapter Total: 850 Author's Notes: |
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| G. W | The tight dress made her almost unable to breathe properly, her back erect and her breasts almost bursting out of her neckline due to the bodice that was very well embroidered. The fabric fell neatly over the faithgale, which made Ginny appear to have more hips and a slimmer waist, and the lavender color seemed to do something for her, seeming not to contrast horribly with her hair and not make her look too pale. It was a perfect balance. Ginny felt like a princess, noticing how everything about that dress makes sense and made her look so much prettier than usual, which seemed to be her mother's purpose, who had her eyes gleaming at her daughter's reflection in the mirror. "You look beautiful." Molly smiled, walking over to Ginny and arranging her wildflower-adorned braid. "Don't you think?" "Yes." And it was true, Ginny was finding herself beautiful. Her lips were painted red just like her cheeks, and there was a glow at the top of her cheekbones and the tip of her nose that made her skin look much healthier than normal. Plus the earring Charlie had given her last Christmas that went well with the pearls embroidered on her dress neckline. "You're going to get a lot of attention tonight." "I don't think that's true, Mom, but thanks for the support." Ginny chuckled softly, running her hand down her skirt even though there wasn't any crease out of place. She wondered what Henry would think of her if he saw her in that dress. He'd been away all day, ever since he left to duel, and when all the men came back - and Ginny was excited for him to come and tell her everything that had happened - Henry didn't show up. Her father said he had been called by the Duke, and she remembered that Lily had also been called, so she was hoping he wasn't in trouble. There was no reason for that, she hadn't gotten into any trouble for Henry to need to talk to the Dukes, and as far as she knew, he hadn't done anything either. Her father didn't say anything about Henry doing something wrong in the duel, Ron kept talking about how he was great at dueling and how he made Mr. Rosier need to give up and accept defeat. She would have liked to see it. It was thrilling to see him dueling, his arm flexed, the serious expression on his face, the green eyes shining with concentration and the will to win. And every time he disarmed someone, Henry had that little smile that wasn't quite disrespectful to the loser, but it showed he was proud of his work. Of course not everyone noticed this, but Ginny had spent too much time admiring him to know about his little quirks. Like when he bit his lip as he read the paper, focused on the news and always seeming willing to talk about what he didn't agree with, shaking his head and mumbling things like 'bunch of idiots', hoping no one would listen. Ginny listened, of course, but she let Henry think that no one was paying attention to him. He got really blush whenever he noticed that Ginny was watching him. She probably shouldn't spend so much time thinking and looking at him. "Henry hasn't arrived?" She stepped away from the mirror, walking towards the window and watching some men talking in the garden, wishing she wasn't looking for someone in particular. ''Mr. Figg, Ginny, and no. But stop worrying about him, today all you need to think about is being gracious and surprising Mr. Rosier, which won't be hard with that dress.'' Molly turned to the jewelry box she'd brought for the journey, placed on top of the dresser, seeming to be looking for something inside. "It will be a great and important dance, and all I want you to worry about is smiling and being beautiful." ''Fred and George also have that duty? Or are they freed from impressing women?'' Ginny turned around, looking at her mother. "Ginny… it's the rules, stop it." Molly sighed, holding up a small vial and looking at the clear liquid inside, not paying attention when Ginny rolled her eyes. She wanted the rules not to force her to be so perfect while her brothers could still be themselves. ''Come here.'' ''What is it?'' "Something that will help you tonight." Molly opened the vial, and a strong scent of flowers filled the room, almost becoming overpowering. "It's a perfume my mom put on me when I went to my first ball." ''Is it like a love potion? Are you going to charm men into marrying me?" Ginny grimaced as the scent grew stronger as Molly spun the glass in her hand, spilling some into her palm and rubbing against her daughter's neck. The liquid seemed to burn her skin, but soon the smell seemed bearable, as did the sensation against her neck. ''No, I would never do something that low. It's a common perfume, but it attracts the right men to you, the ones who will really love you. It's an old potion from my family, my mother did this to me the night I met your father… It won't let men who don't deserve you be attracted to you.'' "Mom, I really don't think there's a need to do this." Ginny didn't think there was any man that night she would be willing to attract… There was only one, but she knew he wasn't available. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, and I'm sure you'll thank me later." | ? | "Do you think you can make it today?" he asked, looking at the man standing in front of him wearing a pompous, elegant outfit. "He'll be mad if you don't make it, and I don't feel like dying before I'm thirty." "You won't, stop being an idiot." He turned back to the mirror, smiling at his own reflection and arranging the flower on his chest, then running his hand through his hair again. "You can't risk it, you need to act fast." "She won't notice anything." ''Who guarantees us? We can't risk it. Peter's gone, and we don't want the Lord to have to come down here to clean up our mess, do we?" He watched his friend, who was watching him intently, looking startled at the idea of what might happen if something went wrong. ''No.'' "Ok then…now," He made sure not a hair was out of place, then turned to his friend and smiled as if that conversation had never happened before. "Let me go there, I need to meet my future wife." | G. W | "Hey, where have you been?" Ginny smiled as she found him, throwing Molly off so she could talk to Henry quickly before the ball started and she was prevented from even saying hello to him. ''I missed you today.'' "Me too, miss." But Henry didn't look too happy, he didn't look her in the eye as he always did, and there was a shadow in his green eyes that made Ginny dread what he'd seen or gone through in the hours they'd been away. "Did something happen?" She didn't have much time before her family realized she'd run away, but Ginny was willing to take a chance just to make sure Henry was okay. Something inside her didn't feel right, making her think that maybe she'd done something so Henry needed to be taken away from his job. Had anyone found out he had gone to her room that night? Did anyone know he saw her naked in a certain way? Was that why he was away all day? "I…" Henry finally looked at her, but unlike all the times he'd looked at her, there was no warmth or familiarity in his green eyes. It was as if Ginny didn't know him anymore, as if he had suddenly become someone else. ''The Duke needed to talk to me, but it was just something about the service, I'm fine. It's all right.'' ''Are you sure? You don't look too happy… Did they say anything about us?" Ginny whispered the last part, even though there was no one around since everyone was in the ballroom. ''If it's something about that, I'm sure I can explain-'' ''About us? What would they have to say about us?" Ginny took a step back, as if she'd been hit by a very strong spell and all her balance had been ripped from her. She wanted to run away as fast as she could, feeling ashamed to the last strand of hair that she'd thought that moment would have mattered to him as much as it mattered to her. ''It's true, they wouldn't have anything to say, I just thought… I just thought that someone might have thought something was going on between us and took it to the Duke, but I'm glad it's nothing.'' Ginny bowed, like it hadn't done for a long time. ''I must go back to the room, Mr Figg. But I'm glad you're alright.'' There was something wrong with him, Ginny knew, he didn't look like the Henry she'd known for almost three years now, but she didn't know what was that. He didn't look hurt, or bewitched, and… "Do you smell that?" Ginny wanted to know, remembering what her mother had said about the perfume. She didn't want to dream like a little girl, but Ginny was unable to stop her mind from imagining that Henry was acting weird because he had been affected by the smell. Maybe…maybe he was the right man for her, and that ignited a spark of hope in her chest. "No, miss." Henry didn't seem to lie, even sniffling once more to make sure. "Nothing different." Ginny nodded, feeling completely empty now, and thinking herself an idiot for thinking this would work. "Right…See you later, Mr. Figg." He bent down and let her go, which made Ginny feel even stranger, an emptiness filling her chest like what she used to feel before she met him. It was strange how she thought he didn't look like the man from before, even though she knew he was the same. Ginny wondered what had changed in a few hours, and if whatever it was, it was going to affect how he treated her. "There you are." Charlie smiled, walking over to Ginny and putting his arm through hers, leading her back into the room again. "Mom was worried, but I assured you that you were probably just left behind." "I thought I forgot something," she said, simply and without much emotion, uncomfortable with the emptiness that remained in her chest. ''But-'' ''Ok, but don't worry, I know you must be nervous and I don't want anxiety to spoil your night. Mom was saying Rosier is going to dance with you? He's a good man." Charlie smiled, seeming not to notice that Ginny wasn't happy at all. "He could be an amazing husband." "Yeah…I guess so." She gave in, thinking it was just easier to accept and agree, avoiding having to explain things no one wanted to know, like the fact that she thought she was in love with Henry. Of course, she had never been in love before, and Ginny didn't have any friends to talk to about it to compare her experience and see if it wasn't just a stupid dream that had been born in her mind after the past few days, but she thought it felt too much with what the novels she read described. Which made it even worse. She knew they couldn't be together, for various reasons; society, her family, but Ginny was willing to fight everyone over Henry, but she thought maybe he didn't want that, and this was a fight she couldn't possibly win. He probably saw her as a younger sister, hoping she would give him a break so he could go after a real woman. ''The Duke and Duchess will start the ball, and I hear her dress has more than three different types of gold and silver threads embroidered,'' Fleur whispered beside Bill, looking excited about it, wearing a beautiful light blue dress, with a very tight corsage and all embroidered with real flowers kept in a spell not to wither. Her pearl necklace gleamed against her pale skin, and her blond hair was neatly pinned into a refined coiffure, with silver barrettes holding the strands in place. All the men nearby seemed enchanted by her beauty, but as always, she seemed oblivious to it. They were seated at a table not far back, with a very good view of the dance floor, which Ginny thought was her mother's way of trying to get her to be seen. "Miss Granger is looking very pretty tonight." George nudged Ron, who turned his head like a crow to the girl's table, who was looking around with gleaming eyes. Her yellow dress matched her black skin perfectly, her corsage wasn't as tight as Fleur's but it was beautiful too, and her neckline wasn't straight like Ginny's, but rounded and made her neck and shoulders gain more prominence. Her curly hair was loose and held only at the top by a ribbon the same color as her dress, the golden curls making her look like an angel, falling down her back. Ron seemed to take a punch at the sight of her, his cheeks turning pink. "Yeah, yellow looks really nice on her." Was all he said, soon turning his attention to the middle of the room, where a few people were walking and talking, pacing back and forth while the dance didn't start. Ginny took a deep breath, looking back down at her own dress, not sure anymore if she looked that pretty. There were several other women looking prettier than her, parading around in dresses of all colors, with all kinds of embroidery, fabrics, bows, and corsages. There were those who preferred the tighter ones with a V-cut at the bottom, the more traditional ones who still wore the more common one, the ones who preferred it to be in a different fabric than the rest of the dress, or to go in the inside part. All the women looked a lot more confident than Ginny, who shrank back more in her chair, not thinking she was ready for that event. And then the candles were all extinguished, leaving only the ones that lit the stairs and the middle of the hall alight, making everyone sit and wait anxiously for the Duke's dance with his wife. Fairies began to fly into the hall, whirling through the air and making everything seem even more magical, the piano began to resonate louder and louder and everyone could see as the Duke came through the door on the right, beautifully dressed in his suit made of the most expensive fabric, a small sash across his chest in Gryffindor colors and a gold brooch bearing the Potter family crest. He looked so much more alive and happier than Ginny had seen him these past few days, as if a light radiated from inside him, and all that shadow had been erased. On the other side, in the doorway on the left, the Duchess appeared, and if James seemed to radiate light, then Lily seemed to be an explosion of all of them. She was the only one there with the dress fully embroidered, a red brocade velvet cape that fell from the end of her red corsage, and opened a slit in the front letting everyone see her gold dress, also embroidered. The cape skirt was traditionally longer, trailing along the floor as she walked, but nothing too much or that seemed to get in the way of her walk, on the contrary, it made her look even more elegant. Her corsage was V-cut at the bottom and with a rounded neckline, the entire piece embroidered with ruby and silver stones, making her shine even more. Her copper hair was tied back in a delicate coiffure, leaving only two strands to fall in front of her face, making her look younger than when she brushed it all back and hid the strands in a hat. Ginny thought she had never seen someone so handsome and elegant in her entire life. The woman smiled at her husband, bending towards him when he did the same, and now the fairies began to fly around the two of them, making all eyes remain on the couple. They got closer and the music finally picked up a new rhythm, Mr Potter gently placed his hand on her waist, Lily laced her fingers through his and rested her other hand on his shoulder, and together in perfect sync they began to waltz. The combination of the music, the fairies, and the joy that seemed to explode from within them seemed to make everything even more beautiful, and Ginny realized that she hadn't been the only one to notice it. Molly had her eyes shining towards the couple, occasionally reaching for her handkerchief to wipe away the tears that welled up there, Fleur also looked thrilled, her eyes never failing to follow their dance, occasionally whispering something to Bill. Even Percy looked amazed. Mr. Potter once lowered his hands to her waist and lifted her off the ground without seeming to make any effort, grinning from ear to ear as he lowered her even closer to him, re-interlacing his fingers with hers and spinning around the salon. Ginny noticed that there was a joy in their faces that she hadn't seen before, a sparkle in their eyes and an exchange of smiles that made her curious as to what had managed to get them out of the haze of melancholy that seemed to haunt them, and bring them to the brighter side of life. Whatever it was, she was glad they were looking, for the first time, truly happy. As soon as the song was over, the fairies once more flew around them, then dissipating around the room and causing everyone to look up to see them flying and lighting up the room, then each passing over a candle and lighting it back. Mr. Potter respectfully kissed his wife's forehead, muttering something as everyone clapped, then turned and bowed in thanks. "They were so cute," Molly muttered, once again bringing the handkerchief to her eyes. Ginny nodded, watching her siblings nod as well. Looking around the room Ginny found herself looking for Henry, curious to know what he thought of the opening of the ball, but she couldn't find him anywhere, not even on the mezzanine floor, which was odd. Henry would never be so far away that Ginny couldn't see him. "It's a great honor to be here tonight," Mr. Potter began, regaining the attention of Ginny, who thought Henry was just too well hidden in that dark environment. He was a good Auror, hiding was what he did best. ''And I'm immensely grateful and happy to have you all here with us, having fun and being a part of such a unique and special moment in our lives.'' He smiled, looking at Lily who was also smiling, and Ginny thought she saw tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much, and may we continue to have such incredible times." Everyone applauded again, the men raised their respective glasses in a silent toast, and the couple withdrew from the middle of the room, and the waltz was played again. It would be the first dance, Ginny knew it was the most important of all for a woman, but she wasn't that excited about it, and for the first time she wanted men to pretend she didn't actually exist. But of course when she asked the Gods for this, they didn't answer, because Mr. Rosier appeared at her table as Bill got up, holding out his hand to Fleur. "Excuse me, gentlemen," the man said, respectful as ever, following the social rules of first greeting the lady's father and older brother. Bill, who had previously seemed excited at the idea of finally getting rid of the problem that Ginny was, looked up and down at the gentleman, red eyebrows arched. ''Hello, Mr. Rosier.'' Arthur smiled, standing up to greet the man who was a few inches shorter than him, flashing a proud smile as did Molly, both looking more than thrilled that the man had kept his word and gone to Ginny. She sighed, looking down at her hands. "He's cute," Fleur whispered, an almost nonexistent smile on her face, using Bill's moment of distraction to talk to Ginny. "It's going to be fun, try to ignore whatever's bothering you right now, because a ball like this doesn't happen every year, right?" She blinked her clear eyes at her, causing Ginny to chuckle softly and nod. She was right, as much as she didn't want to dance with a man she barely knew, it wouldn't do any harm at least trying. She wasn't going to marry Mr. Rosier, it was just a dance, Ginny could handle it. "Then you'll let me know if he's any good or if he's going to step on your toes, okay?" Fleur blinked, not giving Ginny time to respond, soon returning to Bill's side who was now pulling her into a dance, muttering something to her. "Well, I hope you'll allow me to take your beautiful daughter out dancing?" Finally the man looked at Ginny, his gray eyes looking eerily clearer and brighter, as if he'd seen the most expensive prize in bingo. But in the blink of an eye, his sweet, loving expression was back on, so it could just be the shadows of the candles, Ginny thought. ''Gin?'' Ginny didn't want to get up, as handsome as the man was and as much as she had asked for it several times now, she was feeling a little insecure. It wasn't fear, but Ginny felt anxious to have a man so close to her and her parents watching them. But she got up anyway, ignoring when a girl at the next table looked shocked and whispered to the man sitting next to her, who also looked. Ginny smiled and bowed to Rosier, seeing him do the same before giving her an arm for her to reach. The music for the dance was about to start, and Molly seemed impatient at the delay of Ginny just letting herself be carried away, but she risked looking once more as far as she could go, looking for Henry in some dark alley but finding nothing but shadows. Where was he? Giving up on looking for him, she accepted Rosier's arm, walking with him to the middle of the floor as the music began to play. Of course her mother had made her and her brothers learn to dance without even having music in the background, but that didn't stop Ginny from gulping and feeling her legs go limp when she noticed that there were several people watching her. "Pretend it's just the two of us," Rosier muttered to her, a shy smile on his face, his shaved beard showing he had a dimple in his chin. He placed his hand on her waist and brought her closer. And for a quick moment Ginny felt a burning in her chest and an insane, irrational urge to run away, but perhaps the man sensed that she had tried to pull away from her because he tightened his grip on her lower back even more. "Don't worry Miss Weasley, you can trust me." |
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