D/G Feast Story: The Barest Hint of Lemon
Title: The Barest Hint of Lemon
Author: applecede
Rating: R
Recipe: Lemon Cake
Summary: Draco Malfoy smelled like citrus lemons.
The Barest Hint of Lemon
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour,
½ teaspoon cream of tartar,
1½ teaspoons baking powder,
8 eggs, and
Weasleys and Malfoys are best kept separate
Draco Malfoy smelled like citrus lemons.
Ginny didn’t know this from any sort of personal experience, but rather from the fact that the Slytherin had the habit of taking his baths at ten thirty, and whenever Ginny entered the Prefect’s bathroom after him, the large pool held the fragrance of lemons.
Molly Weasley always smelled of clove and nutmeg, Arthur like fireplace smoke and hearth and the smell of a worn, leather easy chair. Harry smelled like sandalwood and sharp fresh air, Hermione like peppermint and vanilla, Ron like bergamot and root beer. Lavender Brown smelled like sweet pea and sugared plums. Colin Creevey like apples and toffee.
But the only scent Ginny could place to the Head Boy was lemons. She wondered if Harry and Ron, who knew every hateful and spiteful thing Malfoy had ever done or said, knew this.
Anyway, Ginny thought, it was an interesting thing to know.
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
2 cups white sugar,
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
1/8 teaspoon salt,
6 egg yolks, and
Weasleys and Malfoys shouldn’t be left on their own
The prefect meetings and his baths late at night were the closest encounters Ginny ever had with Malfoy.
The first Quidditch game of her sixth year had been against Slytherin, and as all games between Gryffindor and Slytherin were, vicious and fast-paced. Ginny had flown like “a demon unleashed,” Ron had said proudly afterwards, dodging the whirling players and bludgers with ease and getting Quaffles in past the Slytherin Keeper. The game had come to a climatic end when both Seekers spotted the Snitch at the same time. Harry had been halfway across the pitch, but Malfoy had been higher up. He had dropped like a controlled bludger, and he had dived so close to her that when he jarred her shoulder, it felt like he’d dislocated it instead. The bruises mottled her shoulder joint and turned different shades of blue-black-purple for weeks afterwards. That was the first and last time Ginny had even come within twenty meters of him on the Quidditch pitch.
All in all, there was nothing at all to explain why Draco Malfoy might be standing in her perfumery ten minutes from closing time.
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
2 cups white sugar,
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
4 lemons, juiced,
1/2 cup butter, and
Try not to stand too close to a Malfoy
She had heard he was working behind a desk in the Ministry. His main function, Ron had said in passing once at dinner, was to smile and charm and get agreements signed. Staring at him now, Ginny decided that the desk job really hadn’t done him any harm.
He seemed taller than he had been at Hogwarts. He still had the musculature of a Seeker, both light and lean, a Seeker’s build. The line of his jaw and his cheekbones were sculpted in an aristocratic face, a handsome face, and the wintry gaze and grey eyes were all Malfoy. So were the robes. Ginny reached an unconscious hand up to touch her hair, tied haphazardly back.
Just when she determined that she would ignore him, he caught her eye.
“Weasley,” he said with a small nod of his head.
“Malfoy,” Ginny said just as coolly. “Can I help you?”
“Maybe,” he said, looking around before meeting her eyes again. “I need something appropriate to give a friend of mine.”
“We have some gift packages,” Ginny said calmly, “If that’s what you’re looking for.”
Draco stared back at her, an appraising glint in his eyes. “It’s not.” He added brusquely, giving the store another long look, “Gift packages are generic and they don’t convey all the effort and time I put into selecting a gift. However,” and here he looked deeply irritated, “I have neither the time nor interest to put my mind to it, so I’m enlisting your help. You do run this shop, don’t you?”
“Yes, your arrogance,” Ginny muttered before she could stop herself.
He smiled lazily at her. “It’s just Draco.”
“Who is the recipient of this thoughtful gift?” Ginny asked, ignoring him.
“Jeanine Lampert,” he said promptly.
“Anything else? Is she a blonde, a brunette - ”
“She’s a blonde.”
“And?” Ginny passed by an aisle of shelves, uncomfortably aware of Draco trailing after her. “What’s she like? Is she an extroverted person, or introverted? What is she passionate about?”
“She’s an extrovert, she likes things in blues, and she’s quite passionate about…” Draco smiled at nothing in particular. “Quidditch.”
Ginny made a derisive sound in her throat. “Here. Clementine. 5 mL bottle. Classic scent. Evokes memories of blue jazz notes and champagne flutes and sequined dresses.”
“I’ll take it,” he agreed, uninterested, examining other bottles.
Annoyed at his lack of attention, she said, “Don’t you even want to smell it?”
Draco turned his grey eyes on her curiously. “Sure. I intended to. I never buy without testing first. Allow me.” He took the bottle from her smoothly and unstoppered it easily. He dashed a bit the scented oil onto his thumb and rubbed it into the pulse point on Ginny’s wrist. His thumb traced a lazy circle on her wrist, and Ginny stared at his hands holding hers, strong and capable hands.
Draco lifted her wrist to his nose and inhaled. “Pleasant. Cool. Effervescent. Like champagne. I’m impressed. Jeanine will love it, and bloody Fudge will be satisfied that the delegate from France is happy.”
Ginny pulled her hand away quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice that her color had deepened another few shades. “It’s one of our more popular scents,” she muttered.
“You created all these?” Draco gestured the entire perfumery with one hand.
“Yes,” Ginny said. “We buy the flowers and notes from a place in Italy. I work with Hermione and Luna - ”
“Hm,” said Draco thoughtfully. “Well then. If you’ll wrap this for me, I’ll be on my way.”
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
1/4 cup butter,
6 cups sifted confectioners' sugar,
1 egg yolk,
2 tablespoons lemon juice, and
Malfoys are shameless and singleminded
He was staring at her. She could feel it.
“This is all right, I suppose?” Ginny indicated the pale blue tissue paper she intended to use to wrap the bottle.
“It’s fine,” Draco said, a trace of impatience underlying his voice, something hanging off from an unspoken sentence.
Ginny looked up and found him much closer than he had been before. He was leaning forward slightly, hands braced against the counter.
“Um,” said Ginny, flustered. She tried not to notice that her hands were shaking. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been all right, Ginny,” said Draco with a slow grin. “So what’s your scent?”
She almost choked on her spit. “Excuse me?”
“Fragrance,” Draco clarified. “Don’t you have a scent named after you? Haven’t you created some bottled Ginny Weasley?”
“No,” said Ginny in scandalized tones. “Do you have a scent?”
“No,” Draco answered easily. “I don’t really think I have one.”
“It’s lemons,” snapped Ginny automatically.
Draco arched an eyebrow at her, and a curious smile played on the corners of his lips. Ginny recognized it as the patented Draco Malfoy smile, half smile and half cool smirk. “You’ve been smelling me?”
Ginny couldn’t think of a single thing to say. The back of her neck heated up and stayed that way. Fuuuuck!
“Tell you what,” Draco continued, letting the subject drop for the moment. He had pulled out a sack of Galleons to pay for Clementine. “My mother’s birthday is in a few weeks. I’d like you to create a scent for her that won’t be reproduced for your clientele. You do take custom orders, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Ginny said feelingly, grateful for the change in subject. “But so far I’ve done that mostly for friends. I don’t know your mother at all. Creating a new scent designed for someone means - ”
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Draco asked.
“I have to watch the shop - ”
“Get someone else,” he said imperiously, cutting her off. He dropped a beautiful quill on the counter and muttered a spell, his wand held loosely in his hand. “Tomorrow at three.” He nodded at the quill. “It’ll turn into a Portkey to Malfoy Manor then. You can interview my mother. Get to know her. Ta, Weasley.”
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
4 tablespoons orange juice,
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
3 tablespoons grated orange zest, and
A Weasley hasn’t set foot in Malfoy Manor for over sixty years
A house elf admitted Ginny, and she was ushered into the conservatory, a sunlit room with beautiful foliage growing in hanging pots. As she waited for Narcissa Malfoy, Ginny examined her faint reflection in a pane of glass.
“Miss Weasley,” Narcissa Malfoy was gracious in welcoming her guest. “Please, heave a seat. Draco told me you would be coming.”
“Mrs. Malfoy,” Ginny said nervously. “Ah, yes, I have a few - ”
“Narcissa, please. May I call you Ginevra?”
“Ginny,” Ginny said, and then was appalled. Had she just corrected Narcissa Malfoy?
Narcissa smiled indulgently at her. Draco’s mother was beautiful. She looked perfect and in place amongst the lavish setting. Narcissa wore a creamy, ivory colored dress made of some sort of material, cashmere, perhaps, and she looked flawless as she ordered a tea tray from a house elf.
“Now,” Narcissa began, “Draco hasn’t told me why you’re here to ask me questions. I’ll assume it all has a point and purpose.”
“Yes. I guess he wants it to be a surprise,” Ginny said lamely.
“Well, shall we get on with it?”
Ginny nodded and went forth with her carefully rehearsed question. By the time she reached question sixteen and Draco Malfoy had not appeared, she began to relax. The house elf had brought in a tray of tea followed by a tray of individually molded ice-cream servings and a silver epergne, piled with petits fours.
Narcissa was surprisingly easy to talk to. Draco’s mother was sociable, frank, and possessed sharp insight. She was also clearly adored her son and husband.
DIRECTIONS
1) Grease and flour four 9 inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Sift together flour, cream of tartar, and baking powder four times. Set aside.
You must remember that Malfoys always have an agenda.
Ginny was just wrapping up, reluctant to have their conversation end, when Draco Malfoy appeared, lounging in the doorway. He looked as comfortable in his black slacks and gray cable-knit sweater as if he were wearing pajamas. Narcissa saw him first.
“Draco!” Narcissa beamed at him. “Ginny and I were just talking about flowers. She’s given me quite a few tips on the upkeep of some of our own flowers.”
“Mother,” Draco greeted, coming forward into the room. “Ginny,” he added.
“We just finished,” Ginny said quickly, rising. “Thank you, Mrs. - Narcissa. I had a wonderful time.”
“Thank you for keeping me company. Lucius is so often away at work, and now that Draco’s moved out, my afternoons are often free.” Narcissa rose as well. “Draco, I trust you will see Miss Weasley out?”
“Of course, Mum.” Draco’s eyes were on her, and he took her elbow as they exited the conservatory. “Do you know her well enough now?”
“Yes,” Ginny said, trying and failing to extract herself from his grasp.
“Will you be going to your shop then?” Draco inquired crisply.
“Ah - yes.”
“You can Floo there then,” he said decisively, and took her in another direction.
They entered a study, and Draco finally let her go in favor of stepping back to study her.
“What, Malfoy,” Ginny burst out edgily.
He smirked. “How long will it take you to create the fragrance?”
Narcissa had been more remarkable and impressive than the people Ginny had created custom orders for in the past, so she said, “A week, tops, I suppose, maybe even less than that,” even while she suspected that hadn’t been what Draco intended to say.
She rolled her shoulder back nervously, and caught Draco’s eyes darken.
“You always made my head turn at Hogwarts,” he said conversationally. “But you never noticed me.”
2) Beat 8 egg yolks with a rotary or electric beater until very thick, light, and creamy. Add the 2 cups sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until mixture is smooth and pale yellow. Stir in 1 grated lemon rind and juice of 1 lemon. Quickly fold in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
You will either humble a Malfoy, or be humbled.
“What,” Ginny said again, and this time it was softer, bewildered.
“You have no idea just how beautiful you look, just standing there,” continued Draco, eyes hooded, hands in the pockets of his slacks, his voice lower than usual.
“Is this a joke?” Ginny demanded, her voice higher than usual.
“I wish. I fancied you since my seventh year.” He took a few steps closer to her and looked like he prowling towards her. His mercury eyes were narrowed and intent. “I wanted to kiss you until your lips were bruised. I wanted to hear your breath hitch in your throat, like mine seemed to do every time you walked past me.”
Ginny felt something lodge in her throat, and for the second time in two days, she was rendered effectively speechless.
Draco glowered at her without rancor. “I caught you once, you know? I saw you snogging Roger Davies when you were on your prefect rounds. I took fifty points from Ravenclaw in the morning. I wanted it to be my hands under your shirt, my tongue down your throat.”
When Ginny finally managed to speak, her voice was an undignified squeak. “You wanted - ”
“I want,” Draco rasped, and he kissed her, slanting his mouth hard down across hers.
That expressive mouth, so good at taunting and teasing, was good for something after all, Ginny thought dimly. It was a kiss of possession. His lips were perfect, hard and firm, and his hand was sprawled at her lower back, pulling her into him. He captured each fallen sigh like it was breath he madly needed.
3) In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, whip the 8 egg whites until peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Weasleys and Malfoys, Weasleys and Malfoys.
She was hardly aware of Draco backing them to the fireplace. He broke the kiss just long enough to grasp a handful of Floo powder from a silver vase on the desk, fling it into the fireplace, and stared clearly the address of his flat in London. Then he dragged her into the Floo with her, mouth covering hers all the while.
She stumbled a bit into him when they emerged on the other side, and she caught of a glimpse of a mostly bare room, still luxurious, before Draco tugged her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. He just as deftly undid her bra and disposed of it in less time than it took for Ginny to inhale sharply.
Draco ran his hands through her hair, pushing out all the bobby pins and barely listening to them hit the ground one after another. Her hair was like silk, and after a day in braids, rippled gorgeously in waves, spilling over his hands.
He captured her lower lip with his teeth before swallowing her unconscious groan whole with his mouth.
The soft wool of his charcoal sweater felt deliciously abrasive against her bare skin. Ginny remembered dimly seeing him a few times in the library at Hogwarts. He had been a conscientious worker, and he seemed to now focus that same concentration on her.
She licked at the pulse at his throat, and Draco’s knuckles turned white. His hands flew up, one to cup the side of her face, the other to tangle itself in her hair, drawing her nearer. Once Draco ran his tongue in the hollow of her neck, Ginny’s eyes flew shut tightly, but now they opened again, and although she was struggling to breathe, she felt a warm satisfaction that his face was slightly more flushed than usual, and his pulse was jumping rapidly.
His mouth skimmed down the column of her throat to slide across bared shoulders. She pressed herself against him while she tried to think even as her hips bucked unconsciously into his. Draco’s hands slid down her side to grip her hips still.
“Stop,” Ginny stammered suddenly.
His blond head lifted, and Draco Malfoy’s grey eyes snapped to hers. His voice was an aggravated question: “Why?”
Ginny curled her arms around his neck and tried to think of a good reason.
“Why?” he mocked her. His hands still held her in place against him. He dropped a fumbled, misplaced kiss on her head as she tried to duck away from him. “Let me, Ginny,” he whispered.
4) Spoon into cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pans. Loosen edges with a knife and turn out on cake racks to cool while you prepare the filling and frosting.
Malfoys are logical, you see. So you shouldn’t feel too badly if you find yourself persuaded.
He had somehow maneuvered her to the bed, and it only took a gentle nudge and nip of teeth to topple her onto the soft silk linens. And then it’s all like feverish poetry, lines running into each other with no end stops.
His lips, her neck. The color of his sheets and the color of his shirt she’s just divested him of.
His hands, her hips. The way he held her firmly, anchoring her down, both sensing and knowing that she was going to be swept away.
His eyes, her breath. The intentness he had as he looked down at her, watching her breath hitch, pressed close, hip to hip.
When she comes, she comes with a sob as his name is torn from her lips then devoured by his hungry mouth as his hands continue roaming her body. He continues the rhythm until, for a split moment, he is still, face tense.
Draco held her tightly and rocked them both to sleep. Her breathing was slow and even, and he liked the sound as much as he liked draping a leg over her, imprisoning her with his body.
5) To Make Lemon Jelly Filling: Mix 6 egg yolks with 2 cups sugar, grated rind of 2 lemons, and juice of 4 lemons. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 cup butter and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes or until filling is smooth and very thick. Cool, then spread between layers of cooled cake.
Narcissa was a slush of crystalline and evocative notes and smelled of night-blooming flowers, light mints, cardamom, lush, creamy vanilla, gilded by traces of apple blossom, gentle tea rose, white musk, and the barest hint of lemon. The fragrance was Owled to Narcissa on her birthday in a crystal flacon. The note that accompanied it read: With love, Draco and Ginny
To Make Lemon-Orange Frosting: Beat the ¼ cup butter until it has the appearance of thick cream, stir in 6 cups confectioners sugar, a little at a time, and continue working until mixture is very smooth. Beat in 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in enough orange juice to make a spreadable frosting, then add grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 grated orange rinds. Spread on sides and top of cake.
Malfoys usually get what they want. But Weasleys are never unhappy.
Author: applecede
Rating: R
Recipe: Lemon Cake
Summary: Draco Malfoy smelled like citrus lemons.
The Barest Hint of Lemon
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour,
½ teaspoon cream of tartar,
1½ teaspoons baking powder,
8 eggs, and
Weasleys and Malfoys are best kept separate
Draco Malfoy smelled like citrus lemons.
Ginny didn’t know this from any sort of personal experience, but rather from the fact that the Slytherin had the habit of taking his baths at ten thirty, and whenever Ginny entered the Prefect’s bathroom after him, the large pool held the fragrance of lemons.
Molly Weasley always smelled of clove and nutmeg, Arthur like fireplace smoke and hearth and the smell of a worn, leather easy chair. Harry smelled like sandalwood and sharp fresh air, Hermione like peppermint and vanilla, Ron like bergamot and root beer. Lavender Brown smelled like sweet pea and sugared plums. Colin Creevey like apples and toffee.
But the only scent Ginny could place to the Head Boy was lemons. She wondered if Harry and Ron, who knew every hateful and spiteful thing Malfoy had ever done or said, knew this.
Anyway, Ginny thought, it was an interesting thing to know.
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
2 cups white sugar,
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
1/8 teaspoon salt,
6 egg yolks, and
Weasleys and Malfoys shouldn’t be left on their own
The prefect meetings and his baths late at night were the closest encounters Ginny ever had with Malfoy.
The first Quidditch game of her sixth year had been against Slytherin, and as all games between Gryffindor and Slytherin were, vicious and fast-paced. Ginny had flown like “a demon unleashed,” Ron had said proudly afterwards, dodging the whirling players and bludgers with ease and getting Quaffles in past the Slytherin Keeper. The game had come to a climatic end when both Seekers spotted the Snitch at the same time. Harry had been halfway across the pitch, but Malfoy had been higher up. He had dropped like a controlled bludger, and he had dived so close to her that when he jarred her shoulder, it felt like he’d dislocated it instead. The bruises mottled her shoulder joint and turned different shades of blue-black-purple for weeks afterwards. That was the first and last time Ginny had even come within twenty meters of him on the Quidditch pitch.
All in all, there was nothing at all to explain why Draco Malfoy might be standing in her perfumery ten minutes from closing time.
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
2 cups white sugar,
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
4 lemons, juiced,
1/2 cup butter, and
Try not to stand too close to a Malfoy
She had heard he was working behind a desk in the Ministry. His main function, Ron had said in passing once at dinner, was to smile and charm and get agreements signed. Staring at him now, Ginny decided that the desk job really hadn’t done him any harm.
He seemed taller than he had been at Hogwarts. He still had the musculature of a Seeker, both light and lean, a Seeker’s build. The line of his jaw and his cheekbones were sculpted in an aristocratic face, a handsome face, and the wintry gaze and grey eyes were all Malfoy. So were the robes. Ginny reached an unconscious hand up to touch her hair, tied haphazardly back.
Just when she determined that she would ignore him, he caught her eye.
“Weasley,” he said with a small nod of his head.
“Malfoy,” Ginny said just as coolly. “Can I help you?”
“Maybe,” he said, looking around before meeting her eyes again. “I need something appropriate to give a friend of mine.”
“We have some gift packages,” Ginny said calmly, “If that’s what you’re looking for.”
Draco stared back at her, an appraising glint in his eyes. “It’s not.” He added brusquely, giving the store another long look, “Gift packages are generic and they don’t convey all the effort and time I put into selecting a gift. However,” and here he looked deeply irritated, “I have neither the time nor interest to put my mind to it, so I’m enlisting your help. You do run this shop, don’t you?”
“Yes, your arrogance,” Ginny muttered before she could stop herself.
He smiled lazily at her. “It’s just Draco.”
“Who is the recipient of this thoughtful gift?” Ginny asked, ignoring him.
“Jeanine Lampert,” he said promptly.
“Anything else? Is she a blonde, a brunette - ”
“She’s a blonde.”
“And?” Ginny passed by an aisle of shelves, uncomfortably aware of Draco trailing after her. “What’s she like? Is she an extroverted person, or introverted? What is she passionate about?”
“She’s an extrovert, she likes things in blues, and she’s quite passionate about…” Draco smiled at nothing in particular. “Quidditch.”
Ginny made a derisive sound in her throat. “Here. Clementine. 5 mL bottle. Classic scent. Evokes memories of blue jazz notes and champagne flutes and sequined dresses.”
“I’ll take it,” he agreed, uninterested, examining other bottles.
Annoyed at his lack of attention, she said, “Don’t you even want to smell it?”
Draco turned his grey eyes on her curiously. “Sure. I intended to. I never buy without testing first. Allow me.” He took the bottle from her smoothly and unstoppered it easily. He dashed a bit the scented oil onto his thumb and rubbed it into the pulse point on Ginny’s wrist. His thumb traced a lazy circle on her wrist, and Ginny stared at his hands holding hers, strong and capable hands.
Draco lifted her wrist to his nose and inhaled. “Pleasant. Cool. Effervescent. Like champagne. I’m impressed. Jeanine will love it, and bloody Fudge will be satisfied that the delegate from France is happy.”
Ginny pulled her hand away quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice that her color had deepened another few shades. “It’s one of our more popular scents,” she muttered.
“You created all these?” Draco gestured the entire perfumery with one hand.
“Yes,” Ginny said. “We buy the flowers and notes from a place in Italy. I work with Hermione and Luna - ”
“Hm,” said Draco thoughtfully. “Well then. If you’ll wrap this for me, I’ll be on my way.”
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
1/4 cup butter,
6 cups sifted confectioners' sugar,
1 egg yolk,
2 tablespoons lemon juice, and
Malfoys are shameless and singleminded
He was staring at her. She could feel it.
“This is all right, I suppose?” Ginny indicated the pale blue tissue paper she intended to use to wrap the bottle.
“It’s fine,” Draco said, a trace of impatience underlying his voice, something hanging off from an unspoken sentence.
Ginny looked up and found him much closer than he had been before. He was leaning forward slightly, hands braced against the counter.
“Um,” said Ginny, flustered. She tried not to notice that her hands were shaking. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been all right, Ginny,” said Draco with a slow grin. “So what’s your scent?”
She almost choked on her spit. “Excuse me?”
“Fragrance,” Draco clarified. “Don’t you have a scent named after you? Haven’t you created some bottled Ginny Weasley?”
“No,” said Ginny in scandalized tones. “Do you have a scent?”
“No,” Draco answered easily. “I don’t really think I have one.”
“It’s lemons,” snapped Ginny automatically.
Draco arched an eyebrow at her, and a curious smile played on the corners of his lips. Ginny recognized it as the patented Draco Malfoy smile, half smile and half cool smirk. “You’ve been smelling me?”
Ginny couldn’t think of a single thing to say. The back of her neck heated up and stayed that way. Fuuuuck!
“Tell you what,” Draco continued, letting the subject drop for the moment. He had pulled out a sack of Galleons to pay for Clementine. “My mother’s birthday is in a few weeks. I’d like you to create a scent for her that won’t be reproduced for your clientele. You do take custom orders, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Ginny said feelingly, grateful for the change in subject. “But so far I’ve done that mostly for friends. I don’t know your mother at all. Creating a new scent designed for someone means - ”
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Draco asked.
“I have to watch the shop - ”
“Get someone else,” he said imperiously, cutting her off. He dropped a beautiful quill on the counter and muttered a spell, his wand held loosely in his hand. “Tomorrow at three.” He nodded at the quill. “It’ll turn into a Portkey to Malfoy Manor then. You can interview my mother. Get to know her. Ta, Weasley.”
INGREDIENTS, CONT. …
4 tablespoons orange juice,
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest,
3 tablespoons grated orange zest, and
A Weasley hasn’t set foot in Malfoy Manor for over sixty years
A house elf admitted Ginny, and she was ushered into the conservatory, a sunlit room with beautiful foliage growing in hanging pots. As she waited for Narcissa Malfoy, Ginny examined her faint reflection in a pane of glass.
“Miss Weasley,” Narcissa Malfoy was gracious in welcoming her guest. “Please, heave a seat. Draco told me you would be coming.”
“Mrs. Malfoy,” Ginny said nervously. “Ah, yes, I have a few - ”
“Narcissa, please. May I call you Ginevra?”
“Ginny,” Ginny said, and then was appalled. Had she just corrected Narcissa Malfoy?
Narcissa smiled indulgently at her. Draco’s mother was beautiful. She looked perfect and in place amongst the lavish setting. Narcissa wore a creamy, ivory colored dress made of some sort of material, cashmere, perhaps, and she looked flawless as she ordered a tea tray from a house elf.
“Now,” Narcissa began, “Draco hasn’t told me why you’re here to ask me questions. I’ll assume it all has a point and purpose.”
“Yes. I guess he wants it to be a surprise,” Ginny said lamely.
“Well, shall we get on with it?”
Ginny nodded and went forth with her carefully rehearsed question. By the time she reached question sixteen and Draco Malfoy had not appeared, she began to relax. The house elf had brought in a tray of tea followed by a tray of individually molded ice-cream servings and a silver epergne, piled with petits fours.
Narcissa was surprisingly easy to talk to. Draco’s mother was sociable, frank, and possessed sharp insight. She was also clearly adored her son and husband.
DIRECTIONS
1) Grease and flour four 9 inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Sift together flour, cream of tartar, and baking powder four times. Set aside.
You must remember that Malfoys always have an agenda.
Ginny was just wrapping up, reluctant to have their conversation end, when Draco Malfoy appeared, lounging in the doorway. He looked as comfortable in his black slacks and gray cable-knit sweater as if he were wearing pajamas. Narcissa saw him first.
“Draco!” Narcissa beamed at him. “Ginny and I were just talking about flowers. She’s given me quite a few tips on the upkeep of some of our own flowers.”
“Mother,” Draco greeted, coming forward into the room. “Ginny,” he added.
“We just finished,” Ginny said quickly, rising. “Thank you, Mrs. - Narcissa. I had a wonderful time.”
“Thank you for keeping me company. Lucius is so often away at work, and now that Draco’s moved out, my afternoons are often free.” Narcissa rose as well. “Draco, I trust you will see Miss Weasley out?”
“Of course, Mum.” Draco’s eyes were on her, and he took her elbow as they exited the conservatory. “Do you know her well enough now?”
“Yes,” Ginny said, trying and failing to extract herself from his grasp.
“Will you be going to your shop then?” Draco inquired crisply.
“Ah - yes.”
“You can Floo there then,” he said decisively, and took her in another direction.
They entered a study, and Draco finally let her go in favor of stepping back to study her.
“What, Malfoy,” Ginny burst out edgily.
He smirked. “How long will it take you to create the fragrance?”
Narcissa had been more remarkable and impressive than the people Ginny had created custom orders for in the past, so she said, “A week, tops, I suppose, maybe even less than that,” even while she suspected that hadn’t been what Draco intended to say.
She rolled her shoulder back nervously, and caught Draco’s eyes darken.
“You always made my head turn at Hogwarts,” he said conversationally. “But you never noticed me.”
2) Beat 8 egg yolks with a rotary or electric beater until very thick, light, and creamy. Add the 2 cups sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until mixture is smooth and pale yellow. Stir in 1 grated lemon rind and juice of 1 lemon. Quickly fold in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
You will either humble a Malfoy, or be humbled.
“What,” Ginny said again, and this time it was softer, bewildered.
“You have no idea just how beautiful you look, just standing there,” continued Draco, eyes hooded, hands in the pockets of his slacks, his voice lower than usual.
“Is this a joke?” Ginny demanded, her voice higher than usual.
“I wish. I fancied you since my seventh year.” He took a few steps closer to her and looked like he prowling towards her. His mercury eyes were narrowed and intent. “I wanted to kiss you until your lips were bruised. I wanted to hear your breath hitch in your throat, like mine seemed to do every time you walked past me.”
Ginny felt something lodge in her throat, and for the second time in two days, she was rendered effectively speechless.
Draco glowered at her without rancor. “I caught you once, you know? I saw you snogging Roger Davies when you were on your prefect rounds. I took fifty points from Ravenclaw in the morning. I wanted it to be my hands under your shirt, my tongue down your throat.”
When Ginny finally managed to speak, her voice was an undignified squeak. “You wanted - ”
“I want,” Draco rasped, and he kissed her, slanting his mouth hard down across hers.
That expressive mouth, so good at taunting and teasing, was good for something after all, Ginny thought dimly. It was a kiss of possession. His lips were perfect, hard and firm, and his hand was sprawled at her lower back, pulling her into him. He captured each fallen sigh like it was breath he madly needed.
3) In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, whip the 8 egg whites until peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.
Weasleys and Malfoys, Weasleys and Malfoys.
She was hardly aware of Draco backing them to the fireplace. He broke the kiss just long enough to grasp a handful of Floo powder from a silver vase on the desk, fling it into the fireplace, and stared clearly the address of his flat in London. Then he dragged her into the Floo with her, mouth covering hers all the while.
She stumbled a bit into him when they emerged on the other side, and she caught of a glimpse of a mostly bare room, still luxurious, before Draco tugged her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. He just as deftly undid her bra and disposed of it in less time than it took for Ginny to inhale sharply.
Draco ran his hands through her hair, pushing out all the bobby pins and barely listening to them hit the ground one after another. Her hair was like silk, and after a day in braids, rippled gorgeously in waves, spilling over his hands.
He captured her lower lip with his teeth before swallowing her unconscious groan whole with his mouth.
The soft wool of his charcoal sweater felt deliciously abrasive against her bare skin. Ginny remembered dimly seeing him a few times in the library at Hogwarts. He had been a conscientious worker, and he seemed to now focus that same concentration on her.
She licked at the pulse at his throat, and Draco’s knuckles turned white. His hands flew up, one to cup the side of her face, the other to tangle itself in her hair, drawing her nearer. Once Draco ran his tongue in the hollow of her neck, Ginny’s eyes flew shut tightly, but now they opened again, and although she was struggling to breathe, she felt a warm satisfaction that his face was slightly more flushed than usual, and his pulse was jumping rapidly.
His mouth skimmed down the column of her throat to slide across bared shoulders. She pressed herself against him while she tried to think even as her hips bucked unconsciously into his. Draco’s hands slid down her side to grip her hips still.
“Stop,” Ginny stammered suddenly.
His blond head lifted, and Draco Malfoy’s grey eyes snapped to hers. His voice was an aggravated question: “Why?”
Ginny curled her arms around his neck and tried to think of a good reason.
“Why?” he mocked her. His hands still held her in place against him. He dropped a fumbled, misplaced kiss on her head as she tried to duck away from him. “Let me, Ginny,” he whispered.
4) Spoon into cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pans. Loosen edges with a knife and turn out on cake racks to cool while you prepare the filling and frosting.
Malfoys are logical, you see. So you shouldn’t feel too badly if you find yourself persuaded.
He had somehow maneuvered her to the bed, and it only took a gentle nudge and nip of teeth to topple her onto the soft silk linens. And then it’s all like feverish poetry, lines running into each other with no end stops.
His lips, her neck. The color of his sheets and the color of his shirt she’s just divested him of.
His hands, her hips. The way he held her firmly, anchoring her down, both sensing and knowing that she was going to be swept away.
His eyes, her breath. The intentness he had as he looked down at her, watching her breath hitch, pressed close, hip to hip.
When she comes, she comes with a sob as his name is torn from her lips then devoured by his hungry mouth as his hands continue roaming her body. He continues the rhythm until, for a split moment, he is still, face tense.
Draco held her tightly and rocked them both to sleep. Her breathing was slow and even, and he liked the sound as much as he liked draping a leg over her, imprisoning her with his body.
5) To Make Lemon Jelly Filling: Mix 6 egg yolks with 2 cups sugar, grated rind of 2 lemons, and juice of 4 lemons. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Add 1/2 cup butter and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes or until filling is smooth and very thick. Cool, then spread between layers of cooled cake.
Narcissa was a slush of crystalline and evocative notes and smelled of night-blooming flowers, light mints, cardamom, lush, creamy vanilla, gilded by traces of apple blossom, gentle tea rose, white musk, and the barest hint of lemon. The fragrance was Owled to Narcissa on her birthday in a crystal flacon. The note that accompanied it read: With love, Draco and Ginny
To Make Lemon-Orange Frosting: Beat the ¼ cup butter until it has the appearance of thick cream, stir in 6 cups confectioners sugar, a little at a time, and continue working until mixture is very smooth. Beat in 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in enough orange juice to make a spreadable frosting, then add grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 grated orange rinds. Spread on sides and top of cake.
Malfoys usually get what they want. But Weasleys are never unhappy.