Hands


Ginny stared into the fire burning low in the parlor, resting in a comfortable leather chair, sipping hot chocolate and thinking about the evening she'd just spent with her close friends and sisters-in-law. They'd gathered for a baby shower at the Burrow, and after cake and presents, they had indulged in some serious girl-talk.

Ginny shifted in her seat and sat her empty mug on the antique table next to her. She summoned a chenille throw, closed her eyes, and thought back to the interesting conversation that they'd had earlier, when the laughter had begun to quiet down after a particularly funny story Fleur had told them.

It had been one about Bill and the first diaper change their son had suffered at his father's hands. The experience had ended with the diaper sliding off as Bill had held his son up by the arms to show her, and their son had given him quite a shower. Then Melodie, Charlie’s wife, had asked them what physical feature they thought had most attracted them to their spouse or boyfriend.

Ginny had suffered through listening to her sisters-in-law listing what they considered the many different attractive features of her brothers, and although she had smiled and laughed occasionally, she wasn’t sure how she could sit through a meal with them again without losing her lunch or laughing her head off.

When it had been Ginny’s turn to answer, she had excused herself to go use the loo, and simply told them as she'd looked back over her shoulder that 'wouldn’t they like to know'. When she'd come back out, her father had finally gotten home and the party was breaking up. So she was spared giving the answers that she knew they would have demanded from her had he not shown up when he did.

Smiling to herself, she knew exactly which feature on her husband held her fascination. She hadn’t shared because she thought that they would have thought her silly. Her husband was a very attractive man and had many features that drove women crazy. She should know because when they went out he never failed to draw numerous eyes. Had he not showered her with his time and affection she could very easily turn into a jealous shrew. But he treated her like a princess and she was secure in the love and attention that he heaped upon her.

Looking at the clock, she saw that it was just after nine p.m. and knew that the guys probably wouldn’t break up their little gathering for another hour or so. She poured herself another mug of cocoa from the pot next to her cup and returned to her musings.

The first thing most people noticed about her husband was his hair. It was such a unique shade of blonde. Most women would kill for that shade, and used copious amounts of hair lightening charms to obtain it, but not him. His hair color was as dominant in his family as red was in her own, and most people teased them, saying that any child of theirs would have pink hair with those two particular colors fighting for dominance. He didn’t wear his hair long like his father, and neither was it short, but that still wasn’t the feature that most attracted her to him.

The second thing that most people noticed about him was his eyes. They were such intense eyes, the most beautiful shade of silver/grey/blue, and one that she had only seen in the portraits that hung in the gallery of their home. He prided himself on his control and made people nervous because they could never read his face. But Ginny knew that if you truly wanted to get to know what he was thinking, you had to read his eyes. After four years of marriage, she knew what the changing color of his eyes meant. When he was happy they were light, a most beautiful shade of silverish-blue, when he was aroused and making love to her they were a darker, intense, grayish-blue, and when angry, they were as cold and grey as the darkest storm clouds. Those eyes had the ability to take her breath away, but neither were they the feature that had most attracted her.

There was no denying that her husband had a sexy body. He had topped out at 6’3” and had filled out the skinny frame that he’d had during school. Even after graduating, then fighting in the final war against his father and Voldemort, and finally settling into his role of running the family businesses after his father’s death, he still managed to keep himself physically fit. He worked out every day, and was known to join her on her morning run a couple of times a week if work permitted. Most weekends found him playing a pick-up game of Quidditch with family and friends, but even his six-pack abs and strong muscular arms were not the most attractive feature in her mind.

And that was what had made her hesitant to reveal her thoughts to her friends and family earlier. It was those things that they had all listed as their favorites, and she had felt that her answer might have seemed silly to them. What they didn’t know was that it was something she had pondered over before, and she had reached her conclusion one night long ago.

Hands – Chapter 2


The fighting between the light and dark forces had been increasing over the last few weeks and everyone was waiting for something to break. Ginny had been working twelve-hour shifts as a healer at St. Mungo’s all week, and her nerves were stretched near to breaking. She had not heard any news about her husband or her brothers all week and she was nearing exhaustion between work and anxiety for her loved ones.

The day that would become known as the final battle found her working in the emergency room where those participating in the fighting were brought when they were wounded. Some to be treated for their injuries and others to be examined for the exact cause of death before their families were notified.

As the day wore on, so many people were brought in she just couldn’t see how things could be going well for their side. She was terrified that the next room she walked into would bring her face to face with one of her loved ones either injured, or worse, dead.

Five days of twelve-hour shifts dealing with life threatening injuries and death had left her exhausted and she just couldn’t take another step. She'd just left a trauma room after examining the body of one of her former schoolmates. As she walked out of the room, she began to tremble all over and she just couldn’t take anymore. She leaned up against the wall outside the door, slid down to the floor with her face in her hands, and started to cry.

Suddenly she heard joyous cries go out among the staff and people in the trauma ward. It had come over the wireless that it was over. Voldemort had been defeated. News reports were coming in from the battle stating most of the Death Eaters had been killed or captured. The noise was deafening and all she could do was wrap her arms around her knees, put her head on her arms, and cry, hard racking sobs shaking her from head to foot. It might be over but what of her family?

Ginny began to pray to every god and goddess that she could think of to let her husband and her family be all right. She knew that they were on the front lines of the battle and she was terrified that she had lost one of them.

She didn’t know how long she sat there but the noise had quieted down as the staff had gotten back to the task of taking care of the injured. Her knees were starting to ache and she knew she that needed to get back to work, but she just couldn’t find the energy to move. Suddenly she heard footsteps stop in front of her and she raised her head off her arms to look up. All she could see thru her blurred vision was a hand being offered to help her up. It was a large hand and it looked to be covered in dirt, sweat, and possibly a little blood.

She raised her eyes further up and there he was, standing before her, and she had never seen a more beautiful sight in her life. She placed her hand in his and let him help her up. Then she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck as she began crying again. She felt one of his hands on her back while the other removed the clip that held her hair up as he buried his hand in it. He whispered her name over and over again as he rubbed the small of her back and stroked her hair.

He pushed her back and caressed both of her cheeks with his thumbs as he bent down to kiss her. He moved his tongue across her bottom lip and she opened her own for him. He pulled her closer with one hand at her back and the other caressing the back of her head as he devoured her mouth. When they broke apart, he put his forehead to hers and told her that everyone was safe and accounted for. Two of her brothers had been brought in for injuries but none of them were serious. She looked up at him and brought her hands to his face, touching him everywhere, to assure herself that he was really there. She pushed the hair that had fallen over his eyes out of the way and laughed as the tears fell down her face. They were safe, they were all safe. He leaned in to kiss her again and all she could think was that he was here, he was safe, they were all safe, and it was over.

After a little while, she excused herself to report off to the replacement healers who had begun to arrive to relieve the tired staff. As she want to leave she felt a tug on her hand as he pulled her back to him. He placed his other hand on her cheek and kissed her softly and told her to hurry back. She smiled and nodded as she looked into his eyes, as she walked away he held her hand until her fingers slipped from his grasp. She hurried to where they were giving reports and quickly gave hers. The head healer told her that he didn’t want to see her for a week. Help was being brought in from the continent to give the exhausted staff some time to recover and be with their families. She entered the staff’s locker rooms and pulled off her scrubs, taking a quick shower before changing into her robes.

She saw him talking with her family who had come as soon as they had heard about her injured brothers. She quickly gave him a kiss and looked in on her brothers to assure herself that they were truly all right. After visiting with them for a few minutes, she gave them a kiss and promised to visit them as soon as they got home. They said their good-byes to everyone before heading back to their own house.

He placed his hand in the small of her back as they negotiated through all of the traffic on their way to the Apparation point. When they arrived, he wrapped his arms around her and took them home, straight to their bedroom. They shared a long exploring kiss and couldn’t stop touching one another, unable to believe that they were together again.

Finally, they broke away and she told him to go and take a shower while she got him something to eat. Once she heard the shower running, she went to the kitchen to heat up some stew that her mother had sent over, and put it into to mugs. She cut and buttered some fresh bread and added a salad to the tray she made, along with some wine. When she got back to their bedroom with the tray he was just walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and drying his hair with another. He put the towel down and came over to take the tray from her, placing it on the table that was in front of the sofa that sat before the fireplace.

He put on the bathrobe she handed him while she went to change into her nightgown and robe. As they ate their meal, she questioned him about the battle and what he had seen. When they were finished he banished the dishes back to the kitchen and offered her his hand as he rose. She put her hand in his and he led her to their bed.

Later, she lay with her head on his chest and just listened to the sound of his breathing, lightly running her hand over his chest and abdomen. She was afraid that if she went to sleep she would wake up and find it was all a dream and that he wasn’t really there with her.

He shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer to him while placing his hand over hers to still its movement. With a sigh, his breathing evened out again and she could just make out their hands in the dying light of the fire, his covering hers. She placed a kiss on his chest as she gave into the exhaustion that was claiming her, and she had never felt more safe or loved then she did in that moment, in his arms with his hand over hers keeping the nightmares away.

Hands – Chapter 3


Ginny started when she heard the clock chime the hour and realized that she must have dozed off at some point. The fire had burned down in the fireplace and her cocoa was gone. She stood up and stretched before folding the throw and banishing it and her dishes back to their proper places before walking up to their bedroom.

Knowing that her husband would be home soon, she got ready for bed and lit the fire before climbing under the covers to wait for him. Soon she heard the door to their room open and he softly called her name. She whispered a greeting to him and he walked over to their bed and sat down. He reached out and ran his thumb along her cheek, leaning down to kiss her before he went into the bathroom to shower and change for bed.

She rolled onto her side and settled further down into the mattress while she waited for him. A short time later, she heard the shower turn off and the door open. He climbed into bed and scooted in behind her, sliding one arm underneath her and wrapping his other arm around her middle. He placed soft kisses on her neck and shoulder while stroking her belly.

“So how was the baby shower, did you have a good time?” he asked between kisses. She turned her head back to look at him, and in the firelight, she could see the dark grey-blue color of his eyes. “Yes, we all had a good time and the shower went well. Did you have a good time tonight?”

“Yes we had a good time, but I was glad when it finally broke up. I wanted to get home to you. How are you feeling? Not too tired, I hope?” he asked softly. He buried his nose in her hair and took in her fragrance.

“I’m fine,” she answered softly. “We did have an interesting discussion tonight,” she teased. “Melodie posed an interesting question.”

“Really, and what was that?” he inquired.

“I’m not sure I should tell you, because I know I’ll never be able to look my brothers in the eye again without either getting sick or laughing myself silly,” she teased.

“Well, now you have to tell me,” he said.

“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. She asked us what physical feature had most attracted us to our husbands,” she told him as she looked around to see his reaction.

“That must have gotten some interesting responses, considering your brothers,” he said, and dropped a kiss on her lips.

Ginny yawned loudly and snuggled closer to him, resting her back against his body. “Yes, you could say that. I heard about my brothers' hair, their eyes, their arms, their freckles in strange places, their ears, and various other body parts that I don’t ever want to hear about again. And did you know that Pansy has a neck fetish? You’ll have to ask Anton about that one. That is information I could have lived without.”

Draco chuckled. “So, what did you tell them about me, or do I even want to know?”

She smiled and turned to face him, giving him a soft kiss. “Don’t worry. Nobody has anything on you.”

He put his knuckle under her chin to lift her eyes to his. “What, you didn’t tell them? I mean, I’m sure you could've thought of something. What attracts you to me?” He sounded almost put out.

She giggled at him, grabbing his hand and holding them up palm-to-palm, amazed at how his hand looked so large compared to hers. “I didn’t get the chance to answer them because for some reason, I'm constantly having to go to the bathroom, and when it was my turn I couldn’t wait any longer. When I got back from the bathroom, Dad had come home and we started packing up.”

She then kissed his lips again and pulled his hand to her mouth, dropping another kiss on his long, manicured fingers before releasing his hand and rolling back onto her side so he could support her body.

His arm came back around her and he spread his hand protectively over her protruding stomach, letting it come to rest where their child was growing with in her. He rubbed his hand over her belly, knowing it relaxed her, and he marveled at the fact that within the next few weeks, their first child would be born. He continued to stroke her belly and placed a kiss on the side of her face, and then another on her neck, feeling her start to relax underneath his soothing ministrations.

“So, are you going to tell me what your answer would have been?” he queried softly.

“Do you really want to know?” she asked gently.

“Yes,” he responded.

“Your hands, Draco, I love your hands, your touch,” she responded quietly, placing her hand over his, which had come to a stop and was now resting over their baby.

He didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes, not sure what to think. In the past, before Ginny, girls had told him how they loved his hair or his eyes, and even his body, but he didn’t expect her to tell him that her favorite thing was his hands. He was a little upset at first, as he thought those to be his best features, and then he thought about it. He realized how she would smile up at him when he held her hand, or how she would lean slightly back into him when he would put his hand in the small of her back when they walked in a crowd. Then he thought about how she responded to his touch when they made love, and how her body would follow his hands. Or how his stroking her belly had soothed her during her pregnancy, helping her to fall asleep, and she would place her hand over his while she dreamed.

The more he thought about it, the more he liked it, and with a smile, he placed a soft kiss on her neck. “My hands, I think I like that. I love you, Ginny,” he whispered, resumed his stroking of her belly.

She let out a soft sigh, “I love you too, Draco.”

As she began to relax under his soft touch, she smiled and whispered, “Yes, definitely your hands,” as she placed her own over his and drifted off to sleep.

The End