Chapter One

Harry Potter looked on with regretful eyes as the stunningly beautiful witch played with the little baby. Her freckled face was flushed with happiness as she bounced the yellow-haired child in the air and cooed cute little words at him. She looked happier than Harry had seen her in years, since Voldemort’s return in his fourth year, he thought. Before, her hair had seemed dull and her eyes lacked the spark he had always hoped to see there. Now, her tresses shone in their ruby splendor and those eyes that had always held the shadow of past sorrows now glittered with laughter as she played. He truly wished that he didn’t have to do this, but he had no choice.

Slim arms slipped around his waist from behind and he smiled, grateful for this small reprieve from his unpleasant task. Harry turned around to face the petite blonde witch and kissed the crown of her head.

Luna Lovegood looked up at him with those mysterious eyes and asked quietly, “Have you told her yet?”

Harry sighed. “Not yet, love. I’m trying to work up the nerve.”

Luna nodded, understanding. It was going to be more difficult this time than the others had been, Harry reasoned. Though Harry and Luna cared for each and every child sheltered under the roof of Stepping Stones Home for Children, they had never gotten as attached to a child as they, and Ginny, had to the little blond boy. He supposed it was an effect of the war.

Harry Potter and all those around him had fought against Voldemort and his legions of Death Eaters, surviving battle after battle. They had slowly whittled down the number of dark followers, all the while having their own side reduced at almost the same pace. Friends were lost, taken down in the heat of battle, many taking three or more enemies with them. Remus and Tonks Lupin. Kingsley. Dennis Creevey. Hannah Abbot. More people than Harry liked or wanted to remember had been taken from them.

Even in the midst of battle and war, however, light shone through. Harry’s two best friends in the whole world, Ron and Hermione, had fallen in love and married a little less than a year ago, a month before what turned out to be the final battle. Rather than feel abandoned by his two best friends, Harry had found his own love down another path, one that led to Luna Lovegood. During the course of the war, Ginny and he had grown, not apart, but rather into a comfortable friendship, the intense attraction that had brought them together replaced by camaraderie on the frontline. Harry hadn’t felt bad about it. At the time, he had been relieved that his focus wasn’t split between Ginny and Voldemort. She handled battle on one end of the front and he on the other. Together they had turned the tide of the war. The end had come in a somewhat expected way: Harry versus Voldemort, Ginny and the Order against the Death Eaters. When Harry had taken down the Dark Lord with one strategically placed Killing Curse, the Death Eaters were distracted enough that the Order members had been able to overthrow the dark wizards. Neville Longbottom had avenged his parents by killing Bellatrix Lestrange, while Ginny had personally taken down Lucius Malfoy. For removing the two biggest contenders to take the Dark Lord’s place, Ginny and Neville had both received an Order of Merlin, First Class, as did Harry.

But the award and fame weren’t what Harry appreciated most about the end of the war. He and Luna had been together for three years, and he wouldn’t wish it any other way.

After the heat of the battle had faded, Harry had shocked everyone by not immediately becoming an Auror and tracking down the remaining Death Eaters. While Harry had initially wanted to continue what he felt was his duty, Luna had come to him with a more brilliant idea. Instead of causing more death and destruction, Luna thought that Harry should give back to the wizarding world. “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation,” she had explained to him on his twentieth birthday.

But the real motivation for the starting of Stepping Stones was when, one day shortly after his conversation with Luna, Bill Weasley came into 12 Gimmauld Place carrying the little bundle that Ginny now played with. Little Alexandre Rowan, five month old son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, a pureblood family who, like the Zabinis, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy, had elected out of the war. Unfortunately for the Rowan family, the Death Eaters were rather persistent, and their attacks left five month Alexandre orphaned. Seeing the helpless bundle, abandoned like Harry himself had been so long ago, had convinced him to created Stepping Stones Home for Children to protect those left alone in the universe. With Luna by his side, Harry had invested most of his inheritance into the orphanage, all because of Alex.

Ginny had begun working there almost immediately after the opening and had fallen in love with Alex at first glance. Now, three months later, Harry knew that Ginny was hoping to adopt the small child, make him hers officially. And now Harry had to tell her it would never be.

“You will have to do it soon, Harry,” Luna reminded him softly. ”He will be here in a couple of hours.”

“Yeah,” Harry replied, resigned to his fate. “I’ll do it now.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, love, I’d better do this by myself, fewer people in the target zone.”

“Oh, Harry. It will be alright. Ginny is a completely logical, rational person,” Luna reasoned.

Harry muttered as he started walking. “Ginny, rational. Only on the battle field.”

Harry approached the play area where Ginny was busy tickling a grinning Alex. The closer Harry got to them, the more and more he regretted what he was going to do. He had had multiple conversations with Ginny about adopting Alex, but until Ginny had a more stable source of income and a home of her own, it was out of the question.

“Oh look, Alex, here comes Harry. I bet it’s time for your lunch, little man.”

Alex cooed back at her, amused by the sound of her voice. Ginny set the now eight month old baby down in his crib and turned toward Harry.

“Sorry, Harry. I must have lost track of time,” Ginny apologized. “I’ll just get back to work so you can feed Alex.”

“No, Ginny, that’s alright. It’s not lunchtime, yet, but you might want to leave Alex be for a bit,” Harry added as Ginny turned back towards the child. “We need to talk.”

“Alright, Harry,” Ginny replied, and walked over to a table in the corner. Sitting down on the edge of the table, Ginny looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes. “What about?”

Well, might as well be direct about it. “Ginny, it’s about Alex.” He paused. “He’s been adopted.”

Harry stared at her face after he finished his statement, gauging her reaction. He hoped that it would be something he could handle, like yelling, or hexes.

“When was he adopted?” Oh, no. The quiet-but-deadly voice. He was in for it.

“Uh, last Wednesday. A man came by and—”

“You’ve known about this for five days and you are just telling me now?” Her voice cut him off, and the soft tones held the edge of steel.

“Well, you see, Ginny—” Harry tried again, but once more was cut off.

“Who is it? Who are you giving my Alex to?”

Harry braced himself. “Draco Malfoy.”

“WHAT? You’re giving my sweet little Alex to that Death Eater? How could you, Harry?”

“Ginny, please listen to me. Let me explain.”

“Yes, Harry,” she replied mockingly, “please explain to me how you could let that traitorous scum adopt that innocent little child.”

Alright, at least she’s listening to me now. “Okay, Ginny,” Harry began. “Here’s what happened.”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


On a normal Wednesday afternoon, Harry’s perfectly calm day was shot to pieces as Draco Malfoy walked sedately through the doors of Stepping Stones. Harry could only stare as his nemesis from school calmly walked up to him and asked for the owner of the orphanage.

Harry was saved from answering as Luna walked up to the Malfoy heir and smoothly interjected, “Mr. Malfoy, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Luna Lovegood, co-director of Stepping Stones. How may we help you?”

Malfoy seemed unfazed by Luna’s redirection of his attention. “I’m looking to adopt a child.”

That shook Harry from his stupor. “Adopt a child? Why would you want—”

“Not here, if you please,” Malfoy interrupted smoothly. “Do you have somewhere we could talk in private?”

“Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” Luna replied. “If you will please follow us?”

The three of them made their way to a small conference room off of the lobby. Harry walked along with them, still slightly in a daze. Draco Malfoy, along with his mother and Severus Snape, had gone missing immediately following that horrible night up in the Astronomy Tower. None of the three of them had shown their faces for the next four years of the war, though Harry and others suspected that Snape had continued to supply the Order information about the Death Eaters and particularly about Lucius Malfoy. It was on one of these anonymous tips that Harry and Ginny had prepared the Order for the final battle. Once the smoke had cleared and Harry could search through Hogwarts again, he found the evidence that Snape had worked for Dumbledore the whole time. Evidence that supported that the night in the tower had been carefully orchestrated between the two of them. Harry had them convinced the Ministry officials to clear Snape’s name. Harry never could find anything about either Draco or Narcissa, though almost all Death Eaters, when interrogated, agreed that the young Malfoy had never taken the Mark, nor had his mother.

Now, four years after his escape from the war, not many people concerned themselves with the missing Malfoys. The general consensus was that the three escapees had either died, or just permanently emigrated. As long as they didn’t return, intending on resurrecting the Dark Movement, Wizarding Britain paid them no mind.

Which was why having Draco Malfoy sitting across from Harry in a children’s shelter was exceedingly unexpected.

“Alright, Mr. Malfoy, before we can let you adopt one of our children, we need to ask you a few questions.” Thank Merlin for Luna, Harry thought. She never seems unsettled.

“Yes, indeed,” answered Malfoy with the barest hint of a smirk on his lips. “I suppose you have a lot to ask.”

“Right,” said Harry, gaining control of himself again. “The first question we have is: why do you want to adopt, and why have you chosen Stepping Stones?” Harry was eternally grateful for standardized questions.

Malfoy seemed to think for a moment. “My mother married my father almost directly out of Hogwarts. My father was insistent that he have his heir immediately, but my mother wanted to wait. They had me right around my mother’s twenty-first birthday.” He paused. “Consequently, my mother has insisted that by the time I turn twenty-one I have an heir, or at the very least be married. Especially in these times, an heir is most important. As to the second part of your question, your facilities are by far the most impressive of those I’ve seen of the wizarding variety, even as far as Germany.”

So that’s where they went. “Not to pry, Malfoy,” Harry cut in, “but why wouldn’t you just marry a Pureblood witch? Wouldn’t that be a better way to preserve your bloodline, as I’m sure your mother’s insisting?”

Malfoy nodded. “Of course it would be, Potter, but to produce an heir I would first have to find such a suitable Pureblood witch, court her, marry her, and then produce an heir. That would certainly put me past my mother’s deadline. Plus, it’s a lot of work, if you ask me, especially since I’m in no mood to get married. No,” Malfoy concluded firmly, “it is much easier to adopt a Pureblood baby and make him a Malfoy.”

“Alright, Mr. Malfoy,” continued Luna. “We understand your reasons for adoption. We would like to know what sort of child you are looking to adopt. What is their preferable age, gender, blood purity, and anything else that you have in mind? This will help us ensure that we match you to the ideal child.” Luna sounded almost clinical about it, but Harry understood the necessity of the question.

“I would like a Pureblood boy,” answered Malfoy without hesitation. “The younger they are the better, but most definitely under eighteen months of age. As to the features--” Here Malfoy paused. “--they aren’t as important, but as close to traditional Malfoy coloring as possible. That should pacify Mother about this whole process.”

But Harry didn’t hear that last statement. He and Luna exchanged anxious looks, both coming to the same conclusion. Alexandre. The small child was exactly what Malfoy wanted. The only problem was Ginny. She had fallen in love with the baby and obviously wanted him for herself. Luna’s eyes questioned him, and Harry nodded, resigned.

“We think that we can help you, Malfoy,” Harry acquiesced. He summoned the file and slid it across the conference table to Malfoy. “His name is Alexandre Rowan, son of Alexander and Marian Rowan, both Purebloods. He was orphaned at the age of five months and is currently eight months old,” Harry summarized, looking for Malfoy’s reaction. He was half hoping that Malfoy wouldn’t be interested so Harry wouldn’t have to destroy Ginny’s dreams. The blond man carefully studied little Alex’s file, absorbing the details written and the small picture attached. Both Harry and Luna waited for Malfoy to speak.

A few minutes later they had an answer. “Might I see the child?” asked Malfoy, eyes still attached to Alex’s file.

Luna checked the clock, making sure that Alex wouldn’t be eating or playing. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” she answered. “If you will just follow us again, the infant’s ward is just around the corner.”

Malfoy nodded and handed the file back to Harry, who banished it back from whence it came. The three of them made their way to where children under twelve months lived and Harry peaked through the window to ensure that the room was Ginny-less before opening the wards to admit them. Harry stood back while Luna led Malfoy to Alex’s crib to determine the other man’s reaction.

There was silence for a moment before little Alex let out a small cry that indicated he was awake. Harry involuntarily walked over to the little baby’s side. From this angle Harry could see the look of pure wonder on Malfoy’s aristocratic face as he peered down at the child. He could also hear Malfoy’s gasp as Alex lifted his eyelids to reveal clear, crystal blue eyes.

“Can I hold him?” Harry was startled by Malfoy’s request, but obliged him. He picked up the child, who extended his pudgy little arms towards the new person. Harry passed the baby over to Malfoy, showing him how to properly support Alex’s head and cradle his back. Malfoy learned quickly, and as Alex settled into Malfoy’s arms, Harry could instantly see it was a perfect match. The two looked like the ideal father and son, the hair and high cheekbones serving as a physical connection between the pair. Had Harry not known Alex’s parentage, he would have thought that the baby was pure Malfoy.

“Mr. Malfoy?” prompted Luna.

“When can I take him home with me?” asked Malfoy. Aside from the physical resemblance, Harry could see the start of a connection between the two blonds. He could tell that Malfoy wanted Alex for more than his looks.

Harry gently took the child back from the other man and placed him back into his crib. He led the trio back to the conference room and sat down again. “Before we can start the adoption process there are three more things left to discuss.” At Malfoy’s nod of acceptance, Harry continued. “Luna and I assume that you have sufficient funds to support both yourself and Alex until Alex comes of age?”

Malfoy raised one white-blond eyebrow. “Potter, I have enough funds left to support Alexandre and five generations of his children without ever needing to work a day, even lacking the funds the Ministry unlawfully seized from my family.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably as the Malfoy he remembered from school reappeared, drawl, smirk, and all. “Right then. Second, where do you plan on living with Alex, and will you be taking care of him yourself, or hiring a caretaker for him?”

“Mother, Severus, and I are currently living in Malfoy Manor, and once Alexandre is officially a Malfoy, he will join us there. Since Mother is there, she will be able to look after him if I go away on business.”

Harry nodded his approval. He looked at Luna quickly before continuing. “There is one last thing, Malfoy. Would you please roll up your sleeves?”

Malfoy’s eyes hardened, but he acquiesced. His crisp while shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and wrists were proffered, revealing two bare white forearms.

Harry brought out his wand and muttered, “Reveal,” tapping both of Malfoy’s arms. When nothing happened after a moment, Harry nodded at Malfoy and put his wand away.

“Sorry about that, Malfoy,” Harry apologized as Malfoy fixed his shirt. “It’s just a formality.”

“I trust I passed your inspection?”

The steel edge in his voice made Harry want to cringe, though he kept his composure.

“You have, Mr. Malfoy,” affirmed Luna. “We have some forms for you to fill out, some brochures for you to read, and after we sort out the legal side of it you can come pick up Alex on Sunday.” In Muggle orphanages and adoption centers, Harry knew, the adoption process and forms took weeks, sometimes months to complete and verify. However, Harry and Luna had carefully created the wards around the shelter and the forms filled out. No one with malicious intent towards a child could even step foot into the building, and the quill and ink Malfoy would be using on the forms were variations on McGonagall’s anti-cheating quills. No one could lie using those quills and ink on those forms. The precautions Harry and Luna had taken with the adoption process allowed them to cut down on the time needed to legally adopt one of their children.

Malfoy nodded and Harry handed him a packet of forms to fill out and gestured to the special quill and ink on the table. As Malfoy started to write, Harry pulled Luna to the side.

“Why Sunday, Luna?” Harry asked quietly. “The forms only take two days, three at most.”

Luna looked up at him with eyes that held understanding and sympathy. “We still need to tell Ginny.”


~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Harry looked at Ginny, gauging her reaction in much the same way he had Malfoy’s earlier that week. It was not good.

“You just let that bastard walk in here and adopt my little Alex without even consulting me? How could you do that to me, Harry? How could you do that to Alex, letting his go home with that Death Eater?” Ginny’s voice was steadily growing louder and stronger, and Harry knew he had to stop her before she woke up every child in the shelter.

“Ginny, please listen to me,” Harry intoned, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. “Malfoy is not and has never been a Death Eater. I performed the spell myself. He’s not hiding anything like that. And he has full rights to adopt Alex. I hate to say it, but he has all the means to take care of him, and he seems genuinely taken with him.”

“But what about me, Harry?” Ginny asked softly, all of the fight leaving her body. “I’ve been working so hard to be able to adopt him.”

Her quiet voice cut through Harry’s heart.

“I know, Gin. I know.” Harry hugged her to him. “But Luna and I truly believe that this is what’s best for everyone.” He felt Ginny nod silently against his chest.

“When is Malfoy taking him?” she asked, the question slightly muffled against his shirt.

“Today,” Harry answered. “One o’clock.”

Ginny pulled away from him sharply. “That’s in only an hour. You’re only giving me an hour to say goodbye!”

“I know, Ginny. I kept putting off telling you. I just didn’t want to hurt you like that.”

Ginny’s face hardened in a way that reminded Harry eerily like Malfoy’s had in the conference room. “How considerate of you, Harry. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to spend the next hour with Alex. You’ll need to get Padma to cover my shift.”

With that she walked away, back towards Alex, leaving Harry feeling like a sorry excuse for a friend. He left to find Padma, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him.


* * *


At one o’clock sharp, Draco Malfoy returned to Stepping Stones. He nodded at the receptionist and made his way to Lovegood’s office. He knocked on the door and turned the knob when he heard the woman inside call, “Come in.”

Luna looked up from her paperwork and nodded. “Ah, Mr. Malfoy. It’s a pleasure to see you again. Here to pick up Alex?”

“Yes, I am. Mother has finished preparing his bedroom at the Manor and we are all looking forward to his arrival.”

Lovegood nodded. “Very well, shall we go get him then?”

Draco nodded his approval, slightly nervous at the prospect of bringing the child home and becoming an actual father. “Lead the way.”

The two of them walked the familiar path to the infant’s ward, and Draco thought about his mother’s reaction to the news. When he had first told her that he had decided to adopt Alexandre, she had objected vehemently, ranting about the purity of Black and Malfoy blood. It was unheard of for Purebloods of their standing to adopt children, and never before had Malfoy heirs been of non-Malfoy blood, et cetera, et al. She had been mollified slightly when he informed her that Alexandre was Pureblooded on both sides, and was in fact, distantly related to both the Malfoys and the Blacks. He calmed her even more with the photo of the child, showing off his picturesque Malfoy features. Truthfully, Narcissa had loved Alexandre’s blue eyes more than the fact he looked like a Malfoy.

But what had really soothed Narcissa was the fact that Draco had chosen to not enter into a marriage of convenience purely to create an heir. As Draco had told her, he wanted a marriage like the one she and Severus would share, one of love. He didn’t want to become like Lucius and end up hating his future wife because he didn’t love her, and it was the truth.

And, if Draco was completely honest with himself, he genuinely liked Alexandre. The boy had survived infancy without his parents, and when Draco had held the child, he had felt the strength and power of his magic flowing through the tiny boy. Alexandre would grow to be a strong wizard and bring pride to the Malfoy name.

Draco stopped behind Luna as she peered through the window into the room. The blonde woman winced slightly before opening the door.

The reason for Lovegood’s discomfort became apparent as Draco’s eyes fell on a curvaceous red-head in the center of the room. As his eyes started to focus again he noticed that the woman was holding his child to her ample chest. Draco was struck by the picture they presented and the obvious connection the woman had with his son. This must have been the reason Potter and Lovegood were hesitant to let me adopt him, Draco reasoned.

A scoff from the direction of the red-head broke his reverie and Draco saw Lovegood retreat from the other woman with an apologetic look on her face. The co-director of Stepping Stones paused as she passed him, muttering, “Be nice to her. She’s having a hard time letting him go.”

Draco nodded, never taking his eyes off of the pair in front of him. He wondered who she was. He certainly thought that he would have remembered a woman like her. Her long legs belied her short stature, and the curves she possessed certainly didn’t belong to a small and frail woman. If not the body, than Draco certainly would have remembered her mane of wine red wavy hair.

The mystery woman finally turned towards him and gave him a look of utter disdain and loathing. That did spark Draco’s memory. Images of small, girlish features surrounded my flaming orange hair shouting curses at him, a thin freckled hand holding a wand at his throat flashed through his mind, and Draco gave an internal start. Could this gorgeous creature holding Alexandre really be little Ginny Weasley?

Now that he looked more closely at her face, Draco could indeed see traces of the girl she had been. She had certainly grown up in the four years he had been away. And if the stories of her ability in battle were half as true as Draco had heard, her prowess with a wand had grown as well. He decided it would be advantageous to stay on her good side, especially concerning his adoptive son.

“Weaselette,” he acknowledged with a tilt of the head.

“Malfoy,” she all but spat at him, her face contorted as if the word left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Draco didn’t take it personally; after all, he was hardly her favorite person in the world, and he was essentially taking something she loved dearly away from her. After the trials of the war, Draco figured that she would be very possessive of those close to her.

“I’ve come to take Alexandre home with me,” Draco informed her, taking care to keep his voice soft and understanding.

Ginny’s focus shifted from Draco to the baby, all the anger melting away from her face. Without the ugliness of contempt distorting her features, Draco was again struck by the beauty of it. The love shinning from her eyes, though it was directed at the child, did something strange to the bottom of Draco’s stomach, something he studiously chose to ignore.

“Ginevra,” Draco began again, only to be cut off by her curt reply.

“Give me a moment, Malfoy.”

He nodded, taking a half step backwards to give her more space. He waited patiently for her to finish saying her goodbyes to Alex, taking the time to memorize her body and the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled.

“You be a good boy for Malfoy, Alex,” he heard her whisper. “Though if you give him hell, that’s okay, too.” He was sure that Alex couldn’t understand her, but he burbled in response anyway. Ginny bent over and placed a small kiss on the top of Alex’s head, her blood red hair mingling with Alex’s light blond. Draco thought it was perfect. He wondered what it would take to win her over, to have her hair mingling with his.

But she snapped him out of his fantasy with her soft voice. “Alright, Malfoy. I’m ready now.”

He looked into her eyes for a moment as he took Alex from her arms and saw her pain at parting with the child she had taken care of for so long.

“Don’t worry, Ginevra,” Draco offered, hoping to seem compassionate. “He’ll be in excellent care.”

The ire returned to her face, and Draco realized that his comment could have been taken as a jibe at her ability to raise a child.

“I’m sure he will be, Malfoy,” she replied coldly and turned away from Draco and his son.

Draco sighed at his blunder and looked down at the child in his arms. He was currently amusing himself by sticking his fingers in his mouth. Draco figured nothing more would be accomplished by staying and turned towards the door.

As soon as she heard the door open, Ginny whirled around and rushed to catch his arm.

“Make sure that you don’t Floo or Apparate with him until he’s at least eighteen months,” she informed him earnestly. Draco nodded. “And make sure his formula is warmed before you give it to him.” Another nod. “And make sure he takes his nap--”

“Ginevra,” Draco cut in, “I will take care of Alexandre, you may be sure of that.” This time, when she nodded, Draco added, “Of course, if you think of anything else I desperately need to know, feel free to visit us.” He looked her up and down again. “I know I won’t mind.”

With a smirk at her thunderous expression, Draco swept out of the room and out of Stepping Stones with Alexandre Rowan Malfoy tucked safely in his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

End 1/2

Chapter Two

Draco Malfoy sighed as he stepped out of Alexandre’s bedroom and rubbed his eyes, overcome with exhaustion. He had known that taking care of children was tough work, but truthfully, Alexandre wasn’t a high maintenance child. He was relatively well behaved for a nine month old baby; he rarely made a mess and hardly ever cried. All in all, Alexandre was the perfect baby.

Except at night. In the month that Alex had been at the Manor, the baby had not once slept through the night. Draco or Narcissa would put him to bed at the right time, but not even a half-hour later Alexandre would wake up crying and screaming. Draco would rush over to the child’s room, pick him up, and spend the next three or four hours trying to calm him down. Nothing any of them had tried so far had worked. They had fed him, changed him, and burped him. Draco had even tried singing to him, though had abandoned that tactic as it only made the problem worse. After two weeks of it, Draco had called in a pediatric healer to find out if it was a medical reason, but the doctor could find nothing physically wrong with Alex. Draco would have just chalked it up to normal infant behavior, but it had happened every night for the past month.

Something was wrong with Alexandre, and Draco was determined to fix the problem. His son would want for nothing, and that included a good night’s sleep.

The only way Draco could think of providing that good night’s sleep for his son was to discover the problem and fix it. But he had no clue where to even begin, and the only ones who might know what the problem was were Potter and Lovegood. If Draco valued his son over his pride, he would walk over to the Floo and contact them.

For the briefest of moments Draco contemplated refusing to ask for their help, of facing his problem like a Malfoy. The moment passed as the memory of Alex’s piercing cry tugged at Draco’s heartstrings, and he resolutely marched over to his fireplace. Grabbing a handful of green powder, he threw it in the Floo and took a deep breath to shout, “Stepping Stones Home for Children.”

Before he got the words out, however, a house elf popped into the room and squeaked out, “A visitor for you, Master Draco.”

Draco nodded, grateful that he didn’t have to swallow his pride just yet. “Thank you, Minty. I’ll receive him in the parlor.

“It is a ‘her’, Master Draco, not a ‘him’.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at the correction. A woman? “Again, the parlor, Minty.”

The house elf nodded, popping out to presumably escort the unannounced guest to the parlor. Draco straightened up from his kneeling position by the Floo and brushed his clothing to remove any wrinkles or specks of dust.

As he made his way to the parlor, Draco’s thoughts were more focused on Alex and his problem than his unexpected guest. He entered the room and froze in shock at the identity of his guest. Whoever Draco had expected to be sitting demurely on the sofa, it most certainly was not Ginevra Weasley.

She raised her head at Minty’s twitter of, “Master Malfoy,” and the subsequent pop of Apparition.

Draco inclined his head towards the flame haired beauty sitting on the plush sofa. “Ginevra, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Malfoy,” she replied, and her soft voice carried a touch of exhaustion that shocked Draco.

The last time he had seen her, right after he had adopted Alex, she had been full of fire and passion that dominated even through her grief at losing the child she had come to love. Now, though she was physically unchanged, her demeanor and aura seemed diminished, muted somehow. Draco hated to think that only one month away from Alex had done this to her.

After taking his seat and pouring himself some of the tea on the table, he sat back and regarded her calmly. “What can I do for you, Ginevra?”

She met his eyes, her own chocolate colored orbs filled with hope and sorrow. “You gave me an open invitation to visit. I was hoping that I could spend some time with Alex.”

Her request wasn’t unexpected, but part of Draco had hoped she was here for another reason entirely. “Of course. Alex should just be waking up from his nap.”

She perked up a little, and Draco realized that she had been scared he would deny her the chance to see the child. She had swallowed her own pride in coming here, Draco reasoned; she had admitted that she needed Alex in her life, and Draco respected her for that.

On the walk up to Alex’s bedroom Draco glanced over at Ginevra and found her looking back at him with a smirk. Glad to see a spark of life in her, he smirked back. She blushed, but refused to back down from his issued challenge.

“Why, Malfoy,” she quipped with a honeysuckle tone, “you’re looking a little peaky. Not getting enough sleep?”

He scowled slightly at her mention of his appearance. No amount of charms or potions seemed to alleviate the dark circles under his eyes. “Yes, well, you know how it is, Ginevra. Once you have a baby you can forget about a good night’s sleep.”

“True, Malfoy. You can also forget about your perfect appearance from now on. No more Sex-God Malfoy dampening the knickers of women at thirty paces.”

“Oh, come now,” Draco chided. “Not even Alex can reduce my natural charm. As a matter of fact, he has only enhanced my appeal. Now, not only am I a Sex-God, but I’m a Sex-God with enough maturity and responsibility to raise a family. Really, what more could a woman ask for?”

“Right, Malfoy. Only you would think of using an innocent child to attract women,” she rebuked.

Draco shot her a cheeky grin that he knew would infuriate her. “Working on you, isn’t it?”

Ginny tried for a moment to reply, but settled on a simple, “Oh shut up, Malfoy.” She sent what was supposed to be a withering glare at him, but its effectiveness was reduced by her small smile in his direction.

Draco smirked triumphantly, satisfied that he’d won that round. The look in her eyes promised retribution, and Draco was most certainly looking forward to that.

They arrived at their destination, cutting off whatever Ginny might have come back with. He opened the doors to Alex’s room and felt a sense of peace settle over him as he inhaled the warm and calming air of the nursery. Beside him, Draco could see Ginny visibly relax as well as she took in the tranquil setting. The room was decorated in light blues and greens alternating in various patterns on the walls and furniture. The sea-green carpet was plush and warm—with the help of some mild heating charms—and was perfect for Alex to grab onto to help him crawl. Various toys decorated the corners, and Draco was particularly proud at displaying the “Baby’s First Wand.” Usually the toy only worked with children two and up, when the magic was more developed and concentrated, but Alex had produced a bright glow from the tip at his meager nine month age. Seeing the light produced by his son’s magic was one of the memories Draco knew he would cherish.

Draco heard the soft cry he had come to associate with Alex’s awakening and then chuckled as Ginny rushed over to the hand-carved birch wood crib by the window. He followed the eager witch at a more sedate pace, choosing to savor the moment. The grief he had noticed in her when she arrived vanished in the face of her obvious happiness at being reunited with Alexandre. Her eyes lit up and her cheeks became flushed as she smiled down at his son. She reached a hand down to the baby and gently stroked his hair.

“He’s already grown so much,” she murmured, and Draco agreed with her as he peered down at the child. She was quiet for a moment before she met his eyes and asked, “Can I hold him?”

Draco smiled a real smile and nodded at her, not wanting to break her glowing demeanor by speaking. Her entire body seemed more alive than ever and Draco found it intoxicating. His senses seemed heightened as he watched her delicate fingers secure Alex in her grasp, saw the muscles of her arms flex while bringing the child to her, heard her sigh of contentment as Alex settle in her arms, smelled the flowery scent of her perfume in the air. Draco needed more.

He stepped closer to her slowly, gently, so as not to frighten her away. He stopped right in front of her and rested his eyes on the child in her arms. His child. He reached out and smoothed his hair, mimicking her gesture from before and saw her smile out of the corner of his eye. He raised his eyes and met her golden ones before taking that same hand and tucking one strand of glorious red hair behind her ear. He willed his hand to linger there, gently tracing the contours of her cheekbone, her brow, and down her jaw line. Draco risked running his fingers across the seam of her slightly parted lips and was rewarded with her small intake of air.

But because he was Draco, he couldn’t help the smirk that took hold of his mouth, and lo and behold, she drew back from him in anger.

“Why you—how dare—what makes you think that you—“

“Why, Ginevra,” Draco commented casually, cursing his propensity for smirking, “I do believe you’re stuttering.”

“You…you,” she stammered, still obviously flustered.

“Yes, me,” he finished for her. “The name’s Draco, love. I’ll be just outside if you need me.” He nodded at her and took his leave. Outside in the hallway he took a deep breath. He had come way too close back there to losing all control. All he had wanted was to place Alex back down and snog her senseless. Not such a great plan. He was all for snogging her silly, but he would rather not be slapped—or kicked in an unfortunate area—immediately afterwards.

The door opened and closed as Ginevra stepped out of the nursery. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to do or say. Luckily, or unluckily, Draco yawned suddenly, feeling the effects of his latest sleepless night.

He glared as Ginny giggled. “Think my exhaustion is funny, do you?”

She only laughed harder. “Well, you must really have girls lined up at your door if you’re tired enough to actually yawn in front of other people.”

“Women?” he snorted. “Where would I find the time? Alex keeps me up half the night with his crying. Cute as he may be, that kid’s got some set of lungs.”

She looked amused. “Now I know you’re lying. Alex has got to be the quietest baby I’ve ever met. I’ve never had a problem with him.”

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same baby?” Draco asked, eyeing her curiously. “Alexandre Rowan Malfoy, blond hair, bright blue eyes, pudgy arms and all?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied slowly, enunciating as if she thought he was stupid. “Alex is a very quiet sleeper.”

Draco threw up his arms in exasperation. “Then you explain to me why Mother, or Severus, or I have been up every night this past month trying to figure out why Alex cries for hours at night. We’ve tried everything: food, changing, toys; we even called a pediatric healer. Nothing works.”

Ginny’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Have you tried singing to him?”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ginevra, we’ve all sung to him. Severus has quite the enchanting baritone voice, you know.”

She ignored his sarcasm. “What have you been singing?”

“Traditional lullabies and the like.”

Ginny nodded again, as if everything made sense to her. “Alex’s family was Irish, both sides. The Rowans lived around Dublin for a long time, and only moved to Britain a few months before their murder. I don’t know why, but every night before I would go home Harry insisted that I sing Irish lullabies to him. I guess it calms him down, because I never heard anything about Alex causing a commotion. I don’t know why Harry didn’t include it in his information file.”

Draco groaned. “So you mean all I have to do is sing him Irish folk songs every night and that’ll do it?”

“That’ll do it,” she affirmed.

Draco’s spirits sunk even further. “I’m doomed,” he moaned. “I can’t sing worth a damn.”

“Come now, Malfoy, everyone can sing a little,” she informed him, sounding altogether too amused by his suffering.

Draco quirked an eyebrow that said, “Wanna bet?” He followed this up with the start of a horribly off pitch lullaby. “Peacefully my baby sleep, stars in heav’n begin to peep. O’er thy bed of yellow—“

“Then again,” Ginny rushed to interrupt, “not everyone has an ear for music.”

“Told you,” Draco restated, feeling odd about gloating over his tone-deafness.

“Well then, just have your mother, or Professor Snape, sing to him, instead.”

Draco shook his head. “They’re on vacation in Brighton and won’t be home for weeks. That’s who knows how many nights without sleep that I can’t afford.”

“Well,” Ginny offered carefully, “I suppose I could do it for tonight. But only tonight,” she added at his entirely too hopeful face.

“Perfect,” Draco replied, immensely pleased at having achieved two things at once: finding the solution to Alex’s sleeping problem and getting to know Ginevra better. He already knew that he affected her physically; the scene in the nursery attested to that, but no, if he wanted her, Draco would have to go deeper than the physical, something he had usually avoided. He was known as the Slytherin Sex-God, after all, not the Slytherin I’m-The-Perfect-Boyfriend-God. Though with Ginny, Draco realized, delving beneath the surface didn’t scare him as much now.

Ginevra looked at the hall clock and sighed. “Well, I guess I should get home. Mum will be wondering where I’ve gone. I’ll be back before Alex’s bedtime.”

Draco hastily grabbed her wrist as she turned away to leave. “Wait. Why don’t you stay for dinner and tell me about Alex’s other peculiarities that Potter and Lovegood forgot to mention?” At her skeptical look he added, “After all, you would know more about Alex than anyone else. I would appreciate your input.”

The combination of his compliment and self-degradation did it, as Draco knew it would. “Fine, I’ll stay for dinner, and I’ll put Alex to bed, but after that, you’re on your own.”

Draco accepted her terms, already figuring out how to get her to come back the next night. He led her back to the parlor and spent the next hour or so getting a crash course on all of Alex’s likes and dislikes. Ginny tutored him on simple yet affective cures for common illnesses in children. Draco learned a lot from listening to her speak, and not only about Alex. She gestured with her hands as she talked, and the more excited or passionate she was about the subject, the more grand and wild the gestures got. She almost never stumbled with her words and she always kept the conversation moving. Rarely, if ever, Draco learned, was Ginny at a loss for something to say.

But he didn’t just spend the afternoon and evening listening. Draco actually shared quite a bit about himself with her, though not in long speeches or soliloquies. Every so often during a pause in the conversation she would ask questions about him and he would answer honestly, if not always completely. With Draco, some things were best left unsaid.

As the hours grew on, Draco and Ginny continued their conversation in the dining room. Over the salads the conversation turned into more of a competition to see who could make the other falter first.

“So, how did it feel being a ferret, Ferret?”

Draco snorted. “How do you think? I was a rodent with a human mind. I was scared shitless.”

“Wouldn’t take much, I imagine,” Ginny commented.

“Calling me a coward, Ginevra?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, Draco,” she replied sweetly, “you were after all, a Slytherin, but that’s alright, no one’s perfect.”

“That means so much coming from the Gryffindor Princess. Tell me, were there no late night snogs behind tapestries? No secret rendezvous in the prefect's room, or were you really as pure and untouchable as they said you were?”

“Oh yeah, I was so innocent. Still am, too. Poor little me, twenty years old and never been kissed.” She affected an American southern drawl as she swooned. “Good Heavens! Whatever shall I do?”

Draco had to smile at her antics. “Well, well, well. The little angel’s got a broken halo. I could have made quite a few Galleons had I know that in school.”

“Like you needed them,” she scoffed. “You should have donated then to the cause. And by cause, I mean me,” Ginny clarified in an admonishing tone.

Draco smirked. “Now, Ginny, any true Slytherin knows better than to give without demanding something in return. I doubt you would have paid the dues I would have asked for my donation.”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t.”

“Told you, but now tell me, what is your magic number?” Draco was truly interested to hear her answer.

“My magic number?” she asked, confused.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ginevra, your number.”

“As in…?”

“As in, how many people have you slept with?” Draco spelled out for her.

“Oh,” she said, blushing a little at the forwardness of the question. “Two.”

“Wait, let me guess. Potter and Thomas?”

Two nods confirmed his guess. “Yup. What about you? What’s the Slytherin Sex-God’s magic number?”

“Well, you know us Sex-Gods,” Draco replied breezily. “Too many to keep count. We aren’t known for our counting skills, after all. But you know, that’s twice you’ve called me that. I think someone’s bitter she couldn’t get any Sex-God attention at school.”

“Bitter.” She laughed. “Please.”

“Well, because you asked so nicely, I think I’ll help you out,” Draco righteously informed her.

Ginny rolled her eyes at his come-on. “Thanks, I think I’ll pass.”

Draco shrugged. He hadn’t expected her to accept the offer, anyway. “Whatever you want, Ginevra. It’s a standing offer, whenever you feel like it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” she informed him sarcastically.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Draco responded with a smirk.

Suddenly the clock struck eight and Draco realized with a start that it was Alex’s bedtime. After Ginny put him to bed she would leave and their night would be over. For now, at least. Draco thought he had the perfect way to ensure her return.

Draco gave Ginny a little half-smile to break the tension induced by the clock’s interruption. “Ready to work your magic, Ginny?”

She smiled back. “I’m ready to show you up, if that’s what you mean, Draco.”

At some point in the evening she had stopped calling him by his surname and began addressing him in a more familiar way. Draco didn’t know when exactly it had happened, only that he liked the way his name sounded when she said it, and that he didn’t want her to stop.

“Well then, by all means. Show me the error of my ways, oh wise one,” Draco pleaded in a mock imploring voice.

Draco succeeded in making her laugh. “Come on, Draco. Let’s go put the little one to bed,” she said and started walking away towards the nursery.

Draco followed quietly behind, openly appreciating the view. They entered Alex’s room to find him already dressed in his night clothes, Minty’s handiwork, no doubt. Draco almost frowned at losing the extra time it would have taken to bathe and dress Alex.

“Oh, who’s a big boy, now? Yes, Alex, you are, but even big boys need their sleep,” Ginny informed his son warmly.

Draco still didn’t understand her penchant for talking to babies. Surely Alex couldn’t understand her words, but Draco let it be. She was far more gifted at handling children than Draco was.

“Draco, do you have a rocking chair?” Ginny asked, standing beside the crib holding Alex in her arm.

He didn’t, so he conjured one with a flick of his wand. “Now I do, but isn’t the point to have Alex falling asleep in his crib?”

She sent him an impatient look. “Just trust me on this.”

Draco acquiesced and Ginny sat down on the rocking chair and settled Alex in securely. She began a gentle rocking motion, and Draco heard her whisper, “What song would you like, tonight, love? Sho Heen Sho? No, too slow. How about Suo Gan? Yes, I think that will do nicely.”

She began to hum, and Draco was instantly hypnotized by her voice. He quickly sat down and listened to her sing his son to sleep.

“Sleep, my baby, on my bosom,
Warm and cozy, it will prove,
Round thee mother’s arms are folding,
In her heart a mother’s love.
There shall no one come to harm thee
Naught shall ever break thy rest;
Sleep, my darling baby, in quiet
Sleep on mother’s gentle breast.”

Almost like it was magic, Draco could see Alex’s eyes slowly begin to creep close, the warm and rich tones of Ginny’s lullaby making the infant drowsy. Draco could feel his own body relaxing as she sang, and a calm wave of peace drifted over him.

“Sleep serenely, baby, slumber,
Lovely baby, gently sleep;
Tell me wherefore art thou smiling,
Smiling sweetly in thy sleep?
Do the angels smile in heaven
When thy happy smile they see?
Dost thou on them smile while slum’bring
On my bosom peacefully.”

The lyrics over, Ginny continued to hum the smooth melody until little Alex was completely asleep. Then, as gently as she could, she stood up from the chair and settled the baby back into his crib. Aside from rolling to his side, Alex did not stir. Caught up in the moment, Draco slowly moved to join Ginny in standing over the crib and watching Alex sleep. After a few moments, Draco let himself wrap a hand around Ginny’s waist and hold her to his side. The move seemed almost natural, and the way Ginny settled into his body erased any doubts in Draco’s mind that she wouldn’t come back the next day. Confident in her reaction, Draco leaned down and kissed the top of her head lightly, still not breaking the blanket of tranquility that had settled over the room.

Ginny raised her eyes, startled at his move. He made no indication that he saw this however, and gently brushed a hand over Alexandre’s golden blond hair before quietly leaving the nursery. Ginny followed a moment later.

For the second time that day, the pair stood in silence outside the closed doors to Alex’s room, Ginny’s eyes resting on anything but the man in front of her.

“I guess I’ll just get going then. Alex should be fine for the rest of the night,” Ginny ventured into the silence.

Draco just nodded and led the way to the front doors. There was another pause as Minty fetched Ginny’s coat.

“Well, Draco, I do have to say that I had a pretty decent time with you today,” Ginny said rather hesitantly.

Draco smiled at the perfect opening she presented. “Then why don’t you come back tomorrow and do it again?”

She became wide-eyed, but otherwise didn’t lose her composure. “I can’t, Draco. I’ve got to work at the orphanage tomorrow.” It sounded like a feeble excuse.

“Tomorrow night, then. Come by for dinner and then you can help me with Alex again.”

She smiled, still not giving in. “Sorry, but you have to learn how to take care of him yourself. I told you how, now just figure out a way to make it work without me there.”

Draco smirked. “Fine, if you won’t come back for Alex, how about for something else?”

“What?” she asked cautiously.

“This,” was all he said before suddenly swooping down to capture her lips. She stiffened for a moment before letting herself relax. Draco took this as his cue to deepen the kiss, and before Draco lost control he pulled back.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself he asked, “So, would you come back for that?”

Ginny looked at him amusedly. “We’ll see,” she replied, before grabbing her coat and walking calmly out, the blush at the back of her neck the only outward affect of their snog.

Oh, she’d be back.

* * *

Sure enough, the next day Ginny arrived at the doors of the Manor after her shift at Stepping Stones.

“I knew you’d come back.”

“Yeah, well it wasn’t for you. It was for Alex.”

When Draco reminded her of her word about learning to handle things on his own, she told him to shove it. They spent the rest of the evening disguising flirting as banter, followed by another diner and another lullaby. This one had a soft lilt to it, and Draco found himself humming along in his own off-key way as she sang, “Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, That’s an Irish lullaby.” Their evening ended in much the same way as before, with equal participation in the snogging the second time around.

After that, Ginny’s visits to the Manor came pretty frequently. On days she worked, she would come over at night and stay through Alex’s bedtime. Though she didn’t visit every night, when she did she found herself staying later and later.

When Narcissa and Severus returned from their vacation, Ginny spent her evenings with them, too. She and Draco’s mother became fast friends, bonding over a shared passion for gardening of all things. She and Snape had been on friendly terms while she was at school, and things had remained the same with their friendship.

As for her and Draco, they spent hours together almost every night after Alex went to bed, either talking or snogging. Draco was careful not to push too far to fast with the physical side of their relationship, and Ginny didn’t mind. Soon they started to spend time together outside the Manor, leaving Alex under Narcissa’s and Severus’s care. Though they had been unofficially together for a few months, both Draco and Ginny were relieved to find that they could still be comfortable and confident in their relationship away from Alex and the Manor.

Their relationship blossomed, though not without thorns. Draco’s first meeting with the Weasley clan didn’t go so well, though mostly due to Ron’s hexing Draco before they had stepped on the porch. They had had a few other minor spats, and one major one where Ginny refused to speak to him for three weeks, though they always managed to repair the bonds between them.

Two years after the first night Ginny had sung Alex to sleep at the manor, Draco proposed to her, and was tackled to the ground as she literally threw herself at him in excitement. The wedding was the grand affair expected by everyone and just about everything was perfect.

But the thing that Ginny treasured as much as her marriage to Draco was that the same day she signed her marriage license, she signed the adoption papers for Alexandre. He again had two parents who insanely loved him and were insanely in love. And they became a family. Draco, Ginevra, and Alexandre Malfoy.

The End
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks for reading. If you liked it, please leave a review.

Tam