Draco Malfoy wasn't one for celebrating – unless it was following a Slytherin victory over Gryffindor. So after the battle had ended, he didn't think twice about finding a pub, like most of the other Aurors. Instead, he unshrunk his broom, asked Kingsley Shacklebolt to point him in the direction of Berlin, and took off. The only person he wanted to be celebrating with was Ginny. Once he arrived in Berlin, he found the nearest Apparition point, and set off toward Brighton.
He wasn't sure if she would even be there. Her letter had mentioned she might go, but hadn't said definitely. But Draco checked there first, because if he went to his mother's, there would be no getting away from her. He wanted Ginny, not Narcissa, to be the first to learn the details of Lucius' death. He knew his mother would hear about it soon enough from Severus.
It was the middle of the night when he arrived. Draco was careful to be quiet, not wanting to disturb her if she was there. Mostly he wanted to crawl into bed next to her, wrap his body around hers, and stay there for the next week. It was an unlikely scenario, but something he longed for.
He left his bag and broom on the couch, knowing the house elf would take care of it in the morning. He dropped his cloak in the hall, along with his boots. Draco opened the door to Ginny's room, but it was obvious she wasn't there. In fact, the entire flat looked untouched. If she'd been there, she'd cleaned up after herself.
Her scent assaulted him as soon as he opened his bedroom door. With a soft-spoken Lumos Draco could see her body illuminated by wand light. She was there, her red hair contrasting with his black bed sheets. He quickly stripped down to his boxers, and rounded the bed to the other side. Gently pulling up the sheets, Draco slipped beneath them. She was facing away from him and he molded his bare chest with her back, his arm pulling her tight against him. If Ginny knew he was there, she didn't wake up. She murmured something softly, but Draco didn't hear anything else. After about five minutes, he buried his face in her hair and willed sleep to come.
Several hours later, with light filtering in through the windows, Draco cursed himself for not pulling the drapes closed. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked down at the witch still sleeping peacefully. In the early morning sun he could clearly see the freckles sprinkled across her porcelain skin. They covered her shoulders, cheeks, and nose. He could even see them on her ears. Draco couldn't resist the temptation and kissed the delicate shell. She smelled delicious.
He allowed himself one last kiss before getting out of bed. When he came back, Ginny's brown eyes were open and staring at him. "Hello."
"Hello," she responded. "When'd you get here?"
"Last night." Draco was having trouble getting his legs to move. "You were asleep."
The redhead nodded. "You could've woken me." She ran her eyes over him, mentally cataloging any bruises or scratches. "Is everything…did everything…Are you okay?"
"Yes." Draco eyed the spot he'd just left, desperately wanting to join her under the sheets again. "Would you like to hear about it?"
Ginny nodded again. "But first, will you come here?"
Her request broke him out of his immobilized state and he quickly rejoined her on the bed. Ginny's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug and he pulled her close. They fell to the bed, a tangle of arms and legs. It felt so good to have her in his arms again. It just felt…right.
"I missed you," she whispered. "So much."
"I love you, Ginny."
His words tore a sob from her chest. "Forgive me?"
"Forgive you?" Draco looked at her. "What do I need to forgive you for?"
"The argument before you left. I knew you had to go and I should have supported you. I'm so sorry, Draco."
"Don't worry, love." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I missed you, too."
His kisses soon turned frantic as he realized he could have lost her, but didn't. Until a few days ago, he wasn't even sure if she'd be waiting for him when it was all done. And now, to find her really there, it was overwhelming. "I need you."
Ginny pushed him away. "Draco—"
"Shhh." Reaching down, Draco lifted the hem her nightgown. "I want you." His hand found her thigh and then moved up. "Do you want me?"
She could see his need for her in his eyes and she couldn't deny him. "I want you, too." Ginny sat up and helped him pull the gown over her head. Lying back down, she opened her arms to him.
***
It occurred to them sometime later that they should probably talk about the last month. Draco didn't want to revisit their row, but he knew it was necessary. Besides, Ginny was where she was supposed to be after such a long time.
"What happened to you?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I can see it in your eyes, Draco. You seem haunted. Something happened out there, what was it?" She looked up at him. "Will you tell me?"
He couldn't deny her anything. "What you see is death, love."
"Death?" Ginny left the second question unasked.
"Two Aurors and some Death Eaters. Bellatrix is dead. And Potter finished the job. I saw Voldemort's body with my own eyes."
"And Snape? Lucius?"
"We were able to free Snape. I imagine he will be reuniting with my mother sometime today, and then they will both be here."
Ginny knew he was intentionally avoiding her second question. "We can pretend to not be home."
He smiled at that. "I don't think that will keep my mother away."
"How did Bellatrix die?"
Draco exhaled slowly. This was part of what he couldn't explain. "Potter and I came along after everyone else, and they were already engaged in battle when we arrived. I didn't see Snape, so I went to find him. The others looked to have the situation under control, and I made a promise to my mother. The camp was relatively small and it seemed that they were getting ready to move again. I knew when I found Snape he would likely be immobilized and wouldn't be of much help to us. I just hoped he was alive.
"My aunt was guarding him. When she saw me, she started to rant against the decisions I made and how I was a disgrace to the Malfoy name. She told me that my father wished me dead because of my betrayal. Then she began to Crucio me."
"Draco—"
He placed a finger over her lips. "There's more. Let me finish." When Ginny nodded, he continued. "During training, they taught us how to lessen the effects of the curse, which helped in the beginning. However, Bella has perfected the use of Cruciatus, and it soon became too much for me to fight against. The pain was unbearable, but I knew I couldn't give into it. I refused to let her steal my sanity. At some point after that decision, my father found us."
Her husband heard her gasp, but he didn't react. If he stopped the story to comfort her, he might never finish it. "He saved my life, Gin. He could have joined in, or just killed me, but he didn't. Instead, he stopped Bellatrix. I was on the ground while they exchanged words, and she pointed her wand at me and started to curse me again, but Father stopped her. He killed her."
Draco couldn't bring himself to say anything else. He could hear his voice in his head, saying the words, but it was still hard to believe. His father, despite all that he'd done recently, had saved his life. "Are you okay?" his wife asked.
"Yes."
She sighed in relief. There was another question she needed to ask, but Ginny didn't know if she had the words. No matter what Lucius Malfoy had done, he was still Draco's father. It was obvious to her that Draco cared for him. "And…Lucius?"
"Afterwards he told me where Snape was, and then told me to look after my mother. I think I knew then what was going to happen, but I couldn't fathom it. I think he also told Snape to look after me. Next, my father told me he loved me. I can't remember the last time he said that to me. He then told me to leave with Snape and go home to my wife. I let Snape take my arm and lead me away. Something told me to look back, and when I did I saw my father do something I never expected. He put his wand to his head, then I saw the green light. My father hit the ground before I could get back to him."
"Oh, Draco." She knew whatever she tried wouldn't comfort him, but she tried anyway. The redhead wrapped him tightly in a hug.
He wasn't sure if she would even be there. Her letter had mentioned she might go, but hadn't said definitely. But Draco checked there first, because if he went to his mother's, there would be no getting away from her. He wanted Ginny, not Narcissa, to be the first to learn the details of Lucius' death. He knew his mother would hear about it soon enough from Severus.
It was the middle of the night when he arrived. Draco was careful to be quiet, not wanting to disturb her if she was there. Mostly he wanted to crawl into bed next to her, wrap his body around hers, and stay there for the next week. It was an unlikely scenario, but something he longed for.
He left his bag and broom on the couch, knowing the house elf would take care of it in the morning. He dropped his cloak in the hall, along with his boots. Draco opened the door to Ginny's room, but it was obvious she wasn't there. In fact, the entire flat looked untouched. If she'd been there, she'd cleaned up after herself.
Her scent assaulted him as soon as he opened his bedroom door. With a soft-spoken Lumos Draco could see her body illuminated by wand light. She was there, her red hair contrasting with his black bed sheets. He quickly stripped down to his boxers, and rounded the bed to the other side. Gently pulling up the sheets, Draco slipped beneath them. She was facing away from him and he molded his bare chest with her back, his arm pulling her tight against him. If Ginny knew he was there, she didn't wake up. She murmured something softly, but Draco didn't hear anything else. After about five minutes, he buried his face in her hair and willed sleep to come.
Several hours later, with light filtering in through the windows, Draco cursed himself for not pulling the drapes closed. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked down at the witch still sleeping peacefully. In the early morning sun he could clearly see the freckles sprinkled across her porcelain skin. They covered her shoulders, cheeks, and nose. He could even see them on her ears. Draco couldn't resist the temptation and kissed the delicate shell. She smelled delicious.
He allowed himself one last kiss before getting out of bed. When he came back, Ginny's brown eyes were open and staring at him. "Hello."
"Hello," she responded. "When'd you get here?"
"Last night." Draco was having trouble getting his legs to move. "You were asleep."
The redhead nodded. "You could've woken me." She ran her eyes over him, mentally cataloging any bruises or scratches. "Is everything…did everything…Are you okay?"
"Yes." Draco eyed the spot he'd just left, desperately wanting to join her under the sheets again. "Would you like to hear about it?"
Ginny nodded again. "But first, will you come here?"
Her request broke him out of his immobilized state and he quickly rejoined her on the bed. Ginny's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug and he pulled her close. They fell to the bed, a tangle of arms and legs. It felt so good to have her in his arms again. It just felt…right.
"I missed you," she whispered. "So much."
"I love you, Ginny."
His words tore a sob from her chest. "Forgive me?"
"Forgive you?" Draco looked at her. "What do I need to forgive you for?"
"The argument before you left. I knew you had to go and I should have supported you. I'm so sorry, Draco."
"Don't worry, love." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I missed you, too."
His kisses soon turned frantic as he realized he could have lost her, but didn't. Until a few days ago, he wasn't even sure if she'd be waiting for him when it was all done. And now, to find her really there, it was overwhelming. "I need you."
Ginny pushed him away. "Draco—"
"Shhh." Reaching down, Draco lifted the hem her nightgown. "I want you." His hand found her thigh and then moved up. "Do you want me?"
She could see his need for her in his eyes and she couldn't deny him. "I want you, too." Ginny sat up and helped him pull the gown over her head. Lying back down, she opened her arms to him.
It occurred to them sometime later that they should probably talk about the last month. Draco didn't want to revisit their row, but he knew it was necessary. Besides, Ginny was where she was supposed to be after such a long time.
"What happened to you?" she asked quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"I can see it in your eyes, Draco. You seem haunted. Something happened out there, what was it?" She looked up at him. "Will you tell me?"
He couldn't deny her anything. "What you see is death, love."
"Death?" Ginny left the second question unasked.
"Two Aurors and some Death Eaters. Bellatrix is dead. And Potter finished the job. I saw Voldemort's body with my own eyes."
"And Snape? Lucius?"
"We were able to free Snape. I imagine he will be reuniting with my mother sometime today, and then they will both be here."
Ginny knew he was intentionally avoiding her second question. "We can pretend to not be home."
He smiled at that. "I don't think that will keep my mother away."
"How did Bellatrix die?"
Draco exhaled slowly. This was part of what he couldn't explain. "Potter and I came along after everyone else, and they were already engaged in battle when we arrived. I didn't see Snape, so I went to find him. The others looked to have the situation under control, and I made a promise to my mother. The camp was relatively small and it seemed that they were getting ready to move again. I knew when I found Snape he would likely be immobilized and wouldn't be of much help to us. I just hoped he was alive.
"My aunt was guarding him. When she saw me, she started to rant against the decisions I made and how I was a disgrace to the Malfoy name. She told me that my father wished me dead because of my betrayal. Then she began to Crucio me."
"Draco—"
He placed a finger over her lips. "There's more. Let me finish." When Ginny nodded, he continued. "During training, they taught us how to lessen the effects of the curse, which helped in the beginning. However, Bella has perfected the use of Cruciatus, and it soon became too much for me to fight against. The pain was unbearable, but I knew I couldn't give into it. I refused to let her steal my sanity. At some point after that decision, my father found us."
Her husband heard her gasp, but he didn't react. If he stopped the story to comfort her, he might never finish it. "He saved my life, Gin. He could have joined in, or just killed me, but he didn't. Instead, he stopped Bellatrix. I was on the ground while they exchanged words, and she pointed her wand at me and started to curse me again, but Father stopped her. He killed her."
Draco couldn't bring himself to say anything else. He could hear his voice in his head, saying the words, but it was still hard to believe. His father, despite all that he'd done recently, had saved his life. "Are you okay?" his wife asked.
"Yes."
She sighed in relief. There was another question she needed to ask, but Ginny didn't know if she had the words. No matter what Lucius Malfoy had done, he was still Draco's father. It was obvious to her that Draco cared for him. "And…Lucius?"
"Afterwards he told me where Snape was, and then told me to look after my mother. I think I knew then what was going to happen, but I couldn't fathom it. I think he also told Snape to look after me. Next, my father told me he loved me. I can't remember the last time he said that to me. He then told me to leave with Snape and go home to my wife. I let Snape take my arm and lead me away. Something told me to look back, and when I did I saw my father do something I never expected. He put his wand to his head, then I saw the green light. My father hit the ground before I could get back to him."
"Oh, Draco." She knew whatever she tried wouldn't comfort him, but she tried anyway. The redhead wrapped him tightly in a hug.
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