Draco wasn't denying it. In fact, since his outburst when he entered the room, he'd hardly said a word.
Her son had fallen in love with a Weasley. Narcissa couldn't wait until her required monthly visit with Lucius. How he would hate it!
This changed everything. "Ginny, dear, would you like some tea?"
The younger woman wasn't listening, though. Her brown eyes were intently locked on Draco, as if they were silently talking to each other. Maybe the witch was pregnant…
"Mother," Draco finally said. "Ginny and I need to…go."
"But you just got here! Where is Severus?"
"He left, Mum. It's late, we should get home."
Narcissa frowned. It wasn't like Draco to refuse her anything. But since her declaration of love, she was certain there was something her son wasn't telling her. "Can't we have at least one more toast, love? To your marriage."
"Mum." His voice was nearly pleading with her to drop the issue.
Ginny frowned at Draco, and turned to his mother. "We'd love to, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you."
"Oh dear, call me Mum. Or Narcissa, at the very least. We're family now."
Ginny accepted the wine glass Narcissa was offering her. "I guess we are."
She was a bit taken back when Draco stepped behind her, his arm fitting snuggly around her waist. He kissed the skin around her ear before whispering, "Sorry. I didn't know what to say." He lifted his wine glass. "To family?"
His mother nodded eagerly. "Welcome to the family, dear. I hope you'll enjoy being a Malfoy."
The redhead went through the motions of the toast, but her mind was elsewhere. So he didn't love her. Which she knew that already, so why was she disappointed? And had she just admitted she was disappointed? The three glasses clinked in the air and Ginny quickly swallowed the contents of hers in one gulp. She knew she'd need more than a glass to make her thoughts make sense.
She was jolted when Draco's hand skimmed down her waist to the top of her thigh. "Ready to go, then?"
"Yes."
His mother walked them to the fireplace, inviting Ginny over for tea the next afternoon, or if she couldn't make it, the next day. Narcissa wanted Draco to stop by more often, and to make sure to bring Ginny. Her son promised he would, before kissing his mother on the cheek.
Narcissa pressed the back of her hand to his cheek and couldn't stop her smile. "I'm proud of you."
"Mum-"
She shook her head. "No. Go home. It was lovely to meet you, Ginevra."
Before Ginny could respond, Draco had already shouted, "Brighton flat!" and was gone. She smiled at her mother-in-law and followed her husband.
Draco was there to help her out of the fireplace. "I apologize for how rude she was."
His wife waved it away. "If you were my son, and some witch married you out of the blue, I'd be a bit defensive as well." Ginny stepped around him and went to the couch. She slipped her feet out of the high-heeled shoes she'd been wearing. "Oh, that feels so much better."
"I never understand why women wear those things. Sexy as hell, for sure. But they're murder on your back."
Ginny smiled up at him. "Women do things they know men will notice. Wear they're hair up in complicated twists, even though it gives them a headache. Impossibly high shoes that ruin their back. Clothes they feel entirely uncomfortable in, but wear because men think they're sexy."
"And what has Ms. Weasley done to impress a man?"
She could feel the warmth that covered her cheeks, turning them pink. "The Valentine at Hogwarts."
"Ah, yes. I remember."
She mock glared at him. "You should. I've never been so embarrassed."
Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It wasn't one of my more memorable moments."
"Won't you sit down?" she asked. Sliding over, Ginny made room for him. After he was seated next to her, Draco turned so he was facing his wife. "You didn't have many of those at Hogwarts. Until sixth year, I guess. You changed then."
"They locked my father up for the first time that summer." Draco slid his hand behind her head and started playing with her hair. "I bragged to Potter he'd be out in no time, and he was. Six months in Azkaban is really nothing. I spent that summer with my mother, traveling. And for the first time since I started Hogwarts, I noticed she was happy."
"Was your father very mean to her?" his wife queried.
The blond shrugged. "Not particularly. When I was a child, he was indulgent of both of us. But Malfoy men usually lose interest in their wife after the heir is born. My father… he cared, in his own way. But it was never the right way. He thought that spoiling me was the same as loving me. For a long time, I did too. He was the same with Mother. She grew tired of it, as did I.
"Mother was more lenient, however. My father only treated us the way he witnessed his father treat him and Grandmother Malfoy. Fortunately, my mother had a very loving father who wanted for us to be happy. After Father went back to Azkaban, Mum knew things would never be the same again. I think she gave up on him."
"Did your Mum love Lucius?" Ginny asked quietly, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of his fingers tangled in her hair.
"I think so. My parents were different when I was young. Father was happy. It wasn't until I started Hogwarts - the year when Potter emerged into the wizarding world - did he become obsessed again. Mum told me he was much worse this time around. He did some heinous things."
"Like giving an eleven-year-old an enchanted diary." Ginny felt Draco's hand still and he sighed heavily. "Did you…Did you know about that?"
"When it was happening, no. Years later, I heard Father and some Death Eater speaking about it." Draco paused and studied her carefully. "Gin, open your eyes and look at me."
She did so, turning her head to face him. "What?"
"If I had known then, to be perfectly honest, I probably would have teased and tormented you, and found a way to use it to my own advantage. But I didn't know you. You were just the girl-Weasley, the one who stood up for Potter. You taught me something that day in the bookstore. I'd never had anyone stand up to me before. Much less stand up for me. Now that I know you, now that I…Now that you and I are friends, I'm sorry for what my father did."
"Draco, the son should never have to pay for the sins of the father." He smiled at her and Ginny felt her heart skip a beat. Feeling brave, she slid over so that their thighs were touching. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. "When I look at you, I don't see Lucius. I see Draco. I know what a git you can be. How horrible you were during my first four years at Hogwarts. But I also remember good stuff. My sixth year at Hogwarts was the best time of my life, because of you. I'm not tormented by your father and anything he did to me, Draco. Tom Riddle has no hold on me any longer. It's the son, you that I look to now. You're the one I'm married to. You're the one who makes me laugh and laughs at me. You're the one who'll be there when I need to cry. It's you, Draco, not Lucius."
Draco lifted his arm so she settled into the crook, right against him. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm sure of you."
He wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but he didn't question her again. Draco was too taken with the feeling of her pressed against him. Their bodies fit together perfectly: she was soft and rounded where he was long and lean. Ginny wasn't short, apparently taking after her father, but Draco was still taller than she was. At that moment, he was realizing how much they just—fit. "Tell me what it was like to be a Weasley?"
Ginny laughed and Draco could feel her muscles as they moved. "I grew up in a home full of love. Sometimes we didn't have much more than that, but we had love. I've never been spoiled in my whole life. There was never enough to do that. Mum and Dad always provided for us, but it was usually just enough. I didn't understand at times, and hated them for it, but they only wanted to do what was right by me.
"It was hard, because I was the baby and the only girl. Charlie and Bill were out of the house by the time I was old enough to know them. Percy… He didn't know what to do with a baby sister. Besides, he spent most of his time avoiding the twins. They always wanted to test some new product on him. And the twins… Fred and George. With them around, there was never a lack of entertainment."
"And Weasley?" Draco asked. "What was he like?"
"Ron was… He loved me. But sometimes he had a hard time expressing it. You saw him at Hogwarts. Ron is a bit old-fashioned and wasn't sure how to treat a girl. Somehow, Ron decided girls should play in the house and wear pretty dresses - they couldn't come outside and get dirty, or play Quidditch, or do any of the things I liked to do. He was trying to protect me, but he didn't realize I was okay by myself."
Ginny craned her head to look up at him and was surprised to find he was staring down at her. "What?"
Draco shook his head, but didn't say anything. He loved this woman. With her red hair and the light dusting of freckles across her nose. He loved the way she laughed, the way she cried, and the way she loved. And he wanted her.
When she yawned, Draco started to move. "Let's get you to bed."
"No, I'm fine. I'm not ready yet."
"Gin-"
"Tell me about something else… Quidditch, or your grandfather, or even your mum. Just talk to me, Draco."
He couldn't refuse her anything, least of all this. "Okay. But why don't you go change for bed first. That way if you fall asleep, I can move you." Ginny nodded and went to her room.
During the time she was away, Draco changed as well. When she returned, he was tending the fire, wearing black pyjama bottoms. He turned around and she could see faded letters that read Falmouth Falcons on his gray t-shirt. Ginny smiled at the blanket he'd brought from his room - Falcons as well.
Draco sat on the far end of the couch after he finished with the fire. He patted the seat next to him, wanting her to sit down. Instead, Ginny arranged his body so he was laying long ways across the couch. "Is this okay?" she questioned. Her husband nodded and Ginny lay down next to him. His back was pressed against the leather, with her head tucked beneath his chin. "What about this?"
He put his arm around her and his hand came to rest against the exposed flesh of her stomach. "It's fine." With one hand, he spread the blanket over her. "Now, what would you like to hear about?"
"Anything, really."
Her answer didn't help him any, but Draco started to talk. He told her about Grandfather Black and how the man always took care of him. He went on and on about different aspects of his life - he talked about his mum, Quidditch, and even what it meant to be a Malfoy.
Ginny was asleep before he finished. Draco knew by the soft rise and fall of her back. Her hands were curled beneath her chin, her head softly resting against his chest. For a moment he debated as to whether he should put her in bed, but knew he wouldn't have another chance like this. For tonight, he wanted to know what it felt like to sleep with Ginny in his arms.
His decision made, with a flick of his wand the lights were off and the door locked. Draco stilled when Ginny stirred for a moment, but she went right back to sleep. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.
Her son had fallen in love with a Weasley. Narcissa couldn't wait until her required monthly visit with Lucius. How he would hate it!
This changed everything. "Ginny, dear, would you like some tea?"
The younger woman wasn't listening, though. Her brown eyes were intently locked on Draco, as if they were silently talking to each other. Maybe the witch was pregnant…
"Mother," Draco finally said. "Ginny and I need to…go."
"But you just got here! Where is Severus?"
"He left, Mum. It's late, we should get home."
Narcissa frowned. It wasn't like Draco to refuse her anything. But since her declaration of love, she was certain there was something her son wasn't telling her. "Can't we have at least one more toast, love? To your marriage."
"Mum." His voice was nearly pleading with her to drop the issue.
Ginny frowned at Draco, and turned to his mother. "We'd love to, Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you."
"Oh dear, call me Mum. Or Narcissa, at the very least. We're family now."
Ginny accepted the wine glass Narcissa was offering her. "I guess we are."
She was a bit taken back when Draco stepped behind her, his arm fitting snuggly around her waist. He kissed the skin around her ear before whispering, "Sorry. I didn't know what to say." He lifted his wine glass. "To family?"
His mother nodded eagerly. "Welcome to the family, dear. I hope you'll enjoy being a Malfoy."
The redhead went through the motions of the toast, but her mind was elsewhere. So he didn't love her. Which she knew that already, so why was she disappointed? And had she just admitted she was disappointed? The three glasses clinked in the air and Ginny quickly swallowed the contents of hers in one gulp. She knew she'd need more than a glass to make her thoughts make sense.
She was jolted when Draco's hand skimmed down her waist to the top of her thigh. "Ready to go, then?"
"Yes."
His mother walked them to the fireplace, inviting Ginny over for tea the next afternoon, or if she couldn't make it, the next day. Narcissa wanted Draco to stop by more often, and to make sure to bring Ginny. Her son promised he would, before kissing his mother on the cheek.
Narcissa pressed the back of her hand to his cheek and couldn't stop her smile. "I'm proud of you."
"Mum-"
She shook her head. "No. Go home. It was lovely to meet you, Ginevra."
Before Ginny could respond, Draco had already shouted, "Brighton flat!" and was gone. She smiled at her mother-in-law and followed her husband.
Draco was there to help her out of the fireplace. "I apologize for how rude she was."
His wife waved it away. "If you were my son, and some witch married you out of the blue, I'd be a bit defensive as well." Ginny stepped around him and went to the couch. She slipped her feet out of the high-heeled shoes she'd been wearing. "Oh, that feels so much better."
"I never understand why women wear those things. Sexy as hell, for sure. But they're murder on your back."
Ginny smiled up at him. "Women do things they know men will notice. Wear they're hair up in complicated twists, even though it gives them a headache. Impossibly high shoes that ruin their back. Clothes they feel entirely uncomfortable in, but wear because men think they're sexy."
"And what has Ms. Weasley done to impress a man?"
She could feel the warmth that covered her cheeks, turning them pink. "The Valentine at Hogwarts."
"Ah, yes. I remember."
She mock glared at him. "You should. I've never been so embarrassed."
Draco stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It wasn't one of my more memorable moments."
"Won't you sit down?" she asked. Sliding over, Ginny made room for him. After he was seated next to her, Draco turned so he was facing his wife. "You didn't have many of those at Hogwarts. Until sixth year, I guess. You changed then."
"They locked my father up for the first time that summer." Draco slid his hand behind her head and started playing with her hair. "I bragged to Potter he'd be out in no time, and he was. Six months in Azkaban is really nothing. I spent that summer with my mother, traveling. And for the first time since I started Hogwarts, I noticed she was happy."
"Was your father very mean to her?" his wife queried.
The blond shrugged. "Not particularly. When I was a child, he was indulgent of both of us. But Malfoy men usually lose interest in their wife after the heir is born. My father… he cared, in his own way. But it was never the right way. He thought that spoiling me was the same as loving me. For a long time, I did too. He was the same with Mother. She grew tired of it, as did I.
"Mother was more lenient, however. My father only treated us the way he witnessed his father treat him and Grandmother Malfoy. Fortunately, my mother had a very loving father who wanted for us to be happy. After Father went back to Azkaban, Mum knew things would never be the same again. I think she gave up on him."
"Did your Mum love Lucius?" Ginny asked quietly, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of his fingers tangled in her hair.
"I think so. My parents were different when I was young. Father was happy. It wasn't until I started Hogwarts - the year when Potter emerged into the wizarding world - did he become obsessed again. Mum told me he was much worse this time around. He did some heinous things."
"Like giving an eleven-year-old an enchanted diary." Ginny felt Draco's hand still and he sighed heavily. "Did you…Did you know about that?"
"When it was happening, no. Years later, I heard Father and some Death Eater speaking about it." Draco paused and studied her carefully. "Gin, open your eyes and look at me."
She did so, turning her head to face him. "What?"
"If I had known then, to be perfectly honest, I probably would have teased and tormented you, and found a way to use it to my own advantage. But I didn't know you. You were just the girl-Weasley, the one who stood up for Potter. You taught me something that day in the bookstore. I'd never had anyone stand up to me before. Much less stand up for me. Now that I know you, now that I…Now that you and I are friends, I'm sorry for what my father did."
"Draco, the son should never have to pay for the sins of the father." He smiled at her and Ginny felt her heart skip a beat. Feeling brave, she slid over so that their thighs were touching. Her head came to rest on his shoulder. "When I look at you, I don't see Lucius. I see Draco. I know what a git you can be. How horrible you were during my first four years at Hogwarts. But I also remember good stuff. My sixth year at Hogwarts was the best time of my life, because of you. I'm not tormented by your father and anything he did to me, Draco. Tom Riddle has no hold on me any longer. It's the son, you that I look to now. You're the one I'm married to. You're the one who makes me laugh and laughs at me. You're the one who'll be there when I need to cry. It's you, Draco, not Lucius."
Draco lifted his arm so she settled into the crook, right against him. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm sure of you."
He wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but he didn't question her again. Draco was too taken with the feeling of her pressed against him. Their bodies fit together perfectly: she was soft and rounded where he was long and lean. Ginny wasn't short, apparently taking after her father, but Draco was still taller than she was. At that moment, he was realizing how much they just—fit. "Tell me what it was like to be a Weasley?"
Ginny laughed and Draco could feel her muscles as they moved. "I grew up in a home full of love. Sometimes we didn't have much more than that, but we had love. I've never been spoiled in my whole life. There was never enough to do that. Mum and Dad always provided for us, but it was usually just enough. I didn't understand at times, and hated them for it, but they only wanted to do what was right by me.
"It was hard, because I was the baby and the only girl. Charlie and Bill were out of the house by the time I was old enough to know them. Percy… He didn't know what to do with a baby sister. Besides, he spent most of his time avoiding the twins. They always wanted to test some new product on him. And the twins… Fred and George. With them around, there was never a lack of entertainment."
"And Weasley?" Draco asked. "What was he like?"
"Ron was… He loved me. But sometimes he had a hard time expressing it. You saw him at Hogwarts. Ron is a bit old-fashioned and wasn't sure how to treat a girl. Somehow, Ron decided girls should play in the house and wear pretty dresses - they couldn't come outside and get dirty, or play Quidditch, or do any of the things I liked to do. He was trying to protect me, but he didn't realize I was okay by myself."
Ginny craned her head to look up at him and was surprised to find he was staring down at her. "What?"
Draco shook his head, but didn't say anything. He loved this woman. With her red hair and the light dusting of freckles across her nose. He loved the way she laughed, the way she cried, and the way she loved. And he wanted her.
When she yawned, Draco started to move. "Let's get you to bed."
"No, I'm fine. I'm not ready yet."
"Gin-"
"Tell me about something else… Quidditch, or your grandfather, or even your mum. Just talk to me, Draco."
He couldn't refuse her anything, least of all this. "Okay. But why don't you go change for bed first. That way if you fall asleep, I can move you." Ginny nodded and went to her room.
During the time she was away, Draco changed as well. When she returned, he was tending the fire, wearing black pyjama bottoms. He turned around and she could see faded letters that read Falmouth Falcons on his gray t-shirt. Ginny smiled at the blanket he'd brought from his room - Falcons as well.
Draco sat on the far end of the couch after he finished with the fire. He patted the seat next to him, wanting her to sit down. Instead, Ginny arranged his body so he was laying long ways across the couch. "Is this okay?" she questioned. Her husband nodded and Ginny lay down next to him. His back was pressed against the leather, with her head tucked beneath his chin. "What about this?"
He put his arm around her and his hand came to rest against the exposed flesh of her stomach. "It's fine." With one hand, he spread the blanket over her. "Now, what would you like to hear about?"
"Anything, really."
Her answer didn't help him any, but Draco started to talk. He told her about Grandfather Black and how the man always took care of him. He went on and on about different aspects of his life - he talked about his mum, Quidditch, and even what it meant to be a Malfoy.
Ginny was asleep before he finished. Draco knew by the soft rise and fall of her back. Her hands were curled beneath her chin, her head softly resting against his chest. For a moment he debated as to whether he should put her in bed, but knew he wouldn't have another chance like this. For tonight, he wanted to know what it felt like to sleep with Ginny in his arms.
His decision made, with a flick of his wand the lights were off and the door locked. Draco stilled when Ginny stirred for a moment, but she went right back to sleep. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.
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