DISCLAIMER: The characters and settings were created by JK Rowling and belong to the companies that own her trademarks. I’m just using them for my own purposes. Please don’t sue.
NOTES: Phew. Almost done. There’s only one more chapter after this. Thanks everyone for reading!
* * *
When some people get anxious, they pace. Ginny was far beyond that. As she walked back and forth in the new flat, she reminded Draco of a hamster trapped on a wheel. Far from idly strolling, it was as though she believed she was actually going somewhere. He watched her from his usual perch on the edge of the bed with a slightly bemused expression as she rambled on and on about the impending arrival of her father.
“I can’t do this. I haven’t had enough time to prepare. An hour! One hour! Five years gets me one hour. What should I say? Oh god! How do I explain it all...?”
Cassie was propped up on a stack of pillows near the headboard. She had never seen her mother act this way. She couldn’t understand why. Wouldn’t seeing her Grandfather a be happy thing? Cassie couldn’t wait to meet him. But her Mummy didn’t seem to think it would be fun. Cassie frowned. “Mummy’s gone mad, hasn’t she?” she asked her father, loud enough for Ginny to hear.
In reply, Ginny threw up her hands in an exaggerated act of frustration. She glared at Draco, as though he had said it. “I’m just nervous, all right?” she said defensively, speaking more to herself than with anyone else. “I’m different now. I’m not his little girl anymore.” She sighed dramatically and collapsed onto the bed next to Draco. “Oh, Draco.” She leaned her head against his shoulder lovingly, completely forgetting that she had been cross with him only seconds earlier. He was planning to refuse to hold her until she apologized for snapping at him, just to be snotty, but he decided against it. She really didn’t need his sarcasm now.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” Her eyes widened in fear as she looked ahead of her, like she could see the horrible event happening. One by one, she enumerated all of her fears. “What if he’s moved on? Forgotten all about me! Or what if he didn’t miss me at all! What if he’s different now too? Oh, it’s been too long. We’ll never be the same family we were!” She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as another idea struck her. “What if he blames me for leaving? He might be angry. He won’t want to see me!” With each prediction, she seemed more and more convinced that it was all true.
“Stop it,” ordered Draco, weary of this game. This cycle could only get worse. He intended to put an end to it now.
Ginny fell to the bed as though she could no longer stand to sit up. She curled up into a fetal position, defeated. “I can’t go,” she said in a small, shaking voice. “I can’t do it. Don’t make me.”
He lay alongside her, propping his head up on his elbow so he could get a better look at her. He worried that this was all too much too soon. Ginny was very emotional right now. A lot had happened in the last few days. He had just begun a strange sort of relationship with her. It would be just his luck for her to have a nervous breakdown only minutes later.
“Gin,” he whispered, reaching out to stroke her hair comfortingly. “Can I say something or do you just want to babble?” She didn’t answer. Since it was the only time she had clammed up since Cassie had announced that Mr. Weasley was coming to Hogwarts, he took it as a sign that he could talk.
“I don’t have as many children or years of experience as your father has but since all this began,” he motioned his head toward Cassie, who looked on with interest, “I have learned one lesson that I would be happy to share with you.” He said all this in a lofty tone. She should be grateful he was willing to share his knowledge. “Your father is a much more caring man than I will ever be. Yet, I spent five grief stricken years looking for Cassie even though I thought she was dead. I can’t begin to imagine what he’s been going through. Your father will not hate you. He will not have moved on and forgotten you. A daughter is simply not something that you forget.”
Large tears drowned Ginny’s eyes. “But...” she protested weakly. She really wanted to believe him, but she just couldn’t. It had been a long, hard road and she had learned not to hope.
Draco leapt off the bed and began retracing her path. “I don’t know what else I can say to convince you. You’re letting your fear rule you. I reckon your afraid you’re going to lose them again and you can’t face that. But if they’re that important to you, aren’t they worth fighting for?
“Your problem is you care too much. See, I’ve never had that problem. At least not before...” he trailed off as he thought. “I can count all the people I give a damn about on one hand.” As proof, he extended a hand, with three fingers raised to her. “My father never trusted anyone because then they have power over you. They could break you. But, if I may offer just one more pearl of wisdom: wait and see what happens before you become hysterical. There’s no reason to worry yet. Things may not be as bad as you expect.”
Ginny nodded mutely, agreeing for his and Cassie’s sake but still riddled with fears. She offered him a feeble smile. Whether he knew it or not, she was glad he was with her. She found his presence infinitely comforting. She stood up, wrapping her arms around him immediately, almost instinctively, and burying her head in his neck. His skin was cool against the trails of tears on her face.
“We’ll go with you,” he whispered into her hair, “you don’t have to go alone.”
* * *
The three of them rode up the stairs to Dumbledore’s office in silence. Ginny tried to keep her head up. As the door rose into view, like the dawning sun, she knew he was in there. She couldn’t hear voices yet but she just knew he was there. She gulped. Draco got the distinct impression that she felt like she was walking to her death. He wanted to say something to break the tension, but no words came.
Her hand was shaking so quickly it was more appropriate to say her hand was vibrating. From beside her, Cassie looked curiously up at her Mummy then toward the office door. Noiselessly, she reached up and took Ginny’s hand in her smaller one. It was her own childish way of comforting her mother. Draco beamed proudly. Sometimes Cassie was a bit more perceptive than most would give her credit for.
As they got closer, the soft sound of voices wafted through the door to their ears. Draco stepped forward, wondering if it was time to make their entrance yet. He could make out Dumbledore’s voice. He was explaining everything to Mr. Weasley. But Draco heard no reaction. Surely Arthur had something to say. Curiosity got the better of Draco. Slowly, he pushed the door open with a creak. He heard Ginny gasp from behind him.
Arthur Weasley was sitting in the chair across from Dumbledore’s desk with his shoulders slumped and his face buried in his hands. Dumbledore was quiet now, allowing the man a moment to absorb all the new information. He stood, straight backed, behind his desk. He looked at Arthur with concern, yet didn’t miss the door gently sliding open.
“Arthur...” he whispered solemnly, his eyes on Ginny.
At once, Mr. Weasley’s neck snapped toward the door to see what Dumbledore was looking at. His eyes fell upon his daughter for the first time in years. For a moment, no one said anything. No one moved. There was no sound of whirling silver things or cry of a phoenix. And the world itself stopped turning to hold its breath.
“Daddy...” breathed Ginny, her voice so tiny Draco wasn’t sure she spoke at all. She looked upon him with the same awe and reference a young girl has reserved for her father before she realizes he is human like everyone else. Sometimes, Cassie looked at him that way.
It was like they stepped back in time. Draco could see the years melt away from Ginny’s face as she gazed at her father. Suddenly, he could see Cassie very clearly in her. Her face lit up just like Cassie’s. Then, just like that, she was in his arms. He held her so tightly he might’ve popped her. All the while Ginny sobbed “Daddy.”
Dumbledore quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the family alone. He knew it was a private moment. Even Draco felt like maybe he should leave. Ginny hadn’t seen her father in a long time. They should be left alone. Besides, he wasn’t really comfortable around such emotional family business. He wasn’t used to it. It wasn’t really his place.
Cassie, on the other hand, wanted to run forward to get a better look at her grandfather. She bounced up and down to view him at every possible angle. She had only seen him in visions until now. Draco held onto her shoulders tightly, to keep her back. Ginny needed more time. She was still sobbing uncontrollably in her father’s arms.
Arthur was beyond stunned. He just couldn’t believe he was finally holding her after so much time had passed. He just didn’t want to let go. Every few moments he’d say, “You’re all right?” which was both a statement of the obvious and a question. She was alive, yes, but was she okay? Ginny could only nod through her tears; she wanted to say something more -- to tell him that she was fine now that she was home. But every time she opened her mouth, it felt like she was drowning and it made the crying worse. She was completely incapable of saying anything other than “Daddy.”
Finally, she pulled away from him to regain her composure. “I missed you,” she said weakly as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She really needn’t have said it; it was pretty obvious.
He smiled at her, starting to say something. He stopped in mid-word when his eyes fell on the pair standing by the door. Draco tensed as he felt the attention turn towards him. Arthur hadn’t noticed before because he had been so concerned with Ginny. Draco could see the older man’s eyes lower until they met Cassie’s smiling face. She waved at him eagerly with both hands.
“Is this...?” he asked woozily, like he had just been hit over the head.
“Oh!” Ginny exclaimed, feeling foolish for not remembering her surroundings. “Daddy, this is Cassie.”
“Hi!” said Cassie happily.
Arthur crouched down on one knee to get a better look at her. She had Ginny’s nose. He could vividly recall just how Ginny had looked at that age. They were very similar except Cassie had Draco’s eyes. He reached out to stroke her cheek with one hand. Cassie giggled. It tickled. This made Arthur smile. He hadn’t heard the tinkling laugh of a young girl in a very long time.
In one swift, fluid motion, he caught her around the waist and hoisted her high into the air, spinning her around in circles while she laughed loudly. She didn’t even care that her dress was getting blown in all sorts of directions. Ginny watched them fondly. When she had been very young, he would do that with her when he came home for work. “I like having a Papa!” Cassie shrieked as he twirled around faster and faster. This made Arthur chuckle. He laughed so hard he had to stop and put her down. He was glad it hadn’t taken her long to warm up to him. After all, he was a complete stranger to her.
“I like having a grandchild,” he said, into her ear once they had both stopped laughing. “Your grandmother and I will enjoy spoiling you and letting you stay up past your bedtime.” Cassie grinned a wide, toothy grin.
At his words, Ginny’s face fell. His unspoken word formed a large, gaping hole in his sentence. She knew that Cassie had been having visions to keep her up with the happenings in her family, but somehow she thought Cassie must have missed something. It seemed impossible. She had so many brothers and she was the youngest of all her siblings. Yet, her father hadn’t said ‘another’ and she knew it must be true. Her father didn’t have any other grandchildren besides Cassie. She wasn’t an aunt.
“Dad...” she wondered aloud. Everyone turned to look at her. She wore such a confused, shocked, yet thoughtful expression. “Why didn’t...? I mean, Bill and Charlie...? She’s your first grandchild?”
Arthur wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He stood there, stunned for a few seconds while Cassie folded her arms over her chest and pouted. He wasn’t playing with her anymore. Her Mummy was ruining all her fun. She felt her Daddy’s hands creep back onto their protective resting place on her shoulders. She supposed she could always play with her Daddy but she didn’t see why they had gone to all this trouble to bring her Papa here to play with her and he was going to play with her Mummy.
“Why yes,” replied Arthur finally, he still had a lingering hint of puzzlement in his tone. “I suppose I don’t know why. We never sat around and had a chat about it. I reckon it was several different reasons. They’re not ready yet, haven’t met the right young woman or maybe - maybe they were waiting. Things are so horrible now, with the war. It’s no place for a baby...”
He looked back at Cassie. She wasn’t listening to him anymore. She was walking around her father in circles, like he was the sun and she were a planet orbiting him. She kept her arm outstretched, so she always had at least a finger touching his leg, as if he was a base and as long as she remained in contact with him she couldn’t be thrown out of the game. She wore a look of intense concentration as she put her feet down in a precise pattern. It was obviously very important work in her estimation and it required her full attention.
“You’ve done well despite it,” he added with a gentle smile.
“Thank you.” Ginny blushed prettily, as though he had just heaped some lavish praise on her. Draco imagined she felt that one of the best parents in the entire world had complimented her parenting skills. He knew she always tried to think what her parents would do when she had trouble with Cassie. Draco did the same thing, except he’d determine what Lucius would do and then do the opposite.
After a brief silence, Ginny asked, “How are they?” as if it were a perfectly normal question that flowed perfectly from the above idea. Arthur knew what she meant however.
“Your brothers are fine,” he said. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and clutched at her heart thankfully. “They’ll all be delighted -- no, that’s not a strong enough word -- they’ll be... well, they’ll be happier than they were when I told them we were going to the Quidditch World Cup when I tell them that we’ve finally found you.”
Ginny had to feel around for a chair behind her. She collapsed into one opposite Dumbledore’s desk like it were the most comfortable chair ever and she had just come home from a very long, very hard day. The chair squeaked as she sat, it was normally only used by nervous students who were in lots of trouble and wasn’t used to such treatment. Quietly, without any fanfare or hysterics, she began to cry. The other three looked at her, concerned, but didn’t try to stop her tears.
“I would owl them right now,” Arthur continued in what he thought was a comforting tone, “but they’re preparing.”
“Preparing for what?” Ginny asked quizzically. She tried to blink back still more tears. She had cried so much since she had gotten to Hogwarts, she was surprised her tear ducts weren’t all worn out.
Her father tensed up when he realized she didn’t know. Of course she wouldn’t, she just got there. He wondered if perhaps, since she was already such a wreck, it wouldn’t be wise to tell her. She had enough trauma. But she was looking at him imploringly and he knew it was too late now. He had already stuck his foot in his mouth. He briefly considered telling her it was nothing or doing a memory charm, but he couldn’t do anything like that to his baby even if it was to protect her.
“For the battle tomorrow,” he said quietly, but with deadly intensity.
“B-battle?” she stuttered, her eyes as wide as bludgers.
Arthur scratched behind his ear, shuffled his feet and avoided her eye, the way he did when his wife was angry with him for not punishing the boys. “You-Know-Who is attacking the Ministry tomorrow. The boys volunteered to help the defense.” He said all of this so fast it sounded like one word. He reminded Ginny of Ron so much in that moment it was hard to believe he was a grown man with seven children and a grandchild.
The moment he saw how frightened she had become, he sought to qualify his statement, hoping it would make her feel better. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll turn out all right. Bill is only there to break curses that the Death Eaters may set, he probably won’t ever meet one of them in battle. Charlie is on reserve in case they bring any magical creatures, which is just a precaution. They probably won’t. Percy is a deputy-something or other, he’ll tell you his exact position if you ask him, but as far as I can tell it is just ordering people around from another building entirely. Fudge asked him to do it because Percy is good at keeping things highly organized. The twins wanted to assist the Aurors but Molly wouldn’t hear of it. She shouted quite a bit, be glad you weren’t here for it...”
Ginny looked up at him with her large eyes and he stopped talking immediately. “What about Ron?” she asked in a small, shaking voice.
Arthur shuffled his feet some more and generally looked very awkward and worried in his own right. He sighed gravely. “Ginny,” he said finally, “you know no one can keep the three of them apart.”
She shrieked. Draco wasn’t sure if she was mad or scared. Either way, she wasn’t happy about this idea. Draco couldn’t fathom it, but she loved Ron and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. “But- but he’ll go right for Harry! Ron and Hermione could get killed!” she shrieked. When all the rage seemed to go out of her, she flumped back limply into her chair. “Oh Daddy, what if something happens?”
“I know...” murmured her father. “We’re all worried. Harry has to fight, of course, and Ron wouldn’t think of letting him go alone. They’ve beaten so much already, there’s no telling them that they won’t always be so lucky.”
Ginny opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again when she realized words were inadequate. If Ron died tomorrow, she would kill him. How dare he be so stupid? The years she had spent alone, running from Voldemort had been tough. She had wanted to give up so many times. She’d lay awake at night and think that she just wasn’t strong enough to handle it all. A child and life on the run; it was too much all at once. She had doubted herself. But the one thing she hadn’t lost faith in was that she would see her family again one day. Their bonds had always seemed so strong, it had never crossed her mind that she had lost them for good.
As she sat in the chair in Dumbledore’s office, watching her father shuffle his feet and her daughter walk in circles around Draco, for the first time since it all had happened, she realized that she might never see Ron again. He was her brother. He was supposed to be there, with open arms when she came triumphantly back to the Burrow. Five open armed brothers just wasn’t the same as six. It was all wrong. It made her feel numb inside.
“We could help,” said Draco. The mood was tense and it was the first time he had spoke during the entire interview. It caused Ginny to jump in her chair.
Draco hadn’t even realized he intended to say it before the words had left his mouth. Had he just volunteered to ride into battle against the Dark Lord? What was he smoking? That was something a Gryffindor would do. But he didn’t feel like a Gryffindor. He wasn’t sure what courage was like, but this wasn’t it. He was just angry. He wanted to make Voldemort pay for what he had done to them. He had watched Ginny go through an emotional Quidditch match today, and he didn’t want to see her in any more pain.
It really didn’t matter to him that fighting against Voldemort meant fighting with Harry Potter. He wanted to see the Dark Lord in serious pain. He imagined a heap of bloody robes crumpled on the floor where Voldemort should’ve stood. He knew, in the rational part of his brain that did not control revenge fantasies, that if Voldemort were to be beaten, he would be beaten magically and therefore not end up looking like some Beaters had mistaken him for a Bludger. But it was a good fantasy nonetheless. It gave him a sense of success.
Ginny was glaring at him. He wasn’t sure why she was angry. Maybe she felt he had interrupted her moment with her father. Arthur was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. It occurred to Draco that Arthur had been so wrapped up in Ginny and then Cassie and then Ginny again that he had only barely noted Draco’s presence.
“Um... Daddy? You remember Draco Malfoy, right?” said Ginny with a wry chuckle, thinking perhaps it would be better if he didn’t remember Draco. Arthur turned to examine Draco again. It was obvious he only thought of Lucius when he looked at Draco. Worried that he might get the wrong idea, Ginny started talking again. “He’s Cassie’s father. He’s really been a great help in raising her. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t shown up when he had...”
Arthur looked from the hopeful expression on his daughter’s face to the guarded gaze of Draco Malfoy. He was unmistakably well bread, even if he wasn’t intending to carry himself this way. He reminded Arthur of Lucius in so many ways. Yet, in many others, he did not. It was easy to tell by the way she looked at him and spoke of him that Ginny fancied him. Arthur knew this should bother him. He was a Malfoy after all. But the truth was, he didn’t care if Ginny fancied the devil himself as long as she was safe. As long as she was home, where she belonged.
“Yes, of course,” he said stiffly, “how do you do?”
* * *
Draco turned. He stood on the landing outside Dumbledore’s door and watched the stairs descend on their own accord. Cassie stood to his right, dutifully holding his hand. But she wasn’t looking where he was looking. She was turned around as much as possible without letting go of her father to see into Dumbledore’s office. The door was only open a sliver; she couldn’t see much. She could hear the soft voice of her Papa and her Mummy crying. Cassie knew she was happy and didn’t understand why.
Arthur had to get home. He hated to leave Ginny behind but it really wasn’t safe to take her out of Hogwarts, not yet anyway. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Molly or the boys that they had found her. “I’ll bring them as soon as it’s safe,” he assured Ginny as he said his farewells. She knew he wasn’t lying; he’d be back as soon as possible. The truth was, he really didn’t want to leave at all. But he had things to take care of, plans for the next day.
“I love you, Daddy,” Ginny whispered and kissed him on his bald spot.
“I love you,” he said, but somehow the words were unnecessary.
Out in the hall, Draco continued to stare at the steps. He couldn’t really see them at all. They were just blurs of motion. He couldn’t hear what was going on behind him. Cassie could. She grinned at her mother’s words. She jostled her Daddy’s arm violently to get his attention. He looked down at her, fully prepared to tell her that she was the most annoying child in the entire world. He did that whenever he lost his patience with her. Then she’d become highly offended, refuse to speak to him and generally act very dramatic until she did something cute that made him laugh and he took it back. He appeared so disgruntled when he faced her that she started to laugh at him loudly.
“Just because your grandfather thinks you’re cute doesn’t mean you really are. He doesn’t have to spend 24 hours a day with you,” he grumbled, annoyed at being laughed at.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said through her giggles.
* * *
It was late. Molly Weasley kept glancing up at the clock. Her husband’s hand was pointing to “visiting.” She didn’t know where he could be visiting so late. He hadn’t come home for lunch and it was way past dinnertime now. She was beginning to think something was wrong! She sighed. She hoped he’d get home soon. (But his hand was still on “visiting.”) The Burrow was so quiet without any of the children around. It was the highlight of her day when her husband came home. Now even he wasn’t around! She was sure she’d go out of her mind with boredom if something didn’t happen soon. She had already cleaned the kitchen twice. Now, she was standing over her pot of stew, still stirring it. Really, she could just let it cool. Arthur could heat it up when he arrived...
Still, she kept stirring and watching the clock. Bill and Percy’s hands were at “work.” Fred and George’s were at “in trouble” which wasn’t a rare occurrence at all. She barely even registered it. Ron and Charlie were both at “home.” Molly scoffed indignantly. If they were “home” then they’d be there with her. How dare they have homes of their own? Finally, she looked sadly at Ginny’s hand. It was where it had been for the last several years: halfway between “lost” and “you don‘t want to know.” Molly had nearly had a heart attack when she had first seen it. Usually the hands just picked one place to rest. She had been sure it meant that she had gone where the clock couldn’t find her. Arthur had to assure her that it probably just meant someone had made sure Ginny couldn’t be traced easily.
Again, Molly sighed and stirred. It was several more minutes before she noticed that Arthur’s hand had moved to “traveling.” She smiled to herself. She’d have to give him hell for skipping their lunch. She wouldn’t let on that she had missed him that much. The hand skidded to a halt at “home.”
“Molly!” cried Arthur from the living room.
“I’m in the kitchen,” she called in a business-like tone, “dinner is getting cold. I’ll warm it up for you. You’ll have to wait...”
“Molly...” he said again. She could feel him standing behind her in the doorframe. He wanted to talk to her. Well that was all well and good but she wanted to talk to him but he hadn’t been there.
“Just sit down. It’ll be ready in a second,” she replied flippantly, without looking at him.
“Molly...”
This time he sounded so urgent that she couldn’t help but turn around to face him. She had known this man for nearly half a century now. He had something to tell her but he was struggling to find the words. Curious, she cocked her head to the side and gazed at him. He wore such a funny expression. “Molly...” he said again. In fact, it seemed to be the only thing he could say. She could see his eyes when he said it. He was starting to cry. It was something important...
Molly dropped the pot with a very audible crash as her hands flew to her face. The stew spilled all over her clean floor. Her shoulders began to shake with epic sobs. Arthur didn’t have to say anything else. She knew. She just knew.
He raced to her side, trying to comfort her. Molly leaned into his hug to cry on his shoulder. She really couldn’t believe it. After all these years of praying, her dream had finally come true. She clung desperately to her husband, hoping that if she held on tight enough then she wouldn’t wake up.
“My baby,” she mumbled through her tears.
* * *
Draco kept pondering the things Mr. Weasley had told them in Dumbledore’s office for the rest of the evening. There was going to be a battle against Voldemort in less than 12 hours. His mental image of a bludgeoned Voldemort kept dancing in his head. He very much wanted to go lend a hand. But for some strange reason, he felt that he should speak with Ginny about it first. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it was because he was house broken now but Draco quickly shut it up.
The thing was, Ginny all but refused to talk to him since her father left. They returned to their flat in relative silence. It annoyed Cassie a great deal because she liked things to be busy. Then as soon as they got there, Ginny announced that it was Cassie’s bedtime. Cassie and she argued for an hour, as Cassie would not believe it was her bedtime. Finally she fell asleep in mid-scream and Ginny carted her off to bed, the victor. Moments later, she came out of Cassie’s little bedroom and began to prepare herself for bed. Ginny did everything with even, forceful movements. She slammed her brush down on the table and ripped her blankets back from the bed.
He knew now that he had been correct in thinking that she was angry with him when he had spoken in Dumbledore’s office. He had a hard time believing, however, that she would remain bitter that he had interrupted her moment with her father. There had to be another reason. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was. He hated it when he had done something wrong and he didn’t know what it was. He couldn’t compose a decent counter argument and, therefore, entered the fight unprepared.
After a few minutes of this, Draco had enough. “What!?” he demanded, jumping off the mattress and glaring at her. “Why are you angry with me? I’m sick of guessing.”
“You know why,” she hissed.
“Because I said I wanted to go fight?” He couldn’t understand why that would make her mad but that was when she had stopped speaking to him. “I don’t get it. I thought you wanted the Dark Lord dead so we wouldn’t have to hide anymore!”
Draco didn’t care that Cassie was in the next room over anymore. He made no attempt to hush his voice. The damn had burst and there was no the water now. She made him so angry sometimes. He was getting sick of her being so moody. He was sick of having to test the water before he did anything. He wished she’d just pick a demeanor and go with it. What was even more infuriating is that she made no reply to his shouts other than to shoot murderous glares at him.
“Do you think I can’t handle it? I’m not Gryffindor enough to ride off into battle, is that it? Guess what, honey? I’ve been fighting the battle of my life for the last six years. This is nothing!”
Ginny tossed her hair over her shoulder. Aside from her bright hair she was pale, looking like a statue. Her face was white, her faded freckles barely noticeable. She was resolute. She had a piece of her mind to give him. She had probably been thinking of the exact words to hurl at him since they had arrived back at the flat. She had been waiting for this moment to release all her anger and put her cards on the table. “You can’t go fight...”
But he didn’t let her finish. He was off and running and she wasn’t going to stop him.
“I can’t? I was Head Boy here. I knew more hexes at ten than most grown wizards do. Don’t say that I’m not capable. I’m twice the wizard Harry Potter is and he’s been running off to do battle with the bad guys since he was an infant!”
At this point, Draco had to stop his ranting to catch his breath. He was breathing as though he had just completed a triathlon. He watched Ginny through narrowed eyes, still thinking up more words to shout at her once he could speak again. She had that look on her face. The one where he could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She blinked several times and stood up straight leaving her with the expression of someone who knows something that other people don’t.
“Oh,” she whispered, with wide eyes. “I get it now.”
Draco didn’t know what to say to that. He thought he had been winning the argument and now she had completely changed direction. He felt like they had been doing the Wronski Feint. She had pulled back at the right moment but he had slammed, head first, into the ground. He would have to proceed with caution.
“You’re jealous,” she announced in the most annoyingly superior voice. “You’re jealous of Harry.”
He sputtered. “Wha-? J-jealous? No!” What in the world had given her that idea? She had missed the point entirely. The point was in one country and she was in another.
“I was right,” she grinned, exasperatingly proud of herself. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw you. Do you remember? In Flourish and Blotts.” she asked, seeing his blank stare.
The truth was that he didn’t. All he could remember of Ginny Weasley at Hogwarts was a tiny red blur or the occasional freckled-face staring up adoringly at Harry Potter. He certainly didn’t recall meeting her before Hogwarts. Perhaps he had just repressed all of his encounters with the Weasleys. There went that blasted ‘love at first sight’ theory.
“We were there getting books for my first year. Gilderoy Lockhart was signing books. Harry got his picture taken with Lockhart, for the Daily Prophet. You said something snide to him. I figured you were just jealous.” She did an ‘I was right’ victory dance. When she was done, she turned her attention back to him. He was still looking confused. He didn’t remember. Her shoulders fell. “My dad and your dad got in a fistfight?” she added hopefully.
A large smile broke across his face. “Yeah, I remember the fistfight.”
“Anyway,” Ginny abruptly swung their conversation back on track, “you want to prove that you can do anything Harry can do better. And, sorry, that’s not a good enough reason.” She turned and began brushing her hair in the mirror like this was the final word and he had no more say in the matter.
“That’s ridiculous!” he scoffed. “I’m doing this for Cassie. I could care less what Harry bloody Potter is up to.”
Ginny put the brush down on the dresser with a loud bang. “You are not doing this for Cassie,” she said through clenched teeth. The force of the statement caught Draco off guard, again.
She whirled around to face him again. It looked as thought she had plenty more words to hurl at him, but he stopped her with a quiet, “I don’t understand.” In fact, he found that he didn’t understand what she was thinking a lot. It would be a great help if she would just tell him. He watched patiently as Ginny struggled to find the right words to express what she was feeling.
“Ok,” she began once the words had formed. She paced around the room and gestured emphatically as she spoke. “I know you didn’t ask for the job, but you’re a father now.” Draco nodded sagely. This was true. “Fate gave us this task. We’re supposed to protect her, to keep her safe. That means physically and psychologically. I did it for a long time by myself but it nearly killed me. Everyday I thought about going to bed and not waking up... Cassie and I both need you to be here. We’re a family. You have responsibilities now. You can’t go running off half-cocked or be putting yourself in such danger. Because if something happens to you,” she held up a hand to stop his protest, “and I’m not saying that it will, I know that you’re a damn fine wizard, if, something happens to you, then you won’t have done your job. I’ll be sad. She’ll be sad. In fact, she’ll probably never get over it. Voldemort will have inflicted damage that can’t possibly be reversed. You won’t have protected her from anything.”
Draco sat down on the bed, thinking about the things she was saying. He had never thought of it that way. Rather than look at her, he stared down at his hands only to find that they were shaking.
“You know that I would lay down my life for Cassie. I am a Gryffindor, Draco. I want to go break every single bone in his body. But there’s no point in putting ourselves in that position if we don’t have to.”
After a moment of silence, he felt her hand on his shoulder and the bed sag under her weight. She rested her head gently on his shoulder. He didn’t know that she was crying until the warm, salt water touched his own skin. “I thought you had learned all this already. I mean, I thought you’d always put her needs ahead of your own. I’ll understand if you still want to go. I’ll still love you; I just won’t speak to you for a long, long time.” She gently tugged on his arm until he took her hand. Hers was shaking too.
Ginny looked up into his gray eyes. As always, they were unreadable. “Please,” she murmured, her voice soft from emotion, “just let Harry be the hero again. He’s already lost his family.”
If she had anything left to say, she didn’t the chance. His lips covered hers. He had approached so quietly that she had gasped in surprise. She wasn’t sure if kissing Draco was ever something she’d get used to. It made her tingly all over. Ginny still wasn’t sure what he had decided but she took it as a good sign.
* * *
That evening was more peaceful that Draco had expected. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. You could see for miles from the tower. The crickets still chirped. The owls still hooted. There was no bustling about in the hallways. It was as though nothing were going on. Instead of unnerving Draco, it made him calm. If no one else was nervous, why should he be? He had other things on his mind, anyway, and didn’t much feel like worrying over Voldemort. He had done enough of that in the last few months.
Cassie had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She hadn’t even removed her shoes yet. Ginny and he hadn’t stayed up much later. They were weary from the long, emotionally charged day. Draco remembered how he had fretted over having to sleep in the same bed as Ginny when he had first started traveling with them. But now, in their tiny flat at Hogwarts, he felt perfectly at ease lying beside her. It wasn’t so bad. Ginny stayed on her side mostly. She didn’t kick or steal the covers like Cassie did.
There was so much to think about, he didn’t know where to begin. What exactly had Ginny meant when she said she needed him? She had said a lot. He closed his eyes and tried to step back into the moment. He could see her face as she yelled at him very clearly. Oddly, he liked how she looked when she was angry. He wasn’t sure it was worth it to make her mad for no good reason though. It was probably very unwise.
And what about the meeting with Arthur Weasley? Draco could tell that he had known there was something between himself and Ginny. But he hadn’t said anything about it, as Draco had expected him to. He hadn’t even thrown things or got mad. Perhaps Mr. Weasley was the complete antithesis of Lucius Malfoy and that’s why they hated each other so. Lucius surely would have thrown something; a curse most likely.
How had Mr. Weasley known anyhow? Were they that obvious? He would think that since they had only kissed that one time, that they wouldn’t appear to be a close couple. That wasn’t really true though, Draco had to admit to himself. He and Ginny had been close for a long time before it had become romantic. Furthermore, he couldn’t pin down when it had become romantic. They had kissed that morning but Draco was sure it had started before that...
“Draco?” said a tiny voice. It was Ginny; she was peering at him curiously from her side of the bed. “Go to sleep. You’ll wake Cassie up.”
He laughed out loud. He clapped his hand over his mouth upon seeing the murderous look she was giving him for making noise. “I was just thinking...” he explained, trying to force her to see reason. Thinking wasn’t a loud activity and, therefore, it wouldn’t wake Cassie up.
“I know,” Ginny said conspiratorially, “but she’ll know you’re up. Then she’ll want to come and “play” because she doesn’t sleep as much as normal people... She’s got a sixth sense about these things. She is psychic, you know.”
Draco grinned. He couldn’t argue with that. He moved closer to her, as close as he could get without actually touching her. He could actually feel the warmth her body was giving off. “I was thinking...” he felt foolish for stumbling over the words. Usually he had something smart to say. This touchy-feely stuff threw him. Her close proximity wasn’t helping either. “I reckon we’re a family now. Not just us and Cassie, either. Me and you.”
He knew she was scared for her brothers. He knew she was hurting. It was his, somewhat vague attempt to be emotionally supportive. Ginny smiled gratefully, knowing it was the best she’d get. “I know,” she said quietly as she leaned forward to kiss his forehead.
After that, it didn’t take Draco long to comply with her request to fall asleep. It was very late and he had been up very early. A lot had happened. He hadn’t realized before but he could feel sleep tugging at the edge of his consciousness, plugging him downward like a spiral. He yawned soundlessly before drifting away and said: “Most people are couples first and then have a kid...” But then again, it didn’t really matter how they got there, just that they had.
* * *
The next day, Ginny woke up earlier than anyone else in the castle. She had come so close to reuniting with her family. If something happened to one of her brothers now, she didn’t know what she’d do. Her tossing and turning woke Draco early on. He tried to go back to bed, but it was just too difficult. There was a lot on his mind. Cassie wasn’t far behind. She was the only one who didn’t seem bothered by the thought of the battle that was to come. But she never slept if she could possibly avoid it.
The castle was eerily silent. Draco assumed most everyone else had gone to help out. He knew Snape wasn’t allowed to go either. But Draco didn’t feel like going to hang out with his old professor. Ginny wasn’t much fun either. She took to pacing around the room. They hadn’t been at Hogwarts for more than a day and Draco was sure she was already wearing a hole in the floor from all her pacing. She could never sit still when anxious.
To fill the silence, or perhaps to just be cute, Cassie started following her Mum around the room like a baby duck following its mama. Except Cassie didn’t pace, she hopped like she were playing hopscotch. One foot. Other foot. Both feet. One foot. Other foot. Both feet... While she did this, she sang. “Hi, my name is Adam and I sell apples. Hi, my name is Bill and I sell bananas. Hi, my name is Cassie...”
“Cassie, honey, can you please be quiet? Mummy has a headache.”
In response to Ginny’s patient request, Cassie nodded. But she didn’t stop. She just sang a bit quieter: “Hi, my name is Draco and I sell...daddies.”
Draco laughed out loud. Both Ginny and Cassie stopped circling the room. “Come here, you,” he said, waving Cassie over to him through his laughter. He was still sitting on the bed. Cassie happily abandoned her game and hopped up next to him. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close. “Mummy’s nervous about today,” he whispered in her ear like it was a big secret.”
Cassie’s face fell. “I know...” she whispered, her eyes very wide. “I’m singing a happy song.”
He immediately felt sorry for saying anything. He hadn’t realized she had been trying to cheer Ginny up. He looked to Ginny for guidance. How did he tell the little girl that she was really just annoying her mother? Ginny heaved a great sigh. She had heard what Cassie said too. (Cassie was a very poor whisperer.) Draco could tell she felt bad for telling Cassie to be quiet.
Ginny finally stopped pacing to slide onto the bed, so that Cassie was sandwiched between her parents. She bounced eagerly, more than happy with the arrangement. Ginny threaded her arm through Cassie’s tiny one. She leaned her head against Cassie’s and kissed her. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said. “I’ll try to be less grumpy.” Ginny tried to put on a brave face and look as though nothing was wrong.
Cassie began listing of names of games they could play and songs they could sing. Although Ginny stayed put and tried to look interested in what her daughter was saying, Draco noticed that she still was restless. She fidgeted with her hands and bit her nails, something Ginny rarely did. He watched her intently for any signs that the stress might be too much for her, not even pretending to be listening to Cassie. She’d do whatever she wanted anyway. She didn’t really want their input; she was just pretending to involve them to be polite.
This was why it took Draco longer than it took Ginny to realize that Cassie had stopped enumerating potential amusements and was staring intently towards Ginny’s dresser. She wasn’t, of course, looking at the dresser. She couldn’t even see it. But she could see something else; something that Draco and Ginny could not. It was only when Cassie gave a frightened squeak that Draco paid any notice of her strange behavior.
Ginny squeaked similarly seconds later. She reached out to grab Draco’s arm for support. “She sees them!” she exclaimed, both hopefully and fearfully.
Draco wasn’t quite sure how to react to this. Ginny was convinced that Cassie could see her brothers. It was possible she was seeing something else entirely, though Draco had to admit it did look like she was watching the battle. He hoped nothing bad happened during the course of the vision, it would upset Cassie and it might kill Ginny. He wanted to shake Cassie out of it, to protect her from what she saw but he knew that it would do no good. Despite Ginny’s pleas for Cassie to tell her what was happening, Cassie could not hear them. It was as though she had stepped out of their flat and was standing in the middle of the battlefield. And his overpowering, morbid curiosity was grateful she could see it. He wanted to know exactly what was going on.
Ginny was on pins and needles, hanging on every little gasp or facial expression. Cassie cried, “Oh no!” and Ginny could barely stand it. She covered her face with her hands and bit her nails. Draco was sure she’d have no fingernails left the next day. Draco was on edge as well. Cassie screamed once, and he nearly fell off the bed. He felt so impotent, sitting there just listening. He wished he could do something to help the combatants or, at least, to help Cassie. He didn’t want her to be afraid.
If he were thinking objectively he would’ve noticed that Cassie wasn’t afraid. When Voldemort did something bad she got angry and told him off. “You are so mean! That was rude! Stop that!” she’d say, not realizing that, although she could see him, he couldn’t see or hear her. Or when someone from the resistance did something she approved of, she’d cheer them on. “Yay! Beat him up!” She acted more like she were a spectator at a Quidditch match than a major battle between good and evil.
Once, about fifteen minutes into her vision, Cassie screamed: “Oh no! Uncle Ron!” and Draco thought Ginny would lose it. She turned hysterical and demanded to know what had happened to him. Cassie didn’t answer and that only made her more worried. She fluttered about, flapping her hands desperately in an attempt to keep back her tears by telling herself that he still might be all right.
Cassie didn’t appear half as worried about it as Ginny was. A few seconds later she said: “YAY!” as though Ron had just scored a goal and Ginny quieted down. But Draco could tell she was still anxious. If it were possible, she was more on edge after that.
“Ooooh!” Cassie gasped in an excited manner. Draco and Ginny both leaned forward, hoping it would help them understand what she was seeing. “Eeep!” she said then, “Yes!” Whatever it was, it had obviously turned out well. Then she started to cheer louder than ever before, giving Draco the impression that they were nearing the pinnacle. “Oooh! Yay! Go! You can do it!” she shouted, louder than before.
And then she cried happily: “Yay! Yay! Get him Uncle Harry!”
Draco’s stomach dropped into his shoes. Ginny was clapping proudly, thinking Harry had done something marvelous. Her joy only furthered his outrage. “What?!?” he demanded, looking accusingly at Ginny. “He is not her uncle!” It was bad enough she was related to the Weasley boys, Draco simply wouldn’t stand for her calling Harry Potter “Uncle Harry.” It was contrary to his entire being.
Ginny just rolled her eyes at him, thinking he was being childish. “Draco,” she scolded, “focus on the matter at hand. It’s not important.”
But it was important to Draco. He sulked until Cassie screamed and waved her arms around. “Wee!” she said, her eyes still glazed over. Then, seamlessly switching gears, her eyes unglazed and she said, “Mummy! Uncle Harry did it! He beat the bad man.” Her eyes shown with approval and admiration, which only served to make Draco sulk some more. He folded his arms over his chest and went to go pout on the other side of the bed while Ginny and Cassie squealed and bounced up and down.
Ginny hugged Cassie tightly too her. “Oh, thank God! Oh, I can’t believe it! It’s over!” she said joyously. Slowly, that idea sunk in. She sank back to the bed in an exhausted heap. “It’s over,” she said again, relief flooding her. Her body was limp and numb. She realized that she hadn’t been truly relaxed for the last seven years. It felt anti-climatic some how. They had struggled for all those years, and now, just like that, it was all over.
“It’s over,” she repeated, disbelievingly.
*
NOTES: Phew. Almost done. There’s only one more chapter after this. Thanks everyone for reading!
* * *
When some people get anxious, they pace. Ginny was far beyond that. As she walked back and forth in the new flat, she reminded Draco of a hamster trapped on a wheel. Far from idly strolling, it was as though she believed she was actually going somewhere. He watched her from his usual perch on the edge of the bed with a slightly bemused expression as she rambled on and on about the impending arrival of her father.
“I can’t do this. I haven’t had enough time to prepare. An hour! One hour! Five years gets me one hour. What should I say? Oh god! How do I explain it all...?”
Cassie was propped up on a stack of pillows near the headboard. She had never seen her mother act this way. She couldn’t understand why. Wouldn’t seeing her Grandfather a be happy thing? Cassie couldn’t wait to meet him. But her Mummy didn’t seem to think it would be fun. Cassie frowned. “Mummy’s gone mad, hasn’t she?” she asked her father, loud enough for Ginny to hear.
In reply, Ginny threw up her hands in an exaggerated act of frustration. She glared at Draco, as though he had said it. “I’m just nervous, all right?” she said defensively, speaking more to herself than with anyone else. “I’m different now. I’m not his little girl anymore.” She sighed dramatically and collapsed onto the bed next to Draco. “Oh, Draco.” She leaned her head against his shoulder lovingly, completely forgetting that she had been cross with him only seconds earlier. He was planning to refuse to hold her until she apologized for snapping at him, just to be snotty, but he decided against it. She really didn’t need his sarcasm now.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” Her eyes widened in fear as she looked ahead of her, like she could see the horrible event happening. One by one, she enumerated all of her fears. “What if he’s moved on? Forgotten all about me! Or what if he didn’t miss me at all! What if he’s different now too? Oh, it’s been too long. We’ll never be the same family we were!” She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as another idea struck her. “What if he blames me for leaving? He might be angry. He won’t want to see me!” With each prediction, she seemed more and more convinced that it was all true.
“Stop it,” ordered Draco, weary of this game. This cycle could only get worse. He intended to put an end to it now.
Ginny fell to the bed as though she could no longer stand to sit up. She curled up into a fetal position, defeated. “I can’t go,” she said in a small, shaking voice. “I can’t do it. Don’t make me.”
He lay alongside her, propping his head up on his elbow so he could get a better look at her. He worried that this was all too much too soon. Ginny was very emotional right now. A lot had happened in the last few days. He had just begun a strange sort of relationship with her. It would be just his luck for her to have a nervous breakdown only minutes later.
“Gin,” he whispered, reaching out to stroke her hair comfortingly. “Can I say something or do you just want to babble?” She didn’t answer. Since it was the only time she had clammed up since Cassie had announced that Mr. Weasley was coming to Hogwarts, he took it as a sign that he could talk.
“I don’t have as many children or years of experience as your father has but since all this began,” he motioned his head toward Cassie, who looked on with interest, “I have learned one lesson that I would be happy to share with you.” He said all this in a lofty tone. She should be grateful he was willing to share his knowledge. “Your father is a much more caring man than I will ever be. Yet, I spent five grief stricken years looking for Cassie even though I thought she was dead. I can’t begin to imagine what he’s been going through. Your father will not hate you. He will not have moved on and forgotten you. A daughter is simply not something that you forget.”
Large tears drowned Ginny’s eyes. “But...” she protested weakly. She really wanted to believe him, but she just couldn’t. It had been a long, hard road and she had learned not to hope.
Draco leapt off the bed and began retracing her path. “I don’t know what else I can say to convince you. You’re letting your fear rule you. I reckon your afraid you’re going to lose them again and you can’t face that. But if they’re that important to you, aren’t they worth fighting for?
“Your problem is you care too much. See, I’ve never had that problem. At least not before...” he trailed off as he thought. “I can count all the people I give a damn about on one hand.” As proof, he extended a hand, with three fingers raised to her. “My father never trusted anyone because then they have power over you. They could break you. But, if I may offer just one more pearl of wisdom: wait and see what happens before you become hysterical. There’s no reason to worry yet. Things may not be as bad as you expect.”
Ginny nodded mutely, agreeing for his and Cassie’s sake but still riddled with fears. She offered him a feeble smile. Whether he knew it or not, she was glad he was with her. She found his presence infinitely comforting. She stood up, wrapping her arms around him immediately, almost instinctively, and burying her head in his neck. His skin was cool against the trails of tears on her face.
“We’ll go with you,” he whispered into her hair, “you don’t have to go alone.”
* * *
The three of them rode up the stairs to Dumbledore’s office in silence. Ginny tried to keep her head up. As the door rose into view, like the dawning sun, she knew he was in there. She couldn’t hear voices yet but she just knew he was there. She gulped. Draco got the distinct impression that she felt like she was walking to her death. He wanted to say something to break the tension, but no words came.
Her hand was shaking so quickly it was more appropriate to say her hand was vibrating. From beside her, Cassie looked curiously up at her Mummy then toward the office door. Noiselessly, she reached up and took Ginny’s hand in her smaller one. It was her own childish way of comforting her mother. Draco beamed proudly. Sometimes Cassie was a bit more perceptive than most would give her credit for.
As they got closer, the soft sound of voices wafted through the door to their ears. Draco stepped forward, wondering if it was time to make their entrance yet. He could make out Dumbledore’s voice. He was explaining everything to Mr. Weasley. But Draco heard no reaction. Surely Arthur had something to say. Curiosity got the better of Draco. Slowly, he pushed the door open with a creak. He heard Ginny gasp from behind him.
Arthur Weasley was sitting in the chair across from Dumbledore’s desk with his shoulders slumped and his face buried in his hands. Dumbledore was quiet now, allowing the man a moment to absorb all the new information. He stood, straight backed, behind his desk. He looked at Arthur with concern, yet didn’t miss the door gently sliding open.
“Arthur...” he whispered solemnly, his eyes on Ginny.
At once, Mr. Weasley’s neck snapped toward the door to see what Dumbledore was looking at. His eyes fell upon his daughter for the first time in years. For a moment, no one said anything. No one moved. There was no sound of whirling silver things or cry of a phoenix. And the world itself stopped turning to hold its breath.
“Daddy...” breathed Ginny, her voice so tiny Draco wasn’t sure she spoke at all. She looked upon him with the same awe and reference a young girl has reserved for her father before she realizes he is human like everyone else. Sometimes, Cassie looked at him that way.
It was like they stepped back in time. Draco could see the years melt away from Ginny’s face as she gazed at her father. Suddenly, he could see Cassie very clearly in her. Her face lit up just like Cassie’s. Then, just like that, she was in his arms. He held her so tightly he might’ve popped her. All the while Ginny sobbed “Daddy.”
Dumbledore quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the family alone. He knew it was a private moment. Even Draco felt like maybe he should leave. Ginny hadn’t seen her father in a long time. They should be left alone. Besides, he wasn’t really comfortable around such emotional family business. He wasn’t used to it. It wasn’t really his place.
Cassie, on the other hand, wanted to run forward to get a better look at her grandfather. She bounced up and down to view him at every possible angle. She had only seen him in visions until now. Draco held onto her shoulders tightly, to keep her back. Ginny needed more time. She was still sobbing uncontrollably in her father’s arms.
Arthur was beyond stunned. He just couldn’t believe he was finally holding her after so much time had passed. He just didn’t want to let go. Every few moments he’d say, “You’re all right?” which was both a statement of the obvious and a question. She was alive, yes, but was she okay? Ginny could only nod through her tears; she wanted to say something more -- to tell him that she was fine now that she was home. But every time she opened her mouth, it felt like she was drowning and it made the crying worse. She was completely incapable of saying anything other than “Daddy.”
Finally, she pulled away from him to regain her composure. “I missed you,” she said weakly as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She really needn’t have said it; it was pretty obvious.
He smiled at her, starting to say something. He stopped in mid-word when his eyes fell on the pair standing by the door. Draco tensed as he felt the attention turn towards him. Arthur hadn’t noticed before because he had been so concerned with Ginny. Draco could see the older man’s eyes lower until they met Cassie’s smiling face. She waved at him eagerly with both hands.
“Is this...?” he asked woozily, like he had just been hit over the head.
“Oh!” Ginny exclaimed, feeling foolish for not remembering her surroundings. “Daddy, this is Cassie.”
“Hi!” said Cassie happily.
Arthur crouched down on one knee to get a better look at her. She had Ginny’s nose. He could vividly recall just how Ginny had looked at that age. They were very similar except Cassie had Draco’s eyes. He reached out to stroke her cheek with one hand. Cassie giggled. It tickled. This made Arthur smile. He hadn’t heard the tinkling laugh of a young girl in a very long time.
In one swift, fluid motion, he caught her around the waist and hoisted her high into the air, spinning her around in circles while she laughed loudly. She didn’t even care that her dress was getting blown in all sorts of directions. Ginny watched them fondly. When she had been very young, he would do that with her when he came home for work. “I like having a Papa!” Cassie shrieked as he twirled around faster and faster. This made Arthur chuckle. He laughed so hard he had to stop and put her down. He was glad it hadn’t taken her long to warm up to him. After all, he was a complete stranger to her.
“I like having a grandchild,” he said, into her ear once they had both stopped laughing. “Your grandmother and I will enjoy spoiling you and letting you stay up past your bedtime.” Cassie grinned a wide, toothy grin.
At his words, Ginny’s face fell. His unspoken word formed a large, gaping hole in his sentence. She knew that Cassie had been having visions to keep her up with the happenings in her family, but somehow she thought Cassie must have missed something. It seemed impossible. She had so many brothers and she was the youngest of all her siblings. Yet, her father hadn’t said ‘another’ and she knew it must be true. Her father didn’t have any other grandchildren besides Cassie. She wasn’t an aunt.
“Dad...” she wondered aloud. Everyone turned to look at her. She wore such a confused, shocked, yet thoughtful expression. “Why didn’t...? I mean, Bill and Charlie...? She’s your first grandchild?”
Arthur wasn’t sure how to answer that question. He stood there, stunned for a few seconds while Cassie folded her arms over her chest and pouted. He wasn’t playing with her anymore. Her Mummy was ruining all her fun. She felt her Daddy’s hands creep back onto their protective resting place on her shoulders. She supposed she could always play with her Daddy but she didn’t see why they had gone to all this trouble to bring her Papa here to play with her and he was going to play with her Mummy.
“Why yes,” replied Arthur finally, he still had a lingering hint of puzzlement in his tone. “I suppose I don’t know why. We never sat around and had a chat about it. I reckon it was several different reasons. They’re not ready yet, haven’t met the right young woman or maybe - maybe they were waiting. Things are so horrible now, with the war. It’s no place for a baby...”
He looked back at Cassie. She wasn’t listening to him anymore. She was walking around her father in circles, like he was the sun and she were a planet orbiting him. She kept her arm outstretched, so she always had at least a finger touching his leg, as if he was a base and as long as she remained in contact with him she couldn’t be thrown out of the game. She wore a look of intense concentration as she put her feet down in a precise pattern. It was obviously very important work in her estimation and it required her full attention.
“You’ve done well despite it,” he added with a gentle smile.
“Thank you.” Ginny blushed prettily, as though he had just heaped some lavish praise on her. Draco imagined she felt that one of the best parents in the entire world had complimented her parenting skills. He knew she always tried to think what her parents would do when she had trouble with Cassie. Draco did the same thing, except he’d determine what Lucius would do and then do the opposite.
After a brief silence, Ginny asked, “How are they?” as if it were a perfectly normal question that flowed perfectly from the above idea. Arthur knew what she meant however.
“Your brothers are fine,” he said. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and clutched at her heart thankfully. “They’ll all be delighted -- no, that’s not a strong enough word -- they’ll be... well, they’ll be happier than they were when I told them we were going to the Quidditch World Cup when I tell them that we’ve finally found you.”
Ginny had to feel around for a chair behind her. She collapsed into one opposite Dumbledore’s desk like it were the most comfortable chair ever and she had just come home from a very long, very hard day. The chair squeaked as she sat, it was normally only used by nervous students who were in lots of trouble and wasn’t used to such treatment. Quietly, without any fanfare or hysterics, she began to cry. The other three looked at her, concerned, but didn’t try to stop her tears.
“I would owl them right now,” Arthur continued in what he thought was a comforting tone, “but they’re preparing.”
“Preparing for what?” Ginny asked quizzically. She tried to blink back still more tears. She had cried so much since she had gotten to Hogwarts, she was surprised her tear ducts weren’t all worn out.
Her father tensed up when he realized she didn’t know. Of course she wouldn’t, she just got there. He wondered if perhaps, since she was already such a wreck, it wouldn’t be wise to tell her. She had enough trauma. But she was looking at him imploringly and he knew it was too late now. He had already stuck his foot in his mouth. He briefly considered telling her it was nothing or doing a memory charm, but he couldn’t do anything like that to his baby even if it was to protect her.
“For the battle tomorrow,” he said quietly, but with deadly intensity.
“B-battle?” she stuttered, her eyes as wide as bludgers.
Arthur scratched behind his ear, shuffled his feet and avoided her eye, the way he did when his wife was angry with him for not punishing the boys. “You-Know-Who is attacking the Ministry tomorrow. The boys volunteered to help the defense.” He said all of this so fast it sounded like one word. He reminded Ginny of Ron so much in that moment it was hard to believe he was a grown man with seven children and a grandchild.
The moment he saw how frightened she had become, he sought to qualify his statement, hoping it would make her feel better. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll turn out all right. Bill is only there to break curses that the Death Eaters may set, he probably won’t ever meet one of them in battle. Charlie is on reserve in case they bring any magical creatures, which is just a precaution. They probably won’t. Percy is a deputy-something or other, he’ll tell you his exact position if you ask him, but as far as I can tell it is just ordering people around from another building entirely. Fudge asked him to do it because Percy is good at keeping things highly organized. The twins wanted to assist the Aurors but Molly wouldn’t hear of it. She shouted quite a bit, be glad you weren’t here for it...”
Ginny looked up at him with her large eyes and he stopped talking immediately. “What about Ron?” she asked in a small, shaking voice.
Arthur shuffled his feet some more and generally looked very awkward and worried in his own right. He sighed gravely. “Ginny,” he said finally, “you know no one can keep the three of them apart.”
She shrieked. Draco wasn’t sure if she was mad or scared. Either way, she wasn’t happy about this idea. Draco couldn’t fathom it, but she loved Ron and she didn’t want anything to happen to him. “But- but he’ll go right for Harry! Ron and Hermione could get killed!” she shrieked. When all the rage seemed to go out of her, she flumped back limply into her chair. “Oh Daddy, what if something happens?”
“I know...” murmured her father. “We’re all worried. Harry has to fight, of course, and Ron wouldn’t think of letting him go alone. They’ve beaten so much already, there’s no telling them that they won’t always be so lucky.”
Ginny opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again when she realized words were inadequate. If Ron died tomorrow, she would kill him. How dare he be so stupid? The years she had spent alone, running from Voldemort had been tough. She had wanted to give up so many times. She’d lay awake at night and think that she just wasn’t strong enough to handle it all. A child and life on the run; it was too much all at once. She had doubted herself. But the one thing she hadn’t lost faith in was that she would see her family again one day. Their bonds had always seemed so strong, it had never crossed her mind that she had lost them for good.
As she sat in the chair in Dumbledore’s office, watching her father shuffle his feet and her daughter walk in circles around Draco, for the first time since it all had happened, she realized that she might never see Ron again. He was her brother. He was supposed to be there, with open arms when she came triumphantly back to the Burrow. Five open armed brothers just wasn’t the same as six. It was all wrong. It made her feel numb inside.
“We could help,” said Draco. The mood was tense and it was the first time he had spoke during the entire interview. It caused Ginny to jump in her chair.
Draco hadn’t even realized he intended to say it before the words had left his mouth. Had he just volunteered to ride into battle against the Dark Lord? What was he smoking? That was something a Gryffindor would do. But he didn’t feel like a Gryffindor. He wasn’t sure what courage was like, but this wasn’t it. He was just angry. He wanted to make Voldemort pay for what he had done to them. He had watched Ginny go through an emotional Quidditch match today, and he didn’t want to see her in any more pain.
It really didn’t matter to him that fighting against Voldemort meant fighting with Harry Potter. He wanted to see the Dark Lord in serious pain. He imagined a heap of bloody robes crumpled on the floor where Voldemort should’ve stood. He knew, in the rational part of his brain that did not control revenge fantasies, that if Voldemort were to be beaten, he would be beaten magically and therefore not end up looking like some Beaters had mistaken him for a Bludger. But it was a good fantasy nonetheless. It gave him a sense of success.
Ginny was glaring at him. He wasn’t sure why she was angry. Maybe she felt he had interrupted her moment with her father. Arthur was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. It occurred to Draco that Arthur had been so wrapped up in Ginny and then Cassie and then Ginny again that he had only barely noted Draco’s presence.
“Um... Daddy? You remember Draco Malfoy, right?” said Ginny with a wry chuckle, thinking perhaps it would be better if he didn’t remember Draco. Arthur turned to examine Draco again. It was obvious he only thought of Lucius when he looked at Draco. Worried that he might get the wrong idea, Ginny started talking again. “He’s Cassie’s father. He’s really been a great help in raising her. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he hadn’t shown up when he had...”
Arthur looked from the hopeful expression on his daughter’s face to the guarded gaze of Draco Malfoy. He was unmistakably well bread, even if he wasn’t intending to carry himself this way. He reminded Arthur of Lucius in so many ways. Yet, in many others, he did not. It was easy to tell by the way she looked at him and spoke of him that Ginny fancied him. Arthur knew this should bother him. He was a Malfoy after all. But the truth was, he didn’t care if Ginny fancied the devil himself as long as she was safe. As long as she was home, where she belonged.
“Yes, of course,” he said stiffly, “how do you do?”
* * *
Draco turned. He stood on the landing outside Dumbledore’s door and watched the stairs descend on their own accord. Cassie stood to his right, dutifully holding his hand. But she wasn’t looking where he was looking. She was turned around as much as possible without letting go of her father to see into Dumbledore’s office. The door was only open a sliver; she couldn’t see much. She could hear the soft voice of her Papa and her Mummy crying. Cassie knew she was happy and didn’t understand why.
Arthur had to get home. He hated to leave Ginny behind but it really wasn’t safe to take her out of Hogwarts, not yet anyway. He didn’t know how he was going to tell Molly or the boys that they had found her. “I’ll bring them as soon as it’s safe,” he assured Ginny as he said his farewells. She knew he wasn’t lying; he’d be back as soon as possible. The truth was, he really didn’t want to leave at all. But he had things to take care of, plans for the next day.
“I love you, Daddy,” Ginny whispered and kissed him on his bald spot.
“I love you,” he said, but somehow the words were unnecessary.
Out in the hall, Draco continued to stare at the steps. He couldn’t really see them at all. They were just blurs of motion. He couldn’t hear what was going on behind him. Cassie could. She grinned at her mother’s words. She jostled her Daddy’s arm violently to get his attention. He looked down at her, fully prepared to tell her that she was the most annoying child in the entire world. He did that whenever he lost his patience with her. Then she’d become highly offended, refuse to speak to him and generally act very dramatic until she did something cute that made him laugh and he took it back. He appeared so disgruntled when he faced her that she started to laugh at him loudly.
“Just because your grandfather thinks you’re cute doesn’t mean you really are. He doesn’t have to spend 24 hours a day with you,” he grumbled, annoyed at being laughed at.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said through her giggles.
* * *
It was late. Molly Weasley kept glancing up at the clock. Her husband’s hand was pointing to “visiting.” She didn’t know where he could be visiting so late. He hadn’t come home for lunch and it was way past dinnertime now. She was beginning to think something was wrong! She sighed. She hoped he’d get home soon. (But his hand was still on “visiting.”) The Burrow was so quiet without any of the children around. It was the highlight of her day when her husband came home. Now even he wasn’t around! She was sure she’d go out of her mind with boredom if something didn’t happen soon. She had already cleaned the kitchen twice. Now, she was standing over her pot of stew, still stirring it. Really, she could just let it cool. Arthur could heat it up when he arrived...
Still, she kept stirring and watching the clock. Bill and Percy’s hands were at “work.” Fred and George’s were at “in trouble” which wasn’t a rare occurrence at all. She barely even registered it. Ron and Charlie were both at “home.” Molly scoffed indignantly. If they were “home” then they’d be there with her. How dare they have homes of their own? Finally, she looked sadly at Ginny’s hand. It was where it had been for the last several years: halfway between “lost” and “you don‘t want to know.” Molly had nearly had a heart attack when she had first seen it. Usually the hands just picked one place to rest. She had been sure it meant that she had gone where the clock couldn’t find her. Arthur had to assure her that it probably just meant someone had made sure Ginny couldn’t be traced easily.
Again, Molly sighed and stirred. It was several more minutes before she noticed that Arthur’s hand had moved to “traveling.” She smiled to herself. She’d have to give him hell for skipping their lunch. She wouldn’t let on that she had missed him that much. The hand skidded to a halt at “home.”
“Molly!” cried Arthur from the living room.
“I’m in the kitchen,” she called in a business-like tone, “dinner is getting cold. I’ll warm it up for you. You’ll have to wait...”
“Molly...” he said again. She could feel him standing behind her in the doorframe. He wanted to talk to her. Well that was all well and good but she wanted to talk to him but he hadn’t been there.
“Just sit down. It’ll be ready in a second,” she replied flippantly, without looking at him.
“Molly...”
This time he sounded so urgent that she couldn’t help but turn around to face him. She had known this man for nearly half a century now. He had something to tell her but he was struggling to find the words. Curious, she cocked her head to the side and gazed at him. He wore such a funny expression. “Molly...” he said again. In fact, it seemed to be the only thing he could say. She could see his eyes when he said it. He was starting to cry. It was something important...
Molly dropped the pot with a very audible crash as her hands flew to her face. The stew spilled all over her clean floor. Her shoulders began to shake with epic sobs. Arthur didn’t have to say anything else. She knew. She just knew.
He raced to her side, trying to comfort her. Molly leaned into his hug to cry on his shoulder. She really couldn’t believe it. After all these years of praying, her dream had finally come true. She clung desperately to her husband, hoping that if she held on tight enough then she wouldn’t wake up.
“My baby,” she mumbled through her tears.
* * *
Draco kept pondering the things Mr. Weasley had told them in Dumbledore’s office for the rest of the evening. There was going to be a battle against Voldemort in less than 12 hours. His mental image of a bludgeoned Voldemort kept dancing in his head. He very much wanted to go lend a hand. But for some strange reason, he felt that he should speak with Ginny about it first. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it was because he was house broken now but Draco quickly shut it up.
The thing was, Ginny all but refused to talk to him since her father left. They returned to their flat in relative silence. It annoyed Cassie a great deal because she liked things to be busy. Then as soon as they got there, Ginny announced that it was Cassie’s bedtime. Cassie and she argued for an hour, as Cassie would not believe it was her bedtime. Finally she fell asleep in mid-scream and Ginny carted her off to bed, the victor. Moments later, she came out of Cassie’s little bedroom and began to prepare herself for bed. Ginny did everything with even, forceful movements. She slammed her brush down on the table and ripped her blankets back from the bed.
He knew now that he had been correct in thinking that she was angry with him when he had spoken in Dumbledore’s office. He had a hard time believing, however, that she would remain bitter that he had interrupted her moment with her father. There had to be another reason. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was. He hated it when he had done something wrong and he didn’t know what it was. He couldn’t compose a decent counter argument and, therefore, entered the fight unprepared.
After a few minutes of this, Draco had enough. “What!?” he demanded, jumping off the mattress and glaring at her. “Why are you angry with me? I’m sick of guessing.”
“You know why,” she hissed.
“Because I said I wanted to go fight?” He couldn’t understand why that would make her mad but that was when she had stopped speaking to him. “I don’t get it. I thought you wanted the Dark Lord dead so we wouldn’t have to hide anymore!”
Draco didn’t care that Cassie was in the next room over anymore. He made no attempt to hush his voice. The damn had burst and there was no the water now. She made him so angry sometimes. He was getting sick of her being so moody. He was sick of having to test the water before he did anything. He wished she’d just pick a demeanor and go with it. What was even more infuriating is that she made no reply to his shouts other than to shoot murderous glares at him.
“Do you think I can’t handle it? I’m not Gryffindor enough to ride off into battle, is that it? Guess what, honey? I’ve been fighting the battle of my life for the last six years. This is nothing!”
Ginny tossed her hair over her shoulder. Aside from her bright hair she was pale, looking like a statue. Her face was white, her faded freckles barely noticeable. She was resolute. She had a piece of her mind to give him. She had probably been thinking of the exact words to hurl at him since they had arrived back at the flat. She had been waiting for this moment to release all her anger and put her cards on the table. “You can’t go fight...”
But he didn’t let her finish. He was off and running and she wasn’t going to stop him.
“I can’t? I was Head Boy here. I knew more hexes at ten than most grown wizards do. Don’t say that I’m not capable. I’m twice the wizard Harry Potter is and he’s been running off to do battle with the bad guys since he was an infant!”
At this point, Draco had to stop his ranting to catch his breath. He was breathing as though he had just completed a triathlon. He watched Ginny through narrowed eyes, still thinking up more words to shout at her once he could speak again. She had that look on her face. The one where he could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She blinked several times and stood up straight leaving her with the expression of someone who knows something that other people don’t.
“Oh,” she whispered, with wide eyes. “I get it now.”
Draco didn’t know what to say to that. He thought he had been winning the argument and now she had completely changed direction. He felt like they had been doing the Wronski Feint. She had pulled back at the right moment but he had slammed, head first, into the ground. He would have to proceed with caution.
“You’re jealous,” she announced in the most annoyingly superior voice. “You’re jealous of Harry.”
He sputtered. “Wha-? J-jealous? No!” What in the world had given her that idea? She had missed the point entirely. The point was in one country and she was in another.
“I was right,” she grinned, exasperatingly proud of herself. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw you. Do you remember? In Flourish and Blotts.” she asked, seeing his blank stare.
The truth was that he didn’t. All he could remember of Ginny Weasley at Hogwarts was a tiny red blur or the occasional freckled-face staring up adoringly at Harry Potter. He certainly didn’t recall meeting her before Hogwarts. Perhaps he had just repressed all of his encounters with the Weasleys. There went that blasted ‘love at first sight’ theory.
“We were there getting books for my first year. Gilderoy Lockhart was signing books. Harry got his picture taken with Lockhart, for the Daily Prophet. You said something snide to him. I figured you were just jealous.” She did an ‘I was right’ victory dance. When she was done, she turned her attention back to him. He was still looking confused. He didn’t remember. Her shoulders fell. “My dad and your dad got in a fistfight?” she added hopefully.
A large smile broke across his face. “Yeah, I remember the fistfight.”
“Anyway,” Ginny abruptly swung their conversation back on track, “you want to prove that you can do anything Harry can do better. And, sorry, that’s not a good enough reason.” She turned and began brushing her hair in the mirror like this was the final word and he had no more say in the matter.
“That’s ridiculous!” he scoffed. “I’m doing this for Cassie. I could care less what Harry bloody Potter is up to.”
Ginny put the brush down on the dresser with a loud bang. “You are not doing this for Cassie,” she said through clenched teeth. The force of the statement caught Draco off guard, again.
She whirled around to face him again. It looked as thought she had plenty more words to hurl at him, but he stopped her with a quiet, “I don’t understand.” In fact, he found that he didn’t understand what she was thinking a lot. It would be a great help if she would just tell him. He watched patiently as Ginny struggled to find the right words to express what she was feeling.
“Ok,” she began once the words had formed. She paced around the room and gestured emphatically as she spoke. “I know you didn’t ask for the job, but you’re a father now.” Draco nodded sagely. This was true. “Fate gave us this task. We’re supposed to protect her, to keep her safe. That means physically and psychologically. I did it for a long time by myself but it nearly killed me. Everyday I thought about going to bed and not waking up... Cassie and I both need you to be here. We’re a family. You have responsibilities now. You can’t go running off half-cocked or be putting yourself in such danger. Because if something happens to you,” she held up a hand to stop his protest, “and I’m not saying that it will, I know that you’re a damn fine wizard, if, something happens to you, then you won’t have done your job. I’ll be sad. She’ll be sad. In fact, she’ll probably never get over it. Voldemort will have inflicted damage that can’t possibly be reversed. You won’t have protected her from anything.”
Draco sat down on the bed, thinking about the things she was saying. He had never thought of it that way. Rather than look at her, he stared down at his hands only to find that they were shaking.
“You know that I would lay down my life for Cassie. I am a Gryffindor, Draco. I want to go break every single bone in his body. But there’s no point in putting ourselves in that position if we don’t have to.”
After a moment of silence, he felt her hand on his shoulder and the bed sag under her weight. She rested her head gently on his shoulder. He didn’t know that she was crying until the warm, salt water touched his own skin. “I thought you had learned all this already. I mean, I thought you’d always put her needs ahead of your own. I’ll understand if you still want to go. I’ll still love you; I just won’t speak to you for a long, long time.” She gently tugged on his arm until he took her hand. Hers was shaking too.
Ginny looked up into his gray eyes. As always, they were unreadable. “Please,” she murmured, her voice soft from emotion, “just let Harry be the hero again. He’s already lost his family.”
If she had anything left to say, she didn’t the chance. His lips covered hers. He had approached so quietly that she had gasped in surprise. She wasn’t sure if kissing Draco was ever something she’d get used to. It made her tingly all over. Ginny still wasn’t sure what he had decided but she took it as a good sign.
* * *
That evening was more peaceful that Draco had expected. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. You could see for miles from the tower. The crickets still chirped. The owls still hooted. There was no bustling about in the hallways. It was as though nothing were going on. Instead of unnerving Draco, it made him calm. If no one else was nervous, why should he be? He had other things on his mind, anyway, and didn’t much feel like worrying over Voldemort. He had done enough of that in the last few months.
Cassie had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She hadn’t even removed her shoes yet. Ginny and he hadn’t stayed up much later. They were weary from the long, emotionally charged day. Draco remembered how he had fretted over having to sleep in the same bed as Ginny when he had first started traveling with them. But now, in their tiny flat at Hogwarts, he felt perfectly at ease lying beside her. It wasn’t so bad. Ginny stayed on her side mostly. She didn’t kick or steal the covers like Cassie did.
There was so much to think about, he didn’t know where to begin. What exactly had Ginny meant when she said she needed him? She had said a lot. He closed his eyes and tried to step back into the moment. He could see her face as she yelled at him very clearly. Oddly, he liked how she looked when she was angry. He wasn’t sure it was worth it to make her mad for no good reason though. It was probably very unwise.
And what about the meeting with Arthur Weasley? Draco could tell that he had known there was something between himself and Ginny. But he hadn’t said anything about it, as Draco had expected him to. He hadn’t even thrown things or got mad. Perhaps Mr. Weasley was the complete antithesis of Lucius Malfoy and that’s why they hated each other so. Lucius surely would have thrown something; a curse most likely.
How had Mr. Weasley known anyhow? Were they that obvious? He would think that since they had only kissed that one time, that they wouldn’t appear to be a close couple. That wasn’t really true though, Draco had to admit to himself. He and Ginny had been close for a long time before it had become romantic. Furthermore, he couldn’t pin down when it had become romantic. They had kissed that morning but Draco was sure it had started before that...
“Draco?” said a tiny voice. It was Ginny; she was peering at him curiously from her side of the bed. “Go to sleep. You’ll wake Cassie up.”
He laughed out loud. He clapped his hand over his mouth upon seeing the murderous look she was giving him for making noise. “I was just thinking...” he explained, trying to force her to see reason. Thinking wasn’t a loud activity and, therefore, it wouldn’t wake Cassie up.
“I know,” Ginny said conspiratorially, “but she’ll know you’re up. Then she’ll want to come and “play” because she doesn’t sleep as much as normal people... She’s got a sixth sense about these things. She is psychic, you know.”
Draco grinned. He couldn’t argue with that. He moved closer to her, as close as he could get without actually touching her. He could actually feel the warmth her body was giving off. “I was thinking...” he felt foolish for stumbling over the words. Usually he had something smart to say. This touchy-feely stuff threw him. Her close proximity wasn’t helping either. “I reckon we’re a family now. Not just us and Cassie, either. Me and you.”
He knew she was scared for her brothers. He knew she was hurting. It was his, somewhat vague attempt to be emotionally supportive. Ginny smiled gratefully, knowing it was the best she’d get. “I know,” she said quietly as she leaned forward to kiss his forehead.
After that, it didn’t take Draco long to comply with her request to fall asleep. It was very late and he had been up very early. A lot had happened. He hadn’t realized before but he could feel sleep tugging at the edge of his consciousness, plugging him downward like a spiral. He yawned soundlessly before drifting away and said: “Most people are couples first and then have a kid...” But then again, it didn’t really matter how they got there, just that they had.
* * *
The next day, Ginny woke up earlier than anyone else in the castle. She had come so close to reuniting with her family. If something happened to one of her brothers now, she didn’t know what she’d do. Her tossing and turning woke Draco early on. He tried to go back to bed, but it was just too difficult. There was a lot on his mind. Cassie wasn’t far behind. She was the only one who didn’t seem bothered by the thought of the battle that was to come. But she never slept if she could possibly avoid it.
The castle was eerily silent. Draco assumed most everyone else had gone to help out. He knew Snape wasn’t allowed to go either. But Draco didn’t feel like going to hang out with his old professor. Ginny wasn’t much fun either. She took to pacing around the room. They hadn’t been at Hogwarts for more than a day and Draco was sure she was already wearing a hole in the floor from all her pacing. She could never sit still when anxious.
To fill the silence, or perhaps to just be cute, Cassie started following her Mum around the room like a baby duck following its mama. Except Cassie didn’t pace, she hopped like she were playing hopscotch. One foot. Other foot. Both feet. One foot. Other foot. Both feet... While she did this, she sang. “Hi, my name is Adam and I sell apples. Hi, my name is Bill and I sell bananas. Hi, my name is Cassie...”
“Cassie, honey, can you please be quiet? Mummy has a headache.”
In response to Ginny’s patient request, Cassie nodded. But she didn’t stop. She just sang a bit quieter: “Hi, my name is Draco and I sell...daddies.”
Draco laughed out loud. Both Ginny and Cassie stopped circling the room. “Come here, you,” he said, waving Cassie over to him through his laughter. He was still sitting on the bed. Cassie happily abandoned her game and hopped up next to him. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close. “Mummy’s nervous about today,” he whispered in her ear like it was a big secret.”
Cassie’s face fell. “I know...” she whispered, her eyes very wide. “I’m singing a happy song.”
He immediately felt sorry for saying anything. He hadn’t realized she had been trying to cheer Ginny up. He looked to Ginny for guidance. How did he tell the little girl that she was really just annoying her mother? Ginny heaved a great sigh. She had heard what Cassie said too. (Cassie was a very poor whisperer.) Draco could tell she felt bad for telling Cassie to be quiet.
Ginny finally stopped pacing to slide onto the bed, so that Cassie was sandwiched between her parents. She bounced eagerly, more than happy with the arrangement. Ginny threaded her arm through Cassie’s tiny one. She leaned her head against Cassie’s and kissed her. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said. “I’ll try to be less grumpy.” Ginny tried to put on a brave face and look as though nothing was wrong.
Cassie began listing of names of games they could play and songs they could sing. Although Ginny stayed put and tried to look interested in what her daughter was saying, Draco noticed that she still was restless. She fidgeted with her hands and bit her nails, something Ginny rarely did. He watched her intently for any signs that the stress might be too much for her, not even pretending to be listening to Cassie. She’d do whatever she wanted anyway. She didn’t really want their input; she was just pretending to involve them to be polite.
This was why it took Draco longer than it took Ginny to realize that Cassie had stopped enumerating potential amusements and was staring intently towards Ginny’s dresser. She wasn’t, of course, looking at the dresser. She couldn’t even see it. But she could see something else; something that Draco and Ginny could not. It was only when Cassie gave a frightened squeak that Draco paid any notice of her strange behavior.
Ginny squeaked similarly seconds later. She reached out to grab Draco’s arm for support. “She sees them!” she exclaimed, both hopefully and fearfully.
Draco wasn’t quite sure how to react to this. Ginny was convinced that Cassie could see her brothers. It was possible she was seeing something else entirely, though Draco had to admit it did look like she was watching the battle. He hoped nothing bad happened during the course of the vision, it would upset Cassie and it might kill Ginny. He wanted to shake Cassie out of it, to protect her from what she saw but he knew that it would do no good. Despite Ginny’s pleas for Cassie to tell her what was happening, Cassie could not hear them. It was as though she had stepped out of their flat and was standing in the middle of the battlefield. And his overpowering, morbid curiosity was grateful she could see it. He wanted to know exactly what was going on.
Ginny was on pins and needles, hanging on every little gasp or facial expression. Cassie cried, “Oh no!” and Ginny could barely stand it. She covered her face with her hands and bit her nails. Draco was sure she’d have no fingernails left the next day. Draco was on edge as well. Cassie screamed once, and he nearly fell off the bed. He felt so impotent, sitting there just listening. He wished he could do something to help the combatants or, at least, to help Cassie. He didn’t want her to be afraid.
If he were thinking objectively he would’ve noticed that Cassie wasn’t afraid. When Voldemort did something bad she got angry and told him off. “You are so mean! That was rude! Stop that!” she’d say, not realizing that, although she could see him, he couldn’t see or hear her. Or when someone from the resistance did something she approved of, she’d cheer them on. “Yay! Beat him up!” She acted more like she were a spectator at a Quidditch match than a major battle between good and evil.
Once, about fifteen minutes into her vision, Cassie screamed: “Oh no! Uncle Ron!” and Draco thought Ginny would lose it. She turned hysterical and demanded to know what had happened to him. Cassie didn’t answer and that only made her more worried. She fluttered about, flapping her hands desperately in an attempt to keep back her tears by telling herself that he still might be all right.
Cassie didn’t appear half as worried about it as Ginny was. A few seconds later she said: “YAY!” as though Ron had just scored a goal and Ginny quieted down. But Draco could tell she was still anxious. If it were possible, she was more on edge after that.
“Ooooh!” Cassie gasped in an excited manner. Draco and Ginny both leaned forward, hoping it would help them understand what she was seeing. “Eeep!” she said then, “Yes!” Whatever it was, it had obviously turned out well. Then she started to cheer louder than ever before, giving Draco the impression that they were nearing the pinnacle. “Oooh! Yay! Go! You can do it!” she shouted, louder than before.
And then she cried happily: “Yay! Yay! Get him Uncle Harry!”
Draco’s stomach dropped into his shoes. Ginny was clapping proudly, thinking Harry had done something marvelous. Her joy only furthered his outrage. “What?!?” he demanded, looking accusingly at Ginny. “He is not her uncle!” It was bad enough she was related to the Weasley boys, Draco simply wouldn’t stand for her calling Harry Potter “Uncle Harry.” It was contrary to his entire being.
Ginny just rolled her eyes at him, thinking he was being childish. “Draco,” she scolded, “focus on the matter at hand. It’s not important.”
But it was important to Draco. He sulked until Cassie screamed and waved her arms around. “Wee!” she said, her eyes still glazed over. Then, seamlessly switching gears, her eyes unglazed and she said, “Mummy! Uncle Harry did it! He beat the bad man.” Her eyes shown with approval and admiration, which only served to make Draco sulk some more. He folded his arms over his chest and went to go pout on the other side of the bed while Ginny and Cassie squealed and bounced up and down.
Ginny hugged Cassie tightly too her. “Oh, thank God! Oh, I can’t believe it! It’s over!” she said joyously. Slowly, that idea sunk in. She sank back to the bed in an exhausted heap. “It’s over,” she said again, relief flooding her. Her body was limp and numb. She realized that she hadn’t been truly relaxed for the last seven years. It felt anti-climatic some how. They had struggled for all those years, and now, just like that, it was all over.
“It’s over,” she repeated, disbelievingly.
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