. . . . . .
If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. - Samuel Johnson
. . . . . .
Severus Snape rose quickly from his chair when his hosts entered the parlor, and Draco, looking at his pale face and his dark hair and the way his black cloak billowed when he rose, thought he could understand why so many of his classmates had left Hogwarts convinced the Potions teacher was a vampire.
Of course, as a former member of Severus's house, Draco knew that was just a vicious rumour, like so many that circulated through Hogwarts' hallowed halls. The many years he had known Severus had taught Draco that he was simply a man, who was admittedly singularly ill-tempered at times, who happened to prefer the dungeons.
Still, even if he was not a dark creature, that still left him as an occasional singularly ill-tempered man, and Draco trod carefully as he approached Severus and shook his hand. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Severus?" he asked, as out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny approach her old teacher to greet him.
"To this lovely young woman, actually," Severus answered calmly, taking Ginny's hand firmly and not letting go. "I hear that we're suddenly almost family."
So he knew, then. Well, Draco had known it would only be a matter of time. And what did it matter now? Severus could not really complain about the match; from any point of view it was advantageous, except of course as concerned romance. For the first time in a long time, Severus had nothing to hold over his head. It was a good feeling, and Draco wasn't afraid to admit it. "Are you saying you think of me as family, Severus? I'm touched."
"What I don't understand, then," Severus said, willing to play Draco's game, "is how you could have failed to invite me to the wedding, when you and I are like family."
It was Ginny who spoke up then, apparently taking her cue from Draco's flippant attitude. "Well, we wanted to, but we couldn't get the invitations out in time to give our guests the customary amount of notice. We thought we'd rather get married alone than commit such a dreadful social faux pas." She spoke as though perfectly serious, and Draco grinned.
"You're both very funny," Severus said, sounding, if possible, dryer than normal. "And now, as it appears that I am the only person here who cares at all about the Malfoy family's good name, I wonder if perhaps you could indulge my curiosity and explain exactly what happened."
"Of course," Draco said. "It all started on Monday. I didn't go into work that day because most of my office was still at a conference in Geneva, and you got done with your classes early, so we decided to do some inventory at the Manor. We went outside-"
"Yes, as I said before, you're very amusing, Draco," Severus said evenly, but Draco saw an annoyed expression flit across his pale face. "But you see, what I was wondering about is that when I left here on Monday, Ginevra seemed angry enough to kill you-"
"Wait, you knew her real name? What, is it public somewhere?"
"-which I wouldn't have minded, as it would have saved me the trouble; but, after that show of anger, now I find that she's recently added an M to her monogram."
"Which makes it all the more fortunate that I'm not the sort of prissy person who monograms all their belongings," Ginny said, "so I don't have anything that needs changing."
"Prissy?" Draco asked, taken aback. "Excuse me, but what's wrong with monogramming?"
Ginny stared at him a moment, then began to laugh. "Don't tell me. Hankies? Silk pajamas?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't knock my pajamas," he said, temporarily forgetting that Severus still watched them. "They are the finest silk-"
"Please, Professor, say something," Ginny pleaded, cutting Draco off, "anything to save us from tales of Draco's pajamas."
Draco, thoroughly put out, looked at the professor to see what he would do and was surprised to find him watching the pair of them thoughtfully. "Well," he said calmly, "you two seem to be getting along."
Caught off guard, Draco turned to look at Ginny, who looked as surprised as he did. His surprise only increased when he realized that Severus' words were true. Draco felt some aspects of their charade were tiresome, but spending time with Ginny was not one of them. They did get along well. Ginny was fun to argue with, because she was clever and quick, and they were now so used to each other that if they argued it was with the unspoken understanding that they were not really angry with each other. Indeed, Draco felt that if he and Ginny had been in the same house in school, or at least had not been raised to hate each other, they might well have been friends. Despite their differences, he found he liked her rather well.
These thoughts were still processing in his mind when Ginny smiled sweetly at him. "Of course I'm getting along with my Drakey," she said.
"Eww," came his reflexive reply.
"Yes, that's adorable," Severus intoned. "But if I may get to my point for coming-"
"Please do," Draco said.
"-Ginny, why did you agree to marry him? I find it hard to suppose you two fell in love so quickly, especially after a lifetime of hating each other."
"I didn't hate him all my life," Ginny rebutted. "I didn't even meet him until Hogwarts."
"Charming," Draco replied dryly.
Severus finally seemed to have grown tired of bandying words with the breezy couple. "Draco," he said sharply, cutting off their conversation, "did you coerce her into this marriage?"
"No indeed," Draco said. "In fact, she came to me and asked me to marry her."
"Not exactly," Ginny replied to Severus' questioning look, "but it's close. Is that what had you so worried? No, Draco didn't force me to marry him, so no, you don't have to worry about any Ministry interference into me and Draco's lives."
"You and Draco's life," Severus corrected. He seemed satisfied by Ginny's answer, but not quite free of worry. "You share a life now. It's a major undertaking; I hope you know what you're doing, Mrs. Malfoy."
Ginny lifted her chin proudly, but Draco thought he detected a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "Of course I know what I'm doing."
"I hope so," Severus replied, taking her hand and kissing it softly. "I hope so."
In a few minutes the professor was gone, and as the door shut, Draco and Ginny both began to laugh. "Poor guy," Ginny said, shaking her head. "Are you always this obnoxious around him?"
Draco made a face at her. "You were being just as obnoxious," he pointed out, and she laughed again. Smiling back, Draco leaned against the door Severus had just exited and shook his head. "Let's hope that's the end of the unwanted visits."
. . . . . .
Of course it wasn't. The very next day, Ginny received a letter from Hermione at work.
Ron, Harry and I have just found out we're leaving on assignment tomorrow, it read. Ron would like to see you before we leave. I think it might be too early. What do you think?
The note brought a smile to her face. Hermione was always the sensible one. She quickly attached a reply to the owl perched on her chair.
I want to see you too, but I think today is too early. Is it all right if we wait?
She was somewhat afraid that Ron wouldn't listen to Hermione, but no callers appeared that night, which Draco and Ginny spent at home. Ginny wasn't sure what Draco customarily did on Friday nights, but whatever it was, it apparently wasn't something he wanted to take Ginny to. She assumed he met friends, and didn't want to take her to such an event, possibly to spare her discomfort but more likely to spare himself discomfort. And, of course, Draco being Draco, she knew it was worthless to even mention what she usually did of a Friday night: seeing Muggle movies or plays, or going to pubs to hear live bands. She considered asking him, but the thought of Draco Malfoy hanging out with Neville Longbottom and Colin Creevey and rubbing shoulders with the crowd at Gordon's was simply inconceivable.
So, instead, they spent the evening as they had the others in their marriage. After supper Draco wandered off, presumably to read, and Ginny went to owl Luna, with whom she kept up a faithful correspondence. At some point in the night, when Draco went to get a newspaper and Ginny went to get a book, they both ended up in the den. They passed the rest of the evening in each other's company, not speaking, simply reading by the light of the many torches.
The next set of visitors didn't appear until Saturday afternoon. Ginny had spent the morning with Draco, being shown around the grounds of Malfoy Manor, but at lunch he left to meet with a business acquaintance who was in town for the weekend, and Ginny was left alone. She had finished lunch and was wondering what to do with her time when Bernard came to tell her she had visitors.
"Mum, Dad!" she grinned as she walked into the front entry to welcome them into her home, sparing a thought as she did so to ponder on how comfortable she was calling it home. As she showed Molly where she could hang her purse, Ginny apologized that Draco wasn't home. Neither of her parents seemed too upset about it. In truth, Ginny was glad of it herself; she really wanted time to talk to her parents, to help them understand and be happy for her, and having Draco there would probably have made them so uncomfortable that such a thing would be impossible. Arthur and Molly both seemed glad to see her but slightly worried. They were undoubtedly still concerned about her rather hasty marriage to a rather unexpected groom, and Ginny made up her mind to show them that she was happy about it.
She took them on a tour of the house first. When the idea to do so first occurred to her, she wasn't sure how much to show them; there were beautiful views from several balconies on the top floor, but to take her parents there would bring them past the master suite. She doubted they'd want to look in, but if they did, and they realized she didn't sleep with her newly-wedded husband, that could only lead to awkward questions. So, instead, she showed them the first two floors only, explaining airily that there was nothing interesting above them. Her parents both exclaimed over the richness of the house, and Ginny allowed herself to speak of the house with a touch of pride, willing her parents to see that she was content with this lot in life.
Once their tour of the house was done, she took them outside to show them the grounds, as Draco had done for her a few hours earlier. Unfortunately, she lacked his familiarity with the grounds and felt sure she would get lost if she ventured into the trees, so she gave her parents a very abbreviated tour.
Then, out of places to show them, she led her parents back inside, to the parlor where she'd informed Ian Zabini of her supposed engagement on that Monday that felt like it had been far longer than five days before. Both of her parents reacted with surprise when Ginny summoned a house elf to bring them tea; Arthur seemed slightly discomfited in the face of such a potent symbol of the superciliousness of the upper class, but Molly laughed and remarked, "Imagine that, a child of mine with proper servants!"
The trio chatted amiably as they sipped at their tea. Arthur wanted more information about his new son-in-law, which Ginny tried her best to supply, and Molly, as promised, offered a great deal of marriage advice and household tips. "Though," she said, looking at the door the house elf had exited through, "it doesn't look like you're going to need it."
"No, it's useful," Ginny said. "There are some things I would like to do myself, even if there are house elves here who could do it. It makes me feel more . . . married." That wasn't quite what she meant, but it was easier than explaining that she knew she would only be living there eighteen months, so if she wanted the chance to play homemaker in the beautiful house, she had to do it quickly.
The Weasleys stayed a while longer, and all the time Ginny made sure to remain upbeat and cheerful. It seemed, however, that her parents were already convinced that she was content in her marriage, because when it came time for them to leave Molly hugged her daughter and said, "I want you to know that if you're happy, I'm happy."
They were on their way out when Draco arrived home. Mrs. Weasley jumped a little at the sound of his Apparation; by stark contrast, Draco, in his usual way, didn't register a bit of surprise at seeing them in his house. They all conversed together politely for a moment, and then Draco excused himself and Arthur and Molly left. Ginny learned against the front door and breathed a sigh of relief. Her parents weren't the most difficult confrontation she would be facing, but they were one of the most important, and she was glad to see that they seemed at peace with her decision.
On Sunday she had tea with Elise, Caroline Stewart, and Elise's mother Gwendolyn. It was at the Stewart home, in what Caroline called a "small summer sitting room." Not wanting to chagrin her host, Ginny refrained from pointing out that this "small" room was approximately the size of the ground floor of the Burrow.
It turned out to be a very pleasant affair. Caroline was warm and gracious, Elise effulgent and lively, and Ginny was pleased to find that she got on very well with Gwendolyn Zabini. She was also amused to discover that she and Gwendolyn were related, very distantly, through Molly Weasley's family, the Prewetts. Almost all of the purebloods in England, Gwendolyn explained, were related; that was the only way to preserve pure bloodlines.
"It's falling out of style, though," she commented. "Children today don't like the idea of marrying anyone who's closely related at all. When James proposed," she said, motioning at her daughter, "Elise insisted on going through all our family records, and his, before she'd accept him."
Elise nodded with a grin. "Luckily, our last common ancestor lived centuries ago."
"That's good, I suppose," Ginny said, but was prevented from saying more when a thought occurred to her that made her stop dead. "Wait . . ."
"Don't worry," Elise laughed. "You and Draco aren't closely related. You are-" she paused and thought hard for a moment- "I looked very thoroughly at the Prewett line, and if I remember correctly, Draco is the first cousin once removed of your first cousin once removed. By marriage," she added.
"What does that make us?"
"No idea," Elise said. "But nothing very close, I'm sure."
Ginny refrained from saying "That's a relief," because it seemed rude to presume that everyone would share her opinion on marrying relations, but she was still very glad to know she and Draco were not about to discover they shared a grandfather.
"We could have been related," she told Draco as she walked into the den after returning home from tea. "We didn't even think to check. We could have been cousins or something."
"I'm not really sure what you're talking about," Draco replied without looking up from his book, "but rest assured, I know who all my cousins are, and you are not one of them."
"All right, second cousins, then. We could have been second cousins and married."
"Still legal."
"Yes, well, so's the yearly Dufftown blindfold Quidditch game," she retorted. "That doesn't make it a good idea."
He shrugged. "High class wizarding families have been doing it for years. It keeps the purebloods pure."
She put her hands on her hips. "If all the high class wizarding families in Britain jumped off a cliff, would you?"
Draco finally lowered his book and pondered a moment. "If all the high class families in the country jumped off? Does that mean I'd be stuck here all alone with the rest of you? Because then I might jump just to get away-" He was cut off when she lobbed a pillow at his head. "Let me guess," he said, pulling the pillow off his face. "'Shut up, Draco'?"
"Good guess," Ginny replied.
On Monday Glennis came to visit just as Ginny and Draco were finishing dinner. Ginny had already warned Draco that her boss would be coming over, and Draco had rather reluctantly promised to be on his best behavior.
Ginny needn't have worried. Glennis was obviously still feeling bad for her initial lack of support, and she showed up for the visit ready to be pleased. She oohed and aahed over the house and the grounds, talked enthusiastically with Draco, and offered Ginny advice and wisdom, having been married for ten years herself. At the end of the visit, Draco bid Glennis a polite goodbye and wandered up the stairs to get ready for bed, leaving the two women in the front hall.
"It looks like I was wrong," Glennis told Ginny, smiling warmly. "You were right. He seems like a good man."
Ginny's first inclination was to laugh in disbelief, but Glennis seemed to be in earnest. "That's quite a change from last week," Ginny said when she realized her boss was serious.
"I know," Glennis said, "but now that I've seen you together . . . I don't know. You just seem to be really close, and not just because you're married. You really seem to be good friends."
Caught off guard, Ginny wasn't sure what she thought of that comment. Was Glennis just trying so hard to make up for not being supportive earlier that she was seeing things that weren't there? Or was she, as an outside observer, able to see the strange, tenuous relationship in a way Draco and Ginny couldn't?
Ginny hoped Glennis was right. She hoped that she and Draco were friends. Over the past few days, she had been surprised to find that she liked her husband rather more than expected. Of course he was arrogant and enjoyed being difficult, but he was also funny and pleasant and would never really do anything that would hurt her. The only problem was that she didn't know if Draco felt the same way- felt that they were becoming friends- so it was nice to hear that Glennis sensed a connection between them. "Thank you, Glennis," Ginny said. "I think people should be friends first." Or only friends, in our case.
"Yes, you certainly did land a good catch," Glennis said, looking around the entry way. Ginny thought she was referring to Draco's wealth, so what her boss said came next came as a surprise. "I think it's so sweet how he's always opening doors for you."
"Is he?" Ginny asked without thinking. She'd never really noticed it before, but now that Glennis mentioned it, she found herself remembering many instances in which he'd opened a door for her, pulled out her chair, helped her into her jacket. She supposed it was a by-product of his "high class" upbringing, as he would call it, but even if he only did it out of habit, it was very sweet. It added an unexpected layer to his personality. "You're right, he does," she said in a soft voice, smiling.
"You seem surprised," Glennis commented.
Ginny shrugged. "Sometimes Draco surprises me."
. . . . . .
The rest of the week passed without incident. Draco's work at the Ministry went on as it always had, with the strange new addition of Seamus Finnigan. Since that evening they'd had dinner- or at least appetizers- together at Ottavio's, Seamus had been enthusiastically pursuing a friendship with Draco. While he found the Irishman's exuberance occasionally annoying, Draco thought it easier to acquiesce than to fight back, so he said hello to Seamus in the halls, talked amiably with him when they ended up in a meeting together, and even ate lunch with him if they happened to be eating at the same time.
It was a strange feeling, having Seamus Finnigan for an acquaintance. It was certainly not something he would ever have expected to happen, but he supposed that after marrying a Weasley, anything was possible. You give those Muggle lovers an inch and they walk all over you, said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his father. He firmly ignored that voice. He'd learned long ago that anything that sounded like his father might have sanctioned it was probably not something he ought to get anywhere near. So, trying, albeit reluctantly, to do what he knew was right, he continued being cordial to Seamus Finnigan.
Things were going well at home, too. Ginny had turned out to be a perfectly unobjectionable housemate, except of course for when she decided to argue with him over some bizarre issue like the size of his house or the practice of marrying distant relatives. When she wasn't after him over some such thing, though, she was a pleasant roommate and a decent little chum. And what made their life even better was that they hadn't had an unwanted visitor since Monday. Those members of Ginny's family who hadn't yet visited were either too busy to come or didn't feel the need to watch her every move, and Draco had informed those of his acquaintances who had wanted to come visit that he was far too busy to take time for such things. All in all, things were very calm and very predictable, which is exactly how he wanted things to be just then.
That all changed on Friday. Draco went out after dinner to purchase new shoes in Diagon Alley, and when he returned Ginny was standing on the front lawn with a blonde young woman and two red-haired men he recognized as Fred and George Weasley. He was slightly annoyed to be bothered with more Weasleys, but Ginny looked so happy to see her brothers that he refrained from commenting.
"Draco!" Ginny called. "I'm glad you're here. Come say hi to everybody."
Draco approached cautiously. Most of the Weasleys made him a bit wary, and these twins, who made a living by being devious, were certainly no exception.
Ginny smiled. "You remember my brothers-" he certainly did remember the devils and the time he'd spent terrified that their inventions were in the hands of Ron and Harry- "Fred and George." She gestured as though to show which was which, as though anyone could ever actually keep those two straight. Draco didn't even bother to try.
"And this is George's wife Hannah."
At this, the blonde woman smiled and reached out to shake Draco's hand. "It's a pleasure to properly meet the man who caused so much trouble around the Weasley household," she said in a warm tone. "I think you win the prize for most attention-grabbing entrance to a family party." Everyone laughed- or, at least, the Weasleys laughed while Draco found himself smiling. "Anyway, I'm so glad to be here," Hannah went on. "This is such a beautiful house. 15th century?"
Draco found himself smiling as he replied, and continued to feel at ease as the conversation strayed to Puddlemere United's new Chaser. Ginny was relaxed and laughing, which was a side of her he rarely got to see. Fred and George were witty and very friendly, not making him feel like rubbish for stealing away their sister, like he'd thought they might. And he was finding that he rather liked Hannah. He didn't know exactly what it was about her that reminded him so of his mother- perhaps it was her fair coloring, or the way they were both fond of saying, "There are worse things that could happen." Hearing that phrase that Narcissa had used so often brought back a lot of memories, and Draco smiled a little as he stood there, listening to the talk and thinking of his dear mother.
The little group was getting along so well that Draco decided, against the better judgment of a little voice in his head screaming of the dangers of associating with Muggle lovers, to invite everyone inside for tea and perhaps a snack. Everyone seemed delighted with this idea, and Ginny gave him such an appreciative smile as she passed him that Draco felt quite pleased with himself.
However, as it turned out, inviting them inside was really quite a bad idea, which Draco realized as they claimed the front stairs. He'd entirely forgotten that there was an anti-Muggle charm on the front door, though that wouldn't have mattered because, relaxed as he had been, he hadn't yet realized that Hannah was a Muggle. By the time he'd realized what was happening, Hannah had already been thrown back a good fifteen feet, accompanied by a flash of light that left Draco blinking hard in an attempt to clear the spots from his eyes.
When his vision finally cleared, he looked around and saw Hannah standing back on the lawn, looking dazed. George immediately ran to her, with Fred and Ginny just a step behind and Draco a step behind them. "Oh, hello, George," Hannah said brightly. "What are we doing here?"
"Ah, a memory-altering spell in addition to the standard repulsion charm," Fred observed. "Very thorough."
"Draco!" Ginny cried in shock and admonishment.
"I'm sorry, I forgot!" Draco replied, and was surprised to find that he did feel some regret.
George quickly pulled out his wand and restored Hannah's memory while Ginny checked for any injury. Once she had been pronounced whole and sane, Hannah stood shakily, helped by George and Fred, and then smiled at Draco, to his great surprise.
He tried to explain and to apologize. "I'm sorry- I forgot it was there and I didn't realize you were a Muggle- I mean, not that it matters that you're a Muggle, but- I'm sorry," he finished awkwardly. He hardly knew where to look; Hannah didn't look angry at all, which was worse, in some ways, than if she'd been furious, and Ginny was looking back and forth between her sister-in-law and husband with a pained expression. That bothered him, somehow; he could handle her angry, he didn't mind her frustrated, but to see her hurt and ashamed was strangely difficult to endure. After a moment's thought, he chalked it up, as usual, to a sense of duty.
The party left soon after, with Hannah grasping George's arm for support, still shaken by her experience. Draco stood by, searching for the words to express his regret, but Hannah simply smiled and rubbed his arm reassuringly. "If you say it was unintentional, I'll believe you," she said, and Draco smiled weakly back. Fred said goodbye looking vaguely amused by the whole affair, although Draco wasn't sure if he was thinking of the situation or of his new brother-in-law's stupidity. Even George managed a friendly farewell, though it was decidedly more strained than his greeting earlier. Then the group was gone.
By the time he turned back to the house Ginny had already disappeared inside. He lingered in the doorway a long moment, wondering whether to pursue her. He knew perfectly well that he ought, but the thought of facing an undoubtedly furious Weasley did not appeal to him at all. He waffled back and forth on the subject until just before he went to bed, at which point he stared at the door connecting their rooms for quite some time, and then finally crossed to it and knocked.
"What?" came a decidedly cranky voice.
He opened the door. "I just wanted to . . ." He trailed off. What did he want to do?
Ginny was unclasping her bracelet at the dresser, her face a perfect mask of disinterest. "I have nothing to say to you, Draco Malfoy," she said, not looking at him.
He shrugged. "All right," he said, and started back into his bedroom.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny demanded immediately.
It took a moment, but then Draco remembered Seamus' comment- as a woman, Ginny was unable to say what she really thought- so he turned back to her. "Look," he said, "I didn't mean for that to happen today."
"I should hope not," Ginny snapped. "I don't know when I've been so embarrassed. My sister-in-law takes time out of her life to come see me, and you blow her halfway across the yard, just because she's a Muggle."
"Whoah," Draco replied, "slow down. That charm was there for centuries before I ever showed up, and as I said, I forgot it was there. And don't look at me like I'm being a bigot. Your Rabbit Hole probably has Muggle repelling charms, too."
"It's the Burrow!" Ginny nearly shrieked, and Draco would have been amused had he not been so afraid that she was about to jinx him. "And yes, it has Muggle charms, but we take them down when Hannah's coming!"
"Well, I didn't know Hannah was coming," Draco shot back. "I'm sorry I didn't read your mind or consult the tea leaves, but Divination never was my best subject."
"Divination's not mind reading," Ginny retorted waspishly. "That's Legilimency."
"No, Legilimency is for discerning feelings and-" He broke off, looking annoyed. "And I am not having this conversation with you right now. Good night, Ginevra, I'm going to bed." And with that, he left the room, leaving a gaping Ginny behind him.
He did feel bad, though. He had no quarrel with Hannah Weasley, and the fact that she was a Muggle made what had happened worse, somehow. So the next morning, while Ginny was off visiting Luna Lovegood, Draco Apparated to Diagon Alley, where he visited a florist's shop and carefully selected a mix of color changing irises and common Muggle orchids. After pausing to check the directions he'd gotten from Fred earlier that morning, he Apparated to George and Hannah's doorstep.
Hannah was home alone, for which Draco was glad; he didn't really feel like facing George just then. She greeted him warmly and welcomed him into their flat, then thanked him profusely for the flowers. He nodded in reply, and then stood awkwardly in the living room while she hunted for a vase in the kitchen.
"About last night- I'm sorry- I should have done something about that charm, but I wasn't paying attention and I hadn't noticed yet that you're . . . well, I'm sorry."
"Yes, I know," she said wryly. "I heard you the first several times."
"You're very calm about this," Draco observed after a moment. "Does-" he paused, accutely aware of the forwardness of his question, but her smile seemed to say that she knew what he was about to ask and didn't mind- "does it ever bother you, that people in our world treat you differently?"
She considered a moment. "Labels make it easier for people to deal with the world. Everyone does it." She shrugged. "That doesn't make it right, of course, just common. Prejudice against Muggles is very widespread in this world, I think. If I went around hating everyone who looks down on Muggles, I'd hate a lot of people." She smiled wryly. "And what was it Jane Austen said- 'Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.'"
That made her laugh, but Draco, confused, just looked at her blankly. "Who's Jane Austen?"
She laughed even more at that. "Proof that Muggles are not all the barbarians you think we are," she said, smiling at Draco's confusion. Turning back into the living room, she set the flowers on the coffee table and sat down, motioning for him to do the same. "And anyway," she said, "the people I really care about don't care if I'm a Muggle or not."
This only served to remind him of the embarrassment of the night before, and he grimaced a little. "And as your brother-in-law, I owed it to you-"
"Draco," she said, smiling but firm, "I'm only going to be angry with you if you keep apologizing like that. I said it's okay, and I mean that."
He smiled awkwardly in response and seated himself in the chair she motioned to. He felt he should start a conversation, but he didn't know what to say. Luckily, she spoke first.
"I love these flowers," she said, looking at the bouquet. "I had color changing irises at my wedding. George had to enchant them to only turn colors that matched the decorations." She smiled fondly at the memory.
"How do you do it?" Draco blurted out, watching her arrange the flowers, flowers that according to her upbringing were impossible. "How can you be married to someone who's so different from you?"
That made her smile. "I love him," she said simply. "That doesn't solve our problems, but it gives me the motivation I need to keep going, in spite of all our differences." After a moment's pause, she added, hesitantly, "It's really hard, sometimes. I've been . . . very close to leaving on more than one occasion. But then I remember what I have that's worth staying for." She broke off and smiled. "I've been crazy about him since he first walked into McGrath's Paper Supply and started showing off his card tricks. I couldn't believe how good they were. I told him it looked like real magic." They both smiled at that.
Draco frowned a little. "And love is enough to keep you here, somewhere that's so different from what you're used to, married to someone who will never be like you?"
"He is like me," Hannah said firmly. "When you really love someone, you stop being 'George Weasley, wizard, and Hannah Ward, Muggle.' You stop worrying about what you are or what they don't have. You're just two people, in love."
Draco was pondering silently on these words when the striking of the clock startled him out of his revelry. "Noon," Hannah said. "George will be home soon, if you'd like to say hello."
"No, I'd better go," Draco said, standing from his chair. "Thanks for letting me intrude on your time."
"We're family. You intrude whenever you like."
Draco smiled and was turning toward the door when Hannah spoke again. "Draco," she said, and he turned to see her looking at him knowingly, "how are things with you and Ginny?"
He considered lying, but she'd been so honest with him that it felt very wrong- which was an unusual thing for him. So he told her the truth. "We're very different people too," he said slowly, "and it can be hard."
She nodded as if she'd expected this answer. "Just forget all the labels you put on yourselves- Malfoy, Weasley, rich, poor- and just let yourselves be Draco and Ginevra. Let yourselves just be in love."
He stared at her a moment, then forced a smile and thanked her again. Once outside, he pulled out his wand and Apparated home.
. . . . . .
If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. - Samuel Johnson
. . . . . .
Severus Snape rose quickly from his chair when his hosts entered the parlor, and Draco, looking at his pale face and his dark hair and the way his black cloak billowed when he rose, thought he could understand why so many of his classmates had left Hogwarts convinced the Potions teacher was a vampire.
Of course, as a former member of Severus's house, Draco knew that was just a vicious rumour, like so many that circulated through Hogwarts' hallowed halls. The many years he had known Severus had taught Draco that he was simply a man, who was admittedly singularly ill-tempered at times, who happened to prefer the dungeons.
Still, even if he was not a dark creature, that still left him as an occasional singularly ill-tempered man, and Draco trod carefully as he approached Severus and shook his hand. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Severus?" he asked, as out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny approach her old teacher to greet him.
"To this lovely young woman, actually," Severus answered calmly, taking Ginny's hand firmly and not letting go. "I hear that we're suddenly almost family."
So he knew, then. Well, Draco had known it would only be a matter of time. And what did it matter now? Severus could not really complain about the match; from any point of view it was advantageous, except of course as concerned romance. For the first time in a long time, Severus had nothing to hold over his head. It was a good feeling, and Draco wasn't afraid to admit it. "Are you saying you think of me as family, Severus? I'm touched."
"What I don't understand, then," Severus said, willing to play Draco's game, "is how you could have failed to invite me to the wedding, when you and I are like family."
It was Ginny who spoke up then, apparently taking her cue from Draco's flippant attitude. "Well, we wanted to, but we couldn't get the invitations out in time to give our guests the customary amount of notice. We thought we'd rather get married alone than commit such a dreadful social faux pas." She spoke as though perfectly serious, and Draco grinned.
"You're both very funny," Severus said, sounding, if possible, dryer than normal. "And now, as it appears that I am the only person here who cares at all about the Malfoy family's good name, I wonder if perhaps you could indulge my curiosity and explain exactly what happened."
"Of course," Draco said. "It all started on Monday. I didn't go into work that day because most of my office was still at a conference in Geneva, and you got done with your classes early, so we decided to do some inventory at the Manor. We went outside-"
"Yes, as I said before, you're very amusing, Draco," Severus said evenly, but Draco saw an annoyed expression flit across his pale face. "But you see, what I was wondering about is that when I left here on Monday, Ginevra seemed angry enough to kill you-"
"Wait, you knew her real name? What, is it public somewhere?"
"-which I wouldn't have minded, as it would have saved me the trouble; but, after that show of anger, now I find that she's recently added an M to her monogram."
"Which makes it all the more fortunate that I'm not the sort of prissy person who monograms all their belongings," Ginny said, "so I don't have anything that needs changing."
"Prissy?" Draco asked, taken aback. "Excuse me, but what's wrong with monogramming?"
Ginny stared at him a moment, then began to laugh. "Don't tell me. Hankies? Silk pajamas?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't knock my pajamas," he said, temporarily forgetting that Severus still watched them. "They are the finest silk-"
"Please, Professor, say something," Ginny pleaded, cutting Draco off, "anything to save us from tales of Draco's pajamas."
Draco, thoroughly put out, looked at the professor to see what he would do and was surprised to find him watching the pair of them thoughtfully. "Well," he said calmly, "you two seem to be getting along."
Caught off guard, Draco turned to look at Ginny, who looked as surprised as he did. His surprise only increased when he realized that Severus' words were true. Draco felt some aspects of their charade were tiresome, but spending time with Ginny was not one of them. They did get along well. Ginny was fun to argue with, because she was clever and quick, and they were now so used to each other that if they argued it was with the unspoken understanding that they were not really angry with each other. Indeed, Draco felt that if he and Ginny had been in the same house in school, or at least had not been raised to hate each other, they might well have been friends. Despite their differences, he found he liked her rather well.
These thoughts were still processing in his mind when Ginny smiled sweetly at him. "Of course I'm getting along with my Drakey," she said.
"Eww," came his reflexive reply.
"Yes, that's adorable," Severus intoned. "But if I may get to my point for coming-"
"Please do," Draco said.
"-Ginny, why did you agree to marry him? I find it hard to suppose you two fell in love so quickly, especially after a lifetime of hating each other."
"I didn't hate him all my life," Ginny rebutted. "I didn't even meet him until Hogwarts."
"Charming," Draco replied dryly.
Severus finally seemed to have grown tired of bandying words with the breezy couple. "Draco," he said sharply, cutting off their conversation, "did you coerce her into this marriage?"
"No indeed," Draco said. "In fact, she came to me and asked me to marry her."
"Not exactly," Ginny replied to Severus' questioning look, "but it's close. Is that what had you so worried? No, Draco didn't force me to marry him, so no, you don't have to worry about any Ministry interference into me and Draco's lives."
"You and Draco's life," Severus corrected. He seemed satisfied by Ginny's answer, but not quite free of worry. "You share a life now. It's a major undertaking; I hope you know what you're doing, Mrs. Malfoy."
Ginny lifted her chin proudly, but Draco thought he detected a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "Of course I know what I'm doing."
"I hope so," Severus replied, taking her hand and kissing it softly. "I hope so."
In a few minutes the professor was gone, and as the door shut, Draco and Ginny both began to laugh. "Poor guy," Ginny said, shaking her head. "Are you always this obnoxious around him?"
Draco made a face at her. "You were being just as obnoxious," he pointed out, and she laughed again. Smiling back, Draco leaned against the door Severus had just exited and shook his head. "Let's hope that's the end of the unwanted visits."
. . . . . .
Of course it wasn't. The very next day, Ginny received a letter from Hermione at work.
Ron, Harry and I have just found out we're leaving on assignment tomorrow, it read. Ron would like to see you before we leave. I think it might be too early. What do you think?
The note brought a smile to her face. Hermione was always the sensible one. She quickly attached a reply to the owl perched on her chair.
I want to see you too, but I think today is too early. Is it all right if we wait?
She was somewhat afraid that Ron wouldn't listen to Hermione, but no callers appeared that night, which Draco and Ginny spent at home. Ginny wasn't sure what Draco customarily did on Friday nights, but whatever it was, it apparently wasn't something he wanted to take Ginny to. She assumed he met friends, and didn't want to take her to such an event, possibly to spare her discomfort but more likely to spare himself discomfort. And, of course, Draco being Draco, she knew it was worthless to even mention what she usually did of a Friday night: seeing Muggle movies or plays, or going to pubs to hear live bands. She considered asking him, but the thought of Draco Malfoy hanging out with Neville Longbottom and Colin Creevey and rubbing shoulders with the crowd at Gordon's was simply inconceivable.
So, instead, they spent the evening as they had the others in their marriage. After supper Draco wandered off, presumably to read, and Ginny went to owl Luna, with whom she kept up a faithful correspondence. At some point in the night, when Draco went to get a newspaper and Ginny went to get a book, they both ended up in the den. They passed the rest of the evening in each other's company, not speaking, simply reading by the light of the many torches.
The next set of visitors didn't appear until Saturday afternoon. Ginny had spent the morning with Draco, being shown around the grounds of Malfoy Manor, but at lunch he left to meet with a business acquaintance who was in town for the weekend, and Ginny was left alone. She had finished lunch and was wondering what to do with her time when Bernard came to tell her she had visitors.
"Mum, Dad!" she grinned as she walked into the front entry to welcome them into her home, sparing a thought as she did so to ponder on how comfortable she was calling it home. As she showed Molly where she could hang her purse, Ginny apologized that Draco wasn't home. Neither of her parents seemed too upset about it. In truth, Ginny was glad of it herself; she really wanted time to talk to her parents, to help them understand and be happy for her, and having Draco there would probably have made them so uncomfortable that such a thing would be impossible. Arthur and Molly both seemed glad to see her but slightly worried. They were undoubtedly still concerned about her rather hasty marriage to a rather unexpected groom, and Ginny made up her mind to show them that she was happy about it.
She took them on a tour of the house first. When the idea to do so first occurred to her, she wasn't sure how much to show them; there were beautiful views from several balconies on the top floor, but to take her parents there would bring them past the master suite. She doubted they'd want to look in, but if they did, and they realized she didn't sleep with her newly-wedded husband, that could only lead to awkward questions. So, instead, she showed them the first two floors only, explaining airily that there was nothing interesting above them. Her parents both exclaimed over the richness of the house, and Ginny allowed herself to speak of the house with a touch of pride, willing her parents to see that she was content with this lot in life.
Once their tour of the house was done, she took them outside to show them the grounds, as Draco had done for her a few hours earlier. Unfortunately, she lacked his familiarity with the grounds and felt sure she would get lost if she ventured into the trees, so she gave her parents a very abbreviated tour.
Then, out of places to show them, she led her parents back inside, to the parlor where she'd informed Ian Zabini of her supposed engagement on that Monday that felt like it had been far longer than five days before. Both of her parents reacted with surprise when Ginny summoned a house elf to bring them tea; Arthur seemed slightly discomfited in the face of such a potent symbol of the superciliousness of the upper class, but Molly laughed and remarked, "Imagine that, a child of mine with proper servants!"
The trio chatted amiably as they sipped at their tea. Arthur wanted more information about his new son-in-law, which Ginny tried her best to supply, and Molly, as promised, offered a great deal of marriage advice and household tips. "Though," she said, looking at the door the house elf had exited through, "it doesn't look like you're going to need it."
"No, it's useful," Ginny said. "There are some things I would like to do myself, even if there are house elves here who could do it. It makes me feel more . . . married." That wasn't quite what she meant, but it was easier than explaining that she knew she would only be living there eighteen months, so if she wanted the chance to play homemaker in the beautiful house, she had to do it quickly.
The Weasleys stayed a while longer, and all the time Ginny made sure to remain upbeat and cheerful. It seemed, however, that her parents were already convinced that she was content in her marriage, because when it came time for them to leave Molly hugged her daughter and said, "I want you to know that if you're happy, I'm happy."
They were on their way out when Draco arrived home. Mrs. Weasley jumped a little at the sound of his Apparation; by stark contrast, Draco, in his usual way, didn't register a bit of surprise at seeing them in his house. They all conversed together politely for a moment, and then Draco excused himself and Arthur and Molly left. Ginny learned against the front door and breathed a sigh of relief. Her parents weren't the most difficult confrontation she would be facing, but they were one of the most important, and she was glad to see that they seemed at peace with her decision.
On Sunday she had tea with Elise, Caroline Stewart, and Elise's mother Gwendolyn. It was at the Stewart home, in what Caroline called a "small summer sitting room." Not wanting to chagrin her host, Ginny refrained from pointing out that this "small" room was approximately the size of the ground floor of the Burrow.
It turned out to be a very pleasant affair. Caroline was warm and gracious, Elise effulgent and lively, and Ginny was pleased to find that she got on very well with Gwendolyn Zabini. She was also amused to discover that she and Gwendolyn were related, very distantly, through Molly Weasley's family, the Prewetts. Almost all of the purebloods in England, Gwendolyn explained, were related; that was the only way to preserve pure bloodlines.
"It's falling out of style, though," she commented. "Children today don't like the idea of marrying anyone who's closely related at all. When James proposed," she said, motioning at her daughter, "Elise insisted on going through all our family records, and his, before she'd accept him."
Elise nodded with a grin. "Luckily, our last common ancestor lived centuries ago."
"That's good, I suppose," Ginny said, but was prevented from saying more when a thought occurred to her that made her stop dead. "Wait . . ."
"Don't worry," Elise laughed. "You and Draco aren't closely related. You are-" she paused and thought hard for a moment- "I looked very thoroughly at the Prewett line, and if I remember correctly, Draco is the first cousin once removed of your first cousin once removed. By marriage," she added.
"What does that make us?"
"No idea," Elise said. "But nothing very close, I'm sure."
Ginny refrained from saying "That's a relief," because it seemed rude to presume that everyone would share her opinion on marrying relations, but she was still very glad to know she and Draco were not about to discover they shared a grandfather.
"We could have been related," she told Draco as she walked into the den after returning home from tea. "We didn't even think to check. We could have been cousins or something."
"I'm not really sure what you're talking about," Draco replied without looking up from his book, "but rest assured, I know who all my cousins are, and you are not one of them."
"All right, second cousins, then. We could have been second cousins and married."
"Still legal."
"Yes, well, so's the yearly Dufftown blindfold Quidditch game," she retorted. "That doesn't make it a good idea."
He shrugged. "High class wizarding families have been doing it for years. It keeps the purebloods pure."
She put her hands on her hips. "If all the high class wizarding families in Britain jumped off a cliff, would you?"
Draco finally lowered his book and pondered a moment. "If all the high class families in the country jumped off? Does that mean I'd be stuck here all alone with the rest of you? Because then I might jump just to get away-" He was cut off when she lobbed a pillow at his head. "Let me guess," he said, pulling the pillow off his face. "'Shut up, Draco'?"
"Good guess," Ginny replied.
On Monday Glennis came to visit just as Ginny and Draco were finishing dinner. Ginny had already warned Draco that her boss would be coming over, and Draco had rather reluctantly promised to be on his best behavior.
Ginny needn't have worried. Glennis was obviously still feeling bad for her initial lack of support, and she showed up for the visit ready to be pleased. She oohed and aahed over the house and the grounds, talked enthusiastically with Draco, and offered Ginny advice and wisdom, having been married for ten years herself. At the end of the visit, Draco bid Glennis a polite goodbye and wandered up the stairs to get ready for bed, leaving the two women in the front hall.
"It looks like I was wrong," Glennis told Ginny, smiling warmly. "You were right. He seems like a good man."
Ginny's first inclination was to laugh in disbelief, but Glennis seemed to be in earnest. "That's quite a change from last week," Ginny said when she realized her boss was serious.
"I know," Glennis said, "but now that I've seen you together . . . I don't know. You just seem to be really close, and not just because you're married. You really seem to be good friends."
Caught off guard, Ginny wasn't sure what she thought of that comment. Was Glennis just trying so hard to make up for not being supportive earlier that she was seeing things that weren't there? Or was she, as an outside observer, able to see the strange, tenuous relationship in a way Draco and Ginny couldn't?
Ginny hoped Glennis was right. She hoped that she and Draco were friends. Over the past few days, she had been surprised to find that she liked her husband rather more than expected. Of course he was arrogant and enjoyed being difficult, but he was also funny and pleasant and would never really do anything that would hurt her. The only problem was that she didn't know if Draco felt the same way- felt that they were becoming friends- so it was nice to hear that Glennis sensed a connection between them. "Thank you, Glennis," Ginny said. "I think people should be friends first." Or only friends, in our case.
"Yes, you certainly did land a good catch," Glennis said, looking around the entry way. Ginny thought she was referring to Draco's wealth, so what her boss said came next came as a surprise. "I think it's so sweet how he's always opening doors for you."
"Is he?" Ginny asked without thinking. She'd never really noticed it before, but now that Glennis mentioned it, she found herself remembering many instances in which he'd opened a door for her, pulled out her chair, helped her into her jacket. She supposed it was a by-product of his "high class" upbringing, as he would call it, but even if he only did it out of habit, it was very sweet. It added an unexpected layer to his personality. "You're right, he does," she said in a soft voice, smiling.
"You seem surprised," Glennis commented.
Ginny shrugged. "Sometimes Draco surprises me."
. . . . . .
The rest of the week passed without incident. Draco's work at the Ministry went on as it always had, with the strange new addition of Seamus Finnigan. Since that evening they'd had dinner- or at least appetizers- together at Ottavio's, Seamus had been enthusiastically pursuing a friendship with Draco. While he found the Irishman's exuberance occasionally annoying, Draco thought it easier to acquiesce than to fight back, so he said hello to Seamus in the halls, talked amiably with him when they ended up in a meeting together, and even ate lunch with him if they happened to be eating at the same time.
It was a strange feeling, having Seamus Finnigan for an acquaintance. It was certainly not something he would ever have expected to happen, but he supposed that after marrying a Weasley, anything was possible. You give those Muggle lovers an inch and they walk all over you, said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his father. He firmly ignored that voice. He'd learned long ago that anything that sounded like his father might have sanctioned it was probably not something he ought to get anywhere near. So, trying, albeit reluctantly, to do what he knew was right, he continued being cordial to Seamus Finnigan.
Things were going well at home, too. Ginny had turned out to be a perfectly unobjectionable housemate, except of course for when she decided to argue with him over some bizarre issue like the size of his house or the practice of marrying distant relatives. When she wasn't after him over some such thing, though, she was a pleasant roommate and a decent little chum. And what made their life even better was that they hadn't had an unwanted visitor since Monday. Those members of Ginny's family who hadn't yet visited were either too busy to come or didn't feel the need to watch her every move, and Draco had informed those of his acquaintances who had wanted to come visit that he was far too busy to take time for such things. All in all, things were very calm and very predictable, which is exactly how he wanted things to be just then.
That all changed on Friday. Draco went out after dinner to purchase new shoes in Diagon Alley, and when he returned Ginny was standing on the front lawn with a blonde young woman and two red-haired men he recognized as Fred and George Weasley. He was slightly annoyed to be bothered with more Weasleys, but Ginny looked so happy to see her brothers that he refrained from commenting.
"Draco!" Ginny called. "I'm glad you're here. Come say hi to everybody."
Draco approached cautiously. Most of the Weasleys made him a bit wary, and these twins, who made a living by being devious, were certainly no exception.
Ginny smiled. "You remember my brothers-" he certainly did remember the devils and the time he'd spent terrified that their inventions were in the hands of Ron and Harry- "Fred and George." She gestured as though to show which was which, as though anyone could ever actually keep those two straight. Draco didn't even bother to try.
"And this is George's wife Hannah."
At this, the blonde woman smiled and reached out to shake Draco's hand. "It's a pleasure to properly meet the man who caused so much trouble around the Weasley household," she said in a warm tone. "I think you win the prize for most attention-grabbing entrance to a family party." Everyone laughed- or, at least, the Weasleys laughed while Draco found himself smiling. "Anyway, I'm so glad to be here," Hannah went on. "This is such a beautiful house. 15th century?"
Draco found himself smiling as he replied, and continued to feel at ease as the conversation strayed to Puddlemere United's new Chaser. Ginny was relaxed and laughing, which was a side of her he rarely got to see. Fred and George were witty and very friendly, not making him feel like rubbish for stealing away their sister, like he'd thought they might. And he was finding that he rather liked Hannah. He didn't know exactly what it was about her that reminded him so of his mother- perhaps it was her fair coloring, or the way they were both fond of saying, "There are worse things that could happen." Hearing that phrase that Narcissa had used so often brought back a lot of memories, and Draco smiled a little as he stood there, listening to the talk and thinking of his dear mother.
The little group was getting along so well that Draco decided, against the better judgment of a little voice in his head screaming of the dangers of associating with Muggle lovers, to invite everyone inside for tea and perhaps a snack. Everyone seemed delighted with this idea, and Ginny gave him such an appreciative smile as she passed him that Draco felt quite pleased with himself.
However, as it turned out, inviting them inside was really quite a bad idea, which Draco realized as they claimed the front stairs. He'd entirely forgotten that there was an anti-Muggle charm on the front door, though that wouldn't have mattered because, relaxed as he had been, he hadn't yet realized that Hannah was a Muggle. By the time he'd realized what was happening, Hannah had already been thrown back a good fifteen feet, accompanied by a flash of light that left Draco blinking hard in an attempt to clear the spots from his eyes.
When his vision finally cleared, he looked around and saw Hannah standing back on the lawn, looking dazed. George immediately ran to her, with Fred and Ginny just a step behind and Draco a step behind them. "Oh, hello, George," Hannah said brightly. "What are we doing here?"
"Ah, a memory-altering spell in addition to the standard repulsion charm," Fred observed. "Very thorough."
"Draco!" Ginny cried in shock and admonishment.
"I'm sorry, I forgot!" Draco replied, and was surprised to find that he did feel some regret.
George quickly pulled out his wand and restored Hannah's memory while Ginny checked for any injury. Once she had been pronounced whole and sane, Hannah stood shakily, helped by George and Fred, and then smiled at Draco, to his great surprise.
He tried to explain and to apologize. "I'm sorry- I forgot it was there and I didn't realize you were a Muggle- I mean, not that it matters that you're a Muggle, but- I'm sorry," he finished awkwardly. He hardly knew where to look; Hannah didn't look angry at all, which was worse, in some ways, than if she'd been furious, and Ginny was looking back and forth between her sister-in-law and husband with a pained expression. That bothered him, somehow; he could handle her angry, he didn't mind her frustrated, but to see her hurt and ashamed was strangely difficult to endure. After a moment's thought, he chalked it up, as usual, to a sense of duty.
The party left soon after, with Hannah grasping George's arm for support, still shaken by her experience. Draco stood by, searching for the words to express his regret, but Hannah simply smiled and rubbed his arm reassuringly. "If you say it was unintentional, I'll believe you," she said, and Draco smiled weakly back. Fred said goodbye looking vaguely amused by the whole affair, although Draco wasn't sure if he was thinking of the situation or of his new brother-in-law's stupidity. Even George managed a friendly farewell, though it was decidedly more strained than his greeting earlier. Then the group was gone.
By the time he turned back to the house Ginny had already disappeared inside. He lingered in the doorway a long moment, wondering whether to pursue her. He knew perfectly well that he ought, but the thought of facing an undoubtedly furious Weasley did not appeal to him at all. He waffled back and forth on the subject until just before he went to bed, at which point he stared at the door connecting their rooms for quite some time, and then finally crossed to it and knocked.
"What?" came a decidedly cranky voice.
He opened the door. "I just wanted to . . ." He trailed off. What did he want to do?
Ginny was unclasping her bracelet at the dresser, her face a perfect mask of disinterest. "I have nothing to say to you, Draco Malfoy," she said, not looking at him.
He shrugged. "All right," he said, and started back into his bedroom.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny demanded immediately.
It took a moment, but then Draco remembered Seamus' comment- as a woman, Ginny was unable to say what she really thought- so he turned back to her. "Look," he said, "I didn't mean for that to happen today."
"I should hope not," Ginny snapped. "I don't know when I've been so embarrassed. My sister-in-law takes time out of her life to come see me, and you blow her halfway across the yard, just because she's a Muggle."
"Whoah," Draco replied, "slow down. That charm was there for centuries before I ever showed up, and as I said, I forgot it was there. And don't look at me like I'm being a bigot. Your Rabbit Hole probably has Muggle repelling charms, too."
"It's the Burrow!" Ginny nearly shrieked, and Draco would have been amused had he not been so afraid that she was about to jinx him. "And yes, it has Muggle charms, but we take them down when Hannah's coming!"
"Well, I didn't know Hannah was coming," Draco shot back. "I'm sorry I didn't read your mind or consult the tea leaves, but Divination never was my best subject."
"Divination's not mind reading," Ginny retorted waspishly. "That's Legilimency."
"No, Legilimency is for discerning feelings and-" He broke off, looking annoyed. "And I am not having this conversation with you right now. Good night, Ginevra, I'm going to bed." And with that, he left the room, leaving a gaping Ginny behind him.
He did feel bad, though. He had no quarrel with Hannah Weasley, and the fact that she was a Muggle made what had happened worse, somehow. So the next morning, while Ginny was off visiting Luna Lovegood, Draco Apparated to Diagon Alley, where he visited a florist's shop and carefully selected a mix of color changing irises and common Muggle orchids. After pausing to check the directions he'd gotten from Fred earlier that morning, he Apparated to George and Hannah's doorstep.
Hannah was home alone, for which Draco was glad; he didn't really feel like facing George just then. She greeted him warmly and welcomed him into their flat, then thanked him profusely for the flowers. He nodded in reply, and then stood awkwardly in the living room while she hunted for a vase in the kitchen.
"About last night- I'm sorry- I should have done something about that charm, but I wasn't paying attention and I hadn't noticed yet that you're . . . well, I'm sorry."
"Yes, I know," she said wryly. "I heard you the first several times."
"You're very calm about this," Draco observed after a moment. "Does-" he paused, accutely aware of the forwardness of his question, but her smile seemed to say that she knew what he was about to ask and didn't mind- "does it ever bother you, that people in our world treat you differently?"
She considered a moment. "Labels make it easier for people to deal with the world. Everyone does it." She shrugged. "That doesn't make it right, of course, just common. Prejudice against Muggles is very widespread in this world, I think. If I went around hating everyone who looks down on Muggles, I'd hate a lot of people." She smiled wryly. "And what was it Jane Austen said- 'Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.'"
That made her laugh, but Draco, confused, just looked at her blankly. "Who's Jane Austen?"
She laughed even more at that. "Proof that Muggles are not all the barbarians you think we are," she said, smiling at Draco's confusion. Turning back into the living room, she set the flowers on the coffee table and sat down, motioning for him to do the same. "And anyway," she said, "the people I really care about don't care if I'm a Muggle or not."
This only served to remind him of the embarrassment of the night before, and he grimaced a little. "And as your brother-in-law, I owed it to you-"
"Draco," she said, smiling but firm, "I'm only going to be angry with you if you keep apologizing like that. I said it's okay, and I mean that."
He smiled awkwardly in response and seated himself in the chair she motioned to. He felt he should start a conversation, but he didn't know what to say. Luckily, she spoke first.
"I love these flowers," she said, looking at the bouquet. "I had color changing irises at my wedding. George had to enchant them to only turn colors that matched the decorations." She smiled fondly at the memory.
"How do you do it?" Draco blurted out, watching her arrange the flowers, flowers that according to her upbringing were impossible. "How can you be married to someone who's so different from you?"
That made her smile. "I love him," she said simply. "That doesn't solve our problems, but it gives me the motivation I need to keep going, in spite of all our differences." After a moment's pause, she added, hesitantly, "It's really hard, sometimes. I've been . . . very close to leaving on more than one occasion. But then I remember what I have that's worth staying for." She broke off and smiled. "I've been crazy about him since he first walked into McGrath's Paper Supply and started showing off his card tricks. I couldn't believe how good they were. I told him it looked like real magic." They both smiled at that.
Draco frowned a little. "And love is enough to keep you here, somewhere that's so different from what you're used to, married to someone who will never be like you?"
"He is like me," Hannah said firmly. "When you really love someone, you stop being 'George Weasley, wizard, and Hannah Ward, Muggle.' You stop worrying about what you are or what they don't have. You're just two people, in love."
Draco was pondering silently on these words when the striking of the clock startled him out of his revelry. "Noon," Hannah said. "George will be home soon, if you'd like to say hello."
"No, I'd better go," Draco said, standing from his chair. "Thanks for letting me intrude on your time."
"We're family. You intrude whenever you like."
Draco smiled and was turning toward the door when Hannah spoke again. "Draco," she said, and he turned to see her looking at him knowingly, "how are things with you and Ginny?"
He considered lying, but she'd been so honest with him that it felt very wrong- which was an unusual thing for him. So he told her the truth. "We're very different people too," he said slowly, "and it can be hard."
She nodded as if she'd expected this answer. "Just forget all the labels you put on yourselves- Malfoy, Weasley, rich, poor- and just let yourselves be Draco and Ginevra. Let yourselves just be in love."
He stared at her a moment, then forced a smile and thanked her again. Once outside, he pulled out his wand and Apparated home.
. . . . . .
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