One month later, Ginny was resting against Draco beside the lake when she spotted Harry and Luna; they were snuggled close together on the grass. Beside them Hermione, Blaise, Pansy, and Ron sat, each working on an essay or assignment for a class they had missed.
Things had settled down quite a lot in the past month, and everyone had come to accept everyone else’s relationships and choices in partners. The only one who really had it bad was Lavender; the poor girl was torn between Seamus and Neville, after having kissed them both on a dare. To her relief, neither knew about the other.
Ginny sighed as she shut hers eyes, and when she felt his hands slide across her stomach she giggled.
“That tickles,” she whispered as she turned to face him. His lips were twitching slightly at her expression.
“Does it?” he asked, leaning in and catching her lips in a slow, fiery kiss. He twisted his fingers in her long hair and held it tightly until she groaned into his mouth, and her hands ran along the back of his neck. Draco shuddered and pulled away from her. “You’re playing with me, Weasley,” he growled. “And people are staring.”
Ginny blinked and looked over at her brother who was, in fact, watching them with a vacant expression. Pansy nudged him and gave Ginny a wave before returning to the paper she was working on.
Hermione was leaning close to Blaise, and Draco watched his mate’s face become red. He grinned; it was exactly the way Ginny made him feel the first time they kissed.
Ginny turned back to him. “I told my family about us,” she said, watching him defiantly.
Draco blinked at her, his eyes wide. “You did? How did they react?”
Ginny bit her lip, and then brushed her lips against his lightly. He exhaled as her fingers touched his cheek, causing him to moan quietly, leaving his skin tingly as she smiled.
“They weren’t happy at first, but then Ron told them how happy I’ve been, and they were very tolerant of my asking if you could stay with us over the summer. All my brothers are looking forward to it.”
Draco swallowed nervously. “I don’t want to be on the front page of The Daily Prophet.”
Ginny grinned. “They aren’t going to kill you, love.”
He doubted her certainty very much.
It was the summer days that Draco loved so much. He grinned from his spot on the grass as Ginny walked towards him, wearing dark jeans and a halter. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, and she was carrying a tray of food.
She stared back at her mother, who was feeding the rest of the family, and then grinned at him as she sat down.
Ginny brushed a strand of hair from his face and smiled. “See? It’s not as bad as you were thinking it would have been.”
“Your brothers are staring,” Draco said quietly.
Sure enough, Charlie and Ron were gazing across the yard at them. Draco smirked at them and suddenly pulled Ginny against him, his tongue invading her mouth.
As she grasped her boyfriend, she heard her brothers shouting for their mother, cursing frantically. Ginny giggled and looked up at him. “That wasn’t a good idea,” she muttered, glancing behind her as Arthur came towards them. “Shit,” she hissed, burying her head in Draco’s chest.
“Ginny, dear, why are Charlie and Ron so upset?” her father asked in a light tone.
His daughter picked up her head and smiled. “I don’t know, Dad. You know how they get.”
Mr. Weasley nodded slightly and glanced at Draco. “My boy, I haven’t had a chance to talk with you. Would you like me to show you around the Burrow?”
Thank you, sir.” Draco smirked and stood up.
Ginny sighed as Ron came over to her. “He’s not going to last,” he sniggered.
They ended up in Ginny’s bedroom, oddly enough, during the course of his tour. The walls were off-white with tiny pink flowers, her bed was in the corner, and there was a table next to it with a lamp. Draco looked around quickly and watched Ginny’s father closely, mentally preparing himself for any questions he might be asked.
“Do you love my daughter?” Arthur asked him.
Draco was caught off guard by the question, but nodded briskly. “Yes, sir, I do.”
“She’s been through a lot…”
“I’m aware…”
Arthur smiled and scratched his head, took off his glasses and cleaned them. It was only when he placed them back on that he said, “What are your plans, Mr. Malfoy?”
“My plans? What do you mean?”
“Well,” Arthur said thoughtfully, “do you plan on marrying my daughter?”
Draco came back within the hour and sat back down beside Ginny. His girlfriend watched him closely when he hadn’t said anything about the talk with her father. She settled against him and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Did you have a nice talk?” Ginny asked finally.
Draco sighed and twisted her hair in between his fingers. “It went fine.”
Ginny sat up and blinked at him. “You sound unsure. What did my father say to you?”
Draco shrugged. “Not much. Just the usual, you know.”
“No, I don’t know,” said Ginny skeptically. “So, my lovely boyfriend, why don’t you enlighten me.”
You’re cornered now, I assure you, the little voice in Draco’s head hummed in his ear. “He asked me if I planned on marrying you.”
Inside, the Burrow was warm and cozy. Molly had the tea going, Bill and Charlie were playing Wizards Chess, Ron and Harry were playing cards, and Hermione was upstairs with Luna, going over summer homework. Arthur had appeared in the hallway by the door, his hand reaching for a cloth to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s maddening out there!” exclaimed Molly’s husband with a sigh. He sank down into one of the kitchen chairs and looked at his wife. “You know, Molly, I had a chat with our daughter’s boyfriend before.”
Molly dropped the cup she was holding, it shattered onto the counter, causing a slew of questions from the living room. She turned slowly to face Arthur, her eyes worried. “Oh, Arthur, please tell me you didn’t embarrass the boy.”
“I only asked him one simple question, Molly.”
With her hands on her hips, Molly said, “What did you say to him?”
Feeling as if the room was growing hot, Arthur unbuttoned his shirt at the neck. He looked down, feeling his wife’s glare burning into his skull. “I just asked him if he was planning on marrying Ginny, that’s all,” Arthur exclaimed, blinking at his wife.
“Ginny is going to…”
“YOU SAID WHAT TO HIM?” came the thunderous voice of their daughter from outside. The back door slammed and things around the house shook, and little Ginny Weasley looked at her father with fury. “What were you thinking?”
Molly’s eyes widened at her child’s tone, but she didn’t stop her from screaming. Instead, she saw the four new heads poking out from the living room, and two from the stairs; her glare sent them away in an instant.
“Ginny, I was only trying to help you,” her father explained. “He seems good for you.”
There was a deafening silence through the Burrow, except for the abrupt clearing on a throat. Draco appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and he looked around worried.
“I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble,” he said dolefully.
“You didn’t do anything,” said Ginny, reaching behind her to grab his hand and pull him closer to her.
“Ginny, we know how much Draco means to you,” Molly said quietly. “We just want to make sure you’re being taken care of.”
“I am,” said Ginny. “But I don’t need you two trying to pick my husband for me, is that understood?”
Both of her parents nodded in agreement.
Draco grinned and nudged Ginny slightly.
“Oh, well, I have some news,” Ginny said, her eyes glistening. “Draco’s asked me to move in with him after my final year at Hogwarts.”
Inside the living room, four boys heard the distinct sound of china breaking once more.
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