Draco’s first instinct was to turn around and walk straight back out. But then Ginny looked up at the clang of the bell above the door (Draco reminded himself to find and severely maim whoever invented those things).
Her eyes widened and she clutched the baby tighter to her breasts, before half-whispering, ‘Malfoy’.
Damn. Draco decided that the only way to play it was his default – charming.
‘Ginny. At long last.’
He strode confidently into the cafe and swept her to her feet, awkwardly hugging her around the baby.
‘At last?’
‘Of course. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Even hired spies to hunt you down. Clearly they need to be fired. But I’ve found you now. And the baby.’
Ginny looked flabbergasted.
‘You were trying to find me? Us?’
‘Of course. Ginny, I know I treated you horrifically, and I can’t grovel enough. But did you really think I would leave you to raise a baby on your own? My heart’s not hard enough for that, darling.’
Ginny considered him, her eyes still wide, her arms shaking slightly.
‘Well then, you’d better come in and sit down.’
Draco’s heart sank. All he’d wanted was a quiet cup of coffee and now he was going to have to endure a heart to heart and pretend that he liked this little squishy, fleshy thing that was currently nestled in its mother’s arms.
Ginny disappeared, leaving Draco sitting between the baby’s pram and the window. To avoid looking at the pram he instead looked at the view, and found it breathtaking. The back of the cafe was perched on a cliff edge that sloped out into a deep, tree-lined valley. On the other side of the valley a handsome grey castle stood sentinel over the city. A scarlet sky made the castle a silhouette.
‘It reminded me of Hogwarts.’
Ginny was back, blessedly with a cup of black coffee and an espresso for herself. She jiggled the baby a little bit. It sighed in its sleep and fisted a hand into her clothes.
Draco couldn’t help himself asking, ‘Why isn’t it crying?’
‘It’s a she.’
‘She, then.’
‘She’s never been much of a cryer. Sleeping or laughing most of the time.’
‘Does she have a name?’
Draco was imagining some awful, common Weasley name, like ‘Jill’ or ‘Molly’.
‘Juliet.’
‘Oh.’
That wasn’t so bad, he thought. Still a bit Muggle, but it had a certain elegance. He peered closer at the baby, and noted the soft red curls. Typical. He extended a finger to prod the thing, when it simultaneously clutched his finger and opened its eyes. Grey eyes. His eyes. Draco’s heart skipped a beat and he tried to sit back, but the baby was gripping his finger too tightly. So he sat there, staring into his own eyes, but they were smiling.
‘She likes you.’ Ginny said encouragingly. She couldn’t resist adding, ‘Bad taste in men. Got that from me no doubt.’
Draco smiled awkwardly. He hated this. He wanted out. Damnit, he’d never even wanted in. All he’d wanted was a cup of coffee. Silence descended. Ginny was too busy looking adoringly at the baby, so he took up the baton.
‘It reminds you of Hogwarts?’
‘What? Oh, the castle, yes. Well it does look a bit like Hogwarts, don’t you think?’
‘You miss Hogwarts?’
‘Sometimes. I miss who I was back then and I miss being a part of something important. I know the Slytherins didn’t acknowledge it, but the Weasleys were important – we were like royalty. Two head boys, a renowned Quidditch player, the two jokers and Harry Potter’s best friend.’
‘And you were the good looking one.’
Ginny accepted the compliment without comment.
‘Yes, I miss it sometimes. I miss my brothers – my family.’ She looked at him sharply then, ‘But that’s the only piece of nostalgia I’ve allowed myself. I have a good life here. Good friends.’
‘Really?’
‘Oh yes. You may not have seen them yet, but there’s a whole army of chefs and waiters behind that door ready to attack you if you put a foot out of line. I warned them when I went to get the coffees.’
There was a smile playing around her lips and her eyes were twinkling. Draco smirked back; this was a game he could play.
‘I’d better get you out of here soon, then.’
‘Why, are you about to be naughty?’
‘Let’s just say, I might have a sudden urge to pounce on you.’
‘Well that’s definitely out of line.’
‘We'd better get going then.’
Draco stood and offered Ginny his hand. She almost purred with satisfaction. But she didn’t get up.
‘What are you waiting for, love?’ Draco asked.
Ginny shook her head.
‘You still don’t get it, do you Draco? I have a baby, now. Our baby. I’m not about to dump her just to have sex with you. I’m not the naive girl I once was. You did that to me. I’m glad you found us, but if you want to be a part of our lives you’re going to have to prove to me that you’ve changed.’
Draco gulped. Now was the time. He could never admit, of course, that he hadn’t been looking for her at all. But perhaps he could say that on reconsideration it was all too much for him. In the end he didn’t even have the guts for that. Big on charm, not on courage, that was Draco all over. So he lied.
‘Of course I want to be part of your lives. That’s why I came looking for you.’ He paused, deciding what to say next, how to word it so it sounded the most convincing, ‘Look, I can see that you’re confused and shocked. I would be too. How about I come back tomorrow. Bring a little something for the – for Juliet?’
He forced a smile, feeling again the bitterness and resentment of guilt. Ginny smiled back. Then the baby smiled too. A toothy grin that he could tell was exactly what Ginny wanted to do but was old enough to restrain herself. When she spoke, it was softly.
‘I finish my shift at six. Come round then and we can go through to the wizarding side of Edinburgh. Maybe you haven’t seen it yet.’
‘It’s a date,’ he promised, and fled into the cold Edinburgh night.
Damn. Draco decided that the only way to play it was his default – charming.
‘Ginny. At long last.’
He strode confidently into the cafe and swept her to her feet, awkwardly hugging her around the baby.
‘At last?’
‘Of course. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Even hired spies to hunt you down. Clearly they need to be fired. But I’ve found you now. And the baby.’
Ginny looked flabbergasted.
‘You were trying to find me? Us?’
‘Of course. Ginny, I know I treated you horrifically, and I can’t grovel enough. But did you really think I would leave you to raise a baby on your own? My heart’s not hard enough for that, darling.’
Ginny considered him, her eyes still wide, her arms shaking slightly.
‘Well then, you’d better come in and sit down.’
Draco’s heart sank. All he’d wanted was a quiet cup of coffee and now he was going to have to endure a heart to heart and pretend that he liked this little squishy, fleshy thing that was currently nestled in its mother’s arms.
Ginny disappeared, leaving Draco sitting between the baby’s pram and the window. To avoid looking at the pram he instead looked at the view, and found it breathtaking. The back of the cafe was perched on a cliff edge that sloped out into a deep, tree-lined valley. On the other side of the valley a handsome grey castle stood sentinel over the city. A scarlet sky made the castle a silhouette.
‘It reminded me of Hogwarts.’
Ginny was back, blessedly with a cup of black coffee and an espresso for herself. She jiggled the baby a little bit. It sighed in its sleep and fisted a hand into her clothes.
Draco couldn’t help himself asking, ‘Why isn’t it crying?’
‘It’s a she.’
‘She, then.’
‘She’s never been much of a cryer. Sleeping or laughing most of the time.’
‘Does she have a name?’
Draco was imagining some awful, common Weasley name, like ‘Jill’ or ‘Molly’.
‘Juliet.’
‘Oh.’
That wasn’t so bad, he thought. Still a bit Muggle, but it had a certain elegance. He peered closer at the baby, and noted the soft red curls. Typical. He extended a finger to prod the thing, when it simultaneously clutched his finger and opened its eyes. Grey eyes. His eyes. Draco’s heart skipped a beat and he tried to sit back, but the baby was gripping his finger too tightly. So he sat there, staring into his own eyes, but they were smiling.
‘She likes you.’ Ginny said encouragingly. She couldn’t resist adding, ‘Bad taste in men. Got that from me no doubt.’
Draco smiled awkwardly. He hated this. He wanted out. Damnit, he’d never even wanted in. All he’d wanted was a cup of coffee. Silence descended. Ginny was too busy looking adoringly at the baby, so he took up the baton.
‘It reminds you of Hogwarts?’
‘What? Oh, the castle, yes. Well it does look a bit like Hogwarts, don’t you think?’
‘You miss Hogwarts?’
‘Sometimes. I miss who I was back then and I miss being a part of something important. I know the Slytherins didn’t acknowledge it, but the Weasleys were important – we were like royalty. Two head boys, a renowned Quidditch player, the two jokers and Harry Potter’s best friend.’
‘And you were the good looking one.’
Ginny accepted the compliment without comment.
‘Yes, I miss it sometimes. I miss my brothers – my family.’ She looked at him sharply then, ‘But that’s the only piece of nostalgia I’ve allowed myself. I have a good life here. Good friends.’
‘Really?’
‘Oh yes. You may not have seen them yet, but there’s a whole army of chefs and waiters behind that door ready to attack you if you put a foot out of line. I warned them when I went to get the coffees.’
There was a smile playing around her lips and her eyes were twinkling. Draco smirked back; this was a game he could play.
‘I’d better get you out of here soon, then.’
‘Why, are you about to be naughty?’
‘Let’s just say, I might have a sudden urge to pounce on you.’
‘Well that’s definitely out of line.’
‘We'd better get going then.’
Draco stood and offered Ginny his hand. She almost purred with satisfaction. But she didn’t get up.
‘What are you waiting for, love?’ Draco asked.
Ginny shook her head.
‘You still don’t get it, do you Draco? I have a baby, now. Our baby. I’m not about to dump her just to have sex with you. I’m not the naive girl I once was. You did that to me. I’m glad you found us, but if you want to be a part of our lives you’re going to have to prove to me that you’ve changed.’
Draco gulped. Now was the time. He could never admit, of course, that he hadn’t been looking for her at all. But perhaps he could say that on reconsideration it was all too much for him. In the end he didn’t even have the guts for that. Big on charm, not on courage, that was Draco all over. So he lied.
‘Of course I want to be part of your lives. That’s why I came looking for you.’ He paused, deciding what to say next, how to word it so it sounded the most convincing, ‘Look, I can see that you’re confused and shocked. I would be too. How about I come back tomorrow. Bring a little something for the – for Juliet?’
He forced a smile, feeling again the bitterness and resentment of guilt. Ginny smiled back. Then the baby smiled too. A toothy grin that he could tell was exactly what Ginny wanted to do but was old enough to restrain herself. When she spoke, it was softly.
‘I finish my shift at six. Come round then and we can go through to the wizarding side of Edinburgh. Maybe you haven’t seen it yet.’
‘It’s a date,’ he promised, and fled into the cold Edinburgh night.
Author notes: Any feedback is very welcome.
To Be Continued.
Anna-Marie is the author of 0 other stories.
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