Ginny had hoped that there would be a sudden difference; that life would suddenly be easier. In a way, it was easier. But every day was hard work. Every day that Ginny woke up, she battled with the demons inside herself with Padma and Draco at her side. Slowly, it did get better. Every now and then a genuine smile would flicker across her face, but Ginny would feel guilty a moment later, and the smile would fade.
Padma assured her this was normal. Draco assured her that he was proud of her. Ginny assured herself that she could indeed dance again.
Ginny wasn’t wrong.
While she wasn’t as coordinated as she had once been, the muscle memory was still there. Her body still knew which way to move and when. Her moves just weren’t as graceful as they had once been.
So Draco helped out with the ledger and her business--on top of his own business--while Ginny trained all day long, her muscles screaming in protest at the strenuous exercise they hadn’t been through in a very long time.
Padma was helping by watching what Ginny was eating. Ginny knew her caloric intake was at it’s bare minimum, but she had to be ready for this damn performance that was coming up.
Draco was watching her that evening, alongside Padma, critiquing her as they saw fit. Ginny couldn’t describe how she felt watching the two of them sitting together, smiling and laughing. It wasn’t anger exactly, but she definitely recognized the constricting in her chest.
Damn emotions.
“Ginevra,” Draco drawled, just loud enough for Ginny to hear from the empty stage she was on.
Immediately she stopped moving, hands going to her hips. “Yeah?”
Draco seemed to to weigh her in his mind for a moment before saying, “Let’s bring in the sticks that will be lit, and practice with them unlit. It’s obvious you more than have the basics back to perfection. Now we have to work on this.”
Ginny clenched her jaw but simply nodded. This was what they’d been working up to for weeks. This was what she was being offered the big galleons to do.
She kept telling herself that the sticks would be unlit until she got to where she was good enough, but she still felt uneasy. She just wasn’t sure if the unease was due to dancing with fire again, or the voice in her head saying she wouldn’t be good enough. It had been too long to ever be good enough again.
So began the fire dancing practice. Padma was building a routine on the side for them to do, since Ginny was so absorbed with working on getting to where she needed to be.
“I wonder who the hell these people are,” Ginny said one night, while Draco poured over papers.
For a second the muscles strained in his face. “Don’t worry about that. Just worry about doing what you need to do. You’ve come a long way.”
As Ginny spun the unlit sticks she said, “It’s not far enough yet. I’m still not happy…”
Draco sighed and set down the papers, looking up at her as she moved her body, her barely there abdominal muscles undulating provocatively. She didn’t even realize that she was starting to lose herself in the motions, so familiar and intimate.
Her eyes drifted shut slowly, letting her body move of it’s own accord. This had been home to her. This was the easiest thing in the world for Ginny to do. She understood this better than she understood anything else.
“Well, it’s about time,” Padma said softly, somewhere to the front and left.
Ginny opened her eyes, stopping her movements. She arched and eyebrow at her best friend who simply smiled.
“You may not be happy… but for the moment you aren’t heart broken. You’re living, and that’s something to be proud of,” Draco said softly.
Ginny allowed a small smile to briefly show.
“Indeed. Now, I do believe you’re ready to light the fire and dance with the music. What do you think?”
While Padma was asking a question, it was clear from her tone that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. So fifteen minutes later Ginny was letting the music envelope her.
She closed her eyes, drifting to the in between she had danced from for so long. This was the place where she could feel the touch of the Goddess, something she had missed for so long.
Without thinking Ginny started moving, her stomach undulating slowly, almost tempting the audience members. Then she added in the hip drops, teasing the audience into wanting her to move her arms.
Slowly, she began to spin, her eyes opening as she focused on the flames dancing above her, around her, surrounding her with the love of the goddess.
Home.
She was completely unaware of the two people in the audience, of the way Draco couldn’t tear his eyes from her form. She simply was; she existed only for the purpose of the Goddess. How could she have forgotten this?
The minutes dragged on and then blurred by, depending on Ginny’s movements. The thirty minute ritual whose choreography Ginny had been studying was over before she realized it, and Ginny was smiling by the end.
Padma was smiling widely, her perfect teeth practically gleaming.
“I knew you could do it,” Padma said softly.
But it was Draco that Ginny looked to for approval at that moment.
Draco smiled softly as he said, “I think we should celebrate.”
Padma glanced between the two of them before smirking. “Yeah, I have a date. So you two enjoy yourselves, and hopefully I get lucky and end up tongue deep by the end of the night.”
Ginny scrunched her nose. She had always disliked that phrase of Padma’s, but she let it drop. Her best friend was allowed to get laid when she felt like it.
Ginny jumped down off the stage, accepting the high five from her best friend as she sauntered towards Draco. The pride was welling in her chest, and for a moment she was happy. She was where she belonged, in the environment she loved.
But something was wrong with Draco. The dark circles under his eyes looked almost like bruises, and his cheeks were more hallowed than usual. The man looked like he hadn’t been eating or sleeping.
Ginny turned towards Padma, ready to use the other woman to back her up on berating Draco, but Padma was gone. Typical.
“You want to get dressed, and we can go to my Manor?” Draco asked abruptly, shuffling his papers.
“Yeah, of course. Just a moment,” Ginny responded easily, walking towards her office to change.
As she pulled on her clothes she tried to wrack her brain. Had she missed something? Obviously her old friend was feeling pressured. Was it all the work of her business along with his?
As Ginny pulled her hair back she realized that she hadn’t seen Draco smile in a while. Had she ignored warning signs that had been there all along?
The thought made her stomach clench. She’d been so damn wrapped up in herself that she hadn’t noticed something was wrong with Draco. That didn’t excuse Padma, though, who was supposed to be helping Draco.
Ginny was mentally berating Padma, planning out the spiel she’d give her best friend for being as flaky as she had been, when a thought struck her like a blow to the stomach.
Maybe Padma already knew. She’d been spending so much time with Draco…
As Ginny stared into the mirror she knew she was being crazy. Padma had never shown an interest in a man before. Not even at Hogwarts. She’d always been staring at the women passing by on the streets, begging Ginny to go with her to lesbian bars on the Muggle side of town because the girls wore next to nothing there.
There was no way in hell Padma was interested in Draco.
That meant either Padma didn’t know either, or she was just avoiding telling Ginny what was going on with their mutual friend.
Ginny firmly ignored the twinge of jealousy, grabbing her bag of belly dancing clothes and making her way out of the office. She was fully prepared to chide Draco Malfoy and find out just what the hell was wrong.
XXX
Ginny was two shots of tequila in, licking the salt off the glass while Draco drained another scotch. While Ginny wished she could say she was drunk, she wasn’t. Nor did she plan on getting there tonight. She was on a mission, which required Draco to be just the right side of drunk.
But not too drunk.
Then she would carefully poke and prod with just the right words to find out what the hell was going on with him.
Ginny sank back into the plush chair as Draco swilled the contents of his glass, staring into like it might hold answers to a deep, life altering question.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Draco said abruptly, his eyes not leaving his glass.
“Oh? What would that be?” Ginny asked innocently.
And she was innocent… for the moment. She had no idea what he was referring to. It could be anything.
“You have this habit of trying to get someone at a weak point, and then using that weak point to find out what you want to know. You watch closely, waiting for just the right moment. It’s a very Slytherin habit.”
Draco met her eyes, an amused smirk playing across his lips.
Well, fuck.
Ginny pursed her lips and decided not to deny it. She wasn’t going to lie to her friend’s face. That was a big no no. Especially after everything Draco had done for her. She wouldn’t have made it through the past month without him constantly pushing her.
Okay, maybe she was buzzed. As hell.
“I don’t suppose you’ll make this any easier and just tell me what the hell is going on with you?”
Draco had the ghost of a smirk on his face as he responded, “What? No foreplay?”
Ginny snorted, her lips twitching despite her best efforts to scowl.
“Nope, no foreplay. I like to get right down to it.”
When their eyes met, the pair burst into drunken laughter, Ginny sliding out of her chair.
When the laughter died away, Draco was wearing a grimace.
“Remember when I told you about my business?”
Ginny nodded. “Yeah, you help bring victims of other countries over and assimilate them. Why?” she asked as she snapped her fingers, holding her glass out to the house elf that appeared. Handy creatures. Said elf made itself busy getting her another shot.
“There was this family,” Draco began heavily, “They had twin daughters, only five years old. They’re in North Korea, where their Muggle Minister is trying to have them all murdered. It’s a chore, trying to evacuate as many as we can across all of Europe.”
Draco drained the rest of his scotch, and Ginny was sure she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes. It twisted her insides to think of what might come next. She knew, but she didn’t want to know.
“They were murdered in their beds. The entire neighborhood they live in was wiped out just five hours before we were going to get them out.”
Silence. And then-
“I fucked up, Gin.”
Ginny was up and stumbling towards him as he dropped his head, his shoulders heaving.
“Draco,” she began softly, wrapping her arms around him. “There was no way for you to know. Look at how many others you’ve saved!”
Draco shook his head, not bothering to wipe the tears that were pouring down his face.
“How does that matter if a failure to act fast enough results in a death? There will inevitably be more deaths. An entire neighborhood, Gin.”
Draco Malfoy, the strong man that had been holding her together, was broken himself.
“It matters because without you, even more would be dead. You make a difference. I know it can’t be easy after this, but what you do? It matters, Draco. And I’m sorry.”
Draco leaned into her side, and she rubbed comforting circles into his back as she apologized over and over, a mantra, a prayer, a plea.
She should have seen this. Should have noticed that he was breaking apart into little pieces. But she’d been so worried about her life she hadn’t given a thought to anyone else’s. How selfish could she be?
“It’s okay to hurt,” she said softly, not sure who she was talking to at the moment.
“Didn’t I tell you that?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Ginny gave a chuckle. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s true, Draco. It is okay to hurt. We all fall apart at some point. We just need others to… to put us back together, with a lot of glue and some Spellotape.”
Draco snorted at her statement.
“I’m being serious,” she chided.
Draco pulled away as he assured Ginny that he under stood this. Looking at him like this, Ginny felt emotions raging in her chest, and she didn’t even realize for a moment that her hand was tangling itself in the blond hair that fell into his eyes all the time.
“Ginny,” he said as though warning her against whatever she was about to do. But how could he warn her against something she had no control over? Because she surely couldn’t stop herself from wanting to see just how soft his lips were. She couldn’t help that she wanted to pour everything he meant to her into a kiss.
Because the truth was, Draco Malfoy had wormed himself into her life, making himself such a permanent fixture that Ginny couldn’t see a life for herself that didn’t include him.
Gods, his lips were soft. And bloody hell, could he kiss. His mouth moving against hers, just barely dominating hers. Part of her brain wondered why they hadn’t tried this sooner.
His hand came up to caress her face, as Draco’s other hand went to Ginny’s hip, resting lightly, as though waiting for permission.
“Are you trying to be a gentlemen?” Ginny asked against his lips as she shoved herself into his lap, too drunk to worry about being seductive.
Oh well, so much for staying sober.
As he licked his way into her mouth slowly, he managed to get out, “I am always a gentlemen.”
Ginny tangled a hand in his hair as she giggled, pulling back slightly to say, “Oh really? And here all of Hogwarts was convinced you were some sex god. I guess those were just rumors and you aren’t… what did they say?… oh yeah, carrying a dragon around in your trousers.”
Draco arched a brow at her as she dissolved into giggles.
“Who in the bloody hell even said that? That has to be the worst metaphor I have ever heard. It should be banned from existence!” he said indignantly.
Ginny hiccuped slightly, trying to quiet the laughter she could feel try to bubble up again.
“It was in one of our girls nights. After the war, we’d all get together in the kitchens, all the houses. Well, Parkinson came, and we were playing truth or dare, and Parvati… she asked.” Ginny shrugged.
Draco looked indignant. “And you never thought to tell me?”
Ginny shrugged again. Truth be told, she’d never really wanted to bring it up. Thinking of Parkinson with Draco wasn’t among her favorite past times. And she’d been with Harry, so if she occasionally let her mind wander to the fact that several other girls had backed Parkinson up… it didn’t mean anything. She was just curious.
“Wait, you actually wondered about that, all those years ago?” Draco asked, and Ginny bit her lip.
Shit. She really did have an awful habit of not being able to censor herself at all when she was drinking.
“Well… sometimes. Not that Harry wasn’t okay, but… it always seemed like something was lacking between us.” Ginny chewed her bottom lip.
“Like what? Passion?” Draco asked, genuinely curious. They might as well have been talking about the weather, if it wasn’t for the fact that she was sitting in his lap.
Ginny felt her face go hot. “Well, yes, passion. But there was more than just that absent. We… we were never in love.”
Draco studied her face a moment, his expression guarded and careful.
“We wanted to be. We thought we should be,” Ginny began as she disentangled herself, sinking back into the couch. “Everyone said we should be. It shouldn’t matter that he barely saw me for who I was. Or that he barely saw me in the literal sense. A war shouldn’t come between us. We kept being thrown at each other."
“And we tried, really we did. And at first I convinced myself I was in love with him. In our seventh year, when he wasn’t there. It was so easy to think I loved him then. But after we graduated, and I moved in with Harry, it got really hard.
“We could barely stand to be in the same room as each other sometimes. It was just too much. So Harry would end up just not coming home half the time, and I was so busy with my business that I didn’t even notice. I wasn’t there either.
“Really it was just chance that I even got pregnant. It was the first time in months that we’d had sex. But love? Passion? Harry and I never had that. I can’t even fully blame him because I didn’t try, and in the beginning he did. He was the one in love with me. I think… sometimes I think maybe he still is. But it killed him, living with someone who didn’t want to be there and didn’t want to even try. I only got to be so bloody good at my job because I was ignoring my boyfriend. I was staying out all night because I couldn’t imagine coming home to him, and I was too scared to even tell him. So when I got pregnant… he didn’t even think it was his at first. And I couldn’t blame him.
“Harry tried, Draco. He tried so hard. I just blocked him at every turn, but I was too selfish to actually let him go. I wasn’t prepared to be alone.”
Ginny took a deep breath, watching Draco as closely as he was watching her. She hadn’t been so honest in a long time.
“I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be selfless,” Draco said finally.
Ginny snorted. “Not at all. Hadn’t you noticed how the trio was alway selfish? It was always all about them. Gryffindors are naturally self-centered,” Ginny proclaimed.
Draco looked down for a moment, his body language saying he was unsure of himself.
“I left because it hurt to watch you be with him. You kept talking about a future wedding and doing all this stuff with him. I couldn’t stand it. I was the one always there for you, and yet you only saw him.”
Draco sounded frustrated, as though he was replaying it in his head. It broke Ginny’s heart to think she had been so stupid.
“I saw you, too. I was just… scared, I guess. I don’t know. You were so intense sometimes. You’d watch me and get this look on your face like you wanted to seep into my bones. No one had ever looked at me like that before. Harry was the safe choice. He would never break my heart because he would stay, like a puppy on a leash.”
Draco shook his head.
“I know it was wrong of me to do that to Harry, but at the same time, he knew. He knew all along. He even asked me if I would rather be with you, and I couldn’t answer him. But I wasn’t sure myself at the time. So he stayed, and so did I. And then you left, and it seemed easier to just let us drift apart.”
Draco surveyed her for a long, agonizing moment.
“Thank you,” he said finally.
Ginny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “For what?” she asked, partly scared of his answer.
Draco sighed, drained his scotch, and stood up. “For finally being honest with me.”
Xxx
“You said that?” Padma gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
Ginny nodded, tears spilling from her eyes.
“I was drunk! And he was there, and I just couldn’t shut up! I couldn’t just let it happen! Now he hates me!”
Padma took a deep breath before speaking. “No, he doesn’t. I’m sure of it. I will fix this. But I need you to know for sure how you feel about him. Because this man is so in love with you, and if you do to him what you did to Harry,” Padma warned.
Ginny gave a cold laugh. “Harry allowed me to run over him. Draco… he stands up for himself. He challenges me and pushes me. Every time I think about him leaving, it hurts. I don’t want him to leave again.”
Padma sighed. “Just… give him some time. We have the performance in a week. Let’s focus on that. After that, we will worry about your love life,” Padma assured her.
Ginny nodded, but it didn’t do anything to ease the pain in her heart. She really needed to learn when to shut the fuck up.”
So the next week had Padma, Ginny, and Astoria working together for eight hours a day, perfecting the dance, making sure they had the feedback of all the belly dancers so they could be perfect.
When working like this, it was easy for Ginny to forget about what had happened. It seemed almost like a lifetime ago, when viewed through the haze of aching muscles, sweat, and singed arm hair.
When she did have a moment to herself, Padma seemed to suddenly swoop in and get her excited about the performance.
It was crazy how familiar and foreign everything around her seemed. How many times had she done this in the past? And yet it felt oddly… different in a way she wasn’t sure she could ever describe.
She shrugged it off, working all day as hard as possible and then collapsing at night, unable to keep her eyes open long enough to dwell on anything.
When the night of their performance came, Ginny could barely contain her nerves. She kept feeling like she was going to pass out. There wasn’t enough air in the world at the moment.
“Calm down, Ginny. It’s fine. You’re going to be amazing,” Astoria assured her when they were fifteen minutes away from starting.
They were in the remote country side, and from what Ginny knew the performance was for a group of clients. Padma said something about this being a way for a businessman to entertain clients and get them to commit their money and support to his business.
Ginny didn’t really care about why they were dancing. They simply were. So Ginny had to get herself together. She pictured the money in her head and took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to. Some of the women who worked for her were depending on it. Like Hema, who was in London only as long as she had work. With this job, Ginny could afford to ensure Hema didn’t have to go back to her home village.
Ginny looked at Astoria who was struggling to support herself after her family decided that they couldn’t have a Pureblood daughter engaged to a Muggleborn.
All the women she employed needed a job. She had to do this. For them.
“I’m fine,” she told Padma. “Just… water, please?” Padma nodded, scurrying off to grab some water while Ginny rearranged the barely there garb.
She snatched the glass from Padma, downing it and taking deep breaths. She needed to go to her safe place, the place where the Goddess spoke to her. The deeper the breaths she took, the more easily she felt herself sliding into the head space she needed to be in.
“Remember,” Astoria reminded, “the sticks will be thrown to you when needed. Stay ready for them. We can do this.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. She knew this, but she could understand Astoria’s worry.
The music started and they scurried to their positions, ready to entertain. Ginny closed her eyes, and as the beat hit, she danced with abandon she hadn’t felt for awhile.
As she opened her eyes, she paid the audience very little attention, appearing aloof, distant, unable to be seduced, yet seductive. Fertile. Strong. She was the Goddess incarnate. All the things Draco had told her. She danced for him in that moment, thinking of all the times he had listened to her cry.
The war had been hell. She’d been the one to hold the children who had stayed back as they died. She had comforted them in their final moments. It had marked her deeply, seeing those kids who’d hidden in empty classrooms bleeding out in front of her. She wasn’t even sure what side was causing it.
The chaos of the fighting was ensuring that no one and everyone could have been blamed. She watched her classmates fall. People she’d lived on top of for years, expunged from existence suddenly.
At first she’d hated Draco. But then she learned what he’d gone through. She’d listened to what he was made to do, and when he told her how he’d snuck food and water to the basement with Voldemort right there she’d been amazed.
He was a boy who’d never had a choice. She was a girl who did, and had choose to fight and almost died as a result. They were two sides of the same coin.
That revelation had started everything.
So Ginny danced and revealed in the feel of sweat glide down her body as she undulated her body alongside Astoria and Padma.
As the fire was thrown at her, Ginny caught the sticks easily. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of blond hair, and maybe she did, but she couldn’t really see past the fire. It would be suicide to even try.
So Ginny focused her attention on the fire dance, twirling the sticks rapidly above her head, performing stunts she’d once been famous for, and even stunts that she’d never thought she would dare to try until Draco had pushed her. Padma and Astoria were on either end of the stage, doing an intricate belly dancing routine, almost framing Ginny.
It was perfect. The music was a mash up of several different types of music, in a show of cultural appreciation, or some such thing. The music had always been Padma’s thing.
But as Ginny moved across the stage, ending the entire routine in what seemed to be no time flat, she was grateful for how the music had kept her upbeat the entire time.
The smile she gave the two girls as the small audience applauded loudly was wide and genuine. She didn’t even notice the man in front of the stage until Padma nudged her and pointed.
Draco was there, flanked by what Ginny was certain was a business associate, and Draco was holding out flowers for her.
Ginny took them, too stunned to speak.
“Draco,” began the man standing next to him, “You’ve definitely… persuaded me. If every meeting is like this, you have the support of my company! We will give these immigrants jobs and help back your company financially.”
Ginny was pulled away by Astoria before she could hear Draco’s response.
“This was all for him?” she seethed once she was a good distance away.
Padma sighed and gave Astoria a look that clearly said this was all up to the younger woman.
“Well, it was my and Padma’s idea. He needed to convince these men, and they all wanted half naked girls, but in a way that wasn’t sleazy. We suggested it to Draco before he actually got to London, and the rest is history.” Astoria shrugged.
Ginny was thoroughly irate as she held up her hand. “Excuse me, are you saying you’ve been in contact with him prior to him even arriving? And you never thought to tell me?”
Ginny was glowering, ready to unleash her fury on Astoria because she was the closest person at the moment and Ginny felt lied to.
“Actually,” Padma said as she threw a t-shirt at Ginny, “I have been. Since the accident. I thought he could do you some good, and I was right. But then you got drunk and became too honest. We have to work on that. But still, it’s important that it was said.”
Padma said all this with the air of someone who couldn’t care less about the situation. She was already covered up, pulling her hair back to do gods knew what.
“Why couldn’t you have just told me about it?” Ginny seethed.
Padma paused and looked over at Ginny with a dumbfounded expression.
“You’d have been angry. You get so caught up you can’t always see the bigger picture. You aren’t objective, you just react instead of act. You’re my best friend and I love you, but I am more than aware of your flaws. So I didn’t tell you. But I did what I had to do in order to save you, and I don’t for a second regret it!” Padma snapped, her eyes flashing.
Ginny wanted to argue, to say Padma was wrong, Ginny was none of that. But she was. She was all of that and more. It was what had lead to this.
Not a day went by now that she didn’t think of her son, and how much she wished she could hold him. But she couldn’t and she was learning to accept that. But the situation with Harry had been caused by Ginny not being able to see the bigger picture.
“I need some wine,” Ginny muttered, rubbing her temples, still wearing the barely there black garb with chains, nothing covering her.
“Perfect. Put that shirt on, grab some pants, and we can enjoy the stars,” Padma ordered.
Ginny might have been a redhead, but Padma constantly acted like a woman scorned. It was best not to mess with her.
Xxx
Ginny was on her second glass of wine, cradling her flowers when Draco approached her.
He simply reached a hand out for her, apparently finished with his business transaction. Ginny didn’t think twice about taking it.
As they walked away from the other two women in silence, Draco held onto her hand.
“You were better than ever,” he said simply.
Ginny gave a small smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you were able to see it… But I wish you would have told me.”
Draco nodded, coming to a stop several yards from Padma and Astoria.
“I wanted to. Honest. But Padma demanded I stay silent, and well, you know how she is.”
Ginny snorted. “Do I ever.”
She sipped her wine while feeling slightly awkward. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.
“Fuck it. Ginny, I love you, and I have for a long time. And not the way Harry loved you, where he was willing to hang onto your coattails. I love you in an all-consuming way. I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s like I breathe you in, and damn it I know you feel the same way. But I need to know that you know how you feel.”
Draco’s eyes were so intense, and he was so close. Ginny could smell the wine he’d been sipping and the cologne he was wearing. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, to show instead of tell, but that wasn’t what he wanted.
“Draco,” she began softly, “I was going to name my son after you. I never thought I’d find happiness again, and you gave it to me on a silver platter. But you’re so much a part of my happiness that to lose you would be to lose it. I love you… and I need you to stay.”
And then he was kissing her, really kissing her, his mouth completely dominating.
So this is what Pansy meant, she thought weakly as her knees buckled, and she fell into Draco and the kiss.
Xxx
Ginny was walking next to Draco, his arm around her shoulder easily, and a beautiful wedding ring on her finger. She was fidgeting with said ring out of nerves.
Hermione smiled widely as she rambled on.
“I had to pull a lot of strings, but I love you so of course it wasn’t a big deal. There’s a lot of red tape usually when you adopt, you know. To weed out those who are dangerous, to deter those who won’t be up to the challenge, that sort of thing.”
They rounded the corner and came to a stop at the lift as they waited.
“So you can understand why it’s taken me a few weeks after I got you on the list to find you a child that would look a bit like the two of you. I know you said that wasn’t a big deal, but I thought it’d be nice.”
Hermione stepped into the lift, her mouth still going, and Ginny’s heart was racing, her hand clutching Draco’s tightly.
“So the paper work is in my office, but once it’s filled out, we will just be waiting for the little one to arrive! She’s due in about two months!”
The words sunk in slowly, and Draco had to hold Ginny up when they finally made an impact.
They were going to parents!
“I made a schedule, so if both of you follow it, we will have time to prepare a room in the manor, throw a baby shower, and do all that. I’ve already owled your parents, Ginny, so no worries on that front. They will tell the rest of the family.”
Hermione continued on, but Ginny wasn’t even paying attention.
The moment was bitter sweet. She was excited to be adopting a baby girl, but a huge part of her wished Aiden was with them as well.
As Ginny leaned into her husband, she let a smile grace her face. Her baby boy was in a better place, as was she. Ginevra Malfoy was completely happy, and finally expecting a baby.
Padma assured her this was normal. Draco assured her that he was proud of her. Ginny assured herself that she could indeed dance again.
Ginny wasn’t wrong.
While she wasn’t as coordinated as she had once been, the muscle memory was still there. Her body still knew which way to move and when. Her moves just weren’t as graceful as they had once been.
So Draco helped out with the ledger and her business--on top of his own business--while Ginny trained all day long, her muscles screaming in protest at the strenuous exercise they hadn’t been through in a very long time.
Padma was helping by watching what Ginny was eating. Ginny knew her caloric intake was at it’s bare minimum, but she had to be ready for this damn performance that was coming up.
Draco was watching her that evening, alongside Padma, critiquing her as they saw fit. Ginny couldn’t describe how she felt watching the two of them sitting together, smiling and laughing. It wasn’t anger exactly, but she definitely recognized the constricting in her chest.
Damn emotions.
“Ginevra,” Draco drawled, just loud enough for Ginny to hear from the empty stage she was on.
Immediately she stopped moving, hands going to her hips. “Yeah?”
Draco seemed to to weigh her in his mind for a moment before saying, “Let’s bring in the sticks that will be lit, and practice with them unlit. It’s obvious you more than have the basics back to perfection. Now we have to work on this.”
Ginny clenched her jaw but simply nodded. This was what they’d been working up to for weeks. This was what she was being offered the big galleons to do.
She kept telling herself that the sticks would be unlit until she got to where she was good enough, but she still felt uneasy. She just wasn’t sure if the unease was due to dancing with fire again, or the voice in her head saying she wouldn’t be good enough. It had been too long to ever be good enough again.
So began the fire dancing practice. Padma was building a routine on the side for them to do, since Ginny was so absorbed with working on getting to where she needed to be.
“I wonder who the hell these people are,” Ginny said one night, while Draco poured over papers.
For a second the muscles strained in his face. “Don’t worry about that. Just worry about doing what you need to do. You’ve come a long way.”
As Ginny spun the unlit sticks she said, “It’s not far enough yet. I’m still not happy…”
Draco sighed and set down the papers, looking up at her as she moved her body, her barely there abdominal muscles undulating provocatively. She didn’t even realize that she was starting to lose herself in the motions, so familiar and intimate.
Her eyes drifted shut slowly, letting her body move of it’s own accord. This had been home to her. This was the easiest thing in the world for Ginny to do. She understood this better than she understood anything else.
“Well, it’s about time,” Padma said softly, somewhere to the front and left.
Ginny opened her eyes, stopping her movements. She arched and eyebrow at her best friend who simply smiled.
“You may not be happy… but for the moment you aren’t heart broken. You’re living, and that’s something to be proud of,” Draco said softly.
Ginny allowed a small smile to briefly show.
“Indeed. Now, I do believe you’re ready to light the fire and dance with the music. What do you think?”
While Padma was asking a question, it was clear from her tone that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. So fifteen minutes later Ginny was letting the music envelope her.
She closed her eyes, drifting to the in between she had danced from for so long. This was the place where she could feel the touch of the Goddess, something she had missed for so long.
Without thinking Ginny started moving, her stomach undulating slowly, almost tempting the audience members. Then she added in the hip drops, teasing the audience into wanting her to move her arms.
Slowly, she began to spin, her eyes opening as she focused on the flames dancing above her, around her, surrounding her with the love of the goddess.
Home.
She was completely unaware of the two people in the audience, of the way Draco couldn’t tear his eyes from her form. She simply was; she existed only for the purpose of the Goddess. How could she have forgotten this?
The minutes dragged on and then blurred by, depending on Ginny’s movements. The thirty minute ritual whose choreography Ginny had been studying was over before she realized it, and Ginny was smiling by the end.
Padma was smiling widely, her perfect teeth practically gleaming.
“I knew you could do it,” Padma said softly.
But it was Draco that Ginny looked to for approval at that moment.
Draco smiled softly as he said, “I think we should celebrate.”
Padma glanced between the two of them before smirking. “Yeah, I have a date. So you two enjoy yourselves, and hopefully I get lucky and end up tongue deep by the end of the night.”
Ginny scrunched her nose. She had always disliked that phrase of Padma’s, but she let it drop. Her best friend was allowed to get laid when she felt like it.
Ginny jumped down off the stage, accepting the high five from her best friend as she sauntered towards Draco. The pride was welling in her chest, and for a moment she was happy. She was where she belonged, in the environment she loved.
But something was wrong with Draco. The dark circles under his eyes looked almost like bruises, and his cheeks were more hallowed than usual. The man looked like he hadn’t been eating or sleeping.
Ginny turned towards Padma, ready to use the other woman to back her up on berating Draco, but Padma was gone. Typical.
“You want to get dressed, and we can go to my Manor?” Draco asked abruptly, shuffling his papers.
“Yeah, of course. Just a moment,” Ginny responded easily, walking towards her office to change.
As she pulled on her clothes she tried to wrack her brain. Had she missed something? Obviously her old friend was feeling pressured. Was it all the work of her business along with his?
As Ginny pulled her hair back she realized that she hadn’t seen Draco smile in a while. Had she ignored warning signs that had been there all along?
The thought made her stomach clench. She’d been so damn wrapped up in herself that she hadn’t noticed something was wrong with Draco. That didn’t excuse Padma, though, who was supposed to be helping Draco.
Ginny was mentally berating Padma, planning out the spiel she’d give her best friend for being as flaky as she had been, when a thought struck her like a blow to the stomach.
Maybe Padma already knew. She’d been spending so much time with Draco…
As Ginny stared into the mirror she knew she was being crazy. Padma had never shown an interest in a man before. Not even at Hogwarts. She’d always been staring at the women passing by on the streets, begging Ginny to go with her to lesbian bars on the Muggle side of town because the girls wore next to nothing there.
There was no way in hell Padma was interested in Draco.
That meant either Padma didn’t know either, or she was just avoiding telling Ginny what was going on with their mutual friend.
Ginny firmly ignored the twinge of jealousy, grabbing her bag of belly dancing clothes and making her way out of the office. She was fully prepared to chide Draco Malfoy and find out just what the hell was wrong.
XXX
Ginny was two shots of tequila in, licking the salt off the glass while Draco drained another scotch. While Ginny wished she could say she was drunk, she wasn’t. Nor did she plan on getting there tonight. She was on a mission, which required Draco to be just the right side of drunk.
But not too drunk.
Then she would carefully poke and prod with just the right words to find out what the hell was going on with him.
Ginny sank back into the plush chair as Draco swilled the contents of his glass, staring into like it might hold answers to a deep, life altering question.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Draco said abruptly, his eyes not leaving his glass.
“Oh? What would that be?” Ginny asked innocently.
And she was innocent… for the moment. She had no idea what he was referring to. It could be anything.
“You have this habit of trying to get someone at a weak point, and then using that weak point to find out what you want to know. You watch closely, waiting for just the right moment. It’s a very Slytherin habit.”
Draco met her eyes, an amused smirk playing across his lips.
Well, fuck.
Ginny pursed her lips and decided not to deny it. She wasn’t going to lie to her friend’s face. That was a big no no. Especially after everything Draco had done for her. She wouldn’t have made it through the past month without him constantly pushing her.
Okay, maybe she was buzzed. As hell.
“I don’t suppose you’ll make this any easier and just tell me what the hell is going on with you?”
Draco had the ghost of a smirk on his face as he responded, “What? No foreplay?”
Ginny snorted, her lips twitching despite her best efforts to scowl.
“Nope, no foreplay. I like to get right down to it.”
When their eyes met, the pair burst into drunken laughter, Ginny sliding out of her chair.
When the laughter died away, Draco was wearing a grimace.
“Remember when I told you about my business?”
Ginny nodded. “Yeah, you help bring victims of other countries over and assimilate them. Why?” she asked as she snapped her fingers, holding her glass out to the house elf that appeared. Handy creatures. Said elf made itself busy getting her another shot.
“There was this family,” Draco began heavily, “They had twin daughters, only five years old. They’re in North Korea, where their Muggle Minister is trying to have them all murdered. It’s a chore, trying to evacuate as many as we can across all of Europe.”
Draco drained the rest of his scotch, and Ginny was sure she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes. It twisted her insides to think of what might come next. She knew, but she didn’t want to know.
“They were murdered in their beds. The entire neighborhood they live in was wiped out just five hours before we were going to get them out.”
Silence. And then-
“I fucked up, Gin.”
Ginny was up and stumbling towards him as he dropped his head, his shoulders heaving.
“Draco,” she began softly, wrapping her arms around him. “There was no way for you to know. Look at how many others you’ve saved!”
Draco shook his head, not bothering to wipe the tears that were pouring down his face.
“How does that matter if a failure to act fast enough results in a death? There will inevitably be more deaths. An entire neighborhood, Gin.”
Draco Malfoy, the strong man that had been holding her together, was broken himself.
“It matters because without you, even more would be dead. You make a difference. I know it can’t be easy after this, but what you do? It matters, Draco. And I’m sorry.”
Draco leaned into her side, and she rubbed comforting circles into his back as she apologized over and over, a mantra, a prayer, a plea.
She should have seen this. Should have noticed that he was breaking apart into little pieces. But she’d been so worried about her life she hadn’t given a thought to anyone else’s. How selfish could she be?
“It’s okay to hurt,” she said softly, not sure who she was talking to at the moment.
“Didn’t I tell you that?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.
Ginny gave a chuckle. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s true, Draco. It is okay to hurt. We all fall apart at some point. We just need others to… to put us back together, with a lot of glue and some Spellotape.”
Draco snorted at her statement.
“I’m being serious,” she chided.
Draco pulled away as he assured Ginny that he under stood this. Looking at him like this, Ginny felt emotions raging in her chest, and she didn’t even realize for a moment that her hand was tangling itself in the blond hair that fell into his eyes all the time.
“Ginny,” he said as though warning her against whatever she was about to do. But how could he warn her against something she had no control over? Because she surely couldn’t stop herself from wanting to see just how soft his lips were. She couldn’t help that she wanted to pour everything he meant to her into a kiss.
Because the truth was, Draco Malfoy had wormed himself into her life, making himself such a permanent fixture that Ginny couldn’t see a life for herself that didn’t include him.
Gods, his lips were soft. And bloody hell, could he kiss. His mouth moving against hers, just barely dominating hers. Part of her brain wondered why they hadn’t tried this sooner.
His hand came up to caress her face, as Draco’s other hand went to Ginny’s hip, resting lightly, as though waiting for permission.
“Are you trying to be a gentlemen?” Ginny asked against his lips as she shoved herself into his lap, too drunk to worry about being seductive.
Oh well, so much for staying sober.
As he licked his way into her mouth slowly, he managed to get out, “I am always a gentlemen.”
Ginny tangled a hand in his hair as she giggled, pulling back slightly to say, “Oh really? And here all of Hogwarts was convinced you were some sex god. I guess those were just rumors and you aren’t… what did they say?… oh yeah, carrying a dragon around in your trousers.”
Draco arched a brow at her as she dissolved into giggles.
“Who in the bloody hell even said that? That has to be the worst metaphor I have ever heard. It should be banned from existence!” he said indignantly.
Ginny hiccuped slightly, trying to quiet the laughter she could feel try to bubble up again.
“It was in one of our girls nights. After the war, we’d all get together in the kitchens, all the houses. Well, Parkinson came, and we were playing truth or dare, and Parvati… she asked.” Ginny shrugged.
Draco looked indignant. “And you never thought to tell me?”
Ginny shrugged again. Truth be told, she’d never really wanted to bring it up. Thinking of Parkinson with Draco wasn’t among her favorite past times. And she’d been with Harry, so if she occasionally let her mind wander to the fact that several other girls had backed Parkinson up… it didn’t mean anything. She was just curious.
“Wait, you actually wondered about that, all those years ago?” Draco asked, and Ginny bit her lip.
Shit. She really did have an awful habit of not being able to censor herself at all when she was drinking.
“Well… sometimes. Not that Harry wasn’t okay, but… it always seemed like something was lacking between us.” Ginny chewed her bottom lip.
“Like what? Passion?” Draco asked, genuinely curious. They might as well have been talking about the weather, if it wasn’t for the fact that she was sitting in his lap.
Ginny felt her face go hot. “Well, yes, passion. But there was more than just that absent. We… we were never in love.”
Draco studied her face a moment, his expression guarded and careful.
“We wanted to be. We thought we should be,” Ginny began as she disentangled herself, sinking back into the couch. “Everyone said we should be. It shouldn’t matter that he barely saw me for who I was. Or that he barely saw me in the literal sense. A war shouldn’t come between us. We kept being thrown at each other."
“And we tried, really we did. And at first I convinced myself I was in love with him. In our seventh year, when he wasn’t there. It was so easy to think I loved him then. But after we graduated, and I moved in with Harry, it got really hard.
“We could barely stand to be in the same room as each other sometimes. It was just too much. So Harry would end up just not coming home half the time, and I was so busy with my business that I didn’t even notice. I wasn’t there either.
“Really it was just chance that I even got pregnant. It was the first time in months that we’d had sex. But love? Passion? Harry and I never had that. I can’t even fully blame him because I didn’t try, and in the beginning he did. He was the one in love with me. I think… sometimes I think maybe he still is. But it killed him, living with someone who didn’t want to be there and didn’t want to even try. I only got to be so bloody good at my job because I was ignoring my boyfriend. I was staying out all night because I couldn’t imagine coming home to him, and I was too scared to even tell him. So when I got pregnant… he didn’t even think it was his at first. And I couldn’t blame him.
“Harry tried, Draco. He tried so hard. I just blocked him at every turn, but I was too selfish to actually let him go. I wasn’t prepared to be alone.”
Ginny took a deep breath, watching Draco as closely as he was watching her. She hadn’t been so honest in a long time.
“I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be selfless,” Draco said finally.
Ginny snorted. “Not at all. Hadn’t you noticed how the trio was alway selfish? It was always all about them. Gryffindors are naturally self-centered,” Ginny proclaimed.
Draco looked down for a moment, his body language saying he was unsure of himself.
“I left because it hurt to watch you be with him. You kept talking about a future wedding and doing all this stuff with him. I couldn’t stand it. I was the one always there for you, and yet you only saw him.”
Draco sounded frustrated, as though he was replaying it in his head. It broke Ginny’s heart to think she had been so stupid.
“I saw you, too. I was just… scared, I guess. I don’t know. You were so intense sometimes. You’d watch me and get this look on your face like you wanted to seep into my bones. No one had ever looked at me like that before. Harry was the safe choice. He would never break my heart because he would stay, like a puppy on a leash.”
Draco shook his head.
“I know it was wrong of me to do that to Harry, but at the same time, he knew. He knew all along. He even asked me if I would rather be with you, and I couldn’t answer him. But I wasn’t sure myself at the time. So he stayed, and so did I. And then you left, and it seemed easier to just let us drift apart.”
Draco surveyed her for a long, agonizing moment.
“Thank you,” he said finally.
Ginny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “For what?” she asked, partly scared of his answer.
Draco sighed, drained his scotch, and stood up. “For finally being honest with me.”
Xxx
“You said that?” Padma gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
Ginny nodded, tears spilling from her eyes.
“I was drunk! And he was there, and I just couldn’t shut up! I couldn’t just let it happen! Now he hates me!”
Padma took a deep breath before speaking. “No, he doesn’t. I’m sure of it. I will fix this. But I need you to know for sure how you feel about him. Because this man is so in love with you, and if you do to him what you did to Harry,” Padma warned.
Ginny gave a cold laugh. “Harry allowed me to run over him. Draco… he stands up for himself. He challenges me and pushes me. Every time I think about him leaving, it hurts. I don’t want him to leave again.”
Padma sighed. “Just… give him some time. We have the performance in a week. Let’s focus on that. After that, we will worry about your love life,” Padma assured her.
Ginny nodded, but it didn’t do anything to ease the pain in her heart. She really needed to learn when to shut the fuck up.”
So the next week had Padma, Ginny, and Astoria working together for eight hours a day, perfecting the dance, making sure they had the feedback of all the belly dancers so they could be perfect.
When working like this, it was easy for Ginny to forget about what had happened. It seemed almost like a lifetime ago, when viewed through the haze of aching muscles, sweat, and singed arm hair.
When she did have a moment to herself, Padma seemed to suddenly swoop in and get her excited about the performance.
It was crazy how familiar and foreign everything around her seemed. How many times had she done this in the past? And yet it felt oddly… different in a way she wasn’t sure she could ever describe.
She shrugged it off, working all day as hard as possible and then collapsing at night, unable to keep her eyes open long enough to dwell on anything.
When the night of their performance came, Ginny could barely contain her nerves. She kept feeling like she was going to pass out. There wasn’t enough air in the world at the moment.
“Calm down, Ginny. It’s fine. You’re going to be amazing,” Astoria assured her when they were fifteen minutes away from starting.
They were in the remote country side, and from what Ginny knew the performance was for a group of clients. Padma said something about this being a way for a businessman to entertain clients and get them to commit their money and support to his business.
Ginny didn’t really care about why they were dancing. They simply were. So Ginny had to get herself together. She pictured the money in her head and took a deep breath. She could do this. She had to. Some of the women who worked for her were depending on it. Like Hema, who was in London only as long as she had work. With this job, Ginny could afford to ensure Hema didn’t have to go back to her home village.
Ginny looked at Astoria who was struggling to support herself after her family decided that they couldn’t have a Pureblood daughter engaged to a Muggleborn.
All the women she employed needed a job. She had to do this. For them.
“I’m fine,” she told Padma. “Just… water, please?” Padma nodded, scurrying off to grab some water while Ginny rearranged the barely there garb.
She snatched the glass from Padma, downing it and taking deep breaths. She needed to go to her safe place, the place where the Goddess spoke to her. The deeper the breaths she took, the more easily she felt herself sliding into the head space she needed to be in.
“Remember,” Astoria reminded, “the sticks will be thrown to you when needed. Stay ready for them. We can do this.”
Ginny rolled her eyes. She knew this, but she could understand Astoria’s worry.
The music started and they scurried to their positions, ready to entertain. Ginny closed her eyes, and as the beat hit, she danced with abandon she hadn’t felt for awhile.
As she opened her eyes, she paid the audience very little attention, appearing aloof, distant, unable to be seduced, yet seductive. Fertile. Strong. She was the Goddess incarnate. All the things Draco had told her. She danced for him in that moment, thinking of all the times he had listened to her cry.
The war had been hell. She’d been the one to hold the children who had stayed back as they died. She had comforted them in their final moments. It had marked her deeply, seeing those kids who’d hidden in empty classrooms bleeding out in front of her. She wasn’t even sure what side was causing it.
The chaos of the fighting was ensuring that no one and everyone could have been blamed. She watched her classmates fall. People she’d lived on top of for years, expunged from existence suddenly.
At first she’d hated Draco. But then she learned what he’d gone through. She’d listened to what he was made to do, and when he told her how he’d snuck food and water to the basement with Voldemort right there she’d been amazed.
He was a boy who’d never had a choice. She was a girl who did, and had choose to fight and almost died as a result. They were two sides of the same coin.
That revelation had started everything.
So Ginny danced and revealed in the feel of sweat glide down her body as she undulated her body alongside Astoria and Padma.
As the fire was thrown at her, Ginny caught the sticks easily. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of blond hair, and maybe she did, but she couldn’t really see past the fire. It would be suicide to even try.
So Ginny focused her attention on the fire dance, twirling the sticks rapidly above her head, performing stunts she’d once been famous for, and even stunts that she’d never thought she would dare to try until Draco had pushed her. Padma and Astoria were on either end of the stage, doing an intricate belly dancing routine, almost framing Ginny.
It was perfect. The music was a mash up of several different types of music, in a show of cultural appreciation, or some such thing. The music had always been Padma’s thing.
But as Ginny moved across the stage, ending the entire routine in what seemed to be no time flat, she was grateful for how the music had kept her upbeat the entire time.
The smile she gave the two girls as the small audience applauded loudly was wide and genuine. She didn’t even notice the man in front of the stage until Padma nudged her and pointed.
Draco was there, flanked by what Ginny was certain was a business associate, and Draco was holding out flowers for her.
Ginny took them, too stunned to speak.
“Draco,” began the man standing next to him, “You’ve definitely… persuaded me. If every meeting is like this, you have the support of my company! We will give these immigrants jobs and help back your company financially.”
Ginny was pulled away by Astoria before she could hear Draco’s response.
“This was all for him?” she seethed once she was a good distance away.
Padma sighed and gave Astoria a look that clearly said this was all up to the younger woman.
“Well, it was my and Padma’s idea. He needed to convince these men, and they all wanted half naked girls, but in a way that wasn’t sleazy. We suggested it to Draco before he actually got to London, and the rest is history.” Astoria shrugged.
Ginny was thoroughly irate as she held up her hand. “Excuse me, are you saying you’ve been in contact with him prior to him even arriving? And you never thought to tell me?”
Ginny was glowering, ready to unleash her fury on Astoria because she was the closest person at the moment and Ginny felt lied to.
“Actually,” Padma said as she threw a t-shirt at Ginny, “I have been. Since the accident. I thought he could do you some good, and I was right. But then you got drunk and became too honest. We have to work on that. But still, it’s important that it was said.”
Padma said all this with the air of someone who couldn’t care less about the situation. She was already covered up, pulling her hair back to do gods knew what.
“Why couldn’t you have just told me about it?” Ginny seethed.
Padma paused and looked over at Ginny with a dumbfounded expression.
“You’d have been angry. You get so caught up you can’t always see the bigger picture. You aren’t objective, you just react instead of act. You’re my best friend and I love you, but I am more than aware of your flaws. So I didn’t tell you. But I did what I had to do in order to save you, and I don’t for a second regret it!” Padma snapped, her eyes flashing.
Ginny wanted to argue, to say Padma was wrong, Ginny was none of that. But she was. She was all of that and more. It was what had lead to this.
Not a day went by now that she didn’t think of her son, and how much she wished she could hold him. But she couldn’t and she was learning to accept that. But the situation with Harry had been caused by Ginny not being able to see the bigger picture.
“I need some wine,” Ginny muttered, rubbing her temples, still wearing the barely there black garb with chains, nothing covering her.
“Perfect. Put that shirt on, grab some pants, and we can enjoy the stars,” Padma ordered.
Ginny might have been a redhead, but Padma constantly acted like a woman scorned. It was best not to mess with her.
Xxx
Ginny was on her second glass of wine, cradling her flowers when Draco approached her.
He simply reached a hand out for her, apparently finished with his business transaction. Ginny didn’t think twice about taking it.
As they walked away from the other two women in silence, Draco held onto her hand.
“You were better than ever,” he said simply.
Ginny gave a small smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you were able to see it… But I wish you would have told me.”
Draco nodded, coming to a stop several yards from Padma and Astoria.
“I wanted to. Honest. But Padma demanded I stay silent, and well, you know how she is.”
Ginny snorted. “Do I ever.”
She sipped her wine while feeling slightly awkward. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.
“Fuck it. Ginny, I love you, and I have for a long time. And not the way Harry loved you, where he was willing to hang onto your coattails. I love you in an all-consuming way. I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s like I breathe you in, and damn it I know you feel the same way. But I need to know that you know how you feel.”
Draco’s eyes were so intense, and he was so close. Ginny could smell the wine he’d been sipping and the cologne he was wearing. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, to show instead of tell, but that wasn’t what he wanted.
“Draco,” she began softly, “I was going to name my son after you. I never thought I’d find happiness again, and you gave it to me on a silver platter. But you’re so much a part of my happiness that to lose you would be to lose it. I love you… and I need you to stay.”
And then he was kissing her, really kissing her, his mouth completely dominating.
So this is what Pansy meant, she thought weakly as her knees buckled, and she fell into Draco and the kiss.
Xxx
Ginny was walking next to Draco, his arm around her shoulder easily, and a beautiful wedding ring on her finger. She was fidgeting with said ring out of nerves.
Hermione smiled widely as she rambled on.
“I had to pull a lot of strings, but I love you so of course it wasn’t a big deal. There’s a lot of red tape usually when you adopt, you know. To weed out those who are dangerous, to deter those who won’t be up to the challenge, that sort of thing.”
They rounded the corner and came to a stop at the lift as they waited.
“So you can understand why it’s taken me a few weeks after I got you on the list to find you a child that would look a bit like the two of you. I know you said that wasn’t a big deal, but I thought it’d be nice.”
Hermione stepped into the lift, her mouth still going, and Ginny’s heart was racing, her hand clutching Draco’s tightly.
“So the paper work is in my office, but once it’s filled out, we will just be waiting for the little one to arrive! She’s due in about two months!”
The words sunk in slowly, and Draco had to hold Ginny up when they finally made an impact.
They were going to parents!
“I made a schedule, so if both of you follow it, we will have time to prepare a room in the manor, throw a baby shower, and do all that. I’ve already owled your parents, Ginny, so no worries on that front. They will tell the rest of the family.”
Hermione continued on, but Ginny wasn’t even paying attention.
The moment was bitter sweet. She was excited to be adopting a baby girl, but a huge part of her wished Aiden was with them as well.
As Ginny leaned into her husband, she let a smile grace her face. Her baby boy was in a better place, as was she. Ginevra Malfoy was completely happy, and finally expecting a baby.
The End.
dykeadellic is the author of 8 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 6 members. Members who liked We All Come from the Goddess also liked 400 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 6 members. Members who liked We All Come from the Goddess also liked 400 other stories.
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