Draco was sipping his morning coffee when Ginny sat down next to him, her bag slung across her body. She wore jeans and some formfitting t-shirt, and Draco noticed that she wasn’t exactly curvaceous. She was lean and muscular, but unlike Pansy she didn’t have the curves in all the right places. Still, she was pretty, and Draco thought her hair was her best feature. Not that he’d tell her that just yet.
“Hey, Draco,” she said as she reached over him to get some coffee, completely at easy in the snake pit.
“Hey, Ginny,” he responded, moving back to give her better access.
This morning all Slytherins were up, and the tables were crowded. Draco was still at the end of the Slytherin table, mostly ignored although his fellow Slytherins were muttering and looking at Ginny with something akin to disgust. He knew what they were thinking, as he had thought it too. She was a blood traitor. But really, Ginny wasn’t so bad. It was the people she hung out with. Her oaf of a brother. Her blasted Harry Potter. He idly wondered how Potter was taking the news.
“How’s the Chosen One these days now that he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Honestly, will the two of you just get over yourselves? He’s fine. He was there when I saw the memory, and he was disappointed, but he was honestly not that upset. Harry’s true love will always be saving others. Anyone else is just secondary, and I don’t know if I could deal with a guy like that for the rest of my life, so maybe… maybe it was for the best.”
She shrugged and put cream cheese on a bagel. Draco thought it a mark of her maturity that she was able to see that in him. But what would she do with being in Draco’s life? Surely none of this thrilled her. Yet here she was, going on a date—wait was this a real date, he thought panicked—with him and in six months time they would be married. The whole thing was surreal.
Ginny bit into the bagel and sipped some coffee, and both of them tried to wake up more fully.
“So where do you want to go when we get to Hogsmeade?” Draco asked.
Ginny swallowed a big gulp of coffee and answered. “I want to go to Zonko’s, but that’s a bit risky.”
Draco arched a brow in question, and Ginny answered.
“George bought them out for Weasley Wizard Wheezes, so he could be there. But out of all my brothers he seems to be the most reasonable about all this so… I’m not sure Draco. Aren’t there a lot of new side shops and stalls now?”
Draco shrugged. “I guess we will see when we get there. But if you want to go to Zonko’s we will go. Your brothers will just have to get over it. I’ve noticed none of them have sent you Howlers, yet.”
Ginny laughed. “I think the Howlers would have been addressed to you, but I threatened to hex them all if they did it. They’ll just have to get used to you, since you’re obviously not going anywhere.”
“Third years and up for Hogsmeade!” came McGonagall’s voice, and Ginny shoved the rest of her bagel in her mouth.
They got up and walked over to the entrance hall, Ginny still chewing her bagel. McGonagall looked at them both, Ginny gulping the bagel down and putting on a winning smile that made Draco laugh, and there was something in McGonagall’s eyes that Draco couldn’t readily identify.
“Alright you two. I know you have your forms. Now go,” she said, and they trudged out of the castle, Draco shaking his head at Ginny, who was still smiling.
The day was a nice one. It was breezy and cool, though not yet cold. Soon the weather would change, and they would be huddled up against snow, but for now it was perfect.
“So where are we going to live?” Ginny asked, after she had cast some charm around them so no one could listen.
“Well, there’s a small house that will be mine… I guess it already is technically. I just need to move there. It’s in Godric’s Hollow. It was passed down through my family for a very long time, but being as no one wanted to be associated with Gryffindor, no one wanted to live there. It’s nothing huge, but it comes with a House Elf, and it’s a nice two story house. The community is supposed to be great.”
Ginny had the biggest smile on her face. “I’ve always dreamed of living in Godric’s Hallow. Or any magical community. I know, we have the Diggory’s and the Lovegood’s not far from us. But it’s not the same as having next door neighbors who are wizards, you know?” she asked as they entered the little village.
“I do,” Draco agreed. “We’re so far from everyone else, and for me the Manor has so many bad memories. It’s nice to be away from there.”
Ginny nodded as they ambled towards Zonko’s.
“I can’t even imagine, Draco. That most have been a really tough period of time for you. To have Him in your house? I thought having Him in my mind was bad but… I’m not sure how I would have reacted.”
Draco hadn’t forgotten his father was the reason she had been possessed. He’d been keenly aware of it, in fact. He’d spent an hour last night thinking about how best to apologize for his father’s actions, but the truth was no apology was good enough, and he told her as much.
“Look,” Ginny said, stopping just outside of Zonko’s and putting her hand on Draco’s arm, “I know it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you at all. And the situation we are in is crazy, but it’s obviously Fate or it wouldn’t be happening. We just have to keep going down this road and see where it’ll take us. Now… ready to possibly deal with my brother?” and she had a wicked grin on her face as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside Zonko’s, which was currently under construction to become WWW.
The shop was bright, as all the covered up windows had been uncovered, and they’d obviously built the building up taller to house the products. Love potions caught Draco’s eye, and the idea flitted through his mind for the briefest of seconds. But no, that wouldn’t be true love. If he was going to ever love her, he wanted it to be real.
Now where had that thought come from?
“Well, if it isn’t the amazing bouncing ferret,” came the twin with no ear’s voice, and Draco turned to see a hand outstretched towards him.
Ginny was standing behind her brother mouthing her apologies as Draco took his hand and said, “I prefer Draco these days.”
“You can call me George then, Draco, as titles are too formal. You might soon be family, but like the rest of Ginny’s boyfriends, you don’t get anything here for free.”
Draco arched a brow. “I can easily pay for Ginny and I.”
George lifted both brows as though impressed. “Okay, well then feel free to look around. Some of the stuff is still Zonko’s old products that we are hoping to sell off the shelves. But the rest of it is mine and… well, mine. Let me know if you have any questions. Oh and Ginny,” George said as Ginny tried to brush past him.
“Yes?” she asked innocently, turning her doe eyes on. George chuckled and hugged his sister, kissing the top of her head as she was rather short. And then George was gone to run the shop, leaving Draco and Ginny alone amongst the other shoppers in the store.
“Sorry,” Ginny apologized “My brother’s can be a bit much. Charlie is the easiest going. But he also tends to be the scariest because he works with dragons. George is just a prankster, so you have to look out for all types of practical jokes with him. Really, the only person with anything to say is Ron, and he will just have to get over himself eventually.”
Draco shrugged, looking down at her. Why hadn’t he noticed how short she was before? The rest of her brother’s were so tall, but Ginny didn’t seem to get that gene at all.
They perused the shelves, idly talking as Ginny stopped at several items, and Draco conjured a bag to carry them out with. If she wanted them, she would get them, he told her, and she wasn’t going to sway him.
“It’s not my money anymore, it’s our money, and there is a ton of it. So get used to it,” he snapped, which effectively shut her up for about five seconds, which was like a record or something.
“So what do you want to do after Hogwarts?” Ginny asked as Draco paid for their stuff at the counter, asking the witch to gift wrap Ginny’s products.
“I want to be an Unspeakable,” he said softly.
Ginny’s eyes went round as they left the shop, Draco holding the door for her.
“Why?” she asked.
Draco thought a moment before answering. “They work with the essence of magic, from what we do know about them. I think that would be kind of amazing to do. I heard talk about what all was in the Department of Mysteries, and no one seemed to think it important, but I did. If we could figure it all out, what couldn’t we create?”
Ginny nodded, biting at her lip as though mulling it over.
“And let me guess,” she said, “You have to have N.E.W.T.s in all subjects for that.”
Draco chuckled, holding her bag as he let her lead the way to the Three Broomsticks, where she was obviously wanting to go.
“You know, Draco, you aren’t so bad,” she teased.
“You aren’t too bad yourself. Now, Butterbeer?” he asked, and she nodded eagerly.
And they sat there for a good hour or two chatting about childhood memories, “I still don’t remember that daycare!” and talking about their hopes and fears. It was a good time, and as they walked back to Hogwarts, both ready for lunch and not wanting Rosmerta’s soup, Draco thought it’d been a pretty successful date, as far as dates went.
At the entrance hall Ginny took her bag, and she gazed up at Draco a moment before standing on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek for the whole school to see, and walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
“Hey, Draco,” she said as she reached over him to get some coffee, completely at easy in the snake pit.
“Hey, Ginny,” he responded, moving back to give her better access.
This morning all Slytherins were up, and the tables were crowded. Draco was still at the end of the Slytherin table, mostly ignored although his fellow Slytherins were muttering and looking at Ginny with something akin to disgust. He knew what they were thinking, as he had thought it too. She was a blood traitor. But really, Ginny wasn’t so bad. It was the people she hung out with. Her oaf of a brother. Her blasted Harry Potter. He idly wondered how Potter was taking the news.
“How’s the Chosen One these days now that he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Honestly, will the two of you just get over yourselves? He’s fine. He was there when I saw the memory, and he was disappointed, but he was honestly not that upset. Harry’s true love will always be saving others. Anyone else is just secondary, and I don’t know if I could deal with a guy like that for the rest of my life, so maybe… maybe it was for the best.”
She shrugged and put cream cheese on a bagel. Draco thought it a mark of her maturity that she was able to see that in him. But what would she do with being in Draco’s life? Surely none of this thrilled her. Yet here she was, going on a date—wait was this a real date, he thought panicked—with him and in six months time they would be married. The whole thing was surreal.
Ginny bit into the bagel and sipped some coffee, and both of them tried to wake up more fully.
“So where do you want to go when we get to Hogsmeade?” Draco asked.
Ginny swallowed a big gulp of coffee and answered. “I want to go to Zonko’s, but that’s a bit risky.”
Draco arched a brow in question, and Ginny answered.
“George bought them out for Weasley Wizard Wheezes, so he could be there. But out of all my brothers he seems to be the most reasonable about all this so… I’m not sure Draco. Aren’t there a lot of new side shops and stalls now?”
Draco shrugged. “I guess we will see when we get there. But if you want to go to Zonko’s we will go. Your brothers will just have to get over it. I’ve noticed none of them have sent you Howlers, yet.”
Ginny laughed. “I think the Howlers would have been addressed to you, but I threatened to hex them all if they did it. They’ll just have to get used to you, since you’re obviously not going anywhere.”
“Third years and up for Hogsmeade!” came McGonagall’s voice, and Ginny shoved the rest of her bagel in her mouth.
They got up and walked over to the entrance hall, Ginny still chewing her bagel. McGonagall looked at them both, Ginny gulping the bagel down and putting on a winning smile that made Draco laugh, and there was something in McGonagall’s eyes that Draco couldn’t readily identify.
“Alright you two. I know you have your forms. Now go,” she said, and they trudged out of the castle, Draco shaking his head at Ginny, who was still smiling.
The day was a nice one. It was breezy and cool, though not yet cold. Soon the weather would change, and they would be huddled up against snow, but for now it was perfect.
“So where are we going to live?” Ginny asked, after she had cast some charm around them so no one could listen.
“Well, there’s a small house that will be mine… I guess it already is technically. I just need to move there. It’s in Godric’s Hollow. It was passed down through my family for a very long time, but being as no one wanted to be associated with Gryffindor, no one wanted to live there. It’s nothing huge, but it comes with a House Elf, and it’s a nice two story house. The community is supposed to be great.”
Ginny had the biggest smile on her face. “I’ve always dreamed of living in Godric’s Hallow. Or any magical community. I know, we have the Diggory’s and the Lovegood’s not far from us. But it’s not the same as having next door neighbors who are wizards, you know?” she asked as they entered the little village.
“I do,” Draco agreed. “We’re so far from everyone else, and for me the Manor has so many bad memories. It’s nice to be away from there.”
Ginny nodded as they ambled towards Zonko’s.
“I can’t even imagine, Draco. That most have been a really tough period of time for you. To have Him in your house? I thought having Him in my mind was bad but… I’m not sure how I would have reacted.”
Draco hadn’t forgotten his father was the reason she had been possessed. He’d been keenly aware of it, in fact. He’d spent an hour last night thinking about how best to apologize for his father’s actions, but the truth was no apology was good enough, and he told her as much.
“Look,” Ginny said, stopping just outside of Zonko’s and putting her hand on Draco’s arm, “I know it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you at all. And the situation we are in is crazy, but it’s obviously Fate or it wouldn’t be happening. We just have to keep going down this road and see where it’ll take us. Now… ready to possibly deal with my brother?” and she had a wicked grin on her face as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside Zonko’s, which was currently under construction to become WWW.
The shop was bright, as all the covered up windows had been uncovered, and they’d obviously built the building up taller to house the products. Love potions caught Draco’s eye, and the idea flitted through his mind for the briefest of seconds. But no, that wouldn’t be true love. If he was going to ever love her, he wanted it to be real.
Now where had that thought come from?
“Well, if it isn’t the amazing bouncing ferret,” came the twin with no ear’s voice, and Draco turned to see a hand outstretched towards him.
Ginny was standing behind her brother mouthing her apologies as Draco took his hand and said, “I prefer Draco these days.”
“You can call me George then, Draco, as titles are too formal. You might soon be family, but like the rest of Ginny’s boyfriends, you don’t get anything here for free.”
Draco arched a brow. “I can easily pay for Ginny and I.”
George lifted both brows as though impressed. “Okay, well then feel free to look around. Some of the stuff is still Zonko’s old products that we are hoping to sell off the shelves. But the rest of it is mine and… well, mine. Let me know if you have any questions. Oh and Ginny,” George said as Ginny tried to brush past him.
“Yes?” she asked innocently, turning her doe eyes on. George chuckled and hugged his sister, kissing the top of her head as she was rather short. And then George was gone to run the shop, leaving Draco and Ginny alone amongst the other shoppers in the store.
“Sorry,” Ginny apologized “My brother’s can be a bit much. Charlie is the easiest going. But he also tends to be the scariest because he works with dragons. George is just a prankster, so you have to look out for all types of practical jokes with him. Really, the only person with anything to say is Ron, and he will just have to get over himself eventually.”
Draco shrugged, looking down at her. Why hadn’t he noticed how short she was before? The rest of her brother’s were so tall, but Ginny didn’t seem to get that gene at all.
They perused the shelves, idly talking as Ginny stopped at several items, and Draco conjured a bag to carry them out with. If she wanted them, she would get them, he told her, and she wasn’t going to sway him.
“It’s not my money anymore, it’s our money, and there is a ton of it. So get used to it,” he snapped, which effectively shut her up for about five seconds, which was like a record or something.
“So what do you want to do after Hogwarts?” Ginny asked as Draco paid for their stuff at the counter, asking the witch to gift wrap Ginny’s products.
“I want to be an Unspeakable,” he said softly.
Ginny’s eyes went round as they left the shop, Draco holding the door for her.
“Why?” she asked.
Draco thought a moment before answering. “They work with the essence of magic, from what we do know about them. I think that would be kind of amazing to do. I heard talk about what all was in the Department of Mysteries, and no one seemed to think it important, but I did. If we could figure it all out, what couldn’t we create?”
Ginny nodded, biting at her lip as though mulling it over.
“And let me guess,” she said, “You have to have N.E.W.T.s in all subjects for that.”
Draco chuckled, holding her bag as he let her lead the way to the Three Broomsticks, where she was obviously wanting to go.
“You know, Draco, you aren’t so bad,” she teased.
“You aren’t too bad yourself. Now, Butterbeer?” he asked, and she nodded eagerly.
And they sat there for a good hour or two chatting about childhood memories, “I still don’t remember that daycare!” and talking about their hopes and fears. It was a good time, and as they walked back to Hogwarts, both ready for lunch and not wanting Rosmerta’s soup, Draco thought it’d been a pretty successful date, as far as dates went.
At the entrance hall Ginny took her bag, and she gazed up at Draco a moment before standing on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek for the whole school to see, and walking up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
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