Author's Note: I wanted to take a moment to apologize for how long it's been. Before now, I've updated on a fairly regular basis. But last week, I got sick and was forced to miss some school. After that, I had to scramble to catch up and make sure I got everything turned in on time. Writing was pushed to the backburner.
And to everyone who takes the time to reply, thanks so much. I love to hear your thoughts on the stories, and I appreciate each of them. Thanks again.
~*~
If he was dreaming, Blaise Zabini never wanted to wake up.
He could hear Ginny singing quietly as she got out of the shower. Lullabies. Blaise knew she hated being away from the children at bedtime, but it was the only time they had together.
Blaise was propped up on a pillow, his arm tucked behind his head when she came into the master suite. He let his eyes linger on the white silk nightgown she wore, with her robes open on top of it. "You are absolutely beautiful."
She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."
Ginny sat on the bed as she began to pull her socks and boots on. "I should go. Cynthia said the children have been asking for me."
"I hate that you miss them each night." Blaise watched as she stood, and began to zip the robe up the front. "You know, I could always move in with you…"
Her head jerked up, her eyes wide. "What? No."
Blaise frowned at her reaction. "What's so wrong with that? We see each other each night, Gin. The children love me."
"Not in his house, Blaise."
"Then move in with me?" he offered immediately. "Pack up Cera, Seth, Cynthia, and yourself and come here. There is plenty of room."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
Ginny looked down at her feet, then back up at him. She did care for him, but it wasn't love… it was never love with Blaise. "Because the children are Malfoy's, Blaise, not Zabini's. They belong in Malfoy Manor. It is their birthright. It's what…" she sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out the engagement ring Draco had given her so many years ago. She slipped it back on her right ring finger, once again feeling like she was complete. "It's what Draco wanted for them."
He watched her actions with weary eyes. She never wore the ring when they were together, but it was never far from her either. "Draco is gone," he said finally. His voice was just above a whisper, but it managed to fill the entire room.
"Even if he is, I'll respect his memory. I won't bring another man into his home, nor will I allow someone else to raise his children."
"Bloody hell, Gin, you're still in love with him."
Ginny pulled her wand from her pocket, preparing herself to Apparate to the Manor. "Blaise, you've always known that. Don't act so shocked."
"No, I knew you loved him… I accepted you would always love him. But after seven years, to still be in love with him? Gin-"
Her eyes were blurry, she realized. Her friend - her best friend - was telling her it was wrong that she was still in love with her husband. Ginny closed her eyes, picturing the foyer at Malfoy Manor clearly, before she looked at Blaise one last time. "I'll be in love with him, forever, Blaise. Why can't you understand that?"
"Because I want you to love me," his voice nearly pleading with her.
"I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't." With a quick flick of her wand, she was gone and Blaise was left alone once again.
~*~
Nathan Hall could have been a bloody monk.
Or at least he lived like one. Blaise had been in New York for over a week and he couldn't find anything on his former friend and housemate.
No torrid affairs or illegitimate children, no stealing millions from Richard Worth, not even screwing his co-workers out a parking space. The bloody git had a Subway pass. As far as Blaise could tell, Draco had never been late on his flat payment, telephone bill, or even a credit card payment.
He was a model citizen. Right down to helping old ladies with their groceries across the street.
It made him wonder what happened to the cunning, sneaky Slytherin that he grew up with. At first Blaise thought it might be Ginny - but Draco did all of his good deeds away from her careful sight. And these good deeds weren't quite like those he used to win Ginny's heart. Helping her with Potions homework didn't even rank up there with his good deeds.
Donations to charities, volunteering for the bloody Red Cross, and always agreeing to help out with whatever Worth needed him to do.
Merlin, when did Draco bloody Malfoy become so boring?
Blaise could feel his stomach lurch as the turbulence on the plane started again. Two hours into the six-hour flight the airplane started bouncing mysteriously. Several of the passengers had gotten sick, but Blaise wasn't affected. Nothing, in his opinion, could be as turbulent as a Portkey. Apparating and flying were always the better forms of transportation.
After ten minutes, the turbulence had stopped, and the captain explained it away with a storm and some clouds. Now it seemed to be starting again. He couldn't think straight with this bouncing. He should have just Apparated back to London.
Back to London where Draco was. And Ginny. The woman Blaise found himself desperately trying to forget. In the past week, Blaise knew he'd worked himself through at least a dozen women. All of them smart, funny, and attractive as hell. But none of them filled the ache inside of him. He knew it was because none of them were her, but he didn't want to believe it.
Ginny had already welcomed Draco home, most likely. Back to the Manor, her life, the life of the children, and maybe even her bed. If she hadn't, there was no doubt that she would.
For seven years, Ginny had believed Draco to be alive. And now that he was… well, Blaise was sure she was over the moon.
As for him? Even in his sleep, he still didn't get the girl. If the dream from the previous night was any indicator, Ginny never had any intention of loving him. For a long time, he'd been happy with that.
Losing his family at a young age had taught him how important family was. Before Hogwarts, and even when they were in school, Draco had been his only true friend - his brother, even. Over the seven years, they'd been through a lot together. Ups and downs in their friendship, times when they hated each other. But it never changed anything.
This would change them, though. More than anything, Blaise wanted what was Draco's. Lucius Malfoy had provided for both boys equally, and Blaise never found himself lacking or coveting anything Draco owned. Until Ginny Weasley. She changed everything for him.
Two days before the meeting with his father, Draco had come to him, wanting to secure a promise that he (Blaise) would take care of Ginny and the baby if anything were to happen. Of course, the promise was unnecessary. Ginny had a plethora of Weasley's and Potter's looking after her. A Zabini wouldn't have made the difference. But from all of those people, she turned to him.
After a few years, he thought it might happen again. Blaise thought he would eventually just become part of the family - not Uncle Blaise, but just Blaise. He hoped Ginny would look at him, her brown eyes shining with love. He accepted she'd never really forget about Draco, but he didn't expect her too. Draco was the love of her life, but Draco was gone and her life wasn't over.
Blaise also knew the way Cera and Seth felt about him. Seth particularly. Cera had always asked about her father, since the time she could talk. The little girl was very aware that Blaise was not her Father, and because of that she insisted Ginny tell them stories each night. Little Seth had been different. He latched onto Blaise because he was often the only other male around - someone who wasn't a girl, who was willing to play with him.
And Merlin help him, but he loved the little boy just like a son. It didn't matter that Seth was the spitting image of his father, right down to his gray eyes. Because when Seth looked at him, those eyes were filled with love and admiration. Respect. Blaise always assumed that because Seth had those feelings, Ginny one day would too.
How wrong he'd been. And now… well, his chance had passed. Ginny was back with Draco, their family would be reunited. Seth would turn those gray eyes to his real father. What irritated Blaise the most, though, was that he knew Draco deserved the love, admiration, and respect he would receive.
~*~
What had she been thinking?
According to, well-everyone, Draco Malfoy was dead. He'd been killed by his father seven years ago, but not before Lucius perished at his son's wand.
Showing up at Diagon Alley was not a good idea. It didn't matter that he needed robes, or a wand, or needed to speak with Harry. Because the moment someone had spotted them, all of London's Wizarding Press showed up outside of Madam Malkin's. This was a terrible idea.
"Would you hurry up?" she hissed at the changing room door. "It's insane outside. Pick one, and let's go."
"Are you always this bossy?" his voice was filled with laughter.
"Draco-"
"Alright," he sighed, opening the door. He stood in front of her, feeling entirely uncomfortable. His red cashmere sweater and black trousers were partially covered by the black robe he'd selected. Draco was impressed by the variety of robes Madam Malkin had, but he knew there was no time today. "How does this look?"
"You look fine," she said, barely looking at him. "We'll have to release something to the press, you know. You weren't supposed to show up after seven years of being dead."
"I wasn't dead."
With a hand she waved away his words. "You were dead to them."
"And to you?" the man requested quietly.
"What?"
Draco took another step closer to her, so that he could reach out and touch her face. "Was I dead to you, Virginia?"
At that moment, Madam Malkin appeared in the doorway. "If you're finished for the day, I'll show you to the back so you can Apparate."
Ginny turned and faced the older woman, forcing a smile on her face. "That'd be lovely. My hus-er, Draco wants to take this robe with him today. I'll owl the rest of his order later, if that's okay."
The woman nodded her head. "That's fine." Her eyes swung to Draco, studying him. "I remember you as a child at Hogwarts. You've changed since then."
"Is that good or bad?"
Her eyes swept over him once more. "It's a definite improvement."
Ginny watched the exchange, amused. Taking her wand out, she turned to Madam Malkin. "Show us where to go, so we can get out of here. And thank you for taking care of the press."
"No problem." The robe maker pushed on a panel behind a black tapestry and held it open for them. "Have a safe trip, dear."
When they were alone, Ginny looked up at Draco, mirth dancing in her eyes. "I think at least someone is glad you're back."
Color rose on his cheeks. "Can we go?" he requested. "I want to see the children."
Her features softened then, as she realized he was about to meet his children. For the first time. Reaching up, she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Don't worry. They'll love you."
A moment later, Ginny had her arm wrapped around his waist, as she whispered the Apparation spell.
When they arrived at the Burrow, it was on the outside. "We're here."
Draco eyed the house with distrust. "Is it… safe?"
Her eyes widened, as she realized this was his first visit to her childhood home. "Of course it's safe."
"Yes, but that room up there… it's not being held up by anything." Draco pointed directly above them, his fear increasing by the moment. "I don't think that's safe."
"C'mon, you git. Let's go inside."
As Virginia led him into the oddly shaped house, Draco noticed the inside was a complete opposite of the outside. Virginia's mother kept it clean, and orderly. It was cluttered, but not with bad things. Pictures and framed newspaper clippings lined the walls and bookcases, detailing the life of the Weasley's.
On the far end of a bookcase that extended the whole right living room wall, was a picture of him and Virginia on their wedding day. Draco felt himself drifting toward it, even as she started to call for her mother and father. When he finally arrived, Draco saw a moving picture of the two of them, in formal clothes.
She looked absolutely stunning in the wedding dress, as she stared toward the camera smiling. His robes were black, with silver lining the sides. Instead of watching the camera, he was watching her. Draco didn't miss the look of absolute adoration his face wore. He'd really loved this woman, even if he couldn't remember that love.
The silent and his thoughts were broken when the entire Weasley family arrived. He found himself buried in a sea of redheads, each of them peppering Virginia and himself with questions. Questions Draco didn't necessarily know the answer too.
A moment later, Virginia was standing on a coffee table, two fingers in her mouth as she whistled to get their attention. When the room was quiet, she smiled down at her family. "I'm not in the least bit surprised that everyone is here. How long did it take?"
Molly Weasley smiled up at her daughter. "We've been waiting for you for two days now, dear. Now where is that son-in-law of mine?"
"I'm here," Draco called from the back of the room. He couldn't even see the woman who was speaking over the tall redheaded men. "In the back."
"For heaven's sake, let him through," Molly demanded. Bill, Charlie, and Arthur stepped to their right, while Percy, Fred, and George moved to their left. Draco could feel their eyes on him as he went to the small, somewhat rounded woman standing in front of his wife. But when he reached her, she smiled up at him with such love that Draco knew he must have loved her the same. "How've you been?" she asked.
"A bit confused," he found himself saying. "This is all very new to me."
The woman surprised him again by stepping forward, and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Molly Weasley had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his shoulders, but Draco felt his body surge with familiarity as he hugged her in return. Since the night he arrived at Malfoy Manor and found Virginia, he began to feel at home. "You poor dear," she murmured, "What you must have went through. I'm so glad you're home."
Ginny watched the scene, feeling the emotion starting to rise in her. She really didn't want to cry, as she'd done so much of it in the last three days. She smiled gratefully when Bill stepped over to help her off the coffee table, and hugged her to his side. Clearing her throat when her mum and Draco separated, she asked, "Where're the kids?"
"Ron took them out back, to teach them how to play Quidditch."
"What?!" Ginny asked sharply. "They're not allowed to fly!"
Bill kept a firm grip on her waist, not allowing her to hex his youngest brother for endangering the children. "Relax. Harry and Hermione are out there as well, and they're not using brooms."
She rolled her eyes. "You can't play Quidditch without a broom."
"What's Quidditch?" Draco asked, oblivious. "Some sort of sport?"
The twins and Percy turned to look at him suspiciously. "What do you mean, 'what's Quidditch'? You played at Hogwarts for six years."
"I did? Wait," he stopped again, "What's Hogwarts?"
At that moment, Ginny took a step forward and placed her hand on his back to reassure him. However, she spoke to her family, "Draco's memory of his life from before is still missing. He doesn't remember Quidditch or Hogwarts."
The Weasley's all nodded, and just as Ron entered, followed by Harry and Hermione, with Cera and Seth bringing up the rear, Fred blurted out, "But wait, does that mean he doesn't remember you?"
Ginny felt Draco's body stiffen from the question, and she cursed her brother under her breath. A moment later, however, Draco was no longer watching Fred, but his children as they entered.
Cera lay her broom against the door, and sank down in the chair next to the window. She immediately pulled off her socks and shoes, not caring who was watching. Seth followed more slowly, taking in the different people in the room. His eyes landed on his mother, but swung immediately to the man standing beside her. "Who's he?" the little boy asked.
His sister followed his gaze, her face breaking into a wide grin. "Father." Cera didn't sound excited, even though she was. But more than that she was just shocked. She stayed in the chair, as Seth moved up beside her. She could tell her brother was just as shocked as she was. "We thought…"
Ginny pulled away from Draco then, and went to her children. She kneeled before them, taking a hand in each of hers. "Your father arrived several nights ago, and that's why I wanted you to stay with here for a few days. We wanted to get things settled, first." Taking a chance, she glanced back at Draco and saw that his eyes were glued to them. "Draco?" she asked. "Come here."
He joined her, following her example and getting eye level with the children. "He's going to be staying with us at the Manor for a while," Ginny explained.
The children swung their gaze from their mother to their father, both sets of eyes wide with the news. All of their life, they'd heard about this man. The man their mum loved more than anyone, yet here he was. Cera took the initiative, and reached out to touch his right cheek. "Hello," she said, her voice very soft. Draco was straining to hear her. "My name is Cera and this is my brother Seth."
Draco's gaze swung from the little girl who looked like her mother, to the image of what he must have looked like as a child. There was no denying the boy was his. "Seth," he said, testing the name on his tongue. "I'm your father."
Seth studied him for a moment, before he turned to his mum and asked, "Where's Uncle Blaise?"
Ginny heard the harsh release of air from Draco at his question. She closed her eyes, silently blaming herself for this. If she hadn't brought Blaise into their life, if she hadn't let Seth grow so attached to him… if only she had pressed the issue of his father to him, then Draco wouldn't be hurting. "Uncle Blaise is in America right now."
The little boy looked at his mother, then at Draco again, before he turned back to his mum. "Mum, I want Uncle Blaise."
~*~
Much later, the four of them were lying in bed at Malfoy Manor. After Cera insisted they sleep together, Ginny had transfigured her queen-sized bed into a larger one that would fit them all. Draco had watched, and murmured, "That's so cool," when she finished. She felt rather proud of herself.
Seth was curled into her body, facing her stomach. As much as she was glad to have him home, Ginny felt frustrated with her son. All she ever wanted was finally happening, but she couldn't understand why he couldn't want it too. Draco was back, wasn't that enough?
Cera insisted on sleeping next to her father, not letting him go. The little girl had barely let him out of her sight the entire night. It was almost as if she thought he might vanish again.
Ginny shifted again, and turned on her left side to face Draco. "Are you asleep?" she asked quietly.
"No," was the answer that came.
She could still hear the pain in his voice. It must have hurt him very much, what Seth had done at the Burrow. "I… I wanted to apologize about earlier," she began.
"Virginia, you have nothing to apologize over."
"What Seth-"
"Who's Blaise?" Draco interrupted.
"He was our friend, from school. Blaise helped me a lot, after you were gone."
"He knew the children?"
"Yes. I told them to think of him as an uncle, like my brothers. Blaise was the closest thing you had to family."
"Oh."
Ginny let the silence fill the space between him, even as she wanted to tell him so much more. After opening her mouth and closing it ten times, she finally said, "I never… it was never more than friendship with him."
"It would have been okay," came Draco's quiet reply. "I wasn't here."
"No, but we were still married." Reaching across Seth and Cera, Ginny hoped to find his hand. When she did, she pulled it across her sleeping daughter, and then laid her fingers across his. "When you… when you left, everyone thought you were dead. But I knew you weren't. And until someone brought me evidence that you were, I still thought of you and remained faithful to you. You weren't dead to me, you were just away for a little while."
"How could you believe?"
"You promised me," she answered. "And you've never broken a promise."
"Did you ever love him?"
"Who?"
"Blaise."
"No," Ginny answered. "Not for even a minute."
"Then why does my son love him so much?" his voice cracked at the end of the question, the feeling of being overwhelmed from this emotional coaster he'd been on finally catching up with him. "Why does my son look at me, but ask for another man?"
She twined their fingers, desperately wishing she could be beside him now. Ginny wanted to hold him, and tell him she loved him, and that Seth did too. "Blaise has been the only father Seth ever had."
"That's not true. I'm his father."
"Yes you are," his wife answered reassuringly. "You'll just have to remind him of that over and over until he believes you. Draco, you are his father. And that is something Blaise will never take away from you. No matter what, you'll have your children," she told him, but then hesitated, "and you'll have me."
They didn't speak again that night, both of them finally falling off into sleep. Their arms remained stretched out towards each other all night long, their hands connected across their children. Tonight, sometime between the Burrow and bedtime, they'd become a family. No matter what happened tomorrow or the day after, they would still be a family. And what Ginny told him was true. No one could take that away from him.