In a little more than three hours, they would be taking Seth and Cera to Kings Street Crossing for the first time. The twins celebrated their eleventh birthday more than a month ago. Ginny had been waiting for this moment since she gave birth, but it didn't make it any easier. She knew that after the first year, time would fly by. Soon Seth would be seventeen, a legal wizard, and dating. He would find some witch (one his mother approved of) and get married. There would be an internal power transfer, as the Malfoy tradition mandated, and she and Draco would take the backseat in their only son's life.
Ginny didn't even want to consider all of the changes that would affect Cera. It was too much.
Which is why she was awake at five a.m., sitting in the study, pouring over pictures of their childhood. Almost as soon as they were born, she started recording their life in books. At the time, she felt it was for Draco, but looking back she realized it was for herself. Her husband appreciated the memories - they could flip through them for hours as she told him the history behind each picture - but she found herself (more and more these days) pulling the books from their shelf and remembering. If Ginny was completely honest with herself, she knew she wasn't ready to let go. How had her mother done this seven different times?
This was where Draco found her an hour later. He carried a cup of steaming tea in each hand. He wore pyjama bottoms along with a plain gray t-shirt and his feet were bare. "Love?" he asked.
Ginny looked up to find him in the doorway. She immediately began to clear a place for him at the study table. "I'm fine," she told him.
"That's why you've been up since three o'clock looking at photographs, right? Because everything is fine."
"Don't make fun of me, Draco."
He took a sip from his cup. "I'm not." Draco urged the second cup towards her. "I made your favorite."
Ginny smiled gratefully. It was moments like this when she realized how much she loved this man. "Thank you." She took the tea and drank dutifully. "How do you know I've been up since three?"
"I felt you leave the bed. Thought about coming after you, but knew you needed some time to figure it out yourself."
She looked down at the pictures again, running her hand across one of Draco and Seth when he turned nine. "I want him to be this old forever."
"No, you don't, Virginia. You want him to live." Draco gently turned her face so she was looking at him. "You want him to experience life, much in the same way we did."
She smiled sadly. "Maybe not exactly the same way we did. Our life was a bit interrupted."
"My point is, you want him to grow old. You want him to graduate Hogwarts and fall in love. Our son is destined for greatness - he has been since the moment he was born, Virginia. For him to do all these things, you must let go."
Ginny knew this, of course. Their conversation wasn't new - for months now they'd been discussing what their life would be like without the children. What they would do during the day, where they could travel, and how they could enjoy being married. It would be the two of them and it was time for them to experience their own life. "What did I do to deserve you, Draco Malfoy?"
"Simple. You believed." Draco pulled his seat closer to hers then and they both began to look through the books. He placed a gentle hand on her back, offering her the support he knew she needed. There was the occasional comment about the pictures, but mostly they were silent. Neither of them were particularly looking forward to the twins going to Hogwarts, but they both knew it was happening. Since the moment they were born, Hogwarts was their destiny.
Hours later the twins begin to move about the house. Cera was the first to go looking for Draco and Ginny. She found them on the sofa in the study sprawled together. The book her mother made when they were five lay across their chests. Both were sleeping.
Cera took a moment to study them. This was how she wanted to remember them. Together and in love. She hated that she had memories that didn't include her father. Birthday parties with Uncle Blaise trying to fit into the role, and days where she'd find her mother crying for no reason. When her father reappeared, Cera had expected them to get back together immediately. That didn't happen. Her dad had slept in his old bedroom for ages before they started sharing a room. She'd once asked her mother why and the only response Cera received was, "I just need to be sure of him, love." At the age of eight, Cera hadn't understood. Three years later, Cera was still unclear as to what her Mum meant.
"Good morning," her father said, interrupting her thoughts. "What time is it?"
"Nine. Did you sleep in here?"
Draco looked down at his sleeping wife. "No. Have you packed everything you need for today?"
His daughter nodded. "Mum has checked and rechecked our bags about ten times. I'm sure she'll think of something," Cera laughed. "She's constantly worrying over something about us going to Hogwarts."
At the mention of Ginny, Draco tightened his arm around her waist. "You shouldn't make fun of her right now."
"Sorry, Dad."
"It's okay for her to make fun of me," Ginny added sleepily. "I'm sure I'm making everyone crazy. What time is it?"
"Nine," they both answered. "Time to get up," her husband added.
"Nine?" Ginny repeated, sitting up immediately. "We're running late. They have to be there in two
hours!"
"Gin, we're not late. Seth and Cera are packed. They have everything they need. We've been to Diagon Alley
eleven times in the last four days. They can't possibly need anything else. If they do, they'll owl."
"But-"
Draco looked at his daughter, silently asking her to give them a moment. Cera nodded and quietly left the room.
"Love, you have to pull yourself together."
"I'm fine."
He cupped her cheek in his hand. "You're not fine, so stop pretending. I don't want them to leave either."
"Really?" she questioned. "You seem to be taking this rather well."
Draco recognized the tone in her voice and inwardly groaned. Now she was looking for a row. "Gin-"
"Don't 'Gin' me, Draco. Why don't you tell me why I'm the only one who is upset? You don't seem to care in the least!"
"I care," he assured her. His assertion didn't seem to change her mind. "Just because I'm not driving everyone nutters-"
"So, I'm driving you crazy now?" Ginny interrupted. "That's nice to know."
She was getting mad, he could tell. With her voice rising with each word, Draco knew he'd have to tread very lightly. "You aren't driving me crazy, love. I expected this. I think you're handling it very well."
"No you don't," Ginny accused. "You think I want to keep them at home forever. You think I don't want them to ever grow up." She was on the verge of tears now. "You think-"
"That you're a wonderful mother, Virginia. I think you're acting like every mother who is sending her firstborn off for the first time. Wizard, Muggle, it doesn't matter. Everyone acts this way.
"They'll be back, Ginny. And we'll go visit them. The first Quidditch match of the season is in November. We'll go see Seth play."
That made her laugh. "He hasn't even made the team yet. Don't reserve the room in Hogsmeade just yet."
"He will make the team. Even Potter says he's good."
Even though she rolled her eyes at him, Draco knew he'd succeeded in cheering her. "Virginia, you're their mother. They'll always need you. From the day they were born, until the day they die. You'll be there when they graduate Hogwarts, you'll be there when they get married, and you'll be there when the grandchildren are born. You'll be the one, Gin. Seth and Cera love you. You'll always be apart of their life."
"And you too," she told him. "Promise me you'll always be there, with me."
Draco leaned forward and kissed her. It was a soft touch of his lips across hers. "There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be."
Ginny nodded before she pulled away from him. "Let's go. Our children are waiting."
When she held out her hand to him, Draco knew what it felt like to be seventeen again. Even if he couldn't remember, he knew he'd follow wherever she wanted him to go.
***
In October, he surprised her with a trip to New York. Ginny knew he was trying to take her mind off the emptiness of the house and she loved him for it. At first she was hesitant to go, should Seth or Cera get hurt while at Hogwarts. They'd need their mother and she didn't want to be an ocean away when that happened. In the end, her curiosity got the best of her. Ginny wanted to know where and how Draco lived while he was there.
She knew the stories. She'd heard them all - the policewoman in New York, how Richard Worth found him, the day he moved into his loft. He even told her of dreams he'd have of her, even if he couldn't remember. Ginny had even seen pictures of New York, but she'd never visited herself. As much as she didn't want to leave should Seth and Cera need her, Ginny wanted to see this part of Draco's life. And she was glad he wanted to share it with her.
On the morning of October the fifth, they left Malfoy Manor by portkey. Her father had helped Draco arrange it. They arrived in a back alley of New York City. This was, Draco explained, where he'd woken up over a decade ago. He'd been alone and a bit scared with no sort of identification. Then he took her hand and guided her to a building with doors that read NYPD. They didn't go inside, but he explained the frustration he'd felt at not knowing anything. Draco could remember thinking it was some elaborate joke, and waiting for someone to yell "Surprise!"
He told her of sitting in the police station, studying the gold wedding band. How he'd tried to remember who Virginia was and what the named meant. She cried a bit then, tightening her hand around his.
Draco had seen the tears, though. He decided that this was enough for today, so he took her to the hotel.
Once they were in their room, they lay across the bed, facing each other. "After the police station, they took me to a shelter. I had no money, no identity, nowhere to go. I stayed there for a few weeks before I decided to look for work. My first jobs were in restaurants. Waiting and bussing tables, eating at the restaurants on my breaks so I wouldn't have to pay for the food, living from paycheck to paycheck. I don't know how I made it the first year."
"You lived. You had to."
"Over that year I managed to save enough money to rent a small flat in Brooklyn. From there, things seemed to improve. The place wasn't much bigger than a cardboard box, but it was mine. My name was on the lease and I had to work to pay for it. It gave me a source of pride.
"I stopped calling myself 'Draco' shortly before I met Richard Worth. I was a kid, who didn't know anything about investments, but he took me on anyway. Nathan Hall had no history, but Richard took me on anyway. He saved my life." Ginny could tell from the tone in his voice he was lost in the memories. She only rolled closer to him, their hands barely touching. "I started in the mailroom. Within two years, he was promoting me to vice president."
"Why?"
"He saw something in me, I guess. He's a wizard… maybe it was magic." Draco laughed then. "Richard thought I had a head for business. He was right. Before… did I ever work in investments?"
She shook her head. "You worked for Malfoy, Incorporated, but there was always someone helping you. You never had a chance, really. You died…you disappeared about a year after we married."
"I loved my work here. It was something I was good at. Even now, I miss it sometimes." He saw her expression and immediately said, "Not that I regret leaving it. But here I wasn't Draco Malfoy. I was just some kid with a head for numbers."
"Do you still want to be that?" Ginny asked quietly.
His hand tightened around hers. "I wouldn't trade our life for anything. I love you and every aspect of life with you."
She accepted his answer. "Then what? After you met Richard?"
"Things fell into place. I would work to eight or nine at night, come home and eat, then go to bed. My whole life revolved around that company. Richard had me going to school to complete a business degree. When he retired, he wanted me to take over."
"Do you miss him?"
Draco shrugged. "Sometimes. I'll always think of Richard as my father. I look at pictures of Lucius and feel nothing inside of me. In the six years I worked for Worth Industries, Richard was my family."
"I've always been your family, Draco."
"I know, love. Even when I didn't know, I knew. You're the only thing I've ever been sure of."
Ginny allowed him to kiss her. "Well, me and yourself," she added. "You've always been sure of yourself."
He could only laugh at her teasing.
They lay in the bed for a long time, talking about this and that. Neither of them were in any hurry to leave the other's arms. That night, he took her to dinner at Tavern on the Green. As they walked, he pointed out the different tourist sites, giving her an education on all things New York. They saw the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Draco also took her to different places that were important to him. They agreed to see Richard Worth the next day. Ginny could tell this cheered Draco considerably. Even if he never said it, he'd missed his mentor over the last four years.
After dinner, they returned to the hotel. They talked about the children, wondering how Seth and Cera were fairing at Hogwarts. Seth was sorted into Slytherin, just like every Malfoy heir before him. When the owl from Hogwarts arrived, Draco had been insufferably smug for days.
What surprised them both, however, was that Cera was sorted into Slytherin as well. Though Ginny never said it, she expected their daughter would be a Gryffindor or maybe a Ravenclaw. Ginny knew enough to not second-guess the Sorting Hat (even though Draco used to tell her she would've been a smashing Slytherin) and accepted that both of her children could possibly be future Dark Lords. Not that she would ever allow that to happen - but being in Slytherin made it a possibility.
They stayed awake all night, talking, laughing, and making love. As the sun was rising, they sat on the hotel balcony wrapped in the blankets from the bed. Ginny's head was resting against Draco's chest, each of them perfectly comfortable. They planned to drop by Worth Industries at five that afternoon, to treat Richard Worth to an early dinner.
"Draco?" Ginny asked.
"Hmmm?"
She snuggled into his arms, trying to ward off the chill from the October morning. "What do you think of having another baby?"
"What?"
"A baby." Even though Ginny couldn't see him, she knew his brow was furrowed as he contemplated what he was going to ask.
"Gin, are you pregnant?"
"No," she answered. "But maybe I'd like to be."
"Aren't we a bit…"
"Are you saying I'm old?" she asked. Ginny twisted in his arms to glare at him. "I'm not old!"
"Of course not. Do you want this?"
"Only if you do, too." Ginny studied his gray eyes intently. "You missed seven years with Seth and Cera. Even though you've never said anything, I see it every time you look at them. You deserve the opportunity to experience that, Draco."
He nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?" she repeated.
"If you want a baby-"
"We have to both want it," Ginny told him. "It's a lot of hard work, Draco. Two a.m. feedings, dirty nappies, and baby-proofing the mansion. We're not twenty anymore, but it's something I think we'd be good at."
"Are you sure, then?"
His wife nodded.
"Then I am, too. Let's have a baby."
She smiled and he knew he'd made the right decision. Draco would do anything to see her smile. Ginny turned around and pulled his arms tighter around her waist. "I love you, Draco Malfoy."
"I love you, too, Virginia."
As the sun came up over New York City, they sat on the balcony in silence. It was beautiful and different from mornings in England, and was unlike either of them had ever experienced.
Draco never dreamed they would be here, together. Except that they'd just agreed to have a baby. A little person to love and take care of. Someone to fill in the silence at Malfoy Manor.
As his wife leaned against him, Draco thought of the seven years he'd spent in America. Even though he went through some hard times, the years weren't bad. They'd been empty; he had been empty. For the last four years, for the rest of his life, Draco knew the drought was over. As long as he had Virginia, it would always be raining - blessings and surprises, love and happiness, and… children.
-finis-