Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 19 - The Truth is Essential

After they finally broke the embrace, Ginny took Thomas in her arms and started walking towards her apartment, Draco walking by her side. There was a heavy silence between them, only broke by Thomas happy chatter, but both adults knew that everything was not alright, for now… Plenty of things had to be explained, plenty of things had to be changed if they were to stay together.

Ginny's apartment was small, with only a bedroom, a small kitchen and a bathroom, but still, it was cosy and full of day light, with a gorgeous sight over the ocean.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Thomas screamed happily, as he sat on Ginny's bed, watching the sea.

"It sure is… You'll have to come back here in the summer and swim in those waters!" Ginny smiled warmly, sitting next to him.

"We can come back here, Draco? The three of us?" Thomas asked excitedly, looking over his shoulder at Draco.

"Yes, we can… I've never been in the ocean either!" Draco admitted, hands in his pockets, long blond hair framing his face.

The two of them were talking as if Ginny would always be with them, and Ginny herself didn't know what was going to happen after talking with Draco. Once again she was filling Thomas with hope, and she was afraid of letting him down once again.

"Draco, we better go to the kitchen and let Thomas have some rest…" she said, removing the boy's shoes, watching him laugh when handfuls of sand dropped from the inside of them to the wood floor. "Why, you prat, you knew your shoes had sand, didn't you?"

"Yeah, it kind of tickles…" he laughed mischievously. "I don't want to sleep, Mommy!"

"But I want to have a conversation with Draco alone… Just stay here and close your eyes, maybe sleep will come to you, ok?" she said in a gentle voice, placing him under the bedcover, softly kissing the tip of his cold nose.

"I've missed you…" he sighed, touching her cheek with his small hand. "Will I see you when I wake up?"

"Yes, you will… I promise!" she smiled back, and in a soft whisper, put him to sleep with a simple spell. "Let's go to the kitchen… I need to send an Owl to the hospital."

Ginny prepared to leave the bedroom, but something made her stop and stare at Draco in shock. He was sitting on the bed, where she had been, gently caressing the boy's hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.

`Since when does he care for Thomas? Since when does he caress Thomas and kisses his forehead?' she asked herself, surprised. Draco just raised himself from the bed and walked to her, his face calm yet serious.

She would have to ask him those questions later… Remaining in silence, Ginny quickly scribbled a note to her superior in San Giuseppe's Hospital and sent it with her new owl, Bea. Then, Ginny prepared some tea and sat in front of Draco, with the small kitchen table between them, and their hands surrounding their hot teacups.

"Why are you here?" she asked, staring at her tea, as she added sugar.

"If you don't mind, I won't answer that question right now… There are other things you should know off first." Draco replied in a calm voice, hoping she would look at him. Ever since they left the beach, she refused to look at him, and that was making him nervous. "Luna told me she didn't tell you anything about Thomas, or why he's with me, so, I'm going to let you know everything."

"Ok, but first, how are you so close to Luna?" Ginny asked, finally allowing their eyes to meet each other. Her brown eyes showing curiosity and sadness, while his showed worry and hope… Most of all, hope.

"Well, in my seventh year at Hogwarts, Luna found out that I was interested in you… Romantically interested!" he specified when Ginny showed confusion. "She told me to stay away if I meant to hurt you, or go ahead if I truly loved you… Since then, we wrote letters to each other, and maintained some kind of relationship, although we rarely talked to each other in person."

"So, you stayed away… You meant to hurt me." She concluded, sipping her tea.

"Yes, I've stayed away, but no, I didn't mean to hurt you, Ginny… The war was about to start, I had my father menacing me to join the Dark Lord, and everything was so fucked up at the moment, that I couldn't bring myself to lower my defences because of you. I didn't want to bring you to a relationship that probably had no future, in case I died in the war…" Draco explained, his eyes unfocused as he remembered the war, years ago. "I think I did the right choice back then… I almost died, and the one who saved me, was Neville Longbottom. Can you imagine my surprise, when the worst student in Gryffindor's history jumped in front of me to save my Slytherin ass? I was shocked, and I felt responsible for the death of someone who should have remained alive…"

"Neville saved you?" she mumbled in shock, a tear falling down her face at the memory of her friend. "He was a great guy, you know? He wasn't that bad of a wizard, he was just nervous most of the time…"

"Yes, well, he gave his life to protect mine, and that means Wizard's Debt… I owed my life to him." Draco explained, sipping his tea, his eyes never leaving hers. "After the war I left England and went to France, where I needed to start a new life. Yes, I had inherited the family's fortune, but the Ministry wanted to take it from me and then I met Monsieur Champalimaud, a very prominent businessman in both Muggle and Wizarding Paris… He helped me fight the Ministry on court and I won the right to keep what was mine. At the time, I had just started a personal relationship with his daughter, Chantal, and when I asked him what could I do to repay him for his help, he asked me to make his daughter happy…"

Ginny just stared at him in silence, willing herself not to comment on that matter. He was marrying Chantal, right? He probably already had, but why was he here, then? Her thoughts were interrupted as he kept talking.

"Soon I was invited to direct the French Moretti Clinic and I became engaged with Chantal… Everything was fine until the day I got an urgent owl. Pansy had died and I had to be her son's legal guardian! Only then, did I find out that Pansy had been Neville's girlfriend, soon to be wife, and that they had a son, that never met his father, because of me!" Draco said, his eyes slightly shiny. "She left Thomas with me as a way for me to pay the Wizard's Debt. By the time he reached my hands, he didn't walk and he barely talked…"

"What did you do?" she asked, tears glittering in her own eyes.

"I went to the best Healers with him, he was submitted to several treatments, but he never did recover… Then I decided to take him to Muggle doctors, and still, nothing… We gave up. There was nothing we could do, anymore." Draco explained, standing up from his seat to place the teacup on the sink, his back facing her. "I never told anyone I had that boy under my legal care, but not because I was ashamed of him, Ginny… I was ashamed of myself!"

Ginny stared at his tense shoulders, noticing the slight vibration of his back. He was crying… and he was hiding his tears from her. She slowly left her seat and walked to him, placing her arms around his waist, trying to give him at least a little comfort.

"Why were you ashamed of yourself?" she whispered, leaning her face against his back, listening his quick breaths and his silent sobs.

"That boy lost his father because of me, Ginny… The guy who never did anything to help others, the one who always made fun of Gryffindors, especially Neville! I took Thomas' chance of having the happy family I never had!" Draco replied, the sadness and sorrow evident in his low voice, as more sobs raged over his body.

Ginny had never expected to see Draco in such an emotional breakdown, and it scared her. She always thought of him as a person with huge self-control, self-confidence, someone capable of hiding his feelings, no matter what was the actual circumstance… And here he was, in her arms, sobbing like a baby because he understood the wrongness of his actions in the past, because he could feel, just like any other person. Draco Malfoy was not insensible, and that was a huge relief, but right now, Ginny was worried. This man needed what he had never had… Love, support, comprehension, someone to listen him, take care of him, someone he could trust. Draco needed his own healing time.

"You are not the fault, Draco… Neville saved you because he was taught to value the lives of those who surrounded him. He was taught to love his life and the life of everybody else, no matter how cruel they were to him. Neville had a huge heart, despite his lack of skills in Magic, but he always did his best to help others, in times of need." Ginny said, her voice steady, although tears kept running down her cheeks. "He saved you, and you shouldn't feel guilty for his actions. He chose to save you and I'm sure that he would do it all over again, because that's the way he was…"

Draco's breathing seemed to calm down and Ginny made him turn around to face her. His face was red with the effort to keep his sobs silent; his cheeks were wet with tears, his eyes slightly puffy and the tears in his eyes made the grey look like pure silver. Ginny surrounded his waist with her arms, once again, and maintained the eye contact.

"You now have the chance to repay Neville's favour… You have the chance to raise his son in the loving family he could have had, the family you wish you could have had. Nothing is lost, Draco, Thomas' life can be started once again… He is young and he has already accepted his present life and he's recovering from his trauma. These steps he's able to take now, mean his acceptance of the past and his preparation for the future!" Ginny said in a gentle voice, resting her chin against his chest. "Are you ready to guide him?"

"I'm ready, but I'll need you by my side to help me… I don't know how to do it alone!" Draco whispered, raising a hand to wipe away the tears from her cheeks.

"We'll see… First I want you to tell me the rest of the story!" Ginny sighed, leaving the warmness of his body to seat by the table, once again.

"I went back to England because I had several meetings regarding the Moretti Clinics, and I missed being home… When we met, I couldn't believe how much you had changed and how much I still cared for you, after all these years. I tried my best to keep the distance between us, to be my old self and keep you away, but I couldn't… I scolded myself for giving you that rose, on the balcony, but it felt so right!" he explained, sitting in front of her, once again. "Then, when you broke up with Carlo, in my party, I was so relieved, you can't even imagine… I felt hope, although I didn't want to think of you on emotional terms. And then, you found Thomas…"

"And you hired me… I spent hours talking with Luna and Hermione about you, how I still felt attracted with you… And later, how I had come to love you." Ginny added in a sigh.

"I didn't tell you who Thomas really was because I was ashamed of myself, I was afraid that you'd hate me for killing one of your best friends back at Hogwarts! That night Thomas had the fever, I heard him calling you Mommy and I was scared… I knew I was engaged to Chantal and that sooner or later you would have to leave us. Thomas would be crushed and I didn't want him to be so tied with you, that's why I fired you when I found you in my room… I needed a reason to keep you away from us. Thomas had to forget you to be able to face my wife to be, and I had to keep you away to be able to focus on my new life with Chantal…" Draco explained, his hands playing with the table edges. "A part of me was relieved that you had found the truth, but the other felt betrayed, felt exposed. Those feelings and my need to keep you away, made me fire you…"

"That was one of the worst moments of my life, you know? First I find out Neville had a child with Pansy, a child I had come to love as my own, and then you find me and yell at me, saying I won't see either of you ever again… My heart broke in that moment." She admitted, placing a hand over her chest, where her heart beat in a steady rhythm. "I went to every single clinic in England, and no one dared to hire me, because of Carlo's menace. I had nothing to lose, so I thought about leaving England and start a new life way from everything and everyone. The day Thomas appeared at the Burrow and I took him back to the Manor was the day I made my decision… Your request to have me that one time finalised everything we could never have, and it made me make my decision on leaving England."

"I knew I shouldn't have asked that from you, that it would make me feel even worse for losing you, but I needed you… If even for that one time, I needed to have you just for me! And when you told me you loved me, it made me come back to reality and realise that I shouldn't have done that… I had hurt you more than ever!" Draco said, furious with himself, his eyes dark with frustration. "You left and for the first time, I knew what it was like to have a broken heart…"

"Welcome to the Broken heart's club, then…" she smiled warmly, knowing how hard it was for him to tell her all of his feelings. Draco chuckled and kept on talking.

"Thomas suffered as well, when he realised you really were gone, and we helped each other to cope with your absence… We spent hours talking, getting to know each other, playing together, taking long walks in the garden and most of all, plotting!" Draco smiled, when Ginny showed interest on the last word.

"What do you mean, plotting?" she asked, a suspicious smile on her lips.

"We both needed you back, so, we plotted a way to have you back and make you happy again!" Draco grinned. "I had a long conversation with Chantal and explained to her that I couldn't marry her when my heart belonged to another woman… When she asked me who that woman was and I replied it was the cooker I had introduced her to sometime ago, she nearly had an heart attack!"

"Oh, you're evil, Draco Malfoy!" Ginny laughed, happy with the way he said his heart belonged to her, and happy that he had left Chantal because of her.

"It was hard to explain to her father, but he was very understanding and gave me his blessing to build a happy life next to you." Draco explained with a smile. "Then, we prepared your surprise, which you won't see until you get your cute butt back at England!"

"So, everything is clear now… But, why should I go back to England?" she teased, wanting… no, NEEDING to hear him say the magic words.

"Because we love you… Thomas loves you, I love you, and we both love you and need you back in our lives to make us live happily ever after!" Draco smiled, leaving his seat and pulled Ginny on her feet as well, crushing her against his body, her eyes locked with his. "I love you Ginevra Weasley, and I know that you probably shouldn't want me after all the hurt I've put you through, but know that I would feel honoured to be by your side, the rest of my days, protecting and loving Thomas, and our children as well, making sure nothing would hurt us or our family. Please, forgive me and let me love you…"

His words were so full of meaning, so sincere, so passionate, that all she could do was cry with happiness. Draco loved her, wanted her by his side to build a family and a future, in which Thomas was an essential part, and that was all she could ever want.

"I love you too, Draco…" she smiled before she placed a hand behind his neck, forcing his face down, to kiss his warm lips.

The kiss felt like heaven after so much time away from each other, after so much hurt… But now, they put everything they felt in that kiss. All the secrets had been exposed, all the lies had been explained, and all the problems had been solved, leaving room for only the love they felt. That's what the kiss was all about… Pure love…

"You're coming back with us, then?" a child's voice screamed happily, making the couple break the kiss in surprise.

Ginny turned around to face a barefoot Thomas, standing in the doorway, watching the couple with a huge smile on his beautiful face.

This boy had suffered enough for a lifetime, and now was the time to make him forget the bad memories, by replacing them with good ones. Ginny was ready to help him, with Draco by her side.

"Yes, Thomas, I'm going back with you!" she smiled as the boy quickly walked to her arms and hugged her waist strongly with one arm, while the other arm curled around Draco's waist.

"I love you both…" he mumbled, his head buried in Ginny's stomach.

Draco and Ginny looked at each other and smiled warmly, each placing a hand on Thomas' shoulders. Everything would be fine.

"We love you too…" Draco whispered, kissing Ginny once again, in the kitchen of her small apartment, overlooking the sea of Positano, on the Italian coast.

Everything would be fine…

STILL NOT THE END!!!

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I hope this chapter pleased all of you and answered to all of your answers.

Once again, huge thank yous to all of you people, reading this story and writing those wonderful reviews that fill my day with happiness!

Each time I check my mailbox, there are dozens of reviews and my face stretches in a huge smile for the rest of the day. Thank you!

Don't forget to vote for my story When the Angels Cry, if you think it's worth it, and check the one shot I wrote yesterday, Dreams.

I've been studying like crazy because next week I have 2 exams, and my brain as gone numb of so much information, so, I hope this chapter is okay.

Hell, better than okay, I don't like mediocre! I want it to be GOOD!

Well, I'll post the next chapter soon, I don't know when, but probably very soon (*hint* *hint*) because I'll have a full week.

Lots and lots of love,

Carina

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