Light in the Darkness

Estaria

Rating: R
Genres: Angst, Romance
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 08/07/2004
Last Updated: 04/07/2007
Status: in_progress

Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentanced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy. Chapter XIII: "Secrets?" uploaded.

Chapters

1. Welcoming the Night

2. Another 1000 Miles

3. Dirty Little Secrets

4. Surprises

5. Meant to Live

6. Great Escape

7. Stranger in the Mirror

8. Do You Really Wanna Know Me?

9. AN

10. Undone

11. Every Time I Look at You

12. Unexpectedly

13. Loved

14. Secrets?

1. Welcoming the Night

Synopsis: TLord Voldemort has defeated the Boy-Who-Lived and has taken control of the Wizarding World. Four years after Harry Potter's defeat Ginny Weasley sits in prison waiting to die. She finds herself rescued by someone…unexpected

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang all belong to JK Rowling. "Welcoming the Night" lyrics by Sarah Holgate. Only the plot line and some characters belong to me.

Chapter I: Welcoming the Night

Everything is slowing down now
Everything's a little softer
A tiny light now
Water calming underneath the moonlight
Welcoming the stars and the night

In a little while you'll be sleeping gently
Wash away the burdens of the day
Let yourself envelope in the softness
Let it wrap you in a blanket of the night

And oh, come and lay your head down
Oh, empty out the light
Oh, gently kiss the day goodbye
Welcoming the night

*******************************************

It was early evening, and dew decorated the grass. The fog was so thick, that if you had not known it was there, you would have missed Azkaban prison. A light drizzle fell from the darkening sky. A few drops found their way through the barred window, and made their way down the wall of Ginny's cell.

How long had she been here? Three years? Four? The days ran together, making it hard to remember. Hermione had attempted to keep track of time by scratching marks on the stone wall each time they were brought their daily ration. The older girl had performed the ritual every day, until the day the Death Eaters came and took her away.

“It's alright Gin,” she had whispered. “I'll be with Harry now.” And Hermione Granger-Potter had smiled.

A shriek from the next cell over startled Ginny. “No, no!” the voice cried. “Please don't!” another shriek, and then the screaming turned into quiet sobbing.

Ginny closed her eyes, and leaned her head back against the wall. “Luna.” She whispered.

Ron had done everything in his power to protect his wife and baby daughter from the abuse of the Death Eaters, and from the dementors, but his gallantry succeeded only in getting him killed. After the death of baby Leona, Luna had lost her mind. She spent her days crying, or rocking an imaginary baby in her arms.

So many had died here, in Azkaban. Starvation, disease, and the Kiss claimed prisoners every day. Neville Longbottom, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Lee Jordan, all members of the Hogwarts D.A. had died in prison. And then there was the battle.

No, Ginny corrected herself. It was now known as the “Day of Retribution”. The day Lord Voldemort overcame the Boy-Who-Lived, to retake control of the wizarding world. Ginny thought it a blessing that Harry was not alive to see the chaos or the fate of his comrades.

Ginny was brought out of her reverie by the opening of a lock. Her cell door opened, and a tall figure in a cloak stepped in. He threw back his hood, surveying his surroundings, his nose wrinkling. Not one silver-blond strand of hair was out of place. “What are you doing here Malfoy?” asked Ginny tiredly. “Come to enjoy a bit of fun before you throw me to the dementors?”

The blond grinned back at her. “Don't be ridiculous Weasley.” Draco replied. “I'm here to rescue you.”

AN: Reviewing is good for the soul.

-->

2. Another 1000 Miles

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of JK Rowling. Plot and minor

Characters belong to moi!

Shout out: CJ, love ya girl! Always there for me! Do you recall the dirty, crack-headed, syphaliss-ridden goblins, who have no friends?

Chapter II: Another 100 Miles

~*~

Ginny blinked several times. “Sorry?”

“I’m taking you out of here.” Draco repeated. “You know… out of Azkaban. So, get up, put this on,” he threw a cloak at her, “and let’s go.”

Ginny let the cloak fall to the floor, and continued to stare at him. “I don’t understand.”

“What about ‘I’m taking you out of here.’ Is so hard to understand?” Draco said, rather impatiently. “We’re going!”

“Are you mad? How do I know this isn’t a trick to get me to come along quietly?”

“You don’t,” Draco said, half smiling. “You will just have to trust me.”

“Trust you!” Ginny spat. “You helped murder my parents! You killed my sisters-in-law. My nieces and nephews. My brother!” she was shrieking. “Damn you! Damn you to HELL you murderer!” The strength that long ago had left her malnourished body seemed to surge through her. She flew at him, fists flying. Nothing mattered now but that she avenge her family.

Much to her surprise, Draco did not hex her into oblivion. Rather, he slammed her back against the cell wall, pinning her arms above her head. “Percy said you were a fighter, but Merlin…”

“Percy?!” Ginny has ceased her struggle, and become completely still. “He—you—where is he?! What have you done with him?” Percy and his wife Penelope had gone missing during Ginny’s last year at Hogwarts. A few weeks later, Penelope’s body had been found in a wooded area, not far from the Burrough. Percy’s body had never been recovered, and after nearly a year with no news, the family had given up hope. A year to the day after her brother’s disappearance, a group of Death Eaters had ambushed the Burrough, killing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as well as their daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.

“I have not done anything to him. Your dear brother had been living quite comfortably in the palace of the Dark Lord for some time.”

“Wh—What… I don’t… what are you saying?”

“Honestly Weasley, do I have to spell it out for you? Your brother is a Death Eater, a loyal follower of Lord Voldemort. In fact, he’s the new Minister of Magic.”

“You’re lying!” Ginny cried.

“Oh, never to you Weasley; and If you’re a good girl, and don’t make me any trouble, I’ll take you to him.” He picked the dark blue cloak up off the floor, and held it out to her.

She hesitated. It was very likely that all of this was just a trick, and she was going to be killed like Hermione and the rest of her family. But, Ginny realized, she was too tired to care. “In the end you’ll die anyway.” A voice inside said. “What do you have to loose?”

She snatched the cloak from his hands, and put it on.

There, you see?” he grinned. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“Move!” she snapped, and when he didn’t budge, she pushed passed him into the dark hallway. Draco moved to follow Ginny, but bumped into her right outside the door. A guard was coming out of Luna’s cell, a bundle wrapped in a blanket slung over his shoulder. He stumbled at the threshold, and a corner of the blanket pulled back, revealing a human hand.

“What’s going on Wellington?!” Draco barked.

“Another dead one sir.” Wellington laughed. “Slit her own throat this one did. I was just disposing of the body.”

“Stop!” Ginny shouted, and before Draco could stop her, she darted forward, and gently drew Luna’s wedding band off her finger. She then unfastened a long chain from around her neck, and added Luna’s ring to the dozen or so other rings already on the chain.

“Now we can go.” She said.

~*~

“Halt.” The guard at the door said, in a bored voice. “I need to know the identity and the number of the prisoner you are taking from my prison Mr. Malfoy.”

“Ginevra Molly Weasley, prisoner number one-one-zero-five.” Draco recited.

“Ah… Weasley. She’ll be a high security prisoner. I’ll be needing clearance from—“

“I have here a signed order from the Minister.” Draco interrupted, thrusting a document into the guard’s hand. “It states that I am to escort the prisoner to our Lord’s palace for questioning.”

“Ohhhh… yes, of course sir.” A shaky Wellington handed the order back to Draco, and pushed Azkaban’s large door open.

Draco grabbed Ginny by her elbow and guided her through the door, and out into the night. They passed numerous guards, and prisoners, some of whom Ginny recognized from school. One prisoner, whom Ginny thought resembled Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood, sat muttering to himself on a pile of rocks, waving a stick around like a wand.

Ginny shuddered. The suffering was atrocious. “Here.” Draco interrupted her thoughts, holding out what looked like a deflated bike tire. “You aren’t able to apperate, so we’ll have to portkey to the palace.”

Ginny reached out, and tentatively touched the portkey with one dirty, finger.

“Don’t try anything Weasley.” Malfoy said. “You wouldn’t last five minutes out here.”

“Fuck you Malfoy.” Ginny replied sweetly, just before she felt the jerk somewhere below her navel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Remember… reviewing is good for the soul. Thanx so much to everyone who reviewed.

3. Dirty Little Secrets

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Lyrics to “Dirty Little Secrets” isn't mine. Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. Don't use them without asking, or I'll find you.

Chapter III: Dirty Little Secrets

I've been up all night drinking
To drown my sorrow down
Nothing seems to help me since you went away
I'm so tired of this town
Where every tongue is wagging
When every back is turned
Their telling secrets that should never be revealed
There's nothing to be gained from this
But disaster…
Here's a good one…
Did you hear about my friend
He's embarrassed to be seen now
because we all know his sins

a>

Ginny swayed and almost lost her balance when they arrived. Draco's arms were the only thing that kept her from crashing to the floor.

“Steady Weasley.” Draco warned her. “Your dear brother might hex me into oblivion if I deliver you to him covered in bruises. “ he took her gently by the arm and guided her down the hallway.

“Is this Voldemort's palace?” Ginny whispered. Although she would never admit it to Malfoy, she was terrified.

Draco snorted at her naive query. “Hell no! His Lordship's palace is much grander than this. It has all sorts of charms and spells around it to prevent people from Apparating or flooing in. Honestly Weasley. No… this is your brother's house.”

“Then… Percy really is alive?”

Draco gave an exasperated sigh. “Isn't that what I've been saying?”

“Yes… but I didn't believe you then. I've never trusted Death Eaters, and I never will.”

They had reached the end of the hall. There was light peaking out from beneath the door. Draco knocked twice, and then waited.

“Come in, come in.” called an impatient voice from the other side of the door.

Draco grasped the handle, and opened the door, pushing Ginny through ahead of him. She blinked in the harsh light, trying to make out her surroundings. A fire burned in the fireplace, providing the only light in the large room. In one corner, a red haired man sat at an antique writing desk covered with papers.

“Ginny!” he cried, rising to his feet and moving toward her. As he moved closer, she saw that it was indeed Percy. His hair was beginning to thin, and small lines were beginning to form by his mouth, and at the corners of his eyes… but it was her brother.

He was a foot away from her, arms open, when she spoke. “Are you a Death Eater?”

It was a simple enough question. Percy stopped, and let his arms fall. For a moment he didn't speak.

“The truth.” Ginny begged. “Please.”

“Yes.” Percy replied, simply. “There was no pretending, no Imperius curse. Everything I have done, I have done of my own free will.” He took her by the shoulders. “My Lord's plans for the future are glorious Ginevra. It will be a Utopia where Purebloods can rise above the filth that has become the Wizarding World. We will start over! Build up the Ministry stronger than Fudge and Dumbledore ever dreamed! We can—“

Ginny slapped him so hard that his horn-rimmed flew off his face, and skidded across the floor, broken. “Bastard!” Ginny hissed. “How could you! Our parents! Your wife! Our nieces and nephews!” her voice rose to a screech, and the words came more quickly. “Ron! Luna and the baby! Dumbledore! Hermione! Harry! All your fault! How could you?”

Tears ran down Ginny's face as she gazed up at her brother. To think that they had mourned his death, cursing his murderers… and all the time he was one of them.

“It had to be done.” Percy insisted. “Alicia, Angie, Fleur… NONE of them Purebloods! I grant you, Luna was one, but she chose her side, and paid for her choice. The rest of our family had their chance to see the truth, but they chose to fight with that Muggle-lover Dumbledore. As for Penny,” he shrugged, “she was an unfortunate, but necessary sacrifice. Life goes on Gin. It can go on for you.”

“You,” Ginny said between gritted teeth, “are not my brother. No brother of mine could be so heartless. You aren't even human! Damn you and your Master. I want no part of it.”

“Fine.” Percy shrugged. “You don't need to acknowledge me. But, our blood ties compel me to help you live.”

Ginny exchanged a confused look with Draco. He gave her a careless shrug, but on the inside, he was burning with curiosity. What on earth did Percy mean?

“The Order.” Percy said, simply. When both of them still looked confused, Percy sighed heavily. “Order 312, calling for the liquidation and execution of those political prisoners still being held in Azkaban. It goes through tomorrow” he bent down to retrieve his broken glasses from the floor, then strode to his desk. “I thought, since you are family, I would give you one last chance. Join our side. You only have to sign this document, and you'll be free. I'll date, and process it. No one will have to know. Pansy and I will be more than happy to have you as Nanny for Thomas and Callisandra.”

Ginny licked her lips. Death was not something she craved, but freedom under the Dark Lord almost made death seem like a holiday. “What… what if I refuse?”

“You die.” Percy said simply. “Malfoy will escort you back to Azkaban to await execution. I assure you… it won't be pleasant.” He held the paper out to her. “Sign it Ginevra.”

Ginny glanced over at Malfoy. Although he stood arms crossed, with a bored expression on his face, his eyes seemed to be burning holes into her. Although, the next moment she thought she had imagined it, she could have sworn she saw him nod his head, ever so slightly.

She took a step forward, and accepted the paper from Percy's out-stretched hand.

a>

AN: ok, that one is done. On to the next chapter, and don't forget to review!

-->

4. Surprises

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley sits in Azkaban prison after Lord Voldemort's victory over the Boy-Who-Lived. The person she least expects comes to her rescue. Then, just when you think you're safe, secrets are revealed…

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of JK Rowling. Only the plot and some minor characters belong to me. The lyrics to “Surprises” is owned by Billy Joel.

AN: This chapter was our much more quickly as I had more free time. Sorry about the length. When I planned the story out, I had the chapters end at exciting points in the story, and as a result, some are quite short. I will however do everything in my power to make them longer in the future. Thanx so much to essence, meag, That So Raven, Harry and Orlando, Mooshy, and KourtTears, for reviewing chapter three!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter IV: Surprises

Don't get excited
Don't say a word
Nobody noticed
Nothing was heard
It was committed discreetly
It was handled so neatly
And it shouldn't surprise you at all
You know

~Billy Joel

~*~

Taking the document between her hands, Ginny ripped it in half, and let the pieces fall to the floor. “Go to hell darling brother.” She said steadily. “I would rather die for a cause I know to be right, than live knowing I'd betrayed the memory of my friends and family. Yes, you can kill those of us who have been rotting in Azkaban. Yes, you and your Master will live for a few years believing you have won. But, I assure you; you will be beaten. Perhaps not during your lifetime, or the lives of your children, but it will happen. Evil can never triumph over good.” she smiled. “Or… has it been so long since you've heard a fairy-tale that you had forgotten?”

Percy had been turning steadily redder during Ginny's speech, and his face now resembled a large, purple plum. “Fine!” he spat. “Go back to Azkaban with your delusions! Die for Potter's lost cause! I've fulfilled any obligation I may have had. Malfoy, get her out of here.”

“No.” Draco said quietly. “I'm not taking her back.”

“You've got to!” Percy cried. “If she doesn't sign the pledge, she's dead!” When Malfoy still didn't move, Percy added. “I will be more than happy to send you to Azkaban for insubordination Malfoy.”

“I'll marry her.”

Both Weasleys were staring at him as if he'd gone mad. “What's that?” Percy asked.

“Sorry?” Ginny inquired, speaking at the same moment as her brother.

“I'll marry her.” Draco repeated. “As her husband, and head of the family, I can sign any papers for her. She wouldn't have to go back.”

“No!” Ginny was vehement. “I absolutely will NOT marry this—insufferable-“

“Excellent!” Percy crowed. “She won't have to sign a thing! You can do it! She'll be closely watched… out of my hair… You have my blessing!” he hurried to his desk and began throwing papers off the desk. “I know I've got a license around here somewhere. We'll sign it tonight, and everything will be nice and official before the bill goes in tomorrow.”

“HELLO! Are the two of you on crack or something? I have already said I will not marry-“

“Silencio!” Draco snapped.

Ginny's mouth continued to open and close, but no sound came out. She looked so angry that if she had a wand, Draco was quite certain she would have used the killing curse on him.

“Got it!” Percy cried, holding up a long, yellowed sheet of parchment. Snatching up a quill, he signed his name with a flourish, and shoved the paper toward Draco. “You have to sign this. You too.” He said to Ginny.

Ginny was ready to spit nails. What had given Malfoy the idea that he could order her around? She shook her head vehemently, a clear indication that she would not be signing anything tonight.

In a flash, Draco was across the room, and standing in front of her. He smacked her, then grabbing her by her shoulders, shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “You will.” He hissed in her ear. “Because it will save your life! I refuse to have your death on my conscience. If when—well… when this is all over, if you still don't want this, I won't hold you to it.”

Ginny looked into his gray eyes. “He can't be trusted!” a voice inside screamed. “He's a Death Eater!” But there was also another voice; Harry's voice. “Do it.” He whispered. “Live today… fight tomorrow.”

Ginny nodded her acceptance, and Draco, sighing with relief, released her. He handed her the quill, and she signed her name at the bottom.

“There, that wasn't so hard, was it?” Percy said heartily. “This calls for a celebration! Pansy? Pansy! Come in here!”

“Coming dear!” a female voice called, and the next moment, Pansy Parkinson entered the room, her black heels clicking on the polished, wooden floor. “Did you call me Percy?” she asked, going over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Yes.” Percy said, ignoring his wife's kiss. “I would like you to meet my sister, Ginevra.”

“We've met.” Pansy said smoothly. “You were a year behind me at Hogwarts, weren't you Ginevra?”

“Yes.” Ginny replied coolly. “You were in Slytherin, with my… husband.”

“Husband?” Pansy raised an eyebrow. “I didn't realize any man would—I mean I didn't realize you were married.”

Ginny felt nothing but contempt for her brother's wife. The thought of Percy with Pansy as apposed to Penny made her ill. “I'll fix her.” She said to herself.

“Yes,” Ginny said, speaking in a sickly-sweet voice. “Dear er—Draky and I have just been married. Isn't that right er—Darling?” she turned toward Draco, batting her eyelashes coyly.

Draco faked a cough, to cover his laughter. The odds of Ginny ever calling him “Draky” or “darling” were quite slim. But, he decided to play along. “Yes Pumpkin, that's right.” Draco replied, putting his arm around Ginny. “Ginny and I have been in-love for so long we just couldn't wait another minute. We came here tonight and insisted that Percy give us a license.”

Pansy looked nonplussed. Percy looked like he was going to vomit. “Excellent job prat.” Ginny murmured. “Yes, but, we really must be going. It was so nice to see you again Ms. Parkinson.”

“It's Mrs. Weas—“

“Goodbye, Percy.” Ginny said, ignoring Pansy. “Next time Draky and I visit, you must introduce me to your sweet little babies and to your wife. Night all!”

And with Pansy spluttering, Percy gaping, and Draco trying unsuccessfully to cover his laughter, she dragged him out of the study, and into the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Well,” Draco rubbed his hands together. “This is it; Home sweet home.”

Ginny sniffed. She didn't know exactly where `home' was, and as far as she was concerned, it never would be her home.

“I live alone.” Draco continued. “Well, that is to say, my parents live elsewhere. There are one-hundred-and-fifty house-elves bound to Malfoy Manor."

Ginny snorted thinking of Hermione and her S.P.E.W. campaign. She would think the Manor was the perfect place to hold a rally.

Draco grabbed Ginny's arm and guided her into the foyer. “Down that hallway are the family dining room, and the kitchen. You don't need to go in there, the house-elves do all the cooking; ring them if you need anything. Down the left corridor, is the large dining salon that we use for parties.”

“You'll find the library, sitting-room, and portrait gallery on the second floor. My study is also there. Bedrooms and the bathroom are on the third floor. The fourth floor is taken up mostly by an observatory. It's much like the ceiling in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. My mother used it to look at the stars and different constellations.”

“How nice.” Said Ginny coolly, speaking for the first time since they'd gotten to the Manor. “Well my mother was busy burying her sons, you're mother was looking at Orion and Cassiopeia.”

“I am sorry about your family.” Draco told her, quietly. “I wasn't there when they died. I only heard about it afterward.”

“Does that make you any less guilty?” Ginny accused. “Even if you weren't there, you're still at fault. You're one of them!” she pulled away from him, and started back down the hallway, fully intending to leave and never come back. She had only taken half-dozen steps before Draco pulled her back. Before she could protest, he had grabbed a fistful of her hair, and pulled her forward into a kiss.

Draco thought it was one of the most marvelous things he had ever experienced. It took only a bit of coaxing before he opened her lips, to let his tongue explore her mouth. She was so soft and warm, and he was enjoying it immensely… until she bit him.

“Bitch!” Draco took a step backward, touching his fingers to his injured tongue, which was bleeding slightly. “I'm bleeding! What on earth did you do that for?!”

Ginny smiled back at him. “Keep that viper and all other parts of your anatomy to yourself Draky darling. This is a marriage of convenience. You aren't getting any perks from me. Are we clear Honey-Bunch?”

Draco looked into her chocolate brown eyes and thought despite the hell she'd been through… he'd never seen her look more beautiful. “Crystal Sweet-Cake.” h replied.

“Scrubs!” he called suddenly. Ginny looked at him curiously. “Scrubs!” he called again, more loudly this time.

A moment later, a tiny house-elf with over-large ears, wearing a silky green pillowcase hurried into the room. She curtsied clumsily, causing the feather-duster she was holding to hit her in the face. “Yes, Master. Is Master needing something from Scrubs?” the house-elf inquired timidly.

“Yes.” Said Draco briskly “This Scrubs, is Mrs. Malfoy… Mrs. Draco Malfoy.”

The house-elf's eyes widened. “Master is getting himself a wife?” she said in an awestruck voice. “Scrubs must congratulate Master. Miss is very pretty.”

“Yes, yes. You are relieved of your cleaning duties. From now on, you are to serve as Mrs. Malfoy's personal maid. You answer first to her. If there is anything she wants, or needs, you are to see that she gets it. Understand?”

“Oh, yes Master. Scrubs is very honored to me serving Miss. Scrubs will do her very best to care for her.”

“Excellent! Well then, I have things I need to do. Scrubs, show Mrs. Malfoy to her room. The blue one ajoining mine should be fine. Have a bath fetched for her, and bring her some dinner also.”

“Yes, Master.” Scrubs said, dropping another surtsy to Draco as her started down the corridor.

“Oh, and Ginny dear… don't try anything. Attempting to get out of the Manor without knowing the proper charms and passwords can have some nasty results. Night love!”

“Goodnight, you pretentious little prick.” Ginny said through gritted teeth. “I hope you choke to death on your dinner.”

<TBC>

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AN: Sorry. This entire chapter is crap. The part with Pansy and Percy seems completely out of place. But, I needed something to go in there, and that is what came out. Ginny's remark about being on crack, was a gift to my BFITWW, C.J. Much love to you girl! This might be the last chapter for a bit. Family is here this weekend, and I work all next week, so, there might not be one for a week. But, yes, a thorn from me to you. Enjoy!

P.S. Reviewing is good for the soul!!!

-->

5. Meant to Live

Synopsis: Ginny awaits death in Azkaban after the War. In order to save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang all belong to JK Rowling. The lyrics, “Meant to Live” belong to Switchfoot. Hmm… resemblance of these characters to anyone living, or dead, is purely coincidental.

AN: ok… I changed the title of chapter 4. “Sexing the Cherry” will come at a later date. Sorry it took so long for this chapter. The start of the semester, and a bitchy teacher are interfering with my genius. Also… MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD IS GETTING MARRIED!!! The wedding is set for December 24th, and I couldn’t be happier for her! Convincing Mom however, is another story. Updates will be posted!! Also, much thanx to Dawn Matthews, Tayler, ferret girl, crème de lilac, essence, Harry and Orlando, Mrs. Felton, Mooshy, bigred20, One Magical Muggle, M D, Katelynkay, and all you Anonymous people for reviewing Chapter I4!

Note:

essence: the deaths of the Weasley clan will be talked about in more detail in future chapters!

Chapter V: Meant to Live

~*~

Fumbling his confidence
And wondering why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken

We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life

~*~

“Follow me please, Miss.” Scrubs said. “I will take you to your room.” Taking Ginny by the hand, she led her up the grand staircase.

“How long have you known Master Malfoy?” Ginny asked her.

“Oh! I am being with the family all my life.” Scrubs told her, proudly. “I have seen Master when he was a baby. He is the most beautiful baby Scrubs is ever seeing Miss.”

“I’m sure he was adorable.” Ginny replied, thinking of Leona, and what a pretty baby she had been., all pink and white, with tiny dimpled hands. She had been so tiny, Ron had been afraid to hold her. ‘I’m afraid she’ll break.’ He had confided to his sister.

“Here we are Miss.” Scrubs chirped. “This is to be Miss’ new room.” She flung the double doors open, and Ginny gasped. She had never seen anything so lovely. The walls were a dark blue. Toward the ceiling, white had been blended to give the appearance of clouds in a darkening sky. A writing desk, vanity, and wardrobe made of mahogany were placed strategically about the room. And in the center of it all, set on a pedestal, was a large, four poster bed. It was easily the most spectacular thing in the room.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Well, we know where his mind is.”

“Through here is Miss’ bathroom.” Scrubs told Ginny. “And behind this door, is Miss’ closet. Miss can order things from Diagon Alley, and they will appear in the closet. And over here,” Scrubs walked to another set of double doors, “is the door to Master’s bedchamber.”

“Ah, yes, well, I don’t think we will be using that door much.”

Scrubs blushed. “Is not my place Miss… but Elder Master Malfoy visited Mistress almost every night.”

Ginny blanched. The last thing she wanted to know was Lucius Malfoy’s sexual habits. “Scrubs… I think I’d like to lie down for awhile. I’m feeling rather tired.”

“Yes of course Miss. You rest, and Scrubs will send up a bath, and your dinner.” With a soft pop, Scrubs disappeared, and Ginny was left alone in the room.

She hurried toward the nearest window, and flung the curtains back. She tried to open the window, but found it locked. “Damn him…” she whispered. “Cheeky little bastard doesn’t trust me at all.”

She tried her bedroom door next, and found it unlocked. She poked her head out, and after making sure that no one was coming, she ran quickly down the hall.

“Not so fast Missy!” one old wizard in a portrait called to her. “You’ll break your neck running at such a speed!”

“Shut up!” Ginny hissed as she passed. At this rate, the whole Manner would be alerted to her escape. The staircase was before her, and she hurried down the first flight to the second floor. She was about to descend the second flight, when she heard footsteps approaching the stairs. Ducking down one of the side halls, she found her self in the Malfoy portrait gallery.

Paintings covered every inch of wall, making it near imposable to see the color of the wallpaper. Lords and ladies in medieval dress, snored in their portraits. Ginny walked up, and examined the first painting, a rather handsome young man in his early twenties. ‘Gaston Malfisi, Duc de Vere’ read the golden plaque at the bottom of the portrait.

‘Born: July 3, 1034; Died: 1058

“I wonder what happened to you…” Ginny murmured.

“Psst!” The man in the next portrait waved her over. “He was killed at the battle in Varaville, fighting for King Henri I of France. Family farmed pigs, and the boy managed to kill a man who was about to stab the king in the back. Another soldier quickly killed poor Gaston, but His Majesty was so grateful for Gaston’s sacrifice, that he gave him the title of Duc de Vere.”

“Didn’t live to enjoy it, did he?” Ginny chuckled.

“No,” the portrait replied in heavily accented English. “But I, Pierre Malfisi, a pig farmer’s son, became the 2nd Duc de Vere.” He cackled. “I enjoyed it immensely!”

“I didn’t!” A voice farther down the gallery called. “I died because of the title!”

“That’s my great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-grandson, Charles-Louis Malfisi, 21st Duc de Vere. He and his wife, Marie-Charlotte were burned at the stake for witchcraft. His Royal Catholic Majesty, King Henri II, took the title away.”

“Burned at the stake! But I thought… er… why didn’t they put the fire out? With magic?”

Pierre snorted. “The poor idiot. A squib through and through. A disgrace to the family. We never told anyone of course. Married him off to Marie-Charlotte d’Anjou. Powerful Wizarding family! She gave Charles three sons, all of them highly gifted. In fact their son, Etienne, was one of the mist powerful wizards of his time. After his parents were burned, he escaped to England. Changed his name to Malfoy. Got in good with the English king, and made a fortune.”

Ginny fought back the urge to laugh. “So, the great and powerful British Malfoys are descendants of a pig farmer, and a squib who was burned at the stake?”

“Yes.” Pierre replied. “But don’t go spreading it around. It is a family secret!”

“Well, it seems I am now a member of the family, so the secret is safe.”

“Do you hear that, Elysia?” Pierre called down to the end of the gallery. “This young lady is a member of the family!”

“Come here Pierre!” a female voice cried. “I wish to speak with you. At once!”

Pierre sighed, and disappeared from his portrait, the occasional grunt indicating that he had woken others from sleep as he passed through their portraits. Ginny heard voices whispering, a gasp, and then Pierre was calling her to come to him.

Ginny walked slowly past the sleeping portraits, seeing an occasional eyes open. She stopped near the end of the gallery, and found herself facing the portrait of an extraordinarily beautiful woman. It was impossible to determine her age. She might have been as young as 20, or as old as sixty.

“So,” the woman snapped. “This imbecile tells me that you are one of the family.”

Ginny nodded. “You don’t look like a Malfoy.”

“I married in.” Ginny replied dryly.

“Oh? And just whom did you marry?”

“Draco.”

The woman gasped. “Draco?! Draco Lucien Alexander Malfoy? My little grandson?” C'est imposibble! He is much too young to marry! And you! What is your family name? Who was your mother?”

My name is Ginevra Weasley-Malfoy. My mother was, before she married, Molly Pruitt. And Draco is twenty-four years old. He is old enough to make his own decisions about marriage.”

“I was one-hundred-and-twenty years old when I married my dear Alexander, and I was too young then! A Weasley and a Pruitt, of all things! Well, I suppose it could have been worse… you could have been a Bletchley, or a Parkinson.”

Ignoring the insult to her family, Ginny merely raised an eyebrow. “One-hundred-and-twenty?”

“She’s half-angel.” Pierre explained. “Her mother was the angel Anetariel. She fell in love with a human and… well…” he chuckled. “My lady Elysia was the result.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Angel? But I thought those were just stories.”

“Not at all.” Elysia told her. “Although uncommon, they do indeed exist. We are both blessed, and cursed. We age, although very slowly. We have the power to heal others, but we can not heal ourselves from wounds. We can not die, only be killed. We are forced to watch those we love die, while we remain.” Her eyes darkened, and she looked sad. “I watched my husband and my children die. My grandchildren also. Draco is my great-great-great grandson. He always was my favorite.” She nodded to the picture across from her. “That was my Draco when he was but a boy. Wasn’t he a darling? And Narcissa, so lovely.”

Ginny looked at the portrait. It was a family picture. Narcissa Malfoy was seated in a high-backed chair, her husband, Lucius, standing behind her. And in the front, clutching his mother’s hand, was a younger Draco. He looked like a cherub! Ginny giggled. The poor thing was dressed in a short black skirt, and a white lace shirt with a ruff. Ginny was reminded of the outfit he had worn to the Yule Ball during his fourth year. A vicar indeed!

“Oh, yes ma’am. He is indeed a lovely little boy.”

“Yes… lovely. A pity I didn’t live to see him grown.” Elysia sighed.

“How did you die, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Poison.” She replied, with a chuckle. “A jealous rival. Her husband wanted me, and I was only too happy to amuse him for awhile.” She sighed. “Ah, well. Death is life’s only certainty.”

“Well said Grand- mere.” Drawled a voice, and Ginny turned to find herself face-to-face with her husband. “My love, you seem to have lost your way. Your room is on the third floor. How careless of you to forget.”

“Oh not at all, darling.” Ginny replied. “I simply wished to visit to family gallery.

“Ah, yes, of course. But, you’d best be hurrying along now. No doubt Scrubs has your dinner for you.”

At that moment, Scrubs appeared with a pop. “Oh Miss! Where has you been!? I has your dinner and bath all prepared.” And with a curtsey to Draco, she dragged Ginny off to her room.

“She is most delightful dear boy.” Pierre said to him. “Best not let her escape you.”

“Yes Draco.” Elysia said, quietly. “You’ll not find another like her.”

Draco was not paying attention. He was looking after his wife, and thinking about how much he wanted her.

~*~

AN: Well, that’s chapter five! Hope you have enjoyed! I’ll post the next chappie as soon as possible.

P.S. – Reviewing is good for the soul…

6. Great Escape

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang all belong to JK Rowling. The lyrics, “Great Escape” belong to Guster. Hmm… resemblance of these characters to anyone living, or dead, is purely coincidental.

AN: Here is your chapter, so please don’t beat me! Although not completely satisfied with the chapter, I have released it into the world of fandom. There won’t be another chapter out for a least two weeks, ‘cause I have two tests next week, and I’m working at the Bloomsburg Fair the week after that. Much thanx to Mrs Felton, Dawn Matthews, monagy3, Arin, Katelynkay, Dracosbaby, hartbreak, Peanut, Dj Mandy B, Pirate, Adrial, Tayler, EvLlsFuYy, crème de Lilac, Tears of the Phoenix, Court, Blaze FireStorm, Mooshy, down2earthangl85, Harry and Orlando, Office Depot, chocolatefroggie, Iced_Faerie, faeriedust, Coffee_Lover, all you Anonymous people, and to my ‘faithful reviewer’, essence.

Notes and explanations: some reviewers had questions, which I answered, but for the benefit of all, I’ll post some of the answers here:

Office Depot: Yes, I thought the bit about the pig farmers was rather clever. And for all you history buffs, the battle at Varaville really did take place. Henri I, won that battle, which he fought against the future William I of England. The bit with the pig farmer OBVIOUSLY never happened, but I thought it was fun. Charles-Louis being burned at the stake is also possible. During the reign of King Henri II, from 1547-1559, His Most Catholic Majesty did indeed prosecute the Protestants of France, and indeed, anyone who was not a practicing Catholic. People were burned at the stake and other such drivel. He even created the Chambre Ardente so he could try and prosecute all the "heretics" in his kingdom! Well, enough of the history lesson
I'm glad you liked Elysia. I took her name from the word "Elysium" meaning 'a place of absolute happiness for those who have died' i.e., Heaven. Since her mommy was an angel, I thought it appropriate. We'll be seeing more of her in future chapters!

Court: The two children are Pansy and Percy's. Percy married her after the faking of his own death. Penny, his first wife, was pregnant at the time of her death.

Chapter VI: Great Escape

~*~

Please come tempt me you’ve got something good in mind
Dropped everything glad to be persuade this time
Into the car baby bleed the gas
Fast is fast never turning back

Please come tempt me steal me from this priss-teen life
Oh so gently everyone feels pain this time
Into the car baby bleed the gas
Fast is fast never turning back

Oh yeah not scared of that
The past has passed and we cannot take it back
They want to know if we could get away
Yeah we backed it up and made our great escape
When the dust will settle and they discover
The furthest exodus getting somewhere
While the messengers get the message in
Try to capture us we’ve done nothing wrong

Oh she wants me
And she needs me
She can have me all of the time
Oh she wants me
And she needs me
Circle circle dot dot dot

They want to know if we could get away
Yeah we backed it up and made our great escape
When the dust will settle and they discover
The furthest exodus getting somewhere
While the messengers get the message in
Try to capture us we’ve done nothing wrong

~*~

Ginny sighed gratefully as she sank into the warm water. It had been so long since she'd last had a bath. The dirt of her time in Azkaban melted away, and left her feeling clean and fresh.

Looking down, she realized she had forgotten to take off the chain that held her family’s wedding rings. She slid them by, one by one, associating each one to their owner. “Mum, Dad, Bill, Fleur, Penny, George, Angelina, Hermione, Luna.” Charlie and Fred had never been married. Ron’s ring had gone with him to his grave, and Ginny wouldn’t take Percy’s ring if he begged her on his knees. How her brother could deceive and betray his family... She shivered involuntarily.

"Is the water too cold Miss?" An anxious Scrubs asked.

"Oh, no. It's just right." Ginny assured her. "I want to soak for a few minutes before I eat dinner."

As Scrubs hurried out of the room to get warm towels, Ginny let her eyes wander once more around the expensively decorated room. Who could possibly guess that she would ever become Mrs. Draco Malfoy? Not herself, certainly. She remembered the Draco from school. The 'Ferret Boy' who had set her robes afire, and put an engorgement charm on her breasts. What an event that had been. Madam Pomfrey nearly had an apoplectic fit when Ginny walked into the hospital wing, her breasts the size of small melons. It had taken almost three hours for them to be shrunk back to normal size. “Well, almost original size.”

Then there was the Draco as she had seen him today. There was no evidence of his former maliciousness. He seemed to be genuinely concerned for her welfare. And he wanted to sleep with her. Ginny grinned. IF she had learned one thing from Azkaban, it was that nothing was more useful and easier to control then a little boy in heat. How many times had she bribed the guards to get extra food for Hermione, or Baby Leona? She was certain, that if she played her cards right, she would soon have her freedom.

"He won't know what hit him!" She said triumphantly.

"Miss? Is you ready to get out now?" Came Scrubs voice from the door of the bathroom."

"Yes Scrubs," Ginny said, a glint of triumph in her eyes. "I'm ready."

*************************

She had been trying to escape, of course. That much was obvious. Where she was going, or what she planned to do when she got there however, was a mystery to Draco. It wasn't just the wards and charms that guarded Malfoy Manor. The Neighborhood Squad that roamed through Wiltshire would have caught her mere minutes after she stepped out the front door.

"Are you busy?"

Draco turned, and smiled at the portrait on the wall. "No, not at all. How do you fare this evening, Old Woman?"

Elysia frowned down her aristocratic nose at him. "I am not old! On the contrary, I am in the prime of life!"

"You're dead."

"I am still very much alive!" Elysia, snapped, completely annoyed with her young godson. "These paintings hanging about the house enable me to live a very full life, thank you very much!"

Draco chuckled. "You know I don't mean the horrible things I say to you. They're all in good fun." He smiled up at her, the affection evident in his eyes.

"If I thought you were serious, no amount of wards and charms could save you from my wrath, little one."

Draco made a face. "I hate it when you call me that. I'm not little anymore."

"Oh," Elysia told him sweetly. "I was not referring to your stature, but rather a... certain part of your anatomy." She looked pointedly at his trousers.

Draco turned bright red. "As if you would know!"

"I changed your diaper as a child!"

"Well, much has changed since then!"

"I saw you in the bath last week. Really dear... you should have moved my portrait from that room long ago." Seeing the mortified expression on her godson's face, she laughed softly. "You know dear one, that I do not mean these horrible things I say to you."

"If I thought you did... I'd throw all your portraits in the dustbin."

"Now, now! No pouting. 'Tis very unbecoming. Now, down to business; Tell me about this girl who is now your wife."

Draco shrugged. "We went to school together. She was in Gryffindor, a year behind me. We hated each other."

"And?"

"Well, she had good reason I suppose. I did horrible things to her. After graduation I didn't see her around much. Then I lost track of her, until three months ago. I found out she was in Azkaban, and informed her brother. He saw to it that she got out. This morning I married her."

Elysia snorted. "What you are telling me are facts I already know! I meant something personal. What makes her happy? What does her laugh sound like? Does she have any bad habits?"

"Uhhh... I don't know." Draco admitted.

"I am disgusted with you! Not knowing anything about your own wife! Idiot! Don't come visit me again until you know more about your wife."

"Visit!" Draco sputtered. "This is my study old woman! You're the one visiting me!"

"A technicality." Elysia told him, offhandedly. "My portrait was here first, so the room belongs to me. Now get out."

"Damn you! Ask me her middle name or the color of her eyes and I can tell you. These other things are just--just- ridiculous!"

"Out!" Elysia said firmly.

A very annoyed Draco went stomping out of his study to go pout in the kitchen.

*******************

Ginny was ravenous. She greedily shoved another spoonful of peas into her mouth, and took a drink from the silver plated mug sitting in front of her. "Scrubs, this food is absolutely delicious!"

Scrubs blushed. "All good house elves is knowing how to cook Miss."

"Maye," Ginny said, her voice garbled from another mouthful of peas. "Bu dish ish da besh foo I et fo long tumb." Scrubs glanced blankly at her Mistress. Ginny rolled her eyes, and swallowed. "Sorry. I said, 'This is the best food I've eaten for a long time."

"Miss is kind to say." Scrubs squeaked. "Is Miss wanting more food?"

"No, no." Ginny sat back in her chair with a contented sigh. "I think I'm full now."

Ginny stood up and walked to the bed, as Scrubs began clearing the table. "Oh, Scrubs... What do you usually do with the leftovers?"

"Master has the house elves give them to the poor people of the town Miss."

"Oh...." Ginny said quietly surprised to find a grain of human kindness in her husband. "Well... that's good then."

Scrubs disappeared with the dishes, and Ginny flopped back on the bed. God, it was soft and inviting. Her years in Azkaban plus the months she spent over the two previous years on the floor of a tent had almost caused her to forget what a real bed felt like. Even her bed at home hadn't been so soft, she was sure of it.

The door opened, and she heard someone enter the room. "I think I'm going to go to bed now Scrubs."

"I'm not Scrubs." Her husband said.

Ginny sat up so quickly, she almost fell off the bed. "What do you want?" She demanded. "I hope you don't think you're sleeping here tonight."

"Not at all." He said stiffly. I just have a few questions I would like to ask you." Then Ginny noticed he was clutching a piece of parchment in his hand.

"What's that?" She pointed to the parchment.

"My list of questions." Draco said slowly, as if she were a two-year-old, incapable of understanding everyday conversation.

"You wrote them down?"

"Of course. So I could write down the answers. Now," he fished a quill out of his pocket.

"What makes you happy?"

Ginny stared at him. This wasn't the kind of questions she was expecting. Color of her eyes, birthday, middle name, and things like that were more to her liking. "Um... my family I suppose."

Draco scribbled on the parchment. "Ok, and what makes you angry?"

"Hmm... Well having my robes set on fire by an arrogant bastard ranks among the top-- What kind of questions are these?"

Draco ignored her, and continued writing. "Very good, now, laugh for me."

"What?... Laugh?"

"What are you? Deaf? Yes, laugh."

"I will not!" Ginny said stubbornly. "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, so get out."

"This is my house! I'll go where I please, and I want to stay here."

"Fine," Ginny got up from the bed. "You stay here, and I'll go." She started for the door. As she passed him, his hand shot out, and grabbed her wrist.

"You aren't going anywhere." He growled.

"Let me go!" When he grip on her wrist failed to loosen, she brought her knee up. Hard. As her husband of four hours doubled over with pain, she went tearing down the hall, determined, this time, to make an escape.

*************************

Elysia, could hear him swearing from her spot in the portrait gallery. Shaking her head, she turned to her neighbor, Yulia Zamyatin-Malfoy. "The idiot." She told the younger woman. "Has no idea how to handle women."

***********************

She was going to make it! She only had one more flight of stairs to go. Now she was crossing the foyer. She was reaching for the doorknob, when it flew open, and she collided with the person coming through the door.

"Whoa there! You all right?" A very male voice asked her. Then, "My, my. Aren't you pretty." The blond stranger helped her to her feet. "One of Draco's paramours, I take it?"

Ginny pushed past him, and out the front door of the house. But, the moment she crossed the threshold, there was a flash of pink, and she collapsed in a heap on the front step.

Blaise sighed. He put his briefcase down, then went to retrieve the girl from the doorstep. She wasn't all that heavy. And her red hair was quite pretty. "But then, I always did have a thing for red hair." He murmured, his wife's face swimming into focus.

"Zabini!" Draco's voice called from the top of the staircase. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"The little idiot ran out of the house without removing the ward. Honestly Draco; these conquests of yours get more dense as they get prettier." Ginny stirred in his arms, and Blaise stroked her cheek. "Though, I must congratulate you on this one. She's lovely."

"Zabini." Draco said, his voice deadly calm. "Kindly put my WIFE down."

***********************

"Your wife?!" A very shocked Blaise was pacing the length of Draco’s study. “You married the Weasel’s sister?”

“Yes.” Draco held out a glass of Scotch. Blaise snatched it and gulped it down.

“Why in Merlin’s name would you do something like that?”

Draco shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Her brother is the Minister. My connections couldn’t be better. And,” he added maliciously, Ginny’s attack on his person still fresh on his mind. “She is quite good in the sack.”

“Still... you didn’t have to marry her. You never married any of the others. Is she pregnant?”

“Of course not! I’m not like you Zabini. I wouldn’t marry some Hufflepuff tramp just because she was carrying my bastard.”

“Look here Malfoy. Call my wife a tramp again, and you’ll wish Potter had managed to kill you.”

“I’m sorry.” Draco told him quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, I’m sorry. I should have realized you were joking. Friends?” The blond held out his hand.

Draco hesitated. He had never really considered the other man a friend. Blaise had always been a loyal follower of the Dark Lord, while Draco...

“Friends.” Draco agreed.

“Good.” Blaise rubbed his hands together. “Now, we can get down to business. This morning, his Lordship told me of his intentions for Hogwarts. He said I should discuss the plans with you, and that you would make further arrangements.”

Sighing inwardly, Draco sat down to listen to his Master’s plan.

**************************

“Ginny?”

“Yes Hermione?”

A cough. “Did I ever tell you how Harry asked me to marry him?”

A sigh. She had heard the story a hundred times, but to make the poor thing happy... “No. Why don’t you tell me?”

“It was two years after we graduated. I’d just completed my first year as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He surprised me, down by the lake, with flowers. He said he loved me. He asked me to marry him. Then he kissed me.”

“That’s beautiful Hermione.”

Footsteps coming down the hall. The lock opening on their cell. The door being opened. Hermione, slipping off her wedding ring. “Keep this for me.”

A harsh voice. “Time to go Mrs. Potter.”

Her own voice crying. “Hermione, no!”

“It’s alright Gin, I’ll be with Harry now.”

“No, Hermione! Let her go you bastards! Hermione, no! No! NO!”

~*~

“NO!” Ginny sat bolt upright in bed. She was drenched with sweat. The dream had seemed so real. She felt the tears on her cheeks. They were dead. They were all dead.

********************

Blaise had left, and he was alone in his study. He took a fresh piece of parchment from one of the desk drawers, and hastily scribbled a few lines. He then sealed it, and attached it to the leg of Artemis, his favorite and most trusted owl. “You know where to take this.” He told her, stroking her feathers softly.

She hooted in agreement. The next moment, she had left his shoulder, and was sailing off into the night.

~*TBC*~

AN: Reviewing is good for the soul...

7. Stranger in the Mirror

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. The lyrics to the song “Stranger in the Mirror”, belong to Tarnation. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental.

AN: Yes! It is indeed another chapter. And it is out only a tad (ha!) later then promised. Claases (especially Chem. & the Citizen where the Prof. is a complete FUCKTARD) have been getting in my way. I’ll try to have another chappie out soon.

Much thanx to Arin, serenity237, werewolfgal4, monagy3, HPlova, XxBandGeekxX, tgimds, PhoenixSong, VioletJersey, Cassie, div, Aube, Dark Illusion, Iced_Faerie, laila, Dracosbaby, Seana, Evil Evor, yvonne, Tears_ofthe_Phoenix, all you Anonymous people, my best friend Laura aka Ohmigodess and to my faithful reviewer, essence. Thanx for reviewing Chapter 6!

Chapter VII: Stranger in the Mirror

~*~

Keep your arms open wide love,
'Cause I'm coming home,
I don't know where I am but I don't care,
'Cause I know where I'm going.
I'm going where the voices,
In my head tell me to
I'd walk a thousand crooked miles,
To try to get back to you

These hands are shaking in the shadows,
Of the old morning sun
That's dripping through the window pane,
Lord, this feeling is second to none

Well I'm weary to the bone,
As I wake here alone,
With a pain that won't let me be
And there's a stranger in the mirror,
Staring back at me,
Oh Lord, could it be, is that me?

I can almost see your smile,
And I can almost hear your voice
Rising high up above,
The flat land of Illinois

Well I'm weary to the bone,
As I wake here alone,
With a pain that won't let me be
And there's a stranger in the mirror,
Staring back at me,
Oh Lord, could it be, is that me?

~*~

She awoke the next morning, feeling as if she hadn’t slept at all. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she went over to the vanity, and examined her reflection in the mirror. “Gods... I look old.”

“Oh, no. Miss looks very well this morning.” Scrubs entered a gold plated tea set in her hands. A laundry basket filled to the brim with brand new robes was balanced on her tiny head. “What would Miss like for breakfast this morning? Scrubs can make porridge, bacon, sausage, many different eggs, toast and marmalade.”

“Umm... bacon, eggs, and toast I suppose.”

“Yes Miss. Here is a basket of robes for Miss to try on. Then Miss can come downstairs for breakfast.”

“Mmm?” Ginny asked, absentmindedly, fingering a dark green robe trimmed with silver lace.

“Master is already downstairs and waiting for Miss.”

“Mmm... What? I’m eating with him?!”

“Yes Miss. Master requests that you join him for breakfast, and then you are going visiting.”

“Visiting? Who would I visit? I don’t know anyone anymore. They’re dead.”

Scrubs shrugged. “Master is telling Scrubs that Miss has a friend living nearby. But Scrubs must be getting back to the kitchen. Does Miss need anything else?”

“No.” Ginny pulled the nightgown over her head, and picked up the green robe.

*****************

“Well, don’t you look lovely this morning.” Draco said, glancing up from the parchment he was reading.

“Thank you.” Ginny said stiffly. “I was wondering... who is this mysterious friend of mine that lives nearby?”

“Susan, Blaise’s wife.”

“Susan?” Ginny asked, blankly.

“Susan Bones? Susan Macmillan?” Draco said offhandedly. “You know, the one who’s aunt was on the Wizengamot. She married that Hufflepuff chap.”

“She’s married to Zabini?” Ginny asked, horrified.

“Yes, yes. A few years now. They have three children. Zabini and I work together. I thought I’d leave you there today while Blaise and I attended the ceremony.”

Ginny didn’t hear him. She was trying to absorb the news that a friend and fellow freedom fighter was still alive. Not only that, she was married to one of the Death Eaters closest to Voldemort.

“So,” Draco continued. “If you’re done eating, we can floo over to the hall.”

Ginny looked down at her still untouched plate. She hadn’t eaten anything since the previous evening, but she found that she had suddenly lost her appetite. “I suppose”

“Good,” her husband stood up, then moved to help her with her chair.

“I can do it myself.” She said sharply.

“Fine!” Draco said, quite annoyed himself. Walking over to the stone fireplace, he took a velvet bag from the mantle. “I assume you know how to use the floo?”

“Of course!”

“Just checking. Now then, just say ‘Zabini Hall’. You should land in the fireplace in Blaise’s study. Understand?”

“Yes,” Ginny snatched the bag, and took a handful of powder. She stepped into the glowing flames and threw down the powder. “Zabini Hall.” She said clearly.

*************************

She emerged extremely sooty and disheveled, and immediately began to cough. “No problems?” An amused Blaise asked, as he pulled her from the fireplace to make room for her husband. A dirty look was his only answer, and a moment later said husband appeared looking slightly green in the face. “So glad you could join us Malfoy.”

Draco scowled, and brushed soot from his black robe. “I would have apparated in, but Mrs. Malfoy hasn’t yet been given clearance. Are you ready to go?”

“Nearly. Let me just get your wife settled in, and then I’ll be ready.” Blaise guided Ginny toward the door. “If you’ll come with me Mrs. Malfoy.”

Draco took a step forward. “Perhaps I should come with you.”

“There’s no need.” Ginny said. “I’m sure Blaise is capable of finding his way around his own house. I’ll see you when you get home.” She wiggled her fingers in a mock wave. “Goodbye darling.” She called in a sickly-sweet voice.

“Goodbye” Draco ground out.

*********************

“So, how are things between you and my cousin Mrs. Malfoy?” Blaise asked, conversationally.

“I don’t see that it is any of your business.” Ginny answered.

“Things seem a bit... strained.” Blaise persisted.

“As I said, I don’t see that it is any of your business.” Ginny repeated.

“Look here Weasley, what I really want to know is why Draco married you.”

Ginny snorted. “Maybe you should ask him that question, and leave me alone.”

“I hope you’ll be more pleasant with Sue than you are with me. Otherwise, the poor thing will have a miserable day.” He stopped in front of a set of oak doors. “There you are. Right through there. She knows you’re coming. Oh, yes, and Draco wanted me to remind you that there are wards all around the house to keep you from leaving. Have a nice day.”

“Lovely indeed...” Ginny muttered. She knocked on one of the doors, and then went in. “Hello?”

“Over here, Ginevra.” A soft voice answered. “It was very kind of you to come. I don’t often receive visitors.”

The young woman in the armchair little resembled the friendly girl Ginny remembered from Hogwarts. Susan had lost flesh and color; her cheekbones were more prominent then they had been in earlier years; A look of deep sadness filled her eyes. Her rich, red hair was arranged in a loose chignon at the nape of her neck. A white streak started at her temple, and flowed back to eventually mix with the red.

“I’ve been dying for company.” Susan continued. “Blaise is home in the evenings, but during the day I have only my mother in-law for company. Please, won’t you sit?” She asked, indicating a large armchair in front of the fire. As Ginny took her seat, Susan picked up a little silver bell, and rang for tea. An elf entered, carrying a tea tray, and Susan turned back to Ginny. “Well, you are one of he last people I expected to see sitting in my salon.”

Ginny nodded. “I didn’t expect to find you here either. I didn’t know there was anyone still alive. You can imagine my surprise when Draco told me you were married to Zab--er-- Blaise.”

Susan laughed, a small smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Yes, I suppose you would find it strange. Me, an auror’s wife married to a prominent Death Eater.”

“How did it happen?” Ginny asked. “I mean... you weren’t friends in school. You never dated anyone except for Ernie...”

“I simply fell in love with him. After the Day of Retribution, I was sent to Azkaban. It was there I learned--” she closed her eyes. “It was there I learned that Ernie, my first husband, had been killed. Death Eaters ambushed his auror regiment. Ernie and six others were killed. Ernie’s friend, Terry, died several hours after sharing his information with me. We hadn’t even been married a year.”

As if sensing that teatime was over, the house elf reappeared to clear away the tea things. When she was sure the elf was gone, Susan continued. “I was in Azkaban a total of five months. While I was there, I found out that I was pregnant with Ernie’s child. I didn’t want to bring an innocent baby into the world as it is now, so I tried to kill myself. The others would have let me die, but Blaise wouldn’t allow it. He loved my red hair you see.” She fingered it softly. “He took me from prison, and brought me here, to nurse me back to health. When he found out I was going to have a child, he insisted on keeping me until I had given birth. During the few months we spent together, we got to know each other quite well. By the time Alan was born, Blaise decided that he was in-love with me. I became his mistress.”

Susan looked at Ginny defiantly, as if daring the younger woman to condemn her. When Ginny said nothing, she continued. “Six months later, when Blaise found out I was carrying his child, he married me. That was nearly three years ago. Our daughter, Lianna, will be two next week. My son Alan was three in January. I’m expecting my third child in September.” She put one hand protectively over her stomach.

Ginny was speechless. How could a woman as sweet and good as Susan ever marry a man like Blaise Zabini? “I-- I just don’t understand how you live with the knowledge that the man you are sleeping with took part in the slaughter of thousands of innocent people, including your own husband!”

Susan shrugged. “I simply don’t think about it. If I did, I think I would go mad. I loved Ernie, and I always will, but that part of my life is over. I haven’t forgotten him, I’ve simply... moved on. I suppose--” she sighed. “I’m not happy with my life Ginevra, but I’m at peace.” She reached across the tea table, and took Ginny’s hand. “Make peace with yourself Gin. Your family is dead, and nothing you do can change it. Have a child or two. It will help you adjust.”

“Susan!” A voice snapped, and an older woman entered the room. “Why is Alan-- Oh... forgive me. I didn’t know Susan had a visitor. How do you do,” the older woman extended her hand. “I am Odetta Zabini.”

Ginny had stood as the older woman entered the room. Mrs. Amherst Zabini had been an attractive woman in her younger days, but the years had weathered her looks. Her auburn hair was heavily sprinkled with gray, and her face had on it, a permanent look of discontent. This look was currently fixed toward her daughter in-law. Already feeling an intense dislike for the woman, Ginny took the offered hand. “Ginevra Malfoy. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“A pleasure.” Mrs. Zabini replied. Then, turning back to her daughter in-law. “Susan, my dear, you really must do something about Alan. I found him again, today in the nursery! He knows he is forbidden to go there when Lianna is having her nap. You must be stricter with him!”

“I’m very sorry ma’am.” Susan whispered, submissively. “I try my best, but after all, Alan is only three--”

“That is no excuse! If he were disciplined more often, he would learn not to do it!” She turned to Ginny, a smile plastered on her face. “I am so sorry to have interrupted. Please, enjoy your visit Mrs. Malfoy.” Odetta nodded at Susan, and then swept from the room.

“What was that all about?” Ginny demanded.

“She hates Alan because he is Ernie’s child.” Susan explained. “Even though the Macmillans are pureblooded, their blood isn’t good enough to suit her! She treats my son as if he isn’t as good as the rest of us. Sometimes... I want to kill her.” This last statement was made so calmly, that Ginny was a bit startled. She had never heard anyone speak so certainly about wanting to kill someone... except herself.

“Be glad you don’t live with Draco’s parents.”

“Oh, I’m grateful. I haven’t even seen them since we’ve been married. In fact, I’ve never met his mother. Lucius, I’ve met on several occasions. He is one of those that led the raid on my house.”

“Let it go.” Susan advised. “Try to find contentment in your marriage. And after all, Lucius Malfoy is your father now. Narcissa, at least, is a lovely woman. I met her at a salon given by Katherine Flint. Be glad you have a mother in-law like her.” She sighed, and stood up. “Make yourself at home. If you are hungry, Mitzy will fetch you something up from the kitchens. Feel free to explore this wing of the house. I must see to my son.”

Susan stood up and left the room, and Ginny was left alone. She settled into her chair, and stared into the flames of the fire. Maybe Susan was right. Maybe she should try to find happiness in her marriage. Maybe she should have a child or two. ‘Immaculate conception!’ her conscience reminded her. There was another problem she would have to deal with. As much as she disliked her husband, Ginny had to admit he was one of the best looking men she had ever seen: blond hair, chiseled features, toned body. And the way she felt when he kissed her--

“Miss?” A squeaky voice interrupted Ginny’s train of thought. She looked down to see the same house elf that had earlier brought the tea.

“Yes?”

“There is a letter coming for you Miss!” The elf placed a rolled piece of parchment in Ginny’s hand. Opening it, Ginny read:

My Dear Mrs. Malfoy,

Matters here at the palace are going to keep me longer then expected. Feel free to return home whenever you wish. You might wish to return sooner rather then later, as I have invited my mother over for supper. I shall see you when I get home.

Your Affectionate Husband,

Draco Lucien Malfoy

P.S. - Do not attempt escape. I had the fireplace fixed so you are only able to floo back to the Manor.

“Why that pretentious little bastard!” Ginny hissed. Then realizing the house elf was still in the room. “Please thank the younger Mrs. Zabini for me. Tell her I had a lovely time, but that I needed to return home. Can you do that for me?”

The elf nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes Miss!”

“Tell her I promise to come again soon, all right?”

“Yes, Miss!” The elf replied, and tripped lightly from the room. Walking over to the fireplace, Ginny tossed a handful of powder into the flames. Then, stepping into the fire, she called clearly, “Malfoy Manor!”

Ginny landed with a jolt, and had to take hold of the wall to keep herself from falling. She stepped out of the fireplace, and dusted herself off. She crossed the room, exited into the foyer, and came face to face with one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen.

She was tall, and blond, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Draco. “May I help you?” Ginny asked.

“I am Narcissa Malfoy!” The woman replied, in lightly accented English. “Who may I ask are you?”

***************************

AN: There it be! Reviewing is good for the soul!... and it earns you M&Ms!

8. Do You Really Wanna Know Me?

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. The lyrics to the song “Do You Really Wanna Know Me”, belong to Alannah Myles. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental.

AN: Ta-da! Chappie eight! 1,000 apologies for the long wait! Typing is a pain in my azz, and I have no beta for this story; Not to mention, I had a billion tests, and I’m currently in the middle of FINALS! All these things combined caused the chapter to take forever. BUT itz finally here, and ready to be read. Enjoy this one, and I’ll try to have the next one out sometime during the Christmas break!

Much thanx for reviewing: emvee, ferret gurl, pink tomate, Iced_Faerie, frecklegirl87, Ohmigoddess, Evil Evor, div, VioletJersey, Peanut, blissfulxsin, Will Turner’s Girl, monagy3, Magdalaena, chocolatefroggie, Tinnidawg, yekwah, all you Anonnymous people, and to my faithful reviewer, essence!

Chapter VIII: Do You Really Wanna Know Me

~*~

Do you really wanna know me, do you care what's inside
Can you ever really show me there's no secrets I must hide
If I bare my soul, can you accept it all
My darkest corner's safe behind a wall
Do you really wanna know me at all
I can't accept the pain, my brain screams like a runaway train
Trying to keep my heart on track
The embers turned to flame and I want you back
But I can't trust a memory, can't trust a memory
Oh, I can't trust me
Do you really wanna know me, do you know what makes me smile
Can you ever really promise me this time it's not a lie
I'll believe it's true when you're standin' at my door
I'm always here for you and I'll open it once more
Do you really wanna know me
Do you really wanna know me
Do you really wanna know me at all

~*~

“So,” Ginny thought, “this is my mother in-law. She isn’t at all what I imagined.”

Indeed, Narcissa Malfoy was unlike any mother Ginny had ever seen before. She looked young enough to be her son’s sister. Despite having born Draco, her frame was slender. Her blond hair showed no trace of gray, and there wasn‘t a single wrinkle on her youthful face. “Well?” Narcissa asked, raising a plucked eyebrow. “Are you the new housekeeper?”

“Umm... no.” Ginny began, wondering how she was supposed to explain her hasty marriage to Draco. “Well, I’m Ginny. I’m your son’s wife.”

“His... what? I beg your pardon?” The older Mrs. Malfoy was clearly shocked.

“His wife. We’re married. A few days ago, at my brother’s house...” Ginny trailed off.

Narcissa Malfoy was quiet. Then, the next moment, she had closed the distance between Ginny and herself, and was hugging her. “Thank Merlin!” She exclaimed. “I have been telling him for years that it was time he sought a wife. In this time of uncertainty, one never can be too careful. Another three killed last week, can you imagine? And the Mont Baton boy was his father’s only heir.“ She clucked her tongue and shook her head. Then, she stood back, as if to appraise her new daughter. “You are a great deal thinner than I would like. A skinny girl does not a good breeder make. But, that can, in time, be corrected. You have beautiful posture, and lovely hair. If only you had arranged it better... braids atop the head perhaps. But, that too can be altered. And you don’t seem the type to let my son walk all over you. That is also good, for he would soon tire of you.“ Narcissa smiled at Ginny, her approval evident. “You should be a nice change from all the over-bred young women flitting about nowadays.”

“I-- thank you.” Ginny stammered, unsure of what else she should say.

“Yes, of course.“ Narcissa waved her away, and reaching into the inner pocket of her blue robe, she pulled out a roll of parchment, and a quill. “Come along with me. There are quite a few things to accomplish and we have so little time. Can you cook?”

“Yes, I did quite a bit of cooking--”

“Excellent!” Narcissa interrupted. “You and I shall prepare an exquisite dinner, and have it ready by the time my son gets home. If we find ourselves in need of help, the house elves will be able to assist us.”

“Oh God...”

********************

“Hello?” Draco called into the empty foyer. He had apparated to Blaise’s house first, only to be informed that his wife had left several hours before. He had felt slightly annoyed, but knowing that there was no way for Ginny to escape the house soothed him somewhat. Of course... having his mother alone in the house with his wife. Perhaps he should have told his her of his marriage? What could he have been thinking? “Hello? Gin? Mum?” He called again. There was no answer. “Dear gods, I hope they haven’t killed each other...” He moved toward the salon, his wand out and ready to stop his wife should she prove too much to handle.

“Draco Lucien Malfoy!” His mother’s commanding voice came from the dinning room, and Draco winced inwardly. “Come here to me this instant!”

Draco winced, and reluctantly plodded toward the dining room. Although he would never admit it, Draco was secretly afraid of the woman who was his mother. As a child, she had spanked him with a willow switch whenever he threw food, or hid his nanny’s spectacles. As he grew older, she used threats of ‘no treats’ and ‘showing baby pictures’ whenever he refused to obey her. “Yes mother? What...is it...” he trailed off.

The table was covered with every food he could ever have imagined. Roasted chicken, duck a l’orange, beef pot roast, mashed potatoes, lima beans, carrots, peas, salads, and much more! And to his surprise, standing beside the table was his mother, her beautiful hair coming out of it‘s due, and her pretty face smudged with flour.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Er... well... I... who made all this?”

“We made it.” His mother replied hands on her hips. “Your wife and I. And had a lovely time doing it. Just when exactly were you going to tell me that you had married?”

“Well,” Draco replied, and evil smile on his face. “I figured I would have to tell you when the children started arriving. A pack of children running around the Manor would be hard to miss. And I doubt I could convince you that the postman had dropped them on my doorstep.”

“Of course not!” Narcissa snapped. “The postman wouldn’t be able to pass the muggle-proof enchanted fence!“ But, oh, you!” she took his face between her hands and kissed him fondly. “You are a darling! I can hardly stay angry with you.”

“So, the two of you made all this?” Draco asked, wiping a smudge of flour from his mother’s cheek.

“No,” Ginny supplied, as she sat a platter of hour' devoirs on the table. “The house elves helped make the desserts. Your mother and I didn’t have the time.”

“Ginevra is a marvelous cook!” Narcissa said, glancing fondly at her daughter in-law. “She showed me her family recipe for pot roast. The plum pudding with cheese sauce was her recipe as well.”

Ginny colored under her mother in-law’s praise. She hadn’t expected the woman to be this accepting of her. Nor had she expected to be given gifts by this petite woman who had asked Ginny to call her ‘mamma’. The first thing Narcissa Malfoy had done, was to take off her emerald and diamond ring, and slip it onto the fourth finger of Ginny’s left hand. “The Malfoy engagement ring.” she had said, proudly. “When the son and heir plans to marry, this ring is given to his future bride. When the two are wed, she moves the ring to her left hand. Since you apparently do not yet have a wedding ring, this will have to do.”

Now, looking at Narcissa, affectionately holding onto Draco’s arm, Ginny was strongly reminded of her mother, and the fun the two of them had had cooking meals for the family.

“Plum pudding with cheese sauce, eh?” Draco, raised an eyebrow. “I’m willing to try it.”

“Excellent!” Narcissa clapped her hands together. “We’ll give you a few minutes to change and wash up, and then we shall eat.”

*************

“So, I take it the two of you became well acquainted while making this meal?” Draco asked his mother.

“No, not really.” Narcissa answered. “We were too busy preparing the meal to have much time to chitchat. So, Ginevra, tell me a little about yourself.”

“Well...” Ginny began, slowly. “I am the youngest of seven, and the only girl. In fact, I am the only girl to be born in my family for several generations.”

“And, what is your family name?”

“Weasley.”

“Really!” Narcissa quirked an eyebrow. “How interesting! Then, we may be distantly related. There was are Frederick Weasley who was brother to my Grandmother Black. Is he any relation of yours?”

“Umm... I’m not really sure.” Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “He might be. There are so many relatives, becomes difficult to keep track.”

“Interesting.” Narcissa took a small bite of her roasted chicken. “I had only two sisters. Both of my parents were only children. My grandmother Black is the only one that I know of to have more than one sibling.”

“Oh.” Ginny glanced over at Draco and saw they he had barely touched his food; he had merely pushed it around his plate. And now, he was staring at her with a fierce intensity that made Ginny even more uncomfortable. His eyes seemed to burn into, searching her soul, wanting to devour every inch of her.

Dessert?” Ginny blurted, quickly rising from the table, and snatching her husband’s plate.”

“Oh, yes dear. That would be lovely.” Narcissa said, smiling at her son. “Draco, help our dear Ginevra fetch dessert.”

“Oh,” Ginny looked at her husband, “no, that’s all right--”

“I am more then happy to help you.” Draco interrupted. Rising from his chair, he made his way to the kitchen through a disguised door in the wall. Ginny was hurrying around, gathering up teacups and saucers for tea, while to dismayed house elves did there best to stop her.

Quietly coming up behind her, Draco put a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped, dropping the cups she held, causing the nearest house elf to run for a broom. “Sorry.” Draco bent down and picked up a piece of the broken mug. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“What did you expect, sneaking up on me like that! Honestly!” Ginny snatched the piece of cup from her husband’s hand, and angrily tossed in into the dustbin held by one of the house elves. She felt a slight sting coming from her finger, and realized that her finger was bleeding from where the sharp edge of the cup had cut it.

Taking a napkin she moved to dab the blood away, but before she could, Draco had taken her hand in his. Holding up her finger for his inspection, he brought it gently to his mouth... and sucked the blood away.

Ginny’s eyes darkened. Never had she experienced anything so... erotic. Looking at him, her finger protruding slightly from his mouth, she was seized with the sudden urge to kiss him. It was as if he read her mind. Taking her finger from his mouth, he pulled her closer to him. Her arms went about his neck, and he was pressing his soft mouth to hers.

And then, there came a crash from the dining room. In a flash, Draco was at the door, wand out, Ginny close behind him. Narcissa stood beside the table, a plate in splinters at her feet. “I’m so sorry! I was carrying the plate to the kitchen, when a head appeared in your fireplace.”

“So sorry to startle you Aunt ‘Ciss.” Came Blaise’s cordial voice from the fireplace. “I just needed to speak with the Lord of the Castle.”

“I’m right here.” Draco said dryly. “Honestly Zabini, you could have apparated, or sent an owl.”

Blaise shook his head. “Not for something as important as this. We couldn’t have a security breach, now could we? You’re needed here at the palace at once.”

“I swear Zabini, if this is something that can be handled without me...”

“It can’t. This particular situation requires your expertise.”

Draco sighed. “Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Mother,” he kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Feel free to stay and wait if you like. Ginny... I’ll see you when I get back?”

It was a question, not a command, and Ginny nodded. “Goodbye darling!” Narcissa said cheerily. “Don’t worry about us. Ginevra and I shall be fine!”

Draco nodded to his mother, cast a last, long look at Ginny, and hurried out into the foyer, calling for a house elf to bring him his cloak.

“Now dear,” Narcissa told Ginny, “Please don’t feel as if you have to entertain me. Feel free to retire if you are tired. I’ll wait up for Draco.”

Ginny, suddenly realizing how tired she was, nodded. “Yes, thank you. I think I will. It was so nice to meet you.”

“Yes, I also enjoyed spending time with you. Fear not, I’ll visit often, so you won’t be lonely.”

“Oh, I would like that.” Ginny replied sincerely. “Thank you again. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight dear!”

While making her way up the stairs to her room, Ginny decided she really didn’t want to be alone. Is wasn’t that she couldn’t talk to Scrubs, but the house elf wasn’t one for conversation. With this thought in mind, Ginny made her way to the one place she knew she could find companionship.”

**********************

“You’re back!” Pierre Malfoy crowed triumphantly. “William-Frances owes me £20.”

“You made a bet on whether not I’d be back?” Ginny asked.

“Why not?” he shrugged. “We have nothing better to do.”

“Gambling is a mortal sin!” interrupted a pious voice from the opposite side of the gallery. “Pray and ask God’s forgiveness oh ye sinners!”

“Montgomery Whipple-Malfoy.” Pierre supplied. “Wizard turned Puritan. He was Alden Malfoy’s third son, and had no hope of inheriting the title, until an accident with a hippogriff killed his two older brothers. Luckily, he was in the New World, and that barren country killed him a mere thirteen months after he inherited. His cousin’s son, Reign Quimby-Malfoy succeeded him.”

“Oh! Sweet Reign!” A silver-blond witch cried. “How I loved him.”

“Who--?”

“That is the lady Allegra Marguerite Montecrief St.John-Malfoy.” Pierre quoted. “Her mother, the Lady Malloria, married Lord Harcourt Malfoy when her first husband, Varian St.John, was executed for treason. Harcourt Allegra off to Reign, his son from his first marriage.”

“How do you know all this?!”

“Oh, I’ve been here for a very long time. One has to do something to keep busy.”

“Wouldn’t Hazard or Patience be a better distraction?” Ginny asked, amused.

I tried them for a decade, and then gave them up.” Pierre said. “Augustine-Alexander never figured out how to play, and Charlotte Bennett-Malfoy and William-Frances always cheated!”

“I never cheated!” cried Charlotte, clearly miffed. “But, in any case, the Lady Elysia would like Ginevra to come to her now.”

“Very well!” Pierre sighed. “But,” he shook his finer at Ginny. “You must promise to come back and visit soon.”

Ginny smiled at the old man, and nodded. “Of course I will. It’s very entertaining.” With a last wave to Pierre, she walked down the corridor toward Elysia’s portrait.

“Back again.” Elysia greeted Ginny pleasantly.”

“Yes.”

“No more escape attempts?” Elysia inquired, a smile playing about her lips.

“No. I’ve decided to wait a bit before making my next attempt. Element of surprise and all that.”

“Ah, I see. Are you sure you do not wait because you are becoming attracted to your husband?” Elysia asked, slyly.

“Oh, honestly! I am not now, nor will I ever be attracted to that... that...” she fumbled, searching for a word that would describe the heinousness of her husband. The husband who had only a short time ago sucked the blood from her finger and kissed her as if his life depended on it. “SLIME!” she finally cried.

“Slime?” Draco asked, sounding both puzzled and offended. “Conceited? Perhaps. Cocky? Most certainly. But slime? I think that’s rather harsh. I find myself quite attractive.” Swaggering up to his wife, he swung an arm around her, pulling her close, and planting a kiss on her cheek. “Hello Old Woman!”

“Back to that are we?” Elysia chuckled. “Continue to call me by such an obscene name, and I’ll show your little wife where your bebe pictures are kept.”

“Fine, fine!” Draco held up his hands in defeat. “I merely came to tell you that my mother is about to return home, and would like to have a chat with you before she goes. She is waiting in her private salon for you.”

“Ah! Mya malesha!” Elysia straightened her robes, and fluffed her robes. I must see her. It has been so long. Draco, I trust you can see your wife back to her own apartments? Ginevra dear,” she blew Ginny a kiss. “Have a lovely evening liebling!” and with that, she sailed out of the painting.

“Her portrait is in the salon?”

“Yes. She must have half-a-dozen portraits hanging in the house. I have one in my study. There is one in the library, the large bath, and my mother’s private salon as well.”

Ginny was instantly curious. “Why so many? Was she a great witch? Did she find a cure for some poison?”

Draco laughed softly. “No, nothing like that. She was simply rich and beautiful. She’s part angel; did she tell you?” when Ginny nodded Draco continued. “She made large donations to St. Mungo’s after her husband died. Besides that, she was a great healer. She healed my great-uncle Algernon when he was poisoned. She could also sing beautifully. She even sang at Carnegie Hall, back when it opened in 1891.”

“Oh, my... what a wonderful life she lived.”

“She lived life to the fullest. She didn’t believe in the ridiculous put on women, and did as she pleased. She visited nearly 100 countries and spoke over a dozen languages. She took as many lovers as she pleased after my grandfather died, and never in her life allowed a man to rule her.”

“You really admire her.”

“I loved her.” Draco said, honestly. “Only my mother was closer to me. She died when I was only eight, but I still remember all the things we used to do together. She even climbed trees with me.”

Ginny laughed aloud as she pictured the Lady Elysia with her silk gown and perfectly coiffed hair climbing a tree and scraping her knees.

“What is so funny?”

“Nothing. I was only thinking.”

“Thinking? A new enterprise for you.” Draco drawled.

“That was a cheap shot!”

“What else is a slime to do?”

Ginny tried not to smile, but the look on Draco’s face when he said the word, ‘slime’ was too much. When he crossed his eyes, and touched the tip of his tongue to his nose, she began laughing. Soon she was laughing so hard, that she would have fallen to the floor, had Draco not been holding her up.

“Easy there Missus Malfoy. The Lady of the Manor does not laugh until she makes herself ill. It is just not done.”

“I’m not making myself ill.” Ginny insisted, steadying herself with the help of her husband’s arm.

“Well, it certainly looked that way to me.”

“Are you goning to kiss her yet?” a small voice lisped.

Draco and Ginny looked up to see a blond boy of no more than eight staring down at them. “What-- who the hell are you?”

“That,” Ginny told him primly. “is Charles-Octavius Malfoy, 40th duc d’Vere.”

“And how do you know that?” Draco demanded.

“Because darling... I read it on the bottom of the portrait.”

****************

“So, what did you think of her?”

“I thought she was lovely. A bit rough around the edges, but nothing that can’t be altered in time.”

“You believe then that there is time?”

“I do not know. From what you’ve told me... perhaps not.”

“It is not certain. If they triumph... they may yet be able to make a life together.”

“And what chance is there of that? None! He is much too strong. Surely they should not be made to suffer this.”

“Do not grow hysterical! He knows the risks! I told you only because I feared you finding out another way! And... I feared for your own safety.”

“No. I -- we, chose our way long ago. We will live with the consequences of our choice, even though it means death.”

“Very well... ‘Deus vobiscum’.”

~*~

AN: ok, sorry itz short, but I never pretended to be Cassie Claire with 100 page chapters. Rest assured, there is a plot to this story, it just takes me a bit to actually get there. The end of this story is already written. I have the entire story mapped out, but have to actually write/type the chapters. That is part of the reason why it takes me so long. Forgive the far between chapters, forgive their pitiful length, and attempt to enjoy the story. Oh, yea, reviewing is good for the soul... and it gets you M&Ms from me :p

9. AN

AN: Greetings to all my faithful readers! While on PORTKEY this morning, I realized suddenly that I haven’t updated for a very long time. For this I sincerely apologize.

Things are very hectic this semester, as I’m taking a larger course load. Why, you ask? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is because Yours Truly is going to Germany for five months next year to complete her major. Without the extra courses, I’d be at school for an extra year! *yuck*

I do have some free time, every couple weeks, when my teachers don’t conspire to make my life a living hell with tests, quizzes, and take home essays. But I usually spend that time either with my adorable boyfriend Tim, or with my best-friend-in-the-whole-entire-world, CJ!

However, I have just recently (like... 2 hours ago) decided to spend a bit more time trying to finish this fic. I have 2 pages of the next chapter finished already, and I’ll try to have the whole of the chappie done sometime in the next week.

For those of you who been hanging on since the beginning, and those of you newly joined to LitD, I send my thanx!

Lots of Love,

~*Estaria*~

10. Undone

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental. “Undone” lyrics by Sister Seven.

AN: Finally, here is your chapter. I know it’s been ages, and the chapter is shamefully overdue, but I beg your forgiveness. University classes have been difficult of late, and I had a summer class to deal with as well. I wasn’t planning to update yet (I had only half the chapter done!), but then I got a review for the story, expressing sorrow because the story was “dead”. I then checked the date and realized I hadn’t actually “updated” the story since last year! I immediately sat down and started writing. I am pleased to announce that I have not only this chapter, but the next one done as well! So, you should be getting another update in a few days. And so, after doling out M&Ms to all you faithful readers, I’m proud to give you the next chapter.

On a personal note: - to my beloved CJ, a reminder for you: Whores do it for money, sluts do it for free, wenches do it for FUN. In regard to Dwain: Yea Bob! Have fun pickin’ your wildflowers, try not to get pricked by any thorns! And, for the last time, woman, I did not take your damn red leaf.

A special thanx to all my reviewers: irish_slytherin, Alotua, Tomlove01, diggingupophelia, bluerain13, rembrandt, Blair, Hermionepotter112161, darkflamez , sailor girl, SlytherinBabe29, Peanut, Mooshy, div, Elven-Princess, Joy, Princess, Meg Meg Meg an, mercedes1327, blissfulxin, laila, yekwah, Kadajwannado, monagy3 , HPfan, Drailla, gingin, R.T., missmyrtlemay, Ohmigoddess, all you Anonnymous people, and to my unfailing, ‘faithful’, reviewer, essence.

~*~

Chapter IX: Undone

~*~

Hear the rattle
Change is coming
Baby could you leave me something
Hold me 'til I cannot breathe
I'll wake to find you gone
Well I don't mind this at all
You said that I'd be better off
To find another love

'Cause life's been kinder to me
I will wait this time
'Cause this is stronger than you think
I will stay to show you something
The world is missing
It's hiding under
The shame and wishing
We could finish all that's been undone

wrap around it
Break it open
Push it down the stairs or something
This is what we've come here for
To open wide the change
Some believe in suffering
Keep the lock and toss the key
It's better, easier and all

~*~

“Your mother left earlier than I expected.”

“That’s because she didn’t have permission to travel after hours. After ten o’clock you need special permission from the Minister. If you don’t have it, it’s impossible to get back into the palace.”

“Oh. How long have your parents lived in the palace?”

“Nearly a year. I encouraged them to stay on here, but,” he chuckled, “Mother insisted that I would need the space once I started raising my own family.”

“Sweet Merlin! How many children does she expect you to have?”

“Oh, at least a dozen; half of them sons. I don’t think anything less would satisfy my mother. What’s the matter, darling? Is twelve too many for you?” he quirked an eyebrow. “You come from a family of seven, and yet are surprised that my mother wants a dozen grandchildren?”

“Yes, well, aren’t you the one who were always twitting Ron and me at school because our family had more children than they could afford?”

“Yes, but this is different. Money won’t be a problem for me.” Draco pointed out. “I have more of it then I could spend in a lifetime.”

“Why don’t you do something useful with it then? Like donating some of it to St. Mungo’s?”

“Perhaps if it still existed, I would!”

“You mean... it’s gone?” Ginny couldn’t hide the dismay she felt at this newest piece of information.

“You’re surprised? Hospitals are for the weak. The Dark Lord has no use for weakness in his plans. Those he couldn’t use, he disposed of.”

“That’s disgusting! St. Mungo’s treated anyone who was injured, regardless of which side they were on. They didn’t refuse to treat a patient simply because they fought on the side of the Dark Lord. How utterly despicable!”

“I think you’re taking this all too much to heart, my dear. It is something you need to accept, and then move past. After all,” he stopped, and looked at her. “I had friends who... died because of the closing of St. Mungo’s. But, collapsing in grief over their demise won’t bring them back. Accept it, and move on!”

“There is a big difference between your friends and mine.” Ginny said firmly. “Your friends died at the hands of the Lord they chose to serve. My friends never made that choice. They had the assurance that the side they fought for would never do anything as evil as murder people simply because they weren’t deemed ‘useful’. How can you believe that garbage they feed you? Pureblood superiority, Muggles slaves, or dead. It makes no sense! After all, your precious Lord Voldemort is only a Halfblood! Did you know that?”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly think I would choose a side without first finding out everything I could about it? I read about the history of Lord Voldemort; about his views and goals. I read so much that I have no doubt I would have beaten Granger’s record for ‘Longest time spent in research’. In the end, I chose the side that had the best chance of success. And judging by the way things turned out,” he shrugged. “I would say I’m the one who made the right decision.”

Ginny shook her head. “No... you simply sold your soul.” Despite his justifications, she still was amazed that he had chosen the side of the Dark Lord. Didn’t he realize the cost? Didn’t he realize his life would never be his again? She was so tired. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, and never wake up again.

“I’m going to bed.” she said finally.

“Bed? It’s only nine o’clock!”

“Yes, and I’m tired!” She pressed her palm to her aching head.

He sighed heavily. “Of course, you’re right. If you’re tired, then you should sleep. Mother remarked that you didn’t look well at all. She said you looked unnaturally pale.”

“Oh, really? Well, hmm, let us think about this for a minute, shall we? I spent four years in a prison cell, with no sunlight, and barely enough food to keep me alive. How do you think you would look?”

“Well, I’d be dead.” Draco said. “Because I would have made escape attempts, until they were forced to kill me.”

“Wayne died that way. After the third time they killed him. They tortured him until he was screaming, and then left him for the animals.”

“The fool. He should have signed the oath. If he had, he’d be alive today.”

“Wayne was too clever to be taken in by Voldemort. None of us would ever sign that thing.” she said vehemently. “Not ever.”

“I have you there, my love.” Draco said silkily. “I hate to burst your bubble, but you would be surprised how many of your little friends ‘sold their souls’ as you so eloquently put it, to our Master.”

“Zacharias Smith and that foul Edgecombe slut don’t count! They were never really on our side to begin with!”

“I’m not talking about Smith or the lovely Mrs. Pucey-Bletchley-Montague.” Draco said triumphantly. “I’m talking about the ones who turned after the Day of Retribution: Madley, Stebbins, and Summersby from Hufflepuff all turned in the same day. Then there were half a dozen from Ravenclaw including Cho Chang, or should I say, Mrs. Angus Derrick, and your boyfriend Michael Corner. Then, of course, there is the lovely Mrs.. Marcus Flint: Katie Bell, Gryffindor Chaser.”

“You’re lying!” she said softly.

“Why would I lie? What would I have to gain from it?”

“I don’t know... trying to break down my defenses? Make me change sides?”

“Darling, you’ve already changed sides. You are, after all, married to me, one of the most faithful followers of the Dark Lord. Whether you like it or not, you are on his side as well.”

“But why would you want me if I’m not willing? Why would you marry me? You bastard! Why didn’t you just let me die?!”

“It’s simple. You are the sister of the Minister, Lord Percival Weasley. I saw my chance to make a good move politically. What better way to advance myself than to save the sister of the Minister from certain death? He’ll be forever grateful.”

He had spoken bluntly, and Ginny hadn’t been prepared for it. She had a suspicion, of course, that his reasons were political, but hearing the words from him... “I think... I really should go to bed now.”

He shrugged. “I won’t stop you. Do what you want.”

She nodded, and started toward the stairs, toward her room. “What better way to advance myself than to save the sister of the Minister from certain death?” . His words echoed in her head.

“I don’t know what I was hoping for... but that certainly wasn’t it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Watching his wife walk away from him made Draco bite his lip in vexation. Things hadn’t gone the way he planned. No, not at all. He hadn’t meant to sound like such an ass. But then, he couldn’t have her believing he was weak. But now, she was walking away from him and he waned so much to call her back.

“You’ve messed things up royally, darling.” Elysia said quietly. Draco turned to see her hovering in an oil painting of a young couple on a picnic. They seemed oblivious to her presence. Indeed, the young man’s hand had begun to make its way up under the little witch’s skirt. Lucky bastard.

“You are interfering in something that isn’t any of your business.” Draco told her coolly.

“Her happiness and welfare is my business.” Elysia said, firmly. “I won’t have her as miserable as Celestia and Rosaline were. AS much as I loved my son, I could never condone or overlook the way he treated his wife. She had a miserable existence and I regret not having done more for while she lived here. I refuse to allow Ginevra to be the outlet for your frustrations!”

The little witch and wizard to whom the portrait belonged had at last noticed Elysia’s presence. The little witch had sat up, and was smoothing her skirt. Her young lover looked much annoyed at Elysia’s intrusion of his privacy. “She deserves more after all she has been put through, Draco. If you don’t feel you can treat her with the respect she deserves, I will send for someone who can!”

Her words carried heavy meaning for him, and he sighed in resignation. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, finally.

“Go to her! Apologize for being such a swine. Promise to do better. Make love to her, if you want!” she added slyly, nodding to the love-struck pair that sat behind her in the portrait. “Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind. After all, Draco, I’m dead, not senile. You wouldn’t be a man if you didn’t want her. She is your wife, after all. It is the natural thing.”

“You know very well that this isn’t a normal marriage. It wasn’t made for love, money, or anything like that. It was done to save her life.”

“I do not for one minute believe you feel nothing for her. If that were the case, you wouldn’t fight with her as you do. You wouldn’t have had to marry her. You could simply have helped her escape. You wouldn’t have had to bring her here, to this house, and into your life. No,” she shook her head. “I believe you have feelings for her.”

“You know more than you should.” Draco answered, and hurried off toward his wife’s room.

Elysia smiled. She had won, again. “As you were.” she said to the little lovers, and started back for her own portrait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She had thought about trying to escape again, but realized it would be useless. What would she do, assuming she could even escape the mansion? She had no idea how to make her way around in this new world, alone. She would never go to that traitor, Percy. Living with him would be worse than the four years she spent, wallowing in filth, in Azkaban. But, there was nowhere else for her. She was living in a world that was ruled by one of the most evil men in wizarding history. The world as she had known it had ceased to exist the day Voldemort killed Harry.

There was a knock at the door, and Ginny hastily wiped her hands across her tear-stained cheeks. “I don’t want anything right now, Scrubs. Please, go away!”

The door opened, and much to her surprise, Draco walked in. He closed the door firmly behind him, and came to stand in front of her. “I’m sorry.” he said simply. “I... didn’t mean the things I said to you, out there in the hall. Marrying you had nothing to do with who your brother is. I mean... having him as Minister made marrying you a fairly simple process, but his job isn’t the reason I married you.”

He paused to take a breath, and she raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “I noticed you at Hogwarts. In the beginning, you were always hanging with Potter and his group, so you just blended in. But later, during fifth year, you started hanging around boys. A lot of boys. I watched you with them and I couldn’t help but imagine myself in their place.”

Normally, Ginny would have found such declarations nauseating, but right now, at this moment, it was what she needed to hear. “I never allowed myself to think that I fancied you. I mean... come on... you’re Weasel’s sister after all. But, when your brother asked me to get you from Azkaban, I knew it was the opportunity to get what I’d always wanted.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch you be taken away; not when I’d finally gotten you.” he finished, somewhat lamely.

“My... a speech worthy of Shakespeare.” Ginny said dryly. “How long did you practice before you came in to deliver it?” Draco scowled, not deeming her query worthy of an answer. “Honestly, it was quite good. It contained everything but a declaration of love.”

“That is one thing you won’t ever hear from me. But, I would like us to start again. Begin on a better note. As friends, maybe?”

“Friends?” She raised an eyebrow. “You have friends?”

“Shove it, Weasley.”

“It’s Malfoy.” Ginny corrected. “And I suppose ‘friends’ is a place to start.”

“I thought it was an excellent plan. We will at least have to like each other if we plan to stay married. Divorce is not an option, so don’t even think about it.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You would either be sent back to prison or executed since you haven’t signed that damn oath of loyalty.”

“I won’t ever sign it.” Ginny reminded him.

“Yes, I know. Then you had best resign yourself to being married to me for the rest of your life, and having my little blond babies.”

“We’re having babies now?”

“Of course! Who else would I leave my disgustingly large fortune to? I won’t require a ridiculous number of children. I think an heir and a spare should suffice.”

“I see. And when would you like us to begin breeding these children?”

“We have plenty of time. You’re still young. I won’t force myself on you, and demand my ‘husbandly rights’ if that’s what you’re worried about. But then again... I won't wait forever, Gin.”

He came toward her slowly. Taking her face between his hands, Draco leaned forward and kissed her. It was almost like time stood still. The walls of the manor might have come crashing down around them, and Ginny was sure she wouldn’t be able to move an inch. Her hands moved from his shoulders to his head, where she ran her fingers through his pale tresses. He tasted wonderful. Like warm, sweet, chocolate. He pulled back, and Ginny slowly opened her eyes. He was staring at her strangely. Was she a bad kisser? “I’m sorry.” she said

His face broke out in a grin. “I’m not. Some of the best kissing I’ve had for ages.” She turned red, and he laughed. “It was meant to be a compliment.” he assured her.

“I know. It’s just been awhile since I’ve gotten any. Compliments I mean.”

“That is about to change. From this moment on I promise to shower you with compliments. If I’m remiss in my duty, Elysia will be sure to scold me.”

Ginny bit her lip. “You don’t have to do this, you know: Pretend to like me. You could send me to live with Percy.”

Draco shook his head. “I don’t think that would be wise. You and your sister-in-law would kill each other within the week. However much I might like to see that, I think your brother would have Azkaban reconstructed just so he could throw you back in your cell.” he took her hand, and squeezed it gently. Believe me. I want you here. In this house. With me. Now, I’ll let you get some sleep.” he raised her hand to his lips, and kissed her fingers.

“Goodnight.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ginny sat bolt upright in bed. She was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and shivering like mad. She’d had another nightmare. About Azkaban. She glanced about the room. She could see faint light peaking around the edge of the curtains, so it must be morning. There was no way she could go back to sleep. “As long as I’m up, I might as well have breakfast.”

She didn’t bother to dress, she simply pulled a thick robe on over her nightgown. A good thing too. It was cold in the hall. She padded silently toward the stairs in her bare feet. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she headed straight for the kitchen.

Houseelves moved about, washing dishes and stirring pots that emitted delicious smells. Scrubs noticed Ginny, and hurried over to her mistress. “Miss is early!” Scrubs said, curtsying to Ginny as she dried her wet hands on the fluffy pink tea towel she was wearing. “Breakfast is not being ready for two more minutes.”

“It’s fine.” Ginny assured her. “I’m used to it. Growing up with six brothers made waiting for food a daily occurrence. My mother tried to cook as quickly as possible, but six hungry, teenage boys made the food disappear quickly.”

Scrubs, and the houseelves within hearing looked positively scandalized at the very idea of a household run without houseelves. “I Miss will sit,” Scrubs pointed to the sparkling clean kitchen table, “Scrubs will bring Miss her tea.”

“Make that two teas.” Draco entered the kitchen, his right hand busy securing his left cufflink. Ginny was not surprised that even at this early hour, not one of his blond hairs was out of place. It looked so different from last night, when it had been a tangled mess from her running her hands through it.

She didn’t realize she was staring until he chuckled softly, and raised one pale brow. “Something wrong Gin? You look as if you’d like nothing more than to eat me. “

“No,” she said, blushing slightly. “Nothing at all.”

“Right then. My mother just owled to inform me that she is coming to visit today. She has great plans to redecorate the entire manor to suit your taste. Zabini’s wife is coming with her, as is the Honorable Mrs. Percy Weasley.”

“Mrs. Percy Weasley?” For a moment, Ginny’s mind drew a complete blank. Then, she made a face. “Oh, you mean Pug-nosed Parkinson.”

Draco tried not to laugh. “She is no doubt, coming to inspect your progress. Try not to commit any treasonous acts in my absence.”

He hardly had time to duck before her teacup came sailing across the kitchen at him, just missing his head and breaking with a crash against the wall. There were frightened squeals from several of the houseelves, and a particularly tiny one wearing a pale pink tea towel ducked beneath a table as Ginny’s saucer followed the teacup. The saucer struck Draco square in the chest, and then shattered on the floor.

Draco closed the distance between them. Before Ginny had the chance to utter a sound, he had taken her by the wrist and dragged her from the kitchen. “Let go!” she demanded.

He continued to walk, stopping at the end of the hall near the statue of a naked woman holding a water jug. She looked furious. He grinned. “I was only joking in there. How else was I supposed to get you out of the kitchen?”

“Get me out of the kitchen? Why?”

“So I could do this.” Drawing her forward he kissed her softly, but thoroughly. She drew him closer to her, slipping her arms around his neck. He was surprised, but only for a moment. Then he kissed her back. Her lips opened slightly and his tongue met hers. He pulled her against him, and her body melted against his. Tentatively, she ran her fingers through his hair. She felt herself being pushed back against the wall. Somewhere in the background, she heard the statue topple from its stand and fall to the floor. His hands caressed her back and began to move lower.

There was a distinctive pop, and the next minute, a gasp penetrated Ginny’s mind. “Oh, forgive us. Are we interrupting something?” asked an amused male voice. “Narcissa, you told me our son was expecting us.”

Draco looked slightly annoyed at the intrusion. He ran a hand over his hair, attempting to smooth it back down. Ginny pulled her bathrobe more tightly around herself. “I told our son that we would be arriving promptly at half-past seven. Perhaps, Draco, you didn’t notice the time?”

Ginny tried not to feel embarrassed. But they had, after all, been caught, snogging against a wall in the hallway. And what could be more embarrassing than being caught by one’s in-laws? Draco’s eyes were still slightly glazed over. Ginny tried to smile, and said simply. “Forgive us. We didn’t realize it was so late.”

“Its nothing darling!: Narcissa waved her hand in a dismissive fashion. “When Lucius and I became engaged, his father came upon us in the music room in the east wing. Needless to say, it was quite embarrassing.” she laughed softly. “He forbade anyone to play the piano again.”

“Narcissa!” Lucius scolded.

“I’m sorry, darling. Ginevra, may I introduce my husband, Lucius Malfoy. Lucius, Draco’s wife, Gin--”

“Little Ginny Weasley. My, haven’t you grown up.” He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss on it. “Draco, I must congratulate you. She is quite lovely, and her connections couldn’t be better. The Minister, of course, owled me to inform me of the marriage, although, I must confess I was surprised. I wasn’t aware that you and Ginevra were close, or even that she had joined our side.”

Ginny smiled, blandly. Percy had obviously not felt it was necessary to inform Lucius Malfoy of the events surrounding her ‘conversion’, and Ginny herself did not think the information important enough to mention.

“If you are ready Draco, perhaps you and your father should go.” Narcissa suggested, filling the uncomfortable silence.

“Ah, yes.” Lucius added. “His Lordship has matters of vital importance to discuss with us Draco.”

“Hurry along then. Ginny and I have a busy day ahead of us. We should make ourselves comfortable in the study until the others arrive. Have you already eaten, Ginevra? No? Then we will adjourn to the dining room.”

“Have a lovely afternoon ladies.” Lucius bowed to Ginny, kissed Narcissa on the cheek, and apparated with a soft ‘pop’.

“Goodbye Mother. Ginevra.” The look Draco sent his wife promised retribution for the interruption they had suffered. Ginny merely smiled, and waved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“How are things between you and my son?” Narcissa asked.

“Fine.” Ginny replied, taking another bite of her scrambled egg.”

“And, is he a good lover?”

“I’m sorry?” Ginny asked, sure she hadn’t heard correctly.

“I didn’t stutter, Ginevra. I asked you whether or not my son was a good lover. A woman named Muriel, Lucius’ most skilled mistress, schooled him. If he is a selfish lover I shall be quite put out. We paid the woman ten thousand galleons to teach our son everything she knew.”

“Ten thousand galleons! You’re joking!”

“Certainly not.” Narcissa sipped her tea. “We couldn’t have him be an ignorant fool on his wedding night. Malfoy men have always prided themselves on being excellent lovers. Lucius was determined that our son should be one of the best. So, is he a good lover, or not?”

Ginny was saved from answering by the arrival of Susan and Pansy, their children in tow. Susan had only Alan with her, but Pansy had brought both of her children with her for her visit to the manor. Ginny had to admit that the children were beautiful. Five-year old Tom had hair as red as Ginny’s own. He looked a lot like Fred and George had at the same age. With a pang, Ginny realized that Tom had been born only a few months after Penny had died. That meant that Percy had been sleeping with Pansy while his first wife was still alive. The bastard! Like her mother, Callisandra had glossy hair, and a pug nose. But, if Pansy’s looks were anything to go by, Calli would be beautiful when she grew up.

“Ginny! It’s good to see you.” Susan came forward and hugged her friend. “And this,” she pushed a dark-haired little boy forward, “is Alan.”

“Hello, Alan.” Ginny said kindly, wiping his brown hair out of his eyes.

“Hello.” he whispered.

“What a darling he is Susan!” Narcissa cried, coming up to give the younger girl a kiss. “And you are looking well I see. The baby isn’t troubling you overly?”

“Not at all,” Susan touched her rounding stomach. “I haven’t been ill at all.”

“Good. Now then. Why don’t we send the children up to the nursery, and get started redecorating the house.”

“Thank Merlin!” Pansy said. “Thomas and Callisandra have been driving me mad all morning!”

Narcissa smiled politely, and indicated to a nearby houseelf that she should show the children and their nannies to the Malfoy nursery. “We will have to be sure and redecorate that room as well. So it’s ready for your babies, Ginevra.” Narcissa patted her daughter in-law’s hand.

Pansy’s eyes widened at this new piece of information, but Narcissa said no more on the subject, leaving Pansy to wonder if her sister in-law was indeed pregnant. “Why did you do that?” Ginny demanded later, as she and Narcissa carried fabric swashes to the third floor parlor.

“Children promote stability.” Narcissa explained. “If your brother and sister in-law believe you are pregnant they will think you have at last accepted your situation and decided to settle down. They will cease to monitor your activities, and you will be free to live your life in peace.”

“Oh... thank you.”

Narcissa shrugged. “There is no sense in making things more difficult for you than they already are.” she hesitated, and then continued. “Is there a chance that you might be expecting?”

Ginny started. “No!” she said quickly. “I mean...”

“You don’t have to explain to me. You have plenty of time. It will happen when it is meant to happen.”

Ginny smiled at her mother in-law, and the two rejoined their guests. They spent all afternoon and most of the evening picking out colors and fabrics for the numerous rooms in the manor. By the time her guests left, Ginny was exhausted. She excused herself to Narcissa, and went upstairs to lie down.

Narcissa walked over to a pile of discarded fabrics. After rummaging around in the pile, she pulled out a lovely, light blue color that she knew would look beautiful on the nursery wall.

“Tsk-tsk!” Elysia scolded. “Sneaking around in the dark of night! Whatever shall I do with you Narcissa?”

Narcissa smiled wickedly. “Just incase.” she confided, and the two conspirators laughed.

~*~

AN: And there you have it readers! Twelve typed pages of my best stuff! Well... maybe not the best. But it took tremendous effort on my part to turn out such a long chapter. Written out, it took up 27 pages! Don’t expect the next chapter to be anywhere near this long. I have yet to type it, but it’s only about 14 pages hand-written. It might get longer if I add stuff to it. I often do things like that at the last minute. So, anyway, expect a chapter sometime next week. That should be enough time for this chapter to sink in and me to get an obscene amount of reviews! M&M’s to all my readers. And remember... reviewing is good for the soul!

11. Every Time I Look at You

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental. “Every Time I Look at You” lyrics by Il Divo.

AN: Here is your next chapter, out sooner then expected thanx to summer vacation and my wonderful beta, rembrandt. I hope you guys enjoy it! A quick explanation: In an early chapter I called Percy and Pansy’s children “Aurelia and August”. Last chapter I called them “Tom and Callisandra”. Instead of sounding lame by saying, “I forgot what I named the kids!” I will attempt to sound clever, and say that the names of the children are “Callisandra Aurelia” and “Thomas August”. Why Percy is calling them by their middle names we will never know (I can’t think of a reason LoL!), but there is the explanation.

AN2: HBP is out! Hoorah! I read the book immediately after getting it, and finished it in a little under 6 hours. I know some of you were disappointed with the way things turned out in relation to the ships, etc. but I must confess I wasn’t surprised. I just want to let you all know I’M NOT ABANDONING THE FIC because of things that happened in book 6! Even though at this point it looks like the D/G ship doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of happening (those of you who read HBP know why), I will continue to write the story. This story was already planned and partially written before the release of HBP, and I haven’t allowed to many ideas from the book to work their way into the story. Once in awhile, something may pop up (like Mrs. Zabini’s 7 husbands!), but for the most part, this story is pre-book 6. Enjoy the chapter!

A special thanx to all my reviewers: antidarthani, reemy, Katy, Ohmigoddess, monagy3, darkcharlie, frecklegirl37, aliasfreek, Adena Malfoy, blue flame878, missmyrtlemay, slymom, Tomlove01, CzarJane, blissfulzsin, Jane, Property_of_James_Potter, Rembrandt, HermioneandHarryShipper, Kadajwanado, music_of_the_night, irish slytherin, cuteblondebabe, HPfan, Whiteowlswan, and all you Anonymous people for reviewing the last chapter!

Note: Six months have passed since the end of the previous chapter. Fic time, it is around the first week of August. Yes, this means Susan’s baby was born a month early!

Chapter X: Every Time I Look at You

~*~

I used to think that I was strong
I realize now I was wrong
'Cause every time I see your face
My mind becomes an empty space
And with you lying next to me
Feels Like I can hardly breathe

I close my eyes
The moment I surrender to you
Let love be blind
Innocent and tenderly true
So lead me through tonight
But please turn out the light
'Cause I'm lost every time I look at you

And in the morning when you go
Wake me gently so I'll know
That loving you was not a dream
And whisper softly what it means to be with me
Then every moment we're apart
Will be a lifetime to my heart

I close my eyes
The moment I surrender to you
Let love be blind
Innocent and tenderly true
So lead me through tonight
But please, please turn out the light
'Cause I'm lost every time I look at you
Lost. Every time I look at you

~*~

“Oh Susan, she’s so beautiful!” Ginny lightly stroked the baby’s dusky cheek and ran a hand over her dark curls. “She has so much hair.”

“Amazing isn’t it, considering how early she was.” Susan said. “She gets the color from Blaise, of course. I was hoping it would be red, but…” she shrugged.

Ginny made a face. “Be glad it isn’t. Draco recently started calling me ‘Red’, and I can’t stand it; and the way he says it, you would think I was ten years old.”

Susan laughed. “I’m glad the two of you are getting along.”

“Yes… well enough.” Ginny looked over Susan’s head to where her husband was standing, talking to Blaise. The truth was, they were getting along better then she ever could have imagined. Since the day Narcissa and Lucius had visited, Draco had gone out of his way to be nice to her. He sent flowers up to her room every morning. He removed some of the wards from the house so she could walk about the grounds at her leisure, and, as a final act of trust, he had taken her shopping to buy a new wand.

"Sometimes," Ginny looked away thoughtfully, "when he smiles at me, I can almost forget that he's a Death Eater."

“It comes it time.” Susan assured her. She took the baby from Ginny, and handed her to her nurse. “You won’t ever really forget, but in time you’ll be able to… accept it. When you are with him, it won’t matter anymore.” She smiled conspiratively. “Besides, once the babies start coming, you won’t have time to think about it.”

Babies again! It was all anyone wanted to talk about. It wasn’t that she didn’t want children. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to bring a child into the world, knowing it would grow up under the rule of the most evil wizard the world had ever seen.Coupled with this was the fear that her child would be expected to go into the service of the Dark Lord.

Then, of course, there was the fact that she and Draco had not yet slept together. They had kissed on many times, even progressed to her sitting on his lap or on a table while he touched her. But on all of those occasions she had drawn away from him at the last moment, afraid to let him get too close to her.

“You want to have children, don’t you Ginny?” Susan asked.

“I love children, Susan. I grew up in a household with six brothers, and between them, my brothers had seven children of their own. If you had asked me a few years ago if I wanted to have any, I would have said ‘Yes, absolutely’. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Is it because you don’t love him?” Susan asked, hesitantly. “Because it takes time for love, to happen Ginny. You and Draco have only been married for six months.”

“Love? I’ve quite given up on that. I think the best I can hope for is thatDraco and I willreach a place where we like each other, and are capable of being in the same room for ten minutes without wanting to strangle each other. Besides… I don’t think either of us is capable of love.”

“I think you’re wrong.” Susan looked over to where their husbands were standing, and pulled Ginny closer. “When Ernie was killed, I thought I would die. Without him, my life meant nothing. It was an empty, torturous existence, and all I could think about was finding a way to be with him again. Then I met Blaise,” she smiled. “And he saved me. Despite all he has done and everything I had to go through, Blaise and I were able to build something. He was my lifeline, and I was his. I am his assurance that he’s a human with human feelings, and he gave me two wonderful reasons to live. Whether you know it yet or not, Draco is the same. He needs to be reminded of his humanity.”

“Who says we’re human?” Blaise walked over to stand beside Susan. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and grinned at Ginny. “Growing up, my sisters always insisted that I was a worthless troll who should have been drowned at birth.”

“Blaise!” Odetta Zabini glided into the room, a frown on her face. “I am quite sure that neither Vela nor Carina ever said any such thing. They have always behaved like ladies, even when you were trying their patience.”

Blaise gave a short bark of laughter, earning him another frown. “I have come to collect your daughter. She should have been in bed long ago.”

Blaise shrugged. “Take her then, if you want.”

Sending one last glare her son’s way, Odetta followed her granddaughter and her nurse out of the room.

“Ladies!” Bliase scoffed, as soon as his mother was out of earshot. “She obviously never found out about Vela’s adventure with Pucey and Higgs in the north-wing sitting room.”

“Or about Carina and Flint during third year.” Draco added. “Remember that?”

“Gods!” Blaise laughed. “I can still see Bell, chasing Marcus down the corridor. The fool! If he wanted to shag my sister without his fiancé finding out, he should have picked somewhere more discreet then the astronomy tower.”

“Exactly!” Draco agreed “Somewhere safe, like his dormitory.”

“I didn’t realize that you had any siblings.” Ginny said, curiously.

“Oh yes, quite a number.” Blaise said. “Let me see… there are Reginald and Selené, from mother’s first marriage to Raymond d’Auge. Mensa, Maia, and Merak are from her fourth marriage to Artur, Lord VinEngle, who, by the way, was a Muggle. Vela was the product of her fifth marriage to Archimedes Flint, Marcus Flint’s uncle, and Carina and I are the children of her seventh, and final marriage to my father, Rasalas Zabini.” He grinned. “So, I do indeed have siblings, but we don’t all have the same last name. Only Vela went to Hogwarts with me. The M’s were all raised without magic, and the rest of my mother’s brood went to Durmstrang.”

“You see.” Draco tugged Ginny’s braid playfully. “Non-magical folk run on both sides of the Malfoy family.”

“On that note,” Blaise said loudly, “I think I’ll go check on dinner. Susan, if you could keep our guests busy?” he kissed her and strode out of the room.”

Draco turned to Susan. “Congratulations Mrs. Zabini, on your new arrival.” He said. “Although early, she seems healthy enough. I don’t believe your husband told me her name. Would you care to enlighten me?”

“We named her Danae Thomasina Zabini.” Susan said. “Danae for Blaise’s grandmother, and Thomasina in honor of the Dark Lord. It was what my mother in-law wished.” She explained.

Draco made a face. “Thomasina? Good Gods! You saddled the child with a name that is sure to make her the laughingstock of Hogwarts.”

“You forget that Hogwarts doesn’t exist anymore.” Ginny reminded him. “It’s nothing but a burned-out pile of stones.”

“She wouldn’t attend there anyway.” Susan said. “Blaise and his mother want both girls to attend Durmstrang. There, they will receive a proper magical education, as well as make appropriate Pureblood marriages.”

“Your children are still in diapers, and you’re already planning their marriages?” Ginny asked.

“Much too early if you ask me.” Draco said. “My parents waited until I started school before they chose a wife for me.” Ginny glared at him, and Draco laughed, shrugging helplessly.

“How else is the Dark Lord to replenish his ranks?” asked Blaise, entering the room with his mother on his arm. “So many were killed in the purge that the number of Pureblood families went down considerably. It was, of course, necessary to get rid of the Mudblood filth, but the lose of so many Purebloods was an unfortunate. They didn’t have to die.” he continued. “They chose to reject the Dark Lord, and brought about their own destruction. Longbottom for example! What was his name… Nigel?”

“Neville.” Draco supplied. “Neville Longbottom.”

“Yes, Neville. Pureblood! He knew what would happen to traitors. He had his parents as an example. But still, the fool joined the Resistance. He paidthough, for his folly. We caught him in a scrimmage, shortly before the Day of Retribution and put him into Azkaban. The Dark Lord promised mercy if he would only sign the document, pledging his loyalty to out Master, but Longbottom refused to sign it! He died, in prison, a short time later.”

Ginny’s eyes closed. She remembered hearing Neville’s screams as he slowly slipped into madness. In the end, he was crying for his mother and begging to be allowed to see his wife.

“His wife died during the final battle,” Blaise continued, “and they had no children. The name of a Pureblood family completely gone!” he shook his head in disbelief. “Now do you see, my dear Mrs. Malfoy, why marriage and children are encouraged by the Dark Lord? Every family I know has had at least one child since the war ended, and most have more. The Corners have three, and the Flints have five. In fact, Marcus told me yesterday that Katherine is expecting their sixth child early next year.”

“That many?” Ginny was surprised. “But, it has only been four years since the war ended.”

“Katie has been having them ten or eleven months apart.” Susan explained. “The first four were girls, and Marcus badly wanted a son. This last one was a boy, but he is sickly, so Marcus wanted to have another. Katie hopes very much that this one will be a strong son.”

“That is as it should be!” Odetta Zabini spoke for the first time since reentering the room. “It is a wife’s duty to provide many strong, healthy sons to carry on her husband’s name. I can only hope that next time you will not fail in that regard.”

Her voice was like acid, and Susan paled visibly under her mother in-law’s scorn. Ginny glanced at Blaise, expecting him to say something in his wife’s defense, but Blaise remained tight-lipped and silent, his face void of any emotion.

“Forgive me Aunt Odetta, but I think it is time I took Ginevra home.” Draco said, filling the uncomfortable void. “Long hours are still too much for her, and I don’t wish her to become ill.”

“Of course, Draco, of course. Take her home. Do say hello to your mother for me and ask her to come and see me. It’s been ages since I’ve had a visit from her.”

“I will aunt. Goodnight, Zabini. Susan, have a pleasant evening, and my congratulations on your daughter.” Draco took Ginny’s arm and gently, but firmly guided her toward the door.”

“What a horrible woman!” Ginny hissed, as soon as they were out of the room. “Acting like poor Susan was a failure.”

“In the eyes of our society, she is.” Draco stooped before the fireplace, and took a small bag from the mantle. Reaching into the bag, he threw a small handful of powder into the fireplace, turning the flames a bright green.

Ginny took a handful for herself, and stepped into the fire. “Malfoy Manor!” she said, clearly. Climbing out of the fireplace on the other end, she took out her wand and set about cleaning her robes and hair.

Scrubs instantly appeared at Ginny’s side. She added her efforts to rid Ginny’s clothing of soot, vigorously brushing the bottom of her mistress’ cloak. “Will Miss be wanting to have a bath?” she asked in her squeaky voice.

“Yes, I think I’ll have one. Could you also have some food sent up to my room?”

“Would Miss like to have chicken or roast beef?”

“Chicken, I suppose.”

“And Master?” Scrubs asked, curtseying as Draco appeared in the fire. “Would Master like some food?”

Draco shook his head. “I don’t need anything at the moment. Just see to it that the windows are opened in my study. I have some work to do before retiring, and don’t wish to be stifled by the heat.”

“Yes, Master! Scrubs will do it at once!” Dismissed, Scrubs bowed her way out of the foyer and then disappeared with a loud ‘pop’.

Draco watched her go, and then took out his own wand. “May I walk you back to your room, or would you prefer to go alone?” he asked his wife, as he vanished the last of the soot from his shirtsleeves.

Ginny hesitated. She wanted him to walk her back, but she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. Sex with Draco was something she wasn’t quite ready for.

“I won’t stay.” He assured her, as if reading her mind. “Just… let me walk you up.”

“Alright.” She agreed.

He smiled. Taking her by the hand, he led her toward the stairs. For the first flight or so they didn’t speak. Then…

“I’m not like that.” Draco said, suddenly. “I don’t expect you to stay locked-up in the house, breeding children that can grow up to produce more Purebloods. Zabini’s way of thinking went out sometime in the nineteenth century.”

“His way of thinking is the Pureblood way of thinking.” Ginny said. “I know that. My grandmother rejoiced every time my mother had a child, because it meant there was another Pureblood in the world that could ‘go forth and multiply’. She carried her Pureblood notions all the way. In the beginning, she forbade my mother to marry my father because she was afraid the Weasley’s Muggle-loving tendencies had allowed for some Halfbloods to weasel their way into the line. She only agreed to the marriage after my father showed her his family’s tapestry, proving the ‘purity’ of his direct line.”

“It’s more than likely that all Pureblood lines are somewhat tainted.” Draco agreed. “I mean… what exactly constitutes a Pureblood line? How far back does the line have to be ‘pure’? Sometime or other, a witch or wizard of questionable lineage is bound to have infiltrated some if not all Pureblood lines.”

“Including yours!” Ginny said. “I’ve heard all about the French pig farmers you and you ‘most noble’ family descend from.”

“Oh, Gods!” Draco groaned. “I can’t believe you heard that story! It is meant to be a family secret. Pierre is forbidden to tell it to anyone who isn’t a member of the family.”

“I am a member of the family.” Ginny reminded him.

"Why, yes, you are, aren't you?" smirked Draco, pulling her closer to his side.

They had reached her room, and Ginny turned and smiled up at him. “I had a lovely time today.” She said.

“What? At the Zabini torture session?” he asked, amusedly.

“No! Just… being with you, and being able to talk to you.”

“I enjoyed being with you too.” He admitted. “Do you think that tomorrow we might be able to spend some time together? Alone?”

“Us?” she raised an eyebrow. “Alone? Do you think we will be able to pull it off without killing each other?”

“I don’t know.” He ran the tip of his finger around her wrist. “I think we might manage it.”

“Really?” Ginny was starting to have problems concentrating. “I… maybe…”

Draco tilted her chin up. He was going to kiss her, and Ginny knew she was going to let him. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned forward.

A small cough came from behind them. “Damn it!” Draco swore softly. “What?!” he yelled, turning to face the trembling houseelf.

“Sir…” the elf held out a roll of parchment to her master. “This is coming for you Sir.”

Striding forward, Draco took the roll from the elf’s trembling hand. He broke the seal and read the note, his eyes roaming quickly over the parchment. His eyes widened in surprise as he reached the end, and read the signature. His eyes shifted back to the houseelf. “How did this arrive?” he demanded.

“A man is bringing it to the house, Sir. He is bringing it to the front door and I is taking it Sir. He is telling Beanie to give it quickly to her Master, and Beanie is doing it.”

“He brought it to the house?” Draco was clearly surprised. “Did he say anything else to you?”

“Yes, Sir.” The houseelf’s eyes shifted nervously from Draco to Ginny, and then back to her Master.

“Well?” Draco was clearly impatient.

“He is saying words Sir. Words that Beanie is not understanding, Sir.” The houseelf said softly.

“Right. That will do then. Return to your duties.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ginny’s heart sank. “Is it important?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so. I’m needed at the palace immediately.” Draco said. Taking out his wand, he touched it to the parchment. The note immediately burst into flames. Draco let it drop to the floor and turned back to Ginny.

“I am sorry about this. But, I still want us to spend time together tomorrow. Alright?”

“It’s a date.” She agreed.

“Good…” he leaned forward, and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The fire in his study was burning brightly, the flames green. With the floo network being monitored, he needed to be careful. “Knockturn Alley!” he said clearly.

He appeared almost instantly, in a rather dirty pub at the end of a backstreet. It was crowded, and no one saw him slip out the back door and into the alley. It was pitch black. All the better for him. He looked around cautiously, to make sure he was alone. Convinced he wasn’t being watched, he apparated and appeared in his chosen destination a few moments later.

The light from the moon illuminated him as he crossed the empty space between the forest and the building. He hurried inside and up the stairs, all the while listening for anything that might indicate he had been followed. He passed a series of other doors, and was careful to make no noise. At last, he came to the door. He knocked softly, and waited. After a few moments, it opened and a pale face peaked out from behind the battered door.

There was a gasp, and a young woman threw the door wide, and flung herself into his arms. “Draco!” She buried her face against his shirt.

He returned her embrace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the Manor all the windows were dark. The Mistress of the house was asleep, and everyone knew that the Master wouldn’t be back until the morning. In the upstairs hall, a tiny houseelf named Peachy was busily sweeping the hall. Peachy would sweep up some ashes and a scrap of parchment along with all the dust and dirt, which she would dispose of at the end of her cleaning.

On the parchment, a few words could still me recognized. In delicate, feminine handwriting was written:

…need you,

Cat

~*~

AN: There you have it folks! No idea when next chapter will be out, but it will be soon, I promise. The chapter is done and just needs to be typed and sent of to beta. In the meantime, enjoy the fic, reread it a few times, and invite your friends to read it! Also, (dare I say it?) remember that reviewing is good for the soul.

12. Unexpectedly

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask. And, hmmm... uh... Any resemblance to people living, or dead, is purely coincidental.

AN: Ok my loves here is chapter eleven! Sorry for the delay! I know I promised it would be out a few weeks ago, but (unfortunately) I couldn't foresee a natural disaster. The arrival of hurricane Rita inconvenienced my beta reader and made her review of the chapter take longer than it normally would. I only hope you find that the chapter was worth the wait.

A special thanx to all my reviewers: AJ, blue_flame878 Ccoldwell, kristal182, KellyNicolette, Noodles90, slymom, lifelessemerald, Hpfan, Cupcake, sailor_gir, Ohmigoddess, Adrial, ChelsE.E, antidarthani, monagy3, rach, Brenna, asmartperfectionist HermioneandHarryShipper,, blondie90, down2earthangl85 music_of_the_night, MrsDanielRadcliffe darkcharlie, meeaz, blissfulxsin, irish_slytherin, CzarJane, antidarthani, and all you Anonymous people… thanx for reviewing!

Special thanx also go out to my wonderful beta, rembrandt!

~*~

Chapter XI: Unexpectedly

~*~

"In our heart love comes unexpectedly without any doubt or hesitation; it comes in times of frustration or desperation. So when you feel it and have it, don't let it go because it's hard to find love"

~Rosejane M. Santos

It was just after eight o'clock when Ginny came downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen staff had been told of her coming, and the table was covered in platters of eggs, sausage, and biscuits. Ginny took a seat at the head of the table and helped herself to a plate of bacon.

There was a loud crash from the hallway, and she almost dropped the plate. Then there was an eruption of swearing from the hallway, and Ginny relaxed. It was only Blaise coming to pay a morning visit. Blaise broke into a fit of coughing and the next moment, he came stumbling into the dinning room.

“Damn it!” he sneezed, causing soot to fly out of his hair. “Why the hell doesn't your husband take the wards off the house? Being able to Apparate in would be so much easier then having to floo every time I want to visit. I despise fireplace travel.” He took his wand out of his robes, and pointed it at his head. “Scourgify!”

Ginny gave him a half smile and took a bite of egg. “People can Apparate in,” she told him. “Myself and my in-laws for example. In general, people my husband trusts are allowed to Apparate in.”

“Oh, how you wound me, Ginevra. “ Blaise pressed a hand to his heart. “What have I done to deserve your disdain?”

Ginny arched an eyebrow at the question and smartly replied, “Where would you like me to begin?”

The playful smile dropped off Blaise's face. “Ouch! Another barb sent to wound me. Unfortunately, I am much too busy to spar with you. I need to see my cousin.”

Ginny shrugged. “I'm not sure where he is. He was called to the palace last night on urgent business. I haven't seen him since.”

“He already knows then. Excellent! I'll be saved the trouble of bringing him up to speed.” Blaise took a seat halfway down the long table.

“What happened last night?” Ginny asked. Blaise had proved to be a useful source of inspiration in the past, and she hoped he would enlighten her.

“Oh, it was marvelous really.” Blaise said, helping himself to a buttermilk biscuit. “Corner, Flint, and some of the other boys were performing routine checks on some of the pubs in the London area. They were searching a pub called the Poisoned Apple and found three of our little resistance friends hiding in the cellar.”

“Three?” Ginny was surprised. From what her mother in-law and Susan had told her, the Resistance had been all but wiped out in the months following the Day of Retribution. That some of its members had managed to survive four years under the rule of Lord Voldemort was nothing short of astonishing.

“I know! Surprising, isn't it.” Blaise said happily, his mouth full of biscuit. “One of the traitors escaped, but Corner managed to subdue the other two. He and the others brought them back to the palace for questioning. We tried Veritaserum and the Cruciatus Curse on them, but neither would talk. In the end, we had to bring in Lestrange. He performed Legilimancy on the pair and finally managed to get information out of the younger one. There is no doubt that the traitors have a hideout and that there are more of them.”

“More?” Ginny echoed, disbelief written on her face.

“Oh, we'll find them eventually.” Blaise said confidently, helping himself to another biscuit. Ginny's own food now lay forgotten on her plate, as she contemplated this new information. “They can't hide from us forever. Ah, Draco, there you are. Good Lord… you look awful.”

Ginny turned to see her husband standing silently in the doorway. She was a bit shocked by his appearance. He was pale, his hair was slightly disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Gods!” Blaise proclaimed, loudly. “How late did they keep you last night?”

“What?” Draco asked vaguely. He looked exhausted and Ginny couldn't help but feel sorry for him. “What are you on about, Zabini?”

“The palace.” Blaise said slowly, as if Draco had taken leave of his senses. “Your wife told me you were called there last night. What time did they let you leave?”

“Oh, right.” Draco stifled a yawn. “I believe I arrived home a little before three o'clock. I had piles of paperwork to do.”

“You poor bastard.” Blaise chortled. “They didn't set you to cataloguing the interrogation, did they? It's nothing but four hours of Corner repeating the same questions over and over again, and not getting any answers. I would have thought they would give the project to one of the junior staff members.”

“Zabini, you are starting to annoy me.” Draco said coldly. “I know nothing about any confessions or junior officers. I was working on security for the Anniversary ball. I just got up, I'm still very tired, and I am this close to throwing you out on your ass. Now, if you please, I would like to eat breakfast with my wife. Alone.”

“Fine, fine. I can see when I'm not wanted. You didn't have to be so rude about it.” Blaise replied sounding irritated. “I'll bring Susan for a visit tomorrow, if that's alright with you Mrs. Malfoy?”

“Of course,” Ginny said. “I'd be happy to have her. Ask her to bring the children along. I think they could all use some time away from the house.” And your mother! She thought secretly.

“I doubt my mother will allow it, but I'll see what I can do.” Blaise said, grabbing another biscuit for the road. “Good morning Ginevra. Cousin.” Ginny waved him farewell, but Draco didn't even acknowledge Blaise's departure.

“Are you not feeling well?” Ginny asked, tentatively.

“No, no, I'm fine.” Draco answered, taking a seat and helping himself to the food. “I just had a very long night.”

“So Blaise was telling me. He said that some Resistance members had been captured. Is that true?”

“Zabini should have kept his mouth shut, but yes, it's true. Kevin Entwhistle and Serena Fawcett were caught while hiding in the cellar of a pub; a third person, an unknown woman, managed to escape. Through torture, it was discovered that there may be more of the Resistance left then we had anticipated.”

Ginny licked her lips. “Did you…” she hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she knew she needed to. “Did you participate… in the torture?”

He stared at her across the table, his face blank. “Does it matter?”

She was clutching her knife so tightly, that her knuckles were white. “It does to me.”

For a long time he didn't answer her, he simply stared at a spot on the wall. Finally, he sighed. “It's part of my job, Ginny. Part of the task I agreed to do when I swore my loyalty to the Dark Lord. I can't go back on my word. Not even for you.” His voice had a tone of finality to it, and Ginny knew that the subject was no longer open for discussion. “Are we still going out today,” she asked, “or are you too tired?”

Draco's face brightened. “Of course we're still going out. I promised you we would do something together. When a Malfoy makes a promise, he keeps it. I thought we would start with shopping in Diagon Alley. You don't have very many clothes, and the ones you do have used to belong to my mother. I thought you might want to purchase some new dress robes.”

Ginny nodded. “Yes, that would be lovely.” She honestly didn't care where they went, so long as she got to spend time with Draco. “When do you want to leave?”

“As soon as you're ready. Why don't you go and get dressed while I finish breakfast?”

“Ok. I'll just go get ready now then. I won't be long.”

Ten minutes later Ginny was back, dressed in a pale blue dress that was too tight across the chest and was obviously twenty years out of date. Draco couldn't help but stare at her breasts that were nearly spilling out the top of the low-cut gown. “It's a good thing we're buying you new clothes.” Draco murmured, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. “What you're wearing now is almost indecent.”

Ginny rounded on him with her hands to her hips, “Oh, shut up.” I don't say mean things about the things you wear.”

“How could you?” Draco sounded triumphant. “I'm always impeccably dressed.”

Ginny thwacked him hard on the arm on her way to the fireplace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny had only been to Diagon Alley twice since the war broke out. Once to meet Harry and Hermione to talk about the Order's plans, and last month with Draco when he took her to get a new wand. On both occasions, the streets had been nearly deserted; Voldemort's return having struck fear into the hearts of the masses. The atmosphere surrounding the streets of Diagon Alley was much different than before. The streets were packed with people, many of them parents buying school supplies for their children. They walked in bunches, the mothers clutching at their children's hands while at the same time attempting to carry their numerous packages.

Ginny recognized several people, both from school and the Ministry. Stanton Hawkesbury, a colleague of her father waved to her and Draco as he exited Fidalgo's Wands with his young grandson.

“Shall we start with robes then?” Draco asked. Twilfitt and Tatting's are just around the corner.”

“I've never shopped there before. My family shopped mostly at Madame Malkin's. Are Twillfoot and… whoever, any good?”

Draco laughed. “It's Twilfitt and Tatting.” He told her gently. “Their robes are the best. My mother never shopped anywhere else. I preferred Madame Malkin's myself, but she has been out of business for years now.”

“Your mother told me.” Ginny replied with a saddened _expression as they passed by the site of the old store a large, black sign now proclaimed “Borgin and Burkes: Potion Ingredients”

“Here we are.” Draco held the door open for her. “Go right in.”

Ginny stepped into the shop. Unlike outside, the air was cool, and smelled fresh. Racks of robes stood about the shop, separated according to color and material type. The right side of the shop was decorated a pale pink, while the left side with it's dark blue wall covering was clearly the men's section.

On the right side of the shop, a young, dark-haired woman stood on a stool watching herself in a mirror, while an older blond woman pinned up the hem of the sky-blue robe. “I shall be with you in just a moment!” she woman on the floor said, her voice slightly muffled by the pins in her mouth.

“Take your time Miss Twilfitt,” Draco said, pleasantly. “My wife and I are still looking.”

At the sound of Draco's voice, the woman on the stool perked up, and turned to face them. “Draco!” she said happily, climbing down from the stool, and coming toward them. “This is a pleasant surprise! We haven't seen you in ages. Where on earth have you been hiding these past few months?” she held out her hand for Draco to kiss, and he, ever the gentleman, took it graciously. Miss Twilfitt remained in the back, looking slightly peeved at being abandoned by her customer.

“Forgive me Mrs. Smith. I found myself somewhat occupied with my wife. I believe you've met Ginevra.”

Ginny had recognized Cho Chang almost immediately. It had taken a bit longer for the older woman to recognize her, and when she did, her brown eyes widened in surprise. “My goodness! Your wife? It's Ginny Weasley, isn't it? Good Lord, I haven't seen you in ages. Not since Zacharias graduated from Hogwarts I think. Where have you been all this time, my dear?”

“Well, let me see. I spent some time in Azkaban prison.” Ginny said, conversationally. “I must admit it was a low point in my life. Then Draco came along, and like a knight in shining armor, he rescued me! We've been married for six months now, and I have been very happy.”

Cho's mouth was hanging open slightly. ”Azkaban? Well, how…uncomfortable that must have been for you. You seem to be doing much better now. Really now, Draco,” she turned to him, ignoring Ginny, “this is all very unexpected. Marietta and I were certain you would marry Celeste Bletchley, Miles Bletchley's sister. Marietta had quite set her heart on it too. Celeste is her sister in-law you know. How disappointed she will be when I tell her someone else has snapped you up.” Her face pulled an elegant moue as she gave Ginny a pointed look.

Draco smiled. “Please be sure to send her my condolences. I'm quite happy with my wife. However, I wish Celeste all the best in her husband hunt. If she wants to be successful, I would suggest she not rely on her sister in-law for advise. Mrs. Pucey-Bletchley-Montague doesn't seem to have very good luck when it comes to husbands. Give my best to your husband Mrs. Smith.”

Ignoring Cho's look of shock Draco steered Ginny over to where Miss Twilfitt was standing, her eyes dancing with laughter. “I shall need a dozen sets of robes, Miss Twilfitt.” He told her. “Three sets of dress robes, and nine for everyday wear. Various colors and materials, and money won't be an issue.”

Her eyes widened, and she smiled up at Draco. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy, whatever you want. Mrs. Malfoy, if you could please accompany me.” She guided Ginny to the stool Cho had vacated, and helped her up onto it. “Are there any colors you would prefer, my dear?”

“Oh, I don't know. Green I suppose, and dark blue. Definitely no red, for obvious reasons.” She added, fingering a lock of her red hair.

“Of course not, dear. It would clash horribly with your glorious hair. I do think however that pink might look nice on you, but a delicate shade; none of those ridiculous magenta colored ones. It might bring some color to your cheeks. Also,” she said, eyeing Ginny's bodice, “I think we should allow more room for your endowments. This falling out of the top,” she pointed to her own breasts, “is not a good style for you. It would be more appropriate on a Parisian streetwalker.”

Ginny giggled, and Ms. Twilfitt smiled at her. “Let us get to work, shall we?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were in Twilfitt's for almost two hours, while the proprietress pinned hems and cut fabric. By the end of the shopping excursion, Ginny had two finished gowns, and ten more that would be ready by the end of the week. Draco insisted that Ginny change into one of her new gowns for the rest of their shopping excursion. Ginny chose the dark green one. It fit much better then the dress she had been wearing, tight in all the right places, and hemmed so it didn't drag when she walked.

When she came out of the dressing room in her new gown, Draco couldn't help but stare at her. “You look beautiful.” He told her honestly.

“Thank you.” She said, blushing slightly.

Miss Twilfitt clucked her tongue. “It is always nice to see married couples showing affection. Are the two of you newlyweds?”

“We've been married for six months.” Draco said his eyes still locked on Ginny.

“You are newlyweds then. How sweet!” She gathered up the extra pins and stowed them, along with her wand, in her apron pocket. “I have your payment Mr. Malfoy. The rest of the bill can be settled when the clothes are delivered to your home.”

Draco nodded. He held out his hand to Ginny. “Where to next?” he asked her.

“Well… could we go by the sweetshop?' she asked.

“Ah, you have a sweet tooth! A woman after my own heart.” He chuckled. “Mother used to send me sweets when I went to Hogwarts. I don't know what I would have done without them. Why didn't you say something last time we were here? I would have bought you something then.”

She shrugged. “You had already spent so much on me. I didn't want to take advantage of you.”

He leaned close so Miss Twilfitt couldn't hear him. “You are my wife. You have my permission to take advantage of me whenever you want.” She blushed slightly as she contemplated the meaning of his words.

Having been given Draco's blessing, Ginny wasted no time spending her money. She spent nearly half of her funds at Sugarmann's coming away with enough sugarquills and fizzing whizbees, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to feed an army. Draco was kind enough to carry all of her purchases, and asked only a few Every Flavor Beans in return for his services. They stopped at several other places, but spent much of the afternoon simply wandering around Diagon Alley.

At three o'clock, Ginny felt her stomach begin to growl. She hadn't eaten much of anything since breakfast, and she suddenly found that she was starving. Draco heard the noises her stomach was making, and laughed. “I figured you would be getting hungry right about now, so I prepared a treat for us.”

“You did, really?” Ginny didn't sound convinced.

“Well, not me personally.” Draco conceded. “I had the staff carry out the plans. It is waiting for us back at the Manor, so anytime you wish to go…?”

“Let's go now then.” Ginny took his arm and began to lead him toward the Leaky Cauldron.

They made their way back to the pub, and flooed home. After ridding themselves of ash and soot, they made their way out to the garden where they found a picnic lunch waiting for them

“This is lovely Draco.” Ginny said, helping herself to a third cucumber sandwich. “Shopping, the picnic, all of it.”

“I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I only wish we could do it more often.”

“I understand that you're busy.” Ginny said quickly. “Work at the palace takes up a lot of your time. I know that.”

“I am sorry about that. I wish there was something I could do about the long hours, but unfortunately it's out of my hands.”

“I'm glad I get to see you at all.” Ginny licked her fingers and reached for her glass of pumpkin juice. “Susan told me she sometimes goes for three days without seeing Blaise at all.”

“Zabini could spend more time at home if he wanted to. I think he spends so much time at the palace because he doesn't want to be stuck at the house with his mother. It's probably for the best though. If he were at home all the time, he would soon grow bored with Susan. Nothing can hold Blaise's attention for very long. That includes women.”

Ginny sighed at the thought. “Poor Susan. Stuck in the house all day with that terrible woman. I wouldn't be able to stand it.”

“You're lucky my parents moved out when they did. “ Draco helped himself to a piece of Sweetmann's chocolate. “My mother can be very hard to live with after awhile. She has odd little quirks and she gets very upset when people break her rules.”

“Your mother seems very nice.” Ginny said. “I find it hard to believe she could be mean to anyone.”

“Ha! You've forgotten your first meeting with her. Remember her reaction when she found you in the house? If you hadn't been my wife, she would have crushed you beneath her shoe like a bug.”

“I suppose it's a lucky thing that I am your wife.” Ginny thought as she brushed sandwich crumbs from her lap.

“Yes, lucky.” Draco fidgeted with his cuff, and stared out into the garden. It was getting late, and the sun was beginning to set. The pink and purple of the changing sky made Ginny's hair look as if it were on fire. A dark cloud moving in from the south threatened to bring rain.

“Thank you for today.” Ginny said finally. “I appreciate you spending time with me, despite how busy you are.”

“I'm just glad you're willing to spend time with me.” Draco replied seriously gazing into her eyes.

Ginny smiled and stood up. “I think we should be getting in, it looks like rain.”

“Wait!” Draco said, quickly standing to his feet. “I have one more thing for you.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a brightly wrapped package.

“It isn't my birthday until next week.” Ginny reminded him.

“I know. I have something else set aside for that. But this… I wanted to give it to you now. It belongs to you already.”

Ginny gave him a questioning look, but took the gift he offered her. The wrapping fell away, and she found herself holding a small, square box, covered in velvet. Her pulse quickened as she slowly opened the box. There, lying on a bed of white satin was a small gold ring. At its center was a large princess cut diamond, and on either side of the diamond was a red ruby.

“It's for you.” Draco said. “It's a wedding ring. I should have given you one before, but…well…it just didn't seem like the right time.”

Wordlessly, Ginny took the ring from the box. She moved the Malfoy family engagement ring to her right hand, and slipped the wedding band on in its place. It slid on easily, and magically adjusted to fit her finger.

“I didn't know what style you liked, so I had to guess.” Draco said, somewhat apologetically. “If you don't like it, I can always take it back.”

“No,” Ginny shook her head. “It's perfect.” The smile she gave him was dazzling, and Draco had to stop himself from pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.

“So you like it?” he asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

“I love it. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You even got it in Gryffindor colors.” She added mischievously.

Draco grinned. “Caught that, did you? I was hoping the color scheme might earn me some extra points.”

She laughed. “You get full marks and all the bonus points.” She leaned forward to kiss him. She missed his mouth, and the kiss landed where the corner of his lip met his cheek.

Draco froze. Ginny smiled at him. She kissed him again, this time hitting her desired mark. On the third kiss, her lips were moist and slightly parted. She stepped back, grinning at him. He grabbed her by the shoulders, jerked her closer, and planted his lips firmly on hers.

For a moment, the shock of his touch held her still. His lips were nicely warmed and surprisingly soft and tasted deliciously of chocolate. She tilted her head, and the pressure of his mouth against hers relaxed.

One hand slipped from her shoulder to her back and pressed her more tightly against him. She rested her hand against his chest. He slanted his mouth over hers and at once she wished that the moment would last forever.

“Oh, my.” She exhaled a long breath. It had been marvelous. Of course, every time kissing Draco was marvelous. He seemed to know just what to do to make her want him. She had ignored it for a long time, refusing to let him get close to her. She didn't want to stop him anymore.

“Draco, there is one more thing you can do to make today unforgettable.” She leaned forward and put her lips next to his ear. “You can take me upstairs to bed.”

A clap of thunder cut off his reply. As the rain began to fall, Draco grabbed her hand and ran for the safety of the house. By the time they reached the manor, they were both soaked, and dripping water onto the manor's polished floor.

Draco regretfully released her hand. “You should go upstairs and change before you catch cold.”

Ginny nodded and moved toward the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase she stopped, and held out her hand to him. “I meant what I said outside.” She said firmly. “I want you to take me upstairs.”

He studied her for a long time, trying to decide if she really meant what she was saying. If she was serious, he would have no problem doing what she wanted, but he needed to know that she was sure.

“Please,” she said softly taking a step toward him. “Come up with me.”

He didn't need a second invitation.

~*~

AN: And there you have it, another chapter ended. Yea, you may want more, but sorry guys, this chapter is ten pages long already, and I've run out of steam. On a happier note (hopefully), the next chapter is the smut chapter. Well, er… sex chapter anyway. I hope you enjoyed this installment of LitD. Now, I order you to review! It is exceptionally good for the soul… not to mention that it was my 21st birthday a few weeks ago, and a review would be a lovely gift!

Love&Spice

~E

-->

13. Loved

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. Don't steal my peeps!

AN: Well, it has been a year and a half since I updated. Rather embarrassing for me, I assure you. And yes, I know, I know, I should have updated sooner and I am a terrible person. I have heard all this already, and I don't need to hear it again, please. >.< I didn't mean for it to take this long, but RL gets in the way quite often. I have been busy with school, working and still more school. I was in Germany for awhile, completing a semester abroad for my German major. The classes, the homework, EVERYTHING was in German, making it twice as hard as regular school. I got two more hellish semesters once I got back, but finally graduated college two weeks ago. =P w00t for me. I am going back for my Master's soon, but I promise to try and update frequently.

As a side note, let me tell you in advance that there is no smut in this chapter. I am not really all that good at writing “romantic” scenes. Truth be told, I am absolute crap at it. Every time I started to write the smut chapter I would grow disgusted with it, either because it didn't sound realistic or because (and this is actually quite funny) halfway through it turned into a love scene between two men. I really need to stop reading so much Harry/Draco…LoL! So, I am skipping the smut and just continuing on with the story. I may, at some point, post a cookie of the smut for those who are genuinely interested but for now…well *shrug*.

Another note: I am in need of a beta reader. If anyone is interested, please let me know!

Chapter XII: Loved

~*~

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. ~ George Sand

~*~

It was nearly noon when Narcissa Malfoy arrived at the manor. She was therefore very surprised not to find her daughter in-law waiting for her. They had made plans to have lunch together, but Ginny was nowhere to be found.

“Tiny, where is Mrs. Malfoy?” Narcissa asked a passing houseelf.

“Miss is still in bed, Madam.” The houseelf squeaked.

“Sweet Merlin, is she ill?” Narcissa put a hand to her throat. “Should I send for Draco?”

“No Madam, Miss is not sick, but she is still in bed, sleeping.”

“She must still be tired from her ordeal, the poor dear. I'll go to the palace and speak to Draco about her.”

“Please Madame…Master is not at the palace. Master is sleeping.”

“At this hour?” Narcissa looked toward the stairs in confusion, but then her eyes widened in comprehension.

“I see.” She said, softly. “That is wonderful! Tiny, there is no need to tell Master Draco that I was here. Let the two lovebirds sleep as long as they like. Oh, and Tiny…cancel all of Master Draco's appointments for the rest of the week.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Draco, are you going to tell me where we are going?” Ginny asked, as she took a cautious step forward. Damn the blindfold!

Earlier that morning, as they were finishing breakfast, Draco had slid the blindfold across the table to her. She had agreed to wear it only because her husband had promised that there was a present waiting for her if she agreed to wear the black scrap of material. She had already been wearing it for half and hour and now the area around the blindfold was starting to itch.

“No, I'm not telling,” Draco replied. “Oh, and by the way, your blindfold is charmed so it will not come off until we reach our destination. If you try to peak, your tongue, teeth and ears will start to grow, and won't stop until I administer the counter-charm.”

Ginny's hands had been mere inches away from the blindfold. She quickly dropped her back to her side, and tried to concentrate on not falling on her face.

“Bastard,” she mumbled, scowling in the direction of Draco's voice.

“Pouting and swearing will get you nowhere, darling.” Draco said.

“If you let me take it off, I promise to give you a massage when we get back to the manor.” Ginny offered.

“Is that so?” Unless Ginny was greatly mistaken, his voice sounded a little strained. Excellent.

“Full body.” Ginny said seductively, reaching out blindly for him. “I'll even use that special oil that you like.”

“Damn.”

Ginny smiled as Draco pulled her closer. She sighed as she felt one of his hands run softly down the side of her body, coming to rest on her hip. “If I hadn't already made plans…”

“Yes? What would you do to me?” Ginny's hand found the top button of his shirt, and expertly began undoing them.

“What the…no!” Draco playfully slapped her hand away from his shirt.

“Oh…” Ginny pouted, “why not?”

“If you keep your hands to yourself for two minutes, then I'll show you.” He promised. “Now, where is that thing? Ah ha! Here it is. Now, Ginny I need you to touch this.”

“Touch what?” Ginny asked. “In case you haven't noticed, I'm blindfolded.”

“Just… reach out, and you'll find it.” Draco promised.

Sighing heavily, Ginny stretched her right arm forward. Her fingers brushed something cold and metallic. The next moment she felt a pull, somewhere near her navel. A Portkey!

Ginny landed hard. Draco's arms came up to support her. “Steady there, Gin. We can't have Mrs. Malfoy breaking any bones.”

“Well, if I could see.”

“Alright, alright…you can take off the blindfold now.”

Ginny eagerly pulled the blindfold away. The sun was bright, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the light. When she saw where she was standing, she gasped. It was the Burrow. It was no longer a pile of rubble. It was freshly painted; every shingle was in place on the roof; each and every window shutter hung straight. It looked just as it had when she was a child. She expected Fred or George to come bursting out of the house at any moment.

“I know how much you missed it and… them… So I had it rebuilt,” Draco said. “It's yours. A place that is just for you, for you to come and visit whenever you want. Happy Birthday.”

“Oh… Draco...” Her voice shook and tears gathered in her eyes. It was the most wonderful birthday present he could have given her, short of bringing her family back. She put her arms around him and buried her face against his chest.

“I take it that you like my gift?” Draco asked, as he gently kissed her ear.

“I love it!” She stood on tip-toe and kissed his mouth. “It's wonderful.”

“Thank Merlin,” he laughed, “because it cost me 250,000 Galleons to restore.”

“You didn't have to spend that much money on me.”

He shrugged. “I can afford it. Since I have the money, I might as well spend it on the people I lo—care about.” He wiped away a stray tear that had made its way down her cheek.

He had almost said “love.” Ginny grinned like a fool. “I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry.”

“You are allowed to cry if you need to.”

“No, I'm not.” She gave him a small smile. “Rule 312 of The Malfoy Code of Conduct states that, `A Malfoy shall not show intense emotion when in the presence of others. Emotions include joy, sorrow, and lust.' Sub article `B' strictly prohibits crying.”

Draco laughed. “Where on earth did you find a copy of The Malfoy Code of Conduct?”

“In the library. I was bored, and was looking for something interesting to read. I found it on a bottom shelf between Beautiful Women of the 18th Century and a dog-eared copy of a romance novel called Enchanted Encounters by Fifi LaFolle.”

Draco made a face. “My mother's, no doubt. She loves those trashy, medieval, wizarding romances.”

“When I first saw it, I thought it might be yours.” Ginny said, slyly. “After I found that copy of Witch Weekly under your mattress on Tuesday--”

The rest of her sentence was lost as Draco brought his mouth down on hers. “What do you say we go check out your house, Mrs. Malfoy?”

“Certainly,” Ginny said. “We can start with the upstairs. With my room.” She pulled him toward the back door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You look very happy, Ginevra.” Narcissa smiled at her daughter in-law. “I do not remember ever having seen you so happy.”

Ginny took a sip of her tea and smiled back at Narcissa. “I am happy. Your son is nothing short of wonderful. We still quarrel occasionally, of course, but we always make up…in the end.”

“Yes.” Narcissa smiled mischievously. “I can just imagine how the two of you `make up'.” Ginny blushed and Narcissa laughed. “It is nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. It is only natural. With all the `making up' you and Draco engage in, is there a chance that I might be a grandmother soon?”

Ginny shook her head, noting the older woman's disappointment. “I'm sorry, but I don't think so. And honestly, I'm glad. Draco and I have only just started to get to know one another. We still have fights, and I hardly ever see him, what with his work at the palace. I don't want to complicate matters by having a baby.”

Narcissa sighed. “It is understandable, I suppose. After all, you have plenty of time. You are only twenty-two, after all.”

“Twenty-three.” Ginny corrected. “My birthday was yesterday.”

“Yes, of course, twenty-three. You had better move quickly, my dear, if you are to have six children and have them nicely spaced. If they are to close in age, taking care of them can be quite a chore.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Ginny promised, shuddering inwardly at the thought of having six little Dracos running around the manor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was late when Draco slipped into bed beside her. She felt the mattress shift under his weight, and moved closer to him.

“Did I wake you?” he asked. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her bare shoulder.

“No. I've been awake for hours, waiting for you.” She slipped her arm around his waist and snuggled even closer to him.

“Nightmares?”

“No. I just didn't want to go to sleep without you.” She nuzzled his neck and sighed contentedly. “I was just remembering the discussion your mother and I had today when she came by for tea. We talked about the dozen children I'm supposed to bare for the Malfoy family.”

“Merlin! My mother and children…” Draco began rubbing her back. “You realize, of course, that once we have a child, Mother will start complaining that she is too young to be a grandmother.”

“Thankfully, there won't be any grandchildren for awhile, so there is no need to start worrying about it now.” Ginny was as close to Draco as was humanly possible, with her arms around his neck, and one bare leg curled around his hip.

“That's just fine.” Draco's hand moved to her shoulder, sliding the strap of her nightgown off. “I like having you all to myself.”

“Don't you like to share?” she asked playfully, shifting her body so that she lay beneath him.”

He pulled her nightgown off and began laying kisses on her stomach. “When it comes to you, I find I am incredibly selfish.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Ginny opened her eyes she realized it wasn't yet morning. She could not see any light peeking in around the edge of the heavy, black curtains, and the room was filled with the chill of pre-dawn.

She rolled over, and groggily reached out for Draco. The feel of the empty pillow beside her caused her to come awake, instantly. What on earth could have caused him to leave in the middle of the night?

She climbed slowly out of bed and bent down to retrieve her discarded nightgown from the floor. Adding a warm dressing gown over the thin nightdress, she went in search of her husband.

The first place she checked was his study. She tried the door handle, but found it locked. She knocked softly, and called his name, but he did not answer. Perhaps he fell asleep. Taking her wand from the pocket of her robe, she pointed it at the door. “Alohamora!” she said clearly. The door did not budge.

With a sigh, Ginny next plodded down the hall to the library. She found a fire burning in the grate, but again there was no Draco. She checked the second floor study, the music room and three of the small parlors, all without result. As a last resort, she decided to check the kitchen.

She took the short-cut, using the door hidden behind a tapestry of The Last Supper. The oak door was heavy, and it took two tries before Ginny succeeded in getting it to open. Even at this early hour, the kitchen was bursting with life. Twp large sinks in the corner were filled with dirty dishes, and several houseelves were busily scrubbing them clean. Half a dozen more were busy sweeping and scrubbing the kitchen's stone floor. Near the fireplace, a tiny houseelf wearing an embroidered dishcloth was darning what appeared to be one of Draco's socks.

Ginny cleared her throat, and immediately all conversation and work ceased. Fifty pairs of eyes turned to look at Ginny. There were gasps and small squeaks of dismay, and several houseelves rushed forward to see to Ginny's needs.

“Is Miss wanting something to eat or drink?” an elf named Dewey asked, anxiously.

“Or perhaps Miss would like a bath?” inquired another.

“No, thank you.” Ginny pulled her robe more tightly around herself. “I'm looking for my husband. Where is he?”

The elves instantly became silent, all signs of helpfulness vanishing. They looked at each other uncertainly, regret showing on many of their faces.

“Well?” Ginny asked. The houseelves remained silent and Ginny frowned. Why wouldn't they speak? Then suddenly, she understood. Houseelves guarded the secrets of the family to which they belonged. “You aren't allowed to tell me, are you?”

“No, Miss,” The elf, Beanie, said, regretfully shaking his little head. “We is good houseelves. We is keeping our Master's secrets.”

“But I'm his wife!” Ginny insisted. “As a member of the Malfoy family, I have a right to know.”

“We is keeping our Master's secrets,” Beanie repeated, firmly.

Ginny could not help but feel annoyed. If Draco was going to disappear at three o'clock in the morning, he should at least have had the courtesy to leave her some kind of message, telling her where he was going. She had no idea where he was, or if he was safe. His absence frightened her.

She knew that the houseelves would never tell her, but she knew that she needed a way to find out where her husband had gone. Then she remembered! “Scrubs!” she called.

There was movement at the back of the little crowd. The next moment, the crowd parted, and Scrubs emerged. She moved quickly to stand in-front of Ginny. “Yes, Miss,” She said, tremulously.

“Tell me where my husband is,” Ginny repeated her earlier command.

“I is not allowed to say, Miss--”

“You will tell me.” Ginny said firmly. “On my first day here in this house, Master Malfoy told you that you were to be my houseelf. You were to answer first and always to me. Do you remember that?”

“Yes, Miss,” Scrubs reluctantly admitted.

“Good. Now, tell me where Master Malfoy has gone.”

“He is upstairs, Miss.”

“Where upstairs, exactly?” Ginny prompted.

“In the gallery, Miss. In the room behind the portrait, Miss.”

“Which portrait?”

“The family portrait, Miss.” Scrubs looked to be on the verge of tears. “The one that is not speaking, Miss.”

“The one that…?” Ginny frowned. What unmoving portrait? There weren't any unmoving portraits in the gallery, were there? Except… “Oh!”

The portrait of Draco with his parents, painted when Draco was about ten years-old. “The one where he looks like a vicar!” Ginny said, triumphantly. “Show me.”

Despite the disapproving noises that the other houseelves were making, Scrubs obediently led her mistress out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They walked slowly, neither speaking, until they reached the top of the last flight.

“This way, Miss,” Scrubs squeaked. She moved down the hall, walking much more quickly than before, passing sleeping portraits of the Malfoy family ancestors. It was very dark, and Ginny took out her wand again. “Lumos!” she whispered, and the area around her filled with light.

Groans came from some of the portraits, one of them evening shouting obscenities at Ginny, but she ignored them. She was still trying to figure out what Draco was doing behind a portrait. He didn't want to be found, of that much she was certain.

They came to the end of the hall, and Scrubs pointed a shaky finger at the portrait. “Behind there, Miss,” she whispered.

“Why is he in there?”

“Because…that person comes to see him, Miss.” Scrubs was clearly terrified.

“Who is `that person'?”

“I is not knowing, Miss,” Scrubs squeaked. “They is wearing a black cloak, Miss.”

“Do you know if it is a man or a woman?” Ginny asked.

“I is not knowing, Miss,” Scrubs was dancing around nervously, looking this way and that, as if she expected to be attacked.

“How do I get in?” Ginny asked. She used her wand to look more closely at the portrait.

“Scrubs is seeing Master do it. Master is touching beside the painting and the painting is moving, Miss.”

“Alright,” Ginny nodded. “Thank you for your help. You can go back to the kitchen now.” As an afterthought she added, “I forbid you to hurt yourself.”

“Thank you, Miss.” Scrubs sighed, clearly relieved. She disappeared with a soft `pop'.

Now to work! Ginny slowly slid her hand up the side of the portrait. She found nothing on the right side, but on the left side, her fingers found a slight indentation in the frame. She pressed softly inward, and the portrait swung open, revealing an opening similar to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

Ginny climbed in very carefully, desperate not to make any sound. Up ahead of her, she could see light, so she extinguished her wand. Just ahead, the corridor turned sharply to the right. She moved slowly forward.

There were voices. A man's voice spoke low and muffled, and there came a soft tinkling laugh that was unmistakably female. Ginny moved more quickly now, curious to learn the identity of the midnight guest her husband was entertaining.

“…do it soon,” a voice said, urgently. “Or our chance will be gone!”

“We must be careful,” Another voice insisted, “or we—wait! Did you hear that?”

Ginny stopped walking. They had heard her, despite how quiet she had tried to be. She gripped her wand more tightly, ready to fight if she had to.

“Malf--”

“Shh!” The second voice hissed. “Who's there? Come out!”

Ginny knew she was caught. Still gripping her wand, she stepped around the corner, and came face to face with her husband.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise. “Ginny! How—what?” He was clearly angry with her, and Ginny wondered how bad this fight was going to be.

A movement behind Draco caught her eye. The room was small, furnished only with a small square table and a few wooden chairs. The chair closest to her was occupied. The figure stood and turned to face her, throwing back the cloak's hood. Ginny found herself staring into a very familiar pair of green eyes.

“Harry!” she breathed.

Draco caught her before her unconscious form hit the stone floor.

~*TBC*~

AN: This took a very long time to post, but I hope you found that it was worth it. Press that button and let me know!

Thanx to swimchick1614, tess, jennyburnett, weasley_malfoy, Ligia Maria Araki, Henna, madhu893, REW, Venus_Rising, Kadajwannado, t a s H a_x, Julez, sailor_girl, HyperSquishy, Marmi, nisi, yunnage, Cupcake, SlytherinBabe29. jchaser, Channy, Anunziata, pirate2555, A.J., crimsonregret2689, Melissa Edelson, slymom, asmartperfectionist, meeaz, monagy3, auror_star_18, blissfulxin, Marauding Moonbabe, CColdwell, irish_slytherin, Breanna, Ohmigoddess, HPfan and all you Anonymous people for reviewing the last chapter. Heartfelt thanks also go out to Book-Master, who was kind enough to beta this chapter for me.

-->

14. Secrets?

Synopsis: Ginny Weasley is in Azkaban sentenced to die after Lord Voldemort's defeat of the Boy-Who-Lived. To save her life, she agrees to marry Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: Harry and the gang are the property of J.K. Rowling. A few minor characters (Scrubs, Elysia, and other Malfoys), as well as the history of the Malfoy family, belong to me. Don't steal my peeps!

AN: What a lovely “welcome back”!! I received such wonderful reviews from everyone. ::does the raptor dance:: I am glad you all enjoyed it, and hope you will enjoy this chapter even more =P I am going to try and commit myself to updating once a month. Not that this will actually happen…but it is my goal. The large gap between updates is due to summer classes and because I will be starting my Masters degree in the fall. It is sure to be a lot of work, and I doubt I will have much time for typing >.< I hope you all will stay interested in this story despite the time it take to update.

Many thanx to Book-Master for serving as a temporary beta. I am still looking for a beta reader for this story!!! If anyone is interested, please let me know…

Chapter XIII: Secrets?

~*~

Secrets are made to be found out with time. ~ Charles Sanford

~*~

“Ginny? Ginny! Can you hear me?”

The sound of a familiar voice penetrated her mind, drawing her out of unconsciousness. Ginny moaned softly and struggled to open her eyes. She had fainted. Why? What had happened? She couldn't quite remember. She remembered opening the portrait and walking through. She had come around the corner and Draco had been there. Draco and…

“Harry!” she said softly.

“I think she's waking up.” A woman's voice said.

“Ginny! Can you open your eyes?”

She tried and succeeded. A pair of beautiful green eyes stared back at her from behind worn glasses.

“Harry?”

The owner of the green eyes grinned. “That's my name.”

“Oh, gods!” Ginny sat up slowly and threw her arms around him. “I thought you were dead!” she was on the verge of tears. Justin and Terry…they said that you died!” She began to cry, and a few tears landed on the front of his shirt.

Harry held her and rocked her softly as she cried. “Everything will be fine Ginny, I promise.”

Draco, who had watched the entire exchange, uncrossed his arms and came toward them. “Just remember that she is my wife Potter. I won't have you taking advantage of her when she is in this state.”

“Oh ha-ha, very funny, Malfoy.” Harry winked at him and helped Ginny to her feet. “I'm not trying to take her away from you, although I could if I wanted to.”

“Well…at least she isn't dead,” Came the woman's voice again.

It was then that Ginny saw the portrait. It was of a young, blond woman in a flower garden. Not a female visitor after all. Ginny scowled at Harry's last comment. “Stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room, Potter. I'm not fifteen years old anymore. The handsome hero act doesn't work on me.”

Harry shrugged and smiled at her. “It was worth a try.”

“Well, now that I'm awake and everyone appears to be in a good mood, would someone mind telling me what exactly is going on?”

The two men looked at each other, but neither spoke.

“Well? Do I have to beat it out of you?”

“Kin-ky.” Harry wiggled his eyebrows. “Malfoy, you are a lucky man.”

“Shut up, Potter.” Draco sighed, and turned to his wife. “It is all very simple.” He said, dryly. “I am a spy for the Resistance—I have been ever since seventh year.”

“Dumbledore insisted that it be kept secret.” Harry explained. “I didn't even know he was on our side until right before the final battle. Aberforth knew that there might be spies in the Order, and he wanted Malfoy here to remain secure, even if Voldemort won.”

Ginny turned to Draco hands on her hips. She looked, Harry thought, very much like her mother, Molly, in that moment. “So, this whole time you let me believe you were planning all kinds of hideous things for Lord Voldemort, when all along you were working for the Order?”

“That's my fault.” Harry said. “I told Malfoy it would be better that way. There was no need to get you involved. Also…” he cleared his throat. “I wasn't sure whether or not you would switch sides once you got out of Azkaban. So many others gave in that I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't do the same.”

“Harry James Potter! I lost my entire family to Lord Voldemort. How could you believe even for a minute that I would join him? Draco, you should have told me.”

“He did what he thought was right.” Harry insisted. “It wasn't just my life he was protecting; it was the lives of everyone in the Order.”

“How many survivors are there?” Ginny asked.

“About two dozen give or take a few.” Draco supplied. “Some from our Hogwarts days, and others not. Gabrielle Delaceur joined shortly before the final battle. We have one or two other former students from Beauxbatons. Lupin is still around, and so is Snape. He was the one who convinced Dumbledore to take me into the Order.”

“It was the best decision we ever made.” Harry said. “Malfoy has been keeping us informed about everything that has been happening at the palace. A few months ago he gave us the heads-up on a transport of potion ingredients. We managed to get bezoars, wolfesbane, and several crucial ingredients we needed to make Veritaserum. It is because of him that we also prevented ourselves from walking into a trap that had been set for us. Without his help, several of our key members would have been captured and would now be in the hands of the Death Eaters.”

“I see. But Harry…that doesn't explain why you are still alive. Voldemort's defeat of you was broadcast everywhere. We even heard about it in Azkaban. Are you telling me it was all a lie?”

“I was not the one Voldemort killed—obviously, since I am standing here talking to you.” Harry said. “The body that was found and identified as mine was Nymphadora Tonks. Her being a Metamorphagis proved to be one of our greatest advantages. She had been practicing for months, trying to change into other members of the Order. She could successfully morph into Dumbledore, Snape…and me. The change was so complete that even Hermione couldn't tell the two of us apart. Toward the end of that final battle, Tonks morphed into me, and both Kingsley and Aberforth Polyjuiced themselves to look like me. We hoped that multiple Harry Potters would distract Voldemort long enough for me to be able to kill him.” He sighed, heavily. “Unfortunately, the plan failed. Kingsley and Tonks both died for nothing. When it became evident that we were going to lose, Aberforth ordered the retreat. The next day, we heard that The-Boy-Who-Lived had been killed in battle.”

“Thankfully, they never discovered the truth.” Draco added. “When we searched the bodies after the battle, we found Shaklebolt's body. The Polyjuice had worn off by that point, so he was himself again. Then…we found what I believed at the time, to be Potter's body. It looked just like him, and I was convinced he had been killed.”

“Quite a shock to you wasn't I, when you showed up at the meeting point, eh, Malfoy?” Harry's smile was grim. “I thought you were going to faint.”

Malfoy ignored him. “When I saw Potter standing there, I realized that the body had to belong to Tonks. Severus was the one who explained to us why she didn't change back after she was killed. He said it must have been connected to her being a Metamorphagis. Whatever shape she had taken on last in life was the shape she retained in death.”

“Lupin must have been devastated.” Ginny said, wiping away tears.

“He still misses her,” Harry said sadly, “but he has put most of his energy into raising their son, Caelum.”

“What have you been doing since the Day of Retribution?”

“Biding our time.” Harry's eyes blazed. “Waiting for the day when I can kill Voldemort. I want to kill him slowly. It's what he deserves after what he did to my parents, and…Hermione, and to the rest of the Wizarding World.”

“You know then about Hermione…Harry, I am so sorry.”

“Malfoy came and told me after…after it happened. He brought her ashes with him. I buried her next to my parents.”

“We shared a cell in Azkaban until they…took her away.” Ginny took the chain with her family's rings from around her neck and removed Hermione's wedding ring. “She gave it to me before she died. If she had known you were alive, I'm sure she would have asked me to give it back to you.”

Harry shook his head. “Please, just keep it. Out lives are so uncertain. I could be dead tomorrow, and then it would be gone. Keep it for me until all of this is over.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Draco drawled, “but the sun will be coming up shortly, and Potter needs to get back to Headquarters before its light enough for people to recognize him.”

“Damn!” Harry glanced down at his watch. “I didn't realize how late it was. That's the downside of having a room with no windows.”

“At least its safe here, Potter. Would you prefer to have our secret meetings in the garden? How about in the parlor, in case more guests arrive?” Draco said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

“As much as I would love to stay and have a verbal sparring match with you, Malfoy, I'm afraid I can't. As you so generously pointed out, I need to get back to Headquarters before somebody sees me.” Harry moved toward the door.

“Wait!” Ginny grabbed his sleeve. “Don't leave Harry, please! If you have to go, then let me go with you, back to Headquarters.”

“Well…” Harry looked at Draco who shrugged, and then nodded. “I suppose it would be alright.”

“Right then…where is Headquarters, exactly?”

Harry grinned. “Come with me, and I'll show you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Would you mind telling me why we had to floo here?” Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the filthy pub.

“To avoid suspicion, my dear.” Draco breathed in her ear.

“Would you mind telling me why Harry didn't have to floo with us?” she hissed back.

“Honestly Gin, you're no match for Granger when it comes to brains.” Draco teased. Ginny swatted his arm, and he laughed. “Potter could not floo here for obvious reasons. The floo network is constantly being monitored, and I do not think His Lordship would look kindly on me—one of his most loyal servants—allowing his worst enemy to use my fireplace as means of traveling.”

Ginny followed her husband to the rear of the pub and out the back door. “It's just a bit farther.” Draco promised. “Potter should be waiting for us at the end of the next alley.”

“What took you so long?” Harry teased. “I've been waiting for hours!”

“Shut up, Potter.”

“Is everyone ready to go then?” Harry asked. Ginny nodded and Draco simply rolled his eyes. “Right then, Malfoy, I think we should use side-along Apparation so Gin can be surprised.”

Draco sighed heavily. “Very well, I'll take her. Come here, Gin.” He pulled her closer. “Hold tight now. Ready then, Potter? One, two, three.”

The feeling of Apparation was foreign to Ginny. She hadn't Apparated in years, and she had forgotten exactly how unpleasant it could be. Thankfully, it didn't last long. Once it was over, and everything came back into focus, Ginny was able to analyze her surroundings.

Although the sun would shortly be rising, the moon was still visible in the sky. Its light reflected off the nearby lake and seemed to hang in the tree branches of the forest. And not far away, gleaming in the light of the moon, was the ruin that had once been Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“I can't believe you still haven't figured it out.” Harry said, playfully tugging one of Ginny's red curls. “Malfoy, why don't you help your wife find Headquarters.”

Draco reached into his cloak and began rummaging around in the inner pocket. He fished out a quill, and then resumed his digging. “I haven't got any paper Potter.”

“Oh, honestly, Malfoy.” Harry began searching his own pockets and finally held up an old chocolate bar wrapper. Draco took it from him without comment, and turned Harry around, using his back for support. He hastily scratched a few words on the wrapper, and then handed it to Ginny.

Ginny glanced down at the paper and read: The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found in the Room of Requirement, on the 7th floor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

“The Room of Requirement?” Ginny asked. “That's where you've been hiding all this time?”

“Nearly.” Harry answered. “We didn't actually start using it until after the Day of Retribution. After Grimmauld Place became compromised, we met in the basement of the Witch's Hat for awhile. But then more and more of the Order were captured, and we knew we had to find someplace safer. Snape and I came to investigate Hogwarts for a possible hiding place, and we realized how ideal the Room of Requirement was.”

“Who is the Secret Keeper?” Ginny asked, curiously.

“That would be me.” Draco said. “I thought that much was obvious. I did after all, just give you the slip of paper—er—chocolate wrapper rather, telling you the location of Headquarters.”

“If you thing about it, it was rather an ingenious idea.” Harry added.

“Voldemort trusts me completely.” Draco said. “Who better to guard the secret of the Order than one of the Dark Lord's own?”

“I'll admit, I had my doubts.” Harry joked. “But you have been a model Secret Keeper, Malfoy.”

“Oh Potter, I know how hard that was for you to say. Now, unless you want us all to be caught by one of the Dark Lord's patrols, you'll hurry along.” He took Ginny's hand and began to run toward the ruin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The front doors of the castle were completely gone, as was one wall of the Great Hall. What was left of the building was charred and crumbling. The staircases—or what remained of them—were all wobbly and Ginny held tightly to Draco's hand as they ascended the steps. When they reached the fifth floor they were forced to stop. The staircase was completely gone, leaving a gaping hole behind.

Harry held his wand in the air and muttered a spell under his breath. A moment later, a multitude of rocks shot up out of the darkness, creating a narrow stairway that allowed the trio to climb to the sixth floor.

“Lupin came up with that trick.” Harry admitted. “He thought it would be a good way to guard against unwelcome guests. We don't get many, but when we do--”

They reached the seventh floor, and stopped to catch their breath. “The door is just up ahead.” Draco said. “We will need to walk past the empty space three times in order for the door to appear. Don't forget to concentrate on what I wrote down.”

Ginny nodded, and the three of them started down the hallway. They walked once past the bare stretch of wall, then stopped, and started back the way they had come. Ginny's eyes were closed. She concentrated with all her might on the words Draco had written on the chocolate wrapper. On the third pass, she heard Harry's grunt of approval.

“It worked. Good. I'm always afraid it won't appear one of these days.”

Ginny opened her eyes. There was a door where the empty stretch of wall should have been. It was the same door she remembered from D.A. meetings during her fourth year.

Harry opened the door and walked in gesturing for the Malfoys to follow him. The room didn't look quite the same as she remembered. This room was much larger. Tables covered with maps and various pieces of parchment filled the room. There were half a dozen more doors scattered around the room that opened into what appeared to be bedrooms.

“It's as large as a house.” She breathed.

“I know, isn't it great?!” Harry said, gleefully. “There are over two dozen of us living here, many with families. Lupin and his son live over there. Euan and Sally Anne's two daughters are here also. After Neville died we went and found his grandmother and brought her here as well. Her room is…somewhere around here.”

“It's amazing, Harry. I can barely believe it.”

“Thanks, Gin, but it isn't all due to me. The other members of the Order are just as committed as I am.”

“Speaking of which,” Draco interrupted, “here comes Hooper.”

“Harry! You're back!” A young man with wiry brown hair and rather prominent ears hurried over toward the newcomers. “Romilda and Euan came back with the supplies while you were out,” he began, speaking very quickly. “The count stands at three bottles short on pepper-up potion—hello Malfoy—and Strenmer also shorted us on boomslangskni and hellbore.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “And Euan wants to know whether you want him to turn Strenmer into a pile of slime or if he should cut the dirty, cheating bastard a break.”

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. “Its fine, Geoffrey. Tell Euan not to worry about Strenmer. We are lucky he is willing to work with us at all.”

“Well, yes, I suppose so,” the younger man agreed, “but that doesn't mean…that…Ginny!” Geoffrey's eyes widened.

Ginny smiled wearily. “Hullo, Geoff.”

“Ginny! I can't believe it's really you! Harry told us that Malfoy had rescued you from Azkaban, but I never expected to see you here.” He stepped forward shyly, and gave her a hug. “I'm glad you're alright.”

“Alright, Hooper, enough is enough.” Draco said dryly. “Stop pawing my wife and get back to work. I'm sure there is something for you to do around here.”

“Er, um, yes, of course.” Geoffrey stepped quickly away from Ginny, nearly tripping over his robes in the process. “There is, yes, naturally, something I could—yes, I'm going now.” The young man hurried away, alternating between smiling at Ginny and darting frightened looks at her husband.

“Draco! What on earth?!” Ginny threw up her hands in dismay. “Why did you do that?”

“I should think that was quite obvious.” He said, drawing her forward. “You are my wife. Only mine. And I love you.”

Heat rushed to Ginny's face, turning her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. “Oh…”

“…for gods sake!” Harry said. Draco and Ginny both turned there attention to the Boy-Who-Lived, who looked as though he couldn't decide whether he was more amused or disgusted by the romantic drama playing out before him. “Get a room, why don't you. No, no. Never mind. There are more important things than shagging at present.”

“More important than shagging? You must be joking.” Draco said.

“No, he's right.” Ginny regrettably pulled away from Draco. “There will be plenty of time for that later. Harry, why don't you finish showing me around, and then we can get down to business.”

“Oh?” The corner of Harry's mouth was twitching, as if he was trying very hard not to laugh. “And what business would that be?”

She ruffled his hair affectionately, “saving the world, of course.”

~TBC~

A/N: Many thanx go out to lakailah, Lovely.Beat.For.Life, huanita, yomoedmb, LoVe PeTtLes, down2earthangl85, dracorox, Tayler, mooo, KillingByTwilight, MBPrincess. QueenThayet12990, sagereader, LElessar, MD, Broken Fairytales, Phillexican, siri- poo, Dracoginnylover24, AmelieFoy, sidlovesnancy1979, Stelladorro, AuntAnnie, Cirolane. Flipinpenname, AlaiLuver, sexyevilempress276, xdopex, PhoenixTalons, nun outfits are cool, Shining Bright Eyes, STA, Sazzy7, NicholePotter86, and all of you Anonymous people for reviewing the last chapter!!

-->