A/N: First off, I want to apologize for the exceptionally long wait. I really don't have any excuse, besides my horrible case of writer's block and an awful exam schedule. I realized today that I've become one of those writers that I despise, you know, the ones that NEVER update. Never fear, however, I will not abandon this fic. Secondly, I want to apologize in advance. Lent begins tomorrow and I have decided, stupidly enough, to give up fanfiction. This means no reading and, unfortunately, no writing. It will, therefore, be a long time until the next chapter is uploaded. I really am truly sorry! I also want to apologize for any mistakes that may be found in this chapter. I finished it yesterday, gave it to my betas this morning, and requested it back. It's a little rough, especially towards the end, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Don't forget to REVIEW!
And, as always, thanks to my wicked betas, Laura and Tara.
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies, I'm off to worship JKR.
My Life as I Don't Know It
Chapter Three - Found
Ginny and Draco stared at him in horror. "The Hog's Head Inn?" they repeated incredulously, as they exchanged worried glances.
"But, he's not safe there!" Ginny murmured, mostly to herself. "Anyone could be there and hurt him."
"A Malfoy at the Hog's Head," Draco muttered as he shook his head. "That boy is going to be the death of the family reputation." Ginny glared at him. Draco shrugged.
"We'd like to go to the Hog's Head, please, Stan," Ginny said, turning away from Draco and moving to sit on another bed.
"Right away, lady. Ern!" he called as he returned to talk to Ernie. "Hog's Head."
After he was sure Stan had left for good, Draco walked over to Ginny and sat down next to her. She refused to meet his eyes. "Ginny," he said gently. "Look at me." Ginny raised her tearful eyes to meet Draco's. "What's wrong, love?" Instead of responding, she turned her face away and stared out the window at the scenery that was whizzing by.
"Ginny," Draco said quietly, staring intently at the back of her head. "About what I said earlier, I didn't mean it." Ginny turned and looked at him.
"You didn't?" she whispered.
Draco smiled and shook his head. "No. Ginny, you are a fantastic mother, and you are the only woman in the world I would want to raise my son. And," Draco said, looking down at his hands. "It's not your fault Ben ran away."
BANG.
Draco and Ginny, unprepared for the sudden movement of the Knight Bus, were thrown onto the floor. Draco landed on top of Ginny, one of his legs thrust between hers and their faces inches apart. They were both breathing heavily and neither one was able to speak. Draco stared intently into Ginny's eyes, unable to think about anything except how good she felt pressed against him. He ran his hands up her sides until he found her hands. He entwined their fingers and flipped her arms so they were pressed into the floor above her head. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, and the fact that she was unable to catch her breath had nothing to do with her tumble from the bed.
When Ginny felt him twist her arms above her head, her breath had caught in her throat. All rational thought had flown out the window as soon as she felt his leg pressed between her own. There was something oddly familiar about Draco's body pressed against hers, but she couldn't quite place it. It reminded her of the kiss they had shared at Malfoy Manor before Ben had run away. Even though Ginny could never remember being in this type of situation before and would usually have been incredibly embarrassed, she felt completely comfortable. She shivered as Draco leaned closer to her and she felt his hot breath on her lips.
Draco smiled as a small whimper escaped Ginny's lips as he leaned closer to her. As he lowered his lips to hers, a sharp cry ruined the moment.
"Hog's Head Inn," Stan cried from the door.
Draco looked down at Ginny ruefully. "I think that's our cue to leave," he whispered. Ginny, still unable to find her voice, merely nodded. He pulled himself off her and stood up before helping her to her feet. As she came to a standing position, she found herself pressed against his chest. She blushed furiously and looked down. Draco smiled at her reaction and stepped away from her. As he passed Stan, he said, "You may bill the Malfoy Vault at Gringotts," before sweeping off the Bus. Ginny followed closely behind him, whispering a "thank you" to Stan as she passed him. As soon as her feet touched the pavement, the Knight Bus disappeared with its signature BANG.
Ginny turned to Draco and saw a look of disgust on his face, but it was quickly hidden behind his 'Malfoy Mask' as Ginny had decided to call it. She turned to look at the object of Draco's disgust and smiled slightly.
"Well, come on," Ginny said as she led the way to the entrance. Once inside, she marched confidently to the bar and rapped on the counter.
"Excuse me," she said as the bartender came into view. "We're looking for someone that's staying here. Would you mind telling us what room he is in?"
The bartender eyed Ginny and Draco, both of whom were very out of place in their expensive robes. "And here I thought this place was beneath the Malfoys, but we've had two in one day," he said, staring directly at Draco.
"And the first one is still here, I presume?" Draco inquired as politely as he could. He was having a small amount of trouble hiding his disgust and contempt for the overfed and under washed bartender who was leering at him.
The bartender nodded. "Oh, he is alright. Been in his room all day."
"Would you mind telling us which room he's in?" Ginny asked impatiently.
"Not at all," the bartender replied with a wicked grin. "But it's gonna cost ya."
"How much?" Draco asked coldly.
"Shall we say… ten galleons?"
"Done," Draco said promptly. He knew the bartender was looking to haggle, but he just wanted this blasted search to be over with already. "And an extra three if you keep your mouth shut about all this."
The bartender smiled nastily. "All what?" he asked as he swiped the proffered gold from the bar and into his pocket. "Room six."
Draco turned on his heel and swept up the stairs, Ginny close behind.
"Thirteen galleons?" she asked incredulously when she had caught up with him. "I'm sure you could have gotten off for at least half that."
"It's not like we can't afford it, Ginny. We'll just take it out of Ben's allowance. Ah, here we are," Draco said, stopping in front of a door that seemed like one good shove would cause it to crumble. Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust. "He would have been better off hiding in the guest wing."
***
"Go 'way," Ben mumbled into his pillow upon hearing a loud knock on his door. The knocking continued unabated. "I said 'go away'!" he said loudly, covering his head with his pillow in a vain attempt to silence the noise. The knocking turned into insistent pounding and Ben jumped out of bed angrily to storm across the room.
"What the hell do you want?" he said angrily as he swung the door open.
"Nice to see you too, son," Draco said dryly.
"Oh, it's you," Ben responded coldly as he started to shut the door in his father's face.
"You're bloody right it's me," Draco said angrily as he held the door open with one hand. "Did you think I was going to let my only son run away from home without an explanation? If you have a problem, Benjamin, you talk it out. You don't run away like a coward."
Ben glared at Draco. "I think you should leave," he said quietly, trying to reign in his temper and beginning to fail. When Draco didn't move, he tried again. "I said get out!" he yelled as loudly as he could. "Get the fuck out!" he yelled even louder.
"Now that is enough, both of you," Ginny said angrily, stepping between the warring Malfoys. "Ben, let us in this instant, and Draco, if I hear one more snide comment out of you, you will see the sharp end of my wand, is that understood?"
"I'm not letting him in," Ben said stubbornly. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Draco, you stay out here." The look of disgust on Draco's face made Ginny rethink her edict. "On second thought, you go back to the Manor. I'm sure you have some sort of work to take care of." When Draco didn't move, she gave him a small push. "Go," she said quietly. Glaring at Ginny, Draco turned on his heel and strode down the hall, his robes billowing behind him. Ginny turned back to Ben. "May I come in, Ben?" she asked quietly. Ben nodded and moved away from the door. Ginny stepped into the room and tried not to appear too disgusted.
"Nice place," she said as kindly as she could.
"It's alright, Mum," Ben said with a smile. "It's a crap hole."
"Watch your language," Ginny said sharply.
"Sorry, Mum," Ben responded sheepishly. He sat down on his bed and looked at his hands. He had no intention of starting the conversation he had been dreading since he left Malfoy Manor the previous night.
Ginny wandered aimlessly around the room, unsure of where to take this situation. This was her first test as a mother, and she really didn't want to mess it up. She turned around to face Ben and cleared her throat.
"Running away was not a good thing to do," she started. "You scared your entire family. Your grandparents were worried sick, and, uh, Percy's wife, and, well, I was worried." Ben looked up and smirked at her in an incredibly infuriating and Malfoy-like way. Ginny sighed.
"Listen, Ben, I have no idea what I'm doing here, so I'm just going to say this as simply as I can." She took a deep breath and continued. "You scared the crap out of everyone that cares about you. Don't you dare ever do that again. I don't care what problems you are having with your father. If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I'll… ban you from Quidditch," she said, taking a wild guess that he played. The smirk on Ben's face fell off and he looked down at his hands again. Good one, Ginny! Ginny mentally applauded herself.
"Yes, Mum," he said, completely humbled. Ginny sighed again.
"Ben," she said softly, moving to kneel in front of him. "Can I talk to you honestly for a minute? I have no idea what I'm doing right now," she continued hurriedly, not waiting for a response. "Last thing I remember is being as carefree as you are right now. Imagine suddenly waking up in a strange house, married with a sixteen-year-old son. It's pretty damn scary. But there is one good thing I can think of right now."
"What?" he asked warily, looking up from his hands.
"Well, hopefully, I'll be on your side. I mean, you're sixteen, I think I'm sixteen. It stands to reason that I might be a little bit more understanding than you would normally expect me to be. I know all parents say that they were sixteen once and they understand exactly what's going on in your life, but I really do understand how hard everything can be. So, I know you might not think I'll understand why you ran away, but I bet that if you tried me, I might be able to at least get the gist of it."
Ben was silent, refusing to look at his mother and refusing to respond.
"Was it your father?" Ginny prompted. After a second's pause, Ben nodded his head almost imperceptibly. "Was it me?" she asked quietly. Ben raised his head quickly.
"Of course not!" Ben exclaimed hurriedly, the tips of his ears turning pink.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Ben," she said gently. "You're ears are pink." The pink tint of Ben's ears spread to his face.
"Right," he mumbled and cleared his throat. "Of course," he said loudly, the blush still staining his cheeks.
"Did you get in a fight with your father about me?" Ginny prompted further. Ben nodded again.
I feel like a misbehaved child who hears their parents arguing about them, Ginny thought ruefully.
"Anytime you want to jump in and dominate the conversation is fine with me," Ginny said with a hint of exasperation coloring her voice. Ben almost managed a smile.
"I just," he began, not knowing exactly what to say. "I couldn't stand being in that house for another minute." Ginny nodded and waited for him to continue. "I mean, I needed to get away. Dad was being so," he paused, looking for the right word.
"Malfoy-like?" Ginny guessed quietly.
"Exactly!" Ben exclaimed. "He seemed so fucking impersonal."
"I may understand what it's like to be sixteen, Ben, but that does not permit you to use that kind of language," Ginny said sharply. Where the hell did that come from?
"Sorry, Mum." He was silent again.
"What was he being impersonal about?" Ginny asked, attempting to draw him back into the conversation.
"You," Ben said quietly. "Not that he doesn't love you, because I'm sure he does," he added hurriedly.
"I'm starting to get that feeling myself," she said with a crooked smile, causing Ben to grin.
"Well, that's an improvement."
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked worriedly.
Ben blushed slightly. "That's kinda what our whole argument was about."
"You were fighting about me not knowing your father loves me?" Ginny squeaked, half in shock and half in embarrassment.
Ben's blush increased as he nodded. "You were leaving to go to the Burrow, and Dad wasn't trying to stop you. He gave me this bullshit excuse about you not understanding how he's changed and that there was nothing he could do about it. He was giving up on you! He didn't care! It's his job to keep this family together. Screw the Malfoy reputation and screw the Malfoy pride. Some things are more important than pride," Ben yelled. He was standing now and breathing heavily after his long tirade. Ginny waited a few moments before speaking.
"Are you ready to go home, Ben?" Ginny asked softly. "Because I am." Ben leaned over and grabbed his bag from the floor. He had not unpacked any of his belongings, so there was no need for him to delay their departure any longer.
"Let's go."
***
Draco paced back in forth in front of his desk. After being kicked out of the Hog's Head by his wife and son, he had returned to the Manor in a towering rage. The house elves had scattered, not even bothering to take Draco's traveling cloak or ask if he needed anything. Said cloak was now flung over a chair, and the rational part of Draco was glad the house elves hadn't bothered him. If they had asked him what he needed, he probably would have commanded another drink, which he knew he shouldn't have, and then flung it against the wall. Instead, he was forced to pace back and forth in front of his desk and wait for Ginny to return, hopefully with Ben in tow.
How could she kick me out like that? He raged to himself. I'm his father! I have every right to be there.
Ben wouldn't talk if you were there, said a snide voice in his head. It's your fault he ran away in the first place. If you weren't so much like your father…
Draco lost it. "I'm not fucking like him!" he yelled, picking up a paperweight and throwing it across the room. It crashed into the wall and Draco stood still, breathing heavily and staring at the mess of glass on the floor.
"Are you quite finished?" a voice said coldly from the door. Draco turned around and turned his angry glare onto Ginny.
"Are you quite finished excluding me from important family events?"
"Are you quite finished running our children out of our home?" Ginny shot back, equally enraged. Draco's whole body collapsed, his face paled, and he turned his back to Ginny, his shoulders hunched.
"Did he say it was my fault?" he asked quietly. Ginny felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She walked up behind Draco and gently laid her hand on his shoulder.
"Not in so many words," she said. "But-"
"Where is he?" Draco asked, already striding towards the door.
"His bedroom, but-"
"Don't worry about it, Ginny. I'll handle the disciplinary portion of this," he said sternly.
"Malfoy!" Ginny said loudly, finally catching Draco's attention. Draco turned around and stared at her. He raised an eyebrow in a silent inquiry.
"You cannot go in there in a towering rage and yell at him without expecting him to lash out at you, which will only succeed in making you even more angry, which will make you yell more, which will make him yell more, and ultimately run away again, and I'm really not up for a country-wide search. Take a seat, Malfoy. We need to talk. Then, you can have your man to man chat, okay?" At the look of hesitation on his face, Ginny rolled her eyes. "He's not going anywhere, Draco. I promise." Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair tiredly.
"Fine, we'll talk." He gestured imperiously to the couch. Ginny walked over and sat down. She patted the spot next to her, looking imploringly at Draco. Draco stalked over and sat down stiffly next to her.
"You better loosen up, Draco, we're going to be here until you calm down." Draco sighed and relaxed against the back of the couch.
"Now," Ginny said calmly. "According to Ben, the two of you got in a fight yesterday before I left for the Burrow. Is that right?"
Draco nodded.
"I wanted to return to the Burrow, you were graciously letting me," Ginny said sarcastically, getting a small smile from Draco. "And Ben wanted you to stop me."
Draco nodded again. "He accused you of caring more about your pride then your family," Ginny said quietly.
"I may have insisted that I couldn't stop you," Draco conceded. "But I didn't want you to be unhappy. I thought that you'd come around eventually."
Ginny nodded. "He thought I was leaving for good. He didn't understand that it was just temporary."
A look of understanding graced Draco's features. "Ah. So when he wanted me to do something, he wanted me to make sure that our family didn't fall apart. As if I would let that happen," he muttered.
"I think tempers were running rather high yesterday. And all of us are to blame really. I don't think we should punish Ben anymore than we would punish each other. He made a stupid mistake that was based on all of our uncontrollable tempers, and it should be left at that. Okay?"
Draco nodded. "I still need to talk to him," he said tiredly, running a hand through his hair.
"Just put your wand in your hand and say 'Ben's room'. It'll show you how to get there," Ginny said lightly, standing up. "However, I think you should wait until tomorrow. I think we could all do with a good night's rest. Which brings me to my next point. What exactly are the sleeping arrangements?" Ginny asked, a blush creeping over her cheeks. Draco grinned at her.
"Well, Ginny. Normally when a man and a woman love each other very much and they get married, they sleep in the same bed," he said cheekily. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"If you think you're sleeping in my bed, you have another thing coming, Mr. Malfoy," Ginny said as haughtily as she could manage, considering the deep blush now staining her cheeks.
"I figured as much. You take our room, and I'll have the house elves prepare a guest room for me."
Ginny gave him a soft smile. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Well, goodnight," she said, feeling awkward. How exactly does one say goodnight to ones husband whom one does not remember?
Draco solved her dilemma for her.
He grabbed her hand brought it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand, and whispered "Goodnight, Ginny" against her skin. Ginny's blush increased as Draco met her eyes, and she wasn't quite sure what to do. Finally finding the strength to pull her hand from his grasp, she mumbled another "Goodnight" and exited the room as quickly as she possibly could.
Ginny closed the door behind her and leaned against it, taking a few calming breaths. This has got to stop, she thought tiredly to herself before setting off down the hall in the direction she hoped led to a warm and comfortable bed.
***
Draco sighed contentedly and rolled over on his side in order to bring the still sleeping form of his wife closer to him, a habit he had picked up soon after they had started sleeping together. His eyes snapped open and he sat up worriedly, however, when his arm encountered a cold bed and no wife.
He looked confusedly around the unfamiliar room before the events of the previous two days came crashing down around him. He groaned and flopped onto his back. After a few seconds he pushed the bedclothes back and got up. He took a quick look around the room in order to locate the bathroom, then strode towards it.
After splashing some cold water on his face, Draco made his way to the master bedroom. He cast a silencing charm on his feet and the door, before pushing it open and entering the room. Ginny, who was still asleep, was sprawled over the entire bed, taking up her half as well as Draco's. Draco shook his head, a small smile on his face. Gently, he untangled her limbs and torso from the bedclothes and pulled them up to cover her. She sighed in her sleep and nestled further into the clothes, a content smile on her face. Unable to stop himself, he leaned in and kissed her softly. Her eyes fluttered, but she did not wake. He watched her for a few seconds before going into the bathroom. Half an hour later, Draco was showered and shaved, and he had returned to the bedroom. Ginny was still asleep, which he thought was probably a good thing, considering he was in her bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. He stood in the doorway, longing to climb in behind her and wrap his arms around her, but fear of what she would do to him combined with the ever increasing need to get to the office stopped him. He sighed, and went into his closet to get dressed. The start of another long day.
***
Draco took off his traveling cloak and hung it on the stand next to the fireplace in his office. He surveyed the room impassively. It was always odd to him that no matter how angrily he had argued with Ginny or what new mischief Ben had gotten himself into, his office was exactly the same, exquisite and impersonal. Pushing all thoughts of Ginny and Ben out of his head as he did every morning, he braced himself for the day from hell that awaited him. Squaring his shoulders, he was already halfway across his office. When he opened the door, he was pleased to see his secretary already waiting at her desk.
Carmen Lopez had started working for Draco when she was 20. With a slender waist and exotic features, it wasn't long before she was married to a respectable British wizard. She had been happily married for fifteen years, when, unfortunately her marriage fell apart. Their problem was a complete misunderstanding. Carmen didn't realize that part of being a respectable British wizard was having a few unrespectable British witches as his mistresses. After this gross misunderstanding was corrected, Carmen was left without a husband or a home. Draco had been more than understanding and had given her an immediate pay raise and, knowing that she wouldn't take any charity, happened to circle a few apartments in a decent part of town and left the Daily Prophet on her desk. In no time, she was out of a hotel and into her own apartment. That had been about a month ago.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Carmen exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. "I wasn't expecting you so early. How is Mrs. Malfoy doing?"
"Ah, I see you are a bit behind the times." Draco beckoned her into his office. She grabbed some parchment and quill and followed Draco into his office, closing the door quietly behind her. In the past sixteen years, Draco had come to trust her almost as much as he trusted Ginny.
Draco sat down behind his desk and gestured to the chair across from him. Carmen perched on the edge of her chair, her quill poised at the top of a sheet of parchment. She looked at him expectantly and Draco chuckled.
"Put the quill down, Carmen. This doesn't need to go in a press release or memo to the building. I'm telling you this because I trust you and I'm going to need your help today. I would never tell a secretary this much information normally, but, like I said, I trust you. So, put the quill and parchment away."
Carmen sighed and snapped her fingers, and the parchment and quill disappeared. She settled herself back into the chair, crossed her legs and folded her hands.
"Now, Mr. Malfoy, what's going on?" Draco gave her a weak smile and opened his mouth to speak.
"As I told you a couple days ago, Ginny fell off her broom and was unconscious for a day or so. She woke up two days ago and could not remember anything beyond her sixth year at Hogwarts. She went to stay with her parents, there was a misunderstanding, and to make a long story short, Ben ran away. I alerted the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, who, complete wankers that they are, decided that it would be a brilliant idea to alert all the prominent wizarding families that my son had run away. If that was bad enough, they were completely fucking up the job, and I had to find him myself, with the help of my amnesia-stricken wife who thinks she's sixteen and, consequently, when she's not afraid of me, is ready to hex my balls off. We finally found Ben at the Hog's Head around midnight," Draco finished, leaning back in his chair.
"Holy crap," Carmen murmured. "Are you shitting me?" she asked incredulously.
Draco shook his head. "I had to bribe the bartender, and you know what that means."
Carmen nodded furiously as she snapped her fingers and her quill and parchment reappeared. She began to write furiously. "Liability. And major press control. We need to come up with a story, and fill in the Ministry. A sizable donation should make them see our way."
"I was afraid of that," Draco sighed.
"There is another possibility, Mr. Malfoy," Carmen said quietly, knowing he would hate it. Draco quirked an eyebrow, a sign for her to continue. "I believe that Mrs. Malfoy has a certain amount of…persuasion ability with the Minister. Perhaps he could exert a little executive power."
Draco groaned. "Shit, I hate asking Percy for favors. He's a pompous little arse, Ginny's brother or not."
"So make the donation and see if that makes a difference before calling in any favors, but you have to keep your options open, Mr. Malfoy, if you want this whole mess to blow over."
"I hate it when you're right. Alright, what else?"
"Who else knows that he ran away?"
"Every fucking wizarding family." Draco put his head in his hands. "We're never going to be able to clean up this mess."
"Yes we will, Mr. Malfoy. Now, we need to make up some sort of story. We'll just alter the truth a little bit. It was a misunderstanding. You got into a little fight with your son; he left to go stay at a friend's house. When he didn't come home that night, you were worried and a house elf overheard you talking to your wife. She thought she heard you say that Ben ran away, and alerted the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol."
Draco nodded. "Perfect. And we'll not release the name of the house elf."
Carmen nodded and made a note on her parchment. "Who else knows that he ran away?"
"Ben's girlfriend, she won't talk though, and the night attendants of the Knight Bus, and the bartender at the Hogshead." Carmen looked at him. "I'm going to need to make two more sizable donations, aren't I?"
"Not necessarily. I might be able to do something with Stan and Ernie. You'll probably still have to pay off the Hog's Head, though."
"And how exactly are you going to persuade Stan and Ernie not to tell?" Draco asked suspiciously. Carmen rolled her eyes.
"I'm not going to dirty your reputation anymore by doing anything illegal." Draco glared at her. "I used the Knight Bus quite a bit when I didn't have a fireplace to Floo."
"Why didn't you Apparate?"
"Damn Ministry revoked my license after I got divorced. I just recently got it back. Now, I'll send out donations to the Ministry and the Hog's Head, in about an hour I would go to the Magical Law Enforcement department and tell them to keep it quiet. I don't think it will be necessary with the Hog's Head. I'm sure he'll have a pretty good idea what you want when he sees whom the money is from. I'll write a press release for you, it's better if you end this before it even starts. And then I'll go talk to Stan and Ernie." Carmen finished making a few notes on her parchment and stood up. "If I may, sir?"
Draco flapped a hand at her. "Yes, go save my ass, Carmen." Carmen flashed him a smile and left, her mind already three steps ahead. Draco sat still for a few moments before he stood up and began going through the owl post.
***
When Ginny woke up, she had a faint memory of a dream in which someone with very soft lips had kissed her. It had been a nice kiss, and Ginny decided that she wouldn't turn down a repeat performance. Shoving those thoughts to the side, she climbed out of bed and looked around the room, unsure of what to do next.
"Mistress Ginny?" a small voice squeaked behind her. Ginny spun around, lost her balance, and fell in heap in on the floor. The house elf peered down at her anxiously. "Is Mistress okay?"
Ginny hauled herself off the floor. "Mistress-uh, yeah, I'm fine," she responded distractedly. "What's up?"
"Sippy is here to help Mistress Ginny, just as Sippy is supposed to help Mistress Ginny every morning."
"Oh, well, thanks, Sippy," Ginny said as she looked around the room, attempting to get her bearings, and rubbing her slightly sore bum. "But I think I can handle the showering and getting dressed on my own, thanks."
Sippy bowed. "As Mistress Ginny wishes." Instead of disappearing like Ginny thought she would, Sippy continued to stand in the middle of the room, looking expectantly at Ginny.
"Was there something else?" Ginny asked politely.
"Mistress Ginny will want to know that Mistress Weasley Flooed last night. Mistress Weasley wanted to know if Mistress Ginny and Master Draco had any news about Master Benjamin."
"Bollocks, I forgot to Floo Mum last night," Ginny said angrily, slapping herself in the forehead with the heal of her palm. "Thank you, Sippy."
Ginny grabbed her wand from the end table and stepped out into the hall, deciding in a split second that she would Floo her mum, then shower. After a second's hesitation, however, Ginny realized that she had no idea what room the fireplace was in, and since she had no desire to be led to some dangerous area of Malfoy Manor, she enlisted help.
"Sippy, where is the Floo connected?"
"Mistress Ginny should use the fireplace in the sitting room."
"Thanks. Sitting room," she said to her wand, which immediately started tugging her in the right direction.
***
Ben lay on his stomach, his eyes firmly shut to block the bright sunlight streaming into his room despite the heavy hangings around his four poster bed. If he opened his eyes, he would have to acknowledge that he had finally woken up, and that would lead to the inevitable yet dreaded conversation he knew he must have with his father. After lying motionless, unsuccessfully attempting to convince himself that he was still sleeping, the urge to pee overcame his dread and Ben pushed back the hangings surrounding his bed to stumble gracelessly to his adjoining bathroom.
He emerged twenty minutes later, freshly showered with a towel wrapped around his waist. He stared glumly at his freshly made bed. If the house elves had already been in to make his bed, he was sure they would have alerted his father that he was up. He sighed darkly and walked over to his wardrobe. If he wants to yell at me, there is no way in hell that I am going to go downstairs and make this any easier, Ben thought as he pulled on a pair of dark pants. Leaving his towel on the floor, he walked over to his stereo, a Muggle device his mother had shown him after she insisted that the Manor be charmed so electronic devices worked. He switched it on and began blasting his music, in blatant defiance of his father's rules. If he was going down, he was going to go down for a shitload of things.
***
Draco gracefully collapsed into his chair and leaned back. He had just finished speaking with the press about the events of the previous night. Carmen had showed up five minutes before he went on and told him that things were all squared off with Ernie and Stan, they wouldn't say a word. He had already spoken to the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol and they had agreed not to say anything about the previous day, including Draco's multiple outbursts. The press release had gone well, and everyone laughed off Ben's little adventure as teenage rebellion. Besides being down a few hundred galleons and losing a morning's worth of work, everything had turned out okay.
Draco looked at the pile of work waiting to be taken care of, then glanced at his clock. Not even noon, he thought tiredly. He sighed, stood up, and crossed his office to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of Floo Powder, he tossed into the flames and yelled, "Malfoy Manor!"
***
"The Burrow," Ginny stated clearly, pushing her head into the flames. "Mum?" she yelled when the spinning stopped and the kitchen of the Burrow came into focus.
"Oh, Ginny dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed anxiously as she bustled into the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. Ginny could see Mrs. Weasley's wand sticking out of her apron pocket, just like it always did when Ginny was small. "Any news?"
"Yea, we found him, and he's home."
"Oh thank heavens!" Mrs. Weasley said, her hand going to her chest in a well-used gesture of relief. With seven children, nine if you count Harry and Hermione, and a husband all active participants in the War, Mrs. Weasley's gesture of relief was used quite a bit, much to everyone's appreciation. "And where was he, exactly?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Ginny could tell she was working herself up for a good yell. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of a lecture, even if it wasn't aimed at her, Ginny interrupted.
"He was at the Hog's Head, but don't worry, Mum, he's fine. Draco and I are going to work everything out."
"I should hope so," Mrs. Weasley puffed indignantly. "And I'll be having a firm talk with the boy the next time I see him, mark my words." Her expression softened. "And you are quite sure that he is alright?"
"Yes, Mum. In fact he's still sleeping." Ginny felt a tug on her shoulders. "I have to go. Someone's trying to Floo in, and it could be Draco."
"Yes, of course, dear. You go on now. I'll talk to you soon."
"Bye, Mum," Ginny said, already pulling her head out of the fire. Ginny hurriedly stood up and stepped away from the fire. She knew from personal experience that it was not pleasant to have someone Floo in right on top of you. Seconds later, a familiar blond head was poking out from between the flames. Ginny smiled slightly at the sight of the flames licking at his ears.
"Ginny," Draco said. He looked tired and more stressed than Ginny could imagine a Malfoy looking. Apparently he didn't just sit on his arse all day and have everyone else do everything for him. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yea, I actually just got up."
Draco smiled. "You always did like to sleep in." Ginny smiled back shyly. It was slightly disconcerting that a complete stranger, to her anyway, knew her sleeping habits. "Listen, I usually come home for lunch, but I'm not going to be able to get away today. My morning was packed and I'm just getting started on my regular business. I'll try not to be home too late, but I have to reschedule all my morning meetings and get through some paperwork."
"What have you been doing all morning?" Ginny asked curiously.
Draco sighed. "Cleaning up Ben's mess, but everything's okay now. Have you talked to your mother yet?"
"Yea, I just finished telling her Ben was safe. She looked like she wanted to have a go at him herself, but I told her that right was reserved for you. Draco," Ginny began biting her bottom lip. "I know that you're very upset with Ben right now, but, please-"
"Ginny," Draco interrupted impatiently. "I really don't have time for this right now, okay? I'll deal with Ben when I get home tonight. Tell the house elves not to make lunch for me today. I'll talk to you later." Before Ginny could say another word, Draco had pulled his head out of the fire and disappeared. She shook her head and turned towards the door. Before her hand reached the handle, however, she heard a small cough and the sound of someone brushing soot off their clothes. She turned around and nearly gasped at the site that met her, although she really shouldn't have been that shocked.
A young girl stepped out of the fireplace, brushing off her robes contemptuously. Her face was heavily painted with various products, and her stringy, stylized hair looked too natural to actually be natural. If that wasn't enough to tip Ginny off as to whom it was, the upturned nose and gaudy jewelry was an obvious clue.
"Hello, Scarlet," Ginny said coolly. Scarlet, however, did not respond. Instead she swept past Ginny and headed straight for the door. "Excuse me, Scarlet. I believe I said 'hello'," Ginny called after her, the distaste in her voice evident. Scarlet turned around, a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Oh, hello, Mrs. Malfoy. I didn't see you there. How are you doing? I'm just here to say hello to Ben." Her voice was sickly sweet and falsely cheery. Ginny wanted to slap her. Scarlet turned again and exited the room, leaving Ginny staring after her in shock.
"What a rude little bint," Ginny muttered to herself before heading back to her bedroom.
***
Scarlet threw open the door of Ben's bedroom without bothering to knock. Ben, who was still listening to his very loud and very angry music, did not notice her appearance. She slammed the door shut behind her, causing such a loud slam that Ginny, who was two floors away, jumped at the noise. Ben opened his eyes and finally took notice of the girl standing in his room. Said girl was tapping her foot impatiently and looked very angry with Ben. He searched around the bedclothes to find the remote to his stereo and turned his music down to a conversational level.
"Fancy seeing you here," he said with a smirk.
"You listen to crap," Scarlet responded carelessly, unclasping her traveling cloak and hanging it on the hook near Ben's door. Only Ben's stellar Malfoy training allowed him to keep a reign on his reaction to his girlfriend's clothing. Her impossibly long legs disappeared under her extremely short jean skirt. Ben could have sworn that if she had bent over, he would be able to see everything. Her shirt was nothing more than a piece of dark green material covering her chest with scraps of sheer green material hanging down to cover her stomach and provide straps on her shoulders. Her outfit left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and Ben didn't need an imagination to know exactly what was under those scraps of fabric that she called clothing. She stood staring at him, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. Ben swallowed in order to wet his suddenly dry mouth.
"Like what you see?" Scarlet asked smugly.
Ben shrugged casually, pretending indifference. "You know I like it when you dress up for me."
Scarlet rolled her eyes at his casual attitude. Experience had lent her the ability to be able to tell exactly what affect she was having on her boyfriend. She also knew that, given five minutes, his pride would allow him to come around.
"I'm shocked to find you in one piece," Scarlet said after a moment's silence. "I thought for sure your father would have blasted you to pieces by now."
Ben laughed. "Dad's all talk. He wouldn't hurt me," Ben said with more confidence than he actually had. "Besides, he hasn't even come to talk to me yet. I have another couple hours before anyone will be looking to talk to me," he added suggestively.
"Another couple of hours?" Scarlet replied coyly, looking at him from beneath lowered lashes.
Ben nodded, not wanting to chance his voice, which might not be in perfect working order at the moment.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Scarlet demanded, pouting at him from across the room. In seconds, Ben had crossed the room and pulled Scarlet into a savage kiss. Pulling her tightly against him, they stumbled across the room and collapsed in a heap on his bed. He flipped her over so that her head was on the pillow and he was leaning over her before he attacked her neck. Her hands automatically flew to where his tie would be, but upon encountering no shirt, let alone a tie, they began to caress his shoulders. She ran them down his chest and stomach to the edge of his pants. Seconds later, his pants were unbuttoned and unzipped and he groaned directly into her ear. It was his groan that caught her attention.
"Ben," she said breathlessly. "Ben!" she said more urgently when she got no response.
"What?" he snapped. "Dammit, Scarlet, how do you get this damn thing off!" He had been attempting to remove her shirt, but couldn't quite figure out how to get it off without ripping it. Normally, this wouldn't matter because he could simply Reparo it after, but as neither were allowed to use magic during the summer, it presented a bit of a problem.
"Ben, your music." Ben groaned, this time in frustration, and pulled himself off her. He ran an irritated hand through his hair.
"Fine. I'll turn it off."
"Don't be stupid," she said irritably. "If you turn it off your mother will hear us. Turn it up, you stupid prat."
Ben smiled at her and obeyed. When he turned back around, he found that Scarlet had removed her shirt for him.
"Now get back here."
***
Ginny stepped out of her bathroom feeling completely refreshed. Her conversation with Draco had left her a little aggravated, and frankly, Scarlet's sudden appearance had left completely brassed off. She really didn't like Scarlet; she looked rather like a pug, and she reminded Ginny of someone, although Ginny couldn't quite put her finger on whom. Frankly, Ginny thought Ben was better off without her, and was disgusted that he would lower himself to the level of that arrogant bint.
Sighing out of frustration, she turned to her wardrobe and began to select an outfit for the day. At first, she began to look for her normal wear of jeans and some sort of oversized shirt that she usually wore while lounging around the house. As she looked through her rather large collection of clothes, however, it became quite apparent that she had much more of a selection than she was used to. Deciding that she wanted to look comfortably nice today, she selected a long white skirt and a blue tank top with a pair of flip-flops that looked comfortable and well worn. As soon as she stepped out of her closet, Sippy appeared in front of her with a loud crack.
"Great Merlin, Sippy!" Ginny exclaimed, her hand over her rapidly beating heart in a gesture that reminded her of her mother. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sippy is sorry, Mistress Ginny! Sippy just wanted to know where Mistress Ginny would like to taker her lunch today with her guest."
"I have a guest?" Ginny asked curiously.
Sippy nodded emphatically. "Yes, Mistress Ginny. Mistress Hermione is here to see you."
"Hermione's here?" Ginny said excitedly, barely able to control herself from skipping around the room. Sippy nodded again. "Okay," Ginny said, glancing out the window. "Is there somewhere we can eat outside? It's a beautiful day."
"Sippy will have Mistress Ginny's lunch sent to the terrace, and Sippy will tell Mistress Hermione to meet Mistress Ginny on the terrace."
"Thank you, Sippy," Ginny said, already thinking about how she couldn't wait to see Hermione.
Sippy dropped into a low curtsy and disappeared with a crack. Hurrying back into her wardrobe, Ginny grabbed a pair of sunglasses and hurried towards the terrace, following the insistent tugging of her wand.
The terrace was more beautiful than Ginny could have imagined. The flowers were in full bloom and obviously well cared for, and the table was set to perfection. Ginny could barely contain her glee at the delicate place settings that were waiting to be used. Before she could fully appreciate the splendor around her, she heard a squeal and a soft shriek of "Ginny!" Ginny whipped and around as a huge smile broke out on her face.
"Hermione!" Ginny said happily as she rushed towards her friend. She stopped short. "You're pregnant!" she exclaimed, as if this development was new. Hermione laughed and nodded.
"Have been for seven months now," she said happily, laying a protective hand over her large stomach.
"You look great," Ginny said truthfully, managing to give Hermione a quick hug.
"When are you due?" Ginny asked as they each took a seat at the table.
"17 October. How are you doing, Ginny? Molly told me about what happened. Are you holding up okay?" Hermione asked seriously, laying a soft hand over Ginny's.
Ginny nodded. "I'm alright. I'm a little confused, but I'm okay," she said quietly. "So," she continued, as they started eating, attempting to lighten the mood. "Finally made Ron settle down?"
An odd look flashed across Hermione's face. "No, actually. Ron and I dated for a few weeks in seventh year-"
"Oh, yeah!" Ginny interrupted. "You guys got together last week."
"Yes," Hermione said after a moment's pause. "But we broke it off. We ended up fighting more than we usually did and it wasn't worth risking our friendship."
"I see, well, Ron always was an insensitive git. I can see how you weren't quite satisfied with him in the romance department. So who's the lucky guy?" Hermione had a pained look on her face, but she managed to smile, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Harry."
Ginny dropped her fork. "Harry? As in Harry Potter? As in the Boy-Who-Lived Harry Potter?" Hermione nodded happily. "I don't believe it! Although that does explain why Harry was so sullen when you started dating Ron," Ginny mused thoughtfully. At this, Hermione laughed outright, and they began to eat again. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hermione spoke again.
"So, you found Ben at the Hog's Head? Is he okay?"
"He's fine. Although I'm not sure that Draco is. I have a feeling they might have a bit of a row when he gets home from work."
Hermione nodded. "But that's to be expected. I mean, Ben did run off and potentially ruined the Malfoy family name."
"Don't tell me you support this stupid I-am-holier-than-thou Malfoy attitude."
Hermione snorted. "Of course not. I simply understand that Draco does, and I have a feeling Ben is in for it tonight. Anyway, where is the little bugger? I'd like to say a quick hello."
"He's still sleeping. You know how teenage boys are. I've learned not to wake them or they'll be grumpy all day, and I really don't want to have to handle that." Ginny paused. "Actually, he should be awake now. His girlfriend came over about an hour ago."
"Is he still dating that Scarlet girl?" Hermione asked curiously.
Ginny nodded. "I hate her," they said in unison, then broke out into gales of laughter.
***
Ben was sitting up in his bed, leaning against a pile of pillows and the headboard. His hair was sticking up in all directions, but he was completely relaxed, a self-satisfied look gracing his features. A sheet was pulled up to his waist, and it was quite obvious that he wasn't wearing anything underneath it. Similarly, Scarlet was walking around his room, naked except for a blanket wrapped around her, collecting her scattered clothing.
"Sure you can't stay longer?" he asked from his regal position on the bed. Scarlet straightened up from her crouch on the floor as she retrieved her bra and leveled a glare at him.
"And risk getting caught by your mother or father? No thanks. I'd rather chance a blast-ended skrewt." She bent down to retrieve her knickers. "Next time, do you think you could not throw my clothes everywhere as you rip them off?"
"Glad to know what you truly think of my parents," Ben said, ignoring her last comment as he got out of bed and moved to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his chest. She sighed, and leaned into him. "And I know you wouldn't have it any other way." She gave him a vicious jab in the ribs and pulled away.
"At least during the summer, then," she said haughtily as she dropped the blanket to the floor and began to dress again. Ben leaned back against one of the posts on his four-poster bed, his arms crossed in front of his chest, a pleased look on his face. When Scarlet was completely dressed, she turned around to face him, a scowl on her face.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Now if you don't mind, my mum will be getting worried."
"I don't mind at all," Ben said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders and moving towards his bathroom. He heard the door open, but didn't turn around.
"Oh, and Ben, darling," Scarlet said, her sickly sweet voice ringing clearly across the room. Ben stopped and looked over his shoulder. "You owe me ten galleons from the other night." She smirked at him and slammed the door behind her. Ben smiled, shook his head, and turned on the shower.
***
Draco Apparated into the front hall of Malfoy Manor. Surprisingly enough, Draco had managed to squeeze everything that needed to be done into a single afternoon, without a lunch break, and had managed to get at a reasonably decent time, albeit after dinner. The downside, however, was that he was utterly exhausted and all he wanted was to eat a warm dinner and to lie down in his large bed with his wife wrapped securely in his arms. Unfortunately, the closest he would come tonight was a warm, awkward dinner and a cold bed in a little used guestroom, sans Ginny. Draco tossed his traveling cloak to the waiting elf and strode up the front stairs to change. As he reached the landing, he heard a dull throbbing and faint yells. Narrowing his eyes, he started down the hall. With each step he took, the noises got louder and louder until he was standing outside the door to his son's room, the loud, angry music blasting through the door.
***
Ben was lying on his bed, listening to the same CD he had been listening to when Scarlet had burst into his room earlier that afternoon. Not expecting his father home for another couple of hours, he was slightly shocked to feel the oh-so-familiar feeling of a long-fingered hand tugging his pants in an attempt to get his attention. He opened his eyes to see a terrified house elf looking at him, his large eyes pleading.
"What?" Ben snapped angrily, closing his eyes again, annoyed at having been disturbed.
"Dinky begs Master Benjamin to turn his music down. Master Benjamin will be punished most severely by Master Draco if he does not."
"Go away," Ben commanded in the patented I'm-talking-to-someone-beneath-me-and-it's-boring-me-to-the-brink-of-insanity Malfoy tone.
"Dinky begs Master Benjamin to-" But at the sound of angry footsteps in the hall, Dinky gave a squeak of fright and disappeared with a crack that was inaudible over the angry tones issuing from the speakers of Ben's stereo. Ben, not having ears quite as large as Dinky's, did not hear the footsteps quickly approaching his room. Later that day, Ben would curse the house elf for not warning him.
The door burst open to reveal a very brassed off Draco Malfoy, his wand raised in front of him. Before Ben had time to react Draco bellowed "Silencio!" and silence permeated the room. The type of silence that is oddly quiet after so much noise. Draco stood in the doorway, his nostrils slightly flared, and a murderous look in his eyes.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" he said quietly, his voiced strained in such a way that Ben knew he was about to loose the small amount of control he had left.
"I was just-" Ben began, carefully hiding the tremor in his voice.
"Trying to see how far you could push me before I caused you serious bodily harm?" Draco cut in coldly.
"I have told you time and time again, Benjamin, to turn your damn music down. It's bad enough that you listen
to that Muggle crap, but you don't have to inflict that kind of torture on the rest of the household."
"I'm sorry," Ben said hastily, but stopped when Draco made a gesture that quite plainly meant "Stop making excuses, and shut the hell up if you value your life."
"I don't want to hear it, Benjamin. I have had quite enough of your teenage rebellion. It stops now. Is that understood?" Ben started to nod, then stopped. He gave Draco a strange look before saying, albeit quietly, "Fuck off."
Draco stared at him for a moment, a shocked expression on his face. "Excuse me," he said, his cold, hard voice holding a warning that Ben did not heed.
"I said," Ben responded equally coldly, his voice louder now. "'Fuck off'."
"You've gone too far, Benjamin," Draco said, his voice infused with anger and cold restraint.
"You know what, Dad? I don't give a flying fuck anymore. I don't care if your precious pride is bruised or if you have to explain one more thing to the press. As far as I'm concerned, I shouldn't have come home. I would have been better off holed up in some crap hole that's not good enough to store my spare boots, than to come back here and deal with your fucking superiority complex. "
"If it weren't for my precious pride, than you wouldn't have half the things that you do. You had better be grateful that I had any pride in the Malfoy name. That crap hole that isn't fit to house your spare boots would be a step up from the shithouse we'd be living in, so don't you dare comment on my pride. My pride saved this family. And guess what, son," Draco spat angrily, his eyes flashing. "When you've gone through hell and survived, you're allowed to feel superior, especially to your sixteen year-old son. You are damn lucky that the Cruciatus Curse isn't the normal punishment in this house. By the time I was your age, I was well-versed in the hardships of that particular form of punishment."
"You wouldn't dream of hurting me," Ben said contemptuously. "Mum wouldn't stand for it."
"Don't you drag your mother into this."
"Why not?"
"Because your mother has no place in such a show of disrespect towards your betters."
"Better? You were a fucking Death Eater! At least I know that it's wrong to kill innocent people," Ben spat. As the words came out of his mouth, he knew he shouldn't have said them. He tried to stop them, but it was too late. A horrified looked came over his face as Draco's eyes darkened in anger.
It happened in a flash, so quickly Ben would never be able to recall exactly how it had happened. One minute he was standing face-to-face with his father, each yelling, and the next minute he had stumbled back a few paces, his knees hitting his bed, which caused him to fall with an ungraceful thump, and Draco had his wand out and pointed straight at his heart. Draco's face was pale, his nostrils flared, and his eyes wide and angrier than Ben had ever seen them. They were even angrier than the time when he had been playing Quidditch outside and a Bludger accidentally went through a window and hit a very important client in the back of the head, giving him a severe concussion and causing Draco to lose a rather large business opportunity. If there had been any doubt that he had gone too far before, his father's wand tip hovering inches away from his face removed all doubt. He began to pray in earnest that his mother would take this opportunity to step in and stop the yelling, or even worse, the soon-to-be bloodshed.
They made an odd tableau. Two men that were almost identical, save the age difference, locked in this grotesque scene, if only for a second. The older one with his arm outstretched and his hand gripping his wand so tightly that the color of his knuckles almost matched his hair. His face set and eyes that held the power to turn life to stone with one carefully placed glare. The younger one half-reclining on the edge of a large bed, as if he had just fallen. His face held a look of terror and his eyes pleaded in such a way that the older man's eyes hardened even more. As if responding to the power of those eyes, the younger man sat frozen awaiting his fate. The window behind him admitted sunlight and a glimpse of the clear blue sky that mocked the seriousness of the situation. The setting sun glinted off the hair of both men, making them look like angels; one fallen, and one about to fall.
It took a second for it to register with Draco that he was pointing his wand, with the intent to seriously injure, at his son, and another second for him to react. His anger not at all relieved, Draco turned on his heel, his wand now pointed at Ben's stereo, and yelled, "Reducto!" Instantly, the entire device burst into a million pieces. Draco, whose anger did not seem at all diminished by his outburst, whipped back around and glared at Ben for a moment, his eyes clearly saying "Next time, that will be you," before stalking out of the room. Ben on the other hand, collapsed onto his bed, suddenly weak from the relief flowing through him. He was damn lucky that he wasn't on the receiving end of Draco's wand on this occasion, and he vowed to watch his step from now on so he would never have to worry about ending up like his stereo again. A part of him was angry at his father for making him feel this way, not to mention blowing up his stereo, but he firmly pushed these feelings to the side, and concentrated on the relief and joy that accompanies not being murdered by your own father.
***
Draco stormed into his bedroom in a towering rage. He ripped the tie from around his neck and threw it to the floor. Instead of wanting a warm meal and a comfortable bed, Draco now wanted to break something. He wanted to break something quite badly. Draco didn't know if he was angry because of the show of complete and utter disrespect Ben had just given him, free of charge, or the fact that he had been willing to force his son into obedience and respect through fear and pain. The snide voice in the back of his head that always appeared when he screwed up as a father, the snide voice that sounded a lot like his own father, and was currently whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
He's right, you know. You were a Death Eater and you always will be. It doesn't matter how many charities you give money to, or how many Weasleys you get to fall in love with you. You're no better than the rest of us. You don't deserve to be a father.
Draco grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at the opposite wall. It shattered and fell to the floor. Draco stood staring at the mess he had made, breathing heavily. After a few minutes in which Draco forced himself to gather his self-control around him like a cloak, he walked forward to examine the object on which he had chosen to vent his anger. He crouched down on the floor next to the mess, and picked up the remnants of a picture frame. The glass was completely shattered, and the frame was falling apart at the corners. The picture, however, remained entirely intact.
How appropriate, Draco thought ruefully, standing up and pulling his wand from his pocket. It was a picture of Draco and Ben when he was teaching Ben to ride his first broomstick. Before Draco had a chance to clean up the mess he had created, he heard the door open and an angry voice coming from behind him.
"What the hell have you done, Malfoy," Ginny hissed angrily. Draco slowly turned around and faced his irate wife. He really wasn't up to this argument right now. The sight of the picture that he still held in his hand had drained all his anger from him, and now he was tired again, so very tired.
"What do you mean?" he asked tiredly, swishing his wand towards the pile of glass and muttering "Reparo." The glass flew back into the frame and all the evidence of his outburst disappeared. Well, all the evidence except the mess of Ben's stereo and their, as of now, fucked up relationship.
"You know perfectly well what I mean," Ginny said as she advanced towards him. "I'm reading quietly in the library when I hear yelling. I'm a little worried, but I imagine that you've come home and are probably berating Ben. I'm upset that you didn't come find me first, but I get over it. Next thing I know, there is absolute silence for a few seconds, then the loudest bang I have ever heard. I get up and start hurrying towards Ben's room when I hear another loud crash coming from in here. I change route and what do I find?" Ginny gestured at the spot on the floor where the shattered glass had been moments before. "You standing above a pile of glass holding a wand in one hand and a ruined something in the other. Now what exactly is going on?"
Draco sighed and put the picture frame back on the desk and his wand back in his pocket. He sat down on the edge of the bed and Ginny followed. "Ben and I got into a little bit of an argument. I was trying to enforce a well-known house rule, when he blatantly disrespected me. I…well, there really isn't an excuse for my actions, but I completely lost control. I blew his stereo up and left."
"That's it?" Ginny asked, her voice carefully impassive.
"Not completely, but that's all you need to know. The rest is between Ben and myself, I'm afraid," Draco looked down at his hands. For the first time in a very long time, they were shaking; he balled them into fists to prevent further movement.
"And what, exactly, did he do this time, if I may ask?"
"He was blasting his music. I'm actually quite surprised you didn't hear it."
"I heard it, I just didn't see fit to ruin my relationship with my son over it." Ginny paused, biting her bottom lip. "Now listen closely, Malfoy, because I'm only going to say this once. I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here, but I'm going to assume that your father treated you like crap when you were sixteen, am I right?" Draco nodded. "I bet he told you what to do all the time and you had no choice in anything in your life." Draco nodded again. "And I would bet my life that you hated him for it. You resented everything about him because he kept pushing you to be something that you weren't." Draco nodded a third time. "So don't you think that it might be a good idea to let Ben make some of his own choices? Give him a little more slack every once and a while. You were sixteen too, once." Ginny stood up and left, leaving Draco to think of the many ways he could fix this.
***
An hour after the Incident, as Ben was calling it in his head, and he was lying in silence on his bed. He was still scared shitless of his father, and he was not about to risk achieving the same fate as his stereo by venturing out of his room or making any noise of any kind.
Five minutes later, Ben heard someone knocking on his door.
Thinking it was a house elf, or worse, his mother, trying to get him to either eat or talk, he didn't bother to get up. "Go away. I'm not hungry and I don't want to talk."
"Ben, I'd like to speak to you," Draco said neutrally through the door.
"Shit," Ben muttered, jumping off his bed. His heart was beating a mile a minute and the suddenly nauseous feeling wasn't helping matters. "Come in," he said with only a slight shake to his voice.
Draco opened Ben's door and stepped into his room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Ben stood silently in front of his father. His eyes scanned the usual places that Draco kept his wand, and when he didn't see it, he relaxed slightly.
"Listen, Ben," Draco said tensely. He stopped and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Ben stared at him. Where the hell is this going? he thought nervously. Usually, Draco would call Ben to his office, give him a firm reprimand, threats and curses free of charge, and make Ben's life miserable for a couple weeks. Ben would then storm up to his room, and hear muffled shouting that was Draco and Ginny arguing about his punishment. Why they couldn't do that before Ben was punished, he would never understand. Dinner was always a tense affair after that, and Ben quickly learned to avoid these occasions by eating alone in his room. This time, however, Ben had done something far worse than anything he had ever done before, and instead of being verbally beaten, not that Draco had ever actually hurt him, although he had come closer today than he ever had before, Draco was pacing back and forth in his room in a rather nervous fashion.
"Listen, Ben," he said, sitting down on a nearby chair. "I've just had a rather harsh awakening, and I need you to bear with me right now. When I was sixteen, I didn't have a very good relationship with my father. In fact, I didn't have a relationship with my father at all. I did what he told me to do, when he told me to do it, and I spent most of my time trying to please him, and generally failing, all due to Potter," he added sullenly, childhood rivalry surfacing. He shook his head, as if to clear old memories. "Anyway, I like to think that I'm a much better father to you than my father was to me. In fact, I'm sure that I am or your mother would have left me years ago. The thing is, Ben, sometimes I lose it, and I forget what it was like to be sixteen. So," he said, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for my actions earlier this evening."
Ben stared at Draco in shock. Had he actually just apologized? "I'm sorry, what?"
Draco glared at Ben. "You heard me, Benjamin, and I'm not going to repeat myself."
Ben swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry for what I said, too. I had no right to say those things to you and I was completely disrespectful. And I shouldn't have run away in the first place, but I couldn't stand how things were going." Draco quirked an eyebrow, encouraging him to continue. "I'm used to you guys arguing and yelling at each other, but no kid wants to see their mother walk out."
Draco sighed. "She wasn't walking out on me, or us for that matter. She was scared, and she wanted to go stay with her parents. I was going to go see her everyday and let her become accustomed to me again. Your way, however," Draco said with a smirk. "Seems to have worked as well. Your mother has decided not to stay with your grandparents. She will be staying here simply because she's afraid of leaving us alone together."
Ben nodded. He was beginning to get worried. The only possible reason for Draco apologizing now would be to soften the punishment he was about to receive. He braced himself for the blow.
"Something still bothering you, Ben?"
"Can you just tell me, already?" Ben burst out. Draco looked alarmed.
"Tell you what?"
"What my punishment is! There is no way that you are going to let me get away with running away from home and ruining the family reputation, and for saying…what I said earlier…without some sort of punishment."
"I'm not going to punish you, Ben."
"What?" Ben asked, somewhat alarmed. He looked at Draco suspiciously. "Is someone dying?"
Draco laughed. "No one's dying, and you're not getting punished. We all screwed up yesterday, and if I punished you, then I'd have to punish myself as well, which will not be happening. If you ever run away again, however, I will be forced burn all your belongings and cut you off financially." Ben wasn't sure if Draco was kidding or not. "As for what you said earlier, you should know that you will never speak to me like that again. You have no idea what I went through or what happened in my past. Some things are better off forgotten. Do you understand?" Ben nodded. "Just because I said…what I said…earlier does not mean that the Malfoy family reputation no longer matters to me. I worked very hard to redeem the family name, and it is not completely unreasonable for me to want to keep it untarnished. Someday-"
"I'm going to be the master of Malfoy Manor, which means that it will be my responsibility to keep the Malfoy name untarnished and pure. Got it, Dad," Ben said with a smile.
"Right, well," Draco said, getting to his feet. "If there aren't any more outstanding problems between us, I'd better be going. I've had an exceptionally long day and I really must get some sleep."
"Yeah, sure," Ben said, watching his father walk to the door. "Hey, Dad?" Ben called after him as Draco was about to exit. "I love you." Draco smiled and said, "I love you too, son" before closing Ben's door quietly behind him.
***
Draco trudged back to his room, his feet dragging on the ground. Forget dinner, all he wanted was to go to bed right now. When he shoved the door open, he thought he would find the room deserted. Instead, he saw a single light coming from one of the end tables. The light cast a soft glow over a sleeping form. Ginny was curled up under the covers, a book open on her chest. Draco looked down at her and smiled. He quickly changed into his pajamas and moved to leave the room. Once glance back at the large and welcoming bed, however, stopped him. He hesitated for a moment before going back over to Ginny. He took the book off her chest, carefully marked the spot, and, with a wave of his wand, turned out the light. He looked down at Ginny again, a small smile gracing his lips.
Oh, screw it, he thought as he pulled back the bedclothes and climbed in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. Still asleep, she snuggled back against him. He smiled into her hair and closed his eyes.
***
Hermione sat up as she heard her bedroom door open. Soft light spilled into the room from the hallway, showing the silhouette of a man.
"Harry?" she whispered. The silhouette moved from the doorway to her side of the bed in a flash. He crouched down beside her.
"Is something wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked nervously. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
Hermione smiled. "The baby and I are fine. I just…I wanted to talk," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Okay, let me get changed and we can talk." Hermione nodded and waited for Harry to come back. When he had finished changing, he slipped into bed next to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her.
"Now," he said after rubbing her back soothingly for a few seconds. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I went to see Ginny today. I wanted to make sure she was okay and everything." Harry nodded and continued rubbing her back. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "And she asked if I was married to Ron," Hermione continued, her voice cracking. Harry pulled her closer. "I couldn't tell her, Harry. She seemed so happy, I couldn't do it."
"Shh, it's okay, Hermione," Harry whispered soothingly. "It's alright. You didn't have to tell her."
"I wanted to, I really did, but I knew how close they were, and it didn't seem right for me to tell her," Hermione whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. "I just…I still can't believe he's dead."
***
A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!
Just for the record, Ben isn't paying Scarlet for sex. He still owes her for the money she lent him. I didn't really have time to fix that properly, so forgive me for any misunderstandings. Also, ten galleons equals about fifty dollars.